What he saw from inside the system, and why his departure signals that the guardrails are collapsing faster than anyone on the outside fully understands…
The social democratic mind-set is simply not prepared to handle the organized efforts of will-to-power oligarchic sociopaths. No normal person is ready to be mugged or ambushed; we would have to be as paranoid as they are to even see it coming. Even the cautionary phrase "never again" has lost its power when Israel has been hijacked by a fascist movement.
Listening to Sean Penn on Acosta's show this week, he said he thought TRump will "postpone" the elections over nothing. Then came the scariest: Trump "...might try to destroy the world before he ages-out."
The price of NOT understanding couldn't be higher. Excellent post, Mr. Hobbs.
America's transition to fascism is already bubbling up in Red states. Yesterday, Fascist Florida's senate passed 3 bills that 1) outlaws DEI policies in local governments, b) voids bans all greenhouse gas emissions, and 3) bars all local governments from managing development in their communities. So, I guess it is now legal to put a strip club across the street from a high school. Epstein would have loved that.
Florida is already the state that fires a teacher for saying the word "gay" in a classroom, and recently painted over a rainbow flag painted on an Orlando crosswalk in memory of a mass murder at a gay nightclub. Doubtless, Texas and Oklahoma (Markwayne Mullin's home), are following in Florida's footsteps.
As a psychologist, it is hard to see this transformation and not attribute it to the megalomania caused by being a billionaire. Billionaire Trump uses invasions and extortion to bully other nations to bend the proverbial knee. It was refreshing to see NATO allies giving Trump the finger when he begged for a Hormuz Straight bailout from the serial disasters a war he started created for the world economy - yet again - like his assinine tariffs.
We used to have an opposition party in America. Ironically, they used to call themselves Democrats. You don't hear much about them anymore - partly because most legislators appear to have been bought by fascist billionaires now that the Supreme Court made that legal.
While I doubt that municipalities are willing to go to war over DEI, most are MAGAs. What they should be annoyed about is that the state is trying to castrate their power over their own domains. Billionaire developers want this. Florida is the US capital of real estate scams. Recall that the Great Recession started here over real estate loans.
Won't be the governments, WILL be the individuals who have lost bigly. Virtually every business here is bi - if not tri- lingual. Virtually every state employee. Virtually every Republican business owner and office holder. .
Well it is very simple. Trump thinks he is an unstoppable force, and the Iranians, waiting for the economic damage to tip the world to their side, are an immovable object. Meanwhile everybody who depends on oil, fertilizer and all the other chemicals that pass through Hormuz are caught between them. And Russia and China are waiting to pick up the pieces.
Side note: Trump has finally reached a situation that he can't talk or bargain himself out of. And nobody is coming to bail him out. As we know, the danger is that he'll double down with a land invasion on the Gulf. When cornered, any animal can dangerous. But especially an angry 5-year old with a loaded gun.
“Which leaves it to us, average Americans like you and me, to reclaim American democracy and encourage our allied politicians to grow a damn spine and begin to seriously take on Trump’s and Heritage’s neofascism project before it’s gone too far to stop.” Unfortunately, our “allied politicians” are united in the belief that nothing can be done. As cranky old Henry Ford observed, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right”. We’d damn well better identify, elect, and support politicians who think we can.
Of course, Ford was a Hitler-adjacent fascist. Not really relevant here. But to me, always worth keeping in mind when he's referenced. Same for Charles Lindbergh.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE may have had a hand in it, but for the life of me I can't see why. The Sunni shia rift is all on the Shia side, Sunni Muslims have no problem. It is the Shia that contend for leadership of world Islam. Sunni Mjuslims have that leadership.
It is Shia that has resentment towards Sunni, not vice versa. And surely Saudi Arabia and the UAE knew that they were under the umbrella of Shia missiles and their oil fields and de desalinization plants were vulnerable to aerial attack.
Nah, this whole thing was cooked up between Bibi and Donald at Mar a Lago in December and toasted when Bibi had dinner with Donald on Dec 28th and 29th at Mar a Lago.
Want to know where the action is, follow the aircraft carriers.
The USS Gerald Ford was repositioned from the So China Sea to the Arabian sea/Persian Gulf in January.
The USS Ronald Reagan would have been as well, but it was tied up in the Caribbean because of Trumps, Technate of America plans for Venezuela.
Once Maduro was in hand, the Ronald Reagan set sail for the Mediterranean.
Bibi launched the first strike to decapitate the Iranian Leadership, it wasn’t Trump that did the job.
Trump jumped in to deflect from Bibi, this is Bibi all around as is his invasion of Lebanon.
Both of t hem are depending on a forever war to keep them in office, the exigencies of national security
Basically the same excuse cops use to break down a door without a warrant, “exigent circumsatances
I'm sorry but Saudi led us into the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. Apparently Saudi was involved in July and was invoved planning recent attacks.
Pecking order witiin Islam is important, but preservation of market share in oil and use of the petrodoillar as the default medium of exchange has as much to to with it.
Yeh, I know G-D forbid that it was Israel that started this war, only it wasn't israel, but Netanyahu, but some can't discern the difference.
Iran's sale of oil before Bibi and Trump started this war was China. And the preservation of market share and use of the petrodollar has nothing to do with it
However restricting the oil supply, as it is doing now, fattens the quarterly reports of the petro cabal, and is a windfall, a bonus for Putin.
Before the war, Putin was going broke, the Russian banks had virtually cut off consumer credit gas was $32 a gallon, and now it is around $100 a gallon
And Krasnov lifted the sanctions he placed on India as regards purchasing Russian oil.
The real beneficiearies shareholders of oil companies,their execs, Bibi and Vlad.
Were you at the planning table? If not then you can't make ethat statement.
My assessment is based on what is actually known, like Israel launched the first missile to decaptiate the Iranian leadership. and reported gacts, as well as logical deduction.
What will it take to get Schumer to get out of the way? I fear he will never willingly step aside as "leader", much to the detriment of American and global democracy. He is a coward. At least Durbin will be gone, replaced by someone who looks to be much more attuned to the existential crisis our democracy is facing. She has said she won't support supine Chuck for leader in the next Congress. Yes! More of this, please!
It’s beyond my comprehension how he got into our the most sacred house called White House . I guess he charmed the American people with his total lies and they were all ignorant to believe him. Now we all have to pay price of our fellow Americans who put him into the power . Our congress have no spine left to stand up to this bully and Mike Johnson a nationalist Christian who wants our government to be governed by Christian is happy and also let’s not forget justice john Robert’s handed him the complete power the card to run for presidency.
Yes let’s get out in the streets on 28 and show the solidarity and stand up to these thugs and goons ,hand cuff them asap, take away all their wealth that they have stolen from us and our country and put them behind bars for rest of their lives so that they never see a single sun ray in the remaining of their lives . We also have do the sane thing with Saudi Arabia king, Benjamin Israel leader .
I dont mean to be rude but God will not help you....those that help themselves are the only ones to help solve this one... You have to maybe start to promote more protests and shout out loud to Call out that Orange Big insane old man residing in the Whitehouse.....YOu have to gee up your Democrat representatives...and they have to be the ones to fight back...refuse to play ball with Trump... Time maybe to put an age limit on who can stand in elections...certainly nobody over 70.....You need some young blood in politics, Congress and the Senate...! Stop huge donations from Billionaires and Oligarchs going to help candidates get elected...that are corrupt..Money is the root of all evil and you can bet if you follow the money you will find corrupt people using politicians like puppets so they push through what they themselves want!!! I think the same here of our Politicians in the UK its time to stop and ban all large donations from Billionaires etc....it leads to corruption!!
Congress isn't impotent,Congress is complicit. There is a difference. Your comment assumes that we have an independent congress. We have a MAGA congress. A MAGA congress doing what it is suppose to do, be a support and back stop for Trump.
If Congress is not acting as an independent voting body, or just not acting, it is by definition of impotent.
It is reported right and left that republicans are opposed to trump's antics privately but are afraid to speak up or act against him. This results in complete and utter impotence....
yes....I agree....they are impotent due to the majority of them (maga) being [complicit] with tRUMP....which, imo, promotes them from getting the job they were elected for done for us...
I hope the Americans who march against tyranny on the 28th will keep things as non-violent as they can. Non-violence has a way better chance when you’re looking to tear down a regime. You’ve got to get the regime’s forces to join you in order to turn the tide. There’s no way you’re ever going to out-gun them. But if you can get them to join you, the regime will fall.
How do you get them to join you? Not with fists and bullets and bombs. They’ve got to be persuaded. You have to make them see that what you’re doing is right... And that their orders to stop you are wrong. When enough of them are persuaded, everything gets turned around.
The marchers need to keep in mind that non-violent doesn’t mean non-terrifying. The regime is going to have to be scared near to death in order to put the levers of government back into the hands of the people where they belong. When there are seas of marchers who are looking to take them down - seas large enough and angry enough - they’ll hand over the levers. They won’t run the risk of those seas boiling out of control and sending them to Davey Jones' locker. History shows that non-violence is way more likely to succeed, but it also shows that revolution is a game of fear.
If you ask me as an outsider looking in from a British perspective...the day Donald Trump was elected he was determined to destroy American Democracy ....as it would take away from him the freedom to do what he wants and wanted to do all along!!! You have to understand you are dealing with a petulant spoilt child who will if they do not get their own way will throw a tantrum...Blame is always pointed at someone else..as narcissist always never take that responsibility...Joe Kent he hired and yet he said some terrible things about him in his speech yesterday....about him but he put him there Trump handpicked him....He does not tell the people that though...He went before he was pushed because Trump had to find a scapegoat for the Iran oil fiasco...It was a failure that he gambled on and failed....Trump hates failure it makes him feel inadequate!!! Yes, already he is trying to rig the voting system so that he can stay in place as Dictator...a fascist dictator...now who is going to stop him....Not the oligarchs or the Billionaires who have been backing him...Someone somewhere at some point will eventually take that man out....if he is not removed forcibly Good luck with that!!! BTW I hate him and what he represents!!!
A comment here that I think is important to remember. In regard to the quote: “[F]ascism is not an ideology, it’s simply a process for taking and holding power.” Fascism may not have a consistent appearance in example after example, but there are common traits that should be noted. Most importantly it is an economic system, where there isn't a clean line between the corporate owners and the political government. Project 2025 was as much a corporate initiative as anything. Nazi Germany ran with corporations that benefited from slave labor provided by the political administration. Fascist Italy was run with corporations explicitly part of the government. It is always a corrupt system that has favored or benefited certain crony corporate and financial members of the elites. Secondly it always organizes its support for the strong man through religion and patriotism. It embraces a rabid patriotism, as defined by allegiance to the leader. It seeks to homogenize the culture and eliminate any minority cultural expression. It will take the dominant religion and remake it in its own image.
Fascism will look different in different settings, because the dominant culture, religion and personal interests of the strongman will be different.
We had a Conference on Strategies to Oppose Authoritarianism on January 10 and heard from three professors on authoritarianism (archived at skamaniademocrats.org). One eye-opener: The US Army, after WWII had publicity advising returning soldiers to be on the lookout for Nazi organizing in the US. The Danger signs? Exactly what we are seeing today. It said fascism will be cloaked in Americanism, racism, religious intolerance and advocating war.
I would just add that the resignation letter concluded with a tirade written against Netanyahu (not unwarranted) but coming from an avowed antisemitic conspiracy driven individual who will continue to spread the "America First" agenda -- itself echoing Nazism -- amps up the degree of danger our society is in.
Swimming in fascist rhetoric, the great replacement theory, and fake concern for the "little man", all while provoking our primitive, instinctual fear of the other, are the powerful tools used by these immoral, greed and control-driven individuals and organizations.
Unleashing a deranged personality, with no compunction, or moral compass, and worse giving him a global platform on which to stand (and no "time-out" for bad behavior), has rocket-fueled our descent.
We may feel our last, best hope is the coming midterms. There has been no public outcry covered in the media, or discussion therein when Trump lifted sanctions on Russian oil, chuckling as he was asked about it (“Yeah, we’re helping them also,” Trump agreed, chuckling, “China would say the same thing, you know. It’s like, ‘Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness.") even as they continue to aid the Iranians in targeting American forces and bases. Neither has there been a whisper as he asserts that "I can take Cuba anytime, and do whatever I want with it". I fear that the true extent of the destruction of democracy is not being grasped. And that doesn't bode well for the long-term.
Thank you for laying this out so clearly. This article should be a guide for speakers at the No King protests on March 28. Wherever we have events with the opportunity for speakers, someone could walk through the points in this article. I'll look to get someone to do that in our rally in little Stevenson, WA!
We have exposed the Epstein Class, Tech Bros, and Crypto Creeps.....
Something that these factions share is that they are citizens of the world---their world where they do not have any laws or norms. These psychos and sickos are not Americans even though that may appear on one of their passports.
They gave this nation their Project 2025; the Dems told MAGA what that meant. They chose the Project over their own children's future. It is like a run-up to the all too familiar "family annihilation" murders you see on a Dateline show.
Now exposed and they know that we are going to get them eventually, there is no reason for them to stop. People are dying. There is no stopping us either. We need to gather every Patriot and Ally we can. Show SOLIDARITY! See you in the streets.
The social democratic mind-set is simply not prepared to handle the organized efforts of will-to-power oligarchic sociopaths. No normal person is ready to be mugged or ambushed; we would have to be as paranoid as they are to even see it coming. Even the cautionary phrase "never again" has lost its power when Israel has been hijacked by a fascist movement.
Scary, scarier, scariest.
Listening to Sean Penn on Acosta's show this week, he said he thought TRump will "postpone" the elections over nothing. Then came the scariest: Trump "...might try to destroy the world before he ages-out."
The price of NOT understanding couldn't be higher. Excellent post, Mr. Hobbs.
Can we survive another ten months until January 20, 2027? That assumes we have elections this year.
America's transition to fascism is already bubbling up in Red states. Yesterday, Fascist Florida's senate passed 3 bills that 1) outlaws DEI policies in local governments, b) voids bans all greenhouse gas emissions, and 3) bars all local governments from managing development in their communities. So, I guess it is now legal to put a strip club across the street from a high school. Epstein would have loved that.
Florida is already the state that fires a teacher for saying the word "gay" in a classroom, and recently painted over a rainbow flag painted on an Orlando crosswalk in memory of a mass murder at a gay nightclub. Doubtless, Texas and Oklahoma (Markwayne Mullin's home), are following in Florida's footsteps.
As a psychologist, it is hard to see this transformation and not attribute it to the megalomania caused by being a billionaire. Billionaire Trump uses invasions and extortion to bully other nations to bend the proverbial knee. It was refreshing to see NATO allies giving Trump the finger when he begged for a Hormuz Straight bailout from the serial disasters a war he started created for the world economy - yet again - like his assinine tariffs.
We used to have an opposition party in America. Ironically, they used to call themselves Democrats. You don't hear much about them anymore - partly because most legislators appear to have been bought by fascist billionaires now that the Supreme Court made that legal.
Re Fascist Florida: Considering that Hispanics are the majority in my county, you'd think there will be backlash.
While I doubt that municipalities are willing to go to war over DEI, most are MAGAs. What they should be annoyed about is that the state is trying to castrate their power over their own domains. Billionaire developers want this. Florida is the US capital of real estate scams. Recall that the Great Recession started here over real estate loans.
Won't be the governments, WILL be the individuals who have lost bigly. Virtually every business here is bi - if not tri- lingual. Virtually every state employee. Virtually every Republican business owner and office holder. .
Well it is very simple. Trump thinks he is an unstoppable force, and the Iranians, waiting for the economic damage to tip the world to their side, are an immovable object. Meanwhile everybody who depends on oil, fertilizer and all the other chemicals that pass through Hormuz are caught between them. And Russia and China are waiting to pick up the pieces.
Side note: Trump has finally reached a situation that he can't talk or bargain himself out of. And nobody is coming to bail him out. As we know, the danger is that he'll double down with a land invasion on the Gulf. When cornered, any animal can dangerous. But especially an angry 5-year old with a loaded gun.
“Which leaves it to us, average Americans like you and me, to reclaim American democracy and encourage our allied politicians to grow a damn spine and begin to seriously take on Trump’s and Heritage’s neofascism project before it’s gone too far to stop.” Unfortunately, our “allied politicians” are united in the belief that nothing can be done. As cranky old Henry Ford observed, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right”. We’d damn well better identify, elect, and support politicians who think we can.
Of course, Ford was a Hitler-adjacent fascist. Not really relevant here. But to me, always worth keeping in mind when he's referenced. Same for Charles Lindbergh.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE may have had a hand in it, but for the life of me I can't see why. The Sunni shia rift is all on the Shia side, Sunni Muslims have no problem. It is the Shia that contend for leadership of world Islam. Sunni Mjuslims have that leadership.
It is Shia that has resentment towards Sunni, not vice versa. And surely Saudi Arabia and the UAE knew that they were under the umbrella of Shia missiles and their oil fields and de desalinization plants were vulnerable to aerial attack.
Nah, this whole thing was cooked up between Bibi and Donald at Mar a Lago in December and toasted when Bibi had dinner with Donald on Dec 28th and 29th at Mar a Lago.
Want to know where the action is, follow the aircraft carriers.
The USS Gerald Ford was repositioned from the So China Sea to the Arabian sea/Persian Gulf in January.
The USS Ronald Reagan would have been as well, but it was tied up in the Caribbean because of Trumps, Technate of America plans for Venezuela.
Once Maduro was in hand, the Ronald Reagan set sail for the Mediterranean.
Bibi launched the first strike to decapitate the Iranian Leadership, it wasn’t Trump that did the job.
Trump jumped in to deflect from Bibi, this is Bibi all around as is his invasion of Lebanon.
Both of t hem are depending on a forever war to keep them in office, the exigencies of national security
Basically the same excuse cops use to break down a door without a warrant, “exigent circumsatances
I'm sorry but Saudi led us into the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. Apparently Saudi was involved in July and was invoved planning recent attacks.
Pecking order witiin Islam is important, but preservation of market share in oil and use of the petrodoillar as the default medium of exchange has as much to to with it.
Yeh, I know G-D forbid that it was Israel that started this war, only it wasn't israel, but Netanyahu, but some can't discern the difference.
Iran's sale of oil before Bibi and Trump started this war was China. And the preservation of market share and use of the petrodollar has nothing to do with it
However restricting the oil supply, as it is doing now, fattens the quarterly reports of the petro cabal, and is a windfall, a bonus for Putin.
Before the war, Putin was going broke, the Russian banks had virtually cut off consumer credit gas was $32 a gallon, and now it is around $100 a gallon
And Krasnov lifted the sanctions he placed on India as regards purchasing Russian oil.
The real beneficiearies shareholders of oil companies,their execs, Bibi and Vlad.
That's after the fact. WAS involved in planning all of the above.
Were you at the planning table? If not then you can't make ethat statement.
My assessment is based on what is actually known, like Israel launched the first missile to decaptiate the Iranian leadership. and reported gacts, as well as logical deduction.
What will it take to get Schumer to get out of the way? I fear he will never willingly step aside as "leader", much to the detriment of American and global democracy. He is a coward. At least Durbin will be gone, replaced by someone who looks to be much more attuned to the existential crisis our democracy is facing. She has said she won't support supine Chuck for leader in the next Congress. Yes! More of this, please!
Why would a free people crave a king?
And if a majority did, why a mad king?
Why a cruel king?
Why a vicious king?
Why a sick in the head king?
Why a felonious king?
Why an incestuous king?
Why a misogynist king?
Why an immigrant-hating king?
Why a Black-hating king?
Why a business failure of a king?
Why a cowardly king?
Why a king with a God complex?
Why an illiterate king who maintained a D average, and washed out on his SATs.
Why a raper of women [including his 1st wife] king?
Why a kiddie rapist king?
Why a traitorous king?
Why a Russian bootlicker king?
Why a fake king, a colossal buffoon?
Chunks of his and Epstein's case, FYI, in case you missed it.
COMPLAINT FOR RAPE, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, CRIMINAL SEXUAL ACTS,
SEXUAL ABUSE, FORCIBLE TOUCHING, ASSAULT, BATTERY, INTENTIONAL
AND RECKLESS INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, DURESS, FALSE
IMPRISONMENT, AND DEFAMATION
RAPE, SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, CRIMINAL SEXUAL ACTS, SEXUAL ABUSE,
FORCIBLE TOUCHING, ASSAULT, BATTERY, INTENTIONAL AND RECKLESS
INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, DURESS, AND FALSE
IMPRISONMENT
7. Plaintiff was subject to acts of rape, sexual misconduct, criminal sexual acts,
sexual abuse, forcible touching, assault, battery, intentional and reckless infliction of emotional
distress, duress, false imprisonment, and threats of death and/or serious bodily injury by the
Defendants that took place at several parties during the summer months of 1994. The parties
were held by Defendant Epstein at a New York City residence that was being used by Defendant
Epstein at 9 E. 71st St. in Manhattan. During this period, Plaintiff was a minor of age 13 and
was legally incapable under New York law of consenting to sexual intercourse and the other
sexual contacts detailed herein. NY Penal L § 130.05(3)(a). The rapes in the first, second, and
third degrees; sexual misconduct; criminal sexual acts in the first, second, and third degrees;
sexual abuse in the first, second, and third degrees; and forcible touching (and, on information
Case 1:16-cv-07673-RA Document 4 Filed 10/03/16 Page 2 of 10
3
and belief, predatory sexual assault) detailed herein are unlawful under New York law, e.g., NY
Penal L § 130.20-130.52, and 130.55-130.65 (and, on information and belief, 130.95) and
constitute the torts of, inter alia, assault, battery, false imprisonment, and intentional or reckless
infliction of emotional distress, including threats of force and serious bodily harm, under New
York law. In addition, 18 U.S. Code § 2255 provides Plaintiff with a civil remedy for personal
injuries because Plaintiff, while a minor, was a victim of violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591, 2421,
2422(b), and 2423(a) and she suffered personal injury as a result of such violations. Declaration
of Plaintiff Jane Doe, Exhibit A hereto; Declaration of Tiffany Doe, Exhibit B hereto;
Declaration of Joan Doe, Exhibit C hereto; Jane Doe, Tiffany Doe, and Joan Doe are each
pseudonyms as each woman wishes anonymity. Tiffany Doe, a witness, was an employee of
Defendant Epstein. Exh. B. Joan Doe, a witness, was a childhood classmate of Plaintiff who, in
the 1994-95 school year, was told by Plaintiff that Plaintiff was subject to sexual contact by the
Defendants at parties in New York City during the summer of 1994. Exh. C.
#VOTE #SEND BARRON
It’s beyond my comprehension how he got into our the most sacred house called White House . I guess he charmed the American people with his total lies and they were all ignorant to believe him. Now we all have to pay price of our fellow Americans who put him into the power . Our congress have no spine left to stand up to this bully and Mike Johnson a nationalist Christian who wants our government to be governed by Christian is happy and also let’s not forget justice john Robert’s handed him the complete power the card to run for presidency.
Yes let’s get out in the streets on 28 and show the solidarity and stand up to these thugs and goons ,hand cuff them asap, take away all their wealth that they have stolen from us and our country and put them behind bars for rest of their lives so that they never see a single sun ray in the remaining of their lives . We also have do the sane thing with Saudi Arabia king, Benjamin Israel leader .
God please come down and help us now .
I dont mean to be rude but God will not help you....those that help themselves are the only ones to help solve this one... You have to maybe start to promote more protests and shout out loud to Call out that Orange Big insane old man residing in the Whitehouse.....YOu have to gee up your Democrat representatives...and they have to be the ones to fight back...refuse to play ball with Trump... Time maybe to put an age limit on who can stand in elections...certainly nobody over 70.....You need some young blood in politics, Congress and the Senate...! Stop huge donations from Billionaires and Oligarchs going to help candidates get elected...that are corrupt..Money is the root of all evil and you can bet if you follow the money you will find corrupt people using politicians like puppets so they push through what they themselves want!!! I think the same here of our Politicians in the UK its time to stop and ban all large donations from Billionaires etc....it leads to corruption!!
Not one mention of Congress's impotence?
Congress isn't impotent,Congress is complicit. There is a difference. Your comment assumes that we have an independent congress. We have a MAGA congress. A MAGA congress doing what it is suppose to do, be a support and back stop for Trump.
Last I looked MAGA controlled Congress.
If Congress is not acting as an independent voting body, or just not acting, it is by definition of impotent.
It is reported right and left that republicans are opposed to trump's antics privately but are afraid to speak up or act against him. This results in complete and utter impotence....
yes....I agree....they are impotent due to the majority of them (maga) being [complicit] with tRUMP....which, imo, promotes them from getting the job they were elected for done for us...
That they are afraid to speak up, means that they are complicit. Silence is consent.
Yes I realize that pride demands that you salvage and defend your comment.
I hope the Americans who march against tyranny on the 28th will keep things as non-violent as they can. Non-violence has a way better chance when you’re looking to tear down a regime. You’ve got to get the regime’s forces to join you in order to turn the tide. There’s no way you’re ever going to out-gun them. But if you can get them to join you, the regime will fall.
How do you get them to join you? Not with fists and bullets and bombs. They’ve got to be persuaded. You have to make them see that what you’re doing is right... And that their orders to stop you are wrong. When enough of them are persuaded, everything gets turned around.
The marchers need to keep in mind that non-violent doesn’t mean non-terrifying. The regime is going to have to be scared near to death in order to put the levers of government back into the hands of the people where they belong. When there are seas of marchers who are looking to take them down - seas large enough and angry enough - they’ll hand over the levers. They won’t run the risk of those seas boiling out of control and sending them to Davey Jones' locker. History shows that non-violence is way more likely to succeed, but it also shows that revolution is a game of fear.
If you ask me as an outsider looking in from a British perspective...the day Donald Trump was elected he was determined to destroy American Democracy ....as it would take away from him the freedom to do what he wants and wanted to do all along!!! You have to understand you are dealing with a petulant spoilt child who will if they do not get their own way will throw a tantrum...Blame is always pointed at someone else..as narcissist always never take that responsibility...Joe Kent he hired and yet he said some terrible things about him in his speech yesterday....about him but he put him there Trump handpicked him....He does not tell the people that though...He went before he was pushed because Trump had to find a scapegoat for the Iran oil fiasco...It was a failure that he gambled on and failed....Trump hates failure it makes him feel inadequate!!! Yes, already he is trying to rig the voting system so that he can stay in place as Dictator...a fascist dictator...now who is going to stop him....Not the oligarchs or the Billionaires who have been backing him...Someone somewhere at some point will eventually take that man out....if he is not removed forcibly Good luck with that!!! BTW I hate him and what he represents!!!
A comment here that I think is important to remember. In regard to the quote: “[F]ascism is not an ideology, it’s simply a process for taking and holding power.” Fascism may not have a consistent appearance in example after example, but there are common traits that should be noted. Most importantly it is an economic system, where there isn't a clean line between the corporate owners and the political government. Project 2025 was as much a corporate initiative as anything. Nazi Germany ran with corporations that benefited from slave labor provided by the political administration. Fascist Italy was run with corporations explicitly part of the government. It is always a corrupt system that has favored or benefited certain crony corporate and financial members of the elites. Secondly it always organizes its support for the strong man through religion and patriotism. It embraces a rabid patriotism, as defined by allegiance to the leader. It seeks to homogenize the culture and eliminate any minority cultural expression. It will take the dominant religion and remake it in its own image.
Fascism will look different in different settings, because the dominant culture, religion and personal interests of the strongman will be different.
We had a Conference on Strategies to Oppose Authoritarianism on January 10 and heard from three professors on authoritarianism (archived at skamaniademocrats.org). One eye-opener: The US Army, after WWII had publicity advising returning soldiers to be on the lookout for Nazi organizing in the US. The Danger signs? Exactly what we are seeing today. It said fascism will be cloaked in Americanism, racism, religious intolerance and advocating war.
https://archive.org/stream/ArmyTalkOrientationFactSheet64-Fascism/Fascism64_djvu.txt
Your commentary is comprehensive and correct.
I would just add that the resignation letter concluded with a tirade written against Netanyahu (not unwarranted) but coming from an avowed antisemitic conspiracy driven individual who will continue to spread the "America First" agenda -- itself echoing Nazism -- amps up the degree of danger our society is in.
Swimming in fascist rhetoric, the great replacement theory, and fake concern for the "little man", all while provoking our primitive, instinctual fear of the other, are the powerful tools used by these immoral, greed and control-driven individuals and organizations.
Unleashing a deranged personality, with no compunction, or moral compass, and worse giving him a global platform on which to stand (and no "time-out" for bad behavior), has rocket-fueled our descent.
We may feel our last, best hope is the coming midterms. There has been no public outcry covered in the media, or discussion therein when Trump lifted sanctions on Russian oil, chuckling as he was asked about it (“Yeah, we’re helping them also,” Trump agreed, chuckling, “China would say the same thing, you know. It’s like, ‘Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness.") even as they continue to aid the Iranians in targeting American forces and bases. Neither has there been a whisper as he asserts that "I can take Cuba anytime, and do whatever I want with it". I fear that the true extent of the destruction of democracy is not being grasped. And that doesn't bode well for the long-term.
Thank you for laying this out so clearly. This article should be a guide for speakers at the No King protests on March 28. Wherever we have events with the opportunity for speakers, someone could walk through the points in this article. I'll look to get someone to do that in our rally in little Stevenson, WA!
We have exposed the Epstein Class, Tech Bros, and Crypto Creeps.....
Something that these factions share is that they are citizens of the world---their world where they do not have any laws or norms. These psychos and sickos are not Americans even though that may appear on one of their passports.
They gave this nation their Project 2025; the Dems told MAGA what that meant. They chose the Project over their own children's future. It is like a run-up to the all too familiar "family annihilation" murders you see on a Dateline show.
Now exposed and they know that we are going to get them eventually, there is no reason for them to stop. People are dying. There is no stopping us either. We need to gather every Patriot and Ally we can. Show SOLIDARITY! See you in the streets.