The term “Big Lie” originated here:
“All this was inspired by the principle – which is quite true within itself – that in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods.
It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.”
— Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, vol. I, ch. X
Catholic activist Paul Weyrich, one of the most influential unelected men in modern history, came up with the idea to use lies and propaganda about abortion to unite “conservative“ Catholics and “evangelicals“ to take over the Republican party and gain political power. The racism, reaction to civil rights in the 1960s, wasn’t enough.
He founded the American Legislative Exchange Council and their voter suppression legislation, co-founded the Heritage Foundation and theirs, and the Moral Majority with Jerry Falwell.
We know how to reduce abortions, contraceptives and comprehensive sex education. The religious right dominated Republican party opposes both.
The Texas legislature just passed another anti-abortion bill. The result will be the same as earlier legislation, increasing self induced abortions. That legislation and destroying women‘s healthcare programs that only provided well woman care and contraceptives caused an increase in self induced abortions by estimates as high as over 240,000 in just three years. Women with money go elsewhere, or get them quietly done by their gynecologists.
In Colorado, a program funded by Susan Buffett reduced unwanted pregnancies and abortions in the target teen population by 40% in four years. Democrats tried to fund the program when that money ran out, Republicans blocked it. Four Republican women finally joined every Democrat in approving half the money requested, another 20% reduction. It saved the state over $70 million and helped alleviate the social costs of unwanted pregnancies and children.
Five theocon Catholic Fed Society "originalist" judges on the SCOTUS, chosen by Paul Weyrich and Leonard Leo, overturned Roe vs Wade. Women's deaths are expected to increase 24%-30%, most of them poor black women.
The same Texas legislature just passed a bill allowing open carry of handguns without permit, over objections from law enforcement personnel. The party that claims support for our police officers and sheriffs’ deputies has increased their risk. How long will it be until the first shootout at a Walmart?
The Second Amendment was written by James Madison for one reason, to assure representatives from slave owning states that they could keep their “well regulated“ militias. They were necessary to guard against slave revolts, Indian attacks, the federal army they feared would take away their slaves and recapture runaway slaves.
In 2008 Federalist Society judges rewrote the Second Amendment in disallowing a Washington D.C. prohibition on firearms. Other Federalist Society judges will likely uphold the new Texas law. The Texas Supreme Court is now all FS judges appointed by Perry and Abbott to conveniently open seats. They easily won the next elections. The effort to accomplish that began in 2002, by a legal scholar who had never owned a firearm, a senior fellow with the “libertarian” Cato Institute, originally the Charles Koch Foundation, funded by Charles and his brother David.
Gun ownership and the rights of self defense are guaranteed by our Constitution and common law, but as the Supreme Court has ruled, subject to reasonable controls.
I was a member of the NRA for decades. I own firearms and am proficient with them. The NRA was taken over by right wing extremists on one Friday night, using tactics similar to those used by the religious right to take over the Republican party at precinct and state levels.
The NRA has spent more than $148 million since 2010, other gun organizations have spent more, no one knows how much ALEC has spent on just opposition to reasonable gun controls. There are more than 600 million firearms in the U.S., record sales in the last three years. 20 million of those firearms are assault style weapons. Firearm and ammunition manufacturers have made $billions, most by ten companies, including Olin, John Olin, now deceased, who donated tens of $millions to right wing organizations. Four of the ten are Austrian Glock, German Sig, Brazilian Taurus, and Italian Beretta.
Republicans have used fear and lies to pass numerous unconstitutional voter suppression laws, many of them written by ALEC and the Heritage Foundation. There is no significant voter fraud, and they admit not wanting people to vote. Paul Weyrich, “I don’t want everybody to vote.”
The new Texas legislation specifically targets Houston and Harris County, the largest black American population in Texas.
“Socialism“ is another dog whistle for Republican voters. In fact, “socialism” doesn’t exist. Some countries Republicans call socialist, like Venezuela, have totalitarian governments.
Even as reported by the Wharton School, Trump’s alma mater, the countries with the happiest people and the healthiest economies are social democracies. Bernie Sanders and AOC are social democrats. Social security, which Republicans want to privatize, the USPS, Medicare, Medicaid; road repair, sewer maintenance, water supplies, our military and police forces, are all social democratic policies.
The U.S. is the only developed country in the entire world that doesn’t have some form of universal healthcare, yet our per capita costs are twice that of all those countries except Switzerland, which has still far lower costs than ours. That was a factor in Germany having far lower cases and deaths from COVID. They proved studies that showed over 40% of our deaths could have been prevented. Trump destroyed our pandemic response system, which was the best in the world according to a report from Johns Hopkins.
Immigrants built our country. Undocumented immigrants have paid $billions in taxes, pick our crops, construct our building, yet get little back.
“Critical Race Theory“ lies are just the latest propaganda tool. As historians Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman explained in one of their excellent podcasts, it was written for law schools and students.
The CRT controversy was created by one man, Christopher Rufo. He went to a Koch funded university, worked for the Weyrich co-founded Heritage Institute, now employed by the equally right wing Manhattan Institute.
Federalist Society judges are now packing our courts, including the five ”conservative“ Catholics on the Supreme Court, appointed by Reagan, GW and Trump, chosen by Paul Weyrich and Leonard Leo.
They call themselves “originalists” meaning interpreting the Constitution as it was written in 1776 in the mindset of the Founding Fathers. In practice it means choosing which amendments and precedent decisions to advance their theocratic authoritarian agenda.
Federalist Society SCOTUS justices appointed by Reagan and GHW Bush made the unprecedented decision to stop the vote recount in Florida for GW Bush, who lost the popular vote, and may have lost in the Florida recount.
Susan Collins and others said Gorsuch (raised Catholic), Kavanaugh and Barrett lied in their Senate hearings. I’ve read what they said, they were certainly not truthful.
The Founding Fathers were mostly deists, believing in the Christian God‘s creation of the universe, then left up to us and free will. The separation of church and state is enshrined in our Constitution. There were two wealthy Catholic cousins who supported the Revolution. At least one historian attributed the “no religious test“ clause to them. There were such tests in England, targeting Catholics.
Catholics were not accepted in some of the colonies. The Inquisition and Thirty Years Wars killed millions of people. Many colonial settlers fled religious persecution.
After the First U.S. Civil War, while southern states were suppressing voting by minorities, northern states targeted Catholic immigrants. There was violence, murders.
After WW I, there was an anti-immigration movement targeting Catholics from Europe. Their influence in education, law and politics was feared. Now their schools, where people like Kavanaugh were indoctrinated, have received $billions in taxpayer funds. It replaces some of the $billions they lost over hiding and defending pedophiles. They were among the greatest recipients of COVID aid.
Most American Catholics are not supporters of theocracy, banning contraceptives or suppressing voting, but their leaders are. They despise and disregard their own Pope.
Last but not least, fear and homophobia. It’s been used to pump up their religious right voters, allowed by Federalist Society judges.
Jesus said nothing to justify discrimination against people over gender identity. They are as God made them. When He was questioned by the people who conspired for and demanded His murder, He condemned adultery and divorce, but mentioned “eunuchs” without disapproval. 81% of “evangelicals“ voted for Trump, most still support him, three marriages, cheated on all three wives. He’s a malignant narcissistic sociopathic lying con man.
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