We need encouragement and must share encouragement to stay bold and keep the pressure on.
We must not view his weakening reactions as a signal that we can relax.
Excerpt:
“Many among us may have feared that a Trump dictatorship is unstoppable, but Trump’s accelerating weakness is a clear sign that this regime will not last.
“And the more Republicans smell failure and refuse to go down with this increasingly unpopular president, the more they will find strength in numbers and refuse to silently tolerate his every foolish action.”
In tai kwon do, you use the opponent’s strikes, kicks and pushes to unbalance them and strike back. You use their energy against themselves. We must not risk overreach of our energies, lest we tumble. Use just enough. He’s dying, that much is clear. Let the regime come at us, I dare them. For we will use our collective energies to topple and record this part of our tattered story. We will rebuild the country when MAGA and all the acolytes have faded from the scene. And we will make it better than before. History is on our side.
Judo uses the opponent’s momentum against them too. We can counter this regime by not allowing them to spread their constant lies with truth. Eventually, the truth will win over the lies because the lies cannot be seen, but the truth can.
Unfortunately, Fox News does a bang up job of making the regime’s lies look like truth and reality. We’ve got to find a way to have an agreed upon truth, breaking through the MAGA echo chamber. It starts with listening.
Thank you... but my first reaction was "it doesn't matter if he is getting weaker.".. project 2025 federalists and heritage have what they want now ... the supreme court.. looks like whatever they do they are making the oligarchs stronger....let's hear what happens in the "supreme" (wrong descriptive word) court this week. I will stay strong this 79yo a hippie and a nonna/grandma
I spend some time wondering about "the feckless crowd." The group that has enabled the horrific damage trump has done to the country - a lot of which is irreversible. What place can they/do they deserve to hold in the post-trump era? Do they get to just keep on being Congress-people with no accountability? How far do Dems go with hearings, censures, calling them to account? Do Dems start working across the aisle with them like this past 10 years never happened? Can we pray their voters will get rid of them?
I don't think it's too early to start considering these questions.
We absolutely need to keep the pressure on. Informed people have warned that Trump and his billionaire allies are trying to push out the European effort to keep authoritarianism in check. They not only do not want a democratically governed American, but they are also supporting anti-democratic movements in Europe. The rise of fascism is serious and pervasive. We are not only fighting Trump, but we are up against an increasingly strong oligarchy. I believe that we have misplaced our ire and our efforts. Trump has his own executive branch ‘shadow docket’ and it is comprised of billionaires whose names we have probably never heard.
The Epstein files may provide a window into some of this and I am here for it, but I think we are in for some very hard times ahead as the monstrous fascist and far right movement reveals itself for what it really is…a collective of billionaires that are propping up this entire administration and infiltrating free governments worldwide. While we are shocked and dismayed by Trump’s words and actions, we are made less aware of the sinister nature of the undercurrent that links greed to power, and power to absolute power.
I’m not sure our “ire” or “efforts” have been misplaced. For one thing there are many targets. To arouse the public you need to hit on ones that resonate with them.
Then there is the Rockbridge Network with JD Vance as a co-founder. NYT, WaPo, NPR and others have reported on it for more than a year. The NY Post did. Although it does not mention that they consider themselves the ‘new aristocracy’ and look to combine populism with aristocracy for ‘good governance.’ 🤦♀️
One thing is true…you can’t get out of Trump’s way. He’s made sure he is in every headline; that every story is about him. My point is that he and his administration are the parts above water that drive the mainstream media narrative with headline-grabbing tidbits. There’s a deep undercurrent of corruption that involves autocrats and billionaires trying desperately to carve up territory and keep anything worth keeping for themselves on the material side. On the cultural side, their goal is to silence dissent and homogenize the public so that no sharp elbows obstruct the view of their preferred narrative.
Yes, the cultural side is the ‘white Christian nationalist’ agenda with the fingerprints of authoritarianism all over it. Below the waterline are many players there for as long as he lets them. I don’t think it is any secret that crypto, self-dealing & pay-to-play are deeply embedded in every facet of this administration. The Rockbridge Network wants to carry it forward as “aristopopulism” to avoid begin branded as an oligarchy.
— Ohio’s JD Vance is part of secret group pushing for an oligarchy to direct U.S. government —
The’ Introduction’ of the January 6 Report, a 592-page document, begins by saying “A loudspeaker in the Capitol crackled with a dire warning on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, as I sat at my desk in the Senate press gallery.” (The Introduction of this Report was written by Luke Broadwater). It goes on to say “External Security Threat,” as I scribbled in my notebook what I was hearing, “Stay away from external windows and doors.” And then it said ‘Seek Cover.” I jumped out of chair to peer out of the third-floor window and saw a horde of supporters of President Donald J. Trump swarming across the pristinely maintained Capitol grounds. They were kicking over bike racks and making their way to the doors of the building. I had covered large protests before, but this had taken a turn. There was something different, something darker in their eyes.”
He goes on to say, “Hundreds of rioters, believing Mr. Trump’s lie of a stolen election had started to storm the building. They were beating police officers, shattering windows and doors, and I would later learn that they were chanting “Hang Mike Pence” and a gallows had been constructed for this purpose.”
Luke Broadwater was an eyewitness to the insurrection - an act of treason created by one man – Mr. Donald Trump. “The U.S. Constitution defines treason narrowly in Article III, Section 3, as only two acts: “levying war against the U.S.“ or “adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort“. Conviction requires testimony from two witnesses to the same overt act, or a confession in open court, preventing its misuse for political reasons, with punishments including death or lengthy imprisonment. “ (Wikipedia)
Approximately 1600 of these individuals, many of whom were charged with Sedition, were convicted and sent to prison – except for Mr. Trump. Once re-elected, he pardoned 1500 of these insurrectionists.
A year after Mr. Trump’s second term, he is now accusing Mark Kelly of seditious behavior. Mark Kelly’s history “spans from a decorated U.S. Navy pilot and NASA astronaut to an Arizona Senator, known for his public service, space missions, and advocacy for gun safety after his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, survived a shooting. He flew combat missions in the Gulf War, commanded Space Shuttle missions, and later transitioned to politics, winning Senate seats in Arizona by focusing on issues like gun violence and veterans’ affairs, co-founding the nonprofit Giffords.” (Wikipedia) Mark Kelly is a national hero, just like John McCain and others who have served in the military.
Mr. Trump is a five-time draft dodger, who has no concept of “service” and has been quoted as saying that “those who died in service are losers and suckers.” Trump’s comment at Arlington National Cemetery was that it was a waste and could have made a wonderful golf course.
Perhaps most importantly, is the daily struggle between democracy and capitalism. Mr. Trump was raised in a wealthy environment and taught to prioritize money and self-satisfaction above all else. He has disregarded the laws of our nation, declared bankruptcy six times, been convicted of fraud and 34 felony counts, and been judicated and guilty of sexual assault. He is legally labeled a sexual predator – and the endless number of Epstein victims will most likely testify as to Trump’s participation and abuse. He has failed in over 60 businesses - closed due to mismanagement.
This is not a man qualified to be the President of the United States, but a man whose ostentatious, criminal, and vulgar behavior made him an easy snare for the Russian KGB. Now in 2025, the majority of Trump’s income comes from Russian sources. (Verified by Don Jr. and Eric Trump in www.vanityfair.com and in www.businessinsider.com.) According to Craig Unger, a NYT’s bestselling author – when asked about Trump’s relationship to Russia, the answer is simple – THEY OWN HIM.
His meretricious exploits are morally questionable and will soon surface and be exposed. He picked the wrong man to challenge, and Mark Kelly will not only defy Trump’s provocation but will expose Trump’s worthlessness.
Wow, Stephen! What an incredible first paragraph, enumerating nearly every one of the Orange Buffoon’s list of failures and lawlessness. Were it not for the punctuation, it could have been Proustian in its composition! My snarkiness aside, your catalog of outrages serves to remind all of us that this battle is far from over. Let all of us continue to resist, protest, demonstrate, and if possible, sue the bastard into irrelevance and exile.
My sincere hope is that the horrors of our current regime will lead to a complete rethinking of the ways in which we address what true freedom means and how we set about achieving it on an equitable basis for everyone. It would be a dreadful waste, once this regime collapses, if we merely paper over the cracks and carry on as before.
We have no choice but to stop the authoritarian tide that is being fueled by unenlightened, self-serving billionaires.
Thanks Steven: a great article Yes don't let all the bluster emulating out of the White House drag your spirits down. Keep up the protests and remember democracy is worth the fight. Remember you are listening to a old tired out shell of a man who is only carrying out the whims of the Heritage Foundation agenda 2025. A document to destroy democracy as you may have known it , A plan that will suit just the White Supremacists, Christian Nationalist. In the event of Trumps demise he will just be replace with another Project 2025 minion. Trump has been running the show by decree, Taking his losses to the Supreme Court , which is stacked against any rule of law. They want to rewrite the Constitution . Now some of the feckless GOP member of the house and senate are jumping ship. Collaborators all. Scan through the US National Security Document .. America's core national security interests shall be our focus. • Peace Through Strength – Strength is the best deterrent. America first. Is it really America first or the dictator first.??
They also have no use for SCOTUS. Maybe the Roberts court believes it can ride this out by capitulating with temporary unsigned decisions and get a more benign unitary president who suits them. I think they are in danger of working, or more accurately capitulating, themselves out of a job.
In “Renewing American Purpose” he pointed out SCOTUS has powers not in the Constitution. Then he points to its central weakness: inability to enforce its decisions:
— Think of Marbury v. Madison where Chief Justice John Marshall sided with the new president Thomas Jefferson (of a different party) by saying Secretary of State James Madison didn’t have to deliver Marbury’s commission after all. Why didn’t he just order Madison to deliver the commission? Because he was afraid Jefferson would order him not to and show the Supreme Court to be toothless. Marshall’s revenge was to articulate the beginnings of the Supreme Court’s authority of judicial review. But it was Jefferson who gave us a glimpse of the posture that prevents encroaching powers.
The Right needs to throw off the precedents and legal paradigms that have wrongly developed over the last two hundred years and to study carefully the words of the Constitution and how the Founders would have responded in modern situations to the encroachments of other branches. — https://americanmind.org/salvo/renewing-american-purpose/
And thus, more desperate and dangerous.
“All cruelty stems from weakness.” - Seneca
Always look forward to your work.
And this essay nearly says it all.
You are correct.
We need encouragement and must share encouragement to stay bold and keep the pressure on.
We must not view his weakening reactions as a signal that we can relax.
Excerpt:
“Many among us may have feared that a Trump dictatorship is unstoppable, but Trump’s accelerating weakness is a clear sign that this regime will not last.
“And the more Republicans smell failure and refuse to go down with this increasingly unpopular president, the more they will find strength in numbers and refuse to silently tolerate his every foolish action.”
We are together
💙🇺🇸💙
In tai kwon do, you use the opponent’s strikes, kicks and pushes to unbalance them and strike back. You use their energy against themselves. We must not risk overreach of our energies, lest we tumble. Use just enough. He’s dying, that much is clear. Let the regime come at us, I dare them. For we will use our collective energies to topple and record this part of our tattered story. We will rebuild the country when MAGA and all the acolytes have faded from the scene. And we will make it better than before. History is on our side.
Valuable note. Thanks, Robyn.
Judo uses the opponent’s momentum against them too. We can counter this regime by not allowing them to spread their constant lies with truth. Eventually, the truth will win over the lies because the lies cannot be seen, but the truth can.
Unfortunately, Fox News does a bang up job of making the regime’s lies look like truth and reality. We’ve got to find a way to have an agreed upon truth, breaking through the MAGA echo chamber. It starts with listening.
Thank you... but my first reaction was "it doesn't matter if he is getting weaker.".. project 2025 federalists and heritage have what they want now ... the supreme court.. looks like whatever they do they are making the oligarchs stronger....let's hear what happens in the "supreme" (wrong descriptive word) court this week. I will stay strong this 79yo a hippie and a nonna/grandma
Yes, the danger extends well beyond Trump, requiring our continuing pressure.
I spend some time wondering about "the feckless crowd." The group that has enabled the horrific damage trump has done to the country - a lot of which is irreversible. What place can they/do they deserve to hold in the post-trump era? Do they get to just keep on being Congress-people with no accountability? How far do Dems go with hearings, censures, calling them to account? Do Dems start working across the aisle with them like this past 10 years never happened? Can we pray their voters will get rid of them?
I don't think it's too early to start considering these questions.
Not too early to be thinking about the need for accountability.
We absolutely need to keep the pressure on. Informed people have warned that Trump and his billionaire allies are trying to push out the European effort to keep authoritarianism in check. They not only do not want a democratically governed American, but they are also supporting anti-democratic movements in Europe. The rise of fascism is serious and pervasive. We are not only fighting Trump, but we are up against an increasingly strong oligarchy. I believe that we have misplaced our ire and our efforts. Trump has his own executive branch ‘shadow docket’ and it is comprised of billionaires whose names we have probably never heard.
The Epstein files may provide a window into some of this and I am here for it, but I think we are in for some very hard times ahead as the monstrous fascist and far right movement reveals itself for what it really is…a collective of billionaires that are propping up this entire administration and infiltrating free governments worldwide. While we are shocked and dismayed by Trump’s words and actions, we are made less aware of the sinister nature of the undercurrent that links greed to power, and power to absolute power.
I’m not sure our “ire” or “efforts” have been misplaced. For one thing there are many targets. To arouse the public you need to hit on ones that resonate with them.
I think it was made quite clear how this would work when DJT met with major donors during the campaign and told them if they gave enough $$ they would get favorable treatment & a say in policies. He suggested $1Billion. Big Money saw big opportunities and are cashing in. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/09/trump-asks-oil-executives-campaign-finance-00157131
Then there is the Rockbridge Network with JD Vance as a co-founder. NYT, WaPo, NPR and others have reported on it for more than a year. The NY Post did. Although it does not mention that they consider themselves the ‘new aristocracy’ and look to combine populism with aristocracy for ‘good governance.’ 🤦♀️
https://nypost.com/2025/04/18/business/inside-political-vc-firm-rockbridge-and-how-its-united-gop-and-tech-united/
One thing is true…you can’t get out of Trump’s way. He’s made sure he is in every headline; that every story is about him. My point is that he and his administration are the parts above water that drive the mainstream media narrative with headline-grabbing tidbits. There’s a deep undercurrent of corruption that involves autocrats and billionaires trying desperately to carve up territory and keep anything worth keeping for themselves on the material side. On the cultural side, their goal is to silence dissent and homogenize the public so that no sharp elbows obstruct the view of their preferred narrative.
Yes, the cultural side is the ‘white Christian nationalist’ agenda with the fingerprints of authoritarianism all over it. Below the waterline are many players there for as long as he lets them. I don’t think it is any secret that crypto, self-dealing & pay-to-play are deeply embedded in every facet of this administration. The Rockbridge Network wants to carry it forward as “aristopopulism” to avoid begin branded as an oligarchy.
— Ohio’s JD Vance is part of secret group pushing for an oligarchy to direct U.S. government —
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2025/11/ohios-jd-vance-is-part-of-secret-group-pushing-for-an-oligarchy-to-direct-us-government-today-in-ohio.html
The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones….
The’ Introduction’ of the January 6 Report, a 592-page document, begins by saying “A loudspeaker in the Capitol crackled with a dire warning on the afternoon of January 6, 2021, as I sat at my desk in the Senate press gallery.” (The Introduction of this Report was written by Luke Broadwater). It goes on to say “External Security Threat,” as I scribbled in my notebook what I was hearing, “Stay away from external windows and doors.” And then it said ‘Seek Cover.” I jumped out of chair to peer out of the third-floor window and saw a horde of supporters of President Donald J. Trump swarming across the pristinely maintained Capitol grounds. They were kicking over bike racks and making their way to the doors of the building. I had covered large protests before, but this had taken a turn. There was something different, something darker in their eyes.”
He goes on to say, “Hundreds of rioters, believing Mr. Trump’s lie of a stolen election had started to storm the building. They were beating police officers, shattering windows and doors, and I would later learn that they were chanting “Hang Mike Pence” and a gallows had been constructed for this purpose.”
Luke Broadwater was an eyewitness to the insurrection - an act of treason created by one man – Mr. Donald Trump. “The U.S. Constitution defines treason narrowly in Article III, Section 3, as only two acts: “levying war against the U.S.“ or “adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort“. Conviction requires testimony from two witnesses to the same overt act, or a confession in open court, preventing its misuse for political reasons, with punishments including death or lengthy imprisonment. “ (Wikipedia)
Approximately 1600 of these individuals, many of whom were charged with Sedition, were convicted and sent to prison – except for Mr. Trump. Once re-elected, he pardoned 1500 of these insurrectionists.
A year after Mr. Trump’s second term, he is now accusing Mark Kelly of seditious behavior. Mark Kelly’s history “spans from a decorated U.S. Navy pilot and NASA astronaut to an Arizona Senator, known for his public service, space missions, and advocacy for gun safety after his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, survived a shooting. He flew combat missions in the Gulf War, commanded Space Shuttle missions, and later transitioned to politics, winning Senate seats in Arizona by focusing on issues like gun violence and veterans’ affairs, co-founding the nonprofit Giffords.” (Wikipedia) Mark Kelly is a national hero, just like John McCain and others who have served in the military.
Mr. Trump is a five-time draft dodger, who has no concept of “service” and has been quoted as saying that “those who died in service are losers and suckers.” Trump’s comment at Arlington National Cemetery was that it was a waste and could have made a wonderful golf course.
Perhaps most importantly, is the daily struggle between democracy and capitalism. Mr. Trump was raised in a wealthy environment and taught to prioritize money and self-satisfaction above all else. He has disregarded the laws of our nation, declared bankruptcy six times, been convicted of fraud and 34 felony counts, and been judicated and guilty of sexual assault. He is legally labeled a sexual predator – and the endless number of Epstein victims will most likely testify as to Trump’s participation and abuse. He has failed in over 60 businesses - closed due to mismanagement.
This is not a man qualified to be the President of the United States, but a man whose ostentatious, criminal, and vulgar behavior made him an easy snare for the Russian KGB. Now in 2025, the majority of Trump’s income comes from Russian sources. (Verified by Don Jr. and Eric Trump in www.vanityfair.com and in www.businessinsider.com.) According to Craig Unger, a NYT’s bestselling author – when asked about Trump’s relationship to Russia, the answer is simple – THEY OWN HIM.
His meretricious exploits are morally questionable and will soon surface and be exposed. He picked the wrong man to challenge, and Mark Kelly will not only defy Trump’s provocation but will expose Trump’s worthlessness.
Wow, Stephen! What an incredible first paragraph, enumerating nearly every one of the Orange Buffoon’s list of failures and lawlessness. Were it not for the punctuation, it could have been Proustian in its composition! My snarkiness aside, your catalog of outrages serves to remind all of us that this battle is far from over. Let all of us continue to resist, protest, demonstrate, and if possible, sue the bastard into irrelevance and exile.
Thx. Yup: Far from over.
Every mad beast becomes more dangerous when backed into a corner.
This beast is most dangerous as it has been certifiable from the start.
My sincere hope is that the horrors of our current regime will lead to a complete rethinking of the ways in which we address what true freedom means and how we set about achieving it on an equitable basis for everyone. It would be a dreadful waste, once this regime collapses, if we merely paper over the cracks and carry on as before.
We have no choice but to stop the authoritarian tide that is being fueled by unenlightened, self-serving billionaires.
Unfortunately, if he does not live out his term, we get Vance-that snake-in-the-grass, toady,treacherous,opportunistic,lying,menace.
True.
That may scare me even more !
Thanks Steven: a great article Yes don't let all the bluster emulating out of the White House drag your spirits down. Keep up the protests and remember democracy is worth the fight. Remember you are listening to a old tired out shell of a man who is only carrying out the whims of the Heritage Foundation agenda 2025. A document to destroy democracy as you may have known it , A plan that will suit just the White Supremacists, Christian Nationalist. In the event of Trumps demise he will just be replace with another Project 2025 minion. Trump has been running the show by decree, Taking his losses to the Supreme Court , which is stacked against any rule of law. They want to rewrite the Constitution . Now some of the feckless GOP member of the house and senate are jumping ship. Collaborators all. Scan through the US National Security Document .. America's core national security interests shall be our focus. • Peace Through Strength – Strength is the best deterrent. America first. Is it really America first or the dictator first.??
Thanks, Al!
They also have no use for SCOTUS. Maybe the Roberts court believes it can ride this out by capitulating with temporary unsigned decisions and get a more benign unitary president who suits them. I think they are in danger of working, or more accurately capitulating, themselves out of a job.
In “Renewing American Purpose” he pointed out SCOTUS has powers not in the Constitution. Then he points to its central weakness: inability to enforce its decisions:
— Think of Marbury v. Madison where Chief Justice John Marshall sided with the new president Thomas Jefferson (of a different party) by saying Secretary of State James Madison didn’t have to deliver Marbury’s commission after all. Why didn’t he just order Madison to deliver the commission? Because he was afraid Jefferson would order him not to and show the Supreme Court to be toothless. Marshall’s revenge was to articulate the beginnings of the Supreme Court’s authority of judicial review. But it was Jefferson who gave us a glimpse of the posture that prevents encroaching powers.
The Right needs to throw off the precedents and legal paradigms that have wrongly developed over the last two hundred years and to study carefully the words of the Constitution and how the Founders would have responded in modern situations to the encroachments of other branches. — https://americanmind.org/salvo/renewing-american-purpose/
Thank you Ann Sharon . Just so much to digest.
Thank you ! You give me hope.
First thing I read this morning and boy did I need it! Thank you ! We won’t back down now, that’s for sure! ✊
Glad to hear, Joanne.
Thank you for the reminders. I’m getting so, so tired of the constant barrage of horribleness. I just want it to stop.