Meme Dump

Marc Elias: An Open Letter to Elon Musk

Elon Musk attacked democracy defender and superstar court lawyer Marc Elias as “undermining civilization,” taunting him by asking if he suffered “generational trauma” and Elias’s response was brilliant and worth amplifying:

Mr. Musk,

You recently criticized me and another prominent lawyer fighting for the rule of law and democracy in the United States. I am used to being attacked for my work, particularly on the platform you own and dominate.

I used to be a regular on Twitter, where I amassed over 900,000 followers—all organic except for the right-wing bots who seemed to grow in number. Like many others, I stopped regularly posting on the site because, under your stewardship, it became a hellscape of hate and misinformation.

I also used to buy your cars—first a Model X and then a Model S—back when you spoke optimistically about solving the climate crisis. My family no longer owns any of your cars and never will.

But this is not the reason I am writing. You don’t know me. You have no idea whether I have suffered trauma and if I have, how it has manifested. And it’s none of your business.

However, I will address your last point about generational trauma. I am Jewish, though many on your site simply call me “a jew.” Honestly, it’s often worse than that, but I’m sure you get the point. There was a time when Twitter would remove antisemitic posts, but under your leadership, tolerating the world’s oldest hatred now seems to be a permissible part of your “free speech” agenda.

Like many Jewish families, mine came to America because of trauma. They were fleeing persecution in the Pale of Settlement—the only area in the Russian Empire where Jews were legally allowed to reside. Even there, life was difficult—often traumatic. My family, like others, lived in a shtetl and was poor. Worse, pogroms were common—violent riots in which Jews were beaten, killed and expelled from their villages.

By the time my family fled, life in the Pale had become all but impossible for Jews. Tsar Nicholas II’s government spread anti-Jewish propaganda that encouraged Russians to attack and steal from Jews in their communities. My great-grandfather was fortunate to leave when he did. Those who stayed faced even worse circumstances when Hitler’s army later invaded.

That is the generational trauma I carry. The trauma of being treated as “other” by countrymen you once thought were your friends. The trauma of being scapegoated by authoritarian leaders. The trauma of fleeing while millions of others were systematically murdered. The trauma of watching powerful men treat it all as a joke—or worse.

As an immigrant yourself, you can no doubt sympathize with what it means to leave behind your country, extended family, friends and neighbors to come to the United States. Of course, you probably had more than 86 rubles in your pocket. You probably didn’t ride for nine days in the bottom of a ship or have your surname changed by immigration officials.

As new immigrants, life wasn’t easy. My family lived in cramped housing without hot water. They worked menial jobs—the kind immigrants still perform today.

Some may look down on those immigrants—the ones without fancy degrees—but my family was proud to work and grateful that the United States took them in. They found support within their Jewish community and a political home in the Democratic Party.

I became a lawyer to give back to the country that gave my family a chance. I specialize in representing Democratic campaigns because I believe in the party. I litigate voting rights cases because the right to vote is the bedrock of our democracy. I speak out about free and fair elections because they are under threat.

Now let me address the real crux of your post.

You are very rich and very powerful. You have thrown in with [The Felon]. Whether it is because you think you can control him or because you share his authoritarian vision, I do not know. I do not care.

Together, you and he are dismantling our government, undermining the rule of law and harming the most vulnerable in our society. I am just a lawyer. I do not have your wealth or your platform. I do not control the vast power of the federal government, nor do I have millions of adherents at my disposal to harass and intimidate my opponents. I may even carry generational trauma.

But you need to know this about me. I am the great-grandson of a man who led his family out of the shtetl to a strange land in search of a better life. I am the grandson of the three-year-old boy on that journey. As you know, my English name is Marc, but my Hebrew name is Elhanan (אֶלְחָנָן)—after the great warrior in David’s army who slew a powerful giant.

I will use every tool at my disposal to protect this country from [The Felon]. I will litigate to defend voting rights until there are no cases left to bring. I will speak out against authoritarianism until my last breath.

I will not back down. I will not bow or scrape. I will never obey.

Defiantly,

Marc Elias

Stand with Marc. RESIST!

The Funny Papers

Scott Ritchie [Canada], Jack Ohman, Drew Sheneman, Chris Britt, Jesse Duquette, Dennis Goris, Curnow Cartoons, Nick Anderson, Dave Whamond,  Adam Zyglis,  Clay Bennett, Mike Luckovich, Max Espinoza, Gary Huck, 

Why Is It ...

… that sometimes I feel like giving up even though I know I have a lot of people to prove wrong.

… that I’m still tired from yesterday’s tired and today isn’t looking so good and I’ve already used up tomorrow’s tired.

… that every day I try to decide if I should be an example or a warning to others.

… that people should stop asking me for moral support when they all know I have questionable morals.

… that I am always disappointed when a liar’s pants don’t actually catch on fire.

… that I’m pretty sure I only need one more bad decision and then I’ll have the whole set. 

… that people are afraid to share my posts because they think the SWAT team will come knocking on their door. I mean, the SWAT team doesn’t knock.

… that, while I don’t know if I could ever ‘complete’ someone, driving them batshit crazy sounds doable.

… that if anyone uses the F-word twice in a single sentence I feel like I have found My People.

… that it took me this long to get my Senior GPS. I mean, not only does it tell me how to get to my destination, it tells me why I wanted to go there in the first place.

I Didn't Say It ...

Pete Buttigieg, out military vet and former Transportation Secretary, on The Felon’s “slash-and-burn” proposal to cut 80,000 employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs [VA]:

Bottom of Form

“How can we not be pissed off when we see them coming after the workers who take care of our veterans, many of whom are veterans themselves? They’re going to slash-and-burn so much of the VA. [But] this could be an empowering moment for so many veterans, so many families and so many Americans .There’s a lot of folks in Congress who are incredibly nervous about this, a lot of congressional Republicans who know better, but … [who can at] least can be pushed, to stand up to this sort of thing.”

The very people who protect us, he wants to punish; the very job he ran from, crying that his feet hurt, he doesn’t think worthy of respect.

He cares about rich white people, Putin and hookers pissing on him; that’s all.

photo

Anthony Mackie, Captain America, on  playing gay roles during his career and how it helped him to be more empathetic toward gay people, including one of his own brothers:

“Growing up in the south in the 90s & 80s, you grew up homophobic, sexist and racist….that’s just a fact. So when I got to school, my roommate was gay, like I didn’t know how to deal with that. Like my brother is gay. So being a man, I used my art to better myself. I played Perry [Brother to Brother] so that I could understand my brother better, so I could understand my friends better. Going to art school, a bunch of my friends were gay. But with me, I needed to figure out what was my hold up, what was my insecurity about that. And once I played that role, I realized everybody deserves to be loved. It’s not my job to say who you love or who should love you, If you’re loved, I’m happy for you … So Perry was more a statement piece for me, with love and admiration for my brother, with the appreciation and respect for my friends, for that culture. I think it made me a better actor because I had to go so far outside the box.”

A favorite saying of mine: when you know better, you do better. And Mackie has learned better.

photo

Sarah McBride, Democratic Delaware Congresswoman and the first out transgender member of Congress, on the GOP being fixated on her gender identity instead of substantive policy issues affecting Americans:

“I appear to live rent-free in the minds of some of my Republican colleagues. I wish that they would spend even a fraction of the time that they spend thinking about me, thinking about how to lower the costs for American families. I wish they would spend a fraction of the time that they spend thinking about me, figuring out how to make government actually work better, rather than making it work worse in order to prove that government can’t work. The Republican Party is obsessed with culture war issues. It is weird, and it is bizarre. And the American people deserve serious legislators, serious elected officials who are focused on bringing people together to deliver real results for the American people. Not to play games, and not to engage in schoolyard taunts. We will not take a lecture on decorum from a party that incited an insurrection.”

Her remarks came just two days after Texas GOP Representative Keith Self, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, repeatedly misgendered her during a hearing,  calling her “Mister McBride.” The exchange prompted an immediate rebuke from Massachusetts Democrat Bill Keating who demanded a correction. Instead of apologizing, Self abruptly adjourned the hearing.

It's what the GOP does when confronted; they run off like rats.

photo

Ben Whishaw, out actor, on juggling very different projects—a spy in Black Doves, voicing Paddington Bear, and rehearsing Samuel Beckett’s "Waiting for Godot”—in an effort to avoid being pigeonholed:

“It was one of the strangest gear switches ever, but it is nice to inhabit so many different worlds. Somewhere in your mind, you have to refuse to be categorized, you have to keep very free. People love to categorize and file you somewhere and you have to really resist that ... This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about. I’m quite fascinated in how much has changed in the 20 years since I started acting. There were not roles like this [playing an openly gay hit man] … there were not depictions of queer people like this. Now you can play someone who’s not straight, and not that it’s irrelevant, but it’s not their defining characteristic—that person might have many other interesting facets. And those people can be the center of a story that appeals to a large audience … that’s new! I remember it was conveyed to me clearly that you should keep it a bit hush-hush that you’re gay and not to make much of a thing about it. Even though I wasn’t hiding it from my friends or the people in my life ... if you wanted to get roles, that was what was required of you. And I think that was it—it was a pretty tiny proportion. I can’t think of anyone who was my age. So I do really want to acknowledge the bravery and brilliance of those people, because it wasn’t nothing that we had them to look up to. And I’m grateful that we’ve moved on from that time, because it felt horrible.”

Whishaw has always marched to the beat of his own drummer, even as an out actor, trying to stay true to himself.

photo

Greg Casar, Democrat Congressman, on what the Democrats need to be doing:

“Today the biggest split among Democrats is between those who want to stand and fight and those who want to play dead. House Democrats united to stand and fight. Too many Senate Democrats played dead. We need more leaders from  the ‘Stand and Fight’ wing of the Democratic party.”

Stand and Fight. You work for us and we demand that you fight … or we will vote you out.

photo

Harvey Fierstein, playwright, actor, out gay man and live performer, on being banned from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts:

"A few folks have written to ask how I feel about [The Felon]'s takeover of The Kennedy Center. How do you think I feel? The shows I've written are now banned from being performed in our premiere American theater. Those shows, most of which have been performed there in the past, include Kinky Boots, La Cage aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, Hairspray, Safe Sex, Casa Valentina, Spookhouse, A Catered Affair, The Sissy Duckling, Bella Bella, and more. I have been in the struggle for our civil rights for more than 50 years only to watch them snatched away by a man who actually couldn't care less. He does this stuff only to placate the religious right, so they'll look the other way as he savages our political system for his own glorification. He attacks free speech. He attacks the free press. He attacks America's allies. His only allegiance is to himself—the golden calf. My fellow Americans I warn you—this is NOT how it begins. This is how freedom ENDS! [The Felon] may have declared 'woke' as dead in America. We must prove him wrong. WAKE THE HELL UP!!!!!"

Resist.

Speak up.

Stand up.

Vote.

photo

Bobservations

Our weather has improved to the point that Severe Fire Danger is no longer an issue, though it lingers on the mind. Case in  point, I was in the house, Carlos was in the garage, and he yells to me quite seriously:

“Bob. [And I know it’s bad because he usually calls me Sweetie] Can you come out here right now?”

“What’s going on?”

“There’s something happening in the neighbors yard.”

I think FIRE!!!! And I head to the garage and into the driveway. There is indeed something happening at the neighbor’s house. They’re working in their yard; I tell Carlos that and he says:

“I heard a noise and didn’t know what it was.”

“Maybe it’s not your business Gladys Kravitz.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“It’s you!!!”

Oy.

Isn’t it funny how the Occupant of the White can sit back and watch Americans die, lose their jobs, and their homes, and their health, and blame Obama and Biden when all of this mess started on his watch?  AGAIN!!!

Last week, state senators in North Dakota rejected a measure that called for the Supreme Court to overturn its decision that established a national right to same-sex marriage.

First step, good step; the march goes on ...

If I had cakes like that I’d walk around all day with my pants around my ankles. I wouldn’t get far but, you get my point.

Nate Vance, JD Vance CouchHumper’s cousin has come for JD saying he’s “disappointed” in him for twisting America into “Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots.” And Nate wasn’t finished:

“Being your family doesn’t mean I’m going to accept you killing my comrades … and when [he] criticized aid to Ukraine, I thought it was because he needed to appeal to his electorate, that it was part of the political game, but what they did to Zelenskyy was an ambush of absolute dishonesty. [The Felon] and my cousin clearly think they can placate Vladimir Putin. They are wrong. The Russians are not about to forget our support for Ukraine. We are Vladimir Putin’s useful idiots.”

Nate revealed that he volunteered and fought in Ukraine against the Russians on the front lines for three years. He also said he has tried to contact JD but has not received a response but still it’s nice to see that at least one member of the Vance family is standing firmly on the right side of history since CouchHumper and The Felon will go down as cowards and traitors of the worst sort.

Speaking of the CouchHumper, when JD and the missus took their seats last week at the Kennedy Center in Washington they were met with a chorus of boos from the packed concert hall that lasted more than thirty seconds.

Don’t think that’s a long time? Start yelling boo and keep it up for thirty seconds. The point was made.

City councilors in Boston voted 12-1 to make Boston a sanctuary city for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Councilor-at-Large Julia Mejia and District 9 Councilor Liz Breadon called on Boston to adopt the measure supporting transgender people, pointing to what they see as harmful rhetoric coming from The Felon and the White House, with Mejia saying:

“Boston is not going to back down. We’re seeing attacks on our trans loved ones, and here on the local level, a lot of folks are feeling helpless.”

This move comes one month after Worcester city councilors approved a similar resolution.

The March goes on ...

Arlington National Cemetery is the most venerated final resting ground in the nation; across its hundreds of acres in Virginia, there are over 400,000 graves of U.S. service men and women dating back to the Civil War, including two presidents, and more than 400 Medal of Honor recipients.

But looking at the cemetery’s public website you'll find that dozens of pages on gravesites and educational materials that include histories of prominent Black, Hispanic and female service members buried in the cemetery have been removed. Cemetery officials confirm that the pages were “unpublished” to meet recent orders by the Draft Dodging Felon and DUI hire Pete Hegseth.

This regime is erasing the service of Black, and Latino, and female service members.

Martin Sensmeier is a Native American—Tlingit and Koyukon Athabascan—actor and model, but Would You Hit It?