From supporting Putin to firing CIA officers to being just plain rude to a reporter, it's all become just plain normal for half the country to accept that this is the president.
I share your conclusion that everything he's doing is to stay in power by force. There's no other explanation. I hope the generals who support the Constitution are talking to each other about next steps.
From your mouth to the ears of all those generals and admirals who are military academy graduates where they studied history, who with talent and commitment to the Constitution, earned their stars
surely/ hopefully they don’t suffer from the same level of amnesia as the rest of the country. It’s mind blowing how so many Americans don’t understand what happened in World War II and how perilous trump’s wrecking ball will be.
Another excellent essay. Your friend Jackson is right. When Trump’s lawyers assert to District Court and appellate judges that what Trump is doing is “legal,” they are acting outside good faith as that term is understood by members of the Federal Trial bar. Rule 11, under which federal lawyers can be disbarred for filing false pleadings, is more than a suggestion.
It’s almost as if trumps attorneys assume he will protect them from disbarment and legal censure. It’s not that much of a leap given his efforts to overpower the judiciary.
We are delving into some perilous predictions here. We aren't hard to locate should the very worst happen. Not that I'm paranoid about elaborating here, but I just just sent you an email at your work address, not that these personal communications will protect us if the country goes totally Nazi. Think of it if Hitler had the equivalent of the snooping tech available today.
I have no doubt that I’m already on some fucking henchman’s list, along with hundreds, if not thousands of other pundit critics. I won’t obey it in advance, I won’t be quiet, I won’t both sides anything, and I won’t temper my opinion. We are looking at pure evil and I won’t be able to live myself if the things we’re re predicting come to pass and I didn’t do everything I could while I still could.
Thiis is pure evil as you say. When will those in most of the major media recognize this? I can't stand the frivolous segments on the news and opinion shows espeically Morning Joe.
You are not famous enought to make the news if you are hauled off by the Kash Patel Gestapo (perp walk starring major media figures might happen, Sabrina Haake in cuffs on the evening news won't happen - not a joke, as a lawyer they can go after you in other ways. You are much far higher profile than I am (you wrote a great chilling piece in RawStory today, by the way, here https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/trump-demonizing/ )
You'd be a target well before I'd be, if I ever was, for my writing. As an enemy of Trump's police state eventually I could find my Social Security cut off (fortunately I still can live on the income I have) and I could have my income tax audited.
On Jan. 19th, at a rally, Trump said, "It's only because THEY RIGGED THE ELECTION that I'll be your president representing you there. (at the Olympics and World Cup). THEY RIGGED THE ELECTION and now we won so I'm going to be your president for the Olympics and for the World Cup." Do you think journalists should be investigating this admission?
You are asking me to enter a mine field, or perhaps better called an explosive "mind" field, because it is the brain of Donald Trump. You and I and others like my friend John Gartner and others have gone there. I doubt there's anything a journalist can do with this. It will be left to eminent shrinks to untwist the psychopathology of Trump to parse all the elements of his belief system.
Perhaps it is not his mind we are dealing with now as much as the force of the cadre he invited and accepted to carry him to victory -- who now have their hands on the gold as well and are banding together to keep it. Think Project 2025 team. He is enjoying his revenge and "glory:" with no real concern for what happens to anyone else or beyond his lifetime.
That's right, Khalila...this is how corrupt men corrupt others. They promise "gold" and "license." "Jump on board with me and you'll be rewarded with riches and no legal consequences." Sad to say, there are millions of men and some women too, who feel great about riding the coattails of Trump's grandiosity and entitlement, zipping along in the rarified air that having no conscience permits. Many of these folks are also White, Christian nationalists who see Trump's lawlessness as the path to entrenching white, male, "Christian" supremacy here in the U.S. :(
Hal, I like your term "mind-field," but all I'm reminding people of is how Trump acknowledged OUT LOUD, that if the 2024 election hadn't been rigged in his favor, he would not be the president. Greg Palast, an investigative journalist who's an expert on Republican voter-suppression, has extensive proof of how the election was stolen. But in the video link in my previous post we hear Trump bragging about this himself, minus the specific details.
I don't remember this particular event, but there have been multiple times where he said something along the same lines. I am firmly convinced ( for what that's worth) that the fix was in. We've been had. I didn't peg it to the Muskrat then, but now that we see his little army in action, it becomes quite plausible.
We must try our damned best to keep from succumbing to despair and to cope with anxiety in healthy ways. This won't be easy. No, as the saying goes, a walk ijn the park. It is more a walk though a mine field. This will be a long haul. As I noted elsewhere, it took the Allies years to build up the military strength until D-Day.
Khalila, I'll share my thoughts while knowing that there is no one answer to the question, "what do we do now." But the first thing we do is to keep speaking to one another like this. We need to form stronger bonds of relationship as the pro-democracy resistance movement gathers steam, as Hal noted below. I also recommend finding in-person or online support groups with politically active people like Indivisible chapters or even a local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America, PDA. I believe that marches and signs are a great way to say, "We're Not Going to Tolerate Being Abused by the Occupants of the White House." I'm giving small amounts of money to legislators who are standing up and speaking out, like Senator Chris Murphy. There are many groups to join and support, such as the ACLU, to protect the rights of individuals and to keep the judicial system sturdy and vital.
I believe that alone we feel powerless, but together we are actually power-FULL.
Diana, I fully believe he was talking about what happened in the 2024 election. He's flat out telling them. He mentioned before the election, in a couple of other instances, that Elon was doing something that was going to get him elected. That's why he kept bragging, "you don't even have to vote, I have enough votes…" etc..
I share your conclusion that everything he's doing is to stay in power by force. There's no other explanation. I hope the generals who support the Constitution are talking to each other about next steps.
From your mouth to the ears of all those generals and admirals who are military academy graduates where they studied history, who with talent and commitment to the Constitution, earned their stars
surely/ hopefully they don’t suffer from the same level of amnesia as the rest of the country. It’s mind blowing how so many Americans don’t understand what happened in World War II and how perilous trump’s wrecking ball will be.
Another excellent essay. Your friend Jackson is right. When Trump’s lawyers assert to District Court and appellate judges that what Trump is doing is “legal,” they are acting outside good faith as that term is understood by members of the Federal Trial bar. Rule 11, under which federal lawyers can be disbarred for filing false pleadings, is more than a suggestion.
Hi Sabrina, Hal speaks of you often. So, of course, I am thrilled that you agree!! Dianna
It’s almost as if trumps attorneys assume he will protect them from disbarment and legal censure. It’s not that much of a leap given his efforts to overpower the judiciary.
We are delving into some perilous predictions here. We aren't hard to locate should the very worst happen. Not that I'm paranoid about elaborating here, but I just just sent you an email at your work address, not that these personal communications will protect us if the country goes totally Nazi. Think of it if Hitler had the equivalent of the snooping tech available today.
I have no doubt that I’m already on some fucking henchman’s list, along with hundreds, if not thousands of other pundit critics. I won’t obey it in advance, I won’t be quiet, I won’t both sides anything, and I won’t temper my opinion. We are looking at pure evil and I won’t be able to live myself if the things we’re re predicting come to pass and I didn’t do everything I could while I still could.
Thiis is pure evil as you say. When will those in most of the major media recognize this? I can't stand the frivolous segments on the news and opinion shows espeically Morning Joe.
You are not famous enought to make the news if you are hauled off by the Kash Patel Gestapo (perp walk starring major media figures might happen, Sabrina Haake in cuffs on the evening news won't happen - not a joke, as a lawyer they can go after you in other ways. You are much far higher profile than I am (you wrote a great chilling piece in RawStory today, by the way, here https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/trump-demonizing/ )
You'd be a target well before I'd be, if I ever was, for my writing. As an enemy of Trump's police state eventually I could find my Social Security cut off (fortunately I still can live on the income I have) and I could have my income tax audited.
yes, I understand. the threat is real.
Hal, i'm posting this again as a reminder:
On Jan. 19th, at a rally, Trump said, "It's only because THEY RIGGED THE ELECTION that I'll be your president representing you there. (at the Olympics and World Cup). THEY RIGGED THE ELECTION and now we won so I'm going to be your president for the Olympics and for the World Cup." Do you think journalists should be investigating this admission?
https://www.youtube.com/live/m3xe56vcnvw?t=8902s
You are asking me to enter a mine field, or perhaps better called an explosive "mind" field, because it is the brain of Donald Trump. You and I and others like my friend John Gartner and others have gone there. I doubt there's anything a journalist can do with this. It will be left to eminent shrinks to untwist the psychopathology of Trump to parse all the elements of his belief system.
Perhaps it is not his mind we are dealing with now as much as the force of the cadre he invited and accepted to carry him to victory -- who now have their hands on the gold as well and are banding together to keep it. Think Project 2025 team. He is enjoying his revenge and "glory:" with no real concern for what happens to anyone else or beyond his lifetime.
That's right, Khalila...this is how corrupt men corrupt others. They promise "gold" and "license." "Jump on board with me and you'll be rewarded with riches and no legal consequences." Sad to say, there are millions of men and some women too, who feel great about riding the coattails of Trump's grandiosity and entitlement, zipping along in the rarified air that having no conscience permits. Many of these folks are also White, Christian nationalists who see Trump's lawlessness as the path to entrenching white, male, "Christian" supremacy here in the U.S. :(
Hal, I like your term "mind-field," but all I'm reminding people of is how Trump acknowledged OUT LOUD, that if the 2024 election hadn't been rigged in his favor, he would not be the president. Greg Palast, an investigative journalist who's an expert on Republican voter-suppression, has extensive proof of how the election was stolen. But in the video link in my previous post we hear Trump bragging about this himself, minus the specific details.
I don't remember this particular event, but there have been multiple times where he said something along the same lines. I am firmly convinced ( for what that's worth) that the fix was in. We've been had. I didn't peg it to the Muskrat then, but now that we see his little army in action, it becomes quite plausible.
Given that, now, what do we do?
We must try our damned best to keep from succumbing to despair and to cope with anxiety in healthy ways. This won't be easy. No, as the saying goes, a walk ijn the park. It is more a walk though a mine field. This will be a long haul. As I noted elsewhere, it took the Allies years to build up the military strength until D-Day.
Not easy for the mother of a trans kid.
Khalila, I'll share my thoughts while knowing that there is no one answer to the question, "what do we do now." But the first thing we do is to keep speaking to one another like this. We need to form stronger bonds of relationship as the pro-democracy resistance movement gathers steam, as Hal noted below. I also recommend finding in-person or online support groups with politically active people like Indivisible chapters or even a local chapter of Progressive Democrats of America, PDA. I believe that marches and signs are a great way to say, "We're Not Going to Tolerate Being Abused by the Occupants of the White House." I'm giving small amounts of money to legislators who are standing up and speaking out, like Senator Chris Murphy. There are many groups to join and support, such as the ACLU, to protect the rights of individuals and to keep the judicial system sturdy and vital.
I believe that alone we feel powerless, but together we are actually power-FULL.
Your thoughts?
Yikes. I didn’t think he was implicating himself. I thought it was because he wouldn’t be prez now if he had prevailed in 2020. Your thoughts?
Diana, I fully believe he was talking about what happened in the 2024 election. He's flat out telling them. He mentioned before the election, in a couple of other instances, that Elon was doing something that was going to get him elected. That's why he kept bragging, "you don't even have to vote, I have enough votes…" etc..