The shit, as they say, is “getting real.” The Trump Far Right has reached the tipping point of open, mass sedition against and subversion of the United States of America. They are not “redeemable.” You cannot reach them with facts. They are The Enemy and you must exclude them from your life for your own safety. It doesn’t matter if they’re family or people who were your lifelong friends. They’re now “pod people.” Not who they were.
oy yoy yoy. I go out for the afternoon to get new gtlasses, return and...it's THIS. I'm hardly surprised at the fact of it, but the EXTENT is almost too much to bear. I also wish you were wrong, but I don't think you are. every time these stupid schmucks have a genuine opportunity to cut and run to somewhere they might be able to begin the huge (probably impossible) process of getting their souls back, they only get more desperate to embrace evil once again. at this point, I don't care about any of them. but I am definitely worried about us. but honestly, I just don't get it.
I had a good friend who came here after the war, after surviving "the 12 bad years." in Germany. We used to talk about how did it happen, and 60 years later he still couldn't come up with an answer he thought was fully explanatory. As he said, "I refuse to admit that complete irrationality can be that persuasive, yet it is the only thing that seems to explain it."
I’m not entirely sure that the question is why some large number of people go absolutely nuts and another group use that as an excuse to grift. The question might be how good people fail to see the danger or seeing it fail the courage to take action. See, William Sheridan Allen, ”The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1930-1935”, 1965, Quadrangle Books, reprinted 1973, Franklin Watts, Inc.
No humor here, it's too serious. I profoundly hope that Robert Hubbell is correct when he counsels patience because the legal ducks are being aligned but there is a far greater than zero possibility that the nut jobs will go off the rails first.
I wish you were wrong also, TC, but you are not. It all makes me afraid, but not scared. And definitely more cautious.
Our uprising will not be until Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Then we vote them all out. Until then, may our democracy hold and its guardrails protect us against the crossfire. Feel your courage. Keep the glint in your eye. Be formidable.
My wife and I are "soft targets." No training, no situational awareness, no ability to grab a go-bag and bug out and travel cross-country undetected.
Besides, if we left our home and our village, we'd go... away from anybody who knew us, into unknown "God's country," where the preppers are. And they have camo and we have shorts and T-shirts.
As the saying goes, "The optimists went to Dachau. The pessimists went to New York."
And the fatalists stayed home and waited for the jackboots on the front step.
All I can do to prepare is keep the cars gassed up, stow some greenbacks in a handy place, and keep cell phone batteries charged. And keep passports handy. And, and, and, the list goes on and on....
I have read "Suite Française" by Irène Némirovsky. People packed what they could, sometimes the night before the Germans arrive in Paris, and flooded the roads with slow-moving traffic.
There are, I think, thoughtful steps to take that might help, no matter what surprises await us.
I read somewhere that knowing your neighbors can be immensely helpful for your sense of well-being. So, stop and chat. Talk to your mayor, or the village clerk, or the postal worker.
Hey, write a letter to the editor on a non-threatening topic. In mid-Atlantic states, spotted lanternfly or hemlock wooly adelgid (invasive pests).
In this small town, I know virtually all those you name above and they know me. It's the unknowns that trouble me - the caravans of large wheeled trucks with Confederate flags that come here from who knows where - with men wearing camo, with fully exposed guns. When they come, our police show up too and that's a comfort. We don't need a showdown on the town square, but we also don't need the intimidation that they intend.
Dan Rather’s substack “Steady” was completely run over by trolls today. Some of the worst, most profane posts I’ve ever seen. It was deeply disturbing.
I noticed only one, called islamophobic, whose comments are utterly crude, vulgar and disgusting. I wish Dan Rather would ban him. Or report him. Or throw him back in the sewer from whence he came.
He's likely operating on giving the moron the chance to show off to everyone else, which one would hope would be 'educational" for the rest and not "exemplary."
“ Donald Trump is willing to burn down the country if that is what it takes for him to get out of hail free this time. And a good portion of those 74 million who wanted him to stay in office in 2020 and complete his campaign of chaos and destruction are willing to do whatever he calls them to do in furtherance of that. And a not-insignificant number of them are willing to take action. Most of the posts on right wing social media is coming from people who were at the January 6 insurrection. They’ve already passed through the doorway into Looney World.”
Scary as it gets. These people really are dangerous---and they are going to set off some "crazies" (who are completely sane but in the grips of ideological/religious fervor)---I'll say more later about what I mean by religion here---these guys/gals are true believers and on a fervent mission to defend their "messiah" and destroy the demonic forces of the Democratic Party ("demonic" is not a metaphor for them; they believe in demons and that language motivates them; see the Dominionist movement and the NYT magazine several months ago on a megachurch in Fr. Worth TX (where else?) ). For a rather unsettling glimpse of what is going on in the evangelical/charismatic Christian movements see the website Religion Dispatches today: "New Apostolic Reformation faces rift over prophecies." You probably haven't heard of these folks, but some of them are pretty significant in the evangelical and right-wing political sphere. The Trumpian Right Wing is the equivalent of a religious movement and that makes it even more dangerous---more to say on that. THANK YOU TCinLA for all your work, insight, and good prose. Let's hope the live ammunition stays in storage.........
Politics Girl, Leigh McGowan shared her podcast time this week with Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Subject? Strongmen in America. Her view on psychological profiles on Trump and authoritarians not willing to give up power. Give a listen. Knowledge is our strategic power in this moment in history.
PG is my exception to the “no podcasts” rule for me. I’m more of a visual learner, but Leigh is so good. This one was exceptional and I’ve added Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s “Lucid” to my growing list of Substack subscriptions.
"Rupert Murdoch should be brought up on charges of actively supporting sedition, have his citizenship revoked, and be deported back to Australia, which he long ago Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition." Agree!
To a large extent, our current diseased social environment - the extreme polarity, the lack of respect and all the rest - is a predictable result of our unequal economic and social structure. This is the inevitable result of "supply-side" economics that left millions of American workers behind while companies sought wage arbitrage in cheaper countries overseas..... If more Americans had the feeling that they were respected and had a chance to live decent lives, much of what we see today would not exist. But people on the edge of desperation tend to listen to any strongman who says "only I can save you"..... No one with a full belly is a revolutionary.....
Agree....we are under the burden of the Reagan Republicans' economic policy. Tough when people like Bannon and Trump exploit the pain for personal gain.
Yes. The fuse may be lit. But here is the thing. There are a lot more of us than them. It may need to get worse before the rest of us wake up. It could get ugly. But so is squeezing the puss from a zit.
The rot is coming to the surface and we will disinfect the wound. Another analogy is a colon cleanse.
oy yoy yoy. I go out for the afternoon to get new gtlasses, return and...it's THIS. I'm hardly surprised at the fact of it, but the EXTENT is almost too much to bear. I also wish you were wrong, but I don't think you are. every time these stupid schmucks have a genuine opportunity to cut and run to somewhere they might be able to begin the huge (probably impossible) process of getting their souls back, they only get more desperate to embrace evil once again. at this point, I don't care about any of them. but I am definitely worried about us. but honestly, I just don't get it.
I had a good friend who came here after the war, after surviving "the 12 bad years." in Germany. We used to talk about how did it happen, and 60 years later he still couldn't come up with an answer he thought was fully explanatory. As he said, "I refuse to admit that complete irrationality can be that persuasive, yet it is the only thing that seems to explain it."
I’m not entirely sure that the question is why some large number of people go absolutely nuts and another group use that as an excuse to grift. The question might be how good people fail to see the danger or seeing it fail the courage to take action. See, William Sheridan Allen, ”The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town, 1930-1935”, 1965, Quadrangle Books, reprinted 1973, Franklin Watts, Inc.
No humor here, it's too serious. I profoundly hope that Robert Hubbell is correct when he counsels patience because the legal ducks are being aligned but there is a far greater than zero possibility that the nut jobs will go off the rails first.
That's what worries me.
Keep writing, TC. We must stay informed with facts and context. It is a link to courage for what that is worth. And to me, its gold.
🗽
Yes and many of us here.
May our guardrails be stronger. Our determination and strategic patience will help that. We must not engage with them.
Salud, my brother Dave. 🗽
Salud a tu Christine. We will win in the end.
I wish you were wrong also, TC, but you are not. It all makes me afraid, but not scared. And definitely more cautious.
Our uprising will not be until Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Then we vote them all out. Until then, may our democracy hold and its guardrails protect us against the crossfire. Feel your courage. Keep the glint in your eye. Be formidable.
Unita. 🗽
My wife and I are "soft targets." No training, no situational awareness, no ability to grab a go-bag and bug out and travel cross-country undetected.
Besides, if we left our home and our village, we'd go... away from anybody who knew us, into unknown "God's country," where the preppers are. And they have camo and we have shorts and T-shirts.
As the saying goes, "The optimists went to Dachau. The pessimists went to New York."
And the fatalists stayed home and waited for the jackboots on the front step.
All I can do to prepare is keep the cars gassed up, stow some greenbacks in a handy place, and keep cell phone batteries charged. And keep passports handy. And, and, and, the list goes on and on....
Isn't it sad we even have to think that for a moment?
I have read "Suite Française" by Irène Némirovsky. People packed what they could, sometimes the night before the Germans arrive in Paris, and flooded the roads with slow-moving traffic.
But at least the enemy were wearing uniforms.
You sound like me. Ready to flee. But where?
I keep thinking about "social capital."
There are, I think, thoughtful steps to take that might help, no matter what surprises await us.
I read somewhere that knowing your neighbors can be immensely helpful for your sense of well-being. So, stop and chat. Talk to your mayor, or the village clerk, or the postal worker.
Hey, write a letter to the editor on a non-threatening topic. In mid-Atlantic states, spotted lanternfly or hemlock wooly adelgid (invasive pests).
In this small town, I know virtually all those you name above and they know me. It's the unknowns that trouble me - the caravans of large wheeled trucks with Confederate flags that come here from who knows where - with men wearing camo, with fully exposed guns. When they come, our police show up too and that's a comfort. We don't need a showdown on the town square, but we also don't need the intimidation that they intend.
Dan Rather’s substack “Steady” was completely run over by trolls today. Some of the worst, most profane posts I’ve ever seen. It was deeply disturbing.
That's why you have to subscribe to TAFM to open your mouth and be heard. It keeps the morons out.
I noticed only one, called islamophobic, whose comments are utterly crude, vulgar and disgusting. I wish Dan Rather would ban him. Or report him. Or throw him back in the sewer from whence he came.
He's likely operating on giving the moron the chance to show off to everyone else, which one would hope would be 'educational" for the rest and not "exemplary."
Better to have the world think you are an idiot than open your mouth and remove all doubt.....
I wrote them. I hope they will take action. It was disgusting.
Frightful and frightening …
“ Donald Trump is willing to burn down the country if that is what it takes for him to get out of hail free this time. And a good portion of those 74 million who wanted him to stay in office in 2020 and complete his campaign of chaos and destruction are willing to do whatever he calls them to do in furtherance of that. And a not-insignificant number of them are willing to take action. Most of the posts on right wing social media is coming from people who were at the January 6 insurrection. They’ve already passed through the doorway into Looney World.”
Such hypocracy - all against government control, except when it applies to my body
The thing is we have to take this deadly seriously.
On Jan 6 the violent rhetoric in virtual reality flowed out into organic violence, injury and death.
That was a dress rehearsal.
The second go round will be easier and more horrifying.
At this point I am not sure anything will stop the momentum of violent action, but this time I think it will be more like guerrilla warfare.
Scary as it gets. These people really are dangerous---and they are going to set off some "crazies" (who are completely sane but in the grips of ideological/religious fervor)---I'll say more later about what I mean by religion here---these guys/gals are true believers and on a fervent mission to defend their "messiah" and destroy the demonic forces of the Democratic Party ("demonic" is not a metaphor for them; they believe in demons and that language motivates them; see the Dominionist movement and the NYT magazine several months ago on a megachurch in Fr. Worth TX (where else?) ). For a rather unsettling glimpse of what is going on in the evangelical/charismatic Christian movements see the website Religion Dispatches today: "New Apostolic Reformation faces rift over prophecies." You probably haven't heard of these folks, but some of them are pretty significant in the evangelical and right-wing political sphere. The Trumpian Right Wing is the equivalent of a religious movement and that makes it even more dangerous---more to say on that. THANK YOU TCinLA for all your work, insight, and good prose. Let's hope the live ammunition stays in storage.........
Politics Girl, Leigh McGowan shared her podcast time this week with Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Subject? Strongmen in America. Her view on psychological profiles on Trump and authoritarians not willing to give up power. Give a listen. Knowledge is our strategic power in this moment in history.
https://youtu.be/-3yAKh54CXA
🗽
PG is my exception to the “no podcasts” rule for me. I’m more of a visual learner, but Leigh is so good. This one was exceptional and I’ve added Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s “Lucid” to my growing list of Substack subscriptions.
"Rupert Murdoch should be brought up on charges of actively supporting sedition, have his citizenship revoked, and be deported back to Australia, which he long ago Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition." Agree!
To a large extent, our current diseased social environment - the extreme polarity, the lack of respect and all the rest - is a predictable result of our unequal economic and social structure. This is the inevitable result of "supply-side" economics that left millions of American workers behind while companies sought wage arbitrage in cheaper countries overseas..... If more Americans had the feeling that they were respected and had a chance to live decent lives, much of what we see today would not exist. But people on the edge of desperation tend to listen to any strongman who says "only I can save you"..... No one with a full belly is a revolutionary.....
Agree....we are under the burden of the Reagan Republicans' economic policy. Tough when people like Bannon and Trump exploit the pain for personal gain.
Yes. The fuse may be lit. But here is the thing. There are a lot more of us than them. It may need to get worse before the rest of us wake up. It could get ugly. But so is squeezing the puss from a zit.
The rot is coming to the surface and we will disinfect the wound. Another analogy is a colon cleanse.
And Merrick Garland may be our proctologist.....