You know the sheriff in Florida literally threatened to kill people?
Well again, we were told by our president earlier this week our ally Russia was handling Iran and that was why we should just step back and let them fuck up Ukraine.
Meanwhile, our good friends in the Russian government and the state controlled media, have been cheering on destabilization of the U.S. and the production of Civil War! being put on in L.A. by the POTUS
Enjoy the military parade this weekend. I wonder who could have inspired that brilliant idea? 🤔
Also, a friendly reminder once again, the original members of the Heritage Foundation spent a lot of time in Russia prior to and immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union, helping to create Russia's very first "free market."
They also established centers for freedom and democracy throughout Eastern Europe. Despite everything that would seem to indicate Putin despises democracy, Putin liked the ideas of the Heritage Foundation so much, he started creating think tanks of his own.
2009: In the Heart Of New York, Russia's 'Soft Power' Arm Gaining Momentum
Migranyan says the Institute for Democracy and Cooperation is not financed with Kremlin money, and that Kucherena depends on support from private sponsors. Nevertheless, the institute's views rarely diverge from that of the Kremlin's. Neither does one of its key stated goals -- studying Western democracy and "offering recommendations for its improvement." Founder Kucherena has argued that no country can monopolize the definition of democracy and human rights.
2015: Pro-Putin Think Tank Based In New York Shuts Down
Migranyan used the institute to function as a kind of unofficial spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin's government. Migranyan told the Associated Press in 2008 that the creation of the institute had been approved by the Kremlin, but that it was funded privately through business donations.
That sounds kinda familiar... Oh yeah, it's because it's the same way the first free market of Russia was described in that 1991 Washington Post article about the first U.S.-Russia business created by the Heritage Foundation
Businessman Robert Krieble, who donated fax machines, computers and copiers to dissidents in the Soviet Union when "they were illegal," Lozansky said, is one of the financial supporters.
"Russia House is not financed by governments but by private people,"
Putin-linked think tank drew up plan to sway 2016 US election - documents
Markdown links don't work on Mastodon
•What Is Truth (Live at The White House, Washington D.C., April 17, 1970)
Meanwhile, Trump has suddenly been playing that good guy cop role very hard over the last few days and pretending like he was actually urging Netenyahu to stop the war in Gaza.
As all this was happening, Trump had a very public Twitter war with Elon Musk, and while everyone was paying attention to that, most people missed that Netenyahu admitted he had been arming the bans of criminals in Gaza with ties to Isis, who have been accused of raiding aid supplies for citizens who are being starved and murdered while trying to reach the official aid checkpoints allowed by Israel.
Also on the same day, the Trump administration sanctioned judges in the ICC who had created an arrest warrant for Netenyahu over war crimes.
Our long term allies in Europe are standing with those ICC judges against the Trump administration, but again, most people in the U.S. are unaware of this bc they were being distracted by the show put on for them by two grown men with way too much money and power.
Meanwhile in the Israeli government, Netenyahu failed to pass a law that would keep his most conservative base from being drafted and subject to the same laws the rest of Israel is subject to. This risked his position of power and led to a vote on Wednesday that would have dissolved his government. It didn't pass, but the vote proved he has lost support due to the way he's leading his country. 24 hours later, once he was reassured his power was safe, he does this and makes comments that he actually had Trump's full support before Trump released any comments or acknowledgements about what he did.
Also sounds like Netenyahu is very much planning to invade Iran, and parroting similar talking points made by Trump earlier this week regarding a different war.
Trump pledges to ‘liberate’ LA as he visits troops at Fort Bragg
•https://toad.social/@PimentoMori/114675591725322491
•What Is Truth (Live at The White House, Washington D.C., April 17, 1970)
Kremlin-friendly pundits and programs have been savoring every shot of protesters in Los Angeles this week, some proclaiming that the United States must be in midst of a new "civil war."
>"I can't help gloating over it all, I admit," Mardan said on-air on Rossia-1. "The worse it is for the United States, the better it is for us."
>As Cherkasov pointed out, "Cheering over unrest in the United States is standard fare for the Kremlin and Kremlin-friendly media."
>The rhetoric is well-practiced and hardly new, he added.
>"These outlets have, after all, come up with surveys that purportedly show America as their country's main adversary for the last 20 years."
>Much of the pro-Putin coverage that depicts the Los Angeles area as "apocalyptic," Cherkasov said.
>But he noted that some broadcasters in the United States have been using similar language, at least some of the time.
So they're continuing to bomb the underground nuclear facility in Natanz. But I'm confused by this article from 2023:
An Iranian nuclear facility is so deep underground that US airstrikes likely couldn’t reach it
Unless you plan to continue bombing for all eternity, wouldn't there be a good chance you're just kicking hornet's nest?
>“I have no doubt that your day of liberation from this tyranny is closer than ever. And when that day comes, Israelis and Iranians will renew the alliance between our two ancient peoples. Together, we will build a future of prosperity, a future of peace, a future of hope.”
That sounds familiar...
Trump pledges to ‘liberate’ LA as he visits troops at Fort Bragg
It's complicated. This pretty clearly targeting our "progressive" sheriff who the governor believes was installed by George Soros (I'm not joking).
The state already sued and took her to court to make her drop the city's sanctuary policy that is a result of a federal consent decree. They lost in court, so they made this new law to try and force her instead.
Then after all that we still had the 10 inmates who escaped after being let out of her overcrowded and underfunded jail by a jail employee. This is also being blamed on "progressive policies" (Even though the reason it was overcrowded was bc the governor established a permanent police force in the city and filled the jails with people who were pulled over for things like window tint level and then arrested on unrelated charges.)
Because they are state police, they have never been bound by city rules, and they can do whatever they want. They have already been working with ICE this whole time. The governor has even released an EO that brought on 5 state agencies to already work with ICE that ranges from the National Guard to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (I'm not joking)
Still, he couldn't just leave the city law enforcement alone, bc he couldn't stand not having full control.
In final days of session, legislature advances Landry immigration agenda
>SB15 criminalizes the failure of local officials – including sheriffs and other law enforcement officers – to cooperate with federal immigration agencies, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
Up to 10 years in prison if you refuse to blindly follow orders? Seems reasonable /s
>It also criminalizes acts by everyday Louisiana residents deemed to obstruct or “thwart” federal immigration enforcement efforts. It passed 71-30.
"Thwart" immigration efforts seems like it could be very loosely interpreted to mean anything from intentionally or even unintentionally obstructing or delaying efforts, peacefully protesting or expressing dissent, potentially interpreted to punish immigration lawyers for doing their job.
Also, just pointing out the city of New Orleans was already on that DHS list of jurisdictions in violation of Trump's sanctuary policy
Feels like it would have been less passive aggressive to just @ the city within the actual text of the bill.
>“The Orleans Parish Sheriff, who should be trying to get out from under the handcuffs of the consent decree, [is] using that as a shield to avoid the possible implications of refusing to cooperate with ICE,” Morris told committee members.
Also, love this argument (especially as we're watching riots in L.A. and the city of Glendale canceling it's own contract with ICE) bc it essentially seems to be saying take off those old handcuffs, and put on these new much more restrictive handcuffs.
>SB15 criminalizes the failure of local officials – including sheriffs and other law enforcement officers – to cooperate with federal immigration agencies, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
Up to 10 years in prison if you refuse to blindly follow orders? Seems reasonable /s
>It also criminalizes acts by everyday Louisiana residents deemed to obstruct or “thwart” federal immigration enforcement efforts. It passed 71-30.
"Thwart" immigration efforts seems like it could be very loosely interpreted to mean anything from intentionally or even unintentionally obstructing or delaying efforts, peacefully protesting or expressing dissent, potentially interpreted to punish immigration lawyers for doing their job.
Also, just pointing out the city of New Orleans was already on that DHS list of jurisdictions in violation of Trump's sanctuary policy
Feels like it would have been less passive aggressive to just @ the city within the actual text of the bill.
>“The Orleans Parish Sheriff, who should be trying to get out from under the handcuffs of the consent decree, [is] using that as a shield to avoid the possible implications of refusing to cooperate with ICE,” Morris told committee members.
Also, love this argument (especially as we're watching riots in L.A. and the city of Glendale canceling it's own contract with ICE) bc it essentially seems to be saying take off those old handcuffs, and put on these new much more restrictive handcuffs.
Durr we luv smol gubmint and freedum 🖕
Idk why I'm asking this, but I'm genuinely curious why you think reservations exist?
Mayor says ‘nothing warranted’ the intervention and that cannot ‘emphasize enough the level of fear and terror that is in Angelenos right now’ due to Ice raids
The National Sheriffs' Association president said the DHS list was issued without input on how to object to the designation, calling it arbitrary and damaging to trust
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/66472753
> It's been so crazy that I forgot all about the DHS list of jurisdictions in violation of the Trump administration's policy on sanctuary cities according to his EO released on April 28th. Apparently they published it last week and immediately took it back down. > > When the EO was released, I figured my own city would be on the list, and it was, along with 36 other jurisdictions. > > So can't say for sure, but it definitely has me a little nervous that all the jurisdictions on that list could soon be facing what we're seeing play out in California. The mayor said, she believes what is happening in L.A. is a test run, and I agree with her 100%
The National Sheriffs' Association president said the DHS list was issued without input on how to object to the designation, calling it arbitrary and damaging to trust
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/66472753
> It's been so crazy that I forgot all about the DHS list of jurisdictions in violation of the Trump administration's policy on sanctuary cities according to his EO released on April 28th. Apparently they published it last week and immediately took it back down.
>
> When the EO was released, I figured my own city would be on the list, and it was, along with 36 other jurisdictions states. There are hundreds of counties listed
>
> So can't say for sure, but it definitely has me a little nervous that all the jurisdictions on that list could soon be facing what we're seeing play out in California. The mayor said, she believes what is happening in L.A. is a test run, and I agree with her 100%
As tensions grow between demonstrators and the White House's immigration policies, questions may arise over the president's ability to deploy the National Guard.
>Who controls the National Guard? >The National Guard is a hybrid entity that serves both state and federal interests and often operates under state command and control, using state funding.
>Sometimes, troops will be assigned by their state to serve federal missions, remaining under state command but using federal funding.
>Generally, federal military forces are not allowed to carry out civilian law enforcement duties against U.S. citizens except in times of emergency.
>When can the National Guard be deployed? >An 18th-century wartime law called the Insurrection Act is the main legal mechanism that a president can use to activate the military or National Guard during times of rebellion or unrest. But President Donald Trump didn’t invoke the Insurrection Act on Saturday when deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles.
>What about the National Guard in Texas? >Back in February, Gov. Greg Abbott gave Texas Guard members authority to arrest and detain people for entering the U.S. illegally from Mexico under an agreement with the Trump administration that expands the military’s role in immigration enforcement.
Pentagon officials said the cost of deploying thousands of National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles is $134 million.
Well good thing the U.S. economy is rock solid at the moment, and we have excess money to burn.
Otherwise we might start seeing bipartisan anger at a president and administration who have spent $134 million dollars to force a state government to do what the federal government says, while undoing previous federal orders regarding civil rights bc they were an unjust burden to states and a waste of the American tax payer dollar.
I believe the most obvious is they benefit (or at least believe they will benefit) from that outcome.
As protests escalate in Los Angeles, President Trump signals potential military intervention while alleging that "paid insurrectionists" are involved.
>National Guard members and Marines, called to Los Angeles by President Trump to prevent violent protests, can otherwise only serve in support roles.
>"If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We will see," he said.
We have not even seen "actual military violence" at this point. Keep that in mind when you argue that it doesn't matter if this escalates further bc what else could Trump do, the answer is this.
Except this is also how the "democracy" that is modern day Russia was created. Everything that's happened in the U.S. since ~2012 that has been driving us to the brink of collapse by furthering the divide between left and right has been eerily similar.
Psychological Inoculation and Astroturfing: Preparing for exploitation of U.S. secession movements
A lot of people don't know this, bc it's not exactly clear what they were doing there, but coincidentally the Heritage Foundation also seemed to play a role in the creation of the first free market in the earliest days of post-soviet Russia.
This is the beginning. He wants an excuse to declare martial law.
He's still holding back and being strategic at this point, once he establishes a permanent military branch to oversee California that's when shit really hits the fan.
Getting all blue states and jurisdictions to start withholding federal taxes until we have a federal government who is actually representing us again, is a much better plan than telling a bunch of civilians to go fight the military. You are literally sending people to be slaughtered and kick off a second civil war, but I'm pretty sure you're probably fully aware of that.
The practice, an expert warns, could lead to "reprisals and retribution by the police for your politics.”
Cool...
This one goes out to all the small government, privacy loving, Republicans out there, supposedly hating invasive big brother tactics and representing the values of the American heartland.
Would be much appreciated if you could have a word with your people about this.
Again where is the actual show of support from the rest of America? This should not be California's fight, it should be all of us fighting as America against authoritarianism.
Where are the people telling their local government they need to following the example Glendale just set for the rest of us.
When you're left with no other alternative, then yes. Why not try to form a coalition of Americans that will stand together against Trump before we dissolve into a second civil war where individual blue states are going against the entire U.S. government?
How about some support from other blue states and jurisdictions? Where are the calls for blue states senators and representatives to vocally stand with California, where are the mayors and city councils willing to follow Glendale's example?
Sending people into a suicide mission without actually backing them up, is like supporting a war you're not fighting in (yet). When it's your turn, you will hope that others will stand with you instead of remotely egging you on to be David against Goliath.
I'm not arguing it's the core of science, I'm arguing it shouldn't be dismissed completely bc these people want to weaponize it.
Science should always include healthy skepticism and debate. If not, you've basically just reinvented religion.
If you've worked in science, there is a good chance you've met somebody like that. There are unfortunately many people that seem to have a pathological inability to acknowledge when they're wrong or accept that they made a mistake.
If you have worked in science and believe you've never encountered that attitude you're either very lucky or you're that guy.
Yep, and it wasn't even the military, it was just a local police force. I believe they killed 11 people and around 5 children. The 40th anniversary just passed.
If a single police force using weapons from 40 years ago could do something like that without a second thought, I hope people consider what the outcome would realistically be today, when encouraging people in California to strap themselves and head into a suicide mission against police, federal agencies, national guard, military, Palantir, and private military companies like Blackwater under a president who has already told them "he who serves his country, commits no crime."
President Donald Trump has deployed 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles.
Frustrate and impede, just don't help them advance their agenda by giving them the physical escalation they're hoping for.
An "insurrection" under Trump will not be handled the way an actual insurrection was when Trump instigated it under Biden. This has been planned for a long time.
Richard Blumenthal Reveals Trump 'Martial Law' Fear
I hope more Americans at city and state levels will start joining cities like Glendale.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the decision "deeply disturbing," accusing state officials of siding with criminals over public safety.
>DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek that the City of Glendale's decision was "deeply disturbing," and accused state officials of siding with criminals over public safety after unrest in Los Angeles.
Just so people are aware, this is the same rhetoric/same regurgitated talking points being used against "progressive" policies in blue cities within red states all over the country.
They are banking on an escalation of physical violence and confrontation that they will use as an excuse to establish a permanent federal and military force in California that will not be subject to any California state laws.
Why do I believe that? Because its how it happened in my own city to establish a permanent state police force that can't be regulated by any city or local ordinance.
They instigate and then argue that progressive policies have resulted in an emergency and chaos, that leaves them no choice but to step in and fix things by taking control.
Progressive in terms of voters or in terms of the GOP?
If you're not supporting the Führer Trump and his policies, the GOP will claim you're a "progressive" being paid by George Soros. Anyone disagreeing and from California might as well just be wearing a shirt that says "I'm with Soros," from their perspective.
My governor does this all the fucking time, and I'm in Louisiana. Anytime something doesn't go his way, he claims it is due to outsiders like Soros influencing local politics. Yet he's literally run televised ads for his own policies that were paid for by a Heritage Foundation affiliate, and somehow that's ok.
I've been very disappointed by people like Newsome, and wasting time trying to compromise/reaching across the aisle to literal extremists bullshit that so many Dems have been playing since Jan, but I have to say, I truly believe he's handling Trump trying to instigate a federal takeover in the smartest way possible.
Blue states are not winning a fist fight right now, and that's why threatening to withhold federal taxes is the best strategy. I hope other blue states join him.
What Trump is expecting is taxation without representation. Why should anyone pay taxes to a king? This is America.
I've been arguing the same thing about organizing, except this is not the American revolution of the 1700s.
Let's be realistic about what happens next when you encourage people to take up arms and go on a suicide mission right now.
Trump is trying to instigate a Civil War. He wants further escalation, not de-escalation. This does not end with the National Guard and Marines he has already sent to LA peacefully retreating because they face aggression from locals.
Newsome is making the right call here. Threatening to withhold taxes is probably one of the smartest things any blue territory/jurisdiction can do to protect themselves and fight back right now. California is the first, but they definitely won't be the last. We need America to unite against a coup being led by the Neoconfederates in the White House.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Tuesday she is likely to announce a curfew, to go into effect within a matter of hours, amid the unrest and riots across her city. Newsweek's live blog is closed.
Once again, fuck Fetterman! He is a wolf barely concealed in sheep's clothing. I hope people recognize this not as a betrayal to the Democratic party, but to the United States.
Definitely wouldn't be the first time for him.
Here's another recent and very blatant example regarding the ban on state AI regulations
And hope to gobble up some land near you.
You're going to call protestors "agitators" while the broligarchs keep coming up with the most outrageous, evil bullshit they could think of, just for the hell of it.
https://www.newsweek.com/la-riot-police-shoot-protester-head-rubber-bullet-2082794
The video shows a woman bleeding from the head as police and protesters argue about treatment.
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/66395730
The video shows a woman bleeding from the head as police and protesters argue about treatment.
cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/66395730
Researcher in the U.S. trying to stay informed and help others stay informed. I write a blog that focuses on public information, public health, and policy: https://pimento-mori.ghost.io/
I only recently began using ghost, and am slowly figuring things out. Apologies for any formatting issues.