The Republican Party should hang with Trump for treason. I don't care how "scared" they are, they are complicit and should suffer the fate of traitors. Their moral principle is to maintain power so that they can act to promote the interests of their wealthy donors and benefit materially from that. Fuck them.
Watching this, I’m prompted to comment on some of the discussions you and Representative Himes touched on.
The military’s participation in these extra-judicial killings on the high seas is a big one I have mentioned in the past. It is also a many-headed monster.
Here is the many-headed snake problem as I see it.
PARDONED General Michael Flynn demonstrates the problem. Michael Flynn is not the only general or admiral with that corrupt mindset.
General Flynn has, almost certainly, aided Trump in purging the military of “bad” generals. Flynn has decided, as he progress along his career trajectory who around him were of like mind. That is problematic when you are deciding if drug runners are acceptable targets for killing. It should be concerning as to who these other corruptly minded generals are, and how many there are.
Enlisted soldiers follow the orders of their leaders. That is what they do. They are ill equipped to know if the order is corrupt, much less have the wherewithal to disobey that corrupt command.
The same problem exists in all the service branches, I’m sure. The big question is how large or small is the group of corrupt senior officers throughout the military.
From there, when you ask about the military role in these killings it is worth understanding that the first extra-judicial killing could have been deemed a mistake that won’t happen again, had that been the case. After they have sunk boats two and three, it is no longer an accident. It is a willful act in furtherance of American policy goals. Those generals and admirals are on the hook now. They are conspiring in the extra-judicial killings now so there is no backing out if they want to get that cushy corporate job, which won’t happen if Trump fires them.
One hopes there are only a few of these flag officers out there in the armed forces but every flag officer has already had a long and successful career and have mentored many a junior officer. The junior officers mentored by the Michael Flynn’s of the armed services are a potential problem.
Yes, killing Venezuelans in boats is murder. Himes seems to agree that it is obvious. Why aren't Democrats taking Trump to court about this if it is so obvious? What is being done to STOP it?
Reading this today after watching the Kirk memorial, another call to the realty of this take over. Thanks Bill and rep. Hines for the important information. You are so valuable.
Please BAN the lie about boiling frogs. THEY ALWAYS JUMP OUT WHEN THE WATER GETS TOO WARM. Tested over and over. There has to be a better metaphor for the slow erosion of resistance to dictatorship.
Trump isn't "forcing" the military to break the law. The military is deciding to break the law by following illegal orders, which they are not supposed to do!!!
Folks who blindly follow the "Dear Leader" are equally dangerous as the Dear Leader! It is EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY to fight against trump/MAGA autocratic moves!!!!
The moment the Roberts court gave the president of the United States absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for vaguely defined "official actions," the legal chain of command was automatically and immediately upended. At the moment that ruling was made, it was only a matter of time before the military (as Bill noted) would find itself in the impossible situation of having to choose between following illegal orders or not. Rep. Eric Swalwell recently said, "When we escape this Trump hell, America needs a Presidential Crimes Commission. It should be made up of independent prosecutors who look at those who enabled a corrupt president." An adjacent commission on SCOTUS's crimes against the Constitution and the rule of law in a slew of cases would also be welcome. God knows if we're going to actually get to a place where such commissions could even exist.
Thanks Bill for this conversation. Doesn’t make me feel better necessarily but the honesty and recognition of what’s happening makes me feel a bit less crazy with my anxiety…..
Sadly, the cult is not hearing this. And sadly, this is what a lot of them think they want. Harm, maim, torture, and kill brown people (and democrats/lefties/trans/blacks/anybody who is different). The "vermin" who are "invading" our country, whom we are "at war with." So they can't "get" you. This is the hatred Trump has revived in and taught to magaland.
So, Hegseth/Trump/etc don't want any reporting about any more murders of Venezuelans in boats at sea (in violation of international law) whom they decide are part of a drug cartel. Or any of the other illegal/inhumane/cruel/unjustified actions they decide to take? I guess we will have to rely on credible news sources from other countries, for example, the BBC or Reuters. I'm sure there are others. The Guardian. Who else?
Great conversation that was too short! It was refreshing to hear from a Representative who is clear eyed about our current slide into autocracy. I’m not confident the Dems will get back the house in ‘26 given the focus of the Trumpists on vote suppression and other shenanigans to corrupt the election processes.
IMO, as to why these people act as if they cannot live any life other than in the Senate or House, the answer is simple. Power. Once tasted, it is a drug for too many susceptible folks. Able to addict and enslave people who may have once been healthy, well-intentioned people. But once in power, can take up a besotted bondage. And in the process, forget the capacity to see a life for themselves anywhere else. They're no longer in the real world. And glad not to be. And Trump World is the drug pimp.
Their only comfortable place now is apart from other people, other careers, the concerns of ordinary people. Who are not possessed of the kind of extraordinary power delegated to those in elected office. Power can take over, drug like, these people's independent thinking abilities, and oftentimes diminish respect for what is rational, and the ability to feel empathy. They cannot envision life again among the mortals. Kind of like zombies, really, stuck in some kind of weird purgatory. They just can't leave. So of course, they dance to any song they're asked to. Withdrawal is a hell that weak people can't endure.
The idea of not disclosing information about the military one isn’t affirmatively authorized to disclose, harkens back to what people in the USSR recognized as a fundamental distinction between the Soviets and the West all the way back to the days of Nikita Khrushchev. What isn’t prohibited in the West is authorized, what isn’t authorized in the USSR is not permitted.
Do Hegseth and the people around him even get the irony?
Why are these cogressmembers so retirement adverse? The fact that they are so willing to shame themselves to keep a job that surely will ruin their legacies is bonkers!
And it's not like they aren't going to land on their feet when they do retire. They have connections galore and will probably end up working in a think tank, lobbying group, etc.
Democrats must win both houses of Congress and repair the rule of law and play hardball to take its Congressional power back. Impeach and remove these people from office starting with BOTH POTUS & VPOTUs
Thank you for discussing these apparent murders our military is committing. I know there are many important things happening that need addressing, but this is one of the most concerning things to me.
The Republican Party should hang with Trump for treason. I don't care how "scared" they are, they are complicit and should suffer the fate of traitors. Their moral principle is to maintain power so that they can act to promote the interests of their wealthy donors and benefit materially from that. Fuck them.
Watching this, I’m prompted to comment on some of the discussions you and Representative Himes touched on.
The military’s participation in these extra-judicial killings on the high seas is a big one I have mentioned in the past. It is also a many-headed monster.
Here is the many-headed snake problem as I see it.
PARDONED General Michael Flynn demonstrates the problem. Michael Flynn is not the only general or admiral with that corrupt mindset.
General Flynn has, almost certainly, aided Trump in purging the military of “bad” generals. Flynn has decided, as he progress along his career trajectory who around him were of like mind. That is problematic when you are deciding if drug runners are acceptable targets for killing. It should be concerning as to who these other corruptly minded generals are, and how many there are.
Enlisted soldiers follow the orders of their leaders. That is what they do. They are ill equipped to know if the order is corrupt, much less have the wherewithal to disobey that corrupt command.
The same problem exists in all the service branches, I’m sure. The big question is how large or small is the group of corrupt senior officers throughout the military.
From there, when you ask about the military role in these killings it is worth understanding that the first extra-judicial killing could have been deemed a mistake that won’t happen again, had that been the case. After they have sunk boats two and three, it is no longer an accident. It is a willful act in furtherance of American policy goals. Those generals and admirals are on the hook now. They are conspiring in the extra-judicial killings now so there is no backing out if they want to get that cushy corporate job, which won’t happen if Trump fires them.
One hopes there are only a few of these flag officers out there in the armed forces but every flag officer has already had a long and successful career and have mentored many a junior officer. The junior officers mentored by the Michael Flynn’s of the armed services are a potential problem.
Yes, killing Venezuelans in boats is murder. Himes seems to agree that it is obvious. Why aren't Democrats taking Trump to court about this if it is so obvious? What is being done to STOP it?
Reading this today after watching the Kirk memorial, another call to the realty of this take over. Thanks Bill and rep. Hines for the important information. You are so valuable.
Please BAN the lie about boiling frogs. THEY ALWAYS JUMP OUT WHEN THE WATER GETS TOO WARM. Tested over and over. There has to be a better metaphor for the slow erosion of resistance to dictatorship.
Trump isn't "forcing" the military to break the law. The military is deciding to break the law by following illegal orders, which they are not supposed to do!!!
Folks who blindly follow the "Dear Leader" are equally dangerous as the Dear Leader! It is EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY to fight against trump/MAGA autocratic moves!!!!
It doesn't help that Trump got rid of all the JAG officers who would be the ones to advise the military that these actions are illegal.
The moment the Roberts court gave the president of the United States absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for vaguely defined "official actions," the legal chain of command was automatically and immediately upended. At the moment that ruling was made, it was only a matter of time before the military (as Bill noted) would find itself in the impossible situation of having to choose between following illegal orders or not. Rep. Eric Swalwell recently said, "When we escape this Trump hell, America needs a Presidential Crimes Commission. It should be made up of independent prosecutors who look at those who enabled a corrupt president." An adjacent commission on SCOTUS's crimes against the Constitution and the rule of law in a slew of cases would also be welcome. God knows if we're going to actually get to a place where such commissions could even exist.
Thanks Bill for this conversation. Doesn’t make me feel better necessarily but the honesty and recognition of what’s happening makes me feel a bit less crazy with my anxiety…..
Sadly, the cult is not hearing this. And sadly, this is what a lot of them think they want. Harm, maim, torture, and kill brown people (and democrats/lefties/trans/blacks/anybody who is different). The "vermin" who are "invading" our country, whom we are "at war with." So they can't "get" you. This is the hatred Trump has revived in and taught to magaland.
So, Hegseth/Trump/etc don't want any reporting about any more murders of Venezuelans in boats at sea (in violation of international law) whom they decide are part of a drug cartel. Or any of the other illegal/inhumane/cruel/unjustified actions they decide to take? I guess we will have to rely on credible news sources from other countries, for example, the BBC or Reuters. I'm sure there are others. The Guardian. Who else?
Al Jazeera
Also listen to Democracy Now with Amy Goodman.
Great conversation that was too short! It was refreshing to hear from a Representative who is clear eyed about our current slide into autocracy. I’m not confident the Dems will get back the house in ‘26 given the focus of the Trumpists on vote suppression and other shenanigans to corrupt the election processes.
IMO, as to why these people act as if they cannot live any life other than in the Senate or House, the answer is simple. Power. Once tasted, it is a drug for too many susceptible folks. Able to addict and enslave people who may have once been healthy, well-intentioned people. But once in power, can take up a besotted bondage. And in the process, forget the capacity to see a life for themselves anywhere else. They're no longer in the real world. And glad not to be. And Trump World is the drug pimp.
Their only comfortable place now is apart from other people, other careers, the concerns of ordinary people. Who are not possessed of the kind of extraordinary power delegated to those in elected office. Power can take over, drug like, these people's independent thinking abilities, and oftentimes diminish respect for what is rational, and the ability to feel empathy. They cannot envision life again among the mortals. Kind of like zombies, really, stuck in some kind of weird purgatory. They just can't leave. So of course, they dance to any song they're asked to. Withdrawal is a hell that weak people can't endure.
The idea of not disclosing information about the military one isn’t affirmatively authorized to disclose, harkens back to what people in the USSR recognized as a fundamental distinction between the Soviets and the West all the way back to the days of Nikita Khrushchev. What isn’t prohibited in the West is authorized, what isn’t authorized in the USSR is not permitted.
Do Hegseth and the people around him even get the irony?
nope
Why are these cogressmembers so retirement adverse? The fact that they are so willing to shame themselves to keep a job that surely will ruin their legacies is bonkers!
And it's not like they aren't going to land on their feet when they do retire. They have connections galore and will probably end up working in a think tank, lobbying group, etc.
Democrats must win both houses of Congress and repair the rule of law and play hardball to take its Congressional power back. Impeach and remove these people from office starting with BOTH POTUS & VPOTUs
Thank you for discussing these apparent murders our military is committing. I know there are many important things happening that need addressing, but this is one of the most concerning things to me.
Yes! Because if they can kill them with no accountability, killing protesters or homeless people is just around the corner. Terrifying.