And here it comes— everything we feared. The noose tightens. A budget that guts the safety net. Open corruption. Open racism. And a “unitary executive”. Is that code for dictator?
It's not over yet... Giving up in advance is on every Dictator's "wish list"... There is time to protest and do everything we can including making everyone aware of the hidden provision in the Bill and about the Supreme Court using the " shadow docket" to deliver their decision to give Trump power over Independent agencies... I will repeat the words of Bernie Sanders who was on the Stephen Colbert show on May 15. He said, "If you sit back and do nothing, they will take it all." We need to Make Loud Trouble ASAP!!!
We can both admit that America is now a fascist regime and continue to fight to turn it back into a functioning democracy. These are not mutually exclusive.
You are absolutely correct. People always fight in an autocratic country though their fight is often suppressed. Desire to live free is the basic trait of any human being.
I agree, Michele. It is not over yet, however, these whole demented actions taken by MAGAt's unfortunately do signal in a fascist network at the very top of government. When we get a hold back on what made this nation as great as it once was under former presidents (not including tRump 45) I would hope that new laws be introduced regarding "shadow dockets" and midnight deals. I understand there are only so many hours in a day in which Congress may legislate; however, heinous bills like the "one big..." wretched execrable bill need to be shown in the light of day instead of taking advantage of the norms of sleep with which the public overwhelmingly engages. When half the nation doesn't know what is going on and votes for a parasitic leadership, the decay of democracy is arguably certain to happen. And to boot, when almost all the nation while sleeping, trusting that their representatives will do their jobs honorably instead of like rats playing when the cat's away, our destinies will all be at risk. Getting rid of this malignant MAGA takeover of what was once a proud party (in spite of the many disagreements I have personally had with it) cannot come soon enough. The job however does not stop there; we still need to work hard and make sure that the cretin, such as 45 and 47 and his sycophants, do not ever appear again.
Riad, agreed. We should not give up. I see a many large protests scheduled for June 14th all over the country including some in red territory. I live in a diverse neighborhood which as far as I know, has not seen ICE. The town north of us which is heavily Hispanic is full of fear. On a good note, we have a special election here in Oregon this week and most of the sane people prevailed on the local school board and city council. Much to my surprise, the parks, library, senior citizen levy won by a good margin here in Salem. People seem to have gotten the message that local elections also matter. One of the bad things is the economic picture is in a disarray thanks to death star shenanigans and so the forecast for the state budget is murky and not as good as it was looking before the chaos.
Thank you for your reply. Yes, the Bill is despicable. Yes, reforms and new checks and balances will be necessary. There is so much to do, but we can help others understand what is critically at stake here... We have to speak out now... PS.. There is another Michele in this substack. I will try to change my name to Michele2 later... Thank you for your thoughts!
We call it the "Big, Beautiful Billionaire's Bill. One aspect of the spending bill will render our judiciary powerless and that is to limit courts' contempt power. See HCR letter of 5/21. That will emasculate our judicial system. So if this passes the Senate, we will have just one branch of government, the executive branch. Several organizations are asking people to call their Senators (50501). We are asking everybody to call Republican Senators to nix this bill or at least this aspect of it. It's bad enough to have medicaid and medicare go under the scalpel, but if the courts are rendered useless, we lose our Democracy. Congress goes back into session on June 2nd. According to Sen Markey's office this bill will be up for a vote before July 4th. Trump is trying to speed this bill up, so act now. We need to flood the phone lines nationwide. Call, text, fax, send opinions on their websites (look up zip codes in the state you are calling or sometimes you can't get thru). This is as serious as it gets.
Alas, phoning senators -- or any other form of nonviolent resistance short of a nation-wide general strike-- is now proven utterly futile. We are confronted instead by the undeniably prophetic truth of the analysis by the journalist William English Walling, whom the infinitely courageous Ms. Richardson quoted in her 17 May 2025 essay: “...American civilization will await either a rapid degeneration or another profounder and more revolutionary civil war….” (Cited essay is here as text: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-17-2025 and here as audio:
Well said, Michele. There is nothing more fundamental to our Constitution than the balance of power between the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches of government. It appears now that the Legislative and Judiciary (Supreme Court) want to pass their responsibilities to the Executive, thereby making Trump an absolute dictator with a large budget to set up his own system of concentration camps. We still have an opportunity to go to the streets and do everything possible to remind Congress that we have a vote and intend to use it.
Yes - maybe the horrendous prospect of what could lie ahead (concentration camps) will spur us on to get us all into the streets and, as you succinctly put it, do everything possible to remind Congress that we are here and awake!!! PS.. As it seems there are two Micheles in this substack, I will attempt to change my name to Michele2 later today. Thanks for your reply - well said yourself!
May all the steps forward be taken and held. Time for all to accept and rejoice in the melting pot we learned about in grammar school. Grammar school for those who know “middle school” or another term is where we are supposed to learn grammar as well as melting pot.
Yes, there IS time to protest. Instead, we sit back and discuss what Dems did wrong and what they possibly need to do to get back the middle and working class voters. And why Biden's age matters. And say, wait til the mid-terms when we don't even know it they will happen. I, for one, am hoping the tariffs and higher costs kick in hard and fast. Until they do, there are too many unbelievers who won't join an actual physical protest--or, unfortunately, can't take a day off work to do so. It will soon be time for physical violence to wake people up sufficiently.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply...I agree. The Dictators' Playbook agenda is moving at lightning speed. There is a reason for that... They want to confuse, overwhelm, and speak lies to truth incessently to facilitate a quick takeover BEFORE there is the "awakening" of the masses. The tariffs are starting to kick in. The physical protest has to come now. There will be time for other discussions later. P.S It seems there is another Michele on this substack who answered Raid... I will attempt to change my profile to Michele2 later today, if possible ,to avoid confusion...
I read the whole Project 2025 before the election. I was alarmed. And I knew most would blow it off. There was still too much of that "It can't happen here" mentality among all. And anyone who remembered anything about the orange one's first term knew what a snake he was and how awful the people around him were. Voters have extremely short memories. So, I just came back from a short shopping trip just to get bird seed. I took a look at some of the other items being sold that were from China. The tariffs have definitely arrived. Simple dog toys that were less than $10 are now $14.99. A plastic 2 quart watering can was $24.99. Those little welcome flags that were $11.99 are now $15.99. Stuff you don't need, but want. Soon, though, the things you need will be changing prices upward. I feel bad for those who can't afford stuff, but the only way we will have a major protest is when enough people see the changes. Thanks for your response.
Great reporting on price increases.... Whew... I hope people see the prices soon and realize it's only the beginning of hard times and they will get mad enough to act... Amazing that you read the whole Project 2025- my respect goes out to you... And yes, many voters have short memories... But so much disinformation keeps " muddying " the waters as well... Don't lose hope...Thank you for all your wise words and all your efforts. You give me hope!
Yes - thank you for your short but GREAT reply!! As there are 2 Micheles in this substack I will be changing my name to Michele2 to avoid confusion...as we have enough of that going on every minute dealing with the machinations of The Regime!!!
I don't have any hope of the Senate going against this. This is the power grab the GOP has been longing for, and all moral conscience has long gone from that party. In fact, they have been working on this for 50 years now, and this is their chance. I'm expecting the Orange Emperor to declare martial law next month, and setting the military on anyone who protests. I'm really curious what the soldiers will do: obey orders and shoot US citizens, or stop and say: "Ok, this has gone far enough." I really hope it's the latter...
From Meidas...Rand Paul seems as dug in to oppose the bill in the Senate as Massie was in the House. To Punchbowl: “Once the Republicans vote for this, Republicans are going to own the deficit. I’m a conservative who's not voting for a 4 or 5 trillion dollar increase in the deficit.”
The mantra of deficits is just a "pretext" to purge FDR and LBJ legislation and return us to a laissez faire economy.
Thom Hartmann describes a political strategy "to claim the mantle of Santa Claus from the Democrats by “gifting” America with tax breaks. Then it became a program to force Dems to kill off their own social programs by driving up the national debt. And now it’s being used to disassemble the American government itself, abandoning what’s left of the middle class while handing America’s dominant role in the world to China and Russia."
I think that was under the pretext of financing an illegal war in which over 4,000 of our men died (not to mention the thousands more critically wounded) and to find WMD which were never there in the first place. I'm no Cheney fan; however, I believe even HE (!!!) is loath to find tRump as a true republican, or for that matter, even human.
No Dutch, I don’t think tRump will use the military as he is building his own military under the guise of ICE with their hoods and no insignia kidnapping people from the sidewalks, breaking into homes and stealing all their money and computers and detaining congressmen and women who get on their way. Especially with the prodigious increase in funding tRumps “Big Beautiful Bill” hoses into that agency as reported by Heather, it is clear THIS is tRump’s version of the Brown Shirts!
Completely agree. I think the funding in the bill is exactly for that. What ICE is doing now to immigrants and people who get in their way is what we can expect in all of our futures, sooner rather than later if the Big Beautiful Bill gets passed. MAGA isn't scared to vote for it, but some Republicans are scared not to, they see where this is leading and they don't want to be on the wrong side of the regime.
Unfortunately I have to agree with you John. The maggot orange gang is testing its limits by going after judges and Reps. Increasing Ice’s budget to billions, plus ‘importing’ white afrikaners while shredding health care and snap is not a sign but a total collapse of our Democratic system.
I’m wondering just how many maggots will lose their health care and more.
Sign up for The General Strike; also to the Five Calls app.
Hasn't he already declared a strip along the border a military zone? ICE is not the military. It seems to be part of his police state to be, i.e. Gestapo, KGB
Wonder what people who live in that 'military zone' think. Maybe the MAGA zealots are fine with it but, not all people there follow t as their divine one.
Also agree there a too many nightmare scenarios, most obviously with the ICE/CBP thugs kidnapping, arresting, assaulting and violently detaining/apprehending anyone trying to intervene, flee or resist. But there are also the far right militias(Oathkeepers, Proud Boys, etc) and all the rabble that were part of the January 6 insurrection, many emboldened and freed by Trump's pardons.
Then there is something like Blackwater created by Erik Prince, who seems to have been quiet lately but is surely lurking in the shadows of all this lawlessness, readying his mercenary squad or maybe battalion by now. Not sure what his company is called anymore but that has always been a very concerning trend to have mercenary forces involved in military actions but they potentially could be used within our own Nation, maybe they already are involved in this thuggery.
And what does the GOP gain? Sure, billionaires will add to their stash at first, but who will buy the stuff they make when we Average Joes are bankrupt? Smash and grab isn't a viable long-term strategy.
It definitely isn't sustainable, but they also want to control the world. When they bleed the US dry and have enacted all the racist policies they can think of, they'll have the entertainment of watching us suffer and die while they choose the next country to plunder. They're sociopathic and disgusting and every person who votes to support this "budget bill" is sociopathic and disgusting as well, but pathetic and ignorant in their belief that they'll somehow be spared.
I do think we're headed to violence. I'm not sure ala Tiananmen Square or Lincoln - or both, but violence is coming as the magnitude of what's happening here settles over the nation.
I agree- and will the troops who have sworn to support and defend the constitution fire upon its own people? It will depend on the numbers in the streets- and most importantly, will white people be on the front lines of protests.
Elections have consequences and you lost. The loss was not due to poor communication. It was due to continued failing policies at the Border, in the Economy and lack of Law Enforcement. You will continue to to loose if all you do is Resist. The Population demands the policies of Trump and you offer No Alternative. Please don't change.
No! Not my Constitution. I was sent to war to protect it, and I am not relinquishing doing so because you have sir. Quitters never win, and winners never quit!
I so agree with you, John M. with the CR increasing ICE’s budget to 45 BILLION in the next 5 years this will make them into a powerful military! I still don’t understand how they are allowed to carry on wearing masks and no identification.
Even all the German groups that started the violence against Jews(a day or two after Roosevelt was sworn in as the last President inaugurated on March 4), didn't wear masks.
What are the ICE troopers afraid of as they defy the Constitution? Actually, I think Trump should also wear a mask every time he violates the Constitution, at least we wouldn't have to look at that smirking face so much, if ever again.
No, never “toilet paper.” There are WORDS and we know enough of them to carry on. Everyone must “do something” as Europeans did when faced with Hitler.
Along with blatant racism there is also bigotry toward the poor and incapacitated. As an employee of the Salvation Army, I was the in-house counselor for a residence for ex-trafficked women (my position was cut because funding was cut). A number of them were trafficked by their mothers for drugs. Many were too traumatized to work. What's going to happen to them when their Medicaid is cut?
Hello Dutch Mike... This Story Of The Fall of the American Empire It will Rival Gibbon's "The History Of The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire".... The Founders had that Story in Mind when they created the Constitution... Ben Franklin, who was a Successful Self-Made Man, told People that We-The-People had a Republic as long as We could keep it... Ben Franklin was skeptical as Franklin knew that Corruption, i.e. Shortcuts, Laziness, Cheating, was in Human Nature... Empires Tend To Collapse From Within First... Indeed Chinese, Egyptian Dynasties, if Successful, last only about 250years... The American Experiment is now about 250years old.... Ancient Rome, and Athens, became Corrupted from their Founding Principals, and became ruled by Demagogues, and their Mobs..... DJT is a Demagogue, and the MAGAs are his Mob... It Is Time For A 'Hard Reboot' For American Democracy... The Constitutional Safeguards That We Have Assumed Would Keep Us Safe, Are Failing Thanks To The Roberts Court...
Historian Jefferson Cowie points out in his book Freedom's Dominion that this country has not been able to get past its racist history without the help of Federal enforcement of voting rights. Later in a talk he pointed out that voting rights were the most important. I wrote a piece on his talk, since my book club had invited him to speak to Democrats Abroad.
Thanks to the Republican party appointments of SCOTUS justices, we have 6 coming from Bush, Bush and Trump that are not following the constitution. It is time to consider what your red line is and how vulnerable you are under this corrupt administration. I wrote this piece in November and I think it is even more pertinent since Trump has come to power about deciding if you are safe enough to remain.
I just read most of your article. Dave and I have discussed Plan B; fortunately we can afford Plan B and can implement Plan B seamlessly. In the meantime, we keep uttering - "he can't hurt us, we're white and have money in the bank," which is a very fragile comforting position. But no one wants to engage in extreme altruism. My choice is to remain in the US and add to the voices and protest.
Yes. My "white" husband just returned to the US on his Green Card, no problem. I have brown skin and US citizenship. We shall see what happens when I return this summer. However, I am still recommending to foreign students to leave the US and transfer to universities in other countries. What is happening at Harvard is just a reminder that it is better to go on your own volition with a plan.
Linda Weide, thank you as always you have clear concise and useful words to keep us marching. I just keep writing postcards to voters, repetitious, but useful. BTW: as you may know, indivisible is making headway over much of the US.
Virginia, you are doing the work that needs to be done.
Indivisible Deutschland and Democrats Abroad will be having "No Tyrants" marches on June 14 in solidarity. We do not say "No Kings" because many Dems abroad live in countries with Kings and we are not supposed to demonstrate against our host countries. I know now on ones planned in Hamburg, Berlin and München.
We need to use the equipment aboard the craft to save ourselves - like they did on Apollo 13. That equipment is the Constitution and what we have to do is not surrender in advance.
Now that’s truly a terrifying analogy. For Apollo 13, Gene Kranz laid down the rules: “failure is not an option.” On that, everyone agreed.
But half of Congress is today doing everything possible to ensure failure, not deter it. They are using their perverted ideas about the Constitution to destroy it, much as Trump has always used dumb, corrupt lawyers to attack the rule of law itself.
Our lives are in the hands of traitors and conspirators. Why would 6 Justices agree to undermine the intent of the Framers by endorsing concepts like a ‘unitary executive’ that have absolutely no basis in American law or practice? Are they blind, or complicit, or both?
Gaffer tape is the term in all English-dominant countries except the USA. Because one should never use "duct" tape on actual ducts. Gaffer tape has a slightly different composition because (as I am sure you know Anne-Louise!) it is used to tape down things like Marley floors (if you're a dancer you know what this is) and cords and other kinds of things that could trip people. It has to come up cleanly, which is not, unfortunately, a characteristic of duct tape in the USA. Usually it is a gummy mess, which is why it doesn't work on ducts. The adhesive is highly acidic . . . Thanks for the opportunity on a Friday to do my egghead silliness thing instead of talking about all the shite flowing right now.
Now Linda, I must join you in your egghead silliness and disagree with your assertion that duct tape is not to be used on actual ducts. Duct tape is most assuredly meant to be used on ducts, which is how it got its name. It is used to seal the joints and prevent air leakage where sections of galvanized metal ductwork are joined together. Typically gray to match the metal color, the fabric-reinforced vinyl webbing allows the tape to conform to the irregularities of the interlocking seams without tearing and to flex when the metal expands and contracts from heating and cooling. Because the tape is used for permanent installations, the high-tack adhesive is not meant to be removed cleanly, or at all. In fact, as the metal is repeatedly heated over time, the adhesive vulcanizes to the metal.
Gaffer's tape, which is usually black to be inconspicuous, is used for temporary installations. For this reason, it's made of a crepe paper base which is less durable but still allows it to conform to irregular surfaces. The adhesive is high-tack, but does come away clean when the tape is removed.
Duct tape should not be used to secure tripping hazards and gaffer's tape should not be used to seal ductwork.
Martin, you're correct. There is a Duck brand duct tape primarily sold in Walmart and other discount stores. I bought it once and never will again. Both the vinyl webbing and adhesive used to make the tape are of inferior quality. The tape fails in a short amount of time. It's a perfect example of retailers ripping off consumers who are trying to save money.
Several episodes of the wonderful old tv show Mythbusters (dang I miss that show) experimented with things like taking the bodies of cars apart and putting them back together with duct tape and it proved remarkably resilient: one car was driven for hours around a track at over 60 mph without any ill effects. I think what we need is about 10 miles of duct tape, which we can use to round up and tape together all the Rethuglicans in Congress so that we can lecture them on their Constitutional obligations to the American people until they agree to our demands to stop facilitating the galloping fascism of the Maladministration of the Felon in Chief.
It needs to be a long hot summer, given the inadequacy of our (the American people's) response to the Trump/GOP coup d'etat, now in the consolidation and tying up loose ends phase.
Among our many problems, we on the progressive left (or call us Democrats or constitutionalists or humanists or lovers of freedom and justice or simply Trump haters) have no leadership to speak of and, thus, no arguments that anyone will hear outside our own social media echo chambers.
We do have a number of well known politicians, former Presidents, and other famous people who, while acknowledging and deploring the coup, are sitting on the sidelines rather than banding together to organize popular resistance.
If this does not change immediately, if our "superstars" do not begin acting like actual leaders and in concert, they will soon find themselves in Trump's well-funded prisons and concentration camps, as will the more outspoken pee-ons like... the rest of us.
It’s time to enlist Jasmine Crockett. She would make everyone pay attention, laugh a bit, and happy to work harder. Does anyone know any of her constituents? BTW: I understand that everyone in Ukraine knows who she is. So at the very least enlisting her would give the Ukrainians a boost
I heard a woman on the radio yesterday, I don't recall her name but she's a disability rights advocate with a group called ADAPT, I believe. She described the "safety net" as more like a spiderweb in terms of the support it offers. Just barely held together and more holes to fall through than strands to grab on to.
@Ricardo--This summer is when we will see the end game. But anyone who thinks we will EVER have a real election again before we somehow overthrow the regime is fooling themselves. There may be polls open in 2026, but the "election" will be Russian style.
The BBB has not become a law yet. The Senate can modify. Meantime, what voters can do? Give a small contribution to DEMs townhall meetings in Republican districts to educate the voteres there. We need to exchange ideas to stop Trump and MAGA. Please do not just lament.
@Hiro--I am not at all hopeful that they WILL modify anything. So far Congress has given the regime 100% of what it wants. And the regime has been ignoring the courts. Now, with the BIG UGLY BILL they are planning on ERASING the judiciary as a player.
I also think this is beyond the point where the electorate can influence the outcome in the traditional ways. But I am NOT simply "lamenting". I am, as I have been for the last year, issuing a WARNING: Prepare for a long and horrendous struggle. Prepare to fight in a physical way. The war of words is almost done. The cold civil war is almost over. Next comes the shooting war.
It is no longer just words....reality in the United States of America is taking another form....a form we once travelled to other countries to fight against.
Trump is sending people of color away to foreign prisons without trials....
Is his goal to have a "whites' only population. Summer is coming..."a long hot summer" there will be a big run for the sunscreen!!!!
I recall from what seems like decade ago, and yet was less than a year, the very idea of Biden packing the sspurpre court seemed illegal and outrageous.
From HCR's letter: This bill highlights a truism: In the United States, racism has always gone hand in hand with the concentration of wealth among the very richest people. In order to keep power, it is essential to do everything possible to suppress the vote. The smaller the vote turnout, the better for the fascists.
Use this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress. Reach out to your own, as well as those in other states on a specific committee important to a topic you’re sharing. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
Thank you for consistently publishing this resource on a regular basis!!! We can't sit idly by and do nothing while this corrupt incompetent unqualified regime continues eviscerating the social support agencies and breaking the laws that are the foundation of a government by the people and for the people. There are no kings!!
I hear your passion in that comment! Thank you for speaking up right now! I will continue posting it and adding additional resources (just started working on a tab for news outlets) in hopes of lots of voices leading to change 💙🤞
Indivisible also has tools for contacting your member of congress, including automated dialers, though I only seem to see issue-specific tools at the moment: https://indivisible.org/take-action-now
They also have great meetings to join in on to know how to become more active! I tried to list some resources like 5calls, Card Campaign and ResistBot at the top of my spreadsheet as other options to speak up too
PS check out the links. See if there’s anything right of center or way right of center. Only left wing loon links. Do you think you’re getting the whole story honestly?
Yeah, it’s all her resources but none on the other side of the aisle so you’re only getting half the story. Jurors people who decide on issue, have to hear both sides of the story in order to render a fair decision. You don’t get that here. Not one story positive about the Trump administration, even though he’s accomplished more in four months than Biden accomplished in his lifetime.
You should go get that video Joe Biden on the Senate floor. If you have one nickels worth of crack cocaine in your possession, you go to prison five years no parole. Ooooooooops. Instead, he sent them to Ukraine, Garner, millions from Burisma. You will never hear of that story here
Thank you! For the spreadsheet. 5calls is also an excellent tool and provides the phone numbers to your local reps and sens even a script to help those of us who get tongue tied and twisted
Yes! I love 5calls! It’s listed at the top of my spreadsheet because it’s a phenomenal resource. I noted the great scripts when I listed it too. That’s what I was using before I made my sheet - I wanted another way to contact people, and send emails after my kids went to bed 💙
The KuCoin must stand for Ku Klux Klan. Sickens me that 89 million people didn’t bother to vote and that over 75 million voted for corruption and despair. Well, I AM PISSED! I am attending rallies every weekend as I protest with others against this Nazi regime. I cannot and will not sit and do nothing. On June 14th, we take to the streets in every city, in every state, and all over the world. The 14th is known as Flag Day but it is also Donny Convict’s 79th birthday and he wants a big beautiful parade in his honor. We are going to give it to him in the form of “NO KINGS DAY”. Don’t be afraid to speak out. We need all hands on deck! Do NOT Give In! Do NOT Give Up!
I realise this sounds like a side issue, but at core it isn't. The only absolute monarchies left are the Gulf States (now Trump's besties) and Brunei. All the rest are constitutional monarchies.
Thailand is also a semi absolutist monarchy. The current king came to power determined to restore his absolutist power and to get the military to back him. He took personal control over the Thai Crown Property Bureau, and his primary interest is governing from Germany and Switzerland while having the authoritarian government follow his orders. He has a hotel where he lives and keeps a number of mistresses, while his wife lives in a separate hotel. Andrew MacGregor Marshall is a Scottish journalist who is very familiar with modern Thailand, but the government won’t let him return due to his very candid writing about the government and its opposition.
Thank you for the key fact you provide here, Vijaya.
Do you -- does anyone -- know if any of these satrapies ever provided any really constructive help to the Palestinians in the West Bank (and their many decent Israeli allies) particularly trying to set up a state of their own even a bit able to counter all Netanyahu's far-right thieves and nationalists bent on the glory of genocide they (with U.S. arms, and U.S. Rapture evangelicals) can commit?
Who isn’t next, Daniel?? Netanyahu must be handcuffed and brought to the Hague at the same time that Donny Convict and Company are brought down in the US.
So it seems the Gulf states, as all the Arab world, can side only with oil money, maybe some U.S. golf money, and U.S. armaments.
Seems the schools of the world -- more and more of the world, maybe now all the world -- simply fall into the ledger on the side of "efficiency," which means submitting again and again to the standardized testers.
No schools of any states value any other priorities than those that can be numbered and are machine gradable?
Hey Phil , you sound pretty ignorant about Israel and the Jews…I have a little info for you. Did you realize that Jews are being persecuted all over the world unlike in years and it’s not because of Palestine!
In fact, if the Palestinians would not allow HAMAS to be their rulers, and captive government, they might even get “their own” freedom.
Do you know what the word INTIFADA means pal?
Right at the Fort Lauderdale Airport with 2 million views a day on the two major South Florida freeways …95 and 595 there is a huge billboard, and here’s what it says.
IF YOU THINK TURBULENCE IS SCARY….TRY WEARING A JEWISH STAR!
There's a difference between the "King" that you have in charge in America today, and most European Kings (UK, Denmark, Spain etc.)
The European kings have no power.
They have influence diplomatically, yes, and are Heads of State at State occasions - but their influence ends there. Otherwise they are just gossip column fodder. Centuries of law making and constitutional changes have made them figureheads - important, yes - but powerless. Mostly, they are benign - and beneficent.
What you have today in trump is a "king" more like the kings in the Middle Ages - unlimited power, vengeful and interested only in HIS power and wealth.
The tragedy is that it took at least 800 years for the kings in Europe to become what they are today, useful figureheads - I hope and pray that it doesn't take America that long to regain it's own freedom.
If Americans had any sense, on June 14th, they'd be shouting "Charles the Third! Charles the Third! We want a modern King!"
Seems to work pretty well for Canada - and 56 other Commonwealth countries. . .
European monarchs serve more as symbols of national unity, and they do whatever the government has them do. George III was actually not an absolute monarch, but a constitutional monarch who did as Parliament requested. The 1688 revolution and expulsion of James II made it clear the monarch could not govern without the advice and consent of Parliament. George III agreed to sign whatever bills the prime minister placed before him, as he believed he could not do otherwise. The politicians of George III’s era deserve their fair share of blame for the bills that ultimately caused revolution to break out in the United States. They were taxing their American colonists for losses the British empire incurred in other parts of the world, and the American colonists were angry as they also had no say in the matter as they had nó representation in Parliament.
You are correct about this. I certainly want no monarch, but Trump is behaving more like an absolutist king of the type the Thai king wishes to be, or a dictator. Britain’s monarchy is rather more like the type that has some power left in the system.
In theory, we have a constitutional monarchy so the monarch essentially gives assent to legislation enacted by parliament but there are vestiges of monarchical absolutism everywhere. For example, the so-called prerogative writs (mandamus, certiorari, habeas corpus etc.) now exercised by the courts. Our current king, Charles III, was notorious during his tenure as Prince of Wales for his Black Spider memos to ministers.
I read about his memos in the Guardian. When he was Prince of Wales, King Charles aired his thoughts on many different topics to Cabinet ministers. The Queen was rather noticeably reticent on many topics, but King Charles was especially vocal on the subjects of modern architecture (he hates it and prefers traditional architecture,) and about environmental issues. His company that was set up to sell edible goods from the Duchy of Cornwall emphasizes organic products and pesticide free produce. Those are some of the more prominent examples I recall.
He also complained about the Human Rights Act which he said mandated political correctness in policy-making, a rather eccentric view. For years, the previous Conservative government tried to prohibit the publication of these letters. He also had many face-to-face meetings with ministers and there is no published record of what transpired at those meetings.
Marlene, I plead with you to cease and desist your participation in the circular firing squad which has characterized Democratic and progressive efforts to escape this scourge of tyranny we now face! Especially when you castigate “89 million people [who] didn’t bother to vote” you simply endorse the prodigious irregularities perpetrated by Republicans and their ilk who gerrymandered their states to such an extreme degree, who suppressed voting by legislation, direct intimidation by often armed “observors,” ballot box removal in selected districts or outright incineration, and how and by whom or what those ballots were enumerated and the strikingly similar margins of victory in the seven swing states with just enough margin in each case to avoid automatic recounts and all achieved via “split ballots” with the presidential selection at odds with the rest of the down-ballot choices. These are the circumstances of voters you dismiss as “not bothering to vote” giving further credence to the MAGAts.
You know Marlene, I never give up. I got a song lift from Belinda of the Alabama Shakes just before Lunch.
She didn't think she would "make it to 22" so her musical message is 🎶 Ya got to Hold on, you got to [low octave Hoooooooold on & get back to Hooooome🎶.
You’re correct you should not give up you should support this president and this is administration which is supporting America and 77 million voters who voted for it
I suppose you actually believe at 13 million more people voted for Biden is a semi cadaver compared to Obama to God?
What you might wanna do is fine I don’t want to 75 million people voted for him.
Then there's this from ProPublica: "More Than a Dozen U.S. Officials Sold Stocks Before Trump’s Tariffs Sent the Market Plunging"
"Records show well-timed trades by executive branch employees and congressional aides. Even if they had no insider information, ethics experts say such trading undermines faith in government and the markets." As if they didn't have insider info! Ha! Here's the link: https://link.propublica.net/view/5f8c5b0c1bd9a320ad36dc17nt4vk.1832/f0d83778
It's another reason to take part in a NO KINGS! protest on Saturday, June 14. More than 1000 are already planned across the country and world. Find one near you at www.nokings.org, or get tips on how to host one yourself w/ a few friends, a few signs, and visibility.
Trump extorts foreign countries. That Qattar plane is not the only "gift." How did Trump resorts in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and even Viet Nam pop up?
All this political stuff is secondary to theft. The total asset value of the United States, including financial and non-financial assets, is estimated to be at least $269 trillion. This figure represents a substantial portion of the global economy, with domestic businesses and net real estate being the largest asset classes. The US also holds significant financial liabilities, primarily foreign claims on US assets, totaling $41.6 trillion. Trump wants all of it -- and more.
Will Trump tokens become the coin of the realm?
Will the dollar wind up like the Deutscemark in Weimar Germany when a wheelbarrow load couldn't buy a loaf of pumpernickel?
Paul Krugman worries about a “sudden stop” when other countries realize the depth of the economic corruption. Economic calamity starts slowly, then all at once.
I have thought that unregulated cryptocurrency is at risk of causing another Great Depression, as the billionaires will leave us holding the bag. Enriching the already morbidly rich will also not end well, as many people will die.
It has no intrisic value...Global Post today: Trump and the United Arab Emirates recently signed a deal that would establish one of the world’s biggest AI campuses in Abu Dhabi. American companies will operate the data centers, which will provide services to everyone who lives within 2,000 miles of the UAE – almost half of the world’s population.
Meanwhile, the UAE’s riches draw the leaders from throughout the region, hat in hand. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun recently visited, for example, to request that the UAE lifts a travel ban on his country imposed after Lebanese leaders in Hezbollah joined Hamas in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dating to October 7, 2023, the Atlantic Council wrote. It also wanted to lure the country into supporting Lebanon’s reconstruction, five years after the collapse of its financial system. The UAE took tentative steps to help, promising to assess future investments, the think tank added.
At the same time, the UAE has also become a major investor in Africa, the region that has room for enormous economic development such that it would magnify the global economy significantly, added the Guardian. In recent years, Emirati companies have spent $110 billion, including $72 billion on renewable energy projects. That amount was more than double the investment of British, Chinese, or French companies.
This economic activity in Africa has run parallel with greater strategic cooperation. UAE military and intelligence officials have sought to combat Islamist terrorists and extremist groups in the region, protect its economic interests, and counter geopolitical rivals in Africa, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Even as the country continues its rise as a regional power, extending its influence as far as possible throughout the Middle East and, increasingly, beyond, controversies and criticism have arisen as a result.
For example, Emirati bosses in Africa and elsewhere are accused of trampling on human rights and workers’ rights, and flouting the rule of law, for example, in the construction projects that have made Dubai a world-class destination, wrote Human Rights Watch. The organization’s researchers depicted the Persian Gulf country as maintaining an illusion of free markets and liberty, while cracking down on dissent.
At the same time, Sudan’s leaders filed suit at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, accusing the UAE of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group which has committed genocide in Darfur amid Sudan’s civil war – a blight on the country’s influence in Africa, CNN noted. The suit was recently dismissed on jurisdictional issues. The UAE denied the charges.
Still, as the Economist noted, “The UAE preaches unity at home but pursues division abroad: It is carving out a sphere of influence through militias who carve up Arab states.”
For example, it sides with and supports the RSF in Sudan, Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, who has tried to overthrow the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli, the Yemeni secessionist group, the Southern Transitional Council, and the leaders in Puntland and Somaliland, two breakaway republics in Somalia.
The activists aren’t alone, though. Powerful people in Washington, DC, are concerned at the country’s rise. For example, some American leaders were worried about Trump’s recent deal to sell chips and AI technology to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the New York Times explained, because they fear China and other rivals of the US would have better access to the strategic tech via the Gulf country.
At the same time, some Democratic lawmakers are trying to block weapons sales to the country because of concerns over the UAE meddling in other conflicts.
Still, with the country attempting to diversify its economy and having a lot to offer investors, analysts say it’s on an upward trajectory. Recently, for example, it was chosen to be the location of the newest Disney theme park, Disneyland Abu Dhabi.
“We did study the region very carefully and we know that we had many opportunities,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. “And so, it was very, very clear to us that of all of the places that we could choose from, there didn’t seem to be any place that was better than this.”
_____
I bet that 90% of the people Iger is dealing with would literally slit his throat for jihad.
I watch Mary Trump’s scathingly accurate videos on her uncle’s incompetence, meanness and narcissism, and one thing I recall her saying is that Donald now regards the U.S. treasury as his personal piggy bank. I think she’s accurate about that, and it’s part of Trump’s misconception of his role as president as owner of the United States. You heard echoes of that during his first term when he referred to the U.S. generals as “my generals.” They in fact are not his generals, and they are not his to dispose of at will, which is something that neither he or the incompetent Pete Hegseth understand. This country is not his personal property to dispose of at will, nor is he entitled to break the law, violate the Constitution at will, or to ignore judicial orders. Unfortunately, our constitutional system has broken down, and if the people in charge won’t fix it, it is up to citizens to do so. I am well aware the of the dangerous Article V Convention project, where Charles Koch hopes to get himself hand selected wingnut delegates to rewrite the Constitution to destroy personal protections and to protect corporations and hereditary wealth at the expense of the people. The Article V project only requires 6 more state legislators to vote for it to hold a constitutional convention. Koch should remember the advice of the late Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger, who was a traditional conservative in the mold of retired Judge Michael Luttig. Burger warned that such a convention would likely become a runaway convention where it would be easy for the delegates to bolt out of control.
Obviously there will will risks entailed in renewing your democracy with new vows, so to speak, but the alternative is clinging to a sclerotic document that is clearly no longer adequately safeguarding your rights or protecting your interests. There are still guardrails, like the federal court system, that are operating for the most part as they should and they have valiantly held up the agenda of the Trump administration. However, the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court has been eager to defer to Trump and to find all sorts of specious reasons to ignore precedent in order to do so. Sooner or later, he will blow through those remaining guardrails with their assistance.
Even a substantial victory for the Democratic party in the mid-term elections next year is unlikely to stop Trump if continues to operate without Congressional approval.
Where do you and how do you demented people get this misinformation? I just got a real recap of the entire bill. No surprises here in fact, in some parts having to do with the Medicaid issue Bill Clinton try to do exactly what Trump is doing. And succeeded. Didn’t hear you climbing back in that Quinton was making able-bodied people go back to work in order to receive benefits
What is wrong with you people it’s 90 years since the beginning of the Germany attempted takeover of the world. You’re still talking about it like it happened yesterday.
Unfortunately, we all knew this was coming because Trump bragged about "liberation day" for some time before the election, so it would be difficult to prosecute them. Plus the Fascist Party of America has control of Congress and the Courts as well as the Presidency.
We'll know we're making headway against the Fascists when the MAGAs have had enough and they start protesting against the administration.
Yeah, what did they gain since two days later a bounce back to where it was before. You people are pathetic Nancy Pelosi has made millions of dollars in stocks. That’s OK?
I'm counting on the Senate to rein in the unbridled, wrong-headed excesses of the bigbadugly bill, but will we wake up to hear that Susan Collins is "concerned" about it, or will she actually vote against it? Should cuts to Medicaid (and apparently Medicare, also) stand, how long will it take for people to realize that they are now unprotected and have lost their health care and their hospitals? Or that their elders have lost their nursing homes and will need to be cared for at home? How long before most of us will understand the consequences of this 1,000+ page bill? Too many questions, and I'm guessing that we're not going to like the answers.
Congressmen may look at the fact they are likely to survive because they're in an R district, but a Senator has to run statewide. It's a different electorate. And by next November, a helluva lot of people are going to be hella pissed off about what has been done to them. A month ago I didn't think we could do more than maybe change seats to end up with a 51 majority. I think now that it's possible there will be a "conviction majority" - 66+ - and that by January 12, 2027, Trump will have been impeached and found guilty and removed from office (whether he leaves the WH or not).
As long as the oligarchs are allowed to contribute unlimited dark money to campaigns they are going to win. The loss in WI was an anomaly. The corrupt oligarchy owned media even called out what Musk was doing unlike what happened to Tester and Brown in their Senate races in 2024.
It's time we split the US into multiple countries. It's obvious which states are controlled by corrupt oligarchs, so let them see how well things run with a cruel and vengeful dictator and a bunch of butt-licking Senators and Congresscritters.
Maybe Canada could annex several of our states—15-20 around the edges. Canada then could almost surround USA. I like that idea. Ask Canada. If they say yes, start the secession paperwork.
Works for me. Actually, things would be bigly different if TX & FL left the US. TX tried to secede when Biden kicked Trump's ass, but it didn't work out (for us).
With the decisions being made on the 'shadow docket', we've lost the courts. The congress is about to pass a budget that will increase the shift of wealth ever more obscenely to the already rich. Protests in the streets have not yet reached the level needed to effect change. Like Krugman's worry about a financial collapse happening 'all at once', so is the worry that civil war will happen 'all at once.' It will come when the realization that it is our only option becomes clear.
That is a worry many have expressed: that nothing would make the orange menace happier than to declare martial law and send the troops to "shoot them in the legs, or something" (as he has already said, when the protesters were in the DC streets after the death of George Floyd, as reported by the Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper). We have to reach the level of protest that was shown by the Serbians and the South Koreans, with hundreds of thousands in the streets of Washington, D.C. and in every state capital in the country.
I still wonder about secession Kathy. The Confederate states can be their own country and the rest of us plus Puerto Rico and Washington DC as states would be a powerhouse to be reckoned with. And if ID, MT, ND,SD, NE, UT wanted to join them so be it.
“It Can’t Happen Here” was a novel that ends with the US divided into fiefdoms. We’re on the way to making it a reality. One big difference…the fictional US didn’t have nuclear weapons.
Who gets what % of US military assets & funding / operational costs? Dem voting counties generated 70% of US GDP in 2024 & always pay more into the US treasury than we get back; the inverse of most R states. <> Most reshored industry is in R states but automation = marginal % jobs that used to be required = still little benefit to R (potential) workers. <> Red necks love guns & tribal bonding over shared hostility. There are about 20,000,000 AR-15 type rifles in US private ownership, 90% R. <> I agree the archepelago of D counties & states need need an archepelago congress analagous to the founding continental congress. We also need social media & search engine capacity that is independent of current fascist oligarch control to ensure strategic communication, probably set up as cooperatives; similar as occurred in various industries in the Great Depression era. <> Given the reality of encroaching fascist mafia state hegemony we have more in common & need for alliance with most of Canada, Scandanavia & New Zeland, + relatively tiny pockets of functional democracy dispersed globally. It’s an amorphous, hard to process concept; hard to do. Breaking up USA is hard to do. <> It seems strategic (Milgram 3 degrees of separation between American) grass roots communication might disrupt the Trump contagion enough to spur massive prolonged boycott of fascist funders. Federally elected officials can’t be recalled but complicit state & local pols are subject to recall elections. Imminent loss of benefits is going to soften up fascist support. We need massive & smart grasstoots mobilization to engineer motivation for R congress to support impeachment & removal of traitors Trump, Vance & SCOTUS judges & unprecedented decisions that enabled the coup d’etat. Going after state & local pols collaborating with fascist mafia state oligopolists might scare the fecal matter out of enough R congresscritters to see self preservation in upholding their oaths to defend the constitution. <> It’s all complicated any way you go.
The effective date of much is after Nov 2026, is it not. Cannot figure out why the health care professions are not up in arms. Their bottom line will suffer, in more ways than we can count.
🙏🏻💙🎉💙🙏🏻 nice to hear your optimism, TC. There should be an investigation of why people didn’t vote in the last election. I still believe stories would come out about denial of rights, closed election sites due to Russian bomb threats, and misdirected ballots. We know districts were changed after the sloppy 2020 census. The radicals are happy to lie to get their way. The next election is so important.
I always vote because I learned the importance of voting from my late mom. Her father always stressed the importance of voting and took his oldest children to register to vote when they were 21, which was the legal voting age back then. After he died in 1960, my uncle took the youngest kids to register to vote at 21.
TC, I think you are being unduly optimistic about the actual future existence of a midterm election. It is the last thing they want. And they will try very hard--and with a complicit SCOTUS--to prevent it from happening.
TC, I had a very blood pressure raising "talk" with a sister today regarding the situation at hand. In spite of my best efforts, she was an uniformed voter. When I told her about a mere fraction of what's going on, she said "I witch between three channels for news every night and I haven't heard any of this". Not FOX but other legacy media. I asked her, in the local news, you won't hear it. Do you watch any national news? (NO) She has no internet, reads no new magazines, and gets only the Sunday Chgo Tribune. She relies heavily on her SS and never had high paying jobs, thus has low SS. I have scared the shit out of her.
I told her, for whatever it's worth, MUCH of America is "blissfully unaware". It's FAFO time. The amazing thing is, my sister reads a lot of non-fiction and in particular, much on WW2 and Nazi Germany. I told her MAGA is flooding the zone so it's difficult to keep up with it.
Many items, I only find on your excellent Substack ("That's Another Fine Mess") so thank you for sorting through it all for us.
Sorry, should’ve said, Ann- Louise. As a cover-up, incredibly deep, and it might even take a special counsel to uncover everything everyone knew, but didn’t speak or spoke and Lied
Not just the 1,000 + pages bill but also the 900 + pages Project 2025 Betsy. Do you think the American people have the capacity to understand the magnitude of what we are going through? Only when they feel fully the effects and consequences, they might react. It might be too late by then.
Ricardo, we cannot overlook the fact that there is a percentage of people in this nation that think Project 2025 is a good idea. I am not certain of the percentage, but I am making a WAG that it is roughly 25%. One in four of "us" wants those things imposed.
This is the part where I say divide the nation. You want a white Christian nationalist (aka Christian Taliban) start your own county; don't take mine.
Ally, I'm only vaguely familiar with the demographics of Oregon, so I rely on your WAG. Where I live, here in the buckle of the Bible Belt*, my WAG is somewhere in the 90-percentile range. This mob is desperate for a theocracy and hastening of "The End Times," so Jesus can hurry back and scoop them all up to their mansions on streets of gold.
When someone sings, "🎼This world is not my home, I'm just a-passin' through,🎶" every week, they don't really care what happens to this world.
*Sara Huckapoo Sanders is governor; does that tell you anything?
Actually doing division is not only a simplistic remedy, on so very many levels it is a failing one. Individual people don’t last very long. Countries do. Offspring are not clones. Division would result in wars. And it would invite attack. Consider Ireland, both of them. Or India, both of them, actually all three. Ours would be far, far worse than any example that springs to mind.
Living in my bubble of mostly comfortably retired Dems, I have no sense of who in other places might be currently feeling the effects of the multiple threats to their well-being or what their responses might be.
Betsy,from Miami, I can tell you that the numerous maga flags in front or on the roof of the houses are disappearing fast and in conversations with some of my patients, I noticed they try to avoid politics when before they were the indicators. On a gun show maga territory, a coupleof weeksago, I noticed in the span of 3 hours, nobody come close to 2 stands selling trump's merchandise. Not a scientific way to feel the pulse but its an indicator.
Yes. This is why 60% of white voters (including 70% of white working class voters and 80% of white evangelical voters) voted for Trump. They want, above all else, to preserve their systemic advantages, no matter what it costs.
It's amazing how so many white evangelicals and their spiritual leaders are willing to overlook the hate, cruelty and vengeance displayed and ignored by Trump and all of his administration, the Supreme Court and every single Republican in Congress.
When are they going to rewrite the Gospel to echo their hate, cruelty, corruption, greed and lawlessness?
I have wondered that for so long, GJ. But when we look at what has been found out regarding the monstrous hidden abuse within the Catholic church (as an example), are they not complicit in their “teachings” as well? Isn’t that part of their legacy, their undercurrent?
I watched a doc about the 8 month German blitz of London
in WW2. Felt it was a perfect metaphor for what’s happening here.
If you look at the history of civilization since Zero Anno Domini, the overwhelming preponderance of conflict, oppression and slaughter was initiated by or because of Christianity.
There's no need to rewrite the gospel when someone can gaslight the simple-minded faithful and convince them it says what it doesn't say.
This was perfectly demonstrated in the contrast of Trump bemoaning "white genocide" in South Africa with an video that did not show what he said; and the administration's rounding up of people with black or brown skin. This myth of cis white men being the victims sure is a powerful one.
If I were President Ramaphosa, I would feel insulted that the American president treated me that way. All Trump managed to do was to show the South Africans what a moron he is.
We have authors writing unfounded books about President Biden called "original sin" while we have a sitting president engaged in America's "original sin" of racism. We are "On (our way to) Tyranny".
Trump's father was arrested while marching with the KKK. In Queens.
Their grievance? 'Irish immigrant cops policing native born Protestants.' Fred went on to be Congress' Truman committee poster boy for wartime profiteering through loopholes in the law.
Fred and Donald Trump settled one of NY's early civil rights discrimination cases - based on 10 years of documentation before the law was established. They never complied with the terms of the settlement.
Donald Trump infamously called for the execution of the Central Park 5 - youngsters of color falsely convicted of a sexual assault.
The judicial system has rarely held the Trumps to the law. While they have skirted it. The current Supreme Court majority was hand-crafted by Charles Koch bagman and religious extremist Leonard Leo to repurpose the democratic republic as a ChristoFascist authoritarian state. It has not happened overnight.
Donold Trump didn't only call for the execution of the Central Park 5. 'He paid a reported $85,000 to take out advertising space in four of the city’s newspapers, including the New York Times. Under the headline “Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!” and above his signature, Trump wrote: “I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. They must serve as examples so that others will think long and hard before committing a crime or an act of violence.”'
They were teenagers that were forced to sign confessions without a lawyer present and started to get death threats after Trump's ads came out. They were found guilty and sentenced to 5-15 years, but eventually(in 2002) their convictions were vacated due to the confession and DNA evidence of the actual rapist.
Donold is still that racist blowhard not concerned about innocent people being executed, miscarriages of justice or even the rule of law.
Reminds me of a TV series many of us saw as a kid, "Dragnet," where Jack Webb's character Joe Friday used variations of a phrase many now remember as a civil, curt "Just the facts ma'am."
I recall once, when taking a report from someone who really had an axe to grind against one of her neighbors, saying "OK, that is an opinion. Can you tell me what happened?" She then went off on a tirade, cursed me, and told me she was "calling the Sheriff". I left. She called the Sheriff. He had my sergeant call me. I told him the exact story. He said "Good job. You Joe Fridayed her." Never went any further.
The planning began during the Clinton administration era.
The Republicans have gained much through the devious tactic of prying and controlling elections ever since the Newt Gingrich’s “Contract With America” (Project 2025's forerunner).
I suggest it started with the Republican Southern Strategy, to welcome racists after LBJ signed Civil Rights legislation.
Manafort, Stone, and Atwater were strategists. Reagan really got it rolling. The Republican Big Tent is a revivalist meeting of the unreconstructed blood and ideological heirs of the Confederacy and the Robber Barons. Movement Conservatives in bed with the Religious Right spawned today's GOP party of god, guns, and greed - with a bent for political authoritarianism and religious absolutism. And an underclass of the economically disadvantaged willing to step on each others' necks to keep their heads above water.
10 years before Ronnie in the White House the Powell memo (Aug. 23, 1971) "got it rolling" -- with the Heritage Foundation, ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) and many more far-right, well-monied foundations introducing tens of thousands of lobbyists to Washington, D.C., and many tens of millions of dollars to corrupt state legislatures across the U.S.
My opinion may be unpopular, but what we are now witnessing is fruit of the poisoned tree.
All of our problems with racism, violence, economic injustice and religious bigotry are literally a part of our national DNA.
The British colonies on the North American continent became a nation as a result of a bloody war. There is the violence gene. There is scarcely a time in our history when we've not been at war, with ourselves or other nations.
The U.S. Government, including its 3 branches, was devised by a syndicate of white "gentlemen" who thought a government was necessary to protect their assets: land (stolen from people of color) and the wealth it created. There are the racist and economic injustice genes.
Although the Founders claimed the U.S. was a secular nation, Protestants immediately laid claim to the culture and government, systematically inserting language in our laws and policies that gave the U.S. the appearance of a "Christian nation," thus adding the religious bigotry gene.
Over 250 years, various administrations have tried to wrap the nation in different packaging meant to suggest that we are not a racist, violent, christian oligarchy, followed by other administrations who tore off that packaging to expose us for what we are. We are currently in tear-off mode.
We are running out of time. By the time we get to November 2026, whatever elections take place will be a lot like those in Russia. They will look like real elections on the outside, but that will be as fake as The Apprentice's storylines were. (FYI, the editors of The Apprentice were known to "reverse engineer" the footage shot after Trump decided who he wanted to win.)
We have protests planned next month and in July. These should probably be expanded to be permanent protests... like Occupy Wall Street was: Permanent and ever expanding!
We’re all a captive audience to unbridled criminality and corruption.
That’s our guy to whom we’re hostage: mob boss and criminal felon, bestower of gold gild to the oval office and of orange grease paint to his face, racist, rank, perverse ambusher of international diplomacy, gaudy hound for being most openly corrupt and on the take, and #1 cover for Putin’s genocide in Ukraine and Netanyahu’s on the West Bank and in Gaza.
Add to this the 215 Republicans in Congress who stand only for historically perverse now-mammoth-new national debt, inflating of wealth transfer to the cynical billionaire class, and the killing of all federal programs that for long had been helping people.
American schools created this leadership, this vaudeville for insanity? What national program took over all the schools to grow such idiocy whereby all only learn how to select A), B), C), or D) by bubbling-in with #2 pencil year after year after year after year – and never even attempt to learn anything else?
This week our small town approved our school budget for the 2025-2026. The new school superintendent gave an overview of how well our pre-K - 8th grade school is doing compared to the rest of the schools in Maine. Of course, many of the metrics are calculated from the test scores so there's that Phil, but many of the students compete in statewide and national competitions and have done very well. And she also said that the school's philosophy is to nurture critical thinking rather than teaching to the tests. A few months ago, the school board at the principal's and teacher's request send out a letter to everyone in the community announcing a new unfunded program to provide weekend snacks and meals to the students. Their goal was to raise $5K, They raised over $15K within a week. As we all know, hungry and malnourished kids do not learn well.
Your town is like mine: the public education system is considered a plus, and monies for it well spent. The major reason I moved here when my children were just about to enter school. We get some pushback from retirees who think they shouldn't have to pay for it (especially those who don't have children) but it's one of those cradle-to-grave obligations that everyone shares, because everyone reaps the benefits of an educated society.
I used to get asked why, since I had no children, I voted for schools, libraries, and youth recreation. It is because I reaped those benefits myself, and I wanted today's kids to have the same opportunities I did. Some folks understood, but most just shook their heads and walked away. Sigh.
Except, too, if one has done this for a good enough number of years, one already knows that there are no choices. Testing reduces all life to just abstractions, categories, groups, and linear-simple causalities -- all repeating, repeating, long earlier having driven out any and all humanities with their very different dynamics.
Thus the Mad Hatter takes office, with all his criminality, all his insurrection, all his rapes, frauds, and racism and he gets a pass from all "adults" in Congress who all their lives only too well learned the dumbness and human passivity testing teaches. (But look, at how quickly they can rise to the bait of lies, lies, lies!)
As I've mention before, our daughter went to a Montessori school halfway through 3rd grade. She had never taken a test when she switched to the public school. The school she switched to was labeled a "class A" school because of it's small size. At the time Nebraska had dozens of these small schools to reduce the commute time for the students. The school only had 5 teachers for the nine grades and there were only 12 kids in her 3rd-4th grade class.
Within a couple of years after we moved to Maine, Nebraska forced the closure of these schools due to the "excessive" cost to teach each student. Obviously, the students weren't considered in the decision.
Or to any characters in any economic class? Or to any paid-off pols? Or to any Americans uneducated in anything except maybe the "smart" phone ever in their view, the steering wheel of their monster pick-up in their hands, the sugar in their diet, the Fentanyl in their medicine cabinet, or the MAGA caps strewn everywhere in their trailers?
What does this say about our country? We would rather spend our collective tax money to build "detention centers" and pay people to roughly apprehend innocent, law abiding residents/immigrants then ship them out of the country than to spend that money on helping people in need, providing medical care to those who cannot afford the outrageously inflated costs of care or feeding hungry children. Where you put your money is where your priorities lie. Are we truly such an evil, selfish country? I hadn't thought so but evidently we are.
Attended a lecture last night titled ‘’What is a Constitutional Crisis?’’ by Law Professor Kimberly Wehle in which she said the rule of law in the US has ruptured - that we are in fact, experiencing a Constitutional Crisis. I asked her if she believed the President would use mass protest demonstrations as an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act. She replied that nothing in our experience of him indicates he will not. She indicated that our last true line of defense in that situation would be the members of the military refusing to obey an unconstitutional order and that citizens should indicate demonstrably, their support of service members who would take such a principled stance.
I believe she is right, and I fervently hope that there are members of our Armed Forces who would take that principled stance. In my career, I had two occasions where I was either ordered to do (once) or not do (once) a thing I was not supposed to do. On both occasions I refused, and in the "not do" department made a custodial arrest of a man who had broken into his wife's home (he was subject to a spousal abuse restraining order) and raped her. My sergeant told me I could not arrest him. I did anyway (I had another deputy with me; we were of one mind on that issue) and heard, through the grapevine several years later, the sergeant tried to punish me for that and was laughed out of the lieutenant's office.
I hope there are service members who understand their oath is to the constitution and defense of same.
how do we coordinate an effort to get the word out.....that we support troops who "do the right thing"? What is the next step in making that known to the troops?
One of the Veterans I met at the People's March in D.C. was serving west of Dak To ( I suspect Ben Het) and had gotten to know many of the Vietnamese around the base. It seems a new commander wanted him to shoot at the civilians he didn't like getting to close to the perimeter. He tried to explain that he knew many of the children and family members that had reasonable reasons to be so close. When ordered to shoot directly at them, he refused and kept doing so even when threatened with refusing a direct order in time of war.
He still refused, resulting in the Sgt Major being sent out to his guard post and giving him the same order and threat of consequences. He still refused and told the Sgt Major to send someone else out to replace him if he wanted to.
The Sgt Major broke down laughing and saying he wasn't going to do that. When he asked why, he was told no one else would follow the order, from the example he had set.
Then there is the Peter Arnett story the right wing would like to think is entirely a myth. I can't/won't verify the best guess on who the anonymous officer was that Arnett basically said told them "We had to destroy the village in order to save it."
One of the more experienced Army NCO's I'd seen on a few visits to Tan An said he was a staff officer not supposed to talk to reporters, and said that he had avoided following his order (as an outsider to his unit), to fire on a distant column approaching his position. He told him they needed to get closer so they could make more shots count before they scattered. As he realized long before they got close enough or the officer to see, they turned out to be our own troops. He diplomatically kept the apparently less combat experienced staff officer's order from leading to blue on blue casualties.
I do believe we have had many of all ranks who at least stalled enough to keep big mistakes from being made. A WWII Navy Destroyer Veteran led me through the real story behind the "Caine Mutiny", and some of the attitude changes that reduce the likelihood of reluctance to stop a temporarily incompetent Commander.
This is why Trump put in Hegseth. Trump wants to purge any military officers who are loyal to the constitution as opposed to Trump. What irks me is that Trump thinks he is the government. He’s not.
Surprised the NYT and WaPo wrote anything. But I cancelled those subscriptions last year so I missed it. When will they reveal the participants?? Like never?
So depressing and with your excellent newsletter, I feel correct in my distrust of the senators who voted for the Genius Act, including my two CA senators.
And here it comes— everything we feared. The noose tightens. A budget that guts the safety net. Open corruption. Open racism. And a “unitary executive”. Is that code for dictator?
It’s going to be a long hot summer…
I think we can safely say that America is now officially run by a fascist regime.
It's not over yet... Giving up in advance is on every Dictator's "wish list"... There is time to protest and do everything we can including making everyone aware of the hidden provision in the Bill and about the Supreme Court using the " shadow docket" to deliver their decision to give Trump power over Independent agencies... I will repeat the words of Bernie Sanders who was on the Stephen Colbert show on May 15. He said, "If you sit back and do nothing, they will take it all." We need to Make Loud Trouble ASAP!!!
We can both admit that America is now a fascist regime and continue to fight to turn it back into a functioning democracy. These are not mutually exclusive.
I’m in the wrong species. I’m a human and I’m ashamed of being one. Should have been a bird and a high flying one at that.
You are absolutely correct. People always fight in an autocratic country though their fight is often suppressed. Desire to live free is the basic trait of any human being.
I agree, Michele. It is not over yet, however, these whole demented actions taken by MAGAt's unfortunately do signal in a fascist network at the very top of government. When we get a hold back on what made this nation as great as it once was under former presidents (not including tRump 45) I would hope that new laws be introduced regarding "shadow dockets" and midnight deals. I understand there are only so many hours in a day in which Congress may legislate; however, heinous bills like the "one big..." wretched execrable bill need to be shown in the light of day instead of taking advantage of the norms of sleep with which the public overwhelmingly engages. When half the nation doesn't know what is going on and votes for a parasitic leadership, the decay of democracy is arguably certain to happen. And to boot, when almost all the nation while sleeping, trusting that their representatives will do their jobs honorably instead of like rats playing when the cat's away, our destinies will all be at risk. Getting rid of this malignant MAGA takeover of what was once a proud party (in spite of the many disagreements I have personally had with it) cannot come soon enough. The job however does not stop there; we still need to work hard and make sure that the cretin, such as 45 and 47 and his sycophants, do not ever appear again.
Riad, agreed. We should not give up. I see a many large protests scheduled for June 14th all over the country including some in red territory. I live in a diverse neighborhood which as far as I know, has not seen ICE. The town north of us which is heavily Hispanic is full of fear. On a good note, we have a special election here in Oregon this week and most of the sane people prevailed on the local school board and city council. Much to my surprise, the parks, library, senior citizen levy won by a good margin here in Salem. People seem to have gotten the message that local elections also matter. One of the bad things is the economic picture is in a disarray thanks to death star shenanigans and so the forecast for the state budget is murky and not as good as it was looking before the chaos.
Hi - I am also Michele ( of the Bernie Sanders quote! ) I will try to change my name later today to Michele2 if possible... Nice to meet you!
Hi to you, Michele with one L. Nice to meet you too. I am in Salem, Oregon. Where are you?
Thank you for your reply. Yes, the Bill is despicable. Yes, reforms and new checks and balances will be necessary. There is so much to do, but we can help others understand what is critically at stake here... We have to speak out now... PS.. There is another Michele in this substack. I will try to change my name to Michele2 later... Thank you for your thoughts!
We call it the "Big, Beautiful Billionaire's Bill. One aspect of the spending bill will render our judiciary powerless and that is to limit courts' contempt power. See HCR letter of 5/21. That will emasculate our judicial system. So if this passes the Senate, we will have just one branch of government, the executive branch. Several organizations are asking people to call their Senators (50501). We are asking everybody to call Republican Senators to nix this bill or at least this aspect of it. It's bad enough to have medicaid and medicare go under the scalpel, but if the courts are rendered useless, we lose our Democracy. Congress goes back into session on June 2nd. According to Sen Markey's office this bill will be up for a vote before July 4th. Trump is trying to speed this bill up, so act now. We need to flood the phone lines nationwide. Call, text, fax, send opinions on their websites (look up zip codes in the state you are calling or sometimes you can't get thru). This is as serious as it gets.
Alas, phoning senators -- or any other form of nonviolent resistance short of a nation-wide general strike-- is now proven utterly futile. We are confronted instead by the undeniably prophetic truth of the analysis by the journalist William English Walling, whom the infinitely courageous Ms. Richardson quoted in her 17 May 2025 essay: “...American civilization will await either a rapid degeneration or another profounder and more revolutionary civil war….” (Cited essay is here as text: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-17-2025 and here as audio:
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-17-2025-ce2?publication_id=20533&post_id=163874973&r=cb67r&triedRedirect=true )
Well said, Michele. There is nothing more fundamental to our Constitution than the balance of power between the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary branches of government. It appears now that the Legislative and Judiciary (Supreme Court) want to pass their responsibilities to the Executive, thereby making Trump an absolute dictator with a large budget to set up his own system of concentration camps. We still have an opportunity to go to the streets and do everything possible to remind Congress that we have a vote and intend to use it.
Yes - maybe the horrendous prospect of what could lie ahead (concentration camps) will spur us on to get us all into the streets and, as you succinctly put it, do everything possible to remind Congress that we are here and awake!!! PS.. As it seems there are two Micheles in this substack, I will attempt to change my name to Michele2 later today. Thanks for your reply - well said yourself!
May all the steps forward be taken and held. Time for all to accept and rejoice in the melting pot we learned about in grammar school. Grammar school for those who know “middle school” or another term is where we are supposed to learn grammar as well as melting pot.
"Fight on All Fronts All the Time!"
Yes, there IS time to protest. Instead, we sit back and discuss what Dems did wrong and what they possibly need to do to get back the middle and working class voters. And why Biden's age matters. And say, wait til the mid-terms when we don't even know it they will happen. I, for one, am hoping the tariffs and higher costs kick in hard and fast. Until they do, there are too many unbelievers who won't join an actual physical protest--or, unfortunately, can't take a day off work to do so. It will soon be time for physical violence to wake people up sufficiently.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply...I agree. The Dictators' Playbook agenda is moving at lightning speed. There is a reason for that... They want to confuse, overwhelm, and speak lies to truth incessently to facilitate a quick takeover BEFORE there is the "awakening" of the masses. The tariffs are starting to kick in. The physical protest has to come now. There will be time for other discussions later. P.S It seems there is another Michele on this substack who answered Raid... I will attempt to change my profile to Michele2 later today, if possible ,to avoid confusion...
I read the whole Project 2025 before the election. I was alarmed. And I knew most would blow it off. There was still too much of that "It can't happen here" mentality among all. And anyone who remembered anything about the orange one's first term knew what a snake he was and how awful the people around him were. Voters have extremely short memories. So, I just came back from a short shopping trip just to get bird seed. I took a look at some of the other items being sold that were from China. The tariffs have definitely arrived. Simple dog toys that were less than $10 are now $14.99. A plastic 2 quart watering can was $24.99. Those little welcome flags that were $11.99 are now $15.99. Stuff you don't need, but want. Soon, though, the things you need will be changing prices upward. I feel bad for those who can't afford stuff, but the only way we will have a major protest is when enough people see the changes. Thanks for your response.
Great reporting on price increases.... Whew... I hope people see the prices soon and realize it's only the beginning of hard times and they will get mad enough to act... Amazing that you read the whole Project 2025- my respect goes out to you... And yes, many voters have short memories... But so much disinformation keeps " muddying " the waters as well... Don't lose hope...Thank you for all your wise words and all your efforts. You give me hope!
We will sing in protest to the end.
https://yadontknow.blogspot.com/2025/05/no-balls.html
Yes - thank you for your short but GREAT reply!! As there are 2 Micheles in this substack I will be changing my name to Michele2 to avoid confusion...as we have enough of that going on every minute dealing with the machinations of The Regime!!!
Yeah, yeah, yeah & Trump has a Teenie Weanie & a balding Beanie ...
Who cares? Fight Back!
Disrespecting is one way to fight back. Definitely not the only way!
Had a friend in college who used to sing that song all the time
It has to pass the Senate, but yes, if/when that happens our Constitution will be toilet paper.
I don't have any hope of the Senate going against this. This is the power grab the GOP has been longing for, and all moral conscience has long gone from that party. In fact, they have been working on this for 50 years now, and this is their chance. I'm expecting the Orange Emperor to declare martial law next month, and setting the military on anyone who protests. I'm really curious what the soldiers will do: obey orders and shoot US citizens, or stop and say: "Ok, this has gone far enough." I really hope it's the latter...
From Meidas...Rand Paul seems as dug in to oppose the bill in the Senate as Massie was in the House. To Punchbowl: “Once the Republicans vote for this, Republicans are going to own the deficit. I’m a conservative who's not voting for a 4 or 5 trillion dollar increase in the deficit.”
Let's hope there are more...
Elizabeth Warren (in conversation with Brian Tyler Cohen).
Daniel, Not of fan of Randy Paul, but hopefully, there are more like him who will oppose this for various reasons of their own.
Even Dick Cheney uttered that deficits weren't important. And I'm sure others uttered that sentiment.
Dick Cheney isn't exactly a MAGA.
The mantra of deficits is just a "pretext" to purge FDR and LBJ legislation and return us to a laissez faire economy.
Thom Hartmann describes a political strategy "to claim the mantle of Santa Claus from the Democrats by “gifting” America with tax breaks. Then it became a program to force Dems to kill off their own social programs by driving up the national debt. And now it’s being used to disassemble the American government itself, abandoning what’s left of the middle class while handing America’s dominant role in the world to China and Russia."
I think that was under the pretext of financing an illegal war in which over 4,000 of our men died (not to mention the thousands more critically wounded) and to find WMD which were never there in the first place. I'm no Cheney fan; however, I believe even HE (!!!) is loath to find tRump as a true republican, or for that matter, even human.
No Dutch, I don’t think tRump will use the military as he is building his own military under the guise of ICE with their hoods and no insignia kidnapping people from the sidewalks, breaking into homes and stealing all their money and computers and detaining congressmen and women who get on their way. Especially with the prodigious increase in funding tRumps “Big Beautiful Bill” hoses into that agency as reported by Heather, it is clear THIS is tRump’s version of the Brown Shirts!
Completely agree. I think the funding in the bill is exactly for that. What ICE is doing now to immigrants and people who get in their way is what we can expect in all of our futures, sooner rather than later if the Big Beautiful Bill gets passed. MAGA isn't scared to vote for it, but some Republicans are scared not to, they see where this is leading and they don't want to be on the wrong side of the regime.
Unfortunately I have to agree with you John. The maggot orange gang is testing its limits by going after judges and Reps. Increasing Ice’s budget to billions, plus ‘importing’ white afrikaners while shredding health care and snap is not a sign but a total collapse of our Democratic system.
I’m wondering just how many maggots will lose their health care and more.
Sign up for The General Strike; also to the Five Calls app.
Hasn't he already declared a strip along the border a military zone? ICE is not the military. It seems to be part of his police state to be, i.e. Gestapo, KGB
Wonder what people who live in that 'military zone' think. Maybe the MAGA zealots are fine with it but, not all people there follow t as their divine one.
Also agree there a too many nightmare scenarios, most obviously with the ICE/CBP thugs kidnapping, arresting, assaulting and violently detaining/apprehending anyone trying to intervene, flee or resist. But there are also the far right militias(Oathkeepers, Proud Boys, etc) and all the rabble that were part of the January 6 insurrection, many emboldened and freed by Trump's pardons.
Then there is something like Blackwater created by Erik Prince, who seems to have been quiet lately but is surely lurking in the shadows of all this lawlessness, readying his mercenary squad or maybe battalion by now. Not sure what his company is called anymore but that has always been a very concerning trend to have mercenary forces involved in military actions but they potentially could be used within our own Nation, maybe they already are involved in this thuggery.
Yep. It's the SchutzStaffel all over again.
And what does the GOP gain? Sure, billionaires will add to their stash at first, but who will buy the stuff they make when we Average Joes are bankrupt? Smash and grab isn't a viable long-term strategy.
It definitely isn't sustainable, but they also want to control the world. When they bleed the US dry and have enacted all the racist policies they can think of, they'll have the entertainment of watching us suffer and die while they choose the next country to plunder. They're sociopathic and disgusting and every person who votes to support this "budget bill" is sociopathic and disgusting as well, but pathetic and ignorant in their belief that they'll somehow be spared.
Thing is, they are _not_ in it for the long-term. Smash and grab is their end game.
I hope too, but reality says otherwise.
I do think we're headed to violence. I'm not sure ala Tiananmen Square or Lincoln - or both, but violence is coming as the magnitude of what's happening here settles over the nation.
I agree- and will the troops who have sworn to support and defend the constitution fire upon its own people? It will depend on the numbers in the streets- and most importantly, will white people be on the front lines of protests.
Kent State could give you a clue.
Elections have consequences and you lost. The loss was not due to poor communication. It was due to continued failing policies at the Border, in the Economy and lack of Law Enforcement. You will continue to to loose if all you do is Resist. The Population demands the policies of Trump and you offer No Alternative. Please don't change.
George, elections have consequences and YOU lost. You just aren't smart enough to understand that.
Yes, and you are the smart one. Keep resisting without offering any winning policies, please.
I believe the word is lose, not loose. You can use the word loose as in loose morals.
Thank you.
No! Not my Constitution. I was sent to war to protect it, and I am not relinquishing doing so because you have sir. Quitters never win, and winners never quit!
I so agree with you, John M. with the CR increasing ICE’s budget to 45 BILLION in the next 5 years this will make them into a powerful military! I still don’t understand how they are allowed to carry on wearing masks and no identification.
Even all the German groups that started the violence against Jews(a day or two after Roosevelt was sworn in as the last President inaugurated on March 4), didn't wear masks.
See https://www.yadvashem.org/articles/academic/nazi-party-and-violence-against-jews.html
What are the ICE troopers afraid of as they defy the Constitution? Actually, I think Trump should also wear a mask every time he violates the Constitution, at least we wouldn't have to look at that smirking face so much, if ever again.
Without the Constitution there is no Union and each State becomes an Independent Republic. Which Democratic Governor will recognize that?
No, never “toilet paper.” There are WORDS and we know enough of them to carry on. Everyone must “do something” as Europeans did when faced with Hitler.
and it is supported and enforced by the supreme criminals and the fascists in congress...
Another depressing newsletter....
Along with blatant racism there is also bigotry toward the poor and incapacitated. As an employee of the Salvation Army, I was the in-house counselor for a residence for ex-trafficked women (my position was cut because funding was cut). A number of them were trafficked by their mothers for drugs. Many were too traumatized to work. What's going to happen to them when their Medicaid is cut?
Hello Dutch Mike... This Story Of The Fall of the American Empire It will Rival Gibbon's "The History Of The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Empire".... The Founders had that Story in Mind when they created the Constitution... Ben Franklin, who was a Successful Self-Made Man, told People that We-The-People had a Republic as long as We could keep it... Ben Franklin was skeptical as Franklin knew that Corruption, i.e. Shortcuts, Laziness, Cheating, was in Human Nature... Empires Tend To Collapse From Within First... Indeed Chinese, Egyptian Dynasties, if Successful, last only about 250years... The American Experiment is now about 250years old.... Ancient Rome, and Athens, became Corrupted from their Founding Principals, and became ruled by Demagogues, and their Mobs..... DJT is a Demagogue, and the MAGAs are his Mob... It Is Time For A 'Hard Reboot' For American Democracy... The Constitutional Safeguards That We Have Assumed Would Keep Us Safe, Are Failing Thanks To The Roberts Court...
You are absolutely right, Apache. It's the Roman Empire all over again.
Yes, it is. That dies not mean it will stay that way. It does mean it will be harder to oust them because they hold the positions of power.
Sadly.....
Historian Jefferson Cowie points out in his book Freedom's Dominion that this country has not been able to get past its racist history without the help of Federal enforcement of voting rights. Later in a talk he pointed out that voting rights were the most important. I wrote a piece on his talk, since my book club had invited him to speak to Democrats Abroad.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/voting-rights-come-before-all-others?r=f0qfn
Thanks to the Republican party appointments of SCOTUS justices, we have 6 coming from Bush, Bush and Trump that are not following the constitution. It is time to consider what your red line is and how vulnerable you are under this corrupt administration. I wrote this piece in November and I think it is even more pertinent since Trump has come to power about deciding if you are safe enough to remain.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/a-plan-b-for-catastrophe?r=f0qfn
I just read most of your article. Dave and I have discussed Plan B; fortunately we can afford Plan B and can implement Plan B seamlessly. In the meantime, we keep uttering - "he can't hurt us, we're white and have money in the bank," which is a very fragile comforting position. But no one wants to engage in extreme altruism. My choice is to remain in the US and add to the voices and protest.
Yes. My "white" husband just returned to the US on his Green Card, no problem. I have brown skin and US citizenship. We shall see what happens when I return this summer. However, I am still recommending to foreign students to leave the US and transfer to universities in other countries. What is happening at Harvard is just a reminder that it is better to go on your own volition with a plan.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/foreign-students-at-a-us-university?r=f0qfn
Linda Weide, thank you as always you have clear concise and useful words to keep us marching. I just keep writing postcards to voters, repetitious, but useful. BTW: as you may know, indivisible is making headway over much of the US.
Virginia, you are doing the work that needs to be done.
Indivisible Deutschland and Democrats Abroad will be having "No Tyrants" marches on June 14 in solidarity. We do not say "No Kings" because many Dems abroad live in countries with Kings and we are not supposed to demonstrate against our host countries. I know now on ones planned in Hamburg, Berlin and München.
Thanks, Linda.
QUICK, we need a lot of Duct Tape. This country is falling apart!
We need to use the equipment aboard the craft to save ourselves - like they did on Apollo 13. That equipment is the Constitution and what we have to do is not surrender in advance.
Now that’s truly a terrifying analogy. For Apollo 13, Gene Kranz laid down the rules: “failure is not an option.” On that, everyone agreed.
But half of Congress is today doing everything possible to ensure failure, not deter it. They are using their perverted ideas about the Constitution to destroy it, much as Trump has always used dumb, corrupt lawyers to attack the rule of law itself.
Our lives are in the hands of traitors and conspirators. Why would 6 Justices agree to undermine the intent of the Framers by endorsing concepts like a ‘unitary executive’ that have absolutely no basis in American law or practice? Are they blind, or complicit, or both?
Complicit, of course.
Yes, the situation is terrible. That doesn’t mean we give up. It means we persist.
“Persist.” Senator Warren’s words some years ago
It's actually "duct tape", but yeah, you're going to need a lot of it!
There is a brand 'Duck duct' tape😁😂
Nice! They're playing safe. In theatrical/cinematic circles, it's "gaffer" tape. Well, that's what it is in Australia.
Gaffer tape is the term in all English-dominant countries except the USA. Because one should never use "duct" tape on actual ducts. Gaffer tape has a slightly different composition because (as I am sure you know Anne-Louise!) it is used to tape down things like Marley floors (if you're a dancer you know what this is) and cords and other kinds of things that could trip people. It has to come up cleanly, which is not, unfortunately, a characteristic of duct tape in the USA. Usually it is a gummy mess, which is why it doesn't work on ducts. The adhesive is highly acidic . . . Thanks for the opportunity on a Friday to do my egghead silliness thing instead of talking about all the shite flowing right now.
Now Linda, I must join you in your egghead silliness and disagree with your assertion that duct tape is not to be used on actual ducts. Duct tape is most assuredly meant to be used on ducts, which is how it got its name. It is used to seal the joints and prevent air leakage where sections of galvanized metal ductwork are joined together. Typically gray to match the metal color, the fabric-reinforced vinyl webbing allows the tape to conform to the irregularities of the interlocking seams without tearing and to flex when the metal expands and contracts from heating and cooling. Because the tape is used for permanent installations, the high-tack adhesive is not meant to be removed cleanly, or at all. In fact, as the metal is repeatedly heated over time, the adhesive vulcanizes to the metal.
Gaffer's tape, which is usually black to be inconspicuous, is used for temporary installations. For this reason, it's made of a crepe paper base which is less durable but still allows it to conform to irregular surfaces. The adhesive is high-tack, but does come away clean when the tape is removed.
Duct tape should not be used to secure tripping hazards and gaffer's tape should not be used to seal ductwork.
😂😘
Martin, you're correct. There is a Duck brand duct tape primarily sold in Walmart and other discount stores. I bought it once and never will again. Both the vinyl webbing and adhesive used to make the tape are of inferior quality. The tape fails in a short amount of time. It's a perfect example of retailers ripping off consumers who are trying to save money.
I recall buying some but I think it was just gaffer tape, with ‘duct’ used generically for gaffer tape.
It certainly didn't have any metal component for sealing metal ducting and as you say the glue would melt and fail quickly.
Thank you, one letter matters.
In this case, the final consonant. If you swap it for a vowel, you risk "duce", which is already dangerously near, and untaped.
(I wasn't going to mention that... perhaps you have to have used it to know the difference. The ducks are free to waddle.)
It's not Duck Tape what we need David. We need a strong public reaction.
we need a national strike - no work, no non-essential purchases for 2 weeks!
You got that right Terry ✅️
Even few days would work.
Duct tape to the rescue if Dems don’t wind up ensnared in it.
Several episodes of the wonderful old tv show Mythbusters (dang I miss that show) experimented with things like taking the bodies of cars apart and putting them back together with duct tape and it proved remarkably resilient: one car was driven for hours around a track at over 60 mph without any ill effects. I think what we need is about 10 miles of duct tape, which we can use to round up and tape together all the Rethuglicans in Congress so that we can lecture them on their Constitutional obligations to the American people until they agree to our demands to stop facilitating the galloping fascism of the Maladministration of the Felon in Chief.
Duct tape the bastards, good way to 86 47 and his disciples
Last evening I watched Andrew Weissman discuss three pending cases and I never have seen him look so distraught and defeated....
The regime is full of quacks!
That is an insult to ducks.
It's "duct tape" but your sentiment is correct.
Yes, aka "Autocrat".
Let's stop using the word authoritarian or autocrat. For the general public it's meaningless. Which makes it effectively a euphemism.
Use dictator.
How about tyrant.
Fuhrer
nazis
It needs to be a long hot summer, given the inadequacy of our (the American people's) response to the Trump/GOP coup d'etat, now in the consolidation and tying up loose ends phase.
Among our many problems, we on the progressive left (or call us Democrats or constitutionalists or humanists or lovers of freedom and justice or simply Trump haters) have no leadership to speak of and, thus, no arguments that anyone will hear outside our own social media echo chambers.
We do have a number of well known politicians, former Presidents, and other famous people who, while acknowledging and deploring the coup, are sitting on the sidelines rather than banding together to organize popular resistance.
If this does not change immediately, if our "superstars" do not begin acting like actual leaders and in concert, they will soon find themselves in Trump's well-funded prisons and concentration camps, as will the more outspoken pee-ons like... the rest of us.
It’s time to enlist Jasmine Crockett. She would make everyone pay attention, laugh a bit, and happy to work harder. Does anyone know any of her constituents? BTW: I understand that everyone in Ukraine knows who she is. So at the very least enlisting her would give the Ukrainians a boost
I heard a woman on the radio yesterday, I don't recall her name but she's a disability rights advocate with a group called ADAPT, I believe. She described the "safety net" as more like a spiderweb in terms of the support it offers. Just barely held together and more holes to fall through than strands to grab on to.
Not just a long summer Annabel.
@Ricardo--This summer is when we will see the end game. But anyone who thinks we will EVER have a real election again before we somehow overthrow the regime is fooling themselves. There may be polls open in 2026, but the "election" will be Russian style.
The BBB has not become a law yet. The Senate can modify. Meantime, what voters can do? Give a small contribution to DEMs townhall meetings in Republican districts to educate the voteres there. We need to exchange ideas to stop Trump and MAGA. Please do not just lament.
@Hiro--I am not at all hopeful that they WILL modify anything. So far Congress has given the regime 100% of what it wants. And the regime has been ignoring the courts. Now, with the BIG UGLY BILL they are planning on ERASING the judiciary as a player.
I also think this is beyond the point where the electorate can influence the outcome in the traditional ways. But I am NOT simply "lamenting". I am, as I have been for the last year, issuing a WARNING: Prepare for a long and horrendous struggle. Prepare to fight in a physical way. The war of words is almost done. The cold civil war is almost over. Next comes the shooting war.
I just sent a letter to my senator to stop BBB.
It's a damn sizzling Springbok, my head ain't in a Noose but, it does feel like 🎶 Everything is about to cut loose 🎶.
Hat tips to Annabel Ascher & Bob Dylan.
Annabel Ascher,
.....and Nero dances while Rome burns.....
It is no longer just words....reality in the United States of America is taking another form....a form we once travelled to other countries to fight against.
Trump is sending people of color away to foreign prisons without trials....
Is his goal to have a "whites' only population. Summer is coming..."a long hot summer" there will be a big run for the sunscreen!!!!
I recall from what seems like decade ago, and yet was less than a year, the very idea of Biden packing the sspurpre court seemed illegal and outrageous.
If only..............
Vomit worthy!🤢
trump is a pathetic man with a voracious appetite for attention - he has a hammer and he's in the glass shop!!!
And a long 4 years... Dave and I are still discussing the possibility of leaving the US for a year.
His vanity, outsized ego, and pathological need for attention -- he has a hammer and he's in a glass store.
From HCR's letter: This bill highlights a truism: In the United States, racism has always gone hand in hand with the concentration of wealth among the very richest people. In order to keep power, it is essential to do everything possible to suppress the vote. The smaller the vote turnout, the better for the fascists.
Use this spreadsheet as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress. Reach out to your own, as well as those in other states on a specific committee important to a topic you’re sharing. Use your voice and make some “good trouble.”
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13lYafj0P-6owAJcH-5_xcpcRvMUZI7rkBPW-Ma9e7hw/edit
And - thank you for your amazing letters Professor Richardson!
Thank you for consistently publishing this resource on a regular basis!!! We can't sit idly by and do nothing while this corrupt incompetent unqualified regime continues eviscerating the social support agencies and breaking the laws that are the foundation of a government by the people and for the people. There are no kings!!
I hear your passion in that comment! Thank you for speaking up right now! I will continue posting it and adding additional resources (just started working on a tab for news outlets) in hopes of lots of voices leading to change 💙🤞
No king, but a usurper on the throne. Is he as well protected as he thinks he is?
Anne-Louise, I’m hoping he’s not 🙏🏼
Teflon Don!!! It really is unbelievable!!!
Indivisible also has tools for contacting your member of congress, including automated dialers, though I only seem to see issue-specific tools at the moment: https://indivisible.org/take-action-now
They also have great meetings to join in on to know how to become more active! I tried to list some resources like 5calls, Card Campaign and ResistBot at the top of my spreadsheet as other options to speak up too
This is epic! Thank you Megan!!
Thank you!!
Epic? In what way?
She has a great resource at our fingertips!
PS check out the links. See if there’s anything right of center or way right of center. Only left wing loon links. Do you think you’re getting the whole story honestly?
Yeah, it’s all her resources but none on the other side of the aisle so you’re only getting half the story. Jurors people who decide on issue, have to hear both sides of the story in order to render a fair decision. You don’t get that here. Not one story positive about the Trump administration, even though he’s accomplished more in four months than Biden accomplished in his lifetime.
You should go get that video Joe Biden on the Senate floor. If you have one nickels worth of crack cocaine in your possession, you go to prison five years no parole. Ooooooooops. Instead, he sent them to Ukraine, Garner, millions from Burisma. You will never hear of that story here
Thank you! For the spreadsheet. 5calls is also an excellent tool and provides the phone numbers to your local reps and sens even a script to help those of us who get tongue tied and twisted
Yes! I love 5calls! It’s listed at the top of my spreadsheet because it’s a phenomenal resource. I noted the great scripts when I listed it too. That’s what I was using before I made my sheet - I wanted another way to contact people, and send emails after my kids went to bed 💙
Thank you Megan!
I just copied your spreadsheet. Will be very useful; I will start corresponding today!!
Thank you for speaking up right now!!
The KuCoin must stand for Ku Klux Klan. Sickens me that 89 million people didn’t bother to vote and that over 75 million voted for corruption and despair. Well, I AM PISSED! I am attending rallies every weekend as I protest with others against this Nazi regime. I cannot and will not sit and do nothing. On June 14th, we take to the streets in every city, in every state, and all over the world. The 14th is known as Flag Day but it is also Donny Convict’s 79th birthday and he wants a big beautiful parade in his honor. We are going to give it to him in the form of “NO KINGS DAY”. Don’t be afraid to speak out. We need all hands on deck! Do NOT Give In! Do NOT Give Up!
I realise this sounds like a side issue, but at core it isn't. The only absolute monarchies left are the Gulf States (now Trump's besties) and Brunei. All the rest are constitutional monarchies.
Call this what it is: 'No dictators day'.
Thailand is also a semi absolutist monarchy. The current king came to power determined to restore his absolutist power and to get the military to back him. He took personal control over the Thai Crown Property Bureau, and his primary interest is governing from Germany and Switzerland while having the authoritarian government follow his orders. He has a hotel where he lives and keeps a number of mistresses, while his wife lives in a separate hotel. Andrew MacGregor Marshall is a Scottish journalist who is very familiar with modern Thailand, but the government won’t let him return due to his very candid writing about the government and its opposition.
Thank you for the key fact you provide here, Vijaya.
Do you -- does anyone -- know if any of these satrapies ever provided any really constructive help to the Palestinians in the West Bank (and their many decent Israeli allies) particularly trying to set up a state of their own even a bit able to counter all Netanyahu's far-right thieves and nationalists bent on the glory of genocide they (with U.S. arms, and U.S. Rapture evangelicals) can commit?
The PA is not reported in the MSM but they have asked Hamas to leave and blame them for virtually everything. Netayahu is opposed to negotiating with them, but IMHO they may be able to put a coalition together. https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/23/middleeast/mahmoud-abbas-calls-hamas-sons-of-dogs-demands-hostage-release-intl
Most of the Arabs I know are Christian and know that if Islamists control, they're next.
Who isn’t next, Daniel?? Netanyahu must be handcuffed and brought to the Hague at the same time that Donny Convict and Company are brought down in the US.
Thank you, Daniel.
So it seems the Gulf states, as all the Arab world, can side only with oil money, maybe some U.S. golf money, and U.S. armaments.
Seems the schools of the world -- more and more of the world, maybe now all the world -- simply fall into the ledger on the side of "efficiency," which means submitting again and again to the standardized testers.
No schools of any states value any other priorities than those that can be numbered and are machine gradable?
Hey Phil , you sound pretty ignorant about Israel and the Jews…I have a little info for you. Did you realize that Jews are being persecuted all over the world unlike in years and it’s not because of Palestine!
In fact, if the Palestinians would not allow HAMAS to be their rulers, and captive government, they might even get “their own” freedom.
Do you know what the word INTIFADA means pal?
Right at the Fort Lauderdale Airport with 2 million views a day on the two major South Florida freeways …95 and 595 there is a huge billboard, and here’s what it says.
IF YOU THINK TURBULENCE IS SCARY….TRY WEARING A JEWISH STAR!
Need I say more ?
Like this! Let’s push No Dictators to the top of the comments!!
But the tRump wants to be KING- and No King has a nice ring to it.
Why there are no dictators right now nothing is any different than any other administration, as a matter of fact.
There's a difference between the "King" that you have in charge in America today, and most European Kings (UK, Denmark, Spain etc.)
The European kings have no power.
They have influence diplomatically, yes, and are Heads of State at State occasions - but their influence ends there. Otherwise they are just gossip column fodder. Centuries of law making and constitutional changes have made them figureheads - important, yes - but powerless. Mostly, they are benign - and beneficent.
What you have today in trump is a "king" more like the kings in the Middle Ages - unlimited power, vengeful and interested only in HIS power and wealth.
The tragedy is that it took at least 800 years for the kings in Europe to become what they are today, useful figureheads - I hope and pray that it doesn't take America that long to regain it's own freedom.
If Americans had any sense, on June 14th, they'd be shouting "Charles the Third! Charles the Third! We want a modern King!"
Seems to work pretty well for Canada - and 56 other Commonwealth countries. . .
European monarchs serve more as symbols of national unity, and they do whatever the government has them do. George III was actually not an absolute monarch, but a constitutional monarch who did as Parliament requested. The 1688 revolution and expulsion of James II made it clear the monarch could not govern without the advice and consent of Parliament. George III agreed to sign whatever bills the prime minister placed before him, as he believed he could not do otherwise. The politicians of George III’s era deserve their fair share of blame for the bills that ultimately caused revolution to break out in the United States. They were taxing their American colonists for losses the British empire incurred in other parts of the world, and the American colonists were angry as they also had no say in the matter as they had nó representation in Parliament.
As the British say, the monarch reigns but does not rule.
If I were you, I wouldn't be holding up the UK as a model for a constitutional monarchy.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/feb/08/royals-vetted-more-than-1000-laws-via-queens-consent
Russell, here is a link to a poll of Canadians regarding the monarchy.
One interesting point is that keeping the monarchy helps Canada from becoming too much like the United States. :0
https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/canadians-conflicted-on-future-role-of-monarchy
Even more so now one would imagine.
You are correct about this. I certainly want no monarch, but Trump is behaving more like an absolutist king of the type the Thai king wishes to be, or a dictator. Britain’s monarchy is rather more like the type that has some power left in the system.
In theory, we have a constitutional monarchy so the monarch essentially gives assent to legislation enacted by parliament but there are vestiges of monarchical absolutism everywhere. For example, the so-called prerogative writs (mandamus, certiorari, habeas corpus etc.) now exercised by the courts. Our current king, Charles III, was notorious during his tenure as Prince of Wales for his Black Spider memos to ministers.
I read about his memos in the Guardian. When he was Prince of Wales, King Charles aired his thoughts on many different topics to Cabinet ministers. The Queen was rather noticeably reticent on many topics, but King Charles was especially vocal on the subjects of modern architecture (he hates it and prefers traditional architecture,) and about environmental issues. His company that was set up to sell edible goods from the Duchy of Cornwall emphasizes organic products and pesticide free produce. Those are some of the more prominent examples I recall.
He also complained about the Human Rights Act which he said mandated political correctness in policy-making, a rather eccentric view. For years, the previous Conservative government tried to prohibit the publication of these letters. He also had many face-to-face meetings with ministers and there is no published record of what transpired at those meetings.
Marlene, I plead with you to cease and desist your participation in the circular firing squad which has characterized Democratic and progressive efforts to escape this scourge of tyranny we now face! Especially when you castigate “89 million people [who] didn’t bother to vote” you simply endorse the prodigious irregularities perpetrated by Republicans and their ilk who gerrymandered their states to such an extreme degree, who suppressed voting by legislation, direct intimidation by often armed “observors,” ballot box removal in selected districts or outright incineration, and how and by whom or what those ballots were enumerated and the strikingly similar margins of victory in the seven swing states with just enough margin in each case to avoid automatic recounts and all achieved via “split ballots” with the presidential selection at odds with the rest of the down-ballot choices. These are the circumstances of voters you dismiss as “not bothering to vote” giving further credence to the MAGAts.
No tyranny exists other than in your mind
You are an inspiration Marlene!
You know Marlene, I never give up. I got a song lift from Belinda of the Alabama Shakes just before Lunch.
She didn't think she would "make it to 22" so her musical message is 🎶 Ya got to Hold on, you got to [low octave Hoooooooold on & get back to Hooooome🎶.
Hold on You All 🎶
You’re correct you should not give up you should support this president and this is administration which is supporting America and 77 million voters who voted for it
I suppose you actually believe at 13 million more people voted for Biden is a semi cadaver compared to Obama to God?
What you might wanna do is fine I don’t want to 75 million people voted for him.
That would be your first step in awakening.
Then there's this from ProPublica: "More Than a Dozen U.S. Officials Sold Stocks Before Trump’s Tariffs Sent the Market Plunging"
"Records show well-timed trades by executive branch employees and congressional aides. Even if they had no insider information, ethics experts say such trading undermines faith in government and the markets." As if they didn't have insider info! Ha! Here's the link: https://link.propublica.net/view/5f8c5b0c1bd9a320ad36dc17nt4vk.1832/f0d83778
It's another reason to take part in a NO KINGS! protest on Saturday, June 14. More than 1000 are already planned across the country and world. Find one near you at www.nokings.org, or get tips on how to host one yourself w/ a few friends, a few signs, and visibility.
Trump extorts foreign countries. That Qattar plane is not the only "gift." How did Trump resorts in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and even Viet Nam pop up?
All this political stuff is secondary to theft. The total asset value of the United States, including financial and non-financial assets, is estimated to be at least $269 trillion. This figure represents a substantial portion of the global economy, with domestic businesses and net real estate being the largest asset classes. The US also holds significant financial liabilities, primarily foreign claims on US assets, totaling $41.6 trillion. Trump wants all of it -- and more.
Will Trump tokens become the coin of the realm?
Will the dollar wind up like the Deutscemark in Weimar Germany when a wheelbarrow load couldn't buy a loaf of pumpernickel?
Paul Krugman worries about a “sudden stop” when other countries realize the depth of the economic corruption. Economic calamity starts slowly, then all at once.
I have thought that unregulated cryptocurrency is at risk of causing another Great Depression, as the billionaires will leave us holding the bag. Enriching the already morbidly rich will also not end well, as many people will die.
It has no intrisic value...Global Post today: Trump and the United Arab Emirates recently signed a deal that would establish one of the world’s biggest AI campuses in Abu Dhabi. American companies will operate the data centers, which will provide services to everyone who lives within 2,000 miles of the UAE – almost half of the world’s population.
Meanwhile, the UAE’s riches draw the leaders from throughout the region, hat in hand. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun recently visited, for example, to request that the UAE lifts a travel ban on his country imposed after Lebanese leaders in Hezbollah joined Hamas in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dating to October 7, 2023, the Atlantic Council wrote. It also wanted to lure the country into supporting Lebanon’s reconstruction, five years after the collapse of its financial system. The UAE took tentative steps to help, promising to assess future investments, the think tank added.
At the same time, the UAE has also become a major investor in Africa, the region that has room for enormous economic development such that it would magnify the global economy significantly, added the Guardian. In recent years, Emirati companies have spent $110 billion, including $72 billion on renewable energy projects. That amount was more than double the investment of British, Chinese, or French companies.
This economic activity in Africa has run parallel with greater strategic cooperation. UAE military and intelligence officials have sought to combat Islamist terrorists and extremist groups in the region, protect its economic interests, and counter geopolitical rivals in Africa, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Even as the country continues its rise as a regional power, extending its influence as far as possible throughout the Middle East and, increasingly, beyond, controversies and criticism have arisen as a result.
For example, Emirati bosses in Africa and elsewhere are accused of trampling on human rights and workers’ rights, and flouting the rule of law, for example, in the construction projects that have made Dubai a world-class destination, wrote Human Rights Watch. The organization’s researchers depicted the Persian Gulf country as maintaining an illusion of free markets and liberty, while cracking down on dissent.
At the same time, Sudan’s leaders filed suit at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, accusing the UAE of supporting the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group which has committed genocide in Darfur amid Sudan’s civil war – a blight on the country’s influence in Africa, CNN noted. The suit was recently dismissed on jurisdictional issues. The UAE denied the charges.
Still, as the Economist noted, “The UAE preaches unity at home but pursues division abroad: It is carving out a sphere of influence through militias who carve up Arab states.”
For example, it sides with and supports the RSF in Sudan, Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, who has tried to overthrow the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli, the Yemeni secessionist group, the Southern Transitional Council, and the leaders in Puntland and Somaliland, two breakaway republics in Somalia.
The activists aren’t alone, though. Powerful people in Washington, DC, are concerned at the country’s rise. For example, some American leaders were worried about Trump’s recent deal to sell chips and AI technology to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the New York Times explained, because they fear China and other rivals of the US would have better access to the strategic tech via the Gulf country.
At the same time, some Democratic lawmakers are trying to block weapons sales to the country because of concerns over the UAE meddling in other conflicts.
Still, with the country attempting to diversify its economy and having a lot to offer investors, analysts say it’s on an upward trajectory. Recently, for example, it was chosen to be the location of the newest Disney theme park, Disneyland Abu Dhabi.
“We did study the region very carefully and we know that we had many opportunities,” said Disney CEO Bob Iger. “And so, it was very, very clear to us that of all of the places that we could choose from, there didn’t seem to be any place that was better than this.”
_____
I bet that 90% of the people Iger is dealing with would literally slit his throat for jihad.
Or have him cut up and fed to dogs, or whatever MBS did to Khadhoggi.
My fears as well. I think chump will wind up with the Ft Knox gold and leave us with the crypto
I also read Paul Krugman -- calm intelligence and insight.
He fills in some blanks for me, Economics, beyond my own, are a mystery to me
and he has his sights set on Gaza
Puleeeeeeze.
If it does you can bet that that the Trump Store will already have cornered the market in wheelbarrows.
I watch Mary Trump’s scathingly accurate videos on her uncle’s incompetence, meanness and narcissism, and one thing I recall her saying is that Donald now regards the U.S. treasury as his personal piggy bank. I think she’s accurate about that, and it’s part of Trump’s misconception of his role as president as owner of the United States. You heard echoes of that during his first term when he referred to the U.S. generals as “my generals.” They in fact are not his generals, and they are not his to dispose of at will, which is something that neither he or the incompetent Pete Hegseth understand. This country is not his personal property to dispose of at will, nor is he entitled to break the law, violate the Constitution at will, or to ignore judicial orders. Unfortunately, our constitutional system has broken down, and if the people in charge won’t fix it, it is up to citizens to do so. I am well aware the of the dangerous Article V Convention project, where Charles Koch hopes to get himself hand selected wingnut delegates to rewrite the Constitution to destroy personal protections and to protect corporations and hereditary wealth at the expense of the people. The Article V project only requires 6 more state legislators to vote for it to hold a constitutional convention. Koch should remember the advice of the late Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger, who was a traditional conservative in the mold of retired Judge Michael Luttig. Burger warned that such a convention would likely become a runaway convention where it would be easy for the delegates to bolt out of control.
By virtue of being the president, Trump is also the commander-in-chief, as dangerous a distinction as giving Eric Cartman 'authoritah'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI6CTj72C2k
Obviously there will will risks entailed in renewing your democracy with new vows, so to speak, but the alternative is clinging to a sclerotic document that is clearly no longer adequately safeguarding your rights or protecting your interests. There are still guardrails, like the federal court system, that are operating for the most part as they should and they have valiantly held up the agenda of the Trump administration. However, the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court has been eager to defer to Trump and to find all sorts of specious reasons to ignore precedent in order to do so. Sooner or later, he will blow through those remaining guardrails with their assistance.
Even a substantial victory for the Democratic party in the mid-term elections next year is unlikely to stop Trump if continues to operate without Congressional approval.
Where do you and how do you demented people get this misinformation? I just got a real recap of the entire bill. No surprises here in fact, in some parts having to do with the Medicaid issue Bill Clinton try to do exactly what Trump is doing. And succeeded. Didn’t hear you climbing back in that Quinton was making able-bodied people go back to work in order to receive benefits
What is wrong with you people it’s 90 years since the beginning of the Germany attempted takeover of the world. You’re still talking about it like it happened yesterday.
Unfortunately, we all knew this was coming because Trump bragged about "liberation day" for some time before the election, so it would be difficult to prosecute them. Plus the Fascist Party of America has control of Congress and the Courts as well as the Presidency.
We'll know we're making headway against the Fascists when the MAGAs have had enough and they start protesting against the administration.
MAGAts in Texas still bow down
Do they wear their Stetsons pulled right down over their eyes?
I think their eyes are focused on their hero chump. Their souls are what is blinded.
None so blind as those who will not see.
Just have their brains turned off
Watch their shorts.
Thank you for this link!!!
Why, so you could be further depressed and in disbelief? I would love to see your people walk around, smiling like the rest of us
Yeah, what did they gain since two days later a bounce back to where it was before. You people are pathetic Nancy Pelosi has made millions of dollars in stocks. That’s OK?
I'm counting on the Senate to rein in the unbridled, wrong-headed excesses of the bigbadugly bill, but will we wake up to hear that Susan Collins is "concerned" about it, or will she actually vote against it? Should cuts to Medicaid (and apparently Medicare, also) stand, how long will it take for people to realize that they are now unprotected and have lost their health care and their hospitals? Or that their elders have lost their nursing homes and will need to be cared for at home? How long before most of us will understand the consequences of this 1,000+ page bill? Too many questions, and I'm guessing that we're not going to like the answers.
Congressmen may look at the fact they are likely to survive because they're in an R district, but a Senator has to run statewide. It's a different electorate. And by next November, a helluva lot of people are going to be hella pissed off about what has been done to them. A month ago I didn't think we could do more than maybe change seats to end up with a 51 majority. I think now that it's possible there will be a "conviction majority" - 66+ - and that by January 12, 2027, Trump will have been impeached and found guilty and removed from office (whether he leaves the WH or not).
As long as the oligarchs are allowed to contribute unlimited dark money to campaigns they are going to win. The loss in WI was an anomaly. The corrupt oligarchy owned media even called out what Musk was doing unlike what happened to Tester and Brown in their Senate races in 2024.
It's time we split the US into multiple countries. It's obvious which states are controlled by corrupt oligarchs, so let them see how well things run with a cruel and vengeful dictator and a bunch of butt-licking Senators and Congresscritters.
Maybe Canada could annex several of our states—15-20 around the edges. Canada then could almost surround USA. I like that idea. Ask Canada. If they say yes, start the secession paperwork.
Works for me. Actually, things would be bigly different if TX & FL left the US. TX tried to secede when Biden kicked Trump's ass, but it didn't work out (for us).
"It's time we split the US into multiple countries. "
Isn't that what started the Civil War?
With the decisions being made on the 'shadow docket', we've lost the courts. The congress is about to pass a budget that will increase the shift of wealth ever more obscenely to the already rich. Protests in the streets have not yet reached the level needed to effect change. Like Krugman's worry about a financial collapse happening 'all at once', so is the worry that civil war will happen 'all at once.' It will come when the realization that it is our only option becomes clear.
I don’t think war is the answer, but unfortunately I can see Trump literally declaring war on his critics.
That is a worry many have expressed: that nothing would make the orange menace happier than to declare martial law and send the troops to "shoot them in the legs, or something" (as he has already said, when the protesters were in the DC streets after the death of George Floyd, as reported by the Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper). We have to reach the level of protest that was shown by the Serbians and the South Koreans, with hundreds of thousands in the streets of Washington, D.C. and in every state capital in the country.
I still wonder about secession Kathy. The Confederate states can be their own country and the rest of us plus Puerto Rico and Washington DC as states would be a powerhouse to be reckoned with. And if ID, MT, ND,SD, NE, UT wanted to join them so be it.
“It Can’t Happen Here” was a novel that ends with the US divided into fiefdoms. We’re on the way to making it a reality. One big difference…the fictional US didn’t have nuclear weapons.
Who gets what % of US military assets & funding / operational costs? Dem voting counties generated 70% of US GDP in 2024 & always pay more into the US treasury than we get back; the inverse of most R states. <> Most reshored industry is in R states but automation = marginal % jobs that used to be required = still little benefit to R (potential) workers. <> Red necks love guns & tribal bonding over shared hostility. There are about 20,000,000 AR-15 type rifles in US private ownership, 90% R. <> I agree the archepelago of D counties & states need need an archepelago congress analagous to the founding continental congress. We also need social media & search engine capacity that is independent of current fascist oligarch control to ensure strategic communication, probably set up as cooperatives; similar as occurred in various industries in the Great Depression era. <> Given the reality of encroaching fascist mafia state hegemony we have more in common & need for alliance with most of Canada, Scandanavia & New Zeland, + relatively tiny pockets of functional democracy dispersed globally. It’s an amorphous, hard to process concept; hard to do. Breaking up USA is hard to do. <> It seems strategic (Milgram 3 degrees of separation between American) grass roots communication might disrupt the Trump contagion enough to spur massive prolonged boycott of fascist funders. Federally elected officials can’t be recalled but complicit state & local pols are subject to recall elections. Imminent loss of benefits is going to soften up fascist support. We need massive & smart grasstoots mobilization to engineer motivation for R congress to support impeachment & removal of traitors Trump, Vance & SCOTUS judges & unprecedented decisions that enabled the coup d’etat. Going after state & local pols collaborating with fascist mafia state oligopolists might scare the fecal matter out of enough R congresscritters to see self preservation in upholding their oaths to defend the constitution. <> It’s all complicated any way you go.
Likely that or a bloody mess.
The effective date of much is after Nov 2026, is it not. Cannot figure out why the health care professions are not up in arms. Their bottom line will suffer, in more ways than we can count.
🙏🏻💙🎉💙🙏🏻 nice to hear your optimism, TC. There should be an investigation of why people didn’t vote in the last election. I still believe stories would come out about denial of rights, closed election sites due to Russian bomb threats, and misdirected ballots. We know districts were changed after the sloppy 2020 census. The radicals are happy to lie to get their way. The next election is so important.
"The next election is so important."
So was the last one. . .
I always vote because I learned the importance of voting from my late mom. Her father always stressed the importance of voting and took his oldest children to register to vote when they were 21, which was the legal voting age back then. After he died in 1960, my uncle took the youngest kids to register to vote at 21.
And, I trust, finally in jail!!!
Trump won't EVER go to jail.
The most you can hope for is house arrest at Mar a Lago.
Are you talking about Joe or Jill Biden for the cover-up and for the auto pen.
TC, I think you are being unduly optimistic about the actual future existence of a midterm election. It is the last thing they want. And they will try very hard--and with a complicit SCOTUS--to prevent it from happening.
TC, I had a very blood pressure raising "talk" with a sister today regarding the situation at hand. In spite of my best efforts, she was an uniformed voter. When I told her about a mere fraction of what's going on, she said "I witch between three channels for news every night and I haven't heard any of this". Not FOX but other legacy media. I asked her, in the local news, you won't hear it. Do you watch any national news? (NO) She has no internet, reads no new magazines, and gets only the Sunday Chgo Tribune. She relies heavily on her SS and never had high paying jobs, thus has low SS. I have scared the shit out of her.
I told her, for whatever it's worth, MUCH of America is "blissfully unaware". It's FAFO time. The amazing thing is, my sister reads a lot of non-fiction and in particular, much on WW2 and Nazi Germany. I told her MAGA is flooding the zone so it's difficult to keep up with it.
Many items, I only find on your excellent Substack ("That's Another Fine Mess") so thank you for sorting through it all for us.
From your lips, @TC, to god's ears.
Hella pissed! Shout out to the Bay Area, and CA!
Hoping our great state can hold out against the attacks and the worst excesses of this shit administration!
I like your optimism. I don’t think we’ll be seeing fair elections though. And maybe no elections.
He's defiled the WH to the point where it hardly matters.
I agree, Biden, and his administration did exactly that and Louise
Sorry, should’ve said, Ann- Louise. As a cover-up, incredibly deep, and it might even take a special counsel to uncover everything everyone knew, but didn’t speak or spoke and Lied
Betsy, when Susan Collens says she is concerned, it means she's voting for it. She has no spine or shame.
Of course she has no shame. She's a Republican.
And running for re-election
I completely agree -- her repeated "concerns" are total bullshit.
It’s all for show.
Not just the 1,000 + pages bill but also the 900 + pages Project 2025 Betsy. Do you think the American people have the capacity to understand the magnitude of what we are going through? Only when they feel fully the effects and consequences, they might react. It might be too late by then.
Ricardo, we cannot overlook the fact that there is a percentage of people in this nation that think Project 2025 is a good idea. I am not certain of the percentage, but I am making a WAG that it is roughly 25%. One in four of "us" wants those things imposed.
This is the part where I say divide the nation. You want a white Christian nationalist (aka Christian Taliban) start your own county; don't take mine.
Ally, I'm only vaguely familiar with the demographics of Oregon, so I rely on your WAG. Where I live, here in the buckle of the Bible Belt*, my WAG is somewhere in the 90-percentile range. This mob is desperate for a theocracy and hastening of "The End Times," so Jesus can hurry back and scoop them all up to their mansions on streets of gold.
When someone sings, "🎼This world is not my home, I'm just a-passin' through,🎶" every week, they don't really care what happens to this world.
*Sara Huckapoo Sanders is governor; does that tell you anything?
I’m with you Dale. Division is a backward step. It produces nothing. It’s regressive.
Ally, I do appreciate the feeling. It’s the solution I protest. And strongly.
💯 % right my friend 👏
Actually doing division is not only a simplistic remedy, on so very many levels it is a failing one. Individual people don’t last very long. Countries do. Offspring are not clones. Division would result in wars. And it would invite attack. Consider Ireland, both of them. Or India, both of them, actually all three. Ours would be far, far worse than any example that springs to mind.
Living in my bubble of mostly comfortably retired Dems, I have no sense of who in other places might be currently feeling the effects of the multiple threats to their well-being or what their responses might be.
Betsy,from Miami, I can tell you that the numerous maga flags in front or on the roof of the houses are disappearing fast and in conversations with some of my patients, I noticed they try to avoid politics when before they were the indicators. On a gun show maga territory, a coupleof weeksago, I noticed in the span of 3 hours, nobody come close to 2 stands selling trump's merchandise. Not a scientific way to feel the pulse but its an indicator.
Thank you. Your well-observed anecdotal evidence put a smile on my face. : )
As well as in mine Betsy, look 😃
Are we dependent on Susan Collins to have a spine. Heaven help us. That’s as likely as she is to do the right thing.
Better, you might will investigate a little bit better until you make egregious incorrect assumptions about the bill.
The 1850s called... they want their playbook back. Stir up white fear, cut aid to the poor, and hand the spoils to the rich. Same scam, new slogans.
Yes. This is why 60% of white voters (including 70% of white working class voters and 80% of white evangelical voters) voted for Trump. They want, above all else, to preserve their systemic advantages, no matter what it costs.
It's amazing how so many white evangelicals and their spiritual leaders are willing to overlook the hate, cruelty and vengeance displayed and ignored by Trump and all of his administration, the Supreme Court and every single Republican in Congress.
When are they going to rewrite the Gospel to echo their hate, cruelty, corruption, greed and lawlessness?
I have wondered that for so long, GJ. But when we look at what has been found out regarding the monstrous hidden abuse within the Catholic church (as an example), are they not complicit in their “teachings” as well? Isn’t that part of their legacy, their undercurrent?
I watched a doc about the 8 month German blitz of London
in WW2. Felt it was a perfect metaphor for what’s happening here.
If you look at the history of civilization since Zero Anno Domini, the overwhelming preponderance of conflict, oppression and slaughter was initiated by or because of Christianity.
There's no need to rewrite the gospel when someone can gaslight the simple-minded faithful and convince them it says what it doesn't say.
This was perfectly demonstrated in the contrast of Trump bemoaning "white genocide" in South Africa with an video that did not show what he said; and the administration's rounding up of people with black or brown skin. This myth of cis white men being the victims sure is a powerful one.
If I were President Ramaphosa, I would feel insulted that the American president treated me that way. All Trump managed to do was to show the South Africans what a moron he is.
We have authors writing unfounded books about President Biden called "original sin" while we have a sitting president engaged in America's "original sin" of racism. We are "On (our way to) Tyranny".
We were "on our way" before. We are there now. And June 14th we must all stand up.
We also need a general strike.
Trump's father was arrested while marching with the KKK. In Queens.
Their grievance? 'Irish immigrant cops policing native born Protestants.' Fred went on to be Congress' Truman committee poster boy for wartime profiteering through loopholes in the law.
Fred and Donald Trump settled one of NY's early civil rights discrimination cases - based on 10 years of documentation before the law was established. They never complied with the terms of the settlement.
Donald Trump infamously called for the execution of the Central Park 5 - youngsters of color falsely convicted of a sexual assault.
The judicial system has rarely held the Trumps to the law. While they have skirted it. The current Supreme Court majority was hand-crafted by Charles Koch bagman and religious extremist Leonard Leo to repurpose the democratic republic as a ChristoFascist authoritarian state. It has not happened overnight.
Donold Trump didn't only call for the execution of the Central Park 5. 'He paid a reported $85,000 to take out advertising space in four of the city’s newspapers, including the New York Times. Under the headline “Bring Back The Death Penalty. Bring Back Our Police!” and above his signature, Trump wrote: “I want to hate these muggers and murderers. They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. They must serve as examples so that others will think long and hard before committing a crime or an act of violence.”'
They were teenagers that were forced to sign confessions without a lawyer present and started to get death threats after Trump's ads came out. They were found guilty and sentenced to 5-15 years, but eventually(in 2002) their convictions were vacated due to the confession and DNA evidence of the actual rapist.
Donold is still that racist blowhard not concerned about innocent people being executed, miscarriages of justice or even the rule of law.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/17/central-park-five-donald-trump-jogger-rape-case-new-york
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6131533-trumpdeathpenaltyad05011989/
What concise, apt facts you provide here, horhai.
Reminds me of a TV series many of us saw as a kid, "Dragnet," where Jack Webb's character Joe Friday used variations of a phrase many now remember as a civil, curt "Just the facts ma'am."
I recall once, when taking a report from someone who really had an axe to grind against one of her neighbors, saying "OK, that is an opinion. Can you tell me what happened?" She then went off on a tirade, cursed me, and told me she was "calling the Sheriff". I left. She called the Sheriff. He had my sergeant call me. I told him the exact story. He said "Good job. You Joe Fridayed her." Never went any further.
The planning began during the Clinton administration era.
The Republicans have gained much through the devious tactic of prying and controlling elections ever since the Newt Gingrich’s “Contract With America” (Project 2025's forerunner).
I suggest it started with the Republican Southern Strategy, to welcome racists after LBJ signed Civil Rights legislation.
Manafort, Stone, and Atwater were strategists. Reagan really got it rolling. The Republican Big Tent is a revivalist meeting of the unreconstructed blood and ideological heirs of the Confederacy and the Robber Barons. Movement Conservatives in bed with the Religious Right spawned today's GOP party of god, guns, and greed - with a bent for political authoritarianism and religious absolutism. And an underclass of the economically disadvantaged willing to step on each others' necks to keep their heads above water.
"Reagan got it rolling," lin?
10 years before Ronnie in the White House the Powell memo (Aug. 23, 1971) "got it rolling" -- with the Heritage Foundation, ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) and many more far-right, well-monied foundations introducing tens of thousands of lobbyists to Washington, D.C., and many tens of millions of dollars to corrupt state legislatures across the U.S.
What you described lin•, its a nightmare that is becoming reality by the day and the hour.
Newt just picked up the tactics of Lee Atwater and the permission slip signed by Ronnie in Philadelphia, Miss
My opinion may be unpopular, but what we are now witnessing is fruit of the poisoned tree.
All of our problems with racism, violence, economic injustice and religious bigotry are literally a part of our national DNA.
The British colonies on the North American continent became a nation as a result of a bloody war. There is the violence gene. There is scarcely a time in our history when we've not been at war, with ourselves or other nations.
The U.S. Government, including its 3 branches, was devised by a syndicate of white "gentlemen" who thought a government was necessary to protect their assets: land (stolen from people of color) and the wealth it created. There are the racist and economic injustice genes.
Although the Founders claimed the U.S. was a secular nation, Protestants immediately laid claim to the culture and government, systematically inserting language in our laws and policies that gave the U.S. the appearance of a "Christian nation," thus adding the religious bigotry gene.
Over 250 years, various administrations have tried to wrap the nation in different packaging meant to suggest that we are not a racist, violent, christian oligarchy, followed by other administrations who tore off that packaging to expose us for what we are. We are currently in tear-off mode.
It has been brewing, or the pot warming as we settled into our comfort and didn’t notice the temp rising.
We are running out of time. By the time we get to November 2026, whatever elections take place will be a lot like those in Russia. They will look like real elections on the outside, but that will be as fake as The Apprentice's storylines were. (FYI, the editors of The Apprentice were known to "reverse engineer" the footage shot after Trump decided who he wanted to win.)
We have protests planned next month and in July. These should probably be expanded to be permanent protests... like Occupy Wall Street was: Permanent and ever expanding!
Will we take up the fight…not so far…
What do you mean by “not so far”?
Do we see full blown opposition? I don’t. Pols are being pols.
We’re all a captive audience to unbridled criminality and corruption.
That’s our guy to whom we’re hostage: mob boss and criminal felon, bestower of gold gild to the oval office and of orange grease paint to his face, racist, rank, perverse ambusher of international diplomacy, gaudy hound for being most openly corrupt and on the take, and #1 cover for Putin’s genocide in Ukraine and Netanyahu’s on the West Bank and in Gaza.
Add to this the 215 Republicans in Congress who stand only for historically perverse now-mammoth-new national debt, inflating of wealth transfer to the cynical billionaire class, and the killing of all federal programs that for long had been helping people.
American schools created this leadership, this vaudeville for insanity? What national program took over all the schools to grow such idiocy whereby all only learn how to select A), B), C), or D) by bubbling-in with #2 pencil year after year after year after year – and never even attempt to learn anything else?
This week our small town approved our school budget for the 2025-2026. The new school superintendent gave an overview of how well our pre-K - 8th grade school is doing compared to the rest of the schools in Maine. Of course, many of the metrics are calculated from the test scores so there's that Phil, but many of the students compete in statewide and national competitions and have done very well. And she also said that the school's philosophy is to nurture critical thinking rather than teaching to the tests. A few months ago, the school board at the principal's and teacher's request send out a letter to everyone in the community announcing a new unfunded program to provide weekend snacks and meals to the students. Their goal was to raise $5K, They raised over $15K within a week. As we all know, hungry and malnourished kids do not learn well.
Your town is like mine: the public education system is considered a plus, and monies for it well spent. The major reason I moved here when my children were just about to enter school. We get some pushback from retirees who think they shouldn't have to pay for it (especially those who don't have children) but it's one of those cradle-to-grave obligations that everyone shares, because everyone reaps the benefits of an educated society.
I used to get asked why, since I had no children, I voted for schools, libraries, and youth recreation. It is because I reaped those benefits myself, and I wanted today's kids to have the same opportunities I did. Some folks understood, but most just shook their heads and walked away. Sigh.
How are we supposed to answer that Phil? You didn't give us the four choices? /s
Very good, GJ.
Except, too, if one has done this for a good enough number of years, one already knows that there are no choices. Testing reduces all life to just abstractions, categories, groups, and linear-simple causalities -- all repeating, repeating, long earlier having driven out any and all humanities with their very different dynamics.
Thus the Mad Hatter takes office, with all his criminality, all his insurrection, all his rapes, frauds, and racism and he gets a pass from all "adults" in Congress who all their lives only too well learned the dumbness and human passivity testing teaches. (But look, at how quickly they can rise to the bait of lies, lies, lies!)
As I've mention before, our daughter went to a Montessori school halfway through 3rd grade. She had never taken a test when she switched to the public school. The school she switched to was labeled a "class A" school because of it's small size. At the time Nebraska had dozens of these small schools to reduce the commute time for the students. The school only had 5 teachers for the nine grades and there were only 12 kids in her 3rd-4th grade class.
Within a couple of years after we moved to Maine, Nebraska forced the closure of these schools due to the "excessive" cost to teach each student. Obviously, the students weren't considered in the decision.
A few lessons in Economics wouldn’t hurt either.
Might econ connect to nature, JD?
Or to any characters in any economic class? Or to any paid-off pols? Or to any Americans uneducated in anything except maybe the "smart" phone ever in their view, the steering wheel of their monster pick-up in their hands, the sugar in their diet, the Fentanyl in their medicine cabinet, or the MAGA caps strewn everywhere in their trailers?
You mean more ignorance abounds than about economics. Oh, yeah, all around me. They worship at the billboard of chump with a glamour shot photo.
Let's not overlook the poison pill in the Big Boondoggle Bill, giving the administration the ability to dodge federal contempt.
Reich’s earlier column did a great job of explaining that. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-hidden-provision-in-the-big-ugly?utm_medium=ios
What does this say about our country? We would rather spend our collective tax money to build "detention centers" and pay people to roughly apprehend innocent, law abiding residents/immigrants then ship them out of the country than to spend that money on helping people in need, providing medical care to those who cannot afford the outrageously inflated costs of care or feeding hungry children. Where you put your money is where your priorities lie. Are we truly such an evil, selfish country? I hadn't thought so but evidently we are.
We have been complacent as the vipers focused on the “others.” We should have been as “woke” as we have been accused of being.
Yes, we are. See my reply to David Crellen.
"It increases ICE’s budget for transportation and removal operations by 500%, from the current $721 million to $14.4 billion."
That's a 20x increase or ~2,000%
Attended a lecture last night titled ‘’What is a Constitutional Crisis?’’ by Law Professor Kimberly Wehle in which she said the rule of law in the US has ruptured - that we are in fact, experiencing a Constitutional Crisis. I asked her if she believed the President would use mass protest demonstrations as an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act. She replied that nothing in our experience of him indicates he will not. She indicated that our last true line of defense in that situation would be the members of the military refusing to obey an unconstitutional order and that citizens should indicate demonstrably, their support of service members who would take such a principled stance.
I believe she is right, and I fervently hope that there are members of our Armed Forces who would take that principled stance. In my career, I had two occasions where I was either ordered to do (once) or not do (once) a thing I was not supposed to do. On both occasions I refused, and in the "not do" department made a custodial arrest of a man who had broken into his wife's home (he was subject to a spousal abuse restraining order) and raped her. My sergeant told me I could not arrest him. I did anyway (I had another deputy with me; we were of one mind on that issue) and heard, through the grapevine several years later, the sergeant tried to punish me for that and was laughed out of the lieutenant's office.
I hope there are service members who understand their oath is to the constitution and defense of same.
Bravo Ally!
I knew I liked you for some reason.
how do we coordinate an effort to get the word out.....that we support troops who "do the right thing"? What is the next step in making that known to the troops?
One of the Veterans I met at the People's March in D.C. was serving west of Dak To ( I suspect Ben Het) and had gotten to know many of the Vietnamese around the base. It seems a new commander wanted him to shoot at the civilians he didn't like getting to close to the perimeter. He tried to explain that he knew many of the children and family members that had reasonable reasons to be so close. When ordered to shoot directly at them, he refused and kept doing so even when threatened with refusing a direct order in time of war.
He still refused, resulting in the Sgt Major being sent out to his guard post and giving him the same order and threat of consequences. He still refused and told the Sgt Major to send someone else out to replace him if he wanted to.
The Sgt Major broke down laughing and saying he wasn't going to do that. When he asked why, he was told no one else would follow the order, from the example he had set.
Then there is the Peter Arnett story the right wing would like to think is entirely a myth. I can't/won't verify the best guess on who the anonymous officer was that Arnett basically said told them "We had to destroy the village in order to save it."
One of the more experienced Army NCO's I'd seen on a few visits to Tan An said he was a staff officer not supposed to talk to reporters, and said that he had avoided following his order (as an outsider to his unit), to fire on a distant column approaching his position. He told him they needed to get closer so they could make more shots count before they scattered. As he realized long before they got close enough or the officer to see, they turned out to be our own troops. He diplomatically kept the apparently less combat experienced staff officer's order from leading to blue on blue casualties.
I do believe we have had many of all ranks who at least stalled enough to keep big mistakes from being made. A WWII Navy Destroyer Veteran led me through the real story behind the "Caine Mutiny", and some of the attitude changes that reduce the likelihood of reluctance to stop a temporarily incompetent Commander.
This is why Trump put in Hegseth. Trump wants to purge any military officers who are loyal to the constitution as opposed to Trump. What irks me is that Trump thinks he is the government. He’s not.
The point that he thinks he is, is really all that matters…
True, you are correct.
And no mention of this dinner on either NBC or ABC evening news
It was sure all over MSNBC.
And the New York Times, Washington Post and The Guardian.
Surprised the NYT and WaPo wrote anything. But I cancelled those subscriptions last year so I missed it. When will they reveal the participants?? Like never?
So depressing and with your excellent newsletter, I feel correct in my distrust of the senators who voted for the Genius Act, including my two CA senators.