Glenn Kirschner – Oath Keeper Elmer Stewart Rhodes testifies that the election was “unconstitutional” and “invalid”
The Lincoln Project – Never
Meidas Touch – Furious White House Reporter tells us TRUMP IS to BLAME for MAGA GOP VIOLENCE
MSNBC – Mallory McMorrow: GOP Is Invoking Violence As A Political Strategy
Robert Reich – 3 Lies Republicans Are Using This Election
Beau – Let’s talk about a voting PSA….
Yesterday, A new story came out about a new political assault. The victim was a candidate for the Pennsylvania State House, which is about as far down the ballot as one can get, unless the municipality elects its dog catcher. But this attack also included an elderly man (69) and blows to the head causing unconsciousness. This is getting ridiculous. Crooks and Liars picked the story up from the local paper; there’s been no national coverage that I know of. Which makes me wonder how many other candidates for downballot offices are getting assaulted and we never hear about it.
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Short Takes –
Civil Discourse – A Tale of Two Arizona Voter Intimidation Cases
Quote – The lawyers at Protect Democracy, which represents the League of Women Voters, were busy assembling the evidence. It appears that it was the evidence they were able to put in front of the court in the second case that persuaded Judge Liburdi to reach a different outcome. The League requested an injunction to stop the voter intimidation and attached affidavits that set forth such serious claims that the Judge ordered a hearing, which took place [Novrmbrt 1]. I’m told that the testimony was very powerful…. The best part of the order requires the group to post, both on their website and on their Truth Social page, accurate information about Arizona drop box voting laws and a copy of the court’s orders. I’m imagining a lot of heads exploding when they’re told…the truth.
Click through for full article. Legal representation and the way evidence is presented matters as much as the evidence itself, and maybe more.
Crooks and Liars – Judge To True The Vote Founder: Comply Or Go To Jail
Thursday’s hearing, which took place on the 11th floor of the federal court building in downtown Houston, was the first time either Engelbrecht or Phillips have appeared in court in the matter. Engelbrecht and Phillips testified only after the judge demanded they do so — Hoyt needed their testimony so he could rule on whether the pair should be held in contempt of court for refusing, for weeks, to hand over information he’d ordered they produce to the plaintiffs.
Click through for details. The Arizona intimidators are comparable to Jan 6 participants. These two are more at the Roger Stone-Mike Lindell level.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner skipped a day (I hope he’s all right.) Harry Litman will stand in.
The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – October 25, 2022
MSNBC – Rep. Himes: The U.S. Has To Decide We Won’t Allow The GOP To Mess With Election
Ring of Fire – Journalist Claims Trump Conned His Son Barron With COVID Misinformation
Cole and Marmalade – MEET MAZ AND CALYPSO! (Cole left for the Rainbow Bridge last year)
Beau – Let’s talk about whistles, DOD policy, and what’s next….
Glenn Kirschner – The Trump Organization “show trial” kicks off today. But Donald Trump will not be held accountable
The Lincoln Project – Tyranny
Meidas Touch – Roevember Is Coming!
Katie Porter brings inflation receipts.
Bigger corporate profits account for *over half* of the higher prices people are paying. pic.twitter.com/RZr5O0X4oJ
— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) October 18, 2022
MSNBC – Yamiche Alcindor: Felons Who Are ‘Legal To Vote’ May Be ‘Intimidated’ By FL Election Police Arrests
Beau – Let’s talk about the economy and a democratic problem…. (and Beau brings the receipts alsoi.)
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Yesterday, the radio opera was “Il Corsaro” by Verdi. I had never heard of it, but I instantly assumed it was based on Lord Byron’s poem, “The Corsair,” and it turns out I was correct. It’s early Verdi, before 1850. The protagonist (the pirate) has his headquarters on a Greek Island (Byron was obsessed with the Greek Islands) while the antagonist is a Turkish pasha. Being grand opera as it is, three of the four principal characters are dead by the time it ends, and I wouldn’t be too sure the fourth won’t also suicide after the curtain falls (although she might not. She’s pretty tough.) The music is stunning. I can see why some of the 20th century’s biggest stars wanted to bring it back into the repertory. Sadly the 20th century – at least the second half – was a tough time for “new” opera (“new” meaning anything unfamiliar to the sudience.) Opera lovers are not yet completely out of that mind set, but it is getting better. More forgotten operas are getting revived, and mre new ones are being premiered by major houses – and getting good responses – than any time in my life. Many are not what one would expect. One was based on “Marnie” (not the Hitchcock movie, exactly, but the book that inspired it.) Another was based on a Luis Buñuel movie (surrealism – think Salvador Dali but in a movie. In other words, weird.)
Before diving into the short takes, I want to quickly share this link from Joyce Vance where you will find all 291 of the election deniers who will be on the ballot in 24 days, sorted by how likely they are to win their elections, and searchable by state and by office they are running for. If for any reason it doesn’t work for you, here’s the link to Joyce’s newsletter and you can try from there, but you will be confronted by a couple of silky chicken moms, each with two chicks, and I warn you, they look strange.
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Short Takes –
The Daily Beast – The Jan. 6 Committee Gave Us Some Bad News About the Secret Service
Quote – The Secret Service has too many secrets. The Federal Bureau of Investigation requires a thorough investigation. These are among the most striking conclusions that emerged Thursday from the last public meeting of Congress’s Jan. 6 committee. Laying out its meticulously crafted case against former President Donald Trump for leading an insurrection against the government he had sworn an oath to protect, the committee made it clear that there were many targets that warranted further investigation. Not least of these were the two law enforcement agencies that had long prided themselves on being among the U.S. government’s most shining examples of integrity and service.
Click through for story. The emphasis here stood out to me.. If you would prefer a more panoramic view, you can check out HuffPost also.
HuffPost – The Most Important Midterm Elections Have Nothing To Do With Congress
Quote – Over the last two years, state legislatures have served as the epicenter of the far-right’s assault on American democracy. Republicans have used their dominance of that level of politics, one that often sails beneath the radar in major election seasons, to enact new restrictions on voting, target state election systems with conspiracy theories meant ultimately to undermine them, and potentially pave the way for future efforts to overturn elections they lose in ways former President Donald Trump failed to do in 2020.
Click through for the details. This is going to be harder to track down.The Colorado General Assembly (as we call our State House) has 100 seats, and the Colorado State Senate 35, and we have 8 Congressional Districts. Californioa has 52 Congressional Districts. I don’t know how big the State Legialatures are, but I’m guessing bigger than ours. And so are those of multiple other states. Just vole blue.
Food For Thought
Yesterday, I decided not to use a story about The Onion as a short take, but instead to direct y’all to it here. Readers Digest versin, a man posted a parody Facebook page on his own page, mocking his local police department, and got arrested and locked up. The Onion filed an amicus brief on his behalf. Here’s the story, and here’s the actual brief.
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Short Takes –
Brennan Center for Justice – Voting Laws Roundup: October 2022
Quote – Voters in some states are facing new barriers as they cast ballots in the midterms. Other new state laws are increasing the risk of election interference this fall and in future elections…. Between January 1, 2022, and September 12, 2022, state lawmakers have enacted the following voting laws: At least seven states enacted 10 laws that make voting more difficult — of these, 5 laws in five states are in place for the midterms…. At least seven states have enacted 12 election interference laws, of which 11 are in place for the midterms…. At least 12 states have enacted 19 laws that expand access to the vote.
Click through for full details – they break it all down, with receipts. No changes in my state – but that’s not true for everyone here.
Grid – The Supreme Court is hearing a lawsuit over Section 230, the law the internet loves to hate
Quote – The Supreme Court said Monday that it will hear a case this term examining the scope of tech companies’ immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The law, passed in 1996, has for decades protected internet companies from lawsuits related to content users share on their platforms. If the court breaks with the long-running legal interpretation of Section 230, it could fundamentally change how the internet — and particularly social media sites — functions.
Click through for story. No one is happy now with how the internet – and particularly social media on the internet – work now, and I suspect no one is going to be happy with the way it will work when this case is over – no matter how it’s decided. Because there just isn’t a simple, easy solution.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Trump asks his lawyer to lie about documents AND Trump asks Supreme Court/Clarence Thomas for help (I do think the ongoing Oath Keepers trial may be key as to what charges can be brought against whom.)
Meidas Touch – Right Wing Radio Host CONFESSES Abortion Arguments are a TOTAL LIE and Texas Paul REACTS
[“There’s a term for a sentient being which has no control over its own body. That term is livestock.”]
The Lincoln Project – Comrade Carlson
MSNBC – Mary Trump: Everything Donald Has Done Is A ‘Prelude To Worse Things To Come’
Brent Terhune – Student Loan Forgiveness
Beau – Let’s talk about ignorance vs racism….
Yesterday, I realized that today is Yom Kippur – it began last night at sunset. I didn’t make a graphic greeting for it, because it is such a serious holiday and I did not want to be unintentionally fippant. But I will offer G’mar Chatima Tovah to all who celebrate.
I also learned that the group Faithful Americahas a new website up, “False Prophets Don’t Speak for Me,” to oppose Christofascism. If you agree, you can sign there to say so. Obviusly, just being one of the signers helps. Of course they ae also requesting donations, but it’s not a requirement. It shows who they consider to be the top 30 false prophets currently. I found it a bit scary how many I didn’t know about. And it’s interesting who is not on the list also.
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Short Takes –
Daily Kos (staff Aysha Kumar) – After 2 years of threats, Gaige Grosskreutz, surviving victim of Kyle Rittenhouse, wants name change
Quote – “[T]he real story here isn’t that I am seeking to change my name, but that a process that is supposed to protect and shield those in danger was undermined and sealed information was released to the right-wing media within hours of my filing…. I was told that my filing was confidential. I demand that the court investigate how this was leaked to ensure that those seeking protection in the future receive the protection to which they are entitled. On Tuesday, I was denied that protection.”
Click through – The story was leaked by the Kenosha County Eye, which is run by MAGAt who organized a Faeebook group to “protect” the community from “BLM,” and who “covered” Rittenhouse’s trial as a free-lance photograoher, but could not resist yelling in the face of one of the prosecutors. The Milwaukee County “Clerk of Courts” (a vilid title, but I can’t e=define it) “said he has begun looking into the matter.”
ProPublica – How America’s Democracy Is “Ripe to Be Exploited”
Quote – Voters in Sweden this month gave a leading role to a far-right party with neo-Nazi roots. Italy is also on the cusp of putting a party in power that has fascist origins. And of course, in the United States, one party has increasingly embraced election denialism and attempted to undermine the legitimacy of the electoral process. To try to understand what, exactly, is happening, I talked with Barbara Walter, a political scientist at the University of California San Diego who studies democracies across the world…. Rather than talk about the prospects for political violence, we discussed why many democracies are retrenching and how the U.S. stands alone — and not in a good way.
Click through for full conversation. I am old enough to have immediately thought of Barbara Walters – needless to say, they are not the same.
Food For Thought
