#American’sTopVillan The man with the strongest influence on the GOP, on the Federal and state levels, is #CharlesKoch. He threw $400M into the 2018 midterms (GOP, of course). Mike Pence is his b**t-boy, and through his complex network came much of the original cabinet
– Tillerson, Perry, Pompeo, Sessions, Haley, Ross, Price, DeVos and Zinke. The network’s ALEC undermines state laws across the country – things like abortion rights, union rights, and environmental protections.
He undermines college education across the country, by funding reactionary professors. His Federalist Society is destroying Federal courts at all levels, including Kavanaugh and Gorsuch. He helps fund the NRA.
More than anyone else in American, Charles Koch is undermining democracy, the environment, the Constitution, women’s rights, union rights and the environment. If you’re anywhere near Austin week (through Friday), do let him know how you feel.
U.S. defense spending may now exceed that of the next 13 nations combined. To protect us from – Russia? No, tRump is Putin’s best friend, and he’s withdrawing troops from Europe. China? Only if they are foolish enough to attack Taiwan.
1/16
No, the main purpose of the Pentagon is to feed the military-industrial complex, which contribute to political campaigns. At a time of massive budget deficits, massive unemployment (and increased unemployment benefits expiring) and a pandemic which remains unaddressed.
2/16
Congress is about to pass its annual Defense appropriation, increasing the massive waste even more. The bloated $741B Pentagon spending bill includes $140B in Procurement, $16B for a nuclear weapons binge, and $15B for the Star Force.
Congress is about to pass Defense bill which includes $3.8B in Israeli military aid, which is used in part to subjugate and colonize Palestine.
1/17
For Resisters who are afraid to support Palestinian rights for fear of appearing anti-Semitic, almost half the Jews in Congress are in favor of Palestinian rights, and against Israeli settlements & annexation in Palestine. So are the vast majority of American Jews.
2/17
J Street is a Jewish pro-Israel pro-peace org. J Street supports a two-state solution.
Their PAC endorses and gives contributions to political candidates who:
* Support humanitarian aid to Israel and Palestine;
* Support a two-state solution;
Thread: The Second Amendment’s Original Purpose, America’s History of Gun Laws and prior Supreme Court Cases, and the Nonsense that was the 2008 Court Decision that Changed the Meaning of 2A
A 3-part discussion, to dispel myths concerning the Second Amendment, most of which were created in the last two decades. That mythology includes:
a) That the purpose of 2A was to give individuals the right to own guns, or to protect the populous from a tyrannical govt;
The House passed a bipartisan legislative package negotiated by Mnuchin and Pelosi, & agreed to by tRump, including paid emergency leave and free testing for COVID-19. It’s hard to imagine anyone voting against it. But 40 Republicans did. Let’s list them:
Bradley Byrne AL-1
Andy Biggs AZ-5
Debbie Lesko AZ-8
Tom McClintock CA-4
Ken Buck CO-4
Michael Waltz FL-6
Greg Steube FL-17
Jody Hice GA-10
Barry Loudermilk GA-11
Steve King IA-4
Russ Fulcher ID-1
Jim Banks IN-3
Tom Emmer MN-6
Billy Long MO-7
Jason Smith MO-8
Eight directors of the National Rifle Association resigned in protest during 2019. Stung by this negative publicity, the NRA has found a way to quietly remove more directors who protest the organization’s corruption & waste
- simply not nominate them for reelection when their terms are up, without explanation. One suspects they imagine no one will notice.
Elections to the NRA Board are a pretense of real choice. They are tightly controlled. The powerful internal Nominating Committee picks virtually all the candidates. One can get on the ballot via a petition process,