Whelp, that happened. Trump, “saved by God to make America great again,” kicked off his first day as the 47th President of the United States with a flurry of executive orders, wielding his signature big Sharpie like a pro. Whether you dealt with those pangs of existential dread by way of drowning them in booze, talking it out to a teletherapist, or marching in the streets (no judgment from someone who partook in all three, at times simultaneously), we got through the first day of the Trump administration, now only 1,459 of these suckers to go… 

Meanwhile, Melania, back in her role as First Lady, showed us how to ward off predators and defend borders—one oversized hat at a time. She’s not an icon, she’s complicit! Alright, let’s get into it.

Good Day for Seattle Cops, Bad Day for Capitol Ones: Trump pardoned around 1,500 defendants, including six officers from the Seattle Police Department who formed the largest known cop contingent at the January 6 Capitol riot. With a stroke of his pen, Trump erased all consequences for his supporters, among them Caitlin Everett and Alexander Everett—the only two SPD officers fired for trespassing Capitol barriers that day. Federal inmates serving related sentences are set to be released shortly, as the pardons cover those convicted of assaulting Capitol Police with pipes, poles, and chemical sprays. The “QAnon Shaman,” the spear-wielding, bare-chested rioter, plans to “buy some motha f***in’ guns” to celebrate his newfound freedom.

Let’s Rewrite History: Fourteen members of the extremist groups—Proud Boys and Oath Keepers—had their sentences commuted, erasing over 100 years of prison time. They walk free, but their convictions—almost all for seditious conspiracy—remain on the record. Among them is Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys. Tarrio’s family issued a statement Tuesday, announcing his release late Monday from FCI Pollock, a medium-security federal prison in Louisiana. Meanwhile, the Proud Boys marked Inauguration Day by marching through the streets of D.C., carrying pro-Trump and anti-Antifa signs.

Speaking of Erasure: Trump ordered that the federal government will recognize only two genders, defined by “biological sex,” with an Executive Order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” The directive mandates that federal agencies use the term “sex” instead of “gender” and requires the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to “ensure that official government documents, including passports and visas, reflect sex accurately.” (Stay updated on these changes with Stranger writer Vivian Mccall, who will be updating our document guides as we know more). The order also prohibits taxpayer dollars from being used for gender-affirming health care and introduces provisions for “privacy in intimate spaces”—banning gender-affirming housing in facilities like prisons and detention centers. 

Bye, Bye DEI: The Trump administration has called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs “illegal and immoral discrimination programs.” The order states that Americans deserve all taxpayer resources to be allocated “only on making America great,” which apparently involves placing an American flag on Mars. That one’s for Elon, baby! 

ICE Raids Are Coming: Immigration agents are set to begin nationwide raids today to arrest and deport undocumented migrants, according to Trump’s former border czar, Tom Homan. Homan emphasized that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will now fully enforce immigration laws after being limited for the past four years. While he did not specify locations or whether sanctuary cities would be targeted, he confirmed that the raids would happen across the U.S. The actions are part of new executive orders signed by Trump to enforce his draconian immigration policies.

DOGE Already Down a Dumbass: Mere hours after Trump was sworn into office, Vivek Ramaswamy, who was supposed to help lead the “Department of Government Efficiency,” aka DOGE, suddenly decided to bail, leaving Elon Musk holding the bag. Ramaswamy is supposedly leaving to run for Ohio governor. Meanwhile, Musk, the world’s richest guy, is now in charge of the whole operation, even though his companies have massive government contracts. Oh, and did I mention Doge is being sued for violating transparency rules? Off to a roaring start so far.

Passing it over to HMW for a second, who talked to some local abortion advocates yesterday. 

Rest in Peace: Just hours before Trump’s inauguration yesterday, Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood, passed away from an aggressive brain cancer. “This morning our beloved Cecile passed away at home, surrounded by her family and her ever-loyal dog, Ollie,” her family wrote. Richards was only 67 when she passed away. Richards retired from Planned Parenthood in 2018, but she emerged as a powerful voice when Roe was overturned in 2022. “If I have one regret from my time leading Planned Parenthood,” she wrote that year, “it is that we believed that providing vital health care, with public opinion on our side, would be enough to overcome the political onslaught.”

“Every Moment Spent in the Struggle Changes the World”: As news of her death broke through the din of yesterday’s inauguration, I reached out to local abortion advocates about her legacy. Rebecca Gibron, the CEO of our regional chapter of Planned Parenthood, called Richards “a visionary whose leadership fundamentally reshaped the reproductive health landscape.” Amelia Bonow, the founder of Shout Your Abortion said: “Cecile Richards dedicated her life to service and was completely undeterred by bad news, whether it be political or her own terminal cancer diagnosis. Her participation was not contingent on whether she’d be around to see the big wins; like every good organizer, she lived with the conviction that every moment spent in the struggle changes the world.”

Auburn Man Among the Confederacy of Dunces Set Free by Pardon: In yet another reminder that MAGA morons walk among us, Ethan Nordean, an Auburn man and Proud Boys leader who got 18 years for seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6 riot, had his sentence wiped clean by none other than President Trump. That’s right, the guy who tried to overturn an election is now handing out pardons like Halloween candy, making sure his foot soldiers get off scot-free. Washington state had about 30 folks wrapped up in this mess, and Senator Patty Murray ain’t too thrilled, calling it a “sad day for America.” No surprise that when you let the arsonist back in the firehouse, things start burning down again.

Weather: It’ll be cold all day with a high of 42 and a low of 29 degrees, but at least we’ll start with some sunshine before the afternoon clouds roll in. Been enjoying the relatively dry weather we’ve been having this month, which is on track for the driest January in 40 years? It could change starting Thursday, with the potential for a few showers. 

Warming Centers in King County: A reminder that with sub-freezing temperatures expected to continue through Thursday, King County has opened up warming centers. Emergency daytime and overnight shelters, including libraries, are available, with transportation options provided to shelter sites. King County libraries are open to the public during regular hours, while Seattle Public Libraries will reopen today after being closed for MLK Day. Warming centers and shelter locations are accessible for those in need throughout the week.

CA Preparing for New Wildfires: Winds in southern California picked up again on Tuesday morning, sparking new wildfires as firefighters continue battling blazes from earlier this month. The extreme fire weather, with gusts reaching up to 100 mph, has kept fire crews on high alert. So far, the California fires this year have already killed at least 27 people and destroyed thousands of homes. Authorities issued warnings for explosive fire growth due to dry conditions and strong winds, while evacuations were ordered for several small fires.

66 Dead after Fire at Turkey Ski Resort: A fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, Turkey, killed at least 66 people and injured 51 others during the country’s winter holiday season. Many families, including children, were vacationing at the 12-story ski resort hotel when the fire broke out before dawn, sending thick smoke and flames through the building. Survivors reported a lack of fire alarms and clear fire escapes, with some escaping through windows. Authorities have detained four people, including the hotel’s owner, and an investigation is underway.

Thousands flock to MLK Day March: Thousands gathered at Garfield High School for the 42nd annual Martin Luther King Day march and rally, celebrating Dr. King’s legacy while taking a strong stand against Trump’s agenda and Project 2025, the far-right initiative aimed at radically reshaping the federal government. Participants carried signs calling for an end to war and efforts to stop Trump, highlighting concerns over threats to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as potential mass deportations. While Seattle is often seen as a progressive stronghold, speakers emphasized the city’s deep connection to national policies that impact communities across the country. Yours truly went to the march—keep an eye out for a post later today, highlighting the voices of people there. 

Let there be light: Who says there’s no light from the darkness? On January 25, Seattle will see its first 5 pm sunset of the year. That’s right, after months of feeling like extras in Nosferatu, we’re slowly crawling back to the light, gaining about an hour of daylight by the end of January. But wait, it gets even better! February and March will bring even more sunshine, with March delivering the biggest boost, thanks to our old frenemy, daylight saving time, on March 9. By the end of March, sunsets will hit 7:38 pm, and we can all pretend, for a little while at least, that Seattle isn’t a damp, overcast wonderland.

Fall City Quake: Monday at 1:35 pm, the earth decided to give Fall City a little shake—a 3.5 magnitude quake, about four miles northeast. Thankfully, it was no biggie. No damage, no injuries—just a little reminder that Mother Nature’s got a few tricks up her sleeve. Geologists say real damage doesn’t happen until we hit a 4 or 5, so for now, just another day in the Pacific Northwest. 

Possible Dementia Treatment: Science is still a thing! In a groundbreaking study, experts are urging the repurposing of existing medications, including antibiotics, antivirals, and vaccines, to address the global dementia crisis. With the number of dementia cases expected to nearly triple by 2050, the study suggests that using drugs already approved for other conditions could expedite the search for effective treatments. Research led by the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter found promising associations between certain medications and reduced dementia risk, including anti-inflammatory drugs and vaccines. However, while these findings offer hope, experts emphasize that clinical trials are crucial to confirm the potential of these repurposed drugs in combating dementia.

Song to start your day: It’s my opinion, no fuck it, it’s an indisputable fact that David Ryan Harris is the most underrated musician of his generation. Disagree? You’re wrong. But if nothing else, here’s a song to infuse your morning with a jolt of joy. 

 

97 replies on “Slog AM: Capitol Rioters Set Free, ICE Raids Underway, Warming Centers Ready to Go”

  2. What is with The Stranger’s California fire coverage?

    I thought The Stranger was for as much natural habitat restoration as possible. Shouldn’t they be rooting for the fire?

  4. Democrats in denial over Trump defeat, voters say: ‘Haven’t learned the lessons’

    Voters in swing-state Michigan unimpressed with party’s election critique and say fundamental shift is needed

    Trump’s decisive victory in Saginaw, a bellwether county that he won in 2016 and then lost four years later, came as a shock to the local Democratic party but not to many of its supporters.

    Community leaders in some of the poorest parts of Saginaw, where voter turnout dropped, repeatedly warned that the Harris campaign’s focus on attacking Trump as unfit for office and winning the support of middle class white women, particularly over abortion rights, was alienating a large part of the Democratic constituency simply struggling to pay the bills and looking for economic reform.

    [..]

  8. @4 With 20/20 hindsight, it’s easy to say that Democrats ran the wrong campaign. That said, Harris should have learned the lesson of 2016 that just saying that Trump is unfit for office isn’t enough.

    Of course, your analysis completely ignores the fact that Harris had a raft of economic policies and plans that would have benefited those folks. They just got lost in Republicans claiming that she had no plans until it became an article of faith regardless of reality.

  9. @4 Those folks are about to learn a hard lesson about purity politics. You can’t address every single person’s every concern. But keep defending people who are too shellfish to understand representative democracies.

  10. @3

    Did you listen to his speech to be able to put his gesture into context or are you just one of the many people committed to being offended by everything?

    The BBC has a decent and reasonably balanced article about it if you’re open to the possibility that you’re wrong.

    I doubt you are

  14. The two genders order is most refreshing to common sense and science. Doesn’t negate gender affirming care and isn’t transphobic. Indeed, the origin of trans is going from one gender to the other.

    Non-binary is not a gender. It’s an expression.

  15. This debacle is entirely the responsibility of Sleepy Joe Biden and his corrupt enablers. Any number of younger Democratic Representatives, Governors or Senators could have defeated Trump following an open primary and nominating convention. Whatever his lifetime of accomplishments might be, they are all now a footnote to the coming chaos. I will happily play the role of Madame Defarge as the Democratic Party toadies are trundled to the guillottine. I hate that fucker.

  16. Oops! I overlooked the sentence “The order also prohibits taxpayer dollars from being used for gender-affirming health care” – so strike that part from @14.

  19. @8 I am not ignoring Harris economic offerings that came well short of being game changers (like medicare for all would be) or Biden’s finally breaking with market fundamentalism but it was not sufficient to convince many whose financial situation has grown even more precarious due to inflation. Campaigning while saying the economy was basically great thus ignoring the chasm in economic well being fueled by 50 years of neoliberal policies portrayed a tone deafness that fit neatly into the narrative that Democrats are the party of urban elites.

    It’s not really 20/20 hindsight since progressives (including here) warned these were major issue during the campaign

  20. @14:

    ALL gender is an expression – because gender is a social construct, not a biological one. You should know that by now. And the fact you had to backpedal so quickly on your own statement just goes to show how insidious this really is.

  21. @9 The economic well being of the ~60% who can’t make ends meet is not “every single person’s every concern”. It’s fundamental. May be you are the selfish one, think about it.

  23. @14, Gender isn’t science. You’re thinking of biological sex, which is not binary.

    It must feel good to finally get to praise Trump after years pretending you’re not into this.

  24. Simple fact;

    That while gender is not binary, U.S. elections are. You either tried to elect Harris, or you helped elect Trump.

    If you didn’t try and elect Harris, you own part of everything that happens during Trump’s tenure.

  25. @18 but you spent the better part of 2024 telling us the lack of support for Hamas was the main thing driving voters from the Democrats?

  28. @25, Now you’re just being stupid. Even the most hateful transphobes understand that gender is a social expression of sex that anyone can subvert, they just think trans people believing they are a different gender than their birth sex is a mental illness that can be shamed out of them.

  29. 26 ???? do you think rhinoceroses understand what a social construct is? Can you think of any other ways humans are different than other animals? Are you able to wipe your own ass or do you need help with that too?

  30. TS just can’t kick its zombie twitter addiction (every time it looks like they make progress the next writer regresses).

    “Meanwhile, Musk, the world’s richest guy, is now in charge of the whole operation, even though his companies have massive government contracts”

    So then maybe stop putting money, power, control in Musk – which you do when you use / promote his plaything.

  32. 30, Buddy, we already covered this. He’s a nazi regardless of whether he accidentally gave the nazi salute or if he’s trolling. It being accidental doesn’t change his support for race science or various far-right political movements globally. If he weren’t simping for fascists there wouldn’t be any reason for you to bend this hard.

  33. Thedonolde

    will NOT be stopping at

    stomping on the Transgendered

    LGBQetal’re a bit

    more Difficult for the

    Reichwing to erase but once

    they get up a head of Steam there’ll

    be No Slowing them Down — off-Whites

    ‘Intellectuals,’ the Educated, libs, progs, Every-

    one’s gonna be Targeted by our crop of neofascists

    for how Long

    will the magas hold

    out after they’ve discovered

    Eggs’re suddenly Unafforable and

    jBiden’s no Longer around for scapegoating

    and their children sick and dying from our Wonderful

    Profiteeing “Healthcare” system?

  37. @24 I never said it was the “main” thing. I said that Gaza was probably a significant factor that would drive turnout down, which was critical in swing states. It turns out that I was probably right according to the available data:

    “Hammond said that the Democratic leadership erroneously thought it could gloss over core issues, such as anger over the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza, and a thirst for structural economic change which helped drive support for Trump. That’s a view backed by a YouGov poll released on Wednesday, which found that 29% of people who voted for Biden in 2020 but not for Harris last year said the Gaza war was the main reason why. Another 24% cited economic policy.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/18/democrats-trump-michigan-swing-voters

    Note that none of this forecast necessitated clairvoyance since both Democrats and independents were outraged by the conduct of the war, which your side repeatedly denied.

    @23 How do you square the fact that if Harris had done what her intra-party critics suggested, she may have won?

    Campaigning for victory may demand that the candidate listen to the party base

  38. @32

    Likely a while, I’ve found magats to be largely disconnected from reality.

    The probable scenario will be; when trumps plans inevitably end in disaster, they’ll blame all sorts of other people.

    Trump, Musk, and their toadies will engage in stochastic terrorism, the magats will carry out a wave of terror against imagined enemies.

    Be careful out there

  39. “He’s not a nazi he is just openly espousing nazi beliefs and blew $44B ok twitter so nazis can use it to spread their propaganda” lol ok sure

    To be fair we should be calling them neo-nazis but we’re not being graded on this

  41. Yup. I have feared to learn & believe that whatever the drumpfster is saying he will do, he is going to do. And I really think he stays up at night reading how big a response he gets from the left as is concerned to how much they would disagree with his stated opinions. Then he decides on which policies to pursue based on the amount of the response. He said the left is the enemy to America and I know he means and believes this. If he had his way he would be a leader equal to Hitler and I bet he believes he could at least make it at par to what Putin has enjoyed early in his rise to power. He probably hopes to have Vance finish what he could not aspire to. Fuck the GOP, Fuck Trump and Fuck all his ball fondling cronies.

  42. nyt:

    “Here I am,”

    Mr. Trump said

    in his inaugural address.

    “The American people have spoken.”

    Mr. Trump is at once a president at the absolute peak of his powers yet also closer to a lame-duck period than any newly inaugurated predecessor in the modern era.

    The great uncertainty is how that contradiction plays out — in terms of his ability to enact his agenda and to sustain his unmatched hold on Republican voters.

    He is already racing to use his authority while he has it, with a raft of sweeping executive orders on immigration and energy, and is also unraveling diversity initiatives in the federal government.

    He moved so swiftly that he began by signing his first orders at a post-inauguration rally, even before he had returned to the White House as president.

    Mr. Trump’s honeymoon with the public could last, or his pursuit of so expansive an agenda so quickly could spark intense backlash.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/us/politics/trump-power-era.html

    so:

    National

    Strike on Labor Day?

    better

    start Stockpiling

    them torches & pitchforks

    Comrades.

  43. Welcome Marcus. But not sure it is only 1459 days to go, took Hitler only 53 days to destroy the Republic in Germany. How long before it is “President for Life”?

  47. Trump’s compunction to always boldly sign with a Sharpie is related to the syndrome found afflicting men who must drive huge, LOUD, ostentatious trucks, cars, cycles, boats………It’s like wearing a banner that says, “I’m the current holder of the World’s Tiniest Dick championship!!”

  48. @10: uh huh. I did actually, AND the mealymouthed post from the ADL. Did YOU read the article I posted pointing out that actual Nazis recognized and celebrated the gesture? I mean they ought to know. Oh, and since you seem so confident why don’t you just go ahead and repeat this “innocent” gesture at work today and see what people have to say about it.

  51. @19, Biologist (you know science) disagree that it is a social construct.

    Throughout the pandemic The Stranger was right to say, “follow the science.” They were correct then. It’s correct now.

  52. @26, “YouGov poll released on Wednesday, which found that 29% of people who voted for Biden in 2020 but not for Harris last year said the Gaza war was the main reason why.”

    That subset of voters is too small a number of voters to have altered the outcome.

  53. “Community leaders in some

    of the poorest parts of Saginaw,

    where voter turnout dropped, repeat-

    edly warned that the Harris campaign’s

    focus on attacking Trump as unfit for office

    and winning the support

    of middle class white women,

    particularly over abortion rights, was

    alienating a large part of the Democratic constituency

    simply struggling to pay the bills and looking for economic reform.”

    –@averagebob on January 21, 2025 at 9:29 AM

    nope ~ it’s Any comment

    disparaging “our” limited liability

    wholly-coporate-owned “democratic”

    national committee’s albatrossed us wth

    is why Kamala

    LOST. To fucking

    W H A T? THIS Guy?

    &

    the

    ‘d’nc.

    But in FOUR

    (maybe More!)

    L O N G Y E A R S

    we’ll have

    Long since

    Forgotten. like

    where I put my keys

    you haven’t

    seen them have

    you mister Magoo?

  54. The difference between sex and gender are broadly understood and accepted by scientists and laypeople alike without controversy. Literally no one is disputing that these terms describe different but related phenomena, well except for you and raindrop apparently. Even dumbasses like you should be able to understand the difference between your chromosomes and what pronouns you prefer when people refer to you.

    https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/what-do-we-mean-by-sex-and-gender/

  58. I feel absolutely sick. Music, my beloved VW, cats, and all the wonderful people in my life are helping me maintain my sanity. Both my parents must be shaking their heads Up There that what was considered unthinkable back in the 20th Century—when we HAD a functioning democracy of checks and balances (THANK YOU, PRESIDENT FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT, JIMMY CARTER, BILL CLINTON, AND BARACK OBAMA ADMINISTRATIONS!!)—has become a lawless, dystopian, fascist trillionaire manhandled, terrorist free-for-all nightmare now.

    MAGAs, stop laughing and wildly celebrating. Musk, Bezos, Putin, and their bought and paid for marionette sock puppet, Mein Trumpf, will be coming for you, too.

  59. @3 and @47 Lissa: Elon Musk publicly made a Nazi salute during Mein Trumpf’s inauguration.

    Jesus wept.

    If it’s only a small consolation (for me, anyway), I’m grateful to no longer have a TV.

    I know my parents, along with the Carters must be rolling in their graves.

  61. @48 kristofarian: ……a Mein Trumpfist army of reprogrammed numb and faceless neofascist T-1000s. Jesus wept.

    Everyone pardon Griz while I log out, go outside for some fresh air, take a walk, return inside later, write and play some music.

  62. in the is He coming

    for Me, too dept:

    nyt:

    ‘Have Mercy’:

    Bishop Makes Direct

    Appeal to Trump From the Pulpit

    President Trump was seated in the front pew when the bishop at a prayer service addressed him about L.G.B.T.Q. children and undocumented immigrants.

    oodles more,

    sacreligulously:

    https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/21/us/trump-executive-orders-news

    ‘Don’t Push it’

    Thedonolde’s

    Reputed to’ve

    said under his

    ghastly breath

    Jesus’s gonna be

    So freaking Pissed

    he may even

    Cancel

    Xmas.

    or So

    I’ve heard.

  63. @39 my bad. I guess I was confused since you have been parroting their talking points for the last year. Easy mistake to make.

  64. and so Thedonolde’s

    Reign of Horror

    Begins:

    ‘A Betrayal, a

    Mockery’: Police Express

    Outrage Over Trump’s Jan. 6 Pardons

    More than 150 officers from the Capitol Police and the D.C. police were injured when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol four years ago.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/us/politics/jan-6-pardons-police.html

    outrage fatigue’ll

    be a Thing long

    before Week

    Three. any

    bets?

    d13r —

    yet another,

    equating Anti-

    Genocide with Love

    of Hamas. what a fucking

    disgraceful

    representative

    for neoliberalism

    (or is it neoconism?)

    when ya just

    Gotta Lie

    you’ve

    already Lost.

  68. @36: And yet another poll commissioned by the pro-Palestinian group with the deceptive, neutral-sounding name, Institute for Middle East Understanding. Oddly, this one shows the American voters were deeply opposed to America’s position. Go figure.

    Yes, a constant stream of hateful accusations against the Democrats, backed up by material supplied by outfits such as this one, drove down turnout and helped deliver Trump back to the White House. Congratulations to all involved, and please enjoy your four years of Trump, for which you will receive the full measure of credit you’re refusing.

  69. @64 your notion of Palestinian rights includes removing all Jews from the area and erasing Israel as a country and you’re calling me extremist?

  70. @67 “Yes, a constant stream of hateful accusations against the Democrats, backed up by material supplied by outfits such as this one, drove down turnout”

    That’s a funny way of saying voters didn’t like the candidate’s policy positions

  72. @69: Negative campaigning works by driving down turnout, regardless of policy positions. It should be obvious that on most policy positions, Harris was a lot closer to the majority of citizens than Trump. So by constantly harping on the false accusation of “genocide,” by making a tiny single issue the focus of the campaign, etc., the resulting electorate of 2024 was much smaller than 2020. Please feel free to call that a triumph of democracy if you like.

  73. @68 Now you are blatantly lying. I certainly never expressed the “notion” that “all Jews” should be removed from the area. On the contrary I said multiple times that I was opposed to inflicting hardship to anyone and that immigrant Jews should be allowed to remain there although it was beyond my control. As for Israel, I said that it was an ethno-state, which by definition and in practice considers non-Jews as second class citizens and thus is not a democracy. So I wasn’t sure what should happen to it but given the state of affair I was for a one state solution at peace as it was before Zionism’s claim to Palestine. I also said that claiming Israel had a right to exist was a denial of Palestinian right to self-determination as defined by the UN charter given the fact that many Palestinians have continuously occupied the area since the Bronze age. I don’t see anything ‘extremist’ about any of it.

    Yes, I said that conflating standing for human rights to support for Hamas is extremism. Don’t you think so?

  74. @72: “…many Palestinians have continuously occupied the area since the Bronze age. I don’t see anything ‘extremist’ about any of it.”

    Other than simply making up history is usually the province of extremists. The Palestinian Arab identity can be traced no further back than the late Ottoman Empire.

  75. @67 It’s a YouGov poll. It’s tinfoil hat territory to claim that YouGov would somehow fudge a poll because a small organization commissioned it. You have no evidence that the methodology employed for this poll is faulty.

    But we have gone all over this already multiple times, which of course won’t prevent you from repeat it again, and again, ad infinitum like you do for everything else no matter the merit of it. As I said you are impervious to all logic except that dictated by your propaganda.

  76. Genetic studies indicate a genetic affinity between Palestinians and other Levantine populations, as well as other Arab and Semitic groups in the Middle East and North Africa.[8][9] Historical records and later genetic studies indicate that the Palestinian people descend mostly from Ancient Levantines extending back to Bronze Age inhabitants of Levant.[10][a] They represent a highly homogeneous community who share one cultural and ethnic identity,[17][18][19] speak Palestinian Arabic and share close religious, linguistic, and cultural practices and heritage with other Levantines (e.g Syrians, Lebanese, and Jordanians)

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_Palestinians

  77. “But we have gone all over this already multiple times, which of course won’t prevent you from repeat it again, and again, ad infinitum like you do for everything else no matter the merit of it.” –@ab

    when one’s up against The Wormtongue

    or Thedonolde, for that matter, one

    Must expect an Onslaught of Lies

    and Half-truths, Omissions and

    Gobs of pretzel ‘logic,’ in other

    words Propaganda of the

    Lowest Order. but, this

    being tS, one must

    Expect such rude

    treatment from

    those Determ-

    ined to bring

    tS Down.

    it’s just Another

    Day in trumpftopia

    they always say. bingo.

  78. @74: Sharpen your Crayon, sit crisscross applesauce, and I’ll try to type as few syllables as slowly as I can.

    A public opinion polling firm delivers the results the client wants. If the client is a reputable news organization or major political party or candidate, the desire will likely be for factual accuracy. If the client is a propaganda firm, like IMEU, the desire will be for material which supports their propaganda.

    The deceptively-neutral name, IMEU, tells you right there they are trying to deceive you. You might want to make better use of that information.

    @75: Nothing you quoted contradicts the modern Palestinian Arab identity arising in the late Ottoman Empire. The key phrase you’re missing in your quote is “…descend mostly from…” Many of us modern Americans “descend mostly from” Irish, Scots, French, Germans, Russians, Chinese, etc., but we are generally not citizens of those countries, nor do we identify as Irish, etc.

  79. nyt:

    “Trump

    says tariffs

    will start Feb. 1

    on the country’s largest

    trading partners: Canada, Mexico and China.”

    oooh, the trumpftax’s

    about to Shock the

    USofA! the level &

    Volume of his mis-

    deeds’s about to

    Overwhelm us

    keeping us on

    our Heels, con-

    Fused and ter-

    rified, neighb-

    ors Arrested

    children sud-

    denly Orph-

    ans the world turned Upside down.

    Deep Fakes, a i (did🛴🔨get un-

    Plugged?) -generated Lies no

    one’ll Know what’s Real and

    what’s just Pretend. thee

    Perfect Scenario for a

    tyrannical toddler to

    shut US down for

    like ever. buckle

    up, Buttercup:

    the

    Lying

    Liars’re

    Ascending

    the Golden Throne

    & when They flush

    five Ten FIFTEEN!

    times, they can

    do a LOT of

    Damage.

    Gleefully!

  80. “I was for a one state solution at peace as it was before Zionism’s claim to Palestine. I also said that claiming Israel had a right to exist was a denial of Palestinian right to self-determination”

    First, it wasn’t at peace. Arabs have been trying to exterminate Jews in that area continually. That is part of the reason why Israel was created. The British realized as do most of the us that embrace reality that the Arabs in the area will never be satisfied living side by side with Jews. So if you claim that Israel existence is a denial of Palestinian rights the logical conclusion to that is Israel shouldn’t exist. If you want to try to wrap this up in subterfuge and ambiguous context go ahead but the bottom line remains Israel is gone and Jews living in the area will be slowly chased away or exterminated as they have been in the rest of the Muslim world. Kinda sounds like Hamas main goal to me but what do I know.

  81. @79 no, European Jews flooded into Mandatory Palestine and started terrorizing the inhabitants and also the British. The Haganah and Irgun were basically the Hamas of that time. People who either don’t know or won’t acknowledge that history have no credibility on this subject.

  82. @77 “Many of us modern Americans “descend mostly from” Irish, Scots, French, Germans, Russians, Chinese, etc., but we are generally not citizens of those countries, nor do we identify as Irish, etc.”

    Yes but Irish people descended from historical Irish people who live in Ireland certainly identify as Irish. And as we’ve seen they also don’t take kindly to occupying forces. I can’t imagine any people who would.

  83. @79: Even funnier, the “peace” he’s referring to, to the extent it ever really existed, was the result of the late Ottoman Empire’s enforcing diktats upon the helpless Palestinians, diktats intended to strengthen Ottoman Imperial control over their conquered territory of Palestine. There was no intended benefit to Palestinian Arabs, Jews, Christians, or anyone else in Palestine.

    Then, after celebrating nonconsensual Imperial control of a conquered territory, he expects anyone to take seriously his “settler-colonialist” argument on that same land. Priceless!

    @76: I did you the favor of pointing out an intentional deceit someone is trying to perpetuate upon you, and you respond by name-calling me as deceptive. (And yet, somehow, you still seem to expect someone to believe you…) You’re welcome.

  84. @81: First, there are quite a few modern residents of the island of Ireland whose ancestry there goes back centuries, and describe themselves as loyal subjects of the United Kingdom. They would not take kindly to your description of their government as an occupying force.

    Second, for both governments on Irish soil today, citizenship in no way depends upon whether one’s ancestors lived on the island 3,000 years ago. (If the Irish as a whole were to choose to live under one government, I doubt very much they would add 3,000 years of ancestry to their citizenship requirement.)

    Third, you might want to learn the difference between “descended from,” and “are.”

  85. @83 “Second, for both governments on Irish soil today, citizenship in no way depends upon whether one’s ancestors lived on the island 3,000 years ago.”

    Right that only works for Israel. For all those Jews who lived in Poland or wherever but, unlike the Americans you referenced, still identified with the region their ancestors lived thousands of years before. Which in your mind gave them the inalienable right to move back there and take the land from its inhabitants.

  86. @80 why were the Jews in Europe? Was it because they were chased out of the lands where they had homes and lives by Muslims? There is a difference between immigrants and refugees. Jews were definitely the latter and were not exactly welcomed in many of the countries they were forced to settle in.

  87. @80 reduces to, “I preferred the Ottoman Empire’s discriminatory policies in Palestine to the British Empire’s somewhat-less-discriminatory policies in Palestine, especially because the British allowed more Jews.”

    That you’re seriously using such a message in support of local control for Palestinian Arabs now just increases the silly meter considerably. (The anti-Jewish part of your message isn’t exactly a great look, either.)

    For the whole “who’s on [the land] first?” bit, who cares? Homo Sapiens evolved in Africa. We are indigenous to Africa, and only to Africa. Everywhere else, we are either immigrants, or descended from immigrants, whose ancestors departed from Africa. Calling any humans not in Africa “indigenous” is a social construct, not a statement of scientific fact.

    Any argument based upon social-construction claims of being “indigenous” will ultimately rest upon, and therefore be no more valid than, whatever arbitrary date is chosen to earn the “indigenous” mark. Wrangling that date is not merely pointless, but likely to devolve into outright fabrications, such as the claim to 3,000-year-old Palestinian Arab identity when the Arabic language developed later.

  88. @84

    it’s

    just

    wormmy.

    baffling,

    ain’t he?

    he can Fix

    a narrative

    Any narrative

    twist it This Way

    and That and the

    ‘Beauty’ is, the Reich

    Wing Nutjobs’ll ALWAYS

    come out On Top. surely He’ll

    have His Place, Too, in eltrumpfster’s

    House of Horrors:

    like a sub-sub-minister in the

    Ministry of Truth (& Punishments), eg.

  89. @85 you think they were “chased out” by MUSLIMS? Wow you really have no idea what you’re talking about about. Google Jewish Diaspora then check when Islam started.

  90. @86 you’re the one who’s relying on “indigenous” arguments to attempt to justify Jews flooding into and colonizing the Levant in the first half of the 20th century. Your argument is so confused you don’t even know which way is up anymore.

  91. @89: No, I’m not. You want the guy who believes in 3,000 year-old-Palestinians. 😉

    UN Resolution 181 provided legal authority for founding a Jewish State and an Arab State in the expiring British Mandate of Palestine. The Palestinian Jews accepted this, founding the modern State of Israel. The Palestinian Arabs rejected it, choosing to decide the issue by force of arms. Their choosing war instead of peace led directly to the current situation.

    “…Jews flooding into and colonizing the Levant in the first half of the 20th century.”

    Well, specifically Palestine, but yes, the British Empire had a more permissive policy on Jewish immigration into Palestine than had the Ottoman Empire. Maybe if the Ottoman Empire had been less restrictive, Jews might have moved there earlier? Would that have been better for WTF your objection is? Because right now, you sound either like an American who somehow believes immigration should not be allowed generally, or a straight-up anti-Jewish bigot specifically.

  92. @88 yes, so no Jews lived in this area post the Roman times? c’mon, the diaspora certainly was a major blow for Israel but many Jews continued to live throughout the region until they were pushed out by their Muslim neighbors. Feel free to google Jews populations in the middle east. Since I know you’re too lazy / don’t care here is the response you get back

    “In 1945, there were approximately 866,000 Jews living in communities throughout the Arab world. Today, there are fewer than 10,000.”

    Why do you think that is?

  93. @91 look dude just admit you thought the Persian Empire were Muslims and we can move on.

    And why do I think the population of Jews in the Arab world diminished significantly from 1945 to now? Hmm what a mystery, what could have happened shortly after 1945 that would explain exactly where those Jews went? Hmmm

    @90 “but yes, the British Empire had a more permissive policy on Jewish immigration into Palestine than had the Ottoman Empire. Maybe if the Ottoman Empire had been less restrictive, Jews might have moved there earlier?”

    Besides the fact your first statement is wrong, and the vast majority of Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine was illegal (main reason they launched a Hamas-like terror campaign against the British) the idea that Jews patiently waited 1300 years for the perfect time to immigrate is laughable on its face.

    You guys should quit while you’re behind.

  94. @92: “And why do I think the population of Jews in the Arab world diminished significantly from 1945 to now? Hmm what a mystery, what could have happened shortly after 1945 that would explain exactly where those Jews went? Hmmm”

    Some were expelled, some chose to leave. Enough of them settled in Israel that even to this day, a majority of Israelis are, or are descended from, persons who had already resided in the region — not by persons who had arrived from Europe. “Today, the descendants of Jews who immigrated to Israel from other Middle Eastern lands (known as Mizrahi Jews and Sephardic Jews) constitute more than half of the total Israeli population.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_exodus_from_the_Muslim_world)

    “…the British Empire had a more permissive policy on Jewish immigration into Palestine than had the Ottoman Empire.”

    If that’s the statement you’re calling wrong, I seriously wonder what your definition of right is. In the final decades of the Ottoman Empire, Jews were so severely restricted from traveling to Palestine, even pilgrimages to Jerusalem were highly regulated:

    ‘After a further exchange with [local authority in] Jerusalem, it was decided to close Palestine to all Jewish business men, on the grounds that the Capitulations, which permitted Europeans to trade freely within the Ottoman Empire, applied exclusively to areas ‘appropriate for trade’- the Council of State did not consider that Palestine was such an area. Henceforth, only Jewish pilgrims could enter Palestine. Their passports were to be properly visaed by Ottoman Consuls abroad; on arrival they were to hand over a deposit guaranteeing their departure, and they were to leave after thirty days.’ (https://ismi.emory.edu/documents/Readings/Mandel,%20Neville%20J.%20Ottoman%20Policy.pdf)

    After the British Empire took over Palestine, the Balfour Declaration envisioned a Jewish homeland in Palestine. That difference alone shows how much less restrictive the British were, compared to the Ottomans.

    “…the idea that Jews patiently waited 1300 years for the perfect time to immigrate is laughable on its face.”

    The anti-Jewish discrimination in Palestine by the late Ottoman Empire has been very well-documented. Yet you seem surprised Jews moved there immediately after it ended. Perhaps you need to read more history?

  95. @92 of course I don’t think that but that won’t stop you from continuing to ignore reality. What is more likely. Jews left everything they had built behind to go torment some people they never met or faced with increasing hostility and violence from theocratic authoritarian regimes they left behind communities, homes and businesses they had built to find somewhere safe and tolerant. Certainly some left for the dream of Israel but many more left for the latter reason. This of course still exists today which is why Israel is needs to exist as a country and a one state solution is a death sentence for them.

  96. when AIPAC

    pays you bytheword

    and Penalizes when anti-

    Zionists score even One point

    do Not be ‘surprised’

    when commentariattators

    unleash massive word salads

    supporting Israel’s Ongoing Genocide

    they’re even getting

    a little Help from

    their Friends:

    from the Intercept:

    Trump Halts Sanctions on

    Israeli Settlers, Threatens

    to Seize Assets of War

    Crimes Investigators

    the Carnage

    Continues,

    Unabated

    what on Earth

    happened to your

    sockbott, Wormtongue?

    did AIPAC

    take “him”

    back? what

    a Blow, eh?

  97. @92: “…vast majority of Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine was illegal…”

    So, now you’re objecting to persons fleeing the Holocaust? Seriously?

    We all know Horseshoe Theory rules your world, but this is getting ugly, even by the dismal standards of the Stranger’s supportive commenters.

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