Trump’s America

[UpperWestside 6136]

37 minutes ago, softlynow said:

There are probably more Flynn’s than we’d like to believe, but I do think the DoD will be the slowest institution to be Trumpified. 

There are always buffoons like Flynn in the military. Thankfully we have a military that is really good at organizational structure and one that adheres to the tenets of our Constitution. The people in charge of the soldiers that have the ability to turn their weapons against Americans with unlawful orders will not acquiesce to said orders. We have cynics on this board who wholeheartedly believe our military will do this because the Nazis did it or Il Duce’s fascists did it or even Stalin’s forces did it. We are none of those things. The worst of what gets visited upon the populace will come from the boys in blue and others who think they are soldiers.

Edited Monday at 10:55 PM by UpperWestside

[Ojo Rojo 1893]

2 hours ago, workswithseed said:

It should be, it wouldn't be the first time the military just did things presidents said, like blowing up an American, or giving weapons to people to give to others. I mean it'd be better if we had none, but that ain't happening, too many people like standing armies.

No, I mean that it's actually being discussed.

[Sawbonz 27420]

2 hours ago, Hermanator said:

This is fantastic. Relying on the fucking military to save Americans from fascists they elected. Wonder how that will go? 

 

Joint chiefs:

 

[yoladu 4066]

3 hours ago, bolverk said:

This is the guy who wanted to get into a fistfight with the Teamsters guy.

https://bsky.app/profile/dbernstein.bsky.social/post/3laox5s3lik23

smart, very smart.. wait....

He is the only currently serving Senator without at least a bachelor's degree.

 

 

 

 

edit.. but i guess pointing that out makes me some sort of out of touch elitist.

..

Edited Monday at 11:07 PM by yoladu

[tx 3 putt 76345]

7 minutes ago, yoladu said:

smart, very smart.. wait....

He is the only currently serving Senator without at least a bachelor's degree.

 

 

 

 

edit.. but i guess pointing that out makes me some sort of out of touch elitist.

..

 

in this day and age, getting an online bachelors is little more than paying for it

also this …..

In 2012, he reported between $200,000 and $2 million in income from two family companies, and another $15,000 to $50,000 from shares he held in a bank.^[

At the end of 2021, Mullin's reported assets increased to a range of $31.6 million to $75.6 million, compared to a range of $7.3 million to $29.9 million at the end of 2020. The increase was from the sale of his plumbing-related companies to HomeTown Services, a multi-state residential heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical company. Mullin said that the sale happened in early 2021, while Mullin was serving in the House of Representatives.

[tx 3 putt 76345]

fuck this cunt …

 

[UpperWestside 6136]

13 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

in this day and age, getting an online bachelors is little more than paying for it

 

 

 

This is true. I did one of these, BUT, I actually put in the time and took it seriously because I do not possess the ability to sit in a traditional classroom setting. I am thankful for the ability to further academic pursuits in this manner and I make sure I am not wasting my time or money in doing so. I learned so much more using this format than I ever did listening to a lecture in a classroom. The Masters I am doing calls for me to read, A LOT, but I enjoy reading and like to write papers. It’s also in a subject matter that will determine the course for the rest of my life and is one I thoroughly enjoy. You can make great use of this academic outlet or just waste it. I choose to make really good use of it.
 

I do know someone that had their wife at the time doing their class work though since no one would know the difference in who did it. That part of the online experience needs to get worked on ASAP.

[956 Worldwide 34428]

1 hour ago, UpperWestside said:

There are always buffoons like Flynn in the military. Thankfully we have a military that is really good at organizational structure and one that adheres to the tenets of our Constitution. The people in charge of the soldiers that have the ability to turn their weapons against Americans with unlawful orders will not acquiesce to said orders. We have cynics on this board who wholeheartedly believe our military will do this because the Nazis did it or Il Duce’s fascists did it or even Stalin’s forces did it. We are none of those things. The worst of what gets visited upon the populace will come from the boys in blue and others who think they are soldiers.

DJT will huff and futz but the danger is not that he will use the military against ordinary citizens or turn it into some tool of repression.  He will instead enshitten it and stock it with mediocrities and channel procurements to wasteful vanity projects, eroding its capabilities as a fighting force with global reach.  
 

This is what authoritarians the world over do with their militaries.  Look at how Arab nations do with theirs. 

[UpperWestside 6136]

3 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

DJT will huff and futz but the danger is not that he will use the military against ordinary citizens or turn it into some tool of repression.  He will instead enshitten it and stock it with mediocrities and channel procurements to wasteful vanity projects, eroding its capabilities as a fighting force with global reach.  
 

This is what authoritarians the world over do with their militaries.  Look at how Arab nations do with theirs. 

I am not overly worried about this either. We, for better or worse, have war hawks in the congress and senate that will be working behind the scenes to see this not happen. My worry about a military that turns on Americans or gets degraded as a fighting force sits about as high on the list of hypotheticals as me receiving a call from the Lakers asking me to be their new shooting guard. 

[Brisketexan 104586]

4 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

I am not overly worried about this either. We, for better or worse, have war hawks in the congress and senate that will be working behind the scenes to see this not happen. My worry about a military that turns on Americans or gets degraded as a fighting force sits about as high on the list of hypotheticals as me receiving a call from the Lakers asking me to be their new shooting guard. 

[Pancho 44466]

 

[BevoAbyss 2057]

The level of USA-fascist-Nazi denial in here is astronomical. That fascist dildo of consequences is gonna get y'all. 

With terms such as "authoritarianism," I can tell a many of y'all read and believe the liberal sacred text -- the holy New York Times. The correct terms are Christian fascist dictatorship or fascist theocracy.

Y'all fail to realize that the entire existential function of the Times is keep the liberal intelligentsia in line -- to keep you in line, to narrow down the range of approved of intellectual thought, to believe in American Exceptionalism to justify American Empire.

(I said this to a NYT exec who was a friend of mine and it cost a friendship -- and seats in the NYTimes corporate box for the US Open Tennis Tournament. Bummer. But I did get to see a Federer final from the box. That was very cool)

 

Edited Tuesday at 12:44 AM by BevoAbyss

[David Dennison 18655]

1 minute ago, BevoAbyss said:

The level of USA-fascist-Nazi denial in here is astronomical. That fascist dildo consequences is gonna get y'all. 

Maybe. But probably not.

Edited Tuesday at 12:44 AM by David Dennison

[mchookem 16206]

13 minutes ago, Pancho said:

 

...or what, he might fall out of a window?

 

[InkaUtexas 25506]

2 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

The worst of what gets visited upon the populace will come from the boys in blue and others who think they are soldiers.

No we are not. But the use of these forces is scary as well. The SD was not part of the Wehrmacht. Most of the troops Texas and 11 other states have in three camps on the Texas border are not DOD's finest. Check out Operation Lonestar.

 

 

1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

DJT will huff and futz but the danger is not that he will use the military against ordinary citizens or turn it into some tool of repression.  He will instead enshitten it and stock it with mediocrities and channel procurements to wasteful vanity projects, eroding its capabilities as a fighting force with global reach.  
 

This is what authoritarians the world over do with their militaries.  Look at how Arab nations do with theirs. 

I keep recommending the Coup of 2012. This is a major part of it.

[Hermanator 6939]

2 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

There are always buffoons like Flynn in the military. Thankfully we have a military that is really good at organizational structure and one that adheres to the tenets of our Constitution. The people in charge of the soldiers that have the ability to turn their weapons against Americans with unlawful orders will not acquiesce to said orders. We have cynics on this board who wholeheartedly believe our military will do this because the Nazis did it or Il Duce’s fascists did it or even Stalin’s forces did it. We are none of those things. The worst of what gets visited upon the populace will come from the boys in blue and others who think they are soldiers.

I just don't have the same faith. He's going to have carte blanche to fire generals as he pleases. You don't think he'll find enough maga extremists in the military to carry out his agenda? There's no restrictions on what he can do. He can take fucking Lieutenants and make them 4 star Generals if he wants to do it. 

The US military isn't some untouchable mythical creature. It's an organization of humans by humans and it can be corrupted like any other. 

It's not a guarantee, but with the outsized powers presidents have in this system it's pretty likely. He got the entire Republican party to go along with horrible shit without impeaching him the first time. 

Our best case scenario is it's such a disaster to American citizens during the first 2 years, yet still maga bumblefucked because Trump has the IQ of a squash, that the house and Senate go squarely Democrat in midterms. Then impeach his ass. 

That's all we can hope for, and it's a big longshot. With 4 years even these morons will find a way to take over the government and suspend elections. 

[UpperWestside 6136]

6 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

No we are not. But the use of these forces is scary as well. The SD was not part of the Wehrmacht. Most of the troops Texas and 11 other states have in three camps on the Texas border are not DOD's finest. Check out Operation Lonestar.

I think we look way, way, WAY too much into the Nazi regime for how things will play out. It’s what is most familiar to people when it comes to how authoritarian regimes operate. We are not that and the things that allowed their rise were a set of circumstances unique to them. Same as circumstances now are unique to us and how these cretins crawled out from under their rocks to get back into the 1st chair.

I look at police not as having some fever dream of causing havoc upon the population. I do look at way too many of them thinking they are a military force that can do as they please, especially with who will be the president again. We make it through these four years and then it’s onto the next internal and external challenges. It just goes on and on until we wind up like every other world power. Or not. None of us here on this board will live long enough to see what ultimately happens to the United States.
 

You just do the best you can each day as a person and you go onto the next one and hope for the best. The rest is out of my control as well as every other person on this board. I fully trust our military to make the right decisions. I won’t be on the mainland ever again though once I get on the next flight to the Pacific though. I will get the view from afar I guess. Should be fun traveling and living in countries that actively do not like Americans like myself who have no protections for me from possible violence.

[Pancho 44466]

29 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

I just don't have the same faith. He's going to have carte blanche to fire generals as he pleases. You don't think he'll find enough maga extremists in the military to carry out his agenda? There's no restrictions on what he can do. He can take fucking Lieutenants and make them 4 star Generals if he wants to do it. 

The US military isn't some untouchable mythical creature. It's an organization of humans by humans and it can be corrupted like any other. 

It's not a guarantee, but with the outsized powers presidents have in this system it's pretty likely. He got the entire Republican party to go along with horrible shit without impeaching him the first time. 

Our best case scenario is it's such a disaster to American citizens during the first 2 years, yet still maga bumblefucked because Trump has the IQ of a squash, that the house and Senate go squarely Democrat in midterms. Then impeach his ass. 

That's all we can hope for, and it's a big longshot. With 4 years even these morons will find a way to take over the government and suspend elections. 

 

Musk is going to be running the country.

trump owes Musk, Musk owes Putin, and Putin owes Xi

[Pancho 44466]

Rubio to be SoS

[InkaUtexas 25506]

29 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

I think we look way, way, WAY too much into the Nazi regime for how things will play out. It’s what is most familiar to people when it comes to how authoritarian regimes operate. We are not that and the things that allowed their rise were a set of circumstances unique to them. Same as circumstances now are unique to us and how these cretins crawled out from under their rocks to get back into the 1st chair.

I look at police not as having some fever dream of causing havoc upon the population. I do look at way too many of them thinking they are a military force that can do as they please, especially with who will be the president again. We make it through these four years and then it’s onto the next internal and external challenges. It just goes on and on until we wind up like every other world power. Or not. None of us here on this board will live long enough to see what ultimately happens to the United States.
 

You just do the best you can each day as a person and you go onto the next one and hope for the best. The rest is out of my control as well as every other person on this board. I fully trust our military to make the right decisions. I won’t be on the mainland ever again though once I get on the next flight to the Pacific though. I will get the view from afar I guess. Should be fun traveling and living in countries that actively do not like Americans like myself who have no protections for me from possible violence.

Ok, well lets pick another nation. Who are we like? I think we are so large no one. But the more we go to a single controlled group that becomes more of a risk. Enjoy the trip.

[Hermanator 6939]

Is veteran's day ringing extremely hollow for anyone else? 

It's always been a day of remembering both of my grand fathers who were in WW2. But today it just feels empty. Lipstick on a pig while trying to pretend the civilization they fought for isn't demented and warped beyond repair. 

Even my brother in law who is an Iraq/Afghanistan veteran and otherwise non political said it all feels kind of meaningless now with all the hatred. 

Edited Tuesday at 01:44 AM by Hermanator

[Born to Run 6567]

8 minutes ago, Pancho said:

Rubio to be SoS

I'm glad we are getting to see in real time the craven garbage that will suck the orange mushroom after being humiliated by him.  I suppose this pick could be worse. Lil Marco is looking post Trump and might want to have a marginally inhabitantable planet to operate his next failed campaign on.

[Born to Run 6567]

1 minute ago, Hermanator said:

Is veteran's day ringing extremely hollow for anyone else? 

It's always been a day of remembering both of my grand fathers who were in WW2. But today it just feels empty. Lipstick on a pig while trying to pretend the civilization they fought for isn't demented and warped beyond repair. 

Even my brother in law who is an Iraq/Afghanistan veteran and otherwise non political said it all feels kind of meaningless now with all the hatred. 

Short answer yes.

My kid had school today. We historically called family friends that served to thank them. A lot are now just dead, and I probably didn't want to hear them all excited about the new term.  It's exhausting.

[Dnaguy 11772]

53 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

I just don't have the same faith. He's going to have carte blanche to fire generals as he pleases. You don't think he'll find enough maga extremists in the military to carry out his agenda? There's no restrictions on what he can do. He can take fucking Lieutenants and make them 4 star Generals if he wants to do it. 

The US military isn't some untouchable mythical creature. It's an organization of humans by humans and it can be corrupted like any other. 

It's not a guarantee, but with the outsized powers presidents have in this system it's pretty likely. He got the entire Republican party to go along with horrible shit without impeaching him the first time. 

Our best case scenario is it's such a disaster to American citizens during the first 2 years, yet still maga bumblefucked because Trump has the IQ of a squash, that the house and Senate go squarely Democrat in midterms. Then impeach his ass. 

That's all we can hope for, and it's a big longshot. With 4 years even these morons will find a way to take over the government and suspend elections. 

Thomas and Alito will retire and Trump will nominate two more justices. He will have 5 of 9.

Even if our democracy hold by the grace of god, only court packing can save us for 40 years of fetid ruling and the court dismantling progress.

And that’s a big IF.

[UpperWestside 6136]

19 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Ok, well lets pick another nation. Who are we like? I think we are so large no one. But the more we go to a single controlled group that becomes more of a risk. Enjoy the trip.

I would say we have no comparable nation in history due to the aforementioned size, but also the diversity. That diversity is our greatest asset, but also our greatest weakness as well. A diverse culture only works when we have a majority pulling towards the common or greater good. The last time that we as a country collectively pulled towards the greater good was the Second World War. That was truly a nationwide effort. 
 

Yes I think if you take it down to looking at control groups that you will invariably have some that really want those levers of power. It is my belief in our military though that keeps the worst impulses of civilians leaders from visiting the worst upon the populace. I trust that they have been preparing g for this scenario longer than this board and community has existed. I trust the men and women in our military to do the right thing. 
 

And thanks. Two years in Hawaii with some trips southwest to be made in preparation for further adventures should be fun. Gotta learn as much as I can before setting sail. So much history available living there about the Pacific and it’s peoples that I just cannot get here in NYC. 

[TexArcher 37508]

So we're getting vaccine denier RFK, Jr in charge of public health and China hawk Little Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.

I mean, sure.  Of course we are.

[David Dennison 18655]

16 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

So we're getting vaccine denier RFK, Jr in charge of public health and China hawk Little Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.

I mean, sure.  Of course we are.

It's what America wants.

[DixonHur 11193]

23 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

So we're getting vaccine denier RFK, Jr in charge of public health and China hawk Little Marco Rubio as Secretary of State.

I mean, sure.  Of course we are.

Probably selected Marco because Putin, Xi and Lil Kim told him they'd like a SoS that makes them feel tall.

[tx 3 putt 76345]

i still think rfk jr will flame out. he’s getting too much press, flying to close to the sun. trumps ego will be bruised 

[Sawbonz 27420]

4 hours ago, yoladu said:

He is the only currently serving Senator without at least a bachelor's degree

[Constant 6722]

1 hour ago, Pancho said:

Rubio to be SoS

 

Spineless wet dog shit Marco Rubio for SoS is peak GOP. 

[Biff Tannen 45492]

1 hour ago, Hermanator said:

Is veteran's day ringing extremely hollow for anyone else? 

It's always been a day of remembering both of my grand fathers who were in WW2. But today it just feels empty. Lipstick on a pig while trying to pretend the civilization they fought for isn't demented and warped beyond repair. 

Even my brother in law who is an Iraq/Afghanistan veteran and otherwise non political said it all feels kind of meaningless now with all the hatred. 

Yep. We just elected the very type of people they fought against. 

[Pancho 44466]

27 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

i still think rfk jr will flame out. he’s getting too much press, flying to close to the sun. trumps ego will be bruised 

Apparently he’s pissed that turnip chose Rubio for SoS

Turnip is picking who Musk tells him to pick

[Biff Tannen 45492]

Wait, is the Rubio SoS thing real?  Can we get some links for these cabinet appointments?

[tx 3 putt 76345]

4 minutes ago, Pancho said:

Apparently he’s pissed that turnip chose Rubio for SoS

Turnip is picking who Musk tells him to pick

 

anchor baby !!!!

 

[bolverk 29399]

2 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Wait, is the Rubio SoS thing real?  Can we get some links for these cabinet appointments?

Picks announced so far:

https://apnews.com/article/trump-staff-picks-stefanik-wiles-stephen-miller-tom-homan-243d73610b03a3ee18c4d5f68756af7c

• Susie Wiles, chief of staff
• Mike Waltz, national security adviser
• Tom Homan, ‘border czar’
• Elise Stefanik, United Nations ambassador
• Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy
• Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency

Expected: https://archive.is/Qzuwp (free link)

[tx 3 putt 76345]

trump accreditation system incoming …..

 

[Biff Tannen 45492]

Just now, bolverk said:

Picks announced so far:

https://apnews.com/article/trump-staff-picks-stefanik-wiles-stephen-miller-tom-homan-243d73610b03a3ee18c4d5f68756af7c

• Susie Wiles, chief of staff
• Mike Waltz, national security adviser
• Tom Homan, ‘border czar’
• Elise Stefanik, United Nations ambassador
• Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff for policy
• Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency

Expected: https://archive.is/Qzuwp (free link)

What a god damn nightmare 

[RichUT 1791]

6 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

trump accreditation system incoming …..

 

This should work out wonderfully for the Latinos that voted him into office…

[tx 3 putt 76345]

6 minutes ago, RichUT said:

This should work out wonderfully for the Latinos that voted him into office…

 

the big privates can fight back and be accepted by a european system ?

 

the state universitiea will be teaching that dear leader the greatest preaident ever (and golfer), slavery had many good points, ….

[Macklemore 2870]

11 minutes ago, RichUT said:

This should work out wonderfully for the Latinos that voted him into office…

Why are you singling out Latinos here? I fucking love this plan. To stage a successful counter-revolution, which make no mistake, Trump 2.0 is and what True Believers like myself are demanding, a purging of university professors and administrators is critical. Trump now has an ideological underpinning that he didn’t have in his first term. Coupled with his experience and staffing his Administration with loyalists, y’all are going to have whiplash witnessing the most consequential sea change in government since FDR. Can’t wait.

Edited Tuesday at 03:49 AM by Macklemore

[tx 3 putt 76345]

lulz 

 

[TwiceHorn 31268]

3 minutes ago, Macklemore said:

Why are you singling out Latinos here? I fucking love this plan. To stage a successful counter-revolution, which make no mistake, Trump 2.0 is and what True Believers like myself are demanding, a purging of university professors and administrators is critical. Trump now has an ideological underpinning that he didn’t have in nos first term. Coupled with his experience and staffing his Administration with loyalists, y’all are going to have whiplash witnessing the most consequential sea change in government since FDR. Can’t wait.

 

[DixonHur 11193]

20 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

lulz 

 

So, during the Baron Trump administration?

[tx 3 putt 76345]

3 minutes ago, DixonHur said:

So, during the Baron Trump administration?

 

do you reach a point where you just grab anybody that looks non white to keep up the numbers ?

[mchookem 16206]

my niece graduates next month. whew.

sincerely sorry for you guys with kids who still have to make it thru. wow.

if all the universities are gonna be equally shitty and modeled after aggy, might as well still root for the horns. or maybe i'll do like i did in 2021 and just stop caring lol

 

i do have my tattoo...

but...it will almost certainly take on a more wistful meaning, a reminder of what UT was and what it meant to me, which is what tattoos are really for anyway 🤘

[The Dark Knight 173]

2 hours ago, Hermanator said:

Is veteran's day ringing extremely hollow for anyone else? 

It's always been a day of remembering both of my grand fathers who were in WW2. But today it just feels empty. Lipstick on a pig while trying to pretend the civilization they fought for isn't demented and warped beyond repair. 

Even my brother in law who is an Iraq/Afghanistan veteran and otherwise non political said it all feels kind of meaningless now with all the hatred. 

It has for me. Just very sad that this country elected someone who called veterans “suckers” and “losers.”

[tx 3 putt 76345]

1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

trump accreditation system incoming …..

 

 

taxing endowments was one of the bulls points lulz 

[InkaUtexas 25506]

34 minutes ago, DixonHur said:

So, during the Baron Trump administration?

2000 a day is 10 flights. We already do that. Not hard to up flights. Just buy the next airline that goes bankrupt.

 

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-conducts-single-adult-family-unit-removal-flights-aug-9-0
 

Spoiler

In the year following the end of the Title 42 public health order — between May 12, 2023, and May 12, 2024 — DHS removed or returned over 742,000 individuals, the vast majority of whom crossed the southwest border, including more than 111,000 individual family members. Total removals and returns in that period exceeded removals and returns in every full fiscal year since 2010. Throughout the last three fiscal years, most southwest border encounters resulted in removal, return or expulsion. DHS has removed and returned more than 65,000 individuals to more than 125 countries, including by operating more than 200 international repatriation flights since the presidential proclamation to temporarily suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across the southern border and the complementary joint interim final rule issued by DHS and the U.S. Department of Justice took effect nine weeks ago.

ICE only has 12 aircraft. Figure one or two are down for maintenance at any given time.

https://www.ice.gov/factsheets/ice-air-operations

[DixonHur 11193]

28 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

2000 a day is 10 flights. We already do that. Not hard to up flights. Just buy the next airline that goes bankrupt.

 

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-conducts-single-adult-family-unit-removal-flights-aug-9-0
 

  Reveal hidden contents

In the year following the end of the Title 42 public health order — between May 12, 2023, and May 12, 2024 — DHS removed or returned over 742,000 individuals, the vast majority of whom crossed the southwest border, including more than 111,000 individual family members. Total removals and returns in that period exceeded removals and returns in every full fiscal year since 2010. Throughout the last three fiscal years, most southwest border encounters resulted in removal, return or expulsion. DHS has removed and returned more than 65,000 individuals to more than 125 countries, including by operating more than 200 international repatriation flights since the presidential proclamation to temporarily suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across the southern border and the complementary joint interim final rule issued by DHS and the U.S. Department of Justice took effect nine weeks ago.

ICE only has 12 aircraft. Figure one or two are down for maintenance at any given time.

https://www.ice.gov/factsheets/ice-air-operations

"I hear the train a comin'.. "