Bought-off Republican stooges in Congress and state legislatures — along with their allies on the Supreme Court — are openly trying to bring our country down, to destroy a 240-year-old democracy...
Excellent article Thom. I wasn't aware that the truckers convoy had some pro-Russian input, but it makes sense. I recall our government (I'm Canadian) turning off the tap, saying that money was being donated from the U.S., but I didn't connect the dots. For me, the alarm bells started going off when Kushner was granted security clearance at Trump's bequest. From that point I started to notice more and more of Trump's agenda to become a Putin-like dictator. I have a hard time understanding why citizens elect government officials who have such obvious psychological issues (most of us could see how Trump projects his own shortcomings onto others), but then I'm also dumbfounded when I see marketing pros convince people to spend their money on things that appeal to the senses, but are ultimately harmful to them. Thanks to you Thom, I've got images of Rand Paul dancing to Trump's and Putin's tunes - not a huge stretch of the imagination, and quite humorous. Thanks.
Non-Lethal Technology along with Background Checks and Bans to Prevent Shootings
We should use or develop non-lethal means to stop a shooter that wouldn’t kill other people.
Sleeping gas – exploding canisters of sleeping gas could be fired in the general direction of the shooter. After capture, an antidote could be administered to everyone breathing the gas.
Dazzler – temporarily blinds or disorients the shooter with intense radiation (rifle-like devise) see Wikipedia for more info under non-lethal weapons.
Skin Penetrating Tranquilizer Grains with Antidote – fired by a shotgun like devise with a very wide pattern as to more easily hit shooter could possibly be developed.
Bear Spray, Tasers and Pepper Balls fired by paintball guns could also be used.
People would likely prefer a non-lethal weapon in which nobody would be accidentally killed or if the weapon gets the wrong hands, it couldn’t be used to kill. An effective non-lethal weapon that automatically dials 911 when used, could be widely owned but only used in emergency situations. So possibly, a teacher could just point and pull a trigger; a shooter would be knocked-out with police and first responders on the way.
Background checks, bans on some firearms, registering firearms and having a license to have a gun would be good, but getting non-lethal weapons available as soon as possible should be a priority. An ongoing study could recommend the most effective non-lethal weapons. We need to use technology to help solve this tragic problem.
For the past 400 years there has been a minority rule by the wealthiest men in North America. The war for liberation from England was to preserve slavery and the billions in wealth in provided to a few elites in the North and in the South. Every war since that time has been fought to drive people off their lands and enslave their labor, whether in the Phillipines, Guam, Hawaii, Panama, Puerto Rico, and other US colonies, or to protect U.S. business interests in Europe and Asia and Latin America.
The U.S. government has destroyed democratic governments around the world from Haiti to Iran. The U.S. has never been a democracy with a Bill of Rights when applied to people of color. Asian American citizens had their property seized and were put in prison camps during WW II. Now in a post 9-11 hysteria fostered by the elites owning concentrated corporate media the Bill of Rights does not exist even for "white" people. After supporting so many fascist governments it is only fitting that our own government is increasingly fascist.
Franklin D Roosevelt summed it up very well when he stated "The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of a private power to the point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism, ownership of government by an individual, by a group.”
We need to propose what I would call a National Referendum Freedom Ballot
When the most pressing issues of the day are attended to with new legislation, the major issues of the day could be voted on by the entire voting public.
Legislators could write a bill and say that they want it to be put up for national referendum ballot, so that everyone able to vote could decide on whether the initiative passes or not. The legislators and the president could explain why they are for or against the new bill, being debated within the public discourse, with details being displayed on their websites.
The democratic initiatives that the Democratic party is working towards would be advanced with little delay, if these issues have a majority vote from the public.
Today our democracy is being oppressed and is even going backwards by authoritarian ideas being promoted. I don't believe we have much time to lose to promote this referendum ballot appeal. If the oppressive, authoritarian side keeps making strides against a free and democratic society, we could lose everything.
Two of these issues that are upmost importance may need to be the first to be put forward on the freedom ballot. 1) Getting big money out of politics, and 2) voting rights legislation.
And I believe that these two very important issues would have broad support across the country.
A National Referendum Freedom Ballot:
We need a quick shot in the arm to rejuvenate our democracy, which is failing. We've seen from Jan. 6th attempt to overthrow our democracy that the ultra wacky conservatives will do anything to hold power.
A National Referendum Freedom Ballot: would be a patriotic act that would affirm our democracy and bring us to a freer, more liberal nation. - Brent
We left our moral authority and legal democratic principles on the floors of interrogation cells in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Gitmo a long time ago. It's just taken 20 years for the Canadians to figure out how sick and dangerous some of these Republican leaders can be.
We had the world behind us after 9/11; it was the first and only time NATO Article 5 was invoked. Everyone was there for us, especially Canada, but the Bush/Cheney lies, ignorant policies, corruption, and torture was exposed. I'm not sure why they ever felt comfortable with us after that.
Trump's evisceration and disgusting humiliation of our intelligence services has come home to bite us all in the ass. The amount of sharing between the US and Canadian sources has suffered. We need to rebuild that relationship, but they probably won't trust our judgement like they used to ever again. That's something Canada finally shares with the rest of the free world.
Excellent article Thom. I wasn't aware that the truckers convoy had some pro-Russian input, but it makes sense. I recall our government (I'm Canadian) turning off the tap, saying that money was being donated from the U.S., but I didn't connect the dots. For me, the alarm bells started going off when Kushner was granted security clearance at Trump's bequest. From that point I started to notice more and more of Trump's agenda to become a Putin-like dictator. I have a hard time understanding why citizens elect government officials who have such obvious psychological issues (most of us could see how Trump projects his own shortcomings onto others), but then I'm also dumbfounded when I see marketing pros convince people to spend their money on things that appeal to the senses, but are ultimately harmful to them. Thanks to you Thom, I've got images of Rand Paul dancing to Trump's and Putin's tunes - not a huge stretch of the imagination, and quite humorous. Thanks.
It should read fake billionaire Trump. Like everything else he claims, his net worth is fake.
Non-Lethal Technology along with Background Checks and Bans to Prevent Shootings
We should use or develop non-lethal means to stop a shooter that wouldn’t kill other people.
Sleeping gas – exploding canisters of sleeping gas could be fired in the general direction of the shooter. After capture, an antidote could be administered to everyone breathing the gas.
Dazzler – temporarily blinds or disorients the shooter with intense radiation (rifle-like devise) see Wikipedia for more info under non-lethal weapons.
Skin Penetrating Tranquilizer Grains with Antidote – fired by a shotgun like devise with a very wide pattern as to more easily hit shooter could possibly be developed.
Bear Spray, Tasers and Pepper Balls fired by paintball guns could also be used.
People would likely prefer a non-lethal weapon in which nobody would be accidentally killed or if the weapon gets the wrong hands, it couldn’t be used to kill. An effective non-lethal weapon that automatically dials 911 when used, could be widely owned but only used in emergency situations. So possibly, a teacher could just point and pull a trigger; a shooter would be knocked-out with police and first responders on the way.
Background checks, bans on some firearms, registering firearms and having a license to have a gun would be good, but getting non-lethal weapons available as soon as possible should be a priority. An ongoing study could recommend the most effective non-lethal weapons. We need to use technology to help solve this tragic problem.
Thank you,
Doug
For the past 400 years there has been a minority rule by the wealthiest men in North America. The war for liberation from England was to preserve slavery and the billions in wealth in provided to a few elites in the North and in the South. Every war since that time has been fought to drive people off their lands and enslave their labor, whether in the Phillipines, Guam, Hawaii, Panama, Puerto Rico, and other US colonies, or to protect U.S. business interests in Europe and Asia and Latin America.
The U.S. government has destroyed democratic governments around the world from Haiti to Iran. The U.S. has never been a democracy with a Bill of Rights when applied to people of color. Asian American citizens had their property seized and were put in prison camps during WW II. Now in a post 9-11 hysteria fostered by the elites owning concentrated corporate media the Bill of Rights does not exist even for "white" people. After supporting so many fascist governments it is only fitting that our own government is increasingly fascist.
Franklin D Roosevelt summed it up very well when he stated "The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of a private power to the point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism, ownership of government by an individual, by a group.”
We need to propose what I would call a National Referendum Freedom Ballot
When the most pressing issues of the day are attended to with new legislation, the major issues of the day could be voted on by the entire voting public.
Legislators could write a bill and say that they want it to be put up for national referendum ballot, so that everyone able to vote could decide on whether the initiative passes or not. The legislators and the president could explain why they are for or against the new bill, being debated within the public discourse, with details being displayed on their websites.
The democratic initiatives that the Democratic party is working towards would be advanced with little delay, if these issues have a majority vote from the public.
Today our democracy is being oppressed and is even going backwards by authoritarian ideas being promoted. I don't believe we have much time to lose to promote this referendum ballot appeal. If the oppressive, authoritarian side keeps making strides against a free and democratic society, we could lose everything.
Two of these issues that are upmost importance may need to be the first to be put forward on the freedom ballot. 1) Getting big money out of politics, and 2) voting rights legislation.
And I believe that these two very important issues would have broad support across the country.
A National Referendum Freedom Ballot:
We need a quick shot in the arm to rejuvenate our democracy, which is failing. We've seen from Jan. 6th attempt to overthrow our democracy that the ultra wacky conservatives will do anything to hold power.
A National Referendum Freedom Ballot: would be a patriotic act that would affirm our democracy and bring us to a freer, more liberal nation. - Brent
not billionaire Trump — fake billionaire Trump
We left our moral authority and legal democratic principles on the floors of interrogation cells in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Gitmo a long time ago. It's just taken 20 years for the Canadians to figure out how sick and dangerous some of these Republican leaders can be.
We had the world behind us after 9/11; it was the first and only time NATO Article 5 was invoked. Everyone was there for us, especially Canada, but the Bush/Cheney lies, ignorant policies, corruption, and torture was exposed. I'm not sure why they ever felt comfortable with us after that.
Trump's evisceration and disgusting humiliation of our intelligence services has come home to bite us all in the ass. The amount of sharing between the US and Canadian sources has suffered. We need to rebuild that relationship, but they probably won't trust our judgement like they used to ever again. That's something Canada finally shares with the rest of the free world.
Hey Captain Democracy (Mr. Hartmann) I’m still scratching the head on Reagan’s “trickle down”
economics. From the git-go it was ‘piss on you’. Who could swallow that gulp?
I agree and posted about the same concern on my blog - https://the-wawg-blog.org/authoritarian-domination-by-2030-in-us/