Bette’s Weekly Roundup - The Age of the Surreal

Breaking news, the Best of Bette for the week, and some New York Times comments from geniuses

We had a brilliant ‘Speakeasy’ with Jeff Sharlet on Sunday, and as soon as I can put together a few quiet moments I will empty my head of some of the magic. One of the phrases I learned from him that I keep going back to is ‘militant eroticism’ - an authoritarian right trope. I thought of that phrase today as I FAFO’d a tweet from Tom Fitton, who said he got an FBI doorknock. The bicep-bulging Council for National Policy president is one of those unreality shapeshifters.

It’s exciting that on the day Steve Bannon got a subpoena from Jack Smith, Fitton got an FBI doorknock, and Trump got a heads up to lookout for falling Espionage Act indictments.

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting today - Trump’s entire presidency* was a violation of the Espionage Act. Refer to Bette podcast 38, where I recite Timothy Snyder’s words on the four-year gift Trump Yanukovych was to Putin.

Snyder on Trump

It’s clear they’ve been paying attention to (Trump) for a long time. It’s clear that Putin wanted Trump to win. He said as much. It’s clear that he applauded Trump’s idea that the European Union isn’t really a thing, that NATO should perhaps be weakened.

What Trump does for Putin is he normalizes the Russian way of doing politics. So Putin’s view that democracy is a joke, you can lie all the time, politics is fundamentally about some rich guy becoming richer, corruption is normal, right, that—Trump normalizes that for the whole world. So it’s a huge gift for Putin.

Putin was now normal thanks to Donald Trump, and that had a tremendously negative effect on politics around the world.

Look, it was a bonanza for them… a feast for the Kremlin every day. Because what the Trump administration delivered every day in its outrageous rhetoric, in its disrespect for American institutions, and in the countless scandals was what Russian propaganda outlets dreamed of. They dream of this kind of raw material which proves that democracy is a joke.

Trump is there to tell you that democracy is a joke. He’s there to tell you that the rules don’t apply to everyone equally; they don’t apply to him. He’s there to tell you that might makes right. He’s there to tell you that you can lie every day, not just in Russia but in America, which—that’s what he did. He lied every day, all the time, just like Putin.

Trump gave them the basic thing that they wanted, which was an American administration which was an embarrassment for everyone who cared about democracy.

If there’s another Trump administration, I think we can probably say goodbye for quite a while to American-European cooperation.

And one thing which they wanted, which they got and which they celebrated was a coup attempt. Nobody loved Jan. 6 more than the Russians did… They talk about it all the time. Trump gave them four years, which was one big gift, but Jan. 6 was like the wrapping.. if he’s elected again—if he becomes president again, I should say, I’m sure he’ll come up with new things, but Jan. 6 was an extraordinary gift to Russia.

I am comforted by the ashen look on the faces of Trump’s lawyers after meeting with Jack Smith. They may want to reconsider their life choices.

I have also been thinking a lot about the impacts of college debt on young Americans, and why a cabal of online abusers seem so willing to carry Putin’s water.

Yesterday, the news of US traitor Robert Hanssen’s death was reported in my friend Jeff Stein’s SpyTalk. The following bits caught my eye.

"They are all weird in their own way. Healthy people (usually) don’t spy," says former CIA case officer and Russia hand John Sipher. "That said, he was a mess."

As John Le Carré bitter Alex Leamas bitterly grouses, without too much exaggeration, in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold:

“What the hell do you think spies are? Moral philosophers measuring everything they do against the word of God or Karl Marx?…“They're not! They're just a bunch of seedy, squalid bastards like me: little men, drunkards, queers, hen-pecked husbands, civil servants playing cowboys and Indians to brighten their rotten little lives. Do you think they sit like monks in a cell, balancing right against wrong?”

Spies are not regular folks, as you might expect, and not in the usual movie way that may come to mind.

They all have tics—alcoholism and raging egos being among the most common. Some far more than that.

It occurred to me that those in the US creating unreality to sell fascist ideology and pro-Kremlin talking points are spies. They’ve taken money from Russia in exchange for information and selling unreality. What shall we call them if not spies?

I am looking forward to gaining greater clarity on that in coming weeks.

Evidence of the great work my podcast partner Jim Stewartson is doing came into even sharper focus when he was hit with a ten million-dollar lawsuit from Kash Patel. That on top of the lawsuit he was hit with from retired Lt. General Mike Flynn.

Three years of online abusers trying to make Jim radioactive, and he still keeps doing the work. And now, two members of the Trump administration* use lawfare in an attempt to silence him.

As if.

It’s really exciting learning how global our allies are, and how many good people wish to help us get to the discovery phase.

Of course, it’s worth noting both Flynn and Patel pleaded the Fifth when questioned about J6.

Before we get on to Bette’s Best Of I have two quick newsers for you:

Marty on Trump’s pending indictment:

I see Trump was issued a target letter which is generally a prelude to an indictment, something that was predicted.

The docs case is very strong. How do we know this? A Federal Judge has to approve any search warrant based on probable cause that a crime has been committed and evidence of that crime will be found. That has happened.

In fact the special master appointed to review the evidence obtained by the Feds via SW characterized the government’s case in writing as a “prima facie” case. Indictment requires that a GJ find probable cause that a crime has been committed.

Sound familiar?

Trump has no viable defense.

When the government indicts someone they generally communicate an openness to negotiating a plea deal. How will the self-designated master of dealmaking react? Would The Donald lower himself to negotiating a guilty plea to one count of illegal retention of gov docs and a sentence of a couple of months in Club Fed in return for the Special Counsel dropping any 1/6 charges? DJT could then still be available to run for election after substantial fundraising based on his perceived victimhood.

The Art of the Deal on steroids!

It could happen…

Stay tuned,

m

Those musings are from Martin Sheil, retired IRS criminal investigator, who appears often on the pages. He thinks the Cult won’t care if Trump runs from prison. We’ll see.

The second newser is from Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who helped me understand why the Party Formerly Known as the GOP has become such a jobs killer, canceling Disney, Target, Bud Light, whatever. Disney pulled up a billionaire dollars in jobs creation stakes from Florida. I thought it was because fascists need a villain, and as they target the gay and trans communities, they go after the companies that support LGBTQ+ rights.

But Ruth explained it more succinctly, using Erdogan as an example.

“Erdogan has gone after any business that he thinks has links with his nemesis Fetullah Gulen - $32 billion worth - probably way more now. That's one example of an ideologically motivated anti-business stance.”

Her book ‘Strongmen’ has more on that.

She explained how Orban “has gone after non-aligned media companies” and how “Putin's plundering is just on financial grounds since Russia is a kleptocracy. He seizes your assets or forces a cheap sale no matter what your ideas are.”

These points are very important because the US became like Russia under Trump, and we have to keep reversing that under Biden and into the future.

Alright, let’s get our Best of Bette roundup from the past week under way…

RadPod Breaker: Bodies Under Siege with Special Guest Sian Norris

One of my investigative reporting partners Sian Norris has just released the book, ‘Bodies Under Siege - How the Far Right Attack on Reproductive Rights Went Global’ and she does a brilliant job tying together how today's anti-abortion movements are largely financed and planned by far-right extremists.

In her book she gives a stark choice:

We have reached a crossroads between fascism and a new, progressive future with a new economic and societal model that will meet the challenges of climate crisis and the rise of artificial intelligence. This choice is urgent. Go one way, and women’s, LGBTIQ, and black and minority ethnic people’s lives will be blighted by oppression, forced to dodge hate and trying to resist genocide.

Choose the other way, and the future is ours.

I would like the future to be ours, but the future is now. In our interview, we discuss with Sian the breaking news from Uganda, which just passed the most egregious anti-gay law in the world, and Poland - which let another woman die rather than offer her medical treatment after she had pregnancy complications.

Here is more about her book:

Many of these far-right extremists are avowedly fascist and white supremacist, afraid of a "great replacement" of the world's white population by other races, who are working hard to reshape governments and policies across Europe, North America and around the world. Much of this far-right organizing and funding network, however, has been overlooked by today's feminist and left movements.

As investigative journalist Sian Norris uncovers here, it is through attacking abortion rights that fascist ideas from the dark web, incel chat boards, and fringe organizations comes to enter mainstream debate -- and to then shape governmental policy across Europe, from authoritarian regimes like Hungary's to liberal democracies like Britain. As Norris goes undercover at anti-abortion activist meetings, and pieces together the money trail linking American think tanks to far-right fascist groups, she maps out the pipeline by which fascism has become respectable across the Global North by taking away women's reproductive rights and autonomy.

Sian will be a featured guest at an upcoming Bette’s Happy Hour in two weeks, so look for that invitation.

Bette members got a wonderful surprise when OSINT investigative researcher Brent Allpress made a surprise appearance at our lovely Happy Hour yesterday, where members shared about meaningful things happening in their lives. I am very pleased that it is becoming one of my favorite hours of the week, and I think that is the consensus among those who attend. Jim popped in, HiFI was there, Jackie Singh joined us, and the community we are building is fortifying. Do try to join us when Sian visits on 6/20, noon PT.

Bette Dangerous Podcast 38 - ‘Into the Mists of Time’ - Words to Untrap Our Minds

I am starting to catch up on recording audio versions of some of my key posts, and this one’s important. I took the time to comb through raw transcripts of a Tim Snyder Frontline interview, and in light of yesterday’s devastation in Ukraine, I encourage you to listen to his words. We need proper frameworks for what is happening to democracies globally, and Snyder provides them.

‘Lucid Dreaming’ - Lessons from a Brave Poet

My podcast team has interviewed the greatest, most inspiring minds of our times - among them, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Jason Stanley, David Pepper, and now Jeff Sharlet. My heart is so full from everything I learned from his long-form interview - some of which I document in this ‘Lucid Dreaming’ post, as Jeff talks about the age of the surreal. Those who were not able to make it to our ‘Speakeasy’ with Jeff on Sunday, please settle in for a good long lesson to this. As Sian said, the future is our choice. Choose wisely.

US/Hollywood Premiere - ‘The Eastern Front’

Zarina Zabrisky and I are hosting the US/Hollywood premiere of the new Byline TV war documentary she is featured in and helped produce, ‘The Eastern Front’. Angelenos should join us at the event next week. As Tim Snyder said:

I think in 100 years, historians will be writing about the war in Ukraine… A lot of the things that seem very important to us right now… are going to disappear into the mists of time. Whether Ukraine wins or loses, which is very much up to the United States, very much up to the Biden administration, is something that historians are going to be writing about in 100 years.

Zarina has been reporting from the front, documenting Putin’s war crimes along with war correspondent John Sweeney, to ensure historians get the facts right. Join us if you can.

Stop Mike Flynn - Defend Press Freedom

In the time that I launched this GoFundMe for Jim’s legal fees defending himself against Mike Flynn’s lawfare, he has also been sued by Kash Patel. As noted, attempts to silence and intimidate him are indications of the power of his vital reporting and courage in the face of chronic online abuse. I am grateful to this community - we are already nearing a third of our goal. We are taking meetings with powerful allies. This is a fight for American democracy, and thank you to all who understand that and who are supporting Jim.

Alright, sweet dreams of a better America, and espionage indictments. Fate just keeps on happening.

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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. Thank you to everyone who pitches in with a monthly membership - each time they come in, it always feels like pennies from heaven.

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. 🥹

Our next Bette Dangerous ‘Speakeasy’ Zoom for paid members is Sunday, June 18; Paid members also receive invites to our weekly Bette’s Happy Hour, a wellness checkin every Tuesday. This Tuesday, our checkin is at noon PT, and the registration link is below the paywall.

Thank you to everyone - you must know how grateful I am for all your monthly and annual memberships and all your additional support. And thank you to those of you who spoiled me on birthday last week. xo

(Below, comments from New York Times readers regarding Trump’s latest pending indictment)

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“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, that can hear the invitation of Truth…”-words from a Bette Dangerous community member

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