I'm hoping to answer that question with my next article:
"Control Without Consent: Musk, Thiel, Bezos, Murdoch, and Ellison on Mt. Olympus"
Excerpt:
The United States is not governed from Washington DC anymore; it is ruled by a handful of men, all armed with truly bad ideas. They gaze down upon the rest of us from heights afforded them by mountains of accumulated wealth. They see us below, ants moving to and from our tiny little ant homes. Elon Musk describes us as "NPC's" -his term for "Non-player characters" -meaningless pixels in a video game he controls.
The United States is now controlled from private islands, superyachts, and compounds wired to satellites, a new class of self-proclaimed gods. They preside over democracy’s destruction, — not with armies or decrees, but with software code, vast capital, and conviction. Elon Musk tweets policy before governments can draft it. Peter Thiel bankrolls candidates whose contempt for democracy rivals his own whether they share his demented beliefs that societal protections are equivalent to apocalyptic end times.
I have met and known some billionaires and they act like they are a new species - Homo superior. Their ability to accumulate vast cash hoards tells them that they are entitled to rule over the rest of us as if we were a crowd of troglodytes. Instead, I maintain that most of them have an accumulation of personality disorders coupled with their insatiable greed that makes them able to collect their Fafnir's hoards. They are in league with the christian nationalists to create their own version of Gilead.
And yet, they lack knowledge of the humanities, history, art and art appreciation, they are like the humanoid equivalent of a cybertruck. Blocky, crude, and lacking any beauty of form or function.
Just look at the videos from Elonia Musk's stint in the White House: every single time he was on camera, two things stood out--his monumental arrogance, clearly believing himself to the Greatest Person in the room; his complete inability to interact with humans or demonstrate human behaviors.
In the Oval Office they strut around with smug-ass faces and push out their chests like they’ve taken over the playground. Pissing on everything like overaged juvenile delinquents.🤬
Is that true? I just finished Joyce Vance's "Giving Up Is Unforgivable", chock-full of no-nonsense history and advice about what to do about the contretemps facing us all - run, don't walk, to your favorite bookstore (I am not a shill for her, just an admirer of her expertise in things political) and, at 84, ready to let someone else run the ship with advice like "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction". (Reagan) and "Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it, and fight for it." (Biden), page 152 - and get a copy.
NK III is coming on 11/5 as I ascertain it. C U there...
They are a new kind of stupid. They think that markets make civilizations, when it's the other way around. They are frosting on a vast cake of vapid nonsense.
And yet the thing that’s being overlooked about the vast cash hoards they’ve accumulated is that WE gave it to them. We bought the cheapest price, the new shiny toy, the incredible convenience these men offered us, even this platform we are using to whine about it all. We *should* boycott. All the products, all the convenience, all the twisted truths offered. But that would require effort, sacrifice and a road map of some sort.
I got a notice that my Cal Fresh benefits " could be delayed " .I've been receiving the $ every month on the third. I'm already very frugal when grocery shopping ( sales , coupons , discount grocery stores.) I was given the # for a food pantry, we shall see .Meanwhile;
Hoping that if the GOP are still planning for the possibility of elections in 2026, that they fund SNAP and the healthcare subsidies.
If Trump, Johnson, and the GOP just simply keep the government shutdown in the face of Trump’s new Epstein Ballroom and $40 Billion for Musk’s chain saw buddy Millei, it should become clear to many that there will not be a 2026 midterm election.
Well he (the royal tee hee hee) said that didn't he? Just like he said he could shoot someone in Times Square and get away with it. And has done in so many ways. Just you (we) wait.
Wait till he starts selling off bits of the rubble from the East Wing - then tells you to 'eat that'. That IS the wanna-be royalty's plan. He believes he's Marie Antoinette. We should treat him the very same way.
When I first read "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and when I despised Dickens' Madame Defarge , I rooted for the Aristos being saved from the guillotine. Now,, I think of bringing it back for our modern-day Aristos. As I've said many times, I'll even bring my knitting.
I remember imagining that being sent to the guillotine was THE most horrid way of being executed. What if one's brain was still functioning, still 'aware' and seeing what was going on around. I felt DESPERATELY SORRY for those who didn't deserve to be murdered by 'the hordes'. I was very young then. Today? I'd applaud if that was the fate of specific people who came up with and are implementing project 25 and who also sent innocents to that AWFUL CECOT, ordered barbed wire to BLOCK the banks of the Rio Grande so tiny children DROWNED with their daddies and who ordered the BLOWING UP of fishing boats. It'd be pure justice imho.
Yes. While I would rather that all those most vulnerable to the criminal elect and his shutdown not suffer, I do appreciate the irony for those who continue to root for him while their own quality of life is diminished due to their own cruelty and willful ignorance.
PLEASE send him the Noel Casler post I just reposted above. It lays out the entire thing - and Noel was THERE on the set of the apprentice, knows frump from WAY back in the 1980's (and what went on with the pageants), even talks about the TRUTH about his World Trade center behaviour (I witnessed that!) after the planes hit. If EVERYONE resent it - especially to those who still don't know what frump is, perhaps they'll FINALLY open their eyes.
Perhaps I committed a faux pas by posting his substack link here? Apologies to Jeff if that was offbase. He's Noel Casler - is on Substack and you can read him for free as well. Yesterday's was the Oct. 26th. He 'might' be on BlueSky as well? Unsure. HE is the guy who is/was? a standup comedian but who didn't insert a SINGLE joke or funny bit in yesterday's post. I think he's had more than enough from seeing frump up close and personal during the apprentice days (he also appeared on podcasts talking about the 'wetwipes' guy who'd have to lead frump off to clean him up -UGH!)
I'm pretty sure you can post to other Substacks, it might just be an issue of what order people are viewing the comments in so what looks like above to you is below to someone else.
The Salesforce CEO said publicly that he welcomed a military presence in S.F., and after a predictable and well-deserved backlash both inside and outside the company, he later apologized supposedly. I realize people believe that all of these ultra-wealthy folks have it all figured out -- that they know what they're doing and will reap the rewards of supporting this fascist regime. But they don't know what they're doing, and in the long run, they may suffer the consequences -- financial and otherwise -- of supporting this fascist regime.
So far they've been safe, because they are all bending knees and giving tens of millions of $$$$$$$$. They are all afraid that they will end up like Jack Ma. Hopefully most of them will.
Recently a well-known economist (can't recall the name!) predicted that Tesla will be the first of many. He gives Musk's little empire less than ten years before it is completely erased as a business.
Benioff tried to apologize after he made comments about allowing ICE to come to SF. His best friend, who sits on Saleforce’s board, resigned and stated that he did not recognize the once very progressive he once knew. You know this lbw, but Benioff effed himself real good.
Canary in the coal mine. When this thing shakes out, billionaires will be on the back foot for a generation. I don't understand them or their motivations, but something in public opinion affects them. I wouldn't want to ascribe actual human emotions like guilt or shame to them, but something causes them to turn back around and build children's' hospitals and all that.
It's hard to get flattering press, when they're noticed at all, when they are universally and actively hated. Maybe that's part of it.
They are very sad sacks pieces of shit, George. They were either golden spoon-fed or they were abused. Perhaps both, especially if you look at Elon’s and Donnie’s family history. Are they geniuses at what they have invented? Some are but, unfortunately now, they use their riches for nefarious reasons. When we get a chance to rewrite the Constitution, we should make it a law that no one becomes a billionaire except for Taylor Swift!
The RICH PEOPLE who LIVE there opposed it, so - as usual, as ALWAYS, the cowardly bully backed down. BULLIES ARE COWARDS AND ALWAYS BACK DOWN IF YOU STAND UP TO THEM. We ALL must learn this! Those who've already capitulated (Newspapers, TV Stations, Colleges, Law Firms - need to all REVERSE their stances, announce that they were being coerced and SUE him! You'll see how quickly he'll fold. Again, Noel Casler covers this too, today.
Not always. People have been murdered standing up for someone being bullied. Two men on a train in Portland, I recall. A few years back a racist animal was harassing a woman for 'looking foreign'. Two men stood up for her and were knifed to death by the animal, who's now probably a national hero.
My point is not that we should all "be safe and strategic". Fuck that. We tried that and it failed. We have no choice but to push back and deny them the power they presume to have. You're right, they will back down when the cost exceeds their threshold, but some of us will be hurt and killed in the process.
Too funny. As far as I know, Trump wasn't in one of the vehicles that drove by during our protest, though we were in the same county--so he probably didn't see the sign, didn't respond to the question. My favorite response from another protester: "Too much to list!"
So, when are we going to throw the wealthy nazis out and take back our country??? Probably when enough of those who are now silent get tired of watching their children cry from hunger or die from a simple infection.
Thanks Celeste. At this point it is a race between the billionaires to fully consolidate power versus when the rest of society understands the problem is not the refugee or whoever Fox “News” is pointing to, it is the insatiable greed and insane lust for power of a few.
Yes. Jeff has made a case that Trump has achieved Project 2025's goal, in that we no longer have a government. We have a monarchy, a kakistocracy, a plutocracy, an oligarchy, a kleptocracy, but we do not have a government.
Embarrassingly Peter Thiel is a New Zealand citizen thanks to former Prime Minister and Trump supporter - John Key. Our present Prime Minister - Christopher Luxon is about as bad as John Key. If Luxon is still Prime Minister when your Trump shit show is over, I don't imagine he would be keen to deport Peter Thiel back to America to face the justice he deserves. Hopefully we will have a better Prime Minister by then and Thiel plus Trump and their fellow low-lifes will be sharing the same prison.
Stephanie and Clarke -- you guys rock. Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT to "create an image of donald trump that looks like a tater tot." The response was: "I can’t create or alter images of real people — including Donald Trump — in ways that could be considered disrespectful or mocking." Damn, i need to up my AI game.
Thankfully, it was pretty much the same result with Barack Obama. I'm sure there are ways around the guidelines for those who understand how it works. All of these AI videos are disturbing because people are so easily fooled by them. I noticed an AI video of Obama yesterday. Nothing particularly negative that I noticed. But the video is obviously AI -- slightly choppy with stiff facial expressions and movements. People were fooled by the audio. It needs to be regulated. Good luck with that as long as these bozos control the White House, Senate, House, and SCOTUS.
Now THAT, Stephanie - is FUCKING HILARIOUS! I caught a reprise of Rachel Maddow last night (unfortunately missed her Monday Night show due to 'the Voice' and Homicide, Life on the Street') sadly. She showed ALL the protests in every City, some from all over a State in small cuts - I had to get close to my biggest tv to see the HUGE crowds. Was a bit miffed since I couldn't make out all the great signs but THEN she focused in on the best ones and they were fantastic! One which made me laugh the loudest was a young guy wearing a long-sleeved pure white sweater with different coloured pom-poms all over it; HIS sign read something like: FREE BALLS FOR CONGRESS MEN WHO'VE LOST THEIRS (or NEED theirs or NEED SOME). I couldn't focus on it I was already laughing so hard! She prefaced it by saying: 'I think I can show this, right'? Then did so, lol. Hey, they were just cute colourful balls - could be for your doggy to play with? ;)
Her focus on the ENORMITY of our protests and how SO MANY were from States one wouldn't think of as coming out at ALL was just SO good: Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, NORTH DAKOTA...I was already thrilled before she began showing the signs. People ALL OVER are pissed off and showing UP.
i heard about someone in a hotdog outfit with a sign that said “We resist with RELISH.” I’ve already found a hotdog costume. I can’t wait for the next protest! 😉
THAT is GREAT! Make it colourful and perhaps dripping ketchup? (fwiw, I'M the offbeat one who actually likes ketchup AND mustard on my all-beef hotdogs. I know, I'm weird) The FACT that the fuckwit THROWS his McDONALD'S burgers SOAKED in Ketchup at the White House walls - so it was dripping down enough to force people to RUSH to stop it hitting the carpets is so fucking WRONG, though!
Ross Douthat has spent way too much time in his academic ivory tower getting high from sniffing his own farts. As Uncle Jeff has said, Ross Douthat at long last can finally fuck all the way off with his polysyllabic nonsense.
Douthat is a disgrace to journalism. I stopped even skimming his columns years ago due to my aversion to vomit-inducing prose, but geez! He seriously needs to STFU, the wanker.
He's just a weird little shit. He seems to be on the outside of the Christo-Nationalist sphere, peeking in, and trying to rationalize contradictions in his own head. His credibility, if he ever had any, went straight into the shitter with his piece about how the government should 'provide' (procure? traffic?) women for the use of lonely incels, to help mitigate their murderous rage. Fucking lunatic.
Do not read this thing completely sober. A quart of fine rosé, or some well-farmed michoacan dope (also helps with the nausea) would be a must. You've been warned.
The "right" to sex? Only a truly dysfunctional, pathetic individual would come up with that. L-O-S-E-R. As a friend used to say, "Unless you're a princess, you're not going to get a prince." If you're some dweeb with no social skills, living in your mom's basement, expecting [demanding] sex from a beautiful woman is just plain delusional.
Mike Little Johnson was schooled in the Mitch McConnell academy of GOP obstructionism, even if it harms the country. Oh, what Obama might REALLY have accomplished if it weren't for the fucking Republicans. When I think of the worm in RFK's skull I imagine it looking like Mitch on his most stroked out day.
Susan, I’ve been saying the same thing to myself the past few weeks. I don’t believe this will be a bloodless resistance for much longer. My tummy hurt hurts..
No food stamps means no Thanksgiving. If it drags on, no winter holidays. And that's on top of what Trump's tariffs are doing to retail availability and prices.
Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are truly waging war on Christmas this year.
The Republican talking point is that the shutdown is all the fault of Chuck Schumer . For a long time , they ridiculed Schumer as a feckless weakling who can only write " strongly worded letters " . Now they hold him up as a a Goliath who is more powerful than the Executive branch , the House and the Senate which are all Republican controlled . So which is it : Schumer is a weak nerd or the Master of the Universe ? --pick one .
Same old playbook. Biden's either a brain-dead zombie or a mastermind of corrupt Democratic policies. Hillary Clinton's feeble and about to croak because she fainted, or she's a diabolical ninja running the Deep State.
I'M thinking the exact opposite! We just had THE most peaceful protest in our HISTORY and it was fucking GLORIOUS! The next one will bring out more of those who stayed home because they were afraid this one would be violent or scary, so it will show the orange moron in our now destroyed White House that he is NOT royalty and will never be. Of course they will likely TRY to start violence and trouble (as we saw a few instances of) but there were DE-ESCALATORS on our side who quickly quieted things down. 'They' would have to outright cause major damage and harm to people to cause any reaction/reprisal but even then I don't think the protesters will take the bait. We've PROVEN that it works to piss off the orange moron. THIS is what he fears the most...the PEOPLE out in the streets showing him that he IS despised!
I've been asking for secession since before t became president in January. I've been trying to avoid violence, but I really think the West Coast governors may have to make a move soon, or we may see violence.
I've said it before: Holy Brother Mike's panicked reaction to the possibility of releasing the Epstein Files tells me that he's not just covering Demento's ass--it's self preservation. He must be all over the files, including the videos.
I love how bothered they all are about the Obama Center. I live nearby, and it's fine. It's for sure polarizing, but it's not like you're not going to find weird, polarizing architecture around Chicago. It's kind of A Thing (hi, Marina Towers!).
Here’s my thought: We all know Moses Mike is on Grindr, so I wish for someone to…ahem…blow him and then bite him. This act could be called the B&B and maybe it would force him to open the gates, I mean the House.
Jeff, you are on point. Again. Why can’t these rich jerk offs fund SNAP instead. Make homelessness end. Nah, it’s poor people’s fault they are poor. They are insufficiency pious. They have pronouns. WTF.
Nothing says "powerful" like controlling food, shelter, basic freedom & safety. What a legacy to be proud of, huh? Their own "supremacy", with no regard for life beyond their own stupid gratification.
Some are more human than others. It looks like they're going to starve us out, one way or another. At least us old people, the disabled, and budget-strapped. Just another form of genocide. It works in Gaza, Sudan and Congo. Exterminators can be very creative.
No--they need the poor people to be the workers. What they want are desperate people who must focus on basic survival, rather than the endless abuse by the Republican oligarchy.
Adelita Grijalva won’t get confirmed until the warships are in position off Venezuela, so that a war can distract from the small matter of the release the Epstein files
I seriously think Hakeem Jeffries should call ALL Democrats and whichever Republicans wish to attend TO session, have her sworn in, first declaring that 'since the Republican Speaker of the House is absent and refuses to perform his duties under the Constitution, I am taking this step as Democratic Minority Leader to swear you in after your 40 point win', then proceed with a normal Democratic day in the House. It would SO PISS OFF Johnson and frump, of course - he'd come tearing ass back onto the floor to rage against Hakeem for DARING to usurp HIS 'right' but then he'd have no more excuse NOT to swear her in, would he?
Great idea, except I dunno if any of it would fly. Please do correct me if I'm wrong, but I've always been under the impression that only the Speaker can call the House into session, and the only business that's legit is that which is done in session.
I'd love to be wrong about that! Maybe the mere symbolism of the scenario you describe would generate public support, however.
THAT is my very point. Do it ANYWAY - since what THEY'RE doing is entirely ILLEGAL, why do we care if it 'flies' or not? IF Democrats did this - and then announced publicly that 'we're tired of this utter nonsense republicans are doing PURELY TO PREVENT THE EPSTEIN FILES FROM BEING REVEALED', the public (even magats) might just not give a damn HOW she was sworn in, methinks? 'Holy' Mike would have a really hard time 'splaining that 'it's the Democrats' who're preventing the Government from being open - especially IF Hakeem also specified that WE are HERE and Johnson sent all of the republicans home for vacation! This is the kind of hard ball I'D be playing right about now. Don't misunderstand, I'M not one dumping on Hakeem Jeffries, I like and support him and he always wants to stick to the Constitution and Law. But it's past time to show magats exactly what republicans are actually doing and that WE can play 'our cards' too.
It appears more voices are being raised to 'do it anyway'. For lots of things. The mistake that maximalists make is thinking that their momentum is inevitable destiny. That's where the Nazis got the notion of the Thousand Year Reich (spoiler, it lasted twelve). The more they take from us, the more options open up, because we have less to lose.
YES! Could you just see him rushing about waving his papers screaming 'Stop, I FORBID THIS' as everyone laughs at him? It'd be SO GOOD! Time to take a page from THEIR riding roughshod over US book!
I did read somewhere that Jeffries could swear in Grijalva, but I haven’t been able to confirm if that's accurate or not.
I agree that the Dems need to take the fight to Johnson, especially in light of the MAGAs' refusal to fund SNAP. They need to do it NOW.
I still believe that nothing can be legally done (i.e., it won't stick) without the House being officially in session. Nevertheless, if there's a scenario like you describe, with the Dems showing up on the House floor and making a LOT of noise about the Epstein files, healthcare, SNAP, and so on, Johnson might be forced to move. MIGHT be. In any case, the Dems have nothing to lose.
And I'd like Jeffries, too, if only he underwnt a spine transplant. 😉
P.S. Info on the carrier doesn't say as much, but ex-Navy gunny husband says that the missiles it stocks may be currently fitted with conventional warheads, but a ship like that wouldn't deploy without also carrying nuclear warheads.
Like every petty little dictator before him, Metamucilini doesn't want to lead the government. He wants to *be* the government. And as long as there is profit in it for the GOP, they will play along.
True. Both are shapeless blobs, annoying as hell, and neither can run a country worth a damn. One is green, the other is orange. Not a whole lot of difference otherwise.
And yet, almost no one believes this. Good lord!! Rump gave it away how many times, in how many ways? Elon bragged about having to change only a couple lines of code. Data analysts have documented all kinds of statistical anomalies.
But.... Harris wouldn't even ask for audits/recounts, so here we are.
Pritzker is absolutely phenomenal! Newsom is no slouch, either. He's more low-key, but I saw an interview, and he's also quite openly sounding the alarm about where the country is going. Jamie Raskin, too, along with Chris Murphy, Josh Shapiro, AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and of course, Bernie, although he's an Independent. Tim Walz told it like it was, too. Several others seem willing to fight, as well, given the opportunity.
Got a theory about that. It relates to the intense pressure to 'fight' that the Dem leadership has been getting from us. There seems to be this ethic of how important it is to "help the country heal and move on", practiced entirely by the Left. The Right will riot and storm Congress.
This ethic is perceived by the Right as weakness, and they exploit it as much as they can. That impulse is beginning fade rapidly on our side. I remember when Michelle Obama's "Low/High" duality was held as great wisdom, it's now mocked.
I am waiting for the Rockland County, NY lawsuit to require a hand recount. In some precincts Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand won in a landslide and Kamala received ZERO votes. There was much fkery afoot.
The weird thing George is that this lawsuit was brought by a third-party candidate after they received zero votes in some precincts, and they knew that wasn't right. Where dafuq are the Democrats in all of this chicanery? Crickets.
No, they're keeping hands-off because it'll be far more powerful and factual IF it shows she was cheated out of those votes BY the 3rd party candidate! As furious as they are, they MUST stand back and let the proof come out otherwise they'll be accused of 'fixing' it.
Unverified, but hubs told me that he saw something on Facebook about Michelle Obama's portrait being destroyed along with the East Wing. It's easy to believe that. "When people show you who they are believe them, the first time." -- Maya Angelou
OH I'm quite sure he'd have had THAT done deliberately! I omitted Michelle in my diatribe about 'strong black women'! How awful of me - she's been the focus of so many of the VILEST of the magats. She mentioned in her book: 'Becoming' just how much harm frump did to their family. Here's a thought: The artist who painted that gorgeous portrait can now do another one - even more beautiful and ENSURE that it's protected by Plexiglas or actual bulletproof glass and insist it NOT be hung in the White House (maybe hang it in the Obama Library for a time?) until the orange moron is gone! There's always a way to outwit the fuckwit since he has so little to work with.
THREE MILLION more! AND Joe Biden got nearly SEVEN MILLION more - and yet, the lying, cheating, paid off by billionaires, supported by RUSSIA MORON insists that 'he' is the one 'the people luv'. Yeah, sure. /sarcasm to the nth degree. I've noticed that my sarcastic meter is boinging to the very top lately, for some odd reason, lol.
And who are the majority of those he's trying to imprison for DARING to stand up to him? Primarily black women who practice law. Kamala also fit every one of those categories so SHE pissed him off but good. Did anyone know that The New Jersey Congresswoman who put her arms around him to protect the MAYOR from being falsely arrested after they'd tried to visit the 'ICE detention center' in New Jersey is NOW in danger of being sent to prison for 17 FUCKING YEARS?! For 'interfering with/assaulting (!) federal officers! First - SHE, as a Congress person has ABSOLUTE RIGHT to enter that facility with ZERO NOTICE, so she went there with others AND the Mayor. They were invited through the gates, then refused entry IN to see any of the detainees. So, the Mayor (and she) left. AS he exited past the gates, the 'officers' got the word to arrest him! As the pushing and shoving began, she, a pretty big lady put out her arms while face to face with the Mayor, then around him to protect him as SHE was being pushed and shoved, while telling them she was a Congresswoman who had EVERY RIGHT TO BE THERE. I believe one of these 'officers' put his hands on her - so she either shrugged off his hands or pushed them away. For THAT, they're trying to make an example of her. The Mayor was arrested - on these incredibly bogus charges, HANDCUFFED then released 2 hours later, but SHE has still been charged! Another strong black woman being made an example of. Frump HATES women, especially black women: Letitia James, Kamala, the AG in Georgia - anyone I've missed?
Unsure who the interviewer was, but Kamala Harris was the interviewee and clearly responded AFFIRMATIVELY to the question IF she was interested in running for President in 2028. The woman interviewer had mentioned the too-brief time she had to run but made mention that 'next time' would be a regular campaign with plenty of time Kamala talked about her long career in service to the people and that she was not done. I guess it'll depend on who else the public wants? Could we see her and Gavin, or Pete? I know it's purely speculative BUT we need to fight fire with fire and not be complacent to the vote-altering fuckers. I too KNOW that frump did not 'win' without help/massive chicanery of both musk and putin, despite magats imagining that they are 'the majority'. NO, they're NOT.
The only reason there is a government at this point is to collect taxes. We have no say in how these are spent. The taxes are collected without fail, and if you avoid paying them they will come after you.
This does not apply to billionaires and corporations who support the regime. Anyone opposing the regime will be targeted. If any of us who vocally oppose the regime here or elsewhere think we're safe from retribution, it's an illusion. The only reason we haven't suffered consequences is they haven't gotten around to us yet.
The window we have to change this is shrinking since the right have already advanced to the "supreme argument of violence" from which there is no escalation other than more violence. This is sobering because these people have no restraint at all and will stop at nothing to retain power. If we think otherwise, we're kidding ourselves.
The question is what are we going to do about it? Who will lead the rebellion this time? It's the same type of violent oppression that led to the Boston Massacre. Where is today's Sam Adams to lead the Sons of Liberty? Where is our new George Washington?
We have plenty of Tom Paines to write inspiring prose and more than enough John Adamses to defend the ideals of law in the mix. We're well past that.
I would love for blue states to secede from the red ones. Stop sending the federal government money. I know its a complicated thing with a ton of implications and considerations, but ...
A 'silent' secession likely will occur in CA if the regime continues to hold back entitled funding for disasters, education, etc. Newsom has mentioned many times how CA is a 'donor' state for many red states whose ledger contributions are in the negative range.
When I visited Rome, I loved seeing all the usual attractions, but the thing that fascinated me most was the museum of Roman history that Mussolini built. It's fascist architecture at its worst, unbelievably ugly. The gold-encrusted Apple/Comcast/Meta/Google/HP/Epstein ballroom makes Mussolini's pile look tasteful. PS the short answer to the question is no.
Thanks for the article, Jeff. I just signed up for Krugman’s Substack.
From the article:
“This isn’t a remodeling or building an addition, it’s a teardown. It may seem like a trivial story, but it’s a highly visual metaphor for the way MAGA is tearing down almost everything good about our country. And that ballroom’s hideousness is an equally good metaphor for all the political ugliness that lies in our future.”
I have written this before but it remains pertinent. If…big if…the fully unredacted Maxwell-Epstein files were ever to be released. The ones dating back to Ghislaine’s Big Daddy Maxwell era of 1970’s London, when the UK/US Special Relationship was in full swing in the back of the Lansdowne Club in Berkeley Square, up Shepherd’s Market off Curzon Street, with a celebrity peppered lunch at the White Elephant or The Dorchester before heading off for some R&R at Heffner’s Playboy Club, both the UK and the US states would fall under the weight of the exposed financial corruption and state sanctioned sexualised violence. No amount of ‘but it was the Cold War’ excuses would suffice. Now I am going back to ground. Good luck to all 🐈⬛
That drew a comparison in my brain cell…Playboy Club was the original Hooters all the same appeal does it lead to the stronger stuff like Epstein offered? I also think that dopey don would have seen the money in it and tried to blackmail the real rich but of course he failed but with a little proof from Maxwell….and that is why dopey is rightfully scared.
For those willing to make the comparison, THIS is journalism.
A writer lets us know what a dimwit leader says, and then calls bullshit when they see it. That way, the masses aren't deceived into believing whatever the dimwit leader says. Very simple concept. Nothing complicated about it, NY Times, WaPo, and CNN: Simply call bullshit rather than participate in it.
Sadly not much is left of one. However I think we still need to be extremely loud to show our disgust at what’s happening.
I added a calendar on my spreadsheet so we can target our calls/letters/emails/faxes to flood offices in an organized manner.
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Nokings) as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. We deserve better ❤️🩹🤍💙
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Don’t we all pay federal taxes to fund the government? If our money isn’t paying any of the programs approved by Congress, then maybe there should be a nationwide tax boycott until this shit comes to an end. Is there even an IRS anymore?
I’ve said this ad nauseum. You can demonstrate until you’re blue in the face - but until there is some sort of national strike/Boston Tea Party refusal to be taxed without representation, these nihilists will continue to take our money & hand it over to the syndicate. Enough.
There’s a Frontline episode on PBS right now about growing up poor. Watch it if you can. These kids know they’re poor, they know what they want their adult life to look like and how to get there, but they also know they have e zero chance to educate themselves out of poverty. Richest country in the world. So ugly and very sad. Our country needs a big time reset post Trump.
Maybe.... as a country, we've grown so ugly, we're no longer getting the leader we need in the timeframe when we need him/her? Washington, Lincoln, FDR, JFK---they were the leaders we needed in the crises of their times. Maybe we're no longer worthy?
Thank you Jeff.
I'm hoping to answer that question with my next article:
"Control Without Consent: Musk, Thiel, Bezos, Murdoch, and Ellison on Mt. Olympus"
Excerpt:
The United States is not governed from Washington DC anymore; it is ruled by a handful of men, all armed with truly bad ideas. They gaze down upon the rest of us from heights afforded them by mountains of accumulated wealth. They see us below, ants moving to and from our tiny little ant homes. Elon Musk describes us as "NPC's" -his term for "Non-player characters" -meaningless pixels in a video game he controls.
The United States is now controlled from private islands, superyachts, and compounds wired to satellites, a new class of self-proclaimed gods. They preside over democracy’s destruction, — not with armies or decrees, but with software code, vast capital, and conviction. Elon Musk tweets policy before governments can draft it. Peter Thiel bankrolls candidates whose contempt for democracy rivals his own whether they share his demented beliefs that societal protections are equivalent to apocalyptic end times.
I have met and known some billionaires and they act like they are a new species - Homo superior. Their ability to accumulate vast cash hoards tells them that they are entitled to rule over the rest of us as if we were a crowd of troglodytes. Instead, I maintain that most of them have an accumulation of personality disorders coupled with their insatiable greed that makes them able to collect their Fafnir's hoards. They are in league with the christian nationalists to create their own version of Gilead.
And yet, they lack knowledge of the humanities, history, art and art appreciation, they are like the humanoid equivalent of a cybertruck. Blocky, crude, and lacking any beauty of form or function.
Humanoid equivalent of a cybertruck. Good one!
I see them all the time here, they remind me of the soulless Soviet-era art.
Excellent description!
'Blocky and crude' are perfect words to describe them. Fits orange frump to a tee as well.
basically rich neanderthals - not to dis on neanderthals...
Yes, I take your meaning.
They create nothing.
I wouldn’t say they create nothing, Pam. They seem to engender a lot of laughter and sneering when they drive past.
Just look at the videos from Elonia Musk's stint in the White House: every single time he was on camera, two things stood out--his monumental arrogance, clearly believing himself to the Greatest Person in the room; his complete inability to interact with humans or demonstrate human behaviors.
He is a big black hole of ravening greed.
Now, now....
we all have flaws.
I completely agree, Phil. This was an inadequate characterization in the extreme.
What I think Stephen *meant* to say was
"He is a big black hole of ravening greed, surrounded by a vast cloud of shit-flavored dumpster juice and blood-sucking space weasels."
I could be wrong, though.
In the Oval Office they strut around with smug-ass faces and push out their chests like they’ve taken over the playground. Pissing on everything like overaged juvenile delinquents.🤬
Is that true? I just finished Joyce Vance's "Giving Up Is Unforgivable", chock-full of no-nonsense history and advice about what to do about the contretemps facing us all - run, don't walk, to your favorite bookstore (I am not a shill for her, just an admirer of her expertise in things political) and, at 84, ready to let someone else run the ship with advice like "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction". (Reagan) and "Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it, and fight for it." (Biden), page 152 - and get a copy.
NK III is coming on 11/5 as I ascertain it. C U there...
They are a new kind of stupid. They think that markets make civilizations, when it's the other way around. They are frosting on a vast cake of vapid nonsense.
And yet the thing that’s being overlooked about the vast cash hoards they’ve accumulated is that WE gave it to them. We bought the cheapest price, the new shiny toy, the incredible convenience these men offered us, even this platform we are using to whine about it all. We *should* boycott. All the products, all the convenience, all the twisted truths offered. But that would require effort, sacrifice and a road map of some sort.
As we slide into the tRump Recession/Depression, a boycott will be unnecessary. Nobody will have any disposable income.
This. They got rich on our personal data and our hard-earned wages. They are parasites and we are the host.
and more importantly every little ninny maga, like in my surrounding communities says T is the best he's doing so much for us....us who?
Those who rely on SNAP benefits and/or healthcare insurance exchange subsidies may have a rude awakening soon.
I got a notice that my Cal Fresh benefits " could be delayed " .I've been receiving the $ every month on the third. I'm already very frugal when grocery shopping ( sales , coupons , discount grocery stores.) I was given the # for a food pantry, we shall see .Meanwhile;
" Let them eat my pedo/bestie fucking
BALLROOM. "
Hoping that if the GOP are still planning for the possibility of elections in 2026, that they fund SNAP and the healthcare subsidies.
If Trump, Johnson, and the GOP just simply keep the government shutdown in the face of Trump’s new Epstein Ballroom and $40 Billion for Musk’s chain saw buddy Millei, it should become clear to many that there will not be a 2026 midterm election.
Well he (the royal tee hee hee) said that didn't he? Just like he said he could shoot someone in Times Square and get away with it. And has done in so many ways. Just you (we) wait.
Wait till he starts selling off bits of the rubble from the East Wing - then tells you to 'eat that'. That IS the wanna-be royalty's plan. He believes he's Marie Antoinette. We should treat him the very same way.
When I first read "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and when I despised Dickens' Madame Defarge , I rooted for the Aristos being saved from the guillotine. Now,, I think of bringing it back for our modern-day Aristos. As I've said many times, I'll even bring my knitting.
I remember imagining that being sent to the guillotine was THE most horrid way of being executed. What if one's brain was still functioning, still 'aware' and seeing what was going on around. I felt DESPERATELY SORRY for those who didn't deserve to be murdered by 'the hordes'. I was very young then. Today? I'd applaud if that was the fate of specific people who came up with and are implementing project 25 and who also sent innocents to that AWFUL CECOT, ordered barbed wire to BLOCK the banks of the Rio Grande so tiny children DROWNED with their daddies and who ordered the BLOWING UP of fishing boats. It'd be pure justice imho.
Yes, I hope the unemployed machinists are machining away.
Do you live in the Bay Area? I need someone to teach me to knit.
Kristy, just let me know. I'll see what I can do.
I take it that you are referring to the maggots who rely on those things. Everybody else who relies on them is already terrified.
Yes. While I would rather that all those most vulnerable to the criminal elect and his shutdown not suffer, I do appreciate the irony for those who continue to root for him while their own quality of life is diminished due to their own cruelty and willful ignorance.
I agree.
Emailing this to my husband who doesn't read Substack. Excellent pithy summary.
PLEASE send him the Noel Casler post I just reposted above. It lays out the entire thing - and Noel was THERE on the set of the apprentice, knows frump from WAY back in the 1980's (and what went on with the pageants), even talks about the TRUTH about his World Trade center behaviour (I witnessed that!) after the planes hit. If EVERYONE resent it - especially to those who still don't know what frump is, perhaps they'll FINALLY open their eyes.
Thank you for reposting this, Elizabeth.
i don’t see it, can you reshare the link please?
Perhaps I committed a faux pas by posting his substack link here? Apologies to Jeff if that was offbase. He's Noel Casler - is on Substack and you can read him for free as well. Yesterday's was the Oct. 26th. He 'might' be on BlueSky as well? Unsure. HE is the guy who is/was? a standup comedian but who didn't insert a SINGLE joke or funny bit in yesterday's post. I think he's had more than enough from seeing frump up close and personal during the apprentice days (he also appeared on podcasts talking about the 'wetwipes' guy who'd have to lead frump off to clean him up -UGH!)
I'm pretty sure you can post to other Substacks, it might just be an issue of what order people are viewing the comments in so what looks like above to you is below to someone else.
Is it this one? https://substack.com/@noelcasler/p-177123754
Thank You! I AM a certified idiot, and you nailed exactly why, LOL.
Apparently, Trump decided not to send troops to San Francisco because his tech bros opposed it.
The Salesforce CEO said publicly that he welcomed a military presence in S.F., and after a predictable and well-deserved backlash both inside and outside the company, he later apologized supposedly. I realize people believe that all of these ultra-wealthy folks have it all figured out -- that they know what they're doing and will reap the rewards of supporting this fascist regime. But they don't know what they're doing, and in the long run, they may suffer the consequences -- financial and otherwise -- of supporting this fascist regime.
So far they've been safe, because they are all bending knees and giving tens of millions of $$$$$$$$. They are all afraid that they will end up like Jack Ma. Hopefully most of them will.
Recently a well-known economist (can't recall the name!) predicted that Tesla will be the first of many. He gives Musk's little empire less than ten years before it is completely erased as a business.
Actions have consequences...
Yes, I don't know if Marc Benioff still owns/supports Children's Hospital in Oakland, but I'm guessing he's losing a lot of support.
Benioff tried to apologize after he made comments about allowing ICE to come to SF. His best friend, who sits on Saleforce’s board, resigned and stated that he did not recognize the once very progressive he once knew. You know this lbw, but Benioff effed himself real good.
Canary in the coal mine. When this thing shakes out, billionaires will be on the back foot for a generation. I don't understand them or their motivations, but something in public opinion affects them. I wouldn't want to ascribe actual human emotions like guilt or shame to them, but something causes them to turn back around and build children's' hospitals and all that.
It's hard to get flattering press, when they're noticed at all, when they are universally and actively hated. Maybe that's part of it.
They are very sad sacks pieces of shit, George. They were either golden spoon-fed or they were abused. Perhaps both, especially if you look at Elon’s and Donnie’s family history. Are they geniuses at what they have invented? Some are but, unfortunately now, they use their riches for nefarious reasons. When we get a chance to rewrite the Constitution, we should make it a law that no one becomes a billionaire except for Taylor Swift!
Former tech worker of 17 years here. They can’t afford to piss off the workforce that runs their empires.
The RICH PEOPLE who LIVE there opposed it, so - as usual, as ALWAYS, the cowardly bully backed down. BULLIES ARE COWARDS AND ALWAYS BACK DOWN IF YOU STAND UP TO THEM. We ALL must learn this! Those who've already capitulated (Newspapers, TV Stations, Colleges, Law Firms - need to all REVERSE their stances, announce that they were being coerced and SUE him! You'll see how quickly he'll fold. Again, Noel Casler covers this too, today.
Not always. People have been murdered standing up for someone being bullied. Two men on a train in Portland, I recall. A few years back a racist animal was harassing a woman for 'looking foreign'. Two men stood up for her and were knifed to death by the animal, who's now probably a national hero.
My point is not that we should all "be safe and strategic". Fuck that. We tried that and it failed. We have no choice but to push back and deny them the power they presume to have. You're right, they will back down when the cost exceeds their threshold, but some of us will be hurt and killed in the process.
My No Kings sign said:
No Representation without Taxation!
No Oligarchs! No Kings!
One of mine said, "hey, Trump, WTF is wrong with YOU?"
J, are you angling for the Pulitzer?
Too funny. As far as I know, Trump wasn't in one of the vehicles that drove by during our protest, though we were in the same county--so he probably didn't see the sign, didn't respond to the question. My favorite response from another protester: "Too much to list!"
Love it! 🤪❤️
Peter Thiel also cornholes candidates whose contempt for democracy rivals his one. Satan Incarnate.
His personal life aside I don’t want him imposing his twisted beliefs on all of us.
So, when are we going to throw the wealthy nazis out and take back our country??? Probably when enough of those who are now silent get tired of watching their children cry from hunger or die from a simple infection.
Thanks Celeste. At this point it is a race between the billionaires to fully consolidate power versus when the rest of society understands the problem is not the refugee or whoever Fox “News” is pointing to, it is the insatiable greed and insane lust for power of a few.
Yeah, that might do it.
Yes. Jeff has made a case that Trump has achieved Project 2025's goal, in that we no longer have a government. We have a monarchy, a kakistocracy, a plutocracy, an oligarchy, a kleptocracy, but we do not have a government.
Embarrassingly Peter Thiel is a New Zealand citizen thanks to former Prime Minister and Trump supporter - John Key. Our present Prime Minister - Christopher Luxon is about as bad as John Key. If Luxon is still Prime Minister when your Trump shit show is over, I don't imagine he would be keen to deport Peter Thiel back to America to face the justice he deserves. Hopefully we will have a better Prime Minister by then and Thiel plus Trump and their fellow low-lifes will be sharing the same prison.
Thanks John. Rotting in prison post asset-forfeiture would be perfectly fine. I think we can crowdfund some fake gold decor for Trump’s cell.
it would be a shame if several of leon's rockets had rapid, unscheduled disassembly over those gods
Or on their trip to Mars (provided we have restored Estate taxes).
wait, what about the beautiful tariffs?
Oh, you mean the barely hidden Trump/GOP sales tax on all of us? Those tariffs? 🤪
Hot off the press (the 1’s and 0’s still wet): https://civicsky.io/control-without-consent/
We have a Dick Tater
Since he acts like a petulant child, I’d call him a Dick Tater Tot.
Stephanie and Clarke -- you guys rock. Out of curiosity, I asked ChatGPT to "create an image of donald trump that looks like a tater tot." The response was: "I can’t create or alter images of real people — including Donald Trump — in ways that could be considered disrespectful or mocking." Damn, i need to up my AI game.
I wonder if you tried it with Obama, whether it would be more “cooperative”. And if so, that’s really scary.
Thankfully, it was pretty much the same result with Barack Obama. I'm sure there are ways around the guidelines for those who understand how it works. All of these AI videos are disturbing because people are so easily fooled by them. I noticed an AI video of Obama yesterday. Nothing particularly negative that I noticed. But the video is obviously AI -- slightly choppy with stiff facial expressions and movements. People were fooled by the audio. It needs to be regulated. Good luck with that as long as these bozos control the White House, Senate, House, and SCOTUS.
If you created an AI-generated uterus, I’m sure the government would regulate that.
Ab-so-FUCKING-lutely they would! That's their life-long dream!
Try Miller.
Ugh…i bet it would come up with something.
Try again, say HASH BROWNS instead 😉
You are not kidding?
No, that's what occurred. I can see why you ask, though.
Now THAT, Stephanie - is FUCKING HILARIOUS! I caught a reprise of Rachel Maddow last night (unfortunately missed her Monday Night show due to 'the Voice' and Homicide, Life on the Street') sadly. She showed ALL the protests in every City, some from all over a State in small cuts - I had to get close to my biggest tv to see the HUGE crowds. Was a bit miffed since I couldn't make out all the great signs but THEN she focused in on the best ones and they were fantastic! One which made me laugh the loudest was a young guy wearing a long-sleeved pure white sweater with different coloured pom-poms all over it; HIS sign read something like: FREE BALLS FOR CONGRESS MEN WHO'VE LOST THEIRS (or NEED theirs or NEED SOME). I couldn't focus on it I was already laughing so hard! She prefaced it by saying: 'I think I can show this, right'? Then did so, lol. Hey, they were just cute colourful balls - could be for your doggy to play with? ;)
I saw her show that night too! It was great!
Her focus on the ENORMITY of our protests and how SO MANY were from States one wouldn't think of as coming out at ALL was just SO good: Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, NORTH DAKOTA...I was already thrilled before she began showing the signs. People ALL OVER are pissed off and showing UP.
i heard about someone in a hotdog outfit with a sign that said “We resist with RELISH.” I’ve already found a hotdog costume. I can’t wait for the next protest! 😉
THAT is GREAT! Make it colourful and perhaps dripping ketchup? (fwiw, I'M the offbeat one who actually likes ketchup AND mustard on my all-beef hotdogs. I know, I'm weird) The FACT that the fuckwit THROWS his McDONALD'S burgers SOAKED in Ketchup at the White House walls - so it was dripping down enough to force people to RUSH to stop it hitting the carpets is so fucking WRONG, though!
LOL, Stephanie!!! Good one, sister. 😝
Lol
Great name!
Like https://i.redd.it/j8kdy6wapbvc1.jpeg?
Perfection ! It's his SOUTH PARK little
spud !
Omg! I’m tempted to make that my profile pic and see how many people get it! 😂
LOL - That would be AWESOME, but you HAVE to give it a proper name. ;)
Obviously this potato was inspired by that costume during the No Kings protests.
An actual Dick Tater! I LOVE it!
LOL - I LOVE it. It immediately brings to mind the 'tiny mushroom' Stormy talked about. Perhaps she meant 'potato, potahto'?
🤣🤣🤣
Do not demean potatoes in such fashion.
The spuds have EYES, everywhere
👁👀🤯
LOL - I see what you did there. ;) (and it's fucking hilarious)!
but THAT one's only a tot. ;)
🤣🤣🤣
Oh, yes, we do. An insane, psychotic, evil, nasty, narcissistic pedo dick tator.
If only it were that easy.
"shove all that polysyllabic nonsense straight up your bureaucratic sclerosis." 👏👏👏
Ross Douche Nozzle...
We're hanging on by a thread. Something has got to give, somehow. I'm not sure it's gonna be peaceful, either.
The Kompromat they have on Holy Mike must be AMAZING.
Ross Douthat has spent way too much time in his academic ivory tower getting high from sniffing his own farts. As Uncle Jeff has said, Ross Douthat at long last can finally fuck all the way off with his polysyllabic nonsense.
Douthat is a disgrace to journalism. I stopped even skimming his columns years ago due to my aversion to vomit-inducing prose, but geez! He seriously needs to STFU, the wanker.
He's just a weird little shit. He seems to be on the outside of the Christo-Nationalist sphere, peeking in, and trying to rationalize contradictions in his own head. His credibility, if he ever had any, went straight into the shitter with his piece about how the government should 'provide' (procure? traffic?) women for the use of lonely incels, to help mitigate their murderous rage. Fucking lunatic.
WHAT????
OK, I totally missed that piece about incels. But then, I barely glance at the NYT anymore.
You're right---that's some sociopathic shit there.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/opinion/incels-sex-robots-redistribution.html
Do not read this thing completely sober. A quart of fine rosé, or some well-farmed michoacan dope (also helps with the nausea) would be a must. You've been warned.
Yep, you were right. Nausea-inducing. Ewwww!
The "right" to sex? Only a truly dysfunctional, pathetic individual would come up with that. L-O-S-E-R. As a friend used to say, "Unless you're a princess, you're not going to get a prince." If you're some dweeb with no social skills, living in your mom's basement, expecting [demanding] sex from a beautiful woman is just plain delusional.
😂😂
Is he married to Katy Tur ?
Katy's married to Tony Dokoupil
I new it was different, tricky D names.
No Kompromat needed when you have a rat with a limp dick
👏👏👏👏👏
Mike Little Johnson was schooled in the Mitch McConnell academy of GOP obstructionism, even if it harms the country. Oh, what Obama might REALLY have accomplished if it weren't for the fucking Republicans. When I think of the worm in RFK's skull I imagine it looking like Mitch on his most stroked out day.
Mosco Mitch denied Obama the opportunity to appoint someone to SCOTUS. MM had TWO chances to impeach drumph. He’s a POS mf’er who needs to go…NOW!
Ross and JD seem like twins from different mothers; chubby, ugly douche nozzles.
Who, in a public that values truth-telling would never have a career. Except as a jester.
JD’s passing resemblance to Ruben Gallego makes me growl low in my throat until I realize it’s Ruben.
Except that Gallego (and Kelly) voted for some of t's appointees. No more money for either of them.
Team Gallego got a donation for being the first party to reach me as I emerged from general anesthesia,
He's promised all of them a win in 26, courtesy of Elon. And they buy it because, hey, it worked for Donny in 24.
They will require every state to link to starlink...Un fucking believable. Because why wouldnt they?
Susan, I’ve been saying the same thing to myself the past few weeks. I don’t believe this will be a bloodless resistance for much longer. My tummy hurt hurts..
Same here. The East Wing destruction is pushing people over the edge…but honestly, when hunger sets in, I believe there will be blood. Or something.
No food stamps means no Thanksgiving. If it drags on, no winter holidays. And that's on top of what Trump's tariffs are doing to retail availability and prices.
Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are truly waging war on Christmas this year.
The Republican talking point is that the shutdown is all the fault of Chuck Schumer . For a long time , they ridiculed Schumer as a feckless weakling who can only write " strongly worded letters " . Now they hold him up as a a Goliath who is more powerful than the Executive branch , the House and the Senate which are all Republican controlled . So which is it : Schumer is a weak nerd or the Master of the Universe ? --pick one .
Same old playbook. Biden's either a brain-dead zombie or a mastermind of corrupt Democratic policies. Hillary Clinton's feeble and about to croak because she fainted, or she's a diabolical ninja running the Deep State.
I've been saying the republicans want everyone to starve since August. Now more people seem to notice.
It's always projection with those assholes.
I'M thinking the exact opposite! We just had THE most peaceful protest in our HISTORY and it was fucking GLORIOUS! The next one will bring out more of those who stayed home because they were afraid this one would be violent or scary, so it will show the orange moron in our now destroyed White House that he is NOT royalty and will never be. Of course they will likely TRY to start violence and trouble (as we saw a few instances of) but there were DE-ESCALATORS on our side who quickly quieted things down. 'They' would have to outright cause major damage and harm to people to cause any reaction/reprisal but even then I don't think the protesters will take the bait. We've PROVEN that it works to piss off the orange moron. THIS is what he fears the most...the PEOPLE out in the streets showing him that he IS despised!
I've been asking for secession since before t became president in January. I've been trying to avoid violence, but I really think the West Coast governors may have to make a move soon, or we may see violence.
I think they have his Grinder profile.
I've said it before: Holy Brother Mike's panicked reaction to the possibility of releasing the Epstein Files tells me that he's not just covering Demento's ass--it's self preservation. He must be all over the files, including the videos.
The one that says he's a chicken hawk, barely 18 only!
I love how bothered they all are about the Obama Center. I live nearby, and it's fine. It's for sure polarizing, but it's not like you're not going to find weird, polarizing architecture around Chicago. It's kind of A Thing (hi, Marina Towers!).
Not everything needs to be federalist.
Someone probably caught Limpdick Mike watching hard porn.
Watching? He’s the lead in “The Minister’s Wife Gets Her Cumuppence.”
it's FAR worse than that and doesn't involve 'women OR girls'.
Yes, he's one who just hasn't got caught publicly, yet. Like Denny Hastert they'll be out in droves to tell all about his abuse.
His 'grindr' account? EVERYONE KNOWS about him - but he imagines he's 'passing' for a happily married white christian man with a wife and kids. Puke.
Here’s my thought: We all know Moses Mike is on Grindr, so I wish for someone to…ahem…blow him and then bite him. This act could be called the B&B and maybe it would force him to open the gates, I mean the House.
I don't know, think McConnell, Grassley, Thune, and of course, Tuberville.
Is he in a Snuff Film Too ?
At the very least - if not that, there ARE boys involved. In fact, where IS his 'adopted son'? Anyone know, have an inkling?
I suspect, in a closet, somewhere.
I see what you did there…
Holy Mike? OMG! I'm getting a visual...
Jesus, I hope not.
Jeff, you are on point. Again. Why can’t these rich jerk offs fund SNAP instead. Make homelessness end. Nah, it’s poor people’s fault they are poor. They are insufficiency pious. They have pronouns. WTF.
Nothing says "powerful" like controlling food, shelter, basic freedom & safety. What a legacy to be proud of, huh? Their own "supremacy", with no regard for life beyond their own stupid gratification.
In a oligarch's view everyone else is a serf who should be returned to wage slavery.
They don't think we are humans.
Some are more human than others. It looks like they're going to starve us out, one way or another. At least us old people, the disabled, and budget-strapped. Just another form of genocide. It works in Gaza, Sudan and Congo. Exterminators can be very creative.
You are right.
It's simple: they WANT poor people to die off. Then they'll have the Utopian society they've dreamt of for their entire disgusting lives.
No--they need the poor people to be the workers. What they want are desperate people who must focus on basic survival, rather than the endless abuse by the Republican oligarchy.
They're looking at robots (per Amazon) and AI.
Yes, if they can survive the climate crisis.
Adelita Grijalva won’t get confirmed until the warships are in position off Venezuela, so that a war can distract from the small matter of the release the Epstein files
I seriously think Hakeem Jeffries should call ALL Democrats and whichever Republicans wish to attend TO session, have her sworn in, first declaring that 'since the Republican Speaker of the House is absent and refuses to perform his duties under the Constitution, I am taking this step as Democratic Minority Leader to swear you in after your 40 point win', then proceed with a normal Democratic day in the House. It would SO PISS OFF Johnson and frump, of course - he'd come tearing ass back onto the floor to rage against Hakeem for DARING to usurp HIS 'right' but then he'd have no more excuse NOT to swear her in, would he?
Great idea, except I dunno if any of it would fly. Please do correct me if I'm wrong, but I've always been under the impression that only the Speaker can call the House into session, and the only business that's legit is that which is done in session.
I'd love to be wrong about that! Maybe the mere symbolism of the scenario you describe would generate public support, however.
Who cares if it's something Jefferies "can" do--time to use Donnie Demento's own playbook: just DO IT and let Holy Mike stroke out after the fact.
THAT is my very point. Do it ANYWAY - since what THEY'RE doing is entirely ILLEGAL, why do we care if it 'flies' or not? IF Democrats did this - and then announced publicly that 'we're tired of this utter nonsense republicans are doing PURELY TO PREVENT THE EPSTEIN FILES FROM BEING REVEALED', the public (even magats) might just not give a damn HOW she was sworn in, methinks? 'Holy' Mike would have a really hard time 'splaining that 'it's the Democrats' who're preventing the Government from being open - especially IF Hakeem also specified that WE are HERE and Johnson sent all of the republicans home for vacation! This is the kind of hard ball I'D be playing right about now. Don't misunderstand, I'M not one dumping on Hakeem Jeffries, I like and support him and he always wants to stick to the Constitution and Law. But it's past time to show magats exactly what republicans are actually doing and that WE can play 'our cards' too.
It appears more voices are being raised to 'do it anyway'. For lots of things. The mistake that maximalists make is thinking that their momentum is inevitable destiny. That's where the Nazis got the notion of the Thousand Year Reich (spoiler, it lasted twelve). The more they take from us, the more options open up, because we have less to lose.
I admit that the thought of Holy Mike stroking out is most gratifying!
YES! Could you just see him rushing about waving his papers screaming 'Stop, I FORBID THIS' as everyone laughs at him? It'd be SO GOOD! Time to take a page from THEIR riding roughshod over US book!
That's a hilarious picture, Elizabeth!
I did read somewhere that Jeffries could swear in Grijalva, but I haven’t been able to confirm if that's accurate or not.
I agree that the Dems need to take the fight to Johnson, especially in light of the MAGAs' refusal to fund SNAP. They need to do it NOW.
I still believe that nothing can be legally done (i.e., it won't stick) without the House being officially in session. Nevertheless, if there's a scenario like you describe, with the Dems showing up on the House floor and making a LOT of noise about the Epstein files, healthcare, SNAP, and so on, Johnson might be forced to move. MIGHT be. In any case, the Dems have nothing to lose.
And I'd like Jeffries, too, if only he underwnt a spine transplant. 😉
Don’t we already have one there already as of yesterday?
Yep, a carrier and support group.
yup: this 'desperate-for-a-Nobel-PEACE-Prize-moron, is actually desperate to begin a fucking WAR.
Well....a war would solve some of his problems, now wouldn't it? Distraction, gives him more power, etc.
Nuclear carrier? I read something similar…
It's nuclear powered.
P.S. Info on the carrier doesn't say as much, but ex-Navy gunny husband says that the missiles it stocks may be currently fitted with conventional warheads, but a ship like that wouldn't deploy without also carrying nuclear warheads.
Like every petty little dictator before him, Metamucilini doesn't want to lead the government. He wants to *be* the government. And as long as there is profit in it for the GOP, they will play along.
If 'L'etat c'est moi' was good enough for Louis IV it is good enough for Donnie - except he doesn't even speak English, let alone French.
Metamucilini! Hee hee 😆
I'm suddenly thinking of that animated booger for MUCINEX.
That one made me snort-laugh 🤣
Me, too. Really freaked out my dog, who thought I was growling at her.
True. Both are shapeless blobs, annoying as hell, and neither can run a country worth a damn. One is green, the other is orange. Not a whole lot of difference otherwise.
Don't they look a little alike?
Yup! Both fugly as hell - AND stupid.
Best name for TFG I have seen in quite a bit. You win the internet for the day!
My go-to is "Cheatloaf," but for some reason I went for the more sophisticated Axis Powers analogy today. 🤣
All this because we just wanted a lady president :(
I will go to my grave convinced we had a lady president and that T💩p stole the election. They bragged about it FFS!
And yet, almost no one believes this. Good lord!! Rump gave it away how many times, in how many ways? Elon bragged about having to change only a couple lines of code. Data analysts have documented all kinds of statistical anomalies.
But.... Harris wouldn't even ask for audits/recounts, so here we are.
Just like Al Gore. Seems like Dems have not been fighters since Truman. There is a glimmer of hope in Pritzker....
Pritzker is absolutely phenomenal! Newsom is no slouch, either. He's more low-key, but I saw an interview, and he's also quite openly sounding the alarm about where the country is going. Jamie Raskin, too, along with Chris Murphy, Josh Shapiro, AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and of course, Bernie, although he's an Independent. Tim Walz told it like it was, too. Several others seem willing to fight, as well, given the opportunity.
Why? I keep asking why she didn't demand recounts. We can't vote for her again. She demonstrated that she will easily fold. Sorry. I liked her.
Got a theory about that. It relates to the intense pressure to 'fight' that the Dem leadership has been getting from us. There seems to be this ethic of how important it is to "help the country heal and move on", practiced entirely by the Left. The Right will riot and storm Congress.
This ethic is perceived by the Right as weakness, and they exploit it as much as they can. That impulse is beginning fade rapidly on our side. I remember when Michelle Obama's "Low/High" duality was held as great wisdom, it's now mocked.
One answer given at the time was that her campaign would have had to cover the cost of recounts, and it didn't have the funds. I don't buy it.
Or it could very well be George's theory, below.
My personal belief is that, in this particular case, she was made an offer she couldn't refuse. That would account for the super-fast concession.
Me too, Mary. No way in hell did Don the Con win legitimately, either time.
I am waiting for the Rockland County, NY lawsuit to require a hand recount. In some precincts Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand won in a landslide and Kamala received ZERO votes. There was much fkery afoot.
For Kamala to receive zero is highly suspicious --does not pass the smell test . Who is administering the voting up there ?
The weird thing George is that this lawsuit was brought by a third-party candidate after they received zero votes in some precincts, and they knew that wasn't right. Where dafuq are the Democrats in all of this chicanery? Crickets.
No, they're keeping hands-off because it'll be far more powerful and factual IF it shows she was cheated out of those votes BY the 3rd party candidate! As furious as they are, they MUST stand back and let the proof come out otherwise they'll be accused of 'fixing' it.
Golly! Good to know. Thanks, Mary. Fingers tightly crossed.
Absolutely. It was not a fair and honest election. There were so many anomalies. You can read it all on "This will stand" on line.
We underestimated the misogyny, racism, and general stupidity of many who happen to inhabit our nation
And now that we know better, we need to do better. Maya Angelou
General strike? check
Keep marching? check
Support food banks? check
Stay kind? check
I like your plan, Lisa.
Pop-up food kitchens!
I can do most but it IS very difficult to 'stay kind' to the kind of magats who attack me with impunity. I do try to stay fairly civil, though.
Oh I'm over the maggots. Don't worry. Time for you know what.
We underestimated the power of DISinformation, fed to us by Oligarchs.
The disinformation was the spark. The fuel was the hatred, resentments, and all the other stuff we previously mentioned.
A BLACK lady president, no less, who was highly intelligent, experienced, and capable. How very dare us.
Unverified, but hubs told me that he saw something on Facebook about Michelle Obama's portrait being destroyed along with the East Wing. It's easy to believe that. "When people show you who they are believe them, the first time." -- Maya Angelou
OH I'm quite sure he'd have had THAT done deliberately! I omitted Michelle in my diatribe about 'strong black women'! How awful of me - she's been the focus of so many of the VILEST of the magats. She mentioned in her book: 'Becoming' just how much harm frump did to their family. Here's a thought: The artist who painted that gorgeous portrait can now do another one - even more beautiful and ENSURE that it's protected by Plexiglas or actual bulletproof glass and insist it NOT be hung in the White House (maybe hang it in the Obama Library for a time?) until the orange moron is gone! There's always a way to outwit the fuckwit since he has so little to work with.
Oh, I SO hope that’s not true
An before that, a white lady equally competent and smart.
Misogyny predates every other bias in the list.
Yes it does, always and forever, world without end, Amen.
Another election (and SCOTUS seats) that was stolen. Hillary got more votes. FFS!
THREE MILLION more! AND Joe Biden got nearly SEVEN MILLION more - and yet, the lying, cheating, paid off by billionaires, supported by RUSSIA MORON insists that 'he' is the one 'the people luv'. Yeah, sure. /sarcasm to the nth degree. I've noticed that my sarcastic meter is boinging to the very top lately, for some odd reason, lol.
How very dare us indeed! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Because there are a lot of stone cold racists.
Yes - I've met FAR more than my share. Ugh.
And who are the majority of those he's trying to imprison for DARING to stand up to him? Primarily black women who practice law. Kamala also fit every one of those categories so SHE pissed him off but good. Did anyone know that The New Jersey Congresswoman who put her arms around him to protect the MAYOR from being falsely arrested after they'd tried to visit the 'ICE detention center' in New Jersey is NOW in danger of being sent to prison for 17 FUCKING YEARS?! For 'interfering with/assaulting (!) federal officers! First - SHE, as a Congress person has ABSOLUTE RIGHT to enter that facility with ZERO NOTICE, so she went there with others AND the Mayor. They were invited through the gates, then refused entry IN to see any of the detainees. So, the Mayor (and she) left. AS he exited past the gates, the 'officers' got the word to arrest him! As the pushing and shoving began, she, a pretty big lady put out her arms while face to face with the Mayor, then around him to protect him as SHE was being pushed and shoved, while telling them she was a Congresswoman who had EVERY RIGHT TO BE THERE. I believe one of these 'officers' put his hands on her - so she either shrugged off his hands or pushed them away. For THAT, they're trying to make an example of her. The Mayor was arrested - on these incredibly bogus charges, HANDCUFFED then released 2 hours later, but SHE has still been charged! Another strong black woman being made an example of. Frump HATES women, especially black women: Letitia James, Kamala, the AG in Georgia - anyone I've missed?
just--wow.
Exactly. 🤬
Unsure who the interviewer was, but Kamala Harris was the interviewee and clearly responded AFFIRMATIVELY to the question IF she was interested in running for President in 2028. The woman interviewer had mentioned the too-brief time she had to run but made mention that 'next time' would be a regular campaign with plenty of time Kamala talked about her long career in service to the people and that she was not done. I guess it'll depend on who else the public wants? Could we see her and Gavin, or Pete? I know it's purely speculative BUT we need to fight fire with fire and not be complacent to the vote-altering fuckers. I too KNOW that frump did not 'win' without help/massive chicanery of both musk and putin, despite magats imagining that they are 'the majority'. NO, they're NOT.
Exactly!
A BLACK lady president! Who never worked at McDonalds!
The only reason there is a government at this point is to collect taxes. We have no say in how these are spent. The taxes are collected without fail, and if you avoid paying them they will come after you.
This does not apply to billionaires and corporations who support the regime. Anyone opposing the regime will be targeted. If any of us who vocally oppose the regime here or elsewhere think we're safe from retribution, it's an illusion. The only reason we haven't suffered consequences is they haven't gotten around to us yet.
The window we have to change this is shrinking since the right have already advanced to the "supreme argument of violence" from which there is no escalation other than more violence. This is sobering because these people have no restraint at all and will stop at nothing to retain power. If we think otherwise, we're kidding ourselves.
The question is what are we going to do about it? Who will lead the rebellion this time? It's the same type of violent oppression that led to the Boston Massacre. Where is today's Sam Adams to lead the Sons of Liberty? Where is our new George Washington?
We have plenty of Tom Paines to write inspiring prose and more than enough John Adamses to defend the ideals of law in the mix. We're well past that.
Just sayin'.
I would love for blue states to secede from the red ones. Stop sending the federal government money. I know its a complicated thing with a ton of implications and considerations, but ...
A 'silent' secession likely will occur in CA if the regime continues to hold back entitled funding for disasters, education, etc. Newsom has mentioned many times how CA is a 'donor' state for many red states whose ledger contributions are in the negative range.
WA state can secede to Canada followed by OR. I hooe they do.
WI & Minnesota too.
Many? All of them, I think. Including TX.
Soft secession!
No.
Every single thing you said. Thank you.
The problem is that he isn’t a king. He’s the figurehead of an international crime syndicate masquerading as governments. (Hat tip to Sarah Kenzidor)
Exactly!
When I visited Rome, I loved seeing all the usual attractions, but the thing that fascinated me most was the museum of Roman history that Mussolini built. It's fascist architecture at its worst, unbelievably ugly. The gold-encrusted Apple/Comcast/Meta/Google/HP/Epstein ballroom makes Mussolini's pile look tasteful. PS the short answer to the question is no.
Krugman wrote a thing about 'Trump's Dictator Chic' the other day
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trumps-gilded-ballroom-and-the-fall
Thanks for the article, Jeff. I just signed up for Krugman’s Substack.
From the article:
“This isn’t a remodeling or building an addition, it’s a teardown. It may seem like a trivial story, but it’s a highly visual metaphor for the way MAGA is tearing down almost everything good about our country. And that ballroom’s hideousness is an equally good metaphor for all the political ugliness that lies in our future.”
He describes my reaction accurately.
He's awesome.
All part of the general enshitification of the country.
Okay, I’m using that.
I have written this before but it remains pertinent. If…big if…the fully unredacted Maxwell-Epstein files were ever to be released. The ones dating back to Ghislaine’s Big Daddy Maxwell era of 1970’s London, when the UK/US Special Relationship was in full swing in the back of the Lansdowne Club in Berkeley Square, up Shepherd’s Market off Curzon Street, with a celebrity peppered lunch at the White Elephant or The Dorchester before heading off for some R&R at Heffner’s Playboy Club, both the UK and the US states would fall under the weight of the exposed financial corruption and state sanctioned sexualised violence. No amount of ‘but it was the Cold War’ excuses would suffice. Now I am going back to ground. Good luck to all 🐈⬛
Where is your bunker? Have room for one more (plus cat)?
And one dog?
That drew a comparison in my brain cell…Playboy Club was the original Hooters all the same appeal does it lead to the stronger stuff like Epstein offered? I also think that dopey don would have seen the money in it and tried to blackmail the real rich but of course he failed but with a little proof from Maxwell….and that is why dopey is rightfully scared.
Is that like Profumo scandal of the mid Sixties?
Last name Keeler?
Yes, Christine Keeler?
For those willing to make the comparison, THIS is journalism.
A writer lets us know what a dimwit leader says, and then calls bullshit when they see it. That way, the masses aren't deceived into believing whatever the dimwit leader says. Very simple concept. Nothing complicated about it, NY Times, WaPo, and CNN: Simply call bullshit rather than participate in it.
Sadly not much is left of one. However I think we still need to be extremely loud to show our disgust at what’s happening.
I added a calendar on my spreadsheet so we can target our calls/letters/emails/faxes to flood offices in an organized manner.
Use/share this spreadsheet (bit.ly/Nokings) as a resource to call/email/write members of Congress, the Cabinet and news organizations. Call. Write. Email. Protest. Unrelentingly. We deserve better ❤️🩹🤍💙
Reach out (beyond your own) to as many in the Senate and House as you can. All of this is bigger than “I only represent my constituents” issues.
Will you be joining the buying Blackout Nov 25-Dec 1?
It'll be easy for many of us who are broke already.
I heard that ppl making $250k AND in the stock market have no complaints atm… I’m sure that’s the ‘man on the street’ they stick a mic in front of 🙄😒
I plan on it!
We never shop that weekend!
Don’t we all pay federal taxes to fund the government? If our money isn’t paying any of the programs approved by Congress, then maybe there should be a nationwide tax boycott until this shit comes to an end. Is there even an IRS anymore?
We now have (again) taxation without representation. The government has abdicated.
I’ve said this ad nauseum. You can demonstrate until you’re blue in the face - but until there is some sort of national strike/Boston Tea Party refusal to be taxed without representation, these nihilists will continue to take our money & hand it over to the syndicate. Enough.
Agreed! But someone needs to organize this, and it can’t be me. I can’t even organize my junk drawer!
There’s a Frontline episode on PBS right now about growing up poor. Watch it if you can. These kids know they’re poor, they know what they want their adult life to look like and how to get there, but they also know they have e zero chance to educate themselves out of poverty. Richest country in the world. So ugly and very sad. Our country needs a big time reset post Trump.
"Our country needs a big time reset post Trump."
I fully expect your comment to get 100+ likes. Where is FDR when you need him?
Maybe.... as a country, we've grown so ugly, we're no longer getting the leader we need in the timeframe when we need him/her? Washington, Lincoln, FDR, JFK---they were the leaders we needed in the crises of their times. Maybe we're no longer worthy?
It's the massive right-wing/Russian propaganda machine. We have nothing to compare to educate mentally lazy Americans to the truth.
No question about THAT, EF.
It should be all the likes. Wish there was a LOVE or ADORE!
Every day I think it can't get worse. Then it does.
I haven't had a single day without a migraine this month. It's already blinding me, so this is my final comment for today. Hasta la vista, MI amigos.
Be careful amiga we can cover for you in the mean time.
Take care.