Don’t market legal marijuana to kids
Can anyone make this make sense to me? I`d love to hear the argument.
So we live in a time when stores have been forced out of the flavored vaping business, and now it appears that under pressure from lawmakers, they will need to stop selling menthol “flavored“ cigarettes because, apparently, they appeal to kids. OK, fine, let’s roll with that.
Now, at the very same time flavored vape and menthol cigarettes are under this scrutiny, we are in a hurry to usher in legalized marijuana?
Here are just a few names of this garbage, and you tell me it isn’t marketed for kids.
Here`s some kiddy advertising for you — different names of Mary Jane, at a dispensary near you.
Banana Candy, Bubble Gum, Candy Jack, Candyland, Cherry Limeade, Chocolate Chunk, Cotton Candy, Cream Caramel, Frankenberry, Fruity Pebbles, Grape Sorbet, Hawaiian Punch, Lemon Drop.
The above are just a very few. Can we all see how ridiculous this is? This doesn’t appeal to kids? Seriously, are you high?
Nothing makes sense about it and it’ll only get into more kid’s hands once it’s legal and cause more DUIs in those old enough to drive. What a win!
There is nothing in my mind that justifies it. Well, tax revenue of course.
Brian Baldwin
Burnt Hills
CDTA: Get buses to riders on time
This letter gives me no great joy in writing it.
When is the CDTA going to start sticking to the business of transportation?
I am referring to having buses run on time when they say they are. Recently the 905 bus was supposed to leave Washington Square in Schenectady at 6:19 a.m. No 905 buses came until 6:45 a.m., then two came. This makes everyone late for work, and medical appointments in Albany. I am talking about 80-100 people.
This has been going on for months. If a driver does not show, “So what, they’ll wait until we send the next one,” is the attitude of the CDTA.
All the while they say, “We care for you.” Sound familiar? They expand service to Amsterdam and shortchange the regular riders of Scotia and Schenectady.
They used to have an extra list, where 10 people at least were ready to go if a person was a no-show. No more. Why?
The Scotia bus should leave at 5:45 in the morning, not 6 a.m. like it used to, and there would be no problems getting the 905 to Albany for them. This is going on all over the system.
Albert P. Marvell
Scotia
Pass Environmental Justice For All Act
During the month of November, hundreds of people gathered virtually and in person in the nation’s capital to discuss and advocate for the Environmental Justice for All Act (H.R. 2021/ S. 872).
For years, fossil fuel production has negatively impacted lower-income communities and marginalized people across the United States, and across the state of New York.
The U.S. government’s insufficient response continues to magnify injustice and discrimination.
I am urging Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, as well as Rep. Paul Tonko, to co-sponsor and publicly support the Environmental Justice for All Act.
This bill represents an important step toward addressing the long legacy of harm and ensuring the fair treatment of all people, no matter where they live.
The Environmental Justice for All Act is a strong response to an issue that has burdened entire communities across the United States for too long.
Ky’Asia Washington Blanchard
Schenectady
Renaming as ‘new’ not always best
While all residents should applaud Mr. Golub and the work that he’s done to promote Schenectady for the better part of three decades — the city has literally never had a bigger booster — it is a little disconcerting that a supermarket magnate, when presented with a marketing promotion to rebrand something old as new, doesn’t have the debacle that was “New Coke” seared into in his memory.
Sean Mulkerrin
Schenectady
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Schenectady town hall about housing. The liberal loonies in Schenectady City council is trying to figure why rents are so high in Schenectady. Well first how about all the money lost by landlords due to allowing tenants not to pay rent for couple of years. Not holding tenants accountable for damaging apartments they rent. Not to long ago people were praising the Guyanese population for rejuvenating Schenectady. They have and they put their hard earned money into improving the neighborhoods they invest. The liberal judges who refuse to evict bad tenants for non-payment. The mismanaged taxes received by the city. So when the city stops supporting the landlords the landlords start raising rents. Maybe the city council should take a class in capitalism and how it works. I will give them a hint. When you buy an investment property the ultimate goal is to earn a profit from the property. I owned income properties for years and gave them up because the liberal judges kept telling me to write off lost rent and damages. So either you sell or raise rents. My buddy does evictions here in Schenectady and seen this happening first hand. He said this is the bed they made for allowing tenants to get away with not paying rent.
Balenciaga disturbing photo shoot with children in bondage with a curious white rabbit in each photo. Follow the white rabbit and you will find Alice and it will lead you to wonderland.
Rep. Scott Wiener calls out Charles Kirk for an alleged homophobic tweet. Sadly this liberal California Socialist forgot to finish his fake tweet because he left the cursor in the screen shot. Once again caught creating divide and chaos this is what the socialist do. Still no response on having Rev. Warnock , Obama, Biden about their cozy relationship with Lewis Farrakhan. I guess when it is a conservative involved do the donkey clowns EEEE-HAWWW. The walls are closing in on the Socialist D.S. criminals.
Brandy way too much caffeine today your babbling is off the charts the world’s not such a bad place calm yourself
Rah! Rah! Rah! Lets go no brain don!
Christophe, Lou, I just glance at Brandy’s posts. They are so nonsensical I seldom read them in detail. As soon as as I see “donkey clowns EEEE-HAWWW,” I stop. If I get the gist of some offensive misinformation I might take the time to correct it or let all see it it for the foolishness it is.
Today’s Washington Post:
“Elon Musk said Twitter suspended the rapper Ye on Friday after he shared an image of a swastika combined with the Star of David, weeks after his account was restored”…..
“The tweet followed a string of antisemitic comments by the rapper that have upended his business deals. An interview with far-right Infowars founder Alex Jones sparked uproar on Thursday in which Ye said: “I like Hitler.”….
“During the talk with Jones, alongside white nationalist Nick Fuentes, Ye also said: “I see good things about Hitler” and denied that Adolf Hitler, as leader of the Nazi party, oversaw the murder of six million Jews.”
Perhaps brunch would have been more appropriate than dinner.
Louis This Ye person is obviously mentally ill and playing to the extreme Damsel Donnie crowd. Hopefully his children are shielded from his atrocious behavior too bad the rest of us can’t be.
Sean Mulkerrin, I agree, Neil Golub should give up on his bid to rename Schenectady the “New Schenectady”.
I Wonder if he’s ever thought about renaming his stores something cool like, “Chop the New Market 32 Price”
And the Gazette should tone down their endorsement of him…it…whatever. Give him lots of ad space he has to pay for. Don’t provide him free space meant for journalism. Twice in 2 weeks.
Does any one believe we’d get honest coverage if it was discovered he, or his business were involved in anything untoward? Say a quid pro quo with local media?
Albert P. Marvell I’m moving in a year or so when I retire to Tennessee, there is no state income tax, the schools are great the weather is much better and the taxes including school tax is $350 per $100,000 of assessment per year. New York has garbage schools, crime, terrible weather, and regulations out of the butt. Is there any wonder why people like me are leaving NY in droves? They will continue to raise taxes to feed their special interest groups like Hochul’s Buffalo Bills stadium while people continue to abandon this state.
Bye ya got a date?
Know this, no matter where I am I will always be here to hold the mice accountable for their propaganda.
Marincic: No matter where you go there you are.
Yeah not like the Republican Governor and legislature didn’t just approve $500 million for the Titans’ new stadium that’s barely 20 years old LOL. Maybe you can tell the elected officials there to stop taking so much more in federal dollars then the state contributes each year because, you know, boot straps and all. Why should New York have to subsidize Tennessee? Sounds a lot like socialism.
Top ten states receiving more federal funding than they return are all red, as in Republican.
TN is number 18. 40% of the state’s revenue comes from the federal government.
And we wonder why it’s so cheap to live in these states, because their leeching of the feds and the US tax payer.
Keepin’ it classy, Republicans. And you’re welcome, Marincic.
https smartassetDOTcom/data-studies/states-most-dependent-on-the-federal-government-2022
More evidence that we need to monitor social media in order to protect the vulnerable from attacks by the easily influenced MAGA bigots:
The New York Times reports: (12/3)
“Before Elon Musk bought Twitter, slurs against Black Americans showed up on the social media service an average of 1,282 times a day. After the billionaire became Twitter’s owner, they jumped to 3,876 times a day.
Slurs against gay men appeared on Twitter 2,506 times a day on average before Mr. Musk took over. Afterward, their use rose to 3,964 times a day. And antisemitic posts referring to Jews or Judaism soared more than 61 percent in the two weeks after Mr. Musk acquired the site.
These changes are alarming, researchers said, adding that they had never seen such a sharp increase in hate speech, problematic content and formerly banned accounts in such a short period on a mainstream social media platform.”
Those whose speech can be interpreted as representing a threat to any minority, any of the many groups who are objects of MAGA slurs and demonization, whether gays, Jews, Blacks, transsexuals, drag queens, or immigrants must have their accounts suspended and terminated if their vile posts continue.
New York State: Love it or Leave it. Anyone can leave whenever they want. People should not be unhappy where they live. They should move to that greener grass on the other side of the fence. Life is short. Do it now.
Some disgruntled people are incapable achieving an inner piece. Moving to a different state most certainly will not reward them with contentment. They will be miserable regardless of where they live. I will say that getting them out of the great state of NY is a bonus for New Yorkers.
Mr. Restifo, I believe youve hit the nail on the head
I agree with Mr. Baldwin. No drugs should be packaged, flavored, or marketed toward children. In fact, I don’t think any drugs, even prescription drugs, should be advertised at all. I really am tired of hearing about misshapen male genitalia, erectile dysfunction, and shaky leg syndrome. Many of the ads make people feel like they have emotional and physical problems they don’t actually have or are too minor to warrant prescription medications.
Imagine how much money would be saved on prescription drugs if Big Pharma stopped their nauseating ads and passed the savings on to consumers. How much would unnecessary visits to the doctor be reduced because no one would see the ads that convince them they probably have a medical issue when, in reality, it is only the ads working on them.
I hate all those pharmaceutical ads with those ¨cute¨ names and often my 70ś songs.
Of course we should not market marijuana towards children, but aren´t they a separate store that you need ID to get into? I don´t believe these products will be on the shelves in gas stations and regular stores like cigarettes and vaping products.
Where is the accountability in the White House. Press secretary outright lies about Uncle Quid Pro Quo John visiting the US and Mexican border. No record of any such visit but the head lier for the White House Jean Pierre spews false claims. Surely the Donkey Clowns have an excuse for the lie. The Hypocrisy alive and well in lying Dementia Joe administration. Maybe Dementia is contagious?
Where is the accountability in the White House. Press secretary outright lies about Uncle Quid Pro Quo John visiting the US and Mexican border. No record of any such visit but the head lier for the White House Jean Pierre spews false claims. Surely the Donkey Clowns have an excuse for the lie. The Hypocrisy alive and well in lying Dementia Joe administration. Maybe Dementia is contagious? Where is the press holding our government accountable?
Sean Spicer, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Stephanie Grisham, Kaylee McEnany. Throw in Kellyanne Conway, another spokesperson, and there is no need for me to say anything else other than. Yes,“Hypocrisy” for sure.
Karine Jeanne-Pierre did state, untruthfully, that Biden had visited the border during his administration. Whether she actually thought he did or knew she was lying is irrelevant. She should be informed.
However, Brandy’s hypocrisy is evident in the fact that he ignores or defends the innumerable lies told by Trump and his press secretaries:
From The New Yorker on Spicer:
“It was Spicer’s lies and defense of lies that he will be remembered for. Spicer defended Trump’s lie about how there were three million fraudulent votes in the 2016 election. He spent weeks using shifting stories to defend Trump’s lie about President Barack Obama wiretapping Trump Tower. In trying to explain the urgency of the attack on Syria, Spicer explained, “You had someone as despicable as Hitler, who didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.”
Last week, he lied about the nature of the meeting at Trump Tower in June, 2016, between senior Trump-campaign officials and several people claiming to have information about Hillary Clinton from the Russian government. “There was nothing, as far as we know, that would lead anyone to believe that there was anything except for discussion about adoption,” Spicer claimed, bizarrely, because Donald Trump, Jr., had already admitted that the meeting was about Russian dirt on Clinton. On March 10th, Spicer came to the lectern wearing an upside-down American flag, which is a signal of dire distress.”
From the Guardian on Sanders:
“Few aides have been as willing to step out in front of the world’s media and defend Trump, no matter what he has said or done
Sarah Sanders, who will leave her position as White House press secretary at the end of the month, will likely be remembered for her “contentious” or “adversarial” relationship with the press during her time in the role.
Few Trump aides have been so willing to so often step out in front of the world’s media and defend him, no matter what he had done or said. In a press conference to mark her departure, Sanders said she will continue to be “one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president and his agenda”.
Here were some key moments from her time in the White House:
1) On allegations of Trump’s sexual misconduct
When asked by Jacqueline Alemany of CBS News in 2017 if the then 16 women who had accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment were lying, Sanders held the administration line.
“Last week, during a press conference in the Rose Garden, the president called these accusations ‘fake news,’” Alemany said. “Is the official White House position that all of these women are lying?”
“Yeah, we’ve been clear on that from the beginning, and the president’s spoken on it,” Sanders responded before moving on.
2) The Mueller report details Sanders’ lying
Sanders was caught lying in the special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. After Trump’s firing of the FBI director James Comey, Sanders attempted to cast the decision in a positive light, saying she had heard from “countless members of the FBI” that they had no confidence in him.
But speaking under oath to Mueller’s team she admitted that the sentiment “was not founded on anything”. However, when asked about it after the lie emerged in the Mueller report, she lied once again, saying it was a slip of the tongue, before going on to blame Democrats.
3) Sanders says Trump has never encouraged violence against anyone
When a member of the US Coast Guard was arrested for plotting what appeared to be acts of terrorism against Democrats and journalists earlier this year, Sanders was asked whether or not the president’s consistent framing of the media as “the enemy of the people” had contributed to a dangerous environment.
Sanders answered that the president hadn’t “done anything but condemn violence against journalists or anyone else”. The number of times Trump has called for violence, against protesters, alleged criminals and others, are numerous. Most notably, referencing Greg Gianforte’s 2017 attack on a reporter, he said “any guy who can do a body slam, he is my type!”
4) Defending Trump’s sharing of videos from far-right British extremists
“Whether it’s a real video, the threat is real,” Sanders said in November of 2017. “His goal is to promote strong border security and strong national security.”
She was responding to questions about Trump’s sharing of several videos from the far-right group Britain First meant to cast Muslims as violent, the authenticity of which were in doubt.
“I’m not talking about the nature of the video,” she said. “The threat is real, what the president is talking about – the need for national security and military spending – those are very real things, there’s nothing fake about that.”
Anyone interested enough can google the lies told by Grisham and McEnany.
Let us never forget Kelly Anne Conway’s infamous attempt at sugar coating the prevaricating Trump administration by calling lies “alternative facts.”
I forgot Trump’s ultimate lie, that he won the election. The lie Karine St.-Pierre told pales in comparison to all the problems Trump’s illegal plots and violent attempt to stay in power have created in our country.
Thanks Tony, for looking up not the alternative, but the real facts.
Spicer came immediately out of the gate lying about 45s inauguration crowd size:
He falsely claimed the crowd gathered at the 2017 inauguration was “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.”
Regarding Anthony’s response to the drugs. I wholeheartedly agree with his statement. The drug industry does not heal they perpetuate illness with their drugs. The marijuana law’s are the result of Democratic government in NY. They legalize then create councilor positions to assist with addiction. See I can agree with a opposing party.
I believe many prescription drugs have greatly improved and extended our lives but they should be dispensed by a physician after diagnosing a real illness in a patient. People should not be cajoled into believing they have one of the innumerable conditions described in prescription drug ads, and then rush to their doctor demanding an Rx.
Anthony I just picture his little stumpy fingers flying over the keyboard as Brandy giggles to himself in pleasure at his perceived cleverness it must take him hours to craft these gems. just giving Brandy a little something else to cling to in his obviously bitter misery filled existence he has so little else.the bitterness is palpable with each new long drawn out babbling post. LETS GO BRANDY,
I should add that I believe all drugs should be de-criminalized. Addiction is a disease regardless of the substance one is abusing. De-criminalization of some drugs should not include legal manufacture and sale of those drugs. However, the addict is, in all cases, a sick person and should be treated as such.
Of course, jclark is right about marijuana for recreational purposes being available only in licensed retail outlets and only to those 21 and over. I still think we are better off not allowing advertising at all. Packaging, flavors and marketing techniques aimed at making the products attractive to children should be banned. How many young people became addicted cigarettes because of Marlboro cowboy ads, Joe Camel, and other such nonsense.,
Mr Stalka I almost lost my dinner picturing ‘lets go Brandy’ when reading this Thank you it is a classic!
Louis when I bring up HRC and past misconduct the donkey clown’s always reply with the same response. We’re talking about right now not past administration. So what’s your defense for Jean Pierre lying to the media and American people. The government lies so much and the media is complicit that’s why CNN is tanking and other MSM are failing.
Glad to hear you think the past has no relevance to the present unless you want it to. Hillary, Hillary, Hillary.
When talking about possible border issues explanations, then throw in the word “lying” you must be referencing that the Mexicans crossing are rapist murderers and drug addicts, or am I mistaken and do you believe that to be true?
I´ll bet Pierre will come out and apologize.
Chris sticks and stones. Actually I play piano and guitar so no chubby fingers. Kind of creepy you have fantasies about me. I happen to be not working today so I am in my home office. Not like the donkey clowns who post constantly throughout the day daily. I work FT and run two family owned businesses. So whose existence is sad. Hello pot.. kettle is calling
Sorry if I hurt your feelings let’s go brandy!
Brandon its always the same with the blind donkey mice. When you ask them a question it always looks at what the GOP did, look what Trump said, look at Kelly Ann Conway. You could never have a real conversation with any of these clowns because they are always either on the attack or trying to hind from the question. Just like Quid Pro Big Guy.
If you believe that you are winning any “debates” with the “loony leftie, blind mice, stooges” on this forum, realize most assuredly, you’re not.
The merit of what one says is based on the content of the words spoken, and the worthiness and credibility of yours are nonexistent. Your constant, insane, ridiculous, inaccurate blabbering, with relentless persistence most certainly does not constitute, as you perceive it to be, a victory.
Restifo in all of your years posting here the only thing you do is an insult and maybe copy and paste. So for you to believe that you are relevant to anything anyone says on here is a joke at best. I heard that balsa wood furniture from China is on sale.
“You racists. I imagine none of you have ever had friends other than old white clowns like yourselves”…. “stupid old lefties like you clowns make me laugh”… “No it’s the fact that you are cowards”…“lgb EXACTLY, the leftist loonies, or the echo chamber, or as you call them the donkey clowns”…. “I find you all to be the epitome of stupid lefties and I enjoy bashing youur stupid anti-American ideas”…. “A bunch of crazy old lefties from the 70s”…. “I owe you whacko lefties nothing”…. “You must have been a lousy teacher”…. “you sound like a broken record with your racist diatribe”…. “your stupid little posts are old and worn out like you”…. “Do we even care what you think with your cowardly fake name?”…”you’re just an angry old man”…”he’s old, useless fool, like you”…”the crap that you write”…”all you do is mumble through the insults”…”Santo you are a complete fool”…”with you idiots in charge”…how narrow-minded and stupid you people are”…”senile old lefty”…. “coward”
Of all your nasty remarks my favorite one is; ”all you do is mumble through the insults” That’s hilarious!
So white supremacy, stupid. ill informed, racist, trump humpers and so on again the socialist hypocrisy are their motto. Eeeehaw
And that’s the way the stump flies brilliant response ! let’s go Brandy!
Mr. Bill 🤡 Tennessee is ranked 33rd in US public schools. But I’m sure The Volunteer State will be happy to have you. Just think you can yell at the kids “get off my lawn” all practically year round down there
As if we needed another reminder that Republicans want nothing to do with bettering the world, just to try to grab power…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I think it’s undemocratic of major asset managers to use their power to influence societal outcomes,” (FL State CFO) Patronis said. “If Larry (Fink), or his friends on Wall Street, want to change the world — run for office. Start a nonprofit. Donate to the causes you care about. Using our cash, however, to fund BlackRock’s social-engineering project isn’t something Florida ever signed up for.”
…
Florida will pull $2 billion from the largest asset-management firm in the world over ideological differences. State Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced Thursday that Florida will immediately freeze about $1.43 billion in long-term securities and about $600 million in short-term overnight investments managed by BlackRock because of the firm’s use of “Environmental, Social, and Governance” standards — known as ESG. Patronis in a statement said he doesn’t “trust BlackRock’s ability to deliver” and “BlackRock CEO Larry Fink is on a campaign to change the world.”
…
Fink is a leading proponent of ESG metrics. In a letter this year to corporate executives, Fink said companies using the standards are “performing better than their peers.”
“Stakeholder capitalism is not about politics,” Fink wrote. “It is not a social or ideological agenda. It is not ‘woke.’ It is capitalism, driven by mutually beneficial relationships between you and the employees, customers, suppliers, and communities your company relies on to prosper.”
– Miami Herald, 2/12/2022
More good news for those of us who hate the malicious lies told by Trump allies. It looks like the evil, heartless monster Alex Jones is about to face financial ruin for spreading his slanderous lies about the Sandy Hook slaughter of innocent children and teachers:December 2, 2022 Extremists, Trump cultists
Reuters reports:
“Bankruptcy can be used to wipe out debts, but not if they result from “willful or malicious injury” caused by the debtor. Jones’s lies appear to meet that standard, said Susan Block-Lieb, a professor of bankruptcy law at Fordham University School of Law.
“Defamation is pretty clearly an intentional tort – it is especially clear in Alex Jones’s case,’ Block-Lieb said. The filing also comes with risk for Jones, who will have to disclose all of his assets in court, said bankruptcy lawyer Sidney Scheinberg.
“Now that he’s filed for bankruptcy, his assets are an open book,” Scheinberg said. “If you hide assets in a bankruptcy case, that’s a federal crime.”
Bye-bye Mr. Jones; ask The Orange One for help and discover how impotent he is now.
Anthony good news but rumor has it he has be hiding assets for months. He is also begging for cash in the tradition of Damsel Donnie from his deluded followers. Either way the families are in for a long slog to get a dime out of this troll. His ex wife is also after the loser!
Bob, I’m confident that the justice system is so determined to make him pay that they will uncover those hidden assets. What amazes me is that if ONE individual as evil and reprehensible as Jones was in any way connected to Joe Biden or any other Democrat the Republicans would call for immediate resignation from whatever office they might hold.
Imagine if the infamous Hollywood tapes had been of Obama or Cory Booker making comments about using their stardom to get away with grabbing p—-. Imagine the outrage among “Christian” MAGA self-righteous, ignorant racists.
Axios reports: 12/2
“Former President Trump shared words of support Thursday with the families of people charged with attacking the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“People have been treated unconstitutionally in my opinion and very, very unfairly, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it,” Trump said in a video played during a fundraiser hosted by the Patriot Freedom Project, which assists those charged in the riot.
“You look at other groups which have done terrible things and virtually nothing happened to them. So, it’s a very unfair situation.” He also spoke of the “weaponization of the Department of Justice,” saying we can’t let this happen, and warned the country is “going communist.”
How many lies did this despicable man, this man beneath contempt, tell in those two short paragraphs?
-The defendants in the 1/6 cases were NOT treated unconstitutionally. They were afforded all their rights and most acknowledged their wrongdoing.
-Trump has no power to get to “the bottom” of anything. In fact, he is the bottom. Lower than whale s— as the old saying goes.
-What “other groups” have done what “terrible things” AND got away with it?
-It is a flat-out incendiary lie to say the country is “going communist.” Would the “erudite” Trump please explain exactly how the country is “going communist”? Does he know what communism is? If he is so against it, why did he “fall in love” with N. Korean dictator Kim Jung Un?
-He is the one who tried to “weaponize” the DOJ. Remember Comey’s firing and the chants of “Lock her up”?
-Finally, the “Patriot Freedom Project” has to be the most facetious title ever. They should be called “The Treasonous White “Christian” Nationalist Project.”
How do any Americans continue to support this living obscenity, this blight on our political lives?
Remember, Trump is only one man. – Yes, a complete deranged bastard that has been the catalyst for unthinkable crime, terror and death throughout America, and much of the world as well.
What is as upsetting as he is are the people who are unwilling do denounce this no good piece of s- – t, and worse yet are the MAGA followers that not only do not denounce him but back him, of which a few are on this forum. No copy paste B.owel M.ovement, these are my own words.
Posted for consideration:
On the afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, two wholly unconnected events allowed millions of stressed-out Americans to sigh with relief. First, the U.S. men’s soccer team defeated Iran, 1-0, at the World Cup. Second — and infinitely sweeter for so many of us — a jury found Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and one of his associates, Kelly Meggs, guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6 coup attempt.
The last time the Justice Department secured a guilty verdict on seditious conspiracy charges was way back in 1995, when the militant Egyptian cleric Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman and nine followers were convicted of plotting to bomb New York landmarks. It’s only fitting that Rhodes and Meggs were found guilty of the same charge as terrorists who wanted to drive America to its knees.
Why, then, do the guilty verdicts, as welcome as they are, seem weirdly inconclusive?
Perhaps it’s because while the verdicts are a significant win for the DOJ, the trial itself felt a bit like closing the barn door after the horses, pigs and rats have set the whole place on fire. That a violent, narcissistic goon like Rhodes will spend years in prison is cause for satisfaction; that countless Republicans continue to downplay the insurrectionist violence at the Capitol is cause for alarm. In that sense, the verdict in the Oath Keepers’ trial is a harsh reminder of an even harsher reality. Namely, that at the local, state, and national level today’s GOP is, by and large, an unapologetically extremist party. Period.
Consider that, by all accounts, a strong majority of Republicans believe that the 2020 election was stolen. Their proof? A pathological liar and semi-literate grifter told them so. That sort of blind, unquestioning belief in the gibbering of an autocratic oaf is not the behavior of an informed citizenry, but of a dangerous cult.
It’s also worth recalling that 147 Republican lawmakers voted to overturn the 2020 election results — mere hours after the Capitol was attacked.
Not 10. Not 30. Not 70. One hundred and forty-seven.
Many of those elected officials, meanwhile, are still bleating about the “Big Steal.” Wisconsin’s Ron Johnson, Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville, Missouri’s fist-pumping agitator Josh Hawley, and others have ceaselessly amplified lies about “massive voter fraud” with seemingly no aim besides raising funds and riling up the perpetually aggrieved MAGA base. And those are just the senators. There are even more, and even viler, Big Steal loudmouths in the House.
But election denialism is hardly the only sign that extremism is the animating force in today’s GOP.
Example: The Texas Republican Party’s official platform explicitly states that President Joe Biden is an “acting” commander-in-chief and “was not legitimately elected.” It describes homosexuality as “an abnormal lifestyle choice.” It calls for “the removal of the United Nations from United States soil.” It states that Texas “retains the right to secede from the United States.” (Texas: Is that a threat or a promise?)
Example: On the heels of the Supreme Court overruling of Roe v. Wade, “trigger bans” in more than a dozen Republican-led states immediately outlawed abortion, with few of those states including exceptions for rape or incest.
Example: Pennsylvania’s 2022 GOP gubernatorial nominee was Doug Mastriano — a Christian nationalist and anti-choice zealot who believes climate change is an “academic racket” and that same-sex marriage should be illegal. He has deep ties to far-right militias and groups like (surprise!) the Oath Keepers. He welcomed the endorsement of a self-styled “prophet,” Julie Green, who preaches that Nancy Pelosi drinks the blood of children and Joe Biden died long ago and is being played by an actor. Mastriano lost — but not before receiving well more than 2 million votes from people who either share his beliefs or are clearly untroubled by them.
We could go on and on citing the ways that extremism now rules the GOP. But here’s the thing: despite reality staring them in the face, mainstream media insist on characterizing virtually all Republicans as “conservatives.”
The post-mortems conducted on the GOP’s underwhelming midterm results spoke of headwinds faced by “conservatives” — headwinds like a solid majority of voters citing the threat to abortion rights as a motivating factor in getting to the polls; the growing political activism and power of Gen Z; widespread concern over the future of American democracy in a nation where election deniers not only won’t shut up, but are louder, and more litigious, than ever; etc.
Enough already. We should recognize that anti-choice, ammosexual, election-denying, autocracy-curious Republicans are not outliers in their party. They are their party, and sticking with quaint terminology like “conservatives” when referring to the radicals now steering the GOP clown-car does a disservice to the rest of America — and in a twisted way, to Republicans themselves.
Call them by their rightful name: extremists. After all, they’ve earned it.
By Benedict Cosgrove
New York Daily News
Dec 02, 2022 at 5:00 am
What is most frightening is the fact that so many millions of Americans still support Trump and his MAGA movement. They have no idea what is in store for them if they get their wish and Trump or some other Republican like him, Ron DeSantis being the most obvious, takes over this country in 2024. I say “takes over” because I don’t think any of these fascists would win in a fair election. The majority of Americans know exactly what their brand is and have rejected it. But the fascists have sowed, purposely and with no truth, distrust in our elections so that they can rig and manipulate them in their favor. The only hope is that enough people in government are honorable enough to call them out and that the anti-MAGA majority becomes so large the fascists won’t be able to get their way.