"Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls. They got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying. Lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I’ll tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests.” George Carlin 2006.
Putin, Trump, Xi and all of the other world dictators owned by oligarchs and corporations will run the world if Trump is elected. Then the world will fall into different alliances between iron fisted dictatorships. Eventually they will quarrel between themselves and war with nuclear weapons will happen. All us worker bees will be destroyed but the corrupt corporate oligarchs and families will live on. It’s like a bad plot to a sad novel but all too possible!
PUTIN and MUSK: When Elon Musk purchased Twitter I read this Dave Troy article highlighting the alignment between Elon Musk and Putin. Troy put forth that Musk's goal in purchasing Twitter was not to make money, but to control the information space and reshape the global world order. Musk is aligned with Putin in desiring a "multipolar world order." Musk is antidemocratic, believing advances in society are made through "technocracy" and at best democracy should be managed by smart people like Musk and his "technical managers" (eerily similar to Putin's "methodologists"). According to Troy, Musk would ultimately like to move back to a gold standard and replace the dollar with cryptocurrency and government with an app! Also, Musk's "long-termism" is about humanity's future in space--hence his disregard for social, climate, and political ills here and now. [Troy is a tech entrepreneur, disinformation specialist and investigative journalist who shares the same tech world as Musk, Dorsey, and their supporters.] When I read Troy's article I found it a bit above my pay grade. However, I follow Troy as he continues to write about the threat to democracy. Yesterday it was reported Russia is using Musk's Starlink in Ukraine. I watch what is going on with disinformation and media this past week. I now agree fervently with Troy's final conclusion in that first article I read about the Twitter acquisition: "None of this is a joke, none of the old rules apply, and we would be well-advised to treat this as the threat it really represents." I attach the original Troy article that I can't shake, though I enthusiastically refer you to his writings since. https://bylinetimes.com/2022/11/07/musks-twitter-buy-makes-no-sense-unless-its-part-of-something-bigger/
Musk, Bezzo's and the other corporate oligarchs, you all deeply desire to go into space, please do it now! then maybe we can have a better chance of saving the earth's climate from global catastrophe from your stinking greed.
Maybe this is linked with research into extending the human lifespan way beyond its current limits. If colonies were to be set up on Mars, etc., it would take many years. These guys might be too old to enjoy it by then.
To tackle the climate crisis just so that people can continue to live on this planet seems to me a worthy goal. It seems that for guys like Musk it just isn’t sexy enough. Let mundane intellects work on it. Musk has loftier aspirations.
I suspect that Bezos and Musk aren’t the ones that will be going into space. First, it will be large groups of the homeless, influential Democrats and liberals, etc. Not to live, but for disposal.
Insulting the intelligence and lack of education of a people who are bombarded with right-wing propaganda that infects our news media and social discourse, especially when public education is constantly underfunded and then attacked by the same right-wing propagandists year after year... I don't think that's fighting fair. We're not any less intelligent now than we were when Johnson's Civil Rights bill was passed. We're not any less intelligent now than we were when we elected Barrack Obama as President. Our electorate is besieged and beguiled, but it is not incapable of defending democracy. WE need to accept OUR responsibility and bring the message to OUR people; that message is that OUR democracy is under threat and WE need to stand up to protect if from the neo-fascist MAGA Republicans and their oligarchic benefactors, including Putin.
Two instants: The gulf between what we say we are (myth in constant reminder) and what we are (look away, Dixieland), and S/he votes. I'm all too aware of unfairness ..
True that there are many examples of "who we are" that are shameful. But, I argue that it's not who we are that's the problem, it's what we're being force-fed and how we've been miseducated. It's just not useful to insult the intelligence of the electorate. It invites anti-democratic arguments while simultaneously fueling nonsensical tit-for-tat exchanges that pass for debates. You're correct that too much of the public has been pulled into the culture wars by their own fears and prejudices, but calling them stupid is just not helpful.
O'Connor viewed that a major problem in the US is that most citizens don't understand democracy and nor the need of institutions that are necessary to keep the Constitution float. The last 7 years is a Masters education. Ukraine demonstrates the opposite of autocracy.
I'd go further, to a true lexicographical (< damn me if that's the wrong word) edge:
Look at your change. Look at your bills. Try to find the word 'freedom'. Another 7-letter word stands in its place--'liberty'. Difference? Surely. As to how it got there and stayed I have yet to discover. Never mind the confusion between the two that even extends to the OED. As they apply here, 'freedom' relates to the forthright independence and separation of the original 13 states that led the the shambles wrought by the Articles of CONfederation. 'Liberty' refers here to the--may I say adult--realizing that by voluntarily surrendering enough of that freedom to make a workable Federation. Both words need reflection, but I can say that when I hear 'freedom' evoked, I cringe a little; it has an adolescent tinge. William Safire wrote a piece on the differences, which I'd lost and recently found. Forgetting it was him, I re-researched the ideas. Say, is Freedom a Platonic ideal? If so, his crowd must have had fun with it ..
I should add a second response I just thought of: A reasonably intelligent high school and college friend's family voted Republican, so he did. This was in the '60s-'70s. We'd have disagreements about his voting for Nixon a second time, over some convenient pants wetter conservatives love to destroy. Anyway, when pressed as to why, he'd say, 'Well, I dunno ..' and trail off. Nothing could be worse than hearing that sort of disconnect, from a voter yet ..
Musk blew up two multimillion dollar rockets all paid with our tax money. He’s incompetent and destroys everything he touches. We are not going to ANY other planet with Musk. If our government actually cared about Americans they would pull all contracts from him and give them to those companies that actually know what they are doing and for the betterment of society as a whole. Musk is an oligarch. He never will do the right thing.
Colonization of Mars is a scam. At .38ge the Martian gravity is not strong enough to hold an atmosphere of lighter gases like oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen to it's surface.
We live in a very thin film of an atmosphere, it essentially disappears at above 30,000 ft, and liquids, including blood boil off higher than that, and that is the reason that jet pilots and astronauts wear pressure suits and undergarments.
The gravitational pull of the center of the earth, pulls these molecules towards it, and they pile up on each other at the surface (aka atmospheric pressure) if the Earths gravitational pull was as weak as Mars, then our atmosphere would drift off into space, spun off by the centrifugal force at the equator.
Water is made up of these lighter gases, hydrogen and oxygen, and the only place unaffected by the centrifugal force of the planet are the poles and subsurface.
It is gravitational pull that creates atmosphere, the stronger the gravity the more capable it is of binding lighter molecules like hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen to the surface and create an atmosphere that can sustain animal life.
Lighter gravity (.38ge) means that after a prolong stay on Mars, the body would lose bone mass, as there is no longer the atmospheric/gravitational pressure on it that requires larger bones, to anchor the muscles, tendons and ligaments needed to perambulate.
NASA knows it, science knows it, dentists know it, but it is not even discussed.
Decrease gravity and you decrease bone mass, because you decrease stress on the bones by muscles, tendons and ligaments.
When your dentist pulls teeth, the jaw bone were the teeth were anchored, recedes because there is no longer any stress on the jaw bone.
An aveerage human can leap maybe 18 inches from standing still, in a .38ge he will be able to leap 6 ft or more, and each step he takes would have him bound many feet into the air, and thus blow through any habitat walls or ceiling unless he/she wore weights, like a deep sea diver.
Children born on Mars would be spindly and short, spindly legs and arms, large heads and eyes (adjusted to the Martian atmosphere of carbon dioxide, and perpetual twilight.
Right On!! The real task of reducing crime is to catch (with love) all children heading towards death, prison, etc. At a Treatment Center for juvenile offenders in Michigan (Maxey in Whitmore Lake). We were successful for many offenders (seriously delinquent adolescents). As a community child psychiatrist I know that empathy is the key. These kids will share their traumas and lack of love which teaches both of us how he became criminal. It takes time with each lad and with a lot of expertise. Prison is the disraction from reality. Expertise is hard to find in the community. Thanks Stan.
While I agree that Musk is trying to be an oligarch, we're not an oligarchy yet. Regarding the rockets destroyed, accidents can happen with that regardless of the funding type.
In a democracy, the government is answerable to us and made by us. It's not some abstract thing that's out there. It's you and me and the whole electorate. The government doesn't care about us? Well, let's do something about it then; let's make our government more democratic and more responsive to our needs. This can only be done when we accept responsibility for it. "The government" is ours to criticize and shape so long as we are a democracy. I'll admit that the billionaires and big corporations and banks have way more influence in our current set-up than we do. But, we do still have power; the would-be oligarchs are wanting to take what power we have so that they can have it all. We can't let them. No, America must continue to be a democracy, and it must strive to be more and more democratic, not less.
Celia, an excellent comment, thank you. A real eye opener, well worth spreading around. I just wish you could have broken it up into two or three paragraphs, it would have made it more readable.
The gold standard is a Marxist and Libertarian wet dream, there is not enough gold in the world to use as a standard. Arthur Kitson, a 19th Century Economisit, took on Marx when he wrote A Fraudulent Standard.
Russia, because it was Marxist, was on a gold standard. They defined a ruble as .9871 grams fine gold, and only printed enough rubles as there was gold on hand, result was a perpetual shortage of rubles and a perpetual depression, long lines for bread and meat and no consumer goods produced, which they blamed on the cold war as a scapegoat.
There were seven banks in the Soviet Union, and a central bank called the GoSBank, however the citizen could not redeem rubles for gold, but a foreigner could present rubles at the NordBank in Paris and demand gold, which reduced the supply of gold, and exacerbated the Depression.
Soviet customs rigorously searched all outgoing luggage for rubles, as it was a crime to smuggle out rubles, in bound luggage was screened only for "subversive literature) and they welcomed the import of consumer goods.
Interesting! You reinforce that what we are seeing is not random. I admit when I initially read the article it seemed very sci fi. Now, I see echoes of it everywhere and am re-reading several of Troy's articles. I'll work on the paragraphs.
Musk's public stance about humans expanding to live on other planets is a pipedream. Too many lightyears and no oxygen, water, food, or warmth. You know, facts!
Many governments want to eliminate cash. All the world's economy on paper, and screens, making it so easy to control, charge and rip off average citizens
As a Technocrat (with a capital "T"), I must explain the difference between what is represented as Musk's take on "technocracy" (his grandfather was one of the early Technocrats), and the term as conceived by the Technocracy organization, founded in 1933 and one of the most significant social movements of the 1930's and 1940's (it dwindled after the war-funded economic "boom" of the post-WWII years, which, tragically, has been a linchpin of our debt-structured economy ever since).
Technocracy's original conception was based on a 14-year study of industrial trends performed at Columbia University starting in 1918, following the end of WWI. Facing the return of hundreds of thousands of veterans seeking jobs, and the fact that production continued in their absence, It concluded that the ongoing replacement of human labor by machines (accelerating even as this is written) would cause disruptions in purchasing power. To distribute the increase in production made possible, the economy would go into a perpetual debt spiral (which also happened, and is continuing with no end in sight - one major reason for the social stress we are witnessing). The organization also pointed out the pointless waste of energy and resources, and environmental destruction, brought about by the need to supply disposable products to promote repeat sales.
These revelations (validated by the Holland study in 1961, which revealed that the total amount of goods and services required by the country could be produced by ten percent of the work force), were prematurely released to the public and the Technocracy organization was formed in 1933 to promote a hastily-assembled design for addressing these changes - a "technocracy", or government based on fact rather than opinion, an economy based on physical reality rather than the vagaries of finance. It involved replacing monetary valuation with the energy cost of producing goods, and providing each citizen with equal access to the production through energy "certificates" (think EFT now, without the debt). These certificates were issued exclusively periodically, based on previous consumer usage, and money would be phased out (no more amassing financial power - quite the opposite of Musk's take on the term, and of his and others' financial control over people's lives). Private corporations would become public property, managed by those most qualified in their fields: a sort of scientific socialism, as it were, with no more billionaires or zillionaires.
Mississippi’s governor has sold out the people to Amazon. I wish the people of Florida and Mississippi could all be offered jobs in blue states and leave these. oligarchs without any worker bees.
Trisha, Virginia, J.P., George Carlin and even our own R.R are painting a pretty grim picture of what seems to be an unescapable future based on the failures of Mainstream Media to tell it like it is.
What it is , is a bare knuckles, even brass knuckles campaign coming upon us and Donald Trump and the nasties in his entourage and propaganda department have made it so. In the face of this barage of attacks and propaganda, the response of the Democratic media machine has been an utter failure. J.P., if you are going to quote George Carlin saying “They got you by the balls,” I would say that the polite and civil Democratic media machine have handed them their “balls" on a platter.
This campaign is not one of civil discourse, of convincing educated voters that one approach makes more sense than another. Trump and his propagandists have turned what we thought should be a battle of intellects into an all out gloves off boxing match and Trump has the P.R. people and spin artist machine in operation to put this contest into the boxing ring with no rules rather than a gentleman’s debate between two sparring intellects. (Remember when Trump left his podium to stand menacingly behind Hillary Clinton during that presidential debate?)
If Biden is going to win it is not going to be that his approach and arguments make more sense or that MSM will suddenly change their stripes. The Democrats will have to build a propaganda machine that will tower over Trumps propaganda machine. They need to highlight every outrageous thing Trump has said and done since he entered politics and before and they need to repeat these expose's over and over. The Biden team needs to hire the best and brightest strategists and P.R. people that exist on the planet.
Joseph Biden is by far a better man, and a very capable President, but he is not a fighter ready to take on an Orange Menace in the boxing ring. So, he will have to compensate by hiring a P.R. staff that is ready to fight in the boxing ring of today’s depraved politics and score knockout punch after knockout punch until Trump is the one that looks weak. That is what MSM and the uneducated and uniformed voters are looking for.
Joseph Biden not in favor of violence, and to avoid violence it is sometimes necessary to hire those who will stand up to the playground bullies and respond to them where it hurts, their illusion of invincibility. For this he will need the best, brightest and most aggressive “hired guns” out there.
To sum up my diatribe, I am thoroughly frustrated with the tepid responses of Biden’s current Campaign and “Image Makers.” Trump has given them so much ammunition, why are they not using it?
Why are those with ovaries (misogynistically called pussy) weaker, when a flick to those balls send a male flying in pain and disabled but a vagina pushes out a whole human being.
He certainly needs a better performing team than what he currently has. Any suggestions? TaylorSwift has done more for him with the youth vote than any of his people. You can tell the effectiveness of any campaign strategy or moves by the vehemence of the Republican response. His team would be well advised to find Trump's most sensitive and reactive spots and keep hitting him there such as business failures, support of removal of women’s rights and racism to start with. Also a campaign focusing on his mental confusion. These need to be hit over and over to goad him to make even more outrageous statements. Short one minute videos of his worst moments should be flooding social media.
Yep, they won't last long. Survival depends on cooperation. This scenario leaves the world with people & nations with insatiable greed fighting over dwindling resources in an increasingly perilous world. That only leads to extinction.
They will come out of their shelters to a brave, new stone age. Their first major disappointment will be the realization that stone ages don't support the lifestyles that they became accustomed to before armageddon. They will come out of their trillion-dollar lifeboats as both survivors and castaways. Their first task will be to bury the charred remains of their golden goose.
Corporations will surround the people and deprive them of their freedom and liberty, and remember, so say the stench of stench, those conservatives that sit on the Supreme Court, who say corporations are people too, hence more money, equal more rights than most of America and that's just the way they and the GOP like it, for indeed needs of the many are the sins of the few.
Au contraire, Ann. Now is the time for all good men [and women] to stand up and rescue our country from this mad man. Write your MoCs until you can't write any more. Defund them remove them from the political sphere. Support the IRS which is the only agency in a good position to end their grifting and criming.
Writing your member of Congress is a waste of time and paper, unless, of course, you are a big campaign contributor. Take away their campaign contributions and suddenly everything will look different.
Well, you will make that true, if they ONLY hear from their Big Campaign Donors, then those will be the only people they listen to. What does a candidate do with campaign donations, eh? They CAMPAIGN, and they do THAT to win VOTES, and if a sh*t ton more voters got in touch with candidates and legislatiors, they might listen a little more — especially if we speak with one voice to tell them how we feel.
SO, go ahead and convince people to lie down and let the juggernaut roll over us. You hasten our demise.
{WRITE to those legislators, people — DO iT! and Vote Blue!}
It IS true! A million letters (which usually go into the round file) cannot make up for one big campaign contributor's million dollar TV ad buy. That is the fact of our political campaign system today. But go ahead and write all the letters you want. It won't hurt, but don't be naive enough to believe that the congressman is ever going to see those letters. He/she has aides to handle that and send out those form replies. The American public still OWNS the PUBLIC airwaves. We could get rid of those nasty, stupid and misleading campaign ads if we would either sue to do that or back candidates who promise to do that.
I'm not so sure cynicism is the beast approach at this juncture- there's an old saying in politics, that "one letter is an opinion and two is a movement"- politicians move toward what their perception of the public sentiment is, and if sane people keep out of the discussion, they will gravitate away from sanity. Money is not the only arbiter.
That is a very old and totally outdated (by technology) political saying. Politicians today are mainly concerned with keeping their jobs, and the big campaign contributors buy them the absolutely necessary mass advertising and technology to get reelected. If I am cynical, then so are all the veteran analysts, reporters and other observers who report the huge amounts of MONEY that are put into the political grist mill by HUGE numbers of business lobbyists ... and also the effect of that lobbying, which is not supposition. It is purely unfortunate FACT.
In the name of treason, The Federalist Society, Citizens United and other similar known power brokers must be disbanded and have their obscenely massive assets seized by the IRS to pay off the national debt and redistributed to meet the needs of all American citizens for education, medicare for all, nutrition, housing and infrastructure .While we're at it, put an end to political and environmental lobbying and bloated war chests.
Cecile; I have found a better way to let these critters know I, and others are paying attention. I send them emails. I sometimes will attach an article about their sleaze and CC everyone in my contact list. When I contact my state critters, I make sure the two representators and the two state senators from my area are included. Many times I will call U S senators and U S Congress Critters and leave a message. Even if they are from other states. I let them know I am not from their state or their district. But I say I have a right to call you because every thing you people vote on affects my state, my family, my neighbors, and I do not like your position. If a senator or congress person has done something for the good and welfare I will also call them and thank them. On another note;. I am sure many of you are familiar with PROJECT 2025. It is a billionaire funded Heritage Foundation Manifesto prepare by over 90 right wing think tanks for the trump administration. It is truly a Christo/Fascist Dictatorial anti-democracy document. It will scare the shit out of you. Please go to www.project2025.org Scroll down and it's all right there.
I was shocked that my own husband and son had not heard of Project 2025. Both Ph.D.s and keep up with events and vote for Democrats. Anyone know if Republican voters know what’s in Project 2025?
I have been told by several republicans I was a crazy conspiratorialist. Well today I sent them just the forward of project 2025. Scary 17 page manifesto. So far no reply.
No Labels group, a big snake in the grass, that so far, despite all requests, refuses continually to release their donor list, since No Labels is listed as non-profit, they do not have to disclose their donors, spoiler alert?
Jon ; Non profits should not be allowed to avoid disclosure of where their money comes from. It shows that they have something to hide. Are there bad actors, like dark money from Russian oligarchs in there? This is how they 'work' to support tRump, ,in addition to having troll farms! There may be trolls putting out misinformation even here, that looks legitimate! Also, if there are limits on campaign contributions for folks like you and I ; Why are the Corps allowed to have no limits (or disclosure) on their contributions?
Indeed, and former Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, I read is now calling No Labels out, for what they really stand for, they stand for re-electing that piece of putrefying crapola, in which they and he seek to gut everything thing and hollow out the government, so as to control and line their ever so oily pockets further, I say oily, because as Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island points out, time and again, the front groups posing behind these small and obscure legal court cases, get those cases moved to the front of the line, to fast track to the Supreme Court and much of that dark money behind it, is from the oil cartel and people like KOCH, Harland Crowe and others, so is no wonder the fascist GOP,( so called Democrat Joe Manchin) constantly attack alternative green energy, they all work for and exist as extensions or subsidiaries of the oil mafia to do their dirty work and helped to causing a climate in crises and by extension, ecological collapse of animal species, earth and man, has now entered into, the Sixth mass level extinction events
501(c)4s are supposedly public-benefit non-profits that are not working for a specific candidate — or at least don’t share funds or coordinate with any candidate.
I don’t know how NoLabels can be a 501(c)4, though, since it mounts campaigns. Most political funding, even to non-profits, is supposed to be disclosed. So, now I need to look THIS up.
Unless it is your local non profit, like an Animal Shelter or Spay and Neuter I won't contribute to national or international non profits, they are a business that uses your donations to first pay overhead, which are salaries, rent, often in expensive buildings.
The March of Dimes was founded by Eleanor Roosevelt to find a cure for polio. it never did, if it did it would have been the end of the MoD.
Jonas Salk, who was not funded by the MoD found a cure, and that was the end of the MoD, they closed shop and went into thik mode, searching for a safe way to save their cushy jobs, social status and influence, they re opened with a charter of preventing birth defects, which does not have a cure.
I give generously to local charities, and that does not include the parasitic churches.
Most nonprofit organizations can’t keep donor lists private. 501(c)4s can, but they are supposedly not the same as most political non-profits like PACs, etc. They are never supposed to coordinate activities with a campaign.
Ha! Like that never happens.
Is No Labels {which is, itself a Label} a 501(c)4?
Going to the pub has been known to work but throwing in the towel is never option for protecting democracy. As long as we keep getting the info out there from the very well informed like Professor Reich, we have a chance to stop this madness by joining forces at the ballot box. There will always be those who fall for the BS from Trump and those who enable him like Faux News and Carlson. However, common sense will hopefully prevail since there are more of us than them.
It's an option...but...we survived the depression, WWII, Vietnam war...Cold War...maybe we will survive this apocalyptic period? Nah...I don't think so...Climate change, AI, Putin, Trump, Musk, Koch, Republicans, China and Xi, Neo Nazis, Political corruption, Corporate gov't takeover, corrupt law enforcement, racism, immigrant ism, forever chemicals, PFAS, global warming, Corporate greed, increased of competition for vanishing resources, enormous wildlife extinction...and hundreds of other reasons...
Virtual reality may be the end result for those that can afford it?
@Henry. Nah, no bandaids. We need to correct the actual problems. Adam Smith identified the "answer" in the founding treatise on capitalism - it must be well regulated or the greedy bastards will end up owning everything. Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others!
Smith was right but how do we get people to accept the fact that regulations are necessary. trump is threatening to wipe out all regulations and the billionaires support him. The MAGAs and republicans don't even think, the just accept whatever he says. But the media wants to talk about Biden's age.
@William. FDR to the 1990s regulation seemed to get better and better. But during the Reagan/Thatcher era the moneyed interests learned that there was an audience for antigovernment messaging that they could use to reduce regulation and taxation. Now look where we are!! It will be a long battle back to where regular folks have a fair shake again.
WILLIAM CASH ; The Supreme Court, it is reported, feels 'Uncomfortable' to 'get involved' in an election. They already have a black eye or two because of the blatant fraud and even criminality of their allowing bribery to influence their enforcement of the Constitution, If they took an oath , and they did ; They are violating it by allowing tRump to remain on the ballot. Also there are numerous members of Congress who are similarly disabled and should not be in their seats of power! Their leader openly informs Putin that he encourages him to attack and invade the entire region in and around Ukraine; giving a head start to his own aggressive plans...We need justice! not a bunch of sycophants! They are doing this in slow motion ( although not as slow as the complicit courts and DOJ), right in plain sight. It may be underway before the election!
I agree. We may have run out of band aids and/or the option. Biden's group might have the option if they can find a way to enlist the aid of MAGA supporters by enlightenment as to what their real concerns should be. With the new mass of informed voter support we should be able to take back the country. This has to come from purchase power as money is the motivator. It should only be spent on goods and services that benefit the people vs solely the corporations owners and share holders bottom line. In doing so everyone will benefit. We as a popultion need to more mindful of our goernment and better educated about our choices?
See where their money comes from AND check on how they vote. It’s important to know both things, and not assume you know them until you know them.
At this point in time, we NEED to elect Democrats {NOT Blue Dog Democrats like Manchin and Sinema, but actual Democrats} because the Republican Party is planning to undo the Constitution the first chance they get, and they want to install the idea of a Unitary President. Once they do it, we’re not going to get things back!
We can’t get all pissy and NOT vote for Democrats right now. We don’t have the luxury of being pissy.
Henry ; I saw that there are some laws proposed to track the phony telephone messages in New Hampshire that were AI messages to voters from Biden telling voters not to vote in the primary. They are tracking the calls to 2 places where the the calls are originating from. Fines are being set. In other words, some of our legislators and security officials are working on strengthening security to prevent this type of fraud, before the election.
You might check out the latest AI article on the Atomic clock bulletin site as it discusses some of the real ramifications of the AI threat...be warned on the face it is pretty scary and the between the lines given the possibility of the many types of actors out there and the options those actors good and bad can utilize AI for...existential threat takes on a whole new meaning.
I came across that fact also...I have to ask why after 40+ years haven't they been able to do anything about telemarketers and robo calls. Many years ago, I worked with an individual who headed up a government program in upstate NY to list in one place, all the telephone #'s of all the individuals within the US along with other more personal info. All secret hush hush nonsense. This info was never supposed to be made public or for sale to any marketing company under contracted conditions with major penalties. It was openly marketed before the study was ever even completed. The reality is there's always noise and news about reactions but never real solutions to the problems for the most part. There is never enough good government (numbers of enforcement personnel) to affect the change that is needed. Many reasons for that fact involving many factors. Modifying the behavior of 300+million individuals within a country the size of the US is a daunting task and for many reasons we haven't never been able to do so, although oddly enough we do know haw to do it as history has taught us...we just don't seem to have the collective motivation.
Henry ; I posted earlier that the fake telephone message sent in New Hampshire featuring the AI 'voice' of President Biden telling voters to stay home, has been traced to two places from which these robo calls had been made. So they found the culprits! Now fines and consequences will follow. I was buoyed up to see the article. It's more than the nuisance of spam; it's the threats to our Democracy that I like to see averted, or diminished, at least with heavy penalities! deterrence will help, if they know it can be traced. The international calls may be more difficult, But if there is a will, there is a way.
You know who keeps on firing the “enforcement” element of our regulation system, right? Republicans. You know who wants to get rid of even more regulations, right? Republicans. You know who we need to elect to stop this pattern, right? Democrats.
I’m not saying Democrats are perfect — they’re not. But they are the party who provide the best chance for those of us who USE OUR VOICE to reach them. And then work to get the legislation we need through Congress…
So, use our voice. Get in touch with them. And use our voice to tell them we won’t be here forever voting for them if they don’t shape up.
And use our voice — our vote — to get better legislators in office {to do that, we have to convince OTHER voters to get behind those better legislators … HENCE, talking on forums like this, and working on ‘get out the vote’ efforts … }
Your Idea Ann is just as bad, as those who are polyannish, and chose to believe that all is well and will end well.
The Amygdala, the lizard brain, of the non MAGAt population has to be lit, that people take the situation as serious and the last gasp of democracy, and the last chance of DEI.
If they sit back and live in a fairy tale world of everything will be ok anyway, the
enemies of humanity win.
People need to be motivated to vote, and nothing motivates like fear. Reason and critical thinking are not motivators, neither is hope and well wishing.
robotics...and virtual reality. Robots to maintain robots and equipment and robots and equipment to farm, build things, and design for a better future on a nearly dead planet?
Virginia, so if that is your vision, how do we get anyone to choose something different? I just can't be that cynical. I may pay for that, but I keep hoping we humans can do better.
Virginia, it is a scary sad scenario but one very likely to happen. Only because a relative minority of people actually believe that Trump will save them, from whatever nightmare they imagine they are in.
Democrates have to get loud and noisy. We have to convince as many MAGA as we can.
In the famous lyrics of a British song writer,
"No , we're never going to survive unless we get a little crazy"
No, they won’t go on living. They are simply human animals and all animals die. They are the most dangerous animals on the planet. Unaware and uncaring about anything except power and “MORE” for them. Such ugly ugly animals. I am sorry for them,
Thanks. I don't believe that Ukraine is utopic. Surely there was/is corruption. But Putin is clearly the bad guy in this conflict, and he he must be stopped. Otherwise the rest of what he considers to be his "lost empire" will be next. He promised he would never attack Ukraine, remember? And China is watching ...
Putin is a liar! He told Carlson in the interview that Russia would not attack another country (Poland in this case) unless the country attacked Russia first. Ukraine did not attack Russia. Putin invaded another country with no justification. None! The fighting in the Donbass was Ukrainian versus Ukrainian, an internal matter. Did not justify Russian invasion. Also, I recall that as a condition for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons, Russia agreed to respect and protect Ukraine from outside attack in an agreement whose name escapes me now. I do agree that there is a lot about Ukraine's regime that is not to like.
J. P., What I most appreciate about this particular diatribe is that embedded in Carlin’s condemnation of politicians is its solution—that maybe never in the history of this country has the necessity for an acutely informed and engaged electorate, both recognizing its very existence is under assault while also training itself to resist said blitz, been more evident. I would submit the same largely is true of Reich’s newsletters.
Yes, we need a population with critical thinking skills. Where are they going to learn them? The school voucher system is taking over the south. Our public schools are in massive disarray, and the teachers there are hamstrung from the kind of solid teaching I got as a kid from laws passed by Republican governors. I have never seen this country in such bad shape when it comes to democracy for "we the people." I'm terrified of November and what might be shoved down our unwilling throats. It's a good way down already, and I'm choking to death.
Theo, Circling back to my comment’s recognition that the current system is under assault and that we must resist the blitz, I take heart from the increasing number of Democrats who increasingly are mobilizing at the state and local levels to fill positions with their own people. I, further, would note much of this shift has been inspired by 3 southern political lightening rods—Tennessee Reps Justin Jones and Justin Pearson and the Rev. William Barber of North Carolina—all of whom, among a host of policy priorities, especially have prioritized public education funding.
I suppose my point is that we have to be willing to engage in a war we must win.
I just read that Asheville, NC, bought a bunch of banned books from Florida and are reselling them... to some people who will take them right back to Florida. ;)
we would first have to understand what "critical thinking" skills means. Maybe it's enough right now to know what it doesn't mean. There is no crtitical thinking without an understanding of scientific explanation. And I'm still trtying to understand that.
Your definition seems too narrow. Not all critical thinking requires an understanding of scientific explanation. It could just mean you explore all sides of an issue in relation to your needs and those of your family/community/country and make an informed decision.
MargaretT, I agree, first, that we have a ways to go before making significant progress towards our goals and, second, that we have to train ourselves and acquire the knowledge and strength to do it for ourselves, rather than expecting someone else to carry the weight for us.
Which is why we need a healthy and well-funded public school system. It has been sadly underfunded and undermined by Republicans who want their electorate ignorant and gullible to conspiracy theorists and disinformation. Approximately 1/3 of them are such true believers they are beyond reason and redemption. Pathetic.
Joni, Your comment rightly amplifies that we have to be willing to engage in a war we must win. To that end, I take heart from the increasing number of Democrats who increasingly are mobilizing at the state and local levels to fill positions with their own people. While I would note that the impetus for expanding their previous focus principally on federal elections increasingly to include state and local contests largely has been driven by Dems recognizing the importance of defending democracy at the state and local levels, it also is of note that beefing up public education funding also is a top priority.
Laurie, Respectfully, I don’t see how your comment relates to my observing the importance of everyday people training themselves and acquiring the knowledge needed to resolve our problems in lieu of expecting others to carry the weight.
Barbara Jo Krieger ; My post was an attempt to show support for what you posted, because it was straightforward and succinct. It was never meant to be a put down in any way. The world does not have enough plain spoken observers. I am truly sorry for my clunky attempt to give you kudos, and was not being sarcastic at all. Peace!
George Carlin was right. Our political system needs work. I would like to think that our population of citizens are capable of thinking for themselves. If we do not stop the takeover of our education system by lunatics that want to 'dumb down' our children to the point they are incapable of critical thinking, they will have succeeded in getting exactly what they want.
Well Peggy - that ship has sailed IMO, or at the very least has raised anchor and is in the process of sailing out of the harbor toward open seas. Can it be pulled back? At this point, critical thinking voters can pull it back. It's uphill, with voter suppression and gerrymandering, but it is within reach. Apathy I think is the enemy in this fight. Apathy and poor memory (not Biden's, but the electorate's).
You are so right, James! How do we fight the apathy of the American voter? How do we get them to understand fully what is at stake? At this point, I have become unafraid to state without hesitation what will happen if we allow trump back in office. They scream at me faux news, Democrats telling lies, etc., etc., etc. but I will not shut up! I simply state my case and move on. I truly do not know what else to do! If I can sway one person to listen to reason, learn the truth, then I have accomplished something. Here's to the Blue Tsunami in 2024!!
james wheaton (Jay ; We also need to have a better 'fourth Estate'. The media is full of misinformation and disinformation. Education does not cover everything we need to know about. accurate information and reporting could go a long way for intelligent voters. A Fairness doctrine, or other guardrails . like the efforts to keep AI and other fake messaging off the media. Any private entity spewing harmful misinformation should be held liable.
We need to stop being nostalgic for the days when Republicans were against communism and when we had meaningful civics education. The new reality is that the Republicans are the enemies of democracy, (gerrymandering, voter suppression, citizens united, election denying, fake )
voter fraud ) and against truth in need and education.
Stop looking back and do the education that is missing. Begin with why democracy is to be prized. What will be lost if we don’t have democracy! (The leaders will not have any reason to listen to the people. They will never be removed no matter what they did.)
I throughly Agree...this is a failure of Education and Ethics as a Society. We have regressed to Anamialistic Society who believe life and Goverment should be like a football game you must have A Winner and Loser! Society and Goverments should have Compromise and Win Win Solutions! Look at all the Coaches who have entered Poltics and absolutely have a horrible poltical record!
Brent, my pop use to say 'stay in your own lane' meaning stick to what you know and are good at. These politicians that use to be coaches and actors have no place in politics!! They do not know how to operate in the government and it for sure does not involve coaching or acting!!
Your addition of Actors and TV Personalties is so correct! I am from.Missouri and Mark Alford( a Former Fox TV news Anchor) treats poltics like getting Market share and treats poltics like a Popularity Contest
These wannabe politicians have no business governing our country!! They have turned us into the laughing stock of the world!! Vote them out. Get qualified candidates that know how the government is suppose to operate, who will work together - BIpartisan - and get things done for the American people. The citizens of our country need to wake up, stop being fooled by these slippery tongues snake oil salesmen and vote for candidates that will actually do some work!!
such a worthy successor to Vicky. We need to flip 3 MO state house seats, hold on to others like the 98th Valley Park Jacklyn Zimmerman. That will eliminate the Republican supermajority in the state House. I plan on donating more to her and Colin Lovett 100th. Check out the rural urban bridge initiative.
More power to what, rule the world? they already do and look how they have greatly helped screw up the world, with Earth's climate habitability hanging in the balance.
Jon, I'm not sure I follow what you mean. Who has more power? Who is being given more power? I looked at my post and don't understand what I said about giving anyone any more power.
That one of the reasons it is so important to vote blue and get these people out of Congress!! The education system has taken a beating under these people. Children are missing out on a well rounded education. We simply cannot let this continue. I'm old and won't be around to see the harm caused today, but my grandchildren will be here and I worry for them.
Indeed, having him for breakfast, then spiting him out for he is so rotten, rotten from the greed and thirst for power and revenge that emanates from his entire being.
I miss George. For my tastes he got a little too vulgar and out there for a while. But he is spot on here. I submit that if you buy his assessment, which I do, we are long overdue for a revolution. A peaceful overthrow of the oligarchs. Their influence needs to be throttled down. I'd start by taxing their wealth to pay for the needs of the many. After all, they have stolen the money by writing the tax laws themselves and installing the judges that would protect the theft.
The "revolution" could continue by changing election laws to match those of Australia. Strange to think that the established legal structure of another country would feel revolutionary here. But that is the case, IMO.
Try this on for size (stolen from a comment in the NY Times by an Aussie named "David Sciascia").
Australia's electoral safeguards:
1. An Electoral Commission that runs our state and federal elections, draws up our electoral districts
2. Automatic voter registration (when someone turns 18) with names held on a national database
3. Elections are held on a Saturday so the whole community can turn out with their families to vote. (Which is compulsory anyway)
4. A preferential or ranked choice voting system (similar to the one adopted by Alaska last year. (Already in place in Maine and moving forward in Massachusetts.)
5. A far more democratically representative senate
6. Term limits on High Court Judge appointments (our SCOTUS)
And please, for gawd's sake, overturn Citizens United! That one piece of legislation opened the floodgates to a tsunami of money, and only those who have it are influencing government anymore. The rest of us are NOT HEARD. Then break up the media monopoly; too much of it is currently owned by right-wing billionaires, and we know where they stand. They back Trump because 1) his antics make them money, and 2) see my point about who owns our media.
Indeed, but oh wait! that will take an act of Congress and only one-party cares of enough to save it, the other is too busy, trying to burn it all down.
Indeed, and yes Carlin, was a bit over the top with his crudeness, none the less, he got his message out, but I guess, not enough were people listening.
" They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. "
That's why they tell people that degrees in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, both of which encourage critical thinking about people and society (rather about things, as in the STEM fields) are useless and won't get you a job.
I love George Carlin. He was extremely funny, but we cannot let ourselves feel defeated and throw in the towel. He has told you how the world really is. Up to us to deal with the problem: he has done his part, and now he is gone. the baton has been passed on to us.
He didn't mean it literally. I've got "balls" and am also the mother of five children. If I didn't have balls, we wouldn't have survived here in the rustbelt.
Just for sh*t and giggles, Gloria, change the statement to "They've got you by the boobs". Does that resonate with you? Me neither.
Ask yourself why?
Our language is replete with expressions that indicate that *men* are in charge, not women. That's all Carol was saying.
Otherwise, I'm with you in stating a very vivid anger at the situation we find ourselves in.
I am [I think like most women] very slow to anger. It takes a lot to really get me going, and that is often what men do not understand: Women, when they are truly angry are real furies that nothing will stop. Once they have balls in their hands, they will squeeze...hard. We have a lot of good, respectful men. Those who aren't, well, they are about to find out.
Thanks for noting that our language needs to be updated to use inclusive terms. balls, ovaries, neither include people with hootspa,, or courage. What word do you think we could make up?
@Carol. Please don't be distracted by the speech habits of my generation. Carlin was an entertainer, not a politician. Please forgive his cultural misogyny, a mere sign of the times and now (finally) changing. His message need not be lost - Betty White said that a vagina is better than balls anyway, but the capitalist establishment has got you by that too!
Yes, true. But I will also keep wondering why everyone wants to forget the reason we got here is because of the 2008 Bankers appraisal fraud crisis and Obama's failure to act. Bill Black (lawyer , regulators) said in 2012 if we do no get wall street under regulations the republicans will put up a worse candidate.
Our present situation is not unlike the post feudalism period of Europe, when the landed gentry owned everything and most of the population were tenant farmers. In having a monopoly on the land i.e. the means of production, they gained tremendous political power while the tenants lived on a subsistence level and had no political power. Instead of resisting this, those members of the Republican Party who are not part of the one percent, are aiding this present movement towards post feudalism. So what happens if they succeed? Is the next step full blown feudalism? Will we become serfs to the oligarchs? How far can the G.O.P. regress the social order? As far as we will let them.
“THEY” DO NOT own all that, but they own the lion’s share of much of it, but there is still money in the hands of people and votes that we need to cast to defang so much of the rest of it.
“They” only have all that if we CEDE all that. Carlin wasn’t telling us to smell the coffee and give up, he was claiming we need to see the situation clearly for what it is and work together to get ourselves out of it!!!
I hate hearing that “they” have all the power and are yanking our chains, because that tends to cause us to give up. Which is what “they” would like — the Oligarchs. They suppress the vote by depressing voters and getting us to give up.
I'm with you, Pat. Let's all of us work together to resist this wrong-headed turn towards fascism. It's not about them. They think they know best, but if we infuse our democracy with the actions of people who truly do care about it and value it, then we can bring it around and defeat those fat-cats and their heavy-handed thuggery. Money isn't everything.
You don't hear wealthy folks sounding the alarm. It must be good for them, unless you're a bank that has lent money to Trump - just can't handle money - screws things up badly. Difficult to put things back after they are burnt.
George is a smart man....I cannot, for the life of me, understand why voters feel Trump is better than Biden. Our economy is strong, stock market is strong. Coming out of a Pandemic is going to have repercussions...a lot of folks forget that and blame it on Biden. He has steered us in the right direction..vote blue
This is just crazy.WTAF??Why are people just being so nonchalant about this?
This is a screaming 12 alarm fire.What's it gonna take to WAKE PEOPLE UP??Tfg is a traitor,and telling everyone in broad daylight.One wonders if he hasn't ALREADY given or sold out our state secrets to Putin,and what is exactly going to be done about it?
Joe McCarthy and Ronald Reagan are spinning in their graves.And the punchline to to the joke,is the same people going along blindly with this bullshit, supposedly worship them as practically God.
These damned people are totally crazy,and need to be locked away and looked after.
That’s why we call them Putin Republicans… because the Republican Party has become, by proxy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Czar Putin, via Putin’s ownership of Donald Quisling Trump.
We're awake, but what can we do about it? "We the people" are no longer running the show. The billionaires and Republicans are. It takes money to buy votes and candidates, and we don't have it.
I hope we see a blue wave unlike any other this fall, because if we don't, our goose may be well and truly cooked.
We can give into despair, just like they want us to do. We can become hopeless and willing accessories to letting them just destroy our democracy with no opposition from us.
It's not for nothing, and neither is it hyperbolic that for some time I've taken to referring to Tovarich МАГАт and the Яepuблиkan$. I've even suggested that MAGA (МАГА) may be a Russian code name, that Tovarich МАГАт seems inclined to end his posts with - like a signature. The Russian word "МАГА" in English means "Mage" - or "Magician." I see nothing to contradict that view.
Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I've wondered if the collapse was not perhaps the most subtle stroke of genius move of the Cold War.
I believe The Russians have Trump by the short hairs, I spent 21 years in the navy training against the Russians and our Former President likes Putin! WTFO.
I have no doubt the Siberian Candidate has given state secrets to Putin (also MBS & most likely other dictators). What do you think his many secret meetings with no transcript & long, secret phone calls were about? We already know Benedict Donald gave high Russian officials classified US intelligence on Israeli military operations, which the Russians likely passed on to Iran & Hamas, precipitating the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, to divide the US, & draw away Western attention & support from Ukraine.
Trump is a moron. He seems to think that NATO is some kind of country club and that other countries aren’t paying their dues.
He’s also a traitor. He has no respect for our country, democracy or the constitution. He’s already got people working on expanding presidential power if he’s elected. And by the way, if he is elected it won’t be four more years. Like his idol Putin if he is elected it’ll be president for life. Trump is a malignant narcissist and only cares about himself.
He has no respect for the military calling veterans who died in WWII losers. Continually made insulting remarks about John McCain a man who served in Vietnam and was captured and put in the notorious pow prison the “Hanoi Hotel”. Of course he himself got out of serving because he had “bone spurs”. Now he’s making fun of Nikki Haley’s husband for not being around because he’s serving in Africa.
Trump is a dangerous man and needs to be stopped. Unfortunately SCOTUS is not going to stop him from running they are too caught up in their theorizing what would it mean if one state decided who the rest of the country can vote for. That’s not what’s before them. What’s before them is can Colorado remove him from the ballot. That’s it. Of course other states are waiting for an answer so they can remove him. It’s a state rights issue.
What is most disheartening for me is seeing people cheering Trump on when he makes these horrific remarks. Yes he’s a malignant narcissist sociopath but what about his followers? Frankly it’s terrifying.
Susan - Agree with all you wrote and in reference to citizen trump asking where Haley’s husband was since he is not campaigning with her my first thought was “well, where the hell is YOUR wife”!? She was absent even when he was in office.
Susan - Agree! I bet she has a divorce attorney waiting to file so she can get his money before he loses all of it once he is done blowing through all of the campaign contributions.
Did you see the look on her face when she was getting out of her car at her mother’s/father’s?? (Can’t remember which) funeral and the TFFG walked up to her with the gestures and look of a kind and helpful husband? It was pure disgust and hatred. Real get out of my face, why did you even bother to show look.
Michael - I didn’t see it - definitely glad that I didn’t. He was busy with going to court (when he didn’t even need to be there) while her mother was dying but then tried to use it as an excuse to delay his trial - pathetic. I’m sure that he was probably playing up to the cameras since he has no heart. I love how the world could read her expression although it was probably lost on him.
Hahahahaha! That is good!! She is missing in action!! Haley's husband is doing what bone spurs wouldn't. He is defending our country so that even idiots like the little orange man can have freedom. Thank you for your service!!
Spot on, Anon: another of these little quirks of language pointing out that if she is a woman in politics, her husband should be by her side, that she cannot be anything without him, that she is dependent on him, doesn't have a mind of her own.
If it is a man, on the other hand, we rarely even know her name: She is dismissed as secondary, of no import. But behind every man, there is a woman.
tRumps view on this is he doesn't need his wife at his campaigns to help him. His view on Haley is however she needs her husband to help her do much of anything. It's called misogyny. Called narcissism. It's called stupidity.
I think the very first mistake is in thinking Tovarich МАГАт a moron. He liked to say he's a "stable genius." I'm willing to grant he may be a genius - an evil genius. After all, it's the morons and opportunists, the useful idiots whose hearts & minds he's captured, and captured seemingly instinctively. The Democrats - Hillary in particular - have already demonstrated and paid dearly for what comes of short-selling him. Sell Tovarich МАГАт short at your peril! He'll be dangerous until he's either locked away incommunicado or in the ground. At that, the repercussions of what he has wrought will reverberate for at least a generation.
The words that come out of his mouth are moronic. Drop an atomic bomb on a hurricane to stop it. Inject bleach to cure Covid windmills make whales crazy. George Washington and the Continental army protected our airports. And the list goes on.
Do you appreciate that he's hustling morons that will take him seriously? He sounds moronic because he's a'hustlin' morons. How many of those in his cult have any clue about history other than partially remembered patriotic legends? Make no mistake. He's a'workin' his crowd.
I can split that difference. Instead of an evil genius, an evil savant - the kind of savant that can tell you what day the 26th of April in 1543 fell on but can't tell you the name of the street he lives on, or much of anything else.
@DZK. I regret to agree with you. What I would add is that the tangerine twat waddle is actually more of a symptom, making it plain that up to about 10 million people in this country are unreformed Confederates and another 50 million or so are so frustrated, resentful, uninformed and deluded that they think Trump actually would, or actually COULD, change anything significant in their lives. Except make them worse of course.
I'll not contradict a word you say here. That's what makes them useful idiots. Someone in the Kremlin must've noticed all the "Forget, Hell!" (over a Confederate flag) bumper stickers on cars in and around the DC area, particularly in VA, back at least to the time of Nixon and figured it was a vulnerable target audience. And what is there to say about Gerry Falderal, and his radio religious propaganda ministry, a scant 80 miles from the White House at the time of Carter and thereafter, while Carter's wife was the bible-basher who tried to show Jerry Flint the error of his ways during an airplane flight that was in all the news. Agreed, Carter was a nice man who worked hard for world peace for the rest of his life after the White House. That doesn't mean he was an effective president, nor does it mean that he wasn't potentially the first useful idiot to reside there. After all, he paved the way for Reagan - the first "Mephisto" to serve the "Forget, Hell!" crowd in the White House - thus paving the road to hell with dark intentions to this day. 👍
Also for someone to have committed so many wrongdoings & escaped justice throughout his long life takes a sort of talent I'm glad most people don't have.
Well just look at how effectively he's managed to delay >every< prosecution against him - and with shitty lawyers - with the objective of holding it all off until the election he's confident he'll win, so he can officially dismiss them - and worse. Has not anyone else noticed that ‽ Not really, because they've been too busy questioning >Biden'< mental acuity! SHEESH! I wonder about Biden's critics' mental acuity!
100% and what do these morons think their daily life will be like with tRump as forever President “King” ? He’ll walk all over them people in both red states and blue will be screwed
Love affair seems an innocent word. That is a wrong sticker to this situation. The fitting word is corruption. Putin is a gangster and he bought mobster Trump: the quid pro quo is not perfectly clear but the profit for Putin is enormous; like Robert tells us: Putin contols Trump and Trump controls the Republican party.
This is what happens when you let gangsters govern, because they are used to handle billions. And in Russia they murder the critics, but Trump has already told us that he will follow his Kremlin friend.
First of all, Trump is a liar and no president of a country asked him if we would defend their country if they were behind in paying their NATO dues. And secondly, Trump, himself, is the biggest deadbeat of all time. That makes Trump smart, according to him.
Thank you Gloria !!!!! Trump can't tell the difference between real people and the imaginary people that exist only in his head.
Trump's imanginary people make his lonely existence bearable - and that is pathetic.
But when Trump's attention is consumed by the imaginary conversations and activities inside his head, he is dangerous AF. Its like putting a blind man in a fighter jet and expecting him to fly the thing to a war zone, before he drops the bomb. Yikes.
Since this came as an anecdote that he likes to share over and over, I do believe that Gloria is correct and that it never happened.
It was just the little boy in him puffing up his chest and trying to showoff how 'macho' he is. [In French, we say that he is trying to sh*t higher than his a$$hole is]. I think that is particularly a propos here.
But the elevator doesn't go to the penthouse and he may not even have realized the effect the statement had on our allies in Europe.
How ironic that TFFG, well known as someone that regularly stiffs the people and businesses to which he owes money, uses the fake excuse of another country not financially supporting their NATO obligations.
I would like to ask Americans, "How would you like it if you were going about your daily routine, everything is fine, then all of a sudden, out of the blue, the country next to you begins to fire on you, sending in soldiers and tanks, missiles and drones?" What would you do? You would fight for your life, that's what! Ukraine did not ask Putin to enter their country and start a war. This is what could happen to us if we allow that orange man into the White House!! This man not only insults our military, now he has started insulting our closest allies!! Were he to get back into the White House and we were attacked, not one NATO country would give assistance because he would have pulled out of NATO. You see, he doesn't realize that NATO countries are united against allowing a dictatorial piece of excrement like Putin to invade countries that are Democratic and thriving. Our alliance with NATO began in 1949 when President Truman and Secretary Acheson signed the Instrument of Accession. We are a founding member of NATO!! We did that to provide collective security against the soviet union!!! I am sick of politicians and candidates who do not have even a thimble full of knowledge about the history of our country and the world!! Someone needs to give all of these idiots a tour of the death camps in Eastern Europe, the graveyard of our ships at Pearl Harbor, Arlington Cemetary, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and other places that would show these extreme idiots that we must always side with our allies against the pure evil that is Putin and was Hitler. I am embarrassed and ashamed that an American citizen would cozy up to evil and tell NATO that America would not protect them!!! Have we stooped so low? I will vote Blue in November and I will continue to use my voice to get others to do the same.
I think trump is financially indebted to the Russian oligarchs which means putin has control of him because trump knows what happens to people who try to get away from such debts - he is owned & tries to show what a great fan of his owners he is ! His own stupidity put him into this situation, and he has no way to get out of it now. I think it's as simple as that - trump has zero interest in anything but money & his own financial wellbeing so will say & do whatever it takes to keep himself safe !
whatever the leverage is, it's obvious he is owned.But not to many apparently. And those who know this, including many Republicans in Congress, have other priorities-like keeping their precious little jobs.
Furthermore many Republicans are also owned, either by Putin or Trump or both. Note the many Republicans who have suddenly done a 180° turnaround vis-a-vis Trump and/or Russia. Something very fishy about that!
I think it’s the money vats they bathe in that has them on the hook. However, after reading a deep dive background interview with many documented hours of Mitch McConnell, his belief system goes back to his college days and he was set on a straight course to restore movement conservatism under any guise. He succeeded and thanks to a warped world view simmering in those money vats, I am now a second class citizen (again) in the USA.
My theory is that if he takes over he doesn’t want NATO to help us out. I read a lot of history books and I’m seeing some frightening patterns from the 30’s-40’s.
I plan to start a petition that states we want it made into law that any candidate running for any political office MUST take an American History, World History, and Civics (especially how our government works) exam and pass it before being allowed to run for office. I am serious about wanting to get these dumb people out of our government!!! They are only in it for the money and their 15 minutes of fame and it is killing our country!! Knowing how our government works MUST be a prerequisite for holding any office!! There, I'll get off my soapbox now.
It's ridiculous we have so few qualifications for President, none to do with competence . I'm also inclined to have some for voters. So many of them are ignorant & gullible!
I want candidates to have the brains to know how to work in Congress. I do agree that some voters have no idea what they are doing. How do we reach them? I don't know. I will just continue what I am doing and vote blue in 2024!
Especially when you think that any FOREIGNER applying for citizenship has to take one, it seems to me that members of Congress, who are aiming to LEAD us, should take one too. At the very least, they should major in Political Science.
I would also have a few questions on ethics, and their scores should be made public.
Exactly!! Even in the business world, employees have to take training courses to improve their skills. I am surprised that no politician has brought this up before. No wait.....I'm not surprised. They don't want to do that.
Thank you, Benjamin! We really do need to come together as Americans. We have done that in the past and it has moved our country forward. Republicans and Democrats need to stop pointing fingers. They need to stop turning government into a free-for-all that solves absolutely nothing. The more they say cruel and hateful comments about the other party, the more crazed the constituents become. It seems to me that it has become a 'hate the other party at all costs' mentality and that just won't work. We need politicians willing to work with each other regardless of party affiliation!
@Peggy. Compromise, like dancing, requires two willing partners. 27 Republicans in the Senate voted against their own legislation on Trump’s signal. But can we attract even a few moderates and independents to either stay home or support Democrats on Election Day??
TFFG had an opportunity to view and attend a ceremony at a world war cemetery in France. Declined, said the drizzle would mess with his hair, like the idiot has never heard of an umbrella. Rumor has it he went off and had a secret meeting with Vladimir instead.
I’ve seen a WWI cemetery in France. The white cross tombstones go on and on, endless rows over low rolling hills for as far as I could see with no end in sight. It really makes you pause and think.
That was the same trip I believe when he called our veterans, our war heroes 'losers and suckers'. This from a man who ran from service and got daddy to fix it with bone spurs. Rain won't mess with that mop on top of his head. His comb over starts in the back of his head!!! I know what you mean about the cemeteries. When I looked at Arlington cemetery, I felt very small standing there at the ocean of crosses that told me 'here lies another human being that gave their ultimate sacrifice for me and my country to remain free'. It is a very humbling experience.
I think it's all far more cold-blooded than that. Let me repeat what I said elsewhere here for you:
It's not for nothing, and neither is it hyperbolic that for some time I've taken to referring to Tovarich МАГАт and the Яepuблиkan$. I've even suggested that MAGA (МАГА) may be a Russian code name, that Tovarich МАГАт seems inclined to end his posts with - like a signature. The Russian word "МАГА" in English means "Mage" - or "Magician." I see nothing to contradict that view.
Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I've wondered if the collapse was not perhaps the most subtle stroke of genius move of the Cold War.
I was talking about Tovarich МАГАт and Putin - not the useful, and arguably blackmailed idiots. I've already heard it suggested Graham - for example - is hiding something, that is at very least embarrassing, in his closet. Whether a skeleton of something else remains unclear. And Rubio descends from Cuba, doesn't he? Perhaps something inconvenient dating back to the good old days of Batista - or maybe even Castro? If not Castro, why on earth should anyone trust someone who may be from a family of Batististas? Thanks for the link, though.
(including reasons for the treasonous Jan 6th insurrection and Putin's praise of Trump now)
1. Putin and the Russian mob have been lusting after the resources of Ukraine for years.
Yanukovich failed. Even better if there are NO UKRAINIANS LEFT to interfere with the mob's rape of Ukraine. Thus, the ongoing GENOCIDE.
2. To successfully steal democratic Ukraine, NATO must be neutralised or weakened significantly.
3. Seeing an opportunity to get a Russian stooge, Trump, into the White House would mean a possibility of prising the USA out of NATO.
4. The long term planning was set for early 2022 to invade Ukraine.
5. However, Trump flubbed it and lost.
6. So by any means possible, including insurrection, false electors, ballot ninja shenanigans etc, Trump (and many, many GOP and Russian-paid or blackmailed agents) must get another crack at getting the USA out of NATO before the tanks roll.
7. Trump continues to serve his master, the Russian mob, to this day, still trying to overturn the election, but just too late.
8. Note that Trump will surely flee to Moscow before being quietly arrested in the USA, but not as a Hero of the New Putin USSR.
Putin wants NATO neutralized because he, the Russian military, and the Soviets before them are terrified what the end result of a war with NATO would be like.
They watched Desert Storm in 1991, then the start of Shrub’s made up excuse of an invasion of Iraq. The Russian military is fully aware what a united NATO or even a part of a U.S. included NATO is capable of. They’re terrified.
They have only three weapons/facts to use:
1. Use TFFG as a useful idiot
2. Get America bogged down in an endless stalemate
3. Winter. No Army has ever successfully attacked and taken Russia through a winter.
There are special forces now trained in sub zero fighting/survival. Started with Afghanistan war and continues through to this day. Also, remember Finland is now part of NATO and they most certainly know how to fight in sub zero Russian temperatures. This isn’t Napoleon nor Hitler’s armies.
Something is a foot. We are facing a peril most are completely unaware of. We all know Trump is unpredictable even on a good day. Currently SCOTUS has a decision to make. It's centered around Trump's contention that a President must have immunity in order to fulfill his duties, effectively. This idea is dangerous in so many ways and yet it seems to be a common thread in everything the man says. Looking at Donnie Boy's mental health, one would expect parameters to be in place set to control a man that seems to be uncontrollable. A question was offered to the EX-President, could Presidential immunity be used to erase a fellow politician that was proving to be a hindrance with respect to the plans you might have in place. We know how Trump answered that one, which is a bit unsettling to me. Now consider this, if SCOTUS sides with Trump and they grant uncontrolled immunity to a President, that opens a door to the previable parallel dimension where Mr. Trump is God. Then, if by some slim chance Trump does get reelected there would be absolutely no boundaries to constrict his efforts, no one would be safe. SCOTUS will have given the fool a license to kill, 007 may not be dead after all. This country could very possibly drown in a blood bath.
I wonder if Trump's recent words might've swayed any justices to turn against Trump. Does a majority of the Supreme Court feel greater alliance with Russia than with Europe? I should hope not! That may seem extraneous to the issue before the Court, but it is related to his qualifications, including fulfilling his oath to protect us from enemies, to serve as & therefore run for President.
Jaime--Trump's tirade about our future support for other NATO members, will come back to haunt him. I really feel his inability to control his own mouth is a gift we must be thankful for.
What makes you think Tovarich МАГАт is >not< some kind of KGB 007 equivalent. I'll repeat the following response to another post I think you may appreciate:
It's not for nothing, and neither is it hyperbolic that for some time I've taken to referring to Tovarich МАГАт and the Яepuблиkan$. I've even suggested that MAGA (МАГА) may be a Russian code name, that Tovarich МАГАт seems inclined to end his posts with - like a signature. The Russian word "МАГА" in English means "Mage" - or "Magician." I see nothing to contradict that view.
Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I've wondered if the collapse was not perhaps the most subtle stroke of genius move of the Cold War.
DZK--Ask Putin how he felt about the break-up. He was hiding with a group of fellow Russians as they watched a crowd that had surrounded the building where he was hiding. Putin thought he was going to be overrun by the mob and killed. Feeling a bit ballsey he went out to greet the noisy onlookers. The aggressiveness he showed at that moment paved the way for him to be where he is today. A magician maybe, but I see him more as a gutsy 37-year-old KBG lieutenant who grabbed the reins and run that horse until it dropped. I don't applaud the man, but his will to hold the country he loved together is explementary. I can't fault him for that, but I can find disfavor in the manner in which he rose to his present position.
Well, in the first place, Tovarich МАГАт isn't Putin. Tovarich МАГАт is the agent he has running for the US presidency - "the Manchurian Candidate." Secondly, burning the city and countryside down to parched earth as a tactical strategy is as Russian as "dos vedania,"particularly as a feint before a counterassault. Indeed, it's a last, worst, but doable option and nobody could possibly expect Putin to like having to have done it. I'm certain revenge is part of his objective.
In my opinion, DJT is so horrible, calling a steaming pile of excrement, Donald TUMP would be an insult to a steaming pile of excrement. DJT is an example of the very worst thing in the entire existence of the world.
I like "pustule". Now, I'm sure there's a good biological reason for a pustule, that it is a defense against bacteria or something, but to me it conveys my utter disgust at certain behaviors of certain people without any redeeming value at all! If I was ever to write a book about TFG, it might be called "The un-American Pustule".
Thank you, Terry for that great reply. You are right, TFG is a particularly virulent pustule that the best and most expensive anti-biotics would not cure. TFG is one person i have absolutely no empathy for whatsoever. If i wrote a book about him, i would not be nice at all, and more than likely, he would sue me for what i wrote about him...I would tell him, ''Go ahead and sue me, for telling the absolute truth about his despicable existence.'' PUSTULE.
@Mike. His face does look a lot like a baboon's ass... I call him tangerine twat waddle. tangerine for his fake tan color, twat on account of his inside hollywood tape, and waddle because he is fat, corpulent, quivering jelly...
Agent Orange, the Orange Caligula, the Orange Antichrist, Mango Mussolini, the Mango MAGA Megalomaniac, the Siberian Candidate, Benedict Donald, Traitor Trump, the Sadonarcissist...
(Trump & I have 1 thing in common: he likes to apply nicknames to others, & I like to apply nicknames to him.)
There's NEVER been doubt in my mind, Prof. Reich, that Trumplestiltskin is nothing more than Putin's puppet. How on Earth could he have won the Electoral College vote in 2016 when he lost the popular vote by 3 million? But if Vlad thinks Americans are stupid enough to risk Trumplestiltskin's 1 million MAGA-deaths from Covid-19 multiply to 1 billion MAGA-deaths from global boiling within the next 4 years, then he's highly mistaken. My prediction continues to be that Joseph Robinette Biden and his very able Vice-President Kamala Devi Harris will win this November by 11 million votes.
@Daniel. A little more nuanced take. All the warlords, oligarchs, dictators and "strongmen" are united in a set of precepts, essentially a violent form of capitalism. They want to rape their countries and their peoples to make themselves rich beyond question.
But if they ever succeeded in striking down democratic institutions they would be at each others' throats in a heartbeat. No honor among thieves!
(Pancha Chandra): How could American voters ever trust Donald Trump? He would hand over America's internal secrets to Vladimir Putin without any hesitation!
The Quadefendant is nobody's friend, and Putin certainly doesn't care about friendship. Putin's got a few useful idiots, who in turn have their own useful idiots, who have their own useful idiots... It's clear that it's about absolute power, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Putin wields it intently and ruthlessly, while the Quadefendant wields it recklessly and destructively.
With Drumpf and Putin in power, for Europe it would be 1945 all over again. Two (-self-imagined by two narcissistic leaders-) world powers negotiating the reorganisation of Europe.
"Forget the politicians. The politicians are put there to give you the idea that you have freedom of choice. You don’t. You have no choice. You have owners. They own you. They own everything. They own all the important land. They own and control the corporations. They’ve long since bought and paid for the Senate, the Congress, the state houses, the city halls. They got the judges in their back pockets and they own all the big media companies, so they control just about all of the news and information you get to hear. They got you by the balls. They spend billions of dollars every year lobbying. Lobbying to get what they want. Well, we know what they want. They want more for themselves and less for everybody else, but I’ll tell you what they don’t want. They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interests.” George Carlin 2006.
Putin, Trump, Xi and all of the other world dictators owned by oligarchs and corporations will run the world if Trump is elected. Then the world will fall into different alliances between iron fisted dictatorships. Eventually they will quarrel between themselves and war with nuclear weapons will happen. All us worker bees will be destroyed but the corrupt corporate oligarchs and families will live on. It’s like a bad plot to a sad novel but all too possible!
PUTIN and MUSK: When Elon Musk purchased Twitter I read this Dave Troy article highlighting the alignment between Elon Musk and Putin. Troy put forth that Musk's goal in purchasing Twitter was not to make money, but to control the information space and reshape the global world order. Musk is aligned with Putin in desiring a "multipolar world order." Musk is antidemocratic, believing advances in society are made through "technocracy" and at best democracy should be managed by smart people like Musk and his "technical managers" (eerily similar to Putin's "methodologists"). According to Troy, Musk would ultimately like to move back to a gold standard and replace the dollar with cryptocurrency and government with an app! Also, Musk's "long-termism" is about humanity's future in space--hence his disregard for social, climate, and political ills here and now. [Troy is a tech entrepreneur, disinformation specialist and investigative journalist who shares the same tech world as Musk, Dorsey, and their supporters.] When I read Troy's article I found it a bit above my pay grade. However, I follow Troy as he continues to write about the threat to democracy. Yesterday it was reported Russia is using Musk's Starlink in Ukraine. I watch what is going on with disinformation and media this past week. I now agree fervently with Troy's final conclusion in that first article I read about the Twitter acquisition: "None of this is a joke, none of the old rules apply, and we would be well-advised to treat this as the threat it really represents." I attach the original Troy article that I can't shake, though I enthusiastically refer you to his writings since. https://bylinetimes.com/2022/11/07/musks-twitter-buy-makes-no-sense-unless-its-part-of-something-bigger/
Musk, Bezzo's and the other corporate oligarchs, you all deeply desire to go into space, please do it now! then maybe we can have a better chance of saving the earth's climate from global catastrophe from your stinking greed.
Maybe this is linked with research into extending the human lifespan way beyond its current limits. If colonies were to be set up on Mars, etc., it would take many years. These guys might be too old to enjoy it by then.
To tackle the climate crisis just so that people can continue to live on this planet seems to me a worthy goal. It seems that for guys like Musk it just isn’t sexy enough. Let mundane intellects work on it. Musk has loftier aspirations.
I suspect that Bezos and Musk aren’t the ones that will be going into space. First, it will be large groups of the homeless, influential Democrats and liberals, etc. Not to live, but for disposal.
Not outer space, surely too expensive. Something cheaper.
That only works if we can keep them from successfully returning to earth.
The biggest threat to our democracy is the stupid easily-led uncritical American voter ..
Insulting the intelligence and lack of education of a people who are bombarded with right-wing propaganda that infects our news media and social discourse, especially when public education is constantly underfunded and then attacked by the same right-wing propagandists year after year... I don't think that's fighting fair. We're not any less intelligent now than we were when Johnson's Civil Rights bill was passed. We're not any less intelligent now than we were when we elected Barrack Obama as President. Our electorate is besieged and beguiled, but it is not incapable of defending democracy. WE need to accept OUR responsibility and bring the message to OUR people; that message is that OUR democracy is under threat and WE need to stand up to protect if from the neo-fascist MAGA Republicans and their oligarchic benefactors, including Putin.
Two instants: The gulf between what we say we are (myth in constant reminder) and what we are (look away, Dixieland), and S/he votes. I'm all too aware of unfairness ..
True that there are many examples of "who we are" that are shameful. But, I argue that it's not who we are that's the problem, it's what we're being force-fed and how we've been miseducated. It's just not useful to insult the intelligence of the electorate. It invites anti-democratic arguments while simultaneously fueling nonsensical tit-for-tat exchanges that pass for debates. You're correct that too much of the public has been pulled into the culture wars by their own fears and prejudices, but calling them stupid is just not helpful.
O'Connor viewed that a major problem in the US is that most citizens don't understand democracy and nor the need of institutions that are necessary to keep the Constitution float. The last 7 years is a Masters education. Ukraine demonstrates the opposite of autocracy.
I'd go further, to a true lexicographical (< damn me if that's the wrong word) edge:
Look at your change. Look at your bills. Try to find the word 'freedom'. Another 7-letter word stands in its place--'liberty'. Difference? Surely. As to how it got there and stayed I have yet to discover. Never mind the confusion between the two that even extends to the OED. As they apply here, 'freedom' relates to the forthright independence and separation of the original 13 states that led the the shambles wrought by the Articles of CONfederation. 'Liberty' refers here to the--may I say adult--realizing that by voluntarily surrendering enough of that freedom to make a workable Federation. Both words need reflection, but I can say that when I hear 'freedom' evoked, I cringe a little; it has an adolescent tinge. William Safire wrote a piece on the differences, which I'd lost and recently found. Forgetting it was him, I re-researched the ideas. Say, is Freedom a Platonic ideal? If so, his crowd must have had fun with it ..
I should add a second response I just thought of: A reasonably intelligent high school and college friend's family voted Republican, so he did. This was in the '60s-'70s. We'd have disagreements about his voting for Nixon a second time, over some convenient pants wetter conservatives love to destroy. Anyway, when pressed as to why, he'd say, 'Well, I dunno ..' and trail off. Nothing could be worse than hearing that sort of disconnect, from a voter yet ..
@Phil . Think lots of Dunning Kruger effect .....
Just familiarized m'self ..
Musk blew up two multimillion dollar rockets all paid with our tax money. He’s incompetent and destroys everything he touches. We are not going to ANY other planet with Musk. If our government actually cared about Americans they would pull all contracts from him and give them to those companies that actually know what they are doing and for the betterment of society as a whole. Musk is an oligarch. He never will do the right thing.
Colonization of Mars is a scam. At .38ge the Martian gravity is not strong enough to hold an atmosphere of lighter gases like oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen to it's surface.
We live in a very thin film of an atmosphere, it essentially disappears at above 30,000 ft, and liquids, including blood boil off higher than that, and that is the reason that jet pilots and astronauts wear pressure suits and undergarments.
The gravitational pull of the center of the earth, pulls these molecules towards it, and they pile up on each other at the surface (aka atmospheric pressure) if the Earths gravitational pull was as weak as Mars, then our atmosphere would drift off into space, spun off by the centrifugal force at the equator.
Water is made up of these lighter gases, hydrogen and oxygen, and the only place unaffected by the centrifugal force of the planet are the poles and subsurface.
It is gravitational pull that creates atmosphere, the stronger the gravity the more capable it is of binding lighter molecules like hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen to the surface and create an atmosphere that can sustain animal life.
Lighter gravity (.38ge) means that after a prolong stay on Mars, the body would lose bone mass, as there is no longer the atmospheric/gravitational pressure on it that requires larger bones, to anchor the muscles, tendons and ligaments needed to perambulate.
NASA knows it, science knows it, dentists know it, but it is not even discussed.
Decrease gravity and you decrease bone mass, because you decrease stress on the bones by muscles, tendons and ligaments.
When your dentist pulls teeth, the jaw bone were the teeth were anchored, recedes because there is no longer any stress on the jaw bone.
An aveerage human can leap maybe 18 inches from standing still, in a .38ge he will be able to leap 6 ft or more, and each step he takes would have him bound many feet into the air, and thus blow through any habitat walls or ceiling unless he/she wore weights, like a deep sea diver.
Children born on Mars would be spindly and short, spindly legs and arms, large heads and eyes (adjusted to the Martian atmosphere of carbon dioxide, and perpetual twilight.
Right: Mars habitation is just another distraction from our real task — to ensure that the earth stays livable.
Right On!! The real task of reducing crime is to catch (with love) all children heading towards death, prison, etc. At a Treatment Center for juvenile offenders in Michigan (Maxey in Whitmore Lake). We were successful for many offenders (seriously delinquent adolescents). As a community child psychiatrist I know that empathy is the key. These kids will share their traumas and lack of love which teaches both of us how he became criminal. It takes time with each lad and with a lot of expertise. Prison is the disraction from reality. Expertise is hard to find in the community. Thanks Stan.
That or the asshats think that they are going to avoid the consequences of screwing up this planet.
While I agree that Musk is trying to be an oligarch, we're not an oligarchy yet. Regarding the rockets destroyed, accidents can happen with that regardless of the funding type.
When did government care about Americans? Remind me…
In a democracy, the government is answerable to us and made by us. It's not some abstract thing that's out there. It's you and me and the whole electorate. The government doesn't care about us? Well, let's do something about it then; let's make our government more democratic and more responsive to our needs. This can only be done when we accept responsibility for it. "The government" is ours to criticize and shape so long as we are a democracy. I'll admit that the billionaires and big corporations and banks have way more influence in our current set-up than we do. But, we do still have power; the would-be oligarchs are wanting to take what power we have so that they can have it all. We can't let them. No, America must continue to be a democracy, and it must strive to be more and more democratic, not less.
When did the government care about Americans? Remind me….
Celia, an excellent comment, thank you. A real eye opener, well worth spreading around. I just wish you could have broken it up into two or three paragraphs, it would have made it more readable.
The gold standard is a Marxist and Libertarian wet dream, there is not enough gold in the world to use as a standard. Arthur Kitson, a 19th Century Economisit, took on Marx when he wrote A Fraudulent Standard.
Russia, because it was Marxist, was on a gold standard. They defined a ruble as .9871 grams fine gold, and only printed enough rubles as there was gold on hand, result was a perpetual shortage of rubles and a perpetual depression, long lines for bread and meat and no consumer goods produced, which they blamed on the cold war as a scapegoat.
There were seven banks in the Soviet Union, and a central bank called the GoSBank, however the citizen could not redeem rubles for gold, but a foreigner could present rubles at the NordBank in Paris and demand gold, which reduced the supply of gold, and exacerbated the Depression.
Soviet customs rigorously searched all outgoing luggage for rubles, as it was a crime to smuggle out rubles, in bound luggage was screened only for "subversive literature) and they welcomed the import of consumer goods.
Interesting! You reinforce that what we are seeing is not random. I admit when I initially read the article it seemed very sci fi. Now, I see echoes of it everywhere and am re-reading several of Troy's articles. I'll work on the paragraphs.
I just read Troy's article and am impressed.
I don't know Troy but he seems to be right on the money. I will surely look him up. Thanks!
Musk's public stance about humans expanding to live on other planets is a pipedream. Too many lightyears and no oxygen, water, food, or warmth. You know, facts!
Many governments want to eliminate cash. All the world's economy on paper, and screens, making it so easy to control, charge and rip off average citizens
.
Thanks for this link. I’d never heard of David Troy but I’m following him now.
As a Technocrat (with a capital "T"), I must explain the difference between what is represented as Musk's take on "technocracy" (his grandfather was one of the early Technocrats), and the term as conceived by the Technocracy organization, founded in 1933 and one of the most significant social movements of the 1930's and 1940's (it dwindled after the war-funded economic "boom" of the post-WWII years, which, tragically, has been a linchpin of our debt-structured economy ever since).
Technocracy's original conception was based on a 14-year study of industrial trends performed at Columbia University starting in 1918, following the end of WWI. Facing the return of hundreds of thousands of veterans seeking jobs, and the fact that production continued in their absence, It concluded that the ongoing replacement of human labor by machines (accelerating even as this is written) would cause disruptions in purchasing power. To distribute the increase in production made possible, the economy would go into a perpetual debt spiral (which also happened, and is continuing with no end in sight - one major reason for the social stress we are witnessing). The organization also pointed out the pointless waste of energy and resources, and environmental destruction, brought about by the need to supply disposable products to promote repeat sales.
These revelations (validated by the Holland study in 1961, which revealed that the total amount of goods and services required by the country could be produced by ten percent of the work force), were prematurely released to the public and the Technocracy organization was formed in 1933 to promote a hastily-assembled design for addressing these changes - a "technocracy", or government based on fact rather than opinion, an economy based on physical reality rather than the vagaries of finance. It involved replacing monetary valuation with the energy cost of producing goods, and providing each citizen with equal access to the production through energy "certificates" (think EFT now, without the debt). These certificates were issued exclusively periodically, based on previous consumer usage, and money would be phased out (no more amassing financial power - quite the opposite of Musk's take on the term, and of his and others' financial control over people's lives). Private corporations would become public property, managed by those most qualified in their fields: a sort of scientific socialism, as it were, with no more billionaires or zillionaires.
Mississippi’s governor has sold out the people to Amazon. I wish the people of Florida and Mississippi could all be offered jobs in blue states and leave these. oligarchs without any worker bees.
Never have belonged to x X or XX whatever it is called today
I’ve left X as have my friends.
Yep. They will live on in a toasted hell of an Earth, but hey, they will die with all the toys. Big win.
Trisha, Virginia, J.P., George Carlin and even our own R.R are painting a pretty grim picture of what seems to be an unescapable future based on the failures of Mainstream Media to tell it like it is.
What it is , is a bare knuckles, even brass knuckles campaign coming upon us and Donald Trump and the nasties in his entourage and propaganda department have made it so. In the face of this barage of attacks and propaganda, the response of the Democratic media machine has been an utter failure. J.P., if you are going to quote George Carlin saying “They got you by the balls,” I would say that the polite and civil Democratic media machine have handed them their “balls" on a platter.
This campaign is not one of civil discourse, of convincing educated voters that one approach makes more sense than another. Trump and his propagandists have turned what we thought should be a battle of intellects into an all out gloves off boxing match and Trump has the P.R. people and spin artist machine in operation to put this contest into the boxing ring with no rules rather than a gentleman’s debate between two sparring intellects. (Remember when Trump left his podium to stand menacingly behind Hillary Clinton during that presidential debate?)
If Biden is going to win it is not going to be that his approach and arguments make more sense or that MSM will suddenly change their stripes. The Democrats will have to build a propaganda machine that will tower over Trumps propaganda machine. They need to highlight every outrageous thing Trump has said and done since he entered politics and before and they need to repeat these expose's over and over. The Biden team needs to hire the best and brightest strategists and P.R. people that exist on the planet.
Joseph Biden is by far a better man, and a very capable President, but he is not a fighter ready to take on an Orange Menace in the boxing ring. So, he will have to compensate by hiring a P.R. staff that is ready to fight in the boxing ring of today’s depraved politics and score knockout punch after knockout punch until Trump is the one that looks weak. That is what MSM and the uneducated and uniformed voters are looking for.
Joseph Biden not in favor of violence, and to avoid violence it is sometimes necessary to hire those who will stand up to the playground bullies and respond to them where it hurts, their illusion of invincibility. For this he will need the best, brightest and most aggressive “hired guns” out there.
To sum up my diatribe, I am thoroughly frustrated with the tepid responses of Biden’s current Campaign and “Image Makers.” Trump has given them so much ammunition, why are they not using it?
"Balls" male metaphor.
Why are those with ovaries (misogynistically called pussy) weaker, when a flick to those balls send a male flying in pain and disabled but a vagina pushes out a whole human being.
not sure the best and the brightest are what's needed
He certainly needs a better performing team than what he currently has. Any suggestions? TaylorSwift has done more for him with the youth vote than any of his people. You can tell the effectiveness of any campaign strategy or moves by the vehemence of the Republican response. His team would be well advised to find Trump's most sensitive and reactive spots and keep hitting him there such as business failures, support of removal of women’s rights and racism to start with. Also a campaign focusing on his mental confusion. These need to be hit over and over to goad him to make even more outrageous statements. Short one minute videos of his worst moments should be flooding social media.
Nikki Haley is doing a semi-good job in emphasizing Drumpf’s obvious flaws. The goading strategy appeals to me, too.
Having people of several generations involved in an aggressive PR machine could hook some in the younger generations that have withdrawn from voting.
There’s Madison Avenue to employ.
Yep, they won't last long. Survival depends on cooperation. This scenario leaves the world with people & nations with insatiable greed fighting over dwindling resources in an increasingly perilous world. That only leads to extinction.
🥺🥺🥺 Damn, wish I could disgree …
Yes, and the Hitlerian response is to kill all those who stand in the way: simple-minded Drumpfism.
They will come out of their shelters to a brave, new stone age. Their first major disappointment will be the realization that stone ages don't support the lifestyles that they became accustomed to before armageddon. They will come out of their trillion-dollar lifeboats as both survivors and castaways. Their first task will be to bury the charred remains of their golden goose.
The plutocrats forget that their wealth is based on the relatively stable US dollar, which has long been stable because of a stable US government.
The plutocrats will ensure a stable US government — for their own survival and continued prosperity.
Corporations will surround the people and deprive them of their freedom and liberty, and remember, so say the stench of stench, those conservatives that sit on the Supreme Court, who say corporations are people too, hence more money, equal more rights than most of America and that's just the way they and the GOP like it, for indeed needs of the many are the sins of the few.
So, let’s all just throw in the towel and go to the pub!
Au contraire, Ann. Now is the time for all good men [and women] to stand up and rescue our country from this mad man. Write your MoCs until you can't write any more. Defund them remove them from the political sphere. Support the IRS which is the only agency in a good position to end their grifting and criming.
Support those who will remove them: Vote blue.
Writing your member of Congress is a waste of time and paper, unless, of course, you are a big campaign contributor. Take away their campaign contributions and suddenly everything will look different.
Well, you will make that true, if they ONLY hear from their Big Campaign Donors, then those will be the only people they listen to. What does a candidate do with campaign donations, eh? They CAMPAIGN, and they do THAT to win VOTES, and if a sh*t ton more voters got in touch with candidates and legislatiors, they might listen a little more — especially if we speak with one voice to tell them how we feel.
SO, go ahead and convince people to lie down and let the juggernaut roll over us. You hasten our demise.
{WRITE to those legislators, people — DO iT! and Vote Blue!}
It IS true! A million letters (which usually go into the round file) cannot make up for one big campaign contributor's million dollar TV ad buy. That is the fact of our political campaign system today. But go ahead and write all the letters you want. It won't hurt, but don't be naive enough to believe that the congressman is ever going to see those letters. He/she has aides to handle that and send out those form replies. The American public still OWNS the PUBLIC airwaves. We could get rid of those nasty, stupid and misleading campaign ads if we would either sue to do that or back candidates who promise to do that.
Yes, unlimited dark money flowing into politicians’ pockets is the death of democracy and the birth of oligarchy, which we now are experiencing.
I'm not so sure cynicism is the beast approach at this juncture- there's an old saying in politics, that "one letter is an opinion and two is a movement"- politicians move toward what their perception of the public sentiment is, and if sane people keep out of the discussion, they will gravitate away from sanity. Money is not the only arbiter.
That is a very old and totally outdated (by technology) political saying. Politicians today are mainly concerned with keeping their jobs, and the big campaign contributors buy them the absolutely necessary mass advertising and technology to get reelected. If I am cynical, then so are all the veteran analysts, reporters and other observers who report the huge amounts of MONEY that are put into the political grist mill by HUGE numbers of business lobbyists ... and also the effect of that lobbying, which is not supposition. It is purely unfortunate FACT.
In the name of treason, The Federalist Society, Citizens United and other similar known power brokers must be disbanded and have their obscenely massive assets seized by the IRS to pay off the national debt and redistributed to meet the needs of all American citizens for education, medicare for all, nutrition, housing and infrastructure .While we're at it, put an end to political and environmental lobbying and bloated war chests.
I know all of this is a tall order but one worth pursuing.
Cecile; I have found a better way to let these critters know I, and others are paying attention. I send them emails. I sometimes will attach an article about their sleaze and CC everyone in my contact list. When I contact my state critters, I make sure the two representators and the two state senators from my area are included. Many times I will call U S senators and U S Congress Critters and leave a message. Even if they are from other states. I let them know I am not from their state or their district. But I say I have a right to call you because every thing you people vote on affects my state, my family, my neighbors, and I do not like your position. If a senator or congress person has done something for the good and welfare I will also call them and thank them. On another note;. I am sure many of you are familiar with PROJECT 2025. It is a billionaire funded Heritage Foundation Manifesto prepare by over 90 right wing think tanks for the trump administration. It is truly a Christo/Fascist Dictatorial anti-democracy document. It will scare the shit out of you. Please go to www.project2025.org Scroll down and it's all right there.
I was shocked that my own husband and son had not heard of Project 2025. Both Ph.D.s and keep up with events and vote for Democrats. Anyone know if Republican voters know what’s in Project 2025?
I have been told by several republicans I was a crazy conspiratorialist. Well today I sent them just the forward of project 2025. Scary 17 page manifesto. So far no reply.
No Labels group, a big snake in the grass, that so far, despite all requests, refuses continually to release their donor list, since No Labels is listed as non-profit, they do not have to disclose their donors, spoiler alert?
Jon ; Non profits should not be allowed to avoid disclosure of where their money comes from. It shows that they have something to hide. Are there bad actors, like dark money from Russian oligarchs in there? This is how they 'work' to support tRump, ,in addition to having troll farms! There may be trolls putting out misinformation even here, that looks legitimate! Also, if there are limits on campaign contributions for folks like you and I ; Why are the Corps allowed to have no limits (or disclosure) on their contributions?
Indeed, and former Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, I read is now calling No Labels out, for what they really stand for, they stand for re-electing that piece of putrefying crapola, in which they and he seek to gut everything thing and hollow out the government, so as to control and line their ever so oily pockets further, I say oily, because as Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island points out, time and again, the front groups posing behind these small and obscure legal court cases, get those cases moved to the front of the line, to fast track to the Supreme Court and much of that dark money behind it, is from the oil cartel and people like KOCH, Harland Crowe and others, so is no wonder the fascist GOP,( so called Democrat Joe Manchin) constantly attack alternative green energy, they all work for and exist as extensions or subsidiaries of the oil mafia to do their dirty work and helped to causing a climate in crises and by extension, ecological collapse of animal species, earth and man, has now entered into, the Sixth mass level extinction events
501(c)4s are supposedly public-benefit non-profits that are not working for a specific candidate — or at least don’t share funds or coordinate with any candidate.
I don’t know how NoLabels can be a 501(c)4, though, since it mounts campaigns. Most political funding, even to non-profits, is supposed to be disclosed. So, now I need to look THIS up.
Hmmmmm….
Unless it is your local non profit, like an Animal Shelter or Spay and Neuter I won't contribute to national or international non profits, they are a business that uses your donations to first pay overhead, which are salaries, rent, often in expensive buildings.
The March of Dimes was founded by Eleanor Roosevelt to find a cure for polio. it never did, if it did it would have been the end of the MoD.
Jonas Salk, who was not funded by the MoD found a cure, and that was the end of the MoD, they closed shop and went into thik mode, searching for a safe way to save their cushy jobs, social status and influence, they re opened with a charter of preventing birth defects, which does not have a cure.
I give generously to local charities, and that does not include the parasitic churches.
Most nonprofit organizations can’t keep donor lists private. 501(c)4s can, but they are supposedly not the same as most political non-profits like PACs, etc. They are never supposed to coordinate activities with a campaign.
Ha! Like that never happens.
Is No Labels {which is, itself a Label} a 501(c)4?
Yes, it is a 501(c)(4) and therefore has been more leeway to get involved politically than a 501(c)(3).
Going to the pub has been known to work but throwing in the towel is never option for protecting democracy. As long as we keep getting the info out there from the very well informed like Professor Reich, we have a chance to stop this madness by joining forces at the ballot box. There will always be those who fall for the BS from Trump and those who enable him like Faux News and Carlson. However, common sense will hopefully prevail since there are more of us than them.
It's an option...but...we survived the depression, WWII, Vietnam war...Cold War...maybe we will survive this apocalyptic period? Nah...I don't think so...Climate change, AI, Putin, Trump, Musk, Koch, Republicans, China and Xi, Neo Nazis, Political corruption, Corporate gov't takeover, corrupt law enforcement, racism, immigrant ism, forever chemicals, PFAS, global warming, Corporate greed, increased of competition for vanishing resources, enormous wildlife extinction...and hundreds of other reasons...
Virtual reality may be the end result for those that can afford it?
@Henry. Nah, no bandaids. We need to correct the actual problems. Adam Smith identified the "answer" in the founding treatise on capitalism - it must be well regulated or the greedy bastards will end up owning everything. Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others!
Smith was right but how do we get people to accept the fact that regulations are necessary. trump is threatening to wipe out all regulations and the billionaires support him. The MAGAs and republicans don't even think, the just accept whatever he says. But the media wants to talk about Biden's age.
@William. FDR to the 1990s regulation seemed to get better and better. But during the Reagan/Thatcher era the moneyed interests learned that there was an audience for antigovernment messaging that they could use to reduce regulation and taxation. Now look where we are!! It will be a long battle back to where regular folks have a fair shake again.
WILLIAM CASH ; The Supreme Court, it is reported, feels 'Uncomfortable' to 'get involved' in an election. They already have a black eye or two because of the blatant fraud and even criminality of their allowing bribery to influence their enforcement of the Constitution, If they took an oath , and they did ; They are violating it by allowing tRump to remain on the ballot. Also there are numerous members of Congress who are similarly disabled and should not be in their seats of power! Their leader openly informs Putin that he encourages him to attack and invade the entire region in and around Ukraine; giving a head start to his own aggressive plans...We need justice! not a bunch of sycophants! They are doing this in slow motion ( although not as slow as the complicit courts and DOJ), right in plain sight. It may be underway before the election!
I agree. We may have run out of band aids and/or the option. Biden's group might have the option if they can find a way to enlist the aid of MAGA supporters by enlightenment as to what their real concerns should be. With the new mass of informed voter support we should be able to take back the country. This has to come from purchase power as money is the motivator. It should only be spent on goods and services that benefit the people vs solely the corporations owners and share holders bottom line. In doing so everyone will benefit. We as a popultion need to more mindful of our goernment and better educated about our choices?
40% of eligible voters are Gen Z who trend 70% Democratic. https://www.fieldteam6.org/
Restraining and regulating capitalism is quite the chore, when the capitalists own the means and tools that will restrain and regulate them.
Ever hear of regulatory capture, citizens united, money in politics.
Go to opensecrets.org pick a politician of your choice and see where their money comes from.
See where their money comes from AND check on how they vote. It’s important to know both things, and not assume you know them until you know them.
At this point in time, we NEED to elect Democrats {NOT Blue Dog Democrats like Manchin and Sinema, but actual Democrats} because the Republican Party is planning to undo the Constitution the first chance they get, and they want to install the idea of a Unitary President. Once they do it, we’re not going to get things back!
We can’t get all pissy and NOT vote for Democrats right now. We don’t have the luxury of being pissy.
@Lee. Exactly.
Henry ; I saw that there are some laws proposed to track the phony telephone messages in New Hampshire that were AI messages to voters from Biden telling voters not to vote in the primary. They are tracking the calls to 2 places where the the calls are originating from. Fines are being set. In other words, some of our legislators and security officials are working on strengthening security to prevent this type of fraud, before the election.
You might check out the latest AI article on the Atomic clock bulletin site as it discusses some of the real ramifications of the AI threat...be warned on the face it is pretty scary and the between the lines given the possibility of the many types of actors out there and the options those actors good and bad can utilize AI for...existential threat takes on a whole new meaning.
Henry ; I prefer to do what i actually can ; I'm not a person who can solve that type of technological threat!. I Can vote, and I will!
I came across that fact also...I have to ask why after 40+ years haven't they been able to do anything about telemarketers and robo calls. Many years ago, I worked with an individual who headed up a government program in upstate NY to list in one place, all the telephone #'s of all the individuals within the US along with other more personal info. All secret hush hush nonsense. This info was never supposed to be made public or for sale to any marketing company under contracted conditions with major penalties. It was openly marketed before the study was ever even completed. The reality is there's always noise and news about reactions but never real solutions to the problems for the most part. There is never enough good government (numbers of enforcement personnel) to affect the change that is needed. Many reasons for that fact involving many factors. Modifying the behavior of 300+million individuals within a country the size of the US is a daunting task and for many reasons we haven't never been able to do so, although oddly enough we do know haw to do it as history has taught us...we just don't seem to have the collective motivation.
Henry ; I posted earlier that the fake telephone message sent in New Hampshire featuring the AI 'voice' of President Biden telling voters to stay home, has been traced to two places from which these robo calls had been made. So they found the culprits! Now fines and consequences will follow. I was buoyed up to see the article. It's more than the nuisance of spam; it's the threats to our Democracy that I like to see averted, or diminished, at least with heavy penalities! deterrence will help, if they know it can be traced. The international calls may be more difficult, But if there is a will, there is a way.
You know who keeps on firing the “enforcement” element of our regulation system, right? Republicans. You know who wants to get rid of even more regulations, right? Republicans. You know who we need to elect to stop this pattern, right? Democrats.
I’m not saying Democrats are perfect — they’re not. But they are the party who provide the best chance for those of us who USE OUR VOICE to reach them. And then work to get the legislation we need through Congress…
So, use our voice. Get in touch with them. And use our voice to tell them we won’t be here forever voting for them if they don’t shape up.
And use our voice — our vote — to get better legislators in office {to do that, we have to convince OTHER voters to get behind those better legislators … HENCE, talking on forums like this, and working on ‘get out the vote’ efforts … }
There use to be an open sourced book with everyone's name, address and telephone number, or at least name and number.
It was called The Telephone Directory,, and us kids knew the trick of ripping it in half, and I mean a book the size of the Philadelphia Directory
All resulting in more feudalism, is just what our corporate Masters want.
Marvelous...I needed a good laugh today....Thank you.
I can’t say it any better so please read this and I hope you never give up your hope or your rights
https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/february-11-2024?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=20533&post_id=141593574&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=f14pb&utm_medium=email
Your Idea Ann is just as bad, as those who are polyannish, and chose to believe that all is well and will end well.
The Amygdala, the lizard brain, of the non MAGAt population has to be lit, that people take the situation as serious and the last gasp of democracy, and the last chance of DEI.
If they sit back and live in a fairy tale world of everything will be ok anyway, the
enemies of humanity win.
People need to be motivated to vote, and nothing motivates like fear. Reason and critical thinking are not motivators, neither is hope and well wishing.
Problem with that is, you wake up with hangover, realizing you will have to drink every day from a nightmare that may, God forbid, not go away.
Jon ; I just avoid football and booze!
LOL
But with all us worker bees out of the picture, who will they have to put under their greasy thumbs?
robotics...and virtual reality. Robots to maintain robots and equipment and robots and equipment to farm, build things, and design for a better future on a nearly dead planet?
Good point, Steve
Virginia, so if that is your vision, how do we get anyone to choose something different? I just can't be that cynical. I may pay for that, but I keep hoping we humans can do better.
A good piece discussing just that: https://youtu.be/hbKxt0W1Ymk?si=BxhodD_SNRnblI6E
Think:
STRONGMEN: Myssolini to the Present
by Ruth Ben-Ghiat
Virginia, it is a scary sad scenario but one very likely to happen. Only because a relative minority of people actually believe that Trump will save them, from whatever nightmare they imagine they are in.
Democrates have to get loud and noisy. We have to convince as many MAGA as we can.
In the famous lyrics of a British song writer,
"No , we're never going to survive unless we get a little crazy"
Artise: Seal
Song: Crazy
They may not have practical skills to survive, so probably will save some"slaves" to take care of them...
Dear Virginia,
No, they won’t go on living. They are simply human animals and all animals die. They are the most dangerous animals on the planet. Unaware and uncaring about anything except power and “MORE” for them. Such ugly ugly animals. I am sorry for them,
You forgot Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Obama. Carlin was talking about them as well.
He didn’t have time to say much about Obama since Carlin’s death and Obama’s election was in the same year. Nice try troll.
You'll believe anything.
Please cite sources for your claims. Thanks.
Thanks. I don't believe that Ukraine is utopic. Surely there was/is corruption. But Putin is clearly the bad guy in this conflict, and he he must be stopped. Otherwise the rest of what he considers to be his "lost empire" will be next. He promised he would never attack Ukraine, remember? And China is watching ...
yeah yeah he won't attack Ukraine. If he swears he'll never attack Poland, look out.
... John Mearsheimer, Ray McGovern, Col. Wilkerson. etc
Putin is a liar! He told Carlson in the interview that Russia would not attack another country (Poland in this case) unless the country attacked Russia first. Ukraine did not attack Russia. Putin invaded another country with no justification. None! The fighting in the Donbass was Ukrainian versus Ukrainian, an internal matter. Did not justify Russian invasion. Also, I recall that as a condition for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons, Russia agreed to respect and protect Ukraine from outside attack in an agreement whose name escapes me now. I do agree that there is a lot about Ukraine's regime that is not to like.
wait what ? I just kidded above if he says he'll never attack Poland then watch out Poland. Talk about Putin telegraphing his intent. It ain't subtle.
Wow! What fantasy! You're either a malicious purveyor or gullible swallower of disinformational russofascist propaganda!
I just received 4 posts from this troll, and did not even read them. glad to see them banned!
J. P., What I most appreciate about this particular diatribe is that embedded in Carlin’s condemnation of politicians is its solution—that maybe never in the history of this country has the necessity for an acutely informed and engaged electorate, both recognizing its very existence is under assault while also training itself to resist said blitz, been more evident. I would submit the same largely is true of Reich’s newsletters.
Yes, we need a population with critical thinking skills. Where are they going to learn them? The school voucher system is taking over the south. Our public schools are in massive disarray, and the teachers there are hamstrung from the kind of solid teaching I got as a kid from laws passed by Republican governors. I have never seen this country in such bad shape when it comes to democracy for "we the people." I'm terrified of November and what might be shoved down our unwilling throats. It's a good way down already, and I'm choking to death.
Theo, Circling back to my comment’s recognition that the current system is under assault and that we must resist the blitz, I take heart from the increasing number of Democrats who increasingly are mobilizing at the state and local levels to fill positions with their own people. I, further, would note much of this shift has been inspired by 3 southern political lightening rods—Tennessee Reps Justin Jones and Justin Pearson and the Rev. William Barber of North Carolina—all of whom, among a host of policy priorities, especially have prioritized public education funding.
I suppose my point is that we have to be willing to engage in a war we must win.
Channel Taylor Swift.
Channel Barbara Jo Kreiger!
Laurie, I just discovered your kind and generous words. With deep thanks, Barbara
The fascist party with their Dear Leader Dump, on a mission to burn all books that speak truth to power.
I just read that Asheville, NC, bought a bunch of banned books from Florida and are reselling them... to some people who will take them right back to Florida. ;)
we would first have to understand what "critical thinking" skills means. Maybe it's enough right now to know what it doesn't mean. There is no crtitical thinking without an understanding of scientific explanation. And I'm still trtying to understand that.
Your definition seems too narrow. Not all critical thinking requires an understanding of scientific explanation. It could just mean you explore all sides of an issue in relation to your needs and those of your family/community/country and make an informed decision.
What we need, and what we have, are worlds apart, but we cannot give up. We need to strategize and always vote.
MargaretT, I agree, first, that we have a ways to go before making significant progress towards our goals and, second, that we have to train ourselves and acquire the knowledge and strength to do it for ourselves, rather than expecting someone else to carry the weight for us.
Which is why we need a healthy and well-funded public school system. It has been sadly underfunded and undermined by Republicans who want their electorate ignorant and gullible to conspiracy theorists and disinformation. Approximately 1/3 of them are such true believers they are beyond reason and redemption. Pathetic.
Joni, Your comment rightly amplifies that we have to be willing to engage in a war we must win. To that end, I take heart from the increasing number of Democrats who increasingly are mobilizing at the state and local levels to fill positions with their own people. While I would note that the impetus for expanding their previous focus principally on federal elections increasingly to include state and local contests largely has been driven by Dems recognizing the importance of defending democracy at the state and local levels, it also is of note that beefing up public education funding also is a top priority.
Barbara Jo Krieger ; yes, they attack anything they don't like, and threatens them and their agenda.
Laurie, Respectfully, I don’t see how your comment relates to my observing the importance of everyday people training themselves and acquiring the knowledge needed to resolve our problems in lieu of expecting others to carry the weight.
Barbara Jo Krieger ; My post was an attempt to show support for what you posted, because it was straightforward and succinct. It was never meant to be a put down in any way. The world does not have enough plain spoken observers. I am truly sorry for my clunky attempt to give you kudos, and was not being sarcastic at all. Peace!
Laurie, I didn’t view your post as a “put down” or “sarcastic,” but merely as a misreading. Nonetheless, I greatly appreciate the clarification.
Barbara Jo Kreiger ; I do too. There is so much cynicism today. I can see that it would be easy to misinterpret. I really liked your post.
I can get a second hand radio transmitter for about 8K or so.
Whut?
George Carlin was right. Our political system needs work. I would like to think that our population of citizens are capable of thinking for themselves. If we do not stop the takeover of our education system by lunatics that want to 'dumb down' our children to the point they are incapable of critical thinking, they will have succeeded in getting exactly what they want.
Well Peggy - that ship has sailed IMO, or at the very least has raised anchor and is in the process of sailing out of the harbor toward open seas. Can it be pulled back? At this point, critical thinking voters can pull it back. It's uphill, with voter suppression and gerrymandering, but it is within reach. Apathy I think is the enemy in this fight. Apathy and poor memory (not Biden's, but the electorate's).
You are so right, James! How do we fight the apathy of the American voter? How do we get them to understand fully what is at stake? At this point, I have become unafraid to state without hesitation what will happen if we allow trump back in office. They scream at me faux news, Democrats telling lies, etc., etc., etc. but I will not shut up! I simply state my case and move on. I truly do not know what else to do! If I can sway one person to listen to reason, learn the truth, then I have accomplished something. Here's to the Blue Tsunami in 2024!!
james wheaton (Jay ; We also need to have a better 'fourth Estate'. The media is full of misinformation and disinformation. Education does not cover everything we need to know about. accurate information and reporting could go a long way for intelligent voters. A Fairness doctrine, or other guardrails . like the efforts to keep AI and other fake messaging off the media. Any private entity spewing harmful misinformation should be held liable.
We need to stop being nostalgic for the days when Republicans were against communism and when we had meaningful civics education. The new reality is that the Republicans are the enemies of democracy, (gerrymandering, voter suppression, citizens united, election denying, fake )
voter fraud ) and against truth in need and education.
Stop looking back and do the education that is missing. Begin with why democracy is to be prized. What will be lost if we don’t have democracy! (The leaders will not have any reason to listen to the people. They will never be removed no matter what they did.)
I throughly Agree...this is a failure of Education and Ethics as a Society. We have regressed to Anamialistic Society who believe life and Goverment should be like a football game you must have A Winner and Loser! Society and Goverments should have Compromise and Win Win Solutions! Look at all the Coaches who have entered Poltics and absolutely have a horrible poltical record!
Brent, my pop use to say 'stay in your own lane' meaning stick to what you know and are good at. These politicians that use to be coaches and actors have no place in politics!! They do not know how to operate in the government and it for sure does not involve coaching or acting!!
Your addition of Actors and TV Personalties is so correct! I am from.Missouri and Mark Alford( a Former Fox TV news Anchor) treats poltics like getting Market share and treats poltics like a Popularity Contest
These wannabe politicians have no business governing our country!! They have turned us into the laughing stock of the world!! Vote them out. Get qualified candidates that know how the government is suppose to operate, who will work together - BIpartisan - and get things done for the American people. The citizens of our country need to wake up, stop being fooled by these slippery tongues snake oil salesmen and vote for candidates that will actually do some work!!
such a worthy successor to Vicky. We need to flip 3 MO state house seats, hold on to others like the 98th Valley Park Jacklyn Zimmerman. That will eliminate the Republican supermajority in the state House. I plan on donating more to her and Colin Lovett 100th. Check out the rural urban bridge initiative.
More power to what, rule the world? they already do and look how they have greatly helped screw up the world, with Earth's climate habitability hanging in the balance.
Jon, I'm not sure I follow what you mean. Who has more power? Who is being given more power? I looked at my post and don't understand what I said about giving anyone any more power.
Dictators & oligarchs (Putin, Trump, Musk, Murdoch, Koch, etc.) so says, Jamie, he is correct in that assumption, that is what I was indeed referring.
Thanks, Jon! I do agree!
I'm assuming he means the dictators & oligarchs (Putin, Trump, Musk, Murdoch, Koch, etc.)
Oh, okay Jaime. I appreciate you clearing that up for me! Now I understand and can agree!!
Correct
Seems they already are.
That one of the reasons it is so important to vote blue and get these people out of Congress!! The education system has taken a beating under these people. Children are missing out on a well rounded education. We simply cannot let this continue. I'm old and won't be around to see the harm caused today, but my grandchildren will be here and I worry for them.
God, how I miss Carlin!! He would be eating trump for breakfast; making an absolute fool out of him.
Chump himself is doing a pretty good job of making an absolute fool of himself, but yes, wouldn't George have put icing on that cake?
With a side dish of Christian hypocrisy! I can hear it now!
Thank the heavens for Jon Stewart. Restarted my Paramount + account so that I may sustain my brain cells through 2024.
Indeed, having him for breakfast, then spiting him out for he is so rotten, rotten from the greed and thirst for power and revenge that emanates from his entire being.
I miss George. For my tastes he got a little too vulgar and out there for a while. But he is spot on here. I submit that if you buy his assessment, which I do, we are long overdue for a revolution. A peaceful overthrow of the oligarchs. Their influence needs to be throttled down. I'd start by taxing their wealth to pay for the needs of the many. After all, they have stolen the money by writing the tax laws themselves and installing the judges that would protect the theft.
The "revolution" could continue by changing election laws to match those of Australia. Strange to think that the established legal structure of another country would feel revolutionary here. But that is the case, IMO.
Try this on for size (stolen from a comment in the NY Times by an Aussie named "David Sciascia").
Australia's electoral safeguards:
1. An Electoral Commission that runs our state and federal elections, draws up our electoral districts
2. Automatic voter registration (when someone turns 18) with names held on a national database
3. Elections are held on a Saturday so the whole community can turn out with their families to vote. (Which is compulsory anyway)
4. A preferential or ranked choice voting system (similar to the one adopted by Alaska last year. (Already in place in Maine and moving forward in Massachusetts.)
5. A far more democratically representative senate
6. Term limits on High Court Judge appointments (our SCOTUS)
7. Strict limits on political ad spending
And please, for gawd's sake, overturn Citizens United! That one piece of legislation opened the floodgates to a tsunami of money, and only those who have it are influencing government anymore. The rest of us are NOT HEARD. Then break up the media monopoly; too much of it is currently owned by right-wing billionaires, and we know where they stand. They back Trump because 1) his antics make them money, and 2) see my point about who owns our media.
Indeed, but oh wait! that will take an act of Congress and only one-party cares of enough to save it, the other is too busy, trying to burn it all down.
I don't know if enough people are suffering like in times before when the oligarchs were pushed back.
Indeed, and yes Carlin, was a bit over the top with his crudeness, none the less, he got his message out, but I guess, not enough were people listening.
" They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. "
That's why they tell people that degrees in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, both of which encourage critical thinking about people and society (rather about things, as in the STEM fields) are useless and won't get you a job.
Well, we don't need any stinkin sociologists. Texas proved that. /s
I thought it was Florida--not that there's much difference.
Texas took the lead years before Florida.
Thanks
I love George Carlin. He was extremely funny, but we cannot let ourselves feel defeated and throw in the towel. He has told you how the world really is. Up to us to deal with the problem: he has done his part, and now he is gone. the baton has been passed on to us.
J.P. - Sadly he was right back then and we still have not listened or learned.
By saying, “They’ve got you by the ——-,” this means he thinks it’s a nation of men, not women and men.
He didn't mean it literally. I've got "balls" and am also the mother of five children. If I didn't have balls, we wouldn't have survived here in the rustbelt.
Just for sh*t and giggles, Gloria, change the statement to "They've got you by the boobs". Does that resonate with you? Me neither.
Ask yourself why?
Our language is replete with expressions that indicate that *men* are in charge, not women. That's all Carol was saying.
Otherwise, I'm with you in stating a very vivid anger at the situation we find ourselves in.
I am [I think like most women] very slow to anger. It takes a lot to really get me going, and that is often what men do not understand: Women, when they are truly angry are real furies that nothing will stop. Once they have balls in their hands, they will squeeze...hard. We have a lot of good, respectful men. Those who aren't, well, they are about to find out.
Thanks for noting that our language needs to be updated to use inclusive terms. balls, ovaries, neither include people with hootspa,, or courage. What word do you think we could make up?
Actually, Linda, the kind of words you are using: courage, integrity, Chutzpah, because both men and woman can have these [or neither, sometimes.]
@Gloria. Love you lady!
@Carol. Please don't be distracted by the speech habits of my generation. Carlin was an entertainer, not a politician. Please forgive his cultural misogyny, a mere sign of the times and now (finally) changing. His message need not be lost - Betty White said that a vagina is better than balls anyway, but the capitalist establishment has got you by that too!
Silly response.
Yes, true. But I will also keep wondering why everyone wants to forget the reason we got here is because of the 2008 Bankers appraisal fraud crisis and Obama's failure to act. Bill Black (lawyer , regulators) said in 2012 if we do no get wall street under regulations the republicans will put up a worse candidate.
Since this group enjoys references :
https://youtu.be/T2IaJwkqgPk?si=ZaP5CZZz7W_Xxmj-
https://youtu.be/J_IFGV9Y13c?si=_S3yf2ZDcc1I3MkN
https://youtu.be/T2IaJwkqgPk?si=6HsYWwy8P_KKJgDX
https://www.thecon.tv
https://www.ted.com/talks/william_black_how_to_rob_a_bank_from_the_inside_that_is?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1b__MdtHY
J.P. Dwyer, thanks for Carlin's spot on rant.
The many, many histrionic rants that will be sorely missed.
Our present situation is not unlike the post feudalism period of Europe, when the landed gentry owned everything and most of the population were tenant farmers. In having a monopoly on the land i.e. the means of production, they gained tremendous political power while the tenants lived on a subsistence level and had no political power. Instead of resisting this, those members of the Republican Party who are not part of the one percent, are aiding this present movement towards post feudalism. So what happens if they succeed? Is the next step full blown feudalism? Will we become serfs to the oligarchs? How far can the G.O.P. regress the social order? As far as we will let them.
United We the People Stand OR Divided We Fall
John Lenon had it right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D77dbv-xNfE We're all f..king peasants as far as I can see.
I’ve started calling Carlin “Saint George.”
“THEY” DO NOT own all that, but they own the lion’s share of much of it, but there is still money in the hands of people and votes that we need to cast to defang so much of the rest of it.
“They” only have all that if we CEDE all that. Carlin wasn’t telling us to smell the coffee and give up, he was claiming we need to see the situation clearly for what it is and work together to get ourselves out of it!!!
I hate hearing that “they” have all the power and are yanking our chains, because that tends to cause us to give up. Which is what “they” would like — the Oligarchs. They suppress the vote by depressing voters and getting us to give up.
Don’t give up!!
I'm with you, Pat. Let's all of us work together to resist this wrong-headed turn towards fascism. It's not about them. They think they know best, but if we infuse our democracy with the actions of people who truly do care about it and value it, then we can bring it around and defeat those fat-cats and their heavy-handed thuggery. Money isn't everything.
It’s HARD! But there’s no other option. We need to get together, stick together, and TRY!
You don't hear wealthy folks sounding the alarm. It must be good for them, unless you're a bank that has lent money to Trump - just can't handle money - screws things up badly. Difficult to put things back after they are burnt.
George is a smart man....I cannot, for the life of me, understand why voters feel Trump is better than Biden. Our economy is strong, stock market is strong. Coming out of a Pandemic is going to have repercussions...a lot of folks forget that and blame it on Biden. He has steered us in the right direction..vote blue
This is just crazy.WTAF??Why are people just being so nonchalant about this?
This is a screaming 12 alarm fire.What's it gonna take to WAKE PEOPLE UP??Tfg is a traitor,and telling everyone in broad daylight.One wonders if he hasn't ALREADY given or sold out our state secrets to Putin,and what is exactly going to be done about it?
Joe McCarthy and Ronald Reagan are spinning in their graves.And the punchline to to the joke,is the same people going along blindly with this bullshit, supposedly worship them as practically God.
These damned people are totally crazy,and need to be locked away and looked after.
Dudes,the mind boggles...
That’s why we call them Putin Republicans… because the Republican Party has become, by proxy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Czar Putin, via Putin’s ownership of Donald Quisling Trump.
ICYMI: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quisling
why is this only getting 2 likes ?
We're awake, but what can we do about it? "We the people" are no longer running the show. The billionaires and Republicans are. It takes money to buy votes and candidates, and we don't have it.
I hope we see a blue wave unlike any other this fall, because if we don't, our goose may be well and truly cooked.
Channel Taylor Swift.
Though Taylor Swift has much talent, if she weren't a billionaire and dating a hot football star, no one would give her the time of day.
She was the top Democratic influencer in 2020 and 2022.
https://time.com/6342806/person-of-the-year-2023-taylor-swift/
https://news.miami.edu/law/stories/2023/10/legal-course-on-taylor-swifts-ip-empire.html
“but what can we do about it?”
We can give into despair, just like they want us to do. We can become hopeless and willing accessories to letting them just destroy our democracy with no opposition from us.
Sound like a good plan?
Ronald Reagan was a dolt when alive, a puppet. He paved the way for drumpf. An empty suit reciting lines. Read his biography.
That is so true, Jen. Once again, an actor who thought he could be a politician!
It's not for nothing, and neither is it hyperbolic that for some time I've taken to referring to Tovarich МАГАт and the Яepuблиkan$. I've even suggested that MAGA (МАГА) may be a Russian code name, that Tovarich МАГАт seems inclined to end his posts with - like a signature. The Russian word "МАГА" in English means "Mage" - or "Magician." I see nothing to contradict that view.
Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I've wondered if the collapse was not perhaps the most subtle stroke of genius move of the Cold War.
https://translate.google.com/?sl=ru&tl=en&text=%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0&op=translate
иди на хуй
I believe The Russians have Trump by the short hairs, I spent 21 years in the navy training against the Russians and our Former President likes Putin! WTFO.
People are so distracted they don’t see it.
I have no doubt the Siberian Candidate has given state secrets to Putin (also MBS & most likely other dictators). What do you think his many secret meetings with no transcript & long, secret phone calls were about? We already know Benedict Donald gave high Russian officials classified US intelligence on Israeli military operations, which the Russians likely passed on to Iran & Hamas, precipitating the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, to divide the US, & draw away Western attention & support from Ukraine.
Trump is a moron. He seems to think that NATO is some kind of country club and that other countries aren’t paying their dues.
He’s also a traitor. He has no respect for our country, democracy or the constitution. He’s already got people working on expanding presidential power if he’s elected. And by the way, if he is elected it won’t be four more years. Like his idol Putin if he is elected it’ll be president for life. Trump is a malignant narcissist and only cares about himself.
He has no respect for the military calling veterans who died in WWII losers. Continually made insulting remarks about John McCain a man who served in Vietnam and was captured and put in the notorious pow prison the “Hanoi Hotel”. Of course he himself got out of serving because he had “bone spurs”. Now he’s making fun of Nikki Haley’s husband for not being around because he’s serving in Africa.
Trump is a dangerous man and needs to be stopped. Unfortunately SCOTUS is not going to stop him from running they are too caught up in their theorizing what would it mean if one state decided who the rest of the country can vote for. That’s not what’s before them. What’s before them is can Colorado remove him from the ballot. That’s it. Of course other states are waiting for an answer so they can remove him. It’s a state rights issue.
What is most disheartening for me is seeing people cheering Trump on when he makes these horrific remarks. Yes he’s a malignant narcissist sociopath but what about his followers? Frankly it’s terrifying.
Susan - Agree with all you wrote and in reference to citizen trump asking where Haley’s husband was since he is not campaigning with her my first thought was “well, where the hell is YOUR wife”!? She was absent even when he was in office.
My guess is she’s really hoping he ends up in jail.
Susan - Agree! I bet she has a divorce attorney waiting to file so she can get his money before he loses all of it once he is done blowing through all of the campaign contributions.
and ...throw away the key,
Did you see the look on her face when she was getting out of her car at her mother’s/father’s?? (Can’t remember which) funeral and the TFFG walked up to her with the gestures and look of a kind and helpful husband? It was pure disgust and hatred. Real get out of my face, why did you even bother to show look.
Michael - I didn’t see it - definitely glad that I didn’t. He was busy with going to court (when he didn’t even need to be there) while her mother was dying but then tried to use it as an excuse to delay his trial - pathetic. I’m sure that he was probably playing up to the cameras since he has no heart. I love how the world could read her expression although it was probably lost on him.
He played the doting sympathetic husband. She wasn’t buying it.
Hahahahaha! That is good!! She is missing in action!! Haley's husband is doing what bone spurs wouldn't. He is defending our country so that even idiots like the little orange man can have freedom. Thank you for your service!!
Spot on, Anon: another of these little quirks of language pointing out that if she is a woman in politics, her husband should be by her side, that she cannot be anything without him, that she is dependent on him, doesn't have a mind of her own.
If it is a man, on the other hand, we rarely even know her name: She is dismissed as secondary, of no import. But behind every man, there is a woman.
Cecile - You are absolutely correct in your observations too.
tRumps view on this is he doesn't need his wife at his campaigns to help him. His view on Haley is however she needs her husband to help her do much of anything. It's called misogyny. Called narcissism. It's called stupidity.
I think the very first mistake is in thinking Tovarich МАГАт a moron. He liked to say he's a "stable genius." I'm willing to grant he may be a genius - an evil genius. After all, it's the morons and opportunists, the useful idiots whose hearts & minds he's captured, and captured seemingly instinctively. The Democrats - Hillary in particular - have already demonstrated and paid dearly for what comes of short-selling him. Sell Tovarich МАГАт short at your peril! He'll be dangerous until he's either locked away incommunicado or in the ground. At that, the repercussions of what he has wrought will reverberate for at least a generation.
The words that come out of his mouth are moronic. Drop an atomic bomb on a hurricane to stop it. Inject bleach to cure Covid windmills make whales crazy. George Washington and the Continental army protected our airports. And the list goes on.
Do you appreciate that he's hustling morons that will take him seriously? He sounds moronic because he's a'hustlin' morons. How many of those in his cult have any clue about history other than partially remembered patriotic legends? Make no mistake. He's a'workin' his crowd.
Indeed, he is working his crowd, milking them of their money and playing them like a fiddle!
👍
Like attracts like. No he’s a moron but he’s also a salesman.
BTW I love your avatar, know the feeling.
About the avatar, you have no idea! I'm a retired letter carrier. 🤣
T-rump, he ran on hate and division and viola, it worked and so goes the way of the fascist GOP, who do their Dear Leaders forever bidding.
I agree. He is ignorant & stupid on a lot of subjects, but when it comes to evil, & mesmerizing his audience, his instinct is brilliant.
He’s a typical con man reinvented for reality television and the internet. Ugh.
I can split that difference. Instead of an evil genius, an evil savant - the kind of savant that can tell you what day the 26th of April in 1543 fell on but can't tell you the name of the street he lives on, or much of anything else.
@DZK. I regret to agree with you. What I would add is that the tangerine twat waddle is actually more of a symptom, making it plain that up to about 10 million people in this country are unreformed Confederates and another 50 million or so are so frustrated, resentful, uninformed and deluded that they think Trump actually would, or actually COULD, change anything significant in their lives. Except make them worse of course.
Indeed, I'm >my own< style of "Forget, Hell!"
I'll not contradict a word you say here. That's what makes them useful idiots. Someone in the Kremlin must've noticed all the "Forget, Hell!" (over a Confederate flag) bumper stickers on cars in and around the DC area, particularly in VA, back at least to the time of Nixon and figured it was a vulnerable target audience. And what is there to say about Gerry Falderal, and his radio religious propaganda ministry, a scant 80 miles from the White House at the time of Carter and thereafter, while Carter's wife was the bible-basher who tried to show Jerry Flint the error of his ways during an airplane flight that was in all the news. Agreed, Carter was a nice man who worked hard for world peace for the rest of his life after the White House. That doesn't mean he was an effective president, nor does it mean that he wasn't potentially the first useful idiot to reside there. After all, he paved the way for Reagan - the first "Mephisto" to serve the "Forget, Hell!" crowd in the White House - thus paving the road to hell with dark intentions to this day. 👍
No, he's a moron.
Yeah, Hillary believed - and may still believe - that true, too.
Also for someone to have committed so many wrongdoings & escaped justice throughout his long life takes a sort of talent I'm glad most people don't have.
Well just look at how effectively he's managed to delay >every< prosecution against him - and with shitty lawyers - with the objective of holding it all off until the election he's confident he'll win, so he can officially dismiss them - and worse. Has not anyone else noticed that ‽ Not really, because they've been too busy questioning >Biden'< mental acuity! SHEESH! I wonder about Biden's critics' mental acuity!
100% and what do these morons think their daily life will be like with tRump as forever President “King” ? He’ll walk all over them people in both red states and blue will be screwed
Indeed, and his followers are living in the mind of a sociopath.
They drank the koolaid. They’re beyond help.
Benedict Donald & the MAGA traitors are Hitler & the Nazis all over again. The parallels are striking!
Love affair seems an innocent word. That is a wrong sticker to this situation. The fitting word is corruption. Putin is a gangster and he bought mobster Trump: the quid pro quo is not perfectly clear but the profit for Putin is enormous; like Robert tells us: Putin contols Trump and Trump controls the Republican party.
This is what happens when you let gangsters govern, because they are used to handle billions. And in Russia they murder the critics, but Trump has already told us that he will follow his Kremlin friend.
First of all, Trump is a liar and no president of a country asked him if we would defend their country if they were behind in paying their NATO dues. And secondly, Trump, himself, is the biggest deadbeat of all time. That makes Trump smart, according to him.
Thank you Gloria !!!!! Trump can't tell the difference between real people and the imaginary people that exist only in his head.
Trump's imanginary people make his lonely existence bearable - and that is pathetic.
But when Trump's attention is consumed by the imaginary conversations and activities inside his head, he is dangerous AF. Its like putting a blind man in a fighter jet and expecting him to fly the thing to a war zone, before he drops the bomb. Yikes.
Since this came as an anecdote that he likes to share over and over, I do believe that Gloria is correct and that it never happened.
It was just the little boy in him puffing up his chest and trying to showoff how 'macho' he is. [In French, we say that he is trying to sh*t higher than his a$$hole is]. I think that is particularly a propos here.
But the elevator doesn't go to the penthouse and he may not even have realized the effect the statement had on our allies in Europe.
How ironic that TFFG, well known as someone that regularly stiffs the people and businesses to which he owes money, uses the fake excuse of another country not financially supporting their NATO obligations.
I would like to ask Americans, "How would you like it if you were going about your daily routine, everything is fine, then all of a sudden, out of the blue, the country next to you begins to fire on you, sending in soldiers and tanks, missiles and drones?" What would you do? You would fight for your life, that's what! Ukraine did not ask Putin to enter their country and start a war. This is what could happen to us if we allow that orange man into the White House!! This man not only insults our military, now he has started insulting our closest allies!! Were he to get back into the White House and we were attacked, not one NATO country would give assistance because he would have pulled out of NATO. You see, he doesn't realize that NATO countries are united against allowing a dictatorial piece of excrement like Putin to invade countries that are Democratic and thriving. Our alliance with NATO began in 1949 when President Truman and Secretary Acheson signed the Instrument of Accession. We are a founding member of NATO!! We did that to provide collective security against the soviet union!!! I am sick of politicians and candidates who do not have even a thimble full of knowledge about the history of our country and the world!! Someone needs to give all of these idiots a tour of the death camps in Eastern Europe, the graveyard of our ships at Pearl Harbor, Arlington Cemetary, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and other places that would show these extreme idiots that we must always side with our allies against the pure evil that is Putin and was Hitler. I am embarrassed and ashamed that an American citizen would cozy up to evil and tell NATO that America would not protect them!!! Have we stooped so low? I will vote Blue in November and I will continue to use my voice to get others to do the same.
I think trump is financially indebted to the Russian oligarchs which means putin has control of him because trump knows what happens to people who try to get away from such debts - he is owned & tries to show what a great fan of his owners he is ! His own stupidity put him into this situation, and he has no way to get out of it now. I think it's as simple as that - trump has zero interest in anything but money & his own financial wellbeing so will say & do whatever it takes to keep himself safe !
You're right, vcragain. Trump's problems are of his own making and we, the American people, shouldn't have to pay for his stupidity.
whatever the leverage is, it's obvious he is owned.But not to many apparently. And those who know this, including many Republicans in Congress, have other priorities-like keeping their precious little jobs.
Furthermore many Republicans are also owned, either by Putin or Trump or both. Note the many Republicans who have suddenly done a 180° turnaround vis-a-vis Trump and/or Russia. Something very fishy about that!
they want to keep their jobs. Afraid to be ostracized. Tribal stuff.
I think it’s the money vats they bathe in that has them on the hook. However, after reading a deep dive background interview with many documented hours of Mitch McConnell, his belief system goes back to his college days and he was set on a straight course to restore movement conservatism under any guise. He succeeded and thanks to a warped world view simmering in those money vats, I am now a second class citizen (again) in the USA.
My theory is that if he takes over he doesn’t want NATO to help us out. I read a lot of history books and I’m seeing some frightening patterns from the 30’s-40’s.
Me too, Susan. Frightening indeed!!
Peggy - Written eloquently and brilliantly!
Well said.
I plan to start a petition that states we want it made into law that any candidate running for any political office MUST take an American History, World History, and Civics (especially how our government works) exam and pass it before being allowed to run for office. I am serious about wanting to get these dumb people out of our government!!! They are only in it for the money and their 15 minutes of fame and it is killing our country!! Knowing how our government works MUST be a prerequisite for holding any office!! There, I'll get off my soapbox now.
It's ridiculous we have so few qualifications for President, none to do with competence . I'm also inclined to have some for voters. So many of them are ignorant & gullible!
I want candidates to have the brains to know how to work in Congress. I do agree that some voters have no idea what they are doing. How do we reach them? I don't know. I will just continue what I am doing and vote blue in 2024!
Especially when you think that any FOREIGNER applying for citizenship has to take one, it seems to me that members of Congress, who are aiming to LEAD us, should take one too. At the very least, they should major in Political Science.
I would also have a few questions on ethics, and their scores should be made public.
Yes for the ethics questions
Exactly!! Even in the business world, employees have to take training courses to improve their skills. I am surprised that no politician has brought this up before. No wait.....I'm not surprised. They don't want to do that.
@Peggy. You go girl! You are doing good work here!
Thank you, Benjamin! We really do need to come together as Americans. We have done that in the past and it has moved our country forward. Republicans and Democrats need to stop pointing fingers. They need to stop turning government into a free-for-all that solves absolutely nothing. The more they say cruel and hateful comments about the other party, the more crazed the constituents become. It seems to me that it has become a 'hate the other party at all costs' mentality and that just won't work. We need politicians willing to work with each other regardless of party affiliation!
@Peggy. Compromise, like dancing, requires two willing partners. 27 Republicans in the Senate voted against their own legislation on Trump’s signal. But can we attract even a few moderates and independents to either stay home or support Democrats on Election Day??
Benjamin, I don't have the answer to that. All that I can say is that I am going to try my best!!
TFFG had an opportunity to view and attend a ceremony at a world war cemetery in France. Declined, said the drizzle would mess with his hair, like the idiot has never heard of an umbrella. Rumor has it he went off and had a secret meeting with Vladimir instead.
I’ve seen a WWI cemetery in France. The white cross tombstones go on and on, endless rows over low rolling hills for as far as I could see with no end in sight. It really makes you pause and think.
That was the same trip I believe when he called our veterans, our war heroes 'losers and suckers'. This from a man who ran from service and got daddy to fix it with bone spurs. Rain won't mess with that mop on top of his head. His comb over starts in the back of his head!!! I know what you mean about the cemeteries. When I looked at Arlington cemetery, I felt very small standing there at the ocean of crosses that told me 'here lies another human being that gave their ultimate sacrifice for me and my country to remain free'. It is a very humbling experience.
I think it's all far more cold-blooded than that. Let me repeat what I said elsewhere here for you:
It's not for nothing, and neither is it hyperbolic that for some time I've taken to referring to Tovarich МАГАт and the Яepuблиkan$. I've even suggested that MAGA (МАГА) may be a Russian code name, that Tovarich МАГАт seems inclined to end his posts with - like a signature. The Russian word "МАГА" in English means "Mage" - or "Magician." I see nothing to contradict that view.
Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I've wondered if the collapse was not perhaps the most subtle stroke of genius move of the Cold War.
Actually I really don’t think he has a Best Friend other than himself. We’ve all seen that over the last 6 years.
Those clowns don't have friends; they have interests. See what happens when their interests conflict.
WRONG! Plenty of willing idiots! Lindsey Graham. Marco Rubio.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/us/politics/trump-nato-republicans.html?unlocked_article_code=1.U00.RLp-.kSWs4LaBU0JB&smid=url-share
I was talking about Tovarich МАГАт and Putin - not the useful, and arguably blackmailed idiots. I've already heard it suggested Graham - for example - is hiding something, that is at very least embarrassing, in his closet. Whether a skeleton of something else remains unclear. And Rubio descends from Cuba, doesn't he? Perhaps something inconvenient dating back to the good old days of Batista - or maybe even Castro? If not Castro, why on earth should anyone trust someone who may be from a family of Batististas? Thanks for the link, though.
Phil, Trump has all kinds of imaginary friends. Unfortunately, they exist only in his head.
My theory of Trump-Putin plan to grab Ukraine
>>> as of March 2022 (but even more true today)
(including reasons for the treasonous Jan 6th insurrection and Putin's praise of Trump now)
1. Putin and the Russian mob have been lusting after the resources of Ukraine for years.
Yanukovich failed. Even better if there are NO UKRAINIANS LEFT to interfere with the mob's rape of Ukraine. Thus, the ongoing GENOCIDE.
2. To successfully steal democratic Ukraine, NATO must be neutralised or weakened significantly.
3. Seeing an opportunity to get a Russian stooge, Trump, into the White House would mean a possibility of prising the USA out of NATO.
4. The long term planning was set for early 2022 to invade Ukraine.
5. However, Trump flubbed it and lost.
6. So by any means possible, including insurrection, false electors, ballot ninja shenanigans etc, Trump (and many, many GOP and Russian-paid or blackmailed agents) must get another crack at getting the USA out of NATO before the tanks roll.
7. Trump continues to serve his master, the Russian mob, to this day, still trying to overturn the election, but just too late.
8. Note that Trump will surely flee to Moscow before being quietly arrested in the USA, but not as a Hero of the New Putin USSR.
Benedict Donald
Treasonous Trumpty
How many get the reference to Benedict Arnold these days ?
Primarily us old pharts I would presume. Our once defacto traitor, Benedict Arnold has now been overshadowed by the biggest traitor to this country.
Benedict Donald Orange Pus Trump.
Putin wants NATO neutralized because he, the Russian military, and the Soviets before them are terrified what the end result of a war with NATO would be like.
They watched Desert Storm in 1991, then the start of Shrub’s made up excuse of an invasion of Iraq. The Russian military is fully aware what a united NATO or even a part of a U.S. included NATO is capable of. They’re terrified.
They have only three weapons/facts to use:
1. Use TFFG as a useful idiot
2. Get America bogged down in an endless stalemate
3. Winter. No Army has ever successfully attacked and taken Russia through a winter.
There are special forces now trained in sub zero fighting/survival. Started with Afghanistan war and continues through to this day. Also, remember Finland is now part of NATO and they most certainly know how to fight in sub zero Russian temperatures. This isn’t Napoleon nor Hitler’s armies.
True, and thank you for mentioning Finland. Logistics and not being over extended is the key.
The U.S. Marine Corps operates a winter warfare training center in Bridgeport, CA in the High Sierra Mountains.
His best friend is our worst enemy.
Something is a foot. We are facing a peril most are completely unaware of. We all know Trump is unpredictable even on a good day. Currently SCOTUS has a decision to make. It's centered around Trump's contention that a President must have immunity in order to fulfill his duties, effectively. This idea is dangerous in so many ways and yet it seems to be a common thread in everything the man says. Looking at Donnie Boy's mental health, one would expect parameters to be in place set to control a man that seems to be uncontrollable. A question was offered to the EX-President, could Presidential immunity be used to erase a fellow politician that was proving to be a hindrance with respect to the plans you might have in place. We know how Trump answered that one, which is a bit unsettling to me. Now consider this, if SCOTUS sides with Trump and they grant uncontrolled immunity to a President, that opens a door to the previable parallel dimension where Mr. Trump is God. Then, if by some slim chance Trump does get reelected there would be absolutely no boundaries to constrict his efforts, no one would be safe. SCOTUS will have given the fool a license to kill, 007 may not be dead after all. This country could very possibly drown in a blood bath.
Very pertinent warning, Donald!
I wonder if Trump's recent words might've swayed any justices to turn against Trump. Does a majority of the Supreme Court feel greater alliance with Russia than with Europe? I should hope not! That may seem extraneous to the issue before the Court, but it is related to his qualifications, including fulfilling his oath to protect us from enemies, to serve as & therefore run for President.
Jaime--Trump's tirade about our future support for other NATO members, will come back to haunt him. I really feel his inability to control his own mouth is a gift we must be thankful for.
What makes you think Tovarich МАГАт is >not< some kind of KGB 007 equivalent. I'll repeat the following response to another post I think you may appreciate:
It's not for nothing, and neither is it hyperbolic that for some time I've taken to referring to Tovarich МАГАт and the Яepuблиkan$. I've even suggested that MAGA (МАГА) may be a Russian code name, that Tovarich МАГАт seems inclined to end his posts with - like a signature. The Russian word "МАГА" in English means "Mage" - or "Magician." I see nothing to contradict that view.
Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, I've wondered if the collapse was not perhaps the most subtle stroke of genius move of the Cold War.
DZK--Ask Putin how he felt about the break-up. He was hiding with a group of fellow Russians as they watched a crowd that had surrounded the building where he was hiding. Putin thought he was going to be overrun by the mob and killed. Feeling a bit ballsey he went out to greet the noisy onlookers. The aggressiveness he showed at that moment paved the way for him to be where he is today. A magician maybe, but I see him more as a gutsy 37-year-old KBG lieutenant who grabbed the reins and run that horse until it dropped. I don't applaud the man, but his will to hold the country he loved together is explementary. I can't fault him for that, but I can find disfavor in the manner in which he rose to his present position.
Well, in the first place, Tovarich МАГАт isn't Putin. Tovarich МАГАт is the agent he has running for the US presidency - "the Manchurian Candidate." Secondly, burning the city and countryside down to parched earth as a tactical strategy is as Russian as "dos vedania,"particularly as a feint before a counterassault. Indeed, it's a last, worst, but doable option and nobody could possibly expect Putin to like having to have done it. I'm certain revenge is part of his objective.
DZK--Agreed.
The Orange Orangutan. ☮️
you are insulting orangutans
In my opinion, DJT is so horrible, calling a steaming pile of excrement, Donald TUMP would be an insult to a steaming pile of excrement. DJT is an example of the very worst thing in the entire existence of the world.
I like "pustule". Now, I'm sure there's a good biological reason for a pustule, that it is a defense against bacteria or something, but to me it conveys my utter disgust at certain behaviors of certain people without any redeeming value at all! If I was ever to write a book about TFG, it might be called "The un-American Pustule".
Thank you, Terry for that great reply. You are right, TFG is a particularly virulent pustule that the best and most expensive anti-biotics would not cure. TFG is one person i have absolutely no empathy for whatsoever. If i wrote a book about him, i would not be nice at all, and more than likely, he would sue me for what i wrote about him...I would tell him, ''Go ahead and sue me, for telling the absolute truth about his despicable existence.'' PUSTULE.
Describes Dump and his party of fascists.
Maybe a baboon’s ass?
@Mike. His face does look a lot like a baboon's ass... I call him tangerine twat waddle. tangerine for his fake tan color, twat on account of his inside hollywood tape, and waddle because he is fat, corpulent, quivering jelly...
Please, give us here Americans, all more, of your accurate descriptions of T-rump and corpulent, indeed.
@Jon. I enjoy constructing the most unflattering descriptions I can muster of the most disgusting person or our generation.
Indeed, keep up the good work and pointing out the truth and help make us all laugh here while doing it.
Or, maybe a fart, blowing in the wind, a real gas bag of lies and deceptions, just like the fascist GOP or Grand Ole Poo Party
Lmfao!
Isn't Orang-U-Tan the product he uses to complement his hirsute chapeau?
Agent Orange, the Orange Caligula, the Orange Antichrist, Mango Mussolini, the Mango MAGA Megalomaniac, the Siberian Candidate, Benedict Donald, Traitor Trump, the Sadonarcissist...
(Trump & I have 1 thing in common: he likes to apply nicknames to others, & I like to apply nicknames to him.)
There's NEVER been doubt in my mind, Prof. Reich, that Trumplestiltskin is nothing more than Putin's puppet. How on Earth could he have won the Electoral College vote in 2016 when he lost the popular vote by 3 million? But if Vlad thinks Americans are stupid enough to risk Trumplestiltskin's 1 million MAGA-deaths from Covid-19 multiply to 1 billion MAGA-deaths from global boiling within the next 4 years, then he's highly mistaken. My prediction continues to be that Joseph Robinette Biden and his very able Vice-President Kamala Devi Harris will win this November by 11 million votes.
I can’t imagine what would happen to this world if Trump and Putin united.
IMHO they ARE united.
In honor of Putin's interview. https://snyder.substack.com/p/putins-genocidal-myth?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=310897&post_id=141573198&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=zc69i&utm_medium=email
@Daniel. A little more nuanced take. All the warlords, oligarchs, dictators and "strongmen" are united in a set of precepts, essentially a violent form of capitalism. They want to rape their countries and their peoples to make themselves rich beyond question.
But if they ever succeeded in striking down democratic institutions they would be at each others' throats in a heartbeat. No honor among thieves!
That is what is happening now. Make no mistake
Trump is a danger not only to America, but to the world. He should NEVER get near the White House again.
I guess Putin is okay with some Nazis.
He's a Nazi himself, or at least a fascist.
(Pancha Chandra): How could American voters ever trust Donald Trump? He would hand over America's internal secrets to Vladimir Putin without any hesitation!
He already has.
Is there anything about Trump that makes you think he hasn't done this already.
The Quadefendant is nobody's friend, and Putin certainly doesn't care about friendship. Putin's got a few useful idiots, who in turn have their own useful idiots, who have their own useful idiots... It's clear that it's about absolute power, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Putin wields it intently and ruthlessly, while the Quadefendant wields it recklessly and destructively.
Right. Those clowns don't have friends; they have mutual interests. See what happens if those interests diverge.
...which they will inevitably eventually.
That's a very accurate way of describing it.
With Drumpf and Putin in power, for Europe it would be 1945 all over again. Two (-self-imagined by two narcissistic leaders-) world powers negotiating the reorganisation of Europe.