Swammerdami
Squadron Leader
... But many of us insisted that Trump-47 was going to be far worse than Trump-45. We were accused of irrational pessimism: U.S.'s famous checks and balances would save democracy. It's been less than a week since the Inauguration; do we know yet which side of this argument was correct?
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Here are just three of the things Trump has already done which are disappointing even for a pessimist like myself:
(1) ICE officials have detained U.S. citizens simply for resembling an ethnicity that the agent dislikes. Citizens who "look like foreigners" will start carrying their passports whenever leaving home.
(2) Trump has fired seventeen (17) Inspectors-general without even the 30-day advance notice and consultation with Congress mandated by federal law....
He's also fired all DoJ lawyers involved with prosecutions of Trump's crimes. And, presumably to help raise the trillions needed for tax cuts benefiting Musk et al, he seems ready for a general lay off of USG employees still on probation.
(3) ... In a very Orwellian twist ALL federal employees have been ordered to identify managers or other employees who continue to pursue DEI. ANY federal employee who does not report instances of "DEI" to the White House within ten days will suffer "adverse consequences."...
But one of the ugliest things Trump has done is to stop protecting Dr. Fauci and other "enemies." Fauci's worst sin was embracing masks as a Covid preventative rather than bleach injections. Trump incites his supporters to hate Fauci; umpteen thousands of the Trumpsuckers would be happy to kill for their Messiah. Why is Trump canceling protection for Trump, Bolton, et al? It makes no sense unless he is literally hoping they get murdered.
IIDB has at least 3 or 4 members who approve of Trumpism, but at this point hearing their opinions on Trump-47 will be more sad than amusing. I WILL ask @Derec specifically though. He seems to agree with Trump on almost all policy issues despite never voting for him. @Derec -- what do you think of Trump-47 so far?
I asked Derec, twice, using the @Derec function, what he thinks of Trump-47 so far. He was unwilling or unable to answer that, although he spent much effort trying to defend himself from the charge that he was a MAGA "fellow traveler." Althugh he quacks like a duck, walks like a duck and thinks like a duck, Derec's MAGA-like opposition to rules promoting equality for blacks and women applies ONLY to rules which infringe on Derec's entitlements as a privileged white male.
