Something I’ve noticed recently - former military folks who proudly served urging their kids to not even think about enlisting with this rogue menace in charge.
When my son reached draft age, he one day had the idea of looking into the Marines (a noble thought)- he'd seen my old dress blues hanging in the closet. So we went to the recruiter's office, where he got the standard sales pitch. On the way home, I reminded him that enlisting would make him 'property of the US Government' (yes, that's what happens) and that he might want to think a bit before making a decision. I'm glad he decided against it, opting for college instead - he's had a wonderful, successful life thus far, and he and his wife have given me four grandchildren. Oh, and he tests jet engines for a big defense contractor. He's doing his part, just not in uniform.
All militaries are having trouble recruiting. My question is whether my cousins in the US military, who are stationed in Germany where they have German wives and half German children like me and my daughter, will be going to war against their own families in Germany like me and my daughter, and their wives and children at Trump's command.
I agree Paula. I hope not as well. Lots of people are called upon right now to understand ethically where they stand. We see people quitting and refusing to do what they are asked to do. Wish more people under Hitler did that. It has to be a lesson because we are headed in that direction.
His guest Anat Shenker-Osorio is talking about what is going on and who is getting it right and who is getting it wrong and what it takes to get to understanding what is going on, mentions the update from the project 2025 tracker, talks about system justification theory. She gets to the messaging about 18 minutes in. She says actions speak louder than words. I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. In a sense forget getting the DEMS to do anything except for those who are. She is really getting to the meat of how things work. From my lifelong activism what she is saying is ringing true. Also, please share this with other people.
Thank you for this, Linda. I recently subscribed to the Ink and have kept this post to watch but I did get the gist from the comments. I will share it.
And here's something else that just hit my inbox. https://open.substack.com/pub/barrygander/p/with-deep-sadness-i-took-my-flag?r=qjf9i&utm_medium=ios. Barry Gander is featuring comments from Americans who are ashamed of their country now. It's very sad but it gives me hope. It's obvious that Trump has gone so far over the line that people who would normally conduct business as usual are speaking up. Many of them are conservative. This is a good sign for our democracy. Fingers crossed.
Thank you for sharing the post Paula. It reminds me of the ads in the election campaign of Republicans Against Trump who also expressed shame in him and what he stands for, but he still won. I did hear that the Trump the King has put more people off. He will naturally do this because he is back in power. He cannot help himself, though he is trying to deflect our enmity with Musk. That will only last so long. The Ukraine situation is a case in point. Also, I really like the messaging of Anat above, as hopeful. A way to tackle this.
On the other hand, I am telling my daughter who is a dual US/German citizen to be prepared that Germany, where she is attending University may reinstitute mandatory military duty and she should be prepared to go, just as I will try to get some sort of training as a retired civilian. Here is my updated piece on Germany Prepares for War that I first wrote in December.
My friend and I were discussing that in the countryside the Russian troops can be on the ground raping and pillaging. Thus I want training in self defense for that eventuality. Am going to be looking into it. First of all my goal is just to get more fit.
Exactly. A group of us here have started a conversation that is what we can do to prepare. No one that I know here in Europe except for one person who has been living on an island and not paying much attention to what is going on, has even said this is not a realistic concern. Everyone has just jumped into the conversation. No one trusts Trump or Putin or puts anything past them. The one friend who first denied quickly changed his tune after I explained it to him, and asked to come to the countryside with us. It we are out there my husbands cousin won't have to hire people from Romania to help him harvest because we can do it.
Here is a hopeful piece on what we can do right now, which is different if you are in the USA than abroad.
This video embedded in the Substack INK from Anand Giridharadas called "WATCH: An *actual* plan to beat fascism. A masterclass from political sage Anat Shenker-Osorio on how you can fight back against Trump II, create "social proof," mobilize your community, stop waiting for Democrats, and start getting it DONE"
His guest Anat Shenker-Osorio is talking about what is going on and who is getting it right and who is getting it wrong and what it takes to get to understanding what is going on, mentions the update from the project 2025 tracker, talks about system justification theory. She gets to the messaging about 18 minutes in. She says actions speak louder than words. I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. In a sense forget getting the DEMS to do anything except for those who are. She is really getting to the meat of how things work and what we can do. From my lifelong activism what she is saying is ringing true. Also, please share this with other people.
I was somewhat encouraged by Mississippi Republican Senator Wicker statement saying that Putin should be arrested, jailed and even executed. He stressed the importance of supporting NATO.
Don't be. All the republicans are on the take from the russians. I thought p had pictures of them with women who weren't their wives, but according to Deepak Puri's latest graphic, they've been taking money from russian oligarchs, even mcconnell!
The Dallas Morning News reported on Russian oligarch money being funneled into the RNC and numerous individual Republican politicians' campaigns back in 2020 or so.
The conduit for the money-laundering involved the infamous Bank of Cyprus.
And one of the directors at Bank of Cyprus was Trump's first-term commerce secretary Wilbur Ross.
Yes. Yesterday a bunch of them went on TV to issue statements. Then. prompltly went to their offices and went mute their leaders , Fuhrer Trump and Uber Fuhrer Musk continued to lie about, well, about EVERYTHING including all of this mess in Ukraine being Zalensky's fault. They are all spineless, fedkless and DC versions of street walkers. Selling their wares to the highest bidders.
Treasonous behavior for centuries, was treated by a firing squad and a brick wall, is it too much to ask for the same fate Mussolini received for the imbecile in chief??
You inspired me Mr. Bimbo. I am 80 in a few months, a disabled veteran with hearing aids, fighting cancer and I walk with a cane. I am looking to finally fight the good fight. Sign me up too. My daughter says I make fabulous pancakes and thinks I should be a cook in this war.
Unfortunately, it's going to get worse before it can get better. The mid-term elections are going to be be pivotal--unless Musk finds a way to abrogate them.
The President is the Commander of the Military and Trump might not follow protocol. The military would have to defy him. I am counting on them to do so but — will they?
They will. They do not answer to him, if he chooses to throw in the country's lot with the moldering Russian shrimp, there will be an uprising. We will square the circle.
Yes, they will. Along with his being a traitor, there is the fact that he is destroying the fabric of this country. Even the MAGAts will feel the pain. Social Security? Medicare? Medicaid? SNAP? Cancer research? Nuclear security? At the rate he is going, the White House may become the new Bastille. If I thought I would ever write such a thing...
Thank you for another strong column and a new term to describe Trump courtesy of Rabelais and your reader, Reed Bonadonna. I may try it out on my poster for the next rally and march.
Open, brazen, and blatant treason, and not a peep out of the Republican Party. They are clearly in the tank for the Feral Hog, and let us hope they go down with him, assuming, of course, that he doesn't take the entire world down with him. He wants to cut defense spending in half, and not because of "waste". He wants us to be unable to fight and is practically inviting Putin to take over. He wants WWIII and I fear he may get it when Putin attacks a NATO member.
I don't think Trump wants war, he simply wants to make money and war is wasteful. He wants surrender and expects Ukraine to just surrender so that he and Putin can divide the spoils. He doesn't know any history and fails to appreciate that even Hitler eventually had to back up his threats with force.
I think he is deteriorating right before our eyes at a greater rate than any of us imagined. He is stark, raving, mad. Is it from something as disgusting as advanced syphilis (Stage 3)? Is it hereditary dementia or Alzheimers? Or a combination of both? Whatever it is, nothing he says is credible or sensible. The demons surrounding him are trying to keep it in check so that they can accomplish their destruction of the US. With good fortune and resistance, it won't work. I think his demise is advancing so quickly, we may prevail.
Vance is nobody. He has no friends, no one trusts him, he was, along with Ted Cruz, the most untrustworthy, disliked man in the senate. And he hasn't got the brains God gave a goose. If he hadn't been a vet, he never would have been accepted at Yale Law. Yes, he was Law Review - a fact checker. He has failed at every "venture" he began. He is abysmal.
Unless Putin wants him, Vance will find himself falling out of a window. It he is the tool he appears to be, wonder if his security will even try to break his fall.
We've never had a proper medical report on the assassination attempt in Butler, PA. Was his ear dinged by a high-speed rifle bullet, as originally reported, or was the ear injury caused by a flying shard of teleprompter glass?
If you do a search at PubMed — as I did back in July 2024 — for keywords such as "tangential," "gunshot," "wound" (or some relevant synonyms including "grazing") you can find about 100 research papers indexed there. Some describe the standards-of-care for tangential gunshots to the head: Immediate post-shooting MRI/CT scans, plus followup scans later, to detect possible concussion/brain injuries caused by the _supersonic shockwave_ a passing bullet at very close range produces. Delayed TBI, plus his family history of Alzheimer's, may be responsible for his increasingly erratic behavior.
Ronny Jackson's "report" is the only one that I remember seeing in the immediate aftermath of the Butler shooting. I would not regard him as reliable since he ran an Adderall/Provigil pill mill during his tour of duty as White House Physician in Trump's first term.
In the late 1970s William Safire wrote a novel called _Full Disclosure_ on a scenario involving a president suffering an injury that could cause A25s4 to be invoked.
Full disclosure is something we've _never_ had regarding Trump's health, both physical & mental.
I don't think he really cares. He won't be putting on a uniform and grabbing an assault rifle... other poor slobs will be doing the fighting and dying. He really just doesn't give a f**k.
As poor, White Americans get conscripted to fight with Russia against Ukraine and hopefully other NATO countries after Trump withdraws from NATO in order to support Putin more fully, will MAGAs be so happy with him?
No. However I did see what I consider an important discussion to watch.
This video embedded in the Substack INK from Anand Giridharadas called "WATCH: An *actual* plan to beat fascism. A masterclass from political sage Anat Shenker-Osorio on how you can fight back against Trump II, create "social proof," mobilize your community, stop waiting for Democrats, and start getting it DONE"
His guest Anat Shenker-Osorio is talking about what is going on and who is getting it right and who is getting it wrong and what it takes to get to understanding what is going on, mentions the update from the project 2025 tracker, talks about system justification theory. She gets to the messaging about 18 minutes in. She says actions speak louder than words. I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. In a sense forget getting the DEMS to do anything except for those who are.
I have been wondering if any of the Republican legislators have thought about how Trump is circumventing Congress. If he is able to “rule” by himself then those folks will be out of a job. They lay themselves at his feet to keep the jobs they might no longer have?!
They don't care. They have sold themselves to Trump and are only interested in holding on to (to paraphrase Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles) their "phony-baloney jobs". They are probably convinced that there will not be any more elections and that they can continue to preen and strut and swagger around Washington for the foreseeable future.
Please don't lump the Democrats into this mess. They are fighting an almost futile battle, if they can persuade some of the very few who are not MAGAts... As I've said before, they are terrified. When the traitor pardoned all the Jan6 hooligans? He created his own private army, and they know it. The Dems know what is at stake. The jackanapes that masquarade as the republican party deserve what they have allowed to take place. As for the "cabinet?" They are the cadavers that serve the devil.
The Hamburger Evening Paper in Germany yesterday, seems to have picked up on how ineffective the Dems are against this onslaught from Trump. If each and every one of them has not picked up Project 2025 and read it from cover to cover, shame on them. I read it in a group, and it is must reading for everyone now, so that there is clarity on what is planned and what is happening, and what is yet to come. Necessary for mounting an effective attack.
The Democrats read it, it was mentioned in just about every rally, so thinking otherwise is fallacious. MAGAts don't read. plus the Traitor-in-Chief assured that he knew nothing about "the what did you call it?". They won. Misogynists don't read, if they do, it's not anything extolling women, they either didn't vote or voted for the felonious traitor. One more thing. It's called the American education system - reading is for sissies. They mimic and extoll said the felonious traitor. Democrats aren't ineffective, they are the minority party - read - they have no power.
Abendblatt was owned by Axel Springer, not known for its liberal stance.
I have read P2025 in a group and discussed it, and I could tell that the dems talking about it were discussing it in a way that seemed more like they were going on hearsay and not actual knowledge. It is 920 pages, but must read material to slog through to understand the grievance mill, and ultimate goals, combined with experts to explain how it is a Christian Nationalist manifesto. Someone like Andra Watkins.
Today I heard that according to the Project 2025 Tracker Trump has accomplished 30% of what is in P2025 in his first 30 days. Here is a link to the tracker. It looks like it is at 35%, so a third of the way. What will 100 days look like?
I know that the Abendblatt is not known for its liberal stance, but it is more like the Chicago Tribune than a Sinclair paper. I don't subscribe to the Tribune anymore since the Sun Times revived, but it is good for local news.
Here is an important discussion to watch because as far as I understand, We are the people, we are the democrats. Leaders lead. Anyone can be a leader. I consider this interview really important to watch. It reframes the situation.
This video embedded in the Substack INK from Anand Giridharadas called "WATCH: An *actual* plan to beat fascism. A masterclass from political sage Anat Shenker-Osorio on how you can fight back against Trump II, create "social proof," mobilize your community, stop waiting for Democrats, and start getting it DONE"
His guest Anat Shenker-Osorio is talking about what is going on and who is getting it right and who is getting it wrong and what it takes to get to understanding what is going on, mentions the update from the project 2025 tracker, talks about system justification theory. She gets to the messaging about 18 minutes in. She says actions speak louder than words. I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. In a sense forget getting the DEMS to do anything except for those who are.
I have been saying the same thing, in fact said this from the outset before Trump was in. Same with SCOTUS. They will be made irrelevant unless they put some breaks on him, but with rich old men putting money in their pockets to do their bidding, they siren call of cash may outweigh any common sense these corrupt intellectual lightweights possess.
Lucian, your writing keeps me grounded. Thank you so much for that. But, when I feel a tad freaked out after digesting all of your words, I resort to the following recipe, as my mental health comfort food: TWO HEAPING tablespoons each of Häagen-Dazs vanilla and chocolate-peanut butter ice cream, with a teaspoon of whatever peanut butter is available, soften, mix well. Indulge in front of a fireplace, while watching Rachel Maddow. It works. Trust me. Also helps if kitties sit on your lap while eating.
You give me hope. If you ever feel the need for something liquid. May I suggest a Margarita - good in the winter for its vitamin C and in the summer for its refreshing taste. (God I hope we're not going through this in the summer). I part freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice to 1 part tequila to 1 part Bauchant orange liqueur. Toss in some ice, shake like crazy, strain, and drink. Remember when Rachel used to make cocktails on Friday night?
Prep for emergencies: Keep a jar of marshmallow fluff in your pantry. If you feel the need and have run out of chocolate-peanut butter H-D, mix marshmallow fluff and p.b. and slather over chocolate ice cream. (LATER You may need to add a little liquid to get this to syrup consistency.)
Many have observed that Trump's accusations are projections, that he's doing what he falsely accuses others of doing. This seems to be the case with his accusing Zelenskyy of being a dictator. But this time it's different because Trump announced before the election that he'd be a dictator, and just today he called himself "king." Is his accusation of Zelenskyy nevertheless projecting? What would a psychologist make of it? My guess is that he or she would conclude that Trump has less self-awareness than any person who has ever lived.
Salon.com has the latest example of his projection, and it's a doozy:
Though Trump himself had spent the day hitting the links, he said that remote federal workers were likely spending their workdays playing tennis and golf.
"All federal workers must once again show up to work. Show up to work in person like the rest of us. It doesn't work when you don't show up," he said. "You can't work at home. They're not working. They're playing tennis, they're playing golf or they have other jobs." Trump has reportedly spent 9 days golfing in the first month of his second term.
That's the end of the Salon quote. The fact that he could say that confirms that he has less self-awareness than any person who has ever lived.
The question is, who gives the order? And when? There is going to have to be further degradation of America’s position in the world, proof of treason that would invoke the Tripwire Moment.
There will be further degradation of the USA. Remove the competent civil servants and nothing, absolutely nothing will be done right, or at all. Of course they don't care. Don't get married, have a baby, or try to buy a house, because the people who manage the paperwork and certificates have been fired and no one really replacing them yet. Don't try to get a passport, wait until all of the firefighters are gone. No medicare, no medicaid, people dying in the streets, no one to remove the bodies or give them a proper burial or a death certificate and no money in the economy from all the people working who are being fired, and all the government monies that are not being paid. When Trump has turned the US into a third world country and destroyed the finest military in the world, then he will have lost his leverage, and that might be a good time for Democrats to get back up and dust themselves off and try to turn the US into a governable country with a government that backs the people.
How soon will he threaten to use nuclear weapons on any country that gets in his way? He has sole authority to deploy them. What will the military do? Are they going to stand for this bullshit or will they remember that they swore an oath to the Constitution?
He does not personally know how to detonate them. He fired the people in charge of doing that. They might not be so agreeable when rehired. Certainly will not be loyalists blindly following him. The US will implode too, so he might not want to do that.
We ALL need to refresh our memories with the words “Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the UK in 1938,” and “Peace in our time.” The Fat Fool is reenacting a very bad deal made with Adolf Hitler.
We’re all with you!
Something I’ve noticed recently - former military folks who proudly served urging their kids to not even think about enlisting with this rogue menace in charge.
When my son reached draft age, he one day had the idea of looking into the Marines (a noble thought)- he'd seen my old dress blues hanging in the closet. So we went to the recruiter's office, where he got the standard sales pitch. On the way home, I reminded him that enlisting would make him 'property of the US Government' (yes, that's what happens) and that he might want to think a bit before making a decision. I'm glad he decided against it, opting for college instead - he's had a wonderful, successful life thus far, and he and his wife have given me four grandchildren. Oh, and he tests jet engines for a big defense contractor. He's doing his part, just not in uniform.
I read that the military is having trouble recruiting.
All militaries are having trouble recruiting. My question is whether my cousins in the US military, who are stationed in Germany where they have German wives and half German children like me and my daughter, will be going to war against their own families in Germany like me and my daughter, and their wives and children at Trump's command.
I sincerely hope not, Linda. This is just insanity.
I agree Paula. I hope not as well. Lots of people are called upon right now to understand ethically where they stand. We see people quitting and refusing to do what they are asked to do. Wish more people under Hitler did that. It has to be a lesson because we are headed in that direction.
Here is a hopeful discussion of what we can do.
This video embedded in the Substack INK from Anand Giridharadas called "WATCH: An *actual* plan to beat fascism. A masterclass from political sage Anat Shenker-Osorio on how you can fight back against Trump II, create "social proof," mobilize your community, stop waiting for Democrats, and start getting it DONE" https://the.ink/p/watch-an-actual-plan-to-beat-fascism?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
His guest Anat Shenker-Osorio is talking about what is going on and who is getting it right and who is getting it wrong and what it takes to get to understanding what is going on, mentions the update from the project 2025 tracker, talks about system justification theory. She gets to the messaging about 18 minutes in. She says actions speak louder than words. I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. In a sense forget getting the DEMS to do anything except for those who are. She is really getting to the meat of how things work. From my lifelong activism what she is saying is ringing true. Also, please share this with other people.
Thank you for this, Linda. I recently subscribed to the Ink and have kept this post to watch but I did get the gist from the comments. I will share it.
And here's something else that just hit my inbox. https://open.substack.com/pub/barrygander/p/with-deep-sadness-i-took-my-flag?r=qjf9i&utm_medium=ios. Barry Gander is featuring comments from Americans who are ashamed of their country now. It's very sad but it gives me hope. It's obvious that Trump has gone so far over the line that people who would normally conduct business as usual are speaking up. Many of them are conservative. This is a good sign for our democracy. Fingers crossed.
Thank you for sharing the post Paula. It reminds me of the ads in the election campaign of Republicans Against Trump who also expressed shame in him and what he stands for, but he still won. I did hear that the Trump the King has put more people off. He will naturally do this because he is back in power. He cannot help himself, though he is trying to deflect our enmity with Musk. That will only last so long. The Ukraine situation is a case in point. Also, I really like the messaging of Anat above, as hopeful. A way to tackle this.
Terrible trouble. It's why Lucas Kunce was recalled, to recruit for the Marines.
On the other hand, I am telling my daughter who is a dual US/German citizen to be prepared that Germany, where she is attending University may reinstitute mandatory military duty and she should be prepared to go, just as I will try to get some sort of training as a retired civilian. Here is my updated piece on Germany Prepares for War that I first wrote in December.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/germany-prepares-for-war-updated?r=f0qfn
Stay safe, out of harm’s way Linda, I agree with your point of the countryside being a safe place, yet in war…
My friend and I were discussing that in the countryside the Russian troops can be on the ground raping and pillaging. Thus I want training in self defense for that eventuality. Am going to be looking into it. First of all my goal is just to get more fit.
Exactly. A group of us here have started a conversation that is what we can do to prepare. No one that I know here in Europe except for one person who has been living on an island and not paying much attention to what is going on, has even said this is not a realistic concern. Everyone has just jumped into the conversation. No one trusts Trump or Putin or puts anything past them. The one friend who first denied quickly changed his tune after I explained it to him, and asked to come to the countryside with us. It we are out there my husbands cousin won't have to hire people from Romania to help him harvest because we can do it.
Here is a hopeful piece on what we can do right now, which is different if you are in the USA than abroad.
This video embedded in the Substack INK from Anand Giridharadas called "WATCH: An *actual* plan to beat fascism. A masterclass from political sage Anat Shenker-Osorio on how you can fight back against Trump II, create "social proof," mobilize your community, stop waiting for Democrats, and start getting it DONE"
https://the.ink/p/watch-an-actual-plan-to-beat-fascism?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
His guest Anat Shenker-Osorio is talking about what is going on and who is getting it right and who is getting it wrong and what it takes to get to understanding what is going on, mentions the update from the project 2025 tracker, talks about system justification theory. She gets to the messaging about 18 minutes in. She says actions speak louder than words. I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. In a sense forget getting the DEMS to do anything except for those who are. She is really getting to the meat of how things work and what we can do. From my lifelong activism what she is saying is ringing true. Also, please share this with other people.
I was somewhat encouraged by Mississippi Republican Senator Wicker statement saying that Putin should be arrested, jailed and even executed. He stressed the importance of supporting NATO.
Don't be. All the republicans are on the take from the russians. I thought p had pictures of them with women who weren't their wives, but according to Deepak Puri's latest graphic, they've been taking money from russian oligarchs, even mcconnell!
Ellen—Thus long known as Moscow Mitch.
The Dallas Morning News reported on Russian oligarch money being funneled into the RNC and numerous individual Republican politicians' campaigns back in 2020 or so.
The conduit for the money-laundering involved the infamous Bank of Cyprus.
And one of the directors at Bank of Cyprus was Trump's first-term commerce secretary Wilbur Ross.
Not surprised…
Mike Johnson had to return some campaign contributions from ruzz oligarchs who are in the gas patch.
I believe the son of that oligarch was connected with Trump's campaign.
Yes. Yesterday a bunch of them went on TV to issue statements. Then. prompltly went to their offices and went mute their leaders , Fuhrer Trump and Uber Fuhrer Musk continued to lie about, well, about EVERYTHING including all of this mess in Ukraine being Zalensky's fault. They are all spineless, fedkless and DC versions of street walkers. Selling their wares to the highest bidders.
I suspect the Russians have been funneling money to Republicans through the NRA for years.
Yes, you are correct, according to what I read.
WE can phone our House representatives ( 202-224-3121) and ask them to support
H.Res.135
Affirming the nature and importance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Article 5 commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty.
Sponsor: Meeks, Gregory W. [Rep.-D-NY-5] (Introduced 02/13/2025)
Cosponsors: (3)
If a Repugnant senator said this, he is an outlier, perhaps the only one who has grown a spine. I wouldn't count on many more doing this.
Treasonous behavior for centuries, was treated by a firing squad and a brick wall, is it too much to ask for the same fate Mussolini received for the imbecile in chief??
Okay. But if Wicker had at least voted to impeach Pantagruel TWICE, that would have been helpful.
I am 75… Where do I sign up?
You inspired me Mr. Bimbo. I am 80 in a few months, a disabled veteran with hearing aids, fighting cancer and I walk with a cane. I am looking to finally fight the good fight. Sign me up too. My daughter says I make fabulous pancakes and thinks I should be a cook in this war.
I am a Vietnam disabled Vet too. I would rather go down on my feet than on my knees to a bum like Musk
There's a battalion of over-60s in Ukraine called the Steppe Wolves, not that I'm suggesting it, but am impressed that they want to serve.
78! 👊👊👊🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙋🙋🙋
I'm 75 thinking I could re-enlist in the Marine Corps but chances are slim. It's the thought that counts.
How are you coding skills ( not that l know what that is)!
Babs - age 76
Unfortunately, it's going to get worse before it can get better. The mid-term elections are going to be be pivotal--unless Musk finds a way to abrogate them.
I will never believe that the election was legitimate. Never.
Your sentiments are valid Arne!!
Totally..
IF we have another election.
We will. The military does not answer to the ha-ha president, it answers to the Constitution. There will be elections, the people will demand it.
Carol, I am praying you are right and I am wrong.
The President is the Commander of the Military and Trump might not follow protocol. The military would have to defy him. I am counting on them to do so but — will they?
They will. They do not answer to him, if he chooses to throw in the country's lot with the moldering Russian shrimp, there will be an uprising. We will square the circle.
I'm thinking 70% of the military will uphold their oath to the Constitution.
Maybe.
See again Lucian’s sojourn with Alexander Haig.
Just realized that heading off to West Point with the name of Alexander may have slightly skewed his perspectives and ambitions.
Be careful what you name your children.
We hope
Caril-Ann
May you be correct. But currently Pete Hegseth thinks he was ordained to kill any one that dosent belong to his god.
Pete thinks he is the Knight to save the White.
Trump the Psychopath says he is ordained by the gods to save the universe. And Elon Musk thinks he can find Hari Seldon.
God, forgive me for this......he would have to sober up first. No need to follow his orders. He can't remember anything he has said.
Trump just seized control of all executive offices power… one being election Gloria, elections are about to become a thing of the past!!
Patrick do you recall where you read that news?
Think revolution.
Mid term elections might make some dents but no big wins.
The Panting Gruel monster and his Elf's will destroy the planet until Eco Tree Pod's are prepared for them.
Yes, they will. Along with his being a traitor, there is the fact that he is destroying the fabric of this country. Even the MAGAts will feel the pain. Social Security? Medicare? Medicaid? SNAP? Cancer research? Nuclear security? At the rate he is going, the White House may become the new Bastille. If I thought I would ever write such a thing...
Maga pain.
"The Lepoards ate my face."
We must be brave like the French. Prepare the guillotines.
Liberté, égalité, fraternité Cal, the French Revolution call!!
Note it was a month ago today that Trump was coronated. Let us hope he goes the way of King George. Ousted by revolutionary freedom fighters.
Dubious of any midterms,since Trump has seized all executive federal office powers Dwight!!
Special elections candidates to replace cabinet members: Gay Valimont, Joshua Weil, Blake Gendebien.
WI Supreme Court Susan Crawford election April 1
Thank you for another strong column and a new term to describe Trump courtesy of Rabelais and your reader, Reed Bonadonna. I may try it out on my poster for the next rally and march.
Open, brazen, and blatant treason, and not a peep out of the Republican Party. They are clearly in the tank for the Feral Hog, and let us hope they go down with him, assuming, of course, that he doesn't take the entire world down with him. He wants to cut defense spending in half, and not because of "waste". He wants us to be unable to fight and is practically inviting Putin to take over. He wants WWIII and I fear he may get it when Putin attacks a NATO member.
I don't think Trump wants war, he simply wants to make money and war is wasteful. He wants surrender and expects Ukraine to just surrender so that he and Putin can divide the spoils. He doesn't know any history and fails to appreciate that even Hitler eventually had to back up his threats with force.
I think he is deteriorating right before our eyes at a greater rate than any of us imagined. He is stark, raving, mad. Is it from something as disgusting as advanced syphilis (Stage 3)? Is it hereditary dementia or Alzheimers? Or a combination of both? Whatever it is, nothing he says is credible or sensible. The demons surrounding him are trying to keep it in check so that they can accomplish their destruction of the US. With good fortune and resistance, it won't work. I think his demise is advancing so quickly, we may prevail.
If he dies, we have Vance. That is terrifying,
Vance is nobody. He has no friends, no one trusts him, he was, along with Ted Cruz, the most untrustworthy, disliked man in the senate. And he hasn't got the brains God gave a goose. If he hadn't been a vet, he never would have been accepted at Yale Law. Yes, he was Law Review - a fact checker. He has failed at every "venture" he began. He is abysmal.
Unless Putin wants him, Vance will find himself falling out of a window. It he is the tool he appears to be, wonder if his security will even try to break his fall.
The man seems to be in a perpetual state of mania or nodding off to sleep.
We've never had a proper medical report on the assassination attempt in Butler, PA. Was his ear dinged by a high-speed rifle bullet, as originally reported, or was the ear injury caused by a flying shard of teleprompter glass?
If you do a search at PubMed — as I did back in July 2024 — for keywords such as "tangential," "gunshot," "wound" (or some relevant synonyms including "grazing") you can find about 100 research papers indexed there. Some describe the standards-of-care for tangential gunshots to the head: Immediate post-shooting MRI/CT scans, plus followup scans later, to detect possible concussion/brain injuries caused by the _supersonic shockwave_ a passing bullet at very close range produces. Delayed TBI, plus his family history of Alzheimer's, may be responsible for his increasingly erratic behavior.
Ronny Jackson's "report" is the only one that I remember seeing in the immediate aftermath of the Butler shooting. I would not regard him as reliable since he ran an Adderall/Provigil pill mill during his tour of duty as White House Physician in Trump's first term.
In the late 1970s William Safire wrote a novel called _Full Disclosure_ on a scenario involving a president suffering an injury that could cause A25s4 to be invoked.
Full disclosure is something we've _never_ had regarding Trump's health, both physical & mental.
I found myself wondering, yesterday evening, if he truly thinks he's king of the U.S. Another manifestation of mental deterioration.
I don't think he really cares. He won't be putting on a uniform and grabbing an assault rifle... other poor slobs will be doing the fighting and dying. He really just doesn't give a f**k.
I hope you're right. In the meantime he's waging war on us here at home.
As poor, White Americans get conscripted to fight with Russia against Ukraine and hopefully other NATO countries after Trump withdraws from NATO in order to support Putin more fully, will MAGAs be so happy with him?
Did you see the numbers this morning?
No. However I did see what I consider an important discussion to watch.
This video embedded in the Substack INK from Anand Giridharadas called "WATCH: An *actual* plan to beat fascism. A masterclass from political sage Anat Shenker-Osorio on how you can fight back against Trump II, create "social proof," mobilize your community, stop waiting for Democrats, and start getting it DONE"
His guest Anat Shenker-Osorio is talking about what is going on and who is getting it right and who is getting it wrong and what it takes to get to understanding what is going on, mentions the update from the project 2025 tracker, talks about system justification theory. She gets to the messaging about 18 minutes in. She says actions speak louder than words. I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. In a sense forget getting the DEMS to do anything except for those who are.
https://the.ink/p/watch-an-actual-plan-to-beat-fascism?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Nor does he know history or how hitler ended up…
Or other dictators. Not all of them died in office, or a natural death.
I have been wondering if any of the Republican legislators have thought about how Trump is circumventing Congress. If he is able to “rule” by himself then those folks will be out of a job. They lay themselves at his feet to keep the jobs they might no longer have?!
They don't care. They have sold themselves to Trump and are only interested in holding on to (to paraphrase Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles) their "phony-baloney jobs". They are probably convinced that there will not be any more elections and that they can continue to preen and strut and swagger around Washington for the foreseeable future.
Please don't lump the Democrats into this mess. They are fighting an almost futile battle, if they can persuade some of the very few who are not MAGAts... As I've said before, they are terrified. When the traitor pardoned all the Jan6 hooligans? He created his own private army, and they know it. The Dems know what is at stake. The jackanapes that masquarade as the republican party deserve what they have allowed to take place. As for the "cabinet?" They are the cadavers that serve the devil.
The Hamburger Evening Paper in Germany yesterday, seems to have picked up on how ineffective the Dems are against this onslaught from Trump. If each and every one of them has not picked up Project 2025 and read it from cover to cover, shame on them. I read it in a group, and it is must reading for everyone now, so that there is clarity on what is planned and what is happening, and what is yet to come. Necessary for mounting an effective attack.
The Democrats read it, it was mentioned in just about every rally, so thinking otherwise is fallacious. MAGAts don't read. plus the Traitor-in-Chief assured that he knew nothing about "the what did you call it?". They won. Misogynists don't read, if they do, it's not anything extolling women, they either didn't vote or voted for the felonious traitor. One more thing. It's called the American education system - reading is for sissies. They mimic and extoll said the felonious traitor. Democrats aren't ineffective, they are the minority party - read - they have no power.
Abendblatt was owned by Axel Springer, not known for its liberal stance.
I have read P2025 in a group and discussed it, and I could tell that the dems talking about it were discussing it in a way that seemed more like they were going on hearsay and not actual knowledge. It is 920 pages, but must read material to slog through to understand the grievance mill, and ultimate goals, combined with experts to explain how it is a Christian Nationalist manifesto. Someone like Andra Watkins.
Today I heard that according to the Project 2025 Tracker Trump has accomplished 30% of what is in P2025 in his first 30 days. Here is a link to the tracker. It looks like it is at 35%, so a third of the way. What will 100 days look like?
https://www.project2025.observer/
I know that the Abendblatt is not known for its liberal stance, but it is more like the Chicago Tribune than a Sinclair paper. I don't subscribe to the Tribune anymore since the Sun Times revived, but it is good for local news.
Here is an important discussion to watch because as far as I understand, We are the people, we are the democrats. Leaders lead. Anyone can be a leader. I consider this interview really important to watch. It reframes the situation.
This video embedded in the Substack INK from Anand Giridharadas called "WATCH: An *actual* plan to beat fascism. A masterclass from political sage Anat Shenker-Osorio on how you can fight back against Trump II, create "social proof," mobilize your community, stop waiting for Democrats, and start getting it DONE"
His guest Anat Shenker-Osorio is talking about what is going on and who is getting it right and who is getting it wrong and what it takes to get to understanding what is going on, mentions the update from the project 2025 tracker, talks about system justification theory. She gets to the messaging about 18 minutes in. She says actions speak louder than words. I think what she is saying makes a lot of sense. In a sense forget getting the DEMS to do anything except for those who are.
https://the.ink/p/watch-an-actual-plan-to-beat-fascism?r=f0qfn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
I have been saying the same thing, in fact said this from the outset before Trump was in. Same with SCOTUS. They will be made irrelevant unless they put some breaks on him, but with rich old men putting money in their pockets to do their bidding, they siren call of cash may outweigh any common sense these corrupt intellectual lightweights possess.
Are you recommending bringing back the guillotine?
As always Lucian, right on point.
Lucian, your writing keeps me grounded. Thank you so much for that. But, when I feel a tad freaked out after digesting all of your words, I resort to the following recipe, as my mental health comfort food: TWO HEAPING tablespoons each of Häagen-Dazs vanilla and chocolate-peanut butter ice cream, with a teaspoon of whatever peanut butter is available, soften, mix well. Indulge in front of a fireplace, while watching Rachel Maddow. It works. Trust me. Also helps if kitties sit on your lap while eating.
You give me hope. If you ever feel the need for something liquid. May I suggest a Margarita - good in the winter for its vitamin C and in the summer for its refreshing taste. (God I hope we're not going through this in the summer). I part freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice to 1 part tequila to 1 part Bauchant orange liqueur. Toss in some ice, shake like crazy, strain, and drink. Remember when Rachel used to make cocktails on Friday night?
Prep for emergencies: Keep a jar of marshmallow fluff in your pantry. If you feel the need and have run out of chocolate-peanut butter H-D, mix marshmallow fluff and p.b. and slather over chocolate ice cream. (LATER You may need to add a little liquid to get this to syrup consistency.)
I'll try that!
A specialty of a West Virginia drugstore soda fountain back when.
Borrowing recipe immediately!
I can't believe this country voted itself into the AXIS OF EVIL
I'm very sure that they did not do that. I believe the voting machines were tampered with or that ballots were dumped on flimsy excuses.
The number of bullet ballots in the swing states is very unusual!!
Many have observed that Trump's accusations are projections, that he's doing what he falsely accuses others of doing. This seems to be the case with his accusing Zelenskyy of being a dictator. But this time it's different because Trump announced before the election that he'd be a dictator, and just today he called himself "king." Is his accusation of Zelenskyy nevertheless projecting? What would a psychologist make of it? My guess is that he or she would conclude that Trump has less self-awareness than any person who has ever lived.
Yes, everything bad he accuses someone of--he's actively guilty of.
Salon.com has the latest example of his projection, and it's a doozy:
Though Trump himself had spent the day hitting the links, he said that remote federal workers were likely spending their workdays playing tennis and golf.
"All federal workers must once again show up to work. Show up to work in person like the rest of us. It doesn't work when you don't show up," he said. "You can't work at home. They're not working. They're playing tennis, they're playing golf or they have other jobs." Trump has reportedly spent 9 days golfing in the first month of his second term.
That's the end of the Salon quote. The fact that he could say that confirms that he has less self-awareness than any person who has ever lived.
The question is, who gives the order? And when? There is going to have to be further degradation of America’s position in the world, proof of treason that would invoke the Tripwire Moment.
There will be further degradation of the USA. Remove the competent civil servants and nothing, absolutely nothing will be done right, or at all. Of course they don't care. Don't get married, have a baby, or try to buy a house, because the people who manage the paperwork and certificates have been fired and no one really replacing them yet. Don't try to get a passport, wait until all of the firefighters are gone. No medicare, no medicaid, people dying in the streets, no one to remove the bodies or give them a proper burial or a death certificate and no money in the economy from all the people working who are being fired, and all the government monies that are not being paid. When Trump has turned the US into a third world country and destroyed the finest military in the world, then he will have lost his leverage, and that might be a good time for Democrats to get back up and dust themselves off and try to turn the US into a governable country with a government that backs the people.
I pay for quite a few Substacks, but this column once again ratifies why I subscribe to you. You keep it real. Period.
Yes, it’s WAY past time: “Donald Trump has declared himself our enemy. It is past time to square the circle and fight.”
I wish I could say I didn't come to the same conclusion, but last night I too realized that we are going to have to fight.
How soon will he threaten to use nuclear weapons on any country that gets in his way? He has sole authority to deploy them. What will the military do? Are they going to stand for this bullshit or will they remember that they swore an oath to the Constitution?
He does not personally know how to detonate them. He fired the people in charge of doing that. They might not be so agreeable when rehired. Certainly will not be loyalists blindly following him. The US will implode too, so he might not want to do that.
We ALL need to refresh our memories with the words “Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister of the UK in 1938,” and “Peace in our time.” The Fat Fool is reenacting a very bad deal made with Adolf Hitler.
Only you could write this. Thank you.
Amen, I feel the same way.