Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Helen
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 01:12 PM

The Sandman, I think you are barking up the wrong tree.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 02:14 PM

Instagram link with a TikTok video about what this scientist thinks Musk is doing with all of the federal data they want to hoover up.

It's downright scary.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Helen
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 02:43 PM

Yes, scary! George Orwell's 1984 on AI generated steroids.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Lighter
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 03:25 PM

Save America! Join DOGE! Cash goes straight to Prez !

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-selling-official-doge-membership-182037002.html

The best forty-seven clams you'll ever spend for America! Act Now Before They're Gone!!

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 06:48 PM

I restate opinions of the actual scientists involved as well as the popular news which is usually dumbed down.
I have hope that Sandman learns to listen. Ego is not our amigo.

Tech billionaires are the ruling elite. I have been leaving AI breadcrumb warnings for a decade or more but it is the powerful immortal corporations that are seeking power and tax free status at any cost.
They are not the disrupters or reformers as much as they are the ultimate greed machine. Corporate Monarchy is the new improved fascism.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 06:57 PM

The philosopher king of Elon Musk is Curtis Yarvin. Look him up.
The New York Times has the best recent interview but any info should be illuminating.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Richard Atkins
Date: 24 Feb 25 - 10:00 PM

As the Trump now want's reparations for USA high cost's compared to Europe with a grab of Ukraine minerals. These are perhaps another lie as he joins the Putin club. European countries have provided €132 billion in aid (military, financial and humanitarian) as of December 2024, and the United States has provided €114 billion. Most of the US funding supports American industries who produce weapons and military equipment. In previous wars the agressor pays and not to the liar who perhaps has agreed the carve up of an invaded country before legitimate negotiation. I hope politican's don't join the Trump brown nose club ??

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 01:04 AM

Talking Points Memo discussed a Politico article and offered commentary:

Over recent weeks I’ve told you several times that while Democrats are shut out of power in Washington and few means of arresting the Trump-Musk spree of criminal conduct across the executive branch they do have two points of leverage: the need for a new “continuing resolution” to keep the government funded by March 14th and the need to raise the debt ceiling at some point in the coming months – the exact date on that isn’t clear. At present Republicans are on course to shut down the government on March 14th. Essentially the Freedom Caucus is holding them hostage demanding not the draconian budget cuts favored by most of the GOP caucus but draconian-plus cuts, the kind that they fear will get their members in swing districts defeated. So they’re coming to Democrats, hat in hand, asking for help. I’ve explained in probably a dozen posts over the last month that this is the line not just on policy and anti-constitutional actions but also a key moment in the drama of performative power between President Trump and the opposition that will have repercussions and reverberations for months and perhaps years to come. There are already plenty of signs the public is turning against Musk’s wilding spree of criminal conduct through the federal government. To put it in the vulgar and rapacious terms that are the only ones that do it justice, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have spent the last month slapping around like bitches the Constitution, federal workers, the Democrats and really the sovereignty of the American people. Democrats have this moment to decide whether they’ll not only arrest the damage but change the tone through the idiom of power.

Well, now we appear to be at the crunch moment.

Politico released a short piece this evening under the headline “Government funding deal ‘very close’ as negotiations hinge on Trump power struggle”. In other words, they’re on the verge of an agreement right now. Patty Murray says, “we’re making good progress.” Democrats, according to Politico, want to “curb[] the president’s ability to withhold federal money.” Later the article makes clear that this is about “impoundment.” That’s kinda sorta what this is all about: whether the President can unilaterally decide to ignore the federal budget and simply not spend the money the budget says he has to spend. But in itself it certainly sounds like a thin version of the demand, which really needs to be an end to all the criminal conduct. Maybe they’re driving a harder line than this Politico article suggests. But hope is not a plan.

Republicans are coming to the Democrats hat in hand: We’re about to shut down the government. Help us prevent our extremists from doing that. Dems have to name their price. That’s presumably or should be no help until the criminal conduct stops. But according to Politico the Republicans are saying something like, ‘Be reasonable. Trump will never agree to that.’

Others may differ but I think the only reasonable position is “no help with your problem unless and until the criminal conduct stops.” And any deal needs to be enforceable.

I want to keep this brief. If you want your voice to be part of this negotiation the time to make your voice heard is tomorrow morning. It may be the last chance you have.

Josh Marshall

We all have our assignment, it's crystal clear.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 03:29 AM

If a deal is struck, what makes you think that trumuski will keep it?

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 03:35 AM

Ukraine’s rare earth mineral wealth? It barely exists What we are seeing is ill-informed fools arguing over nothing

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 04:06 AM

I think he might be the next president to be assassinated
He is lining up China to be his next enemy.
His China tariff policy is likely to be a failure.
His foreign policy IMO seems to be an attempt to split Russia and China as allies.
He does not generally seem to be concerned with stopping wars

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 05:20 AM

> I think he might be the next president to be
> assassinated

To use a Billy Connolly punchline: Och, 's too late noo.

> He does not generally seem to be concerned
> with stopping wars

Suspect the runt's thinking: If Henry Kissinger can bomb Cambodia and get the Nobel Peace Prize ....

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 05:49 AM

On a lighter note, somebody appears to have taken appropriate action, as documented in The Register:

US Dept of Housing screens sabotaged to show deepfake of Trump sucking Elon's toes

Visitors to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's headquarters in the capital got some unpleasant viewing on Monday morning after TV screens across the building began showing a deepfake video of President Trump kissing and sucking Elon Musk's toes.

The AI-generated footage had been circulating online over the weekend on social media, but the video was displayed on monitors at HUD on Monday morning, along with the message: "Long live the real king."

(For those who don't know, that's a reference to Republican President Trump yelling on state social media the other day "long live the king," referring to himself as a monarch. Elon, meanwhile, was recruited by Trump to, under the DOGE project, run through federal organizations to cut programs, contracts, and thousands of staff the Tesla tycoon doesn't approve of, and thus has been likened by some as the real president of the United States, especially given this earlier baffling press conference in the Oval Office.)

HUD staff reportedly resorted to unplugging the screens after failing to get the video removed from sight, and the agency is investigating.

"Another waste of taxpayer dollars and resources," HUD spokesperson Kasey Lovett told The Register. "Appropriate action will be taken for all involved."

The video is a pretty bad deepfake - Musk has two left feet for example, something not seen outside of comedy classic Best In Show. We've asked HUD for an explanation of how the video was spammed out to appear on the monitors, and will update as more information comes in.

[...]

Late Sunday, the SpaceX supremo shed some light on the alleged reasoning behind sending that demand, as push-back from officials grew and workers refused to participate or were ordered not to: Musk asked for the lists of accomplishments from millions of people because he wanted to see "who had a pulse and two working neurons." The billionaire seems to be under the impression fraudsters are collecting paychecks from the federal coffers for dead or ex-employees, and that some people aren't even checking their email.

Asking more than a million people, some handling sensitive subjects, to reply to an email about their past week might also be seen as not a particularly productive use of time.

[...]

I'm not at all sure whether "two left feet" shows that the deepfake is poor, or that it's an implied suggestion that he's too clumsy to dance.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 08:48 AM

The bromance with Putin is heating up. What does Russia have that the US does not? Trump is certainly more cruel to the US than he is to Russia. Donnie will break up with Elon before he has a lovers quarrel with Vlad. Even Canada feels spurned and is seriously pissed off at Trump for blowing them off with tariff threats.

Trump's second favorite president after Jackson is President McKinley. Let's hope Trump's term resembles his.

Subject: RE: MOAB's Daughter (of all BS) part 3
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 09:03 AM

Like his trading cards, the fake magazine cover has him wearing a golden crown. It appears to be gilded crap.
He has put himself on fake magazine covers before.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 09:54 AM

Bewildered liberals are trying to define this Trump presidency as fascist, authoritarian, bromockracy, and patriocracy.

His criminal loyalty thing is just straight-up mafia rule.
He doesn't want records and bureaucracy like the Germans.
He wants to be the King Godfather with the power to fire/execute.
Everyone loyal to Trump does not have to be Sicilian but they do have to be white and male. He also wants law enforcement destroyed.

Trump rubbed shoulders with the mob in NY and NJ. Once upon a time, even I delivered a million-dollar van deal for Gambino in NY.
I lived one town over from Apalachin NY known for a historic summit of the American Mafia held at the home of mobster "Joe the Barber".

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 08:21 PM

Americans lost a trillion dollars of medicare tonight by a republican vote of 217 to 215

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 25 - 09:35 PM

Unless the Senate drinks spine growing juice.

Subject: RE: MOAB's Daughter (of all BS) part 3
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 06:52 AM

The first wealth of a nation is health.
The spending freeze and firings have jeopardized American health.
The new budget proposal will deeply wound Medicare.

The most simple way to see the American budget is that it is primarily a military budget with a health insurance policy including social security. Everything else is a skinny slice of the pie so small it is only seen by colorizing it.

Ending research in Alzheimers for example means losing the collected brain tissue which is an organic database. Turning off the freezer is a hell of a way to freeze spending.

Subject: RE: Trump has crossed the Rubicon
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 08:20 AM

Now that Trump has eliminated law enforcement by firing watchdogs/inspector generals, investigations/FBI-CIA, and courts up to the supposedly nonpartisan Supreme Court. He has now removed law enforcement from the military by firing JAG officers and military judges.

He has crossed the Rubicon but has not yet unleashed the military from law to do despicable acts or attack Americans on American soil.
The racist right have dreamed of having a race war with the assistance of the military as they did in the Civil War. Already, there have been racist marches around black neighborhoods, hoping that they could instigate retaliation.

In his first term his orders to shoot black lives matter protesters were rebuffed. This time there may not be resistance to illegal orders.

Members of Congress are now being removed from the chamber by the Sgt at Arms if they accuse the President of wrongdoing, like selling his own cryptocurrency to foreigners, grift, or extortion. One can not criticize Trump in any way.

The liklihood of civil violence basically enacted by Trump is now considered to be 50 50 with the assistance of the military.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 11:27 AM

5calls.org. In the US? Go there, put in your zip code, get your reps names and a list of talking points to choose from so you can present facts in your call.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 03:39 PM

Christ with a migraine! Prez Cheeto just made immigration easy with a permanent green card that he calls the gold card. The gold card costs 5 million dollars.

GOOD LINK Stilly

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Helen
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 04:02 PM

Donuel, I think Billie Holiday says it best:

God Bless the Child - Billie Holiday

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 08:59 PM

From a blog or site called "The Handbasket"

The full force of this administration’s destruction is about to hit
Once social security checks stop showing up, millions of Americans will finally understand the scope.

I recently told someone that being a journalist right now is like standing on the edge of a beach and watching a tsunami approaching. Other journalists, government workers and activists are on the shoreline with me, and we can all see it clear as day. And we agree we need to warn the others inland.

So we start making calls and telling people this catastrophic wave is about to hit, but the people inland still can’t see it and don’t believe us. Everything looks fine where they are; it’s dry and comfortable. “Let us know when it gets closer,” they say. We try to communicate that every moment of preparation counts, but it’s no use. They’ll only believe it when it’s crashing on their heads.

This week feels like the wave is about to crash.

Find the rest at the link.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Helen
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 09:18 PM

I also read in a news article today that the TrumpMusk team is deciding which media outlets will have access to their press conferences.

Maybe the team should be called the TrumpPutinMusk team.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Hrothgar
Date: 26 Feb 25 - 10:02 PM

Two things:
If there are savings of x trillion dollars in government expenditure, has anyone (on either side of politics) suggested that instead of giving tax cuts, the money should be used to reduce the national debt?

The greatest disrupter to the established order before Trump was probably Andrew Jackson, who introduces the "spoils system". The damage it did to the US civil service wasn't repaired until the 1880s when they introduced some form of examination for prospective civil servants.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 12:37 AM

Trump is all about the "spoils" system right now. And he's a great admirer of Jackson.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Helen
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 02:16 AM

Ok I had to look up the "spoils" reference but my guess was correct: "to the victor go the spoils".

And all those extremely expensive yachts confiscated from Russian oligarchs. Do you think Trump will start sharing those around to his broligarch buddies? Now *that* would upset Putin and his buddies.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Feb 25 - 04:04 PM

Out of a fever dream of a Trump 'lawyer' comes the idea of paying $5,000 to US citizens from Elon who will claim he is sharing the savings from mass firings and freezes. This will really help people look the other way from the 20 grand they will lose in programs and federal assistance. It is a cute Ponzi scheme in that the 5 grand people might get is just more borrowed money since the 36 trillion dollar debt is not repaid.

States are being told they will have to make up for the assistance the federal programs that used to do the heavy lifting. The States will of course, be unable to afford even half of that money. Perhaps some southern MAGA States will get some federal cash under the table.
Who really knows what direction chaos goes?

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Aethelric
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 06:02 AM

I think the underlying problem is the US constitution. The president has huge personal power, and cannot be removed even if he is mentally ill or suffering from dementia.
Or is there a mechanism?

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 07:09 AM

I see that even after both Macron and Starmer corrected trumuski in public about Ukrainian assistance from Europe, he went on to repeat exactly the same lie immediately after.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Lighter
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 07:44 AM

The 25th Amendment allows for the removal of the president if mentally incapacitated, but the process is extremely cumbersome:

https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxv

As to presidential powers, they are theoretically limited by the Constitution itself and by actions of Congress and/or the Judiciary.

Without such actions, the system fails and the president is effectively unrestrained.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: gillymor
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 08:41 AM

Our system of checks and balances is nearly defunct. It's stating the obvious but if our system of government and way of life is to survive Trump we'll have to get into a position where we can limit the power of of the executive. Hopefully Trump's over reach, incompetence, and all around nincompoopery will help get us there.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 11:48 AM

The Congress has to revoke that executive order putting DOGE in place and Musk as its unvetted/un-approved by the senate head. Then impounded funds need to be restored, fired employees returned. The OPM has no standing to fire employees throughout the government, a district judge made that crystal clear in a hearing I read about today. Trump needs to be impeached, and Vance will also need to be impeached. Hopefully by the time this is over a couple of house seats will have flipped and the next person in line will be Jeffries. It's a tall order . . .

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Aethelric
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 02:33 PM

I just watched Trump and Vance shouting down Zelensky. in an interview that "all americans should see" (Trumps words)

Americans should hang their heads in shame.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: gillymor
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 04:22 PM

Does that include all Americans, Aethelric, even Americans who dedicated time and money trying to stop Trump?

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Helen
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 04:25 PM

From an ABC (Oz) News article:

'Two cowardly puppets and a hero'

"Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton has reacted to the explosive Oval Office spat, describing the Ukrainian president as a "hero".

"    'The President of the United States is a coward who is Vladimir Putin's puppet. The Vice President of the United States is a pogue and a coward who is Donald Trump's puppet,' Mr Moulton told CNN.

"    'What we just witnessed was a meeting in the Oval Office between two cowardly puppets and a hero.

"    'And whether you voted for these puppets or not, just as an American, as a fellow American, it's just embarrassing that the only hero in the Oval Office, the only decent human being for that matter, is the Ukrainian.

"    'I mean, this administration is going to go down as an embarrassment to American history.'"

[Note: I'm assuming that the term "pogue" refers to the Irish Gaelic phrase póg mo thóin (anglicised to pogue mahone) meaning "kiss my arse" and from which Irish punk band The Pogues took their name. So, I'm assuming that Congressman Seth Moulton is calling JD Vance an arse kisser, but is JD smart enough to figure that out, or true-minded enough to take a hint from it?]

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 04:38 PM

From the FB Page ‘Fear and Loathing: Closer to the Edge’ today, their commentary on Trump’s and Vance’s loathsome betrayal and public humiliation of Volodymir Zelenskyy in The White House. The link to the Page is at the end for those who care to read it on FB, but I’ve C&P’d it for those who prefer to avoid FB…

”There are moments in history where you can feel the tectonic plates of power shifting under your feet, the precise seconds when empires declare themselves rotten and ready to collapse. February 28, 2025, was one of those moments—a grotesque display of unchecked narcissism, geopolitical idiocy, and the full-throttle transformation of American foreign policy into a goddamn mafia shakedown.
Donald Trump, the world’s loudest and dumbest charlatan, decided to hold a public execution of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, not with bullets, but with bullying. This was not diplomacy. This was not strategy. This was the kind of goonish humiliation typically reserved for reality television, except now the stakes were measured in millions of lives and the looming specter of World War III.

“YOU’RE GAMBLING WITH WORLD WAR III”
Trump—flanked by his yes-man JD Vance and an eerily silent Marco Rubio—welcomed Zelenskyy to the Oval Office only to berate, belittle, and ultimately dismiss him like a waiter who forgot to refill his Diet Coke. The Ukrainian president had made the grave mistake of advocating for his people, for his country, for his soldiers dying daily on the front lines against Russian invaders. But in Trump’s world, there is no room for dignity or resistance—only total submission to the Don.
"You’re gambling with World War III," Trump barked at Zelenskyy, acting like a discount Tony Soprano shaking down a local shopkeeper. "You either make a deal, or we are out." The message was crystal clear: Surrender to Putin, or America lets you rot.
When Zelenskyy pushed back—trying to explain, like a rational human being, that diplomacy requires more than rolling over and exposing your belly to a psychotic autocrat like Vladimir Putin—Vance chimed in, whining that it was "disrespectful" to discuss such things in front of the American media. Disrespectful! As if the real problem here was the optics, not the grotesque moral betrayal unfolding in real time.

TRUMP’S FIXATION WITH GRATITUDE: A MOB BOSS DEMANDING TRIBUTE
"Have you ever said thank you once?" Vance sneered at Zelenskyy, echoing his master’s worldview that all human interactions are transactional. "You have to be thankful," Trump added, "you don’t have the cards. You’re buried there."
This is what American diplomacy has become: an extortion racket.
Forget alliances, forget history, forget standing up to despots—Trump views everything through the lens of a cheap con artist running a rigged casino. Ukraine, in his mind, is a desperate gambler, and Trump is the pit boss deciding whether to extend another round of credit.
If Zelenskyy had gotten on his knees and kissed Trump’s golden slippers, maybe he’d have left with something. But instead, he left with nothing, because he had the audacity to act like the elected leader of a sovereign nation, rather than a groveling servant.
THE CANCELED PRESS CONFERENCE: WHEN THE HUMILIATION IS TOO MUCH TO SPIN
After the carnage, Trump did what he always does: He took to Truth Social to declare victory.
"I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace," he wrote, as if the real issue is Ukraine’s unwillingness to surrender, rather than Russia’s ongoing campaign of war crimes and territorial theft.
The joint press conference was canceled—which in diplomatic terms is the equivalent of overturning the table and storming out of the restaurant. Zelenskyy was seen leaving the White House, no deal signed, no support secured. Just the bitter taste of betrayal in his mouth.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ambassador literally facepalmed in the middle of the meeting. She couldn’t even hide her disgust. This was the international equivalent of watching your boss drunkenly scream at a client in a meeting while you rub your temples and quietly plan your resignation.

TRUMP’S ‘PEACE’ PLAN IS A SURRENDER PLAN
This is all part of a deliberate pivot in American foreign policy. Trump has always sided with Russia, whether it’s calling Putin "a very smart guy," ignoring his war crimes, or pretending Ukraine started the war. Now, his administration is pushing a so-called "peace plan" that amounts to a glorified land grab for Moscow.
The Wall Street Journal has already reported that Trump’s advisers are split on how exactly to force Ukraine to submit. Some want a "frozen conflict"—which translates to "Russia keeps what it stole"—while others are pushing for a formal deal that outright cedes Ukrainian land and resources to Putin. Either way, the outcome is the same: Ukraine loses, Russia wins, and Trump gets to preen about his ‘deal-making.’

THE DEATH OF AMERICA’S WORD
The entire world saw this Oval Office debacle. If you’re an ally of the United States, you just learned a very clear lesson: You cannot trust America under Donald Trump. Your security, your sovereignty, and your survival are all secondary to whether Trump personally feels flattered. If you are not groveling at his feet, you’re expendable.
Meanwhile, Putin is watching. And he’s grinning. Because now he knows that Trump will do his dirty work for him.
Zelenskyy was just the first ally to be fed to the wolves. He won’t be the last.
Welcome to America, 2025. This is what losing looks like.”

The stench coming from the west side of the Atlantic Ocean is becoming unbearable.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0WMn5rfyS4ho9KMAsf3g5kAjNGJCtVQAM7GXmJ6Zy4LPqwS2ocZoeXGL5gdUGnPfYl&id=100079779344617

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 04:57 PM

That was the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. Trump has completely lost his marbles and Vance is a playground bully.

I was hoping that Zelenskyy would stand and walk out of the room, but he took the high road all the way and stood his ground.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 05:25 PM

Trump's lust for revenge against Zelenski is due to Volodemer refusing to perger himself by accusing Biden of crimes in Ukraine when Trump demanded. This led to Trump's impeachment.

Trump's vengeful revenge is not limited to people but nations including the USA. If America was attacked and trillions of dollars of damage was inflicted upon vital US institutions similar to the damage Trump/Elon have done, America would be reeling and deeply wounded.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 05:48 PM

I was going to comment further on this over on the Ukraine thread, but the 'Cat went for a nap, and I've little to add now, other than it all seems to have kicked off when a MAGAnaut pressman accused Zelenskyy of disrespecting President Tantrum by not wearing a suit. Oh, and I've observed before that certain people tend to project their own sins onto their opponents, because they're the sins they're most familiar with. This is Looking-Glass Land, and you're welcome to it.

This still leaves a question or two, eg:

* How can the King withdraw the invitation which Starmer just handed over?

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 28 Feb 25 - 06:49 PM

... and:

* Will Vlad want Alaska back?

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Hrothgar
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 12:34 AM

The 25th Amendment, as I understand it, has to be triggered by the Cabinet.

Can you see this lot being honest enough or brave enough to even suggest that it be considered?

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Richard Atkins
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 02:48 AM

From this side of the pond. What Trump says and does demeanes the respect I had for America

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 03:47 AM

”it all seems to have kicked off when a MAGAnaut pressman accused Zelenskyy of disrespecting President Tantrum by not wearing a suit.”

No matter what Pres. Zelenskyy wears, at least he takes care of himself and looks fit and well, and he always looks a hundred percent better than Trump with the theatrical-looking comb-over, fake tan, ridiculous long ties, and baggy suits that look as though they were made for someone else even fatter than him.

”From this side of the pond. What Trump says and does demeans the respect I had for America”

Whilst I understand that sentiment, I still respect the nation of the USA. What I have absolutely zero respect for is the POTUS, his VP and his wider entourage, the entire GOP, and every individual American who elected him/them.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 04:02 AM

I’ve also posted this piece to the ‘Long Night in Ukraine’ thread, but I think it’s worth having it here too..

From ‘Occupy Democrats ‘ FB Page today. (BTW, I quote sources such as OD because they express my views far more eloquently than I am able myself). The emboldening is mine…

BREAKING: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy breaks his silence on Donald Trump's disastrous Oval Office outburst with stunning grace and class — but refuses to apologize to Trump as demanded by MAGA.

And the best part? He did it on Fox News.

This is what a real world leader sounds like...

"President Trump said after your meeting that you disrespected him and the vice president and all of America in the Oval Office," said Fox News' Bret Baier when Zelenskyy appeared on his show. "Do you think you did? And do you think you owe an apology to President Trump?"

"Thank you so much. First of all, thank you for the invitation, for this dialogue and good evening to all of your country, to all Americans," said Zelenskyy. "I'm very thankful to Americans for all your support. You did a lot. I'm thankful to President Trump and to Congress's bipartisan support and I was always very thankful from all of our people."

"You helped us a lot from the very beginning, here in three years of full scale invasion. You helped us to survive and anyway we are strategic partners," he continued.

"And even in such tough dialogue — and I think we have to be very honest and we have to be very direct to understand each other because it's for us very necessary," said Zelenskyy.

"To President Trump — and with all respect that he wants to finish this war — but nobody wants to finish more than we because we in Ukraine we are in this war, we are in this battle for freedom, for our lives," he went on.

"So I'm just telling that I think we have to be on the same side and I hope that the president on our side together with us and that is very important to stop Putin," continued Zelenskyy. "And I heard from President Trump a lot of times that he will stop the war and I hope he will. And we need to pressure him with Europe, with all the partners."

"And I think this dialogue had to be a little bit earlier to understand where we are," he continued. "Like you know, I don't remember exactly, but like President Reagan said that peace is not just the absence of war."

"Yes, we are speaking about just, lasting peace, about freedom, about justice, about human rights and that's why I said that 'I think so' to ceasefire," he went on. "And you know Putin, he's broken twenty-five times ceasefire during all these years, ten years."

"So I'm not hearing from you Mr. President a thought that you owe the president an apology," said Baier, clearly trying to pander to Trump who was almost certainly watching at home.

"No I respect the president and I respect the American people and if — I don't know, I think that we have to be very open and very honest and I'm not sure that we did something bad," replied Zelenskyy.

"I think maybe somethings we have to discuss out of media, with all respect to democracy and free media but there are things where we have to understand the position of Ukraine and Ukrainians," he added. "And I think that is the most important thing."

"We are partners. We are very close partners. We have to be fair. We have to be very free," said Zelenskyy, sounding far more like an American president than Donald Trump did today.

This is an astonishing display of statesmanship. Rather than give into ego or pettiness, Zelenskyy is rising above Donald Trump's childish bullying to serve his people.

Zelenskyy isn't interested in following Trump down into the gutter. He's interested in securing a lasting peace for his innocent embattled country, a task made all the more difficult by Trump's kowtowing to Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy is also correct that these conversations should take place behind closed doors instead of being exploited to create a media circus. Trump and Vance ambushed him in the Oval Office in front of reporters because they knew that it would make headlines and entertain their base.

They are not serious leaders. Zelenskyy is.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Helen
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 04:28 AM

BWM, thanks for that copy of the FB post. I was surprised that Fox News seemed to be allowing President Zelenskyy to present his case without being misrepresented by the Fox journalists.

I am starting to think that Trump's large collection of machinations will start to pull him and his cronies into a whirlpool of their own making. Trump really wants to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but he is totally stuffing it up for himself. His appointment of Elon Musk seemed initially to be achieving the goals he wanted to achieve, but the consequences of Musk's decisions and actions are going to bite both of them on the rear, IMHO.

I see it as a whirlpool of a lot of different threads which will become more and more entangled until finally they will pull tight and drag them all down. Hoist by their own petards.

I really don't think that Trump and his cronies will come out of this unscathed.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 05:54 AM

but how long will it take?

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 06:46 AM

Trump is taking a 'REVENGE TOUR' of NYC, banning grants, trying to reverse NYC policies, and demanding that the charges against the Mayor be dropped.

If you put certifiable people in your Cabinet, they will not find you certifiably insane.

Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 01 Mar 25 - 08:26 AM

I'll say it here, rather than the Ukraine thread:

Has anyone used the expression "the shit that was heard around the world" yet? if not, feel free.