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tblue37

(67,056 posts)
Sat Sep 20, 2025, 06:20 PM Sep 20

From Ron Filipkowski's bluesky post:

https://www.meidasplus.com/p/today-in-politics-bulletin-210-91925?r=9qw74&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

Snip

… “This isn’t fucking Twitter. This isn’t people getting canceled because of a cultural pile-on. This is the US govt silencing voices that they disagree with. If they can come for Kimmel, they can come for anybody. This is happening. It’s time to act. Figure it out. Find a way. Come together. Push back. Because if this goes, it’s over.”

… Comedian Patton Oswalt: “I think everybody sees what’s happening, even the people that are benefiting from this who are pretending like they don’t see what’s happening. Isaac Asimov said that there’s only 3 science fiction plots: ‘What if?’ ‘If only’ and ‘If this goes on.’ And, unfortunately, we are at the dark end of ‘if this goes on.’ That line that when we cross it, we’re all supposed to rise up? That’s way, way behind us. So we can’t just stand up anymore, we gotta roar up screaming and link arms. All of us. This thing is coming for all of us.”

… Showbiz411: “Unexpected on ‘The View’ this morning. Coming on the heels of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension by ABC from his talk show, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, et al remained silent. They seem like they’ve been gagged by ABC. The opening segment is a rerun of yesterday’s conversation about with discussion of Kash Patel’s Congressional Hearing. Basically, the show opened with a birthday greeting to Sarah Haines, with a white background and colorful sprinkles on the floor.”

… “Then the lighting darkened and the show subbed in yesterday’s segment about Patel’s hearing. They returned from commercial to a discussion about RFK Jr and nothing about Kimmel or anything referring to what happened to Kimmel. There’s absolutely no way Whoopi or Joy would not have commented on the Kimmel suspension unless ABC forbade them. Goldberg and Behar must be beyond angry.”

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Bernardo de La Paz

(58,838 posts)
2. Heinlein wrote story about evangelical con who became Pres & had to be overthrown by revolution.
Sat Sep 20, 2025, 06:52 PM
Sep 20

It was called "If This Goes On --"

A reviewer for The Economist in 2024 called the novel "a peculiar mixture of pulpy action and political theorising". He noted that the novel version included extensive postscript by the author explaining his concerns. He quoted Heinlein words from it:

There is a latent deep strain of religious fanaticism in [America]; it is rooted in our history and it has broken out many times in the past...[T]here has been a sharp rise in strongly evangelical sects in this country in recent years, some of which hold beliefs theocratic in the extreme, anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, and anti-libertarian...The capacity of the human mind for swallowing nonsense and spewing it forth in violent and repressive action has never yet been plumbed.[5]


In academia, the story has been analyzed as an early critique (in science fiction) of "religion as a manipulative, hegemonic social tool", and argued to be an example of a feminist critique of religion.[6] It has also been mentioned as one of the first portrayals of fictional religion in sci-fi.[7]: 435 

ms liberty

(10,626 posts)
6. Yes and Heinlein's been dead forever. I read him more than 40 years ago
Sat Sep 20, 2025, 08:47 PM
Sep 20

Jeez. 40 years. That just ain't right, man.

Response to Bernardo de La Paz (Reply #2)

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