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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTop 10 Conservative Idiots #5-22: The Art Of The Squeal Edition
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #5-22: The Art Of The Squeal Edition
Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! ! Sign up today and get four free phones and our best unlimited plan on the super fast nationwide 4G LTE network! Yeah, I cant wait to get a Samsung Galaxy J7 said nobody ever. Those shitty phones are free for a reason. I kind of feel bad that we're doing an edition today since it is the funeral for former president Bush, which we will get to in full next week from London, but I do have bills to pay and theater owners to make money. Now on with the show. Do we have time for the thing today? Yeah so there's some places where you just don't use your phone. You know what one of those places is? A Broadway theater. Yup it's about him. I know we talk about Kanye a lot on this program because he is just straight up batshit crazy, but he and Kim were at the debut of a new play that opened on Broadway over the weekend called "The Cher Show" which is about the early days of the Sonny & Cher Show. Well, Kanye had his face buried in his iPhone - whether or not he changed his password is anybody's guess - but it definitely put a bad taste in the mouths of the performers. Yeah so don't be like Kanye. But my favorite part of this story is that during the show, there was one of the performers - Jarrod Specter - who publicly called out Kanye for not paying attention to the performance on stage with this tweet. Can we throw that up there?
Link to tweet
Well the funny thing is that uber-Cher fan Kim took to twitter because she couldn't contain her joy for the show. At least Kanye apologized for the comment but still... yeah don't be like Ye. If there's a live performance happening in front of you, at least have the courtesy to turn your phone off. OK thats enough of the intro, we have a lot of idiocy to get to this week. But first we have to play SNLs brilliant intro from last week that features Alec Baldwin and his famous Trump impression:
Holy shit!!!! Mueller really dropped the big one this week and its so huge that were going to have to devote the first two slots to it. The first slot is that Paul Manafort, Jerome Corsi, and Michael Cohen (1) are all wrapped up in the art of the squeal. In the second slot is a missing piece of the puzzle and thats Trumps close friend Jeffrey Epstein (2) just landed himself a whole bunch of sexual assault charges and may land a prison cell next to Kevin Spacey. In the third slot were going to add a new person to the growing list of people who somehow got elected and thats Mississippis new senator Cindy Hyde Smith (3), and well, it is Mississippi. For the fourth slot I really have to talk about one of our favorite crazy alt right people, Laura Loomer (4) and her epic meltdown in front of the Twitter headquarters demanding her account back. And they have the nerve to call us snowflakes? In the 5th slot this week is our weekly investigative piece, Top 10 Investigates (5), and this week were going to take a look at addiction, and a burgeoning new industry of video game rehab. Yes, the kids are playing too much Fortnite, and that could potentially be a problem. In the number 5 slot this week, is our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in Holy Shit (6) and this week, its the first week of December so you know what that means: its War On Christmas time! Our resident pastor will help you draw your battle lines! For the seventh slot this week weve got a new installment of How Is This Still A Thing. Did you know that South Carolina has made repeated attempts to secede from the union in the last 3 years? How is this still a thing? Taking the 8th slot this week weve got a new installment of our new segment that we debuted last week called NO!. Weve got talk about Melanias taste in decorating for the White House this week, and yeah. NO!!! For the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week were going to go with I Need A Drink and we will definitely need a few drinks to help decide the feud between hip hop prodigy Travis Scott and Motley Crue bad boy Tommy Lee. Finally this week our ongoing series that explains how government works to your Trump loving friends and relatives, Deep State Diaries, is going to get into the intelligence game as we hang with the CIA! Finally this week I cannot wait to have this next guest on, who is playing at the nearby Palladium, oh hey, tomorrow night! And that is the great Nine Inch Nails, yay!!!! Enjoy! And as always dont forget the key!
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[font size="8"]The Trump Trifecta: Manafort, Corsi, Cohen
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Whew, just like when you get that Worlds Greatest Whatever coffee mug from Amazon, we must very carefully and slowly unpack this one. For it is quite the tangled web that Trump has woven and the more you delve into it, the more it is like the popcorn packaging peanuts that accompany that said coffee mug they will get everywhere. First Mueller nails batshit crazy conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi, then he and Michael Cohen attempt to cut a plea bargain, and Paul Manafort learns the art of the squeal.
The special counsel Robert Mueller's office has told defense lawyers in recent weeks that it is "tying up loose ends" in the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election and whether members of President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow, Yahoo News reported Monday.
The news is not entirely unexpected. Last month, CNN reported that the special counsel had begun drafting his final report in the Russia investigation.
And this week, prosecutors are set to file several court documents that could reveal major new details about three key players in the Russia investigation: the former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and the former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
All three men have pleaded guilty and have been cooperating with prosecutors.
https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-sentencing-memos-manafort-cohen-flynn-2018-12
The news is not entirely unexpected. Last month, CNN reported that the special counsel had begun drafting his final report in the Russia investigation.
And this week, prosecutors are set to file several court documents that could reveal major new details about three key players in the Russia investigation: the former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and the former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.
All three men have pleaded guilty and have been cooperating with prosecutors.
https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-sentencing-memos-manafort-cohen-flynn-2018-12
OK I love that one! Yeah it might finally be time to start comparing Donald Trump to George Bluth. I mean they both built buildings in forbidden countries. They both have crazy, elaborate families that have a lust for excess. And none of them really contribute anything of value to society! But you know Trump is a mob boss, and like all mob bosses, they got to have a fixer. But would you really have Michael Cohen as your fixer?
Of all of President Trumps former associates who have come under scrutiny in the special counsels Russia investigation, his former personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, has undertaken perhaps the most surprising and risky legal strategy.
Mr. Cohen has twice pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan to a litany of crimes, and he has volunteered information to the special counsel and other agencies investigating Mr. Trump and his inner circle. He did all this without first obtaining a traditional, ironclad deal under which the government would commit to seeking leniency on Mr. Cohens behalf when he is sentenced on Dec. 12.
Mr. Cohen has concluded that his life has been utterly destroyed by his relationship with Mr. Trump and his own actions, and to begin anew he needed to speed up the legal process by quickly confessing his crimes and serving any sentence he receives, according to his friends and associates, and analysis of documents in the case.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/nyregion/michael-cohen-trump-strategy.html
Mr. Cohen has twice pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan to a litany of crimes, and he has volunteered information to the special counsel and other agencies investigating Mr. Trump and his inner circle. He did all this without first obtaining a traditional, ironclad deal under which the government would commit to seeking leniency on Mr. Cohens behalf when he is sentenced on Dec. 12.
Mr. Cohen has concluded that his life has been utterly destroyed by his relationship with Mr. Trump and his own actions, and to begin anew he needed to speed up the legal process by quickly confessing his crimes and serving any sentence he receives, according to his friends and associates, and analysis of documents in the case.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/nyregion/michael-cohen-trump-strategy.html
Yeah Robert DeNiro even looks like Trump in this one, but considering their feud right now I think Trump would object to that one. But how does conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi fit into this whole thing? Hes the republican equivalent of the late great Stan Lee, you can find him making a cameo in nearly every scandal!
Before Donald Trump became Commander-in-Chief, powerful politicians used to let other people disparage the truth and attack critics on their behalf. Jerome Corsi was one of those other people, an artist of the dog whistle and Im-just-asking-the-question routines, who electrified viewers of Fox News and listeners of Rush Limbaugh by saying the kinds of grotesque falsehoods that senators and congressmen dared not. Corsi first made his name by swift-boating John Kerry, during the 2004 Presidential campaign, but he hit the right-wing big time with the rise of Barack Obama. In 2008, he published a best-selling book called The Obama Nationsay it quicklya canonical text for those who considered Obama a corrupt, enraged, anti-American, drug-dealing, anti-Israel, pseudo-Christian radical leftist, black militant, plagiarist, and liar, trained as a Muslim and mentored by a menagerie of Marxists, Communists, crypto-Communists, and terrorists, as Hendrik Hertzberg put it when the book was published. After Obama won the Presidency, Corsi became a guiding light of the birther movement, whose members insisted that Obama had been born somewhere other than the U.S., and was thus disqualified from serving as Presidentthe same racist, denialist movement that Trump himself goosed to great effect as a precursor to his 2016 Presidential run.
Corsi, who is seventy-two and has a doctorate in political science from Harvardand therefore likes Ph.D. to appear after his nameis now enmeshed in the special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of possible ties between Trumps Presidential campaign and the Russian government. Two weeks ago, during one of his regular video live streams, Corsi announced that he expected to be indicted for giving false information to the special counsel. An indictment has yet to materialize, but, this week, after saying that he had rejected a plea deal, Corsi made public a draft court filing that outlined the allegations Mueller was prepared to make about him.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/current/jerome-corsis-baffling-cameo-in-the-trump-russia-story
Corsi, who is seventy-two and has a doctorate in political science from Harvardand therefore likes Ph.D. to appear after his nameis now enmeshed in the special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of possible ties between Trumps Presidential campaign and the Russian government. Two weeks ago, during one of his regular video live streams, Corsi announced that he expected to be indicted for giving false information to the special counsel. An indictment has yet to materialize, but, this week, after saying that he had rejected a plea deal, Corsi made public a draft court filing that outlined the allegations Mueller was prepared to make about him.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/current/jerome-corsis-baffling-cameo-in-the-trump-russia-story
Well speaking of ratting on your friends, rather than face indictment, President T not only decided to rat on his friends, he threw them under the bus! Yeah thats the kind of stand up guy that Trump is suck up to him and hell be great to you, but double cross him and youll get the cement shoes! We may have to explore this topic more next week.
President Trump called Monday for his former attorney Michael Cohen to serve a full and complete sentence, weighing in on the fate of a onetime loyalist who is arguing that he does not deserve prison time for the criminal charges to which he has pleaded guilty.
You mean he can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term? Trump said in morning tweets. He makes up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself. .?.?. He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence.
President Trump called Monday for his former attorney Michael Cohen to serve a full and complete sentence, weighing in on the fate of a onetime loyalist who is arguing that he does not deserve prison time for the criminal charges to which he has pleaded guilty.
You mean he can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term? Trump said in morning tweets. He makes up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself. .?.?. He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence.
An attorney for Cohen declined to comment Monday on the presidents tweets.
In a late-night court filing Friday, attorneys for Cohen wrote that their client was a changed man who was cooperating extensively with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III as well as other prosecutors conducting probes related to Trump and his 2016 campaign.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-michael-cohen-deserves-a-full-and-complete-sentence/2018/12/03/e63df19e-f70f-11e8-8d64-4e79db33382f_story.html?utm_term=.1701702e632d
You mean he can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term? Trump said in morning tweets. He makes up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself. .?.?. He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence.
President Trump called Monday for his former attorney Michael Cohen to serve a full and complete sentence, weighing in on the fate of a onetime loyalist who is arguing that he does not deserve prison time for the criminal charges to which he has pleaded guilty.
You mean he can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term? Trump said in morning tweets. He makes up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself. .?.?. He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence.
An attorney for Cohen declined to comment Monday on the presidents tweets.
In a late-night court filing Friday, attorneys for Cohen wrote that their client was a changed man who was cooperating extensively with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III as well as other prosecutors conducting probes related to Trump and his 2016 campaign.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-says-michael-cohen-deserves-a-full-and-complete-sentence/2018/12/03/e63df19e-f70f-11e8-8d64-4e79db33382f_story.html?utm_term=.1701702e632d
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[font size="8"]Jeffrey Epstein
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Hey everyone guess what? The Qanon truthers were right! There really is a super secret network of underground elite pedophiles engaged in satanic rituals and human trafficking! Only its not Hillary Clinton and John Podesta. Thank you sound effects guy! That was very well timed! But guess who it really is? Its Trumps BFFs Jeffrey Epstein and Alan Dershowitz! Woooooooo!!!!! Wooooo. Well yeah Jeffrey Epstein last week got BUSTED. And heres what happened.
A last-minute settlement was reached Tuesday in a long-running Florida lawsuit involving a politically connected financier accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls, clearing the way for the victims lawyers to try to unravel a once-secret agreement that prevented federal criminal prosecution of the financier.
The non-prosecution agreement protecting Jeffrey Epstein was negotiated a decade ago by prosecutors in the South Florida U.S. attorneys office, which was then run by current Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta. It is the subject of a separate federal lawsuit in Florida filed by victims who say the deal trampled their rights to be heard.
That injustice needs to be addressed and will be addressed, said attorney Jack Scarola, who represents fellow lawyer Bradley Edwards in the lawsuit settled Tuesday. There is no justification for the broad scope of immunity that was granted.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/04/jeffrey-epstein-settles-suit-testimony-1043176
The non-prosecution agreement protecting Jeffrey Epstein was negotiated a decade ago by prosecutors in the South Florida U.S. attorneys office, which was then run by current Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta. It is the subject of a separate federal lawsuit in Florida filed by victims who say the deal trampled their rights to be heard.
That injustice needs to be addressed and will be addressed, said attorney Jack Scarola, who represents fellow lawyer Bradley Edwards in the lawsuit settled Tuesday. There is no justification for the broad scope of immunity that was granted.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/04/jeffrey-epstein-settles-suit-testimony-1043176
Yes damn!!! Of course you know what will make it all better? An apology! I mean just ask OJ Simpson and Trump how well apologies work. And this is 2018, no one should have to apologize to anyone, unless you consider a death threat on Twitter an apology. So just how far back does this alleged abuse go?
President Trump wont be testifying, though lawyers in the case tried to depose him. President Bill Clinton wont be there either, though he, like Trump, was an occasional guest of the man at the center of the trial, billionaire sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Dont expect to find Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta in the courtroom in West Palm Beach, Fla., though his decision not to prosecute Epstein was a milestone in the twisting path toward the courtroom showdown that is finally supposed to begin Tuesday after nearly nine years of byzantine bickering.
Even Epstein himself, the prime figure in the legal battle, isnt expected to show up; hell deliver his version of this epic by affidavit. Though the trial mainly will feature battalions of lawyers fighting over the actions of another set of lawyers, the case could offer a window into a sordid saga of sexual exploitation that includes many big names in American politics.
The ostensible focus of the trial is whether lawyers representing alleged victims of Epsteins decades-long obsession with underage girls ginned up accusations of sexual molestation as part of an illegal scheme to lure investors.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/palm-beach-trial-could-reveal-details-of-billionaires-alleged-abuse-of-teen-girls/2018/12/03/f42e0c4e-f4d0-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.e0175ee45f3e
Dont expect to find Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta in the courtroom in West Palm Beach, Fla., though his decision not to prosecute Epstein was a milestone in the twisting path toward the courtroom showdown that is finally supposed to begin Tuesday after nearly nine years of byzantine bickering.
Even Epstein himself, the prime figure in the legal battle, isnt expected to show up; hell deliver his version of this epic by affidavit. Though the trial mainly will feature battalions of lawyers fighting over the actions of another set of lawyers, the case could offer a window into a sordid saga of sexual exploitation that includes many big names in American politics.
The ostensible focus of the trial is whether lawyers representing alleged victims of Epsteins decades-long obsession with underage girls ginned up accusations of sexual molestation as part of an illegal scheme to lure investors.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/palm-beach-trial-could-reveal-details-of-billionaires-alleged-abuse-of-teen-girls/2018/12/03/f42e0c4e-f4d0-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.e0175ee45f3e
And just like Trumps alleged abuse of women , Jeffrey Epstein had amassed a huge network of girls at his disposal. I mean Trump really sure can pick em, cant he? You know what? Why dont we ask him?
Oh oh!!! He just walked off stage! Mr Trump has left the building! Even he wont touch that one. Yeah, and lets all assume how gross that last sentence is. And by the way what is his connection to Trump?
Floridas Democratic members of Congress are demanding an investigation into what led to the slap-on-the-wrist punishment for Jeffrey Epstein, a wealthy Palm Beach resident accused of sexually abusing dozens of teenage girls.
The agreement that prevented federal prosecution of Epstein was overseen by Alexander Acosta, who was the U.S. attorney for the southern district of Florida at the time and is currently President Donald Trumps secretary of labor.
The members of Congress want an investigation by the inspector general at the Department of Justice.
Based on newly-reported documents and a group of brave women coming forward to share their stories, it appears that, as a federal prosecutor, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta gave a sweetheart deal to a wealthy and well-connected serial sex offender, and hid it from dozens of victims, some of whom were still coming forward, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said by email. The American people and the victims of these horrific crimes deserve to know why justice was not served in this disturbing case, and the lack of transparency still cloaking it is very troubling.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ne-jeffrey-epstein-alex-acosta-investigation-20181204-story.html
The agreement that prevented federal prosecution of Epstein was overseen by Alexander Acosta, who was the U.S. attorney for the southern district of Florida at the time and is currently President Donald Trumps secretary of labor.
The members of Congress want an investigation by the inspector general at the Department of Justice.
Based on newly-reported documents and a group of brave women coming forward to share their stories, it appears that, as a federal prosecutor, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta gave a sweetheart deal to a wealthy and well-connected serial sex offender, and hid it from dozens of victims, some of whom were still coming forward, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said by email. The American people and the victims of these horrific crimes deserve to know why justice was not served in this disturbing case, and the lack of transparency still cloaking it is very troubling.
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ne-jeffrey-epstein-alex-acosta-investigation-20181204-story.html
Yeah Im sure that Trump is giving the thumbs up to this. And whats even more bizarre? His lawyer is neck deep in this scandal! Yeah that might not be the best choice of words. But really well keep an eye on this developing scandal and report back once the dems finish their findings.
Lawyer Alan Dershowitz has said that he still represents convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who pleaded guilty to soliciting underage sexual partners whom he initially recruited as masseurs. Dershowitz, 80, told Axios that Epstein has called me a couple of times about legal issues, because Im still technically his lawyer, adding, I havent had any social, or any other kind of contact [but] you never stop being a persons lawyer. Dershowitz told Axios that Epstein lent his family his Palm Beach, Florida, house and that he received a therapeutic massage with an old old Russian there, but hed had no idea anything improper had even taken place in that house. While he was allegedly raping teenage girls, Epstein cultivated relationships with a global elite: Bill Clinton flew on Epsteins plane, nicknamed the Lolita Express, numerous times; Prince Andrews ex-wife borrowed money from him; and Donald Trump praised him as a terrific guy.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/alan-dershowitz-yes-i-am-still-jeffrey-epsteins-lawyer
https://www.thedailybeast.com/alan-dershowitz-yes-i-am-still-jeffrey-epsteins-lawyer
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[font size="8"]Cindy Hyde Smith
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Politicians at the state and local levels who are so toxic, you wonder how they are able to get elected, much less stay elected. This is:
This week Mississippis new senator Cindy Hyde Smith. In an era where racists are claiming that the racial wall was torn down when Obama got elected and racism is dying out with old age, Cindy Hyde Smith not only rebuilt the wall, but put barbed wire and an electrical current on it. In fact, Ms. Smith is so toxic in her racism and underlying sexism that many of her major donors have asked her to return their donations in wake of the scandal.
Major League Baseball is requesting the return of its $5,000 donation to Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smiths campaign, in the latest blow to the Mississippi Republican ahead of Tuesdays runoff.
MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said in a statement that the donation was made in connection with an event that MLB lobbyists were asked to attend and that MLB has requested that it be returned.
Melissa Scallan, a spokeswoman for Hyde-Smiths campaign, said she could not comment on the matter.
News of the donation was first reported Saturday by the political newsletter Popular Information.
Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to the Senate in the spring, faces Democrat Mike Espy in Tuesdays runoff to fill the remaining two years of the term to which retired Republican Thad Cochran was elected.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mlb-asks-cindy-hyde-smith-to-return-5000-donation-report-says/2018/11/25/57d70318-f0cb-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.814e16be1a31
MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said in a statement that the donation was made in connection with an event that MLB lobbyists were asked to attend and that MLB has requested that it be returned.
Melissa Scallan, a spokeswoman for Hyde-Smiths campaign, said she could not comment on the matter.
News of the donation was first reported Saturday by the political newsletter Popular Information.
Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to the Senate in the spring, faces Democrat Mike Espy in Tuesdays runoff to fill the remaining two years of the term to which retired Republican Thad Cochran was elected.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mlb-asks-cindy-hyde-smith-to-return-5000-donation-report-says/2018/11/25/57d70318-f0cb-11e8-bc79-68604ed88993_story.html?utm_term=.814e16be1a31
But that didnt stop the owner of the San Francisco Giants from making a donation to the controversial new senator from Mississippi. So he supports racism and that earned a lot of criticism from an otherwise progressive city.
Charles B. Johnson, the retired investment-company billionaire believed to hold one of the largest stakes in the San Francisco Giants, is attracting attention for the second time in two months over a political campaign contribution.
According to a federal election filing Wednesday, Johnson and his wife, Ann, each donated the maximum $2,700 to the campaign of Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican U.S. Senator from Mississippi who faces Democrat and former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy in a runoff Tuesday for the final Senate seat to be decided in the 2018 midterm elections.
Hyde-Smith has been under fire from opponents since Nov. 11, when a video at a campaign rally in Tupelo surfaced that showed her expressing her regards for a local rancher by saying, If he invited me to a public hanging, Id be on the front row.
Her comments have become a major campaign issue because of Mississippis notorious history of African Americans being lynched. Although Hyde-Smith apologized in a statement and during a Tuesday debate with Espy, who is African American, she also said her comments were in jest and being twisted by political opponents.
Since the video surfaced, Hyde-Smith also was captured on video saying it would be a good idea to make it harder for some college students to vote. A 2014 photo of Hyde-Smith donning a Confederate hat has created controversy in Mississippi as well.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/Giants-owner-Charles-Johnson-donates-to-13416942.php
According to a federal election filing Wednesday, Johnson and his wife, Ann, each donated the maximum $2,700 to the campaign of Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican U.S. Senator from Mississippi who faces Democrat and former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy in a runoff Tuesday for the final Senate seat to be decided in the 2018 midterm elections.
Hyde-Smith has been under fire from opponents since Nov. 11, when a video at a campaign rally in Tupelo surfaced that showed her expressing her regards for a local rancher by saying, If he invited me to a public hanging, Id be on the front row.
Her comments have become a major campaign issue because of Mississippis notorious history of African Americans being lynched. Although Hyde-Smith apologized in a statement and during a Tuesday debate with Espy, who is African American, she also said her comments were in jest and being twisted by political opponents.
Since the video surfaced, Hyde-Smith also was captured on video saying it would be a good idea to make it harder for some college students to vote. A 2014 photo of Hyde-Smith donning a Confederate hat has created controversy in Mississippi as well.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/giants/article/Giants-owner-Charles-Johnson-donates-to-13416942.php
Yes that is true. But just how racist and hateful is Cindy Hyde Smith? Even her apology was racist and you cant apologize for being racist while saying something racist. It doesnt quite work that way. Seriously, her comments were too racist for Wal-Mart, and when youre too racist for Wal-Mart, thats pretty fucking racist.
Walmart tweeted Tuesday that it is withdrawing its support and requesting a refund of all campaign donations from Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith after the Republican lawmaker joked about public lynchings, restricting voters rights for liberal college studentsand then defended the comments. And other corporate donors are joining the retail giants request for a refund.
Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to her position by Gov. Phil Bryant last March, faces public scrutiny after a campaign stop last month in which she stated in front of rolling cameras that if a local rancher shed met invited me to a public hanging, Id be on the front row.
Her comment was particularly jarring given the fact that Hyde-Smith, who is Caucasian, is currently campaigning for a Nov. 27 run-off against former Democratic Congressman and U.S. agriculture secretary Mike Espy, who is black.
Mississippi has a pronounced history of racism and violence. According to the NAACP, Mississippi had the highest number of recorded lynchings between 18821968, hanging 581 black people.
http://fortune.com/2018/11/20/walmart-aks-cindy-hyde-smith-for-campaign-donations-back/
Hyde-Smith, who was appointed to her position by Gov. Phil Bryant last March, faces public scrutiny after a campaign stop last month in which she stated in front of rolling cameras that if a local rancher shed met invited me to a public hanging, Id be on the front row.
Her comment was particularly jarring given the fact that Hyde-Smith, who is Caucasian, is currently campaigning for a Nov. 27 run-off against former Democratic Congressman and U.S. agriculture secretary Mike Espy, who is black.
Mississippi has a pronounced history of racism and violence. According to the NAACP, Mississippi had the highest number of recorded lynchings between 18821968, hanging 581 black people.
http://fortune.com/2018/11/20/walmart-aks-cindy-hyde-smith-for-campaign-donations-back/
?itemid=5114632
Seriously, yes it was. But despite the toxic comments guess what? Trump campaigned for Ms. Smith, and she handily won the election against Bob Espy. So yes, Ms. Smith will lead the Mississippi senate for the next two years. Because, racism is still alive and well in Mississippi.
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Mississippi Republican who had to apologize for a cavalier reference to a public hanging, won a special runoff election on Tuesday, defeating the Democratic candidate, Mike Espy, who was trying to become the states first black senator since Reconstruction.
Ms. Hyde-Smiths victory, reported by The Associated Press, came in the final Senate race of the midterm elections and will set the Republican majority in the chamber at 53 to 47 once the new Congress is sworn in, a net pickup of two seats.
The matchup between Mr. Espy and Ms. Hyde-Smith drew national scrutiny as a test of Mississippis past and present attitudes on race and its standing as a conservative bulwark, especially after the senators gaffe that she would be willing to attend a public hanging.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/us/politics/mississippi-senate-espy-hyde-smith.html
Ms. Hyde-Smiths victory, reported by The Associated Press, came in the final Senate race of the midterm elections and will set the Republican majority in the chamber at 53 to 47 once the new Congress is sworn in, a net pickup of two seats.
The matchup between Mr. Espy and Ms. Hyde-Smith drew national scrutiny as a test of Mississippis past and present attitudes on race and its standing as a conservative bulwark, especially after the senators gaffe that she would be willing to attend a public hanging.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/us/politics/mississippi-senate-espy-hyde-smith.html
Thats true. That is Mississippi senator Cindy Hyde Smith, another one of the ever growing list of:
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[font size="8"]The Alt Right
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Allow me to engage in a bit of schadenfreude here, but is anyone else just LOVING watching the Alt Right implode? It seems being a racist dick is becoming passé. You know last week I reported on how the Alt Right fight club known as the Proud Boys, was losing its charm as a bunch of drunk , Trump loving dickheads who loved to pick fights with Antifa after Gavin McInnes left the group but now the group has been working to reclaim its image!
Gavin McInnes, the founder of the far-right group Proud Boys, has been denied an Australian visa after failing his character test.
McInnes was supposed to go to Australia for a tour of the Deplorables, a conservative comedy series, with British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson.
Over half our support in recent months has come from Australia. Were coming to say thank you, the tour website reads. The tour is scheduled to be from Feb. 1 to Feb. 10.
Sydney-based SBS News reported last week that protesters demonstrated in the Australian capital Canberra to demand that McInnes visa be canceled. But a later report claimed his visa application was rejected. It is not clear if McInnes had a visa approved initially.
The Australian Broadcasting Company reported that McInnes had been notified a few weeks ago that his visa would be blocked, and his window to file for an appeal closed on Friday.
https://www.dailydot.com/irl/proud-boys-founder-gavin-mcinnes-australian-visa/
McInnes was supposed to go to Australia for a tour of the Deplorables, a conservative comedy series, with British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson.
Over half our support in recent months has come from Australia. Were coming to say thank you, the tour website reads. The tour is scheduled to be from Feb. 1 to Feb. 10.
Sydney-based SBS News reported last week that protesters demonstrated in the Australian capital Canberra to demand that McInnes visa be canceled. But a later report claimed his visa application was rejected. It is not clear if McInnes had a visa approved initially.
The Australian Broadcasting Company reported that McInnes had been notified a few weeks ago that his visa would be blocked, and his window to file for an appeal closed on Friday.
https://www.dailydot.com/irl/proud-boys-founder-gavin-mcinnes-australian-visa/
Yes, ha ha indeed! Meet the new, friendlier Proud Boys - we're the same as the old douchey Proud Boys now with 75% less felony assault charges! But that wasnt the only alt right news last week, this might be one of my favorite stories of the year. Laura Loomer, who suffers from an extreme case of Democrat Derangement Syndrome, might need some help. Yeah I am sure you saw this story last week, lets tell you more!
In response to getting kicked off Twitter, far-right activist Laura Loomer chained herself to the platform's Manhattan headquarters on Thursday.
Livestream video posted to Periscope captured Loomer handcuffed to the glass doors leading into the headquarters. It didn't take long before a crowd and police gathered and the street was closed off.
At its peak, the Periscope livestream had almost 10,000 viewers.
"It's almost as if Twitter hates Jews and conservatives," Loomer said during her protest. "When is [Twitter CEO] Jack Dorsey going to stop censoring conservatives? When am I going to get my Twitter back? I'll be here as long as it takes."
Loomer ended her stand shortly after 6 p.m., when she asked police to cut off her handcuffs after a little more than two hours of protest.
https://www.businessinsider.com/lara-loomer-chained-herself-twitter-hq-after-banned-2018-11
Livestream video posted to Periscope captured Loomer handcuffed to the glass doors leading into the headquarters. It didn't take long before a crowd and police gathered and the street was closed off.
At its peak, the Periscope livestream had almost 10,000 viewers.
"It's almost as if Twitter hates Jews and conservatives," Loomer said during her protest. "When is [Twitter CEO] Jack Dorsey going to stop censoring conservatives? When am I going to get my Twitter back? I'll be here as long as it takes."
Loomer ended her stand shortly after 6 p.m., when she asked police to cut off her handcuffs after a little more than two hours of protest.
https://www.businessinsider.com/lara-loomer-chained-herself-twitter-hq-after-banned-2018-11
You know what, Laura? If you dont want to be pegged as a racist lunatic, dont show up to Twitter headquarters screaming about free speech wearing racist symbols! I mean come on! And by the way, one of the favorite talking points of the Alt Right has always been that racism is dying out with older generations. Well guess what? This story out of Dover High School in Dover, New Hampshire will definitely change some minds!
Students at Dover High School in New Hampshire were recorded in class singing a KKK-themed jingle sparking a district investigation. Dover School District Superintendent William Harbron told NBC News on Monday that the students were 11th-graders assigned to create a jingle based on the post-Civil War Reconstruction era for a U.S. history class. The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist organization, was formed in this time period.
Video began to circulate of the presentation Friday in which students sang, "White masks on our heads, blood beneath our feet, laughing till theyre dead -- ha, ha, ha," to the tune of "Jingle Bells." The students did not know they were being recorded, the superintendent said.
"The principal became aware of the situation late Friday and began working with (the) teacher," Harbron told NBC News on Monday. "Right now were dealing the immediate need of communication out and dealing with the emotions surrounding the situation." The district released a letter on Monday stating that it was investigating the incident and that although the song was part of an assignment, "the impact was harmful."
"Administration from Dover High School and the District are working with students and the school community to respond immediately and effectively to this racial insensitivity. I think the most important part is that we are upset and concerned about what happened in that classroom," Harbron said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/video-new-hampshire-students-singing-kkk-themed-jingle-sparks-district-n943246
Video began to circulate of the presentation Friday in which students sang, "White masks on our heads, blood beneath our feet, laughing till theyre dead -- ha, ha, ha," to the tune of "Jingle Bells." The students did not know they were being recorded, the superintendent said.
"The principal became aware of the situation late Friday and began working with (the) teacher," Harbron told NBC News on Monday. "Right now were dealing the immediate need of communication out and dealing with the emotions surrounding the situation." The district released a letter on Monday stating that it was investigating the incident and that although the song was part of an assignment, "the impact was harmful."
"Administration from Dover High School and the District are working with students and the school community to respond immediately and effectively to this racial insensitivity. I think the most important part is that we are upset and concerned about what happened in that classroom," Harbron said.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/video-new-hampshire-students-singing-kkk-themed-jingle-sparks-district-n943246
Yes that escalated quickly all right! And while were on the subject of the Alt Right and racism, one of the darlings of the alt right is going broke at an alarming rate. Oh wont somebody please think of poor Milo Yiannopolous? Please??? Well many of us are giving a fine womp womp to this douche.
The far right activist Milo Yiannopoulos was more than $2m in debt during 2018, according to a collection of documents assembled by his former Australian tour promoters and seen by Guardian Australia. Creditors listed in the documents include employees of his company, a wedding venue and his former sponsors, the billionaire Mercer family.
The documents indicate that as of April 2018, Yiannopoulos owed $1.6m to his own company, $400,000 to the Mercers, $153,215 to his former lawyers, $76,574 to former collaborator and Breitbart writer Allum Bokhari, and $20,000 to the luxury jewellery brand Cartier.
As of 2 October, Yiannopoulos owed sums of several thousand dollars to far right writers including Ian Miles Cheong, anti-Islamic ideologue Pamela Geller and science fiction writer Theodore Beale, aka Vox Day, the documents indicate, amongst others.
They were published on the website of an Australian far right figure and United Patriots Front member, Neil Erikson, infamous for subjecting the former senator Sam Dastyari to a torrent of racial abuse in a Sydney pub.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/dec/03/milo-yiannopoulos-more-than-2m-in-debt-australian-promoters-documents-show
The documents indicate that as of April 2018, Yiannopoulos owed $1.6m to his own company, $400,000 to the Mercers, $153,215 to his former lawyers, $76,574 to former collaborator and Breitbart writer Allum Bokhari, and $20,000 to the luxury jewellery brand Cartier.
As of 2 October, Yiannopoulos owed sums of several thousand dollars to far right writers including Ian Miles Cheong, anti-Islamic ideologue Pamela Geller and science fiction writer Theodore Beale, aka Vox Day, the documents indicate, amongst others.
They were published on the website of an Australian far right figure and United Patriots Front member, Neil Erikson, infamous for subjecting the former senator Sam Dastyari to a torrent of racial abuse in a Sydney pub.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/dec/03/milo-yiannopoulos-more-than-2m-in-debt-australian-promoters-documents-show
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[font size="8"]Top 10 Investigates: Video Game Rehab
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Its time to investigate beyond the headlines. This is Top 10 Investigates!
Theres a new 21st century problem that is requiring a 21st century solution. That problem is that children are becoming increasingly addicted to video games. Which is why a new industry has spawned: video game rehab. While rehab for video game addiction is nothing new, with the advent of portable devices like the Nintendo Switch, tablets, and cell phones, children these days can and will be playing games 24 hours a day. Heres more:
Parents chalking up their kids' distracted and compulsive behavior to playing video games is a story as old as Atari, or arcades, or whatever you consider to be your stand-in symbol for gaming in its infancy. But apparently the pull of Fortnite is so strong that some parents have gone the very desperate route of sending their kids to rehab in order to get them to put their controllers/keyboards down once in a freaking while, and not for the first time either.
One such parent who was recently profiled by Gadgets 360 was Michigan mother Debbie Vitany, who says her 17-year-old son (Carson) logs 12-hours a day in Epic Games' virtual battlefields. She says that this unhealthy time allotment has caused him to get bad grades and fall asleep in class (as most 12-hour per day obsessions will do). "We'd made some progress in getting him to cut down his Fortnite hours and get better sleep, but he's slipped back into his old habits," Vitany said. "I've never seen a game that has such control over kids' minds."
Lorrine Marer, who is a "British behavioral specialist who works with kids battling game addiction" even went so far as to compare the game to heroin, which is actually not the first time health experts have made this connection, though you probably wouldn't know for sure unless you both played Fortnite and did heroin.
https://www.complex.com/life/2018/12/fortnite-addiction-has-parents-sending-kids-to-video-game-rehab
One such parent who was recently profiled by Gadgets 360 was Michigan mother Debbie Vitany, who says her 17-year-old son (Carson) logs 12-hours a day in Epic Games' virtual battlefields. She says that this unhealthy time allotment has caused him to get bad grades and fall asleep in class (as most 12-hour per day obsessions will do). "We'd made some progress in getting him to cut down his Fortnite hours and get better sleep, but he's slipped back into his old habits," Vitany said. "I've never seen a game that has such control over kids' minds."
Lorrine Marer, who is a "British behavioral specialist who works with kids battling game addiction" even went so far as to compare the game to heroin, which is actually not the first time health experts have made this connection, though you probably wouldn't know for sure unless you both played Fortnite and did heroin.
https://www.complex.com/life/2018/12/fortnite-addiction-has-parents-sending-kids-to-video-game-rehab
Yes, 12 hours a day on one game. It cant be that good can it? Well for chronic addicts it may never get any easier but thats what happens when a game gets you complete control over ones mind. Now its all well and good but what does a professional Fortnite player think?
Fortnite has consistently remained in the spotlight since its release last July, but this week it headlined on Bloomberg for less than stellar reasons. To be specific, young players were being sent to rehab to tackle their Fortnite addictions.
Fortnite has been a massive hit with younger audiences, but this success has made it a high profile target for concerned parents. This is far from the first time parental discourse has focused in on a particular subject, with everything from the entire breed of pit bulls to the Grand Theft Auto trilogy having fallen under similar crosshairs before. Gaming addiction itself has always been a hot topic for parents, so it should come as no surprise that Fortnite pops up frequently when such concerns are raised.
Popular Fortnite streamer Ninja who earns about $500,000 per month streaming the title took issue with the aforementioned Bloomberg article. He places the blame for young players being addicted to the game firmly on the parents who let their children run rampant with playtime. The Bloomberg article quotes one mother whose son spends 12 hours a day playing Fortnite, a number that simply isnt healthy regardless of ones age. It also helps drive home Ninjas point, which is that parents have a responsibility to manage how their children spend free time. Its easy to hand a child a phone to keep them pacified, but its less easy to proactively manage them during these important developmental years.
https://gamerant.com/fortnite-ninja-addiction-report/
Fortnite has been a massive hit with younger audiences, but this success has made it a high profile target for concerned parents. This is far from the first time parental discourse has focused in on a particular subject, with everything from the entire breed of pit bulls to the Grand Theft Auto trilogy having fallen under similar crosshairs before. Gaming addiction itself has always been a hot topic for parents, so it should come as no surprise that Fortnite pops up frequently when such concerns are raised.
Popular Fortnite streamer Ninja who earns about $500,000 per month streaming the title took issue with the aforementioned Bloomberg article. He places the blame for young players being addicted to the game firmly on the parents who let their children run rampant with playtime. The Bloomberg article quotes one mother whose son spends 12 hours a day playing Fortnite, a number that simply isnt healthy regardless of ones age. It also helps drive home Ninjas point, which is that parents have a responsibility to manage how their children spend free time. Its easy to hand a child a phone to keep them pacified, but its less easy to proactively manage them during these important developmental years.
https://gamerant.com/fortnite-ninja-addiction-report/
Well sure, the guy who plays Fortnite for a living and calls himself Ninja is your go to expert on addiction, of course hes going to be against it! But theyre not landing into video game rehab, no, if you listen to our media on this subject, kids are being FORCED into rehab! Because that sounds so much better doesnt it? Even professional athletes cant stay away from the game!
Professional athletes are getting hooked, too. The National Hockey Leagues Vancouver Canucks had so much trouble getting players to meetings and dinners they banned Fortnite on the road. David Price, star pitcher for Major League Baseballs World Series-winning Boston Red Sox, was scratched from a May start against the arch rival New York Yankees because of wrist problems that may have been exacerbated by Fortnite playing.
Some pro-baseball players are so Fortnite-obsessed that theyve hooked the game up to their stadiums Jumbotron video system to play it while waiting to take batting practice.
Randy Kulman, a child psychologist in Wakefield, Rhode Island, has seen a surge in parents taking their kids to counseling because of video-game addictions.
I had a 13-year-old in my office who said he had 300 Fortnite wins, Kulman said. I had to stop for a minute and calculate what he had to invest just to get those.
Michael Jacobus, who runs the Reset Summer Camp for kids with addictions, said about 60 percent of the 120 children he counseled at camps in Santa Barbara, California, and Asheville, North Carolina, last summer were playing Fortnite excessively. Treatment involves a technology detox their devices are taken away combined with healthy eating, sleep and group therapy. Next summer, he plans to enroll more than twice as many kids, with additional locations in Texas, Indiana and New York.
http://www.timesonline.com/entertainmentlife/20181204/tech-addiction-video-game-fortnite-is-forcing-kids-into-video-game-rehab
Some pro-baseball players are so Fortnite-obsessed that theyve hooked the game up to their stadiums Jumbotron video system to play it while waiting to take batting practice.
Randy Kulman, a child psychologist in Wakefield, Rhode Island, has seen a surge in parents taking their kids to counseling because of video-game addictions.
I had a 13-year-old in my office who said he had 300 Fortnite wins, Kulman said. I had to stop for a minute and calculate what he had to invest just to get those.
Michael Jacobus, who runs the Reset Summer Camp for kids with addictions, said about 60 percent of the 120 children he counseled at camps in Santa Barbara, California, and Asheville, North Carolina, last summer were playing Fortnite excessively. Treatment involves a technology detox their devices are taken away combined with healthy eating, sleep and group therapy. Next summer, he plans to enroll more than twice as many kids, with additional locations in Texas, Indiana and New York.
http://www.timesonline.com/entertainmentlife/20181204/tech-addiction-video-game-fortnite-is-forcing-kids-into-video-game-rehab
And not only that, getting those wins in that game costs money. But one thing you should never do when your kids are spending too much time in front of their screens is blame the parents. No, its not their fault for their childrens addictive personalities. But how much do you blame the game for the monetary aspect of it?
Video gamers might have a spending problem.
With the exponential rise in popularity in games such as Fortnite and Overwatch, many video games have introduced loot boxes and microtransactions avenues for players to spend real money to unlock virtual weapons, boosts and costumes.
Loot boxes award in-game upgrades such as new skins for characters, new maps, items or player boosts, often at a cost. Loot boxes have become common fixtures within the individual economies of video games yes, today's video games have their own built-in economies.
Fortnite, one of the most popular games worldwide, generated $318 million in revenue in May despite being a free-to-play game. A recent Juniper Research report expects the digital game industry to exceed $160 billion via in-game spending by 2022.
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/local/2018/11/29/what-loot-box-microtransaction-egames-fortnite-fifa-league-legends-fut-coins-riot-points-ftc-esports/2140904002/
With the exponential rise in popularity in games such as Fortnite and Overwatch, many video games have introduced loot boxes and microtransactions avenues for players to spend real money to unlock virtual weapons, boosts and costumes.
Loot boxes award in-game upgrades such as new skins for characters, new maps, items or player boosts, often at a cost. Loot boxes have become common fixtures within the individual economies of video games yes, today's video games have their own built-in economies.
Fortnite, one of the most popular games worldwide, generated $318 million in revenue in May despite being a free-to-play game. A recent Juniper Research report expects the digital game industry to exceed $160 billion via in-game spending by 2022.
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/local/2018/11/29/what-loot-box-microtransaction-egames-fortnite-fifa-league-legends-fut-coins-riot-points-ftc-esports/2140904002/
So if your children are spending that much money to be able to play a game thats supposedly free, just how much money did Epic Games make last year? The answer will absolutely shock you!
Fortnite: Battle Royale has brought in more revenue in a single month than any other game of its kind. The free-to-play game hit a new revenue record of $318 million in May, according to SuperData Research.
That puts Fornite well ahead of other breakout games like Pokémon Go and Clash of Clans, and its all the more spectacular when you realize the multi-platform game launched on consoles just eight months ago and on iOS just three months ago.
Since then, Fortnite has brought in more than $1.2 billion in revenue, all of which comes from nonessential in-app purchases, for stuff like clothing and dance moves.
https://www.recode.net/2018/6/26/17502072/fortnite-revenue-game-growth-318-million
That puts Fornite well ahead of other breakout games like Pokémon Go and Clash of Clans, and its all the more spectacular when you realize the multi-platform game launched on consoles just eight months ago and on iOS just three months ago.
Since then, Fortnite has brought in more than $1.2 billion in revenue, all of which comes from nonessential in-app purchases, for stuff like clothing and dance moves.
https://www.recode.net/2018/6/26/17502072/fortnite-revenue-game-growth-318-million
There you have it, Fortnite is playing with our childrens sanity while the company that prodiuces the game is pocketing $300 million. Thats it for Top 10 Investigates. Good day.
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[font size="8"]Holy Shit
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Gather around, my fair brothers and sisters, its time to take a seat in the pew and pass the collection plate! For the Holy Church of the Top 10 has convened and its our weekly duty to remind you why the holiest among us are also the most full of:
My fair congregation! There is a war brewing among us! And unlike most wars, this war only comes once a year, usually around this time of year. Yes, I am referring of course, to the annual War On Christmas, of course the republican right has trademarked the word Christmas and we on the left are required to pay royalties every time we use it. Yeah seriously!
Its that time of year, and the festive annual tradition of Religious Right hand-wringing about a supposed War on Christmas is getting underway. This week Liberty Counsel launched its annual Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign and released this years Naughty and Nice list of retailers that the group judges on the nature of their holiday promotions.
In an old video Liberty Counsel retweeted on Tuesday, Liberty Counsel President Mat Staver decried attempts to remove Christ from Christmas and warned that every year the battle intensifies. The Religious Rights War on Christmas narrative, amplified by right-wing media personalities on Fox and elsewhere, has been part of the attempt to boost conservative evangelicals political engagement by convincing them that they are under assault in American culture.
On Monday, Liberty Counsel sent out a press release with a link to this years Naughty and Nice list, which, while ridiculous, is revealing about the kind of country Liberty Counsel wants America to beone in which the cultural hegemony of its brand of Christianity is upheld and enforced, even by secular institutions like Burlington Coat Factory.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/religious-right-gears-up-annual-war-on-christmas-attack-on-pluralism/
In an old video Liberty Counsel retweeted on Tuesday, Liberty Counsel President Mat Staver decried attempts to remove Christ from Christmas and warned that every year the battle intensifies. The Religious Rights War on Christmas narrative, amplified by right-wing media personalities on Fox and elsewhere, has been part of the attempt to boost conservative evangelicals political engagement by convincing them that they are under assault in American culture.
On Monday, Liberty Counsel sent out a press release with a link to this years Naughty and Nice list, which, while ridiculous, is revealing about the kind of country Liberty Counsel wants America to beone in which the cultural hegemony of its brand of Christianity is upheld and enforced, even by secular institutions like Burlington Coat Factory.
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/religious-right-gears-up-annual-war-on-christmas-attack-on-pluralism/
Oh not Burlington Coat Factory! Thats where us preachers shop. Oh sure, sir, maybe on your salary you can afford to shop at Nordstrom but us preachers have to resort to much thriftier stores. But this year in the War on Christmas, theres even more stores who are getting poor ratings for not supporting the baby JAYSUS enough!
Companies can make it onto Liberty Counsels naughty list even if they are selling Christmas-themed products, or advertising with universally recognized symbols of Christmas traditions like Santa Claus and reindeer.
For example, Liberty Counsel notes that Lord and Taylor incorporates Christmas language in its products and marketing. However, Liberty Counsel complains, the company, like many others, falls short of portraying what the Christmas season is about. Their reindeers and printed Santas hide the love of the Nativity and reason for gift giving.
Similarly, Liberty Counsel criticizes Burlington Coat Factory for its severe lack of Christmas advertising with biblical meaning. Liberty Counsel complains, Each ad or marketing concept starts strong with Christmas-themed products but loses meaning through emphasis on giving and receiving. Were explicitly talking about retail advertising; why wouldnt their emphasis be on giving and receiving?
Then theres Dicks Sporting Goods. This sports store ignores the most important Gift of Christmas, says Liberty Counsel, urging people to contact the retailer to encourage the organization to include Christ in their Christmas seasonal marketing plan. Is it really the job of a sporting goods store to promote Christian teachings about the birth of Jesus?
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/religious-right-gears-up-annual-war-on-christmas-attack-on-pluralism/
For example, Liberty Counsel notes that Lord and Taylor incorporates Christmas language in its products and marketing. However, Liberty Counsel complains, the company, like many others, falls short of portraying what the Christmas season is about. Their reindeers and printed Santas hide the love of the Nativity and reason for gift giving.
Similarly, Liberty Counsel criticizes Burlington Coat Factory for its severe lack of Christmas advertising with biblical meaning. Liberty Counsel complains, Each ad or marketing concept starts strong with Christmas-themed products but loses meaning through emphasis on giving and receiving. Were explicitly talking about retail advertising; why wouldnt their emphasis be on giving and receiving?
Then theres Dicks Sporting Goods. This sports store ignores the most important Gift of Christmas, says Liberty Counsel, urging people to contact the retailer to encourage the organization to include Christ in their Christmas seasonal marketing plan. Is it really the job of a sporting goods store to promote Christian teachings about the birth of Jesus?
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/religious-right-gears-up-annual-war-on-christmas-attack-on-pluralism/
I think even the good LAWRD JAYSUS is saying seriously, get a fucking life, guys!. But this probably is their only life. I mean really these are the people who support the Dark One, whose name shall not be named in my church. But this year in their supposed war on Christmas, the supporters of the Dark One think that they somehow have a monopoly on the holiday. I mean did it ever leave in the 8 years that Obama was in the White House?
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke saluted President Donald Trump on Wednesday night as the man who brought Christmas back to America.
That had Twitter users wondering: Just where did Christmas go?
Zinkes introduction was actually recycled; he made a remarkably similar comment at last years tree-lighting ceremony, calling Trump the man who brought Merry Christmas! back to our nations capital.
Neither Christmas nor Merry Christmas have ever left.
Yet it has been a talking point for Trump since early in the campaign and one he has mentioned repeatedly ― and often randomly, including in July ― even as president.
Here is some of the reaction to Trump being hailed for saving a holiday that was never in peril:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ryan-zinke-donald-trump-merry-christmas_us_5bff6223e4b0864f4f6a05ca
That had Twitter users wondering: Just where did Christmas go?
Zinkes introduction was actually recycled; he made a remarkably similar comment at last years tree-lighting ceremony, calling Trump the man who brought Merry Christmas! back to our nations capital.
Neither Christmas nor Merry Christmas have ever left.
Yet it has been a talking point for Trump since early in the campaign and one he has mentioned repeatedly ― and often randomly, including in July ― even as president.
Here is some of the reaction to Trump being hailed for saving a holiday that was never in peril:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ryan-zinke-donald-trump-merry-christmas_us_5bff6223e4b0864f4f6a05ca
That is a good question, dear LAWRD! By the way , how great is our gospel choir? Give it up for them! By the way, in case you are wondering the numbers, it seems the war on Christmas is no longer a thing! We won ladies and gentlemen! And what should, in no way, shape or form shock you, only the most hardcore supporters of the Dark One are the ones who care about this nonsense!
In a Nov. 1-3 survey among 2,201 U.S. adults, respondents who said they believe there is too much political correctness and also said that would shop more at stores that say Merry Christmas were more than three times as likely to identify as Republican than as Democrat, 41 percent to 12 percent.
The issue of War on Christmas seems like asymmetrical warfare, in that only one side seems to be fighting it, said Dan Cox, an independent pollster and former research director and co-founder of the nonpartisan polling firm PRRI.
Every year, the idea that the religious meaning of Christmas is under attack fires up one side of the partisan divide and is largely greeted with apathy by the other, Cox said. These attitudes closely mirror Morning Consult polling conducted last year.
https://morningconsult.com/2018/11/28/christmas-another-sign-partisan-divide-extends-to-culture/
The issue of War on Christmas seems like asymmetrical warfare, in that only one side seems to be fighting it, said Dan Cox, an independent pollster and former research director and co-founder of the nonpartisan polling firm PRRI.
Every year, the idea that the religious meaning of Christmas is under attack fires up one side of the partisan divide and is largely greeted with apathy by the other, Cox said. These attitudes closely mirror Morning Consult polling conducted last year.
https://morningconsult.com/2018/11/28/christmas-another-sign-partisan-divide-extends-to-culture/
There you have it, nobody cares anymore about the War On Christmas, so why is this still a thing? Mass has ended, may you go in peace! Thats it this week for:
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[font size="8"]How Is This Still A Thing?
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Its time once again to ask:
This week South Carolina repeatedly attempting to secede from the union how is this still a thing? In the 150 years since the Civil War began, theres one state that still refuses to acknowledge that they lost the war and are still part of the United States. That state is South Carolina. While California got all the attention this year for an ill fated attempt to split the state into three smaller states, South Carolina did something unprecedented and off the radar that you probably didnt expect, but should have. Yes, they managed to find enough representatives who still favor this kind of thing.
South Carolina debated seceding from the Union more than 150 years ago, a decision that ultimately led to the Civil War. Now, the topic has come up again, amid a national debate over firearms and gun rights.
A trio of state House Republicans on Thursday quietly introduced a bill that would allow lawmakers to debate seceding from the U.S. if the federal government confiscates guns purchased in South Carolina.
The bill provides that "the general assembly shall convene to consider whether to secede from the United States based upon the federal government's unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution if the federal government confiscates legally purchased firearms in this state."
The measure sponsored by Reps. Mike Pitts, Jonathon Hill and Ashley Trantham has no real chance this session. The deadline for bills to move from one chamber to the other is April 10.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-carolina-state-house-republicans-introduce-bill-on-secession-over-gun-rights/
A trio of state House Republicans on Thursday quietly introduced a bill that would allow lawmakers to debate seceding from the U.S. if the federal government confiscates guns purchased in South Carolina.
The bill provides that "the general assembly shall convene to consider whether to secede from the United States based upon the federal government's unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution if the federal government confiscates legally purchased firearms in this state."
The measure sponsored by Reps. Mike Pitts, Jonathon Hill and Ashley Trantham has no real chance this session. The deadline for bills to move from one chamber to the other is April 10.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-carolina-state-house-republicans-introduce-bill-on-secession-over-gun-rights/
So South Carolina is obviously more concerned with gun rights than human rights to the point where they feel that they need to leave the United States over it. Yes, lets just think about that for a minute here. But this isnt the first time since the Civil War that South Carolina has attempted to secede from the union. In fact they attempt to secede from the union about as many times as Wiley Coyote attempts to catch the road runner.
If South Carolina were to secede from the United States as some officials are threatening to do, it wouldnt be the first time that state led a secession movement in a quarrel with the federal government.
State lawmakers there are working on a bill that calls for the legislature to consider secession over larger gun rights and possession issues. The legislation states officials would convene to consider whether to secede from the United States based upon the federal governments unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment if the federal government confiscates legally purchased firearms in this state.
The bill is still listed as being in the House Judiciary Committee.
Although its unclear whether the bill will become a law and whether any nationwide discussion on guns and gun rights will lead to changes at the federal levelor even to an action as advanced as confiscating legally acquired firearms, as the right often claimsthe proposed measure echoes previous events in American history.
South Carolina was the first of 11 states to secede at the beginning of the Civil War. Shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was elected from the Republican Party in late 1860, South Carolina voted to secede.
https://www.newsweek.com/south-carolina-secession-history-state-attempts-secede-slaves-guns-877933
State lawmakers there are working on a bill that calls for the legislature to consider secession over larger gun rights and possession issues. The legislation states officials would convene to consider whether to secede from the United States based upon the federal governments unconstitutional violation of the Second Amendment if the federal government confiscates legally purchased firearms in this state.
The bill is still listed as being in the House Judiciary Committee.
Although its unclear whether the bill will become a law and whether any nationwide discussion on guns and gun rights will lead to changes at the federal levelor even to an action as advanced as confiscating legally acquired firearms, as the right often claimsthe proposed measure echoes previous events in American history.
South Carolina was the first of 11 states to secede at the beginning of the Civil War. Shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was elected from the Republican Party in late 1860, South Carolina voted to secede.
https://www.newsweek.com/south-carolina-secession-history-state-attempts-secede-slaves-guns-877933
But in case youre wondering, no, South Carolina doesnt plan to quit any time soon. In fact theyre doubling down. They dont take this sort of thing lightly, you know! But seriously you have to wonder what their best intentions are in this. Oh wait, theyre putting guns above people. They cant have that good of intentions, can they?
Three conservative state lawmakers want South Carolina prepped to secede from the Union again.
Theyve sponsored a bill requiring South Carolina lawmakers to consider secession if the federal government confiscates legally purchased firearms.
The bill by Reps. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens; Jonathon Hill, R-Townville; and Ashley Trantham, R-Greenville, has absolutely no chance of becoming law this year since theres only about a month left in the session.
Pitts said he filed the bill to generate dialogue and debate for next session.
Thats a serious bill, he said. I certainly dont take it lightly.
This isnt the first time Pitts has offered especially crafted legislation to make a political statement. In 2016, he filed a bill requiring journalists to register with the state government and created fines for those who didnt.
https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/palmetto-politics-take-my-gun-and-south-carolina-may-secede/article_c51dea50-36a3-11e8-91c9-ebfac52faefd.html
Theyve sponsored a bill requiring South Carolina lawmakers to consider secession if the federal government confiscates legally purchased firearms.
The bill by Reps. Mike Pitts, R-Laurens; Jonathon Hill, R-Townville; and Ashley Trantham, R-Greenville, has absolutely no chance of becoming law this year since theres only about a month left in the session.
Pitts said he filed the bill to generate dialogue and debate for next session.
Thats a serious bill, he said. I certainly dont take it lightly.
This isnt the first time Pitts has offered especially crafted legislation to make a political statement. In 2016, he filed a bill requiring journalists to register with the state government and created fines for those who didnt.
https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/palmetto-politics-take-my-gun-and-south-carolina-may-secede/article_c51dea50-36a3-11e8-91c9-ebfac52faefd.html
And also in case youre wondering if they are going to attempt this sort of thing again, the answer is a definite yes, and in fact civil war culture is alive and well and a huge industry in South Carolina. So much that the house where the original plan to secede from the union came about.
If the walls of a 200-year-old Beaufort mansion could talk ....
Upon closer inspection, they can.
On the basement walls where Union troops once likely lined up to receive their pay, they wrote their names and regiment. Someone practiced writing numbers.
A note scrawled on a basement wall and dated Aug. 4, 1862, describes perhaps the most notable activity in this Greek Revival home on Craven Street downtown known as the "Milton Maxcy House" or "Secession House."
"This is Edmund Rhett's house. He had 42 field hands and 12 horses," the note reads in handwritten cursive script. "In this house the first meeting in favor of Secession was held 1851."
In Beaufort, history is always for sale.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2018-11-17/home-where-southerners-first-hatched-secession-plan-for-sale
Upon closer inspection, they can.
On the basement walls where Union troops once likely lined up to receive their pay, they wrote their names and regiment. Someone practiced writing numbers.
A note scrawled on a basement wall and dated Aug. 4, 1862, describes perhaps the most notable activity in this Greek Revival home on Craven Street downtown known as the "Milton Maxcy House" or "Secession House."
"This is Edmund Rhett's house. He had 42 field hands and 12 horses," the note reads in handwritten cursive script. "In this house the first meeting in favor of Secession was held 1851."
In Beaufort, history is always for sale.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/south-carolina/articles/2018-11-17/home-where-southerners-first-hatched-secession-plan-for-sale
So if the home where the first secession took place is up for sale, the home where the 2019 secession will take place wont be too far behind! Thats enough to make you ask South Carolina secession:
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[font size="8"]White House Christmas Decorations: NO!
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Its time for our new segment:
Its Christmas time and once again that means that the White House Christmas decorations are going up, and once again, we are reminded that the Trump family has no taste in anything! Now for a comparison lets show the decorations from last year. Which hilariously got compared to the decorating schematic on the hit Netflix show Stranger Things.
Now lets show this years. Let's show the Christmas decorations. Can we show that for a minute?
For the record, last year's decorations got compared to Stranger Things, this year I would say they're going for a Dexter vibe. Let's call this "Serial Killer Chic". Does blood set Melania's teeth on edge or does it help her control the chaos? I'm just surprised that they're not wrapped in plastic. You could also throw in a little American Horror Story as well.
Everybody has a different taste, Melania Trump said this week.
Speaking at a town hall conversation at Liberty University, the first lady was referring to her White House Christmas decorations, which were unveiled in a short video on Monday, and the kerfuffle they caused. Particularly the red topiary trees lining the East Colonnade. The entire nation has come to know the phrase blood red, as it became the stuff of late-night monologues.
It turns out taste these days in Christmas decorations, at least can be a litmus test for a persons politics and how they feel about the Trump administration. Not even garland, string lights and candy canes are above partisan squabbling.
Ms. Trumps decorations, which also included Be Best pencil wreaths and tree stands (a nod to her childhood-wellness campaign) as well as gingerbread replicas of the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and other national monuments, could be seen as either stunning and patriotic (the Washington Times) or deeply haunted (The Cut). It was the rare media outlet that played it down the middle, as did Town & Country, which tactfully called the red trees: Most striking, perhaps.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/fashion/white-house-christmas-decorations.html
Speaking at a town hall conversation at Liberty University, the first lady was referring to her White House Christmas decorations, which were unveiled in a short video on Monday, and the kerfuffle they caused. Particularly the red topiary trees lining the East Colonnade. The entire nation has come to know the phrase blood red, as it became the stuff of late-night monologues.
It turns out taste these days in Christmas decorations, at least can be a litmus test for a persons politics and how they feel about the Trump administration. Not even garland, string lights and candy canes are above partisan squabbling.
Ms. Trumps decorations, which also included Be Best pencil wreaths and tree stands (a nod to her childhood-wellness campaign) as well as gingerbread replicas of the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and other national monuments, could be seen as either stunning and patriotic (the Washington Times) or deeply haunted (The Cut). It was the rare media outlet that played it down the middle, as did Town & Country, which tactfully called the red trees: Most striking, perhaps.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/fashion/white-house-christmas-decorations.html
NO!!!! We dont want blood red Christmas trees. Were decorating for Christmas here, not the Purge! I mean yeah its obvious by now that the Trumps dont have any taste in anything! Especially when it comes to interior decorating. I mean what was that interior decorator thinking? And are you shocked at her reaction to the reaction to this abomination?
Red is a Christmas color.
So why did Twitter and other social media platforms erupt when First Lady Melania Trump unveiled this years White House Christmas trees including 45 that are ruby red?
Amelia Florist Vickie Wenstrup is struggling to find an answer to this question. She was caught off-guard by the social media reaction to the red berry Christmas trees that she and a team of other volunteers labored over for three days.
The reactions were unexpected and "horrible," she said.
"I don't know who first said it. Or why," Wenstrup recalled. "The first thing I saw (on Google) was 'Melania Trump covers the White House in blood for Christmas.'"
Florist who helped with Melania's red Christmas trees floored by 'horrible' reaction
Sheila Vilvens, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 10:25 a.m. ET Nov. 30, 2018 | Updated 12:23 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2018
So why did Twitter and other social media platforms erupt when First Lady Melania Trump unveiled this years White House Christmas trees including 45 that are ruby red?
Amelia Florist Vickie Wenstrup is struggling to find an answer to this question. She was caught off-guard by the social media reaction to the red berry Christmas trees that she and a team of other volunteers labored over for three days.
The reactions were unexpected and "horrible," she said.
"I don't know who first said it. Or why," Wenstrup recalled. "The first thing I saw (on Google) was 'Melania Trump covers the White House in blood for Christmas.'"
More: Melania Trump defends red trees that have Twitter crying 'Handmaid's Tale'
That certainly wasn't how Wenstrup saw the trees which are located in the East Colonnade of the East Wing.
She thought that the design was perhaps inspired by the sculpted and shaped holly topiary trees in the garden that are visible outside the hallway's windows. The garden is one of two designed by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Wenstrup said.
The cranberry tree that adorns the White House Red Room could have also served as an inspiration, she suggested. Whatever the idea's source, it was not Wenstrup's. The first lady's team worked on that.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/11/30/melanias-red-christmas-trees-reaction-shocks-decorations-volunteer/2160687002/
So why did Twitter and other social media platforms erupt when First Lady Melania Trump unveiled this years White House Christmas trees including 45 that are ruby red?
Amelia Florist Vickie Wenstrup is struggling to find an answer to this question. She was caught off-guard by the social media reaction to the red berry Christmas trees that she and a team of other volunteers labored over for three days.
The reactions were unexpected and "horrible," she said.
"I don't know who first said it. Or why," Wenstrup recalled. "The first thing I saw (on Google) was 'Melania Trump covers the White House in blood for Christmas.'"
Florist who helped with Melania's red Christmas trees floored by 'horrible' reaction
Sheila Vilvens, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 10:25 a.m. ET Nov. 30, 2018 | Updated 12:23 p.m. ET Nov. 30, 2018
So why did Twitter and other social media platforms erupt when First Lady Melania Trump unveiled this years White House Christmas trees including 45 that are ruby red?
Amelia Florist Vickie Wenstrup is struggling to find an answer to this question. She was caught off-guard by the social media reaction to the red berry Christmas trees that she and a team of other volunteers labored over for three days.
The reactions were unexpected and "horrible," she said.
"I don't know who first said it. Or why," Wenstrup recalled. "The first thing I saw (on Google) was 'Melania Trump covers the White House in blood for Christmas.'"
More: Melania Trump defends red trees that have Twitter crying 'Handmaid's Tale'
That certainly wasn't how Wenstrup saw the trees which are located in the East Colonnade of the East Wing.
She thought that the design was perhaps inspired by the sculpted and shaped holly topiary trees in the garden that are visible outside the hallway's windows. The garden is one of two designed by former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Wenstrup said.
The cranberry tree that adorns the White House Red Room could have also served as an inspiration, she suggested. Whatever the idea's source, it was not Wenstrup's. The first lady's team worked on that.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/11/30/melanias-red-christmas-trees-reaction-shocks-decorations-volunteer/2160687002/
Oh come on! You work for the Trump administration, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it, and have you not seen the Trumps taste in interior decorating? Have you not seen Trump Tower?
I mean come on the only way you could fit more gold in there is if Trump were Goldmember and Goldfinger himself. Oh wait, he kind of is. But Melania is standing by her awful taste in decorating:
Despite all the internet buzz and criticism, First Lady Melania Trump says she stands by her White House Christmas decorations.
In an interview at Liberty University Wednesday as part of a town hall on the opioid crisis, Trump was asked what she has to say about the medias coverage of her Christmas decorations. We are in the 21st century and everybody has a different taste, Trump said. With a smile, she added: I think they look fantastic.
The Liberty University audience applauded for the First Ladys comment before she proceeded by inviting everyone to the White House to see the decorations, which feature numerous Christmas trees including rows of trees in a deep red shade that many joked resembled blood.
In real life they look even more beautiful, and you are all very welcome to visit the White House the peoples house,' she said.
The First Lady raised similar critiques with her 2017 decorations. Strongly resembling this years red tree motif, last years featured an array of white trees.
http://time.com/5465753/melania-trump-on-white-house-christmas-decorations/
In an interview at Liberty University Wednesday as part of a town hall on the opioid crisis, Trump was asked what she has to say about the medias coverage of her Christmas decorations. We are in the 21st century and everybody has a different taste, Trump said. With a smile, she added: I think they look fantastic.
The Liberty University audience applauded for the First Ladys comment before she proceeded by inviting everyone to the White House to see the decorations, which feature numerous Christmas trees including rows of trees in a deep red shade that many joked resembled blood.
In real life they look even more beautiful, and you are all very welcome to visit the White House the peoples house,' she said.
The First Lady raised similar critiques with her 2017 decorations. Strongly resembling this years red tree motif, last years featured an array of white trees.
http://time.com/5465753/melania-trump-on-white-house-christmas-decorations/
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[font size="8"]I Need A Drink
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Hey everyone, weve been doing this Top 10 thing for 3 years now and I really need a drink!
So of course you know the idea behind this is that we kick back, have a few drinks, get drunk, and talk about literally anything in the news as long as it doesnt relate to politics. Whats the subject on the table this week you might ask? Well I love a good beef, and good beef, but really theres nothing more interesting than a feud between two people. You know kind of like Trump and fake news. But this beef concerns a rock star and a hip hop star clashing over stage design. So tell me bartender, what goes well with a roller coaster? Yeah why dont you just save me a step and feed me some vomit directly! In case you dont know what Im talking about former Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and current roller coaster rider Travis Scott got into a bit of a beef over the design of their respective stages in the last week.
Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery ... or is it a plain rip off? That's the question that Motley Crue's Tommy Lee is asking after accusing popular rapper-singer Travis Scott utilizing the Crue's rollercoaster ideas in separate performances.
Posting on Instagram, an upset Lee stated, "Just found out this fucking idiot @travisscott or someone on his team ripped off the 360 AND The Crüecifly! WTF!! Get an original idea bro...(swipe to see who did this shit first) BRB theres more ..." The first post shows Scott's performance then scrolls to Lee's Crue performance aboard the famous 360 coaster. Lee then posted a second video in which Scott is performing aboard a coaster similar to the Cruecifly that Motley Crue used during their final run.
"ANNNNND not one rip off but TWO. DOPE. I get copying is a form of flattery, but this is just straight ripping off my shit. What do you guys think???," continued Lee in the second post. See both videos below.
The comments in the posts yield support for both sides, with some calling it a blatant rip off while others defend Scott or lay the blame elsewhere in the rapper's camp.
Regardless, Lee does seem upset and ready to pursue things further, adding in a tweet:
http://loudwire.com/tommy-lee-travis-scott-ripped-off-motley-crue-rollercoaster-stunts/
Posting on Instagram, an upset Lee stated, "Just found out this fucking idiot @travisscott or someone on his team ripped off the 360 AND The Crüecifly! WTF!! Get an original idea bro...(swipe to see who did this shit first) BRB theres more ..." The first post shows Scott's performance then scrolls to Lee's Crue performance aboard the famous 360 coaster. Lee then posted a second video in which Scott is performing aboard a coaster similar to the Cruecifly that Motley Crue used during their final run.
"ANNNNND not one rip off but TWO. DOPE. I get copying is a form of flattery, but this is just straight ripping off my shit. What do you guys think???," continued Lee in the second post. See both videos below.
The comments in the posts yield support for both sides, with some calling it a blatant rip off while others defend Scott or lay the blame elsewhere in the rapper's camp.
Regardless, Lee does seem upset and ready to pursue things further, adding in a tweet:
http://loudwire.com/tommy-lee-travis-scott-ripped-off-motley-crue-rollercoaster-stunts/
Ah yeah thats good! So if youre Tommy Lee, imitation is clearly *NOT* the most sincere form of flattery. Instead youre a rip off artist!!!! Go to hell!!! Well, Mr. Lee is determined to bring down Mr. Scott over one of the dumbest beefs of all time.
Rocker Tommy Lee is confident he will prevail if he takes rapper Travis Scott to court over their shared onstage roller coaster design.
The drummer hit out at Travis on social media this week (ends30Nov18) after discovering the Goosebumps MC performs on a special 360 degree loop as part of his new Astroworld - Wish You Were Here Tour, an idea Lee first showed off during Motley Crue shows between 2011 and 2015.
During another segment of the show, the hip-hop star's ride is suspended over the crowd - just like The Cruecify, the ride Tommy had used on the road.
The veteran musician vented about the striking similarities between the two set-ups on Instagram, where he shared footage of both performances, and then he added on Twitter, "I get copying is a form of flattery, but this is just straight ripping off my s**t... Hey @trvisXX lawyer up!"
Travis' attorney, Laurie L. Soriano, promptly responded to the threat of legal action, insisting Lee's claims were baseless as they had actually hired the original inventor to create the Astroworld roller coaster, but now the rocker has done some of his own digging and is fighting back.
http://music-news.com/news/UK/117646/Tommy-Lee-determined-to-prove-Travis-Scott-s-stage-rollercoaster-is-a-rip-off
The drummer hit out at Travis on social media this week (ends30Nov18) after discovering the Goosebumps MC performs on a special 360 degree loop as part of his new Astroworld - Wish You Were Here Tour, an idea Lee first showed off during Motley Crue shows between 2011 and 2015.
During another segment of the show, the hip-hop star's ride is suspended over the crowd - just like The Cruecify, the ride Tommy had used on the road.
The veteran musician vented about the striking similarities between the two set-ups on Instagram, where he shared footage of both performances, and then he added on Twitter, "I get copying is a form of flattery, but this is just straight ripping off my s**t... Hey @trvisXX lawyer up!"
Travis' attorney, Laurie L. Soriano, promptly responded to the threat of legal action, insisting Lee's claims were baseless as they had actually hired the original inventor to create the Astroworld roller coaster, but now the rocker has done some of his own digging and is fighting back.
http://music-news.com/news/UK/117646/Tommy-Lee-determined-to-prove-Travis-Scott-s-stage-rollercoaster-is-a-rip-off
Yeah you know obviously the first step is to lawyer up because you know, you cant solve anything these days without obstructing the American legal system. Because, lawyers. Now what about when Tommy Lee was accusing Travis Barker of Blink 182 of ripping off his style? Ah, a little hole in your theory there, Mr. Lee!
Tommy Lee took to Twitter to respond to those who claimed he stole his shit from Travis Barker, and Barkers response was perfect.
Earlier this week, Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee caught wind of rapper Travis Scotts ASTROWORLD Tour setup. Lee in turn accused him of ripping off old sets by posting side-by-side videos of both stage designs.
Since then, fans have come forward claiming that Lee ripped off the idea from Blink-182s Travis Barker.
Lee responded to the claims by posting a video of him doing the same drum stunt from 1981 (although fans were quick to correct him that it was actually 87), long before Barker began doing something similar.
https://www.altpress.com/news/tommy-lee-responds-ripping-off-travis-barker/
Earlier this week, Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee caught wind of rapper Travis Scotts ASTROWORLD Tour setup. Lee in turn accused him of ripping off old sets by posting side-by-side videos of both stage designs.
Since then, fans have come forward claiming that Lee ripped off the idea from Blink-182s Travis Barker.
Lee responded to the claims by posting a video of him doing the same drum stunt from 1981 (although fans were quick to correct him that it was actually 87), long before Barker began doing something similar.
https://www.altpress.com/news/tommy-lee-responds-ripping-off-travis-barker/
I dont think that wine glass is big enough! So its pretty well established by now that Tommy Lee is a total psychopath. But we got to post Travis Barkers response because its too damn good:
Link to tweet
So is imitation the most sincere form of flattery or is everyone who dares imitate the great Mr. Lee a rip off artist? Well thats where we will let you be the judge because the connection hes making is well, lets just file this one under Dave Chappelles When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong!.
Earlier today, Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee caught wind of rapper Travis Scotts ASTROWORLD Tour setup. Lee in turn accused him of ripping off old sets by posting side-by-side videos of both stage designs.
Lee told Scott to lawyer up soon after, and now hes returning to social media with a new development, alleging they both used the same production company.
And the plot thickens! After I and our production crew created the 360 and Crüecifly, we hired a company called SGPS in Las Vegas to create it. WELLLLL GUESS WHOS DOING TRAVISS SET DESIGN???? Fucking SGPS! So all u mothafuckas tellin me Im not right can fuck off.
SGPS lists several of Motley Crües tour on their website, including 2005s Carnival Of Sins, 2008s Crüe Fest and 2009s Crüe Fest 2.
The production company has also worked with blink-182 where they constructed Travis Barkers flying drum riser for their return in 2009, which marked their first post-hiatus tour.
https://www.altpress.com/news/tommy-lee-travis-scott-astroworld-stage/
Lee told Scott to lawyer up soon after, and now hes returning to social media with a new development, alleging they both used the same production company.
And the plot thickens! After I and our production crew created the 360 and Crüecifly, we hired a company called SGPS in Las Vegas to create it. WELLLLL GUESS WHOS DOING TRAVISS SET DESIGN???? Fucking SGPS! So all u mothafuckas tellin me Im not right can fuck off.
SGPS lists several of Motley Crües tour on their website, including 2005s Carnival Of Sins, 2008s Crüe Fest and 2009s Crüe Fest 2.
The production company has also worked with blink-182 where they constructed Travis Barkers flying drum riser for their return in 2009, which marked their first post-hiatus tour.
https://www.altpress.com/news/tommy-lee-travis-scott-astroworld-stage/
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[font size="8"]Deep State Diaries Episode 22: The Central Intelligence Agency
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Its time for episode 22 of Deep State Diaries. Yes were touring the 24 branches and services that make up the United States government. Everything from the FBI to the IRS to the Pentagon to the CIA to the DPW to the DVA to parks and recreation and all branches and services in between. Of course if youre here you probably already know more about our government and how it works than your average Fox News loving Trump supporter does. So thats what this segment is going to address. We are going to do a deep dive into all that makes the United States the United States. Because we here at the Top 10 love to educate as well as entertain. Because we care.
[font size="6"]The CiA[/font]
Now its time to have some fun! Were getting into the meat of the United States intelligence the Central Intelligence Agency. You might have heard of the CIA from such movie franchises as Jason Bourne, the Mission: Impossible movies, the TV shows Archer, 24 and Quantico, James Bond, I could go on and on. But what does the CIA really do? You know people like Alex Jones have these bizarre fantasies about what the CIA does, but what do they really do? In fact, what you may be surprised to learn is that spy work is actually more boring than it sounds. Or is it? Well the intelligence community is all over the horrifying torture and murder of Washington Post editor Jamal Khashoogi, and its quite frankly an intelligence nightmare.
President Donald Trump disputed that U.S. intelligence officials have definitively concluded that Saudis crown prince ordered the murder of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi, while continuing to tout the importance of maintaining economic ties with the Kingdom.
A confidential Central Intelligence Agency report on Khashoggis death says Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman might have done it, Trump said Thursday, referring to a demand that the journalist be killed. But the CIA didnt conclude that the prince made the demand, the president told reporters during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
You can conclude maybe he did or maybe he didnt, Trump said about the CIA report. Whether he did or whether he didnt, he denies it vehemently.
Several news organizations including the Washington Post and New York Times have reported that the CIA concluded the crown prince ordered Khashoggis assassination in Istanbul last month, contradicting the Saudi governments claim he wasnt involved. CIA officials have high confidence in their conclusion, which is based on multiple sources of intelligence, the Post reported Nov. 16.
http://time.com/5462128/donald-trump-disputes-cia-saudi-prince-khashoggi/
A confidential Central Intelligence Agency report on Khashoggis death says Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman might have done it, Trump said Thursday, referring to a demand that the journalist be killed. But the CIA didnt conclude that the prince made the demand, the president told reporters during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
You can conclude maybe he did or maybe he didnt, Trump said about the CIA report. Whether he did or whether he didnt, he denies it vehemently.
Several news organizations including the Washington Post and New York Times have reported that the CIA concluded the crown prince ordered Khashoggis assassination in Istanbul last month, contradicting the Saudi governments claim he wasnt involved. CIA officials have high confidence in their conclusion, which is based on multiple sources of intelligence, the Post reported Nov. 16.
http://time.com/5462128/donald-trump-disputes-cia-saudi-prince-khashoggi/
Yes theres a party in the CIA! Thanks Weird Al! but of course the feud between the CIA and the Trump administration about what really happened is, well, the stuff of pure insanity. Because thats what happens in 2018 is that theres some insane shit happening because we have a president who has somehow managed to redefine what the word truth is.
CIA director Gina Haspel found herself at the center of a political dispute Tuesday amid reports that the White House was blocking her from briefing Senators on the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Tuesday that senators were told Haspel will not participate in Wednesday's all-Senate classified briefing alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis despite indications that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle would like to hear from her directly about the CIA's assessment regarding Khashoggi's killing.
"We were told that she would not be attending the briefing for members of Congress," Durbin said.
"That is extraordinary when we are dealing with the Khashoggi situation, the assertion by the State Department and intelligence agencies, her absence is obvious and its noted, and it raises a serious question as to whether this administration is giving us the whole truth," he added.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/27/politics/cia-haspel-senate-briefing/index.html
Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin told CNN's Wolf Blitzer Tuesday that senators were told Haspel will not participate in Wednesday's all-Senate classified briefing alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis despite indications that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle would like to hear from her directly about the CIA's assessment regarding Khashoggi's killing.
"We were told that she would not be attending the briefing for members of Congress," Durbin said.
"That is extraordinary when we are dealing with the Khashoggi situation, the assertion by the State Department and intelligence agencies, her absence is obvious and its noted, and it raises a serious question as to whether this administration is giving us the whole truth," he added.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/27/politics/cia-haspel-senate-briefing/index.html
So is that thumbs up salute the new 2018 Nazi salute? Yeah probably. So the CIA as you can imagine is one gigantic bureaucracy. So what does the CIA do on a day to day basis? Well as you can imagine the word investigate is in their name so thats what they do!
In 1993, Michael Pullara, a lawyer in Texas, was having breakfast when he came across a New York Times article about a CIA agent being shot dead in a car near Tbilisi, Georgia. He recognized the victim, Freddie Woodruff, immediately as the brother of a close friend from childhood. Intrigued, Pullara didn't fully believe the explanation soon offered by Georgian authorities: that Woodruff had been hit by a stray bullet fired from the gun of a drunk villager, Anzor Sharmaidze.
What followed took him across Eastern Europe to learn more about the CIA-agent-turned-KGB-mole, Aldrich Ames, who met with Woodruff not long before his killing; to a prison, to learn about the fate of Sharmaidze, who was convicted and originally sentenced to 15 years; and to back alleys to meet thugs and former Soviet officials. The theory he lays out, one he believes to be bolstered by former FBI and CIA agents, is somewhat complex: He suggests the feds knew Ames was a mole and temporarily left him alone to trade secretsperhaps hoping he might lead to more moles or hostile spiesbut never considered what would happen if Ames and Woodruff had any sort of run-in. If Pullara is to be believed, Ames passed along information about Woodruff to the Russians, whose military intelligence service, the GRU, killed him as a favor to ex-KGB diehards.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qvqkyx/the-quest-to-pin-the-90s-murder-of-a-cia-agent-on-the-kgb
What followed took him across Eastern Europe to learn more about the CIA-agent-turned-KGB-mole, Aldrich Ames, who met with Woodruff not long before his killing; to a prison, to learn about the fate of Sharmaidze, who was convicted and originally sentenced to 15 years; and to back alleys to meet thugs and former Soviet officials. The theory he lays out, one he believes to be bolstered by former FBI and CIA agents, is somewhat complex: He suggests the feds knew Ames was a mole and temporarily left him alone to trade secretsperhaps hoping he might lead to more moles or hostile spiesbut never considered what would happen if Ames and Woodruff had any sort of run-in. If Pullara is to be believed, Ames passed along information about Woodruff to the Russians, whose military intelligence service, the GRU, killed him as a favor to ex-KGB diehards.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qvqkyx/the-quest-to-pin-the-90s-murder-of-a-cia-agent-on-the-kgb
And by the way in case youre wondering if CIA mind control is real yes there is a bit of truth in the conspiracy theories. But contrary to what Alex Jones and Coast To Coast AM say, no, theyre not using it on celebrities like Beyonce. Actually, they decided against using it. Or thats what they want you to think, or is it? Were not saying!
Shortly after 9/11, the CIA considered using a drug it thought might work like a truth serum and force terror suspects to give up information about potential attacks.
After months of research, the agency decided that a drug called Versed, a sedative often prescribed to reduce anxiety, was possibly worth a try. But in the end, the CIA decided not to ask government lawyers to approve its use.
The existence of the drug research program dubbed Project Medication is disclosed in a once-classified report that was provided to the American Civil Liberties Union under a judges order and was released by the organization Tuesday.
The 90-page CIA report, which was provided in advance to The Associated Press, is a window into the internal struggle that medical personnel working in the agencys detention and harsh interrogation program faced in reconciling their professional ethics with the chance to save lives by preventing future attacks.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/11/14/cia-truth-serum-after-9-11/1997442002/
After months of research, the agency decided that a drug called Versed, a sedative often prescribed to reduce anxiety, was possibly worth a try. But in the end, the CIA decided not to ask government lawyers to approve its use.
The existence of the drug research program dubbed Project Medication is disclosed in a once-classified report that was provided to the American Civil Liberties Union under a judges order and was released by the organization Tuesday.
The 90-page CIA report, which was provided in advance to The Associated Press, is a window into the internal struggle that medical personnel working in the agencys detention and harsh interrogation program faced in reconciling their professional ethics with the chance to save lives by preventing future attacks.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/11/14/cia-truth-serum-after-9-11/1997442002/
[font size="6"]Score Card [/font]
Overall importance: A
How Things Are Going: B+
Likely hood To Survive: B+
Overall: B+
[font size="6"]Next Week [/font]
For our big British special edition, were going to cover a branch thats very unique to England M:I-6 ! Thats the intelligence agency that employs James Bond, dont you know?
[font size="8"]And Now This:[/font]
[font size="8][/font]
I cannot wait to have this next guest on, one of my favorite bands of all time. Their latest album is called Bad Witch, you can see them at the Hollywood Palladium starting Dec. 6th Dec. 15th on their Cold And Black And Infinite tour. Playing their song God Break Down The Door, give it up for the one, the only Nine Inch Nails!
https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5b21342d57d25b55cad148ea/1:1/w_320/bad%20witch.jpg
Happy 3rd anniversary everybody! See you in London next week for our Big British Special! See you next week!
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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #5-22: The Art Of The Squeal Edition (Original Post)
Top 10 Idiots
Dec 2018
OP
dembotoz
(16,734 posts)1. k and r
malaise
(267,784 posts)2. Still love this weekly OP but my iPad
Can't handle it. Will soon have my laptop back.
DoBotherMe
(2,339 posts)3. knr