Like the German version of Nazis before them, they aren’t coming for their biggest target first. They’re coming for their political opposition, the “abortionists”, the atheists, the drug users, the mentally ill…
RFK Jr.:
“I’m going to create these wellness farms where they can go to get off of illegal drugs, off of opiates, but also illegal drugs, other psychiatric drugs, if they want to, to get off of SSRIs, to get off of benzos, to get off of Adderall, and to spend time as much time as they need — three or four years if they need it— to learn to get reparented, to reconnect with communities,”
Re-education camps, huh.
The guy who couldn’t build A WALL is going to orchestrate a mass deportation on millions and millions of people? Ok. Lol. Also, what happens when fruit/vegetables start to rot on the vine because they don’t have anyone who will take their shit wages to do it.
We bail out all the farmers as we’ve always done.
he will 100% focus on “Democrat cities” before he ever rounds up farm workers.
Again, he ain’t gunna do shit. He’s all talk. I’m not here for the doomer end of democracy shit either.
I stand firmly by this statement: “Politics are never as good as they seem and they are never as bad as they seem.”
He already did this. 8 years ago. I mean it could have been a lot worse if he were competent but it was already horrible.
And he had a bunch of people telling him no along the way. I don’t know why people aren’t getting this. There. Are. No. Guard. Rails. This. Time.
He already tried a bunch of the shit people are saying he would never do. Now he can do them. Good fucking job.
There are guard rails, but their nature is different.
They can control every single major position in the federal government. Doesn’t matter, because they’re all working at cross purposes. See, fascism gives the appearance of a united front because it rallies around a singular leader, but it’s not. Everyone below that leader is trying to stab each other in the back in order to be in the good graces of the leader.
That alone would tie them in knots of their own creation, but it’s possible to exploit it further. Publicize the consequences far and wide. Getting Trump to yell at his own staff isn’t difficult, and he’ll fire them and replace them with someone even dumber. With Congress being close to split, It’s even possible cabinet positions empty out with no replacements for the rest of the Administration.
See, fascism gives the appearance of a united front because it rallies around a singular leader, but it’s not. Everyone below that leader is trying to stab each other in the back in order to be in the good graces of the leader.
That Nazis were actually very incompetent at governing. It didn’t stop them from committing the Holocaust.
Yes, that’s true. But their system is not our system. We have opportunities to exploit. History does not have to repeat itself.
Except this time they really are as bad as seem, and middle-ground people like you are a big part of why we are in this mess. Sure, maybe the Cunt is all talk and no bite rn, but he’s still gonna try and do stupid shit and the more we let him (and people like him) get away with it the more this whole thing falls apart. This is quite literally the end of democracy type shit that happens every time an empire falls. If you’re too blinded by your rose tinted glasses to see this happening, just wait 4 years when the Cunt runs again and we let it happen like a bunch of fucking idiot minions.
middle-ground people like you are a big part of why we are in this mess
I am in no way, shape, or form “middle-ground” and your assumption that I’m a centrist because I don’t completely agree on the other side’s competence is asinine. I am a through and through progressive. But guess what? All you can do is vote. No amount of whining online will change anything. My optimistic views on his ineptitude and the likely in-fighting in the republican party will stifle things is my opinion, and I’m sorry you feel differently. Screaming from the rooftops that the end is coming will not help either, dude. Get off the internet and go do something that helps you.
But guess what? All you can do is vote.
What are you talking about? Voting is the very least you can do. Get active. Contact your representatives. Take to the streets in protest. Stand up for something. You call him a defeatist and then say there’s nothing more to do.
Take your own advice and get off the internet and do something that helps you. Hoping the Repubs consume themselves doesn’t do shit. That’s not an ‘optimistic’ view. It’s a lazy and cowardly one.
What have YOU done to help?
So no actual answer, just an attempt at redirection.
… never as good as they seem and they are never as bad as they seem.
This argument is, by literal definition, a middle-ground. It’s also an exceedingly dangerous and naive idea, especially when it leads to us electing actual pedophiles and rapists to make decisions for us on a national level. Its an idea shared by far too many people in this world and perpetuated by those at the top for the sole purpose of driving us all apart and preventing anyone from ever caring enough to do anything about it. This has fuck-all to do with opinions and everything to do with reality that is happening right now. Ineptitude is always lethal, and doubly so when it leads an army of morons that bend to its every whim while sitting at home saying “He’s not that bad”.
Also, side quest/point, voting is a statistically meaningless activity (still do it, you dummies) and is absolutely not the only thing one can do. DO whine about it all online. DO scream about it from the rooftops. DO make a big loud, obnoxious shitstorm so big that all the idiots that dumbly stare at the fire as it burns us all alive have to actually get up and join the conversation.
I actually tend to agree that it’s not going to be as bad as it looks right now. It’s never as bad as the pessimists think it’s going to be.
However, the pessimists think it’s going to be very, very bad. It’s only going to end being being merely bad.
You’re not wrong that their lack of competence will get in the way. However, I think you are wrong in how that’s going to play out. The first attempts are going to be a boondoggle. They will still hurt countless people. The strategy at that point should be to wrap them up dealing with the consequences of that boondoggle so that they can’t accomplish much else until we can build real working class power.
But that second part doesn’t happen on its own.
It’s never as bad as the pessimists think it’s going to be
That depends on the timescale you are considering. Most of the people who would tell you otherwise because they were suffering in WW2 are dead by now. If you have spent your entire life in a comparatively stable and safe environment (like I did), you might assume that things can’t get that bad.
I think an assumption like that is dangerous, because it gives you a false sense of security
I stand firmly by this statement: “Politics are never as good as they seem and they are never as bad as they seem.”
That works until it doesn’t. “I assume neither side is actually a Hitler,” is a perfectly good heuristic, until one side actually goes and nominates a Hitler. Then that heuristic failures spectacularly and you end up electing a Hitler.
You misunderstood. I think one side is much worse than the other.
What if he threw a national emergency and no one paid attention?
…until he doesn’t. Or changes his mind tomorrow. Or whatever.
Why the fuck are we still treating this guy as if he’s anything more than a walking talking stream of consciousness?
Because he surrounds himself with people that are serious as a heart attack about their sick, freakish ideology.
- this is terrifying.
- This does not sound legally permissible, see posse comitatus.
- Members of the military have an obligation to refuse illegal orders. I am neither in the military nor a lawyer, so I can’t go too deep on that.
Even if we see (likely) “act first, let it wind through the courts later,” I’d expect there to be a substantial number of refusals.
Members of the military have an obligation to refuse illegal orders. I am neither in the military nor a lawyer, so I can’t go too deep on that.
I have no doubt this is his first step in ferreting out any military leadership who holds loyalty to the constitution over him personally. Whether this particular plan is blocked or not, it lets him clear out anyone who won’t follow his orders without question going forward.
What does America look like to the world if the most powerful military in the world refuses to follow orders from it’s elected government.
These idiots are going to turn the whole world upside down. Other nations military alliances will shift. China will swoop in to establish stability in it’s region of interest, Taiwan, slowing down our AI race (Biden tried to help get us started on that with the CHIPS act, thanks Brandon). We have a head start on quantum computing research, for now. But Europe is leading on physics and fusion reactors. But science is for nerds, so Europe will lose support from it’s most powerful ally leaving it open to Russia, who isn’t leading in much of anything these days and could really just use a win. First they’ll take the breadbasket because soldiers need to eat. And then continue to disrupt, weaken and push. Maybe start by cutting some major undersea internet cables. That’s got to be difficult to fix again, and again. Israel continues to make itself the enemy of the middle east so, America does what America does, go stomp around it’s old stomping grounds. Shock and Awe Y’all! Don’t worry about those recruitment numbers, they’re just a phase, the poor will still join. China and Russia keep pushing out, taking control of shipping routes and resources, slowly tighten the noose. China is allowed to keep pushing into ‘shithole’ African countries, raping them of their resources. China pushes to AI and Quantum. Russia pushes to Fusion and Physics. Each resource will be dependent on the other. The new world order is in balance.
America dwindles. If we’re lucky AI, or Fusion, will solve climate change before we go Venus.
But wait, up on the hill top! It’s Trump, Donald be his name. He has been crowned God King Emperor of Burgers and Men. Aliens have landed on the Whitehouse lawn. They are… the Whites! Blonde haired and big blue eyes, the most powerful of all aliens in the known galaxy. Their women are red heads, not all of them, but enough to be worth the trouble. Then all true Americans will sing ‘America, Fuck Yeah!’ as they rise up into the glorious heavens above to live with alien Jesus.
🖕🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🖕🏻👽 Peace Among Worlds!
Or France, which I remind you has thermonuclear weapons, will start selling said thermonuclear weapons to the rest of the EU, which then enables them to conduct retaliatory strategic strikes on Russia if it invades. Iran immediately develops and deploys thermonuclear weapons (they really only need to put the things together, they have all the parts they need) for strategic or tactical strikes against Israel. Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia will acquire thermonuclear weapons for self-defense once the US nuclear umbrella is removed - and they have more than enough resources and know-how to just manufacture nuclear weapons from existing materials. India, with a higher population than China and an existing strategic thermonuclear arsenal, can and will turn the entirety of the Indian Ocean into a no-passage zone simply by attacking merchant transit lanes with their destroyers, effectively blockading China from much-needed Middle Eastern fuel and African minerals.
And if Putin decides to use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine or Europe? Pandora’s box is open, baby. Nukes deployed all over the world, mushroom clouds galore. You get cancer, and YOU get cancer, and YOU get cancer, everybody gets cancer.
What does America look like to the world if the most powerful military in the world refuses to follow orders from it’s elected government.
Capable of resisting a rogue government that was put in place by a foreign country? A half-functional democracy that thwarted a Nazi Germany 2.0?
Do we really look cooler on the world stage if we just prove our military are stooges that will ‘just follow orders’?
Then who should world leaders talk to concerning global affairs? The Generals? What countries do we know that are ruled by their militaries? What will the millions of people that elected this monster do? Will they understand, stand back and stand by, and acknowledge the rule of material law? Who should the military pick to rule instead of the elected party? We are fucked. Now he’s up there nominating obvious duds so his next list, the real list, looks like the better choice. The people pulling his strings are setting the stage. Only Alien Jesus can save us now.
The military just needs to say “no.” if ordered to do something unconstitutional, it doesn’t mean they have to enact a military coup.
Your argument technically would apply to Nazi Germany as well, and I really don’t think any of the other countries at the time would’ve looked down upon the Wehrmacht or Germany if they had refused to follow orders, except for Italy and Japan, they would’ve been judging’ hard.
That’s a fair point. I hope that’s all that happens.
The US military is actually surprisingly decentralized, with a lot of leeway and authority given directly to NCOs, and officers routinely getting ignored, circumvented, or subjected to malicious compliance if they even order something considered unreasonable, much less illegal. Also see: fragging. Malingering. Mutiny. Desertion. And the worst nightmare - Insider Threat. So much of the military runs purely off of trust, faith, and compliance to words on a page.
You think Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was actually fully complied with? Sentries already fall asleep while at their post, willfully, without needing to have any excuse other than being tired or disliking the watch officer. Roving patrols routinely miss rounds, don’t actually pay attention or inspect anything, and practice what we call “blazing logs”, that is, writing down “all conditions satisfactory” without actually looking at the conditions. Maintenance also gets blazed all the time - technicians just straight up not doing the required maintenance and writing down that they did, substituting unauthorized materials, or half-assing the maintenance. Paperwork just gets “lost”, or never gets signed, never gets filed, never makes it to the intended recipient, just because the admin secretary doesn’t feel like it. Information isn’t entered into a system, including disciplinary or otherwise disqualifying stuff, because the admin or command likes you or needs you.
Purging the upper brass won’t do anything to circumvent or “fix” any of that, it’ll make it worse, because it’ll incentivize the servicemembers to do it even more. The E-4 Mafia will straight up disappear when needed, entire supply chains will stop cold. Separation and disciplinary paperwork will just not get sent.
Saw this one coming. He’ll do the same to justify ending elections.
100% this is a trial for emergency actions to end elections.
Next up: arson attack on US Congress. And then the Enabling Act.
Didn’t the Canadian burn the Whitehouse down once or something?
Twice.
Don’t make us come down there a third time, I swear to Gord.
If you go for the hat trick, may Gord find mercy in your heart to annex the TI region on your march back.
I swear to Gord
Deliberate misspelling of “God“, famous hockey player, or short for Gordon? More than one of the above?
Honestly, I’m not seeing a downside here.
From Canadian POV the US is the down side.
Then they could just stay on their side of the border?
That’s not true. It was the British, and it happened once in 1814. And it didn’t “burn down.”
Hypothetically, what would trigger you guys? Just asking questions…
It usually takes a Canadian Bacon moment where the US actually tries to take part of our sovereign territory by force.
Of course, that’s assuming Trump doesn’t get his wish and Pollievre becomes PM. Because in that case, we’ll likely be too busy fighting our own fascist battles up here to even respond.
Buzz Lightyear: “Fascists! Fascists everywhere!”
Man, I hate to say it out loud, but the current state of Canadian politics isn’t looking great. RIP CBC, at the very least.
Maybe if we’re really lucky Trump will do some absolutely insane shit and his connection to Pollievre will work against the CPC. Mind you, I can’t say I am looking forward to another Liberal government either, but such is the way of the two party system.
If the NDP chose a new, outspoken leader who was a straight white male, they might have a chance.
I hate that sentence, but you’re right, and I ultimately think it would be better for Canada than any of the other two options.
Disparaging Canadian geese does tend to get them riled
You’ve got a problem with Canada gooses, you got a problem with me, and I suggest you let that one marinate!
It’s almost not worth thinkin’ about
American here: genuinely, I would appreciate it if you did.
Don’t. Please. Whatever will we do to stop you? /s
Canadians conservatives burnt down their own parliament too.
My crazy prediction is that trump will try to duplicate the burning of the Reichstag. Except, in typical fashion, he will do so in a comically inept fashion. He’ll try to burn down the Reichstag, and he’ll actually succeed! Unfortunately, he’ll burn down the Reichstag…the actual Reichstag, not the US capital, but the present-day German parliament building.
We already had our enabling act, the Supreme Court presidential immunity ruling.
Yep. All of this talk about the makeup of Congress, and having an opposition party becomes moot when you hand power to fascists.
I’m past the point of caring, let the bread and circus commence. The American public, it seems, must learn shit the hard way.
Well. The chips are down. Your move Generals.
For what it’s worth I think there’s going to be a ton of pushback. To the point where using the military for this becomes infeasible.
They already planning court marshal and putting military leaders on trail for their roll in Afghanistan. Which is all a cover for Trump to remove the generals and install only loyal members to the military who will do trump bidding.
Generals aren’t selected by him personally though. Not unless congress completely folds to him. Remember one Senator holding up all of the promotions? That actually frees up military leadership to appoint replacements themselves. Within reason of course, they aren’t putting a private in charge of a brigade. But it does mean that with the tiniest bit of cover from Congress an officer corp loyal to the Constitution can block Trump’s agenda and make any purge take literal years to bear fruit. Not to complete it mind you, that will take even longer, just to cobble together enough of a chain of command to get a unit to actually deploy domestically.
That said the military are masters of malicious compliance. There’s a really big chance that resistance in the ranks looks like the generals ordering their troops out of the barracks but not taking any weapons because that would violate Posse Comitatus. Then fulfilling Trump’s orders by politely asking anyone they see for their papers. They wouldn’t arrest, detain, or chase anyone though, because that would be law enforcement and violate Posse Comitatus. They would of course studiously maintain an armed QRF on base just in case anyone finds the invasion of enemy aliens Trump is going to declare an emergency over. You might even see them get used against Cartels at the border in an attempt to appease Trump without clearly violating Posse Comitatus.
I do acknowledge it’s entirely possible the generals fold and put the onus on the lower ranks to ignore illegal orders. Which would destroy the military much faster as enlistments drop through the floor, stop loss is engaged, and desertion skyrockets.
I sure hope we don’t need military readiness in the near future…oh…wait …
Hmm, it’s almost like some third party have had an interest in destabilizing all structures of power in the US 🤔
Yeah if Trump actually follows through on this the US military is going to take decades to recover. But that’s the point. Both for daddy Putin, and American owners of Private Military Companies. They’ve been trying to privatize the grunts since 1990.
I suspect the powers that be will let this orange chucklefuck have a little fun but if he really starts eating into their profits and refuses to back off, he’s going to have an accident.
Yeah, his plans are going to destroy the economy, and I’m pretty sure our corporate overlords won’t like that.
They’ll love it. They’ll buy our country up for pennies on the dollar.
Right, but what’s the point if they’re not making profit?
Profit is not a concept that corresponds to feudalism.
You know what amazes me? That any vaguely brown person who voted for Trump didn’t seem to think that even if they are literally carrying their papers at all times and easily able to prove their citizenship, they are gonna be harassed constantly for the next four years. With hopeful some state exceptions, they are going to have to be very careful to speak only 'Murican in public and suppress public display of non-American cultures. They are literally going to be having to watch their backs every day.
WTF.
I imagine the population of New Mexico is going to swell quite a bit in the next four years.
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The military has a uniform code of justice they have to follow. Police have qualified immunity, but still sometimes get arrested. Prison riot control have no regulations on behavior or identification. Look for that group to become the main go to for anything that ‘needs taking care of’.
No more migrant workers, they still need slave labor, make everything illegal, arrest the poors, put prisoners to work for pennies…wont be shocked if that is the plan.
Look for that group to become the main go to for anything that ‘needs taking care of’.
Or just Proud Boys and other paramilitary thugs.
Trump saying “your country needs you” and every proud boy - or whatever the fuck - gets a massive hard-on for playing out the roll that the constitution says they are there to prevent
It won’t even be that subtle, they’ll just use unmarked border patrol like last time
That’s why I’m hoping the military does its job and protects the country and constitution from him.
Well if he has his way, he’s going to be able to remove general at will
So something ive noticed from folks both left and right is the assumption that bureaucracy will be followed. But if the bureaucrat decides to ignore or even kill ya, well ask Aurelian how well that works out. The Military is very bureaucratic a form this, a slip for that, a request for something and frankly speaking I would love to see Trump suffer at the hands of a bureaucratic revolt.
Bracing for “Wait, I didn’t think you meant me?!?!?”
“Cool, a leopard! Can I pet it?”
[Scene opens on a wide, desolate savanna at dusk. The camera slowly pans over a leopard lying under a tree, its large body barely able to move. The sun is setting, casting a cold, dim light over the scene. Soft wind rustles through the dry grass. The leopard’s eyes are dull, its breathing labored.]
Narrator (soft, somber voice): In the wild, leopards are meant to stalk, to hunt, to climb. But for some, this is no longer possible. These are the leopards of the forgotten savanna… the ones who can no longer live the life they were born to lead.
[Cut to a close-up of another leopard, this one lying next to a watering hole, panting heavily. The camera lingers on its enormous, bloated body, its paws barely able to reach the ground. The leopard’s eyes seem vacant, devoid of the wild spark they once had.]
Narrator: Overfed and unable to move, these leopards have been left to a slow, painful existence. They can no longer hunt their prey, no longer climb the trees to escape danger, no longer feel the thrill of the chase. They are trapped in their own bodies.
[Cue the soft, mournful opening chords of “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan. The camera slowly pans over a third leopard, sluggishly trying to rise, but its massive weight prevents it from standing. It lets out a heavy sigh, its once-strong legs buckling beneath it.]
Narrator: They are the forgotten victims of a world that has abandoned them. Too fat to run, too weak to fight… These leopards are slowly fading, one breath at a time. They need your help.
[Cut to a shot of a leopard staring out over the savanna. The camera lingers on its face, eyes half-closed, its expression one of quiet resignation.]
Narrator: For just $3 a day, you can provide the care and support these leopards so desperately need. A donation will help give them the chance to live a life of dignity. Help them find their way back to the wild they were meant to roam.
[The music swells as the camera fades to black, and the words “Your donation can make a difference” appear in white text on the screen.]
Narrator (whispering): Please, don’t let them suffer in silence. The time to act is now.
[The music fades out, and the SPCA logo appears in the corner, along with a toll-free number and website for donations.]
where do you go if you have no papers? a stateless purgatory camp?
they’re called concentration camps because they concentrate all “illegals” in one convenient location for “processing”.
people will lie to you and say it’s not possible. they will lie to you and tell you it would never come to that. they will lie to you and tell you citizens would never allow that to happen.
they lied to themselves for eight years and said never again.
It’s happening again.
So, the Orange Turd plans on suspending the US Constitution and using the so-called national emergency to go for the full power grab. I certainly hope the US military upholds the pledge to protect the US Constitution.
The US president is the commander in chief and the US military is subservient to US president, never mind how many of them come from the MAGA cult bubble themselves. The military is a poor safeguard for democracy.
We’ll see. The military is under pretty clear orders to defend the constitution from threats both foreign and domestic. Trump ia domestic threat and a fascist, and fascists flip the truth upside down, so he’ll accuse immigrants of being a domestic threat as a way of trying to convince the military to violate their oath. He’ll certainly replace legitimate generals with spineless lackey loyalists, but the oath isn’t to obey generals, it’s to protect the constitution, and it goes from top to bottom.
This will be a trickier test of the military’s quality than WW2.
The oath to protect the US Constitution from foreign and domestic enemies takes priority. You are correct in one regard, it will depend on the military leadership and soldiers.
