Brave!! I worry for anyone working in the elections. The right has been given permission from TFG to do whatever it takes to make sure they win. Way too many of them take the "anything" part of that too far.
Teri--That's exactly the point. There is no problem, it's all political. Make the Biden presidency look bad in the eyes of the voters and pad the 2024 election. McCarthy's a Trump stooge.
Teri--Desantis maybe hedging on Trump either pulling out of the race or being forced to withdraw because of legal reasons leaving him as the front runner. As it stands Trump has the nomination in the bag, as if it will do him any good. The only plus side to his position are the campaign donations he has complied will make a nice retirement plan for an old golfer who has lost the balls with which to stay in the game.
No. In fact I was surprised to learn that my precinct has 387+ registered Dems and Independents! When canvassing for Reclaim Idaho, many, many Republicans signed the petition, too. It's actually VERY encouraging to find we have more in common than you'd expect 😁👍
Idaho ... GOOD For YOU !!!! I really don’t want the “Left to Write Off any Geographical Area in this country. We are here to “Take It Back,” and by that I mean .... “Take ALL OF IT Back. I don’t want to abandon a single child to being raised in a “culture” of Hate, Paranoia, Cruelty & Filth. And there are lovely “Wide Open” Spaces in Idaho in which it’s still possible to see stars in a Big Night Sky. And that’s how I see Opportunity in this Country .. as Big and Bold and OPEN as we can See It, Grow It & Make It. WE LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND.
Who Knows ... if we settle for less than ALL of God’s Children ... not only will SHE be disappointed, but we might just miss the next Nobel Laureate in Science or Literature ... or even Peace?
Why don't we just hype up that he is an anti-American, AFRICAN immigrant! Lord knows there are only three things that terrify Trumplicans: their stolen money being taken, vaginas, and IMMIGRANTS!
Would be interested in hypothetical opinions about whether Musk would beat both #45 and Biden if he (Musk) could run. My partner thinks so; I think he'd just split the vote and Joe would win. What do you all think? Am I wasting my time pondering this?
He's a very unattractive man, IMO, and I tend to think that the MAGA crowd would be turned off. But what do I know? I suggest you don't waste your time.
Would ANYTHING surprise us at this point? And he's just full of himself to try it. But he can't -- although at this point, it also wouldn't surprise me if the SCOTUS twisted something around to MAKE it possible--that's just how messed up things are. But, no I wouldn't even find this an interesting parlor game. Faaaar too many real-life, serious issues to figure out! TOO MANY. It can be hard to stay positive.
I beg to differ..."grab 'em by the pussy" hardly implies affection. a preoccupation, perhaps. but I'm preoccupied by lots of things (including people) that disgust me.
I hope your post isn't interpreted as applying to all immigrants. Most have been invaluable builders or our greatest ever Nation-States. As to the two miscreants you mention, I'd prefer they be sent back to whatever planet or dimension they may have come from, but that has nothing to do with their Earthly origins.
No, I wasn't referring to all immigrants, just these two, who have exploited the resources of our great country to enhance their own power and wealth, at everyone else's expense. Fox ranters spend so much time bashing immigrants when their channel is owned by an immigrant.
Why? Soros has never encouraged or supported anti-American activities like Musk and Murdoch. Both have taken from our country/taxpayers millions of dollars in give away funds and they only used that hand up to demean and antagonize our people and our society.
Yeah, Virginia, my beautiful state is polluted by the inattention by Dems and Independents and hard pushing by the rabid right and Youngkin was slithered into our governor's office. Thank GOD that our governors are only allowed one consecutive term, and hopefully he and his rabid right wing scum will not shaft the state too terribly bad so the next Democratic Governor elected with have the ability to right our ship back on a good course
What Patience? As an octogenarian I threw patience out the freaking window a couple of years ago, around 2015 when it became apparent that the rabid right wing Republican Fascist Party was going to be a permanent change in the old Republican Party. No patience, only disdain, disgust and harsh invectives for any right wing/former conservative who supports or does not object to the ChristoFascist path the Republicans have embarked on over the past couple of decades. It became completely exposed with the advent of the Trump Criminal Administration and the cowards in those white supremacist "militias" along with the rest of the racist, bigots, anti-democracy azzhats came out of the sewers and wall boards into the bright light of mainstream America. Cursing, denying and destroying every single thing that the American people had built up over the past 200 years. Well da%n their souls, no patience, not quarter. Won't rest until the ChristoFascist version of the former Republican Party is completely eradicated and a true conservative or moderate party arises to work in concert with the rest of our political class to the benefit of our country and our citizenry. No Patience at all!!!
A wall won't do any good. What we need is more radio stations and TV networks that speak the truth about democracy and the destructive power of an authoritarian party.
SpaceX would wither on the vine if the NASA contracts were removed. Without NASA support Musk's SpaceX would be nothing but a bunch of rusting spacecraft in the Texas hinterland.
As for Starlink? People have choices and given the proper incentive, the majority of private users would depart, and the US Government would increase their own networks, leaving Musk with just the European countries and they are far more strict than our country over service companies.
Can’t say it enough: wealth tax now! Extreme wealth seems to inevitably lead to anti-democratic extremism. Take away the fuel before it consumes the entire country!
Either that or flat-out Feudalism -- the King, the nobles and aristocrates, the Palace Guard (Blackwater, militarized police) ... and the masses of peasants outside the palace walls, who only exist and serve at the pleasure of the former.
As somebody who was born in 1946 in Germany, I'm deeply concerned. After searching for answers all my life, I've only recently had an AHA moment regarding my questions: HOW could the Nazi time with all its horrors happen? WHY didn't people stop it when it started? The answer is terrifying in its banality; it could happen because people don't think much, because they like their comfort, so they just LET things happen! Truly shocking.
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill
It may be something of an irony that the country perhaps least likely to succumb to this latest from of fascism is actually Germany as it has a functioning democracy, as well as a very organised anti-fascist movement.
Sadly in the USA and also the UK the far-right is in the ascendent, and though mostly it stops short of actual fascism, the ground is being unwittingly prepared for fascists to exploit. The recent clampdown on the right to protest in the UK is extremely worrying with the police now granted the powers to regulate political protest, which will bear most heavily upon those antipathetic to right-wing politics.
I always thought it was interesting that certain things were simply "verboten" in Germany. Nazi paraphenalia, "Mein Kampf", the fascist version of the national anthem -- all illegal, and there was no arguing about Freedom of Speech. It was rather effective.
It could also be that they thought "Hell, I am not a; Jew, Gypsy, non-Aryan, leftist, Commie, whatever they labeled LGBTQ++ people in that era 'Fatherland', any 'others', etc., so WHY should I care what these fascists do to THEM?"
Sadly, tragically, and terrifyingly, there seem to be many in this land who actually overtly, actively, and vehemently loathe all of the above peoples soooo ferociously, that they would attempt to OUT DO (as if it were a contest, or competition) what the brown shirts/SA, Waffen SS, and Gestapo did in that land starting some 85 years ago now. :( :(
I'm sure there were many of these active haters. I'm sure that many were motivated by fear, just like here now: fear of losing something, such as their traditions and customs, their jobs, their self-image even. And yet, the most common answer to the question: "How could you let this happen?" was, "We didn't know this was happening". As a kid in Germany I couldn't accept that; it seemed preposterous; but now, here? I bet many parents in Florida aren't REALLY happy about the book bans etc., but it's too much of a bother to stand up and do something about it. It's easier to look away. Actually, the Niemöller quote below (Padi Phillips) says exactly that. And that is so disturbing.
Many in your former land, during the Holocaust were in 'nose shot' distance of the crematoriums incessantly burning the millions of slaughtered innocents' bodies, so WHAT exactly did they think that they were smelling so acridly while claiming "We did not know"??
And yes, given the media coverage of all of this book banning (I expect the 3rd Reich style, actual ritual book BURNING to commence among these low life fascists SOON :( ), leaves no one in this land with the 'ignorance excuse' either.
Some people were paying attention and cared. It was a Gentile friend who warned my grandfather that he was to be picked up by the SS. He fled to the U.S. to his brother immediately. My grandmother packed up my mother and aunt and another Gentile friend took them to the train station, escorted them onto the train and stayed to watch the train pull out of the station.
This almost made me cry. You're so correct, one should NEVER judge groups of people, only individuals. There were also Sophie and Hans Scholl and the other members of the White Rose, they were arrested because they handed out anti-Nazi leaflets. And then they were executed with a guillotine. How courageous your grandfather's friend was.
There were absolutely many real, compassionate, merciful, and BRAVE human beings in Nazi Germany, as well as throughout fascist occupied/controlled Europe.
Let us hope that when the time comes HERE in the U.S. there are as many (or way more even) of those same true 'Good Christians' around to do good, and fight against the genocidal EVIL. ;)
We're now learning in real time how Nazism could arise. I predicted over a quarter century ago based on how the Republican Party was evolving, that with no intervention (& there has been none), & the takeover by an influential charismatic demagogue like Hitler (I never imagined it would be Trump, but here we are), the Republican Party would turn into a carbon copy of the Nazis. I so often wish my predictions wouldn't come true.
BBC (archive.org) has Internet Archive, If anyone wants check out Can't get it out of my head by Curtis Adam airing in 2021, you might find it interesting. It blends history with film, television coverage, and commentary. Banality on steroids perhaps.
Adam Curtis' stuff is very interesting and thought provoking, and hardly banal! It is, however his own personal interpretation using found footage to illustrate his commentary. There are loads of Adam Curtis videos on YouTube - he is very prolific!
As you said, Musk is an authoritarian. Like authoritarians everywhere, he draws his power from appealing to the ignorant antisocial haters of anyone different from them. These morons are antigovernment but would replace it gladly with a dictator, who looks at his followers as useful fools.
But the wannabe Mussolini does not have that Hitler 1.0 type of lectern pounding, apoplectic spitting, BUND meeting ranting con man/reality show BS that all of the pundits tell me is the 'charisma' that the orange fuehrer supposedly possesses, and uses to win over and keep it's worshipers.
So, because of that, the MAGAt and Q'aNAZI faithful would never put him in power to actually PROVE he is 'more dangerous'.
True- it would be great if the two monsters each got 30% and Scott got 35% of the South Carolina Primary and their former governor 5% Not likely but what fun.
Never underestimate the damage Trump can do. If he manages to come through all his legal troubles intact, he has a (un)reasonable chance of winning, & woe to us & the world if that happens.
I find it frustrating that I don’t believe in voodoo. Otherwise I’d spent my days and possibly nights making voodoo dolls and sticking them onto the paper portraits of all those people whose names I am infernally tired plastered all over the media every day. I won’t therefore repeat that long list of names here, but we ALL know who they are.
Thank you, Robert Reich, for hitting the bull’s eye once again, and as always, with your succinct description of those horrors on two legs.
Musk is an arrogant Apartheid transplant from South Africa, having no desire to live in his native land now that the Apartheid pseudo NAZI mobs have been excised from the governing body. Time that the Majority of the South African people took the reins of their country and the white supremacists like Musk have been seeking places to slither off to, residing in luxury on the billions of dollars they raped and pillaged from that country's resources. Of course the first thing that Musk did was rape and pillage the USA taxpayers for money to keep his company afloat when it was almost totally bankrupt and dying.
Reduce Elon's financial influences on our politicians and we may have a fighting chance by reversing policies which threaten Democracy like the 2010 Citizens United decision that's pimping out our politicians!🤔
Yep, and this old man would love to see him and the Murdoch's have their paid for citizenship revoked and them all deported back to the places they came from. Would love to see Musk forced to return to the South Africa he ran from when the White Supremacist governance was replaced by a mixture that included the majority of the native citizens. White fascist like Musk didn't want to live where the black citizens actually had a ruling input to THEIR country as the majority. Coward that he is, he took money from his daddy's emerald mines and paid the fascist members of the Republicans to fast track a citizenship card for him. Money talks and it spoke volumes for people like Musk and the Murdoch clan. The Congress should move away from the House's rabid right wing mob into a more moderate stance as befitting the clear majority of our country. Then eliminate the stupidity of the Supreme Court with that idiotic Citizens United and the rest of those anti-citizen rulings from that bunch of right wing jerks. Citizens United, the Electoral College, and that idiotic mistaken ruling on the 2nd Amendment content.
Totally agree! Why I left twitter when he announced he was in charge! Isn’t the Sherman Act still on the books 📖?! I don’t think it’s healthy for all news outlets to be owned by conglomerates!
Our ONLY solice is in knowing that neither Bunkerboy NOR Puddingfingers have a chance at actually winning a general election. The fact that the later is now essentially a REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER doesn't help.
Twitter will not last another 6 months, which is ALSO good news.
Not true, the right wing composes slightly under 40 percent. There are some "independents" who claim to be nonpartisan but are in reality closet fascist right wing.
You underestimate the orange SHITler's devout and faithful MAGAts (or give them too much credit for having ANY sense at all?), since they adore, worship, and ADMIRE their putrid fuehrer that much more than before due to that sex offender label, such is their ilk.
Yup, real moral, upstanding 'Good Chreestunz', the lot. <-LOFL
Sure because their plan ( a very long term one) has been to usurp the American Constitution, replace the Democratic Republic with an autocratic/theocratic fascist regime, eliminate the one person one vote with only wealthy can vote and only after they have been cleared by the Ruling NAZI party and the Fuhrer's commandants.
Actually I don't think that Trump is a Registered Sex Offender yet. A KNOWN Sex Offender, but he has been that for years. So I hope you are right and that he has been registered since his conviction in court for the sexual assault in that public department store. A Truly Arrogant ass, to think he is so superior to assault a woman in a department store dressing room. My true concern is the fact that several people had to be passing by that dressing room, had to hear the assault and simply said not their problem. A disease that our society has far too advanced.
Signed up for Twitter many years ago, though the 140 character was stupid and never used it.
Same with MySpace and Facebook, but then two entities got me using Facebook, my Church Vicar and members of my extended family. I now only access Facebook on a biweekly basis and only to respond to family. My church no longer uses it either. Twitter? Now that the arrogant egomaniacal ass Elon Musk owns it, delete any icons for that stupid site whenever I come across them.
OK, so its time to abandon Twitter for good and find another home for all our 'social' media, podcasts and general news.
Also time to deal with big tech as none of this can happen without them, again choose other platforms that have some ethics and positive good for the whole community.
TWITville … what’s that? This platform is all I need to remind me I might not actually be mad. Birds of a feather flock together. All the TWITTS hang out over there and all of us who know how to think are happy right over here having mindful and actual conversations. Thank you Robert for bringing us together.
Thank God I live in Berkeley!!!
I can't watch or listen to any of these MAGA beings.
I'm counting on enough people like myself to get out and vote the ....... out of office.
Come on Gen Z!
I've become a precinct captain for my Dem party in order to hopefully get more out here in Idaho to help fix our VERY broken state
Good for you!
Brave!! I worry for anyone working in the elections. The right has been given permission from TFG to do whatever it takes to make sure they win. Way too many of them take the "anything" part of that too far.
I feel I HAVE to stand up. Silence indicates compliance. Too many allow intimidation to silence them
Ask yourself this one question: If Trump was president would McCarthy be doing what he is doing?
no, he would be making another "supply" side tax decrease and advocating a national sales tax.
Of course not. What would be the point?
Teri--That's exactly the point. There is no problem, it's all political. Make the Biden presidency look bad in the eyes of the voters and pad the 2024 election. McCarthy's a Trump stooge.
preaching to the choir
Teri--Desantis maybe hedging on Trump either pulling out of the race or being forced to withdraw because of legal reasons leaving him as the front runner. As it stands Trump has the nomination in the bag, as if it will do him any good. The only plus side to his position are the campaign donations he has complied will make a nice retirement plan for an old golfer who has lost the balls with which to stay in the game.
Good for you! I'm up in Teton County, ID
Get active if you can! Reclaim Idaho has joined a coalition of groups to put Open Voting on the ballot! 😁👍 keep and eye out and sign. They're on FB
Will do for sure!
Good for you 😍😍😍
Thank you! Same here in Perquimans County NC. Our precinct is largely comprised of seniors. Hope both your locale and ours will bring in young voters.
Amen, sister!
Howard Dean told us to get involved, twenty years ago. Keep it up!
Thanks Jean!
Your task looks hopeless. Don't you have a lot of ultraconservative transplants from California? Anyway, good luck!
No. In fact I was surprised to learn that my precinct has 387+ registered Dems and Independents! When canvassing for Reclaim Idaho, many, many Republicans signed the petition, too. It's actually VERY encouraging to find we have more in common than you'd expect 😁👍
Idaho ... GOOD For YOU !!!! I really don’t want the “Left to Write Off any Geographical Area in this country. We are here to “Take It Back,” and by that I mean .... “Take ALL OF IT Back. I don’t want to abandon a single child to being raised in a “culture” of Hate, Paranoia, Cruelty & Filth. And there are lovely “Wide Open” Spaces in Idaho in which it’s still possible to see stars in a Big Night Sky. And that’s how I see Opportunity in this Country .. as Big and Bold and OPEN as we can See It, Grow It & Make It. WE LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND.
Who Knows ... if we settle for less than ALL of God’s Children ... not only will SHE be disappointed, but we might just miss the next Nobel Laureate in Science or Literature ... or even Peace?
Send Elon Musk back to South Africa (and Rupert Murdoch back to Australia). These immigrants should not be allowed to sabotage our country.
Why don't we just hype up that he is an anti-American, AFRICAN immigrant! Lord knows there are only three things that terrify Trumplicans: their stolen money being taken, vaginas, and IMMIGRANTS!
Would be interested in hypothetical opinions about whether Musk would beat both #45 and Biden if he (Musk) could run. My partner thinks so; I think he'd just split the vote and Joe would win. What do you all think? Am I wasting my time pondering this?
Not at all!H Ross Perot split up the vote,. Anything to keep the coup Putin Insurrectionest away from White House 🙏🙏🙏
He's a very unattractive man, IMO, and I tend to think that the MAGA crowd would be turned off. But what do I know? I suggest you don't waste your time.
Lots of MAGA adore Musk, believe it or not!
Would ANYTHING surprise us at this point? And he's just full of himself to try it. But he can't -- although at this point, it also wouldn't surprise me if the SCOTUS twisted something around to MAKE it possible--that's just how messed up things are. But, no I wouldn't even find this an interesting parlor game. Faaaar too many real-life, serious issues to figure out! TOO MANY. It can be hard to stay positive.
Well, since it’s an impossible hypothetical, yes.
I think that elon would split the INSURRECTIONIST vote, leading President Biden to one of the biggest slandslide victories in history!
Love it! Not sure I agree but I like the thought.
I don’t think Trump is terrified of women’s private parts.
Oh, he is absolutely TERRIFIED of people who have one.
At least those who stand up to him
Nope. All of them.
that too.
I beg to differ..."grab 'em by the pussy" hardly implies affection. a preoccupation, perhaps. but I'm preoccupied by lots of things (including people) that disgust me.
He pays some one to screw them for him! Trump kisses Putins ass! He wouldn't know what to do with Vagina🤗🤗😀😀😀
Not necessarily, but he IS terrified of women like 100% of male MAGAts!
No but I think many #45ers are.
Only their law suits.
So true! 😆
Best comment yet!
I’m Australian. We don’t want Murdoch back. He’s got the same agenda here in his papers and Sky News but not so many of us fall for their BS!
Perfect solution....put both Murdoch and Musk on one of Musk's rockets and send them as far into space as the rocket can take them.
They can take Trump, MT Green, and all the other MAGA congressmen with them! Even if they return they won’t have a better perspective!
Don't forget DeSatan. I'd be down with that....I'd even help them pack.
I agree!
I hope your post isn't interpreted as applying to all immigrants. Most have been invaluable builders or our greatest ever Nation-States. As to the two miscreants you mention, I'd prefer they be sent back to whatever planet or dimension they may have come from, but that has nothing to do with their Earthly origins.
No, I wasn't referring to all immigrants, just these two, who have exploited the resources of our great country to enhance their own power and wealth, at everyone else's expense. Fox ranters spend so much time bashing immigrants when their channel is owned by an immigrant.
I wonder how the native Americans would react to that comment...
I can hazard a guess....but I'm good with going back to my maternal grandparent's native Ireland. My paternal grandparent's Poland, not so much.
And Trump to ADX Florence.
I believe that trump should return back to hell, where he belongs. He should also take his fascist friends with him.
Sounds like a plan to me!
Deft.
Why? Soros has never encouraged or supported anti-American activities like Musk and Murdoch. Both have taken from our country/taxpayers millions of dollars in give away funds and they only used that hand up to demean and antagonize our people and our society.
huh?
Around vaginas??
😀😅😅🤣
Yeah, Virginia, my beautiful state is polluted by the inattention by Dems and Independents and hard pushing by the rabid right and Youngkin was slithered into our governor's office. Thank GOD that our governors are only allowed one consecutive term, and hopefully he and his rabid right wing scum will not shaft the state too terribly bad so the next Democratic Governor elected with have the ability to right our ship back on a good course
What Patience? As an octogenarian I threw patience out the freaking window a couple of years ago, around 2015 when it became apparent that the rabid right wing Republican Fascist Party was going to be a permanent change in the old Republican Party. No patience, only disdain, disgust and harsh invectives for any right wing/former conservative who supports or does not object to the ChristoFascist path the Republicans have embarked on over the past couple of decades. It became completely exposed with the advent of the Trump Criminal Administration and the cowards in those white supremacist "militias" along with the rest of the racist, bigots, anti-democracy azzhats came out of the sewers and wall boards into the bright light of mainstream America. Cursing, denying and destroying every single thing that the American people had built up over the past 200 years. Well da%n their souls, no patience, not quarter. Won't rest until the ChristoFascist version of the former Republican Party is completely eradicated and a true conservative or moderate party arises to work in concert with the rest of our political class to the benefit of our country and our citizenry. No Patience at all!!!
touche (how do I do an acute accent?). well done.
A wall won't do any good. What we need is more radio stations and TV networks that speak the truth about democracy and the destructive power of an authoritarian party.
Maybe a dome? Remember Musk has Space-X & Starlink. Probably there's no way to keep him out.
SpaceX would wither on the vine if the NASA contracts were removed. Without NASA support Musk's SpaceX would be nothing but a bunch of rusting spacecraft in the Texas hinterland.
As for Starlink? People have choices and given the proper incentive, the majority of private users would depart, and the US Government would increase their own networks, leaving Musk with just the European countries and they are far more strict than our country over service companies.
This is why I read Substack every morning instead of Twitter, because of journalists like you. Thank you.
Yes!
Exactly!
Can’t say it enough: wealth tax now! Extreme wealth seems to inevitably lead to anti-democratic extremism. Take away the fuel before it consumes the entire country!
The end game of zealous, completely unfettered (the way the autocrats want) extreme capitalism IS FASCISM!
Either that or flat-out Feudalism -- the King, the nobles and aristocrates, the Palace Guard (Blackwater, militarized police) ... and the masses of peasants outside the palace walls, who only exist and serve at the pleasure of the former.
EXACTLY!!
As somebody who was born in 1946 in Germany, I'm deeply concerned. After searching for answers all my life, I've only recently had an AHA moment regarding my questions: HOW could the Nazi time with all its horrors happen? WHY didn't people stop it when it started? The answer is terrifying in its banality; it could happen because people don't think much, because they like their comfort, so they just LET things happen! Truly shocking.
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill
It may be something of an irony that the country perhaps least likely to succumb to this latest from of fascism is actually Germany as it has a functioning democracy, as well as a very organised anti-fascist movement.
Sadly in the USA and also the UK the far-right is in the ascendent, and though mostly it stops short of actual fascism, the ground is being unwittingly prepared for fascists to exploit. The recent clampdown on the right to protest in the UK is extremely worrying with the police now granted the powers to regulate political protest, which will bear most heavily upon those antipathetic to right-wing politics.
I always thought it was interesting that certain things were simply "verboten" in Germany. Nazi paraphenalia, "Mein Kampf", the fascist version of the national anthem -- all illegal, and there was no arguing about Freedom of Speech. It was rather effective.
Displaying the Nazi flag and the Confederate flag SHOULD be illegal in this country.
Those symbols of hate and racism should be relegated to museums.
Yes
Hate speech is not protected speech if it:
is incitement to imminent lawless action (incitement);
speech that threatens serious bodily harm (true threats); or
speech that causes an immediate breach of the peace (fighting words). .
The problem is, certain people think they get to decide what constitutes hate speech.....such as teaching actual facts.
It could also be that they thought "Hell, I am not a; Jew, Gypsy, non-Aryan, leftist, Commie, whatever they labeled LGBTQ++ people in that era 'Fatherland', any 'others', etc., so WHY should I care what these fascists do to THEM?"
Sadly, tragically, and terrifyingly, there seem to be many in this land who actually overtly, actively, and vehemently loathe all of the above peoples soooo ferociously, that they would attempt to OUT DO (as if it were a contest, or competition) what the brown shirts/SA, Waffen SS, and Gestapo did in that land starting some 85 years ago now. :( :(
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
- Pastor Martin Niemöller
Yup, something that these effing devout, zealous, PRO FASCISTS are just way too brain dead to even begin to realize. :(
I'm sure there were many of these active haters. I'm sure that many were motivated by fear, just like here now: fear of losing something, such as their traditions and customs, their jobs, their self-image even. And yet, the most common answer to the question: "How could you let this happen?" was, "We didn't know this was happening". As a kid in Germany I couldn't accept that; it seemed preposterous; but now, here? I bet many parents in Florida aren't REALLY happy about the book bans etc., but it's too much of a bother to stand up and do something about it. It's easier to look away. Actually, the Niemöller quote below (Padi Phillips) says exactly that. And that is so disturbing.
Many in your former land, during the Holocaust were in 'nose shot' distance of the crematoriums incessantly burning the millions of slaughtered innocents' bodies, so WHAT exactly did they think that they were smelling so acridly while claiming "We did not know"??
And yes, given the media coverage of all of this book banning (I expect the 3rd Reich style, actual ritual book BURNING to commence among these low life fascists SOON :( ), leaves no one in this land with the 'ignorance excuse' either.
Jessica,
Some people were paying attention and cared. It was a Gentile friend who warned my grandfather that he was to be picked up by the SS. He fled to the U.S. to his brother immediately. My grandmother packed up my mother and aunt and another Gentile friend took them to the train station, escorted them onto the train and stayed to watch the train pull out of the station.
This almost made me cry. You're so correct, one should NEVER judge groups of people, only individuals. There were also Sophie and Hans Scholl and the other members of the White Rose, they were arrested because they handed out anti-Nazi leaflets. And then they were executed with a guillotine. How courageous your grandfather's friend was.
There were absolutely many real, compassionate, merciful, and BRAVE human beings in Nazi Germany, as well as throughout fascist occupied/controlled Europe.
Let us hope that when the time comes HERE in the U.S. there are as many (or way more even) of those same true 'Good Christians' around to do good, and fight against the genocidal EVIL. ;)
We're now learning in real time how Nazism could arise. I predicted over a quarter century ago based on how the Republican Party was evolving, that with no intervention (& there has been none), & the takeover by an influential charismatic demagogue like Hitler (I never imagined it would be Trump, but here we are), the Republican Party would turn into a carbon copy of the Nazis. I so often wish my predictions wouldn't come true.
I think you are right.
BBC (archive.org) has Internet Archive, If anyone wants check out Can't get it out of my head by Curtis Adam airing in 2021, you might find it interesting. It blends history with film, television coverage, and commentary. Banality on steroids perhaps.
Adam Curtis' stuff is very interesting and thought provoking, and hardly banal! It is, however his own personal interpretation using found footage to illustrate his commentary. There are loads of Adam Curtis videos on YouTube - he is very prolific!
Ron Desantis is a twrp politician ; politicians are temporary; The Mouse Is Forever!!!
J
Yeah, Mickey SPANKED that little man-baby!
Sometimes you cannot make up stuff that’s funnier than life. J
As you said, Musk is an authoritarian. Like authoritarians everywhere, he draws his power from appealing to the ignorant antisocial haters of anyone different from them. These morons are antigovernment but would replace it gladly with a dictator, who looks at his followers as useful fools.
Fortunately led by an incompetent tyrant. That’s why Ron DeathSentence is more dangerous.
But the wannabe Mussolini does not have that Hitler 1.0 type of lectern pounding, apoplectic spitting, BUND meeting ranting con man/reality show BS that all of the pundits tell me is the 'charisma' that the orange fuehrer supposedly possesses, and uses to win over and keep it's worshipers.
So, because of that, the MAGAt and Q'aNAZI faithful would never put him in power to actually PROVE he is 'more dangerous'.
True- it would be great if the two monsters each got 30% and Scott got 35% of the South Carolina Primary and their former governor 5% Not likely but what fun.
He's a long shot, but I wouldn't count out Ramaswarthy if both Trump & DeSantis implode.
Never underestimate the damage Trump can do. If he manages to come through all his legal troubles intact, he has a (un)reasonable chance of winning, & woe to us & the world if that happens.
You may have retired from a college faculty but you CANNOT STOP TEACHING. It is part of your wonderful core. TJ
I find it frustrating that I don’t believe in voodoo. Otherwise I’d spent my days and possibly nights making voodoo dolls and sticking them onto the paper portraits of all those people whose names I am infernally tired plastered all over the media every day. I won’t therefore repeat that long list of names here, but we ALL know who they are.
Thank you, Robert Reich, for hitting the bull’s eye once again, and as always, with your succinct description of those horrors on two legs.
Musk is damaged goods. DeSantis is simply evil.
That is why I call him DeSatan.
Musk is an arrogant Apartheid transplant from South Africa, having no desire to live in his native land now that the Apartheid pseudo NAZI mobs have been excised from the governing body. Time that the Majority of the South African people took the reins of their country and the white supremacists like Musk have been seeking places to slither off to, residing in luxury on the billions of dollars they raped and pillaged from that country's resources. Of course the first thing that Musk did was rape and pillage the USA taxpayers for money to keep his company afloat when it was almost totally bankrupt and dying.
Reduce Elon's financial influences on our politicians and we may have a fighting chance by reversing policies which threaten Democracy like the 2010 Citizens United decision that's pimping out our politicians!🤔
Yep, and this old man would love to see him and the Murdoch's have their paid for citizenship revoked and them all deported back to the places they came from. Would love to see Musk forced to return to the South Africa he ran from when the White Supremacist governance was replaced by a mixture that included the majority of the native citizens. White fascist like Musk didn't want to live where the black citizens actually had a ruling input to THEIR country as the majority. Coward that he is, he took money from his daddy's emerald mines and paid the fascist members of the Republicans to fast track a citizenship card for him. Money talks and it spoke volumes for people like Musk and the Murdoch clan. The Congress should move away from the House's rabid right wing mob into a more moderate stance as befitting the clear majority of our country. Then eliminate the stupidity of the Supreme Court with that idiotic Citizens United and the rest of those anti-citizen rulings from that bunch of right wing jerks. Citizens United, the Electoral College, and that idiotic mistaken ruling on the 2nd Amendment content.
Totally agree! Why I left twitter when he announced he was in charge! Isn’t the Sherman Act still on the books 📖?! I don’t think it’s healthy for all news outlets to be owned by conglomerates!
Funny, I was suspended from Twitter. So much for free speech.
I was kicked out three times for heckling alt righters. So much for PROGRESSIVES being "snowflakes!"
Scott Baio, Iconic Male Bimbo, would make a Great Trump W H press sec . .did it for me.
Savage Hate Speech
Our ONLY solice is in knowing that neither Bunkerboy NOR Puddingfingers have a chance at actually winning a general election. The fact that the later is now essentially a REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER doesn't help.
Twitter will not last another 6 months, which is ALSO good news.
How can you be so sure? Nearly 50% of voters are right-wing!
Not true, the right wing composes slightly under 40 percent. There are some "independents" who claim to be nonpartisan but are in reality closet fascist right wing.
You underestimate the orange SHITler's devout and faithful MAGAts (or give them too much credit for having ANY sense at all?), since they adore, worship, and ADMIRE their putrid fuehrer that much more than before due to that sex offender label, such is their ilk.
Yup, real moral, upstanding 'Good Chreestunz', the lot. <-LOFL
Also he underestimates the lengths they'll go to in order to get into (permanent) power, constitutional or not.
Sure because their plan ( a very long term one) has been to usurp the American Constitution, replace the Democratic Republic with an autocratic/theocratic fascist regime, eliminate the one person one vote with only wealthy can vote and only after they have been cleared by the Ruling NAZI party and the Fuhrer's commandants.
Actually I don't think that Trump is a Registered Sex Offender yet. A KNOWN Sex Offender, but he has been that for years. So I hope you are right and that he has been registered since his conviction in court for the sexual assault in that public department store. A Truly Arrogant ass, to think he is so superior to assault a woman in a department store dressing room. My true concern is the fact that several people had to be passing by that dressing room, had to hear the assault and simply said not their problem. A disease that our society has far too advanced.
Anyone who uses twitter for anything other than entertainment is not that bright. It’s mainly bot accounts and bad advertisements.
Signed up for Twitter many years ago, though the 140 character was stupid and never used it.
Same with MySpace and Facebook, but then two entities got me using Facebook, my Church Vicar and members of my extended family. I now only access Facebook on a biweekly basis and only to respond to family. My church no longer uses it either. Twitter? Now that the arrogant egomaniacal ass Elon Musk owns it, delete any icons for that stupid site whenever I come across them.
WOW, Professor! What an excellent analysis of Elon and the impact of big money on democracy.
Without doubt, freedom of intelligent journalism will save us when so much freedom of thoughtless, careless speech is in question.
OK, so its time to abandon Twitter for good and find another home for all our 'social' media, podcasts and general news.
Also time to deal with big tech as none of this can happen without them, again choose other platforms that have some ethics and positive good for the whole community.
TWITville … what’s that? This platform is all I need to remind me I might not actually be mad. Birds of a feather flock together. All the TWITTS hang out over there and all of us who know how to think are happy right over here having mindful and actual conversations. Thank you Robert for bringing us together.