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Posted

Allow myself the first proclamation of its kind, be it known to all who celebrate, this 19th day of Febrooary, an all-time high mark has been achieved in the S&P 500. Long live the king, a good and gracious king.

Posted
58 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

I take it this is Adams repaying Trump for bailing him out?

Adams can't say shit about Congestion pricing. That is a state matter, not a city matter.

1 hour ago, DDD Dad said:

Is this real?  Goddammit I hate that I have to ask. 

The Time magazine is a mock up, but that is absolutely from the White House account.

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Posted

Every day there is another red flag that pops up in the press about some action taken by Trump that is either alarming or meant to take away attention from elsewhere. We've talked in this thread and elsewhere about Project 2025, the fact he's doing what he said he would, facism, etc. I wonder whether a specific thread should be created to look much more at the really big picture of what is happening with our current government. This thread gets bogged down in daily shock theater, and I worry that there is a much broader and more concerning plan being implemented than some or most people realize. 

It may not make sense to separate out the conversation, but here is where my thoughts are headed. It had been years since I studied Hitler's rise to power. I went back and looked at via some readings and documentaries, not because I believe this administration is truly trying to implement a dictatorship or facism in the classical sense. We could all debate that. I wanted to understand how Hitler got into power with such tight control for over ten years, so that I could view this current extraordinary government situation through the eyes of a historical reference.

What's really concerning is how the Republican party and Trump have implemented over many years what I would term a "modern day version" of violence and actions to gain greater control over our country and government. We are all familiar with what they've done, but when you look at it in it's totality (Something About Mary reference), it makes you really wonder where this is headed. I feel like there is a massive surprise coming that is far bigger than Project 2025. 

A few of the parallels between Trump and Hitler's rise to power:

1. Propaganda, misinformation - both have used it extensively to dumb down the public. Some forget that the people voted Hitler into office. Trump's modern equivalent is Fox News and other conservative media, Elon taking over Twitter, his deal with Facebook, etc.

2. Violence and Convenient Partnerships - Hitler used the SA, SS, and SD organizations, which over time became more violent, to exert control and intimidate. He also partnered closely with the Conservative party to gain control. Trump uses MAGA and his technique of deny, deny, deny, double down, triple down, quaduple down, combined with misinformation and propaganda to quiet opposition. He also partners with the Conservatives, Proud Boys and other fringe organizations, just as Hitler did.

3. Consolidation of Power - Once in power, Hitler immediately took actions to consolidate power in the government, eliminating freedom of the press, and other actions. The banning of AP, one of the few true news organizations, from the White House is one tiny example of Trump trying to consolidate power. Trump's executive orders and public communications also are geared toward consolidation of power. We see something new every day.

4. Elimination of Rivals - This is where the conversation really gets interesting and why I think a standalone thread might have some value. In the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler eliminated and assassinated any and all opposition. The Army could have stopped Hitler, but he made them complicit in cutting down SA and his rivals. He then eliminated the conservatives. The only person left standing was Hitler, and he forced the military to vow allegiance to him and not the Constituion. Similarly, yesterday we saw Trump start making references to the President making all decisions for the Executive branch. And he put highly loyal morons in charge of critical government functions. Elon Musk and his billions are the modern day equivalent of the violent muscle. Trump doesn't have to assasinate anyone. He just uses Elon's muscle to silence all opposition, with politicians getting primaried. Note that once Hitler got what he needed from the SA and its leader Rohm, his close friend, he assasinated him, so that Rohm could not seize power from him. 

5. Radical Agenda - The SA wanted a revolution. Hitler wanted to exterminate races and invade countries. He used the SS, the reformed SA after the assassinations, and the military as his protection. Trump wants to get people out of the country and take over Greenland, Canada, Gaza, and the Panama canal. He also wants to grift as mch money as possible. What else is he really aiming for?

So the grand master questions in all this are the following:

1. What is the end game for Trump in all this? Is he a useful idiot and someone else has a much more sinister and hidden agenda?

2. Does Trump eliminate Elon, or vice versa? Because it will happen.

3. Are the radical right billionaires trying to implement something even more sinister than Project 2025?

4. What really are we headed for?

I'm starting to believe there is something much bigger at play than we've even seen to date. I know many people will say "duh" and shout about facism and dictatorship. I've considered that alarmist talk premature. However, is there some sort of plan to eliminate freedoms and opportunity for the people in a much more opaque way so that by the time people wake up it's too far along to stop? Will the third term conversation start to become real? Will a Supreme Court rubber stamp all of these illegal actions? The same happened with Hitler. The legal community justified his murdering of his opposition on the basis of it being a national emergency. Their Congress then passed laws to make it all legal, a Congress that had been intimidated into compliance. Sound familiar?

 

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Posted
1 hour ago, Valmy77 said:

The funny part is I didn't even think Zelensky was insulting Trump, I thought he was trying to give Trump cover basically going "don't blame Trump! The Russians are lying to him! I will set him straight!"

But it seems that was an unforgivable sin because the claws really came out once he said that.

You heard it right.  Zelensky was being as politic as he could be in the situation.  But he wasn't completely supplicant, therefore, BAD!

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Posted
1 minute ago, Dbeasy said:

I'm starting to believe there is something much bigger at play than we've even seen to date. I know many people will say "duh" and shout about facism and dictatorship. I've considered that alarmist talk premature. However, is there some sort of plan to eliminate freedoms and opportunity for the people in a much more opaque way so that by the time people wake up it's too far along to stop? Will the third term conversation start to become real? Will a Supreme Court rubber stamp all of these illegal actions? The same happened with Hitler. The legal community justified his murdering of his opposition on the basis of it being a national emergency. Their Congress then passed laws to make it all legal, a Congress that had been intimidated into compliance. Sound familiar?

I've been banging this fucking drum since Jan6. Trump has been straight up using hitler's rhetoric and propaganda techniques for years. There's a really excellent and deeply saddening series by Behind the Bastard's Robert Evans called "Behind the Insurrections" that he did right after Jan6, and wouldn't you know it, there's endless parallels in strategy and rhetoric between the OG's and the new kids on the block

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Posted
4 minutes ago, Captainant said:

'member when it was "trump derangement syndrome" to fear what we are watching happen in realtime?

Man....you're singing my song.  Since 2015, I've had countless people tell me I had TDS, was being way over the top in my warning about what was happening and what was coming, I needed to take a pill, I was being hysterically over-the-top, none of that was going to happen.  Also since 2015, I've been almost completely fucking right about everything I've said was coming.  And I'm really getting tired of being right.  I very, very much want to be entirely wrong about how bad the Trump regime is and will be.  Please.  Let my massive wrongness come along right soon.

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Posted
5 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

Every day there is another red flag that pops up in the press about some action taken by Trump that is either alarming or meant to take away attention from elsewhere. We've talked in this thread and elsewhere about Project 2025, the fact he's doing what he said he would, facism, etc. I wonder whether a specific thread should be created to look much more at the really big picture of what is happening with our current government. This thread gets bogged down in daily shock theater, and I worry that there is a much broader and more concerning plan being implemented than some or most people realize. 

It may not make sense to separate out the conversation, but here is where my thoughts are headed. It had been years since I studied Hitler's rise to power. I went back and looked at via some readings and documentaries, not because I believe this administration is truly trying to implement a dictatorship or facism in the classical sense. We could all debate that. I wanted to understand how Hitler got into power with such tight control for over ten years, so that I could view this current extraordinary government situation through the eyes of a historical reference.

What's really concerning is how the Republican party and Trump have implemented over many years what I would term a "modern day version" of violence and actions to gain greater control over our country and government. We are all familiar with what they've done, but when you look at it in it's totality (Something About Mary reference), it makes you really wonder where this is headed. I feel like there is a massive surprise coming that is far bigger than Project 2025. 

A few of the parallels between Trump and Hitler's rise to power:

1. Propaganda, misinformation - both have used it extensively to dumb down the public. Some forget that the people voted Hitler into office. Trump's modern equivalent is Fox News and other conservative media, Elon taking over Twitter, his deal with Facebook, etc.

2. Violence and Convenient Partnerships - Hitler used the SA, SS, and SD organizations, which over time became more violent, to exert control and intimidate. He also partnered closely with the Conservative party to gain control. Trump uses MAGA and his technique of deny, deny, deny, double down, triple down, quaduple down, combined with misinformation and propaganda to quiet opposition. He also partners with the Conservatives, Proud Boys and other fringe organizations, just as Hitler did.

3. Consolidation of Power - Once in power, Hitler immediately took actions to consolidate power in the government, eliminating freedom of the press, and other actions. The banning of AP, one of the few true news organizations, from the White House is one tiny example of Trump trying to consolidate power. Trump's executive orders and public communications also are geared toward consolidation of power. We see something new every day.

4. Elimination of Rivals - This is where the conversation really gets interesting and why I think a standalone thread might have some value. In the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler eliminated and assassinated any and all opposition. The Army could have stopped Hitler, but he made them complicit in cutting down SA and his rivals. He then eliminated the conservatives. The only person left standing was Hitler, and he forced the military to vow allegiance to him and not the Constituion. Similarly, yesterday we saw Trump start making references to the President making all decisions for the Executive branch. And he put highly loyal morons in charge of critical government functions. Elon Musk and his billions are the modern day equivalent of the violent muscle. Trump doesn't have to assasinate anyone. He just uses Elon's muscle to silence all opposition, with politicians getting primaried. Note that once Hitler got what he needed from the SA and its leader Rohm, his close friend, he assasinated him, so that Rohm could not seize power from him. 

5. Radical Agenda - The SA wanted a revolution. Hitler wanted to exterminate races and invade countries. He used the SS, the reformed SA after the assassinations, and the military as his protection. Trump wants to get people out of the country and take over Greenland, Canada, Gaza, and the Panama canal. He also wants to grift as mch money as possible. What else is he really aiming for?

So the grand master questions in all this are the following:

1. What is the end game for Trump in all this? Is he a useful idiot and someone else has a much more sinister and hidden agenda?

2. Does Trump eliminate Elon, or vice versa? Because it will happen.

3. Are the radical right billionaires trying to implement something even more sinister than Project 2025?

4. What really are we headed for?

I'm starting to believe there is something much bigger at play than we've even seen to date. I know many people will say "duh" and shout about facism and dictatorship. I've considered that alarmist talk premature. However, is there some sort of plan to eliminate freedoms and opportunity for the people in a much more opaque way so that by the time people wake up it's too far along to stop? Will the third term conversation start to become real? Will a Supreme Court rubber stamp all of these illegal actions? The same happened with Hitler. The legal community justified his murdering of his opposition on the basis of it being a national emergency. Their Congress then passed laws to make it all legal, a Congress that had been intimidated into compliance. Sound familiar?

 

We are shipping brown people to Gitmo and no one knows their names, their citizenship, or if they’ve committed any crimes. Trump’s administration is directing dismissals and prosecutions at the DOJ, and stopping payments or agency actions codified in law. He’s openly refusing to enforce laws like the TikTok ban and when ordered to stop by a court, the legal team just says “well we think this other thing gives us legal authority to keep doing it” and they just keep on doing it. He’s literally called himself a king now. 
 

That’s all to say, it’s not too alarmist to stand up and call out this fascist bullshit for what it is. Trying to cling to the idea that we need to wait for the next shoe to drop is how you boil a frog.
 

We’re already in the damn pot

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Man....you're singing my song.  Since 2015, I've had countless people tell me I had TDS, was being way over the top in my warning about what was happening and what was coming, I needed to take a pill, I was being hysterically over-the-top, none of that was going to happen.  Also since 2015, I've been almost completely fucking right about everything I've said was coming.  And I'm really getting tired of being right.  I very, very much want to be entirely wrong about how bad the Trump regime is and will be.  Please.  Let my massive wrongness come along right soon.

When I first started reading your posts many years ago I thought you were nuts. And yes, we’ve seen things happen I never would have believed. I’m not clear where this ends. How far does this go? 

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Posted
7 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

When I first started reading your posts many years ago I thought you were nuts. And yes, we’ve seen things happen I never would have believed. I’m not clear where this ends. How far does this go? 

All.  The fucking.  Way.

That's just the cold truth.  I wish it weren't.  But for fuck's sake, I've read the history books.  There's nothing new under the sun, stuff like this has happened before (no, nothing is IDENTICAL - history doesn't repeat, but it sure as hell rhymes).  What still appalls me is how many people who know better are going along with it and facilitating it instead of resisting it.  I knew we could lose our liberty and our Republic.  Where my imagination failed me is the scenario where we just handed it over gladly in exchange for a little short-term gains or power.  We're handing it over, without a fight.

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Posted
6 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

right? seems like a textbook, open and shut case of 1A violation. 

Depends.  A defamation claim against a publisher on a matter of public interest needs to show known falsity of the statement and actual malice.  And...being that there's an affidavit from a city insider admitting the fact at issue....yeah, this seems fucked.  But there IS a narrow legal way to get there.

Posted
16 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

spacer.png

Captain Chaos?  Whatever.

Now, Captain Caveman....that dude had it going on, because hung out with the Teen Angels, including the cute curvy brunette in bell bottoms with the button nose....

captain-caveman-1977_L06.jpg

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Posted

I saw an interview with Jeffries a few days ago. He had the temperament of someone who was slightly annoyed by all this. It was borderline offensive. We are screwed. 

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Captain Chaos?  Whatever.

Now, Captain Caveman....that dude had it going on, because hung out with the Teen Angels, including the cute curvy brunette in bell bottoms with the button nose....

captain-caveman-1977_L06.jpg

Wheelhouse

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Posted
Just now, Red Five said:

I saw an interview with Jeffries a few days ago. He had the temperament of someone who was slightly annoyed by all this. It was borderline offensive. We are screwed. 

Seeing him oppose fascism makes me feel the way I felt watching Zach Collins play for the Spurs. While we eventually got DeAaron Fox for Collins there is nothing of value that could be salvaged from Hakeem Jeffries, and the consequences of his staggering inadequacy are far more dire.

Posted
1 hour ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Adams can't say shit about Congestion pricing. That is a state matter, not a city matter.

So how does Trump cancel state laws?

Posted
3 hours ago, Valmy77 said:

Jeffries going to grovel to his Tech masters in Silicon Valley let me know that even if the Democrats return to government, we won't see much push back on the Musk regime.

Bullshit. 

Posted
Just now, WhatTheBuck said:

Bullshit. 

Well I will be delighted to be wrong. Maybe not Musk but his colleagues.

But time to hand wring about that next year.

2 minutes ago, safe sex said:

Who's gonna enforce them?

The state government? The Feds don't enforce state laws.

Posted
24 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I saw an interview with Jeffries a few days ago. He had the temperament of someone who was slightly annoyed by all this. It was borderline offensive. We are screwed. 

He’s not going to be the national party leader but he’s been very good at his job, which is holding his caucus in line.

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Posted
7 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

Well I will be delighted to be wrong. Maybe not Musk but his colleagues.

But time to hand wring about that next year.

The state government? The Feds don't enforce state laws.

Isn’t surge tolling a city thing? 

Posted
Just now, Sawbonz said:

Isn’t surge tolling a city thing? 

I thought so, but apparently in this particular case it is a state thing. I guess that makes some sense as the New York metro area extends beyond the city boundaries. 

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Posted

So the DoD has a week to come up with a plan to cut almost $300B out of the defense budget over the next five years.  I'm sure that will be done with a surgical scalpal-like precision 🙄 And look we spend a shit load on defense, probably way more than we should  BUT 300B is also A LOT of jobs, right here in America.  

Yea this summer is gonna be lit.  

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