And there it is — as concise and accurate assessment of our dire plight as I've read, courtesy of the Financial Times writer:
“I’ve covered extremism and violent ideologies around the world over my career. Have never come across a political force more nihilistic, dangerous & contemptible than today’s Republicans. Nothing close.”
May it echo over and over across the nation. If there are any "good" Republicans left in Congress besides Cheney and Kinzinger, they better speak loud and clear in rejecting Trumpism. Or history will remember them as complicit.
Complicit Susan Collins' cringeworthy bending herself into pretzels - TrumpYoga Susan going down dog for the Don - to justify stuff like the tax scam, embracing Jim Crow states rights arguments to vote against civil rights legislation and now dancing around defending Trump's attacks on the FBI. At a certain point mealy mouthed mumblings are effectively not all that different from full throated shout outs.
Liz isn't doing nothing; she's putting it all on the line. Can't stand her policies; love her courage and the kind of patriotism Lincoln and Eisenhower (both Republicans) would recognize.
Perhaps by many, but I have relatives who've transplanted from Massachusetts to Maine, and I can't repeat their affection for Ms. Collins - I'd be banned from posting here if I did.
After the most well-financed campaign to defeat her in 2020, she won by 10 points. I don’t like Susan Collins. But she knows what she is doing. So many here attack her, because she’s not a liberal. The liberals here don’t understand that 60% of Mainers are not liberal, and do support Collins. The myopia is strong in us liberals.
I agree. Many folks don't understand that New England isn't nearly as liberal as they think, and I'd guess that Maine is on a par with upstate New York in its conservatism. The fact that Collins has been a fixture for years takes her out of the current foaming-at-the-mouth crop of Republicans, too.
Shortly after the Kavanaugh confirmation, Ms Susan Collins was at Trump’s desk for some bill she sponsored, (which I believe she spent much time working on). I could tell you exactly the price of her vote. What Susan Collins didn’t get was that her name will be mud, no matter what bill she advanced.
That is the difference between Susan Collins and Liz Cheney. Liz gave up her position in the party and all her other assignments, because she is driven by what is right for America, not what is right for her political career.
JaneDough56, many will argue with me, but although I appreciate what Liz has done, and I admire her skill and determination, I suspect that she is feathering her nest for the future, whether it's a run for the presidency or some other high office (SCOTUS?) once the Trumpstorm finally ends. Don't forget who her father is, and whose advice she's listening to. Yes, she did the right thing, but her motivation could be much more complex. I can't imagine ever voting for a pro-life ultra conservative who voted with Trump over 90% of the time, regardless of her current motivation for taking on Trumpers.
I agree with you in the near term, and considering her constituency, I doubt that she'll make headway in the near future. Still, though, she's in her mid 50's, so she has a long time to see changes that would make a comeback possible.
And to add on - every “moral victory” comes with a moral price. So you get a “Pro-Life” America, and all it took was gerrymandering states, erasing voting rights, packing the courts with pro-life judges, and embracing a morally corrupt autocrat-wannabe. Was it really worth it?
What is ‘pro-life’? We have had this discussion ad ininitum!
Alleged group is dogmatic by nature, thus attracted to authoritarian, amoral creatures who co-opt their message in order to get elected. Reference little Frankie graham’s nation wide crusade to get the ‘believers’ to vote for the alleged ‘pro life ‘ candidate I. 2016!
Liz Cheney proves that the New England laptop ‘liberal’ class does not stand for anything other than despising Trump. Why don’t you guys pack up and go fight the next war that the current criminal regime is marching us towards?
What more is there to say? We have a proven, track-record-war-criminal, who certainly appears to be demented, lazily wandering us in at least the general vicinity of 2 nuclear wars and we want to keep the Trump banter going. All you Cheney-cheering propagandized dupes need to start packing because without a course correction, war is coming.
The war is coming from the same crowd that marched on the Capitol, only there will be more of them and better armed. There may be more regular military as well.
This is the most terrifying account of where we are that Professor Richardson has written. I would add to it the MSNBC reported that Grassley and Cruz both repeated the lie from the web that there are 187,000 armed IRS agents coming for US. If the DOJ cannot put a stop to unsealing the affidavit, we may be in big trouble fast. Putin must be puffing out his chest enjoying his power. Trump, Jr. should be officially reprimanded for giving “aid and comfort to the enemy.” Free speech to bring down by force a democratic government ?
As for Liz Cheney: yes, to her fight against Trump, but no to her backward-looking Republican Party. We need to keep our eyes on the EU (which is dealing with climate change more rapidly than we and taking better care of its citizens)and we must continue sending arms to Ukraine.
I for one would like some suggestions from you as to what you would do in Biden's place WRT Russia/Ukraine, and China/Taiwan. I assume those are the two areas of concern? Yes - nuclear war is worrisome to say the least. But it is not the USA that is being confrontational. Our positions (and BTW our allies as well including NATO) are in response to aggression from Russia and China. Again - what would you do?
Following this coup, the Eastern provinces, which are almost entirely inhabited by ethnic Russians, separated from the rest of Ukraine. In response to this, a civil war broke out that claimed at least 14,000 lives as the Ukrainian state attempted to reclaim this territory with US supplied weapons.
"Ukraine refused a dialogue with the separatists."
If I were Biden, I would stop the transfer of US weapons to Ukraine immediately and work to find a peace agreement before the situation worsens but good luck with that. Biden has a long record as a war-mongering maniac.
Kindly elucidate on these glittering generalities?
Ms. Cheney has exhibited courage and bravery worthy of our nations highest honor! The publisher of JFK’s ‘Profiles in Courage’ should have an editor add Ms Cheney’s fearless effort to save our democracy to that book!
Using sports as an analogy, several famous professional athletes remind themselves what counts is how effective will my next at bat be, my next throw in football, my next kick to goal in soccer, my next putt in golf! They motivate despite poor past performances.
Ms. Cheney likewise has shown that she has moved past Papa Cheney’s disastrous decisions, motivated by personal business interests, which qualify him as a war criminal.
Holy cow it is just so unbelievable watching you all fall all over yourselves defending LIZ CHENEY?!?! What happened to you guys? We used to be on the same page standing against the tyranny and lies of the Bush / CHENEY administration. I know what happened to you. In typical boomer fashion, you approach politics as if it were a soap opera which is therefore completely disconnected from reality. That explains why somehow, despite living through the LBJ Vietnam War you still equate being a good person with being a Democrat?? Trump and COVID came along and were a 1-2 punch that literally broke all of your brains. Now you are full-on pro-war, pro-censorship husks of your former selves.
May it be emblazoned on the front page of the Times. The WSJ. The washington Post and every news show’s headline story. And may every Republican senator and representative live forever in infamy and as an example of the shameful cowardice and GREED to which so called educated people people can stoop
I just happens. I think actual elephants a cool, but it seems to me (for me included) we see a lot that doesn't adequately register. It seems to me that successful, empowering leaders and movements work in part by calling attention to the hiding in plain sight.
We did not need Eric Trump to remind us of our associations of death with his father, the former president, or with right-wing extremist groups and many in the Republican Party.
‘Donald Trump's Racially Charged Advocacy of the Death Penalty’
‘The Republican frontrunner has long called for more executions—even when his proposals run afoul of the Constitution.’
‘Trump has a history of invoking the death penalty without regard for its limitations. After the brutal rape of a white jogger in Central Park in April 1989 received widespread media attention, and amid a rise in crime rates nationwide, Trump took out a full-age ad in four New York City newspapers with the title “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY! BRING BACK THE POLICE!”* He did not specifically reference the Central Park jogger attack in the ad, but its timing made the connection inescapable.’ (Atlantic)
‘Donald Trump has added a morbid new distinction to his presidency – for the first time in US history, the federal government has in one year executed more American civilians than all the states combined.’
‘Against that downward path, the actions of the Trump administration stand out as a grotesque aberration.’ (Guardian)
‘Inside Trump and Barr’s Last-Minute Killing Spree’
‘Private executioners paid in cash. Middle-of-the-night killings. False or incomplete justifications. ProPublica obtained court records showing how the outgoing administration is using its final days to execute the most federal prisoners since World War II.’
‘In its hurry to use its final days in power to execute federal prisoners, the administration of President Donald Trump has trampled over an array of barriers, both legal and practical, according to court records that have not been previously reported.’
‘Officials gave public explanations for their choice of which prisoners should die that misstated key facts from the cases. They moved ahead with executions in the middle of the night.’
‘As Right-Wing Rhetoric Escalates, So Do Threats and Violence’
‘Both threats of political violence and actual attacks have become a steady reality of American life. Experts blame dehumanizing and apocalyptic language’
‘In the year and a half since a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, threats of political violence and actual attacks have become a steady reality of American life, affecting school board officials, election workers, flight attendants, librarians and even members of Congress, often with few headlines and little reaction from politicians.’
‘While this welter of events may feel disparate, occurring at different times and places and to different types of people, scholars who study political violence point to a common thread: the heightened use of bellicose, dehumanizing and apocalyptic language, particularly by prominent figures in right-wing politics and media.’
‘Several right-wing or Republican figures reacted to the search of Mar-a-Lago not only with demands to dismantle the F.B.I., but also with warnings that the action had triggered “war.”
“This just shows everyone what many of us have been saying for a very long time,” Joe Kent, a Trump-endorsed House candidate in Washington State, said on a podcast run by Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former chief political strategist. “We’re at war.”
‘According to the F.B.I., there are now about 2,700 open domestic terrorism investigations — a number that has doubled since the spring of 2020 — and that does not include lesser but still serious incidents that do not rise to the level of federal inquiry. Last year, threats against members of Congress reached a record high of 9,600, according to data provided by the Capitol Police.’ (NYTimes) See gifted link to the article below.
The former president’s disregard for human life didn’t begin with his deadly mismanagement of the Covid pandemic, it is part of his nature. Our deep concern about Trump having power over the American people includes his advocates, the likes of DeSantis, right-wing extremists, and the Republican Party transformation into a cult of the personality. Our commitment to the principles of Democracy and the understanding that Democracy emphasizes the value of every human being speaks to our responsibility as citizens of the United States of America.
... so, how many years/decades passed before the 5 young men accused/convicted of the 1989 rape in Central Park were proven innocent,- and still, the sTrumpette insisted they were guilty and should have been executed ...?
And what about right-wing Republican calls to dismantle the FBI in response to the warrented search of Msr-a-Lago? Did those same voices rise in defense of black American movements for justice and equity in the sixties - or First Nations defense of sovereign treaty rights at Wounded Knee in the seventies? Of course not. Why not ...?
You ask some very good questions. The answer, sadly, imbedded in the mechanism for the founding of our country: genocide and slavery of people "different" that the white European settlers.
In my Pachamama book review group, we are reading "An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Oritz - very revealing ... while I understand that different cultural groups may believe their own way is the best way, I do not see how anyone can justify domination through murder, rape and robbery - though it does seem to be a recurring theme through the ages of human hystery - so maybe it is 'our' turn to be 'on top' ... still, the wheel keeps turning, I do not believe we are the top of the food chain ... our time will come to succumb ... I truly hope we can find within our hearts a better way, and bring it forward in time ... the sooner the quicker ....
Including descriptions of how aggressive sociopathy (technically not the right term, but...) works. History is replete with presentations of it's consequences, but what does it look like as a system of thinking? I got a little of that in elementary school (for an hour or two) with respect to propaganda efforts of the Nazis (this a few years after WWII). It is one of the few lessons from my K-6 education I still recall in some detail.
Fern, you mentioned the brutal rape of the white jogger in Central Park in April 1989. Indeed, Trump did have those rotten ads published, but not long after that, without any evidence, businessman Donald J. Trump publicly said that all members of the falsely accused "Central Park Five", who were all black, should be put to death. As you know, they were all exonerated.
They were sentenced in 1989. It took many years of imprisonment before they were exonerated in 2002 and remunerated in 2013 to the tune of $41 million.
"Adding fuel to the fire, weeks after the attack, in May 1989, real estate developer (and future U.S. president) Donald Trump took out full-page ads in The New York Times, the New York Daily News, the New York Post and New York Newsday with the headline, "Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!
[...]
In the years since their release, the five men accused in the Central Park case have moved on with their lives. Richardson lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters. He works as an advocate for criminal justice reform. McCray lives in Georgia with his wife and six children. Santana also lives in Georgia with his teenage daughter and, in 2018, Santana started his own clothing company called Park Madison NYC. Wise lives in New York City, where he works as a public speaker and criminal justice reform advocate. Salaam is a published poet, public speaker and criminal justice reform advocate. He lives in George and is a father to 10 children."
Thanks, Mimi, for this! Those young men were so obnoxiously abused by the press and by The Don that when they were finally exonerated, I was thrilled. Let’s not forget that he was one of the loudest and original birthers regarding where Obama was born. He’s a louse, a racist, a mob boss, and the imaginary son of Hitler.
I am going to have to call my doctors for therapy, for heart meds after reading all that you posted, Fern. There is an abundance of deceit and untruths that make my blood boil and yet, these people walk free. I have no doubts now that Barr arranged Jeffrey Epstein’s death. After all, wasn’t he the last person to see him alive? Weren’t the so-called guards hands merely slapped for not checking on Epstein?
Trump unleashed the mob to do his bidding. He continues to try being relevant and he is succeeding. I don’t want to be at war but this is what our new reality is unless we hire tons and tons of people to deprogram the masses. That isn’t going to happen. Feel like we are on a terrifying roller coaster.
Marlene, We are justified in our fears about threats by Trump, the Republican Party and others make against the American people. I just skimmed the surface in listing a few their offences, without even mentioning Trump's response to violent protests in Charlottesville, Va. "you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides." It is difficult to put a cap on his, and Republicans incitement of political violence. Now they are going after IRS employees.
Senate Republican campaign chair Rick Scott, R-Fla., published an open letter encouraging job seekers not to pursue new IRS positions, vowing that Republicans, who hope to take control of Congress next year, will quickly "defund" those jobs.
Scott claimed the Biden administration will use the Democrats' newly enacted Inflation Reduction Act to create "an IRS super-police force" to "audit and investigate" ordinary Americans. "The IRS is making it very clear that you not only need to be ready to audit and investigate your fellow hardworking Americans, your neighbors and friends, you need to be ready and, to use the IRS’s words, willing, to kill them," he wrote, referencing a job posting for the agency's Criminal Investigation division, which has been mischaracterized.'
'Scott's depiction of a new force of IRS agents targeting average Americans lacks basis in the text of the new law and has been dismissed by Democrats as a fabrication. It was debunked — indirectly — by formal guidance Wednesday by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to the IRS.' (NBCnews). Scott is not alone.
'Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) even suggested on "Fox & Friends" last week that IRS workers armed with assault rifles would be deployed against taxpayers. He and other Republicans have falsely tossed around the number 87,000 as the size of this supposed army of agents.
"Are they going to have a strike force that goes in with AK-15s already loaded, ready to shoot some small-business person in Iowa?" the longtime senator asked.'. (CNN)
I don't know about accusations concerning Barr's role in Jeffry Epstein's death, Marlene. The facts are what count, and as you pointed out, the dehumanization and threats against us are not hidden, they are expressed openly as part of their propaganda of lies and intimidation.
The alarming rhetoric that you pointed out is what will bring our demise, Fern. It’s frightening but the gloves and the hoods have come off. We know what we are up against and still, we must fight fire with fire until the bitter end. My parents who were subjected to this hate by Germans emboldened by Hitler, loved this country so much. They were small business owners who were proud to pay their taxes and even have their two daughters educated in the South, in a small city, in schools that were funded by furniture industries. I am happy they are not alive to endure this pain again.
Who knows what he has but he’s evil! He’s very old and withered so maybe his brain is too. I shouldn't say that because I’m getting up in age, also. But I am not seeking to be cruel or mean like he is. Grassley, Feinstein, Mitch, Pelosi really should retire. Pelosi carried us through Covid and now, the very important J6 committee. Mitch is too much of a egomaniac and a Fed Society star to go anywhere, unfortunately. Feinstein is the one who may have dementia. Here, in CA., many want Gov. Newsom to replace her with a woman of color who is also younger. Feinstein vowed she will stay on. Ugh
It is clear that Feinstein has problems. I just find it hard to believe that someone would actually make this claim. I have long thought that Grassley should go out to pasture.
Anne-Louise, No. Trump/Republicans are making chaos, intimidation, threats. It is part of their strategy to destroy the country, which they call 'the deep state'.
I got called out for referring to death star as the occupant of the WH by a hyper aggressive MAGA who said she does refer to Mr. Biden as president which I guess says she really doesn't believe the big lie. My answer was that I don't refer to him by name or as former president. Don't know what she said after that as I blocked her.
Too kind, Sandra! I use myriad words, phrases, & symbols none of which include “President” (even lowercase) or any part of his name spelled out, such as evil agent 🟠 and ☢️. I’ve seen quite a few fiery ones here in our LFAA classroom.
Rose, HCR's letter today spurred my comment. DJT, the right-wing extremists, the Republicans et al., have caused me to think about death as my parents, grandparents, friends, teachers and history taught me. It is crucial that Americans recognize how deep and lethal this movement against us is.
Thank you, Rose. I, too, do not practice a religion, even so, I was born a Jew. Threats against the majority of Americans as well as those in and around Israel, India, et al,, strengthen my sense of being a Jew and a human being.
Hi again, Fern. I wanted to follow up on your comment sooner but had no internet access with my computer until now. I was raised Catholic; no longer practice it nor any other religion, but respect everyone else's religious freedom. When looking back at Western Civilization's history (the Just Wars, the Inquisition, the genocidal "evangelization" of the Americas, the Holocaust--just some examples), however, one cannot overlook the fact that religion itself does not determine human morality; in fact, all religions basically propose the same general tenets (such as the golden rule). On the other hand, one common thread of religious extremists, regardless of the faith they profess, is that they use their "faith" as justification for hatred and criminal behaviors. This renders them unrighteous, hypocritical, and amoral. Unfortunately, too much of this is going on lately, not only in the U.S., but throughout the world.
I just tried this with the article you posted above, and it worked. And I've been doing this for over a month now. Try it yourself. Cut it off at the question mark.
Excellent detective work, David. Who wants to be tracked, unless the newspaper does that keep 'track' of number of gifted articles per subscriber. Whether we like it or not, newspapers are operating in an endangered arena.
Dear Fern, it really just gets no less wretched, does it? All possible must be done to stop him ☢️, his ilk, and even worse ever happening!
“…scholars who study political violence point to a common thread: the heightened use of bellicose, dehumanizing and apocalyptic language, particularly by prominent figures in right-wing politics and media.”
There is a place for public execution by the state, regardless of whether we are talking about ancient Greece, or the modern US. But there are couple of important things about this.
One of the first is that it needs to be a PUBLIC execution, and it needs to be an exemplary. The case should be clean, obvious justice to even the stupid, and a strong deterrent that says "Don't Ever Do This." If you disappear people in the shadows of night, it becomes a different thing altogether: it becomes a tool of state terrorism.
It should also be rare. If it is common, it argues for bad laws, corrupt courts, or a failed government.
What you describe having happened, above, is an atrocity.
I think that's a warning they are incapable of understanding. History? In the Bible, of which they are ignorant and on which they swear, there are three words spoken by a leader of the free Left who had been framed by the cult-bound Right and knew he was standing on the precipice. "What is truth?"
There seems to be two kinds of truth; the truth you know and the truth you tell. We don't ever get to know for sure, for sure, that we know the truth, or know all of it anyway; and we ( I ) probably pass along some measure of nonsense. But it is a conscious decision when we consider whether or not to tell the truth, and practice to deceive.
There is also some measure of due diligence in relation to what we choose to believe.
Jeri, deliberate ignorance is a widespread form of stupidity, especially in the USA and among the English. Many wear their ignorance as a badge of honor, thus exhibiting extreme arrogance.
This obnoxious attitude is especially prevalent among the highly privileged occupants of armor-plated mental bubbles who live and move only within gated communities, thought-free zones guarded by high walls of prejudice.
All too often the kind of misguided unfortunates who choose to believe that the material riches they have accumulated mean they are God's Chosen.
An interesting reply. And having weighed up the likely consequences and made that conscious decision to practise deceit, are we not lying? It reminds me of Kellyanne Conway's "alternative truth". Finding out that we've been deceived, even for what's fatuously called "our own good", that we've been lied to, delivers a cold shock.
Being lied to is dehumanizing, and some lies can be deadly. I don't mean trivial fudging on whether you like the sweater Grandma knitted for you, but lies that, once discovered, alter your relationship of trust of that person, even someone at a sales counter. Merited trust is essential to intimacy, and a certain degree of an environment of merited trust essential for an open society.
“To believe all men honest is folly. To believe none is something worse.” - John Adams
Ari Melber is a news reporter and an attorney, He has a trusted daily program on MSNBC which is also available on Youtube broadcasted the next day. On his August 16, 2022 program he outlines in exquisitely clear logical detail how the GOP "Game" works. It is so very wonderful to see all the details and how they interact. Hopefully, now that the "Horses escaped the barn" such anti-American democracy treason mongers deceptions will forever be impossible to implement again.
His excellent analysis of the attempted coup was one of the best I've seen, with graphics illustrating how seemingly "legal" activities morphed into downright ILLEGAL activities, how they overlapped and worked in tandem and eventually culminated in what clearly is seditious conspiracy.
I lost my link to this program of Ari's and I was hoping you might be able to provide to me a way to access Ari's discussion illustrative graphics and all...please
FOUND IT! Remembered it was a Special Report so searched on that. It was on July 29 (repeated multiple times thus different memories of when it was broadcast!). Title: Inside Trump's Election Plot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2aWw-C27Rk
I will definitely do some digging and see what I can find. He did an entire show on it - a special report. I think it's probably on UTube. I'll work on it later today.
Actually, originally, July 29. It was a Special Report and broadcast multiple times subsequently. I finally found it after remembering it was a special report.
Joe McCarthy was cornered and had bit off more than he could chew, but Joseph Welch's "have you no decency" was considered fatal. Nixon was investigated primarily for "the coverup", and Republicans were inclined to vote with Democrats to impeach. It seems to me that in the decades since we have allowed the expectation of ethics and professionalism (not to mention blatant conflicts of interest) to sink back to Gilded Age levels. We have creeps like Trump and MTG, and former US attorney Sidney Powell arguing in court that political speech is inherently dishonest, and that that's OK, because we were somehow persuaded to greatly lower the bar for professional behavior in positions of great influence and responsibility.
Not only is it an excellent presentation of how the attempted coup evolved and progress, the program was repeated a number of times during the week it was broadcast, possibly more often but I only noticed about 4 times.
Tried to find it on MSNBC and Youtube without success. The Youtube link that came up seems to have been taken over by some Japanese(?) video game.... Apparently, The Beat also streams on Peacock but I don't subscribe.
FOUND IT! Remembered it was a Special Report so searched on that. It was on July 29 (repeated multiple times thus different memories of when it was broadcast!). Title: Inside Trump's Election Plot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2aWw-C27Rk
Michael, come January '23, both Cheney and Kinzinger will be out of office. As I see it, with mounting legal problems for Trump, I fear that sane people will begin to tune out the threat. Too many will feel that Trump is so damaged, and perhaps at least bankrupt, that he can no longer pose a real threat. However, he's just a symptom of the disease. There are many others who are more than willing to take his place, and the problem is not exclusive to this country. Authoritarianism is rampant world-wide, and the threat to this country remains. I believe that the Republicans remaining in politics will be more than happy to embrace a new "leader," perhaps smoother and intelligent, who will be glad to take up where the current crop left off.
Yes It is like a novel. Liz Chaney becomes the darling of the Dems and wins the presidency. Then all her policies, which were over 90% voting with Trump all these years are headed to fruition. Unequal distribution of wealth on steroids because she is s o smart, unlike He who shall not be named. then... we are in what Nancy referred to in her text as "the disease."
I refer to it as the Plague, but we are on the same page.
Joan, your analysis is amazing. Regardless of what Republicanism morphs into, it is unlikely to be good for the average person. They have always been centered around making the rich richer and more powerful, and usually at the expense of the rest of us. Unless there is a monumental change in our society, there will always be a party that is threatened by the masses, regardless of the fact that they'll have plenty to share. I bear no animus toward Liz Cheney, and in this case, she has been hugely beneficial in the effort to remove Trump from the stage. However, because of her likely upbringing, I doubt she'll ever understand the needs of the average person. The mere fact that she voted for Trump, and enabled his atrocities, speaks volumes, in my opinion. He never presented himself as anything but himself - everyone knew.
True, but let's try to keep them at bay, by whatever means, for at least another four years. The oldest will be gone, the young will be coming into their strength. Yes, there's an outcrop of authoritarianism worldwide, but in each case the rulers have imposed themselves contrary to the wishes of the majority. Something's got to give. But full many a gem of purest ray serene the dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear, and let us not forget that.
I agree, Anne-Louise. We can't permit a minute of inattention, and I'm impressed with our young voters. Like Ukraine, we have lived with relative freedom and democracy, and I doubt that authoritarianism will go over well with the populace. I hope I don't jinx us, but it wouldn't surprise me if we did much better in the midterms than is currently predicted.
Exactly. Authoritarianism coupled in this country with white supremacy and a truly terrifying arsenal of firearms. It's tempting to focus too much on Trump, but it's also very dangerous.
“We will be sifting through the wreckage of Trump's authoritarian presidency for years. This episode may one day be clarified but others will undoubtedly come to light, because everything is for sale in the strongman's world.” I would change “for years” to for decades, but Ruth Ben-Ghiat certainly enlightens on the Financial Times claim!!
As a regular listener to (and member of) Deep State Radio, where Ed Luce is a regular, I can testify that he is not given to hyperbole and exaggeration. That and his extensive experience make his statement all the more powerful.
In this episode of Letters from a Propagandist, Heather Cox Richardson laments the loss of war-criminal imperialist Liz Cheney, a character who deserves nothing but contempt from the American population which overwhelmingly desires peace in the world by virtue of an end to the nightmarish wars of which Cheney and her blood-thirsty vampire of a father are largely responsible.
While I prefer to ignore "Charles" and "David Carroll" I have reported to you all that in the last few days I'm seeing a very large uptick in trolls, and others who are "wolves in sheep's clothing:" As Sharon says, interesting that you pay to come on here. NO not a surprise to me: Biden is scoring big wins, Trump is digging his grave and the Conservatives are running scared. They THINK that planting seeds to sow discord on here will somehow help their side. I find this hilarious, actually, because I have seen many examples of people here having differences of opinions and respectfully debate each other, generally with links to genuine sources. The book "On Tyranny" addresses some of this I was told, (I have ordered it but it has not yet come) by stating that Conservatives are motivated by FEAR, and the GOP utilizes this to control them. That isn't going to work with this crowd, the likes of Sandy Lewis, TCinLA, Ellie Kona, Ellen Massey, Ally House, etc etc (can't name you all know who you are!)
I am truly enjoying seeing these trolls appear as it confirms my beliefs that they are getting pretty anxious.
I did not know about the ability to report trolls. I do like the feature of being able to mute people, wish it was here as well.
Interesting that you paid for a subscription to come out and attack the author. How many other writers do you pay so you can spread hate and conspiracies? No one here will take you seriously and I wouldn’t blame Heather for removing you because of personal attacks.
Many thanks, Ellen! I’ve done the same over this trolling nastiness he has spewed again and again. Our dear Fern is right, his bating of her seems quite stalkerish.
Only Heather, not that that is any of your business. By the way, how do you spread conspiracies? You mean conspiracy Theories? It's not a theory if the theory is true and right out in the open.
Right. But if you can’t debate and comment like an adult and feel the need to be abusive to the author you don’t deserve to be here. No one should be expected to deal with personal attacks and abuse. You have the right to state your opinion but abuse goes too far. I didn’t say anything about your first nonsensical reply I read but you went too far. The only point you have made here is that you are an abusive prepubescent bully not worthy of being allowed in this forum. It is my business when you abuse anyone. Verbal abuse leads to physical abuse.
"Abuse"? Get out of here with that BS. News flash Sharon, calling Heather a propagandist, which she is, is not abuse. Maybe you should consider the harm you are doing to real survivors of abuse by so lightly and irresponsibly throwing around that term. I recommend you pick your words a bit more carefully,
Now you’ll attack me. It’s the personal, targeted attacks that make you abusive.
Before you think I use the word lightly, I spent years working in abuse shelters and every single case started out with some jerk feeling it was his job to be verbally abusive and moved into being physically abusive. You find it easy to be abusive, abrasive and even now instead of taking it on board that this is how you come across you make weak excuses and double down. I’m not harming the survivors, I’m standing up for them.
Heather is a historian, show some respect for the work she puts in. The only reason you’re here is to be abusive. You admit you think, with no basis in fact, that you think she’s lying to you. Why would you pay for someone to lie to you?
TFG hasn't killed the Cheney dynasty, if it's even worthy of being called such. Liz Cheney hasn't retired from the political scene yet, probably won't. Eric has never shown himself to be anything other than a fool, yet he continues to find a way into the public ear. TFG IS the Trump Organization. It's a private company, and he administered it like the wannabe dictator he attempted to become over the USA. To restrict a civil suit to the organization and not it's owner-operator was a compromise from the start. Nothing happened in that organization without either the impetus or the assent of TFG.
What can conviction yield? Fines, requirements for future external audit/oversight? The company needs to be wiped off the face of the earth. The fines should exceed it's net worth. It's scion needs to be behind bars. It's assets need to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the US Treasury. Our justice system, on every level, has to demonstrate the courage to ignore his title and conduct itself according to the sum total of his actions pre-, during and post-presidency. Rising to the highest office in the land doesn't change the fact that he's a criminal. It's the height of embarrassment that our nation elected a criminal in spite of overwhelming information accurately predicting his subsequent behavior in office. We need to "cancel" the weight of that decision and it's innoculative effect on the wheels of justice. We need to own and conduct ourselves according to the quote "no man is above the law".
Nathan, you wrote “It's the height of embarrassment that our nation elected a criminal in spite of overwhelming information accurately predicting his subsequent behavior in office.” Yes! And what’s disturbing is that half the voters in this country, an estimate, would vote for him again.
JL, yes very interesting. And 2016! We should not be surprised. TFG’s ties to criminal elements was one more election story that repub voters ignored. Power corrupts.
Irenie, I might be nit-picking over word choice and, if so, apologies, but I think it was worse than ignoring his ties to organized crime. I think they knew every bit of that, knew exactly what he was, and made a very conscious, deliberate decision to choose him. And by "they" I mean the power brokers and the deep pockets in organizations like The Federalist Society with whom a man like McConnell made a devil's bargain. I am as far away from being a conspiracy theorist as it's possible to be, but the nearly invisible network of these people seem, in fact, to have been pulling the strings for quite a long time.
Yes. It seems VERY unlikely th e"powers that be" in the R party would not have known all about Trump in 2016 and his criminal activities. If we in the boonies knew, surely they did.
Dean, not nit-picking, but looking from a different angle. Perhaps the general public, the repubs who vote the party, just like it’s in the family, heritage to be a repub or Dem. They don’t always pay attention if they vote at all. Yes, the Federalist Society has been installing elected officials and SCOTUS behind the scenes. Plus there’s the Claremont Institute connection to Eastman. The behind the scenes “votes.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/24/claremont-john-eastman-trump/
And there it is — as concise and accurate assessment of our dire plight as I've read, courtesy of the Financial Times writer:
“I’ve covered extremism and violent ideologies around the world over my career. Have never come across a political force more nihilistic, dangerous & contemptible than today’s Republicans. Nothing close.”
May it echo over and over across the nation. If there are any "good" Republicans left in Congress besides Cheney and Kinzinger, they better speak loud and clear in rejecting Trumpism. Or history will remember them as complicit.
Complicit Susan Collins' cringeworthy bending herself into pretzels - TrumpYoga Susan going down dog for the Don - to justify stuff like the tax scam, embracing Jim Crow states rights arguments to vote against civil rights legislation and now dancing around defending Trump's attacks on the FBI. At a certain point mealy mouthed mumblings are effectively not all that different from full throated shout outs.
"All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." (Author unknown, many attributes).
...and good women like Liz Cheney...
Liz isn't doing nothing; she's putting it all on the line. Can't stand her policies; love her courage and the kind of patriotism Lincoln and Eisenhower (both Republicans) would recognize.
Heart button not working, so HEART!
Are you saying Liz Cheney is doing nothing?? Really? Please clarify.
Susan Collins has a special ring in hell.
The Circle of "Concern."
LOL
Very clever!!!
Now that's funny. And appropriate!!!
Oh, too funny...I was going to say hypocrisy, but her own word fits so well.
well done
She sure does.
“Collins' cringeworthy bending herself into pretzels… down dog for the Don.” Iin, the imagery of your post today is priceless—poetic! Bravo!
And forgot the alliteration: “mealy mouthed mumblings”! Hmmmm…
She has been what she is for a very long time, always with a meaningless promise to lure the fools
And it works. the fools keep re-electing her.
Can Maine voters recall her? She’s betrayed any Margaret Chase Smith legacy she might allude to
It is my sincerest wish to do so. She has brought embarrassment to our great state with her cringeworthy "concern".
That she has done.
Susan Collins is popular in Maine.
Perhaps by many, but I have relatives who've transplanted from Massachusetts to Maine, and I can't repeat their affection for Ms. Collins - I'd be banned from posting here if I did.
After the most well-financed campaign to defeat her in 2020, she won by 10 points. I don’t like Susan Collins. But she knows what she is doing. So many here attack her, because she’s not a liberal. The liberals here don’t understand that 60% of Mainers are not liberal, and do support Collins. The myopia is strong in us liberals.
I agree. Many folks don't understand that New England isn't nearly as liberal as they think, and I'd guess that Maine is on a par with upstate New York in its conservatism. The fact that Collins has been a fixture for years takes her out of the current foaming-at-the-mouth crop of Republicans, too.
Shortly after the Kavanaugh confirmation, Ms Susan Collins was at Trump’s desk for some bill she sponsored, (which I believe she spent much time working on). I could tell you exactly the price of her vote. What Susan Collins didn’t get was that her name will be mud, no matter what bill she advanced.
That is the difference between Susan Collins and Liz Cheney. Liz gave up her position in the party and all her other assignments, because she is driven by what is right for America, not what is right for her political career.
JaneDough56, many will argue with me, but although I appreciate what Liz has done, and I admire her skill and determination, I suspect that she is feathering her nest for the future, whether it's a run for the presidency or some other high office (SCOTUS?) once the Trumpstorm finally ends. Don't forget who her father is, and whose advice she's listening to. Yes, she did the right thing, but her motivation could be much more complex. I can't imagine ever voting for a pro-life ultra conservative who voted with Trump over 90% of the time, regardless of her current motivation for taking on Trumpers.
I’m not sure how successful she’ll be. Her best role in the next two elections is that of the spoiler, and that’s if she works very hard at it.
I agree with you in the near term, and considering her constituency, I doubt that she'll make headway in the near future. Still, though, she's in her mid 50's, so she has a long time to see changes that would make a comeback possible.
And to add on - every “moral victory” comes with a moral price. So you get a “Pro-Life” America, and all it took was gerrymandering states, erasing voting rights, packing the courts with pro-life judges, and embracing a morally corrupt autocrat-wannabe. Was it really worth it?
What is ‘pro-life’? We have had this discussion ad ininitum!
Alleged group is dogmatic by nature, thus attracted to authoritarian, amoral creatures who co-opt their message in order to get elected. Reference little Frankie graham’s nation wide crusade to get the ‘believers’ to vote for the alleged ‘pro life ‘ candidate I. 2016!
You can look it up!
That’s what mean by trading a democracy for what they believe is the moral high ground.
HEART.
The difference between the two representatives is as wide as the Pacific Ocean!
Exactly!
Fascists' woke...
She's quite a legend already. It must keep her warm at night.
No one as yet has come up with a sincere why? What is it that made Collins. Graham, etc start twisting?
Anything, anything to remain in office; to believe, and to some extent do, have power.
The Founding Fathers anticipated a demagogue. They never imagined Senators like these.
What a wonderful and accurate description of all talk and no walk Susie Q.
Hilarious!
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I wonder what Susan Collings likes with her pretzels - Yellow or brown mustard?
I have some honey pretzels....not those. Brown mustard tends to be spicier. I think yellow.
Liz Cheney proves that the New England laptop ‘liberal’ class does not stand for anything other than despising Trump. Why don’t you guys pack up and go fight the next war that the current criminal regime is marching us towards?
We do not want to be a nation of Christian and Catholic Nationals.
Amen, Sister. Signed -- another faith tradition
Please say more about your thoughts, Mr. Blundon.
What more is there to say? We have a proven, track-record-war-criminal, who certainly appears to be demented, lazily wandering us in at least the general vicinity of 2 nuclear wars and we want to keep the Trump banter going. All you Cheney-cheering propagandized dupes need to start packing because without a course correction, war is coming.
From where is this war coming?
The war is coming from the same crowd that marched on the Capitol, only there will be more of them and better armed. There may be more regular military as well.
This is the most terrifying account of where we are that Professor Richardson has written. I would add to it the MSNBC reported that Grassley and Cruz both repeated the lie from the web that there are 187,000 armed IRS agents coming for US. If the DOJ cannot put a stop to unsealing the affidavit, we may be in big trouble fast. Putin must be puffing out his chest enjoying his power. Trump, Jr. should be officially reprimanded for giving “aid and comfort to the enemy.” Free speech to bring down by force a democratic government ?
As for Liz Cheney: yes, to her fight against Trump, but no to her backward-looking Republican Party. We need to keep our eyes on the EU (which is dealing with climate change more rapidly than we and taking better care of its citizens)and we must continue sending arms to Ukraine.
NATO
I for one would like some suggestions from you as to what you would do in Biden's place WRT Russia/Ukraine, and China/Taiwan. I assume those are the two areas of concern? Yes - nuclear war is worrisome to say the least. But it is not the USA that is being confrontational. Our positions (and BTW our allies as well including NATO) are in response to aggression from Russia and China. Again - what would you do?
To understand where we are in Ukraine, you have to go back to the 2014 far right coup that was backed by the US under then president Joe Biden.
https://www.wsws.org/en/topics/event/2014-coup-ukraine
Following this coup, the Eastern provinces, which are almost entirely inhabited by ethnic Russians, separated from the rest of Ukraine. In response to this, a civil war broke out that claimed at least 14,000 lives as the Ukrainian state attempted to reclaim this territory with US supplied weapons.
https://www.voanews.com/a/what-are-the-minsk-accords-/6435211.html
"Ukraine refused a dialogue with the separatists."
If I were Biden, I would stop the transfer of US weapons to Ukraine immediately and work to find a peace agreement before the situation worsens but good luck with that. Biden has a long record as a war-mongering maniac.
“Laptop liberals…”, “Cheney cheering propagandizes dupes..”!
Kindly elucidate on these glittering generalities?
Ms. Cheney has exhibited courage and bravery worthy of our nations highest honor! The publisher of JFK’s ‘Profiles in Courage’ should have an editor add Ms Cheney’s fearless effort to save our democracy to that book!
Using sports as an analogy, several famous professional athletes remind themselves what counts is how effective will my next at bat be, my next throw in football, my next kick to goal in soccer, my next putt in golf! They motivate despite poor past performances.
Ms. Cheney likewise has shown that she has moved past Papa Cheney’s disastrous decisions, motivated by personal business interests, which qualify him as a war criminal.
Brava Liz and thank you!
Holy cow it is just so unbelievable watching you all fall all over yourselves defending LIZ CHENEY?!?! What happened to you guys? We used to be on the same page standing against the tyranny and lies of the Bush / CHENEY administration. I know what happened to you. In typical boomer fashion, you approach politics as if it were a soap opera which is therefore completely disconnected from reality. That explains why somehow, despite living through the LBJ Vietnam War you still equate being a good person with being a Democrat?? Trump and COVID came along and were a 1-2 punch that literally broke all of your brains. Now you are full-on pro-war, pro-censorship husks of your former selves.
HEART.
“How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just does not see?”
Bob Dylan.
"A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." - Paul Simon
Boomers had, IMHO, the best music
Trump keeps lying when he outta be truthin'
He don’t know “truthin”
True that...!
But he fears it.
Many times, it appears. May we ask for clear sight for them.
Bob Dylan
https://youtu.be/KpD26IoRLvA
🗽
"The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind."
Bob Dylan
Apparently, many are infinitely capable.
May it be emblazoned on the front page of the Times. The WSJ. The washington Post and every news show’s headline story. And may every Republican senator and representative live forever in infamy and as an example of the shameful cowardice and GREED to which so called educated people people can stoop
Power and it's abuses is the elephant in the room of human suffering.
Nice, subtle tie in to the Republican Party's animal avatar
I just happens. I think actual elephants a cool, but it seems to me (for me included) we see a lot that doesn't adequately register. It seems to me that successful, empowering leaders and movements work in part by calling attention to the hiding in plain sight.
We did not need Eric Trump to remind us of our associations of death with his father, the former president, or with right-wing extremist groups and many in the Republican Party.
‘Donald Trump's Racially Charged Advocacy of the Death Penalty’
‘The Republican frontrunner has long called for more executions—even when his proposals run afoul of the Constitution.’
‘Trump has a history of invoking the death penalty without regard for its limitations. After the brutal rape of a white jogger in Central Park in April 1989 received widespread media attention, and amid a rise in crime rates nationwide, Trump took out a full-age ad in four New York City newspapers with the title “BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY! BRING BACK THE POLICE!”* He did not specifically reference the Central Park jogger attack in the ad, but its timing made the connection inescapable.’ (Atlantic)
‘Donald Trump has added a morbid new distinction to his presidency – for the first time in US history, the federal government has in one year executed more American civilians than all the states combined.’
‘Against that downward path, the actions of the Trump administration stand out as a grotesque aberration.’ (Guardian)
‘Inside Trump and Barr’s Last-Minute Killing Spree’
‘Private executioners paid in cash. Middle-of-the-night killings. False or incomplete justifications. ProPublica obtained court records showing how the outgoing administration is using its final days to execute the most federal prisoners since World War II.’
‘In its hurry to use its final days in power to execute federal prisoners, the administration of President Donald Trump has trampled over an array of barriers, both legal and practical, according to court records that have not been previously reported.’
‘Officials gave public explanations for their choice of which prisoners should die that misstated key facts from the cases. They moved ahead with executions in the middle of the night.’
https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-trump-and-barrs-last-minute-killing-spree
‘As Right-Wing Rhetoric Escalates, So Do Threats and Violence’
‘Both threats of political violence and actual attacks have become a steady reality of American life. Experts blame dehumanizing and apocalyptic language’
‘In the year and a half since a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, threats of political violence and actual attacks have become a steady reality of American life, affecting school board officials, election workers, flight attendants, librarians and even members of Congress, often with few headlines and little reaction from politicians.’
‘While this welter of events may feel disparate, occurring at different times and places and to different types of people, scholars who study political violence point to a common thread: the heightened use of bellicose, dehumanizing and apocalyptic language, particularly by prominent figures in right-wing politics and media.’
‘Several right-wing or Republican figures reacted to the search of Mar-a-Lago not only with demands to dismantle the F.B.I., but also with warnings that the action had triggered “war.”
“This just shows everyone what many of us have been saying for a very long time,” Joe Kent, a Trump-endorsed House candidate in Washington State, said on a podcast run by Stephen K. Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former chief political strategist. “We’re at war.”
‘According to the F.B.I., there are now about 2,700 open domestic terrorism investigations — a number that has doubled since the spring of 2020 — and that does not include lesser but still serious incidents that do not rise to the level of federal inquiry. Last year, threats against members of Congress reached a record high of 9,600, according to data provided by the Capitol Police.’ (NYTimes) See gifted link to the article below.
The former president’s disregard for human life didn’t begin with his deadly mismanagement of the Covid pandemic, it is part of his nature. Our deep concern about Trump having power over the American people includes his advocates, the likes of DeSantis, right-wing extremists, and the Republican Party transformation into a cult of the personality. Our commitment to the principles of Democracy and the understanding that Democracy emphasizes the value of every human being speaks to our responsibility as citizens of the United States of America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/13/nyregion/right-wing-rhetoric-threats-violence.html?
... so, how many years/decades passed before the 5 young men accused/convicted of the 1989 rape in Central Park were proven innocent,- and still, the sTrumpette insisted they were guilty and should have been executed ...?
And what about right-wing Republican calls to dismantle the FBI in response to the warrented search of Msr-a-Lago? Did those same voices rise in defense of black American movements for justice and equity in the sixties - or First Nations defense of sovereign treaty rights at Wounded Knee in the seventies? Of course not. Why not ...?
... oh, right ... "We're at war."
So ..., who are WE, and what is US ...?
You ask some very good questions. The answer, sadly, imbedded in the mechanism for the founding of our country: genocide and slavery of people "different" that the white European settlers.
In my Pachamama book review group, we are reading "An Indigenous Peoples History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Oritz - very revealing ... while I understand that different cultural groups may believe their own way is the best way, I do not see how anyone can justify domination through murder, rape and robbery - though it does seem to be a recurring theme through the ages of human hystery - so maybe it is 'our' turn to be 'on top' ... still, the wheel keeps turning, I do not believe we are the top of the food chain ... our time will come to succumb ... I truly hope we can find within our hearts a better way, and bring it forward in time ... the sooner the quicker ....
https://tahomahome.weebly.com/prayer-for-america.html
I think that book should be studied carefully in courses required in every American high school.
Including descriptions of how aggressive sociopathy (technically not the right term, but...) works. History is replete with presentations of it's consequences, but what does it look like as a system of thinking? I got a little of that in elementary school (for an hour or two) with respect to propaganda efforts of the Nazis (this a few years after WWII). It is one of the few lessons from my K-6 education I still recall in some detail.
Follow the money. That's not the whole answer but explains a lot.
That one haunts e too.
Fern, you mentioned the brutal rape of the white jogger in Central Park in April 1989. Indeed, Trump did have those rotten ads published, but not long after that, without any evidence, businessman Donald J. Trump publicly said that all members of the falsely accused "Central Park Five", who were all black, should be put to death. As you know, they were all exonerated.
They were sentenced in 1989. It took many years of imprisonment before they were exonerated in 2002 and remunerated in 2013 to the tune of $41 million.
"Adding fuel to the fire, weeks after the attack, in May 1989, real estate developer (and future U.S. president) Donald Trump took out full-page ads in The New York Times, the New York Daily News, the New York Post and New York Newsday with the headline, "Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!
[...]
In the years since their release, the five men accused in the Central Park case have moved on with their lives. Richardson lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters. He works as an advocate for criminal justice reform. McCray lives in Georgia with his wife and six children. Santana also lives in Georgia with his teenage daughter and, in 2018, Santana started his own clothing company called Park Madison NYC. Wise lives in New York City, where he works as a public speaker and criminal justice reform advocate. Salaam is a published poet, public speaker and criminal justice reform advocate. He lives in George and is a father to 10 children."
https://www.history.com/topics/1980s/central-park-five
Thanks, Mimi, for this! Those young men were so obnoxiously abused by the press and by The Don that when they were finally exonerated, I was thrilled. Let’s not forget that he was one of the loudest and original birthers regarding where Obama was born. He’s a louse, a racist, a mob boss, and the imaginary son of Hitler.
Agreed, Marlene.
(My name is Mim.)
Oops, Mim! My apologies! My fingers work faster than my brain sometimes.
I am going to have to call my doctors for therapy, for heart meds after reading all that you posted, Fern. There is an abundance of deceit and untruths that make my blood boil and yet, these people walk free. I have no doubts now that Barr arranged Jeffrey Epstein’s death. After all, wasn’t he the last person to see him alive? Weren’t the so-called guards hands merely slapped for not checking on Epstein?
Trump unleashed the mob to do his bidding. He continues to try being relevant and he is succeeding. I don’t want to be at war but this is what our new reality is unless we hire tons and tons of people to deprogram the masses. That isn’t going to happen. Feel like we are on a terrifying roller coaster.
Marlene, We are justified in our fears about threats by Trump, the Republican Party and others make against the American people. I just skimmed the surface in listing a few their offences, without even mentioning Trump's response to violent protests in Charlottesville, Va. "you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides." It is difficult to put a cap on his, and Republicans incitement of political violence. Now they are going after IRS employees.
Senate Republican campaign chair Rick Scott, R-Fla., published an open letter encouraging job seekers not to pursue new IRS positions, vowing that Republicans, who hope to take control of Congress next year, will quickly "defund" those jobs.
Scott claimed the Biden administration will use the Democrats' newly enacted Inflation Reduction Act to create "an IRS super-police force" to "audit and investigate" ordinary Americans. "The IRS is making it very clear that you not only need to be ready to audit and investigate your fellow hardworking Americans, your neighbors and friends, you need to be ready and, to use the IRS’s words, willing, to kill them," he wrote, referencing a job posting for the agency's Criminal Investigation division, which has been mischaracterized.'
'Scott's depiction of a new force of IRS agents targeting average Americans lacks basis in the text of the new law and has been dismissed by Democrats as a fabrication. It was debunked — indirectly — by formal guidance Wednesday by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to the IRS.' (NBCnews). Scott is not alone.
'Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) even suggested on "Fox & Friends" last week that IRS workers armed with assault rifles would be deployed against taxpayers. He and other Republicans have falsely tossed around the number 87,000 as the size of this supposed army of agents.
"Are they going to have a strike force that goes in with AK-15s already loaded, ready to shoot some small-business person in Iowa?" the longtime senator asked.'. (CNN)
I don't know about accusations concerning Barr's role in Jeffry Epstein's death, Marlene. The facts are what count, and as you pointed out, the dehumanization and threats against us are not hidden, they are expressed openly as part of their propaganda of lies and intimidation.
The alarming rhetoric that you pointed out is what will bring our demise, Fern. It’s frightening but the gloves and the hoods have come off. We know what we are up against and still, we must fight fire with fire until the bitter end. My parents who were subjected to this hate by Germans emboldened by Hitler, loved this country so much. They were small business owners who were proud to pay their taxes and even have their two daughters educated in the South, in a small city, in schools that were funded by furniture industries. I am happy they are not alive to endure this pain again.
Marlene, Thank you for your support. This 'particular hound dog' is no Elvis. Your kindness overcomes my annoyance.
Chuck Grassley has truly gone down a very deep rabbit hole. He has to have dementia.
Who knows what he has but he’s evil! He’s very old and withered so maybe his brain is too. I shouldn't say that because I’m getting up in age, also. But I am not seeking to be cruel or mean like he is. Grassley, Feinstein, Mitch, Pelosi really should retire. Pelosi carried us through Covid and now, the very important J6 committee. Mitch is too much of a egomaniac and a Fed Society star to go anywhere, unfortunately. Feinstein is the one who may have dementia. Here, in CA., many want Gov. Newsom to replace her with a woman of color who is also younger. Feinstein vowed she will stay on. Ugh
It is clear that Feinstein has problems. I just find it hard to believe that someone would actually make this claim. I have long thought that Grassley should go out to pasture.
Could this be humour? A Fox offshoot of The Onion?
Anne-Louise, No. Trump/Republicans are making chaos, intimidation, threats. It is part of their strategy to destroy the country, which they call 'the deep state'.
I know. Alas.
Wait. Whaaaaaat?!?!? IRS loaded and locked? Oy vé
Well, some of them may be loaded given the backlog and outdated systems...
I prefer to refer to djt as the ex-president...
Agree Sandra. I find it difficult to put any form of the word “president” in front of his name. His life has been a constant fall from grace.
🗽
And a taint on our nation
I got called out for referring to death star as the occupant of the WH by a hyper aggressive MAGA who said she does refer to Mr. Biden as president which I guess says she really doesn't believe the big lie. My answer was that I don't refer to him by name or as former president. Don't know what she said after that as I blocked her.
I find it more than difficult, I find it impossible. I only ever use tfg now. He was a fraud, a fake president.
disgraced grace...
he is the unpresidented...
Too kind, Sandra! I use myriad words, phrases, & symbols none of which include “President” (even lowercase) or any part of his name spelled out, such as evil agent 🟠 and ☢️. I’ve seen quite a few fiery ones here in our LFAA classroom.
Wow! Thanks, Fern, for this nightmarish compendium—except this is not a nightmare, but the real-life workings of evil incarnate!
Rose, HCR's letter today spurred my comment. DJT, the right-wing extremists, the Republicans et al., have caused me to think about death as my parents, grandparents, friends, teachers and history taught me. It is crucial that Americans recognize how deep and lethal this movement against us is.
Heart. And mind.
I am not religious but pray that your soul finds comfort in knowing that you are not alone. Wishing you all that is best, good and kind friend!
Thank you, Rose. I, too, do not practice a religion, even so, I was born a Jew. Threats against the majority of Americans as well as those in and around Israel, India, et al,, strengthen my sense of being a Jew and a human being.
Hi again, Fern. I wanted to follow up on your comment sooner but had no internet access with my computer until now. I was raised Catholic; no longer practice it nor any other religion, but respect everyone else's religious freedom. When looking back at Western Civilization's history (the Just Wars, the Inquisition, the genocidal "evangelization" of the Americas, the Holocaust--just some examples), however, one cannot overlook the fact that religion itself does not determine human morality; in fact, all religions basically propose the same general tenets (such as the golden rule). On the other hand, one common thread of religious extremists, regardless of the faith they profess, is that they use their "faith" as justification for hatred and criminal behaviors. This renders them unrighteous, hypocritical, and amoral. Unfortunately, too much of this is going on lately, not only in the U.S., but throughout the world.
To Fern and all: You can cut URLs off at the question mark (end of first line in this case) and they still work just fine. No need for clutter.
Gifted articles from the NYTimes are very long and will not work if not copied intact.
I just tried this with the article you posted above, and it worked. And I've been doing this for over a month now. Try it yourself. Cut it off at the question mark.
It turns out that these loooooooooonnnnggg URLs are for tracking. (I googled)
Excellent detective work, David. Who wants to be tracked, unless the newspaper does that keep 'track' of number of gifted articles per subscriber. Whether we like it or not, newspapers are operating in an endangered arena.
David, THANK YOU! I tried it, and as you suggested, IT WORKS!
You're welcome! (I am now wondering why they make the URLs so much longer than they need to be.)
I let my subscription lapse and the link would not let me read the article.
Try it now, Carol.
I terminated my subscription in irritation. Sometimes I can open an article, mostly I can't. WAPO hides behind a beautiful wall...
Oh! Fern...
Yet another tussle over your easily bruised ego.
Why the concern about others judgments of your comments, Eh!?
Stop arguing.
Be happy!
"If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life/Be happy!"
Thank you, Richard, but it may be hopeless. This hound dog isn't Elvis, but he 'believes' he's found his pigeon.
You seem obsessed with me, George. I hope you find some healing. Salud!
Dear Fern, it really just gets no less wretched, does it? All possible must be done to stop him ☢️, his ilk, and even worse ever happening!
“…scholars who study political violence point to a common thread: the heightened use of bellicose, dehumanizing and apocalyptic language, particularly by prominent figures in right-wing politics and media.”
There is a place for public execution by the state, regardless of whether we are talking about ancient Greece, or the modern US. But there are couple of important things about this.
One of the first is that it needs to be a PUBLIC execution, and it needs to be an exemplary. The case should be clean, obvious justice to even the stupid, and a strong deterrent that says "Don't Ever Do This." If you disappear people in the shadows of night, it becomes a different thing altogether: it becomes a tool of state terrorism.
It should also be rare. If it is common, it argues for bad laws, corrupt courts, or a failed government.
What you describe having happened, above, is an atrocity.
Watch "Dead Man Walking."
I disagree with killing anybody.
Thank you, Fern.
I think that's a warning they are incapable of understanding. History? In the Bible, of which they are ignorant and on which they swear, there are three words spoken by a leader of the free Left who had been framed by the cult-bound Right and knew he was standing on the precipice. "What is truth?"
There seems to be two kinds of truth; the truth you know and the truth you tell. We don't ever get to know for sure, for sure, that we know the truth, or know all of it anyway; and we ( I ) probably pass along some measure of nonsense. But it is a conscious decision when we consider whether or not to tell the truth, and practice to deceive.
There is also some measure of due diligence in relation to what we choose to believe.
Deliberate ignorance is way worse than stupidity. The former is a choice while the latter describes a useful fool more often than not.
Borrowing this
Jeri, deliberate ignorance is a widespread form of stupidity, especially in the USA and among the English. Many wear their ignorance as a badge of honor, thus exhibiting extreme arrogance.
This obnoxious attitude is especially prevalent among the highly privileged occupants of armor-plated mental bubbles who live and move only within gated communities, thought-free zones guarded by high walls of prejudice.
All too often the kind of misguided unfortunates who choose to believe that the material riches they have accumulated mean they are God's Chosen.
Deliberate misleaders are another matter.
A very pressing matter at this time.
An interesting reply. And having weighed up the likely consequences and made that conscious decision to practise deceit, are we not lying? It reminds me of Kellyanne Conway's "alternative truth". Finding out that we've been deceived, even for what's fatuously called "our own good", that we've been lied to, delivers a cold shock.
The writings of Tennessee Williams help in understanding the seas of mendacity. Eg. "DJT On a Hot Tin Roof" or "A Street Car Named Greed".
Big Daddy in place of Big Brother...
Being lied to is dehumanizing, and some lies can be deadly. I don't mean trivial fudging on whether you like the sweater Grandma knitted for you, but lies that, once discovered, alter your relationship of trust of that person, even someone at a sales counter. Merited trust is essential to intimacy, and a certain degree of an environment of merited trust essential for an open society.
“To believe all men honest is folly. To believe none is something worse.” - John Adams
Multiply that heart.
Silence is complicity-history has proven that again and again. The GOP aren’t just silent, they are actively participating in the murder of democracy.
That's worthy of the Lincoln Project.
They are seeking absolute power. It threads though everything they it's what the Constitution was meant to prevent.
Yes, but they seem to be out for an ironclad oligarchic restoration of the Articles of Confederation + the military.
When it's not pre-Magna Carta.
Ari Melber is a news reporter and an attorney, He has a trusted daily program on MSNBC which is also available on Youtube broadcasted the next day. On his August 16, 2022 program he outlines in exquisitely clear logical detail how the GOP "Game" works. It is so very wonderful to see all the details and how they interact. Hopefully, now that the "Horses escaped the barn" such anti-American democracy treason mongers deceptions will forever be impossible to implement again.
His excellent analysis of the attempted coup was one of the best I've seen, with graphics illustrating how seemingly "legal" activities morphed into downright ILLEGAL activities, how they overlapped and worked in tandem and eventually culminated in what clearly is seditious conspiracy.
Ellen Massey
Wonderful blessing!
I lost my link to this program of Ari's and I was hoping you might be able to provide to me a way to access Ari's discussion illustrative graphics and all...please
Thank you
FOUND IT! Remembered it was a Special Report so searched on that. It was on July 29 (repeated multiple times thus different memories of when it was broadcast!). Title: Inside Trump's Election Plot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2aWw-C27Rk
THANK YOU JUDITH SWINK!
I will definitely do some digging and see what I can find. He did an entire show on it - a special report. I think it's probably on UTube. I'll work on it later today.
I apologize for not responding yesterday. I am not sure if this is it, but this link might take you to that special: https://archive.org/details/MSNBCW_20220731_020000_The_Beat_With_Ari_Melber/start/60/end/120
Thank you for your kind help!
EXCELLENT!
Thank you.
Yes it was an entire show and I believe it was aired aug 16, 2022 or Aug 15
Actually, originally, July 29. It was a Special Report and broadcast multiple times subsequently. I finally found it after remembering it was a special report.
Title: Inside Trump's Election Plot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2aWw-C27Rk
Joe McCarthy was cornered and had bit off more than he could chew, but Joseph Welch's "have you no decency" was considered fatal. Nixon was investigated primarily for "the coverup", and Republicans were inclined to vote with Democrats to impeach. It seems to me that in the decades since we have allowed the expectation of ethics and professionalism (not to mention blatant conflicts of interest) to sink back to Gilded Age levels. We have creeps like Trump and MTG, and former US attorney Sidney Powell arguing in court that political speech is inherently dishonest, and that that's OK, because we were somehow persuaded to greatly lower the bar for professional behavior in positions of great influence and responsibility.
Not only is it an excellent presentation of how the attempted coup evolved and progress, the program was repeated a number of times during the week it was broadcast, possibly more often but I only noticed about 4 times.
Tried to find it on MSNBC and Youtube without success. The Youtube link that came up seems to have been taken over by some Japanese(?) video game.... Apparently, The Beat also streams on Peacock but I don't subscribe.
FOUND IT! Remembered it was a Special Report so searched on that. It was on July 29 (repeated multiple times thus different memories of when it was broadcast!). Title: Inside Trump's Election Plot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2aWw-C27Rk
I like Ari. Will look for that program. Thanks
Me too!
It is the best organization of facts making a powerful revelation about killing American democracy...a must see in my humble opinion.
And
You are most welcome.
If we finally learn from history.
Ari Melber’s program on August 16 was about Trump’s threat to DOJ:
https://youtu.be/tRLdm5loAkY
Were you referencing something different?
Michael, come January '23, both Cheney and Kinzinger will be out of office. As I see it, with mounting legal problems for Trump, I fear that sane people will begin to tune out the threat. Too many will feel that Trump is so damaged, and perhaps at least bankrupt, that he can no longer pose a real threat. However, he's just a symptom of the disease. There are many others who are more than willing to take his place, and the problem is not exclusive to this country. Authoritarianism is rampant world-wide, and the threat to this country remains. I believe that the Republicans remaining in politics will be more than happy to embrace a new "leader," perhaps smoother and intelligent, who will be glad to take up where the current crop left off.
Yes It is like a novel. Liz Chaney becomes the darling of the Dems and wins the presidency. Then all her policies, which were over 90% voting with Trump all these years are headed to fruition. Unequal distribution of wealth on steroids because she is s o smart, unlike He who shall not be named. then... we are in what Nancy referred to in her text as "the disease."
I refer to it as the Plague, but we are on the same page.
Joan, your analysis is amazing. Regardless of what Republicanism morphs into, it is unlikely to be good for the average person. They have always been centered around making the rich richer and more powerful, and usually at the expense of the rest of us. Unless there is a monumental change in our society, there will always be a party that is threatened by the masses, regardless of the fact that they'll have plenty to share. I bear no animus toward Liz Cheney, and in this case, she has been hugely beneficial in the effort to remove Trump from the stage. However, because of her likely upbringing, I doubt she'll ever understand the needs of the average person. The mere fact that she voted for Trump, and enabled his atrocities, speaks volumes, in my opinion. He never presented himself as anything but himself - everyone knew.
Nancy....exactly
True, but let's try to keep them at bay, by whatever means, for at least another four years. The oldest will be gone, the young will be coming into their strength. Yes, there's an outcrop of authoritarianism worldwide, but in each case the rulers have imposed themselves contrary to the wishes of the majority. Something's got to give. But full many a gem of purest ray serene the dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear, and let us not forget that.
I agree, Anne-Louise. We can't permit a minute of inattention, and I'm impressed with our young voters. Like Ukraine, we have lived with relative freedom and democracy, and I doubt that authoritarianism will go over well with the populace. I hope I don't jinx us, but it wouldn't surprise me if we did much better in the midterms than is currently predicted.
Exactly. Authoritarianism coupled in this country with white supremacy and a truly terrifying arsenal of firearms. It's tempting to focus too much on Trump, but it's also very dangerous.
We have a long way to go before we can safely be out of the woods.
“We will be sifting through the wreckage of Trump's authoritarian presidency for years. This episode may one day be clarified but others will undoubtedly come to light, because everything is for sale in the strongman's world.” I would change “for years” to for decades, but Ruth Ben-Ghiat certainly enlightens on the Financial Times claim!!
https://lucid.substack.com/p/for-strongmen-like-trump-everything
READ THIS BEN GHIAT PIECE!
What a smarmy bunch they are. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.
This has been true for about half of my long life.
As a regular listener to (and member of) Deep State Radio, where Ed Luce is a regular, I can testify that he is not given to hyperbole and exaggeration. That and his extensive experience make his statement all the more powerful.
Shared it on FB and Twitter.
In this episode of Letters from a Propagandist, Heather Cox Richardson laments the loss of war-criminal imperialist Liz Cheney, a character who deserves nothing but contempt from the American population which overwhelmingly desires peace in the world by virtue of an end to the nightmarish wars of which Cheney and her blood-thirsty vampire of a father are largely responsible.
While I prefer to ignore "Charles" and "David Carroll" I have reported to you all that in the last few days I'm seeing a very large uptick in trolls, and others who are "wolves in sheep's clothing:" As Sharon says, interesting that you pay to come on here. NO not a surprise to me: Biden is scoring big wins, Trump is digging his grave and the Conservatives are running scared. They THINK that planting seeds to sow discord on here will somehow help their side. I find this hilarious, actually, because I have seen many examples of people here having differences of opinions and respectfully debate each other, generally with links to genuine sources. The book "On Tyranny" addresses some of this I was told, (I have ordered it but it has not yet come) by stating that Conservatives are motivated by FEAR, and the GOP utilizes this to control them. That isn't going to work with this crowd, the likes of Sandy Lewis, TCinLA, Ellie Kona, Ellen Massey, Ally House, etc etc (can't name you all know who you are!)
I am truly enjoying seeing these trolls appear as it confirms my beliefs that they are getting pretty anxious.
I did not know about the ability to report trolls. I do like the feature of being able to mute people, wish it was here as well.
Trolls are not welcome.
Then be gone with your bad self
Heather lists her sources which makes it hard to be a propagandist. And you?
You can list your sources and still be a propagandist, Kathy. It doesn't make it hard.
Interesting that you paid for a subscription to come out and attack the author. How many other writers do you pay so you can spread hate and conspiracies? No one here will take you seriously and I wouldn’t blame Heather for removing you because of personal attacks.
Sharon, if you click on the three dots below his comment, you can report him to Heather. I just did.
Many thanks, Ellen! I’ve done the same over this trolling nastiness he has spewed again and again. Our dear Fern is right, his bating of her seems quite stalkerish.
"Standing with Ukraine" (using US taxpayer $ to wage an endless proxy war) makes you a good person doesn't it!
Thank you, I didn’t know that.
Thanks.
Thank You, I didn't know that either.
Wait a minute, I'm still here. What am I doing here still? I'm here to tell you that your pro-war, pro-censorship views are dangerous and despicable.
Only Heather, not that that is any of your business. By the way, how do you spread conspiracies? You mean conspiracy Theories? It's not a theory if the theory is true and right out in the open.
Right. But if you can’t debate and comment like an adult and feel the need to be abusive to the author you don’t deserve to be here. No one should be expected to deal with personal attacks and abuse. You have the right to state your opinion but abuse goes too far. I didn’t say anything about your first nonsensical reply I read but you went too far. The only point you have made here is that you are an abusive prepubescent bully not worthy of being allowed in this forum. It is my business when you abuse anyone. Verbal abuse leads to physical abuse.
Bravo Sharon! I just reported him as well!
"Abuse"? Get out of here with that BS. News flash Sharon, calling Heather a propagandist, which she is, is not abuse. Maybe you should consider the harm you are doing to real survivors of abuse by so lightly and irresponsibly throwing around that term. I recommend you pick your words a bit more carefully,
Now you’ll attack me. It’s the personal, targeted attacks that make you abusive.
Before you think I use the word lightly, I spent years working in abuse shelters and every single case started out with some jerk feeling it was his job to be verbally abusive and moved into being physically abusive. You find it easy to be abusive, abrasive and even now instead of taking it on board that this is how you come across you make weak excuses and double down. I’m not harming the survivors, I’m standing up for them.
Heather is a historian, show some respect for the work she puts in. The only reason you’re here is to be abusive. You admit you think, with no basis in fact, that you think she’s lying to you. Why would you pay for someone to lie to you?
TFG hasn't killed the Cheney dynasty, if it's even worthy of being called such. Liz Cheney hasn't retired from the political scene yet, probably won't. Eric has never shown himself to be anything other than a fool, yet he continues to find a way into the public ear. TFG IS the Trump Organization. It's a private company, and he administered it like the wannabe dictator he attempted to become over the USA. To restrict a civil suit to the organization and not it's owner-operator was a compromise from the start. Nothing happened in that organization without either the impetus or the assent of TFG.
What can conviction yield? Fines, requirements for future external audit/oversight? The company needs to be wiped off the face of the earth. The fines should exceed it's net worth. It's scion needs to be behind bars. It's assets need to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to the US Treasury. Our justice system, on every level, has to demonstrate the courage to ignore his title and conduct itself according to the sum total of his actions pre-, during and post-presidency. Rising to the highest office in the land doesn't change the fact that he's a criminal. It's the height of embarrassment that our nation elected a criminal in spite of overwhelming information accurately predicting his subsequent behavior in office. We need to "cancel" the weight of that decision and it's innoculative effect on the wheels of justice. We need to own and conduct ourselves according to the quote "no man is above the law".
Nathan, you wrote “It's the height of embarrassment that our nation elected a criminal in spite of overwhelming information accurately predicting his subsequent behavior in office.” Yes! And what’s disturbing is that half the voters in this country, an estimate, would vote for him again.
Well, we CERTAINLY couldn't elect that woman. I mean, I'd vote for a woman, just not THAT woman. Why, I'd vote for Elizabeth Warren! /s
Got it!
??
Dean, that's what a lot of people said in comments on articles, internet 'zines, etc. about Hillary Clinton when she ran against Trump.
thank you I did finally get it Hard to hear tone of voice
Interesting footnote: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/donald-trump-2016-mob-organized-crime-213910/
JL, yes very interesting. And 2016! We should not be surprised. TFG’s ties to criminal elements was one more election story that repub voters ignored. Power corrupts.
Irenie, I might be nit-picking over word choice and, if so, apologies, but I think it was worse than ignoring his ties to organized crime. I think they knew every bit of that, knew exactly what he was, and made a very conscious, deliberate decision to choose him. And by "they" I mean the power brokers and the deep pockets in organizations like The Federalist Society with whom a man like McConnell made a devil's bargain. I am as far away from being a conspiracy theorist as it's possible to be, but the nearly invisible network of these people seem, in fact, to have been pulling the strings for quite a long time.
Yes. It seems VERY unlikely th e"powers that be" in the R party would not have known all about Trump in 2016 and his criminal activities. If we in the boonies knew, surely they did.
Just as Putin knew.
Dean, not nit-picking, but looking from a different angle. Perhaps the general public, the repubs who vote the party, just like it’s in the family, heritage to be a repub or Dem. They don’t always pay attention if they vote at all. Yes, the Federalist Society has been installing elected officials and SCOTUS behind the scenes. Plus there’s the Claremont Institute connection to Eastman. The behind the scenes “votes.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/24/claremont-john-eastman-trump/
Fabulous. Thank you for this! One of the great things about HCR's Letters is they are just overflowing with things to learn and new points of view.