Whatever happened to Noel Fritsch?

MoonHowler

dailyProgress.com:

RICHMOND — GOP U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart has fired a top campaign aide, Noel Fritsch, who had helped bring a far-right presence to the campaign’s social media and strategy.

Fritsch, who lives in North Carolina, responded by text to a request for an interview, saying: “Are you at liberty to tell me how you learned?” but did not return the phone call seeking comment.

Stewart, facing an uphill fight against Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., confirmed to the newspaper that he let Fritsch go, but declined to say why.

“I can confirm that he’s no longer with the campaign as of Aug. 31,” Stewart said Monday.

Fritsch had previously worked for candidates including Paul Nehlen, an anti-Semitic politician in Wisconsin who has run against GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan; and Roy Moore, the failed GOP Senate candidate in Alabama who faced allegations that he sexually preyed on young women years ago.

Fritsch also worked on Stewart’s GOP primary run for governor in 2017.

Stewart has walked back praise he previously offered to Nehlen, saying he did not know Nehlen was anti-Semitic when Stewart called him his “personal hero.” Stewart traveled to Alabama in December to campaign for Moore, who lost the race to Democrat Doug Jones.

Fritsch made a series of controversial social media posts that drew negative attention to Stewart’s campaign. Another Stewart campaign aide, Rick Shaftan, has a history of social media posts that includes calling the NAACP a “more violent” version of the KKK and saying only a “fool” would start a business in a black neighborhood. John Whitbeck, the immediate past chairman of the Virginia GOP, called Shaftan’s posts “despicable.”

I don’t know about you but I am just plain old curious what Noel Fritsch did to get fired.   Was he racist?  Was he a white supremacist?   Did he praise the dude who killed Heather Heyer in Charlottesville a little over a year ago?  Why would you have someone who supported Roy Moore as your campaign chairman anyway?

This makes no sense to me.  Is there such a thing as being just a little bit Nazi?  Where is the benchmark?  Where are the standards?  Is Corey going to address this issue more directly?  Are we going to not demand answers?

I know, lots and lots of questions but that’s about all we are left to deal with when someone as important as a campaign manager just goes poof!

I checked out this dude’s Facebook page.  I am pretty sure I have the right person because the FB page I checked had lots of friends standing with “Old Dixie.”  I also found this post which I thought spoke volumes:  “College only cares about what between your legs & your skin color.”

If you are still curious, check out this CNN Politics article.    What took Corey so long to fire him or was this all by design?

 

Is that Corey to the right of “Old Dixie?”  It appears that it is.

Disruptive protest: No place in a civilized society

MoonHowler

Towleroad.com:

Anti-LGBT Bible-bearing Christians entered Target stores in Tennessee, Illinois, and Oregon this week telling customers they need to repent for shopping there because of the transgender bathroom policy.

Says the man:

“Target this is your wake up call. The Bible says that from the beginning God made them male and female. He didn’t make them transvestites. He made them male and female…Target, this is your warning. You will be judged according to God’s standards. Not man’s, but God’s…You need to repent…You will be judged. And if there are Christians in here, supporting this abomination, shame on you! … But you justify this place. You have to stand by the bathrooms because perverts can go in there. Because transvestites allowed.”

The customers aren’t amused, many of them telling him to “shut up and leave.”

In Bradley, Illinois one of these “Christians” put a mall on lockdown and prompted a massive police response because store shoppers thought the man was an “active shooter”….

So is this what it has come to? This dude obviously doesn’t understand the difference in transgender and transvestite. I seriously doubt that I would be able to detect a transvestite in the bathroom.

It is obviously anyone’s own choice whether to shop at Target or not. If you dislike their policy, write them, tell them, and go elsewhere. No one has the right to go in a store and disrupt the shopping experience for others.

I might also add this is how I feel about political gatherings. No candidate should have to hop a fence to go speak. A rally is not the time to act out, throw objects at cops and disrupt society. We are a nation of laws and not thugs. We aren’t a banana republic.

What if you don’t like the candidate? Protest peacefully or stay home. Political rallies cost the taxpayer a fortune anyway. Let’s not pile on more because of disruptive, criminal behavior.

This “Operation Rescue” approach to politics and ideas we don’t like is just un-American.

 

CNN dust up on Super Tuesday night turns into a meltdown

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

On the night of a primary, CNN is known for its comprehensive coverage of who won what, flashy graphics, stalling for time, and open speculation about what the heck will happen next. Moments of passionate exchange are, perhaps, less common.

Yet, during CNN’s Super Tuesday coverage, such a moment came when former Obama staffer Van Jones took on former Reagan staffer and Donald Trump supporter Jeffrey Lord in a heated debate about race, the Democratic Party and the Ku Klux Klan.

The trouble began when fellow contributor S.E. Cupp, a conservative, accused Trump of “crazy, dog-whistle policy proposals” to curry favor with prejudiced voters.

“Donald Trump has tried to otherize every other candidate in this race,” Cupp said, “… to sort of scare this very small part of the electorate who thinks that all of their problems are the fault of people who don’t look like them.”

 

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Trump proposal: Ban all Muslims from entering the US

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump called Monday for a “total and complete” ban on Muslims entering the United States, barring followers of the world’s fastest-growing religion because he considers the faith rooted in hatred and violence.

The proposal — which was quickly denounced by other candidates from both parties — marks the latest escalation of the virulent anti-Muslim and ­anti-immigrant rhetoric that has fueled his unlikely candidacy. It also came less than 24 hours after President Obama urged tolerance in an Oval Office address, saying the fight against terrorists should not “be defined as a war between America and Islam.”

But at a rally Monday night in South Carolina, Trump received a boisterous standing ovation as he shared the idea, telling the crowd that a ban is “common sense” and that his Muslim friends agree with him.

“We have no choice,” he said to cheers. “We have no choice. We have no choice.”

I suppose the fact that this move would be illegal and unconstitutional is OK with Trump supporters?

It’s actually frightening that his campaign has gotten as far as it has gotten.  He plays on fears and proposes what the ignorant want to hear, not what is actually possible.

The mainstream Republicans had better decide what they are going to do about him.  Can they disavow his rhetoric?  Can they distance themselves?  Can they simply tell him he can’t be a Republican?

How does Trump propose to tell if people are Muslim?  How would they be marked?  What would he do about American citizen Muslims who wanted to return home from visiting overseas?  What about American service personnel who just happened to be Muslim?

Do people have any idea how un-American  this kind of talk sounds?  No wonder some of them hate us.

 

Time to retire the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia in South Carolina

MoonHowler

For starters, the flag I see flying over the capital grounds of South Carolina isn’t THE Confederate flag. Having said that, it doesn’t really matter.

I have not one problem with any southern state incorporating its history during the Civil War within its current state flag. That part of history clearly impacted that state. What most of us do object to is flying the lone flag thought of as the “Rebel Flag,” standing beside the state flag and the United States flag. I simply do not see why it is necessary. It just looks redneck.

What I did not realize is that flag wasn’t flown in South Carolina until the 60’s as a symbol against integration and the Civil Rights movement. This display of the “Rebel Flag” is not time-honored tradition. It appears to be an open “in-your-face” display of defiance and intolerance.

I don’t think this is the time to make any changes, however. The “Rebel Flag” was no more cause of the Charleston Massacre than the Rising Sun was the cause of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Change needs  to come to South Carolina because it is time.  That flag has been hi-jacked and used outside its historical context.  It has been to reinforce and prop up the notion of racial superiority and power.  I would have no problem if the flag was in some way supporting history and used in that context.  It is not.  The history and culture excuse is pure bull crap.

The change needs to come from the South Carolina General Assembly. They need to retire that display once and for all and get on with life.

About immigration: a word to the wise

MoonHowler

child
Today I read some unpleasantness on a local blog about illegal immigration. The blogmeister(s) made the mistake of quoting F.A.I.R. For the uninitiated (read Baptism by Fire), F.A.I.R. is the Federation for American Immigration Reform. F.A.I.R.’s objectives are to secure the border (southern), to stop illegal immigration and by their own admission, limited the number of legal immigrants into the country.

Here’s the reality of the situation. Supervisor Candland, whether rightly or wrongly, is associated in many people’s minds with the blog where I read the diatribe about unaccompanied minors and the remarks and report by F.A.I.R. He does not want to be associated with F.A.I.R. nor does he want to appear to be anti-immigration.

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McAuliffe to Veto Anti-dream Act Legislation

MoonHowler

Washingtonpost.com:

 Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said he would veto a bill barring undocumented immigrant students from receiving in-state tuition at state universities, which passed a Senate committee Thursday.

A spokesman for the governor called the legislation, put forward in the House and Senate by two Loudoun County Republicans, “counterproductive and mean-spirited.” The Senate version advanced Thursday morning out of the Senate Education and Health Committee on a party-line vote of 8 to 7.

McAuliffe “is focused on expanding economic opportunity to Virginians from all walks of life, not targeting some for discrimination,” spokesman Brian Coy added.

In his first State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night, McAuliffe called for passage of a state version of the so-called Dream Act that would grant in-state tuition to some students who were brought to the country illegally as children. Attorney General Mark R. Herring (D) has already ruled that students who qualify for deferred action under President Obama’s recent executive order can apply for the tuition discount.

“The Senators who voted for this measure should meet some of the young people they are trying to punish,” Herring said in a statement Thursday.

Herring is right.  Black and Ramadan should have to meet some of the kids they are attempting to discriminate against.   I think they would feel like worthless dogs if they ever met some of these kids that have worked so hard to become something.

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Young Conservatives of Texas: “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Day”

MoonHowler

USAtoday.com:

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A conservative student group announced Monday they will play a “Catch an Illegal Immigrant Game” this week on the University of Texas at Austin, drawing condemnation from Democrats and a threat of expulsion from campus officials.

The Young Conservatives of Texas have planned the game for Wednesday. Club members will wander the campus wearing signs that say “illegal immigrant,” and students who capture them and take them to the Young Conservatives’ recruiting table will get $25 gift certificates.

“The purpose of this event is to spark a campus-wide discussion about the issue of illegal immigration, and how it affects our everyday lives,” a statement posted by the group’s spokesman, Lorenzo Garcia. The group did not immediately reply to several emails sent by The Associated Press.

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Always listen to your reporting alligators

MoonHowler

alligator

 

Every so often someone raises the the question about my anonymity.  I am not anonymous.  Most people know who I am and I have said many times, if you want to know who I am, email me.  Unless you are a troll, I will tell you.

Not only do most people know who I am, they also know how to get hold of me.  Such was the case today.  I got a call from a person who said they weren’t a birdie but they were an alligator swimming in the moat at the McCoart building.  Too funny.  I have never noticed a moat down there but if s/he says so, I’ll believe it.  My alligator then told me that there was a huge groundswell of support for none other than Melissa Peacor.  S/he then said that it was from people who really had little to do with her on a daily basis.  It was also from people who weren’t too fond of her, mainly because of gossip they had heard.

When someone is attacked, one of two things usually happen.  That person can be seen as a scapegoat and everyone turns on them.  There are classic examples of scapegoating in both the new and old testaments of the bible.  There are hundreds of examples in literature.  The same group mentality exists, oddly enough, down through the ages.

Scapegoating (from the verb “to scapegoat“) is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame as a scapegoat. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals.

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Blade reporter barred from anti-gay marriage rally with the Cooch

MoonHowler

 

Cooch Watch photo contest for the week

 

The Washington Blade:

MANASSAS, Va.—A local church on Friday denied a Washington Blade staff writer access to an anti-gay marriage gathering at which Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli spoke.

A woman who was standing near the entrance of Reconciliation Community Church in Manassas in front of two men wearing dark suits who appeared to be security personnel asked this reporter for identification and proof of media affiliation after he identified himself as a Blade staff writer. He proceeded to show her his drivers’ license and business card.

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N.C. rejects gay marriage, civil unions

MoonHowler

 

Geeez, what a redneck state!  Wait, don’t we have the same amendment, here in Virginia?  I guess I had better walk back those words real fast.  Ok Ok, just kidding!  We wouldn’t want to impugn our own Old Dominion. 

 N.C. defined marriage as being between one man and one woman.  According to News-press.com:

Both sides spent a combined $3 million on their campaigns.

North Carolina law already bans gay marriage, like nine other states, but an amendment would effectively slam the door shut on same-sex marriages. The amendment also goes beyond state law by voiding other types of domestic unions from carrying legal status, which opponents warn could disrupt protection orders for unmarried couples.

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Ted Olson: Prop 8 overturned

MoonHowler

Ted Olson is not your average conservative, even though he was the Solicitor General under the Bush administration.  Olson is powerful speaking about the civil rights involved in this case.  He feels strongly that this was a broad ruling and will return the rights of same sex couples to marry. He compares this case to Loving vs. Virginia. 

 

Olson is a powerful, compelling speaker.

Should the government be promoting acceptance of LGBT youths???

MoonHowler

From CNN.com:

Positive forces such as TV role models and support groups such as The Trevor Project have brought acceptance issues to the forefront for youth in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The federal government is paying more attention as well: The first-ever Federal LGBT Youth Summit took place in Washington this month, emphasizing the gravity of bullying and the many forms it may take.

Full Story

Should our government be investing in the mental health of LGBT youth?  Most definitely.  The suicide rate amongst kids who are LGBT is extremely high when compared to straight kids.  Additionally, even the slightest perception that a person is ‘gay’ brings out the hounds of Hell in the bullying department.  Youth that are LGBTnot only have to protect themselves at school or in sports, they also have to ward off problems within their nuclear family where siblings and even parents can make life a living hell.  Most parents simply don’t have the skills to deal best with a child who doesn’t fit into what society deems ‘normal.’

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Shep Smith takes on his own network over Shirley Sherrod

MoonHowler

According to Huffington Post, Smith stated the following:

“We here at Studio B did not run the video and did not reference the story in any way for many reasons, among them: we didn’t know who shot it, we didn’t know when it was shot, we didn’t know the context of the statement, and because of the history of the videos on the site where it was posted, in short we do not and did not trust the source.”

Smith was speaking of Breitbart’s websites, specifically, www.biggovernment.com. Shep Smith also took on the White House. He has a reputation for standing up for right and wrong, as he perceives it, even if it goes against the party line of Fox News.