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steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli

Nov 19 • 10 tweets • 5 min read

TODAY: Right wing media figures affiliated with Blaze TV were joined by masked Proud Boys to taunt a Transgender Storytime event in Denton, Texas today. The right wing media ignored the presence of masked Proud Boys and instead focused exclusively on armed LGBTQ+ supporters.

@lmcgaughy

Here's a nice write up on the Transgender Storytime event by @lmcgaughy.

dallasnews.com/news/2022/11/1…

Meanwhile, outside the Transgender Storytime event in Denton, the group of right wing hecklers included: a small group of masked Proud Boys, members of the Christian Nationalist group the New Columbia Movement, media associated with Blaze TV, and antisemitic Groyper Ali Jamal.

It's hard to exaggerate how consistent the presence of Proud Boys and other right wing militia groups are at these sorts of protests.

https://twitter.com/stevanzetti/status/1578805767750418432?t=-dHHzvGSOT26US-dOxisZQ&s=19

A very clear pattern has emerged. Whenever there's an anti-LGBTQ protest in the north Texas area, Proud Boys or militia are guaranteed to be there. Sometimes even open neo-Nazis.

https://twitter.com/stevanzetti/status/1571191318642130953?t=pZ0zKbiGGmlB5plR29T0jg&s=19

I wish I were exaggerating when I say that the Texas GOP has incited neo-Nazis to harass drag shows and other LGBTQ events. But I'm not.

https://twitter.com/stevanzetti/status/1572015725732335617?t=_2IVrd6Hzb2vshy1LbQmvw&s=19

Unfortunately, when the Texas GOP was approached for comment about neo-Nazis showing up to a drag event they tweeted out, they would not disavow the Nazis.

https://twitter.com/TexasGOP/status/1574828440062234634?t=UqovVFcTG_YrXLbcemskfg&s=19

In the wake of the horrific mass shooting of a Colorado LGBTQ+ nightclub, let's think a bit more deeply about the fact that right wing media people with Blaze TV mock LGBTQ+ people for arming themselves in self defense in response to threats.

cnn.com/2022/11/20/us/…

Shockingly accurate description of events, although still notably lacking any mention of the masked Proud Boys and Christian Nationalists on the other side.

Despite the horrific mass shooting of an LGBTQ bar in Colorado the day after Blaze TV contributor Sara Gonzales mocked LGBTQ people in Denton, Texas for defending themselves with weapons, she has doubled down in the rhetoric.

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More from @stevanzetti

steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli

@stevanzetti

Nov 18

SCOOP: election fraud rumors are swirling in Dallas, TX based on a video obtained by an organization led by a man who pleaded guilty to voyeurism charges after secretly filming people in his home bathroom. The election fraud rumors have also been debunked.
dailydot.com/debug/kevin-mo…

A video released by Election Oversight Group, which Moncla runs, is driving calls to decertify the election in Dallas. Right wing sites like Gateway Pundit and Dallas Express ran stories based on the video. Moncla has filed formal complaints in Georgia against voting machine.

In one of Moncla’s mugshot photos, he’s sporting a beard similar to what is seen in his Twitter photo and in a Nov. 16 appearance on Real America’s Voice. Via email, Moncla confirmed he is involved with EOG but did not respond to emails, calls, or texts regarding the voyeurism.

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steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli

@stevanzetti

Nov 17

https://twitter.com/savetranstexans/status/1593308726882181122

After the former operators of the pro-police group Keep Dallas Safe falsely accused me of sexual harassment, they were fired and replaced by Stephen Moitz, a UNT grad and former Young Conservatives of Texas chapter leader. This is his second DWI arrest in 2 years.

https://twitter.com/savetranstexans/status/1593308726882181122

I wonder if the Dallas Express will cover Moitz' arrests. They sure have given him space to pontificate about how giving money to the homeless prevents them from "hitting rock bottom."

https://twitter.com/stevanzetti/status/1571911580128018434?t=8Ux8lMRjlAVmhBoFIhu_7w&s=19

The irony of a repeat offender complaining about repeat offenders in a city where he doesn't even live. Incredible.

Read 4 tweets

steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli

@stevanzetti

Nov 15

@nhannahjones

"What has passed for objectivity in our industry has been reverence for power...truth is not partisan."

Great speech by @nhannahjones this morning at the inaugural Democracy Summit.

Now, we've got Steven Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die, describing the electoral road to authoritarianism, and the characteristics of political parties that are edging toward autocracy.

"We believe this is a reaction to multiracial democracy."

"Either the United States will be a multiracial democracy in the 21st century, or it won't be a democracy." — Steven Levitsky

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steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli

@stevanzetti

Nov 2

@TexasMonthly

NEW: In my first for @TexasMonthly, I dove headfirst into the movement to root out non-existent election fraud in Texas. I found a record of frivolous lawsuits, big claims of fraud with little evidence, and unsettling connections to mainstream politicians.
texasmonthly.com/news-politics/…

One of the leaders of the movement, Weston Martinez, is a preeminent denier of the 2020 election results and a longtime Republican activist from San Antonio who unsuccessfully ran for Texas land commissioner earlier this year. He's also an arbitrator for J6 defendants.

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steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli

@stevanzetti

Oct 31

BIG: this relates to my reporting — oil billionaire and funder of the Christian Nationalist right in Texas, Tim Dunn, is directly involved in the same "pink-slime" journalism network that's published stories promoting candidates backed by his PAC.

1/

cjr.org/local_news/pin…

The Tow Center found just under a hundred stories this year across 28 sites (25 of which are Texas-centric) that directly or indirectly advocate the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s policies. Dunn is a major funder of TPPF.

2/

@Gizmodo

As I reported for @Gizmodo, the same "pink slime" network has run stories attacking renewable energy — a recurrent TPPF line — which were then featured in newsletters sent out by Donald Trump’s ex-campaign manager Brad Parscale.

gizmodo.com/donald-trump-b…

3/

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steven ''italian elon musk'' monacelli

@stevanzetti

Oct 23

This Saturday I was assaulted by a man named John Fournace in University Park Texas, while I was reporting on a "Protect Texas Kids" protest. I've since learned Fournace has a criminal history of assault with a weapon, vandalism, and disrupting a school board meeting.

1/

Prior to being assaulted, I was singled out by the organizer of the protest, Kelly Neidert, along with her antisemitic supporter, Ali Jamal, who called me an antisemitic slur. Shortly after, I was attacked by Fournace, who has attended several of Neidert's protests.

2/