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azphilosopher

@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk

Retired and living my dream life in a new home in Spain. Free of the insanity of the US and Christian nationalists. #Musician. Space Enthusiast. #Photographer. Hiker. #Traveler, #Atheist. Too analytical to be anything else.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. For a complete list of posts, browse on the original instance.

TonyStark , to random
@TonyStark@progressivecafe.social avatar

Unreal the amount of people now DMing me or private mentioning in a cowardly way that antisemitism is perfectly ok in the right context or “because Netanyahu.” This place is fucked up

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@mastodonmigration @TonyStark Let us separate Antisemitism and Islamophobia from cultural bias. People are allowed to dislike and fight against cultural norms when they are built around racism, misogyny, income inequality, violence, etc. Often attacks on the extremes of cultures and religion are labeled as attacks on everyone within them.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Women’s reproductive rights, contraception, LGBTQ rights, IVF, now this:

The Christian right is coming for divorce next - Vox

“Conservative commentators and lawmakers are calling for an end to no-fault divorce, arguing that it has harmed men and even destroyed the fabric of society.”
https://apple.news/AZrx9yMTiQiaZJGSvy9X9Tg

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@GottaLaff (snark) Can't we just shoot these people and end this? Hint: It wouldn't work. Would just make them martyrs. However, the oligarchs bankrolling this nonsense would get none of that sympathy. Just a thought for the future.

wdlindsy , to random
@wdlindsy@toad.social avatar

"I honestly don’t understand how people who have taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States can so blatantly lie about what just occurred. How do they justify their lies, to themselves? How do they look themselves in the mirror? Why did they get into politics in the first place?"

~ Robert Reich

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-can-they-look-at-themselves-in

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@wdlindsy There are only 2 logical answers especially with the supporters that are wealthy and powerful outside of politics and could easily go their own way. They either have blackmail hanging over them that could throw them in jail or the GOP is now making death threats of its members and their families.

You can check out any time you like but you can never leave. The GOP is a mob.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

👀👀👀Via Kyle Griffin:

New: Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse are requesting a meeting with Chief Justice John Roberts to discuss "the Supreme Court's worsening ethics crisis" and have sent a letter imploring Roberts to "take appropriate steps" to ensure Samuel recuses himself from 2020 election and Jan. 6 cases.

azphilosopher ,
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@GottaLaff Hasn't everyone figured out yet that Roberts is in on it all?

wdlindsy , to random
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"It’s neither surprising nor disappointing that Haley has aligned herself with Trump after inveighing so fiercely against his utter unfitness for office. His rivals always do."

~ David Frum

#NikkiHaley #sellout #Republicans #Trump #CultofPersonality

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/05/nikki-haley-trump-endorse/678461/

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@wdlindsy Either the blackmail or the threats of physical violence have come. There are wealthy and powerful people who grovel at his feet that could have secure lives without aligning with him and yet they do. The GOP is a mob.

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@wdlindsy My point is about the GOP government officials that have such vast wealth and personal power that they do not need the job. They could quit politics and live their lives in abject luxury. That any of them would continue to support Trump means one of 2 things. He has dark blackmail secrets on them that would land them in jail or he is threatening them or their families physically

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@wdlindsy Yeah for some but wealthy career politicians? Sorry but their ideology is about personal power and wealth. They don't worship Trump or the cult. Most lie about their religion. Lots are closeted gay or spousal abusers. What they share though is a history of corruption much of it criminal enough to get them prosecuted and Trump has the black book.

wdlindsy , to random
@wdlindsy@toad.social avatar

"Now it turns out that a flag representing the idea that the 2020 election was stolen, that the people should engage in armed revolution against tyranny, and that the United States should be a nation based in Christian theology has been flying over the home of Justice Alito, who is supposed to be defending the United States Constitution impartially."

~ Heather Cox Richardson

#insurrection #whiteChristianNationalism #Alito #SupremeCourt #corruption
/1

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-22-2024-ac2

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@wdlindsy Er, last I looked, you don't have near the numbers in Congress to impeach a pro-GOP Supreme Court justice so what good is this diatribe? It sounds the same as someone saying "Well I oughta........". Here's what needs to be said over and over. The Supreme Court is broken and the only way to fix it is to elect enough Democrats to pad the court so let's get to inspiring voters.

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@wdlindsy The vast majority of the users on the Fediverse already know of the abuses so you just want them to be angrier and frustrated? My point is instead of ramping up the outrage, direct the energy to getting people to the polls and voting for Democrats. It's the only solution short of shooting SC justices which would lead to civil war. Outrage leads to the latter.

flexghost , (edited ) to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

** IT’S HERE! FRIDAY NIGHT MUSIC THREAD ON **

Tonight’s theme is:

✨🏅☄️ TOP SHELF! 🎀🏆✨󠁯󠀭

—
🎵 Post FULL ALBUMS that are a 10/10 all the way through along with what you’re drinking. 🎶
—

  1. Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
  2. Genesis - Selling England By The Pound
  3. Aesop Rock - The Impossible Kid
  4. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

(Multiple submissions welcome)

Oban 14

Post often • share • make some friends

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@mastodonmigration @flexghost Sorry but I guess I was just never "cool" enough to get Lou Reed.

rbreich , to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

A "Stop the Steal" flag reportedly flew at the home of Justice Samuel Alito, just days after Jan 6.

Alito not being forced to recuse from Trump's immunity case and upcoming Jan 6 cases tells you everything you need to know about the new SCOTUS code of "ethics."

It's a sham.

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@rbreich What good is all this shit being thrown at the obviously corrupt Supreme Court? Do you believe you can shame them to do the right thing? THEY HAVE ABSOLUTE POWER and cannot be legally held accountable. The only solution is to elect enough Democrats to boost the number on the court. That should be our only cause.

flexghost , to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

Absolutely, positively, in no way is it OK to compare the face of this 75,000 year old Neanderthal to Marjorie Taylor Greene

also…hehehehehe. 🇺🇸

azphilosopher ,
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@flexghost No, it's an insult to the Neanderthal.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

👇🏼Via @atrupar

It's probably best not to engage with dead-enders who'd rather watch society burn than be adults & vote for , or at least try to persuade rather than scold. But it's so damn frustrating they haven't already figured out at this late date that is an existential threat.

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@GottaLaff @atrupar I think what's more chilling is that some of them know Trump's lethal threat to democracy and they don't care because they believe they will be welcomed into the Gestapo with open arms.

wdlindsy , to random
@wdlindsy@toad.social avatar

"IN THE FIRST WEEK OF HIS CRIMINAL TRIAL, Donald Trump raised about $5.6 million online by warning his small dollar-donors that the 'Deep State' was out to lock him up."

Trump sent out an email when jury selection began, saying Biden's attacking him, and his disciples responded by sending $1.6 million in response to the email. He took in another $1 million the rest of the week, mostly from small donors.

~ Marc Caputo

#Trump #crime #trial #grift
/1

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-making-bank-off-his-criminal-trial

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@wdlindsy I wouldn't put it past the GOP to be seeding those small dollar donors so that it appears he has groundswell support. Many of his die hard supporters are in debt up to their eyeballs and have no extra money for him. My guess is there is cash under the table going to them from Russian and Saudi Arabian sources with the express purpose of the individuals contributing and spreading out the money.

mastodonmigration , to random
@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online avatar

Might be wrong here, but seems like this may be a bigger deal than a clerical error as is being widely reported:

Rejected and ‘returned for correction’: Docs for Trump’s $175M bond get bounced >>> https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/rejected-and-returned-for-correction-docs-for-trumps-175m-bond-get-bounced/

It may be that the bond company didn't report their financials because they have insufficient collateral to secure a bond of this magnitude. In which case the bond is no good, Trump doesn't have a bond, and he is out of time.

Let's see how this gets resolved...

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@mastodonmigration @GottaLaff my guess is that if traced back far enough, the money is from Russia or Saudi Arabia

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

Via Laurie Garrett: 1/...

ICYMI the House #Republicans finally released a U.S. budget, countering the #BidenAdministration proposal. The GOP budget:

  • cuts $1.5 trillion from Social Security
  • raises Medicare costs & cuts caps on pharma fees
  • cuts Medicaid, ACA/Obamacare & the Children’s Health Insurance Prog by $4.5 trillion over 10 years
  • creates $5.5 trillion in tax cuts for the rich and corporations
  • eliminates all clean energy tax incentives
  • raises Social Security Retirement age to 69
azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@GottaLaff If this budget was blasted from the major news organizations, the Republican Party should be buried in any further election especially by any voter over 60. That any American could think those things good for the country shows how far we've sunk.

rbreich , to random
@rbreich@masto.ai avatar

March 2020: US billionaires worth a combined $2.9 trillion

March 2024: US billionaires worth a combined $5.5 trillion

That’s an 88% increase in billionaire wealth since the pandemic hit.

Wealth tax. Now.

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@rbreich can't we instead just load them all up on one of Musk's rockets and shoot them into space?

flexghost , to random
@flexghost@mastodon.social avatar

Trump is suing George Stephanopoulos for defamation

Oh really?

Judge Kaplan and E. Jean Carroll would like a word.

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@flexghost He should know. Telling the truth about someone is not defamation.

GottaLaff , to random
@GottaLaff@mastodon.social avatar

I'm seeing a lot of "Maybe it's time to move" replies in my feed.

If you're serious, here's what it took to move to Canada/get permanent residency:

https://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2024/01/im-moving-to-canada.html

https://thepoliticalcarnival.blogspot.com/2024/01/im-moving-to-canada-part-two-how.html

I'll write a 3rd follow-up once we're there. These 2 posts seemed to have helped a lot of people, so I hope they help you too.

It's not easy, it's complicated, but even at our age, we achieved our goal.

ADDED: Please read before commenting. This keeps happening.

YES, I can vote US.

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@GottaLaff I became a resident of Spain about 3 years ago. The task was arduous and extremely frustrating at times but well worth it.

jeffowski , to random
@jeffowski@mastodon.world avatar
azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@JeremyMallin @jeffowski the problem is not a distaste for socialism. It is an essential element of society. The problem is "purity socialism" simply does not work and historically has always led to communism and authoritarianism. What societies need is balance. The world is tilted too far to the right.

azphilosopher ,
@azphilosopher@mastodonapp.uk avatar

@jeffowski @JeremyMallin Nobody professes that any system removes corruption. You just find less of it in balanced systems because the competing sides limit one another's greed.

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