Flipping the script
Trump's being pretty clear about middle fingering the middle class.
This is where we are today.
An ICE agent executed a woman and punctuated his spiteful gunfire with “Fucking Bitch!” and days later, the President of the United States gave the bird to an auto worker who said what was on his mind when Trump toured his plant.
That heckler is 40-year-old Thomas “TJ” Sabula, a United Auto Workers union line worker who helps make the iconic Ford F-150. He shouted “Pedophile protector!” at Trump. Which is a topical and well-considered heckle. Not just a random profanity.
In the video, Trump appeared to mouth “Fuck You” and gave him the bird.
Sabula spoke to The Washington Post:
“As far as calling him out, definitely no regrets whatsoever,” Sabula said, though he added that he is concerned about the future of his job and believes he has been “targeted for political retribution” for “embarrassing Trump in front of his friends.”
Sabula was suspended. And now two GoFundMe accounts for him are roaring. Go ahead, buy him a coffee, if you like. I know it’s always tricky to figure out which GoFundMe accounts are real in situations like this. I’ve reached out to TJ and the two organizers and will update if I hear from them.
Both accounts now have the GoFundMe guarantee that money will be returned if they turn out to be bogus. Here’s what I can tell you right now…
There is this one, set up by Diandra Gourlay, a woman in Detroit who says she is friends with the family. I have emailed her, she lives near Sabula and has a history of doing righteous work for homeless veterans in the Detroit area and has been a solid force with Volunteers of America.
And this one, which is organized by Sean Williams, a man from South Carolina. I’ve emailed him also, he says on the GoFundMe site that he is in touch with Sabula and is making sure that the $300k + raised as of Wednesday morning will go to him. Checking that out. And have reached out to Sabula too, but I’m sure he’s overwhelmed.
This reminds me, of course, of my favorite middle finger maven, Juli Briskman, now a Loudoun County Algonkian District Supervisor who became internet famous when she was out bicycling and flipped off Trump when his motorcade whooshed past her.
She was an anonymous internet hero until I got a tip that she had been fired for that bird seen round the world. I tracked her down and she agreed to tell me her story.
It was big news and was the start of a new career in local politics for Briskman.
She resisted, then she persisted.
I’ve followed her for years now, she’s smart, active, vocal and beloved in her community.
TJ Sabula now has a national platform. From his Facebook page, he seems like a pretty decent guy, a father of two who snowboards and posts a lot of nature photos and pro-union and anti-Trump memes.
He told The Post he’s an Independent who has voted for Republicans, but not Trump.
This is a guy who showed more integrity, honesty, thought and fairness in a sandwich review than MAGA mouthpieces gave to the execution of Renee Good last week.
He ordered from a Detroit sandwich joint that was trending during the pandemic, and posted a public review of the place, saying he was disappointed that the pricey “grippers” were cold on arrival, but said they were tasty. “I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt considering the circumstances that are ongoing in the city”.
As of lunchtime on Wednesday, people have donated more than $500,000 to him. A nice start for a campaign, right?