Stopping Trump's Move Toward Authoritarianism

[Huckleberry]

The Atlantic gift link

The Civil-Military Crisis Is Here
The leaders of the U.S. military may soon face a terrible decision.

To capture a democratic nation, authoritarians must control three sources of power: the intelligence agencies, the justice system, and the military. President Donald Trump and his circle of would-be autocrats have made rapid progress toward seizing these institutions and detaching them from the Constitution and rule of law. The intelligence community has effectively been muzzled, and the nation’s top lawyers and cops are being purged and replaced with loyalist hacks.

Only the military remains outside Trump’s grip. Despite the firing of several top officers—and Trump’s threat to fire more—the U.S. armed forces are still led by generals and admirals whose oath is to the Constitution, not the commander in chief. But for how long?

 

[Its On A Slab]

I am waiting for the MAGA apologists to chime in with their exaggeration memes and locker room talk.

 

[dtgreg]

"Plenary Power". Was someone in his earpiece telling him "SHUT UP! NOT NOW!!!"?


Stephen Miller claims Dictator powers for Trump on live TV

 

[CrimsonTheory]

I am waiting for the MAGA apologists to chime in with their exaggeration memes and locker room talk.

I am waiting for Antifa to do the same. Both sides are garbage.

 

[Its On A Slab]

I am waiting for Antifa to do the same. Both sides are garbage.

Another figment of the MAGA Sound Machine.

But if you mean anti-fascist, my Dad fought the bastards in Europe 80 years ago. Now they are on our shores, and nobody on the right seems to give two craps about it. As long as they can say they are p0wning the libs.

 

[Bodhisattva]

I am waiting for Antifa to do the same. Both sides are garbage.

That would be nice. But, the tribalists will either justify their side's violence or stick their head in the sand and claim it never happened.

Another figment of the MAGA Sound Machine.

Case in point. A few year's back in Seattle, during the antifa occupation of an area of the city (CHAZ or CHOP), my wife's best friend's business was looted and vandalized. Judging by the graffiti left behind, it's seems the fascists cosplaying as anti-fascists didn't like Asians doing business in "their" city. But, I guess I need to let my friend know it didn't really happen and that she - a nonpolitical immigrant who only wants to be able to care for her family, including her ailing parents - is part of the MAGA sound machine. Something very similar happened to another friend in Portland. Another figment, I guess.

 

[CrimsonJazz]

I am waiting for Antifa to do the same. Both sides are garbage.

Yeah, don't hold your breath. Besides, there's not one decision-maker in the whole lot. They are just modern-day brown shirts with a deeply troubling agenda. I do hope the DOJ is serious about finding out who is funding these clowns.

 

[Its On A Slab]

That would be nice. But, the tribalists will either justify their side's violence or stick their head in the sand and claim it never happened.



Case in point. A few year's back in Seattle, during the antifa occupation of an area of the city (CHAZ or CHOP), my wife's best friend's business was looted and vandalized. Judging by the graffiti left behind, it's seems the fascists cosplaying as anti-fascists didn't like Asians doing business in "their" city. But, I guess I need to let my friend know it didn't really happen and that she - a nonpolitical immigrant who only wants to be able to care for her family, including her ailing parents - is part of the MAGA sound machine. Something very similar happened to another friend in Portland. Another figment, I guess.

I knew a guy who knew a guy whose brother's cousin's nephew's wife said their local public schools were being forced to provide litter boxes for kids who identified as cats.

So I know whatcha mean.

 

[92tide]

"Plenary Power". Was someone in his earpiece telling him "SHUT UP! NOT NOW!!!"?


Stephen Miller claims Dictator powers for Trump on live TV

meh, he was just engaging in political rhetoric /s

 

[CrimsonJazz]

I knew a guy who knew a guy whose brother's cousin's nephew's wife said their local public schools were being forced to provide litter boxes for kids who identified as cats.

So I know whatcha mean.

Imagine coming across a cat-box that the some furry has just used, but you didn't know it came from a person. If you're like me, your first instinct is, "Jesus Christ, is there a lion running loose around here?"

 

[92tide]

I knew a guy who knew a guy whose brother's cousin's nephew's wife said their local public schools were being forced to provide litter boxes for kids who identified as cats.

So I know whatcha mean.

amazing how much overlap there is for the boogeymen

 

[Bodhisattva]

I knew a guy who knew a guy whose brother's cousin's nephew's wife said their local public schools were being forced to provide litter boxes for kids who identified as cats.

So I know whatcha mean.

amazing how much overlap there is for the boogeymen

Mocking and being dismissive of the violence and racism by the left towards my wife and friends and the racist policy I see every day is par for the course. Interesting tribalist bubble you've constructed, when reality is considered the boogeyman. And Biden's mental decline was just a stutter, right? Go tribe!

 

[Its On A Slab]

Mocking and being dismissive of the violence and racism by the left towards my wife and friends and the racist policy I see every day is par for the course. Interesting tribalist bubble you've constructed, when reality is considered the boogeyman. And Biden's mental decline was just a stutter, right? Go tribe!

Bless your heart.

 

[CrimsonNagus]

The time to stop this was last November, that’s when this country lost. Trump told everyone plenty of times what he wanted to be. They even wrote a document to use as their playbook and posted it online where everyone can read it. They have followed it almost perfectly so far, Project 2025. The people who still deny this are the ones who haven’t bothered to read what Project 2025 says or are brainwashed by Fox News that it was not connected to Trump.

Nothing can be done now. We have a congress that refuses to do anything and actively allows Trump to erode their power. We have a SCOTUS doing the same thing by allowing Trump to get away with illegal and unconstitutional acts. Just look at his constant attacks on the first amendment while everyone in DC just sits on their hands.

The military ain’t done anything to stop it either. Their oath is to the constitution while the only oath regarding the president is to follow his lawful orders. These orders to invade US cities are not lawful and the use of the insurrection act is unjustified, illegal and unconstitutional. Yet the military is not pushing back at all. I have no faith they ever will.

I believe the battle is all but lost. Maybe there is a chance to slow this dictator down if MAGA loses control of DC in the midterms. If they don’t, I fully expect Trump to grab a third term one way or another and a MAGA led congress, and our corrupt SCOTUS will not stop him. Even if Democrats grab control of congress, this SCOTUS will overturn everything they do to slow Trump down.

Yep, this country died last November, to thunderous applause.

 

[Its On A Slab]

The time to stop this was last November, that’s when this country lost. Trump told everyone plenty of times what he wanted to be. They even wrote a document to use as their playbook and posted it online where everyone can read it. They have followed it almost perfectly so far, Project 2025. The people who still deny this are the ones who haven’t bothered to read what Project 2025 says or are brainwashed by Fox News that it was not connected to Trump.

Nothing can be done now. We have a congress that refuses to do anything and actively allows Trump to erode their power. We have a SCOTUS doing the same thing by allowing Trump to get away with illegal and unconstitutional acts. Just look at his constant attacks on the first amendment while everyone in DC just sits on their hands.

The military ain’t done anything to stop it either. Their oath is to the constitution while the only oath regarding the president is to follow his lawful orders. These orders to invade US cities are not lawful and the use of the insurrection act is unjustified, illegal and unconstitutional. Yet the military is not pushing back at all. I have no faith they ever will.

I believe the battle is all but lost. Maybe there is a chance to slow this dictator down if MAGA loses control of DC in the midterms. If they don’t, I fully expect Trump to grab a third term one way or another and a MAGA led congress, and our corrupt SCOTUS will not stop him. Even if Democrats grab control of congress, this SCOTUS will overturn everything they do to slow Trump down.

Yep, this country died last November, to thunderous applause.

The Victor Orban Plan is now in place.

But you can't call it what it is. That's name-calling. /s

 

[Bodhisattva]

Bless your heart.

I am very blessed in many ways. I hope you can achieve blessings one day. Good luck!

 

[Its On A Slab]

I am very blessed in many ways. I hope you can achieve blessings one day. Good luck!

I am blessed every time you post here. 'Coz it's so easy to put a smile on my face.

 

[Bodhisattva]

I am blessed every time you post here. 'Coz it's so easy to put a smile on my face.

Hmm, your blessings are dependent on what others do for you and not what you can achieve for yourself. No surprise there. Good luck to you.

 

[75thru79]

 

[UAH]

The Victor Orban Plan is now in place.

But you can't call it what it is. That's name-calling. /s

The time to stop this was last November, that’s when this country lost. Trump told everyone plenty of times what he wanted to be. They even wrote a document to use as their playbook and posted it online where everyone can read it. They have followed it almost perfectly so far, Project 2025. The people who still deny this are the ones who haven’t bothered to read what Project 2025 says or are brainwashed by Fox News that it was not connected to Trump.

Nothing can be done now. We have a congress that refuses to do anything and actively allows Trump to erode their power. We have a SCOTUS doing the same thing by allowing Trump to get away with illegal and unconstitutional acts. Just look at his constant attacks on the first amendment while everyone in DC just sits on their hands.

The military ain’t done anything to stop it either. Their oath is to the constitution while the only oath regarding the president is to follow his lawful orders. These orders to invade US cities are not lawful and the use of the insurrection act is unjustified, illegal and unconstitutional. Yet the military is not pushing back at all. I have no faith they ever will.

I believe the battle is all but lost. Maybe there is a chance to slow this dictator down if MAGA loses control of DC in the midterms. If they don’t, I fully expect Trump to grab a third term one way or another and a MAGA led congress, and our corrupt SCOTUS will not stop him. Even if Democrats grab control of congress, this SCOTUS will overturn everything they do to slow Trump down.

Yep, this country died last November, to thunderous applause.

I don't disagree with you but Trump is becoming very unpopular and at the same time the US economy is faced with two tremendous headwinds that will impact millions of us. One is the national debt ... many fewer customers for our debt at any price driving the cost of servicing the debt to rise precipitously. This has a lot to do with the historic decline of the US Dollar. That combined with tarriffs will drive prices up on foreign goods that just aren't available within the US and they are numerous.

Put all of that together and there isn't any escape from stagflation. Couple that with Canada and Western Europe, Australia and Japan taking their purchases elsewhere particularly defense systems will impact high paying jobs and drive up the cost to our Defense Department.

Rural America and Agriculture, a primary Trump support, are being hit by much greater competition for their products and consumer substitution away from them. That deserves its own topic.

Those economic theorist who have guided Trump away from the years of Globalism into Tarriffs don't appear to know much about how things are grown or manufactured or where the components are available in the world of 2025-26. It has led us into a huge economic problem that will impact every one of us.

Presidents like Jimmy Carter and GHW Bush were tossed out for much less.