By year number 3, unless citizens wake up and act, this country will be a police state with decenters rounded up and punishment will be like nothing this country has ever imagined
So at what point are the military, particularly commanding officers, warranted and justified in refusing illegal orders? Do they have to get a legal opinion from a warped JAG Corps attorney that Trump and Hegseth seek to fill with their cronies? Do we have anyone left who will standup to the authoritarian takeover?
“We have uniformed military asking their chain of command for letters that ensure that they don’t have personal liability for any illegal action in these operations.”
I'll paraphrase the letter they will get. "Sorry, dude, only we at the top can escape personal liability. Your job is to take all the risks for your cult leader."
With the takeover of the military and the press/media, which is presently happening apace, we are losing our only possible "get out of jail card". I have said this before, but the two key areas that this government has to take in order to finalize their takeover are the military and the media/press/freedom of speech. Ultimate power comes from the end of a gun, to paraphrase Mao. That means whoever controls the military wins whenever one side refuses to play by the rules (laws). Since the November election, our only hope has been that the people will stand up in their millions. Trump will bring out the military to bring order. Individuals in that military will have to wrestle with their own consciences with the killing of unarmed citizens. Taking the "collateral damage" line is easier to choose if a) all your peers and commanders in the military lean that way because they are MAGA, and b) if there is no freedom of speech/press/media to record and disseminate the atrocities to the public in general, including a soldier's family and friends. The people are required on the streets now, because soon it will be just 1989 Tiannemann Square.
I want to drop a depressing reality on you. 75-80% of people in Federal Law Enforcement and NCO's and Officers in the Armed Forces are pro Trump/MAGA. Basically all Corporate CEO's are pro Trump and they felt like DEI and Environmental efforts that they had been undertaking were forced on them by Liberal activists. They also do "business" in an International environment where they "deal" with autocratic and dictatorial regimes and their corruption all the time. As long as they can still make money, they don't care. See Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post. The paper of record for D.C. politics has been ruined
This bleeding-heart liberal is astonished that these days she often agrees agrees with Bill Kristol. That means to me that things have pretty much gone off the rails in Washington. trump needs to be IMPEACHED and removed from office. And I suspect that there are multiple crimes that he needs to answer for besides. C'mon Republicans! If Kristol thinks things are bad, why can't you admit that you have been wrong, team up with the Dems, and DO THE RIGHT THING?? If this sh*tshow is allowed to continue much longer even YOU may never be able to do anything to stop it!
J6th was that off ramp. The reporting is clear. McConnell had an additional 10 Republican Senators that would have voted to ban Trump from ever holding office again but after a few days they all caved to violent threats and the realization that if they angered the MAGA core of the GOP they could never get elected again. At that moment it was pure fear of violence to them or their families that got them to hold off. Mitt Romney reported on this extensively
On those Venezuela boats, I’ve been fascinated by the coincidence (… no such thing …) that they’re, you know, Venezuelan. When he tried to rendition those alleged Tren de Aragua men, I think there were some court rulings, certainly some general criticisms, pointing out we’re not actually at war with Venezuela. Legally it probably doesn’t make a difference, but rhetorically actually getting us into a war with Venezuela could at least appeal to Trump’s lizard-brain.
That’s beyond sad and has a distinctly 1984 “We have always been at war with Eurasia” feel to it. It might still be true.
That question of this line between crime, terrorism, and war is hugely important, of course, and not just in the context of actual foreign policy. You keep hearing that Trump pulled back from attacking Chicago, but what we really mean is the National Guard wasn’t sent in against citizens. ICE is still devoting a lot of resources to rounding up immigrants. There was even that one who was shot dead by ICE agents as he tried to drive away when they wanted to arrest him. ICE claims an agent was getting dragged by the car, but we don’t know if the agent could have let go, if he dived at the car to keep him from driving away, whatever.
I’m not saying ICE doesn’t ever have a right to arrest people, though that Vasquez Perdomo SCOTUS case throws the door open much more widely than I’d like. But even where they have the right, do they also get to shoot them if they try to run away? We’re not talking about a threat to public safety. If it was Chicago PD shooting someone over, I don’t know, purse-snatching, can you imagine the uproar? My point is there’s a category shift, and because the law enforcement was in a less sympathetic category, I think people are thinking about it very differently. And that seems to matter.
Always good to hear both of your thoughts on the news of the day, both of you.
A question for your question. Will the American people give it 3 years? My guess is mid terms 2026 will change something. There will either be a revolution at the ballot box or there will be revolution over the suppressed or cancelled vote.
You get no gold stars for writing opinion pieces slamming Trump and his toadies for their despicable and/or illegal decisions and activities. We have watched and listened to expert after expert for as long as Trump has held office. The only thing that counts is coming up with SOME WAY to stop ANY OF THEM. Every time he gets away with something that no President has ever gotten away with before, it demonstrates how much America as a nation of laws is a house built on sand.
The people will have to vote them out. No one else is coming to the rescue. And if the people don't..... 81 million people voted for Biden. Only 74 million voted for Harris. Think about that.
There is nothing resounding about those numbers. When a third of the voting population plus one percent voted for the orange menace and about the same for Harris. Biggest issue is that a third of all the voting population simply chose not to vote. That is not a mandate.
People are scared and so overwhelmed by this “flooding the zone“ but they’re exhausted and, as priceless rides, they turn toward daily costs and surviving. He literally paved over a historic rose garden to build a gaudy fucking ballroom. No one wants that. Only the failed tacky fucking real estate “businessman” wants that because he has survived using distraction. By all accounts that we can actually see or people who are truly on the ground in DC, there is a population of politicians, actually acting and attempting to block all of the onslaught and tsunami of bullshit. When there is trauma, people respond by fleeing, by fighting, or by freezing. Look around you most people are in that specific mode right now. The people who voted for Trump like the farmers are waking up to the reality that he fucked them over. Will that change their vote in the future? Who knows? People vote with their emotions not with their hands.
In response to your demand for other people to do so, I would point the question back to you. What are you doing?
Note that the only thing built on top of what was “The Rose Garden”, is a white marble patio (Trump announced how it was expensive Italian Marble) with outdoor-style tables, each surrounded by 4 chairs. Glaring & Plain; hardly a potted-plant for greenery even. “The Gaudy Ballroom” is also being built, all $200M of it, but on another area of the grounds.
Charlie Kirk said some awful and hateful stuff. Every one of us should be allowed to say "what he stood for is abhorrent" without consequence. Free speech dictates that you can say whatever you want about him, his murder, or your thoughts on any of this. What is happening with the MAGA people is an outrage and its CRAZY. Charlie Kirk was not a saint. He was not untouchable. So we are now in a place where if you say ONE WORD against him you are an enemy of the State? This is insane. This used to unthinkable. But here we are....so very sad.
We in The Outback are not immune: Check out this article from Argus Leader:
Art professor sues USD, SDBOR over his firing for Charlie Kirk social media posts
https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/education/2025/09/23/professor-sues-university-of-south-dakota-sdbor-over-his-firing-for-charlie-kirk-posts/86311891007/
By year number 3, unless citizens wake up and act, this country will be a police state with decenters rounded up and punishment will be like nothing this country has ever imagined
So at what point are the military, particularly commanding officers, warranted and justified in refusing illegal orders? Do they have to get a legal opinion from a warped JAG Corps attorney that Trump and Hegseth seek to fill with their cronies? Do we have anyone left who will standup to the authoritarian takeover?
“We have uniformed military asking their chain of command for letters that ensure that they don’t have personal liability for any illegal action in these operations.”
I'll paraphrase the letter they will get. "Sorry, dude, only we at the top can escape personal liability. Your job is to take all the risks for your cult leader."
With the takeover of the military and the press/media, which is presently happening apace, we are losing our only possible "get out of jail card". I have said this before, but the two key areas that this government has to take in order to finalize their takeover are the military and the media/press/freedom of speech. Ultimate power comes from the end of a gun, to paraphrase Mao. That means whoever controls the military wins whenever one side refuses to play by the rules (laws). Since the November election, our only hope has been that the people will stand up in their millions. Trump will bring out the military to bring order. Individuals in that military will have to wrestle with their own consciences with the killing of unarmed citizens. Taking the "collateral damage" line is easier to choose if a) all your peers and commanders in the military lean that way because they are MAGA, and b) if there is no freedom of speech/press/media to record and disseminate the atrocities to the public in general, including a soldier's family and friends. The people are required on the streets now, because soon it will be just 1989 Tiannemann Square.
Maybe Germany can occupy us for a while, while we get it together.
I want to drop a depressing reality on you. 75-80% of people in Federal Law Enforcement and NCO's and Officers in the Armed Forces are pro Trump/MAGA. Basically all Corporate CEO's are pro Trump and they felt like DEI and Environmental efforts that they had been undertaking were forced on them by Liberal activists. They also do "business" in an International environment where they "deal" with autocratic and dictatorial regimes and their corruption all the time. As long as they can still make money, they don't care. See Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post. The paper of record for D.C. politics has been ruined
This bleeding-heart liberal is astonished that these days she often agrees agrees with Bill Kristol. That means to me that things have pretty much gone off the rails in Washington. trump needs to be IMPEACHED and removed from office. And I suspect that there are multiple crimes that he needs to answer for besides. C'mon Republicans! If Kristol thinks things are bad, why can't you admit that you have been wrong, team up with the Dems, and DO THE RIGHT THING?? If this sh*tshow is allowed to continue much longer even YOU may never be able to do anything to stop it!
J6th was that off ramp. The reporting is clear. McConnell had an additional 10 Republican Senators that would have voted to ban Trump from ever holding office again but after a few days they all caved to violent threats and the realization that if they angered the MAGA core of the GOP they could never get elected again. At that moment it was pure fear of violence to them or their families that got them to hold off. Mitt Romney reported on this extensively
On those Venezuela boats, I’ve been fascinated by the coincidence (… no such thing …) that they’re, you know, Venezuelan. When he tried to rendition those alleged Tren de Aragua men, I think there were some court rulings, certainly some general criticisms, pointing out we’re not actually at war with Venezuela. Legally it probably doesn’t make a difference, but rhetorically actually getting us into a war with Venezuela could at least appeal to Trump’s lizard-brain.
That’s beyond sad and has a distinctly 1984 “We have always been at war with Eurasia” feel to it. It might still be true.
That question of this line between crime, terrorism, and war is hugely important, of course, and not just in the context of actual foreign policy. You keep hearing that Trump pulled back from attacking Chicago, but what we really mean is the National Guard wasn’t sent in against citizens. ICE is still devoting a lot of resources to rounding up immigrants. There was even that one who was shot dead by ICE agents as he tried to drive away when they wanted to arrest him. ICE claims an agent was getting dragged by the car, but we don’t know if the agent could have let go, if he dived at the car to keep him from driving away, whatever.
I’m not saying ICE doesn’t ever have a right to arrest people, though that Vasquez Perdomo SCOTUS case throws the door open much more widely than I’d like. But even where they have the right, do they also get to shoot them if they try to run away? We’re not talking about a threat to public safety. If it was Chicago PD shooting someone over, I don’t know, purse-snatching, can you imagine the uproar? My point is there’s a category shift, and because the law enforcement was in a less sympathetic category, I think people are thinking about it very differently. And that seems to matter.
Always good to hear both of your thoughts on the news of the day, both of you.
The best thing for America and the best thing for Disney right now would be to fire their CEO, Bog Iger.
He decided to fire Jimmy, while everyone at the meeting admitted that Jimmy didn't do a single thing wrong.
But he thought he could get some favors from the regime in return for betraying America and our whole civilization.
And firing Iger is the ONLY thing that could stop the bleeding at Disney!
So save Disney and help save America!
A question for your question. Will the American people give it 3 years? My guess is mid terms 2026 will change something. There will either be a revolution at the ballot box or there will be revolution over the suppressed or cancelled vote.
CARR GO!
You get no gold stars for writing opinion pieces slamming Trump and his toadies for their despicable and/or illegal decisions and activities. We have watched and listened to expert after expert for as long as Trump has held office. The only thing that counts is coming up with SOME WAY to stop ANY OF THEM. Every time he gets away with something that no President has ever gotten away with before, it demonstrates how much America as a nation of laws is a house built on sand.
The people will have to vote them out. No one else is coming to the rescue. And if the people don't..... 81 million people voted for Biden. Only 74 million voted for Harris. Think about that.
There is nothing resounding about those numbers. When a third of the voting population plus one percent voted for the orange menace and about the same for Harris. Biggest issue is that a third of all the voting population simply chose not to vote. That is not a mandate.
People are scared and so overwhelmed by this “flooding the zone“ but they’re exhausted and, as priceless rides, they turn toward daily costs and surviving. He literally paved over a historic rose garden to build a gaudy fucking ballroom. No one wants that. Only the failed tacky fucking real estate “businessman” wants that because he has survived using distraction. By all accounts that we can actually see or people who are truly on the ground in DC, there is a population of politicians, actually acting and attempting to block all of the onslaught and tsunami of bullshit. When there is trauma, people respond by fleeing, by fighting, or by freezing. Look around you most people are in that specific mode right now. The people who voted for Trump like the farmers are waking up to the reality that he fucked them over. Will that change their vote in the future? Who knows? People vote with their emotions not with their hands.
In response to your demand for other people to do so, I would point the question back to you. What are you doing?
Note that the only thing built on top of what was “The Rose Garden”, is a white marble patio (Trump announced how it was expensive Italian Marble) with outdoor-style tables, each surrounded by 4 chairs. Glaring & Plain; hardly a potted-plant for greenery even. “The Gaudy Ballroom” is also being built, all $200M of it, but on another area of the grounds.
Really Bill? You really think there will be a 2028 election? You're way more optimistic than I am.
Charlie Kirk said some awful and hateful stuff. Every one of us should be allowed to say "what he stood for is abhorrent" without consequence. Free speech dictates that you can say whatever you want about him, his murder, or your thoughts on any of this. What is happening with the MAGA people is an outrage and its CRAZY. Charlie Kirk was not a saint. He was not untouchable. So we are now in a place where if you say ONE WORD against him you are an enemy of the State? This is insane. This used to unthinkable. But here we are....so very sad.
Please note that Trump has finally gotten Epstein off of the front page.
We cannot let Trump continue to change the subject so often that he never pays for his crimes.
The name of the game is BLITZ! and it is working disconcerting well, especially in an age of constant "news" updates, in real time.
The pace of it feels superhuman. The masses have been conditioned to forget easily and quickly.