Jay Childers

Friendly reminder that the “attention” in “Thank you for your attention to this matter” is the point. Trump wants to distract you. From the Epstein files. From the failing economy. From the authoritarian consolidation of power. From his declining health. Stay focused.

7.) Finally, they are of course named after the abolitionist John Brown, an American hero who was willing to give up his life in the fight against slavery. Erasing history and bringing back the Lost Cause myth will never change that.

6.) The best historical analogy for JBGCs might be the vigilance committees that popped up all over the North in the 1850s to help protect Black people from those attempting to profit off the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law.

5.) Some JBGCs will provide armed protection for marginalized community members and the businesses that support them. They are defensive and not offensive in nature.

4.) Many JBGCs offer gun safety resources and provide mutual aid for the larger community.

3.) Because of that, JBGCs reflect the values and goals of local members. Most focus on offering left-leaning gun owners a shared space away from the more rightwing, conservative gun culture.

2.) The first JBGC started over 20 years ago in Lawrence, Kansas. Others have taken the name, but there is not a national organization. They are a VERY loose network of local groups, some of which now exist under the name Redneck Revolt.

1.) JBGCs are NOT domestic terrorists.

Since the rightwing mediasphere is trying to turn John Brown Gun Clubs (JBGC) into the radical left boogeyman, here are a few things to know since I have written about the groups.

Stephen Miller & @StephenM This language incites violence and terrorism. America @america • Sep 24 California Governor Gavin Newsom calls ICE arresting illegal aliens "authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government".

This weak, brazen attempt by Stephen Miller both to chill free speech and to set up a premise to criminalize it — and, to be clear, this is the very type of speech most central to First Amendment protections — would be laughably embarrassing if this man did not have the power that he has.

Violence: "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation." (WHO)

With all this talk of what is and is not violence (looking at you DHS), seems like a good reminder is in order. And if you didn't know, the World Health Organization has a really solid definition that covers a lot of ground--and does not include video recording law enforcement...

They have their prophet and now they have their martyr, so this is not about politics for a lot of them. This is a faith movement, a religious movement. I don’t see how calls for more debate and civility are going to help. This requires a massive social and political countermovement.

It will also likely lead to more extreme actions, including violence, because the martyr talk only makes their faith in Trump all the more unbreakable. They still see the failed assassination attempt against him as a “miracle” and proof that he was destined to be re-elected.

I worry people aren’t taking the Charlie Kirk martyr language seriously. It’s clear many MAGA folks really believe they are fighting a deeply religious battle. This martyr talk will lead to “higher law” arguments that completely dismiss the Constitution.

Watching Trump go after Kimmel and others is a stark reminder of how disgusting it is when a bully pretends to be the victim. Truly pathetic.

This is the playbook, folks.

If you're not paying attention now and doing something about it, then you're going to have to sit down the rest of your life because democracy is being taken away.

Do not be quiet in this moment.

Reading the comments made by the FCC Chair about Jimmy Kimmel, it really seems this administration does not like free speech or free markets. One worries they may just not like freedom at all.

A performative politics that treats ideological opponents as enemies to be destroyed instead of adversaries you are competing with will always tend toward violence. And so much of what passes for politics these days is performative.

Doing research on abolition rhetoric and political violence in the U.S., I spend a lot of time each day reading newspapers and speeches from the late 1850s. I really, really wish that didn’t feel so relevant for what is happening today.

If we make it a week without some MAGA nut shooting up a “radical left” college campus, I will be relieved. Trump pouring fuel on the fire and pretty much declaring war on a large swath of the American people seems very not good.

Thinking this afternoon of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and the response to her political assassination in June.

The last time I stayed awake for more than 24 hours I was incoherent and grumpy and seeing little blurry black spots that weren't real. I was not speaking coherently to millions and millions of people. Respect.

Musk seems hellbent on creating an AI driven technocracy, which is not the least bit surprising given his grandfather, Joshua Haldeman, dreamed of such a thing back in the 1930s. To be clear, real democracy cannot exist under technocratic rule.

The speed by which far right bros went from “gas is king” to “we must protect Tesla with our lives” is mind-boggling.

Instead of reporting that the Trump admin is “asking students to self-deport,” maybe folks could be more accurate: the Trump admin is harassing and threatening legal immigrants who have done absolutely nothing wrong. It's dangerous and pathetic. Words matter.

Republicans Vote to Let Banks Screw Over Working Americans Senate Republicans voted 52-48 to advance a repeal of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule capping bank and credit union overdraft fees at $5.

An honest headline. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

I really wish people would quit making “that’s the ballgame” claims every time Trump does something. This isn’t a game and fighting Trump’s authoritarian regime will take sustained effort for the next four years. Stop declaring democracy dead and fight for it instead.

I’m hearing that Senator Chuck Schumer just signed a deal with Amazon Publishing to write a new book—Profiles in Cowardice. Rumor is that Steve Bannon will write the foreword. Going to be a huge best seller.

This guy is running a public university like a for-profit business and is angry he can't fire more tenured faculty...yet. I fear this is the way things are heading across the country.