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Andrew Dolgin's avatar

Hopefully you also discuss H.R. 867 the IGO Anti-boycott act that was opposed by MTG and Massie but pushed by other republicans which would impose jail time up to 20 years and up to a million dollar fine for Americans who take part in boycotts of nations, say like a boycott of Israel, if international governmental organizations (like the UN or EU) advocate those boycotts.

A bi-partisan effort to criminalize speech, protest, and our general freedom of association as Americans, forcing us to comply with U.S. foreign policy goals even in our purchasing habits.

And by the way, that resolution would have expanded the laws already on the books which criminalize Americans taking part in boycotts of nations if other countries which we oppose geopolitically are advocating those boycotts. If you even fail to report a request from a country to boycott a nation that the U.S. favors, say Israel for example, that itself is criminalized.

This is an attempted massacre of our rights, especially free speech. This cannot be ignored.

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Andrew Dolgin's avatar

To my utter lack of surprise, neither of them mentioned this topic despite the fact that the only reason it wasn’t voted on today was due to efforts by Massie, MTG, and a few others.

Apparently neither Taibbi nor Kirn see this as a free speech issue at all. Or perhaps they both stopped caring about free speech as an issue.

Either way, not worth discussing for even five minutes for these two. Much more important to talk about the Luigi musical or cry about a story about strawberries.

Perhaps disappointing but totally unsurprising.

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Jack's avatar

You are on point about everything Andrew but I think the bill is only targeting boycotts of Israel. Not just other nations. How fucked up is that? You can still boycott an American company without breaking the law but not Israel. Seems like pretty big news to me.

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Andrew Dolgin's avatar

From what I understand it isn’t about Israel specifically in the language of the bill. The target of a boycott doesn’t determine whether it would be criminal under that new law to support it.

It’s actually whether or not a designated country or international governmental organization (the IGO part of the name of the bill) like the UN or EU is advocating or “in agreement with” said boycott.

If you are found to be “in agreement with” such a country or IGO in your acts of association and your power of purse, then you are violating that law and are subject to imprisonment and fines.

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michael888's avatar

SCOTUS has ruled in the past that boycotts are free speech/ expression. I'm surprised that 38 states have managed to make contracts and jobs unavailable to anyone who supports BDS. The excuse, as always is "national security", though like most of America's military adventures and foreign policies, Israel is just another black hole for money laundering and war profiteering.

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Running Burning Man's avatar

Or they have a lot of other things they decide to work on and do not wish to engage with Jew haters such as yourself. You trolls lurk around Taibbi and Kirn articles that you can weasel in some connection to Gaza.

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BookWench's avatar

I'm no Jew hater, and I oppose all foreign aid, but I don't understand why so many commenters feel justified in telling Matt what to cover.

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Jack's avatar

There’s a difference between telling him what to cover and calling him out the hypocrisy. Are we not allowed to criticize? Does it all have to be ass kissing about yet another article about censorship from the previous administration that doesn’t even matter anymore?

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BookWench's avatar

Of course the censorship at NPR still matters; Congress is currently debating whether or not to cut all federal aid to NPR.

We are barely 5 months into 2025, and it's really entertaining to see how many people want to act like the previous 4 years never happened.

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Jack's avatar

Who fucking cares about NPR or the MSM media. They are dying media. Either way, i would say that people getting jailed for boycotts are more important than NPR only doing trans stories. You tell me what is the bigger free speech offense. If Matt is all about speech then he wouldn’t be doing the same story over and over again about how much MSNBC sucks.

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BookWench's avatar

Then start your own Substack.

I enjoy the variety of topics Matt covers.

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Jack's avatar

Then enjoy them. No one’s telling you not to. That’s always the easy way out woke right argument. Just start your own Substack, don’t be a snowflake, just leave the country then, etc… Woke maga right = unoriginal talking point fucking babies.

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BookWench's avatar

Except that we aren't the ones whining.

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Jack's avatar

Aren’t whining ? You are basically whining about public radio and colleges being woke. The irony is hilarious since being woke is basically whining.

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Chetzmom4's avatar

Are you for real? Jew hater? What the actual fuck. Are you a ZIONAZI? Are you a Jewish Supremacist? Do you value Israel and Billionaire Zionists ABOVE the Bill of Rights and the Constitution?

Cuz that's what you sound like.

Obviously, you aren't an American.

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Bunker Bob's avatar

It's worth noting, that contrary to your opinion, Israel does not receive the lion share of its support (financial or other) from Jews. It never has. Both the state itself, and the lobbying firms that support it derive the VAST majority of support from evangelical Christians. They always have.

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Chetzmom4's avatar

Yes! Zionists are both Evangelical Christians and ATHEISTS. Zionism is not the same as the Jewish religion... or any religion. It's about MONEY.

Greater Israel is Bibi & the Israelis plan, and the USA going to War with Iran is part of this great idea.

There's also untapped Natural Gas resources off the coast of Gaza, so that's another reason for Oligarchs to get excited about "defending the only democracy in the Middle East."

ALL OF THIS... has nothing to do with making American great again or even Okay again! This is ALL ABOUT protecting and moving forward the agenda of ANOTHER COUNTRY.

You are not MAGA nor are you American if you put Another Country ABOVE the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution. You are Israel First, and do not believe in the United States of America..

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S B T Larzier's avatar

running burning man: And arses like you pull out “Jaw hater” as if we are scared. What is wrong with a Jaw hater, anyway? Jaws don’t help non-Jaws, no way, no how, and haven’t for centuries if not thousands of years. Jaws help Jaws ONLY. When was the last time you witnessed, or heard about, a Jaw helping a non-Jaw? Never, or so close to never, it being negligible. That is a legitimate reason to hate Jaws, or it just “the behavior” of Jaws we should hate? Jaws are on the hook, non-Jaws are holding Jaws accountable,—for oh so little things like for every Jaw killed in the State of Isrule, twenty Palestinians “get deaded,” and it is because of weapon-disparity, you know, lethal missiles vs. stone-throwing.🖕🏼

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Bunker Bob's avatar

Tell me you don't know any Jews without telling me you don't know any Jews.

"Jews" indicate followers of a particular religion. "Zionists" indicate supporters of the state of Israel. One does not imply the other. You would be very surprised how many Jews do *not* support Israel or what it is currently doing (of course, if you actually knew any Jews, you would already know this).

As for helping non-Jews, I do it every day. I'm the only Jew in my orbit. I work with a bunch of Latinos, Arabs, and Black people. I look out for them, and they look out for me. We get along great!

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Salusa Secundus Snape's avatar

Here is my take on Matt’s silence on Israel:

https://substack.com/home/post/p-162427092

I think that a critical mass of Matt’s audience need to demand that he speak out. As long as he is going to give into audience capture, we may as well be the captors.

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S B T Larzier's avatar

Don’t bother speaking out one way or another for the State of Isrule. Isrule rules America. Isrule won’t fall until the USA falls. USA is crumbling, or hadn’t you noticed? Heard of any Maryland bridges that are about to fail and won’t be replaced?

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Karen's avatar

Free speech to both Taibbi and Kirn was always and only shorthand for ‘stupid bigots get to use the n-word and men get to make rape threats and harass women without any consequences whatsoever.’ Neither one of these two assholes ever gave a single molecule of concern about government restrictions on opinions or expression; they did resent it when women called them out for making disgusting misogynistic comments.

Taibbi and Kirn are both obnoxious bigots.

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Samuel Ralston's avatar

Shut up Karen

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Susan Abbott's avatar

Is your name ironic?

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Karen's avatar

Can any of you bigots actually defend Kirn and Taibbi? Show me where either one of them has ever actually defended a real victim of government oppression based on speech? Show me where either one of them has actually NOT been a vicious woman-hater?

Where and when has Matt Taibbi defended a woman?

Where and when has Walter Kirn advocated for increasing women’s autonomy and economic and government power?

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BookWench's avatar

Show us on this doll where Matt or Walter hurt you, Karen.

Otherwise, go make David a sandwich.

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Karen's avatar

Kirn and Taibbi offend me because they only have any kind of a career due to being nepo babies. They live on their fathers’ connections. Millions of better people with better ideas lost out on creative jobs because these two talentless hacks occupied prime real estate.

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BookWench's avatar

Bwahahahahahahahaaha!

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Steven Leonard's avatar

go home karen

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S B T Larzier's avatar

Oh, what does the “n-word” mean? N-ggers? There, I said it out loud. Ni-gers. Nig-ers. Nigg-rs.😱Oh, I am so afraid.😱Nigge-.

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Karen's avatar

What was the point of this? Did it make you happy to be offensive? I’m serious — why did you think this was so important?

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BookWench's avatar

You should know, Karen.

You try your hardest to be offensive every week.

Does it make you happy?

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Karen's avatar

And why are you defending someone who uses the N-word??? What good does this do to anyone?

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BookWench's avatar

I made no defense of anybody.

I simply made an observation.

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Karen's avatar

Annoying you personally and individually makes me happy.

Serious question, what do you want the world to look like? Do you believe in social mobility? Should we teach kids Shakespeare? If so, when and where? What do you with parents who don’t want their kids educated or think marrying girls off at 13 is a good idea?

Taibbi is nothing but a crank. He has no vision for a decent society and is spending his remaining years complaining that women don’t like rape jokes any more. Do you want to live in his world?

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BookWench's avatar

What a lovely sentiment, though you are much less annoying than you are baffling.

You just seem focused on being angry and miserable, for some odd reason.

Try to find some peace in your life.

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Kassandra_z's avatar

I am both surprised and disappointed. I’ve been dismayed they haven’t touched on this topic at all when it directly implicates free speech.

I’ve been told a while ago these guys are not wholly independent and I didn’t believe it. Now, it’s clear. I’ll be unsubscribing.

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@CLJ3's avatar

Who are the sponsors of this bill? Their in-bins need to be relentlessly flooded.

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Andrew Dolgin's avatar

NJ Democrat Josh Gottheimer and NY Republican Mike Lawler, and also 20+ other members of the house from both parties co-sponsored it.

It seems to me that this is standard Trump admin behavior and it is absolutely clear that with people like Massie opposing it, and with Trump targeting and feuding with Massie, this could become a point of contention which feeds into the schism growing within the GOP between true America First ideologues like Massie and Israel First sellout traitors like Lawler and, yes, Trump.

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@CLJ3's avatar

Thank you. (shaking my head.......)

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Salusa Secundus Snape's avatar

My two cents on Matt’s Israel quietude: https://substack.com/home/post/p-162427092

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Salusa Secundus Snape's avatar

Now, do you think Matt ever raised this issue in any of his hearings before Congress? Did he ever write about it?

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Salusa Secundus Snape's avatar

“This cannot be ignored”? You don’t know Matt Taibbi!

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