The skuds of the world can say what they want about Biden or any other previous Democrat who has been elected in the recent era. This includes Obama, Clinton and Carter.
But those men all adhered to the idea that records were central to ur country understanding both the good and the bad of their presidencies. The receipts matter and ever since Nixon, the United States has seen it as important to have and to keep the memos, the doodles, the records of discussions about issues that take place during their administrations. This has been so not just for the sake of history, but because since the Watergate tapes, we've seen this as a fundamental part of getting to the truth of what our presidents are about and because it is the law.
If not for this viewpoint and the preservation of records, the Turner Joy and other Vietnam lies of of the Johnson presidency might have never become widely known. In fact it is respect for these same laws and customs that allowed us to learn recently that during the Reagan Admin, the president proposed to Gorbachev a nuclear free option. Which Reagan's administration, against the president's wishes, slow walked and buried.
The Trump Admin, famous for telling people to never write anything down, so as not to come in conflict with the law and have to preserve records, has no use for keeping records.
And his MAGA followers cheer him on.
But let's be honest here... his followers, many skeptics like our friends -FJ, Joe Con and skud, folks who regularly chide us liberals for trusting the government, only know about the lies and deceit of our government in their lifetimes, because of our history of keeping the very records they cite.
As one thinks about history, how it written, described and preserved, the Trump Admin's views towards people holding US green cards should bring an important inflection point...
All 55 million current visa holders will face "continuous vetting" for "any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States."
It's a pretty sweeping statement from among others, Sec of State Rubio.
So let's pause and reflect on it. If this is a universally held truth as something good for America, why do we allow people with Nazi sympathies to be here? Clearly, unless I am mistaken, Nazism is an indication of hostility towards the government.
How about leaders and others who do not respect the rule of law, or the right, enshrined in the Constitution, to due process? Is that an indication of hostility towards our government or founding principles?
Finally, what about the Confederacy? Did we err in welcoming those who sought to destroy our union? Because when they waged war against the north, I think any sentient being would agree that was an indication of hostility towards our government, culture, institutions and more.
As the Trump Admin seeks to bend our tortured history to simply the "Good Time Story Hour", we will see more of this stuff, right out of the Orwell playbook.
According to the 2024 popular vote, more Americans voted for someone other than Trump. Trump did not win a majority of the popular vote; he won a plurality.
But unlike democratic countries around the world, the US does not elect its president by popular vote, but rather by a system devised to increase the power of slave-holding states and also as a check on direct democracy, which the founding fathers distrusted.
And now, according to the polls that track how Americans feel about their president and his policies at a moment in time, Trump is overwhelmingly unpopular, as is his policies. This is remarkable for a president at this point (only 7 months) into his second term.
We are living under the tyranny of the minority. Comparable to what's happening in Hungary:
"Large anti-government protests have occurred, fueled by outrage over corruption scandals and anti-democratic legislation. Recent controversial laws banning public LGBTQ+ events have been met with massive, defiant Pride marches."
History inevitably self-corrects. " Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away." But we like Orwell, are not patient.
I’ve lived long enough to know that weak men like Trump (and his followers actually) will fail, along with the futility of their tyrannies and the inevitable decay of his power. This has happened to all self-aggrandizing tyrants.
Hopefully when tRump ultimately fails (he actually is strong on that path) Evangelical Fundamentalism and Christian Nationalism fails and dies with him.
Using the National Academies’ estimate of immigrants’ net fiscal impact by education level, we estimate that the lifetime fiscal drain (taxes paid minus costs) for each illegal immigrant is about $68,000.
Typical of -FJ to try and hijack the thread. And my comment. I mentioned nothing, nor did Shaw, about "illegal immigrants".Yet somehow you conflated my factual comment about 55 million legal immigrants here with US approved green cards to illegal immigration.
Why would you purposely misrepresent what I was talking about -FJ?
Or was it an innocent mistake?
You see, the current admin is talking about revoking green cards for legally admitted immigrants, the ones you know, who did it the "right way". For the simple act of not saying or believing the "correct" things about America.
So now we have 55 million people, all across the country, who stood in line, often for years, for a chance to come here and get in line for citizenship, and now they are at risk of deportation because maybe they were, at some point, critical of the government on their Instagram or Facebook page?
It's the very level of control Orwell was talking about, and you too as it relates to government, pre Trump. And it's what millions, including many like you, voted for.
Shaw... I've been thinking all day on this statement from the Trump Admin...
All 55 million current visa holders will face "continuous vetting" for "any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States."
They've framed it towards immigrants. -FJ framed it towards illegal immigrants.
I'd like to ask our conservative friends here, -FJ, skud and Joe Con in particular and even Thersites, if he can be civil and cogent in his response...
Taking the admin's statement at face value, was the violence of Jan 6 an "indication of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions" of the United States and our government?
Then, another question... is questioning our government a sign of anti Americanism or disgust of our country as many in MAGA land claim now that trump is president? Or is someone only guilty of those sins when someone other than Trump is in office?
"Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right..."
The "party" is always right.
Many of us here have noted specific problems we've had with liberals, progressives, the Biden and the Obama admins. We've been critical of Dem activists over the years, spoke of misguided policies and often decried the lack of effective party leadership.
But to date, I've actually seen more specific critical views towards Trump from the Captain of the Mothership than I've ever seen from our conservative friends who comment here.
We see typical bothsiderism pablum, but nothing specific regarding a single policy from Trump or his administration. Lots of defenses and deflections, but nary a peep of criticism. All I can figure is they must agree with everything he and his minions are doing.
I am thoroughly disgusted with the criminal administration, djt, Project 2025, the republican party, its agenda and its authoritarian leanings. And, I do not care one iota what MAGA or djt thinks. Period. Full Stop.
15 comments:
Orwell: Prophetic, but who wouldda thunk America.
The skuds of the world can say what they want about Biden or any other previous Democrat who has been elected in the recent era. This includes Obama, Clinton and Carter.
But those men all adhered to the idea that records were central to ur country understanding both the good and the bad of their presidencies. The receipts matter and ever since Nixon, the United States has seen it as important to have and to keep the memos, the doodles, the records of discussions about issues that take place during their administrations. This has been so not just for the sake of history, but because since the Watergate tapes, we've seen this as a fundamental part of getting to the truth of what our presidents are about and because it is the law.
If not for this viewpoint and the preservation of records, the Turner Joy and other Vietnam lies of of the Johnson presidency might have never become widely known. In fact it is respect for these same laws and customs that allowed us to learn recently that during the Reagan Admin, the president proposed to Gorbachev a nuclear free option. Which Reagan's administration, against the president's wishes, slow walked and buried.
The Trump Admin, famous for telling people to never write anything down, so as not to come in conflict with the law and have to preserve records, has no use for keeping records.
And his MAGA followers cheer him on.
But let's be honest here... his followers, many skeptics like our friends -FJ, Joe Con and skud, folks who regularly chide us liberals for trusting the government, only know about the lies and deceit of our government in their lifetimes, because of our history of keeping the very records they cite.
How ironic...
As one thinks about history, how it written, described and preserved, the Trump Admin's views towards people holding US green cards should bring an important inflection point...
All 55 million current visa holders will face "continuous vetting" for "any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States."
It's a pretty sweeping statement from among others, Sec of State Rubio.
So let's pause and reflect on it. If this is a universally held truth as something good for America, why do we allow people with Nazi sympathies to be here? Clearly, unless I am mistaken, Nazism is an indication of hostility towards the government.
How about leaders and others who do not respect the rule of law, or the right, enshrined in the Constitution, to due process? Is that an indication of hostility towards our government or founding principles?
Finally, what about the Confederacy? Did we err in welcoming those who sought to destroy our union? Because when they waged war against the north, I think any sentient being would agree that was an indication of hostility towards our government, culture, institutions and more.
As the Trump Admin seeks to bend our tortured history to simply the "Good Time Story Hour", we will see more of this stuff, right out of the Orwell playbook.
But hey! We voted for chaos, so let's have it.
Sayeth the clowns...
"But hey! We voted for chaos, so let's have it."
Actually, we didn't.
According to the 2024 popular vote, more Americans voted for someone other than Trump. Trump did not win a majority of the popular vote; he won a plurality.
But unlike democratic countries around the world, the US does not elect its president by popular vote, but rather by a system devised to increase the power of slave-holding states and also as a check on direct democracy, which the founding fathers distrusted.
And now, according to the polls that track how Americans feel about their president and his policies at a moment in time, Trump is overwhelmingly unpopular, as is his policies. This is remarkable for a president at this point (only 7 months) into his second term.
We are living under the tyranny of the minority. Comparable to what's happening in Hungary:
"Large anti-government protests have occurred, fueled by outrage over corruption scandals and anti-democratic legislation. Recent controversial laws banning public LGBTQ+ events have been met with massive, defiant Pride marches."
From the NYTimes: Homeland Security Dept. Says It Hasn’t Kept Text Message Data Since April
"The agency’s response to public records requests indicated potential violations of federal records laws, experts said."
Trump is running a lawless regime, and the majority conservatives on the SCOTUS gave him free rein to do so.
History inevitably self-corrects.
" Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."
But we like Orwell, are not patient.
Shelley was prescient about someone like Trump.
I’ve lived long enough to know that weak men like Trump (and his followers actually) will fail, along with the futility of their tyrannies and the inevitable decay of his power. This has happened to all self-aggrandizing tyrants.
Hopefully when tRump ultimately fails (he actually is strong on that path) Evangelical Fundamentalism and Christian Nationalism fails and dies with him.
For it was that group the republicans manipulated to insure the Felon's rise.
55 million.
Using the National Academies’ estimate of immigrants’ net fiscal impact by education level, we estimate that the lifetime fiscal drain (taxes paid minus costs) for each illegal immigrant is about $68,000.
Trump spends that much on every tacky gold geegaw he hangs in the Awful Office.
Typical of -FJ to try and hijack the thread. And my comment. I mentioned nothing, nor did Shaw, about "illegal immigrants".Yet somehow you conflated my factual comment about 55 million legal immigrants here with US approved green cards to illegal immigration.
Why would you purposely misrepresent what I was talking about -FJ?
Or was it an innocent mistake?
You see, the current admin is talking about revoking green cards for legally admitted immigrants, the ones you know, who did it the "right way". For the simple act of not saying or believing the "correct" things about America.
So now we have 55 million people, all across the country, who stood in line, often for years, for a chance to come here and get in line for citizenship, and now they are at risk of deportation because maybe they were, at some point, critical of the government on their Instagram or Facebook page?
It's the very level of control Orwell was talking about, and you too as it relates to government, pre Trump. And it's what millions, including many like you, voted for.
Shaw... I've been thinking all day on this statement from the Trump Admin...
All 55 million current visa holders will face "continuous vetting" for "any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States."
They've framed it towards immigrants. -FJ framed it towards illegal immigrants.
I'd like to ask our conservative friends here, -FJ, skud and Joe Con in particular and even Thersites, if he can be civil and cogent in his response...
Taking the admin's statement at face value, was the violence of Jan 6 an "indication of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions" of the United States and our government?
Then, another question... is questioning our government a sign of anti Americanism or disgust of our country as many in MAGA land claim now that trump is president? Or is someone only guilty of those sins when someone other than Trump is in office?
I'm asking for many of my friends...
Shaw, the last line of your post says it all...
"Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right..."
The "party" is always right.
Many of us here have noted specific problems we've had with liberals, progressives, the Biden and the Obama admins. We've been critical of Dem activists over the years, spoke of misguided policies and often decried the lack of effective party leadership.
But to date, I've actually seen more specific critical views towards Trump from the Captain of the Mothership than I've ever seen from our conservative friends who comment here.
We see typical bothsiderism pablum, but nothing specific regarding a single policy from Trump or his administration. Lots of defenses and deflections, but nary a peep of criticism. All I can figure is they must agree with everything he and his minions are doing.
I've got to wonder why this is?
I am thoroughly disgusted with the criminal administration, djt, Project 2025, the republican party, its agenda and its authoritarian leanings. And, I do not care one iota what MAGA or djt thinks. Period. Full Stop.
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