Carmen, I just listened to Rachel Madow's "Ultra" Podcast wherein she describes how a Nazi agent, planted in the United States in Washington, prior to WWII, recruits no less than 24 (TWENTY FOUR) Congressmen, all Republicans, in the United States Senate and Congress to disseminate millions of letters containing Nazi propaganda written in…
I just listened to Rachel Madow's "Ultra" Podcast wherein she describes how a Nazi agent, planted in the United States in Washington, prior to WWII, recruits no less than 24 (TWENTY FOUR) Congressmen, all Republicans, in the United States Senate and Congress to disseminate millions of letters containing Nazi propaganda written in Germany.
This Nazi agent recruited our Congressmen by paying them. Straight up paying them to say and do and mail what he wanted them to mail.
These 24 Congressmen called themselves? Yep, "The America FIRST Committee".
So, Apparently, it is pretty easy to find some white guys in Washington to pay off with money. Nazi's do it.
Putin is doing it now and we can hear Putin speaking through the paid off Republicans every day.
However, it is all legal. Not one of the 24 traitors went to jail. I guess it is just not possible to arrest a white man on the dole in Congress. Too much against American "culture".
Plus, after all, they put "America First". I am certain that Trump is a paid stooge of Putin.
I am equally certain that DeSantis is a paid stooge of Putin. All legal though.
Since they are not Chinese, but, White, they cannot be arrested.
Rachel Maddow, like Heather Cox Richardson, is a national treasure. She saw the staggering importance of the "Ultra" story that was left out of the history books and almost irretrievable, and she took the time off from her high profile job at MSNBC to work on it exclusively. A chilling moment in the podcast for me was when the PhD historian said that she never learned about this and most historians didn't. I keep expecting HCR to write about it, and am curious that she hasn't, unless I missed it. Anyway, Mike S., I wanted to make the point that these acts of insurrection were indeed illegal, but the courtroom was so corrupted by the antics of the America First crowd that they were unable to give them a fair trial. The ballot box was the real solution. Which makes today's assault on voting integrity so dangerous.
I suspect that a lot of corruption that is growing in our society is technically illegal on some level, but money and cronyism buys the perpetrators a pass. The contrast in the treatment of the right wing (such as Cliven Bundy) and somewhat left wing and/or black defendants is stark, as was the treatment of Hitler-aiding or coup-plotting industrialists in the past. If the law does not offer equal protection it is corrupt. If it is corrupted enough, it is tyranny. We are fools to tolerate these "secrets" in plain sight.
Mike S. I believe Rachel also went on to describe the circus they created in court when the government tried to prosecute them as a group resulting in no-one being jailed yet none of them was re-elected. They apparently didn't deploy "the nuclear option" of questioning voting integrity and the ballot box itself being corrupted as a weapon.
In any case, it is no secret that the hard right regularly uses Mafia-style intimidation, even if the "assault" weapons are mostly for show. I am aware that journalists that openly question right wing dogma get plenty of death threats and hate mail, and I think that is a much bigger factor than acknowledged for why modern journalism so often leans right, or is at least so toothless. When Cliven Bundy's acolytes were threatening officials with rifles, the "wisdom" seemed to be to tread carefully because they were so dangerous. Had they been black, or protesting a pipeline , I very much doubt that would have received the same deference. That's a very serious problem for government of, by and for the people, and liberty and justice for all.
Carmen,
I just listened to Rachel Madow's "Ultra" Podcast wherein she describes how a Nazi agent, planted in the United States in Washington, prior to WWII, recruits no less than 24 (TWENTY FOUR) Congressmen, all Republicans, in the United States Senate and Congress to disseminate millions of letters containing Nazi propaganda written in Germany.
This Nazi agent recruited our Congressmen by paying them. Straight up paying them to say and do and mail what he wanted them to mail.
These 24 Congressmen called themselves? Yep, "The America FIRST Committee".
So, Apparently, it is pretty easy to find some white guys in Washington to pay off with money. Nazi's do it.
Putin is doing it now and we can hear Putin speaking through the paid off Republicans every day.
However, it is all legal. Not one of the 24 traitors went to jail. I guess it is just not possible to arrest a white man on the dole in Congress. Too much against American "culture".
Plus, after all, they put "America First". I am certain that Trump is a paid stooge of Putin.
I am equally certain that DeSantis is a paid stooge of Putin. All legal though.
Since they are not Chinese, but, White, they cannot be arrested.
Rachel Maddow, like Heather Cox Richardson, is a national treasure. She saw the staggering importance of the "Ultra" story that was left out of the history books and almost irretrievable, and she took the time off from her high profile job at MSNBC to work on it exclusively. A chilling moment in the podcast for me was when the PhD historian said that she never learned about this and most historians didn't. I keep expecting HCR to write about it, and am curious that she hasn't, unless I missed it. Anyway, Mike S., I wanted to make the point that these acts of insurrection were indeed illegal, but the courtroom was so corrupted by the antics of the America First crowd that they were unable to give them a fair trial. The ballot box was the real solution. Which makes today's assault on voting integrity so dangerous.
I suspect that a lot of corruption that is growing in our society is technically illegal on some level, but money and cronyism buys the perpetrators a pass. The contrast in the treatment of the right wing (such as Cliven Bundy) and somewhat left wing and/or black defendants is stark, as was the treatment of Hitler-aiding or coup-plotting industrialists in the past. If the law does not offer equal protection it is corrupt. If it is corrupted enough, it is tyranny. We are fools to tolerate these "secrets" in plain sight.
And yes, the voting box and an informed electorate is crucial.
Maureen. Thank you for your additional highlighting.
Mike S. I believe Rachel also went on to describe the circus they created in court when the government tried to prosecute them as a group resulting in no-one being jailed yet none of them was re-elected. They apparently didn't deploy "the nuclear option" of questioning voting integrity and the ballot box itself being corrupted as a weapon.
Yes and didn’t the judge die and that ended the proceedings? So odd. Or was it.
In any case, it is no secret that the hard right regularly uses Mafia-style intimidation, even if the "assault" weapons are mostly for show. I am aware that journalists that openly question right wing dogma get plenty of death threats and hate mail, and I think that is a much bigger factor than acknowledged for why modern journalism so often leans right, or is at least so toothless. When Cliven Bundy's acolytes were threatening officials with rifles, the "wisdom" seemed to be to tread carefully because they were so dangerous. Had they been black, or protesting a pipeline , I very much doubt that would have received the same deference. That's a very serious problem for government of, by and for the people, and liberty and justice for all.
Simply incredible. Thanks Mike, Carmen. Just finished it too. WHEW😳
Amazing podcast.