Subject: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thre From: Stilly River Sage Date: 11 Jan 25 - 11:31 AM The threads have merged to do with the US 2024 presidential election and the conviction of Donald J. Trump. Musk and many of his team are not elected and some not eligible to ever be president, but there are suggestions that for a while we may see a co-presidency between Trump and Musk. This is troublesome and people may find interesting articles that clarify or alert us to problems going forward. This doesn't mean that every weird thing that pops into Don and Dick's heads should be printed here. If it gets too out of control you have advance warning that odd stuff will be culled. If you feel like you're being trolled don't post normal stuff and insults in the same post because both parts will disappear. If too many insults are posted you may disappear for a while. The other threads are going to close because we've tried to keep it to one UK and one US political thread. An exception was made mostly because we couldn't stop it. Now we can. Looking for a news page that everyone should be able to open and read, here is a story that CNN may update: https://www.cnn.com/politics/president-donald-trump-47 Donald J. Trump News on former President Donald Trump and the Trump administration Meanwhile, here is his claim that he will hand over his private businesses during the presidency: Trump Organization’s new ethics plan pledges Donald Trump will separate himself from his private business interests (CNN) — The Trump Organization on Friday announced that President-elect Donald Trump will not have any involvement in managing his real estate and branding empire during his second term and appointed an outside ethics adviser to monitor major company actions – part of several measures the organization said it was taking to avoid conflicts of interest as Trump prepares to return to the White House later this month. Another thing I'm curious about but haven't bothered to look up is where are Jared and Ivanka this time around? They were front and center in the last administration, but have pulled away from a lot of his activity once he was indicted. Are they completely out of the picture, or are they doing more behind the scenes money-making on the family name? Managing the crypto fund? The Democrats are working to elect a new party leader. Whoever is put in that role has the job of trying to flip the House and the Senate in two years to hobble Trump's ability to do more damage (he's already considered a "lame duck" and that may result in some surprising pushback by his own party.) Getting past the lies told to people who have no connection with their local politics is the biggest challenge. (A side issue is that many US newspapers have closed so the only source of info about elections for people in small communities is on the national level.) We need to rediscover the meaning of "loyal opposition." Participants here may want to pick up a couple of small books: The U.S. Constitution (ACLU asks you for money, but skip past and read it), and Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Snyder's first lesson: Do not obey in advance. (Clearly many of the big names in corporate America including oligarchs like Bezos and Zuckerberg did not read this book.) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 11 Jan 25 - 01:31 PM I'll restrict myself to a "hear, hear" on "We need to rediscover the meaning of "loyal opposition" and Snyder's First Lesson, and throwing in the expression "government by brain fart". |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: keberoxu Date: 11 Jan 25 - 04:32 PM Forbes magazine just pointed something out: international travel as a felon. Twenty-two countries, it states, have "laws that allow them to kick out any visitors once their [criminal] record is discovered." Canada, the U.K., Israel, Japan, China, India, and Argentina are among the countries with "strict requirements for visitors with criminal histories, if they're allowed in at all." Forbes goes on to say that another president before Trump had problems: George W. Bush had a misdemeanor drunk driving conviction on this record, and had to "apply for a special waiver to enter Canada." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 11 Jan 25 - 10:28 PM Trump prosecutor Jack Smith resigns after submitting DOJ report "In short: Special Counsel Jack Smith has resigned days before Donald Trump's inauguration. "Mr Smith led the first federal indictments against a former president in US history. "Trump said he would fire Mr Smith immediately after gaining office, claiming the cases were politically motivated." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Mr Red Date: 12 Jan 25 - 05:23 AM Huston, you have a problem. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 12 Jan 25 - 11:32 AM There were lots of photos of all five living presidents at the Carter funeral. This photo released by the Carter Center is composed beautifully. Never did a pillar do such good work. The photos of the coffin passing, coming and going for the funeral, show everyone with their hands on their hearts - except the Trumps. Photos posted on Bluesky by the Washington Post It takes so little to be kind. This man works at avoiding all of those gestures. He complained about the flags being at half-mast for 30 days for Carter landing during his inauguration. I would put money on his calling to have that rescinded the moment he's in office. Because it suits him. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Mr Red Date: 12 Jan 25 - 12:34 PM video - Dubya greeting Trump at Carter's funeral just in case you haven't seen it (:-) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 12 Jan 25 - 02:10 PM Except that he would expect flags to be at half-mast when he shuffles off his own mortal coil. Did you see halfway down the page of the Photos posted on Bluesky by the Washington Post, a photo of Mark Zuckerberg with headline and text? My Hubby sent me that image. It was generated immediately after Zuckerberg announced that Meta will no longer fact-check posts on Facebook. Someone jumped in with a post about Zuckerberg which needs to be fact-checked. LOL |
Subject: RE: New Rules From: Donuel Date: 13 Jan 25 - 06:55 AM "If it gets too out of control you have advance warning that odd stuff will be culled." the problem is... More 'odd stuff' is coming true. https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/fartcoin/ Will Trump repeat anti protest policy? https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/02/politics/donald-trump-george-floyd-protest-military/index.html |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 13 Jan 25 - 05:02 PM The reason autocrats arrest journalists is to hide odd secrets. These are odd days indeed, but nuclear destruction seems less critical than decades ago unless Hegseth obeys his master's sudden wrath. There will be deja vu to come like 'crowd size' and the greatest Presidential advances the universe has ever seen. Right now the odd secrets are more like open secrets. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 Jan 25 - 11:16 AM The parade of horribles begins today with Hegseth going before the senate, though it seems the FBI is already carrying water for Trump and didn't investigate the crimes and complaints against the man. No interviews with those who he abused and the organizations he mismanaged. |
Subject: RE: Spot the anachronism From: gillymor Date: 14 Jan 25 - 12:44 PM Speaking of Trump anachronisms there were a couple of doozies during this July 4th Speech where he referenced airports during the Revolutionary War. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 14 Jan 25 - 02:41 PM "We need to tear out root and branch weak woke DEI liberal CRT leftists in our military and replace them with patriots who love America" Pete Hegseth. A partisan military is Trump's desire and Pete will seek it out. Pete is also critical of women in combat and veterans who milk the VA system for all sorts of gifts. Democratic Senators were all denied any interview with Hegseth or an FBI investigation report into Hegseth. Only the Republican chairman was allowed to see the FBI report.f Pete does not know the meaning of anonymous when witnesses to his drunkenness have given their names addresses and phone numbers including his mom. Republicans claim that Hegseth's staff will do the real work and that Senators get drunk too. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 Jan 25 - 03:43 PM From Slate, so there is a paywall, but the browser extension "JustRead" lets you see the article. Aileen Cannon's final gift to Trump: The Jack Smith report DOA. And yet: It feels as though Cannon’s conduct in recent days marked a departure, even for her. Among other things, last week she reached out and meddled in a case over which she had no jurisdiction, plucking the matter back from the appeals court where it was properly pending. She attempted to quash a report on a case that was wholly unconnected to the Mar-a-Lago case that was being litigated before a different judge in D.C. Amid the chaotic filings and deadlines and decisions issued over the past few days, lawyers attempted to parse what she was doing and why she believed she could do it as we waited with bated breath to figure out who would stop her. When it became clear on Monday that in fact nobody was going to stop her, Cannon took her own win by keeping the Mar-a-Lago report under wraps and begrudgingly letting the Justice Department release the Jan. 6 volume (after the 11th Circuit indicated that it would do so for her if she didn’t backtrack quickly). This seems a moment worth naming and marking. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 14 Jan 25 - 06:27 PM My post of 12:44 was moved here from up top and so appears to be a non sequitur. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 15 Jan 25 - 12:08 AM Trump is a non sequitur, it fits right in! |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 15 Jan 25 - 06:03 AM Lyrics If you wake up and don't want to smile or it takes just a little while Open your eyes and look at the day You'll see things in a different way Don't stop thinking about tomorrow Don't stop, it'll soon be here It'll be better than before Yesterday's lie, will eventually die. Why not think about times to come? And not about the things that hate has done If your life was bad to you Just think what tomorrow will do Don't stop thinking about tomorrow Don't stop, it'll soon be here It'll be better than before Yesterday's lie, will eventually die All I want is to see you smile If it takes just a little while I know you don't believe that it's true There are folks who meant harm to you Don't stop thinking about tomorrow Don't stop, it'll soon be here It'll be better than before Yesterday's lie will eventually die Don't stop thinking about tomorrow Don't stop, it'll soon be here It'll be better than before Yesterday's lie will eventually die We won't go back (Ooh) We won't go back (Ooh) We won't go back |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 15 Jan 25 - 07:32 AM I hope he's a non sequitur and not the end of our "more perfect union". I guess the best we can do is to be good citizens and fight to preserve what we've created over these last 2 1/2 centuries. It sounds dramatic but a decent way of life is in the balance for the common man and it's not inconceivable that Trump and his billionaire friends could destroy it. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 15 Jan 25 - 08:04 AM The balance of a decent middle-class life has been attacked since the death of FDR. Billionaire-owned government has expanded since the 50's when taxes on the wealthy was as high as 90%. Now it's 16% if income is claimed. It's less if it is called capital gains. Our tax code has grown by 3,000 more pages, all to take from the middle class and poor to give to the rich. Of course, the rules were written by the rich. South Korea has more respect for the law than the US. Today the police arrested the impeached President who declared martial law. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 15 Jan 25 - 08:16 AM There certainly has been a significant transfer of wealth over the last half century and more, but at some point we have to stop bending over for the graspers. Perhaps it's going to take a period of abject misery for that to come about. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 15 Jan 25 - 10:45 AM If we can't get the representation back where it belongs, in non-gerrymandered districts, and can't get the big money out of politics, we are sunk. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 15 Jan 25 - 12:03 PM ‘Twas ever thus… |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 15 Jan 25 - 12:50 PM The states will have to take the lead on this. I should have completed the thought. The money is the biggest problem by far, with billionaires throwing it at anyone who threatens to not toe the line. "You'll be primaried" means they'll support someone in the party to run against them the next time around. Only a couple of the Republicans who voted to impeach Trump survived the process. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 17 Jan 25 - 08:32 AM "The money is the biggest problem by far" This is how it will end: The bankruptcy king, Donald Trump, will explode a 46 trillion-dollar debt until the bond market will no longer buy federal bonds. Game over. The bank is empty. Billionaires will scatter with their share of the loot to other markets and countries. Desperate measures will be tried with unknown results. Besieged by climate disasters the hardships will be catastrophic. No, Stilly, it will not end well for anyone but the top 3% and their loyal servants. I suspect that people as clever and pioneering as Stilly will find ways to live and eat in a destroyed economy, but as Elon has already suggested, most people will suffer desperation. Yes income disparity has grown to 46% for the 1% and 3% for the bottom 50%. A couple decades ago the rich only had a 10% advantage but now the race to survive a collapse has reached levels that this next tax cut for the oligarchs will not sustain. This doom and gloom is my opinion and can be ignored with or without certain peril. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 17 Jan 25 - 10:18 AM The amount of billionaire money rolling in to the Kleptocracy for the inauguration is obscene, and while last time Stephanie Winston Wolkoff (another one to add to Biden's preemptive pardon list) wrote a book about how the dollars were taken from her 2017 inauguration management by Trump's family and a allies with no accountability, this time they'll hide the records much deeper. Or keep no records at all. No more legal fees for the time being (he probably won't pay the ones he has left, telling them to brag about defending him for their promotional benefit.) It's gravy from here on out for the convicted felon. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 17 Jan 25 - 11:22 AM Biden offered a warning about the American oligarchy in his last speech to the nation. He offered a lot of interesting material in his last major interview with MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell Biden shares 'serious concern' for U.S. democracy in Oval Office interview with Lawrence O'Donnell |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 17 Jan 25 - 12:33 PM Great McDonnel interview. The average American does not understand what has happened. THE EASIEST way for Joe Sixpack to understand what has happened is remind them of every villain James Bond ever faced. Every villain was a corporate monopolist with dire plans financed by their extreme wealth. The entire US government is now bought and paid for by a cabal of the wealthiest people on Earth. Greed at any expense is now standard operating procedure. 10,000 James bonds won't be able to turn the tables this time. Besides, the last Bond movie I saw. it looked like James Bond was killed. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 17 Jan 25 - 02:42 PM There is going to be a lot of this in the next 4 years. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Mr Red Date: 18 Jan 25 - 10:41 AM Given the hoped for "sees fire" (s) What do we think are the chances the the Orange Jesus will be awarded the Nobel Peace gong? There is a precedent................ Kissinger |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 18 Jan 25 - 11:32 AM As Biden rides east into the sunset on old paint with his 36% approval rating, the NYT has a front-page story about the cover-up of his diminished capacity by his staff. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 19 Jan 25 - 07:07 AM Donuel, not understanding what has happened is a symptom of populism where populations take more credence from slogans than from critical thought and analysis. They are too lazy to think for themselves or understand what is going on around them and accept whatever they are spoon fed without question. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 19 Jan 25 - 07:09 AM If they are told that a perceived enemy is going to suffer as a result, they would willingly cut off their own leg. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 19 Jan 25 - 07:10 AM Amen to that, SPB. It’s what the Trumps and Farages of this world know only too well, and use very much to their own advantage. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 19 Jan 25 - 10:01 AM Around town the hotels are charging fortunes for inauguration suites. Watergate is charging $75,000 but the Willard and 4 Seasons aren't saying. A third of DC is closed entirely or under strict security. Crowd size won't be an issue, but having a ticket is no guarantee of getting in since the shindig has moved indoors. After the oath ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, a MAGA rally will be at the basketball Capitol One arena, featuring Elon Musk and Donald. This event will separate the billionaire boys from the millionaire men. ;^/ |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 19 Jan 25 - 11:19 AM 'Strongman' Lindsey Graham just announced on Face the Nation that he will demand that Trump attack Iran to eliminate their nuclear program. He also said that it was only Turmp's threat that all hell will break loose and not the State Dept. and diplomatic core of Biden that has led to a Gaza war ceasefire. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 19 Jan 25 - 12:13 PM Diplomatic Corps... |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 20 Jan 25 - 04:54 AM Well the big day has arrived for the inauguration of President-by-Proxy Musk. Up to two hundred Executive Orders threatened to be signed on his first day in office, including the deportation of up to ten million undocumented ‘aliens’ (how I HATE that f***ing word!). GOD HELP AMERICA! |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 20 Jan 25 - 06:24 AM America did not give up when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor! John Belushi |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 20 Jan 25 - 06:35 AM Manners are morals, not empty gestures. Despite our many mistakes, the US respects morality, accountability, and sensibility. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 20 Jan 25 - 11:25 AM Is that why Trump won by a landslide? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 20 Jan 25 - 12:38 PM He had less than 50% of total votes. Not even a mandate, let alone a landslide. I didn't listen to the swearing in, though I did play a little of the car radio version of "drop the needle." I clicked onto MSNBC at about 10:40 our time and heard Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic senator from Minnesota, speaking about government and the three co-equal branches. She was offering a very clear warning to Trump and his allies that the government will hold. Now we all need to work on that. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 20 Jan 25 - 01:18 PM Joe Biden pardons Dr Anthony Fauci to guard against Trump 'revenge' "In short: Joe Biden has pardoned Dr Anthony Fauci, retired general Mark Milley and members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the Capitol. "The decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically. "What's next? President Biden has promised a smooth transition to the next administration." .... "'The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgement that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offence,' Mr Biden said in a statement. "'Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country.' "The decision by Biden comes after Donald Trump warned of an enemies list filled with those who have crossed him politically." ... "Mr Biden is also extending pardons to members and staff of the January 6 committee, including Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Republicans, as well as the US Capitol and DC Metropolitan police officers who testified before the committee." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 20 Jan 25 - 01:44 PM The only song that comes to mind at the moment is Poor Unfortunate Souls (for all of us). Gift article from the New York Times Biden in Final Hours Pardons Relatives and Others to Thwart Trump Reprisals President Biden used his executive clemency power to protect people targeted by Donald J. Trump, including five members of his family as well as Liz Cheney, Anthony S. Fauci and Mark A. Milley. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 20 Jan 25 - 02:53 PM Sorry Stilly, but it was what everyone else calls a landslide. Majority of both electoral college and popular vote as well as his supporters winning both houses. We had the same in this country with the last general election. Labour gained 412 of the 650 seats available and that was also a landslide win. Yet they only had 34% of the vote. That is just the way first past the post democracy works. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 20 Jan 25 - 03:01 PM He won the election, but it wasn't an outright majority. Look at the numbers. Yes, the house and senate flipped. The house is so close it could flip again before the term it out if anyone else is ejected or dies or quits in the GOP side. It's close, it wasn't a landslide. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 20 Jan 25 - 03:54 PM A landslide does not mean an outright majority. It means that the candidate or party won by an overwhelming margin. In your election there were 538 votes to be counted. Trump 312 while Harris got got 226 which is an overwhelming margin by anyone's standards. Yes, I know it is the electoral college and, yes, I know it is stupid but it is, sadly, the system at the moment. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 20 Jan 25 - 04:41 PM What's done is done and not worth quibbling about. Let's look to what needs to be done now to try to turn back this tide. I still have a glimmer of hope that Trump's Republican "supporters" are working behind the scenes to prevent some of his society-breaking projects and to try to bring civilised society back to where it belongs. Sometimes catastrophe brings about revelations for right-minded people of what society should look like and what needs to be done to bring about that change. Sometimes we need to look into the abyss to be able to look up again at the sky. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Bill D Date: 20 Jan 25 - 05:03 PM Winning margin does not equal "overwhelming margin" just because it sounds good. I don't thing the International Bureau of Standards defines "overwhelming". It's just a subjective, personal idea. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 20 Jan 25 - 05:48 PM How do I know that it definitely wasn't a landslide? Trump said it was a landslide. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 20 Jan 25 - 05:51 PM Electoral votes are part of the problem. The actual population vote is what I was talking about. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 20 Jan 25 - 06:31 PM 90 million Americans did not vote in 2024. During the upcoming 'final financial squeeze', involvement may increase after the experience of what big controlling government really feels like. If people are honest in their answer to the question, "are you better off than you were 4 years ago?", they may see through the fog of billionaire BS. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 20 Jan 25 - 06:55 PM Gillymor - best answer yet :-) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 20 Jan 25 - 08:09 PM Popular vote totals in the 2024 presidential election: Harris 75,017,626 (48.33%) Trump 77,301,997 (49.8%) The electoral college is broken; it was put in place to bring the southern states into the US as the nation was forming - they wanted to keep owning slaves but not count them because they weren't able to vote. From Wikipedia: Supporters argue that it requires presidential candidates to have broad appeal across the country to win, while critics argue that it is not representative of the popular will of the nation.[a] Winner-take-all systems, especially with representation not proportional to population, do not align with the principle of "one person, one vote".[b][9] Critics object to the inequity that, due to the distribution of electors, individual citizens in states with smaller populations have more voting power than those in larger states. Because the number of electors each state appoints is equal to the size of its congressional delegation, each state is entitled to at least three electors regardless of its population, and the apportionment of the statutorily fixed number of the rest is only roughly proportional. This allocation has contributed to runners-up of the nationwide popular vote being elected president in 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016.[10][11] In addition, faithless electors may not vote in accord with their pledge.[12][c] A further objection is that swing states receive the most attention from candidates.[14] By the end of the 20th century, electoral colleges had been abandoned by all other democracies around the world in favor of direct elections for an executive president.[15][16]:215 |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 20 Jan 25 - 08:40 PM This video is good for a laugh: Melania HUMILIATES Trump At His INAUGURATION Ceremony |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 21 Jan 25 - 02:31 AM I picked this up from a FB Friend’s ‘Share’ of a piece from the Page ‘Jeremy Corbyn and Socialist News’. Seems par for the Trump course - lies, more lies, misinformation, ignoring facts, distortions, and fear-mongering. The emboldening of a section is mine… ”Trump’s Inauguration Speech: A Catalogue of Falsehoods and Misleading Claims Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president, and true to form, his inauguration speech was riddled with falsehoods, exaggerations, and outright lies. Below, we break down the key claims and the facts that expose the truth behind his statements. 1. Claim: Ending “Catch and Release” What Trump said: Trump declared he would issue an executive order to end “catch and release,” describing it as a policy that releases immigrants into the country while awaiting court proceedings. He framed it as a failure of past administrations. The Facts: “Catch and release” is a pejorative term referring to various policies used under multiple administrations, often due to insufficient detention facilities. Immigration experts note that the practice is largely outdated, and it is unclear how Trump plans to enforce his so-called ban. The rhetoric here is more about stirring fear than implementing functional policy. 2. Claim: Taking Back the Panama Canal What Trump said: Trump claimed that 38,000 Americans died during the construction of the Panama Canal and alleged that China now operates it, vowing to take it back. The Facts: The official death toll during the construction of the Panama Canal under U.S. oversight was about 5,600, with most deaths involving Caribbean workers, not Americans. Additionally, the Panama Canal is operated by Panama, not China. While a Hong Kong-based consortium won a port operation bid in 1997, U.S. and Taiwanese companies also manage ports along the canal. Trump’s claims are grossly inaccurate. 3. Claim: Inflation at Record Highs What Trump said: Trump blamed “massive overspending” for what he called “record inflation” in the U.S. The Facts: Inflation in the U.S. peaked at 9.1% in mid-2022, far from the record high of 23.7% in June 1920. By December 2024, inflation had dropped to 2.9%. Trump’s narrative conveniently ignores historical context and recent improvements in inflation rates. 4. Claim: U.S. Outspends Everyone on Healthcare What Trump said: Trump correctly stated that the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country but failed to acknowledge why. The Facts: While the U.S. does spend more on healthcare per capita, this is not a point of pride—it’s an indicator of inefficiency, privatized costs, and a lack of universal coverage. Trump used this fact without addressing the systemic issues causing these costs to spiral. 5. Claim: Incompetence During Emergencies What Trump said: Trump criticized emergency responses, alleging that hurricanes in North Carolina and wildfires in California were poorly handled due to government failure. The Facts: Trump’s claims about Hurricane Helene and California wildfires are misleading. He has previously spread unfounded conspiracy theories, such as suggesting the U.S. government manipulates weather or withholds aid. Experts in California clarified that water availability was not the issue during the fires, but Trump ignored these facts to launch political attacks. 6. Claim: Immigrants and Crime What Trump said: Trump claimed the U.S. provides sanctuary to “dangerous criminals” from prisons and mental institutions abroad, painting immigrants as a major threat. The Facts: There is no evidence to support Trump’s assertion that immigrants entering the U.S. are predominantly criminals. Studies, including from conservative think tanks like the Cato Institute, consistently show that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans. Trump’s inflammatory language fuels xenophobia without factual basis. Trump’s inauguration speech was a masterclass in fearmongering and misinformation. His repeated lies and distortions serve to distract from real issues, focusing instead on scapegoating and divisive rhetoric. As we embark on this new chapter, the public must stay vigilant against the dangers of misinformation from the highest office in the land. "I'm posting this, already knowing that anyone with any objective reasoning skills, knows trump is largely full of shit. The rest who were cheering on, they knew as well, but the sad thing is, that people are so desperate for hope, that they are willing to believe in the lies, because living in denial is kinder than the real world". "You can't solve a problem if you refuse to admit it exists." And living in denial IS NOT BLISS!!!” |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 21 Jan 25 - 07:30 AM So Trump has pardoned the Jan. 6 rioters, which means that if he doesn't like the outcome of the midterm elections or doesn't care to leave office when his term is up he can call on his violent, knuckle-dragging constituents to storm the Capitol again, this time with impunity. Welcome to the third world. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 21 Jan 25 - 07:43 AM Glossary: Blissinformation-noun-Telling people what they want to hear DOGEd - verb - Being fired by an unelected board of billionaires so the wealthy can thrive, Cryptocurrency - when created and sustained by Trump Republicans will replace Bond investments. such as: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/20/nx-s1-5268759/donald-trump-melania-cryptocurrency-meme-coins and Musk Doge coins |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 21 Jan 25 - 08:30 AM Their pardons must be revoked and 4 years added to their sentences, even if it is unconstitutional to do so by the next president, or 8,12 etc added on if it takes 2 or more future presidential elections, The rioters MUST be punished for the turnips abuse of power. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 21 Jan 25 - 08:44 AM na gonna appen What is a Trump American? They love: Pro Wrestling, Reality TV, Casinos and gambling, Celebrity culture, Social Media, fake religion, PT Barnum stuff, crime, bigot, sexploitation, and street cred when shot. TRUMP has mastered all of these things. !!!! Trump is more than a Joe 'sixpack' Rogan. He is the entire enchilada. He is what America has become. He is America as seen on TV. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 21 Jan 25 - 08:46 AM Presidential pardons can't be revoked. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 21 Jan 25 - 11:06 AM Presidential pardons are on the federal level, but that said, I doubt any states are going to try to pursue charges based upon their laws, but that is the only way it could happen (re: the January 6 pardons). Trump is throwing everything at the wall now, partly a huge distraction. Leaving the World Health Organization, leaving the Paris Climate Accords, sheer lunacy. Keep your eyes on NATO. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 21 Jan 25 - 12:45 PM Maybe they can't be revoked constitutionally, but there is nothing to stop a president ignoring the constitution even if it would result in serious repercussions: eg ordering internment outside due legal process, and the total breakdown of aw and order, where someone pardoned with just cause can be rearrested. Doing the right thing does border upon fascism, but if Americans don't want to live in a fascist state, they should have thought about the consequences before voting for trump. regarding pulling out of the Paris accord, the rest of the world MUST take measures to mitigate US's additional carbon footprint, even if it means rationing energy. Regarding WHO, if Americans do not want to be prepared for the next pandemic, that is their problem. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 21 Jan 25 - 01:41 PM If anyone had any doubt as to what the new order in the USA is going to be you need to see what Trump's puppet master is doing Musk's Nazi salute |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 21 Jan 25 - 07:18 PM "if Americans don't want to live in a fascist state, they should have thought about the consequences before voting for trump" I have posted warnings here of a growing fascist wave for 15 years as a patriotic American. I am not alone, or a Trump voter. Not even Hitler succeeded in his early years. Populism grows like a slow cancer. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 21 Jan 25 - 07:36 PM Mexican police have been known to sell out to the Cartels. Likewise in the US the Fraternal Order of the Police supported Trump and is silent about pardoning 1,500 insurrectionists who attacked police. Lines have been crossed and there is no line in Congress, the Supreme Court, or Police except a loyalty to total obedience for the leader. I believe only one Republican Senator was upset by the pardon. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 21 Jan 25 - 07:45 PM Then the police are disrespectful in term for the destroyed lives of their fellow officers who were holding the front line against the rioters. everyone watched the witness testimonies, even here in UK. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Neil D Date: 22 Jan 25 - 04:23 AM SRS said "The only song that comes to mind at the moment is Poor Unfortunate Souls (for all of us). I was actually thinking about a couple verses from "Mercy Now" by Mary Gauthier: My church and my country could use a little mercy now As they sink into a poisoned pit, it's going to take forever to climb out They carry the weight of the faithful who follow them down I love my church and country, they could use some mercy now Every living thing could use a little mercy now Only the hand of grace can end the race towards another mushroom cloud People in power, they'll do anything to keep their crown I love life and life itself could use some mercy now |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 22 Jan 25 - 04:31 AM Good one, Neil D! The song I was thinking of today was I'm an Asshole, by Dennis Leary and then I was thinking of the documentary and book by Aaron James called, Assholes: A Theory. I watched the doco and then bought the book and read it very soon after. Very enlightening. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 22 Jan 25 - 05:09 AM Some years back a fellow mudcatter from Germany stayed with us and we got round to discussing the dark days of the third reich. He commented that a lot of Germans referred to those times as "the madness". I hope that in 4 years time the majority of US folk will use the same term to describe what is currently happening. In the meanwhile, I hope anyone over there who is non-binary is safe. The man gets more despicable by the minute. If anyone feels a need to escape the madness for a while, get in touch. We have plenty of space at Gnome Towers :-) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 22 Jan 25 - 06:10 AM What I find so depressing, Dave, is that 74 million Americans voted for him. 74 million citizens of the country I’ve admired for most of my 77 years either couldn’t or wouldn’t see through him, couldn’t or wouldn’t recognise his malevolence, couldn’t or wouldn’t understand that he is not the ‘Christian’, nor the ‘man of the people’, he pretends to be, couldn’t or wouldn’t see how they were being duped by Trump, Musk, Vance, et al in exactly the same way, and for the same reasons as the people of Germany were duped in the ‘30s. Remember them saying, back in the late ‘40s/early ‘50s that “It could never happen here!”? Guess what - it’s happening in the US right now. And my fear is that it’s happening in many other countries, including the UK, too. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 22 Jan 25 - 06:41 AM It mystifies me as well and the only thing I can come up with is that he starred in a network TV show, which is a pretty sad commentary. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 22 Jan 25 - 06:43 AM At least they get chance to rectify their mistake in 4 years BWM. We are stuck with the Brexit madness for the forseeable future :-( |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 22 Jan 25 - 06:53 AM I have said this before but it is worth repeating, One of my lads was into WWE westling and I was happy to join in with the nonsense occasionaly. There was a whole plotline where Trump was pitted against Vince McMahon that ended up with a 'wrestling' match between them. While watching any of the nonsense and this bit in particular I always had that little seed of doubt that some people believed that it was actually real. Have I been proven right? I hope not! Still, maybe wrestling matches between world leaders could be the way forward... :-D Battle of the billionaires |
Subject: RE: Crypto criminal US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 22 Jan 25 - 07:33 AM I never had the imagination that the President and family would have their own cryptocurrency that would generate billions of untraceable dollars so that foreign bribery would be as easy as pie. In many ways, the Trump meme coin is like Madoff's Ponzi scheme. There are different ways to bribe the President like Pam Bondi buying 3 million dollars of Trurh Social stock. The bankruptcy king, Donald Trump, will explode a 46 trillion-dollar debt until the bond market will no longer buy federal bonds. Game over. The deficit now stands at 36 trillion. Do your due diligence before buying Elon's DogeCoin as a hedge against a great depression. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 22 Jan 25 - 08:50 AM ”At least they get chance to rectify their mistake in 4 years BWM. We are stuck with the Brexit madness for the forseeable future :-(“ Good point Dave. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 22 Jan 25 - 09:13 AM Anyway, let’s have a giggle to lighten the mood… https://www.facebook.com/reel/1155891432929511?fs=e&fs=e |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 22 Jan 25 - 09:57 AM There are things that Trump does that is remarkable... for example few men can man spread and man splain at the same time. He dances from the elbows down He can appear to have no idea regarding something he has spent months conspiring. He can defame and dismember an associate while he promotes them. He can appear to weigh 70 pounds more than he weighs. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 22 Jan 25 - 11:36 AM In this digital 'inkubator' on the web nothing here is ever going to go viral. There have possibly been malevolent intrusions here but it seems safe from the intimidation of the extreme fascist right. I wonder if an AI web crawling bot could disrupt anti Trump text on the web. Is there a safety net for free speech on the webs? Or am I just being naive or paranoid . |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 22 Jan 25 - 11:55 AM Convicted Capitol rioter turns down Trump pardon. She says, “We were wrong that day”. Now THAT is the understatement of the century! |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 22 Jan 25 - 12:31 PM Trump is still a puppet, all of those who are behind him are pulling the strings. He just thinks the pen in his hand is scissors and keeps him free of their influence. But whoever is the last person who spoke to Trump is the one who has the most influence - it's laughable how gullible he is. Will our income tax refunds be issued in Trump's currency? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 22 Jan 25 - 02:01 PM *Agree*, Stilly. The person marching in front of a zombie army isn't necessarily leading it: he's at least as likely to just be the one who worked out which way the zombies were marching in any case, and nipped round to the front. Stumbling, however, is distinctly contraindicated .... |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 22 Jan 25 - 02:26 PM I just watched the Oz TV show, Planet America, and one comment was that the tech billionaires i.e. Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg in the front row at the inauguration earn more than about 70 million low income Americans, combined. And as for Elon Musk, two thoughts: * Does Barron Trump look more like Musk than Donald Trump? Musk should be the person given the honour to plant the flag on Mars (because the chances of anyone returning alive from that trip are nil, in my inexpert opinion, and because he was happy to find people to volunteer for his do-or-die Mars expedition but not to do it himself.) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 22 Jan 25 - 07:07 PM A narcissist like Trump will become sadistic when he feels wronged. Most of his retribution orders come from him and not ancillary puppet masters. I was flummoxed to hear he pardoned the Silk Road Dark Webmaster. Considering who he made that promise to makes sadistic sense. At first, I thought he would want to use the dark web for his own anonymous criminal hiring. To fly two years into the future, Trump's Supreme Court will have to decide if Trump's official act to cancel part of the 14th Amendment is legal, constitutional, or amendable. There will be lots of foot-dragging to allow a maximum period of time to ignore the Constitution.. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Neil D Date: 23 Jan 25 - 01:31 AM Someone earlier said we'd have a chance to rectify the situation in four years and I hear that a lot, "We just have to survive four years of Trump." But I believe the worst will be over in less than two years. Historically, when one party wins big in a presidential election year they inevitably lose big in the following mid-term. The Republican majorities in both the senate and house are razor thin so it will only take a modicum of buyer's remorse for Democrats to retake both bodies. By then Trump will have shot his wad when it comes to executive orders so, with the entire congress arrayed against him, his capability of further damage to this nation and its people will be held in check. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 23 Jan 25 - 02:32 AM But he’ll still be able to use his big, vicious mouth to influence the easily-persuaded. It worked for him in November - 74 million listened. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 04:51 AM ...land of the free and the home of the brave. There are the most brave immigrants who faced dangers and death to find a new home. I HAVE BEEN TOLD HARROWING STORIES BY IMMIGRANTS of their entry and journey to the US. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 05:18 AM A bad defense... "Your honor the defendant broke into his ex wife and family's home and beat up the police who responded to the wife's 911 call but we are looking ahead - not behind." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 23 Jan 25 - 06:16 AM Big caesars and little caesars how they rise and how they fall from Julius Caesar to Boris Johnson by Ferdinand Mount, Bloomsbury 2024 Big Caesars and Little Caesars by Ferdinand Mount review – a wonderfully wry field guide to autocrats With tremendous wit and wisdom, the former head of Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit identifies the qualities particular to dictators – and warns against consigning such people to history How to deal, psychologically speaking, with Boris Johnson and Donald Trump? For obvious reasons, many of us have spent the past several years telling ourselves that these (insert your own insult here) politicians are outrageous anomalies, mere boils on the otherwise unblemished face of the body politic. Of course boils are nasty, their suppurating eruptions highly unpleasant for anyone who happens to be in the vicinity. We all know this. But we take comfort in the fact that they may also be treated. The condition, ultimately, is curable. The state – I won’t say deep state – will carefully apply its very own brand of topical antibiotics, and the inflammation will eventually disappear, smoothness restored at last (read on) The October 2024 issue of UK journal "History Today" has an article American Caesars - American democracy has been haunted by the spectre of a Caesar-type figure since the birth of the republic. Have such fears ever been justified? by Iain McDaniel. The prospect of a second Donald Trump victory in November’s US election has widely been seen – at least by liberal commentators –as an apocalyptic threat to democracy. Indeed, the coming election is sometimes framed as a binary clash between democracy and autocracy. Some have even cast Trump as a new Julius Caesar, whose re-election would strike a fatal blow to America’s republican institutions just as Caesar’s dictatorship paved the way for the autocracy of the emperors. As the Financial Times put it back in June: ‘Trump would resume office as an American Caesar with a ready-made toolkit of executive actions.’ Unfortunately it's behind a paywall, but it would be in many libraries, certainly in UK & Australia! Large libraries in US could have it too, especially university libraries with History departments. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 23 Jan 25 - 06:24 AM Part of me feels that the turnip should be allowed to do his worst and mankind suffer the impact for the next generation or two - just to teach humanity a little humility. When they realise what they have done to their childrens' and grandchildrens' lives then the punishment would fit the crime. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 08:25 AM correction: The largest police union in the U.S. has condemned President Donald Trump for his sweeping pardons of those involved in the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021. better late than never |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 08:44 AM For those of us who lived through WWII, no matter how bad Trump gets, we've seen worse. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 23 Jan 25 - 08:52 AM WWII? How old are you, Don? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 10:02 AM What is your name, birthday, SS number, address, phone, and mother's maiden name? I look about 60 which is good since my wife is 13 years younger. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 23 Jan 25 - 10:14 AM I guess a better question would be did you actually live through WW II and were you old enough that you can remember it? Just curious. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 10:20 AM I don't think the 2025 Trump administration is as smart or evil as we generally give them credit for. Cruel, vindictive, and criminal yes but not final solution evil. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 23 Jan 25 - 10:30 AM I wouldn't go as far as evil, yet, but we are yet to see what evil deeds will arise in the next 4 years - also for good measure add: sociopathic, self-entitled, nasty, vindictive, elitist and egotistic. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 23 Jan 25 - 10:31 AM I'm hoping they're just a less lovable version of the Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight and that they prove to be so embarrassing that the rest of the GOP won't get behind some of their whackier plans. This is a possibilty considering some of the incompetent bozos Trump's aligned himself with in the past. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 11:51 AM The cost of ignoring climate change and promoting for-profit-only AI is unknown but will be unrecoverable and catastrophic with great uncertainty on a global scale. That kind of evil could be worse than we imagine, such as the burning of great cities. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 23 Jan 25 - 12:18 PM This gang is largely a rabble in the background who have attached themselves to Trump because they can hate and act against those they hate. Think Steven Miller. The immigration situation - it isn't just to remove a criminal element, it is to try to remove brown non-English-speaking refugees and immigrants in the most painful way possible. If they were political prisoners this would be cruel and unusual punishment. I think "evil" is a good description of those people. And Trump because he makes it so. So many similar words describe him and his behavior. Vile and bellicose, for starters. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 23 Jan 25 - 02:13 PM Stolen from Faceache and not fact checked but, even if the source is incorrect, the priciple is still good - BREAKING: Democratic star Congressman Jamie Raskin delivers a show-stopping takedown of Donald Trump's lawless mass pardon of violent January 6th insurrectionists. This is exactly what all of us are thinking right now... "The chairman began by saying that the point here is to restore the rule of law... restore the rule of law... Can you even pretend to do that if you stand by and support Donald Trump who on day one — as the chairman of the committee just said — day one of his presidency, pardoned fifteen hundred insurrectionists including hundreds of people who violently assaulted and attacked American police officers?" said Raskin during a hearing of the Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. "Let's just take one person who is free today, Julian Khater, who had been convicted after having every due process protection, the right to counsel, the right to cross-examine witnesses, the right to introduce evidence, but they had him completely," said Raskin. "They knew exactly what happened. Most of this was videotaped so the whole world could see it," he continued. "Well, Julian Khater repeatedly violently assaulted our officer protecting us in Congress, Officer Brian Sicknick, who then proceeded to have several strokes and died on January the 7th, 2021, the next day." "The family of Officer Sicknick is absolutely devastated and demolished by what's just happened," Raskin went on. "I invite any of my colleagues, including the members new to this committee who maybe weren't here on January 6th and didn't experience the trauma of that violent insurrection when we saw a mob marauding through here yelling 'Hang Mike Pence! Hang Mike Pence!' and looking to assassinate Nancy Pelosi." "And now you have the temerity to come forward and say this is about public safety? How much safer are we now with these fifteen hundred criminals at large in Washington D.C. and going out into the country?" asked Raskin. "Are you vouching that these people are not going to be attacking any other police officers?" he added. "Are you vouching that they're no longer a threat to public safety? What an outrage! What a scandal!" The truth is that there is no defending Trump's pardons on anything other than purely partisan grounds. He released these criminals because they support him. He doesn't care that they attacked police officers. He doesn't care that they might do it again. All that matters is that they're in his MAGA cult. Please like and share! And,unless someone else nipped in, 100! |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Bill D Date: 23 Jan 25 - 03:30 PM re: Stephen Miller... I can barely stand to think about him. When I do I 'see' him in a Nazi uniform. In my not-so-humble opinion, he is one of the most hateful, dangerous people ever to have serious influence in government. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 23 Jan 25 - 03:46 PM John Pavlovitz on his Substack page. I’ve linked to it rather than copy/paste, as it’s a rather long piece. He expresses very eloquently the idea I’ve had for a long time about MAGA ‘Christians’ - that their actions are in direct opposition to the claims they make about their ‘faith’, and that MAGA ‘Christianity’ is, in fact, anti-Jesus. Well worth a read, IMHO. |
Subject: Who could be deported due to parents or grandpa From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 04:39 PM It will take a while for the Supreme Court to reinterpret the 14th amendment but how far back will the ruling apply to naturalized parents or grandparents? Hitler laws went back 3 generations to search for any Jewish blood that would ban an SS wedding. I have step grandparents that were never naturalized after being processed at Ellis Island. My wife has a grandmother never naturalized who came from Canada. Her grandfather was naturalized because he signed up for WWI in the US. Many Irish men gained citizenship that way. So depending upon a Court ruling more people could face technical deportation than first imagined. Who knows all the unlikely people who may be interpreted as illegal? It could be you. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 04:50 PM Steven Miller has devised a no hearing or due process deportation. It is already challenged in Court. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 05:14 PM Because Trump pardoned 1,500 insurrectionists without 'prejudice' the DOJ has informed the 135 capitol police that they are no longer 'victims'. That sounds as Orwellian as it gets. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 23 Jan 25 - 05:32 PM Like many government agencies, the NIH is under a gag order in which it is illegal to disclose the gag order. This post needs the help of a moderator to be removed by end of day, |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 24 Jan 25 - 02:35 AM A ‘gag order’? WT Actual F? What happened to you ‘Murricans’ much-worshipped free speech? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 24 Jan 25 - 04:22 AM I’ll try that again, in a way that I hope makes better sense! A gag order? WTAF? What happened to the American Holy Cow of ‘free speech’? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 24 Jan 25 - 05:50 AM Even the VA had a hiring freeze, banned all travel, and a gag order but word got out so the ban on new doctors and nurses was canceled. They want to privatize the VA. The NIH is ordered not to communicate anything about bird flu even to fellow scientists, no travel, and no new hires. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 24 Jan 25 - 09:27 AM This is from the Occupy Democrats Facebook froup in February 2019.Just as valid today, if not more so. Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?" Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England, wrote this magnificent response: "A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace - all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief. Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing - not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility - for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is - his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty. Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults - he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness. There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege. And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff - the Queensberry rules of basic decency - and he breaks them all. He punches downwards - which a gentleman should, would, could never do - and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless - and he kicks them when they are down. So the fact that a significant minority - perhaps a third - of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that: * Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are. * You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man. This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump. And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: 'My God… what… have… I… created? If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 24 Jan 25 - 10:38 AM It's getting closer. The former boss is fired and the new boss is under the gun. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 threads. From: robomatic Date: 24 Jan 25 - 01:19 PM I think of Trump as the "shoot the moon" of character flaws. Not unlike that well-written post transmitted by DtG. Just a briefer way of description. But he is the one in the White House for the present and next four years. There was a Presidential contest in the late 19th century where one of candidates had undeniably fathered an illegitimate child. One of the slogans of the anti crowd was: "Maw, Maw, where's my paw?" To which the other side replied: "Gone to the White House! Haw Haw Haw!" |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 24 Jan 25 - 02:50 PM > Large libraries in US could have it [the FT] too, especially > university libraries with History departments. Not for long, if history is any guide. Which reminds me: Does anybody here know if Fahrenheit 451 is on the list of books to burn? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 24 Jan 25 - 03:48 PM The US.gov website has been cleansed of any mention of 1-6. The victor can erase history. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 24 Jan 25 - 04:00 PM Am I the only person who thinks Barron Trump looks more like Elon Musk than $Trump? Is that why Melanoma won't kiss her husband in public any more? :-D |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 24 Jan 25 - 04:23 PM I've heard that one already. Elon has a bizarre perverse creepy unkissable mouth. There is a Trump doxxing campaign going on for suspected disloyal government employees and the removal of security details for folks like Pompeo and Bolton. If someone was in the outer circle of Fauci's labs they are getting the ax since Biden gave Tony a pardon which made Donald mad. That's as many as 200 people. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 24 Jan 25 - 05:09 PM The shut down gag order OF THE HEALTH AGENCIES I've been talking about is being reported on MSNBC. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 24 Jan 25 - 11:19 PM And Hegseth made it through the vote, though it was a squeaker. For once McConnell did the honorable thing and voted against the creep, but Vance broke the tie. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 25 Jan 25 - 07:10 AM From the Occupy Democrats FB Page…absolutely spot-on as far as this Brit is concerned… “Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?" Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England, wrote this magnificent response: "A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace - all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief. Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing - not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility - for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is - his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty. Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults - he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness. There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege. And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff - the Queensberry rules of basic decency - and he breaks them all. He punches downwards - which a gentleman should, would, could never do - and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless - and he kicks them when they are down. So the fact that a significant minority - perhaps a third - of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that: * Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are. * You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man. This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws - he would make a Trump. And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: 'My God… what… have… I… created? If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 25 Jan 25 - 07:12 AM Helen, re Melania not kissing her husband on camera: There's an ongoing debate in this house over whether we're seeing Melania or False Melania. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 25 Jan 25 - 09:57 AM Some say Trump is more real life than other politicians. Obama was all rainbows and unicorns but Trump is all forclose with a unicorn horn up our ass. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 25 Jan 25 - 10:10 AM "Here I come to save the day!" that means that Donald Trump is on his way. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 25 Jan 25 - 01:33 PM BWM, do you realise that DtG already posted that on Date: 24 Jan 25 - 09:27 AM. A good read, some excellent points, and much easier to read with the line breaks, so thanks. And MaJoC, by "False Melania" do you mean she has been AI generated or maybe cloned? LOL |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 25 Jan 25 - 04:27 PM Aaaaahh! When I read it on the FB Page I thought it seemed slightly familiar! Well something so spot-on is worth repeating IMHO! ;-) :-) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 25 Jan 25 - 04:54 PM Well, I've now read it twice and it was worth it. LOL |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Hrothgar Date: 26 Jan 25 - 04:23 AM I am not sure whether this statistic is available - but how many of the members of Congress who fled before the approaching mob on 06 Jan 21 approved of the pardons? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: The Sandman Date: 26 Jan 25 - 05:00 AM https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8057lnd997o link to the BBC |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 26 Jan 25 - 05:52 AM > do you mean she has been AI generated or maybe cloned? Nah, just from the same cookie-cutter. It's something I've noted many times over the years: once some female gets noticed enough to be (*akkh* *phht*) a Celebrity, instances of The Look appear all over the piece. It's especially noticeable when said Look is clearly manufactured, and thus more easily reproducible. Case in point: all those lookalike competitions masquerading as Real Housewives of Lesser Bitchington which infest daytime TV, whose primary function is to be low-cost infill to keep the adverts apart. I shouldn't complain too much, though. I settled on my own Look in the late 1960s, so Herself has to sit in when I'm at the barber's to ensure I don't come back looking like a recycled hippie. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 26 Jan 25 - 07:12 AM Fractal flaws ad infinitum... The government-wide shutdown of hiring, purchasing, travel, is particularly hazardous to experiments and research. When you can't buy food for the animals more than the experiment is killed. So far the bird flu has jumped from birds to cattle to cats. The cases of human infection is from raw milk. The 1917 flu pandemic was not a bird flu as first suspected but with the Trump NIH gag order work stoppage, the hazards are in the hands of viral mutation. Hegseth now heads up the Pentagon. We have had heavy drinking Generals like Ulysses S Grant but Hegseth says he is not a General. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 26 Jan 25 - 09:37 AM Agent Orange begins putting his plan to piss the rest of the world off into effect… |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 26 Jan 25 - 10:09 AM Invading Greenland's 21,000 citizens might embolden China's invasion of Taiwan. Denmark has been in NATO since 1949. Invading NATO nations by the US would set quite a precedent. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 26 Jan 25 - 01:26 PM Got it, MaJoC. Like the characters in the hilariously funny Oz parody show called We Interrupt This Broadcast especially when relating to the shows called Married at First Sight (MAFS) and Love Island, which they renamed Lip Island. The women in Lip Island had outlandishly outsized lips, i.e. big, shiny red plastic replicas. However, I don't think Melanoma's cosmetic work is quite that bad. She does actually look like a real human, IMHO, although more like an automaton with her lack of human emotion. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 26 Jan 25 - 04:41 PM Side thought: "OK, we'll give you Greenland, in exchange for California and Florida." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: robomatic Date: 26 Jan 25 - 05:47 PM I'm sure the war gaming communities both in the world's professional militaries and pundit gaming circles are working current politics into the prospects for Taiwan. If China is going to seize Taiwan they're going to want to have a large installed second strike capability in place. China is supposedly developing a nuclear capability to rival those of U.S.A. and Russia. Might be one reason they have not tried to suppress N. Korea's nuclear development. On the "Past as Prologue" subject, I'm wondering if we can actually form a picture of TRMP activity based on his previous term: ?More and different varied chaos? ?More organized swing to the right? ?More divergence between American extremes? ?New political parties? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 27 Jan 25 - 07:12 AM Two consecutive items in RISKS Digest 34.53 just caused me to think "Surprise" .... Entry dated Mon, 20 Jan 2025:
Entry dated Fri, 24 Jan 2025:
For the record, there's an article in The Register, with the title "Trump 'waved a white flag to Chinese hackers' as Homeland Security axed cyber advisory boards". |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 27 Jan 25 - 08:04 AM PS: It's worth reading the whole of that issue of RISKS. Many of the other articles concern the promotion of cryptocurrencies by the incoming |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 27 Jan 25 - 10:36 AM I just spent 4 hours listening to the Trump advisor on AI coding, DEI, censorship, and debanking. He worked for Twitter and META. He leaves me wondering if some of his issues are crazy shit or true. He also loves himself some Elon. Knowing where and from whom ideas come from is enlightening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHWnPOKh_S0 The crazy thing is not every issue is untrue. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 27 Jan 25 - 08:25 PM This information has been posted on social media so people can do their own fact checking (should have been anyway, but now it is all the more important): Politifact https://www.politifact.com/ Factcheck.org https://www.factcheck.org/ Washington Post Fact Checker https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fact-checker/ Snopes https://www.snopes.com/ Duke Reporter’s Lab Fact Checker https://reporterslab.org/fact-checking/ SciCheck https://www.factcheck.org/scicheck/ FlackCheck https://www.annenbergclassroom.org/ Media Bias Fact Check (MBFC) https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/ NPR Fact Check https://www.npr.org/sections/politics-fact-check |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 28 Jan 25 - 03:30 AM January 6 rioter Matthew Huttle shot dead by police during traffic stop just days after Trump pardon "In short: Police say that a January 6 rioter who had recently been pardoned by Donald Trump has been shot and killed by police at a traffic stop. "Matthew Huttle, who agreed to a plea deal that gave him six months in jail in 2023, was in possession of a firearm during the traffic stop, state police said. "What's next? The investigation is ongoing. "An Indiana man who was recently pardoned by US President Donald Trump for his participation in the January 6 riots has been shot and killed by a deputy at a traffic stop. "Matthew Huttle was shot by a Jasper County sheriff's deputy on Sunday morning, local time, after allegedly resisting arrest after an altercation took place with an officer, authorities said. "The 42-year-old was in possession of a firearm during the traffic stop, state police said. "Huttle was one of the almost 1,500 people pardoned by Mr Trump as one of his first acts upon his return to the White House. "State police said that the deputy officer tried to arrest the man from Hobart, Indiana, when an altercation 'took place between the suspect and the officer, which resulted in the officer firing his weapon and fatally wounding the suspect'." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: The Sandman Date: 28 Jan 25 - 04:02 AM Stilly river sage, it is important to question all information, regardless of its source, with the exception of the weather reports |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 28 Jan 25 - 06:13 AM Over here Trump has used his Sharpie to alter hurricane weather reports. I intentionally read the opinions of those who have the ear of Trump. Marc Andreessen is a hundred times more intelligent than Kash Patel. Trump prefers stupid radical puppets over smart ones. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 28 Jan 25 - 07:28 AM A poem by Michael Rosen… Trump talked of a million and a half people. and he wondered aloud what if ‘we just clean out that whole thing?’ He wondered aloud what if we say ‘you know, it’s over.’? What do you say you people we vote for, you who shroud your soft bodies in suits and sit enclosed in the safety of offices in the towers of glass and steel you who sit on TV panels shaking your cheeks with horror at outrages round the globe what do you say to the man who talks of cleaning out people like the people are unclean what do you say to the man who talks of people as ‘that whole thing’ like the people are a thing. What do you say to the President who talks of the people of Gaza as if they are an unclean thing? What do you say to us? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 28 Jan 25 - 12:48 PM This is when a percentage of people who voted for Trump start to rethink that decision: Donald Trump to pause all federal grants and loans, memo reveals "In short: The Trump administration has temporarily paused grant, loan and other financial assistance programs at the Office of Management and Budget. "His administration made the request in a memo which referenced the executive orders including those seeking to dismantle programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). "What's next? "According to the memo, the suspension begins on January 28 at 5pm EST (January 29, 8am AEST)." .... "'The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,' Mr Vaeth added. "According to the memo, the suspension begins on January 28 at 5pm EST (January 29, 8am AEST). 'The memo has prompted criticism from congressional Democrats, who have responded to reports of the memo by sending a letter demanding the OMB reverse its decision. "'The scope of what you are ordering is breathtaking, unprecedented, and will have devastating consequences across the country,' Democratic Senator Patty Murray and Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro wrote. "We write today to urge you in the strongest possible terms to uphold the law and the Constitution and ensure all federal resources are delivered in accordance with the law." .... |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 28 Jan 25 - 12:56 PM What is next is that all the money that was supposed to go help people will now stay in Washinton so that in a few months when Trump goes to lower taxes on billionaires he will show a huge amount of money available to do so. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 28 Jan 25 - 01:11 PM In other words, if you were a bank robber you would not want any money transferred out of the bank you will rob. Of the 300 executive orders, 95% of them are designed to create a diversion from the 'heist'. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 28 Jan 25 - 01:29 PM An exception to this freeze of all payments is the third rail of Social Security, the majority of which ends up in the pockets of landlords. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 28 Jan 25 - 06:46 PM The Trump emails have gone out to government workers stating "If you resign now we will be nice to you". The strategy is to destroy the government leaving an oligarchal monarchy. Those employees weighing their options know the courts will take years while the President can act in 5 minutes. We had a Republic if we could keep it. So far we can't if intimidation and blackmail works. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 28 Jan 25 - 08:14 PM The Trump email came directly from OPM office of personnel management for the first time in history by bypassing the firewall security system. Everyone got the email saying if you don't resign now your benefits will disappear. This email strategy is similar to the Musk email that got most of Twitter to resign. Without a brave solidarity, this will destroy the Federal government's ability to survive. This will be a week of profiling one's courage or cowardice. Like climate change, the revolution is here and now. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 28 Jan 25 - 10:38 PM There are protections in the law for federal employees. There are protections in the law for citizens that Trump is trying to do an end-run around. Just tonight the White House reversed itself from some of the funding it blocked (for AIDS drugs, etc.) This funding freeze is illegal. I've sent letters and messages via the various official sites for the two senators and the representative in my state. I'm going to be doing a lot of this. Now that I have it set up I hope to be able to dash off messages as often as needed. If we all do it, it gets noticed. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 29 Jan 25 - 01:57 AM When it comes to energy, Donald Trump is China’s useful idiot The US president’s ‘drill, baby, drill’ strategy ignores long-term global trends Donald Trump is late to the shale party. The fracking boom of the last 15 years has largely run its course as the best seams are exploited and productivity declines. Even if the geology holds up, the pace of drilling will be set by the global price of oil, the US price of gas, and the cost of capital – already higher on market fears of inflationary overheating and debt addiction. “We will drill, baby, drill. We will be a rich nation again, and it is that liquid gold under our feet that will help to do it,” said the president at his Orwellian inaugural. He was beaten to it by Barack Obama, Trump 1.0, and Joe Biden. America is already a rich nation and the world’s energy hegemon. The burning question now is whether Trump 2.0 will throw it away. (read on) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 29 Jan 25 - 07:03 AM "There are protections in the law for federal employees. There are protections in the law for citizens that Trump is trying to do an end-run around." When has federal law ever stopped Trump? When have impeachments worked? When have the courts truly prevailed? It is possible that this is an overreach even for a master criminal. If so the gears of justice grind slowly while Trump moves at the speed of tweet. Trump relies on committing the crime while the protections in law tread water for years until the victims slowly drown. The Dem Senate will try a full court press of delaying Trump actions via every tool in the toolbox but will it be enough? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 29 Jan 25 - 08:08 AM Lord, I was born a gamblin' man Lyin' to make a livin' and doin' the scam I can And when it's time for stealin I know you'll understand That I was born a gamblin' man Well, my father was a gambler way up in Queens And he wound up on the extreme right for the whites And I was born into millions from shitty rentals In courtrooms day and night Lord, I was born a gamblin' man Lyin' to make a livin' and doin' the scam I can And when it's time for stealin' I know you'll understand That I was born a gamblin' man Alright I'm on my way to the White House this mornin' Leaving on my jet, in Florida They're always having a good time in Mara Lago Lord, and hot porn women think the world of me Lord, I was born a gamblin' man Tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the scam I can And when it's time for stealin' I know you'll understand That I was born a gamblin' man |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 29 Jan 25 - 08:55 AM An excellent piece by Charles Pierce, which pretty much sums up my lifetime views of US Presidents, and the current, revolting incumbent… "In my life, I have watched John Kennedy talk on television about missiles in Cuba. I saw Lyndon Johnson look Richard Russell squarely in the eye and and say, "And we shall overcome." I saw Richard Nixon resign and Gerald Ford tell the Congress that our long national nightmare was over. I saw Jimmy Carter talk about malaise and Ronald Reagan talk about a shining city on a hill. I saw George H.W. Bush deliver the eulogy for the Soviet bloc, and Bill Clinton comfort the survivors of Timothy McVeigh's madness in Oklahoma City. I saw George W. Bush struggle to make sense of it all on September 11, 2001, and I saw Barack Obama sing 'Amazing Grace' in the wounded sanctuary of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. "These were the presidents of my lifetime. These were not perfect men. They were not perfect presidents, god knows. Not one of them was that. But they approached the job, and they took to the podium, with all the gravitas they could muster as appropriate to the job. They tried, at least, to reach for something in the presidency that was beyond their grasp as ordinary human beings. They were not all ennobled by the attempt, but they tried nonetheless. "And comes now this hopeless, vicious buffoon, and the audience of equally hopeless and vicious buffoons who laughed and cheered when he made sport of a woman whose lasting memory of the trauma she suffered is the laughter of the perpetrators. Now he comes, a man swathed in scandal, with no interest beyond what he can put in his pocket and what he can put over on a universe of suckers, and he does something like this while occupying an office that we gave him, and while endowed with a public trust that he dishonors every day he wakes up in the White House. "The scion of a multigenerational criminal enterprise, the parameters of which we are only now beginning to comprehend. A vessel for all the worst elements of the American condition. And a cheap, soulless bully besides. We never have had such a cheap counterfeit of a president* as currently occupies the office. We never have had a president* so completely deserving of scorn and yet so small in the office that it almost seems a waste of time and energy to summon up the requisite contempt. "Watch how a republic dies in the empty eyes of an empty man who feels nothing but his own imaginary greatness, and who cannot find in himself the decency simply to shut up even when it is in his best interest to do so. Presidents don't have to be heroes to be good presidents. They just have to realize that their humanity is our common humanity, and that their political commonwealth is our political commonwealth, too. Watch him behind the seal of the President of the United States. Isn't he a funny man? Isn't what happened to that lady hilarious? Watch the assembled morons cheer. This is the only story now." - Charles Pierce God Help America (and the rest of the world). |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 29 Jan 25 - 11:29 AM Musk offered to give Twitter employees a payout if they would leave - they left, but never got the payout. He just tried the same thing with Federal employees. Didn't even change the wording on the stupid email that they sent out from OPM. He must think we're stupid. But then, Trump was elected. Don't fall for that shit, folks. I don't think I've ever seen a more accurate representation of the term "hot mess" than is going on right now in Washington, D.C. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 29 Jan 25 - 12:03 PM > they left, but never got the payout. Par for the course. Musk doesn't pay his bills either .... does that remind you of anybody? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 29 Jan 25 - 12:37 PM "He must think we're stupid" He thinks he gets more attention and his victims won't be heard. Every single government employee is being asked to resign in less than a week. This action will curtail all programs excluding supposingly 3 agencies. You would think this buy out of Americans who help Americans on such short notice would scare the shit out of the public. The public either has not heard, do not believe, or believe life will go on as usual. I believe this action will reset America to zero and to start over from nothing would take many years or never. Having the most incompetent appointees in charge will assure the end of the remaining competent employees that do not quit. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 29 Jan 25 - 02:07 PM A bit of background from an article in The Register yesterday (overstrike in the original). This might explain how those msgs bypassed the firewall.
The entire article bears reading. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 29 Jan 25 - 02:33 PM More snippage from that article:
This was the same OPM that got hacked in 2014, quite possibly by a Chinese crew, which is why the laws being flouted were put in place. Let's see, from the POV of a systems administrator: Fresh server, not valeted by the security people, plonked inside the firewall; and an e-mail address which is eminently fakeable being declared to be trustworthy by definition. What could possibly go wrong? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 29 Jan 25 - 03:53 PM Awwww MaJoC, you're such a cynic! LOL Thanks for that article. My Hubby reads The Register too. Some interesting, readable content. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 29 Jan 25 - 07:08 PM No he's not a cynic Helen. He just picked up on the truth that I reported. As an inside man, I see what's going on in the government. Never before has OPM DIRECTLY contacted employees, instead it was disseminated by each sub-branch. The reason was accurately reported. 4 years ago fellow mudcatters argued that the US institutions would hold on. They did for a time but this is a battle to destroy them all. With no Office of Government Ethics, criminals will have a clear path etc. The report that the Trump freeze on spending is rescinded is inaccurate. Many parts of it continue behind the scenes until journalists expose the truth. Some things Trump wants to hide like secret documents in the bathroom. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 29 Jan 25 - 10:00 PM I was attempting to be ironic, Donuel. LOL |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 29 Jan 25 - 10:35 PM AH crap, often I am a literal nerd. It depends on mood and word. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 29 Jan 25 - 10:49 PM A plane collision with a helicopter, both crashing into the Potomac will divert attention from Trump for a news cycle. Let's hope he doesn't try to one-up that news, it could be catastrophic. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 30 Jan 25 - 06:58 AM So mnny questions: why is a military aircraft even in cemercial aircraft approach and lnding airspace. Why didn't ARC spot he airspace encroachment? Why dud ATC nit assume first of all that the military heeicpter would be encroaching its airspace and order it to apport its take off/landing when the helicooter was at risk encroaching the airines fight path and divert the plane just in case |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 30 Jan 25 - 08:28 AM lt's official, everyone at work now has Elon Musk's spyware on their computer. China already had our data but now they have an update. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 30 Jan 25 - 12:04 PM Trump blamed the crash on Biden, Budajedge Bull Shit and DEI. He intimated someone not white allowed the crash to happen, possibly an air traffic controller or pilot. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Dave the Gnome Date: 30 Jan 25 - 01:11 PM The idiot is just sick. The sooner the world stage is rid of it, the better |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 30 Jan 25 - 02:09 PM Aw thanks, Helen (*blush*). For your (and Hubbie's) delight and delectation, there was a followup article the next day, which documents the trap being sprung. Read in full, but not on a full stomach .... it's the second article in a row that's got a picture of Agent X doing That Arm Gesture. Oh, and I do accept the title of Cynic (in the sense of "what happens when an idealist becomes a realist") with a modicum of pride. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 30 Jan 25 - 02:36 PM > someone not white Not quite, Donuel. I made the mistake of staying in the room when the news was covering the Stable Genius's blatherings; what I heard was a sustained dribble about mental defectives (at which point I thought "Democrats"), and Herself heard mention of dwarves, as if being short of inches means being short of marbles, but it's difficult straining sense out of drivel. The journalistic expression "using up all the oxygen in the room" seems to have fallen out of fashion. Mebbe we're now just used to a permanently anoxic environment, like yeast in wine-making. I propose to now go and do something more constructive, like stroking the cat. Negative ions are good for you. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 30 Jan 25 - 02:45 PM Trump is all about blame. Don, keep your head down. Until Musk is found to be so out of bounds that even Trump kicks him out you're stuck with keyloggers or whatever they put in the machinery. No Mudcat at work, please. We don't need that gaze directed to this little site. (This from a former state employee who ended up with a keylogger on her computer at work for six months after an old Mudcat troll created an email account and sent a complaint to the department management that I was badmouthing them blah blah blah; no truth to it, but he was trying to get me fired and making threats about going to the media. It resulted in a police report and stalking investigation but the IT department still put that stupid logger on. You can see when it goes in and again when it goes away.) Federal employees: don't log your phone onto the building network or check your work email using it, use WiFi only if you use a VPN if you use your phone in that building. Don't log onto your work accounts from home unless you already work from home and have a separate machine for your personal accounts. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: robomatic Date: 30 Jan 25 - 02:55 PM It's pretty easy to use a microcosm of the web as a 'sampler' of internet issues: This thread, for example. People write in with news items but mostly they are: "I heard" items. If we care not to be misinformed, we need a filter for most things these days. My filter is multiple sources. Among them, the New York Times, public broadcasting, the BBC, DW, and certain posts from certain people. There are also negative filters. Some posters are reliable sources of misinformation. THIS IS NOT NEW. It's just the most recent incarnation of same old same old. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 30 Jan 25 - 03:58 PM I agree, robomatic. My filter of multiple sources includes ABC (Oz) News, Planet America (Oz TV show), SBS (Oz) News, PBS, ABC America, PBS Washington Week With The Atlantic, DW, and other reliable, trustworthy, factual and analytical news sources. I always post links and summaries of news articles when possible. Stilly, thanks for the advice on staying digitally safe. Being now retired I only have to worry about the home network and Hubby, the IT coordinator fixes all that. You have reminded me of when, in my last state government job, I began an email to a colleague thanking them for a compliment received by saying "Aw shucks". I almost immediately received notification from the IT Dept that I was using inappropriate language and my email was canned. I then immediately emailed a reply with a history of that phrase, including Disney and other animated shows from 50 years ago. That shut them up, quick-smart. (As I recall I had been stirring up trouble with management just prior to that, being a Union rep with a cause to fight for, so I think it wasn't random that my emails were being monitored. LOL) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Neil D Date: 31 Jan 25 - 04:01 AM Less than 2 weeks into his administration and Trunp already has a negative approval rating, but a stat like that just pisses me off. Because mathematics will tell you that that means people who voted for him now disapprove of him. He has only done what he said he would so why the shift. I can only think it is derangement. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 31 Jan 25 - 06:39 AM This from someone called Mike Kemp (don’t know him, he just commented on a FB thread). It concerns Trump’s comments about the quality of recruitment in air traffic control: “Hearing Trump's concern for people ending up in jobs despite psychological problems and ineptitude making them manifestly unsuitable was an irony too far.” Trump really doesn’t get irony, does he? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 31 Jan 25 - 07:21 AM There are meetings with many of Stilly's suggestions. Trump does have commoner sense. He knows when he is responsible he needs to blame others when there is failure. He has not picked a director of the FAA. There is no director. The air traffic control were understaffed PERHAPS because of his DEI abolishment. The mid-air collision did happen on his watch. Time to blame others. His genius idea to kill Covid with bleach was his first medical thought. His first thought about air safety is to blame others, especially nonwhites, women or Democrats. On an aside, I have heard the prior plane crash in the Potomac was blamed on ice which is not entirely true. The Pilots Never extended the flaps which is crucial for take off. The ice idea was merely the first speculation back in 1987. Funny how lies don't die. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 31 Jan 25 - 07:30 AM good one Backwoodsman. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 31 Jan 25 - 10:53 AM I refer the honourable gentleFOLK to a comment I made earlier in another place: - sarcasm fully intended..... Trump, in his infinite wisdom (and unmatched qualifications from owning hotels, casinos, and golf resorts, not to mention his personal golf prowess), considers himself a forensic expert in air crash investigations. He can confidently determine the cause of a tragedy before any proper analysis even begins. Meanwhile, the grieving families of the victims should feel fortunate—after all, their loss has given Trump the perfect platform to spew his bile, instead of offering any semblance of leadership or empathy in the face of such profound suffering. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 31 Jan 25 - 10:57 AM Now waiting for public condemnation by all of the other 192 UN states, starting with my Prime Minister and/or Foreign Secretary. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 31 Jan 25 - 12:52 PM A giant eye-roll goes out to Trump for ordering historic black colleges to stop teaching black history. Also for federal agencies to not celebrate or recognize MLK Day, Juneteenth, or black history month. In the document, there is an asterisk and small print "except federal holidays". Its hard to parody this guy's bull shit so I won't. *except in song |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 31 Jan 25 - 01:21 PM So slavery never happened and voting equality was a generous gift by while supremacist elite. Oh, that's alright then.... (sarcasm) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 31 Jan 25 - 01:33 PM I'm gonna pitch CBS a new Trump reality show called World's dumbest racists. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: gillymor Date: 31 Jan 25 - 01:39 PM I wonder what the young black males who went for Trump in 24 are feeling about him now. Reminds me of what Jeb Stuart said of his father in law who chose to stay in the Union at the outset of the Civil War, "He will regret it but once and that will be continually." That will be probably be true for a lot of people as this reign of hatred and stupidity proceeds. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 31 Jan 25 - 03:03 PM Another popular show could be 'Stump the Trump' where audience members would ask him simple questions like "why do icebergs float" or why do the oceans have tides? What is a cochlear implant? Did Gary Bussy answer these questions correctly? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 31 Jan 25 - 03:10 PM As for BWM's quote about "..an irony too far", it reminds me of a certain memorable (for all the wrong reasons) UK PM known as the Iron Lady, so is there an irony-related nickname for Trump? In my head I had the name Iron Maiden, i.e. the rock band, so the first nickname I thought of was Irony MadeMe. I've said this before - yes, I know, ad nauseum - but it would really make a difference if voting was compulsory. How are the people who didn't vote feeling right now? Remind me please: how many million people didn't vote? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Doug Chadwick Date: 31 Jan 25 - 03:33 PM ... it would make a difference if voting was compulsory. I always make the effort to vote as I consider it my civic duty but I reserve the right to abstain if none of the candidates meet my expectations. If voting was compulsary, I would strongly consider the Monster Raving Loony Party or similar, if available, as a protest vote. The danger is that one of these joke parties could end up in power. DC |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 31 Jan 25 - 03:34 PM To answer my own question, the U.S. News site says 89 million or 30% of eligible voters did not vote. Or this Environmental Voter Project site "Although Donald Trump only beat Kamala Harris by a razor thin 1.6% margin in the popular vote, the 2024 election was in many ways a blow-out if you consider all the ballots that could have been cast but weren't. "Using data from the University of Florida Election Lab, a new analysis by the Environmental Voter Project shows that 85.9 million eligible voters skipped the 2024 general election, far surpassing the 76.8 million ballots cast for Donald Trump or the 74.3 million for Kamala Harris. "If 'Did Not Vote' had been a presidential candidate, they would have beaten Donald Trump by 9.1 million votes, and they would have won 21 states, earning 265 electoral college votes to Trump's 175 and Harris's 98." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 31 Jan 25 - 03:52 PM Worth the wait... upcoming Netflix movie: The Prince of Dark Revenge starring Kash Patelzebub. Coming soon: For Whom the Bell Trolls starring Elon Trump Trump threatened Spain with 100% tariffs because he thought the s in BRICS nations stood for Spain. It stands for South Africa. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 31 Jan 25 - 04:19 PM Sorry, typo: I should have said 36% of eligible voters did not vote, as quoted from the U.S. News site. Donuel, maybe someone clever could clone an Elon Trump (non-human) being. Ooooh! Scary! Donald Trump to put US tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China from Saturday "In short: Mexico, Canada and China will face tariffs on exports to the US from Saturday, the White House has confirmed. "Despite earlier reports Donald Trump would wait until March 1, Mexico and Canada will be hit with tariffs of 25 per cent, and China a rate of 10 per cent, from Saturday February 1." ... "Economists and business executives have warned that the tariffs would spark major increases in the prices of imports such as aluminium and lumber from Canada, fruits, vegetables, beer and electronics from Mexico and motor vehicles from both countries. "Tariffs are paid by firms that import goods and pass the costs on to consumers or accept lower profits, economists say. "'President Trump's tariffs will tax America first,' said Matthew Holmes, public policy chief at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. 'From higher costs at the pumps, grocery stores and online checkout, tariffs cascade through the economy and end up hurting consumers and businesses on both sides of the border.'" |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 31 Jan 25 - 04:29 PM I wonder how many MAGA-Muppets think that Mexico, Canada, and China will pay for the tariffs? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 31 Jan 25 - 04:34 PM Meanwhile at government agencies there's a man going around taking names...for real … "And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder One of the four beasts saying, 'Come and see.' and I saw, and behold a white horse" … There's a man goin' 'round takin' names And he decides who to free and who to blame Everybody won't be treated all the same There'll be a golden ladder reachin' down When the man comes around … The hairs on your arm will stand up At the terror in each sip and in each sup Will you partake of that last offered cup Or disappear into the potter's ground? When the man comes around … Hear the trumpets hear the pipers One hundred million angels singin' Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettledrum Voices callin', voices cryin' Some are born and some are dyin' It's alpha and omega's kingdom come And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree The virgins are all trimming their wicks The whirlwind is in the thorn tree It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks … Till armageddon no shalam, no shalom Then the father hen will call his chickens home The wise man will bow down before the throne And at his feet they'll cast their golden crowns When the man comes around … Whoever is unjust let him be unjust still Whoever is righteous let him be righteous still Whoever is filthy let him be filthy still Listen to the words long written down When the man comes around … Hear the trumpets hear the pipers One hundred million angels singin' Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettledrum Voices callin', voices cryin' Some are born and some are dyin' It's alpha and omega's kingdom come And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree The virgins are all trimming their wicks The whirlwind is in the thorn trees It's hard for thee to kick against the prick In measured hundredweight and penny pound When the man comes around … "And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts And I looked, and behold a pale horse And his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him" Source: LyricFind Songwriters: John Cash |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 31 Jan 25 - 04:46 PM My Hubby sent me a clever cartoon by Riddell, with an added note in the top right corner, "with apologies to Grant Wood", the painter of the classic American Gothic artwork. It was on Farcebook, which I refuse to use. The cartoon shows two clever/scary portrayals of Trump as the woman and Musk as the man. I can't find it in a search for Riddell's Trump cartoons but it would be good to be able to share it here. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 31 Jan 25 - 04:55 PM So straight after I hit submit on my last post, Hubby comes and shows me how to do a reverse image search on the Google-devil site. Chris Riddell on the new American Gothic, starring Donald Trump and Elon Musk – cartoon |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 31 Jan 25 - 11:55 PM Straight out of The Handmaid's Tale: New DOT Memo Directs Funds To Communities With Higher ‘Marriage And Birth Rates’ The memo also said recipients of federal transportation dollars must cooperate with immigration enforcement, a hit to so-called sanctuary cities. Bizarre. WASHINGTON - The federal Department of Transportation has issued a memo ordering programs supported by the agency to prioritize funding projects for communities with “marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.” |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 01 Feb 25 - 01:19 AM I read The Handmaid's Tale when it was first published in 1985. It was chilling but I could never really believe that something like that could actually happen IRL. Now I am seriously re-thinking that evaluation. Not only is Trump intent on accelerating climate change and other world-damaging events, but he is also intent on targeting women. OMG. Sorry. I'm gobsmacked! I'll have to go off and totally re-evaluate my view of the world now. |
Subject: RE: THE HEIST IS HERE From: Donuel Date: 01 Feb 25 - 06:50 AM The key holder of the US Treasury was visited by Elon's cadre TONIGHT and was demanded to hand over the keys of the Treasury. The Treasury director simply asked why and was immediately held to be counter to the Doge committee and was essentially fired to which he resigned rather than hand over the 6 trillion dollar checkbook. The keys to the treasury is a system which is has the highest secrecy. Is it a heist or a takeover of the payment system for other reasons? We don't know but I called it a bank robbery attempt last week. It is unknown to me if MUSK currently has access to Treasury funds. The ex director has said that without an explanation the motives of MUSK appear nefarious. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 01 Feb 25 - 07:33 AM Musk thugs found an underling who gave them the keys. Game over for the heist along with 1,000 FBI agents fired illegally at the same time. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 01 Feb 25 - 08:07 AM Trump is practiced at playing a role as President as he conceives it but meanwhile he has Musk's proud goys rob/control the Treasury. Everything is broken |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 01 Feb 25 - 09:03 AM My personal source is 2 steps removed from the JD and the only media I have seen cover the Treasury keys - Rachel Maddow. Big media seems mired in plane crashes and the FBI firings. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 01 Feb 25 - 10:11 AM https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/01/musks-doge-clashes-with-treasury-over-access-to-payment-system-report-says/ |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 01 Feb 25 - 10:23 AM sounds like a human breeding programme is trumps workaround for the labour shortages his deportation pokily will cause |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Feb 25 - 11:11 AM Trump has to be impeached if the GOP wants to retain any power in their respective houses and get Musk out of the treasury. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 01 Feb 25 - 11:48 AM Criminals don't leave the gang until the loot is split up. Trump is actually considered to be gangsta and cool in the general hip hop culture. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 01 Feb 25 - 11:50 AM sounds like a human breeding programme is trumps workaround for the labour shortages his deportation policy will cause |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 01 Feb 25 - 02:25 PM I don't get the breeding program. He wants to clean out, eliminate, deport, or otherwise get rid of certain people. This is his last chance to get rid of anyone who will prosecute or investigate him, in the near future. It's also his last chance to profit from his presidency. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: robomatic Date: 01 Feb 25 - 02:32 PM Helen: It's been said that few intellectuals' democratic principles survive a conversation with the average voter. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Feb 25 - 02:34 PM With no abortion, that would be the "breeding program." I've looked around and found a source of 20" x 30" foam core for making signs. Office supply stores are expensive but Dollar Tree sells a pack of 20 for $25. Headed over there shortly. I also just joined the local branch of the League of Women Voters. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 01 Feb 25 - 05:38 PM Thanks robomatic. I appreciate the reminder to be a better human. I don't agree with the death penalty so I shouldn't have let my emotions take over. Reading The Handmaid's Tale 40 years ago was very confronting, scary, but I tried to convince myself that it could never happen in reality. Seeing Trump's moves towards taking away women's rights and seeing The Handmaid's Tale mentioned in this thread has triggered a lot of those past feelings, so that is my only explanation for losing my grip on balanced reality. I promise to be more humane from now on, even when faced with some scary moments I thought could only happen in Sci-Fi dystopic novels and films. :-) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: robomatic Date: 01 Feb 25 - 05:50 PM I think Tom Clancy said, but he probably didn't invent the idea, that writing fiction was harder than fact, because fiction had to be believable. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Feb 25 - 07:33 PM I'm literally rearranging my work schedule so in the evening I can step away from the computer and do something like sew or read or work a jigsaw and listen to an audiobook. Too much news now rots the mood, and self-medication works against us. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 02 Feb 25 - 06:56 AM Helen, it is hard to hold a balanced view in an unbalanced world, and I an unashamed partisan in my views. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 02 Feb 25 - 09:02 AM I can still amuse myself with ample footage of Trump signing over 300 crazy show-and-tell executive orders at high speed to a soundtrack of Yakkity Sax. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 02 Feb 25 - 09:49 AM Not quite sure whether trump plans to deport non-Mexican nationals to. Claudia Sheinbaum has stared categorically this will not be Mexico'a responsivity. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 02 Feb 25 - 11:38 AM > " [...] I don’t know where else I’ve seen a policy > of ‘we need to incentivize baby-making.’” "Mother of the Soviet Union." says I. "Germany under the Nazis," says Herself. Subsidiary thought: The only thing anybody ever learns from history is that nobody ever learns anything from history. Consider the economically-illiterate imposition of punative tarrifs: as Jonty Bloom points out in this week's New European, putting 25% tarrifs on steel and aluminium in 2018 simply caused local producers to jack their prices by 24%, in the sure and certain knowledge that they had their customers (car makers, machine manufacturers etc) over a barrel. That's Practical Capitalism 101, as well as happening on the Oik-in-Chief's own watch. Further back, Senators Smoot and Hawley slapped on import tarrifs in 1930 in response to the Depression, and every other country did it straight back; the result was to intensify the Depression and all but wreck the world economy. Rebooting the world took a world war, and a carefully-thought-through post-war recovery programme. I'll end it there. I need some cat therapy. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 02 Feb 25 - 11:59 AM PS: Can anyone else remember those Physics classes involving static electricity? The teacher produced charges of one kind by rubbing a glass rod with (I *think*) silk, and of the other with an amber rod and cat fur (the cat of course long since departed); one charge was positive, and the other negative. But which was which? Enquiring cat staff wish to know. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 02 Feb 25 - 01:22 PM MaJoC, sadly cat therapy is no longer available to Hubby and I. All gone to cat heaven now. I was reading the thread on the Vietnam Vet who contracted COVID-19 and I think it can be fairly attributed to Trump that the US had the worst rate of COVID infections and deaths in the world. If he wants to look at his accomplishments, he should not ignore that. A graph showing the statistics: Premature Mortality During COVID-19 in the U.S. and Peer Countries And the article abstract: Premature Mortality During COVID-19 in the U.S. A note about the definition of excess deaths used in the study: "Excess deaths are the number of deaths beyond what would have been expected in a typical year and can be due directly or indirectly to COVID-19, as well as other causes." I look at that graph and see the influence of politics. The US and UK had strong-willed COVID-denying and vaccine-denying politicians in power. Compare those stats with Japan and Australia, whose political leaders stepped up with every resource available to deal effectively with the problem. Both countries had less than the usual number of deaths, which I assume can be attributed to the vaccinations and other precautionary measures including social distancing, masks, handwashing, disinfecting etc. I think Trump will go down in history for that "accomplishment". |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 02 Feb 25 - 02:51 PM DJT is our modern-day snake oil doctor when medicine was largely charismatic, biased, and rumor-based. Modern medicine has been based on evidence peering ever more deeply into our cells, proteins, and DNA. It looks like we are going back to old-fashioned best-guess medicine with RFK anti-vaccine and DJT's horse dewormer cure-alls. DJT has the same approach to economics blended with blackmail, extortion, and theft. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 02 Feb 25 - 02:58 PM Perhaps RFK should have tried DJT's dewormer to avoid brain worms. Sometimes even a blind squirrel finds a buried nut. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 02 Feb 25 - 03:35 PM LOL Donuel. Too late now for RFK because that (brainworm) horse has already bolted. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 02 Feb 25 - 03:46 PM I used to check this site regularly during the COVID period: Worldometer Coronavirus Cases Comparing developed countries, and not poor, under developed, under resourced countries, the US wins hands down. Sort the columns by clicking the up-down arrow symbol next to the column name to compare different factors. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 threade From: robomatic Date: 02 Feb 25 - 04:21 PM When I was a student I rented a room just off campus from a lovely septuagenarion who let me share the kitchen and TV room. At the time the BBC was airing the "I Claudius" series based on two books by Robert Graves. Landlady had had some Latin education and read some of the Roman histories Graves had used in framing his narrative, and we watched the series together. The series showed its meagre BBC 70s budget in its set construction but the actors from Derek Jacobi to Brian Blessed, Siân Phillips and John Hurt chewed that scenery in the best way possible. One of my favorite quotes from the series was a Roman historian being judged by a dictatorial figure he had displeased (said figure being played by a rollicking young Patrick Stewart as Sejanus) that it was a danger when mankind had lost its "sense of smell". The protagonist, Claudius, for most of the story, longs for the re-establishment of the Roman republic, but when he himself is installed as emperor, is unable to achieve it. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 02 Feb 25 - 04:54 PM robomatic, with reference to I, Claudius and Derek Jacobi, and totally off-topic for this thread - or maybe not, now that I think about the plot - if you watch the hilariously clever Horrible Histories: The Movie - Rotten Romans in the first scene the Emperor Claudius is played by none other than Derek Jacobi. He then immediately gets bumped off by his scheming wife who thinks she can take over until their son comes of age. And another thought has struck me about COVID-related deaths. To date there have been 1,219,487 COVID-related deaths in the US since COVID started. Assuming that a significant chunk of those people believed and trusted Trump's trumped up conspiracy theories and died as a result of that belief and trust, then Trump probably lost a significant percentage of his voters who supported him. He could have had a bigger victory in this last election if his voters had lived to vote again. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: robomatic Date: 02 Feb 25 - 05:01 PM Helen: Considering the theme and especially the end of the series, I think it is horribly appropriate. And to drag in a favorite radio reference (BBC) a quote from the Goon show that I've employed adapted to the States: "Cheer up, dear listeners: Old England isn't finished yet-" "It's finished-" thunk "NOW!" |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 02 Feb 25 - 05:25 PM Ah --- I CLAVDIVS. We've got the videotapes, and both the books (which get called "One Clavdivs" and "Two Clavdivs" in our house). That series is from the days when Them In Charge thought cardboard scenery wasn't as important as good scriptwriters and real actors, and it's all the better for it; even when I hear the low thrum of the studio air-extraction fans in the background in some of the quiet passages, it's more a side amusement than a distraction. And verily, watching the current hot mess going on behind the Graeco-Romanesque frontage of the White House, we both find it looks horribly familiar. Meanwhile, back at the point: If the Stable Genius decides some of those in the air-traffic trade are mentally defective, would he replace them with people who have had bits of their brains eaten by a worm? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Feb 25 - 08:19 PM Indivisible and other groups meeting tonight; the Zoom meeting maxed out (I got in, amazingly) but it is also live-streaming on YouTube and they're recording to play later. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55yf3AstpQI |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 02 Feb 25 - 08:56 PM "Let all the evil in the mud Hatch Out! |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 02 Feb 25 - 09:04 PM The District court has ruled with vehemence to cease the freeze. No waiting for evaluation and to apologize to every person you sent that email to. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Helen Date: 02 Feb 25 - 09:06 PM When I was searching for the file on my computer with the COVID stats I had compiled during the pandemic, I also found a photo of Trump and a photo of a Cane Toad which I had saved during his first Presidential term. This front view shows a similar eye-popping characteristic to Trump. The many facial expressions of Donald Trump Donald Trump Cane toads are an introduced, invasive species in Oz and this creates problems for the environment in a number of ways, making it difficult for diverse species to live a comfortable and healthy life in their natural habitat. (Irony intended) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Feb 25 - 10:00 PM There is going to be a "kit" of materials available (check on the YouTube video for stuff added to the page) that will give information on how to set up visits to the local office for your senators, etc. It is clear that this isn't a Democratic or Republican issue - everyone is going to be hurt by this crap. I'm planning a trip to the nearests offices of both state US senators this week, once I read through the kit information. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Feb 25 - 10:05 PM A quote from Wired today (I had to join to read it, but the first year is $5 and they offer access to other journals for a good price if you're interested): Already, Musk’s lackeys have taken control of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and General Services Administration (GSA), and have gained access to the Treasury Department’s payment system, potentially allowing him access to a vast range of sensitive information about tens of millions of citizens, businesses, and more. On Sunday, CNN reported that DOGE personnel attempted to improperly access classified information and security systems at the US Agency for International Development and that top USAID security officials who thwarted the attempt were subsequently put on leave. The Associated Press reported that DOGE personnel had indeed accessed classified material. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Donuel Date: 03 Feb 25 - 07:28 AM Musk goons have the data & key passwords of the Treasury. THE PERSON WHO GAVE THEM ACCESS WAS BELOW MY FRIEND'S PAYGRADE but was promised a Trump promotion. Goons were denied access to USAID passwords to move money. THE EXTRACTION OF MONEY PASSWORDS are not all in one basket. Access passwords are really entire systems and not a matter of a code or a birthday. Trump continues to ignore court rulings although they have complied with ordered emails, big deal. MUSK & GOONS HAVE NOT FAKEN AN OATH TO THE CONSTITUTION NOR ARE THEY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES. USAID people had more courage and ethics than the coward at the Treasury. WILL CONGRESS ASSIST THE GOONS OR EXPRESS THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL POWER? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 03 Feb 25 - 09:35 AM Just heard on BBC News 24: Presidential decree to hit the EU with tarrifs. One chap's reaction: The EU should impose punitive tarrifs on companies personally owned by the Oik-in-Chief, for example "his orange juice company". Excuse me a moment, please. My ironyometer's just exploded. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 03 Feb 25 - 10:16 AM Heard on the Beeb again, summarised by Herself (prob misheard by me): "Ontario has forbidden bidding by US firms for Government contracts, and they've ripped up a contract with Elon Musk." [Verification and details, anybody?] Her verdict: "Canada's got more balls than the UK." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 03 Feb 25 - 10:26 AM This just seen in The Register: US datacenters in for shock as Canada mulls cutting the juice over Trump tariffs
I'll leave it there awhile. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 03 Feb 25 - 10:37 AM From the FB Page ‘Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail’… https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0JAxQzFDix32vsGX2Y5eyi3icagxmHZXbEjJHGMsMWva7EbnsfxZvBiZh6sNtD5ybl&id=100079779344617 ”It started with a whisper—an eerie shuffling of feet in the halls of the Hoover Building, the kind of sound you hear when the executioner is sharpening his axe. By the time the Friday news cycle hit, it was a goddamn bloodbath. Donald Trump, back in power like some bloated resurrection of a Roman emperor who refuses to die, has begun his most unhinged crusade yet: a mass purge of the FBI, the Justice Department, and anyone else who ever had the gall to investigate him. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect in some banana republic where the dictator wears aviators and gold epaulets while drinking rum out of a skull. But no, it’s happening here—right in the United States, land of the free (terms and conditions apply). The order came down like a thunderclap from the Mouth of Madness itself. The Justice Department is demanding a list—a blacklist—of every single FBI agent who worked on the January 6 insurrection or any Trump-related investigation. Thousands of names. Careers on the chopping block. This isn’t just your standard Nixonian revenge fantasy—it’s full-blown Stalinist paranoia with a golf handicap. Trump, a man who treats the rule of law like it’s an expired Burger King coupon, is now gutting federal law enforcement with the precision of a maniac wielding a rusty chainsaw. At least five top FBI officials in Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, New Orleans, and Las Vegas were ordered to resign or be fired. Gone. Erased. Wiped clean like a casino ledger after a Mob hit. But it doesn’t stop with the bigwigs—this is a scorched-earth campaign against the entire bureau. And just to drive the knife in deeper, Trump’s minions are now firing prosecutors—specifically those who worked on the January 6 cases. More than a dozen already gone. More to come. This is the guy who pardoned every single Capitol rioter on Day One of his second term, and now he’s making sure their prosecutors never work again. It’s not just about loyalty—it’s about total submission. The Justice Department is being purged like it’s a goddamn witch trial. Trump and his goons don’t just want control; they want retribution. If you so much as touched the January 6 case, even by accident, you’re marked. And let’s not kid ourselves about what comes next. If you can erase entire swaths of the FBI overnight, what’s stopping you from moving down the food chain? Journalists. Professors. Judges. Regular citizens who ever said a bad word about Trump on Twitter. This isn’t a government anymore. This is a gangland purge. The Sopranos with a nuclear arsenal. You have to appreciate the tragic irony. For years, Trump and his lackeys screamed about how the FBI was a rogue, deep-state cabal plotting against him. And now? He’s turned it into his own private mafia. A new political police force that operates only at his pleasure, with Kash Patel—his glorified attack dog—waiting in the wings to take over the whole thing. The FBI Agents Association is screaming into the void, warning that this mass extermination of law enforcement is going to cripple national security. But Trump doesn’t care about national security. His idea of national security is making sure he is secure from ever facing justice again. The message is loud and clear: investigate Trump, and you will be ruined. No trial, no due process. You will be fired, humiliated, and possibly prosecuted yourself. It doesn’t matter if you were just some poor desk jockey who handled the paperwork—you are an enemy now. And when the FBI stops investigating Trump and his allies? What do you think they’ll start investigating instead? It’s a goddamn Nacht der langen Messer—the Night of the Long Knives, except instead of storming hotels with pistols, they’re storming federal agencies with pink slips. We are watching a purge in real time. People in power are always dangerous, but Trump has a special kind of danger about him—one that is equal parts stupid and terrifying. A creature of pure vengeance, unburdened by ethics, law, or even the most basic understanding of governance. You don’t need to work at the FBI to be a target. This is just the beginning. Think about it—if he’s willing to dismantle entire institutions that protected the country just to save his own bloated hide, what do you think he’ll do to regular citizens who stand in his way? You don’t have to be a federal agent to get on the wrong list. Maybe you were at a protest. Maybe you wrote a mean Facebook post. Maybe you just looked at him funny. The real horror here isn’t just what’s happening—it’s how little anyone is stopping it. The Republican Party isn’t just silent; they’re cheering this on. The same people who spent years screeching about the "weaponization of government" are now actively encouraging it, because it’s their guy holding the axe. And the Democrats? Well, they’ll probably send out some strongly worded tweets. Maybe a fundraising email. That’ll show him. Meanwhile, Trump’s supporters are foaming at the mouth, cheering for the dismantling of the same institutions that kept them safe from things like, oh, I don’t know, terrorists. Organized crime. Corrupt politicians. Who needs an independent FBI when you can have a Trump Bureau of Investigation that only investigates his enemies? This is how it starts. The moment when a republic stops being a republic and becomes a crime syndicate with a flag. Nobody should be sleeping easy right now. Because if Trump can erase entire sections of the FBI without consequence, then nothing is stopping him from coming for everyone else. This isn’t a government anymore. It’s a hit list. And we’re all on it.” Be afraid, be very afraid - shades of 1930s Germany, and look how well that turned out. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Feb 25 - 11:08 AM I was busy watching a Zoom meeting about political action, I didn't watch the Grammy's last night. Did anyone say anything about Trump and Project 2025 in their speeches? Because I feel like the whole world needs to just stop whatever else they're doing and address this Vought/Musk/Trump disaster. This is from Indivisible: Because he’s serious about implementing Project 2025, Trump has nominated its ‘chief architect’ Russ Vought (pronounced like “Vote”) to lead the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB is possibly the most powerful federal agency you rarely, if ever, hear about; it oversees the implementation of the President’s vision for the whole Executive Branch, crafting budgets, managing operations, and reviewing draft regulations and policies to make sure agencies are complying with the President’s priorities. Under Trump 2.0, OMB will essentially be the top enforcer of Project 2025 - and he’s nominated one of its authors and top MAGA strategist, Russ Vought, to be OMB Director. It came with a form to fill out to be put in contact with senators. I plan to drive over to the local offices this week to pay the staff of each a call. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: meself Date: 03 Feb 25 - 11:18 AM '"Ontario has forbidden bidding by US firms for Government contracts, and they've ripped up a contract with Elon Musk." [Verification and details, anybody?]' Yes, on both counts. It's a 'Starlink' contract. Tariffs will hit the auto industry particularly hard - on both sides of the border. That industry is a big element of both Ontario's and Michigan's economies, and is inextricably linked across the border: the parts of a vehicle and the incomplete vehicle itself may cross the border any number of times before the vehicle is ready for market. A 25% tariff every time makes the system unworkable. Predictions from those in the know are that the North American auto industry could be shut down within a week after tariffs are instituted. Doug Ford, Ontario's Conservative Premier, came out swinging at the first mention of tariffs, and has continued his aggressive defence of his province's economy. There may well be a dose of political opportunism in what is otherwise, I think, genuine distress, and determination to defend his bailiwick. Before this American attack popped up out of nowhere, Ford had been under attack for some questionable moves, and he recently called an election, ostensibly to shore up support for his fight on tariffs; the Opposition accuses him of exploiting this situation to gain more political power, and to have it for an extra couple of years. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: meself Date: 03 Feb 25 - 11:34 AM The idea that Canada could just turn off the energy tap is not as simple as it might appear. For one thing, there are deep stresses between Alberta, the big oil-producing province, and the Federal government, and the eastern half of the country generally (there is a strong sense in Alberta that it collectively has been, and is being, robbed by the eastern provinces). Alberta is governed by far-right ideologues with separatist leanings (think: MAGA north), and the feds feel they have to step gingerly when it comes to anything that could interfere with Alberta's oil revenue. The other big factor, is that the pipeline that carries oil to central/eastern Canada, passes through the States, so is vulnerable to being shut down by the Americans. And another thing: given the madness of King trump, and moreso, nearly half the populace of the USA, it would not be a good idea to hand him a pretext for a Special Military Operation, by, for example, cutting off the flow of hydro-electricity to the northern states .... |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: Backwoodsman Date: 03 Feb 25 - 12:42 PM Interesting piece from Robert Reich on Substack… It seems to me that it’s high time for the rest of the world to get together and punch the bastard down to the ground. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Feb 25 - 01:21 PM From Bloomberg (via Robert Hubbell's newsletter): Musk Says DOGE Halting Treasury Payments to US Contractors Elon Musk said his “DOGE team” of government efficiency enforcers is shutting down some payments to federal contractors, suggesting that the world’s richest man may have access to sensitive systems used at the US Treasury Department. Musk thinks money is going to terrorists groups so he's taking over the entire US government finances? Really? No evidence, just his opinion, mind you. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President 1 thread From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 03 Feb 25 - 01:43 PM I've just remembered where I've heard this kind of one-upmanship before .... Once upon a time (late 1960s iirc), two bands were playing in London. The leaders of said bands, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, got into a competition to see which of them could get away with doing the most bizarre outrageosity, live on stage, without getting thrown off. Near the start, I heard, Zappa was shouting four-letter words over the footlights, eg "WITH" and "FROM" .... the later stages were Not Nice. Now we've got Agent Orange and Agent X taking turns, to see which of them gets away with the most gratuitous and stupid act of performative cruelty before the other one gets properly spanked. But who's playing Nanny? --- Vlad? At least the antics of Zappa and Beefheart had a limited blast radius. Now I really am depressed. *Protest*: I want the inside of my head back. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 03 Feb 25 - 01:46 PM > “He’s a big cost cutter,” Trump said. Reminds me of that old Athena poster, popular in academic circles:
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Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: meself Date: 03 Feb 25 - 01:56 PM [Thread drift, but: "The leaders of said bands, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart ... " - any reliable source?] |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 03 Feb 25 - 01:57 PM Taking over the entire money thing, personally: Command economies are inherently fragile, and about as stable as a fighter jet without computer assistance. If you control everything, you *have* to control *everything*. --- Enough. I've a Zoom session to join, which may or may not help calm me down. See you on the flip side. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Feb 25 - 02:05 PM This is a gift article from the Wall Street Journal Musk Moves with Lightning Speed to Exert Control Over the Government I just tried to tell my next door neighbor about this; it hasn't been in any news stories. "What Biden did in the last four years was terrible" was her answer. My retort - but Biden and Trump are elected officials. Musk is the richest man in the world taking over the finances of the richest country in the world. Crickets. I fear these folks are going to find out the hard way what Musk is doing. We all are. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 03 Feb 25 - 05:08 PM My posts only give a 2 to 6-day preview of what will be found by reliable journalists online. It's time to go dark for a while. Who really needs bad news early anyway? We are not in a Mussolini fascist dictatorship, it is very much like a Banana Republic enforced by the wealthy cartels who operate outside the Constitution. As for tariffs: Produce prices will quickly rise by 3%, then 7%. Other goods will take a little longer to spike. President Jackson spit in the face of the courts and so far, so is DJT. Musk thugs have reached way down the ranks to gain access from traitors and cowards to their oath to gain access to US funds. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Feb 25 - 05:21 PM Stay safe while you're at it, Don. TikTok video by Branding Democrats. The media seems to have rolled over, it's happening without their protest or covering it. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 03 Feb 25 - 06:27 PM It's good that DJT now CANCELED the tariff war. Well, for 30 days anyway. The WSJ called the tariff war the most stupid move. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 04 Feb 25 - 05:35 AM It is par fr the course for the turnip to screw over his contractors and if murk is going to sing from the same hymnbook who in their right mind would want to risk bidding for federal infrastructure contracts? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 04 Feb 25 - 09:30 AM DJT loves President Jackson who fired all the civil servants and replaced them with know nothing loyalists. That system lasted from 1829 to 1883 until there was a presidential assasination by a disgruntled job seeker and the first civil service exams began. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Feb 25 - 01:06 PM This morning I heard that Secy of State Rubio has negotiated that El Salvador would take all deportees (whatever their nationality) and will take the "worst US felons" from prison. US citizens. It's mind boggling - and remember when Trump accused Mexico of opening their prisons? He telegraphs everything he's thinking, and you know he's going to try himself. There are no brakes on that clown car and no filter on the mouth. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Feb 25 - 09:32 PM Any US citizen who has ever filed taxes, received Social Security, etc., can (and should) file a Civil Liberties Complaint. Elizabeth Booker Houston has offered a template. There is more pushback happening in DC. I'm still uncertain about the backing of the 50 demonstrations at 50 capitols supposedly midday tomorrow. There are some kind of light-weight accounts behind it, that makes me think it's a gimmick to set people up. But we'll see tomorrow. (It's that whole "have the Army shoot them in the legs" thing that Trump wanted before that has me worried.) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Feb 25 - 12:57 AM The proposed 50 marches in 50 capitals was sounding awfully sketchy for a couple of days - you don't usually see a huge protest coming from a no-name Reddit account. But it seems that enough people have pulled together to make some of these happen. Rebecca Solnit on Facebook has gotten enough information from various sponsors of the marches tomorrow to conclude that maybe it isn't a setup by MAGA folks to shoot down Democrats in the streets. Meanwhile, from The Guardian, How the world’s richest man laid waste to the US government |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 05 Feb 25 - 04:10 AM Just found this in a pile of papers I'm using to light the fire. I think it's the perfect metaphor for the state of the world (and of the inside of my head) at the moment: Illustration from a BBC News article .... two lads not letting the fact that the pub is flooded get in the way of their game of pool. We make 'em tough round 'yere. Warning re warnings: my browser complained about redirections when attempting to first access the picture. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 05 Feb 25 - 04:31 AM Just for a laugh. Look at the images of Trump and the cane toads which are threatening Oz's native environment, especially the diversity of our native environment. I posted the links on 02 Feb 25 - 09:06 PM Now read the news article I read today in which I saw a lot of similarities to the Trump problem, especially in relation to how much he reminds me of a cane toad. Local ecological defenders tackle the rising tide of invasive species If you read the first two sections and substitute "Trump" for "cane toad" it creates some really apt parallels, IMHO. It is an especially interesting parallel that women are at the forefront of tackling the cane toad problem. Well, it made me laugh anyway. :-D |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Backwoodsman Date: 05 Feb 25 - 06:22 AM They’re calling him ‘The Mango Mussolini” on FB this morning. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Dave the Gnome Date: 05 Feb 25 - 08:29 AM I like the change of thread title :-) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Feb 25 - 11:24 AM I guess the White House decided we needed a big distraction away from Musk's mischief so Trump has suggested the US take over, clean up, and build condos in Gaza. Pushing 2M people into surrounding countries. And Netanyahu standing there beside him, as an MSNBC commentator reported, "looking like the cat that just swallowed the canary." This is as stupid an idea as injecting bleach. Now pay attention to what Musk is doing. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: The Sandman Date: 05 Feb 25 - 02:59 PM Stilly, I think you are right |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: robomatic Date: 05 Feb 25 - 04:23 PM Among the things happening are RFK and Gabbard all but reaching confirmation including the supposed responsible Replicants (Republicans) who acted like they had standards of rectitude/ behavior. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 05 Feb 25 - 06:39 PM Not just condos but an 'American Riviera' in the words of Trump. This is not an instant Trump invention like injecting bleach but more like a hallucinatory AI creation after scouring Trump's history. It could be a new Atlantic City, with Casinos, prostitution, drugs, alcohol, surf and turf menus all under golden Trump signs. Will Muslims flock to New Vegas or attack it? As long as troops can move out 2.23 million Palestinians, all will be hunky dory. Not even the mafia had US troops to protect their casinos in Cuba. If this really is Trump's idea, and not just flooding the zone, we are witnessing a psychotic break and not just thinking big. Meanwhile, I hope it doesn't stymie the ceasefire and hostage exchange. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 05 Feb 25 - 07:01 PM Come to think of it, he may be experimenting to see what pronouncements affect his cryptocurrency investments. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Backwoodsman Date: 05 Feb 25 - 08:56 PM It’s nonsense, a distraction tactic to draw attention away from what’s really going on - the gutting of the governmental machine and the pillaging of the treasury. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 06 Feb 25 - 06:11 AM maybe a practice run for Panama? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 06 Feb 25 - 11:13 AM Distraction is a tried and trusted tactic. Compare: In 1973, it was proposed to build an airport for London at Maplin Sands. The conservationists promptly exploded, as it was (and is) a wildlife sanctuary. The government backed down, saving face by pointing to the oil crisis, but there were two outcomes: * The extra runway at Heathrow or Gatwick (I forget which) that Them In Power wanted in the first place, but couldn't mention to start with for fear of public outrage; * Maplin Electronics, a seller-by-post of electronic components, whose first catalogue featured a picture of a Concorde taking off from an unnamed runway. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 06 Feb 25 - 12:17 PM One small part of what they're distracting from: Democrats demand to know WTF is up with that DOGE server on OPM's network .... Read in full, please. Highlights include:
Tin hats, people. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 06 Feb 25 - 01:49 PM Musk owns Starlink, a whole bunch of satellites, and I'm willing to bet he wants to put NOAA out of the weather business so he can step in. And USAID was investigating how Starlink was gouging in Ukraine. I need sources for these, but the conjecture is out there. Two weeks ago I heard Margaret Hoover, on her program Firing Line, interview Mike Murphy (conservative/former GOP) and James Carville, liberal Democrat. As the program progressed I could hear her trying to get them to identify or step up as the loyal opposition. It seems all of the prodding by the public and by more independent journalists has finally started working. Democrats lost in 2024 and the "normal" routine would be to work on the 2026 campaigns. Everyone went home when their chambers were in recess. But it became clear they had to come back and fight now, and now they're doing it. At a recent GSA (General Services Administration) Zoom meeting in which a Musk puppet tried to convince them all to pay attention to the "Fork in the Road" memo and resign, the employees pushed back, making it clear they weren't having that nonsense. And they set up a graphic of spoons cascading down the screen in response to the fork references. Good for them! |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 06 Feb 25 - 05:13 PM Hubby sent me this. It's probably from Farcebook or similar. Trump to Musk: Canada is mining and selling too many minerals. Musk: What are you going to do? Trump: Order tariffs to make them mine less. Musk: Mine fewer. Trump: Shhh, don't call me that yet. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 06 Feb 25 - 05:37 PM Its good you have verified what the frick has been going on but paramount to the day are the actions that Stilly has suggested far below. She is not sitting by while millions are about to suffer. The optics of thousands of people protesting in 40 cities and call in shows with your opinions is edifying but energizing Congress by every means possible is important. The blitzkrieg of State Change can remove the tools of resistance before they can be employed. Time is of the essence. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: gillymor Date: 06 Feb 25 - 05:41 PM Lol, Helen. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: robomatic Date: 06 Feb 25 - 10:18 PM Saw that same interview in the 'new' Firing Line. Didn't get in at the beginning of the broadcast. A lot of stuff went by real fast and I didn't absorb all of it. An episode or two ago she had on Newt Gingrich. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: robomatic Date: 06 Feb 25 - 10:23 PM I watched a YouTube 'expert' but one I take seriously, review the Congressional oversight quizzing of Tulsi Gabbard. Said expert took some time and had some extended questioning of Gabbard by Dems and Reps on the board. I was impressed by the level and specificity of questions and answers, but not about the result that Gabbard appeared to be headed for a pass. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 07 Feb 25 - 08:08 AM The Super Trump Bowl will be the first one attended by a president. Will he stay for the halftime rap concert? Will Taylor Swift or Trump get more air time? Will he want an applause moment? Will the loud boos' audio be turned off when Donnie is introduced? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 07 Feb 25 - 08:40 AM Tesla car sales in Europe have dropped about 50% Musk US approval rating went from 47% in Nov. to 25% in February. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: gillymor Date: 07 Feb 25 - 09:45 AM Considering all the booing that welcomed Trump at the 2019 World Series he might want to keep a low profile at this event to protect his fragile ego. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 07 Feb 25 - 10:27 AM From a post of gillymor's, apparentlhy misposted to the UK politics thread: > [tRump is] living in a reality show gone wrong and he > has to be the star. There's a name for that: the poor manbaby's suffering from Headline Attention Deficit Disorder, as is his competitor (Agent X). |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 07 Feb 25 - 12:27 PM Donuel, the Tesla sales in Australia have dropped significantly too. Tesla sales slump worldwide off the back of Elon Musk's political actions "Questionable hand gestures, antisemitic tweets, and linking arms with President Donald Trump; Elon Musk has become a master at alienating his audience. "Now it's showing up on his company's bottom line. "Tesla sales have slumped around the world, including by a third in January in Australia compared to the same time a year ago. "According to data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) EV sales were just 4.4 per cent of the Australian market in January, down from 5.5 per cent in January last year. "Giles Parkinson, founder of The Driven, said Mr Musk's 'extraordinary' actions had contributed to Tesla falling out of the top five best-selling car brands in European markets, and now Australia was following suit. "'That really has been attributed a lot to the impact of Musk on his brand,' he told The Business. "'We're hearing that people are walking into other car makers and saying, I want to buy an electric car but I don't want to buy Tesla anymore.' "'We're also hearing that people who own Teslas are feeling uncomfortable and are looking to see if they can sell and shift to another brand.' "'It's an extraordinary situation, because the Tesla products are really quite admired because of their quality, but some people are just finding it really difficult to either buy or retain those those cars.'" Other sections of the article are: "Owners 'don't want to be attached' to Musk", "Musk, competition from China turning away customers", and sections on Hybrids remaining popular option in Australia, the Chinese brand BYD, and tax exemptions on more environmentally friendly vehicles. I keep telling my Hubby that I want to make an FEM (F*ck Elon Musk) car sticker to put on any Tesla cars I see. He just rolls his eyes. I probably won't but I still say it out loud every time I see a Tesla. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 07 Feb 25 - 03:43 PM There is a treatment for the twisted twins. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 07 Feb 25 - 05:42 PM I just looked at the title of this thread and did a double take. After posting about how tempted I am to create an "F Elon Musk" car sticker, the words "convicted felon" created F-Elon in my brain. There is a good probability, IMHO, that Elon will join Trump in the felon category at some point in the not-too-distant future. He already has 80% of that word in his name and BTW 80% of Trump's name is rump. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Bill D Date: 07 Feb 25 - 05:55 PM Now that Trump and his minions have "won", you can bet that they dread the very idea of *losing* in 2026 & 2028, as a sane DOJ would have many new felons along with the old ones to prosecute. Thus, ANY means, illegal or not to avoid this will be used. "Hmm.. why let our enemies ever get to vote against us?" |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: keberoxu Date: 07 Feb 25 - 06:59 PM India is outraged that the deportation of Indian natives from the US was accomplished with a military aircraft and with shackling of the passengers. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: SPB-Cooperator Date: 08 Feb 25 - 09:12 AM Helen, such a deicious idea - please send me one!!!!!! Of course we may have to wait until he is convicted of something or until the turnip throws his under a bus to save his neck - thugh I wouldn't be surpised if it happens the other way round as the turnip is a useful mindless mouthpiece thatsuits musk's purposes fr the present. . |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 08 Feb 25 - 09:25 AM Violence and final solutions are eventually found to be cheaper and more permanent in dictatorships. I can imagine that shackling is crucial for step three final deportations. With rear door cargo planes one can have a 2 ton weight parachute out the back with a chain connected to the shackles. All those shackled will go deep into the ocean. Industrial elimination of people without a trace can become more simple and easy than the WWII holocaust. Of course a neutron bomb can accomplish a final solution over a large camp/prison without any damage to the infrastructure however removing the remains that will not rot* is unimaginable. *inability to decompose is due to the unique effects of a sterilizing neutron bomb. It's been said before "it can't happen here". |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 08 Feb 25 - 09:27 AM I prefer Elon Musk says FUCK YOU |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 08 Feb 25 - 09:37 AM The Super Bowl has caved in to Trump. The WORDS removed from the endzone that said "END RACISM" were offensive to Trump. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: gillymor Date: 08 Feb 25 - 10:05 AM It does run counter to his "Revive Jim Crow" agenda, maybe that will be the slogan in the end zone next Super Bowl. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 08 Feb 25 - 10:54 AM This was posted by Rebecca Solnit on FB overnight: Crucial advice and insight from my very smart strategist friend Brian, an actual expert on government payment systems: |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 08 Feb 25 - 12:53 PM Getting locked out of a system with new teenage encryption codes is a problem. I foresee the shit eventually hitting the fan inside the Musk gang so that a NO LOOSE THREAD order goes down and his kids start to disappear. Chaotic missions have chaotic endings. It could depend on a rogue band of FBI agents putting their lives on the line for the Constitution. They are not all fascist patriots. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 08 Feb 25 - 01:52 PM US judge temporarily blocks Elon Musk's DOGE from accessing payment systems "In short: A US District Court judge has put a temporary block on Elon Musk and employees of his Department of Government Efficience (DOGE) accessing the US Treasury Department's payment and data systems. "The ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit from 19 states filed on Friday, alleging Mr Musk and his cost-cutting team could disrupt a number of vital government services and access sensitive data. What's next? "The judge's order is only temporary — a further hearing before another judge is scheduled for next Friday, February 14." ... "The lawsuit said Mr Musk and his team could disrupt federal funding for health clinics, preschools, climate initiatives, and other programs, and that President Donald Trump, a Republican, could use the information to further his political agenda. "DOGE's access to the systems also 'poses huge cybersecurity risks that put vast amounts of funding for the States and their residents in peril,' the state attorneys-general said, seeking a temporary restraining order preventing Mr Musk's team from accessing the systems." ... "His order bars political appointees, special government employees [e,g, Elon Musk] and government employees detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department from being granted access to the department's payment and data systems. "The judge also directed anyone prohibited under his order from accessing those systems to immediately destroy anything they had previously copied or downloaded." ... "Judge Engelmayer's ruling came a day after another federal judge, this time a Trump appointee, paused Mr Musk's plans to place 2,200 USAID employees on leave. The White House and Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from news agency Reuters. Mr Trump deputised Mr Musk to lead DOGE to identify fraud and waste in the government, however Mr Musk's efforts have alarmed Democrats and advocacy groups who say he is overstepping his authority by seeking to dismantle agencies responsible for critical government programs and fire federal workers en masse." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 08 Feb 25 - 04:38 PM The court does not have its own enforcement. The DOJ would refer to the FBI. Would Bondi and Patel give orders to enforce the court order? I think not. The young Musk gang would have members who would try to get a little something for themselves. This is common among thieves. Things will go sideways in a hurry once private heists occur. Envy and greed will take over and lead to the no-loose-thread order. The Musk gang is not a democracy and would probably seek a solution with extreme prejudice to restore discipline. Stay tuned for season 1 episode 4. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 09 Feb 25 - 09:50 AM Who are the millions of people who are harmed or killed by the fabulous fascist twins? People who have lost their jobs Farmers who won't be paid for the 3 billion dollars of grain that went to USAID Farmers who have no migrant workers to harvest crops Shoppers who may pay double for the smaller food supply Children with disabilities who lost programs for special education School lunch programs Meals on wheels for shut-ins VA benefits People who no longer get PETFAR HIV medicine Children who die because of starvation without USAID These people were first to come to my mind BUT who else is being harmed in your observation? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Feb 25 - 10:53 AM The real test will be if any of these cases make it to the supreme court. Will these acts be a bridge too far for Gorsuch, Coney Barrett, and the rapist Kavanaugh. I have no hope for good decisions from Alito or Thomas. Odd. Really odd. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Feb 25 - 02:15 PM George Conway explains How the Stop the Dismantling of Our Government on The Bulwark. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 09 Feb 25 - 02:47 PM SRS, thanks for the link to the George Conway video. He raises some very important and worrying points. Psychopathocracy. Hmmm!! Very apt terminology and very worrying consequences. And the comparison between normal political leaders who use proper strategic processes, including analysing the facts and considering the likely outcomes and consequences of proposed actions compared with Trump and his evil cronies who shoot first and ask questions later. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Feb 25 - 02:54 PM If the International Criminal Court files an arrest warrant against Trump, then if he goes to a member country they could arrest him. It would be messy, but it would be one way to put him out of commission for a while. What other world-wide methods are out there to physically remove him from the office? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 09 Feb 25 - 03:16 PM I'm wondering if the decision by Trump & his evil twin F-Elon to stop USAID will have a consequence they haven't considered. The people who call themselves Christians can justify some of Trump's edicts, e.g. stopping abortion, deporting illegal aliens, but can they live with their own conscience knowing that children will die of starvation without USAID, people will suffer or die from health problems which were being relieved by USAID, a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering will occur. Regarding the Supreme Court's role in the recent decisions by Judges to temporarily restrict actions based on decisions made by Trump and his F-Elonious friend, will Amy Coney-Barrett, who as I recall claims to live by her Christian standards, go along with his edicts in the face of the resulting suffering and death or will she have a moral about-face? Will she re-evaluate what it really means to follow her Christian faith? It would be poetic justice if she did get closer to her Christian ethics and morality and no longer blindly align herself with Trump, IMHO. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Feb 25 - 03:22 PM I spent an increasingly depressing hour listening to a discussion with George Conway on The Bulwark. The Justice Department answers to Trump now and they will order US Marshals not to arrest anyone held in contempt or enforce rulings by federal judges. Until the Senate and House grow a spine and stand up to Trump nothing will happen. There is a third rail: the moment they stop social security or any federal accounts there will be riots in the streets, and then the house and senate will have to act. And hope the army disobeys Trump's orders to shoot protestors. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 09 Feb 25 - 04:12 PM SRS, a couple of days ago when I was looking for a specific quote about F-Elon, I saw an image of a poster at a political protest. I think it had an image of a jellyfish, maybe, and the caption read "Democrats - spineless, brainless, heartless". I think that applies not just to the Democrats but as you said, to the whole House and Senate. "Until the Senate and House grow a spine and stand up to Trump nothing will happen." |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 09 Feb 25 - 06:32 PM I've sent another message to both senators and to my representative. I've posted a blog entry to give guidance on how to contact these representatives and why it doesn't help to contact senators or reps who don't represent you. (PM for information about that blog if you want to subscribe, it's free. You may need a Wordpress account to respond or subscribe, but those are also free. And it isn't just politics.) Doing the things I know how to do every day. Tomorrow is Monday, time to get on the phone and make some calls to these same folks. If you're on social media, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has some great instructive videos that have appeared on Instagram and Bluesky, and probably others (and I love that she is knitting while she does it.) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 10 Feb 25 - 06:52 AM The next step for the courts to enforce their ruling that is being ignored is to issue a contempt order and call up the federal Marshalls. Will Bondi follow that court order? The rule of law depends on a spirit to follow the law. Does Trump have that spirit? Will the Supreme Court? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Dave the Gnome Date: 10 Feb 25 - 06:56 AM 300! |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 10 Feb 25 - 07:09 AM The best you have ever said, good job dave. The founding fathers knew the evil and frail minds of some men and devised a system to balance goodness with other equal powers. Republicans have control of every branch of government and intentionally are destroying the balance of our original Constitution. They are saying this is their best and only chance to gain and keep control. This is not the time to tune out |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 10 Feb 25 - 08:47 AM caption for my cartoon; "The barbarians have hacked the gates..." image; teenage slob at a laptop with a line into Treasury Dept. computers while eating hot pockets. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: gillymor Date: 10 Feb 25 - 09:32 AM That's also good, almost as good as DtG's "300" post. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 10 Feb 25 - 09:52 AM > "Hmm.. why let our enemies ever get to vote > against us?" I can't remember where I've seen this meme, but, to paraphrase:
And *that* is where "just one more push" came from. All he need do then is keep the Praetorian Guard onside. This is the Republic of Gilead, and you're welcome to it. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Backwoodsman Date: 10 Feb 25 - 10:19 AM Yes MaJoC, ‘The Gulf of Gilead’ has a ring to it, doesn’t it? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 10 Feb 25 - 10:33 AM If the Preatorian guard are caught between Musk, Trump, and the people, Shakespeare has several versions of that scenario. US founding fathers tried to devise a system to avoid a Giliad. They knew it wasn't perfect. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: MaJoC the Filk Date: 10 Feb 25 - 12:28 PM .... And, as someone has pointed out in the Comments on an ElReg article (which I can't locate atm): Add in replacing the humans in their Praetorian Guards with gun-bearing robots, and you can see why fürers the world over are showing interest in AI. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 10 Feb 25 - 02:16 PM NOW is the time our younger selves can be proud of who we have become. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 10 Feb 25 - 02:45 PM the word CONTRA above picture of Trump the word DICTION below the wordS LIAR ABOUT EVERYTHING above picture of Trump the wordS EXCEPT HATE & GREED below |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 10 Feb 25 - 04:33 PM Two ghosts could be heard when Donald Trump announced his Gaza 'plan' Donald Trump's plan to turn Gaza into "the Riviera of the Middle East" is one of the most radical ideas from the White House for many years. To understand how it came about, it's worth considering some comments made to a forum at one of the most prestigious universities in the United States in February last year. It was to academics and students of Harvard's Kennedy School in Massachusetts that Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, took part in a discussion about international events. But what he did, in fact, was float the very idea that Trump has presented in recent days as his new policy for Gaza. Both Kushner and Trump have had careers as property developers, which may well explain the real estate element to this attempt at a shift in foreign policy. (read on) |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 10 Feb 25 - 04:52 PM Oops there goes; the Consumer Protection Agency, the dept of ejakashun, USAID, NIH, Treasury, FBI, the Kennedy Center, etc. Next time you're found With your chin on the ground There a lot to be learned So look around … Just what makes that little old ant Think he'll move that rubber tree plant Anyone knows an ant can't Move a rubber tree plant … But he's got high hopes He's got high hopes He's got high apple pie In the sky hopes So any time you're gettin' low 'Stead of lettin' go Just remember that ant … Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant Oops, there goes another rubber tree plant … When troubles call And your back's to the wall There a lot to be learned That wall could fall … Once there was a silly old ram Thought he'd punch a hole in a dam No one could make that ram scram He kept buttin' that dam … 'Cause he had high hopes He had high hopes He had high apple pie In the sky hopes So any time you're feelin' bad When shit hits the fan Just remember that ram … Oops, there goes a billion kilowatt dam Oops, there goes a billion kilowatt dam Oops, there goes a billion kilowatt dam … All problems just a toy balloon They'll be bursted soon They're just bound to go pop … Oops, there goes another agency, plop Oops, there goes another agency, plop Oops, there goes another agency, plop Kerplop |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 10 Feb 25 - 05:32 PM And in case you are wondering who the other ghost is, referred to in the article which Sandra linked to: "While Kushner was Trump's ghost, Netanyahu's ghost was Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the Religious Zionism Party and Israel's finance minister. Smotrich and his bloc of support keep Netanyahu in power and Smotrich, who controls the country's budget, is able to ensure the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, widely regarded under international law as illegal, are well funded. "Without Smotrich, Netanyahu does not have the numbers to remain prime minister. This wouldn't just mean a loss of power but it would open him to the full suite of legal pain awaiting him over criminal charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust." The article was written by John Lyons whose factual and strategic analysis is always worth reading or watching on Oz TV. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 11 Feb 25 - 12:29 AM For those who will not be part of the resistance, they will have to learn they are not a citizen but are subjects instead. They will have to learn new censorship as well as self-censorship. Unlike big tech, big pharma, bank, and oil Billionaires there will be no profit in compliance and bending the knee. Instead, there will be the threat of violence or incarceration. I know my posts seem odd since I simplify and contextualize what is happening. Journalists do not man the ramparts but try to inform people of various actions by authorities, soon that will become very dangerous. All the reforms and agencies that provided more safety to our food, air, jobs and medicine will be gone and the harm will be incalculable. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Backwoodsman Date: 11 Feb 25 - 02:28 PM Pete McMartin in the Vancouver Sun, 3rd February 2025… ”With the shocking messages about his plans for Gaza and the Palestinians, coupled with his ongoing threats of tarrifs and threats to making Canada the 51st state, Pete McMartin of the Vancouver Sun captures what most Canadians are feeling right now. Farewall “My American Cousin”. “Goodbye, America. It’s been nice knowing you. Goodbye New York, and your Jewish delicatessens with corned beef sandwiches stacked as high as your skyline. Goodbye Detroit, my boyhood neighbour, and so long to Tiger Stadium, the Detroit Institute of Arts and Motown. Goodbye Bellingham, Seattle and Portland — how I’ll miss my Cascadian cousins with our shared Pacific sensibilities. And while I’m at it, goodbye to the cheap gas and shoreline cottages of Point Roberts, America’s appendix dangling just below the border not a mile from me. What was once so close has never been so far. Goodbye Stag Leap’s Pinot Noir, Maker’s Mark bourbon, and Hebrew National hotdogs. My tastebuds mourn. Goodbye to the cowards on both sides of the border who have demonstrated that whatever fidelity to democratic ideals they profess to have extends only so far as their self-interest. They should get a real job, say, in a chain gang. Goodbye to anyone, again on both sides of the border, who bends the knee to Trump, rather than standing up to him, as any self-respecting person would and should, and telling him to piss off. Goodbye to a culture that demands we bend the knee. Goodbye languid vacations in Maui and Palm Springs. My next winter vacation will be in a sunny climate other than any America can offer, and preferably in a country the U.S. has treated as disdainfully as mine. I’ll have more than a few to pick from. Most painful of all, goodbye to my American friends, some of whom I have known all my life, and some of whom I’ve collected along the way. I can cross your border but no longer wish to: Your Narcissist-in-Chief has decreed that my countrymen and I have the choice of becoming destitute, vassals or enemies. I’m choosing the latter Meanwhile, your silence and the silence of all Americans in response to this aggression leaves me disheartened. That silence speaks volumes. I — we — have heard you loud and clear how little our friendship as a country means to you. Goodbye to the image of America I once held dear — the America of Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderley and James Brown, of George Gershwin and Aaron Copeland, of Norman Mailer and Kurt Vonnegut and Mark Twain, of Martin Luther King and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Goodbye to what I envied as the country that prided itself on encouraging unparalleled innovation in science, art and business. Any good that remains of it has been overshadowed by rapacity, cheap commercialism and egotism. Goodbye to that ever-present sense of inferiority I once had when considering the relationship between Canada and America. What doubt I had of our own greatness is gone, and in its place is a certitude that Canada is superior to the U.S. in all the ways that matter. I look across the border now and see a violent, burgeoning autocracy now ever on the edge of civil war, and a population that is either cheering on this new brutalism or quaking in fear from it. Goodbye to tepid patriotism. If Trump has done us any favour, it is awakening us to the fact that we can no longer take Canada’s existence for granted, that the bad actors in the world have begun to look covetously upon our improbably vast land that is laden with riches, that they want those riches and that niceness as a national character is not enough to dissuade them from taking them. Schoolyard bullies don’t want to be buddies. They want your lunch. And after a long era of living a geopolitical life of convenient economic and military subservience, we’ve awakened to the fact that we are going to have to relearn our independence and fight any way we can to keep it. Goodbye to living under the American nuclear umbrella, or any form of American hegemony. Goodbye to negotiation, wheedling, genuflecting or feel-good hands-across-the-border fairy tales. The American government has shown that established alliances mean nothing to it now, and so cannot be trusted. In Trump’s new world order, all the old verities are off the table, so let us make new ones. Do levy tariffs, as we have promised to do, and do grit our way through the inevitable economic pain that will come. Re-arm as if we were on a war footing, because we are on a war footing. Conduct the mother of all public relation campaigns that let Americans know how badly they are perceived in the world, that they’ve gone from the shining city on the hill to just another empire with the same tired territorial ambitions as Russia or China. Do anything to impress upon Americans that their government is without real friends or allies, and that they, in essence, are alone. So, goodbye America, it’s been nice knowing you, but I don’t know you anymore. I’ve reached that point in our relationship where any admiration I have had for you has been replaced by a new, angry resolve, which is: I won’t consort with the enemy” |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Helen Date: 11 Feb 25 - 02:49 PM BWM, thanks for posting that article. It says a lot about what I have been thinking and feeling about Trump and the cowards who either stand by him, or the cowards who refuse to take a stand against him. And the Christians who voted for him, what are they thinking and feeling right now? Vindication or a sense of horror about what they have helped to bring about? |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Backwoodsman Date: 11 Feb 25 - 04:42 PM Helen, I think many, perhaps most, of the ‘Christians’ who voted for the Mango Mussolini couldn’t care less - they are so spellbound by him. Says a lot about ‘Christians’ AFAIC. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: robomatic Date: 11 Feb 25 - 05:09 PM There has been much parboiling anger distributed throughout the population since well before TRMP. TRMP is an effect, not a cause. It's a worldwide phenomenon. Think of all the Russian tanks with Zs on them. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 11 Feb 25 - 08:15 PM "54 40 or fight" was the last provocation, now the pathologic president says you can be a US subsidiary. What next, will he send the Palestinians to eastern Greenland? Big Daddy wants all the attention all the time. |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Backwoodsman Date: 12 Feb 25 - 01:15 AM Mrs Backwoodsperson and I were discussing the change of name of the Gulf of Mexico last night, and I suggested that ‘Gulf of New Gilead’ would be more appropriate. Quick as a flash (she’s sharp like that), she replied, “In which case, tRump would no longer be the POTUS, he’d be the PONG. Very appropriate! |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Donuel Date: 12 Feb 25 - 01:55 PM Trump has his own cryptocurrency which is about one in 10,000 cryptocurrencies out there. More bizarre is Melania who sold her eyes as an NFT. |
Subject: Don't Look Up From: Donuel Date: 12 Feb 25 - 02:26 PM Whoever is President after Trump will have to deal with the space rock formally named 2024 YR4. Scientists say it currently carries a 2% risk of making contact with Earth when it eventually reaches this part of the solar system on Dec. 22, 2032 Too bad the Earth Defense Agency was canceled |
Subject: RE: Convicted felon US 47th President/ Musk Coup From: Stilly River Sage Date: 12 Feb 25 - 08:33 PM Trump has purged the artists who were on the board of the Kennedy Center and replaced them with his cronies. The only culture that will come out of there for the next four years will be mold and fungus. The Great Kennedy Center Purge of 2025. This is from a Substack account called Closer to the Edge. For years, Trump steered clear of the Kennedy Center like a vampire avoiding a crucifix. The annual Kennedy Center Honors, the Mark Twain Prize—those events were not his scene. Too much culture, too many people who could read without moving their lips. He was a man who thought steak should be well-done and that "Citizen Kane" was about having a really big house. High art and Trump mixed about as well as bath salts and a Florida Wal-Mart. Read the rest at the link. |
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