In any other universe, impeachment would be under way. But as Heather's friend Joanne Freeman told Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Friday, the willingness of Congress to give up its power is one thing that has surprised her about Trump's second administration. There technically is a way for Trump to be stopped before he (a) destroys the US economy and (b) destroys NATO, possibly starting a war with the EU. But those with the authority to use the tools the Constitution gives them HAVE TO USE THOSE TOOLS! WTF are the Republicans in Congress waiting for? SMH
They are waiting for Trump to overthrow Democracy so they can be in charge. That's the point. Anything else is just a lie while they wait to see if Trump can wag the dog hard enough to actually overthrow the elections and what happens when he does.
And lets be clear, that makes them traitors, and they already are fascists. They are rapidly running out of runway where calling yourself a Republican after the dust settles will not be a hanging offense.
Yup, they seem to be all in on the aims/goals of Project 2025 (Mandate for Leadership)—if you’ve read any part of it you can see their direction…and it ain’t democracy as we know it. Ugh…pisses me off and scares me too.
We are in such a maelstrom that nobody is looking at the updated "Project 2026" that Heritage has released, which lists this year's priorities and includes model bills for states to pass to complete the project.
Thanks Georgia, the last time I looked at their site it was them recruiting folks (particularly young adults) to online “classes” to teach them how to be “proper” gov’t/civic employees & “citizens”. It’s hard to stomach all the stuff that’s on there!
The full text of the Jane Doe lawsuit against Trump and Epstein -- later withdrawn in response to credible death threats against the plaintiff -- gives a good indication of what the Christonazis consider "proper" citizenship: https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/Johnson_TrumpEpstein_Lawsuit.pdf Please let us ensure this text is linked early (and therefore prominently) on as many Resistance sites as possible every day until the traitorous regime of ecogenocidal Christonazi pedophiles is no more. (I'll do my best to be responsible for this posting, but I am 85 years old and terminally ill, which means others need be ready to pick up the torch on days I am absent and after I am no more.)
There is a very graphic retelling of Jane Doe's encounter with felon 34 that I came across about a month ago (I believe on someone's Substack link) that I can no longer locate. In it, Jane Doe was told things like she needed to wear gloves when touching felon 34, plus much more graphic descriptions than what is stated in the lawsuit.
If someone can re-post that link, I believe it should be widely disseminated as part of the public release of the Epstein files. I'm sure it is part of the 99% that the DOJ will never release. Anyone who reads it can see it fits felon 34 to a T.
It is difficult to read without wanting to throw up, but everyone should know and be sickened by what a pedophile and creep felon 34 truly is. He belongs behind bars.
Though I will incur resistance, I will repeat my statement; It would have been better had the Joint Chiefs of Staff temporarily suspended the constitution and declared martial law in order to prevent t this monster from entering government. When will anyone understand that this idea would have been far less damaging. I call it a lesser evil. I hope y’all know this is the tipping point. The human species is about to enter hades. ( Donald’s Vanity Tantrums)
Loren - Thank you so much for all you put into these discussions and for being so committed to staying informed and fighting for what is right and good and humane.
Peaceful journey, Loren, it has been engaging to get to “know you” via LFAA comments…and look forward to more “conversations” with you amongst this rabble (we are a great & motley crew here, eh?).☮️❤️
There was a local business in deep blue Alexandria VA that proudly put up a sign saying it was a TPUSA shop. They have been getting savagely dragged on the nova subreddit ever since.
Well, if WE won't teach civics, THEY will. Children are malleable. They will internalize what they are taught. We have no plan. They have a huge, detailed, lavishly funded one that will shape the next generation. Is it too late?
SO TRUE, Barbara and Georgia! I called our “representative “ yesterday (Bill Huizenga). In the past the person answering just took my comment and complaint and said he would pass it on. Not yesterday! He became VERY combative. I have to admit, I almost lost it on the phone. When I hung up, I was shaking and I am sure that my BP was through the roof. He sounded about the same age as my granddaughter ! It is so maddening!
Ha! At the rally today I was speaking w/ some folks on the sidewalk and basically all agreed this whole ***situation*** makes us sick….so I quipped that I should start carrying barf bags like the airlines do!
Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that “support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there.” Her suggestion reflects the comment of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that “support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there.” Her suggestion reflects the comment of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Unfortunately as soon as they disagree with the regime they are branded as RINOs or actually kicked out of the party so their message can be ignored by the faithful.
Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that “support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there.” Her suggestion reflects the comment of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that “support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there.” Her suggestion reflects the comment of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-MS)
if you want to know who they really are, look at their voting record since Trump took office. A simple AI search will provide you the answer. It's a very short list.
Most likely, it's tilted "Restoring America's promise." In their introductory piece, they claim: "We are committed to promoting human flourishing for all Americans and championing the policies that get us there." That's going to be a very hard sell when education will not tell the truth about the initial years and decades of this nation. As an example, in wiping out Critical Race Theory as an educational tool, the education system will only lie to the children who attend.
It is "Washington's grip" that has given disabled children their rights to an education they once never had nor could imagine. Laws such as PL-94-142, which guaranteed physical education to children with disabilities, mandated that disabled children would not sit on the sidelines while physical education classes were administered only to able bodied children. Project 2026 obviously continues on the patently immoral visions of Project 2025. A serious reflection and study need to be done to hold Heritage Foundation elites accountable when this is all over...assuming that is, if we haven't destroyed ourselves yet.
Thank you, I just clicked on it, and boy! they sure are great salesmen, aren't they.?? So full of shit their eyes are brown The thing is, their statement makes them sound so reasonable! It isn't until you start to dig deeper and read the articles associated with it that their serious propaganda gets really " red" hot. This time around they are being more tempered in their delivery. Of course when you read some of the articles, they blame everything on Biden. The lies are incredible! No wonder we have such a division in this country. What I cannot understand, is, why aren't these people questioning the fact that " Heritage " are not elected officials. However it is clear they are running the show, coming up with how they want things run, and are completely ignoring the fact that the " real " rules based order comes from the laws set forth in our constitution. Yet they argue they are for a " rules based order" , but it is obvious they want to create their own reality of what that means. I missed the bills for the states, where can I find that? Again, thank you!
Yes, Cate, the Heritage people have not been elected by American voters, but many/most/all of those reading and implementing their work are either elected or work for elected officials and are, therefore, our EMPLOYEES since our taxes pay their salaries, healthcare, and retirement programs. Stephen Miller gets $195,200 as his salary - like dozens of others - plus, benefits. Stephen, Susie “Trump” Wiles, Michael Waltz, Dan Scavino, Peter Navarro, Tom Homan, etc. are all in this category. In real terms, Stephen Miller works for us because we pay his salary. If Stevie ever finds this out, he will be PO-ed.
Let me ask you this papa . Who do you think are the two most powerful people in the white house right now? Who do you think is really running the show?
For me it is obvious that it’s Miller and Vought and Vance . All Heritage writers who wrote project 2025, and now that they have almost completed that mission are pushing for the next step which is in project 2026. Vance was elected because of trump’s base. But Miller and Vought are not elected officials who are in fact running our country.
There is one set of issues pages for each of the 9 policy priorities. Click on a priority, then scroll down to “learn more” and click that. It brings you to the “issue page” and and if there is legislation associated with that prioritiy you will see a “scorecard” listed. Click on the upper right corner where there are the three horizontal lines and you will see an option “model legislation" click on that and you should see the lie list of the bills and their text. There also are maps that give states scores based on what policy priorities have been passed. Its a ranking with 1 as most aligned with Heritage values.
Wow! Yes I saw the articles they use to explain their talking points . Do you happen to know which issue specifically has these bills , or are you saying all of them have bills attached and you find them by clicking on the 3 dots? And thank you for taking the time to reply .
Happening all under the radar in red states—The flood of news at the national level is submerging it. Republican run conglomerates are buying up smaller media outlets so it is hard to know what is happening unless you keep track of the local legislative calendars. If you are in a red state, pick one of the “themes” and start tracking where things are in the process. Especially for voting rights. That is the point of control for everything else.
The Heritage Foundation is rather presumptuous to think they have a mandate for these changes. They are a wish list of Christian Nationalists’ and plutocrats’ desires which will wreck the country and create a huge mess. Not a few ordinary people will resist them.
Look at how much of Project 2025 was accomplished in a year!!!!
They are not being "presumptuous". They are being extremely successful.
They were being "presumptuous" in April 2023 when Project 2025 was released and Democrats for the most part couldn't be bothered to read what was there--all 925 effing pages of it.
And behind the scenes are more civil-looking thinktanks who are training the next tiers of elite white males. Maybe the Claremont Institute will honor the US Constitution or maybe not, time will tell, Thank goodness for 11 lawmakers going to Denmark! We need counterforces of leadership who are capable of serving We the People, not only here, but among allies.
Sorry to be a Debby downer, but the Congressional delegation is meaningless. It’s a photo op.
NATO is already irrepairably broken. It was the instant Trump stopped funding Ukraine after the inauguration. The US is no longer an ally and hasn’t been since the National Security Strategy document which was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Zelenskyy’s peace plan has been designed to set up a parallel organizational structure for mutual defense without the US and the EU countries that are pro-Putin. It will be a bundle of bilateral agreements that guarantee a minimum level of response, not just an obligation to respond decided by the responder on a case by case basis. NATO did not—Article 5 guarantees are worthless. It will keep the cammand structure, shared intelligence, shared strategic planning, shared tactical training, and with the SAFE program which Canada is part of, interoperability of all equipment.
Nobody in Europe believes Putin will sign it, at least not before Russia’s economy goes belly up. It is being sold to Trump to stroke his ego and to protect the two things the US is still providing to support Ukraine, the oil sanctions and the PURL systems which lets COTW members purchase US manufactured weapons systems for delivery to Ukraine.
Europe understands what it is like to deal with fascism and a fast coup. They will never trust Trump and they are having to deal with their own ultra-right neo-Nazis, Orban in Hungary being the prime example loved by MAGA, but Orban actually may lose in upcoming elections.
My Substack posts have been exclusively about Ukraine—in Europe it is clear what is happening. US media hasn’t got a clue.
From what I've read in the non-corporate media, most of the people in Greenland are terrified. There are 12 communities in Greenland with over 1000 residents which Kegsbreath would have no problem with wiping them out. Of course, this would be an illegal order as Senators Kelly and Slotkin have pointed out, but Kegsbreath has already broken so many laws, what's the murder of 30,000 more people?
He's already illegally bombed Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Yeman, Somalia, Iraq and Nigeria and he has assisted the end of one war -- in Gaza. Each one of these actions is 1) very expensive and 2) illegal.
Meanwhile, the Republicans in the House and Senate are silent while Mad King Donald rages on making a mockery of our Constitution.
We need to shame every Republican into holding town hall meetings and then quiz them on why they voted to cut almost a trillion dollars from Medicaid, and give over three trillion dollars to their oligarch buddies and to cut healthcare for their constituents.
Threaten every one of them that if they won't hold town hall meetings then you can't vote for them.
Yes! If you can see the news conference with Senators Murkowski and Coons (I happened to see it on CNN at 4:00am CST), it’s truly informative. Given the stakes, I found it very moving as well. A real lesson in diplomacy.
Unfortunately, you are correct, as they have been successful at achieving their goals. My mention of presumptuousness actually referred to their beliefs they had.a right to do this, and that people would celebrate it.
and those who read it and warned about it - like Kamala Harris during her campaign - ran into Trump's denial that he knew anything about it, and his sheeple believed his lie. So much of Trump's success depends on his turning his horrible actions and thoughts into a 'he said/she said' debate with no winner - or on which the media, and too often the Democratic party - decides 'oh well, it's too hard to decide among these equally balanced positions.'
The only way to be an effective activist is to lead the news.
Pick a small number of topics you have a vested interest in, research the issues, and then track them with a news aggregator like feedly every day. Don’t just track the big outlets—track industry journals, business news, foreign press that are usually a day ahead of what hits the headlines because they are reworking reuters and ap stories which publish first and are gathering their news from indy media and industry news.
The best time to write to a senator or member of the House is before they have made a decision. You want their staff to hear about what will shape the debate early in the process. You want to be feeding them talking points early in the process. It is where you have the most leverage.
Like their head honcho in the White House, Project 2025 was, long before it was even Project 2025, a Fake-it-until-you-make-it effort, on steroids. We Americans fall for the FIUYMI hype all the time.
They’ve been at this for quite awhile…this is the latest iteration, but this time with a stooge in power—an insecure unprincipled grifter that can be tempted/bought, so they have their “power” opportunity & they’re running with it. I just hope that the rest (the majority!) can run faster!!!
Since P2025 per the tracker it’s now at 51% either accomplished or in motion. It’s not arrogant for them to place this out there. It’s just easy access, for those who were on board with it from the get go as to how much they are working to attain.
If they are disgusted by what’s going on and thinking twice about following the plan well here you go folks we are at 51% and we are doing all this work for you. It’s sick and demented for those who got on this bandwagon. These are the individuals that are probably a part of the 37% that think he’s doing a good job.. incredibly destructive and ignorant.
According to Andra Watkins they wanted it all accomplished by July 20th so they are behind where they expected to be, meeting more and stronger resistance, and losing many former careless/duped followers.
Unfortunately that makes their efforts even more desperate and outrageous.
True, they think they have a special preference from God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and they are destined for disappointment. They also don’t have a lock on Christianity. Many of us rejected Trump precisely because we saw someone who was a phony and contrary to our beliefs.
I've read a few of Andra Watkins takes on Project 2025 an described what I'd come across to some friends as:
Andra Watkins is a former Christian Nationalist and dedicated opponent to their ideology now. The first link is to her substack explanation of what The Atlantic is missing about the dangers of Project 2025.
There is also her take on how they are far behind their schedule to achieve near absolute control in 180 days (July 20, 2025), and their overconfidence letting them drop their masks too early.
Republican Congress critters have in on the quest for absolute power and don't want to mess it up. The perhaps overlooked trouble for them is that they will be irrelevant or worse if Trump succeeds.
I completely agree. Their quest for power and control is right in line with trump's ideas. trump actually believes he stopped eight wars?!? He is just so delusional and no one calls him out on his lies because they all like the power he has given them. It would be funny if it weren't all true and equally frightening.
I don't think Trump actually believes many of his endless lies, but his ego -demands that we do. Trumps internal pretense is one of not-to-be-questioned superiority, like any despot I suppose, enforced by extortion and violence. He is insanely proud of his treachery; his personal super-power that makes him master. He is genuinely offended by anyone who does not play by his rules. What fools these mortals be!
It's not democracy at all, it's the opposite, fascism.
Democracy versus fascism are two political regimes. They define the relationship between the three branches of government.
DEMOCRACY
The people ("demos", in Ancient Greek) "govern" ("kratein"). How do they do that? The legislative branch of government (Congress) is constitutionally independent from the other two branches (the executive, which is the White House, and the judiciary, so the courts). Its members are REPRESENTING the will of their own constituents. It's their job to negotiate bills that are a compromise between what constituents want. It's the job of the Executive branch (the White House) to ... execute/implement those laws. The judiciary branch is equally independent from the other two, and decides, based on evidence, how to interpret the law and who transgressed it and who not.
FASCISM
In a fascist regime, the three branches of government are "bundled" ("fasces" means "bundle" in Latin) into one: the executive.
This is what the GOP means when it says it wants the government to be "run like a business". Now, the executive branch becomes no longer the branch that executes/implements bills passed by Congress, but it functions the way a CEO in a private business does: it makes all the decisions ITSELF, answering to NO ONE.
Or in the words of Mike Johnson, today's GOP Speaker: the role of Congress, from now on, is to "codify the executive orders signed into law". In other words, whatever EO the president signs is sent to Congress, which will put it into the correct legalese language, and then blindly pass it. No more negotiations at all. No more representation of their constituents.
To make a democracy WORK, you need many other conditions fulfilled: free elections, freedom of gathering, freedom of the press, access to higher education, a well-informed civic society, etc. But what DEFINES is it the relationship between the three branches of government.
As neoliberals already in the 1940s and for years already Peter Thiel said: "democracy and capitalism are incompatible". The GOP is now neofascist. Its leaders and ideologies actively and strongly reject democracy. They support fascism. That's why they support Trump and Maduro's VP. It's why they turned against Europe.
Historical events always have long roots. The Declaration of Independence is a salient and important landmark, but it's roots can be traced into antiquity. The Russian dolls within dolls, within dolls has something to say about our own appearance, and hour upon the stage, and the "Mr. Hyde" side of humanity, as well as "better angels" carry an ancient legacy. Many people recognize "the Powell Memo", or for that matter, the election of a president who who put a lawyer who protected the tobacco industry on the Supreme Court, as a turning point; and yes it is certainly one such. The Bible connects the "love of money" with evil, and there are many evidence-based arguments for maintaining that. Teddy Roosevelt, who took the side of 'We the People' against plutocracy felt betrayed enough by his own political party that that he tried and failed to establish his own.
What we now call "The Republican Party" is and has been for a long time, the public face of of the ownership and ambitions of the hyper-wealthy ilk of Mr Thiel, who have worked "behind the curtain" to refeudalize governance. It is not the first time those who Reagan claimed were the "Supply Side" of America have tried to install fascism in our fair land, but they are never held to account for it. We, the public, established some guardrails against what Lincoln called "the same old serpent" and then were conned into letting them go.
IIRC, Elizabeth Warren once said she was capitalist to her bones, and that makes sense to me, but clearly she in not an advocate of UNREGULATED capitalism. Democratic governments are formed to secure our human rights against theft, or negligently irresponsible actions we might impose upon one another, even inadvertently, and we attempt to restrain even a tyranny of the majority with a mutual social contract that aims to promote enlightened self-interest for individual and society as a whole. As citizens of a civilized society, we are obliged to follow certain rules to preserve and extend liberty and justice for ALL. The activities and responsibilities of activities tied to commerce are in no way different than this, and specifically, in no way exempt. Period. it is an exercise in Doublethink to contend otherwise.
Monopolies of power, be it financial, political or both are by definition inimical to democracy, and also to freedom and justice in any meaningful sense. It is monopoly of power that the likes of Thiel are pushing. A genuine "free market", like a free society, means an environment of freedom enjoyed by all, not, if you connect to dots between what "Republicans" say and do, freedom to monopolize and dominate.
I am beginning to wonder where the corporate Democrats stand as far as our democracy is concerned. All Democrats should have public financing for all elections as a central goal to make democracy truly work for all citizens, and not forever give power to only their wealthy donors.
Well, the legacy media have claimed for decades now that there is such a thing as "corporate Democrats", so in that sense, now questioning whether they are even pro-democracy is indeed the next logical step.
Imho, THE main weakness of the left in the US, however, is to believe in the existence of "corporate Democrats" in the first place.
Because in real life, not only do ALL Democrats reject the SC Citizens United ruling, Nancy Pelosi already passed a bill in the House that contains massive campaign finance reform.
Why was it not signed into law yet?
Because "we the people" vote Democrats out each time they do their job as democrats and therefore COMPROMISE with other Reps in Congress to pass the next bill.
THE problem, imho, is that the American left, so left-wing CITIZENS, never truly studied democracy, let alone worked hard to make it work... . All we do is sit back and hate "politicians"... .
I wonder if "blow(ing) up the world" isn't exactly what the true, hard right, evangelical christians (lower case intended) are praying for. Do they belive it will kick off the millennium? Do they believe they will not be "left behind"?
Chuck, I spoke to someone recently who told me that Trump was God’s representative on earth to bring about Revelations. And their denomination was praying for that day. ‘Thy kingdom come.., was her expectation.
With all due respect Joan, Bill Clinton reluctantly did the following -
The presidency of Bill Clinton, spanning from 1993 to 2001, was a period of significant military intervention despite the end of the Cold War. The United States engaged in several key operations, most notably in the Balkans (Bosnia and Kosovo), Somalia, Iraq, and Sudan/Afghanistan utilizing air power, ground forces, and cruise missile strikes. These actions were often framed as humanitarian interventions or responses to terrorism, reflecting a shifting global landscape and evolving U.S. foreign policy priorities.
Do you think Clinton’s efforts to keep the lid on potentially dangerous situations ( especially in Balkans) comes close to Nam debacle and Iraq? We are now in another world. Not trying to keep peace ( judicious use of force). We are perpetrators. Speaking to people in Europe they are incredulous.
I agree that the Clinton summons is a distraction for how this affects trump. If on the other hand Clinton is incriminated in that trove of evidence he too should suffer the consequences.
The same thing the Dems have been waiting for since 1980, permission from Republicans to have an opinion. Permission from their donors. Basically just permission, but not from you or me.
Once the dust settles people need to make it very clear to their "representatives" that their job is to regulate and enslave capitalism for the benefit of the public good, not to be spineless bootlicking cowards fawning at the feet of billionaires for less money than they'd pay one of their ex wives in child support.
Just to reframe your note which I agree with in content, American citizens…most of us…have been asleep at the wheel of the Democracy we live in and depend on. A very few of us have actually voted or worked to elect someone or lobbied for a cause or legislation. When…when we win back our government we must stay involved and push and support our electeds to do good, powerful things for us. Maybe rework a lot of the crazy, unproductive rules Congress gets bound up in by eliminating bills that trap reps into impossible choices, all bad, but hold them hostage because they might get or lose funding for their districts. The whole process needs a moral overhaul and we the people must help our reps achieve this.
So few people actually help in the formation and upkeep of our governments from local to federal. It is desperately sad. And it does take a village for cooperative structures like a Democracy to thrive. We make them kings by going to sleep between elections.
Congressional rules need to be changed when Ds take control of both houses. One rule that should be eliminated is the power of the Speaker of the House to bring bills to the floor for a vote or to sit on them indefinitely. This paralyzes the entire Congress. Another, is to bundle several issues into one huge bill which no member reads, yet must vote on it within 2 days. This is absolutely foolish and results in poor laws.
I so agree with that. And also that the party in majority should not just be on auto-set to be able to steer every single thing that comes before them. That is hardly democratic. Do you know that the majority party actually gets the better offices and more supplies? That is about as un-democratic as I can think of and is simple to correct. We need humility in our government officials. Maybe they should have mandatory team building training for ALL members so they can learn the fine art of negotiation and compromise and how to actually listen and work together. And we the voters have to wake up and elect people who are good at cooperation( not capitulation or flimsy convictions) and candidates who have integrity and some skill set. You can hardly blame the grifter who actually gets elected by the people for being a grifter. People get elected by people...those who vote and those who don't. How about Civics education as part of every child's entire elementary school education? How can this be so hard? And how about teaching kids critical thinking from day one so they grow up to be adults who can sniff being duped a mile away. You an tell I am frustrated....
I’m tired of perfectly good bills that have a poison pill hidden in the hundreds of pages, that kills the intent, or sundowns just as it is beginning to work.
What a bill should do is lay out its intent, and a process for meeting that goal. Once it gets going it needs to be worked on to meet the goals, to work out the bugs. Oh and fully fund it, with actual funds.
So you say I’m a dreamer…. If we don’t dream we wind up in a nightmare.
What dust? The dust of ruin? It will be too late. We have to all ask ourselves what did we do in the interim to make our government more responsive, what did we ask of our Democratic representatives? And were we lazy in regard to the capitalism takeover? think we have to take a hard look in the mirror as well as look at our representatives, maybe even more so.
Exactly. There are far too few Americans who are ENGAGED in saving democracy. They have just allowed those in power to run things without any thought or input from the masses for so long they’ve forgotten that democracy isn’t a given. EACH generation must stand up for it, insist upon it, FIGHT for it if necessary. That’s where we are now…we must FIGHT for democracy or it will be gone for a long, long time, if not forever!
The "republican party", in my opinion, no longer exists. Apparently, we still have some on the right of center who see this "acquisition" of Greenland as simply wrong. No debate needed: it's simply wrong. I am hoping that their "honor" whatever is left of it, will deter this madman from doing something that nihilistic. Failing that, I seem to remember in my world history lessons, an example that happened in Rome around 41 AD. There are some in the administration who, for the safety of the nation, should keep this in mind. Then again, the safety of the nation hasn't been in this level of peril since the Cuban missile crisis.
So Republicans in the House and Senate don't want elections either? Yikes. His answers to questions about Greenland are so incredibly narcissistic, it's sickening.
This is where the outrage needs to be directed. At the Republicans who are enabling Trump. They need to be brought into the light constantly for what they are allowing to happen. I believe the answer will be found by "following the money" as it usually is.
He'll break the dog completely trying to wag it. Then mosts of his followers will wonder what happened and why they supported him. Some will be happy that the dog no longer exists, but then have trouble finding a new dog only then to think that the dog they killed was actually the best money could buy.
Hence forth, never ever vote for a "Republican" even if they are running for the position of village portable toilet inspector. They no longer deserve anyone's support or respect.
You got that right, Wandyrer, they talk to their Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate, claiming to hating trump's policies, and don't lift a finger to stop him. They call themselves leaders of the people, and yet they don't lead when only they (GOP office holders) in this Congress have the power to stop the damage done to our system. They are every bit as responsible for the damage as trump. I agree that they are conspiroring as a Party to overthrow our democracy. I can't understand why Democrats are not constantly branding the GOP as responsible for all the fascist actions committed by the trump administration. They should have started that branding at the very beginning of trump's term, calling out every fake emergency declared by trump to grab more power. The Dems can unite the public and command overwhelming support only if they hold the entire right-wing responsible. Maybe they can shame right-wingers in Congress into stopping the trump insanity before they destroy NATO and permanently leave the United States with no allies. Who would ever trust our word again? Are some Dems thinking that they can use authoritarianism in the future?
When commenting on another site for at least a year before the 2024 election, I always ended with, A vote for any right-winger in any election is a vote for Fascism. Was I wrong?
Any person who voted for Trump committed a crime against humanity, which, on moral grounds is worse than treason. Unfortunately, there is no feasible way to hang 77 million people.
The "tools" won't work. Impeachment is not sufficient. CONVICTION is required and that takes a 2/3 majority in the Senate.
And that requires Total for impeachment - total caucusing with Dems = 67-47 = 20 Republican Senators to grow spines. They can barely muster 3. I would add in one more Republican to account for Fetterman as a Democrat wild card.
I see it not so much as needing 20 Republican Senators to grow spines, but rather needing a "movement," say a "stool softener" to unblock the ... stools. For example, Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) are opposed to Trump taking Greenland. Their words seem small but every revolution (movement) in history began with just two or three people talking. IMO, if Trump dares to attack that would make him the stool softener. But as you have warned before, removal of Trump moves Vance into the Oval Office. That could be worst because Trump is on a mission for Trump and Vance would be on a mission from God.
That's what I've always thought: that there are names in the files of people one would never think would be involved; very important people who could lose their very livelihoods, even their lives, if their names were released. The corruption that would be revealed could change the arc of history in ways we can't imagine.
My thought on Epstein all along. Everyone is numb to, but also attracted to the salacious abuse details, but the real damage will be in the financials.
I see the oligarch thing but Vance is scary and maybe he would exploit those rich people to have the resources to push a "no compromise" policy like Trump but in the name of God and that would be worst of all. You Georgia pointed out how Well Vance performed in public speaking skills at the Turning Point (Kirk) thing and brought up he can be a serious contender. Since then I also watched Sen. Katie Britt on Sunday morning talk shows and it looked as if she has the same public speaking coach as Vance. Her hand, arm, and shoulder movements, tone of voice, expressions on her face, the cross on her necklace: all exactly what Louis Powell asked for in MEMO as a public speaker to sell the message of the Free Enterprise System. IMO, a Vance/Britt ticket would be very scary and I agree we must get ready for it now.
Wow—that is a truly frightening thought. She was awful in her response to one of Biden’s State of the Union addresses as I recall. But groomed for the role…
Agreed. That reality kitchen act failed. But now Katie Britt is more professional, prepared, and quick (thinking on her feet) when answering questions. She also keeps her repose such that she comes off authoritative. She may well be a true believer but to me these Christian Conservatives need to look close at what is going on in our Country and weigh that with who they feel they are. Like someone who adheres to traditional Christian beliefs and promotes socially conservative policies, a focus on religion, opposing abortion, supporting traditional marriage. IMO, that conflicts greatly with fiscal conservative policies which emphasize limited government, free markets (Charlie Kirk's idea of FREEDOM), lower taxes on the rich and big corporations, and reduced spending. But what does logic and reasoning have to do with this?
Oh, Scarlett Johansson's take on Britt on SNL is priceless. If this is the MAGA tix, SNL will have a field day - or maybe not given the direction of MSM.
Vance is a true believer when it comes to Peter Thiel and Curtis Yarvin. I think the worst case scenario is for Vance to be the incumbent before the midterms, The only safety would be to capture both houses of Congress with veto proof majorities. Things would have to get much worse for that to happen and there would have to be still be fair elections.
Cognitive dissonance is the “discomfort” that comes from hold opposing ideas simultaneously.I currently have a severe case…
I'm not sure why you identify it as "cognitive dissonance"; I understand the concepts of cognitive dissonance. I think your situation does not have two opposing ideas: Vance IS a "true believer in the Thiel/Yarvin camp AND it would be horrible to have him as the incumbent in the next election. That we absolutely need vetoproof majorities is also true.
I am insufficiently caffeinated this morning to be witty; I suspect that rather than a "softener" a strong laxative is needed to clear the passage of that 💩 and an emetic is required to purge the proximal end of the alimentary canal.
Your assessment of the mission focus of <insert your favorite pejorative of the current #2 here> is 100% accurate.
We can deal with Vance! Nobody likes, respects or fears him!!! The question is how long can Stephen Miller lurk in the shadows and manipulate the government according to HIS vision. Miller is unelected but he is behind the ICE attacks against immigrants, the murder and intimidation of American citizens who oppose his fascism.
More importantly we have to oppose the oligarchs, corporations, techbros, the morbidly rich and Putin. They are the true enemies of our Constitution and Democracy.
It’s almost like they picked someone so odious as VP that impeaching the President would seem worse than living with his stupidity and uncontrolled megalomania.
Darth vance owes his career to Peter Thiel. It's more than the Epstein files. It's the tech bros, Bannon, Miller, the Heritage Foundation, wealthy supporters on and off the radar, and of course puppet master Putin. None of those influences will disappear with the felon.
A few replacement plaques won't erase memory of those impeachements, thankfully. As easily as "he" seems to go about rewriting the script, future presidents will do the same. And yes, I do think we'll have future presidents. After 'him' and after the sofa-abuser.
Unlikely in the current climate. I do see the possibility of significant change in the numbers when the tides change. If trump loses his power these spineless legislators will blow with the wind. I have to believe that in their hearts there are 20 republican senators who know NATO is important.
They are all afraid to lose their jobs because trump turns on them. When the threat is gone things could
What they are waiting for, apparently, is for somebody else to take care of the problem, preferring somehow to keep their hands 'clean' (as though they weren't already filthy to the core). A ghastly mixture of laziness, dereliction of duty, fear (we don't know if they're just scared of being primaried or if they truly fear for their families).
Whatever it is, it's toxic to the core. Left unaddressed, it will eat through our republic as effectively as sulfuric acid. In the meantime, prepare for mid-terms like there's no tomorrow. Count on the threats to flow, even increase, but bank on what you know. Judgement Day is coming for the Republican Party. At least I hope so.
They are waiting for a Robert McCall to deal with the Bad Guys in 30 seconds. Too many Hollywood Movies have convinced people there will be a Hero to save them but redemption is in the hands of the people…all of them. Too many are either complicit through ideology or inertia.
Yes!!! I’m sad to say but the entertainment industry has not helped in many ways. And news and entertainment all mixed together is not good at all. And not nearly enough civics education and all of the….since the 70’s….spoon fed the ideas that “I” matters more than “we”. Think of the gulls in Nemo who stand on that rock squawking “Mine,mine, mine!!!”. Community matters. Morals matter and do not have to be horrid fists of patriarchy handed down by corrupt religious practice. Morals bind us and save us from our lower impulses and keep us from being sociopaths. Something our current President, Administration and certainly Republican Congress seem sorely lacking. I pray so deeply that we the people don’t sink to their level in the mud. That will surely doom us. And it’s up to all the “I’s” out there to be strong in that moral compass and start contributing to the greater good with more than just armchair gesticulation at the TV!:(
A Senator is one of a hundred, part of a herd. A loud bang can startle them into changing direction but for the most part they will stay together. Congress is a poor place to learn executive skills. The current president has only worked as a chief executive since his father passed the torch. The direct way out of this morass is to rally behind an equally compelling figure. Someone has to lead the democratic herd lest they wander grazing on what seem to be likely topics.
I wish people would stop saying there won’t be midterm elections. He has already walked back comments about using the Insurrection Act, and his press secretary said he was joking about there being no elections. Some joke.
What’s the point of constantly saying there won’t be midterms? That’s exactly what they want people to believe. It discourages turnout, volunteering, donating, and even serving as poll workers—why bother if people think it’s already over?
If there were no elections, Congress would end in January 2027 and House members would be forced to give up their seats. Yes, Trump wants to strip Congress of its power, and yes, some Republicans are enabling him—but that does not mean elections won’t happen. And what about governors? Would Democratic governors in purple states just disappear?
There will be elections, and insisting otherwise only does Trump’s work for him. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That doesn’t mean he won’t try something—but we shouldn’t help him by giving up in advance.
Elections are run by the states. Our energy should go into electing Democrats at the state and local level—governors, attorneys general, and legislators who can protect voting rights and block abuses of power. We need a House that can stop or slow his lawlessness. The Senate is tough, but it’s still worth fighting for.
Let’s keep showing up. Let’s not obey in advance or hand him power out of fear. Anxiety is understandable—but disengagement is exactly what he wants.
If you’re on IG, follow her—she really puts this into perspective.
As HCR says, it’s going to get worse before it gets better and the way it will get better is to be resilient and fight on. Having anxiety and stress about this—which I definitely have—is ok and absolutely understandable, but let’s acknowledge it and ask ourselves, what are we going to do about it that would help?
No. He is signalling his intentions to cancel them and no one is standing up to him. He tells you what he intends to do and has been for ten years yet he keeps on winning. He told you you’d be sick of winning…he meant HIS winning! Just not sick enough for people to remove him.
Where you going to run? Fascism was accepted when they voted him back in. Only internal action will overturn it. Assuming the Ostrich Position will solve nothing. It would appear a third are doing so. Don't blame me for saying what’s obvious to most of the planet, creating fear and disgust among most and joy to Putin.
Actually, because elections are run at the state level, there are many states that could still have elections. He has no way to cancel elections unless all the states go belly-up.
Minneapolis (and other blue states/D.C.) are training for what could be unleashed on Midterm Election Day. We need to prepare for this. National Guards come to mind, which can result in urban guerrilla warfare — with Trump’s lawless “Grab-and-Go Gestapo” far more heavily funded. I’m afraid it wouldn’t end democratically.
All kidding aside, fearing for their families is a legitimate concern on all sides. MTG stated after she disagreed with Trump that her family was threatened. Paul Pelosi was attacked. Judges have had pizzas sent to their children by disgruntled MAGA in cases going against the Adminsitration. Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, countless others…BITH sides of the aisle have been put in danger along with their spouses and kids.
We need a national drive to be better humans. We need real leadership and a real oral compass.
Steve: Can you edit your post to add a short PS about Kathleen Weber's reply so this stays visible at the top of the comment stack? This has to be HUGE--bigger than No Kings and it is easy to do. If you are retired, be sure to be shopping and leave the store.
DONT LET THE DICTATOR FORGET RENEE!!!
PLEASE JOIN the first step toward a general strike. Indivisible is calling on everyone to leave work at 2:00 PM on January 20.
Republicans don't want to cross trump because they want to keep their cushy jobs. How brainless do you have to be to not know he's not going to save you? When we get rid of him (and we will), we're coming after all of the spineless Republicans, too.
They took an oath to “...support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;...” A failure to live up to that duty is a breach of the public trust and is not only subject to impeachment for the President but criminal charges for anyone elected to public office can be filed. Since Trump is domestic enemy #1, maybe a good plan would be to find a Republican House member from a swing district and file criminal charges for breach of the public trust for failing to introduce articles of impeachment. That is something every Senator who failed to vote to convict Felon Trump the pedophile protector in his first two impeachments should have been charged with. The main problem that allows Senators to just turn the other cheek is there is really no legal standard of proof that the House Impeachment Managers must meet before the Senators will accept it as legally established and convict. There is no "preponderance of the evidence", vs. "clear and convincing”, vs “beyond a reasonable doubt" thus they use the standard of "what political party is going to win with guilty vote?"
I'm a Minneapolis resident. It's beyond me why everyone doesn't see or understand why this entire trump regime must go. We probably all watched Nicole Good get murdered by an ICE agent. We have seen the escalation of ICE brutality on our streets. Today we will see HATE protestors brought in to Minneapolis to express their hatred of Somalis and other groups. Meanwhile, schools and businesses, not just in Minneapolis but around the state as well are having to shut down or offer at home learning because ICE has so terrified people that might be targeted by ICE, won't/can't leave their home. This should scare the living HELL out of all us. You have to ask yourself what's in store for the midterms? trump and his sycophants are betting that the paramilitary trump has set up is going to keep mike johnson and john thune from ever seeing a jail cell because ICE will be all over blue states and cities disrupting the elections. If they didn't whole heartedly believe that they would already have started the process to impeach him and then convict him of countless crimes against the federal government. But alas they are either too stupid to realize their complicity or they just out right hate democracy. To put it mildly that is a conundrum of major proportions.
It's counter productive to spread fear as shown in Minneapolis in the last few days, unless, of course, you're donlad j trump. Then fear is to your advantage. But, I believe it's necessary
to be aware of what's in front of you. You don't approach a rabid animal like trump without a plan to over power him. I think there is a saying "fear is of the devil". So when the mid terms come around what can we do to capture these mad dogs and rid ourselves of them once and for all? Proactive thought and hope are a good start.
The establishment upper level democrats are complicit and compromised (i.e. AIPAC). WE HAVE FEW CHAMPIONS. We are on our own. DT is the hammer. Those pulling the strings,diabolical. God save us from ourselves.
Support for democracy and human rights was supposed to be a priority for Congress but on the Republican side they appear to have parked that for the time being while Trump strides the global stage like a Colossus.
However, former BBC journalist Edward Stourton's recent book 'Made in America: The dark history that led to Donald Trump' reminds us that Trump's policies are not unprecedented especially when it comes to Latin America.
Epstein files are not going to get rid of Trump. He is immune from prosecution while he is in office. The most the files can do, if they show he is a pedophile or involved with the business of it, is to peel away some of his support-- those that do not call it fake and refuse to believe.
People are hoping that if those files have enought in them to implicate "him" in illicit (maybe even illegal) activities, some of his previous voters will refuse to support him in the next election. This may be wishful thinking but it's the reason people want those files released, pronto. And it just may work.
Trump is not running in 2026. Will people not support those GOP who are running if they stay silent or even still support Trump when nothing will be proven? or even if something is proven which can be called fake in their bubble? To me this makes no sense, when you weigh it against all else that Trump is doing actually on top of what he is trying to do daily, one thing after the next. This is not all about deflecting attention from Epstein because of his possible crimes that he cannot be prosecuted for. I understand that the MOST that can help us now is to peel away some/little of the 30% hard core MAGA's when it comes time to vote. Trump needs to be impeached and his crimes with Epstein is not an impeachable offense. Maybe not releasing them can impeach Bondi.
This has become a distraction for many, a mantra "release the Epstein files" and it's misguided to think this will even work to depose Trump.
You might have missed my point, Potter. No one thinks he will be impeached because of the files. We HOPE, hope is the operative word, that the files may have enough in them to dissuade enough of his former voters not to vote for his compadres in 2026. It's about diluting his support among voters.
Donna I do get that. Possibly Trump could lose his support even now in 2026 without having all the files if we concentrated on what he is destroying daily. What is the fastest and best route to getting rid of Trump altogether is not the Epstein files, given the steadfastness, the stubbornness, of Trump's support.The Epstein files seem like a longer shot, a deflection from what is happening fast right now broadly and daily. The Epstein Files, if revealed, are so many documents that would have to be gone over and to change enough of the Congress quickly to get us a majority in the House and the Senate in 2026. This will take up air and take up time when so much else is happening. if we keep this up front. It is a tough hill to climb to get us to *conviction* and removal of the president. And the new revelations would be well *after 2026*.
We do not know how the election will go, especially in the Senate... nor their willingness to convict IF the House impeaches for this. It is far fetched to think that Epstein Files are going to do it at the great expense of taking attention from all else..Once we have millions of documents they have to be gone through, debated etc.
We should be forming articles of impeachment now about a lot else. Former voters have enough to consider if they are going continue to support TRump and his cabal. If what has come out about Trump's relation to Epstein has not done it yet what will get those few disbelievers if ever?And at that he is not prosecutable for crimes committed years ago while is president.
They are not "waiting". Under Biden (which is not to say that it would be his fault), the GOP became entirely neofascist. They threw out the last members of Congress who were still pro-democracy (Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, ...).
Neofascism shares with fascism the belief that democracy is bad and that new laws and policies should NOT be made by Congress, representing constituents' will, but by the executive branch of power, representing only the will of party leaders and donors and ideologues.
That is why Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, recently said that he sees it as the job of Congress to "codify the executive orders signed by the president". That is literally the definition of fascism. In a constitutional democracy (monarchy or republic), the three branches of government are co-equal and independent, and it is the job of the representatives of the people to come together around what different constituents want, negotiate a compromise, and pass it, while it's the job of the executive branch (the White House) to executive/implement those laws.
So not only does the GOP in Congress NOT want impeachment, they are the ones installing fascism right now, while we're all distracted by the latest crazy "idea" of their clown in chief, Trump.
VP Vance for instance created last week a team of prosecutors that are detached from the DOJ and respond only to him and the president. That's the judicial aspect of fascism. In a democracy, prosecutors swear an oath to the Constitution instead. Goal of that team? To go after "illegal fraud". How does Vance define "fraud": he did exactly what Trump did in the NYT interview when asked about international law, namely, he claimed that there is no official definition of "fraud". In other words: the president and VP will make up their OWN laws, and then prosecute people for not obeying THEM.
And remember, Vance is only there because the neofascist tech billionaires (Musk, Peter Thiel, David Sacks, ...) want him there. And the theocratic Heritage Foundation fully agrees with neofascism. Its texts explain why democracy is bad and fascism good. It's HF people inside the executive branch who write Trump's executive orders in the first place.
We're one year in now, and SO many people still imagine that the problem is merely one man, Trump, not an entire party.
As long as that's the case, the GOP will be free to destroy America and the free world.
So once you have succeeded to put a label on this what next? We are still here with the ground reality which is moving beneath us. What needs to be done? What can be done now? If the branches are not working we have to inform enough people about what is happening and the consequences in order to change that. The GOP in Congress need to work for the people or be replaced. The people need to exercise their power. The next election, this year, is pivotal.This is the work now, to inform and to get people energized as to the seriousness of the situation. Trump keeps helping by doing and saying alarming things.
Yes--Mayor Mamdani has said this: we have the tools; we have to use them.
Republicans in fear have been waiting for more lines to be crossed, more damage. Trump takes that as a thumbs up and goes as far as he is allowed to. This has been a deeper revelation about how feckless our leadership is: GOP in Congress.They will allow Trump to go far to not only stay in power, but to grab all of it, destroy the country, his country. And so Trump marches on a wrecking ball destroying the world order. He is honest about this. He is mentally ill, folks. Do we like this so much that we keep it going? Trump goes along collecting the gold and the medals, preening himself. We have been told this in morality tales since forever. And more so we have seen this in history from which these stories derive. But only after a lot of harm done for however long as we allow it, it does not end well for the fake King.
Hello Steve... The GOP in Congress, have become Cowards, and too Comfortable... DJT has betrayed the USA, and should have been Convicted Years ago... The Congressional GOP has Betrayed their Oath To Protect The Constitution...
Per NCR “Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) went further, telling Wolf Blitzer of CNN that an attack on Greenland will lead to impeachment regardless of who is in control of Congress after the midterm elections.” I’m not sure what planet Representative Don Bacon is living on, but I’d like to live on whatever planet that is.
You might well be right, Apache, but I don’t see anything we can do before the election, short of extreme violence (which I’m confident is beyond our capabilities, even if we were so inclined), that would have a snowball’s chance in hell of doing any good, except working to turn out our voters for that election.
Hello Rex... Violence would be the Wrong Choice... They have A.I. Surveillance & Drones... We have Whistles... Sustained Non-Violent 1st-Admendment Pressure is Our Best Course... Try to Peel Off the least Crazy Repubs.... Appeal to Our Better Angels... Pray For Divine Intervention, Soon...
Maybe, maybe not. These Republicans will go with the wind. Taking Greenland is so deeply unpopular, if he does try maybe there will be an uproar so loud they will then act "heroic."
If I'd "have to be pretty optimistic to believe them now," then I'm pretty optimistic. Why? Because I believe that what Abraham Lincoln said then (1858) still applies now: "In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces judicial decisions."
Definitely Collins, who waits to vote until the issue is decided and then casts her vote with the winning side! No knowledge, philosophy, loyalty, or financial views! Just bending in the wind!
Finally, something Republicans might actually oppose. Upending the world order? No problem for the stable genius. He believes he's president and can do whatever he pleases. The only constraints are his morality and judgment—and we know he possesses neither moral compass nor sound mind. Yet Americans voted for him anyway, proving that fear and hatred remain the most potent currency in politics.
tRump used the wrong word, he doesn't even know what "morality" means.
He was thinking, "mortality and judgment" meaning he knows he's going to die before anyone constrains him. I can't wait to see his face after he dies and wakes up in Hell. If there is a Hell. If not, he's still dead. A great reason to celebrate!
A Congressional Committee has recently released 18 $1 Million 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 Epstein payments to the New York Bank.of Melon in 2007.
These transactions occurred before the brand new CEO''s time. The CEO may be want to settle the corporations liability now.
Two things Karen, let's see for how long they are going to stand against him on Greenland and get a confortable seat to wait for the release of the Epstein files. Good luck 👍
You are yet another person who mistakenly thinks the Epstein files are a cure-all for this country caught in Trump's web. They are not. They are taking attention from his wrecking ball, destroying the ground we stand on. And how long will it take for millions of pages to be read closely? And then Trump cannot be prosecuted for what is IN the Epstein files, until AFTER he leaves office if his crimes are prosecutable. Bondi can be impeached for not complying with the law. Even if Trump has ordered her not to.. it's one more item on a list of more important lawless behavior. Cries about Epstein being THE THING that is going to get him (other than peeling away a few supporters) are misguided.
Who really cares about the Epstein files? As you said it is a distraction. We all know trump is of questionable sexual and business morality. Trumpers voted for him anyway. That speaks loudly for them.
What this does tell us is that trump and Bondi lied about releasing the files. It seems to be an impetus to create more havoc. Be more like Clinton-own up to your relationship with Epstein. Birds of the feather flock together so in light of trump's past behavior he most likely was a very bad man.
Trump is amoral if not immoral. He is mentally grossly unfit to be president. We need to be getting him out of the office ASAP. The pile of impeachable offenses, none of which are Epstein, is long. Epstein is a diversion other than violating the law Congress passed that requires him to release the files. And once they are released, if they are this will take more attention away from what Trump is doing daily to destroy our government. He will not succeed entirely, but he is doing a lot of damage with his henchmen/women. This is a test on us... Happy MLKing Day.
What are they ( the Epstein Files) supposed to do for us at this point when so much else is screaming at us for attention? Epstein more important? Are Trump and his people not breaking other laws, including violating the Constitution?
Is this most important?
Say "Epstein files!" and you get a flock of "likes" from people who also don't want to focus on all that is going on and would rather Epstein did it all.
In the meantime Trump is taking advantage by throwing everything at us he can to wreck this country (his purpose). Some people are STILL saying all this other stuff happening is taking attention away from the Epstein Files... as if that is what is most important. Insanity, our insanity Karen.
I didn’t say it was more important and I didn’t say it was “most” important. Yes, they are breaking other laws and violating the constitution. They need to be held accountable for all of it. Please don’t put words in my mouth.
My feeling is that they need to be kept on the burner, but they also take up energy when they are in the front and Trump wants that while he is wrecking havoc.
If all you emphasize after reading here is now release the Epstein files, it's safe to assume that. You even say that here again: i.e.Oh yes to all of the rest but release the files.
You do not have to say more or most important if you show this is what you indicate.
There are cracks in the ship, though. I predict those cracks will keep getting bigger, since I don’t see what Trump could possibly do that would actually improve his approval ratings going into the midterms.
The photo yesterday showing a groveling Machado next to a 79-year-old 2nd grade bully who just extorted a first grader's lunch money was one of the vilest, most oleaginous, shameful things we've seen in a long time.
President PissyPants specializes in grabbing things that aren't his, never could be, never will be -- from you-know-what 🙀 to Greenland to Venezuela's "oil" to our free and fair elections to Corrina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize. Can anyone even imagine the Nobel Prize Committee actually having to issue a statement to the world, à la The Polar Express --- "these tickets are NOT transferable!"
The fact that he thinks he deserves the peace medal when his ICE thugs are terrorizing and killing protestors and bystanders in Minnesota and other states is completely head-spinning. Oleaginous - perfect word.
lauriemcf, you taught me a new word (I had to look it up). I suspect that was why, back in the day, that nasty butter substitute was called "oleomargarine."
I saw a photo of him with that medal and the words "my preciousssss" facing the viewer. Gollum rides again.
Ally, then we know what happened to Gollum. He fell to his death in the fires of Mordor with “Precious” on his finger. After he bit it off the finger of Frodo the Ringbearer.
Everything, EVERYTHING, is a real estate transaction…even if it is a bite of a steal…to Trump.May he find Gollum’s inevitable ending.
I don’t believe she said as he quotes “nobody deserves this prize more than—in history—than you do”…..he is delusional if he really thinks he deserves it more than anyone else in history!! I fault congress….Republicans…for not reining in this madman! He has the nuclear codes! How do they not see this?
All our lives hang in the balance because 77 million "Americans" voted to install a psychopath in the highest office in the land once again. It's gone beyond a constitutional crisis, it's an existential crisis and if the nukes go off, it's not going to be only the 77 million who hung Damocles' radioactive sword over the world, it's all of us. At this point, it would be self-defense--in a moral sense, if illegal--to remove their heads.
Thinking of Trump extorting awards like the FIFA Peace Prize and Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize have me thinking of a very sharp contrast with an unexpected award Arnold Schwarzenegger was tricked into accepting while Governor of California (I think).
I can’t find anything on it now, but do remember the news program where I saw Arnold accept the award. I have to believe his staff knew more about it, got the invitation and played along without his knowledge, getting him to show up at the award ceremony to accept something like the President's Special Award for Promoting Fitness in Educational Institutions.
It turned out to be something like the 5th grade class "President's" award, at private fancy named grade school/Academy, I think, with an ambitious list of dignitaries “invited” in very small print including people like the Secretary of Education (instead of actually expected to appear).
Arnold showed up, had a good laugh when he realized he'd been tricked, and graciously accepted the award without embarrassing the kids, With a rousing speech to the class, he thanked them for the award he described as, "Of all the awards I've ever received, …this is the most .......... recent!"
I did some minor correction to the above post and, though I couldn't find what I think was the original story, did find something similar sounding in a LA Times story at https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-08-vw-953-story.html (behind a pay wall I'm too cheap to explore).
I actually think it may have been something that inspired what I think was the later set up award ceremony, but maybe it is just a faulty memory. The detail I'm most sure of is the stretched out line, "Of all the awards I've ever received, …this is the most .......... recent!"
One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat: raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, attacks on immigrants, families torn apart, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent. It is time for our communities to escalate as well.
2025 was a year of marches that showed our collective strength. And as the threats grow, our movement must evolve and escalate. Trump and his allies have already made clear that a second term would bring a deeper wave of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and violence than the first.
On January 20, we call on our communities to organize teams, call your neighbors and classmates, and turn your back and walk out on fascism. Host mutual aid planning meetings, organize public service, but walk out to block the normal routines of power, and make the stakes real. This is a protest and a promise. In the face of fascism, we will be ungovernable.
I recommend Heather's video summary of the week's political news. I watched it last night. She is impressive in a thousand ways, and she is so calm, and can be quite funny. There are many cracks starting to show in this administration, she said, but things will get worse before they get better.
She ended with the question, What can we do?
One, she said - take care of ourselves. She said she needs to get more sleep. She has been quicker to snap at people, she said. (ha,ha, probably a really mild "snap"!) I know she takes walks.
Two - call representatives. She said, "Call, call, call."
Three - run for office or support someone who is running.
Heather is unbeatable at keeping people aware of the overall context that we are living in. It’s like having a satellite view of the political terrain.
But too many people “follow the news”
The only way to be an effective activist is to lead the news.
Pick a small number of topics you have a vested interest in, research the issues, and then track them with a news aggregator like feedly every day. Don’t just track the big outlets—track industry journals, business news, foreign press that are usually a day ahead of what hits the headlines because they are reworking reuters and ap stories which publish first and are gathering their news from indy media and industry news.
The best time to write to a senator or member of the House is before they have made a decision. You want their staff to hear about what will shape the debate early in the process. You want to be feeding them talking points. It is where you have the most leverage.
Heather can point out the directions that events are moving in, but WE have to start getting out ahead of the wave. And we have to push our leaders to do so.
We, and the people who represent us, are ineffective because we are being swept along in the flood and swirled in the maelstrom. We have to choose something to cling to, some issue that we can stay the course with, that motivates us, that we are committed to and build a raft and ride it. It will be a different choice for each of us. But together we can make progress on all the issues that confront us.
I repeated Dr R's same words to a group yesterday too. She has reach and it is working! Let's keep broadcasting.
I also added what Dr R says - 'everyone has something to give'. Give what you are good at. Many people believe they have no skills. Almost anyone can make a sandwich and give it to a hungry neighbour. Or pick up food supplies for someone too afraid to leave their homes. We can pick up a phone and call our 'congress critters'. We can show kindness to stressed and fearful strangers.
There will be more. Trump's approval rating is tanking and he's panicking. For example, he's quietly withdrawn from threats of further attacks on Iran and Venezuela and Axios reports that he's also walked back his threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota because he sees his numbers dropping like a stone even on immigration policy.
I did a comment on the walking back of the Insurrection Act comment somewhere on the left most thread. It is not what it seems in the NY Times coverage.
There is more "TACO" in him than there is warrior. Think of it, he threatened to take over Greenland, GREENLAND!, for the sake of our security. He didn't go after China, which IS a threat to our security, because they have a huge military. He didn't go after Canada who has an undeclared but effective trade war with us, because Canada has power and powerful allies in NATO. He chose Greenland because he thought Denmark and the rest of the world would smile and nod. But Europe and NATO are reacting to his threats. He'll TACO on Greenland too.
Add to your list today's news of DOJ investigating Whether Minnesota's Walz And Frey. It is a daily shitfest. I have wisecracked before that comparing America to other older countries we are the “toddler” among them. E.g., the Constitution was approximately 220 years old when Barack Obama became the first Black person to be sworn into the Office of U.S. President. He served two full terms too. That was analogous to our toddler Uncle Sam taking his first two steps. Then we elected Trump. That was analogous to lil’ Sam falling backward onto his full diaper. Now Trump is back, acting out, throwing a tantrum, finger painting the Blue States and parts of the world with “Trump” from his diapers. He even made a video of it, something is out of whack in that head.He is an out of controlled spoiled little incorrigible brat. He (hey, as a former juvenile dependency attorney I am normally opposed to this) needs punishment (over ten million people taking this to the streets) and to be made to eat his peas (Release all the Epstein Files). Because that is what all this daily diversion shitfest is all about. Those files will brand his name in history along side John Wilkes Booth and his pathological lying malignant narcissistic and severe antisocial personality disorder self all in cognitive decline little ass knows it. And this is no longer a wisecrack, it is fact. Make your signs vivid and may the best one make world news letting people know we oppose this mentally ill President. For example, "IMPEACH & CONVICT THE CONVICT" OR "IMPEACH THE PEDOPHILE PROTECTOR"
Maybe not the best place to mention this, but I am related to John Wilkes Booth on my mother's side. Needless to say, he is not a relative we think of fondly.
Ouch! As a five year old I asked my Dad where my great grandparents came from. He told me "Don't worry about other people who are gone. Focus on your future." When I was 15 I asked my older brother where our family name came from. He told me Killackey is an Irish name. He said it means "The potatoes are bad, we are all going to die." Then he said don't worry, it is not our real name. Our real name is Koloski and it is polish. He told me our ancestors were accused of being horse thieves but they were Not guilty. Nevertheless we all were run out of Poland and chased by a posse but we made it all the way to Ireland because we were riding the best horses in Poland. I did not want to ask why we came to America.
Yesterday, the New York Times published its photographic analysis of Renee Good's murder, declaring that Trump and Noem were peddling their usual fear-filled chickenshit.
But that's not even the main point. Everything about ICE's bizarre mission of terror, intimidation, prison and expulsion is simply a war against America, a simultaneous assault against our institutions of justice and accountability, captured and perverted toward unconstitutional ends, an attack against natural-born citizens, against law-abiding immigrants and refugees, as well as against those who came without papers who want nothing except to work, pay taxes, send their kids to school and one day become citizens, as well as against a small, violent criminal population -- all mixed together in a single, un-examined, unquestioned whole.
Not even delving into the obvious -- military forces with military training should never be mixed together with police forces with law enforcement training and time-tested community ties (this particular agent and ICE's hiring jumbles the two up constantly) -- the entire policy makes no sense at all. It's a mishmash of utter incoherence, organized solely around Donald Trump's war against imaginary "vermin" -- anybody he thinks too weak to protest his falsehoods, lunacies and bullying, around his pathological need to show "enemies" to declare martial law against, to invoke the Insurrection Act -- not to attack criminality, but to declare yet another insurrection -- for the *second* time.
This country has lost its mind if it buys a word of this. It's packaged, fascist nonsense designed to deceive, to inflame, to confuse, to spur hatred, and above all -- fear. It has absolutely nothing to do with "law enforcement."
Nothing will change until we shatter the basic precepts underlying this nonsense.
IMO, It has everything to do divide and conquer so that we do not see the United States as united in any way whatsoever. These global corporatist fascist dba R.I.N.O. what to chop the country into 50 corporate controlled shit hole states.
Kathleen, I’ve got my sign ready for a gathering tomorrow at my rural county courthouse; assume we will gather again on the 20th as well. I quoted the words from a “banner” (probably a sheet) students hung from a 2nd story window at NYU in a May 1970 protest in response to the Kent State killings…wish I could post the pic here. It says “THEY CAN’T KILL US ALL”….seems fitting for those words again, sadly.
I am so disheartened by what is happening to the population there…how humankind lets religious and cultural dogma lead to such cruelty and, really, evil. Seeing videos of some of the clashes and being horrified, I found myself fervently wishing we don’t see the likes (level) of it here on our streets ***shudder***.
The one tactic we have is to apply as much friction from the perimeter to the chaos in order to slow it down and bring clarity to the battlefield, so to speak.
Per Ali Vital of "Way to Early" who broadcasts her MSNow show at 2 AM Pacific & based on "records from emergency services released yesterday [1/15/26]".
Emergency 911 Calls about Renee's murder "flooded in starting at 9:38 AM continued for 1 hour."
Upon arrival at the ER at 9:42 AM "paramedics reported [Renee] still had an "irregular heart beat".
Upon arrival at the ER , Renee Good had four (4) apparent gunshots NOT one (1). "Two (2) on the right side of her chest, a 3rd on her Left arm and a possible 4th on her head."
The trajectory of these four (4) bullets can easily be traced to shooter gun & position.
So 4 shots NOT 3 killed Renee Good!
Per ER Team "Resuscitation efforts did not end until 10 AM". Prosecute the Perp.
Counsellor, I am pretty sure the four wounds were caused by three rounds: the first shot (lower left windshield, shooter's right) passed through her arm and into her chest. The last two (fired from the side) were her left chest and head. I have not seen the autopsy report myself. A chest wound on the right side fired from the left of the vehicle could only be the round fired from his first shot, which was fired at roughly a 45 degree angle.
That she was denied medical care from the time of the shooting until 9 minutes later is the most atrocious violations of the standard of care I have seen. The casual response to the shooting from all the "law" "enforcement" there is utterly disgusting.
How Annexing Greenland Turns a Real Estate Fantasy Into World War Three and an Impeachment Hearing
Donald Trump looks at the world the way a developer looks at a map in a conference room. Borders are suggestions. Treaties are paperwork. People are tenants who should feel grateful someone important noticed their land. Greenland, in this view, is not a country or a culture or an ally’s territory. It is a corner lot that feels psychologically necessary...
An order to the US military to seize Greenland, a Danish territory, would be unlawful. NATO was created by the Washington Treaty in 1949. The United States signed that Treaty and is a founding Member of NATO.
Article VI of the US Constitution: "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land."
Ben Hodges, LTG, US Army, Retired, former Commander US Army Europe
You gave your oath to the Constitution, just like other serving military personnel, attorneys, and public officials. Mark Kelly and the other people who have reminded the armed services they have a duty to the Constitution and to avoid carrying out illegal orders. Trump wants the army personally loyal to himself and Kegseth is there to ensure it. He is the worst defense secretary ever. Thank you for reminding us of this.
This is what I've been asking: what commander or general of the US forces would be willing to command troops to invade/attack Greenland? It is so obviously illegal, unconstitutional, and stupid as well.
What I have been asking too is: did the military think it was a legal order to invade Venezuela and arrest Maduro? (And if it wasn't legal, why'd they obey the order?)
He doesn’t care…his only limit is his ‘own morality’….. if that comment was not so sick and quite terrifying, it would be ludicrous. To think he’s being allowed, nay encouraged, in his psychopathic madness by people who should be moving heaven and earth to get rid of him (and his handmaidens: Vance, Rubio. Hegseth, Miller, Noem et al). Why is this not happening?
Lizzie, many have compared Donald to a mafia boss, and it's an apt comparison. It's actually an accurate designation. The Trump Organization has always done business with Bratva-controlled firms, starting with Fred, then under Donald.
The mentality within organized crime is no different from that of street gangs, such as the Bloods and the Crips (funny how Donald ignores them while obsessing over Tren de Aragua, which doesn't even operate in the U.S.).
Gangs are organized as lieutenants, enforcers and specialists. Trump's lieutenants, those you named, are the "true believers" who are convinced that they are immune to prosecution or history's judgment as long as they stick close to Donald – with one exception: Marco Rubio.
Rubio knows he's on the wrong side of history. He knows what he's part of is immoral and illegal. The evidence is in the many captures of pained expressions on his face during Donald's worst behavior. Rubio is like that gang member who'd like to quit the gang and live a better life, but he's terrified of what would happen to him and his family if he left the gang. So he stays. He's obedient. He shows loyalty. One of these days, Rubio will be required to demonstrate his loyalty by pointing a pistol at someone toward whom he has no malice and pull the trigger. Then, he will have to make a decision.
And I like Bacon's promise to impeach if Greenland is invaded. Trump is very afraid of being impeached again. It is good for Republicans to begin using that word. Trump is a toddler. "If you don't behave, I am going to have to impeach you."
Perhaps Bacon felt emboldened to make that promise based on the assumption that no general would obey the order to invade Greenland. Hence, the invasion would never happen so the House would never have cause to impeach. I hope it's a good bet.
Thanks for your insight, General. I hope that today's upper command levels have the same commitment to the constitution that you do. IIRC, your oath does not expire, even in retirement (mine, as a now retired Deputy, will expire 12/31 2099. I will expire before then.)
Thank you for your service and your comment. I hope that present commanders honor their oath to the constitution, as you have.
So much of the military, indeed the entire government and our society now is controlled by tech-fascist billionaires. I wondered if you have seen this article, "The Authoritarian Stack."
I had missed the January 7th interview. Thank you. What he sees as reality and being “right about everything” is absolutely wild.
For the sake of our future, be loud. Let Congress hear you!
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Goodtrouble) as a resource to contact members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. We deserve better ❤️🩹🤍💙
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Add a comment to help keep this bumped ✊ New eyes seeing this means new ripples for change 🤞
Imagine ANY other President saying "I'm President. So, I might just take it." "Only my own morality stops me. I don't want to hurt people." and "I've been right about everything". The men wearing white coats carrying large butterfly nets would have taken that President off to the funny farm immediately! SMH
Also, Steve, I can’t recall another other President “flipping the bird” to someone who heckles you from a distance with two words. He may be a powerful richie-grifter, but he’s got NO class.
In the most recent video that Heather makes about the news of the week (highly recommended), she talked about the only past presidential comparison to Trump's response. It was Andrew Johnson. When a heckler got to him, he started comparing himself to Jesus. His aides knew then that he was going off the deep end.
I shouldn’t be shocked about anything anymore but his responses are just something else. Like they always are, I keep waiting for someone to rein him in and nope.
His responses are the sign of mental illness. Republicans just don’t want to admit it. He’s too useful to those surrounding him anyway. He’ll go along with anything Milker and Vought suggest.
And the grin on his face when he got the Nobel medal from Machado - just like a toddler whose tantrum got him the extra cookie. Embarrassing and appalling.
A friend (sadly, I don't remember who and cannot find the link) posted a photo of him sitting at a table with the medal (not the prize itself, but the shiny gold medal) grinning that grin of his, and in front of him with the writing facing the viewer is a coffee mug with "My precisoussss" on it. Gollum indeed.
What he sees as reality is reflective of a malignant narcissist, cruel to the core, with the emotional maturity of a 2-year-old in love with himself, who truly believes (or says he does) his own shit really does smell like peaches and cream.
There is absolutely no religion out there, no moral philosophy, no personal, political, social or ethical framework that would describe this as other than delusional psychosis.
My hunch is that literally every Republican knows this, too. It's not like there's anybody out there who actually has confidence in this megalomaniac. They just want 'somebody else' to take care of the problem they themselves created.
No joy whatever in affirming what Heather and many others seem to agree upon -- it's going to get worse before it gets better. There is no script, no map, no compass for these uncharted waters of dementia, mental illness, institutional suicide, so many shirking their responsibility in permitting this ugly little brat free reign for his sadism, insecurity, aggression, moronism.
Don’t forget all the suck-ups around him….cabinet (ever listen to them speak to him…makes me want to have a barf bag nearby), Congress, business leaders, leaders from other (not all!) countries….many of them feeding his fantasies that he’s a very special boy, while they siphon off what power/prestige/resources they can. Pitiful.
I agee -- the Florida Panthers all dressed to look like him. The extravagant gifts - it's sickening. Kimmel offered to give Trump all his awards if he would pull ICE out of Minnesota -- that has to be tempting for him!!
Just yesterday I saw a clip of Miller speaking and I wondered if he would not look so much like Nosferatu if he had joy/empathy/kindness showing in his eyes and face and not so “stiff”….IMHO the man has no inner beauty to soften his countenance.
He’s less psychotic and rather more subject to two seriously dangerous personality disorders (malignant narcissism and sociopathy) coupled with increasing dementia.
The current batch of "Republicans" is a brilliantly, cynically-created coalition of self-righteous, true-believing "strange bedfellows," who never would have had anything to do with each other under normal circumstances.
As long as they are deluded into believing their particular single issues are being addressed, they don't see any problem.
Nothing else matters.
These people didn't just emerge--they have always been with us.
The decades-long lack of effective Dem leadership along with a lethargic, low-info, general population, created the moral and political void in which MA*A could flourish.
I'm referring to Congresscritters. Of course they know he's a fraud and sham. The cynical collection of self-righteous is phonier than you or I can imagine. They've ridden his coattails for a long time. Now they don't know what to do.
It goes down to the voter, to the electorate, sick in the head, trusting idiot demagogues, too lazy to be bothered to think through challenging issues -- that's the void into which all the others follow.
I agree with all that you say here, ICTT, except that "there is no map..."
Listen to Heather's video of the week's political news. She says there are cracks showing in this administration, but, yes - things are going to get worse before they get better. Then she gives the map, and she talks quite a bit about this:
One - Take care of ourselves, and like a good leader, she gives her own experience here.
Two - "Call, call, call" our representatives.
Three - Run for office or support someone who does.
Take care of yourself, ICTT! I always read your comments, because they are informative and help my morale.
Couldn't agree more with all of the above. Still, I don't think we've ever had a map for quite what we face right now. Jon Meacham spoke to this the other day on Colbert. It's not that our Founders didn't anticipate men of low moral character who would rally gullible, foolish people searching for a strong man -- it's the combination of so much institutional collapse, moral rot, the perversion of justice itself, the dereliction of Congress, etc.
Still, that doesn't change what we must do...Onward.
That explains trump's mindset, what explains the mindset of the rest of the right-wingers? It is obvious that they want to end our democracy and dream of permanent rule over the United States.
I highly recommend HCR's summary of the week's political news. It is so well delivered and calming. She ended with the question, What can we do? and her answer was superb.
One - take care of ourselves. She spent quite a bit of time on this and talked about herself.
Two - call our representatives. "Call, call, call," she said.
Three - run for office or support someone who does.
I’m reposting this YouTube vid from yesterday cuz I posted late & many might have missed it. It’s an AI “music” vid produced by the Greenland Defense Front invoking indigenous peoples/wildlife/spirits. I watched it several times to read the captioning of the song & then again to focus on the visuals & again just cuz I wanted to. Well done, I thought: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS0wFiWpU4U&list=RDPWMnNoHshRA&index=4
Kari, Toyota trucks, especially the model we call Tacoma’s (I drive a 2003 manual trans 4x4, had a 1990 before that) are ubiquitous in other countries, indeed they sell models not available in the US (the Hillux),so I only noted it mostly because the awesome tank-tread-like “wheels” (snow country off road driving I assume)….I’d never seen anything like it so am going to see if they are a real thing! It’s a cool AI vid!
That’s Kaohly Her, the mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, at a Twin Cities hearing today.
But it’s not just Donald’s war on America. It coincides, too, with Putin’s war on the West, on democracy – and for the white supremacy and nationalism he pushes there, as Donald does for his wannabe dictatorship in the U.S., his self-enrichment aiming to lord over all the Americas.
It coincides with the Iranian mullahs miring their people in their sectarian, patriarchal dictatorship. Viktor Orban imposing his Hungarian nationalism – one where not a single co-enabler can cite any Hungarian novel, memoir, or history, any more than any of Donald’s sycophants can cite any American arts, or any of Putin’s oligarchs or Iranian mullahs can cite anything from outside their tribal packages.
But look at the goons amuck in Minnesota. Any of them attended any American school where they learned to respect and reference any humanity or humanities any better than their atavistic thug peers worldwide?
Don't forget it coincides with Republicans war on free and fair elections, and indeed exists as an extension of that war as a way to overthrow the elected representation of Minnesota. None of this happens without the Republican party.
Let's be clear, Republicans across the country are cheering every time some ICE thug murders "whoever" in some city far from where they live. You can see that in the poll numbers and in the fact that ICE is still out murdering someone new every day despite one of the largest protest movements currently ongoing.
There are ALREADY significant casualties, but the casualties are only on one side. We the people have made it clear we will keep letting Trump and his gestapo kill us as long as it takes for people to realize that they are going to be next, and it doesn't matter how polite they are about not supporting Trump and his Republican Gestapo.
More people really should have learned that quote from the German pastor living in Nazi Germany in school, but its no coincidence why they stopped teaching it.
Plus they had Donald, to whose antics our media all gave free passes. Free air time. Just as the social media billionaires turned over their algorithms for more sensationalism, more hate.
Plus Donald taking his cues for violence from Putin, his cues for manipulating, extorting elite institutions from Orban.
Schools? All hunkered down to their testing masters.
Plenty of poisons from the bad guys. Not much good from our presumed good.
And we should have treated them then exactly like they are treating us now. National Guard presence at MAGA hate rallies, lean on the news networks and threaten them into submission to tune out the facsist messages. Harris should have celebrated Trump Vs. US by having Trump dragged to the white house in chains and shot right next to the MAGA 6.
Every single problem we are currently facing is because we refused to recognize the problems is that what we refuse to stomach doing to Republicans what they passionately cheer doing to us. If the freedom loving people of the United States are willing to be led like sheep to the slaughter in service to the fascist Republican party, that's on them, but they can stop it any time.
"Every single problem we are currently facing is because we refused to recognize the problems is that what we refuse to stomach doing to Republicans what they passionately cheer doing to us"
Yes.
Exactly.
Horrifically.
Do the ". . . freedom loving people of the United States" have the insight, skills, and energy to become freedom fighters?
Pastor Martin Niemöller was arrested and sent to concentration camp for his anti-Reich beliefs.
Similar to the 3rd Reich, and governed by standardized testing requirements that are antithetical to actual education, teachers no longer have a choice over what they teach.
And you know the core group that the Republican Party wrapped itself around? The core group that has chafed for a couple centuries in a nation that they refuse to accept is a secular nation? The core group that believes we need only the Four Rs in education: readin', 'ritin', 'rithmetic and religion? That's right. Evangelicals.
They have been at war with the United States ever since they lost control of the agenda. Consider the lyrics of an anthem that is joyfully sung in every evangelical Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.
1. Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus Going on before!
Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle, See His banner go!
(Refrain)
2. At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers, On to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver At the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, Loud your anthems raise!
(Refrain)
3. Like a mighty army Moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod.
Earlier in the week, a hot topic was whether any ICE employees had participated in the January 6th crimes. In a day or two, nothing. That nothing made me wonder if all the new ICE employees carrying weapons are doing so lawfully. That is, are they checked for prior felonies or domestic abuse that would bar them from possessing weapons?
I started to read HCR's comment section at 9:15 AM this morning (it's now 10:39) and for an hour I was increasingly excited that we might actually be recipients of the no Balla prize in the form of a day in which the false and absolutely unprovable assertions he persists and persists and persists in posting here over and over and over. incessantly, about the Powell report. and conservative foundations, and standardized testing, and teachers/administrators/school boards perfidy on causing same, all resulting in the total "removal of the humanities from American schooling." It is Balla bull!
That is, it is Balla's BIG, BIG LIE.
It is the kind of lie that is unprovable, unDISapprovable without a hugely expensive and time-consuming quest, that as a long-shelved educational historian whose dissertation involved three years traveling throughout Connecticut to establish, as best I could, what "on the ground evidence" remained of impact from Henry Barnard's common school reform effort between the late 1830's and early 1850's.
Balla has made his thesis up. It is insulting to educators, virtually impossible to disprove, plays directly in to the hands of MAGATS, Christian Nationalists, and other similarly uniformed critics of education and yet, routinely and repeatedly, receives dozens of 'likes' from obviously equally uninformed but loyal HCR readers. I speak from intimate knowledge of the pursuit of educational history; I spent three YEARS in the early sixties researching and writing my Barnard dissertation employing strategies Mr. Balla can only dream of. That is what he contributes here on his claim, i.e. NOTHING, and it is long past time he stop and leave his un-knowing likers alone lest he bring them all down around him.
Impeachment. 25th Amendment. Tar-n-feathering. A foreign power swooping in and taking him away in the cover of darkness seems to work for others. Doesn't much matter. If people in the government want to preserve a country, they must act.
You write as if "the people currently in government" is a monolith incapable of changing. And yet, it is changing. I will explain how.
Let me begin by explaining the mindset of politicians to you. Their job is to stay in office. That means to win elections. To do that, they have to please their constitutents and their donors. Arguably, they have to please their donors more than their constituents. And they have to please their party so that the party gives them money to win re-election. Up until very recently, this meant pleasing Trump so he would "bless" their candidacy. The lack of "blessing" for her run at a Senate seat is why MTG broke with Trump. This happened to a lot of GOP congress people who didn't fall in line. Trump made his chosen candidates popular with their constituents.
But Trump's antics have made many of his chosen candidates unpopular now.
If popular appeal turns against a candidate, the party/the donors won't back a horse that's going to lose. They won't waste their money. They will move to replace them with someone who has better appeal. This is what GOP members of Congress are facing as popular opinion turns against Trump.
Those representatives who want to continue their time in Congress need to switch horses. And we can see by the recent defections by GOP reps to vote on the Epstein files or against military intervention in Venezuela that that is happening. Six months ago, no one could have imagined a GOP rep voting against something Trump wanted. Now we're seeing them do just that in the House and the Senate.
Not enough yet for impeachment. But far more than anyone expected to turn.
And then... Heather Cox Richardson reported in her newsletter yesterday: "Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) went further, telling Wolf Blitzer of CNN that an attack on Greenland will lead to impeachment regardless of who is in control of Congress after the midterm elections."
So "the people currently in government" are sounding pretty different than they were even one week ago.
So you posit that "the people in the government" cannot vote one way in June and another way the following January? This is clearly an inaccurate statement. Again, "the people currently in government" is not a monolith incapable of change. Some have already demonstrated that change by speaking publically of impeachment proceedings this week.
Why are you so angry with me for suggesting that there may be some hope?
"Trump Backs Down on Insurrection Act as Democrats Take the Offensive
Officials denounced the Trump immigration crackdown in Minneapolis at an unofficial congressional hearing, while the president said he no longer saw a need to send in military forces."
Are we really supposed to believe 8 words out of Trump’s mouth on invoking the Insurrection Act that appear in the ninth paragraph down in a NYTimes article?
“I don’t think I need it right now,” he told reporters while leaving the White House to spend the weekend in Florida. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota had urged Mr. Trump on Thursday to back down on the heated rhetoric. “Let’s turn the temperature down,” the governor wrote on social media. “Stop this campaign of retribution.”
Trump wants to distract and deflect us. It is so bad in America now that people are going to clutch at any straw offered. We all crave relief.
A judge in Minneapolis has issued an injunction against ICE terrorizing peaceful protestors. Trump is trying to take credit for choosing to back off.
Maybe someone told him about his actual poll numbers for the midterms and suggested he not use the National Guard as it would tank his numbers even further (if that’s possible)? If so, that person should not be hanging around open windows.
He's just trying to wag the dog to change the story for a news cycle or two. The problem is he can't let it cool down too much or everyone will be reminded about the Epstein files.
There are enough turds in the chamber pot that he just has to keep stirring because the DOJ has shut down the release of the files, and the mainstream media is protecting Trump. The Epstein files are not being allowed to bob to the surface.
It will take the survivors publishing the list of pedophiles at great peril to themselves to get any traction.
Then someone with the wherewithal (money/power/connections) could/should enable these women to do just that. This has gone on long enough. Trump’s farcical ‘presidency’ is a huge Jenga game - remove those blocks and it will crumble.
Its funny how they are willing to say "Attacking a NATO Ally might rise to the level of being a high crime and misdemeanor" but "Sending an armed mob to murder congress" didn't.
Don't believe them, their just lying liars covering up for the fact that their spineless bootlicking fascists. When Trump attacks Greenland, and he will, because who's ACTUALLY going to tell him no, they'll all fall in line behind der Furher one more time, just like they have every other time he's broken the law, or stolen from the Treasury, or tried to have people killed, or murdered and detained US citizens.
I could go on, but lets be real here, there is no crime too great for Republicans to support a Republican president, and thats why they can't be allowed to continue to exist as an organization. They are a threat to the United States and a far greater one than Trump ever was.
Wandyrer, McConnell KNEW ‘Rump should have a conviction for his 2nd (!) impeachment, and said as much in his speech where he said let the courts take care of it…then Garland waffled too long…..and here we are.
Imagine if Kamala had been Attorney General instead of Garland . . . her prodigious skills were wasted as VP--particularly since the Dem leadership didn't use Biden's promised only 4 years to groom her--or anyone else--for president.
And that's why Biden should never have been on the ticket in the first place, and Garland shouldn't have been under consideration for more than parking attendant after Trump lost in 2020. The only reason he was put forward as a candidate by Obama was as a sop to McConnell, who blackmailed the President of the United States not to reveal that the Republican candidate was a Russian Agent during the election in 2016, despite the fact that the FBI knew he was.
Biden had far, FAR too long a history of folding like a lawn chair to his Republican buddies to have been the candidate left to deal with the Trumpster fire, and he handled it the exact same way he handled everything else, by counting on support from his Republican friends, including Merrick Garland.
Wandyrer: "Biden should never have been on the ticket in the first place, and Garland shouldn't have been under consideration for more than parking attendant after Trump lost in 2020."
There are memes circulating of Trump being given the leg lamp ("a major award) from The Christmas Story. Another of Venus Williams giving him her award for the women's singles tennis championship at Wimbledon. So when I read in this that the hockey team had given him their championship medals, a jersey and a hockey stick, I was sure it was satire. Then I said to myself "self, this is not Andy Borowitz writing, it's Heather Cox-Richardson." I guess truth can actually be stranger than fiction. sigh.
“Most Republicans know this is immoral and wrong…”
They have known that about so many things Trump has done for some time now, and did nothing, nothing at all, to stop or impede him. If an attempted occupation of a NATO ally is what finally does the trick, so be it. Bring it on.
In any other universe, impeachment would be under way. But as Heather's friend Joanne Freeman told Ruth Ben-Ghiat on Friday, the willingness of Congress to give up its power is one thing that has surprised her about Trump's second administration. There technically is a way for Trump to be stopped before he (a) destroys the US economy and (b) destroys NATO, possibly starting a war with the EU. But those with the authority to use the tools the Constitution gives them HAVE TO USE THOSE TOOLS! WTF are the Republicans in Congress waiting for? SMH
They are waiting for Trump to overthrow Democracy so they can be in charge. That's the point. Anything else is just a lie while they wait to see if Trump can wag the dog hard enough to actually overthrow the elections and what happens when he does.
And lets be clear, that makes them traitors, and they already are fascists. They are rapidly running out of runway where calling yourself a Republican after the dust settles will not be a hanging offense.
Yup, they seem to be all in on the aims/goals of Project 2025 (Mandate for Leadership)—if you’ve read any part of it you can see their direction…and it ain’t democracy as we know it. Ugh…pisses me off and scares me too.
We are in such a maelstrom that nobody is looking at the updated "Project 2026" that Heritage has released, which lists this year's priorities and includes model bills for states to pass to complete the project.
It's titled "Restoring America's Promise."
https://www.heritage.org/priorities
Thanks Georgia, the last time I looked at their site it was them recruiting folks (particularly young adults) to online “classes” to teach them how to be “proper” gov’t/civic employees & “citizens”. It’s hard to stomach all the stuff that’s on there!
The full text of the Jane Doe lawsuit against Trump and Epstein -- later withdrawn in response to credible death threats against the plaintiff -- gives a good indication of what the Christonazis consider "proper" citizenship: https://cdn.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/Johnson_TrumpEpstein_Lawsuit.pdf Please let us ensure this text is linked early (and therefore prominently) on as many Resistance sites as possible every day until the traitorous regime of ecogenocidal Christonazi pedophiles is no more. (I'll do my best to be responsible for this posting, but I am 85 years old and terminally ill, which means others need be ready to pick up the torch on days I am absent and after I am no more.)
There is a very graphic retelling of Jane Doe's encounter with felon 34 that I came across about a month ago (I believe on someone's Substack link) that I can no longer locate. In it, Jane Doe was told things like she needed to wear gloves when touching felon 34, plus much more graphic descriptions than what is stated in the lawsuit.
If someone can re-post that link, I believe it should be widely disseminated as part of the public release of the Epstein files. I'm sure it is part of the 99% that the DOJ will never release. Anyone who reads it can see it fits felon 34 to a T.
It is difficult to read without wanting to throw up, but everyone should know and be sickened by what a pedophile and creep felon 34 truly is. He belongs behind bars.
Though I will incur resistance, I will repeat my statement; It would have been better had the Joint Chiefs of Staff temporarily suspended the constitution and declared martial law in order to prevent t this monster from entering government. When will anyone understand that this idea would have been far less damaging. I call it a lesser evil. I hope y’all know this is the tipping point. The human species is about to enter hades. ( Donald’s Vanity Tantrums)
Thank you for your diligence in posting, Loren!
I include this link (which I've done for a couple days, which addresses the same territory) for those who, like me, struggle to read legal documents.
I will warn, it is LONG, and extremely graphic, but sheds a spotlight on what Trump allegedly did, and why he'd be desperate to hide it.
https://gregolear.substack.com/p/infrequently-asked-questions-about-519
Loren - Thank you so much for all you put into these discussions and for being so committed to staying informed and fighting for what is right and good and humane.
Sorry yo read of your illness. Hang in there.
Thank you for keeping up the fight! You ROCK! No matter what age!
Peaceful journey, Loren, it has been engaging to get to “know you” via LFAA comments…and look forward to more “conversations” with you amongst this rabble (we are a great & motley crew here, eh?).☮️❤️
The high school Turning Point USA clubs are chilling.
Utterly disgusting, as are the college clubs. Talk about a comparison to Hitler youth. Scary stuff. Indoctrination at its finest.
Yup. Hitlerjugend.
Patricia, I'm asking you to steer me to a referenced about this. I would appreciate it.
There was a local business in deep blue Alexandria VA that proudly put up a sign saying it was a TPUSA shop. They have been getting savagely dragged on the nova subreddit ever since.
Well, if WE won't teach civics, THEY will. Children are malleable. They will internalize what they are taught. We have no plan. They have a huge, detailed, lavishly funded one that will shape the next generation. Is it too late?
SO TRUE, Barbara and Georgia! I called our “representative “ yesterday (Bill Huizenga). In the past the person answering just took my comment and complaint and said he would pass it on. Not yesterday! He became VERY combative. I have to admit, I almost lost it on the phone. When I hung up, I was shaking and I am sure that my BP was through the roof. He sounded about the same age as my granddaughter ! It is so maddening!
Barbara, this makes me want to puke.
Ha! At the rally today I was speaking w/ some folks on the sidewalk and basically all agreed this whole ***situation*** makes us sick….so I quipped that I should start carrying barf bags like the airlines do!
Thank you for posting.
All Republicans who support this are enemies of democracy.
The Republicans who are now working to impede the Heritage Foundation and the DonOld have my sincere gratitude.
There are some?
I recall reading perhaps a week/10 days ago, that some of them quit because of anti-semitism.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-crack-up-at-the-heritage-foundation-is-a-warning-sign-for-maga-world/ar-AA1Q0UGo
Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that “support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there.” Her suggestion reflects the comment of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that “support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there.” Her suggestion reflects the comment of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Unfortunately as soon as they disagree with the regime they are branded as RINOs or actually kicked out of the party so their message can be ignored by the faithful.
Who are they?
Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that “support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there.” Her suggestion reflects the comment of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told reporters that “support in Congress to acquire Greenland in any way is not there.” Her suggestion reflects the comment of Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker (R-MS)
if you want to know who they really are, look at their voting record since Trump took office. A simple AI search will provide you the answer. It's a very short list.
Those people seem to be unaware that Trump has a Project 2026 all of his own.
Yes, but we have a Project 2026 of our own. It’s called “Winning the Midterms.”
IF we have a free and fair election
Most likely, it's tilted "Restoring America's promise." In their introductory piece, they claim: "We are committed to promoting human flourishing for all Americans and championing the policies that get us there." That's going to be a very hard sell when education will not tell the truth about the initial years and decades of this nation. As an example, in wiping out Critical Race Theory as an educational tool, the education system will only lie to the children who attend.
It is "Washington's grip" that has given disabled children their rights to an education they once never had nor could imagine. Laws such as PL-94-142, which guaranteed physical education to children with disabilities, mandated that disabled children would not sit on the sidelines while physical education classes were administered only to able bodied children. Project 2026 obviously continues on the patently immoral visions of Project 2025. A serious reflection and study need to be done to hold Heritage Foundation elites accountable when this is all over...assuming that is, if we haven't destroyed ourselves yet.
Another reason to wipe out Rs in the next election.
Thank you!!!
My hair is on fire just knowing "Project 2026" exists.
Thank you, I just clicked on it, and boy! they sure are great salesmen, aren't they.?? So full of shit their eyes are brown The thing is, their statement makes them sound so reasonable! It isn't until you start to dig deeper and read the articles associated with it that their serious propaganda gets really " red" hot. This time around they are being more tempered in their delivery. Of course when you read some of the articles, they blame everything on Biden. The lies are incredible! No wonder we have such a division in this country. What I cannot understand, is, why aren't these people questioning the fact that " Heritage " are not elected officials. However it is clear they are running the show, coming up with how they want things run, and are completely ignoring the fact that the " real " rules based order comes from the laws set forth in our constitution. Yet they argue they are for a " rules based order" , but it is obvious they want to create their own reality of what that means. I missed the bills for the states, where can I find that? Again, thank you!
Yes, Cate, the Heritage people have not been elected by American voters, but many/most/all of those reading and implementing their work are either elected or work for elected officials and are, therefore, our EMPLOYEES since our taxes pay their salaries, healthcare, and retirement programs. Stephen Miller gets $195,200 as his salary - like dozens of others - plus, benefits. Stephen, Susie “Trump” Wiles, Michael Waltz, Dan Scavino, Peter Navarro, Tom Homan, etc. are all in this category. In real terms, Stephen Miller works for us because we pay his salary. If Stevie ever finds this out, he will be PO-ed.
Let me ask you this papa . Who do you think are the two most powerful people in the white house right now? Who do you think is really running the show?
For me it is obvious that it’s Miller and Vought and Vance . All Heritage writers who wrote project 2025, and now that they have almost completed that mission are pushing for the next step which is in project 2026. Vance was elected because of trump’s base. But Miller and Vought are not elected officials who are in fact running our country.
That is what I am talking about .
There is one set of issues pages for each of the 9 policy priorities:
https://www.heritage.org/priorities
There is one set of issues pages for each of the 9 policy priorities. Click on a priority, then scroll down to “learn more” and click that. It brings you to the “issue page” and and if there is legislation associated with that prioritiy you will see a “scorecard” listed. Click on the upper right corner where there are the three horizontal lines and you will see an option “model legislation" click on that and you should see the lie list of the bills and their text. There also are maps that give states scores based on what policy priorities have been passed. Its a ranking with 1 as most aligned with Heritage values.
https://electionscorecard.heritage.org/
Click on the 3 lines in the upper right and you will see “model legislation” on the menu
https://electionscorecard.heritage.org/pages/legislation
Each of the 9 priorities is set up slightly differently, some don’t have legislation like the one on China (yet???) Check back
Wow! Yes I saw the articles they use to explain their talking points . Do you happen to know which issue specifically has these bills , or are you saying all of them have bills attached and you find them by clicking on the 3 dots? And thank you for taking the time to reply .
Thank you for sharing that!
😱Just read it!!!!
Happening all under the radar in red states—The flood of news at the national level is submerging it. Republican run conglomerates are buying up smaller media outlets so it is hard to know what is happening unless you keep track of the local legislative calendars. If you are in a red state, pick one of the “themes” and start tracking where things are in the process. Especially for voting rights. That is the point of control for everything else.
😱
Thanks for the link, Georgia
The Heritage Foundation is rather presumptuous to think they have a mandate for these changes. They are a wish list of Christian Nationalists’ and plutocrats’ desires which will wreck the country and create a huge mess. Not a few ordinary people will resist them.
Look at how much of Project 2025 was accomplished in a year!!!!
They are not being "presumptuous". They are being extremely successful.
They were being "presumptuous" in April 2023 when Project 2025 was released and Democrats for the most part couldn't be bothered to read what was there--all 925 effing pages of it.
And behind the scenes are more civil-looking thinktanks who are training the next tiers of elite white males. Maybe the Claremont Institute will honor the US Constitution or maybe not, time will tell, Thank goodness for 11 lawmakers going to Denmark! We need counterforces of leadership who are capable of serving We the People, not only here, but among allies.
Sorry to be a Debby downer, but the Congressional delegation is meaningless. It’s a photo op.
NATO is already irrepairably broken. It was the instant Trump stopped funding Ukraine after the inauguration. The US is no longer an ally and hasn’t been since the National Security Strategy document which was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Zelenskyy’s peace plan has been designed to set up a parallel organizational structure for mutual defense without the US and the EU countries that are pro-Putin. It will be a bundle of bilateral agreements that guarantee a minimum level of response, not just an obligation to respond decided by the responder on a case by case basis. NATO did not—Article 5 guarantees are worthless. It will keep the cammand structure, shared intelligence, shared strategic planning, shared tactical training, and with the SAFE program which Canada is part of, interoperability of all equipment.
Nobody in Europe believes Putin will sign it, at least not before Russia’s economy goes belly up. It is being sold to Trump to stroke his ego and to protect the two things the US is still providing to support Ukraine, the oil sanctions and the PURL systems which lets COTW members purchase US manufactured weapons systems for delivery to Ukraine.
Europe understands what it is like to deal with fascism and a fast coup. They will never trust Trump and they are having to deal with their own ultra-right neo-Nazis, Orban in Hungary being the prime example loved by MAGA, but Orban actually may lose in upcoming elections.
My Substack posts have been exclusively about Ukraine—in Europe it is clear what is happening. US media hasn’t got a clue.
From what I've read in the non-corporate media, most of the people in Greenland are terrified. There are 12 communities in Greenland with over 1000 residents which Kegsbreath would have no problem with wiping them out. Of course, this would be an illegal order as Senators Kelly and Slotkin have pointed out, but Kegsbreath has already broken so many laws, what's the murder of 30,000 more people?
He's already illegally bombed Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Yeman, Somalia, Iraq and Nigeria and he has assisted the end of one war -- in Gaza. Each one of these actions is 1) very expensive and 2) illegal.
Meanwhile, the Republicans in the House and Senate are silent while Mad King Donald rages on making a mockery of our Constitution.
We need to shame every Republican into holding town hall meetings and then quiz them on why they voted to cut almost a trillion dollars from Medicaid, and give over three trillion dollars to their oligarch buddies and to cut healthcare for their constituents.
Threaten every one of them that if they won't hold town hall meetings then you can't vote for them.
Yes! If you can see the news conference with Senators Murkowski and Coons (I happened to see it on CNN at 4:00am CST), it’s truly informative. Given the stakes, I found it very moving as well. A real lesson in diplomacy.
Unfortunately, you are correct, as they have been successful at achieving their goals. My mention of presumptuousness actually referred to their beliefs they had.a right to do this, and that people would celebrate it.
Project 2025 is a hot button for me. I started blogging about it back in 2023, and the almost uniform response was "It can't happen here."
and those who read it and warned about it - like Kamala Harris during her campaign - ran into Trump's denial that he knew anything about it, and his sheeple believed his lie. So much of Trump's success depends on his turning his horrible actions and thoughts into a 'he said/she said' debate with no winner - or on which the media, and too often the Democratic party - decides 'oh well, it's too hard to decide among these equally balanced positions.'
Too many people “follow the news”
The only way to be an effective activist is to lead the news.
Pick a small number of topics you have a vested interest in, research the issues, and then track them with a news aggregator like feedly every day. Don’t just track the big outlets—track industry journals, business news, foreign press that are usually a day ahead of what hits the headlines because they are reworking reuters and ap stories which publish first and are gathering their news from indy media and industry news.
The best time to write to a senator or member of the House is before they have made a decision. You want their staff to hear about what will shape the debate early in the process. You want to be feeding them talking points early in the process. It is where you have the most leverage.
Like their head honcho in the White House, Project 2025 was, long before it was even Project 2025, a Fake-it-until-you-make-it effort, on steroids. We Americans fall for the FIUYMI hype all the time.
But then they did start making it happen, and here it is. I would say its more than half way to completion.
They’ve been at this for quite awhile…this is the latest iteration, but this time with a stooge in power—an insecure unprincipled grifter that can be tempted/bought, so they have their “power” opportunity & they’re running with it. I just hope that the rest (the majority!) can run faster!!!
I hope so also!
It is the entire right-wing, trump couldn't do any of this alone.
Since P2025 per the tracker it’s now at 51% either accomplished or in motion. It’s not arrogant for them to place this out there. It’s just easy access, for those who were on board with it from the get go as to how much they are working to attain.
If they are disgusted by what’s going on and thinking twice about following the plan well here you go folks we are at 51% and we are doing all this work for you. It’s sick and demented for those who got on this bandwagon. These are the individuals that are probably a part of the 37% that think he’s doing a good job.. incredibly destructive and ignorant.
https://www.project2025.observer/en
According to Andra Watkins they wanted it all accomplished by July 20th so they are behind where they expected to be, meeting more and stronger resistance, and losing many former careless/duped followers.
Unfortunately that makes their efforts even more desperate and outrageous.
They are not being "presumptuous." They are achieving their goals. Very few "ordinary people" have resisted them.
I understand your point. They are assuming people will agree with them and you’re correct, there hasn’t been much resistance.
More like White Phony-Christian Nationalists.
True, they think they have a special preference from God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and they are destined for disappointment. They also don’t have a lock on Christianity. Many of us rejected Trump precisely because we saw someone who was a phony and contrary to our beliefs.
I've read a few of Andra Watkins takes on Project 2025 an described what I'd come across to some friends as:
Andra Watkins is a former Christian Nationalist and dedicated opponent to their ideology now. The first link is to her substack explanation of what The Atlantic is missing about the dangers of Project 2025.
See https://andrawatkins.substack.com/p/reviewing-project-2025s-christian
There is also her take on how they are far behind their schedule to achieve near absolute control in 180 days (July 20, 2025), and their overconfidence letting them drop their masks too early.
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRMSTMLZqKE&t=21s
See https://anneapplebaum.substack.com/p/spheres-of-influence?
Republican Congress critters have in on the quest for absolute power and don't want to mess it up. The perhaps overlooked trouble for them is that they will be irrelevant or worse if Trump succeeds.
I completely agree. Their quest for power and control is right in line with trump's ideas. trump actually believes he stopped eight wars?!? He is just so delusional and no one calls him out on his lies because they all like the power he has given them. It would be funny if it weren't all true and equally frightening.
I don't think Trump actually believes many of his endless lies, but his ego -demands that we do. Trumps internal pretense is one of not-to-be-questioned superiority, like any despot I suppose, enforced by extortion and violence. He is insanely proud of his treachery; his personal super-power that makes him master. He is genuinely offended by anyone who does not play by his rules. What fools these mortals be!
He embodies Chaplin's "Little Dictator".
Yes. There will be a "Night of the Long Knives"--
or at least an afternoon that's too rainy for golf.
It's not democracy at all, it's the opposite, fascism.
Democracy versus fascism are two political regimes. They define the relationship between the three branches of government.
DEMOCRACY
The people ("demos", in Ancient Greek) "govern" ("kratein"). How do they do that? The legislative branch of government (Congress) is constitutionally independent from the other two branches (the executive, which is the White House, and the judiciary, so the courts). Its members are REPRESENTING the will of their own constituents. It's their job to negotiate bills that are a compromise between what constituents want. It's the job of the Executive branch (the White House) to ... execute/implement those laws. The judiciary branch is equally independent from the other two, and decides, based on evidence, how to interpret the law and who transgressed it and who not.
FASCISM
In a fascist regime, the three branches of government are "bundled" ("fasces" means "bundle" in Latin) into one: the executive.
This is what the GOP means when it says it wants the government to be "run like a business". Now, the executive branch becomes no longer the branch that executes/implements bills passed by Congress, but it functions the way a CEO in a private business does: it makes all the decisions ITSELF, answering to NO ONE.
Or in the words of Mike Johnson, today's GOP Speaker: the role of Congress, from now on, is to "codify the executive orders signed into law". In other words, whatever EO the president signs is sent to Congress, which will put it into the correct legalese language, and then blindly pass it. No more negotiations at all. No more representation of their constituents.
To make a democracy WORK, you need many other conditions fulfilled: free elections, freedom of gathering, freedom of the press, access to higher education, a well-informed civic society, etc. But what DEFINES is it the relationship between the three branches of government.
As neoliberals already in the 1940s and for years already Peter Thiel said: "democracy and capitalism are incompatible". The GOP is now neofascist. Its leaders and ideologies actively and strongly reject democracy. They support fascism. That's why they support Trump and Maduro's VP. It's why they turned against Europe.
Historical events always have long roots. The Declaration of Independence is a salient and important landmark, but it's roots can be traced into antiquity. The Russian dolls within dolls, within dolls has something to say about our own appearance, and hour upon the stage, and the "Mr. Hyde" side of humanity, as well as "better angels" carry an ancient legacy. Many people recognize "the Powell Memo", or for that matter, the election of a president who who put a lawyer who protected the tobacco industry on the Supreme Court, as a turning point; and yes it is certainly one such. The Bible connects the "love of money" with evil, and there are many evidence-based arguments for maintaining that. Teddy Roosevelt, who took the side of 'We the People' against plutocracy felt betrayed enough by his own political party that that he tried and failed to establish his own.
What we now call "The Republican Party" is and has been for a long time, the public face of of the ownership and ambitions of the hyper-wealthy ilk of Mr Thiel, who have worked "behind the curtain" to refeudalize governance. It is not the first time those who Reagan claimed were the "Supply Side" of America have tried to install fascism in our fair land, but they are never held to account for it. We, the public, established some guardrails against what Lincoln called "the same old serpent" and then were conned into letting them go.
IIRC, Elizabeth Warren once said she was capitalist to her bones, and that makes sense to me, but clearly she in not an advocate of UNREGULATED capitalism. Democratic governments are formed to secure our human rights against theft, or negligently irresponsible actions we might impose upon one another, even inadvertently, and we attempt to restrain even a tyranny of the majority with a mutual social contract that aims to promote enlightened self-interest for individual and society as a whole. As citizens of a civilized society, we are obliged to follow certain rules to preserve and extend liberty and justice for ALL. The activities and responsibilities of activities tied to commerce are in no way different than this, and specifically, in no way exempt. Period. it is an exercise in Doublethink to contend otherwise.
Monopolies of power, be it financial, political or both are by definition inimical to democracy, and also to freedom and justice in any meaningful sense. It is monopoly of power that the likes of Thiel are pushing. A genuine "free market", like a free society, means an environment of freedom enjoyed by all, not, if you connect to dots between what "Republicans" say and do, freedom to monopolize and dominate.
I am beginning to wonder where the corporate Democrats stand as far as our democracy is concerned. All Democrats should have public financing for all elections as a central goal to make democracy truly work for all citizens, and not forever give power to only their wealthy donors.
Well, the legacy media have claimed for decades now that there is such a thing as "corporate Democrats", so in that sense, now questioning whether they are even pro-democracy is indeed the next logical step.
Imho, THE main weakness of the left in the US, however, is to believe in the existence of "corporate Democrats" in the first place.
Because in real life, not only do ALL Democrats reject the SC Citizens United ruling, Nancy Pelosi already passed a bill in the House that contains massive campaign finance reform.
Why was it not signed into law yet?
Because "we the people" vote Democrats out each time they do their job as democrats and therefore COMPROMISE with other Reps in Congress to pass the next bill.
THE problem, imho, is that the American left, so left-wing CITIZENS, never truly studied democracy, let alone worked hard to make it work... . All we do is sit back and hate "politicians"... .
Wait until you see the Heritage Foundations planned commercials for the football games this weekend. Enough to make you vomit.
Barbara, not only you but many of us are scared and angry and very pissed off
Accountability. We have never had it. Viet Nam Iraq now this debacle.
8 years of peace and prosperity under Clinton and now HE is being hounded re Epstein
When this comes to an end, if he doesn’t blow up the world, I hope they all will face the music
Army court martials Supreme Court on trial as well. Not presiding but held accountable
I wonder if "blow(ing) up the world" isn't exactly what the true, hard right, evangelical christians (lower case intended) are praying for. Do they belive it will kick off the millennium? Do they believe they will not be "left behind"?
Chuck, I spoke to someone recently who told me that Trump was God’s representative on earth to bring about Revelations. And their denomination was praying for that day. ‘Thy kingdom come.., was her expectation.
Scared the heck out of me.
With all due respect Joan, Bill Clinton reluctantly did the following -
The presidency of Bill Clinton, spanning from 1993 to 2001, was a period of significant military intervention despite the end of the Cold War. The United States engaged in several key operations, most notably in the Balkans (Bosnia and Kosovo), Somalia, Iraq, and Sudan/Afghanistan utilizing air power, ground forces, and cruise missile strikes. These actions were often framed as humanitarian interventions or responses to terrorism, reflecting a shifting global landscape and evolving U.S. foreign policy priorities.
https://thegunzone.com/what-military-action-occurred-while-bill-clinton-was-president/
But, many of these actions were to prevent or lessen genocides.
Do you think Clinton’s efforts to keep the lid on potentially dangerous situations ( especially in Balkans) comes close to Nam debacle and Iraq? We are now in another world. Not trying to keep peace ( judicious use of force). We are perpetrators. Speaking to people in Europe they are incredulous.
I agree that the Clinton summons is a distraction for how this affects trump. If on the other hand Clinton is incriminated in that trove of evidence he too should suffer the consequences.
Yes.
Exactly.
They see themselves as "freedom fighters."
My question is--and has been--
"What have Dems been waiting for?
The same thing the Dems have been waiting for since 1980, permission from Republicans to have an opinion. Permission from their donors. Basically just permission, but not from you or me.
Once the dust settles people need to make it very clear to their "representatives" that their job is to regulate and enslave capitalism for the benefit of the public good, not to be spineless bootlicking cowards fawning at the feet of billionaires for less money than they'd pay one of their ex wives in child support.
Just to reframe your note which I agree with in content, American citizens…most of us…have been asleep at the wheel of the Democracy we live in and depend on. A very few of us have actually voted or worked to elect someone or lobbied for a cause or legislation. When…when we win back our government we must stay involved and push and support our electeds to do good, powerful things for us. Maybe rework a lot of the crazy, unproductive rules Congress gets bound up in by eliminating bills that trap reps into impossible choices, all bad, but hold them hostage because they might get or lose funding for their districts. The whole process needs a moral overhaul and we the people must help our reps achieve this.
So few people actually help in the formation and upkeep of our governments from local to federal. It is desperately sad. And it does take a village for cooperative structures like a Democracy to thrive. We make them kings by going to sleep between elections.
Congressional rules need to be changed when Ds take control of both houses. One rule that should be eliminated is the power of the Speaker of the House to bring bills to the floor for a vote or to sit on them indefinitely. This paralyzes the entire Congress. Another, is to bundle several issues into one huge bill which no member reads, yet must vote on it within 2 days. This is absolutely foolish and results in poor laws.
I so agree with that. And also that the party in majority should not just be on auto-set to be able to steer every single thing that comes before them. That is hardly democratic. Do you know that the majority party actually gets the better offices and more supplies? That is about as un-democratic as I can think of and is simple to correct. We need humility in our government officials. Maybe they should have mandatory team building training for ALL members so they can learn the fine art of negotiation and compromise and how to actually listen and work together. And we the voters have to wake up and elect people who are good at cooperation( not capitulation or flimsy convictions) and candidates who have integrity and some skill set. You can hardly blame the grifter who actually gets elected by the people for being a grifter. People get elected by people...those who vote and those who don't. How about Civics education as part of every child's entire elementary school education? How can this be so hard? And how about teaching kids critical thinking from day one so they grow up to be adults who can sniff being duped a mile away. You an tell I am frustrated....
You mean like a Tea Party for democrats?
I’m tired of perfectly good bills that have a poison pill hidden in the hundreds of pages, that kills the intent, or sundowns just as it is beginning to work.
What a bill should do is lay out its intent, and a process for meeting that goal. Once it gets going it needs to be worked on to meet the goals, to work out the bugs. Oh and fully fund it, with actual funds.
So you say I’m a dreamer…. If we don’t dream we wind up in a nightmare.
Absolutely agree with you.
change "enslave" to "harness" and I am 100% behind you. The vibe doesn't feel right to me.
What dust? The dust of ruin? It will be too late. We have to all ask ourselves what did we do in the interim to make our government more responsive, what did we ask of our Democratic representatives? And were we lazy in regard to the capitalism takeover? think we have to take a hard look in the mirror as well as look at our representatives, maybe even more so.
Exactly. There are far too few Americans who are ENGAGED in saving democracy. They have just allowed those in power to run things without any thought or input from the masses for so long they’ve forgotten that democracy isn’t a given. EACH generation must stand up for it, insist upon it, FIGHT for it if necessary. That’s where we are now…we must FIGHT for democracy or it will be gone for a long, long time, if not forever!
Yes--except for the "enslave" part.
And the "ex-wives" part assumes they have ex-wives . . .
"They are rapidly running out of runway where calling yourself a Republican after the dust settles will not be a hanging offense."
I think you are right.. and that might be the problem.
At this point they have committed so many crimes that they can't impeach Trump as he is the only one keeping them out of jail.
The "republican party", in my opinion, no longer exists. Apparently, we still have some on the right of center who see this "acquisition" of Greenland as simply wrong. No debate needed: it's simply wrong. I am hoping that their "honor" whatever is left of it, will deter this madman from doing something that nihilistic. Failing that, I seem to remember in my world history lessons, an example that happened in Rome around 41 AD. There are some in the administration who, for the safety of the nation, should keep this in mind. Then again, the safety of the nation hasn't been in this level of peril since the Cuban missile crisis.
And one must wonder why CNN continues to employ Scott Jennings who espouses and spits forth all things Trump.
CNN brought in a MAGA about two years ago and changed its programming. Pro-MAGA.
So Republicans in the House and Senate don't want elections either? Yikes. His answers to questions about Greenland are so incredibly narcissistic, it's sickening.
They are Nazis. If one calls himself a Republican, he is identifying himself as a Nazi.
This is where the outrage needs to be directed. At the Republicans who are enabling Trump. They need to be brought into the light constantly for what they are allowing to happen. I believe the answer will be found by "following the money" as it usually is.
He'll break the dog completely trying to wag it. Then mosts of his followers will wonder what happened and why they supported him. Some will be happy that the dog no longer exists, but then have trouble finding a new dog only then to think that the dog they killed was actually the best money could buy.
!!!!
I guess they don’t understand if he overthrows democracy they won’t have a job at all. He wants all power. They are just gnats in his face.
Hence forth, never ever vote for a "Republican" even if they are running for the position of village portable toilet inspector. They no longer deserve anyone's support or respect.
You got that right, Wandyrer, they talk to their Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate, claiming to hating trump's policies, and don't lift a finger to stop him. They call themselves leaders of the people, and yet they don't lead when only they (GOP office holders) in this Congress have the power to stop the damage done to our system. They are every bit as responsible for the damage as trump. I agree that they are conspiroring as a Party to overthrow our democracy. I can't understand why Democrats are not constantly branding the GOP as responsible for all the fascist actions committed by the trump administration. They should have started that branding at the very beginning of trump's term, calling out every fake emergency declared by trump to grab more power. The Dems can unite the public and command overwhelming support only if they hold the entire right-wing responsible. Maybe they can shame right-wingers in Congress into stopping the trump insanity before they destroy NATO and permanently leave the United States with no allies. Who would ever trust our word again? Are some Dems thinking that they can use authoritarianism in the future?
When commenting on another site for at least a year before the 2024 election, I always ended with, A vote for any right-winger in any election is a vote for Fascism. Was I wrong?
Any person who voted for Trump committed a crime against humanity, which, on moral grounds is worse than treason. Unfortunately, there is no feasible way to hang 77 million people.
Overthrowing the elections is the whole point of trump's personal militia made up of criminal thugs. Republicans finally speaking up is heartening....
The "tools" won't work. Impeachment is not sufficient. CONVICTION is required and that takes a 2/3 majority in the Senate.
And that requires Total for impeachment - total caucusing with Dems = 67-47 = 20 Republican Senators to grow spines. They can barely muster 3. I would add in one more Republican to account for Fetterman as a Democrat wild card.
I see it not so much as needing 20 Republican Senators to grow spines, but rather needing a "movement," say a "stool softener" to unblock the ... stools. For example, Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) are opposed to Trump taking Greenland. Their words seem small but every revolution (movement) in history began with just two or three people talking. IMO, if Trump dares to attack that would make him the stool softener. But as you have warned before, removal of Trump moves Vance into the Oval Office. That could be worst because Trump is on a mission for Trump and Vance would be on a mission from God.
Do the oligarchs have a red line is the question?
Trump is still trying to distract us from the Epstein files.
Yesterday, the WSJ reported that Epstein laundered some of his ill begotten gains through Columbia U and NYU.
The oligarchs are paying big bucks to prevent being outed in the Epstein files.
That's what I've always thought: that there are names in the files of people one would never think would be involved; very important people who could lose their very livelihoods, even their lives, if their names were released. The corruption that would be revealed could change the arc of history in ways we can't imagine.
My thought on Epstein all along. Everyone is numb to, but also attracted to the salacious abuse details, but the real damage will be in the financials.
God and the oligarchs
I see the oligarch thing but Vance is scary and maybe he would exploit those rich people to have the resources to push a "no compromise" policy like Trump but in the name of God and that would be worst of all. You Georgia pointed out how Well Vance performed in public speaking skills at the Turning Point (Kirk) thing and brought up he can be a serious contender. Since then I also watched Sen. Katie Britt on Sunday morning talk shows and it looked as if she has the same public speaking coach as Vance. Her hand, arm, and shoulder movements, tone of voice, expressions on her face, the cross on her necklace: all exactly what Louis Powell asked for in MEMO as a public speaker to sell the message of the Free Enterprise System. IMO, a Vance/Britt ticket would be very scary and I agree we must get ready for it now.
Wow—that is a truly frightening thought. She was awful in her response to one of Biden’s State of the Union addresses as I recall. But groomed for the role…
Agreed. That reality kitchen act failed. But now Katie Britt is more professional, prepared, and quick (thinking on her feet) when answering questions. She also keeps her repose such that she comes off authoritative. She may well be a true believer but to me these Christian Conservatives need to look close at what is going on in our Country and weigh that with who they feel they are. Like someone who adheres to traditional Christian beliefs and promotes socially conservative policies, a focus on religion, opposing abortion, supporting traditional marriage. IMO, that conflicts greatly with fiscal conservative policies which emphasize limited government, free markets (Charlie Kirk's idea of FREEDOM), lower taxes on the rich and big corporations, and reduced spending. But what does logic and reasoning have to do with this?
Oh, Scarlett Johansson's take on Britt on SNL is priceless. If this is the MAGA tix, SNL will have a field day - or maybe not given the direction of MSM.
**Much** more for the oligarchs than for the God he claims to worship.
Vance is a true believer when it comes to Peter Thiel and Curtis Yarvin. I think the worst case scenario is for Vance to be the incumbent before the midterms, The only safety would be to capture both houses of Congress with veto proof majorities. Things would have to get much worse for that to happen and there would have to be still be fair elections.
Cognitive dissonance is the “discomfort” that comes from hold opposing ideas simultaneously.I currently have a severe case…
I'm not sure why you identify it as "cognitive dissonance"; I understand the concepts of cognitive dissonance. I think your situation does not have two opposing ideas: Vance IS a "true believer in the Thiel/Yarvin camp AND it would be horrible to have him as the incumbent in the next election. That we absolutely need vetoproof majorities is also true.
"if" you can get control of House and Senate in midterms..
AND the necessary GOP Senators to vote to convict, Vance assumes Presidency:..
his VP cannot officially be VP until confirmed by Senate..
so Vance is removed to stand trial..
convict the SOB..
DEM House Speaker ascends to Presidency..
Bloodless Coup..
therefore,
Yes! Ex-Lax for Oligarchs!
But then . . . JD . . .
He's the sideways turd.
I am insufficiently caffeinated this morning to be witty; I suspect that rather than a "softener" a strong laxative is needed to clear the passage of that 💩 and an emetic is required to purge the proximal end of the alimentary canal.
Your assessment of the mission focus of <insert your favorite pejorative of the current #2 here> is 100% accurate.
"insufficiently caffeinated" Maybe, but the evidence suggests otherwise . . .
😁
We can deal with Vance! Nobody likes, respects or fears him!!! The question is how long can Stephen Miller lurk in the shadows and manipulate the government according to HIS vision. Miller is unelected but he is behind the ICE attacks against immigrants, the murder and intimidation of American citizens who oppose his fascism.
More importantly we have to oppose the oligarchs, corporations, techbros, the morbidly rich and Putin. They are the true enemies of our Constitution and Democracy.
It’s almost like they picked someone so odious as VP that impeaching the President would seem worse than living with his stupidity and uncontrolled megalomania.
I recall it use to be said Spiro T. Agnew was Nixon's life assurance policy. And then came Dan Quayle....
Darth vance owes his career to Peter Thiel. It's more than the Epstein files. It's the tech bros, Bannon, Miller, the Heritage Foundation, wealthy supporters on and off the radar, and of course puppet master Putin. None of those influences will disappear with the felon.
Yup. In my dreams, they ALL go up in puffs of blue smoke.
How about Vance, a Dem majority in house and senate and an expanded supreme court?
1. No, it would not be worse. 2. It is foolish to frame this as a choice between what is worse behind door number 1 or door number 2.
And Trump is setting about erasing memory of his previous impeachments.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/11/smithsonian-swaps-trump-portrait
Rewriting history—straight out of the authoritarian playbook and 1984…
A few replacement plaques won't erase memory of those impeachements, thankfully. As easily as "he" seems to go about rewriting the script, future presidents will do the same. And yes, I do think we'll have future presidents. After 'him' and after the sofa-abuser.
vance is "sofa king of fence if"
Say it really fast. Silly word game I played 25 years ago. Anytime I hear anything close to "sofa king" I remember it.
Unlikely in the current climate. I do see the possibility of significant change in the numbers when the tides change. If trump loses his power these spineless legislators will blow with the wind. I have to believe that in their hearts there are 20 republican senators who know NATO is important.
They are all afraid to lose their jobs because trump turns on them. When the threat is gone things could
What they are waiting for, apparently, is for somebody else to take care of the problem, preferring somehow to keep their hands 'clean' (as though they weren't already filthy to the core). A ghastly mixture of laziness, dereliction of duty, fear (we don't know if they're just scared of being primaried or if they truly fear for their families).
Whatever it is, it's toxic to the core. Left unaddressed, it will eat through our republic as effectively as sulfuric acid. In the meantime, prepare for mid-terms like there's no tomorrow. Count on the threats to flow, even increase, but bank on what you know. Judgement Day is coming for the Republican Party. At least I hope so.
They are waiting for a Robert McCall to deal with the Bad Guys in 30 seconds. Too many Hollywood Movies have convinced people there will be a Hero to save them but redemption is in the hands of the people…all of them. Too many are either complicit through ideology or inertia.
Yes!!! I’m sad to say but the entertainment industry has not helped in many ways. And news and entertainment all mixed together is not good at all. And not nearly enough civics education and all of the….since the 70’s….spoon fed the ideas that “I” matters more than “we”. Think of the gulls in Nemo who stand on that rock squawking “Mine,mine, mine!!!”. Community matters. Morals matter and do not have to be horrid fists of patriarchy handed down by corrupt religious practice. Morals bind us and save us from our lower impulses and keep us from being sociopaths. Something our current President, Administration and certainly Republican Congress seem sorely lacking. I pray so deeply that we the people don’t sink to their level in the mud. That will surely doom us. And it’s up to all the “I’s” out there to be strong in that moral compass and start contributing to the greater good with more than just armchair gesticulation at the TV!:(
A Senator is one of a hundred, part of a herd. A loud bang can startle them into changing direction but for the most part they will stay together. Congress is a poor place to learn executive skills. The current president has only worked as a chief executive since his father passed the torch. The direct way out of this morass is to rally behind an equally compelling figure. Someone has to lead the democratic herd lest they wander grazing on what seem to be likely topics.
THERE WILL BE NO MIDTERMS.
That's EXACTLY what they want you to think. Did they pay you to say that, or did you volunteer it for free for them?
I wish people would stop saying there won’t be midterm elections. He has already walked back comments about using the Insurrection Act, and his press secretary said he was joking about there being no elections. Some joke.
What’s the point of constantly saying there won’t be midterms? That’s exactly what they want people to believe. It discourages turnout, volunteering, donating, and even serving as poll workers—why bother if people think it’s already over?
If there were no elections, Congress would end in January 2027 and House members would be forced to give up their seats. Yes, Trump wants to strip Congress of its power, and yes, some Republicans are enabling him—but that does not mean elections won’t happen. And what about governors? Would Democratic governors in purple states just disappear?
There will be elections, and insisting otherwise only does Trump’s work for him. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. That doesn’t mean he won’t try something—but we shouldn’t help him by giving up in advance.
Elections are run by the states. Our energy should go into electing Democrats at the state and local level—governors, attorneys general, and legislators who can protect voting rights and block abuses of power. We need a House that can stop or slow his lawlessness. The Senate is tough, but it’s still worth fighting for.
Let’s keep showing up. Let’s not obey in advance or hand him power out of fear. Anxiety is understandable—but disengagement is exactly what he wants.
If you’re on IG, follow her—she really puts this into perspective.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTjJiHlDiEN/?igsh=aHF0dzkybWt2c3M=
and
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTi680vDujt/?igsh=MXY4bGhqM2IwNG56cQ==.
As HCR says, it’s going to get worse before it gets better and the way it will get better is to be resilient and fight on. Having anxiety and stress about this—which I definitely have—is ok and absolutely understandable, but let’s acknowledge it and ask ourselves, what are we going to do about it that would help?
Well, thanks for the obituary, You've just given permission to run like hell and live as POWs to fascism.
No. He is signalling his intentions to cancel them and no one is standing up to him. He tells you what he intends to do and has been for ten years yet he keeps on winning. He told you you’d be sick of winning…he meant HIS winning! Just not sick enough for people to remove him.
Thank you for clarifying. I appreciate that.
Where you going to run? Fascism was accepted when they voted him back in. Only internal action will overturn it. Assuming the Ostrich Position will solve nothing. It would appear a third are doing so. Don't blame me for saying what’s obvious to most of the planet, creating fear and disgust among most and joy to Putin.
Actually, because elections are run at the state level, there are many states that could still have elections. He has no way to cancel elections unless all the states go belly-up.
Minneapolis (and other blue states/D.C.) are training for what could be unleashed on Midterm Election Day. We need to prepare for this. National Guards come to mind, which can result in urban guerrilla warfare — with Trump’s lawless “Grab-and-Go Gestapo” far more heavily funded. I’m afraid it wouldn’t end democratically.
Tim Snyder suggests we do not 'obey in. advance'.
In
All kidding aside, fearing for their families is a legitimate concern on all sides. MTG stated after she disagreed with Trump that her family was threatened. Paul Pelosi was attacked. Judges have had pizzas sent to their children by disgruntled MAGA in cases going against the Adminsitration. Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, countless others…BITH sides of the aisle have been put in danger along with their spouses and kids.
We need a national drive to be better humans. We need real leadership and a real oral compass.
Steve: Can you edit your post to add a short PS about Kathleen Weber's reply so this stays visible at the top of the comment stack? This has to be HUGE--bigger than No Kings and it is easy to do. If you are retired, be sure to be shopping and leave the store.
DONT LET THE DICTATOR FORGET RENEE!!!
PLEASE JOIN the first step toward a general strike. Indivisible is calling on everyone to leave work at 2:00 PM on January 20.
Sign up OR create an event !!!
https://www.freeameri.ca/
FREE AMERICA WALKOUT
Republicans don't want to cross trump because they want to keep their cushy jobs. How brainless do you have to be to not know he's not going to save you? When we get rid of him (and we will), we're coming after all of the spineless Republicans, too.
Get out and VOTE!
They took an oath to “...support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic;...” A failure to live up to that duty is a breach of the public trust and is not only subject to impeachment for the President but criminal charges for anyone elected to public office can be filed. Since Trump is domestic enemy #1, maybe a good plan would be to find a Republican House member from a swing district and file criminal charges for breach of the public trust for failing to introduce articles of impeachment. That is something every Senator who failed to vote to convict Felon Trump the pedophile protector in his first two impeachments should have been charged with. The main problem that allows Senators to just turn the other cheek is there is really no legal standard of proof that the House Impeachment Managers must meet before the Senators will accept it as legally established and convict. There is no "preponderance of the evidence", vs. "clear and convincing”, vs “beyond a reasonable doubt" thus they use the standard of "what political party is going to win with guilty vote?"
I'm a Minneapolis resident. It's beyond me why everyone doesn't see or understand why this entire trump regime must go. We probably all watched Nicole Good get murdered by an ICE agent. We have seen the escalation of ICE brutality on our streets. Today we will see HATE protestors brought in to Minneapolis to express their hatred of Somalis and other groups. Meanwhile, schools and businesses, not just in Minneapolis but around the state as well are having to shut down or offer at home learning because ICE has so terrified people that might be targeted by ICE, won't/can't leave their home. This should scare the living HELL out of all us. You have to ask yourself what's in store for the midterms? trump and his sycophants are betting that the paramilitary trump has set up is going to keep mike johnson and john thune from ever seeing a jail cell because ICE will be all over blue states and cities disrupting the elections. If they didn't whole heartedly believe that they would already have started the process to impeach him and then convict him of countless crimes against the federal government. But alas they are either too stupid to realize their complicity or they just out right hate democracy. To put it mildly that is a conundrum of major proportions.
It's counter productive to spread fear as shown in Minneapolis in the last few days, unless, of course, you're donlad j trump. Then fear is to your advantage. But, I believe it's necessary
to be aware of what's in front of you. You don't approach a rabid animal like trump without a plan to over power him. I think there is a saying "fear is of the devil". So when the mid terms come around what can we do to capture these mad dogs and rid ourselves of them once and for all? Proactive thought and hope are a good start.
The establishment upper level democrats are complicit and compromised (i.e. AIPAC). WE HAVE FEW CHAMPIONS. We are on our own. DT is the hammer. Those pulling the strings,diabolical. God save us from ourselves.
Support for democracy and human rights was supposed to be a priority for Congress but on the Republican side they appear to have parked that for the time being while Trump strides the global stage like a Colossus.
https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47890
The Washington Office on Latin America has published a comprehensive review of Trump's efforts to dominate Latin America.
https://www.wola.org/analysis/trump-administrations-aim-to-dominate-latin-america-a-year-in-review/?emci=62e24922-e1f2-f011-8d4c-000d3a54b560&emdi=f56b0176-f4f2-f011-8d4c-000d3a54b560&ceid=16226977
However, former BBC journalist Edward Stourton's recent book 'Made in America: The dark history that led to Donald Trump' reminds us that Trump's policies are not unprecedented especially when it comes to Latin America.
Release the Epstein files.
Epstein files are not going to get rid of Trump. He is immune from prosecution while he is in office. The most the files can do, if they show he is a pedophile or involved with the business of it, is to peel away some of his support-- those that do not call it fake and refuse to believe.
I don't understand people who keep thinking that Epstein files are going to get rid of Trump.
People are hoping that if those files have enought in them to implicate "him" in illicit (maybe even illegal) activities, some of his previous voters will refuse to support him in the next election. This may be wishful thinking but it's the reason people want those files released, pronto. And it just may work.
Trump is not running in 2026. Will people not support those GOP who are running if they stay silent or even still support Trump when nothing will be proven? or even if something is proven which can be called fake in their bubble? To me this makes no sense, when you weigh it against all else that Trump is doing actually on top of what he is trying to do daily, one thing after the next. This is not all about deflecting attention from Epstein because of his possible crimes that he cannot be prosecuted for. I understand that the MOST that can help us now is to peel away some/little of the 30% hard core MAGA's when it comes time to vote. Trump needs to be impeached and his crimes with Epstein is not an impeachable offense. Maybe not releasing them can impeach Bondi.
This has become a distraction for many, a mantra "release the Epstein files" and it's misguided to think this will even work to depose Trump.
You might have missed my point, Potter. No one thinks he will be impeached because of the files. We HOPE, hope is the operative word, that the files may have enough in them to dissuade enough of his former voters not to vote for his compadres in 2026. It's about diluting his support among voters.
Donna I do get that. Possibly Trump could lose his support even now in 2026 without having all the files if we concentrated on what he is destroying daily. What is the fastest and best route to getting rid of Trump altogether is not the Epstein files, given the steadfastness, the stubbornness, of Trump's support.The Epstein files seem like a longer shot, a deflection from what is happening fast right now broadly and daily. The Epstein Files, if revealed, are so many documents that would have to be gone over and to change enough of the Congress quickly to get us a majority in the House and the Senate in 2026. This will take up air and take up time when so much else is happening. if we keep this up front. It is a tough hill to climb to get us to *conviction* and removal of the president. And the new revelations would be well *after 2026*.
We do not know how the election will go, especially in the Senate... nor their willingness to convict IF the House impeaches for this. It is far fetched to think that Epstein Files are going to do it at the great expense of taking attention from all else..Once we have millions of documents they have to be gone through, debated etc.
We should be forming articles of impeachment now about a lot else. Former voters have enough to consider if they are going continue to support TRump and his cabal. If what has come out about Trump's relation to Epstein has not done it yet what will get those few disbelievers if ever?And at that he is not prosecutable for crimes committed years ago while is president.
They are not "waiting". Under Biden (which is not to say that it would be his fault), the GOP became entirely neofascist. They threw out the last members of Congress who were still pro-democracy (Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, ...).
Neofascism shares with fascism the belief that democracy is bad and that new laws and policies should NOT be made by Congress, representing constituents' will, but by the executive branch of power, representing only the will of party leaders and donors and ideologues.
That is why Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House, recently said that he sees it as the job of Congress to "codify the executive orders signed by the president". That is literally the definition of fascism. In a constitutional democracy (monarchy or republic), the three branches of government are co-equal and independent, and it is the job of the representatives of the people to come together around what different constituents want, negotiate a compromise, and pass it, while it's the job of the executive branch (the White House) to executive/implement those laws.
So not only does the GOP in Congress NOT want impeachment, they are the ones installing fascism right now, while we're all distracted by the latest crazy "idea" of their clown in chief, Trump.
VP Vance for instance created last week a team of prosecutors that are detached from the DOJ and respond only to him and the president. That's the judicial aspect of fascism. In a democracy, prosecutors swear an oath to the Constitution instead. Goal of that team? To go after "illegal fraud". How does Vance define "fraud": he did exactly what Trump did in the NYT interview when asked about international law, namely, he claimed that there is no official definition of "fraud". In other words: the president and VP will make up their OWN laws, and then prosecute people for not obeying THEM.
And remember, Vance is only there because the neofascist tech billionaires (Musk, Peter Thiel, David Sacks, ...) want him there. And the theocratic Heritage Foundation fully agrees with neofascism. Its texts explain why democracy is bad and fascism good. It's HF people inside the executive branch who write Trump's executive orders in the first place.
We're one year in now, and SO many people still imagine that the problem is merely one man, Trump, not an entire party.
As long as that's the case, the GOP will be free to destroy America and the free world.
So once you have succeeded to put a label on this what next? We are still here with the ground reality which is moving beneath us. What needs to be done? What can be done now? If the branches are not working we have to inform enough people about what is happening and the consequences in order to change that. The GOP in Congress need to work for the people or be replaced. The people need to exercise their power. The next election, this year, is pivotal.This is the work now, to inform and to get people energized as to the seriousness of the situation. Trump keeps helping by doing and saying alarming things.
Yes--Mayor Mamdani has said this: we have the tools; we have to use them.
Republicans in fear have been waiting for more lines to be crossed, more damage. Trump takes that as a thumbs up and goes as far as he is allowed to. This has been a deeper revelation about how feckless our leadership is: GOP in Congress.They will allow Trump to go far to not only stay in power, but to grab all of it, destroy the country, his country. And so Trump marches on a wrecking ball destroying the world order. He is honest about this. He is mentally ill, folks. Do we like this so much that we keep it going? Trump goes along collecting the gold and the medals, preening himself. We have been told this in morality tales since forever. And more so we have seen this in history from which these stories derive. But only after a lot of harm done for however long as we allow it, it does not end well for the fake King.
We have a greedy, spoiled, deranged five year-old dressed up in a mans suit, who's occupying our White House.....and his parents don't give a s***.
I wonder, too. Sheeee-yit. It is just a job.
Trump’s approval, THAT is what R’s in Congress are waiting for!
Hello Steve... The GOP in Congress, have become Cowards, and too Comfortable... DJT has betrayed the USA, and should have been Convicted Years ago... The Congressional GOP has Betrayed their Oath To Protect The Constitution...
Per NCR “Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) went further, telling Wolf Blitzer of CNN that an attack on Greenland will lead to impeachment regardless of who is in control of Congress after the midterm elections.” I’m not sure what planet Representative Don Bacon is living on, but I’d like to live on whatever planet that is.
Hello Rex... Waiting until after the Mid-Term Elections will be Too Late..
You might well be right, Apache, but I don’t see anything we can do before the election, short of extreme violence (which I’m confident is beyond our capabilities, even if we were so inclined), that would have a snowball’s chance in hell of doing any good, except working to turn out our voters for that election.
Hello Rex... Violence would be the Wrong Choice... They have A.I. Surveillance & Drones... We have Whistles... Sustained Non-Violent 1st-Admendment Pressure is Our Best Course... Try to Peel Off the least Crazy Repubs.... Appeal to Our Better Angels... Pray For Divine Intervention, Soon...
Finally, something that republicans with stand against him on. Now, release the Epstein files!
If they didn't stand up to him on J6 after he tried to murder them, you'd have to be pretty optimistic to believe them now.
Maybe, maybe not. These Republicans will go with the wind. Taking Greenland is so deeply unpopular, if he does try maybe there will be an uproar so loud they will then act "heroic."
I haven't trusted them since the Nixon administration.
If I'd "have to be pretty optimistic to believe them now," then I'm pretty optimistic. Why? Because I believe that what Abraham Lincoln said then (1858) still applies now: "In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces judicial decisions."
They will bend like willows! And they will never release the Epstein files, not the real ones at least.
By now they could fake thousands of them, they must have an “army” working on it.
" They will bend like willows!" Now that is one the best worded descriptions I've run across here. Thanks. A really good one.
Definitely Collins, who waits to vote until the issue is decided and then casts her vote with the winning side! No knowledge, philosophy, loyalty, or financial views! Just bending in the wind!
Finally, something Republicans might actually oppose. Upending the world order? No problem for the stable genius. He believes he's president and can do whatever he pleases. The only constraints are his morality and judgment—and we know he possesses neither moral compass nor sound mind. Yet Americans voted for him anyway, proving that fear and hatred remain the most potent currency in politics.
tRump used the wrong word, he doesn't even know what "morality" means.
He was thinking, "mortality and judgment" meaning he knows he's going to die before anyone constrains him. I can't wait to see his face after he dies and wakes up in Hell. If there is a Hell. If not, he's still dead. A great reason to celebrate!
Also include SCOTUS for allowing “no blame for anything” when you’re the president (lower case intended ).
Sadly I agree
A Congressional Committee has recently released 18 $1 Million 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 💰 Epstein payments to the New York Bank.of Melon in 2007.
These transactions occurred before the brand new CEO''s time. The CEO may be want to settle the corporations liability now.
Money damages to the Survivors
ASAP..
Two things Karen, let's see for how long they are going to stand against him on Greenland and get a confortable seat to wait for the release of the Epstein files. Good luck 👍
You are yet another person who mistakenly thinks the Epstein files are a cure-all for this country caught in Trump's web. They are not. They are taking attention from his wrecking ball, destroying the ground we stand on. And how long will it take for millions of pages to be read closely? And then Trump cannot be prosecuted for what is IN the Epstein files, until AFTER he leaves office if his crimes are prosecutable. Bondi can be impeached for not complying with the law. Even if Trump has ordered her not to.. it's one more item on a list of more important lawless behavior. Cries about Epstein being THE THING that is going to get him (other than peeling away a few supporters) are misguided.
Who really cares about the Epstein files? As you said it is a distraction. We all know trump is of questionable sexual and business morality. Trumpers voted for him anyway. That speaks loudly for them.
What this does tell us is that trump and Bondi lied about releasing the files. It seems to be an impetus to create more havoc. Be more like Clinton-own up to your relationship with Epstein. Birds of the feather flock together so in light of trump's past behavior he most likely was a very bad man.
Trump is amoral if not immoral. He is mentally grossly unfit to be president. We need to be getting him out of the office ASAP. The pile of impeachable offenses, none of which are Epstein, is long. Epstein is a diversion other than violating the law Congress passed that requires him to release the files. And once they are released, if they are this will take more attention away from what Trump is doing daily to destroy our government. He will not succeed entirely, but he is doing a lot of damage with his henchmen/women. This is a test on us... Happy MLKing Day.
This is good, the title is somewhat misleading because it's not about the Epstein Files alone; not releasing them, defying Congress, are just another indication of why Trump has to go: https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5658590-epstein-scandal-bondi-trump-impeachment/
I didn’t say they were a cure to anything, never mind “all”. They are breaking the law by not releasing them.
What are they ( the Epstein Files) supposed to do for us at this point when so much else is screaming at us for attention? Epstein more important? Are Trump and his people not breaking other laws, including violating the Constitution?
Is this most important?
Say "Epstein files!" and you get a flock of "likes" from people who also don't want to focus on all that is going on and would rather Epstein did it all.
In the meantime Trump is taking advantage by throwing everything at us he can to wreck this country (his purpose). Some people are STILL saying all this other stuff happening is taking attention away from the Epstein Files... as if that is what is most important. Insanity, our insanity Karen.
I didn’t say it was more important and I didn’t say it was “most” important. Yes, they are breaking other laws and violating the constitution. They need to be held accountable for all of it. Please don’t put words in my mouth.
PS- Marc Elias has a good comment on Democracy Docket premium about Epstein Files here. https://bsky.app/profile/marcelias.bsky.social/post/3mcrxiyk65s2r
My feeling is that they need to be kept on the burner, but they also take up energy when they are in the front and Trump wants that while he is wrecking havoc.
If all you emphasize after reading here is now release the Epstein files, it's safe to assume that. You even say that here again: i.e.Oh yes to all of the rest but release the files.
You do not have to say more or most important if you show this is what you indicate.
I hope this is only the first stand the Republican reps and senators take. This emperor has no clothes.
Weren't they supposed to be release one or two months ago?
December 19, if my memory is correct.
I don't see it. The Republicans will not stand against Trump until they are convinced that
they are going down with the MAGA battleship. We aren't there yet - if we ever get there.
There are cracks in the ship, though. I predict those cracks will keep getting bigger, since I don’t see what Trump could possibly do that would actually improve his approval ratings going into the midterms.
The photo yesterday showing a groveling Machado next to a 79-year-old 2nd grade bully who just extorted a first grader's lunch money was one of the vilest, most oleaginous, shameful things we've seen in a long time.
President PissyPants specializes in grabbing things that aren't his, never could be, never will be -- from you-know-what 🙀 to Greenland to Venezuela's "oil" to our free and fair elections to Corrina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize. Can anyone even imagine the Nobel Prize Committee actually having to issue a statement to the world, à la The Polar Express --- "these tickets are NOT transferable!"
Unfreakingbelievable.
The fact that he thinks he deserves the peace medal when his ICE thugs are terrorizing and killing protestors and bystanders in Minnesota and other states is completely head-spinning. Oleaginous - perfect word.
lauriemcf, you taught me a new word (I had to look it up). I suspect that was why, back in the day, that nasty butter substitute was called "oleomargarine."
I saw a photo of him with that medal and the words "my preciousssss" facing the viewer. Gollum rides again.
Ally, then we know what happened to Gollum. He fell to his death in the fires of Mordor with “Precious” on his finger. After he bit it off the finger of Frodo the Ringbearer.
Everything, EVERYTHING, is a real estate transaction…even if it is a bite of a steal…to Trump.May he find Gollum’s inevitable ending.
Salud my friend.
🗽💜
Salud!! 🗽🍸
Ally I had to look it up too.
Ever heard of Jabba the Hut?
Who actually believes that Machado gave him the medal by saying that he ended 8 wars and that he deserves it?
I don’t believe she said as he quotes “nobody deserves this prize more than—in history—than you do”…..he is delusional if he really thinks he deserves it more than anyone else in history!! I fault congress….Republicans…for not reining in this madman! He has the nuclear codes! How do they not see this?
All our lives hang in the balance because 77 million "Americans" voted to install a psychopath in the highest office in the land once again. It's gone beyond a constitutional crisis, it's an existential crisis and if the nukes go off, it's not going to be only the 77 million who hung Damocles' radioactive sword over the world, it's all of us. At this point, it would be self-defense--in a moral sense, if illegal--to remove their heads.
He did that with the people he scammed also.
We have a greedy, spoiled, deranged five year-old dressed up in a mans suit, who's occupying our White House.....and his parents don't give a s***.
Thinking of Trump extorting awards like the FIFA Peace Prize and Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize have me thinking of a very sharp contrast with an unexpected award Arnold Schwarzenegger was tricked into accepting while Governor of California (I think).
I can’t find anything on it now, but do remember the news program where I saw Arnold accept the award. I have to believe his staff knew more about it, got the invitation and played along without his knowledge, getting him to show up at the award ceremony to accept something like the President's Special Award for Promoting Fitness in Educational Institutions.
It turned out to be something like the 5th grade class "President's" award, at private fancy named grade school/Academy, I think, with an ambitious list of dignitaries “invited” in very small print including people like the Secretary of Education (instead of actually expected to appear).
Arnold showed up, had a good laugh when he realized he'd been tricked, and graciously accepted the award without embarrassing the kids, With a rousing speech to the class, he thanked them for the award he described as, "Of all the awards I've ever received, …this is the most .......... recent!"
Would love to find that video again.
Update
I did some minor correction to the above post and, though I couldn't find what I think was the original story, did find something similar sounding in a LA Times story at https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-08-vw-953-story.html (behind a pay wall I'm too cheap to explore).
I actually think it may have been something that inspired what I think was the later set up award ceremony, but maybe it is just a faulty memory. The detail I'm most sure of is the stretched out line, "Of all the awards I've ever received, …this is the most .......... recent!"
DONT LET THE DICTATOR FORGET RENEE!!!
PLEASE JOIN the first step toward a general strike. Indivisible is calling on everyone to leave work at 2:00 PM on January 20.
Sign up OR create an event !!!
https://www.freeameri.ca/
FREE AMERICA WALKOUT
One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat: raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, attacks on immigrants, families torn apart, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent. It is time for our communities to escalate as well.
2025 was a year of marches that showed our collective strength. And as the threats grow, our movement must evolve and escalate. Trump and his allies have already made clear that a second term would bring a deeper wave of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and violence than the first.
On January 20, we call on our communities to organize teams, call your neighbors and classmates, and turn your back and walk out on fascism. Host mutual aid planning meetings, organize public service, but walk out to block the normal routines of power, and make the stakes real. This is a protest and a promise. In the face of fascism, we will be ungovernable.
★ We walk away from fascism. ★
★ We walk towards a Free America. ★
★ We fight for a future that belongs to us all. ★
★ Everybody in, nobody out. ★
★ Welcome to the Free America Walkout ★
We have to do whatever we can to make this protest the biggest so far. It needs to go beyond No Kings because we are now living in a fascist state.
A judge in Minnesota has enjoined ICE from using their most aggressive tactics. Trump has temporarily pulled back on invoking the Insurrection Act.
This is the window of opportunity.
As Trump gets more desparate, there may not be many more.
I recommend Heather's video summary of the week's political news. I watched it last night. She is impressive in a thousand ways, and she is so calm, and can be quite funny. There are many cracks starting to show in this administration, she said, but things will get worse before they get better.
She ended with the question, What can we do?
One, she said - take care of ourselves. She said she needs to get more sleep. She has been quicker to snap at people, she said. (ha,ha, probably a really mild "snap"!) I know she takes walks.
Two - call representatives. She said, "Call, call, call."
Three - run for office or support someone who is running.
Heather is unbeatable at keeping people aware of the overall context that we are living in. It’s like having a satellite view of the political terrain.
But too many people “follow the news”
The only way to be an effective activist is to lead the news.
Pick a small number of topics you have a vested interest in, research the issues, and then track them with a news aggregator like feedly every day. Don’t just track the big outlets—track industry journals, business news, foreign press that are usually a day ahead of what hits the headlines because they are reworking reuters and ap stories which publish first and are gathering their news from indy media and industry news.
The best time to write to a senator or member of the House is before they have made a decision. You want their staff to hear about what will shape the debate early in the process. You want to be feeding them talking points. It is where you have the most leverage.
Heather can point out the directions that events are moving in, but WE have to start getting out ahead of the wave. And we have to push our leaders to do so.
We, and the people who represent us, are ineffective because we are being swept along in the flood and swirled in the maelstrom. We have to choose something to cling to, some issue that we can stay the course with, that motivates us, that we are committed to and build a raft and ride it. It will be a different choice for each of us. But together we can make progress on all the issues that confront us.
I repeated Dr R's same words to a group yesterday too. She has reach and it is working! Let's keep broadcasting.
I also added what Dr R says - 'everyone has something to give'. Give what you are good at. Many people believe they have no skills. Almost anyone can make a sandwich and give it to a hungry neighbour. Or pick up food supplies for someone too afraid to leave their homes. We can pick up a phone and call our 'congress critters'. We can show kindness to stressed and fearful strangers.
There will be more. Trump's approval rating is tanking and he's panicking. For example, he's quietly withdrawn from threats of further attacks on Iran and Venezuela and Axios reports that he's also walked back his threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota because he sees his numbers dropping like a stone even on immigration policy.
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/16/trump-polling-immigration-approval-rating-ice-noem
I did a comment on the walking back of the Insurrection Act comment somewhere on the left most thread. It is not what it seems in the NY Times coverage.
There is more "TACO" in him than there is warrior. Think of it, he threatened to take over Greenland, GREENLAND!, for the sake of our security. He didn't go after China, which IS a threat to our security, because they have a huge military. He didn't go after Canada who has an undeclared but effective trade war with us, because Canada has power and powerful allies in NATO. He chose Greenland because he thought Denmark and the rest of the world would smile and nod. But Europe and NATO are reacting to his threats. He'll TACO on Greenland too.
Add to your list today's news of DOJ investigating Whether Minnesota's Walz And Frey. It is a daily shitfest. I have wisecracked before that comparing America to other older countries we are the “toddler” among them. E.g., the Constitution was approximately 220 years old when Barack Obama became the first Black person to be sworn into the Office of U.S. President. He served two full terms too. That was analogous to our toddler Uncle Sam taking his first two steps. Then we elected Trump. That was analogous to lil’ Sam falling backward onto his full diaper. Now Trump is back, acting out, throwing a tantrum, finger painting the Blue States and parts of the world with “Trump” from his diapers. He even made a video of it, something is out of whack in that head.He is an out of controlled spoiled little incorrigible brat. He (hey, as a former juvenile dependency attorney I am normally opposed to this) needs punishment (over ten million people taking this to the streets) and to be made to eat his peas (Release all the Epstein Files). Because that is what all this daily diversion shitfest is all about. Those files will brand his name in history along side John Wilkes Booth and his pathological lying malignant narcissistic and severe antisocial personality disorder self all in cognitive decline little ass knows it. And this is no longer a wisecrack, it is fact. Make your signs vivid and may the best one make world news letting people know we oppose this mentally ill President. For example, "IMPEACH & CONVICT THE CONVICT" OR "IMPEACH THE PEDOPHILE PROTECTOR"
Maybe not the best place to mention this, but I am related to John Wilkes Booth on my mother's side. Needless to say, he is not a relative we think of fondly.
Ouch! As a five year old I asked my Dad where my great grandparents came from. He told me "Don't worry about other people who are gone. Focus on your future." When I was 15 I asked my older brother where our family name came from. He told me Killackey is an Irish name. He said it means "The potatoes are bad, we are all going to die." Then he said don't worry, it is not our real name. Our real name is Koloski and it is polish. He told me our ancestors were accused of being horse thieves but they were Not guilty. Nevertheless we all were run out of Poland and chased by a posse but we made it all the way to Ireland because we were riding the best horses in Poland. I did not want to ask why we came to America.
Wow!
Yesterday, the New York Times published its photographic analysis of Renee Good's murder, declaring that Trump and Noem were peddling their usual fear-filled chickenshit.
But that's not even the main point. Everything about ICE's bizarre mission of terror, intimidation, prison and expulsion is simply a war against America, a simultaneous assault against our institutions of justice and accountability, captured and perverted toward unconstitutional ends, an attack against natural-born citizens, against law-abiding immigrants and refugees, as well as against those who came without papers who want nothing except to work, pay taxes, send their kids to school and one day become citizens, as well as against a small, violent criminal population -- all mixed together in a single, un-examined, unquestioned whole.
Not even delving into the obvious -- military forces with military training should never be mixed together with police forces with law enforcement training and time-tested community ties (this particular agent and ICE's hiring jumbles the two up constantly) -- the entire policy makes no sense at all. It's a mishmash of utter incoherence, organized solely around Donald Trump's war against imaginary "vermin" -- anybody he thinks too weak to protest his falsehoods, lunacies and bullying, around his pathological need to show "enemies" to declare martial law against, to invoke the Insurrection Act -- not to attack criminality, but to declare yet another insurrection -- for the *second* time.
This country has lost its mind if it buys a word of this. It's packaged, fascist nonsense designed to deceive, to inflame, to confuse, to spur hatred, and above all -- fear. It has absolutely nothing to do with "law enforcement."
Nothing will change until we shatter the basic precepts underlying this nonsense.
IMO, It has everything to do divide and conquer so that we do not see the United States as united in any way whatsoever. These global corporatist fascist dba R.I.N.O. what to chop the country into 50 corporate controlled shit hole states.
Kathleen, I’ve got my sign ready for a gathering tomorrow at my rural county courthouse; assume we will gather again on the 20th as well. I quoted the words from a “banner” (probably a sheet) students hung from a 2nd story window at NYU in a May 1970 protest in response to the Kent State killings…wish I could post the pic here. It says “THEY CAN’T KILL US ALL”….seems fitting for those words again, sadly.
I remember that sheet well...
Barbara, I wonder what an Iranian protester would think of your sign. In any case, it's a good sign, and I wish I could be there to carry it with you.
I am so disheartened by what is happening to the population there…how humankind lets religious and cultural dogma lead to such cruelty and, really, evil. Seeing videos of some of the clashes and being horrified, I found myself fervently wishing we don’t see the likes (level) of it here on our streets ***shudder***.
Right. A sign. That'll stop him.
12,215,000 of them (3.5% of the population) would be a good start
It’s better than sitting at home and hoping it all goes away. I know way too many people doing that.
🤣only if he’s close enough!
The one tactic we have is to apply as much friction from the perimeter to the chaos in order to slow it down and bring clarity to the battlefield, so to speak.
And what is *your* strategy, JBR?
Per Ali Vital of "Way to Early" who broadcasts her MSNow show at 2 AM Pacific & based on "records from emergency services released yesterday [1/15/26]".
Emergency 911 Calls about Renee's murder "flooded in starting at 9:38 AM continued for 1 hour."
Upon arrival at the ER at 9:42 AM "paramedics reported [Renee] still had an "irregular heart beat".
Upon arrival at the ER , Renee Good had four (4) apparent gunshots NOT one (1). "Two (2) on the right side of her chest, a 3rd on her Left arm and a possible 4th on her head."
The trajectory of these four (4) bullets can easily be traced to shooter gun & position.
So 4 shots NOT 3 killed Renee Good!
Per ER Team "Resuscitation efforts did not end until 10 AM". Prosecute the Perp.
Counsellor, I am pretty sure the four wounds were caused by three rounds: the first shot (lower left windshield, shooter's right) passed through her arm and into her chest. The last two (fired from the side) were her left chest and head. I have not seen the autopsy report myself. A chest wound on the right side fired from the left of the vehicle could only be the round fired from his first shot, which was fired at roughly a 45 degree angle.
That she was denied medical care from the time of the shooting until 9 minutes later is the most atrocious violations of the standard of care I have seen. The casual response to the shooting from all the "law" "enforcement" there is utterly disgusting.
Prosecute the Perp!!!
UPDATE on disputed facts Ally.
VELSHI's first segment reported Good's body had four (4) wounds. Further evidence may be provided by an official autopsy.
Note, 3 hits agree with Ally.
Closing Costs on the Apocalypse
How Annexing Greenland Turns a Real Estate Fantasy Into World War Three and an Impeachment Hearing
Donald Trump looks at the world the way a developer looks at a map in a conference room. Borders are suggestions. Treaties are paperwork. People are tenants who should feel grateful someone important noticed their land. Greenland, in this view, is not a country or a culture or an ally’s territory. It is a corner lot that feels psychologically necessary...
https://essayx.substack.com/p/closing-costs-on-the-apocalypse
“No Kings”
An Anthem for America
By The People, for The People
Verse 1
Two hundred fifty years gone by,
Our patriots fought and bled,
They carved a path for unity,
That wrote our country’s name;
Now chaos threatens our union,
Yet the Constitution shows,
A promise for the future,
From our Founding Fathers long ago!
Chorus 1
No Kings! No kings! No kings!, we cry,
Here throughout the land,
Our stalwart voices ring aloud,
Retribution will not stand,
Autocracy will not stand!
Verse 2
Through trials, storms, and oppression,
This vision still holds true,
Democracy’s enduring light,
Belongs to me and you;
Our Constitution guides us still,
From division and through strife,
It calls us back to Liberty,
The heartbeat of our life!
Chorus 2
“No King! No kings! No kings!” we cry,
Here throughout the land,
Our stalwart voices ring aloud,
Fascism will not stand,
Injustice will not stand!
Verse 3
Thrones and crowns and kings alike,
The warning signs we face,
Our love of country sees clearly,
Tyranny’s ruthless shame;
Both red and blue we gather now,
Drawn by equality’s flame,
Our common mission raised in song,
For the USA!
Chorus 3
“No King! No kings! No kings!” we cry,
Here throughout the land,
Our stalwart voices ring aloud,
Fear and hate will not stand,
Authoritarians will not stand!
An order to the US military to seize Greenland, a Danish territory, would be unlawful. NATO was created by the Washington Treaty in 1949. The United States signed that Treaty and is a founding Member of NATO.
Article VI of the US Constitution: "This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land."
Ben Hodges, LTG, US Army, Retired, former Commander US Army Europe
You gave your oath to the Constitution, just like other serving military personnel, attorneys, and public officials. Mark Kelly and the other people who have reminded the armed services they have a duty to the Constitution and to avoid carrying out illegal orders. Trump wants the army personally loyal to himself and Kegseth is there to ensure it. He is the worst defense secretary ever. Thank you for reminding us of this.
This is what I've been asking: what commander or general of the US forces would be willing to command troops to invade/attack Greenland? It is so obviously illegal, unconstitutional, and stupid as well.
What I have been asking too is: did the military think it was a legal order to invade Venezuela and arrest Maduro? (And if it wasn't legal, why'd they obey the order?)
There are many who know military matters and say that no US commander would be willing to invade Greenland.
Except they have been murdering civilians in the Caribbean and making sure there is no evidence that they were transporting drugs.
Accept maybe some dumb trump appointee.
He would be living up to his bargain with Putin to destroy NATO and the GOP (fascist party) are happy to help.
It is very likely that Hegseth and trump have purged the top military officer ranks of honorable people.
That's a sad thought, but given what we've witnessed of late, you're probably right.
He doesn’t care…his only limit is his ‘own morality’….. if that comment was not so sick and quite terrifying, it would be ludicrous. To think he’s being allowed, nay encouraged, in his psychopathic madness by people who should be moving heaven and earth to get rid of him (and his handmaidens: Vance, Rubio. Hegseth, Miller, Noem et al). Why is this not happening?
Lizzie, many have compared Donald to a mafia boss, and it's an apt comparison. It's actually an accurate designation. The Trump Organization has always done business with Bratva-controlled firms, starting with Fred, then under Donald.
The mentality within organized crime is no different from that of street gangs, such as the Bloods and the Crips (funny how Donald ignores them while obsessing over Tren de Aragua, which doesn't even operate in the U.S.).
Gangs are organized as lieutenants, enforcers and specialists. Trump's lieutenants, those you named, are the "true believers" who are convinced that they are immune to prosecution or history's judgment as long as they stick close to Donald – with one exception: Marco Rubio.
Rubio knows he's on the wrong side of history. He knows what he's part of is immoral and illegal. The evidence is in the many captures of pained expressions on his face during Donald's worst behavior. Rubio is like that gang member who'd like to quit the gang and live a better life, but he's terrified of what would happen to him and his family if he left the gang. So he stays. He's obedient. He shows loyalty. One of these days, Rubio will be required to demonstrate his loyalty by pointing a pistol at someone toward whom he has no malice and pull the trigger. Then, he will have to make a decision.
And I like Bacon's promise to impeach if Greenland is invaded. Trump is very afraid of being impeached again. It is good for Republicans to begin using that word. Trump is a toddler. "If you don't behave, I am going to have to impeach you."
Perhaps Bacon felt emboldened to make that promise based on the assumption that no general would obey the order to invade Greenland. Hence, the invasion would never happen so the House would never have cause to impeach. I hope it's a good bet.
LTG Hodges: Why would illegality be a deterrent?
Thanks for your insight, General. I hope that today's upper command levels have the same commitment to the constitution that you do. IIRC, your oath does not expire, even in retirement (mine, as a now retired Deputy, will expire 12/31 2099. I will expire before then.)
Thank you for your service and your comment. I hope that present commanders honor their oath to the constitution, as you have.
So much of the military, indeed the entire government and our society now is controlled by tech-fascist billionaires. I wondered if you have seen this article, "The Authoritarian Stack."
https://www.authoritarian-stack.info/
I had missed the January 7th interview. Thank you. What he sees as reality and being “right about everything” is absolutely wild.
For the sake of our future, be loud. Let Congress hear you!
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Goodtrouble) as a resource to contact members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. We deserve better ❤️🩹🤍💙
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Add a comment to help keep this bumped ✊ New eyes seeing this means new ripples for change 🤞
Imagine ANY other President saying "I'm President. So, I might just take it." "Only my own morality stops me. I don't want to hurt people." and "I've been right about everything". The men wearing white coats carrying large butterfly nets would have taken that President off to the funny farm immediately! SMH
Also, Steve, I can’t recall another other President “flipping the bird” to someone who heckles you from a distance with two words. He may be a powerful richie-grifter, but he’s got NO class.
In the most recent video that Heather makes about the news of the week (highly recommended), she talked about the only past presidential comparison to Trump's response. It was Andrew Johnson. When a heckler got to him, he started comparing himself to Jesus. His aides knew then that he was going off the deep end.
I shouldn’t be shocked about anything anymore but his responses are just something else. Like they always are, I keep waiting for someone to rein him in and nope.
Tragically, nothing he says or does is shocking.
It is all perfectly consistent with his goal of destabilizing the US and then building a new Reich on the ruins.
It is all perfectly consistent with Proj*ct 2*25--the contemporary M*in K*mpf.
Given the American way of life, who would rein him in?
How much devastation had to occur before Mussolini and Peron were finally "reined in"? Who reined them in?
How many failed attempts were there to rein in Hitler?
Who perpetrated these attempts?
Do any current American military leaders love their country enough to attempt a counter coup?
His responses are the sign of mental illness. Republicans just don’t want to admit it. He’s too useful to those surrounding him anyway. He’ll go along with anything Milker and Vought suggest.
Mental illness, absolutely the truth. And we can win this. We just need to take care of ourselves and do what is right.
And the grin on his face when he got the Nobel medal from Machado - just like a toddler whose tantrum got him the extra cookie. Embarrassing and appalling.
A friend (sadly, I don't remember who and cannot find the link) posted a photo of him sitting at a table with the medal (not the prize itself, but the shiny gold medal) grinning that grin of his, and in front of him with the writing facing the viewer is a coffee mug with "My precisoussss" on it. Gollum indeed.
I've heard that none of the WSJ on-line commentors liked the Nobel "acceptance." The cracks are showing.
Embarrassing and very dangerous!
Pitiful, if there were any pity to be had for him.
That's his MO with women and girls, too!
What he sees as reality is reflective of a malignant narcissist, cruel to the core, with the emotional maturity of a 2-year-old in love with himself, who truly believes (or says he does) his own shit really does smell like peaches and cream.
There is absolutely no religion out there, no moral philosophy, no personal, political, social or ethical framework that would describe this as other than delusional psychosis.
My hunch is that literally every Republican knows this, too. It's not like there's anybody out there who actually has confidence in this megalomaniac. They just want 'somebody else' to take care of the problem they themselves created.
No joy whatever in affirming what Heather and many others seem to agree upon -- it's going to get worse before it gets better. There is no script, no map, no compass for these uncharted waters of dementia, mental illness, institutional suicide, so many shirking their responsibility in permitting this ugly little brat free reign for his sadism, insecurity, aggression, moronism.
Don’t forget all the suck-ups around him….cabinet (ever listen to them speak to him…makes me want to have a barf bag nearby), Congress, business leaders, leaders from other (not all!) countries….many of them feeding his fantasies that he’s a very special boy, while they siphon off what power/prestige/resources they can. Pitiful.
I agee -- the Florida Panthers all dressed to look like him. The extravagant gifts - it's sickening. Kimmel offered to give Trump all his awards if he would pull ICE out of Minnesota -- that has to be tempting for him!!
I saw that clip Laurie….was perfect!
Yes, but you can't get rid of a rattlesnake without removing its head.
You mean Stephen Miller?
Just yesterday I saw a clip of Miller speaking and I wondered if he would not look so much like Nosferatu if he had joy/empathy/kindness showing in his eyes and face and not so “stiff”….IMHO the man has no inner beauty to soften his countenance.
It's a metaphor as I'm sure you know but have fun with it
Listen to Lutnick at 32.32 minutes in at the signing of the Full Fat Milk Bill.
It is a classic.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/trump-signs-a-law-returning-whole-milk-to-school-lunches
Listened, but couldn’t stomach his entire comment-blech 🤮
Guess we all need to be buying barf bags by the truck load now…..sigh, gonna be a long three years! 🤢🤮😢😤
He’s less psychotic and rather more subject to two seriously dangerous personality disorders (malignant narcissism and sociopathy) coupled with increasing dementia.
RE ". . . every Republican knows this . . .":
No, they don't.
The current batch of "Republicans" is a brilliantly, cynically-created coalition of self-righteous, true-believing "strange bedfellows," who never would have had anything to do with each other under normal circumstances.
As long as they are deluded into believing their particular single issues are being addressed, they don't see any problem.
Nothing else matters.
These people didn't just emerge--they have always been with us.
The decades-long lack of effective Dem leadership along with a lethargic, low-info, general population, created the moral and political void in which MA*A could flourish.
I'm referring to Congresscritters. Of course they know he's a fraud and sham. The cynical collection of self-righteous is phonier than you or I can imagine. They've ridden his coattails for a long time. Now they don't know what to do.
It goes down to the voter, to the electorate, sick in the head, trusting idiot demagogues, too lazy to be bothered to think through challenging issues -- that's the void into which all the others follow.
I agree with all that you say here, ICTT, except that "there is no map..."
Listen to Heather's video of the week's political news. She says there are cracks showing in this administration, but, yes - things are going to get worse before they get better. Then she gives the map, and she talks quite a bit about this:
One - Take care of ourselves, and like a good leader, she gives her own experience here.
Two - "Call, call, call" our representatives.
Three - Run for office or support someone who does.
Take care of yourself, ICTT! I always read your comments, because they are informative and help my morale.
Couldn't agree more with all of the above. Still, I don't think we've ever had a map for quite what we face right now. Jon Meacham spoke to this the other day on Colbert. It's not that our Founders didn't anticipate men of low moral character who would rally gullible, foolish people searching for a strong man -- it's the combination of so much institutional collapse, moral rot, the perversion of justice itself, the dereliction of Congress, etc.
Still, that doesn't change what we must do...Onward.
That explains trump's mindset, what explains the mindset of the rest of the right-wingers? It is obvious that they want to end our democracy and dream of permanent rule over the United States.
Thank you, Megan Rothery, for facilitating active Resistance.
Every day. As often as possible! ✊
Thank you, Megan. Seeing the Goodtrouble link is a bright spot of hope for us.
I highly recommend HCR's summary of the week's political news. It is so well delivered and calming. She ended with the question, What can we do? and her answer was superb.
One - take care of ourselves. She spent quite a bit of time on this and talked about herself.
Two - call our representatives. "Call, call, call," she said.
Three - run for office or support someone who does.
She and Megan are two of my heroes.
Wild that my name can be put as a hero with Professor Richardson. Very honored. 💜
I’m reposting this YouTube vid from yesterday cuz I posted late & many might have missed it. It’s an AI “music” vid produced by the Greenland Defense Front invoking indigenous peoples/wildlife/spirits. I watched it several times to read the captioning of the song & then again to focus on the visuals & again just cuz I wanted to. Well done, I thought: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS0wFiWpU4U&list=RDPWMnNoHshRA&index=4
Excellent use of Ai,too. Thanks for sharing.
Kalaallit Nunaat ajugaaniassaaq! Victory to Greenland!
Agree, Steven, I’ve watched it a number of times as I keep picking up on details I’d missed! Very clever & moving as well.
I’m wondering about Toyota’s prominent ‘product placement’ in this fantastic video? Any thoughts?
Kari, Toyota trucks, especially the model we call Tacoma’s (I drive a 2003 manual trans 4x4, had a 1990 before that) are ubiquitous in other countries, indeed they sell models not available in the US (the Hillux),so I only noted it mostly because the awesome tank-tread-like “wheels” (snow country off road driving I assume)….I’d never seen anything like it so am going to see if they are a real thing! It’s a cool AI vid!
The right to arm bears! Love it!
Thank You, Barbara. Wow.
Thanks, Barbara! It's 2:15 AM, and I needed this!
WOW.
Sharing.
Thanks, MaryPat, it’s worthy of sharing & I figured LFAA was a good place to post it for max views!
Yes!
We the People stand with Greenland! 🇬🇱 🐻🐳☃️🤍❤️
It is an awesome video. Thanks for sharing! I love to see the people rise up.
I need one of those "Greenland Defense" shirts!!!
Me too!!!!
“We are ground zero for Trump’s war on America.”
That’s Kaohly Her, the mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, at a Twin Cities hearing today.
But it’s not just Donald’s war on America. It coincides, too, with Putin’s war on the West, on democracy – and for the white supremacy and nationalism he pushes there, as Donald does for his wannabe dictatorship in the U.S., his self-enrichment aiming to lord over all the Americas.
It coincides with the Iranian mullahs miring their people in their sectarian, patriarchal dictatorship. Viktor Orban imposing his Hungarian nationalism – one where not a single co-enabler can cite any Hungarian novel, memoir, or history, any more than any of Donald’s sycophants can cite any American arts, or any of Putin’s oligarchs or Iranian mullahs can cite anything from outside their tribal packages.
But look at the goons amuck in Minnesota. Any of them attended any American school where they learned to respect and reference any humanity or humanities any better than their atavistic thug peers worldwide?
Don't forget it coincides with Republicans war on free and fair elections, and indeed exists as an extension of that war as a way to overthrow the elected representation of Minnesota. None of this happens without the Republican party.
Multiple causalities, Wandyrer.
Let's be clear, Republicans across the country are cheering every time some ICE thug murders "whoever" in some city far from where they live. You can see that in the poll numbers and in the fact that ICE is still out murdering someone new every day despite one of the largest protest movements currently ongoing.
There are ALREADY significant casualties, but the casualties are only on one side. We the people have made it clear we will keep letting Trump and his gestapo kill us as long as it takes for people to realize that they are going to be next, and it doesn't matter how polite they are about not supporting Trump and his Republican Gestapo.
More people really should have learned that quote from the German pastor living in Nazi Germany in school, but its no coincidence why they stopped teaching it.
They went crazy, MAGA did, Wandyrer.
Plus they had Donald, to whose antics our media all gave free passes. Free air time. Just as the social media billionaires turned over their algorithms for more sensationalism, more hate.
Plus Donald taking his cues for violence from Putin, his cues for manipulating, extorting elite institutions from Orban.
Schools? All hunkered down to their testing masters.
Plenty of poisons from the bad guys. Not much good from our presumed good.
And we should have treated them then exactly like they are treating us now. National Guard presence at MAGA hate rallies, lean on the news networks and threaten them into submission to tune out the facsist messages. Harris should have celebrated Trump Vs. US by having Trump dragged to the white house in chains and shot right next to the MAGA 6.
Every single problem we are currently facing is because we refused to recognize the problems is that what we refuse to stomach doing to Republicans what they passionately cheer doing to us. If the freedom loving people of the United States are willing to be led like sheep to the slaughter in service to the fascist Republican party, that's on them, but they can stop it any time.
Wandyrer:
"Every single problem we are currently facing is because we refused to recognize the problems is that what we refuse to stomach doing to Republicans what they passionately cheer doing to us"
Yes.
Exactly.
Horrifically.
Do the ". . . freedom loving people of the United States" have the insight, skills, and energy to become freedom fighters?
Pastor Martin Niemöller was arrested and sent to concentration camp for his anti-Reich beliefs.
Similar to the 3rd Reich, and governed by standardized testing requirements that are antithetical to actual education, teachers no longer have a choice over what they teach.
And you know the core group that the Republican Party wrapped itself around? The core group that has chafed for a couple centuries in a nation that they refuse to accept is a secular nation? The core group that believes we need only the Four Rs in education: readin', 'ritin', 'rithmetic and religion? That's right. Evangelicals.
They have been at war with the United States ever since they lost control of the agenda. Consider the lyrics of an anthem that is joyfully sung in every evangelical Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.
1. Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus Going on before!
Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle, See His banner go!
(Refrain)
2. At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers, On to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver At the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices, Loud your anthems raise!
(Refrain)
3. Like a mighty army Moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod.
We are not divided; All one body we,
One in hope and doctrine, One in charity.
(Refrain)
4. Onward then, ye people, Join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices In the triumph song;
Glory, laud, and honor Unto Christ the King;
This thro' countless ages Men and angels sing.
(Refrain)
Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus Going on before!
Earlier in the week, a hot topic was whether any ICE employees had participated in the January 6th crimes. In a day or two, nothing. That nothing made me wonder if all the new ICE employees carrying weapons are doing so lawfully. That is, are they checked for prior felonies or domestic abuse that would bar them from possessing weapons?
Is a background check even required in this regime?
Donna, here's your answer:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/01/ice-recruitment-minneapolis-shooting.html
Free for all, just sign on the dotted line.😳
I'm so-o-o disappointed.
I started to read HCR's comment section at 9:15 AM this morning (it's now 10:39) and for an hour I was increasingly excited that we might actually be recipients of the no Balla prize in the form of a day in which the false and absolutely unprovable assertions he persists and persists and persists in posting here over and over and over. incessantly, about the Powell report. and conservative foundations, and standardized testing, and teachers/administrators/school boards perfidy on causing same, all resulting in the total "removal of the humanities from American schooling." It is Balla bull!
That is, it is Balla's BIG, BIG LIE.
It is the kind of lie that is unprovable, unDISapprovable without a hugely expensive and time-consuming quest, that as a long-shelved educational historian whose dissertation involved three years traveling throughout Connecticut to establish, as best I could, what "on the ground evidence" remained of impact from Henry Barnard's common school reform effort between the late 1830's and early 1850's.
Balla has made his thesis up. It is insulting to educators, virtually impossible to disprove, plays directly in to the hands of MAGATS, Christian Nationalists, and other similarly uniformed critics of education and yet, routinely and repeatedly, receives dozens of 'likes' from obviously equally uninformed but loyal HCR readers. I speak from intimate knowledge of the pursuit of educational history; I spent three YEARS in the early sixties researching and writing my Barnard dissertation employing strategies Mr. Balla can only dream of. That is what he contributes here on his claim, i.e. NOTHING, and it is long past time he stop and leave his un-knowing likers alone lest he bring them all down around him.
This President needs to be removed from office before he gets us all killed.
"This President needs to be removed from office before he gets us all killed."
How do you propose to make this happen?
Impeachment. 25th Amendment. Tar-n-feathering. A foreign power swooping in and taking him away in the cover of darkness seems to work for others. Doesn't much matter. If people in the government want to preserve a country, they must act.
Good ideas, but how would you propose to implement them?
If the people currently in government were interested in saving the country, impeachment would already have happened.
You write as if "the people currently in government" is a monolith incapable of changing. And yet, it is changing. I will explain how.
Let me begin by explaining the mindset of politicians to you. Their job is to stay in office. That means to win elections. To do that, they have to please their constitutents and their donors. Arguably, they have to please their donors more than their constituents. And they have to please their party so that the party gives them money to win re-election. Up until very recently, this meant pleasing Trump so he would "bless" their candidacy. The lack of "blessing" for her run at a Senate seat is why MTG broke with Trump. This happened to a lot of GOP congress people who didn't fall in line. Trump made his chosen candidates popular with their constituents.
But Trump's antics have made many of his chosen candidates unpopular now.
If popular appeal turns against a candidate, the party/the donors won't back a horse that's going to lose. They won't waste their money. They will move to replace them with someone who has better appeal. This is what GOP members of Congress are facing as popular opinion turns against Trump.
Those representatives who want to continue their time in Congress need to switch horses. And we can see by the recent defections by GOP reps to vote on the Epstein files or against military intervention in Venezuela that that is happening. Six months ago, no one could have imagined a GOP rep voting against something Trump wanted. Now we're seeing them do just that in the House and the Senate.
Not enough yet for impeachment. But far more than anyone expected to turn.
And then... Heather Cox Richardson reported in her newsletter yesterday: "Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) went further, telling Wolf Blitzer of CNN that an attack on Greenland will lead to impeachment regardless of who is in control of Congress after the midterm elections."
So "the people currently in government" are sounding pretty different than they were even one week ago.
Since the verbiage used in my comment was a direct quote from your statement, i.e.,
"If people in the government want to preserve a country, they must act,"
your next response:
"You write as if 'the people currently in government' is a monolith incapable of changing," is neither responsive nor accurate.
So you posit that "the people in the government" cannot vote one way in June and another way the following January? This is clearly an inaccurate statement. Again, "the people currently in government" is not a monolith incapable of change. Some have already demonstrated that change by speaking publically of impeachment proceedings this week.
Why are you so angry with me for suggesting that there may be some hope?
Just breaking headline:
"Trump Backs Down on Insurrection Act as Democrats Take the Offensive
Officials denounced the Trump immigration crackdown in Minneapolis at an unofficial congressional hearing, while the president said he no longer saw a need to send in military forces."
Are we really supposed to believe 8 words out of Trump’s mouth on invoking the Insurrection Act that appear in the ninth paragraph down in a NYTimes article?
“I don’t think I need it right now,” he told reporters while leaving the White House to spend the weekend in Florida. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota had urged Mr. Trump on Thursday to back down on the heated rhetoric. “Let’s turn the temperature down,” the governor wrote on social media. “Stop this campaign of retribution.”
Trump wants to distract and deflect us. It is so bad in America now that people are going to clutch at any straw offered. We all crave relief.
A judge in Minneapolis has issued an injunction against ICE terrorizing peaceful protestors. Trump is trying to take credit for choosing to back off.
But read what he says. Those words “right now.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/16/us/minnesota-democrats-ice-hearing.html
Maybe someone told him about his actual poll numbers for the midterms and suggested he not use the National Guard as it would tank his numbers even further (if that’s possible)? If so, that person should not be hanging around open windows.
He's just trying to wag the dog to change the story for a news cycle or two. The problem is he can't let it cool down too much or everyone will be reminded about the Epstein files.
There are enough turds in the chamber pot that he just has to keep stirring because the DOJ has shut down the release of the files, and the mainstream media is protecting Trump. The Epstein files are not being allowed to bob to the surface.
It will take the survivors publishing the list of pedophiles at great peril to themselves to get any traction.
Then someone with the wherewithal (money/power/connections) could/should enable these women to do just that. This has gone on long enough. Trump’s farcical ‘presidency’ is a huge Jenga game - remove those blocks and it will crumble.
Mackenzie Scott would be my choice for who should be the donor.
Appropriate analogy here. The loss of one piece could send the whole tower collapsing.
Makes me wonder why the wealthy Dems aren't doing this. A couple mega wealthy celebrities should already have done this.
Georgia Fisanick--
Love it! Gives a whole new perspective to bobbing for apples!
Not his polls. Somebody told him about the reaction in Congress to Greenland.
His go-to response is to deflect. He had to change the topic. Using the Insurrection Act was the deflection for Greenland and protection on Minnesota.
Somebody gave him a twofer.
Caputo's reporting demonstrates that people in his orbit are anxious enough about the ICE blow back to be leaking - https://youtu.be/8L-br4wflvs?si=B9KPQyGiS7JWukcp
IMPEACH THE WHOLE REGIME!!!!!!!!
MAKE AMERICA CONSTITUTIONAL AGAIN!!!!!!!!
Sandra, how do you propose that the whole regime get impeached?
We can dream of electing enough Democratic Representatives and Senators, and then we can try to do it. Might never work, but I think we should try.
Lovely dream . . . but we also need a politically effective plan, and the leadership to make it a reality.
Its funny how they are willing to say "Attacking a NATO Ally might rise to the level of being a high crime and misdemeanor" but "Sending an armed mob to murder congress" didn't.
Don't believe them, their just lying liars covering up for the fact that their spineless bootlicking fascists. When Trump attacks Greenland, and he will, because who's ACTUALLY going to tell him no, they'll all fall in line behind der Furher one more time, just like they have every other time he's broken the law, or stolen from the Treasury, or tried to have people killed, or murdered and detained US citizens.
I could go on, but lets be real here, there is no crime too great for Republicans to support a Republican president, and thats why they can't be allowed to continue to exist as an organization. They are a threat to the United States and a far greater one than Trump ever was.
Wandyrer, McConnell KNEW ‘Rump should have a conviction for his 2nd (!) impeachment, and said as much in his speech where he said let the courts take care of it…then Garland waffled too long…..and here we are.
Imagine if Kamala had been Attorney General instead of Garland . . . her prodigious skills were wasted as VP--particularly since the Dem leadership didn't use Biden's promised only 4 years to groom her--or anyone else--for president.
You nailed it Joanne….totally agree.
And that's why Biden should never have been on the ticket in the first place, and Garland shouldn't have been under consideration for more than parking attendant after Trump lost in 2020. The only reason he was put forward as a candidate by Obama was as a sop to McConnell, who blackmailed the President of the United States not to reveal that the Republican candidate was a Russian Agent during the election in 2016, despite the fact that the FBI knew he was.
Biden had far, FAR too long a history of folding like a lawn chair to his Republican buddies to have been the candidate left to deal with the Trumpster fire, and he handled it the exact same way he handled everything else, by counting on support from his Republican friends, including Merrick Garland.
Wandyrer: "Biden should never have been on the ticket in the first place, and Garland shouldn't have been under consideration for more than parking attendant after Trump lost in 2020."
Exactly.
Yes.
And lethargic Dems are complicit.
"Pedophile protector!!"
That's all the Dems need to say. Leave it to Trump to destroy himself.
Too bad only one auto-worker in the entire factory said it.
The others actually said quite a lot. And quite loudly, Quite telling that.
Gregg Scott: That's so encouraging!
What others? What did they say?
Dunno, Steven, he might break his middle finger from excessive use in responding!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 He is so vulgar and crass that he just might do so!
I could fit that on a sign
Such a delusional and dangerous buffoon. And what about those Epstein files?
There are memes circulating of Trump being given the leg lamp ("a major award) from The Christmas Story. Another of Venus Williams giving him her award for the women's singles tennis championship at Wimbledon. So when I read in this that the hockey team had given him their championship medals, a jersey and a hockey stick, I was sure it was satire. Then I said to myself "self, this is not Andy Borowitz writing, it's Heather Cox-Richardson." I guess truth can actually be stranger than fiction. sigh.
If Williams gave him her Wimbledon trophy, would that make him a transathelete?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Maybe the Cub Scouts will give him a Pinewood Derby trophy.
After I posted last night I saw one with OJ presenting him with (I presume) his Heisman trophy.
“Most Republicans know this is immoral and wrong…”
They have known that about so many things Trump has done for some time now, and did nothing, nothing at all, to stop or impede him. If an attempted occupation of a NATO ally is what finally does the trick, so be it. Bring it on.
End this nightmare!
I'm with you, Ralph, but given the track record of these congressional nags I wouldn't even place a $2.00 bet against the long odds.