14 Comments
May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

I’m not watching the buffoon’s 90 minutes spewing propaganda aka CNN Town Hall hosted by Kaitlin Collins, who began her career working for Tucker Carlson at the Daily Caller. She’s now working for Chris Licht, who’s determined to accommodate majority shareholder John Malone’s wish to recreate fox at cnn. They’re all deplorable.

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May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

Every word you've written is 100% spot on. It's stunning and shameful that CNN is treating Trump like a norms-centered politician, that they are hosting a criminal, and on the heels of the E. Jean Carroll case too. Unbelievable.

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May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

These are depressing and frightening days in America and, consequently, the world.

History has taught us nothing as many of us were told of the nightmares of fascism by our parents and grandparents who suffered through the reality of that horrific period not so long ago. They thought they fought to save us from an evil that lay in wait for generations to pass before raising its ugly head. Now it’s our turn to win the battle.

Thank you for this very prescient article and your always thought provoking words.

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founding

Can't believe CNN are doing this ... I have no words for that decision. At least not the kind I'd put in a reply.

That Heinrich Heine quote really hits home. As you highlighted - the parallels are scary.

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I refuse to engage with CNN or other so called media outlet giving this man, known serial liar and convicted sexual predator, scam artist, tax evader, failed businessman, reality TV personality, master of golfing and eating burgers if anything, misogynistic ......., just waiting for Jack Smith to lay our the sedition charges and see this scum bag removed from any political party ticket for office in this nation of patriots. Retaining hope for my world. 🇺🇸🌎🕊️

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May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

Did you watch it? This man, who by the way, was found guilty of sexual assault and will have to pay $2M to his victim, is not a fascist. He is a disempowered idiot and is appealing to a small group of idiots, just like the reckless, stupid and aggressive group that took over the Capitol, but only because there was no intervention to stop them. The Capital police had to face them alone. If the national guard or the military would have intervened, this group of idiots wouldn’t have lasted 20 minutes. Trump has already put his foot in his mouth in the town hall. Now republicans will have to explain how and why they want to support a criminal. The religious groups that advocate for his nomination will have to explain their support for this sexual offender too. Granted that some of these religious institutions, like the evangelical, have leaders who were sexual offenders anyway. CNN, that I don’t watch anymore, just showed millions of viewers, around the world too, what a reckless idiotic individual he is. Let De Santis and Abbott enfold their aggressive agendas in minority rights, this may send the undecided voters to finally go vote.

This may also encourage democratic voters and news media to stop pounding and hammering about Biden’s age or neglecting, criticizing and defining Kamala Harris as “not likable” as a candidate.

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May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

Agree with everything you have said. The small ray of hope in me says that maybe CNN had a plan to show the world how Trump hasn’t changed a bit and would still be a horrendous choice for President. But the larger, more cynical part of me agrees that it was probably just a publicity stunt.

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May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

Alex, your analysis is "spot-on". Thank you. People tend to forget that behind the "bumbling fool" image that Trump projects is a crew of very clever people hoping that we will dismiss him as a fool. In Ontario, Canada we have experienced a similar "bait and switch" government. Our Premier had an infamous reputation for selling drugs while in high school, and being a loud and bullying city councilor. But he projected a folksy and bumbling image and was elected Premier in an election with very low voter turnout (no one believed he stood a chance of victory).

From day ONE, his government started to pass egregious legislation yet he was elected to a second term. Legislation continues to be passed to take what was a well organized province and "sell it off for parts" ... releasing Greenbelt properties to developers, freezing wages for nurses in public-funded hospitals while paying private nurses much higher rates, favouring private schools over the public system etc. etc. That folksy front-man is not the author of this.

We always have to beware of the people in the back rooms and their motives.

If any reader wants a cautionary list of what has been done here while the Premier goes on TV and shares "family cheesecake recipes", check out this link: https://ofl.ca/ford-tracker/

Laugh and shake your head about Trump, never forget that he is in the showroom to make us focus on his faults so we won't see anything else. Sarah Kendsior (@sarahkendsior), an expert in authoritarian states, has been saying this since the early days of Trump's candidacy. I recall not understanding her advice to "write down what you think is normal behavior, because they will make you forget". Now I understand completely.

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May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

You wrote “Fascism has a habit of slowly becoming acceptable in democratic societies. It creeps inside a system in many disguises and changes it from the inside step by step. Sometimes it tries to violently and publicly take over the government.”

I agree with you and I think CNN is disguised and is also dismantling democracy.

And many medias or billionaires that are only money or profit oriented are decidedly destroying long fought for rights. Animal rights, human rights, nature’s rights.

And that shortsightedness is worrying. I hope democratic advancement and a lot of common sense will save us from fascism.

I

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May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

Thank you Alex for commenting on the heinousness of CNN giving Trump a platform to spew his vitriol. It matters what you and others think of what is happening here. I quit watching CNN three or four years ago because they then gave right wing maga pundits a place to spread their untruths unchallenged.

It is embarrassing, disheartening and infuriating to be living this now. Missouri, where I unfortunately live, just today passed two hateful anti trans bills that will result in tragedy. And to further insure tragedy and loss of lives we have new bills that will allow firearms on public transportation, with no license, no registration and no age limit for those who want to carry those weapons. In addition there is a bill to eliminate sales tax on ammunition. It is a relentless march by republicans to fascism.

Our small band of democrats in the legislature have fought hard and have kept other egregious pieces of legislation from passing. It seems that more and more people are waking up to what is happening and are starting to ‘pay attention’. It is time for all of us to get “woke” before it is too late.

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May 11, 2023Liked by Alexander Verbeek 🌍

I chose to chase the light this evening in the stunning Sonoran Desert instead of turning on CNN. Twitter is blowing up now that I have turned my phone on. Who knew that giving a free hour in prime time and a bully pulpit to a Neo-Nazi Right-Wing President would end in a dumpster fire? News Flash CNN. This was not journalism. This was an irresponsible contribution to the Trump Presidential Campaign.

Aren't we all weary to our bones of all of this? The attacks on democracy, the demagoguery, the snickering and giggling when speaking about sexual assault, the dog whistles that incite violence. "They learned nothing and they forgot nothing." The world watches as history repeats itself.

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PS Deleted CNN from all devices. My response to their heinous money hungry decision.

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