S09.E23: Jair Bolsonaro

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Main topic: Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro 

Also: Biden declares the pandemic over; Ron DeSantis sends migrants to Martha's Vineyard; Hurricane Fiona impact on Puerto Rico and the lack of recovery from prior hurricane damage; the queue to end all queues

Original air date 2022.09.25

[Annber03]

Can these Trump-esque politicians please just go the hell away already? Good lord, I am so sick of this insanity. 

I know it's not a likely outcome, but man, I would LOVE to see him lose in a massive landslide. And I hope the fears of him trying to pull a January 6th-style coup don't come to fruition. But knowing the way the world seems to want to work these last few years, I sadly won't be the slightest bit surprised if it does. These claims about rigged elections are also frustrating because the more people keep crying wolf about such things, the harder it'll be to take these claims seriously when there actually IS evidence of a rigged election. Which may well be the very point of the kinds of claims people like Bolsonaro, or Trump, or so forth, are making.

(Also, his response about the pandemic. Holy shit.)

"Nothing says, 'I'm against smuggling and human trafficking' like creating fake documents and taking people across the border."

Fucking seriously. 

Honestly, on the one hand, I could totally buy that DeSantis wouldn't know what the actual state flag of Massachusetts looks like, 'cause, well, look at how dumb this little stunt of his was.. But on the other hand, I could also easily see him, and everyone else involved in this scheme, playing off racist assumptions that these migrants are ignorant and wouldn't know the difference. Which would make this whole mess even more cynical than it already is. I love the response from the guy who made his own state flag - when a guy who just makes his own flag to put online has a more reasonable response to this mess than a state governor does, you know things are upside down. 

Anywho, bottom line, I hope that sheriff, the migrants, and anyone else who wants to help them sues DeSantis' ass off. And somebody desperately needs to tell DeSantis that we already have a Donald Trump, and we rejected him in 2020., for very good reason. We do not need nor want a replica. 

(I also love how DeSantis' stunt proves just how pointless and ineffective a wall along the U.S./Mexico border would be. I mean, unless they want to extend that wall they're so desperate to build along the Gulf Coast and Florida peninsula.... Not that it'd stop people then, either, mind, but still.)

As for the topic of Puerto Rico, good on Bad Bunny for finding a clever way to educate people. It's insane, in this day and age, that people are still struggling like this every time a natural disaster hits. 

Edited September 26, 2022 by Annber03

[ahisma]

Well, that’s extra depressing on the night when the fascist candidate actually won the election in Italy. At least Lula is actually well ahead in Brazil, whether or not he actually gets to take office again. 
 

❤️❤️❤️ Bad Bunny

[andromeda331]

8 hours ago, ahisma said:

Well, that’s extra depressing on the night when the fascist candidate actually won the election in Italy. At least Lula is actually well ahead in Brazil, whether or not he actually gets to take office again. 
 

❤️❤️❤️ Bad Bunny

Not to mention Marcos Jr running the Philippines.

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Honestly, on the one hand, I could totally buy that DeSantis wouldn't know what the actual state flag of Massachusetts looks like, 'cause, well, look at how dumb this little stunt of his was..

I think he never saw the brochure beforehand. Someone else was in charge of putting together the details and then assigned someone to put the brochure together or even did it him/herself.

It's so ridiculous that DeSantis had to import migrants from another state so he could send them to Martha's Vineyard. Was this coordinated with Abbott? I don't know if that's even important. Maybe I missed where Abbott talked about this event. But if he was privy to the plan beforehand, why wouldn't he just do it himself? I know that DeSantis did this for future campaign reasons, to rile up his base and so forth, so even if Abbott had said, "Hey, that's a good idea. We've done something like that before, so I think we can handle this one, Ron," then DeSantis might say, "No no no. It's MY idea, so I'm doing it. Greg."

What the hell is Luma doing in Puerto Rico? Are they complete incompetents? I mean, I don't think so. Are they deliberately doing a half-assed job? Cheap components? Where's the accountability? So maddening.

Bolsanaro. Whoo boy. If he loses by any amount, he and his supporters are going to put up a big stink, stinkier than Trump and HIS supporters put up. So scary.

[peeayebee]

I happened upon an article that answers my questions about DeSantis and Abbott. Apparently, no one in Abbott's office was aware of DeSantis's plan. There also seems to be one upmanship betw the two. 

[Ailianna]

But apparently Fox News was notified so they had the cameras ready to roll immediately. Sad for them, the MV people reacted with decency and care.

[heatherchandler]

2 hours ago, Ailianna said:

But apparently Fox News was notified so they had the cameras ready to roll immediately. Sad for them, the MV people reacted with decency and care.

And put them on the next bus to a military base in cape cod.  I don’t think that’s great.

Why isn’t there more coverage of what is happening in Puerto Rico?  I don’t think people know what is really going on there.

Edited September 27, 2022 by heatherchandler

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, Ailianna said:

But apparently Fox News was notified so they had the cameras ready to roll immediately. Sad for them, the MV people reacted with decency and care.

That's the part that really kills me about this, the assumption that the people there would turn on them and treat them like second-class citizens (and even that's being a generous description), the way DeSantis and his cronies would. What a horribly sad, pathetic life to live, thinking the rest of the world is willing to be as petty and cruel and heartless towards those in need as you're willing to be. 

[Lugal]

11 hours ago, Annber03 said:

That's the part that really kills me about this, the assumption that the people there would turn on them and treat them like second-class citizens (and even that's being a generous description), the way DeSantis and his cronies would. What a horribly sad, pathetic life to live, thinking the rest of the world is willing to be as petty and cruel and heartless towards those in need as you're willing to be.

13 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

And put them on the next bus to a military base in cape cod.  I don’t think that’s great.

DeSantis and his ilk made a big deal that the people of Martha's Vineyard did not immediately take them into their homes, and instead sent them to the base.  But because US immigration laws made "harboring" a felony, I can understand how the people in MV would be nervous, especially after the federal prosecution of Scott Warren for the "crime" of giving migrants food, water and shelter (the jury acquitted him, so good news there).

[Welshman in Ca]

40 minutes ago, Lugal said:

DeSantis and his ilk made a big deal that the people of Martha's Vineyard did not immediately take them into their homes, and instead sent them to the base.  But because US immigration laws made "harboring" a felony, I can understand how the people in MV would be nervous, especially after the federal prosecution of Scott Warren for the "crime" of giving migrants food, water and shelter (the jury acquitted him, so good news there).

But they're not even illegal, they are refugees with papers or awaiting a decision from the INS or whatever government body deals with immigration now so they are in the country perfectly legally & I'm sure dicksantis knew this as he wouldn't want to knowingly break another law by trafficking illegal aliens. He's a fucking idiot and a dangerous idiot at that.

Edited September 27, 2022 by Welshman in Ca

[heatherchandler]

2 hours ago, Lugal said:

DeSantis and his ilk made a big deal that the people of Martha's Vineyard did not immediately take them into their homes, and instead sent them to the base.  But because US immigration laws made "harboring" a felony, I can understand how the people in MV would be nervous, especially after the federal prosecution of Scott Warren for the "crime" of giving migrants food, water and shelter (the jury acquitted him, so good news there).

They aren't here illegally.  But I get a really bad taste in my mouth when I see people welcoming them off the bus, giving them food and then basically shipping them off to the next stop.  They have been through enough, open the hotels for them on Martha's Vineyard.  Let them stay there.

[ShadowKnight2]

21 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

They aren't here illegally.  But I get a really bad taste in my mouth when I see people welcoming them off the bus, giving them food and then basically shipping them off to the next stop.  They have been through enough, open the hotels for them on Martha's Vineyard.  Let them stay there.

Martha’s Vinyard wasn’t set up for something spontaneous, like this. They’re doing the best they can, given the cruel, cynical stunt pulled by DeSantis, whom the full brunt of the anger should be directed towards.

Wow, John Oliver. I’m no fan of any monarchy - especially the British one. But that “joke” you made about the Queen was, to put it very mildly, in extremely bad taste. Do better!

I have a bad feeling about the Brazilian election coming up. Bolsonaro feels entitled to run the country forever. But, unlike the situation in the United States, he seems to have the support of the Brazilian military. With the results of the recent elections in Italy and Sweden, this is not a good trend to be on.

I gotta give credit to Oliver for swinging a pair of nunchucks wildly like that while speaking Portuguese without once hurting himself badly.

[heatherchandler]

8 hours ago, ShadowKnight2 said:

Martha’s Vinyard wasn’t set up for something spontaneous, like this. They’re doing the best they can, given the cruel, cynical stunt pulled by DeSantis, whom the full brunt of the anger should be directed towards.

They couldn’t put 50 people in a hotel?  Set them up with job leads?  How is the military base better?  They sent them off because they didn’t want to deal with them.

[angora]

According to a lawyer who's been assisting the migrants, the DHS officials who processed their paperwork before the flight created an extra shit storm for them to deal with:

Quote

Furthermore, before they boarded the planes, Self revealed, "the migrants were processed by agents of the Department of Homeland Security who listed falsified addresses on the migrants' paperwork. Agents apparently chose random homeless shelters all across the country from Washington to Florida to list the migrants' mailing addresses even when told by the migrants that they have no address in the U.S."

According to the paperwork provided to them, she said, "the migrants are required to check in with ICE office nearest to the fake address chosen for them by DHS or be permanently removed from the United States, with some of them required to check in" as early as Monday.

"It could not be clearer that this is an attempt to ensure that these people are ordered removed even as they try as hard as they can to comply with the instructions provided to them," Self said. "There is no other reason to list as someone's mailing address a homeless shelter in Tacoma, Washington, when they ship him to Massachusetts. It is sickeningly cruel throwing obstacles in the way people fleeing violence and oppression, some of whom walked through 10 countries in the hopes of finding safety."

So they might have gone to the military base in Cape Cod because they might have more resources to help them get where they need to go and/or help them clean up the mess DHS made for them?

John has the best descriptions for Tucker Carlson. I loved "the human equivalent of a boat shoe found at the scene of a hazing death."

That Bad Bunny video was awesome, and John was right--it is remarkably similar to LWT! Homework: The Television Show, ha!

[Annber03]

.Holy shit, that DHS story. That is infuriating. Those assholes should all be fired, pronto. That's just beyond evil.

I truly do not get how people get to a point in their lives where they think this kind of behavior is acceptable in any way, shape, or form. What the hell? 

[ShadowKnight2]

12 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

They couldn’t put 50 people in a hotel?  Set them up with job leads?  How is the military base better?  They sent them off because they didn’t want to deal with them.

That’s giving validity to DeSantis’ stunt rather than your anger at him!

Edited September 29, 2022 by ShadowKnight2

[heatherchandler]

3 hours ago, ShadowKnight2 said:

That’s giving validity to DeSantis’ stunt rather than your anger at him!

I can not like the stunt, and feel like they were not treated as human, and also think it is bs that the people of MV were shitty and packed the people back on a bus and off and away.

[peeayebee]

The migrants were at MV for almost 2 days. Although lawyers came to see them there, the base at Cape Cod is surely better equipped to take care of them, providing not just food and shelter, but also counseling. I would also think that transportation to wherever they need to go is easier from a US Base than from MV.

[ShadowKnight2]

2 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I can not like the stunt, and feel like they were not treated as human, and also think it is bs that the people of MV were shitty and packed the people back on a bus and off and away.

Then, even though the stunt didn’t go according to plan, DeSantis has done his job!

[heatherchandler]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

The migrants were at MV for almost 2 days. Although lawyers came to see them there, the base at Cape Cod is surely better equipped to take care of them, providing not just food and shelter, but also counseling. I would also think that transportation to wherever they need to go is easier from a US Base than from MV.

I can't agree that it is ok to ship people around like cargo because it is more "convenient" or "better equipped."  Isn't that the reason Texas gives??  It's like it's ok to take away their agency because it is a different group that is doing it.  Not that I have all the answers for immigration, but this is BS.

[paigow]

News reports indicated that a lot of those passengers had immigration / refugee / amnesty hearing dates scheduled in TX, CA and other states within the coming 7 days. So the prudent action was to make sure they did not miss their appointments by moving them closer to a major transportation hub ASAP.

[Lugal]

On the subject of Bolsonaro, the Honest Government Ads have their latest up (co-written by Brazilian Sabrina Fernandes)

[peeayebee]

3 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I can't agree that it is ok to ship people around like cargo because it is more "convenient" or "better equipped."  Isn't that the reason Texas gives??  It's like it's ok to take away their agency because it is a different group that is doing it.  Not that I have all the answers for immigration, but this is BS.

The DeSantis people lied to the migrants. They tricked them. The US govt did not. They gave them the information, and the migrants agreed to go. They were not forced or misled. That's the big difference.

[heatherchandler]

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

The DeSantis people lied to the migrants. They tricked them. The US govt did not. They gave them the information, and the migrants agreed to go. They were not forced or misled. That's the big difference.

I don’t agree that it’s ok to move people from A to B or B to C because it’s “for their own good.”  It couldn’t be figured out how to get 50 people to various appointments from Martha’s Vineyard?  It’s better for the families with children on a military base where they had Covid overflow patients? Rather than a nice hotel?  I can’t believe that.

Edited September 30, 2022 by heatherchandler

[Lantern7]

Question . . . if You-Know-Who hadn't won in 2016, you think all these Toms, Dicks and Jairs would be trying such naked power grabs? Probably . . . though I'm guessing we wouldn't be more sensitive about that. Sure, John has to alert us, but at least we're outraged.

Another question . .  .if Abbot and Desantis get in bigger trouble for their antics (and I'm being nice not thinking up a different word), could Tucker Carlson also be prosecuted? Bright side: John brought up boat shoes again  . . .this time, it was a boat shoe found at a hazing death. Sounds about right for me!

On 9/28/2022 at 1:31 PM, ShadowKnight2 said:

I gotta give credit to Oliver for swinging a pair of nunchucks wildly like that while speaking Portuguese without once hurting himself badly.

Ditto. I think if there had been one or two more minutes, John would have unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the numerous bruises created while he was practicing. Even if there was padding underneath or if the nunchuks didn't look as hard as they looked (maybe made of foam?), I'm surprised that John didn't whack himself in the face. I also hope John realizes that nunchuks are more of a ninja thing, not samurai. I don't think the guy in that ad knew the difference.

Who pays attention to state flags?

[swanpride]

Yes, they totally would. Trump was just part of a larger Trend, he didn't exactly start it. If anyone might have started it, it might have been the guy with the troll fabrics, but even he only stroked what was already there.