#fuck those who voted for the end of America as we know it

[fuck-muse3]

TRUMP STANDS ALONE: After Trump and Vance's disgraceful Oval Office ambush of President Zelensky, major world players just came out to DEFEND Ukraine and Zelensky:

- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk: “Dear Zelensky, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.”

- President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausea: “Ukraine, you’ll never walk alone.”

- Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen: “Dear Zelensky, Denmark proudly stands with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”

- French President Emmanual Macron: “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a people being aggressed: Ukraine. We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue doing so. We, that’s the Americans, the Europeans, Canadians, Japanese, and many others... Because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, for their children, and for the security of Europe.”

- President of Moldova Maia Sandu: “The truth is simple. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine defends its freedom—and ours. We stand with Ukraine.”

- Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson: “Sweden stands with Ukraine. You are not only fighting for your freedom but also for all of Europe’s. Slava Ukraini! ”

- Incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Mer: “Dear Zelenskyy, we stand with Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war.

- Crotia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković: “Croatia knows from its own experience that only a just peace can last. The Croatian Government stands firm in its belief that Ukraine needs such a peace - a peace that means sovereignty, territorial integrity, and a secure Europe.”

- Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo: “Finland and the Finnish people stand firmly with Ukraine. We will continue our unwavering support and work towards a just and lasting peace.”

- Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal: “We stand united with

Zelenskyy and Ukraine in our fight for freedom. Always. Because it is right, not easy.”

- Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris: “Ukraine is not to blame for this war brought about by Russia’s illegal invasion. We stand with Ukraine.“

- Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkevics: “Ukraine is a victim of the Russian aggression. It fights the war with the help from many friends and partners. We need to spare no effort for just and lasting peace. Latvia stands with Ukraine”

- Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof: ”The Netherlands supports Ukraine as firmly as ever. Now more than ever. We want a lasting peace and an end to the war of aggression started by Russia. For Ukraine and its people, and for Europe.”

- Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Friedsen: “Luxembourg stands with Ukraine. You are fighting for your freedom and a rules based international order. ”

The West stands with the heroic Zelensky. Trump sides with the evil Putin. What has America become?

America has become the laughing stock of the whole world. Disgraceful.

Add this disgrace to the tariffs and the 1000’s of people fired from their jobs, important programs dismantled.

Trump trying to extort Ukraine for their mineral rights in exchange for protection from Russia is no different than Russia invading Ukraine to take it’s resources. It’s pure mob mentality thug behavior. How can Ukraine recover from this devastating war if they have to give up all their resources to do so. It will truly be a broken country.

The fact that AP and Reuters, two of the most respectable media companies in the USA were barred from this meeting but somehow TASS, which is Russian state media managed to weasel their way in there for part of it (even though the White House is now saying they were unauthorized to be there) proves it; the fix is in. The coup that started back on Jan 6th 2021 is nearly finished. Hillary was right all along; trump is nothing more than Putin’s puppet and the entire global world order that existed since the end of WWII is about to be decimated.

We are the laughing stock of the whole world. Canada is collectively stopping purchase and use of American items and resources. People are canceling their plans to visit the US. Travel agencies are giving huge discounts to those who cancel travel to the US.

Not sure how those who voted for the orange imbecile dictator are sleeping at night.

[tanadrin]

how dumb am i if i think the political situation in the states in one that can be bounced back from. like im not convinced by the argument that this administration brings the end to america, but im also not totally convinced that it's the end of america as we know it. and not in the "it's been like this all along" cynical sense, in the "i kinda do believe the rule of law wins out in this fight" sense. not without effort, mind. (goes without saying it's a different case for the foreign affairs)

you're not dumb at all. most apocalyptically bad political situations are the result of a long chain of decisions and failures and whatnot, and there are frequently sequences of decisions and failures that lead to bad political situations which society then proceeds to recover from.

for all the ways in which trump II has tried to deliberately fuck things up, it has been lousy at, like, the actual consolidation authoritarian systems usually need to sustain themselves. the modus operandi of authoritarianism AIUI is usually

be popular (trump did not even win an absolute majority of the popular vote; as of election day he was more popular than he had been in a while, but he didn't have crazy high approval ratings)

do your gleichschaltung first, using your popularity as a cudgel. install loyalists throughout the institutions, rein in independent actors, woo important elements like the military onto your side

only then once your power base is secure, unleash your real agenda. this is when you can go nuts, because the opposition will be weak and disorganized, and you can use the security apparatus to brutalize them. obviously there's a whole range of authoritarianism between outright "elections are over forever" and competitive authoritarianism, but they all rely on some degree of conslidation

and this was sort of the plan! project 2025 was meant to be a long game, carefully rolled out and done in a way that would leverage a conservative-but-independent judiciary to give it the imprimatur of legality, to establish a lasting conservative victory that would be incredibly difficult to undo.

trump, uh. did not do this. both he and musk have really poor impulse control and no real tact. there are goals here, but the strategy is bad; they have no sense of how to consolidate power, even in the ordinary non-authoritarian way that involves just putting together a robust governing coalition. they've had to rely mostly on trump's cult of personality and popularity within movement conservatism to cow Republicans, the fact that things are generally still humming along with inertia from the previous administration so that most people aren't super tuned in to politics, and the fact that most people do not care about the eye-wateringly boring details of the management of the federal government to stay under the radar--but when you poll the shit they're doing, it polls bad, and the likelihood they will break something in a really dangerous way is high. dangerous for the country--and for them.

there's been some efforts to install loyalists, but they've come alongside efforts to gut the apparatus of institutions you'd actually need to be working at high capacity to really do an authoritarianism. he fired the cjcs but also is attacking the agencies that administer veterans' benefits (and he literally just wanted to replace the cjcs with a general he thought had a cool nickname!). people who are paying attention are pissed. allies are freaked out. we are only a month in to trump II!

there are lots of paths here that, with some difficulty, nonetheless end with trumpism failing. there are lots of paths that don't, of course. i don't want to be pollyannaish here. but i think this is genuinely a chaotic situation, a situation where teetering on the brink is an apt metaphor, because this is one of those moments where events that are minor at first glance can have really outsized effects, and nobody really knows what will happen next.

[sotomato06]

trump going on and on about everything he planned to do on day one. End the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, lower prices, especially the cost of eggs and "make America great again!". wanna know what he actually did? He cut aid to struggling people both within and outside the nation by cutting cancer research funding, USAID funding (which help both overseas people AND Americans), and threatening aid for California wildfire survivors.

In his first month, he instituted tarriff that's are proving to be detrimental to the us economy and the stock market, antagonized all of our allies overseas by threatening them needlessly and has now allied the United States ideologically with oligarchies and authoritarians world wide. To put that into perspective for all those who were unaware, we voted WITH RUSSIA to not condemn the war in Ukraine. What the actual fuck. He also filled the government up with so many rich, corrupt hacks who are destroying the foundations of our governmental process.

but don't worry Republicans, because a body of water is now named after our failing democracy and you can say there's only two genders as everyone in this nation suffers because of the actions of a tangerine terror and his behind the scenes army of Broligarchy Christian nationalist techbro Hitler wannabes. And I don't even care that I just used a bunch of buzzwords because they're correct description words for the scum of the earth, I would rather eat dog shit than be in the same state as any of them, worthless pieces of literal trash that surround the current administration.

I'm embarrassed to be American, but I am and I'm not going to let some shit head, wanna be daughter fucker ruin this beautiful country for the rest of us.

[wilwheaton]

I live in Philly and it's been extremely frustrating with Fetterman...He pretended to be like one of us and made these big promises of unity and support. And now it feels like we just got Doctor Oz.

Politicians do this thing where they allow us to fill in some details on our own, and don't correct us if they aren't exactly matching up with what they believe. I do believe that Fetterman is sincerely progressive, and that he sincerely cares about doing right by the people who elected him. So he lets us paint him as super progressive, when he's actually closer to ... whatever passes for the middle today. Less progressive, but still progressive, I guess.

I have always felt that it's okay to be disappointed with people who generally support our goals and work to advance them, even if we have an extremely strong difference of opinion on one or more issues. Remember that voting is a bus that gets you closer to your ultimate goal, and while we may disagree on the route we take, it's so much better that we are going in the same direction, instead of into the fucking nightmare mines of terror and Trumpism.

That said, with this remark, Fetterman just ... it's such a fucking Privileged White Guy move, you know? Totally unnecessary, feeds a narrative that is ultimately hurtful to all of our shared goals, and is just gross. Like I said, deeply disappointing. I hope that someone close to him can get his ear and ask him to think about the larger consequences of degrading his House colleagues with a hot take for some clout. I hope that the guy I supported in the election would listen and take it to heart.

But even if he doesn't, we still agree on so much, including the preservation of democracy -- which is genuinely in danger for the first time in my fifty one years on this planet. We agree on the equal rights amendment. We agree on protecting trans kids and ensuring that everyone has ultimate control over their own bodies, including people who can become pregnant.

This tweet is gross and offensive, for sure. His position on campus protests is morally bankrupt, I believe, and I think he's on the wrong side of history there, to say nothing of the human rights implications.

But Oz would have been unfathomably terrible for Philly, Pennsylvania, America, and the world. Oz is a chaos agent, an incompetent, effete, empty suit. He would be a puppet and a vote for the end of America as we know it, and he would do everything he could to stop all those things I mentioned Fetterman and I care about from ever becoming law.

This is a lot of words to say that I hear you, and I share your disappointment, and I'd rather be disappointed with Fetterman than facing the consequences of Oz.

Fetterman is someone we can work with, and if we can endure the bullshit of people like Manchin and Lieberman, we can absolutely withstand disappointment with Fetterman, who still votes in support of our progressive, Democratic, priorities.

[m0ther-of-p3arl]

hi! felix here. i have very important things to talk about todayyy

as many of u probs know i am not an adult. i am under 16, i am not eligible to vote, and i wont be for quite some time. and so those of you who are eligible to vote in the united states i am BEGGING YOU: please vote for biden.

i dont' care if you think he sucks. i don't care if you think he's ruining the country. trump is worse.

you hear that?

TRUMP IS WORSE.

this isn't about "lesser of two evils". this isn't about that. cos at the end of the day: u want a president who's pretty shit, or u want a president who is actively trying to dismantle the last semblances of democracy we have in this country, demonize being queer, remove all resources that have to do with sex health, put women's rights back as far as he can get them, make it more dangerous than ever for poc, and probably fund israel even more than the money that's already going into it?

yeah. yeah, that's what i thought.

vote biden, because otherwise the entire world fucking ends. and no, that is not hyperbole. if the USA falls, i fear that britain is not far behind, and then every european republic falls, and just. think about it. do you want the shit president or the crazy bastard who wants to be a dictator?

if you are 18+ and in the united states of america i am begging you unironically:

vote biden.

please.

[demonicintegrity]

“America is back!” I still don’t understand what that’s suppose to mean— why are they changing USA again. Is that normal? Or just a trump thing?

“Golden age of America” no it’s not

Elon Musk why are you HERE?

“Our spirit is back, our confidence is back” bestie you just made a fool of us on the national stage.

“And perhaps never witness again.” I sure do hope this doesn’t happen ever again. (Copium)

“We won the popular vote by big numbers�� oooo I hear boos. And they’re getting drowned out by the USA chants.

“For a map that reads almost completely red” bestie corn can’t vote.

“More Americans believe we’re heading in the right direction.” Weren’t the polls just showing him drop in popularity??

Oh damn. I didn’t see what was happening too much but someone won’t sit down. DO NOT CLAP ABOUT DIRECTING THE SERGEANT??

“Mr. Green take your seat.” - speaker of the house.

What is he saying I can’t even hear it— oh shit. He is going to be removed. What did he say? I saw him standing up and saying smth but it didn’t catch in the mic.

I see a couple “save Medicaid” signs.

“Most successful in the series of our nation.” I don’t believe that one bit. But I know we’re not gonna find a source on it— NUMBER TWO IS GEORGE WASHINGTON??? WHO IS SAYING THAT??

“Joe Biden— the worst president—“ isnt Nixon and Reagan there—

Mental asylums??? They’re coming from mental asylums???

Well. He’s right. He won’t be able to make dems happy. Lmao

OOO “musk steals” signs.

“Why not join us in celebrating many wins for America” I heard laughter. We are not winning.

A freeze on hiring and regulations is not going to help the economy— it will make it worse. And we shouldn’t have stopped aid—

STOP BRAGGING ABOUT REMOVING US FROM WHO AND THE PARIS AGREEMENT??

You think the UN Human Rights assembly was un-American??? Hello??? What??????

“For every one new regulation, we must end ten old regulations.” Those are written in the blood. Like those regulations are in place because people died. That’s not something to brag about.

Oh the signs switched to false. So that’s what the dems are doing. Neat I guess.

English is the official language. I. Don’t know what that is suppose to change.

WHY ARE YOU CHEERING ABOUT THE RENAMINGS???

DEI is not tyranny. You would think he knows all about that. What the fuck.

“Woke no longer.” Define woke for me. Do it.

Critical race theory as poison. Shut up.

The stupid two genders mandate. Fuck that noise.

And banning trans women from sports.

It seems like this is just rehash of—

“Invaded by a male—“ wait is this the girl who got socked in the face by a volleyball. Something that happens regularly? But it was made a big deal this cherry picked time? Hm.

“It’s demeaning for women.” I miss when we were talking about how sports needed to be degendered bc there was no actual need for it. If it needed to be divided it would by weight class or smth.

That. Was your economy idiot. He inherited your economy.

“Eggs get out of control!” Shut UUUUPPPPP.

Oh hey a couple shirts saying resist just walked out. Neat I guess.

“Drill baby drill”

Wait. National gas pipeline in Alaska? Apparently a huge one that doesn’t sound good for the environment—

“And rare earths here in the USA.” What are rare earths hello???

“Perhaps you heard of it.” Oh piss right off.

“Which is headed by Elon Musk, which is in the gallery tonight.” Oh so he’s saying that part out loud. How fun.

“He didn’t need this.” What the fuck does that mean.

No the dems don’t appreciate it.

Wow. Him talking about the cuts makes me get pretty depressed actually. MAKING MICE TRANSGENDER??? NO WAY. No way male circumcision is there. What the fuck.

The laughter from republicans is so sickening actually. It’s sickening. It’s so sickening. There’s no humanity when you take joy in the fact that these services are taken away from people who were relying on them.

(Cutting here bc this is going to be a long post)

Who else is shouting?

It’s worth noting that these numbers are saying are likely a percentage point of the budget. They’re just big numbers and that’s what they’re counting on you getting hung up on.

“False!!” At least now they’re saying it out loud.

Where are these numbers being pulled from?? I don’t believe it one bit.

“More money in the pockets of American families.” You mean right folk?

“The interest rates took a big drop, a big beautiful drop.”

I mean. Sure. You can try to balance the budget but something tells me you won’t.

Gold card. Five million dollars. Buy your way in. Buy your way in. What happened to merit lmao.

Wwwhhhyyyy do you care about people coming in to work. There’s nothing wrong from work from home—

Wdym removed immediately—

THE LAUGHTER AT THE UNELECTED BUREAUCRATS LINE

Yeah. Those tax cuts. I’m suuurreee theyre for the average person and not the rich. Sure.

“start by paying your taxes.” LMAO.

Yknow what would also help the average American? Raising the minimum wage. Making tipped jobs up to minimum wage.

“As one of the most important [dates] in history.” Yeah. Sure will. /neg

“I’m a very superstitious person” uh huh

I love the idea of being made we’re not allowed in foreign markets in the same breath of wanting more things made in America.

“Nobody’s ever seen anything like it.” The opium crisis. Quite literally still feeling the effects of that.

Oh god it’s been an hour. I have homework to do before midnight whoops.

All these plans to build investments in the USA— what?? Is he talking about now? Chip act? He lost me a little maybe I zoned out or maybe I’m stupid I don’t know.

Bare with him. Okay.

“Our farmers are gonna have a field day” I kinda doubt it. With the bird flu. And govt agencies unable to communicate. And no workers and workers protections. Etc.

And shouting out this steel worker— over forty foster children. Okay that is actually quite impressive and respectable with firefighting as well.

Melania is getting a shout out for foster care??? Huh. Never heard of these programs.

The criminalization of deepfakes is good. Didn’t hear about that before this.

Oh don’t use that as a Segway to the border and protecting children. Wasn’t Biden’s border policies not even that different from Trumps?

Oh he’s bringing up the woman who was murdered by an immigrant. That was—

Savage???? Savage?? That’s racially charged. Oh lord.

And I will say, that death is tragic. But politicalizing this feels icky. Her mother said thank you. But something feels just, off color about this.

I mean. No one cared when Nex, a trans student died by bullies. That wouldn’t ever get an invitation from the president now would it?

They don’t want her to die in vain. Which can be a noble intent. I just don’t trust that with trump yknow? Obvs I want justice for that family. But this doesn’t feel quite right.

“But it turns out all we needed was a new president.” Why are you chanting trump.

Oh lord he’s talking about towns over run by immigrants— LIBERATION FROM WHO?????

Oh what happened to that daughter is horrific. That is awful. Making an animal refugee for her is sweet— GULF OF AMERICA ruined it. But. That is a sweet gesture. It’s hard to be upset at that. That is sweet.

SAVAGES?? STOP CALLING THEM SAVAGES???? That’s so racially charged holy shit.

As terrorist organizations. We can’t even say the KKK and nazis are bad without debate but we can focus on that. Okay.

“Rio grand” it’s Rio grande. Preeetttyyy sure it’s grande.

Wage war on the cartels. Which likely means bomb and get civilians in the crossfire. Could you imagine if Mexico declared the KKK a terrorist organization and said they’re gonna wage war? There would be such a fit about the crossfire. And how it was unfair to wage war against America for a fringe group that doesn’t represent us. Which. They actually might.

“Bring back law and order to our cities and towns.” Ironic. Coming from you. He’s acting like a victim as if he wasn’t just feeling the consequences of his actions.

“Voted for me in record numbers.” Shut uuuuup.

Question bc this is my first joint session: is it normal to have these many people who suffered tragedies to these things? This feels like a lot—

MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY FOR ANYONE KILLING A COP??? Oh hell no.

Oh there’s shouting—

That is a thirteen year old. Okay. What an off time to pull him into the spotlight— oh he overcame brain cancer. Good for him. That’s amazing for him. He’s been signed in— AN AGENT OF SECRET SERVICE?? Okay poor kid looks a little overwhelmed. Oh he has a badge now. Cute???

I was thirteen when trump took office. I was

…. JFK Jr is not going to make America healthy again.

Toxins out of our environment yet pulled from the Paris agreement???

Why are you bringing up autism rates. Uhm. What do you mean what is going on.

Toxic ideologies— what do you mean secretly encourage her kid— they them pronouns— THATS NOT CHILD ABUSE. Oh my god. Is this kid okay. Is this trans kid okay? I was thirteen when I questioned my gender is this kid okay. Genuinely. Is this kid still here and okay?

Yknow when he talks about ending child sex changes there are exceptions for intersex babies right? Because they don’t conform. Unnecessary surgery. Purely cosmetic and even harmful.

Hour and half mark. I don’t feel good.

I’m still thinking about that kid whos transphobic parents are there. If that kid didn’t feel safe enough to come out to their parents, imagine their feelings to their parents finding out and then weaponizing that politically oh my god. Is that kid okay?

What a way to get a westpoint acceptance. Damn.

“This is a very dangerous world.” Yeah no shit.

WHY DO WE NEED TO RECLAIM THE PANAMA CANEL!? What do you mean a large American company bought ports on both sides— wait wdym we didn’t give it to china?? What does china have to do with this???

What. Message to Greenland.

“And if you choose—” they never chose to join us??? They never— important for military security. Oh that’s why. They want to make more military bases.

The pan over to some democrats looking like they’re taking deep breaths through this speech which. Fair enough.

PUTIN? YOURE BRINGING UP PUTIN NOW???

Do you mean the peace agreements Israel has broken often?

“Rough neighborhood.” ………….

“No end in sight.” Yeah I wonder why. I wonder who has contributed to that instability Mr trump and musk—

Calling Elizabeth Warren Pocahontas? Wow what a tool.

I remember reading the EU disputing the idea they haven’t spent as much as America.

Oh a mother and son reunited. That is sweet. Good for them. I do wonder though, why exactly is he taking credit for this?

Talking about the assassination attempt. It is tragic that people in the crowd were shot as well. That father who took the bullet for his wife and kids should be recognized. I know some people won’t have sympathy for trump supports but I can’t bring myself to be mean and disrespectful to those hurt in that.

“I was saved by god to make America great again.” Eeeuuuuggghhh don’t like that sound of that.

This is probably the conclusion? And like, from a speech standpoint it’s actually not bad. Better than I expected. But the fact that it’s being said from Trump— okay lmao vanquish communist that ruins it but tracks for American politicians— anyways the fact that it’s coming from trump feels sooo disingenuous.

“Forge the freeist—“ no. No you’re not.

“Highest quality of life” by cutting Medicare and SNAP???

The flag on mars??????? Why????

And the chanting again— and the golden age again Ough.

That’s the end of it. A two hour speech. I don’t feel good that’s for sure. But I gotta process this later.

[aardappel-van-mijn-oog]

Kamala is doing everything she can lads.

Try and grasp the situation here: she is the presumptive nominee of a party that is comprised of both staunch Israëli opponents and hard line Israëli supporters. She also is going up against a party of exclusively the latter, and wants to try and convince as many people deciding between the Democrats and Republicans to vote for her in November. She cannot afford to lose because if she does, America will turn into a fascist theocracy for the foreseeable future, and then we will all be fucked because America is the most influential country upon global politics.

So Kamala Harris CANNOT AFFORD to say any more than she is saying about the war in Palestine right now, because if she does, she risks losing the support of a large and potentially election-deciding group of swing voters.

I am a supporter of a free and prosperous Palestine. I believe that Israël has no right to exist as a country, and that it is an apartheid state. But I also have some amount of common sense, and I see that there has to be a compromise here. As, it seems, does Kamala Harris. Watch the video above to see what I mean.

I am not a resident of the United States. I live in the Netherlands, where in the last election, the party with the most votes was the party who wants to ban the Qur’ān and close all mosques, advocates for increased and more violent policing, wants to retract the official apologies made for the Netherlands’ involvement in the Slave Trade, and ban puberty blockers. That’s not because most people want to do those things. It’s because people didn’t fucking vote. Well there are more reasons than that but that’s one of the main ones.

So, Americans. From your friends over in Europe. We like you. We don’t want you to live under a fascist theocracy. However, we don’t have the power to stop that. Only you do, and you can do it by putting aside your grievances and seeing the big picture here. In other words,

VOTE FOR KAMALA HARRIS.

I’m not gonna go into all the rest of her policies, but coming from a gay genderqueer socialist I think she’s pretty solid. Obviously she and I don’t agree on everything, but that’s because we’re unique individuals with different personalities, upbringings and backgrounds. Yknow, like how normal society is? I’ve been hearing so much discourse on this kut website and most of it boils down to “she’s not a carbon copy of me so I won’t vote for her”.

Guys, what the fuck happened to the tolerant left? What happened to the people who welcomed different ideas and beliefs? Are they in the room with us now??? Grow up. Go to your silly little American voting website and register to vote. I don’t know which website it is but someone can link it in a reblog or something idk.

And for my European friends. I know we all dislike how much influence American politics has on our lives. I fucking hate it. But we live in a globalised world, for better or worse, so try as best you can to make as many Americans that you know and love vote for Kamala Harris - or whoever it ends up being - come November. That’s the most we can do to ensure the right wing parties of our own countries don’t see Trump and follow in their footsteps. It’s happening in the Netherlands and we are already seeing the consequences over here. I’d talk about them but this post is too long.

TLDR: OI AMERICANS, VOTE BLUE

(pwease :3)

[pudding-parade]

Sorry, but I have to get political on all your asses, at least those of you who live in the US. It will be a one-time thing on this subject, the only thing that I will say here about the election before it happens. And yeah, I'm going to say this on a blog devoted to a stupid video game. Why? Because I know that I have younger American people who follow me here, and if y'all are like some of the younger people I've talked to in real life and online in other venues, I have concerns. So I'm going to say all this as an old-ass, progressive American. Because if I can wake up one apathetic mind out there, it will be worth it. And if you're pissed at me for making a single political post at this important juncture, then fuck off and unfollow me or send me nasty messages or whatever you want to do. I don't care. And I'm not cutting this, either.

My dear followers: Donald Trump cannot -- CANNOT -- become president again.

Late last night, Trump posted on his Truth Social account a video containing language and images reminiscent of the World War era. It was about his fantasies of what America would be like, should he win the general election in about five months. It contained suspicious imagery and phrases like "creating a unified Reich." Does that sort of language sound familiar? Especially when combined with his rhetoric about immigrants being "vermin" that "poison the blood of our country?" Ring any bells? I'm sure it does for any German folks who might read this.

Trump's post was only taken down about 12 hours later, after backlash over it, and then Trump claimed that a "low level staffer" posted it, not him. Which is either a lie OR he was lying when he said previously that only he and his campaign's communications director have or will ever have access to that account. If you want more info about this, here's a short video from Jesse Dollemore, an independent commentator:

This election isn't about liberal/progressive vs. conservative. It truly doesn't matter what your personal ideology is because this election is about saving democracy. This is about preserving your freedoms, because we won't be able to do anything about any other issue, whatever our individual ideologies and pet issues are, if our basic freedoms upon which this country was founded -- freedom of speech and to protest, freedom of (and from) religion, freedom of the press -- are chipped away until they are gone. Because that's what autocrats do. They want freedom only for themselves, and Donald Trump and his cronies and hangers-on are all autocrat wannabes.

And if you -- Yes, you, even if you're sitting in the middle of blood-red state -- don't vote for Joe Biden, you will be doing your part to hand the autocrats what they want, because a non-vote or a vote for anyone other than Biden is in fact a vote for Trump and autocracy. Similarly, you must also vote for Democrats for all other positions, local, state, and federal so that America's overt flirtation with autocracy that's been going on since at least the 1990s might finally end once and for all.

Yes, yes, I know: "But Genocide Joe!" Think about it: Do you seriously think that Trump, who licks Netanyahu's asshole because he sees him as the kind of "strong man" that Trump wants to be, is going to help Gaza? Or that he'll go against Putin and continue aid to Ukraine? Because if you think that he will do either of those things, I have several bridges I'd like to sell you. No, Trump is going to "put America first." He says it all the time, and what he means by that is that he will do nothing except whatever it takes to keep himself and his cronies in power while also isolating America by severing ties to our allies. Gaza will be given to Netanyahu just as Ukraine will be given to Putin, should Trump win, and he won't give a shit. In the end, Biden (and Harris, should she have to take over) will listen and help Gaza, maybe not as much as we'd like because the Middle East situation is complicated and there are no simple solutions, but a Biden-led government will certainly help more than another Trumpian government would. And Biden will definitely continue to aid Ukraine, because that situation isn't complicated at all.

And in the end, it's not really about Ukraine and Gaza, though they are of course important. It's about us. Should Trump get into the White House again, he will surround himself with people who want America to be a plutocratic and authoritarian autocracy, very similar to Putin's Russia. This is not hyperbole. This is fact. A vote for Trump -- either actual or de facto by fucking around with not voting or voting for a third party because you think it's a "protest" -- is a vote to end democracy, plain and simple, which might very well mean that you'll never be able to protest again another day.

How bad could Trump be, you ask? Who cares who is president? Well, have a look at Project 2025. It's a 900-page "playbook" for the next "conservative" administration. (In quotes because there is nothing "conservative" about these people, including Trump and his cronies; they are radicals.) It is nothing less than a plan to destroy the federal government, the Constitution, and the freedoms that it enshrines and protects, which means the end of democracy. They published a similar tome before Reagan was elected, and once he was in, Reagan followed through with a lot of it. I have no doubt that Trump would, too, given that his "Agenda 47" platform is basically the same. Here is an article that summarizes Project 2025 and details some of its directives. And here is an article from Time Magazine, of all things, where the writer of it interviewed Trump about his vision for America, should he win. The first line of the article is, "Donald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice." You can read the transcripts of the interviews, too, so you can rest assured that the interviewer isn't being hyperbolic.

It ain't good, folks. Part of this extreme-right agenda is ridiculously expanding the power of the executive branch so that it would no longer be checked and balanced by Congress and the Supreme Court, which effectively turns the presidency into a dictatorship. And if Biden does not win, at least some of this bullshit will come to pass, especially because Trump already has the Supreme Court in his pocket. And he'll be able to appoint more young, far-right lunatics to that, too, should he win.

I'll repeat that Trump CANNOT win. I'll be the first to say that, as a pretty extreme (but also pragmatic) progressive, I'm not Biden's biggest fan, for various reasons. He is way farther right than I am, though he has been far more progressive-friendly than I expected and he has gotten some very good things done. But even if he wasn't and hadn't, he will preserve democracy and because of that, I will be voting for him without hesitation. I won't even have to hold my nose. Trump and his cronies in Congress and the Supreme Court will destroy democracy if you -- Yes, YOU! -- let them. And if you let them by deciding not to vote or doing some sort of lame "protest" vote, especially if you live in that handful of states where every presidential vote matters, you will have no one to blame but yourself and others like you. People being apathetic or doing "protest" votes is what got us Trump the first time around.

For fuck's sake, do the right thing.

[canmom]

it's not possible that the rulers of america (and the UK, Germany etc.) don't know how bad things are in Gaza. they haven't made some terrible mistake in underestimating the casualty count. they have ample ways to receive the information. we can be confident that they know there have already been hundreds of thousands of deaths even if it's impolitic to say so publicly, that they understand it's on track to become millions, and that's before we even consider what the impending war with Iran would bring - on both sides of the border. this is simply an acceptable human sacrifice to them for continued geopolitical dominance and maintaining their little 'aircraft carrier in the middle east' (edit: that's assuming too much logic to it, since Israel is more of a geopolitical albatross than anything - perhaps it's all inertia and reluctance to rock the boat too much). they might have ways of rationalising it or they might simply not care, it's moves in a game - and you have to sever the part of yourself that gives a shit about something so trivial as people when you become a major politician or you don't last, right?

but they know what they're doing when they send all those bombs, they know who they're dropping them on. they might not be strategic geniuses ('deescalation through escalation' ????) but they are not so stupid as to be unaware of that. they are just the kind of person that the machine generates. and it's not like gazans get a vote in any of this.

one day the yanks will make a sad movie about it with some big name actors and director, and give it a bunch of awards. how awful that this happened; if only something could have been done in time. aren't people monstrous?

it could end almost overnight if they'd stop selling the fucking bombs.

[cabbihugger]

sorry to everyone is being triggered from all the politics right now, I am gonna start distancing myself for a bit for the sake of my like 3 mutuals (lol) but I need to summarize my thoughts because laying under a tortilla blanket crying is not encouraging me.

I am so scared right now. I am utterly terrified. I am a white, able bodied, southern, post T trans man. And I am so fucking scared. No, no for me because politics should NEVER be about ourselves but rather those we want to keep in our lives. The day after election I spent my after school hours holding a girl we will call Maggie. She is a freshman in highschool and like many kids at my school and many of the kids I TA for (very very diverse STEM school) she was not born in America. She was born in Nigeria, she nor her parents have permanent American residency and she broke down. I have known her for four days. She is terrified that instead of waking across a graduation stage that she will be forced to go home where she fears a lack of education or real life. This is no shame on the women or lives of anyone in Nigeria but this is the fear of a 13 year old girl who cried against someone who she dosnt even know the full name of. I can’t pretend to know her exact pain but I cried softly with her as our Procter gave her space.

The day after the election I sat in American history as my professor explained the causes of the civil war, we went into a soft, then a hard lockdown. That means that the school was active on or under threat from a person with a weapon. I WAS SITTING IN A CORNER OF THE ROOM PRESSED AGAINST THE BODY OF Another KID AS WE BOTH VEIWED TEXTS FROM OUR PARENTS. WE SAT WITH THE FEAR IN THE BACK OF OUR MINDS THAT THERE IS A SMALL CHANCE WE WOULD NOT BE GOING HOME- GOING HOME IN A COUNTRY WHERE OUR CITIZENs ELECTED A RAPIST, FASCIST, AND A NAZI FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD. (And I was raised on bad brains I don’t use that word lightly). In the end it was some idiot with a gun running around on campus lawn. Sounds like America.

At the end of the day, the sun is going to keep rising, and YOU need to be there when it does. Otherwise the sun would sadden missing your face. It’s going to be okay it’s going to be okay. My dms are open. If you flat out need someone to give you a reason to wake up tomorrow we’re gonna sit here and write some, I’m so proud of every

trans person, queer person, person of color, disabled individual, autistic person, neurodivergent person, Muslim, Jew, and so so so many more that I cannot name right now in my face of anger, who live to vote till the next election

[steel-type-connie]

Hi everyone. I’m Constance, a 31-year-old transgender American.

To all my friends and loved ones who reached out to me over the phone or gave me a hug at work today: thank you. 💜 it really meant the world to me.

I left work early today and spent most of the afternoon crying and sleeping. Now I’m ready to share some thoughts.

I’m not going to lie, I’m terrified. Terrified for the future of our country and the free world, for Ukraine and Gaza. Terrified of losing access to healthcare that IS ACTIVELY saving my life, terrified of becoming the victim of a hate crime in an increasingly violent and bigoted America, or of being made to choose between being forced back into the closet or being prosecuted as a sex offender for using the ladies’ room or wearing one of my famous dresses.

I’m also furious. Furious at the feckless, cowardly politicians who have enabled his malfeasance and corruption time and again. Furious at the millions of Democrats who stayed home or voted third-party in swing states. Furious at the millions of cruel, ignorant Americans who support him, and that we all have to deal with the ramifications of a new Trump regime for years, possibly an eternity. Furious that, god damn it, I’m a productive member of society just trying to better myself and live a normal goddamn life, and I shouldn’t have to worry about the federal fucking government coming after me.

But I’m still here.

I’m promising myself I’m not giving up, even when it’s really hard to keep going on.

I’ll close with this quote from Sam Gamgee:

“It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?

“But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something… That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”

[infatuatedlilbitch]

YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THIS: THOSE WHO DO NOT LEARN THEIR HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT.

BUT HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT THIS WAY? DON'T LET THEM LIE TO YOU.

PROTESTING ISN'T JUST YOUR RIGHT AS AN AMERICAN - IT'S YOUR LEGACY. IT'S HOW EVERY SINGLE RIGHT YOU HAVE WAS WON.

THIS IS LONG BUT YOU SHOULD READ IT.

Ya'll are out here talking about throwing Teslas in the harbor without understanding why we threw all that fucking tea in there to begin with. NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. Does that mean nothing to you anymore?

LOOK AT THE RECEIPTS:

Boston Tea Party (1773) - Sparked the American Revolution and established right to resist unjust government

Women's Suffrage Parade (1913) - Won women's right to vote in 1920

The March on Washington (1963) - Led to Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965

Stonewall Riots (1969) - Started by Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman throwing the first brick at police - launched LGBTQ+ rights movement, led to first Pride marches and gay rights organizations

The Occupation of Alcatraz (1969-71) - 89 people forced recognition of Native treaty rights and sparked Native American civil rights movement

March For Our Lives (2018) - Led to gun safety legislation in multiple states, changed national conversation on gun violence

PROTEST ISN'T JUST MARCHING IN STREETS:

It's art that makes people uncomfortable - Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddam" did more for civil rights than any polite request

It's music that wakes people up - When Billie Holiday sang "Strange Fruit," she made America face its lynching horror

It's visual art that exposes truth - ACT UP's protest art forced America to see the AIDS crisis

It's writing that changes minds - Underground newspapers, pamphlets, manifestos

It's performance that disrupts - Guerrilla theater, die-ins, creative actions

It's documentation - Recording injustice, preserving movement history

It's education - Teaching real history, sharing tactics

It's cultural resistance - Creating alternative spaces and institutions

It's economic pressure - Boycotts, strikes, union organizing

It's legislative action - Calling reps, attending meetings

It's digital organizing - Coordinating actions online

It's DECOLONIZING YOUR BODY AND MIND

It's healing trauma so you can fight better

It's building community when they want you isolated

It's REFUSING TO SHUT UP when they want you quiet

HEY STRAIGHT CIS WHITE PEOPLE (ESPECIALLY MEN) - WAKE THE FUCK UP: You think your rights as a worker aren't next? Think about it - they're coming for minorities first but you're just as disposable to them. You think missing a day of work to protest is scary and inconvenient? Wait till they reinstate the draft.

Even fucking THOMAS JEFFERSON - that slave-owning racist piece of shit - understood that the government always needs watching. 'I prefer dangerous liberty to quiet servitude.' When even the architect of oppression knows people need the power to resist, what's your fucking excuse? He knew EXACTLY how this shit works:

Look at these capitalist cycles:

Create a crisis - Housing crash of 2008, current rent crisis, medical debt crisis

Make people desperate - Minimum wage stuck at $7.25, union-busting, student loan trap

Take away rights - Gutting voting rights, ending Roe, attacking trans healthcare

Blame minorities - "They're taking your jobs" "They're grooming kids" "They're ruining the country"

Rinse and fucking repeat until we're all too exhausted to resist

You think being gay not being classified as a mental illness just HAPPENED? That took until 1973. You think gay marriage being legal just HAPPENED? That was 2015 - a fucking DECADE ago. Rights aren't given - they're FOUGHT FOR. Every. Single. Day.

And look what's happening now:

They overturned Roe v Wade in 2022 after 50 years of precedent

They've banned trans healthcare in over 20 states

They've banned LGBTQ education in Florida, Texas, and beyond

They're trying to overturn birthright citizenship

Workers' rights are next

And you're worried about missing ONE shift?

KNOW YOUR FUCKING RIGHTS: https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/protesters-rights#:~:text=The%20First%20Amendment%20protects%20your,the%20exercise%20of%20speech%20rights.

THERE ARE MORE OF US THAN THEM:

89 people held Alcatraz

A few drag queens started Pride

Small groups of workers won your weekend

Teenagers who survived a shooting showed more courage than all you "can't miss work" cowards

IT DOESN'T TAKE EVERYONE - IT JUST TAKES ENOUGH

You think America stayed a democracy this long because everyone showed up to their 9-5 like good little worker bees? FUCK NO. It's because people fought back. They organized. They resisted.

WAKE UP. GET ORGANIZED. QUIT PARTICIPATING IN YOUR OWN DISENFRANCHISEMENT.

Your silence is compliance. If you think things are fine, you’re one of the people who need to get out there for those who are fighting for their basic human rights.

THEY WANT YOU:

Afraid of missing work

Isolated from your community

Living paycheck to paycheck

Too exhausted to fight back

Thinking protest never works

Blaming women and minorities instead of billionaires

PROVE THEM WRONG. EVERYONE HAS A PART IN THE RESISTANCE.

[writerobscura]

The USA

Sorry for the radio silence; I'm still processing how 51% of my country thinks it's okay to elect a bigoted, misogynistic felon to the presidency.

This election is a reminder that half of this country is so fucking hateful that they're willing to elect someone that makes us a laughing stock around the globe while those who bought and paid for his campaign gut democracy.

Are you doing better than you were four years ago? Of course not. You were getting subsidy checks Biden pushed through a Republican congress post-pandemic.

Wages went up for essential workers, and that expense got passed on to you because corporations aren't going to short to their shareholders - and the President can do nothing about that without holding companies accountable to regulation - which our new president has no intention of doing.

The next two years:

My adult children will lose their healthcare when he and his Republican senate quash the Affordable Care Act - but hey, so long as you have a few extra bucks at the end of the month for cigs and beer, what do you care?

Some states will be able to seize the medical records of women and mothers and use those records to fine or put them in jail (abortion, IVF, getting your trans teen the care they need) - but hey, none of those things affect you personally, so fuck 'em and hey, women aren't even human, am I right you newly registered voting Gen Z fellas?

College debt, infrastructure repairs, social programs - kiss all that goodbye because fucking the planet up is a small price to pay so you can get gasoline for under $2.99. Oh, and that Latino spouse? All it takes is one call from a disgruntled 'Murican and our new INS will be there with 'post-citizenship deportation review' papers.

Wars? How easily everyone forgets that Ukraine is at war right now because your guy failed to help him when Russia flooded his country with separatists. You think he's going to stop arming Israel? Where's the money in that?

Xenophobia may have worked when the USA was 100% self-sufficient in the 1900s, but it cannot be done in this day and age - but hey, going back to the old days is what it's all about, right?

Living in a hurricane or natural disaster prone state? You better pray to whatever G*d you worship that nothing happens in the next 2 years because the Pubs have the Senate and the presidency - no more FEMA funds and 'emergency handouts.'

Tariffs instead of taxes on the rich? Zero-sum situation. Guess how many companies import basic things just to make the shit you eat and use daily? Monsanto is no longer an American company, most farmers in the USA 'import' their seed, though because lack of corporate regulation has allowed them to destroy all farms that don't use their seed. While we're on the subject of tariffs, any foreign company can say, "We just won't sell to you, America." What's the backup plan? Oh, right, he has none.

Prices will rise, wages will stagnate, tariffs won't work, so guess who gets billed for that deficit? Not the wealthy—they spent billions electing this assclown, and there's no way they're investing one damned penny in the rest of us.

But hey, they know you can take it because you voted to have all this...You voted for all of the above at the expense of literally half your fellow countrymen.

If Kamala won, you would've lost NOTHING. Your worst case scenario under her presidency is that you would've been running in place financially while those you consider morally or racially beneath you, might've been gotten ahead a few steps.

So yeah, 51% of my country would rather watch it all burn down than suffer anyone they consider less of a human being, be given an equal chance.

[urlocalhovel]

✨To my American neighbours below me as I sit in a country well on the same path-

America has seen it all, hasn't it? It's been through struggle, so much fucking struggle and what is birthed from that struggle? A prospering, better nation- as someone who's special interest has been North American history since the age of 5, please take my word for it.

You will prevail through this shitstorm. It might be scary, it might take a revolution and it might be a hard road, but just like all the other storms America's land has had upon it's soil- the good of the people, the kindness and the right thing will prevail.

Here in Canada, we were so angry for so long at your population as we blamed you for allowing such a man to end up in a place we so highly respected. But we educated ourselves, realized how your elections work- realized just like with us at home, it's a dawn of a new, turmoiled age where the very idea of democracy is threatened.

A large amount of us wish you safe haven in our land, just like it had been during the mid 1800's- we've stuck by you in all your wars across seas (despite some being a tad questionable) and we will stick by you in this one at home, whether it be a visible one or a quiet, looming internal one. We welcome you here, and will never stop advocating and speaking up for what your country deserves- ❌America has fought too hard for too long just for all that hard work to be thrown out the door.

✨To the ones who are scared, I need you to listen to this very closely and repeat it constantly when you're afraid of where your government's future lies✨

America has been through political storms, the chaining of basic rights and literal people before + the threat of democracy shattering- and what happened at the end of that all? The good of the people prevailed.

The people of colour who called this country home while building and feeding it's growing nation found themselves allowed to be considered a citizen with rights after so many years of turmoil and abuse, the children who worked like dogs in factories found themselves finally being protected by labour laws, the gender who was constantly looked at as inferior became a part of the workforce and gained the ability to vote, the people who loved who they loved stopped being imprisoned and gained a right to be themselves-

and then apart from all the storms at home, there was the storms overseas, which ended up waking America up as to what "war" truly means: The American People Fought Back; Made Their Voices Heard, Made Their Fellow Countrymen's Sins Open Information For All To View

The People That The American Government Disregarded Prevailed.

And you, in this present moment and all moments hereafter, will prevail too.

I know it must be scary to think of the future, about the shattering of democracy before your very eyes, but you've been through it before- so have we up in the North. And each time it did, our countries both prevailed and laws and acts to make sure it never happened again were put into place- you're country is strong, and those laws and acts will find their way through the channels once again to make America the country it had been flowering to become.

Godspeed, Neighbour💞🍁🇺🇸

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

M.Wuerker

* * * *

"WE SHALL NOBLY SAVE, OR MEANLY LOSE, THE LAST BEST HOPE OF EARTH"

TCinLA

Oct 16, 2024

In what is now a little less than three weeks, the world’s oldest democracy will conclude a referendum on whether democracy will be maintained or be replaced by fascism.

I wish to hell I could write something more subtle. But there’s nothing subtle to write.

160 years ago, President Lincoln posed the choice the country face in the election of 1864 - held in the midst of the Civil War - thus: “We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”

That choice is before us again.

And this time it is even more stark.

The media continues to struggle - at the infrequent times they deign to even try - to use language that clarifies all this; with rare exception, the best they can do is to call the situation “extraordinary,” “unusual,” and “unprecedented.” Or at least they consider the possibility of using those words on the few occasions where they aren’t putting all their effort into telling us “Nothing to see here, folks, move along,” that it’s just another of those every-four-year competitions between two candidates who each love America and only want the best for us.

On Monday, both Trump and Kamala Harris held campaign events.

Trump’s town hall devolved into one of the most bizarre political events of the campaign, as he stopped taking questions (that he didn’t answer when they were asked), and stood dazed and confused on the stage for 39 long minutes, listening to music as he “danced” by himself while his staff played music from his personal Spotify list and the governor of South Dakota acted like a children’s show host, clapping along to the music as if everything was completely normal.

At about the same time, Kamala Harris held an energetic and positive rally; it was well- organized, inspirational, with accompanying music from artists who personally approved use of their songs by the candidate.

Coverage of the two events was mind-boggling, as the corporate media either completely ignored Trump’s behavior, or sanewashed it by calling it “a concert,” or otherwise acted like the two events were the same. There was no mention at all that the oldest candidate to campaign for president had “sundowned” in front of his supporters for close to three-quarters of an hour. The Guardian - which should definitely know better! - and the WaPo, which one would hope might know better, both called it a “dance party.” CBS and ABC described it as an “impromptu concert.” Surprisingly, the New York Times actually called it “odd,” while NBC used the word “surreal,” to describe the event. Trump was so far gone that when he “came around” at the end, he told his supporters to be sure to “vote on January 5.”

Clearly, there is nothing Trump can do that will get the media to tell their audiences the truth about what is happening to him.

But yesterday, the receipts were there for anyone who cared to look. Trump did a live interview at an event put on by Bloomberg News and the Economic Club of Chicago. It was another train wreck.

The entire sorry show began with Trump showing up an hour late. Moderator John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, proceeded to ask real questions regarding Trump’s economic plans, which the former “dumbest fucking student who ever walked in my classroom” (in the words of a Wharton professor whose class young Donald was allowed to AUDIT because he failed to qualify for acceptance into Wharton) answered with rants and slogans. Micklethwait - a Brit who obviously does not suffer fools easily or at all - repeatedly corrected Trump and redirected him to the actual questions. Trump doesn’t like being publicly schooled or questioned, and the interview quickly grew angry and combative. On being corrected by Micklethwait for misunderstanding how tariffs work, Trump replied (in front of an audience of people who do understand how tariffs work): “It must be hard for you to, you know, spend 25 years talking about tariffs as being negative and then have somebody explain to you that you're totally wrong.” When Mickelthwait pointed out that an analysis by the Wall Street Journal stated his plans would explode the national debt, Trump wrapped his arms around himself like a petulant 10 year old being corrected and replied: “What does the Wall Street Journal know? They’ve been wrong about everything. So have you, by the way….. You’ve been wrong about everything…. You’ve been wrong all your life on this stuff.”

As Micklethwait continued to conduct journalism with Trump, the response was more and more outlandish statements: that children could do the work of U.S. autoworkers in South Carolina, and that he would be a better chair of the Federal Reserve than Jerome Powell.

Despite the claims by Trump press spokesman Fu Manchu, er, I mean Steven Cheung, that his candidate had “won” - as if the interview was a debate - $22 Million Man Chris LaCivita decided Trump would not do another economic policy event with CNBC.

David Rothkopf of Deep State Radio hit the nail on the head: “The past 24 hours seem to have been a dividing line in the Trump campaign...and in Trump. He went from being periodically adrift and sporadically demented to being 24/7 unfit and in need of permanent medical attention. He's one cloudless night away from baying at the moon.”

That’s why it was so bracing this week to find that General Mark Milley, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, clarified remarks he had made previously to Bob Woodward for his book “War,” (which is an excellent account of how Joe Biden is the best president of the past 60 years) stating clearly:

"He is the most dangerous person ever. I had suspicions when I talked to you about his mental decline and so forth, but now I realize he's a total fascist. He is now the most dangerous person to this country, he’s a fascist to the core.”

The media was stuck. They had to talk about that. High ranking American military officers do not go around saying things like that. Ever.

In 1956, then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower - the last Republican president who didn’t either commit or knowingly benefit from treason to win his elections - spoke to a group of Republican women about the state of politics in America. He said:

“If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.”

Here we are, 68 years later, confronted by the fact we are not opposed by a political party, but by “a conspiracy to seize power.”

And it is up to each of us to “nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”

Looking at the first day of early voting yesterday in Georgia - which exceeded the previous record in 2020 by 184% - and listening to interviews with voters who had stood in line resolutely through all the early morning glitches to be sure they voted tell reporters that they were there “to save democracy” in the words of several, “to be true to my mother and grandmother and her grandmother” in the words of one woman, I think we have a shot at doing it.

In the words of Willie Brown, the smartest politician I ever knew, “Ignore the polls and run like you’re ten points down till the real polls close, then celebrate.”

[thedreadvampy]

So, wow, ok, it doesn't grant them voting rights or a seat on the Security Council but the UN has successfully voted to move Palestine from an observer state to a member state, which means it can put forwards motions and join debates.

this is. fucking miraculous. as a sign that the US is wavering in its support of Israel.

Of course they're bitching about it and the US right are already trying to pull all funding from the UN (frankly I'm in favour of this if it was unilateral can we be honest cause if the US actually shot its load and withdrew from the UN maybe the UN could be something other than an arm of US control) but this has never been allowed to happen.

(threatening to pull funding is America's favourite pasttime when it comes to Israel, and is also the only reason Israel exists at all, because America threatened to pull funding and aid if there was a single-state solution in 1947)

As long as the US puts its full weight behind Israel, as it has for over 75 years, the popular movement for Palestine will not find any expression at an international state level. Nobody who is not already in America's bad books will intervene without support, and even those who are already disliked by the US, like Iran, are afraid to risk kicking off all out war with the US.

This is all true while America backs Israel.

But I think, or at least I hope, that it's becoming less and less tenable for them to put all their eggs in the Israel basket. They're being increasingly condemned and cold-shouldered from outside, and facing a popular uprising inside to a degree they haven't seen since the 60s which they're so far unable to quash through propaganda or violence. Popular support for Israel is collapsing fast.

Now to you or I - normal fucking guys - this is a moral issue first and foremost. People are being killed in their thousands and That's Bad. But governments don't believe in people, they believe in numbers - profit margins, approval ratings, debts, how many potential enemies vs how many potential allies.

A moral cost won't change things but an economic and political one will, and when the costs of supporting Israel outweigh the benefits, America will shuffle away from it and pretend they were against Israel all along.

If you believe, as I do, that Palestine will be free, then America still has time to do the thing it loves to do - come in blazing in defence of the underdog at the end of a genocide it sponsored and nurtured, claim the title of Great Liberator, and rely on everyone remembering that more than they remember the preceding decades.

the downside there is that the US has rarely been SO publicly, loudly in support of a second party state as it is with Israel. it has LOUDLY invested a lot - money, time, political capital - into Israel and the Zionist cause for over 100 years, and it's devoted a huge amount of its internal propaganda machine to a) the Goodness of Israel and b) the Arab world being the ultimate evil. I don't know if they can pull off the America Classic here. I don't know if anyone's buying it.

as well, the global incentives that made the US back the formation of Israel are still there - which is to say, there's a lot of Middle Eastern states with a lot of (reasonable) beef against the US, and Israel presents a powerful barrier to Arab unity. Could they transfer that power over to Saudi Arabia? Maybe, but that's still Arab. I think they're very afraid of losing a foothold in the Middle East. But also they're building hostility there again by continuing to support Israel, so they might be better advised to jump ship while they still can.

(the other fear I guess is that if they pull out and Israel survives and completes its genocide, they will also have lost the foothold, and will have burned all their bridges on both sides)

like my hope is that at this point the US state's relationship with Israel is a game of chicken and I hope they're coming towards a point where the internal division, the international condemnation, the rebellion of the UN, and the weakening of the Israeli state make it more threatening to US interests to stay allied to Israel than to withdraw.

And the US is the linchpin. The only thing allowing Israel to act with impunity is that the US is standing behind it holding a big stick.

When the US caves on Israel - and it will, sooner or later - the world will scramble to follow. So we have to keep making support for Israel politically inconvenient. Keep fighting US support for the occupation because the movement isn't visible much of the time but Palestine becoming a member state of the UN without US sanctions is a jolt of movement. It shows we're moving this huge thing off course, and we can't let up - the more it moves, the easier it will become to move.