Deploying troops without police training, defying the courts, and threatening the media, Trump is importing dictator tactics in plain sight and daring Americans to stop him...
In DC he needs Congress to extend his authority more than a month. The Home Rule Act gives him the power to use the D.C. police force for “federal purposes” if he determines that there are “special conditions of an emergency nature.” He can use the D.C. police for up to 48 hours, or for up to 30 days if he sends a special message to the leaders of certain congressional committees. To use the D.C. police for longer than 30 days, he would need authorization from Congress.
A federal law passed in 1878, the Posse Comitatus Act, bars the use of the U.S. military for civilian law enforcement except when authorized by the Constitution or another provision of federal law.
Today, in San Francisco, the Trump takeover of the California National Guard and his marshal law occupation in LA is at trial. "These details emerged during a bench trial currently being held in Los Angeles over Trump’s decision to federalize the California National Guard. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer for the Northern District of California is running a three-day trial this week. The case examines whether the administration broke the Posse Comitatus Act by taking over the California National Guard and deploying it to Los Angeles. Trump ordered the takeover and deployment after protests broke out over Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Southern California.
During testimony on Monday, California called Sherman as a witness. He told an attorney for the state of California that “intelligence” did not indicate a threat to federal functions near MacArthur Park, but that immigration authorities wanted more than 50 military vehicles to drive through the park as part of the operation. Sherman said that he hesitated to go forward with the idea. When the California attorney asked Sherman whether Bovino questioned his “loyalty” to the United States in response, Sherman confirmed that he had.
"The MacArthur Park operation eventually took place on July 7.
"During testimony on Tuesday, DOJ attorneys tried to downplay the operation as extremely limited, and only in support of existing immigration enforcement efforts. That goes to a key distinction under the law: while it’s illegal to use the military for domestic law enforcement purposes (the Insurrection Act is the big exception to this, and the administration never invoked it), they can be used in a supporting role. The DoD, for example, has long provided various forms of logistical support to immigration agencies acting along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"The Trump administration enlarged the definition of “support” to justify using the military to help immigration authorities carry out a crackdown. On Monday, Trump sent the D.C. National Guard into the nation’s capital; though he has more leeway over how to use the D.C. Guard, it’s another example of the creeping presence of troops in American cities.
"What’s key to understand here is that serving as domestic law enforcement is not the mission for the military. It’s not what soldiers join to do; it’s not what they and their commanders spend years training for. The missions are different."
Protesters in DC should hang out at every Congressional Republicans' office; at the house and senate. They all have offices, staff in DC.
Although they may not be permanent and vote in DC, most Congressional Republicans reside in the District. Should be able to map their residences.
Lobbyists work the dining rooms in the senate and house. Watering holes near the Capitol. In my day, if they wanted access to Republicans, the Monacle, etc. Also the airport. No reason protestors can't lobby.
It appears that lobbyists don't have much to do anymore, as Congress is doing nothing except what their master wants.
I remember reading about Republicans renting a house and each living in a room in the house., and those were senators.
Watching Stephanie Miller just now Carlos Alazraqui, a comedian, said half in jest that Democrats should dress up in bettle dress, don masks and drive around in vans kidnapping Texas Republican legislatures off the street.
You are describing America and DC pre Jan 20,2025, that world no longer exists.
Any lobbyists that exist, are sitting around bars smoking cigars and drinking cocktails, or paying bribes, to the regulators of the cabinets they captured.
I don't think there were lobbyists working the Reich's Chancellory or the Reichstag.
Wanna bet that the Petroleum Institute, NAM, Chamber of Commerce, etc don't have a representative as an advisor on Trump's staff. Look at his obsession with destroying green energy, emission standards, fuel consumption standards.
Call me a cynic. I really don't care, but the idea of the House and Senate cutting Trump off, is ludicrous. Spell OBBB, how about Mike Johnson, How about Sen John Thune.
Daniel tell me why former Secretaries of Defense, for mer Secretaries of the Army, Navy and Marines have beekeeping their head down? Their silence is deafening. Where is James Mattis when we need him? I am naive. I thought the military was not supposed to follow lawless orders.
R. House NE. Retired AF general. He's been calling Trump a liar on Ukraine and has said he was not going to seek reelection and led us to believe he'd oppose the Big Crappy Bill, but let us down.
Thank you very much for responding. Don Bacon, like John Kelly and Mattis appear to be one and the same. They appear to have the right values, but when push comes to shove party is more important than country. None of them, so far, are willing to pull a John McCaine.
Was the carjacking of “Big Balls” a random event? Perhaps, but like the Reichstag fire that doesn’t mean it can’t be used as an excuse to take over the police. Anyway as someone just wrote in my local newspaper, mister “law and order” released the January 6th rioters while saying D. C. has a crime problem. And coming from the biggest criminal of them all that is breathtaking.
First D.C. then NY and Chicago. L.A. was a command and control exercise.
The military conducts such exercises many times a year. A notorious one was Jade Helm.
In which the military were deployed, in Texas, in response to a civil uprising. The nascent MAGAt base, was all aflutter, that it was training in preparation by Obama for a leftist takeover, and at the same time the country was awash in conspiracy theories about FEMA concentration camps.
Fast Forward ten year and all of this is unfolding before our eyes, but not by leftists, but by the Right.
The lessons learned from exercises like Jade Helm, are used to update plans. There are already plans in place to use the U.S. Military in action against the public. and the concentration camps are being built by monies appropriated by the OBBB.
I worked in DC for for DOL for 20 years. Every year we had civil defense training and exercises. Every federal employee was supposed to have a personal plan how to proceed.
We had layers of police protection. -- DC police -- Federal police -- CSO's (Court Security Officers) -- every federal building had contract security-- and DC had camera coverage 24/7 in high crime neighborhoods.
In the 1990's my subagency was able to get low rents in a high crime neighborhood. Over time, crime subsided to the extent that the neighborhood is now crime free, raising rents, and forcing my former colleagues to relocate to "main labor."
Key word "was". Them days is gone, dead and buried, there is no longer an administration, but a regime. and one that will not leave, even if the present head is carried out of the White House on a gurney.
Thom sez: "We’re in the early stages of autocratic breakthrough, the consolidation-of-power phase when a leader who’s planning to turn a democracy into an autocracy seizes control of all the various branches of government and makes sure the military is entirely loyal to him, rather than the rule of law."
And concludes:
Our best hope is that, when the crackdowns come, enough of us can mobilize to bring about a rebooting of our democracy like average people did in South Korea last year as they restored democracy to that nation."
Waiting for the crackdown is like a Jew waiting for a knock on the door in 1940 Berlin.
The time to take action is now, if we wait, it will be too late.The only way to stop the juggernaut, is a national strike and a national uprising.
Absolutely. A general strike is a passive aggressive action that is difficult to repress. Aggressive protesting on the other hand will lead to shots being fired. We need to shut down the economy. Only buy totally necessary items, no theme parks, ball games, Amazon, birthday presents and anything else that is not directly connected to your immediate survival. Boycotts are effective, just ask Rosa Parks,
Everyone needs to memorize the 2025 plan and refute the ideas every day in every way possible. To understand its potency in today's politics is essential.
I have been fighting a 50-year plan to discredit me, and it didn't come to me in one document. I have to refute the lies and coverups by weak-minded people who would rather cover for pedophiles and rapists by taking up their cause for revenge without ever speaking to me.
I just want to add that I served as an MP and worked the "road". Back then the Military Police sometimes had little to do with traditional policing. They were not kidding about the "Military" part, but with a whole two week block of instruction, they were kidding about the "Police" part. After that, I learned from my partners---no one else.
I sure as hell hope these troops get better training now. Everything is tech oriented, so if a soldier is serious, they can get good consistent training. The tech also brings to mind how they can gather intelligence and monitor protestors easily using cellphones, license plates, and drones.
Under this fascist regime, the service members were treated like crap in LA. Hegseth didn't care that they slept on the floor and that the pics were on the nightly news. He is a paranoid disaster just like TRump, and he has not figured out that God is not in this. It is entirely THEIR creation.
Keep repeating NONE OF THIS HAD TO HAPPEN. See you in the streets.
Donald's first option for Lafayette Square [June 1st, 2020 - G. Floyd] was to shoot protesters. Just "shoot." Which implies shoot to kill. He was told no by Esper/Milley.
So his plan B was "the legs."
Note that the bullet [i.e., the projectile] from an AR-15 or M-16 [military version] tumbles, meaning it does NOT spiral. So it does not break so much as it shatters bone. Plus, it does not daintily exit; it blows out grapefruit-sized chunks of tissue when it exits.
Different caliber, but think JFK's skull. Often the shot leg must be amputated.
So, due to America's endemic class and race hate, not to mention pure misogyny, we have this raving crackpot.
King George III or "Chucky" on steroids.
Nice.
PS Will we lose Alaska to Putin on Friday? Stay tuned.
Americans have a short memory. We're forgetting the Supreme Courts complicity , and the GPOP (Gullible Party of Putin) cowardice. They SICKED Trump on the masses... We can vote out the GPOP but not the Supreme Court. It's time to shine the light on the Supreme Court for their complicity. This lifetime ground they stand on needs to be term limited by their allegiance to Justice not to a King and the measure of their rulings to protect the Laws of the land. Their judgement is questionable in the highest order. IT'S PAST TIME TO JUDGE THE JUDGES.
Myron,we cannot vote out the Supreme Court but we can refer to it as the " Neo Nazi Supreme Court" We should be referring to Trump,Miller ,Voight and Co as the "Neo Nazi Gov't" Attended a meeting last night in the North Suburbs of Atlanta,the objective being to take active steps to gain support. They kept referring to Oligarchy,Authoritarian and I pointed out,less than 10% of the people in this area know the definitions .However they do know the definition of a " Nazi" .
Another point during this conversation,why the protests only against Trump? He is so far removed,he doesn't care. Why are we not protesting Stephen Miller,Russell Vought,Kevin Roberts,president of Heritage and Project 225.An orchestrated assault on them,would have more effect.
Spot On David... Trump's a master at using protest against him as props to react with violence by the hands of his minions, or using FBI or other govt. agencies who he diverts via distractions away from his antics and crimes in broad daylight, by giving them fool's errands, on command. All distractions from Epstein... Hmmmm
IMHO he craves risk and is teetering on the edge, physically, mentally and politically.
All of this is a distraction from Trumpenstein, which is splitting MAGA. I see he wants to have feats of strength, i.e. gladiator wrestling at the White House.
On September 3, House members will file a discharge petition to circumvent House leadership and force a vote on that measure — a gambit that would require 218 signatures, marking a majority of the House, to succeed. They plan to bring survivors of abuse by Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell to the Capitol.
The more the fascist tactics are implemented, the more real fear rises, less chance for meaningful resistence. We need a national rebellion immediately, including huge and total boycotts and with resistence with less passive mein. Real resistence is hard, the hardest thing most people will suffer. C Since common sense dictates that the real force to fight against this political war should be the democratic party and the sitting elected democrats, we need to cease cheering on their febrile, ass-covering efforts and instead assault them with the same attack mode and demand directed to the republican fascist coup force. Two words describe today's democratic party (1) gutless (2) purchased. The two are linked. Ask yourself this, when considering which sitting pols excite more hope for confronting the coup, Bernie, AOC, et al, or Pelosi, Schumer, new Ken whoever? How truly patriotic in real currency are those who advise investment in continuing to support the democratic party as is, with moronic furthur dependence on hopelessly contaminated, unchallenged-for-change voting procedures? The democratic party merits about 30% of the nations trust.
I appreciate your comments. In short, what they have done is incite fear, and I see it everywhere I look in the insecurity of people of all statuses. I have been mocked for some time for my reaction to tyranny, and people label it as fear. Maybe they are correct, but I don't feel my resistance to be weak-minded. I am beginning to see what you say to be the way to go, 'cease cheering on their febrile, ass-covering efforts, and instead assault them with the same attack mode and demand directed to the republican fascist coup force.' I especially like how forthright you are in calling them on investing in support of the democratic party that fails to bring change.
The mob that INSTANTLY took to the streets in South Korea after the acting president declared martial law is my hero!
I feel as if a group of foreign enemies have infiltrated our government to crush our country and its history. I am determined to continue to protest, but should I expect to be shot in the legs?
I am clinging to the hope that the Epstein files seals trump's demise....
For months now, I have been reading the people's angry protests. There are many angry people out there trying to make sense of what is happening to their country. Today I read David Rothkopf's Substack, which resonated with me and reminded me of a paper I wrote twenty years ago on Christa Wolf, a novelist and essayist, speaker who lived in East Germany under Honecker's regime and was considered, along with her husband and like-minded intellectual elites, whom Honecker's party leaders accepted.
Rothkopf titles his essay "How Do You Defeat the Oligarchy' in which he discusses how the ruling party elites employ 'cultural hegemony' as a way they can influence and ultimately control a society, thus using their power to institute core beliefs and values by coercion, or its threat, as the primary rule. In communist East Germany, they used their power to shape the primary rule vis-à-vis 'cultural hegemony' through the manipulation of the arts, religion, and intellectual discourse to help them retain power.
Despite the seemingly unfairness of her status as an elite, I write how this allowed Wolf to criticize the communist regime, exposing how it contorted the lives of the humans who lived there. Through allusions to the familiar Greek myth, her novel, Cassandra, for example, speaks to the destructiveness that controlled the citizens' lives. The social/political experiment failed, as Cassandra (Christa Wolf), like the Trojan priestess and prophetess, was cursed to have her accurate prophecies go unheard.
"Ways in Which to be Human' was the title of my paper, and the narrow construct of the essay explains the complex phenomena in which she was embroiled. Wolf sought to maintain her humanness. Ten years ago, in a meeting, a minister, David Taxer, from a nearby Presbyterian Church, participated. He had the title of my essay on his shirt. My Lutheran church minister, Karen Mahron, leaned into the table anxiously to say that knowing God is how to be human. I didn't contradict their apparent opinions as the meeting was about something else. They had not understood my paper's idea.
Wolf indicates that what they are missing is consensual support or hegemony throughout the society, which is what a civil society deems to be necessary. She felt the only way to fight back is to reassert the shining depth of the culture - ideas, ideals, ideologies, and artistic creations that can elevate and energize their society to triumph ultimately.
What do you mean, "if he tries to steal the 2026 election"? There's no IF about it. He stole 2016 and 2024, and tried to steal 2020. He has never done an honest thing in his entire life. There is nothing he won't do to retain and increase his power.
Why did anybody think this racist Hitler loving bastard would flinch from sending troops against his political enemies? I mean he tried it during his first term and was stopped by the military leadership that he has now replaced with his hacks. When all of this is over the treason supporters will get their day in jail and the tree. Who can say they do not see this ultimate obvious end?
Psychopaths often create their own "reality"---they can appear to be fearless. Recent research found that not to be true, "they just don't see it coming". Truly have broken brains.
Now TRump's body is going too. I'm with you on jailing the lot and letting them know it NOW.
You don't need considerable courage to face this head on - you need the willingness to be inconvenienced and the knowledge that we're already dead - somewhere in time.
Living as we currently are is simply a long way of dying.
Return the fight, that is where joy can be found - never from giving in just to "live" another day.
The problem we all face today is that this Congress, SCOTUS, and WH are all rabid white nationalist NAZIs who are delighted to see the libtards getting their asses kicked while women and other minorities are being put back in their subservient place in society.
The majority of MAGAs still seem to live in Trump's imaginary America. Looking at the breakdown of the August Economist/YouGov poll results, it is clear that most MAGAs see a great economy with an even better future because that is what their Fuhrer keeps telling them is their reality. In contrast, Dems and Independents are experiencing a recession and see it only getting worse in the future.
What seemed to validate my impression that most MAGAs remain clueless about reality was a question as to whether respondents thought Trump committed crimes with Epstein - only 11% said yes. Also, 37% approved of the way Trump was handling the affair, in contrast to 5%(D) & 16% (I). That is not the impression our MSM is reporting.
"Standing against this coming onslaught will take considerable courage. Hitler put down the White Rose Society, Putin killed Navalny and arrested his lawyers and supporters, Lukashenko and Erdoğon had their troops fire on angry crowds."
Have a good group and fire back, dammit! This is OUR Democracy!
Why didn't I receive my usual email of this post today - perhaps the most important post to date? Everyone needs to read this one. I do mean EVERYONE. We are teetering ever closer to the point of no return. We are already living under a fascist government, but it will never get any easier than today to protest and do whatever one can to combat this madness, this insanity.
I read last week that now the Trump Administration is "grading" companies on their adherence to Trump's agenda and priortities with regard to his "America First" priorities. I believe the first list had 50 companies with a brief description of where they rank in terms of adherence. On other matters, you would have thought there would have been total OUTRAGE at seeing airforce airman on their knees rolling out a red carpet for Putin. I mean, not even a peep, as far as I could tell. There has been, as totally obvious, complete sell out by the Republicans. These Republican senators, maybe with exception of one or two, being unwilling to make any push back.
Trump’s DC takeover has nothing to do with reducing crime.
He refused to deploy the National Guard on January 6th to deal with actual criminals.
Yes, that was Trump’s responsibility.
In DC he needs Congress to extend his authority more than a month. The Home Rule Act gives him the power to use the D.C. police force for “federal purposes” if he determines that there are “special conditions of an emergency nature.” He can use the D.C. police for up to 48 hours, or for up to 30 days if he sends a special message to the leaders of certain congressional committees. To use the D.C. police for longer than 30 days, he would need authorization from Congress.
In an order Monday, Trump said the D.C. police force under his control would protect federal buildings and national monuments, typically a function of federal law enforcement agencies. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia/
A federal law passed in 1878, the Posse Comitatus Act, bars the use of the U.S. military for civilian law enforcement except when authorized by the Constitution or another provision of federal law.
Today, in San Francisco, the Trump takeover of the California National Guard and his marshal law occupation in LA is at trial. "These details emerged during a bench trial currently being held in Los Angeles over Trump’s decision to federalize the California National Guard. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer for the Northern District of California is running a three-day trial this week. The case examines whether the administration broke the Posse Comitatus Act by taking over the California National Guard and deploying it to Los Angeles. Trump ordered the takeover and deployment after protests broke out over Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Southern California.
During testimony on Monday, California called Sherman as a witness. He told an attorney for the state of California that “intelligence” did not indicate a threat to federal functions near MacArthur Park, but that immigration authorities wanted more than 50 military vehicles to drive through the park as part of the operation. Sherman said that he hesitated to go forward with the idea. When the California attorney asked Sherman whether Bovino questioned his “loyalty” to the United States in response, Sherman confirmed that he had.
"The MacArthur Park operation eventually took place on July 7.
"During testimony on Tuesday, DOJ attorneys tried to downplay the operation as extremely limited, and only in support of existing immigration enforcement efforts. That goes to a key distinction under the law: while it’s illegal to use the military for domestic law enforcement purposes (the Insurrection Act is the big exception to this, and the administration never invoked it), they can be used in a supporting role. The DoD, for example, has long provided various forms of logistical support to immigration agencies acting along the U.S.-Mexico border.
"The Trump administration enlarged the definition of “support” to justify using the military to help immigration authorities carry out a crackdown. On Monday, Trump sent the D.C. National Guard into the nation’s capital; though he has more leeway over how to use the D.C. Guard, it’s another example of the creeping presence of troops in American cities.
"What’s key to understand here is that serving as domestic law enforcement is not the mission for the military. It’s not what soldiers join to do; it’s not what they and their commanders spend years training for. The missions are different."
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things-stand/where-things-stand-behind-the-scenes-of-trumps-haphazard-occupation-of-la
Since when did Trump care about the law?
This is no longer the rule of law, but the rule of one man.
Some of us won't give in.....
Protesters in DC should hang out at every Congressional Republicans' office; at the house and senate. They all have offices, staff in DC.
Although they may not be permanent and vote in DC, most Congressional Republicans reside in the District. Should be able to map their residences.
Lobbyists work the dining rooms in the senate and house. Watering holes near the Capitol. In my day, if they wanted access to Republicans, the Monacle, etc. Also the airport. No reason protestors can't lobby.
It appears that lobbyists don't have much to do anymore, as Congress is doing nothing except what their master wants.
I remember reading about Republicans renting a house and each living in a room in the house., and those were senators.
Watching Stephanie Miller just now Carlos Alazraqui, a comedian, said half in jest that Democrats should dress up in bettle dress, don masks and drive around in vans kidnapping Texas Republican legislatures off the street.
Time for active resistance, fight fire with fire.
You are describing America and DC pre Jan 20,2025, that world no longer exists.
Any lobbyists that exist, are sitting around bars smoking cigars and drinking cocktails, or paying bribes, to the regulators of the cabinets they captured.
I don't think there were lobbyists working the Reich's Chancellory or the Reichstag.
Wanna bet that the Petroleum Institute, NAM, Chamber of Commerce, etc don't have a representative as an advisor on Trump's staff. Look at his obsession with destroying green energy, emission standards, fuel consumption standards.
Cynics rush in...Not Trump;. House and Senate can cut him off. Back from vacation September 3.
WE can act just like lobbyists. Only need a few Congressional Republicans to deny Trump authority in DC.
If I were still in DC, I'd be out and about every day.
I wouldn't trust Congress to move a baby out of the middle of the street.
Call me a cynic. I really don't care, but the idea of the House and Senate cutting Trump off, is ludicrous. Spell OBBB, how about Mike Johnson, How about Sen John Thune.
Daniel tell me why former Secretaries of Defense, for mer Secretaries of the Army, Navy and Marines have beekeeping their head down? Their silence is deafening. Where is James Mattis when we need him? I am naive. I thought the military was not supposed to follow lawless orders.
Got me. Some have. But I'm sure that people like that could have influenced people like Don Bacon.
Educate me. I don't know much about Don Bacon.
R. House NE. Retired AF general. He's been calling Trump a liar on Ukraine and has said he was not going to seek reelection and led us to believe he'd oppose the Big Crappy Bill, but let us down.
Jerry Weiss targeted several Republicans who said they wanted to talk. https://jerryweiss.substack.com/ He lived in San Francisco had stage 4 cancer and eventually wasn't able to get to DC. The only RTepublican rep to come through was Brian Fitzpatrick R. Pa co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. https://www.phillyburbs.com/story/news/local/2025/07/03/us-rep-brian-fitzpatrick-votes-no-on-procedural-vote-for-trumps-agenda-big-beautiful-bill-opposition/84456836007/
Thank you very much for responding. Don Bacon, like John Kelly and Mattis appear to be one and the same. They appear to have the right values, but when push comes to shove party is more important than country. None of them, so far, are willing to pull a John McCaine.
Was the carjacking of “Big Balls” a random event? Perhaps, but like the Reichstag fire that doesn’t mean it can’t be used as an excuse to take over the police. Anyway as someone just wrote in my local newspaper, mister “law and order” released the January 6th rioters while saying D. C. has a crime problem. And coming from the biggest criminal of them all that is breathtaking.
First D.C. then NY and Chicago. L.A. was a command and control exercise.
The military conducts such exercises many times a year. A notorious one was Jade Helm.
In which the military were deployed, in Texas, in response to a civil uprising. The nascent MAGAt base, was all aflutter, that it was training in preparation by Obama for a leftist takeover, and at the same time the country was awash in conspiracy theories about FEMA concentration camps.
Fast Forward ten year and all of this is unfolding before our eyes, but not by leftists, but by the Right.
The lessons learned from exercises like Jade Helm, are used to update plans. There are already plans in place to use the U.S. Military in action against the public. and the concentration camps are being built by monies appropriated by the OBBB.
I worked in DC for for DOL for 20 years. Every year we had civil defense training and exercises. Every federal employee was supposed to have a personal plan how to proceed.
We had layers of police protection. -- DC police -- Federal police -- CSO's (Court Security Officers) -- every federal building had contract security-- and DC had camera coverage 24/7 in high crime neighborhoods.
In the 1990's my subagency was able to get low rents in a high crime neighborhood. Over time, crime subsided to the extent that the neighborhood is now crime free, raising rents, and forcing my former colleagues to relocate to "main labor."
Key word "was". Them days is gone, dead and buried, there is no longer an administration, but a regime. and one that will not leave, even if the present head is carried out of the White House on a gurney.
Thom sez: "We’re in the early stages of autocratic breakthrough, the consolidation-of-power phase when a leader who’s planning to turn a democracy into an autocracy seizes control of all the various branches of government and makes sure the military is entirely loyal to him, rather than the rule of law."
And concludes:
Our best hope is that, when the crackdowns come, enough of us can mobilize to bring about a rebooting of our democracy like average people did in South Korea last year as they restored democracy to that nation."
Waiting for the crackdown is like a Jew waiting for a knock on the door in 1940 Berlin.
The time to take action is now, if we wait, it will be too late.The only way to stop the juggernaut, is a national strike and a national uprising.
The courts won't help and elections are a farce.
"
Absolutely. A general strike is a passive aggressive action that is difficult to repress. Aggressive protesting on the other hand will lead to shots being fired. We need to shut down the economy. Only buy totally necessary items, no theme parks, ball games, Amazon, birthday presents and anything else that is not directly connected to your immediate survival. Boycotts are effective, just ask Rosa Parks,
Better dig in for the long haul with that one as they will call our bluff. 1 or 2 day a week kind of stuff will not cut it.
Everyone needs to memorize the 2025 plan and refute the ideas every day in every way possible. To understand its potency in today's politics is essential.
I have been fighting a 50-year plan to discredit me, and it didn't come to me in one document. I have to refute the lies and coverups by weak-minded people who would rather cover for pedophiles and rapists by taking up their cause for revenge without ever speaking to me.
Happening to a certain extent already. The Big Beautiful Backlash is just beginning, and we need to pile-on.
Wish I was there to help but unfortunately I can’t. I’ll try to what I can from here.
Nailed it, Thom
I just want to add that I served as an MP and worked the "road". Back then the Military Police sometimes had little to do with traditional policing. They were not kidding about the "Military" part, but with a whole two week block of instruction, they were kidding about the "Police" part. After that, I learned from my partners---no one else.
I sure as hell hope these troops get better training now. Everything is tech oriented, so if a soldier is serious, they can get good consistent training. The tech also brings to mind how they can gather intelligence and monitor protestors easily using cellphones, license plates, and drones.
Under this fascist regime, the service members were treated like crap in LA. Hegseth didn't care that they slept on the floor and that the pics were on the nightly news. He is a paranoid disaster just like TRump, and he has not figured out that God is not in this. It is entirely THEIR creation.
Keep repeating NONE OF THIS HAD TO HAPPEN. See you in the streets.
What's taking us so long to get there?
There are A LOT of slow-learners. It has to come to their doorstep, and Robert my friend, he and pack of psychos will be visiting them soon.
0) Let's pop a brewski and rewatch Happy Days
1) Nothing is happening (is it?)
2) Something is happening but it doesn't involve me
3) If I paint lamb's blood over the lintel it will pass me by
4) Oh shi....
LOL
No, really!
Donald's first option for Lafayette Square [June 1st, 2020 - G. Floyd] was to shoot protesters. Just "shoot." Which implies shoot to kill. He was told no by Esper/Milley.
So his plan B was "the legs."
Note that the bullet [i.e., the projectile] from an AR-15 or M-16 [military version] tumbles, meaning it does NOT spiral. So it does not break so much as it shatters bone. Plus, it does not daintily exit; it blows out grapefruit-sized chunks of tissue when it exits.
Different caliber, but think JFK's skull. Often the shot leg must be amputated.
So, due to America's endemic class and race hate, not to mention pure misogyny, we have this raving crackpot.
King George III or "Chucky" on steroids.
Nice.
PS Will we lose Alaska to Putin on Friday? Stay tuned.
Americans have a short memory. We're forgetting the Supreme Courts complicity , and the GPOP (Gullible Party of Putin) cowardice. They SICKED Trump on the masses... We can vote out the GPOP but not the Supreme Court. It's time to shine the light on the Supreme Court for their complicity. This lifetime ground they stand on needs to be term limited by their allegiance to Justice not to a King and the measure of their rulings to protect the Laws of the land. Their judgement is questionable in the highest order. IT'S PAST TIME TO JUDGE THE JUDGES.
Myron,we cannot vote out the Supreme Court but we can refer to it as the " Neo Nazi Supreme Court" We should be referring to Trump,Miller ,Voight and Co as the "Neo Nazi Gov't" Attended a meeting last night in the North Suburbs of Atlanta,the objective being to take active steps to gain support. They kept referring to Oligarchy,Authoritarian and I pointed out,less than 10% of the people in this area know the definitions .However they do know the definition of a " Nazi" .
Another point during this conversation,why the protests only against Trump? He is so far removed,he doesn't care. Why are we not protesting Stephen Miller,Russell Vought,Kevin Roberts,president of Heritage and Project 225.An orchestrated assault on them,would have more effect.
Spot On David... Trump's a master at using protest against him as props to react with violence by the hands of his minions, or using FBI or other govt. agencies who he diverts via distractions away from his antics and crimes in broad daylight, by giving them fool's errands, on command. All distractions from Epstein... Hmmmm
How about the Subservient Court? Spineless? Sycophantic?
"Strongman" based solely on the office. In every other respect, a very weak man indeed. He is, as somebody more clever than I once said:
A poor person's idea of a rich man, a stupid person's idea of a smart man, and a weak person's idea of a strong man.
IMHO he craves risk and is teetering on the edge, physically, mentally and politically.
All of this is a distraction from Trumpenstein, which is splitting MAGA. I see he wants to have feats of strength, i.e. gladiator wrestling at the White House.
How about Looomer vs MTG? https://komonews.com/news/nation-world/the-dumbest-btch-in-congress-laura-loomer-and-mtg-spar-on-social-media-lying-fake-christian-republican-far-right-activist-army-secretary-dan-driscoll-medal-of-honor-suicide-bomber-afghanistan-president-donald-trump
On September 3, House members will file a discharge petition to circumvent House leadership and force a vote on that measure — a gambit that would require 218 signatures, marking a majority of the House, to succeed. They plan to bring survivors of abuse by Epstein and his convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell to the Capitol.
The more the fascist tactics are implemented, the more real fear rises, less chance for meaningful resistence. We need a national rebellion immediately, including huge and total boycotts and with resistence with less passive mein. Real resistence is hard, the hardest thing most people will suffer. C Since common sense dictates that the real force to fight against this political war should be the democratic party and the sitting elected democrats, we need to cease cheering on their febrile, ass-covering efforts and instead assault them with the same attack mode and demand directed to the republican fascist coup force. Two words describe today's democratic party (1) gutless (2) purchased. The two are linked. Ask yourself this, when considering which sitting pols excite more hope for confronting the coup, Bernie, AOC, et al, or Pelosi, Schumer, new Ken whoever? How truly patriotic in real currency are those who advise investment in continuing to support the democratic party as is, with moronic furthur dependence on hopelessly contaminated, unchallenged-for-change voting procedures? The democratic party merits about 30% of the nations trust.
Gerald,
I appreciate your comments. In short, what they have done is incite fear, and I see it everywhere I look in the insecurity of people of all statuses. I have been mocked for some time for my reaction to tyranny, and people label it as fear. Maybe they are correct, but I don't feel my resistance to be weak-minded. I am beginning to see what you say to be the way to go, 'cease cheering on their febrile, ass-covering efforts, and instead assault them with the same attack mode and demand directed to the republican fascist coup force.' I especially like how forthright you are in calling them on investing in support of the democratic party that fails to bring change.
The mob that INSTANTLY took to the streets in South Korea after the acting president declared martial law is my hero!
I feel as if a group of foreign enemies have infiltrated our government to crush our country and its history. I am determined to continue to protest, but should I expect to be shot in the legs?
I am clinging to the hope that the Epstein files seals trump's demise....
For months now, I have been reading the people's angry protests. There are many angry people out there trying to make sense of what is happening to their country. Today I read David Rothkopf's Substack, which resonated with me and reminded me of a paper I wrote twenty years ago on Christa Wolf, a novelist and essayist, speaker who lived in East Germany under Honecker's regime and was considered, along with her husband and like-minded intellectual elites, whom Honecker's party leaders accepted.
Rothkopf titles his essay "How Do You Defeat the Oligarchy' in which he discusses how the ruling party elites employ 'cultural hegemony' as a way they can influence and ultimately control a society, thus using their power to institute core beliefs and values by coercion, or its threat, as the primary rule. In communist East Germany, they used their power to shape the primary rule vis-à-vis 'cultural hegemony' through the manipulation of the arts, religion, and intellectual discourse to help them retain power.
Despite the seemingly unfairness of her status as an elite, I write how this allowed Wolf to criticize the communist regime, exposing how it contorted the lives of the humans who lived there. Through allusions to the familiar Greek myth, her novel, Cassandra, for example, speaks to the destructiveness that controlled the citizens' lives. The social/political experiment failed, as Cassandra (Christa Wolf), like the Trojan priestess and prophetess, was cursed to have her accurate prophecies go unheard.
"Ways in Which to be Human' was the title of my paper, and the narrow construct of the essay explains the complex phenomena in which she was embroiled. Wolf sought to maintain her humanness. Ten years ago, in a meeting, a minister, David Taxer, from a nearby Presbyterian Church, participated. He had the title of my essay on his shirt. My Lutheran church minister, Karen Mahron, leaned into the table anxiously to say that knowing God is how to be human. I didn't contradict their apparent opinions as the meeting was about something else. They had not understood my paper's idea.
Wolf indicates that what they are missing is consensual support or hegemony throughout the society, which is what a civil society deems to be necessary. She felt the only way to fight back is to reassert the shining depth of the culture - ideas, ideals, ideologies, and artistic creations that can elevate and energize their society to triumph ultimately.
What do you mean, "if he tries to steal the 2026 election"? There's no IF about it. He stole 2016 and 2024, and tried to steal 2020. He has never done an honest thing in his entire life. There is nothing he won't do to retain and increase his power.
Why did anybody think this racist Hitler loving bastard would flinch from sending troops against his political enemies? I mean he tried it during his first term and was stopped by the military leadership that he has now replaced with his hacks. When all of this is over the treason supporters will get their day in jail and the tree. Who can say they do not see this ultimate obvious end?
Psychopaths often create their own "reality"---they can appear to be fearless. Recent research found that not to be true, "they just don't see it coming". Truly have broken brains.
Now TRump's body is going too. I'm with you on jailing the lot and letting them know it NOW.
You don't need considerable courage to face this head on - you need the willingness to be inconvenienced and the knowledge that we're already dead - somewhere in time.
Living as we currently are is simply a long way of dying.
Return the fight, that is where joy can be found - never from giving in just to "live" another day.
The problem we all face today is that this Congress, SCOTUS, and WH are all rabid white nationalist NAZIs who are delighted to see the libtards getting their asses kicked while women and other minorities are being put back in their subservient place in society.
The majority of MAGAs still seem to live in Trump's imaginary America. Looking at the breakdown of the August Economist/YouGov poll results, it is clear that most MAGAs see a great economy with an even better future because that is what their Fuhrer keeps telling them is their reality. In contrast, Dems and Independents are experiencing a recession and see it only getting worse in the future.
What seemed to validate my impression that most MAGAs remain clueless about reality was a question as to whether respondents thought Trump committed crimes with Epstein - only 11% said yes. Also, 37% approved of the way Trump was handling the affair, in contrast to 5%(D) & 16% (I). That is not the impression our MSM is reporting.
Not all, and it's not MAGA that we need tp persuade but just a few Republican politicians.
"Standing against this coming onslaught will take considerable courage. Hitler put down the White Rose Society, Putin killed Navalny and arrested his lawyers and supporters, Lukashenko and Erdoğon had their troops fire on angry crowds."
Have a good group and fire back, dammit! This is OUR Democracy!
Why didn't I receive my usual email of this post today - perhaps the most important post to date? Everyone needs to read this one. I do mean EVERYONE. We are teetering ever closer to the point of no return. We are already living under a fascist government, but it will never get any easier than today to protest and do whatever one can to combat this madness, this insanity.
I read last week that now the Trump Administration is "grading" companies on their adherence to Trump's agenda and priortities with regard to his "America First" priorities. I believe the first list had 50 companies with a brief description of where they rank in terms of adherence. On other matters, you would have thought there would have been total OUTRAGE at seeing airforce airman on their knees rolling out a red carpet for Putin. I mean, not even a peep, as far as I could tell. There has been, as totally obvious, complete sell out by the Republicans. These Republican senators, maybe with exception of one or two, being unwilling to make any push back.