Big fish eating little fish. It was a mechanism to eliminate the competition.
I go back to Jimmy Carter. ICC, the original federal agency, founded in 1887. Congress gradually transferred its powers to other agencies and it was officially abolished on January 1, 1996, by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act. Its remaining functions were transferred to the new Surface Transportation Board.
The ICC was formed to regulate the monopolistic practices of the railroad industry, ensure fair and just transportation rates, and prohibit discriminatory pricing.
Key objectives and provisions of the Act included:
Requiring rates to be "reasonable and just": The Act mandated that all railroad charges for the transportation of goods and people must be reasonable and fair to all customers.
Prohibiting unjust discrimination: Railroads were barred from giving "undue or unreasonable preference or advantage" to any particular person, company, or location. This was particularly important for small farmers and businesses who were often charged higher rates than large-volume shippers.
Banning special rates and rebates: The law outlawed secret rebates and kickbacks to large, powerful shippers, which put smaller competitors at a disadvantage.
Prohibiting the "long-haul/short-haul" abuse: It was made unlawful to charge more for a shorter haul than for a longer haul over the same line and in the same direction under similar circumstances.
The Motor Carrier Act of 1980 and the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 significantly curtailed the ICC's power over rates and routes in the trucking and rail industries. As the agency's workload diminished due to this deregulation, it required fewer ALJs to adjudicate cases.
This led to a major RIF exercise at the ICC during that decade, resulting in the separation or demotion of many federal employees, including ALJs. This period was marked by widespread federal workforce cuts across various agencies under the Reagan administration's economic programs.
Many of the ALJs who were riffed became my colleagues when I worked at SSA.
At DOL, I continued to hear many types of transportation cases before my retirement in 2018.
Mandating published rates: Railroad companies were required to make their rate schedules public and available for inspection in their depots to ensure transparency.
Outlawing pooling agreements: The Act made it illegal for competing railroad companies to form agreements or combinations (pools) to fix rates or divide traffic and earnings.
Established the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC): The Act created the ICC as the first independent federal regulatory agency to monitor the railroads, investigate complaints, and enforce the new regulations.
Negative Impacts and Criticisms
Wage Cuts and Job Losses: Deregulation led to intense competition in the trucking industry, forcing companies to cut costs, primarily through reducing payrolls. This resulted in significant cuts to truck driver earnings and the decline of well-paying, often unionized, blue-collar jobs.
Industry Consolidation and Bankruptcies: The sudden shift to a highly competitive market caused thousands of established trucking firms to go out of business in the years following the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. While new, often smaller, firms emerged, the industry experienced significant instability and market consolidation over the subsequent decades.
Safety Concerns: Critics argued that the financial pressure on carriers led some to cut corners on safety, potentially contributing to a rise in accident rates.
Loss of Service to Small Communities: Before deregulation, the ICC often required railroads to maintain service on less profitable rural branch lines to ensure coverage for all communities. The push for efficiency and the shedding of trackage by major railroads may have negatively impacted service to some smaller or rural areas.
Monopolistic Practices (Rail): While rail rates decreased overall, some critics argue that the increased flexibility given to railroads allowed them to exert monopolistic power in certain geographic areas where shippers had no alternative transportation options.
Loss of Regulatory Oversight: The total abolishment of the ICC meant the elimination of an experienced, independent regulatory body with deep institutional knowledge of the transportation sector, raising concerns about how remaining functions would be handled by successor agencies like the Surface Transportation Board (STB) within the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Also as a result small towns universally lost passenger flights.
I fear that it is going to take another Great Depression-level event to awaken the hypnotized right and rein in the oligarchs again. We can have an oligarch class or a democratic republic, but not both.
tRump and his dark servants have demonstrated how to corrupt and subvert the whole Government, laws, and Constitution. It is going to take Constitutional-level safeguards to right the whole.
Criminal law. Once we have control, just apply the existing law.
If you change the law, prosecution is barred. U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 9) prevents Congress from passing laws that retroactively criminalize actions, increase punishments, or target individuals for punishment without trial, ensuring fairness and preventing legislative vindictiveness by guaranteeing laws give fair warning and due process. An ex post facto law changes the legal consequences of acts after they're committed (making legal acts illegal, increasing punishment), while a bill of attainder is a legislative act punishing specific people without a trial, bypassing courts entirely.
Ex Post Facto Laws
Definition: Laws that retroactively alter the legal status of crimes or punishments.
Prohibited Actions:
Making an act criminal that was legal when done.
Increasing the severity or punishment for a crime after it was committed.
Changing rules of evidence to make conviction easier after the crime.
Purpose: To give citizens fair warning and prevent arbitrary legislative punishment.
Bills of Attainder
Definition: Legislative acts that declare a person or group guilty of a crime and punish them without a judicial trial.
Purpose: To prevent legislatures from acting as judges and juries, circumventing due process.
The question is, why wasn’t it applied more fervently and to the level where our society as a whole accepted the law as truth?
We are at war with ourself as a society. How could this be? Law or addition to laws that already exist do not change people’s minds, nor do they change an economic system that is inherently unfair to the majority All these loop holes which allow injustice are there because of humans, just like the laws that protect us.
The Biden administrartion was on the job, the DOJ anti trust division, the fraud and public corruption sections were active, the FTC was active for the first time since LBJ, the agencies were in a position to enforce the law, but Garland was a dud and we wuz screwed in the election.
All along the way, the gaslighting has been breath-taking. The Republicans and the "propaganda machine" they built of bought-off academics and scientists have convinced some that the air and fresh water on this planet is endless.
Republican brains don't do nuance. They have stopped thinking at the point of mentioning "climate change". Well hell, the weather is always CHANGING. They haven't faced the fact that it's a "climate crisis" with dire consequences. They don't want to believe it till it lands on their doorstep. To them, quick decisions are best; why wait for a study to determine the possible side effects of a project. Profit over people.
So here we are literally fighting for our lives and health care. That's right where the oligarchs want us. Work and die young while they prosper and pass it on to their progeny---Trump's progeny for example. None of this had to happen. Teach everyone you know that politics affects everything, every minute of their existence. See you in the streets.
Defining Kleptocracy: Heather defines a kleptocracy as a system of corruption that permits virtually unlimited theft while the head of state uses their position to provide cover for associates through pardons and the uneven application of the law. This contrasts with a system that directs wealth for the benefit of all citizens.
Trump Administration as Kleptocracy: Richardson has repeatedly characterized the Trump administration's actions as a "headlong tilt into kleptocracy," arguing that its policies, such as specific budget bills and the handling of the National Security Strategy, transfer wealth from the poor to the rich. She points to instances where rules are seemingly bent for "well-connected" individuals and companies to maximize profits.
Oligarchy and Undermining Democracy: Her analysis often links kleptocracy to the rise of an oligarchy, arguing that decades of pressure from wealthy elites have warped the political system. In her book How the South Won the Civil War, she examines how historical patterns of rejecting democracy and embracing entrenched wealth have continued into modern conservative politics.
Public Awareness: Richardson emphasizes that a majority of Americans are repudiating this tilt toward kleptocracy and that it is important to articulate an alternative vision for the country. She urges citizens to engage in the political process to defend democratic institutions against what she sees as a deliberate move toward authoritarianism and corruption.
Imagine MAGATs discovering that as victims, that they have recourse.
The U.S. leads all high-income nations in what has been called excess-deaths, those above and beyond the expected annual number.
Not a few of these 100s of thousands of premature expirations are the outcomes of rogue corporations' environmental malfeasance, enabled by their bought-and-sold Whores and Fools on The Hill.
No the Repubs do not care what occurs day to day. Hatred of the libs and getting back at them is the only thing of import. I guess there are pockets of some conservative Christians who know the difference but they are overwhelmed by the numbers of right wing nuts running around the country tearing the fabric of society apart. This divisional hate is so toxic that Thanks Giving dinner cannot be together without political talk being a disruption that cannot be tolerated. Both sides have separate or no dinner. So much for FDR's dream of a chicken in every pot. I hope the haters are now fully satisfied with the results.
Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, told the FBI in 2023 that Epstein was murdered in his jail cell because he was about to “name names.”
Mark Epstein, 71, who has long believed that his brother was killed, also alleged in the tip that President Donald Trump “authorized” the late sex traffickers murder.
Perhaps even more significant are internal DOJ communications from 2019 documenting the existence of ten Epstein co-conspirators. Prosecutors and investigators discussed locating, interviewing, and serving grand jury subpoenas on these individuals across multiple states, including New York, Florida, and Massachusetts. One email describes teams traveling to interview approximately twenty-five victims and notes dozens of calls to the FBI tip line. Yet in sworn testimony years later, FBI Director Kash Patel stated unequivocally that there was “no credible information” that Epstein trafficked victims to anyone else. Why would Trump’s FBI director claim there were no co-conspirators, when the files clearly show that to be false?
Those two realities cannot both be true. Either federal investigators pursued co-conspirators because evidence warranted it, or senior officials later misrepresented the contents of their own files. The newly released emails suggest the former.
The documents also show that a grand jury subpoena was issued to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in October 2021 in connection with the investigation of Ghislaine Maxwell. A representative of the club was compelled to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This is not speculation; it is a matter of record.
Based solely on his -policies and actions. Trump is either a traitor on a mission to reduce America to a shithole country or a lizard person,trying to make the world uninhabitable for humans.
Great summary of the power/greed of fossil fuels industries and other wealthy/greedy polluters. I am priviledged to teach college students and find that they are learning less and less in K-12 than in the past and often have incorrect understandings of the forces behind climate change, pollution, etc. We need more prominent voices regularly enlighting our nation. Thank you, Thom.
Rachel Maddow reported on the resignation in Bulgaria just very recently of their reactionary kleptocrat president. They created the "pink pig" to portray him and his greed and excesses, and their slogan was "Don't feed the pig". We need to have our Orange Pig counterpart. This will surely make the point and catch on easily. BTW, I think I forgot to mention the best sign I've ever seen at a protest which a guy had at the protest supporting Ukraine last week. It said, "Putin grabbed Trump by the pu$$y".
I cannot fail to remind again, in relation to today's topic, that the wealthy have infiltrated the processes, professionals, and publishers who control what is in school textbooks and curricula. They have made sure that there is a strong rightward slant to what kids are being fed as truth and fact. More significantly, the authoritarian structure required under the compulsory paradigm guarantees that obedience to authority will be the first and most prominent lesson learned. The Republican voters who have "fallen for the lies" and been the suckers for the fraud and deception were ALL mis-educated and misled right there in school. If we do not correct that mistake, we cannot say we are serious about democracy.
What a surprise an article about the environment. Thanks Thom, climate change has dropped off of the mainstream media radar. And yeah, eliminating regulations is just another way to make money for Trump and his billionaire buddies. The narcissist billionaire group only care is for themselves. More money, more power, everybody including their own kids be damned.
Government, and the philosophy that undergirds it, is just another commodity that can be had for the right price. The line between "free enterprise" and bribery is extraordinarily thin and faint.
Trump seems to view nonbillionaires like his MAGA doggies. If we wag our tails when he enters the room, don't bark, and are willing to lick him all over, we are good doggies. Any violation of that persona and we are expendable - just like Kristy Noem's late puppy.
Trump is so dumb that he does not even appreciate that his money has to come from someplace, and that without the labors of the "loser class" he would have nothing to buy with his money.
In the early 1980's my father, an environmental (originally called "sanitary") engineer at Dow Chemical Company, became THE representative (lobbyist) of the Chemical Manufacturers Association in negotiations with EPA's Anne Gorsuch and Rita Lavelle for the establishment of Super Fund. He was always between a rock and a hard place, wiith "Silent Spring" on his bookshelf at home, and the industry signing his paycheck. He wrote a thick book about it, still unpublished, just needs a good editor. But one Dow lawyer has informed us, " That book will NEVER be published!" Seems timely now. Anyone know a good editor?
Just want to say what I've posted here before, but especially because of today's grim and evocative illustration. Thomm's use of AI for images really augments the subjects he writes about. Today's was particularly compelling.
Krasnov emulates the modern Ivan the Terrible. Political commentators and writers have drawn comparisons between Trump and the historical figure Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV of Russia), who was the first Russian czar.
Shared Mythology: Some analyses suggest that both Trump and Ivan the Terrible employ a "mythology of persecution," positioning themselves as embattled figures fighting against elites or a "deep state" (referred to as boyars, or medieval nobles, in Ivan's time) to justify their actions and consolidate power.
"Terrible" Translation: It is noted that the Russian word for "Terrible" (Grozny) in Ivan's name translates more accurately to "awe-inspiring" or "formidable" rather than simply "bad". However, Ivan was also a historically cruel man who engaged in acts of violence and paranoia.
Thom, if only they gave a hoot. The things the do will hurt their kids and family too. To not think long term on these protections that the American People deserve. Thom, they don’t have a bottom, unless you talk about the bottom line of all they money they make as we watch all the disasters really happen, before our eyes. We need to have something happen. Democracy, please.
It was about greed and taking it all, no matter what. Filthy greedy bastards.
Big fish eating little fish. It was a mechanism to eliminate the competition.
I go back to Jimmy Carter. ICC, the original federal agency, founded in 1887. Congress gradually transferred its powers to other agencies and it was officially abolished on January 1, 1996, by the Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act. Its remaining functions were transferred to the new Surface Transportation Board.
The ICC was formed to regulate the monopolistic practices of the railroad industry, ensure fair and just transportation rates, and prohibit discriminatory pricing.
Key objectives and provisions of the Act included:
Requiring rates to be "reasonable and just": The Act mandated that all railroad charges for the transportation of goods and people must be reasonable and fair to all customers.
Prohibiting unjust discrimination: Railroads were barred from giving "undue or unreasonable preference or advantage" to any particular person, company, or location. This was particularly important for small farmers and businesses who were often charged higher rates than large-volume shippers.
Banning special rates and rebates: The law outlawed secret rebates and kickbacks to large, powerful shippers, which put smaller competitors at a disadvantage.
Prohibiting the "long-haul/short-haul" abuse: It was made unlawful to charge more for a shorter haul than for a longer haul over the same line and in the same direction under similar circumstances.
The Motor Carrier Act of 1980 and the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 significantly curtailed the ICC's power over rates and routes in the trucking and rail industries. As the agency's workload diminished due to this deregulation, it required fewer ALJs to adjudicate cases.
This led to a major RIF exercise at the ICC during that decade, resulting in the separation or demotion of many federal employees, including ALJs. This period was marked by widespread federal workforce cuts across various agencies under the Reagan administration's economic programs.
Many of the ALJs who were riffed became my colleagues when I worked at SSA.
At DOL, I continued to hear many types of transportation cases before my retirement in 2018.
Mandating published rates: Railroad companies were required to make their rate schedules public and available for inspection in their depots to ensure transparency.
Outlawing pooling agreements: The Act made it illegal for competing railroad companies to form agreements or combinations (pools) to fix rates or divide traffic and earnings.
Established the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC): The Act created the ICC as the first independent federal regulatory agency to monitor the railroads, investigate complaints, and enforce the new regulations.
Negative Impacts and Criticisms
Wage Cuts and Job Losses: Deregulation led to intense competition in the trucking industry, forcing companies to cut costs, primarily through reducing payrolls. This resulted in significant cuts to truck driver earnings and the decline of well-paying, often unionized, blue-collar jobs.
Industry Consolidation and Bankruptcies: The sudden shift to a highly competitive market caused thousands of established trucking firms to go out of business in the years following the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. While new, often smaller, firms emerged, the industry experienced significant instability and market consolidation over the subsequent decades.
Safety Concerns: Critics argued that the financial pressure on carriers led some to cut corners on safety, potentially contributing to a rise in accident rates.
Loss of Service to Small Communities: Before deregulation, the ICC often required railroads to maintain service on less profitable rural branch lines to ensure coverage for all communities. The push for efficiency and the shedding of trackage by major railroads may have negatively impacted service to some smaller or rural areas.
Monopolistic Practices (Rail): While rail rates decreased overall, some critics argue that the increased flexibility given to railroads allowed them to exert monopolistic power in certain geographic areas where shippers had no alternative transportation options.
Loss of Regulatory Oversight: The total abolishment of the ICC meant the elimination of an experienced, independent regulatory body with deep institutional knowledge of the transportation sector, raising concerns about how remaining functions would be handled by successor agencies like the Surface Transportation Board (STB) within the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Also as a result small towns universally lost passenger flights.
I fear that it is going to take another Great Depression-level event to awaken the hypnotized right and rein in the oligarchs again. We can have an oligarch class or a democratic republic, but not both.
Just need to enforce the law.
tRump and his dark servants have demonstrated how to corrupt and subvert the whole Government, laws, and Constitution. It is going to take Constitutional-level safeguards to right the whole.
Criminal law. Once we have control, just apply the existing law.
If you change the law, prosecution is barred. U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 9) prevents Congress from passing laws that retroactively criminalize actions, increase punishments, or target individuals for punishment without trial, ensuring fairness and preventing legislative vindictiveness by guaranteeing laws give fair warning and due process. An ex post facto law changes the legal consequences of acts after they're committed (making legal acts illegal, increasing punishment), while a bill of attainder is a legislative act punishing specific people without a trial, bypassing courts entirely.
Ex Post Facto Laws
Definition: Laws that retroactively alter the legal status of crimes or punishments.
Prohibited Actions:
Making an act criminal that was legal when done.
Increasing the severity or punishment for a crime after it was committed.
Changing rules of evidence to make conviction easier after the crime.
Purpose: To give citizens fair warning and prevent arbitrary legislative punishment.
Bills of Attainder
Definition: Legislative acts that declare a person or group guilty of a crime and punish them without a judicial trial.
Purpose: To prevent legislatures from acting as judges and juries, circumventing due process.
The question is, why wasn’t it applied more fervently and to the level where our society as a whole accepted the law as truth?
We are at war with ourself as a society. How could this be? Law or addition to laws that already exist do not change people’s minds, nor do they change an economic system that is inherently unfair to the majority All these loop holes which allow injustice are there because of humans, just like the laws that protect us.
The Biden administrartion was on the job, the DOJ anti trust division, the fraud and public corruption sections were active, the FTC was active for the first time since LBJ, the agencies were in a position to enforce the law, but Garland was a dud and we wuz screwed in the election.
And who would that be Daniel.? Pam Bondi? SCOTUS?
When you know better, you should do better.....
All along the way, the gaslighting has been breath-taking. The Republicans and the "propaganda machine" they built of bought-off academics and scientists have convinced some that the air and fresh water on this planet is endless.
Republican brains don't do nuance. They have stopped thinking at the point of mentioning "climate change". Well hell, the weather is always CHANGING. They haven't faced the fact that it's a "climate crisis" with dire consequences. They don't want to believe it till it lands on their doorstep. To them, quick decisions are best; why wait for a study to determine the possible side effects of a project. Profit over people.
So here we are literally fighting for our lives and health care. That's right where the oligarchs want us. Work and die young while they prosper and pass it on to their progeny---Trump's progeny for example. None of this had to happen. Teach everyone you know that politics affects everything, every minute of their existence. See you in the streets.
Some of them are crime victims. They lose with the rest of us.
Heather Cox Richardon has laid this out better than I can, but we have is a kleptocracy. Individuals using the force of the state to steal.
Defining Kleptocracy: Heather defines a kleptocracy as a system of corruption that permits virtually unlimited theft while the head of state uses their position to provide cover for associates through pardons and the uneven application of the law. This contrasts with a system that directs wealth for the benefit of all citizens.
Trump Administration as Kleptocracy: Richardson has repeatedly characterized the Trump administration's actions as a "headlong tilt into kleptocracy," arguing that its policies, such as specific budget bills and the handling of the National Security Strategy, transfer wealth from the poor to the rich. She points to instances where rules are seemingly bent for "well-connected" individuals and companies to maximize profits.
Oligarchy and Undermining Democracy: Her analysis often links kleptocracy to the rise of an oligarchy, arguing that decades of pressure from wealthy elites have warped the political system. In her book How the South Won the Civil War, she examines how historical patterns of rejecting democracy and embracing entrenched wealth have continued into modern conservative politics.
Public Awareness: Richardson emphasizes that a majority of Americans are repudiating this tilt toward kleptocracy and that it is important to articulate an alternative vision for the country. She urges citizens to engage in the political process to defend democratic institutions against what she sees as a deliberate move toward authoritarianism and corruption.
Imagine MAGATs discovering that as victims, that they have recourse.
Against businesses that rip them off.
Against Trump.
Good summary, Daniel.
And they will use the TechBros products to further control us along the way.
For those who have not seen it, the notes under this map explain a movement from the 1930's that Musk's grandfather, Joshua N. Haldeman (WIKI) was involved in. They wanted to control Greenland, Canada all the way down through Venezuela, Columbia: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:34227574
The U.S. leads all high-income nations in what has been called excess-deaths, those above and beyond the expected annual number.
Not a few of these 100s of thousands of premature expirations are the outcomes of rogue corporations' environmental malfeasance, enabled by their bought-and-sold Whores and Fools on The Hill.
Happy Holidays.
VOTE. Your life. No choice. VOTE !!!
No the Repubs do not care what occurs day to day. Hatred of the libs and getting back at them is the only thing of import. I guess there are pockets of some conservative Christians who know the difference but they are overwhelmed by the numbers of right wing nuts running around the country tearing the fabric of society apart. This divisional hate is so toxic that Thanks Giving dinner cannot be together without political talk being a disruption that cannot be tolerated. Both sides have separate or no dinner. So much for FDR's dream of a chicken in every pot. I hope the haters are now fully satisfied with the results.
IMHO MAGA are cultists who can, like a herd, be turned. Think behavior analysis. BF Skinner. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_behavior_analysis
On several sites I ask, where is Mark Epstein? Where's Bubba?
If credible, the herd can be turned via applied Skinner criteria.
Jeffrey Epstein’s brother, Mark Epstein, told the FBI in 2023 that Epstein was murdered in his jail cell because he was about to “name names.”
Mark Epstein, 71, who has long believed that his brother was killed, also alleged in the tip that President Donald Trump “authorized” the late sex traffickers murder.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article313920022.html#storylink=cpy
In August Epstein mentioned the President in a bazaar letter he tried to mail to another famous pedophile, Larry Nassar. Weird and dangerous for Jeffrey. All over the news---you can see it here: https://meidasnews.com/news/justice-department-released-30000-new-epstein-files-with-many-trump-mentions
From Meidas Bros.
Perhaps even more significant are internal DOJ communications from 2019 documenting the existence of ten Epstein co-conspirators. Prosecutors and investigators discussed locating, interviewing, and serving grand jury subpoenas on these individuals across multiple states, including New York, Florida, and Massachusetts. One email describes teams traveling to interview approximately twenty-five victims and notes dozens of calls to the FBI tip line. Yet in sworn testimony years later, FBI Director Kash Patel stated unequivocally that there was “no credible information” that Epstein trafficked victims to anyone else. Why would Trump’s FBI director claim there were no co-conspirators, when the files clearly show that to be false?
Those two realities cannot both be true. Either federal investigators pursued co-conspirators because evidence warranted it, or senior officials later misrepresented the contents of their own files. The newly released emails suggest the former.
The documents also show that a grand jury subpoena was issued to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in October 2021 in connection with the investigation of Ghislaine Maxwell. A representative of the club was compelled to appear before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. This is not speculation; it is a matter of record.
Based solely on his -policies and actions. Trump is either a traitor on a mission to reduce America to a shithole country or a lizard person,trying to make the world uninhabitable for humans.
Maybe he finds camera lenses threatening and he defensively turns orange. Would love put him on a rock and see if bobs up and down.
Great summary of the power/greed of fossil fuels industries and other wealthy/greedy polluters. I am priviledged to teach college students and find that they are learning less and less in K-12 than in the past and often have incorrect understandings of the forces behind climate change, pollution, etc. We need more prominent voices regularly enlighting our nation. Thank you, Thom.
Julie, interesting to see your observation when they have had the internet and Greta to look to.
Rachel Maddow reported on the resignation in Bulgaria just very recently of their reactionary kleptocrat president. They created the "pink pig" to portray him and his greed and excesses, and their slogan was "Don't feed the pig". We need to have our Orange Pig counterpart. This will surely make the point and catch on easily. BTW, I think I forgot to mention the best sign I've ever seen at a protest which a guy had at the protest supporting Ukraine last week. It said, "Putin grabbed Trump by the pu$$y".
I cannot fail to remind again, in relation to today's topic, that the wealthy have infiltrated the processes, professionals, and publishers who control what is in school textbooks and curricula. They have made sure that there is a strong rightward slant to what kids are being fed as truth and fact. More significantly, the authoritarian structure required under the compulsory paradigm guarantees that obedience to authority will be the first and most prominent lesson learned. The Republican voters who have "fallen for the lies" and been the suckers for the fraud and deception were ALL mis-educated and misled right there in school. If we do not correct that mistake, we cannot say we are serious about democracy.
Exceptional once again, Thom. Thank you, as I expect /hope many will do.
What a surprise an article about the environment. Thanks Thom, climate change has dropped off of the mainstream media radar. And yeah, eliminating regulations is just another way to make money for Trump and his billionaire buddies. The narcissist billionaire group only care is for themselves. More money, more power, everybody including their own kids be damned.
Government, and the philosophy that undergirds it, is just another commodity that can be had for the right price. The line between "free enterprise" and bribery is extraordinarily thin and faint.
Trump seems to view nonbillionaires like his MAGA doggies. If we wag our tails when he enters the room, don't bark, and are willing to lick him all over, we are good doggies. Any violation of that persona and we are expendable - just like Kristy Noem's late puppy.
Trump is so dumb that he does not even appreciate that his money has to come from someplace, and that without the labors of the "loser class" he would have nothing to buy with his money.
In the early 1980's my father, an environmental (originally called "sanitary") engineer at Dow Chemical Company, became THE representative (lobbyist) of the Chemical Manufacturers Association in negotiations with EPA's Anne Gorsuch and Rita Lavelle for the establishment of Super Fund. He was always between a rock and a hard place, wiith "Silent Spring" on his bookshelf at home, and the industry signing his paycheck. He wrote a thick book about it, still unpublished, just needs a good editor. But one Dow lawyer has informed us, " That book will NEVER be published!" Seems timely now. Anyone know a good editor?
At Anne Gorsuch's wedding, my parents thought little Neil was "so nice."
Just want to say what I've posted here before, but especially because of today's grim and evocative illustration. Thomm's use of AI for images really augments the subjects he writes about. Today's was particularly compelling.
I am using the free Perhcance AI Image maker for my Substacks. For those who don't understand how this works, it takes considerable trial and error in composing your requests to fine tune to get the result you want. However, with practice and patience you can come up with images like Thom's today. I used one of Trump as a Nero type Roman emperor here https://halbrown.substack.com/p/trump-aspires-to-be-a-nero-for-our and one of him as a happy cherry picker of data here https://halbrown.substack.com/p/the-highly-respected-favorite-president Here's one asking whether Trump is so dangerous he should have a black box warning around him: https://halbrown.substack.com/p/should-trump-have-a-black-box-warning
Trump diddled while Nero fiddled.
Krasnov emulates the modern Ivan the Terrible. Political commentators and writers have drawn comparisons between Trump and the historical figure Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV of Russia), who was the first Russian czar.
Shared Mythology: Some analyses suggest that both Trump and Ivan the Terrible employ a "mythology of persecution," positioning themselves as embattled figures fighting against elites or a "deep state" (referred to as boyars, or medieval nobles, in Ivan's time) to justify their actions and consolidate power.
"Terrible" Translation: It is noted that the Russian word for "Terrible" (Grozny) in Ivan's name translates more accurately to "awe-inspiring" or "formidable" rather than simply "bad". However, Ivan was also a historically cruel man who engaged in acts of violence and paranoia.
https://www.geraldfarinas.com/home/stalinist-film-ivan-the-terrible-is-echoed-by-trump-musk
Trump's first wife and his oldest daughter bear the name.
In his honor -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fdqJhNbnSY
Thom, if only they gave a hoot. The things the do will hurt their kids and family too. To not think long term on these protections that the American People deserve. Thom, they don’t have a bottom, unless you talk about the bottom line of all they money they make as we watch all the disasters really happen, before our eyes. We need to have something happen. Democracy, please.
As my late brother-in-law would say: "Cherchez la gelt."