Ann Telnaes has shone a light on the darkness of the Washington Post's corruption. I told you in a previous post that her editor had killed a piece that criticized the Post's billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos.
Telnaes resigned from the paper and published the reasons why. She allowed her quashed cartoon to be published by others and encouraged her colleagues to build upon it.
This is the killed cartoon, which has gone viral:
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| Ann Telnaes |
Several cartoonists have risen to support her and shine their light of Freedom of Speech.
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| Gary Huck |
Political satire is not easy or safe, especially in an autocratic regime.
Editorial cartoonists are especially targeted because their art is so powerful. Telnaes has expressed concern for cartoonists in a couple recent columns in the form of visual essays. One she made a couple years ago, and republished recently, about editorial cartoonists being the canaries in Democracy's coal mine: "The Canaries are Not Doing Well." This week she revisited the 10th anniversary of the attack on Charlie Hedbo in France.
Satire is serious business. Lift their voices. (I do, in my meme dumps; one is below). If we work to not let them get quashed, we are helping Democracy.
I feel sad that this storied newspaper has wet itself. If you haven't cancelled The Washington Post, do it today.
GOOD NEWS: BUSY BIDEN
The President has been quite busy implementing last-minute protections.- Biden designated two new National Monuments.
This is good stuff. Two swaths of land in California, important to two tribes, were preserved this week.Chuckwalla National Monument near Joshua Tree National Park in SoCal and the Sáttítla National Monument in NorCal are the two new national monuments. Yay!These 800,000+ acres are added to the 674 million acres and waters that Biden has protected over the last four years. What a legacy!
- Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, which expanded Social Security benefits to groups of public servants who had been left out of social security benefits thanks to a couple of tax rules passed decades ago.
- Biden moved to protect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts by banning new offshore drilling. The incoming president has vowed to "unban" it, but it will take Congressional action to do so.
BAD NEWS
The avian flu has claimed its first human victim in Louisiana.
From the New York Times: “I still think the risk remains low,” said Dr. Diego Diel, a virologist at Cornell University. “However, it is important that people remain vigilant and avoid contact with sick animals, sick poultry, sick dairy cattle, and also avoid contact with wild birds,” he added.
Yeah, uh-huh, ok....
Stock up on masks and hand sanitizer, folks. The incoming administration is going to fuck this up.
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| I honestly thought that because COVID claimed an outsized share of Repugs that it would bode well for the election. Guess not. |
CLOWN NEWS
Rudy Giuliani.
He has been ordered to pay $146 million to Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman, the victims of his defamation. To do this, he had to liquidate everything.
Though he did turn over his watches, his 'Benz, and his NYC apartment, he failed to turn over the rest of the judgment. He was held in contempt on Monday, and by a 45-appointed judge no less.
He also big mad at the court artist. "Why did you make me look like my dog?!"
He's got an ugly dog.
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| Jane Rosenberg |
He was off the rails during his contempt hearing. Here's an interview with the courtroom sketch artist, Jane Rosenberg:
Friday morning, he appears in court again, for a separate case accusing him of continuing to make defamatory statements against the pair.
ANOTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM BITES THE DUST
Today Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta (home to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads) is doing away with fact checkers. Have at it, misinformationists! See you on Bluesky, friends.
THE NEW YEAR'S DAY TERRORIST ATTACKS
Jon Stewart did a good job breaking down the media's treatment of the two events and how we try mightily to fit the facts into our preconceptions (or in the Right's case, make up the facts to fit the their preconceptions).
See him here:
A STUPID PRESS CONFERENCE AT ORANGE MARMAL-A-GO
Do I have the energy to deal with his blathering? Sigh. It was the usual weird shit that makes no sense and is stupid and maddening.
- When asked, "Can you assure the world that as you try to get control of areas like Greenland or Panama you are not going to use military or economic coercion?" He answered, "No. I can't assure you. I'm not going to commit to that. It might be that you'll have to do something." What the fresh fuck.
To be fair, though, he may not know what coercion means.
- He wants to re-name the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." Because of course.
- He was mad about the drilling ban and other end-of-term actions Biden has been implementing. He complained about Biden making the transition "very difficult." Shut your pie-hole, you lying sack of shit.
STUPID ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE STUPID ASSWIPE JUDGE AILEEN CANNON
Judge Cannon, who dismissed the stolen classified documents case in its entirety, blocked the release of Jack Smith's final report on the matter. I despise Judge Loose Cannon. Can you tell?
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that he will hold back the release of the report, chiefly because there are two co-defendants who are still charged and the case is still active.
Garland does plan to release the January 6 portion of Jack Smith's investigation.
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER COURT CASES?
The Felony Falsification of Records CaseBreaking this morning: The Felon asked his buddies at the Supreme Court to block his sentencing for his 24 felonies in the hush money/falsifying records case which is scheduled for Friday, January 10. The "sentencing" is to be in name only – no jail time, no fine, no probation – but he do what he do.
The Civil Fraud Case
The bond that he was supposed to post for the guilty judgment in the civil fraud case in New York was reduced from $464 million to $175 million. He hasn't posted a dollar yet. It's in appeals.
The Defamation Case
He did post $83.3 million bond for the two judgments in favor of E. Jean Carroll, which total more than $88 million. He lost his appeal to toss the $5 million judgement, and both cases are working their way through appeals.
The Georgia Election Interference Case
This case is stalled. Prosecutor Fani Willis was removed from the case because of conflict of interest concerns. It's a huge case with many co-defendants. Technically it is still active but nothing much is going on, and unclear if it will even continue with Willis out of the picture.
The Federal Election Subversion Case
Went away, thanks to the corrupt Supreme Court. As I mentioned above, we will at least see Jack Smith's report. I doubt it will have much more than we already know.
ONE MORE NOTE ABOUT JANUARY 6
Read Sgt. Gonell's whole piece in The Bulwark. It's a sobering read. We must never forget January 6!
JIMMY CARTER LAID TO REST
President Jimmy Carter will have his state funeral in Washington D.C. on Friday, January 10. His body is lying in state at the U. S. Capitol until then.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IS ON FIRE
Please help by donating to Direct Relief International (100% score / 4 stars on Charity Navigator), California Fire Foundation (91% score / 4 stars), or Los Angeles County Animal Care Foundation (90% / 4 stars).
MEME DUMP (scroll through for Beauty and Action)
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| Jack Posobiec is an alt-right white supremacist conspiracy theory jerk, in case you didn't guess |
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| Michael de Adder |
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| You may have noticed that LSR swears a shit-ton more than she ever fuckin' did. Sorry not sorry. These shitty times and the fuckfaces who inhabit this hellscape deserve it. Piss off. |
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| Steve Brodner |
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| Clay Bennett |
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| Jack Ohman |
YOUR MOMENT OF ACTION
Contact your governor and state representatives and tell them to deny assisting efforts in mass deportation. Tell them to disallow the use of local law enforcement to help implement their plan.
YOUR MOMENTS OF BEAUTY
And a poem
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| Mark Rich |
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