Ultraviolet.org: Thank these brave survivors

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford courageously came forward to tell her story of being sexually assaulted by Trump's Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh.

Now, his supporters will do everything they can to discredit, shame, and punish her for speaking out. We must show her and the rest of the country we have her back and we believe her and all survivors.

You can show your support for Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, who bravely came forward to share being sexually assaulted by Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, by signing this card, and we'll make sure they get each and every message.

We need to show them that we believe them and have their backs, so I joined thousands of UltraViolet members in signing this card. You can join me by signing here.

Thanks!

Phurious Oryndge - Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Trump on Comey

This spam arrived on 17th April.
Clearly the message was too long for a Twitter rant, because they had to fit the plea for money in. The Trump mob always add a plea for money. It just strikes me that US democracy must be in dire straits when a supposedly-wealthy President is crowd-funding his defence against incoming charges of corruption (and hopefully worse)... and people are donating.

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If James Comey really had something big to say, why would he put it in a book and try to make millions off of it?

The truth is James Comey is a grandstanding liar who put his own interests above America’s.

Comey represents the worst of the swamp. He doesn’t want hardworking Americans like you to win.

Today we fight back. Let’s show him how many Americans refuse to let him silence them.

Please renew your 2018 Sustaining Membership by 9:00 PM TONIGHT.

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Comments, by sentence:

1. At least he wrote the book himself, Mr Art-of-the-Deal. And since you went out of your way to stop him doing his job, because you were scared for your orange arse, putting his story into a book seems like a damn good way of getting his side of things out to a wider audience;
2. You misspelt "Donald Trump and his family" as "James Comey" there;
3. See (2);
4. You started it, you fat fraud, therefore you cannot "fight back";
5. No. I have never been a supporter of Trump, contributed to his campaign, or been a member of anything connected to his fuckwittery. I can spot a crook a mile off. 

FAKE NEWS: Your chance to crown the king!

The Ferret-haired Fraud and his fawning acolytes are presumably unaware that "to crown" also means "to belt around the ear", aka Punching a Nazi.

But I digress.

Read this email, which just landed - entirely unrequested - in my mailbox, and then dare tell me that Trump and his mob believe in democracy and a free Press.

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Of all the biased, absurd, and downright FAKE news stories the media wrote about us in 2017, I picked just ELEVEN of the VERY WORST.

But now it’s time for the media to hear from you.

I want YOU -- the AMERICAN PEOPLE -- to crown the KING OF FAKE NEWS of 2017.

Please take my survey and let me know which organization you think pushed the MOST FAKE NEWS last year.

We’re going to keep calling the FAKE NEWS MEDIA out for their liberal bias and lies.

And we will NEVER let their attacks stop us from our mission to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

So please, take the 2017 Fake News Awards Survey right now to crown the ULTIMATE King of Fake News.

MAGA,


Donald J. Trump

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I went to have a look, of course. Oh joy, you can nominate your own candidate. Well, well, well.

The "survey" is here. It would be such a shame if it got freeped, right?

MOAR bots

Try not to laugh too hard. This is the rally that the RuTrolls, bots and other usual-suspect fashbois were promoting on social media and a horrendously ugly webshite called motherofallrallies-dot-com.

Looks like the propaganda isn't working as well as they'd hope.

Live shots from the pro-Trump "Mother of All Rallies" going on in DC right now.

...Turns out bots can't rally. #MOAR pic.twitter.com/AO8nboy4pM

— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) 16 September 2017

Trump’s Signals to White Supremacists Aren’t Dog Whistles. They’re Flares. – Mother Jones

...Not only were extremists excited by Trump’s campaign. Not only were they using it to recruit on a scale they hadn’t imagined before. They felt that the campaign was signaling to them actively and deliberately—and the more we dug, the more we realized they were right... Trump’s Signals to White Supremacists Aren’t Dog Whistles. They’re Flares. – Mother Jones

Profile of a Russian troll

Hamilton 68: Tracking Putin's Propaganda Push... Aug 2 2017

For full, up-to-date details, see Hamilton 68: Tracking Putin's Propaganda Push... To America

Top Themes
Updated on August 2, 4:26 AM
We examined unique stories that appeared each day in the lists of Top and Trending URLs from July 21 to July 31, 2017. Articles were categorized according to issues they addressed, including primary, secondary, and tertiary themes, as many stories speak to multiple issues. The three most common primary issues out of the 91 stories analyzed involved US partisan politics, the conflict in Syria, and the investigation of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. Digging deeper, the 54 stories related to partisan politics include 30 hostile to the Democratic Party, 14 supportive of President Trump, 2 hostile to the Republic Party establishment, and 2 targeting the U.S. Intelligence Community. Of 18 stories related to Syria, 14 attacked US actions, while 4 lauded the actions of Russia and their allies. The 9 articles targeting Robert Mueller and his investigation were uniformly hostile.

Transcripts of Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia - Washington Post

The Washington Post has obtained transcripts of two conversations President Trump had with foreign leaders: one with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and another with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: Transcripts of Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia - Washington Post

The transcripts include annotations to help readers understand what is happening.

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Highlights - Mexico

1. Trump threatens potential tariffs on Mexican goods. 
2. Trump vows to help fight the “tough hombres” driving the Mexican drug trade. 
3. Trump seems to acknowledge that his threats to make Mexico pay had left him cornered politically. 
4. Trump asks that they avoid publicly disagreeing over how the wall will be funded. 
5. Trump describes the wall as “the least important thing we are talking about.” 
6. Trump tells Peña Nieto to stop saying publicly that his government would never pay for the wall. 

A couple of comments on the comments: 

• Peña Nieto may make a habit of speaking Spanish in formal situations, in spite of having an excellent grasp of English, but it would be a mistake to assume this stems from any sense of insecurity. It gives him a distinct advantage in that it gives him more time to observe the other's reactions and choose his next move.
• Trump's insistence on using Peña Nieto's forename in a formal meeting between heads of state is not merely ignorant and rude; it shows that he thinks he can treat sensitive international negotiations the way a salesman would try to soft soap someone into signing a contract.

The rest more or less speaks for itself. Trump alternates between flannel and empty boasts about the election. It's entertaining and eye-opening at the same time. The man clearly believes he's been put at the head of some mafia-like organisation; his contempt for his electorate is rivalled only by his contempt for the truth.

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Highlights - Australia 

1. Trump tells Turnbull that accepting the refugees “will make us look awfully bad.” 
2. Turnbull tries to explain to Trump that the refugee deal is consistent with the travel ban 
3. Turnbull tells Trump that the deal is “really, really important” to Australia. 
4. Trump says the refugee deal is “going to kill me.” 
5. Trump calls the agreement a “stupid deal” that will make him “look terrible.” 
6. Trump tells Turnbull “I have had it” and ends the call.

The two are birds of a feather and they still can't work anything out.

Trump pulled out the oil industry playbook and players for Paris | Benjamin Franta | Environment | The Guardian

Since President Trump announced on June 1 that the U.S. would cease implementation of the Paris Agreement, pundits have argued about whether the American pullout will truly affect greenhouse gas pollution one way or another, since, after all, the Paris Agreement was not legally binding to begin with.

We don’t know the future, but we do know the past, and here’s something we shouldn’t miss: we’ve seen this before...

Read full story: Trump pulled out the oil industry playbook and players for Paris | Benjamin Franta | Environment | The Guardian

Daily Show: Make Trump Tweets Eight Again

You have to pretty much be a deaf, dumb and blind hermit living in a cave in deepest Mongolia to remain unaware of The Dunderhead's habit of going on long, unhinged Twitter rants, often in the middle of the night. Whatever the purpose of these ravings - and some are clearly designed to distract from whatever murderous behaviour the Republican Party is currently indulging itself in - they do betray an immature, obsessive and narcissistic mind.

So for those of you who have yet to discover it, here's a little Chrome add-on provided by the Daily Show: Make Trump Tweets Eight Again.

Try it, you won't regret it.

Incidentally, this also works for tweets embedded in a blog post or newspaper article.

Listening to America Survey

So, this arrived in my inbox this week. As President Putt-shot is away from the WH, on real business for once, this may be signed by him, but it has sod-all to do with him. It's his GOP mafia using his mailing-lists to try to find new ways to bamboozle his (now assumed to be their) voters. And, of course, distract them from the increasingly damaging revelations about collusion with Russia, attempts to extract sensitive data from states in order to carry out mass voter suppression, the ongoing effort to destroy healthcare for the poor and vulnerable in order to give tax breaks to the rich, Trump family corruption, etc. There's a lot of etc.

Yes, it's offensive. Yes, it perpetuates the "us and them" myth, essentially telling the uneducated, uninformed bigots  they assume they're targeting, that people with different opinions either don't exist or - worse - don't deserve to.

So, dear American readers, I suggest you take the survey and freep their fat white male asses. NOW.

Politicians have spent too much time bickering and not enough time listening. So today we’re turning off that awful, blistering noise of Washington.

Instead, I want to hear from YOU.

I want to hear from the American heartland -- the REAL America that lives outside of the DC-media fantasy world.

With our six-month mark approaching, I want you to take the Listening to America Survey to tell me the true sentiments, concerns, and interests of REAL America.

The mainstream media and Hollywood dominate the airwaves and drown out the voices of the real hardworking Americans who make our country run.

They love to tell you how you feel. Enough!

The only person that can speak for you is YOU.

Just like on the campaign, I always like to go directly to the people. I asked our supporters to help prepare for our three big debates against Hillary. I asked what issues we should address. I asked for help creating our platform. And I take our message straight to you through emails and social media.

So please take this moment to turn off the very loud noise of Washington and take the Listening to America Survey before our 6-month mark approaches.

Thank you,

Donald J. Trump

Don't forget to pass the info on to as many people as possible.

Net Neutrality

JULY 12TH: INTERNET-WIDE DAY OF ACTION TO SAVE NET NEUTRALITY

The FCC wants to destroy net neutrality and give big cable companies control over what we see and do online. If they get their way, they’ll allow widespread throttling, blocking, censorship, and extra fees. On July 12th, the Internet will come together to stop them.

More information at battleforthenet.com.

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Go protest here: gofccyourself.com!

Meet Le Pen's friends at Trump Tower - EUObserver

On 12 January, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was spotted by photographers drinking coffee at Trump Tower in New York.

She suggested at the time that she wanted to meet with then US president-elect Donald Trump, but it didn't work out.

What few people know is that the night before, a cocktail party was organised in the same building to raise funds for her political party, the National Front (FN).

The party was organised by an Italian businessman George "Guido" Lombardi.

Lombardi, who lives in Trump Tower, has close links with the European far-right, especially Italy's Lega Nord. He says that he has been a friend of Marine Le Pen for 20 years.

"There were people [at the party] who were favorable to her, supporters, people who are friends of mine, entrepreneurs, at least three UN ambassadors, some political consultants and advisers," Lombardi told EUobserver in a recent phone interview.

He refused to give names but described the guests that came to meet Le Pen as "American businessmen, American representatives from Wall Street, Israeli businessmen, a couple of Russian businessmen*, a couple of Asian businessmen, a couple of Italians, some French nationals"...

Read the rest at Meet Le Pen's friends at Trump Tower

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* Our emphasis

Trump the builder

Mr Trump was building his great wall out of broken promises and failed businesses#BuildTheWall #Trumpcare #ObamaCare pic.twitter.com/AS4FuB3JJ2

— Trumpton (@Trump_ton) 25 March 2017

ACLU: "Trump discriminated. We sued."

This morning the ACLU and several other legal organizations filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Iraqi men who were en route to the United States when President Trump issued an executive order banning many Muslims from entering the country.

The lead plaintiffs were detained by the U.S. government and threatened with deportation – even though they have valid visas to enter the United States.

One plaintiff, Hameed Khalid Darweesh, worked for the U.S. military. His life was in danger in his home country due to that relationship. A former Obama administration official and platoon commander during the invasion of Iraq said on Twitter yesterday that Mr. Darweesh "spent years keeping U.S. soldiers alive in combat in Iraq."

The family of the other plaintiff, Haider Sameer Abdulkhaleq Alshawi, was also threatened because of perceived ties to the United States. His wife and 7-year-old son are lawful permanent residents living in Houston, Texas and were eagerly awaiting his arrival. Mr. Alshawi’s son has not seen his father for three years.

Tellingly, Trump’s executive order authorizes the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to admit refugees on a "case-by-case" basis, for people of a minority religion in their home countries. In effect, Trump has barred Muslims from entering the United States, while favoring the entry of Christians.

 Mr. Darweesh was just released from detention at John F. Kennedy International Airport this afternoon, but Mr. Alshawi and others remain in detention. The ACLU and its supporters will not stand for the Trump administration’s unconstitutional discrimination. Today, and every day, we will fight back.

For more information on our lawsuit, please see https://www.aclu.org/cases/darweesh-v-trump.

Trump’s USA Thank You Tour 2016 – Last Chance!

Just when you thought the USA’s incoming neo-Nazi administration couldn’t get any tackier, with Trump going on a “USA Thank You Tour” for his regular fix of adulation and irresponsibility, you discover that they are still trying to monetise the election. Witness this email, just in. Links have been ruthlessly excised, as I’m not giving any more publicity to these anti-science, misogynist, racist, homophobic, profiteering dangleberries than I can possibly help.

Dear Ivor,
Today is the final stop of the USA Thank You Tour 2016 in Mobile, AL.
Get your Thank You Tour merchandise for the holidays now! It’s your last chance. Sincerely, Team Trump-Pence …

Continue reading →

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The post Trump’s USA Thank You Tour 2016 – Last Chance! by Jay H first appeared on Plague of Mice.

The Trump emails: Katrina Pierson and the despairing wails of the damned

I haven’t been posting all the emails I’ve (or rather, our fictitious Ivor Biggun) been getting from the Trump campaign, because there are far too many and they all say much the same thing: Crooked Hillary – send us money – we’re going to walk it – send us money, we need to run more ads or we’ll lose – the election is rigged – send us money. Some are signed by Cheetoface Stumpyfingers himself, others by a random son, or else by Katrina Pierson his National Spokesmoron, as is the case here. Pierson is an outstanding Specimen who thinks Sarah Palin is “more normal” than many Republicans.

Occasionally the emails are signed by one of Trump’s arselikkahs, like Gingrich or Priebus. Sometimes it dangles the tempting bait of a gadget, like the Trump Black Card (I kid you not) or Your Name On Our Wall (yeah sure) and, best … Continue reading →

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The post The Trump emails: Katrina Pierson and the despairing wails of the damned first appeared on Plague of Mice.

Il Douche wants to Drain the Swamp

Time for the 5th and final Email To The Deplorables of 22nd October. Oh, don’t fret: there are plenty more. It’s just the last one received on that date. I think, though, it’s time we started addressing the accuracy of the claims the Trump camp makes, and what really happens to the money they get, especially as this is the central theme of the “Drain the Swamp” rallying-cry. Let’s start with cash from small donors, because that’s what the 5 emails so far have been whining for:

Trump used $300K of small donors' money to buy copies of his own book, to sell back to donors at an inflated price. — Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) October 25, 2016 

Let’s not forget that the people getting these emails only signed up to be bully-boy Poll Watchers. This hasn’t been mentioned once so far. That’s strange, when you remember how much the … Continue reading →

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The post Il Douche wants to Drain the Swamp by Jay H first appeared on Plague of Mice.

Trump Spamfile 23 Oct 2016: The Wall

And on the 7th day, Trump did rest and only sent out 2 unsolicited begging letters. Still nothing about Poll Watching, and the incomparable Rachel Maddow tells us why. Of course, this doesn’t mean there won’t be Fashbots stomping around, trying to intimidate minorities, since a lot of Trump supporters are even more right-wing than the GOP. It just means the GOP doesn’t want anything to do with them. What the courts will make of anything that does happen should make interesting reading either way. So, on to the daily outpourings of the Trump Train. Here’s the first one. It’s probably best read while listening to Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall.

What Drives Me?

Narcissism and greed.

Ivor,
The reason I am running for President is the same reason that you love America as much as I do.

Do you even English?

It’s the passion we feel for wanting …

Continue reading →

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The post Trump Spamfile 23 Oct 2016: The Wall by Jay H first appeared on Plague of Mice.