On the Birthday (observed) of a Complicated Man

[Elixir]

When I lived in Texas in the early 70s, it was quite blue, as was Florida for a number of years. NC was a mix and so was SC. Georgia was fairly blue when we moved here, then it turned red and now it's purple, with two Democratic Senators and a Republican governor. Virginia was a mix too. NJ has had both Democratic and Republican governors too. Indiana is red, but it's largest city, Indianapolis is bright blue. The divide is more one of rural v. urban with a mix in the suburbs, so the idea that we can separate based on red and blue seems a bit irrational from my perspective. Sadly, a lot of younger people are becoming more conservative while older people are still split.

How quaint.
Today they’re ALL deep dark red OR ELSE.
Nuanced political affiliations are so last century.

 

[Politesse]

stand up and fight it, for god's sake!

I'm still standing. I'm not interested in fighting a losing battle alone though.

We're all a part of the system his regime is mining for wealth and power, it cannot function without our participation.

I suggest you send the IRS a note this year, letting them know you won't be contributing to Trump's effort to destroy the nation.
That would be my choice if I could persuade the rest of the country to go along with it.

If he cuts off all federal funding to my state? I will absolutely consider it and others will, too. I've never been offended by the general concept of taxation, but there's no reason to accept overt clientage to an empire that has nothing to hold over us but threat and bluster. Tax resistance is a valid organized dissent tactic that many American "heroes" have employed over the centuries. Part of Trump's own culture hero status comes from his unwillingness to pay (or disclose) his taxes, as you well kmow.

 

[Elixir]

stand up and fight it, for god's sake!

I'm still standing. I'm not interested in fighting a losing battle alone though.

We're all a part of the system his regime is mining for wealth and power, it cannot function without our participation.

I suggest you send the IRS a note this year, letting them know you won't be contributing to Trump's effort to destroy the nation.
That would be my choice if I could persuade the rest of the country to go along with it.

If he cuts off all federal funding to my state? I will absolutely consider it and others will, too. There's no reason to accept clientage to an empire that has nothing to hold over us but threat and bluster.

Unless “others” means “too many people to arrest or disappear” it will be a lot of blood spilled in futility. If it gets organized enough, I’ll gladly add my own blood to the “pool”, but make no mistake about it. Go in with your eyes open. At your age, I don’t think I would.

 

[Politesse]

stand up and fight it, for god's sake!

I'm still standing. I'm not interested in fighting a losing battle alone though.

We're all a part of the system his regime is mining for wealth and power, it cannot function without our participation.

I suggest you send the IRS a note this year, letting them know you won't be contributing to Trump's effort to destroy the nation.
That would be my choice if I could persuade the rest of the country to go along with it.

If he cuts off all federal funding to my state? I will absolutely consider it and others will, too. There's no reason to accept clientage to an empire that has nothing to hold over us but threat and bluster.

Unless “others” means “too many people to arrest or disappear” it will be a lot of blood spilled in futility. If it gets organized enough, I’ll gladly add my own blood to the “pool”, but make no mistake about it. Go in with your eyes open. At your age, I don’t think I would.

I'm aware. It's funny, you're saying that we're already at war, but warning me not to take any risks! I'm already in a vulnerable position with regard to arrest. I taught a room of forty about "gender theory" this very afternoon. On camera. I'm not hidden. I'm not safe. There's no point trying to be subtle now about my opposition to this regime. I am. I'm a John Adams, not a Patrick Henry - a working man, that is, not a true revolutionary - but now that the line has crossed me? Well, I'm not going anywhere. My life may not have been as long as yours, but I've spent as much as it in the closet as I care to.

 

[ZiprHead]

Not yet.

Yes, now.
Did you notice that he has given away Ukraine without even a whimper? He is destroying the US government and has already gotten inflation ramped up, to eviscerate the middle class that voted for him. Predictably, inflation is back and the apricot is blaming Biden. The MAGAts will go along with that fantasy like the mindless lemmings they are.
Next up? Purge the military of non-loyalists, then put it on the streets of Murka to make sure the libs are kept under control.

Beef prices have increased significantly around here.

 

[Politesse]

stand up and fight it, for god's sake!

I'm still standing. I'm not interested in fighting a losing battle alone though.

We're all a part of the system his regime is mining for wealth and power, it cannot function without our participation.

I suggest you send the IRS a note this year, letting them know you won't be contributing to Trump's effort to destroy the nation.
That would be my choice if I could persuade the rest of the country to go along with it.

If he cuts off all federal funding to my state? I will absolutely consider it and others will, too. There's no reason to accept clientage to an empire that has nothing to hold over us but threat and bluster.

Unless “others” means “too many people to arrest or disappear” it will be a lot of blood spilled in futility. If it gets organized enough, I’ll gladly add my own blood to the “pool”, but make no mistake about it. Go in with your eyes open. At your age, I don’t think I would.

We may be safe anwyay:

I.R.S. Is Said to Be Laying Off 6,000 Newer Hires

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Trump has surrendered to a hostile foreign power. We have not surrendered to Trump. Damn near everything he has done so far has been stopped, paused, stymied, or mitigated. He may be winning, but he has not yet won.

He keeps losing in court but the court has no power to actually enforce it's will. That lies with the executive and they appear to have surrendered without a shot.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

stand up and fight it, for god's sake!

I'm still standing. I'm not interested in fighting a losing battle alone though.

It's not even a battle that can be fought. To overthrow him from outside would be extremely bloody and probably worse than the current situation. Thus any action must come from either law enforcement or the military. As I am neither there's nothing to do.

 

[Politesse]

stand up and fight it, for god's sake!

I'm still standing. I'm not interested in fighting a losing battle alone though.

It's not even a battle that can be fought. To overthrow him from outside would be extremely bloody and probably worse than the current situation. Thus any action must come from either law enforcement or the military. As I am neither there's nothing to do.

Bullshit. We the people, not the White House: produce the economy, enact or reject policies, decide what companies rise or fall, choose whether to protect or report on our neighbors when unjust laws are made. They have no power if we refuse it give it to them. Who is "the government"? Not two untrained dipshits hiding behind a toddler and the Resolute Desk, the government is the people who make it run ftom day to day. Which is why they are culling our numbers, they're terrified of us, just as they should be. The power he has now, he has because some Americans are fascism-curious and most of the rest are honorless cowards. Which is a pretty serious problem. But it is not some natural law or inevitable fate. If this country falls to pseudo-theocratic fascism, blaming it on The Devil will change nothing, it will have been our fault and our choice from beginning to end.

 

[Elixir]

Bullshit. We the people, not the White House: produce the economy, enact or reject policies, decide what companies rise or fall, choose whether to protect or report on our neighbors when unjust laws are made.

We the people are not exactly known for acting in concert. Whatever 40% of the people want to do, 40% oppose it being done and 20% are too busy scratching their own ass to participate.

Which is a pretty serious problem. But it is not some natural law or inevitable fate. If this country falls to pseudo-theocratic fascism, blaming it on The Devil will change nothing, it will have been our fault and our choice from beginning to end.

Yup. Party on.
Seriously - if we do come out of this in a trajectory that could return us to some semblance of democracy, I believe we will have one, or no more than a handful of individuals to thank, whose unique placement and intrepid devotion will later become legend.
Maybe Trump's personal chef...

 

[bilby]

General strike.

If you don't have the numbers to make it work, you surely don't have the numbers for an armed rebellion.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Trump has surrendered to a hostile foreign power. We have not surrendered to Trump. Damn near everything he has done so far has been stopped, paused, stymied, or mitigated. He may be winning, but he has not yet won.

He keeps losing in court but the court has no power to actually enforce it's will. That lies with the executive and they appear to have surrendered without a shot.

^ This is what to watch for. As long as he captures the Justice Department he needn't worry about the courts or congress. Then it comes down to oath versus orders on an individual basis.

And before the Edit could even time out:
A federal judge on Tuesday gave the Trump administration less than two days to release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid, saying the administration had given no sign of complying with his nearly two-week-old court order to ease its funding freeze.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

stand up and fight it, for god's sake!

I'm still standing. I'm not interested in fighting a losing battle alone though.

We're all a part of the system his regime is mining for wealth and power, it cannot function without our participation.

I suggest you send the IRS a note this year, letting them know you won't be contributing to Trump's effort to destroy the nation.
That would be my choice if I could persuade the rest of the country to go along with it.

If he cuts off all federal funding to my state? I will absolutely consider it and others will, too. There's no reason to accept clientage to an empire that has nothing to hold over us but threat and bluster.

Unless “others” means “too many people to arrest or disappear” it will be a lot of blood spilled in futility. If it gets organized enough, I’ll gladly add my own blood to the “pool”, but make no mistake about it. Go in with your eyes open. At your age, I don’t think I would.

There are still too many MAGAs, it would be blood spilled in futility. Look at history, revolt against a government with widespread popular support either fails or produces something even worse. The only times it works are either against colonial powers (who can simply leave, they aren't going to be killed) or against very unpopular governments where the law enforcement refuses to fire on the people. (Look at Eastern Europe for some examples.)

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Trump has surrendered to a hostile foreign power. We have not surrendered to Trump. Damn near everything he has done so far has been stopped, paused, stymied, or mitigated. He may be winning, but he has not yet won.

He keeps losing in court but the court has no power to actually enforce it's will. That lies with the executive and they appear to have surrendered without a shot.

^ This is what to watch for. As long as he captures the Justice Department he needn't worry about the courts or congress. Then it comes down to oath versus orders on an individual basis.

And before the Edit could even time out:
A federal judge on Tuesday gave the Trump administration less than two days to release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid, saying the administration had given no sign of complying with his nearly two-week-old court order to ease its funding freeze.

Yeah. They have already said they don't care about the legality of their actions. This is only going to be stopped by a cop's bullet. Someone backed by law enforcement and doing their job, not a civilian. Or a counter-coup by the US military. It must come from within, not without, or the result will be either failure or a civil war that probably makes him not look so bad in comparison.

 

[TV and credit cards]

Trump has surrendered to a hostile foreign power. We have not surrendered to Trump. Damn near everything he has done so far has been stopped, paused, stymied, or mitigated. He may be winning, but he has not yet won.

He keeps losing in court but the court has no power to actually enforce it's will. That lies with the executive and they appear to have surrendered without a shot.

^ This is what to watch for. As long as he captures the Justice Department he needn't worry about the courts or congress. Then it comes down to oath versus orders on an individual basis.

And before the Edit could even time out:
A federal judge on Tuesday gave the Trump administration less than two days to release billions of dollars in U.S. foreign aid, saying the administration had given no sign of complying with his nearly two-week-old court order to ease its funding freeze.

Yeah. They have already said they don't care about the legality of their actions. This is only going to be stopped by a cop's bullet. Someone backed by law enforcement and doing their job, not a civilian. Or a counter-coup by the US military. It must come from within, not without, or the result will be either failure or a civil war that probably makes him not look so bad in comparison.

Maybe. I'm trying real hard these days to stay optimistic and not run down any rabbit holes. Unfortunately the only good outcome I see is Trump behaving himself.