Leaderboard

"Nazi" can be a 5-letter word...as in THE LYIN' KING. It can be a 6-letter word...as in "Miller". And it can be a 3-letter word...as in GOP.

The last company that I worked for employed many immigrants, mostly from Asia (China, India, Japan) but also from Europe (England, France, Germany, Scandinavia). During T-R-U-M-P 1.0 when DJT imposed his first travel ban (against primarily majority-Muslim countries), there was widespread consternation among coworkers in the USA on an H-1B visa -- even though most of them were not from travel-banned countries. During a business meeting, I felt compelled to apologize to my immigrant colleagues. I genuinely felt embarrassed by and ashamed of the lunatic president. One coworker, from China, expressed that he migrated to America because it was "The Land of Opportunity." He had particularly been impressed with and inspired by Barack Obama's "We are the change we seek" speech (Remember those good ol' days? Remember that dignity . . . that sanity?). After living in America, he was shocked and surprised by the degree of hostility and anger in America -- that many Americans were so unhappy and "so mad."

You're welcome, V., and I will try to abide by your suggestions here.. And I also appreciate the tolerance and patience you have shown so far, as moderator of this site. I only wish reddit and FB, for example, were also so... These days, my fav source of commentary and news, besides Commondreams.org, is Substack, not only for the many commenters, but also the seeming lack of moderation, which still seems to result in respectful and intelligent comment threads accompanying the posts. Whodu thought it, that maybe people can respectfully participate in social discussion, without the usual FB or reddit flaming and childish insults, etc.? Or it could be that the MAGA idiots just stay away from there, realizing they are just way too outnumbered and outgunned intellectually on Substack...

obviously. thank you Mac, i sincerely appreciate your contributions here. but as the only moderator i need to point out that your obsession with semantics is unproductive, and distracting to each subject they are injected in. There is a grand irony in that, although i know you wouldn't want to, if i needed someone to help as a moderator, you have the other skills necessary, but you'd be a buzz kill. also, as a reminder to everyone... there is a tendency in threads to veer into other topics i don't have the time to move posts around to more appropriate threads so, please this thread is about the nazi-like gestapo methods Americans are being subjected to PLEASE MODERATE YOURSELVES BY STAYING ON TOPIC and be as concise as possible the goal is to be a quick source of frank, organized, topic-based opinion that is hard to find via traditional sources

It's such a shame. The airwaves were covered with ads offering $50,000 hiring bonuses to come work for ICE. Bullies, thugs and criminals responded and were hired. They were poorly trained, then handed the authority to abuse American citizens without consequences.

I have zero doubt that many ICE goons are members of Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and pardoned J6rs, which is why they don't want their identities known and won't show their faces..

Tim Walz just said it perfectly. Everything that is happening is no longer political difference it’s a moral one. There is no possible way you can watch the many versions of these shootings and believe the protesters are at fault. How the protesters are keeping this peaceful and controlled is beyond me but they are! This is how we can help. FULL SCRIPT for calling your senators in one image. Call 202-224-3121. Ask to be connected to each of your two senators (two calls total). Read this or a version of it (feel free to riff). They’re voting THIS WEEK. I’ve shown what this looks like in a reel on my page (if you need more guidance). Thanks in advance — and if you want more actionable info without rage bait, follow this account 🙏🏻 #usa #news #politics My name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm a(n) [YOUR STATE] resident. I'm calling to urge you to filibuster the upcoming Homeland Security appropriations bill. I'm sick of watching lawful citizens and noncitizens being arrested at their jobs, assaulted at peaceful protests, pulled out of their vehicles, blinded by munitions, and getting shot and killed. Senators like you need to filibuster this bill so that ICE doesn't get another penny. It already has $18.75 billion for 2026 - it doesn't need another $10 billion. My fellow [YOUR STATE'S RESIDENTS] and I will be watching your vote - and we will remember, I promise. My name again is [YOUR NAME] and my contact info is [YOUR PHONE NUMBER AND/ OR EMAIL]. My zip code is [YOUR ZIP CODE]. Thanks for listening and please do the right thing.

he's not paying. We are paying the "worst of the worst"

the immediate lying by the Prez, Noem, Bondi, Miller and his other mobster, N@tzi gang members are off the charts. Congress needs to make it's long overdue move NOW!

if this image is real, you'll be seeing a lot of it. to clarify. It doesn't even matter if the gun was accessible to the victim. It's presence is only relevant if he was threatening the agents with it. and even if he did, again, the question is, why was he shot 4 time???

The Repubs have been out to eliminate public broadcasting for decades, finally got their wish... Gotta keep those peasants ignorant, and keep all media in the private sector, where it can be just as easily controlled and censored, in fact more so here in America, than by the government...

Overshadowed by the tragedy in Minneapolis and continued reporting on America's raid on Venezuela: the "death" of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. On January 5, the CPB board of directors voted to dissolve the 58-year-old nonprofit corporation. sic transit gloria Big BirdBoard vote dissolves defunded Corporation for Public Broadcasting The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 Do federal funding cuts spell the end for Big Bird and Cookie Monster? List of Public Broadcasting Systems Programs

The amount of people in this country trying to justify the murder of an innocent CIVILIAN is mind boggling. How have humans devolved into such mindless disgusting beings? The pro life crowd sure does love when actual living, breathing humans are killed. It’s almost as if “pro life” is short for “pro controlling a woman”. I’m ashamed of this country, I’m disgusted with people I’ve known my entire life being ok with this administration and everything they’re doing. We have a literal child rapist for a dictator and that’s not a hard no? I’m scared my children won’t have anything left in their future. What can we do? Tweeting and making tik toks isn’t doing anything. We need a modern day million man march in DC.

the current corrupt, criminal administration was built on lies about immigration, and too many Democrats bought into it as a kind of ethical compromise to win voters. The truth is, if me and my family felt trapped in a neighboring country, i might cross that imaginary line in the sand too (and so would you. except for Mac, of course (-;) here's the rest of the truth https://www.facebook.com/reel/1224380696326661

like Billie Eilish said, https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17tLwaHnhm/

I have little doubt of that. The corporate media were a big help to him in the last election cycle, and they wanted the Epstein files to remain buried, as far as exposing the guilty men. At the same time, the corporate media loves covering the uproar about the files, and the ratings it drives for them. The corporate media doesn't care at all about justice or helping justice be achieved, only about the public battles regarding justice.. As Lily Tomlin would say, you can never be cynical enough, when it comes to the corporate media or those with great power or money. Trust them only by their actions, not on their words..

new angle the Lyin King was not elected because he said he would expose the Epstein files he was elected precisely because he wouldn't by the rich, powerful, and guilty who put one of their own in power

did we think this criminal, lyin' regime was going to go quietly into election 2026 knowing how awful they're perceived and what a democratic House and Senate would mean? this 2020 Georgia election heist of ballots it's about manufacturing a case that our election system cannot be trusted and should be cancelled!

I agree. Maybe that's why the Matrix trilogy of movies were so popular, because they resonated with people on how the vast majority of us live in the Matrix, the first level, without even knowing it..

Sorry, Cap'n, but semantics are important - to me, anyway and obviously. Don't look now, but . . . It's vs ItsIt's is a contraction of it is, e.g., it's [it is] merely semantics. Its is a possessive adjective and means belonging to or relating to something that has already been mentioned, e.g., Its [the brain's] battery needs to be plugged into source. Meanwhlie Back at Die FrontRe veering off topic, henceforth I shall try to refrain from the committing the offense . . . or, at least, more delicately weave my tangential outbursts into the topic proper. Speakin' o' which . . . I understand the point that you're trying to make with the image of armed MAGA protesters. But my reaction to your point differs from your P.O.V. (and, I suspect, the P.O.V. of many nBP citizens). Because I am a gun-phobe and don't have a hard-on for the 2nd Amendment, concealed carry weapon (CCW) laws are repellent to me. IMO, they make communities less safe and more dangerous. So I actually agree with your photo caption. If you're going to put yourself in a volatile, potentially violent melee attended by an armed Gestapo, maybe in that case . . . Don't carry a gun.

I agree with recharging your brain and the need for it. And I do practice the solitude and quiet thing, as a way to calm down and recharge. But I've never really gotten into meditation, since it bores me and makes me sleepy. So instead, I just read and listen to music while I do it, as that seems to do the trick for me, same as meditation does for most folks. Whatever works for the individual, is all that matters... As for the Nov. 11th exchange between you and mac, I concur that he's a cool guy, even tho he would probably never admit to it or accept the compliment, lol... He's a loveable curmudgeon, same as me, I suppose... I can just hear him retorting back, " I don't have to take that from you!...."....

BD, I totally agree with you about Bernie Sanders. He lacked the courage of his convictions to quit the Democratic Party and run as an independent, third-party candidate. "He doesn’t like to be pushed into more progressive action than he is willing to adhere to." -- Ralph Nader Speaking of Nader (whom I voted for in 2000), earlier this month on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour, the subject of third parties was discussed . . . and dismissed by guest Sam Rosenthal, political director of Roots Action. "I personally would love to see the rise of more parties,' Rosenthal said, "But as it currently stands in this country, I don't think that this is likely to happen over the next 10 years, maybe longer than that." Ralph (too) good-naturedly responded, "I've heard this Now is Not the Time argument for 50 years, Sam. You're a proud recipient of that legacy. Now is not the time in 1972. Now is not the time in 1978. Now is not the time in 2004." Like Ralph, I am tired of hearing "Now is not the time" and "The stakes are too high" (to support a third party). Unless and until the Democratic party becomes more Progressive (more Left, more Liberal), its candidates will never get my vote. If a future ballot choice for President was between a corporate, centrist Democrat and The Devil himself -- and the final, deciding vote was mine (a wet dream that makes me giddy and tingle all over) . . . Break open a bag of Kraft Jet-Puffeds, grab the roasting sticks, and gather 'round the campfire -- because we all gon' be toastin' marshmallows in Hell with Ol' Nick, y'all.

I understand. I have always tried to fight the good fight, refusing to settle for corporate Dems as leaders, whenever possible, and protesting against our country's constant move to the right since the 1970s, but to no avail. We lefties of conscience are just too outnumbered, outspent, and muted in the mass media... And also, our side has never had any lasting, viable political representation, and I'm including Bernie, since he never had the guts to start a viable third party when he was still young enough to do it, and had the name recognition and popularity to make it happen. But instead he played it safe and stayed in his comfortable role as the congressional gadfly, because he was also too afraid of being labelled as someone who caused the election of THE LYIN' KING, the way Nader was wrongly blamed for W. being appointed by the SC..

What is the "We" and "Us" jazz, Cap'n? If you feel "complicit in the rise of an American fuhrer," speak for yourself! My conscience is clear. I didn't vote for T-R-U-M-P. I didn't vote for Harris. I voted third-party (Green), i.e., I voted my principles and values. Last October you wrote "I like Green credentials, but I'd never consider a Green Party candidate in the current 2-Party System." So I get why you might feel "complicit" and responsible for the current American nightmare. BobDylan nailed it (as usual) last December when he expressed, "Why keep voting for the lesser evil, esp., in primary elections, instead of voting our hopes and true choices, so at least we are voting for something or someone we believe in or truly want? I have little respect for . . . voters who keep voting for lesser evil candidates and then turn around and gripe about how they don't get the . . . leaders they want." So when you rail against "We" and "Us" in your diatribes, Cap'n . . . In the words of Sam Goldwyn, "Include me out!"

Looks like the civil war is finally here, after most of us saw it coming for several years now, and esp. after THE LYIN' KING got back in power and started sending ICE to blue cities to terrorize and hurt people. As R.E.M. used to sing, " Welcome To The Occupation".. The Dems have sold us out, and were complicit in bringing us to this point, and they wouldn't even unite to shut off funding to DHS and ICE, even after Renee Good's murder and the continued ICE occupation of blue cities. They will not save us, and only revolt by the blue states, with their Dem governors being willing to send their Nat. Guard troops to fight ICE and THE LYIN' KING, along with the people rising up with their own guns, is going to stop the fascist regime. We should have had a blue state secession many years ago, and now we will have to have civil war, blue states against THE LYIN' KING and his red states, to stop this fascist clampdown. Won't be much longer, until even MS Now starts self censoring and not covering the civil war honestly and accurately. Will soon be like Putin's Russia, if we don't have a blue state revolt fighting back.. I dare THE LYIN' KING to keep sending ICE to Maine, since they have tons of armed citizens, who are independents or even lefty, that will not hesitate to shoot at ICE, if they try occupying their state and beating people up... As for the active duty military, they are going to back THE LYIN' KING, not fight for us. Only the blue state Nat. Guard troops might fight for our side. Our best bet is the citizens of blue states using their own guns and protecting themselves... Short of that or THE LYIN' KING dying of natural causes, I think we are cooked, as far as remaining a free country...

whether the N@zi word is used or not, America has failed in standing up to the Gestapo measures the current government has applied to fellow human beings. The murders by ICE agents in Minnesota are the inevitable result of our failure as citizens of the world to stand up against blatant discrimination and tyranny. WE HAVE BEEN COMPLICIT IN THE RISE OF AN AMERICAN FUHRER all of the signs were there. the n@zi salutes, his take of having "good genes" and using other phrases and concepts from Hitler's greatest hits. His ex-wife even claimed in during their divorce proceedings that he kept a book of Adolf's speeches in the bedroom. but here's where those on the left and in the media were most complicit... we CAVED on the immigration issue! it was an issue that continued to be unresolved AND SHOULD HAVE STAYED UNRESOLVED until the core issue of income inequality was properly addressed people are risking their lives to cross a line in the sand with their family because of the hardships on the other side of the line we CAVED believing if we let them employ their Gestapo measures on hispanic families perhaps we could win the next election with the Democrats, it's always about scoring points NEXT election more-so than doing what's right now and properly selling what's right to the public specifically 1. we could have applied pressure on businesses that hire illegals, rather than human beings 2. we could have spoken up loudly and forcefully every time a racist discriminatory word was spoken. How many times have we heard, "they're thugs, criminals, murderer's, rapists, gang members, drug dealers, and MENTALLY ILL? -- and said nothing. the stats show the opposite. They're less likely to commit crimes. The "mentally ill" part is the clincher in a pervasive presentation that amounts to Hitler's Greatest Hit of all -- THEY'RE INFERIOR now, that's happened. In Minnesota. White citizens are being beaten and killed by highly paid (by us), barely trained, masked, armed agents of the Fourth Reich!

Agreed, it's esp. futile to do those sorts of protests, when you're fighting fascists who have no conscience and, at least nowadays, a public that also has lost most or all of their conscience, compassion, empathy for others, and even their humanity. The protests of the 60s were probably more effective than they would be now, because back then, the public had more of a conscience, more capacity for outrage, more engagement in politics and hope for positive change. Nowadays, way too many people see politics as simply entertainment or background noise that really doesn't matter to them anymore.. In the 60s, most mass media was family-owned, more local and independent, as well as balanced between left and right, so the reporting was more fair and balanced. Also, the leaders were more people with consciences, who more often acted in good faith in dealing with conflicts and problems. Those days are long gone... Nowadays, the right makes heroes out of people who hurt others, like Kyle Rittenhouse, while the left mainly creates martyrs, out of people like Renee Good, who get killed or hurt. So guess which side most of the public sees as strong and worthy of admiration, rather than seen as weak and masochistic? Comes back to what you said about Patton, most people will go with admiring the person who kills their enemies, than who sacrifices for some abstract principle...

I think the two largest parts of why we are where we are now in America, are that about a third of Americans have simply given up on democracy and politics, and checked out of it completely. They've lost hope in our government ever doing anything that will materially improve their lives by regulating corporate greed and power, as well as any sort of wealth redistribution that will reduce inequality. So they are simply living day to day, trying to survive. The second part of it, is the consolidation of mass media and social media, to where almost all of it is owned and run by right wing oligarchs, who have an overwhelmingly outsized voice, compared to centrist or progressive media, so at least 40% of Americans are constantly bombarded with right wing propaganda thru these sources, while those people never hear any factual, honest reporting on the issues, much less any progressive viewpoints. This process has been going on for decades, beginning in the 1980s with Reagan and the end of the Fairness Doctrine, followed by all the media mergers in the decades after that. Meanwhile, the rest of the corporate media, that isn't outright right wing, such as MSNBC, provides its own echo chamber for those on the Dem side, giving us alternating news of false hope and comfort, about how THE LYIN' KING's policies are hurting his poll numbers, along with doom news about his latest actions. In both echo chambers, people are not seeing the same stories as the other side, and so THE LYIN' KING's base will always remain from 34-39%. As long as his base sees everything that happens thru the framing of an invasion by brown people, that are hurting their culture, lifestyle and living standards, nothing else will matter to his base.. Even the economic pain he is causing them, will not matter to his base, because they're consuming media that says the immigrants are to blame for his base's poverty, declining income, affordability struggles, etc.. anything but THE LYIN' KING's trade policies or his cuts to social programs. Even the cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, will be seen by his base as being caused by immigrants getting free health care they don't deserve, even tho that is all lies and propaganda...

no. well, actually, it does work pretty well on myself

So true! Liberals are fine with capitalism and maintaining the status quo of the economic and social hierarchy, so they can keep their privileged place in it. That's why they are all for environmental reform, identity politics and culture war stuff for queer folks, POC, civil liberties, and even an end to endless wars of choice, because none of that usually costs them anything personally, as far as their standard of living or personal comfort. I'll take a radical any day over the typical American liberal, as the latter group is what has paved the way for and given us THE LYIN' KING, twice, instead of Bernie, for example... Liberals are performative in their politics, radicals are serious and wanting to actually change things and be willing to personally sacrifice and risk themselves to make it happen..

It's this type of dialectical retort that keeps me coming back to nBP.

What a fanciful way to interpret what I wrote. Woo doggies! Well, I, for one, am keenly interested in knowing how that modus vivendi works out for you, Cap'n. Has it actually been successful? I tried separating from my ego once. I stopped because I live in a community property state and NO WAY was I letting my ego take half of everything I own! So right now ours is an "open relationship." We're free to see other people and other egos. The situation is not ideal. But, it works for us. Moving Right AlongAll this discussion about protest methods got me wondering What Would I Do If I Met The Prez? Were I to follow your playbook, Cap'n, I think that I would stomp my feet, huff and puff, wag my finger at him, and give him a piece of my mind (but only a small piece because, as Mae West said, too much of a good thing can be wonderful). If That Had No Effect . . .I'd muss up his hair, give him sooch a pinch . . . or better still a hit (ooOOooh, sooch a shot, sooch a zetz I'd give him!). Then I'd give him a melvin. I mean a really good one. If That Had No Effect . . .I'd have no choice but to go FULL V.3 on him. I'd point my finger at him, think bad thoughts, and wish him into The Cornfield. "You're a bad man! You're a very bad man!"

I hear you, mac. Offline and IRL, I'm not physically aggressive at all. But in person, if someone is not armed and there are plenty of witnesses, I will not back down from a verbal argument with someone who is 🍆>🐱ing with me and being an 🧻hole to me. Because if they decide to escalate it to a physical fight in front of plenty of witnesses, and are unarmed, I am going to let them take the first shot, and then fight back with everything I have, in self defense. And if I lose, I lose, but I will also press charges against them and go after them all I can to sue them for my injuries.. And so far, nobody has been willing to back up their mouth with that sort of physical aggression towards me, because after they've mouthed off enough to me for a couple minutes, I simply tell them I'm done putting up with their mouth, and if they aren't going to hit me, then I'm walking away, knowing I've won the verbal argument already.. In other words, I share your motto, of dying on my feet, before I will live on my knees, or bend my knee to bullies or assholes..

Much as I agree with the rest of your comment, mac, I wouldn't recommend inciting road rage with an obvious MAGA type, like your asteriked comment suggests, unless you have a firearm in your vehicle, and are prepared to use it in a shootout with said MAGA motorist. Because nowadays you just have to assume that everyone out on the roads and streets is armed and willing and ready to use said firearms in a road rage conflict..

Cap'n, you keep using "should" in your rebuttal, which, for me , makes your argument academic. Step outside your ivory tower and put on some sunglasses because the light that you are going toward is blinding you to How the World Really Is. What people should do is very different from what people do, will do, or want to do. All people should eat a "balanced diet" of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and chocolate chip cookies . . . okay, maybe not that last one. But do they? All people should drive with their hands at "ten and two," not "gun it" at a yellow light, and keep one car length for every 10 mph behind the car in front of them*. But do they? All people should "do unto others." But do they? Say you ". . . TOGETHER thing is the key. we can accomplish anything together . . . we have the power." Meanwhile on Red Planet MAGA, your polar opposite 3.V ("Come over to The Dark Side") is saying the same thing to RPM citizens. So the battle is a numbers game. Can more of "us" band together than more of "them" band together? Way I see it, We might have more pitchforks. But They own the pitchfork plants and have bigger, better, and heavier pitchforks. "What is it the thing that ordinary Americans can do to prevent authoritarianism?" "Americans have to be engaged"* Unless the car ahead of you has a "T-R-U-M-P 2028" bumper sticker. Then you zoom in 'n ride up on the driver's MAGA @$$ while flipping the bird and making faces at the mofo.

preventing the holocaust is consistent with the approach i outlined. Hitler committed crimes before those atrocities that should have been enforced and justice should have been served before he got out of hand. Indeed laws and justice need to be enforced physically, with weapons if need be. And when Hitler's country allowed the atrocities, the world should step in with force -- weapons if all else fails. this Prez committed crimes that should have already been brought to justice, force-ably if need be. But not by you or i with pitchforks. The system is in place. It's been abused and corrupted. Civility and integrity is still valued by a significant majority. a stronger argument would be, what were our alternatives to the Civil War? I'd have to think about that... ok... the answer is the same. Don't buy products made from slave labor. Don't socialize with slavers and have dinner served by slaves at someone's house. Work to pass laws. If laws aren't obeyed, perhaps offer to buy out slaves. If money doesn't work as a last resort, pull out the pitchforks. I'm not up for the unaliving, but i'll stick one in a slavers ass, and let them sit on it for a while.

I agree mac. You can't put any kind of cheating past the Repubs and their six traitors on the SC. And if they use fed troops and ICE goons to intimidate voters in blue states, as well as suppressing mail in ballots and purging voter rolls, etc.., they won't even need to declare martial law and cancel the elections. We can take nothing for granted in the new year.. I really do think it will come to civil war, from our side, not just theirs, if we are ever going to get rid of the THE LYIN' KING regime. And as far as offensive violence, any violence from our side is already defensive, not offensive, as the murder in Minnesota made it clear that THE LYIN' KING has already declared an offensive war against our side. It's just that most people on our side haven't woke up to that fact yet... As for V.'s convo with Lindy, I agree that the Dem Party is not providing any real leaders or guidance to our side, as far as direct action thru strikes, boycotts, and blackouts, and without those things, instead of just one day protests, nothing will change. Those three economic actions I mentioned above, are what actually works, because it puts pressure on the corporations that fund both the Dems and Repubs, and so it indirectly does put pressure on the pols of both parties. In that system, the 💩 flows downhill, as they say, from the donors to the pols....

gentlemen, or, should i say, warriors your sentiments are understandable given the current pressures on our psyches. But Malcolm X was wrong. Violence as an offensive strategy is always wrong. He accomplished nothing but to feed into the stereotypes that fueled racism. MLK succeeded by inspired masses of people to protest, including non-blacks. Gandhi also proved that masses don't need clubs, knives, or guns in their hand. the "fight fire with fire" philosophy, which we need today, is one that utilizes all legal, non-violent methods to confront violence and illegality. We have, unfortunately, been subjected to the creep of immorality to the extent that good people like yourselves may now be open to unethical behavior as a counter measure. The creep started with this Prez getting away with breaking laws and moral standards in his first term, and treating both citizens and non-citizens inhumanely. The first key breakdown was those on the left, granted him permission to treat "illegals" inhumanely. in sociological terms this rogue leader has tapped into the "reptilian" part of the human brain often described as the "fight or flight" instinct in nature. We have evolved, should have evolved beyond that. In esoteric terms, it could be called a separation from source -- the energy we all share. Or, in some wise words of a light transmitter, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." practically speaking, morality can not be forced via immoral methods. For one thing, don't wager on ethical beings swinging a sword with more force and accuracy than the immoral. The immoral are better at violence, destruction, and intimidation -- without limitations of mercy or empathy. nay, brothers, we didn't go wrong by not fighting with them physically. we went wrong by not fighting with them intellectually and spiritually. And the tool at hand, that was not applied and enforced was LEGALITY. Yes, we're missing some laws, but enough were in place to nip their leader in the butt before the creep took hold his first term. We mistakenly trusted politicians on the left to do their jobs rather than just focus on keeping their jobs the next election because the other side was worse. so, NO. we don't have to be more like them. The separation, the survival of the fittest, the CREEP is about to spread into the world via the abandoning of the better part of America's examples and standards. It started with the incivility within Americas borders that we allowed. To reiterate and summarize. Justice is a legal matter. The strength that matters is not physical. It's in numbers. Not weapons. Re-align with what IS right, rather than THE right!

Thanks mac, you said it all, way better than I would, in replying to V.'s comment. We are in fascism already here in the US, even if the corporate media and the Dem Party won't use the F-word. Renee Good's murder officially sealed it, along with the coverup that began immediately afterwards and the clear picture that Jonathan Ross is going to completely get away with it, along with THE LYIN' KING and Noem.. And none of the progress of the sixties, such as civil rights, ending the Vietnam War, or the passing of the Great Society programs like Medicaid and Medicare, as well as the anti poverty programs, would have happened if we had only had MLK and peaceful protestors, etc.. Without the Panthers, the SDS and the Weathermen, waging radical civil war against the feds, the powers that be would never have made those concessions that I listed above, to the masses here. The sad thing is, as mac pointed out, that radicals of both types of movements, peaceful and violent, end up usually being either murdered, imprisoned or exiled by the state, rather than being rewarded, honored, or allowed to actually gain or hold power in the government.. So I stand by my point, we need more radicals like the Black Panthers, not less, and as long as they aren't committing violence against innocent people, who are not acting corruptly against the rights of the people, like shooting peaceful protestors or committing racist violence against minorities, I am fine with them fighting back for us.. Because the cops and the Dems sure as hell aren't going to fight for us or protect us against these fascists. The irony is that saying these kind of obvious truths would get me banned on reddit, a supposedly left-leaning site, yet owned by a right wing billionaire oligarch, so no surprise that reddit ends up being no more tolerant or open-minded about political dissension than Facebook. I hope that this site does better by us than those two have so far, under THE LYIN' KING rule... And as far as the Dem Party, what needs fixed is not their messaging, but their policies, esp. on economics, foreign policy, and civil liberties, where they are mainly Repub lite, as well as their actions, esp. when they are in power in DC. Like not delivering on much of their campaign promises. THE LYIN' KING and the Repubs can get away with doing that, because no one outside of their cult ever believes them anyway on their promises, but the Dems will always be held to a higher standard. Time to accept that and start earning the trust and loyalty of the voters, instead of running completely on how bad THE LYIN' KING is and "at least we aren't the Repubs"... All the Repub and MAGA voters care about, is THE LYIN' KING hurting and hating on the same people they hate, not him delivering on his campaign promises. Until he starts actually hurting them, they won't ever wake up or turn on him, much less start caring about the people they hate being hurt..

case closed

I think you're right. As Malcom X said long ago, " America respects violence, it was founded on violence. I think it's the only thing it respects". Whether you agree with that or not, it's clear that violence, or at least physical force, is the only thing that fascists like THE LYIN' KING and his supporters and cronies respect... And yes, I remember that couple, and it made me think it's not a bad idea for peaceful protestors to have a couple of armed guards or security people at their protests, at least if there are no cops on duty around them to be able to protect them against nuts like that couple..

He put himself in the way of it. The first nazi had no right to attempt to open her door, and nazi idiot murderer put himself in front of her car, on purpose. He knew he was going to fire his weapon. Watch the video, his hand is already reaching for his weapon as he’s putting himself in front of her. Frat boys with guns. Disappointed their dads so now they’re racist idiots with guns and absolutely no training. We need to mobilize something, anything to get someone to start doing the right thing.

i'm all for protest like the No Kings and Million marches but it's time for focused protests that demands specific actions (that few Americans would object to) for example 1. Prosecute the Epstein case starting with Pam Bondi breaking the law by withholding files 2. A fair state prosecution of the Minneapolis Murder 3. End the war on Venezuela (a quick election free from US interferance) for a start

Exactly, it's completely bull💩 and frustrating, when one side has to practice complete restraint, while the other is able to be completely lawless and restrained in its cruelty and brutality. They want civil war and are already waging it, on their side. Meanwhile, the Dems offer no real unified leadership with any actions that would ever be effective against the regime and its oligarch backers. Instead they wring their hands, lecture about morality, and make empty gestures.. And then wonder why most of the public has no real respect for them nor sees them as any real opposition party that can or will fight the Repubs and THE LYIN' KING.. The Dems just tell people to trust them, wait for the midterms, and have faith that the midterms will happen and be run fairly. Well, most people have given up hope on any of that happening or even being effective in stopping THE LYIN' KING and the Repubs. They want to hear about organized boycotts against his oligarch backers, and organized, targeted actions that will actually scare or force Repubs into abandoning THE LYIN' KING, and bring some relief sooner, rather than later, from the domestic terrorism of ICE, such as refusing to fund DHS, same with funding the Venezuala takeover... More Americans are going to start arming themselves, on our side, and preparing themselves to shoot it and defend themselves against ICE, rather than wait on our system causing ICE to back off and stop terrorizing people. Because we all know the cops are not going to protect us against them, or they would have started taking our side and standing up for us months ago... And for that, I blame our blue state governors for not drawing a line months ago and ordering the arrest of ICE goons that started going masked, badgeless and without names or numbers on their uniforms. This would have stopped or deterred this long ago, but those governors didn't want to risk that being seen as a provocation of civil war. Well, when even white citizens are no longer safe from being murdered by ICE, even if they are unarmed and not a threat, then what do we have left to lose or protect by not having our cops stand up to these 🍆s? Somebody explain that to me....

The Repub Party these days, not just THE LYIN' KING, are utterly shameless, and they also usually suffer no consequences for their behavior, so of course as long as that continues, the general public will also mostly choose to go in that same direction, as far as behavior. The same applies to the ultra rich and corporations, also shameless, and rarely suffering consequences for their behavior and actions. More shaming and more equal justice and fair equal treatment under the law, is the only way any of this changes. Even elections will not change the behavior of the Repubs in politics, I fear, as they have decided they can always just cheat their way to winning elections, no matter what the voters want, if elections are even held in the future... My fear of either civil war or permanent dictatorship, without any real future elections, gets worse every day... It's starting to look like civil war may be our only way out of this, but I know our side is never going to agree to wage one against the right wingers.. The other way to overthrow them is general strikes, but those also are never going to happen, because too many working age Americans have their healthcare tied to their jobs, and are living paycheck to paycheck, so boycotts against the worst corporations are probably our best bet for fighting back against our corrupt govt.. Attack their financial backers, and put the pressure on them that way...

This forum seems (to me) to be the most appropriate for the topic of shaming. In the December 28, 2025 broadcast of Philoso?hy Talk, the hosts and guest Philosophy Professor Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò debate shaming as an appropriate and effective tactic against the utterly shameless. Professor Táíwò is the author of How Can We Live Together? On the Philoso?hy Talk website, select the topic The Examined Year: 2025, then click the 16:04 mark on the progress bar. The duration of the debate is about 17 minutes, 33 seconds.

the U.S. Congress didn't know or approve. The oil industry was told before-hand. And Russia was apparently told so they could evacuate personnel. and another thing, why does our media use the term, NARCO-TERRORISM instead of alleged drug traffickers? And why aren't they calling our oil industry controlled government's actions PETRO-TERRORISM!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FnmDq6KQd/

I respect your stand of favoring animals over humans in the Darwinian scheme of things. I don't bet or gamble on things, but if I did, my money too, would be on the animal over the human, in any bare knuckles brawl...