Catalyzing events. These are the "lone wolf" of happenings which either induce people to willingly surrender their rights and dignity - or - induce people to forcibly take the same from "others".
Catalyzing events in a functioning society typically must be of massive scale - like 9/11 - in order to do what they do: cause people to behave in ways unrecognizable.
Catalyzing events within a primed powderkeg facade of a society - like the one we have today - do not need to be massive - only plausible. Plausible in the minds of those already unreachable and beyond reason.
Today, we are always exactly one *relatively* insignificant event away from catalyzing into an absolute catastrophic explosion of widespread violence and authoritarian crackdowns.
Oh I have dug deep Daniel. I've been trying to warn people about Dominionism since I learned of it in `1998. I've mentioned it a thousand times on Robert Reich and Thom Hartmann and met with crickets. No one seem to care.
Years ago they noticed that I had been posting links, and they (the Chalcedon Society) has paid Google to keep their links at the top and lewis link down as far as they can go, if they google Royal Race of the Redeemed. lewis was the first to use that phrase.
Right, but don't expect the next mass shooting to catalyze people into demanding reasonable gun control. As usual the shooter, not the easy access to killing tools, will be demonized. Remember that Americans are great at looking at effects, pretty bad at considering causes. This is certainly true of climate change.
But I'm not sure if a shooting is enough--they have become too common. Hitler's gang didn't burn the Reichstag down but they certainly knew how to take advantage of it, and sooner or later something else will excite people enough to let Trump's minions, along with a compliant press, stampede people. After all, look at how so many believed (and still do) Bush's obvious lies for the need to invade Iraq. Maybe the top MAGA folks will simply "encourage" a mentally ill man or woman to do something awful and then follow through on what that now deceased person did.
People should not feel too depressed that we let Trump happen. Back in 2018, I asked Prof Paxton, author of The Anatomy of Fascism, if Trump was a fascist. To my surprise, he said no. But I used his criteria! Then in early 2021, Paxton published an OpEd in Newsweek: Donald Trump is a Fascist. So if it took an expert several years to see the new Reich coming - that explains how fascism slowly snuck up on people. I wonder if we will have a fire on Capitol Hill to celebrate our new Fuhrer's reign.
Nothing this narcissistic man would do would ever surprise me! The very fact that that he’s all upset about the flag will be at half staff during his inauguration due to the death of President Carter speaks volumes about this man’s character! He has no shame he has no compassion, except for himself! He is an empty vessel with no humanity. He can’t even handle a tv network that criticizes him that all other Presidents have been able to tolerate! He wants to destroy MSNBC because they don’t praise him day and night! He’s not worthy of our highest office and never could be! He fooled millions of Americans but I don’t feel sorry for them they were too lazy to investigate him!
In 2017 Trump started a quest to eliminate "quality" and "justice" within a government he deemed the deep state. At that time, he tried but was unable to completely eliminate civil service which has been in place since the administration of Rutherfraud B. Hayes, another ethically challenged president.
Come Jan 20, he says he has dozens of executive orders rarin' to go, to finish the job. Sonce 2018, SCOTUS has given him tools to do it. .So long Administrative Procedure Act. So long civil rights. So long mis amigos, Jesus and Maria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNmn7jdbQwA
There is no provision anywhere yet for a national initiative. What are the possibilities of state petitions for an initiative? The following is what I have been working on for my state.
A NEVADA (or substitute other state name) INITIATIVE/REFERENDUM ON PREVENTING THE PARDONING OF JAN. 6TH TERTORISTS AND REMOVING DONALD J. TRUMP FROM OFFICE
Whereas:
Convicted Jan. 6th, 2021 defendants are domestic terrorists;
To pardon convicted terrorists would be a violation of the Presidential Oath of Office;
To pardon Jan. 6th defendants would constitute an egregious obstruction of justice;
To pardon dangerous violent criminals without cause is an abuse of power;
To pardon these terrorists is further an abuse and a perversion of the pardon power;
To pardon violent and destructive coup participants, seditionists, and insurrectionists is a slap in the face to the judges, prosecutors, grand juries and other juries of their peers and no less importantly to the people and to democracy;
Whereas:
Donald J. Trump did deviously plan, strategize, coordinate, and orchestrate the attack on our government at the U.S. Capitol complex on Jan. 6th, 2021;
Donald J. Trump did summon the mob, did intentionally and with malice aforethought agitate and inflame, and methodically foment the crowd assembled at his rally to a high state of emotion, anger, and physical action, and did use language designed to stir the crowd to fight, attack, and resist;
Donald J. Trump did abrogate his constitutional duties and obligations and was derelict in the performance of his presidential duty to preserve the peace and to defend the Constitution and the Congress in the extreme for several hours in his purposeful refusal to order his followers and devotees to disband and to cease the violence of which he was the principal architect and cause, as was documented on live television and by extensive due process;
And Whereas:
The Fourteenth Amendment expressly prohibits anyone from holding office who has been a participant in or an organizer of an insurrection against the United States:
Therefore, as citizens of the State of Nevada, we the people of the United States do hereby demand the immediate recall and permanent removal of Donald J. Trump from his official position and duties as an elected representative and as our servant in our pursuit of a more perfect union.
Amendments are hard to promote and take a lot of time, unfortunately. Nader and others have tried to get a national initiative amendment without success. Under Trump it will be impossible. Unless Merrick Garland acts really, really soon a petition will be merely symbolic. If people in many states were to circulate petitions, post haste, the points made (and revised for clarity or greater accuracy) could eventually be useful, presumably BTW, where the hell is Smith's report? I'm waiting with bated breath.
Germany--and Japan--did have a tradition of a top down society and following the leader at the pinnacle. Plus it had a strong military tradition. When the Kaiser went into exile it left a space for another tyrant unconstrained by weak democratic norms to take over. (Arguably Russia has similarities here too.) The U.S. is more diverse and localized than that, though I wouldn't count on our traditions to protect us either.
But the weakness of a system where people turn their brains off and do just what they are told en masse is that when the leader is gone it is hard to replace him. Trump certainly does not seem in the best of mental or physical health, and there's nobody in the wings with his animal charisma. (Of course not as he would not groom a rival--see how fast he'll have a falling out with Musk.) Still, that's a pretty weak reed on which to wait for better times. Followers don't want to hear what upsets their view of the world and their place in it, but one has to keep saying the truth as not everybody is hypnotized as most people just go along to get along and on some level still know right from wrong. As my father-in-law said after he fled Germany in 1939, "The Nazis took everything from the Jews except their knowledge that Hitler was wrong".
Good Point docrhw Weil.Russia is unique, though ostensibly a wesern(ized) culture, it is still Asiatic, and by that I mean the legacy of Jenghis Khan and his sons. 1/6th of Russians are descendants of Jehnghis and by the looks of him, so is Putin.
The Russian tradition even before Jehghis has been brutalized rule by Pechenegs (nomadic Turkic tribe), , then Ivan the Terrible and despite the epithet Great, Peter and Katherine who were brutal. Peter worked his virtual slaves to death,building his city, Petersburg in a marsh.
All they know is brutality, and brutality is normal, accepted.
Thank you for including me in your esteemed list, thank you especially for leading the fight to protect democracy. But TBH, I’m fighting a bad case of nihilism. Speaking the truth feels pointless given that no level of depravity was too much for voters. Trump really could, and likely will, shoot someone on Fifth Ave., but Fox, Newsmax, Breitbart etc. will simply continue to lie about it and 45% of the country will never know the truth.
Until we figure out how to safeguard truth in the media, so that people vote, act and react based on facts rather than fiction, it feels like the left is just talking to itself. I’d put down the pen and dig in with 1st A/ Fairness Doctrine litigation, but this version of SCOTUS is part of the grift. I’ve never been more tempted take up underwater basket weaving.
It was the Russian psy ops that tilted the outcome. They friggin' admit it.
We don't have a "left," but the Depocratic Party has a big tent, and "some" does make a consensus.
Besides the Russian interference, it's inexcusable that the 14th Amenendment, section 3 doesnt apply to Trump. I was sickened to hear from Jamie Raskin that Dems know Trump is ineligible, but will acquiesce to avoid "chaos."and Biden said the equivalent.
I'm disgusted with the so called Democratic Leadership. Avoiding chaos is accepting dictatorship.
Cowards, one and all from Biden, on down, the only Democrats with any stones are the likes of AOC. And I'm holding off on her, to see if she caves to power.
Tangerine Nightmare's (TN) self-fulfilling prophecy of "American carnage?" I hope not.
TN is a latter-day Dr. Moreau, who has turned vulnerable Americans into what H.G. Wells called "Beast Folk."
The Beast Folk in H.G. Wells' novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau" exhibit a mix of human and animal behaviors due to their hybrid nature. Here are some key aspects of their behavior:
Human-like Traits: The Beast Folk have been surgically altered to possess human characteristics, such as the ability to speak, walk upright, and perform basic tasks. They follow a set of laws imposed by Doctor Moreau, which are meant to suppress their animal instincts and maintain order.
Animal Instincts: Despite their human-like appearance and behavior, the Beast Folk still retain many of their animal instincts. They struggle to fully suppress these instincts, leading to moments of aggression, fear, and other primal behaviors.
Fear and Reverence for Moreau: The Beast Folk view Doctor Moreau as a god-like figure and fear his authority. They follow his laws and commands out of fear of punishment and a desire to please him.
Social Structure: The Beast Folk have a rudimentary social structure, with some individuals taking on leadership roles. However, their society is fragile and prone to chaos, especially when their animal instincts resurface.
Struggle for Identity: The Beast Folk are caught between their human and animal natures, leading to a constant struggle for identity. This internal conflict is a central theme in the novel, highlighting the ethical and moral implications of Moreau's experiments.
In "The Island of Doctor Moreau," the fate of the Beast Folk is tragic and chaotic:
Reversion to Animal Instincts: As Doctor Moreau's control over the island weakens, the Beast Folk begin to revert to their original animal instincts. The laws imposed by Moreau start to break down, and their behavior becomes increasingly erratic and violent.
Doctor Moreau's Death: After Moreau is killed by one of his creations, the Beast Folk lose their fear of him and the structure he imposed. This leads to further chaos and a breakdown of the social order he had established.
Self-Destruction: Without Moreau's guidance and control, the Beast Folk's society collapses. They become more animalistic and aggressive, leading to infighting and self-destruction
It's not unlike "Easy Rider" in that the resolution is violence, for which Putin could not be happier. Having found a useful idiot to turn us against us.
I can imagine such resourceful satire helpful today. I am concerned about the myth of lost male masculinity circulating even among some of my favorite independent journalists. Male masculinity is alive and kicking as it has been throughout human history. Pinker's ahistorical nonsense in his better angels writing fuels the laziness of American politics in particular to assume that all is well because we can all go home to our canned tv laughter and write off as random oddballs the occasional mass murders at malls and schools by the almost 100% expression of male aggression. tRump has almost singlehandedly exposed Pinker's foolishness.
trump should not be allowed to take office. The election was a tie, his slim "majority" bought and sold by billionaire cash dumps, preposterous lies, and outright bribes. With his freak show of reject crony "appointees," some of whom are named in violation of existing terms of office, he did not abide by the the legal requirements and deadlines of a transition, lacking vetting and security clearances. And the pledges he has made to pardon co-conspirators including the worst, most violent and seditious traitors in American history, are a direct threat to national security. Trump is a foreign puppet and a Self-Declared Enemy of the American State. His agenda to abolish Federal Department and Cabinet posts, our Civil Service, FBI and Intelligence services, is subversion in the face of domestic and foreign terror and military threats. And his schemes to undermine NATO and abrogate treaties and alliances including the Paris Climate Accords are suicidal sedition. The Biden-Harris administration should continue in power while criminal remedies are pursued against this dangerous, seditious conspiracy and a new election scheduled with constraints against voter caging, provisional ballots and "challenges." The Constitution and our subverted Democracy are not a global suicide pact.
Rusty on details of what happened in the deadly insurrection? Confused by the MAGA disinformation about what happened on Jan 6th? Check the "Jan 6th Insurrection — Illustrated Edition"
To add a comment to my prior comment regarding where were all of the influencers along the way who should have stopped where we are today with Trump and the populists, I am sick of reading Robert Reich for example and others who were in the thick of it and only now write how they saw the oligarchy coming. HELLO. It does not show brilliance to retrace the steps of the past 50 years.Now all I hear from those sorts is it is doomsday and here is how we will recover.
We needed more brilliant people like Noam Chomsky who called it like it is and to make it an issue for the American people by showing how neoliberalism was going to destroy the middle class, immigrants and poor people.
I fired Reich, Hubbell and Simon Rosenberg. Meidas is next.
I am not a Noam Chomsky fan...at all. And that includes linguistics. I still believe in the rule of law.
We don't know how to fight. In retrospect, had a Jack Smith filed cases immeditedly after Jan 6, 2021, things would be different. In the Spanish language need to use the pluperfect subjunctive with a past conditional clause to express it. Unfortunately,until we find the door to the wormhole in space, this can't be expressed in American English let alone be fiixed.
I go back to Nixon. Let the dollar float. That opened our economy for a takeover. Thus we sold manufacturing, the goose that laid the golden egg. We are now more vulnerable than anyone in the media has expressed. Half of our "allies" are working with BRIC to undemine our currency. Trump has his own currency. So does Musk. We'll see who will be the "marks."
“Power is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac” (Dr. Henry Kissinger) We are told that knowledge is power. If we seek power, it follows that we must seek knowledge. We gain knowledge through individual experience. Everyone wants personal value. The question is to what should we subscribe to gain personal power? Should we subscribe to material wealth? Should we subscribe to morality? Should we subscribe to religious associations? Should we subscribe to spiritual maturity? All of these offer a wide spectrum of choice and a broad difference in degrees of human worth. If Knowledge is power and if one measures one's personal value by the degree of power to which one is able to assemble, then perhaps the source of that Knowledge becomes a lesser factor than what power that knowledge brings. The great thing about conspiracy theories is that stupid people don't have to prove them. If someone pops up and tells them that they can assemble power if they accept this knowledge, then their measure of personal value hinges upon this gathering of knowledge, regardless of the source or its affects. For those who have been denied material accumulation in a society that measures personal value by such associations, then this alternative sense of personal value becomes very attractive. By identifying those who have been the source of denying them personal value, regardless of the truth or falsehood of the blame, then you set the stage for war....especially when that power is an aphrodisiac. Spiritual maturity is also an aphrodisiac, but mankind has chosen a different path to this measure of personal power.
The problem with conspiracies theories Frank Stronghorse, is that all to often, they turn out to be not theories but facts. For instance persecution of the Jews in Germany was dismissed before the war as unfounded conspiracy theory.
John Harrington — 'Treason doth never prosper: what 's the reason?Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.'
QAnon and the right don't have conspiracy theories trademarked.
Idiocy and fanaticism is found in left and right.
And so it goes with all attributes, qualities and failings of humanity.
Thanks Thom for the history and the truths it holds.
As for responsibility/solutions I so often read in the comments, I find it disgusting that Democrats are blamed for the thoughts and actions of Republican voters. That voting block includes religious radicals, gun nuts, those ignorant about immigration, the confused, the checked-out, and people simply voting their pocketbook. They added-up to nearly half this time---it got Republicans over the line.
We fight, we write, and we use the law when we can. Honesty is key.
Watch Putin, that's the other key. He holds the cards. He has the evidence to prove collusion. Whether he chooses to expose it and destroy the people involved remains to be seen. The only thing wrong with Ann's WAPO cartoon was it was missing Putin as a larger figure behind Trump.
I worry that independent media is a little too independent. Thom's call for mainstream media to speak out is a foregone opportunity. They have been bought. Rational, truthful, independent media must coalesce soon into a major independent network with a united voice, that is independent media must become rapidly the new mainstream media. And obviously network television is no longer the medium of choice. As so many of you smart commentators have said, fear has a way of making even well educated people collude to make irrational commitments. I like what the Lincoln Project has done. Satire is a powerful way to combat obvious abuse of power.
Your observations and conclusions are only too appallingly astute. I believe there is a genuine likelihood that some manufactured “crisis”—perhaps some larger scale Livensberger act—will be used as a justification for tRUMP to declare martial law and become an unchecked dictator. If the US lasts beyond 90 days without some such attempt, that will be surprising.
Catalyzing events. These are the "lone wolf" of happenings which either induce people to willingly surrender their rights and dignity - or - induce people to forcibly take the same from "others".
Catalyzing events in a functioning society typically must be of massive scale - like 9/11 - in order to do what they do: cause people to behave in ways unrecognizable.
Catalyzing events within a primed powderkeg facade of a society - like the one we have today - do not need to be massive - only plausible. Plausible in the minds of those already unreachable and beyond reason.
Today, we are always exactly one *relatively* insignificant event away from catalyzing into an absolute catastrophic explosion of widespread violence and authoritarian crackdowns.
This is worth the read: Toxic Masculinity links the Vegas Bomber and the NOLA attacker
https://www.salon.com/2025/01/06/masculinity-links-the-new-orleans-attacker-and-the-las-vegas-bomber/
Dig deep into Dominionist (i.e. the speaker of the house, Hawley et al) dogma, only the "elect" will get a vote: male observant Christians.
Oh I have dug deep Daniel. I've been trying to warn people about Dominionism since I learned of it in `1998. I've mentioned it a thousand times on Robert Reich and Thom Hartmann and met with crickets. No one seem to care.
Lewis Loflin has done the best on line job of exposing them here: https://www.sullivan-county.com/nf0/fundienazis/royal_race.htm
Years ago they noticed that I had been posting links, and they (the Chalcedon Society) has paid Google to keep their links at the top and lewis link down as far as they can go, if they google Royal Race of the Redeemed. lewis was the first to use that phrase.
Thanks. I appreciate the link.
Right, but don't expect the next mass shooting to catalyze people into demanding reasonable gun control. As usual the shooter, not the easy access to killing tools, will be demonized. Remember that Americans are great at looking at effects, pretty bad at considering causes. This is certainly true of climate change.
But I'm not sure if a shooting is enough--they have become too common. Hitler's gang didn't burn the Reichstag down but they certainly knew how to take advantage of it, and sooner or later something else will excite people enough to let Trump's minions, along with a compliant press, stampede people. After all, look at how so many believed (and still do) Bush's obvious lies for the need to invade Iraq. Maybe the top MAGA folks will simply "encourage" a mentally ill man or woman to do something awful and then follow through on what that now deceased person did.
Dictator on Day 1.
People should not feel too depressed that we let Trump happen. Back in 2018, I asked Prof Paxton, author of The Anatomy of Fascism, if Trump was a fascist. To my surprise, he said no. But I used his criteria! Then in early 2021, Paxton published an OpEd in Newsweek: Donald Trump is a Fascist. So if it took an expert several years to see the new Reich coming - that explains how fascism slowly snuck up on people. I wonder if we will have a fire on Capitol Hill to celebrate our new Fuhrer's reign.
Nothing this narcissistic man would do would ever surprise me! The very fact that that he’s all upset about the flag will be at half staff during his inauguration due to the death of President Carter speaks volumes about this man’s character! He has no shame he has no compassion, except for himself! He is an empty vessel with no humanity. He can’t even handle a tv network that criticizes him that all other Presidents have been able to tolerate! He wants to destroy MSNBC because they don’t praise him day and night! He’s not worthy of our highest office and never could be! He fooled millions of Americans but I don’t feel sorry for them they were too lazy to investigate him!
Just a false distraction my dear. I don’ think he is upset at all. He is fomenting hate.
In 2017 Trump started a quest to eliminate "quality" and "justice" within a government he deemed the deep state. At that time, he tried but was unable to completely eliminate civil service which has been in place since the administration of Rutherfraud B. Hayes, another ethically challenged president.
Come Jan 20, he says he has dozens of executive orders rarin' to go, to finish the job. Sonce 2018, SCOTUS has given him tools to do it. .So long Administrative Procedure Act. So long civil rights. So long mis amigos, Jesus and Maria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNmn7jdbQwA
There is no provision anywhere yet for a national initiative. What are the possibilities of state petitions for an initiative? The following is what I have been working on for my state.
A NEVADA (or substitute other state name) INITIATIVE/REFERENDUM ON PREVENTING THE PARDONING OF JAN. 6TH TERTORISTS AND REMOVING DONALD J. TRUMP FROM OFFICE
Whereas:
Convicted Jan. 6th, 2021 defendants are domestic terrorists;
To pardon convicted terrorists would be a violation of the Presidential Oath of Office;
To pardon Jan. 6th defendants would constitute an egregious obstruction of justice;
To pardon dangerous violent criminals without cause is an abuse of power;
To pardon these terrorists is further an abuse and a perversion of the pardon power;
To pardon violent and destructive coup participants, seditionists, and insurrectionists is a slap in the face to the judges, prosecutors, grand juries and other juries of their peers and no less importantly to the people and to democracy;
Whereas:
Donald J. Trump did deviously plan, strategize, coordinate, and orchestrate the attack on our government at the U.S. Capitol complex on Jan. 6th, 2021;
Donald J. Trump did summon the mob, did intentionally and with malice aforethought agitate and inflame, and methodically foment the crowd assembled at his rally to a high state of emotion, anger, and physical action, and did use language designed to stir the crowd to fight, attack, and resist;
Donald J. Trump did abrogate his constitutional duties and obligations and was derelict in the performance of his presidential duty to preserve the peace and to defend the Constitution and the Congress in the extreme for several hours in his purposeful refusal to order his followers and devotees to disband and to cease the violence of which he was the principal architect and cause, as was documented on live television and by extensive due process;
And Whereas:
The Fourteenth Amendment expressly prohibits anyone from holding office who has been a participant in or an organizer of an insurrection against the United States:
Therefore, as citizens of the State of Nevada, we the people of the United States do hereby demand the immediate recall and permanent removal of Donald J. Trump from his official position and duties as an elected representative and as our servant in our pursuit of a more perfect union.
Constitution permits amendments.
Amendments are hard to promote and take a lot of time, unfortunately. Nader and others have tried to get a national initiative amendment without success. Under Trump it will be impossible. Unless Merrick Garland acts really, really soon a petition will be merely symbolic. If people in many states were to circulate petitions, post haste, the points made (and revised for clarity or greater accuracy) could eventually be useful, presumably BTW, where the hell is Smith's report? I'm waiting with bated breath.
BTW I just read up on Bagdad by The Sea and find it a fascinating historical part of the nation I did not know existed. On my bucket list now.
Big day here today. Epiphany. Parade Sunday. https://www.miami.gov/Notices/Events-Activities/Three-Kings-Parade#:~:text=Mayor%20Francis%20X.,%2C%20at%2012%3A00%20PM.
Germany--and Japan--did have a tradition of a top down society and following the leader at the pinnacle. Plus it had a strong military tradition. When the Kaiser went into exile it left a space for another tyrant unconstrained by weak democratic norms to take over. (Arguably Russia has similarities here too.) The U.S. is more diverse and localized than that, though I wouldn't count on our traditions to protect us either.
But the weakness of a system where people turn their brains off and do just what they are told en masse is that when the leader is gone it is hard to replace him. Trump certainly does not seem in the best of mental or physical health, and there's nobody in the wings with his animal charisma. (Of course not as he would not groom a rival--see how fast he'll have a falling out with Musk.) Still, that's a pretty weak reed on which to wait for better times. Followers don't want to hear what upsets their view of the world and their place in it, but one has to keep saying the truth as not everybody is hypnotized as most people just go along to get along and on some level still know right from wrong. As my father-in-law said after he fled Germany in 1939, "The Nazis took everything from the Jews except their knowledge that Hitler was wrong".
Good Point docrhw Weil.Russia is unique, though ostensibly a wesern(ized) culture, it is still Asiatic, and by that I mean the legacy of Jenghis Khan and his sons. 1/6th of Russians are descendants of Jehnghis and by the looks of him, so is Putin.
The Russian tradition even before Jehghis has been brutalized rule by Pechenegs (nomadic Turkic tribe), , then Ivan the Terrible and despite the epithet Great, Peter and Katherine who were brutal. Peter worked his virtual slaves to death,building his city, Petersburg in a marsh.
All they know is brutality, and brutality is normal, accepted.
Thank you for including me in your esteemed list, thank you especially for leading the fight to protect democracy. But TBH, I’m fighting a bad case of nihilism. Speaking the truth feels pointless given that no level of depravity was too much for voters. Trump really could, and likely will, shoot someone on Fifth Ave., but Fox, Newsmax, Breitbart etc. will simply continue to lie about it and 45% of the country will never know the truth.
Until we figure out how to safeguard truth in the media, so that people vote, act and react based on facts rather than fiction, it feels like the left is just talking to itself. I’d put down the pen and dig in with 1st A/ Fairness Doctrine litigation, but this version of SCOTUS is part of the grift. I’ve never been more tempted take up underwater basket weaving.
It was the Russian psy ops that tilted the outcome. They friggin' admit it.
We don't have a "left," but the Depocratic Party has a big tent, and "some" does make a consensus.
Besides the Russian interference, it's inexcusable that the 14th Amenendment, section 3 doesnt apply to Trump. I was sickened to hear from Jamie Raskin that Dems know Trump is ineligible, but will acquiesce to avoid "chaos."and Biden said the equivalent.
I'm disgusted with the so called Democratic Leadership. Avoiding chaos is accepting dictatorship.
Cowards, one and all from Biden, on down, the only Democrats with any stones are the likes of AOC. And I'm holding off on her, to see if she caves to power.
The 14th Amendment does apply to Trump but it looks like Biden and people are not going to fight for us by insisting Trump is an insurrectionist.
Colorado declared Trump an insurrectionist, and ineligible to hold office.
Amendment 14 is EXACTLY
what Trump is.
Why accept a dictator, when the US CONSTITUTION expressly says Trump shall not hold any office?
Tangerine Nightmare's (TN) self-fulfilling prophecy of "American carnage?" I hope not.
TN is a latter-day Dr. Moreau, who has turned vulnerable Americans into what H.G. Wells called "Beast Folk."
The Beast Folk in H.G. Wells' novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau" exhibit a mix of human and animal behaviors due to their hybrid nature. Here are some key aspects of their behavior:
Human-like Traits: The Beast Folk have been surgically altered to possess human characteristics, such as the ability to speak, walk upright, and perform basic tasks. They follow a set of laws imposed by Doctor Moreau, which are meant to suppress their animal instincts and maintain order.
Animal Instincts: Despite their human-like appearance and behavior, the Beast Folk still retain many of their animal instincts. They struggle to fully suppress these instincts, leading to moments of aggression, fear, and other primal behaviors.
Fear and Reverence for Moreau: The Beast Folk view Doctor Moreau as a god-like figure and fear his authority. They follow his laws and commands out of fear of punishment and a desire to please him.
Social Structure: The Beast Folk have a rudimentary social structure, with some individuals taking on leadership roles. However, their society is fragile and prone to chaos, especially when their animal instincts resurface.
Struggle for Identity: The Beast Folk are caught between their human and animal natures, leading to a constant struggle for identity. This internal conflict is a central theme in the novel, highlighting the ethical and moral implications of Moreau's experiments.
In "The Island of Doctor Moreau," the fate of the Beast Folk is tragic and chaotic:
Reversion to Animal Instincts: As Doctor Moreau's control over the island weakens, the Beast Folk begin to revert to their original animal instincts. The laws imposed by Moreau start to break down, and their behavior becomes increasingly erratic and violent.
Doctor Moreau's Death: After Moreau is killed by one of his creations, the Beast Folk lose their fear of him and the structure he imposed. This leads to further chaos and a breakdown of the social order he had established.
Self-Destruction: Without Moreau's guidance and control, the Beast Folk's society collapses. They become more animalistic and aggressive, leading to infighting and self-destruction
It's not unlike "Easy Rider" in that the resolution is violence, for which Putin could not be happier. Having found a useful idiot to turn us against us.
No Russian blood shed. No Ruski rubles spent.
Madness.
I can imagine such resourceful satire helpful today. I am concerned about the myth of lost male masculinity circulating even among some of my favorite independent journalists. Male masculinity is alive and kicking as it has been throughout human history. Pinker's ahistorical nonsense in his better angels writing fuels the laziness of American politics in particular to assume that all is well because we can all go home to our canned tv laughter and write off as random oddballs the occasional mass murders at malls and schools by the almost 100% expression of male aggression. tRump has almost singlehandedly exposed Pinker's foolishness.
trump should not be allowed to take office. The election was a tie, his slim "majority" bought and sold by billionaire cash dumps, preposterous lies, and outright bribes. With his freak show of reject crony "appointees," some of whom are named in violation of existing terms of office, he did not abide by the the legal requirements and deadlines of a transition, lacking vetting and security clearances. And the pledges he has made to pardon co-conspirators including the worst, most violent and seditious traitors in American history, are a direct threat to national security. Trump is a foreign puppet and a Self-Declared Enemy of the American State. His agenda to abolish Federal Department and Cabinet posts, our Civil Service, FBI and Intelligence services, is subversion in the face of domestic and foreign terror and military threats. And his schemes to undermine NATO and abrogate treaties and alliances including the Paris Climate Accords are suicidal sedition. The Biden-Harris administration should continue in power while criminal remedies are pursued against this dangerous, seditious conspiracy and a new election scheduled with constraints against voter caging, provisional ballots and "challenges." The Constitution and our subverted Democracy are not a global suicide pact.
I read “Hitler’s People” a few weeks ago and have been promoting it to everyone I know. An important and fascinating read, especially now.
Rusty on details of what happened in the deadly insurrection? Confused by the MAGA disinformation about what happened on Jan 6th? Check the "Jan 6th Insurrection — Illustrated Edition"
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/01/06/jan-6th-insurrection-illustrated-edition/
Good stuff!
To add a comment to my prior comment regarding where were all of the influencers along the way who should have stopped where we are today with Trump and the populists, I am sick of reading Robert Reich for example and others who were in the thick of it and only now write how they saw the oligarchy coming. HELLO. It does not show brilliance to retrace the steps of the past 50 years.Now all I hear from those sorts is it is doomsday and here is how we will recover.
We needed more brilliant people like Noam Chomsky who called it like it is and to make it an issue for the American people by showing how neoliberalism was going to destroy the middle class, immigrants and poor people.
I fired Reich, Hubbell and Simon Rosenberg. Meidas is next.
I am not a Noam Chomsky fan...at all. And that includes linguistics. I still believe in the rule of law.
We don't know how to fight. In retrospect, had a Jack Smith filed cases immeditedly after Jan 6, 2021, things would be different. In the Spanish language need to use the pluperfect subjunctive with a past conditional clause to express it. Unfortunately,until we find the door to the wormhole in space, this can't be expressed in American English let alone be fiixed.
I go back to Nixon. Let the dollar float. That opened our economy for a takeover. Thus we sold manufacturing, the goose that laid the golden egg. We are now more vulnerable than anyone in the media has expressed. Half of our "allies" are working with BRIC to undemine our currency. Trump has his own currency. So does Musk. We'll see who will be the "marks."
Charlie Angus (Canadian Politician's reply to Donald's offer to lead Canada))
@charlieangus104.bsky.social
Dear Donald
Canada has something called democracy.
It means the leader is accountable to Parliament and can be replaced
I bet Americans wish they had that now.
And convicted sexual abusers don't get to lead our nation.
We're decent folk
Ps. Button up. We're sending frigid cold your way.
love Canada
“Power is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac” (Dr. Henry Kissinger) We are told that knowledge is power. If we seek power, it follows that we must seek knowledge. We gain knowledge through individual experience. Everyone wants personal value. The question is to what should we subscribe to gain personal power? Should we subscribe to material wealth? Should we subscribe to morality? Should we subscribe to religious associations? Should we subscribe to spiritual maturity? All of these offer a wide spectrum of choice and a broad difference in degrees of human worth. If Knowledge is power and if one measures one's personal value by the degree of power to which one is able to assemble, then perhaps the source of that Knowledge becomes a lesser factor than what power that knowledge brings. The great thing about conspiracy theories is that stupid people don't have to prove them. If someone pops up and tells them that they can assemble power if they accept this knowledge, then their measure of personal value hinges upon this gathering of knowledge, regardless of the source or its affects. For those who have been denied material accumulation in a society that measures personal value by such associations, then this alternative sense of personal value becomes very attractive. By identifying those who have been the source of denying them personal value, regardless of the truth or falsehood of the blame, then you set the stage for war....especially when that power is an aphrodisiac. Spiritual maturity is also an aphrodisiac, but mankind has chosen a different path to this measure of personal power.
The problem with conspiracies theories Frank Stronghorse, is that all to often, they turn out to be not theories but facts. For instance persecution of the Jews in Germany was dismissed before the war as unfounded conspiracy theory.
John Harrington — 'Treason doth never prosper: what 's the reason?Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.'
QAnon and the right don't have conspiracy theories trademarked.
Idiocy and fanaticism is found in left and right.
And so it goes with all attributes, qualities and failings of humanity.
Thanks Thom for the history and the truths it holds.
As for responsibility/solutions I so often read in the comments, I find it disgusting that Democrats are blamed for the thoughts and actions of Republican voters. That voting block includes religious radicals, gun nuts, those ignorant about immigration, the confused, the checked-out, and people simply voting their pocketbook. They added-up to nearly half this time---it got Republicans over the line.
We fight, we write, and we use the law when we can. Honesty is key.
Watch Putin, that's the other key. He holds the cards. He has the evidence to prove collusion. Whether he chooses to expose it and destroy the people involved remains to be seen. The only thing wrong with Ann's WAPO cartoon was it was missing Putin as a larger figure behind Trump.
I understand today is the last day for Congress to act under the 14th Amendment. Where the hell is Dem leadership! Where is Harris? Where is Biden?
I worry that independent media is a little too independent. Thom's call for mainstream media to speak out is a foregone opportunity. They have been bought. Rational, truthful, independent media must coalesce soon into a major independent network with a united voice, that is independent media must become rapidly the new mainstream media. And obviously network television is no longer the medium of choice. As so many of you smart commentators have said, fear has a way of making even well educated people collude to make irrational commitments. I like what the Lincoln Project has done. Satire is a powerful way to combat obvious abuse of power.
Your observations and conclusions are only too appallingly astute. I believe there is a genuine likelihood that some manufactured “crisis”—perhaps some larger scale Livensberger act—will be used as a justification for tRUMP to declare martial law and become an unchecked dictator. If the US lasts beyond 90 days without some such attempt, that will be surprising.