The Republicans will cause as much damage as they can in the name of personal freedom. The world they want would/will cause them more harm than they can imagine. A weakened US may fail to protect itself against rising autocratic challengers both foreign and domestic. They fool themselves if they believe they can hold that tiger by the tail.
The Republicans will cause as much damage as they can in the name of personal freedom. The world they want would/will cause them more harm than they can imagine. A weakened US may fail to protect itself against rising autocratic challengers both foreign and domestic. They fool themselves if they believe they can hold that tiger by the tail.
They want "personal freedom" by putting an authoritarian government into place. I don't think they understand what they are asking for and what they would be getting (and losing).
But this is not the sharpest lot. Need more funding for education and critical thinking.
How about common sense, which is anything but common. Drowned by the propaganda machine. ItтАЩs not just the MAGAts, itтАЩs the spineless republicans with no semblance of a backbone. One and the sameтАж deliberately
Jeri, that's absolutely true. It isn't just the handful of wing nuts that are destroying this Country. This is a very decided "us v them". They are winning.
The thing is, these people have degrees in all sorts of education and yet remain ignorant boneheaded тАЬthinkersтАЭ with no commonsense, only common cruelty, meanness and a desire to brutally harm others.
The thing that a failed state teaches is that there is no freedom in a social sense without setting of boundaries and rights that apply to all. Modern Republicans claim privilege and impunity, not freedom, and freedom and bullying don't mix.
The whole world is watching. China and North Korea are planning accordingly. With the potential for another world war, weтАЩre not in good hands with the gop in charge.
As far as I can tell that "personal freedom" that Republicans constantly tout is only for the affluent who make more than $15/hour, who don't drive a clunker car that they can't afford to repair or replace, who have a job with paid leave, and can afford decent, reliable daycare for their kids. Crunch some numbers and see if you can eat and live indoors at the same time on $15/hour.
тАЬIn its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.тАЭ тАФ Anatole France
And it's not even that equitable since the "rules" that Republicans now apply to themselves are starkly different than those they, with great drama and self-righteousness, impose on others, such as when a president is justified in appointing a SCOTUS justice or DeSantis' stance on "indoctrinating children".
Excellent analogy. So the question becomes what "pitch" to the American people will win in 2024? Will it be the one filled with anger and hate? Or will it be the one that legislates for the betterment of our citizens?
Hunter's laptop or terrific jobs in semiconductors?
Anti-science rhetoric or life saving medicines?
The Russian Connection or the fight for human rights and Western values?
Violence via daily gun slaughters or reasonable regulations?
Putting women "back in the kitchen" or Affordable Childcare?
Control over women's reproductive choices or true FREEDOM?
ER based healthcare or a system that costs half as much and prevents illness?
There is much more. But I just re-read this list and I can't believe I typed in the year 2023.
It will involve stoking the hate train. We all believe itтАЩs Fox News and/or social media, but at this point, the message is being woven into church sermons. ItтАЩs bigger than I ever imagined.
All of the items on left are base level emotional feedback/adrenaline/dominance postures -- requiring nothing but "join us" effort to feel the jolt. Items on the right require more effort and ability to slow down and reason for our reward of "joining a community". They've had 20+ years of subliminal drumbeats on radio, tv, social media to create their following that only knows reactive states. The AR-15 pins - the signaling in this - frightening.
BK, you hit upon something that a friend and I discussed about a year ago. We were talking about the TIkTok Ice challenge where people raised money for charity. Then there were all these dangerous challenges, like the tide pods.
We agreed, why can't there be a challenge for longest running Straight A's in school, but agreed it would take too long. We then thought, how about challenges for collecting the most trash off of streets? Be it by pound or cubic feet, probably the latter as the picture of mounds of trash would be more likely to go viral.
TheyтАЩve been there before, most recently in 2011. But it really feels like they are driving the car off the cliff this time. They want a civil war and believe that if they canтАЩt get it by gerrymandering enough of the votes, theyтАЩre going straight to violence.
Just remember that when you hear about the next mass-shooting, Republicans arenтАЩt going to put out the тАЬthoughts and prayersтАЭ BS anymore, especially if that shooting involves minority groups. TheyтАЩre done with all that.
In some ways, I am a little hopeful that for all the fits of rage we will be subjected to, we will once again get nothing of substance from them. Some day, Americans will tire of all the theater, because they will be so unsuccessful. They will get nothing accomplished.
The Republicans will cause as much damage as they can in the name of personal freedom. The world they want would/will cause them more harm than they can imagine. A weakened US may fail to protect itself against rising autocratic challengers both foreign and domestic. They fool themselves if they believe they can hold that tiger by the tail.
They want "personal freedom" by putting an authoritarian government into place. I don't think they understand what they are asking for and what they would be getting (and losing).
But this is not the sharpest lot. Need more funding for education and critical thinking.
How about common sense, which is anything but common. Drowned by the propaganda machine. ItтАЩs not just the MAGAts, itтАЩs the spineless republicans with no semblance of a backbone. One and the sameтАж deliberately
Jeri, that's absolutely true. It isn't just the handful of wing nuts that are destroying this Country. This is a very decided "us v them". They are winning.
https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-trauma-of-2016-spy-scandal-part?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR1VcXAhC9kfHchy2Lm2yoLpghU5zcf7FbX4hdPNX3e4rJuO7y3A2LdTVQ4
Eadie Sharron--still thanking you a thousand times!
The thing is, these people have degrees in all sorts of education and yet remain ignorant boneheaded тАЬthinkersтАЭ with no commonsense, only common cruelty, meanness and a desire to brutally harm others.
They are well schooled,, but not educated.. Prejudice taints their thinking.
Perhaps their degrees arenтАЩt real.
We need to take back the word "FREEDOM". They are redefining it as control and interference in personal lives, as in "my religion must dominate".
They are no better than Nazis or Stalinists. Which would be an irony of epic proportions - but they won't get it.
We need to ask, "WHOSE personal freedom?"
The thing that a failed state teaches is that there is no freedom in a social sense without setting of boundaries and rights that apply to all. Modern Republicans claim privilege and impunity, not freedom, and freedom and bullying don't mix.
And consequences are what we need to reduce the impunity. Lack of consequences is coming with a very high price. я┐╝
William, consequences don't exist.
The fact that we have let this happen has been a learning experience.
It certainty needs to be.
Bravo on your comment here, J L Graham!
The most immediate challenge is from the domestic authoritarians in the formerly Republican Party. Foreign enemies will await the outcome.
The whole world is watching. China and North Korea are planning accordingly. With the potential for another world war, weтАЩre not in good hands with the gop in charge.
https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-trauma-of-2016-spy-scandal-part?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR1VcXAhC9kfHchy2Lm2yoLpghU5zcf7FbX4hdPNX3e4rJuO7y3A2LdTVQ4
Thank you, Eadie, for these excellent references.
As far as I can tell that "personal freedom" that Republicans constantly tout is only for the affluent who make more than $15/hour, who don't drive a clunker car that they can't afford to repair or replace, who have a job with paid leave, and can afford decent, reliable daycare for their kids. Crunch some numbers and see if you can eat and live indoors at the same time on $15/hour.
тАЬIn its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets and steal loaves of bread.тАЭ тАФ Anatole France
And it's not even that equitable since the "rules" that Republicans now apply to themselves are starkly different than those they, with great drama and self-righteousness, impose on others, such as when a president is justified in appointing a SCOTUS justice or DeSantis' stance on "indoctrinating children".
Tyranny is the "elephant in the room".
True. Which may explain why so much of the right gets so much support from Putin and other members of Club Oligarch.
Excellent analogy. So the question becomes what "pitch" to the American people will win in 2024? Will it be the one filled with anger and hate? Or will it be the one that legislates for the betterment of our citizens?
Hunter's laptop or terrific jobs in semiconductors?
Anti-science rhetoric or life saving medicines?
The Russian Connection or the fight for human rights and Western values?
Violence via daily gun slaughters or reasonable regulations?
Putting women "back in the kitchen" or Affordable Childcare?
Control over women's reproductive choices or true FREEDOM?
ER based healthcare or a system that costs half as much and prevents illness?
There is much more. But I just re-read this list and I can't believe I typed in the year 2023.
It will involve stoking the hate train. We all believe itтАЩs Fox News and/or social media, but at this point, the message is being woven into church sermons. ItтАЩs bigger than I ever imagined.
All of the items on left are base level emotional feedback/adrenaline/dominance postures -- requiring nothing but "join us" effort to feel the jolt. Items on the right require more effort and ability to slow down and reason for our reward of "joining a community". They've had 20+ years of subliminal drumbeats on radio, tv, social media to create their following that only knows reactive states. The AR-15 pins - the signaling in this - frightening.
BK, you hit upon something that a friend and I discussed about a year ago. We were talking about the TIkTok Ice challenge where people raised money for charity. Then there were all these dangerous challenges, like the tide pods.
We agreed, why can't there be a challenge for longest running Straight A's in school, but agreed it would take too long. We then thought, how about challenges for collecting the most trash off of streets? Be it by pound or cubic feet, probably the latter as the picture of mounds of trash would be more likely to go viral.
Here's your answer. https://snyder.substack.com/p/the-trauma-of-2016-spy-scandal-part?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&fbclid=IwAR1VcXAhC9kfHchy2Lm2yoLpghU5zcf7FbX4hdPNX3e4rJuO7y3A2LdTVQ4
Eadie Sharron--a thousand thanks for the link. And then, a thousand more.
Excellent summary list and a very depressing one.
TheyтАЩve been there before, most recently in 2011. But it really feels like they are driving the car off the cliff this time. They want a civil war and believe that if they canтАЩt get it by gerrymandering enough of the votes, theyтАЩre going straight to violence.
Just remember that when you hear about the next mass-shooting, Republicans arenтАЩt going to put out the тАЬthoughts and prayersтАЭ BS anymore, especially if that shooting involves minority groups. TheyтАЩre done with all that.
You are right & you make me cry tears of frustration & rage at the idiocy.
In some ways, I am a little hopeful that for all the fits of rage we will be subjected to, we will once again get nothing of substance from them. Some day, Americans will tire of all the theater, because they will be so unsuccessful. They will get nothing accomplished.
The theater parts so front and center now. I have to mute KM.
Hear HearЁЯСПЁЯЩМ