We all know. But it is remarkable that every right-wing provocateur has come out today to demand that we ignore where this man got his hateful ideas from. And of course, their gaslighting is wrapped up in virtue signaling, “starve them of attention” they say, just as they peddle the hate that fuels these attacks.
Of course, they don’t want you asking questions. They didn’t want you to ask after Norway, or Charleston, or Charlottesville, or Quebec, or Pittsburgh. And now, they don’t want any questions after Christchurch either. And it’s worth asking why?
Agreed, there's no need to share the alleged shooter's name or the video. But the manifesto deserves analysis since it shows the killer was shaped by an ideological network. Shapiro's reasons for wanting the manifesto to be ignored are suspect. https://t.co/wz8nfRhjRm
Tellingly, handmaidens for white supremacy like @henryolsenEPPC or @BretStephensNYT never apply their “Caesar’s wife has to be above reproach” bullshit to Bannon, Trump or literally anyone on Fox. https://t.co/EzzcESy7U4
Of course, Donald Trump chose to say the quiet part out loud. Moments after news of the massacre broke, he tweeted out a link to Breitbart, almost exulting at the massacre.
As for the rest, their hypocrisy is blatant and staggering, out in the open for all to see.
Says the guy whose own website ran a piece headlined "7 Things You Need To Know About Orlando Terrorist Omar Mateen" 48 hours after he killed 49 people in a mass shooting:https://t.co/Wn422YMifC
Ah the bad faith of the modern US conservative moment, the sheer bad faith… https://t.co/Kc9Xws2Ey2
Sounds like another way of saying “don’t talk about this at all”, which I’m sure you’d find convenient given the obvious questions about how people like you create the atmosphere for such attacks. As you know the Quebec City shooter was an avid reader of your work. https://t.co/uDJPYA1xrX
— Murtaza Mohammad Hussain (@MazMHussain) March 15, 2019
And we should let one of our most prominent Muslim leaders have the last word.
Inna lilahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. This is chilling news to wake up to. In the face of this horror, I’m mourning with, and holding our community extra close today.
We must not live in fear. I will be at Jumu’ah today and I hope others will too. Jummah Mubarak.
Wilbur Ross arrived for his Oversight committee hearing with all the false confidence of a billionaire who’s operated with impunity for decades. During the hearing, Ross claimed that his attempt to insert a citizenship question into the 2020 census was:
Not influenced by Steve Bannon and Kris Kobach, both of whom urged him multiple times to include such a question to suppress immigrant response rates to the census
That the question was included to comply with the voting rights act, and not to reduce the representation of states/areas with immigrant populations
That in any case, he was merely reinstating a question from the 1950 census.
The fact that it was reinstated rather than a new question, meant that he did not need to inform Congress he was doing it.
There were several other fabrications and likely outright lies.
And then AOC began her questioning (which you can watch below). Using both news reports and court records, she made clear he was lying about his contact with Bannon, Kobach and his reasons for including the citizenship question.
Then, she pulled out the 1950 citizenship question and noted that it was very different from the question proposed by Ross, therefore not a reinstatement.
Finally, the knife, AOC asks why Ross has failed to file a report required by law before changes are made.
At this point, Ross’s billionaire entitlement kicks in and he says she’s out of time, so he won’t answer. Which is pretty amazing behavior for a witness. Cummings steps in and says he will ask the question for AOC. Then Mark Meadows, who’s fumbling around, tries to raise a point of order because “we don’t know what she’s talking about”. Meanwhile Ross’ attorneys are furiously whispering to him. All gets shot down by Cummings, who demands Ross answer and also provide a written statement. All of it is worth watching, but the action starts at 5:30 or so in the clip below.
I know everyone says their committee‘s best, but to watch Chairman Cummings is to take in a study in leadership.
He commands universal respect from the both sides of the aisle, because he is tough, fair, & compassionate to *all.*
I’ve got to agree that AOC’s team demonstrates a level of preparation that you rarely see, even from very experienced members’ questioning. This is commendable and really underscores how much energy and dedication AOC, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib are bringing to Congress. You can donate to them using the link here.
In this case, AOC is doing a remarkable job protecting the interests of the many immigrant families in her community. People who would be materially harmed if Ross got his way with this census question. The Trump administration’s anti-immigrant rhetoric would scare many immigrants away from the census, especially if a citizenship question were on it. That would mean fewer funds for those communities and a larger district with more people in it because the immigrant population would be undercounted.
AOC and her team know what is at stake and aren’t going to let a plutocrat like Ross harm the people of her district.
It’s great to watch how Cummings has her back, and fantastic to watch mediocre hacks like Ross and Meadows squirm under the pointed questioning.
GOP challenged me in committee, betting on an assumption that I didn’t know what I was talking about.
Spoiler: I knew what I was talking about.
Keep believing the patronizing trope about “not smart, but her heart’s in the right place.”
