Beyond alleged violations of the emoulments clause is the potential theft of the entire national treasury.
As I've been sayin', I hope that the Dems are tracking Trump’s financial activities on a daily basis.
I wonder whether a public financial reporting service, a hedge fund, a mutual fund or an ETF tracks Trumps daily actions and invests accordingly. If so, let the rest of us know……
These are the most documented and published crimes in all of history. Considering what we can see with our own eyes, I do so hope as well that there are those "accounting" the "criming". Good point, Daniel.
We should also be tracking and recording every one of his corrupt administrator’s crimes so when we get a chance to put them behind bars, we have undeniable evidence.
Also, where are the handful of R congressmen and senators we need to impeach this nasty bunch?
Yes! Yes! Exactly what I’ve been saying. The national treasury is one of the biggest pots of money there is next to may be the Social Security trust fund. Does anybody look to see what the balance of that fund is right now?
Great essay Tom. Trump is doing this out in the open. The corruption and authoritarianism is there for all of us to see. What bothers me is the Republican Congress that was put in office are doing nothing about this. They’re supposed to be the check against this and all they do is sit on their hands and think everything’s OK. Hope we can get to the 2026 elections and get these people out of office.
I recently travelled out of the country and came back thinking what a wonderful place we have to live compared to other places. We take a lot for granted living in the United States but we really have it very good - in spite of some of our problems/issues. We can’t let this administration destroy what we have. Peacefully protest, write, and then get out and vote these traitors out of office.
We have to work with what we have. We need a few Republican senators to stop the "big beautiful" fascist budget. To Trump, "unitary executive" is a dictatorship and Congress will become an anachronism.
Great point. I just hope that those Republican Senators who are “concerned” have the guts to do the right thing - including McConnell and Grassley who have served their time and are not going to be primaried out by Trump. I may not agree with them but please uphold our constitution
The problem is Fred, that Senators like McConnel and Grassley, ideologically share the agenda that they think Trump is advancing. The culture war agenda. An America devoid of godless atheists, liberals, trans, queers- a Mormon/Catholic/Evangelical paradise of the New Apostolic Reformation, People of Prayer, 7th Mountain Dominionist type..
A Christian Taliban. In theer mind all of the problems started when women, minorities, queers gained equality before the law with god fearin heteronormative males.
Money is all important to those that don't have much, but for the billionaires it is only a tool, and an addiction, but mainly a tool.
People don't lost for power for it's own part. Power is also a tool, a means to make the world safe for the self,
Power is also social. The more power the more respect, the more command one has over society.
These people have their own agenda, their own motivations, their own goals, like building underground luxury bunkers and cities, to escape the collapse of society and the anthropocene which they are causing.
Money and power are only tools.
As it applies to Trump, he is compensating for his inferiority complex, the media talks of him and his ego, but his ego is an artifice to cover up his insecurities and fears.
Which country did you visit, Fred? I have been to a few countries where I would like to live and feel at home. However, each time we hit the tarmac, I experience a sense of gratitude for all that the U.S. is.
I hope that the handful of republican senators that have come out against the big bad bill are able to hold fast and we can trash the bill. Encourage them with phone calls and emails because they will be under intense pressure to bend to the dictator.
That handful of Republicans are holding out, because the social cuts aren't big enough Chris.
They are deficit hawks, they are all for the tax cuts for the plutocrats and corporations, they simply want to balance the budget while raising spending for defense, and the only way to do that is to cut social services. Social Security and Medicare.
How many senators who are considered “movable” ( most likely to vote “nay”) have already been seriously threatened, along with their families, friends and pets? Have any of these senators already found their pets murdered and gutted out on their front lawns? If so, I doubt they would say anything because they’ve already been warned that all hell will rain down on them if they reveal any of this.
All is true except I strongly doubt Trump is actually in charge. A faction is carrying out an attempt at an Authoritarian government with Trump as a figurehead because he has a cult following.
The 14th is also Flag Day, so waving around the Stars and Stripes while demanding that America be "protected" fits right in to your scary assessment, Thom. I had not thought about dictators feathering their own nests, though I suppose that makes sense in case they get kicked out and have to take refuge in a friendly foreign state. Otherwise I suppose it gives them a sense of power, as well as plenty of money to bribe anybody they need to. Beyond that it is just a sickness, like Göring stealing every piece of art he could get his hands on.
Certainly the stories of their fortunes are incredible, though they don't always help them. One of the reasons why Mussolini was quickly executed was that his captors found bags of wedding rings in his car. These had been donated by Italian women who were asked to "sacrifice" for the war effort. The fact he kept them while trying to escape infuriated everybody. Hitler was very wealthy and legally tax exempt. Among other things he made a fortune off licensing his image. And since it was on most of Germany's postage stamps, he got a percentage off every one sold.
That’s the one thing I can’t fault him about because I admit to doing the same thing. The draft was grossly unfair, taking only men and those who didn’t know how to game the system. I read a book that advised getting anti-war physicians to write letters finding anything they could about your health problems, real or not. The inducting people would then rather reject someone than bother to fight about it. Obviously, this worked better in a big city than in a small town where everyone knew you. (I was in NY City and the scene in "Alice’s Restaurant" wasn’t that far off.) But if you didn’t want to take a chance on being sent to Vietnam this was the easiest way. But I admit it, not trying to hype up phony patriotism like Trump or start a war like Cheney.
Of course, and apparently he thoroughly disparages those who serve. But then he has no idea why someone would willingly make such a sacrifice in time and effort for an ideal and a genuine sense of commitment. Since so few are in today compared to the past America seems to have a confused sense of the whole issue. People routinely thank active military and veterans while never dreaming of joining, and our disastrous wars are barely discussed today.
As a retired officer and a Vietnam vet Doc. I agree with you.. There are 55,000 names inscribed on a wall in DC and they all died for nothing except to make Exxon a profit and the rich richer., and a McDonalds and KFC in Hanoi and Saigon.
As far as phony patriotism. I haven't seen a word of Trump's mouth that could be considered patriotic.
The one thing about Krasnov and his treasonous cabinet, is that they are totally transparent. No back room conspiracy theories this time, everything is out in the open and in public, because he knows there is no price to pay, as do the Republican politicians.
Thank you William. I always felt a little guilty about the whole thing, growing up with WW2 vets and stories of the “good war” (if there ever was such a thing). I can see how people like McNamara thought they had learned from that earlier conflict how to stop aggression, but this conflict wasn’t like 1930s Europe at all. And then the people who learned this died and their lessons were forgotten by a new generation, so we started all over again with the recent disastrous wars. Even the knowledge of how to manage an occupation was totally lost.
Now Trump imagines he can make deals with Moscow, the experience of Stalin betraying FDR after Yalta also being totally lost on him. And I agree, there isn’t even an attempt to hide his corruption, the idea being that most people either won’t know or care, much less do anything about it. As I once heard Tom Wolfe say, shame has gone from public life.
When I enlisted there was no armed conflict, and the only "threat" was "commonism". I did a t our as a drill instructor, and during the latter part of the tour, there was a gradual build up in Vietnam, but not what was considered a war per se.
I finished my tour and chose special ops as a career, in January 67, Westmoreland had a big idea, called Junction City, supposedly the big push to crush the Viet Cong. Well that didn't pan out. The next year was off an on, I found myself supporting various units, including Aussies and ROK's and the CIA accompanying Khmer Serat (Free Cambodians), there was many a situation that got hot and heavy, and times where I felt relatively save,
For instance about a month or so before Tet, I was in Dalat, the home of the Vietnamese AF Academy in the central highlands. Nice, cool,mosquito free.
I met Nguyen Cao Ky and his gorgeous wife.
Then the shit hit the fan and it got really hot, with Tet. I've got a Tet war story, the Hamlet chief of Ap Chien Luoc saved my life. he played both sides, almost everyone did. Survival is the prime directive.
I left shortly after Tet, and then, as I said, it got hot.
I liked the Vietnamese,and they liked me. I always showed them respect, especially the children. and that paid me dividends during Tet. They may have seen Americans as the enemy, but they didn't see me as the enemy.
My turn against the involvement, came later. after 1972, when Nixon started his draw down. It was then that I saw that the whole affair was a fraud, and that millions of Vietnamese and 55,000 Americans died for nothing.
I will say this, as regards the Vietnamese Liberation Army (Viet Cong) and North Vietnamese Army, I saw the most horrific things that these people did to their own people.
What ever Lt Calley did in My Lai #5, pales as to what the VC did to their own people. think Kmer Rouge (small scale).
Al,though I was in AF ROTC, I was drafted into the Army. Viet Nam 66-67. Believe me, we did our duty. We did not know that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was a lie. We did not know that Nixon was a traitor. However, we did know that we fudged the figures, and that we took massive casualtiies.
BTW I belonged to the officers club at Ft. Myer when I lived in VA, which supplies the Old Guard at Arlington Cemetary . See the movie, Gardens of Stone. We are mere mortals.
I heard disability cases for 10 years. Heard Defense Base Act and War Hazards Act cases for 20.
The other day, I linked John Prine's Sam Stone. IMHO those cadets should be exposed to the truth. The life expectancy in combat of someone with my original MOS was about 10 minutes.
Thank you for sharing, and I’m glad you made it out. It’s the usual story, people at the top get big ideas, people at the bottom pay the price. And if those carrying out the orders realize that what is happening on the ground isn’t what those making the plans think, they have to keep quiet or get kicked out. Sometimes people have enough, as happened in Portugal with its African wars in 1974, but that takes a lot. I do not know what it will take for Americans to turn on the current bunch and their mishmash of big ideas, but we don’t seem to be close to that yet.
We’ve been rapidly moving along the path to dictatorship since 47 was elected. Project 2025 had all the tools in place and even had the audacity to publish the plan. Unfortunately American attention spans have been reduced to the length of a reel or TikTok.
Geez Louiz...what's even more depressing is that it feels like America is following the same decline as did the Roman Empire. We're pushing putin into the arms of China--what good can possibly come out of that?
I hope no one attends that parade and that the ones that do are so scarce and far apart that it's embarrassing....
Happy Memorial Day, the day that we remember our war dead. But, as Thom points out, our government is dead too. Maybe if we reminisce about our now dead Democracy, we might get motivated to change in 2026 by rejecting the red-hatted rascals who prop up Trumpian rule at our expense.
Probably the best thing real Americans can do on June 14th is not to show up and protest Trump's fascist military spectacle in DC, but not to show up at all. Who attends the birthday parties of people they loathe anyway? We can still attend the parades in our towns. Boycotting would be a loud message on the world stage of disapproval, and a stab in the heart of Trump's needy ego. It also would deprive Trump of the opportunity to exploit the event to justify a violent national takedown of all political opponents.
Footnote: It is instructive to remind MAGAs that dictators destroy economies. Every current dictator in the world has a failing economy. Hungary, Russia, Belarus, Turkey,... Even the Italians, who seem to love strongman racketeer leaders, hanged Mussolini in the town square by his heels.
This is a YouTube piece that illustrates what we’re up against. These are all the corporations that presently not only own much of US but much of the world. This is what controls our conditions and quality of life, but also our options and choices.
But Corporations aren’t so much in power that we can’t resist them. We must always remember these corporations continue to exist because labor continues to work for far too little pay and then use their pay to buy the products corporations produce.
When I remind people that collectively they can resist what has become a highly exploitative labor market, someone always comes back with “well, then they will just get robots and computers to do the work”. That’s possible. Except that robots and computers aren’t consumers. And without consumers, there are no revenues, no profits.
I don’t mean to suggest that the corporate owned government won’t try to force people to labor to produce goods then buy them. But ultimately, the essential role of the people in the modern economy gives the people - collectively- potential power of resistance.
Thanks, Thom. Is this your bleakest post in a very long time? I wish I could bring myself to believe in heaven and hell ,so I could imagine trump consumed in the flames.
June 14th will be a tipping point. Shots will be fired somewhere. This will be the next test of our democracy. Will this be the beginning of a Maidan or the next step to serfdom? This huge event was planned to test the will of the American public. They say ten million people in the streets will turn the tide; I think it will take thirty million and death to avoid autocracy. I believe the Gordian Knot has already been tied. We tied it with capitalism and consumerism, and it can't be untied! It can only be cut! The Republicans, the Democrats, and the Autocrats have no answer to this problem. It all boils down to CAPITAL, capitalism. This is not the philosopher Adam Smith's capitalism. He warned against what we have become. This is not John Maynard Keynes's monetary policy. He, too, warned us. Every philosophy, every religion has warned us against this state of being. We humans aren't ready for capitalism and wealth; we have never been able to handle it, not one culture, not one government. Humans have, once again, placed themselves in a failed state. We will, once again, suffer greatly and survive. We are Sisyphus watching that boulder rolling down from the top of that damn mountain wondering how he will get it back up there. Once it hits bottom, he will lick his wounds, smile, and start rolling it back up. That's all we are; that's all we have ever been.
For a few decades after WWII, when our capitalism was strong, but well regulated, these autocratic and antidemocratic practices were held in abeyance, but our voters did not sense the dangers and voted in legislators who could not resist the siren call of big business bribes (aka contributions,) which the Republican-dominated SCOTUS allowed, subverting our democracy, and sinking the ship of prosperity for all but the most wealthy.
For a number of years now, I’ve given up on both of the major political parties in the US. Both are far more focused on self-preservation via more money and power than they are on the general well-being of the people.
The fact is, the current Trump administration is not the cause of our countries problems, it’s an outcome of those problems. Both political parties were quick to take credit for positive economic indicators - even though as far back as the late 1990s, those indicators told us more about how well shareholders were doing than the American people. The fact is, neither party has done much to stop the rise of Corporate/Shareholder power and wealth, and their take over of American Institutions. Neither party sounded the alarm because both parties were dependent on donors/supporters whose interests were served by the changes in the American economy once the shareholder economy (aka “trickle down” & “free” capitalist economy).
During this same period, the Democratic Party was only a little better than the Republican Party in paying attention to the needs and interests of the working people (the lower 80%, but especially, the lower 50%) whose economic well-being has been consistently declining (less income & savings, higher costs & more debt). The Democrat Party had proven itself in the last ten plus years to be deliberately disinterested in the conditions of those Americans bearing the brunt of the declining economic rewards for labor; it was never so obvious as when Biden’s professional class campaign handlers told the American people they just didn’t know how good they had it. But my guess is that many of the non-professional working people in America were not really surprised by these words.
The class boundaries that separate politicians from so many of the people they expect to vote for them has broke increasingly obvious over the last few decades.
Frankly, I don’t see any real solution for the emerging dictatorship coming from either of two parties.
Please note that I distinguish individual politicians from the party; the later is an entity with interests and objectives of its own, many of which seem to have little to do with the needs and interests of a rather large proportion of the American Population.
Unfortunately, the power of the party over its politician membership seems to be greater than the responsibility these politicians have for representing their constituency. When I watch politicians toe the party line, for fear of partisan retaliation, even when doing so works against the well-being and interests of the people, I can not feel any confidence that these elected officials will have the independence or incentive for standing up for the needs of their constituents, or for the future of our constitutional government.
I’m afraid I’ve become as cynical about political parties as Thomas Jefferson once was when he wrote that if given a choice between joining a political party or going to hell, he’d choose hell. Besides, if there were ever a need for modern examples of political parties turned political faction (James Madison, Federalist Papers, no. 10), I think our current two parties would suffice. (We could debate which party is worse, but that seems to be besides the point; of greater concern is the appropriate role for political parties that don’t simultaneously lead to the abuse of political power for partisan gain)
I’m not sure that political parties are even necessary, especially if we get private money out of politics. While a politician may be guided in their work by certain principles or ideals that are shared by others, giving political party’s the power to sanction politicians for failing to toe the party line seems to me a contradiction in a politicians responsibilities to their constituency.
Well said Rhonda. As regards politicians, most (not all) that make it to congress are failed, incompetent lawyers, that can't make it if they hang a shingle and can't get fired by reputable law firms. They make their careers by crafting an image of running towards the TV camera, but in camera they do little or nothing at all. like Hakeem Jeffries who begged out crying "we don't have any leverage"
Good list of millionaires in congress. They don't enter millionaires but shortly become millionaires, insider trading is just one, and when the leave,other than feet first, they get multi million dollar jobs as lobbyists.
I can’t recall the source, but I suspect if one googles they can find out of this same pattern holds - that members of Congress are disproportionally graduates of very expensive, elite colleges - and while I’m sure some had to get financial aid to attend those schools. If memory serves me right, many of those same members of Congress came from families in the upper 20% of income.
The biggest problem, though, is that we keep electing the same people for office. As a populace, we have pretty much succumbed to the political propaganda that persuades us to keep voting for the same ol same ol. We also seem to frequently accept partisan attacks against opponents, themselves part of a propaganda messaging scheme, even when it is pretty obvious that the attacks on opponents are being offered up in place of a candidates actual qualifications and commitment to representation of the constituency.
American Propaganda works very well - so much so that I suspect that many politicians, whatever their qualifications, are convinced they can’t win without it and the millions of dollars needed to pay for it.
It doesn’t seem that many of the American people question the necessity of big money and sophisticated and highly effective propaganda either. Even though it’s not uncommon to come across social media messages that critical of partisan propaganda, it seems to be largely focused on “the other side,” even though it is being used across the board. It’s considered normal.
Anyone born after the 1960s is likely to have been raised on constant stream of media messaging - propaganda persuading us to think, believe or do that which we likely would not otherwise have chosen to do, all in the interests of the messenger. Whether it is
a) marketing that targets kids during youth programming;
b) marketing based on realization that instead of trying to produce goods based on consumer demand, it’s much easier to use marketing propaganda (Advertising) to persuade people to buy whatever corporations choose to produce or import (see Packard, 195 ); or
c) the increasing use of propaganda in politics, the typical pattern of persuasion used by propaganda has become so normalized, that folks have a hard time processing information that isn’t presented using the same pattern, or stages of persuasion, used by propaganda.
I found this to be true as a college professor - I found that students learned better when I followed the typical pattern of persuasion/propaganda* in my presentation of course material. For instance, Micheal Shudson’s Venn Diagram for elements of effective messaging (in his paper “How Culture Works”) provides a general guide in creating persuasive messaging (or, in the context of a college course, a persuasive presentation of course material).
Schudson offers a very useful Venn Diagram that represents some of essential steps in creating an effective, thus persuasive, message : retrievability>rhetorical force> resonance > institutional connection> resolution. Or in other words, we must 1. Make the information as easily available as possible, 2. present the information in such a way that it stands out from any competing messages or distractions, 3. make the information relevant to the audience, 4. Tie the information to existing social institutions, organizations or rituals that are important to the audience, and 5. provide a specific description of what the audience should do with the information. Essentially, these steps help answer a question many students ask: what does any of this have to do with my life or interests; why do I need to know this.
It seems that at the same time that the amount propaganda messagings as been increasing at an exponential rates, students increasingly go to school with the idea that it is NOT their responsibility to insure that they learn; instead, they come with the expectation that it’s the teachers job to make learning as painless and easy as possible. It would be interesting to see if this trend is associated with the growing presence & sophistication of propaganda messaging, where the audience is encouraged to be a passive recipient for ready made persuasive messages, that have been constructed using all available data about their target audience. When messengers are working so hard to create easily consumed messages, competing vigorously with other messengers, one can imagine that the audience - especially those lacking media literacy (including knowledge about persuasion vs propaganda) - would be inclined to take the path of least resistance, more likely to attend to those messages that are most palatable, require the least amount of engagement or thinking (even if ultimately, the propaganda message serve the interests of the messenger as opposed to the recipient)
I’m not saying that this is good or bad from my point of view as a teacher. But I do believe it has consequences for the degree to which the American people feel it necessary to carefully analyze the think critically of the messaging clamoring for their attention.
When one is used to being spoon fed information in nice, easy to swallow & comforting bits, we may begin to value the ease by which messaging can be processed over the actual content or implications of the messages we accept. And as the science of persuasion/propaganda* has become increasing sophisticated and advanced (thanks in part to advances in media), many of us may not see it for what it is. And I think that is equally true regardless of one’s party identity.
Here’s the dilemma- how can the American people have Liberty and Freedom ( the absence of the arbitrary abuse of power, and the ability to do and think as one which’s as long it doesn’t cause injury to another, respectfully) if we aren’t even aware of our own dependence and susceptibility to propaganda? How can we create an effective resistance to the MAGA Coalition, never mind the upper 1% who have gained control over a large proportion of our economy and other social institutions?
John Adams argued that knowledge is power, and only with knowledge can a people free themselves from tyranny, never mind even recognize the degree to which they are oppressed (1765). Adams was a strong proponent of a liberal education (liberal as in liberate, or be liberated), in which people are able to learn freely all that is available to know, including ideas that have helped people to be free and those that haven’t helped. He argued only with a public Liberal Education, and subsequently and population with liberated minds, could the people become and stay free.
I find myself increasing distressed by our society’s failure to insure that all Americans have full access to all available knowledge. People in power have historically protected their position by restricting both the access and creation of knowledge; we are seeing that now, with the full scale assault on US Public education and on Liberal Arts colleges. Any plan to resist the current attacks on our constitution, our fundamental human rights, and the current US Administrations path towards authoritarianism must include the clear understanding the role propaganda has played in creating the conditions for these threats to America, and commitment to providing ongoing critique of propaganda as a means of persuasion and rejecting propaganda as a tool of the resistance. Persuasion - that is, messaging in the interest of the people without malice or attempts at tricking or controlling people is a necessary. If nothing else, let us facilitate the empowerment of the American people, by providing the knowledge and tools of advancing the Liberty of mind. We can not trick people into freedom: that wouldn’t be true freedom, just another form of domination. and a refusal of using the same
* difference between propaganda and persuasion: the former is distinguished from the latter by whose interests are served if the persuasion is effective (authors of Persuasion & Propaganda) : whereas propaganda serves the interests of the messenger (or whoever is paying the messenger), persuasion is meant to serve the interests of the audience (ie public announcements, educational material, religious services). Of course, these are ideals types, and in reality, it may be a more of a matter of the intent of the messenger, as opposed to whose interests are actually served (real life is always messier than theory).
The ruling class knows, that their greatest enemy is an informed public with critical reasoning skills. That is what the Powell Memo is all about. To dumb down America and it started with Nixon.
Very well said, Rhonda. These are precisely my thoughts that come to me as I think over and over the catastrophe America is now immersed in. I am shocked at the recent online accounting of the Obamas' wealth post White House years. Only in this system of exorbitant contributions to politics is this possible. No, I am not jealous, I am saddened by the ostentatious greed.
I'm not looking forward to my wife's birthday, June 14, because of what Trump's military masturbation could lead to. He just turns everything to shit, doesn't he?
There's also the need to maintain narrative discipline among the true believers, and the inducements required to keep it among those who are selling it.
Evil always triumphs when good men do nothing. And sadly, Daniel, that is what happened. Yeh, we have been screwed, yeh the election was stolen, yeh the Russians, Chinese, and No Koreans have perfected psyops and even own the interwebs, but none of this would have been possible, had we not had real leadership in the Democratic party, instead of self serving careerists
Insanity all the way down, but it begins with TRump.
When the accurate history is written about America 2025, it will include an assessment of the mental condition of those involved. There will be evidence of their illegal, immoral, vile actions that killed people..
Psychopathy is at the pinnacle, but there are a whole host of other disorders displayed by this Cabinet. It truly is hard to pick who disgusts me the most. What could be worse than a group of greedy, racist, misogynistic, cruel, and ice cold filthy rich people that want others to die so they can get a tax break.
Believe it, fight them, and record this corruption just like Thom. See you in the streets!
Beyond alleged violations of the emoulments clause is the potential theft of the entire national treasury.
As I've been sayin', I hope that the Dems are tracking Trump’s financial activities on a daily basis.
I wonder whether a public financial reporting service, a hedge fund, a mutual fund or an ETF tracks Trumps daily actions and invests accordingly. If so, let the rest of us know……
These are the most documented and published crimes in all of history. Considering what we can see with our own eyes, I do so hope as well that there are those "accounting" the "criming". Good point, Daniel.
We should also be tracking and recording every one of his corrupt administrator’s crimes so when we get a chance to put them behind bars, we have undeniable evidence.
Also, where are the handful of R congressmen and senators we need to impeach this nasty bunch?
Yes! Yes! Exactly what I’ve been saying. The national treasury is one of the biggest pots of money there is next to may be the Social Security trust fund. Does anybody look to see what the balance of that fund is right now?
Great essay Tom. Trump is doing this out in the open. The corruption and authoritarianism is there for all of us to see. What bothers me is the Republican Congress that was put in office are doing nothing about this. They’re supposed to be the check against this and all they do is sit on their hands and think everything’s OK. Hope we can get to the 2026 elections and get these people out of office.
I recently travelled out of the country and came back thinking what a wonderful place we have to live compared to other places. We take a lot for granted living in the United States but we really have it very good - in spite of some of our problems/issues. We can’t let this administration destroy what we have. Peacefully protest, write, and then get out and vote these traitors out of office.
We have to work with what we have. We need a few Republican senators to stop the "big beautiful" fascist budget. To Trump, "unitary executive" is a dictatorship and Congress will become an anachronism.
Great point. I just hope that those Republican Senators who are “concerned” have the guts to do the right thing - including McConnell and Grassley who have served their time and are not going to be primaried out by Trump. I may not agree with them but please uphold our constitution
The problem is Fred, that Senators like McConnel and Grassley, ideologically share the agenda that they think Trump is advancing. The culture war agenda. An America devoid of godless atheists, liberals, trans, queers- a Mormon/Catholic/Evangelical paradise of the New Apostolic Reformation, People of Prayer, 7th Mountain Dominionist type..
A Christian Taliban. In theer mind all of the problems started when women, minorities, queers gained equality before the law with god fearin heteronormative males.
… Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA): “I’ve had enough of Putin killing innocent people. President Trump - take action. AT LEAST SANCTIONS.”
Or it's just about M-O-N-E-Y and P-O-W-E-R.
Money is all important to those that don't have much, but for the billionaires it is only a tool, and an addiction, but mainly a tool.
People don't lost for power for it's own part. Power is also a tool, a means to make the world safe for the self,
Power is also social. The more power the more respect, the more command one has over society.
These people have their own agenda, their own motivations, their own goals, like building underground luxury bunkers and cities, to escape the collapse of society and the anthropocene which they are causing.
Money and power are only tools.
As it applies to Trump, he is compensating for his inferiority complex, the media talks of him and his ego, but his ego is an artifice to cover up his insecurities and fears.
Game of Thrones shit. Read once that the money is how they keep score. According to Bloomberg as of 5/26/25:
Musk 374
Zuck 222
Bezos 222
Which country did you visit, Fred? I have been to a few countries where I would like to live and feel at home. However, each time we hit the tarmac, I experience a sense of gratitude for all that the U.S. is.
I hope that the handful of republican senators that have come out against the big bad bill are able to hold fast and we can trash the bill. Encourage them with phone calls and emails because they will be under intense pressure to bend to the dictator.
That handful of Republicans are holding out, because the social cuts aren't big enough Chris.
They are deficit hawks, they are all for the tax cuts for the plutocrats and corporations, they simply want to balance the budget while raising spending for defense, and the only way to do that is to cut social services. Social Security and Medicare.
1. I'm hoping that the zenate parlimentarian will cut out many of the non germaine provisions, that are not budget items.
2. There are more issues -- like Medicaid cuts, Ulkraine, tarriffs -- that hopefully will piss off a few others.
The last time I saw the Senate Parliamentarian intercede is was in favor of Trump,
That was the House.
I thought it was in the Senate. However it looks like the Republican Senate has ignored the Parliamentarian https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-republicans-trigger-clash-filibuster-eyeing-vote-nix-electric-v-rcna208061
Not All. McConnell for one I think feels remorse for the crap he’s pulled in the past. Paul too is a strange bedfellow. Let’s see how this shakes out.
How many senators who are considered “movable” ( most likely to vote “nay”) have already been seriously threatened, along with their families, friends and pets? Have any of these senators already found their pets murdered and gutted out on their front lawns? If so, I doubt they would say anything because they’ve already been warned that all hell will rain down on them if they reveal any of this.
All is true except I strongly doubt Trump is actually in charge. A faction is carrying out an attempt at an Authoritarian government with Trump as a figurehead because he has a cult following.
Nailed it Margaret.
He keeps repeating "they" tell me. Crazier and obviously weaker than he has ever been. "They" are in touch with Putin and his playbook.
The 14th is also Flag Day, so waving around the Stars and Stripes while demanding that America be "protected" fits right in to your scary assessment, Thom. I had not thought about dictators feathering their own nests, though I suppose that makes sense in case they get kicked out and have to take refuge in a friendly foreign state. Otherwise I suppose it gives them a sense of power, as well as plenty of money to bribe anybody they need to. Beyond that it is just a sickness, like Göring stealing every piece of art he could get his hands on.
Certainly the stories of their fortunes are incredible, though they don't always help them. One of the reasons why Mussolini was quickly executed was that his captors found bags of wedding rings in his car. These had been donated by Italian women who were asked to "sacrifice" for the war effort. The fact he kept them while trying to escape infuriated everybody. Hitler was very wealthy and legally tax exempt. Among other things he made a fortune off licensing his image. And since it was on most of Germany's postage stamps, he got a percentage off every one sold.
Just watched the Trump Memorial Day speech.
Reminds me of the Phil Ochs song, "Draft Dodger Rag."
"and when it came his time to serve said' better red than dead.'"
.
I hate Chou En Lai, and I hope he dies,
But one thing you gotta see
That someone's gotta go over there
But that someone isn't me
So I wish you well, Sarge, give 'em Hell
Yeah kill me a thousand or more
And if you ever get a war without blood and gore
Well I'll be the first to go
.
Sarge, I'm only eighteen, I got a ruptured spleen
And I always carry a purse
I got eyes like a bat, my feet are flat and my asthma's getting worse
Oh I think of my career, my sweetheart dear, and my poor old invalid aunt
Besides, I ain't no fool, I'm goin' to school
And I'm working in a defense plant
That’s the one thing I can’t fault him about because I admit to doing the same thing. The draft was grossly unfair, taking only men and those who didn’t know how to game the system. I read a book that advised getting anti-war physicians to write letters finding anything they could about your health problems, real or not. The inducting people would then rather reject someone than bother to fight about it. Obviously, this worked better in a big city than in a small town where everyone knew you. (I was in NY City and the scene in "Alice’s Restaurant" wasn’t that far off.) But if you didn’t want to take a chance on being sent to Vietnam this was the easiest way. But I admit it, not trying to hype up phony patriotism like Trump or start a war like Cheney.
Trump didn't oppose the war -- still doesnt -- he's a hypocrit. In essence passes himself off as "patriotic" while elevating outright treason.
Of course, and apparently he thoroughly disparages those who serve. But then he has no idea why someone would willingly make such a sacrifice in time and effort for an ideal and a genuine sense of commitment. Since so few are in today compared to the past America seems to have a confused sense of the whole issue. People routinely thank active military and veterans while never dreaming of joining, and our disastrous wars are barely discussed today.
As a retired officer and a Vietnam vet Doc. I agree with you.. There are 55,000 names inscribed on a wall in DC and they all died for nothing except to make Exxon a profit and the rich richer., and a McDonalds and KFC in Hanoi and Saigon.
As far as phony patriotism. I haven't seen a word of Trump's mouth that could be considered patriotic.
The one thing about Krasnov and his treasonous cabinet, is that they are totally transparent. No back room conspiracy theories this time, everything is out in the open and in public, because he knows there is no price to pay, as do the Republican politicians.
Thank you William. I always felt a little guilty about the whole thing, growing up with WW2 vets and stories of the “good war” (if there ever was such a thing). I can see how people like McNamara thought they had learned from that earlier conflict how to stop aggression, but this conflict wasn’t like 1930s Europe at all. And then the people who learned this died and their lessons were forgotten by a new generation, so we started all over again with the recent disastrous wars. Even the knowledge of how to manage an occupation was totally lost.
Now Trump imagines he can make deals with Moscow, the experience of Stalin betraying FDR after Yalta also being totally lost on him. And I agree, there isn’t even an attempt to hide his corruption, the idea being that most people either won’t know or care, much less do anything about it. As I once heard Tom Wolfe say, shame has gone from public life.
When I enlisted there was no armed conflict, and the only "threat" was "commonism". I did a t our as a drill instructor, and during the latter part of the tour, there was a gradual build up in Vietnam, but not what was considered a war per se.
I finished my tour and chose special ops as a career, in January 67, Westmoreland had a big idea, called Junction City, supposedly the big push to crush the Viet Cong. Well that didn't pan out. The next year was off an on, I found myself supporting various units, including Aussies and ROK's and the CIA accompanying Khmer Serat (Free Cambodians), there was many a situation that got hot and heavy, and times where I felt relatively save,
For instance about a month or so before Tet, I was in Dalat, the home of the Vietnamese AF Academy in the central highlands. Nice, cool,mosquito free.
I met Nguyen Cao Ky and his gorgeous wife.
Then the shit hit the fan and it got really hot, with Tet. I've got a Tet war story, the Hamlet chief of Ap Chien Luoc saved my life. he played both sides, almost everyone did. Survival is the prime directive.
I left shortly after Tet, and then, as I said, it got hot.
I liked the Vietnamese,and they liked me. I always showed them respect, especially the children. and that paid me dividends during Tet. They may have seen Americans as the enemy, but they didn't see me as the enemy.
My turn against the involvement, came later. after 1972, when Nixon started his draw down. It was then that I saw that the whole affair was a fraud, and that millions of Vietnamese and 55,000 Americans died for nothing.
I will say this, as regards the Vietnamese Liberation Army (Viet Cong) and North Vietnamese Army, I saw the most horrific things that these people did to their own people.
What ever Lt Calley did in My Lai #5, pales as to what the VC did to their own people. think Kmer Rouge (small scale).
Al,though I was in AF ROTC, I was drafted into the Army. Viet Nam 66-67. Believe me, we did our duty. We did not know that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was a lie. We did not know that Nixon was a traitor. However, we did know that we fudged the figures, and that we took massive casualtiies.
BTW I belonged to the officers club at Ft. Myer when I lived in VA, which supplies the Old Guard at Arlington Cemetary . See the movie, Gardens of Stone. We are mere mortals.
I heard disability cases for 10 years. Heard Defense Base Act and War Hazards Act cases for 20.
The other day, I linked John Prine's Sam Stone. IMHO those cadets should be exposed to the truth. The life expectancy in combat of someone with my original MOS was about 10 minutes.
Thank you for sharing, and I’m glad you made it out. It’s the usual story, people at the top get big ideas, people at the bottom pay the price. And if those carrying out the orders realize that what is happening on the ground isn’t what those making the plans think, they have to keep quiet or get kicked out. Sometimes people have enough, as happened in Portugal with its African wars in 1974, but that takes a lot. I do not know what it will take for Americans to turn on the current bunch and their mishmash of big ideas, but we don’t seem to be close to that yet.
We’ve been rapidly moving along the path to dictatorship since 47 was elected. Project 2025 had all the tools in place and even had the audacity to publish the plan. Unfortunately American attention spans have been reduced to the length of a reel or TikTok.
Geez Louiz...what's even more depressing is that it feels like America is following the same decline as did the Roman Empire. We're pushing putin into the arms of China--what good can possibly come out of that?
I hope no one attends that parade and that the ones that do are so scarce and far apart that it's embarrassing....
Happy Memorial Day, the day that we remember our war dead. But, as Thom points out, our government is dead too. Maybe if we reminisce about our now dead Democracy, we might get motivated to change in 2026 by rejecting the red-hatted rascals who prop up Trumpian rule at our expense.
Probably the best thing real Americans can do on June 14th is not to show up and protest Trump's fascist military spectacle in DC, but not to show up at all. Who attends the birthday parties of people they loathe anyway? We can still attend the parades in our towns. Boycotting would be a loud message on the world stage of disapproval, and a stab in the heart of Trump's needy ego. It also would deprive Trump of the opportunity to exploit the event to justify a violent national takedown of all political opponents.
Footnote: It is instructive to remind MAGAs that dictators destroy economies. Every current dictator in the world has a failing economy. Hungary, Russia, Belarus, Turkey,... Even the Italians, who seem to love strongman racketeer leaders, hanged Mussolini in the town square by his heels.
This is a YouTube piece that illustrates what we’re up against. These are all the corporations that presently not only own much of US but much of the world. This is what controls our conditions and quality of life, but also our options and choices.
https://youtu.be/WtWmZUc6a1E
But Corporations aren’t so much in power that we can’t resist them. We must always remember these corporations continue to exist because labor continues to work for far too little pay and then use their pay to buy the products corporations produce.
When I remind people that collectively they can resist what has become a highly exploitative labor market, someone always comes back with “well, then they will just get robots and computers to do the work”. That’s possible. Except that robots and computers aren’t consumers. And without consumers, there are no revenues, no profits.
I don’t mean to suggest that the corporate owned government won’t try to force people to labor to produce goods then buy them. But ultimately, the essential role of the people in the modern economy gives the people - collectively- potential power of resistance.
Thanks, Thom. Is this your bleakest post in a very long time? I wish I could bring myself to believe in heaven and hell ,so I could imagine trump consumed in the flames.
June 14th will be a tipping point. Shots will be fired somewhere. This will be the next test of our democracy. Will this be the beginning of a Maidan or the next step to serfdom? This huge event was planned to test the will of the American public. They say ten million people in the streets will turn the tide; I think it will take thirty million and death to avoid autocracy. I believe the Gordian Knot has already been tied. We tied it with capitalism and consumerism, and it can't be untied! It can only be cut! The Republicans, the Democrats, and the Autocrats have no answer to this problem. It all boils down to CAPITAL, capitalism. This is not the philosopher Adam Smith's capitalism. He warned against what we have become. This is not John Maynard Keynes's monetary policy. He, too, warned us. Every philosophy, every religion has warned us against this state of being. We humans aren't ready for capitalism and wealth; we have never been able to handle it, not one culture, not one government. Humans have, once again, placed themselves in a failed state. We will, once again, suffer greatly and survive. We are Sisyphus watching that boulder rolling down from the top of that damn mountain wondering how he will get it back up there. Once it hits bottom, he will lick his wounds, smile, and start rolling it back up. That's all we are; that's all we have ever been.
For a few decades after WWII, when our capitalism was strong, but well regulated, these autocratic and antidemocratic practices were held in abeyance, but our voters did not sense the dangers and voted in legislators who could not resist the siren call of big business bribes (aka contributions,) which the Republican-dominated SCOTUS allowed, subverting our democracy, and sinking the ship of prosperity for all but the most wealthy.
For a number of years now, I’ve given up on both of the major political parties in the US. Both are far more focused on self-preservation via more money and power than they are on the general well-being of the people.
The fact is, the current Trump administration is not the cause of our countries problems, it’s an outcome of those problems. Both political parties were quick to take credit for positive economic indicators - even though as far back as the late 1990s, those indicators told us more about how well shareholders were doing than the American people. The fact is, neither party has done much to stop the rise of Corporate/Shareholder power and wealth, and their take over of American Institutions. Neither party sounded the alarm because both parties were dependent on donors/supporters whose interests were served by the changes in the American economy once the shareholder economy (aka “trickle down” & “free” capitalist economy).
During this same period, the Democratic Party was only a little better than the Republican Party in paying attention to the needs and interests of the working people (the lower 80%, but especially, the lower 50%) whose economic well-being has been consistently declining (less income & savings, higher costs & more debt). The Democrat Party had proven itself in the last ten plus years to be deliberately disinterested in the conditions of those Americans bearing the brunt of the declining economic rewards for labor; it was never so obvious as when Biden’s professional class campaign handlers told the American people they just didn’t know how good they had it. But my guess is that many of the non-professional working people in America were not really surprised by these words.
The class boundaries that separate politicians from so many of the people they expect to vote for them has broke increasingly obvious over the last few decades.
Frankly, I don’t see any real solution for the emerging dictatorship coming from either of two parties.
Please note that I distinguish individual politicians from the party; the later is an entity with interests and objectives of its own, many of which seem to have little to do with the needs and interests of a rather large proportion of the American Population.
Unfortunately, the power of the party over its politician membership seems to be greater than the responsibility these politicians have for representing their constituency. When I watch politicians toe the party line, for fear of partisan retaliation, even when doing so works against the well-being and interests of the people, I can not feel any confidence that these elected officials will have the independence or incentive for standing up for the needs of their constituents, or for the future of our constitutional government.
I’m afraid I’ve become as cynical about political parties as Thomas Jefferson once was when he wrote that if given a choice between joining a political party or going to hell, he’d choose hell. Besides, if there were ever a need for modern examples of political parties turned political faction (James Madison, Federalist Papers, no. 10), I think our current two parties would suffice. (We could debate which party is worse, but that seems to be besides the point; of greater concern is the appropriate role for political parties that don’t simultaneously lead to the abuse of political power for partisan gain)
I’m not sure that political parties are even necessary, especially if we get private money out of politics. While a politician may be guided in their work by certain principles or ideals that are shared by others, giving political party’s the power to sanction politicians for failing to toe the party line seems to me a contradiction in a politicians responsibilities to their constituency.
Well said Rhonda. As regards politicians, most (not all) that make it to congress are failed, incompetent lawyers, that can't make it if they hang a shingle and can't get fired by reputable law firms. They make their careers by crafting an image of running towards the TV camera, but in camera they do little or nothing at all. like Hakeem Jeffries who begged out crying "we don't have any leverage"
Good list of millionaires in congress. They don't enter millionaires but shortly become millionaires, insider trading is just one, and when the leave,other than feet first, they get multi million dollar jobs as lobbyists.
I can’t recall the source, but I suspect if one googles they can find out of this same pattern holds - that members of Congress are disproportionally graduates of very expensive, elite colleges - and while I’m sure some had to get financial aid to attend those schools. If memory serves me right, many of those same members of Congress came from families in the upper 20% of income.
The biggest problem, though, is that we keep electing the same people for office. As a populace, we have pretty much succumbed to the political propaganda that persuades us to keep voting for the same ol same ol. We also seem to frequently accept partisan attacks against opponents, themselves part of a propaganda messaging scheme, even when it is pretty obvious that the attacks on opponents are being offered up in place of a candidates actual qualifications and commitment to representation of the constituency.
American Propaganda works very well - so much so that I suspect that many politicians, whatever their qualifications, are convinced they can’t win without it and the millions of dollars needed to pay for it.
It doesn’t seem that many of the American people question the necessity of big money and sophisticated and highly effective propaganda either. Even though it’s not uncommon to come across social media messages that critical of partisan propaganda, it seems to be largely focused on “the other side,” even though it is being used across the board. It’s considered normal.
Anyone born after the 1960s is likely to have been raised on constant stream of media messaging - propaganda persuading us to think, believe or do that which we likely would not otherwise have chosen to do, all in the interests of the messenger. Whether it is
a) marketing that targets kids during youth programming;
b) marketing based on realization that instead of trying to produce goods based on consumer demand, it’s much easier to use marketing propaganda (Advertising) to persuade people to buy whatever corporations choose to produce or import (see Packard, 195 ); or
c) the increasing use of propaganda in politics, the typical pattern of persuasion used by propaganda has become so normalized, that folks have a hard time processing information that isn’t presented using the same pattern, or stages of persuasion, used by propaganda.
I found this to be true as a college professor - I found that students learned better when I followed the typical pattern of persuasion/propaganda* in my presentation of course material. For instance, Micheal Shudson’s Venn Diagram for elements of effective messaging (in his paper “How Culture Works”) provides a general guide in creating persuasive messaging (or, in the context of a college course, a persuasive presentation of course material).
Schudson offers a very useful Venn Diagram that represents some of essential steps in creating an effective, thus persuasive, message : retrievability>rhetorical force> resonance > institutional connection> resolution. Or in other words, we must 1. Make the information as easily available as possible, 2. present the information in such a way that it stands out from any competing messages or distractions, 3. make the information relevant to the audience, 4. Tie the information to existing social institutions, organizations or rituals that are important to the audience, and 5. provide a specific description of what the audience should do with the information. Essentially, these steps help answer a question many students ask: what does any of this have to do with my life or interests; why do I need to know this.
It seems that at the same time that the amount propaganda messagings as been increasing at an exponential rates, students increasingly go to school with the idea that it is NOT their responsibility to insure that they learn; instead, they come with the expectation that it’s the teachers job to make learning as painless and easy as possible. It would be interesting to see if this trend is associated with the growing presence & sophistication of propaganda messaging, where the audience is encouraged to be a passive recipient for ready made persuasive messages, that have been constructed using all available data about their target audience. When messengers are working so hard to create easily consumed messages, competing vigorously with other messengers, one can imagine that the audience - especially those lacking media literacy (including knowledge about persuasion vs propaganda) - would be inclined to take the path of least resistance, more likely to attend to those messages that are most palatable, require the least amount of engagement or thinking (even if ultimately, the propaganda message serve the interests of the messenger as opposed to the recipient)
I’m not saying that this is good or bad from my point of view as a teacher. But I do believe it has consequences for the degree to which the American people feel it necessary to carefully analyze the think critically of the messaging clamoring for their attention.
When one is used to being spoon fed information in nice, easy to swallow & comforting bits, we may begin to value the ease by which messaging can be processed over the actual content or implications of the messages we accept. And as the science of persuasion/propaganda* has become increasing sophisticated and advanced (thanks in part to advances in media), many of us may not see it for what it is. And I think that is equally true regardless of one’s party identity.
Here’s the dilemma- how can the American people have Liberty and Freedom ( the absence of the arbitrary abuse of power, and the ability to do and think as one which’s as long it doesn’t cause injury to another, respectfully) if we aren’t even aware of our own dependence and susceptibility to propaganda? How can we create an effective resistance to the MAGA Coalition, never mind the upper 1% who have gained control over a large proportion of our economy and other social institutions?
John Adams argued that knowledge is power, and only with knowledge can a people free themselves from tyranny, never mind even recognize the degree to which they are oppressed (1765). Adams was a strong proponent of a liberal education (liberal as in liberate, or be liberated), in which people are able to learn freely all that is available to know, including ideas that have helped people to be free and those that haven’t helped. He argued only with a public Liberal Education, and subsequently and population with liberated minds, could the people become and stay free.
I find myself increasing distressed by our society’s failure to insure that all Americans have full access to all available knowledge. People in power have historically protected their position by restricting both the access and creation of knowledge; we are seeing that now, with the full scale assault on US Public education and on Liberal Arts colleges. Any plan to resist the current attacks on our constitution, our fundamental human rights, and the current US Administrations path towards authoritarianism must include the clear understanding the role propaganda has played in creating the conditions for these threats to America, and commitment to providing ongoing critique of propaganda as a means of persuasion and rejecting propaganda as a tool of the resistance. Persuasion - that is, messaging in the interest of the people without malice or attempts at tricking or controlling people is a necessary. If nothing else, let us facilitate the empowerment of the American people, by providing the knowledge and tools of advancing the Liberty of mind. We can not trick people into freedom: that wouldn’t be true freedom, just another form of domination. and a refusal of using the same
* difference between propaganda and persuasion: the former is distinguished from the latter by whose interests are served if the persuasion is effective (authors of Persuasion & Propaganda) : whereas propaganda serves the interests of the messenger (or whoever is paying the messenger), persuasion is meant to serve the interests of the audience (ie public announcements, educational material, religious services). Of course, these are ideals types, and in reality, it may be a more of a matter of the intent of the messenger, as opposed to whose interests are actually served (real life is always messier than theory).
The ruling class knows, that their greatest enemy is an informed public with critical reasoning skills. That is what the Powell Memo is all about. To dumb down America and it started with Nixon.
Great essay by the way.
Very well said, Rhonda. These are precisely my thoughts that come to me as I think over and over the catastrophe America is now immersed in. I am shocked at the recent online accounting of the Obamas' wealth post White House years. Only in this system of exorbitant contributions to politics is this possible. No, I am not jealous, I am saddened by the ostentatious greed.
I'm not looking forward to my wife's birthday, June 14, because of what Trump's military masturbation could lead to. He just turns everything to shit, doesn't he?
Well the universe got it right in the instance of your wife. A big cake and much happiness to her on every June 14th, especially this one.
There's also the need to maintain narrative discipline among the true believers, and the inducements required to keep it among those who are selling it.
The Democrats are like a boneheaded deer.
Said deer was in the middle of the railroad tracks at twilight. Caught in the headlight's beam.
Now, it's been struck by the GOP locomotive and is slo-mo tumbling through the air, wondering if it will survive its imminent crash landing in 2026.
Pick on REPUBLICANS. We wuz screwed.
Evil always triumphs when good men do nothing. And sadly, Daniel, that is what happened. Yeh, we have been screwed, yeh the election was stolen, yeh the Russians, Chinese, and No Koreans have perfected psyops and even own the interwebs, but none of this would have been possible, had we not had real leadership in the Democratic party, instead of self serving careerists
Insanity all the way down, but it begins with TRump.
When the accurate history is written about America 2025, it will include an assessment of the mental condition of those involved. There will be evidence of their illegal, immoral, vile actions that killed people..
Psychopathy is at the pinnacle, but there are a whole host of other disorders displayed by this Cabinet. It truly is hard to pick who disgusts me the most. What could be worse than a group of greedy, racist, misogynistic, cruel, and ice cold filthy rich people that want others to die so they can get a tax break.
Believe it, fight them, and record this corruption just like Thom. See you in the streets!