Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

babylonsister

babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
May 20, 2022

GOP Anti-Abortion (Expert) Witness: DC Electricity Comes From Burning Fetuses

o.m.g.


Politics
GOP Anti-Abortion Witness: DC Electricity Comes From Burning Fetuses
“The next time you turn on the light, think of the incinerators," Catherine Glenn Foster told Congress while under oath on Wednesday.
Ryan Grenoble
May. 19, 2022, 10:39 PM EDT


At a House Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday concerning abortion access, an expert witness called by Republicans made a head-scratcher of a claim: Washington, D.C., is literally powered by burning fetuses.

“Bodies [are] thrown in medical waste bins, and in places like Washington, D.C., burned to power the lights of the cities’ homes and streets,” Americans United for Life President Catherine Glenn Foster proclaimed.

“Let that image sink in with you for a moment,” she continued. “The next time you turn on the light, think of the incinerators, think of what we’re doing to ourselves so callously and so numbly.”


Foster, a Georgetown Law graduate who earns more than $190,000 a year as president of the anti-choice group, followed up the claim by accusing people who support women’s right to bodily autonomy of being “devastating to the fabric of American democracy.”
https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/1527337562460676118

more...

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/republican-dc-electricity-power-fetuses_n_6286983fe4b0933e7362cab0
May 20, 2022

House Republicans Claim They Only Offered Family Tours On The Eve Of 1/6 Attack

https://www.politicususa.com/2022/05/19/house-republicans-claim-they-only-offered-family-tours-on-the-eve-of-1-6-attack.html


Posted on Thu, May 19th, 2022 by Jason Easley
House Republicans Claim They Only Offered Family Tours On The Eve Of 1/6 Attack


Rep. Barry Loudermilk denies providing a reconnaissance tour to terrorists and says he only gave family tours.

Loudermilk and Rep. Rodney Davis said in a statement:
https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews/status/1527397344018370561
The 1/6 Committee claims to have video evidence of the tour. The Republicans are claiming that they were just showing a family around on 1/5. If the Republicans stick to this story, it could get ugly fast if the video tells a different story.

Republicans have lied and refused to testify before the committee, so there is no good reason for anyone to believe them when they claim that they were giving “family tours.”

If Loudermilk was only giving a family tour, he should have no problem with explaining this to the committee. The denial and claim that the 1/6 Committee is pushing a false narrative is political spin, not an explanation for what was happening in the Capitol on 1/5.

House Republicans have gone from denying that there were any tours of the Capitol before the attack to claiming that they were only providing family tours.

Something isn’t adding up, and the 1/6 Committee should release the video and allow the American people to see who is telling the truth.
May 19, 2022

CPAC Head Suggests Abortion Ban Will Solve 'Great Replacement'



https://www.thedailybeast.com/cpac-head-matt-schlapp-says-replacement-theory-is-solved-by-abortion-ban?ref=home

CPAC Head Suggests Abortion Ban Will Solve ‘Great Replacement’
FOREHEAD SCHLAPP!
Mathew Murphy
Senior News Editor
Published May. 19, 2022 3:34PM ET


Matt Schlapp, the head of the influential Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), has suggested the racist “great replacement theory” could be solved by banning abortion. The confidant of former President Donald Trump said that a “first step” in handling immigration issues was to overturn Roe v. Wade. “If you say there is a population problem in a country, but you’re killing millions of your own people every year through legalized abortion every year, if that were to be reduced, some of that problem is solved,” Schlapp said at the conference in Hungary, according to Vice News. “You have millions of people who can take many of these jobs. How come no one brings that up? If you’re worried about this quote-unquote replacement, why don’t we start there. Start with allowing our own people to live.” The “great replacement theory,” which has been embraced by right-wingers, alleges that white Christian populations are being replaced by immigrants of different races and religion. The 18-year-old Buffalo shooter, who killed 10 Black people on Saturday, wrote in his diary about being inspired by the racist theory to allegedly commit the horrific attack.
May 19, 2022

RepSwalwell (D-CA) slams GOP for trying to force "government-mandated pregnancy"...

https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1526968595472949252

https://www.politicususa.com/2022/05/18/eric-swalwell-goes-off-and-slams-gop-government-mandated-pregnancies.html
Posted on Wed, May 18th, 2022 by Jason Easley
Eric Swalwell Goes Off And Slams GOP Government Mandated Pregnancies


Swalwell said, “They don’t want to be at the kitchen table for anything else after the baby is born. They don’t want to be there at all. They don’t want to be there to help her finance that family. They walk away from every piece of legislation that we have that would help mothers feed their kids. They don’t want to be there to help the mother educate their children. They don’t want to be there to help her get a child care tax credit, or child tax credit that could be permanent. They don’t want to be there to fund the education and good schools in the neighborhood. They certainly don’t want to be there to take the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the most dangerous people that could kill that kid at their elementary school. They don’t want to be there to make college more affordable. They just want to be there to tell her that she has to have a government-mandated pregnancy and if she doesn’t do it. She’s a criminal.”

May 19, 2022

Imagine Dealing With This Many Condescending Anti-Abortion White Men and Not Losing Your Shit


9 hours ago
Imagine Dealing With This Many Condescending Anti-Abortion White Men and Not Losing Your Shit
A round of applause for Dr. Yashica Robinson.
Abigail Weinberg


Today’s House hearing on abortion rights was bound to have its share of ignorant and offensive questions, not to mention disinformation, from a certain cohort of white male Republicans. But at times the questions asked of the witnesses—particularly Dr. Yashica Robinson, an OB-GYN and abortion provider in Alabama—were just too absurd, if not simply hateful.

Dripping condescension, but seemingly unaware of what an abortion is, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) repeatedly asked Robinson if she would support the abortion of a child who was “halfway out of the birth canal.”

“I can’t even fathom that,” she replied, “just like you probably can’t imagine what you would do if your daughter was raped. If it hasn’t happened, it may be difficult for you to—.” Johnson cut her off before she could continue.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1526947128454565889
The immense disrespect that these men exhibited toward a testifying doctor, a Black woman, was palpable.

“Ms. Robinson, I want to ask you a question,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said.

“Yes, my name is Dr. Robinson,” she responded, “and I provide abortion care in Alabama.”


more...

https://www.motherjones.com/mojo-wire/2022/05/house-abortion-hearing-yashica-robinson-lucy-mcbath/
May 18, 2022

Trump Illegally Retaliated Against Yevgeny Vindman, DoD Watchdog Says



https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-illegally-retaliated-against-ukraine-aid-whistleblower-yevgeny-vindman-dod-inspector-general-says?ref=home

Trump Illegally Retaliated Against Yevgeny Vindman, DoD Watchdog Says
VIND-ICATED
Justin Rohrlich

Reporter
Published May. 18, 2022 11:25AM ET


The Trump administration unlawfully retaliated against whistleblower Yevgeny Vindman for helping to expose the former president’s ham-handed attempt to withhold vital military aid to Ukraine unless it dug up dirt on Joe Biden, who would go on to unseat Trump in the 2020 election. That’s according to a newly released report from the Pentagon’s inspector general, who says then-Lt. Col. Vindman “was the subject of unfavorable personnel actions from administration officials” after he reported the wrongdoing. “We make no recommendation with respect to the Complainant, who has been promoted to the rank of Colonel and whose performance record has been corrected,” the IG report states, but does not recommend any punishment for the administration officials at fault, as they have “departed their positions in the White House.” Vindman’s twin brother, Alexander, left the Army in 2020 after Trump launched a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation” for his impeachment testimony over the same issue.
May 18, 2022

Grandparents Face Murder Charges After Their Rottweiler Kills 7-Year-Old Granddaughter

https://www.thedailybeast.com/virginia-grandparents-charged-with-murder-after-rottweiler-kills-7-year-old-granddaughter-olivia-grace-floyd?ref=home

Grandparents Face Murder Charges After Their Rottweiler Kills 7-Year-Old Granddaughter
VICIOUS
Alice Tecotzky
Breaking News Intern
Published May. 17, 2022 10:00PM ET


Two grandparents face murder charges in the death of their seven-year-old granddaughter, who was mauled to death by their pet Rottweiler in January. According to a news release from the Waynesboro County Police Department, Olivia Grace Floyd was hospitalized after the dog attacked her on Jan. 29 and died from her injuries later that day. Stephen Christopher Kachmar and Penny Lee Bashlor, both in their 60s, are indicted on multiple felony charges, including non-capital murder, involuntary manslaughter, child abuse, and possession of a vicious dog. Each faces up to 70 years in prison, and is being held without bond. Floyd’s parents are each facing one charge of cruelty/injury to a child, according to the Waynesboro Police Department and Augusta Sheriff’s Office. After the attack, a neighbor told the Staunton News Leader that the Rottweiler, which has since been euthanized, was notoriously dangerous.
May 18, 2022

Twitter Says It Will Enforce $44 Billion Deal as Musk Appears to Edge Away

Ouch!

https://www.thedailybeast.com/twitter-says-it-will-enforce-dollar44-billion-deal-as-elon-musk-appears-to-edge-away?ref=home

Twitter Says It Will Enforce $44 Billion Deal as Musk Appears to Edge Away
BOTS VS. TROLL
Published May. 17, 2022 9:33PM ET


As Elon Musk has tapped the brakes on his $44 billion offer to buy Twitter, saying he’s now concerned by the number of fake accounts on the platform, the social media giant said it intends two hold him to his offer. After Musk speculated on Twitter early Tuesday that “20% fake/spam accounts, while 4 times what Twitter claims, could be ‘much’ higher,” adding that “My offer was based on Twitter’s SEC filings being accurate,” Twitter’s board said in a statement that “We intend to close the transaction and enforce the merger agreement.” The deal to purchase Twitter that the Tesla and SpaceX founder signed includes both a $1 billion breakup fee along with a “specific performance clause” allowing the social media company to sue to try and force him to see through the deal so long as his financing for it remains, The New York Times reported.

Read it at The New York Times
May 17, 2022

Violent Far-Right Extremism Is Fueling Mass Shootings in America

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/05/buffalo-mass-shooting-extremism-guns-replacement-theory-racism/

17 hours ago
Violent Far-Right Extremism Is Fueling Mass Shootings in America
The repugnant massacre in Buffalo also highlights the urgent need for greater attention on shooter warning signs.
Mark Follman
National Affairs EditorBio | Follow

snip//

Gendron had a history of disturbing behavior, according to law enforcement authorities, including a threat he made in June 2021 to commit a suicidal school shooting. Under New York law, he was taken into custody by state police and given a psychiatric evaluation. The results are not publicly known, but Gendron was released within two days, officials said. After he graduated high school, according to the account that authorities say he posted, he spent months becoming radicalized online and preparing for his attack. He acquired weapons and tactical gear and surveilled his target, a common warning behavior among mass shooters.

As I’ve reported in previous investigations, violent far-right extremism surged in the United States during Donald Trump’s presidency and has grown deadlier since converging with the mass shootings epidemic. The violence has included lethal rampages targeting Latinos at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and Jews at synagogues in San Diego and Pittsburgh. Political polarization that continued to deepen after the January 6 insurrection, combined with record gun sales during the pandemic, raised further concerns among experts.

Political extremism fueling grievances and despair in troubled people has become a more urgent focus in recent years for leaders in the emerging field of behavioral threat assessment, the subject of my new book, Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America. The ways in which Trump and his political allies demonized “enemies” were nothing new, but their brazen tactics catalyzed a resurgence of ideological hate and a rise in the threat from domestic terrorism. This stark shift in mainstream American politics has profound consequences, experts in the field told me:

Threat assessment leaders typically are stoic in the face of tumultuous current affairs, but after an intense 2020 election year battered by a politicized pandemic, several top experts I spoke with described feeling deeply unsettled by the way dehumanization and themes of existential social war had become normalized in American politics. As one of them put it, “History shows how bad it can get when you really start convincing people that differences of opinion or political affiliation are coming from ‘enemies’ to be feared and despised because they’re threatening to destroy your way of life.”

Political demonization and unhinged conspiracy theories [have been] percolating in fringe subcultures, with social media forming an ever more interconnected pathway to radicalization, according to forensic psychiatrist Philip Saragoza, a threat assessment practitioner with expertise on incels and other extremist groups. “One thing we emphasize in trainings is how cross-linked these categories have all become,” he told me, describing the growing pattern. “You have these disaffected young males who live online, and they’ll wade into a community on 4Chan or 8Chan, and in one thread they’ll find all kinds of misogynistic content from manosphere groups that’s also wrapped up with MAGA movement politics, QAnon, or ‘great replacement’ and other racist conspiracy theories. It’s a real hive of choices, almost like à la carte extremism.”


more...

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/05/buffalo-mass-shooting-extremism-guns-replacement-theory-racism/
May 17, 2022

'We Are Ascendant!' Defiant Steve Bannon Addresses Replacement Theory

Scary stuff right here...

https://crooksandliars.com/2022/05/we-are-ascendant-defiant-steve-bannon

'We Are Ascendant!' Defiant Steve Bannon Addresses Replacement Theory
Conservative podcaster Steve Bannon on Monday vowed not to back down in promoting a racist conspiracy theory that was allegedly cited by suspected Buffalo gunman Payton Gendron.
By David — May 16, 2022


Conservative podcaster Steve Bannon on Monday vowed not to back down in promoting a racist conspiracy theory that was allegedly cited by suspected Buffalo gunman Payton Gendron.

On his daily War Room: Pandemic podcast, Bannon insisted reports about the "replacement theory" were meant to distract the public. Bannon has previously promoted a French book that inspired the theory, which claims that white citizens are being replaced by immigrants.

"Of course, all of the morning shows are all over Tucker Carlson and a few others about the replacement theory," Bannon complained. "They seem to miss the point. And here's what we're not going to back off on. For people who have followed this show from day one, we are inclusive nationalists. Right?"

"OK? So, this is not about race," he continued. "This is about American citizenship! This is about the value of your citizens."


Bannon said that he was "not backing off one inch" despite the shooting.

"This is why we're going to take over every elections board in the nation," he remarked. "This is why we're going to take over every medical board in this nation. This is why we're going to take over state legislatures and D.A.s and attorney generals [sic] and secretaries of state and governors. And we're not going to stop. We are ascendant!"


Watch the video below via Real America's Voice:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1526218238283112449

Profile Information

Gender: Female
Hometown: NY
Home country: US
Current location: Florida
Member since: Mon Sep 6, 2004, 08:54 PM
Number of posts: 171,732
Latest Discussions»babylonsister's Journal