Do Not Obey in Advance.

by Therese Odell, posted in watch this

Democracy Dies in Darkness

And The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times are just fine with that. Both newspapers, which are owned by billionaires, have decided to not endorse anyone for President in this, the most crucial election of our lives, possibly ever. Reportedly, both editorial boards had planned endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris, but said endorsements were vetoed by the owners. In Los Angeles, editorials editor Mariel Garza and two Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial writers, Robert Greene and Karin Klein, resigned over the pulling of the endorsement. It remains to be seen if there will be a similar response from the editors of The Washington Post, but there should be.

It’s not that either endorsement would actually move the needle in the election. They wouldn’t. It’s the fact that Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong are afraid to make an endorsement in the event that one of the candidates — the candidate that they wouldn’t have endorsed — could come into power and seek retribution against them. And be sure, they are only afraid of one of the candidates — the one who has been bullying the free press since at least 2015; the one who has convinced his entire base that they can’t believe anything reported negatively about him, regardless of how legitimate the news source is; the one who threatens his opponents, their donors, lawyers, election officials and journalists with imprisonment the moment he takes power. It’s cowardice, it’s complicity, and it’s literally the first step in how we become a fascist state.

Timothy Snyder, the Yale Professor who has spent his entire career studying the history of Central and Eastern Europe, The Soviet Union, the Holocaust, and the rise of totalitarian states published On Tyrrany in 2017, in wake of Former President Orange Fuhrer’s election. The book was a brief, 20-point guide on how to prevent our country (or any free state) from sliding into a dictatorship, and the VERY FIRST RULE is “Do Not Obey in Advance.”

From the book:

Do Not Obey in Advance

Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.

The media is one of the few institutions in any democracy that can hold power accountable, but not if they preemptively bend the knee, not if they obey in advance. I am so disappointed in these newspapers, and I am absolutely furious that now I have to cancel my subscription to the Post. I subscribed to the paper in the days following Former President FAKE NEWS!!!’s election, and it helped keep me sane and steady in the days and years that followed.

But I can not continue giving my money to a media outlet that is willing to roll over and show its belly to a wannabe fascist before the election has even happened. If Bezos is scared of Former President Hitler Did Some Good Things now before he’s elected, what will he and The Washington Post do if he regains power in 11 days?

For my fellow Texans: this is the only weekend you’ll be able to vote, I advise you to take advantage of it. There might be lines, but I suspect the lines will be worse on Election Day. If you’re in Harris County, here is a map of all the early voting locations. I went to the one in the Medical Center and was able to walk right up to a machine. My husband voted Downtown and had a similar experience. And for the rest of y’all: get to it! What are you waiting for?

Please vote. While you still can.

Here’s A BUNCH OF TV News as if the world isn’t about to be set on fire.

The Menendez Brothers are significantly more likely to be released from prison very soon: The Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has recommended that the brothers be resentenced, their life in prison without parole sentences lifted, making them eligible for parole immediately. A judge still has to rule on the issue, but it’s looking more likely to happen.

Gascón noted in his press conference yesterday that his office has been flooded with requests and information about the case since Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, was released.

Kim Kardashian, who has become friends with the brothers and has publicly been championing their story and demanding their release, posted on Instagram a thank you to Gascón and a reminder to the Menendez family and their supporters who have been critical of the Murphy series, that it helped make this happen:

“Thank you, George Gascón, for revisiting the Menendez brothers’ case and righting a significant wrong.”

She went on … “To the brothers’ family, friends, and the millions who have been vocal supporters – your voices were heard. The media’s focus, especially on the heels of Ryan Murphy’s TV show, helped expose the abuse and injustices in their case.”

And Cooper Koch, the actor who played Erik Menendez, expressed his “gratitude” for the development. Stay tuned. 

Joan Vassos DM’d Martha Stewart to tell her she’s wrong about the Golden Bachelorette men. (Also, Martha Stewart is old enough to be some of these men’s mother, so.)

Lorne Michaels is blaming NBC for firing Shane Gillis at Saturday Night Live over his racist comments about Asians, saying he was “angry” about the decision.

“He said something stupid, but it got blown up into the end of the world,” Michaels said. “I was angry. I thought, ‘You haven’t seen what we’re going to do, and what I’m going to try to bring out in him, because I thought he was the real thing.’”

Michaels said it was NBC’s decision to fire Gillis and not his own, adding: “That was very strong from the people in charge. And obviously I was not on that side, but I understood it.”

Put me in the Nobody Wants Sasha and Morgan to Hook Up Camp on Nobody Wants This. I understand creating tension and confusion and toying with male and female relationships but I really don’t want it to go any farther than that.

Andy Richter is cool with Jay Leno. (But I’m not.)

Helen Mirren is sad that Kurt Cobain is dead because ~checks notes~ he never got to experience GPS.

Zachary Levi needs to sit down and shut all the way up.

Renewals

In Development

Casting News

Mark Your Calendar

  • Election Night Live with Brian Williams will stream on Prime Video on November 5.
  • Our Little Secret premieres on Netflix on November 27.
  • The Curse of Oak Island will return on History Channel on November 12.
  • Tales From Oak Island debuts on History Channel on November 19.
  • My Happy Marriage returns on Netflix on November 22.

  • Saudi Pro League: Kickoff premieres on Netflix on November 21.

R.I.P.

Jack Jones, Grammy-winning singer who sang the theme song to The Love Boat

Sarah Danser, Naked & Afraid veteran

Amir Abdur-Rahim, University of South Florida men’s basketball coach

Kim Soo-mi, South Korean actress

WATCH THIS

FRIDAY

World Series: Game 1: As I’m writing this, we haven’t determined which teams will be playing, but for everyone outside of the 212 area code, let’s pray it’s not another subway series.  7 p.m., Fox

Before: Billy Crystal stars in this psychological thriller as a child psychologist who believes one of his clients has a connection to his dead son. Series premiere. Apple TV+

Road Dairy: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: A look behind the scenes of the band’s 2023-2024 world tour. Premiere. Hulu

Simone Biles Rising, Part 2: Part 2 follows Houston’s hero as she makes her way to Paris and makes history as the world’s most decorated gymnast. Premiere. Netflix

Don’t Move: A killer injects a woman with a paralytic agent, and she must run, hide, and fight before her body completely shuts down in this dark thriller. Premiere. Netflix

Azrael: Samara Weaving stars in this horror film as a young woman who is expected to be sacrificed to a dark evil in the woods, but who has other plans for herself. Premiere. Shudder

Jennifer’s Body: A possessed cheerleader becomes a succubus in this largely misunderstood little feminist gem. 8:05 p.m., Showtime Women

SATURDAY

World Series: Game 2: More baseball. 7 p.m., Fox

Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking: The late night host’s new stand-up special addresses the chaos of being the parent to three small children. 9 p.m., HBO

Poltergeist: The horror movie that traumatized me when I was nine, and made me the horror nerd I am today. 7:15 p.m., BBC America

SUNDAY

Somebody Somewhere: Season three premiere. 9:30 p.m., HBO

Special Ops: Lionness: Season two premiere. Paramount+

The Marlow Murder Club: A retired archeologist and two other women uncover a series of clues regarding a killer. Series premiere. 8 p.m., PBS

Beyond: UFOs and the Unknown: Now that we know that UFOs are real, the question is what are they? Series premiere. MGM+

Scream: The wicked little neo-slasher that changed the genre forever. 8:35 p.m., HBO2 West

FRI. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC Shark Tank
(new)		 20/20
CBS S.W.A.T.
(new)		 Fire Country
(new)		 Blue Bloods
(new)
CW Whose Line Is It Anyway?
(new)		 Whose Line Is It Anyway?
(new)		 Joan
(new)		 Local
FOX World Series
(live)		 Local
NBC Happy’s Place
(new)		 Lopez vs. Lopez
(new)		 Dateline

—

SAT. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30
ABC College Football
(live)		 News/Local
CBS The Summit
(repeat)		 Ghosts
(repeat)		 48 Hours News/Local
FOX World Series
(live)		 News/Local
NBC College Football
(live)		 News/
Local		 Saturday Night Live
(repeat)

—

SUN. 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC America’s Funniest Home Videos
(repeat)		 Hocus Pocus 2 Press Your Luck
(repeat)
CBS NFL Football 60 Minutes Tracker
(new)		 The Equalizer
(new)		 NCIS
(repeat)
The CW Goosebumps The Conners
(repeat)		 The Conners
(repeat)		 Local/News
FOX Bob’s Burgers
(repeat)		 Krap-opolis
(repeat)		 The Simpsons
(new)		 Universal Basic Guys
(new)		 Bob’s Burgers
(new)		 Krap-opolis
(new)		 Local/News
NBC Sunday Night Football
(live)

One thought on “Do Not Obey in Advance.”

  1. I am angry and sad about both these newspapers not endorsing Harris as they were going to because the billionaire owners are running scared of orange pumpkin face! I subscribe to them both but I will keep my subscriptions because to cancel would only hurt the writers, not the POS owners.

    Reply

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