David, thanks for your regular readership. For most of my life, I might have said something similar to you here, but as I detail here (and Bump in his commentary) there no longer seems any basis for believing that -- certainly not relying on it. I welcome any considerations that have escaped me.
To quote you: History has come for us. Only Conrad's "The Horror. The horror!" from _Heart of Darkness_ will suffice for what we are seeing right in front of us.
Trump repurposed the United States Digital Service, moving it from OMB to the Executive Office of the President. Obama created the office. Trump indulged Musk with the silly and misleading name, DOGE. It is not a cabinet level Department but a handy Office for modernizing technology and software.
I think it is a bit rich to say that we were not under an autocracy with Joe Biden presiding over the country. Anyone paying attention knew that would be the case in Summer, 2020.
I share your desire to live under the Rule of Law. However, over 200 Sanctuary Cities abandoned that when it did not suit their tastes and preferences. We have also had a Rule-Based foreign policy, as opposed to international law, dating back at least to the Obama Administration.
As an apparently full-fledged representative of the twisted conspiracism, misguided analyses, and disabling misjudgments of reality that have brought the nation to this point, you will find no engagement here.
No, you're not. You support the most divisive, hateful, and hatemongering figure ever to appear on the American scene, along with the ideas that buttress his awful influence. You are either deluding yourself or trying to deceive others. Free yourself of such preposterous delusions or blind intentions such as those and we might converse. Until then, neither the self-delusion nor the deception is welcome here.
I don't see that being an issue, Kathryn. He's old enough that he could become ill or incapacitated at any time. As the popular face of the movement, he'll always be valuable as long as he's healthy. What happens among all the contending forces aligned with him, once he's naturally out of the picture is one of those unpredictable and volatile variables I keep bringing to our attention.
Jay, I have hoped for some help from the courts but it isn’t coming. The Congressional Democrats can do nothing right now. What I think will happen is that these lunatics will crash the economy. I truly believe this and I think the consequences will be unpredictable.
That's probably the most likely scenario, Mark, and the unpredictable results of that won't be pretty. I did have a discussion with a good friend about a military scenario, the one we all don't want to think about and that seems in the U.S. so, indeed, unthinkable. But when Trump goes "too" far -- in refusing to recognize judicial authority, in ordering a clearly illegal or unethical miliary action, many soldiers from top to bottom will be face historic decisions.
They can't get away with it forever. We're talking about the United States, and not some fragile banana republic...
David, thanks for your regular readership. For most of my life, I might have said something similar to you here, but as I detail here (and Bump in his commentary) there no longer seems any basis for believing that -- certainly not relying on it. I welcome any considerations that have escaped me.
I wish I could believe they won’t get away with it. From everything I’ve seen, they are….and will…
So little of the candle's wick is left.
The apt image, Maureen.
To quote you: History has come for us. Only Conrad's "The Horror. The horror!" from _Heart of Darkness_ will suffice for what we are seeing right in front of us.
It is a horror. And, of course, the horror Kurtz sees is in himself, and in this case, in us, as humans.
Trump repurposed the United States Digital Service, moving it from OMB to the Executive Office of the President. Obama created the office. Trump indulged Musk with the silly and misleading name, DOGE. It is not a cabinet level Department but a handy Office for modernizing technology and software.
I think it is a bit rich to say that we were not under an autocracy with Joe Biden presiding over the country. Anyone paying attention knew that would be the case in Summer, 2020.
I share your desire to live under the Rule of Law. However, over 200 Sanctuary Cities abandoned that when it did not suit their tastes and preferences. We have also had a Rule-Based foreign policy, as opposed to international law, dating back at least to the Obama Administration.
As an apparently full-fledged representative of the twisted conspiracism, misguided analyses, and disabling misjudgments of reality that have brought the nation to this point, you will find no engagement here.
That is too bad, because the nation won't heal without engagement. I am all for the nation healing.
No, you're not. You support the most divisive, hateful, and hatemongering figure ever to appear on the American scene, along with the ideas that buttress his awful influence. You are either deluding yourself or trying to deceive others. Free yourself of such preposterous delusions or blind intentions such as those and we might converse. Until then, neither the self-delusion nor the deception is welcome here.
I stated a fact about Trump's administration. How do you know how I feel about him and even if I support him?
Now stocking up on “Victory cigarettes.”
You're hopeful!
What do you think they will do to trump once he is no longer needed?
I don't see that being an issue, Kathryn. He's old enough that he could become ill or incapacitated at any time. As the popular face of the movement, he'll always be valuable as long as he's healthy. What happens among all the contending forces aligned with him, once he's naturally out of the picture is one of those unpredictable and volatile variables I keep bringing to our attention.
Jay, I have hoped for some help from the courts but it isn’t coming. The Congressional Democrats can do nothing right now. What I think will happen is that these lunatics will crash the economy. I truly believe this and I think the consequences will be unpredictable.
That's probably the most likely scenario, Mark, and the unpredictable results of that won't be pretty. I did have a discussion with a good friend about a military scenario, the one we all don't want to think about and that seems in the U.S. so, indeed, unthinkable. But when Trump goes "too" far -- in refusing to recognize judicial authority, in ordering a clearly illegal or unethical miliary action, many soldiers from top to bottom will be face historic decisions.
Yes they will, Jay. We’ll see what they decide if they are asked to fire on American citizens which I can foresee with this malignant lunatic.
I do, too. And if he commits an act of aggression trying to take the Panama Canal by force.
And Gaza, which I’m beginning to think he is serious about.