When a guy shooting up a subway car is charged with terrorism but a group kills six people trying to end the rule of law in America isn’t, something is out of kilter. Congress must act
WARNING: The first comment is spreading false and dangerous pandemic disinformation!
Pretending that drivel from a right-wing website is a reliable source is the latest tell. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/american-institute-for-economic-research/ Under a transparent guise of “fairness,” i.e., bothsidesism, red herrings, and false premise, there’s sure a lot of Sturm und Drang over Bill Gates, WHO, corporatism, bureaucracy, revolving door, and the kitchen sink, but not one peep about the staggering death toll, which woulda-coulda-shoulda been in the thousands instead of over a million.
Had the majority of Republicans listened to and acted upon the science behind Doctor Fauci rather than a power-hungry bullshit artist, how many of our loved ones would still be with us, laughing, crying, sharing... living?
But they don’t matter to pseudo intellectuals disseminating deadly propaganda. https://geniuswriter.net/what-is-a-pseudo-intellectual/ The lives of actual human beings become mere, throwaway talking points in the selfish, egocentric pursuit of a larger political agenda: tearing down the pragmatic institutions of responsible democracy, however flawed, and supplanting them with who knows what. Nothing good, that’s for sure! Some white man dystopian Jesusland that ain’t a people’s democracy!
How many more innocents must die at the hands of despicable liars before this dying democracy succumbs to the forces of authoritarianism? Will Americans fight like Ukrainians for truth, justice, and the TRUE American way — the SPIRIT behind the words of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights?
Among so many other heavy responsibilities of leadership, our freely and fairly elected government representatives, and those they choose to fill positions, have a basic duty to protect the physical lives and wellbeing of citizens, visitors, asylum seekers, and other blood-and-flesh humans under their purview and auspices, which is everyone connected to the United States in some form or fashion, temporary or otherwise.
And so, the deadliest consequence of Trumpism buried by Republicans is worthy to repeat: The Party of Death could have prevented the biggest percentage of a million American COVID deaths! It's impossible to ignore that and remain intellectually honest.
After two years of the dire, predicted consequence coming true, where the blame squarely lies is no mystery. By not honoring the clear science, influential Republican politicians — indeed, their whole party and army of far-right media pundits enabling them — FAILED the American people because they FAILED to heed the hard-won, studied advice of an objective, nonpartisan, decades-long presidential advisor, an esteemed, credentialed doctor of science and one of the world’s leading pandemic experts.
Instead, those foolishly culpable of making the pandemic infinitely worse gobbled up the childish pablum of a failed reality star and one of the world’s worse liars. They crassly, shamelessly politicized a devastating worldwide pandemic by lusting after power, knowingly condemning to death, or to lifelong suffering, their own constituents and everyone around them, while disingenuously blaming their perceived mortal enemies, all those wicked liberals and Democrats and Satan worshippers.
But the real evildoers are Republicans and their assorted trolls. A faction of horrible liars accomplished their misdeeds by changing the story from a common-sense narrative about a tragic health crisis to an existential battle for “freedom,” from the pragmatic to the pull-it-out-of-your-butt, psychological fear of utter nonsense!
Changing the premise of this most consequential argument is perhaps the most egregious logical fallacy of all.
The "Bundy Rebellion" was astounding, in terms of what those insurrectionists were allowed to get away with. I will never forget the image of the guys flat, sniper-style on the bridge with their rifles trained on law enforcement. And the terrorism worked! The lawful authorities shuffled away with their tails between their legs, is how I remember it. One wonders, what if there had been determined enforcement on that occasion, would Ammon and the gang have been less empowered to violate laws later? Then try to picture that many armed black people gathered, with black guys laid flat on rooftops with sniper rifles trained on cops.....
One doesn't have to wonder too long; we know Ammon Bundy wouldn't be prancing around running for governor of Idaho. And black guys would've been shot on the spot as just part of the normal morning routine, even before coffee. Yawn, stretch, eject a round.
It looks like today's rant is a slice of WWIII. It's been going on for a while, now. It looks to me like the last wars over resources were our ill-begotten ventures in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it's one ideology trying to kill the other as a threat, and the other ideology trying to stay alive, wondering why, where does this hatred come from? Mr. Putin is currently showing us just how ugly this struggle is and how ugly it's going to get. It's nothing new, but it is a stark reminder. I think too many of us did forget. Shame on us. Of course it can happen here. Those of us who do not have a menacing sovereign to invade them have an equally monstrous enemy within their own borders.
But hating in our turn, because we are afraid, does not help at all. It only adds to the problem. If we can't bring light into this world, who will? We need to keep our hearts open to Mother Earth and all that inhabit therein. But, like the Ukrainians, if any person or group from the dark side were to come at me with murder in their eyes, I would defend myself and democracy.
Speaking of the Red Army Faction, I still have the poster of them I carried around in Germany. Lots of MP stories to go with that; I'll spare you. Terrorists come from all levels of society. Power is both an intoxicant and an aphrodisiac. Power is what they feel---until they get caught.
We have heard the "domestic terrorist" words used for the people that attacked the Capitol. I hope to hear it spoken of in the hearings. This chapter of our history is still in the making.
Germany did this: "During the period 1974 to 1978, four statutes were adopted which aimed to make it easier to fight terrorism, by means of which provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure and of the Courts Constitution Act were adjusted to meet the needs of effective prosecution of terrorist offenses. The reason for these legal amendments was several attacks carried out in Germany in the seventies by the so-called "Red Army Fraction", a left-wing terrorist association."-published by the Committee of Experts on Terrorism, Germany, 2016.
Political violence is a very real concern, and one that may be broader than we can control with our voting system. Our political choices balance on a tightrope that easily can harm any minority, anyone who disagrees with you or anyone who has a different faith. Historically politicians have used fear campaigns to distort almost every single issue. Political violence has been used effectively by both liberal and conservative groups; both parties have always managed to find some one else to be the responsible 'bad' person.
Mr. Hartman's research and citations are, as always, timely and impeccable, however, in all fairness it raises deep, foundational questions that many people have been troubled by:
"Dr. Fauci is sure he is right, and he has had enough of those making different choices than his guidance: “I respect people’s freedom, but when you’re talking about a public health crisis, that we’ve been going through now for well over a year and a half, the time is come, enough is enough.” Let’s not hide Fauci’s plain meaning, I respect people’s freedom to do what I tell them.
The basic human right to decide what goes into your body is now being reversed.
You are to take all the vaccines Dr. Fauci and Pfizer deem necessary. They—not you—will decide the parameters of your freedom, with Ferguson and Caplan cheering them on. Rest easy, like Robespierre, the fallible decisions of Dr. Fauci, politicians, bureaucrats and cronies are for “the common good.”
With freedom redefined, there will be no need to take personal responsibility for your health decisions. Those who don’t go along with official guidance must be dealt with. Ban them from travel, from schools, and from employment. In Ferguson and Caplan’s Rousseauian view, society is merely expunging those that won’t take a knee to whatever is proclaimed the common good."
As US District Judge Reggie Walton, a Bush appointee, said this week when sentencing a January 6th insurrectionist:
“I think our democracy is in trouble because, unfortunately, we have charlatans like our former president who doesn’t, in my view, really care about democracy but only about power.”
Whether America should add political violence to our existing hate crime laws, create a new category of political hate crime, or deal with our crisis of political violence in some other way is best left to a healthy debate within our legislative branch of government.
I think there's an analogy to "You can't yell 'fire' in a crowded theatre." Because it endangers your fellow citizens. Why do you, unmasked/unvacced/unquarantined, have a right to be a danger to me? Unvacced, you are volunteering to be a variant-breeder, thanks a lot. 24 more died of Covid in Shasta County this week, "freedom" capitol of CA. Freedom to get sick, and a significant percentage will be impaired for life. But who else are you taking the risk for? "No man is an island" is now just a raised middle finger, a knee-jerk 2-year-old tantrum. We have a diagnosis of "chronic oppositional disorder;" that's what you have reduced the concept of "freedom" to.
What's not recognized here is the difference between fairly elected representatives making and enforcing laws for the common good and unelected people taking the law into their own hands.
What would it take for you TB, polio, Ebola? You, just like all those who choose the no-vax route, are free to die, create conspiracies that don't exist, and demonize the experts all you want to. This ISN'T Shanghai. I just wish you good health, because Covid is a horrible thing to experience for many and an even worse way to die before your time.
WARNING: The first comment is spreading false and dangerous pandemic disinformation!
Pretending that drivel from a right-wing website is a reliable source is the latest tell. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/american-institute-for-economic-research/ Under a transparent guise of “fairness,” i.e., bothsidesism, red herrings, and false premise, there’s sure a lot of Sturm und Drang over Bill Gates, WHO, corporatism, bureaucracy, revolving door, and the kitchen sink, but not one peep about the staggering death toll, which woulda-coulda-shoulda been in the thousands instead of over a million.
Had the majority of Republicans listened to and acted upon the science behind Doctor Fauci rather than a power-hungry bullshit artist, how many of our loved ones would still be with us, laughing, crying, sharing... living?
But they don’t matter to pseudo intellectuals disseminating deadly propaganda. https://geniuswriter.net/what-is-a-pseudo-intellectual/ The lives of actual human beings become mere, throwaway talking points in the selfish, egocentric pursuit of a larger political agenda: tearing down the pragmatic institutions of responsible democracy, however flawed, and supplanting them with who knows what. Nothing good, that’s for sure! Some white man dystopian Jesusland that ain’t a people’s democracy!
How many more innocents must die at the hands of despicable liars before this dying democracy succumbs to the forces of authoritarianism? Will Americans fight like Ukrainians for truth, justice, and the TRUE American way — the SPIRIT behind the words of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights?
Among so many other heavy responsibilities of leadership, our freely and fairly elected government representatives, and those they choose to fill positions, have a basic duty to protect the physical lives and wellbeing of citizens, visitors, asylum seekers, and other blood-and-flesh humans under their purview and auspices, which is everyone connected to the United States in some form or fashion, temporary or otherwise.
And so, the deadliest consequence of Trumpism buried by Republicans is worthy to repeat: The Party of Death could have prevented the biggest percentage of a million American COVID deaths! It's impossible to ignore that and remain intellectually honest.
After two years of the dire, predicted consequence coming true, where the blame squarely lies is no mystery. By not honoring the clear science, influential Republican politicians — indeed, their whole party and army of far-right media pundits enabling them — FAILED the American people because they FAILED to heed the hard-won, studied advice of an objective, nonpartisan, decades-long presidential advisor, an esteemed, credentialed doctor of science and one of the world’s leading pandemic experts.
Instead, those foolishly culpable of making the pandemic infinitely worse gobbled up the childish pablum of a failed reality star and one of the world’s worse liars. They crassly, shamelessly politicized a devastating worldwide pandemic by lusting after power, knowingly condemning to death, or to lifelong suffering, their own constituents and everyone around them, while disingenuously blaming their perceived mortal enemies, all those wicked liberals and Democrats and Satan worshippers.
But the real evildoers are Republicans and their assorted trolls. A faction of horrible liars accomplished their misdeeds by changing the story from a common-sense narrative about a tragic health crisis to an existential battle for “freedom,” from the pragmatic to the pull-it-out-of-your-butt, psychological fear of utter nonsense!
Changing the premise of this most consequential argument is perhaps the most egregious logical fallacy of all.
Yeah, Deepspace: we know.
✔️
The "Bundy Rebellion" was astounding, in terms of what those insurrectionists were allowed to get away with. I will never forget the image of the guys flat, sniper-style on the bridge with their rifles trained on law enforcement. And the terrorism worked! The lawful authorities shuffled away with their tails between their legs, is how I remember it. One wonders, what if there had been determined enforcement on that occasion, would Ammon and the gang have been less empowered to violate laws later? Then try to picture that many armed black people gathered, with black guys laid flat on rooftops with sniper rifles trained on cops.....
One doesn't have to wonder too long; we know Ammon Bundy wouldn't be prancing around running for governor of Idaho. And black guys would've been shot on the spot as just part of the normal morning routine, even before coffee. Yawn, stretch, eject a round.
It looks like today's rant is a slice of WWIII. It's been going on for a while, now. It looks to me like the last wars over resources were our ill-begotten ventures in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it's one ideology trying to kill the other as a threat, and the other ideology trying to stay alive, wondering why, where does this hatred come from? Mr. Putin is currently showing us just how ugly this struggle is and how ugly it's going to get. It's nothing new, but it is a stark reminder. I think too many of us did forget. Shame on us. Of course it can happen here. Those of us who do not have a menacing sovereign to invade them have an equally monstrous enemy within their own borders.
But hating in our turn, because we are afraid, does not help at all. It only adds to the problem. If we can't bring light into this world, who will? We need to keep our hearts open to Mother Earth and all that inhabit therein. But, like the Ukrainians, if any person or group from the dark side were to come at me with murder in their eyes, I would defend myself and democracy.
Thom, I agree it's way out of whack. They charged the guy in NY with terrorism because his attack was on public transportation.
Which makes no sense. The terrorism designation has to do with intent, not location.
Speaking of the Red Army Faction, I still have the poster of them I carried around in Germany. Lots of MP stories to go with that; I'll spare you. Terrorists come from all levels of society. Power is both an intoxicant and an aphrodisiac. Power is what they feel---until they get caught.
We have heard the "domestic terrorist" words used for the people that attacked the Capitol. I hope to hear it spoken of in the hearings. This chapter of our history is still in the making.
Germany did this: "During the period 1974 to 1978, four statutes were adopted which aimed to make it easier to fight terrorism, by means of which provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure and of the Courts Constitution Act were adjusted to meet the needs of effective prosecution of terrorist offenses. The reason for these legal amendments was several attacks carried out in Germany in the seventies by the so-called "Red Army Fraction", a left-wing terrorist association."-published by the Committee of Experts on Terrorism, Germany, 2016.
We need to make the consequences very CLEAR.
Political violence is a very real concern, and one that may be broader than we can control with our voting system. Our political choices balance on a tightrope that easily can harm any minority, anyone who disagrees with you or anyone who has a different faith. Historically politicians have used fear campaigns to distort almost every single issue. Political violence has been used effectively by both liberal and conservative groups; both parties have always managed to find some one else to be the responsible 'bad' person.
Mr. Hartman's research and citations are, as always, timely and impeccable, however, in all fairness it raises deep, foundational questions that many people have been troubled by:
https://www.aier.org/article/the-totalitarian-roots-of-vaccine-mandates/
"Dr. Fauci is sure he is right, and he has had enough of those making different choices than his guidance: “I respect people’s freedom, but when you’re talking about a public health crisis, that we’ve been going through now for well over a year and a half, the time is come, enough is enough.” Let’s not hide Fauci’s plain meaning, I respect people’s freedom to do what I tell them.
The basic human right to decide what goes into your body is now being reversed.
You are to take all the vaccines Dr. Fauci and Pfizer deem necessary. They—not you—will decide the parameters of your freedom, with Ferguson and Caplan cheering them on. Rest easy, like Robespierre, the fallible decisions of Dr. Fauci, politicians, bureaucrats and cronies are for “the common good.”
With freedom redefined, there will be no need to take personal responsibility for your health decisions. Those who don’t go along with official guidance must be dealt with. Ban them from travel, from schools, and from employment. In Ferguson and Caplan’s Rousseauian view, society is merely expunging those that won’t take a knee to whatever is proclaimed the common good."
The 'terrorism' we have allowed corporations to practice for the last 50 years by looking the other way as the revolving doors (https://research.ncsu.edu/ges/files/2017/11/2011-Kuzma-Revolving-Door-between-Regulatory-Agencies-Agricultural-and-Environmental-Ethics.pdf) between their CEOs and community regulatory agencies such as, the FDA, CDC, and WHO, has flourished, really has been effective terrorism, with a fear component equal to a major war. The terrorism we have allowed by setting non-profit organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation up to become the 2nd largest funding source and influence for WHO (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/who-funds-world-health-organization-un-coronavirus-pandemic-covid-trump/) is scary in many respects. In particular since GAVI is also shows the same foundation as a major funding source (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAVI).
Mr. Hartman's citation:
As US District Judge Reggie Walton, a Bush appointee, said this week when sentencing a January 6th insurrectionist:
“I think our democracy is in trouble because, unfortunately, we have charlatans like our former president who doesn’t, in my view, really care about democracy but only about power.”
Whether America should add political violence to our existing hate crime laws, create a new category of political hate crime, or deal with our crisis of political violence in some other way is best left to a healthy debate within our legislative branch of government.
I think there's an analogy to "You can't yell 'fire' in a crowded theatre." Because it endangers your fellow citizens. Why do you, unmasked/unvacced/unquarantined, have a right to be a danger to me? Unvacced, you are volunteering to be a variant-breeder, thanks a lot. 24 more died of Covid in Shasta County this week, "freedom" capitol of CA. Freedom to get sick, and a significant percentage will be impaired for life. But who else are you taking the risk for? "No man is an island" is now just a raised middle finger, a knee-jerk 2-year-old tantrum. We have a diagnosis of "chronic oppositional disorder;" that's what you have reduced the concept of "freedom" to.
✔️
What's not recognized here is the difference between fairly elected representatives making and enforcing laws for the common good and unelected people taking the law into their own hands.
What would it take for you TB, polio, Ebola? You, just like all those who choose the no-vax route, are free to die, create conspiracies that don't exist, and demonize the experts all you want to. This ISN'T Shanghai. I just wish you good health, because Covid is a horrible thing to experience for many and an even worse way to die before your time.
We, all know who the real terrorists are Thom. A lot of them showed up January 6th. Remember Pence knew not to get in the car, Thom.