Fascism watch thread/news and discussions

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GOP Rep’s Weekly Newsletter Muses that 'In a Better Society' General Milley 'Would be Hung'
by Elizabeth Preza
September 24, 2023

Introduction:

(Alternet)In his weekly newsletter, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) called for the execution of Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Mark Milley, musing that “in a better society, quislings” like Milley “would be hung.”

The text of Gosar’s newsletter was published on X Sunday by reporter Ben Jacobs, who included a screenshot of the far-right congressman’s diatribe. Discussing the events of Jan. 6, 2021, Gosar writes:

After the riot was in full swing, the Chief’s request for National Guard was finally approved. But even after approval was given, General Milley, the homosexual-promoting-BLM-activist Chairman of the military joint chiefs, delayed. Of course, we now know that the deviant Milley was coordinating with Nancy Pelosi to hurt President Trump, and treasonously working behind Trump’s back. In a better society, quislings like the strange sodomy-promoting General Milley would be hung.

Milley’s four-year tenure as Joint Chiefs of Staff chair ends this month. The Washington Post reports, “Admirers commend the brash Boston-area native for steering the military through Trump’s attempts to subvert democracy and the constitutional rule of law, keeping troops out of the 2020 election chaos and choreographing key aspects of the Pentagon’s support to Ukraine.”

“Critics say the general stretched the bounds of what is expected to be a nonpartisan role, wading into hot-button debates again and again, and dragging the military farther into the political fray at a time when the institution’s public backing is already under strain,” the Post adds.

Read more here: https://www.alternet.org/mark-milley-2665725076/

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Expert sounds alarm as Texas book bans grow: These efforts are “well-organized and well-funded”
“When white supremacy wins these fights, all of our children lose,” professor warns

By AREEBA SHAH
Staff Writer
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 14, 2023 6:00AM (EDT)

(Salon) Local book bans in Texas are gaining momentum after a new law started restricting student library book choices in the state, according to a new report by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica.

In one district, at least 19 titles were banned, which included popular books by Dr. Seuss and Judy Blume. Katy ISD implemented broader criteria for books to be pulled for review this school year, now including "nudity" in the definition of inappropriate material.

School officials in Katy recently bought $93,000 worth of new library books and immediately placed them in storage for assessment by an internal committee, The Tribune reported. The district then banned 14 titles.

....(snip)....

“The majority of the books being censored right now are books focused on diversity/BIPOC and LGBTQ+ books—in other words, books about those who are already marginalized, vulnerable and whose stories have been silenced for far too long,” Michelle Martin, a youth and children’s services professor at the University of Washington, told Salon. “When white supremacy wins these fights, all of our children lose.” ..............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2023/10/14/expert ... ll-funded/

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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas thinks the press has too much freedom
Of course he fucking does.

Earlier this week, Thomas revived his argument that the “actual malice” standard gives members of the press immunity to publish whatever they want because proving the standard is the hardest element to overcome in a defamation case. The Supreme Court should consider the standard, established in 1964, when brought “in an appropriate case,” Thomas wrote.

“I continue to adhere to my view that we should reconsider the actual-malice standard,” he said.

https://thegrio.com/2023/10/14/supreme- ... 0companies.

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Mitt Romney criticizes Fox News and right-wing media for warping Republican Party

Source: CNN Business

Published 9:28 PM EDT, Thu October 19, 2023

CNN — Mitt Romney, once the Republican Party’s standard-bearer, believes the right-wing media machine is at fault for much of the radicalization that has disfigured the GOP.

The Utah senator and one-time GOP presidential nominee unleashed a torrent of criticism aimed squarely at the information universe in which most of his party’s members consume their news, characterizing it in a new book as a dangerous propaganda factory detached from reality, poisoning the minds of its inhabitants.

Romney’s blunt assessment of the right-wing media apparatus comes in “Romney: A Reckoning,” the forthcoming book by McKay Coppins, a journalist with The Atlantic who was granted a series of interviews and unprecedented access to the outgoing senator.

“It’s hard to imagine,” Romney said in an excerpt of the book that Coppins shared with CNN, but Tucker Carlson is turning the GOP into “the pro-Russian, pro-authoritarian party.” “And that’s not what it used to be,” Romney added.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/19/media/mi ... index.html

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Knoxville TN City Council Candidate Has Suggested "Euthanizing" the Homeless.

Just when you thought this country couldn't get any weirder:

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local ... 3cd70df39b

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[firestar464]

Fundamentalism is one of the worst forms of stupidity. Think about it- not a SINGLE person today follows the Bible to its letter. Do you see stonings? Or better yet, all of those rich Republicans selling all of their stuff and giving to the poor?

Anyone who claims to be following the Bible to the letter is wrong and hypocritical.

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What's worse is HOW they'll enforce it imho

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Political Violence Threatens Health of U.S. Democracy
November 7, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Political violence is eroding the overall health of democracy in the United States, according to more than 100 global scholars surveyed for a new report.

The report, released today by Johns Hopkins University’s SNF Agora Institute and Protect Democracy, identifies how and to what extent experts believe violence is interfering with American democracy. Those surveyed were most concerned about elections, with more than half suggesting that U.S. electoral processes have a high potential of breaking down in the future.

“Political violence is occurring, and it comes in waves,” said co-author Lilliana Mason, an associate professor of political science at Johns Hopkins. “Hopefully, this report and future data collection can put it in context. Where do experts think we are right now? Where is the threat to American democracy currently? Without knowing the full landscape, it’s difficult to know which concerns to prioritize.”

The report is based on a July survey of more than 100 experts in political violence from around the world.

Respondents were asked to rate the impact of political violence on freedom of expression, freedom of association, voting access, election processes, equality before the law, protection of individual liberties, the independence of the judiciary to act without political interference, and the ability of the legislature to provide oversight of the executive branch of the U.S. government. They were also asked to rate the overall threat to democracy and to identify the aspect of political violence that most threatens democratic stability.

Read more of the Eurekalert article here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1007283

Here is a link to the seventeen page Assessing the Effect of Political Violence on American Democracy : https://snfagora.jhu.edu/wp-content/up ... eport.pdf

Here is an introduction to the Political Violence and US Democracy website along with a link to that site:

The Violence and Democracy Impact Tracker (VDIT) — a resource from Protect Democracy and the SNF Agora Institute — calculates the impact of political violence on eight distinct pillars of democracy in the United States. On a quarterly basis, the Tracker assesses political violence’s impact on the freedoms of expression and association, access to the vote, election administration, equality before the law, individual liberties, and the independence of the judiciary and legislature. VDIT also collects a global panel of experts’ insights into the most concerning emerging trends and top issues to watch.

Protect Democracy website: https://protectdemocracy.org/political- ... democracy/

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What Trump is Planning for a Second Term
by Joyce Vance (According to Alternet Joyce Vance is a “professor of law, former U.S. Attorney, and noted legal analyst.”)
November 8, 2023

Introduction:

(Joyce Vance) Last night Democrats saw what happens when they run on the issues. When they run on who they are, instead of running away from it, they win.

Now Democrats need to take on an issue many would rather avoid: Donald Trump and the future of democracy if he’s re-elected. It may seem safer to stick to traditional kitchen table issues—don’t poke the bear—but it’s time to put the most important cards down on the table and have a serious conversation with the American people about what Donald Trump intends to do if he wins again. The writing on the wall is clear. But far too many people remain unaware of Trump’s 2025 plan, or they don’t take it seriously. People who love democracy need to make sure they do.

We all know the story about Ben Franklin emerging from the Constitutional Convention and telling a woman who asked what type of government they’d created, “a Republic, if you can keep it.” The 2024 election is the moment where we find out if we can. If Trump wins in 2024, we lose the Republic. That’s not drama, and that’s not overstatement. That’s what Trump is promising.

On Sunday the Washington Post ran an article about Trump’s plans for a second term that’s a must read. It’s not the first time there has been reporting on Trump’s plans for 2025 if he wins a second term, but this article goes the furthest in laying out Trump’s plans in clear reporting. It starts like this: “Trump and his allies have begun mapping out specific plans for using the federal government to punish critics and opponents should he win a second term, with the former president naming individuals he wants to investigate or prosecute and his associates drafting plans to potentially invoke the Insurrection Act on his first day in office to allow him to deploy the military against civil demonstrations.”

Read more here: https://joycevance.substack.com/p/fro ... e&r=3hk5e

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Trump will be out for Democrat blood
If he can get out

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LA Governor-Elect Wants To Withhold Clean Water Until Women Who Seek Abortions Are Prosecuted
https://www.essence.com/news/louisiana- ... ve-rights/

In September, the city of New Orleans and some surrounding parishes in south Louisiana began to prepare for at least three months of saltwater intrusion in the local water supply. President Joe Biden then declared the crisis a federal emergency and authorized funding for FEMA and other state agencies to mitigate the burgeoning crisis.

While months of extreme, record-high heat and lack of rainfall in and around the Crescent City are responsible for the crisis, some are pointing at current Louisiana Attorney General and Louisiana governor-elect Jeff Landry as partially responsible for the city’s ability to address the now circumvented crisis, as well as the decayed state of the city’s entire water infrastructure. Landry personally solicited the Louisiana State Bond Commission last year to withhold millions in funding from the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board due to the city government’s refusal to arrest and prosecute women in the wake of Louisiana’s total ban on abortion. The New Orleans Sewage and Water Board remains in desperate need of funding to tackle necessary repairs to its four water intake structures—one of which that has been inoperable for 34 years.

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The Far-Right Playbook for American Authoritarianism: Project 2025


https://globalextremism.org/project-202 ... tarianism/

The far right has made public its plans for an ‘ideal’ America if one of their allies wins the 2024 presidential election in its 2025 Presidential Transition Project. Project 2025 is spearheaded by the far-right think tank Heritage Foundation and supported by more than 80 organizations, many well-known for their extreme positions, and for pushing hate and Christian nationalism. The authors and supporters of Project 2025 claim this plan will “rescue the country” from “elite rule and woke cultural warriors.”

Their aims include “bringing together conservative allies with a common goal: to take back our country from the radical Left by developing a robust governing agenda and the right people to implement it.” And it has been reported, though denied, that internal Project 2025 discussions have centered around the next conservative president invoking the Insurrection Act on the first day in office to allow the military to quell civil unrest.

Project 2025 is a threat to our democracy, and we must treat it as such.

That “robust governing agenda” bears the hallmarks of authoritarianism. It threatens Americans’ civil and human rights and our very democracy. The America that Project 2025 wants to create would involve a fundamental reordering of our society. It would greatly enhance the executive branch’s powers and impose on all Americans policies favored by Christian nationalists regarding issues such as sexual health and reproductive rights, education, the family, and the role of religion in our society and government. It would strip rights protections from LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, women, and people of color. It would dismantle much of the federal government and replace our apolitical civil service with far-right partisans it is already training in anticipation of a power shift.

It would end attempts to enhance equity and racial justice throughout the government and shut down agencies that track progress on this front. Efforts to tackle issues such as climate change would be ended, and politicized research produced to back the project’s views on environmental policy, the evils of “transgenderism,” and women’s health would take priority. Even if a Project 2025 favorite doesn’t win in 2024, this plan will continue to drive the thinking of the far right into the future and they will continue to push for these changes wherever possible. As a country, we can — and we must – reject the far right’s efforts to lead us down the dark path away from an inclusive, vibrant democracy and toward authoritarianism.

Project 2025 aims to turn America into a mixture of iran and Hungry...It is fucking ugly and we must do everything in our goddamn power to make sure the republicans lose big in 2024!!!!