This past week Rupert Murdoch’s deposition in the $1.6bn Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit was truly stunning stuff.
Quote …
To say that the 91-year-old’s statement astounded close Murdoch watchers would be an understatement. “I was shocked,” said Angelo Carusone, president of the watchdog Media Matters for America. “It is stunning, as it not only exposes a lot about how Fox works, it opens them up to potentially cascading litigation and liability.”
Key insights that are slowly starting to dawn amongst many include …
- The vast gap between what Fox News hosts said on air and what they said in private – it clearly demonstrates that they willingly and knowingly broadcast stuff that they knew to be false.
- The insight that Murdoch deliberately chose to keep election deniers such as Rudy Giuliani on the air even though he knew it was all BS – promoting the lie was a deliberate choice.
For the defamation case to succeed, Dominion need to prove that Fox not only knew the claims being promoted were false, but also that they continued to promote them with a reckless disregard for the truth. The Murdock deposition really does nail it.
The Hill is reporting that legal experts are advising that Fox does not have any plausible defence.
The filings, he said, showed members of the Fox Corp board had failed to act to prevent misconduct by Fox executives, and warned the disclosures will result in “likely” shareholder lawsuits, a possible SEC investigation into “deceptive practices of the board for conspiring to conceal known misconduct with material adverse impact,” and the potential loss of insurance protection for the company’s directors and officers.
I deeply and sincerely hope with all my heart that a real day of reckoning is finally dawning for that bastion of lies and deceit that we call Fox News.
Moving on, below you will once again find my usual selection of some truly bizarre and extreme claims that have popped up during the last 7 days. Each is laced with my snarky commentary. With my usual hat tip to my various sources, let’s dive in.
Enjoy.
CPAC 2023 is exactly the MAGAFest you expected
Here are a few snippets …
- “I don’t give a shit” beautifully sums up today’s GOP.
- There are several options here … 1) He knows this is a lie and does not care 2) Fact Checking does not matter. I suspect both those options to be true.
Kurt Schlichter muses about murdering reporters at CPAC
- He does advise what his boundaries are … “I would never advocate hunting the media for sport.” How Adorable.
The bizarre claims being promoted just kept on rolling. Here are a few more gems …
- Nikki Haley: “Wokeness is a virus more dangerous than any pandemic, hands down“
- Guilfoyle: “Are you tired of winning? No. We want Trump back“. Audience: (silence)
- Gaetz touts the Jim Jordan “whistleblowers” … (Yes, those would be the same whistleblowers who were just totally discredited)
- Marjorie Taylor Greene goads her CPAC audience into booing Zelenskyy. It’s notable because at last year’s CPAC they were all very pro Ukraine. This time around they are all more or less flying the Russian flag.
- Bolsonaro’s anti-vaccine mandate comments get a standing ovation at CPAC (yes, “that” Bolsonaro. Perhaps they should have wheeled him in on a hospital bed for the full comedy effect)
- Trump claimed of the border wall that Biden “took it away and they hid it. They put it in a hiding area.” (that’s one heck of a huge “hiding area”).
- As for the other stuff Trump came out with, well you know the game … gas stoves — drink! …. windmills killing birds — take another drink! … xenophobia on steroids: “Under my leadership, we will use all necessary state, local, federal, and military resources to carry out the largest domestic deportation operation in American history“, ….and of course, “I got along very well with Putin” — (yea, we noticed how he played you). All the other usual Trump stuff made an appearance such as grievances about his legal problems, potshots at Biden, and an alternative fantasy history about how awesome his term was.
Be assured that there is plenty more of the same, I’m only scratching the surface here.
What can one say except to make the observation that if you want to be on the wrong side of the line, morally, legally, intellectually, on any and every current issue that exists, be that left or right wing, then CPAC is the place for you.
Meanwhile here is a “Woke” definition that really nails it all …
Christian Nationalism
Self-proclaimed “Christocrat” Rick Scarborough admits that he is trying to “take over” this nation for Jesus, and he intends to start by launching a campaign to “expunge the entire state [of Texas] of every immoral book in the library.“
- He should perhaps start with the book that has a great deal of violence, is very pro slavery and even contains instructions on how to correctly beat your slave, and also graphically describes a father having sex with daughters – the bible.
- Quote: “Call me a Nazi, call me a book burner, I’ve been called worse” … wait, what exactly is worse than being a Nazi?
- If he is freaking about now about printed books, I guess he will be shitting bricks when he discovers it can all be accessed on the Internet.
- You know that what he calls “immoral” will be anything and everything that does not conform to his specific beliefs.
Jason Rapert believes that “we ought to have prayer every day in every school.”
- He might indeed “believe” that. But there are a couple of very obvious challenges – 1) Many do not believe that 2) Watch him rapidly backtrack if the belief doing the praying does not align with his … Islam for example 3) Its not legal for public schools to impose belief upon all students, but it is of course legal for student individuals to pray privately or even run a religious club.
- If you are wondering who he is, then here is his wikipedia page. Briefly he is the Arkansas state senator who loves to hate gay people, also passionately wanted to erect a 10 commandment monument on the Arkansas state capitol grounds, and had previously demanded that the US should Nuke ISIS.
Dear Leader DeSantis
The Hill reports that a new Florida bill would require bloggers to register before writing about DeSantis
- Fascists-r-us is rapidly becoming a thing in Florida.
- Texas wishes to express their deep thanks to Florida because Texas is no longer the worst state.
- “Register your gun” … nope, not a chance, instead it’s “Register a blog that just might say unflattering things about dear leader“.
Meanwhile this past week we also have this – A new FL bill will tell courts to SEIZE TRANS CHILDREN AWAY from their supportive parents if those parents provide or are “at risk” of providing them life-saving care. Parents would be charged with felonies and thrown in prison. This is fascist.
- Let me play that back for you – Republican leadership wants to seize control over children if their parents might seek supportive health care that doesn’t align with the DeSantis agenda. His “culture war” is absolutely destroying the lives of many people.
- This is stuff that goes way beyond just emptying all books out of school libraries.
- If it became law, then parents would need to be careful about even visiting, or traveling through FL for fear of losing custody of their children. (I’m not making that up, you don’t need to even live there, just being in the state would be enough).
“They will come after you“
Kyle Rittenhouse was on Tucker asking people to send him money for the lawsuit against him: “This lawsuit is very frustrating and it’s upsetting .. If they can come after me, they will come after you.”
- This is an important cause, I really do encourage you to donate …. to those suing him.
- If they [families of people Kyke killed] can come after him [for civil wrongful death damages], then they will come after you [if you kill members of their families]. That’s literally how it works. In other words, if you don’t want to get sued like this, and don’t want “them” to come after you, then here is a suggestion … don’t kill people.
- Kyle might indeed find the lawsuit “upsetting”. But hey, guess what else is upsetting; being murdered is also more than a tad “upsetting”.
- Karma is a really good judge of character. Kyle is indeed well and truly f**ked.
Defending Hitler
Nick Fuentes, the guy who has previously expressed his deep love of Hitler is this week explaining that he doesn’t believe that 6 million Jews died during the Holocaust and insists that the Nazis never used gas chambers: “That’s totally fake.”
- There is literally a Wikipedia page titled “Holocaust denial” that explains why, with evidence, this weird claim is total BS. For some bizarre reason, folks like Nick think that nobody will ever read that, but instead will tune into him as the ultimate authority on this. In other words, those who embrace his “thinking” as truth have self-selected themselves for identification as deeply stupid people.
Homophobia on Steroids
@GovBillLee didn’t appreciate that the Tennessee Holler printed out the FRANKLIN HIGH YEARBOOK PHOTO of him in drag— but did not deny it’s him. Meanwhile he’s about to make drag a felony by signing an absurd law
- So yes, the “Freedom Loving” folks will be attempting to pass a law that dictates how people can dress.
- Will the law also make it illegal to watch “Some Like it Hot”?
Christian hate-preacher Jonathan Shelley said in a sermon that “we have to eliminate” gays and Jews. “We cannot allow them to survive,” he added. That video was removed from YouTube before the church’s channel could be banned.
- For a guy who does not think being gay is cool, he spends rather a lot of time thinking and talking about gay people.
- His sermon, for the record, is modern christian “love”. This is why Christianity is in steep decline, a demise that is truly well deserved.
- Side Note: Their YouTube clip got removed by them to avoid their YouTube channel being banned.
DeSantis appointee to new Disney oversight board suggested tap water could turn people gay
- As I frequently observe, whenever you consider the thought, “Nobody could possibly be that stupid“, it is inevitable that somebody will pop up to prove such thinking to be very wrong.
- Basically his claim is that Testosterone levels in men have dropped due to estrogen in the water from birth control pills and is causing men to become gay. I don’t need to tell you this, but for completeness, its all BS. It has its origins in folks like Alex Jones claiming tap water can turn frogs gay simply because he wanted to flog expensive water filters to his gullible followers.
Truly Bizarre
The Duggar who had an abortion wants you to know that her abortion wasn’t an abortion and the rest of you are still murderers.
- Religious people, who don’t have a f**king medical clue, yet attempt to impose their beliefs upon all, but do actually need reproductive care, have opened the door to a live demonstration of their olympic class professional hypocrisy
- Jess Duggar Translator: “How dare you judge me while I’m judging you“
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie vote against a resolution that mourns the loss of life in Turkey and Syria caused by the earthquakes
- It was not a motion that asked them to either do anything or spend any money, but simply to mourn the loss of life … and they voted against even that.
- As usual they are “pro-life” except when it actually comes to real human lives.
This past week Ali Alexander is accepting applications: “Learn to master mania and drive the world insane for virtue.”
- His tweet announcing this was of course caps-lock fully on. Nothing screams “nutter” louder than caps lock.
Jon Miller is growing up: “You know when you’re a little kid and you eat sushi for the first time and you think it’s weird? But then when you’re older you realize it’s really terrific? That’s how I feel about westboro baptist church.”
- Developing a fondness for a hate group consisting of obnoxious turds tells us a great deal about how things have gone very downhill for Jon Miller. It’s very much on par with the deep love that Nick Fuentes has developed for Hitler.
Christian pastor Josh Butler said honeymoon sex is just like how “Christ penetrates his church.” He celebrated how a man gives himself “not only upon but within his wife.”
- Josh Butler Translator: “If you want to be well and truly f**ked, then just go to church”.
The False Profit$
Christian hate-preacher Greg Locke told conspiracy theorist Kandiss Taylor that public schools are hiring witches “at an alarming rate.” He added that witches infiltrated his church and prayed over him, which made him sick and “messed [his] flesh up.”
- Hey year 1692, Greg Locke is calling to you to come back.
- Meanwhile, how exactly did he measure the rate of witch hiring, was it part of the job description, do public schools collect and publish stats on that?
- We all suspect that he has been caught playing away from home once again, and is blaming witches as the cause.
Scamvangelist Kenneth Copeland says the devil once “tried to kill” his preacher buddy Jesse Duplantis on a plane, but Duplantis saved the day by taking the microphone from the stewardess and praying.
- Things that helped get the plane down safely: safety systems, redundant backups, pilot training
- Things that did not help get the plane down safely: Religious guy in a raw panic grabbing the microphone from the stewardess then shoving her to one side while he instills panic amongst all the other passengers. Seriously now, why grab the microphone, did he think God could not hear him unless he used a microphone?
Interesting Articles
- Brad Reed @ Raw Story: Dilbert cartoonist says he got canceled even though ‘everyone agreed’ with his racist tirade.
- Media Matters: Daily Wire host attacks Paris Hilton for using in-vitro fertilization.
- Steve Benen @ The Maddow Blog: Why the fight over Rep. Scott Perry’s phone is so important.
- Ryan Gabrielson and J. David McSwane, @ ProPublica: A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including a Pot Farm, a Bank and an Airline.
- David Gilbert @ Vice News: The Far Right Wants You to Think Ukraine’s War Is Staged: ‘It Is Clearly a Psyop.’
- Beth Reinhard and Isaac Arnsdorf @ The Washington Post: As CPAC’s head faces sexual assault claim, other leadership concerns emerge.
- Lisa Lerer and Maggie Haberman @ The New York Times: For Republicans’ Rising Stars, CPAC Is Losing Its Pull.
- Jason Wilson @ Hatewatch: Constitutional Sheriffs Chief Runs Online Radio Station Featuring White Supremacists.
- Heidi Przybyla @ Politico: Dark money and special deals: How Leonard Leo and his friends benefited from his judicial activism.
- Tori Otten @ The New Republic: Rupert Murdoch Admits Under Oath That Fox News Hosts Were Lying About the Stolen Election.
- Tommy Christopher @ Mediaite: Fox VP Warned Election Lies ‘MIND BLOWINGLY NUTS…This Stuff Is So F*cking Insane’ — Then Did Nothing.
- David Badash @ The New Civil Rights Movement: Daily Wire Host Says He Wasn’t Calling for ‘Genocide’ of Trans People – Claims They’re Not ‘Real.’
- Tim Dickinson @ Rolling Stone: The ‘God Emperor’ Who Could Cost Trump the Election.
- David Gilbert @ Vice News: The GOP Is Weaponizing LibsOfTikTok’s Anti-‘Woke’ Hate.
Statistic of the week
Jon Stewart Educates a Pro-Gun fanatic State Senator Nathan Dahm
Jon slowly builds up slowly and then completely and totally annihilates him. This is 8 minutes well worth watching right to the end …
LOL
So this tweet popped up this past week…
Did that really happen?
I just had to go find out by finding that blog.
I found it, here it is. This missionary girlie literally expected dirt floors, mud huts, etc… and was deeply shocked to find Malls. If you don’t think human civilisation exists beyond the US border then when you cross it to bring Jesus to everybody else, you will indeed be deeply shocked …
The comments under her posting do indeed say exactly what you are thinking of her, they don’t hold back.