Pick a campaign to urge #citizens to #vote. Send them a letter. Make the #democracy stronger though increased participation.
#democracy
Post-debate analysis -
First, an overview for anyone who didn't see it, or the highlights now recycling:
Trump-Harris debate highlights: Trump falls apart as he lies and rambles over ‘eating pets’ and Harris’s race
Immediately thereafter, the media & political analysts were abuzz about both the "historically" informative debate.
And several top late-night television shows went on-air live, including Jimmy Kimmel (ABC) & Steven Colbert (CBS).
Kimmel had a wonderful little video collage of Drumpf’s “I know more about…” brags, compiled. Just… perfect. Like #DonOld
He was then joined by 87-yr-old Jane Fonda, sharp and lively, stressing the importance of environment and the power of voting.
Lastly, the man who married the manager of #TrumpVirus & has since been singing the song of #malignant #sociopath #truth ...
George Conway. No longer married to Kellyanne or #GQP, now leads an anti-Trump, pro #democracy #PsychoPAC
Kimmel also had a wonderful little video collage of Drumpf’s greatest hits of terrific-ness and brags ("perfect, really!") - reminiscent of an iconic Doonesbury cartoon ~ “I know more about… x, y, z, and letters nobody's ever even heard of!” Ask anybody...
Lots of laughs, relief, and "stranger than truth" sound bites - one candidate seeming to have walked on set from a different show, maybe a freak show rather than a debate between Presidential candidates, one with a plan, the other a basket of #psychopathology.
Some have commented how Kamala seemed like a wise parent enduring the protests of a 6-year-old. (Or terrible twos!)
Truly, the split-screen was instructive. Especially when the topics of #facts or #respect came up. Sir smirked &/or made goofy faces.
What the first debate question for Trump must be - The Atlantic
No paywall
I find it exhausting to have to point out that Donald Trump has—yet again—threatened to engage in violent and dictatorial behavior, and that—yet again—the collective reaction by some in America seems to be a numb acceptance that this is just who Trump is.
Now that Assange is free again, the following questions are imperative for the Western legal system: (Please send them to your Ministry of Justice, because they won't come up with them on their own!)
1) Who will be held accountable for the torture of Assange, which has been denounced by the UN?
2) Who is responsible for the interference of American secret services in the European legal system?
3) Why was Assange wanted with a Red Notice by European arrest warrant and an alleged war criminal like Gadaffi only by Orange Notice?
4) Why has no one in the Swedish legal system been held accountable for the many transgressions?
5) Who bears the costs of the illegal prosecution of an innocent person?
6) How did the situation come to such a head? Is there no one with common sense in the legal system?
7) Why do none of these questions matter and everyone carries on working as if nothing had happened?
#Wikileaks #conspiracy #justice #democracy #humanrights #question #ethics #press #journalism #Sweden #USA #UK #Europe #police #system #politics #fail #court #problem #torture #assange #freedom
https://fortune.com/2024/08/30/supreme-court-reform-term-limits-ethics-standard/?abc123
I’m committing $30 million to reforming the #SupremeCourt. It’s a small price to pay to protect our #democracy
Jim Kohlberg
..."The U.S. Supreme Court has changed from a once venerated institution and third pillar of our democracy to an ideologically driven, partisan, and intellectually dishonest creator of minority rule. Undisclosed gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas, unacknowledged conflicts of interest in the January 6 case, and a failure to live up to an ethics standard that every other judge in the country must adhere to have driven Americans’ confidence in the institution to new lows.
Seventy percent of Americans think the court now puts ideology over impartiality and I am part of that overwhelming majority. These dire straits have driven me to commit $30 million to the Brennan Center for Justice to require term limits and an enforceable standard of ethics requiring recusal in conflicts of interest.
Starting with Citizens United, which equated money with speech, to Shelby, which weakened the Voting Rights Act, through the repeal of Roe and to the latest immunity ruling, the Court has consistently favored the powerful, the wealthy, and ideologues over the working class and the American people. In short, it has rigged the system to make it harder to vote, made every single vote less important than wealthy contributors, and made it easier to gerrymander districts to keep corrupt parties in power and unaccountable to the electorate.
The six conservative justices that make up the majority on the Court exploit originalism and textualism to hide the true political nature of their rulings, basing decisions on ideology rather than objectivity and the law. In every one of their sworn testimony before the Senate, each swore allegiance to stare decisis—then promptly ignored their own sworn testimony.
...
We are at a critical juncture; if we allow this court to rule unimpeded it will reverse 60 years of jurisprudence trying to level the playing field away from the moneyed ideologically driven elites and the corporate interests that have so much sway over our politics through lobbying and fundraising.
We must not allow this to happen. We must do what we can. We must find ways to reverse the reactionary drift of the judicial system. We must not allow the Federalist Society to continue to be the gatekeeper of the Supreme Court and continue to corrupt the judiciary."...
"Boston Strong!" And sane too, it seems, booing JD Vance at a Firefighters' Union (IAFF) Speech
J.D. Vance Booed by Entire Crowd During Dumpster Fire Speech
Vance was brutally burned during a campaign stop, ironically at a firefighters’ union conference.
Like his hero, Sir #TrumpVirus, this fellow shape-shifting creature once again revealed his lack of soul, and abundance of #weird.
Lowlights included the usual stilted #GQP #disinformation, citing statistics leaving out Boston, and awkwardness speaking 'human'.
The article notes both the loud booing, his feeble efforts to seduce the crowd, and his inability to think/talk/live off-script.
For me a bit of context & "contrast/compare": I caught highlights of the same audience being addressed the day before by Tim Walz - a lot of love & respect there for him, and he hit all the right notes on labor and service, and even noted the firefighting tradition in Kamala Harris' family. I'd say Walz hit a near-perfect 10 (as he does) while the #VanceVirus stench the next day was foul & fetid.
#Hope #Truth #democracy vs. #JDVance #nihilism #Project2025 #Mellon #Election2024 #psychopathology #cult
National Endowment for Democracy Deletes Records of Funding Projects in Ukraine
The NED played a pivotal role in helping to trigger the conflict with Russia by supporting two color revolutions directed against Ukraine’s pro-Russian (not really - note mine) leader Viktor #Yanukovych — a potential successor to Vlodymyr #Zelensky if Russia wins.
The 2004 color revolution replaced Yanukovych with Viktor Yushchenko, who favored admitting Ukraine to NATO and adopted an International Monetary Fund (IMF) structural adjustment program that benefitted U.S. investors while cutting social programs.
NED activists employed a broad public relations strategy that included: a) busing paid out-of-town protesters into Kyiv; b) creating an online TV protest station and agitation paraphernalia; and c) providing offshore training to the anti-Yanukovych student leadership. The strategy was based on the writings of Gene Sharp and a template that the NED had successfully employed in Serbia with a youth group called “Otpor,” which helped secure the defeat of socialist Slobodan Milosovic in September 2000 elections.
...
As a sign of the NED’s influence, Ukrainian President Petro #Poroshenko (2014-2020)—a main beneficiary of the #Maidan coup currently awaiting trial on treason charges—bestowed the Order of Princess Olga, one of Ukraine’s highest honors, on Dr. Nadia Diuk,[42] a former vice president and senior adviser to the NED for Europe and Eurasia.
https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/03/07/national-endowment-for-democracy-deletes-records-of-funding-projects-in-ukraine/
#USA #US #american #democracy #CIA #IMF #NATO #deepstate #intelligence #NED #propaganda #fraud #psyops #ukraine #war against #Russia #russian #ukraine #ukrainian #history
Edward Snowden sur X : "First they came for Tiktok, and I did not speak out— Because I was not twelve years old. Then they came for the Telegram, and I did not speak out— Because I was using some other app or sth idk. Then they came for literally every other platform for dissent, and I did not" / X
#politics #freedom #democracy #freespeech
https://x.com/Snowden/status/1827702193572446348
New Complaint Filed Alleging that U.s. Postal Service (USPS) Committed Electoral Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election
#New #Complaint Filed Alleging that #US #Postal #Service ( #USPS ) #Committed #Electoral #Fraud in the #2020 #Presidential #Election
"A new development that merits attention. A complaint was filed on Friday before the U.S. District Court in Maryland presenting evidence that the USPS acted illegally in shipping at least one million mail-in ballots from a facility in Bethpage, New York to Pennsylvania on October 21, 2020. The suit was brought by attorney Brian Della Rocca, but the critical evidence was collected by two friends of mine — John Moynihan and Larry Doyle. Full disclosure, I have known John since 1998 and we were partners in BERG Associates, LLC. John, in my opinion, is one of the best financial and forensic investigators in the world. Hands down."
[...]
#USA #Biden #neocons #zionists #deepstate #corruption #american #elections #fraud #democracy #fail
Observadores das eleições no Brasil são financiados por EUA e governos europeus
Um dos fatores para a tentativa de deslegitimar as eleições venezuelanas foi a participação de observadores internacionais supostamente sem independência
#eleições #voto #voting #democracia #democracy #imperialism #imperialismo #Venezuela #Brasil #USA #EU #UE #Europa
Cartoon of the Day - Clay Jones - A tale of two realities
#TrumpVirus #truth
Dystopian #GQP nihilism vs #hope - #joy - #democracy
"Woke" (sentient) beings can clearly see the Emperor's "new", old worn out clothes. Even some #cult members.
OTOH, the only actual 'party' we have is shining a light on possibility, competence & public #service
So yeah, we can go with the dour, demonic, delusional #cult of #GQP / #TrumpVirus and accept a feeble-brained "dictator on Day 1" -- or we can smile at all the #truth being spoken, and imagine... inhale/exhale, breathe with HOPE for a sane(r) society soon.
56 military U.S. interventions in Latin America alone...
56 military interventions in Latin America alone..... and counting.
For "democracy" tho
#USA #US #CIA #MIC #Pentagon #military #deepstate #militarism #intervention #american #terrorism #democracy #map #history #latinoamerica
Wowser! I caught several of the speeches - and the reference to "resume" vs. "rap sheet" made me perk up and smile.
But there were so many other bits if #TrumpVIrus #Truth on display, some of the highlights here.
Trump throws TEMPER TANTRUM after SCATHING DNC speech
But Sir #DonOld #StableGenius ... he only deals in lowlights, and low-lives.
(Point about his family 'business' of theft and housing discrimination well taken). Even this week, he's now stolen Beyonce's song!
And his #cult of #GQP equal-crazies and reality-deniers, continue to just lap it up, and regurgitate the delusions & #disinformation.
Nice summary here. Truly was hoping he'd watch a bit as he was busy "Truthing" stream-of-whatever-it-is (not consciousness!) in his normal #WordSalad spew, framing the opposite of what was said, & messaging without any 'processing' (thinking) along the way.
#Smile We have some #hope again, #sanity may return, along with understanding of, and appreciation for #democracy.
Finally, #media notices and reports #fact, amid smiles & #joy at the prospect of ending #TrumpVirus -- and ushering in a new era of mindful & just #democracy, with a return to #decency and #respect for #law, and all people...
Emperor Don's 'new clothes' are old.
Trump's carny act isn't working anymore
His Folgers Coffee™ Conference showed a candidate in decline.
[gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/0/feeds/voaheadlines/2024/Aug/18/https---www.voanews.com-a-thailand-s-newest-pro-democracy-party-faces-early-legal-challenge--7747126.html](gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/0/feeds/voaheadlines/2024/Aug/18/https---www.voanews.com-a-thailand-s-newest-pro-democracy-party-faces-early-legal-challenge--7747126.html)
Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.
Thailand's newest pro-democracy party faces early legal challenge
by Zsombor Peter
BANGKOK --
Leaders of Thailand's newest pro-democracy party are under an ethics
investigation that could see them cast out of the National Assembly
over allegations echoing those that saw the party's predecessor
dissolved by court order earlier this month.
Thailand's National Anti-Corruption Commission said August 8 it had
ordered a probe of 44 opposition members of the parliament accused of
breaking the ethics rules for lawmakers for having sponsored a 2021
bill, which failed, to amend the country's controversial royal
defamation, or lèse-majesté, law.
The announcement came a day after the Constitutional Court dissolved
the progressive Move Forward Party, which won last year's national
election, for campaigning to soften the law, which prescribes up to 15
years in jail for each offense.
The court said the party's efforts posed a threat to national security,
and followed on from its January ruling that the campaign was a veiled
attempt to upend Thailand's constitutional monarchy governmental
structure, a claim the party denied.
All 44 lawmakers now under investigation by the anti-corruption
commission were Move Forward members. Five were banned from public
office for 10 years in the August 7 ruling that dissolved the party.
The other 39 have since joined the People's Party, set up in the wake
of Move Forward's dissolution to take its place, and include its new
leader, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut.
If the commission concludes the 39 did breach the ethics rules, it
would then send the case to the Supreme Court, which could ban them
from public office as well.
Analysts told VOA the previous court rulings on Move Forward's campaign
to amend the royal defamation law laid the groundwork for their
possible convictions.
"The Constitutional Court has essentially delivered a verdict that
could serve as a catalyst for upcoming verdicts against these 44 MPs,"
said Napon Jatusripitak, a visiting fellow at Singapore's ISEAS--Yusof
Ishak Institute.
The Supreme Court may follow different procedures than the
Constitutional Court and decide to call its own witnesses, he said.
"But it would be quite an interesting outcome if the Supreme Court
ruled in a way that contradicts the Constitutional Court's verdict,
given that the Constitutional Court is treated as the highest court in
Thailand," he added.
Verapat Pariyawong, who teaches Thai law and politics at SOAS
University of London, also pointed to the precedent set by even earlier
court verdicts that banned leaders of Future Forward, a progressive
party that was dissolved by court order in 2020 and then gave rise to
Move Forward.
He said the case of Pannika Wanich was especially relevant. Pannika, a
lawmaker for each party in turn, was banned from public office for life
by the Supreme Court last year for breaking ethics rules by posting a
photo online in 2010 deemed to disparage the monarchy.
"The MPs in this [new] case, they didn't make remarks in the same way
that Pannika did. But they sponsored or they agreed to support the
draft legislation [to amend the royal defamation law] directly or
tacitly. And if the court follows the interpretation in Pannika's case,
they could expand the scope of the law to cover those MPs and therefore
ban them," Verapat said.
Officially, Thailand's constitutional monarchy is meant to stay out of
politics. However, the country's recent string of progressive parties,
and much of their base, say it has long wielded outsized influence over
the government in favor of Thailand's military and conservative elites.
They accuse those forces of weaponizing the royal defamation law to
persecute parties, lawmakers and activists seeking to rein them in and
move Thailand toward a more genuine democracy.
Since 2020, Thailand's courts have charged 272 people with breaking the
royal defamation law, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a
local advocacy group.
Move Forward made amending the law, to limit who could file related
court cases and lower the maximum jail term allowed, a central plank of
the reform agenda that helped it win last year's general election.
Despite that win, conservative lawmakers blocked the party from winning
a vote in the National Assembly for prime minister, shunting it into
opposition.
Party supporters see the courts and commissions as doing the military
and conservative elite's bidding as well, and the broad language of
some laws and rules as helping them do it.
The ethics rules the 39 People's Party lawmakers are now accused of
breaking say office holders must protect the country's constitutional
monarchy. The analysts, though, told VOA they give little counsel on
what that means, leaving judges ample leeway.
"It's open to interpretation, because '¦ there is no clear definition
about protection of the monarchy," said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a
political scientist at Thailand's Ubon Ratchathani University.
"And when we talk about interpretation, it always means that if you are
the target of the elite or the establishment then they could find
anything to [rule] against you," he added.
The analysts said the People's Party is also running the risk of being
dissolved altogether, as were Future Forward and Move Forward before
it, by carrying on their agenda of amending the royal defamation law.
The party did not reply to VOA's requests for comment. At a news
conference on Aug. 9, though, party leader Natthaphong said they would
"not be careless" in going about it, in hopes of avoiding their
predecessors' fate.
Whatever the new party's fate, the analysts say the monarchy, or how
conservative elites are seen to be using the laws that protect it for
their own ends, will remain a major fault line defining Thai politics
and dividing the public.
"The issue of the monarchy has been used by those politicians who would
like to ensure that they remain in power," said Verapat. "It's those
people who rely on issues of lèse-majesté to attack parties like MFP
or People's [Party], so that dynamic will continue as long as '¦ the
Constitutional Court can rely on lèse-majesté to disband political
parties."
Napon said that may also portent more rocky politics ahead for a
country that has seen 13 coups over the past century and several rounds
of mass, sometimes violent, protests over the last two decades.
"The problem is that it's not clear that political parties can
represent these divides effectively in parliament or during election
campaigns due to legal limits, because these topics are considered
highly sensitive and some off limits by the Constitutional Court," he
said.
"It means parliament will be very inept in representing actual divides
in society," he added. "And that leaves people with grievances that
could only be expressed through means of street protest, which we have
seen before did not lead to meaningful results other than '¦ more
repression and jail time."
#thailand #freedom #liberty #democracy #lèse-majesté #opposition-party #move-forward-party #pro-democracy #peoples-party
Die UK, Die.
Only Israel and Zionist scum, are allowed to be free speech absolutists.
Stabbings to Show Trials: 9 Simple Steps to Criminalize Free Speech
In the wake of the Southport attack and ensuing riots, we wrote that the agenda had become clear – it was about attacking free speech.
Little did we suspect how quickly they would move, and how brazenly authoritarian they would become, culminating in quite literal show trials for Facebook posts:
All while the so called “liberals” are applauding and spouting phrases they don’t realize they’ve been hypnotized into believing through endless repetition.
“Tolerating intolerance just leads to more intolerance in the end.”
“Free speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences”
“It was never an absolute right”If it wasn’t obvious from the outset, it’s quite clear now that this entire situation has been a contrivance.
As it turns out it was a masterfully played hand that has perfectly set up the template for other governments who may want to crackdown on free expression in the future.
#ZOG #UK_Stooges #Starmer #Free_Speech #Death_To_The_UK #Pipsqueak_Nation #Sticks_&_Stones
#uk #britain #england #censorship #deepstate #Western #tyrany #dictatorship #facebook #infowar against #democracy #human-rights