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Everything posted by BevoAbyss
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Legit question. Thanks. I do not have an instant, easy answer that will win the next election. However, I do know a failed strategy when I see one. Though I was born/raised in Texas and graduated from UT, I have not lived in Texas in almost 30 years. Career took me elsewhere. However, I own some Texas ranch land and when passing through Dallas/Austin/ Houston, I sometimes see friends and family (mostly liberals and Democrats, but some MAGA/MAGA adjacent). Here's what I see, hear, and know. The "Beto Play Nice Plan" is a proven failure. — Beto's plan might well have worked in the 1970s-1980s. Not in the 2020s-2030s. — I am not saying be an asshole. A person can be nice and still use the correct terms and definitions to describe the political conditions. Be firm. Don't cave. — If Hollywood can make The Handmaid's Tale, then why can't Democrats and media use the correct terms, as dramatized in that series? It's all right before our eyes. — Yet, my Beto-voting Dem friends in Dallas/Houston are mostly in denial. Joined several for tacos and tequila last summer. They somehow think it is not as bad as it is. Amazing! In between tequila shots, we were doing screen shots of online dictionaries and seeing how the definitions of fascism and theocracy applied to Texas. At least one friend has since told me that our conversation has her (no pics) thinking much more about seeing fascism/theocracy and not mere "right wing" extremism. Obviously, an anecdotal example. Sometimes it's not an easy process to see the forest amid the trees. The Beto/Democrat Plan is aspirin for a cancer. — MAGA-GQP are a cancer for Democracy in Texas (and America). The rights of many groups are in peril. Democracy may well die, with horrors to come. I think Beto once used the term "post truth is pre-fascism" in a tweet. But that was about it, as far as I can tell. Beto's correct, but pre-fascism was the Reagan era. Now is fascism. — What happens when you have recurring headaches that start out mild, and you take aspirin, which works for a while? Only the headaches slowly intensify across several years. Then your doctor does a blood test, X-Ray, and you have brain cancer. What happens? You have to treat it with radical steps. No more aspirin. Beto is the aspirin. Who are the audiences? It's not MAGA-GQP. Almost all are completely beyond hope, as best I can tell. However, a tiny percentage might be open to seeing the obvious. There are two key points to clearly explain and reinforce to Texans. 1) MAGA-GQP are fascists and theocrats, according to any dictionary not tossed out of a school library. 2) The very first right in the First Amendment is freedom from religion, not freedom of religion. Look it up. All of this needs to be repeated endlessly. In-person, across all media platforms. With dictionary definitions. With the text of the First Amendment. Repeat, repeat, repeat. American Exceptionalism and "it can't happen here" must be countered with the mounting evidence. Audience 1: The media, journalists, editors. — As best I can tell, the media (newspapers, TV, Texas Tribune) have utterly failed to identify the political situation in Texas. — Dems can start by asking the media why MAGA-GQP are not identified as fascists and theocrats. And keep asking. And keep on asking. Pull out a freaking dictionary on their phones. Tell the reporters that these Reagan-era terms are no longer accurate. "Conservative," "Right wing." "Extremist." "Far right." Etc. — For example, the Texas Tribune is intellectually bankrupt, it just doesn't know it. Under the guise of being "fair" and "objective," the Tribune 100% enables and empowers MAGA every day. As such, the Tribune is a threat to democracy. If the Tribune was a cancer doctor, every patient would die. — On the other hand, I see thoughtful people using fascism and theocracy across many social media/blogging platforms, such as Substack, Medium, and others like it. Of course, their audiences are tiny compared to TV, newspapers, and megachurches. — The Dems need a statewide plan to do this. Across all platforms. Of course, they likely never will. Audience 2: A percentage of independents. — How many? I do not know. Surely, there is a percentage of indies who are smart enough to realize MAGA-GQP are fascists/theocrats when they hear those terms. People are saying this in some platforms. Some protesters have fascism on their signs. Audience 3: Non-believers in religion. This is over 20% of Texans and growing fast across America. When in the hell are Dems gonna speak out and represent that group? That includes me and I have never ever felt the Dems accurately see the obvious about religious fanaticism. Religious freedom does not mean freedom from critique. Democrats seem oblivious to this. Sadly, the secular education and secular media systems have largely failed. — Especially when it comes to critical thinking. Even more in politics and religion. — Of course, this will not solve everything. Thought and action are needed across culture. Texas corporations and university leaders are not gonna do anything. If MAGA-GQP can scare parents over CRT and woke and Marxists (etc.), then surely the Dems can deploy the terms fascism and theocracy. Someone has to step up their game in the political arena. The only option is Democrats. It sure as hell ain't the freaking Libertarians. TLDR/Bottom Line. Someone has to fight the cancer to democracy. And it begins with the right diagnosis. It might well be too late.
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With all due respect to you and Rep. Johnson, that speech sums up the problem with the Democrats: total weak sauce. That little speech is not gonna have any effect on MAGA-GQP seizing elections in Houston. Zip. Nada. None. Sounded like the speech of the losing team! When in the hell are Democrats gonna take off the gloves and announce they will not let fascists and theocrats take over the state of Texas? Clearly, bluntly, proudly. I submit that until MAGA and the GOP become synonymous with fascism/theocracy in the minds and words of Democrats, the Dems are doomed to lose. You cannot defeat what you fail to identify. Failure to identify means a failure understand. You cannot defeat what you fail to understand. End of story. And likely the end of democracy in Texas.
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Texas is run by a gang of fascists. Time's up for denial, apologia, and excuse-making. Fascism, as displayed in Texas, is an authoritarian, ultranationalist, religious ideology with several key components. 1) A highly regimented society, with centralized, top-down rule. 2) Protected classes (white, male, wealthy, capitalist, Christian), some of which are championed/worshipped as top shelf role models (Musk, Osteen, Abbott, various celebs, athletes, etc). 3) Attacking of marginalized groups (POC, LGBTQIA+, women, secularists and secular educators, doctors/nurses, scientists and eventually non-fascist intellectuals, atheists, and environmentalists). 4) The cult of the "great leader" and complete reverence for the public/social media spectacle, wherein the great leaders/rulers are seen as prophets of the great destiny, precisely as they mock, insult, ridicule, and humiliate the marginalized groups. The more idiotic and dumbed down the media spectacle, the more powerful it enables fascism. 5) The engineered collapse and takeover of secular educational systems, to be used for propaganda and religious indoctrination. Vouchers, end tenure, set up bogus think tanks (Civitas), which pretends to be "free market," while also a mask for public Christian propaganda (Oh, it's coming!). Secular liberal UT is a massive target. Civitas will be like a cancer attacking from within. 6) The unwavering belief in a sacred text (Bible) and insane conspiracy theories (Q), both needed to counter events/facts/realities they do not like. Since religion gets a free pass, no one of import will attack that component. Thus, the fascists will have free reign to believe their unseen God has their back and that they are spiritually elite, have the moral high ground, and are compassionate, precisely as they oppress and humiliate and eventually kill. It's called doublethink. 7) All of the above is backed by violence and the worship of violence (AR-15s, guns, cops, soldiers, military, war). Way more violence is coming. Finally, the belief in all of the above as a great destiny and spiritual war, which justifies the violence, oppression, and environmental destruction. The above is why Gregg Abbott is a fascist. Elon Musk is a fascist. So are Paxton, Cruz, Cornyn and anyone else in MAGA-GQP, anyone voting for MAGA-GQP, or anyone who is fascism-adjacent and enabling MAGA-GQP. I seriously doubt any media or institution will identify the above as fascism and attack MAGA-GQP on that ground. Neither will the Democrats. Rather, they will all just use largely innocuous terms like "conservative," "right wing," "far right," "extremists" -- the very terms used for Reagan 40 years ago. And Texas and MAGA-GQP are far far right of Reagan. Bottom line: Texas MAGA-GQP are fascist. Texas may well become a fascist theocracy.
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Nope. Not me. That last and only time I had anything flag-like (or red-white-blue) on my body was wearing freaking "bicentennial tennis shoes" in 1976 as a teenager. Lame-o. By the early 80s, I had seen enough of the Reagan-Falwell merger of Flag and Bible to be revulsed by flag-waving fanaticism and blind patriotism. I have not celebrated Fourth of July since sometime around 1982 or so. Proudly not patriotic, not nationalist, not religious. Read enough atheist philosophy books and saw enough of Sagan's Cosmos series to see the sheer idiocy of all that. That's why I do not wear any flags, fly any flags, worship any flags. Flags are for unevolved humans.
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I don't think Republicans suck. That's far too easy. I think Republicans are fascists (and many are theocrats). Why? The evidence is clear, the GQP policies speak for themselves. Fascism, theocracy. Guns. Flag. Bible. Ten Commandments. Shoved down the throats of secular society. Attacks on women, immigrants, People of Color, scientists, doctors, nurses, educators, the list is growing. It's f*cking fascism and theocracy. Yet, for some reason, there is a reluctance at this site to call GQP/MAGA/Trump what they are: fascists and theocrats. Across 40 freaking years, the Republican Party has moved politically in one direction, and one direction only. Straight into fascism and theocracy. The timeline is below. McCroskey and anyone else: Facts, evidence, and history don't care if you are some self-described "conservative" in mourning, wondering what the hell happened to America, because your violent-fanatical-idiot world GQP is completely off the rails and hurtling America down the side of the mountain, dead into the valley of fascism/theocracy. And, to feel better, you gotta somehow trash old man Biden as he tries to plug the holes in the dam of democracy, cracking under the downhill flood of fascism. The evidence has been there all along. If you voted for Reagan, Bush 1, Bush 2, Trump, or supported Perot or the Tea Party, then you have enabled, supported, or wholly agreed with the direction of the timeline.
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Tommy Tuberville is a fascist theocrat. Perfect for the SEC territories. Looking at a map, the SEC is little more than the Southeastern Confederacy Conference. Or the Fascist Football Conference. And UT has said, "Hell yeah, let's join 'em." Truly sad. We are told this was just about "money" and "eyeballs" and playing "Big Boy Football." All true, but only part of the reason. We cannot ignore the cultural context. The move to the SEC was a post-BLM, post-Covid, MAGA-world cultural alignment orchestrated from the very top. Why? To show the liberal, woke, secular intelligentsia on UT campus — and in the state of Texas — where the Top MAGA Men/Women in Texas have their hearts and minds. The SEC move was orchestrated and approved at the highest levels—above Hartzell and Del Conte. They are the Yes Men, the public cheerleaders. This move does not happen without Abbott and BOR-MAGA power brokers 1000000% on-board. No freaking way. No way does Abbott/BOR let UT join the West Coast Woke conference. Never. Can you imagine the whining of Ted Cruz, Cornyn, and many UT alums if UT joined with California, even though the Austin economy is fueled by California firms, with their names on factories and skyscrapers in Austin. Name one firm in the SEC territories with their name on a skyscraper in Austin or Texas. The SEC move and the new Civitas Institute (funded with millions, staffed with academic Christians/Theists) both serve the same purpose. Culturally align The University of Texas with the MAGA-fascism-theocracy-unbridled billionaire corporate capitalism that politically run the state of the Texas. It all makes me very sad.
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You left out fascist. Frankly, I find it interesting that so many people in Surly will use every kind of word and term to creatively describe Trump, MAGA, GQP and their goals. Yet so few will use the single word that is 100% most accurate: fascist.
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Don't kid yourselves. CNN-Trump is just another stop on the descent into fascism and violent idiocy. The TV news and mass media (including the holy NY Times) simply cannot stop this descent, because they have enabled it in so many ways. One key way is the belief in American Exceptionalism: The belief that fascism and fanaticism can't seize power here, while it is happening right before our eyes, on so many levels. The media keep giving platform after platform to fascists, all while maintaining the braindead unwillingness to identify and call Trump, MAGA, and the GQP what they are. American Christian Fascists. 100% true according to any dictionary not tossed out by a MAGA school board.
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Indeed. But more that, he's fundamentally a fascist, a Christian fascist. I don't give a f*ck if he was an SEC football coach. The SEC territory is ground zero for fascism in America. And UT is jumping right in to that sewer. Pathetic.
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Just wait till people are walking their armed robot dog. Second Amendment + man's best friend = a safe and free America! And we know it's coming....
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There is rarely a single explanation for complex phenomena (one of the lessons of chaos/complexity theory). But Is one of the "smoking guns "literally right before our eyes? In our hands? Since around 2005, the proliferation of smart phones and social media parallels the proliferation of guns and assault weapons. Of course, correlation is not causation. But, it is an interesting pattern. 2004 also marks the end of the assault weapon ban, just as Facebook and social media were taking off. A perfect storm? It is obvious that social media massively ramps up pre-existing hate, anger, sexism, racism, prejudice, bigotry, idiocy, fanaticism, paranoia, tribalism, religious fervor, nationalism, etc. And social media are where many people look to find an identity with a tribe, and someone to blame for their problems. And with the phones, tablets, and laptops, it's all right in our faces, coming right at us, tribe v. tribe, etc. 24/7/365. Perhaps the medium is the message, in more ways than one?
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I grew up in Texas. Born and raised. I knew gun owners. My dad. My uncle. Both long deceased. Dad was a Korean War vet. Went to UT on the GI Bill. A proud engineer who also liked to hunt and owned a shotgun. My uncle was a WW2 vet, served in the European Theater against the Nazis. A proud rancher, he owned a shotgun (for hunting) and rifle (for shooting coyotes, rattlers, and big ass rats that got into the grain for the cattle). Gun ownership was never part of their cultural or masculine identity. Proud vets? Yep! Gun worshippers? Nope. NEVER! Their masculine and cultural identities were expressed in honesty, hard work, a firm handshake, looking people in the eyes when talking, raising their kids to be honest, hard-working, treating people with respect, and getting college degrees. When I walked with my PhD from UT, my dad (not the emotional type) teared up and hugged me tight. He was proud. A gun decal on my uncle's F-150s. Lulz. A Second Amendment decal on my dad's cars. Lulz. Bottom line: These Texas men did not need a killing machine to give them an identity. They got it through the lives they lived, the families they loved, the kids they shaped, and the clients and businesses they served. Though long deceased, I can guaran-damn-tee they would have never thought selling millions of mass killing machines was a good idea. No fucking way. As my uncle, the rancher, used to say, "You can hang your hat on it."
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Yep. Many non-MAGA people will be surprised the police side with MAGA when the fascist takeover happens.
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This is pure doublethink, which Orwell warned us about. Surly friends, we must realize doublethink is not mere lying or hypocrisy or gaslighting. From the book 1984: "Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory thoughts in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them as true. The Party intellectual (Megyn Kelly, et al) knows in which direction memories must be altered. He knows he is playing tricks with reality, but by the exercise of doublethink, he satisfies himself that reality is not violated. The process has to be conscious, or it would not be carried out with precision, but has to be unconscious, or it would bring a feeling of falsity and guilt." Doublethinkers like Kelly (and zillions of others) literally stand astride two realities, taking great pride in their conscious ability to be unconscious. That's how they can argue for no gun controls and blame mass shootings on those who want gun controls.
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The increase in AR-15s is a horrifying indictment of America, in the grips of a malignant madness. Megyn Kelly's comments show that. There's an entire army of kids being groomed for a fanatical future of religion and ultraviolence—via religious warrior propaganda from firms like Daniel Defense and MAGA-Christian politicians. Note the prayer emoji. By ignoring the "no law" establishing religion part of The First Amendment and the "well-regulated" part of Second Amendment, both Amendments are being distorted to further MAGA militant fanaticism. They want a violent militarized society. It's obvious. They believe that is a winning strategy. Not peace. Violence.
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The goals are a bit more extreme. It's about dominating and humiliating women—enforced with codes of violence (forced births, denying reproductive rights, etc.). Patriarchy and theocracy go together. Margaret Atwood saw it coming in the Reagan era. The Handmaid's Tale is the American prophecy.
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It's doesn't matter what's true or false for anything. There is no reasoning with religious/fascist/conspiratorial fanatics. For MAGA, GOP, Q, Fox, Newsmaxx (etc.) the short term goals are paranoia, hysteria, witch hunts, mass idiocy, mass shootings, massive conspiracies, random acts of violence, and endless intellectual attacks on reality. — All accompanied by attacks on rights coming from all directions, against women, trans, immigrants, people of color, doctors, scientists, nurses, educators, librarians, and many others to come. The eventual long-term goal is to convert secular society into a fascist, theocratic, oligarchical state, with celebs, sports stars, and capitalist billionaires as role models to keep everyone believing it is still a fair, free, and sane society.
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Let's not forget the famous words of the US President who nominated Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court: "I'll never apologize for the United States of America. Ever. I don't care what the facts are." Two sentences later, he said he would "keep our eyes side open." The very doublethink Orwell warned us about. No matter, Bush was elected in a landslide. No matter than his idiot savant artist son lied and ignored facts all over the place during his 8 years as Prez. Along with Reagan, the two Bushes heralded the lying, fact-denying, doublethinking, gaslighting, idiot world of MAGA-GQP-Trump. If you voted for those clowns, you enabled the fascist-theocratic-Trump GQP of 2023 and far beyond—and what might well be the end of democracy in America. All history asks is you own it.
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A story about a pathetic man's downfall [34 Felony Convictions]
BevoAbyss replied to Francisco 2.0's topic in Cloak Room
indeed. It's called "Planet of the Apes." A devolutionary future society in which the science/evolution-denying apes rule the humans. The 1968 film masterpiece saw it coming, symbolically. Nuclear apocalypse or intellectual collapse, the effect is the same. Crash! Apes in charge. -
Spot on. 100%. The proliferation of guns and social fears parallels the proliferation of screens and social media. The proliferation of firing bullets mirrors the proliferation of everyone firing off posts, tweets, and updates. For many, the fear and rage builds as each post they don't like on social media feels like an info-bullet to their brain, triggering cognitive overload and cultural warriors.
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Correction: Abbott's a fascist. The Texas government is led by fascists and theocrats. At least according to any dictionary not tossed out of the school libraries.
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Yet, that's exactly what you are doing. Gaslighting, apologia. The doublethink is staggering. And even inventing my thoughts on Constantine's dream! Lulz. Adios, dude.
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I've read 1491 and Guns, Germs, and Steel. Indeed, the historical patterns in 1491 and Guns, Germs, and Steel do reveal humanity's greed and barbarism toward fellow humans. But, that does not change or excuse the facts of what happened in Texas, especially since the conquering Christians claim to be about peace and love. The Euro-Christians running the state in the mid-1800s approved and unleashed an ethnic cleansing (or genocide) program upon the Indigenous Peoples occupying the territories that became "Texas." The territories were colonized and conquered via mass killings, as happened in the rest of America. Those are facts. (Roma's post above is spot on.) To excuse the Christian-led atrocities in Texas is nothing less than the usual "but what about ______" hypocrisy and apologia. Especially since the Christians (and all religions) loudly claim the mantle of peace in the wake of their barbarism. I grew up in Texas and often heard Christians/Evangelicals/Fundamentalists proudly boast that Texas and America were "God's Country." Of course, that can only mean their all-knowing, all-loving God approved of a genocide against tens of millions of other humans across America. So much for the "peace" and "love" of their fellow humans. So much for a loving God. Yet, this staggering hypocrisy damn near gets a free pass across Texas and America and in Surly. Christianity's historical record is clear: colonize, conquer, convert (those left alive). Peace only comes after the blood bath. True in America, true in Texas.
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I recall the main arguments, but not all the details and battles covered. Not a particularly well-written book (IMHO), but very scholarly. 400-500 pages, small font. I think it came out in hard cover in early 2000s. I had the book about 10-12 years ago, but did not have time to read it all. Life gets in the way. So much to read, so little time!
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