Given that a handful of billionaires have more wealth than more than 50% of the population of the US combined, and they use that money to get what they want by utilizing most of the other things in the list (including Wall Street and the big corporations), there's no question that billionaires are the biggest bullies.
Two pieces of shit. Mark Zukerberg and J K Rowling. J K is a hater, a TERF she hates men and transwomen, that yacht of hers is as large asUS Navy Frigate., it is 290 ft long and dwarfs Zuckerberg's 119 ft.
Take a look at the Jan-Feb 2024 MoJo article, "How Superyachts Explain the World" .... the biggest are owned by billionaires around the world, and it does seem that many are only feeding their egos by ordering construction of personal yachts that will simply be longer and bigger than anyone else's. 119 and 290 feet in length is child's play, with the largest running well over 500 and one at 593 feet. The one at 533 only requires $1.7 million to completely refuel... it is disgusting. But other ways these little, self-serving "people" play games with money that have huge negative effects on humanity are even worse.
This is what the uber-rich have always done - look at the castles and palaces from history, not to mention the pyramids. Now it's yachts and space ships, along with the usual jets, huge mansions and towering buildings.
This is why there needs to be a huge increase in the taxes on the wealthy and corporations.
We must add Jeff Bezos 300 + foot yacht that cruised up a river in the Netherlands, came to a medeival bridge and requested (demanded?) the city to dismantle the bridge so the yacht could continue on it's - river cruise. I don't know IF? J.B. and familirs were on board, BUT ~ this shows (IMO) just how the "uber rich" act & enable themselves within the worlds cultures. Another instance of 'yacht damage' was a number of years ago when Paul Allen's (Microsoft) yacht, up to 400' in length (?) was cruising in the area of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and scraped a huge section of reef, severly damaging it for years to come and never really was held accountable for the damage.
And I'm descending into destitution ~ ~ ~ s i g h ~ ~ ~
That’s really frustrating to hear about the damage caused by these mega yachts. It’s a shame that the wealthy can act with such disregard for the environment.
Some of these yachts are as big as battleships, even bigger, and most don't even leave the dock. they serve as houseboats, because they don't have to pay property taxes.
I have no idea what you are referring to, but you are entitled to your own opinion.
The fact that yo have stooped to categorizing my behavior indicates that I touched a nerve. Care to share, what nerve that was? What button did I push?
Bear in mind that when you assume a position, such as you have, you are assuming a superior, parent child relationship. Are you sure you are in such a position?
Might I remind you that I really don't care if you are angry, upset,or whatever emotion you are trying to convey with that icon.
If I did, that would mean I grant you power over me, or consider your opinion of more worth and value than mine.
I am not being snarky, just factual. You are assuming a parent child transaction. I do not know on what basis, nor do I care. For the time being I will assume parent parent,, and that won't work because it is cross transactional.
Post Script. It is impossible to exhibit behavior on the internet, all you have before you are words.
Words are not behavior. And you are not speaking to a child, but an 85 year old retired officer.
Actually, Joan, kickin' at the rich boys about their extravagant toys is kinda fun and does really hurt anybody, least of all the rich boys themselves -- except of course for Elon of the very thin skin...he's a special case. One day I may decide to sign up for TwitterX, just to make some jokes at Elon's expense and see if I get banned. That would be an accomplishment of which I could be proud.
It is way more fun to to bitch about conspicuous consumption by the filthy rich than complaining about the price of eggs, for obvious reasons. Most people don't have huge fortunes or know the first thing about yachts, but we have to contend with high food prices every time we go shopping.
Envy their wealth and power? You betcha! I'd love to get me a few bazillions and buy a coupla 'lections! C'mon, who wouldn't, right????
One thing to know about J.K. Rowling, even though her "Harry Potter" books are among the most popular and beloved in the world (they say she is richer than the English Monarchy), her last book in the series was a COMPLETE BUST. The ending was . . . TERRIBLE! It was like she just gave up or something, put ANYTHING down on the page! The main characters ended up leading THE MOST LACKLUSTER LIVES, she threw Dumbledore into an insulting, stultifying, SHOCKING ditch . . . I truly have never been able to figure out how or why her editors and publisher let her get away with practically RUINING the series with her finale! SO -- THAT BEING SAID, perhaps her HUGE YACHT IS COMPENSATION TO HERSELF FOR K-N-O-W-I-N-G that she fucked up the most amazing series in the history of children's literature EVER by COMPLETELY DUMPING AND CUTTING AND RUNNING ON THE ENDING!
Rowling is a TERF, a Trans Exclusionist Radical Feminist. She accepts female to male (transmen) but rejects and is at war with male to female (transwomen).
Which leads me to surmise that she has had a traumatized experience with men, probably a close male alliterative.
For her to have such a huge yacht, tells me she is overcompensating her 290 ft long yacht is bigger than the 177 ft long USS Pueblo The spy ship was captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968
Zuckerberg's Yacht of 378 ft is almost as big as the Littoral combat ships (Freedom class)
Anyway she is an angry person, maybe that is why she finished the way she did, she got hers, and she just doesn't care anymore.
Look at her characters. A young, innocent male, possibly Rowling alter ego, a wise old, harmless, gay male "guardian" of the harmless young male, and the shape shifting evil, threatening male.
I never read the books, and have only seen two of the movies (on TV)., that is how I perceive her characters.
She is emotionally scarred, I wager she lives on the Yacht and only socializes with women like her. Her yacht has 13 bedrooms.
Preach it, brother. Amen. Go on now Reverend. (I’ve made the mistake—good time really—of attending services on Sunday with some of my black friends. We had singing, strong preaching, it’s been an hour and a half! And y’all lured me here with the promise of soul food after.) 2 more hours. Great preaching, but I can emotionally crescendo and rise again only so many times.
African Methodist Episcopal Church. Great experience, pleasant folks, awesome food. But I’m Catholic. Church lasts an hour, no more and no less. 11am mass is only 45 minutes during football season. Father David (a fiery African American priest with some soul) loves him some Cowboys.
Mr. Farrar, it is obvious you have an obsession with J. K. Rowling, when by your own admission you have never even read her books! When the "Harry Potter" series came out, EVERYBODY WAS READING THEM -- college kids, grade-schoolers, adults, grandmothers, you name it. I bought a whole set of them for the Anne E. Casey Homes, a well-known public housing project in my town, for the children there, once the series was finished. They were very grateful to have them, and were very surprised that someone not a part of their social outreach programs thought of them. (I worked in bookstores for a very long time, so had access to a plethora of books others might never know about.)
I don't recall if the father of her child just wanted nothing to do with them . . . it's been a long time since I read her story.
As far as her "trans" positions, I am in there with her. I am so sick of hearing about "Gay Pride," and "pronouns," for God's sake, and every kid thinking he or she might actually be the opposite sex and deciding to switch . . . This is what comes of the terrible influence of social media putting terrible ideas in people's heads! So sick of hearing about the "lgbtq+" community, I could scream! So much of it is just a trend, a fad, and not at all based in reality.
Here is J. K. Rowling's story: She was a single mother with, I think, a little girl. For years, she had been writing these stories, jotting down bits and pieces as soon as another snippet came into her mind. Finally her friends urged her to actually sit down and start writing it for real, knowing she had a real work of art in her mind. She did, and the rest is history. In my opinion, she was truly gifted by God with one of the BEST stories in children's literature ever written, BUT, universally loved.
WHY she feels the need to own a huge yacht, I do not know. Maybe she likes having a delightful, unusual place for family and friends to gather all around her. As I noted earlier in another post, she was said to be richer than the Queen of England. She went from a rags-to-riches life, that is for sure.
How big was that ship Hubbard sailed around the world evading taxes. Wouldn’t it be fun to throw those three idiots in a room and be a fly on the wall. One might even be confused about who the craziest asshole in the room was. Thought experiment.
@ Laurie. As you know, the real Karl Marx understood that the class war is not over cultural issues; its over economics. My work in cultural economics is an effort to show how moneyed interests use money to push cultural issues; first they excite their target populations, then to incite them to actions against their own interests.
Benjamin ; Yes, they use cultural warfare as a distraction, as well as a weapon. there is nothing like an unplanned pregnancy to distract a woman from going to college, or having a career, or even just throw her off balance and compromise her. It is adding insult to injury to force her to give birth, and they sure don't care about the child resulting from such a situation, nor the chance that something can go wrong with the pregnancy, even threatening the woman's life! Now they don't care if she dies!
Billionaires can own multiple homes in multiple countries, and more power than most.They interfere with justice, and even block it entirely. May you experience real oppression. Then you would understand.
I like the way Marx points out something connected to the unchecked greed that goes with owning a yacht 290 feet long, as if its somehow the same as owning a 2 seat canoe. "Hey! They both just own a boat. Sheesh...c'mon."
An ego gratifying, 'phallic extension' as it were.
Just like owning multiple weapons of mass death, and stockpiles of ammo for them in order to intimidate us 'libtards', is for the peckerwood shitbilly MAGANAZIS these POS oligarchs control.
I always say that two enormously wealthy men competing in such childish ways should just go into a back alley with a measuring tape and be done......... leave the rest of us and the planet alone.
In the hood it’s simply called crack. At one time 7-Up contained lithium. I wonder if there’s any data on that era’s uncoils lovers. Where does one get a nose spray bottle of that stuff? I’m on a mission to run the cartels out of biz.
Lithium is a natural element used in the treatment of depression. Didn't we love 7-Up as children? I did! I buy Lithium Orotate as a supplement to take when having a spell of depression I can't shake. Along with N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine. Perfectly legit and works great! SwansonVitamins.com
Not sure what you are apologizing for. You don't owe me an apology for anything. I don't think oxytocin has anything to do with lithium. By all means, do anything you can to run the drug cartels out of business!
Which is why we must Tax...The....Rich, to remove their source of power. You cannot have a decent country, with a decent economy, unless we do what that most enlightened of Scottish moral philosophers wrote in 1776, the year of America's Declaration of Independence. Indeed, America's Declaration was, amongst other things, a document which excoriated kingly and plutocratic powers, like the Magna Carta before it. Trump is nothing more than a king wannabe.
We have been here before, long ago, and must resist with every sinew. Here's to President Biden and a soaring debate on Thursday!
I can and do visualize Biden calling out this wind bag on his lies. Most importantly the big lie about the 2020 election. I do also think that there is a real possibility that tfg will get cold feet and not show up.
Michael Hutchinson -- "America's Declaration was, amongst other things, a document which excoriated kingly and plutocratic powers, like the Magna Carta before it. Beautifully put.
Dude, I’m a fan of the founding fathers but let’s be clear. They were educated, wealthy, elites who didn’t want to pay a very small tax bill. They had grievances galore. Do not misunderstand my patriotism. But I’m thinking Parliament thought the same of them. Only members of Lords had estates like the Virginians.
I’m an estate planning lawyer and painfully aware of current wealth inequality in this country. I’m also a Texan, and unfortunately after the Cheeto wins the election and the Supreme Court of the State of New York upholds his convictions, well my uninformed but well armed neighbors will march with their toys should we reach the constitutional crisis I think we will meet head on in around 3 years. A sometimes interesting but mostly insipid nouveau Texan, billionaire Elon Musk, owns his own darn county here and couldn’t muster a dozen rednecks to one of his causes. So, the Orange One has an actual cult of armed bullies backing him up. And they’re dangerous. I don’t think Warren Buffet could get that insane moron to shut his fucking mouth for an hour for $10 billion dollars. That’s someone who has broken from reality and fallen in love with his very real status as a demagogue. Western Europe couldn’t have collectively raised enough money to pay Uncle Adolf to shut his pie hole and stay in Germany. Understand those two statements and I hope that you will believe, as I do, that even educated, rational people have lost the power of reasoning, that this is a very serious and dangerous movement. Shit will get out of control and people hurt. The protectors of the Constitution will become the generals and I expect martial law. Not an iota of exaggeration. But, as Hunter Thompson said, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Then I will be proud that I’m a simple, well educated redneck who can take care of himself and family. Big City Folk haven’t a damn clue how crazy white rural America really is. I had to grow up with them. They stopped surprising me 30 years ago.
Wow! When I lived in Texas for 5.5 years back in '87-'93, I found it to be one of the most progressive places in many ways -- alternative health teachings and types galore -- to batshit CRAZY ready to kill at a moment's notice!
One night I was driving back from visiting a friend in Grapevine to Ft. Worth, a 45-minute trip. It was about 11:30 to 12 a.m. I had never stayed at her house that late into the evening. I was driving along the highway (Interstate 40? or 35?), very lonely and desolate at that time of night, even though it leads to DFW Airport. I was in my little Nissan Sentra. All of a sudden, this small pickup truck speeds up behind me with its lights off, and starts pushing me faster and faster. He would not get off my tail! I was scared to death, and even though I knew how to drive, a Nissan would only go so fast. At one point in the highway there did come up a break in the median with a lit-up gas station convenience store across the other side of the highway, but had I tried to turn into it, I would've flipped my car and probably been dead for sure.
I kept turning my head trying to wave the guy off. I don't know WHY THIS SICK PERSON THOUGHT THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD IDEA FOR A GAME, BUT IT WAS ONE I WILL NEVER FORGET! FINALLY, FINALLY, HE LAUGHED AT ME AND WENT ON HIS WAY. HE DIDN'T SUCCEED AT CAUSING ME TO HAVE A "SINGLE CAR COLLISION," SO I GUESS IT WAS "GAME OVER." THIS --THIS IS THE TYPE OF SICKNESS THAT THRIVES IN TEXAS, I GUESS. THE IDEA THAT SOMEONE WOULD TRY TO KILL ME FOR NO REASON HAD A HORRIBLY CHILLING EFFECT ON ME FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. I LEFT TEXAS IN EARLY '93, NEVER TO RETURN! There was not another car or a Highway Patrol car on this major highway the whole way. I guess this terrible "person" knew that and KNEW he could get away with VIRTUALLY MURDER had he been successful! Makes me wonder how many single car collisions are indeed that!
I wanted to add that the expanse of land out there was so wide-open, and so desolate, that there was a HUMONGOUS AMERICAN FLAG PLANTED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, STANDING ALONE AND FLYING FOR GOD AND ALL OF COUNTRY TO SEE. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW LARGE IT WAS -- LARGE ENOUGH TO BE MASSIVELY IMPRESSIVE.
True that, dude. And I’m not a Southern/rural apologist. I’m proud of where I grew up. But I have watched, particularly over the past decade, ordinary people I grew up with fall for this demagoguery and lose their minds. I live on the coast where all the oil refineries are. My friends have great jobs available to few in the country. $120k+. And those other people [ insert group here] are responsible for all of their problems. They have become irrational. I stopped talking to men and women I’ve known for 40 years because it’s as productive as talking to Marjorie Green (whoever the fuck). They talk about marching. They have automatic weapons. ARs. They are not fucking around. It scares me.
These rural gun toting nut jobs are not confined to Texas. Farm country in Indiana has a good crop going. The f-ing road signage is full of bullet holes and there are organized shoot ins. There must be several bump stocks in the group also. Scary shit for sure. I carry when we are dog walking for exercise. I just don’t know about the drivers cruising the roads.
You are correct. Indiana, rural Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, etc. I’ve met rednecks across the country. I don’t use that term pejoratively, I am one. Just shorthand for a type—ordinarily great folks—until the wires fell off their coconuts.
They usually don't have a strong family life. They cannot find happiness - maybe they look in the wrong place. Friends and experiences w/ friends are better than simply owning a large piece of equipment, be it a Porsche or a Jaguar or a yacht.
🫁 lungs, for starters. Having fellow humans who are uneducated and misinformed, who vote against the well being of themselves and my interests, too, because there are no guardrails on the media for veracity of what they produce. Misinformation and disinformation runs rampant in their "news" programs. They really hurt my heart when my only genetic son was taken from me because I was too young to keep him, and unmarried: a rape victim and ward of the state. I could write books about the harm the billionaires are doing with their outsized power, and lack of concern for everyone else. You are a troll. Did your mother drop you on your head? Or are you Elon Musk? Or working for "MAGA"? Or Putin?
Calling the Steele dossier a legitimate document instead of a crime is also misleading. The FBI knew it was a lie in 2017. Just like they knew hunters laptop was authentic but forced social media to remove any mention of it from their sites.
The username should tell you all you need to know.
Since the 4th REICHer MAGAtNAZIS, and POOtiebot troll farm asswipes in St. Petes and elsewhere (almost without exception) purposefully choose THE most ironic, and conflicting with their end game/purpose goals, usernames. ;)
Don’t engage dude. Anyone who would take on the alter ego of that man is a bully. I wasn’t always an estate planner. I was early in my career a “street lawyer.” I know your story well. The “criminal justice industrial complex” as my mentor called it chewed you up. And that includes CPS, that is law enforcement. I’m sorry. You were a child and never had a chance.
SO-O-O-O sorry for your loss and your experience, Laurie. Many women went through such experiences. A truly unevolved part of the world's history, the sorry, unempathetic, unsympathetic failure of family values for so long.
Klare K. ; That was in the late 60's, a few years before Roe v Wade was decided in favor of women's rights to decide whether to continue a pregnancy. For millennia, women "Had get married". Often having to convince some guy that the baby was his. Before DNA testing was developed.
I know. I was just saying that so many girls were sent away to homes for unwed mothers, their families didn't want the "shame of it." As soon as Roe v. Wade became law, girls I knew were lining up to have abortions. The whole situation involving abortion was foreign territory to me. E.g.: I worked for a really la-de-dah famous restaurant on Lake Michigan at the time, and two sisters who worked there with me were boom! out the door and ready to line up. Then two more friends followed. It was just something I would never have considered . . . denying life to one's own flesh and blood.
I was speaking also of historic situations like the Magdeleine Laundries in France where pregnant girls were sent and their babies taken away by the nuns.
@fake Karl Marx. There is a direct, measurable correlation between low incomes and bad life outcomes. At the same time there is a direct, measurable correlation between billionaires' (and corporations') taxes going down and everyone else's taxes going up. Also, a direct, measurable correlation between billionaires' taxes going down and the federal deficit going up, which triggers higher interest rates, stubborn inflation and pressure to raise taxes on the lower tax brackets which drives some ordinary people to think they need to vote Republican to lower their taxes. I can go on. Your stupid 5 word rhetorical responses aren't as powerful as you think - you are just exploiting the limited nature of this forum but you are not getting away with it.
Using their wealth to manipulate the system so they can hoard even more wealth reduces the prosperity of working class people, diminishing our lives. Show me on the doll where licking their boots helps you. Do you never tire of being so pathetic?
That would take a book to cover every hurt. But Trumps Tax Act of 2017 gave corporate America a 14% tax break that drove up the your national depth. The working class will end up paying the corporate debt. Just like each recession set working class people back and corporations get bailed out by the US Government and accumulated more profits ans wealth during or shortly after the recessions.
Monopolists hurt everyone in the pocketbook, and arguing with their apologists on a comments board can be a minor pain in the butt, however, it's a free country and people are certainly entitled to their opinions, even iof they are wrong.
- Abandoned mines, oil//gas wells, quarries, toxic waste dumps. We all end up paying for cleanup. Cleanup costs need to be built into permits,refundable if cleanup done by company.
Basic political cruelty is the essence that drives the Republican party. Most have to work at being subservice while others come by its negativity naturally. Trump is king, in his sick world of being a bully, where contemptuous behavior is the norm instead of the exception. The Republicans have brewed a stew with no meat, just broth and a starving public remains hungry for what Joe can give them.
Yeah, Sit: when "people" are corporations, they have a bigger voice and drown out humans. They seek to satisfy their own interests. And do not care about the Common Good. Democracy does not work in this scenario. Humans have little choice when money is speech, and buy justice itself. And elections. 50 million from a Mellon....for a MAGA "leader" who is a criminal. Their rapist bully!
Sit, Republicans' support of MAGAism supports cruel policies that would make life harder for poor people (and make hard-working people poorer!), and that is life in the US, but I shake my head that so many citizens who would be hurt by those policies insist upon voting for them.
@ R. A vote for Joe Biden in November will wash that ugly orange stain out of our public lives and politics. As soon as that tangerine twatwaddle is out of the picture, the spineless politicians that have carried his water (out of fear of primary voters) will immediately switch back to old school Republicanism (I hope) or sadly another Putin Ally will rise up.
Only the MAGAs or the Republicans and original Obama voters are still voting for trump ! By defeating trump we haven’t gained a lot, except more corruption and a huge foreign policy mess ! Whoever comes next it will be Same Old Same .., !
The problem is that unlike any other time in my life, we have a defeated president who won't admit he lost, who even plans, organizes & incites an insurrection to stay in power, who won't go away but rather insists on interfering with government policy & stoking hate, fear & division, & promises further insurrections & civil war if he doesn't get his way.
The greatest mistake the current administration has made is failure to immediately arrest & prosecute Trump & his Republican collaborators from his administration & Congress. The Justice Department has been extremely weak, tardy & insufficient, while the Republican Party & right-wing media have been complicit in Trump's crimes & treason, & the corporate mainstream media has been derelict in reporting these crimes & acts of treason. Therefore we're at great risk of facing a fascist tyranny very soon.
You have the best post today ! I sincerely appreciate ! Sincerely appreciate your decency with which you stated your thoughts ! Please post more often and on more topics !
I agree with everything you said, but the process is not all that easy in a democracy, with our constitution and with our courts and specially with our Supreme Court that is determined to make fools of all good and decent people !
Our constitution needs good justice minded people not partisan hacks in the courts, but now we have partisan hacks who are also corrupt in addition to be wounded hacks by scandals that came up during the confirmation hearings ! So, we have a damaged Supreme Court, I wish there is scope for the President or the Attorney General or another process that can force the resignation of all the nine judges and reappoint a new set of nine judges !
As a long term fix, we should completely remove the appointment and confirmation process of justices from the politics and politicians and have a panel of nonpartisan judicial and constitutional scholars !
I am sure judiciary should be 100 percent free of politics and politicians, and I am sure that is what our founding fathers had in their minds, but they and we underestimated the extent to which every institution of government can be corrupted and manipulated for whatever reason by whoever outside influences !
Politicians of both parties are corrupted as well, these are beyond any citizens’ imagination or comprehension !
Our Constitution is a Good model for a good Governance ! But American politicians are just hopeless… definitely corrupt …please add more if you can imagine even the worst attributes to our politicians !
They get dressed up and well disguised…. I can’t imagine the worst ! But all the troubles we are witnessing points to very entrenched corruption everywhere !
We had been making steady progress from FDR-LBJ instituting social programs to improve lives, health & security for ordinary Americans. Then our system started breaking down in multiple ways: politicians getting into power corruptly & ruling corruptly &/or incompetently, corporations gaining power over all aspects of our lives from government to media to society, diverting money from the middle & working classes to their executives, with regular citizens losing influence as corporate profits took precedence over the common good, & disparity between rich & poor & economic injustice increased.
I think your ideas on the judiciary are worth consideration. Clearly the current situation is dysfunctional & endangering our democracy, clearly something the founders could not have foreseen.
Our forefathers warned against the formation of political parties as they thought it would be detrimental to national cohesion, & they were right. It is curious how the current major parties have evolved. They have switched positions over time on many issues, & until 40-50 years ago, there was a lot of overlap between the 2 parties, but now they are really divided.
You forgot to add in; prosecution and PERSECUTION of all of the SHITler's (and his MAGAtNAZI REGIME's) perceived 'enemies', which the way I personally take it to mean is ALL OF US 'libtards and leftist commie progressives' <-(THEIR effing label, NOT mine! ;) ), and not just the 'higher ups' and entrenched "deep state" rank and file in the current government, DoJ, school board, or any court not acting as a sycophantic QUISLING to the putrid orange sack of shit.
Their scummy orange, psychotically fascist, rancid POS DESPOT has already stated that he will use the FULL power of any and all law enforcement agencies, the DoJ, FBI, NSA, CIA, and his effing 'Space Force' to accomplish his (and his MAGAt brown shirts'/his batshit insane quisling Congress', etc.) "retriBOOshun" (as the evil SCUMp would spew it out of his toxic pursed orifice for emphasis).
Really, WTF has this effing forsaken land become (frustrated rhetorical question, as the answer is 1932 Germany). :( :( :(
At least the (majority) 'people's choice' in the (mostly) brain dead, racist, fascist effing 'only places which COUNT', 'swing states', which due to our senseless and totally ASININE system (the POS Electoral College) for electing the most powerful being in the world is set up.
Denying women healthcare, denying people voting rights, passing bills denying the LGBTQ community equal rights, promoting only Christianity as a Religion in a country built on freedom of religion, just a few examples.
The term "cruelty" refers to the intentional infliction of pain, suffering, or harm upon others, be it humans or animals. This behavior is often characterized by a lack of empathy, compassion, and consideration for the well-being of others. Cruelty can manifest in various forms, ranging from physical abuse to emotional and psychological torment. Here are some key aspects of cruelty:
Types of Cruelty
Physical Cruelty:
Human Physical Abuse: Includes acts such as hitting, beating, or otherwise causing physical harm to another person.
Animal Cruelty: Involves causing unnecessary pain or suffering to animals, such as through neglect, beating, or killing.
Emotional or Psychological Cruelty:
Verbal Abuse: Using words to demean, belittle, or emotionally hurt someone.
Manipulation and Control: Exerting psychological control or manipulation over another person, leading to mental and emotional distress.
Neglect:
Child Neglect: Failing to provide necessary care, supervision, and support to a child.
Elder Neglect: Not attending to the basic needs of elderly individuals, leading to their physical and emotional decline.
Animal Neglect: Failing to provide adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care to animals.
Causes of Cruelty
Psychological Factors:
Personality Disorders: Conditions like antisocial personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder can lead to cruel behaviors.
Childhood Trauma: Individuals who experienced abuse or neglect during childhood may exhibit cruelty as a learned behavior.
Lack of Empathy: Difficulty in understanding or relating to the feelings of others.
Environmental Factors:
Cultural Norms: In some societies, certain forms of cruelty might be normalized or even encouraged.
Peer Influence: Being part of a group that condones or promotes cruelty can lead individuals to engage in such behavior.
Situational Factors:
Stress and Anger: High levels of stress or unresolved anger can lead to cruel actions as a way of coping or expressing frustration.
Power Dynamics: Situations where one individual holds power over another can sometimes lead to abusive behavior.
Impact of Cruelty
On Victims:
Physical Harm: Injuries or long-term health issues resulting from physical abuse.
Emotional and Psychological Damage: Development of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Behavioral Changes: Victims may become withdrawn, aggressive, or exhibit other significant behavioral changes.
On Perpetrators:
Legal Consequences: Engagement in cruel behavior can result in legal repercussions, including imprisonment and fines.
Social Isolation: Perpetrators of cruelty may find themselves isolated as others distance themselves from harmful behavior.
Addressing Cruelty
Education and Awareness:
Public Awareness Campaigns: Educating the public about the signs and consequences of cruelty can help prevent it.
Empathy Training: Programs designed to foster empathy and understanding can reduce instances of cruelty.
Legal Measures:
Strict Laws: Implementing and enforcing laws that punish cruel behavior can act as a deterrent.
Protective Services: Ensuring that there are adequate services in place to protect and support victims of cruelty.
Therapeutic Interventions:
Counseling and Therapy: Providing mental health support to both victims and perpetrators can address underlying issues and promote healing.
Support Groups: Creating safe spaces for victims to share their experiences and find support.
Understanding the various dimensions of cruelty is crucial for developing effective strategies to combat it and create a more compassionate and empathetic society.
DZK, you are providing free language learning lessons to train the KarlMarx troll-bot; this training will over the course of time make the bot more capable of crating havoc with otherwise perfectly normal comment boards. I suggest we mess with the bot's mind by feeding it a lot of gibberish. Ikelay Igpay Atinlay.
Karl tell us how billionaires help us with their benevolence. Come on Karl you use to be such a prolific writer and philosopher. Cat got your tongue or have you become anal retentive in your extremely old age? LOL.
You should be VERY familiar with it, since it is roughly the same as YOUR fascist boss' (POOtin) and his band of evil, shithead oligarchs' sadistic cruelty. ;)
So I’d ask you, what kind of people would mock a person with a handicap? That’s what Trump has done on more than one occasion. How does that make them feel better about themselves? Think karma. It’s awaiting people who do such things. So be careful, it could be coming for you too.
Thank you, Mr. Taylor. One of the things I do is represent special needs people (adults mostly, planning for when their parents are gone). One of the most vulnerable groups in our population. Texas raised simple assault on the elderly and physically disabled to the same penalty group as murder. That’s progressive and needed.
Thank you, S. Bryan F, for making life better for special needs people and their loved/loving ones. I am assuming from your comment that assaults on them are common enough to require special legislation. That is hard news for me to hear.
Responding to JohnTaylor 6/22 "...what kind of people would mock a person with a handicap? "
I think you answered your question in your next sentence...people like Donald Trump.
If the only ones who mocked handicapped people were DJT & a few of his golfing buddies, the issue would not be so worrisome. But there are whole stadiums (or 'stadia', for any Latin pedants out there) full of red-hatted Trump fans who laugh at his insults and dumb jokes. Maybe their laughter was just shock and embarrassment. I hope so.
One can only hope it was shock and embarrassment. But I have my doubts about being optimistic. Even if they are shocked, the mere fact that they still stand by him no matter what he does, is telling of their souls.
If you don't like my language hang around and keep posting more bullshit.
I could care less about the fucking Democrats, what I care about is preventing this country from becoming a fucking theocratic autocracy. And that is exactly the form of government you are enabling.
Opinion? You don't keep up with the news do you? Or maybe that is the type of government you want, a theocratic autocracy. A Christian Taliban, Republic of Gilead society for white men only.
As regards the rest of your rant. Go ahead and defend the master of genocide, and aggressor bully, your man Putin.
Putin sure does fear and hate the military might of the west If I were him Iwould as well, but if i were him I would not have invade the Crimea, nor would I try to annihilate the country,culture and language of a country, whose founders, Swedish Rus, gave there name to the country that is trying to destroy them.
It is a waste of time to engage ina debate with a disruptor.
There is no need, not on Robert Reich's page, you see, you aren't going to sway minds, change opinions or convince anyone of Robert Reich's readers to change their minds and vote for Trump or a third party, so you are wasting your time.
Robert is on to you, I am on to you, and most of the readers are on to you.
I first mentioned months ago, as we get closer to November, the Putin and Trump trolls will start to pile on, and voila, up shows a coward that calls itself Contumacious, as well as other friends.
Ya'll think you are clever, Using the natural antipathies of the left, and turning them to your cause, only it is not working.
Wrong. On the left there is George Soros, and he only donates money to Democrats. On the Right are all the other billionaires, and they own and control the media, corporations, finance, politicians and PAC's
If their sole 'boogey man' (and not even veiled anymore, ANTI-SEMITISM bullhorn 'dog whistle') Soros had THAT much wealth, power and influence, we would not EVER have to worry about being put into their MAGAtNAZI death camps if/when their putrid orange POS fuehrer gets back into power FOR LIFE (and the lives of his demon spawn Uday and Ousay). ;)
William F - George Soros donates to democracy advocates around the world. I think he is trying to help spread democracy, not just a liberal point of view, though I am reasonably certain he does support Democrats in the US. The way you phrased your comment puts Soros in the same light as the Kochs and Mellons, etc., which I don't think is fair to Soros, whatever you feel about him as a businessman.
I had a brief experience with Soros funding in 2008 when I worked with an org in Ohio advocating for John Kerry's election. There was a lot of help from hospital workers through their union and probably funded by him, but there also many self-funded volunteers. Lots of hard workers, efficiently organized to GOTV.
replying to Progwoman - thanks for sharing that. I think it is highly commendable that some people who have made a PILE of money (Soros, Gates, Hewletts & others I can't think of) are actively engaged in putting it to work to make things better for people other than their golfing or yachting buddies.
Unless someone files a motion, Roberts is not required to act. Only Trump and hate crimes perps are overt physical threats. I don't see evidence that they are charged for their crimes.
If I were kung, all the justices, all the candidates, would have to be treated like so many of us were when we applied for jobs. Trump may he a psychotic, a sociopath and may be able to beat a lie detector, but I don't believe he can beat a combination of say the MMPI, IQ and the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). https://careers.state.gov/career-paths/foreign-service/officer/fso-test-information-and-selection-process.
I feel that I was a legal Dodo bird or mastodon, as most of my life's work, administrative law, has come to an end due to the current make up of SCOTUS. I've been sayin' that we have to be aware of the the false allegation that American administrative law is “unlawful” and tyrannous -- "that we have recreated, in another guise, the world of executive 'prerogative' that would have obtained if James II had prevailed, and the Glorious Revolution never occurred. Administrative agencies, crouched around the President’s throne, enjoy extralegal or supralegal power; the Environmental Protection Agency, with its administrative rulemaking and combined legislative, executive and judicial functions, is a modern Star Chamber." See Is Administrative Law Unlawful? Philip A. Hamburger (2014).
One of the prime movers in the bump stock and Mifepristone cases is the "New Civil Liberties Alliance" group of lawyers, which according to its newsletter, "is working tirelessly to uphold the fundamental rights and liberties enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard NCLA’s Garland v. Cargill case, which challenges the ATF’s effort to rewrite a federal statute that bans bump stocks—something ONLY Congress can do."
Founded by Hamburger, the Alliance is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While NCLA does not disclose its donors, tax filings show notable donations from the Charles Koch Foundation ($1 million in 2017), Donors Trust ($1 million in 2019) , and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation ($300,000 in 2018).
Among its lawyers are Jeff Clark, who has been indicted a couple of times, https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/resources/clark-trial/ and its board is chaired by Janice Rogers Brown, formerly of the DC Cir. Court of Appeals, who once said that the Social Security Act was unconstitutional in a dissent.
As recently as March, the Alliance provided testimony that in essence, administrative agencies are unconstitutional.
Agreed. I have found myself comparing the current state of affairs in the US their former colonies. (A few of my ancestors arrived here from England in the 1630s.) Gains and losses in freedoms, fairness, economies, etc. exist have ebbed and declined in all, but overall, I think the world has become better in this regard. But more recently, I wonder now which societies eventually will come out ahead. But is it a fair comparison? Would Britain have changed as much as it did, had not the US revolution rocked their boat? I think now that the many more of us in the US need to take civic responsibilities as serious required duties. We are becoming irresponsible followers of anything and everything that provides instant gratification. I think instant gratification is what Trump and company provide to his followers. As long as they get high on being entertained by the cheap cruel jokes and whining, while Trump himself gets wealthier by knowingly being used as a tool by the multi billionaires (simply "billionaire" is not wealthy enough), I fear for our country. Everyone, please vote!
One of the saddest things to me is how often we think of ourselves as consumers rather than citizens. It's one reason corporations have so much power. If they can convince people to try to satisfy themselves with material possessions and luxury services, there's less incentive to seek public education, libraries, and volunteer organizations.
Agree. People or citizens are usually always referred to as consumers in various general articles related to the economy. In other fields or disciplines, say environmental or ecological studies, "consumers" might be used in a detailed technical report, as this herbivore consumes certain flora, or with regard to a predator animal, but otherwise, we do not refer to these living beings by a single function. The term "consumer" might apply in technical report specific to an economic study, but outside of that context, we humans fill many roles.
Daniel, here is my take away. Aileen Canon could be removed for cause, if Jack Smith filed for her removal/recusal. The Supreme Court Justices could be charged with corruption and bribery if Garland would charge them
Nothing has nor will happen.
There is only one conclusion Jack Smith is not the hero that people make him out to be, and is engaged in Kabuki Theater as Mueller was.
And Garland is compromised, either ideologically or in fear of what could happen to him if Trump wins. He is either covertly a Trump humper or hedging his bets/
Wrong. All about bias. “The law is clear. We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant. Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so.” https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23323385/trump-ca11-2022-12-01.pdf
28 USC 114: "Whenever a party to any proceeding in a district court makes and files a timely and sufficient affidavit that the judge before whom the matter is pending has a personal bias or prejudice either against him or in favor of any adverse party, such judge shall proceed no further therein, but another judge shall be assigned to hear such proceeding.
"The affidavit shall state the facts and the reasons for the belief that bias or prejudice exists, and shall be filed not less than ten days before the beginning of the term at which the proceeding is to be heard, or good cause shall be shown for failure to file it within such time. A party may file only one such affidavit in any case. It shall be accompanied by a certificate of counsel of record stating that it is made in good faith."
Smith/Garland would have to file the affidavits. I've been hoping that her associates, colleagues, among others would come forward and supply sworn affidavits.
E.G. She attended a right wing educational conference while the case was pending. Question all the other attendees. I know the US attorney who hired her. I know graduates of Ransom Everglades school who were her contemporaries. She had colleagues in the US attorney's office. They socialize.
Daniel the way substack posts comments makes it seem that you are responding to my post, and my post has nothing to do with search warrants or the law.
Here is my comment:
Daniel, here is my take away. Aileen Canon could be removed for cause, if Jack Smith filed for her removal/recusal. The Supreme Court Justices could be charged with corruption and bribery if Garland would charge them
Nothing has nor will happen.
There is only one conclusion Jack Smith is not the hero that people make him out to be, and is engaged in Kabuki Theater as Mueller was.
And Garland is compromised, either ideologically or in fear of what could happen to him if Trump wins. He is either covertly a Trump humper or hedging his bets/
He (Garland) might as well be 'all in' on supporting prosecution of the rancid orange turd, since the putrid orange SHITler and his genocidal NAZI REGIME, once in power, will come for HIM FIRST (especially being a Jew), regarless of how blatantly he has 'hedged his bets'.
They thrown their very own SCUMp loyalists and sycophants under the proverbial bus (as SHITler 1.0 did with Rohm and the brown shirts). They are going to hesitate with Garland?!?!
All of the above, I think. Bullies (Simple People, Proverbs 1) are manipulated by smarter, evil people with an agenda. We see it on the playground as children... later in life, it's the ruthless go-getters who butcher their way to the financial top and then manipulate the Simple People (at no benefit to them) to make themselves ever richer and stay in power. Bullies are just playthings. Sly manipulators are right behind them, working tirelessly to destroy all that is good in the world, and make it once again a feudal estate system where 90% of the people are serfs (slaves tied to the land). A clarification on that: while the south had (mostly) black people ruthlessly enslaved, most of the whites were sharecroppers except in a few bigger cities where a small middle class thrived. In the north, the factory owners in effect were slave owners almost as much. They forced men, women, and children to work six days a week, long hours, except for some time off on Sundays. They forced workers to live in settlements around the factories so they'd always be on hand for work. They used gang types (including veterans) to shoot and kill strikers and generally terrify unions trying to organize workers. It is the UNIONS, nobody else, who brought about a minimum wage, an end to child labor (except in the south), and a 40 hour work week etc. Even today, the union movement in the US is hampered by korporate lies & propaganda; the big money knows exactly how to lie to the Simple People (Proverbs 1) to make them (for example) HATE health care as "evil communism" and so forth. We are the only industrialized nation with primitive, sharecropper wealth scare instead of health care. The most amazing thing is that people in the USA go along with this. They just don't understand the math involved: universal health care is cheaper, better, faster... like the NASA slogan... Robert, can you please explain the math so people will begin to understand why the usual questions like "how would we pay for it?" are just plain ignorant and self-destructive. Start with the vast benefits of preventive medicine... I'll stop there for now. JTC Sheep Heil!
John T Cullen. I love your comment, it is so right on, however it is difficult to read, please take this as constructive criticism.
It is long paragraph with many cogent thoughts, all of them worth writing. Each of them worthy of their on paragraph, which would make your thoughtful comment easier to read
I see this as a frequent fault among so many people, whose comments are worthy of posting, but are TL:DR paragraphs.
Got it. Thanks, William. I want to put in paragraphs but for some reason the (AI or something) takes them out. Will try again. Also, I'll be publishing my own Substack column soon. I have one article up so far about Winston Churchill's mother...a New York City girl named Jennie Jerome. JTC
Try double spacing between paragraphs. I don't use AI or autocorrect. I still use Windows7 and Microsoft Office 2007, do not even own a cellphone,. I use google chrome and it has a spell check feature, but that is limited I know more words than spell check, like Dominionist
John, the people have tolerated it, because until fairly recently it has worked satisfactorily for them. Then came the Great offshoring and the Great recession, and now "The Great redistribution" is upon us, and everybody is scared. Billionaires invested in the fossil fuels industry are especially scared, and they run the Republican Party.
Dude, I don’t know what State (geographically speaking) but you’re way off about Texas. This is 1950s South. This is the state producing more fossil fuel, green energy, and high tech jobs (behind CA). There is a provision in the Texas Constitution intentionally left in when as an independent nation we joined the Union. It allows us to leave the Union. I have no idea if it’s legal. Regardless, if Texas left the Union most economists predict Texas would fall somewhere between 8-11th largest economy as an independent nation. In other words, you need us; we do not need you. Texas built its own “Fort Knox” and has been stashing gold for two decades. Those aren’t the problems here, friend. Maybe in Mississippi, but not Texas. It doesn’t help anyone for us to leave the Union. The economy here is robust. Houston is now larger than Chicago and LA County is the largest in the U.S. Second is Harris, not New York. So, as Marcus Aurelius suggests, ask yourself, “What is the fundamental problem in Texas? What is its nature?” Figure that out and you can explain this whole mess. I know, I live here. When you give up I’ll tell you.
Well, at the University of Texas they are Bevo Bucks, so I’ve no idea. I found it difficult to believe when I was reading the article describing the facility and the State’s policy. This may be inaccurate, but I want to say Rick Perry was governor. I know, we’ve had a real lousy streak of executives. The Trumplicans have taken over this state. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Ted Cruz is an incredibly smart man and was once sane. Look at some of his critiques of Trump when he was a candidate in the primary in what, ‘22-23?
Just goes to show how everyone fell in line with the politics of expediency. And that debate last night has me frightened.
I don’t know, I saw this documentary based loosely on survivalist types. Those folks argued that in a devastating economic crash, gold would be worth nothing for 6-12 months. What will the most important bartering currency be according to them? Alcohol. Ethanol. Makes sense, Whiskey Rebellion and all. It was the currency on the American frontier since our founding. Maybe Texas is stashing Tito’s handmade Vodka. Or the architects of that deal were drinking Austin’s favorite local spirit. I haven’t a clue, just read that. Now I’m going to have to research it.
Professor Reich: i think it depends what you mean by "biggest" bullies. do you mean those bullies who wield the most power to make most peoples' lives a living hell in the most ways? or do you mean those bullies who are the most visible to us? or perhaps, you mean those with the most money to throw around? Or do you mean those who have had the greatest effect on particular individuals in society? i think the response depends upon which of those definitions that your peeps accept as what your meaning is.
as for me, i chose the first definition and thus, i responded to your poll with "Big corporations and Wall Street".
I follow your reasoning but at first thought it is billionaires because they control the government that makes the regulations that controls big corporations and Wall Street. But then it occurred to me that "the invisible hand" of system of capitalism can turn most people into bullies of those lower in the economic hierarchy. Frank Sobotka, a character on "The Wire" series explained late stage capitalism very well, "You Know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's ppocket."
Every thing, everybody, and every service is commodified. Everything must have a profit built into it or it doesn't exist. Financialization is a dead end as you, GrrlScientist, you explained very well earlier this week about how the wealthiest will survive when there is no more money at the bottom to trickle up. You said something like, "Who will harvest their strawberries? Will they put a gun to the pickers' heads to make them do it?" I believe that is the plan.
They are truly killing the goose that lays the golden egg. The system will eventually fail. It may be sooner than later if Trump and the GOP win.
Warren Buffet is no hero of mine. I won't go into details, but he screwed me and other small investors with his takeover of HJ Heinz. I think he's a greedy bastard.
I am from Heinzland. Was a sole proprietorship. I didn't know there were outside investors. Were you an employee? My brother had a client that made the plastic bottles -- lost their contract. .
Yes, if billionaires were truly benevolent in paying a fair share of the taxes they owe to the US Gov to keep the boat afloat, society would not be sinking to where it's headed. WB is, if memory serves me correctly, the only one who, as suggested, billionaires could afford to pay more. On Jimmy Buffet's Pirate Looks at 40, those lyrics seem applicable to the situation as verses can be imagined as applying to the billionaires as pirates, SCOTUS as smugglers, the legislative branch as drunks, and DJT as a womanizer, and the middle-class manufacturing workers as having occupations that just aren’t around. Thanks for the Substack comment today!
And most of those laws are written to protect the wealth. donald the divider uses bankruptcy for a $870 million casino fiasco but student loans are excluded from bankruptcy. That's ludicrous.
US agencies like the SEC, DOL, DOT, etc and the money comes from the budget.
The Administrative Procedure Act (1947) is a mini constitution, that established how rulemaking should occur. At my agency, we had a subagency, OSHA, assigned to investigate complaints involving health and safety, and even stuff like corporate mismanagement.
We've had some times when the foxes wer3e in charge of the henhouse, like when my friend Elaine was secretary, but even then, we have due process, so one person does not "rule" and due process was observed.
You really want to put our government lawyers (no matter how dedicated and hard working) up against multi million (if not billon) dollar law firms with unlimited resources. Plus try explaining the laws and how they were broken to a group of “average” people.
Browser won't let me "like" so three thumbs up Gloria. Especially your last sentence.
The system will fail if Trump is elected, because he has pledged to get rid of the very people who do the hard and dirty jobs, the productive ones that enable the Trump Humpers to buy guns, Ford F-250's, and airplane tickets to D.C. to storm the castle.
Trump humpers are theocratic,misogynistic, racist fascists and about 40% of the population. The other 60% will be waged war upon by the 40% and so demoralized that productivity will fall. The only way to maintain productivity is by violence and threat of violence, and that invites sabotage, and minimum effort.
So Trump wins a demoralized society. What a prize.
That's what it is all about, and Putin's puppets are logging on to RR's substack and others by the score now, especially the one called Chuck Campbell., sucker is obsessed with the Steele dossier, and I can't figure out why, perhaps because it implicates Putin.
Add Contumacious, Paul Bjarnson, I think I will keep a spread sheet of Trump Putin trolls.
They started appearing in droves as the election got serious, they are already infesting Tic Toc, shitter and other social media. why not substack, only problem they are wasting their time here, except maybe the orgasm they get (presuming they are human and not AI Bots), from what they think is owning the libs.
The Biggest Bullies manifested as a result of the youth opposition to the Genocide including the University Students, from that angle, I guess Americans are all Bullies except the young generation ? Biden, Kamala Harris ..most elected Democrats and all the elected Republicans except one Republican Congressman and one of the Checkout lady at my local Kroger ….one day she asked me what is wrong with the young people …. Americans are evolving slowly and suddenly Young People are making a Jump in the polls, they will be old Americans one day and let us hope they won’t be sliding in the polls, but I won’t be around to witness that if it happens. My young son and daughters will be good and will never accept Genocide as normal !
Sir whatever, the only genocide going on in the word right now are in Myanmar, the Sudan and Ukraine, and the young people your glorifying could care less about either.
Gen Z are lazy, lazy thinkers, self indulgent, self righteous, entitled and spoiled. Gen Z are Trump voters, if it isn't on a cell phone and social media it doesn't exist.
You must also watch the White House press room, DOD press room and State Department press room…and the way they handle the Reporters and the varied of Lies in the Menu ! ….kind of Bullying and Stifling those questioners asking the most important questions ! I would say, those three press rooms are noticeably kind of Bullies ….and Austin telling the Senators that there is no Genocide in a manner trying to comfort the Senators and the American Lady at the UN Security Council showing signs of fatigue in her arm due to raising her hand too many times to Veto the Ceasefire Motion ! Even the Affirmative Action seems to backfire in this Big Bullying Era !
If your man Trump wins, given you are so disgusted with the Biden White House, things will get even worse, as will the genocide you claim to be so preoccupied with..
Genocide has to meet certain legal standards which of course lawyers can argue whether or not they have. War crimes which certainly have been committed have other standards. Much depends on which will be easier to prove. The biggest problem is thinking that we can influence Netanyahu when his only thought is to retain his power.
I know, there is a magic number and that number is SIX Million ! I better wait for that defining number ! We need patience and wait until Netanyahu hits his Jackpot / reach that magic number ?
Netanyahu simply steals bombs from our weapons storage like our own gunmen ! Or there is some other mysterious ways weapons reach his hands ? Maybe Abraham or Moses Secretly Devine the weapons while our Irish Saint is in Deep Meditation ?
Now, I can see how we accept and live with gun violence and accept and agree with SECOND Amendment ! Surely guns do not kill, only GAS CHAMBERS can kill and meet the definition ?
We could drop the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but Berlin is a very sacred place, deserves a Marshal plan !
Lots of twisted logic but Willy Nilly life goes on ?
Excellent comment Kathleen. I am sick and tired of idiots calling what is going on in Gaza, Genocide.
The Jews of Israel are swimming in a sea of Arabs, surrounded on three sides by people who have been trying to extinguish them, 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 2006, Oct 7th. those are attempted acts pf genocide,.. The Arab and Arab oil money influenced campus idiots, accuse the intended victims of genocide to be attempting genocide on peoples who if united can snuff them out, our try as they did before in 1948, 1956, 1973, 20006
No one has clean hands in this. Going back in the 1920s there were Zionist gangs in Palestine who waged a campaign of terror on Palestinian villages and vice a versa. Favorite story is of a Palestinian village that was attacked Zionist thugs (remember no peoples have monopoly on bad actors). Village destroyed, people killed. A Jewish village that had been their neighbor for many years, came to their rescue. A Jewish friend, born and raised in Israel told me some years ago, that many of the newer settlers would cause the destruction of Israel because they did know nor wish to learn how to get along with Arabs.
The billionaires have turned America into a Casino! It’s ironic that they forget that the guy who bankrupted a Casino is their pick to be president. If elected he will do it again!
The billionaires control the corporations which control Wall Street which results in bullies all around. Even the corporate media are bullies. Bullies bullies everywhere.
No, Trump, his administration & the GOP did their best to try to steal the election, up to & including planning, organizing & inciting an insurrection against the Capitol so that Trump could stay in power, & in fact, they succeeded in stealing a number of Senate & House seats, & probably a few states for Trump, but it wasn't enough for Trump to win the electoral college, although it was enough for Republicans to seize the House majority & make the Senate so tight that they were able to obstruct & stifle much progress over the term with the help of a couple confederates in the Democratic Party.
“the Manhattan jury’s decision to convict him on all criminal counts of election interference”
THANK YOU for not referring to it as a “hush money” trial.
It never was. Trump was on trial for election interference. Too many people who know better kept calling it a “hush money” trial to downplay the seriousness. Thank you for no longer being one of them.
I just don’t understand why people keep voting in criminals. Put Trump aside, there’s Rick Scott, Matt Gaetz, Rubio … commit a crime, do no time but go to Florida and get elected. Why are Sr citizens voting for people interested in dismantling SS? Who are these people really?
Robert, Because you asked for the biggest bullies, I pinpointed the one we necessarily must crush—Trump and the Trump GOP—if we’re to crack down on the others. To clarify, while vanquishing Trump and his sycophants is not sufficient, it clearly is necessary for diluting the other forces that threaten free and responsible government by popular consent. Hence, with barely 4 months before the election, it’s time we prioritize how we spend calories.
Yes MAGAts. do suffer from TDS, Poor things, now if they weren't so motivated by their puny fears and insecurities, their pre frontal cortex wouldn't be flooded by the lizard brain.
Sorry you suffer from that. It must be horrible to be unable to restrain yourself from cultishly & sadomasochistically supporting America's worst president & greatest traitor ever, who will turn America into a fascist tyranny should he get back in power. My sincere condolences!
I've gone for the easy choice because Trump and company ACTIVELY (and directly) bully people whereas for others the action is indirect and, although they may be culpable it is less aggressively so. Also I won a court case against a Trump supporter, but am still waiting on receiving the money. Until I I do I'm broke and hence I remain a non-subscriber. Sorry!
Given that a handful of billionaires have more wealth than more than 50% of the population of the US combined, and they use that money to get what they want by utilizing most of the other things in the list (including Wall Street and the big corporations), there's no question that billionaires are the biggest bullies.
What one thing do all billionaires want? A huge yacht! Take a look at Mark Zuckerberg's and J. K. Rowling's yachts. https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/harry-potter-author-jk-rowlings-yacht-visits-us-southern-states. What a waste of Earth's resources! What's wrong with these people?
Two pieces of shit. Mark Zukerberg and J K Rowling. J K is a hater, a TERF she hates men and transwomen, that yacht of hers is as large asUS Navy Frigate., it is 290 ft long and dwarfs Zuckerberg's 119 ft.
Take a look at the Jan-Feb 2024 MoJo article, "How Superyachts Explain the World" .... the biggest are owned by billionaires around the world, and it does seem that many are only feeding their egos by ordering construction of personal yachts that will simply be longer and bigger than anyone else's. 119 and 290 feet in length is child's play, with the largest running well over 500 and one at 593 feet. The one at 533 only requires $1.7 million to completely refuel... it is disgusting. But other ways these little, self-serving "people" play games with money that have huge negative effects on humanity are even worse.
This is what the uber-rich have always done - look at the castles and palaces from history, not to mention the pyramids. Now it's yachts and space ships, along with the usual jets, huge mansions and towering buildings.
This is why there needs to be a huge increase in the taxes on the wealthy and corporations.
We must add Jeff Bezos 300 + foot yacht that cruised up a river in the Netherlands, came to a medeival bridge and requested (demanded?) the city to dismantle the bridge so the yacht could continue on it's - river cruise. I don't know IF? J.B. and familirs were on board, BUT ~ this shows (IMO) just how the "uber rich" act & enable themselves within the worlds cultures. Another instance of 'yacht damage' was a number of years ago when Paul Allen's (Microsoft) yacht, up to 400' in length (?) was cruising in the area of the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and scraped a huge section of reef, severly damaging it for years to come and never really was held accountable for the damage.
And I'm descending into destitution ~ ~ ~ s i g h ~ ~ ~
I saw that article too. Sickening = both, but the damage to the Great Barrier Reef is way beyond disturbing.
That’s really frustrating to hear about the damage caused by these mega yachts. It’s a shame that the wealthy can act with such disregard for the environment.
Some of these yachts are as big as battleships, even bigger, and most don't even leave the dock. they serve as houseboats, because they don't have to pay property taxes.
Much as I would've liked to "like" many of the comments here because of the information provided, it's hard to "like" despicable, selfish behavior. 😒
I have no idea what you are referring to, but you are entitled to your own opinion.
The fact that yo have stooped to categorizing my behavior indicates that I touched a nerve. Care to share, what nerve that was? What button did I push?
Bear in mind that when you assume a position, such as you have, you are assuming a superior, parent child relationship. Are you sure you are in such a position?
Might I remind you that I really don't care if you are angry, upset,or whatever emotion you are trying to convey with that icon.
If I did, that would mean I grant you power over me, or consider your opinion of more worth and value than mine.
I am not being snarky, just factual. You are assuming a parent child transaction. I do not know on what basis, nor do I care. For the time being I will assume parent parent,, and that won't work because it is cross transactional.
Post Script. It is impossible to exhibit behavior on the internet, all you have before you are words.
Words are not behavior. And you are not speaking to a child, but an 85 year old retired officer.
Terrible, but also good if they're not refueling the damn monstrosities!
Yachts represent baths ... The ocean is a bit larger than these yachts. Nothing cudly about these yachts.
I've drowned twice, and there is no way I am going out on a boat.
What about antidepressants in the water we all drink? Or the water in Russia, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, etc?
Let's not care about their toys. It's a waste of one's good energy for other more relevant matters.
Ah but their toys have come at great expense to society and others. Their toys are a symbol of the harm that they do.
Yes, and we all need to be aware of the ways such ownership fits into the bigger power play struggles going on, trickling down to ALL of us..
Actually, Joan, kickin' at the rich boys about their extravagant toys is kinda fun and does really hurt anybody, least of all the rich boys themselves -- except of course for Elon of the very thin skin...he's a special case. One day I may decide to sign up for TwitterX, just to make some jokes at Elon's expense and see if I get banned. That would be an accomplishment of which I could be proud.
R. Hodson, just make sure, on X, you use a pseudonym just in case Elon decides to come after you--anything is possible these days:)!
I think it will be okay, unless The Former Guy gets elected again. Then, no one on this board will be safe.
Funny!
So do you read to children dressed as a woman? Is that why she shouldn’t have a yacht?
Why single them out? Envy of their wealth and power? Get over it
Hardly I am wealthy beyond measure, happy and content because I am not leveraged and have no fear of falling.
On the other hand your billionaires use their wealth and power, to gain more wealth and power, at your expense and the expense of others.
What do you think you will gain by being a bootlicker?
Get your booster shot Billy. And then read your little heart out
Why all that wealth comes responsibility- millionaires like Dump pretend they have none
"Responsibility" is an assault on individual liberty, libertarians claim.
Ugh, right-libertarianism is just a smokescreen for selfishness.
To Hank W "Why single them out?" Some reasons:
It is way more fun to to bitch about conspicuous consumption by the filthy rich than complaining about the price of eggs, for obvious reasons. Most people don't have huge fortunes or know the first thing about yachts, but we have to contend with high food prices every time we go shopping.
Envy their wealth and power? You betcha! I'd love to get me a few bazillions and buy a coupla 'lections! C'mon, who wouldn't, right????
As large as US Navy Frigate, that is kind of sexy, Right ?
US Navy Frigates have a lot of equipments, rooms for the sailors and marines…and guns and torpedoes !
But, in her Yacht, she possibly have all the room to spread herself, right ? That sounds like a lot of fun !
One thing to know about J.K. Rowling, even though her "Harry Potter" books are among the most popular and beloved in the world (they say she is richer than the English Monarchy), her last book in the series was a COMPLETE BUST. The ending was . . . TERRIBLE! It was like she just gave up or something, put ANYTHING down on the page! The main characters ended up leading THE MOST LACKLUSTER LIVES, she threw Dumbledore into an insulting, stultifying, SHOCKING ditch . . . I truly have never been able to figure out how or why her editors and publisher let her get away with practically RUINING the series with her finale! SO -- THAT BEING SAID, perhaps her HUGE YACHT IS COMPENSATION TO HERSELF FOR K-N-O-W-I-N-G that she fucked up the most amazing series in the history of children's literature EVER by COMPLETELY DUMPING AND CUTTING AND RUNNING ON THE ENDING!
Rowling is a TERF, a Trans Exclusionist Radical Feminist. She accepts female to male (transmen) but rejects and is at war with male to female (transwomen).
Which leads me to surmise that she has had a traumatized experience with men, probably a close male alliterative.
For her to have such a huge yacht, tells me she is overcompensating her 290 ft long yacht is bigger than the 177 ft long USS Pueblo The spy ship was captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968
Zuckerberg's Yacht of 378 ft is almost as big as the Littoral combat ships (Freedom class)
Anyway she is an angry person, maybe that is why she finished the way she did, she got hers, and she just doesn't care anymore.
Look at her characters. A young, innocent male, possibly Rowling alter ego, a wise old, harmless, gay male "guardian" of the harmless young male, and the shape shifting evil, threatening male.
I never read the books, and have only seen two of the movies (on TV)., that is how I perceive her characters.
She is emotionally scarred, I wager she lives on the Yacht and only socializes with women like her. Her yacht has 13 bedrooms.
Preach it, brother. Amen. Go on now Reverend. (I’ve made the mistake—good time really—of attending services on Sunday with some of my black friends. We had singing, strong preaching, it’s been an hour and a half! And y’all lured me here with the promise of soul food after.) 2 more hours. Great preaching, but I can emotionally crescendo and rise again only so many times.
African Methodist Episcopal Church. Great experience, pleasant folks, awesome food. But I’m Catholic. Church lasts an hour, no more and no less. 11am mass is only 45 minutes during football season. Father David (a fiery African American priest with some soul) loves him some Cowboys.
Mr. Farrar, it is obvious you have an obsession with J. K. Rowling, when by your own admission you have never even read her books! When the "Harry Potter" series came out, EVERYBODY WAS READING THEM -- college kids, grade-schoolers, adults, grandmothers, you name it. I bought a whole set of them for the Anne E. Casey Homes, a well-known public housing project in my town, for the children there, once the series was finished. They were very grateful to have them, and were very surprised that someone not a part of their social outreach programs thought of them. (I worked in bookstores for a very long time, so had access to a plethora of books others might never know about.)
I don't recall if the father of her child just wanted nothing to do with them . . . it's been a long time since I read her story.
As far as her "trans" positions, I am in there with her. I am so sick of hearing about "Gay Pride," and "pronouns," for God's sake, and every kid thinking he or she might actually be the opposite sex and deciding to switch . . . This is what comes of the terrible influence of social media putting terrible ideas in people's heads! So sick of hearing about the "lgbtq+" community, I could scream! So much of it is just a trend, a fad, and not at all based in reality.
Here is J. K. Rowling's story: She was a single mother with, I think, a little girl. For years, she had been writing these stories, jotting down bits and pieces as soon as another snippet came into her mind. Finally her friends urged her to actually sit down and start writing it for real, knowing she had a real work of art in her mind. She did, and the rest is history. In my opinion, she was truly gifted by God with one of the BEST stories in children's literature ever written, BUT, universally loved.
WHY she feels the need to own a huge yacht, I do not know. Maybe she likes having a delightful, unusual place for family and friends to gather all around her. As I noted earlier in another post, she was said to be richer than the Queen of England. She went from a rags-to-riches life, that is for sure.
Wow, thanks for coming out. Nice to know Klare, how little you respect personal choices.
You have great company on the other side of the aisle.
Are you sure you aren't a religious Trump Humper, I'm thinking so.
How big was that ship Hubbard sailed around the world evading taxes. Wouldn’t it be fun to throw those three idiots in a room and be a fly on the wall. One might even be confused about who the craziest asshole in the room was. Thought experiment.
L. Ron Hubbard? It's very hard to follow who you are referring to here.
Karl Marx: Billionaires can buy legislation that violates the Constitution. Taking away rights and making laws regarding religion. 🤔
@ Laurie. As you know, the real Karl Marx understood that the class war is not over cultural issues; its over economics. My work in cultural economics is an effort to show how moneyed interests use money to push cultural issues; first they excite their target populations, then to incite them to actions against their own interests.
Benjamin ; Yes, they use cultural warfare as a distraction, as well as a weapon. there is nothing like an unplanned pregnancy to distract a woman from going to college, or having a career, or even just throw her off balance and compromise her. It is adding insult to injury to force her to give birth, and they sure don't care about the child resulting from such a situation, nor the chance that something can go wrong with the pregnancy, even threatening the woman's life! Now they don't care if she dies!
Huh?
Billionaires can own multiple homes in multiple countries, and more power than most.They interfere with justice, and even block it entirely. May you experience real oppression. Then you would understand.
I like the way Marx points out something connected to the unchecked greed that goes with owning a yacht 290 feet long, as if its somehow the same as owning a 2 seat canoe. "Hey! They both just own a boat. Sheesh...c'mon."
Yachts, bunkers and bling are a GREAT way for the Bazillionaire Class to spend money -- less cash left over for buying elections.
but also a way to schmooze supreme court justices (for example) and buy influence that way :(
Well, just as easy to use things as bribery though.
The yacht is simply a symbol
An ego gratifying, 'phallic extension' as it were.
Just like owning multiple weapons of mass death, and stockpiles of ammo for them in order to intimidate us 'libtards', is for the peckerwood shitbilly MAGANAZIS these POS oligarchs control.
I always say that two enormously wealthy men competing in such childish ways should just go into a back alley with a measuring tape and be done......... leave the rest of us and the planet alone.
Ignore Vlad/Karl—it’s the best response.
Zuckerberg’s toy. Not bad for stealing an idea from someone else & profiting from it. Thank you MySpace.com
Jeff - Reminds me of Tom Lehrer's great song, "Lobachevsky"...
...I am never forget the day I first meet the great Lobachevsky
In one word he told me secret of success in mathematics: Plagiarize
Plagiarize
Let no one else's work evade your eyes
Remember why the good Lord made your eyes
So don't shade your eyes
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize
Only be sure always to call it please 'research'.
And ever since I meet this man
My life is not the same
And Nicolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky is his name
Here's a link to a youtube recording, if you want a good laugh:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=lobachevsky%20youtube%20videos&FORM=VIRE0&mid=C7A201AE47D23D889282C7A201AE47D23D889282&view=detail&ru=%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dlobachevsky%20youtube
they know that the ice is melting
I don’t think it works on Trump types - you could spray a gallon on him and he wouldn’t show any empathy towards another human
In the hood it’s simply called crack. At one time 7-Up contained lithium. I wonder if there’s any data on that era’s uncoils lovers. Where does one get a nose spray bottle of that stuff? I’m on a mission to run the cartels out of biz.
And Coca-Cola cocaine . . .
Lithium is a natural element used in the treatment of depression. Didn't we love 7-Up as children? I did! I buy Lithium Orotate as a supplement to take when having a spell of depression I can't shake. Along with N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine. Perfectly legit and works great! SwansonVitamins.com
I’m familiar. And a compulsive smart ass. It’s genetic. Sorry.
Not sure what you are apologizing for. You don't owe me an apology for anything. I don't think oxytocin has anything to do with lithium. By all means, do anything you can to run the drug cartels out of business!
In the "hood"? Seriously?
Which is why we must Tax...The....Rich, to remove their source of power. You cannot have a decent country, with a decent economy, unless we do what that most enlightened of Scottish moral philosophers wrote in 1776, the year of America's Declaration of Independence. Indeed, America's Declaration was, amongst other things, a document which excoriated kingly and plutocratic powers, like the Magna Carta before it. Trump is nothing more than a king wannabe.
We have been here before, long ago, and must resist with every sinew. Here's to President Biden and a soaring debate on Thursday!
M Hutchinson
I can and do visualize Biden calling out this wind bag on his lies. Most importantly the big lie about the 2020 election. I do also think that there is a real possibility that tfg will get cold feet and not show up.
Not show up. Now wouldn't that be something special?
With tfg being a proven coward it is possible to have a dream like that come true.
I wonder what excuse he might come up with? "It's interfering with my campaign schedule!"
Michael Hutchinson -- "America's Declaration was, amongst other things, a document which excoriated kingly and plutocratic powers, like the Magna Carta before it. Beautifully put.
Dude, I’m a fan of the founding fathers but let’s be clear. They were educated, wealthy, elites who didn’t want to pay a very small tax bill. They had grievances galore. Do not misunderstand my patriotism. But I’m thinking Parliament thought the same of them. Only members of Lords had estates like the Virginians.
I’m an estate planning lawyer and painfully aware of current wealth inequality in this country. I’m also a Texan, and unfortunately after the Cheeto wins the election and the Supreme Court of the State of New York upholds his convictions, well my uninformed but well armed neighbors will march with their toys should we reach the constitutional crisis I think we will meet head on in around 3 years. A sometimes interesting but mostly insipid nouveau Texan, billionaire Elon Musk, owns his own darn county here and couldn’t muster a dozen rednecks to one of his causes. So, the Orange One has an actual cult of armed bullies backing him up. And they’re dangerous. I don’t think Warren Buffet could get that insane moron to shut his fucking mouth for an hour for $10 billion dollars. That’s someone who has broken from reality and fallen in love with his very real status as a demagogue. Western Europe couldn’t have collectively raised enough money to pay Uncle Adolf to shut his pie hole and stay in Germany. Understand those two statements and I hope that you will believe, as I do, that even educated, rational people have lost the power of reasoning, that this is a very serious and dangerous movement. Shit will get out of control and people hurt. The protectors of the Constitution will become the generals and I expect martial law. Not an iota of exaggeration. But, as Hunter Thompson said, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Then I will be proud that I’m a simple, well educated redneck who can take care of himself and family. Big City Folk haven’t a damn clue how crazy white rural America really is. I had to grow up with them. They stopped surprising me 30 years ago.
Wow! When I lived in Texas for 5.5 years back in '87-'93, I found it to be one of the most progressive places in many ways -- alternative health teachings and types galore -- to batshit CRAZY ready to kill at a moment's notice!
One night I was driving back from visiting a friend in Grapevine to Ft. Worth, a 45-minute trip. It was about 11:30 to 12 a.m. I had never stayed at her house that late into the evening. I was driving along the highway (Interstate 40? or 35?), very lonely and desolate at that time of night, even though it leads to DFW Airport. I was in my little Nissan Sentra. All of a sudden, this small pickup truck speeds up behind me with its lights off, and starts pushing me faster and faster. He would not get off my tail! I was scared to death, and even though I knew how to drive, a Nissan would only go so fast. At one point in the highway there did come up a break in the median with a lit-up gas station convenience store across the other side of the highway, but had I tried to turn into it, I would've flipped my car and probably been dead for sure.
I kept turning my head trying to wave the guy off. I don't know WHY THIS SICK PERSON THOUGHT THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD IDEA FOR A GAME, BUT IT WAS ONE I WILL NEVER FORGET! FINALLY, FINALLY, HE LAUGHED AT ME AND WENT ON HIS WAY. HE DIDN'T SUCCEED AT CAUSING ME TO HAVE A "SINGLE CAR COLLISION," SO I GUESS IT WAS "GAME OVER." THIS --THIS IS THE TYPE OF SICKNESS THAT THRIVES IN TEXAS, I GUESS. THE IDEA THAT SOMEONE WOULD TRY TO KILL ME FOR NO REASON HAD A HORRIBLY CHILLING EFFECT ON ME FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. I LEFT TEXAS IN EARLY '93, NEVER TO RETURN! There was not another car or a Highway Patrol car on this major highway the whole way. I guess this terrible "person" knew that and KNEW he could get away with VIRTUALLY MURDER had he been successful! Makes me wonder how many single car collisions are indeed that!
I wanted to add that the expanse of land out there was so wide-open, and so desolate, that there was a HUMONGOUS AMERICAN FLAG PLANTED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, STANDING ALONE AND FLYING FOR GOD AND ALL OF COUNTRY TO SEE. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW LARGE IT WAS -- LARGE ENOUGH TO BE MASSIVELY IMPRESSIVE.
Gotta be careful in rural TX. I was at UT in those years. Then it was considered a small, cool city. It’s Houston or Dallas now.
Big city folks who fled rural/exurban areas do. It’s why they fled.
True that, dude. And I’m not a Southern/rural apologist. I’m proud of where I grew up. But I have watched, particularly over the past decade, ordinary people I grew up with fall for this demagoguery and lose their minds. I live on the coast where all the oil refineries are. My friends have great jobs available to few in the country. $120k+. And those other people [ insert group here] are responsible for all of their problems. They have become irrational. I stopped talking to men and women I’ve known for 40 years because it’s as productive as talking to Marjorie Green (whoever the fuck). They talk about marching. They have automatic weapons. ARs. They are not fucking around. It scares me.
S B Frazier
These rural gun toting nut jobs are not confined to Texas. Farm country in Indiana has a good crop going. The f-ing road signage is full of bullet holes and there are organized shoot ins. There must be several bump stocks in the group also. Scary shit for sure. I carry when we are dog walking for exercise. I just don’t know about the drivers cruising the roads.
You are correct. Indiana, rural Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, etc. I’ve met rednecks across the country. I don’t use that term pejoratively, I am one. Just shorthand for a type—ordinarily great folks—until the wires fell off their coconuts.
I’m hoping for a return back to abnormal. You know just a few nuts rolling around not an army of them.
OMG loved wires fell off their coconuts.
Funny! (Sorry to hear my birth state has gotten even more bananas!)
Could it be that they themselves are scared?
They usually don't have a strong family life. They cannot find happiness - maybe they look in the wrong place. Friends and experiences w/ friends are better than simply owning a large piece of equipment, be it a Porsche or a Jaguar or a yacht.
The Taliban have strong family lives, and some of our boys are secret admirers.
I need more evidence than that, you need to go back to school!
🫁 lungs, for starters. Having fellow humans who are uneducated and misinformed, who vote against the well being of themselves and my interests, too, because there are no guardrails on the media for veracity of what they produce. Misinformation and disinformation runs rampant in their "news" programs. They really hurt my heart when my only genetic son was taken from me because I was too young to keep him, and unmarried: a rape victim and ward of the state. I could write books about the harm the billionaires are doing with their outsized power, and lack of concern for everyone else. You are a troll. Did your mother drop you on your head? Or are you Elon Musk? Or working for "MAGA"? Or Putin?
Excellent response Laurie
Calling the Steele dossier a legitimate document instead of a crime is also misleading. The FBI knew it was a lie in 2017. Just like they knew hunters laptop was authentic but forced social media to remove any mention of it from their sites.
Is there something wrong with your mind? Assuming that you aren't an AI Bot.
You are obsessed with this Steele Dossier, assuming that you might be human, you need mental health assistance.
This persistence of yours with his so called dossier, indicates an immature AI.
The username should tell you all you need to know.
Since the 4th REICHer MAGAtNAZIS, and POOtiebot troll farm asswipes in St. Petes and elsewhere (almost without exception) purposefully choose THE most ironic, and conflicting with their end game/purpose goals, usernames. ;)
Laurie B, your words remind me never to forget that my own troubles are small whn compared to those of others. Sorry for what you have endured.
Don’t engage dude. Anyone who would take on the alter ego of that man is a bully. I wasn’t always an estate planner. I was early in my career a “street lawyer.” I know your story well. The “criminal justice industrial complex” as my mentor called it chewed you up. And that includes CPS, that is law enforcement. I’m sorry. You were a child and never had a chance.
SO-O-O-O sorry for your loss and your experience, Laurie. Many women went through such experiences. A truly unevolved part of the world's history, the sorry, unempathetic, unsympathetic failure of family values for so long.
Klare K. ; That was in the late 60's, a few years before Roe v Wade was decided in favor of women's rights to decide whether to continue a pregnancy. For millennia, women "Had get married". Often having to convince some guy that the baby was his. Before DNA testing was developed.
I know. I was just saying that so many girls were sent away to homes for unwed mothers, their families didn't want the "shame of it." As soon as Roe v. Wade became law, girls I knew were lining up to have abortions. The whole situation involving abortion was foreign territory to me. E.g.: I worked for a really la-de-dah famous restaurant on Lake Michigan at the time, and two sisters who worked there with me were boom! out the door and ready to line up. Then two more friends followed. It was just something I would never have considered . . . denying life to one's own flesh and blood.
I was speaking also of historic situations like the Magdeleine Laundries in France where pregnant girls were sent and their babies taken away by the nuns.
Good comeback! I didn’t know Marx played with dolls. That explains everything 😉.
@fake Karl Marx. There is a direct, measurable correlation between low incomes and bad life outcomes. At the same time there is a direct, measurable correlation between billionaires' (and corporations') taxes going down and everyone else's taxes going up. Also, a direct, measurable correlation between billionaires' taxes going down and the federal deficit going up, which triggers higher interest rates, stubborn inflation and pressure to raise taxes on the lower tax brackets which drives some ordinary people to think they need to vote Republican to lower their taxes. I can go on. Your stupid 5 word rhetorical responses aren't as powerful as you think - you are just exploiting the limited nature of this forum but you are not getting away with it.
@fake Karl Marx. First thing you have said that did not fall straight out of the MAGA playbook...
Using their wealth to manipulate the system so they can hoard even more wealth reduces the prosperity of working class people, diminishing our lives. Show me on the doll where licking their boots helps you. Do you never tire of being so pathetic?
They don't always help. And they could...
Get lost, dimwit!
Your simpleton explanations are laughable...but oh so common of the uncritical thinking crowds you might hope to see exploited.
Too bad we can't replace Karl Marx with Groucho Marx. What an improvement that would be!
Oh, I like that. Would he come equipped with a little birdie and a cigar?
Yep, “Say the secret word”…
And be a hell of a lot funnier too!
You can block him.
That would take a book to cover every hurt. But Trumps Tax Act of 2017 gave corporate America a 14% tax break that drove up the your national depth. The working class will end up paying the corporate debt. Just like each recession set working class people back and corporations get bailed out by the US Government and accumulated more profits ans wealth during or shortly after the recessions.
Are you kidding?
Hey Karl, the sun don’t shine where you live!
In a billionaires asshole.
There’s not enough time.
Monopolists hurt everyone in the pocketbook, and arguing with their apologists on a comments board can be a minor pain in the butt, however, it's a free country and people are certainly entitled to their opinions, even iof they are wrong.
That would be my bank account
- Abandoned mines, oil//gas wells, quarries, toxic waste dumps. We all end up paying for cleanup. Cleanup costs need to be built into permits,refundable if cleanup done by company.
First of all, what planet do your reside on? Second, why in the hell are you up at 5 AM rebutting on such stuff?
Because Karl lives in Russia
I guess eating worms then explains your thought process.
Check the back pocket on the right side…where I keep the wallet and the paycheck.
KM, stop playing with dolls and take a look at the planet; it is you planet, too, you know.
Karl, you are so not much.
Basic political cruelty is the essence that drives the Republican party. Most have to work at being subservice while others come by its negativity naturally. Trump is king, in his sick world of being a bully, where contemptuous behavior is the norm instead of the exception. The Republicans have brewed a stew with no meat, just broth and a starving public remains hungry for what Joe can give them.
Republicans have a tendency for cruelty, but assuming America is still a democracy, then Republican Cruelty is a People’s Choice !
Yeah, Sit: when "people" are corporations, they have a bigger voice and drown out humans. They seek to satisfy their own interests. And do not care about the Common Good. Democracy does not work in this scenario. Humans have little choice when money is speech, and buy justice itself. And elections. 50 million from a Mellon....for a MAGA "leader" who is a criminal. Their rapist bully!
Not my choice! I am voting blue all the way!
me too. I am sick of the orange turd and his dementia.
And they run on their values in small communities. So disgusting since they have none.
Sit, Republicans' support of MAGAism supports cruel policies that would make life harder for poor people (and make hard-working people poorer!), and that is life in the US, but I shake my head that so many citizens who would be hurt by those policies insist upon voting for them.
@ R. A vote for Joe Biden in November will wash that ugly orange stain out of our public lives and politics. As soon as that tangerine twatwaddle is out of the picture, the spineless politicians that have carried his water (out of fear of primary voters) will immediately switch back to old school Republicanism (I hope) or sadly another Putin Ally will rise up.
Replying to Benjamin R S - Hey, another optimist! Welcome.(and here was I, afraid we didn't have any others on this board).
Fellow optimists, unite! Chicago will be ours! (Oops, wrong century)
Only the MAGAs or the Republicans and original Obama voters are still voting for trump ! By defeating trump we haven’t gained a lot, except more corruption and a huge foreign policy mess ! Whoever comes next it will be Same Old Same .., !
The problem is that unlike any other time in my life, we have a defeated president who won't admit he lost, who even plans, organizes & incites an insurrection to stay in power, who won't go away but rather insists on interfering with government policy & stoking hate, fear & division, & promises further insurrections & civil war if he doesn't get his way.
The greatest mistake the current administration has made is failure to immediately arrest & prosecute Trump & his Republican collaborators from his administration & Congress. The Justice Department has been extremely weak, tardy & insufficient, while the Republican Party & right-wing media have been complicit in Trump's crimes & treason, & the corporate mainstream media has been derelict in reporting these crimes & acts of treason. Therefore we're at great risk of facing a fascist tyranny very soon.
You have the best post today ! I sincerely appreciate ! Sincerely appreciate your decency with which you stated your thoughts ! Please post more often and on more topics !
Oh, thank-you very much! That is very kind of you to say so.
Great, informative, astute post, Jaime!! Well written and well thought-out! 👏
Thanks so much, Klare!
I agree with everything you said, but the process is not all that easy in a democracy, with our constitution and with our courts and specially with our Supreme Court that is determined to make fools of all good and decent people !
Our constitution needs good justice minded people not partisan hacks in the courts, but now we have partisan hacks who are also corrupt in addition to be wounded hacks by scandals that came up during the confirmation hearings ! So, we have a damaged Supreme Court, I wish there is scope for the President or the Attorney General or another process that can force the resignation of all the nine judges and reappoint a new set of nine judges !
As a long term fix, we should completely remove the appointment and confirmation process of justices from the politics and politicians and have a panel of nonpartisan judicial and constitutional scholars !
I am sure judiciary should be 100 percent free of politics and politicians, and I am sure that is what our founding fathers had in their minds, but they and we underestimated the extent to which every institution of government can be corrupted and manipulated for whatever reason by whoever outside influences !
Politicians of both parties are corrupted as well, these are beyond any citizens’ imagination or comprehension !
Our Constitution is a Good model for a good Governance ! But American politicians are just hopeless… definitely corrupt …please add more if you can imagine even the worst attributes to our politicians !
They get dressed up and well disguised…. I can’t imagine the worst ! But all the troubles we are witnessing points to very entrenched corruption everywhere !
We had been making steady progress from FDR-LBJ instituting social programs to improve lives, health & security for ordinary Americans. Then our system started breaking down in multiple ways: politicians getting into power corruptly & ruling corruptly &/or incompetently, corporations gaining power over all aspects of our lives from government to media to society, diverting money from the middle & working classes to their executives, with regular citizens losing influence as corporate profits took precedence over the common good, & disparity between rich & poor & economic injustice increased.
I think your ideas on the judiciary are worth consideration. Clearly the current situation is dysfunctional & endangering our democracy, clearly something the founders could not have foreseen.
Our forefathers warned against the formation of political parties as they thought it would be detrimental to national cohesion, & they were right. It is curious how the current major parties have evolved. They have switched positions over time on many issues, & until 40-50 years ago, there was a lot of overlap between the 2 parties, but now they are really divided.
Very well said, Jaime.
Thanks, Victor!
You forgot to add in; prosecution and PERSECUTION of all of the SHITler's (and his MAGAtNAZI REGIME's) perceived 'enemies', which the way I personally take it to mean is ALL OF US 'libtards and leftist commie progressives' <-(THEIR effing label, NOT mine! ;) ), and not just the 'higher ups' and entrenched "deep state" rank and file in the current government, DoJ, school board, or any court not acting as a sycophantic QUISLING to the putrid orange sack of shit.
Their scummy orange, psychotically fascist, rancid POS DESPOT has already stated that he will use the FULL power of any and all law enforcement agencies, the DoJ, FBI, NSA, CIA, and his effing 'Space Force' to accomplish his (and his MAGAt brown shirts'/his batshit insane quisling Congress', etc.) "retriBOOshun" (as the evil SCUMp would spew it out of his toxic pursed orifice for emphasis).
Really, WTF has this effing forsaken land become (frustrated rhetorical question, as the answer is 1932 Germany). :( :( :(
And that’s the mind boggling part of this!
The electoral college makes it a lopsided democracy.
At least the (majority) 'people's choice' in the (mostly) brain dead, racist, fascist effing 'only places which COUNT', 'swing states', which due to our senseless and totally ASININE system (the POS Electoral College) for electing the most powerful being in the world is set up.
Amen, Brother Himes. Anyone else for sending the Electoral College to the junkyard of lousy Constitutional constructs?
Sorry for typo in your name (suspected "auto-korekt" error)
'
Denying women healthcare, denying people voting rights, passing bills denying the LGBTQ community equal rights, promoting only Christianity as a Religion in a country built on freedom of religion, just a few examples.
Thanks for providing an appropriate answer to Karl Marx’s question ! Very Good answer !
Like you?
Then you aren’t paying attention or aren’t anything! 🤣
It always seems “made up” when you and your family have not personally experienced it.
Whaah, you get irony?
@KarlMarx.Eyeamarobot ...Like your soulless silicon silliness!
A Vlad bot.
You’re clearly a bot—your grammatical errors betray you. Go away, Comrade, no 1st Amendment rights for you!
No, a sociopath.
Ok- then a troll if that makes you feel
Better
How effing IRONIC (and MORONIC?) that this Vlad The Impaler's troll farm asswipe (or MAGANAZI?) chooses THAT as a username. ;)
I reported this user name as a non-human AI driven bot. We'll see what the administrators do.
They see a machine program
Fuck you!
You are part of it when you troll. You are part of the problem.
My contemptuous response for you, "Karl":
RESPONSE TO: Tell me more about this cruelty.
ChatGPT
The term "cruelty" refers to the intentional infliction of pain, suffering, or harm upon others, be it humans or animals. This behavior is often characterized by a lack of empathy, compassion, and consideration for the well-being of others. Cruelty can manifest in various forms, ranging from physical abuse to emotional and psychological torment. Here are some key aspects of cruelty:
Types of Cruelty
Physical Cruelty:
Human Physical Abuse: Includes acts such as hitting, beating, or otherwise causing physical harm to another person.
Animal Cruelty: Involves causing unnecessary pain or suffering to animals, such as through neglect, beating, or killing.
Emotional or Psychological Cruelty:
Verbal Abuse: Using words to demean, belittle, or emotionally hurt someone.
Manipulation and Control: Exerting psychological control or manipulation over another person, leading to mental and emotional distress.
Neglect:
Child Neglect: Failing to provide necessary care, supervision, and support to a child.
Elder Neglect: Not attending to the basic needs of elderly individuals, leading to their physical and emotional decline.
Animal Neglect: Failing to provide adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care to animals.
Causes of Cruelty
Psychological Factors:
Personality Disorders: Conditions like antisocial personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder can lead to cruel behaviors.
Childhood Trauma: Individuals who experienced abuse or neglect during childhood may exhibit cruelty as a learned behavior.
Lack of Empathy: Difficulty in understanding or relating to the feelings of others.
Environmental Factors:
Cultural Norms: In some societies, certain forms of cruelty might be normalized or even encouraged.
Peer Influence: Being part of a group that condones or promotes cruelty can lead individuals to engage in such behavior.
Situational Factors:
Stress and Anger: High levels of stress or unresolved anger can lead to cruel actions as a way of coping or expressing frustration.
Power Dynamics: Situations where one individual holds power over another can sometimes lead to abusive behavior.
Impact of Cruelty
On Victims:
Physical Harm: Injuries or long-term health issues resulting from physical abuse.
Emotional and Psychological Damage: Development of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Behavioral Changes: Victims may become withdrawn, aggressive, or exhibit other significant behavioral changes.
On Perpetrators:
Legal Consequences: Engagement in cruel behavior can result in legal repercussions, including imprisonment and fines.
Social Isolation: Perpetrators of cruelty may find themselves isolated as others distance themselves from harmful behavior.
Addressing Cruelty
Education and Awareness:
Public Awareness Campaigns: Educating the public about the signs and consequences of cruelty can help prevent it.
Empathy Training: Programs designed to foster empathy and understanding can reduce instances of cruelty.
Legal Measures:
Strict Laws: Implementing and enforcing laws that punish cruel behavior can act as a deterrent.
Protective Services: Ensuring that there are adequate services in place to protect and support victims of cruelty.
Therapeutic Interventions:
Counseling and Therapy: Providing mental health support to both victims and perpetrators can address underlying issues and promote healing.
Support Groups: Creating safe spaces for victims to share their experiences and find support.
Understanding the various dimensions of cruelty is crucial for developing effective strategies to combat it and create a more compassionate and empathetic society.
DZK, you are providing free language learning lessons to train the KarlMarx troll-bot; this training will over the course of time make the bot more capable of crating havoc with otherwise perfectly normal comment boards. I suggest we mess with the bot's mind by feeding it a lot of gibberish. Ikelay Igpay Atinlay.
Point taken. I >like< your gibberish strategy! I can do that!
Izz alwaze phun 2 punque zee batt guize.
Who are you ?
I think it’s a bot.
Karl tell us how billionaires help us with their benevolence. Come on Karl you use to be such a prolific writer and philosopher. Cat got your tongue or have you become anal retentive in your extremely old age? LOL.
Enlighten us Karl
You should be VERY familiar with it, since it is roughly the same as YOUR fascist boss' (POOtin) and his band of evil, shithead oligarchs' sadistic cruelty. ;)
If you’re not a bot Marxie - then yoyre doing a great impersonation
@fake Karl Marx. I recommend to Sit that you not be provided with anymore talking points you can twist around.
If Trump chooses MTG as his VP that would turn out to be a real whore story.
Your last sentence in the comment was apropos in its analogy of the present situation; thanks!
you are pathetic. The orange turd asked why there was a memorial at Pearl Harbor. DUH!!!!
That moron called D-Day a mistake recently. I mean WTF? He grew up during that war.
So I’d ask you, what kind of people would mock a person with a handicap? That’s what Trump has done on more than one occasion. How does that make them feel better about themselves? Think karma. It’s awaiting people who do such things. So be careful, it could be coming for you too.
Thank you, Mr. Taylor. One of the things I do is represent special needs people (adults mostly, planning for when their parents are gone). One of the most vulnerable groups in our population. Texas raised simple assault on the elderly and physically disabled to the same penalty group as murder. That’s progressive and needed.
Thank you, S. Bryan F, for making life better for special needs people and their loved/loving ones. I am assuming from your comment that assaults on them are common enough to require special legislation. That is hard news for me to hear.
Stunningly, the assault on the elderly enhancement was targeted at NURSING HOME WORKERS.
To S. Bryan Frazier - You posted,"Stunningly, the assault on the elderly enhancement was targeted at NURSING HOME WORKERS."
Do you mean that the people assaulting elderly and disabled were the nursing home workers? If so, I may have misinterpreted your original comment.
Good for you! Much needed!
Responding to JohnTaylor 6/22 "...what kind of people would mock a person with a handicap? "
I think you answered your question in your next sentence...people like Donald Trump.
If the only ones who mocked handicapped people were DJT & a few of his golfing buddies, the issue would not be so worrisome. But there are whole stadiums (or 'stadia', for any Latin pedants out there) full of red-hatted Trump fans who laugh at his insults and dumb jokes. Maybe their laughter was just shock and embarrassment. I hope so.
One can only hope it was shock and embarrassment. But I have my doubts about being optimistic. Even if they are shocked, the mere fact that they still stand by him no matter what he does, is telling of their souls.
Yet more effing NAZI scum trolls trying to push fascism on U.S.
Billionaires…
Billionaires are behind corporations
Billionaires are behind Trump
Billionaires control the media
Billionaires will take your home
Billionaires own your mortgage
Tax the rich - especially the super rich.
wonderful list ! One of the Best List that I have seen lately !
I forgot the judiciary though…
So are Billionaires behind Biden…George Soros for one!!
One fucking Billionaire. One fucking Billionaire, and the one that the right likes to haul over the coals because he is a Jew.
How many Billionaires right wing Trump humping autocrats? All of them except Soros.
Go away Troll.
Lee is more proof that as we get closer to November, the right wing trolls will be piling on
Nice language! The only Bully and Troll on here is you!!!! Just will never see or admit that Democrats are just as corrupt!!! Go away!!!!!!
If you don't like my language hang around and keep posting more bullshit.
I could care less about the fucking Democrats, what I care about is preventing this country from becoming a fucking theocratic autocracy. And that is exactly the form of government you are enabling.
Your Opinion….Good Luck with that!!! Maybe you should eat a snickers….
Opinion? You don't keep up with the news do you? Or maybe that is the type of government you want, a theocratic autocracy. A Christian Taliban, Republic of Gilead society for white men only.
Wow you a link to Lew Rockwell.
Lew Rockwell is a Dominionist. the very worst of Christian NAZI's, they make the Taliban seem liberal. https://www.sullivan-county.com/nf0/fundienazis/royal_race.htm
As regards the rest of your rant. Go ahead and defend the master of genocide, and aggressor bully, your man Putin.
Putin sure does fear and hate the military might of the west If I were him Iwould as well, but if i were him I would not have invade the Crimea, nor would I try to annihilate the country,culture and language of a country, whose founders, Swedish Rus, gave there name to the country that is trying to destroy them.
It is a waste of time to engage ina debate with a disruptor.
There is no need, not on Robert Reich's page, you see, you aren't going to sway minds, change opinions or convince anyone of Robert Reich's readers to change their minds and vote for Trump or a third party, so you are wasting your time.
Robert is on to you, I am on to you, and most of the readers are on to you.
I first mentioned months ago, as we get closer to November, the Putin and Trump trolls will start to pile on, and voila, up shows a coward that calls itself Contumacious, as well as other friends.
Ya'll think you are clever, Using the natural antipathies of the left, and turning them to your cause, only it is not working.
Now now your getting angry again.
^^^Copied almost VERBATIM from his evil butcher fuehrer, POOtin's screeds. ;)
I guess so which is why we need to look at the actions of politicians and aim to reduce the influence of wealth.
Wrong. On the left there is George Soros, and he only donates money to Democrats. On the Right are all the other billionaires, and they own and control the media, corporations, finance, politicians and PAC's
YES, EXACTLY!
If their sole 'boogey man' (and not even veiled anymore, ANTI-SEMITISM bullhorn 'dog whistle') Soros had THAT much wealth, power and influence, we would not EVER have to worry about being put into their MAGAtNAZI death camps if/when their putrid orange POS fuehrer gets back into power FOR LIFE (and the lives of his demon spawn Uday and Ousay). ;)
William F - George Soros donates to democracy advocates around the world. I think he is trying to help spread democracy, not just a liberal point of view, though I am reasonably certain he does support Democrats in the US. The way you phrased your comment puts Soros in the same light as the Kochs and Mellons, etc., which I don't think is fair to Soros, whatever you feel about him as a businessman.
I had a brief experience with Soros funding in 2008 when I worked with an org in Ohio advocating for John Kerry's election. There was a lot of help from hospital workers through their union and probably funded by him, but there also many self-funded volunteers. Lots of hard workers, efficiently organized to GOTV.
replying to Progwoman - thanks for sharing that. I think it is highly commendable that some people who have made a PILE of money (Soros, Gates, Hewletts & others I can't think of) are actively engaged in putting it to work to make things better for people other than their golfing or yachting buddies.
False analogy.
It’s not an analogy.
https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=george+soros&order=desc&sort=D
Biden imposed a flat tax on all corporations, plans to increase income tax et all.
That "Soros" BS is based on antisemitism.
There are however plenty of rich/billionaire Americans putting money behind the Biden campaign.
PRECISELY!! THANK YOU Daniel!!!
My God! Not the George Soros bit again! Think out of the box.
All of the above! :(
ALL....and more.
Unless someone files a motion, Roberts is not required to act. Only Trump and hate crimes perps are overt physical threats. I don't see evidence that they are charged for their crimes.
If I were kung, all the justices, all the candidates, would have to be treated like so many of us were when we applied for jobs. Trump may he a psychotic, a sociopath and may be able to beat a lie detector, but I don't believe he can beat a combination of say the MMPI, IQ and the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). https://careers.state.gov/career-paths/foreign-service/officer/fso-test-information-and-selection-process.
I feel that I was a legal Dodo bird or mastodon, as most of my life's work, administrative law, has come to an end due to the current make up of SCOTUS. I've been sayin' that we have to be aware of the the false allegation that American administrative law is “unlawful” and tyrannous -- "that we have recreated, in another guise, the world of executive 'prerogative' that would have obtained if James II had prevailed, and the Glorious Revolution never occurred. Administrative agencies, crouched around the President’s throne, enjoy extralegal or supralegal power; the Environmental Protection Agency, with its administrative rulemaking and combined legislative, executive and judicial functions, is a modern Star Chamber." See Is Administrative Law Unlawful? Philip A. Hamburger (2014).
One of the prime movers in the bump stock and Mifepristone cases is the "New Civil Liberties Alliance" group of lawyers, which according to its newsletter, "is working tirelessly to uphold the fundamental rights and liberties enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court heard NCLA’s Garland v. Cargill case, which challenges the ATF’s effort to rewrite a federal statute that bans bump stocks—something ONLY Congress can do."
Founded by Hamburger, the Alliance is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While NCLA does not disclose its donors, tax filings show notable donations from the Charles Koch Foundation ($1 million in 2017), Donors Trust ($1 million in 2019) , and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation ($300,000 in 2018).
Among its lawyers are Jeff Clark, who has been indicted a couple of times, https://statesuniteddemocracy.org/resources/clark-trial/ and its board is chaired by Janice Rogers Brown, formerly of the DC Cir. Court of Appeals, who once said that the Social Security Act was unconstitutional in a dissent.
As recently as March, the Alliance provided testimony that in essence, administrative agencies are unconstitutional.
https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/116992/witnesses/HHRG-118-JU05-Wstate-ChenowethM-20240320.pdf
This would be the predicate to adoption of the Heritage Foundation Project 2025 and the end of the American experiment in democracy.
The antidote is to sweep the election. Register Democrats to save administrative law.
https://www.fieldteam6.org/
I think they should all be sent to live in Somalia, so they can experience what it is like to live with no "administrative state."
Carolyn, your wish may become true if they turn this country into another Somalia.
Agreed. I have found myself comparing the current state of affairs in the US their former colonies. (A few of my ancestors arrived here from England in the 1630s.) Gains and losses in freedoms, fairness, economies, etc. exist have ebbed and declined in all, but overall, I think the world has become better in this regard. But more recently, I wonder now which societies eventually will come out ahead. But is it a fair comparison? Would Britain have changed as much as it did, had not the US revolution rocked their boat? I think now that the many more of us in the US need to take civic responsibilities as serious required duties. We are becoming irresponsible followers of anything and everything that provides instant gratification. I think instant gratification is what Trump and company provide to his followers. As long as they get high on being entertained by the cheap cruel jokes and whining, while Trump himself gets wealthier by knowingly being used as a tool by the multi billionaires (simply "billionaire" is not wealthy enough), I fear for our country. Everyone, please vote!
Greed is what controls the republicans - the Supreme Court on the right - corporate America
One of the saddest things to me is how often we think of ourselves as consumers rather than citizens. It's one reason corporations have so much power. If they can convince people to try to satisfy themselves with material possessions and luxury services, there's less incentive to seek public education, libraries, and volunteer organizations.
Agree. People or citizens are usually always referred to as consumers in various general articles related to the economy. In other fields or disciplines, say environmental or ecological studies, "consumers" might be used in a detailed technical report, as this herbivore consumes certain flora, or with regard to a predator animal, but otherwise, we do not refer to these living beings by a single function. The term "consumer" might apply in technical report specific to an economic study, but outside of that context, we humans fill many roles.
Daniel, here is my take away. Aileen Canon could be removed for cause, if Jack Smith filed for her removal/recusal. The Supreme Court Justices could be charged with corruption and bribery if Garland would charge them
Nothing has nor will happen.
There is only one conclusion Jack Smith is not the hero that people make him out to be, and is engaged in Kabuki Theater as Mueller was.
And Garland is compromised, either ideologically or in fear of what could happen to him if Trump wins. He is either covertly a Trump humper or hedging his bets/
Wrong. All about bias. “The law is clear. We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant. Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so.” https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23323385/trump-ca11-2022-12-01.pdf
28 USC 114: "Whenever a party to any proceeding in a district court makes and files a timely and sufficient affidavit that the judge before whom the matter is pending has a personal bias or prejudice either against him or in favor of any adverse party, such judge shall proceed no further therein, but another judge shall be assigned to hear such proceeding.
"The affidavit shall state the facts and the reasons for the belief that bias or prejudice exists, and shall be filed not less than ten days before the beginning of the term at which the proceeding is to be heard, or good cause shall be shown for failure to file it within such time. A party may file only one such affidavit in any case. It shall be accompanied by a certificate of counsel of record stating that it is made in good faith."
Smith/Garland would have to file the affidavits. I've been hoping that her associates, colleagues, among others would come forward and supply sworn affidavits.
E.G. She attended a right wing educational conference while the case was pending. Question all the other attendees. I know the US attorney who hired her. I know graduates of Ransom Everglades school who were her contemporaries. She had colleagues in the US attorney's office. They socialize.
Is any judge in Florida safe, really safe?
Daniel the way substack posts comments makes it seem that you are responding to my post, and my post has nothing to do with search warrants or the law.
Here is my comment:
Daniel, here is my take away. Aileen Canon could be removed for cause, if Jack Smith filed for her removal/recusal. The Supreme Court Justices could be charged with corruption and bribery if Garland would charge them
Nothing has nor will happen.
There is only one conclusion Jack Smith is not the hero that people make him out to be, and is engaged in Kabuki Theater as Mueller was.
And Garland is compromised, either ideologically or in fear of what could happen to him if Trump wins. He is either covertly a Trump humper or hedging his bets/
We are running out of time
He (Garland) might as well be 'all in' on supporting prosecution of the rancid orange turd, since the putrid orange SHITler and his genocidal NAZI REGIME, once in power, will come for HIM FIRST (especially being a Jew), regarless of how blatantly he has 'hedged his bets'.
They thrown their very own SCUMp loyalists and sycophants under the proverbial bus (as SHITler 1.0 did with Rohm and the brown shirts). They are going to hesitate with Garland?!?!
I think you are right. It's all an eminence front.
Exactly what I wrote too! All of the above!
All of the above, I think. Bullies (Simple People, Proverbs 1) are manipulated by smarter, evil people with an agenda. We see it on the playground as children... later in life, it's the ruthless go-getters who butcher their way to the financial top and then manipulate the Simple People (at no benefit to them) to make themselves ever richer and stay in power. Bullies are just playthings. Sly manipulators are right behind them, working tirelessly to destroy all that is good in the world, and make it once again a feudal estate system where 90% of the people are serfs (slaves tied to the land). A clarification on that: while the south had (mostly) black people ruthlessly enslaved, most of the whites were sharecroppers except in a few bigger cities where a small middle class thrived. In the north, the factory owners in effect were slave owners almost as much. They forced men, women, and children to work six days a week, long hours, except for some time off on Sundays. They forced workers to live in settlements around the factories so they'd always be on hand for work. They used gang types (including veterans) to shoot and kill strikers and generally terrify unions trying to organize workers. It is the UNIONS, nobody else, who brought about a minimum wage, an end to child labor (except in the south), and a 40 hour work week etc. Even today, the union movement in the US is hampered by korporate lies & propaganda; the big money knows exactly how to lie to the Simple People (Proverbs 1) to make them (for example) HATE health care as "evil communism" and so forth. We are the only industrialized nation with primitive, sharecropper wealth scare instead of health care. The most amazing thing is that people in the USA go along with this. They just don't understand the math involved: universal health care is cheaper, better, faster... like the NASA slogan... Robert, can you please explain the math so people will begin to understand why the usual questions like "how would we pay for it?" are just plain ignorant and self-destructive. Start with the vast benefits of preventive medicine... I'll stop there for now. JTC Sheep Heil!
John T Cullen. I love your comment, it is so right on, however it is difficult to read, please take this as constructive criticism.
It is long paragraph with many cogent thoughts, all of them worth writing. Each of them worthy of their on paragraph, which would make your thoughtful comment easier to read
I see this as a frequent fault among so many people, whose comments are worthy of posting, but are TL:DR paragraphs.
How
Got it. Thanks, William. I want to put in paragraphs but for some reason the (AI or something) takes them out. Will try again. Also, I'll be publishing my own Substack column soon. I have one article up so far about Winston Churchill's mother...a New York City girl named Jennie Jerome. JTC
I often have the same problem here. I write with separate paragraphs, but when I post them, it all turns into 1 paragraph.
I agree with William about the great content of your post.
Try double spacing between paragraphs. I don't use AI or autocorrect. I still use Windows7 and Microsoft Office 2007, do not even own a cellphone,. I use google chrome and it has a spell check feature, but that is limited I know more words than spell check, like Dominionist
Greed - the Republicans want to to give that $$ to the wealthy in taxcuts - they say screw the poor -
John, the people have tolerated it, because until fairly recently it has worked satisfactorily for them. Then came the Great offshoring and the Great recession, and now "The Great redistribution" is upon us, and everybody is scared. Billionaires invested in the fossil fuels industry are especially scared, and they run the Republican Party.
Dude, I don’t know what State (geographically speaking) but you’re way off about Texas. This is 1950s South. This is the state producing more fossil fuel, green energy, and high tech jobs (behind CA). There is a provision in the Texas Constitution intentionally left in when as an independent nation we joined the Union. It allows us to leave the Union. I have no idea if it’s legal. Regardless, if Texas left the Union most economists predict Texas would fall somewhere between 8-11th largest economy as an independent nation. In other words, you need us; we do not need you. Texas built its own “Fort Knox” and has been stashing gold for two decades. Those aren’t the problems here, friend. Maybe in Mississippi, but not Texas. It doesn’t help anyone for us to leave the Union. The economy here is robust. Houston is now larger than Chicago and LA County is the largest in the U.S. Second is Harris, not New York. So, as Marcus Aurelius suggests, ask yourself, “What is the fundamental problem in Texas? What is its nature?” Figure that out and you can explain this whole mess. I know, I live here. When you give up I’ll tell you.
Stashing gold? That doesn’t sound good. It’s nothing more than a commodity. Are they planning to issue Longhorn Bucks?
I’m sure this was just an idea but I know this was in the planning stages almost 2 decades ago. From the State Comptroller’s website, no less:
https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/archive/2021/aug/bullion.php#:~:text=Accounts%20at%20the%20TXBD,can%20be%20stored%20at%20TxBD.
Thx!
Well, at the University of Texas they are Bevo Bucks, so I’ve no idea. I found it difficult to believe when I was reading the article describing the facility and the State’s policy. This may be inaccurate, but I want to say Rick Perry was governor. I know, we’ve had a real lousy streak of executives. The Trumplicans have taken over this state. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Ted Cruz is an incredibly smart man and was once sane. Look at some of his critiques of Trump when he was a candidate in the primary in what, ‘22-23?
Just goes to show how everyone fell in line with the politics of expediency. And that debate last night has me frightened.
I don’t know, I saw this documentary based loosely on survivalist types. Those folks argued that in a devastating economic crash, gold would be worth nothing for 6-12 months. What will the most important bartering currency be according to them? Alcohol. Ethanol. Makes sense, Whiskey Rebellion and all. It was the currency on the American frontier since our founding. Maybe Texas is stashing Tito’s handmade Vodka. Or the architects of that deal were drinking Austin’s favorite local spirit. I haven’t a clue, just read that. Now I’m going to have to research it.
Well if it’s Tito’s, I’m in!
Why does Texas elect Abbott, Paxton,Cruz and then also choose not to be on the national power grid. Just curious.
Professor Reich: i think it depends what you mean by "biggest" bullies. do you mean those bullies who wield the most power to make most peoples' lives a living hell in the most ways? or do you mean those bullies who are the most visible to us? or perhaps, you mean those with the most money to throw around? Or do you mean those who have had the greatest effect on particular individuals in society? i think the response depends upon which of those definitions that your peeps accept as what your meaning is.
as for me, i chose the first definition and thus, i responded to your poll with "Big corporations and Wall Street".
I follow your reasoning but at first thought it is billionaires because they control the government that makes the regulations that controls big corporations and Wall Street. But then it occurred to me that "the invisible hand" of system of capitalism can turn most people into bullies of those lower in the economic hierarchy. Frank Sobotka, a character on "The Wire" series explained late stage capitalism very well, "You Know what the trouble is, Brucey? We used to make shit in this country, build shit. Now we just put our hand in the next guy's ppocket."
Every thing, everybody, and every service is commodified. Everything must have a profit built into it or it doesn't exist. Financialization is a dead end as you, GrrlScientist, you explained very well earlier this week about how the wealthiest will survive when there is no more money at the bottom to trickle up. You said something like, "Who will harvest their strawberries? Will they put a gun to the pickers' heads to make them do it?" I believe that is the plan.
They are truly killing the goose that lays the golden egg. The system will eventually fail. It may be sooner than later if Trump and the GOP win.
Yes - and most Americans are blindly canoeing right over the raging waterfall ahead - scared of talking about what is going on or going to happen-
We currently have the capacity to regulate robber barons. Won't be the case with a takeover by the MAGATs.
Plus, we need more Warren Buffets and Jimmy Buffets, too.
Warren Buffet is no hero of mine. I won't go into details, but he screwed me and other small investors with his takeover of HJ Heinz. I think he's a greedy bastard.
I am from Heinzland. Was a sole proprietorship. I didn't know there were outside investors. Were you an employee? My brother had a client that made the plastic bottles -- lost their contract. .
Heinz was a public traded company. Went public in 1946, according to the Internet.
Yes, if billionaires were truly benevolent in paying a fair share of the taxes they owe to the US Gov to keep the boat afloat, society would not be sinking to where it's headed. WB is, if memory serves me correctly, the only one who, as suggested, billionaires could afford to pay more. On Jimmy Buffet's Pirate Looks at 40, those lyrics seem applicable to the situation as verses can be imagined as applying to the billionaires as pirates, SCOTUS as smugglers, the legislative branch as drunks, and DJT as a womanizer, and the middle-class manufacturing workers as having occupations that just aren’t around. Thanks for the Substack comment today!
Yes, and even James Murdoch should not be lumped with the rest of his family.
Where’s T Rex when you need him? Working at a hedge fund is my guess.
I disagree. We don't have the ability to regulate robber barons, now.
Actually, we have criminal statutes and some of them go to jail when proven. Also. virtually every economic segment of society is regulated.
And most of those laws are written to protect the wealth. donald the divider uses bankruptcy for a $870 million casino fiasco but student loans are excluded from bankruptcy. That's ludicrous.
Who are regulators and who decides how much funding goes to regulators? How was this great inequality allowed?
US agencies like the SEC, DOL, DOT, etc and the money comes from the budget.
The Administrative Procedure Act (1947) is a mini constitution, that established how rulemaking should occur. At my agency, we had a subagency, OSHA, assigned to investigate complaints involving health and safety, and even stuff like corporate mismanagement.
We've had some times when the foxes wer3e in charge of the henhouse, like when my friend Elaine was secretary, but even then, we have due process, so one person does not "rule" and due process was observed.
You really want to put our government lawyers (no matter how dedicated and hard working) up against multi million (if not billon) dollar law firms with unlimited resources. Plus try explaining the laws and how they were broken to a group of “average” people.
We have to try ….
Yes, I really want to. Someone has to stop them, & government is the most capable of doing so.
Gloria, if we did not have that ability they would not be fighting it so furiously.
Browser won't let me "like" so three thumbs up Gloria. Especially your last sentence.
The system will fail if Trump is elected, because he has pledged to get rid of the very people who do the hard and dirty jobs, the productive ones that enable the Trump Humpers to buy guns, Ford F-250's, and airplane tickets to D.C. to storm the castle.
Trump humpers are theocratic,misogynistic, racist fascists and about 40% of the population. The other 60% will be waged war upon by the 40% and so demoralized that productivity will fall. The only way to maintain productivity is by violence and threat of violence, and that invites sabotage, and minimum effort.
So Trump wins a demoralized society. What a prize.
and what a gift to Vladimir Putin!
That's what it is all about, and Putin's puppets are logging on to RR's substack and others by the score now, especially the one called Chuck Campbell., sucker is obsessed with the Steele dossier, and I can't figure out why, perhaps because it implicates Putin.
Add Contumacious, Paul Bjarnson, I think I will keep a spread sheet of Trump Putin trolls.
They started appearing in droves as the election got serious, they are already infesting Tic Toc, shitter and other social media. why not substack, only problem they are wasting their time here, except maybe the orgasm they get (presuming they are human and not AI Bots), from what they think is owning the libs.
Well said Gloria!
Bingo, the only problem is indeed Mr Donald John Trump.
The Biggest Bullies manifested as a result of the youth opposition to the Genocide including the University Students, from that angle, I guess Americans are all Bullies except the young generation ? Biden, Kamala Harris ..most elected Democrats and all the elected Republicans except one Republican Congressman and one of the Checkout lady at my local Kroger ….one day she asked me what is wrong with the young people …. Americans are evolving slowly and suddenly Young People are making a Jump in the polls, they will be old Americans one day and let us hope they won’t be sliding in the polls, but I won’t be around to witness that if it happens. My young son and daughters will be good and will never accept Genocide as normal !
Sir whatever, the only genocide going on in the word right now are in Myanmar, the Sudan and Ukraine, and the young people your glorifying could care less about either.
Gen Z are lazy, lazy thinkers, self indulgent, self righteous, entitled and spoiled. Gen Z are Trump voters, if it isn't on a cell phone and social media it doesn't exist.
If so, reinstituting compulsory military service may be the only way to save democracy.
Money is power, and a billion dollars is a lot of power. Power does corrupt because self discipline is hard.
Normally, I’d say billionaires are the puppet masters, pulling the strings behind closed doors. However, today we have the tail wagging the dog.
Trump and his minions have their masters running rampant, because Trump and Co., are rabid dogs run amok..:)
You must also watch the White House press room, DOD press room and State Department press room…and the way they handle the Reporters and the varied of Lies in the Menu ! ….kind of Bullying and Stifling those questioners asking the most important questions ! I would say, those three press rooms are noticeably kind of Bullies ….and Austin telling the Senators that there is no Genocide in a manner trying to comfort the Senators and the American Lady at the UN Security Council showing signs of fatigue in her arm due to raising her hand too many times to Veto the Ceasefire Motion ! Even the Affirmative Action seems to backfire in this Big Bullying Era !
If your man Trump wins, given you are so disgusted with the Biden White House, things will get even worse, as will the genocide you claim to be so preoccupied with..
I doubt your sincerity Sir Whatever.
That’s OK !
There is no my man in this corrupt environment or cesspool ! All are flesh eating parasites !
Congratulations on your purity.
Genocide has to meet certain legal standards which of course lawyers can argue whether or not they have. War crimes which certainly have been committed have other standards. Much depends on which will be easier to prove. The biggest problem is thinking that we can influence Netanyahu when his only thought is to retain his power.
I know, there is a magic number and that number is SIX Million ! I better wait for that defining number ! We need patience and wait until Netanyahu hits his Jackpot / reach that magic number ?
Netanyahu simply steals bombs from our weapons storage like our own gunmen ! Or there is some other mysterious ways weapons reach his hands ? Maybe Abraham or Moses Secretly Devine the weapons while our Irish Saint is in Deep Meditation ?
Now, I can see how we accept and live with gun violence and accept and agree with SECOND Amendment ! Surely guns do not kill, only GAS CHAMBERS can kill and meet the definition ?
We could drop the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but Berlin is a very sacred place, deserves a Marshal plan !
Lots of twisted logic but Willy Nilly life goes on ?
Excellent comment Kathleen. I am sick and tired of idiots calling what is going on in Gaza, Genocide.
The Jews of Israel are swimming in a sea of Arabs, surrounded on three sides by people who have been trying to extinguish them, 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 2006, Oct 7th. those are attempted acts pf genocide,.. The Arab and Arab oil money influenced campus idiots, accuse the intended victims of genocide to be attempting genocide on peoples who if united can snuff them out, our try as they did before in 1948, 1956, 1973, 20006
No one has clean hands in this. Going back in the 1920s there were Zionist gangs in Palestine who waged a campaign of terror on Palestinian villages and vice a versa. Favorite story is of a Palestinian village that was attacked Zionist thugs (remember no peoples have monopoly on bad actors). Village destroyed, people killed. A Jewish village that had been their neighbor for many years, came to their rescue. A Jewish friend, born and raised in Israel told me some years ago, that many of the newer settlers would cause the destruction of Israel because they did know nor wish to learn how to get along with Arabs.
Well, perhaps Balfour has an answer for your confusion ? As they did?
Yegads I am arguing with an AI Bot. LOL
😂🤣😂
I understand, but for survival there is always a Europe and Marshal Plan for the Endangered Species !
Wrong. Your warped.
what about his warped? I don't think he mentioned owning a warped, but even if he has one, what has that to do with this conversation?
Wow, an astute argument, what a genius? /s
Please enlighten me, genius!…:)
All of the above
With the Supreme Court helping Trump I feel like he really has solid protection! Hell, those justices ok bump stock
All of the above, really. MAGA and Trump's family are the worst and I keep wondering when I can slap one of them in the mouth.
Especially, MTG. Then I remember we must beat them at the ballot box. 🙂🙃🙂💙💙💙❄️ God bless us all!
Henrietta, i keep wondering when i could slap them in the mouth with a tire iron. Especially Donald TUMP and Maggot Traitor Greene.
Starting NOW, we need to work to inform voters of the horrible consequences of that damn Project 2025 fiasco.
The billionaires have turned America into a Casino! It’s ironic that they forget that the guy who bankrupted a Casino is their pick to be president. If elected he will do it again!
The billionaires control the corporations which control Wall Street which results in bullies all around. Even the corporate media are bullies. Bullies bullies everywhere.
No, Trump, his administration & the GOP did their best to try to steal the election, up to & including planning, organizing & inciting an insurrection against the Capitol so that Trump could stay in power, & in fact, they succeeded in stealing a number of Senate & House seats, & probably a few states for Trump, but it wasn't enough for Trump to win the electoral college, although it was enough for Republicans to seize the House majority & make the Senate so tight that they were able to obstruct & stifle much progress over the term with the help of a couple confederates in the Democratic Party.
“the Manhattan jury’s decision to convict him on all criminal counts of election interference”
THANK YOU for not referring to it as a “hush money” trial.
It never was. Trump was on trial for election interference. Too many people who know better kept calling it a “hush money” trial to downplay the seriousness. Thank you for no longer being one of them.
Election interference is what Republicans want, hush money to cover up whore-mongering? not so much.
I just don’t understand why people keep voting in criminals. Put Trump aside, there’s Rick Scott, Matt Gaetz, Rubio … commit a crime, do no time but go to Florida and get elected. Why are Sr citizens voting for people interested in dismantling SS? Who are these people really?
They have not done anything worth prosecution.
Disagree
Change "prosecution" into "anything", & your false statement becomes true.
Says the deranged Trump humper
Robert, Because you asked for the biggest bullies, I pinpointed the one we necessarily must crush—Trump and the Trump GOP—if we’re to crack down on the others. To clarify, while vanquishing Trump and his sycophants is not sufficient, it clearly is necessary for diluting the other forces that threaten free and responsible government by popular consent. Hence, with barely 4 months before the election, it’s time we prioritize how we spend calories.
TDS
E. Patrick, I don’t understand how my call for establishing a system of prioritization merits claiming I’m a victim of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Yes MAGAts. do suffer from TDS, Poor things, now if they weren't so motivated by their puny fears and insecurities, their pre frontal cortex wouldn't be flooded by the lizard brain.
Sorry you suffer from that. It must be horrible to be unable to restrain yourself from cultishly & sadomasochistically supporting America's worst president & greatest traitor ever, who will turn America into a fascist tyranny should he get back in power. My sincere condolences!
I've gone for the easy choice because Trump and company ACTIVELY (and directly) bully people whereas for others the action is indirect and, although they may be culpable it is less aggressively so. Also I won a court case against a Trump supporter, but am still waiting on receiving the money. Until I I do I'm broke and hence I remain a non-subscriber. Sorry!