Global Economic War Is Coming And The Threat To The US Dollar Is Real

Merchant: Fani Willis Lied to the Court -- And We Have a Witness

Bill Maher has a new fan base after decades in show business. Conservatives. Right-leaning audiences are lapping up Maher’s willingness to mock woke overreach on many fronts. And he’s eager to call out his fellow Democrats sans apology. Plus‚ Maher is starting to realize how corrupt modern journalism is. He still loathes President Donald Trump and is progressive to the core‚ but conservatives appreciate Maher’s willingness to cross ideological lines. Maher routinely invites right-leaning guests into his podcast’s studio‚ from Kid Rock to Dave Rubin. (That’s another reason conservatives applaud him). There’s still part of the Old Bill Maher in play‚ something “Club Random” guest Patrick Bet-David revealed on the podcast’s latest episode. Bet-David‚ a self-made millionaire and founder of Valuetainment‚ playfully sparred with Maher over politics during their extended “Random” chat.     They agreed to disagree at times‚ and Bet-David didn’t always challenge Maher on his liberal positions. He couldn’t hold back when Maher began singing California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s praises. Maher hailed Newsom as both a great “Real Time with Bill Maher” guest and a political “winner.” He wished it was Newsom‚ not Joe Biden‚ leading the Democratic ticket this year. Maher described Newsom as smart and effective‚ the kind of leader we need in these troubled times. Then Bet-David dropped the bomb on Maher. Why? Can you share Newsom’s results‚ the evidence that he’ll bring change to the country? That’s when things went south for the affable host. Comedienne Chrissie Mayr called out the moment on X‚ the platform formerly known as Twitter.   Bill Maher can’t name 1 thing Newsome has done for California 😂 pic.twitter.com/hIO6YFSyww — Chrissie Mayr🇺🇸 (@ChrissieMayr) February 5‚ 2024   “If he ran for president it would be great because it would force him to move to the Center‚” Maher said of Newsom‚ ignoring how far-Left the modern Democratic Party is and‚ by extension‚ President Biden’s first three-plus years in office. That’s when Bet-David struck. “Are you a results-driven guy?” Bet-David softly asked Maher. “What has [Newsom] done to California to say he’s a winner?”  Maher instantly folded. “Oh‚ God‚ I don’t know‚” Maher said‚ instantly uncomfortable. “You know what‚ he made it rain‚ OK dude. It wasn’t raining and now it’s raining so he’s got my vote.” “I don’t follow this [mumbles] … it’s a character I play on television … I actually live with my delicate wife Sue and our eight home-schooled children. We just had twins named Sean and Hannity. Don’t believe everything you see on TV‚” Maher cracked. The two shared a laugh at Maher’s diversion. Bet-David quickly backed down‚ realizing he wouldn’t be able to have a full-bodied debate on certain issues. It wouldn’t be fair. In political parlance this is called‚ “Clown nose on‚ Clown nose off‚” and it started with Jon Stewart. Whenever the former (and future) “Daily Show” host got pressed on a tough political question he’d revert back to his comedian status. “What do I know? I’m just a comedian … yuk yuk!” Clown nose on. Stewart did just that when he appeared on CNN’s “Crossfire” in 2004‚ called co-host Tucker Carlson a “d***” and then reverted to his gig as a comic foil.   In 2004‚ Tucker Carlson co-hosted "Crossfire" on CNN. What Jon Stewart told him then still stands today. pic.twitter.com/coi3myxREp — Martine St-Victor (@MartineMontreal) April 24‚ 2023   That cannot work for Maher‚ who has been doing political comedy for 30 years. It’s his business model. He gently roasts Americans who don’t follow politics and can’t engage in smart conversations on the topic. Here‚ he praises a major political figure like Newsom but can’t point to a single reason as to why he deserves the toughest job in the country. President. Everyone knows California is a not-so-slow-moving disaster. High crime. Higher taxes. Rampant homelessness. Lower opportunities. Punitive rules and regulations. People are fleeing the state. Joe Rogan famously did so‚ hunkering down in Texas and starting a new comedy empire. Bet-David’s question was fair and blunt. The fact that Maher couldn’t even attempt to answer it speaks volumes.    

MSNBC’s Joy Reid and The Nation’s justice correspondent Elie Mystal did not take the news that Colorado had a rough day before the Supreme Court as it tried to defend its decision to kick Donald Trump off its primary ballot well on the former’s Friday show. Instead of actually trying to understand conservative legal philosophy‚ all they could do was play the race and sexism cards. Joy Reid found it “ironic” that conservative justices in particular are all about states’ rights on things such as abortion and redistricting but are not enthusiastic about a state declaring Trump to be an insurrectionist and asked Mystal‚ “Do you find that stuff ironic too‚ Elie?”     Of course‚ insurrection against the United States is‚ by definition‚ a federal crime and the Constitution explicitly lays out the requirements for presidential eligibility. It does not say anything about abortion or redistricting‚ but Mystal projected his desire that the Court always align with his partisan goals onto the Court’s conservatives: It's almost like the states’ rights argument was invented by white supremacist patriarchs to allow the states to keep black people and women under control and that's the only thing the argument is good for‚ because when we try to use it for something else‚ apparently it doesn't matter. It's almost like that's what we're seeing‚ isn't it‚ Joy?” Mystal proceeded to add to Reid’s list of alleged hypocrisies‚ “Let us not forget that it is the conservative justices who consistently tell us that the states have the right to restrict voting access‚ restrict early voting access‚ keep felons off the ballot‚ that every state has the right to keep people from accessing the ballot‚ but now‚ yesterday‚ they turned around and said that the states don't have the right to decide who is on their own ballot.” The dishonest framing of “keep people from accessing the ballot” aside‚ again‚ the Constitution doesn’t say anything about early access or felons‚ but it does mention presidential eligibility requirements and states cannot add to or take away from those. Unfortunately‚ Mystal was not done‚ “John Roberts literally acted like it couldn't possibly be his job to know‚ because if he might have to make one ruling for Colorado and a whole different ruling for Texas‚ how could he limit it when he's literally the same guy who says that Texas gets to gerrymander however it wants and Colorado gets to gerrymander however it wants and New Jersey gets to gerrymander however it wants.” For her part‚ Reid did not understand the difference between Colorado officials seeking to kick Trump off the ballot and Florida voters selecting George W. Bush in 2000‚ “And the thing is‚ let’s also not forget that John Roberts‚ Amy Coney Barrett‚ and Brett Kavanaugh were on the team that decided Florida gets to decide who the president was in 2000. Let's just not forget that either.” Florida did not decide the 2000 election. The other 49 states plus D.C. also voted. Florida’s results simply took longer to finalize because of multiple recounts and legal battles. How “ironic” it was that in a segment about supposed irony amid a case about election denialism there contained left-wing election denialism. Here is a transcript for the February 9 show: MSNBC The ReidOut 2/9/2023 7:48 PM ET JOY REID: Do you find that stuff ironic too‚ Elie? ELIE MYSTAL: It's almost like the states’ rights argument was invented by white supremacist patriarchs to allow the states to keep black people and women under control and that's the only thing the argument is good for‚ because when we try to use it for something else‚ apparently it doesn't matter. It's almost like that's what we're seeing‚ isn't it‚ Joy?  JOY REID: It's almost.  MYSTAL: The irony is rife here. When we talk about elections‚ you're absolutely right to bring up abortion and Mitchell and his kind of torturous role through all of this. He's the through line through all of this hypocrisy‚ but when we talk about elections specifically‚ let us not forget that it is the conservative justices who consistently tell us that the states have the right to restrict voting access‚ restrict early voting access‚ keep felons off the ballot‚ that every state has the right to keep people from accessing the ballot‚ but now‚ yesterday‚ they turned around and said that the states don't have the right to decide who is on their own ballot.  John Roberts literally acted like it couldn't possibly be his job to know‚ because if he might have to make one ruling for Colorado and a whole different ruling for Texas‚ how could he limit it when he's literally the same guy who says that Texas gets to gerrymander however it wants and Colorado gets to gerrymander however it wants and New Jersey gets to gerrymander however it wants.  So‚ the hypocrisy was deep and‚ yes‚ ironic but also troubling and also again‚ just shows the intellectual paucity of the entire conservative argument here.  REID: And the thing is‚ let’s also not forget that John Roberts‚ Amy Coney Barrett‚ and Brett Kavanaugh were on the team that decided Florida gets to decide who the president was in 2000. Let's just not forget that either. 

During President Trump’s ascendancy‚ internet culture reporting was preoccupied with one thing: meme magic. Forces like /r/thedonald and Pepe the Frog became infused with occult power‚ so powerful it could change the course of history. Even scandals like Russiagate or the then-ubiquitous accusations that this or that politician or public figure was secretly a Nazi were underpinned by this belief in the ineluctable power of memes. Your Boomer mother need only to see repeated posts by Russian trolls across her favorite social media platforms to have her entire worldview changed. That’s the magic. Of course‚ I’d be remiss not to argue that perhaps meme magic or even more evocatively‚ memetic warfare is just propaganda by another name‚ updated for the digital age. The magic that feels intrinsic to memes is the magic that’s in all mass media. Why do memes matter? Because they’ve always mattered‚ and as Chris Gabriel‚ the man behind the iconic YouTube channel MemeAnalysis knows too well‚ that’s frighteningly easy to forget.Katherine: Can you explain what MemeAnalysis is? Chris: MemeAnalysis is a YouTube channel but it’s also a philosophy that can be summed up with the mantra‚ “Memes matter.” Through both this philosophy and my channel‚ I perform a symbolic analysis of memes and the internet in general to gain insight into the collective psyche.Katherine: Who are your major influences?Chris: Carl Jung and Aleister Crowley both provided my major analytic tool kits‚ while the vulgar and funny focus on tech and viral images is from William S. Burroughs.Katherine: Do you think YouTube is an effective way to connect with an audience?Chris: I find YouTube has been deeply effective and ineffective at different times‚ I prefer Instagram and Substack. Katherine: You’re also on TikTok – what’s your read on that? Chris: TikTok has the most effective algorithm in social media‚ bar none. As for the psychic implications‚ it’s like an acid that burns your nerves‚ so you’re numbed as your flesh dissolves. TikTok is corrosive to the psyche. But yes‚ it’s one of my favorite mediums for MemeAnalysis.Katherine: There's a lot of talk about how we live in a fragmented culture and there’s no mainstream left. Do you think that’s true?Chris: In some ways‚ the illusion of pop culture has been undone‚ but in other ways‚ there are far fewer unique subcultures‚ all these fragmented cultures behave in a single way‚ there are only a few memetic personalities with innumerable costumes.Katherine: Your work deals a lot with mythmaking‚ and I know that you’re trying to construct a “myth of the internet.” Why do you think myths are meaningful? Chris: Myth is the most effective means for spreading esoteric truth‚ and for understanding deeply complex phenomena. The lack of a unifying internet narrative has been disastrous‚ it’s something many people do constantly but lack any meaningful language to describe what it is that they’ve experienced. My myth of the internet focuses on the sort of phantasmagoric “location” of the internet‚ as a fairyland or dark woods‚ as a labyrinth or a spider’s web‚ etc. And further on the entities and archetypes that inhabit this space‚ monsters and heroes. Katherine: We live in an era that both embraces labeling and eschews stereotypes. Do you think there’s a contradiction there?Chris: In some ways the popular phrase “Do not perceive me” explains both perfectly. The label is a defensive armor against legitimate self-awareness and individuation. The stereotype is the perception of said label‚ which in perceiving‚ wounds deeply. Young people want labels to be accepted‚ to be “validated” but unseen by the critical eye.Katherine: To my mind‚ it feels like astrology has replaced the role archetypes or even fables used to play in our culture. What’s your take on astrology?Chris: Astrology is one of the most primal systems‚ it forms some of the oldest archetypes‚ and informs nearly all fable and fiction. While the modern form is vulgar‚ it still aims at the truth. I like it‚ it’s fun to talk about.Katherine: Tarot has become wildly popular‚ but it seems like people don’t so much appreciate the art form as want a quick remedy to uncertainty. Do you think that’s true? Chris: Having read tarot for seven years now‚ I’ve gotten a pretty good grasp of the “type” that enjoys divination: that type is everyone. Everyone has an innate desire to talk about themselves‚ to express their pains and desires. Tarot‚ and all divination is a medium for this. The esoteric truths and the revelations are gained through this rather mundane game. While I utilize more personal and occult forms of divination in my inner circle‚ it’s still the joy of sharing secrets and doing “magic” with people that keeps me at it.Katherine: Of anyone I know‚ you’re one of the most vocal about the spiritual dangers of the internet. Do you think we can use the internet healthily? Chris: The key is will and intention. There is nothing worse than mindless internet use‚ if it is used with clarity of consciousness‚ it remains a weapon to be wielded in one's own service.Katherine: Would you say you’re optimistic or pessimistic about the role of tech in our future?Chris: I’m generally optimistic. I think we are in a period of severe growing pains‚ of a sort of aeonic war between the old and new. Technology is both the battlefield and the weapons. The New will win‚ and tech will serve a great purpose in the future.

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