The Trump administration now has at least 24 Fox News personalities in positions of responsibility. It's being run like a reality show rather than like a serious government.
<satire>I hired a plumber the other day, he didn’t have any tools or experience, but he looked strong and was really cute.</satire> What could go wrong?
Yikes. As McDonald’s goes, “I’m Likin’ it.” I can’t wait for the whole USA implodes. Blow the whole frecken nation up. Kill it. Stomp it out. Watch all the oligarchs go down the shitholes of their own making. I’m in Florence, Italy. I could make it here as a street musician on the Ponte Vechio,lol. Frick the US of A.
Bill, I seem to recall a recent negative comment from you about panhandlers, lol.
Honestly, it's terrific for you to be outside the country -- good for you! I myself hope to be rightfully deemd eligible for Canadian citizenship one day soon. But your schafenfreude about those of us who remain here is unkind. Direct your "frecken" implosion at the source of our troubles (and I'll give you a big hint here: it's not Joe Biden's immigration policy.)
Wow Bill. OK then. I don’t know you but I’m not sure what to say to x, y, z, and “ I’m in Florence, Italy. I could make it here as a street musician on the Ponte Vechio,lol. Frick the US of A.”
Him and Vance. If an elevator door opened and either were in it, I’d take the stairs.
They look completely soulless. I’m not that religious but these two remind me of the Omen and Damian with the completely soulless eyes.
I heard the most disturbing thing about Miller in collage. I hope it is not true because sleeping would be lessened to think he’s in power. He would throw things on the floor of the cafeteria and demand janitors pick it up. We elected this?
I didn’t read Hillbilly elegy and think, here’s a person who overcame poverty. I read it as someone who hated his family and was ashamed, zero empathy. But I guess that’s a requirement for this administration. A government demands leaders to have empathy or else it’s not willing to lead anyone.
Marcus, I picked up Hillbilly Elegy, hoping to get some insight into that part of the country. What I got was a lot of complaining and a decidedly regressive bent. The book infuriated me.
I was given that book as a Christmas present, as it was popular that year. I respect books, but remember that I had to force myself to finish it and wanted to throw it in the trash. I didn't, as I respect books. But I know I was among the minority who thought it WAS trash.
I not only read the book when it was first published, and felt afterwards that a bag of Nacho Doritos had more substance, I also heard him speak at a fundraising breakfast for a nonprofit that served the local unhoused community. I had hoped he would expand on the unfulfilling conclusion of the book, but he was just as vapid and vague in person as he was on paper.
Yes, we have Cheetos as president and Nacho Doritos as veep, and both leave real icky residue on your fingers.
I got the same impression from that book. I also recall how he didn't fit in the lawyer realm and he needed his wife to steer him. He's 100% a wannabee but never will. Same feeling over Miller's eyes.
Never fear, I’m sure Hillbilly Elegy is an actual fantasy and not something that really happened. Does Miller come from a monied family or is he just a sociopath?
Oh, boy you hit the nail on the head with that statement. Close your eyes, picture him with a Hitler Haircut & glasses. What do you see? Heinrich Himmler? That mealy mouthed chicken farmer of the 3rd Reich who led people to slaughter like his chickens.
I read an analysis of his signature and couldn’t find any sign it was actually his name. Considering he appears most illiterate, maybe dyslexic, I saw it as an art drawing of what he thought his name would look like.
Stephen Miller is the one who developed the Zero Tolerance plan of taking children away from their parents at the border, and deliberately not keeping records so they could not be reunited. Babies as young as 10 months who were still nursing were separated. About a thousand are still not reunited. I can’t think of anything more evil than that. He looks like a Nazi to me. This was in Trump’s first term.
Oliver Kornetzke has posted on facebook an amazing, extended riff on Miller. Some samples:
"Let this sink in—truly sink in: we are witnessing the collapse of American democracy not at the hands of some foreign invader or cartoon villain, but by the greasy, pallid hands of homegrown saboteurs like Stephen f-ing Miller—an individual so devoid of warmth, humanity, or intellectual honesty that he might as well be the first known case of sentient mildew."
"Stephen Miller is not just vile. He’s architecturally vile. Purpose-built for inhumanity. A man whose soul is so withered, so fundamentally septic, you can smell the formaldehyde of his presence through a television screen. Imagine if a Cold War propaganda poster and a bucket of mayonnaise had a baby, and that baby was raised entirely on Mein Kampf, Ayn Rand, and rejection."
Yes, and as in Trump's first presidency very young unaccompanied children are being required to attend immigration courts with no adult representation or assistance. Do you remember Trump's then AG, Jeff Sessions, citing the bible to justify the separation of families?
He does look like someone out of the castings for a nome or warlock or commandant in a rendition of the Hunger Games. A little hump in his back, twist of his nose and lips, and spital would improve his credentials for the End Game coming to DC.
<true story, not satire> Our agency was housed in a small office building on a nicely landscaped city lot. The "yard man" retired and our office manager was tasked with hiring a new landscape service. Without consulting anyone, she hired a woman who quoted the lowest estimate. On her first day, she showed up in a spaghetti-strapped sundress and sandals. She came inside and asked the office manager to borrow a pair of scissors, which she took outside and began snipping off the tips of shrubbery. Her boyfriend was supposed to arrive later to mow the lawn.
The agency owner arrived and observed a woman in a sundress snipping leaves off a shrub. He came inside and asked the office manager what was going on outside. After hearing the explanation, he exploded.
I picture Donald Trump in a spaghetti-strapped sundress with a pair of scissors.
That's funny. My wife told her friends, I was the right guy because I had a tool belt and knew how to use it.
Keep an eye on Stephen Miller, that guy is dangerous, devious, and lusting for power. He's also working his way up the White House food chain, and getting closer to the nuclear codes. I'm dead serious...What could go wrong?
Well, if he's cute & strong what other qualifications could you possibly need??
I know that the few times I needed a contractor that was top of my list of requirements. So his tool belt only container WD-40 & 🦆 tape! 😁 At least I could enjoy the view!!!
If it were just the Fox 24, Scott, it would be but a laughable Keystone Cops.
But it's much worse than that. Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Kristi Noem are ultimately just serving Putin as they engineer the destruction of the U.S. government.
It's not merely the orange felon flagrantly enriching himself, but Putin's much more sinister schemes in play.
Ultimately. America's oligarchs think they will reap additional billions out of this, and some are, apparently, but they are winning a battle by losing the war, and taking us with them if they do.
Professor Richardson: "Today. Immigration and Customs agents arrested Newark, N.J. Mayor RAS BARAKA.
On Friday at 7:08 PM Eastern, Chris Hayes was hosting a Professor at the University Michigan, lawyer and author, LEAH LITMAN, who provided LIVE legal analysis of the arrest of the Mayor of Newark by 20 unidentified, masked, flak jacket wearing burly men apparently from "HSI".
The Congress persons LAMONICA MCIVER & R. MENEDEZ Jr, are percipient witnesses.
NBC News then posted: "BREAKING White House: Actively looking at suspending Habeas Corpus" quoting Stephen Miller announcing Trump 2.0's next clueless step which is off the tracks already.
STAY ALERT & Go Deeper:
Professor Litman's new book, 'LAWLESS', published by Simon & Schuster will be out this Weekend. "How the Supreme Court runs on conservative grievance, fringe theories & bad vibes". Check the incisive Professor out.
*****
Last night after watching Chris Hayes' coverage, I got a lift from FRAZEY FORDS's [new to me] slow version and master cover of "Lovers in a Dangerous Time":
🎶 When your Lovers in a dangerous time,
You're made to feel your loves a crime,
Nothin' good comes without a fight,
You gotta kick at the Darkness until it bleeds Daylight🎶
Possibly. But after WW2, some German industrial barons continue to do well. To this very day the remaining French landed aristocracy still receives substantial support from their government, much to the dismay of other EU members.
The structures of power are complex, fragile, difficult to replace entirely.
Bill, excellent insight. I personally do not believe in revolutions which often exchange one set of parasite for another behaving the same, but calling themselves something different. And yes, some of the elite manage to survive no matter what they have done.
The history of revolutions promises little if anything. It’s by far on the side of the worst results. There seem to be a lot of reasons for that. One is simply human nature. Power, wealth and influence alter psychology. A person’s perception and indeed their personality is not a fixed thing. Although it’s easy to falsely imagine that it is. A person can come to resemble what they most strenuously oppose.
Another issue is that folks seem to like big labels for others. Just now there’s a lot of noise around people with money. I guess if I had any, I’d have good reason to become fearful, even if I hadn’t done anything that should warrant it.
Then there’s the great sea of propaganda we all swim in. It blankets every region of the globe with more than 4 or 5 people per square mile. It seems human to want or need to believe things are as they are not. I suspect in groups it impossible for things to be otherwise.
Likely it’s just me. I’m habituated to attempting to point out what seems to be the most obvious. Please excuse my running on this way.
SCOTUS at best will only respond in a “decisive” manner (so when do lawyers ever become decisive?) when they see massive response from the polity (that’s me & you & lots more). The reason for this should have long ago become clear to a very large group of people, liberals if you will, who routinely appealed to that body over several decades now to right wrongs. Admittedly, this is a harder slog.
Along the way there are those impulsive personalities who feel that sudden and inevitably violent action is required. These groups are not to be dismissed. They provide urgency.
SCOTUS must see set all about them massive public repudiation of all measures undertaken by this criminal Administration.
If you cannot find a larger group, go to public venues with a handful of people. Document it, publish and make yourself heard every day and everywhere. Be prepared. If you can, find attorney(s) that will support you. And, most importantly, when confronted don’t comply in advance. Resist.
Large corporations survive nations, which is perhaps why the politicians we elected to act to take care of the nation and its citizens reveal MUCH more interest in taking care of the owners of large corporations.
But.... I am cautiously exuberant that media people like Joe Rogin are filling in the MAGA voters with the scary truth. Might they reverse their support?
Rogan will do whatever the ratings say. It’s unfortunate. If America sways away, he’ll sway away. Anyone whose livelihood depends on an audience will give them what they want. What would be great is if Dads taught their sons truth and being a real man demands that you take responsibility …. Something these “tough guys” seem unable to do.
Duffy blames Buttigieg, Trumo blames everyone, Hegseth blames little green men, they all blame the media, Miller blames the actual Constitution…..none have the balls to step up.
The fact they are running around like rock stars on the public dime and NOT doing their jobs should make them a target of Big Balls, right?
Duffy, while catering to musk and trying to install starlink, is going to get hundreds of people killed. And I’m guessing, do some squats and some curls and then hide and take out his blamethrower. Such a real man.
Maybe he is reading the polls on the approval of the scumbag president and sensing his own numbers dropping and needed to make adjustments. I don't think any honesty will come out of this guy Stephanie.
Have relatives in South Dakota. The Gnome is getting an honorary degree today (?). Students have been told that they cannot have anti Gnome material on their hats or protest her in any way or they will be removed. I would be tempted to get my diploma in the mail. There will be protests outside the building. I will be interested to see what happens when she runs out of money.
That is probably true, but it in no way mitigates trump's role in everything that happens under his administration.
The fascist GOP majority in Congress is equally responsible because they are avoiding taking votes to take back their duties to control the purse and the economy, including setting the terms for tariffs.
They are voting by inaction and are acquiescing to everything trump and his thugs are doing.
What's up with the federal law enforcement personnel covering their faces? It is diabolical and is meant to intimidate the public, they should be required to be unmasked with identification of the agencies they represent and their badge number readable from at least ten feet.
I think trump will refuse to comply with Supreme Court orders very soon.
This is the coup trump dreamed to accomplish on J6.
I remember senior members of the German private sector and military services regretting that they had not assassinated Hitler when they had the chance to do so in the mid-1930s. I wonder if the same dilemma is emerging here. 🤔
An awful thing for me to say, but I am really spooked by Trump's dash for dictatorship and how things will unfold. Are drastic measures, including those plainly against Mosaic law, ever justified? I shudder to think, yet the question lingers. 🤢
Is anyone else going through what I am? This thought is disturbing and distressing me.😱
History has a morbid punchline Ned, those who dare to lead with vision - Lincoln with emancipation, Kennedy with civil rights - get taken out by gunfire, while grifters like tRump, who mistake cruelty for strength and corruption as strategy, somehow waddle through impeachments, indictments, and scandal after scandal untouched like cockroaches in a nuclear blast. As Orwell warned, “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable”.
Hello Kazz.... DJT is known as 'Teflon Don'... He is Shameless, and nothing Sticks to DJT... I notice that DJT is starting to Squirm.... Kash Patel will be Blamed for Russian, and Chinese Cyber Intrusions, Elon Musk will be blamed for the Destruction of the USG, Scott Bessent for the Tariffs, RFK, Jr for the next Pandemic... Meanwhile DJT will ooze into the Bless of Dementia while sheltering in Lifelong Secret Service Protection, and USG provided Health-Care... Pray For Divine Justice...
Hello Apache, yes the Teflon Don is nothing but a turd rolled in glitter. I saw a meme today of him dressed as ‘The Poop’ - someone had expertly doctored his ‘Pope’ image to him dressed as a giant poop complete with poop hat. It helps to laugh. I think Divine Justice is brewing in the wings - the world is full of brilliant and powerful humanitarians who are revolted and offended by this “Presidency”. The appointment of Pope Leo was no doubt strategic, other international, anti-trump initiatives I’m sure will follow. Remember, the good guys always win.
Pope Leo XIII made a clear stand against the the mercantile mechanics of exploitation of (wo)man, beast, and flora. May Pope Leo XlV do the same. Though no longer a Xian and likely NOT returning to the fold, this pontiff can be an agent of the good through calling Trump out as well as setting an example of strength through humility and beneficence.
That is my hope. It is weird how some of the most sociopathic events in human history, slavery, torture and genocide have been rationalized as "God"s will". I note that the Christian "Great Commandment" is stated to be "love God" and "thy neighbor". Yesterday I saw two women in sweatshirts that said "Essentials" "Fear God". Months ago I saw a person toting a huge sign on a street-corner which said only "Fear God". It has seemed to me that there is a huge difference between those who favor using fear to shape society vs those who favor love; and yeas a number of the most salient examples, including Jesus, have been murdered by self-righteous murderers.
From a 2003 Pail Krugman column:
"Why does our president condone the swaggering and contemptuous approach to our friends and allies this administration is fostering, including among its most senior officials? Has 'oderint dum metuant' really become our motto?" So reads the resignation letter of John Brady Kiesling, a career diplomat who recently left the Foreign Service in protest against Bush administration policy.
"Oderint dum metuant" translates, roughly, as "let them hate as long as they fear." It was a favorite saying of the emperor Caligula, and may seem over the top as a description of current U.S. policy. But this week's crisis in U.S.-Mexican relations — a crisis that has been almost ignored north of the border — suggests that it is a perfect description of George Bush's attitude toward the world."
Fear has a function, but isn't fear and hate the problem, not the solution?
Orange clearly deflected the blame for tariffs onto Bessent today. Responsibility for tariffs is clearly that of Congress. If I were Bessent, I’d be hunting for the exit, before I find myself hauled up on criminal charges.
The last show-biz oriented big liar in the Oval Office to be dubbed "Teflon" was Reagan, who, while more business-like than Trump got the ball rolling in his direction. The press, that typically showed a deference they lacked for Nixon repeatedly referred to him as "The Great Communicator" and "The Teflon President".
It seems to me that Lincoln was a much better communicator than Reagan, but TV-commercial pitch-talk has become our NewSpeak.
Hello J L ... I'm not a Reagan Fan, but he did a few Good Things... Reagan was also Governor of California... Reagan Governed California... DJT doesn't know how to manage anything... DJT only knows how to grab the Spot-Light... Reagan would also Govern by compromising with the Democrats in Congress... DJT doesn't know how to Govern... DJT currently is Governing by Dubious Fiats... For Communicators, I would Rank JFK above Reagan... Reagan could 'Soothe', JFK could 'INSPIRE'!!!...
We have been here before; somehow we have always navigated our way through the maelstroms . . . barely. The M.A.G.A.s and their ugly ilk will always be around. We need to keep on trucking.
Kazz, your correct and passionate description of deflecting every possible legal remedies against him that would have prevented the tragedy we all are going through now, it's a show of how inadequate the democratic system of government is to confront existential threats. We knew we'll be confronted with a life or death situation and and our reaction didn't bring any solution. If we have another chance, and based on this experience, we need to either not to go by the book so much or fix the books legally through Congress. We can't repeat the same mistakes twice.
Hello Ricardo... We need to Fix-Congress-First, and then the Supreme-Court... DJT thrives by exploiting the Weaknesses in the American System by using other People's $$$ to Corrupt the Legal System...
It's not only the Legal System that it's corrupted, it's everything Apache. But that's not surprising or unexpected to people like us, the problem was that that we didn't have the tools and if we had them, we didn't use them to prevent the currentsituation, we pretended doing the right thing for four years with no results. Definitely we need to gain control of the chamber of Representatives and if possible the Senate, if we are going to have an election at all instead of Martin Law or Insurrection Act. Thanks for your reply.
Hello Ricardo.... "we pretended doing the right thing for four years with no results".... The last bout of Congressional Reform was Post-Watergate... The DNC Democrats became corrupted with Bill Clinton's Triangulation, and Big-Donor Chase... Obama for the most part. abandoned his 2007-2008 promises... That started laying the Groundwork for MAGA... Time For Real Reform....
I sincerely hope you are wrong. I fear, however and along your lines, that an arch champion of chattel slavery may have been correct in his post-mortem of the Roman Republic.
“The [500-year] Republic had in reality ceased to exist long before the establishment of the [Roman] Empire. The interval was filled by ferocious, corrupt, and bloody factions. There was, indeed, a small but patriotic body of eminent individuals who struggled in vain to correct abuses and to restore the government to its . . . purity, and who sacrificed their lives in their endeavors to accomplish and object so virtuous and noble.”
--John C. Calhoun, ‘A Disquisition on Government’; 1848.
Ned, although similar, our situation is different. The Romans were tying to preserve the Republc and we are trying to preserve Democracy. The problem is that we should play by the book as much as possible and within the Rule of Law, but by doing so we put the whole system at risk of being destroyed, maybe forever. We spent four years trying legal maneuvers to no avail. That's what we have to fix if we have another chance. Thanks for your reply 👍
As well as cruelty his pleasure; show-time villainy his treasure; and, his unpopulatity his measure. Thank you for a more detached view from down-under, Kazz.
I share your distress, Ned; trying to process the awful political reality contrasted with the need to carry on the "business as usual" of every day life leaves me with feelings I can't even adequately express.
People should be alarmed by the actions committed by the federal government at every level. I saw Timothy Snider saying that he expects trump and his henchmen to engineer some kind of event like Crystal Nacht instigated and carried out by the NAZIs.
You're not alone Ned. It distresses me more that we have to wait till this gets to a critical mass before it changes and one must wonder what will be left in the rubble. *All appearances though, tfg is scarcely at the head; Looks more like the coalition misdirecting the actions loosely from above tfg and perhaps the coalition is at odds.
"Amy McKinnon of Politico reported today that Trump has sat for only 12 “daily” intelligence briefing sessions since he took office, and does not read his written daily intelligence report."
This is not some like of criminal mastermind "Professor Moriarty" working here. Trump is loud and visible, and somehow projects a daring bad-boy persona to his fanatical followers; but his accomplishments are mostly sabotage.
He may not in fact be working for Putin, but he might as well be. And the oligarchs? Seems like oligarchs are oligarchs wherever you go; whatever the political cover.
Need to include that because its whole point was only to prove to himself, over and over, that he could be transgressive, always flouting decency, flouting others -- always superior, always in contempt of everything and everyone.
The more he's "in the limelight," the more the rest of us are in darkness.
Isn't that the way with testing, standardized testing? The testers couldn't care less about us. They see us only as interchangeable units of groups they devise. They never ask any human questions. Only those that machines can answer and tabulate for more group labeling.
Do we deserve this orange felon? -- we who let our schools be taken over by the living dead?
Hello Phil... And Who invented the 'Reality Shows'?... Why were we so infatuated with them?... I've led Men in War... The Best Teams were those that Functioned Best as a Team... Think of it as a Conductor leading a Symphony... Those Teams where it was 'Dog-Eating-Dog' invariably did not do Well... DJT Doesn't Really Lead, He Just Grabs The Baton, And Spot-Light...
Nicely and cogently stated, Phil. You are most fortunate to be in Japan. Japan has her faults, to be sure, but she shows the rest of us how to learn and to grow inwardly.
Has it not been the will of the oligarchs to sway schools to churn out humans as tightly specified interchangeable, disposable parts? As you would for a machine? They want to replace us with machines, but were necessary, turn us into machines. Silicon or carbon, so long as it maximizes profit.
Plus he is one lazy sob. And his peer group replicates the techniques used in coercive and control programs in places like China (especially under Mao), Russian and North Korea.
JL, the same sentence caught my attention. My response was that while Donald exhibits toddler-like misbehaviors, as many claim, his actual mentality is that of an eight-year-old, approximately.
There are other factors involved (such as staying out of prison), but when you take a comprehensive view of Donald's performance as "president," it is very much like a pre-adolescent pretending to be president. He sits around making sweeping gestures and intoning imperious pronouncements, but doesn't do any actual work. When his ignorance is exposed, or the destructive consequences of his incompetence are brought to light, he blames others, just like a boy caught in an act of vandalism.
This is not the behavior of a grown-ass man, but that of an eight-year-old boy ... or an elderly geezer in severe mental decline who is reverting to his boyhood.
There is too much known evidence that Donald owes Putin by way of loans from Putin's associates. But I doubt that Putin actually wants to take command of the U.S. We don't have anything he wants. His aim is to neutralize U.S. power to counteract his imperialism into Europe. Donald's "Sewer Clowns" (thanks, Jeff Tiedrich) are doing a splendid job of turning the U.S. into a useless, powerless wasteland.
In her book "Autocracy, Inc.," Applebaum explores how oligarchs and authoritarian regimes may be collaborating across borders, forming a network that undermines democracy worldwide.
Trump is not really dashing for dictatorship. Girth Vader is simply too lazy. Yet his macho mouth provides a convenient cover for those doing that dash unto death. Thank you, J. L. https://youtu.be/BICqcEvzhVw
An eight year old boy has a more developed maturity than Trump displays.
Now that dementia is descending, he’s becoming even more dangerous.
I think the 2025 overlords will have to step in earlier than planned. I’m not sure they have all of their safety bunkers completed yet. Trump is dangerously close to blowing this place up before they are ready.
That is a really, really crucial and powerful point there, D4N. It took Hitler only two months to lock in his fascist leadership with complete dictatorship soon to follow. While our institutions may (not) be on firmer footing, looking to 2026 may be a fantasy if we are serious in pushing back against this dash toward dictatorship.
And, yes, I suspect Trump is being used as an unnatural resource by a crowd that has no regard for natural resources and views the rest of us as natural resources.
If you get up and go to work, don’t read or watch anything but propaganda then you think we’re rolling along splendidly. I forward these letters to my neighbor who watches a little news but is not a big reader. She is always overwhelmed by all the facts and can’t wrap her head around it. It would be impossible to work and have a family and keep up with this.
You are definitely not alone. I still hope for a legal, peaceful solution. But my grandchildren will not grow up under a fascist regime. And that is what we now have.
Good for you James. I am ready to fight, though at my age and level of familiarity with fighting, I will not last long. Nevertheless, there are ideas, visions, and values larger than one's own life or self. Legacy for those who follow motivates powerfully; thank you.
Ned, what concerns me more is ffpotus's response to questions about a variety of things that he "alone can fix", which is "I don't know, you'll have to ask..." and fill in the blank.
We watched a bit more of the news last night than we normally do; in addition to the cascade of "I don't knows" what got me was the event in NJ where the Mayor was arrested. I was appalled at the "uniforms" displayed by the agencies represented, ICE and HSI. Plain clothes/BDU's and external vests, plus a plethora of masks. Their "crowd control" tactics were abysmal, and it looked to me like they created the incident.
I was more distressed following last night's reporting than I have been for a long time. Those agencies are running roughshod over the law, and must be stopped cold.
Thank you, all, for what you said. The humor really helps. Though dark thoughts come and go, assassination will solve nothing, as in the case of Caesar. Besides, liar, liar Vance on fire is worse than Trump. At least the missing link has the dubious virtue of being obvious.
Lastly, the best case scenario may be for Trump to muddle on, alienating everyone but few oligarchs and enemies of democracy, leading to a repudiation of both in future elections. Sadly, civil violence would likely accompany that popular revulsion before, as President Lincoln said, the nation could bind up its wounds.
Yet optimism and beneficence, even injured, simply have to triumph over nihilism or melancholy. Or, ¿what is the point?
"With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." -- President Lincoln 1865.
Onions appear almost every time I listen to "Abraham, Martin, and John". Many thanks to the participant who mentioned that song that was my first '45' I bought in early 1969.
47, in the eyes of the Project 2025 gang, stephen miller, and Putin, is nothing but a little pawn so they could worm their way l into a position of control and power so they can do their dirty work. His mind is so limited by his lack of knowledge, his psychopathy, his lack of caring, and his dementia that his pat answer is more and more frequently "I don't know, go ask ______." He is just wandering aimlessly day by day pretending he is presidential. Who does that in such a position? All of them need to be held accountable for the disastrous situation they have created.
Your thought takes me right back fifty-eight years to my favorite show as a little one, a series that drove my poor sister crazy. https://youtu.be/EvusFZh3ubw (3min.vid.)
Thank you, Susan. That these thoughts even cross my mind trouble me greatly. Though I will never be close to a Bonhoeffer, I at least know a slight amount of the anguish he must have felt.
That is just it. The assassination of Julius Caesar was intended to save the Roman Republic; it did not, The Republic was dead on arrival to the Rubicon. The prophecy of my fave show as a kid: https://youtu.be/EvusFZh3ubw (Three minute snip-it.)
The only difference I see is that, like Vance, Augustus was a fascist, too, in trying to return to the simpler values of an earlier time. Except Vance is likely a lot worse Augustus ever was; certainly worse than his bobo-doll boss.
(My made-up theory of fascism: with the fasces [i.e., rods] bound around the Roman battle axe, the blade represented strength through unity of values.)
The Trump Administration is a fool’s paradise. I think we would be much worse off if these dopes really knew what they were about. All they’re doing is making a mess of things; like bratty, spoiled children. If they were even halfway smart, if Trump was a real leader and organizer, instead of a huckster using the Oval Office to make a buck and stay out of prison, something far more sinister and difficult to stop might be happening.
To say this administration is out of control would be too kind.
The following quote should terrify Americans and a sane Cabinet would have convened and invoked the 25th Amendment at 60 days. The man is not doing his job. He has no idea what is happening. He is delegating life and death decisions to a Nazi. He is nominating lunatics for key positions. His cabinet is filled with reckless fakers.
"Trump has sat for only 12 “daily” intelligence briefing sessions since he took office, and does not read his written daily intelligence report."
Our president has demonstrated to us for YEARS that he can't read. And nobody says a word about it. HE DOESN'T LISTEN. HE CAN'T READ so HE WATCHES TV. This is the sequel to the film "Idiocracy". But it's not funny.
All true and yet, he got elected twice. True, he had help from Putin and Musk, but in a rational country, the fat orange puffball couldn’t get elected as dog catcher. There are still, still! millions of our fellow citizens who think he’s the greatest that’s ever been.
He sold them a phony bill of goods that sounded like a simple solution to a series of complex problems (globalization, income inequality, especially). Meanwhile, Democrats leaned into neoliberalism and abandoned the working class, in favor of playing identity politics and serving the donor class. It was a situation ripe for a demagogue. Are some MAGATs starting to realize they have been had? Maybe, but they are not willing to admit it, and the regime continues to feed them a morphine drip of anger and resentment that keeps them in the fold.
What I don’t understand is why the working class does not include “identity politics”. Are they mutually exclusive? I’m female. I’m lesbian. I’m working class. Should I be abandoned in favor of white working class men who are racist and sexist?
Ruining everything is the point. Their goal is to privatize everything and once they do, there will be nothing anyone will be able to do. Very few will control the most important things in our lives. And we might have no recourse to do anything about it.
Two things, Ralph, "far more sinister and difficult to stop" are happening.
And they converge:
1) Putin, and
2) the mass testing in schools so that all understand that they have no questions of their own -- only the testing zombies have questions.
But, too, these living dead have no human questions. Only those that steer more and more to the understanding that in life there are no living human individuals, only more targets for authorities to consign to groups, categories, consumer demographics, and victimization scenarios by which the superior authorities profit, increase power.
“ we would be much worse off if these dopes really knew what they were about. All they’re doing is making a mess of things; like bratty, spoiled children.” [else] “something far more sinister and difficult to stop might be happening.”
Much worse. And IT IS happening.
The tv/reality host/ news idiots are the front-row circus show. They are the distraction filling the news cycle, flooding the zone with shit as steve bannon called for and it’s aptly named. A new admin has a good 4,000 position to fill, i.e. in the first 100 days. Back behind the big tent in the alley and the animal cages, there are scads of pre-vetted bureaucrats hired on. Pre-vetted by project 2025 leaders plus its 100 supporting interest groups, who gathered and screened resumes. This effort created an instant-pop-up-staff with their choice of govt. deputies and next-level people weilding the axes. “And they are now his attack team.” They along with elmo’s doge are feeding every piece of government to the meat grinder to make new sausage. Sausage that Putin and Ohrban et al would be proud of.
This is Not a fool’s paradise at all, but a democracy-razing forest-clearing machine. Damage already done! Not by those bumbling idiots, who are the distraction!
“And if you’re carrying out illegal acts on behalf of Donald Trump, you’re not going to be protected. This also means that they will be very motivated to help subvert or prevent future elections that would put them at risk. We’ve now got to wait 1,370 days to find out if that happens.”
Trump is an unserious man whose only interest is enriching himself and his family. He doesn't give a fig about the country or anything that it stands for. For evidence look no further than the fact that he doesn't know what the Declaration of Independence is about or whether he's required to follow the Constitution. Jeez....
I believe we’re referring to people who hired to be interviewing there and are on the broadcast as “personalities” simply… and mostly because it’s ok that they are unsuitable for the job, unqualified as real anchors … creepy dishonest searching for sensational stuff people … and yes also as you qualify them…
Doesn't it also seem to you that this is part of a deliberate attempt to decapitate the government in the interest of some deeply hidden and shady agenda, about which all we can say is it seems to be composed of greedy, arrogant, wealthy men with the ultimate aim of amassing even more money and power? I've never been a conspiracy theorist, but this is looking more and more like a conspiracy of some sort to me. Sure, "clown show" is easier to grasp, but maybe too easy.
Stephanie, we — the legally registered voters — have two major opportunities to do something important: Exercise our vote in November 2026 and in 2028 — but in between those times, those dates, WE THE PEOPLE, can exercise and demonstrate our displeasure with what’s happening and take to peaceful demonstration in the streets of America — those are now our — THE VOTERS — last two options…educate and motivate others in joining us both TO VOTE and to demonstrate!!!
In the meantime, WE, THE PEOPLE, must hope that our courts and legal systems upholds their responsibility and their independence…and then and after that we’ll very likely need to look to our military for distinguishing between a lawful and an unlawful order.
50501 with several other organizations will hold nation wide rallies on June 14th while Trump is giving himself a birthday bash of a military parade. At this point it's all about numbers. Collectively we have power. Let's outshine the military parade with millions in the streets. And make sure your local newspaper and TV channel puts it on the front page.
I think a Tiananmen Square-like protest, of thousands standing in front of the tanks he wants to parade in DC, would be just the ticket. There's even an ecological side to it: those tanks would be a disaster for the streets of Washington - they had to put the static ones on plywood for the last display - tank treads (even the rubber ones) really do a number on asphalt. And who knows what underground utilities or sinkholes might be discovered when run over by 100 tons.
Don’t forget James; DC also has built a subway network. A pretty extensive and overall well applied one at that. Who knows indeed. Is some sort of ‘class action’ on behalf of the taxpayers of DC and ‘we the people’ possible or in order in some advance of toll to be taken on “our” DC infrastructure ? Thoughts from any are welcome - er, save a few.
Going to be a disaster? I think the word "going" has left the building a long time ago. It appears that we are living through THE DISASTER! And I don't care what anyone says about putting out our hands to welcome all who are now seeing the light, I'm going to say it: "WE TOLD YOU SO!!"
Sure, come on in but how about you go to the back of the line? Yes, yes, I do know that is the wrong way to approach this but if we're going to do "what-about", why can't we expect them to make the overture of reconciliation for the good of the country? Oh, that's right because they are 'right' (far right) & we are wrong!
When sociopaths like Miller use the word ‘illegals’, there’s the not-so-subtle sneer behind the word that racists use openly when they say the N-word for Black folk, or the S-word for Latin folk. As a Jew himself, how he can countenance Trump’s support for White supremacists who profess that “Jews will not replace us” and other horrific ideologies?
The term ‘confederacy of dunces’ does not go far enough.
Nazis work well for me as an umbrella term for all of them.
Sadly, if habeas is relaxed, or cancelled, my comment here can be used to disappear me. Of this I have no doubt.
After he killed the family pet and blacked out all the Barbie’s eyes, I’m guessing.
He’s truly evil. He’s actually doing to Trumo what Trumo did to his Alzheimer’s afflicted dad. Instead of stealing money, he’s stealing power from a demented old man.
Every Friday, there is an anti-Trump visibility action on the busiest street corner in my town. Some guy with a f*ck these idiots sign with an arrow pointing toward the protesters stood next to them, so I made a sign that said f*ck this NAZI with an arrow pointing to him and stood next to him. He sneered at me, but left 10 minutes later :)
Hopefully Pope Leo will call out the administration for all of their cruel and hateful acts mostly against the poor and the disenfranchised.
And also Leonard Leo will continue his campaign against the Trump administration. The Koch Foundation and Leo's umpteen dark money super Pacs determine how the oligarchs feel about Trump tanking the economy and placing total dunces into positions of power.
But it obviously needs to get worse before the Senate and the House will intercede in any way shape or form.
Who would have thought that Rudy Guiliani was sane compared to the current clowns trying to run this shit show?
Apparently, Brian Burch, Trump’s nominee as ambassador to the Vatican and Steve Bannon were both rooting for a Hungarian cardinal called Peter Erdo. ‘He’s what we need right now,’ Tim Busch, president of the conservative Napa Institute in California, told the Times. ‘We need someone who can teach clearly and be strong.’ He had also been backed by Viktor Orbán, and by Cardinal George Pell of Australia, who was convicted of sexual abuse in 2018 (the conviction was overturned on appeal two years later).
Vance has been particulary unfriendly, despite converting to Catholicism in 2019. On Face the Nation, in his first interview as vice president, he said: ‘I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognise that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?’
Yes. There was a report in the Sydney Morning Herald that Pell had worked on a secret mission to elect a conservative candidate for this election having failed to prevent the election of the late Pope Francis. Erdo was apparently the candidate he was supporting. The story is behind a paywall and I have no particular interest in the details.
Where do you hear that Leonard Leo is distraught? The Kochtopus distressed? I just came from Kansas where my nephew in law yearns to work for Chuckie and drives a cyber truck--when it's not in the shop on recall. I heard nothing about it.
I actually saw a cyber truck towing a work trailer yesterday, and its plate indicated it was purchased in the last few months. I cannot fathom how that vehicle is in any way useful.
My prediction is that Heather's Substack will be forbidden by 'law' before July. On account of writing "not so nice things" about the Orange Emperor and his cultists...
Fortunately, she posts on several platforms and is a stone's throw away from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Meanwhile, I hear the budget negotiations are not going very well. Elon's DOGE is a total cluster fuck in every department he has tinkered with. If Pam Bondi didn't have her head so far up Trump's ample derriere she would be prosecuting these clowns.
The budget negotiations are a shit show. Not surprisingly, Elon’s boast about finding trillions in “wastefraudandabuse” was bullshit and some of the representatives and senators from red states are starting to get it through their thick skulls that the cuts already made, and those proposed, have really pissed of their constituents. It’s not that they really care about the pain the gutting of government services has caused, and will cause, they’re just worried that they might not get re-elected and might have to find honest work.
Well said. Once again, in all his arrogance in thinking he's a genius and knows everything better, Mr. Musk overpromised, underdelivered and silently slid out the back door and left other people with the shit he created. He _always_ does that, and I still don't understand why people keep falling for that trick.
In my 70 years, I have never seen such a raging clusterfuck of sheer incompetence, arrogance, disinformation, cruelty and illegality blended together, bringing nothing but chaos and confusion to the process of governing.
In 100 days, the Manchurian Cantalopue has basically surrendered to Putin, made China great again, kicked all our friends in the face, caused investors to start fleeing US Treasuries, sabotaged the world’s best economy and handed over our most personal information to a Nazi-cosplaying, chainsaw-preening imbecile and his army of invisible incels.
Yet in return for destroying the best of government and leaving behind a ticking time bomb of mass dysfunction, the trains won’t run on time and egg prices won’t be falling. We won't end up living in clean, well-managed, authoritarian Singapore, but inside a dirty shithole of a country, where nothing works as it should. Society will consist of a small layer of vicious, unrestrained billionaires doing whatever they please to us, while we just basically try to stay alive, enduring what we must.
Pee Wee German (Stephen Miller) gets his little rocks off by fantasizing about turning our country into a private shithole for his amusement. We must never permit those little masturbatory fantasies of his to become reality.
Yep--as I have said before, Phillip K Dick's The Man in the High Castle seems to be the model for what they want to do. But it is also pretty obvious that the Felon in Chief is no longer (if he ever was) in charge of anything. Not only is he not reading the daily reports or attending daily briefings, he has clearly forgotten the names of many of his cabinet members, including JustaDick Vance--when he calls someone his "great . . . [fill in the blank position] you know he has forgotten his/her name. Miller is even more dangerous because he is in a position that did not require congressional approval. And we hear nothing about the woman who is supposedly the Chief of Staff. I know she likes to operate under the radar, but I wonder if her devotion to her Dear Leader is being upended by the shitshow now occurring.
Apparently governmental power is literally up for grabs. Miller may just get there first. The President says he doesn’t know on many things lately and I believe him.
Miller's money is just pure power and cruelty. He's a sadist and has had trumps ear since before trumps first 4 years. He has a unique relationship with Trump. Not sure how much longer he'll have trumps ear because of the obvious decline of trumps brain but people in the administration know that he's become trumps ultimate spokesperson. He has an incredible amount of power and sway and is a master at pulling trumps strings.
A lot of comparisons have been made to 1930’s Germany and those who ran the show there. Of all the personalities involved in the current regime’s push to “purify” American society being compared to old Nazis, Stephen Miller and Tom Homan top the list. Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS and one of the chief architects of the Final Solution, has been reincarnated as Miller. Miller, with his cold dead eyes and twisted psychopathic view of humanity, could absolutely bring back extermination if given the chance. Homan’s a thug and a bully, a mob enforcer, thick in the neck and between the ears, but the perfect guy to round ‘em all up and get rid of them. History may not repeat, but it certainly rhymes, and right now it’s rhyming like crazy.
Miller is the puppet master, and the current de-facto president. He knows exactly how to pull 47’s strings, and 47, who lives in a demented fog, is more than happy to let him. It frees him from the arduous task of having to make decisions (thus allowing him to skip daily briefing and reading the daily reports) and allows him to spend millions of taxpayer dollars playing golf every weekend. Miller should absolutely be feared.
Miller is Trump’s pick to serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy and the president’s homeland security adviser.
He is Trump’s former adviser and the head of the conservative legal activist group, America First Legal, which served as one of Project 2025’s advisory organizations. Miller was also featured in videos produced by the Heritage Foundation promoting Project 2025.
Regardless, voters did not pass an initiative allowing the President to suspend the Presidential Oath of Office, or determine which parts of the U.S. Constitution he will abide by, and which articles, sections, and amendments he can choose to ignore...
Voters did not pass an initiative suspending or eliminating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, intended to prevent bribery and corruption.
Voters did not pass an initiative to suspend or eliminate 5th Amendment Rights to Due Process.
Voters did not pass an initiative to suspend or eliminate Constitutional Checks and Balances, allowing the Executive Branch to usurp Legislative Branch powers through fraudulent “Emergency Declarations” allowing the President to destabilize the global economy.
Voters did not rescind the Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
Voters ignored the warning signs and they ceded their prerogative by reelecting for President a convicted felon, a traitor, a liar, a thief, a rapist, a con artist, probably a murderer, a kidnapper, and definitely a Soviet-inspired thug.
And, what on earth happened to Howard Lutnick, the so-called Commerce Secretary? After 9/11, as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, he was widely regarded as a mensch—standing by the families of his fallen colleagues and resurrecting a firm devastated by tragedy. Now, he has devolved into a cringeworthy embarrassment, offering incoherent trade commentary and presenting a public persona that is nothing short of appalling and disgusting. There isn't one worthy person in trump's cabal - the lineup of incompetence and evil is stunning.
I would also like to know who "we" are. Clearly the tinpot dictator isn't making the decisions. He doesn't even know if he has to follow the Constitution. But he's still all in with the cruelty, racism, and retribution. Oh, and making boatloads of money for himself. The rest of us can eat cake.
Stephen Miller simply has to go. I am not wishing him harm, but his evil influence is so inhumane and immoral that he should NEVER have been allowed to have any official role in government.... and yet here we are. -- A nightmare among many other Trump appointed nightmares. Have we reached some in the GOP will reject some of the worst of the worst (as detailed in tonight's Letter)? I can't wait for the tipping point when the public and at least a few of the Republicans in the House and Senate publicly recognize that the Emperor has no clothes.
You're much more generous than I am, reg. Miller. That creature genuinely creeps me out, he makes my skin crawl. I honestly feel sick just thinking about him.
He should only “go” to prison, which is where he belongs. But as T is letting him run govt of his behalf, he won’t be touchable until T’s cognitive decline makes him utterly unable to utter a thought”
It’s hard to put into words the anxiety and political whiplash this regime is causing so many of us. I’ve heard that some Republicans might be starting to turn on 47, though not nearly fast enough. We have to keep standing up for what's right and keep resisting. We can't let this continue for nearly four more years. It's overwhelming. Trying to explain to my family in Germany why I’m still here is tough. I've lived in the U.S. longer than I ever lived there, and I used to love it here. Now, every day, I wake up wondering, will I be next?
What don’t people get about that Trump is a Narcissistic Personality Disorder Sociopath. He is mentally ill. He cannot change and couldn’t be convinced that he needs help. Don’t believe me or his niece get the DSM-5 and look it up. They could put his photo next to the list of attributes of which he has every one. Yo wouldn’t fly with a pilot like this or have neurosurgery with a physician like this. Why do you trust him with our government?!!! He would have no trouble burning the whole United States down and not give a damn. They only care about themselves.
Donold never gave a damn and he's already in the process of burning the U.S. down. He will, of course, continue to blame this all on Biden & Obama, because it's always their fault for everything that's going wrong in his twittering, twisted, sadistic mind.
I believe the dementia has surpassed the narcissism. He does not seem to care about anything but playing golf and running an occasional talk show from the bedazzled Oval Office. Everything else has been fully handed off to the least qualified persons he could find to do the job.
Hopefully the tipping point for impeachment comes soon. We need hearings where MAGAts are forced to watch what an absolutely blithering idiot TFG has devolved to.
I probably should have said "Republicans" rather than "MAGAts". You are correct that his true core will never change, but I still believe that those outside the core can be swayed.
When J. D. Vance mandated his version of religion, the Vatican rebuked him.
Vance declared love as something the superior among us can rank in correct orders. The Vatican said no, no categories. The American cardinal who would become Pope Leo added, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Our schools, however, still see all life as something testing can abstract by its groups and categories. Good test takers accept how elites rule by categories which they manage, and reduce all life to simple causality in linearity 1-2-3.
Thanks to rule by testing, the schools of the U.S. and much of the world have largely abandoned our being open to more personal essaying and humanities – our being open to each other by the standards of artists among us. The schools have instead accepted our being besieged by elites like Vance who would rather they group, package, and manage us.
I say thank you to genuine Christians who yet favor the original meaning of catholic (lower case “c”) for a world where all stand equal regardless of nationality, race, gender, skin color, or elite (or not) education.
Disclaimer. 61 years ago, in high school, I took another of the standardized tests we had then. This time I just penciled-in the letter B for every question. Next day a counselor asked me to take the test again. It was important, he said. He was a good guy, so I humored him. Turned out that test paid my tuition for the full four undergrad years at one of the world’s best universities.
WOW, I recall times when I kinda got an inkling to do what you did — darken in just the B or C for each question…sadly, I’ll never know how rewarding — or not so rewarding — that might have proven to have been!
When others always ask the questions, Amy, is there any way we cease being serfs?
And when their questions always skew to seeing nothing but groups everywhere, nothing but categories -- and all in idiot linear-only progression -- is there any way we avoid packaging ourselves?
You post this as if it is an indication of a positive trend:
"Americans now disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies by 53% to 46%."
After experiencing all the horror and chaos of these 100+ days-nearly half!! of Americans still think that the administration's fascistic harassment of immigrants is a good thing. Poor grades for American democracy (and I don't mean the politicians).
I distrust the orange monster AND his repug cult members — and tillis — SO much that I think it’s very possible that they planned this whole thing to happen. I have never been a conspiracy-minded person in my life, but these failed humans who have taken over my country have pushed me into thinking that way. I think pee 2025 is working out just as it’s been planned for years and years, and tub o’ lard is just the moronic distraction they’ve been waiting for. That said, I’m ready to fight against the takeover. My reps and senators, even though I would never vote for them, are getting an earful every.single.day.
Just rereading Dark Money. This is all out of the evil Charles Koch playbook and has been decades in the making. All of it, destroy the government. Make it work for the billionaires only in protecting their money and property rights. That's it. No regulations, a free for all with corporate pollution, no empathy for anyone, no social programs, no education, no medicare,, no social security. Screw the poor, the elderly, immigrants, women, everyone not lily white. Nothing. Koch friend Richard Mellon Scaife has been spending huge amounts of money to back The Heritage Foundation (Project 2025) for decades.
Koch and others have surreptitiously bought many members of Congress over the years. Makes me think that, rather than fear of retribution by Trump, the most right wing "bought" members are paying back their owners, the way Trump is paying back Musk for buying him the presidency and keeping him out of prison. Their owners don't want them to stop the destruction.
And the courts, too . White rich guys can't win by playing on a level playing field so they cheat. Sigh, there are so many who are so willing to abet them . End citizens United!
ButKoch is now not happy with the chaos and as Heather describes there is no playbook anymore: there is cruelty, chaos, deceit, incompetence and self-aggrandizement. At what point will those who want a functioning economy and a passive populace get mad enough at the idiots in charge to start cleaning up their mess? Not that we will like what they see as a functional government, but how far can the Destruction of Government Effectiveness be allowed to go before they get nervous about incompetent anarchy?
Yeah, as Heather describes in her talks on Facebook and YouTube there are several playbooks competing. Tech bro meet Project 2025 meet White Christian Nationalists. Koch may not be happy with the chaos and incompetence but much of what they are doing is right out of his playbook, destroying the government and most of the departments that serve the poor, women, the elderly, education, environment, etc.
Fascinating reading about Scaife here (died 2014). Stakeholder in Newsmax media.
“… private, nonprofit foundations he controlled: the Sarah Scaife Foundation, Carthage Foundation, and Allegheny Foundation, and until 2001, the Scaife Family Foundation, now controlled by son David.”
He feared “the general trend towards liberalism in America would lead not just to inferior public policy but to the annihilation of American civilization.“ Attaboy. Looks like he contributed to that annihilation all on his own.
Maybe the most worrying thing is the politico report that the President has only had 12 intelligence briefings, and doesn’t read his PDB. We’ve got quite a lot of world events right now which are worrying, top of the list might be India-Pakistan. The number one responsibility of an American President (to me) is to keep the country safe. That doesn’t just mean borders and border patrols, but cybersecurity and being able to prevent regional escalations that will inevitably draw us in at some point, and most importantly using backchannels to de-escalate them before they get worse. Truly, America “Alone” has lost its soft power as it clearly doesn’t seek to use any (if there is any residual goodwill left after the last three months).
He doesn't care. He's out of jail, playing golf, and going on talk shows. He spouts whatever the latest visitor to the Oval has said to him. Everything else is handled by the puppets, led by Grand Vizer Miller.
If he would have stood in front of his crowds and said “elect me so I can stay out of prison and enrich myself” they still would have voted for him. They don’t care about anything but hate even while they lose their jobs or can’t afford groceries anymore.
this latest article contains events and information that if it is known to heather and it is known to her Readers that it is surely known to the Republicans in our Congress. Yet the Republicans do nothing. They standby. They watch Rome burn. The Republican Party was the party of law and order the party of foreign policy. The party of spend less. The Republican Party was never and has never been this! When will the Republican Party admit that Maga is its own exclusive cancerous branch of the Republican Party? Mitch McConnell has 1 foot into the realm of living without a body. While he still has a body that can breathe and talk and think when will he rise up and be a Kentuckian and an American citizen that we can be proud of? When will he say enough is enough?
“January 6th was a disgrace. American citizens attacked their own government. They use terrorism to try to stop a specific piece of domestic business they did not like. Fellow Americans beat and bloodied our own police. They tried to hunt down the Speaker of the House. They built a gallows and chatted about murdering the vice president. They did this because they’d been fed wild, falsehoods by the most powerful man on earth because he was angry he lost an election.”—Mitch McConnell, Feb. 2021. Meaningless words from a gutless man who couldn’t find the courage, or patriotism, to convict Trump.
Well yeah. Remember, the House did convict. TWICE. But the Senate, and specifically Mitch, failed to REMOVE rump from office. First time, Senate didn’t think russiagate offense [was bad enough to remove him from office. ]
Second time, for 1/6 as you describe, Mitch rationalized, eeeeuuuuhhhh, rump is going out of office now, so removal is just symbolic, and rump will never run again and if he did run there’s no chance he’d be reelected (whereas a removal vote by the Senate would make him ‘not eligible’ to run again).
Damn us all how these two non-removals have come back to kick the Republican party in the ass, along with all of us, and brought our country to this moment, with their INACTION.
No, but he's a bit more of a wild card these days. I think he has some regrets and he's got nothing to lose since he's retiring. I'll grant you it may still be a long shot, but I wouldn't count out the possibility altogether. 🤞
He has had a moment or two of clarity, but his overriding power-hungry stance on “one chance to get our agenda passed after 40 years of trying” won out every time. A deal with the devil as I think more than Mitch are dancing with…
The Trump administration now has at least 24 Fox News personalities in positions of responsibility. It's being run like a reality show rather than like a serious government.
The results are going to be disastrous.
<satire>I hired a plumber the other day, he didn’t have any tools or experience, but he looked strong and was really cute.</satire> What could go wrong?
Stephen Miller is not really cute. So he doesn't qualify.
If I saw him on the street, I would suggest someone check his basement for kidnap victims.
Don’t forget the shed out back.
Yikes. As McDonald’s goes, “I’m Likin’ it.” I can’t wait for the whole USA implodes. Blow the whole frecken nation up. Kill it. Stomp it out. Watch all the oligarchs go down the shitholes of their own making. I’m in Florence, Italy. I could make it here as a street musician on the Ponte Vechio,lol. Frick the US of A.
Bill, I seem to recall a recent negative comment from you about panhandlers, lol.
Honestly, it's terrific for you to be outside the country -- good for you! I myself hope to be rightfully deemd eligible for Canadian citizenship one day soon. But your schafenfreude about those of us who remain here is unkind. Direct your "frecken" implosion at the source of our troubles (and I'll give you a big hint here: it's not Joe Biden's immigration policy.)
Bill Katz. This is unfortunately a terrible indictment of our make believe government. They have wrecked our country. We must take it back.
Unless you have EU residency you will need to leave after 90 days.
Wow Bill. OK then. I don’t know you but I’m not sure what to say to x, y, z, and “ I’m in Florence, Italy. I could make it here as a street musician on the Ponte Vechio,lol. Frick the US of A.”
Keep calm, carry on... vacation is there to relax. Turn the phone off, hug your loved ones and eat as much pasta as you possibly can... just sayin'
In Florence? Try a restaurant La Giostra, I think that's the name. "Carousel" in Italian
gee, thanks
Every time a child gets health care he tears wings off of flies. I see a curated collection of wingless flies stockpiled next to his crypt.
Or worse! (In the basement)
Someone big and strong and rough and tough, I hope.
He is very scary!
But he does look like the nazi he is.
Him and Vance. If an elevator door opened and either were in it, I’d take the stairs.
They look completely soulless. I’m not that religious but these two remind me of the Omen and Damian with the completely soulless eyes.
I heard the most disturbing thing about Miller in collage. I hope it is not true because sleeping would be lessened to think he’s in power. He would throw things on the floor of the cafeteria and demand janitors pick it up. We elected this?
I didn’t read Hillbilly elegy and think, here’s a person who overcame poverty. I read it as someone who hated his family and was ashamed, zero empathy. But I guess that’s a requirement for this administration. A government demands leaders to have empathy or else it’s not willing to lead anyone.
Marcus, I picked up Hillbilly Elegy, hoping to get some insight into that part of the country. What I got was a lot of complaining and a decidedly regressive bent. The book infuriated me.
I was given that book as a Christmas present, as it was popular that year. I respect books, but remember that I had to force myself to finish it and wanted to throw it in the trash. I didn't, as I respect books. But I know I was among the minority who thought it WAS trash.
I not only read the book when it was first published, and felt afterwards that a bag of Nacho Doritos had more substance, I also heard him speak at a fundraising breakfast for a nonprofit that served the local unhoused community. I had hoped he would expand on the unfulfilling conclusion of the book, but he was just as vapid and vague in person as he was on paper.
Yes, we have Cheetos as president and Nacho Doritos as veep, and both leave real icky residue on your fingers.
You can use it to press leave stand flowers...
Kind of like beating swords into plowshares. I like it.
No reason to keep it. None.
Yes yes yes, Marcus!
I got the same impression from that book. I also recall how he didn't fit in the lawyer realm and he needed his wife to steer him. He's 100% a wannabee but never will. Same feeling over Miller's eyes.
Observing their public behaviour, I agree that he needs his wife to steer him.
Kash Patel, too. Every time I see his photo, he looks like a maniac.
To me he looks like an "immigrant" thug.
Never fear, I’m sure Hillbilly Elegy is an actual fantasy and not something that really happened. Does Miller come from a monied family or is he just a sociopath?
Marcus, your first paragrapgh! Yes! 😂😂😂
Constance, Stephen Miller looks like the Nazi ghoul that he is. A lot of what we are seeing reeks of him. Death star is just a puppet.
Oh, boy you hit the nail on the head with that statement. Close your eyes, picture him with a Hitler Haircut & glasses. What do you see? Heinrich Himmler? That mealy mouthed chicken farmer of the 3rd Reich who led people to slaughter like his chickens.
If you have ever looked into handwriting analysis, you would have seen that tramp's signature bears the same style as Herr Himmler.
I read an analysis of his signature and couldn’t find any sign it was actually his name. Considering he appears most illiterate, maybe dyslexic, I saw it as an art drawing of what he thought his name would look like.
No one looks more like a Nazi than Stephen Miller.
Stephen Miller is the one who developed the Zero Tolerance plan of taking children away from their parents at the border, and deliberately not keeping records so they could not be reunited. Babies as young as 10 months who were still nursing were separated. About a thousand are still not reunited. I can’t think of anything more evil than that. He looks like a Nazi to me. This was in Trump’s first term.
Oliver Kornetzke has posted on facebook an amazing, extended riff on Miller. Some samples:
"Let this sink in—truly sink in: we are witnessing the collapse of American democracy not at the hands of some foreign invader or cartoon villain, but by the greasy, pallid hands of homegrown saboteurs like Stephen f-ing Miller—an individual so devoid of warmth, humanity, or intellectual honesty that he might as well be the first known case of sentient mildew."
"Stephen Miller is not just vile. He’s architecturally vile. Purpose-built for inhumanity. A man whose soul is so withered, so fundamentally septic, you can smell the formaldehyde of his presence through a television screen. Imagine if a Cold War propaganda poster and a bucket of mayonnaise had a baby, and that baby was raised entirely on Mein Kampf, Ayn Rand, and rejection."
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1B8Sf1dtPQ/
OMG... What a gift for words.
Peewee German.
His bite is worse than his bark.
Taking children away from their parents at the border is a pretty cruel bite, and keeping no records so they couldn’t be reunited
Yes, and as in Trump's first presidency very young unaccompanied children are being required to attend immigration courts with no adult representation or assistance. Do you remember Trump's then AG, Jeff Sessions, citing the bible to justify the separation of families?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-hV67w6oYA
He looks like a higher-up in a movie about Nazi Germany.
He does look like someone out of the castings for a nome or warlock or commandant in a rendition of the Hunger Games. A little hump in his back, twist of his nose and lips, and spital would improve his credentials for the End Game coming to DC.
Why not? He qualified for Opus Dei. What could go wrong?
Stephen Miller has missing parts. Wierd does sum it up nicely.
what do you mean? you don’t think those dead soulless eyes are attractive?
As much as I hate to gauge folks on their appearance, in his particular case one must make an exception. He's creepy.
<true story, not satire> Our agency was housed in a small office building on a nicely landscaped city lot. The "yard man" retired and our office manager was tasked with hiring a new landscape service. Without consulting anyone, she hired a woman who quoted the lowest estimate. On her first day, she showed up in a spaghetti-strapped sundress and sandals. She came inside and asked the office manager to borrow a pair of scissors, which she took outside and began snipping off the tips of shrubbery. Her boyfriend was supposed to arrive later to mow the lawn.
The agency owner arrived and observed a woman in a sundress snipping leaves off a shrub. He came inside and asked the office manager what was going on outside. After hearing the explanation, he exploded.
I picture Donald Trump in a spaghetti-strapped sundress with a pair of scissors.
I just threw up in my mouth at that visual. Need eye bleach......
LOL! Sorry! I should have included a warning clause.
🤣
Ugh! What a disgusting picture! 🫣
<also satire> Ditto my brain surgeon - boy did he rock those scrubs!
And he had a guest spot on Oprah, so he must be the BEST!
lauriemcf, 🤣🥴😩
That's funny. My wife told her friends, I was the right guy because I had a tool belt and knew how to use it.
Keep an eye on Stephen Miller, that guy is dangerous, devious, and lusting for power. He's also working his way up the White House food chain, and getting closer to the nuclear codes. I'm dead serious...What could go wrong?
Did your mother never tell you?
Mayybe he slept at a Holiday Inn last night.
Well, if he's cute & strong what other qualifications could you possibly need??
I know that the few times I needed a contractor that was top of my list of requirements. So his tool belt only container WD-40 & 🦆 tape! 😁 At least I could enjoy the view!!!
Only the best people!
… STDs?
You didn't have to indicate satire. We could figure it out.
Or maybe not.
If it were just the Fox 24, Scott, it would be but a laughable Keystone Cops.
But it's much worse than that. Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, and Kristi Noem are ultimately just serving Putin as they engineer the destruction of the U.S. government.
It's not merely the orange felon flagrantly enriching himself, but Putin's much more sinister schemes in play.
Ultimately. America's oligarchs think they will reap additional billions out of this, and some are, apparently, but they are winning a battle by losing the war, and taking us with them if they do.
Professor Richardson: "Today. Immigration and Customs agents arrested Newark, N.J. Mayor RAS BARAKA.
On Friday at 7:08 PM Eastern, Chris Hayes was hosting a Professor at the University Michigan, lawyer and author, LEAH LITMAN, who provided LIVE legal analysis of the arrest of the Mayor of Newark by 20 unidentified, masked, flak jacket wearing burly men apparently from "HSI".
The Congress persons LAMONICA MCIVER & R. MENEDEZ Jr, are percipient witnesses.
NBC News then posted: "BREAKING White House: Actively looking at suspending Habeas Corpus" quoting Stephen Miller announcing Trump 2.0's next clueless step which is off the tracks already.
STAY ALERT & Go Deeper:
Professor Litman's new book, 'LAWLESS', published by Simon & Schuster will be out this Weekend. "How the Supreme Court runs on conservative grievance, fringe theories & bad vibes". Check the incisive Professor out.
*****
Last night after watching Chris Hayes' coverage, I got a lift from FRAZEY FORDS's [new to me] slow version and master cover of "Lovers in a Dangerous Time":
🎶 When your Lovers in a dangerous time,
You're made to feel your loves a crime,
Nothin' good comes without a fight,
You gotta kick at the Darkness until it bleeds Daylight🎶
🎶 When your lovers in a dangerous time ... 🎶
Frazey; 'she's so heavy'.
“ You’re” maybe?
A nuance.
I am actually ... 'love actually'.
They might do well to think about how many Russian oligarchs have fallen out of windows when they became inconvenient to Putin.
🤞Hoping against all hope, Mary.
Possibly. But after WW2, some German industrial barons continue to do well. To this very day the remaining French landed aristocracy still receives substantial support from their government, much to the dismay of other EU members.
The structures of power are complex, fragile, difficult to replace entirely.
Bill, excellent insight. I personally do not believe in revolutions which often exchange one set of parasite for another behaving the same, but calling themselves something different. And yes, some of the elite manage to survive no matter what they have done.
The history of revolutions promises little if anything. It’s by far on the side of the worst results. There seem to be a lot of reasons for that. One is simply human nature. Power, wealth and influence alter psychology. A person’s perception and indeed their personality is not a fixed thing. Although it’s easy to falsely imagine that it is. A person can come to resemble what they most strenuously oppose.
Another issue is that folks seem to like big labels for others. Just now there’s a lot of noise around people with money. I guess if I had any, I’d have good reason to become fearful, even if I hadn’t done anything that should warrant it.
Then there’s the great sea of propaganda we all swim in. It blankets every region of the globe with more than 4 or 5 people per square mile. It seems human to want or need to believe things are as they are not. I suspect in groups it impossible for things to be otherwise.
Likely it’s just me. I’m habituated to attempting to point out what seems to be the most obvious. Please excuse my running on this way.
Bill, no excuse needed. Thank you for your response.
SCOTUS at best will only respond in a “decisive” manner (so when do lawyers ever become decisive?) when they see massive response from the polity (that’s me & you & lots more). The reason for this should have long ago become clear to a very large group of people, liberals if you will, who routinely appealed to that body over several decades now to right wrongs. Admittedly, this is a harder slog.
Along the way there are those impulsive personalities who feel that sudden and inevitably violent action is required. These groups are not to be dismissed. They provide urgency.
SCOTUS must see set all about them massive public repudiation of all measures undertaken by this criminal Administration.
If you cannot find a larger group, go to public venues with a handful of people. Document it, publish and make yourself heard every day and everywhere. Be prepared. If you can, find attorney(s) that will support you. And, most importantly, when confronted don’t comply in advance. Resist.
Not all revolutions are the shooting kind, but yes, it's a long shot and best avoided unless there is just no reasonable choice.
Large corporations survive nations, which is perhaps why the politicians we elected to act to take care of the nation and its citizens reveal MUCH more interest in taking care of the owners of large corporations.
But.... I am cautiously exuberant that media people like Joe Rogin are filling in the MAGA voters with the scary truth. Might they reverse their support?
Rogan will do whatever the ratings say. It’s unfortunate. If America sways away, he’ll sway away. Anyone whose livelihood depends on an audience will give them what they want. What would be great is if Dads taught their sons truth and being a real man demands that you take responsibility …. Something these “tough guys” seem unable to do.
Duffy blames Buttigieg, Trumo blames everyone, Hegseth blames little green men, they all blame the media, Miller blames the actual Constitution…..none have the balls to step up.
The fact they are running around like rock stars on the public dime and NOT doing their jobs should make them a target of Big Balls, right?
Duffy, while catering to musk and trying to install starlink, is going to get hundreds of people killed. And I’m guessing, do some squats and some curls and then hide and take out his blamethrower. Such a real man.
Marcus, another excellent post this am. Thank you.
trump is such a schoolyard bully, and his cabinet is so far over their head he/they cannot fathom the consequences....
Maybe he is reading the polls on the approval of the scumbag president and sensing his own numbers dropping and needed to make adjustments. I don't think any honesty will come out of this guy Stephanie.
Yes. Remain cautious.
Have relatives in South Dakota. The Gnome is getting an honorary degree today (?). Students have been told that they cannot have anti Gnome material on their hats or protest her in any way or they will be removed. I would be tempted to get my diploma in the mail. There will be protests outside the building. I will be interested to see what happens when she runs out of money.
They can alway turn their backs to that hot mess.
And Stephen Miller is at the lead of this along with all of the authors of project 2025.
That is probably true, but it in no way mitigates trump's role in everything that happens under his administration.
The fascist GOP majority in Congress is equally responsible because they are avoiding taking votes to take back their duties to control the purse and the economy, including setting the terms for tariffs.
They are voting by inaction and are acquiescing to everything trump and his thugs are doing.
What's up with the federal law enforcement personnel covering their faces? It is diabolical and is meant to intimidate the public, they should be required to be unmasked with identification of the agencies they represent and their badge number readable from at least ten feet.
I think trump will refuse to comply with Supreme Court orders very soon.
This is the coup trump dreamed to accomplish on J6.
Furthermore, how dare the republicans not legislate, not work while my tax dollars are paying their salary!!
I truly believe the same thing!
Miller bided his time, and here we are today.
You nailed it, CC.
Agreed! Read Jean Guerrero's excellent book "Hate Monger".
Bought.
Exactly Phil Balla.
Phil. TRUE
That subplot is being overrun these days, Phil. We cannot lose sight of that.
I remember senior members of the German private sector and military services regretting that they had not assassinated Hitler when they had the chance to do so in the mid-1930s. I wonder if the same dilemma is emerging here. 🤔
https://nedmcdletters.blogspot.com/2016/05/letter-116-b-getting-historical.html 😳
An awful thing for me to say, but I am really spooked by Trump's dash for dictatorship and how things will unfold. Are drastic measures, including those plainly against Mosaic law, ever justified? I shudder to think, yet the question lingers. 🤢
Is anyone else going through what I am? This thought is disturbing and distressing me.😱
History has a morbid punchline Ned, those who dare to lead with vision - Lincoln with emancipation, Kennedy with civil rights - get taken out by gunfire, while grifters like tRump, who mistake cruelty for strength and corruption as strategy, somehow waddle through impeachments, indictments, and scandal after scandal untouched like cockroaches in a nuclear blast. As Orwell warned, “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable”.
Hello Kazz.... DJT is known as 'Teflon Don'... He is Shameless, and nothing Sticks to DJT... I notice that DJT is starting to Squirm.... Kash Patel will be Blamed for Russian, and Chinese Cyber Intrusions, Elon Musk will be blamed for the Destruction of the USG, Scott Bessent for the Tariffs, RFK, Jr for the next Pandemic... Meanwhile DJT will ooze into the Bless of Dementia while sheltering in Lifelong Secret Service Protection, and USG provided Health-Care... Pray For Divine Justice...
Hello Apache, yes the Teflon Don is nothing but a turd rolled in glitter. I saw a meme today of him dressed as ‘The Poop’ - someone had expertly doctored his ‘Pope’ image to him dressed as a giant poop complete with poop hat. It helps to laugh. I think Divine Justice is brewing in the wings - the world is full of brilliant and powerful humanitarians who are revolted and offended by this “Presidency”. The appointment of Pope Leo was no doubt strategic, other international, anti-trump initiatives I’m sure will follow. Remember, the good guys always win.
“Turd rolled in glitter” — I like that metaphor.
Kazz, I am smiling at your turd rolled in glitter remark. I also saw the The Poop meme. i was elated by this selection of this Pope.
Yes Michelle, there’s every reason to be hopeful.
Yes, all that glitters is not gold and certainly does not blow white smoke.
Pope Leo XIII made a clear stand against the the mercantile mechanics of exploitation of (wo)man, beast, and flora. May Pope Leo XlV do the same. Though no longer a Xian and likely NOT returning to the fold, this pontiff can be an agent of the good through calling Trump out as well as setting an example of strength through humility and beneficence.
https://nedmcdletters.blogspot.com/2014/05/letter-98-just-what-is-human-dignity.html
EDIT P.S., well, Kazz, you breathed spirit into this sub-thread!
That is my hope. It is weird how some of the most sociopathic events in human history, slavery, torture and genocide have been rationalized as "God"s will". I note that the Christian "Great Commandment" is stated to be "love God" and "thy neighbor". Yesterday I saw two women in sweatshirts that said "Essentials" "Fear God". Months ago I saw a person toting a huge sign on a street-corner which said only "Fear God". It has seemed to me that there is a huge difference between those who favor using fear to shape society vs those who favor love; and yeas a number of the most salient examples, including Jesus, have been murdered by self-righteous murderers.
From a 2003 Pail Krugman column:
"Why does our president condone the swaggering and contemptuous approach to our friends and allies this administration is fostering, including among its most senior officials? Has 'oderint dum metuant' really become our motto?" So reads the resignation letter of John Brady Kiesling, a career diplomat who recently left the Foreign Service in protest against Bush administration policy.
"Oderint dum metuant" translates, roughly, as "let them hate as long as they fear." It was a favorite saying of the emperor Caligula, and may seem over the top as a description of current U.S. policy. But this week's crisis in U.S.-Mexican relations — a crisis that has been almost ignored north of the border — suggests that it is a perfect description of George Bush's attitude toward the world."
Fear has a function, but isn't fear and hate the problem, not the solution?
Pope Leo XIV was chosen by the rest of the world. I’m afraid it will take the rest of the world to get rid of this crazy Project 2025 regime.
https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2F24d99snslvye1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1179%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3Da401e6a90fcf3b5e3df63593ae133cf2712c2d25
Orange clearly deflected the blame for tariffs onto Bessent today. Responsibility for tariffs is clearly that of Congress. If I were Bessent, I’d be hunting for the exit, before I find myself hauled up on criminal charges.
This won’t end well for Ol’ Scott.
Bessent himself is just a tool. I hope his career ends soon. Preferably would like to see him in jail
I suspect that, deep down inside, Bessent hopes his new career ends soon.
The last show-biz oriented big liar in the Oval Office to be dubbed "Teflon" was Reagan, who, while more business-like than Trump got the ball rolling in his direction. The press, that typically showed a deference they lacked for Nixon repeatedly referred to him as "The Great Communicator" and "The Teflon President".
It seems to me that Lincoln was a much better communicator than Reagan, but TV-commercial pitch-talk has become our NewSpeak.
Hello J L ... I'm not a Reagan Fan, but he did a few Good Things... Reagan was also Governor of California... Reagan Governed California... DJT doesn't know how to manage anything... DJT only knows how to grab the Spot-Light... Reagan would also Govern by compromising with the Democrats in Congress... DJT doesn't know how to Govern... DJT currently is Governing by Dubious Fiats... For Communicators, I would Rank JFK above Reagan... Reagan could 'Soothe', JFK could 'INSPIRE'!!!...
A perfect front-man; walking gas-light.
Kazz, the song by Dion from the 60s come to mind: "Abraham, Martin and John"
"He freed a lot of people/but it seems the good die young/I'm just looking around, and he's gone."
Words which will never be said about djt Orwell was so prophetic.
We have been here before; somehow we have always navigated our way through the maelstroms . . . barely. The M.A.G.A.s and their ugly ilk will always be around. We need to keep on trucking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pafY6sZt0FE
Kazz, your correct and passionate description of deflecting every possible legal remedies against him that would have prevented the tragedy we all are going through now, it's a show of how inadequate the democratic system of government is to confront existential threats. We knew we'll be confronted with a life or death situation and and our reaction didn't bring any solution. If we have another chance, and based on this experience, we need to either not to go by the book so much or fix the books legally through Congress. We can't repeat the same mistakes twice.
Hello Ricardo... We need to Fix-Congress-First, and then the Supreme-Court... DJT thrives by exploiting the Weaknesses in the American System by using other People's $$$ to Corrupt the Legal System...
It's not only the Legal System that it's corrupted, it's everything Apache. But that's not surprising or unexpected to people like us, the problem was that that we didn't have the tools and if we had them, we didn't use them to prevent the currentsituation, we pretended doing the right thing for four years with no results. Definitely we need to gain control of the chamber of Representatives and if possible the Senate, if we are going to have an election at all instead of Martin Law or Insurrection Act. Thanks for your reply.
Hello Ricardo.... "we pretended doing the right thing for four years with no results".... The last bout of Congressional Reform was Post-Watergate... The DNC Democrats became corrupted with Bill Clinton's Triangulation, and Big-Donor Chase... Obama for the most part. abandoned his 2007-2008 promises... That started laying the Groundwork for MAGA... Time For Real Reform....
I sincerely hope you are wrong. I fear, however and along your lines, that an arch champion of chattel slavery may have been correct in his post-mortem of the Roman Republic.
“The [500-year] Republic had in reality ceased to exist long before the establishment of the [Roman] Empire. The interval was filled by ferocious, corrupt, and bloody factions. There was, indeed, a small but patriotic body of eminent individuals who struggled in vain to correct abuses and to restore the government to its . . . purity, and who sacrificed their lives in their endeavors to accomplish and object so virtuous and noble.”
--John C. Calhoun, ‘A Disquisition on Government’; 1848.
Ned, although similar, our situation is different. The Romans were tying to preserve the Republc and we are trying to preserve Democracy. The problem is that we should play by the book as much as possible and within the Rule of Law, but by doing so we put the whole system at risk of being destroyed, maybe forever. We spent four years trying legal maneuvers to no avail. That's what we have to fix if we have another chance. Thanks for your reply 👍
Ricardo, you have described how President Lincoln must have felt when faced with much the same dilemma. Thank you for a well thought comment.
Love the reference to cockroaches in a nuclear blast - I'll have to borrow that one!
So well said Kazz....short and to the point. I so admire that skill....
For sure.
Follow the power, follow the money; from a whole systems prospective.
As well as cruelty his pleasure; show-time villainy his treasure; and, his unpopulatity his measure. Thank you for a more detached view from down-under, Kazz.
I share your distress, Ned; trying to process the awful political reality contrasted with the need to carry on the "business as usual" of every day life leaves me with feelings I can't even adequately express.
Dina, I feel the same way.
People should be alarmed by the actions committed by the federal government at every level. I saw Timothy Snider saying that he expects trump and his henchmen to engineer some kind of event like Crystal Nacht instigated and carried out by the NAZIs.
You're not alone Ned. It distresses me more that we have to wait till this gets to a critical mass before it changes and one must wonder what will be left in the rubble. *All appearances though, tfg is scarcely at the head; Looks more like the coalition misdirecting the actions loosely from above tfg and perhaps the coalition is at odds.
"Amy McKinnon of Politico reported today that Trump has sat for only 12 “daily” intelligence briefing sessions since he took office, and does not read his written daily intelligence report."
This is not some like of criminal mastermind "Professor Moriarty" working here. Trump is loud and visible, and somehow projects a daring bad-boy persona to his fanatical followers; but his accomplishments are mostly sabotage.
He may not in fact be working for Putin, but he might as well be. And the oligarchs? Seems like oligarchs are oligarchs wherever you go; whatever the political cover.
I think the fact of the matter is that Trump doesn't give a shit about anything but being in the limelight and accruing more money.
And grabbing pussy, laurie?
Need to include that because its whole point was only to prove to himself, over and over, that he could be transgressive, always flouting decency, flouting others -- always superior, always in contempt of everything and everyone.
The more he's "in the limelight," the more the rest of us are in darkness.
Isn't that the way with testing, standardized testing? The testers couldn't care less about us. They see us only as interchangeable units of groups they devise. They never ask any human questions. Only those that machines can answer and tabulate for more group labeling.
Do we deserve this orange felon? -- we who let our schools be taken over by the living dead?
Hello Phil... And Who invented the 'Reality Shows'?... Why were we so infatuated with them?... I've led Men in War... The Best Teams were those that Functioned Best as a Team... Think of it as a Conductor leading a Symphony... Those Teams where it was 'Dog-Eating-Dog' invariably did not do Well... DJT Doesn't Really Lead, He Just Grabs The Baton, And Spot-Light...
Nicely and cogently stated, Phil. You are most fortunate to be in Japan. Japan has her faults, to be sure, but she shows the rest of us how to learn and to grow inwardly.
Has it not been the will of the oligarchs to sway schools to churn out humans as tightly specified interchangeable, disposable parts? As you would for a machine? They want to replace us with machines, but were necessary, turn us into machines. Silicon or carbon, so long as it maximizes profit.
Plus he is one lazy sob. And his peer group replicates the techniques used in coercive and control programs in places like China (especially under Mao), Russian and North Korea.
And fascist states, which he has been reported to admire. Trump's whims uber alles.
JL, the same sentence caught my attention. My response was that while Donald exhibits toddler-like misbehaviors, as many claim, his actual mentality is that of an eight-year-old, approximately.
There are other factors involved (such as staying out of prison), but when you take a comprehensive view of Donald's performance as "president," it is very much like a pre-adolescent pretending to be president. He sits around making sweeping gestures and intoning imperious pronouncements, but doesn't do any actual work. When his ignorance is exposed, or the destructive consequences of his incompetence are brought to light, he blames others, just like a boy caught in an act of vandalism.
This is not the behavior of a grown-ass man, but that of an eight-year-old boy ... or an elderly geezer in severe mental decline who is reverting to his boyhood.
There is too much known evidence that Donald owes Putin by way of loans from Putin's associates. But I doubt that Putin actually wants to take command of the U.S. We don't have anything he wants. His aim is to neutralize U.S. power to counteract his imperialism into Europe. Donald's "Sewer Clowns" (thanks, Jeff Tiedrich) are doing a splendid job of turning the U.S. into a useless, powerless wasteland.
In her book "Autocracy, Inc.," Applebaum explores how oligarchs and authoritarian regimes may be collaborating across borders, forming a network that undermines democracy worldwide.
Trump is not really dashing for dictatorship. Girth Vader is simply too lazy. Yet his macho mouth provides a convenient cover for those doing that dash unto death. Thank you, J. L. https://youtu.be/BICqcEvzhVw
An eight year old boy has a more developed maturity than Trump displays.
Now that dementia is descending, he’s becoming even more dangerous.
I think the 2025 overlords will have to step in earlier than planned. I’m not sure they have all of their safety bunkers completed yet. Trump is dangerously close to blowing this place up before they are ready.
That is a really, really crucial and powerful point there, D4N. It took Hitler only two months to lock in his fascist leadership with complete dictatorship soon to follow. While our institutions may (not) be on firmer footing, looking to 2026 may be a fantasy if we are serious in pushing back against this dash toward dictatorship.
And, yes, I suspect Trump is being used as an unnatural resource by a crowd that has no regard for natural resources and views the rest of us as natural resources.
You're hardly alone. As this letter more than suggests, we are living in dangerous times. How can anyone be satisfied with what is happening?
If you get up and go to work, don’t read or watch anything but propaganda then you think we’re rolling along splendidly. I forward these letters to my neighbor who watches a little news but is not a big reader. She is always overwhelmed by all the facts and can’t wrap her head around it. It would be impossible to work and have a family and keep up with this.
That practice of not judgeing another but showing empathy by supplying information may be the best preventive medicine for the republic.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/sep/17/how-is-arguing-with-trump-voters-working-out-for-you
That and showing up for protests and demonstrating your disapproval of these corrupt fascists.
It truly does seem that the inmates are running the asylum. I fear for all of us.
You are definitely not alone. I still hope for a legal, peaceful solution. But my grandchildren will not grow up under a fascist regime. And that is what we now have.
Good for you James. I am ready to fight, though at my age and level of familiarity with fighting, I will not last long. Nevertheless, there are ideas, visions, and values larger than one's own life or self. Legacy for those who follow motivates powerfully; thank you.
Ned, what concerns me more is ffpotus's response to questions about a variety of things that he "alone can fix", which is "I don't know, you'll have to ask..." and fill in the blank.
We watched a bit more of the news last night than we normally do; in addition to the cascade of "I don't knows" what got me was the event in NJ where the Mayor was arrested. I was appalled at the "uniforms" displayed by the agencies represented, ICE and HSI. Plain clothes/BDU's and external vests, plus a plethora of masks. Their "crowd control" tactics were abysmal, and it looked to me like they created the incident.
I was more distressed following last night's reporting than I have been for a long time. Those agencies are running roughshod over the law, and must be stopped cold.
You know, Ally, I wonder how many of those J6ers are now in Trump's immigration 'enforcers'. For what are 'HSI' and 'BDU' acronyms?
HSI: homeland security investigations
BDU: archaic term; old school fatigues or “Battle Dress Uniform, ie “basic daily uglies”.
Thank you, Ms Ally. As always, I remain indebted to you.
I am reminded of the Stanford Prison Experiment.
It appears that ICE has devolved into an out of control version.
Thank you, all, for what you said. The humor really helps. Though dark thoughts come and go, assassination will solve nothing, as in the case of Caesar. Besides, liar, liar Vance on fire is worse than Trump. At least the missing link has the dubious virtue of being obvious.
Lastly, the best case scenario may be for Trump to muddle on, alienating everyone but few oligarchs and enemies of democracy, leading to a repudiation of both in future elections. Sadly, civil violence would likely accompany that popular revulsion before, as President Lincoln said, the nation could bind up its wounds.
Yet optimism and beneficence, even injured, simply have to triumph over nihilism or melancholy. Or, ¿what is the point?
"With malice toward none with charity for all with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan ~ to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." -- President Lincoln 1865.
https://youtu.be/a5hFMy4pTrs
Well, thanks a lot, Ned. Watched the video and now, it seems that someone is slicing onions in my kitchen.
Onions appear almost every time I listen to "Abraham, Martin, and John". Many thanks to the participant who mentioned that song that was my first '45' I bought in early 1969.
He can’t be a dictator now. He says “I don’t know” all the time these days.
I believe him. He's a tool.
Ned, YES!
47, in the eyes of the Project 2025 gang, stephen miller, and Putin, is nothing but a little pawn so they could worm their way l into a position of control and power so they can do their dirty work. His mind is so limited by his lack of knowledge, his psychopathy, his lack of caring, and his dementia that his pat answer is more and more frequently "I don't know, go ask ______." He is just wandering aimlessly day by day pretending he is presidential. Who does that in such a position? All of them need to be held accountable for the disastrous situation they have created.
Your thought takes me right back fifty-eight years to my favorite show as a little one, a series that drove my poor sister crazy. https://youtu.be/EvusFZh3ubw (3min.vid.)
😪
Ned, you aren’t alone in these thoughts!
Thank you, Susan. That these thoughts even cross my mind trouble me greatly. Though I will never be close to a Bonhoeffer, I at least know a slight amount of the anguish he must have felt.
A scenario such as this would not surprise me, because there is no honor among thieves. It’s what he is, and it’s what he has surrounded himself with.
That is just it. The assassination of Julius Caesar was intended to save the Roman Republic; it did not, The Republic was dead on arrival to the Rubicon. The prophecy of my fave show as a kid: https://youtu.be/EvusFZh3ubw (Three minute snip-it.)
The only difference I see is that, like Vance, Augustus was a fascist, too, in trying to return to the simpler values of an earlier time. Except Vance is likely a lot worse Augustus ever was; certainly worse than his bobo-doll boss.
(My made-up theory of fascism: with the fasces [i.e., rods] bound around the Roman battle axe, the blade represented strength through unity of values.)
How dare you consider thoughts about assassinating my Russian President!
Giggling for a few hours, now. Thank you. I needed that!
The Trump Administration is a fool’s paradise. I think we would be much worse off if these dopes really knew what they were about. All they’re doing is making a mess of things; like bratty, spoiled children. If they were even halfway smart, if Trump was a real leader and organizer, instead of a huckster using the Oval Office to make a buck and stay out of prison, something far more sinister and difficult to stop might be happening.
Agreed, Ralph.
To say this administration is out of control would be too kind.
The following quote should terrify Americans and a sane Cabinet would have convened and invoked the 25th Amendment at 60 days. The man is not doing his job. He has no idea what is happening. He is delegating life and death decisions to a Nazi. He is nominating lunatics for key positions. His cabinet is filled with reckless fakers.
"Trump has sat for only 12 “daily” intelligence briefing sessions since he took office, and does not read his written daily intelligence report."
Our president has demonstrated to us for YEARS that he can't read. And nobody says a word about it. HE DOESN'T LISTEN. HE CAN'T READ so HE WATCHES TV. This is the sequel to the film "Idiocracy". But it's not funny.
All true and yet, he got elected twice. True, he had help from Putin and Musk, but in a rational country, the fat orange puffball couldn’t get elected as dog catcher. There are still, still! millions of our fellow citizens who think he’s the greatest that’s ever been.
The blind leading the blind...off a cliff.
I see that in my former cohort, Ralph. Two in particular seem to have absolutely gone off the deep end.
He sold them a phony bill of goods that sounded like a simple solution to a series of complex problems (globalization, income inequality, especially). Meanwhile, Democrats leaned into neoliberalism and abandoned the working class, in favor of playing identity politics and serving the donor class. It was a situation ripe for a demagogue. Are some MAGATs starting to realize they have been had? Maybe, but they are not willing to admit it, and the regime continues to feed them a morphine drip of anger and resentment that keeps them in the fold.
What I don’t understand is why the working class does not include “identity politics”. Are they mutually exclusive? I’m female. I’m lesbian. I’m working class. Should I be abandoned in favor of white working class men who are racist and sexist?
"Where there is no vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29
Ruining everything is the point. Their goal is to privatize everything and once they do, there will be nothing anyone will be able to do. Very few will control the most important things in our lives. And we might have no recourse to do anything about it.
And, it is much much harder to rebuild. He's Humpty Dumpty and all the king's horses....
Two things, Ralph, "far more sinister and difficult to stop" are happening.
And they converge:
1) Putin, and
2) the mass testing in schools so that all understand that they have no questions of their own -- only the testing zombies have questions.
But, too, these living dead have no human questions. Only those that steer more and more to the understanding that in life there are no living human individuals, only more targets for authorities to consign to groups, categories, consumer demographics, and victimization scenarios by which the superior authorities profit, increase power.
YES.
Good assessment, Ralph.
“ we would be much worse off if these dopes really knew what they were about. All they’re doing is making a mess of things; like bratty, spoiled children.” [else] “something far more sinister and difficult to stop might be happening.”
Much worse. And IT IS happening.
The tv/reality host/ news idiots are the front-row circus show. They are the distraction filling the news cycle, flooding the zone with shit as steve bannon called for and it’s aptly named. A new admin has a good 4,000 position to fill, i.e. in the first 100 days. Back behind the big tent in the alley and the animal cages, there are scads of pre-vetted bureaucrats hired on. Pre-vetted by project 2025 leaders plus its 100 supporting interest groups, who gathered and screened resumes. This effort created an instant-pop-up-staff with their choice of govt. deputies and next-level people weilding the axes. “And they are now his attack team.” They along with elmo’s doge are feeding every piece of government to the meat grinder to make new sausage. Sausage that Putin and Ohrban et al would be proud of.
This is Not a fool’s paradise at all, but a democracy-razing forest-clearing machine. Damage already done! Not by those bumbling idiots, who are the distraction!
https://www.mandateforleadership.org/ (this published in 2023)
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/21/trump-taps-project-2025-authors-administration-00191047
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-project-2025-maga-b2742240.html
“And if you’re carrying out illegal acts on behalf of Donald Trump, you’re not going to be protected. This also means that they will be very motivated to help subvert or prevent future elections that would put them at risk. We’ve now got to wait 1,370 days to find out if that happens.”
Trump is an unserious man whose only interest is enriching himself and his family. He doesn't give a fig about the country or anything that it stands for. For evidence look no further than the fact that he doesn't know what the Declaration of Independence is about or whether he's required to follow the Constitution. Jeez....
They are complicating and unwelcome intrusions upon his personal pursuit of whim. They counsel exactly what he is not.
Scott, the results are already disastrous…but, can be and are getting — and will be — worse!!!
WTF 😳?!!!! Incredible. Is this true “at least 24 FOX “NEWS” (??) personalities” ?? omg 😱
How does one become a "personality"? Hair and makeup and praise the Trump?
I believe we’re referring to people who hired to be interviewing there and are on the broadcast as “personalities” simply… and mostly because it’s ok that they are unsuitable for the job, unqualified as real anchors … creepy dishonest searching for sensational stuff people … and yes also as you qualify them…
There will be more unfathomable ahead, Amy.
Rupert sure knew how to pick them, or knew how to cast his horror shows.
Doesn't it also seem to you that this is part of a deliberate attempt to decapitate the government in the interest of some deeply hidden and shady agenda, about which all we can say is it seems to be composed of greedy, arrogant, wealthy men with the ultimate aim of amassing even more money and power? I've never been a conspiracy theorist, but this is looking more and more like a conspiracy of some sort to me. Sure, "clown show" is easier to grasp, but maybe too easy.
The results ARE already disastrous. Not going to be. ARE!
Scott, Perhaps we need to change tense here. Rather than going to be…are and will continue to be.
It already has proved to be disastrous - clueless, mindless, lawless, careless, shameless, useless, worthless and we are all seemingly - helpless!
Stephanie, we — the legally registered voters — have two major opportunities to do something important: Exercise our vote in November 2026 and in 2028 — but in between those times, those dates, WE THE PEOPLE, can exercise and demonstrate our displeasure with what’s happening and take to peaceful demonstration in the streets of America — those are now our — THE VOTERS — last two options…educate and motivate others in joining us both TO VOTE and to demonstrate!!!
In the meantime, WE, THE PEOPLE, must hope that our courts and legal systems upholds their responsibility and their independence…and then and after that we’ll very likely need to look to our military for distinguishing between a lawful and an unlawful order.
50501 with several other organizations will hold nation wide rallies on June 14th while Trump is giving himself a birthday bash of a military parade. At this point it's all about numbers. Collectively we have power. Let's outshine the military parade with millions in the streets. And make sure your local newspaper and TV channel puts it on the front page.
I think a Tiananmen Square-like protest, of thousands standing in front of the tanks he wants to parade in DC, would be just the ticket. There's even an ecological side to it: those tanks would be a disaster for the streets of Washington - they had to put the static ones on plywood for the last display - tank treads (even the rubber ones) really do a number on asphalt. And who knows what underground utilities or sinkholes might be discovered when run over by 100 tons.
Don’t forget James; DC also has built a subway network. A pretty extensive and overall well applied one at that. Who knows indeed. Is some sort of ‘class action’ on behalf of the taxpayers of DC and ‘we the people’ possible or in order in some advance of toll to be taken on “our” DC infrastructure ? Thoughts from any are welcome - er, save a few.
If this administration had tried to put its finger on the top “mandate” they received from Republicans, it probably would’ve been more TV.
Y’know and less of that other confusing “stuff”. Whatever that may be.
I don’t understand why, but whenever I catch one of Chairperson Marjorie Taylor Greene’s hearings, it always sounds like microwave popcorn.
🤣
They already are.
Not “going to be”….
Going to be a disaster? I think the word "going" has left the building a long time ago. It appears that we are living through THE DISASTER! And I don't care what anyone says about putting out our hands to welcome all who are now seeing the light, I'm going to say it: "WE TOLD YOU SO!!"
Sure, come on in but how about you go to the back of the line? Yes, yes, I do know that is the wrong way to approach this but if we're going to do "what-about", why can't we expect them to make the overture of reconciliation for the good of the country? Oh, that's right because they are 'right' (far right) & we are wrong!
Trump and his minions are simply evil writ large.
When sociopaths like Miller use the word ‘illegals’, there’s the not-so-subtle sneer behind the word that racists use openly when they say the N-word for Black folk, or the S-word for Latin folk. As a Jew himself, how he can countenance Trump’s support for White supremacists who profess that “Jews will not replace us” and other horrific ideologies?
The term ‘confederacy of dunces’ does not go far enough.
Nazis work well for me as an umbrella term for all of them.
Sadly, if habeas is relaxed, or cancelled, my comment here can be used to disappear me. Of this I have no doubt.
Miller is the anti-Jew. I would like to see a rabbinic panel excommunicate Miller from Judaism. It only takes 3 rabbis.
Miller’s family rejected him years ago, as RFK junior’s family did him. But here we are.
After he killed the family pet and blacked out all the Barbie’s eyes, I’m guessing.
He’s truly evil. He’s actually doing to Trumo what Trumo did to his Alzheimer’s afflicted dad. Instead of stealing money, he’s stealing power from a demented old man.
Tho likely it would please him.
Every Friday, there is an anti-Trump visibility action on the busiest street corner in my town. Some guy with a f*ck these idiots sign with an arrow pointing toward the protesters stood next to them, so I made a sign that said f*ck this NAZI with an arrow pointing to him and stood next to him. He sneered at me, but left 10 minutes later :)
Nicely done, Steve!
Hopefully Pope Leo will call out the administration for all of their cruel and hateful acts mostly against the poor and the disenfranchised.
And also Leonard Leo will continue his campaign against the Trump administration. The Koch Foundation and Leo's umpteen dark money super Pacs determine how the oligarchs feel about Trump tanking the economy and placing total dunces into positions of power.
But it obviously needs to get worse before the Senate and the House will intercede in any way shape or form.
Who would have thought that Rudy Guiliani was sane compared to the current clowns trying to run this shit show?
Apparently, Brian Burch, Trump’s nominee as ambassador to the Vatican and Steve Bannon were both rooting for a Hungarian cardinal called Peter Erdo. ‘He’s what we need right now,’ Tim Busch, president of the conservative Napa Institute in California, told the Times. ‘We need someone who can teach clearly and be strong.’ He had also been backed by Viktor Orbán, and by Cardinal George Pell of Australia, who was convicted of sexual abuse in 2018 (the conviction was overturned on appeal two years later).
Vance has been particulary unfriendly, despite converting to Catholicism in 2019. On Face the Nation, in his first interview as vice president, he said: ‘I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognise that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?’
This could be interesting!
Catholic Charities is through with Trump et al.
E.G. US Catholic bishops sue Trump administration for halt in funding for refugee settlement. https://www.ncronline.org/news/us-catholic-bishops-sue-trump-administration-halt-funding-refugee-settlement
https://www.ncronline.org/news/sad-day-has-dawned-trumps-deadbeat-policy-forces-us-bishops-abandon-children-refugees
Not just Catholics -
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262149/27-religious-groups-sue-white-house-over-sensitive-location-immigration-policy
You know George Pell is dead, right?
Yes. There was a report in the Sydney Morning Herald that Pell had worked on a secret mission to elect a conservative candidate for this election having failed to prevent the election of the late Pope Francis. Erdo was apparently the candidate he was supporting. The story is behind a paywall and I have no particular interest in the details.
By then the US will be so unrecognizable and diminished - I don't know if the US as we knew it will return.....
The US is already diminished and unrecognizable. What level of disgrace and disavowal by all honorable people will wake up the R voters?
Where do you hear that Leonard Leo is distraught? The Kochtopus distressed? I just came from Kansas where my nephew in law yearns to work for Chuckie and drives a cyber truck--when it's not in the shop on recall. I heard nothing about it.
I actually saw a cyber truck towing a work trailer yesterday, and its plate indicated it was purchased in the last few months. I cannot fathom how that vehicle is in any way useful.
My prediction is that Heather's Substack will be forbidden by 'law' before July. On account of writing "not so nice things" about the Orange Emperor and his cultists...
Fortunately, she posts on several platforms and is a stone's throw away from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Meanwhile, I hear the budget negotiations are not going very well. Elon's DOGE is a total cluster fuck in every department he has tinkered with. If Pam Bondi didn't have her head so far up Trump's ample derriere she would be prosecuting these clowns.
The budget negotiations are a shit show. Not surprisingly, Elon’s boast about finding trillions in “wastefraudandabuse” was bullshit and some of the representatives and senators from red states are starting to get it through their thick skulls that the cuts already made, and those proposed, have really pissed of their constituents. It’s not that they really care about the pain the gutting of government services has caused, and will cause, they’re just worried that they might not get re-elected and might have to find honest work.
Well said. Once again, in all his arrogance in thinking he's a genius and knows everything better, Mr. Musk overpromised, underdelivered and silently slid out the back door and left other people with the shit he created. He _always_ does that, and I still don't understand why people keep falling for that trick.
You're right DM, Musk overpromised and underdelivered and now we're left with a bunch of unqualified criminals that have unlimited access to our data.
As Musk moves on, the scary part is he will break things where ever he goes.
I am with you, Derek.
They are sworn to eliminate, diversity, equity and inclusion. E Pluribus Doom'em.
Perhaps Miller is Joesph Goebels reincarnated.
No “perhaps” about it. That was my exact thought the first time I saw a picture of Miller.
Toole’s “Confederacy of Dunces” is a worthwhile read.
Your silence is their goal.
He’s a self-hating Jew who projects.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5298799-gabbard-fires-national-intelligence-council-leaders/?tbref=hp
In my 70 years, I have never seen such a raging clusterfuck of sheer incompetence, arrogance, disinformation, cruelty and illegality blended together, bringing nothing but chaos and confusion to the process of governing.
In 100 days, the Manchurian Cantalopue has basically surrendered to Putin, made China great again, kicked all our friends in the face, caused investors to start fleeing US Treasuries, sabotaged the world’s best economy and handed over our most personal information to a Nazi-cosplaying, chainsaw-preening imbecile and his army of invisible incels.
Yet in return for destroying the best of government and leaving behind a ticking time bomb of mass dysfunction, the trains won’t run on time and egg prices won’t be falling. We won't end up living in clean, well-managed, authoritarian Singapore, but inside a dirty shithole of a country, where nothing works as it should. Society will consist of a small layer of vicious, unrestrained billionaires doing whatever they please to us, while we just basically try to stay alive, enduring what we must.
Pee Wee German (Stephen Miller) gets his little rocks off by fantasizing about turning our country into a private shithole for his amusement. We must never permit those little masturbatory fantasies of his to become reality.
Yep--as I have said before, Phillip K Dick's The Man in the High Castle seems to be the model for what they want to do. But it is also pretty obvious that the Felon in Chief is no longer (if he ever was) in charge of anything. Not only is he not reading the daily reports or attending daily briefings, he has clearly forgotten the names of many of his cabinet members, including JustaDick Vance--when he calls someone his "great . . . [fill in the blank position] you know he has forgotten his/her name. Miller is even more dangerous because he is in a position that did not require congressional approval. And we hear nothing about the woman who is supposedly the Chief of Staff. I know she likes to operate under the radar, but I wonder if her devotion to her Dear Leader is being upended by the shitshow now occurring.
He didn’t read reports or attend briefings the first time and needed graphs and charts for everything. How has Trump Org survived all these years?
Stephen Miller, I suspect, is running the whole show. But his dementia and derangement is so much more significant now than it was in 2017.
I like this response.
Wow. I'm going to keep this rant. You're letting out my inner outrage.
We’ll said, “It’s”
Apparently governmental power is literally up for grabs. Miller may just get there first. The President says he doesn’t know on many things lately and I believe him.
Miller's money is just pure power and cruelty. He's a sadist and has had trumps ear since before trumps first 4 years. He has a unique relationship with Trump. Not sure how much longer he'll have trumps ear because of the obvious decline of trumps brain but people in the administration know that he's become trumps ultimate spokesperson. He has an incredible amount of power and sway and is a master at pulling trumps strings.
A lot of comparisons have been made to 1930’s Germany and those who ran the show there. Of all the personalities involved in the current regime’s push to “purify” American society being compared to old Nazis, Stephen Miller and Tom Homan top the list. Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS and one of the chief architects of the Final Solution, has been reincarnated as Miller. Miller, with his cold dead eyes and twisted psychopathic view of humanity, could absolutely bring back extermination if given the chance. Homan’s a thug and a bully, a mob enforcer, thick in the neck and between the ears, but the perfect guy to round ‘em all up and get rid of them. History may not repeat, but it certainly rhymes, and right now it’s rhyming like crazy.
Miller is the puppet master, and the current de-facto president. He knows exactly how to pull 47’s strings, and 47, who lives in a demented fog, is more than happy to let him. It frees him from the arduous task of having to make decisions (thus allowing him to skip daily briefing and reading the daily reports) and allows him to spend millions of taxpayer dollars playing golf every weekend. Miller should absolutely be feared.
His money? What money?
I imagine that Miller is all in on P2025. Wonder if he admires Vlad as well.
He is one of the instigators:
Stephen Miller
Miller is Trump’s pick to serve as White House deputy chief of staff for policy and the president’s homeland security adviser.
He is Trump’s former adviser and the head of the conservative legal activist group, America First Legal, which served as one of Project 2025’s advisory organizations. Miller was also featured in videos produced by the Heritage Foundation promoting Project 2025.
https://www.afge.org/article/new-trump-administration-packed-with-project-2025-architects/
Yes. Miller has been all in on P2025 from the first Drumpf term.
You know that Miller isn’t a lawyer, though, right?
No, but his group is full of ‘em and have run around the country bringing suit after suit against voting rights.
So far nothing he has ever said has been believable. Is this the true meaning of "double down"?
In this case, double-think, double-talk, double-dealing, and double-cross.
Zero integrity.
Thank you Professor Richardson.
Yesterday I published a reminder of the Oath of Office to Members of Congress (in case they have forgotten).
Excerpts from: https://open.substack.com/pub/bomdia/p/members-of-congress
Regardless, voters did not pass an initiative allowing the President to suspend the Presidential Oath of Office, or determine which parts of the U.S. Constitution he will abide by, and which articles, sections, and amendments he can choose to ignore...
Voters did not pass an initiative suspending or eliminating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, intended to prevent bribery and corruption.
Voters did not pass an initiative to suspend or eliminate 5th Amendment Rights to Due Process.
Voters did not pass an initiative to suspend or eliminate Constitutional Checks and Balances, allowing the Executive Branch to usurp Legislative Branch powers through fraudulent “Emergency Declarations” allowing the President to destabilize the global economy.
Voters did not rescind the Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
Voters ignored the warning signs and they ceded their prerogative by reelecting for President a convicted felon, a traitor, a liar, a thief, a rapist, a con artist, probably a murderer, a kidnapper, and definitely a Soviet-inspired thug.
And, what on earth happened to Howard Lutnick, the so-called Commerce Secretary? After 9/11, as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, he was widely regarded as a mensch—standing by the families of his fallen colleagues and resurrecting a firm devastated by tragedy. Now, he has devolved into a cringeworthy embarrassment, offering incoherent trade commentary and presenting a public persona that is nothing short of appalling and disgusting. There isn't one worthy person in trump's cabal - the lineup of incompetence and evil is stunning.
Lawrence O'Donnell didn't mince words on his May 9th program . . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24tGc9OQD_Q
Janet. Thanks for posting this. So powerful. Right on. Lawrence O is the real deal, true hero in his passion to speak truth to power.🙏👍
Unaccountable power tends to corrupt?
This should be a required YouTube video to view. This is so spot on!
Very good post. Understatement of the week:
"The administration appears not to be able to attract the caliber of federal officials to which Americans have become accustomed."
It's been a kakistocracy since noon of January 20, 2025.
The inmates are running the asylum.
Give them political asylum in the great kingdom of Alcatraz.
I would also like to know who "we" are. Clearly the tinpot dictator isn't making the decisions. He doesn't even know if he has to follow the Constitution. But he's still all in with the cruelty, racism, and retribution. Oh, and making boatloads of money for himself. The rest of us can eat cake.
Stephen Miller simply has to go. I am not wishing him harm, but his evil influence is so inhumane and immoral that he should NEVER have been allowed to have any official role in government.... and yet here we are. -- A nightmare among many other Trump appointed nightmares. Have we reached some in the GOP will reject some of the worst of the worst (as detailed in tonight's Letter)? I can't wait for the tipping point when the public and at least a few of the Republicans in the House and Senate publicly recognize that the Emperor has no clothes.
You're much more generous than I am, reg. Miller. That creature genuinely creeps me out, he makes my skin crawl. I honestly feel sick just thinking about him.
Sometimes it's hard to believe this is actually happening.
He genuinely creeps me out, too. I think the devil had something to do with his conception. He throws off waves of pure evil.
Pure evil. Not a moral bone in his body.
You and me both. Miller is what happens when Goebbels and a rattlesnake get together and reproduce. Dead eyes. No soul.
Same— he is the embodiment of evil.
You may not be, but I am.
And I am not alone.
Not that I have any intention of personally taking actions, but should something happen, I wouldn’t be upset about it.
No, not alone!
He should only “go” to prison, which is where he belongs. But as T is letting him run govt of his behalf, he won’t be touchable until T’s cognitive decline makes him utterly unable to utter a thought”
Jail would make him a martyr. Martyrdom is not going to solve the Miller situation. He would continue to conspire no matter where he is, I'm afraid.
It’s hard to put into words the anxiety and political whiplash this regime is causing so many of us. I’ve heard that some Republicans might be starting to turn on 47, though not nearly fast enough. We have to keep standing up for what's right and keep resisting. We can't let this continue for nearly four more years. It's overwhelming. Trying to explain to my family in Germany why I’m still here is tough. I've lived in the U.S. longer than I ever lived there, and I used to love it here. Now, every day, I wake up wondering, will I be next?
What don’t people get about that Trump is a Narcissistic Personality Disorder Sociopath. He is mentally ill. He cannot change and couldn’t be convinced that he needs help. Don’t believe me or his niece get the DSM-5 and look it up. They could put his photo next to the list of attributes of which he has every one. Yo wouldn’t fly with a pilot like this or have neurosurgery with a physician like this. Why do you trust him with our government?!!! He would have no trouble burning the whole United States down and not give a damn. They only care about themselves.
…. only care about himself and money. He has more money as pres than he ever had in his life before.
Donold never gave a damn and he's already in the process of burning the U.S. down. He will, of course, continue to blame this all on Biden & Obama, because it's always their fault for everything that's going wrong in his twittering, twisted, sadistic mind.
I believe the dementia has surpassed the narcissism. He does not seem to care about anything but playing golf and running an occasional talk show from the bedazzled Oval Office. Everything else has been fully handed off to the least qualified persons he could find to do the job.
Hopefully the tipping point for impeachment comes soon. We need hearings where MAGAts are forced to watch what an absolutely blithering idiot TFG has devolved to.
I like bedazzled as a description for the destruction he has done to our beautiful buildings.
What? When they saw and experienced Jan 6 and still follow him, you think now would be different? It's a cult and won't be swayed no matter what
I probably should have said "Republicans" rather than "MAGAts". You are correct that his true core will never change, but I still believe that those outside the core can be swayed.
Could be but the basic persona is sociopath, someone with no empathy at all.
When J. D. Vance mandated his version of religion, the Vatican rebuked him.
Vance declared love as something the superior among us can rank in correct orders. The Vatican said no, no categories. The American cardinal who would become Pope Leo added, “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.”
Our schools, however, still see all life as something testing can abstract by its groups and categories. Good test takers accept how elites rule by categories which they manage, and reduce all life to simple causality in linearity 1-2-3.
Thanks to rule by testing, the schools of the U.S. and much of the world have largely abandoned our being open to more personal essaying and humanities – our being open to each other by the standards of artists among us. The schools have instead accepted our being besieged by elites like Vance who would rather they group, package, and manage us.
I say thank you to genuine Christians who yet favor the original meaning of catholic (lower case “c”) for a world where all stand equal regardless of nationality, race, gender, skin color, or elite (or not) education.
Disclaimer. 61 years ago, in high school, I took another of the standardized tests we had then. This time I just penciled-in the letter B for every question. Next day a counselor asked me to take the test again. It was important, he said. He was a good guy, so I humored him. Turned out that test paid my tuition for the full four undergrad years at one of the world’s best universities.
WOW, I recall times when I kinda got an inkling to do what you did — darken in just the B or C for each question…sadly, I’ll never know how rewarding — or not so rewarding — that might have proven to have been!
Mainly, Jim, it just let me live further away from the dominance of authorities.
Wow, a test that served it’s purpose
Well there you go… you answered the questions with your best judgement?
When others always ask the questions, Amy, is there any way we cease being serfs?
And when their questions always skew to seeing nothing but groups everywhere, nothing but categories -- and all in idiot linear-only progression -- is there any way we avoid packaging ourselves?
Dear Heather
You post this as if it is an indication of a positive trend:
"Americans now disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies by 53% to 46%."
After experiencing all the horror and chaos of these 100+ days-nearly half!! of Americans still think that the administration's fascistic harassment of immigrants is a good thing. Poor grades for American democracy (and I don't mean the politicians).
Fox News, shameful
I distrust the orange monster AND his repug cult members — and tillis — SO much that I think it’s very possible that they planned this whole thing to happen. I have never been a conspiracy-minded person in my life, but these failed humans who have taken over my country have pushed me into thinking that way. I think pee 2025 is working out just as it’s been planned for years and years, and tub o’ lard is just the moronic distraction they’ve been waiting for. That said, I’m ready to fight against the takeover. My reps and senators, even though I would never vote for them, are getting an earful every.single.day.
Just rereading Dark Money. This is all out of the evil Charles Koch playbook and has been decades in the making. All of it, destroy the government. Make it work for the billionaires only in protecting their money and property rights. That's it. No regulations, a free for all with corporate pollution, no empathy for anyone, no social programs, no education, no medicare,, no social security. Screw the poor, the elderly, immigrants, women, everyone not lily white. Nothing. Koch friend Richard Mellon Scaife has been spending huge amounts of money to back The Heritage Foundation (Project 2025) for decades.
Koch and others have surreptitiously bought many members of Congress over the years. Makes me think that, rather than fear of retribution by Trump, the most right wing "bought" members are paying back their owners, the way Trump is paying back Musk for buying him the presidency and keeping him out of prison. Their owners don't want them to stop the destruction.
And the courts, too . White rich guys can't win by playing on a level playing field so they cheat. Sigh, there are so many who are so willing to abet them . End citizens United!
ButKoch is now not happy with the chaos and as Heather describes there is no playbook anymore: there is cruelty, chaos, deceit, incompetence and self-aggrandizement. At what point will those who want a functioning economy and a passive populace get mad enough at the idiots in charge to start cleaning up their mess? Not that we will like what they see as a functional government, but how far can the Destruction of Government Effectiveness be allowed to go before they get nervous about incompetent anarchy?
Yeah, as Heather describes in her talks on Facebook and YouTube there are several playbooks competing. Tech bro meet Project 2025 meet White Christian Nationalists. Koch may not be happy with the chaos and incompetence but much of what they are doing is right out of his playbook, destroying the government and most of the departments that serve the poor, women, the elderly, education, environment, etc.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Mellon_Scaife
Fascinating reading about Scaife here (died 2014). Stakeholder in Newsmax media.
“… private, nonprofit foundations he controlled: the Sarah Scaife Foundation, Carthage Foundation, and Allegheny Foundation, and until 2001, the Scaife Family Foundation, now controlled by son David.”
He feared “the general trend towards liberalism in America would lead not just to inferior public policy but to the annihilation of American civilization.“ Attaboy. Looks like he contributed to that annihilation all on his own.
Democracy in Chains is another must-read. It lays out the decades-long plan to hand the government to those who are “meant” to lead.
Maybe the most worrying thing is the politico report that the President has only had 12 intelligence briefings, and doesn’t read his PDB. We’ve got quite a lot of world events right now which are worrying, top of the list might be India-Pakistan. The number one responsibility of an American President (to me) is to keep the country safe. That doesn’t just mean borders and border patrols, but cybersecurity and being able to prevent regional escalations that will inevitably draw us in at some point, and most importantly using backchannels to de-escalate them before they get worse. Truly, America “Alone” has lost its soft power as it clearly doesn’t seek to use any (if there is any residual goodwill left after the last three months).
He doesn't care. He's out of jail, playing golf, and going on talk shows. He spouts whatever the latest visitor to the Oval has said to him. Everything else is handled by the puppets, led by Grand Vizer Miller.
“ Maybe the most worrying thing is the politico report that the President has only had 12 intelligence briefings, and doesn’t read his PDB. “
Agreed. The commander in chief of the most powerful and capable armed forces.
If he would have stood in front of his crowds and said “elect me so I can stay out of prison and enrich myself” they still would have voted for him. They don’t care about anything but hate even while they lose their jobs or can’t afford groceries anymore.
Same as his last time around yet ....
this latest article contains events and information that if it is known to heather and it is known to her Readers that it is surely known to the Republicans in our Congress. Yet the Republicans do nothing. They standby. They watch Rome burn. The Republican Party was the party of law and order the party of foreign policy. The party of spend less. The Republican Party was never and has never been this! When will the Republican Party admit that Maga is its own exclusive cancerous branch of the Republican Party? Mitch McConnell has 1 foot into the realm of living without a body. While he still has a body that can breathe and talk and think when will he rise up and be a Kentuckian and an American citizen that we can be proud of? When will he say enough is enough?
The Republican Party was never really the party of law and order or the party of spend less - except in rhetoric and propaganda.
“January 6th was a disgrace. American citizens attacked their own government. They use terrorism to try to stop a specific piece of domestic business they did not like. Fellow Americans beat and bloodied our own police. They tried to hunt down the Speaker of the House. They built a gallows and chatted about murdering the vice president. They did this because they’d been fed wild, falsehoods by the most powerful man on earth because he was angry he lost an election.”—Mitch McConnell, Feb. 2021. Meaningless words from a gutless man who couldn’t find the courage, or patriotism, to convict Trump.
Well yeah. Remember, the House did convict. TWICE. But the Senate, and specifically Mitch, failed to REMOVE rump from office. First time, Senate didn’t think russiagate offense [was bad enough to remove him from office. ]
Second time, for 1/6 as you describe, Mitch rationalized, eeeeuuuuhhhh, rump is going out of office now, so removal is just symbolic, and rump will never run again and if he did run there’s no chance he’d be reelected (whereas a removal vote by the Senate would make him ‘not eligible’ to run again).
Damn us all how these two non-removals have come back to kick the Republican party in the ass, along with all of us, and brought our country to this moment, with their INACTION.
The House essentially indicts. It’s the senate that convicts.
Shame.
Don’t hold your breath. Mitch will never…
It's John Thune we need to get past this time around.
Mitch hasn’t really gone away, betcha
No, but he's a bit more of a wild card these days. I think he has some regrets and he's got nothing to lose since he's retiring. I'll grant you it may still be a long shot, but I wouldn't count out the possibility altogether. 🤞
He has had a moment or two of clarity, but his overriding power-hungry stance on “one chance to get our agenda passed after 40 years of trying” won out every time. A deal with the devil as I think more than Mitch are dancing with…
Much you expect from Kentucky Fried Voldemort. Just ain’t gonna happen.
12th of Never, Howard.