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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#258951: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:13:51 PM

This is terrible, but I thought is was kinda funny:

So, how will Jeff Flake react to news the #MAGA Bomber is a diehard Trumper?

A). Concerned

b). Deeply Troubled

c). Awaiting more facts

d). Saddened by the incivility

Cris_Meyers reluctant author, willing misanthrope from Chicagoland (Fifth Year at Tropey's) Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
reluctant author, willing misanthrope
#258952: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:18:26 PM

C for the soundbite, D for addressing any coverage that points out this is an easily predictable result of Trump and his rhetoric

CookingCat Since: Jul, 2018
#258953: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:19:16 PM

And he obviously doesn't know how Italians were treated in the past in the US and that they and the Irish would be next on the chopping block if the GOP/neo-Nazis got rid of the minorities.

Edited by CookingCat on Oct 26th 2018 at 1:22:02 AM

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#258954: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:34:17 PM

I told you all that Jeff Flake was a two-faced rat. Dude's signature move is positioning himself as the Good Republican and then immediately stabbing that goodwill in the back by voting exactly the same as every other Bad Republican.

Grafite Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: Less than three
#258955: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:40:26 PM

I hope the focus shifts back to the issues, in time for the midterms and away from this bomber dude. It may seem stupid, but I want the democrats victory to be a clear message that the american public is taking a stand against Trump's policies and values.

Plus, terrorism will always be here, on both extremes, but president Trump's mostly unchecked power to enact his whims based on whatever's on TV at the time is not.

Life is unfair...
Cris_Meyers reluctant author, willing misanthrope from Chicagoland (Fifth Year at Tropey's) Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
reluctant author, willing misanthrope
#258956: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:43:17 PM

I'm not sure. If (big IF, I suppose) they can craft a narrative showing that this guy is an easily predictable, if not inevitable, consequence of all the GOP and Trump's racist, scare-mongering, and nationalist rhetoric then I could see that having a lot of pull.

The fact that it's essentially true doesn't hurt either. Linking the MAGA Bomber to Trump is fighting against him.

Grafite Since: Apr, 2016 Relationship Status: Less than three
#258957: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:52:19 PM

[up] By that logic, conservatives could also link last year's baseball shooting to the democrats, even if they have not pushed any of that rhetoric. Right-wing terrorism will continue to be here when Trump is gone, not a consequence of his presidency. Remember Dylann Roof?

Edited by Grafite on Oct 26th 2018 at 9:53:58 AM

Life is unfair...
Ludlow Since: Apr, 2013
#258958: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:55:39 PM

@Wise Willow

Nope, just what I've heard and anecdotal evidence. I went to a Pow-Wow in my area while I was in college around 2012-2013 and the spokesman of the event made some denigrating comments about Obama that no booed and at least some people seemed to approve of. Of course, this was in Colorado Springs, the most conservative city on the Front Range that has been nicknamed the "Evangelical Vatican" due to how many megachurches and Evangelical Christian organizations are based here.

I recall reading an article a few years ago about how Native Americans, generally, supported a small federal government. Unfortunately, I can't find the article for the life of me so take that with a grain of salt.

Gilphon (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#258959: Oct 26th 2018 at 1:59:14 PM

I'm not seeing an obvious coherent motivation for an Alt-Right MAGA asshole to falsely claim he has Native American ancestry. Like, usually if that kind of person lies about their ancestry, it's to downplay the parts of their family tree that aren't white.

He also doesn't strike me as dishonest- he's a guy who shouts out his beliefs loudly enough that everyone within eyeshot can hear them, even if that gets him chased off the internet.

I mean, I obviously can't prove he's telling the truth about his ancestry as well, but I don't see any reason to disbelieve it.

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#258960: Oct 26th 2018 at 2:16:12 PM

Ehh, I’m skeptical just because there’s a long history of crappy white people claiming to have Native American ancestry with 0 proof.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#258961: Oct 26th 2018 at 2:21:37 PM

[up] A lot of the time, cases like that are just old family stories that they probably heard from a relative or someone like that, but can’t back up either way.

This guy kinda seems crazy though, so there’s a good chance he could just have no idea what he’s talking about.

Edited by megaeliz on Oct 26th 2018 at 5:35:42 AM

Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#258962: Oct 26th 2018 at 2:23:31 PM

I'm reminded of the time my deadbeat biological grandpa called my dad after not seeing him in decades to inform him that he's actually a Catholic Cherokee.

Leviticus 19:34
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#258963: Oct 26th 2018 at 2:28:57 PM

Plus, I've seen far right white people claiming 'Native American' ancestry, and what they mean is that the white people are the only 'true' Americans. This completely erases the very existence of Native Americans, as well as their history and culture. That's before we get to the subject of all the non-US American countries and populations.

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#258964: Oct 26th 2018 at 2:29:53 PM

A great Aunt on my dad’s side told me that somehow, our family was supposedly distantly related to Nikola Tesla, but I don’t know where she got that information, or if that’s even true or not.

Stuff like that happens.

Edited by megaeliz on Oct 26th 2018 at 5:33:49 AM

CookingCat Since: Jul, 2018
#258965: Oct 26th 2018 at 2:41:59 PM

[up][up] White Americans/Canadians only arrived in North America 400 years ago.

Edited by CookingCat on Oct 26th 2018 at 2:42:45 AM

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#258966: Oct 26th 2018 at 2:50:26 PM

In a vacuum, sure. But there's more than enough reason to doubt just about anything this guy says. He's not just an asshole: he's an ideologically-driven domestic terrorist. I'm not going to take the claims of a literal terrorist bomber at face value.

A person can have Native American blood and also be a literal terrorist bomber. Again: you are rejecting a person's identity based solely on disliking that person.

This guy isn't claiming tribal membership. You only need to have one Native American ancestor to have Native American ancestry. People have a lot of ancestors.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Oct 26th 2018 at 3:52:42 AM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#258967: Oct 26th 2018 at 2:53:41 PM

Quite a lot of white people hate Native Americans.

However, an even amount of more white people think they're badass and proudly claim ancestry so as long as they're way back in their lineage.

This oddly came up in a discussion of Daryl from The Walking Dead casually saying he was part Native American and a lot of fans wondering whether a redneck good old boy like Daryl would advertise that fact. I mentioned, yes, it was very common.

And an even more random fact, this was an actual issue with Southerners in the Confederacy as they were trying to figure out how much Native American blood was bad since many of them had it. Later in the early 20th century, some "First Families" created the "Pocahontas Rule"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_Integrity_Act_of_1924#The_Pocahontas_exception

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Oct 26th 2018 at 2:58:38 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#258968: Oct 26th 2018 at 3:09:40 PM

A person can have Native American blood and also be a literal terrorist bomber. Again: you are rejecting a person's identity based solely on disliking that person.

This guy isn't claiming tribal membership. You only need to have one Native American ancestor to have Native American ancestry. People have a lot of ancestors.

Yes, Native Americans like any group of people can have terrible members but considering that white people making unfounded claims of Native American ancestry is not some unimaginable thing I think skepticism is justified.

Personally, I don't really care either way, he's scum and that's all that matters to me.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#258969: Oct 26th 2018 at 3:11:27 PM

BTW, a correction.

Native Americans generally don't like Trump since his first act of office was to state that reservations do not have the right to refuse oil pipelines through their territory despite being sovereign nations.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#258970: Oct 26th 2018 at 3:13:31 PM

And an even more random fact, this was an actual issue with Southerners in the Confederacy as they were trying to figure out how much Native American blood was bad since many of them had it. Later in the early 20th century, some "First Families" created the "Pocahontas Rule"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_Integrity_Act_of_1924#The_Pocahontas_exception

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if this is where the "white people claiming Native American ancestry" thing came from.

After all, if you knew or suspected that you had African-American ancestry then I wouldn't be surprised if it would be far safer to say that you have Native-American ancestors. Thus dodging the one drop rule.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#258971: Oct 26th 2018 at 3:24:19 PM

White Americans/Canadians only arrived in North America 400 years ago.

They arrived more than five hundred years ago.

That isn't the point, however. The people I mentioned know that. Their point is to de-legitimise everything and everyone that existed before the creation of the United States — to turn the United States into something that was created by white people for white people.

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#258972: Oct 26th 2018 at 3:39:52 PM

Trump notably is ALSO hated by Native Americans because.

  • He actively campaigned against their rights to have casinos.

  • He actively worked to force the government to include racial "percentage" rules for whether or not Natives could open casinos.

The second one tore many tribes apart as they disenfranchised thousands of mixed race members to qualify for the ability.

You know, just when you can't think Donald can be more of a shitbag.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
unknowing from somewhere.. Since: Mar, 2014
#258973: Oct 26th 2018 at 4:42:04 PM

"I mean, he's a racist evil trashfire and we can't talk about that instead?"

Kinda, I remenber a piece call "Milos and the lost boys" who said that ironly what he said was the closest thing to being sincere to a subject without is endless media whore and edgelord status but it backfire because, being edgy troll who shielded by is gay status and reclutance of the left to confront him and smack him into is place, conservative people still dont like gay people and still belief gay equals pedofile.

"t many minority cultures in the USA do in fact lean conservative in many respects."

This is true in latin america sense since we are pretty conservative overall, cuban are also because their bad experience with comunism in cuba, I dont know about venezuelans but I think that would ring true as well.

Edited by unknowing on Oct 26th 2018 at 7:46:37 AM

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#258974: Oct 26th 2018 at 4:44:28 PM

Kinda, I remenber a piece call "Milos and the lost boys" who said that ironly what he said was the closest thing to being sincere to a subject without is endless media whore and edgelord status but it backfire because, being edgy troll who shielded by is gay status and reclutance of the left to confront him and smack him into is place, conservative people still dont like gay people and still belief gay equals pedofile.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that anyone Left of Center already hated him long before the pedophilia thing came out.

It was just the Right who abandoned him for the reasons that you just described.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#258975: Oct 26th 2018 at 4:46:57 PM

Good read with some very funny imagery.

For three long days this week, the Republican Party held its breath as a serial bomber sent a dozen devices to CNN’s New York headquarters, two former Democratic Presidents, a former Democratic Vice-President, two former CIA directors, several elected Democrats and Democratic activists like George Soros and Tom Steyer. After months of rabid attacks on his opponents as enemies of the people, Trump's crop of crazy came to fruition this week and was almost ready for harvest. By either incompetence, luck, design flaws, or providence, none of the bombs in this campaign of political terror cost life or limb.

This hasn't been an easy week for Trump loyalists. They spent the last 72 hours praying that the MAGA Bomber would turn out to be a false flag attack, the product of some dastardly Democratic cabal. The idea, which bubbled up from the fever swamps of Breitbart, Infowars, and the rest of the Trump-right ecosystem like a fart in a bathtub, was as illogical as it was pathetic. It couldn't be this President's penchant for daily political arson, right?

Twitter Javerts like Rush Limbaugh, Alex Jones, Ann Coulter, Frank Gaffney, John Cardillo, Laura Loomer, Jacob Wohl, and alt-right thought leader and Pizzagate promoter Jack Prosobiec all jumped to sell the idea that Donald Trump’s gushing sewer of inflammatory rhetoric could never inspire a serial bomber. Their mirror-world version of Occam's Razor was that this must be a fiendishly clever leftist plot to disrupt the November elections. Just hours before the arrest of Cesar Sayoc, the President reinforced their fevered belief that this was obviously a left-wing electoral plot.

Introspection isn’t exactly one of this President’s strong suits, and the discovery that the MAGA Bomber was one of the millions of creatures he created, inspired, and motivated to wage war against those he describes as Enemies of the People will never trouble the placid waters of his stunningly shallow intellect. Worry about his responsibility will never penetrate the vacuum of his moral landscape. Donald Trump made an enemies list, and then he weaponized his social media power to push that enemies list into the minds of the furious and febrile who slavishly lap up his every utterance. What, precisely, did he think would happen?

Before Republicans sputter themselves into a tu quoque seizure, calling out Donald Trump's inflammatory political rhetoric isn't an excuse for political violence against Republicans. It doesn't ignore or elide the political violence that struck Members of Congress, or anyone else.

All political violence is unacceptable in a functioning Republic.

All of it.

All the time.

From anyone, left, right, or otherwise.

This is why we need to look objectively at Donald Trump’s role in this affair. No one in American political life has even a fraction of Donald Trump's power to inspire behavior and action. No one. It's time we recognize that Donald Trump's unique social media presence is a weapon of radicalization. No one else in the American political landscape stokes the resentments, fears, prejudices, of his base with equal power.

Donald Trump never misses a chance to miss a chance to be bigger and better. He never fails to close the door on opportunities to be a consequential leader and not a winking, simpering buffoon who holds the title but never wears the mantle of the Presidency. Like we saw after Charlottesville, his defiance of every American norm and his eagerness to "both sides" every argument is an extended middle finger to our Republic.

What’s shocking about what we’ve seen from Sayoc’s social media feeds is just how ordinary they are in the Trump online ecosystem. The slurry of conspiracy theories (particularly all things Soros), birtherism, xenophobia, boomer memes, and MAGA spank-bank material in his Twitter and Facebook feeds is the raw distillate from Infowars, Breitbart, and Fox.

I could find feeds identical to this by the dozen just by scanning my latest crop of trolls. Sayoc isn’t a one-off loner radicalized by a few edge-case media outlets; he's an inevitable outcome of an alternative-reality media silo that increasingly defines the intellectual landscape of the Trump right.

By now we've all seen Sayoc's van. The van, covered with a thick stratum of pro-Trump, anti-media bumper stickers, signs, and memes is a perfect symbol of this moment and his movement. This material isn’t an outlier; it’s definitional to Trump Republicanism. The era of Trump ended the GOP branding as the party of limited government, fiscal discipline, Constitutional loyalty, and moral probity. Trump’s base defines the GOP as a party of ranty Facebook groups, garishly overwrought conspiracy theories (hello, Q Anon!), and raging oppositional defiant disorder.

This is the future of the GOP under Trump; it’s not a party; it’s a backwater sub-Reddit careening from crisis to crisis, chasing an increasingly elaborate set of conspiracies to paper over the raging inconsistencies of the Dear Leader’s message and conduct.

Cesar Sayoc isn't just some loner gone wrong. He isn't merely a one-in-a-million Unabomber with a cabin in the woods, a crazed manifesto, and too much black powder. Cesar Sayoc is the future. Donald Trump's famously loyal base has been radicalized, and while only the tiniest fraction will resort to political violence, neither the President nor the hollow shell of the GOP will do anything to stop it.

This is a President with obvious mental and moral deficits who will say and do anything to retain power. He's backed by a runaway "conservative" media feeding his rabid base a daily dose of conspiratorial lunacy. There is no mechanism to stop Trump's division, radicalization, and calls to arms against his enemies.

America was lucky this week; none of the weapons exploded, and the FBI and state law enforcement moved with amazing speed to apprehend the bomber. We might not always be so lucky, particularly if this President continues to give what future Cesar Sayocs see as their marching orders.

Edited by megaeliz on Oct 26th 2018 at 7:49:21 AM


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