Indicted!

And the country isn't burning. At least not yet.

First true criminal elected.

Republicans could have avoided the embarrassment of Trump but they could not resist someone who fights for white collar criminals, wimpy misogynists/incels, insecure townies, sex predators, conspiracy bigots, idiots who say 'Democtrat Party', antisemites with uses 'globalists'/Soros in place of 'I dont understand this issue', and your basic unabashed racist.

[It's not that this slipped past me yesterday; we were hip-deep in moving and I only saw it when I briefly went online.]

Don't Mess With the Mouse

This brings me such joy.

The Orlando Sentinel reports:

Gov. Ron DeSantis' handpicked board overseeing Disney World's government services is gearing up for a potential legal battle over a 30-year development agreement they say effectively renders them powerless to manage the entertainment giant's future growth in Central Florida.

Ahead of an expected state takeover, the Walt Disney Co. quietly pushed through the pact and restrictive covenants that would tie the hands of future board members for decades, according to a legal presentation by the district's lawyers on Wednesday.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District's new Board of Supervisors voted to bring in outside legal firepower to examine the agreement, including a conservative Washington, D.C., law firm that has defended several of Gov. Ron DeSantis' culture war priorities.

Orlando's ABC affiliate reports:

WFTV worked with an independent attorney who specializes in government law to analyze the agreement Wednesday morning. Upon initial review, the attorney said the agreement appeared to be valid. "I'm struggling to find a reason why it's unlawful," the attorney said, noting the type of agreement struck was normal between large developers and governments, it was properly noticed and Reedy Creek's leadership willingly entered into it.

The unusual part, the attorney said, was the powers the agreement locked in. However, the attorney noted nothing about the existing structure of Reedy Creek was normal and, in that context, the agreement made sense. They also said Reedy Creek and Florida lawmakers could run into constitutional issues if they tried to undo the agreement since governments can't impair existing contracts.

Orlando's NBC affiliate reports:

Particular focus was paid to one section that board members said locked in development rights of a particular parcel until 21 years after the death of the youngest current descendant of King Charles, or until Disney abandons the resort. "We gave governmental control to Disney," new board member Brian Aungst summarized. Other board members were harsher in their assessment. "Disney tried to be king for a day," Chairman Martin Garcia said. Garcia referenced taking it all the way to the United States Supreme Court if necessary.

Mark My Words…

They are itching to get this whole matter before the Supreme Court in hopes of creating a "Final Solution."

Did anyone seriously think they were going to stop with abortion rights? I don't think it's too hyperbolic to say they these MAGA nutjob Republicans have wet dreams of reinstating slavery and straight white male ownership of everything.

Speaking Truth to Power

    • AMERICAN VALUES OVER AUTOCRACY.
    • BENEVOLENCE OVER BIGOTRY.
    • THE CONSTITUTION OVER THE CODE.
    • DEMOCRACY OVER DEMAGOGUES.
    • ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OVER EXTREMISM.
    • FREEDOM OVER FASCISM.
    • GOVERNING OVER GASLIGHTING.
    • HOPEFULNESS OVER HATRED.
    • INCLUSION OVER ISOLATION.
    • JUSTICE OVER JUDICIAL OVERREACH.
    • KNOWLEDGE OVER KANGAROO COURTS.
    • LIBERTY OVER LIMITATION.
    • MATURITY OVER MAR-A-LAGO.
    • NORMALCY OVER NEGATIVITY.
    • OPPORTUNITY OVER OBSTRUCTION.
    • PEOPLE OVER POLITICS.
    • QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES OVER Q-ANON.
    • REASON OVER RACISM.
    • SUBSTANCE OVER SLANDER.
    • TRIUMPH OVER TYRANNY.
    • UNDERSTANDING OVER UGLINESS.
    • VOTING RIGHTS OVER VOTER SUPPRESSION.
    • WORKING FAMILIES OVER THE WELL-CONNECTED.
    • XENNIAL OVER XENOPHOBIA.

Did you catch the looks on the faces of McCarthy and the Q-Anon contingent as soon as he started on this list? It was priceless!

And somehow, this also seems appropriate to post in this context…

Quote of the Day

Marjorie Taylor Green said she would have brought guns to the Capitol on January 6. She is now the face of the Republican Party. Donald Trump has unearthed and given voice to the ugliest part of America." ~ Rob Reiner

Only the GOP Celebrates Political Violence

David Frum:

But if both Republicans and Democrats, left and right, suffer political violence, the same cannot be said of those who celebrate political violence. That's not a "both sides" affair in 2020s America.

You don't see Democratic House members wielding weapons in videos and threatening to shoot candidates who want to cut capital-gains taxes or slow the growth of Medicare. Democratic candidates for Senate do not post video fantasies of hunting and executing political rivals, or of using a firearm to discipline their children's romantic partners. It's not because of Democratic members that Speaker Nancy Pelosi installed metal detectors to bar firearms from the floor of the House. No Democratic equivalent exists of Donald Trump, who regularly praises and encourages violence as a normal tool of politics, most recently against his own party's Senate leader, Mitch McConnell. As the formerly Trump-leaning Wall Street Journal editorialized on October 2: "It's all too easy to imagine some fanatic taking Mr. Trump seriously and literally, and attempting to kill Mr. McConnell. Many supporters took Mr. Trump's rhetoric about former Vice President Mike Penceall too seriously on Jan. 6."

Republicans categorically need to lose definitively and unquestionably on November 8th.