I tried to share yesterday’s letter answering my forever question: “Why do people continue to vote against their own best interests” with seven friends. None were able to read it finding that they needed to subscribe for the privilege before the experience could convince them of the value of doing so.
That’s unfortunate! I hope Thom fixes that…but one can subscribe for free, as well. I get frustrated with Democracy Docket, even tho I adore Marc Elias, because when he posts pieces on Bluesky, a pop up emerges immediately asking me to subscribe, even though I’m already a paid subscriber! So frustrating. I hope when I post Thom’s columns on Bluesky that folks can read them!
Donald was an allergen test to see if a majority of us are allergic to racism.
He proved twice that we are not.
77,300,000 [including a fraction of minorities] followed this orange rabbit down a "1984" memory hole. A perverse place where facts became "fake" and the good in half of us disappeared.
We, the sane half, are collateral damage as Donnie and the Pips* give the nation catastrophic Long COVID.
*Pips Short List: Chief Justice Robby "the Racist" Robot and the 5 Goons, Pooty Poot, Netty Net, Luty Lut [Howard Lutnick United States Secretary of Commerce], and Elon the Impaler . . . and so many, many more, e.g., the scummy Mitchy Mitch, cosmetic-slathered, Whiskey Petey Pete, Linda Graham [locked in his/their S. Carolina closet]
It's like being governed by rampaging Toxic Mold. . . . Worst kind.
President Donald Trump frequently uses Fridays as a platform to take victory laps and declare successes on major policy fronts, most notably regarding the conclusion of U.S. military operations and ongoing negotiations with Iran. Minutes before he makes these declarations,"someone" makes boys on the oil futures market, then Monday or Tuesday hostilities resume, come Friday , wash, rinse, repeat, meanwhile 20 year old Barron is raking in millioins, worth over $150 million.
Iran and Oman have split the Strait of Hormuz Half is in Oman waters half in Iran's waters. They no longer charge tolls, but fees for service, the service is being allowed to safely transit the SOH.
Under international law, charging a toll violates the Freedom of Navigation, but you can charge a fee for service,.
The key to control is maritime insurance. As long as there is hostilities, then maritime insurers like Lloyds of London, either will refuse to insure or charge rates so exorbitant that there is no profit in transporting anything.
Currently only ships flying Iranian, Pakistani Chinese or Indian flags are transiting the strait of Hormuz
Iran accepts only the yuan, stable coin and Trump coin. Accepting Trump coin is clever, as it gives a financial incentive to Trump to maintain the new status quo.The Trump family financially benefits from the hostilities as does he oil cartel.
BTW, cessation of hostilities and opening the Strait will not lower gas prices.
Prior to the 1973 War, gas was about .$.29 a gallon, then there was the oil embargo, and gas shot up to over $1.00 a gallon, and it never came down.
The new normal will be at least $4 a gallon, except on the West coast were it will be $5 $6 a gallon and I am being optimistic. You can expect gas to go up to European levels by September if not sooner, they pay $8 a gallon if not more
Trump;s blockade only exacerbates the situation. Of course the cartel of oil companies are reaping in record profits.
All the more reason for conservation and/or alternative energy use and R &D, but of course, such a program is practically impossible under Trump and the Republicans; Maybe if we're lucky enough to actually have midterm elections....
Trump is a Fascist in the true sense of an Italian racketeer. The only way he knows to get people to do his bidding is extortion. That always leads to resentment and eventual revenge. Just ask Mussolini. Oh, you can't. He was murdered in revenge for his own incompetence by his own countrymen. That is surely going to be Trump's end too, and he must know that. He has tried and tried, unsuccessfully to indemnify himself from justice. But surrounded by an army of incompetent sycophants, they are incapable of saving his criminal ass. Add to that, Trump's obvious advancing dementia, and the biggest concern Americans should have is that our Don Dementiano will take his entire country with him - nuke-nuke.
It would be just like Drumpf to demand a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping a war he started. Next up: demanding a Purple Heart for Butler, Pennsylvania, and putting 94-year-old Raul Castro in prison for being Fidel's brother, I guess. Because America's job is governing every other nation but our own.
So please tell me when WE the people will stop allowing the lying to go on forever! This ain’t normal, Folks. Why does Mr Hartmann have to continue to slap us on both cheeks day after ….ing day?!!! Do we know the meaning of “take it to the streets”!!….not Just once every other month?????
Why is it a surprise that Cheeto would endorse a politician who is a like minded criminal in Paxton? He's pardoned nearly 1700 criminals(most of those are J6 indicted and convicted J6'ers) but now some of the latest are indicted and convicted obvious felons many of whom are wealthy "robber barons" of the 21st century
Cheeto is more than likely thinking that his den of now loyal pardoned rich thieves will help him pull off another rigged election, this time the upcoming midterms
Besides making the abused pardon power a way to manipulate elections, the use of the pardon power is now being extended to the likes of Paxton who has escaped accountability much like Cheeto who likely admires Paxton as a clever fox....no pun intended Now that Paxton has been absolved of any wrongdoing by being endorsed by the felon in chief Cheeto is hoping that some of that absolution will rub off on him as he's been busy trying to erase the history of all of his past
Hey, what's so wrong with being an incessant liar, cheat, fraudster, and sexual predator?
Thanks, Thom, for telling us to call our legislators over the oversight we so desperately need re any Iran deal. I doubt whether it will happen, but it’s really important for folks to get used to making these calls regularly. As your guest Rachel Bitecofer said yesterday, it’s only when constituents put pressure on that they do what they need to do.
Unfortunately, it seems that constituent pressure means little when compared to Trump/MAGA threats and pressure of not only being primaried, but that and/or personal/family physical harm.
Trump will manage to weasel out of punishment, like he always has. But the permanent damage has already been done and there's no going back. That recession/depression Thom mentioned is a real thing. Very famous economists have been predicting it for months now. I tend to believe them over anything the government is telling us. Wait until the end of this year and you'll see. Add to that mess, is the very real possibility of a super El Niño event starting in early 2027 that could devastate the American south west and western states even more than they are already. Which will mean severe food shortages world-wide starting next year. El Niño's bring extreme heat to the eastern Pacific and extreme storms to the western Pacific. I hope everyone is stocking up their pantries and freezers this year.
Yes, an economic depression or at least depression that is economic is highly likely. Key economic indicators are the same as 1930. Inequality in America is at 1930 levels, and personal debt is at 1930 levels. Standing the Trump situation on its head, he could have been deliberately recruited by the super-rich to prevent impending neccesary economic reform by creating a dictatorship.
I feel like when we criticize anything that will end any war, even if it is full of falsities or lame boasting from a horribly dangerous person, it suggests that we care more about being right and making he who shall not be named wrong than we care about the victims of continued violence. I'm happy to accept false claims of victory if it means less suffering. I think we can give "them" a clearly false victory without sacrificing anything of value to our values and political goals.
It seems so obvious that Trump is a Russian asset. I'm amazed people can look at his record & think otherwise. Maybe too much Fox news & other echo chambers.
An aggressive, patriotic Democratic Party would appropriately attach every bit of this rolling fiasco to every sitting Repugnican Senator and Member of Congress. Name names. Specify votes. Expose behaviors, including silence as well as support. Corporate Democrats are demonstrably not up to the challenge, a fact reflected in the Party’s abysmal favorability ratings. Lip service followed by inaction breeds cynicism and resignation. It needn’t, can’t be that way if we are to recover.
And we continue to ask about the Democratic Party -
Why haven't they and why won't they "attach every bit of this rolling fiasco to every sitting Repugnican Senator and Member of Congress. Name names. Specify votes. Expose behaviors, including silence as well as support. Corporate Democrats are demonstrably not up to the challenge" ???
They have had years to get it together and just haven't bothered. WTF...WHY?
Mainstream Democrat politicians have spent decades being rewarded for supporting the neoliberal economic obsession that has destroyed constructive US politics. It started with Clinton, and in many ways with Carter even. They are long term second level crew on the "gravy train", whose morbidly rich owners (seeing inequality and personal debt rising to 1930 levels) know will soon run into the buffer of overdue economic reform, which is why Trump was hired to divert it on to the dictatorship track. For mainstream Democrats to attack the path the gravy train is taking, means admitting their part as long time enablers of it. Better for now, stick heads in buckets, and pretend nothing is happening, and elections will be fair, pretend Trump MAGA is only a moral problem not a systematic one etc. Crisis what crisis, wait until it happens, then try to fight against overwhelming odds.
If Trump just walks away from Iran and has a fantasy victory parade, this means he has started a stupid unpopular inflationary war which will hurt MAGA's already bleak midterm prospects. So how does Trump win the midtems? Surely Trump the traitor has a plan to use the Iran War, to scare Americans into giving him the keys of dictatorship. Big terrorist attack with Iran in the frame, excuse for 20 fold increase ICE style Security Service, which can then be used to break state control of elections, so they can be securely tigged. A low yield nuclear HEU bomb planted in a US city, could kill 200,000 people. who would make the bomb, surely Putin with the HEU Iran shipped to him in 2015.
Malignant narcissists destroy everyone and everything around them. It's their nature.
I tried to share yesterday’s letter answering my forever question: “Why do people continue to vote against their own best interests” with seven friends. None were able to read it finding that they needed to subscribe for the privilege before the experience could convince them of the value of doing so.
That’s unfortunate! I hope Thom fixes that…but one can subscribe for free, as well. I get frustrated with Democracy Docket, even tho I adore Marc Elias, because when he posts pieces on Bluesky, a pop up emerges immediately asking me to subscribe, even though I’m already a paid subscriber! So frustrating. I hope when I post Thom’s columns on Bluesky that folks can read them!
Donald was an allergen test to see if a majority of us are allergic to racism.
He proved twice that we are not.
77,300,000 [including a fraction of minorities] followed this orange rabbit down a "1984" memory hole. A perverse place where facts became "fake" and the good in half of us disappeared.
We, the sane half, are collateral damage as Donnie and the Pips* give the nation catastrophic Long COVID.
*Pips Short List: Chief Justice Robby "the Racist" Robot and the 5 Goons, Pooty Poot, Netty Net, Luty Lut [Howard Lutnick United States Secretary of Commerce], and Elon the Impaler . . . and so many, many more, e.g., the scummy Mitchy Mitch, cosmetic-slathered, Whiskey Petey Pete, Linda Graham [locked in his/their S. Carolina closet]
It's like being governed by rampaging Toxic Mold. . . . Worst kind.
#VOTE or Die # Barron to Boot Camp ASAP
President Donald Trump frequently uses Fridays as a platform to take victory laps and declare successes on major policy fronts, most notably regarding the conclusion of U.S. military operations and ongoing negotiations with Iran. Minutes before he makes these declarations,"someone" makes boys on the oil futures market, then Monday or Tuesday hostilities resume, come Friday , wash, rinse, repeat, meanwhile 20 year old Barron is raking in millioins, worth over $150 million.
Iran and Oman have split the Strait of Hormuz Half is in Oman waters half in Iran's waters. They no longer charge tolls, but fees for service, the service is being allowed to safely transit the SOH.
Under international law, charging a toll violates the Freedom of Navigation, but you can charge a fee for service,.
The key to control is maritime insurance. As long as there is hostilities, then maritime insurers like Lloyds of London, either will refuse to insure or charge rates so exorbitant that there is no profit in transporting anything.
Currently only ships flying Iranian, Pakistani Chinese or Indian flags are transiting the strait of Hormuz
Iran accepts only the yuan, stable coin and Trump coin. Accepting Trump coin is clever, as it gives a financial incentive to Trump to maintain the new status quo.The Trump family financially benefits from the hostilities as does he oil cartel.
BTW, cessation of hostilities and opening the Strait will not lower gas prices.
Prior to the 1973 War, gas was about .$.29 a gallon, then there was the oil embargo, and gas shot up to over $1.00 a gallon, and it never came down.
The new normal will be at least $4 a gallon, except on the West coast were it will be $5 $6 a gallon and I am being optimistic. You can expect gas to go up to European levels by September if not sooner, they pay $8 a gallon if not more
Trump;s blockade only exacerbates the situation. Of course the cartel of oil companies are reaping in record profits.
Scarcity, or pretended scarcity, is what makes the capitalistic world go 'round.
All the more reason for conservation and/or alternative energy use and R &D, but of course, such a program is practically impossible under Trump and the Republicans; Maybe if we're lucky enough to actually have midterm elections....
Trump is a Fascist in the true sense of an Italian racketeer. The only way he knows to get people to do his bidding is extortion. That always leads to resentment and eventual revenge. Just ask Mussolini. Oh, you can't. He was murdered in revenge for his own incompetence by his own countrymen. That is surely going to be Trump's end too, and he must know that. He has tried and tried, unsuccessfully to indemnify himself from justice. But surrounded by an army of incompetent sycophants, they are incapable of saving his criminal ass. Add to that, Trump's obvious advancing dementia, and the biggest concern Americans should have is that our Don Dementiano will take his entire country with him - nuke-nuke.
It would be just like Drumpf to demand a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping a war he started. Next up: demanding a Purple Heart for Butler, Pennsylvania, and putting 94-year-old Raul Castro in prison for being Fidel's brother, I guess. Because America's job is governing every other nation but our own.
So please tell me when WE the people will stop allowing the lying to go on forever! This ain’t normal, Folks. Why does Mr Hartmann have to continue to slap us on both cheeks day after ….ing day?!!! Do we know the meaning of “take it to the streets”!!….not Just once every other month?????
Birds Of A Feather Flock Together
Why is it a surprise that Cheeto would endorse a politician who is a like minded criminal in Paxton? He's pardoned nearly 1700 criminals(most of those are J6 indicted and convicted J6'ers) but now some of the latest are indicted and convicted obvious felons many of whom are wealthy "robber barons" of the 21st century
Cheeto is more than likely thinking that his den of now loyal pardoned rich thieves will help him pull off another rigged election, this time the upcoming midterms
Besides making the abused pardon power a way to manipulate elections, the use of the pardon power is now being extended to the likes of Paxton who has escaped accountability much like Cheeto who likely admires Paxton as a clever fox....no pun intended Now that Paxton has been absolved of any wrongdoing by being endorsed by the felon in chief Cheeto is hoping that some of that absolution will rub off on him as he's been busy trying to erase the history of all of his past
Hey, what's so wrong with being an incessant liar, cheat, fraudster, and sexual predator?
Thanks, Thom, for telling us to call our legislators over the oversight we so desperately need re any Iran deal. I doubt whether it will happen, but it’s really important for folks to get used to making these calls regularly. As your guest Rachel Bitecofer said yesterday, it’s only when constituents put pressure on that they do what they need to do.
Unfortunately, it seems that constituent pressure means little when compared to Trump/MAGA threats and pressure of not only being primaried, but that and/or personal/family physical harm.
Trump will manage to weasel out of punishment, like he always has. But the permanent damage has already been done and there's no going back. That recession/depression Thom mentioned is a real thing. Very famous economists have been predicting it for months now. I tend to believe them over anything the government is telling us. Wait until the end of this year and you'll see. Add to that mess, is the very real possibility of a super El Niño event starting in early 2027 that could devastate the American south west and western states even more than they are already. Which will mean severe food shortages world-wide starting next year. El Niño's bring extreme heat to the eastern Pacific and extreme storms to the western Pacific. I hope everyone is stocking up their pantries and freezers this year.
Yes, an economic depression or at least depression that is economic is highly likely. Key economic indicators are the same as 1930. Inequality in America is at 1930 levels, and personal debt is at 1930 levels. Standing the Trump situation on its head, he could have been deliberately recruited by the super-rich to prevent impending neccesary economic reform by creating a dictatorship.
I feel like when we criticize anything that will end any war, even if it is full of falsities or lame boasting from a horribly dangerous person, it suggests that we care more about being right and making he who shall not be named wrong than we care about the victims of continued violence. I'm happy to accept false claims of victory if it means less suffering. I think we can give "them" a clearly false victory without sacrificing anything of value to our values and political goals.
As Yogi Berra would say “It’s dejavú all over again.”
It seems so obvious that Trump is a Russian asset. I'm amazed people can look at his record & think otherwise. Maybe too much Fox news & other echo chambers.
P. T. Barnum is sitting in Hell with two signs. 'I was right about fools!' and 'Get your fat ASS down here Orange Man!!!'
An aggressive, patriotic Democratic Party would appropriately attach every bit of this rolling fiasco to every sitting Repugnican Senator and Member of Congress. Name names. Specify votes. Expose behaviors, including silence as well as support. Corporate Democrats are demonstrably not up to the challenge, a fact reflected in the Party’s abysmal favorability ratings. Lip service followed by inaction breeds cynicism and resignation. It needn’t, can’t be that way if we are to recover.
And we continue to ask about the Democratic Party -
Why haven't they and why won't they "attach every bit of this rolling fiasco to every sitting Repugnican Senator and Member of Congress. Name names. Specify votes. Expose behaviors, including silence as well as support. Corporate Democrats are demonstrably not up to the challenge" ???
They have had years to get it together and just haven't bothered. WTF...WHY?
Mainstream Democrat politicians have spent decades being rewarded for supporting the neoliberal economic obsession that has destroyed constructive US politics. It started with Clinton, and in many ways with Carter even. They are long term second level crew on the "gravy train", whose morbidly rich owners (seeing inequality and personal debt rising to 1930 levels) know will soon run into the buffer of overdue economic reform, which is why Trump was hired to divert it on to the dictatorship track. For mainstream Democrats to attack the path the gravy train is taking, means admitting their part as long time enablers of it. Better for now, stick heads in buckets, and pretend nothing is happening, and elections will be fair, pretend Trump MAGA is only a moral problem not a systematic one etc. Crisis what crisis, wait until it happens, then try to fight against overwhelming odds.
If Trump just walks away from Iran and has a fantasy victory parade, this means he has started a stupid unpopular inflationary war which will hurt MAGA's already bleak midterm prospects. So how does Trump win the midtems? Surely Trump the traitor has a plan to use the Iran War, to scare Americans into giving him the keys of dictatorship. Big terrorist attack with Iran in the frame, excuse for 20 fold increase ICE style Security Service, which can then be used to break state control of elections, so they can be securely tigged. A low yield nuclear HEU bomb planted in a US city, could kill 200,000 people. who would make the bomb, surely Putin with the HEU Iran shipped to him in 2015.