DL Open Thread: Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Filed in Featured, Open Thread by on August 20, 2025

‘Slavery Was Good’.  Trump’s would-be un-Woke Smithsonian:

“The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.’ The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future. We are not going to allow this to happen, and I have instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums, and start the exact same process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made,” Trump wrote. “This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE. We have the ‘HOTTEST’ Country in the World, and we want people to talk about it, including in our Museums.”

Ho-kay.

PGA Embraces Fascism.  Headed back to a Trump golf course despite (or because?) of the Saudis’ embrace of Trump via the LIV Tour:

It’s curious that the Tour felt this need to make Doral a signature event when it could have put the event back on the schedule and waited for a change with one of the others. It’s quite possible that President Trump inflicted his will in those discussions, the irony not lost since he’s been critical of the Tour since it left Doral following the 2016 tournament—because it lost a title sponsor—and went so far as to accuse Tour leadership in 2022 of stealing funds from the player pension fund in order fund increases purses to compete with LIV Golf.

Earlier this year, Tour representatives including commissioner Jay Monahan made two visits to the White House as part of negotiations with the PIF and spoke highly of the President and his efforts to bring to the two sides together. While that didn’t happen, clearly a relationship was forged that led toward getting back to Doral.

Call it what it is:  Giving in to a Fascist dictator.  To be fair, not unexpected for a ‘sport’ like golf.

This Jeanine Pirro…:

Federal prosecutors in D.C. have been instructed not to seek felony charges against people who are carrying rifles or shotguns in the nation’s capital, regardless of the strength of the evidence, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and an email reviewed by The Washington Post.

The new policy, which Pirro said was crafted by the Justice Department and its solicitor general, marks a break with past practice. Prosecutors have used the D.C. law at issue — which prohibits carrying shotguns or rifles, with narrow exceptions for permit-holders — to charge defendants in several high-profile incidents, including a 2019 shotgun attack in Northeast Washington and the “Pizzagate” shooter who targeted a restaurant in the city’s Chevy Chase neighborhood with an AR-15 rifle and a handgun in 2016.

In a statement to The Post, Pirro said Tuesday night that D.C.’s blanket prohibition on carrying shotguns or rifles “is clearly a violation of the Supreme Court’s holdings” in two landmark cases expanding the right to bear arms: District of Columbia v. Heller from 2008 and N.Y. State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen from 2022.

Hey, I think she’s just setting the stage to enable all these yahoos coming in from red states to shoot with impunity.  BTW, these troops aren’t patrolling ‘high crime’ areas:

As Donald Trump’s federal takeover of Washington DC’s police entered its second week, and six states vowed to send hundreds of additional national guard troops to assist the administration, residents questioned why federal agents seem to be largely patrolling high-profile but low-crime parts of the nation’s capital.

The Washington Post has tracked where federal forces are patrolling the city, finding that few interactions have been witnessed in the parts of the city with the highest rates of crime. The White House rejected that claim on Tuesday, saying that “nearly half of non-immigration related arrests have happened in the most crime-hit areas in DC”, but before Tuesday, the White House had been releasing data showing many of their arrests were of undocumented immigrants, and few federal agents have been spotted addressing or responding to violent crime.

Correction: The occupation has succeeded in basically killing DC’s restaurant scene.  Don’t have to tell you who has been targeted there.

Trump Says It Out Loud: He’s Trying To Rig Midterms:

“We gotta stop mail-in voting and the Republicans have to lead the charge. The Democrats want it because they have horrible policy. If you [don’t] have mail-in voting, you’re not going to have many Democrats get elected,” Trump said Monday during his Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “That’s bigger than anything having to do with redistricting, believe me.”

Trump’s attention has seemingly flitted back to the voting method after he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him Friday that the 2020 election was “rigged” due to vote-by-mail.

“He said: ‘Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting,’” Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity of Putin after the Friday summit in Alaska. “‘It’s impossible to have mail-in voting and have honest elections,’” he said, adding that Putin told him that no other country in the world has mail-in voting, a lie Trump regurgitated in his Truth Social post.

Is it Fascism yet?

Meanwhile, Over On The Other Side–“The Democratic Establishment’s Shunning Of Mamdani Is Disqualifying”:

In the weeks after he won the 2021 Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, Eric Adams was enthusiastically embraced by the party’s establishment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posed for a picture with Adams and described herself as “honored” to host him at a meeting of House Democrats. He was seated near President Biden at a White House session. “Why Top Democrats Are Listening to Eric Adams Right Now” was the headline of a New York Times story.

Four years later, Zohran Mamdani won the mayoral Democratic primary in the Big Apple by a larger marginthan Adams, with far more overall votes, and on the strength of a spectacular campaign that inspired young voters across the country. But the party’s establishment is dissing him. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, hugely influential figures in both New York and national politics, have refused to endorse Mamdani. Same for the state’s other senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Governor Kathy Hochul. Many prominent national Democrats, such as Rahm Emanuel and Cory Booker, are also either criticizing Mamdani or refusing to back him. It was considered a coup for Mamdani when it was reported that he and Barack Obama had a lengthy and positive phone call. But the former president hasn’t actually publicly announced his support for Mamdani, either. 

Hey, we know why.  Because these sheeples listen to their corporate overlords.  This is disqualifying.  They’re saying that there is no room in a corporate Democratic Party for true progressives.  Time to take those corporacrats out.  Can’t spell corporacrat without ‘corps(e)’. Or, for that matter, ‘Israel’, which is a key reason why NY politicians have kept their distance.

Today’s must-read.

I Agree(?) With The FOP.  At least, the Dover Chapter:

The Fraternal Order of Police Dover Lodge #15 has conducted a vote of no confidence regarding Dover Police Chief Thomas A. Johnson Jr., reportedly revealing a significant lack of confidence in the Chief and multiple officer grievances.

In a letter to City of Dover leadership shared on August 18, the fraternal order also publicly shared their complaints against Johnson that had officially been submitted in 2022. Johnson, the order alleges, regularly used his department-issued city vehicle during off hours and for personal reasons.

The  Fraternal Order Lodge #15 Executive Board says Johnson used his official vehicle to travel to Penn State University where he was employed as an adjunct professor, and on one occasion used the vehicle to travel to his daughter’s university in Virginia. In another example, Dover officers say Johnson took the car on a vacation trip to Fenwick Island, where the vehicle remained for the duration of the trip.

Officers also allege they were unable to contact the chief because he was unavailable while teaching Penn State college classes via Zoom.

First (and likely last) time for everything. As in, ‘I stand with the FOP’.  Although, I notice a few NCC police cars in private driveways.  Tell me they never run personal errands with those cars.

What do you want to talk about?

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  1. Alby says:

    My cousin was married to a Philadelphia cop. I asked him why they didn’t get take-home cars. He said, “Because they wouldn’t have any wheels on them by morning.”

  2. Arthur says:

    I would like to do a social experiment: I’ll walk down once side of a dc street in cabelas camo with a rifle on my back and on the other side a black/brown person in baggy pants and a white t-shirt with a rifle and let’s see who get arrested and charged with a felony

  3. liberalgeek says:

    I know Chief Johnson socially, although I haven’t discussed any of this with him.

    But I think the line “We emphasize that the department deserves a Chief of Police who rises from within our ranks – someone who understands this city, its officers, and the best interests of both.” is probably the key to this. He’s an outsider that came in a few years after this incident.

    It’s always safe to assume that the FOP has interests other than yours and mine.

    • Anon says:

      Doubly-delicious since NOCAP has been rattling the Dover PD’s cage. Here is the statement from Chief Johnson last week:

      Chief of Police
      THOMAS A. JOHNSON, JR.

      Deputy Chief of Police
      PAUL D. KUNTZI

      Police Captains
      RANDY R. ROBBINS
      ROBERT E. ROSWELL
      KEVIN A. STREADWICK

      14 August 2025

      Recently, there has been a small, but vocal group of individuals, using Dover City Council meetings to push dramatic claims of police misconduct. So far, in almost every instance, there is no evidence associated with the claim other than “A constituent said”. The same proxy speakers are coming month after month with their hearsay information, in what appears to be a coordinated effort to cast doubt on the great work my Officers do EVERY single day. This narrative distracts us from the real crime problems facing our community right now: gang violence and youth offenders, which is putting our families at a far greater risk than what these speakers are willing to admit. Instead of working to address these issues, this group would rather complain about officers doing their due-diligence. The continued negative rhetoric only serves to undermine the trust and cooperation we need from the community to keep Dover safe.

      Activist individuals are using these unsubstantiated claims of police misconduct to advance a political agenda after failing to achieve their legislative goals in 2023. These efforts appear coordinated in order to make Dover, and its police department, a “manufactured example” of systemic failure. This distracts from the department’s strong record of professionalism, extensive training, and its superior crime clearance rates. The department remains committed to evidence-based public safety solutions, transparency that respects legal limits, and addressing all legitimate complaints through proper channels.

      The Dover Police Department will not be baited into any unproductive public argument regarding its response to calls for service or its proactive enforcement efforts. We have a job to do. Our team members will continue to use all lawful means to protect the public and our supervisors will continue to provide the necessary oversight to ensure that those efforts are both effective and constitutionally conscious. The problems in Dover are serious and the Dover PD is serious about solving them.

      Very respectfully,
      Thomas A. Johnson, Jr.
      Chief of Police

      What a clown!

      • Joe Connor says:

        FOP Chapters are almost 100% protection rackets more than labor organizations. But the chief is clearly too thin skinned to be a chief and his bullshit about “Activist individuals” and “manufactured examples” Make it crystal clear that NOCAP is hitting the mark.

  4. ‘Activist individuals’, ‘political agenda’, ‘unsubstantiated claims’.

    One thing AI is good for–spewing out pablum like that whenever a cop (allegedly) abuses their authority.

    • Anon says:

      Next step is to double down and make sure he loses his Penn State job too: https://jasi.psu.edu/contact-us/

      Contact Information

      Justice and Safety Institute
      The Pennsylvania State University
      301 Outreach Innovation Building
      University Park, PA 16802
      Phone: 814-863-0079
      Fax: 814-863-3108

      ACAB

  5. Deek says:

    Saw the Audit request of TT is to debated next Tuesday at county council. Seems tho just asking the county auditor to do it? Seems like a little grandstanding? Will people trust the “county guy” doing an audit? I might have to break out the popcorn for that debate.

    Also, some people are just going to eventually grasp they need to pay more taxes.

  6. Alby says:

    Trump has clarified his climate policy: He wants us to be the HOTTEST country in the world.