>

"Ted Cruz states opposition to First Amendment religious freedoms"
Im thankful the Bible bashers now have lil nas x and Sam smith pulling their attention away from the metal community >

The metal community has done the heavy lifting for decades. We owe them a debt of gratitude. >

The metal community crawled and walked through glass so lil Nas X and Sam Smith could run. >

Cue the mental image of Kerry King passing a relay baton to Lil Nas X >

I feel Rob Halford would be more appropriate than Kerry King. >

Rob Halford hasn't put the thing down yet, dude's still making albums with Judas Priest. Firepower was solid as fuck.
Dee Snyder likewise still going on his solo projects, although Twisted Sister have packed it in as a band now.
Actually, most all of the big contenders are still going, now that I think about it. Metal doesn't pay well enough for an early retirement. >

Dee Snyder is a bad ass I love the clips of him testifying in front of Nancy Regan >

It was Tipper Gore but yeah the PMRC hearings were amazing. Dee was clearly there to be the whipping boy but he brought receipts. That said, John Denver's testimony is what brought the whole thing crashing down. They thought he was gonna fall in line with them and he compaired the whole thing to Nazi book burnings. Watch the clips of him and Frank Zappa if you haven't already. Zappa insinuating that Gore was a sexual deviant is absolutely amazing. >


Zappa insinuating that Gore was a sexual deviant is absolutely amazing. 

Dee did that too, pointing out that his song was literally just about having anxiety before a surgery, and Tipper interpreted it as being about extreme BDSM because she wanted it to be. >

1980s called, they want their pretend fear of satanic costumes back. >

No shit, are they really gonna try and bring this back? >

Not like they have anything else on their agenda that the people want or like lol. 
When in doubt, just pander to the evangelical vote. They'll always be there to act as the GOP's comfort blankie when things aren't going their way. >


Not like they have anything else on their agenda...

Except;

Block student loan relief
Look for Hunter's laptop
Obsess over M&Ms
Keep 28 time Olympic gold medalist in rhythmic gymnastics, George Santos in office
Obstruct everything
Possibly bring the country to financial ruin by messing with the debt ceiling

There's s lot more but I try to ignore there dog and pony shit show. >

Don't forget mandatory reporting of under-age girls' menstruation cycles. >

And making sure black history is never taught to anyone. >

Don't you mean that they don't want the actual WHITE history being taught?
The black population weren't the ones making the history, they were being run over by it. >

I mean, Black people did a lot of things for the whole country and for the world, despite all the white supremacy and imperialism. And they also played a key role in ending their own servitude. Plus the obvious leadership in the ongoing civil rights movement.
In fact, I would argue that the history of Black politics in this country is pushing us to become the free country we have always claimed we are.
Right wingers don't want any of that taught (or properly contextualized) either. >

I agree and understand that they've done tremendous good for the country. I was just being snarky. >

I can worship the devil if I want to. It's actually my first amendment right. >

You can leave your saints behind.  Cuz the saints don't dance, and if they don't dance, well they're no saints of mine. >

It's the Satan Dance >

s s s s s s s s s a a a a a a a a t t t t t t t t a a a a a a a a a n n n n n n n >

This needs to be remixed and mashed with NIN Closer. >

Cruz wants to fuck you like a demagogue...
Hoo hoo.. >

He wants to regulate your insides. >

He wants to fuck you like an M&M!
His whole existence is flawed. >

He brings me further from god!! >

Does anyone on this thread have the number for Weird Al’s agent?   I’d love to have him write a cover based on this … >

Is "worshiping Satan" still a no no like it was in the 80s and 90s? Why are Republicans going to the fear playbook of the Stranger Danger years. The memo has been updated to being affraid of drag queens now. >

Because they occasionally like to "play the classics" too. Next up, Video Games Are Turning Kids Violent. After that, Playing D&D Is Satan Worship. Also, Reading Harry Potter Teaches Kids Witchcraft.
(On the latter, I wish that was true. Do you know how useful a simple summoning charm would be if you could cast it in real life?) >

That isn’t satire is it… >


that one had a whole (shitty) movie made of it!

You mean Mazes and Monsters? Tom Hank's first lead role?
I remember seeing that as a kid, who played D&D, thinking that movie was insane. 
I live in Seattle and we have an underground tour that goes through a part of Pioneer Square that was built on top of after downtown burned down in the later 1800s. I remember going down there on a class trip, having a scene where Tom Hanks is in like full armor in the sewers pop into my head, and just laughing like a maniac. 
The tour guide was pissed, I think he thought I was dicking around with my friends. >

Mazes and Monsters was based on a real disappearance, and some woman’s speculation that it had to do with D&D. The whole thing is pretty ghoulish tbh. >

Republicans of Reddit, do you ever get sick of your representatives being so pathetic? >

Being a conservative sounds so exhausting. It’s just a string of outrage over checks notes M&Ms, the Grammys, and other fun things >

It's just 24/7 non-stop outrage. >

I swear they only do this as a distraction to keep their base angry while the GOP denies bills that'd actually help their voter base.  
I remember they were so fixated on M&Ms, trans folk using the bathroom, and the sex of a potato last year.  
During that year, the GOP denied additional help to vets, denied capping the price of insulin, denied a oil price gouging bill, denied aid towards baby formula during a shortage, and denying any sort of gun control. >

What's the M&M thing? I'm out of the loop on all the crazy, I guess. >

Mars Inc., owner of the M&M brand, decided of its own volition to change the designs of a few of their anthropomorphic M&M mascots.
Specifically the Green and Brown M&M mascots, who were traditionally marketed as slightly risque and sexy (Green because she was the first female M&M, Brown because she looked "naked" with her brown shell), got more practical shoes.
Also there is now a purple peanut M&M mascot, so the yellow one isn't the only one of his kind. But the peanut M&M's are bigger than other M&M's, so the purple M&M is being interpreted as a "woke" plus-size woman. 
Tucker Carlson and some other outrage salesmen decided that these mascot changes are somehow evidence of a grand conspiracy to overthrow America. Because if Tucker can't crank one out to a candy mascot, then I guess Nathan Hale hanged for nothing. 
Mars Inc., capitalizing on the free publicity then announced they were pulling the plug on the M&M mascots altogether because of controversy. They said the mascots would be replaced by comedian/actress Maya Rudolph. This was just a marketing joke, but it stirred up even more shit. Conservatives and non-conservatives were blaming each other for the termination of well-received marketing mascots. >

Not wholesome entertainers like the Duggars? >

Tim Kowlan, the "Trump campaign lead" from the Cincinnati area is a case I remember.
I think what one of his victims said sums up the general character underpinning these republicans:
"Tim Nolan knew vulnerability when he saw it," one of the victims wrote in her impact statement. "He used my addiction as a tactic for control."
Now look at what Tead Cruze did here. He is exploiting christians who are vulnerable to woo like this. Same tactics, and same personality type. >

It's an inevitability of religion and right-wing politics. It works in any cult because people are people. The Inverse Law Of 'Good'

A - people start groups saying "we're the best people, so join us"
B - the worst people know they can get cover in this group because of human nature
C - given a short period of time, these groups that claim to be "the best" get totally taken over by the worst of humanity all the way to the top. 

Not a matter of if they do, but when they do. How many times does this little experiment in human behavior have to be repeated for people to see the obvious: if a person (or group) has to tell you continually they're nice, run the fuck away in the opposite direction?
Once they identify someone, there are eight steps to groom them, to bring them into the fold.

1 - You've been told that nobody else understands you like they do. For years. "Those other people, they just don't get it. Their ways are different and that's just not you. They don't understand, but we know where you're coming from..."
2 - Now that they've established that they're one of your kind of people in your mind, everyone else gets badmouthed. It's just the two of you literally against the entire world. And they'll do it so much that things that aren't epithets get used as words to hate everyone else by. Your circle of experiences starts to shrink.
3 - They'll tell you that, if you left them, things would be simultaneously the worst thing possible AND that all other relationships are just the same as the one you're in (even though you can see other people online talking about how what you're in is the only bad relationship relationship like this and all you have to do is leave them). “Both sides are the same but I’m better” - eventually, you don’t know up from down in what constitutes a healthy or a toxic relationship. Hell, they'll even show examples of the shit you're in now to say, "if you leave me and go for the other guy, it'll be like this [very bad scenario that's happening RIGHT NOW] so be scared and shit." The circle shrinks further.
4 - You're told outright what to cut out of your life. Direct instruction for you to get that circle of experiences down to a dot. Music, interests, TV shows, certain movies, even frothy coffee gets badmouthed and cut out because "you don't want to be a 'latte drinker' do you?" (there's one of those things I mentioned in #2, using things that aren't epithets as one to control you).
5 - They take your money, claim they'll be great with it, and then spend it on their friends and run up the bills. They'll give you crumbs once in a while. Maybe every few years they'll treat you to a little something nice (that's worth a fraction of what they spent when they were out with their friends). And while they're terrible with the finances, for years, they'll be saying how everything is hunky-dory financially with them at the reins. You will be told you've never had it so good but the fear of one bad bill wiping you out financially will be like the Sword Of Damocles over your head 24/7/365.
6 - every problem gets kicked down the road. A problem crops up in the New Year 2020 but it wasn't even mentioned in January because the head of the household didn't mention it. "It's going to go away" in February, and anyone that mentions it is just saying fake stuff, baby. Still nothing done in March, but any mention of it is "you're just finding faults with me". Then when April comes and it's clear what the shit storm looks like, they blame everyone else for saying it wasn't going to be a big deal. As the months and years roll on it becomes a shell game where ignoring the problem / blaming others for the problem / trying to draw attention from the problem gets switched around without stop. Even if it comes out that they knew the problem could literally kill other people, tear them apart because of gross negligence, they will not stray from this strategy. Sounds familiar, huh. Other people will be able to show you examples of where they said something promised was just two weeks away, and they said "two weeks and you'll have it" four years ago and two years ago and twice in the last month, but it's still not coming.
7 - like in any abusive relationship, you're beaten down. You've been told it'll all be your fault if things don't go as they want, and you've seen others be on the end of their random outbursts of wrath. So you stay safe. You repeat the words in the way they taught you. You repeat the answers. You repeat the words you're told are insults. Even though you know of situations where you've come out worse for the way the relationship is, you defend the abuser. First with a fake air of calm, then with a seething rage. And when people offer you a way out, you go right back to the abuse.
8 - the relationship is so twisted, you so believe everything you're told about what's real and what's not, they will literally put you in situations that could kill you. And you say you're doing it willingly, proudly, but the fact is you're a shell of the idealistic person you used to be. You just got in with the wrong crowd, but it's too late to get out now because people might think less of you. Going along with how they do it becomes how you do it too. Which reinforces what you were told in #1. Only they understand you...

They have done it for tens of thousands of days on millions of people and it has become a very precise tactic for them. The Red Pill, PUA tactics, as a science. >

JFC, do these people ever stop being upset about something?
Every single day, they are upset about some new topic, which they will harp on for a few months, and then move on to the next one.
Most recently it's drag shows, now its going to be devil worshipping? >

And it's never anything of substance, like lack of healthcare, wealth disparity, etc. Always some bullshit that has no affect on anyone. >

That’s the point… >

But if Sam dressed up as an AR-15 they'd worship them.
Edit: Pronoun >

Idea! Make guns super gay and trans, yassify guns so conservatives hate them to own the libs >

There’s nothing gay about guns bro.
Look at that slick handle. How’s your one-hand grip, boyo? Do you hold it tight like your life depends on it? How about that long and hard barrell? Bet those can cum bullets like no tomorrow if i asked you. >

Remember, squeeze, don't pull....out. >

“Devil worship” geezuz fucking christ! Personally, I worship the great pumpkin, but haven’t seen it in a while, no matter how long I sit in that pumpkin patch. >

Sounds like:
"You're an atheist? So you worship the devil?"
If I don't believe in the guy who made the devil, how could I believe in the devil?
"Because my pastor told us atheists worship satan." >

I've heard that one before as well. There's a narrative floating around some Christian circles that atheists don't actually exist. The argument hinges on some passage in their Bible that says everyone knows the truth of God in their hearts. They interpret this passage to mean that nobody on earth actually disbelieves and that so-called "atheists" are just pretending. These Christians see atheists as rebels against the Christian God, rather than as people legitimately unconvinced that the Christian God exists. 
And, since they believe atheists are rebelling against God, they like to think atheists are in league with Satan. Even when the church leaders know better, they like to use this line on younger church members to keep the leash tight: "Don't listen to them, Timmy; they are in league with Satan and will try to steal your soul! They don't actually have different beliefs from us; they are just people who have embraced evil." 
When this brand of Christian decides to argue issues of faith, they will spend more time trying to convince you that their God is good than that their God is real. They figure the hangup is that you simply aren't worried enough about Hell or that you aren't excited enough about heaven or that you aren't grateful enough for being created. >

This is where a lot of my religious trauma comes from. >

I was super religious as a young kid. I mean I hated church services because they were boring, but I was absolutely certain in my faith. But because I was so certain and because I was so invested, I wanted to know how everything worked and fit together as part of some complete truth. I approached it like a nerd approaching Tolkein's works or a nerd approaching Star Wars lore. 
And, funnily enough, the "ultimate truth" of Christianity doesn't actually stand up to that level of scrutiny. Plot holes, contradictions, leaps of logic are everywhere. This "divinely inspired" shit is less stable than something modern writers whipped up for entertainment. And once I saw that, I got really skeptical. None of the historical stuff in the Bible is any more credible than the stuff in any other old text, and none of the theological stuff is any more credible than the stuff in any other book of myths. >

Rollin' out the old Satanic Panic huh? Gotta hand it to the GOP, they know to throw in some classical fear mongering in with the new crop of CRT and Trans based fear mongering to keep their audience happy.
Don't want gramps mumbling about how this new fangled mongering just doesn't have the same ring as the early albums. >

CRT and the rest wasn't reaching gramps....  They had to reach back into the old bag of tricks to see what still works. >

Next stop, Reefer Madness! >

I hear there's a bunch of women practicing witchcraft in Salem. >

Those same women owning their own homes and having their own checking accounts would be just as horrifying to them. >

They already mentioned “practicing witchcraft”, though.  
(/s) >

The freedom party strikes again.
Freedom to do whatever their narrow minds find acceptable.
Clutch them pearls Teddy. >

Ted Cruz, who famously watched incest porn at work, thinks we should all be outraged by a costume. >

I have a feeling he just doesn't like that the song "Unholy" calls out a married man cheating with a sex worker cause that's his ultimate fantasy... he wants to be just like daddy trump. >

I doubt he's ever listened to the song at all. >

Ted has sand in his panties. The evangelicals love nothing more than devil worshiping. It gets them turgid. >

Ted doesn't even believe in The Devil or God, he just wants to whip his gullible idiots into a froth so they aren't all pissy about freezing to death. >

I'd say lots of the conservatives who say this kind of kooky nonsense don't actually believe it.
However, Cruz's dad is a fundamentalist preacher who (I gather from interviews) indoctrinated Ted into thinking that he was chosen by God to lead the conservative movement.
It's possible that this is all just televangelist bullshit, but I do think that Cruz is a genuine believer in his religious destiny. >

I wonder how long it's going to take the GOP to claim that Satan is black and trans...
Those fuckers are going to try to roll everything together to rile up their base.
What next? That the apple in the Garden of Eden taught CRT to Eve? >

It's funny you mention the "apple in the Garden of Eden". Like, break that shit down into the metaphor that it is. Satan helped enlighten us, whereas the creator god wanted to keep us ignorant like animals. I know which of those dieties I support. >


whereas the creator god wanted to keep us ignorant like animals.

Funny that the GQP also strives to keep their base ignorant of facts and reality. >

Ozzy won best rock album, too >

I was really hoping for Turnstile to pull out the win, but I understand that the metal and rock categories tend to be a clusterfuck most years. I think name recognition got him the win more than anything. >

It's the fucking Grammys. It's all a clusterfuck. >

Absolutely is. I swear they just pull names out of a hat some years and their definition of what 'rock' and 'metal' music are is as broad as the Mississippi. >

Oh we've circled back to devil worship. I wish conservatives would get a new shtick, I'm bored. >

You know the devil isn’t real, right? >

Yeah but with people like Ted Cruz around, one wonders. >

Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long years
Stole million man's soul an faith >

Please to meet you, hope you guess my name >

But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game >

Stuck around St. Petersburg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed Tsar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain >

Please to meet you, won't you guess my name >

But what's puzzling you is the nature of my game! >

Do you think people who are inclined to worship the devil are watching the Grammys? >

You can usually find the devil worshipers at church on Sundays >

Reminds me of Robot Hell from Futurama. >

Looks like the economy is rebounding, job numbers are good, and unemployment is low.  The GOP naturally needs moral panics to keep their base distracted. >

Encouraging devil worship? Where are my clutching pearls and fainting couch? >

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun. Thanks, Billy Joel. >

Ever notice how conservatives don't really have a sense of humor? Or... any artistic merit? >

The only people who even believe in Satan are Christians >

Up until a couple years ago, I was a lifelong Republican. I am not a Christian, but I grew up in an evangelical home. 
Let me tell you Ted, you crazy modern day Pharisees, you guys encourage devil worship because you simply have made Christianity look evil. If I have to choose between your Christianity and the devil, I will choose the lessor of two evils, and choose the devil. >

It's so funny that they pretend not to get that outrage gets people talking what with the last 30 years of shock jock comedy being branded as political commentary in the wake of Rush Limbaugh.
They could have easily done what I did and not watched it because I don't actually care about industry Awards shows, but instead they bring it into the political conversation, as was likely the plan. >

Sam is a gospel singer. It’s supposed to be clever. >

That explains why Cruz didn't get it. >

Was watching this and thinking oh here we go! Then it ends with Pfizer being the sponsors of the Grammys. Oh the cherry on top. People just clinching their Bibles yelling in tongues and shit lol. >

Imagine that a 2000-year-old religion could be taken down by Sam Smith. >

Satanic religion has better values than the majority of religions. Hail Satan. >

Sam Smith just doing it to trigger the conservatives is a W >

i thought this within the first seconds of watching. the sponsored by pfizer ad right after was the cherry on top too LOL >

Oh boy, they're bringing back Satanic Panic! I remember this one! >

These damn kids and their rock musics and hip hop speak >

Not to get all Billy Joel about it, but I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.  The sinners are much more fun. >


"I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn't want me to be a part of it. So it's a take on not being able to choose religion and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live, because, you know, as a trans person, I'm kind of already not wanted in religion."     

This is your fault, conservatives.  
If you were able to do THE ONE THING Jesus was known for doing the best, treating people with kindness as brothers and sisters, you wouldn't have this problem. If I were a religious nut job, I'd say Conservative Christians are the work of "The Devil". They're judgmental, evil, greedy, and only care about themselves.   
This is why people hate religion - it's hypocritical. >

Ok Cancun, your state is freezing with no power >

The USA is one shithouse of a Country. >

Hail Satan >

That wasn’t George Santos performing? >


He was responding to a clip of Smith's performance posted by conservative podcaster Liz Wheeler, who commented "demons are teaching your kids to worship Satan. I could throw up."

Religion is a plague on our society.  A woman who literally believes demons are floating around or worse believes other human beings are literal demons in physical form.  How are we supposed to coexist with loonies like this? >

He worried about people worshipping devils as he takes a knee for Trump >

Freedom of religion as long as it’s Christianity. 
Don’t be fooled by these charlatans. They’re faith in a mythical entity comes before our constitution and they won’t stop 
until we’re putting “God” on all of our money and there’s a church on every corner and we’re praising Him in our pledge of allegiance……oh shit. >

Conservatives: demonize gay people for decades
Gay people: makes demons look fabulous 
Conservatives: wait..no not like that! >

Are we returning to the obsessive satanism phobia like the 80’s-90’s? >

We going back to the Satanic panic? Yeah, cause that went so well....