Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terrorism. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Trump's Horrific Response to #LondonBridge Attack

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London suffered a serious terrorist attack the other day with multiple lives lost as pedestrians were rammed with vans and stabbed with knives:

















Londoners rallied and started helping each other, as they always do, as sympathy poured in from the world.

On the other hand, our erstwhile 'leader' Donald The Trump spent the next 24 hours tweeting about fear of Muslims, pushing his Muslim Ban in the United States, and criticizing the Mayor of London - also a Muslim. He seemed to have no clue that emergencies call for a calm and cool response, not fear-mongering and political shenanigans. But then again, when has Trump ever been "Presidential" in any situation?
























Jennifer Rubin writes in The Washington Post:

...The Brits fought back, launching drinking glasses and chairs at the savages who attacked them. The police acted with lightning-fast precision, killing the three assailants within eight minutes of the emergency call. And, God Bless him, a man returned to the bar where he experienced Saturday’s horror — to pay his bill and tip. Civilization is not going to be driven out of Britain by three or three hundred killers.
Meanwhile — and it pains me to write this — our president acted like a clod, a heartless and dull-witted thug in sending out a series of tweets....
. . . One is prompted to ask if he is off his rocker. But this is vintage Trump — impulsive and cruel, without an ounce of class or human decency. His behavior no longer surprises us, but it should offend and disturb us, first, that he remains the face and voice of America in the world and, second, that his fans hoot and holler, seeing this as inconsequential or acceptable conduct.

Keith Olbermann stated in his GQ "The Resistance" Video:

Let me apologize again to the world, particularly to the United Kingdom, on behalf of the United States of America. Donald Trump is not of sound mind. We are working to correct the problem as soon as possible. . . . In almost any other job in this country, assuredly in any other private sector job, no matter the financial cost, no matter the upheaval, no matter the blow-back, Donald Trump, our national embarrassment, our international disgrace, would have been fired by now.... everywhere from the Board Room at Microsoft to the deep fryer at McDonald's.







































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Thursday, February 9, 2017

Kellyanne Conway Invents Fake Bowling Green Massacre

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In order to justify the Muslim Ban, Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway invented a hoax terrorist attack and talked about it on national TV. "The Bowling Green Massacre" took over both the airwaves and social media as people tried to fathom why we need fake attacks when there have been plenty of home-grown attacks.

But oh well - nothing has to make sense anymore, right?



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Monday, December 7, 2015

Tra-la-la Shoot Somebody for Christmas

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I have barely blogged at all since the Paris attacks, and then we had the Planned Parenthood attack in Colorado by some guy who yelled "No more baby parts!" (thanks, Carly Fiorina). Then just the other day we had these heavily-armed American dream ISIS wannabes shooting up a hospital in California just because it was there.

So who wants to read headlines anymore anyway? I just stare speechless at my Facebook and Twitter feed, wondering whether we are at the end of modern Civilization in the United States, or if we will finally reach a tipping point that will stop the madness. On any given day, I can't decide where we are.



It's Christmastime and half of the country wants to be cozy and safe and happy. The other half wants Baby Jesus to bring guns for the whole family, and Grandma to have gun pictures with Santa, and the NRA to save them from Evil Obama who is coming to get their precious guns on Christmas Day. And they think and pray about it in church, while sending shoeboxes full of religious stuff to poor children in other countries, but if those same kids come here, they are dirty immigrants with diseases. These faux-Christians wouldn't even let Mary and Joseph into the Manger - they send them back to the desert and who the hell cares what happens to their baby? Thus endeth the Christmas Story, brought to you by Donald Trump and the NRA deacons of the Gun Church.

My hero this week is Igor Volsky, a journalist with Think Progress, who started calling out politicians who took the easy road by sending "Thoughts and Prayers" to the victims of various shootings and their families. It's just not enough at this point! This lip service without any forward-thinking policy is a crime.











NRA: Demons at our Door









































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Friday, November 20, 2015

The Paris Attacks Friday November 13, 2015

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A stadium where French President Francois Hollande was watching a soccer match, a music venue where an American band called "Eagles of Death Metal" was playing, and rows of restaurants where people were sitting with friends or family eating and drinking win. All became Isis targets during a terror attack on Friday the 13th in November of 2015. And the world wept.




































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Monday, June 22, 2015

Pressure Builds for South Carolina to Take Down the Confederate Flag ~ Update: Nikki Haley Presser

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Previous Related Post:
The Charleston AME Church Massacre
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In the sad wake of the Charleston deaths at the hand of racist Dylann Roof, Twitter exploded over the weekend with calls for Governor Nikki Haley and the South Carolina House of Representatives to move quickly and take down the emblem of hate, the Confederate Flag, standing just outside the State House in Columbia.

From CNN
. . . while U.S. flags have been lowered, the Confederate battle flag remains high -- even padlocked into place.
Why?
It is a matter of state law.
Back in 2000, civil rights activists successfully lobbied to have a much larger Confederate flag removed from the Capitol dome. But there was a compromise. The South Carolina Heritage Act decreed that just about all other tributes to Confederate history would be virtually untouchable. The only way to change anything of that nature -- including the smaller flag that was erected on the State House lawn -- would be to gain the endorsement of two-thirds of lawmakers.



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Update: Monday, June 22, 2015

Word is spreading that Governor Nikki Haley will announce at 4 p.m. that the flag will come down.

UPDATE: Nikki Haley announced that there would be a push for the South Carolina House and Senate to take down the flag this summer:


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The Charleston AME Church Massacre

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Last Wednesday evening a white man named Dylann Roof walked into a Bible Study at Emmanuel AME Church in historic Charleston. He sat quietly for some time, appearing to listen to the religious message, before standing up and shooting nine innocent people while terrorizing the survivors with racist statements.

Later it was discovered that Dylann Roof had been planning some kind of attack for months, and had told his drinking buddies that whites needed to kill the blacks and bring back segregation. He later said he almost didn't shoot anyone at the church because they were so nice to him, but his evil purpose overcame any conscience he had (if any). But we don't have to guess at his reasons because Roof wrote an online manifesto stating his plan and why he chose that church:













A week later the sorrow still simmers across the nation, as families plan funerals and calls rise up from all sides to take down the festering symbol of racism that is the Confederate Battle Flag. But I deal with the flag controversy in a separate post. The rest of this post is about the victims and their families.






























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Monday, January 12, 2015

#JeSuisCharlie ~ The Paris Attack on Charlie Hebdo

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From Agence France Presse
The immediate aftermath of the attack, which saw Islamist gunmen storm the offices of the satirical French weekly and leave 12 dead overall, saw countless posts on social media in which Twitter and Facebook users voiced solidarity with the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie, or "I am Charlie".
. . . The assault, the deadliest attack on France in half a century, has sparked a massive show of support, with more than 1.5 million people mourning the victims in the Paris march, including several world leaders.
In all, nearly four million people took to the streets of France nationwide, while thousands marched in European, US and Canadian cities.











The original attackers have been dealt with by Paris forces, but attacks have now happened in Germany and threatened elsewhere, whether by copycats, sympathizers, or sleeper cells.

From BBC News
Two brothers who killed 12 in an attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine on Wednesday were shot dead as they fled a warehouse north of Paris, firing at police.
Shortly afterwards in eastern Paris, anti-terrorist forces stormed a kosher supermarket where hostages were being held by a gunman with reported links to the brothers.
The gunman and four hostages died.
French police believe the captives were killed before the assault on the Hypercasher supermarket near Porte de Vincennes, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins told reporters late on Friday.
Four hostages were seriously injured and 15 were rescued unhurt. Two police officers were injured.





While most of the world marches and creates tribute to the lives lost, some on the right and far-left have lost it over the religious aspect, totally missing the point that this was terrorism.







So many cartoons and tributes to the dead and to freedom of speech. Here are just a few:
















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Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Sarah Palin's Inquisition ~ Let's "Baptize" Terrorists With Waterboarding

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Oh, Sarah Palin - there she goes again. When she isn't shooting off a gun she is shooting off her mouth. This Gun-Loving Mama Grizzly who thinks them Libruls is out to "Steal Her Christmas" now equates Waterboarding with Baptism in a new low even for her. Jesus would not be amused, anymore than he was by the Spanish Inquisition. Did I mention she said this to the NRA and they cheered? Yeah, Jesus wouldn't like that either. This woman was almost our vice president. Oh dear Lord, thank you for saving us.

From The Hill
“They obviously have information on plots to carry out Jihad,” ...(Palin) said at the National Rifle Association (NRA) annual meeting on Saturday evening, referring to prisoners. "Oh, but you can’t offend them, can’t make them feel uncomfortable, not even a smidgen.
Well, if I were in charge, they would know that waterboarding is how we baptize terrorists.”



Was she sorry she said it? Nahhhhh.

From NBC News
In a brief interview with NBC News, Palin doubled down on a remark she made earlier this week at the NRA convention.
"Would I make it again? Why wouldn't I, yeah, absolutely. Terrorists who want to annihilate Americans, innocent Americans, our children - whatever it takes to stop them. If I were in charge, I'd be stoppin' em," she said.

And now she's blaming Obama because #Benghazi :

From Palin's Facebook Page
Actions to stop terrorists who’d utterly annihilate America and delight in massacring our innocent children? Darn right I’d do whatever it takes to foil their murderous jihadist plots – including waterboarding. Whatever one thinks of my one-liner at the NRA rally about treating evil terrorists the way they deserve to be treated to prevent the death of innocent people, it’s utterly absurd for MSNBC to suggest that I could put our beloved troops in harm’s way, but we’ve come to expect the absurd from that failing network.

If you want to talk about what really harms our troops, let’s talk about politicians who gut our military’s budgets, or a president whose skewed budgetary priorities slash military benefits, or an administration that puts our vets on endless waiting lists for care that comes too late to help those who’ve paid the price for our freedom, or those who break bread with those who think it makes no difference how our military heroes died in Benghazi or anywhere else trying to protect America. Those actions are a heck of a lot more harmful than declaring an appropriate message our enemies should receive. If some overly sensitive wusses took offense, remember the First Amendment doesn’t give you a right not to be offended. Perhaps hypocritical folks who only want Freedom of Speech to apply to those who agree with their liberal agenda might want to consider that the evil terrorists who were the brunt of my one-liner would be the first to strip away ALL our rights if given the chance. That’s why we do whatever we can to prevent them from killing innocent people. And for that, we should NEVER apologize. Good Lord, critics... buck up or stay in the truck. And if you love freedom, thank our troops! Thank our vets! And thank those who have the brains to support them and the guts to defend what they have earned!

Even some Conservatives are offended:

No, Sarah Palin, Baptism Isn’t A Good Punchline For A Terrorist Joke
. . . Joking about baptism in the context of this aggressive action suggests that we don’t think baptism is as life-giving or important as it is.
~ Mollie Hemingway on The Federalist

OK, stop. Not only is this woman, putatively a Christian, praising torture, but she is comparing it to a holy sacrament of the Christian faith. It’s disgusting — but even more disgusting, those NRA members, many of whom are no doubt Christians, cheered wildly for her.
Palin and all those who cheered her sacrilegious jibe ought to be ashamed of themselves. For us Christians, baptism is the entry into new life. Palin invoked it to celebrate torture. Even if you don’t believe that waterboarding is torture, surely you agree that it should not be compared to baptism, and that such a comparison should be laughed at. What does it say about the character of a person that they could make that joking comparison, and that so many people would cheer for it. Nothing good — and nothing that does honor to the cause of Jesus Christ.
~ Rod Dreher on The American Conservative

For anyone to confess Christ as their savior and to compare one of the means of God's grace to an act of torture is reprehensible. I hope members of Gov. Palin's local church will explain to her why her remarks denigrate the Christian faith. Such remarks bring shame on the Body of Christ and to our witness in the world. Even more shameful, however, is the fact that so many Christians would cheer her support of torture (and yes, waterboarding is torture).
~ The Gospel Coalition



Yes, Palin's Fox pal Sean Hannity Can Mansplain Why Waterboarding is Exactly Like Baptism (well not really, but he tries):
Let’s say, God forbid, one day you’re in a parking lot, somebody comes and they try and grab, um, all of — let’s say you have three kids — they try and grab all three of your kids but they only get one.
Well, let’s say they get your three kids.
And you get one of the people responsible for kidnapping your kids. Let’s see. Would you wanna baptize them by waterboarding the guy that took your three children?
I think I would. I think — as a matter of fact it wouldn’t be much of a question. I think I’d baptize him again, and again, and again until I found out where my kids are.
. . . I don’t understand the sensibility of liberals.
You have the guy — the mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — you know how many people got waterboarded? Three. Three! That’s it!
I just asked the question that way, because I don’t think there’s one of you listening, not one liberal out there if you have an honest bone in your body that wouldn’t say I would do whatever it took. Get the information quickly. Expeditiously.
Whatever it took. That’s just the way life — that’s just the way we roll. It’s the way America rolls.

Oooookey-Dokey.

Someone pointed out that the NRA might not be the best venue to talk peace, love and Baptism. Ya Think?

. . . for a self-professed Christian like Palin to use this beautiful religious ceremony with strong historical precedent as a part of a cheap joke to garner support for her otherwise typically uninspired stump speech is beyond repugnant. But what is more repugnant is that the National Rifle Association didn’t immediately distance itself from her. As far as I am concerned, until or unless they do, the National Rifle Association is guilty by association, and they, too, are anti-Christian.
~ Brendan Diamond on Democratify

Some were embarrassed (again) for Alaska:

Not everyone from Wasilla agrees with Sarah Palin. I feel it is important for my reputation as a human being who grew up in Wasilla, AK to take a stand. My family and I moved to Alaska in the early 70's. I went to public school in Wasilla from 1st through 12th grade, and I graduated from Wasilla High School in 1986. During that time, I was also a Blue Bird, a Camp Fire Girl, a Rainbow girl, a member of the First Presbyterian Church ...
There is Nothing in my upbringing in Wasilla that ever promoted or tolerated the idea that it is ok, good, or necessary to torture anyone.
. . . Furthermore, combining the acts of water-boarding (torture) and baptism (a sacred spiritual ritual) is an idea so reprehensible it could be used as a theme in Game of Thrones.
~ Rdeforrest on Daily Kos


For Most on the Left, this is just Palin being Palinesque:















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Thursday, October 10, 2013

Thugs and Raptures - The End Time Visions of Michele Bachmann

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From Right Wing Watch
President Obama waived a ban on arming terrorists in order to allow weapons to go to the Syrian opposition,” Bachmann said. “Your listeners, US taxpayers, are now paying to give arms to terrorists including Al Qaeda.”

Bachmann said that the Al Qaeda funding (which isn’t happening) is a sign of the End Times: “This happened and as of today the United States is willingly, knowingly, intentionally sending arms to terrorists, now what this says to me, I’m a believer in Jesus Christ, as I look at the End Times scripture, this says to me that the leaf is on the fig tree and we are to understand the signs of the times, which is your ministry, we are to understand where we are in God’s end times history.”

“Rather than seeing this as a negative, we need to rejoice, Maranatha Come Lord Jesus, His day is at hand,” Bachmann continued. “When we see up is down and right is called wrong, when this is happening, we were told this; these days would be as the days of Noah.”

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Bachmann Via PoliticusUSA
“I think here we could be on the cusp of seeing some civil disobedience. I’m not saying I want civil disobedience, but people aren’t going to take the thuggery of this president much longer, and that’s part of what we’re trying to do as the people’s voice in the House of Representatives. Give voice to the fact that we see thuggery going on in the White House. We’re not going to take it, we’ve drawn a line in the sand, and we’re telling the president you need to recognize this isn’t just about Article II, the President of the United States. This is also about Article I, the Congress of the United States, and you’ve gotta recognize, you are a co-equal branch of government. You are not a dicatator.”

From Talking Points Memo
Speaking on a conference call with conservative talk show host Rusty Humphries and TheTeaParty.net, Bachmann estimated that she's been lampooned on SNL six or seven times. She assured that she has a "good sense of humor" and never takes the sketches "personally."
The SNL parody reworked the lyrics to Cyrus' "We Can't Stop" around the government shutdown, with Cyrus and cast member Taran Killam impersonating Bachmann and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). Bachmann said after the show aired, she received calls in her office from people who believed it was her appearing in the video.
“I will tell you, as a 57-year-old woman, it’s been a long time since I’ve been confused for a 20-year-old,” Bachmann said. “I’ve never done twerking in my life and I don’t intend to take it up.”



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But now times have and a faction of . . . (the House has) shifted into Bachmann-Gohmert Overdrive and are threatening to burn the whole country down in order to save it at the behest of the Tea Partiers who figure they have enough bullets, bibles, and cans of Vienna sausages to ride out the Fiscal End Times when either Jesus or Sarah Palin returns.
~ TBogg on RawStory

So it's the best of all possible news, America: it's the apocalypse! Praise the secret Muslim Barack Obama for unleashing it!
~ Hunter on Daily Kos

LOL, the loon is my state bird. Both on the water, lovely and haunting in their cries, and on land via Bachmann, screechy, nutsy, and equally haunting in different ways.
~ StellaRay on Daily Kos

In other news, Jesus said "Father, this woman's nuts!"
~ chrismorgan on Daily Kos

Maranatha - a premium brand of nut butter.
~ Elijah Greenleaf on Daily Beast

I hope she's right. May all the Christian Tea Party be swept off this planet in one instant and may it happen soon. Those of us who will not be going (See the Left Behind series) will roll up our sleeves and get to work greening the world, working to make it a more peaceful place and cooperating around the globe to feed all of the people all of the time.
We know how much you hate us for wanting to do that and would do anything to stop such wide-eyed loving generosity, which actually can be profitable for all, not just one group. As soon as God takes you wherever you're going, life on Earth will have a chance again.
~ jibberjabber on Daily Beast

Personally, I can't wait for the Rapture to take her and all the cuckoobirds away. Praise God!
~ loblow on Huffington Post

Well, it is the end of the GOP. Is that what she means?
~ Godzilla1 on Huffington Post

From the woman who thinks we should sell Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, to pay off the debt and do away with the ACA. Need I say more?
~ TJax123 on Huffington Post

She's not running again. She's got her Swiss citizenship and I'm sure she already bought her airline ticket to Geneva. Just before the Feds pick her up, she'll split.
~ nh3man on Huffington Post

I didn't know that we were arming Congressional Republicans now. That is something I'm totally against.
There have always been crazy people trying to hasten the Second Coming but those people in history were quickly seen and marginalized. In today's world, they become elected Republicans to Congress and actively work to destroy society so they can show everyone the world's demise.
~ foxymoxy73 on The New Civil Rights Movement


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