Throughout now-president Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, it was clear that his support was coming from three very different factions whose only shared ideology was a determination to destroy the federal government.
Everyone is saying so many of these issues are "illegal", yet they plow ahead and are followed as though it is business as usual. Where are our laws and our Constitution in all this? Why does Elon Musk have so much unquestioned power without being vetted by Congress? He seems to be sidestepping any Congressional questioning at all, and just shows up to fire people and take private information - yours and mine - without anyone saying "no". What is happening? The message Trump is getting is, "Green light, full steam ahead."
"...all avoided the question by saying that Trump would never ask them to do anything illegal. Trump is saying nothing is illegal if it advances his goals.
Trump was granted that prerogative by the Scotus. It was one of warnings of what was in the making. We didn't connected the dots ,stupid, ignorant people voted for them ,they claimed a "landslide and a mandate" and now we all will pay the consequences.
look at 2020 & 2024 data from two districts in Ramapo NY 33 & 55 - compare registered dems & repubs, - compare who/how many voted for Biden in 2020 and how many voted for Dump in 2024. More Republicans voted for Dump in 2024 than registered Republican Voters in the district. How does that happen? Where were the Audits? Only TWO democrats out of all the registered Dems voted for Kamala? You can google this information, registered voters and results - it's public information. Our System has been compromised, which alarms were raised Dec 2023 by cyber security experts, data scientists, yet zero was done. Ask yourself Why? You can search the google article about the alarms being raised, I'm not sure but I think it was NPR....
What if it could be proven without a shadow of doubt that Trump did not win? That Musk had a lot to do with manipulating the vote count. In my book, it matters greatly! And my fantasy is that such a clear revelation could result in the necessary reversal of everything Trump has put in place. One way of saving our democracy...
There are more important, immediate needs. Like letting all Americans know that this is a coup in them making,and that they need to act to stop it now..
McConnell and his comrades in the Senate by not voting to impeach empowered the MAGA King! His handlers re-wrote their version of the constitution, Project 2025. It is game, set, match! Thanks Mitch!!
Well said Rich. Definitely we have a new construction it's called Proyect 2025 and is being implemented each time trump signs one of those "executive orders". Thanks for your clarity 👍.
All true...but do you think that the American People..of ALL people are going to roll over and let a dictator take THIER Country - right in front of the Statue of Liberty ??? I can not see the People not rising up and in hard numbers (Peacefully !!!! as there are millions more of us than them !!!!!!!) I think Trump stole the WRONG country ???? !!!!!
Perhaps my once hope that the good generals invoked a military coup to ironically save democracy wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Now that there will be no more government of the people and by the people, I would have taken my chances with the good generals.
But now it’s too late. The Secretary of Defense is now part of the dismantling of Democracy. I was fully castigated for my foolish remarks but hey now they don’t seem so foolish do they?
It’s hard to escape feeling like we are fast approaching a point of no-return (I said this much more colorfully to my husband while reading today’s letter)
Nixon was also responsible for the impoundment strategem, ruled illegal and there was a bill enacted to ensure it couldn't happen... go figure, it just did and although rescinded, musk has his hands on the controls for disbursement of the Congress-approved funds for the American people and is shutting down depts. left, right and centre. They are like a computer virus now, this is the infection-mild symptom-phase, 14 days is all it took by riding roughshod over the constitution and law... I came across a word the other day that sounds almost brutal in its descriptive simplicity, SCOFFLAW, your president is a SCOFFLAW... This letter from Heather today marks, for me, an epochal upheaval and such a sea change it is doubtful the US will recover in the medium-long-term. musk bought a democracy and pulled its trousers down and... well you can imagine the rest.
As long as Trump controls the military these branches have no means of enforcement of the laws. Maybe the police, but it seems like we will see what our law enforcement and military is made of.
Yes Gary. Tulsi Gabbard said she no longer has a problem with the government spying on its own citizens abroad. So KGB, or rather FSB, or rather SVR.
When I was reading about the Intelligence community in Project 2025, I could see how the US was just going to be unsafe. There is nothing more ineffective than having a bunch of unqualified loyalists doing the investigations. I imagine that they will have a lot of infiltration of spies from other countries in our Intelligence Community because who are the trained people that are going to ferret them out? It is super unsafe to be a politician right now.
Expect a big brain drain from all government departments. Also, how safe is Trump going to be, or any of his people. Read Spy talk's discussion too.
I imagine there will be some chaos in all branches of government and as I have been saying this is a formula for turning the US into a third world country. Russia, which things may be modeled on, doesn't even have indoor plumbing for like 30% of their people. Filling your entire government with incompetent loyalists, see Karoline Leavitt, is not a formula for accomplishing your nefarious stuff effectively. My biggest concern is that Musk is heading the treasury and is going to be able to cancel anyone's social security that he wants to.
Unfortunately the rubes who voted for Trump have no idea how a government is run and how wrong things can go with just imploding it.
By the time we can vote, there will be nothing left if this destruction is not stopped. Musk and Trump are running wild. They are breaking so many laws and purging so many positions in the FBI and DOJ, plus gutting the military that there’s no way to contain them. This is a revolution. This is far beyond mere idle threats. Trump’s tariffs and hostile moves on trading partners and allies have indeed become shock and awe. Why is Congress standing by and watching without any meaningful opposition? This goes way beyond anything SCOTUS approved or even imagined. Who or what will stop this attack on not only the Constitution, but the American people? Paying the consequences? Who can imagine the severity of these consequences.
Without the power of the military what can you do? You have 3 choices right now, fight, flight or lay low. Here is my article on making a plan to leave if you can, which most people can, but you have to determine your red line.
Indeed! Democrats are still going through the motions like this is a normal first 100 days and they just have to figure out where they went wrong; meanwhile Trump and Elon are robbing us blind, burning down the house and salting the earth after themselves
Marj, I think that all we can do is to contact our Senators and Reps -- whether Democrats or not, and tell them they must take back the power of their branch and not advance the agenda any further.
I realize these demands will not succeed if your Congress people are members of the GOP (Give Oligarchs Power) party, but if we are quiet then they will assume that we are sheep.
In my case, all 4 members are Dems, so it's an easier push to say NO MORE COOPERATION with the GOP! No more votes to appear bipartisan! Their margins are thin, and they'll need Dem votes from time to time. JUST SAY NO!!!
We will find out if we can organize peaceful demonstrations, boycotts & a general strike. Trump will probably declare martial law, which will tell us what we need to know.
Trump was not only campaigning these past four years while in exile at Mar-a-Lago; he was running a shadow government. There was much preparation so that starting on day one of mr. Trump’s reign- everything was in place to dismantle the American government and hurt anyone who attempted to hold him accountable. This is not okay…
You really believe there will be a legitimate election. Stopping that will be a primary goal of Trump's regime. They have many tools at their disposal.
Regroup, retrench and start fending for family/community/people, other than that, shellshocked is the first reaction for me, I never would have imagined this. Seek out and speak to like-minded people as I think this has to come from grassroots. Reach out as far as possible to others who think the same. Actually, what the hell do I know about the US, I am Spanish and live in the EU, this presidency has wrongfooted all decent people and to be honest, I am floundering somewhat with all the chaos, noise and bedlam... time to keep heads down and wait out the storm, the regroup. Sloppy thinking I know, but at present, all I've got. :)
I've read reports of several court cases being filed. What's certain is that the next few years is going to be a bonanza for lawyers (as is everything Trump does. Boy, does he love to enrich lawyers!)
If I remember correctly, the law enforcement agency in charge of policing illegalities in the federal government is the FBI...which is being muzzled.
I said in his first term, the whole reason they're going after fbi and doj, is because they're the ones responsible for finding/prosecuting the corruption that trump/republicans are doing. Seemed blatantly obvious.
I think the metaphor is apt. There are plenty of metaphorical icebergs around that will threaten Trump's hold on power and he's even creating some himself by his addled policies. Recent history (following the pandemic) shows that electorates have not been kind to incumbents and if Trump fails to address the cost-of-living crisis in America and fulfil the hopes and expectations of his own febrile voter base then he may well lead the Republicans to heavy losses in the mid-terms.
I know. I know too that Trump is insensible to the pain and suffering his policies are likely to cause. Any failure of governance has potentially serious consequences, even in normal times, but especially so when danger looms, and danger is looming. Supposing, for example (as many virologists fear) the H1N1 virus mutates and acquires the ability to spread from human to human. There is obviously no good time for an administration to be appointing a nincompoop to lead the NIH, but Kennedy may soon find himself too busy with the normal business of a health service to implement some of his crazier proposals.
I think the tariffs are going to help sink the economy and Trump's popularity. Already, Canada is boycotting American products. Boycotting works. I've refused to patronize businesses whose owners are known Trump supporters, including restaurants I used to enjoy. No more. I don't buy as much from Amazon, and boycott other suppliers who support this Trumpian mess. I also avoid friends and relatives who voted for him, to maintain my inner peace and mental health.
You're questions are good ones. You ask: "Where are our laws and our Constitution in all this?" I'll tell you where it is, it's in the hands of spineless Republicans who are doing NOTHING to stop this. They could have stopped this before it started. They had two opportunities to convict trump when he was impeached but did they, "NO". I see two reasons they abrogated their responsibility. They are more interested in their own careers, which may be coming to a quick close if trump & his cronies take this to the logical conclusion of forcing a Congressional recess so that he can reign supreme. And they are afraid of trump & a mean tweet & they are afraid of their own constituents. So thanks to feckless elected officials we are in this mess.
Desperate times call for desperate measures- Vichy republicans are surrendering to Trump and company's appropriation of dictatorial powers without a peep. Democrats- placating- finding common ground- tactics that may have worked in previous regimes don't work here. These are the weapons of the weak and those currently in power view them with contempt. What's happening in the USA right now reminds me of a film I saw years ago- Seven Days in May. Except that it had a happy ending.
Our constitution also apparently allows for fascists to completely take over the government via a perfectly legal vote. Nothing is going to stop them from destroying everything.
The message he is GIVING--with his appointments, firings, and executive orders--is "Green light, full steam ahead." The GOP cowards in Congess have immediately bent their knees and kissed the ring. BTW, where is Steve Bannon these days and what is he doing? Tearing down the government has always been his goal.
In other words: Where is our state of Law? Where are the Police, the FBI, WTF. Rule of Law...don't make me choke, laughing. Where is that "Deep State"?
The chaos is bound to affect the stock market. I am no fan of Wall Street, but they have power with Congressional Representatives. That gives me some hope. Another thing that gives me hope is HCR's clarity. She is not giving in to panic. Panic is never going to help. I'm going to take a walk.
I am speechless....The stench, the toxicity from Trump, et al is unimaginally repugnant. We are truly living in a broken country; we are being ruled by the lawless. If there are no principles or values ... then what??
Heather, thank you for putting the fire hose of actions in a logical order.
I’d like to add that Elon Musk’s aides have hooked an outside server to the OPM computers and locked out senior OPM civil servants from the system so that they can’t do their job of oversight of OPM (the federal government Human Resources department).
This is a coup d'état. Our last hope is that military leadership has enough sway over the troops to belay orders and take over the machinery of the U.S.G., place it back in the agencies, bring the workers back, and seize the funds to pay civil servants through the Pentagon system.
Finally the re-captured funds will be released per the institutional and Congressional mandates. Such a counter-coup can be executed in accordance with the U.S. military honouring its constitutional oath. If General Milley is assassinated, that coup with go through in a hurry.
What orders would the military be refusing to carry out that could provoke the scenario you describe?
Thus far, Trump’s orders to the military arguably fall within his express powers when a state of emergency is declared (border, CA wildfires).
Refusing to execute an unlawful order is one thing, taking control of government is quite another.
It may come to pass that he gives such an order, one that military leaders instruct their troops to belay, but to move on the body of the government itself would almost certainly spark our second Civil War.
And perhaps most troubling at present is the question of the unity of loyalty to the Constitution v. the current President among the members of our Armed Forces.
A Civil War has already happened, and we are rapidly losing. People aren’t recognizing what it is until the pain hits, and by then it will be too late.
Trump has now egregiously broken his OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION twice, and every senator or congressperson who supports Trump's illegal actions have also BROKEN THEIR OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION. Where is the law, the repercussions? Trump is destroying our democracy and we're all just going to sit here with our thumbs up our asses?
David and I are so conflicted.... do we leave the country (and we are earnestly exploring other countries - Ireland and France? At the same time, do I allow Trump to force me from the home I like: my photos, my pottery wheel, art work, my bike routes, my friends.....?
As an ex military special operations soldier, I have been afraid of a civil war since trump got in. It's very unnerving, possibly having to engage those who are currently serving, when we were once on the same side. What civilians do not understand is: dictators like trump, musk and others sadly, do not respond to the rule of Law, they only understand force, which is why we (special operations) exist ! If we work outside the Law, we still believe, it is for the betterment of the world at large. "Fighting the "good fight" sort of speak.
There will be nothing to vote for in 2 years if this administration continues at breakneck speed to take a wrecking ball to our Constitution and the rule of law.
That’s what my partner has said for the last for years- just vote. He does not understand that with the gerrymandering, the scrubbing of voter roles, the firehouse of propaganda and disinformation, and billionaires controlling Starlink and other social media platforms; we have little chance of coming out of this. Plus once the Republicans are in power, they give jobs to Republicans. Of course, they are not Republicans but Trumplicans.
Thank You Mary... This is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS... Howard Lutnick is also a Billionaire, and watching him at his confirmation, one could see he is very Duplicitous... Another Tax-Cut for the Billionaires is more important than a Living Wage for Millions of Workers? Are the Millions of Workers Expendable, and the Billionaires irreplaceable?
Well, Forbes reported in November that the top ten billionaires in the US had already made a whopping $64bn in the few days after Trump's election victory, so perhaps the feeling is that they should really spread it around more amongst all those billionaires and multi-millionaires who have so far missed out - you know, in the interests of equity.
Is that a joke? You sure that WAS a joke? you don't think Patel has people reading these threads and looking for people they can lock up for "sedition" (ie anything they don't like)
I think you meant that as a joke - but actually it's the first stirrings of the warnings people are going to start seeing - "Shhh - you don't know who's listening - or what "they" will do. . . "
Let's say for now that it was tongue in cheek. However, it is well-known that Kash Patel has an 'enemies list'. He may have denied this in his confirmation hearing, but it was included in a schedule to his 2023 book. We learnt only a few days ago that the FBI had been asked to compile a list of all agents involved in the J6 prosecutions. Since it was the largest law enforcement exercise ever undertaken by the agency the list could include many hundreds of names, possibly running into the thousands (the FBI employs around 38,000 people). Those involved in the Trump prosecutions (J6 and the classified documents trials) have already been sacked, without cause, in the FBI and the DoJ. Hungary has been met with severe EU financial penalties for its disregard of the rule of law.
Hello Russ... I doubt that they will lack the Resources... They would just have to make examples out of the perceived Leaders... That would Terrorize the Rest...
That's a very important observation. Trump really could weaponize the DoJ and FBI to pursue vexatious, but extremely costly investigations and legal actions against anyone suing the government. It was always a tactic of his to counter-sue those seeking redress from him as an individual. And there's also the threat of reprisals from the MAGA horde recently released from prison. No doubt, many people with genuine cause for action will be intimidated.
They will get Trump to send in his militia - the ones who just got pardoned and the others - and they will crack heads, destroy a few houses and families to make an example, and dissent will be stifled.
Perhaps, although I suspect that most of them are cyber bullies and there will be some who will not be too keen to reaquaint themselves with the inside of a cell. It is true that they are all too easy to mobilise.
Trump and his enablers are dismantling the government piece by piece, purging officials, seizing power, and handing the keys to billionaires. This isn’t about leadership or policy—it’s about revenge, profit, and control. They aren’t just breaking democracy; they’re ransacking it while daring anyone to stop them.
Further evidence of this attack on the United States as we know it - check out and support the Facebook page of Alt National Park Service. This is a site that was created during the first T administration.
It’s described as the “first official “Resistance” team of the United States Park Service.” But it is a place where government employees share their horror stories of what it looks like on the ground as these attacks occur.
Recently I've been drawn back to Holocaust studies. How ordinary people became Nazis, how the Nazi agenda changed from making Germany great again to the Final Solution, and daily personal acts of resistance. No, I don't think Republicans are intent on death camps, but neither was Hitler - at the beginning. It started with: non-governmental militias; putting categories of undesirables outside the protection of the law; deportations; copying USA Jim Crow laws; and belligerence towards neighboring countries.
Christipher Browning on decisions for the Final Solution
Where are the Dems? Are Chris Murphy and Ron Wyden the only ones incensed by the machinations of the Cult? Where is Ken Martin, the new head of the DNC? Why are people being "forced to resign" instead of demanding to be fired? Now is the time for strong leadership to resist the demolition of our country, not for cringing in the shadows.
To your point, Betsy, The Atlantic's Elaine Godfrey posted an excellent article on Saturday titled "Democrats Wonder Where Their Leaders Are: Activists want to see their opposition party do some actual opposing," including this spot-on quotation:
“I assumed that we would be prepared to meet the moment, and I was wrong,” Shannon Watts, the founder of the gun-control group Moms Demand Action, told me. “It’s like they’ve shown up to a knife fight with a cheese stick.”
Gene, every single day that passes without democratic leadership, the 3 factions described by HCR are more entrenched in our system of government and the destruction of our democracy is being guaranteed. Democrats wake up!!!@
Ron Wyden, my senator from Oregon, was the one who raised the alarm over Musk (Fascist Sadist - State of Praetoria) taking over the payment system of the US.
Where is the head of the DNC? He just got there. As for the resignations - because then they have access to severance (good luck with that) and their retirement. If they are fired, they do not. No one is cringing in the shadows. Democratic Senators are doing their part, just because you can't hear or read about it doesn't mean it isn't being done. The Democrats are there......and what are you doing?
May be it would be a good idea not doing their valuable work behind closed doors and not letting anybody know about it? I'm surprised - Trump never did really hold back much during his campaign - I would have expected them to hit the ground running the day after the election, but - as Adam Kinzinger put it "they all go home for the weekend" so - business as usual?
You mean just post it so the MAGAs can block it? That sounds like a good idea when you're the minority party. As for all going home for the weekend. The Speaker of the House calls recess, not the minority party.
The Dems PR and public presentation is currently abysmal - there, I said it. And never was it more important then today to get the masses moving.
And nobody forces senators to go home when there is such important work to do. I tell you as a former staffer of an Australian party - if there is work to do, there is work to do. I don't think that they all quite got that - sometimes you have to give the work-life balance a miss.
Typically, sometimes they don't even tell other branches of government what they're doing - the cluelessness of Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, is a case in point.
I agree, Betsy! It feels like we’re watching the horrifying attack on the Capitol, January 6, all over again. Where’s the Calvary? Where’s the National Guard? Is there no one who can save us from this onslaught of crimes against our country? All of the guardrails are gone. Blind Justice holding her scales is no longer honored by this administration. We knew it was coming, Project 2025 was clear. We’re in the reality of war.
What did the start of 1930s Germany look like? What did the start of Apartheid look like? THIS!
I blame Biden. We all saw this coming. We all knew what rumpy was going to do. Biden and Harris didn't even fight it - just rolled over and let rumpy destroy the country. It's like watching a young child reach out to the flame on a gas stove. As an adult, as a parent, as a leader you actively reach out and pull the child's hand away. You don't let them get badly burned to teach them a lesson. You protect them from themselves, from making bad and dangerous choices because they don't know better and can't see the danger. Biden, the Dems and Independents in Congress did nothing to stop it. They knew about the gerrymandering. They knew about the voter suppression. They knew he was unfit for office and what he would do but let him run anyway. We just had to "take the high road" and have a smooth transition of power. Didn't matter that it totally destroyed our country.
Presumably, some people who have been summarily and unlawfully sacked without cause will seek and probably obtain legal redress against the government but it will be small consolation to the many others who cannot afford to do this and, of course, those millions of ordinary folk who will inevitably suffer from this irresponsible contraction of government.
A small satisfaction will be to know that many of those that "inevitably will suffer from this irresponsible contraction of government " are maga voters or those that didn't bother to vote at all.
The Democrats have the same problem that the reasonable Republicans have. If they fight back, or, rather when they fight back, they will be faced with so much 'anti-funding' at election time they will disappear. That is, IF there is an election. I have serious concerns about that. The Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society have planned well.
What we are witnessing is not aFriday Night Massacre, or the Saturday Night Massacre Redux. This is America's Night of the Long Knives, without the screams and gunfire and bodies in the streets and blood on the walls. As sure as Hitler made himself acceptable to the German oligarchs with the massacre of his internal party opponents, Trump is making himself acceptable to the oligarchy here.
Remember this weekend. Its the weekend the man his niece described tonight as "a human being so bad a worse one could not have been created in a lab" who is running things now with a coterie of people who share his dark vision, his cruelty, and his insatiable need for more, took a shit on the graves of our ancestors.
“Whether ours shall continue to be a government of laws and not of men is now for Congress and ultimately the American people.” Archibald Cox, 1973 after the Saturday Night Massacre by Nixon.
The only vision trump has is getting richer no matter what. Other than that, he is a puppet being controlled by the Proyect 2025 ideological mentors and the billionaires. His job is to sign with great pomp and ceremony all those "executive orders" in front of the cameras without any knowledge of the content or consequences.
Ignorance is not synonymous of innocence. In his second term he is just performing a show, signing orders someone put in front of him with all cameras rolling and speaking like a child about an helicopter that should have stopped to let a passenger jet pass first to blaming the state government in California for not letting the water flow. The ideological group behind Project 2025 and the billionaires are the responsible ones, as guilty as trump.
No, it's not the Night of the Long Knives, which got rid of internal enemies of Hitler. This is Gleichschaltung ('bringing into line'), the state capture that happens at the start of authoritarian regimes (in Germany, in January-April 1933). You can read about it here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3180720
Majority of this country voted for and asked for and authorized this anti-democratic mayhem. I don't think it ends until a solid majority decide they have had enough and toss these clowns out or debts to Ronald McDonald or Colonel Sanders come due. Let's see if the judicial system staunches the bleeding of our democracy. No 100s of murders of MAGA adversaries as in Night of Long Knives but withdrawing security details from people like Fauci and Milly it is a step in that direction.
Elon doesn't need another checkbook. But I definitely need my social security check. He doesn't need my banking information either. I guess I'll have to open a new account that is deposited only so i don't get robbed. He is not elected or officially appointed to run the cash account.
Heather's not been able to take a night off since some time before the inauguration. So much so dreadful has been going on.
That inauguration? It's one that should never have permitted an insurrectionist to take office -- as the Constitution clearly says.
Chuck Schumer could have effected Article 14, Section Three's disqualification clause -- made the orange felon's disqualification legal, final, just by calling a vote in the Senate. (Read the last lines of Article 14, Section Three -- how not clearing the orange felon by a 2/3 vote would have left him disqualified beyond any court's action).
The Supreme Court earlier, prior to the Senate, could have enforced it, too, but that, really the Clarence court, showed its reach of corruption total -- disdaining U.S. law, scorning the Constitution. As bad as the Dems were when they controlled the Senate, and did not do what they could have, should have, Merrick Garland had been worse, letting so much time go by before getting prosecutions going as to hand to the orange felon all his best chances for full-bore criminality.
I see nothing possible to combat all this. As Heather notes, the convicted U.S. criminal (and fraud, rapist) aligns now with all the worst of Putin, Xi, Orban, and all the world's other oligarchs and criminals.
He is not only openly dismantling the U.S. government, but also throwing the scraps to all his nihilist billionaires buddies.
Heather may not get a break for some time, valiantly as she keeps up with, details, grieves over our worsening cataclysm.
As the Republican ticket won, the other half of that ticket could have been inaugurated.
I'm sorry, JDinTX, Dems were so out of touch with the tens of millions of the abandoned working class, but Americans have for decades accepted all the schools without humanities, and elites similarly without.
It's a crime that we have the orange felon's rampant criminality now, and billionaires amuck, fattening on the people But the convicted criminal (and insurrectionist) at the top knows how to speak to those tens of millions in ways that keep all of them from ever imagining how those billionaires are going to damage them as well as corrupt our institutions and kill our democracy.
I disagree the Dems were out of touch. Look at all the good things Biden did with jobs and unions, infrastructure, education, etc. The huge problem was that rumpy yelled his lies and criticisms and foul nicknames loudly and over and over again while Biden et. al. quietly went about doing their jobs and didn't push back. All rumpy did was push on how horrible immigrants were, our "open borders" with hordes of criminals flowing across and nothing being done. He broke laws and was able to get away without being punished. Should have been arrested Jan. 6th.
I thought B and H focused on the middle class, but were no match for the onslaught of bullschittery from repubs. An onslaught that ticked up with Obama and continued non stop. There is plenty of blame to go around but Rupert has the lions share. Dems just wanted things to be normal, and that has not been possible since Ronnie declared war on “normal.”
Hate to say it but I had no idea of the Reagan agenda to dumb down the schools, and I worked for schools and had a daughter in schools. Also, I was politically active and not a tea party nut. I was aware that Rupert lied non stop but I missed so much.
(A) With Trump, it’s the cruelty that matters. He wants to hurt people. I wish more people understood that is truly central to who he is.
(B) Where Are The Protests By Schumer, Jeffries, Obama, Clinton, et al?  I want someone to organize a mass protest by every Democratic Party member in the country, joined by every member of the FBI, who is not a Trump loyalist… And I want that protest to go on for as many days and weeks and months as it takes to wake the American people up to the impending death of their country. Those with the ability to draw attention from the media must stop acting like this is just another day in the life of America! America is literally on life-support. It’s days are numbered. If Schumer and the rest cannot see this, we should demand they all resign!
(C) I recommend watching the 2007 Bruce Willis movie, “Live Free or Die Hard“.  in that film, John McClain goes up against an evil computer genius. Seeing what that fictional character is willing to do, might help people better understand what we are up against. 
I’m ready. Where do we meet? I won’t accept these actions. Our Senators & Representatives must step up and put an end to this. Impeachment should begin now.
According to posts I’ve seen on Facebook and Instagram, there will be protests at all 50 state capitals on February 5th. I have not yet found a website devoted to organizing these protests. So, I cannot verify who is organizing them. But even before February 5 arrives, reaching out to local Democratic clubs seems like an appropriate first step to getting off of social media and out into the streets.
Protest IS Action. It's how you make resistance VISIBLE. Other activities are great too but making it clear to everyone that MOST Americans are not agreeing with this is significant.
I'm sorry - I should have said that protest on its own isn't enough. But it's certainly an important part of action when it accompanies things like general strikes, class actions, commercial boycotts, tax boycotts, etc.
Seriously Permits? We aren't showing up to protest the worst violation of the Constitution in its history because we couldn't get PERMITS ?!? Dear god, who ARE we?
Mate, life and government are not like a Hollywood movie. This is state capture: you must think and act outside the individualistic box. Only by acting together in a united front will you get rid of these goons.
Strive toward solidarity of purpose! Organize. Agitate. Confront. At EVERY opportunity. United we can weather this attack! Yes! we can. Get busy with it!
It seems that most of these firings and pressures on civil service employees are illegal. So why does everyone just seem to accept their dismissals or voluntarily resign?
Their pensions are very likely already gone. Y'all really need to be problem solving from the perspective that federal programs are all ending and anything that survives this is corrupt or useful to them so that one got lucky.
Instead of asking nominees whether they would obey an illegal presidential command, every Trump nominee - and Republican Senator - should be asked "Do you believe that any presidential command can be illegal?"
According to the Federalist Society Roberts Court majority and The Heritage Foundation Russell Vought's Project 2025 chapter on the Executive - by definition the president is the law unto himself. This is FedSoc's entirely anti-constitutional notion of 'a unified executive.'
Trump’s use of the military, specifically the US Army Corp of Engineers, to release California’s water reserves was an intentional attack on the State of California. Trump is using the military and water rights to create conflict while at the same time reducing California’s emergency water reserves. I wrote my Assemblymember, Gregg Hart, and Congressman Salud Carbajal. Assemblymember Hart promised to contact the State’s attorney general. We are literally in a Cold Civil War.
Yes. This is 100% correct. And there is no downside for them since they have no morality. CA crops will fail and their gdp will plunge and there will be less money to send to the rest of the country and all those Trump voters will suffer too. But chaos is the plan.
The representatives (state and federal) of central California are often Republicans, as are the rural Californian voters that depend on that water. Some are MAGA. How is Trump's actions taking care of his own people?
Releasing so much water from those dams right now is an act of sabotage. That water doesn't even go to L.A. It's for agriculture and irrigating crops in the hot, dry summer months when it's really needed and vital that that water is stored until then.
Normally much advance notice is given before there is such a release of water from dams. But on Friday morning the flow from Terminus Dam into the Kaweah River near Visalia increased from 57 cubic feet per second to more than 1,500. The flow from Lake Success near Porterville into the Tule River increased from 105 cubic feet per second to 990. Many water & irrigation district managers said that normally such flood releases are done with a great deal of prior notification and coordination, even saying they've never seen something like this before.
Just like so much else that Mad Don the Con is doing to wreck this Nation and any semblance of good governance; the cruelty is intentional, the chickenshit antics are on purpose, the fascists wanton destruction and takeover are brazenly steamrolling over the rule of law as Heather's letter makes clear tonight.
Not feeling good about this one tonight but they've got to be stopped...somehow...
What we're witnessing, at an ever-accelerating pace, is the systematic breakdown of our government and the rule of law to suit the darkest impulses and most malicious whims of a 78-year-old madman.
He is just a figurehead. He just signs those "executive orders" without any knowledge of what those orders mean. He feels so powerful performing those acts in front of the cameras. And he doesn't care about the consequences as long as he he is allowed to get richer.
He's the front man. That doesn't make him stupid or unaware but differently motivated. Is that better? The description was apt. He doesn't bother himself with the details of implementation or of the future. His role is to be the face and make this coup the cover of governance.
That was too many years ago, when he had some neurons actively working. He was never a thinker as is Viktor Orban or Vladimir Putin. He is now acting to be in charge. Musk is driving this country towards the abyss without supervision
Heather; thank you for all you do to keep us informed and educated about the travesty underway in the White House.
Honestly, Heather; I'm scared. Every night, I go to bed thinking, we've seen the worst and tomorrow, things will change. And every day, things get progressively worse. I'm assessing the situation, tRUMP has the White House, both chambers of the house, the judicial and the SCOTUS!! Who will stop him??? And How?? We can't wait for 2026 mid-terms; by then, we will no longer be the United States of America.
I always try to look for the positive in these situations, but honestly, I see nothing except darkness.
For sure you shouldn't give up. I hope it's possible for you to organise over the next two years. I'm just sounding a cautious note that elections aren't always the panacea, when state capture has already happened.
I can't argue with that. However, previous incumbents have found that they sort of creep up on one before one really notices. I know that Trump's manic whirligig of executive actions can be discombobulating but there already been cases where he has been forced to back down, like the freezing of federal grants and loans. In fact, I suspect that the flurry of actions by this fledging and ill-formed administration is in recognition of the short time available to set the course for the next four years.
Russell I thought so too for a minute but now they've bypassed "the pause" and gone straight to the systems. If they have the access being reported they won't announce anything. They have the power to just pick payments and cancel them. They aren't going to ask permission or participate in any legally required processes.
Well, they will be subject to legal challenge for flagrantly unlawful acts, but in any case won't those actions harm some of the very same people who voted for Trump? I admit that critics of the regime are divided over whether some these actions are being taken mostly for performative value rather than to dismantle the federal government. We will see in the next few months just how many of these proposals will be implemented in full and, perhaps more importantly, what their consequences and impacts will be.
This is all mind-bendingly horrific. I am really glad that you didnt end your letter with “and no one has taken to the streets!” Because the laundry list of federal big wigs who rolled over and didn’t stand their ground makes me wonder what would going into the street do? Really? I think most of the country isnt getting the news of what is actually happening.
They are scared! You would be too. The thugs were let loose last week and they all know where these people live. That is part of the plan. The Convict-in-Chief now has his own SS. Would you put your family in danger? This is how it works.
Carol-Ann, I have no idea how to explain apparent aquesiance of the "federal bigwigs" that are simply giving up. The part of Tina's post that is 100% accurate is that "...most of the country is not getting the news of what is actually happening." The people who get their "information" are not being told the breadth and scope of what this administration is doing, and they deny reports contrary to what they are being told.
Carol-Ann this is public service. This is protect & defend the Constitution. Courage is in the job description. Don't you think our soldiers are scared ? I expect my colleagues in public service to honor their oaths too. Our laws only protect us when WE defend THEM. If we're all willing to do whatever we're told when they threaten us then it's already over. We are the sheep they said we are and we gave our freedom away for perceived safety because it's safer to do as we're told. That's not freedom.
Everyone is saying so many of these issues are "illegal", yet they plow ahead and are followed as though it is business as usual. Where are our laws and our Constitution in all this? Why does Elon Musk have so much unquestioned power without being vetted by Congress? He seems to be sidestepping any Congressional questioning at all, and just shows up to fire people and take private information - yours and mine - without anyone saying "no". What is happening? The message Trump is getting is, "Green light, full steam ahead."
"...all avoided the question by saying that Trump would never ask them to do anything illegal. Trump is saying nothing is illegal if it advances his goals.
Trump was granted that prerogative by the Scotus. It was one of warnings of what was in the making. We didn't connected the dots ,stupid, ignorant people voted for them ,they claimed a "landslide and a mandate" and now we all will pay the consequences.
I still think the Muskrat gamed the swing state votes. After all, ‘nobody knows those voting computers’ like him, as Trump gloated.
I agree.
look at 2020 & 2024 data from two districts in Ramapo NY 33 & 55 - compare registered dems & repubs, - compare who/how many voted for Biden in 2020 and how many voted for Dump in 2024. More Republicans voted for Dump in 2024 than registered Republican Voters in the district. How does that happen? Where were the Audits? Only TWO democrats out of all the registered Dems voted for Kamala? You can google this information, registered voters and results - it's public information. Our System has been compromised, which alarms were raised Dec 2023 by cyber security experts, data scientists, yet zero was done. Ask yourself Why? You can search the google article about the alarms being raised, I'm not sure but I think it was NPR....
Not that it matters now--or ever will.
What if it could be proven without a shadow of doubt that Trump did not win? That Musk had a lot to do with manipulating the vote count. In my book, it matters greatly! And my fantasy is that such a clear revelation could result in the necessary reversal of everything Trump has put in place. One way of saving our democracy...
And prosecuting Musk for treason.
I agree.
Absolutely!
No. There is no evidence of that. Your ar wasting time and energy.
My opinion: We have to acknowledge the massive voter suppression/gerrymandering that contributed to his win.
What you are saying Lynell is quite possible but we can't go back. We have to deal with the consequences naw.
Thanks for your reply.
Just wanted to add to your post, Ricardo. I'm all in for not going back; dealing with the now
That's the way to go Lynell . We learn from the past but we plan for tomorrow and beyond, I hope 😀.
Agree, it is exactly what I have been claiming.
There are more important, immediate needs. Like letting all Americans know that this is a coup in them making,and that they need to act to stop it now..
McConnell and his comrades in the Senate by not voting to impeach empowered the MAGA King! His handlers re-wrote their version of the constitution, Project 2025. It is game, set, match! Thanks Mitch!!
Well said Rich. Definitely we have a new construction it's called Proyect 2025 and is being implemented each time trump signs one of those "executive orders". Thanks for your clarity 👍.
History is important, but right now we need to act to save the nation. Literally.
All true...but do you think that the American People..of ALL people are going to roll over and let a dictator take THIER Country - right in front of the Statue of Liberty ??? I can not see the People not rising up and in hard numbers (Peacefully !!!! as there are millions more of us than them !!!!!!!) I think Trump stole the WRONG country ???? !!!!!
Perhaps my once hope that the good generals invoked a military coup to ironically save democracy wasn’t such a bad idea after all. Now that there will be no more government of the people and by the people, I would have taken my chances with the good generals.
The sooner the better.
But now it’s too late. The Secretary of Defense is now part of the dismantling of Democracy. I was fully castigated for my foolish remarks but hey now they don’t seem so foolish do they?
You are 💯 %right my friend. Be proud 👏
No it’s not, it we can’t look to the generals to save us. We need to act—not just talk among ourselves—right now.
He goes first
Yup. Must make them so proud.
It’s hard to escape feeling like we are fast approaching a point of no-return (I said this much more colorfully to my husband while reading today’s letter)
If the president does it, it's legal. Welcome to the pleasure dome, Kubla Khan or what!
Thanks for the Nixon reminder, Kevin. I knew something was familiar that I forgot while invoking the whole legal/illegal thing!
Nixon was also responsible for the impoundment strategem, ruled illegal and there was a bill enacted to ensure it couldn't happen... go figure, it just did and although rescinded, musk has his hands on the controls for disbursement of the Congress-approved funds for the American people and is shutting down depts. left, right and centre. They are like a computer virus now, this is the infection-mild symptom-phase, 14 days is all it took by riding roughshod over the constitution and law... I came across a word the other day that sounds almost brutal in its descriptive simplicity, SCOFFLAW, your president is a SCOFFLAW... This letter from Heather today marks, for me, an epochal upheaval and such a sea change it is doubtful the US will recover in the medium-long-term. musk bought a democracy and pulled its trousers down and... well you can imagine the rest.
I've seen their noses growing when they were avoiding the question 🤥
Morning, Lynell. What you say is accurate, to the letter.
Outrageous that such blatant avoidance can be even accepted as an answer.
As long as Trump controls the military these branches have no means of enforcement of the laws. Maybe the police, but it seems like we will see what our law enforcement and military is made of.
Brown shirts
Those were all released on us as they were pardoned for their crimes by Trump.
The military is the Wehrmacht. Then there were Hitlers private security who became the elite state police, the SS. They wore Black shirts.
And he also controls the FBI Linda and the DOJ. Nobody to watch out for us against the Republican enemy.
Yes Gary. Tulsi Gabbard said she no longer has a problem with the government spying on its own citizens abroad. So KGB, or rather FSB, or rather SVR.
When I was reading about the Intelligence community in Project 2025, I could see how the US was just going to be unsafe. There is nothing more ineffective than having a bunch of unqualified loyalists doing the investigations. I imagine that they will have a lot of infiltration of spies from other countries in our Intelligence Community because who are the trained people that are going to ferret them out? It is super unsafe to be a politician right now.
Expect a big brain drain from all government departments. Also, how safe is Trump going to be, or any of his people. Read Spy talk's discussion too.
https://www.spytalk.co/p/new-in-spyweek-shock-and-awe?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
I imagine there will be some chaos in all branches of government and as I have been saying this is a formula for turning the US into a third world country. Russia, which things may be modeled on, doesn't even have indoor plumbing for like 30% of their people. Filling your entire government with incompetent loyalists, see Karoline Leavitt, is not a formula for accomplishing your nefarious stuff effectively. My biggest concern is that Musk is heading the treasury and is going to be able to cancel anyone's social security that he wants to.
Unfortunately the rubes who voted for Trump have no idea how a government is run and how wrong things can go with just imploding it.
We can vote
By the time we can vote, there will be nothing left if this destruction is not stopped. Musk and Trump are running wild. They are breaking so many laws and purging so many positions in the FBI and DOJ, plus gutting the military that there’s no way to contain them. This is a revolution. This is far beyond mere idle threats. Trump’s tariffs and hostile moves on trading partners and allies have indeed become shock and awe. Why is Congress standing by and watching without any meaningful opposition? This goes way beyond anything SCOTUS approved or even imagined. Who or what will stop this attack on not only the Constitution, but the American people? Paying the consequences? Who can imagine the severity of these consequences.
Without the power of the military what can you do? You have 3 choices right now, fight, flight or lay low. Here is my article on making a plan to leave if you can, which most people can, but you have to determine your red line.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/a-plan-b-for-catastrophe?r=f0qfn
Why isn’t anyone doing something?!?
Indeed! Democrats are still going through the motions like this is a normal first 100 days and they just have to figure out where they went wrong; meanwhile Trump and Elon are robbing us blind, burning down the house and salting the earth after themselves
Like what?
Marj, I think that all we can do is to contact our Senators and Reps -- whether Democrats or not, and tell them they must take back the power of their branch and not advance the agenda any further.
I realize these demands will not succeed if your Congress people are members of the GOP (Give Oligarchs Power) party, but if we are quiet then they will assume that we are sheep.
In my case, all 4 members are Dems, so it's an easier push to say NO MORE COOPERATION with the GOP! No more votes to appear bipartisan! Their margins are thin, and they'll need Dem votes from time to time. JUST SAY NO!!!
I wish I knew!
What makes you think elections will still happen?
So what? He’ll soon come for that one too
We will find out if we can organize peaceful demonstrations, boycotts & a general strike. Trump will probably declare martial law, which will tell us what we need to know.
You guys. We need to start campaigning now. Trump campaigned for the last 4 years. Dems need strong leadership
Trump was not only campaigning these past four years while in exile at Mar-a-Lago; he was running a shadow government. There was much preparation so that starting on day one of mr. Trump’s reign- everything was in place to dismantle the American government and hurt anyone who attempted to hold him accountable. This is not okay…
Start by getting Schumer to step down.
Sandra, I've made the.point a few times recently that 2026 is an important year for 2 reasons:
1. It's the midterms.
2. It's the 250th anniversary of the founding of our country.
We must remind voters in 2026 what has been lost, and declare re-independence from a Mad King.
You really believe there will be a legitimate election. Stopping that will be a primary goal of Trump's regime. They have many tools at their disposal.
I fear that by 2026, it will be too late...
It will be too late by then
It’s too late for that now.
Trump is fulfilling campaign promises. The question is what are we going to do about it
Regroup, retrench and start fending for family/community/people, other than that, shellshocked is the first reaction for me, I never would have imagined this. Seek out and speak to like-minded people as I think this has to come from grassroots. Reach out as far as possible to others who think the same. Actually, what the hell do I know about the US, I am Spanish and live in the EU, this presidency has wrongfooted all decent people and to be honest, I am floundering somewhat with all the chaos, noise and bedlam... time to keep heads down and wait out the storm, the regroup. Sloppy thinking I know, but at present, all I've got. :)
Just worried there won't be a rainbow 🌈 ever again.
I've read reports of several court cases being filed. What's certain is that the next few years is going to be a bonanza for lawyers (as is everything Trump does. Boy, does he love to enrich lawyers!)
If I remember correctly, the law enforcement agency in charge of policing illegalities in the federal government is the FBI...which is being muzzled.
I said in his first term, the whole reason they're going after fbi and doj, is because they're the ones responsible for finding/prosecuting the corruption that trump/republicans are doing. Seemed blatantly obvious.
Remember though that the captain of the Titanic proceeded on pretty much the same basis. Man the lifeboats!
The Titanic was in icy waters. Trump is not surrounded by water….but we can vote
I think the metaphor is apt. There are plenty of metaphorical icebergs around that will threaten Trump's hold on power and he's even creating some himself by his addled policies. Recent history (following the pandemic) shows that electorates have not been kind to incumbents and if Trump fails to address the cost-of-living crisis in America and fulfil the hopes and expectations of his own febrile voter base then he may well lead the Republicans to heavy losses in the mid-terms.
We cannot wait that long.
I know. I know too that Trump is insensible to the pain and suffering his policies are likely to cause. Any failure of governance has potentially serious consequences, even in normal times, but especially so when danger looms, and danger is looming. Supposing, for example (as many virologists fear) the H1N1 virus mutates and acquires the ability to spread from human to human. There is obviously no good time for an administration to be appointing a nincompoop to lead the NIH, but Kennedy may soon find himself too busy with the normal business of a health service to implement some of his crazier proposals.
I think the tariffs are going to help sink the economy and Trump's popularity. Already, Canada is boycotting American products. Boycotting works. I've refused to patronize businesses whose owners are known Trump supporters, including restaurants I used to enjoy. No more. I don't buy as much from Amazon, and boycott other suppliers who support this Trumpian mess. I also avoid friends and relatives who voted for him, to maintain my inner peace and mental health.
We did vote- this is the outcome
You're questions are good ones. You ask: "Where are our laws and our Constitution in all this?" I'll tell you where it is, it's in the hands of spineless Republicans who are doing NOTHING to stop this. They could have stopped this before it started. They had two opportunities to convict trump when he was impeached but did they, "NO". I see two reasons they abrogated their responsibility. They are more interested in their own careers, which may be coming to a quick close if trump & his cronies take this to the logical conclusion of forcing a Congressional recess so that he can reign supreme. And they are afraid of trump & a mean tweet & they are afraid of their own constituents. So thanks to feckless elected officials we are in this mess.
Desperate times call for desperate measures- Vichy republicans are surrendering to Trump and company's appropriation of dictatorial powers without a peep. Democrats- placating- finding common ground- tactics that may have worked in previous regimes don't work here. These are the weapons of the weak and those currently in power view them with contempt. What's happening in the USA right now reminds me of a film I saw years ago- Seven Days in May. Except that it had a happy ending.
And where are the grey beards? Where are the experienced members of the Bush, Nixon and Romney teams? Are they all moving to another country?
Be sure to thank them . The End.
Our constitution also apparently allows for fascists to completely take over the government via a perfectly legal vote. Nothing is going to stop them from destroying everything.
The message he is GIVING--with his appointments, firings, and executive orders--is "Green light, full steam ahead." The GOP cowards in Congess have immediately bent their knees and kissed the ring. BTW, where is Steve Bannon these days and what is he doing? Tearing down the government has always been his goal.
In other words: Where is our state of Law? Where are the Police, the FBI, WTF. Rule of Law...don't make me choke, laughing. Where is that "Deep State"?
The chaos is bound to affect the stock market. I am no fan of Wall Street, but they have power with Congressional Representatives. That gives me some hope. Another thing that gives me hope is HCR's clarity. She is not giving in to panic. Panic is never going to help. I'm going to take a walk.
I am speechless....The stench, the toxicity from Trump, et al is unimaginally repugnant. We are truly living in a broken country; we are being ruled by the lawless. If there are no principles or values ... then what??
Heather, thank you for putting the fire hose of actions in a logical order.
I’d like to add that Elon Musk’s aides have hooked an outside server to the OPM computers and locked out senior OPM civil servants from the system so that they can’t do their job of oversight of OPM (the federal government Human Resources department).
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/musk-aides-lock-government-workers-out-computer-systems-us-agency-sources-say-2025-01-31/&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjkg7TaraSLAxVZ6ckDHTMVAecQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1LHewPxShItC6BgrXiTuPn
This is a coup d'état. Our last hope is that military leadership has enough sway over the troops to belay orders and take over the machinery of the U.S.G., place it back in the agencies, bring the workers back, and seize the funds to pay civil servants through the Pentagon system.
Finally the re-captured funds will be released per the institutional and Congressional mandates. Such a counter-coup can be executed in accordance with the U.S. military honouring its constitutional oath. If General Milley is assassinated, that coup with go through in a hurry.
What orders would the military be refusing to carry out that could provoke the scenario you describe?
Thus far, Trump’s orders to the military arguably fall within his express powers when a state of emergency is declared (border, CA wildfires).
Refusing to execute an unlawful order is one thing, taking control of government is quite another.
It may come to pass that he gives such an order, one that military leaders instruct their troops to belay, but to move on the body of the government itself would almost certainly spark our second Civil War.
And perhaps most troubling at present is the question of the unity of loyalty to the Constitution v. the current President among the members of our Armed Forces.
A Civil War has already happened, and we are rapidly losing. People aren’t recognizing what it is until the pain hits, and by then it will be too late.
Trump has now egregiously broken his OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION twice, and every senator or congressperson who supports Trump's illegal actions have also BROKEN THEIR OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION. Where is the law, the repercussions? Trump is destroying our democracy and we're all just going to sit here with our thumbs up our asses?
David and I are so conflicted.... do we leave the country (and we are earnestly exploring other countries - Ireland and France? At the same time, do I allow Trump to force me from the home I like: my photos, my pottery wheel, art work, my bike routes, my friends.....?
As an ex military special operations soldier, I have been afraid of a civil war since trump got in. It's very unnerving, possibly having to engage those who are currently serving, when we were once on the same side. What civilians do not understand is: dictators like trump, musk and others sadly, do not respond to the rule of Law, they only understand force, which is why we (special operations) exist ! If we work outside the Law, we still believe, it is for the betterment of the world at large. "Fighting the "good fight" sort of speak.
A civil war would happen if the US Armed Forces were to split.
Vote! Trump campaigned for 4 years. Dems start running now
Vote where? When? We have to survive first.
There will be nothing to vote for in 2 years if this administration continues at breakneck speed to take a wrecking ball to our Constitution and the rule of law.
That’s what my partner has said for the last for years- just vote. He does not understand that with the gerrymandering, the scrubbing of voter roles, the firehouse of propaganda and disinformation, and billionaires controlling Starlink and other social media platforms; we have little chance of coming out of this. Plus once the Republicans are in power, they give jobs to Republicans. Of course, they are not Republicans but Trumplicans.
They are NAZIs. Full stop.
Exactly, they can't wait for the next election cycle!!!!
Wow! Now that definitely is sedition!
Thank You Mary... This is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS... Howard Lutnick is also a Billionaire, and watching him at his confirmation, one could see he is very Duplicitous... Another Tax-Cut for the Billionaires is more important than a Living Wage for Millions of Workers? Are the Millions of Workers Expendable, and the Billionaires irreplaceable?
Well, Forbes reported in November that the top ten billionaires in the US had already made a whopping $64bn in the few days after Trump's election victory, so perhaps the feeling is that they should really spread it around more amongst all those billionaires and multi-millionaires who have so far missed out - you know, in the interests of equity.
;-)
'Groan...'
To have an answer to your question you have to ask Viktor Orban. Don't waste your time with middleman.
So they think.
French Revolution... King Louie XVI?
What are we going to do about it. Stop complaining and start campaigning.
Yep.
Yes, I read that on Reuters.
This is classic state capture.
That is what happened to my partner, who was fired from their civil service job last week. We are in the midst of a fascist takeover: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/dei-public-servant-fired
Sofa beds! Incredible.
Careful now! That might be interpreted by Kash Patel's FBI as sedition.
Is that a joke? You sure that WAS a joke? you don't think Patel has people reading these threads and looking for people they can lock up for "sedition" (ie anything they don't like)
I think you meant that as a joke - but actually it's the first stirrings of the warnings people are going to start seeing - "Shhh - you don't know who's listening - or what "they" will do. . . "
Welcome to Hungary.
Let's say for now that it was tongue in cheek. However, it is well-known that Kash Patel has an 'enemies list'. He may have denied this in his confirmation hearing, but it was included in a schedule to his 2023 book. We learnt only a few days ago that the FBI had been asked to compile a list of all agents involved in the J6 prosecutions. Since it was the largest law enforcement exercise ever undertaken by the agency the list could include many hundreds of names, possibly running into the thousands (the FBI employs around 38,000 people). Those involved in the Trump prosecutions (J6 and the classified documents trials) have already been sacked, without cause, in the FBI and the DoJ. Hungary has been met with severe EU financial penalties for its disregard of the rule of law.
We may have to adopt OPSEC Protocols...
Of course, by the time Trump's finished there'll be too few people in the FBI to pursue you and too few DoJ prosecutors to prosecute you.
Hello Russ... I doubt that they will lack the Resources... They would just have to make examples out of the perceived Leaders... That would Terrorize the Rest...
That's a very important observation. Trump really could weaponize the DoJ and FBI to pursue vexatious, but extremely costly investigations and legal actions against anyone suing the government. It was always a tactic of his to counter-sue those seeking redress from him as an individual. And there's also the threat of reprisals from the MAGA horde recently released from prison. No doubt, many people with genuine cause for action will be intimidated.
SOP
They will get Trump to send in his militia - the ones who just got pardoned and the others - and they will crack heads, destroy a few houses and families to make an example, and dissent will be stifled.
Perhaps, although I suspect that most of them are cyber bullies and there will be some who will not be too keen to reaquaint themselves with the inside of a cell. It is true that they are all too easy to mobilise.
Trump and his enablers are dismantling the government piece by piece, purging officials, seizing power, and handing the keys to billionaires. This isn’t about leadership or policy—it’s about revenge, profit, and control. They aren’t just breaking democracy; they’re ransacking it while daring anyone to stop them.
Further evidence of this attack on the United States as we know it - check out and support the Facebook page of Alt National Park Service. This is a site that was created during the first T administration.
It’s described as the “first official “Resistance” team of the United States Park Service.” But it is a place where government employees share their horror stories of what it looks like on the ground as these attacks occur.
“Resist!”
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1aaCpEQPRh/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I did before FB banned me.
They are also on Bluesky and the web https://ourparks.org/
Recently I've been drawn back to Holocaust studies. How ordinary people became Nazis, how the Nazi agenda changed from making Germany great again to the Final Solution, and daily personal acts of resistance. No, I don't think Republicans are intent on death camps, but neither was Hitler - at the beginning. It started with: non-governmental militias; putting categories of undesirables outside the protection of the law; deportations; copying USA Jim Crow laws; and belligerence towards neighboring countries.
Christipher Browning on decisions for the Final Solution
https://youtu.be/EMD2HfaSpEM?si=Y3-4N9HiwURpFvWY
Claudia Koonz, How Nazis made antisemitism respectsble
https://youtu.be/usL9bmrnQRk?si=Vxgrb9S-Svt07_Uo
Wolf Gruner, Resisters how ordinary Jews fought persecution
https://youtu.be/n8ojMkVMz8g?si=loCH9v12wBMEGsDW
My husband knew WW2 history and so did I from his interest. We are on the same path…EXACTLY
If The Trumpists Are Unchecked... They will leave few Peaceful Choices...
So far, sad to say, the trumpists ere unchecked. It's not an "if". Brace yourself.
Peter, when the control you are talking about, when is total, will reveal a dictatorship. That's our future in short time.
Minor quibble. Not “profit”, theft.
Where are the Dems? Are Chris Murphy and Ron Wyden the only ones incensed by the machinations of the Cult? Where is Ken Martin, the new head of the DNC? Why are people being "forced to resign" instead of demanding to be fired? Now is the time for strong leadership to resist the demolition of our country, not for cringing in the shadows.
To your point, Betsy, The Atlantic's Elaine Godfrey posted an excellent article on Saturday titled "Democrats Wonder Where Their Leaders Are: Activists want to see their opposition party do some actual opposing," including this spot-on quotation:
“I assumed that we would be prepared to meet the moment, and I was wrong,” Shannon Watts, the founder of the gun-control group Moms Demand Action, told me. “It’s like they’ve shown up to a knife fight with a cheese stick.”
Gene, every single day that passes without democratic leadership, the 3 factions described by HCR are more entrenched in our system of government and the destruction of our democracy is being guaranteed. Democrats wake up!!!@
Not a new thing, Dems weapons for decades
Whoa... now that's a burner. Gentle, compared to iL Duce's assaults, but something.
Ron Wyden, my senator from Oregon, was the one who raised the alarm over Musk (Fascist Sadist - State of Praetoria) taking over the payment system of the US.
One voice in what should be millions.
Where is the head of the DNC? He just got there. As for the resignations - because then they have access to severance (good luck with that) and their retirement. If they are fired, they do not. No one is cringing in the shadows. Democratic Senators are doing their part, just because you can't hear or read about it doesn't mean it isn't being done. The Democrats are there......and what are you doing?
This! This! This!
ThankYou.
I suggest googling The Congressional Progressive Caucus then googling CSpan. Type in the name of a caucus member and hear for yourself,
May be it would be a good idea not doing their valuable work behind closed doors and not letting anybody know about it? I'm surprised - Trump never did really hold back much during his campaign - I would have expected them to hit the ground running the day after the election, but - as Adam Kinzinger put it "they all go home for the weekend" so - business as usual?
You mean just post it so the MAGAs can block it? That sounds like a good idea when you're the minority party. As for all going home for the weekend. The Speaker of the House calls recess, not the minority party.
The Dems PR and public presentation is currently abysmal - there, I said it. And never was it more important then today to get the masses moving.
And nobody forces senators to go home when there is such important work to do. I tell you as a former staffer of an Australian party - if there is work to do, there is work to do. I don't think that they all quite got that - sometimes you have to give the work-life balance a miss.
Typically, sometimes they don't even tell other branches of government what they're doing - the cluelessness of Trump's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, is a case in point.
That's one of the biggest problems Carol, "just because you can't heard or read about it".....
Thank you for that reassurance.
Thank you, Carol-Ann!!!!
I agree, Betsy! It feels like we’re watching the horrifying attack on the Capitol, January 6, all over again. Where’s the Calvary? Where’s the National Guard? Is there no one who can save us from this onslaught of crimes against our country? All of the guardrails are gone. Blind Justice holding her scales is no longer honored by this administration. We knew it was coming, Project 2025 was clear. We’re in the reality of war.
What did the start of 1930s Germany look like? What did the start of Apartheid look like? THIS!
I blame Biden. We all saw this coming. We all knew what rumpy was going to do. Biden and Harris didn't even fight it - just rolled over and let rumpy destroy the country. It's like watching a young child reach out to the flame on a gas stove. As an adult, as a parent, as a leader you actively reach out and pull the child's hand away. You don't let them get badly burned to teach them a lesson. You protect them from themselves, from making bad and dangerous choices because they don't know better and can't see the danger. Biden, the Dems and Independents in Congress did nothing to stop it. They knew about the gerrymandering. They knew about the voter suppression. They knew he was unfit for office and what he would do but let him run anyway. We just had to "take the high road" and have a smooth transition of power. Didn't matter that it totally destroyed our country.
I’m done with the blaming. I’m sure there is plenty to go around, and it’s not helpful.
Harsh awakening.
TRUE. Awakening from Somnambulism.
Presumably, some people who have been summarily and unlawfully sacked without cause will seek and probably obtain legal redress against the government but it will be small consolation to the many others who cannot afford to do this and, of course, those millions of ordinary folk who will inevitably suffer from this irresponsible contraction of government.
A small satisfaction will be to know that many of those that "inevitably will suffer from this irresponsible contraction of government " are maga voters or those that didn't bother to vote at all.
And "therein lies the rub", as the Bard says. This was the case with the precipitate and ill-considered freeze of federal loans and grants.
The Democrats have the same problem that the reasonable Republicans have. If they fight back, or, rather when they fight back, they will be faced with so much 'anti-funding' at election time they will disappear. That is, IF there is an election. I have serious concerns about that. The Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society have planned well.
What we are witnessing is not aFriday Night Massacre, or the Saturday Night Massacre Redux. This is America's Night of the Long Knives, without the screams and gunfire and bodies in the streets and blood on the walls. As sure as Hitler made himself acceptable to the German oligarchs with the massacre of his internal party opponents, Trump is making himself acceptable to the oligarchy here.
Remember this weekend. Its the weekend the man his niece described tonight as "a human being so bad a worse one could not have been created in a lab" who is running things now with a coterie of people who share his dark vision, his cruelty, and his insatiable need for more, took a shit on the graves of our ancestors.
“Whether ours shall continue to be a government of laws and not of men is now for Congress and ultimately the American people.” Archibald Cox, 1973 after the Saturday Night Massacre by Nixon.
(Thanks, Joyce Vance-Substack)
The coup is complete. Now the consequences.
Coup 2.0 is NOT complete. Do NOT republish defeatism.
Sabrina, it's not completed, far from it, but the consequences are being felt indiscriminately. Hope affects most of their voters.
The only vision trump has is getting richer no matter what. Other than that, he is a puppet being controlled by the Proyect 2025 ideological mentors and the billionaires. His job is to sign with great pomp and ceremony all those "executive orders" in front of the cameras without any knowledge of the content or consequences.
He knows exactly what he is doing.
We should stop saying he does not
Ignorance is not synonymous of innocence. In his second term he is just performing a show, signing orders someone put in front of him with all cameras rolling and speaking like a child about an helicopter that should have stopped to let a passenger jet pass first to blaming the state government in California for not letting the water flow. The ideological group behind Project 2025 and the billionaires are the responsible ones, as guilty as trump.
No, it's not the Night of the Long Knives, which got rid of internal enemies of Hitler. This is Gleichschaltung ('bringing into line'), the state capture that happens at the start of authoritarian regimes (in Germany, in January-April 1933). You can read about it here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3180720
Majority of this country voted for and asked for and authorized this anti-democratic mayhem. I don't think it ends until a solid majority decide they have had enough and toss these clowns out or debts to Ronald McDonald or Colonel Sanders come due. Let's see if the judicial system staunches the bleeding of our democracy. No 100s of murders of MAGA adversaries as in Night of Long Knives but withdrawing security details from people like Fauci and Milly it is a step in that direction.
Less than 35% of the eligible voters in this country voted for this. More chose to not vote than voted for either candidate.
This is so so so scary.
Elon doesn't need another checkbook. But I definitely need my social security check. He doesn't need my banking information either. I guess I'll have to open a new account that is deposited only so i don't get robbed. He is not elected or officially appointed to run the cash account.
THIS IS MADNESS
WHERE AND WHEN DO I LODGE MY COMPLAINT!
Kim, the office where you could lodge your complaint was put out of business by Mu$k two days ago.
Some of us are reading your complaint now. Here.
I don’t know!!! I’m terrified too!!!!
NATIONAL ACTION CALL
Join Indivisible, MoveOn, and Working Families Party on Sunday, Feb 2. at 8pm ET for a national strategy call on fighting Trump's dictatorial actions.
Indivisible.org
Good suggestion. They’ve been reading the tea leaves for longer than most.
Just tried this and was blocked.
No problem signing up for "Indivisible.org per Wendyl Link above.
Simple. Just plug in your ZIP code.
I tried. No results for the state of Oregon, which I find unbelievable. The link that I get for the one local group does not work.
Try this one. https://track-mg.mobilize.us/CL0/https:%2F%2Fmobilize.us%2Fs%2FmqRdjs/1/01000194c6894739-e01bc329-c924-4766-916c-576d82605419-000000/Qc9XD8PqXDWdKcYrkATbDy_nKdanT9wkVFJA0zJfuTI=390
Yes, "cataclysmic."
Heather's not been able to take a night off since some time before the inauguration. So much so dreadful has been going on.
That inauguration? It's one that should never have permitted an insurrectionist to take office -- as the Constitution clearly says.
Chuck Schumer could have effected Article 14, Section Three's disqualification clause -- made the orange felon's disqualification legal, final, just by calling a vote in the Senate. (Read the last lines of Article 14, Section Three -- how not clearing the orange felon by a 2/3 vote would have left him disqualified beyond any court's action).
The Supreme Court earlier, prior to the Senate, could have enforced it, too, but that, really the Clarence court, showed its reach of corruption total -- disdaining U.S. law, scorning the Constitution. As bad as the Dems were when they controlled the Senate, and did not do what they could have, should have, Merrick Garland had been worse, letting so much time go by before getting prosecutions going as to hand to the orange felon all his best chances for full-bore criminality.
I see nothing possible to combat all this. As Heather notes, the convicted U.S. criminal (and fraud, rapist) aligns now with all the worst of Putin, Xi, Orban, and all the world's other oligarchs and criminals.
He is not only openly dismantling the U.S. government, but also throwing the scraps to all his nihilist billionaires buddies.
Heather may not get a break for some time, valiantly as she keeps up with, details, grieves over our worsening cataclysm.
Stopping the inauguration would have been way to late…
As the Republican ticket won, the other half of that ticket could have been inaugurated.
I'm sorry, JDinTX, Dems were so out of touch with the tens of millions of the abandoned working class, but Americans have for decades accepted all the schools without humanities, and elites similarly without.
It's a crime that we have the orange felon's rampant criminality now, and billionaires amuck, fattening on the people But the convicted criminal (and insurrectionist) at the top knows how to speak to those tens of millions in ways that keep all of them from ever imagining how those billionaires are going to damage them as well as corrupt our institutions and kill our democracy.
I disagree the Dems were out of touch. Look at all the good things Biden did with jobs and unions, infrastructure, education, etc. The huge problem was that rumpy yelled his lies and criticisms and foul nicknames loudly and over and over again while Biden et. al. quietly went about doing their jobs and didn't push back. All rumpy did was push on how horrible immigrants were, our "open borders" with hordes of criminals flowing across and nothing being done. He broke laws and was able to get away without being punished. Should have been arrested Jan. 6th.
I thought B and H focused on the middle class, but were no match for the onslaught of bullschittery from repubs. An onslaught that ticked up with Obama and continued non stop. There is plenty of blame to go around but Rupert has the lions share. Dems just wanted things to be normal, and that has not been possible since Ronnie declared war on “normal.”
Hate to say it but I had no idea of the Reagan agenda to dumb down the schools, and I worked for schools and had a daughter in schools. Also, I was politically active and not a tea party nut. I was aware that Rupert lied non stop but I missed so much.
(A) With Trump, it’s the cruelty that matters. He wants to hurt people. I wish more people understood that is truly central to who he is.
(B) Where Are The Protests By Schumer, Jeffries, Obama, Clinton, et al?  I want someone to organize a mass protest by every Democratic Party member in the country, joined by every member of the FBI, who is not a Trump loyalist… And I want that protest to go on for as many days and weeks and months as it takes to wake the American people up to the impending death of their country. Those with the ability to draw attention from the media must stop acting like this is just another day in the life of America! America is literally on life-support. It’s days are numbered. If Schumer and the rest cannot see this, we should demand they all resign!
(C) I recommend watching the 2007 Bruce Willis movie, “Live Free or Die Hard“.  in that film, John McClain goes up against an evil computer genius. Seeing what that fictional character is willing to do, might help people better understand what we are up against. 
I’m ready. Where do we meet? I won’t accept these actions. Our Senators & Representatives must step up and put an end to this. Impeachment should begin now.
According to posts I’ve seen on Facebook and Instagram, there will be protests at all 50 state capitals on February 5th. I have not yet found a website devoted to organizing these protests. So, I cannot verify who is organizing them. But even before February 5 arrives, reaching out to local Democratic clubs seems like an appropriate first step to getting off of social media and out into the streets.
Thank you
What's the point of protests? You need to organise actions.
Protest IS Action. It's how you make resistance VISIBLE. Other activities are great too but making it clear to everyone that MOST Americans are not agreeing with this is significant.
I'm sorry - I should have said that protest on its own isn't enough. But it's certainly an important part of action when it accompanies things like general strikes, class actions, commercial boycotts, tax boycotts, etc.
We have no cred for impeachment. We load twice and would loose again
Good luck with that Cathy, you'll be in charge to convince Mike Johnson to start procedures in Congress.
Impeachment with all of its requirements in the House of Representatives & the United States Senate.
Do not give up on a potentially useful & lawful tool.
Likelihood of getting permits?
Demonstrations are fine, getting out the vote is essential.
There are many state elections between now and 2026. Start postcarding.
Volunteer with your local Democratic committee to do outreach. Form a Rapid Response team to phone/write officials anc write LTE.
Seriously, Bruce Willis? Die Hard?
Why not John Lewis and the Civil Rights Movement?
Seriously Permits? We aren't showing up to protest the worst violation of the Constitution in its history because we couldn't get PERMITS ?!? Dear god, who ARE we?
Mate, life and government are not like a Hollywood movie. This is state capture: you must think and act outside the individualistic box. Only by acting together in a united front will you get rid of these goons.
Strive toward solidarity of purpose! Organize. Agitate. Confront. At EVERY opportunity. United we can weather this attack! Yes! we can. Get busy with it!
You have my support from Europe.
Good idea to start protests and persist.
It seems that most of these firings and pressures on civil service employees are illegal. So why does everyone just seem to accept their dismissals or voluntarily resign?
"Everyone" does NOT "seem to accept their dismissals or will resign" in any manner.
Do not re-publish cynicism.
Resist!
Yes, they are illegal. But who will enforce federal law? The FBI?
Right
What are you going to do Michael, complain to the DOJ ?
Some are doing so to preserve their pensions before being fired takes effect, unfortunately.
Their pensions are very likely already gone. Y'all really need to be problem solving from the perspective that federal programs are all ending and anything that survives this is corrupt or useful to them so that one got lucky.
They haven’t. There has been resistance by civil servants.
Instead of asking nominees whether they would obey an illegal presidential command, every Trump nominee - and Republican Senator - should be asked "Do you believe that any presidential command can be illegal?"
According to the Federalist Society Roberts Court majority and The Heritage Foundation Russell Vought's Project 2025 chapter on the Executive - by definition the president is the law unto himself. This is FedSoc's entirely anti-constitutional notion of 'a unified executive.'
Trump’s use of the military, specifically the US Army Corp of Engineers, to release California’s water reserves was an intentional attack on the State of California. Trump is using the military and water rights to create conflict while at the same time reducing California’s emergency water reserves. I wrote my Assemblymember, Gregg Hart, and Congressman Salud Carbajal. Assemblymember Hart promised to contact the State’s attorney general. We are literally in a Cold Civil War.
Yes. This is 100% correct. And there is no downside for them since they have no morality. CA crops will fail and their gdp will plunge and there will be less money to send to the rest of the country and all those Trump voters will suffer too. But chaos is the plan.
The representatives (state and federal) of central California are often Republicans, as are the rural Californian voters that depend on that water. Some are MAGA. How is Trump's actions taking care of his own people?
Releasing so much water from those dams right now is an act of sabotage. That water doesn't even go to L.A. It's for agriculture and irrigating crops in the hot, dry summer months when it's really needed and vital that that water is stored until then.
Normally much advance notice is given before there is such a release of water from dams. But on Friday morning the flow from Terminus Dam into the Kaweah River near Visalia increased from 57 cubic feet per second to more than 1,500. The flow from Lake Success near Porterville into the Tule River increased from 105 cubic feet per second to 990. Many water & irrigation district managers said that normally such flood releases are done with a great deal of prior notification and coordination, even saying they've never seen something like this before.
Just like so much else that Mad Don the Con is doing to wreck this Nation and any semblance of good governance; the cruelty is intentional, the chickenshit antics are on purpose, the fascists wanton destruction and takeover are brazenly steamrolling over the rule of law as Heather's letter makes clear tonight.
Not feeling good about this one tonight but they've got to be stopped...somehow...
So who actually opened the taps?
What we're witnessing, at an ever-accelerating pace, is the systematic breakdown of our government and the rule of law to suit the darkest impulses and most malicious whims of a 78-year-old madman.
How utterly tragic.
He is just a figurehead. He just signs those "executive orders" without any knowledge of what those orders mean. He feels so powerful performing those acts in front of the cameras. And he doesn't care about the consequences as long as he he is allowed to get richer.
Please stop calling him a figure head. He knows what he is doing and does not need anyone feeding sorry for him
He's the front man. That doesn't make him stupid or unaware but differently motivated. Is that better? The description was apt. He doesn't bother himself with the details of implementation or of the future. His role is to be the face and make this coup the cover of governance.
Please do not forget that Trump was tutored in all things devious by lawyer Roy Cohen. He knows!!
That was too many years ago, when he had some neurons actively working. He was never a thinker as is Viktor Orban or Vladimir Putin. He is now acting to be in charge. Musk is driving this country towards the abyss without supervision
This is beyond tragic.
It's state capture. Your very own Gleichschaltung.
48% of voters wanted this. They own it.
Actually, only 31.82% of eligible voters wanted this – 36.1% of those registered *didn't vote*.
Heather; thank you for all you do to keep us informed and educated about the travesty underway in the White House.
Honestly, Heather; I'm scared. Every night, I go to bed thinking, we've seen the worst and tomorrow, things will change. And every day, things get progressively worse. I'm assessing the situation, tRUMP has the White House, both chambers of the house, the judicial and the SCOTUS!! Who will stop him??? And How?? We can't wait for 2026 mid-terms; by then, we will no longer be the United States of America.
I always try to look for the positive in these situations, but honestly, I see nothing except darkness.
You are not alone, and that's what we must remember.
Peter I know exactly how you are feeling. I’m sending you light for the darkness.
What can we do???!!! We are losing our country. Is there any hope left, any paths forward out of this disaster?
NATIONAL ACTION CALL
Join Indivisible, MoveOn, and Working Families Party on Sunday, Feb 2. at 8pm ET for a national strategy call on fighting Trump's dictatorial actions.
Indivisible.org
I just registered. Thank you Wendyl
I registered on Friday!
I registered with absolutely no problems. ✔️
I just registered! Thanks for sharing the link. I’m spreading the word & hoping the cavalry is forming!
Done!
Signed up. Thank you!
The mid-terms, like last time when Trump's bungling cost the Republicans the House and the Senate.
You still think there will be free and fair elections? With Musk and his mates seizing federal computers and your data?
See, "The Elections Clause" confirms ALL states in the Unites States have primary Constitutional authority over Elections.
Do not give up in the face of Coup 2.0.
For sure you shouldn't give up. I hope it's possible for you to organise over the next two years. I'm just sounding a cautious note that elections aren't always the panacea, when state capture has already happened.
😭😭😭
No. There will not be elections
oh, there will be elections. Even Russia has elections.
I agree with Bryan and Sophie.
Midterms are far, far away. The government is collapsing now.
I can't argue with that. However, previous incumbents have found that they sort of creep up on one before one really notices. I know that Trump's manic whirligig of executive actions can be discombobulating but there already been cases where he has been forced to back down, like the freezing of federal grants and loans. In fact, I suspect that the flurry of actions by this fledging and ill-formed administration is in recognition of the short time available to set the course for the next four years.
Russell I thought so too for a minute but now they've bypassed "the pause" and gone straight to the systems. If they have the access being reported they won't announce anything. They have the power to just pick payments and cancel them. They aren't going to ask permission or participate in any legally required processes.
Well, they will be subject to legal challenge for flagrantly unlawful acts, but in any case won't those actions harm some of the very same people who voted for Trump? I admit that critics of the regime are divided over whether some these actions are being taken mostly for performative value rather than to dismantle the federal government. We will see in the next few months just how many of these proposals will be implemented in full and, perhaps more importantly, what their consequences and impacts will be.
This is all mind-bendingly horrific. I am really glad that you didnt end your letter with “and no one has taken to the streets!” Because the laundry list of federal big wigs who rolled over and didn’t stand their ground makes me wonder what would going into the street do? Really? I think most of the country isnt getting the news of what is actually happening.
They are scared! You would be too. The thugs were let loose last week and they all know where these people live. That is part of the plan. The Convict-in-Chief now has his own SS. Would you put your family in danger? This is how it works.
Carol-Ann, I have no idea how to explain apparent aquesiance of the "federal bigwigs" that are simply giving up. The part of Tina's post that is 100% accurate is that "...most of the country is not getting the news of what is actually happening." The people who get their "information" are not being told the breadth and scope of what this administration is doing, and they deny reports contrary to what they are being told.
This is the best comment yet!!!
You think Fox and Sinclair that owns all stations in red states told their viewers all this!!!
Carol-Ann this is public service. This is protect & defend the Constitution. Courage is in the job description. Don't you think our soldiers are scared ? I expect my colleagues in public service to honor their oaths too. Our laws only protect us when WE defend THEM. If we're all willing to do whatever we're told when they threaten us then it's already over. We are the sheep they said we are and we gave our freedom away for perceived safety because it's safer to do as we're told. That's not freedom.