Thank you for this as always, Heather. And please take care of yourself. This letter is so late/early and I know you must still be up. We need you for the long run. Yours from Bath, awaiting the same sunrise.
Most of the big cities in Texas are blue! The problem with Texas is the vast rural areas. I live in one of the many red rural areas in Texas. Greg Abbott has tried and tried to make voting in the cities in Texas harder and harder. He KNOWS that Texas cities consistently vote Democratic.
I keep voting against the trio of Abbott, Patrick and Paxton. It boggles the mind that these three clowns are still here. And we also have Cornyn and Cruz. My rep is Chip Roy. An abundance of truly awful people!
Better do something with so much treason in the air. Otherwise there will be civil war. As John C. Calhoun, of all people, wrote in 1848: “The [500-year] Republic had in reality ceased to exist long before the establishment of the [Roman] Empire. The interval was filled by ferocious, corrupt, and bloody factions. There was, indeed, a small but patriotic body of eminent individuals who struggled in vain to correct abuses and to restore the government to its . . . purity, and who sacrificed their lives in their endeavors to accomplish and object so virtuous and noble.”
--John C. Calhoun, ‘A Disquisition on Government’; 1848.
Perhaps we lost the willingness to live and breathe democracy as Baron Montesquieu had suggest. We need to heed him now: "If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition, and ignorance on the other."
EDIT P.S., thank y'all for your patience with a large error in pasting the wrong quote under Vice President Calhoun. 🤝 Shrinking grey matter; oh, good grief. 😵 I appreciate those who apprised me of this error with courtesy. 🙏 For the one who did not? 😳 Par for the course, of course. 😰 Delighting in vindictiveness overlooked the wisdom of the quotation itself. 😢
Of course Calhoun believed the intelligent patriots were the Southern slave holding secessionists, Ned.
Today he would be taking the side of Trump and skuM, and he would believe it was the Biden-loving Democrats who were the ambitious superstitiously ignorant opposition, ready to give up the Union.
He would be calling for a return to white supremacy and to slavery and the elimination of black, Hispanic and female names from our record books.
In another forum I just noted that some scholars are asking whether ratification of the Constitution may be withdrawn. See Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 and 1799, drafted by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson respectively, state responses to the Federalist-backed Alien and Sedition Acts, asserting that states could nullify federal laws deemed unconstitutional.
Some folks in Washington and Oregon say they want to return to Canada. They were jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain (later Canada) until the 1846 Oregon Treaty established the border along the 49th parallel, with the northern portion becoming British Columbia and later part of Canada.. Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, offered to accept Washington, Oregon, and California as new Canadian provinces.
😩😢 Truth is, we aren't exactly worthy of Lady Liberty, these days. The current Mal-administration's obsession with deporting even visa and green card holders and people who haven't even seen the inside of a courtroom being hustled out of the country without even a pretense of due process 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬is absolutely antithetical to what she stands for.
Dave and I have rented an apartment in Paris for the month of September. We have been very diligent about looking into retirement visas and engaging in very serious conversations about leaving US.
England (back then it wasn't the UK) claimed at least the top part of Maine back in the very early 1800's. Maine borders both New Brunswick and Quebec and in 1838 to 1839 there was a boundary dispute between the U.S. and England. I'd like to think that we could dissolve that resolution and beg Canada to take us in!
Trump stated that an arbitrary line had been drawn through the U.S., thereby cutting off Canada. Il Dootch-bag seems to forget that the U.S. tried to seize Eastern Canada twice and failed.
I enjoy all that Canada has to offer & how close I am here in WA but, Canada also has some bad history & government issues. I do not want to be part of another country & those that do would be 'giving up' on The United States. Not Me!
EDITING P.S., thank you Daniel, as always, for a constructive insight.
The Northeastern states may go that way, too, with the exception of New Hampshire. Then Trump's claim of a third world country will be valid. It would not go that far unless the M.A.G.A.s are really spoiling for civil war.
Like I say....I don't support it. I support shared government. Our national sovereignty has been lost. We lost the cold war. Patriotic Americans of all stripes should oppose that.
Daniel, I live in Oregon and I must say, this is attractive to me, but a lot of the state wants to be part of Idaho where there are some of the very best MAGAs. Same for eastern Washington and parts of northern CA.
I don't support it. I support shared government. Our national sovereignty has been lost. We lost the cold war. Patriotic Americans of all stripes should oppose that.
I was born in Calhoun County in Michigan. I've wanted that name changed for a long time. Calhoun was pro-slavery. All you need is to see his portrait on Wikipedia. That's what despicable looks like.
But John C had at least one brother I know of who left the area and settled in the North - I believe he was in the railroad business in Chicago. At least one famously distanced himself from his firebrand brother.
Maybe - keep in mind that in this election there were major shfts among immigrants, Latinos, and Black Males to the Republican party (now the Russian Republican Party) and a huge divide between young female voters and young male voters - the male voters swinging wildly to Trump. People may be upset but those who vote seem hitched to Trump anyway. Surveys indicate democracy was not even a top 5 issue. Rights were an after thought to the economy. Counter punch 24-7 on the hurt people are and will go thorugh - not enough people care for lofty ideals. And that fact is a new definition for the Tragedy of the Commons.
Ned, I just looked this up. Your quote is absolutely misattributed. It was not John Calhoun who said this. It was Ulysses s Grant. I'm not sure where you got the quote but to made a major mistake saying it was Calhoun. My bad for not checkving it out before responding.
Whewwww!!.., thanx "Jon". That was a heavy one. And, let's"fact check" while we are still able. Last edition of the hardbound copy of the Encyclopedia(s) was years and years ago. Where are we going to turn to to verify anything once MusScum puts his "system's" into place? We will become virtual mushrooms i.e., kept in the dark and fed manure. At the moment, at least, we are only being fed manure. Total darkness has not yet fallen. As the days pass, I fear it's imminent. Time to stock up on torches. Get ready for firearm confiscations.., No? Think again, Pilgrims.
that's the first thing an authoritarian gummint will do. Wonder if those "patriotic" MAGAs will obey when they have to give up their precious "compensators". After all, isn't Dear Leader always right?
Thank you for your due diligence! We all must adopt this practice. Ulysses "S" Grant was such an admirable, brave, resolute man--Lincoln and we were fortunate to have him devoted to our country. Calhoun, not so much!
TO JON ROSEN: relish your vindictive victory. Please no longer read my comments. Yes I will make mistakes. But as others did here with this mistake, people will counsel me with a communal courtesy rather your competitive contumely.
The Union never finished the job..........similar to how after WW1, the German Army just went home....WW2 started 20 years later.....now Schumer let the fascists off the hook......people never learn that history repeats itself
Yeh.. , but, the "younger generation" is not all cellphones and games. They recognize BS. They'll carry this country forward.., watch. Do not sell them short! They'll eat the likes of KARO-line Leavitt for lunch, she's just excrement.
MoveOn.Org........Reaching 3.5%........"Younger generation"....kicking ass
While what is happening to us and our communities and all around us is horrific, research from Harvard University on historical movements shows that "no government has withstood a challenge of 3.5% of their population mobilized against it during a peak event."9,10 It's called the "3.5% rule."11 It's a relatively tiny percentage, really. We can get there.
The Women's March in January 2017 is the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history.12 Between 1% to 1.6% of the U.S. population participated in the Women's March across hundreds of locations. Double or triple that scale would approach the 3.5% threshold.13
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders, wrote yesterday: "Each time we show solidarity with others, or support those who are protecting the rule of law, helping the targeted, or exposing the lies and the corruption, we are standing up for democratic values of justice, accountability, equality, and more. In doing so, we model the behaviors the authoritarian state wants us to abandon. Joining with others, we transform our individual righteous indignation into a potent moral force for good."14
I believe that the Blue States should secede and everyone gets to decide if they care more about their house/apartment/home or their government if they don't live in a state that is on the side of the divide they want to be. If not officially, they might secede their taxes and pool them to then support the government functions we are no longer getting in the blue states. We know Red States won't go along with this. Musk and Trump are stealing all our money and we need to have someone in charge who will replace it.
Right now we are looking at the air not being safe, the water not safe, the food not safe to consume. We are also the
It has not been so long, 1972, that when I started high school we had 1 Black kid in 3,000 because his house happened to be on our district’s side of the dividing line. It was a disaster for all the racists. We do lines even then showing that people couldn’t get along and accept others for who they were.
The entire history of this country has been spent dividing people to create hate so others could gain power. We’re not any better than Iran, Iraq, Hamas or others that commit humanitarian crimes. Trump and his ilk are doing it in the open now and I only see that leading to the same violence within as those other countries.
What happens when China or Russia starts announcing they’re taking over our islands, then Alaska, then the border states? After all, that’s exactly what Trump and Putin are doing.
How would the country divide up red states and blue states? Is this when the people who just toil endlessly and never vote start to speak out? There are a lot of what ifs.
As I read that they rounded up these alleged gang members to deport based on tattoos I wondered how many are peaceful US citizens. Also, what if we had a day where millions applied those fake tattoos and walked the streets. Would they round us all up and commit humanitarian crimes against us?
Yes, anger and stress are causing my mind to go down rabbit holes even if they don’t make sense.
So, Sharon.., freedom from religious dogma .., coined as "freedom from religion".., meaning utilizing rational judgement, comes directly into play. A nation hoping and praying isn't gonna get the job done. We're dealing with "humans" here.., keep yer guard up. Let your conscience be your guide. Try to understand human nature, as we have experienced it over the ages.
I am definitely not counting on hopes and prayers. My mother, great Christian that she was, taught me that God helps those who help themselves. That has held me steady through many turmoils.
I’m thinking about the 2026 and 2028 elections. Considering everything, I don’t believe that we’ll have a free and fair election. Trump literally tried to steal the 2020 election and now with Musk’s billions and the MAGA Republicans happily doing whatever Trump commands, why do we think they will risk giving up power in 2026? Or 2028? I think there will be massive fraud in the next elections and our democracy is over. I hope and pray that I’m wrong.
I agree with you, 100% Cathy. But be careful voicing this...even on these semi-liberal forums I've been excoriated for being "irrational" and "negative" and "fear-mongering." Nope, I'm a realist. There is no way in hell that the MAGA Party (formerly called conservatives or Republicans) will give up the power they have achieved now. No way. Look at all the damage accomplished in just 8 weeks! And not a peep of alarm or disagreement from the ruling MAGA Party. Our last opportunity to stop this was last November.
I'm not sure yet how they will stop "free and fair" elections. Something will be maneuvered, either overtly (martial law) or covertly.
There is a theme of common good vs private profit running through all the excellent examples of T/M destruction and erasure. It is easy to see when the conflict of interest is as blatant as handing over the WH communications network and rural broadband provision to Starlink. The idea that exemplary Americans who were Indigenous (e.g. Code Talkers) or Black (MA regiment featured in film Glory) or women (WASP pilots) are not rightly part of our history has nothing to do with the DEI programs or Affirmative Action that MAGA denounces so vehemently. All of them prevailed despite open (and at their time legitimated) discrimination.
The key phrase in HCR’s post is “after public outcry” - which restored Vietnam era Medal of Honor winner Gen Rogers to the DOD website. Every one of the erasures in the post needs public outcry. As does every handover of government functions to Musk owned private companies.
But don’t overlook the evidence of massive privatization and profit in every action being taken. Immigrants being rounded up around the country are being sent to PRIVATE prisons. Government contractors are immune from layoffs in the DoD but all of civil servants whose job itis to keep them from cheating and stealing from you are being laid off.
If we don’t defend our civil servants (who do SERVE us) we will not only lose Social Security (already being gutted by changing rules and cutting offices) but any government for the common good at all. Privatized governance is already a big part of what our country spends its resources on - in everything from health care to feeding our troops and fighting our wars. The broader fight has to be about bringing government back to being accountable democratically, but the immediate need is to show what a PUBLIC OUTCRY can accomplish. There are many targets HCR describes. So get out your phones and start hollering.
A staunch defender of the institution of slavery, and a slave-owner himself, Calhoun was the Senate's most prominent states' rights advocate, and his doctrine of nullification professed that individual states had a right to reject federal policies that they deemed unconstitutional.... from Google AI, Ned, what were you thinking?
Oh, I do not like his policies, good man. In a Southern school where he is revered, I argued heatedly against them. He was, perhaps, our fines political philosopher along with John Rawls.
SORRY for the repeats, Frank. Jon Rosen alerted me to my shrinking grey matter. Late night two mistakes. I duble quote President Grant and failed to attribute the second quote to him. Here is the Calhoun quote, which I intended to cite.
“The [500-year] Republic had in reality ceased to exist long before the establishment of the [Roman] Empire. The interval was filled by ferocious, corrupt, and bloody factions. There was, indeed, a small but patriotic body of eminent individuals who struggled in vain to correct abuses and to restore the government to its . . . purity, and who sacrificed their lives in their endeavors to accomplish and object so virtuous and noble.”
--John C. Calhoun, ‘A Disquisition on Government’; 1848.
Yep. I dropped the ball on two counts: not citing President Grant when I discussed Baron Montesquieu's wisdom and pasting in the President Grant quote instead of that of Vice President Calhoun.
SORRY for the repeats. Jon Rosen alerted me to my shrinking grey matter. Late night two mistakes. I duble quote President Grant and failed to attribute the second quote to him. Here is the Calhoun quote, which I intended to cite.
“The [500-year] Republic had in reality ceased to exist long before the establishment of the [Roman] Empire. The interval was filled by ferocious, corrupt, and bloody factions. There was, indeed, a small but patriotic body of eminent individuals who struggled in vain to correct abuses and to restore the government to its . . . purity, and who sacrificed their lives in their endeavors to accomplish and object so virtuous and noble.”
--John C. Calhoun, ‘A Disquisition on Government’; 1848.
YES, a month before the 2025 Election, I ordered a customized yard sign from a local sign shop here in NC that had my choices for Pres/V.P., NC Gov., NC Atty Gen., NC Lt Gov., NC Super. Of Public Schools…all were Democratic WINNERS, except Pres./V.P. ( Harris/Walz)…
I voted in that election the very same way and even my western end of the state that got so hammered by Helene actually turned BLUE, a first for years. All the top Democrats won except for tramp(sic)which I found to be extremely odd. That kind of voting pattern went on in almost all of the swing and battleground states. I voted absentee but in a “red” county so my vote didn’t get challenged by that idiot judge. I know the voter suppression was out of this world which didn’t help at all either. With everything else that’s shaking our foundations of government, our voting integrity is most worrying.
I have a problem with an audit that starts "i am going to find something wrong". I had training as an election worker. While not a "total computer geek", with election computers not connected to the internet, i have a hard time with the "algorithm slipping in" theory. Especially at a large scale. There was that episode in "Scandal" about the voting machine in Ohio, but that was a close election. Truly, i believe that someone would vote for Trump and Democratic Party candidates down ballot. I also read where a lot of young men just voted for President. Personally, i think there were a lot of factors that turned the tide in a close election.
Great points. Interestingly the ETA report with no actual evidence, just suspicions claims that they BELIEVE they can show Harris was robbed of 1.5 million votes, but even that won't necessarily mean she would beat Trump popular vote. Personally I seriously doubt they can show any kind of difference that large.
I would love to believe it but my common sense says it couldn't happen to that level across 50 states where each state counts votes differently.
Although it is an easy answer to "How could this happen?" Russian algorithms changing votes in all swing states is a stretch. Far more likely was the pre-election "brainwashing" using misinformation, lies, AI generated false images, etc. distributed on social media.
Mc Kinney needs to read Featbhers of Hope. IMHO We lost the cold war. Our govenment supports totaliarian dictator Putin, the leader of a second rate power. 22 Republican senators, dozens of Republican House members voted to fund Ukraine.
Many of them call Trump a liar about Putin.
Get those Republicans who oppose Putin on the record!
At the rate the pillaging is happening, I doubt we have time to convince enough Republicans of the need for not just impeachment, but conviction in the Senate, before enough people storm D.C. and force a change. And that is not going to be peaceful.
If you would actually listen, they are calling out Trump, mostly on Ukraine, but also on many other issues. Where I live, we have 3 otherwise MAGA House members who are Cuban Americans, considered DEI by Musk and DOGE, who also deplore Putin.
but Marco Rubio, who up to now has made his career on attacking the regime in Cuba, has now agreed to de-fund American support for pro-democracy activists in that country (and Nicaraugua and Venezuela). Orders from Moscow?
Thank you for this terrifying article. This supports my good friend's belief that there had to be manipulation as it would be impossible that all of the swing states swung the other way.
"Republicans convinced Americans to vote to undermine a government that enables all of us to look out for each other by pushing a narrative that says such a government is dangerous because it gives power to undesirables and lets crime run rampant in the U.S."
Look at who are truly undesirable and have all the power....
Marlo, THANK YOU! Video fully describes claims Democrats were afraid to investigate about the strong possibility of a stolen election because of the echoes of Republican claims in 2020 DESPITE Democrat's observations that the Magats’ accusations are essentially confessions (projections) of what they are in fact doing.
McKinney’s article makes perfect sense. All along I knew in my Heart-0f-Hearts the election was stolen. Of course, the new question begs, what now! The MAGots are very well entrenched and have been eliminating all possible opposition forces!
Yes, for heaven's sake, thank you for that thought, Michael, and especially for your much-needed research, Heather, in these already desperate times. Please take care of yourself. We need to pull together now. Now.
I wrote my congressman In Idaho. I do whatever I can as an artist.
Before any Impeachment can proceed, a critical mass of nine Republicans in the House must decide that it is warranted. While they need not be the ones listed here, these are among the most likely to reach that decision earliest.
Call one or all.
Insist that they consider Impeachment to end the crisis.
Call or write repeatedly, and keep in mind that we’re just laying the groundwork at this time. By demonstrating to nervous politicians that there is growing demand for Impeachment, it will become more viable and easier for them to support.
House Republicans
Don Bacon: (202) 225-4155 D.C. —— (402) 938-0300 District Office
Brian Fitzpatrick: (202) 225-4276 D.C. —— (215) 579-8102 District Office
David Joyce: (202) 225-5731 D.C. —— (440) 352-3939 District Office
Andrew Garbarino: (202) 225-7896 D.C. —— (631) 541-4225 District
Dan Newhouse: (202) 225-5816 D.C. —— (509) 452-3243 District
Young Kim (R-CA-40): (202) 225-4111 D.C. —— (714) 984-2440 District
District Offices: 180 N. Riverview Dr. Suite 150 — Anaheim, CA 92808 (714) 984-2440 and Mission Viejo City Hall —200 Civic Center — Mission Viejo, CA 92691 — (949) 268-6706
Ashley Hinson: (202) 225-2911 D.C. —— (319) 364-2288 District
David Valadao: (202) 225-4695 D.C. —— (661) 864-7736 District
Mike Lawler: (202) 225-6506 D.C324 - - (845) 201- 2060 District
District Office:: One Blue Hill Plaza, Third Floor, P.O. Box 1645 — Pearl River, NY 10965 and 60 McAlpin Ave. — Mahopac, NY 10541 — (845) 743-7130
They are responsive to their consituents and donors.
1. Virtually everyone involved in beef and in meat packing is in a state of panic, and 20 senators in cow country should be paniciking also.
2. The Trump/Tesla infomercial pisses off every car dealer in the US. It's up to us to get them to protest to their local Congresspeople. Pressure NADA. https://www.nada.org/
Same here, as well as other Democratic bloggers. I've been thinking about whether its becoming risky to even have subscriptions on blogs like Substack. (Stares at the ground kicking at the grass)
Yet. I'm sure there are both human and AI watchers on places like Substack, BlueSky, etc. Remember the amount of resources available to the Misadministration.
Justice Roberts interjected his opinion in the form of a chastisement when Trump had announced he wanted the judge impeached who told him to turn the plane around and return. (He is like a child!). So between Roberts now following the law (instead of Trump’s will), and judges overturning his orders (firings, freeze on funding of programs already approved & the work already accomplished) that is a positive sign.
The protests country wide has been having an effect.
I cannot imagine reading Dr Richardson’s work for very long and not being moved to some form of action. This is the seed she plants, of course. I am grateful to be tending this garden with you.
I have the same sentiments as Michael from Bath. Each time I see you, Heather, on a live video or hear the latest recorded “Letter” I know how very much you are putting into this work, and it is for all of us. And for my young son and my young grandchildren and for generations to come ❤️ We thank you and encourage your good health!
This has been the most horrific edition of LFAA yet. Yet.
ELON/FELON installed Starlink across the White House campus. Social Security being eviscerated in such a way that in the near future, people won't be able to get their benefits that were PAID INTO during their years of employment, and more snafus are coming that will interrupt benefits being paid out to current SS recipients. Apparently despite Verizon having a valid contract, Elon plans on getting HIS systems installed instead.
And we know these are only a few of the coming horrors. I just can't mentally process this news tonight.
yes, Public Servant, the SCOTUS giving Trump immunity is making so many of our democratic civil rights turn back the clock. We need something to fight successfully against the expensive legal team that is representing Project 2025.
I am and will always be grate full to JustRaven, J L Graham & the entire LFAA digital Community now at or near 2 Million strong not counting 'shared' LFAA's over networks across our country & the Globe.
*******************************
March 18, 2025 at market Close:
Tesla Inc, down 🔻yet again this time over 5% 🔻Down
Tesla Inc. stock was down 🔻4.79% yesterday now having lost 🔻37.25% YTD. : ---)
Yes, but they make up for the corruption (in their supporters’ eyes) by their spectacular exhibition of racism and misogyny in the destruction of the public record of positive contributions to the nation by black Americans, women, and other groups those supporters don’t like. As a result, the felon’s supporters are perfectly willing to overlook blatant corruption.
Why aren't we seeing massive protests in the streets? What will it take to get Americans off their butts and into the streets? Must we wait until SS is completely gone? Must we wait until we see children and elderly and disabled people starving in the streets? Come on people let's go! Time to let these fascists know we are disgusted with their wholesale destruction of OUR government, OUR economy, OUR retirement savings!
Most people are still just casual observers and many more are not paying attention (as usual..."all politicians are the same" bullshit).
When people start feeling PERSONAL PAIN, we might see a large enough resistance. I'm afraid Jack and Jill will continue to say that Musk is doing a great job "cleaning up the government".
Until...they visit the nursing home and find their mother or grandmother laying in a urine soaked bed. Or their kid not having lunch served at school. Or their life saving drug escalating in price. Or a measles outbreak hits their neighborhood and our government says "take your cod liver oil". Or there is a nuclear accident. Or Uncle John and Aunt Jean die in a plane crash caused by overworked air traffic controllers. Or Cousin Ed and his wife and kids are victims of a tornado because the warning system at NOAA has no staff.
I don't think we are at the "Personal Pain Inflection Point". But soon. All this needless suffering. Republicans? Fake Christians? You will own this. Hell has a place prepared.
Bill, thanks for giving the statistics regarding the number of government employees through the years. The claim that there is fraud and waste in civi service requiring indiscriminate firing is itself FRAUDULENT, and will cost $$$$$$$ in restitution eventually.
My only concern is that Covid didn’t cause a personal pain inflection point and we’ve seen the people in the streets and children going hungry for years.
My hope is that with Covid people saw it as mostly an 'act of nature' and didn't connect the dots re: what the Trump Admin was doing or not doing. If people lose their SS, Medicare, safe meat, etc. it will be a lot harder for them to fail to connect the dots
Or their grandma with dementia has been tossed out of the nursing home with no warning because her benefits have been stolen. When their SS deposits suddenly stop coming. When some of their family members suddenly disappear. When their rural hospital suddenly closes because their funding has been eliminated as "waste."
I try to get my husband to be aware of how this administration is destroying our democracy, and he doesn't want to hear it. He really believes that "God is in control" and that's all that is needed🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
I guess when he sees our SS is gone and our 401k is worthless, maybe it'll get his attention. And he'll wonder why "I didn’t say something!" 🤬🤬🤬
It's coming, Terry. Like sun follows rain, it's coming. The shock waves of all these actions by this repressive regime, by and large, haven't really hit yet. When they do, look out. As to what will be the catalyst, whether it will be one thing, or a combination of things, remains to be seen. Robert Reich yesterday mentioned what he thought might be the "last straw" and it concerns whether or not Trump continues defying the courts. We seem to be hurtling head-first toward a genuine Constitutional crisis, and that right there might be what does it. If Trump defies the Supreme Court, then, Reich asserts, THAT is when Americans need to hit the streets. The courts and legal system seem, right now, to be the last bastion of resistance. If Trump "crosses the Rubicon" of openly defying all laws and the Constitution, even up to and including decisions by the SCOTUS, then we would well and truly be in an authoritarian state by any and all definitions. THAT'S when we will need general and far-reaching strikes, work-stoppages, boycotts, protests, etc. THAT will be when the people show their strength. Violence? I would certainly hope not. But, with such a large percentage in this country armed with military-grade weaponry, all bets are off. As the saying goes, "just keep your powder dry" for the time being, and know that there very well may come a time when we, ALL of us, will be called upon to take our country back.
"What will it take to get Americans off their butts and into the streets"? Simple: getting them to put down their "screens". Piece of friendly advice: I wouldn't hold my breath, waiting for that to happen
JustRaven, I feel exactly the same. Despite so many wise voices encouraging us not to give up, I cannot help feeling that we have crossed the Rubicon.
We may somehow escape descending into full-blown fascism, but the damage is done, and it cannot be repaired.
Even if U.S. citizens were to miraculously rid ourselves of the Trump/Musk scourge tomorrow, the rest of the world will never trust us again. And why would they? Trump demonstrated how awful he was during his first term, and the U.S. electorate put him back in office a second time. Indeed, we can never again be trusted to do the right thing if there's an option to do the wrong thing.
We need to take action for ourselves, our children, and their children.
If we could ouste the ruling party and amend our Constitution to include voting rights, end the Electoral College and take money out of politics making public funding the only way to fund all elections.
And require all political advertising to list who is paying for it.
That would be good start to earn back the trust of the allies we worked so hard keep for over eighty years.
Step one: Start by doing something odious to people that "average Americans" can't relate to. Cut off aid to HIV patients in Africa, or cut services like Medicaid that go to the "undeserving poor". Arrest and illegally deport Venezuelan gang members. Refuse to pay contractors for work done for the US in foreign countries. All of these actions test the appetite of citizens to resist in the abstract, since the actions aren't happening to them. It also softens the ground for expanding the population to whom they do bad things.
Step two: expand these policies to work against Americans who Trump's supporters see as The Other. Take over the Kennedy Center and throttle the arts. Attack scientific and medical research, which harms egghead professors and their liberal institutions now and won't really reduce our national quality of life for a while. Work around the edges of social services and other federal programs, particularly ones that redistribute money from "hard working Americans" to those lazy Other people who don't deserve them. Use naked government power to drive law firms out of business if they defend people the regime doesn't like. Start using force against those who oppose you domestically, as DOGE did yesterday when they invaded the US Institute for Peace backed by federal marshals and DC police. Think about it - the government is now using armed force against its own agencies.
Note that this step has the added advantage that it pits half the country against the other half, so when Step three is implemented, people's first response will be to blame their fellow countrymen.
Step three: draw the noose tight. Having set up the blame structure, start collapsing critical programs like Medicare and Social Security. Bad things will start happening to the aforementioned "average Americans", but it's hypocritical for them to argue that they're against the odious action itself since they were fine with Steps one and two. They won't blame Trump because he's their guy, and he's prepared them for the bad stuff. At this point, government's functions in support of its citizens fails. People are at each other's throats. The only federal authority that still works is the police state, and they complete the coup by arresting the people they don't like, with the full support of the "average Americans" who are sold on the idea that it has to be the other guy's fault.
Somewhere during Step three, by the way, the regime moves from stiffing contractors to stiffing people and countries holding US debt. Our currency is no longer the most reliable in the world - now it's a toxic asset nobody trusts. Suddenly nobody is buying our bonds when they roll over, everyone is calling in our debts when they come due, and the country is truly bankrupt.
Step four: With the government broke and no longer able to fund the programs that they destroyed, the federal budget is drastically reduced. Trump and Musk declare victory, redistribute the country's remaining assets through tax cuts weighted toward the billionaire class, and the USA settles into its new role as the world's newest third world country.
Everything Trump touches dies. And he's got our country firmly in both hands.
Then he will install Starlink across the country and all other internet providers will be banished as well as media that doesn’t support the regime. We will only see and hear what they want us to. Twitter was only the first step in Musk’s total domination.
With Starlink installed in critical institutions, Musk will be able to threaten and hold the entire country hostage, as he demonstrated he could do with Ukraine.
I hope people finally understand that Trump has orders from Putin to cause the collapse of America. I fully expect the pain and suffering resulting from what is happening to become so intense that the public will rebel as it did against the Vietnam war in the 1960s. However, unlike in the 1960s when London Johnson was president, Trump will use this excuse to declare martial law… Something else Putin wants. With the Democrats unable to organize to stop this terrorist attack coming from both witgin and from outside, that leaves very few options. I have recently purchased a number of books and other artifacts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s life. And I plan on using them - through the museum I opened on Route 66 here in Oklahoma two years ago - to advocate for nonviolent resistance. We must find a way out of this crisis before it becomes like when Japanese-Americans were locked up by the US government during World War II … except this time it will be everybody who doesn’t bow down to Donald Trump who gets locked up. God help us all.
It's what happens when we massively empower the "fallen angels" of our nature. Trump et al shows utter contempt for "Unalienable Rights", for civility, protocol, or due process, for our Union, Justice, Tranquility, common defense, our general Welfare, or the fate of our Posterity. What are we left with if they tear it all down? Conservative? That's a laugh.
That's my question, too. Do they want to live in a world without guardrails, where it's every man/woman for his/herself? I just don't understand what they are aiming for. Erasing history won't help.
During lunchbreaks, I have been watching the HBO series Deadwood - very well written, and very disturbing. If you want to see what a libertarian hellscape looks like, watch it.
D4N - We lived 2 houses away from Old Route 66 in Springfield, IL in the 1980's. Old Route 66 through Springfield is now business route I-55. It used to pass by the Illinois State Capitol according to information on Wikipedia. This was within a few blocks of the Abraham Lincoln house in downtown Springfield.
Have you every eaten at the Ariston Cafe on Old Route 66 in Litchfield, IL? The restaurant pre-dates the highway having been built in 1924. It's one of our favorite restaurants anywhere.
I know Springfield, or I should say I did. My spouse's grandfather lived in Ozark, Mo. We took several trips there over the years. Gary above ↑, asked if I ever stopped at the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, Il. We hadn't but one place we did stop off was a place in St. Louis called the Bevo Mill. I realize how large Missouri is, but did you ever happen in there ? I wonder if it's still open ? Quite a luxurious spot back in the day. It was the first place I ever tried crawfish stew, and it was 'wonderful.'
I like Illinois, what I've seen of it. No we never did stop there as it was a bit north of our route. I seem to recall that by that time we were on I70, just a bit south of Litchfield. Had we known of it, we would have stopped without a doubt.
I know that stretch of road. I had one of the most spectacular experiences of my life a bit west of there one year on a road trip to the west coast many years ago. Just west of El Reno, all of a sudden daylight went to near dark. It was a fairly bright sunshine early morning. Soon the lead edge of the darkness moved ahead of us while still enveloping us. At first we thought we'd traveled into the path of migrating birds. As the cloud enveloped us further, it turned out to be monarch butterflies mass migrating to Central America ! We traveled with them nearly all the way to Amarillo !
I too am worried about martial law being declared . Also concerned about agent orange's private militia the proud boys, and the rest of the January 6th mob who were released.
Steve, which "people" are you talking about? Those who voted for him? The Rethuglicans and Christofascists in Congress? The wimpy and spineless leadership on the "other" side? The people who are using the whiplash stock market to sell short and make millions? As John Pavolovitz said in an essay a week or so ago, if people who voted for the Felon turn against him it won't because they don't agree with his policies and his galloping authoritarianism. It will be because they, personally, are adversely affected by it. Because all of those people--MILLIONS OF THEM--voted and support him BECAUSE they believe that he will destroy all the people they fear are superior to them: BIPOC, women, AAPIs, LGBTQ+ folks. Their obvious mediocrity (and I am being kind here to consider them merely mediocre) means that they depend on their whiteness, their penises, and their penis-adjacent status to keep them on top. This is what they want. The only way that they will turn against him is if they, themselves, individually, are harmed. It's the Ammurrikan way!
Even then, Linda, I’m not holding my breath. They’re not very good at connecting the dots. Republicans were much more affected by covid at the height of the pandemic, and many more of them died because of Trump’s anti-vax anti-mask anti-science rhetoric. Even that didn’t turn them away. Now their children are sick with measles of all things, and ditto. I read an interview with the father of the child who died, and he still thinks he did the right thing by not vaccinating. It beggars belief.
During the height of the covid pandemic I saw accounts from nurses who were attending to victims, who insisted that they didn’t have covid right up until they died. It was utter madness. They could have been vaccinated and chose not too because they listened to the insipid orange turd, I saw that as the gene pool self correcting. The repugnantkin idiots in the senate just voted to confirm an anti-vaccine zealot as head of HHS. They own it. 🤬🤬🤬
Even then, they will look for someone, anyone else to blame before they turn on him. They have learned from him to take credit for everything, and blame for nothing.
A British friend of mine remarked that U.S. citizens will be asking themselves years from now how it was that they let Trump do this to the country and to them. But it's now now. It is happening to us day by horrible day, yet we have provided such insignificant opposition that Trump has not paused an hour in his crusade to render the government nonfunctional. Even now, as Trump continues to dismantle our agencies and axe government staffs, I hear judges and congresspeople alike describing his actions as "seemingly" illegal and "apparently" unconstitutional. Why are we still using that language? What he's done and is doing every day is unconstitutional. It is illegal. We must say it, face it, and stop it. Today.
The responsibility lies with Congress, who knows full well that what Trump is doing is unconstitutional and illegal. My expectation of those elected officials is to collectively notify Trump and the executive branch of that fact and warn them that their violations must stop immediately or they will impeach Trump and JD Vance. That’s what should happen today. What must happen when Congress does not rise to the occasion is that we the uninitiate in the workings of the government must contact in the most effective way we can - and I have heard that email is not effective, so a letter, phone call, or a march to the Republican legislators would be required - to indicate that they must do this. What alarms me is how little effect the public protests all over the country are having on our politicians, so I am not hugely hopeful that any of those actions is going to get our elected officials doing what they have in fact sworn they would do, which is to protect us and protect our country and follow the law. Our last resort is to refuse to pay taxes. If they don’t honor their part of the contract, then we have no obligation to honor ours. We’lll see how an autocracy runs on empty.
Talk about concentrating power for fools such as Elon Musk.
It's just gotten much worse -- something unprecedented now going down.
Unprecedented, that is, in American government. However, in Russian government, Putin uses force. In cold blood he murders his rivals, or people who criticize him. He uses murderous force to attack neighboring countries, on large scale murdering, destroying.
Now Putin’s stooge, the convicted criminal in the White House, per newest reporting by Rachel Maddow, is imitating his Kremlin hero.
Now the fat, orange, waddling, hate-filled pig face is allowing Elon Musk’s accomplices to bring armed help (Friday posing as U.S. marshals, elsewhere in D.C. today posing as F.B.I. agents) to force their way into and take over legitimate government offices for Musk’s incel boys.
Here’s her reporting: Independent Agency CEO: 'DOGE has broken into our building.'
Another page turned as the orange felon ups his imitation of the Red Square mass murderer.
I watched Rachael‘s report on the assault on the US Institute for peace. That Institute is not part of the government, the way agencies are. It owns its building and its land and yet armed force was used to get in and kick out those in charge. A bright red line has been crossed. America needs to wake the fuck up!
Yes, I wonder when you will rid yourselves of these obvious criminals at the top, doesn't look as if the judiciary branch is quickly enough catching up imo.
And that is the "tipping point". When the judges call on US Marshals to enforce their rulings, the judiciary and the rule of law will have a chance.
For now, for the first time, two branches of our government have essentially said "democracy is dead". Republicans in Congress are now fully complicit in the destruction.
Judges waiting for appeals and providing toothless temporary stays is weak medicine for an insanely sick but very effective coup.
Meanwhile, Trump and the oligarchs are chasing away business from the US which will inevitably lead to a recession in the US.
This from Paul Krugman yesterday-
The secret behind that surge is, of course, Donald Trump, who has not only imposed tariffs on Canada without any justification but keeps doubling down on his completely insane demand that Canada become the 51st state. Every time Trump or his minions repeat that demand, they strengthen Carney’s hand against Pierre Poilievre, the Bitcoin-loving, Trumpy-sounding Conservative leader.
And one of Carney’s first policy moves as PM was to order a review of Canada’s plan to buy a substantial number of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets. This means that Canada is joining European nations that are similarly reconsidering their dependence on U.S. weapons.
This turn away from military dependence on the U.S. is understandable. America is no longer a reliable ally to the world’s democracies; indeed, between Trump’s turn toward Putin and his talk of annexing Canada and Greenland, we don’t look like an ally at all. Rumors that U.S. jets have a “kill switch” that would allow Trump to disable them at will are probably false, but sophisticated military equipment requires a lot of technical support, so you don’t want to buy it from a country you don’t trust.
And this observation got me thinking. How much economic damage will America suffer because it has become a rogue nation? Of course, there’s much more than money at stake here. Still, becoming a nation that can’t be trusted to honor agreements or follow the rule of law has to have monetary as well as political and diplomatic consequences. How big are these monetary consequences?
Well, I’ve been exploring the available data, and U.S. exposure to foreign revulsion looks quite large.
Start with those military sales. U.S. sales of defense equipment to foreign governments have gone up a lot since Russia invaded Ukraine; much of the increase has gone either to Ukraine or to European governments supporting Ukraine, but there is also a general trend toward rearmament as we learn that the world is a more dangerous place than we realized, and pre-Trump that rearmament meant a lot of U.S. exports. In 2024 U.S. military exports were $318.7 billion; that was roughly 15 percent of total U.S. goods exports. It was also almost twice our agricultural exports.
How much will these sales shrink now that foreign governments know that we can’t be trusted? Given some time to find replacements, the likely answer is “a lot.”
Military hardware isn’t the only export likely to suffer from our new rogue nation status. Our trade deficit in goods is partly offset by a surplus in services trade, but several of our major service exports will definitely be hurt by America’s turn to the dark side.
One of these is education. Many foreigners come to America to study, attracted by the quality of our colleges and universities. In 2023, the most recent year for which data are available, they spent more than $50 billion. But if you were a foreigner considering study in the U.S. next year, wouldn’t you be worried that you might find yourself arrested and deported for expressing what the current administration considers anti-American views? I would. So we can expect a hit to higher education, which, although we rarely think of it this way, is a major U.S. export.
Personal travel — basically tourism — was even bigger, more than $100 billion. But you can be sure that we’ll be seeing a lot fewer Canadians this year and next. And it won’t just be Canadians reconsidering their plans. Salon reports that
A number of tourists from European countries have been detained by ICE in recent weeks when attempting to enter the United States, their planned vacations instead turning into long stretches in detention. Experts say their arrests are an apparent escalation in enforcement action as President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown rages on.
Like many people who travel frequently, I avoid nations with authoritarian regimes that sometimes arrest visitors on trumped-up charges (double entendre unavoidable.) Is America now one of those places? I fear that it may be becoming one, which won’t be good for the tourist trade.
My son and daughter-in-law are starting to plan a trip to Europe, with their four children, for next April. I've advised them to have contingency plans, as Europe may not be the welcoming place it has been for Americans. The tourism industry will hurt everywhere if ICE is allowed to run amok.
Maybe wear "I hate Trump" and "I hate Musk" buttons? I'm itching to take a road trip to Canada. If they won't/can't come here, let's go there and Mexico too.
Maybe rent a car with Canadian plates? I don't expect it to get that bad but my daughter married and lives there. I have a degree of discomfort about our next visit.
"Speaking at a Downing Street press conference during a visit to the UK on Monday (17 March), former governor of the Bank of England Carney told reporters Trump’s ‘disrespectful’ comments were an impediment to fresh talks on a US-Canada trade partnership." -- The Independent
Such a spoiled, irresponsible child in a man's body, yet in a position extraordinary fiduciary duties. It's the fate of the whole society at stake here.
I'm not sorry. Americans are stupid wishing for mad King George times 2. Maybe when the revolution starts we will need to pitch a tent in Canada somewhere. We need everyone to avoid the US, Canadians, Mexicans, Europeans and South and Central Americans.
I'm thinking yard signs that we can post at busy intersections and along the interstate. Maybe "Impeach Trump", "Who elected Musk king?" etc. All suggestions welcome.
We've had to put up with MAGAs posting their Trump flags and Fuck Biden hats. Let's turn this around.
Unless they all wear MAGA hats and Musk T shirts, I think that Europe will welcome with great warmth. I was living there during 9/11 and what happened after that. I went to a lot of jazz concerts in those days, and when an American band came on stage they used to start by apologising for the incredible behaviour of the US government and in particular the rudeness to France because of Villepin's speech against invasion. Terrific ovation. Freedom Fries, forsooth! Europe is so beautiful in April.
My daughter and I are going to France in July. I’ve always felt welcome there. I hope this is no different, but Trump has been so destructive to our friends.
Yeah, read that one! If ever you need a taste of what "conscience" should be like in the US, he's a great example. My mind is agog though from the endless, accumulating wreckage being perpetuated by Trump 2.X. Klugman's humane, intelligent voice seems lost in a beleaguered wilderness
We have hosted exchange students in the past for an entire high school year. I wonder how many families would still be willing to send their kids here for a year.
Arresting the doctor because she had Hamas supporting news on her devices would get every one of us arrested. I’m sure we’ve all read articles or seen them shared in our feeds that support things President Musk, Trump and their band of pigs would get us all locked up. You don’t know what it says until you read it.
I saw where someone said Musk reposts such awful things to elicit discussions, not to say he supports them. Excuses, just like every atrocity Trump spews and they claim it’s a joke.
I don't know how many Trump supporters tell me that he does not really mean all the crazy things he says he will do. Apart from wondering why one would invest trust in anyone who does not pretty much tell the truth, especially when it matters, the stuff Trump has done and is doing is pretty crazy.
I quote things I don't support for the purpose of discussion, but when it matters I like to be clear about the context. Musk puts up a lot of ultra right wing (putting it politely) stuff with his implied approval.
The above would be a fitting lede story for a newspaper actually concerned about the death of democracy. Besides injustice, insolvency, and instability, one of the few things Republicans are providing for us is worldwide distrust and dislike. Third world dictators often seem unconcerned about their nation's deterioration so long as they remain top predator.
"Rumors that U.S. jets have a “kill switch” that would allow Trump to disable them at will are probably false, but sophisticated military equipment requires a lot of technical support, so you don’t want to buy it from a country you don’t trust."
Yes, the "kill switch" thing seems pretty unlikely, but one might not so reflexively rule it out in this environment of lawlessness. Or a backdoor from which to steal information, as has been detected in some Chinese products? Unlikely but not unthinkable, as an overall take on our current regime's integrity. Our displayed respect for the reciprocal rights of others.
"Chief Justice John Roberts has hit back against in a rare public statement after President Donald Trump on Monday claimed a federal judge lacks the authority to review his administration’s attempts to bypass due process rights when deporting migrants who are alleged to be gang members — and called for the judge to be impeached.
In a statement issued by the court, Roberts said that impeachment isn’t an appropriate response to disagreements with judges’ rulings."
Roberts' fingerprints are on the debacle as well, but I was hoping that Trump's utter contempt for the authority of the judiciary might annoy even an ally like Roberts.
'Course if Trump just took a gun and shot federal judges, that might be "official" enough for $COTUS? The Republican Congress would likely call it VD Day (Victory over Democracy) and might even get a few Dem votes on the motion.
I’m not sleeping. I’m in despair. I also live in FL which has become a home for these despots. I fight against them, as much as I am able, and my UU church has a strong social justice direction, so I have support. Still, I weep.
I would offer another view. Americans don’t know WHAT to do, specifically, other than call their “representatives” (I use that term loosely) and show up to protests and town halls and economic boycotts. Those of us who believe in democracy are using democratic tools. What, spefically, should we do differently?
We need the Democrats to start the outrage and proceedings to remove Trump and Musk and pull the Republicans in by shaming them and making their supporters take notice. It needs to be a relentless assault not just an occasional statement by a few of them.
It is said people will spread more negative news than positive news. Let’s take advantage of that. Let’s get the Republicans to take notice of destruction that will remove their power too.
Seminal question. We don’t know what to do, but what we come up with that resolves this crisis will be recognized and adopted as the next, and needed, iteration of democracy. For example, with the IRS getting defunded, why don’t we just all stop paying our taxes? I’d like to see Trump take off in Air Force One with an empty tank.
When opposition to DEI was focused on the belief that some less qualified people were unfairly hired or promoted, that opposition was merely misguided. Opposition to DEI has morphed into racism and mysogyny. With that morphed opposition, the US has abandoned some of what makes it strong domestically. Meanwhile, the destruction of USAID and VOA abandons one of the pillars for making the US strong internationally. It makes you think Trump planned that destruction with Putin.
As with anything human, it is doubtful that DEI policy has nowhere misstepped, but the overall virtues of the effort are evident. What they are calling "DEI" is blatant racism in plain sight. Any mention of the virtues and accomplishments of outstanding individuals who are not white male has become officially forbidden. Shamelessness is the sociopath's superpower. We need turn it against them.
That seems to be the core mission of Republicans since the election of Reagan. After the fall of Nixon they reconsidered Joe McCarthy and figured if you are going to lie, then lie BIGLY!
MAGA in a nutshell (according to Bob Woodward):
"Trump told the friend that it's a mistake to show weakness in the face of such accusations, according to the book.
'You've got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women," Trump said, according to Woodward. "If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you're dead. That was a big mistake you made.'
Trump said the key was showing no hesitancy in denying accusations and instead, be on the attack and push back.
'You didn't come out guns blazing and just challenge them. You showed weakness,' Trump told the friend, according to Woodward. 'You've got to be strong. You've got to be aggressive. You've got to push back hard. You've got to deny anything that's said about you. Never admit.' "
Down here in Baghdad By the Sea, virtually every business is bilingual, and to DOGE/Musk, DEI. Government employees, contractors, banks, developers, etc. All of our mwembers of Congress are DEI -- and 3 of them are MAGATs.
Did i see a statistic that indicated DEI supportive corporations outperformed financially?
Here's some Google AI summary... "Yes, research suggests that corporations which actively support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives tend to be more profitable, often outperforming their less diverse counterparts.
Here's a breakdown of why:
Enhanced Financial Performance:
Studies indicate that companies with diverse leadership and employee bases often exhibit higher returns on equity and increased profitability.
Attracting and Retaining Top Talent:
DEI initiatives can make a company more attractive to potential employees, especially younger generations and diverse talent pools, leading to a stronger workforce and reduced turnover.
Improved Decision-Making:
Diverse teams are better equipped to consider a wider range of perspectives and potential impacts, leading to more effective and strategic decisions.
Frank, to my mind, there's an obvious reason that DEI-supportive corporations do better. When given a choice, people prefer to do business with companies that are reflections of themselves. Since consumers do include a majority of individuals who are not white and not male, the company that employs more people who share characteristics with their customers are more likely to succeed.
Unfortunately, the corporate game in the United States is for white-male-dominated corporations to continue acquiring their competition, thus eliminating choices for consumers.
There are supposedly laws against monopolies ... but there supposedly laws against a lot of things. Laws don't seem to carry much weight these days.
It's a better model of democracy, even if most businesses are top-down affairs. Democracy has its inherent foibles, but it throws a wide net on complicated realities. Well managed, many heads can be better than one, even with the straggle to get off the dime. Post-it (sticky) Notes began as an adhesive experiment gone "wrong". 3M saw potential in a semi-sticky glue, but could not find a commercial application. The asked their employees for suggestions and got a winner. It became their most profitable product.
Evidence rejecting ideology is a replacement for reality. Like heroin can be a replacement for satisfying experiences in life.Not a very good replacement, but a source if immediate comfort. For a while.
Four glorious years of not waking to the thought of “well, what’s Trump going to F up today” is fading in my rearview mirror. Maybe we needed that restful respite to bring it on full force for the next four.
Jan I hear you. My morning in 6 hours earlier than EST and this morning was just awful…with the news of a full out attack on Gaza by Netanyahu now undaunted by any restraint by the US , eviscerating the Biden brokered ceasefire process. And then the willful disregard of the federal court’s order. It feels like we are caught in an avalanche and we are midway down a steep mountain with no hope of rescue.
No more judgy thoughts about the inaction of everyday Germans during Hitler’s ascent—I feel so impotent and useless. What felt like being pecked to death by chickens suddenly became a full-on stealth attack to overwhelm the rule of law from all directions. And to top it off, Stephen Miller is a preening helmsman who appears regularly in this waking nightmare.
Hamas says the US “bears full responsibility for the massacres” in Gaza, after the White House confirmed Israel had consulted the Trump administration before it carried out the overnight airstrikes that officials say have killed more than 400 Palestinian people.
“With its unlimited political and military support for the occupation (Israel), Washington bears full responsibility for the massacres and the killing of women and children in Gaza,” Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, said in a statement.
“The international community is urged to take immediate action to hold the occupation and its supporters accountable for these crimes against humanity,” it adds
I guess I'm month-to-month now on my SS benefit direct deposit. I wonder if I'll have to provide a not-dead-yet certificate at some point. Where do you get one of those? Will it have an expiration date? Will that be my personal expiration date as well?
And still, the thunderous silence of congressional Republicans.
It takes 67 Senators to impeach Trump. 47 Senators are not so-called Republicans, so it would take 20 Republican Senators to impeach Trump/Musk. Ain't gonna happen.
And that's what we should all be telling everyone. Trump and Musk are so stupid they are spreading lies about dead people receiving social security. They are getting this information based on the database only.
They have to see what's in the PROGRAMS, which the DOGE boys have no clue how to read. So they rely on tools to pull their information from the databases.
The 70 million plus payments SS makes each month are created by programs that read the databases.
One simple instruction in the payment program bypasses payments to anyone older than 115 and another to check the date of death. For decades, SS has been clawing back overpayments to recipients so even if someone gets away with not reporting the death of a loved one, the government will likely get their money back. The data in almost all databases needs to be "scrubbed" periodically and I'm guessing the SSA databases are cleaned up often.
I switched my social security deposit to an account that I carry a zero balance on. I have historically used it for payments from PayPal and Amazon and moved them as soon as they were deposited. This was a safety precaution to prevent them from clawing it back.
Now my social security check will be deposited to that account and I will transfer it immediately thanks to the ease of online banking.
“Two days ago, media outlets noted that the Arlington National Cemetery website had deleted content about Black, female, and Hispanic veterans.”
The only way to get out of the visceral and hatred is Education. Education free for all for community college, for state universities, for trade certifications. Maintain a 3.0, paid for from a blend of federal, state, and corporations.
Or slip further into barbarism.
Fundamental required classes of History of our Constitution, The Plight of All Americans, World War II History.
Those will be considered as private schools. Not considered to be eligible for free education from the federal government. Ivy League, Religious School, etc.
You getting it?
Community Colleges and State Universities. Paid.
So you want to send your kid to Harvard for a business degree in Managed Health care, you pay.
You want to send your kid to get an engineering degree to fight back Huawei, Big Ten or SEC, all paid.
Or, you want an education on how to merge Church and State, you pay for Liberty University.
You want to have your child to understand others, Vermont University.
Free.
Got to run now. Food pick up for Jersey Battered Women Services. Table of Hope tomorrow. Please help those in need. They are growing.
Greg, Not just federal, but state. Not just corporations, but creative other means as you mention.
My father paid for my associate degree that set me on my way. In our vision, that would be funded through the government. How the federal government gets that money is up to them. The rest of my education, eight years of night for a BSEE - driving to the school, and one year, all paid for and sent away with a salary,
a maters in EE at Cornell.
Why? because corporations back then cared about education. It was all worked out between the government and companies. Now, it needs to be forced directly on to the feds making that payment as today corporations have drastically reduced education compensation of full time employees.
These Ivy League schools and private schools can remain the same.
And foreign students also pay based on what the schools need to charge.
At a federal level, all citizen are provided a free public education as long as they can get into the school and maintain a 3.0.
Great idea. Who's going to take charge of it? Moreover, I can't think of any time in the last 200 years when the plight of all Americans has been so dire.
How is anything done today? Money. After World War II, and the devastation in Europe and Asia, the world, and primarily the United States, to built their destroyed cities again. Created a United Nations to bring to the table ALL countries to talk.
Those countries that offer free schooling are so much more advanced than us today.
Rome fell to barbarism. WE will to, but the oligarchs will be comfortably sitting on their pile of money in beautiful and safe islands. The executives and board members of corporations retired comfortably for life.
How to fix this, after seeing what chuck did, a third party. A party that focuses on protecting our constitution to never have to go through this again. Education and health care, including dental, being the primary goals. Those are the core two needs; everything flows in the correct direction after that. From the disgruntled white guy sitting in that PA bar, to the African American that to this day still doesn’t get a fair shake, and I know from volunteer work with them. Veteran Hospitals that are horrible, facing terrible issues like PTSD. And there are solutions for it! Migrants, just like you and I, traveling through the most dangerous countries for their chance of freedom, now hiding. Hard working good people doing jobs that needed for us so that their children can have a better life, an education. Corporations that have to depend on foreign H1B visas simply because this country does no longer have the pool of educated resources.
When you have fallen so far behind, you have to make drastic changes. A civil war to treat all men as equal, a FDR New Deal to pull this country out of a depression, a Kennedy space program to catch up to the Kremlin and make science and math desired by the American people. A civil movement by both whites and blacks to say NO to Vietnam and continued restrictions of the blacks, still to that day, after winning their freedom on April 9th, 1865. 1865 people! And we are still fighting for their rights in the sixties. Shame.
A new party is needed to just focus on taking back health care from these managed health care oligarchs, rich beyond all belief, and back to the doctors, nurses, hospitals, and research. Like the eighties.
Offer free education , and they will come. But requiring everyone back in a classroom. Why? So that they become social again.
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
My father, a Republican, loved this country. Never complained about it even being very scared about what was going on in the sixties. Yet, what he would see with these two parties, he would agree with me.
We need a young Bernie Sanders to step up, but a woman. A powerful speaker, and a new party, that gather in arenas, stadiums, and to watch them, uninterrupted, on CSPANs. Not saying what the polls are showing, but saying what we all believe is needed.
If I get time later, we can get into it, but I will simply say, Trump is evil and Biden was stupid to think he could beat him. Should have immediately offered up a primary.
Kamala left her body on the playing field. And I also loved Tim. But no runway and being tied to Biden, she had no chance.
But I believe those democratic males that voted against her because being a woman are now sorry. Those that voted because the cost of groceries is now seeing the price gouging still going on, and he actually said to stop. And those that believed tariffs will work, are seeing their 401k’s saying otherwise.
I really have to go, but will check in after feeding some folks. Folks that I hope voted for her also.
Thank you for sharing.....and thank you for caring for those you see who are hungry and afraid and feel helpless and alone.
One of the Bible stories I love : Jesus was speaking to a large crowd and as He was speaking to them, He saw they were becoming tired so He stopped speaking and He asked if anyone brought food.
One little boy had a basket with 5 loaves of bread and two fish which he gave to Jesus. Jesus broke the food into pieces and blessed it and shared it with the crowd of people for whom He felt compassion and deep love understanding their need. There were leftovers.
John, thank you for your compassion and for taking action to meet the needs of those around you.
God bless Kamala Harris and the many who quietly work and serve with love and compassion.
Our understanding of "the truth", at least in a larger sense, if likely to be always flawed and incomplete; but what a difference it has made when we seem to move further in the direction of accuracy and comprehension. As well as when we don't.
It is exhausting and impossible to keep up with torrent of attacks on our democracy, and in the rest of the world. It also is impossible to prioritize what are the most dangerous. Personally, I think that it is the administration's defiance of the judicial orders on deportation and Trump's attempt to invoke war powers--using the National Emergencies Act was not enough for him.
Today I am more frightened than I have ever been for our country.
We need to focus our attacks on Trump/Musk and all of the Fascists in his cabinet and Congress, not on Democrats.
What good does it do?
We have known the Trump strategy for 10 years - attack, attack, attack, deny, deny, deny.
Trump say's his goal is to make America wealthy and that we must endure pain to make that happen.
More Americans are financially secure than they ever were under Trump 1. He led us into a terrible recession the first time as has every other Republican President. I don't believe economics is a zero sum game, but everything Trump is doing looks like he believes that. He doesn't act like wealth can be created, but rather it should continue to be moved from the poor to the oligarchs.
A lot of people are paying attention only to Fox, and we know where that leads. But everyone pays attention to prices, sooner or later. The economy is what will capture the will of the people.
And a lot of people are paying attention, but are over-whelmed and/or frightened and thus frozen.
So, it is essential for those of us who can act, to act. Call reps, protest non-violently, write letters if you still have a paper. I still have a paper, and so grateful that I do. I write shortish letters and try to make clear, basic points, with a few facts. A friend, one of the overwhelmed, wrote me a thank you card.
I'm thinking about having yard signs made up saying things like. "No one voted for Elon Musk." "Trump lied about slashing grocery prices," etc.
Obviously, I'm not good at this, but lots of people are. The signs will likely disappear in a day or two, but if I put them at busy intersections, people will notice. Plus, they will notice when they disappear.
Donald Trump wants confirmation to everything he does and unquestionable obedience to every order he gives. The people he has placed in power are "yes" men and women. They left their brains and their consciences at the steps before entering leadership roles given to them by the President of the USA who wants to become our first Dictator.
To those who believe in the Constitution and Rule of Law....please brace yourself! Donald Trump is so enraptured with himself and his grandiose plans, he has become unbound....disrespecting the rule of our law...he is shaping our country and the world "in HIS imagination" and the billionaires are paying for it with their abundance....
He does not plan to leave the Presidency/Dictatorship in four years....believe what he says....look at his slaves oops, I mean his followers. They have sold their souls for a few coins!
It was more than I could take into my being....to see the mistreatment of men from various Latino countries to be so mistreated....not a trial....NOTHING!!! Thanks to the bravery of the news media...thank God for every journalist who shares the facts...the truth!!!
Those who condone this believe they can get away with it. They believe we are as prejudice and heartless as they are....ARE WE????!!!! Our actions or inactions will prove the truth that fills our hearts and minds!!!!
As many look and condone this prejudicial and unjust and UNAMERICAN treatment....remember it could be YOU....yes, you or your son or your daughter.
More control, more personal invasions of privacy....OBEY, FOLLOW MY RULES, OR PRISON!!!
That history can be erased, national security gutted, essential programs and jobs cut and the rule of law virtually ignored with so little pushback from the people in power is unacceptable. The public is organizing and will continue to work tirelessly to restore democracy. Thanks for this powerful Letter.
Lower than low, smaller than small, worthy of banishing his dead bones to a potter's field one day. The fact is, erasing someone's achievements from a website will not cause them to be forgotten; in contrast, we will find ways to eulogize these Americans in ways not controlled by the federal executive branch; we'll stick a finger in the eye of these cretins.
I really wish the Dems would take Timothy Snyder’s suggestion and put together a shadow government to articulate the alternatives to these policies and destructive unconstitutional actions. They could salvage the truth of the contributions made by nonwhite males on a shadow government website.
In some ways, it’s happening –through alternative media, and some very articulate outspoken legislators of all ages. We just need to be passing their words around, so they are heard, and give them opportunities to speak publicly!
One US Government expense that I feel confident is multiples of Biden's is the expense of securing the president and transporting him. From what I've read, Trump plays more golf than any other president by a lot and he travels to Florida at the drop of a hat, often just to play golf. This strikes me as the 21st Century equivalent of "Let them eat cake".
I sincerely hope there is some brave and courageous person in the WH who will think of a way to point a weapon to both of the narcissists heads. I want their lives threatened just like what they have been doing to Kinzinger, Cheney, and judges. I want them to feel panic. That same soul then can show them pictures of the people they are killing in other countries and at home. They must be reeled in. They must beg for their lives. Then they will be escorted to individual prison cells where they will experience solitary confinement. Elon will be denied his ketamine. Donnie will be denied diet cokes as well as no Viagra or Cialis. Let them go crazy to where they might harm themselves.
It has been an honor to be part of the diverse American fabric. Immigrants have been joining us to add to our culture and our casualties in war reflect all of us.
We are witnessing a destruction of our long-standing institutions, of recognizing in a positive light our diversity, and of ignoring constitutional rights like the right of due process.
Trump, Musk, and the Republican Party don’t care about presiding over all Americans and Democrats seem weak.
Phil, there's no Republican party anymore, it was destroyed as maga is destroying everything else in this country. Maga is invading and replacing everything and everything it's touching is dying.
Thank you for this as always, Heather. And please take care of yourself. This letter is so late/early and I know you must still be up. We need you for the long run. Yours from Bath, awaiting the same sunrise.
And blessings to you Heather from downstream in Scarborough…also awaiting the same sunrise. 🙏💖
And also from the foothills in Oxford.
And also from the foothills of upstate New York!
And the foothills of the San Francisco Bay Area.
And the cloudiness of Seattle...we're grateful for you!
And from the Niagara Escarpmnt in Wisconsin.
And from the swamps of Montville
And from one of the only blue cities in Texas, Houston.
Most of the big cities in Texas are blue! The problem with Texas is the vast rural areas. I live in one of the many red rural areas in Texas. Greg Abbott has tried and tried to make voting in the cities in Texas harder and harder. He KNOWS that Texas cities consistently vote Democratic.
That is good news about the voters, certainly not about Abbott. Another one who needs to be voted out.
I keep voting against the trio of Abbott, Patrick and Paxton. It boggles the mind that these three clowns are still here. And we also have Cornyn and Cruz. My rep is Chip Roy. An abundance of truly awful people!
Yeah, Abbott is a little shit.
“Conclusive Audits Could Serve Trump’s Impeachment”
Read Kevin McKinney’s excellent article below and SHARE!
https://open.substack.com/pub/kmac/p/if-the-2024-election-was-hacked-whats
Better do something with so much treason in the air. Otherwise there will be civil war. As John C. Calhoun, of all people, wrote in 1848: “The [500-year] Republic had in reality ceased to exist long before the establishment of the [Roman] Empire. The interval was filled by ferocious, corrupt, and bloody factions. There was, indeed, a small but patriotic body of eminent individuals who struggled in vain to correct abuses and to restore the government to its . . . purity, and who sacrificed their lives in their endeavors to accomplish and object so virtuous and noble.”
--John C. Calhoun, ‘A Disquisition on Government’; 1848.
Perhaps we lost the willingness to live and breathe democracy as Baron Montesquieu had suggest. We need to heed him now: "If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's, but between patriotism and intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition, and ignorance on the other."
EDIT P.S., thank y'all for your patience with a large error in pasting the wrong quote under Vice President Calhoun. 🤝 Shrinking grey matter; oh, good grief. 😵 I appreciate those who apprised me of this error with courtesy. 🙏 For the one who did not? 😳 Par for the course, of course. 😰 Delighting in vindictiveness overlooked the wisdom of the quotation itself. 😢
Of course Calhoun believed the intelligent patriots were the Southern slave holding secessionists, Ned.
Today he would be taking the side of Trump and skuM, and he would believe it was the Biden-loving Democrats who were the ambitious superstitiously ignorant opposition, ready to give up the Union.
He would be calling for a return to white supremacy and to slavery and the elimination of black, Hispanic and female names from our record books.
Just like the MAGA GOP.
Calhoun would be no friend of ours.
In another forum I just noted that some scholars are asking whether ratification of the Constitution may be withdrawn. See Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 and 1799, drafted by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson respectively, state responses to the Federalist-backed Alien and Sedition Acts, asserting that states could nullify federal laws deemed unconstitutional.
Some folks in Washington and Oregon say they want to return to Canada. They were jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain (later Canada) until the 1846 Oregon Treaty established the border along the 49th parallel, with the northern portion becoming British Columbia and later part of Canada.. Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, offered to accept Washington, Oregon, and California as new Canadian provinces.
And the French want the Statue of Liberty back as it's being held under false pretences - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/return-statue-liberty-french-parliament
😩😢 Truth is, we aren't exactly worthy of Lady Liberty, these days. The current Mal-administration's obsession with deporting even visa and green card holders and people who haven't even seen the inside of a courtroom being hustled out of the country without even a pretense of due process 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬is absolutely antithetical to what she stands for.
That is the least of their worries. There is a reason or perhaps two reasons that France has a nuclear sub stationed in the harbor in Canada.
Dave and I have rented an apartment in Paris for the month of September. We have been very diligent about looking into retirement visas and engaging in very serious conversations about leaving US.
Instead of giving back the Statue of Liberty , I think we should have a REVOTE.
Trump LIED to the American people. He MISREPRESENTED himself. The people don’t want this.
But no tabulators. No purged votes.
Unconditional? Well it’s not stopping HIM!
A very healthy response. Paris already has one. Maybe the statue in N.Y.C. could go to Brussels or Strasbourg . . . Kyiv!
England (back then it wasn't the UK) claimed at least the top part of Maine back in the very early 1800's. Maine borders both New Brunswick and Quebec and in 1838 to 1839 there was a boundary dispute between the U.S. and England. I'd like to think that we could dissolve that resolution and beg Canada to take us in!
Trump stated that an arbitrary line had been drawn through the U.S., thereby cutting off Canada. Il Dootch-bag seems to forget that the U.S. tried to seize Eastern Canada twice and failed.
Likewise, Hawaii could be bought by Japan as there are section where Japanese soldiers fought in WWIi (442 division) .
I don't suppose they could find a way to extend that down to Oklahoma?
And SW MO?
You have one senator, Lngdford, who was reamed by Trump. Native Americans arde, according to Musk, DOGE, DEI.
Follow I Hip News!
Please, please please take New York too!
PA?, NY, NJ, MD, DE, CT, RI, MA, NH?, VT, ME would likely join in on the fun.
Canadians are cancelling their US vacations left and right. If Oregon joins Canada I'm moving back....
Here is Elizabeth May:
https://youtube.com/shorts/ScO6SQ79vTk?si=qbzdumdPhJ3gsLtH
I enjoy all that Canada has to offer & how close I am here in WA but, Canada also has some bad history & government issues. I do not want to be part of another country & those that do would be 'giving up' on The United States. Not Me!
EDITING P.S., thank you Daniel, as always, for a constructive insight.
The Northeastern states may go that way, too, with the exception of New Hampshire. Then Trump's claim of a third world country will be valid. It would not go that far unless the M.A.G.A.s are really spoiling for civil war.
Like I say....I don't support it. I support shared government. Our national sovereignty has been lost. We lost the cold war. Patriotic Americans of all stripes should oppose that.
Properly framed Trump is toast.
Daniel, I live in Oregon and I must say, this is attractive to me, but a lot of the state wants to be part of Idaho where there are some of the very best MAGAs. Same for eastern Washington and parts of northern CA.
I don't support it. I support shared government. Our national sovereignty has been lost. We lost the cold war. Patriotic Americans of all stripes should oppose that.
By all means, let them go and let let them impoverish themselves.
https://5millionpatriots.blogspot.com/
I was born in Calhoun County in Michigan. I've wanted that name changed for a long time. Calhoun was pro-slavery. All you need is to see his portrait on Wikipedia. That's what despicable looks like.
But John C had at least one brother I know of who left the area and settled in the North - I believe he was in the railroad business in Chicago. At least one famously distanced himself from his firebrand brother.
Maybe - keep in mind that in this election there were major shfts among immigrants, Latinos, and Black Males to the Republican party (now the Russian Republican Party) and a huge divide between young female voters and young male voters - the male voters swinging wildly to Trump. People may be upset but those who vote seem hitched to Trump anyway. Surveys indicate democracy was not even a top 5 issue. Rights were an after thought to the economy. Counter punch 24-7 on the hurt people are and will go thorugh - not enough people care for lofty ideals. And that fact is a new definition for the Tragedy of the Commons.
Ned, I just looked this up. Your quote is absolutely misattributed. It was not John Calhoun who said this. It was Ulysses s Grant. I'm not sure where you got the quote but to made a major mistake saying it was Calhoun. My bad for not checkving it out before responding.
Calhoun said he represented a "concurrent majority". Antebellum version of "the big lie."
He didn't have to say, “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.” ― Joseph Stalin.
Agree. Those were Grant's words. Even so, Ned's concern and his warnings deserve our attention.
Whewwww!!.., thanx "Jon". That was a heavy one. And, let's"fact check" while we are still able. Last edition of the hardbound copy of the Encyclopedia(s) was years and years ago. Where are we going to turn to to verify anything once MusScum puts his "system's" into place? We will become virtual mushrooms i.e., kept in the dark and fed manure. At the moment, at least, we are only being fed manure. Total darkness has not yet fallen. As the days pass, I fear it's imminent. Time to stock up on torches. Get ready for firearm confiscations.., No? Think again, Pilgrims.
FACT? what's that?
Just wait, Joanne, Trump will probably issue an edit, or executive order, to remove the word fact from our lexicon, dictionaries and conversations!!!
that's the first thing an authoritarian gummint will do. Wonder if those "patriotic" MAGAs will obey when they have to give up their precious "compensators". After all, isn't Dear Leader always right?
But can we even trust what we read on the internet? It is all so easily changed as we can see by what is being removed.
If only those hateful people would put their time, energy and money into building good things for the world instead of destruction and hate.
It does seem apropos of the moment.
Thank you for your due diligence! We all must adopt this practice. Ulysses "S" Grant was such an admirable, brave, resolute man--Lincoln and we were fortunate to have him devoted to our country. Calhoun, not so much!
TO JON ROSEN: relish your vindictive victory. Please no longer read my comments. Yes I will make mistakes. But as others did here with this mistake, people will counsel me with a communal courtesy rather your competitive contumely.
It's OkayNed... it's okay bro.
The civil war never really ended
The Union never finished the job..........similar to how after WW1, the German Army just went home....WW2 started 20 years later.....now Schumer let the fascists off the hook......people never learn that history repeats itself
Yeh.. , but, the "younger generation" is not all cellphones and games. They recognize BS. They'll carry this country forward.., watch. Do not sell them short! They'll eat the likes of KARO-line Leavitt for lunch, she's just excrement.
MoveOn.Org........Reaching 3.5%........"Younger generation"....kicking ass
While what is happening to us and our communities and all around us is horrific, research from Harvard University on historical movements shows that "no government has withstood a challenge of 3.5% of their population mobilized against it during a peak event."9,10 It's called the "3.5% rule."11 It's a relatively tiny percentage, really. We can get there.
The Women's March in January 2017 is the largest single-day demonstration in U.S. history.12 Between 1% to 1.6% of the U.S. population participated in the Women's March across hundreds of locations. Double or triple that scale would approach the 3.5% threshold.13
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a scholar on fascism and authoritarian leaders, wrote yesterday: "Each time we show solidarity with others, or support those who are protecting the rule of law, helping the targeted, or exposing the lies and the corruption, we are standing up for democratic values of justice, accountability, equality, and more. In doing so, we model the behaviors the authoritarian state wants us to abandon. Joining with others, we transform our individual righteous indignation into a potent moral force for good."14
I believe that the Blue States should secede and everyone gets to decide if they care more about their house/apartment/home or their government if they don't live in a state that is on the side of the divide they want to be. If not officially, they might secede their taxes and pool them to then support the government functions we are no longer getting in the blue states. We know Red States won't go along with this. Musk and Trump are stealing all our money and we need to have someone in charge who will replace it.
Right now we are looking at the air not being safe, the water not safe, the food not safe to consume. We are also the
It has not been so long, 1972, that when I started high school we had 1 Black kid in 3,000 because his house happened to be on our district’s side of the dividing line. It was a disaster for all the racists. We do lines even then showing that people couldn’t get along and accept others for who they were.
The entire history of this country has been spent dividing people to create hate so others could gain power. We’re not any better than Iran, Iraq, Hamas or others that commit humanitarian crimes. Trump and his ilk are doing it in the open now and I only see that leading to the same violence within as those other countries.
What happens when China or Russia starts announcing they’re taking over our islands, then Alaska, then the border states? After all, that’s exactly what Trump and Putin are doing.
How would the country divide up red states and blue states? Is this when the people who just toil endlessly and never vote start to speak out? There are a lot of what ifs.
As I read that they rounded up these alleged gang members to deport based on tattoos I wondered how many are peaceful US citizens. Also, what if we had a day where millions applied those fake tattoos and walked the streets. Would they round us all up and commit humanitarian crimes against us?
Yes, anger and stress are causing my mind to go down rabbit holes even if they don’t make sense.
So, Sharon.., freedom from religious dogma .., coined as "freedom from religion".., meaning utilizing rational judgement, comes directly into play. A nation hoping and praying isn't gonna get the job done. We're dealing with "humans" here.., keep yer guard up. Let your conscience be your guide. Try to understand human nature, as we have experienced it over the ages.
I am definitely not counting on hopes and prayers. My mother, great Christian that she was, taught me that God helps those who help themselves. That has held me steady through many turmoils.
Didn’t finish your comment?
Yo.., Ken.., I finished mine. :))
I’m thinking about the 2026 and 2028 elections. Considering everything, I don’t believe that we’ll have a free and fair election. Trump literally tried to steal the 2020 election and now with Musk’s billions and the MAGA Republicans happily doing whatever Trump commands, why do we think they will risk giving up power in 2026? Or 2028? I think there will be massive fraud in the next elections and our democracy is over. I hope and pray that I’m wrong.
I agree with you, 100% Cathy. But be careful voicing this...even on these semi-liberal forums I've been excoriated for being "irrational" and "negative" and "fear-mongering." Nope, I'm a realist. There is no way in hell that the MAGA Party (formerly called conservatives or Republicans) will give up the power they have achieved now. No way. Look at all the damage accomplished in just 8 weeks! And not a peep of alarm or disagreement from the ruling MAGA Party. Our last opportunity to stop this was last November.
I'm not sure yet how they will stop "free and fair" elections. Something will be maneuvered, either overtly (martial law) or covertly.
kinda feels like everyone’s who in a position of power via the government is afraid to stand up to trump because they are afraid of a civil war…
There is a theme of common good vs private profit running through all the excellent examples of T/M destruction and erasure. It is easy to see when the conflict of interest is as blatant as handing over the WH communications network and rural broadband provision to Starlink. The idea that exemplary Americans who were Indigenous (e.g. Code Talkers) or Black (MA regiment featured in film Glory) or women (WASP pilots) are not rightly part of our history has nothing to do with the DEI programs or Affirmative Action that MAGA denounces so vehemently. All of them prevailed despite open (and at their time legitimated) discrimination.
The key phrase in HCR’s post is “after public outcry” - which restored Vietnam era Medal of Honor winner Gen Rogers to the DOD website. Every one of the erasures in the post needs public outcry. As does every handover of government functions to Musk owned private companies.
But don’t overlook the evidence of massive privatization and profit in every action being taken. Immigrants being rounded up around the country are being sent to PRIVATE prisons. Government contractors are immune from layoffs in the DoD but all of civil servants whose job itis to keep them from cheating and stealing from you are being laid off.
If we don’t defend our civil servants (who do SERVE us) we will not only lose Social Security (already being gutted by changing rules and cutting offices) but any government for the common good at all. Privatized governance is already a big part of what our country spends its resources on - in everything from health care to feeding our troops and fighting our wars. The broader fight has to be about bringing government back to being accountable democratically, but the immediate need is to show what a PUBLIC OUTCRY can accomplish. There are many targets HCR describes. So get out your phones and start hollering.
A staunch defender of the institution of slavery, and a slave-owner himself, Calhoun was the Senate's most prominent states' rights advocate, and his doctrine of nullification professed that individual states had a right to reject federal policies that they deemed unconstitutional.... from Google AI, Ned, what were you thinking?
Oh, I do not like his policies, good man. In a Southern school where he is revered, I argued heatedly against them. He was, perhaps, our fines political philosopher along with John Rawls.
SORRY for the repeats, Frank. Jon Rosen alerted me to my shrinking grey matter. Late night two mistakes. I duble quote President Grant and failed to attribute the second quote to him. Here is the Calhoun quote, which I intended to cite.
“The [500-year] Republic had in reality ceased to exist long before the establishment of the [Roman] Empire. The interval was filled by ferocious, corrupt, and bloody factions. There was, indeed, a small but patriotic body of eminent individuals who struggled in vain to correct abuses and to restore the government to its . . . purity, and who sacrificed their lives in their endeavors to accomplish and object so virtuous and noble.”
--John C. Calhoun, ‘A Disquisition on Government’; 1848.
The quote is from Grant not Calhoun.
Yep. I dropped the ball on two counts: not citing President Grant when I discussed Baron Montesquieu's wisdom and pasting in the President Grant quote instead of that of Vice President Calhoun.
SORRY for the repeats. Jon Rosen alerted me to my shrinking grey matter. Late night two mistakes. I duble quote President Grant and failed to attribute the second quote to him. Here is the Calhoun quote, which I intended to cite.
“The [500-year] Republic had in reality ceased to exist long before the establishment of the [Roman] Empire. The interval was filled by ferocious, corrupt, and bloody factions. There was, indeed, a small but patriotic body of eminent individuals who struggled in vain to correct abuses and to restore the government to its . . . purity, and who sacrificed their lives in their endeavors to accomplish and object so virtuous and noble.”
--John C. Calhoun, ‘A Disquisition on Government’; 1848.
YES, a month before the 2025 Election, I ordered a customized yard sign from a local sign shop here in NC that had my choices for Pres/V.P., NC Gov., NC Atty Gen., NC Lt Gov., NC Super. Of Public Schools…all were Democratic WINNERS, except Pres./V.P. ( Harris/Walz)…
I smelled a “Russian tail” immediately!
Sending $$$ to ETA today!
I voted in that election the very same way and even my western end of the state that got so hammered by Helene actually turned BLUE, a first for years. All the top Democrats won except for tramp(sic)which I found to be extremely odd. That kind of voting pattern went on in almost all of the swing and battleground states. I voted absentee but in a “red” county so my vote didn’t get challenged by that idiot judge. I know the voter suppression was out of this world which didn’t help at all either. With everything else that’s shaking our foundations of government, our voting integrity is most worrying.
I have a problem with an audit that starts "i am going to find something wrong". I had training as an election worker. While not a "total computer geek", with election computers not connected to the internet, i have a hard time with the "algorithm slipping in" theory. Especially at a large scale. There was that episode in "Scandal" about the voting machine in Ohio, but that was a close election. Truly, i believe that someone would vote for Trump and Democratic Party candidates down ballot. I also read where a lot of young men just voted for President. Personally, i think there were a lot of factors that turned the tide in a close election.
Great points. Interestingly the ETA report with no actual evidence, just suspicions claims that they BELIEVE they can show Harris was robbed of 1.5 million votes, but even that won't necessarily mean she would beat Trump popular vote. Personally I seriously doubt they can show any kind of difference that large.
I would love to believe it but my common sense says it couldn't happen to that level across 50 states where each state counts votes differently.
Although it is an easy answer to "How could this happen?" Russian algorithms changing votes in all swing states is a stretch. Far more likely was the pre-election "brainwashing" using misinformation, lies, AI generated false images, etc. distributed on social media.
If it did happen, it would have had to be done at the manufacturing level.
Not to mention how many people would have to be in on such a thing
I don’t believe you watched the videos & analysis of:
Dire Talks on YouTube;
“Lights on” with Jessica Denson and Election Truth Alliance;
SmartElections.US
ElectionTruthAlliance.org and look at the analysis.
I have been following these since November. It makes me angry you would spread misinformation. The data is not realistic. Watch the videos.
Mc Kinney needs to read Featbhers of Hope. IMHO We lost the cold war. Our govenment supports totaliarian dictator Putin, the leader of a second rate power. 22 Republican senators, dozens of Republican House members voted to fund Ukraine.
Many of them call Trump a liar about Putin.
Get those Republicans who oppose Putin on the record!
Impeach. Feathers of Hope. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/remove-impeach-impeach
At the rate the pillaging is happening, I doubt we have time to convince enough Republicans of the need for not just impeachment, but conviction in the Senate, before enough people storm D.C. and force a change. And that is not going to be peaceful.
If you would actually listen, they are calling out Trump, mostly on Ukraine, but also on many other issues. Where I live, we have 3 otherwise MAGA House members who are Cuban Americans, considered DEI by Musk and DOGE, who also deplore Putin.
but Marco Rubio, who up to now has made his career on attacking the regime in Cuba, has now agreed to de-fund American support for pro-democracy activists in that country (and Nicaraugua and Venezuela). Orders from Moscow?
Yes. His fellow paisanos are all over him. He can be pressured. His feassance:
1. Norman Braman
2. CANF
3. Donald J. Trump
BTW that Trump Tesla infomercial must gall Braman.
Like to hear more on that, Daniel.
"conviction in the Senate" so not likely, James, what Trump is doing is fully backed by Republican sentiments of the past generation.
Read Feathers of Hope.
Thank you for this terrifying article. This supports my good friend's belief that there had to be manipulation as it would be impossible that all of the swing states swung the other way.
"Republicans convinced Americans to vote to undermine a government that enables all of us to look out for each other by pushing a narrative that says such a government is dangerous because it gives power to undesirables and lets crime run rampant in the U.S."
Look at who are truly undesirable and have all the power....
Marlo, THANK YOU! Video fully describes claims Democrats were afraid to investigate about the strong possibility of a stolen election because of the echoes of Republican claims in 2020 DESPITE Democrat's observations that the Magats’ accusations are essentially confessions (projections) of what they are in fact doing.
McKinney’s article makes perfect sense. All along I knew in my Heart-0f-Hearts the election was stolen. Of course, the new question begs, what now! The MAGots are very well entrenched and have been eliminating all possible opposition forces!
Thank you. I just read it. Uphill battles and no doubt obstructions ahead. Many honorable people are desperately trying.
This is definitely worth reading. Takes one’s suspicions to the next step.
Yes, for heaven's sake, thank you for that thought, Michael, and especially for your much-needed research, Heather, in these already desperate times. Please take care of yourself. We need to pull together now. Now.
I wrote my congressman In Idaho. I do whatever I can as an artist.
From “Feathers of Hope:”
Before any Impeachment can proceed, a critical mass of nine Republicans in the House must decide that it is warranted. While they need not be the ones listed here, these are among the most likely to reach that decision earliest.
Call one or all.
Insist that they consider Impeachment to end the crisis.
Call or write repeatedly, and keep in mind that we’re just laying the groundwork at this time. By demonstrating to nervous politicians that there is growing demand for Impeachment, it will become more viable and easier for them to support.
House Republicans
Don Bacon: (202) 225-4155 D.C. —— (402) 938-0300 District Office
Brian Fitzpatrick: (202) 225-4276 D.C. —— (215) 579-8102 District Office
David Joyce: (202) 225-5731 D.C. —— (440) 352-3939 District Office
Andrew Garbarino: (202) 225-7896 D.C. —— (631) 541-4225 District
Dan Newhouse: (202) 225-5816 D.C. —— (509) 452-3243 District
Young Kim (R-CA-40): (202) 225-4111 D.C. —— (714) 984-2440 District
District Offices: 180 N. Riverview Dr. Suite 150 — Anaheim, CA 92808 (714) 984-2440 and Mission Viejo City Hall —200 Civic Center — Mission Viejo, CA 92691 — (949) 268-6706
Ashley Hinson: (202) 225-2911 D.C. —— (319) 364-2288 District
David Valadao: (202) 225-4695 D.C. —— (661) 864-7736 District
Mike Lawler: (202) 225-6506 D.C324 - - (845) 201- 2060 District
District Office:: One Blue Hill Plaza, Third Floor, P.O. Box 1645 — Pearl River, NY 10965 and 60 McAlpin Ave. — Mahopac, NY 10541 — (845) 743-7130
House Democratic Leadership Phone Numbers
Minority Leader: Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), 202-225-5936
Minority Whip: Katherine Clark (D-MA), 202-225-2836
Caucus Chair: Pete Aguilar (D-CA), 202-225-3201
Speaker Emerita: Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), 202-225-4965
https://jerryweiss.substack.com/p/remove-impeach-impeach?r=24p296&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=audio-player
They are responsive to their consituents and donors.
1. Virtually everyone involved in beef and in meat packing is in a state of panic, and 20 senators in cow country should be paniciking also.
2. The Trump/Tesla infomercial pisses off every car dealer in the US. It's up to us to get them to protest to their local Congresspeople. Pressure NADA. https://www.nada.org/
2a. Pressure local car dealers. https://dcnation.dealercenter.com/blog/auto-dealer-associations
3. Pressure local chambers of commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/co/chambers
4. Where I live we have more Canadians, many with dual citizenships, who are pissed. More here than in some Canadian provinces. Highly influential.
5. Ukranian Americans. Not just in Parma..... in David Joyce's neck of the woods.
6. You get the idea. If you are Cuban, contact CANF. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_American_National_Foundation
I copied this list and will put it in my “to call” folder (which seems to be growing exponentially).
Thank you. You have excellent suggestions!
Michael, my sentiments are the same for Heather.
Same here, as well as other Democratic bloggers. I've been thinking about whether its becoming risky to even have subscriptions on blogs like Substack. (Stares at the ground kicking at the grass)
Free speech hasn’t been outlawed.
Yet. I'm sure there are both human and AI watchers on places like Substack, BlueSky, etc. Remember the amount of resources available to the Misadministration.
Justice Roberts interjected his opinion in the form of a chastisement when Trump had announced he wanted the judge impeached who told him to turn the plane around and return. (He is like a child!). So between Roberts now following the law (instead of Trump’s will), and judges overturning his orders (firings, freeze on funding of programs already approved & the work already accomplished) that is a positive sign.
The protests country wide has been having an effect.
Professor says she appreciates thank you from readers. But she would like even more if her letters awaken us as heroes for action.
I cannot imagine reading Dr Richardson’s work for very long and not being moved to some form of action. This is the seed she plants, of course. I am grateful to be tending this garden with you.
Thank you for your kind words. Looking forward to restoration of a stable democracy in America.
Veazie/Bangor here...
And the sandy flat of Charleston, SC.
I have the same sentiments as Michael from Bath. Each time I see you, Heather, on a live video or hear the latest recorded “Letter” I know how very much you are putting into this work, and it is for all of us. And for my young son and my young grandchildren and for generations to come ❤️ We thank you and encourage your good health!
This has been the most horrific edition of LFAA yet. Yet.
ELON/FELON installed Starlink across the White House campus. Social Security being eviscerated in such a way that in the near future, people won't be able to get their benefits that were PAID INTO during their years of employment, and more snafus are coming that will interrupt benefits being paid out to current SS recipients. Apparently despite Verizon having a valid contract, Elon plans on getting HIS systems installed instead.
And we know these are only a few of the coming horrors. I just can't mentally process this news tonight.
I will add that I am and will always be grateful to Dr. Heather for all her efforts in keeping us informed.
Elon and his minions are committing felonies. My colleagues and I are gathering evidence. My partner is also suing him for his racist firings of DEI civil servants: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/no-one-elected-elon
yes, Public Servant, the SCOTUS giving Trump immunity is making so many of our democratic civil rights turn back the clock. We need something to fight successfully against the expensive legal team that is representing Project 2025.
https://5millionpatriots.blogspot.com/
Unprecedented corruption. That's what rule of law with the consent of the governed is supposed to stop.
I am and will always be grate full to JustRaven, J L Graham & the entire LFAA digital Community now at or near 2 Million strong not counting 'shared' LFAA's over networks across our country & the Globe.
*******************************
March 18, 2025 at market Close:
Tesla Inc, down 🔻yet again this time over 5% 🔻Down
Tesla Inc. stock was down 🔻4.79% yesterday now having lost 🔻37.25% YTD. : ---)
Same, Counselor.
I hope it craters like a lawn dart. I figure at some point, the board will have to act. The GOP led courts have said that the investors come first.
The Board is a tool of Musk. The Australian Chair is ROBYN M DENHOLM ...
Tesla Corp History:
+ Denholm became a "director" years ago.
+ Denholm succeeded Elon in November 2018 as "chair".
+ Denholm became an "operating partner" in January 2021.
Hmmm Denholm cashedin T-shares back in January 2025 for big profits.
Yes, but they make up for the corruption (in their supporters’ eyes) by their spectacular exhibition of racism and misogyny in the destruction of the public record of positive contributions to the nation by black Americans, women, and other groups those supporters don’t like. As a result, the felon’s supporters are perfectly willing to overlook blatant corruption.
Why aren't we seeing massive protests in the streets? What will it take to get Americans off their butts and into the streets? Must we wait until SS is completely gone? Must we wait until we see children and elderly and disabled people starving in the streets? Come on people let's go! Time to let these fascists know we are disgusted with their wholesale destruction of OUR government, OUR economy, OUR retirement savings!
Indivisible is planning a nationwide day of protest April 5.
https://5millionpatriots.blogspot.com/
Great question! My answer:
Most people are still just casual observers and many more are not paying attention (as usual..."all politicians are the same" bullshit).
When people start feeling PERSONAL PAIN, we might see a large enough resistance. I'm afraid Jack and Jill will continue to say that Musk is doing a great job "cleaning up the government".
Until...they visit the nursing home and find their mother or grandmother laying in a urine soaked bed. Or their kid not having lunch served at school. Or their life saving drug escalating in price. Or a measles outbreak hits their neighborhood and our government says "take your cod liver oil". Or there is a nuclear accident. Or Uncle John and Aunt Jean die in a plane crash caused by overworked air traffic controllers. Or Cousin Ed and his wife and kids are victims of a tornado because the warning system at NOAA has no staff.
I don't think we are at the "Personal Pain Inflection Point". But soon. All this needless suffering. Republicans? Fake Christians? You will own this. Hell has a place prepared.
BTW, here are some fun facts for today:
Population of the United States:
in 1975: 216 million
in 2025: 347 million (+60%)
Federal workers:
in 1975: 2.87 million
in 2025: 3.0 million (+4.5%)
Oh, and in 1990, there were 3.4 million.
Bill, thanks for giving the statistics regarding the number of government employees through the years. The claim that there is fraud and waste in civi service requiring indiscriminate firing is itself FRAUDULENT, and will cost $$$$$$$ in restitution eventually.
Purely gaslighting for the right-wing to sell the destruction of our democracy. Seems to be working.
My only concern is that Covid didn’t cause a personal pain inflection point and we’ve seen the people in the streets and children going hungry for years.
My hope is that with Covid people saw it as mostly an 'act of nature' and didn't connect the dots re: what the Trump Admin was doing or not doing. If people lose their SS, Medicare, safe meat, etc. it will be a lot harder for them to fail to connect the dots
Or their grandma with dementia has been tossed out of the nursing home with no warning because her benefits have been stolen. When their SS deposits suddenly stop coming. When some of their family members suddenly disappear. When their rural hospital suddenly closes because their funding has been eliminated as "waste."
Niemoller was right.
I try to get my husband to be aware of how this administration is destroying our democracy, and he doesn't want to hear it. He really believes that "God is in control" and that's all that is needed🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
I guess when he sees our SS is gone and our 401k is worthless, maybe it'll get his attention. And he'll wonder why "I didn’t say something!" 🤬🤬🤬
There are more demonstrations daily than we have seen in years. Not reported by DOGE media????
Then WE have to get the news out. Cellphones, YouTube, etc.
Terry...how many people from across the country will come to this? I hope millions! Spread the word about HANDS OFF.
https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/event/764186/
I can’t get to DC but hopefully local protests will be held nearby!
I am concerned that as folks do protest, the Press is not giving these protests coverage.
It's coming, Terry. Like sun follows rain, it's coming. The shock waves of all these actions by this repressive regime, by and large, haven't really hit yet. When they do, look out. As to what will be the catalyst, whether it will be one thing, or a combination of things, remains to be seen. Robert Reich yesterday mentioned what he thought might be the "last straw" and it concerns whether or not Trump continues defying the courts. We seem to be hurtling head-first toward a genuine Constitutional crisis, and that right there might be what does it. If Trump defies the Supreme Court, then, Reich asserts, THAT is when Americans need to hit the streets. The courts and legal system seem, right now, to be the last bastion of resistance. If Trump "crosses the Rubicon" of openly defying all laws and the Constitution, even up to and including decisions by the SCOTUS, then we would well and truly be in an authoritarian state by any and all definitions. THAT'S when we will need general and far-reaching strikes, work-stoppages, boycotts, protests, etc. THAT will be when the people show their strength. Violence? I would certainly hope not. But, with such a large percentage in this country armed with military-grade weaponry, all bets are off. As the saying goes, "just keep your powder dry" for the time being, and know that there very well may come a time when we, ALL of us, will be called upon to take our country back.
This has been caused by the 5 supreme criminals. They can change it if they like.
I don't think we will see mass protests until a tipping point of people affected is reached.
"What will it take to get Americans off their butts and into the streets"? Simple: getting them to put down their "screens". Piece of friendly advice: I wouldn't hold my breath, waiting for that to happen
JustRaven, I feel exactly the same. Despite so many wise voices encouraging us not to give up, I cannot help feeling that we have crossed the Rubicon.
We may somehow escape descending into full-blown fascism, but the damage is done, and it cannot be repaired.
Even if U.S. citizens were to miraculously rid ourselves of the Trump/Musk scourge tomorrow, the rest of the world will never trust us again. And why would they? Trump demonstrated how awful he was during his first term, and the U.S. electorate put him back in office a second time. Indeed, we can never again be trusted to do the right thing if there's an option to do the wrong thing.
We need to take action for ourselves, our children, and their children.
If we could ouste the ruling party and amend our Constitution to include voting rights, end the Electoral College and take money out of politics making public funding the only way to fund all elections.
And require all political advertising to list who is paying for it.
That would be good start to earn back the trust of the allies we worked so hard keep for over eighty years.
I agree with your assessment, JustRaven. Horrific indeed.
Agreed. Soft start to this letter, and then WHAM! We are in serious trouble.
The pattern is really starting to become clear.
Step one: Start by doing something odious to people that "average Americans" can't relate to. Cut off aid to HIV patients in Africa, or cut services like Medicaid that go to the "undeserving poor". Arrest and illegally deport Venezuelan gang members. Refuse to pay contractors for work done for the US in foreign countries. All of these actions test the appetite of citizens to resist in the abstract, since the actions aren't happening to them. It also softens the ground for expanding the population to whom they do bad things.
Step two: expand these policies to work against Americans who Trump's supporters see as The Other. Take over the Kennedy Center and throttle the arts. Attack scientific and medical research, which harms egghead professors and their liberal institutions now and won't really reduce our national quality of life for a while. Work around the edges of social services and other federal programs, particularly ones that redistribute money from "hard working Americans" to those lazy Other people who don't deserve them. Use naked government power to drive law firms out of business if they defend people the regime doesn't like. Start using force against those who oppose you domestically, as DOGE did yesterday when they invaded the US Institute for Peace backed by federal marshals and DC police. Think about it - the government is now using armed force against its own agencies.
Note that this step has the added advantage that it pits half the country against the other half, so when Step three is implemented, people's first response will be to blame their fellow countrymen.
Step three: draw the noose tight. Having set up the blame structure, start collapsing critical programs like Medicare and Social Security. Bad things will start happening to the aforementioned "average Americans", but it's hypocritical for them to argue that they're against the odious action itself since they were fine with Steps one and two. They won't blame Trump because he's their guy, and he's prepared them for the bad stuff. At this point, government's functions in support of its citizens fails. People are at each other's throats. The only federal authority that still works is the police state, and they complete the coup by arresting the people they don't like, with the full support of the "average Americans" who are sold on the idea that it has to be the other guy's fault.
Somewhere during Step three, by the way, the regime moves from stiffing contractors to stiffing people and countries holding US debt. Our currency is no longer the most reliable in the world - now it's a toxic asset nobody trusts. Suddenly nobody is buying our bonds when they roll over, everyone is calling in our debts when they come due, and the country is truly bankrupt.
Step four: With the government broke and no longer able to fund the programs that they destroyed, the federal budget is drastically reduced. Trump and Musk declare victory, redistribute the country's remaining assets through tax cuts weighted toward the billionaire class, and the USA settles into its new role as the world's newest third world country.
Everything Trump touches dies. And he's got our country firmly in both hands.
Then he will install Starlink across the country and all other internet providers will be banished as well as media that doesn’t support the regime. We will only see and hear what they want us to. Twitter was only the first step in Musk’s total domination.
With Starlink installed in critical institutions, Musk will be able to threaten and hold the entire country hostage, as he demonstrated he could do with Ukraine.
Starlink to Putin, over and out....
I can't figure out why Verizon hasn't sued.
I hope people finally understand that Trump has orders from Putin to cause the collapse of America. I fully expect the pain and suffering resulting from what is happening to become so intense that the public will rebel as it did against the Vietnam war in the 1960s. However, unlike in the 1960s when London Johnson was president, Trump will use this excuse to declare martial law… Something else Putin wants. With the Democrats unable to organize to stop this terrorist attack coming from both witgin and from outside, that leaves very few options. I have recently purchased a number of books and other artifacts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s life. And I plan on using them - through the museum I opened on Route 66 here in Oklahoma two years ago - to advocate for nonviolent resistance. We must find a way out of this crisis before it becomes like when Japanese-Americans were locked up by the US government during World War II … except this time it will be everybody who doesn’t bow down to Donald Trump who gets locked up. God help us all.
It's what happens when we massively empower the "fallen angels" of our nature. Trump et al shows utter contempt for "Unalienable Rights", for civility, protocol, or due process, for our Union, Justice, Tranquility, common defense, our general Welfare, or the fate of our Posterity. What are we left with if they tear it all down? Conservative? That's a laugh.
That's my question, too. Do they want to live in a world without guardrails, where it's every man/woman for his/herself? I just don't understand what they are aiming for. Erasing history won't help.
Yes. They worship Ayn Rand. They never grew out of their angry teens.
During lunchbreaks, I have been watching the HBO series Deadwood - very well written, and very disturbing. If you want to see what a libertarian hellscape looks like, watch it.
Steve, I'm a route 66 junkie. I would so love to see your museum and might have an addition or so for it.
D4N - We lived 2 houses away from Old Route 66 in Springfield, IL in the 1980's. Old Route 66 through Springfield is now business route I-55. It used to pass by the Illinois State Capitol according to information on Wikipedia. This was within a few blocks of the Abraham Lincoln house in downtown Springfield.
Have you every eaten at the Ariston Cafe on Old Route 66 in Litchfield, IL? The restaurant pre-dates the highway having been built in 1924. It's one of our favorite restaurants anywhere.
I live in Springfield MO. Rte. 66 goes right through town.
I know Springfield, or I should say I did. My spouse's grandfather lived in Ozark, Mo. We took several trips there over the years. Gary above ↑, asked if I ever stopped at the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, Il. We hadn't but one place we did stop off was a place in St. Louis called the Bevo Mill. I realize how large Missouri is, but did you ever happen in there ? I wonder if it's still open ? Quite a luxurious spot back in the day. It was the first place I ever tried crawfish stew, and it was 'wonderful.'
I like Illinois, what I've seen of it. No we never did stop there as it was a bit north of our route. I seem to recall that by that time we were on I70, just a bit south of Litchfield. Had we known of it, we would have stopped without a doubt.
It’s located in Stroud, Oklahoma … halfway between Tulsa and OKC… famous for being home to the Rock Cafe. Happy to see you if you’re in the area.
I know that stretch of road. I had one of the most spectacular experiences of my life a bit west of there one year on a road trip to the west coast many years ago. Just west of El Reno, all of a sudden daylight went to near dark. It was a fairly bright sunshine early morning. Soon the lead edge of the darkness moved ahead of us while still enveloping us. At first we thought we'd traveled into the path of migrating birds. As the cloud enveloped us further, it turned out to be monarch butterflies mass migrating to Central America ! We traveled with them nearly all the way to Amarillo !
I too am worried about martial law being declared . Also concerned about agent orange's private militia the proud boys, and the rest of the January 6th mob who were released.
Steve, which "people" are you talking about? Those who voted for him? The Rethuglicans and Christofascists in Congress? The wimpy and spineless leadership on the "other" side? The people who are using the whiplash stock market to sell short and make millions? As John Pavolovitz said in an essay a week or so ago, if people who voted for the Felon turn against him it won't because they don't agree with his policies and his galloping authoritarianism. It will be because they, personally, are adversely affected by it. Because all of those people--MILLIONS OF THEM--voted and support him BECAUSE they believe that he will destroy all the people they fear are superior to them: BIPOC, women, AAPIs, LGBTQ+ folks. Their obvious mediocrity (and I am being kind here to consider them merely mediocre) means that they depend on their whiteness, their penises, and their penis-adjacent status to keep them on top. This is what they want. The only way that they will turn against him is if they, themselves, individually, are harmed. It's the Ammurrikan way!
Even then, Linda, I’m not holding my breath. They’re not very good at connecting the dots. Republicans were much more affected by covid at the height of the pandemic, and many more of them died because of Trump’s anti-vax anti-mask anti-science rhetoric. Even that didn’t turn them away. Now their children are sick with measles of all things, and ditto. I read an interview with the father of the child who died, and he still thinks he did the right thing by not vaccinating. It beggars belief.
Yep. Sigh. Ignorance is no excuse but it is everywhere.
During the height of the covid pandemic I saw accounts from nurses who were attending to victims, who insisted that they didn’t have covid right up until they died. It was utter madness. They could have been vaccinated and chose not too because they listened to the insipid orange turd, I saw that as the gene pool self correcting. The repugnantkin idiots in the senate just voted to confirm an anti-vaccine zealot as head of HHS. They own it. 🤬🤬🤬
Even then, they will look for someone, anyone else to blame before they turn on him. They have learned from him to take credit for everything, and blame for nothing.
If martial law is declared, I think that will be the spark for civil war.
A British friend of mine remarked that U.S. citizens will be asking themselves years from now how it was that they let Trump do this to the country and to them. But it's now now. It is happening to us day by horrible day, yet we have provided such insignificant opposition that Trump has not paused an hour in his crusade to render the government nonfunctional. Even now, as Trump continues to dismantle our agencies and axe government staffs, I hear judges and congresspeople alike describing his actions as "seemingly" illegal and "apparently" unconstitutional. Why are we still using that language? What he's done and is doing every day is unconstitutional. It is illegal. We must say it, face it, and stop it. Today.
How do you propose doing this Constance?
https://5millionpatriots.blogspot.com/
Right, Linda? What do we do, now that the frailty of our institutions, on which we relied, has been laid bare?
The responsibility lies with Congress, who knows full well that what Trump is doing is unconstitutional and illegal. My expectation of those elected officials is to collectively notify Trump and the executive branch of that fact and warn them that their violations must stop immediately or they will impeach Trump and JD Vance. That’s what should happen today. What must happen when Congress does not rise to the occasion is that we the uninitiate in the workings of the government must contact in the most effective way we can - and I have heard that email is not effective, so a letter, phone call, or a march to the Republican legislators would be required - to indicate that they must do this. What alarms me is how little effect the public protests all over the country are having on our politicians, so I am not hugely hopeful that any of those actions is going to get our elected officials doing what they have in fact sworn they would do, which is to protect us and protect our country and follow the law. Our last resort is to refuse to pay taxes. If they don’t honor their part of the contract, then we have no obligation to honor ours. We’lll see how an autocracy runs on empty.
Talk about concentrating power for fools such as Elon Musk.
It's just gotten much worse -- something unprecedented now going down.
Unprecedented, that is, in American government. However, in Russian government, Putin uses force. In cold blood he murders his rivals, or people who criticize him. He uses murderous force to attack neighboring countries, on large scale murdering, destroying.
Now Putin’s stooge, the convicted criminal in the White House, per newest reporting by Rachel Maddow, is imitating his Kremlin hero.
Now the fat, orange, waddling, hate-filled pig face is allowing Elon Musk’s accomplices to bring armed help (Friday posing as U.S. marshals, elsewhere in D.C. today posing as F.B.I. agents) to force their way into and take over legitimate government offices for Musk’s incel boys.
Here’s her reporting: Independent Agency CEO: 'DOGE has broken into our building.'
Another page turned as the orange felon ups his imitation of the Red Square mass murderer.
I watched Rachael‘s report on the assault on the US Institute for peace. That Institute is not part of the government, the way agencies are. It owns its building and its land and yet armed force was used to get in and kick out those in charge. A bright red line has been crossed. America needs to wake the fuck up!
I doubt this was shown on FOX so half of America cant wake up.
Yes, I wonder when you will rid yourselves of these obvious criminals at the top, doesn't look as if the judiciary branch is quickly enough catching up imo.
And that is the "tipping point". When the judges call on US Marshals to enforce their rulings, the judiciary and the rule of law will have a chance.
For now, for the first time, two branches of our government have essentially said "democracy is dead". Republicans in Congress are now fully complicit in the destruction.
Judges waiting for appeals and providing toothless temporary stays is weak medicine for an insanely sick but very effective coup.
Not just government buildings apparently:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/us-institute-of-peace-doge
Meanwhile, Trump and the oligarchs are chasing away business from the US which will inevitably lead to a recession in the US.
This from Paul Krugman yesterday-
The secret behind that surge is, of course, Donald Trump, who has not only imposed tariffs on Canada without any justification but keeps doubling down on his completely insane demand that Canada become the 51st state. Every time Trump or his minions repeat that demand, they strengthen Carney’s hand against Pierre Poilievre, the Bitcoin-loving, Trumpy-sounding Conservative leader.
And one of Carney’s first policy moves as PM was to order a review of Canada’s plan to buy a substantial number of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets. This means that Canada is joining European nations that are similarly reconsidering their dependence on U.S. weapons.
This turn away from military dependence on the U.S. is understandable. America is no longer a reliable ally to the world’s democracies; indeed, between Trump’s turn toward Putin and his talk of annexing Canada and Greenland, we don’t look like an ally at all. Rumors that U.S. jets have a “kill switch” that would allow Trump to disable them at will are probably false, but sophisticated military equipment requires a lot of technical support, so you don’t want to buy it from a country you don’t trust.
And this observation got me thinking. How much economic damage will America suffer because it has become a rogue nation? Of course, there’s much more than money at stake here. Still, becoming a nation that can’t be trusted to honor agreements or follow the rule of law has to have monetary as well as political and diplomatic consequences. How big are these monetary consequences?
Well, I’ve been exploring the available data, and U.S. exposure to foreign revulsion looks quite large.
Start with those military sales. U.S. sales of defense equipment to foreign governments have gone up a lot since Russia invaded Ukraine; much of the increase has gone either to Ukraine or to European governments supporting Ukraine, but there is also a general trend toward rearmament as we learn that the world is a more dangerous place than we realized, and pre-Trump that rearmament meant a lot of U.S. exports. In 2024 U.S. military exports were $318.7 billion; that was roughly 15 percent of total U.S. goods exports. It was also almost twice our agricultural exports.
How much will these sales shrink now that foreign governments know that we can’t be trusted? Given some time to find replacements, the likely answer is “a lot.”
Military hardware isn’t the only export likely to suffer from our new rogue nation status. Our trade deficit in goods is partly offset by a surplus in services trade, but several of our major service exports will definitely be hurt by America’s turn to the dark side.
One of these is education. Many foreigners come to America to study, attracted by the quality of our colleges and universities. In 2023, the most recent year for which data are available, they spent more than $50 billion. But if you were a foreigner considering study in the U.S. next year, wouldn’t you be worried that you might find yourself arrested and deported for expressing what the current administration considers anti-American views? I would. So we can expect a hit to higher education, which, although we rarely think of it this way, is a major U.S. export.
Personal travel — basically tourism — was even bigger, more than $100 billion. But you can be sure that we’ll be seeing a lot fewer Canadians this year and next. And it won’t just be Canadians reconsidering their plans. Salon reports that
A number of tourists from European countries have been detained by ICE in recent weeks when attempting to enter the United States, their planned vacations instead turning into long stretches in detention. Experts say their arrests are an apparent escalation in enforcement action as President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown rages on.
Like many people who travel frequently, I avoid nations with authoritarian regimes that sometimes arrest visitors on trumped-up charges (double entendre unavoidable.) Is America now one of those places? I fear that it may be becoming one, which won’t be good for the tourist trade.
My son and daughter-in-law are starting to plan a trip to Europe, with their four children, for next April. I've advised them to have contingency plans, as Europe may not be the welcoming place it has been for Americans. The tourism industry will hurt everywhere if ICE is allowed to run amok.
Maybe wear "I hate Trump" and "I hate Musk" buttons? I'm itching to take a road trip to Canada. If they won't/can't come here, let's go there and Mexico too.
Happy to see the likes of you visiting this side of the Canadian border, Gary. Sorry if so many Canadians have USA on their "avoidance list"...
Maybe rent a car with Canadian plates? I don't expect it to get that bad but my daughter married and lives there. I have a degree of discomfort about our next visit.
"Speaking at a Downing Street press conference during a visit to the UK on Monday (17 March), former governor of the Bank of England Carney told reporters Trump’s ‘disrespectful’ comments were an impediment to fresh talks on a US-Canada trade partnership." -- The Independent
Such a spoiled, irresponsible child in a man's body, yet in a position extraordinary fiduciary duties. It's the fate of the whole society at stake here.
I'm not sorry. Americans are stupid wishing for mad King George times 2. Maybe when the revolution starts we will need to pitch a tent in Canada somewhere. We need everyone to avoid the US, Canadians, Mexicans, Europeans and South and Central Americans.
Fc*K Trump hats are available on Ebay.
I'm thinking yard signs that we can post at busy intersections and along the interstate. Maybe "Impeach Trump", "Who elected Musk king?" etc. All suggestions welcome.
We've had to put up with MAGAs posting their Trump flags and Fuck Biden hats. Let's turn this around.
Unless they all wear MAGA hats and Musk T shirts, I think that Europe will welcome with great warmth. I was living there during 9/11 and what happened after that. I went to a lot of jazz concerts in those days, and when an American band came on stage they used to start by apologising for the incredible behaviour of the US government and in particular the rudeness to France because of Villepin's speech against invasion. Terrific ovation. Freedom Fries, forsooth! Europe is so beautiful in April.
My daughter and I are going to France in July. I’ve always felt welcome there. I hope this is no different, but Trump has been so destructive to our friends.
For that matter, would you want to visit a country where you could be detained for no reason?
Or treats you as inferior?
Yeah, read that one! If ever you need a taste of what "conscience" should be like in the US, he's a great example. My mind is agog though from the endless, accumulating wreckage being perpetuated by Trump 2.X. Klugman's humane, intelligent voice seems lost in a beleaguered wilderness
We have hosted exchange students in the past for an entire high school year. I wonder how many families would still be willing to send their kids here for a year.
Arresting the doctor because she had Hamas supporting news on her devices would get every one of us arrested. I’m sure we’ve all read articles or seen them shared in our feeds that support things President Musk, Trump and their band of pigs would get us all locked up. You don’t know what it says until you read it.
I saw where someone said Musk reposts such awful things to elicit discussions, not to say he supports them. Excuses, just like every atrocity Trump spews and they claim it’s a joke.
I don't know how many Trump supporters tell me that he does not really mean all the crazy things he says he will do. Apart from wondering why one would invest trust in anyone who does not pretty much tell the truth, especially when it matters, the stuff Trump has done and is doing is pretty crazy.
I quote things I don't support for the purpose of discussion, but when it matters I like to be clear about the context. Musk puts up a lot of ultra right wing (putting it politely) stuff with his implied approval.
Excellent analysis and research, sir. Thank you! All of this economic destruction is quite predictable. Why do all this super destructive stuff?
There can be only one answer - helping Putin.
The above would be a fitting lede story for a newspaper actually concerned about the death of democracy. Besides injustice, insolvency, and instability, one of the few things Republicans are providing for us is worldwide distrust and dislike. Third world dictators often seem unconcerned about their nation's deterioration so long as they remain top predator.
"Rumors that U.S. jets have a “kill switch” that would allow Trump to disable them at will are probably false, but sophisticated military equipment requires a lot of technical support, so you don’t want to buy it from a country you don’t trust."
Yes, the "kill switch" thing seems pretty unlikely, but one might not so reflexively rule it out in this environment of lawlessness. Or a backdoor from which to steal information, as has been detected in some Chinese products? Unlikely but not unthinkable, as an overall take on our current regime's integrity. Our displayed respect for the reciprocal rights of others.
You really have a civil war in process, JL.... done the "administrative way"
Just days away for them to start entering private houses.
First the came for the other races...
BTW:
"Chief Justice John Roberts has hit back against in a rare public statement after President Donald Trump on Monday claimed a federal judge lacks the authority to review his administration’s attempts to bypass due process rights when deporting migrants who are alleged to be gang members — and called for the judge to be impeached.
In a statement issued by the court, Roberts said that impeachment isn’t an appropriate response to disagreements with judges’ rulings."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-judge-deportation-flights-b2717219.html
Roberts' fingerprints are on the debacle as well, but I was hoping that Trump's utter contempt for the authority of the judiciary might annoy even an ally like Roberts.
Then they came for the judges...
'Course if Trump just took a gun and shot federal judges, that might be "official" enough for $COTUS? The Republican Congress would likely call it VD Day (Victory over Democracy) and might even get a few Dem votes on the motion.
Just kidding (I hope).
The storm rages and America sleeps.
Tears are flowing down my face is despair.
Me too
Mine as well😢
I’m not sleeping. I’m in despair. I also live in FL which has become a home for these despots. I fight against them, as much as I am able, and my UU church has a strong social justice direction, so I have support. Still, I weep.
I would offer another view. Americans don’t know WHAT to do, specifically, other than call their “representatives” (I use that term loosely) and show up to protests and town halls and economic boycotts. Those of us who believe in democracy are using democratic tools. What, spefically, should we do differently?
We need the Democrats to start the outrage and proceedings to remove Trump and Musk and pull the Republicans in by shaming them and making their supporters take notice. It needs to be a relentless assault not just an occasional statement by a few of them.
It is said people will spread more negative news than positive news. Let’s take advantage of that. Let’s get the Republicans to take notice of destruction that will remove their power too.
Seminal question. We don’t know what to do, but what we come up with that resolves this crisis will be recognized and adopted as the next, and needed, iteration of democracy. For example, with the IRS getting defunded, why don’t we just all stop paying our taxes? I’d like to see Trump take off in Air Force One with an empty tank.
Hughes, America is awakening.
God, i hope so!
🤞
https://5millionpatriots.blogspot.com/
If i wasn't a senior living 1500 miles away...
There are events all over the country. Check the website.
The storm rages and America cheers (at least 25% of it).
Hopefully not for much longer.
and when the roof has blown away?
When opposition to DEI was focused on the belief that some less qualified people were unfairly hired or promoted, that opposition was merely misguided. Opposition to DEI has morphed into racism and mysogyny. With that morphed opposition, the US has abandoned some of what makes it strong domestically. Meanwhile, the destruction of USAID and VOA abandons one of the pillars for making the US strong internationally. It makes you think Trump planned that destruction with Putin.
As with anything human, it is doubtful that DEI policy has nowhere misstepped, but the overall virtues of the effort are evident. What they are calling "DEI" is blatant racism in plain sight. Any mention of the virtues and accomplishments of outstanding individuals who are not white male has become officially forbidden. Shamelessness is the sociopath's superpower. We need turn it against them.
What they are calling "DEI" is blatant racism in plain sight." And of course, misogyny.
What is the end game here? How do we unlearn history? And what purpose does it serve our kids to make this information unavailable to them?
Thought control.
Control information to control thought.
That seems to be the core mission of Republicans since the election of Reagan. After the fall of Nixon they reconsidered Joe McCarthy and figured if you are going to lie, then lie BIGLY!
MAGA in a nutshell (according to Bob Woodward):
"Trump told the friend that it's a mistake to show weakness in the face of such accusations, according to the book.
'You've got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women," Trump said, according to Woodward. "If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you're dead. That was a big mistake you made.'
Trump said the key was showing no hesitancy in denying accusations and instead, be on the attack and push back.
'You didn't come out guns blazing and just challenge them. You showed weakness,' Trump told the friend, according to Woodward. 'You've got to be strong. You've got to be aggressive. You've got to push back hard. You've got to deny anything that's said about you. Never admit.' "
That's the modern "GOP" MO, no?
Down here in Baghdad By the Sea, virtually every business is bilingual, and to DOGE/Musk, DEI. Government employees, contractors, banks, developers, etc. All of our mwembers of Congress are DEI -- and 3 of them are MAGATs.
Did i see a statistic that indicated DEI supportive corporations outperformed financially?
Here's some Google AI summary... "Yes, research suggests that corporations which actively support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives tend to be more profitable, often outperforming their less diverse counterparts.
Here's a breakdown of why:
Enhanced Financial Performance:
Studies indicate that companies with diverse leadership and employee bases often exhibit higher returns on equity and increased profitability.
Attracting and Retaining Top Talent:
DEI initiatives can make a company more attractive to potential employees, especially younger generations and diverse talent pools, leading to a stronger workforce and reduced turnover.
Improved Decision-Making:
Diverse teams are better equipped to consider a wider range of perspectives and potential impacts, leading to more effective and strategic decisions.
Frank, to my mind, there's an obvious reason that DEI-supportive corporations do better. When given a choice, people prefer to do business with companies that are reflections of themselves. Since consumers do include a majority of individuals who are not white and not male, the company that employs more people who share characteristics with their customers are more likely to succeed.
Unfortunately, the corporate game in the United States is for white-male-dominated corporations to continue acquiring their competition, thus eliminating choices for consumers.
There are supposedly laws against monopolies ... but there supposedly laws against a lot of things. Laws don't seem to carry much weight these days.
It's a better model of democracy, even if most businesses are top-down affairs. Democracy has its inherent foibles, but it throws a wide net on complicated realities. Well managed, many heads can be better than one, even with the straggle to get off the dime. Post-it (sticky) Notes began as an adhesive experiment gone "wrong". 3M saw potential in a semi-sticky glue, but could not find a commercial application. The asked their employees for suggestions and got a winner. It became their most profitable product.
Evidence rejecting ideology is a replacement for reality. Like heroin can be a replacement for satisfying experiences in life.Not a very good replacement, but a source if immediate comfort. For a while.
It's right out of the authoritarian playbook.
Four glorious years of not waking to the thought of “well, what’s Trump going to F up today” is fading in my rearview mirror. Maybe we needed that restful respite to bring it on full force for the next four.
Jan I hear you. My morning in 6 hours earlier than EST and this morning was just awful…with the news of a full out attack on Gaza by Netanyahu now undaunted by any restraint by the US , eviscerating the Biden brokered ceasefire process. And then the willful disregard of the federal court’s order. It feels like we are caught in an avalanche and we are midway down a steep mountain with no hope of rescue.
No more judgy thoughts about the inaction of everyday Germans during Hitler’s ascent—I feel so impotent and useless. What felt like being pecked to death by chickens suddenly became a full-on stealth attack to overwhelm the rule of law from all directions. And to top it off, Stephen Miller is a preening helmsman who appears regularly in this waking nightmare.
Jan, Stephen Miller had long been one of the people I most abhor.
This from the Guardian’s update feed:
Hamas says the US “bears full responsibility for the massacres” in Gaza, after the White House confirmed Israel had consulted the Trump administration before it carried out the overnight airstrikes that officials say have killed more than 400 Palestinian people.
“With its unlimited political and military support for the occupation (Israel), Washington bears full responsibility for the massacres and the killing of women and children in Gaza,” Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, said in a statement.
“The international community is urged to take immediate action to hold the occupation and its supporters accountable for these crimes against humanity,” it adds
More like a mudslide - an avalanche is sometimes survivable.
Well, I like the idea of some hope!
We have to rescue ourselves.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/18/israel-gaza-strikes-deaths-latest-update
The Swedish press is reporting over 400 fatalities and that a/the leader of Hamas was killed. That is sure to calm hostilities 🫤
4 Hamas officials were killed according to NPR this morning. Yeah--this'll bring the remaining hostages home . . .
Syria revisited. https://globalpost.com/stories/little-fires-everywhere-fighting-erupts-on-syrian-lebanese-border/?lh_aid=35942&lh_cid=xtul0osuv2&lh_em=apaalj%40gmail.com&di=5802cd09771781892841f197989c3be1
Mourning for the leader of Hamas?
I just think the situation is going to quickly spiral out of any one person’s control. I am not in the business of weighing the value of lives ….
For us, Houtis are now the enemy -- w/out a declaration of war. We threatened Iran, and all, Hamas, Hezbollah and Yemen are connected.
Ledaren för Hamas regering i Gaza, Essam al-Dalis, ska ha dödats i nattens
I guess I'm month-to-month now on my SS benefit direct deposit. I wonder if I'll have to provide a not-dead-yet certificate at some point. Where do you get one of those? Will it have an expiration date? Will that be my personal expiration date as well?
And still, the thunderous silence of congressional Republicans.
It takes 67 Senators to impeach Trump. 47 Senators are not so-called Republicans, so it would take 20 Republican Senators to impeach Trump/Musk. Ain't gonna happen.
That might change if half of Republican constituents in red states get thrown off of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Think West Virginia.
And that's what we should all be telling everyone. Trump and Musk are so stupid they are spreading lies about dead people receiving social security. They are getting this information based on the database only.
They have to see what's in the PROGRAMS, which the DOGE boys have no clue how to read. So they rely on tools to pull their information from the databases.
The 70 million plus payments SS makes each month are created by programs that read the databases.
One simple instruction in the payment program bypasses payments to anyone older than 115 and another to check the date of death. For decades, SS has been clawing back overpayments to recipients so even if someone gets away with not reporting the death of a loved one, the government will likely get their money back. The data in almost all databases needs to be "scrubbed" periodically and I'm guessing the SSA databases are cleaned up often.
The goal isn’t to clean up SSA, the goal is to eliminate SSA altogether.
to privatize it, once they have demonstrated that a public-run system does not work.
I switched my social security deposit to an account that I carry a zero balance on. I have historically used it for payments from PayPal and Amazon and moved them as soon as they were deposited. This was a safety precaution to prevent them from clawing it back.
Now my social security check will be deposited to that account and I will transfer it immediately thanks to the ease of online banking.
Good idea!
I talk to my banker tomorrow.
Sounds like a plan.
[Intro]
Oh I like that, that thing
Mm now take it from the top
[Verse 1]
Cold cash, quick dash
Don't have nothing else I can say
Cops come, can't run
Lawyers just gotta delay
What crime sunshine?
Can't be anything that I did
I was used, so confused
Debts would mount, couldn't count
But I never did nothing I hid
[Chorus]
Gotta just lay low
Time is on my side
Let the clocks roll on
Say I can't decide
Let the clocks roll on
I have no regrets
Let the clocks roll on
Let the clocks roll on
Let the clocks roll on
'Cause I'm not dead yet
[Verse 2]
Wild child, nice style
Fashion is whatever you wear
No sin, begins
Understanding who really cares
It's free, with a small fee
When words don't mean what they say
Call them out, let 'em doubt
Let 'em sweat, with regret
That their game, you'll no longer play
[Chorus]
Gotta just lay low
Time is on my side
Let the clocks roll on
Say I can't decide
Let the clocks roll on
I have no regrets
Let the clocks roll on
Let the clocks roll on
Let the clocks roll on
'Cause I'm not dead yet
Haha
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQJ3oNQuy70
EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION
“Two days ago, media outlets noted that the Arlington National Cemetery website had deleted content about Black, female, and Hispanic veterans.”
The only way to get out of the visceral and hatred is Education. Education free for all for community college, for state universities, for trade certifications. Maintain a 3.0, paid for from a blend of federal, state, and corporations.
Or slip further into barbarism.
Fundamental required classes of History of our Constitution, The Plight of All Americans, World War II History.
They are rewriting history to make the American people even more ignorant.
About it, White Christian Nationalists, "ever white" & unfree.
Those will be considered as private schools. Not considered to be eligible for free education from the federal government. Ivy League, Religious School, etc.
You getting it?
Community Colleges and State Universities. Paid.
So you want to send your kid to Harvard for a business degree in Managed Health care, you pay.
You want to send your kid to get an engineering degree to fight back Huawei, Big Ten or SEC, all paid.
Or, you want an education on how to merge Church and State, you pay for Liberty University.
You want to have your child to understand others, Vermont University.
Free.
Got to run now. Food pick up for Jersey Battered Women Services. Table of Hope tomorrow. Please help those in need. They are growing.
Peace!
Or, why don't we make stock buybacks illegal and raise the corporate tax to....oh.. say 90% again and appropriate private equity to pay for education?
Greg, Not just federal, but state. Not just corporations, but creative other means as you mention.
My father paid for my associate degree that set me on my way. In our vision, that would be funded through the government. How the federal government gets that money is up to them. The rest of my education, eight years of night for a BSEE - driving to the school, and one year, all paid for and sent away with a salary,
a maters in EE at Cornell.
Why? because corporations back then cared about education. It was all worked out between the government and companies. Now, it needs to be forced directly on to the feds making that payment as today corporations have drastically reduced education compensation of full time employees.
These Ivy League schools and private schools can remain the same.
And foreign students also pay based on what the schools need to charge.
At a federal level, all citizen are provided a free public education as long as they can get into the school and maintain a 3.0.
Like I did.
First goal in Project 2028 😀
Great idea. Who's going to take charge of it? Moreover, I can't think of any time in the last 200 years when the plight of all Americans has been so dire.
How is anything done today? Money. After World War II, and the devastation in Europe and Asia, the world, and primarily the United States, to built their destroyed cities again. Created a United Nations to bring to the table ALL countries to talk.
Those countries that offer free schooling are so much more advanced than us today.
Rome fell to barbarism. WE will to, but the oligarchs will be comfortably sitting on their pile of money in beautiful and safe islands. The executives and board members of corporations retired comfortably for life.
How to fix this, after seeing what chuck did, a third party. A party that focuses on protecting our constitution to never have to go through this again. Education and health care, including dental, being the primary goals. Those are the core two needs; everything flows in the correct direction after that. From the disgruntled white guy sitting in that PA bar, to the African American that to this day still doesn’t get a fair shake, and I know from volunteer work with them. Veteran Hospitals that are horrible, facing terrible issues like PTSD. And there are solutions for it! Migrants, just like you and I, traveling through the most dangerous countries for their chance of freedom, now hiding. Hard working good people doing jobs that needed for us so that their children can have a better life, an education. Corporations that have to depend on foreign H1B visas simply because this country does no longer have the pool of educated resources.
When you have fallen so far behind, you have to make drastic changes. A civil war to treat all men as equal, a FDR New Deal to pull this country out of a depression, a Kennedy space program to catch up to the Kremlin and make science and math desired by the American people. A civil movement by both whites and blacks to say NO to Vietnam and continued restrictions of the blacks, still to that day, after winning their freedom on April 9th, 1865. 1865 people! And we are still fighting for their rights in the sixties. Shame.
A new party is needed to just focus on taking back health care from these managed health care oligarchs, rich beyond all belief, and back to the doctors, nurses, hospitals, and research. Like the eighties.
Offer free education , and they will come. But requiring everyone back in a classroom. Why? So that they become social again.
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.
My father, a Republican, loved this country. Never complained about it even being very scared about what was going on in the sixties. Yet, what he would see with these two parties, he would agree with me.
We need a young Bernie Sanders to step up, but a woman. A powerful speaker, and a new party, that gather in arenas, stadiums, and to watch them, uninterrupted, on CSPANs. Not saying what the polls are showing, but saying what we all believe is needed.
Education and Health care. Period.
John(NJ-VT)
We needed Kamala Harris but we got our first Dictator! His roots are being allowed to grow deeper!
If I get time later, we can get into it, but I will simply say, Trump is evil and Biden was stupid to think he could beat him. Should have immediately offered up a primary.
Kamala left her body on the playing field. And I also loved Tim. But no runway and being tied to Biden, she had no chance.
But I believe those democratic males that voted against her because being a woman are now sorry. Those that voted because the cost of groceries is now seeing the price gouging still going on, and he actually said to stop. And those that believed tariffs will work, are seeing their 401k’s saying otherwise.
I really have to go, but will check in after feeding some folks. Folks that I hope voted for her also.
John (NJ-VT)
Thank you for sharing.....and thank you for caring for those you see who are hungry and afraid and feel helpless and alone.
One of the Bible stories I love : Jesus was speaking to a large crowd and as He was speaking to them, He saw they were becoming tired so He stopped speaking and He asked if anyone brought food.
One little boy had a basket with 5 loaves of bread and two fish which he gave to Jesus. Jesus broke the food into pieces and blessed it and shared it with the crowd of people for whom He felt compassion and deep love understanding their need. There were leftovers.
John, thank you for your compassion and for taking action to meet the needs of those around you.
God bless Kamala Harris and the many who quietly work and serve with love and compassion.
I think we're going to see more executives shot. They certainly think so, as the security services market for upper managers is booming right now.
S.O.S. Save Our Schools.
Our understanding of "the truth", at least in a larger sense, if likely to be always flawed and incomplete; but what a difference it has made when we seem to move further in the direction of accuracy and comprehension. As well as when we don't.
Basic civics courses mandatory for graduation, just like I had to take in high school.
It is exhausting and impossible to keep up with torrent of attacks on our democracy, and in the rest of the world. It also is impossible to prioritize what are the most dangerous. Personally, I think that it is the administration's defiance of the judicial orders on deportation and Trump's attempt to invoke war powers--using the National Emergencies Act was not enough for him.
Today I am more frightened than I have ever been for our country.
And if you aren't, you aren't paying attention.
We need to focus our attacks on Trump/Musk and all of the Fascists in his cabinet and Congress, not on Democrats.
What good does it do?
We have known the Trump strategy for 10 years - attack, attack, attack, deny, deny, deny.
Trump say's his goal is to make America wealthy and that we must endure pain to make that happen.
More Americans are financially secure than they ever were under Trump 1. He led us into a terrible recession the first time as has every other Republican President. I don't believe economics is a zero sum game, but everything Trump is doing looks like he believes that. He doesn't act like wealth can be created, but rather it should continue to be moved from the poor to the oligarchs.
Yes on all of this.
A lot of people are paying attention only to Fox, and we know where that leads. But everyone pays attention to prices, sooner or later. The economy is what will capture the will of the people.
And a lot of people are paying attention, but are over-whelmed and/or frightened and thus frozen.
So, it is essential for those of us who can act, to act. Call reps, protest non-violently, write letters if you still have a paper. I still have a paper, and so grateful that I do. I write shortish letters and try to make clear, basic points, with a few facts. A friend, one of the overwhelmed, wrote me a thank you card.
I'm thinking about having yard signs made up saying things like. "No one voted for Elon Musk." "Trump lied about slashing grocery prices," etc.
Obviously, I'm not good at this, but lots of people are. The signs will likely disappear in a day or two, but if I put them at busy intersections, people will notice. Plus, they will notice when they disappear.
Here a website for downloadable posters to print out and post around town:
https://trumptragedies.org/posters/
Gary Loft
I have been thinking the same...even if someone throws a rock into my window for putting up a "No Trump" sign along with the reasons, 'WHY"...
Georgia Fisanick,
Donald Trump wants confirmation to everything he does and unquestionable obedience to every order he gives. The people he has placed in power are "yes" men and women. They left their brains and their consciences at the steps before entering leadership roles given to them by the President of the USA who wants to become our first Dictator.
To those who believe in the Constitution and Rule of Law....please brace yourself! Donald Trump is so enraptured with himself and his grandiose plans, he has become unbound....disrespecting the rule of our law...he is shaping our country and the world "in HIS imagination" and the billionaires are paying for it with their abundance....
He does not plan to leave the Presidency/Dictatorship in four years....believe what he says....look at his slaves oops, I mean his followers. They have sold their souls for a few coins!
It was more than I could take into my being....to see the mistreatment of men from various Latino countries to be so mistreated....not a trial....NOTHING!!! Thanks to the bravery of the news media...thank God for every journalist who shares the facts...the truth!!!
Those who condone this believe they can get away with it. They believe we are as prejudice and heartless as they are....ARE WE????!!!! Our actions or inactions will prove the truth that fills our hearts and minds!!!!
As many look and condone this prejudicial and unjust and UNAMERICAN treatment....remember it could be YOU....yes, you or your son or your daughter.
More control, more personal invasions of privacy....OBEY, FOLLOW MY RULES, OR PRISON!!!
https://5millionpatriots.blogspot.com/
That history can be erased, national security gutted, essential programs and jobs cut and the rule of law virtually ignored with so little pushback from the people in power is unacceptable. The public is organizing and will continue to work tirelessly to restore democracy. Thanks for this powerful Letter.
Everything Trump 2.X is doing is with legally hired help, staff and contractors who follow orders or serve the client's wishes.
Lower than low, smaller than small, worthy of banishing his dead bones to a potter's field one day. The fact is, erasing someone's achievements from a website will not cause them to be forgotten; in contrast, we will find ways to eulogize these Americans in ways not controlled by the federal executive branch; we'll stick a finger in the eye of these cretins.
I really wish the Dems would take Timothy Snyder’s suggestion and put together a shadow government to articulate the alternatives to these policies and destructive unconstitutional actions. They could salvage the truth of the contributions made by nonwhite males on a shadow government website.
In some ways, it’s happening –through alternative media, and some very articulate outspoken legislators of all ages. We just need to be passing their words around, so they are heard, and give them opportunities to speak publicly!
One US Government expense that I feel confident is multiples of Biden's is the expense of securing the president and transporting him. From what I've read, Trump plays more golf than any other president by a lot and he travels to Florida at the drop of a hat, often just to play golf. This strikes me as the 21st Century equivalent of "Let them eat cake".
I sincerely hope there is some brave and courageous person in the WH who will think of a way to point a weapon to both of the narcissists heads. I want their lives threatened just like what they have been doing to Kinzinger, Cheney, and judges. I want them to feel panic. That same soul then can show them pictures of the people they are killing in other countries and at home. They must be reeled in. They must beg for their lives. Then they will be escorted to individual prison cells where they will experience solitary confinement. Elon will be denied his ketamine. Donnie will be denied diet cokes as well as no Viagra or Cialis. Let them go crazy to where they might harm themselves.
It has been an honor to be part of the diverse American fabric. Immigrants have been joining us to add to our culture and our casualties in war reflect all of us.
We are witnessing a destruction of our long-standing institutions, of recognizing in a positive light our diversity, and of ignoring constitutional rights like the right of due process.
Trump, Musk, and the Republican Party don’t care about presiding over all Americans and Democrats seem weak.
When will this nightmare end?
Phil, there's no Republican party anymore, it was destroyed as maga is destroying everything else in this country. Maga is invading and replacing everything and everything it's touching is dying.
America is dieing in front of our eyes.