“We believed in the letter of the law, and we tried to do our jobs well, but the whole system seemed to have gone insane. People were tried for war crimes even though we weren’t at war…We all went along with it, because we were afraid of losing our jobs...we all became part of it. Nobody escaped.”
Slippage. Remember the movie Sound of Music, the VonTrapp family on stage singing and then rapidly escaping. We cannot be the audience members -- we must remember, and be proactive. Let's work super hard for November. The sacrifices we make now will reap benefits.
Yes, history and the dark side of human nature will repeat itself whenever we let fear overcome our ethics and humanity. All continue to #RESIST and #SaveOurDemocracy-s together NOW. We owe it to those who sacrificed their lives for ours in the past and passed the laws that protect us and which must be enforced and improved as needed. The least we can do is speak out, vote in every election, and continue organizing for and with each other to stop and prevent authoritarianism BEFORE it becomes any more prevalent here or any more deeply entrenched globally. Never give in! ♥
" I did nothing wrong". Hmm! Sounds familiar. The total corruption of our legal system has unfortunately already begun. Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society, neo-Nazi members of Congress, and Trump have started the process. They are both determined and ruthless. Therefore, we need to be the same in protecting our institutions.
The far right propaganda has been a slow and constant drip, forming a new reality; a reality where evil becomes good and good becomes evil. A reality where a sadistic sociopath is viewed as normal and the sane are viewed as insane. Such is fascism.
Who benefits? Lawlessness must become unfashionable, again in local communities, families and friendship circles. It should be a shameful action -- to break the law, at the lowest level and highest level. Accountability, no exceptions.
Fascism is lawless because in most cases it is led by a sociopath. They have no conscience, so laws are meaningless to them. Sociopaths view themselves a demigods so they feel that no one should dictate laws to them. They create their own laws. This is what tRump is hinting at should he become POTUS again. A nation run by a sick man is a sick country.
yes, and your words remind me of how we cannot sit still in this time before November. Next year at this time could be an entirely different world if we are unsuccessful at gaining the independent voters.
Spoke to a cashier today, lovely grandmotherly type --- in chitchatting on weather, she believes the recent California mudslides were caused by "Biden seeding the clouds." Lots of work to do before November. Listen, talk, learn everywhere you go. November is coming quickly. Connect.
I always talk to folks when I'm out and about. I was so stunned by the absurdity - I didn't know what to say. In hindsight, I should have perhaps made a general comment on the value of science. <missed opportunity> to plug science.
These people are 100% sure that they are right. It's mind bending to hear such statements from people. One cannot correct them, as they have become so bamboozled by mental filth from their hero that they are living an illusion.
Agree, I was speechless and just collected my change and readied to leave. By her facial expression, I could tell she was stunned that the chitchat suddenly halted. She realized I was not of her type. She/they just keep going deeper into their rabbit holes - with each transaction/ dose of reality presented.
I'm more than puzzled; I'm angry that it took him 18 months to appoint Jack Smith. If he had acted immediately, we would not be in this timeline pickle, with the prospect of trials not happening until after the election.
Ruth, your story of Pinochet dying before he could be held accountable reminds me of Kissinger in Greg Grandins book, Kissinger's Shadow.
I just got back from Laos, which along with Cambodia suffered more bombing than WW2. All secret. Kissinger was never held accountable for this as well as his role in Chile.
Will Biden & Company ever be held accountable for their unwavering support of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza?
Kissinger was a sociopath, so that explains a lot of his actions. The head of the CIA before JFK , Allen Dulles was a probable psychopath. Birds of a feather.
If Trump 2.0 happens, there will be so many authoritarian models to choose from. Will it be Chile under Pinochet? Argentina under the Junta, China under Mao or Xi Jinping, the USSR under Stalin, Russia under Putin, Hungary under Orban, Romania under Ceaușescu, East Germany under Erich Honecker, Albania under Hoxha, so many more to choose from. Which will the Donald choose? Will he use the Blueprint for American Fascism (prepared by the Hitler Foundation, I mean the Heritage Foundation)?
Whatever the future holds - and hopefully our weakened, brutalized democracy has enough strength left to defeat Trumpism - it seems that rising, stochastic political violence will be impossible to avoid.
Ric, thank you so much for your thoughtful/expansive thinking 🤔 …….With my own concerns regarding Ukraine (Russia under Putin) I’ve been thinking about the Xi Jinping’s regime and Taiwan as a threat to stability. This involves a democracy “claimed” by China as a breakaway province. China’s military has been developing and Xi Jinping has made references to the inevitability of Taiwan’s annexation!
Since the 1950s, the U.S. has supported Taiwan including under President Biden, and any escalation of China-Taiwan tensions could potentially create an international conflict. And in an escalating conflict between China and Western countries, it is important to understand the specific “authoritarian model” features present. Thanks!
I spent a month in Taiwan in 2018. It's very western and very modern. For some reasom Xi thinks Taiwan is his territory, even though China has not controlled Taiwan to any extent in modern history. Japan ruled it from 1895 to 1945. When Japan lost WWII, Taiwan was given to China but the Chinese civil war in 1949 caused the loser of that conflict, Chiang Kai-shek to flee to Taiwan and set up his own government. China had control of Taiwan for four years but now seems to think it's their country? Sounds like imperialism.
Thanks Steve and that does sound like “imperialism.” Also and as mentioned, Taiwan is a democratically elected government that is very distinct from mainland China. And it appears that a war with Taiwan would not be in China’s interest for several important reasons.
Foremost, Taiwan is a major producer of semiconductors and dominates international markets in the production of microchips that are used virtually in all electrical & electronic devices. Taiwan supplies about 92% of the world’s microchips!
Also, Taiwan is often called the ‘First island chain’ in the Pacific extending from Japan to Indonesia. The island chain is an important part of the US military force in the east and if China ever invaded Taiwan, it would pose an “existential threat” to Japan, an important U.S. ally.
Finally, China is fully part of the international economy with numerous investments around the world and a “trade surplus” with most of its trading partners. If China were ever sanctioned it would significantly disrupt and damage these valuable supply chains worldwide.
An invasion of Taiwan would not be worth the risk to China. A recent poll by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy shows that 72.5% of Taiwanese would be willing to fight if China were to push for any sort of unification.
I remember a few years ago, when asked about a Chinese takeover, the head of Taiwan Semi said that he would sabotage his equipment rather than turn it over to the PRC.
Taiwan is a fascinating place with a beautiful eastern coast, great food, bullet trains and very little corruption. I could live there.
My guess is that it will be like Pinochet, a modern fascism. tRump will try to set up a cartel economy with rampant oligopolies, then rework the Constituion to fit his insanity, and benefit the elites only. Pinochet and tRump were/are sociopaths. Sociopathy/psychopathy are essential for fascist leadership.
Today, Special Prosecutor Robert Hur released his report regarding the Biden classified documents investigation. Basically, he determined that Biden would not be convicted of willfully maintaining and disseminating classified documents because he believes a jury would not convict a kindly old gentleman who demonstrates a faulty memory. This is a huge opening for Trump to prosecute Biden if Trump is elected again. The documents were discovered on Biden's properties well within what would be the statute of limitations should Trump occupy the Oval Office in 2025. Conclusion: a new Trump Presidency will surely indict Biden with this new report from Hur as its basis. Moreover, it is a huge political win for Trump and his sycophants and microphones, allowing false equivalence between the Biden classified documents investigation and Trump's more serious handling and obstruction of obtaining classified information. And of course other political indictments of enemies and legal favoritism for Trump friends will undoubtedly occur as indicated by his pardons of Steve Bannon, Roger Stone and most egregiously, Paul Manafort in the later days of his first administration. All of these prosecutions and/or favors will be accompanied by a significant volume of demonizing and tribal rhetoric that identifies the rightful prosecution of law-breaking "enemies" of the "right" and the redemption of "patriots" who have been "wronged".
A whirlwind. Is law suppose to be so politicized? Or political at all? Another weird thing we are living in during this cloud of confusion, I don't recall judges and lawyers being so publicly advertised as 'conservative' or 'liberal.' I prefer they would be judges or lawyers without their political affiliation so advertised, or known -- I have in the past held them to higher standard.
The US backed the lawlessness in Chile for several reasons. One had to do with their copper mines being nationalized under the Allende administration, and our industrial elites not liking that decision. The other reason was the paranoia of our deep state about Soviet influence. So we backed fascism in Chile but also assisted in esablishing it. James M Buchanan helped rewrite their consitution to reflect an authoritarian view that favored an elite class and supported a cut throat neoliberal economics. Milton Fiedman was there to assure that they followed the neoliberal economic roadmap that US elites wanted. Our elites did not want democracy in Chile, nor laws to protect the citizens. Our elites could care less if Pinochet was a sociopath and thug, and in fact I believe they enjoyed it.
This should scare us senseless-
“We believed in the letter of the law, and we tried to do our jobs well, but the whole system seemed to have gone insane. People were tried for war crimes even though we weren’t at war…We all went along with it, because we were afraid of losing our jobs...we all became part of it. Nobody escaped.”
That is terrifying.
Slippage. Remember the movie Sound of Music, the VonTrapp family on stage singing and then rapidly escaping. We cannot be the audience members -- we must remember, and be proactive. Let's work super hard for November. The sacrifices we make now will reap benefits.
It's like a large faction of society becomes unmoored from reality.
Yes, history and the dark side of human nature will repeat itself whenever we let fear overcome our ethics and humanity. All continue to #RESIST and #SaveOurDemocracy-s together NOW. We owe it to those who sacrificed their lives for ours in the past and passed the laws that protect us and which must be enforced and improved as needed. The least we can do is speak out, vote in every election, and continue organizing for and with each other to stop and prevent authoritarianism BEFORE it becomes any more prevalent here or any more deeply entrenched globally. Never give in! ♥
" I did nothing wrong". Hmm! Sounds familiar. The total corruption of our legal system has unfortunately already begun. Leonard Leo, the Federalist Society, neo-Nazi members of Congress, and Trump have started the process. They are both determined and ruthless. Therefore, we need to be the same in protecting our institutions.
Watch, be aware and question when necessary local government and politics. When there is apathy, democracy erodes.
👍👍❤
The far right propaganda has been a slow and constant drip, forming a new reality; a reality where evil becomes good and good becomes evil. A reality where a sadistic sociopath is viewed as normal and the sane are viewed as insane. Such is fascism.
It was a perfect call.
Who benefits? Lawlessness must become unfashionable, again in local communities, families and friendship circles. It should be a shameful action -- to break the law, at the lowest level and highest level. Accountability, no exceptions.
Fascism is lawless because in most cases it is led by a sociopath. They have no conscience, so laws are meaningless to them. Sociopaths view themselves a demigods so they feel that no one should dictate laws to them. They create their own laws. This is what tRump is hinting at should he become POTUS again. A nation run by a sick man is a sick country.
yes, and your words remind me of how we cannot sit still in this time before November. Next year at this time could be an entirely different world if we are unsuccessful at gaining the independent voters.
Spoke to a cashier today, lovely grandmotherly type --- in chitchatting on weather, she believes the recent California mudslides were caused by "Biden seeding the clouds." Lots of work to do before November. Listen, talk, learn everywhere you go. November is coming quickly. Connect.
She got swept up in the alternate reality of fascism. It's collective delusion.
I always talk to folks when I'm out and about. I was so stunned by the absurdity - I didn't know what to say. In hindsight, I should have perhaps made a general comment on the value of science. <missed opportunity> to plug science.
These people are 100% sure that they are right. It's mind bending to hear such statements from people. One cannot correct them, as they have become so bamboozled by mental filth from their hero that they are living an illusion.
Agree, I was speechless and just collected my change and readied to leave. By her facial expression, I could tell she was stunned that the chitchat suddenly halted. She realized I was not of her type. She/they just keep going deeper into their rabbit holes - with each transaction/ dose of reality presented.
I thought they were caused by Jewish space lasers. Oh wait, wrong environmental disaster.
just a carnival of ideas ~!
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act."
George Orwell
Scary stuff.
AG Garland had a golden opportunity to get us rid of Donald Trump by assigning that special prosecutor for Jan 6 on day 1.
I’m so puzzled why that didn’t happen
I'm more than puzzled; I'm angry that it took him 18 months to appoint Jack Smith. If he had acted immediately, we would not be in this timeline pickle, with the prospect of trials not happening until after the election.
This could not be more concerning knowing how close we are to this possibility becoming real. It can happen here.
Ruth, your story of Pinochet dying before he could be held accountable reminds me of Kissinger in Greg Grandins book, Kissinger's Shadow.
I just got back from Laos, which along with Cambodia suffered more bombing than WW2. All secret. Kissinger was never held accountable for this as well as his role in Chile.
Will Biden & Company ever be held accountable for their unwavering support of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza?
Kissinger was a sociopath, so that explains a lot of his actions. The head of the CIA before JFK , Allen Dulles was a probable psychopath. Birds of a feather.
If Trump 2.0 happens, there will be so many authoritarian models to choose from. Will it be Chile under Pinochet? Argentina under the Junta, China under Mao or Xi Jinping, the USSR under Stalin, Russia under Putin, Hungary under Orban, Romania under Ceaușescu, East Germany under Erich Honecker, Albania under Hoxha, so many more to choose from. Which will the Donald choose? Will he use the Blueprint for American Fascism (prepared by the Hitler Foundation, I mean the Heritage Foundation)?
Whatever the future holds - and hopefully our weakened, brutalized democracy has enough strength left to defeat Trumpism - it seems that rising, stochastic political violence will be impossible to avoid.
Ric, thank you so much for your thoughtful/expansive thinking 🤔 …….With my own concerns regarding Ukraine (Russia under Putin) I’ve been thinking about the Xi Jinping’s regime and Taiwan as a threat to stability. This involves a democracy “claimed” by China as a breakaway province. China’s military has been developing and Xi Jinping has made references to the inevitability of Taiwan’s annexation!
Since the 1950s, the U.S. has supported Taiwan including under President Biden, and any escalation of China-Taiwan tensions could potentially create an international conflict. And in an escalating conflict between China and Western countries, it is important to understand the specific “authoritarian model” features present. Thanks!
I spent a month in Taiwan in 2018. It's very western and very modern. For some reasom Xi thinks Taiwan is his territory, even though China has not controlled Taiwan to any extent in modern history. Japan ruled it from 1895 to 1945. When Japan lost WWII, Taiwan was given to China but the Chinese civil war in 1949 caused the loser of that conflict, Chiang Kai-shek to flee to Taiwan and set up his own government. China had control of Taiwan for four years but now seems to think it's their country? Sounds like imperialism.
Thanks Steve and that does sound like “imperialism.” Also and as mentioned, Taiwan is a democratically elected government that is very distinct from mainland China. And it appears that a war with Taiwan would not be in China’s interest for several important reasons.
Foremost, Taiwan is a major producer of semiconductors and dominates international markets in the production of microchips that are used virtually in all electrical & electronic devices. Taiwan supplies about 92% of the world’s microchips!
Also, Taiwan is often called the ‘First island chain’ in the Pacific extending from Japan to Indonesia. The island chain is an important part of the US military force in the east and if China ever invaded Taiwan, it would pose an “existential threat” to Japan, an important U.S. ally.
Finally, China is fully part of the international economy with numerous investments around the world and a “trade surplus” with most of its trading partners. If China were ever sanctioned it would significantly disrupt and damage these valuable supply chains worldwide.
An invasion of Taiwan would not be worth the risk to China. A recent poll by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy shows that 72.5% of Taiwanese would be willing to fight if China were to push for any sort of unification.
I remember a few years ago, when asked about a Chinese takeover, the head of Taiwan Semi said that he would sabotage his equipment rather than turn it over to the PRC.
Taiwan is a fascinating place with a beautiful eastern coast, great food, bullet trains and very little corruption. I could live there.
👍👍……I’ve never ventured there YET and I have so many former students from there and surrounding areas ……but it’s definitely in my “plan book”….🥰
My guess is that it will be like Pinochet, a modern fascism. tRump will try to set up a cartel economy with rampant oligopolies, then rework the Constituion to fit his insanity, and benefit the elites only. Pinochet and tRump were/are sociopaths. Sociopathy/psychopathy are essential for fascist leadership.
Today, Special Prosecutor Robert Hur released his report regarding the Biden classified documents investigation. Basically, he determined that Biden would not be convicted of willfully maintaining and disseminating classified documents because he believes a jury would not convict a kindly old gentleman who demonstrates a faulty memory. This is a huge opening for Trump to prosecute Biden if Trump is elected again. The documents were discovered on Biden's properties well within what would be the statute of limitations should Trump occupy the Oval Office in 2025. Conclusion: a new Trump Presidency will surely indict Biden with this new report from Hur as its basis. Moreover, it is a huge political win for Trump and his sycophants and microphones, allowing false equivalence between the Biden classified documents investigation and Trump's more serious handling and obstruction of obtaining classified information. And of course other political indictments of enemies and legal favoritism for Trump friends will undoubtedly occur as indicated by his pardons of Steve Bannon, Roger Stone and most egregiously, Paul Manafort in the later days of his first administration. All of these prosecutions and/or favors will be accompanied by a significant volume of demonizing and tribal rhetoric that identifies the rightful prosecution of law-breaking "enemies" of the "right" and the redemption of "patriots" who have been "wronged".
A whirlwind. Is law suppose to be so politicized? Or political at all? Another weird thing we are living in during this cloud of confusion, I don't recall judges and lawyers being so publicly advertised as 'conservative' or 'liberal.' I prefer they would be judges or lawyers without their political affiliation so advertised, or known -- I have in the past held them to higher standard.
The US backed the lawlessness in Chile for several reasons. One had to do with their copper mines being nationalized under the Allende administration, and our industrial elites not liking that decision. The other reason was the paranoia of our deep state about Soviet influence. So we backed fascism in Chile but also assisted in esablishing it. James M Buchanan helped rewrite their consitution to reflect an authoritarian view that favored an elite class and supported a cut throat neoliberal economics. Milton Fiedman was there to assure that they followed the neoliberal economic roadmap that US elites wanted. Our elites did not want democracy in Chile, nor laws to protect the citizens. Our elites could care less if Pinochet was a sociopath and thug, and in fact I believe they enjoyed it.
The former military prosecutor's words... We've heard another iteration:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.