True. But now the painful boil that’s been infecting us has come to a head. We can either turn our full attention to a cure or we will succumb to sepsis. (I spent my career as a middle school guidance counselor. Most of my metaphors are gross.)
ISOequanimity, your metaphors may be gross but some of them could be very funny too from a kids perspective:)! I view DJT as the typical grade school juvenile delinquent and those surrounding him I view the same; i.e. Kristi Noem is your troubled teenage girl!
And yes, sepsis, if we don't collectively get our act together relatively soon.
Trump is the sociopathic narcissist acting head of a lawless fascist autocracy hidden in Pandora"s box that was planned and launched in 1971 with the Powell memo and an organization to attack and remove democracy in America with the felony crime of insurrection. The organization was led and funded by Republicans, corporations, billionaires, and Christian nationalists. The ongoing insurrection led by Trump is outside the scope of official acts and invalidates any immunity for Trump and others in the federal government.
The organization created the corrupt legal system in American that enabled the ongoing insurrection in America to create a lawless fascist autocracy which violates the Constitution and federal criminal law. The insurrection began on January 6, 2021, and continued in 2025 as planned in PROJECT 2025. From 2021 to 2024, Biden, Garland and Jack Smith were blocked from enforcing the law and putting Trump the insurrectionist in jail. Trump was illegally elected in 2024. The corrupt SCOTUS illegally refused to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to bar Trump from being on the ballot and holding office which was illegal support of the insurrection.
Qualified immunity as doctrine cannot protect unjustified ICE murder in Minneapolis. Doctrine is not an escape from violations of law. ICE acted outside their official duty in Minneapolis which was finding and detaining illegal immigrants not replacing domestic police and unjustified murder of innocent citizens.
Murder is a crime in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 10th Amendment authorizes states to enforce the criminal law like murder committed in their state. Therefore, the ICE agent can be prosecuted based on evidence of probable cause in the criminal action outside the scope of ICE official duty which was not detaining illegal immigrants and without any threat if bodily harm to the ICE agent.
Democrats and the news media have not recognized that Trump, his administration and ICE are conducting an insurrection that violates federal law.
The federal criminal law in the United States is created by Congress and then described in Title 18 Part 1 of the U.S. Code which has multiple Chapters.
Specifically, the crime of insurrection is defined in 18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection. The Code clearly states who is guilty of the felony crime with this language:
“Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
What is the solution? The law must be enforced on insurrectionists including Trump, members of his administration, Republicans in Congress, and six justices on the Supreme Court. When Democrats get elected to the presidency and take control of Congress in 2028, the insurrectionists must be arrested, convicted and imprisoned. And the corrupt legal system must be revised by removing six justices from the Supreme Court, passing new laws that remove the damage caused by the Supreme Court with Citizens United and many other decisions including voting rights and abortion, remove the damage caused by Republicans in Congress with the Big Beautiful Bill and other laws that cause unaffordability, and remove the damage and inhumanity caused by corrupt doctrines including qualified immunity and lying by elected federal officials that enable ICE agents to murder people and then coverup the crime.
Don't count on Democrats to do any of this. You just said Biden and Garland were blocked. Garland is responsible for this catastrophe. Biden was too soft.
William, what if trump shuts down the elections this year and declare Marshal Law to shut down any resistance from We,The People until after 2028? Then what? How do we keep him from shutting down our elections to start the process of voting him out of power to where we can do what you advocate?
William, thank you. I googled the Powell memo fòr more details and yes the oligarch plam has been in the works since 1971 and as it worked to erode CEO responsibility toward employees and customers and put the focus on shareholders profits and their immoral salaries, we ignored the elevation of narcissism and sociopathy because making money looked like success, We are all culpable, which also means we can all see our blindness and our error or discernment , and take back democracy, and never never let this happen again,
… from ai.” The 1971 Powell Memo, officially titled "Attack on American Free Enterprise System," was a confidential document written by Lewis F. Powell Jr. for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Issued on August 23, 1971—two months before Powell was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court—it called for a coordinated, aggressive corporate "counter-offensive" to reclaim political and cultural power from liberal social movements.
Core Objectives
Powell argued that the American economic system was under broad attack from "respectable" elements of society, including academia, the media, and politicians. He proposed that businesses move beyond simple profit-making to actively shape public opinion and government policy.
The Strategic Blueprint
Powell outlined several "prongs" for corporate mobilization:
Academia: Monitored textbooks and demanded "equal time" for pro-business speakers on college campuses.
Media: Constant monitoring of national television networks and demanding equal time to refute perceived "anti-business" narratives.
The Judiciary: Strategic use of the courts as an "instrument for social, economic and political change" by filing amicus briefs and hiring top-tier legal staff.
Politics: Aggressive lobbying and direct political action, urging business leaders to become "the forgotten man" of influence no longer.
Legacy and Impact
While its direct impact is debated, the memo is widely credited with catalyzing the modern conservative infrastructure:
Think Tanks: It inspired or accelerated the creation of organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Corporate Lobbying: Following its distribution, the Chamber of Commerce expanded its membership from 60,000 firms in 1972 to over 250,000 a decade later.
Judicial Influence: Critics argue it paved the way for landmark rulings like Citizens United v. FEC, which expanded corporate rights in the political process.
Modern Context: In 2026, the memo continues to be cited by critics as a foundational "master plan" for corporate dominance in American democracy.
The full text of the memorandum is maintained by Washington and Lee University. “
Rather than a thoughtless thug ordering his cabinet members around, I believe it is the rouge and ruthless ideologues in his cabinet that are manipulating him to carry out their fever dreams.
They can’t believe they have the power, through Trump, to “cleanse” the country of foreign invaders and government drudges. To rid us of all regulations that thwart their looting. They are pushing his every button, and furiously, because they know the time to achieve a white Christian America may be limited.
The populous is awakening. Time to smash and grab!!
Yes, ISO, this has always been there, and will always be with us, because we are tribal by nature. Crises always test civilized behavior. We must exercise great self restraint to prevent our country from descending into chaos.
I have the feeling that the Epstein files ARE the distraction for the war posture and preparation. We cannot allow the increase in budget for the defense department. We have to go after Trump's advisors. We have to support the vote in this most crucial year.
Yes, Trump is the supreme human uglyness and without brains and morality. But there is something else too. I agree with Bob that Trump has no strategy, no consistent ideology, no morality. He won't use that as a brake
But there is more system and danger in his erratic behaviour, and who controls it?
How could a ugly man ruin Nato, deteriorate the position the US had on the world market, endanger world peace by his simple mediaevil concept of the world? How can he estrange former allies and partners with his sentiments in which friends and restraint are luxuries?
I think it is time to look closer to the relations between corporatie interests and the state, the corruption by promisses and donations, and the pseudo king.
Trump is an electoral accident, but his junta is not.
A global perspective from many of us outsiders: There is no strategy. Trump, stripped down, is an empty, soulless vessel, save for his abhorrent, increasingly ravenous appetites. His WH cabinet of loyal dim-wits is at the ready to feed the bloated monster whatever rotten dish he demands while pillaging morsels off the plate to feed their own sordid ambitions. Ditto Congressional republicans and red state politicians, a shockingly embarrassing combination of cowards, fascists, "pretend" Christians, grifters, morons, and traitors. Lastly, let's not forget the increasingly hyped-up, rage-consumed MAGAt imbeciles who cling to their cult leader, like barnacles to a sinking ship.
All the above have enabled the trump monster to balloon to the point that it is about to explode and spew its bile on a global scale. Given the 'unpredictability' of this demented demon, we (former allies) are preparing for various war scenarios. Let's all hope that whatever the future holds, it doesn't involve nukes.
As to the plight of the USA? The US appears to be going broke (printing money is not a solution), carrying enormous/growing debt, looming inflation, increasing unemployment, rising consumer costs, and mounting civil unrest. There is no escaping the reality that your government is now populated by crooks, malignant narcissists, dufuses, drunks, money addicted billionaires, and cos-playing psychopaths - devoid of compassion, intelligence, strategic planning, morality, maturity, competency, and ethical governance. Damage will be done, but given the of the crew of this "jolly roger" flagship, waging and winning a global war, with no allies or support from the American people, seems highly unlikely. The problem at the moment is getting the monster out of the WH before he explodes.
The problem is made worse in that so many industry leaders, heads of state, and countries have CAVED to the threats and intimidation, like hostages with a knife to their throats. They'll get on their knees and cower, pay the ransom, the extortion, the 'or else' money - the necessary cost of doing business with the regime. Trump doesn't want meaningful political alliances; he wants to "steal", bully and dominate. His dementia is escalating the chaos and the ugly behaviours.
Trump is a "sadistic" mob boss, running a criminal outfit: Russian money laundering and ongoing ties to Putin, his deep association with the pedophile trafficking 'Epstein', planning real estate deals (stolen land) with the bloodthirsty war criminal Netanyahu and entertaining the murderous Saudi prince "Mr. bone saw". These are his "friends". The depravity is endless.
Even the amoral corporate world is getting fed up with the instability. When the stock market crashes (and it will) things will change quite rapidly.
That is project 2025. They are the rulers. Anyone who read it would hopefully understand t is the puppet not the idea man. He "plays" golf, redesigns the landscape and does what he's told.
Sarah, that is important. But is the Heritage foundation all? I think big oil asked a lot from candidate Trump and got it. The concentration on Venezuela is stupid and incompetent again.
And so on: a colonial adventure to get Greenland is stabbing Nato, and a big laughter for Putin. Or Canada: China sells electric cars to Canada, isolating the US with an ancient technology in cars.
I mean to say: when you sell out yourself to donors and billionaire cliques, you get tasks to fullfill, but they are hard to harmonise into a vision with future...
Yes, He's good at threatening and bullying and he doesn't need a vision of the future because he's old..but at this point he's rich and he is all for white men. But his evil is bottomless
Real estate developers and the extractive industries share a vision in common: the maximum, unrestrained exploitation of natural resources. This is what Project 2025 is all about, and Trump understands that very well. This is why they support him. Sooner or later reality will come back to restrain them.
I'm not so sure. They oil execs weren't interested in Venezuela b/c the price of oil is already too low for them to make money on it; "extracting" more isn't going to help that, and the industry guys know that. Yes, they'll be happy with unending wealth, but they aren't stupid.
Agreed. My opinion is that t is the face/spokesperson where others fill his sponge brain with long con plotted ideas and plans. Project 3025, heritage foundation, highest paying companies, Putin!
The Christian Nationalists and the rest of us should watch the award-winning movie secretly shot in Iran, The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
It’s life in a theocracy focusing on a family during a crackdown on dissent. The father refuses what he thinks is an illegal order to sign off on a death sentence, without having read any of the evidence. His boss slips him a note across the desk, the office is bugged. He can’t refuse the order if he hopes to advance to a judgeship. Wife and daughters must keep his reputation their top priority. Not a comedy.
Neil De Grasse Tyson presenting the best single essay I've heard yet, that addresses the idiotic political motivation of the plutocrats who don't want to pay taxes because they want to direct their capital developing idiotic projects, which are based on their superstitious beliefs and their horror of mortality, that is appropriate to >any< discussion of the current state of US politics, and fully worth the 20-minute listen: https://youtu.be/ldRtMa1FX4M?si=olPLJTQ88-k6u036
Just listened to De Grasse Tyson. The best thing I have heard, bar none. If only it could be spread over the internet. And if only 20" was not too long for many to spend expanding their thinking.
I just watched this vid and thought it totally profound and on the mark & much of what I believe, but said in a much more scientifically sound manner !
Donald, this comment got you lots of "likes" on this site, but if a Republican were to read it s/he would readily refer to it as a typical example of "Trump Derangement Syndrome." If we are to have meaningful dialogue in our Republic we must avoid adjectives and be weary of adverbs. You can do better than this.
Trump’s mission to Divide us is working. How many more people will die because of Trump’s “Indecent Criminalized Exterminators”, AKA ICE, who are nothing more than an army of masked, Lawless thugs?
47 campaigned as the “president of peace.” When I ask myself what might prompt these desperate, universally-condemned acts, the only answer I can come up with is Katie Johnson and the other Epstein survivors. Repost: Katie Johnson alleges that when she was a 13 year old child, she was tied to the 4 corners of a bed and raped, with onlookers ignoring her screams for help. I spent my career as a middle school guidance counselor. In 1994, the year this allegedly took place, the most popular Christmas gifts for 13 year old girls were Furby and Polly Pocket. Here’s her testimony. https://katemanne.substack.com/p/the-actual-conspiracy-theory-surrounding. https://katemanne.substack.com/p/they-tried-to-bury-the-katie-johnson?r=2g4u&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
Sorry, I didn't read the Substack piece that I thought required a subscription. So I am not certain where you are coming from. However, if it's about unfair treatment, well, I am with you. Our American society and many on our planet are no longer in emotional balance or thinking clearly. This condition goes against Nature: we must have coherence to remain viable and functional.
"Trump is putting America on a war footing because war is good for him as it is for all dictators. War confers emergency powers." ... .... DJT has no Strategy, No Plans... DJT is getting more Erratic, and Dangerous as DJT's Dementia progresses... Venezuela was ill-Conceived, and is turning into a Quagmire... Keep an Eye on Greenland, and Iran... As the Grim-Reaper comes closer for DJT, DJT will get more Dangerous as DJT yearns for Posthumous Greatness...
Apache, I wish with all of my heart that someone would make him understand that he can yearn for posthumous greatness; however, he will not get that moniker as he will always be remembered for the vile, disgusting POS he is! There was absolutely nothing great about that subhuman! If somebody could drive that home to his dementia rotted brain and let him know that the majority of Americans hate him with such a white-hot heat that the only way he will be remembered is with revulsion.
Peggy, I think what will put most pressure on him are the Epstein files which hopefully are weighing heavily on his health. I can also tell you that if you take away his adderall he dies.
I hope that's right, Mike, because every time I comment on MSM news, I always bring up the Epstein files and the fact that he is wavy the shiny trinkets of ICE, Venezuela invasion and Greenland to try and deflect and distract from the Epstein files! I mention it in every comment!
Exactly! I wake up in the morning wondering what fresh hell he is going to put America through this day! I am so truly tired of the chaos, hate, violence and just plain evilness streaming from this regime daily!
I would say he is both! How and why do we leave him in power when he is obviously trying to take over the world? How will this end? Even if we are successful in the midterms, how long will it take to get him impeached and/or removed? He will have his four years before we can even attempt to get him out!
I don't know, Jan, it is one of the true mysteries of Planet Earth living how horribly long the people of every country run by despots and dictators those dictators remain in power!
Here a link for info on Jonathan Ross. JDV has good things to say about his service. What’s missing is Renee Good saying “I’m not mad at you,” before she was shot in the face. Were “F*cking B*tch” the last words she heard?
Apache, "war is good" for all dictators who have a rational plan that offers them a chance to win. trump is doomed to lose though, because he has no strategy or plan, and his minions are powerless to stop him. Our pitiful national tragedy is a direct result of John Roberts and the corrupt six of the USSC who replaced Constitutional Law with the "unitary executive theory". This is the essence of their ruling during Biden's term that the executive is immune from prosecution for all "official acts taken" during one's term in office. Then all he needed to do was subvert the 2024 election and thus become "dictator on day one". This is why Jack Smith in his wisdom dropped all charges against him last January. "Unitary Executive" is fake legalese for "universal dictator" (see Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Mussolini, Kim, Putin, the beat goes on until we stop him) from whom all power flows, top-down.
Hello Dennis... DJT has never done any Planning.... Just look at his Business Failures... It was always, "Give Me, Give Me, Give Me".... All Impulse, No Brain-Work....
You are right, Apache. Trump evidently sees his road to greatness by linking the Monroe Doctrine to Manifest Destiny, with the USA controlling the entire American continent, from Arctic to Antarctic. As a stage actor he probably knows that creating the illusion of control suffices to attain his claim to greatness. Even so, it is a dangerous and costly act no sane person should support.
Funny you mentioning the 'Grim Reaper'. That 'caricature' has been my go-to Halloween costume for years, since my surname is imbedded in the moniker for this entity. Just wish I had some 'super power' or could say "Shazam" and make him - dissolve into smoke and ash ~
How many nations will he have to threaten before the international community dumps our debt and destroys our economy? If this keeps up, we'll be in a world war soon.
Hello Robot... That would be a Devastating Weapon... Between DJT 1.0 & 2.0, DJT will double our National Debt... Isn't DJT a multiple failed Businessman floated by Russian Money, and Fraud?...
Exactly. Many of them support Project 2025. Others are just cowards, or so beholden to the people who pay them they sacrifice duty for personal power and gain.
"If we don't take Greenland, either Russia or China will." What an asinine position to take. The people of that country detest Trump. However, if either one of the two adversaries Donnie is referring to made an attempt to acquire Greenland, I believe her people would then look upon Trump's offer differently. There is no need for any action at this time--cool your jets Donnie. Your homeland is in desperate need of attention, perhaps you should direct your efforts there.
Donald, pay attention! Trump is very much focused on our country, and he trying to steal it from you. Greenland is a distraction. If you have not read Project 2025 you don't know what is going on.
" . . . instead of seeing this unpredictability as a symptom of Trump’s diminishing capacities and ever-shorter attention span, the Times reported it as 'a tactic he embraces as president, particularly on the world stage. If no one knows what you might do, they often do what you want them to do.'"
I'm horrified by the way in which the media sane-washes this person. Vapid indeed. And yet, there is a grain of truth. The fear and cowering is real, both at home and abroad. Add in unlimited amounts of money that he seems to be able to beg, borrow or steal at will, and his power to unleash harm feels undiminished by his very real diminished capacity.
Robert, I think this is one of your most important posts. Writing from the UK, I am ashamed that our prime minister still thinks he has a special relationship with Trump.
Dear John, Starmer is a bit of a mystery to me, both in terms of the Labour Party and in his advances toward the US president. Our PM in Canada, Carney (whom you would remember as head of your bank of Great Britain) is doing as good a job as any leader can when dealing with a psychologically disturbed person, who is unfortunately your nearest neighbour.
Why not publish thorough bios on the Cabinet-level aiders and abettors of this autocratic regime? I think that putting them on the defensive would be a) a good idea and, b) justifiable to us taxpayers so we can better know who is working "for" us. Might they be upset if their bios reveal them to be the soulless evil persons their actions demonstrate they are? Just sayin'...
Nice! I've recently started viewing The Meidas Touch on Substack. But there are so many good Substacks coming down the pike these days I'm struggling to keep up. Would you reply back with the link to that 25 Worst post? Thanks PD!
Professor Reich: yeah, i almost had a stroke to see that the orange rapist declared himself the "acting president of venezuela" -- this lie appears on WIKIPEDIA of all places.
(i just looked at his wikipedia page and it's gone)
as JFK once said: "Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind". sadly, i think we have gone too far down this road to reverse direction, even if we manage somehow not to annihilate the entire planet with (nuclear & germ) war, the destruction of the planet due to climate change is still virtually guaranteed.
GrrlScientist..........we are living in very scary times with too many mad men with fingers on the nuke buttons, especially trump. Something needs to be done about him sooner rather than later!
Foreign and domestic policy are always intertwined. They are being fused into a single operating system built on the same logic of dominance, emergency authority, and institutional bypass. What looks like improvisation is actually the predictable output of a doctrine that treats the homeland and the international arena as one continuous battlespace. The same framework that justifies military action abroad is the one enabling expanded enforcement powers, constitutional shortcuts, and the erosion of institutional constraints at home.
This is exactly the convergence I’ve been writing about: once a state defines both foreign adversaries and domestic populations through the same threat architecture, the distinction between “foreign policy” and “domestic policy” collapses.
You get one war footing, executed through the same captured institutions, the same legal rationales, and the same incentive structure. What happens in Caracas and what happens in Minneapolis are not separate categories…they’re expressions of the same doctrine scaled across different domains.
And that’s the point: this isn’t chaos or ego. It’s a system behaving as designed. The methods normalized abroad inevitably migrate home because the underlying architecture treats both arenas as variations of the same security problem.
Understanding that collapse isn’t fatalistic. It’s the only way to see the mechanism clearly enough to understand what it’s doing and why it’s happening now. I used this as the basis for my analysis of the World in 2026.
I was very relieved yesterday to see news items about even those military currently left standing trying to prevent invasion of Venezuela.
Once again, we depend too much on military leaders, and the Trump administration has already decapitated earlier rounds of naysaying leaders. Those leaders need our help, and especially help from federal-level legislators.
Hello Mary Ann... It has been reported that the American Military Leadership prevented an Invasion of Greenland... They don't want a Conflict with NATO...
Trump sees NATO as more of an obstacle. Trump will keep us in as long as it's useful. He sees them as weak and ineffectual in attempting to stop Putin and himself.
'Trump is not rational, and the people around him trying to give him a patina of rationality — his White House assistants and spokespeople — surely know it.'
I'm not sure that they do.
The only people who can lie on the scale that Trump's supporters do are people who believe their own lies.
They are devout adherents to the cult of MAGA, and we know how cults turn out in the end.
War has been the great theme of our political corruption. From my essay "American Politics 101": https://dialector.substack.com/p/american-politics-101 "The culture war is a distraction factory, with an anti-American purpose to distract, divide, and conquer the American people so that we make war upon ourselves instead of uniting like real Americans under the Constitution. An irony of the culture war is that it is helping to destroy real American greatness in the name of Making America Great Again. The culture war contributes nothing to the governance of the nation. Its sole purpose is to make it impossible for the citizens of the United States to support and defend the founding document that defines the nation, secures our freedom, guarantees our rights, and brings forth every measure of real American greatness."
Worth reading all five of these short pieces--not to get more depressed, but to understand that Professor Reich's column today reflects a kind of consensus. The strategy of waiting for the midterms--too little too late. Congress must be pushed to act now.
This man has redefined the existence of human ugliness.
redefined or re opened our eyes to it being always just under the skin...
I spent my career as a social worker. What we’re seeing has always been there.
It has…but Trump lifted the lid on Pandora’s box.
True. But now the painful boil that’s been infecting us has come to a head. We can either turn our full attention to a cure or we will succumb to sepsis. (I spent my career as a middle school guidance counselor. Most of my metaphors are gross.)
ISOequanimity, your metaphors may be gross but some of them could be very funny too from a kids perspective:)! I view DJT as the typical grade school juvenile delinquent and those surrounding him I view the same; i.e. Kristi Noem is your troubled teenage girl!
And yes, sepsis, if we don't collectively get our act together relatively soon.
I see Krispy as the madam of a horror house. She looks it too
Authoritarians are mentally delayed.
🙏
I believe this is a zero sum game so winning is all that matters.
for authoritarians it is always a zero sum game.
I would like to be optimistic Mike that humanity succumb to it--yet!
gross??? accurate!
😂 Both?
He is what is in Pandora's box
Marc,
Trump is the sociopathic narcissist acting head of a lawless fascist autocracy hidden in Pandora"s box that was planned and launched in 1971 with the Powell memo and an organization to attack and remove democracy in America with the felony crime of insurrection. The organization was led and funded by Republicans, corporations, billionaires, and Christian nationalists. The ongoing insurrection led by Trump is outside the scope of official acts and invalidates any immunity for Trump and others in the federal government.
The organization created the corrupt legal system in American that enabled the ongoing insurrection in America to create a lawless fascist autocracy which violates the Constitution and federal criminal law. The insurrection began on January 6, 2021, and continued in 2025 as planned in PROJECT 2025. From 2021 to 2024, Biden, Garland and Jack Smith were blocked from enforcing the law and putting Trump the insurrectionist in jail. Trump was illegally elected in 2024. The corrupt SCOTUS illegally refused to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to bar Trump from being on the ballot and holding office which was illegal support of the insurrection.
Qualified immunity as doctrine cannot protect unjustified ICE murder in Minneapolis. Doctrine is not an escape from violations of law. ICE acted outside their official duty in Minneapolis which was finding and detaining illegal immigrants not replacing domestic police and unjustified murder of innocent citizens.
Murder is a crime in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The 10th Amendment authorizes states to enforce the criminal law like murder committed in their state. Therefore, the ICE agent can be prosecuted based on evidence of probable cause in the criminal action outside the scope of ICE official duty which was not detaining illegal immigrants and without any threat if bodily harm to the ICE agent.
Democrats and the news media have not recognized that Trump, his administration and ICE are conducting an insurrection that violates federal law.
The federal criminal law in the United States is created by Congress and then described in Title 18 Part 1 of the U.S. Code which has multiple Chapters.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I
The crime of insurrection is defined in 18 U.S. Code Chapter 115 Part I - TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/part-I/chapter-115
Specifically, the crime of insurrection is defined in 18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection. The Code clearly states who is guilty of the felony crime with this language:
“Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
What is the solution? The law must be enforced on insurrectionists including Trump, members of his administration, Republicans in Congress, and six justices on the Supreme Court. When Democrats get elected to the presidency and take control of Congress in 2028, the insurrectionists must be arrested, convicted and imprisoned. And the corrupt legal system must be revised by removing six justices from the Supreme Court, passing new laws that remove the damage caused by the Supreme Court with Citizens United and many other decisions including voting rights and abortion, remove the damage caused by Republicans in Congress with the Big Beautiful Bill and other laws that cause unaffordability, and remove the damage and inhumanity caused by corrupt doctrines including qualified immunity and lying by elected federal officials that enable ICE agents to murder people and then coverup the crime.
Don't count on Democrats to do any of this. You just said Biden and Garland were blocked. Garland is responsible for this catastrophe. Biden was too soft.
William, what if trump shuts down the elections this year and declare Marshal Law to shut down any resistance from We,The People until after 2028? Then what? How do we keep him from shutting down our elections to start the process of voting him out of power to where we can do what you advocate?
But so what? He has the Supreme Court in his pocket. The laws are being broken, with impunity and freewheeling abandon.
2028 is an eternity from now.
William, thank you. I googled the Powell memo fòr more details and yes the oligarch plam has been in the works since 1971 and as it worked to erode CEO responsibility toward employees and customers and put the focus on shareholders profits and their immoral salaries, we ignored the elevation of narcissism and sociopathy because making money looked like success, We are all culpable, which also means we can all see our blindness and our error or discernment , and take back democracy, and never never let this happen again,
… from ai.” The 1971 Powell Memo, officially titled "Attack on American Free Enterprise System," was a confidential document written by Lewis F. Powell Jr. for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Issued on August 23, 1971—two months before Powell was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court—it called for a coordinated, aggressive corporate "counter-offensive" to reclaim political and cultural power from liberal social movements.
Core Objectives
Powell argued that the American economic system was under broad attack from "respectable" elements of society, including academia, the media, and politicians. He proposed that businesses move beyond simple profit-making to actively shape public opinion and government policy.
The Strategic Blueprint
Powell outlined several "prongs" for corporate mobilization:
Academia: Monitored textbooks and demanded "equal time" for pro-business speakers on college campuses.
Media: Constant monitoring of national television networks and demanding equal time to refute perceived "anti-business" narratives.
The Judiciary: Strategic use of the courts as an "instrument for social, economic and political change" by filing amicus briefs and hiring top-tier legal staff.
Politics: Aggressive lobbying and direct political action, urging business leaders to become "the forgotten man" of influence no longer.
Legacy and Impact
While its direct impact is debated, the memo is widely credited with catalyzing the modern conservative infrastructure:
Think Tanks: It inspired or accelerated the creation of organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Corporate Lobbying: Following its distribution, the Chamber of Commerce expanded its membership from 60,000 firms in 1972 to over 250,000 a decade later.
Judicial Influence: Critics argue it paved the way for landmark rulings like Citizens United v. FEC, which expanded corporate rights in the political process.
Modern Context: In 2026, the memo continues to be cited by critics as a foundational "master plan" for corporate dominance in American democracy.
The full text of the memorandum is maintained by Washington and Lee University. “
very interesting...
Indeed, Trump is a plague becoming a deadly pandemic.
Exactly. He made it OK to come out from under their rocks and say and do whatever they want
Rather than a thoughtless thug ordering his cabinet members around, I believe it is the rouge and ruthless ideologues in his cabinet that are manipulating him to carry out their fever dreams.
They can’t believe they have the power, through Trump, to “cleanse” the country of foreign invaders and government drudges. To rid us of all regulations that thwart their looting. They are pushing his every button, and furiously, because they know the time to achieve a white Christian America may be limited.
The populous is awakening. Time to smash and grab!!
To be clear: THEY think it’s time to smash and grab!
Yes, and trump is encouraging that ugliness and cruelty. :(
Yes, ISO, this has always been there, and will always be with us, because we are tribal by nature. Crises always test civilized behavior. We must exercise great self restraint to prevent our country from descending into chaos.
💯
Trump is just making it acceptable to come out from under the rocks like the social deviant he is.
I have the feeling that the Epstein files ARE the distraction for the war posture and preparation. We cannot allow the increase in budget for the defense department. We have to go after Trump's advisors. We have to support the vote in this most crucial year.
If we even get a chance to vote and have those votes valid!
Agreed.
♫♪ Sing the "I was not a Nazi!" polka!
Yes Donald and many others, but there is more.
Yes, Trump is the supreme human uglyness and without brains and morality. But there is something else too. I agree with Bob that Trump has no strategy, no consistent ideology, no morality. He won't use that as a brake
But there is more system and danger in his erratic behaviour, and who controls it?
How could a ugly man ruin Nato, deteriorate the position the US had on the world market, endanger world peace by his simple mediaevil concept of the world? How can he estrange former allies and partners with his sentiments in which friends and restraint are luxuries?
I think it is time to look closer to the relations between corporatie interests and the state, the corruption by promisses and donations, and the pseudo king.
Trump is an electoral accident, but his junta is not.
Yes. With out the junta, no Goering and Goebbels, the support of the German people there would have been no camps, no ovens,
no Hitler, no WW2. Now we have the Trump Cabal..
A global perspective from many of us outsiders: There is no strategy. Trump, stripped down, is an empty, soulless vessel, save for his abhorrent, increasingly ravenous appetites. His WH cabinet of loyal dim-wits is at the ready to feed the bloated monster whatever rotten dish he demands while pillaging morsels off the plate to feed their own sordid ambitions. Ditto Congressional republicans and red state politicians, a shockingly embarrassing combination of cowards, fascists, "pretend" Christians, grifters, morons, and traitors. Lastly, let's not forget the increasingly hyped-up, rage-consumed MAGAt imbeciles who cling to their cult leader, like barnacles to a sinking ship.
All the above have enabled the trump monster to balloon to the point that it is about to explode and spew its bile on a global scale. Given the 'unpredictability' of this demented demon, we (former allies) are preparing for various war scenarios. Let's all hope that whatever the future holds, it doesn't involve nukes.
As to the plight of the USA? The US appears to be going broke (printing money is not a solution), carrying enormous/growing debt, looming inflation, increasing unemployment, rising consumer costs, and mounting civil unrest. There is no escaping the reality that your government is now populated by crooks, malignant narcissists, dufuses, drunks, money addicted billionaires, and cos-playing psychopaths - devoid of compassion, intelligence, strategic planning, morality, maturity, competency, and ethical governance. Damage will be done, but given the of the crew of this "jolly roger" flagship, waging and winning a global war, with no allies or support from the American people, seems highly unlikely. The problem at the moment is getting the monster out of the WH before he explodes.
Judith, Nice text, I don’t disagree. But I try to get attention for the political allianties and the connecties big money…
The problem is made worse in that so many industry leaders, heads of state, and countries have CAVED to the threats and intimidation, like hostages with a knife to their throats. They'll get on their knees and cower, pay the ransom, the extortion, the 'or else' money - the necessary cost of doing business with the regime. Trump doesn't want meaningful political alliances; he wants to "steal", bully and dominate. His dementia is escalating the chaos and the ugly behaviours.
Trump is a "sadistic" mob boss, running a criminal outfit: Russian money laundering and ongoing ties to Putin, his deep association with the pedophile trafficking 'Epstein', planning real estate deals (stolen land) with the bloodthirsty war criminal Netanyahu and entertaining the murderous Saudi prince "Mr. bone saw". These are his "friends". The depravity is endless.
Even the amoral corporate world is getting fed up with the instability. When the stock market crashes (and it will) things will change quite rapidly.
That is project 2025. They are the rulers. Anyone who read it would hopefully understand t is the puppet not the idea man. He "plays" golf, redesigns the landscape and does what he's told.
Sarah, that is important. But is the Heritage foundation all? I think big oil asked a lot from candidate Trump and got it. The concentration on Venezuela is stupid and incompetent again.
And so on: a colonial adventure to get Greenland is stabbing Nato, and a big laughter for Putin. Or Canada: China sells electric cars to Canada, isolating the US with an ancient technology in cars.
I mean to say: when you sell out yourself to donors and billionaire cliques, you get tasks to fullfill, but they are hard to harmonise into a vision with future...
Their vision of the future is to get richer.
Yes, but it is not a vision for a country and its future
Yes, He's good at threatening and bullying and he doesn't need a vision of the future because he's old..but at this point he's rich and he is all for white men. But his evil is bottomless
Real estate developers and the extractive industries share a vision in common: the maximum, unrestrained exploitation of natural resources. This is what Project 2025 is all about, and Trump understands that very well. This is why they support him. Sooner or later reality will come back to restrain them.
Victor, you come close to what I wanted to tell. The political system has opend itself for this regime, maybe became the regime
I'm not so sure. They oil execs weren't interested in Venezuela b/c the price of oil is already too low for them to make money on it; "extracting" more isn't going to help that, and the industry guys know that. Yes, they'll be happy with unending wealth, but they aren't stupid.
Agreed. My opinion is that t is the face/spokesperson where others fill his sponge brain with long con plotted ideas and plans. Project 3025, heritage foundation, highest paying companies, Putin!
2025
a premeditated electoral "accident."
A word worth going viral: "ICE-stapo."
DZK--This belongs on a Blue hat. Followed by the word--"Sucks."
👍
I call it MAGA ICE(S).
Or Magat ICE
Here is a timely pair of bumpers stickers some insightful person in our neighborhood has:
YOUR DESCENDENTS WILL ASK:
WHAT DID YOU DO, WHILE
TRUMP IS TRYING TO
TURN AMERICA INTO
A FASCIST DICTATORSHIP
and some will say: we insulted Trump and scapegoated Democrats.
That will not be enough, clearly.
And others will still say, "Well, he was *right*!"
The Christian Nationalists and the rest of us should watch the award-winning movie secretly shot in Iran, The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
It’s life in a theocracy focusing on a family during a crackdown on dissent. The father refuses what he thinks is an illegal order to sign off on a death sentence, without having read any of the evidence. His boss slips him a note across the desk, the office is bugged. He can’t refuse the order if he hopes to advance to a judgeship. Wife and daughters must keep his reputation their top priority. Not a comedy.
Neil De Grasse Tyson presenting the best single essay I've heard yet, that addresses the idiotic political motivation of the plutocrats who don't want to pay taxes because they want to direct their capital developing idiotic projects, which are based on their superstitious beliefs and their horror of mortality, that is appropriate to >any< discussion of the current state of US politics, and fully worth the 20-minute listen: https://youtu.be/ldRtMa1FX4M?si=olPLJTQ88-k6u036
Just listened to De Grasse Tyson. The best thing I have heard, bar none. If only it could be spread over the internet. And if only 20" was not too long for many to spend expanding their thinking.
👍 Just spread it around and let '28 take care of '28 in '28. Horse, water, unavoidable.
Thanks since I think Tyson has good insights--blessed with a good brain!
👍
I just watched this vid and thought it totally profound and on the mark & much of what I believe, but said in a much more scientifically sound manner !
He has joined “The Club” Stalin..Hitler..Mussolini..
Salazar..Putin..
All hail Donald Trump
It is way past time to call up Amendment 25.
Maybe we should ask the Pope to excommunicate Vance first. But then where will Sec 4 leave us? Who picks the Acting President?
I do think the scenarios are outlined in our Constitution.
I think it depends on how the Supreme court interprets Article 25 Sec 4 if President and VP are both out.
Donald, this comment got you lots of "likes" on this site, but if a Republican were to read it s/he would readily refer to it as a typical example of "Trump Derangement Syndrome." If we are to have meaningful dialogue in our Republic we must avoid adjectives and be weary of adverbs. You can do better than this.
I'm convinced "TDS" doesn't describe people who hate him but people who adore him so much they can't see how horrible he is.
Trump’s mission to Divide us is working. How many more people will die because of Trump’s “Indecent Criminalized Exterminators”, AKA ICE, who are nothing more than an army of masked, Lawless thugs?
47 campaigned as the “president of peace.” When I ask myself what might prompt these desperate, universally-condemned acts, the only answer I can come up with is Katie Johnson and the other Epstein survivors. Repost: Katie Johnson alleges that when she was a 13 year old child, she was tied to the 4 corners of a bed and raped, with onlookers ignoring her screams for help. I spent my career as a middle school guidance counselor. In 1994, the year this allegedly took place, the most popular Christmas gifts for 13 year old girls were Furby and Polly Pocket. Here’s her testimony. https://katemanne.substack.com/p/the-actual-conspiracy-theory-surrounding. https://katemanne.substack.com/p/they-tried-to-bury-the-katie-johnson?r=2g4u&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true
peace on his terms,which are unsurprisingly like putin's peace in ukraine-you surrender totally and i'll let you live-if I feel like it
Do we really need a replay of victimization?
I see it as a replay of survival and one that every adult in the country needs to hear. But I’m biased. The subject has personal relevance to me.
Sorry, I didn't read the Substack piece that I thought required a subscription. So I am not certain where you are coming from. However, if it's about unfair treatment, well, I am with you. Our American society and many on our planet are no longer in emotional balance or thinking clearly. This condition goes against Nature: we must have coherence to remain viable and functional.
Wishing you the best, Joan
🙏
"Indecent Criminalized Exterminators"--perfect!
"Trump is putting America on a war footing because war is good for him as it is for all dictators. War confers emergency powers." ... .... DJT has no Strategy, No Plans... DJT is getting more Erratic, and Dangerous as DJT's Dementia progresses... Venezuela was ill-Conceived, and is turning into a Quagmire... Keep an Eye on Greenland, and Iran... As the Grim-Reaper comes closer for DJT, DJT will get more Dangerous as DJT yearns for Posthumous Greatness...
Apache, I wish with all of my heart that someone would make him understand that he can yearn for posthumous greatness; however, he will not get that moniker as he will always be remembered for the vile, disgusting POS he is! There was absolutely nothing great about that subhuman! If somebody could drive that home to his dementia rotted brain and let him know that the majority of Americans hate him with such a white-hot heat that the only way he will be remembered is with revulsion.
Peggy, I think what will put most pressure on him are the Epstein files which hopefully are weighing heavily on his health. I can also tell you that if you take away his adderall he dies.
I hope that's right, Mike, because every time I comment on MSM news, I always bring up the Epstein files and the fact that he is wavy the shiny trinkets of ICE, Venezuela invasion and Greenland to try and deflect and distract from the Epstein files! I mention it in every comment!
I know! We’re in a who new world now, it’s like waking up over and over again into an ever expanding chaos.
Exactly! I wake up in the morning wondering what fresh hell he is going to put America through this day! I am so truly tired of the chaos, hate, violence and just plain evilness streaming from this regime daily!
There couldn't be a better day than today for assassination!!! (Please see my main comment.)
That would only make him a martyr to his adoring MAGAts.
Let cholesterol take him or take away his adderall.
And his family will share in his infamous legacy.
BTW - Boycott the current wife's movie.
Trump knows this, Peggy, but the only opinion he cares about is that of his fellow golf players and real estate developers.
Apache, IS he demented or just batshit crazy with "power"--mongering???
I would say he is both! How and why do we leave him in power when he is obviously trying to take over the world? How will this end? Even if we are successful in the midterms, how long will it take to get him impeached and/or removed? He will have his four years before we can even attempt to get him out!
I don't know, Jan, it is one of the true mysteries of Planet Earth living how horribly long the people of every country run by despots and dictators those dictators remain in power!
Addition: I can't seem to make the wording of this comment come out the way I want it to.:-(((
Here a link for info on Jonathan Ross. JDV has good things to say about his service. What’s missing is Renee Good saying “I’m not mad at you,” before she was shot in the face. Were “F*cking B*tch” the last words she heard?
https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/01/09/johnathan-ross-ice-killing-renee-good-minneapolis-background
Apache, "war is good" for all dictators who have a rational plan that offers them a chance to win. trump is doomed to lose though, because he has no strategy or plan, and his minions are powerless to stop him. Our pitiful national tragedy is a direct result of John Roberts and the corrupt six of the USSC who replaced Constitutional Law with the "unitary executive theory". This is the essence of their ruling during Biden's term that the executive is immune from prosecution for all "official acts taken" during one's term in office. Then all he needed to do was subvert the 2024 election and thus become "dictator on day one". This is why Jack Smith in his wisdom dropped all charges against him last January. "Unitary Executive" is fake legalese for "universal dictator" (see Hitler, Mao, Stalin, Mussolini, Kim, Putin, the beat goes on until we stop him) from whom all power flows, top-down.
Hello Dennis... DJT has never done any Planning.... Just look at his Business Failures... It was always, "Give Me, Give Me, Give Me".... All Impulse, No Brain-Work....
Agreed, and he brainwashes everyone to have his way.
Hello Dennis... Brainwashes, or Drowns us in a Torrent of BS!!!...
That is no bull!
You are right, Apache. Trump evidently sees his road to greatness by linking the Monroe Doctrine to Manifest Destiny, with the USA controlling the entire American continent, from Arctic to Antarctic. As a stage actor he probably knows that creating the illusion of control suffices to attain his claim to greatness. Even so, it is a dangerous and costly act no sane person should support.
Funny you mentioning the 'Grim Reaper'. That 'caricature' has been my go-to Halloween costume for years, since my surname is imbedded in the moniker for this entity. Just wish I had some 'super power' or could say "Shazam" and make him - dissolve into smoke and ash ~
How many nations will he have to threaten before the international community dumps our debt and destroys our economy? If this keeps up, we'll be in a world war soon.
Hello Robot... That would be a Devastating Weapon... Between DJT 1.0 & 2.0, DJT will double our National Debt... Isn't DJT a multiple failed Businessman floated by Russian Money, and Fraud?...
WHERE the Epstein files? WHERE is Congress? Why do they STILL not care about what has been happening for the past year??
The Republicans have abdicated all responsibility; they could stop this right now.
Exactly. Many of them support Project 2025. Others are just cowards, or so beholden to the people who pay them they sacrifice duty for personal power and gain.
When money is the only thing that informs your conscience, you're finished and so the people around you.
Trump is an idiot--
"If we don't take Greenland, either Russia or China will." What an asinine position to take. The people of that country detest Trump. However, if either one of the two adversaries Donnie is referring to made an attempt to acquire Greenland, I believe her people would then look upon Trump's offer differently. There is no need for any action at this time--cool your jets Donnie. Your homeland is in desperate need of attention, perhaps you should direct your efforts there.
Donald, pay attention! Trump is very much focused on our country, and he trying to steal it from you. Greenland is a distraction. If you have not read Project 2025 you don't know what is going on.
" . . . instead of seeing this unpredictability as a symptom of Trump’s diminishing capacities and ever-shorter attention span, the Times reported it as 'a tactic he embraces as president, particularly on the world stage. If no one knows what you might do, they often do what you want them to do.'"
I'm horrified by the way in which the media sane-washes this person. Vapid indeed. And yet, there is a grain of truth. The fear and cowering is real, both at home and abroad. Add in unlimited amounts of money that he seems to be able to beg, borrow or steal at will, and his power to unleash harm feels undiminished by his very real diminished capacity.
You comments are the most clear indication of what is happening! We ALL need to be out in the streets! Boycott companies who back him!
Americans don’t seem to stop buying! It seems like they don’t get that we are losing our Democratic Republic and freedoms!
Corrupt convicted felon Putin puppet Trump has always gotten a free ride for his hateful, immoral, and lawless behavior!
Robert, I think this is one of your most important posts. Writing from the UK, I am ashamed that our prime minister still thinks he has a special relationship with Trump.
Kier is not a politician....he's a lawyer who knows how to campaign, not how to govern.
Dear John, Starmer is a bit of a mystery to me, both in terms of the Labour Party and in his advances toward the US president. Our PM in Canada, Carney (whom you would remember as head of your bank of Great Britain) is doing as good a job as any leader can when dealing with a psychologically disturbed person, who is unfortunately your nearest neighbour.
Psychologically disturbed is putting it mildly.
Per my main posting today, former prince Andrew fits right in.
Why not publish thorough bios on the Cabinet-level aiders and abettors of this autocratic regime? I think that putting them on the defensive would be a) a good idea and, b) justifiable to us taxpayers so we can better know who is working "for" us. Might they be upset if their bios reveal them to be the soulless evil persons their actions demonstrate they are? Just sayin'...
Meidas did a great job with The 25 Worst People in the trump Regime. I saved it on my tablet so I can see it when I need reminding.
Nice! I've recently started viewing The Meidas Touch on Substack. But there are so many good Substacks coming down the pike these days I'm struggling to keep up. Would you reply back with the link to that 25 Worst post? Thanks PD!
Bo.....I have the same problem, I can't keep up with the reading of all the great Substacks! 💙💙💙🇺🇸
https://open.substack.com/pub/meidastouch/p/25-worst-villains-of-the-trump-admin?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=5ax1ig
Thank you!! I already restacked!
Thank You Camille! And Paula!
Sorry if you got the link twice, I didn't see the response.
How can Trump have a “war footing” when he has heel spurs? With that upside down Bible of his he should be a conscientious objector.
Mike, this would make a great Sunday caption to a pertinent cartoon (should it present itself!). Too funny!!!
Professor Reich: yeah, i almost had a stroke to see that the orange rapist declared himself the "acting president of venezuela" -- this lie appears on WIKIPEDIA of all places.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/incumbent-january-2026-trump-posts-fake-image-calls-himself-acting-president-of-venezuela/articleshow/126474474.cms
(i just looked at his wikipedia page and it's gone)
as JFK once said: "Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind". sadly, i think we have gone too far down this road to reverse direction, even if we manage somehow not to annihilate the entire planet with (nuclear & germ) war, the destruction of the planet due to climate change is still virtually guaranteed.
GrrlScientist, though I "liked" your post, it is really hard to "like" such truths!!
We need a new thing: support
or "agreed", like i dunno, a thumbs up?
GrrlScientist..........we are living in very scary times with too many mad men with fingers on the nuke buttons, especially trump. Something needs to be done about him sooner rather than later!
Foreign and domestic policy are always intertwined. They are being fused into a single operating system built on the same logic of dominance, emergency authority, and institutional bypass. What looks like improvisation is actually the predictable output of a doctrine that treats the homeland and the international arena as one continuous battlespace. The same framework that justifies military action abroad is the one enabling expanded enforcement powers, constitutional shortcuts, and the erosion of institutional constraints at home.
This is exactly the convergence I’ve been writing about: once a state defines both foreign adversaries and domestic populations through the same threat architecture, the distinction between “foreign policy” and “domestic policy” collapses.
You get one war footing, executed through the same captured institutions, the same legal rationales, and the same incentive structure. What happens in Caracas and what happens in Minneapolis are not separate categories…they’re expressions of the same doctrine scaled across different domains.
And that’s the point: this isn’t chaos or ego. It’s a system behaving as designed. The methods normalized abroad inevitably migrate home because the underlying architecture treats both arenas as variations of the same security problem.
Understanding that collapse isn’t fatalistic. It’s the only way to see the mechanism clearly enough to understand what it’s doing and why it’s happening now. I used this as the basis for my analysis of the World in 2026.
Great points, thank you.
—Johan
Som where is the "system" leading? WWIII?
Thanks, Johan, as that sounds about right.
I was very relieved yesterday to see news items about even those military currently left standing trying to prevent invasion of Venezuela.
Once again, we depend too much on military leaders, and the Trump administration has already decapitated earlier rounds of naysaying leaders. Those leaders need our help, and especially help from federal-level legislators.
Hello Mary Ann... It has been reported that the American Military Leadership prevented an Invasion of Greenland... They don't want a Conflict with NATO...
Trump sees NATO as more of an obstacle. Trump will keep us in as long as it's useful. He sees them as weak and ineffectual in attempting to stop Putin and himself.
No, I think NATO is much stronger than that and Putin knows it.
Of course it is and of course Putin knows it. Reread what I wrote.
I hope you are correct about that.
Agreed.
The child's inner self is just as indecent as the mess we see on the outside.
'Trump is not rational, and the people around him trying to give him a patina of rationality — his White House assistants and spokespeople — surely know it.'
I'm not sure that they do.
The only people who can lie on the scale that Trump's supporters do are people who believe their own lies.
They are devout adherents to the cult of MAGA, and we know how cults turn out in the end.
I just hope they all drink the koolaid.
What if Trump is perfectly rational .....we just don't understand his logic?
His logic is to gain power and become richer .
Yes, Joseph, and we must pay attention to the means Trump is using.
Good point, T-Alen.
YEAH, DONE IN!
War has been the great theme of our political corruption. From my essay "American Politics 101": https://dialector.substack.com/p/american-politics-101 "The culture war is a distraction factory, with an anti-American purpose to distract, divide, and conquer the American people so that we make war upon ourselves instead of uniting like real Americans under the Constitution. An irony of the culture war is that it is helping to destroy real American greatness in the name of Making America Great Again. The culture war contributes nothing to the governance of the nation. Its sole purpose is to make it impossible for the citizens of the United States to support and defend the founding document that defines the nation, secures our freedom, guarantees our rights, and brings forth every measure of real American greatness."
Culture War is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. Victor Orban has been coaching tRump for years, along with Putin. Divide and conquer!
Hitler provided the playbook.
Absolutely! I think the only book tRump's ever read is Mein Kamf.
That ,too, sounds about right.
Thanks for that bit of info., Max.
Worth reading all five of these short pieces--not to get more depressed, but to understand that Professor Reich's column today reflects a kind of consensus. The strategy of waiting for the midterms--too little too late. Congress must be pushed to act now.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/11/opinion/trump-new-world-order.html
Jill, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW, NOW!!!
I can't say that I "like" this post, but I have to agree that it is tragically "true" in the deepest realistic sense of that word.