bannon – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Avenue Wars!

David Posnett — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 00:21:58 +0000

(Sebastian Gorka wearing medal of the Historical Order of Vitéz)

Yesterday night Perry Gershon won the Democrat’s primary to face Lee Zeldin in November. 20,000 people voted in this democratic primary. That’s a 40% increase over the 2016 primary! It shows a lot of energy and Lee Zeldin took notice. It took only minutes for the Zeldin folks to dub him “Park Avenue Perry” as per Patch.com. It is comical that the “lap dog of 5th Avenue Trump” would make that argument!

LZ: “Congrats to Park Avenue Perry on buying his way into a general election. It’s amazing that the Democratic Party was so desperate that they nominated a liberal Manhattan Democrat who has never even voted here in a November election for Congress,” a release said. “After a primary where he continuously preached about his desire to make Nancy Pelosi the next Speaker of the House, made the disgusting comparison of President Trump’s rallies to Hitler rallies, pathologically lied about Congressman Zeldin’s policy positions, defended high taxes, and took many other out of touch, far left positions, Park Avenue Perry proved how unrepresentative to us he would be as a representative.”

It seems that the Trump voter has long since accepted 1) the outsider without political experience, 2) the mega-rich, and 3) those that do not really represent them!

But the real issues are hardly mentioned by Zeldin’s folks. Does anyone care about affordable healthcare? How about preserving medicare, medicaid and your social security? Who cares about the fact that job growth and salaries in Suffolk county lag behind nearly every county in New York State? Who really cares about the enviroment? And that includes clean energy, not just Block Island!

Finally, Lee talks about anger and hatred? What is with his choice of fund raiser guests? Sebastian Gorka? Steve Bannon? Are you kidding?

Gorka was an editor for national security affairs for Breitbart News,^[31] where he worked for Steve Bannon.^[32] Both ofcourse were released from their duties at the WH. Gorka failed to obtain the security clearance necessary for work on national security issues.

Shortly after taking a position in the Trump administration in early 2017, Gorka drew criticism from multiple commentators in academia and politics, who characterized him as a fringe figure in academic and policy-making circles. Business Insider politics editor Pamela Engel has described Gorka as being “widely disdained within his own field.” Georgetown University associate professor Daniel Nexon reviewed Gorka’s PhD thesis, describing it as “inept” and saying “It does not deploy evidence that would satisfy the most basic methodological requirements for a PhD in the US”.

The Historical Order of Vitéz: The Order of Vitéz was a Hungarian order of merit founded in 1920 to reward heroic soldiers. It entitled the bearer to the title vitéz (literally: “valiant”), as well as a grant of land. The title was inheritable, passing from father to son. Like all such orders in Hungary, it was disbanded at the end of World War II. The U.S. State Department lists this order among organizations having been “under the direction of the Nazi government of Germany” during World War II.

Since then a number of private associations have worked to restore the order. The most notable of these is the Historical Order of Vitéz. This Order granted Gorka’s father, Paul Gorka, their title in 1979 in recognition of his resistance to the post-war Soviet occupation of Hungary.

In a 2007 video, Gorka declared his support for the Magyar Gárda (Hungarian Guard), a paramilitary group described by various sources as neo-fascist and anti-Semitic.

Gorka wore his medal of the Historical Order of Vitéz at Donald Trump’s inauguration. The medal was awarded to Gorka’s father, Paul, for his efforts in fighting against Hungary’s post-WWII Soviet-aligned regime. Gorka says he wears it to honor his father’s memory.

Gorka was detained January 31, 2016 at the Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington D.C. for attempting to board a plane with a 9mm handgun in his luggage. The gun was confiscated by Transportation Security Administration officers and Gorka, after being detained and issued with a criminal summons, was permitted to board his plane.[102] Gorka said that he had packed the carry-on bag without remembering that it contained a gun. A judge dismissed the charge on February 3, 2017 since he had stayed out of legal trouble for six months, in an arrangement agreed with the prosecutor.

Regarding Steve Bannon we have previously blogged on his connections to Breitbart and neo-nazi groups:

LZ decries “the left” as “filled with hate and intolerance…” Wow. Does that sound tone deaf or what?

Zeldin’s Friend Steve Bannon

David Posnett — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 00:36:31 +0000

You Are the Company You Keep! “Personal branding is the name of the game these days, and in our age of radical transparency it is informed not just by how you present yourself but also by the people you associate with“. So writes Marian Salzman , Contributor to Forbes. I doubt many would disagree.

Let’s examine Rep. Lee Zeldin of NY Congressional District-1. He has associated himself with Steve Bannon of Breitbart fame. Bannon recently headlined a Zeldin fundraiser in New York City and this has not gone un-noticed! Zeldin has excused Bannon noting that Bannon “gets a bad rap” and is not anti-semitic, but a “friend of Israel”. You can check out the story via various local outlets:

in the East Hampton Star
in Newsday

Dan Rattiner writes in Dan’s papers: “For those that have been living under a rock, Steve Bannon is the chief of Breitbart News, one of the most right-wing, fake-news, dangerous organizations imaginable. His “news” celebrates the Ku Klux Klan, anti-Semites, the wildest of the redneck bigots and the neo-Nazis. If he had his way, Bannon would surely consider the likes of me, a member of the media, as someone who belongs in jail. He is a clear and present danger to the American democracy we all hold so dear.”

But what I would like to do here is expose Bannon. His tactics are devious. He avoids leaving a personal trail of antisemitic or hateful comments. In stead he hires writers for Breitbart News, his Alt-right platform. They then write inflammatory commentaries based on their neo-nazi sources, and an army of alt-right followers and nut-cases leave the most awful and hateful comments. So, lets examine the specifics. They need to be public to expose Mr. Zeldin and the company he keeps.

Breitbart Under Bannon: Breitbart’s Comments Section Reflects Alt-Right, Anti-Semitic Language as exposed by the SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center). Bannon turned the comment section into “a cesspool for white supremacist mememakers.”

POLITICO reported, “Bannon said the best things about Breitbart are the comments section and the callers.”

Here is a list of Breitbart contributors, who they are and what they do. It is based on reporting by Breitbart Truth, It covers White Nationalists and InfoWars conspiracy theorists at Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News. This is a great source (screenshots from FB and Twitter etc. )

The Breitbart journalists featured here have collectively written over 17,000 articles for Breitbart since 2010.

Click here and see more! Specially if you want to check the screen shots of tweets and pictures! (The material was too much to include in this post)

Charles Johnson, Breitbart US writer, CJ has written nearly 300 articles for Breitbart between 2010 and 2013. On January 9th, 2017, Forbes.com staff reported that CJ was helping to select Trump administration officials during the Presidential transition. On January 27th, 2017, CJ self described himself as a fascist in a Reddit Ask-Me-Anything. A Holocaust denier, Charles went on the self-described fascist podcast “Fash the Nation” where he talked about the genetic IQ inferiority of blacks and how Jews should not be able to hold top positions.
Milo Yiannopolous, Breitbart US writer: Milo was a senior editor at Breitbart US, and wrote 400+ articles for Breitbart between 2014 and 2017. In leaked emails, Milo praised a Neo-Nazi staff member of the Nazi website The Daily Stormer. Milo said: “He’s one of the funniest, smartest and most interesting people I know.” He also befriended white supremacist Devin Saucier and hired white nationalist Tim Gionet. In emails with Devin Saucier, Milo said he was “easing everyone in gently” to the racial IQ superiority ideas that Saucier supports. In April 2016, he sang for a Neo-Nazi gathering in Dallas, Texas. White nationalist Richard Spencer can be seen in the video.
Jack Hadfield, Breitbart US writer. …frequent Breitbart contributor JH acts as an administrator of the right-wing “free speech” Facebook group the Young Right Society (YRS), which is frequently awash with appalling racist and ‘alt-right’ content. Hadfield has authored over 200 articles for the far-right news outlet Breitbart, itself accused of pandering to the white nationalist alt-right.
Membership of the secret group has included open fascists and nazis, well-known alt-right figures such as Scottish blogger Colin Robertson (aka Millennial Woes), alongside Conservative Party activists and UKIP youth leader Jamie Ross McKenzie. …Hadfield also posted the work of Italian “traditionalist” philosopher Julius Evola, who idolised Hitler’s murderous SS and was admired by Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini, with the caption “Got me some good new summer reading”. The book was published by Arktos, the central publisher of the racist alt-right.
PJ Salvatore, Breitbart US writer. Twitter handle: @PortosJ81J. Salvatore has written over 750 articles for Breitbart between 2010 and 2012. As of 12-2-17, PJ has deleted nearly all of his Tweets and has removed nearly all of the accounts he Followed, like @DegeneracyKills @DereksCorpse

Virginia Hale, Breitbart London. @Virgehall. Hale has written over 300 articles for Breitbart since December 2014. Hale is currently writing articles at Breitbart London. Virginia Hale “liked” a tweet from @ShabbosShekels (aka FashyGoy). “Fash” means fascist in far right circles, and “goy” is a non-Jew in Yiddish. Followed and communicated with Julius Ebola, white nationalist Twitter user, as well as white nationalists Richard Spencer and Matthew Heimbach. She also follows Wagner C. Soto. You can read more about Virginia Hale’s views at Media Matters. Update (April 2017): Virginia Hale deactivated her Twitter account sometime in March of 2017, but continues to write for Breitbart London.
John Binder, Breitbart US writer. @Jxhnbider.He has written nearly 300 articles for Breitbart since August 2016. Follows Paul Town, Baked Alaska, InfoWars. Also follows Peter Brimelow, white nationalist who gives speeches for white nationalist groups National Policy Institute and American Renaissance. Follows Based Monitored, Blaqpilled Victor, Brittany Pettibone, Ricky Vaughn, and Brannon. All followers/retweeters of white nationalists. Retweets WND, a conspiracy theorist website, VDare and Vegas4Trump, a self described white nationalist.
Nick Hallett (@NickJhallett) Breitbart London writer. He has written nearly 2,000 articles for Breitbart since February 2014. Nick follows Infowars editor Paul Joseph Watson. Infowars believes 9/11 was performed by the US government (inside job), and that the Sandy Hook massacre was a hoax.
Nick also follows @ReactionaryTree (aka TrumpenReich Tree)
Ezra Dulis, Breitbart US writer. @ezradulis Ezra has written about 300 articles for Breitbart since 2010. Ezra follows self described “American Nationalist” @RopePusher777 who retweets InfoWars, the 9/11 conspiracy website that says the US government performed 9/11 and killed 3,000 of its own citizens. Ezra follows and communicates with “Saul Townstein“ whose real name is Paul Town. Paul Town’s website, PaulTown.com, has a sidebar that invites people to visit American Renaissance website, a white nationalist group, and Daily Stormer, a neo-nazi group, and Fash, the Nation.com, a white nationalist website and podcast.
Christian Toto, Breitbart US writer. @HollywoodinToto. Mr. Toto has written nearly 3,000 articles for Breitbart since 2009. Mr. Toto follows Mark Dice, Illuminati/NWO conspiracy theorist. And also follows @kaleriley, who believes in the PizzaGate conspiracy theory and that Kanye West is fighting the Illuminati.
Donna Rachel Edmunds (@Donna_R_E). Breitbart London writer. Donna has written nearly 2,000 articles for Breitbart since May 2014. Follows Alex Jones (Info Wars), Info Wars main account, and Paul Watson (Info Wars). Info Wars is a conspiracy website that believes 9/11 was an inside job where the US government killed 3,000 of its own citizens. Also follows @ThaRightStuff, a self described fascist who runs http://www.Rightstuf.biz.
John Nolte, Breitbart US writer. @NolteNC. He has written nearly 6,500 articles for Breitbart since 2009. Nolte follows @velow1 who describes himself as a pro-white nationalist. He also follows “Resist Tyranny” who tweets Muslim American conspiracy theories and also follows “Fash” who tweets Infowars.
Lucas Nolan, Breitbart USA writer.@Lucasnolan_. He has written nearly 270 articles for Breitbart since June 2016. He follows InfoWars. Follows MissPatriarch (aka Becky), who is pro-Assad, pro-RT.com, and pro-white nationalism. Also follows and communicates with Paul Town, white nationalist who runs a website linking to Daily Stormer and Fash the Nation.
Katie McHugh, Breitbart US writer. @k_mcq. She has written more than 500 articles for Breitbart since 2014. She communicates with Paul Town (link 1, link 2) and Richard Spencer supporter @ReactionaryTree (link). Screencapped on 1-12-17. Here, Katie McHugh “likes” a Vdare tweet about John Derbyshire. Derbyshire was fired from the conservative journal National Review after he wrote the following:

“The mean intelligence of blacks is much lower than for whites. The least intelligent ten percent of whites have IQs below 81; forty percent of blacks have IQs that low. Only one black in six is more intelligent than the average white; five whites out of six are more intelligent than the average black.

(9) A small cohort of blacks—in my experience, around five percent—is ferociously hostile to whites and will go to great lengths to inconvenience or harm us. A much larger cohort of blacks—around half—will go along passively if the five percent take leadership in some event. They will do this out of racial solidarity, the natural willingness of most human beings to be led, and a vague feeling that whites have it coming.

(10c) If planning a trip to a beach or amusement park at some date, find out whether it is likely to be swamped with blacks on that date.
(10d) Do not attend events likely to draw a lot of blacks.
(10e) If you are at some public event at which the number of blacks suddenly swells, leave as quickly as possible.”

Source for quotes.

Derbyshire was positively mentioned by Breitbart here
As mentioned above, Vdare hosts white supremacist articles.

Dustin Stockton, Breitbart US writer, @DustinStockton. He has written nearly 150 articles for Breitbart since August 2015. Dustin follows, retweets, and tweets Based Alaska (@bakedalaska), who retweets Paul Town, InfoWars, RightStuff, and Richard Spencer. Dustin also retweets Mike Cernovich (“diversity is code for white genocide” link) and Mark Dice (NWO/Illumunati conspiracist)

Neil McCabe, Breitbart US writer. @NeilWmccabe. He has written nearly 400 articles for Breitbart since June 2016. Neil follows Irma Hinjosa who posts birther conspiracy theories. And Neil retweets InfoWars’ Paul Watson. InfoWars is a conspiracy site that believes 9/11 was done by the US government against its own citizens. Neil retweets Russia Today (RT.com) articles (RT is Russian government propaganda).
Matthew Boyle, Breitbart US writer. @mboyle. Matt has written nearly 2,500 articles for Breitbart since 2012. Mr. Boyle retweets VDARE tweets.Here are some excerpts of VDARE’s work:“America was defined — almost explicitly, sometimes very explicitly — as a white nation, for white people, and what that means is that there is virtually no figure, no law, no policy, no event in the history of the old, white America that can survive the transition to the new and non-white version. Whether we will want to call the new updated version ‘America’ at all is another question entirely.”— Sam Francis, VDARE.com, July 21, 2003“What race realists find most infuriating about the liberalism of the last half-century is not just that it has lost its instinctive appreciation for the culture and people of the West but actively, viciously attacks them. Whites are doing something no other people have ever done in human history. Our rulers and elites welcome replacement by aliens, they vilify our ancestors and their own, they sacrifice our interests to those of favored minorities, and they treat the entire history of the West as if it were a global plague of rapine and exploitation. This is a disease that is killing us, and we must fight it head on.”Jared Taylor, VDARE.com, July 4, 2008

Lee Stranahan, Breitbart US writer. @Stranaha. He has written nearly 900 articles for Breitbart since 2010. Lee follows Haley Claus. also follows Westleigh, and Infowars, also follows Jeremy Nolt, more Infowars / RT connections. Infowars is a conspiracy website that believes 9/11 was a US government attack on its own citizens. RT (Russia Today) is a Russian government propaganda website.

Chris Tomlinson. Chris is a writer at Breitbart London. He has written over 660 articles for Breitbart since January 2016. He follows multiple “Identitarian” Twitter users. Identitarians are far-right activists similar to white nationalists.

Brandon Darby, Breitbart Texas Editor-in-Chief. @Brandondarby. He has written nearly 500 articles for Breitbart since 2010.Brandon follows John Blake, who retweets self described fascist @TheRightStuf, a self described fascist who runs www.Rightstuf.biz.

ASK YOURSELF: Do President Trump and Lee ZELDIN know that Steve Bannon hired multiple white nationalists and InfoWars conspiracy theorists? And that Breitbart News still employs them? Do right-wing media outlets like FOX News know of Bannon’s links to white nationalists and InfoWars conspiracy theorists, but choose to ignore the issue?

Here is an interesting article on Breitbart, racists and the dirty work of laundering the ‘alt-right’. I quote from this article: “the more apparent portrait is of a budding media empire that seems intent on growing its own market share, and political power, by courting some of the coarser and most hateful elements on the American right — or turning a blind eye to the staffers doing the dirty work. It shows its one-time star [Milo Yiannopolous] literally seeking the approval of the farthest of the far right, even as he and they agree that Breitbart risks too much in acknowledging their influence…. That was the conclusion conservative blogger Ben Shapiro reached when he resigned from Breitbart in March 2016.”

And what happened to Ben Shapiro after he left Breitbart? It is a messy story! I quote:

…since his resignation from Breitbart in March, Shapiro, currently editor-in-chief of Daily Wire, has increasingly found himself targeted by the so-called alt-right movement…Breitbart published a piece by an alt-right Twitter personality known as “Pizza Party Ben” …that consisted mostly of a video mocking Shapiro for having complained about anti-Semitism, the alt-right, and Trump…

The nadir came a couple of weeks ago, though, when Shapiro’s wife gave birth to the couple’s second child. As the Daily Wire noted, Shapiro was hit with a wave of vicious anti-Semitic abuse, including multiple Holocaust references and requests that Shapiro and his family be sent to the ovens.

Breitbart News is “the platform for the alt-right,” boasts Stephen Bannon as per MotherJones.

I ask Lee Zeldin, is this the kind of personal brand you want?

Keep Bannon out of New York

David Posnett — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 00:56:27 +0000

This demonstration is tomorrow Thursday on Park Ave and 47th in front of the offices of Wayne Berman, one of the hosts of Zeldin’s fundraiser with Bannon. The location may change in the last minute – keep checking this Facebook site:

https://www.facebook.com/events/787115771474452/?active_tab=discussion

On December 14, Steve Bannon will be in NYC fundraising for Rep. Lee Zeldin. It’s Bannon’s first fundraiser for a House Representative, and we have to show up big if we’re going to make it his last.

After Steve Bannon was ousted from the White House (we helped do that!), he set his sights on Congress with a plan to elect extremists who support Trump and his white supremacist agenda.

We need to make it clear that Steve Bannon and his white supremacist agenda are NOT welcome in New York or in Congress.

Help us bring our message to Rep. Lee Zeldin and every Member of Congress: if they’re willing to threaten our communities by giving a platform to Steve Bannon’s hateful agenda for their own political gain, we’re going to do everything in our power to hold them accountable.

Share and invite your friends, and sign our petition: http://www.weveseenthisbefore.org/zeldin_dump_bannon

More details to be announced!

CO-SPONSORS: Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Show Up LI, Let’s Visit Lee Zeldin, Suffolk Progressives, Resist and Replace, Long Island Progressive Coalition, PEER/NYPAN: Progressive East End Reformers, Resist Here, T’ruah, United Through Action/Flip Long Island, Make the Road New York, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice [JFREJ]

I would add:

As Doug Jones in Alabama proved yesterday and summed up by Michael Steele on MSNBC:

Prepare you signs/banners (but don’t mount them on sticks or poles).

Ideas for signs:

When you lie down with fleas…

No Hate in NY State

Zeldin is a Bannon puppet

Zeldin is a Trump puppet

Zeldin: Alt right Jew ???

Zeldin: siding with Alt Right

We are coming for you Lee Zeldin

Toxic Lee has the Bannon Virus

Peter King on Bannon:

https://patch.com/new-york/easthampton/s/gb6p0/watch-peter-king-says-bannon-looks-like-some-disheveled-drunk?utm_source=alert-breakingnews&utm_medium=email&utm_term=weather&utm_campaign=alert

Rally to protest Zeldin/Bannon fundraiser

David Posnett — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 02:54:18 +0000

Today, Dec 11th, in Patchogue we rallied to protest Bannon as the featured speaker in a Zeldin fundraiser scheduled for Dec. 14th in NYC. Today we submitted a petition with over 5000 signature to Rep. Zeldin’s office in Patchogue and rallied with speakers and chants. By my count there were 150 supporters in attendance and a small handful of bigoted Zeldin/Bannon/Trump supporters.

“Incensed residents…” says Patch.com. Darn right. https://patch.com/new-york/easthampton/constituents-protest-petition-bannon-zeldin-fundraiser

Enjoy these videos:

Zeldin and Bannon do the 2 step dance

David Posnett — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 01:03:21 +0000

White nationalist demonstrators use shields as they guard the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Aug. 12, 2017. (AP/Steve Helber)

A shorter version, was published as a letter to the editor in the East Hampton Star, Nov 30, 2017: “Anti-Semitic Stance“

Lee Zeldin is one of only 2 Republican Jews in Congress. As such he should be a strong voice for those suffering religious persecution and anti-semitism in particular.

His latest move, is his alliance with Steve Bannon, who will be headlining a high end fundraiser for Congressman Lee Zeldin in New York City. Bannon is the Executive Chairman of Breitbart News, the “platform for the alt right” which has a public anti-Semitic stance and is in lockstep with the neo-Nazi movement.

Mr. Zeldin has cast a blind eye on the rise of anti-semitic hate crimes since the campaign and election of Donald Trump.

The FBI just released 2016 data: There were 6,063 single-bias incidents involving 7,509 victims. A percent distribution of victims by bias type showed that 58.9 percent of victims were targeted because of the offenders’ race/ethnicity/ancestry bias; 21.1 percent were targeted because of the offenders’ religious bias.

The SLPC has commented on this data from the FBI: The number of hate crimes has reached a five-year high in 2016, taking a noticeable uptick toward the end of the year around Donald Trump’s surprise electoral college victory.

The majority, by far, of these hate crime incidents were anti-jewish, not anti-muslim or anti any other religion!

This flies in the face of an earlier statement by Lee Zeldin that denies a correlation between increase in anti-Semitism and Trump’s election and blames “those who are … looking for any excuse to undermine the Trump presidency,”

Zeldin hasn’t responded to a US vote against condemning Nazism at the United Nations. The resolution called on all U.N. member nations to ban pro-Nazi speech and organizations. The Russian-drafted resolution was approved Thursday by the General Assembly’s human rights committee on a vote of 125-2, with 51 abstentions. Only Ukraine joined the United States in voting “no.” Despite U.S. pressure to vote “no,” Israel supported the resolution.

On October 13^th, Richard Cohen, President of the SPLC, wrote about the annual “Values Voter Summit” in Washington, featuring a rogue’s gallery of far-right extremists along with President Trump and Steve Bannon! “No one should be fooled. These are people and groups who harbor extreme beliefs that are antithetical to the very foundations of our democracy.”

One of the headliners at the Summit, was Roy Moore – the former Alabama chief justice who suggested in a 2002 judicial opinion that the state would be justified in executing gay men and women to protect children. Moore also wrote in 2006 that Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, shouldn’t be allowed to serve because of his faith. As any judge should know, the U.S. Constitution explicitly bars any sort of religious test as a prerequisite to holding federal office.

We’ve twice had Moore removed from the Alabama Supreme Court for thumbing his nose at the Constitution. The first time, in 2003, was after he defied a federal court order to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments that he had installed in the state judicial building. The second time was after he ordered state officials to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples even after the U.S. Supreme Court settled the issue with its landmark ruling in 2015.

Bannon, however, called Moore a “good and righteous man” during his Summit appearance.

Bottom line: When Jews neglect to call out anti-Semitism and intolerance, I am reminded of those Jews that stood by Hitler and lived (or died) to regret it.

Postscript 1:

It may not be surprising that Trump brought so much racial animus into the 2016 election cycle, given his family history. His father, Fred Trump, was a target of folk singer Woody Guthrie’s lyrics after Guthrie lived for two years in a building owned by Trump père: “I suppose / Old Man Trump knows / Just how much / Racial hate / He stirred up / In the bloodpot of human hearts.” And last fall, a news report from 1927 surfaced on the site Boing Boing, revealing that Fred Trump was arrested that year following a KKK riot in Queens. It’s not clear exactly what the elder Trump was doing there, or what role he may have played in the riot.

Postscript 2:

This blog has posted numerous past entries on the topic of anti-semitism and religious/ethnic tolerance in the Trump era. They are listed here for reference:

Holocaust Seen Through the Eyes of a Child

Hatemongers without the Robes and Hoods

“They Want Everything Done For Them”

Zeldin & Bigotry

Devoid of Emotion & Supported by Zeldin

Remove Lee Zeldin from the US Holocaust Memorial Council

The Last Nuremberg Prosecutor Alive

What has Zeldin Actually Done ?

“Prejudice, hatred, and racism”

How sincere was trumps condemnation of racism as evil? His history indicates not very.

An Open Letter to our Fellow Jews

Mr. Zeldin Learns the Trump “Two-Step”

Anti-Semitic Posters on Cornell Campus

Zeldin – Bannon Alliance

David Posnett — Thu, 30 Nov 2017 02:02:05 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – NOVEMBER 29, 2017
CONTACT: Mara Gerstein: mgfightclub@gmail.com or Victoria Glynn
Victoria.Glynn@berlinrosen.com
Coalition of Groups Launch Petition to Demand Lee Zeldin Disinvite Steve Bannon From
Upcoming NYC Fundraiser

Suffolk County and New York, NY – New York City and Long Island residents and activist
organizations are planning coordinated actions between now and Lee Zeldin’s December 14th fundraiser in New York City to protest his headline speaker, Steve Bannon.

Steve Bannon proudly foments hatred against immigrants, Muslims, people of color, women, the poor, and Jews. As a member of Trump’s inner circle and executive chairman of Breitbart, Steve Bannon’s platform and strategy empowered the white supremacists who violently took to the streets in Charlottesville. Now, removed from the White House, Bannon is focused on electing extremists to Congress who support Trump and a white supremacist agenda. By hosting Bannon, Congressman Zeldin is declaring that he wants to be part of that plan too.

Jewish social justice organization, Bend the Arc, in collaboration with several New York activist groups, launched a petition to demand that Lee Zeldin immediately disinvite Bannon from his December 14 fundraiser.

You can read and sign the petition here: http://www.weveseenthisbefore.org/zeldin_dump_bannon

The groups are also planning protests as part of a coordinated response.
Congressional District 1 resident Amy Turner said,” Zeldin says he represents the needs of our diverse district yet he is willing to align himself with Bannon’s white supremacist agenda. We will not allow him to infect our district and the City of New York with his message of hate.”

Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, rabbi of a congregation in Lee Zeldin’s district, said “I’m sickened that Zeldin is aligning himself with Bannon and the divisiveness and bigotry he fuels. During the high holiday season, I stood in the wind and rain outside Lee Zeldin’s office alongside Jews and allies to blast the shofar. I said these words to Zeldin: ‘You cannot include Nazis and White Supremacists as part of your coalition and not be complicit in their hate and violence. It’s that simple.’”

This is national news that is spreading virally!

Makeup Anxiety During The Trump Times Do our current leaders trust makeup artists?

David Posnett — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 13:56:09 +0000

Posted on Medium.com

Sarah Graalman

Makeup Artist. Writer. Dip-maker. www.sarahgraalmanwrites.com www.sarahgraalman.com

There’s a siren going off my head, growing louder by the day since the new administration took power. It blares as certain faces flash across the screen. I could be talking about so many things, but I’m currently talking about makeup. My brow furrows as I ponder how all of this has happened. Who is powdering these faces?

Maybe most of us are simply used to it now — but haven’t you once wondered: Why is Trump Orange? IS Steve Bannon actually OK, health-wise? Why does Stephen Miller look like he’s sweating under so much matte makeup? Who did Kellyanne Conway’s makeup today? She could look better! Is there anyone in the wings over there with some powder and a comb? The universe bellows back “I don’t think so”. It leads me to wonder if there’s something deeper going on? I ask this as a concerned citizen, emotional empath, and professional makeup artist.

It’s easy, cruel fun to pick apart how people look on television. It’s a catty sport many of us play. I’m occasionally conflicted about my right to judge the appearances of those who aren’t myself. I justify any judgements based on my career: I have an opinion on faces! After working on thousands of faces, I can definitively say I know when a client is happy, sad, or is struggling with a soul that is restless. I know when a person lives and dies by bronzer, even if they show up clean-faced. I know whether or not someone will suggest contour, regardless of age. I can tell by the darting of one’s eyes whether they trust me, or anyone else for that matter. A seasoned artist can tell whether or not a client is comfortable in their own skin. I have never ever seen a crew of bandits who knew themselves less than the Trump administration, and I’ve only seen them on screens.

A public figure tells us who they are by what they say and how they allow themselves to be presented to the public. How you choose to look when recording begins is 100% intentional, unless you’re in jail or are being ambushed by a crew. Those whose chosen jobs place them on screens (politicians/gurus/hosts) are giving us permission to see them. They want to be in the public eye. They want to run our country, sell us our goods, or save us from ourselves. Look at the late Tammy Faye Baker. That’s who she was, from the tips of her lashes to the tears down her cheeks. She patiently, thoughtfully painted her face on everyday. Then she wept. She wanted us to see the mascara’d tears.

If someone chooses to not wear makeup, they’re saying ‘I don’t wanna be a makeup person’. Alicia Keys is telling us she doesn’t wanna be judged by her vanity, makeup wise. She is foundation free, and seems gloriously happy that way. There’s no disputing what her narrative is. If a personality wants to feather their bangs, layer on 10 coats of mascara, and rock some indigo blue eyeliner, that is a lot of solid information to base an opinion on.

Trump is orange and his hair is famously peroxide blonde. He rocks a fake-tan like a star from the 80’s who can’t let that go. Have you ever really looked at the whites around his eyes? Chances are those lighter patches are the result of tanning bed goggles. We have a bronzer addict running the country, and I have very strong opinions about bronzer addicts. I’ve rarely ever met one who doesn’t have a disjointed view of who they are or nurse a strange self-image. Sometimes that self-image is inflated. I wouldn’t be confident in saying this if I’d only been a makeup artist for a few years and simply hated the orangey hue of excessive bronzer. He likely reached his physical and sexual (sorry) prime in the 80’s, and though his power has skyrocketed to his being the most powerful man in America. It seems he is still chasing the dragon of his 80’s Trump facade. Why else would he still emulate that 80’s bronze glow?

Beware of anyone stuck in any decade. Especially the 80’s.

Meanwhile his top advisors look as though there is something wrong, in various dark ways. I’m not being glib — it’s worrisome. Steve Bannon looks as though he has ceased taking care of himself. He looks like he may drink a lot. Perhaps doesn’t sleep. He has a rigorously stated bleak world-view, which sound to be the rumblings of a darkly depressed man. If I judge his facial health, combined with his point of view, I am led to ask whether or not he is making decisions from a solid mental place? Yes, his skin quality tells me that. And what about Steve Miller? Why so much matte foundation, and why does he still look like he’s sweating? Is he nervous? I’ve never seen such an upper lip sweat under that much powder. He seems uncomfortable. Most broadly — what is going on with Kellyanne Conway?

Deep sigh.

Kellyanne Conway has a tendency to look busted. (I pondered delicacy in word choice when writing that sentence, but that’s just the truth whittled down.) I’ve scrutinized this for nearly a year. Something is amiss, deeper than ‘please, curl your lashes and blend your shadow.” It causes me both confusion as well as sharp twinges of empathy. She looks tired. She looks like she’s trying hard, but failing. But should she be trying that hard, makeup wise. Why isn’t anyone helping her?

Her makeup is wrong, in a paint-by-numbers sense. She’s a beautiful woman. Yet, the foundation is off, in shade and consistency. The concealer doesn’t work. (There are concealers that work for everyone, trust me.) The lashes are wonky, the mascara is clumpy, and the eyeshadow palettes she uses change practically every damned day. *There is absolutely nothing wrong with ‘new makeup every day’, but she is not that kind of make-up wearer. That’s not her journey. She is not living that kind of life! She’s a talking head of our government, and is clearly rejecting the help of makeup artists with regularity. Which is disconcerting, based on her desire not only to help run the free-world, but also to be one of the few public faces of it. We want our leaders to trust the advice of professionals. Does she not trust a makeup artist?

If she worked at the bank, I wouldn’t care. I’d find the blue no, wait green no, wait gold eye-shadow switcharoo endearing. If she was my hair-stylist, I’d chalk it up to creative choice. If she made my coffee or brought me my pizza, I wouldn’t care, beyond wishing I could recommend a new concealer. I love watching people make creative choices. Some people are ‘themselves’ in the very act of creative re-invention (yes, like Cher). I have many friends who cut, color, or even shave their heads when they need a change. Myself? I change my own lip color daily. That’s how I’m ‘me’ — I’m living that life! But if I’m going through something difficult, my instances of changing my hair and adjusting my eyeshadow tick up a bit more dramatically. Then I know my soul is restless. Over-done concealer and clumpy mascara is my canary in a coal mine. I know something is wrong. Is Conway changing it so often because she’s ‘finding herself’ while being internally conflicted?

If I need to hire a lawyer, and if that lawyer showed up with wonky eye makeup and unmatched foundation, I’d shout without pause, “Not today, Esquire! I need you to know who you are and I need that you to be professional!” Those I’m hiring to help me should know who they are, and I openly reject ‘too kooky’ in any professional setting. Same reason I don’t look busted when I show up for a job. My job is helping people so they need to trust that I know who I am.

I desire the same for those running our country. I need you to know and trust yourself now. Their beauty routines make them appear restless, unhappy, erratic, and uncomfortable in their own skin. If they have a professional artist at their disposal, then that artist is likely being rejected.

“But what if the artists they’re using are bad?” Impossible. It’s a ludicrous notion that a highly skilled artist would be that bad that many times in a row. “What if they don’t wanna pay for a makeup artist?” Nope. I know poor 21-year-old’s who put together the money to pay for an artist for a big event.

When someone of significant stature appears on a network, that network supplies an artist, or they will pay for the cost of one. I’m occasionally that artist in the wings at CNN with a personality on a publicity tour. Sometimes I show up to studios, and they have ANOTHER artist there on staff, just in case. It seems rare that any artist is doing the work. Yes, I’ve found a few instances where Conway is done and it looks fabulous. She isn’t obligated to look ‘done’ if that isn’t how she wants to be seen. But she’s putting on a lot, so she’s trying. She’s rejecting the use of a professional makeup artist.

In the instance when a personality insists on doing makeup him or herself, I still always ask ‘Can I blend this or that or add some powder?’ They never say “no”, at which point I remove some of the sparkles or blend for the sake of the person and the viewers. Always. Maybe twice in a decade I’ve been turned down. Only when the most nervous and untrusting figure decided they were a better makeup artist than I was. They powdered themselves up, looked at me like they knew better, and then plopped themselves in front of the camera with uncertain eyes and uneven skin.

So, here we all are. They’re on our TV constantly. They are running our country. I’d love to give them some HD powder and proper concealer. If only they trusted the experts.

Fascist regime or not?

David Posnett — Thu, 09 Feb 2017 06:28:49 +0000

Interesting comparison of present day America with Germany in the 1930s. Format is an interview with Isabel Virginia Hull, professor of history at Cornell University and one of the foremost scholars on modern Germany. Full article here:

http://gothamist.com/2017/02/06/trump_bannon_german_history.php

Some quotes:

Steve Bannon, is the closest thing to a genuine fascist that I’ve seen ever in American government—and the removal in the National Security Council of the military leaders. That’s extraordinary and unprecedented.

Bannon is not a security expert. He’s not an expert in government at all. That’s one thing. The second thing is the fact that the Trump Administration didn’t engage in a transition. They were uninterested in both the documents prepared by the Obama administration and in meeting with the heads of the various divisions of government. The third thing is the purge of the senior-most officials in the State Department. The fourth thing is the order banning Muslims—and that’s what it is—the manner in which that happened, the process, which is to say a small group of advisers with no government experience keeping it secret and then launching it. That’s also unprecedented.

… these people want to remove the normal functioning of government and to replace the adepts at government—the people with experience and knowledge—with toadies who will do whatever they tell them to do.

…I have a very high bar to call somebody that and my bar is a pretty well-formed ideology, a really fanatical attachment to it, and a rigidity in not modifying it. I don’t think Trump fits that bill. I think Steve Bannon might fit that bill. And the question then is: Who’s running the government? Is it Steve Bannon or is it Donald Trump? And Donald Trump’s inability to keep his mind on anything for more than 15 seconds would suggest that he’s a character much more like Kaiser Wilhelm II than Adolf Hitler. These are the thoughts that a German historian has….