Defaulting would also slash the dollar (and our trade balance), jack up interest rates (putting the brakes on housing and infrastructure construction), and reduce our status as the largest free economy.
Aside from the usual times he makes himself look and sound stupid in public, he has a magical way of doing that to himself in pics, too. Our Commander in Chief of all our armed forces actually saluted a Russian military official as if that was what needed to be done to show his abject subservience. Even the Russian would have settled for a handshake. He, along with all the other “felonies” attached to him, did so much to trash America’s prestige and standing in the world.
How soon do they forget. DeathSantis is counting on his right wing followers having no memories other than what the scaremongering politicians and Christian Taliban are pushing on them. It is tragic how they entirely change history and make up mythical wrong facts. For example, there has always been drag in the military and the government has always paid for drag shows to entertain the troops. Ever hear of Bob Hope and the USO. Famous for drag shows. Drag shows are men or women cross-dressing despite the rights attempt to make it seem like sex shows such as stripping and other adult entertainment. And before you say the men wear exaggerated boobs, remember this fact. A total of 212,500 breast augmentation procedures were performed in 2000, and 287,085 procedures were performed in 2019. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), breast augmentation numbers dipped for the first time in 20 years. If you read the linked article, you will see DeathSantis makes all sorts of scary claims he can not back up with fact. The recruitment numbers go up and down with the economy. If the economy is bad then you get more people joining the military to survive. If the economy is good for workers like now where employers are offering more to entice workers then recruitment falls. This idea that everyone in the military is there for the love of country is stupid and fake. They want a place to live and food to eat. Do they get indoctrinated and propagandized too? Yes. But that is not why the majority join. Hugs
In Iowa Saturday, Gov. Ron DeSantis said “drag queens” were part of the reason people didn’t want to enlist in the United States military.
“When you see videos of folks recruiting for the military services using things like drag queens, you know, that is just fundamentally wrong,” DeSantis said in Sioux Center at the Feenstra Family Picnic, a major confab of Iowa Republicans.
The U.S. Navy, which DeSantis was a member of, used a female impersonator as a “digital ambassador.” The service member, named Joshua Kelley, performs as “Harpy Daniels.” DeSantis will sign legislation cracking down on drag shows later this Spring.
Read the full article. As most of you surely know, troops have been entertained by drag shows since forever.
In Iowa, @RonDeSantisFL blames 'drag queens' for military recruitment woes
Drag Queens entertaining troops… Drag in our time actually entered the mainstream because of soldiers doing drag shows during the war. pic.twitter.com/7SAR5joW1M
In World War Two, drag shows were popular among troops (US and Britain), as a way to relieve stress. One British unit came under attack while hosting a show, so they had to fight while dolled up. The government tried to keep these photos secret for years. pic.twitter.com/ZAMwmXsJx3
— Minerva E ~ Ambassador of Temu 🤫 (@ElmoreMinerva) May 11, 2023
Drag has long been alive and well in the military. I believe Orbanism hurts military recruitment. Fascism hurts military recruitment. Forcing one “religious belief” down everyone else’s throats hurts military recruitment.
Same sign was posted at public pools in Florida when my parents were children except “Mexicans” was replaced by “Latins”‘. That way they could exclude not only Spaniards and Cubans but also Italians and Sicilians.
My husband’s dad did drag in WWII before he was shot in the heart by a Nazi. He survived and did drag in the hospital for the troops as he and they recovered.
Military enlistment by men frightened by drag resulted in a treasonous Nazi enlisting in the National Guard. He then published military secrets in an effort to impress his audience of fellow Nazi traitors.
I’ll take a patriot in panties and a push-up bra over a Nazi any day.
Tired of reading about more nonsense from DeSantis. The drag queen thing is going to follow Dr. Suess and Mr. Potato Head and whatever other made-up right wing outrage down the memory hole as soon as it’s no longer effective.
Agreed to an extent in that it’ll be memory holed at some point, but it definitely has some real-world impacts that the others didn’t. After all, no one was going to go an attack or have rallies with threats of violence in front of every store that sold Mr. Potato Head toys. Too many stores that they had too much need of for other things – even the Nazis wouldn’t want to risk being trespassed from every WalMart in their state, probably. They likely don’t get email alerts telling them where Hasbro employees are visiting, stuff like that.
With the drag show issues, though, they can focus the rage in a way that likely won’t impact their day-to-day lives. And it’ll impact other real people more directly, which gives them a thrill that just burning a Potato Head doll on YouTube won’t provide.
So I expect the next big thing they attack will have similar qualities – stuff they can focus more and hit individuals than complaining about a candy’s boots or pretending to care about children’s books (especially since they’re also pushing to limit books now).
The reason armed forces recruitment is down, by the way, is because Biden fixed the economy (!)and the unemployment rate is now at the lowest it’s ever been since 1969. Of course recruitment was higher when unemployment was at 13% under Trump — people need to eat and pay bills, and when the Army-Navy recruiter in your dusty podunk town is the only place that’s hiring, then that’s what you sign up for.
Mauricio Garcia was radicalized by far-right neo-Nazi ideology, and he probably expected he'd be praised as a true blood-and-soil martyr. Instead, the same far-right MAGA extremists Garcia died for are labeling him a false flag Antifa liberal.
Wow. The Allen, Texas mass shooter’s profile on a Russian social media site has been found. He posted a photo of Nazi tattoos and “reconnaissance” photos of the outlet mall weeks prior. He also posted the right-wing YouTuber Tim Pool. (per @AricToler) pic.twitter.com/BnebamBumi
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) May 8, 2023
The governor’s office also pointed to a “PBS Newshour” feature on parents’ support for various gender care treatments including puberty blockers, a gay character in “Work It Out Wombats” which airs on OETA, PBS Kids’ “Clifford the Big Red Dog” introducing LGBTQ characters “Oklahoma taxpayers are going, ‘Hey, hang on, time out for just a second. That’s not my values,’” Stitt said. “I’m just tired of using taxpayer dollars for some person’s agenda. I represent the taxpayers.”
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt bizarrely claimed PBS programming "overly sexualizes our kids." (via The ReidOut Blog) https://t.co/n7T4IQ0L7I
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who was reelected yesterday, recently dedicated "every square inch" of the state to Jesus: "[With] the authority that I have as governor, and the spiritual authority and the physical authority that you give me, I claim Oklahoma for you." pic.twitter.com/JEdTsJuzAe
“Stop using taxpayer values to push an agenda!” the bigoted governor screeched, as he used taxpayer dollars to push his agenda on everyone in the state.
That’s the problem with being a minority which represents roughly 5% of the population (except in larger cities with large gay populations). Unless the majority of citizens stand with you, which they usually don’t, you’re on your own.
And that’s the bottom line. Not that they’re taxpayers but rather the fact that that evangelical governor doesn’t see them as citizens, taxpayers, or as a demographic worth even bothering with; by acknowledging who and what they are.
Thus, he’s worse than evil. He literally can’t see LGBT people as a thing. His religion has rotted his forebrain.
No, sweetie, you represent a very narrow, exceedingly bigoted minority of taxpayers hell-bent on forcing the rest of the country to kowtow to your twisted views of morality.
“the [white male] ones that are blamed for any social ills”
Feel free to look at the office holders for the Republican (and some D) party. Pretty much white male. Also old, rich and christian. So yes, it’s entirely fair to put all the crap at their feet. it’s their show in a large part of the USA.
Legislature declares victory after badly failing Floridians | Editorial
At the behest of lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis Floridia lost ground on abortion, guns, school vouchers, LGBTQ freedom, open government and more.
Phil Sears/AP House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, chat at the rostrum after a joint session for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State of the State speech Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)
Senators and representatives packed up and headed home, where most can no longer do more damage to Florida citizens. But the misery will continue as Gov. Ron DeSantis gleefully signs into law the many harmful, hateful or wrongheaded decisions made by his fellow Republicans over the past nine weeks.
Floridians, their kids and grandchildren will feel the effects for a long time. The ramifications are grave. But such are the consequences in a state that no longer has a competitive two-party system at the state level, and where far too many lawmakers unquestioningly rubber stamp a far-right agenda fashioned mostly by an authoritarian, ambitious and secretive governor.
Less safe and less free
Floridians will be less safe. Women will be less free.
Legislators approved a near-total ban on abortion after six weeks, when many women don’t even know they are pregnant (SB 300).It’s now legal in Florida to carry a loaded and concealed gun with no permit or training (HB 543).
Lawmakers approved a universal taxpayer-funded school voucher program (HB 1) that will wreak havoc on a public school system that for too long has been chronically underfunded by both parties.
They made it easier to impose the death penalty than any state in the U.S. and allowed for the death penalty to be imposed on child rapists when the victim is under age 12 (HB 1297). The law won wide approval from members of both parties and will look good in a political mailer but is of dubious constitutionality. The 19 Democrats who voted no showed courage, because some will surely be vilified as “soft on crime” in the next election.
A lot less sunshine
This was a terrible session for weakening Florida’s “sunshine” laws, as legislators draped a dangerous and senselessly retroactive cloak of secrecy over official travel by the governor and other top state officials. They made claims of supposed threats against DeSantis that have not been substantiated. The governor goes everywhere closely surrounded by a half-dozen FDLE agents.
Lawmakers also handed the law-and-order governor an expanded Florida State Guard, a state militia under his personal control.
In a mean-spirited attack against public sector workers, they gutted union protections for teachers, 911 dispatchers and other front-line employees.
They did nothing to provide meaningful relief for property insurance policyholders and instead made it harder for them to sue companies that refuse to pay claims.
For the third year in a row, they attacked democracy by further weakening state election laws. They made it so financially risky for third-party organizations to register voters that many threaten to stop the practice — the Republicans’ objective all along.
They imposed new regulations on use of bathrooms and pronouns and imposed a ludicrous crackdown on drag shows — acts of oppression that stifle artistic expression, criminalize gender-affirming care and encourage more bullying and discrimination against already-marginalized groups.
What they got right
Did lawmakers do anything right over the past 60 days? Yes.
They passed a record-high $117 billion budget with nearly universal bipartisan harmony, which was unusual enough in itself in Tallahassee’s hyper-partisan bubble, but Democrats praised Republicans for even-handedness and the budget came together without the trench warfare that tarnished previous sessions.
The budget has 5% pay increases for rank-and-file state workers, salary hikes for assistant public defenders, assistant state attorneys and correctional officers, $1,000 bonuses for police officers, more money to acquire environmentally sensitive lands and other initiatives.
With so much money floating around, they could easily have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But they refused, preserving Florida’s status as an outlier state that neglects the well-being of its residents. Only nine other states refuse to expand Medicaid.
Showing more bipartisan cooperation, they voted to expand eligibility under Florida KidCare and Healthy Kids, which will help more than 40,000 children obtain affordable coverage. More positives: a stronger law to combat human sex trafficking, in response to the Sun Sentinel series Innocence Sold, and later start times for Florida middle and high schools.
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, took a welcome stand for public safety. After the House voted 69 to 36 to repeal a key provision of the post-Parkland gun law and allow immature and troubled 18-year-olds to buy rifles and long guns, Passidomo refused to consider it in the Senate, and it died. There’s nothing to celebrate here except the rarity of a Republican leader breaking with her own party for a change.
“I voted for the Parkland bill,” said Passidomo, who visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas days after the massacre five years ago. “It was a horrific day. I will not change my position.”
A changed Capitol, for the worse
Sun Sentinel opinion writers have watched every session for the past 35 years, and this must be said: Florida no longer has a traditional bipartisan Legislature where people of good intentions and different beliefs come together and work cooperatively to improve the state.
The political agenda and outcome is all preordained. Citizens who openly challenge the system risk being arrested, as 14 were this week in the Capitol.
In its current form, hopefully temporarily, it has evolved into a partisan political arm of DeSantis’ presidential campaign.
The vastly outnumbered Democrats, led by their caucus leaders, Sen. Lauren Book, D-Davie, and Rep. Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, fought valiantly most of the time against impossible odds. We implore Democrats to stick together and to hold Republicans more accountable.
People increasingly talk about leaving this state because of policies that show outright contempt for women, the LGBTQ community and others. The former Miami Heat basketball star Dwyane Wade, a Hall of Famer and one of the most popular pro athletes in South Florida history, who has a transgender daughter, disclosed that he moved his family to California because they no longer feel accepted in Florida.
As events drew to a close Friday, a celebratory House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, called it “a session like no other.”
That’s true — but for all the wrong reasons.
The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board includes Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Editorial Page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Page Editor Dan Sweeney and Anderson. Send letters to insight@orlandosentinel.com.
Remember Florida prevents the real history of racism / slavery to be taught in schools and in fact one school district just stopped showing a pg movie about Ruby Bridges a 6 year old black girl who needed bodyguardescorts to go to an all white school because a white parent felt it would hurt white kids feelings to know how racist white people were / are. But we can damn well make sure that monuments to the attempt to keep those racist days and slavery as a state right must be protected and displayed. What does that say to all the black people in the state of Florida? Remember the Confederacy went to war to over turn the legitimate government of the US and to break up the country. The Confederacy was an enemy government that attacked the US and there are people who want to put up statues and monuments to the traitors / enemy soliders. What country does that. The losers of the war are dictating the winners must celabrate the losing army / officials. Hugs https://scottiesplaytime.com/2023/03/28/shameful-ruby-bridges-film-banned-from-school-because-white-parents-feeling-some-kind-of-way/
‘No group, no individual, has the right to demolish history that belongs to all.’
A House committee approved a bill that could end efforts to move or “re-contextualize” confederate monuments and other markers of war.
Rep. Dean Black, a Jacksonville Republican who noted he was a “10th generation resident of Florida,” explained that “history belongs to all Floridians, indeed to all Americans,” in introducing his bill.
“If someone destroys historic monuments in one part of the state, all Floridians are diminished because of it,” Black contended.
Asked by Rep. Jervonte Edmonds why this bill was introduced, Black lamented that “mobs that would descend upon a community and tear down their monuments, statues, works of art” until the community is “compelled” to remove these edifices.
The bill would encompass historical depictions represented in the form of a “plaque, statue, marker, flag, banner, cenotaph, religious symbol, painting, seal, tombstone, structure name, or display constructed and located with the intent of being permanently displayed or perpetually maintained,” honoring military or public service, “past or present,” with no exceptions contemplated.
Black warned that if monuments were torn down, “people would walk in those parks and say that the things memorialized never happened.”
“They already do that with the Holocaust now,” Black contended. “And if we’re talking about the Civil War, that should never be forgotten. All of the stories should be told.”
Monuments could not be removed, and plaques and signs attempting to put those constructions in historical context would only be permissible “on the monument and memorial” if Secretary of State Cord Byrd signs off. And local governments “are expressly prohibited from removing those memorials from public view.”
According to a committee analysis of Senate companion legislation, this process “may incur workload costs” for the Department of State. But the sponsor thinks the price is worth it.
“It is their proper purview,” Black said.
Those who remove or damage monuments would pay treble the cost to restore and move them back, with “punitive damages” also possible.
“No group, no individual, has the right to demolish history that belongs to all,” Black contended.
Public entities owning the monuments, legal residents of the state, and “historical preservation” groups would stand for civil action under this bill.
“I want every Floridian to have the standing to defend the history that belongs to each and every one of them,” Black said.
The bill does allow for moving monuments “for construction, expansion, or alteration of publicly owned buildings, roads, streets, highways, or other transportation projects.” When such a movement happens, the structures must be “relocated to a site of similar prominence, honor, visibility, and access within the same county or municipality in which the monument or memorial was originally located.”
In support of the bill, Rep. Chuck Brannan of MacClenny likened monument removal to graverobbing.
“I may say something today somebody doesn’t like. Is somebody 100 years from now going to go dig my grave up and move me?”
The bill would take effect July 1, if signed.
Black’s bill is the House companion to SB 1096, filed last month by Sen. Jonathan Martin, a Republican from Fort Myers. That measure is also moving through committees.
Florida doesn't want you talking to 17- and 18-year olds about sex or teenage girls about their periods, but it will do everything to protect Confederate monuments.
"House panel advances bill protecting war monuments"
We must defend and learn from our history. This includes protecting historic monuments across the state of Florida. I’m proud to introduce this important bill in the Legislature and look forward to finally CANCELING “Cancel” Culture! https://t.co/RIO76E4E2h
Great news! House Bill 1607 — Protection of Historical Monuments & Memorials, has just passed its first subcommittee and is one step closer to becoming law. Thank you to my colleagues who believe, as I do, that our history belongs to all Floridians and must be preserved! pic.twitter.com/TZ8y5Fwbdi
“History belongs to all of us… And if my family’s history isn’t safe today, no one’s family history is safe tomorrow…”
Then stop banning history books that teach everyone’s history. Obviously POC’s history isn’t safe in Florida… Can’t say gay in Florida… “History belongs to” who, again?
He’s made sure that his great grandchildren won’t be able to read about “his family’s history” in history books that teach the oppression POC and Native Americans were put through by “his family’s history”… aka, HERITAGE!
Now House Speaker McCarthy admitted that there were members of the republican party that were on the pay roll of Russia. Now there seems to be a lot more of them. How is it patriotic to be on the payroll of an enemy foreign government who has attempted for years to subvert our democracy to support their dictatorship? Hugs
The Kremlin is deploying new tactics by drawing on favorite themes and conspiracy theories of rightwing Republicans
A report found Russia-linked accounts on Twitter have shifted toward stressing energy and economic impacts of the war. Photograph: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock
As Russia’s ruthless war against Ukraine has faced major setbacks since it began a year ago, the Kremlin has deployed new disinformation themes and tactics to weaken US support for Kyiv with help from conservative media stars and some Republicans in Congress, according to new studies and experts.
Moscow’s disinformation messages have included widely debunked conspiracy theories about US bioweapon labs in Ukraine, and pet themes on the American right that portray the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, as an ally in backing traditional values, religion and family in the fight against “woke” ideas.
Further, new studies from thinktanks that track disinformation have noted that alternative social media platforms such as Parler, Rumble, Gab and Odysee have increasingly been used to spread Russian falsehoods since Facebook and Twitter have imposed more curbs on Moscow’s propaganda.
Other pro-Russian messages focused on the economic costs of the war for the US have been echoed by Republicans in the powerful far-right House Freedom Caucus such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Scott Perry and Paul Gosar, who to varying degrees have questioned giving Ukraine more military aid and demanded tougher oversight.
Since Russia launched its invasion last February, the Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Trump ally – turned influential far-right podcaster – Steve Bannon have promoted some of the most baseless claims that help bolster the Kremlin’s aggression.
For instance, Bannon’s War Room podcast in February 2022 featured an interview with Erik Prince, the wealthy US founder of Blackwater, where they both enthused that Putin’s policies were “anti-woke” and praised Putin’s homophobia and transphobia.
Last month too on the anniversary of Moscow’s invasion, Carlson revved up his attacks on US support for Ukraine claiming falsely that Biden’s goal had become “overthrowing Putin and putting American tanks in Red Square because, sure, we could manage Russia once we overthrow the dictator”.
Analysts who track Russia’s disinformation see synergies between the Kremlin and parts of the US right that have helped spread some of the biggest falsehoods since the start of the invasion.
“Russia doesn’t pull even its most outlandish narratives out of thin air – it builds on existing resentments and political fissures,” Jessica Brandt, a policy director at the Brookings Institution who tracks disinformation and foreign interference, told the Guardian.
She added: “So you often have a sort of harmony – both Kremlin messengers and key media figures, each for their own reasons, have an interest in dinging the administration for its handling of the Ukraine crisis, in amplifying distrust of authoritative media, in playing on skepticism about the origins of Covid and frustration with government mitigation measures.”
“That was the case with the biolabs conspiracy theory, for example, which posits that the Pentagon has been supporting the development of biological weapons in Ukraine. The Charlie Kirk Show and Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, among others, devoted multiple segments to the claim. It’s not so much that we’re witnessing any sort of coordination, but rather an alignment of interests.”
Brandt also noted that Russia had an “interest in promoting authentic American voices expressing views that align with the Kremlin’s foreign policy goals. And that’s why you often see them retweet Americans that make these arguments.”
Likewise, two reports issued separately last month by the Alliance for Securing Democracy and the Atlantic Council, reveal how Russian state media have shifted some messaging themes and adopted new tactics with an eye to undercutting US backing for Ukraine.
The Alliance report documented a shift in messaging in the US and Europe from directly defending Russia’s invasion to stressing the energy and economic impacts that it was having, themes that seem to be resonating with some Republican politicians.
In the first six months of the war, Alliance data revealed that Russia-linked accounts on Twitter mentioned “Nazi” in more than 5,800tweets.
But in the following six months from August 2022 through January 2023, “the number of ‘Nazi’ tweets dropped to 3,373 – a 42% decline”. Likewise, mentions of Nato by Russian-linked accounts on Twitter dropped by roughly 30% in the second six-month period.
By contrast, in the most recent six-month period the report said that “tweets mentioning both ‘energy’ and ‘Ukraine’ increased by 267%, while tweets mentioning ‘cost of living’ increased 66%” compared to the first six months of the war.
In another twist, Bret Schafer, who leads the Alliance’s information manipulation team, told the Guardian: “In response to restrictions and crackdowns by major tech platforms, accounts and channels affiliated with Russian state media outlet RT, which has been banned entirely on YouTube, have fanned out across alternative social media and video sharing platforms like Rumble and Odysee that have less restrictive content moderation policies and that allow RT to operate without labels or restrictions.
“Those platforms also tend to cater to audiences who are not necessarily pro-Russian, but are certainly more apt, based on the other videos found on those platforms, to oppose continued support for Ukraine.”
Despite Moscow’s disinformation offensive and the $100bn plus in military and financial assistance that has flowed to Ukraine in one year, the ex-Republican House member Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania said that “most GOP members still support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression”.
But Dent stressed that “the hardest edge of the Bannon-Carlson wing of the Maga movement in Congress is more sympathetic to Russian arguments and has an isolationist view of American foreign policy. There are some members who are less willing to push back against autocrats. There are others too who find common cause with Russia’s professed socially conservative orientation.”
Those voices are especially loud in the Freedom Caucus which is wielding growing influence with the House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, who has said he will not support a “blank check” for Ukraine and this week declined the invitation of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, to visit Kyiv.
Freedom Caucus member Greene from Georgia at the recent CPAC conference said flatly: “We’ve done enough.”
Democrats are especially worried about the embrace of pro-Kremlin disinformation by the American right.
The Democratic senator Chris Murphy blasted US conservatives for echoing Kremlin propaganda and traced its roots back to ex-president Donald Trump, who at the start of Russia’s invasion lauded Putin as “savvy” and a “genius”. Murphy said Trump’s “admiration for Putin” has “turned into a collective rightwing obsession”.
How big a threat does the hard right pose to US support for Ukraine?
Read more
Murphy noted that among the obsessed on the right are Donald Trump Jr, whom he follows on social media, and who is “relentlessly making fun of Zelenskiy online”.
Meanwhile, Putin’s own words and propaganda have lately shifted as he has tried to influence opinion in the US and the west, and blunt Russian dissent.
“Millions of people in the west understand they are being led to a real spiritual catastrophe,” Putin railed last month in a wildly hyperbolic speech that homed in on “the destruction of families”, and related themes.
Russia experts warn that Putin’s rhetoric and Kremlin messaging on these themes is far removed from the reality in Russia.
“One of the glaring mistakes of far-right propagandists is to view Vladimir Putin as some kind of defender of Christendom, of family values and as a protector of the white race,” said Ariel Cohen, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. “They repeat the Kremlin talking points and get excited about the Russian ‘gay propaganda’ law. Nothing could be further from reality.
“Today Russia is the leader in Europe of high divorce rates, HIV infections, and low church attendance and practice.”
Senator Murphy expects Putin to count “on the [American] right wing to advance Russian propaganda and exploit our internal divisions.”
I read the linked article and I suggest you do also. What this makes clear is that DeSantis wants is his own storm troopers, his own terror troops answerable only to him. The national guard is under the auspices of the US government and follows the polices of the Department of defense. The National Guard is part of the U.S. military but is unusual because it is controlled by both state and federal leaders. Most of the time, state National Guards are commanded by governors. However, presidents have the authority to call them into service to respond to hurricanes, bolster border security, and assist in overseas military operations.
Who will be the Commander in Chief of the Florida State Guard? Yes the ruler DerSantis himself. Total control total power. The white supremacist gang thugs Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and the other far right gangs were the unofficial enforcement arm of the republican party. Now they will be wearing uniforms. Think of it!
The scary part is what DerSantis claimed about his new personal army. “The Florida State Guard will be comprised of Floridians, and it will be assigned to assist and help only Floridians,” DeSantis said in a news conference last June. “It will not be subject to be mobilized by the federal government, and the federal government cannot impose policies or penalties on the Florida State Guard.”
In other words, just the right kind of people will be allowed to join. Will that mean just white people? Will it mean only Christians? Clearly no gays, lesbians, or trans people will be allowed. Also you know those annoying rules that the Federal government has for fairness, use of force, medical readiness, and the things the force can be used for all are gone, now ruled by people who claim vaccines are more dangerous than the diseases they help prevent, that claims adamantly that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen somehow but have no evidence of it, that claim that drag queens readding to kids is sexual abuse, that not enforcing stereotypical gender roles from the 1950s is sexualizing kids, and that teachers are groomers while ignoring the many religious leaders charged with sexual crimes against kids. And so much more.
The ruler of Florida will now have his own goon squad fake white supremacists Christian nationalist to intimidate the governors enemies and it enforce his decrees in the state. And he wants to be kind of the entire country not just Florida. Will these troops be assigned to minority area voter places under some fake guise of “keeping the peace”? Will they show up at school board meetings in progressive areas to express the displeasure of the governor? Will they have the authority to make the arrests demanded by the king of Florida that is not quite legal for the police to do? Just how far into fascism do we have to before people see the danger. trump just started the ball rolling in to the 1930s Germany, DerSantis wants to finish recreating that time here. Seriously this needs to be fought with all we have. Hugs
As lawmakers in Tallahassee consider Gov. Ron DeSantis’ budget proposal this session, they will be also be deciding whether to approve a steep funding increase establishing Florida’s own branch of the military. The state guard was dismantled at the end of World War II.
“The Florida State Guard will be comprised of Floridians, and it will be assigned to assist and help only Floridians,” DeSantis said in a news conference last June. “It will not be subject to be mobilized by the federal government, and the federal government cannot impose policies or penalties on the Florida State Guard.”
In its first year, the legislature approved $10 million to restart the Florida State Guard. DeSantis now wants to increase that to $98 million this year.
“The Florida State Guard will be comprised of Floridians, and it will be assigned to assist and help only Floridians,”***
***Unless those Floridians are gay, trans, in a same-sex marriage, vote Democratic, are Black, ex-convicts, undocumented, straight, but want their kids taught accurate history or enjoy drag shows.
Well, first of all there’s us. First the drag queens, then the rest of the gays, then anyone Republicans don’t like…except for the Jews. They still need them to bring on the rapture.
So if he gets his own army, that helps only Florida, then there will be no need for any assistance from the National Guard in case of a hurricane or any other emergency. He’ll spend all his money on his hate, but he’ll have his hand out in an instant if anything goes wrong.
The building of his own SS troops before the Fascism take over the country. Who needs to go to Argentina to hunt for the good old Nazis when Florida is just right there.
At this point, we need Governor Newsom, Governor Hochul, and Governor Pritzker to form a pact to each do everything Florida does. DeSantis targets Disney? Newsom, Hochul, and Pritzker go after Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A. DeSantis tells the College Board they have to bow to his “anti-woke” bullshit or be kicked out of Florida? Newsom and Hochul tell the College Board that if they do, they’re banned from California, New York, and Illinois. DeSantis wants a private army in Florida? Looks like California, New York, and Illinois need private armies, too. Make sure the Republicans in the federal government know that if they allow this shit, they’re signing off on blue states doing it too. DeSantis is engaging in the social equivalent of unilateral nuclear proliferation. It’s time for Democratic elected officials to get M.A.D.
the federal government cannot impose policies or penalties on the Florida State Guard
What BS, there will be all kinds of employment regs you have to follow. And it is just another state police force (militia) that has to follow the Constitution.
This is the first concrete step to his ultimate plan for Florida to secede. His plan goes far beyond running for president. 162 years ago — “On January 10, 1861, Florida delegates who were meeting in the state capital, Tallahassee, voted to secede from the U.S. Florida became one of the six original Southern states to form the Confederate States of America.”
As the complete Article states, the Florida National Guard is “insufficient”, because it’s under Federal control. This is once again posturing by a short heavy wannabe Presidential hopeful. Who thank dog is term limited as Governor , after we send him packing should he gain the nomination for President
And now he’s forming his own army, probably to fend off the next war of northern aggression. I’m reminded of this scene in The Great Dictator: https://www.google.com/sear…
Tut, tut. Those are subject to mobilisation from the Federal Government, and can be sent to other states by the Feds. This would be Sandtits’ personal army.
Randy sent me this. I love the message although I doubt that some people can ever change. But the hate that Arnold is talking about includes that hate against race, gays, trans, and how you treat all of those different than you. It is an amazing video. Thank you Randy.
Comments are off as they will be on all future posts for awhile. Scottie
LGBTQ+ children in the community have been attacked and are now afraid to go to school or be around other kids. Attacks against adults have risen. But the preacher pushing the hate says it is not a bad thing, he is just telling the truth that "accused the LGBTQ community of "grooming children" and acting in "perverted" sexual behavior." The article linked paints the community now split as some follow local pastor Ronald Gayin oppressing the targets of his hate and the rest trying to be allies to a frightened group under attack. What a godly leader of the people he is. Hugs
PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Jeff Landry blocks flood damage funding for New Orleans over the city’s position on abortion rights. Landry advises parents on how to evade COVID protocols instituted by public schools. Landry wins court battle to block workplace protections for LGBTQ state employees. The Louisiana Supreme Court upholds Landry’s win against LGBTQ state employees. Hate group leader Tony Perkins praises “courageous” Landry for his attacks on LGBTQ protections. State Rep. Jeff Landry tries to end LGBTQ studies minor at his alma mater, the University of Lafayette.
And in the above we see the move by the rabid right, by the maga, by the majority of republican office holders to move the country from democracy and freedom from religion enforced in laws to instead install a theocracy where their brand of Christianity is forced on the people regardless of their religious views. This is no longer a minority in the minority party, these people have worked hard and spent an untold amount of money to get their religious believers in to places of power to enforce their religious doctrines as the US Taliban. Hugs
From the linked article: “I see this at the very least as a threat to my academic freedom. PBA is a Christian university. It has a deserved reputation as a politically conservative university. I could somewhat understand if the university had requested a meeting to review my material. I say ‘somewhat’ because, as a full professor with over 20 years of experience at the university, one would think they would trust me,” he wrote. “Indeed, the university has shown me little respect throughout this ordeal. But instead, without giving me due process, they brought their concern over my racial-justice unit with a threat of termination. I also believe that things like this do not happen in a vacuum. There is a reason why PBA is threatening me now rather than five years ago or 10 years ago. PBA is conforming to a toxic political culture, and they are playing a role that is a part of that culture’s script: a role that says, ‘We do not like to have uncomfortable conversations about race.’ There is no place for a role like that at an institution that calls itself a university, let alone a Christian university.” Notice what the Christian teacher is saying. In 20 years of teaching of the racism and need for racial justice in the US he is facing loss of his job because of the stance of the governor DeathSantis who claims that teaching the truth of US racist history and the ongoing injustice minorities face is illegal ideology. It doesn’t fit his white nationalist views and his attempt to install a regressive 1950s white automatic rule / superiority back into society via the schools. It is true that people that get an advanced education often get their eyes open to the bigotry and narrow mindedness of the limited education they received which causes them to move to a more tolerant and open view of reality / society. Hugs
Gustav2 Joe in NM3 hours ago edited It is an attempt to control all education in the US. From cradle to college. There has been complaining in all the churches about how the kids don’t come back to church after college. It didn’t matter before because few conservative RCC and Protestant White Fundies went to college, now both have made it to the suburbs, college is expected. With few marriages preformed in church (only 20%), the churches have lost another connection with the next generation and they are less likely to return with their own children. The push for only religious marriages are real marriages and the restructuring of education have one thing in common. The steady decline in church membership. Even the largest denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, is not replacing the Olds that are dying off with Youngs.
Too bad it is against a teachers morals to be nice and use a name or pronoun that a person asks them. I don’t see how it is a moral dilemma or even a religious one. If Robert wishes to be called Bobbie the religious teacher is happy with it, but what if Robert wishes to be called Bohdana or Bonita orBonawhich are all girls names in different languages. I just learned that in German the name Boby is a girl’s name. In the US the name Bobby is both male and female as all names should be. If the teacher doesn’t know a names gender association and they use it without malice are they committing a sin? I don’t get this fake outrage at something that is just being nice and respectful. Hugs
Scottie's Playtime 