I have neither the money nor the tech chops to do it, but I want 30-second spots on national television interleaving newsreels of the SA and GESTAPO in action with present-day footage of this regime’s actors.
I applaud the NBA and can only implore other sports associations to follow suit. Fans can apply pressure with their social media and pocketbooks. And if you live in a solidly blue state, as I do, you can still urge your congressional representatives to apply persuasive pressure on their Republican colleagues to oppose further DHS funding and explore articles of impeachment. It would require only 16 Senators to stop this. As Heather Cox Richardson tearfully notes, that’s 16 people out of 300 million Americans. And only 23 to pursue articles of Impeachment. And as Stuart Stevens argues, State Attorneys General can prosecute the likes of Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem. Let’s keep the pressure up.
I also applaud the NBA for supporting the Constitution and denying additional funding for this group murdering Americans. Clearly, they are breaking the law and lying to citizens. Taxpayers should have their taxes returned. We are not paying people to kill our neighbors.
There are 100 Senators, the GOP has 53 votes & need 60 to pass the funding bill. I think enough Dems in the Senate say publicly they won’t vote for it despite the changes that got into the House bill. One NY Rep has apologized for his vote in the House after the ‘backlash’ from voters at home.
For sure it is the time for more public pressure - on Dems and the GOP. Any changes in the Senate & the bill must go back the House, which once again is out for recess.
This evening it looks like the WH has been busy trying to do some damage control. But it is not REFORM, enforceable reform. He made nice with Walz in a phone call and may do this or that and move people around. Homan is not an improvement. We’ll see what happens but it looks like the WH is scrambling. We need real reform with teeth & the GOP line is not to ‘punish’ national security (via DHS funding) over this.
Depraved indifference to suffering, killing, death no longer covers it. This is bloodlust, this is vile. As a certain Presidential candidate said, this is *deplorable*.
Steven, at this point, I've started calling it what it is: domestic terrorists. Domestic terrorism. The Gestapo. All of them are soulless Goondas. They are the steven millers of the world. All you see when you look at them is the face of evil. At this point, if those who voted for this are shot, I won't mourn. I will not mourn if 2 of my cousins 3 kids who are in the military are killed serving abroad. They voted for this. It's horrible to say I won't mourn. My empathy and sympathy can only extend so far. I've worked with 2YOs-4th graders in various capacities. I typically have an excess of empathy and sympathy.
Thank you, Steven. Your perceptions are 100% correct. I would urge EVERYONE to call their Senators right away to demand they do NOT vote for any appropriations bills that include funding for ICE, CBP, or DHS. The time is now, as the budget must be passed before 1/31. We need our elected representatives to show courage and resolve and stop this lawless terror from continuing.
Thank You Steven ..and every democrat has to go to Minnesota after they vote down the bill. they need to stand with the residents of Minneapolis ..If not all of them then the leaders of the democrat party . This will not stand .. They need to stand on the front line just like Good and Pretti did. lost in america
The snapshot of Monsters is a daily barrage. We get…
"Fuckin' bitch."
ICE AGENT AFTER RENEE GOOD WAS SHOT AND KILLED TWO WEEKS AGO
Then this..
"Boo hoo."
FEDERAL AGENT AFTER ALEX PRETTI WAS SHOT AND KILLED TODAY
Not just the “clapping” from a CBP member
AFTER ALEX PRETTI WAS SHOT AND KILLED TODAY
It’s also the from the highest official in our government after an automobile worker in a Ford plant yells out “Pedophile Protector” and in response the creature that holds the office of POTUS yells back
“Fuck You Fuck You”
FLIPPING OFF THE AUTOWORKER AND ALL IN THIS COUNTRY
It’s this nagging thought.. there are other Monsters who actually are so delusional with thinking
“Don't worry. - As long as you aren't LGBTQ or Black or Hispanic or Jewish or Muslim or Arab or Asian or Atheist or disabled or female or poor whatever as determined as ‘those people’ are going to be just fine.”
It’s to imagine being a German person in the 1930's and saying "I don't hate Jews and I have nothing against them and I am a nice person. But I believe Hitler is doing great things for (FILL IN THE BLANK) even though I don't condone everything he says, he still has my support and vote"
— That is what every Republican member of Congress and Right-wing Media like Fox Network sounds like who still supports this, Trump and this entire thread of policy, behavior, and actions.
Also, the murder of Alex Pretti reveals a dark truth about the administration's view of gun rights: they are not universal.
They are reserved for the
"right" kind of people. If you are a MAGA supporter, your gun is a symbol of freedom. it you are a protester in Minneapolis, your gun is proof of terrorism.
The "right to bear arms" has been replaced by-the
"privilege to bear arms," contingent on political alignment. This is the
hallmark of a militia state, not a constitutional republic.
Monsters, yes these all are Monsters — a Depraved indifference to suffering, killing, death no longer covers it. This is bloodlust, this is vile. As two certain Presidential candidates have said. One back in 2015 as a warning this he is *deplorable* and another said using terms such as *fascist* a *tyrant* and *unstable* in 2024.
One more: shortly after Pretti was shot, in a nearby scrum involving pepper-spraying the crowd etc, one of the goons is captured on camera saying: "Cool! It's like 'Call of Duty!'" These guys, before they were recruited to Noem's paramilitary force, were in the basement playing video games.
SMH… am beyond disgusted, angry, heartbroken, furious, just WTF!!! Every day.. stay safe and healthy going to go for a fu^king walk in the bitter cold and snow with the dog… Jesus
MAGA must feel a little confused these days. The NRA, Gun Owners of America and so forth have been roasting federal officials. (BTW, I have a little trouble picturing Bessent at a protest, let alone carrying a “billboard.” He’s not even a good liar.)
Thank you Steven for keeping your subscription affordable for people like me. 77 years old living on a limited pension and social security. I still work part time to make ends meet and recovering from a kidney transplant.
It is telling that this cosplaying monster, Bovino, chooses to display his face in the photograph you've posted while his armed, psychopathic minions around him are all masked. What an evil little buffoon. We have no choice but to hold him and his ilk to account for their depravity if we are ever to regain the notion of being a nation that is governed by law.
Allow me to restate the case for all Democratic Governors to gather in Minneapolis beside Governor Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey to present a show of unity in order to call out the fascists and to lead us in the righteous cause of resistance.
If the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti turns out to be a turning point, and I hope it will, it will almost certainly be because Renee Good and Alex Pretti were white. Upstanding citizens, and white.
I agree. If you remember when George Floyd was murdered by a police officer, there were many white people who didn’t think it was a “big deal”. They dehumanized him because he was black. That is true evil, and that’s what is driving these murders in Minneapolis, evil. I’m a white woman who has witnessed too many murders by white people of those who are not like themselves. Until millions of whites stand up and fight the “otherism” we will never have equality. Now that white people are being killed, many of us didn’t understand how black and brown people felt when one of their own was murdered.
He and the GOP are very worried about Dems punishing national security by stopping the funding package. As though it hasn’t been damaged by this administration.
At any rate, according to news this evening the chairs on the upper deck of the Titanic may be shuffled a little. Homan to MN. His sudden credibility is based on his calm statement after the shooting that there should be a thorough investigation. He is the guy who not so long ago was being peppered with questions about that $50K in a brown paper bag. Perhaps he knew which way the winds were blowing. Reporting this evening says Bovino will be demoted and return to CA, soon to retire. Noem & Lewandowski, his supporters, are on thin ice.
Gov. Stitt mentioned in the article is also the chair of the National Governors Association. He’s a big believer in “disagree better” and bipartisanship. They are all on the Titanic together and very uncomfortable these days. The attorney representing the ICE agent that shot Good dropped out of the GOP primary for MN governor. In 2024 he represented a state trooper who shot a driver for fleeing the scene. Got the family’s case thrown out. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/31/federal-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-state-trooper-ryan-londregan-family-ricky-cobb-ii
Wow. I like your analogy of the Titanic & hope that if Homan does sense which way the winds are blowing that he can be a mitigating factor to the benefit of potential ICE victims in the meantime while awaiting a genuine course correction.
One doesn’t need to be a sensitive or academic to check the winds … just be able to step outside the Trumpian bubble. (Oh what a tangled webb we weave …) Thanks.
"What kind of monster watches a man murdered with at least 10 bullets, then applauds?" A severely mentally disturbed one. One who should never be carrying a deadly weapon. One who is a clear and present danger to all of us. Multiply that by 3,000 running rampant on the streets of Minneapolis and who knows how many more on the streets of America? Enough is enough.
Kudos to NBA! Baseball? Football? Soccer? etc? In the 30's it was hitler's goons, today is miller's goons & a person called prez & minions who have no desire to stop this. What WILL stop this is The Vote & assuring no tampering.
Why has it taken 2 horrendous shootings & kidnap of 5 yr old Liam to truly rise up? And No this is NOT an insurrection it is acting on our Constitutional rights to preserve Our Democracy. We must not let these 2 deaths be in vain & work to get Liam & his bunny hat home.
Steven, This is all divide and conquer 101, the mechanism to achieve the WEF's 2030 goals of looting and destroying the USA in a blaze of hatred against one another so that we will own nothing (they will steel it all) and be happy (or else), and the enlightenment will be disintegrated (no more Constitution to stand in their way). We cannot let them get away with this:
Ten Ways the 1% Are Manipulating You Right Now and Turning Us Against One Another, by Unknown
1) The first manipulation is the illusion of choice. You think you have two parties representing different visions for America but both parties are funded by the same billionaires, vote for the same surveillance bills, approve the same defense budgets, and serve the same corporate interests. The choice you are given is which color tie the puppet wears, not who controls the strings.
2) The second manipulation is emotional hijacking. The news does not inform you, it activates you. Every story is framed to trigger fear or anger or disgust because those emotions bypass your rational thinking and make you easier to control. You are not watching journalism. You are being subjected to psychological operations designed to keep you in a constant state of agitation.
3) The third manipulation is tribal sorting. The algorithm learns what makes you angry and feeds you more of it until your entire worldview is shaped by outrage at the other side. You are sorted into a tribe not because you chose it but because keeping you tribal keeps you predictable and profitable.
4) The fourth manipulation is false scarcity. You are told resources are limited and the other tribe is taking what belongs to you. Immigrants are stealing your jobs. Welfare recipients are draining your taxes. The other party is destroying your healthcare. Meanwhile the billionaire class has more wealth than any humans in history and could solve most of these problems tomorrow if they wanted to.
5) The fifth manipulation is memory holing. Stories that threaten powerful interests get buried or forgotten within days. Exposed crimes result in no consequences. Historical context that would help you understand the present is never taught. You are kept in a perpetual present with no past to learn from and no future to plan for.
6) The sixth manipulation is controlled opposition. The voices you think are fighting for you are often funded by the same interests they pretend to oppose. The outrage merchant on your side of the aisle is playing a character designed to keep you engaged and angry and tuned in while nothing ever actually changes.
7) The seventh manipulation is the Overton window. The range of acceptable opinion is artificially narrowed so that anything outside it seems extreme. Ideas that were mainstream fifty years ago are now treated as radical. Ideas that serve elite interests are treated as moderate common sense. You are not choosing your beliefs from the full range of human thought. You are choosing from a menu they wrote.
8) The eighth manipulation is learned helplessness. You are shown so many problems with no solutions that you eventually give up and accept that nothing can change. This is intentional. A population that believes resistance is futile does not resist. They scroll and complain and feel superior for understanding how bad things are while doing absolutely nothing about it.
9) The ninth manipulation is identity capture. Your political affiliation becomes your identity, and any attack on your party feels like an attack on you personally. This makes you defend politicians and policies that harm you because admitting they are wrong would mean admitting you were wrong, and your ego will not allow that.
10) The tenth manipulation is the most insidious of all: you are manipulated into believing you are too smart to be manipulated. Every person reading this thinks the manipulations I described apply to other people, the stupid people, the brainwashed people on the other side. That certainty is itself a manipulation. The moment you believe you are immune is the moment you become most vulnerable.
I have neither the money nor the tech chops to do it, but I want 30-second spots on national television interleaving newsreels of the SA and GESTAPO in action with present-day footage of this regime’s actors.
I applaud the NBA and can only implore other sports associations to follow suit. Fans can apply pressure with their social media and pocketbooks. And if you live in a solidly blue state, as I do, you can still urge your congressional representatives to apply persuasive pressure on their Republican colleagues to oppose further DHS funding and explore articles of impeachment. It would require only 16 Senators to stop this. As Heather Cox Richardson tearfully notes, that’s 16 people out of 300 million Americans. And only 23 to pursue articles of Impeachment. And as Stuart Stevens argues, State Attorneys General can prosecute the likes of Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem. Let’s keep the pressure up.
I also applaud the NBA for supporting the Constitution and denying additional funding for this group murdering Americans. Clearly, they are breaking the law and lying to citizens. Taxpayers should have their taxes returned. We are not paying people to kill our neighbors.
There are 100 Senators, the GOP has 53 votes & need 60 to pass the funding bill. I think enough Dems in the Senate say publicly they won’t vote for it despite the changes that got into the House bill. One NY Rep has apologized for his vote in the House after the ‘backlash’ from voters at home.
For sure it is the time for more public pressure - on Dems and the GOP. Any changes in the Senate & the bill must go back the House, which once again is out for recess.
This evening it looks like the WH has been busy trying to do some damage control. But it is not REFORM, enforceable reform. He made nice with Walz in a phone call and may do this or that and move people around. Homan is not an improvement. We’ll see what happens but it looks like the WH is scrambling. We need real reform with teeth & the GOP line is not to ‘punish’ national security (via DHS funding) over this.
Somewhat related - A lawyer for the immigration officer who shot and killed Renee Good dropped out of the Minnesota governor race Monday, … calling President Donald Trump’s immigration operation in the state an “unmitigated disaster.” — https://wreg.com/news/your-voice-your-vote/ap-politics/ap-minnesota-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-drops-out-citing-opposition-to-federal-retribution/
Depraved indifference to suffering, killing, death no longer covers it. This is bloodlust, this is vile. As a certain Presidential candidate said, this is *deplorable*.
Steven, at this point, I've started calling it what it is: domestic terrorists. Domestic terrorism. The Gestapo. All of them are soulless Goondas. They are the steven millers of the world. All you see when you look at them is the face of evil. At this point, if those who voted for this are shot, I won't mourn. I will not mourn if 2 of my cousins 3 kids who are in the military are killed serving abroad. They voted for this. It's horrible to say I won't mourn. My empathy and sympathy can only extend so far. I've worked with 2YOs-4th graders in various capacities. I typically have an excess of empathy and sympathy.
I understand, Lauren.
Steven, thank you.
Thank you, Steven. Your perceptions are 100% correct. I would urge EVERYONE to call their Senators right away to demand they do NOT vote for any appropriations bills that include funding for ICE, CBP, or DHS. The time is now, as the budget must be passed before 1/31. We need our elected representatives to show courage and resolve and stop this lawless terror from continuing.
Yes! Even if they do not respond, their staff tallies issues and whether constituents are pro or con.
Thank You Steven ..and every democrat has to go to Minnesota after they vote down the bill. they need to stand with the residents of Minneapolis ..If not all of them then the leaders of the democrat party . This will not stand .. They need to stand on the front line just like Good and Pretti did. lost in america
yes, they should show their solidarity.
Thank You !
The snapshot of Monsters is a daily barrage. We get…
"Fuckin' bitch."
ICE AGENT AFTER RENEE GOOD WAS SHOT AND KILLED TWO WEEKS AGO
Then this..
"Boo hoo."
FEDERAL AGENT AFTER ALEX PRETTI WAS SHOT AND KILLED TODAY
Not just the “clapping” from a CBP member
AFTER ALEX PRETTI WAS SHOT AND KILLED TODAY
It’s also the from the highest official in our government after an automobile worker in a Ford plant yells out “Pedophile Protector” and in response the creature that holds the office of POTUS yells back
“Fuck You Fuck You”
FLIPPING OFF THE AUTOWORKER AND ALL IN THIS COUNTRY
It’s this nagging thought.. there are other Monsters who actually are so delusional with thinking
“Don't worry. - As long as you aren't LGBTQ or Black or Hispanic or Jewish or Muslim or Arab or Asian or Atheist or disabled or female or poor whatever as determined as ‘those people’ are going to be just fine.”
It’s to imagine being a German person in the 1930's and saying "I don't hate Jews and I have nothing against them and I am a nice person. But I believe Hitler is doing great things for (FILL IN THE BLANK) even though I don't condone everything he says, he still has my support and vote"
— That is what every Republican member of Congress and Right-wing Media like Fox Network sounds like who still supports this, Trump and this entire thread of policy, behavior, and actions.
Also, the murder of Alex Pretti reveals a dark truth about the administration's view of gun rights: they are not universal.
They are reserved for the
"right" kind of people. If you are a MAGA supporter, your gun is a symbol of freedom. it you are a protester in Minneapolis, your gun is proof of terrorism.
The "right to bear arms" has been replaced by-the
"privilege to bear arms," contingent on political alignment. This is the
hallmark of a militia state, not a constitutional republic.
Monsters, yes these all are Monsters — a Depraved indifference to suffering, killing, death no longer covers it. This is bloodlust, this is vile. As two certain Presidential candidates have said. One back in 2015 as a warning this he is *deplorable* and another said using terms such as *fascist* a *tyrant* and *unstable* in 2024.
One more: shortly after Pretti was shot, in a nearby scrum involving pepper-spraying the crowd etc, one of the goons is captured on camera saying: "Cool! It's like 'Call of Duty!'" These guys, before they were recruited to Noem's paramilitary force, were in the basement playing video games.
SMH… am beyond disgusted, angry, heartbroken, furious, just WTF!!! Every day.. stay safe and healthy going to go for a fu^king walk in the bitter cold and snow with the dog… Jesus
MAGA must feel a little confused these days. The NRA, Gun Owners of America and so forth have been roasting federal officials. (BTW, I have a little trouble picturing Bessent at a protest, let alone carrying a “billboard.” He’s not even a good liar.)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/01/25/alex-pretti-minneapolis-shooting-gun-rights-border-patrol-ice/88348880007/
Thank you Steven for keeping your subscription affordable for people like me. 77 years old living on a limited pension and social security. I still work part time to make ends meet and recovering from a kidney transplant.
Thank you kindly for your support.
It’s all offensive and reprehensible
It is telling that this cosplaying monster, Bovino, chooses to display his face in the photograph you've posted while his armed, psychopathic minions around him are all masked. What an evil little buffoon. We have no choice but to hold him and his ilk to account for their depravity if we are ever to regain the notion of being a nation that is governed by law.
Allow me to restate the case for all Democratic Governors to gather in Minneapolis beside Governor Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey to present a show of unity in order to call out the fascists and to lead us in the righteous cause of resistance.
If the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti turns out to be a turning point, and I hope it will, it will almost certainly be because Renee Good and Alex Pretti were white. Upstanding citizens, and white.
I agree. If you remember when George Floyd was murdered by a police officer, there were many white people who didn’t think it was a “big deal”. They dehumanized him because he was black. That is true evil, and that’s what is driving these murders in Minneapolis, evil. I’m a white woman who has witnessed too many murders by white people of those who are not like themselves. Until millions of whites stand up and fight the “otherism” we will never have equality. Now that white people are being killed, many of us didn’t understand how black and brown people felt when one of their own was murdered.
Let us hope that Alex Pretti’s demise precipitates the demise of this
🦎 repulsive regressive reptilian Trump admin! 🐍
CNN : https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/26/politics/republican-concerns-trump-immigration-minnesota?cid=ios_app
Now it’s not just ‘the usual’ GOP questioning the Trump admin approach to immigration etc.
— between Davos & Minneapolis may this ugly behemoth fall !! 💥
He and the GOP are very worried about Dems punishing national security by stopping the funding package. As though it hasn’t been damaged by this administration.
At any rate, according to news this evening the chairs on the upper deck of the Titanic may be shuffled a little. Homan to MN. His sudden credibility is based on his calm statement after the shooting that there should be a thorough investigation. He is the guy who not so long ago was being peppered with questions about that $50K in a brown paper bag. Perhaps he knew which way the winds were blowing. Reporting this evening says Bovino will be demoted and return to CA, soon to retire. Noem & Lewandowski, his supporters, are on thin ice.
Gov. Stitt mentioned in the article is also the chair of the National Governors Association. He’s a big believer in “disagree better” and bipartisanship. They are all on the Titanic together and very uncomfortable these days. The attorney representing the ICE agent that shot Good dropped out of the GOP primary for MN governor. In 2024 he represented a state trooper who shot a driver for fleeing the scene. Got the family’s case thrown out. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/31/federal-judge-dismisses-lawsuit-state-trooper-ryan-londregan-family-ricky-cobb-ii
This guy now criticizes the current policies on immigration enforcement. Maybe he just sees the handwriting on the wall. — https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/republican-quits-minnesota-governor-race-after-deadly-immigration-shootings-president-donald-trump-immigration-policies-alex-pretti-shooting-10890142
Wow. I like your analogy of the Titanic & hope that if Homan does sense which way the winds are blowing that he can be a mitigating factor to the benefit of potential ICE victims in the meantime while awaiting a genuine course correction.
One doesn’t need to be a sensitive or academic to check the winds … just be able to step outside the Trumpian bubble. (Oh what a tangled webb we weave …) Thanks.
Thank you Steven, as always.
I hope it's ok to share a piece that I wrote yesterday, in memory of Alex Pretti:
https://jill699.substack.com/p/shooting-a-dog
"What kind of monster watches a man murdered with at least 10 bullets, then applauds?" A severely mentally disturbed one. One who should never be carrying a deadly weapon. One who is a clear and present danger to all of us. Multiply that by 3,000 running rampant on the streets of Minneapolis and who knows how many more on the streets of America? Enough is enough.
And figures there is no accountability for anything they do.
Kudos to NBA! Baseball? Football? Soccer? etc? In the 30's it was hitler's goons, today is miller's goons & a person called prez & minions who have no desire to stop this. What WILL stop this is The Vote & assuring no tampering.
Why has it taken 2 horrendous shootings & kidnap of 5 yr old Liam to truly rise up? And No this is NOT an insurrection it is acting on our Constitutional rights to preserve Our Democracy. We must not let these 2 deaths be in vain & work to get Liam & his bunny hat home.
Steven, This is all divide and conquer 101, the mechanism to achieve the WEF's 2030 goals of looting and destroying the USA in a blaze of hatred against one another so that we will own nothing (they will steel it all) and be happy (or else), and the enlightenment will be disintegrated (no more Constitution to stand in their way). We cannot let them get away with this:
Ten Ways the 1% Are Manipulating You Right Now and Turning Us Against One Another, by Unknown
1) The first manipulation is the illusion of choice. You think you have two parties representing different visions for America but both parties are funded by the same billionaires, vote for the same surveillance bills, approve the same defense budgets, and serve the same corporate interests. The choice you are given is which color tie the puppet wears, not who controls the strings.
2) The second manipulation is emotional hijacking. The news does not inform you, it activates you. Every story is framed to trigger fear or anger or disgust because those emotions bypass your rational thinking and make you easier to control. You are not watching journalism. You are being subjected to psychological operations designed to keep you in a constant state of agitation.
3) The third manipulation is tribal sorting. The algorithm learns what makes you angry and feeds you more of it until your entire worldview is shaped by outrage at the other side. You are sorted into a tribe not because you chose it but because keeping you tribal keeps you predictable and profitable.
4) The fourth manipulation is false scarcity. You are told resources are limited and the other tribe is taking what belongs to you. Immigrants are stealing your jobs. Welfare recipients are draining your taxes. The other party is destroying your healthcare. Meanwhile the billionaire class has more wealth than any humans in history and could solve most of these problems tomorrow if they wanted to.
5) The fifth manipulation is memory holing. Stories that threaten powerful interests get buried or forgotten within days. Exposed crimes result in no consequences. Historical context that would help you understand the present is never taught. You are kept in a perpetual present with no past to learn from and no future to plan for.
6) The sixth manipulation is controlled opposition. The voices you think are fighting for you are often funded by the same interests they pretend to oppose. The outrage merchant on your side of the aisle is playing a character designed to keep you engaged and angry and tuned in while nothing ever actually changes.
7) The seventh manipulation is the Overton window. The range of acceptable opinion is artificially narrowed so that anything outside it seems extreme. Ideas that were mainstream fifty years ago are now treated as radical. Ideas that serve elite interests are treated as moderate common sense. You are not choosing your beliefs from the full range of human thought. You are choosing from a menu they wrote.
8) The eighth manipulation is learned helplessness. You are shown so many problems with no solutions that you eventually give up and accept that nothing can change. This is intentional. A population that believes resistance is futile does not resist. They scroll and complain and feel superior for understanding how bad things are while doing absolutely nothing about it.
9) The ninth manipulation is identity capture. Your political affiliation becomes your identity, and any attack on your party feels like an attack on you personally. This makes you defend politicians and policies that harm you because admitting they are wrong would mean admitting you were wrong, and your ego will not allow that.
10) The tenth manipulation is the most insidious of all: you are manipulated into believing you are too smart to be manipulated. Every person reading this thinks the manipulations I described apply to other people, the stupid people, the brainwashed people on the other side. That certainty is itself a manipulation. The moment you believe you are immune is the moment you become most vulnerable.
This is complete crap.