Red
Well-Known Member
Agreed. He’s spot on a lot more often than not. I was surprised to notice only yesterday that he lives right down the road from me, it’s a small state.
Republicans and Fascism
- Thread starter The Thriller
- Start date
Red
Well-Known Member
Red
Well-Known Member
Ron DeSantis continues his assault on academic freedom in higher education.
:quality(70):focal(896x458:906x468)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/ZJX56G7STJFBDIBXQ7CJ7O6IX4.jpg)
www.orlandosentinel.com
‘Dismay and anxiety’ on college campuses as DeSantis ramps up anti-CRT campaign
Gov. Ron DeSantis says he's targeting a “far-left woke agenda” at Florida universities. Critics say he's pressuring campuses to promote his own views.
www.orlandosentinel.com
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
“wHy ArE wE sO dIvIdEd?”
View: https://twitter.com/repmtg/status/1615015235781554179?s=46&t=8Dv_lvT0zVX8eJL6lp0xOg
View: https://twitter.com/repmtg/status/1615015235781554179?s=46&t=8Dv_lvT0zVX8eJL6lp0xOg
Red
Well-Known Member
Cool. Here’s one Republican election loser who apparently believes vengeance is actually his….
View: https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1615158748712161281
Al-O-Meter
Well-Known Member
On the subject of Republicans and Fascism, this is perhaps the best lesson I've seen. After all, Lincoln was the first Republican president and the throne upon which he sits in his memorial presents fascist iconography to all who care to notice. Abraham Lincoln may be the most intentionally misunderstood, most propagandized figure in American political history.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pZG7snE7tU
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pZG7snE7tU
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
Isn’t this cancel culture?
www.rollingstone.com
Why not offer this course and let it sink or swim on its own?
Florida Says AP African American Studies Program 'Lacks Educational Value'
The state of Florida used Ron DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE Act” to block the pilot AP African American Studies program from its schools.
www.rollingstone.com
Why not offer this course and let it sink or swim on its own?
Al-O-Meter
Well-Known Member
Because this high school course violates a law which has popular support in the state of Florida and which has survived legal challenge for courses at the high school level although public universities in Florida are allowed to teach it.Isn’t this cancel culture?
Florida Says AP African American Studies Program 'Lacks Educational Value'
The state of Florida used Ron DeSantis’ “Stop WOKE Act” to block the pilot AP African American Studies program from its schools.
Why not offer this course and let it sink or swim on its own?
Red
Well-Known Member
Ron DeSantis, Chris Rufo, and the College Anti-Woke Makeover - The Bulwark
The Florida governor’s plan to transform a liberal school turns it into a political kickball.
www.thebulwark.com
“DeSantis’s move has been met with alarm by progressive media and by many New College students who see the school as a haven for social justice-friendly values. But harsh rebukes have also come from some people who are themselves strongly critical of the progressive academy and its illiberal bent—such as New York magazine columnist Jonathan Chait, who has been writing about “social justice” zealotry and its baneful effects on public discourse for the past eight years (and has taken his share of lumps for it). Indeed, in his column slamming DeSantis’s power grab, Chait wrote:
The DeSantis brand of “anti-wokeism” is classic right-wing illiberalism. (Chait rightly compares it to the conservative institutional takeover in Hungary under the stewardship of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who proudly embraces the “illiberal” label—and who was cited as a model by a DeSantis spokesperson at the National Conservatism Conference in Miami last September.) But that brand is also bad news for those of us who oppose left-wing illiberalism from a liberal, libertarian, or classical conservative perspective favoring the values of free expression, individual rights, and intellectual openness.
View: https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1611407924768956417
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
Ron DeSantis, Chris Rufo, and the College Anti-Woke Makeover - The Bulwark
The Florida governor’s plan to transform a liberal school turns it into a political kickball.
“DeSantis’s move has been met with alarm by progressive media and by many New College students who see the school as a haven for social justice-friendly values. But harsh rebukes have also come from some people who are themselves strongly critical of the progressive academy and its illiberal bent—such as New York magazine columnist Jonathan Chait, who has been writing about “social justice” zealotry and its baneful effects on public discourse for the past eight years (and has taken his share of lumps for it). Indeed, in his column slamming DeSantis’s power grab, Chait wrote:
The DeSantis brand of “anti-wokeism” is classic right-wing illiberalism. (Chait rightly compares it to the conservative institutional takeover in Hungary under the stewardship of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who proudly embraces the “illiberal” label—and who was cited as a model by a DeSantis spokesperson at the National Conservatism Conference in Miami last September.) But that brand is also bad news for those of us who oppose left-wing illiberalism from a liberal, libertarian, or classical conservative perspective favoring the values of free expression, individual rights, and intellectual openness.
View: https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1611407924768956417
These are serious threats to academic freedom. This is exactly what Orban did in Hungary. He appointed toadies to head universities and controls them through the state purse. The goal isn’t to inspire academic freedom but to entrench his own power.
Hungary's parliament overhauls higher education amid outcry
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's parliament on Tuesday voted to transfer state assets worth billions of dollars into foundations that will control many of the country's public universities and cultural institutions, a move opposition figures have decried as a theft of public funds...
apnews.com
We are facing a global threat from the authoritarian right. We see this everyday in the bigotry, attacks on democratic norms, the constant disinformation, and the attacks of academic institutions.
Last edited:
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
i thought this was a good clip
View: https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1615926908889219072?s=46&t=7NEimngo-6X36dWiJZipYw
View: https://twitter.com/acyn/status/1615926908889219072?s=46&t=7NEimngo-6X36dWiJZipYw
I think this is spot on. I have had some conversations with some republicans I know who are staunch Trump supporters about such things and they tend to view it as trivial as long as the elected leaders are championing the causes they find important, which among other things includes stuff like reigning in woke culture (first and foremost right now), as an extension limiting the "gay" influence, making sure they aren't paying more taxes - which are viewed as inherently evil for some reason, even while a few of my friends rely on public support, and it boils down to they have no clue where that support comes from (you know, from taxes) - and firming up the abortion bans to stop murdering babies. These things matter far more than a fully functioning government and taking care of people with lesser means, and providing equality for everyone. In most of their minds I would imagine the mantra of "everyone is created equal, but some are more equal than others" would ring true.
Again, I have said this before, but I think a lot of this is a symptom of rampant prosperity. There is really no existential threat any more. The cold war ended. We have largely resolved things like widespread hunger and access to basic utilities like electricity and water (let's not get into the "medical care should be a utility" debate right now), we all have fancy high-powered computers in our pockets and for the vast majority of Americans the biggest worry is if their sports team will perform like they want them to, and if they have at least as much, or preferably more, than the Jones'es. Humans are basic animals, and in the absence of an existential threat we elevate any slight to the status of an existential threat, because we can only be fulfilled if we are fighting for our lives. So attempts to promote any kind of equality, that can be perceived as diminishing someone else's power, influence, or simply status, is met with the same forceful response we used to reserve for legitimate threats, like lack of food and shelter, or imminent world-destroying war.
In fact, imho the increase in things like depression and anxiety among the population are partly from the isolation bred by the nature of the internet, as well as the lack of any real threats to focus our attention. Boredom is a killer, literally and figuratively. And we are becoming a population that is governed by our need to not be bored. This plays into the idle hands are the devil's workshop. That old trope is not too far from the truth.
I think the band AJR has tapped into the current generation in a way that transcends generation gaps, as I feel they have their finger on the pulse of society in general and several of their songs are very very prescient. This one leaps to mind.
The Entertainment's Here
I highlighted a couple of sections but man does this encapsulate society in a big way right now. And as a result we end up with leaders like we have in congress right now, people who have no idea how to govern, but they know what buttons to push to keep their base mad at the world, railing against their manufactured existential threats, and therefore they stay in power. No wonder Trump won't go away, he is the poster child for manufactured existential threats.
You really have to wonder how far we are from a Rome-esque collapse of the empire. Their fall came about at about a similar juncture, when their technology and prosperity were at all-time highs, some feel even better for their average citizens than we have it now. Are we facing a similar future, being doomed to repeat history?
Man I hate feeling this way, but I have been feeling a lot more fatalistic lately. Maybe it is my general nihilistic nature, but all the signs point to bad bad **** on the horizon.
fishonjazz
Well-Known Member
Contributor
2018 Award Winner
2019 Award Winner
2020-21 Award Winner
2022 Award Winner
2023 Award Winner
Really good post. One of the best I have seen in a long time.
The Thriller
Well-Known Member
“wHy ArE wE sO dIvIdEd?”
Or maybe that one political party has embraced reactionary authoritarianism aka fascism?
View: https://twitter.com/radiofreetom/status/1616214821124591617?s=46&t=xjCJmAQn9WtfOmhuWmKz4A
Or maybe that one political party has embraced reactionary authoritarianism aka fascism?
View: https://twitter.com/radiofreetom/status/1616214821124591617?s=46&t=xjCJmAQn9WtfOmhuWmKz4A
Last edited:
Al-O-Meter
Well-Known Member
It appears the Republicans are doing their fascism again. The GOP has their ANTIFA shock troops, seen below with a GOP fascism symbol clearly visible on the helmet of the leftmost flag holder, out in the democrat stronghold of Atlanta to assassinate police and anyone who supports the police tonight.
A member of the Georgia State Patrol returned fire after being shot at by one of the ANTIFA fascists and the ANTIFA member died. Now ANTIFA is calling out to all fascists to join ANTIFA to kill police in what ANTIFA is justifying by terming it "reciprocal violence".
A member of the Georgia State Patrol returned fire after being shot at by one of the ANTIFA fascists and the ANTIFA member died. Now ANTIFA is calling out to all fascists to join ANTIFA to kill police in what ANTIFA is justifying by terming it "reciprocal violence".
So what do the counter-protestors in Portland have to do with Atlanta? That is the top most picture.It appears the Republicans are doing their fascism again. The GOP has their ANTIFA shock troops, seen below with a GOP fascism symbol clearly visible on the helmet of the leftmost flag holder, out in the democrat stronghold of Atlanta to assassinate police and anyone who supports the police tonight.
A member of the Georgia State Patrol returned fire after being shot at by one of the ANTIFA fascists and the ANTIFA member died. Now ANTIFA is calling out to all fascists to join ANTIFA to kill police in what ANTIFA is justifying by terming it "reciprocal violence".
Right-wing protesters and opponents clash in Portland | Pictures | Reuters
A counter-protester throws a smoke canister back towards police during a rally by the Patriot Prayer group in Portland, Oregon, August 4, 2018. REUTERS/Bob Strong
www.reuters.com
And where is the connection to antifa? Only right-wing news sites say anything about that.
For sure this is ridiculous in the extreme and anyone who espouses this needs to be locked up for a long time. But hey, we have seen the precedent with an outright attack on our capital ending up with some minor hand-slapping and no real punishments handed down, so who knows any more?
Red
Well-Known Member
The Daily Mail calls them Antifa. They seem to be calling themselves “forest defenders”. Probably labeled “Antifa” just for the hell of it….So what do the counter-protestors in Portland have to do with Atlanta? That is the top most picture.
Right-wing protesters and opponents clash in Portland | Pictures | Reuters
A counter-protester throws a smoke canister back towards police during a rally by the Patriot Prayer group in Portland, Oregon, August 4, 2018. REUTERS/Bob Strong
And where is the connection to antifa? Only right-wing news sites say anything about that.
For sure this is ridiculous in the extreme and anyone who espouses this needs to be locked up for a long time. But hey, we have seen the precedent with an outright attack on our capital ending up with some minor hand-slapping and no real punishments handed down, so who knows any more?
Antifa protesters are calling for 'Night of Rage' after fatal shooting
Activists are now calling for a 'Night of Rage' and bloodshed against the police following the shooting - threatening to enact 'reciprocal violence' against the authorities.
One Brow
Well-Known Member
A left-wing take on the Atlanta forest issue:
Police kill Atlanta forest defender
I’ve been trying to follow events surrounding the effort to stop Cop City in Atlanta, GA. Today, police killed one forest defender during a raid: Today the police shot and killed a protester …
freethoughtblogs.com
Red
Well-Known Member
Activists Demand Independent Investigation After Cops Kill Protester in Atlanta
The protester was shot and killed on Wednesday during a chaotic raid of the “Stop Cop City” forest defense camp.
truthout.org
And last month, for some background:
APD official reveals 12 arrested in protest raids, describes use of terrorism charges - SaportaReport
Read APD official reveals 12 arrested in protest raids, describes use of terrorism charges by John Ruch for SaportaReport here.
saportareport.com
“The use of domestic terrorism charges is just the start, Tyus said. “Going forward that is one of the charges we will be using. Because that’s exactly what they are,” he said.
However, he then presented a definition of that crime relating to the alleged out-of-state residency and subjective political interests of those charged, which are not elements of the crime as described in Georgia law.
“None of those people live here,” he said. “They do not have a vested interest in this property, and we show that time and time again. Why is an individual from Los Angeles, California, concerned about a training facility being built in the state of Georgia? And that is why we consider that domestic terrorism.”
In a previous raid in May, six of the seven people arrested were identified as out-of-staters. The national level of interest in the training center protests has been presented by police and political leaders as minimizing opposition as the work of “outside agitators,” while protesters say it shows the context of the systemic policing and climate issues involved. Earlier this year, 64 organizations and businesses – both local and non-local – signed onto a “Decree of Nonsupport” intended to be filed by Atlanta City Council members as a peaceful protest, though that has not emerged. Many other local groups also opposed the training center’s site and process before the City Council vote as part of public comments that appeared to have a majority against it.”
Red
Well-Known Member
More informative background. In the form of a news video that provides that background. Basically, the forest defenders did not want Atlanta’s largest surviving tract of forest razed.
www.11alive.com
Digging deeper, we see broad support from prominent environmental groups for preservation of the site and other uses, and that we won’t know much, or be as informed otherwise, absent an appreciation for the details of the issue underlying the protests. Apart from the shooting, which I can’t judge at this stage. Just wanted to see how this came to be. “Antifa!” never was intended to be a nuanced interpretation, as used by the Right.
“The Forest Defenders have been in and out of the area protesting over the last two years. And on Wednesday night, the activists 11Alive spoke to said, "This is not over." (Maybe someone can dig deeper into that group specifically).
saportareport.com
“The Georgia chapter of The Nature Conservancy, which is taking the lead on the South River Forest planning, also is calling for the entire Prison Farm site to remain green space. “When realized, the South River Forest, a transformative 3,500-acre public green space, will provide tremendous environmental, economic and quality of life benefits to a part of Atlanta too often ignored,” wrote Executive Director Deron Davis in a letter to the Finance/Executive Committee. “The Prison Farm is the centerpiece of South River Forest.”
Activists against 'Cop City' hold vigil for protester who was shot, killed after shooting a state trooper
Close to 200 activists came out to Little Five Points on a rainy Wednesday night after a protester was shot and killed after shooting a state trooper.
www.11alive.com
Digging deeper, we see broad support from prominent environmental groups for preservation of the site and other uses, and that we won’t know much, or be as informed otherwise, absent an appreciation for the details of the issue underlying the protests. Apart from the shooting, which I can’t judge at this stage. Just wanted to see how this came to be. “Antifa!” never was intended to be a nuanced interpretation, as used by the Right.
“The Forest Defenders have been in and out of the area protesting over the last two years. And on Wednesday night, the activists 11Alive spoke to said, "This is not over." (Maybe someone can dig deeper into that group specifically).
Public safety training center plan heads to City Council with chorus of opposition - SaportaReport
Read Public safety training center plan heads to City Council with chorus of opposition by John Ruch for SaportaReport here.
saportareport.com
“The Georgia chapter of The Nature Conservancy, which is taking the lead on the South River Forest planning, also is calling for the entire Prison Farm site to remain green space. “When realized, the South River Forest, a transformative 3,500-acre public green space, will provide tremendous environmental, economic and quality of life benefits to a part of Atlanta too often ignored,” wrote Executive Director Deron Davis in a letter to the Finance/Executive Committee. “The Prison Farm is the centerpiece of South River Forest.”
Last edited: