Appearing with alleged gang members. Freeing hundreds of violent felons. Declaring open season on former government employees who are targeted by terrorists. How do you think this ends?
The only thing that surprises me is the utter, and complete incompetence, and ignorance of trump and his maga mob loyalists. I knew they were incompetent and ignorant but the scale is remarkable. His actions have already and are leading to more needless deaths and harm. GOP, as with putin loyalists, simply agree like bobbleheads wearing white, instead of brown shorts.
Best to always live by this observation: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time" Maya Angelou
I did expect all these things. What I did not anticipate was his aggression of our allies--asserting he may take Greenland and Panama by force; tariffs on Canada and Mexico after he renegotiated NAFTA. He is an evil, vile man surrounded by similar folks and Musk who wants to rule the world. I agree that it will end badly, but until then so many people will suffer and our representative republic may be destroyed.
Friends and family told me it would never go this far. "it will be all right" I haven't thrown this in their faces yet. I'll wait for a few more horribles and see if they have figured it out for themselves. I may have to get them to read a newspaper. Then I'll ask them if they want their children and grandchildren to live in a country like this.
Key to Putin's rise to power was a false flag terror attack, the 1999 apartment bombing. Much like Hitler's rise to absolute power was the Reichstag fire. Both provided the opportunity for the wannabe despots to demand, and take, extraordinary power to combat a "threat".
I think we can count on something exactly like this to happen over the next 4 years, presumably sooner rather than later. The shadowy forces of the right practiced this in the summer of 2020 (eg, umbrella man in Minneapolis who helped turn a protest into a riot). tRUmp needs his team of lowlifes in place, but then all bets are off... he will have all the powers of the state and will seek to use them. The attempted assassination looks different in this light imho. Does anyone doubt that tRUmp would have damage done to an American city, have Americans killed, so he could declare martial law/invoke the Insurrection Act? California potentially having a succession ballot initiative is a great opportunity for him to 'go all Lincoln'. A different density of darkness lies ahead, I fear.
How’s this for dark imagination: Hegseth et. al. drive non compliant Generals/Admirals from the military and insert, with Senate approval, MAGA acolytes. After a J.D. Vance (or Trump, seeking a third term) loss in 2028, another insurrection is ordered. This time, while still in office, they invoke the insurrection act and use the military to stay in power.
I am very worried. And I am disappointed in our people. But Russia has basically always been authoritarian. From the Czars to the communists to Putin, that is the political culture in Russia. It’s not at all the political culture here. And it will make it harder for us to slip completely into authoritarianism.
DJT should forthwith be referred to as FFOTUS or F2OTUS. Translation, First Felon Of The United States. I can’t bring myself to refer to him as President.
JVL - Is a good guy and a great thinker. His musings about the depth of depravity into which we are about the descend in the U.S.A. are terrifying, but reasonably possible given these thought pieces that he has put together. We must hope for better, but be prepared for the worse, and Mr. Last does a good job of putting together the thought experiments about what may be coming.
12 weeks ago? Yes many predicted what would unfold. It just took looking at Project 2025 and the influence its authors have . Plus, the authors had a long time to create detailed plans to enact the proposals. What I see going forward is a collaboration of Trump, Putin and Musk in establishing a fascist oligarchy
Just a lot of rehash about the chaotic corrupt reality that's only going to get worse until the mid-term election when lame duckism will set in. Thank you, Joe Biden, for not giving your party enough time to have a real primary, and for appointing a weak attorney-general who prosecuted the underlings first instead of the Instigator of the Insurrection which probably would have kept the felon out of the White House.
The only thing that surprises me is the utter, and complete incompetence, and ignorance of trump and his maga mob loyalists. I knew they were incompetent and ignorant but the scale is remarkable. His actions have already and are leading to more needless deaths and harm. GOP, as with putin loyalists, simply agree like bobbleheads wearing white, instead of brown shorts.
Best to always live by this observation: When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time" Maya Angelou
I did expect all these things. What I did not anticipate was his aggression of our allies--asserting he may take Greenland and Panama by force; tariffs on Canada and Mexico after he renegotiated NAFTA. He is an evil, vile man surrounded by similar folks and Musk who wants to rule the world. I agree that it will end badly, but until then so many people will suffer and our representative republic may be destroyed.
...and now his pal Elon has the keys to Ft. Knox. No anti-military required. But has Elon seen Goldfinger? It doesn't end well for the mob colleagues.
Friends and family told me it would never go this far. "it will be all right" I haven't thrown this in their faces yet. I'll wait for a few more horribles and see if they have figured it out for themselves. I may have to get them to read a newspaper. Then I'll ask them if they want their children and grandchildren to live in a country like this.
Key to Putin's rise to power was a false flag terror attack, the 1999 apartment bombing. Much like Hitler's rise to absolute power was the Reichstag fire. Both provided the opportunity for the wannabe despots to demand, and take, extraordinary power to combat a "threat".
I think we can count on something exactly like this to happen over the next 4 years, presumably sooner rather than later. The shadowy forces of the right practiced this in the summer of 2020 (eg, umbrella man in Minneapolis who helped turn a protest into a riot). tRUmp needs his team of lowlifes in place, but then all bets are off... he will have all the powers of the state and will seek to use them. The attempted assassination looks different in this light imho. Does anyone doubt that tRUmp would have damage done to an American city, have Americans killed, so he could declare martial law/invoke the Insurrection Act? California potentially having a succession ballot initiative is a great opportunity for him to 'go all Lincoln'. A different density of darkness lies ahead, I fear.
Perhaps corporate consumerism and digital oligarchy are a worthwhile trade for Ethno-Nationalism and Jane Crow. https://trkingston.substack.com/p/hello-transient-expressionism-part-768
The only light part of this piece is these words being put into Trump's mouth: "I’ve reviewed the intelligence".
At least I got to laugh once today.
How’s this for dark imagination: Hegseth et. al. drive non compliant Generals/Admirals from the military and insert, with Senate approval, MAGA acolytes. After a J.D. Vance (or Trump, seeking a third term) loss in 2028, another insurrection is ordered. This time, while still in office, they invoke the insurrection act and use the military to stay in power.
I am very worried. And I am disappointed in our people. But Russia has basically always been authoritarian. From the Czars to the communists to Putin, that is the political culture in Russia. It’s not at all the political culture here. And it will make it harder for us to slip completely into authoritarianism.
It's been a long year this week!
DJT should forthwith be referred to as FFOTUS or F2OTUS. Translation, First Felon Of The United States. I can’t bring myself to refer to him as President.
JVL - Is a good guy and a great thinker. His musings about the depth of depravity into which we are about the descend in the U.S.A. are terrifying, but reasonably possible given these thought pieces that he has put together. We must hope for better, but be prepared for the worse, and Mr. Last does a good job of putting together the thought experiments about what may be coming.
JVL has a built-in periscope!
12 weeks ago? Yes many predicted what would unfold. It just took looking at Project 2025 and the influence its authors have . Plus, the authors had a long time to create detailed plans to enact the proposals. What I see going forward is a collaboration of Trump, Putin and Musk in establishing a fascist oligarchy
Just a lot of rehash about the chaotic corrupt reality that's only going to get worse until the mid-term election when lame duckism will set in. Thank you, Joe Biden, for not giving your party enough time to have a real primary, and for appointing a weak attorney-general who prosecuted the underlings first instead of the Instigator of the Insurrection which probably would have kept the felon out of the White House.
Who would have thought this would happen?
https://fox59.com/indiana-news/jan-6-rioter-recently-pardoned-by-trump-shot-killed-by-indiana-sheriffs-deputy-while-resisting-arrest/
Probably the first of many. Bad people can be counted on to do bad things.
Thank you JVL. These scenarios MUST be considered. They cannot be placed in the “unthinkable” category.