Contemptor

Smollett vs. Manafort: America’s Color and Class-Coded Criminal Justice System in Action

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“..the 16 counts against Smollett carry a maximum sentence of three years per charge. That means that the 36 year-old actor could serve as many as 48 years behind bars for his transgressions, which yes, include deliberately lying to police and the public. But consider that possibility, then compare it with the shambolic sentencing of a famous, traitorous, crooked old Caucasian man who has been fleecing governments, banks and the American public for over 30 years.

The juxtaposition of two grossly disparate approaches to justice, dominated by identity politics, in which the system is rigged to support moneyed, cisgendered white males. Well…that puts me in similar place with New York Times Opinion Columnist Michelle Goldberg. To paraphrase her March 8 comments in response to the real and manufactured outrage being directed at Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for comments construed as anti-Semitic, when I think of Smollett this weekend, I am angry at him, as well as furious on his behalf.

Earlier this week, former Donald Trump 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort had the white privilege of appearing before Judge T.S. Ellis III of the United States District Court of Alexandria, Virginia. Robert Muller’s special counsel’s office had recommended a 19 to 24-year prison sentence after bringing more than two dozen felony charges against Manafort, including obstruction of justice, bank fraud and violations of lobbying laws.”

Instead he will serve less than four years.

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Trump’s Right Wing Media Enablers Ignore Hasson and the Growing White Nationalism Crisis

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“Hasson is a 49 year-old white man, therefore he was probably “economically insecure,” intimidated by globalization and unsure how to approach women in the aftermath of the #MeToo movement. The world has browned before his very eyes. If only Democrats could figure out a better narrative, a more approachable way to speak to voters like Hasson, well then maybe we could all live more peacefully.

It’s not an important story. Hasson was stopped before he hurt anyone, right? It would be journalistic malpractice if the case were used to foster a real public discussion about systemic racism, the proliferation of easy weapons within our borders and the violence-inciting rhetoric vomited up by the President of the United States on the hour. Make it go away and focus on the GAY BLACK MAN guilty of fraud and manipulation. An easy target made that much richer by his own shameful behavior.

Time has found a weird way of speeding up in the Trump era. The calumny and disgrace comes at us in chunks of corrosion so quickly and damaging to our country and culture, we can hardly keep up. A week of rapid-fire scandal feels like a lifetime. And in short order, we’ll forget about Jussie Smollett as we should. His story is not part of a larger epidemic. It’s the one-off curiosity of a selfish, lying fame seeker.

Hasson’s story however, is bigger than one white man larded up with weapons and self-righteous anger. His arrest marks the fifth domestic terrorist plot interrupted during the Trump administration. Two years, five Caucasian male ISIS and Nazi sympathizers empowered by the Racist-in-Chief. That should be the headline.”

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Ralph Northam’s Remarkable Two-Day Skid: From Abortion Voice of Reason to Racist, Lying Idiot

Becky SarwateLeave a comment

“Look, it was more than bad enough that Northam had to apologize for the existence of racist medical school yearbook photos. The Trump era is opening up a whole new world of fantastically ignorant possibility. Henceforth I feel compelled to add a new question to the list of those posed to doctors treating me for any serious condition. How long have you been in practice? What’s your success record? And also, have you ever donned a KKK robe?

Then the nation awoke this morning to find Northam attempting a death defying and foolhardy backpedal so ill-advised, reading stories about it in order to inform this column was a physically painful exercise. In short, the governor’s new defense amounts to this: it can’t be me in those racist yearbook photos. I was too busy practicing my Michael Jackson blackface. Rather than absolving Northam, this shaky on the best day alibi only raises more questions about Virginia’s Chief Executive and his judgment. From the governor’s own statement:

‘My belief that I did not wear that costume or attend that party stems in part from my clear memory of other mistakes that I made in the same period of my life…That same year, I did participate in a dance contest in San Antonio in which I darkened my face as part of a Michael Jackson costume.’

Then – and I swear, you can’t make this stuff up – Northam actually mentioned that he’d spoken to his black friend ‘Seth’ about his mistakes and learned why his actions were so hurtful. Seth, if you’re listening, this is not your emotional labor to bear. The guy has an M.D. attached to his name. He should be able to figure out that Michael Jackson cosplay is not for him. On his fall from the tree of respectability, humanity and common sense, Ralph Northam hit every single white stereotype branch.”

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MAGA Hat Wearing Teens Demonstrate Hatred and Cultural Arrogance in D.C. March

Becky SarwateLeave a comment

“What, you may fairly ask, set off the privileged white children in the feral unleashing of their hate upon Phillips? Would you believe me if I told you that Phillips was running interference between the MAGA teens and a small group of black Jews? Of course you would…

Naturally, being a human being of empathy, Phillips placed himself between the angry mob of white kids and the ‘old, black individuals.’ And because no act of decency goes unpunished as a symbol of weakness among the MAGA crowd, the ‘beasts’ (Phillips’ words) quickly turned their anger on the Good Samaritan.

The member of the Omaha Tribe was quick to draw historical parallels between what he witnessed in Washington D.C. and some of the even darker chapters of American history. He said:

‘the looks in these young men’s faces … I mean, if you go back and look at the lynchings that was done (in America) …and you’d see the faces on the people … The glee and the hatred in their faces, that’s what these faces looked like.’

Here’s the part of the whole sorry, degrading and humiliating spectacle that brought me to Soros however. Phillips went on to say that If [the students’] instructors, their own teachers, their own chaperones, would have handled the situation right from the beginning, it would never have happened.’

Really though, wasn’t this what the students and their adult sponsors were hoping to achieve? The right to life movement has always been accompanied by healthy doses of irony, insofar as a fervency to defend the rights of cell clusters supersedes respect for actual, living people. Especially when those humans are merely hosts (sorry, women) and/or brown folks.”

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Youth, Beauty and Strength Cause Predictable, Boring, Bi-Partisan Angst

Becky Sarwate1 Comment

‘Consider for a moment, the way mainstream media – on the right AND left – worked itself up into a frenzy over Hillary Clinton’s bout of pneumonia during the 2016 presidential election. Honestly, I still have unresolved anger toward MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow for devoting her entire show to Hillary’s 9/11 Memorial fainting spell the Monday after it occurred. Clinton set global flying records during her time as Secretary of State. This same badass endured hours of pointless Benghazi testimony WITH A CONCUSSION, yet was compared unfavorably on the vitality scale with a fat, orange septuagenarian who sniffs his way through televised remarks. Talk about a nothingburger of journalistic malpractice.

But I digress…

The preoccupation with Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez on the right is the same old toxic brew of fear and lust that any intelligent, tough young woman must unfortunately learn to brush off early in her career. It’s sad, pathetic and exhausting, but not unexpected. I wish I could say that the criticism of AOC from the left comes from a completely unique place, but alas, no. Arrogant patronizing is just another tactic birthed by male insecurity.”

Read the full post at Contemptor.