crooksandliars--2020-11-11--It's Time For Democrats On The Hill To Start Screaming That Trump Lost

The Trump administration is carrying on as if Trump won a second term , And now Mango Mussolini is refusing to meet with President-elect Biden or his transition team .
Trump 's administration is also proposing budgets for 2021 ?
This is insane .
Republicans in Congress are aiding and abetting Trump 's sophistry in allowing the charade of the ridiculous to continue .
Embarrassing `` voter fraud '' claims are being brought before courts by Trump stooges and are being rejected by the courts quickly .
In Pennsylvania , arguments that Republicans were n't allowed to observe vote counting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to admit they were after all .
“ ' I ’ m sorry , then what ’ s your problem ? '
asked U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond , who denied the request to halt the count . ''
In another suit , Trump ’ s presidential campaign asked a judge to stop all processing of absentee ballots in Michigan .
In that case , a Republican election observer said she ’ d been given a sticky note by an unnamed poll worker , alleging that late-arriving ballots were being counted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provide the poll worker ’ s name or any other proof .
A judge rejected that , saying that the GOP ’ s evidence was inadmissible as hearsay .
The judge also said that — because Trump ’ s campaign had waited until late afternoon on Wednesday to file — its suit was moot .
Ratfucking is taking place between the Trump administration , the GOP , and Trump 's flying monkeys like Project Veritas , scum one and all .
Rudy Giuliani used a convicted sex offender from New Jersey as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraud in Pennsylvania in one of their makeshift kangaroo press conferences .
Clearly Republicans are trying to find isolated incidents of human error to then cry voter fraud , but it 's a crazed approach and destructive to the country .
Ali Velshi subbing for Rachel Maddow on Tuesday had a great opening to the show : ( Video above . )
`` The White House has instructed federal agencies to continue prepares President Trump 's budget proposal for the next fiscal year .
That 's a proposal that would be issued in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Post , '' 'they 're pretending nothing happened .
We 're all supposed to pretend this is normal and do all this work while we know we 're just going to have to throw it away . '
This is not normal , obviously , and it 's gotten so far out of hand that it 's time for Democrats in Congress to hold press conferences and stand up for democracy and rule of law .
There is no hoping Trump will get over his election loss tantrum .
The lead man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election crime branch resigned as soon as Bill `` the coverup general '' Barr ordered the DOJ to start investigating for Trump .
As Velshi stated , `` It is just increasingly so weird . ''
`` Even as the Biden transition back over here on Earth One is staffing up a new administration for the guy who won , the Trump White House over here on Earth Two is cleaning house for a second term in office or something . ''
`` Do they think that if they pretend the election did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go away ?
And is it that Trump and his allies are just being in delusional denial ?
or is it something more sinister , a new plan to stay in office and use the defense department and the justice department to make that happen ? ''
Either he 's sick again from COVID , the drug cocktail they gave him to get through COVID is n't working , or because he knows he lost .
Whatever the reason for him not screaming on Fox News the past few days , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US democracy .
More like this , please :

The Trump administration is carrying on as if Trump won a second term,
The voter turnout was historic. Trump lost.
And now Mango Mussolini is refusing to meet with President-elect Biden or his transition team.
Trump's administration is also proposing budgets for 2021? This is insane.
Republicans in Congress are aiding and abetting Trump's sophistry in allowing the charade of the ridiculous to continue.
Embarrassing "voter fraud" claims are being brought before courts by Trump stooges and are being rejected by the courts quickly.
In Pennsylvania, arguments that Republicans weren't allowed to observe vote counting were dismissed by the judge because they had to admit they were after all. “'I’m sorry, then what’s your problem?' asked U.S. District Judge Paul S. Diamond, who denied the request to halt the count."
In Michigan:
In another suit, Trump’s presidential campaign asked a judge to stop all processing of absentee ballots in Michigan. In that case, a Republican election observer said she’d been given a sticky note by an unnamed poll worker, alleging that late-arriving ballots were being counted improperly. But she couldn’t provide the poll worker’s name or any other proof. A judge rejected that, saying that the GOP’s evidence was inadmissible as hearsay. The judge also said that — because Trump’s campaign had waited until late afternoon on Wednesday to file — its suit was moot.
Ratfucking is taking place between the Trump administration, the GOP, and Trump's flying monkeys like Project Veritas, scum one and all.
A Pennsylvania postal worker whose claims have been cited by top Republicans as potential evidence of widespread voting irregularities admitted to U.S. Postal Service investigators that he fabricated the allegations, according to three officials briefed on the investigation and a statement from a House congressional committee.
Sticky notes? A f***king sticky note is their proof?
Rudy Giuliani used a convicted sex offender from New Jersey as a lead witness to lie about alleged voter fraud in Pennsylvania in one of their makeshift kangaroo press conferences.
Clearly Republicans are trying to find isolated incidents of human error to then cry voter fraud, but it's a crazed approach and destructive to the country.
Ali Velshi subbing for Rachel Maddow on Tuesday had a great opening to the show: (Video above.)
"The White House has instructed federal agencies to continue prepares President Trump's budget proposal for the next fiscal year. That's a proposal that would be issued in February. One administration official tells the Washington Post," 'they're pretending nothing happened. We're all supposed to pretend this is normal and do all this work while we know we're just going to have to throw it away.'
This is not normal, obviously, and it's gotten so far out of hand that it's time for Democrats in Congress to hold press conferences and stand up for democracy and rule of law.
There is no hoping Trump will get over his election loss tantrum.
The lead man in the Justice Department that oversees the election crime branch resigned as soon as Bill "the coverup general" Barr ordered the DOJ to start investigating for Trump.
As Velshi stated, "It is just increasingly so weird."
"Even as the Biden transition back over here on Earth One is staffing up a new administration for the guy who won, the Trump White House over here on Earth Two is cleaning house for a second term in office or something."
"Do they think that if they pretend the election didn't happen Joe Biden's just going to go away? And is it that Trump and his allies are just being in delusional denial? or is it something more sinister, a new plan to stay in office and use the defense department and the justice department to make that happen?"
Trump's media blackout is very telling.
Either he's sick again from COVID, the drug cocktail they gave him to get through COVID isn't working, or because he knows he lost.
Whatever the reason for him not screaming on Fox News the past few days, his actions cannot be tolerated in a US democracy.
More like this, please:


crooksandliars--2020-11-11--Angela Merkel's Speech Congratulating Biden Is Worth The Click

Above , with translator overdub , or below , with subtitles ...
This video of Chancellor Merkel congratulating @ JoeBiden and @ KamalaHarris is worth your time .
Merkel talks about German history , the role of the United States and much more .
Take a look : pic.twitter.com/6t7pEYgVOZ Angela Merkel congratulates Joe Biden on yes , winning the damn election , duh , and at the same time drags Trump in the most delicious and subtle way .
Reminding her audience that Germany , too , has both shameful and celebratory eras in its history .
Ahem .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because we in the US have to notice that now , sadly .
Transcript/translation of the speech is provided by the German federal government : CHANCELLOR MERKEL : Ladies and gentlemen , today , on 9 November 2020 , we Germans commemorate both the worst and the best moments in our history , as we do every year on this day .
We remember the disgrace of 9 November 1938 , the pogroms against Jewish citizens throughout the country , the people who were driven to their deaths , the burning synagogues , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shame the victims of the crime against humanity that was the Shoah perpetrated by Germany .
And we remember 9 November 1989 , the jubilation , the people ’ s joy bubbling over when , not far from here , at the Brandenburg Gate and along the Berlin Wall , this terrible construction first opened and then fell .
Just a few weeks ago , on 3 October , we celebrated the 30th anniversary of our German unity .
Without the trust of the Americans in particular , it would not have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always be grateful .
We Germans have witnessed and experienced first hand the important role that the United States of America plays for freedom and democracy in the world .
We have witnessed and experienced first hand the great significance of the German-American friendship , the transatlantic partnership – for Germany , for Europe and for the world .
Every four years , the whole world very closely follows the course of the American presidential elections .
Now the citizens of America have once again made their choice .
I congratulate Joe Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President of the United States of America .
Joe Biden brings with him decades of experience in the fields of domestic and foreign policy .
He knows Germany and Europe well .
I have good memories of fruitful meetings and talks with him .
I also offer my equally sincere congratulations to Kamala Harris , the future Vice-President .
As the first woman to hold this office and the daughter of two immigrants , she is an inspiration for many people and an example of America ’ s opportunities .
I look forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our two countries has proved its worth over many decades .
Many people both here and there embody this German-American friendship .
It is a common treasure .
We need to continue to work to preserve it and bring together new generations of Germans and Americans , Europeans and Americans .
We are allies within NATO .
We share the fundamental values of the worth of the individual and the rule of law , and we share common interests .
The United States of America and Germany as part of the European Union @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overcome the major challenges of our time , side by side in the difficult test that is the COVID-19 pandemic , side by side in the fight against global warming and its global consequences as well as in the fight against terrorism , side by side for an open global economy and free trade .
For these are the foundations of our prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic .
We Germans and we Europeans know that in the 21st century , we ourselves need to shoulder greater responsibility in this partnership .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important ally .
But it rightly expects us to make a greater effort to ensure our own security and to stand up for our convictions in the world , and we Europeans have long begun to embark on this path .
These are conflict-ridden times , and voters have placed considerable responsibility on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris .
I look forward to working with them , and wish them every success , strength and God ’ s blessing .
Thank you .

Above, with translator overdub, or below, with subtitles...
This video of Chancellor Merkel congratulating @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris is worth your time. Merkel talks about German history, the role of the United States and much more. Take a look: pic.twitter.com/6t7pEYgVOZ
Angela Merkel congratulates Joe Biden on yes, winning the damn election, duh, and at the same time drags Trump in the most delicious and subtle way.
Reminding her audience that Germany, too, has both shameful and celebratory eras in its history. Ahem.
And she pronounces Kamala Harris's name correctly because we in the US have to notice that now, sadly.
Transcript/translation of the speech is provided by the German federal government:
CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Ladies and gentlemen, today, on 9 November 2020, we Germans commemorate both the worst and the best moments in our history, as we do every year on this day.
We remember the disgrace of 9 November 1938, the pogroms against Jewish citizens throughout the country, the people who were driven to their deaths, the burning synagogues, the destroyed shops. We remember with shame the victims of the crime against humanity that was the Shoah perpetrated by Germany.
And we remember 9 November 1989, the jubilation, the people’s joy bubbling over when, not far from here, at the Brandenburg Gate and along the Berlin Wall, this terrible construction first opened and then fell. Just a few weeks ago, on 3 October, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of our German unity. Without the trust of the Americans in particular, it would not have been possible. For that, I will always be grateful.
We Germans have witnessed and experienced first hand the important role that the United States of America plays for freedom and democracy in the world. We have witnessed and experienced first hand the great significance of the German-American friendship, the transatlantic partnership – for Germany, for Europe and for the world.
Every four years, the whole world very closely follows the course of the American presidential elections. Now the citizens of America have once again made their choice. I congratulate Joe Biden most sincerely on his election as 46th President of the United States of America. Joe Biden brings with him decades of experience in the fields of domestic and foreign policy. He knows Germany and Europe well. I have good memories of fruitful meetings and talks with him.
I also offer my equally sincere congratulations to Kamala Harris, the future Vice-President. As the first woman to hold this office and the daughter of two immigrants, she is an inspiration for many people and an example of America’s opportunities. I look forward to meeting her.
The friendship between our two countries has proved its worth over many decades. Many people both here and there embody this German-American friendship. It is a common treasure. We need to continue to work to preserve it and bring together new generations of Germans and Americans, Europeans and Americans. We are allies within NATO. We share the fundamental values of the worth of the individual and the rule of law, and we share common interests.
The United States of America and Germany as part of the European Union need to stand together in order to overcome the major challenges of our time, side by side in the difficult test that is the COVID-19 pandemic, side by side in the fight against global warming and its global consequences as well as in the fight against terrorism, side by side for an open global economy and free trade. For these are the foundations of our prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic.
We Germans and we Europeans know that in the 21st century, we ourselves need to shoulder greater responsibility in this partnership. The United States is and remains our most important ally. But it rightly expects us to make a greater effort to ensure our own security and to stand up for our convictions in the world, and we Europeans have long begun to embark on this path.
These are conflict-ridden times, and voters have placed considerable responsibility on Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. I look forward to working with them, and wish them every success, strength and God’s blessing. Thank you.


crooksandliars--2020-11-11--Midday Open Thread - Honoring Veterans

Midday Open Thread - Honoring Veterans

( WCCO ) A Twin Cities man who identified himself to authorities as a supporter of President Donald Trump is @ @ @ @ @ couple with a golf club over the weekend after he saw them standing at a @ @ @ @ @ [ ... ]

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crooksandliars--2020-11-11--While Trump Throws A Tantrum, No One's Looking Out For National Security

Alysin Camerota brought on James Clapper and Andrew McCabe to talk about the current chaos in the Trump administration 's national security structure .
`` Andy , I want to start with you .
What 's going on here ?
The fact that President Trump wo n't concede , the fact that the GSA wo n't certify .
the fact that attorney general Bill Barr is telling federal prosecutors to go try to find some sort of voting irregularities or fraud .
What 's happening ? ''
she said .
McCabe said he thought Trump 's response was predictable .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his inability to embrace the fact that his campaign lost to Joe Biden .
That part we knew would happen .
The really troubling part is the second piece , which is , once again , administration officials and his political supporters on the Hill are getting right in line with his refusal to comply with the norms that we expect and are required to ensure we have a smooth transition of power , and to ensure we do n't miss a beat in terms of protecting this country from foreign adversaries , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really , really concerning , both his failure to accept reality and the lack of courage and ethics that you see currently being displayed by Republican officials all over D.C. '' '' Well , first of all , in the Pentagon , i spent about 13 years there and I kind of understand the ethos there .
And what 's going on now is obviously very disruptive and distracting , '' he said .
He said it was hard enough to work there under normal conditions .
`` And now when you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the installation of a network of , essentially , political commissars , this is a real distraction from the nerve center of our national defense .
So it 's not a good thing , you know , just to reinforce what Andy said . ''
He said Pompeo 's remarks were `` kind of belittling the vote and the voting process , and the people who stood in line for hours , regardless of their persuasion , at some risk to their health and perhaps their lives to vote .
and it just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
`` Not to mention , of course , how bad this makes us look overseas .
Here is the United States , the champion of democracy .
and the current administration -- the president and his enablers are perpetuating this fantasy that he won the election .
And if I was an intelligence analyst in a foreign country looking at the United States , you know , I would be writing up its slow slide into autocracy . ''
He said the obstruction of not allowing Biden to get the presidential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing from a national security viewpoint . ''

Alysin Camerota brought on James Clapper and Andrew McCabe to talk about the current chaos in the Trump administration's national security structure.
"Andy, I want to start with you. What's going on here? The fact that President Trump won't concede, the fact that the GSA won't certify. the fact that attorney general Bill Barr is telling federal prosecutors to go try to find some sort of voting irregularities or fraud. What's happening?" she said.
McCabe said he thought Trump's response was predictable.
"His inability to accept reality, his inability to embrace the fact that his campaign lost to Joe Biden. That part we knew would happen. The really troubling part is the second piece, which is, once again, administration officials and his political supporters on the Hill are getting right in line with his refusal to comply with the norms that we expect and are required to ensure we have a smooth transition of power, and to ensure we don't miss a beat in terms of protecting this country from foreign adversaries," he said.
"It's really, really concerning, both his failure to accept reality and the lack of courage and ethics that you see currently being displayed by Republican officials all over D.C."
James Clapper offered his perspective.
"Well, first of all, in the Pentagon, i spent about 13 years there and I kind of understand the ethos there. And what's going on now is obviously very disruptive and distracting," he said.
He said it was hard enough to work there under normal conditions. "And now when you have the turnover and the purging and then the installation of a network of, essentially, political commissars, this is a real distraction from the nerve center of our national defense. So it's not a good thing, you know, just to reinforce what Andy said."
He said Pompeo's remarks were "kind of belittling the vote and the voting process, and the people who stood in line for hours, regardless of their persuasion, at some risk to their health and perhaps their lives to vote. and it just gave me the feeling he was belittling it.
"Not to mention, of course, how bad this makes us look overseas. Here is the United States, the champion of democracy. and the current administration -- the president and his enablers are perpetuating this fantasy that he won the election. And if I was an intelligence analyst in a foreign country looking at the United States, you know, I would be writing up its slow slide into autocracy."
He said the obstruction of not allowing Biden to get the presidential daily briefing was "not a good thing from a national security viewpoint."


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--What 'Centrists' Don't Understand About Liberalism

John Kasich is a decent enough person , though his position on abortion is monstrous .
The former Republican governor of Ohio did his part over the summer to help Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by speaking at the Democratic National Convention .
Kasich gave Republicans permission to vote for a Democrat .
For that , we should thank him .
But Kasich is still a Republican .
He thinks liberalism is the flip side of conservatism .
It isn ’ t .
Seeing “ both sides , ” however , is convenient to a Washington press corps ’ need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of liberalism tends to be , as a result , everyone else ’ s misunderstanding .
It was , therefore , conventional when Kasich said Biden should “ make it clear to the far left that they almost cost him this election.
” For liberals and Democrats , listening “ to what the other half of the country has to say ” is an exercise in redundancy .
His comment was in the context of a presidential campaign during which liberals and progressive ( Kasich ’ s “ far left ” ) were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court-packing , defunding police departments , “ socialism ” and other policies and ideas .
For Kasich , these explained the surge of Republicans voting for the incumbent .
It is imperative , therefore , for the president-elect to make clear he ’ s not a Trojan Horse .
A few things .
One , Biden has said and keeps saying he ’ s his own man .
I don ’ t know why we should not take him at his word .
Two , Biden owes the “ far left ” as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these camps overlap , depending on the issue .
Tom Bonier said , for instance , that “ defund the police ” did not harm Biden in states with big urban cores , like Pennsylvania and Georgia .
It helped .
Finally , why should Biden enable smears against him ?
Pushing back against the left gives credence to accusations that he ’ s being controlled by the left , which convinces Republicans to vote against him .
Kasich sounded moderate when he said that , “ Now is the time for Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the other half of the country has to say.
” But in that centrism is an assumption about liberalism that undercuts the truth about it .
While Republicans really do fight in their self-interest , liberals don ’ t .
They really do fight in everyone ’ s interest , because liberals believe in something the Republicans don ’ t .
Once you recognize the centrality of political equality to the Democratic scheme of things , you see that listening “ to what the other half of the country has to say ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than that , it gives advantage to the GOP project against equality .
Equality is the root of Democratic policies seeking to create conditions by which the greatest number of Americans are liberated to a degree they can achieve the greatest good on their own .
Medicare for all .
Progressive taxation .
Equal justice .
Climate change .
The pandemic .
Policy after policy strives to make room for most of everyone ’ s interests , though perhaps not the sum total of everyone ’ s interests .
You don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ reach out to almost half of the electorate , ” as Adam Bjorndahl , associate professor of philosophy at Carnegie Mellon , did .
You might sound reasonable in doing so .
You might even sound like an advocate for compromise .
But what you are really doing is defining liberalism from the right-flank of history .
You ’ re also misunderstanding why Republicans oppose equality .
The GOP , more than corporate power , represents ordered power .
God over Man .
Men over women .
Parents over children .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just preferable , it ’ s natural .
It ’ s God ’ s will .
Efforts by women to be treated equally to men , for instance , are not only offensive , they ’ re perverse .
They can ’ t be tolerated .
In a very real sense , equality is theft to the conservative mind .
And theft , as you know , is punishable by law .
Nearly everything about the Republican Party ’ s project finds its source in defense of the hierarchy of power .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for .
It ’ s a crime .
Defeating equality , however , is worth sacrificing for , even your life .
Hence the reason Trump won 72 million votes amid a pandemic that has killed nearly a quarter million Americans .
Hence the reason why Republican-led states rejected Obamacare .
Sure , the law would have liberated millions from the oppression of being chained to a desk job , but that meant helping people who didn ’ t “ deserve ” it .
And by “ deserve , ” of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and people of color .
Any law putting them on equal footing with white people is to be opposed wholesale , even if such opposition leads to death .
I get the impulse .
“ Now is the time for every Biden supporter to reach out to one person who voted for Trump , ” wrote Ian Bremmer the other day .
“ Empathize with them .
Tell them you know how they feel ( you do , from 2016 ) .
Come up with one issue you can agree on.
” All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work in part .
But you can ’ t help people who won ’ t help themselves .
You can ’ t reach out to people who slap your hand away .
You can ’ t compromise with people who will kill themselves to defeat you .
All you can do is achieve liberal goals , and hope they snap out of it later .

John Kasich is a decent enough person, though his position on abortion is monstrous. The former Republican governor of Ohio did his part over the summer to help Joe Biden beat Donald Trump by speaking at the Democratic National Convention. Kasich gave Republicans permission to vote for a Democrat. For that, we should thank him.
But Kasich is still a Republican. He thinks liberalism is the flip side of conservatism. It isn’t. Seeing “both sides,” however, is convenient to a Washington press corps’ need for partisan balance. The Republican misunderstanding of liberalism tends to be, as a result, everyone else’s misunderstanding. It was, therefore, conventional when Kasich said Biden should “make it clear to the far left that they almost cost him this election.”
For liberals and Democrats, listening “to what the other half of the country has to say” is an exercise in redundancy.
His comment was in the context of a presidential campaign during which liberals and progressive (Kasich’s “far left”) were debating the relative merits and demerits of court-packing, defunding police departments, “socialism” and other policies and ideas. For Kasich, these explained the surge of Republicans voting for the incumbent. It is imperative, therefore, for the president-elect to make clear he’s not a Trojan Horse.
A few things. One, Biden has said and keeps saying he’s his own man. I don’t know why we should not take him at his word. Two, Biden owes the “far left” as he owes Black voters. Indeed, these camps overlap, depending on the issue. Tom Bonier said, for instance, that “defund the police” did not harm Biden in states with big urban cores, like Pennsylvania and Georgia. It helped. Finally, why should Biden enable smears against him? Pushing back against the left gives credence to accusations that he’s being controlled by the left, which convinces Republicans to vote against him.
Kasich sounded moderate when he said that, “Now is the time for Democrats ... to begin to listen to what the other half of the country has to say.” But in that centrism is an assumption about liberalism that undercuts the truth about it. While Republicans really do fight in their self-interest, liberals don’t. They really do fight in everyone’s interest, because liberals believe in something the Republicans don’t. Once you recognize the centrality of political equality to the Democratic scheme of things, you see that listening “to what the other half of the country has to say” is an exercise in redundancy. More than that, it gives advantage to the GOP project against equality.
Equality is the root of Democratic policies seeking to create conditions by which the greatest number of Americans are liberated to a degree they can achieve the greatest good on their own. Medicare for all. Progressive taxation. Equal justice. Climate change. The pandemic. Policy after policy strives to make room for most of everyone’s interests, though perhaps not the sum total of everyone’s interests. You don’t need to exhort Biden and the Democrats to “reach out to almost half of the electorate,” as Adam Bjorndahl, associate professor of philosophy at Carnegie Mellon, did. You might sound reasonable in doing so. You might even sound like an advocate for compromise. But what you are really doing is defining liberalism from the right-flank of history.
You’re also misunderstanding why Republicans oppose equality. The GOP, more than corporate power, represents ordered power. God over Man. Men over women. Parents over children. White over black. This hierarchy is not just preferable, it’s natural. It’s God’s will. Efforts by women to be treated equally to men, for instance, are not only offensive, they’re perverse. They can’t be tolerated. In a very real sense, equality is theft to the conservative mind. And theft, as you know, is punishable by law. Nearly everything about the Republican Party’s project finds its source in defense of the hierarchy of power. Equality is not an objective worth sacrificing for. It’s a crime.
Defeating equality, however, is worth sacrificing for, even your life. Hence the reason Trump won 72 million votes amid a pandemic that has killed nearly a quarter million Americans. Hence the reason why Republican-led states rejected Obamacare. Sure, the law would have liberated millions from the oppression of being chained to a desk job, but that meant helping people who didn’t “deserve” it. And by “deserve,” of course, I’m talking about Black people and people of color. Any law putting them on equal footing with white people is to be opposed wholesale, even if such opposition leads to death.
I get the impulse. “Now is the time for every Biden supporter to reach out to one person who voted for Trump,” wrote Ian Bremmer the other day. “Empathize with them. Tell them you know how they feel (you do, from 2016). Come up with one issue you can agree on.” All that’s jim-dandy. It might work in part. But you can’t help people who won’t help themselves. You can’t reach out to people who slap your hand away. You can’t compromise with people who will kill themselves to defeat you.
All you can do is achieve liberal goals, and hope they snap out of it later.
Republished with permission from Editorial Board. Subscribe here.


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--Trump Supporter Attacks Elderly Couple Over Biden Yard Sign

When the couple , in their 70 's and 80 's , ignored his profanity , the man is alleged to have attacked them with a golf club .
He also later attacked a police officer over the incident .
A Twin Cities man who identified himself to authorities as a supporter of President Donald Trump is accused of attacking an elderly couple with a golf club over the weekend after he saw them standing at a street corner with a homemade Joe Biden sign .
Fifty-year-old Mark Anthony Ulsaker , of Lino Lakes , is charged with second-degree assault @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violence and assaulting a peace officer in connection to the Sunday incident , court documents filed in Ramsey County show .
If convicted of all counts , he could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison .
According to a criminal complaint , multiple witnesses called 911 around 3 p.m. after seeing a man , described as stocky and bald , attacking an elderly couple with a golf club in White Bear Lake , at the intersection of Highway 96 and Centerville Road .
After the golf club broke during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elderly man in the head .
The attacker then retreated to his pickup truck , which was parked at a nearby Walgreens , witnesses told investigators .
The elderly woman gave chase .
When she approached the truck , the pickup drove toward her , hopping over a curb before speeding off on Centerville Road .
The victims , who were in their late 70s/early 80s , told responding officers that they were just minding their business on the street corner with their homemade Joe Biden sign when the attack unfolded , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pulled up in his red truck and shouted “ f— You !
” at them , which they ignored .
A moment later , the man was stomping toward them with a golf club .

When the couple, in their 70's and 80's, ignored his profanity, the man is alleged to have attacked them with a golf club. He also later attacked a police officer over the incident.
Source: WCCO
A Twin Cities man who identified himself to authorities as a supporter of President Donald Trump is accused of attacking an elderly couple with a golf club over the weekend after he saw them standing at a street corner with a homemade Joe Biden sign.
Fifty-year-old Mark Anthony Ulsaker, of Lino Lakes, is charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, threats of violence and assaulting a peace officer in connection to the Sunday incident, court documents filed in Ramsey County show. If convicted of all counts, he could face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
According to a criminal complaint, multiple witnesses called 911 around 3 p.m. after seeing a man, described as stocky and bald, attacking an elderly couple with a golf club in White Bear Lake, at the intersection of Highway 96 and Centerville Road. After the golf club broke during the attack, the man reportedly punched the elderly man in the head.
The attacker then retreated to his pickup truck, which was parked at a nearby Walgreens, witnesses told investigators. The elderly woman gave chase. When she approached the truck, the pickup drove toward her, hopping over a curb before speeding off on Centerville Road.
The victims, who were in their late 70s/early 80s, told responding officers that they were just minding their business on the street corner with their homemade Joe Biden sign when the attack unfolded, the complaint states. First, the man pulled up in his red truck and shouted “f— You!” at them, which they ignored. A moment later, the man was stomping toward them with a golf club.


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--Officials Worry Trump Will Sell National Security Secrets

The Washington Post spoke with current and former officials and analysts : Not only does Trump have a history of disclosures , he checks the boxes of a classic counterintelligence risk : He is deeply in debt and angry at the U.S. government , particularly what he describes as the “ deep state ” conspiracy that he says tried to stop him from winning the White House in 2016 and what he falsely claims is an illegal effort to rob him of reelection .
Even without a grasp of specifics , Trump almost certainly knows information that would be valuable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military capabilities and any covert actions he authorized , The Post said .
Also , he 'll retain access to the classified records of his own administration .
Trump ’ s big mouth and his petty score-settling are pretty good evidence that he ’ ll never exercise the kind of discretion we normally assume from an ex-president .
Then there ’ s the worry Trump could sell state secrets .
More from The Post : Experts agreed that the biggest risk Trump poses out of office is the clumsy release of information .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he might trade secrets , perhaps in exchange for favors , to ingratiate himself with prospective clients in foreign countries or to get back at his perceived enemies .
When he leaves office , Trump will be facing a crushing amount of debt , including hundreds of millions of dollars in loans that he has personally guaranteed .
So what can President Joe Biden do ?
Not much as far as the secrets Trump already knows .
Biden can break with tradition and refuse to give Trump any further intelligence briefings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , once Trump leaves office , he is subject to criminal prosecution like every other private citizen .
“ The Espionage Act has been successfully used to convict current and former government officials who disclose information that damages U.S. national security , ” The Post reported .
Let ’ s hope Biden would not hesitate to exercise all his powers to keep Trump from ( further ) selling out our country and/or punishing him if he does .
UPDATE : Sarah Kendzior reminds that the threat is not just from Trump but also @ @ @ @ @ @

The Washington Post spoke with current and former officials and analysts:
Not only does Trump have a history of disclosures, he checks the boxes of a classic counterintelligence risk: He is deeply in debt and angry at the U.S. government, particularly what he describes as the “deep state” conspiracy that he says tried to stop him from winning the White House in 2016 and what he falsely claims is an illegal effort to rob him of reelection.
Even without a grasp of specifics, Trump almost certainly knows information that would be valuable to adversaries, such as intelligence and military capabilities and any covert actions he authorized, The Post said. Also, he'll retain access to the classified records of his own administration.
Trump’s big mouth and his petty score-settling are pretty good evidence that he’ll never exercise the kind of discretion we normally assume from an ex-president.
Then there’s the worry Trump could sell state secrets. More from The Post:
Experts agreed that the biggest risk Trump poses out of office is the clumsy release of information. But they didn’t rule out that he might trade secrets, perhaps in exchange for favors, to ingratiate himself with prospective clients in foreign countries or to get back at his perceived enemies. When he leaves office, Trump will be facing a crushing amount of debt, including hundreds of millions of dollars in loans that he has personally guaranteed.
So what can President Joe Biden do? Not much as far as the secrets Trump already knows. Biden can break with tradition and refuse to give Trump any further intelligence briefings, which seems like a no-brainer. Also, once Trump leaves office, he is subject to criminal prosecution like every other private citizen. “The Espionage Act has been successfully used to convict current and former government officials who disclose information that damages U.S. national security,” The Post reported.
Let’s hope Biden would not hesitate to exercise all his powers to keep Trump from (further) selling out our country and/or punishing him if he does.
UPDATE: Sarah Kendzior reminds that the threat is not just from Trump but also his corrupt family and cronies:


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--The White House Gift Shop Is Now Selling Biden Merchandise

Apparently , the White House Gift Shop ( whitehousegiftshop.com ) is n't affiliated with the White House , but this @ @ @ @ @ you 'd like to pre-order their commemorative coin , the link is here , and @ @ @ @ @ .
And as seen at a gift shop across the street from the White House @ @ @ @ @ to spoil the fun .

Apparently, the White House Gift Shop (whitehousegiftshop.com) isn't affiliated with the White House, but this is amusing nonetheless.
If you'd like to pre-order their commemorative coin, the link is here, and it'll cost $100.
46TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: JOSEPH R. BIDEN
I’m not sure who wants to tell President Trump about two items now featured on the White House gift shop website... pic.twitter.com/j2diKKFR4R — John Myers (@johnmyers) November 11, 2020
And as seen at a gift shop across the street from the White House.
Gift shop across from the White House has accepted the results of the election @CBCNews pic.twitter.com/yYsiPLFzqh — David Common (@davidcommon) November 11, 2020
Always someone out there to spoil the fun.


crooksandliars--2020-11-13--Biden Is Rushing To Prepare His Team For COVID While Trump Fiddles And The Nation Burns

On Monday , President-elect Joe Biden announced his COVID-19 advisory board .
While that board doesn ’ t currently contain some necessary experts—like NIH infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci , who is currently busy being belittled by Donald Trump and threatened with beheading by Trump ’ s former campaign chief—it does showcase a list of notable experts in every area of public health .
On the same day , pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced the first results out of the Phase 3 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine .
Those results indicate an effectiveness of greater than 90 % , providing great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sometime early in 2021 , it will signal that the great pandemic is near an end .
The news was greeted with relief by the stock market , and by a pandemic-weary nation .
And , of course , it was treated as a sign of yet another conspiracy by Republicans who are convinced that Pfizer held off on the announcement until after the election .
Though not one of them seems to have any idea why the drug manufacturer would have made such a move .
Meanwhile , the third surge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only getting worse , making every move by Biden ’ s team more critical—and every day of neglect from Trump more deadly .
Mondays are usually a relatively low day for the number of cases reported , as states are still noting results from testing that took place over the weekend when many facilities are closed .
But this Monday , the United States still notched up 127,000 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
A week earlier , that would have been a record high .
It ’ s also almost 40,000 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the rate cases are soaring , it seems certain the United States will pass 150,000 cases in a single day at some point this week .
This latest surge of virus continues to be extremely broad-based .
Both Illinois and Texas exceeded 10,000 new cases on Monday .
Already on Tuesday , Illinois has announced 12,623 new cases , obliterating the state ’ s past record .
It ’ s actually the highest value that any state has posted since Florida and Texas soared back in July , and higher than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the opening phase of the pandemic ( though limited testing at the time meant that cases in New York were badly underreported ) .
An astounding 17 states reported over 3,000 new cases on Monday .
Just a few points out of the morass of statistics : Illinois now has 4,742 people in the hospital with COVID-19 , with 911 in the ICU , and 399 on ventilators .
In North Dakota , 7.4 % of the total population has now tested positive for COVID-19 .
Tennessee had as many cases in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the entire pandemic up until mid-June .
Over time , the case fatality rate for new patients has decreased .
But , so far at least , it ’ s hard to point at any miracle drug that accounts for this change .
Trump ’ s much promoted hydroxychloroquine was never more than a pipe dream .
Remdesivir , which seemed to represent a net positive for patients in mid-disease and gained FDA approval , has turned out to show no real effect in the largest trial to date .
The only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use of anti-inflammatory steroids with patients who need supplemental oxygen or ventilation .
If there ’ s any good thing at all to come from the pandemic so far , it may be that doctors have acquired a better understanding of how to conduct long-period intubation while decreasing damage and lowering the rate of death—for the awful reason that they ’ ve had so many patients on which to test different procedures .
Synthetic monoclonal antibody treatments , such as the Regeneron treatment given to Trump during his bout with the disease , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for effective treatment .
On Tuesday , Eli Lilly gained emergency approval for its version of a two-antibody cocktail , bamlanivimab .
However , at the moment there are very few doses available .
The total output of both Eli Lilly and Regeneron to date would not be enough to treat the positive patients of a single day at this point , and since the treatments are most effective when administered early , they ’ re not really a significant factor on the total national picture—even if they are of powerful net benefit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of these rare treatments .
However , Pfizer ’ s vaccine announcement is genuinely good news .
And it ’ s not just good news for Pfizer ’ s vaccine , or even just good news for COVID-19 .
• The Pfizer vaccine ’ s high efficacy is fantastic news , because the vaccine targets the spike protein that COVID-19 uses to attach to human cells .
The other “ big four ” vaccines now in Phase 3 : Oxford/AstraZeneca , Moderna , and Johnson & Johnson also target that same protein @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have a variety of effective vaccines , some of which may be easier to administer and easier to use in areas without extreme refrigeration .
• Pfizer ’ s vaccine is the first phase 3 trial of a vaccine using mRNA in a human .
If the safety data holds up , the technology could potentially become a new standard in how vaccines can be rapidly developed against other diseases .
• Moderna ’ s vaccine is also mRNA based .
Unlike Pfizer , they ’ re a relatively small company that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial .
They should be reporting their Phase 3 results within the next two weeks .
Johnson & Johnson ’ s vaccine has some advantages in that it ’ s a single dose and doesn ’ t need temperatures lower than those provided by normal refrigerators .
Their single dose approach means they should move through Phase 3 more quickly .
However , they were the last of the major trials to begin , and they ’ re recruiting a large pool , so don ’ t expect results for another month or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best news possible is that it won ’ t be Donald Trump who handles the deployment of these vaccines .
This isn ’ t Biden ’ s first experience in crisis management .
After all , he walked into the White House in 2009 in the midst of the Great Recession and took charge of Obama ’ s response to that crisis .
He ’ s used to managing large teams in dire circumstances .
Now we just have to survive until vaccines—and Biden—arrive .

On Monday, President-elect Joe Biden announced his COVID-19 advisory board. While that board doesn’t currently contain some necessary experts—like NIH infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci, who is currently busy being belittled by Donald Trump and threatened with beheading by Trump’s former campaign chief—it does showcase a list of notable experts in every area of public health.
On the same day, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced the first results out of the Phase 3 trial of its COVID-19 vaccine. Those results indicate an effectiveness of greater than 90%, providing great hope that when the vaccine is available, sometime early in 2021, it will signal that the great pandemic is near an end. The news was greeted with relief by the stock market, and by a pandemic-weary nation. And, of course, it was treated as a sign of yet another conspiracy by Republicans who are convinced that Pfizer held off on the announcement until after the election. Though not one of them seems to have any idea why the drug manufacturer would have made such a move.
Meanwhile, the third surge of virus in the United States is only getting worse, making every move by Biden’s team more critical—and every day of neglect from Trump more deadly.
Mondays are usually a relatively low day for the number of cases reported, as states are still noting results from testing that took place over the weekend when many facilities are closed. But this Monday, the United States still notched up 127,000 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19. A week earlier, that would have been a record high. It’s also almost 40,000 cases higher than were reported the previous Monday. At the rate cases are soaring, it seems certain the United States will pass 150,000 cases in a single day at some point this week.
This latest surge of virus continues to be extremely broad-based. Both Illinois and Texas exceeded 10,000 new cases on Monday. Already on Tuesday, Illinois has announced 12,623 new cases, obliterating the state’s past record. It’s actually the highest value that any state has posted since Florida and Texas soared back in July, and higher than any daily number posted by New York in the opening phase of the pandemic (though limited testing at the time meant that cases in New York were badly underreported). An astounding 17 states reported over 3,000 new cases on Monday.
Just a few points out of the morass of statistics: Illinois now has 4,742 people in the hospital with COVID-19, with 911 in the ICU, and 399 on ventilators. In North Dakota, 7.4% of the total population has now tested positive for COVID-19. Tennessee had as many cases in the past two days as it had in the entire pandemic up until mid-June.
Over time, the case fatality rate for new patients has decreased. But, so far at least, it’s hard to point at any miracle drug that accounts for this change. Trump’s much promoted hydroxychloroquine was never more than a pipe dream. Remdesivir, which seemed to represent a net positive for patients in mid-disease and gained FDA approval, has turned out to show no real effect in the largest trial to date. The only real advances seem to be in the use of anti-inflammatory steroids with patients who need supplemental oxygen or ventilation. If there’s any good thing at all to come from the pandemic so far, it may be that doctors have acquired a better understanding of how to conduct long-period intubation while decreasing damage and lowering the rate of death—for the awful reason that they’ve had so many patients on which to test different procedures.
Synthetic monoclonal antibody treatments, such as the Regeneron treatment given to Trump during his bout with the disease, do hold out a lot of hope for effective treatment. On Tuesday, Eli Lilly gained emergency approval for its version of a two-antibody cocktail, bamlanivimab. However, at the moment there are very few doses available. The total output of both Eli Lilly and Regeneron to date would not be enough to treat the positive patients of a single day at this point, and since the treatments are most effective when administered early, they’re not really a significant factor on the total national picture—even if they are of powerful net benefit for those patients lucky enough to receive one of these rare treatments.
However, Pfizer’s vaccine announcement is genuinely good news. And it’s not just good news for Pfizer’s vaccine, or even just good news for COVID-19.
The Pfizer vaccine’s high efficacy is fantastic news, because the vaccine targets the spike protein that COVID-19 uses to attach to human cells. The other “big four” vaccines now in Phase 3: Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson also target that same protein. That means the world is likely to have a variety of effective vaccines, some of which may be easier to administer and easier to use in areas without extreme refrigeration.
Pfizer’s vaccine is the first phase 3 trial of a vaccine using mRNA in a human. If the safety data holds up, the technology could potentially become a new standard in how vaccines can be rapidly developed against other diseases.
Moderna’s vaccine is also mRNA based. Unlike Pfizer, they’re a relatively small company that has essentially bet the farm on this trial. They should be reporting their Phase 3 results within the next two weeks.
Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine has some advantages in that it’s a single dose and doesn’t need temperatures lower than those provided by normal refrigerators. Their single dose approach means they should move through Phase 3 more quickly. However, they were the last of the major trials to begin, and they’re recruiting a large pool, so don’t expect results for another month or more.
And of course, the best news possible is that it won’t be Donald Trump who handles the deployment of these vaccines. This isn’t Biden’s first experience in crisis management. After all, he walked into the White House in 2009 in the midst of the Great Recession and took charge of Obama’s response to that crisis. He’s used to managing large teams in dire circumstances.
Now we just have to survive until vaccines—and Biden—arrive.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-11-13--Rand Paul Owns Self Once Again Over Election Security

Sen. Rand Paul , the Kentucky Republican probably voted most punchable by his colleagues in the Senate , had another embarrassing self-own on Twitter this week .
`` One way of determining fraud in mail-in ballots would be to examine a random sample of a few thousand to find the rate of fraud , '' he wrote .
`` If fraud rate is low , voters may be convinced of the elections legitimacy .
If the fraud rate is high , then every mail-in ballot should be examined . ''
`` Guess what ? ''
half of Twitter informed him—those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kentucky already has that law on the books .
What 's more , the House passed legislation to make those audits federal and Republicans blocked them from coming to the Senate floor .
Republicans who are now shouting `` fraud '' in fact have made a hobby out of blocking election security legislation as stand alone bills or as part of larger packages over the last two years .
After the pandemic hit , Democrats in the House and Senate tried to pass legislation to help states deal with what Paul and Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mail-in ballots spurred by voter safety concerns over COVID-19 .
That included funding specifically for risk-limiting audits , $ 20 million for it , in fact .
Mitch McConnell would n't even think about bringing that to the floor .
Republicans called it part of her `` liberal wish list . ''
Securing elections from the supposed `` fraud '' they 're now trying to hype .
Before the pandemic , the issue that was topmost in was foreign election meddling .
Special counsel Robert Mueller warned about it in the summer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ warned about it earlier this year .
But for a solid who years , McConnell and team had been fighting even modest efforts to prevent it .
In June , 2019 , they blocked legislation requiring presidential campaigns to report offers from foreign government for election assistance to the FBI .
Nope .
Trump might have needed Putin , so no go there .
They did it again a few months later , blocking three different bills that would have helped states beef up their security and try to limit foreign interference .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of their own members , Sen. Marco Rubio , to deter foreign interference with the promise of harsh sanctions , and two more to boot .
So spare us the scaremongering now , Rand and every other Republican .
We dodged a bullet this time .
States were able to mostly scrabble together their elections , and the fact that it was so hugely mail-in , the possibilities for Russian hacking were minimal .
That 's no thanks at all to any Republican .

Sen. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican probably voted most punchable by his colleagues in the Senate, had another embarrassing self-own on Twitter this week. "One way of determining fraud in mail-in ballots would be to examine a random sample of a few thousand to find the rate of fraud," he wrote. "If fraud rate is low, voters may be convinced of the elections legitimacy. If the fraud rate is high, then every mail-in ballot should be examined."
"Guess what?" half of Twitter informed him—those are called "risk-limiting audits" and Kentucky already has that law on the books. What's more, the House passed legislation to make those audits federal and Republicans blocked them from coming to the Senate floor. Republicans who are now shouting "fraud" in fact have made a hobby out of blocking election security legislation as stand alone bills or as part of larger packages over the last two years.
After the pandemic hit, Democrats in the House and Senate tried to pass legislation to help states deal with what Paul and Republicans are screaming fraud over now—a massive wave of mail-in ballots spurred by voter safety concerns over COVID-19. That included funding specifically for risk-limiting audits, $20 million for it, in fact. Mitch McConnell wouldn't even think about bringing that to the floor. Republicans called it part of her "liberal wish list." Securing elections from the supposed "fraud" they're now trying to hype.
Before the pandemic, the issue that was topmost in was foreign election meddling. Special counsel Robert Mueller warned about it in the summer of 2019. FBI Director Christopher Wray warned about it earlier this year. But for a solid who years, McConnell and team had been fighting even modest efforts to prevent it.
In June, 2019, they blocked legislation requiring presidential campaigns to report offers from foreign government for election assistance to the FBI. Nope. Trump might have needed Putin, so no go there. They did it again a few months later, blocking three different bills that would have helped states beef up their security and try to limit foreign interference.
They even blocked a bill sponsored by one of their own members, Sen. Marco Rubio, to deter foreign interference with the promise of harsh sanctions, and two more to boot.
So spare us the scaremongering now, Rand and every other Republican. We dodged a bullet this time. States were able to mostly scrabble together their elections, and the fact that it was so hugely mail-in, the possibilities for Russian hacking were minimal. That's no thanks at all to any Republican.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--3 Florida Senate Candidates Were Shills Funded By Dark Money

Republicans , presumably , set up fake candidates who did n't exist , did n't have a place of residence , or real contact information , all to syphon votes from the Democratic candidates .
In one instance , the race difference was only 31 votes .
So far the money trail has not turned up who was ultimately responsible .
MIAMI – Why would candidates for Florida Senate seats do no campaigning , no fundraising , have no issue platforms , nor make any effort to get votes ?
Local 10 News has found evidence to suggest three such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , two of them in Miami Dade County , were shill candidates whose presence in the races were meant to syphon votes from Democratic candidates .
Comparisons of the no-party candidates ' public campaign records show similarities and connections that suggest they are all linked by funding from the same dark money donors , and part of an elaborate scheme to upset voting patterns .
In one of those races , District 37 , a recount is underway because the spread between the Democratic and Republican candidates is only 31 votes .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes .

Republicans, presumably, set up fake candidates who didn't exist, didn't have a place of residence, or real contact information, all to syphon votes from the Democratic candidates. In one instance, the race difference was only 31 votes.
So far the money trail has not turned up who was ultimately responsible.
Source: WPLG-TV


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--‘Million MAGA March’ Saturday Will Mix White Nationalists, Conspiracists, Trump Fans

Billing it as “ the largest Trump rally in U.S. history , ” an aggregation of red-hatted Donald Trump fanatics—comprised almost entirely of far-right extremists of a variety of stripes , working alongside ostensibly mainstream conservatives—have organized what they hope will be a massive demonstration of support for the defeated president Saturday in Washington , D.C. : the “ Million MAGA March.
” The list of “ prominent attendees ” touted by organizers for the event is a virtual who ’ s who of the white-nationalist far right , and leading far-right figures and organizations have been organizing and ardently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alex Jones and his Infowars operation .
The message of the whole event , in the words of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes : “ We must refuse to EVER recognize this as a legitimate election , and refuse to recognize Biden as a legitimate winner , and refuse to ever recognize him as the president of the United States.
” As Politico ’ s Tina Nguyen reports , the Saturday ’ s march from the Supreme Court building and down the National Mall is largely the coalescence of several fronts of interconnected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steal ” rallies that have been organized on Facebook to protest the election results at voting centers and state capitals , and those “ Trump train ” caravans featuring dozens of banner-flapping pickup trucks and accompanying thuggish behavior that became endemic in the closing weeks of the 2020 campaign .
Route of the ‘ Million MAGA March ’ caravan .
Image from : Screengrab/Twitter The organizers are incorporating the “ Trump train ” concept into the Saturday event by sponsoring and promoting a cross-country “ Million MAGA March ” caravan , which they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire country and arriving this weekend to protest the contested election.
” The route being promoted , however , only originates in Texas and drives through the South and up through Georgia and the Carolinas to reach Washington .
The entire event , culminating Saturday in D.C. , is the product of an open coalition between far-right MAGA-loving Trump supporters , conspiracy theorists/scam artists , and the outright white nationalists who have assiduously wormed their way into mainstream right-wing politics .
On one end of the spectrum , the “ Million MAGA March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( whose president , Ryan Fournier , angrily claimed that “ Big Tech is out to take down this President ” after EventBrite removed the page for the planned D.C. event ) and “ Truckers for Trump , ” a social-media-based entity who also are threatening to organize a nationwide long-haulers ’ strike after Thanksgiving .
At the other end are Nick Fuentes , the white nationalist social-media figure who leads the so-called “ Groyper Army ” of open anti-Semites and bigots , and his frequent cohort Michelle Malkin , who has managed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nationalist in recent years , as well as the heavily armed “ Patriots ” of Rhodes ’ Oath Keepers ’ outfit , which has been vowing “ civil war ” in the streets since August .
The Saturday “ march ” is also being heavily promoted on white supremacist sites like The Daily Stormer and Stormfront .
Fuentes promoted the event on Parler : “ [ W ] e will rally in DC this weekend .
GROYPERS ARE GOING TO STOP THIS COUP !
, ” he wrote .
On Twitter , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ THE WHITE HOUSE.
” A popular white-nationalist livestreamer named Ethan Ralph announced he would host his show “ The Killstream ” at the event .
At the Trump-endorsed One America News Network , “ reporter ” Jack Posobiec—exposed this summer by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a highly active white nationalist with deep connections throughout the movement , as well as a million followers on Twitter—eagerly promoted the Saturday event with Kristi Kremer of Women for America First , which is credited with first promoting the “ Stop the Steal ” hashtag @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alex Jones and Infowars have been especially active in promoting both the D.C. event and the accompanying cross-country “ Trump Caravan ” leading up to it .
Infowars ’ Owen Schroyer has held events at each stop .
On his daily show , Jones proclaimed : “ So don ’ t worry , President Trump .
The cavalry is coming.
” Biden ’ s election—which he insists only occurred through fraud—is the final apocalyptic straw for Jones , who concluded : And on Telegram , white nationalist Brien James—cofounder of the far-right street-brawling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Million MAGA March that featured a neo-Nazi theme song being played with a stream of far-right messages over the event ’ s logo .
As Politico notes , the organizers have failed to file for any permits for the event , which has been alternatively dubbed the March for Trump and Stop the Steal DC .
So it remains unclear how many people may show up , particularly given past far-right fizzles .
However , researchers have estimated “ anywhere from several hundred to several thousand may show up.
” Moreover , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for what we ’ ll see from the extremist right over the coming weeks leading up to Inauguration Day , as Nguyen observes : “ Activists throughout the far-right universe , from MAGA celebrities to policy wonks to conspiracy theorists , are exploring how to use the final two-plus months of Trump ’ s presidency to undermine President-elect Joe Biden , vocally support Trump ’ s court challenges to the election , confront antifa , and maybe , just maybe , help keep the current president in office.
” Jared Holt of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lab explains that not everyone at the event will be a white nationalist or extremist , “ but this event is generating a fair amount of chatter in extremist communities online that we 're monitoring.
” “ It is solely designed to create disruption , and possibly chaos .
It 's basically a giant online comment troll come into life , ” Angelo Carusone , president of Media Matters , told Politico .
The lineup of “ prominent attendees ” featured in organizers ’ promotional posts is revealing .
In addition to Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Malkin , far-right conspiracist Mike Cernovich is included , along with Jaden McNeil—a young man whose sole claim to fame is getting expelled from Kansas State for posting a vicious tweet about George Floyd after his murder by police—and Ashley St. Clair , best known for being expelled from the conservative campus group Turning Point USA after she posed with white nationalists .
But just in case anyone should accuse these white nationalists of being racist , they of course includeD two African American entertainment acts—pro-Trump rapper Bryson Gray , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ underlying beliefs animating both the Saturday march and the mounting far-right resistance to Biden ’ s election were voiced by Rhodes at the Oath Keepers website : Rhodes also urged Trump to refuse to concede : “ President Trump must refuse to recognize it as legitimate because it is not legitimate , ” he wrote , adding that “ by President Trump refusing to concede , he is stopping a coup rather than engaging in one .
”

Billing it as “the largest Trump rally in U.S. history,” an aggregation of red-hatted Donald Trump fanatics—comprised almost entirely of far-right extremists of a variety of stripes, working alongside ostensibly mainstream conservatives—have organized what they hope will be a massive demonstration of support for the defeated president Saturday in Washington, D.C.: the “Million MAGA March.”
The list of “prominent attendees” touted by organizers for the event is a virtual who’s who of the white-nationalist far right, and leading far-right figures and organizations have been organizing and ardently promoting it, not least being conspiracy-meister Alex Jones and his Infowars operation. The message of the whole event, in the words of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes: “We must refuse to EVER recognize this as a legitimate election, and refuse to recognize Biden as a legitimate winner, and refuse to ever recognize him as the president of the United States.”
As Politico’s Tina Nguyen reports, the Saturday’s march from the Supreme Court building and down the National Mall is largely the coalescence of several fronts of interconnected pro-Trump activism—primarily the conspiracy-fueled “Stop the Steal” rallies that have been organized on Facebook to protest the election results at voting centers and state capitals, and those “Trump train” caravans featuring dozens of banner-flapping pickup trucks and accompanying thuggish behavior that became endemic in the closing weeks of the 2020 campaign.
Route of the ‘Million MAGA March’ caravan. Credit: Screengrab/Twitter
The organizers are incorporating the “Trump train” concept into the Saturday event by sponsoring and promoting a cross-country “Million MAGA March” caravan, which they claim “will be driving through the entire country and arriving this weekend to protest the contested election.” The route being promoted, however, only originates in Texas and drives through the South and up through Georgia and the Carolinas to reach Washington.
The entire event, culminating Saturday in D.C., is the product of an open coalition between far-right MAGA-loving Trump supporters, conspiracy theorists/scam artists, and the outright white nationalists who have assiduously wormed their way into mainstream right-wing politics.
On one end of the spectrum, the “Million MAGA March” is supported by Students for Trump (whose president, Ryan Fournier, angrily claimed that “Big Tech is out to take down this President” after EventBrite removed the page for the planned D.C. event) and “Truckers for Trump,” a social-media-based entity who also are threatening to organize a nationwide long-haulers’ strike after Thanksgiving.
At the other end are Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist social-media figure who leads the so-called “Groyper Army” of open anti-Semites and bigots, and his frequent cohort Michelle Malkin, who has managed to reinvent herself as an unapologetic white nationalist in recent years, as well as the heavily armed “Patriots” of Rhodes’ Oath Keepers’ outfit, which has been vowing “civil war” in the streets since August. The Saturday “march” is also being heavily promoted on white supremacist sites like The Daily Stormer and Stormfront.
Credit: Screengrab/Twitter
Fuentes promoted the event on Parler: “[W]e will rally in DC this weekend. GROYPERS ARE GOING TO STOP THIS COUP!,” he wrote. On Twitter, he called the event “MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE.” A popular white-nationalist livestreamer named Ethan Ralph announced he would host his show “The Killstream” at the event.
At the Trump-endorsed One America News Network, “reporter” Jack Posobiec—exposed this summer by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a highly active white nationalist with deep connections throughout the movement, as well as a million followers on Twitter—eagerly promoted the Saturday event with Kristi Kremer of Women for America First, which is credited with first promoting the “Stop the Steal” hashtag.
Like Rhodes and Oath Keepers, Alex Jones and Infowars have been especially active in promoting both the D.C. event and the accompanying cross-country “Trump Caravan” leading up to it. Infowars’ Owen Schroyer has held events at each stop. On his daily show, Jones proclaimed: “So don’t worry, President Trump. The cavalry is coming.” Biden’s election—which he insists only occurred through fraud—is the final apocalyptic straw for Jones, who concluded:
We must not comply. This is the final assault. It’s the takeover. And it’s here.
And on Telegram, white nationalist Brien James—cofounder of the far-right street-brawling gang American Guard—posted a promotional video for the Million MAGA March that featured a neo-Nazi theme song being played with a stream of far-right messages over the event’s logo.
As Politico notes, the organizers have failed to file for any permits for the event, which has been alternatively dubbed the March for Trump and Stop the Steal DC. So it remains unclear how many people may show up, particularly given past far-right fizzles. However, researchers have estimated “anywhere from several hundred to several thousand may show up.”
Moreover, it probably will serve as a model for what we’ll see from the extremist right over the coming weeks leading up to Inauguration Day, as Nguyen observes: “Activists throughout the far-right universe, from MAGA celebrities to policy wonks to conspiracy theorists, are exploring how to use the final two-plus months of Trump’s presidency to undermine President-elect Joe Biden, vocally support Trump’s court challenges to the election, confront antifa, and maybe, just maybe, help keep the current president in office.”
Jared Holt of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensics Research Lab explains that not everyone at the event will be a white nationalist or extremist, “but this event is generating a fair amount of chatter in extremist communities online that we're monitoring.”
“It is solely designed to create disruption, and possibly chaos. It's basically a giant online comment troll come into life,” Angelo Carusone, president of Media Matters, told Politico.
The lineup of “prominent attendees” featured in organizers’ promotional posts is revealing. In addition to Jones, Posobiec, Fuentes, Shroyer, and Malkin, far-right conspiracist Mike Cernovich is included, along with Jaden McNeil—a young man whose sole claim to fame is getting expelled from Kansas State for posting a vicious tweet about George Floyd after his murder by police—and Ashley St. Clair, best known for being expelled from the conservative campus group Turning Point USA after she posed with white nationalists.
But just in case anyone should accuse these white nationalists of being racist, they of course includeD two African American entertainment acts—pro-Trump rapper Bryson Gray, and the far-right Hodge Twins—on the list.
The underlying beliefs animating both the Saturday march and the mounting far-right resistance to Biden’s election were voiced by Rhodes at the Oath Keepers website:
This election was stolen and this is a communist/Deep State coup, every bit as corrupt and illegitimate as what is done in third world banana republics. … This election was stolen by corrupt, law-breaking Democrat partisans on the ground, and by the manipulation of the CIA created HAMMR (“Hammer”) and Scorecard programs.
Rhodes also urged Trump to refuse to concede: “President Trump must refuse to recognize it as legitimate because it is not legitimate,” he wrote, adding that “by President Trump refusing to concede, he is stopping a coup rather than engaging in one.”
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--Trump Attorney Admits To Judge Under Penalty Of Perjury That There’s No Election Fraud

An attorney for the Trump campaign admitted in court on Tuesday that a lawsuit against the local elections board is not alleging election fraud .
Trump campaign attorney Jonathan S. Goldstein made the statement while arguing that the Montgomery County Board of Elections must halt the counting of 592 mail-in ballots .
During the oral arguments , the judge asked Goldstein if the campaign is alleging fraud .
“ Your Honor , accusing people of fraud is a pretty big step , ” Goldstein said .
“ And it is rare that I call somebody a liar , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DNC or anybody else involved in this a liar.
” “ I am asking you a specific question , ” the judge pressed , “ and I am looking for a specific answer .
Are you claiming that there is any fraud in connection with these 592 disputed ballots ?
” “ Are you claiming that there is any undue or improper influence upon the elector with respect to these 592 ballots ?
” the judge asked .
The National Review , a conservative publication , noted that Trump campaign lawsuits like the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ not with a bang , but a whimper.
” “ It is one thing to fume on Twitter that there is a sinister effort to steal an election ; it is another thing to assert that sweeping claim in a court of law , before a judge , under penalty of perjury and/or disbarment , ” National Review correspondent Jim Geraghty wrote .

An attorney for the Trump campaign admitted in court on Tuesday that a lawsuit against the local elections board is not alleging election fraud.
Trump campaign attorney Jonathan S. Goldstein made the statement while arguing that the Montgomery County Board of Elections must halt the counting of 592 mail-in ballots.
During the oral arguments, the judge asked Goldstein if the campaign is alleging fraud.
“Your Honor, accusing people of fraud is a pretty big step,” Goldstein said. “And it is rare that I call somebody a liar, and I am not calling the Board or the DNC or anybody else involved in this a liar.”
“I am asking you a specific question,” the judge pressed, “and I am looking for a specific answer. Are you claiming that there is any fraud in connection with these 592 disputed ballots?”
“To my knowledge at present, no,” Goldstein replied.
“Are you claiming that there is any undue or improper influence upon the elector with respect to these 592 ballots?” the judge asked.
“To my knowledge at present, no,” Goldstein conceded.
The National Review, a conservative publication, noted that Trump campaign lawsuits like the one in Montgomery County have been ending “not with a bang, but a whimper.”
“It is one thing to fume on Twitter that there is a sinister effort to steal an election; it is another thing to assert that sweeping claim in a court of law, before a judge, under penalty of perjury and/or disbarment,” National Review correspondent Jim Geraghty wrote.


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--Kayleigh McEnany Doesn't Know What The White House Thinks: Huh?

Kayleigh McEnany joined Fox and Friends today spewing bogus voter fraud conspiracies with her 234 magic papers .
But when asked about Oklahoma Senator James Lankford giving President-elect Biden intelligence briefings , she claimed they 'd have to ask the White House .
You ca n't even make this up .
Since the Trump administration is refusing to deal with Biden 's transition team or allow him to get national security briefings , Oklahoma 's Sen. James Lankford , a Republican , actually offered to help President-Elect Biden and said he will intervene if the Trump administration doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligence briefings by Friday .
Brian Kilmeade , who is still hoping Trump will win Arizona even though it was called by his own network , brought up Sen. Lankford 's offer to Biden .
Kilmeade stated that Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris has access to intelligence briefings as a US Senator , so he wondered if Trump would consider letting Joe Biden receive them as well .
McEnany said , `` I have n't spoken to the president about it , '' even though she is the White House press secretary .
She continued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more for the White House . ''
Kayleigh , he is asking the White House .
He 's asking you !
Every day the Trump administration breaks some code of ethics , violates the Hatch Act , and refuses to follow constitutional laws governing the presidency .
Trump 's main function since he lost the election has been to fill the federal government with loyalists and create chaos , disorganization , and conspiracy theories while the country is in the midst of a devastating second wave of the coronavirus .
The White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by having a second job as a Trump campaign n advisor , but that 's what she did on Fox News this morning .

Kayleigh McEnany joined Fox and Friends today spewing bogus voter fraud conspiracies with her 234 magic papers.
But when asked about Oklahoma Senator James Lankford giving President-elect Biden intelligence briefings, she claimed they'd have to ask the White House.
Wait a minute. She's the White House press secretary.
You can't even make this up.
Since the Trump administration is refusing to deal with Biden's transition team or allow him to get national security briefings, Oklahoma's Sen. James Lankford, a Republican, actually offered to help President-Elect Biden and said he will intervene if the Trump administration doesn’t start allowing Biden to receive the daily intelligence briefings by Friday.
Brian Kilmeade, who is still hoping Trump will win Arizona even though it was called by his own network, brought up Sen. Lankford's offer to Biden.
Kilmeade stated that Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris has access to intelligence briefings as a US Senator, so he wondered if Trump would consider letting Joe Biden receive them as well.
McEnany said, "I haven't spoken to the president about it," even though she is the White House press secretary.
She continued, "That would be a question more for the White House."
Kayleigh, he is asking the White House. He's asking you!
Every day the Trump administration breaks some code of ethics, violates the Hatch Act, and refuses to follow constitutional laws governing the presidency.
Trump's main function since he lost the election has been to fill the federal government with loyalists and create chaos, disorganization, and conspiracy theories while the country is in the midst of a devastating second wave of the coronavirus.
The White House press secretary can't skirt constitutional law by having a second job as a Trump campaign n advisor, but that's what she did on Fox News this morning.


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--COVID Is Humanitarian Crisis Here As Doctors Without Borders Arrives To Rescue US

So much for making America great again : COVID is such a humanitarian disaster here in the US that Doctors Without Borders has arrived HERE to help .
Sanjay Gupta appeared on CNN Thursday to call COVID in the US `` a humanitarian crisis . ''
The Covid-19 crisis in America is so dire now , international aid workers have arrived to help .
`` This is a humanitarian disaster -- probably one of the worst stories I 've covered in my career here at CNN , '' the network 's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said Thursday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help the US get a grip on the pandemic , he said .
More than 241,000 people have died from coronavirus nationwide -- a number that is rapidly growing every day .
`` I mean , this is an organization that typically covers true disasters and medical crises all over the world , '' Gupta said .
`` And when they sort of look at a map right now and say , 'Where do we need to be ? '
they pointed to the United States .
They were in nursing homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They 're in these different places trying to offer their services .
And still , the numbers are what they are . ''
This is the legacy of the Republican Party and its lame-duck , sore loser , so-called president .

So much for making America great again: COVID is such a humanitarian disaster here in the US that Doctors Without Borders has arrived HERE to help.
Doctors Without Borders. Here. In the United States. Not because we can’t afford to fight this pandemic. Because our government chooses to let our people die. A deliberate choice to encourage spread, downplay risk, mock precautions. A deliberate choice to hinder instead of help. — Proud Radical Leftist🤜🏻🤛🏾 (@PeaceIsEarned) November 12, 2020
Damn, America has become such a beyond help shithole country under trump that Doctors Without Borders are now here to help US.
It sounds like the punchline to a joke, but I'm not even joking. — BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) November 12, 2020
CNN reports that Doctors Without Borders is now focusing their aid on the US.
Why?
Because the US COVID response is basically the worst humanitarian disaster in the world right now.
MAGA, tired of winning yet? — Chip Franklin "good trouble" (@chipfranklin) November 12, 2020
Sanjay Gupta appeared on CNN Thursday to call COVID in the US "a humanitarian crisis."
The Covid-19 crisis in America is so dire now, international aid workers have arrived to help. "This is a humanitarian disaster -- probably one of the worst stories I've covered in my career here at CNN," the network's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said Thursday. Workers from Doctors Without Borders are trying to help the US get a grip on the pandemic, he said. More than 241,000 people have died from coronavirus nationwide -- a number that is rapidly growing every day. "I mean, this is an organization that typically covers true disasters and medical crises all over the world," Gupta said.
"And when they sort of look at a map right now and say, 'Where do we need to be?' they pointed to the United States. They were in nursing homes in Detroit. They went to Missouri. They're in these different places trying to offer their services. And still, the numbers are what they are."
This is the legacy of the Republican Party and its lame-duck, sore loser, so-called president.


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--Hold Him Accountable: Trump Administration Faces Human Rights Reckoning At UN

The United States on Monday faced criticism over its human rights record from allies and adversaries alike at the United Nations as the country submitted to its first Universal Periodic Review of the Trump administration .
All 193 U.N. member states must undergo UPRs , which are held at the United Nations Human Rights Council ( HRC ) —from which the U.S. withdrew in 2018 over alleged anti-Israel bias—in Geneva , Switzerland every five years .
`` While the American voters elected a new president who is more committed to universal human rights , the international community must continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights obligations . ''
—Jamil Dakwar , ACLU Some 120 nations participated in this year 's debate , which mostly occurred online due to the coronavirus pandemic , about the U.S. human rights record .
Many nations , some with their own serious rights issues , offered criticism ranging from constructive to condemnatory .
Country representatives were allowed less than a minute each to comment on the subject .
According to Agence France-Presse , the concern raised most at the half-day event was police violence against Black people and other minorities and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. policies and actions abroad , including the continued operation of the military prison at Guantánamo Bay , Cuba and the never-ending so-called War on Terror , were also discussed .
U.S. allies urged Washington to ratify human rights treaties , while expressing alarm over racism , inequality , gun violence , family separation and other abuse of undocumented migrants , and additional social ills , the Associated Press reports .
Australia and the Netherlands were among the friendly nations that called upon the U.S. to enact a moratorium on the death penalty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the HRC and to end its sanctions against International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda , who infuriated President Donald Trump and other U.S. leaders when she announced the ICC was launching an investigation of U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan .
Rival nations did not pull any punches in their criticism of U.S. human rights violations , both at home and abroad .
Chinese representative Jiang Duan—whose country is run by one of the world 's more repressive regimes and is accused of human rights crimes ranging from democracy suppression in Hong Kong to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quickly as he listed nine serious causes of concern .
Among these were systemic racism , politicization of the Covid-19 pandemic , gun proliferation , and unending imperialist wars that have killed at least hundreds of thousands of civilians in more than half a dozen nations over the past 19 years .
`` Stop interfering for political reasons in other countries ' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights , '' Duan admonished .
Pushing back against the global criticism , U.S .
Ambassador Andrew Bremberg said that the American democratic system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and debate , which fuels progress and reform . ''
`` We are willing to openly acknowledge our shortcomings , '' Bremberg insisted .
While this was the first UPR of Trump 's tenure , the HRC conducted a six-month investigation in 2017 and 2018 resulting in a report condemning the administration for consciously exacerbating the worst economic inequality in the developed world .
In July 2020 the HRC also decried the `` arbitrary arrest and detention '' and `` unnecessary , disproportionate , or discriminatory use of force '' against protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ following the police and white supremacist killings of Black and Latinx people including George Floyd , Breonna Taylor , Ahmaud Arbery , Tony McDade , Andres Guardado , and others .
`` Today , the world watches to see whether the United States will seize the opportunity for its policies to be examined fully under the light of transparency or whether it will shirk from the sunlight and bury its human rights record in the shadows of excuses , '' Bob Goodfellow , executive director of Amnesty International USA , said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dakwar responded to the UPR by urging President-elect Joe Biden—who as a lawmaker and vice president supported numerous human rights violations both inside the U.S. and overseas—to `` prioritize re-engagement with international human rights . ''
`` While the American voters elected a new president who is more committed to universal human rights , the international community must continue to hold the U.S. accountable to its international human rights obligations , '' Dakwar said , adding that the U.N. should `` ensure that the U.S. repair the damages caused to millions of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years . ''

The United States on Monday faced criticism over its human rights record from allies and adversaries alike at the United Nations as the country submitted to its first Universal Periodic Review of the Trump administration.
All 193 U.N. member states must undergo UPRs, which are held at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC)—from which the U.S. withdrew in 2018 over alleged anti-Israel bias—in Geneva, Switzerland every five years.
"While the American voters elected a new president who is more committed to universal human rights, the international community must continue to hold the U.S. accountable to its international human rights obligations."
—Jamil Dakwar, ACLU
Some 120 nations participated in this year's debate, which mostly occurred online due to the coronavirus pandemic, about the U.S. human rights record. Many nations, some with their own serious rights issues, offered criticism ranging from constructive to condemnatory. Country representatives were allowed less than a minute each to comment on the subject.
According to Agence France-Presse, the concern raised most at the half-day event was police violence against Black people and other minorities and in response to racial justice protests. U.S. policies and actions abroad, including the continued operation of the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba and the never-ending so-called War on Terror, were also discussed.
BREAKING: United Nations review will bring US human rights abuses to light As the US's human rights record is examined under the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, Bob Goodfellow, the executive director of AIUSA said:https://t.co/O5Tywrmq5O — Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) November 9, 2020
U.S. allies urged Washington to ratify human rights treaties, while expressing alarm over racism, inequality, gun violence, family separation and other abuse of undocumented migrants, and additional social ills, the Associated Press reports.
Australia and the Netherlands were among the friendly nations that called upon the U.S. to enact a moratorium on the death penalty. Germany asked the U.S. to rejoin the HRC and to end its sanctions against International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who infuriated President Donald Trump and other U.S. leaders when she announced the ICC was launching an investigation of U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.
#UPR36 Switzerland calls on the United States to end its sanctions against the @IntlCrimCourt, abolish the death penalty, fight racial discrimination and police violence. #USUPR @swiss_un pic.twitter.com/bSHcmgZt3I — Jamil Dakwar (@jdakwar) November 9, 2020
#UPR36 Australia calls on the United States to fully reengage with the Human Rights Council, abolish the death penalty, ratify human rights treaties, end racial discrimination and police violence and uphold reproductive rights. #USUPR pic.twitter.com/huSFSlFTgd — Jamil Dakwar (@jdakwar) November 9, 2020
Rival nations did not pull any punches in their criticism of U.S. human rights violations, both at home and abroad. Chinese representative Jiang Duan—whose country is run by one of the world's more repressive regimes and is accused of human rights crimes ranging from democracy suppression in Hong Kong to genocide against its Uighur and Tibetan populations—spoke quickly as he listed nine serious causes of concern. Among these were systemic racism, politicization of the Covid-19 pandemic, gun proliferation, and unending imperialist wars that have killed at least hundreds of thousands of civilians in more than half a dozen nations over the past 19 years.
"Stop interfering for political reasons in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of human rights," Duan admonished.
Pushing back against the global criticism, U.S. Ambassador Andrew Bremberg said that the American democratic system "allows for continued scrutiny, advocacy, and debate, which fuels progress and reform."
"We are willing to openly acknowledge our shortcomings," Bremberg insisted.
While this was the first UPR of Trump's tenure, the HRC conducted a six-month investigation in 2017 and 2018 resulting in a report condemning the administration for consciously exacerbating the worst economic inequality in the developed world. In July 2020 the HRC also decried the "arbitrary arrest and detention" and "unnecessary, disproportionate, or discriminatory use of force" against protesters, journalists, and others at demonstrations following the police and white supremacist killings of Black and Latinx people including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Andres Guardado, and others.
.@ACLU and other groups co-hosted a virtual UN briefing ahead of the Universal Periodic Review of the United States (scheduled for 11/9). Watch directly impacted individuals address issues of policing, criminal legal system and structural racism. https://t.co/tFhoU0PkKm #UPR36 — Jamil Dakwar (@jdakwar) November 5, 2020
Human rights groups welcomed the UPR.
"Today, the world watches to see whether the United States will seize the opportunity for its policies to be examined fully under the light of transparency or whether it will shirk from the sunlight and bury its human rights record in the shadows of excuses," Bob Goodfellow, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said in a statement.
ACLU human rights director Jamil Dakwar responded to the UPR by urging President-elect Joe Biden—who as a lawmaker and vice president supported numerous human rights violations both inside the U.S. and overseas—to "prioritize re-engagement with international human rights."
Only by respecting universal human rights at home and abroad and by remedying past and ongoing injustices including structural racism as well as economic and gender inequalities, the United States will have an opportunity to lead by the power of example. — Jamil Dakwar (@jdakwar) November 9, 2020
"While the American voters elected a new president who is more committed to universal human rights, the international community must continue to hold the U.S. accountable to its international human rights obligations," Dakwar said, adding that the U.N. should "ensure that the U.S. repair the damages caused to millions of people’s lives over the past four years."
Crossposted from Common Dreams (Brett Wilkins, staff writer) under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.


crooksandliars--2020-11-12--Pelosi And Schumer Press Conference

Pelosi And Schumer Press Conference

Local 10 News has found evidence to suggest three such candidates in three Florida Senate district races , two of @ @ @ @ @ , were shill candidates whose presence in the races were meant to syphon votes from @ @ @