One of the animating questions in the essays that comprise Fascism in America is whether or not our national political arrangement has reached a point where it is uniquely vulnerable to being overwhelmed by a fascist movement.
Another is whether or not Donald Trump is a fascist.
Anyone paying even a modicum of attention since 2015 knows that a distinct shift — in rhetoric, tone, and behavior — has taken place in American politics, the most notable shift being the frequency with which Trump, his followers, and his allies endorse violence to achieve political goals.
In their introduction, the editors, Gavriel D. Rosenfeld and Janet Ward, first grapple with the question of whether Donald Trump is in fact a fascist. As with most political questions, reaching a definitive answer is complicated, and it requires weighing not only what contributed to the rise and character of European fascism in the years between the two world wars in the 20th century, but the history of overtly or adjacent fascist groups and their activities in America.
[continues]
seems those white pointy hats and sheets have been replaced with red bill caps and gold tops.
What explains the catastrophic foolishness of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and his Republican caucus? In particular, why do they not understand the calamitous consequences of their refusal to provide urgently needed military supplies to the Ukrainians in their desperate battle to stop Russia’s invasion of their country?
Is it simply because aid to Ukraine has gotten bound up with legislation to increase border security — legislation that House Republicans will never pass as long as they think keeping the immigration issue alive will help their chances in the 2024 election?
Or is it because their comprehension of foreign policy and the lessons of history is severely limited?
Or is it because they want to please their party leader, former President Donald Trump, who disdains Ukraine and admires Vladimir Putin?
Or is it because, among their Christian Nationalist delusions, there is the perception that Putin is an ally in their battle against Godless secularism and woke ideology?
Or is it because they have been paying too much attention to Tucker Carlson and Fox News?
“All of the above” may be the best explanation.
It is bitterly ironic that the House GOP’s self-named Freedom Caucus shows the least interest in defending freedom in Ukraine. Ukrainians are being attacked by Putin’s savage army because of their turn toward the democratic values of the West, yet that invasion seems just fine with Republican representatives like Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Should Ukraine be defeated and made a vassal state of Russia, Putin will be emboldened. He can easily find new historical pretexts and territorial claims to justify incursions into Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Poland — all NATO members.
In that event, would House Republicans be willing to live up to the treaty commitments the United States has made to defend those countries? Or will they betray our allies and cower under their America First banner?
There are plenty of questions begging for an answer, but it is the intelligence, integrity and patriotism of Johnson and the other Republicans in Congress that is most questionable.
jamie, happy 27th celsius — just think if you had been born only 2 days earlier, you’d only be 6.66 celsius. at any rate HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Why sing that tired old “Happy Birthday” song when you can really rub in the fear and dread of aging with a dirge? This song has at least 40 verses out there floating around (feel free to write your own!). I first heard it at a filk convention and is often sung at SCA events (Society for Creative Anachronism). According to the Kingdom of Caid’s Wiki site, it was created by Harald of Breakstone and Steven MacEanruig for Don Segundo Sombre de Muerte Christiano.
sing along to another stanza: Doom and gloom and dark despair
People dying everywhere!
The “gold” plated sneakers, $499, are now on sale for $99. Oh, and that is just a payment for a hope the things actually arrive.
new book that might have some good ideas to put to use
[…]
Across the world we see the growth of propaganda that promotes an alternative reality where black is white and white is black, and where truth is cast away in favour of a sense of superiority and ever more murderous paranoia. How can we defeat it? It’s easy to despair when fact checking is rejected by the millions who don’t want to hear the truth in the first place; when worthy journalism that preaches the virtues of “democracy” crumples in the face of suspicion, seeded purposefully for decades, that the media are actually “enemies of the people”.
We are not, however, the first generation to confront the challenge of authoritarian propaganda. And as I looked for past experiences to inform our own, I discovered a British second world war media operation that managed to engage huge audiences who had been loyal to the Nazis and undermine their faith in Hitler’s regime. If we think reaching people in “echo chambers” today is tough, think about how hard it was to persuade Germans to trust the people who were literally trying to kill them.
This campaign was led by Sefton Delmer, who as head of special operations for the Political Warfare Executive, created dozens of radio stations, newspapers leaflets and rumours, all intended to break the spell cast by Hitler’s propaganda by fair means or foul. He employed stars from the German cabaret scene, soldiers, surrealist artists, psychiatrists, forgers, spies and dissidents from across occupied Europe. Ian Fleming and Muriel Spark lent their talents to Delmer’s operations. According to declassified UK government files, which have been unearthed and organised by the historian and archivist Lee Richards, around 40% of German soldiers tuned into Delmer’s stations. The SS Obergruppenführer of Munich complained that Delmer’s stations were among the top three in the city and were causing complete havoc. Goebbels was dismayed by how effective they were.
Delmer’s interest, however, went beyond the uniquely nasty realm of nazism. He saw the same patterns at play throughout Germany in the 20th century as well as in Britain during the first world war. And his wartime work has many lessons for us today.
It was the performative aspect of propaganda, and the simultaneous need to belong, that struck him when he observed Hitler’s success. In the 1920s, Delmer became a star reporter for the Daily Express in Berlin. He gained behind-the-scenes access on Hitler’s election flights around Germany, where adoring crowds saluted the führer. Hitler gave people the sense of being part of a huge mass,….
[…]
Today’s propagandists play on the same needs. In a time of rapid economic, social and technological change it can be comforting to be part of a large, angry crowd. Online conspiracy theory communities are particularly effective at pulling together a sense of being part of a group with a secret knowledge and mission. Such media also give people a role to play in a confusing world: as a Proud Boy or a “patriot” storming the Capitol. Social media, where you are encouraged to label who you are, only exacerbates this performance. Meanwhile the allure of “strongmen” has never gone away. Whether you buy into the psychoanalytic theories, the grievance narratives work – from Trump’s crusade to Make America Great Again to Putin promising to get Russia back off its knees.
When the second world war was declared, Delmer was dismayed by Britain’s efforts to counter Nazi propaganda. He felt that the BBC German Service was simply preaching to converted anti-Nazis. So was the other German language station the British ran, the Station of the European Revolution, which still held out hope for a democratic uprising in Germany. Much like media across the world today, which see themselves as supporting democracy and liberal values, these stations were trapped in what we sometimes label an echo chamber of like-minded people.
Delmer wanted to break through and engage audiences that had come under the sway of the Nazis, and find the cracks that split them from the party. His first effort claimed to be a pirate radio station, hosted by a foul-mouthed German officer known simply as Der Chef. This racist patriot spewed stories about the scurrilous activities of Nazi officials, ranting about their sadomasochistic orgies. This pornography helped lure in listeners and broke taboos about insulting Nazi officials. In a more subtle way, it dramatised and mocked how nazism tapped into the psychological allure of submission and domination.
They buy ads on Russian pornography sites and bootleg movie portals or use cold calling software more familiar from marketing campaigns. Early on they found that “moral” content didn’t take off. When they made mass telephone calls to Russians, they found that some 80% would hang up during the first 20 seconds if the calls were about war crimes, but only 30% hung up when the call focused on their personal interests, such as a special tax they had to pay to support Russia’s newly occupied lands.
But though Delmer’s first station was a success, with some sources in Europe even claiming it was the most listened-to station in Germany, it didn’t take long for the Nazis to work out that it was the British who were behind it. They began calling it out publicly, using it as an example of how dastardly the British propaganda was. Indeed, here is one (of many) negative lessons from Delmer’s work. Then, as now, creating “sock puppet” media – media that pretend to be one thing but are actually another – can backfire.
As he expanded his war work, Delmer changed tactics. When he launched his most ambitious station, the Soldatensender Calais, it was still dressed up as if it were a native German military station, combining broadcasts of speeches by Nazi leaders with music and the latest news and gossip from the front that demonstrated all the lies and inequalities soldiers faced. But the aim was no longer to dupe the listener into believing this was a Nazi station – this time the audience was meant to be in on the act. As Peter Wykeham, a colleague of Delmer’s, explained, this station would “(i) afford our German customers an excuse if caught listening, (ii) enable them to justify this dubious activity to themselves”. Yet even though German listeners knew perfectly well the British were behind the station, they listened to it and trusted it. Often today we lament that people only trust the media that represent their social tribe. So how did Delmer pull it off?
Delmer used every research tool at his disposal to understand his audience’s world. Partisan groups in France provided the latest scores from military football matches and information on the cars officers drove. Secret microphones installed in PoW camps picked up on the soldiers’ latest slang and complaints about their higher-ups. A special storage space had to be constructed for the volumes of notes held by Delmer’s archivist, the former leader of the Social Democrats in the Saar region, Max Braun. Delmer’s team had early knowledge of when the RAF would strike a German town so they could warn soldiers if the street their loved ones lived on had been hit and remind them of their right to take leave and help relatives caught under bombardment.
Today it is so much easier to understand what people care about, even in closed societies. You can look at open-source research into corrupt procurement by local government, do sentiment analysis of social media, or use secure messaging apps that allow you to talk directly to people even in the most dangerous areas. The key is always to understand people’s conditions, and be useful to them. Delmer never talked down or lectured – instead he understood the gripes of the soldiers and made them feel part of a community that looked after their interests better than the Nazis.
But just as important as what was broadcast was the experience of tuning in. Here was a radio programme pretending to be Nazi, which understood that its listeners knew that it wasn’t, and whose listeners tuned in because they needed the emotional and physical safety of play acting as if they thought it might be Nazi after all. If the principle of Goebbels’ propaganda was to try to entrance you, to dissolve you into the loud, angry crowd, then here was media that required you to make a series of autonomous, conscious steps to engage. Delmer’s other media, such as his leaflets to help you feign illness and defect from the front, were also designed for people to take control and be more active. He encouraged people to invent roles for themselves rather than play the ones forced on them by Nazi propaganda.
How people think and act can be just as important as what they think when undermining the most malign propaganda. People are most susceptible to conspiracy theories, for example, when they don’t feel they have any agency or influence over their lives and rely on conspiracies to explain the world. Many are drawn to “strongmen” when they feel they can’t take back control over their lives. The real antidote to this is not plying them with facts. It’s helping to fix the underlying lack of agency.
So what can we draw from the strange, contradictory experience of Delmer’s deeds and misdeeds? Dictators and propagandists inside democracies use hate-spreading troll farms and conspiracy-spewing cable news; target audiences according to their deepest grievances and encourage cruelty. To compete we need to develop a new generation of democratic media with the same focus, but with different values. This needs to be done at scale.
First, such media has to match the emotional power of authoritarians. Counter-propagandists need their own visceral dramas, YouTubers and the whole spectrum of today’s channels.
They don’t need to hide their provenance like Der Chef, though they may have to give people the necessary “cover” to watch safely if in a dangerous dictatorship. But they do need to delve into the operating theatre of our darkest desires. Think of the difference between the cult leader and the therapist. Both dig into people’s unspoken fears and needs. The cult leader, like the authoritarian propagandist, uses that insight to make people dependent on their power. The therapist helps them to become more empowered and self-aware.
Second, we need to be much more attuned to the needs of audiences – think of media less as dispensing information and more as a social service. We are, by the looks of it, going to be in a long struggle with Russia. Now is the time to start investing in media that engage the parts of society that are critical to their war effort: workers in munitions factories or, most obviously, soldiers. It’s much easier than in Delmer’s time to obtain evidence of what they care about. Last month there was, for example, a large leak of documents from Russia’s military that showed how the leadership lies about losses on the front. The aim is not to make these people, who are often involved in war crimes, “good” – it’s to help win the war by getting them to disobey their orders.
Third, such media need to nurture a sense of community, especially in polarised democracies where there is still a chance of displacing malign propaganda before it reaches total dominance, and where there are audiences up for grabs. Instead of experiencing power through a strongman, this community needs to empower people to act for themselves. There are many small initiatives that already pioneer this. Hearken, for example, is an online platform where users can help media choose which topics they should focus on, taking power away from aloof editors and grounding it in local needs. vTaiwan is another platform whose algorithm helps people find solutions to polarising issues by identifying common ground on which to build policies. Such examples are tiny and experimental, and need to be scaled massively.
Sefton Delmer had as many bad lessons for us as good. But the most fundamental one is related to his sense that all social roles are somehow performed. We have a choice. We can either play the role prescribed by propagandists – which makes us dependent on them. Or we can invent media that welcome people into a relationship where they become active players.
You can’t shove “the truth” down people’s throats if they don’t want to hear it, but you can inspire them to have the motivation to care about facts in the first place.
How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler will be published by Faber on 7 March.
So, I’ve been watching TN; from the expulsion of members of State House, to one of those member bring repeatedly shut down/not allowed to speak when he won the right to come back, to a neo-nazi march last month, it’s other-worldly, except that it’s happening in our world. (Were the idiots marching with their faces covered police?) This op-ed gives some insight. The hate has been percolating underneath, but John McCain helped it break free with an assist from you-know-who in Alaska.
“That’s how you end up with a large Democratic-leaning city like Nashville without any actual Democrats representing them. Decades into this Republican supermajority, Tennessee politics are so polarized that according to the folks I talked to, Republican members won’t listen, engage with or include the other side at all.”
“Many were shocked last year when the Tennessee legislature dramatically expelled state representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. Their offense? Breaching decorum by speaking out in favor of common-sense gun reform alongside Rep. Gloria Johnson — something it seems many of their constituents wanted them to do.”
“Almost all deals cut are between the right and the far right. Left-leaning or moderate Tennesseeans have virtually no say in their state legislature on the political matters that govern their lives.”
“So even on issues like gun violence — on which a large majority of Tennesseans in both parties would like “red flag” laws — nothing gets done. And the carnage continues.”
“House passes several high-profile bills, silences Rep. Justin Jones”
“House passes bill that would ban pride flags in classrooms and ban a representative from being re-appointed to their seat if they are expelled.”
I think the word they really want to use is “uppity.”
NBC NEWS:
Former President Trump was accused in a lawsuit of trying to “drastically dilute” the value of stock shares in his social media company held by the firm’s co-founders, potentially depriving them of hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.
Michael Sparks, the man accused of being the first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been convicted on charges that he interfered with police and obstructed Congress from certifying the election results.
A federal jury in Washington, D.C. convicted Sparks, 46, a Kentucky resident, on all six charges he faced, including two felonies. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is set to sentence him on July 9, The Associated Press reported.
On the day of the Capitol riot, Sparks jumped through a broken window just after another rioter smashed it open. Inside the Capitol, he joined other people in chasing a police officer up a flight of stairs.
A prosecutor for the Department of Justice said during his trial that Sparks was the “tip of the spear,” and he entered the building less than a minute before senators evacuated the chamber to escape.
Sparks’ defense attorney, Scott Wendelsdorf, conceded that Sparks is guilty of four misdemeanor counts, including trespassing and disorderly conduct, but pushed back on the felony charges — civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.
After attending the “Stop the Steal” rally, Sparks, wearing a tactical vest, made his way to the front of the mob. He jumped in the Capitol window after other rioters told him not to, and a U.S. Capitol Police officer pepper sprayed him in the face.
Wendelsdorf said Sparks left the Capitol when he realized former Vice President Mike Pence would not overturn the results of the election on behalf of former President Trump.
Sparks was arrested after a tipster recognized him the day after the riots. Sparks reportedly had said he was attending a pro-Trump rally in Washington and said, “this time we are going to shut it down.”
A day after the riot, Sparks texted his mother that he would “go again given the opportunity.” The DOJ argued that he showed no remorse. By the time he went back to Kentucky, photos circulated online identifying him. Sparks called the local police department and offered to turn himself in, prosecutors said.
He was arrested on Jan. 19, 2021, and he was indicted on Feb. 5, 2021, followed by a superseding indictment in November of the same year.
The Frogs were tired of governing themselves. They had so much freedom that it had spoiled them, and they did nothing but sit around croaking in a bored manner and wishing for a government that could entertain them with the pomp and display of royalty, and rule them in a way to make them know they were being ruled. No milk and water government for them, they declared. So they sent a petition to Jupiter asking for a king.
Jupiter saw what simple and foolish creatures they were, but to keep them quiet and make them think they had a king he threw down a huge log, which fell into the water with a great splash. The Frogs hid themselves among the reeds and grasses, thinking the new king to be some fearful giant. But they soon discovered how tame and peaceable King Log was. In a short time the younger Frogs were using him for a diving platform, while the older Frogs made him a meeting place, where they complained loudly to Jupiter about the government.
To teach the Frogs a lesson the ruler of the gods now sent a Crane to be king of Frogland. The Crane proved to be a very different sort of king from old King Log. He gobbled up the poor Frogs right and left and they soon saw what fools they had been. In mournful croaks they begged Jupiter to take away the cruel tyrant before they should all be destroyed.
“How now!” cried Jupiter “Are you not yet content? You have what you asked for and so you have only yourselves to blame for your misfortunes.”
Be sure you can better your condition before you seek to change.
Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan vowed Friday that his new company will cover the former President Trump’s legal woes differently than the media has thus far.
“We will stop with this charade that this is a legal story,” Hasan said Friday evening in an interview on NewsNation’s “Cuomo.”
[…]
Hasan’s new company, “Zeteo” will cater to the progressives and seek “answers for the questions that really matter, while always striving for the truth,” according to a Substack website for the company.
He pointed out the Supreme Court’s recent decision to pick up the issue of whether former President Trump can be criminally prosecuted for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, calling it a “political story” rather than a legal one.
“This is a Supreme Court, which has a conservative supermajority, which has perhaps two stolen seats, has three members of the court appointed by the guy who they’re gonna be ruling on and one of them, his wife was involved in the coup attempt.” Hasan said, appearing to be referring to the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, Ginny Thomas, who has faced scrutiny for a possible role in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021 riots.
“That is a political story,” he added. “These are politicians in robes. These are not disinterested jurists. So, that’s one way I would cover this story differently.”
The progressive commentator also recently told The Washington Post that he has raised $4 million for his venture.
[continues]
Thank you Patd .. Son taking me to dinner to celebrate.
Fat Bear week has now given way to a “sleepiest bear” contest
Jamie – Happy Birthday!
That reminds me, your birthday used to be Oscar week. Are you and David doing an Oscar post this year?
Very bad polling news this morning. Trump is up 4 points (48-44, the reverse of their 2020 split) in one of the more accurate of the lot — New York Times/Siena College (free link) survey of likely voters (most others are all registered voters). That’s the biggest Trump lead so far in this poll. Indeed, it is the largest national lead for Trump in a NYT poll since first running for president in 2015.
Main drivers in the change from 2020:
— The share of voters who strongly disapprove Biden’s handling of his job has reached 47 percent, higher than in Times/Siena polls at any point in his presidency.
— Compared to 2020 results, Trump is up 10 pts among Blacks and up 15 pts among Hispanics (especially among men). In a stunning change, Biden’s 50pt edge among non-college, non-whites in 2020 is way down to just 6 points in this poll.
— They are tied among women in this poll, with Biden down 9 pts since 2020. I would expect Trump’s apparent support for a national abortion ban ultimately changes this number – and the overall results.
— Biden is winning only 83 percent of his 2020 voters, with 10 percent saying they now back Trump.
Ominously, the New York Times is withholding results on the age issue for later publication.
Some good news: Among the 19 percent of voters who said they disapproved of both, Biden led Trump 45 percent to 33 percent.
Wish I had better news for your birthday, Jamie.
They say it’s your birthdayWe’re gonna have a good timeI’m glad it’s your birthdayHappy birthday to you
Yes we’re going to a party partyYes we’re going to a party partyYes we’re going to a party party
I would like you to dance, birthdayTake a cha-cha-cha-chance, birthdayI would like you to dance, birthdayDance
And like i keep saying, we shouldn’t look at polls as predictive but as clues for what a campaign needs to work on. In Biden’s case it looks like heavy work to do among non-college and non-white, with a lighter lift to remind women how dangerous Trump is for reproductive rights.
Happy Birthday, Jamie‼️
May you stay forever young.
Happy Happy Birthday Jamie!
Plumpty fails at everything he does. He will fail at fascism too. Not that it won’t be bloody in the interim.
May God bless and keep you always May your wishes all come true May you always do for others And let others do for you May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung May you stay forever young Forever young, forever young May you stay forever young May you grow up to be righteous May you grow up to be true May you always know the truth And see the lights surrounding you May you always be courageous Stand upright and be strong May you stay forever young Forever young, forever young May you stay forever young May your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift May your heart always be joyful May your song always be sung May you stay forever young Forever young, forever young May you stay forever young
“If you sup with the devil, take a long spoon.”
– Msr. Le Sturge
The founders of Truth Social, a social media platform branded for Donald Trump, on Wednesday sued the company they helped create in Delaware’s Court of Chancery.
That lawsuit is sealed for now. But in an associated motion to expedite the proceedings, attorneys for Trump Media co-founders Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss outline claims that the former president and his associates at Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. tried to cheat them out of the value of their shares in the company.
The basis for the lawsuit filed Wednesday will be familiar to fans of lightly fictionalized Mark Zuckerberg biopic “The Social Network.”Trump and his associates stand accused of diluting the value of the co-founders’ shares by issuing a large number of new shares — which is, in part, what happened to both real and fictional Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. “In recent weeks, Trump-controlled TMTG purported to increase the amount of its authorized stock from 120 million to 1 billion common shares and create new classes of voting and non-voting stock (the “Billion Share Authorization”),” reads the motion from Moss and Litisnky’s attorneys. “This wrongful 11th hour, pre-merger corporate maneuvering can serve only one purpose: to dilute UAV before the merger and misappropriate UAV’s merger consideration for Trump.”
Some days Dylan gets it right.
He can’t sing worth shit, but sometimes his poetry makes up for his singing.
I think I will print the lyrics off.
A couple of years ago my sister took in a couple of strays. 2 boys who came knocking on her door looking for shelter. They were the grandchildren of a neighbor woman who had passed away a few months earlier. Their mother is a drug addict and even when straight isn’t up to the job of parenting. The youngest one is 12 today, he invited me to his birthday party.
The new trend in school fund raising is to get contact numbers from the children and have them beg for money from their relatives. No more cookie dough setting forever in the freezer. So last year his message was just an explaination of why he was texting. Evidently this year the school put pressure on the kids to contact family members. As his only adult family is a drug addict mother in prison he borrowed us to fill in and he also created a fictional role for us in his “family” so my text starts out “Dear Grandpa”.
LOL
Jack
Gallup Editor-in-Chief Mohamed Younis not encouraging: “Right now I think the most significant thing is President Biden is significantly behind every modern predecessor that sought re-election on a series of metrics that have been the core of where the country looks to decide to re-elect somebody.”
I love to hear Dylan sing. He’s certainly no Sinatra or Mario Lanza, but that unique voice reaches me and can be mesmerizing what he does with it.
It’s far too much to try to explain in a comment but right along with his voice is the technique he utilized to record. There isn’t any other act who records the way he has. If you read up on some of his recording sessions you can begin to get the picture; and he’s been recording that way since his first album.
Very funny moment in the Netflix documentary on making of We Are The World (which is really good btw): Bob Dylan is complaining he’s having trouble singing the solo part and Stevie Wonder says “here’s how Bob Dylan would sing it” and proceeds to impersonate him. That gets Dylan on track for how to do it.
Yeah I got a kick out of that part. Stevie’s been a long time cool.
Mr. Ivy and I have differing recollections of seeing the 1976 Orlando, Florida performance of Bob Dylan in the Rolling Thunder Review tour. I know we were there and we saw him and Joan Baez. He says he won a prize on a radio call-in, but when he went to collect there was some eff-up and the tickets were the consolation prize. He doesn’t know why but he was wearing a bathing suit into the radio station.
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-03-02-24/index.html
“Instead of indiscriminate airdrops in Gaza, the US should cut the flow of weapons to Israel that are used in indiscriminate attacks, push for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, and insist that Israel uphold its duty to provide humanitarian aid, access, and other basic services.”
Israel has “basically accepted” a six-week ceasefire proposal in Gaza, according to a senior US official, but Hamas has not yet agreed to specific terms around the release of hostages. More talks are planned in Cairo, sources say, as negotiators try to reach an agreement by Ramadan, which startsin just over a week.
On Friday afternoon, President Joe Biden called for an “immediate ceasefire.”
“We’re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas on the hostages being returned and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks and to allow the surge of aid to the Gaza Strip,” Biden said during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Jack, thank you for a heartwarming true story of doing for others.
“…and he also created a fictional role for us.”
Resonates with me as I remember feeling the need to disguise certain circumstances in my growing up home as our dad lay dying of cancer, in those days still a source of shame. Disease is disease as it takes its course, no matter its origin.
A mind twisting stat in today’s NYT poll: 53 percent believe Trump has committed “serious federal crimes,” including 12 percent of HIS OWN VOTERS!
Craig, all we need to do now is somehow persuade them that’s a bad thing.
“Resonates with me as I remember feeling the need to disguise certain circumstances … in those days still a source of shame.”
ivy, know what you mean. in the early days of aids I was caregiving my nephew and was acutely aware not to unnecessarily disclose his condition both for his sake as well as mine. one has to be very inventive in such times. scared people are usually not very compassionate, just ask the lepers of old before modern medicine came to the rescue.
That’s 12 per cent of Dukes Boys and Daisys who may be out of Dems reach.
Thank you, Pat. We still face it with our covid deaths.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour speaks with Mary Trump, the niece of former President Donald Trump, about what she believes about his legal cases keeps him up at night.
Pat, thanks so much for that. Brilliant questions from Christiane Amanpour and terrific answers by Dr. Mary. Could not be more succinct in describing the clinical problem.
What people often fail to see with Plumpty and similar malignant narcissists is their outer egotism is a deep fake cover-up for their inner fear and self-hatred. I’d bet Putie has the same issues. What’s going to happen when these “strongmen” inevitably clash with one another?
“George Robert Langford, former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Birmingham office, and most well known for reopening the case of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in the 1990s, has died.”
Langford, affectionally known as Rob, died on Feb. 21 in Windsor, Colorado, surrounded by his family at the age of 84, according to his obituary.
mommy, are we there yet?
Review | ‘Fascism in America: Past and Present,’ Edited by Gavriel D. Rosenfeld and Janet Ward – The Santa Barbara Independent
seems those white pointy hats and sheets have been replaced with red bill caps and gold tops.
David Horsey also hints of the 30s-style appeasement at work in his Why are House Republicans forsaking Ukraine? | The Seattle Times
jamie, happy 27th celsius — just think if you had been born only 2 days earlier, you’d only be 6.66 celsius. at any rate HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Why sing that tired old “Happy Birthday” song when you can really rub in the fear and dread of aging with a dirge? This song has at least 40 verses out there floating around (feel free to write your own!). I first heard it at a filk convention and is often sung at SCA events (Society for Creative Anachronism). According to the Kingdom of Caid’s Wiki site, it was created by Harald of Breakstone and Steven MacEanruig for Don Segundo Sombre de Muerte Christiano.
sing along to another stanza: Doom and gloom and dark despair
People dying everywhere!
The “gold” plated sneakers, $499, are now on sale for $99. Oh, and that is just a payment for a hope the things actually arrive.
new book that might have some good ideas to put to use
The man who tricked Nazi Germany: lessons from the past on how to beat disinformation | Books | The Guardian
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/02/opinions/tennessee-three-the-whole-story-justin-pearson-justin-jones-van-jones/index.html
So, I’ve been watching TN; from the expulsion of members of State House, to one of those member bring repeatedly shut down/not allowed to speak when he won the right to come back, to a neo-nazi march last month, it’s other-worldly, except that it’s happening in our world. (Were the idiots marching with their faces covered police?) This op-ed gives some insight. The hate has been percolating underneath, but John McCain helped it break free with an assist from you-know-who in Alaska.
“But when Republicans came into full control of Tennessee with the 2010 Tea Party movement, they imposed dramatic changes. They wasted no time gerrymandering the state to make it impossible for Democrats to ever get the majority again.”
“That’s how you end up with a large Democratic-leaning city like Nashville without any actual Democrats representing them. Decades into this Republican supermajority, Tennessee politics are so polarized that according to the folks I talked to, Republican members won’t listen, engage with or include the other side at all.”
“Many were shocked last year when the Tennessee legislature dramatically expelled state representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. Their offense? Breaching decorum by speaking out in favor of common-sense gun reform alongside Rep. Gloria Johnson — something it seems many of their constituents wanted them to do.”
“Almost all deals cut are between the right and the far right. Left-leaning or moderate Tennesseeans have virtually no say in their state legislature on the political matters that govern their lives.”
“So even on issues like gun violence — on which a large majority of Tennesseans in both parties would like “red flag” laws — nothing gets done. And the carnage continues.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/neo-nazis-march-through-downtown-nashville-in-the-middle-of-black-history-month
“Neo-Nazis March Through Downtown Nashville in the Middle of Black History Month”
https://www.wsmv.com/2024/02/27/house-passes-several-high-profile-bills-silences-rep-justin-jones/
“House passes several high-profile bills, silences Rep. Justin Jones”
“House passes bill that would ban pride flags in classrooms and ban a representative from being re-appointed to their seat if they are expelled.”
I think the word they really want to use is “uppity.”
NBC NEWS:
Former President Trump was accused in a lawsuit of trying to “drastically dilute” the value of stock shares in his social media company held by the firm’s co-founders, potentially depriving them of hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.
If you sup with the devil, take a long spoon.
in re our own Kristallnacht aka jan6
Jan. 6 rioter accused of being first to enter Capitol convicted for obstruction | The Hill
The Melian Dialogue
Why does Putina do it? Because he wants to and because he can.
It’s the same old song.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s-AEux_T9zU&t=143s&pp=ygUTVGhlIG1lbGlzbiBkaWFsb2d1ZQ%3D%3D
Oldies but goodies…….Aesop
The Frogs were tired of governing themselves. They had so much freedom that it had spoiled them, and they did nothing but sit around croaking in a bored manner and wishing for a government that could entertain them with the pomp and display of royalty, and rule them in a way to make them know they were being ruled. No milk and water government for them, they declared. So they sent a petition to Jupiter asking for a king.
Jupiter saw what simple and foolish creatures they were, but to keep them quiet and make them think they had a king he threw down a huge log, which fell into the water with a great splash. The Frogs hid themselves among the reeds and grasses, thinking the new king to be some fearful giant. But they soon discovered how tame and peaceable King Log was. In a short time the younger Frogs were using him for a diving platform, while the older Frogs made him a meeting place, where they complained loudly to Jupiter about the government.
To teach the Frogs a lesson the ruler of the gods now sent a Crane to be king of Frogland. The Crane proved to be a very different sort of king from old King Log. He gobbled up the poor Frogs right and left and they soon saw what fools they had been. In mournful croaks they begged Jupiter to take away the cruel tyrant before they should all be destroyed.
“How now!” cried Jupiter “Are you not yet content? You have what you asked for and so you have only yourselves to blame for your misfortunes.”
Hasan vows to cover Trump legal cases differently: ‘We will stop with this charade’ | The Hill
Thank you Patd .. Son taking me to dinner to celebrate.
Fat Bear week has now given way to a “sleepiest bear” contest
go to Four Paws to download the bracket
Jamie – Happy Birthday!
That reminds me, your birthday used to be Oscar week. Are you and David doing an Oscar post this year?
Very bad polling news this morning. Trump is up 4 points (48-44, the reverse of their 2020 split) in one of the more accurate of the lot — New York Times/Siena College (free link) survey of likely voters (most others are all registered voters). That’s the biggest Trump lead so far in this poll. Indeed, it is the largest national lead for Trump in a NYT poll since first running for president in 2015.
Main drivers in the change from 2020:
— The share of voters who strongly disapprove Biden’s handling of his job has reached 47 percent, higher than in Times/Siena polls at any point in his presidency.
— Compared to 2020 results, Trump is up 10 pts among Blacks and up 15 pts among Hispanics (especially among men). In a stunning change, Biden’s 50pt edge among non-college, non-whites in 2020 is way down to just 6 points in this poll.
— They are tied among women in this poll, with Biden down 9 pts since 2020. I would expect Trump’s apparent support for a national abortion ban ultimately changes this number – and the overall results.
— Biden is winning only 83 percent of his 2020 voters, with 10 percent saying they now back Trump.
Ominously, the New York Times is withholding results on the age issue for later publication.
Some good news: Among the 19 percent of voters who said they disapproved of both, Biden led Trump 45 percent to 33 percent.
Wish I had better news for your birthday, Jamie.
They say it’s your birthdayWe’re gonna have a good timeI’m glad it’s your birthdayHappy birthday to you
Yes we’re going to a party partyYes we’re going to a party partyYes we’re going to a party party
I would like you to dance, birthdayTake a cha-cha-cha-chance, birthdayI would like you to dance, birthdayDance
And like i keep saying, we shouldn’t look at polls as predictive but as clues for what a campaign needs to work on. In Biden’s case it looks like heavy work to do among non-college and non-white, with a lighter lift to remind women how dangerous Trump is for reproductive rights.
Happy Birthday, Jamie‼️
May you stay forever young.
Happy Happy Birthday Jamie!
Plumpty fails at everything he does. He will fail at fascism too. Not that it won’t be bloody in the interim.
May God bless and keep you always May your wishes all come true May you always do for others And let others do for you May you build a ladder to the stars And climb on every rung May you stay forever young Forever young, forever young May you stay forever young May you grow up to be righteous May you grow up to be true May you always know the truth And see the lights surrounding you May you always be courageous Stand upright and be strong May you stay forever young Forever young, forever young May you stay forever young May your hands always be busy May your feet always be swift May you have a strong foundation When the winds of changes shift May your heart always be joyful May your song always be sung May you stay forever young Forever young, forever young May you stay forever young
“If you sup with the devil, take a long spoon.”
– Msr. Le Sturge
https://delawareliberal.net/2024/03/01/dl-open-thread-friday-march-1-2024/
Some days Dylan gets it right.
He can’t sing worth shit, but sometimes his poetry makes up for his singing.
I think I will print the lyrics off.
A couple of years ago my sister took in a couple of strays. 2 boys who came knocking on her door looking for shelter. They were the grandchildren of a neighbor woman who had passed away a few months earlier. Their mother is a drug addict and even when straight isn’t up to the job of parenting. The youngest one is 12 today, he invited me to his birthday party.
The new trend in school fund raising is to get contact numbers from the children and have them beg for money from their relatives. No more cookie dough setting forever in the freezer. So last year his message was just an explaination of why he was texting. Evidently this year the school put pressure on the kids to contact family members. As his only adult family is a drug addict mother in prison he borrowed us to fill in and he also created a fictional role for us in his “family” so my text starts out “Dear Grandpa”.
LOL
Jack
Gallup Editor-in-Chief Mohamed Younis not encouraging: “Right now I think the most significant thing is President Biden is significantly behind every modern predecessor that sought re-election on a series of metrics that have been the core of where the country looks to decide to re-elect somebody.”
I love to hear Dylan sing. He’s certainly no Sinatra or Mario Lanza, but that unique voice reaches me and can be mesmerizing what he does with it.
It’s far too much to try to explain in a comment but right along with his voice is the technique he utilized to record. There isn’t any other act who records the way he has. If you read up on some of his recording sessions you can begin to get the picture; and he’s been recording that way since his first album.
Very funny moment in the Netflix documentary on making of We Are The World (which is really good btw): Bob Dylan is complaining he’s having trouble singing the solo part and Stevie Wonder says “here’s how Bob Dylan would sing it” and proceeds to impersonate him. That gets Dylan on track for how to do it.
Yeah I got a kick out of that part. Stevie’s been a long time cool.
Mr. Ivy and I have differing recollections of seeing the 1976 Orlando, Florida performance of Bob Dylan in the Rolling Thunder Review tour. I know we were there and we saw him and Joan Baez. He says he won a prize on a radio call-in, but when he went to collect there was some eff-up and the tickets were the consolation prize. He doesn’t know why but he was wearing a bathing suit into the radio station.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Thunder_Revue
Will Roe be enough? They are going after birth control next, so that may get more men on board (child support -ouch).
“The US says it has made its first humanitarian airdrop into Gaza, in a combined operation with Jordan. Aid groups have criticized the US effort as ineffective while its ally Israel continues to obstruct the bulk of aid deliveries.”
https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-hamas-war-gaza-news-03-02-24/index.html
“Instead of indiscriminate airdrops in Gaza, the US should cut the flow of weapons to Israel that are used in indiscriminate attacks, push for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages, and insist that Israel uphold its duty to provide humanitarian aid, access, and other basic services.”
Israel has “basically accepted” a six-week ceasefire proposal in Gaza, according to a senior US official, but Hamas has not yet agreed to specific terms around the release of hostages. More talks are planned in Cairo, sources say, as negotiators try to reach an agreement by Ramadan, which starts in just over a week.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/01/politics/israel-hamas-ceasefire-talks/index.html
On Friday afternoon, President Joe Biden called for an “immediate ceasefire.”
“We’re trying to work out a deal between Israel and Hamas on the hostages being returned and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for at least the next six weeks and to allow the surge of aid to the Gaza Strip,” Biden said during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Jack, thank you for a heartwarming true story of doing for others.
Resonates with me as I remember feeling the need to disguise certain circumstances in my growing up home as our dad lay dying of cancer, in those days still a source of shame. Disease is disease as it takes its course, no matter its origin.
A mind twisting stat in today’s NYT poll: 53 percent believe Trump has committed “serious federal crimes,” including 12 percent of HIS OWN VOTERS!
Craig, all we need to do now is somehow persuade them that’s a bad thing.
“Resonates with me as I remember feeling the need to disguise certain circumstances … in those days still a source of shame.”
ivy, know what you mean. in the early days of aids I was caregiving my nephew and was acutely aware not to unnecessarily disclose his condition both for his sake as well as mine. one has to be very inventive in such times. scared people are usually not very compassionate, just ask the lepers of old before modern medicine came to the rescue.
That’s 12 per cent of Dukes Boys and Daisys who may be out of Dems reach.
Thank you, Pat. We still face it with our covid deaths.
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour speaks with Mary Trump, the niece of former President Donald Trump, about what she believes about his legal cases keeps him up at night.
Pat, thanks so much for that. Brilliant questions from Christiane Amanpour and terrific answers by Dr. Mary. Could not be more succinct in describing the clinical problem.
What people often fail to see with Plumpty and similar malignant narcissists is their outer egotism is a deep fake cover-up for their inner fear and self-hatred. I’d bet Putie has the same issues. What’s going to happen when these “strongmen” inevitably clash with one another?
“George Robert Langford, former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Birmingham office, and most well known for reopening the case of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in the 1990s, has died.”
Langford, affectionally known as Rob, died on Feb. 21 in Windsor, Colorado, surrounded by his family at the age of 84, according to his obituary.
https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2024/03/george-robert-langford-former-fbi-agent-who-reopened-16th-street-baptist-church-bombing-case-dies.html?e=87003e1eb754f9d40574ce526134d300&lctg=622f6bce642ba020b90c1251&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter_birmingham_today%202024-03-02&utm_term=Newsletter_birmingham_today
Glad to see some prospect of a ceasefire in Gaza. What’d the Knesset have to do to get Nettywho to keep from blocking that, offer him a pardon?
Tonight’s Svengoolie, last of the old time monster movie hosts.
“The Invisible Man’s Revenge”
A monster movie from Universal Studios.
MeTV
NEW THREAD by Jack