Conservative activist Steven Hotze on Wednesday was indicted on two felony charges related to his alleged involvement in an air conditioning repairman being held at gunpoint in 2020 during a bizarre search for fraudulent mail ballots that did not exist, according to his attorney, Gary Polland.
Hotze, 71, was indicted by a Harris County grand jury and faces one count of unlawful restraint and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The charges stem from Hotze’s hiring of more than a dozen private investigators to look for voter fraud in Harris County ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Hotze last appeared on JMG when he left a voice mail for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, telling him to “shoot to kill” Black Lives Matter activists.
You may recall that Steven Hotze has compared gays to “communist termites” eating away at America’s moral fabric. He is also fond of declaring that it’s now a hate crime to denounce homosexuality.
It was Hotze who bankrolled the successful campaign to repeal Houston’s “wicked, evil, Satanic” LGBT rights ordinance, during which he compared gays to rapists and murderers.
According to Hotze, same-sex marriage will result in children “practicing sodomy” in kindergarten.
In 2017, he appeared here when he “prophesied” that God will deliver “just retribution” to lawmakers who vote for LGBT rights.
When he’s not calling on God to kill politicians or for the governor to kill Black Lives Matter activists, Hotze sells “miracle” supplements because high cholesterol doesn’t really cause heart disease.
Hotze regularly quotes QAnon slogans.
Breaking: GOP activist Steven Hotze was indicted Wednesday on two felony charges related to his alleged involvement in a repairman being held at gunpoint in 2020 during a search for fraudulent mail ballots that did not exist. https://t.co/8bKjB66Qt4
I have waited to post about this as I wanted to be sure what the real issues were. The violent family’s lawyer has tried hard to muddy the water with attacks on the character of the victim. This was a horrible attack that left the victim badly injured, afraid and from reports blinded all because the family found out that the adult younger son was having a secret sexual affair with the victim. From what I have read prior the family forced the adult son that was having sex with the victim to accompany them to the victim’s home and help them get the victim to let them into his home and then injure, rob, and restrain / detain him. All of this because the parents and older brother couldn’t stand the idea of the younger adult son have male with male sexual relations. This is the results that come from the right-wing hate preaching about gay people, this is the results of don’t say gay talk about the LGBTQ+ are pedophiles that want to rape and sexualize children. This shows clearly how dangerous this talk pushed on the right is.
Members of a Ukrainian refugee family appeared in a South Florida courtroom on Wednesday. That’s where they are facing hate crime and attempted murder charges for an alleged family ambush.
Police say Oleh Makarenko was in a nine-month homosexual relationship, which would end with his lover being beaten so badly by Makarenko’s family that the victim became blind. Authorities allege that Oleh Makarenko, who is also known as Alex, was being forced to marry a woman by his mother.
On Aug. 6, three members of the Makarenko family barged into the victims home, according to police. A police report stated that, “All four of the suspects continued holding him and began punching, kicking, and hitting him all over his face and body.”
According to the arrest documents, 19-year-old Oleh Makarenko and the victim had been romantically involved for about nine months, but the victim said Oleh told him his father was not accepting him as gay.
After a two-week break in the relationship, on Aug. 6, the victim said he remotely opened his community’s gate believing it was a friend when it was actually the Makarenko family. The victim went outside but quickly went back into his apartment.
“There’s no indication that anything was said or done to show that they had specific intent to kill,” said public defender Katherine Lopez. “It seems like, based on my reading, that their probable cause for beating him was because of a relationship with a family member of theirs.”
In the non-embeddable video at the first link, the female fiance of the gay son denies everything because she has an engagement ring.
HATE CRIME CHARGES – Members of a Ukrainian refugee family appeared in a South Florida courtroom on Wednesday to face hate crime and attempted murder charges for the alleged family ambush of a gay man. https://t.co/vSto06xwG7
New details and a possible motive have been released about a brutal beating that left a man blind and landed a family behind bars. https://t.co/pZc4HU9t6A
Evangelical groups in the U.S. have been, for at least a couple of decades, sponsoring immigration of a small subset of Ukraine’s population that is too extreme in its religious viewpoints to get along well with anyone else in Ukraine. They arrive as religious refugees and immediately join with their U.S. evangelical sponsors to try to impose their religious extremism on others. I don’t know if that is this family’s story, but their actions fit the profile. I have friends in Ukraine that I chat with every week, and I have no sense that the evangelical-sponsored religious refugees are at all typical of the Ukrainian population as a whole. In fact, that is why they leave Ukraine, because Ukraine isn’t oppressively religious enough for them.
I can just imagine the family’s defense to this awful crime: “[the victim] was grooming our child.” That should at least earn them pardons from De Santis.
Those are already close to the claims being made by their friends. They would have us believe that the family are falsely accused Christians who pray a lot.
“They are a Christian family, believers in God, members of the church and get together on the weekends to pray in their family circle and community.”
Interestingly, the arguments that their friends use for why they must be innocent, make me more likely to believe they are guilty.
Unfortunately way to many societies around the world are so brainwashed by The CHURCH this shit is far to common. They move to a new country to start a new life and because of their blatant ignorance taught by the CHURCH it all goes up it smoke Wake up Frankie Graham and all you other NUTZ quit spreading the hate
The Christian Right has been importing Christian Righties and their thuggery from Eastern Europe for some time, taking advantage of these programs, then of course projecting that onto Democrats and brown people.
Presumably his parents and his church succeeded in creating such an astounding level of shame and self-loathing about being gay, that he was willing to participate with his family in the attempted murder of his boyfriend. The seething hate that is required to do something like this is so disturbing.
Make no mistake, look at this boy and know that the US / NATO / The World could have stopped this tragedy and can stop more like it from happening. There is a whole lot of people trapped in Mariupol and they are sitting ducks for Russian guns. They are starving. There are going to be more kids without mothers and without fathers. That is if the kids survive themselves. We have the ability to stop it, do we have the heart, the will?
Marge getting scared for court Friday: “They’re going to allow the press in the courtroom. They’re going to allow the whole thing to be videoed live. They’re going to be able to clip out 😁any little piece they want of the horrible things .. they’re going to say about me.” pic.twitter.com/PJq4QpBh6u
More hyper religious people trying to take over secular government for their god. But they claim to love and be the only supporters of the US constitution that it is clear they do not understand. Beyond that a Christian who keeps putting “Let’s Go Brandon.” in everyone’s face knowing what it stands for. Seems real Jesus like to me. But that is like the church group that thought it was a great idea to sing their favorite Christian songs to a plane full of people during a flight. They did not care that some people did not have their faith nor their taste in music. Forcing Jesus on everyone was the goal. I will post those two stories next.
Retired energy executive and self-funded political newcomer Jim Lamon is in a crowded field trying to secure the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race.
Lamon is outspending his eight GOP opponents ahead of the August 2 primary, but the latest in a string of controversial television ads rubbed even conservative Christian Republican voters the wrong way.
After 30 seconds of pious platitudes in the new ad, Lamon hints he’s Arizona’s savior. It’s a close marriage of church and state that doesn’t sit right with everyone in his target audience, a departure from previous attempts.
Lamon last appeared on JMG for a campaign ad that shows him shooting actors depicting Sen. Mark Kelly, President Biden, and Nancy Pelosi.
Before that, we noted that his debut campaign ad showed him saying, “Let’s Go Brandon.”
He first came to our attention last June when it was revealed that he had donated over $2 million to far-right and QAnon groups.
Lamon was among Arizona’s fake electors.
Watch the clip.
GOP Consultant: “Jim Lamon's TV ads would be so much better if they didn’t have Jim Lamon in them.” This time, the U.S. Senate hopeful claims he's Arizona's savior. On Easter. Voters verdict: Epic fail. https://t.co/XCniZoR1OO
Jim Lamon’s ads are the most vile and disgusting political ads I’ve ever seen, and in AZ, that’s saying a lot. His first ad featured repeated “let’s go Brandon” chants. Later he made news for an ad in which he portrays an old west sheriff, and shoots actors portraying President Biden, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Kelly (who’s wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was shot in the head in an assassination attempt. Incredibly cruel.) Now he’s trying to pass himself off as a “good Christian” …I nearly vomited the first time I saw his latest piece of crap. It’s worth noting that Lamon was one Arizona’s phony electors as well, and should be rotting in prison for that. His ads perfectly represent everything that is wrong with his party, everything wrong with conservative White males, and everything that is wrong with the USA.
The Founding Fathers never ever intended church and state to operate together In fact it was quite the opposite They stated that state operated free and clear of church and church had the freedom to practice in is chosen manner but not interfering with state
The New Dawn is Christian speak for Easter. The change brought to the world with the life and resurrection of What’s-His-Name. With the empty cross and the sunrise…umm…he comes really, really close to blasphemy.
Amb. Victoria Neuland joins Morning Joe to discuss attempts at diplomacy with Russia, why she says Putin cares little for his own people and the impact sanctions are having on Russia.
These same groups that want to ban the rainbow flags, which simply suggest a safe place for LGBTQ+ students, are very happy with and at times insist that easter decorations go up, charismas decorations, in god we trust mottos, confederate statues and battle flags, pictures of opposite gender couples, things about families such as one man and one woman. That is what this is all about. They want to push only their preferred narrative and erase that LGBTQ+ exist. It is the same with pushing their preferred Christain verses but would freak if Muslims wanted to put a couple verses from the Koran. Imagine a Muslim teacher wanted to put “Allahu Akbar!” which is ‘God is most great’, next to the Christian “in God We Trust” signs? I could list more examples, but you get the point. It is about privilege to display what they think is normal yet stop anything display they think is weird or wrong.
A Maryland school board has moved to adopt a new policy on political symbols that could ban items like the rainbow pride flag in public school classrooms after members said teachers were “bullied” into displaying pride flags that were recently donated by an LGBTQ group. The Carroll County school board has voted to develop a new flag policy that may only allow the U.S. flag, Maryland state flag and Carroll County flags to be displayed in classrooms.
Superintendent Steven Lockard said during Wednesday’s board meeting that the flags were available to any staff member who wanted one and were not forced upon anyone. The local group Concerned Parents of Carroll County said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital that it supported the board’s decision to develop a flag policy. The group recently announced that it was working with Moms for Liberty’s Carroll County chapter to provide an American flag to classrooms in the district.
With all the gains our community has made in the last couple of decades, including not just marriage equality but also strong public support for it, I never thought I would see the pendulum swing back so quickly.
Hidden deep in the text banning gay flags it will allow for religious flags on holidays. Just wait! christians can’t help but insert themselves every chance they can.
Don’t these morons have anything better to do? Seriously! It just makes me roll my eyes over the fact that these people get so butt hurt overseeing the rainbow flag. I guess they believe that if little Johnny sees it he’ll immediately want to give little Billy a BJ.
The Christo-Fascists are on a crusade. They’re demonizing, dehumanizing and criminalizing us again as groomers/pedophiles, un-natural, mentally ill and deviant sinners. They want to erase us again and bully us back into our respective closets. NEVER AGAIN!
Exactly! These fascists are on the warpath and won’t stop until homosexuality is a crime again. At best they want gay people deep in the closet and at worst they want them in prison or dead! We are living in very bad times right now. The religious crazies are trying to take over and we must not let that happen.
LGBT kids are bullied. That’s not political, it’s reality. The rainbow flag in classrooms or on teacher’s doors lets bullied kids know that they are respected and supported in school. That’s only political in the eyes of those who see protecting LGBT students as a threat to their superiority.
So, people can support banning all “political” flags, but they should be aware of the actual intention behind the rainbow flag, which has nothing to do with politics.
The pride flag is an awareness flag, it is not a political flag, it never has been. They want us to think it is political, it’s not, don’t fall for that. We are not a political agenda, a political party, a political ideology…never have been. We are humans and we exist, that’s what our flag symbolizes.
The Israeli military has just announced that it struck a weapons manufacturing site in the Gaza Strip today. The attack is reportedly in response to a missile strike that was intercepted by the IDF allegedly launched by Hamas, the militant political organization leading Palestine’s battle against Israel’s oppression.
“Israel launched a strike in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Tuesday. The IDF said the military had attacked a weapons manufacturing site in response to an attempted attack the day before. On Monday, they had intercepted a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. Israel sees Hamas, the militant Palestinian organization and political powerhouse in Gaza, as responsible for any missile launches in the area. A Hamas spokesperson said the attempted strike had “failed.” The facility was empty and no one was injured, he said. He also spoke of a “failed attempt to stop the Palestinian people from resisting the occupation.” Tensions are heightened after violence broke out at the Al-Aqsa Mosque holy site in Jerusalem over the weekend. The site, also known as Temple Mount, is administered by Muslim authorities under Israeli security. Palestinians have accused Israel of trying to expand rights for observant Jews to the detriment of Muslims within the compound.”
Scottie's Playtime 