Bette’s Weekly Roundup — American Monsters are Finding Out

The Best of Bette reporting for the week

“Amazing we had a megacrook in the White House — what a triumph for international evil.”—Ruth Ben-Ghiat

What a week.

The Bette community got to mine the incredible mind of Ruth Ben-Ghiat at our Sunday ‘Speakeasy’ zoom salon.

We also got to spend time with EuroFile/Kremlin File reporter Monique Camarra at our weekly Happy Hour, where Bette members asked smart, compassionate questions about the war in Ukraine. Our members are so eager for real information, we are bringing Monique back for our ‘Speakeasy’ on August 27, at 1 pm PT.

As promised, we also hosted an impromptu flag-waving bonus Happy Hour session with our man Marty Sheil, whose inspiring explainer on Jack Smith’s latest indictment carried me all week. We also got to eulogize Quincy, who I believe chose Indictment Day to give up the ghost to ease the Sheil family’s sorrow. A good chap through and through. You will be missed.

Before we jump in to this week’s Best of Bette, I would like to share with you a parable on why greed is never good — and why Supervillains like Donald Jessica Trump are finding that out.

My community has benefited for 20 years from a video store that’s endured the technological revolution. It had endured pandemics, and downturns, streaming, and pirating. It has endured because it offers a selection of incredible foreign and hard to find films, it also offers used vinyl, rare posters, and I received my entire education on French filmmakers because of the expert staff.

I hung out at the counter like it was Tower Records on the Strip in the 80s.

So what happened? Right after we all had a blowout party for its 20th birthday — I dressed like Alain Delon in ‘Le Samouraï’ — new owners bought the historic brick building — an old market with adverts for lard still painted on the brick interior — and they jacked the rent up so high, my video store was force out of bucolica.

Yes, I’m broken — I’m crying all over again. It’s so f**ked up.

My cherished video store is moving four miles away — a bigger location in a hipper community, but with no foot traffic so I worry whether or not it will have another 20 years in it.

The new landlord could have met them somewhere in the middle. In order to make the move, there’s a gofundme. I know some of you generous people will contribute without me asking, even though you have no skin in the game, and for that I am grateful.

Sigh.

I did the only thing I could think to do to assuage my grief. I walked in on moving day and picked up a broom. I swept up 20 years of dust bunnies — they were more like dust javelinas — and I lovingly swept the floors of a place that has given me so much — knowledge, art, history, culture — sigh. Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack to ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ was playing in the background — I knew every character theme.

The new location is only two Metro stops away. But those nights when I’d walk over to the shop to get there a minute before 10 pm to save the buck they would never charge me if I was late are over.

I am heartbroken, because greed is never good. I don’t care what business goes in there, I’ll never step foot in there again. It was hallowed ground.

And my little corner of bucolica just got a lot less cool.

Greed is never good, and quite literally, those who engage in it can f**k all the way off.

😔

Now, back to the Best of Bette for the week. For our new members, this is the email to look out for when you want to catch up on highlights from the previous week in reporting.

The Best of Bette for this week hasn’t even been published. Tomorrow, please look for my report in Byline Supplement on what we’ve lost during the Trumpocene — Jeff Sharlet’s word which he got from a friend — so we can have a clear-eyed understanding of where we need to fight.

It’s a lot. I will be doing a recap on these pages when it’s published. Thank you to all my members who also support the Byline team’s vital investigative reporting. Here goes…

American Monster — Donald Trump

Even though investigating Trump-Russia has been my life’s work, I still learn so much each time I write an American Monster profile. This is fourth in the series of US criminals accelerating global authoritarianism. It’s an important read, and it also exists in podcast form. This series is for paid members so please consider joining for access. I have temporarily unlocked some of the previous profiles, so feel free to peruse them here.

‘Fascism Wants You to Betray Yourself’ and Other Lessons from Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Many of Bette Dangerous members were Lucidites first — members of Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s Lucid substack. Her successful substack brings hundreds of members to her weekly meetings, so the opportunity for our community to hear firsthand from Ruth in a smaller setting was very special.

You came armed with brilliant questions and Ruth brought it as she always does.

The recap below and in the link above has some incredibly useful insights — namely, expose the device fascists use instead of engaging in tit-for-tat narrative combat. That will serve us well into 2024.

Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

Please read the 45-page indictment and see what treason looks like. Jack Smith doesn’t use that word, but I do. Donald Jessica Trump has betrayed America in fealty to greed and foreign despots. I always believed this mob story would not end well, but I am now convinced of it. I am looking forward to Trump’s co-conspirators going down with the ship or taking him down.

One of my favorite early sources in this fight — Ruth C. May — who wrote the definitive investigation on the GOP taking money from Russia — told me years ago that the evil people always devour each other.

Trump bout to find out that greed ain’t good for his freedom.

Marty on RadPod

On Indictment Day #3, we not only had Marty host a private Happy Hour, but RadPod invited him on for a live breaker.

“It’s not only a great day for America, but it’s a great day for the rule of and for justice,” he said.

Give it a listen as he walks us through the salient points and waves the flag throughout. I want our flag back, and indictments like this are giving it back to us.

We Must Save Despair for Better Times

Each RadPod guest gets swarmed by bullshit factory operatives trying to denigrate our team and our work in coordinated malinformation campaigns. These bullshit factory operatives do nothing to save democracy — their primary purpose is to hurt people doing the labor of democracy. I lost a day defending my team and since we did not announce the guest publicly before the segment aired, I had to acknowledge that either my community or Jim’s community has an infiltrator/s, which sucks when we are bringing people together to feel well and not to be betrayed. But welcome to the war.

That wasn’t even what brought me low that day — it was seeing Saguaros collapsing in the desert. I will be writing more about that, but just know, there can be no future for the GOP in America. They are propped up by the eco-cide industry.

Three more reports:

• The Mainstreaming of QAnon

  • Please read my latest in Byline Supplement on how ‘Sound of Freedom’ appears to be an indoctrination event. And if you do not have a sub, I am authorized to share the report with members of my community who request it directly at bettedangerous@gmail.com. Since that report was published featuring on interview with Dr. Mia Bloom, a funder of the film has been arrested for child kidnapping. Thankful to my podcast partner Jim Stewartson for continually exposing these creeps while enduring a full-time bullshit factory trying to denigrate his work. As Jackie Singh says, all the harassment of Jim Stewartson doesn’t make disgraced Mike Flynn any less a traitor. I often wonder why he doesn’t just wear a Russian general’s uniform and be done with it.

• Calendaring Bette

  • A helpful list of dates. Please note, the next two Speakeasy zoom salons will be starting earlier than usual at 1 pm PT to accommodate our European guests — Paul Mason (August 13) and Monique Camarra (August 27).

  • Also note — our first Founder’s Day is on August 20 with Keir Giles. If you would like to upgrade to Founding Member status, just note that it’s any amount above the full annual fee. Generous supporters pay the default amount of $210, which is incredibly kind. But I understand that everyone’s situation is different, so if you want to join us and become a Founding Member, please note it’s any amount above the full annual membership. In addition, early adopters of Bette who paid the full annual membership should expect an invite. This is my way to say thank you thank you thank you. Keir Giles and I have been fighting side by side for four years, and I can’t think of anyone better to kick us off on this special new monthly experience for my high-level backers.

• RadPod Breaker — The TESCREAL Threat with Dr. Emile Torres

  • Likely one of the most brilliant interviews we’ve done to date. Dr. Torres’ book on Human Extinction is vital to understanding the villains of our current plight.

Thank you to everyone who supports my work, and supports women in the fight against fascism.

I am truly blessed to work directly for the people.

💘🇺🇸

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Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members. Thank you as well to all those who support my work with your generous coffee tips and who buy my ebooks. Some of you prefer making subsidizing donations via venmo, and it’s always greatly appreciated. If you wish to gift a membership, you can do so by donating to the ko-fi or venmo accounts, and indicate it’s for a gift, or do so here.

Founding Members will be invited to our first monthly Founder’s Day event with ‘Russia’s War on Everybody’ author Keir Giles on August 20. All paid members receive invites to our ‘Speakeasy’ zoom salons, and weekly wellness checkins, Bette’s Happy Hour. Our next ‘Speakeasy’ zoom salon is August 13, at 1 pm PT, with ‘How to Stop Fascism’ author Paul Mason.

Also, a private link to an annual membership discount for older adults, those on fixed incomes or drawing disability, as well as activists and members of the media is available upon request at bettedangerous@gmail.com. 🥹

We just have to see that the battle for democracy is broader. It's deeper.—David Pepper

I need people to see they're on the frontline. Wherever you live, if you’re doing this work, you are the frontline.—David Pepper

The message should be a fair deal… fairness everywhere.—Martin Sheil

💘

“I say a silent prayer of thanksgiving as I walk upon the earth.”-Audrey Peterman.

“May the viral hope for truth and humanity wash away the chaos of these years.”-S.C., Bette community member

“Something Sacred never dies in almost all of us, who can hear the invitation of Truth…”-words from a Bette Dangerous community member

“Non-violent protest is a life-affirming activity as it seeks to promote a more humane society.”-Ellen Zucker

“Nothing but blue skies from now on…”-Irving Berlin

💘

(Below, moving day at my video store 🥺)