Cheryl Contee

Third time's the charm...?

Cuz censorship in America is not ok…

Take action against corporate cowards

I have written and deleted a lot of posts but I keep thinking about how the brutal assassination of Minnesota State senator Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their beloved dog Gilbert in June did not prompt this same level of calls for empathy, sympathy, and flags at half-mast.

White and blue text: "Know Your Rights when interacting with federal agents, local law enforcement, or military troops: If you get stopped, ask if you’re free to go. If they say yes, walk or drive away. If you’re questioned, you can say, “I want to remain silent.” In some cases, you may be required to provide your name, address, immigration status, and/or ID. If an official asks to search you or your belongings, you have the right to say no, but do not obstruct access. They may have authority to conduct the search anyway. If they begin searching you or your vehicle, say clearly: “I do not consent to a search.” You do not have to unlock your phone or give government officials your password without a warrant. For additional security, turn off biometric identification such as Face ID. If law enforcement officers arrest you, you have a right to ask why. Otherwise, say you wish to remain silent and ask for a lawyer immediately. Don't sign, say, or agree to anything without a lawyer present. If you believe your rights have been violated, when you can, write down everything you remember, get contact information for witnesses, and take photographs of any injuries." Light blue ACLU logo. Blue arrow pointing to the right. Black background.

White and blue text: "Know Your Rights when witnessing federal agents, local law enforcement, or military activity in public: You have the right to talk about and publicize truthful information that you obtain lawfully, including about what law enforcement officers are doing and where they are doing it. You have the right to tell people their legal rights. If you are a lawyer, make clear you are not giving legal advice. You have the right to photograph or film anything in plain view, including federal buildings and law enforcement. These officials can’t confiscate or demand to view your photographs or video without a warrant, nor can they delete data under any circumstances. However, they may order you to move a reasonable distance away. If you think a command is unlawful, it’s safest to follow the order, document the interaction, and challenge it later. You can ask for officers’ names and badge numbers, as well as who to call if there are follow-up questions." Light blue ACLU logo. Black background.

No matter what uniform they wear, federal agents and military troops on our streets are bound by the Constitution.

For more information, go to aclu.org/deployment_kyr.

Just um…no

A friend of mine was on Charlie Kirk's "watch list" of Black professors. She received so many death and rape threats that her university offered her a security detail for the walk to class.

This is Kirk's legacy.

You would never know it from reading all of these legacy newspaper op-eds about him.

Meanwhile on Reddit…

Charlie Kirk called me a ‘lunatic’ and a ‘prostitute’ and demanded I be deported.

Nothing, *nothing*, justifies killing him, or robbing his kids of their dad.

We don’t know the identity or motive of the shooter but murder can *never* be the response to political disagreements.

Yeah, I would't necessarily credit Kirk as an exponent of "good-faith debate."

One can lament violence without making up a better person to mourn than the victim actually was.

Denver Antifascists Oppose Right-Wing Turning Point USA Conference at Grand Hyatt - UNICORN RIOT Denver, CO – On Saturday, March 18, the right-wing group “Turning Point USA” (TPUSA) held its Mountain Western Regional Conference at the Grand Hyatt Denver. Antifascist activists confronted attendees...

March 18, 2017 - Antifascists gathered to oppose a Turning Point USA conference at the Grand Hyatt in Denver.

On a video Charlie Kirk posted of a confrontation with protesters, a TPUSA attendee can be heard shouting “yeah, I’m a Nazi”:

Charlie Kirk’s legacy…he had a constitutional right to free speech. This is how he used it.

Solid. This is the blueprint elected officials should use for guidance right now.

The governor of California could learn a thing or two from his Illinois counterpart.

House erupts after GOP speaker requests prayer for Charlie Kirk A yelling match broke out in the House chamber Wednesday after Speaker Mike Johnson requested a prayer on behalf of Charlie Kirk. The conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder was shot and…

All victims of gun violence should be mourned, regardless of party.

www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...

None of this is acceptable. Americans have the right to free speech and everyone should be able to exercise that right safely, even if we disagree. Everyone should have the benefit of the Constitution’s protections, even Charlie Kirk and especially all the many other Americans he denigrated.

there was never going to be a world in which the right didn’t claim the left was celebrating the death of charlie kirk, no matter how respectable anyone tried to be.

Charlie Kirk’s legacy - some things he said: “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.” “Birth control makes women angry and bitter.” “The ‘Great Replacement’ is not a theory, it’s a reality.” Free speech was his right as an American. This is how he used it.

Hannah Arendt said 'The death of human empathy is one of the earliest & most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism'

We saw the recent cruelty of MAGA denying empathy to Melissa Hortman

Empathy for Kirk—not because he ever acted like a decent human—but because we are decent humans

@govpritzker.illinois.gov's take on Kirk is the correct one:

"Political violence, unfortunately, has ramped up in this country ... I think there are people who are fomenting it in this country. I think the president's rhetoric often foments it."

On point. So glad Democrats are saying this.

Be the lawyer on the tarmac in whatever part of your life and work you can be right now.

The Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House was gunned down in her home and slaughtered along with her husband and dog, and Trump didn't say a thing.

Half-mast, my ass.

Earlier this year, Utah Republicans passed a "Campus Carry" law (HB 128), which allows individuals aged 18+ to carry a firearm, either openly or concealed, on college campuses, provided they hold a valid Utah Concealed Weapon Permit (CWP).

Thinking about the family of Representative Melissa Hortman & her husband who were assassinated at the hands of a radical MAGA shooter in June.

Melissa was doing such important work for the state of Minnesota & this country-we grieve her loss & demand strict gun reform legislation.

The MSNBC commentator saying that most political violence has historically come from the left just once again showed how we suffer from failing to learn history. Lynching, pogroms, race riots, the political violence that ended Reconstruction, and against the Civil Rights Movement. Come on.

Political violence is wrong. And I’ve never wished anyone ill. However, I am really finding it difficult to have compassion for someone who had so little compassion for others. Hopefully we can rise above this such that people can speak freely & safely in the U.S. for both left & right.

America's Kryptonite Truth #11 of The Thirteen Truths of Superman

The Constitution's fatal blind spot: it never mentions corporations.

This enabled systemic racism, surveillance capitalism, and the real-life Lex Luthor in the White House.

But we're done letting traitors define what America means.

Let's fight "America's Kryptonite."

Let's Make America Super.

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