New: Thank Yous, Welcoming My New "ReOpen" Subscriber, They Can't Cancel Me, And More!
New: Thank Yous, Welcoming My New "ReOpen" Subscriber, They Can't Cancel Me, And More!
First off, I want to thank my readers who became paid subscribers last week. Your financial support means a lot! I would have mentioned your names, but I wouldn’t want you to suffer any backlash from the right-wing digital brownshirts terrorizing Bucks County.
Second, I want to welcome my new “ReOpen” subscriber. I hope you will choose to become a paid subscriber!
Speaking of backlash, someone wrote a very inaccurate, trite, and unimpressive email to the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer in a fruitless attempt to “cancel” me. It was easy enough to refute. I’ll tell you my secret (even though this will now be in the public sphere): Facts.
Here is some of my social media reporting that apparently got them in a tizzy:
As a result, I’ve been inspired to cut short my hiatus. My column will return either the first or second week of September. I will also push hard to regularly update the newsletter and podcast episodes moving forward. Listen to my return to the podcast HERE. And if you can become a paid subscriber, I’d appreciate it!
If you can’t afford to, I still appreciate you just as much. Folks are constantly reaching out, offering their kind words and assistance, and I couldn’t do what I do without you!
Some reading:
Here is one article that I found very enlightening this week.
Why were so many Jan. 6 rioters from Pennsylvania?
A few highlights:
“I can’t overemphasize how important it is that right-wing media spread the falsehoods and lies,” said Alison Dagnes, a professor of political science at Shippensburg University…
Another historical factor playing a role in Jan. 6 is the presence of militia groups, neo-Nazis, skinheads, and Ku Klux Klan chapters [in Pennsylvania]. “We have seen quite a few extremist groups over the years,” said Wes Leckrone, a Widener University political science professor. They’ve been predominant in rural areas and central Pennsylvania, where Leckrone grew up. At least in northeastern Pennsylvania, racism was a factor in Trump’s support… [They have also been in Bucks County - my comment]
Compounding the anger among Trump supporters was “an explosion of disinformation and misinformation during the pandemic” about why the government ordered some businesses to close and not others, and on face mask mandates and school closures, said Lara Putnam, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who studies grassroots politics and disinformation.
“It generates a belief you are coming under assault,” said Putnam. “People went there (D.C.) based on fear and a loss of their way of life because of misinformation and disinformation.”
And an older column which speaks to the unhinged backlash people are forced to deal with.
Hysterical social media mob targets Doylestown businesswoman
A few highlights:
Donna Gouldey, a Doylestown shop owner, wanted to say thanks to frontline and essential workers, senior citizens, those at high risk, and anyone else who received a COVID-19 vaccine by offering them a discount at her store Allora Gifts & Home Décor…
The unhinged blowback started two days later when a former customer posted her displeasure with Donna’s discount on the Pennsylvania Opening Businesses/Defying the Governor Facebook page. This led to 349 comments on this seemingly right-wing page, over 1,100 comments on Donna’s store page (both in support and opposition), harassing phone calls, negative customer reviews, and a whole lot of stress for Donna and her boyfriend. The first week she was receiving hundreds of notifications at any given time, not to mention numerous phone calls at her shop…
One commenter compared COVID vaccine cards to the “mark of the beast,” an apparent nod to the Book of Revelations suggesting some kind of Satanic conspiracy…
She’s been compared to a Nazi. One screaming caller called the private business owner a Communist and threatened to bring a group of unmasked people to her store, which could be deadly for Donna if a non-mask wearer is carrying COVID…
Thanks for reading! I look forward to your feedback and suggestions. And most importantly, keep organizing!