In American politics, candidates are penalized as 'godless' if they don't at least pretend to some Christian group. Protestant sects are the most popular to fake. Hell, Donald Trump pretends he's Evangelical, and he's the literal walking, talking, grunting, and farting antichrist.

And then there's the assumption that only your tribe is moral and ethical. I see that from the church, to the political parties, to the military academies. This is an old example of taking that to extremes. www.theatlantic.com/past/politic...

I agree. Now, what should we coalesce *around*? I keep asking for ANYTHING, but we get nothing. What are the Democratic positions on, say, monopolies, economic inequality, workers' rights, healthcare, immigration and asylum, civil rights, or climate change? Silence. *This* is how Democrats lose.

For a paper that's not in NYC, the Washington Post Editorial Board is obsessed with Mayor Mamdani. Whenever Bezos misses his meds, we get another editorial shrilly declaring that every action the Mayor has taken — even before taking office — is doomed. "Failure is a foregone conclusion…" Uh, no?

The Washington Post opines that a general lack of religion is why America is polarizing politically. And the only religion worth mentioning is Evangelical Christianity. I mean, it's not a surprise, but do they really think we're that stupid? www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

WaPo Fail. "Trump, seeking executive power over elections, is urged to declare emergency." "Is urged." What, another 'He who shall not be named' moment? That's so powerfully passive, I'm amazed the article hasn't already expired from ennui.

People are saying Trump's SOTU was the worst in recorded history. I don't know. I found it more soothing than some prior Republican Presidents. Of course, I'd turned the sound off early, which probably helped. I don't need to listen to that bile.

Trump and Homan are (big surprise) lying about Minneapolis. No, they haven't pulled out many ICE agents. Yes, they're still terrorizing people. But they got what they wanted: the news media moved on. www.ms.now/opinion/minn...

The best time for Congress to codify Griswold was anytime since it was decided in 1965. The next best time is now.

Trump is trying to build concentration camps with hundreds of thousands of beds. That's far, far more capacity than any deportation could need. Everyone should wonder what Trump/Miller/Vought really need all that prison space for.

So, we find out that another respected man may have abused women, and our solution is to let them slide away quietly? Maybe they'll get a job at another university in a different parish. I have a hard time celebrating this as much of a victory.

DHS wants to build dozens of huge jails, each holding ~10,000 people. They say it's for deportation, but that's orders of magnitude bigger than any deportation operation needs. So, why would the Trump administration need concentration camp space for a hundred thousand people or more?

@watchdog666.bsky.social I am English. I run Folklore Against Fascism. I have spent more than a decade of opposing far right and ethnostate numptism on social media, more than three decades opposing on the streets of England. Please take me off the list, not least because it is defamatory.

Here's my main takeaway from Trump's endless State of the Union. Trump is a seriously weird guy. And nasty, of course. Not a sympathetic bone in his body. But he's such a weirdo.

Now I'm watching another Vet getting honored by a man who thinks they're suckers and losers. Trump doesn't give the smallest shit for anything they did. And the Democrats stand and clap like trained seals, untrained extras in Trump's latest TV Special! Why are they even in the chamber?

Stop fact-checking. Just... stop. Nobody cares. We all knew Trump would lie his way through a 2-hour-plus blarg-a-thon. Everyone knew. And for some reason, the Dems showed up so that Trump could humiliate them over and over. What, do they like it? It's too late to save them.

Trump is so damn boring. I've watched every single SOTU until now. Every. Single. One. Didn't matter what party held the White House. But I've turned the sound off. Why are Dems even there? Do they have the slightest plan? Are they really this feckless? I don't know. Keep hoping he'll croak.

Can anyone tell me why anyone from the Democratic Party is in the chamber? I mean, everyone on this entire Earth knew this was exactly how this would play out. Are Democrats really this hapless?

Hey, Dems, notice how many liberal SCOTUS justices said 'No, we're not showing"? Why couldn't Dems manage that same level of planning? It's humiliating to watch Schumer and Jeffries simper at people who despise them, then sit there looking uncomfortable while Trump shits on them, over and over.

The camera shows lots of sad Democrats looking down, heads in their hands, as Republicans jump to their feet to applaud everything their cult leader says with frantic energy. Yo, Dems! What did they think was going to happen, anyway?

I just looked up. Nope. Still not dead yet. Maybe later...

Trump's mugging for the camera as he plays his supporters for chumps. Is MAGA eating this up? Trump's saying all the stupid things he always does. Is that what they want? Does this give them the emotional rush they (apparently) need every few minutes? I still find it sad.

I've turned the sound off on my TV, because I don't need to listen to nonsense. But I keep it running on the hopes that Trump grabs his chest and drops, kicking and moaning until he stops. Hey, it could happen!

The cameras focus on Lutnick. Damn, that expression. He knows he's never walking away from this.

Trump's really hawking his "Trump Accounts." How much is Trump pocketing from those things, anyway?

I guess I'm never buying a Dell computer again...

PINK HAIR! Sticking up like Trump never owned comb in his life. Come to think of it...

Now the US team people look sad. Trump just lied about the women's team, and I think they just realized what everyone will remember about them.

Trump just introduced the US Men's Olympic Hockey team. There's chanting. The narcissist isn't even bothering to look at them.

Hegseth looks over at Bessen in confusion at Trump's lie. Bessen just smiles that plastic expression he never loses.

I keep watching, and Trump's hair is still pink. PINK! I can't stop giggling.

Trump says, "Zero illegal immigrants." And people applaud what everyone knows is a fat lie. "Zero." Every Republican smiled and clapped. What suck-ups.

Trump's just standing there, making that expression he thinks is a smile. You'd think someone would mention that he's not close to 'smiling.'

Trump tries to snub Justice Kagan. What a putz.

OMG! President Trump just showed up, and he's got bad hair. And it's pink. PINK HAIR! Did he even look in a mirror?

Lutnick gladhands his way into the chamber, and Sen. Chuck Schumer smiles and shakes his hand. Of fucking course. Sen. Schumer.

I didn't write this, but it's a good draft of the Epstein list. Epstein's Associates and Enablers (provisional) ASSOCIATES: 1. Donald Trump 2. Peter Thiel 3. Larry Summers 4. Bill Burns 5. Gordon Brown 6. Howard Lutnick 7. Kosslyn 8. Boris (Gates) 9. Icon Black 10. Ehud Barak [Continued]

These names are provisional, and this list isn't close to comprehensive. Many more rich and powerful people were involved in the Trump/Epstein sex ring. I've transcribed the current provisional list into the Alt text.

Secondary point: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries doesn't represent your interests. He has no ideas. He has no plan for what to do when we give Democrats a majority. We need leaders, and not... whatever Jeffries thinks he is.

We mistake Trumpism for a rational choice. We argue facts and wonder why nobody listens. 'MAGA' isn't a decision; it's a parasitic meme. It only *resembles* rational choice. It's an idea that plants itself firmly into our minds. It's compact, easy to communicate, and punches our emotional buttons.

Funny how everyone just assumes Trump is a child rapist and possibly a murderer. Is that because it's most likely true? Hard to say. Odd that he's still in office, though. I guess all those MAGA times were never really concerned about children, unborn or otherwise.

It wasn't just that the Democratic Party didn't file the lawsuit about Trump's illegal tariffs directly. They were uninvolved. Uninvolved. But every Senator and Congressperson had the time to order their staff to write "Woe is me!" social media posts eight times a day.

Something to keep in mind: SCOTUS overturned Trump's illegal tariffs because of a lawsuit that Costco filed. Not the Democratic Party or its leaders. *Costco*. How is it that Costco is doing more for me than all of Congress? Yes, it's a victory, but WTAF?!?

This is an important victory, despite the costs. We're winning. Expect Trump to pay back the corps. who raised prices while stiffing everyone who paid those higher costs. Then he'll shift tariffs to an authority that SCOTUS didn't address. Don't freak out. He's on the run. Keep pushing.

State-based crimes are orders of magnitude worse than individual actions. Compare the murder rate in any American city to a week in Ukraine, or Gaza. DHS killed how many people this year? Our leaders owe us scrupulous adherence to morality. Instead, we give them a pass for the worst behavior. Why?

Crossposted from Threads. www.threads.com/@qasimrashid...

DOJ Removed Record of Multiple FBI Interviews with Underage Trump Accuser, Epstein Data Shows

The legacy news is dead. Even if we could go back, we know we can't trust them. News was dying long before now. We let billionaires buy our flagships (LA Times, NY Times, WaPo, etc.) because we didn't have better choices. Lordy, did that decision suck stones. So, what do we want going forward?

Fun fact: Want to know how many ICE agents have been killed by illegal immigrants so far? DHS keeps talking about the huge risks, so it's worth knowing. How many have been killed, total? Zero. Keep that in mind. These goons routinely pull guns when a traffic light doesn't go their way.

Stay focused. Yes, AG Pam Bondi's self-immolation amused me, and Trump might throw Bondi under the bus along with FBI Director Kash Patel. That's good. Both deserve much worse. But stay focused on the Trump/Epstein sex ring. Trump is absolutely freaking out. This is what 'winning' looks like.