Letters We Wish We'd Written - Bearing Witness

In today's Washington Post:

Regarding the Aug. 16 front-page article “Trump again blames ‘both sides’ ”: 

I was a preschooler in Germany at the end of World War II. My generation learned the horrific history of the Nazis and how they pulled a whole country along with them. The shame and guilt continue to lie heavily on my generation. Now, as a longtime citizen of the United States, I watched in horror the events in Charlottesville. But more chilling were the words of the president. 

I can only imagine how descendants of slaves, Holocaust survivors and their descendants felt hearing the president equate those who had the courage to oppose with those who marched with the Nazi salute, the Nazi flag, torches, the Ku Klux Klan and the others Mr. Trump called “fine people” who marched along with them.  

I felt the beginning of Nazi history repeating itself. 

It is not enough for our representatives to denounce the alt-right. They must find the moral backbone to denounce those leaders, including the president, who have made excuses for the movement and its hateful ideology. They must refuse to be associated with the president’s party if it continues to value reelection chances and passage of its agenda over what is morally right and if it continues to tolerate this president, who has demonstrated that he lacks the moral authority to lead this great country. The danger is too great.

Ute O’Neal, Potomac

So far, we see very little evidence of Republican politicians willing to directly confront neo- fascist incompetent Donald "Rump" Trump, nor do we expect to see it any time soon if ever. As Brian McFadden portrays Sneaker of the House Paul "Lyin'" Ryan in the cartoon below, the only concern motivating these weasels is that they be able to shovel more of America's wealth upward as quickly as possible. No moral authority there.

Who's Resigning Today?

Following his hateful and clueless remarks on August 15 that put Nazi demonstrators on the same plane as anti- Nazi demonstrators in Charlottesville, neo- fascist Donald "Rump" Trump hastily folded two of his business advisory councils after it became clear their CEO members were going to resign due to Rump's moral vacuity.

Here's a pop quiz:  which was the next group to disassociate themselves from this vicious moral black hole --  Rump's Evangelical Advisory Board or members of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities?  The "religious" or the "secular"? Psssh! We know, it was a ridiculously easy quiz:

(click on image to enlarge)



(For those who have trouble viewing the letter, you can see the full text here.)

It's as true today as it was nearly 40 years ago that these direct descendants of the so- called "Moral Majority," are neither moral nor a majority. Nor are the bootlicks in the White House and Executive Branch that continue to stain themselves by not resigning from this un- American dumpster fire of a regime.

BONUS:  Mitt Romney has issued a statement calling on Rump to "acknowledge that he was wrong, apologize" for his remarks on August 15. Better late than never, but you can't put Rump's poison back in the bottle now.

"We're Going To Make It Count"

Heather Heyer's mother: "I'd rather have my child. But, by golly, if I gotta give her up, we're going to make it count." (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/183Upj5xNr

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 16, 2017

Yes we are.

Paranoid Cry Baby Nazi Petrified Of Getting Arrested

Tuff Nazi then (the douche wearing the "Radical Agenda" tee), featured starting around 2:20:



Tuff Nazi now:



The master race, ladies and gentlemen. Really this just proves they're scared little creeps.

You want to be a racist, anti- Semitic Nazi, you pay the price, you sniveling little asshole.

Trump's Real Voice: Both Sides To Blame In Charlottesville, Some Marchers "Very Fine People"

It didn't last long for the angry, unscripted, real voice of neo- fascist Donald "Rump" Trump to emerge again:

President Trump on Charlottesville violence: "I think there's blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it" https://t.co/uWNmuDWrEV

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 15, 2017

Trump: "You had a lot of people in that group that were there to innocently protest" the Lee statue removal https://t.co/wPeTxnA7IQ

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 15, 2017

Nazis "innocently protesting."  Choke on that, if you will. Clearly the shitgibbon has been frustrated that he had to recite someone else's words about the events in Charlottesville, and wanted to vent his true feelings.  He even brought a copy of his lame Saturday remarks along, so he was waiting for the moment to lash out.

Some immediate reactions, first from KKK scrotum re-enactor David Duke:

Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth about #Charlottesville & condemn the leftist terrorists in BLM/Antifa https://t.co/tTESdV4LP0

— David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) August 15, 2017

White supremacists said yesterday that Trump's condemnation was clearly insincere. Pundits were more generous. The supremacists were right.

— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) August 15, 2017

Trump just gave Neo-Nazis his explicit approval to keep committing domestic terrorism. Watch for their positive reception of his message.

— Izzy Galvez (@iglvzx) August 15, 2017

POTUS is referring to the torch-carrying crowd on Friday night who chanted “blood and soil” and “Jews will not replace us.”

Nice people? https://t.co/YO1yS1tg6q

— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) August 15, 2017

Trump: "I looked the night before, if you look, there were people protesting very quietly the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee." pic.twitter.com/HiFvrJVHpg

— David Mack (@davidmackau) August 15, 2017

President Trump just referred to a group of violent white nationalists, supremacists, segregationists, and neo-Nazis as "very fine people."

— John Dingell (@JohnDingell) August 15, 2017

The President of the United States just defended neo-Nazis and blamed those who condemn their racism and hate. This is sick.

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) August 15, 2017

Just wow

— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) August 15, 2017

This feels like a five-alarm garbage fire for Trump, so I look forward to tonight's Fox coverage of how Robert Byrd was in the KKK.

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) August 15, 2017

Lincoln: “4 score and 7 seven years ago…"
JFK: “Ask not what your country can do for you…”
Trump: “Actually the Nazis had a permit…"

— Jason O. Gilbert (@gilbertjasono) August 15, 2017

He's a monster. He needs to go.

BONUS:  Many more reactions here. Former Bush communications director Nicolle Wallace had this to say on MSNBC:

“Who resigns? Who resigns over this?” Wallace repeatedly asked on “Deadline: White House” Tuesday. 

“Who resigns? Which one of you can’t live with yourselves for working for a guy that elicits praise from David Duke?” Wallace demanded. “Which one? Who? Tell me. Who resigns?”

Yes, who exactly?

More CEOs Bail On Trump's Business Council; Many More Remain On It (UPDATED)

Following the tragic events in Charlottesville and neo- fascist imbecile Donald "Rump" Trump's failure to call out the white supremacists, Nazis, alt- right and other assorted pond scum's violent and deadly acts, the CEO of Merck quit Rump's manufacturing council. Yesterday, two more CEOs announced their departure:

Merck & Co. CEO Ken Frazier, the only African-American on the council, was first to step down “to take a stand against intolerance and extremism,” he said in a statement. The move drew an immediate rebuke from Trump, who claimed on Twitter that the pharmaceuticals chief would now “have more time to lower ripoff drug prices.” 

Later, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank quit the group “to focus my efforts on inspiring every person that they can do anything through the power of sport which promotes unity, diversity and inclusion,” he said in a statement. 

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich resigned “to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues,” he said in a statement. “I resigned because I want to make progress, while many in Washington seem more concerned with attacking anyone who disagrees with them,” Krzanich added. “We should honor ― not attack ― those who have stood up for equality and other cherished American values.” (our emphasis)

As of now, there are still 21 members of the council remaining (list at the second link above), including (sadly and inexplicably) Rich Trumka* and Thea Lee of the AFL-CIO. When Merck, Under Armour and Intel executives display even minimally more moral clarity than you, it's time to leave the field.

It should also be noted that neither Plank nor Krzanich named Rump directly; in Krzanich's case, he alluded to the treatment of Merck's CEO in Rump's typically man baby tweet on Monday.

We're seeing who has a conscience and backbone in this country and who doesn't.

UPDATE: Rump continues to attack the Merck CEO, BTW.  Nazis, not so much.

UPDATE II: Another member of the Council has resigned. Scott Paul of the Alliance for American Manufacturing says "it's the right thing to do." Here's man baby Rump's reaction --

For every CEO that drops out of the Manufacturing Council, I have many to take their place. Grandstanders should not have gone on. JOBS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 15, 2017

*UPDATE III: AFL-CIO's Rich Trumka finally resigns after Rump's bonkers news conference this afternoon (and takes Thea Lee with him)--

I cannot sit on a council for a President that tolerates bigotry and domestic terrorism; I resign, effective immediately. pic.twitter.com/ip6F2nsoog

— Richard L. Trumka (@RichardTrumka) August 15, 2017

What a fine, Presidential temperament!

Who Got Arrested?

Let's play a quick game.  Guess which group of people was arrested and which wasn't.

(Joshua Roberts/ Reuters)

If you guessed the group that got arrested is in the picture at the top (Nazis rioting in Charlottesville yesterday) ... Surprise! It was actually the group in the photo below, arrested on July 25 at the Hart Senate Building for protesting the Republican plan to repeal Obamacare. They look mean and subversive, all right.

See also post below.

Sunday Reflection - Charlottesville's Sides

Christine Emba on the Trump diversion of "many sides" being responsible for what happened yesterday in Charlottesville:

"Things that have many sides: a Rubik’s cube, a baseball diamond, a complex personality. Things that don’t: the racism and hate seen in Charlottesville this weekend.

Alas, our president doesn’t seem to know the difference. No, that’s too generous. He must know, but he does not care. Or worse, he would rather allow the confusion than endanger his base of support."

Nazis March In Charlottesville, Virginia (UPDATED)

Hundreds of tiki torch- bearing (!) American Nazis held a march last night through the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, in advance of today's demonstration at the site of a statue to traitor Robert E. Lee:

White nationalists and counterprotesters are expected to flood downtown Charlottesville Saturday as the Virginia city braces for the "Unite the Right" rally. 

By noon, thousands are expected to gather in Emancipation Park, where barricades have been placed in proximity to the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. 

The rally comes hours after a large group of torch-bearing white nationalists marched through the University of Virginia campus Friday night. [snip] 

Torch-bearing white nationalists confirmed the fears of residents and officials Friday night when hundreds descended upon the UVA campus. 

Chanting "blood and soil" and "you will not replace us," the group rallied around a statue of Thomas Jefferson before they clashed with counterprotesters, CNN affiliate WWBT reported. The group left the university's grounds when police arrived and ruled it unlawful assembly.

Calling themselves "white nationalists" or "alt right" or some other nomenclature is too imprecise for this virulent group of shitheels.  If you're carrying torches and chanting "blood and soil," that's not a dog whistle -- it's a Nazi bullhorn.

University of Virginia political analyst and pollster Larry Sabato expressed feelings most of us would share:

In my 47 years of association with @UVA, this was the most nauseating thing I've ever seen. We need an exorcism on the Lawn.

— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) August 12, 2017

UPDATE:  Balloon Juice has tweets from today's demonstration/ protest.

BONUS: Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog notices that far- right media are taking a pass on covering this, and explains why.

BONUS II: Lest there be any doubt about who these degenerates are:

(Photo: screenshot via CNN)