Please change your epitaph of Vance as 'a baby monster'. If you had heard his speech at the Security Conference here in Munich, you would have named him a full-fledged monster. Please consider the overseas voters here in Munich and Germany.
Vance is the political protegé of Peter Thiel. Musk owes the latter for bailing him out of bankruptcy and the new UK ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson,in partnership with Thiel’s corporation, Palantir, has gifted the latter all personal patient data held by the National Health Service (NHS) in England. This mob have secured political power through decades if unregulated profiteering, with their beady eyes now on privatising GB’s NHS. Vance is being used by Thiel & Co as a distraction, a faux populist cat’s paw. I think his recent speech in Munich was simply the starting pistol for a race to create political chaos in order to facilitate the imposition of a longterm plan to carve up the world’s peoples, lands and resources between a global cartel of demagogues. If I was in a leadership position in the EU my advice would be to be very, very wary indeed of any so called friendship being proffered by the Murdoch approved and placed Keir Starmer’s LINO (Labour In Name Only) government. The Irish do not call England Perfidious Albion without good cause after having experienced centuries of English colonialism.
"The Troubles" was only the excresence of a period of rapacious oppression, from the time of the Tudors through the 20th century, during which Irish Aristocrats abandoned their county and its ordinary citizens to extreme poverty, oppression, pandemic disease, starvation, ignorance and death under colonial rule by England. Wait. Does any of this sound as if it might recur if we don't stand up and fight now?m Hmmm.
Wonderful Robert, Don't live in fear. Yes we do have the example of the SDNY office of DOJ, But notice they all got fired anyway, and that one sacrifie if it was that was in vain.
Shall we be like those poor people in Germany and in live i forlorn hope?
Buck up, chin up, a brighter day is coming, then knock,knock, on the door.
We need to organize, resist, sabotage until there is the dread knockon the door, only now a days they don't knock, they break it in.
As regards legal reversals, has any yet reached the Supreme court? I am pretty sure I know how they will rule.
And I take JD Vance at his word, he harkens back to Andrew Jackson, it doesn't matter what the court rules, because Musk, Trump?, has the guns, and Musk (Trump) is a scofflaw.
Enough of this buck up, chin up, a brighter day is ahead, stay positive, we need to fight now, and let's not prematurely celebrate any intermediate wins, the fat lady has not yet sung.
JD Vance claims judges are not allowed to check executive power
He was speaking for Musk Trump, and they are in fact ignoring the courts.
William, I can't agree with you regarding these resignations being "in vain." Character, courage and integrity are never in vain. I would hope the actions of these brave individuals will prompt others to take a stand. I have given up on Congress. I don't know how they look at themselves in the mirror each morning.
I'm confused. While it's nice that people have integrity and use it to resign their positions, wouldn't it be better if they used their integrity (which I celebrate and champion) to stay in their jobs and fight until they were dragged out of the office by security guards? Resigning just leaves the power of the office to brainless sycophants licking Musk's posterior all day. Getting dragged out of the building while protesting vociferously would get attention to the thuggish tactics the oligarchs use, which not all Americans are aware of yet. Resignation letters are too polite. We're going to need to brawl.
What now is the question of the day, but we must bear in mind that decency must be maintained no matter what. Without it we lose the moral compass and surrender the moral high grounds to the enemy.
I have no idea what you are talking about Victor, To what are your comments addressed.
Surrender the moral high grounds? The Democrats have been doing that since Nixon and look at the results.
Moral Compass? When you are at war, and Victor we are at war, have been at war, but the weak assed Democratic party failed to realize that, and look where we are now.
There is no reality in war. War is zero sum, Win or lose, and brother we are at war, and with all of the shit going on right now, and people hide their heads in the sand and fail to acknowledge reality. Well then we deserve what we get.
But I don't, and I want the fuck out, if "my side" keeps playing the loser game.
I am fed up with these loser platitudes, and they are loser platitudes, the recipe for failure and surrender.
McCain voted with the sociopaths 100% of the time, till towards the end when he knew he was at the end, he flipped the bird to the man (Trump) that said "I lie men who don't get captured".
It was Kinzinger, I can't speak to him, but I can to Cheney. Cheney was consistent in her vote, he was on theMAGAside of the culture war, tax breaks for the wealthy, etc.
From my perspective, her purpose on the J6 committee was to run interference for the perps in congress, like Jordan, Boiebert, Green, Hawley, Biggs because she kept the committee focused on Trump and away from the perps in congress. So IMO not so much a hero.
Remember she is Dick, Iraqi oil will pay for the war, Cheney's favorite daughter.
Despite the fact that her sister is married to a woman, Liz has strongly endorsed anti gay legislation, like the Defense of Marriage Act.
Yes! Look up his possibly humorous WTF? suggestion that one solution to the problem "What to do about the poor?" is to turn them into biofuel, using the Federal Prisons as rendering centers. What kind of person would even imagine such a thing, under any circumstances? And oh BTW he is very influential among the broliarchs.
Yes, "Soylent Green" was prescient as were so many early movies. Where are the Producers of those types of films now. They never make it past the Independent Film art theaters...which will probably be closed it Trump's take-over of the Kennedy Center is also "prescient.
Palantir is one of the world's top cyber security companies, and it has contractual relations with the US government. . It frankly admits to its shareholders that it routinely spies on individuals, but only to the extent permitted by the government, it states. Peter Thiel, its founder, no longer owns the company, but it is likely that he has some influence with its administrators. So would JD Vance as president, and he would be in a position to remove restraints on the corporation. This is something all of us, including the authors of Project 2025, need to consider.
Agreed. Wasn’t it CIA agent Stewart Copeland Sr (Dad of Police musician of the same name), that wrote that anyone retiring from the CIA without easily having first become a millionaire, was a fool ? I have ever since assumed that the postwar Special Relationship between the UK and the US always referred to the unregulated crossover of intelligence between secret service assets and their global corporate business associates. Carving up the world for political control and rewarded through personal profiteering. Today’s traded insider knowledge is global big data.
Thiels "test case" was taking down the gossip site Gawker, supposedly for outing him as gay. (He had been previously outed elsewhere, and this was never about his right to privacy. It became a case of "Constitution vs. Money".) (SPOILER: Money won.)
But in exchange for bankrolling the case that Hulk Hogan wanted to use to embarrass Gawker for all the stupid and racist things Hogan had been caught saying (yep, you read that correctly), Theil got Hogan to humiliate himself (by admitting under oath that he did not have a massive penis, for one thing) and the Gawker test case for ending First Amendment rights for the masses won with flying colors.
(Thiel is the reason I boycott PayPal, even if he's no longer in control.)
Vance is clearly not very important to Rump or Musk. But by taking the side of Nazis in Germany by giving that horrible speech he has been promoted to full time monster.
But since Musk can't run for president (though both Cruz and McCain were born outside of the US, and they both ran for the presidency), that leaves the need for some EASILY CONTROLLED toady to fill the gap, just in case Musk doesn't have enough money to buy EVERY necessary vote. (I know mine won't go for anything less than $1,000,000,000 in real estate.)
We are now dealing with billionaire megalomaniacs who believe they have the right to globally reshape society to their advantage and to impose it on the rest of us. What’s emerging as a key driving force from this collective sewer of demented ideas is the warped ideology of nut job, Curtis Yarvin (Thiel/Vance, big devotees among others). It’s shocking that these oligarchs, with God complexes, have naively embraced this nobody guru's sadistic claptrap with a CULT like devotion.
They have shown the world they are nothing more than regressive, stunted human 'monsters', with little to no care or understanding of what constitutes a functioning ‘humane’ society. Our progress/success as modern homo sapiens is rooted in “cooperation”. These troglodytes want to bring us back to the law of the jungle, might is right. It is a losing strategy unless the end goal is to eradicate all that is civilized.
Yarvin inhabits a fantasy futuristic landscape - in his mind, where privileged white men yoke the the rest of us 'inferiors'. It reminds me of the 1927 silent sci-fi film by Fritz Lang, “Metropolis” which depicts an urban dystopia, ”In the future, wealthy industrialists and business magnates and their top employees reign over the city of Metropolis from colossal skyscrapers, while underground-dwelling workers toil to operate the great machines that power.”
He is scary even in his "immaturity". The use of the word "Baby" is a reference to his short sighted sycophant ignorance, his lack of knowledge or care for integrity and decency. He has hitched his wagon to an immoral semicomatose monster narcissist who lacks any concern for the job that his brainwashed followers put him in with their votes and a lot of cheating by those with power and great wealth. Totally illegitimate. and ignorant about the things that matter in leadership.
Victor Kamendrowski. Just because Vance attended prestigious ivy league expensive colleges does not mean that he has a clue about integrity and decency. Or ethics. If he does not value Democracy or how it should work, and ascribes to the screw everybody you can to get yours and eff everyone else mantra. He is ignorant in the most basic way. Even a "well educated " thief , is still a thief.and clueless about what honor is all about. He is no statesman, no matter how expensive his suit is. He is nothing but a " stuffed shirt".and unqualified for his position.
Well informed by whom? In what way? How to commit the biggest heist in history? I disagree that he knows anything useful to the Common Good or rule of law. Certainly is no leader. look at how he betrayed his constituents In the lies he told about Haitians eating pets! What a loser " "leader".!
Vance is no more than a sycophantic courtier. His ranking in the pecking order is even lower than Musk. Trump recently scoffed at the idea that Vance could replace him as monster-in-chief. 'Oh, but he's very capable' - meaning he does what I tell him to do and nothing else.
Vance. When I read Hill billy Elegy I was expecting Coalminer's Daughter. I got a wet rag of self pity and scorn for his struggling family who left him feeling like a yokel at Yale college teas. His Asian girlfriend taught him how to dress. But he didn't know how to behave on a death camp tour. Trump has hung him out on a line in favor of big bro Elon. I'm waiting for the claws to come out. Meanwhile what about us?
My understanding is that Vance is a creature of another member of the so-called PayPal mafia, Peter Thiel. He (Vance) may have an entirely different agenda to either Trump or Musk, but he knows well enough that he must tow the line for now. Trump came to power in 2016 surrounded by people who believed that he could be managed. That was not true then and it's not true now - in fact, he's even worse now.
Hitler came to power under the same delusion. The elite of Germany thought they could use him to rid themselves of the pesky Socialists of the time. Bwahahaha. Let's not let that happen here.
And everyone scoffed at the idea of Trump as a presidential candidate as he glided down that escalator. Timothy Snyder says the media, politicians and everyone is to blame for keeping him in the limelight for so long, feeding his ego, ambition and sense of grievance.
How can you keep him out of the limelight when he is breaking everything and insulting our allies? Trump knows theater, and this is why Rupert Murdoch and Robert Mercer advanced his candidacy.
I do, and always have. since back in the days when they had "sin charges" for products they didn't believe were morally proper. (But once a customer was willing to pay a higher "fee" than the product cost, suddenly all sin washed away.)
As the old adage goes, follow the money. Musk has 28 times more money than Peter Thiel. Therefore if money is power........you do the math to see who has the power.
Bearing in mind that Trump has the power and he's by no means the richest among those driving this new administration. He may be a figurehead in many ways, but his impulsiveness and vindictiveness are a threat to any and all of them.
Someone mentioned that a million dollars is the time equivalent of 11 days, while a billion is 31 years. Musk is scaled beyond anyone in power, measured by money (and influence). He paid $44 billion for twitter, but only about $253 million to purchase the United States of America.
drump's endless string of attacks on his political enemies is like a carnival tour of the hideous house of mirrors - all the worst savagery of these monsters is projected upon the presumed 'liberals, communists, fascists, socialists' for having surrendered the nation to illegal 'criminal invaders' driven from their 'shithole countries' to wreak havoc on Americans. This is the same style of rhetoric shoved down the throats of the citizens of European fascist states from 100 years ago. Pity is that the demagoguery has become entrenched in susceptible minds until they accept it as truth. The only way out for human survival is to debunk the entire lie machine with incontrovertible fact, with relentless force. Overpower by argument before open rebellion.
I guess that it's possible but my own feeling is that the Republican party has no idea of what's going to happen when Trump leaves the scene. It's been transformed in his image and may not be able to survive when he's gone. Anyone following him will be immediately seen as pale imitations.
Look at Trump's vindictive behaviour towards members of his first administration - Pence, Bolton, Pompeo, Milley - and anyone who opposed him - Biden, Fauci - and so many others lined up for retribution - Cheney, Kinzinger, Smith.
good point-to me the motives are inseparable-a possible answer is for mainstream voters to vote in primaries-'advise and consent' was a terrific book and a good movie-great cast
Trump was always supposed to be the delivery system for the right but he was uncontrollable in his first term and it looks like he may well be just as erratic and unreliable this time, one reason for the breakneck speed at which they're moving. His subdued performance alongside Musk at their recent press conference suggests that he is content for the moment. The true test of his fidelity to the cause will come if and when there is a public backlash to these policies. He hates the idea of being unpopular. In his first term, he angrily threw out a Republican bill to replace the Affordable Care Act because of furious town hall protests up and down the country. He hadn't even read the bill or acquainted himself with its contents.
It's very real. Take the experience of those two Georgia election poll workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Moss, pursued and vilified by MAGA fanatics after they were wrongly accused by Rudy Giuliani of tampering with votes during the 2020 election; or the parents of the Sandy Hook children, similarly accused of being liars by Alex Jones. Or indeed, any inside the Capitol building on January 6 2019. If you oppose Trump or MAGA, things can get very ugly very quickly.
Agree with Carol A - and I would suggest adding to her suggestion of considering the overseas voters in Munich and Germany, the many other overseas voters in general.
Prof Reich's referring to Vance as a baby monster is to belittle Vance, and in no way is meant to say that the German people face a lesser threat. Vance is a little puppet. Belittle him at any given opportunity.
I agree Laurie. Sadly. The commenters (well most of them) to Prof Reich's essays inspire me. You are one of those with whom I always agree. I'm pleased as punch that you are a kindred spirit. Keep it up Girl - you rock!
The last time the USA was threatened by fascists, it required a war to stop them. I recommend Rachel Maddow’s book ‘Prequel’ as a history of homegrown fascist movements in the 1930s and 40s.
Hillbilly Elegy was not in praise of the strengths of those who live in poverty but a condemnation of them - they are poor because they deserve to be poor. This is who Vance is. One more monster with no empathy or compassion for others.
Yet Vance claims to be Christian! This a man who compared Trump to Hitler a few years back, but is now supporting him and befriending fascists. He sold his soul to Thiel & Co.
Yes! I was embarrassed, and I hope our brothers and sisters in Europe and elsewhere know that many, many Americans are as appalled as you rightfully are. I'm SO sorry!
"JD Vance is a baby monster in waiting." It's that little round baby face that he tries so hard to hide with that hideous beard. Personally I consider him to be every bit as bad as the Fatman. The only real difference is he doesn't spit and foam at the mouth like der Fuhrer does and he does have a better vocabulary(that is however a fairly low bar). When he ascends to the throne(I'm thinking Article 25) he will prove to be even worse than Drumpf
Carol, Vance really is despicable and wants to be just as disgusting and destructive as the rest of the toddler-troop. They are acting like spoiled children who want everything and demand everyone give it to them. Vance is a well-practiced liar and probably always has been. He has been able to hone his lies under the Liar in chief Toddler-Trump with help from Peter Theil and the rest of the gang of toddler-thugs. They do have to be stopped, but each day they are getting more entrenched, probably having cheated to get elected.
Good point. Zombies are not babies. JD Vance is nothing more than the mouthpiece of other men. His gestation from babyhood to adulthood was aborted by a dose of vanity. As president, he would do as instructed by real men-monsters.
"New York Police Find Body Of Trans Man They Say Was Tortured For More Than A Month
New York State Police have charged five people with murder in the killing of a missing man who authorities said died following repeated acts of violence and torture,"
So very disturbing and sad. It's what happens with leaders who speak bigotry and hate. May this horrific crime help us all fight harder for the rights of trans people.
I understand that each Trans-American has their own reasons, and they are not mine to understand (or not.)
But it seems that the understanding by MAGA of a simple medical term, found in any medical dictionary (and very likely ALL dictionaries) would go so far to explain why a great many people feel such a personal need to change the gender they present as:
"intersex"
It's the term that references about 1.7% of ALL births, and says that these millions of infants were born with characteristics of BOTH GENDERS. (So much for "only 2 sexes...")
Yes, the number of intersex births is (statistically) equal to the number of redheads, globally.
Do Repugs ignore this reality, or worse, deny it? Or are they just so proud of being LOVED for being STUPID (sorry, I meant "under-educated") that now they can't be anything else?
It's not complicated, and it seems likely that learning this simple word for a complex issue could free so many innocent people from the hell that Trump's lies, insecurities and hate have consigned them to.
In my opinion, those who hate Trans, LGQBT+, Blacks, Browns, Jewish, Latinos and any other minority group are terrified of them. Why? For many, they were taught this hate. I believe that these magas actually do feel superior to everyone else even though they are extremely ignorant, lack the emotions of love, empathy and compassion, want someone to carry out their hate and rage on and only want what they consider a "pure" race. I have to laugh about magas and this 'pure' race crap. We Americans are a blend of all different races and cultures. That is what made us great in the first place! We came together and worked hard for diversity, equality and inclusion. What is even funnier to me is that we will get there again after we send the orange man, musk-rat and couch packing!
I think the whole DEI debacle tells the world everything it needs to know about white males. (At least those in MAGA.)
They are TERRIFIED of being expected to compete on ANY level playing field, and no longer even make the effort to even appear to be doing so unless they feel buoyed up by cheating.
Especially now, with their GAWD-DADDY bragging endlessly about how "smart" he is for cheating at taxes, and cheating his contractors out of their due, and cheating his investors by bankrupting so many businesses, and cheating his customers by never offering anything of value. Basically, "Anyone who doesn't cheat is a sap!"
Heck, as far as I can tell, they even cheat by asking Jesus to forgive (and now Trump to "ignore") every sin they ever committed, just so they can keep on sinning!
And they profess to be Christians. Jesus Christ never said any of these things. Stop dragging God and Jesus into your hellhole. You Rs are the anti-Christ.
I’m trying to figure out what role hate plays in their psyche. Do they feel insecure, that they are not good enough? So feeling superior to other people reassures them? Hating others is a defence mechanism. It gives them a rush.
The thing is Catherine, you can only feed hate for so long. It saps you and wears you down. Love is a constant that fills you with energy and happiness. We thrive because of love. Love for our family, our community, our country and each other. Feeling superior to other people will not reassure them, it will eventually make them realize that feeling does not help them feel any better about themselves.
Exactly, Peggy. Hate and rage make any chance of joy impossible. They are always expending their inner energy, and never refilling it with love. Literally draining their souls until they are starved and shriveled things.
Catherine, they drank the cool-aide. It is too humiliating for them to admit they were wrong. They seem to be willing to go down with the ship. Trump, and his ghouls identified a grievance which seems to resonate with younger men of all colors. At first I thought it was uneducated men, but I see plenty of educated men and women who seem to be OK with this debacle. The grievance is that they are not superior to women, minorities, or the educated. They "elites", whoever they are in their delusions, have robbed them of their rightful place in society. After identifying the grievances, they needed someone to blame. Enter the Democrats and he is still demonizing Biden. I wonder how long, if ever, it is going to take for them to realize they have been used in A BIG WAY. They were all enthralled with the tail-gating mentality of it all and they felt like they were finally not marginalized. Sadly, they have been used by Trump to get elected because the billionaire group isn't large enough for them to have a majority. Greed, ignorance, and lies won this election.
Pamela, my neighbors are the sweetest people until it comes to politics. It boggles my mind how they can honestly think the orange man is a good pick to lead our country. These people are kind and caring until anyone brings up politics! Then, they become defensive and combative! I have never seen anything like this unbelievable hold the orange man has on these magas! It is extraordinary!
An even simpler fix: follow VP candidate Tim Walz's suggestion that we all just mind our own damn business. There is no need, or right, for me, or for anyone else, to have a say in the lives of others.
Unfortunately, in MAGAWorld, words such as "justice" and "equality" become personal concepts, rather than universal, with everyone struggling to steal enough of them from other people's pockets to fill their own.
Evil is as evil does, cruelty is the point, But "just" because you can, does not mean you should. This is what raw abuse of power and dominance does. They lose all respect for themselves and others. This is the path to Hell.
As far as I can determine based on the news of the past 10 minutes, Trump claims that the fact that he's "saving America" is atonement for his crimes, and will wash him pure as the driven snow. (And considering the microplastics situation, that may well be true...but only by accident.)
And there's little question that Trump is now FAR more representative of today's white evangelical movement (at least here in the Deep South) than Jesus has been since prior to 1960, and likely will ever be again.
Trump tells them that they never sinned by profiting from white privilege, even when the crime was centuries of abuse and murder PERFORMED BY THEM and their ancestors, and continuing TODAY! And if they don't believe that, just take a look at the new (revised, updated, corrected, white sanitized for your protection)...historical record. Especially in states like Florida and Texas.
Laurie, I can't begin to imagine the absolutely ORGASMIC JOY these MAGAs experience when they feel hate, but it must be truly amazing for them to sacrifice not just "salvation", but 2,000 years of (substantially) beautiful New Testament teachings for it.
What I don’t understand is that they are so fixated on men playing on women’s sports and create a bunch of “laws” about it but apparently it’s no big deal for women to play on men’s sports? Forgive me if I’m ignorant about transgender transitions but I thought that it went both ways. It’s okay for a woman to become a man but not a man to become a woman? Why so one sided? Maybe I have it all wrong but I thought that the whole point of the American Dream was so that the individual could become who they are and better themselves and have freedom? What has happened to people? Oh, that’s right, the republicans allowed the ugliness to crawl back out from under the rock. Are these really the issues that we should be so concerned about now? T is trying to drag us into any/every war that he has created. I once thought that we were better than this.
All I can imagine is that the ONLY thing MAGA enjoys more than hate, is using hate to control innocent people.
I haven't heard about how they plan to "control" women that simply have more male hormones. Or where they might place me, a male who simply has less than typical.
foofaraw - I assume that once they are done destroying other people’s lives they will have to find another boogeyman to go after.
Sometimes I am embarrassed just being a human being these days. I used to be a to-each-their-own kind of person but these days I find myself a lot less tolerable of some people because of the hate. Really don’t like that feeling.
I've never before been ashamed to be male, or white. And now I'm ashamed of both.
But I did feel something very confusing on the night I noticed segregation for the first time in public, about 1962, at a movie theatre near my grandparent's home.
These innocent people, forced to spend their lives questioning their own very existence, FINALLY started to make some progress...
And then along comes a monster that doesn't even have a horse (or an opinion) in the race, but just wants the "easy hate" that can be directed at people already stripped of much of their hope, and too much of their souls.
I wish I did not know this. I will mourn, but in absolute futility. Wherever the farthest reaches of history, variations of sexual identity have been NORMAL. It is pure ignorance to react as if our brothers and sisters, whatever their experience of themselves, are anything but NORMAL human.
For anyone who may wish to show allyship with the TRANS community, may I suggest one of numerous "Protect Trans Kids" (and similar) t-shirts available from the HRC (Human Right Campaign) shop. They have some of the best shirts available, and a wide selection of choices.
Other sites offer some too, but HRC has the best selection. (And they're the ONLY site I know of willing to reach out by unsolicited phone call to hear of issues and concerns among their customers.)
And on a tragically related note, this article LAYS BARE the hypocrisy of the GOP as regards gender. (Remind me: wasn't it LIBERALS supposedly having issues with the word "women"?...
"Thanks to Donald Trump’s sweeping executive orders attacking “gender ideology” and DEI programs, the word “women” – along with a number of other terms – is quite literally being erased. The likes of Nasa have been busy scrubbing mentions of terms related to women in leadership from public websites in an attempt to comply with Trump’s executive orders, for example. Agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have taken down numerous webpages related to gender in the wake of Trump’s orders – although a federal judged ordered on Tuesday that they should be reinstated.
Meanwhile, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has an internal list of hot-button words (which include “women”, “gender”, “minority”, “biases”) that they are cross-referencing against active research projects and grant applications. The Washington Post reports that once one of these very dangerous words is identified, staff then have to go through a flowchart to see whether a research project should be flagged for further review.
The National Institutes of Health and multiple university research departments are going through a similar dystopian exercise. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego, for example, have said their work is now at risk if it contains language deemed potentially problematic, including the word “women”."
foofaraw & Chiquita(ARF!) ; Of course, they hate women. The ERA was never ratified, even though the required number of states was reached . The truth is that Women are men with wombs in the family of man. They want to have their underclass that produces offspring to be under their total control. JD Vance has said that women in abusive relationships should not have the right to a divorce. Women who miscarry are put to death in some red states, by the deliberate witholding of emergency medical care, like a D and C, which removes tissue that is a toxic threat to the woman's life. They want women to be the slaves that they really wish for.. They would bring slavery back for men. too, if they have their way. They are our enemies.
Before birth control devices or medication were available, women with a sympathetic doctor might have quiet hysterectomies at their final delivery, or to treat a non-existent "female problem."
The word "woman" has been banned as has the word "mother" in the context of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. "Pregnant people?" But wait White Christian family values voters:
Trump: 3 wives 5 children and that's what we know about but he pays hush money.
Musk: 5 baby mommas 13 children and he advertises, wearing the little ones as fashion accessories or therapy pets.
King Saud: 22 wives 100 children....
Choose your family values. Does wealth make it right? That's a question. Remember Zilpah and Bilha.
(If I repeat myself, please forgive me. I've made SO MANY new friends here recently that I'm pretty sure I'm posting some duplicate messages.) MAGA seems perhaps to be focused on a CHRISTIAN ARMY OF GOD:
" “Thou Shall Give Birth, and God Shall Raise Up a Righteous Army!”
So Sayeth the Six Disciples, with Alito and Thomas Leading the Chorus"
Foofaraw and Chiquita, thank you widening my compassion. Asking for a moment of silence to honor our fellow being is a beautiful act. And a solemn reminder to give space and let all people be who they are called to be. May family and friends and all those touched deeply, by this life interrupted by insane cruelty, feel the tenderness, strength, and warmth millions of us are sending at the speed of light.
I've written elsewhere that it seems that my "most respect" list of people is pretty much the same as Trump's "most hate" list, so it's easy to fear a nation 50% made of of easily manipulated, armed bigots, as seems the case in America now.
On my daily "path to destruction", my third objective (after showing respect to those being hated, and letting MAGA know that many Americans are NOT taken in by lies and hate) is...
"To be as kind, friendly, helpful and decent an example, in public, of a liberal as I can possibly be. (And it’s not always easy.) At best, I just may succeed in making it possible that at least some T-cultists may reconsider us as being literal “baby-eaters”. (Personally, I don’t eat any mammal, so a human baby would be a pretty big stretch, no matter how tender.) I also do it in hopes that fewer of them will want people like us to be dead, a task Trump frequently encourages supporters toward fulfilling, and a category of violence he seems increasingly, distressingly ambivalent (euphemistically, and at best) about."
Makes me think of public spectacle lynchings where white folks brought their children and laid out picnics as black folks were hanged and gruesomely tortured, then took home pieces of the lynching victim's bodies as souvenirs. The cruelty is beyond belief. I felt nauseas learning about the lynchings and I feel nauseas learning of the torture of this poor trans man. I think Robert is right that we need to hold up the Profiles in Courage, but I also think that we cannot turn our eyes away from the horrific things everyday people are being prompted to do and are doing. Thank you for bringing this one to our attention.
When one considers the realities of lynching, which go so far beyond what we see in the photos (often with a picnic lunch to eat with family (incl. small children) while watching a human being burning alive, then having his finger, toes and genitals cut off as souvenirs), few things are more disgusting than the ease by which Repubs can refer to their own (survived w/o a scratch) experiences as a "lynching".
Some of them, such as Clarence Thomas, make the statement as a self-loathing Black American, presumably thinking that speaking as a Black person makes those ridiculous claims credible.
I suppose we go back to being afraid to live alone, or leave the house alone, ever again. And maybe EVERY American will be armed, though one has to suspect the GOP has never considered that Trans-Americans can pull a trigger with the best of 'em!
How did the authorities manage to identify and prosecute the offenders when they're now not even allowed to use any word with the prefix 'trans'? Someone didn't get the memo.
I'm sure that many states will continue to prosecute such dreadful acts of violence and protect their vulnerable communities, but I'm also sure that hate crime will rise while Trump is president.
Trump himself claimed that people are getting away with murder in the States to justify his decision to pardon violent J6 rioters, an extraordinary line of defence.
I'm posting a link to The Coffman Chronicle by Tony Michaels that has information on what we can do to fight back against marginalization, one of the first steps of fascist regime. They bear reminding.
My question, foofaraw &Chiquita, is how much more of these horrendous acts are Americans going to let happen? How many more will be tortured and then killed?
MAGAs are generally cowards, only willing to risk anything when they act as a mob. When Trump said to "Stand back and stand by", tens of millions of these people may be doing exactly that.
As soon as Trump says something that enough of these monsters interpret as being for a PURGE DAY, it seems likely they will consider that to be their "signal".
They want there to be enough death and violence to hide in, and they will likely wait until then. After all, the Rittenhouse "verdict" already told them that killing someone they disagree with politically was considered "justified", even back in November, 2021.
If they believed it then, I can't but fear that they'll believe it 100 times over now.
You know what, foofaraw & Chiquita? You are right. The good thing is that if they want a reason to come in clubs swinging and shooting, I say "Come at me and see what happens!" I am not a violent person; however, I am a person who will stand up everyday for what I truly believe in. I will fight to return our country back to the strong Democracy my ancestors fought and died for. To do any less would be a slap in the face of my grandpas, father, uncle and sisters who served and protected this country so that we could continue to enjoy the freedoms and liberties America was built on!
Peggy, I wrote this a while back, and it's largely satire. (How much is satire varies from day to day, and even minute to minute.) But I think it may say things about the south (and southerners) that aren't often said:
That made me laugh a little, foofaraw & Chiquita! A lot of what you say about the south is true! Here's something to ponder. I raised my children to have decency, integrity and honor. I raised them to know that everyone, no matter the color of their skin or their different religious beliefs, is equal. I raised them to treat others with respect. I taught them they were morally responsible to live a good and decent life. My daughter is gay and she has lived her life following the lessons I taught her, believing that accepting others regardless of differences was living life the absolute best she could. My son is a maga believing every single thing the orange man says and parroting it back at every opportunity. Why? I honestly couldn't give you an answer for that, but I do know I love him with all my heart. His love for his sister is so strong. There is nothing he would not do for her. He is an excellent father and provider for his family. He truly does not see the hypocrisy in his life. I know that long after I am gone, my son and my daughter will continue to have a strong relationship even though their political beliefs are the exact opposite! I am from the south and I attribute how I live my life to my wonderful mother.
Oh, Peggy, I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine how stressful that must be for you.
Though I know nothing of your son, one can only imagine that love will eventually win over hate (or whatever he feels), even if it takes time that may seem like forever.
Thank you, foofaraw & Chiquita, for that informative article. You're right that a lot of it is irritating; however, I hope he does lose more support. We need him out of our government completely!
We must remind people of what the Nazis did to homosexuals and the developmentally delayed. Kosta Gavras made a film about this horror, but that was long ago. Trans people are at risk now.
Paula, if you are like me, you will do whatever you possibly can to protect your son. Please know there are kind, decent caring people out there who would absolutely help you if you reach out. Our children mean the world to us and that POS orange scum is only causing a deeper hatred to swell in this country. By targeting minority groups, he has no damn understanding that he is targeting a much wider group - all of us that are the families of these groups! My thoughts are with you, Paula. Stay strong and know there will be an end to all of this - it just simply cannot come soon enough!
This sickens me and breaks my heart to hear this news. I have to believe most of Trump’s supporters didn’t vote for such violence. I can’t think the opposite because then how can I even acquaint myself with them.
I appreciate your good heart, but these people have been told FOR YEARS by their church that gay/trans people are an "abomination" (ignoring the fact that wearing cotton and wool as a blended fabric is an EQUAL "abomination", as is eating shrimp.)
And then, after being told that every storm to hit a blue state is the "result of God's judgement on homosexuals", now Trump tells them that these trans children are stealing health care dollars from them, and they will "destroy America's military!"
We may be "lucky" to see these tragic murders in just double digits each year under Trump. And they won't even be classed as hate crimes...
Trans-Americans as murder victims is certainly nothing new, but I do fear it's mostly been Trump's hate all along, and will only grow (possibly exponentially) now that the feeling is that these innocent Americans (and of other nations) are no longer under protection of the American legal system.
"The number of trans people who were murdered in the U.S. nearly doubled between 2017 and 2021, according to data released Tuesday by the non-profit Everytown for Gun Safety."
"The Human Rights Campaign is both saddened and infuriated by the deaths of at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people whose lives have been tragically and inhumanely taken through violent means, including through gun and interpersonal violence, in 2023."
That's not enough, as the Democrats found out at the election. You have to find a more compelling narrative that offers hope to Americans who feel let down, including very many I suspect who voted for Trump and for Republicans who happily provided such a narrative. What a great pity it was a complete fabrication.
"If you believe in nothing, you'll fall for anything."
Is there a narrative which *could* have appealed to the Americans identified? Some people don't like The Yankees; others just don't like baseball; others still sports of any kind. Nonetheless, neither Derek Jeter nor Alex Rodriguez find their respective livelihoods to be at the mercy of people who can't manage their entertainment budgets (that payroll was met even when COVID-19 made attending games unsafe, i.e. fan revenue was eliminated entirely).
PS: We can flip the narrative with publicly-funded campaigns... can't we? (It's not like the second coming of Vietnam can distract the country from its every responsibility for *another* 20 years, like, again.)
There are doubtless many Democrats who believe that and probably some who would see some advantages in executive power being extended, so long as there's a Democratic president in office. I think your country's problems are more fundamental. Trumpism has struck at the very root of American democracy and exposed its fragility. He hasn't removed the much-vaunted guardrails that protect your democracy, he's just ignored them with the tacit consent of the Republican-dominated Congress. He hopes, with some reasonable expectation of success, that five members of the Supreme Court will agree that presidential power should not be circumscribed by Congress. He's drawn on popular myths like American exceptionalism and manifest destiny and on fears of immigrant invasion and he's promised to put the interests of Americans ahead of every other consideration. Now that's a powerful narrative - even if it's a complete lie.
That boat has sailed. The mission now appear to be to turn those delusions of grandeur into legal reality. The NYT reports today on the first challenge to this administration to reach the Supremes (the firing of Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel (and independent agency not to be confused with the special counsels like Jack Smith and Robert Mueller appointed by the DoJ). It would require the overturning of an earlier Supremes' decision ( Humphrey's Executor vs United States) which ruled that Congres can protect independent agencies from White House politics. It's a decision that has long been cricitised by conservative judges as unconstitutional and Trump is banking on a majority verdict from SCOTUS in his favour. In the meantime, the savage and ill-conceived cull of federal workers continues: immigration judges, US Forest Service and National Park Service workers (never mind the wildfires!). They're even having to try and re-hire probationary workers at nuclear arsenals who were 'accidentally' fired.
The "power" seems to be derived from "come to Jesus" moments consisting of the obliteration of long-standing norms without so much as a thought... so it *is* powerful - though perhaps as a monologue/diatribe more than an actual narrative (*can* anyone actually identify with it other than the source himself?)...
Rishi, he won the election and the popular vote. Okay, he's doing things that may not be wholly supported even by those who voted for him, but if you asked them would they vote now for someone else what do you suppose the majority of them would say? There may come a point when even his most ardent supporters reach the conclusion that he's not made America great again (whatever that means to them) or even made ordinary folk better off, but I don't see that happening in the near future. In the meantime, the Democrats need a coherent and positive platform to oppose him. To do that they need to face the country's deep-seated problems, especially the crippling inequalities in wealth, income and access to services like healthcare and housing and the problems of race and religion that continue to afflict your country. And Americans need to face up to the fact that there's nothing very special about their form of democracy which is currently being trashed in front of their eyes.
Yes yes, come together and all of that - but insofar as voters yielded the people's consent to agents of antithetical interest, it's *their* lesson to learn; *they* must bear the consequences!
In short: not our dining party - we shouldn't stay to wash dishes, let alone need to get more specific than that. (Our narrative should be one of preparedness & provision to help them help themselves, e.g. sharing that the gloves & soap are under the sink.)
It's hard to reach those who WANT lies over truth, even KNOWING they're falling for an endless string of lies.
The only way I know of is a string of GREATER lies. And we just don't know how to do that. (Maybe Bill Clinton can give some hints, but even he can't begin to compete with someone like "Empty-Green". (MTG), Ted Cruz or Nancy Mace.)
Such people have failed to realize the basic imperative of their existence, i.e. time is short (and, in America, freedom isn't free); no one in their right mind has time for the complexity such lies bring, nor the luxury of being so falsely confident about them. Pity the class punished for the sake of such obstinate, selfish people.
Republicans and oligarchs have been gearing up for a chance to take absolute power and elbow aside democracy in favor of #RepubloFascism.
The bad news is they didn’t have a choice to hitch their wagon to anybody but Trump, someone with massive flaws but dumb enough to have faith in his stale shtick. And his lizard brain instincts on obliteration of not only his enemies, but the rules themselves have compounded to strike terror in the Republicans in Congress, who might otherwise be tempted to stop him for sake of the nation and their own stock portfolios.
If none of them budge, democracy is doomed. Let’s just hope we have an opportunity to claw it back in a year or two.
No one who's really smart has to go on claiming they're smart and Trump does this endlessly. On YouTube one can find compilations of him claiming to know more about a range of issues than anybody else - income tax, tariffs, construction, campaign finance, technology, trade, infrastructure, Isis, the environment etc. etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR3f95BGIiA&t=49s I think he does it to conceal his anxiety about how dumb he really is and there are so many examples of this. Remember 'thigh-land'? Or Nambia (was he thinking of Namibia or Zambia, we'll never know). It's why he had to explain his rambling speeches at campaign rallies by inventing 'The Weave'. It's also why he's so fond of calling other people dumb, especially those who are really smart. He thinks Musk is smart because he's richer than he is. How else to explain that bizarre press conference where he had to sit quietly behind the Resolute desk while Musk dominated proceedings on domestic policy? How else to explain his floundering attempts at foreign policy to compensate? How else to explain his sudden desire to be the chair of the country's premier arts institution? Trump's impulsive behaviour is rooted in his anxiety about being labelled the dumbest president in US history. Nothing he does is likely to allay that anxiety and I'm afraid Americans will have to put up with it for years to come.
Question: How are remarks put in any type of order. I was the first post on this thread and what I said got a number of likes but it quickly got buried. There should be a system where posts are in order of how people liked what was written.
It's GOING to be a problem for him! I have been calling every single senator and congressman and telling them to "man up" and call for the REMOVAL OF DONALD TRUMP AND ELON MUSK AND ALL THE REASONS WHY, AND I WILL NOT CEASE UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE! DONALD TRUMP IS N-O-T A LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT, AND NOBODY CAN EVER MAKE ME BELIEVE THAT TO BE TRUE! TRUMP MUST GO! HE IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD AND MAKE IT OVER FOR HIMSELF!
STORMS HAVE BEEN RAGING AROUND ME ALL NIGHT LONG, WITH RAIN and 20 m.p.h.WINDS, and it matches my mood!
Like a lot of people these days, I don't sleep so well, and I usually find refuge in your words. As I was trying to fall asleep again, your celebration of brave individuals brought to mind former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, whose warnings about her cousin, RFK, Jr. were roundly ignored this week when he was tapped to lead our government's health services. Maybe you heard her reading of her letter to the Senate reflecting on the consensus of his cousins that his conduct is that of a predator. I think she deserves recognition for risking her reputation to spare us a lot of grief. It must have been painful for her to know her words carried little weight.
Progwoman ; I think she knows that the big money influence of the oligarchs holds power. They own the media and misinform. She is brave and principled, and has nothing to be ashamed of. It is Great to have folks like her and her family. All of us who admire her give her plenty of weight.
Thank you for sharing your father's wise words: to stay balanced in the face of the horror, not obsessed, and to understand that we need to do our best to step into out power and take constructive action, not fall into mere defensiveness.
Trump is a monster as are Musk and Vance. But behind them and the oligarchs is the biggest monster of centuries who is calling the shots - Putin. I can share specifics with you Robert Reich but you'd have to contact me - VERY BIG information for you!
To any extent that Putin "is calling the shots," it is because Trump lets him. Trump is in love with Putin and should move to Russia, get in bed with him, and suck his dick.
WOW! Dr. Bloxom, I spit out my coffee when I read your comment! I don't believe I have ever read any of your comments that were so strongly worded! Kudos, Dr. Bloxom, because I feel exactly the same way!
I'm sorry about your coffee. I execrate Trump and wish I could xxxx him and would if I knew I could get away with it - for the good of the entire world.
Putin was installed by the Oligarchs. there is a reason that Bernie Sanders came up with the term "Obscenely wealthy", because it is obscene when big money buys our governance and self determination. All the good people in the world, the Universities, the places of worship, all the knowledge and care are hijacked by the wickedly wealthy, who steal and cheat to do harm, so they can have our very will. they incite their minions to hurt the innocent.
I applaud the integrity and service of the public servants who stand up to Trump et al. My question is … if one by one they resign in protest, who will be left to represent us and protect us in the future? It seems like a war of attrition where the morally correct may win each battle (or at least fight the good fight) but will loose the war. We cannot afford to lose this war.
Marc M ; Don't worry, success is popular, and It is better for business if everyone is not suppressed and depressed. Losers lose, and they will fail eventually. Celebrate the brave while they are brave, not when they are complicit with evil. We must Kick their asses by not obeying them , by refusing to co -operate with their twisted plans. RESIST! Those brave lawyers will help, in the long run. They illuminated the evil they refused to serve. they are inspiring.
From the first ever glimpse, I have been repelled from Trump as a "monster." Peck, in "People of the Lie," identified my response as a survival instinct in the presence of evil. But what to do, when such a significant portion of our fellow citizens seem to be immune to the perception of evil, or even willing to sign on to hate, violence, and self-destruction, when it comes to what was good about America; the answer to that, I do not know.
I didn't understand at the time, but the night of the 2016 election, at the moment California results came it...and made NO difference, I had a reaction unlike anything I've EVER experienced. (Even the shock of learning suddenly of death was less traumatic than that moment was for me.)
Now I understand what I was feeling, and why I worked so hard for Kamala, and Democrats. And while it may seem 8 years too early, at least for me, the timing was perfect.
Hate sucks so much that it is unpopular in the long run. Mean people suck! Mutual respect is so much better, and more helpful. It gives everyone who practices it a good chance to thrive.
"We will fight shoulder to shoulder, every day, and we will win in the end. The truth will prevail. Love will prevail over hate. Democracy will prevail over fascism."
Danielle Sassoon and Liz Chaney need to get together and stand up for the truth in betrayal of democracy that drumpf and Elmo represent. Their voices and all who come forward from that direction, would be very helpful to bring the honest truth out in the open. Lawrence Tribe and Michael Luttig could join as well...and ALL the men and women who stood up for truth during and after the first term of this con-artist/grifter in office.
I'm someone who wants to someday end their life in a DEMOCRACY, not a THEOCRACY that has become little more than a cruel joke to the rest of the world.
And I'm so GLAD not to be alone, and am instead surrounded by such wonderful people, and I have respected and admired Dr. Reich for decades.
I suspect most people are unaware that MANY of AMERICA'S RICHEST never even bother to file their federal tax form. These RICH DEADBEATS are the people Trump was talking to every time he mentioned CRIPPLING the IRS:
"Wyden’s investigation found that nearly 1,000 taxpayers who make more than $1 million a year failed to file tax returns over multiple recent years, potentially owing $34 billion in taxes that could fund crucial priorities or reduce the federal deficit.
According to IRS data, the top 500 high-income individuals who still have not filed returns for each year from 2017 to 2020 owed $923 million and yet were unlikely to face serious consequences. Only 2 of those 2,000 individuals were in active criminal investigation and only 58 have been subjected to financial penalties such as liens or levies. "
I suspect FEW, IF ANY of the richest Americans will allow one cent more in withholding than required, and will never even bother to file. After all, "This is the TRUMP WE PAID FOR!"
Please change your epitaph of Vance as 'a baby monster'. If you had heard his speech at the Security Conference here in Munich, you would have named him a full-fledged monster. Please consider the overseas voters here in Munich and Germany.
Vance is the political protegé of Peter Thiel. Musk owes the latter for bailing him out of bankruptcy and the new UK ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson,in partnership with Thiel’s corporation, Palantir, has gifted the latter all personal patient data held by the National Health Service (NHS) in England. This mob have secured political power through decades if unregulated profiteering, with their beady eyes now on privatising GB’s NHS. Vance is being used by Thiel & Co as a distraction, a faux populist cat’s paw. I think his recent speech in Munich was simply the starting pistol for a race to create political chaos in order to facilitate the imposition of a longterm plan to carve up the world’s peoples, lands and resources between a global cartel of demagogues. If I was in a leadership position in the EU my advice would be to be very, very wary indeed of any so called friendship being proffered by the Murdoch approved and placed Keir Starmer’s LINO (Labour In Name Only) government. The Irish do not call England Perfidious Albion without good cause after having experienced centuries of English colonialism.
Can't like totally Like! Thanks for background! Myself posted reminding of
Thiel connections, but didn't know next level. As for the Irish; I know something about that. Respect.
Yeah Musk/Trump/Vance are picking enough new fights, we don't need to revive "The Troubles."
"The Troubles" was only the excresence of a period of rapacious oppression, from the time of the Tudors through the 20th century, during which Irish Aristocrats abandoned their county and its ordinary citizens to extreme poverty, oppression, pandemic disease, starvation, ignorance and death under colonial rule by England. Wait. Does any of this sound as if it might recur if we don't stand up and fight now?m Hmmm.
We gotta fight.
Wonderful Robert, Don't live in fear. Yes we do have the example of the SDNY office of DOJ, But notice they all got fired anyway, and that one sacrifie if it was that was in vain.
Shall we be like those poor people in Germany and in live i forlorn hope?
Buck up, chin up, a brighter day is coming, then knock,knock, on the door.
We need to organize, resist, sabotage until there is the dread knockon the door, only now a days they don't knock, they break it in.
As regards legal reversals, has any yet reached the Supreme court? I am pretty sure I know how they will rule.
And I take JD Vance at his word, he harkens back to Andrew Jackson, it doesn't matter what the court rules, because Musk, Trump?, has the guns, and Musk (Trump) is a scofflaw.
Enough of this buck up, chin up, a brighter day is ahead, stay positive, we need to fight now, and let's not prematurely celebrate any intermediate wins, the fat lady has not yet sung.
JD Vance claims judges are not allowed to check executive power
He was speaking for Musk Trump, and they are in fact ignoring the courts.
So what now.
William, I can't agree with you regarding these resignations being "in vain." Character, courage and integrity are never in vain. I would hope the actions of these brave individuals will prompt others to take a stand. I have given up on Congress. I don't know how they look at themselves in the mirror each morning.
I'm confused. While it's nice that people have integrity and use it to resign their positions, wouldn't it be better if they used their integrity (which I celebrate and champion) to stay in their jobs and fight until they were dragged out of the office by security guards? Resigning just leaves the power of the office to brainless sycophants licking Musk's posterior all day. Getting dragged out of the building while protesting vociferously would get attention to the thuggish tactics the oligarchs use, which not all Americans are aware of yet. Resignation letters are too polite. We're going to need to brawl.
What they should have done Charles is stay and fight, force Trump to play his hand, that would have send the message, not caving in and resigning.
Don't give up on Congress! We can change its composition next year.
What now is the question of the day, but we must bear in mind that decency must be maintained no matter what. Without it we lose the moral compass and surrender the moral high grounds to the enemy.
I have no idea what you are talking about Victor, To what are your comments addressed.
Surrender the moral high grounds? The Democrats have been doing that since Nixon and look at the results.
Moral Compass? When you are at war, and Victor we are at war, have been at war, but the weak assed Democratic party failed to realize that, and look where we are now.
There is no reality in war. War is zero sum, Win or lose, and brother we are at war, and with all of the shit going on right now, and people hide their heads in the sand and fail to acknowledge reality. Well then we deserve what we get.
But I don't, and I want the fuck out, if "my side" keeps playing the loser game.
I am fed up with these loser platitudes, and they are loser platitudes, the recipe for failure and surrender.
organize, resist, sabotage. Love it.
it will take some of those in gov't... to show real integrity and patriotism, which we haven't seen in any repubs since McCain, Hunzinger and Chaney.
McCain voted with the sociopaths 100% of the time, till towards the end when he knew he was at the end, he flipped the bird to the man (Trump) that said "I lie men who don't get captured".
It was Kinzinger, I can't speak to him, but I can to Cheney. Cheney was consistent in her vote, he was on theMAGAside of the culture war, tax breaks for the wealthy, etc.
From my perspective, her purpose on the J6 committee was to run interference for the perps in congress, like Jordan, Boiebert, Green, Hawley, Biggs because she kept the committee focused on Trump and away from the perps in congress. So IMO not so much a hero.
Remember she is Dick, Iraqi oil will pay for the war, Cheney's favorite daughter.
Despite the fact that her sister is married to a woman, Liz has strongly endorsed anti gay legislation, like the Defense of Marriage Act.
🐈⬛☘️
Also Curtis Yarvin, the monster that belched fire early on
Yes! Look up his possibly humorous WTF? suggestion that one solution to the problem "What to do about the poor?" is to turn them into biofuel, using the Federal Prisons as rendering centers. What kind of person would even imagine such a thing, under any circumstances? And oh BTW he is very influential among the broliarchs.
Are you old enough to remember Soylent Green?
Yes, "Soylent Green" was prescient as were so many early movies. Where are the Producers of those types of films now. They never make it past the Independent Film art theaters...which will probably be closed it Trump's take-over of the Kennedy Center is also "prescient.
At least in Soylent Green, if I remember correctly, the rendered people had already died of other causes.
What kind of person would imagine turning the poor into biofuel? I think that person is called Hitler, who gassed millions of Jews.
Palantir is one of the world's top cyber security companies, and it has contractual relations with the US government. . It frankly admits to its shareholders that it routinely spies on individuals, but only to the extent permitted by the government, it states. Peter Thiel, its founder, no longer owns the company, but it is likely that he has some influence with its administrators. So would JD Vance as president, and he would be in a position to remove restraints on the corporation. This is something all of us, including the authors of Project 2025, need to consider.
Agreed. Wasn’t it CIA agent Stewart Copeland Sr (Dad of Police musician of the same name), that wrote that anyone retiring from the CIA without easily having first become a millionaire, was a fool ? I have ever since assumed that the postwar Special Relationship between the UK and the US always referred to the unregulated crossover of intelligence between secret service assets and their global corporate business associates. Carving up the world for political control and rewarded through personal profiteering. Today’s traded insider knowledge is global big data.
Thiels "test case" was taking down the gossip site Gawker, supposedly for outing him as gay. (He had been previously outed elsewhere, and this was never about his right to privacy. It became a case of "Constitution vs. Money".) (SPOILER: Money won.)
But in exchange for bankrolling the case that Hulk Hogan wanted to use to embarrass Gawker for all the stupid and racist things Hogan had been caught saying (yep, you read that correctly), Theil got Hogan to humiliate himself (by admitting under oath that he did not have a massive penis, for one thing) and the Gawker test case for ending First Amendment rights for the masses won with flying colors.
(Thiel is the reason I boycott PayPal, even if he's no longer in control.)
Vance is clearly not very important to Rump or Musk. But by taking the side of Nazis in Germany by giving that horrible speech he has been promoted to full time monster.
But since Musk can't run for president (though both Cruz and McCain were born outside of the US, and they both ran for the presidency), that leaves the need for some EASILY CONTROLLED toady to fill the gap, just in case Musk doesn't have enough money to buy EVERY necessary vote. (I know mine won't go for anything less than $1,000,000,000 in real estate.)
We are now dealing with billionaire megalomaniacs who believe they have the right to globally reshape society to their advantage and to impose it on the rest of us. What’s emerging as a key driving force from this collective sewer of demented ideas is the warped ideology of nut job, Curtis Yarvin (Thiel/Vance, big devotees among others). It’s shocking that these oligarchs, with God complexes, have naively embraced this nobody guru's sadistic claptrap with a CULT like devotion.
They have shown the world they are nothing more than regressive, stunted human 'monsters', with little to no care or understanding of what constitutes a functioning ‘humane’ society. Our progress/success as modern homo sapiens is rooted in “cooperation”. These troglodytes want to bring us back to the law of the jungle, might is right. It is a losing strategy unless the end goal is to eradicate all that is civilized.
Yarvin inhabits a fantasy futuristic landscape - in his mind, where privileged white men yoke the the rest of us 'inferiors'. It reminds me of the 1927 silent sci-fi film by Fritz Lang, “Metropolis” which depicts an urban dystopia, ”In the future, wealthy industrialists and business magnates and their top employees reign over the city of Metropolis from colossal skyscrapers, while underground-dwelling workers toil to operate the great machines that power.”
He is scary even in his "immaturity". The use of the word "Baby" is a reference to his short sighted sycophant ignorance, his lack of knowledge or care for integrity and decency. He has hitched his wagon to an immoral semicomatose monster narcissist who lacks any concern for the job that his brainwashed followers put him in with their votes and a lot of cheating by those with power and great wealth. Totally illegitimate. and ignorant about the things that matter in leadership.
Yea Laurie,go girl!
Thanks, RedEliza .!
Vance is well informed and knows precisely what he is doing, well too much for a "baby."
Victor Kamendrowski. Just because Vance attended prestigious ivy league expensive colleges does not mean that he has a clue about integrity and decency. Or ethics. If he does not value Democracy or how it should work, and ascribes to the screw everybody you can to get yours and eff everyone else mantra. He is ignorant in the most basic way. Even a "well educated " thief , is still a thief.and clueless about what honor is all about. He is no statesman, no matter how expensive his suit is. He is nothing but a " stuffed shirt".and unqualified for his position.
Well informed by whom? In what way? How to commit the biggest heist in history? I disagree that he knows anything useful to the Common Good or rule of law. Certainly is no leader. look at how he betrayed his constituents In the lies he told about Haitians eating pets! What a loser " "leader".!
Vance is no more than a sycophantic courtier. His ranking in the pecking order is even lower than Musk. Trump recently scoffed at the idea that Vance could replace him as monster-in-chief. 'Oh, but he's very capable' - meaning he does what I tell him to do and nothing else.
Vance. When I read Hill billy Elegy I was expecting Coalminer's Daughter. I got a wet rag of self pity and scorn for his struggling family who left him feeling like a yokel at Yale college teas. His Asian girlfriend taught him how to dress. But he didn't know how to behave on a death camp tour. Trump has hung him out on a line in favor of big bro Elon. I'm waiting for the claws to come out. Meanwhile what about us?
My understanding is that Vance is a creature of another member of the so-called PayPal mafia, Peter Thiel. He (Vance) may have an entirely different agenda to either Trump or Musk, but he knows well enough that he must tow the line for now. Trump came to power in 2016 surrounded by people who believed that he could be managed. That was not true then and it's not true now - in fact, he's even worse now.
Hitler came to power under the same delusion. The elite of Germany thought they could use him to rid themselves of the pesky Socialists of the time. Bwahahaha. Let's not let that happen here.
And everyone scoffed at the idea of Trump as a presidential candidate as he glided down that escalator. Timothy Snyder says the media, politicians and everyone is to blame for keeping him in the limelight for so long, feeding his ego, ambition and sense of grievance.
How can you keep him out of the limelight when he is breaking everything and insulting our allies? Trump knows theater, and this is why Rupert Murdoch and Robert Mercer advanced his candidacy.
Did you see that protest recently where masses of people from ALL 50 states came out.I think it was in front of the Treasury.
Boycott Paypal, please.
I do, and always have. since back in the days when they had "sin charges" for products they didn't believe were morally proper. (But once a customer was willing to pay a higher "fee" than the product cost, suddenly all sin washed away.)
Glad I never gave them a cent!
As the old adage goes, follow the money. Musk has 28 times more money than Peter Thiel. Therefore if money is power........you do the math to see who has the power.
Bearing in mind that Trump has the power and he's by no means the richest among those driving this new administration. He may be a figurehead in many ways, but his impulsiveness and vindictiveness are a threat to any and all of them.
Someone mentioned that a million dollars is the time equivalent of 11 days, while a billion is 31 years. Musk is scaled beyond anyone in power, measured by money (and influence). He paid $44 billion for twitter, but only about $253 million to purchase the United States of America.
Thiel may have more brains than Musk. Intelligence matters.
drump's endless string of attacks on his political enemies is like a carnival tour of the hideous house of mirrors - all the worst savagery of these monsters is projected upon the presumed 'liberals, communists, fascists, socialists' for having surrendered the nation to illegal 'criminal invaders' driven from their 'shithole countries' to wreak havoc on Americans. This is the same style of rhetoric shoved down the throats of the citizens of European fascist states from 100 years ago. Pity is that the demagoguery has become entrenched in susceptible minds until they accept it as truth. The only way out for human survival is to debunk the entire lie machine with incontrovertible fact, with relentless force. Overpower by argument before open rebellion.
Thank you, Dr. Reich, for promoting common decency so sadly lacking in this time of self-seeking decadence.
but,sooner or later-sycophantic courtier or baby monster or both.he's likely to grow in influence,in power and in ability to do evil
I guess that it's possible but my own feeling is that the Republican party has no idea of what's going to happen when Trump leaves the scene. It's been transformed in his image and may not be able to survive when he's gone. Anyone following him will be immediately seen as pale imitations.
possibly true-but they're united in their desire to obliterate democrats and democracy
I suspect they're mostly united in their fear of Trump. Look at what happened to Republican senators who even thought aboutn defying Trump - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/16/donald-trump-us-senate
Look at Trump's vindictive behaviour towards members of his first administration - Pence, Bolton, Pompeo, Milley - and anyone who opposed him - Biden, Fauci - and so many others lined up for retribution - Cheney, Kinzinger, Smith.
good point-to me the motives are inseparable-a possible answer is for mainstream voters to vote in primaries-'advise and consent' was a terrific book and a good movie-great cast
Listening to Bannon recently, it seems likely we will have investigations and trials of the "pefidious" in the Biden administration.
Project 2025 is post-Trump.
Trump was always supposed to be the delivery system for the right but he was uncontrollable in his first term and it looks like he may well be just as erratic and unreliable this time, one reason for the breakneck speed at which they're moving. His subdued performance alongside Musk at their recent press conference suggests that he is content for the moment. The true test of his fidelity to the cause will come if and when there is a public backlash to these policies. He hates the idea of being unpopular. In his first term, he angrily threw out a Republican bill to replace the Affordable Care Act because of furious town hall protests up and down the country. He hadn't even read the bill or acquainted himself with its contents.
That's a pleasant thought!
It's very real. Take the experience of those two Georgia election poll workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea Moss, pursued and vilified by MAGA fanatics after they were wrongly accused by Rudy Giuliani of tampering with votes during the 2020 election; or the parents of the Sandy Hook children, similarly accused of being liars by Alex Jones. Or indeed, any inside the Capitol building on January 6 2019. If you oppose Trump or MAGA, things can get very ugly very quickly.
Agree with Carol A - and I would suggest adding to her suggestion of considering the overseas voters in Munich and Germany, the many other overseas voters in general.
Prof Reich's referring to Vance as a baby monster is to belittle Vance, and in no way is meant to say that the German people face a lesser threat. Vance is a little puppet. Belittle him at any given opportunity.
Bo Baggs ; Definitely. I can't take him seriously, except he has been given illegitimate power, by someone who is also illegitimate.
but the main point is they have the power,legit or not
Brooks: There's the rub.
aye
I agree Laurie. Sadly. The commenters (well most of them) to Prof Reich's essays inspire me. You are one of those with whom I always agree. I'm pleased as punch that you are a kindred spirit. Keep it up Girl - you rock!
We give and get support for each other here, mostly. It really helps especially now.
baby monsters grow quickly
Carol A ; If only it was an epitaph!
USA is plagued by a swarm of these menacing monsters. We must stop them once & for all.
The last time the USA was threatened by fascists, it required a war to stop them. I recommend Rachel Maddow’s book ‘Prequel’ as a history of homegrown fascist movements in the 1930s and 40s.
Bur now we are threatened by the enemy within, Trump tells us. He is right: he and his oligarchs have become the enemy within.
Hillbilly Elegy was not in praise of the strengths of those who live in poverty but a condemnation of them - they are poor because they deserve to be poor. This is who Vance is. One more monster with no empathy or compassion for others.
Yet Vance claims to be Christian! This a man who compared Trump to Hitler a few years back, but is now supporting him and befriending fascists. He sold his soul to Thiel & Co.
Yes! I was embarrassed, and I hope our brothers and sisters in Europe and elsewhere know that many, many Americans are as appalled as you rightfully are. I'm SO sorry!
"JD Vance is a baby monster in waiting." It's that little round baby face that he tries so hard to hide with that hideous beard. Personally I consider him to be every bit as bad as the Fatman. The only real difference is he doesn't spit and foam at the mouth like der Fuhrer does and he does have a better vocabulary(that is however a fairly low bar). When he ascends to the throne(I'm thinking Article 25) he will prove to be even worse than Drumpf
Ah, can see the 'baby face' description, thanks. We are just as afraid of him.
I agree. It was disgusting. In my last post, I suggested people be near a bathroom when they watch it because it will make them want to hurl.
Carol, Vance really is despicable and wants to be just as disgusting and destructive as the rest of the toddler-troop. They are acting like spoiled children who want everything and demand everyone give it to them. Vance is a well-practiced liar and probably always has been. He has been able to hone his lies under the Liar in chief Toddler-Trump with help from Peter Theil and the rest of the gang of toddler-thugs. They do have to be stopped, but each day they are getting more entrenched, probably having cheated to get elected.
Thanks for 'toddler-troop', Ruth. Wish the world didn't have to live through this nightmare, but we do.
Good point. Zombies are not babies. JD Vance is nothing more than the mouthpiece of other men. His gestation from babyhood to adulthood was aborted by a dose of vanity. As president, he would do as instructed by real men-monsters.
Yes. Hillbilly Elegy was not a tribute to the strengths of the ooor but a conde
Agree
Vance is a cowardly fool. Tr#@p and tEfLON are truly dangerous.
A moment of silence, please...
"New York Police Find Body Of Trans Man They Say Was Tortured For More Than A Month
New York State Police have charged five people with murder in the killing of a missing man who authorities said died following repeated acts of violence and torture,"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-york-police-torture-death-sam-nordquist_n_67b11206e4b059dad8b38a91
This goes BEYOND HATE, and even beyond horror. The Tree of Hate Trump bought with his many millions during his campaign has borne fruit.
But it's our future as Americans to NEVER be anything other than repulsed...and energized for good, by these monstrous acts,
So very disturbing and sad. It's what happens with leaders who speak bigotry and hate. May this horrific crime help us all fight harder for the rights of trans people.
I understand that each Trans-American has their own reasons, and they are not mine to understand (or not.)
But it seems that the understanding by MAGA of a simple medical term, found in any medical dictionary (and very likely ALL dictionaries) would go so far to explain why a great many people feel such a personal need to change the gender they present as:
"intersex"
It's the term that references about 1.7% of ALL births, and says that these millions of infants were born with characteristics of BOTH GENDERS. (So much for "only 2 sexes...")
Yes, the number of intersex births is (statistically) equal to the number of redheads, globally.
Do Repugs ignore this reality, or worse, deny it? Or are they just so proud of being LOVED for being STUPID (sorry, I meant "under-educated") that now they can't be anything else?
It's not complicated, and it seems likely that learning this simple word for a complex issue could free so many innocent people from the hell that Trump's lies, insecurities and hate have consigned them to.
In my opinion, those who hate Trans, LGQBT+, Blacks, Browns, Jewish, Latinos and any other minority group are terrified of them. Why? For many, they were taught this hate. I believe that these magas actually do feel superior to everyone else even though they are extremely ignorant, lack the emotions of love, empathy and compassion, want someone to carry out their hate and rage on and only want what they consider a "pure" race. I have to laugh about magas and this 'pure' race crap. We Americans are a blend of all different races and cultures. That is what made us great in the first place! We came together and worked hard for diversity, equality and inclusion. What is even funnier to me is that we will get there again after we send the orange man, musk-rat and couch packing!
Peggy,
I think the whole DEI debacle tells the world everything it needs to know about white males. (At least those in MAGA.)
They are TERRIFIED of being expected to compete on ANY level playing field, and no longer even make the effort to even appear to be doing so unless they feel buoyed up by cheating.
Especially now, with their GAWD-DADDY bragging endlessly about how "smart" he is for cheating at taxes, and cheating his contractors out of their due, and cheating his investors by bankrupting so many businesses, and cheating his customers by never offering anything of value. Basically, "Anyone who doesn't cheat is a sap!"
Heck, as far as I can tell, they even cheat by asking Jesus to forgive (and now Trump to "ignore") every sin they ever committed, just so they can keep on sinning!
And they profess to be Christians. Jesus Christ never said any of these things. Stop dragging God and Jesus into your hellhole. You Rs are the anti-Christ.
So true!
I suppose I should have said "we", as I am a white male.
I’m trying to figure out what role hate plays in their psyche. Do they feel insecure, that they are not good enough? So feeling superior to other people reassures them? Hating others is a defence mechanism. It gives them a rush.
The thing is Catherine, you can only feed hate for so long. It saps you and wears you down. Love is a constant that fills you with energy and happiness. We thrive because of love. Love for our family, our community, our country and each other. Feeling superior to other people will not reassure them, it will eventually make them realize that feeling does not help them feel any better about themselves.
Exactly, Peggy. Hate and rage make any chance of joy impossible. They are always expending their inner energy, and never refilling it with love. Literally draining their souls until they are starved and shriveled things.
Catherine, they drank the cool-aide. It is too humiliating for them to admit they were wrong. They seem to be willing to go down with the ship. Trump, and his ghouls identified a grievance which seems to resonate with younger men of all colors. At first I thought it was uneducated men, but I see plenty of educated men and women who seem to be OK with this debacle. The grievance is that they are not superior to women, minorities, or the educated. They "elites", whoever they are in their delusions, have robbed them of their rightful place in society. After identifying the grievances, they needed someone to blame. Enter the Democrats and he is still demonizing Biden. I wonder how long, if ever, it is going to take for them to realize they have been used in A BIG WAY. They were all enthralled with the tail-gating mentality of it all and they felt like they were finally not marginalized. Sadly, they have been used by Trump to get elected because the billionaire group isn't large enough for them to have a majority. Greed, ignorance, and lies won this election.
Pamela, my neighbors are the sweetest people until it comes to politics. It boggles my mind how they can honestly think the orange man is a good pick to lead our country. These people are kind and caring until anyone brings up politics! Then, they become defensive and combative! I have never seen anything like this unbelievable hold the orange man has on these magas! It is extraordinary!
They need a lesson in Ellis Island!
Absolutely!
Peggy - Spot on!
An even simpler fix: follow VP candidate Tim Walz's suggestion that we all just mind our own damn business. There is no need, or right, for me, or for anyone else, to have a say in the lives of others.
I LIKE IT!!
Unfortunately, in MAGAWorld, words such as "justice" and "equality" become personal concepts, rather than universal, with everyone struggling to steal enough of them from other people's pockets to fill their own.
Evil is as evil does, cruelty is the point, But "just" because you can, does not mean you should. This is what raw abuse of power and dominance does. They lose all respect for themselves and others. This is the path to Hell.
Laurie,
As far as I can determine based on the news of the past 10 minutes, Trump claims that the fact that he's "saving America" is atonement for his crimes, and will wash him pure as the driven snow. (And considering the microplastics situation, that may well be true...but only by accident.)
And there's little question that Trump is now FAR more representative of today's white evangelical movement (at least here in the Deep South) than Jesus has been since prior to 1960, and likely will ever be again.
Trump tells them that they never sinned by profiting from white privilege, even when the crime was centuries of abuse and murder PERFORMED BY THEM and their ancestors, and continuing TODAY! And if they don't believe that, just take a look at the new (revised, updated, corrected, white sanitized for your protection)...historical record. Especially in states like Florida and Texas.
Laurie, I can't begin to imagine the absolutely ORGASMIC JOY these MAGAs experience when they feel hate, but it must be truly amazing for them to sacrifice not just "salvation", but 2,000 years of (substantially) beautiful New Testament teachings for it.
Power is addictive, for sure.
and very heady
There's a few seats w/ their names on them waiting!
foofaraw - Well said!
What I don’t understand is that they are so fixated on men playing on women’s sports and create a bunch of “laws” about it but apparently it’s no big deal for women to play on men’s sports? Forgive me if I’m ignorant about transgender transitions but I thought that it went both ways. It’s okay for a woman to become a man but not a man to become a woman? Why so one sided? Maybe I have it all wrong but I thought that the whole point of the American Dream was so that the individual could become who they are and better themselves and have freedom? What has happened to people? Oh, that’s right, the republicans allowed the ugliness to crawl back out from under the rock. Are these really the issues that we should be so concerned about now? T is trying to drag us into any/every war that he has created. I once thought that we were better than this.
All I can imagine is that the ONLY thing MAGA enjoys more than hate, is using hate to control innocent people.
I haven't heard about how they plan to "control" women that simply have more male hormones. Or where they might place me, a male who simply has less than typical.
foofaraw - I assume that once they are done destroying other people’s lives they will have to find another boogeyman to go after.
Sometimes I am embarrassed just being a human being these days. I used to be a to-each-their-own kind of person but these days I find myself a lot less tolerable of some people because of the hate. Really don’t like that feeling.
I've never before been ashamed to be male, or white. And now I'm ashamed of both.
But I did feel something very confusing on the night I noticed segregation for the first time in public, about 1962, at a movie theatre near my grandparent's home.
It so happened that a group of Silicon Valley investors decided to turn trans questions into a political issue. Trump appreciated their money.
I can't even imagine.
These innocent people, forced to spend their lives questioning their own very existence, FINALLY started to make some progress...
And then along comes a monster that doesn't even have a horse (or an opinion) in the race, but just wants the "easy hate" that can be directed at people already stripped of much of their hope, and too much of their souls.
Our religious leaders claim to speak for love and compassion. We must hold them accountable.
I wish I did not know this. I will mourn, but in absolute futility. Wherever the farthest reaches of history, variations of sexual identity have been NORMAL. It is pure ignorance to react as if our brothers and sisters, whatever their experience of themselves, are anything but NORMAL human.
For anyone who may wish to show allyship with the TRANS community, may I suggest one of numerous "Protect Trans Kids" (and similar) t-shirts available from the HRC (Human Right Campaign) shop. They have some of the best shirts available, and a wide selection of choices.
https://shop.hrc.org/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAtsa9BhAKEiwAUZAszfUW-nYN7wvBmSAuzKZ1hoBYQV9MOohlOlvwgIeWw-HREsmWvZne4BoCkE8QAvD_BwE
Other sites offer some too, but HRC has the best selection. (And they're the ONLY site I know of willing to reach out by unsolicited phone call to hear of issues and concerns among their customers.)
I just ordered 6 beaded bracelets 💜🤍🖤🤎💛💙
Very cool!
Thank you for posting this ❤️
And on a tragically related note, this article LAYS BARE the hypocrisy of the GOP as regards gender. (Remind me: wasn't it LIBERALS supposedly having issues with the word "women"?...
"Thanks to Donald Trump’s sweeping executive orders attacking “gender ideology” and DEI programs, the word “women” – along with a number of other terms – is quite literally being erased. The likes of Nasa have been busy scrubbing mentions of terms related to women in leadership from public websites in an attempt to comply with Trump’s executive orders, for example. Agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have taken down numerous webpages related to gender in the wake of Trump’s orders – although a federal judged ordered on Tuesday that they should be reinstated.
Meanwhile, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has an internal list of hot-button words (which include “women”, “gender”, “minority”, “biases”) that they are cross-referencing against active research projects and grant applications. The Washington Post reports that once one of these very dangerous words is identified, staff then have to go through a flowchart to see whether a research project should be flagged for further review.
The National Institutes of Health and multiple university research departments are going through a similar dystopian exercise. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego, for example, have said their work is now at risk if it contains language deemed potentially problematic, including the word “women”."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/15/trump-banning-words-women
GREAT ARTICLE!
foofaraw & Chiquita(ARF!) ; Of course, they hate women. The ERA was never ratified, even though the required number of states was reached . The truth is that Women are men with wombs in the family of man. They want to have their underclass that produces offspring to be under their total control. JD Vance has said that women in abusive relationships should not have the right to a divorce. Women who miscarry are put to death in some red states, by the deliberate witholding of emergency medical care, like a D and C, which removes tissue that is a toxic threat to the woman's life. They want women to be the slaves that they really wish for.. They would bring slavery back for men. too, if they have their way. They are our enemies.
Before birth control devices or medication were available, women with a sympathetic doctor might have quiet hysterectomies at their final delivery, or to treat a non-existent "female problem."
Of course, the very wealthy can do "Whatever the hell they want", to this day.
The word "woman" has been banned as has the word "mother" in the context of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. "Pregnant people?" But wait White Christian family values voters:
Trump: 3 wives 5 children and that's what we know about but he pays hush money.
Musk: 5 baby mommas 13 children and he advertises, wearing the little ones as fashion accessories or therapy pets.
King Saud: 22 wives 100 children....
Choose your family values. Does wealth make it right? That's a question. Remember Zilpah and Bilha.
Remember Zilpah and Bilha?
They had no rights to their children. no self determination, either.
Laurie,
This is my opinion on the topic (FWIW).
(If I repeat myself, please forgive me. I've made SO MANY new friends here recently that I'm pretty sure I'm posting some duplicate messages.) MAGA seems perhaps to be focused on a CHRISTIAN ARMY OF GOD:
" “Thou Shall Give Birth, and God Shall Raise Up a Righteous Army!”
So Sayeth the Six Disciples, with Alito and Thomas Leading the Chorus"
https://medium.com/@foofaraw/ye-shall-give-birth-and-god-shall-raise-up-a-righteous-army-f9f2ff1ea78d
yep, They want to play God all "right".
Foofaraw and Chiquita, thank you widening my compassion. Asking for a moment of silence to honor our fellow being is a beautiful act. And a solemn reminder to give space and let all people be who they are called to be. May family and friends and all those touched deeply, by this life interrupted by insane cruelty, feel the tenderness, strength, and warmth millions of us are sending at the speed of light.
Thank you, M Tree.
I've written elsewhere that it seems that my "most respect" list of people is pretty much the same as Trump's "most hate" list, so it's easy to fear a nation 50% made of of easily manipulated, armed bigots, as seems the case in America now.
Foofaraw & Chiquita, and so we do our best to love.
Exactly.
On my daily "path to destruction", my third objective (after showing respect to those being hated, and letting MAGA know that many Americans are NOT taken in by lies and hate) is...
"To be as kind, friendly, helpful and decent an example, in public, of a liberal as I can possibly be. (And it’s not always easy.) At best, I just may succeed in making it possible that at least some T-cultists may reconsider us as being literal “baby-eaters”. (Personally, I don’t eat any mammal, so a human baby would be a pretty big stretch, no matter how tender.) I also do it in hopes that fewer of them will want people like us to be dead, a task Trump frequently encourages supporters toward fulfilling, and a category of violence he seems increasingly, distressingly ambivalent (euphemistically, and at best) about."
https://medium.com/@foofaraw/many-more-people-will-die-because-of-trump-i-hope-i-wont-be-one-of-them-41b2f1493036
Hopefully.....
Foofaraw & Chiquita, yes, I agree. Thanks for link. I will check it out.
Amen, M Tree!
Makes me think of public spectacle lynchings where white folks brought their children and laid out picnics as black folks were hanged and gruesomely tortured, then took home pieces of the lynching victim's bodies as souvenirs. The cruelty is beyond belief. I felt nauseas learning about the lynchings and I feel nauseas learning of the torture of this poor trans man. I think Robert is right that we need to hold up the Profiles in Courage, but I also think that we cannot turn our eyes away from the horrific things everyday people are being prompted to do and are doing. Thank you for bringing this one to our attention.
Margo,
When one considers the realities of lynching, which go so far beyond what we see in the photos (often with a picnic lunch to eat with family (incl. small children) while watching a human being burning alive, then having his finger, toes and genitals cut off as souvenirs), few things are more disgusting than the ease by which Repubs can refer to their own (survived w/o a scratch) experiences as a "lynching".
Some of them, such as Clarence Thomas, make the statement as a self-loathing Black American, presumably thinking that speaking as a Black person makes those ridiculous claims credible.
I suppose we go back to being afraid to live alone, or leave the house alone, ever again. And maybe EVERY American will be armed, though one has to suspect the GOP has never considered that Trans-Americans can pull a trigger with the best of 'em!
How did the authorities manage to identify and prosecute the offenders when they're now not even allowed to use any word with the prefix 'trans'? Someone didn't get the memo.
Good point, Russell.
And does this mean that there will be NO MORE HATE CRIMES in America?
That's my guess.
I'm sure that many states will continue to prosecute such dreadful acts of violence and protect their vulnerable communities, but I'm also sure that hate crime will rise while Trump is president.
Certainly, that WILL increase, but I'd guess without the designation as "hate crime" ever once being included. (At least in most states.)
Very reminiscent of Trump claiming that the cause of Covid was COVID TESTING!
Trump himself claimed that people are getting away with murder in the States to justify his decision to pardon violent J6 rioters, an extraordinary line of defence.
Indeed strange, coming from the man who claimed he could murder in front of witnesses without paying a price.
I'm so sorry to hear this.
I'm posting a link to The Coffman Chronicle by Tony Michaels that has information on what we can do to fight back against marginalization, one of the first steps of fascist regime. They bear reminding.
https://substack.com/@thetonymichaels/note/p-157234839?r=hcg5
My question, foofaraw &Chiquita, is how much more of these horrendous acts are Americans going to let happen? How many more will be tortured and then killed?
I think we may know the answer to that.
MAGAs are generally cowards, only willing to risk anything when they act as a mob. When Trump said to "Stand back and stand by", tens of millions of these people may be doing exactly that.
As soon as Trump says something that enough of these monsters interpret as being for a PURGE DAY, it seems likely they will consider that to be their "signal".
They want there to be enough death and violence to hide in, and they will likely wait until then. After all, the Rittenhouse "verdict" already told them that killing someone they disagree with politically was considered "justified", even back in November, 2021.
If they believed it then, I can't but fear that they'll believe it 100 times over now.
You know what, foofaraw & Chiquita? You are right. The good thing is that if they want a reason to come in clubs swinging and shooting, I say "Come at me and see what happens!" I am not a violent person; however, I am a person who will stand up everyday for what I truly believe in. I will fight to return our country back to the strong Democracy my ancestors fought and died for. To do any less would be a slap in the face of my grandpas, father, uncle and sisters who served and protected this country so that we could continue to enjoy the freedoms and liberties America was built on!
They can't shoot more than 2 guns at once...
(And likely not very accurately.)
Peggy, I wrote this a while back, and it's largely satire. (How much is satire varies from day to day, and even minute to minute.) But I think it may say things about the south (and southerners) that aren't often said:
https://medium.com/@foofaraw/lies-for-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner-420c272ed7d0
(No quiz, I promise.)
That made me laugh a little, foofaraw & Chiquita! A lot of what you say about the south is true! Here's something to ponder. I raised my children to have decency, integrity and honor. I raised them to know that everyone, no matter the color of their skin or their different religious beliefs, is equal. I raised them to treat others with respect. I taught them they were morally responsible to live a good and decent life. My daughter is gay and she has lived her life following the lessons I taught her, believing that accepting others regardless of differences was living life the absolute best she could. My son is a maga believing every single thing the orange man says and parroting it back at every opportunity. Why? I honestly couldn't give you an answer for that, but I do know I love him with all my heart. His love for his sister is so strong. There is nothing he would not do for her. He is an excellent father and provider for his family. He truly does not see the hypocrisy in his life. I know that long after I am gone, my son and my daughter will continue to have a strong relationship even though their political beliefs are the exact opposite! I am from the south and I attribute how I live my life to my wonderful mother.
Oh, Peggy, I'm so sorry. I can't even imagine how stressful that must be for you.
Though I know nothing of your son, one can only imagine that love will eventually win over hate (or whatever he feels), even if it takes time that may seem like forever.
Peggy,
I just read an article that very specifically indicates the "limits" of 27 Trump voters. Most of it's just irritating, but there is also some hope...
"Trump Supporters Shared How He Could Lose Their Support, And There's One Issue That's Verrrrry Important To Them"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-supporters-lose-support_n_67af70f2e4b014c4688dabb0
Thank you, foofaraw & Chiquita, for that informative article. You're right that a lot of it is irritating; however, I hope he does lose more support. We need him out of our government completely!
And will my beloved Trans son be next?
We must remind people of what the Nazis did to homosexuals and the developmentally delayed. Kosta Gavras made a film about this horror, but that was long ago. Trans people are at risk now.
Paula, if you are like me, you will do whatever you possibly can to protect your son. Please know there are kind, decent caring people out there who would absolutely help you if you reach out. Our children mean the world to us and that POS orange scum is only causing a deeper hatred to swell in this country. By targeting minority groups, he has no damn understanding that he is targeting a much wider group - all of us that are the families of these groups! My thoughts are with you, Paula. Stay strong and know there will be an end to all of this - it just simply cannot come soon enough!
This sickens me and breaks my heart to hear this news. I have to believe most of Trump’s supporters didn’t vote for such violence. I can’t think the opposite because then how can I even acquaint myself with them.
Susan,
I appreciate your good heart, but these people have been told FOR YEARS by their church that gay/trans people are an "abomination" (ignoring the fact that wearing cotton and wool as a blended fabric is an EQUAL "abomination", as is eating shrimp.)
And then, after being told that every storm to hit a blue state is the "result of God's judgement on homosexuals", now Trump tells them that these trans children are stealing health care dollars from them, and they will "destroy America's military!"
We may be "lucky" to see these tragic murders in just double digits each year under Trump. And they won't even be classed as hate crimes...
There it is. The beginning of a new wave of horrors, encouraged by Trump.
Trans-Americans as murder victims is certainly nothing new, but I do fear it's mostly been Trump's hate all along, and will only grow (possibly exponentially) now that the feeling is that these innocent Americans (and of other nations) are no longer under protection of the American legal system.
"The number of trans people who were murdered in the U.S. nearly doubled between 2017 and 2021, according to data released Tuesday by the non-profit Everytown for Gun Safety."
https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/117016/documents/HMKP-118-JU00-20240321-SD011.pdf
"The Human Rights Campaign is both saddened and infuriated by the deaths of at least 32 transgender and gender-expansive people whose lives have been tragically and inhumanely taken through violent means, including through gun and interpersonal violence, in 2023."
https://www.hrc.org/resources/fatal-violence-against-the-transgender-and-gender-expansive-community-in-2023
"350 Transgender People Murdered (Globally) In 2024: ‘Will The Violence Ever End?’ "
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2024/11/16/350-transgender-people-murdered-in-2024-will-the-violence-ever-end/
Hideous.
Agree with the professor that it is up to us and only us to flip this narrative.
That's not enough, as the Democrats found out at the election. You have to find a more compelling narrative that offers hope to Americans who feel let down, including very many I suspect who voted for Trump and for Republicans who happily provided such a narrative. What a great pity it was a complete fabrication.
"If you believe in nothing, you'll fall for anything."
Is there a narrative which *could* have appealed to the Americans identified? Some people don't like The Yankees; others just don't like baseball; others still sports of any kind. Nonetheless, neither Derek Jeter nor Alex Rodriguez find their respective livelihoods to be at the mercy of people who can't manage their entertainment budgets (that payroll was met even when COVID-19 made attending games unsafe, i.e. fan revenue was eliminated entirely).
PS: We can flip the narrative with publicly-funded campaigns... can't we? (It's not like the second coming of Vietnam can distract the country from its every responsibility for *another* 20 years, like, again.)
There are doubtless many Democrats who believe that and probably some who would see some advantages in executive power being extended, so long as there's a Democratic president in office. I think your country's problems are more fundamental. Trumpism has struck at the very root of American democracy and exposed its fragility. He hasn't removed the much-vaunted guardrails that protect your democracy, he's just ignored them with the tacit consent of the Republican-dominated Congress. He hopes, with some reasonable expectation of success, that five members of the Supreme Court will agree that presidential power should not be circumscribed by Congress. He's drawn on popular myths like American exceptionalism and manifest destiny and on fears of immigrant invasion and he's promised to put the interests of Americans ahead of every other consideration. Now that's a powerful narrative - even if it's a complete lie.
Self serving lies are sweet, but eventually turn into dangerous delusions.
That boat has sailed. The mission now appear to be to turn those delusions of grandeur into legal reality. The NYT reports today on the first challenge to this administration to reach the Supremes (the firing of Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel (and independent agency not to be confused with the special counsels like Jack Smith and Robert Mueller appointed by the DoJ). It would require the overturning of an earlier Supremes' decision ( Humphrey's Executor vs United States) which ruled that Congres can protect independent agencies from White House politics. It's a decision that has long been cricitised by conservative judges as unconstitutional and Trump is banking on a majority verdict from SCOTUS in his favour. In the meantime, the savage and ill-conceived cull of federal workers continues: immigration judges, US Forest Service and National Park Service workers (never mind the wildfires!). They're even having to try and re-hire probationary workers at nuclear arsenals who were 'accidentally' fired.
The "power" seems to be derived from "come to Jesus" moments consisting of the obliteration of long-standing norms without so much as a thought... so it *is* powerful - though perhaps as a monologue/diatribe more than an actual narrative (*can* anyone actually identify with it other than the source himself?)...
Rishi, he won the election and the popular vote. Okay, he's doing things that may not be wholly supported even by those who voted for him, but if you asked them would they vote now for someone else what do you suppose the majority of them would say? There may come a point when even his most ardent supporters reach the conclusion that he's not made America great again (whatever that means to them) or even made ordinary folk better off, but I don't see that happening in the near future. In the meantime, the Democrats need a coherent and positive platform to oppose him. To do that they need to face the country's deep-seated problems, especially the crippling inequalities in wealth, income and access to services like healthcare and housing and the problems of race and religion that continue to afflict your country. And Americans need to face up to the fact that there's nothing very special about their form of democracy which is currently being trashed in front of their eyes.
Yes yes, come together and all of that - but insofar as voters yielded the people's consent to agents of antithetical interest, it's *their* lesson to learn; *they* must bear the consequences!
In short: not our dining party - we shouldn't stay to wash dishes, let alone need to get more specific than that. (Our narrative should be one of preparedness & provision to help them help themselves, e.g. sharing that the gloves & soap are under the sink.)
Just found this, Russell....
"Trump Supporters Shared How He Could Lose Their Support, And There's One Issue That's Verrrrry Important To Them"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-supporters-lose-support_n_67af70f2e4b014c4688dabb0
While some of it is admittedly "HuffFluff", some seems based in reality.
I agree.
It's hard to reach those who WANT lies over truth, even KNOWING they're falling for an endless string of lies.
The only way I know of is a string of GREATER lies. And we just don't know how to do that. (Maybe Bill Clinton can give some hints, but even he can't begin to compete with someone like "Empty-Green". (MTG), Ted Cruz or Nancy Mace.)
Such people have failed to realize the basic imperative of their existence, i.e. time is short (and, in America, freedom isn't free); no one in their right mind has time for the complexity such lies bring, nor the luxury of being so falsely confident about them. Pity the class punished for the sake of such obstinate, selfish people.
Republicans and oligarchs have been gearing up for a chance to take absolute power and elbow aside democracy in favor of #RepubloFascism.
The bad news is they didn’t have a choice to hitch their wagon to anybody but Trump, someone with massive flaws but dumb enough to have faith in his stale shtick. And his lizard brain instincts on obliteration of not only his enemies, but the rules themselves have compounded to strike terror in the Republicans in Congress, who might otherwise be tempted to stop him for sake of the nation and their own stock portfolios.
If none of them budge, democracy is doomed. Let’s just hope we have an opportunity to claw it back in a year or two.
Thank you Secretary Reich. I’m with you 100%. Heavy snow in Woodstock, NY this early Sunday morning.
Trump's biggest problem, he thinks he's smart.
Tragically, it's likely also ours. (That HE thinks he's smart.)
No one who's really smart has to go on claiming they're smart and Trump does this endlessly. On YouTube one can find compilations of him claiming to know more about a range of issues than anybody else - income tax, tariffs, construction, campaign finance, technology, trade, infrastructure, Isis, the environment etc. etc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR3f95BGIiA&t=49s I think he does it to conceal his anxiety about how dumb he really is and there are so many examples of this. Remember 'thigh-land'? Or Nambia (was he thinking of Namibia or Zambia, we'll never know). It's why he had to explain his rambling speeches at campaign rallies by inventing 'The Weave'. It's also why he's so fond of calling other people dumb, especially those who are really smart. He thinks Musk is smart because he's richer than he is. How else to explain that bizarre press conference where he had to sit quietly behind the Resolute desk while Musk dominated proceedings on domestic policy? How else to explain his floundering attempts at foreign policy to compensate? How else to explain his sudden desire to be the chair of the country's premier arts institution? Trump's impulsive behaviour is rooted in his anxiety about being labelled the dumbest president in US history. Nothing he does is likely to allay that anxiety and I'm afraid Americans will have to put up with it for years to come.
Question: How are remarks put in any type of order. I was the first post on this thread and what I said got a number of likes but it quickly got buried. There should be a system where posts are in order of how people liked what was written.
Donald, I always write the person's name that I am addressing, when I first begin my response.
There’s a sort button next to the XXX COMMENTS- you can choose TOP, NEWEST or OLDEST
So, this has been a problem for him when?
It's GOING to be a problem for him! I have been calling every single senator and congressman and telling them to "man up" and call for the REMOVAL OF DONALD TRUMP AND ELON MUSK AND ALL THE REASONS WHY, AND I WILL NOT CEASE UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE! DONALD TRUMP IS N-O-T A LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT, AND NOBODY CAN EVER MAKE ME BELIEVE THAT TO BE TRUE! TRUMP MUST GO! HE IS TRYING TO TAKE OVER THE ENTIRE WORLD AND MAKE IT OVER FOR HIMSELF!
STORMS HAVE BEEN RAGING AROUND ME ALL NIGHT LONG, WITH RAIN and 20 m.p.h.WINDS, and it matches my mood!
and Musk thinks he knows everything. Ego driven fantasy. It meets whatever emotional needs he has.
Loving his kid though! Hah!
Like a lot of people these days, I don't sleep so well, and I usually find refuge in your words. As I was trying to fall asleep again, your celebration of brave individuals brought to mind former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, whose warnings about her cousin, RFK, Jr. were roundly ignored this week when he was tapped to lead our government's health services. Maybe you heard her reading of her letter to the Senate reflecting on the consensus of his cousins that his conduct is that of a predator. I think she deserves recognition for risking her reputation to spare us a lot of grief. It must have been painful for her to know her words carried little weight.
Progwoman ; I think she knows that the big money influence of the oligarchs holds power. They own the media and misinform. She is brave and principled, and has nothing to be ashamed of. It is Great to have folks like her and her family. All of us who admire her give her plenty of weight.
Maybe she, like me, assumed she carried some moral gravity, but it’s irrelevant with this crowd.
Thank you for sharing your father's wise words: to stay balanced in the face of the horror, not obsessed, and to understand that we need to do our best to step into out power and take constructive action, not fall into mere defensiveness.
Trump is a monster as are Musk and Vance. But behind them and the oligarchs is the biggest monster of centuries who is calling the shots - Putin. I can share specifics with you Robert Reich but you'd have to contact me - VERY BIG information for you!
To any extent that Putin "is calling the shots," it is because Trump lets him. Trump is in love with Putin and should move to Russia, get in bed with him, and suck his dick.
WOW! Dr. Bloxom, I spit out my coffee when I read your comment! I don't believe I have ever read any of your comments that were so strongly worded! Kudos, Dr. Bloxom, because I feel exactly the same way!
I'm sorry about your coffee. I execrate Trump and wish I could xxxx him and would if I knew I could get away with it - for the good of the entire world.
I appreciate your concurrence.
Right on, Dr. Bloxom! It would sure solve a lot of problems, wouldn't it?
Yes, and whatever problems might remain would be minuscule in comparison.
Absolutely!
Putin was installed by the Oligarchs. there is a reason that Bernie Sanders came up with the term "Obscenely wealthy", because it is obscene when big money buys our governance and self determination. All the good people in the world, the Universities, the places of worship, all the knowledge and care are hijacked by the wickedly wealthy, who steal and cheat to do harm, so they can have our very will. they incite their minions to hurt the innocent.
I applaud the integrity and service of the public servants who stand up to Trump et al. My question is … if one by one they resign in protest, who will be left to represent us and protect us in the future? It seems like a war of attrition where the morally correct may win each battle (or at least fight the good fight) but will loose the war. We cannot afford to lose this war.
Marc M ; Don't worry, success is popular, and It is better for business if everyone is not suppressed and depressed. Losers lose, and they will fail eventually. Celebrate the brave while they are brave, not when they are complicit with evil. We must Kick their asses by not obeying them , by refusing to co -operate with their twisted plans. RESIST! Those brave lawyers will help, in the long run. They illuminated the evil they refused to serve. they are inspiring.
Yes, and let's support their need to continue with their careers.
I would not think that there would be a problem for them to get clients, or positions. the majority of voters did not choose the present mob.
I wish that for them. But they may even have other plans.
From the first ever glimpse, I have been repelled from Trump as a "monster." Peck, in "People of the Lie," identified my response as a survival instinct in the presence of evil. But what to do, when such a significant portion of our fellow citizens seem to be immune to the perception of evil, or even willing to sign on to hate, violence, and self-destruction, when it comes to what was good about America; the answer to that, I do not know.
Mmerose,
I didn't understand at the time, but the night of the 2016 election, at the moment California results came it...and made NO difference, I had a reaction unlike anything I've EVER experienced. (Even the shock of learning suddenly of death was less traumatic than that moment was for me.)
Now I understand what I was feeling, and why I worked so hard for Kamala, and Democrats. And while it may seem 8 years too early, at least for me, the timing was perfect.
"Integrity can be infectious"
So true, Dr. Reich.
However, it's likely equally true to say,
"Hate WILL BE infectious."
Hate is ugly destructive and unweildy. Hate Hurts.
Hate sucks so much that it is unpopular in the long run. Mean people suck! Mutual respect is so much better, and more helpful. It gives everyone who practices it a good chance to thrive.
"We will fight shoulder to shoulder, every day, and we will win in the end. The truth will prevail. Love will prevail over hate. Democracy will prevail over fascism."
Meidas Mighty = Truth, Facts, Empathy, Compassion, Strength, Sanity, Inclusiveness, Resilience, Diversity, Understanding, Intelligence, Morals, Values, Support, Determination, Equality, Patriotism, Community. TRUTH TO POWER.
YES!
Danielle Sassoon and Liz Chaney need to get together and stand up for the truth in betrayal of democracy that drumpf and Elmo represent. Their voices and all who come forward from that direction, would be very helpful to bring the honest truth out in the open. Lawrence Tribe and Michael Luttig could join as well...and ALL the men and women who stood up for truth during and after the first term of this con-artist/grifter in office.
That would be quite the message.
Good morning, all you BEAUTIFUL PATRIOTS!
Hi. Back at ya.
(...blush...)
HaHaHa! Good wishes are fun!
Thank you for being here today, foof! Your contributions are very appreciated!
Thank you, Paula, but mostly, I'm just terrified.
I'm someone who wants to someday end their life in a DEMOCRACY, not a THEOCRACY that has become little more than a cruel joke to the rest of the world.
And I'm so GLAD not to be alone, and am instead surrounded by such wonderful people, and I have respected and admired Dr. Reich for decades.
I suspect most people are unaware that MANY of AMERICA'S RICHEST never even bother to file their federal tax form. These RICH DEADBEATS are the people Trump was talking to every time he mentioned CRIPPLING the IRS:
"Wyden’s investigation found that nearly 1,000 taxpayers who make more than $1 million a year failed to file tax returns over multiple recent years, potentially owing $34 billion in taxes that could fund crucial priorities or reduce the federal deficit.
According to IRS data, the top 500 high-income individuals who still have not filed returns for each year from 2017 to 2020 owed $923 million and yet were unlikely to face serious consequences. Only 2 of those 2,000 individuals were in active criminal investigation and only 58 have been subjected to financial penalties such as liens or levies. "
https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/finance-chair-wyden-reveals-shocking-new-data-about-wealthy-individuals-who-have-failed-to-file-tax-returns-nearly-1000-millionaires-have-not-filed-returns-and-owe-estimated-34-billion-in-taxes-few-wealthy-non-filers-are-prosecuted#:~:text=Wyden's%20investigation%20found%20that%20nearly,or%20reduce%20the%20federal%20deficit.
And now THIS?!?!:
"IRS Will Lay Off Thousands Of Probationary Workers In The Middle Of Tax Season
This comes as the Trump administration intensified sweeping efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/irs-lay-off-thousands-probationary-workers-middle-tax-season_n_67b0cd07e4b08451e06516dd
I suspect FEW, IF ANY of the richest Americans will allow one cent more in withholding than required, and will never even bother to file. After all, "This is the TRUMP WE PAID FOR!"