“We are a christian nation which is reflected in our christian values. Now look at this photo of Hunter Biden’s erect penis while doing drugs I acquired from a stolen laptop. LOOK AT IT!” -Every MAGA politician
I waffle back and forth between hilarious, insane and frightening at some of the shit this administration does. They act like there is never going to be another election.
Sorry, Clayton, but I don't think we're even gonna make it to the 2026 midterms, to say noting of 2028. Or if somehow we do, no doubt we'll be required to vote electronically through a system designed under a no-bid contract by Musk and Zuckerberg (those two have made up, haven't they?) totally secure, very efficient, unquestionably accurate, reassuringly transparent.
As a green card holder from France, and now 76 years old, let me tell you: Yes, there is certainly a laughable, buffoonish reaction to be had there.
However, I recall mom and dad, now both deceased telling me about living under Hitlerian occupation and the day to day living hell they endured for 4 years, always afraid to be betrayed by a nasty neighbor and to be sent to an "Arbeit mach Frei kamp"... or worse..
This request, from Marco Rubio, no ORDER, [it must be fulfilled by April 18th] to tattle tell on their colleagues if they are not the *right kind* of Christian scares the beejesus out of me.
You see, lesser people, just to do a little brown nosing and perhaps get a pay raise, a corner office or a more favorable treatment, will act on this order, and their victim's life will never be the same... and indeed, right in the order, it mentions "more favorable treatment".
Laugh all you want, but realize that little Marco, who used to be a run of the road Republican is now petrified to displease a guy with 34 felony convictions against him, and so, just like the brown noser who will tell on his colleague, he offers to help this Fuhrer by showing that he is a "team player".
Conservatives only hate DEI because it's protecting the "wrong" people..they are only angry that the state was extending protections that are only supposed to extend to cis white men
Exactly. And those who voted Trump were misled into thinking that they would be privileged over women, non white, non Christian people. By taking from these ...[add any pejorative here] they would somehow be richer and the price of eggs would magically go down, well paying manufacturing jobs supported by the Unions [that have also been 'disappeared'] would come back without having to do anything else besides voting for Trump. They would not be replaced by robots and not be surveilled by AI.
I am not mad at folks who voted for Trump: They were lied to by a pro. A guy who has lied to everyone successfully, for 78 years, who has never respected a contract he signed on to [marriages, work contracts, lawyers even, alliances with the Kurds, the President of Afghanistan...]. Yep: he is s real pro in the telling lies department. He is a destructor.
When you see the incredible lies he has made his supporters swallow, it is very difficult for them to accept that they have been rolled into flour, tossed in hot oil and fried to a crisp.
Make it easy for these "prodigal sons". Be a *real* Christian.
No DEI, they say. Hire based on merit only! Yeah, merit. Merit is how you get Signal gate, I guess. Merit is how you fire the staff of entire agencies without even asking what the agency does and how it does it. Merit is deporting people based on how they look, not who they are. Merit is not having the first goddamn idea of constitutional law and just doing the worst thing possible on the basis of the personal prejudices of a leader who is obviously stupid, racist, selfish, petty and an embarrassment to the US on the international stage. The only thing that dotard understands about the law is how to weaponize it against the people who don't bend the knee to kiss his fat dirty ass.
Every day I think we've seen the worst, the most mindless and idiotic actions in this new government ruling by fiat but no. How will we survive 4 years of this? We won't, that's how.
I wish I were a better writer because this administration would form the basis of a bestselling dark comedy. Seriously though, Christian Nationalists, combined with Zionists, scare the hell outta me.
Ken- Thank you for helping me laugh through this latest absurdity, rather than contemplating sticking my head in the oven. D'you think we'll soon see an executive order to have "Onward, Christian Soldiers" performed at athletic events in addition to "The Star Spangled Banner" and sung by school children at the beginning of the day?
"This isn’t the inquisition or the beginning of some totalitarian theocracy. " I'm glad you are convinced of this, otherwise, some might take it seriously.
Ultimately, it may be that the pretzel logic involved in that memo, will get some employees time off for Ramadan, Buddha's Birthday, Songkran, and Holi. Can't object to that!
I don't know whether this State Department directive to drive out anti-Christian sentiment will work or whether it is a dangerous violation of the 1st Amendment but I strongly believe in its mission. In 2016 & 17 I lived in a group house of Muslims from Pakistan and Kenya working for US AID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and that experience scared the living .... out of me. I was there because I had tried and failed to report US DOT for corruption, was blackballed for my efforts (BTW I wrote about this event on Substack supporting it with evidence), and desperately had to reduce my costs by renting out my house and moving into the basement apt of a group house in Northeast DC (10th & Evarts) for 600 bucks a month. There I interacted with approximately 30+ OFDA and/or NGO related employees who were from Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan. They openly hated Jews, disliked America, often disliked each other and bragged about doing the most awful things to women. I am in my 50s and have heard and seen a lot but nothing like this. BTW I also went to Washington as a liberal - got my start with Rep. Eva Clayton (D-NC) of the Congressional Black Caucus - so commenters can spare me the white supremacist label. I don't know what the answer necessarily is but these OFDA/NGO employees were aggressively pro-Islam and aggressively anti-everyone else. I don't think OFDA's merger with BHA in 2020 under the State Department umbrella was enough to stop this barbaric hate from metastasizing in Washington, DC. I know this is anecdotal but my gut has been screaming something is dangerously wrong with the State Department now for years and I am happy steps are being taken to address it. Of course criticism of this directive and all governmental policy is warranted so thanks for shining a light on this issue and keep calling them as you see them. We don't have to agree on everything but we do have to agree to disagree with civility. Looking forward to re-upping my subscription. Klip is one of the few on Substack who is way more than worth it ...
"commenters can spare me the white supremacist label"
What, you don't think liberals can be white supremacists? Depends on definitions, yours and theirs.
"They openly hated Jews, disliked America, often disliked each other and bragged about doing the most awful things to women."
You're aware that right-wingers (and those that just talk the talk) exist outside of (white) America, right? (Not to mention right-wingers who know a bit more about the history of American foreign policy than most native-born-and raised Americans of any skin colour; these people often have a fair reason for hating America.)
"We don't have to agree on everything but we do have to agree to disagree with civility."
Why be civil to those who honestly believe, for example, that white people are just naturally superior to non-white people? At the least, they should be ignored and (quietly) kept away from power; at worst, they should be quite openly derided and forcibly kept away from power.
I'm very sorry you had this experience, Quentin. You see, no matter what, we can always find in the annals of history some worse examples of intolerance, hatred, violence, pettiness.
Please realize that it doesn't mean that we should succumb to intolerance, hatred, violence and pettiness. It only means that if we don't watch out, and live our values it can get worse. Much worse..
As far as "we do have to agree to disagree with civility", I do hope you change your mind: There is nothing to be gained from being as bad as the nightmarish people you encountered.
You said you agree with the mission? The mission, as explained in this order is to anonymously denounce colleagues you are working with if they do not portray the kind of 'Christianity' exemplified by Trump so they can be rooted out and lose their jobs.
I hope you change your mind about that too.
Ask yourself, in all humility: "what would Jesus say"?
Not to you, Joy, Just a general remark if some think that this order is merely laughable. I think, as you do, I believe, that this is no laughing matter. I am genuinely terrified.
My first guess would be the Project 2025 people. They think the world portrayed in the Handmaid's Tale is a beautiful Utopia.
I may have posted Senator Barry Goldwater's (yes, the guy who was too right wing for Nixon) thoughts on evangelicals in politics before but it's always worth repeating:
"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."
“We are a christian nation which is reflected in our christian values. Now look at this photo of Hunter Biden’s erect penis while doing drugs I acquired from a stolen laptop. LOOK AT IT!” -Every MAGA politician
I waffle back and forth between hilarious, insane and frightening at some of the shit this administration does. They act like there is never going to be another election.
Sorry, Clayton, but I don't think we're even gonna make it to the 2026 midterms, to say noting of 2028. Or if somehow we do, no doubt we'll be required to vote electronically through a system designed under a no-bid contract by Musk and Zuckerberg (those two have made up, haven't they?) totally secure, very efficient, unquestionably accurate, reassuringly transparent.
Do you really think Trump is going to hold an Election.........he's having so much FUN!
As a green card holder from France, and now 76 years old, let me tell you: Yes, there is certainly a laughable, buffoonish reaction to be had there.
However, I recall mom and dad, now both deceased telling me about living under Hitlerian occupation and the day to day living hell they endured for 4 years, always afraid to be betrayed by a nasty neighbor and to be sent to an "Arbeit mach Frei kamp"... or worse..
This request, from Marco Rubio, no ORDER, [it must be fulfilled by April 18th] to tattle tell on their colleagues if they are not the *right kind* of Christian scares the beejesus out of me.
You see, lesser people, just to do a little brown nosing and perhaps get a pay raise, a corner office or a more favorable treatment, will act on this order, and their victim's life will never be the same... and indeed, right in the order, it mentions "more favorable treatment".
Laugh all you want, but realize that little Marco, who used to be a run of the road Republican is now petrified to displease a guy with 34 felony convictions against him, and so, just like the brown noser who will tell on his colleague, he offers to help this Fuhrer by showing that he is a "team player".
Be afraid, America. Be very afraid.
Conservatives only hate DEI because it's protecting the "wrong" people..they are only angry that the state was extending protections that are only supposed to extend to cis white men
Exactly. And those who voted Trump were misled into thinking that they would be privileged over women, non white, non Christian people. By taking from these ...[add any pejorative here] they would somehow be richer and the price of eggs would magically go down, well paying manufacturing jobs supported by the Unions [that have also been 'disappeared'] would come back without having to do anything else besides voting for Trump. They would not be replaced by robots and not be surveilled by AI.
I am not mad at folks who voted for Trump: They were lied to by a pro. A guy who has lied to everyone successfully, for 78 years, who has never respected a contract he signed on to [marriages, work contracts, lawyers even, alliances with the Kurds, the President of Afghanistan...]. Yep: he is s real pro in the telling lies department. He is a destructor.
When you see the incredible lies he has made his supporters swallow, it is very difficult for them to accept that they have been rolled into flour, tossed in hot oil and fried to a crisp.
Make it easy for these "prodigal sons". Be a *real* Christian.
But DEMS BAD! (It's quite ironic, because everyone I've ever known who used the "TDS" insult literally has Democrat Derangement Syndrome.)
Personally I abhor both parties because I know they serve the interests of their own elite factions and not the people.
This, all of it, is the kind of comedy needed in these times.
No DEI, they say. Hire based on merit only! Yeah, merit. Merit is how you get Signal gate, I guess. Merit is how you fire the staff of entire agencies without even asking what the agency does and how it does it. Merit is deporting people based on how they look, not who they are. Merit is not having the first goddamn idea of constitutional law and just doing the worst thing possible on the basis of the personal prejudices of a leader who is obviously stupid, racist, selfish, petty and an embarrassment to the US on the international stage. The only thing that dotard understands about the law is how to weaponize it against the people who don't bend the knee to kiss his fat dirty ass.
Every day I think we've seen the worst, the most mindless and idiotic actions in this new government ruling by fiat but no. How will we survive 4 years of this? We won't, that's how.
I wish I were a better writer because this administration would form the basis of a bestselling dark comedy. Seriously though, Christian Nationalists, combined with Zionists, scare the hell outta me.
You, Sir, are a true patriot
Ken- Thank you for helping me laugh through this latest absurdity, rather than contemplating sticking my head in the oven. D'you think we'll soon see an executive order to have "Onward, Christian Soldiers" performed at athletic events in addition to "The Star Spangled Banner" and sung by school children at the beginning of the day?
"This isn’t the inquisition or the beginning of some totalitarian theocracy. " I'm glad you are convinced of this, otherwise, some might take it seriously.
Ultimately, it may be that the pretzel logic involved in that memo, will get some employees time off for Ramadan, Buddha's Birthday, Songkran, and Holi. Can't object to that!
Yep. Ken gets it in the headline. Could have just stopped there. I'd pay the monthly subscriber fee for your headlines alone.
I don't know whether this State Department directive to drive out anti-Christian sentiment will work or whether it is a dangerous violation of the 1st Amendment but I strongly believe in its mission. In 2016 & 17 I lived in a group house of Muslims from Pakistan and Kenya working for US AID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and that experience scared the living .... out of me. I was there because I had tried and failed to report US DOT for corruption, was blackballed for my efforts (BTW I wrote about this event on Substack supporting it with evidence), and desperately had to reduce my costs by renting out my house and moving into the basement apt of a group house in Northeast DC (10th & Evarts) for 600 bucks a month. There I interacted with approximately 30+ OFDA and/or NGO related employees who were from Africa, the Middle East and Pakistan. They openly hated Jews, disliked America, often disliked each other and bragged about doing the most awful things to women. I am in my 50s and have heard and seen a lot but nothing like this. BTW I also went to Washington as a liberal - got my start with Rep. Eva Clayton (D-NC) of the Congressional Black Caucus - so commenters can spare me the white supremacist label. I don't know what the answer necessarily is but these OFDA/NGO employees were aggressively pro-Islam and aggressively anti-everyone else. I don't think OFDA's merger with BHA in 2020 under the State Department umbrella was enough to stop this barbaric hate from metastasizing in Washington, DC. I know this is anecdotal but my gut has been screaming something is dangerously wrong with the State Department now for years and I am happy steps are being taken to address it. Of course criticism of this directive and all governmental policy is warranted so thanks for shining a light on this issue and keep calling them as you see them. We don't have to agree on everything but we do have to agree to disagree with civility. Looking forward to re-upping my subscription. Klip is one of the few on Substack who is way more than worth it ...
Thanks for the perspective, Quentin.
"commenters can spare me the white supremacist label"
What, you don't think liberals can be white supremacists? Depends on definitions, yours and theirs.
"They openly hated Jews, disliked America, often disliked each other and bragged about doing the most awful things to women."
You're aware that right-wingers (and those that just talk the talk) exist outside of (white) America, right? (Not to mention right-wingers who know a bit more about the history of American foreign policy than most native-born-and raised Americans of any skin colour; these people often have a fair reason for hating America.)
"We don't have to agree on everything but we do have to agree to disagree with civility."
Why be civil to those who honestly believe, for example, that white people are just naturally superior to non-white people? At the least, they should be ignored and (quietly) kept away from power; at worst, they should be quite openly derided and forcibly kept away from power.
I'm very sorry you had this experience, Quentin. You see, no matter what, we can always find in the annals of history some worse examples of intolerance, hatred, violence, pettiness.
Please realize that it doesn't mean that we should succumb to intolerance, hatred, violence and pettiness. It only means that if we don't watch out, and live our values it can get worse. Much worse..
As far as "we do have to agree to disagree with civility", I do hope you change your mind: There is nothing to be gained from being as bad as the nightmarish people you encountered.
You said you agree with the mission? The mission, as explained in this order is to anonymously denounce colleagues you are working with if they do not portray the kind of 'Christianity' exemplified by Trump so they can be rooted out and lose their jobs.
I hope you change your mind about that too.
Ask yourself, in all humility: "what would Jesus say"?
Free Rumeysa Ozturk. Tufts PhD student snatched from the street by unidentified, masked men, from HHS/ICE.
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/free-rumeysa-ozturk/?source=group-just-strategy&referrer=group-just-strategy&redirect=https://secure.actblue.com/donate/nc4j_free_ozturk&link_id=3&can_id=a707410023f29d0530df1e255f3edf18&email_referrer=email_2694599&&&email_subject=speaking-out-is-not-a-crime-stop-the-deportation-of-rumeysa-ozturk&refcodeEmailReferrer=email_2694599
Being grabbed of the streets and disappeared without due process. Yes, that is now what's happening in AmeriKKKa.
If you are still laughing and thinking it can't happen HERE, not to ME, you are fooling yourselves.
I don't know anyone who is laughing. Who are you addressing this comment to?
Not to you, Joy, Just a general remark if some think that this order is merely laughable. I think, as you do, I believe, that this is no laughing matter. I am genuinely terrified.
My first guess would be the Project 2025 people. They think the world portrayed in the Handmaid's Tale is a beautiful Utopia.
I may have posted Senator Barry Goldwater's (yes, the guy who was too right wing for Nixon) thoughts on evangelicals in politics before but it's always worth repeating:
"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them."
Barry Goldwater
That was meant to be a response to Mike Miller.
"modicum of decency" when it's about a white man. "political correctness" when it's about anyone else.
You may think this is laughable until they actually start implementing it and people start losing their jobs.