Mordor In Orlando

 

CPAC is back, and it is more deranged and dishonest than ever.

With a golden idol of their messiah greeting them, CPAC has become nothing but a Trump rally by another name.

American conservatism has been subsumed by Trumpism. Conservatives who know Trump is a liar and criminal are shunned as weak RINOs.

Conservatism, like the Republican Party platform, is now whatever Trump says it is. The Republican Party is the Party of Trump. Trumpism is conservatism 

Conservatism has always been the myth that the status quo is superior to social progress, racial equality, equal justice under law. Conservative mythology has always been antagonistic towards Constitutional taxes, Constitutional regulation of commerce, and Constitutional provision for the general welfare. Conservative mythology embraces voter suppression, capital punishment and harsh law enforcement. Conservatives were the last people to resist ending slavery and segregation. Conservative mythology opposed women’s suffrage and the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act 

Conservative mythology has always required an authoritarian mentality, and is always ripe for being re-framed by an authoritarian leader.

Their mythology provides a ready built foundation for a tyrant and one-party despotism. It coddles the rich and punishes the poor. It demands conformity, as it reviles and demonizes dissent and opposition. It’s values are not democracy love, compassion and decency. Resentment, blame, and anger are their unifying emotions. Any lie that serves those tools of social leverage and emotional manipulation is acceptable. The means always justify the ends. Conservatism is supreme, and held above any other ideology and philosophy. Even their religion will bow to conservatism through tax cuts for the rich and stripping health care and food stamps from the poor. You don’t have to look far to see those who picture Jesus as a Republican, and he sent Trump to save America.

Conservatives value unquestioning obedience and loyalty to their leaders, and mindless acceptance of their propaganda.

Why? Because conservatism is always right. Conservatism never fails. Conservatives are the real patriots. Conservatives are moral and never lie. Conservatives are indoctrinated to believe those who don’t agree with them will fail, are not patriots, and are immoral liars.

The same lofty delusions also envelop Trumpism.

 They accept and revere these delusions as they “hold these truths to be self-evident”.

They believe that only conservatives truly know what the founders wanted for our country and our government. 

But how “self-evident” are their truths?

The Declaration of Independence says:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,”

Conservatism holds that conservatives are more entitled to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” than lesser Americans. When it comes to minorities and immigrants, those values become quite flexible. The quaint notion of government “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed” goes out the window when they repeatedly exercise minority rule by winning the presidency with fewer votes than the Democrat. This is what they call a “mandate” and the “will of the people”.

The Senate is rigged just for them as well. McConnell desecrated the Constitution by denying the appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. “Too close to the election” that was eight months away. Ramming through Justice Barrett DURING an election was just fine, though. This is conservatism.

The 50 Democratic senators represent millions more Americans than do the 50 Republican senators.  It takes only 51Republican votes to give huge tax cuts to the rich, but it takes 60 votes to raise the minimum wage. Funny how that works. This is conservatism, and the government is held hostage to it. This is why they need to reject democracy and suppress voter rights

 But conservatives, especially white conservatives, don’t see it that way. They will incessantly whine that they are the real victims of racism, prejudice, injustice, and lost opportunity. Just ask one.

This weekend CPAC has gathered in “Mordor in Orlando”. Their Supreme Leader will speak Sunday, so his remarks will be addressed later.

The resentment, anger, hatred and lies are amplified and reinforced by the CPAC cult followers of Trump.

 CNN reported and fact checked the lies:

 - The segment was titled "YOUR VOTES CANCELED." They were denying the fact that Joe Biden gained ground late on election night in vote-counting in swing states, saying this was "statistically impossible".

We know all the mail in votes could not be counted on election day. In fact Republicans obstructed Pennsylvania from counting them before election day.

- "The reason that people stormed the Capitol was because they felt hopeless because of a rigged election."

Facts First: The election was not rigged. Joe Biden was the legitimate winner. There is no evidence of widespread fraud or malfeasance.

- "Democrats, not Republicans, installed ballot drop boxes on sidewalks, where nobody oversaw them. How many fraudulent ballots got deposited in these boxes unchecked and then got counted? Who knows."

There is no sign that these drop boxes were used fraudulently in the 2020 election. The boxes were secured in various ways: affixed to the ground, designed with anti-tampering measures, and, in many cases, subjected to 24-hour video surveillance. Also, some states and counties run by Republicans made use of ballot drop boxes.

- "...a lot of people there (Storming the Capitol.)-- Antifa was there, BLM was there, MAGA people were there, everybody was there. And if Joe Biden wants to talk unity, there was unity there on that day, because America is sick and tired of being pushed down."

No evidence supports this, of course.

- They (CNN)asked Joe Biden about it, (China’s Uygers) and he said it amounted to a mere cultural difference. I don't think that more disgusting words have ever left the lips of an American president."

“We must speak up for human rights. It's who we are." Biden said to President Xi Jinping on their February phone call that "no American president can be sustained as a president if he doesn't reflect the values of the United States. And so the idea I'm not going to speak out against what he's doing in Hong Kong, what he's doing with the Uyghurs in western mountains of China ...

- "The rest of the world almost exclusively does voting in person because of the opportunities for fraud in mail-in voting."

Approximately 1/4 of countries use mail-in voting. In the United States, evidence of mail ballot fraud is exceedingly rare.

- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claimed, "We have a border wall, partly along where El Paso is. Before that occurred, El Paso was one of the highest crime cities in America. When they put that up it actually made them one of the more safe cities. So we know they work."

According to an analysis of FBI crimes data and city law enforcement data analyzed by the El Paso Times, violent crime in El Paso peaked in 1993. Border fence construction didn't begin until 2008, and was completed in 2009. Violent crime in El Paso fell 34% between 1993 and 2006. And according to the El Paso Times, from 2006 to 2011, violent crime in El Paso actually increased by 17 percent.

- Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar said that 99 percent of undocumented immigrants don't attend court proceedings after they are released from US custody. "They're releasing 50 undocumented aliens into the streets and hoping they'll come back for their court appearances, but over 99% of them do not do that."

 According to the latest statistics from the Justice Department, 75% of the cases decided that year.

- California Rep. Devin Nunes complained, "When you go into the Department of Motor Vehicles, you're gonna register to vote. Even if you don't want to register to vote, they register you to vote.” (Gasp! The tyranny!)

California citizens are automatically registered to vote when filling out certain forms at the DMV, but are allowed to opt out if they so choose.

- "And wind and solar, as great as they may be, they are not reliable. You need that constant reliable source of coal and natural gas that has to be there. But that's not there if you have wind and solar, which is what we saw in Texas."

While all sources of power failed to some extent in Texas, the bulk of outages were due to fossil fuel sources going offline, in large part due to the lack of winterization in the state's energy infrastructure. According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the state's power grid, most of the power outages were due to losses in coal, natural gas and nuclear energy.

-  Former North Carolina Rep. Mark Walker -- who is a candidate to fill the state's US Senate seat after Sen. Richard Burr retires in 2023 -- said that Democrats have recently started supporting criminal justice reform. "The left, they're finally getting on board with criminal justice reform." Walker said.

Obama tried to get criminal justice reform passed during his second term in office, but a bipartisan bill failed in the Senate during the 2016 presidential election, when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell decided not to bring it up for a vote. The Obama administration took reform steps that did not require Republican approval, such as banning the use of solitary confinement for juveniles in federal prisons, working with state and local governments to reduce pre-trial incarceration and the incarceration of people with mental illnesses, and instructing federal prosecutors to try to avoid triggering mandatory minimum sentences for certain non-violent drug offenders.

This is conservatism as portrayed at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. Sunday their lies will be Trumped up to even greater depths of deceit. Stay tuned.

What Do We Do?

 

Denial of elections, encouraging violence, and veiled threats of insurrection were running themes with the most authoritarian president in American history.

His veiled, and not so veiled, threats have been warnings that should have been heeded long ago.

His taste for cruelty has been clear all along, from his demand for the exonerated Central Park Five to be executed, to “zero tolerance” family separations, up to the flurry of federal executions during his last year in office.

He encouraged violence against protesters at his rallies. He praised a Republican for assaulting a journalist. His Redneck Nuremburg rallies were filled with chants of “Lock her up!”

In 2016 Trump suggested, "Second Amendment people" could "do" something about Hillary Clinton.

Last year, like a tin pot dictator, Trump boasted, "I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad."

“Very bad” was exactly what he wanted. After citing that quote in his book “Authoritarian Nightmare”, John Dean presciently noted, “It is Donny with his gang from grade school again throwing his weight around the nation’s capital suggesting insurrection is not out of the question”.

After Trump tweeted, “LIBERATE MICHIGAN”, MAGA terrorists plotted to kidnap and kill the governor of Michigan.

On January 6th 2021 Trump incited his mob to insurrection, telling them to, “March to the Capitol”, “Fight like hell”, “Stop the steal”, and “Take our country back”.

He alone ended America’s tradition of a constitutional and peaceful transition of power.

The twice impeached ex-president has not been chastened or restrained from his terrorist rhetoric. Like a gangster boss with his mob for a jury, he was acquitted. Like every racist, white nationalist, fascist and Nazi, he portrays himself as a victim of those he wants to demonize. He fumes with resentment, anger and hate. And like every racist, white nationalist, fascist and Nazi, he will continue to pose a threat to the American people and our democracy.

But his crime spree is finally catching up with him.

He’s been named as “Individual 1” in a campaign finance crime. 

Robert Mueller documented at least 10 potential acts of obstruction of justice.

He illegally attempted to extort the Ukrainian president into aiding his 2020 election.

His inaugural committee and the Trump Organization are being investigated for siphoning money into their pockets.

Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis has opened a criminal investigation into efforts by Trump camp to overturn his loss in Georgia.

Who knows how many crimes Donald “Law and Order” Trump has committed?

After his “disloyal” Supreme Court allowed his tax returns to be examined by prosecutors of the Southern District of New York, he released his latest statement, filled with hateful projection, resentment, victimhood, lies, rage and threats.

See for yourself:

~~~~~

February 22, 2021

Statement on the Continuing Political Persecution of President Donald J. Trump

This investigation is a continuation of the greatest political Witch Hunt in the history of our Country, whether it was the never ending $32 million Mueller hoax, which already investigated everything that could possibly be investigated, "Russia Russia Russia," where there was a finding of "No Collusion," or two ridiculous "Crazy Nancy" inspired impeachment attempts where I was found NOT GUILTY. It just never ends!

So now, for more than two years, New York City has been looking at almost every transaction I've ever done, including seeking tax returns which were done by among the biggest and most prestigious law and accounting firms in the U.S. The Tea Party was treated far better by the IRS than Donald Trump. The Supreme Court never should have let this "fishing expedition" happen, but they did. This is something which has never happened to a President before, it is all Democrat-inspired in a totally Democrat location, New York City and State, completely controlled and dominated by a heavily reported enemy of mine, Governor Andrew Cuomo. These are attacks by Democrats willing to do anything to stop the almost 75 million people (the most votes, by far, ever gotten by a sitting president) who voted for me in the election—an election which many people, and experts, feel that I won. I agree!

The new phenomenon of "headhunting" prosecutors and AGs—who try to take down their political opponents using the law as a weapon—is a threat to the very foundation of our liberty. That's what is done in third world countries. Even worse are those who run for prosecutorial or attorney general offices in far-left states and jurisdictions pledging to take out a political opponent. That's fascism, not justice—and that is exactly what they are trying to do with respect to me, except that the people of our Country won't stand for it.

In the meantime, murders and violent crime are up in New York City by record numbers, and nothing is done about it. Our elected officials don't care. All they focus on is the persecution of President Donald J. Trump.

I will fight on, just as I have, for the last five years (even before I was successfully elected), despite all of the election crimes that were committed against me. We will win!

 ~~~~~

He may not be president of the United States, but he is the de facto dictator of his Party of Trump and his violent and racist MAGA cult.

Let’s not delude ourselves. “I will fight on” and “We will win” are threats. He WILL incite more violence. He WILL continue to push his Big Lie about a stolen election. 

And when he is prosecuted and tried under the law, he WILL call on more violent insurrection and radical Right terrorism.

He will always be an enemy of democracy, decency, equality, the law, and the Constitution. He is America’s number one domestic terrorist.

What do we do about him?

Lock him up. 

Disappointing God AND Trump

 

A while back, “Cowboys for Trump” leader Couy Griffin said on camera, “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat”. It was no surprise that Trump re-tweeted the video of the future terrorist insurrectionist.

There’s a lot of hate over there in the Radical Right Party of Trump.

Over here on the left we don’t get praised by presidents for that sort of vile demonization. Instead we prefer to say something like, “The only good Republican is one who votes to impeach or convict Trump.”

We’re thankful for them. Bipartisan majorities of both the House and Senate voted to impeach and convict Trump for his terrorist insurrection on January sixth.

The ten Republican representatives and seven senators with the courage and conscience to vote for impeachment and conviction have faced harsh blowback, ranging from censure by their state Republican Party officials, up to death threats. Nobody gets angry like authoritarian Republicans, when their two primary values of loyalty and conformity are betrayed.

After being censured by the North Carolina GOP, Senator Richard Burr said, “My party’s leadership has chosen loyalty to one man over the core principles of the Republican Party and the founders of our great nation.”

Welcome to reality, Senator. Some of us have noticed the Republican Party has valued loyalty and conformity over the public good since Reagan and his 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican.” As we know, Donald Trump isn’t bound by any commandments, and loyalty must be for him exclusively. It is the way of authoritarians.

After the insurrection that commandment was betrayed by 17 Republicans. And they didn’t just betray the party.

Representative Adam Kinzinger’s act of courage and conscience offended family members so deeply they sent him a letter to let him know about it.

KInzinger acted on more than conscience and courage, though. It was his duty as well.

Kinzinger joined the Air Force after the Sept. 11 attacks and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He swore an oath to, “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” Upon his discharge he joined the Air National Guard, where he remains a lieutenant colonel. 

Rep. Kinzinger has represented Illinois' solidly Republican16th congressional district since 2013, when he swore the oath again.

He would solemnly bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution after Trump’s incitement of his terrorist mob’s deadly insurrection on the Capitol.

He called for Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment. He and nine other Republicans voted with all the House Democrats to impeach Trump.

"I looked at what happened on the sixth and said, if that's not impeachable, we may as well just get rid of impeachment because then nothing is, Whatever the consequences are it's the right thing to do."

Consequences would indeed follow, in the form of outrage and anger from radical Right Republicans and other true believers of Donald Trump’s cult, including members of his family.

CNN showed the hand-written letter by his cousin Karen, (Of course.) and signed by 11 members of his extended family. Karen said she spent $7 to send the letter via certified mail to make sure that he saw it. To emphasize her feelings she underlined up to three times certain words she felt most deeply. Since I can’t replicate those lines, the reader will have to visualize them as I put the words in bold type. My remarks are added in brackets.

~~~~~~~

Jan. 8, 2021

Adam,

Oh my, what a disappointment you are to us and to God. [Here we go. As a conservative Republican, God is understandably disappointed.]We were once so proud of your accomplishments! Instead you go against your Christian principles and join the “Devil’s Army” (Democrats and fake news media). [Poor Adam has gone from disappointing God to waging war on Him.] How do you call yourself a Christian when you join the “Devil’s Army” believing in abortion! [Obviously knowing Trump is guilty is the same as “believing in abortion” Everybody knows this, I’m sure] We thought you were “smart” enough to see how the left is brainwashing so many “so called good people” including yourself and many other GOP members. [Brainwashed by Trump’s own words of insurrection?]You have even fallen for their socialism ideals. So, so sad! [Oh, the humanity! Yes courage, conscience and duty are “socialist ideals”.]

President Trump is not perfect, [Who knew? But God sent him to save America anyway.] but neither are you or any of us for that matter! It is not for us to judge or be judged. [And here I thought votes were based on one’s judgment.] But he is a Christian! (If God can forgive and save King David in the Bible, He can do the same with President Trump. Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffries, to just name a few of many Pastors who mentor President Trump know that he is a believer. [What more proof do we need? His favorite Bible verse?] Obviously you didn’t hear President Trump’s “Christian Message” to the American people (fake news media did not cover his message) [Once again, the enemies of the people are to blame.] where he actually gave the place of his salvation, instructing people how to repent and ask their Savior into their heart to be “born again”. (To believe in John 3:16) [James Dobson, the founder of the group Focus on the Family claimed, “I know the person who led him to Christ”. That would be prosperity-gospel televangelist Paula White. Bless her heart.] When was the last time you proclaimed your faith Adam? (Oh we forgot your now with the “devil’s army”). [We all fall short of the spiritual glory of Donald Trump.]You won’t convince us otherwise with your horrible, rude accusations of President Trump! [Indeed, only the Devils’ Army could commit such sacrilege.](To embrace a party that believes in abortion and socialism is the ultimate sin!) [The “Belief in Abortion and Socialism Sin” is in the Bible, plain as day! Wall Street Jesus said so when he preached about serving mammon.] We should list even more grievances against you but decided you are not worth more of our time to list them. We have said enough.[Oh, really?]

You should be very proud that you have lost the respect of Lou Dobbs, Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Greg Kelly, etc., and most importantly in our book, Mark Levin and Rush Limbaugh and us! [Gasp! He lost the respect of God, his family, and the High Princes of Propaganda!]

It is now most embarrassing to us that we are related to you. You have embarrassed the Kinzinger family name. [Time will tell and history will judge. Not that it is for history to judge.]

We are not judging you. [Obviously not.] This letter is our opinion of you... [See the difference?]

Greg and Karen Ott

[But wait. It seems he is, in fact, worth more of their time, and they have not yet said quite enough.]

P. S. For your information, many more family members, feel the same as we do. They just don’t have the courage to sign our letter or write their own letter! Not us, we are so thoroughly disgusted with you!! [Clearly only Karen and her co-signers are the family members of true courage.] And, oh by the way, we are calling for your removal from office. I have received numerous calls concerning your actions and egregious behavior towards our President of the United States Donald J. Trump!*

cc: Many conservative Republicans [Yours truly and dear readers as well.]

*President Trump has done more for the American people in four years than you Rinos and the Democrats have done in years.

~~~~~~~

"Rino." Ouch! That’ll teach him.

Kinzinger correctly believes his family members suffer from “brainwashing” from Trump and conservative churches that have led them astray.

"I hold nothing against them,'' he told The New York Times, "but I have zero desire or feel the need to reach out and repair that. That is 100 percent on them to reach out and repair, and quite honestly, I don't care if they do or not."

Kinzinger said he may change his party affiliation if it becomes clear that Trump’s allies have become a permanent majority.

“The party’s sick right now,” he said. “It’s one thing if the party was accepting of different views, but it’s become this massive litmus test on everything. So it’s a possibility down the road, but it’s certainly not my intention, and I’m going to fight like hell to save it first.”

Did he say he’s going to “Fight like hell” to save his party from moral sickness?

He has a long way to go. His party wants us to believe insurrectionist Trump meant the same thing, when he ordered his mob to “March to the capitol, Fight like hell, stop the steal, and take our country back”.

I mean, what's the difference? 

Their Ideology

 

An interesting question arose from our previous comment thread.

Does the current American Right have an ideology?

I think, for most of them, it is an ideology that can't be defined.

The Right has three primary factions, ranging from capitalist/libertarian to conservative to radical Right.

They are the Wall Street corporate power players, conservative white Christians, and the Radical Right Trumpists.

There’s no binding philosophy among them. While there are some people who overlap all the factions, some have contradictory ideals, like evangelicals and libertarians. The three factions certainly don’t share the same moral and economic interests.

But they do share the Republican Party. And they share the same political opposition.

The three factions of the Right have been relatively balanced until the last few decades. The Right has shifted. The Republican Party lost control of its radical fringe, and has been transformed into the Radical Right Party of Trump.

Now the political opposition, including former Republicans, is viciously smeared and demonized. Journalists are threatened. Truth is destroyed. Insurrection has risen.

What ideology is represented now? Fascism, of course.

We know well enough how cults, fascists, and other authoritarian extremists believe their leaders without question.

We know the Radical Right Party of Trump is built on resentment, anger, fear, hate, racism, white nationalism, and lies.

It’s totally a fascist ideology. It isn’t new. It needed an authoritarian leader like Trump to bring it into dominance.

For several decades, the radical Right ideological foundation was built by propagandists from Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes’ FOX(R) to Limbaugh and hate radio. Theirs was a triumph of the will. Millions drank their koolade. Then came the toxic brew of social media.

The radical Right indoctrination reached critical mass. They manufactured a massive cult.

They are told stories of how good conservative patriots like themselves have been egregiously victimized by the others, often minorities. Resentment, fear, blame, anger and hate towards the others is justified. It is how they defend their safety, beliefs and freedom.

The domestic others are called liberals/leftists/commies/socialists/globalists/statists/Marxists/etc. Foreign others are darker skinned people or Muslims. And immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants are reviled dangerous others.

They are ideologically programmed by their leaders and propagandists to believe anyone who disagrees with them is a liberal/leftist/commie/socialist/globalist/statist/Marxist/etc.

It's easy. All terms apply and no distinction or definitions are required. 

And it is essential that they believe all we liberal/commie/socialist/globalist/statist/Marxist/etc. type people hate America. 

America, of course is best owned and run by Christian conservative white men. At least it should be. Otherwise, communism. Screeching white female idiots like Palin, Taylor-Greene, and Boebert are welcome, of course.

Reverence for wealth and the wealthy are important features of their ideology. They are told capitalism, with its so-called “free market” IS freedom. They are taught to accept corporate PR over journalism and science.

White nationalism is tolerated, and even embraced by radical Right groups like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, 3 percenters, Qanon, neo-Nazis, etc.

Finally they are indoctrinated in their Big Lies, from liberal media, to fake media, to enemy of the people.

And now it is the “stolen election”. “March to the Capitol, stop the steal, fight like hell, and take our country back! 

Those radical Right groups answered the call from their leader. Thousands of Trumpists violently stormed the Capitol.

The long and lie-nurtured resentment, fear, blame, anger and hate exploded into a terrorist insurrection.

This isn’t ideology anymore. It’s more like an “Id”eology, based on lies, bigotry, white supremacy, emotional trigger words, and mob manipulation.

In a word, fascism. And the struggle against fascism never ends.

The Radical Party of Trump is about to lock itself into that designation with their not-guilty vote on the impeachment charge.

Trumpism is their baby. Trump is their master. Trump is their monster.

They fear the cult, but want their votes. Whatever will they do?

If the Republican Party is to survive, it’s up to McConnell’s gang of enablers to take it back.

 

If they can.

*************

I just became aware of this 2015 film by Jen Senko.

It went from the “Powell Memo” to Murdoch and FOX(R), to Limbaugh, Alex Jones, ONN, Trump, Qanon, etc. These are examples of how America has been groomed by the Right’s propaganda machine for decades. Families and friendships have been torn apart by lies and misinformation. This documentary explores the history and effects of the Right’s brainwashing of America.

~~~~~~~~~

The Brainwashing of My Dad

The truth behind the right-wing media machine that changed a father—and divided the nation

Ms Senko’s groundbreaking film examines the rise of right-wing media through the lens of her father, whose immersion in its daily propaganda had radicalized him. His new fanaticism rocked the very foundation of their family. She discovered that this phenomenon was occurring with alarming frequency in living rooms across America. The film reveals the consequences that this radicalized media is having on people, families, America, and the world.

THE VAST RIGHT-WING CONSPIRACY, CULT-REPUBLICANS AND DONALD J. TRUMP:  HOW THE HECK DID WE GET HERE?

As filmmaker, Jen Senko, tries to understand the transformation of her father from a non political, life-long Democrat to an angry, right-wing fanatic, she uncovers the forces behind the media that changed him completely: a plan by Roger Ailes under Nixon for a media takeover by the GOP, The Powell Memo urging business leaders to influence institutions of public opinion -especially the universities, the media and the courts, and under Reagan, the dismantling of the Fairness Doctrine, and The Telecommunications 'Reform' Act signed by Bill Clinton.

As her journey continues, we discover that her father is part of a much broader demographic, and that the story is one that affects us all.

“Brainwashing” unravels the plan to shift the country to the Right over the last 30 years, largely through media manipulation. The result has led to fewer voices, less diversity of opinion, massive intentional misinformation and greater division of our country.

This documentary shines a light on how it happened (and is still happening) and leads to questions about who owns the airwaves, what rights we have as listeners/watchers and what responsibility does our government have to keep the airwaves truly fair, accurate and accountable to the truth.

Trailor;

The book:

Real Unity

 

The pattern of history is clear. The monster has risen again and again. Evil has been piled upon evil.

Nixon failed to cover up his crimes, resigned, and was pardoned.

The Republican Party was somewhat unrepentant. 

Authoritarian Nixon loyalists stood by their guy, and one named Roger Stone would be rewarded for his loyalty to a future criminal president.

The Reagan Revolution handed the levers of power to Wall Street and the military industrial complex. The Reagan Administration was rife with crooks and corruption. The Iran/Contra criminals evaded justice and were pardoned. They got away with it. Ollie North became a media celebrity.

The Republican Party was unrepentant. 

And Bill Clinton chose unity, joined the Republicans in cutting safety nets and said, “The era of big government is over”.

Then the Party of Cheney started a war based on lies, detained people without charges and counsel, and tortured them. The Republican Party's march against democracy was goose-stepping towards their triumph of the will...and they got away with it.

The Republican Party was unrepentant. 

Obama chose unity and to “look forward”.

Then Trump said he would bring back torture, called for the imprisonment of his opponent, and invited Russia to help him attack Hillary. 

Trump’s racist birtherism and nationalism united racists, white nationalists, and uneducated gullible white people into the largest cult in our history. Trump’s corrupt and criminal cronies were pardoned and coddled.

He betrayed the country, submitted to Putin in Helsinki, desecrated the Oval Office by inviting Russians in and giving them state secrets, obstructed justice and congress, extorted the Ukrainian president to smear the Bidens, and was impeached... and he got away with it.

The Republican Party was unrepentant. 

Quite the opposite. They united as the Party of Trump. They refused to hold an impeachment trial with witnesses. One lone Republican senator with a conscience voted him guilty.

So the emboldened Trump pushed the Big Lie that he won the election, but it was stolen, This Big Lie incited an insurrectionist mob to storm the Capitol in an attempted coup to overturn the election.

After a few Republicans admitted Trump incited the terrorist mob, they quickly ran back to their Big Daddy.

The Republican Party not only remains unrepentant, it has chosen to remain the Party of Trump. They have embraced loyalty to Trump over their oaths to our Constitution. 

They refuse to admonish Marjorie Taylor Green and Lauren Boebert, the hateful terrorist sympathizers and abettors in the House of Representatives. They remain silent on the complicity of Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley in the Senate.

Now the Radical Right Party of Trump rallies behind him in his second impeachment trial, for inciting insurrection.Their not-guilty verdict would be tantamount to treason. It empower Trump and be certain to embolden more radical right terrorism and a growing death toll.

All of that blood will be on the hands of the Radical Right Party of Trump.

And they are doing everything they can to help him get away with it all. If Trump is allowed to go unaccountable for his crimes, it's over. Our rule of law and standard of equal justice would be irreparably crushed.

The Radical Right Party of Trump has become the dangerously powerful enemy within, and the greatest domestic threat to our republic since the Civil War.  

This is the last line in the sand. We either stand against this evil, or we lose our democratic republic. If Trump prevails over justice, it would be an open invitation to greater tyranny. This is why he needs to go down in complete humiliation and utter disgrace, or another, more capable Republican autocrat will rise in his wake.

Trump’s second impeachment trial will show history that our republic still breathes, if nothing else. Democrats are following the Constitution instead of the radical Right’s deceptive illusion of unity that amounts only to appeasement.

State and federal laws must be enforced. Subpoenas and indictments for crimes and fraud Trump committed before he took office await him. Charges of obstruction of justice and election tampering in Georgia should follow.

All of this won't happen in the coming few weeks, or maybe even in the next few months.

But justice is coming. Real unity is at hand.

But not with the extreme Radical Right Party of Trump.

Unity is to be extended to honest and reasonable Republicans, and all conservatives of conscience who believe no man is above the law.

Then unity of justice, decency and democracy will finally prevail.

Radical Right Terrorists and Their Party

 

Click "Like" if you're radical Right!

Georgia's Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Q-anon/Republican) endorsed the execution of Democrats in Facebook posts.

In a January 2019 post, Greene “liked” a comment advocating “a bullet to the head” of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi...April 2018, a commenter asked, “Now do we get to hang them ??” referring to former president Barack Obama and former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, KFile reported. In response, Greene did not denounce the suggestion of execution and instead wrote, “Stage is being set. Players are being put in place. We must be patient. This must be done perfectly or liberal judges would let them off.”

She made quite clear her radicalized ignorance and hate for the Speaker of the House, "It's a crime punishable by death, is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason!" 

 This dear deranged Q cult lady also believed the Sandy Hook school shooting was a staged “false flag” operation by the evil gun-grabbing deep state.

And then there’s the other deranged sweetheart of the radical Right from Rifle, Colorado.

Rep.  Lauren Boebert (R) tweeted, “Today is 1776” on the morning of the insurrection. Just before the storming of the Capitol she declared “Madame Speaker, I have constituents outside this building right now ...”

How did she know that? Trump’s rally wasn’t outside the Capitol. But she knew where they were and what they were planning. She helped them with a personal guided tour of the Capitol Building while it was under a covid lockdown. They were not tourists. They were terrorists on a reconnaissance mission aided by an insider co-conspirator doing her part to “stop the steal”.

These conspiracy-addled nutjobs are only the two latest to infect our federal government. They have scores of like-minded radicalized fellow representatives in the House chamber.

And they have 45 Republican Senators who see no reason to hold Trump accountable for inciting a mob of terrorists with his Big Lie about the election being stolen from him.

The enemy is within. 

Enemies of democracy are under the spell, or more accurately blackmailed, by their cult leader who refuses to concede the election. In their craven need for votes from Trump’s vile racist base, most of the Republican Party are more loyal to a would-be dictator, than to their oaths to our Constitution.

As a result white nationalism and radical Right terrorism are on the rise.

The crisis of our democracy will not recede until Trump is held accountable and his Big Lie totally repudiated. Sadly we are depending on the Right to hold accountable and to repudiate the radical Right.

We know the odds of that happening. They are as slim as the odds of a racist white nationalist apologizing for being a bigot and being mistaken or misled. The Republican Party is still choosing fealty to their MAGAt Mob Boss in Florida.

All the coming bloodshed will be on their hands. The blood will not be just on the hands of the “Y’all Qaeda” terrorists of the “Coup Klux Klan”. The hands of the Republican Party will be as bloody as the terrorists they coddle, encourage and abet. Remember when the Bush Administration declared those who aided and and abetted terrorists would be held just as responsible?

A California man was recently arrested for five pipe bombs, along with dozens of firearms seized at his home and business. He is one of Trump’s terrorists with a radical Right “three per-center” sticker on his vehicle.

How many more innocent Americans will be victims of radical Right terrorism? How many more will be killed and injured?

We’ll be finding out soon enough.

Just don't compare these Republican terrorists to Nazis, though.

It’s time for unity, amirite?

Biden's First Three Days

 

"Sleepy Joe" wasn't so sleepy. In three days he did more for the country than Trump did in three months, or four years. Or does pardoning a war criminal and Blackwater thugs for murdering a teenage prisoner and 14 Iraqi civilians count?

30 executive orders and actions Biden signed in his first three days: (* = Reversal of Trump’s orders and actions)

Restores collective bargaining power and worker protections for federal workers, and lays the foundation for $15 minimum wage*

Calls for assistance to those who are struggling to buy food, missed out on stimulus checks or are unemployed. 

Accelerates manufacturing and delivery of supplies for vaccination, testing and Personal Protective Equipment

Directs FEMA to expand reimbursement to states to fully cover the cost for National Guard personnel and emergency supplies

Establishes the Pandemic Testing Board to expand US coronavirus testing capacity

Establishes a preclinical program to boost development of therapeutics in response to pandemic threats

Enhances the nation's collection, production, sharing and analysis of coronavirus data

Directs FEMA to create federally-supported community vaccination centers

Directs the Department of Education and HHS to provide guidance for safely reopening and operating schools, childcare providers and institutions of higher education

Calls on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to release clear guidance on Covid-19, decide whether to establish emergency temporary standards, and directs OSHA to enforce worker health and safety requirements

Requires mask wearing in airports and on certain modes of transportation, including many trains, airplanes, maritime vessels and intercity buses. International travelers must provide proof of a negative Covid-19 test prior to coming to the US

Creates the Covid-19 Health Equity Task Force to help ensure an equitable pandemic response and recovery

A presidential directive to restore America's leadership, support the international pandemic response effort, promote resilience for future threats and advance global health security and the Global Health Security Agenda

Launches a "100 Days Masking Challenge" asking Americans to wear masks for 100 days. Requires masks and physical distancing in federal buildings, on federal lands and by government contractors, and urges states and local governments to do the same.

Stops the United States' withdrawal from the World Health Organization, with Dr. Anthony Fauci becoming the head of the delegation to the WHO*

Creates the position of Covid-19 Response Coordinator, reporting directly to Biden and managing efforts to produce and distribute vaccines and medical equipment

Extends the existing nationwide moratorium on evictions and foreclosures until at least March 3 

Extends the existing pause on student loan payments and interest for Americans with federal student loans until at least September 30

Rejoins the Paris climate accord, a process that will take 30 days*

Cancels the Keystone XL pipeline and directs agencies to review and reverse more than 100 Trump actions on the environment*

Rescinds the Trump administration's 1776 Commission, directs agencies to review their actions to ensure racial equity*

Prevents workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity

Requires non-citizens to be included in the Census and apportionment of congressional representatives*

Fortifies DACA after Trump's efforts to undo protections for undocumented people brought into the country as children 

Reverses the Trump administration's restrictions on US entry for passport holders from seven Muslim-majority countries*

Undoes Trump's expansion of immigration enforcement within the United States*

Halts construction of the border wall by terminating the national emergency declaration used to fund it*

Extends deferrals of deportation and work authorizations for Liberians with a safe haven in the United States until June 30, 2022

Requires executive branch appointees to sign an ethics pledge barring them from acting in personal interest and requiring them to uphold the independence of the Department of Justice

Directs OMB director to develop recommendations to modernize regulatory review and undoes Trump's regulatory approval process*