WideNine

Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe. Authoritarian: So what do authoritarians in the US believe? In surveys I found that American authoritarians, compared with non-authoritarians, are more likely to agree that our country should be governed by a strong leader who doesn’t have to bother with Congress or elections. They are more likely to support limiting the freedom of the press and agree that the media is the enemy of the people rather than a valuable independent institution. They are also more likely to think the president should have the power to limit the voice and vote of opposition parties, while believing that those who disagree with them are a threat to our country—a concerning trend as we head to the polls this year. Let me be clear: Our fellow Americans, including our authoritarian neighbors, are not the enemy. The enemies of democracy are self-interested men and women who exploit fear to secure and expand their power. Fear activates the reservoir of intolerance that resides across ideological and partisan divides. And it dupes some of us into demanding uniformity over diversity, denigrating our neighbors, and turning our back on the very motto inscribed on the Great Seal of our Republic in 1782: e pluribus unum. Democracy is fragile. As John Quincy Adams wrote in 1814, “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet, that did not commit suicide.” In November, we have a choice: freedom or fear. Ultranationalism: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/22/trump-nationalist-926745 Dictatorial Power: Trump's attacks on Independent Media, independent Inspector Generals, whistle blowers, and attempt to use executive order to censor Internet media. https://www.eff.org/press/releases/voter-advocacy-orgs-sue-trump-administration-executive-order-threatening-social-media https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/14/trump-absolute-power-conservative-backlash-186887 Forcible Supression of Opposition: "If there’s one word to describe the post-impeachment chapter of Donald Trump’s presidency, it’s purge. Just two days removed from his acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate, Trump retaliated against those he has determined were disloyal to him because they complied with legal subpoenas related to the House’s impeachment investigation. On Friday, Trump recalled Gordon Sondland, his ambassador to the European Union, and removed Amry Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman from his post on the National Security Council staff. Adding insult to injury, the commander in chief also ousted Vindman’s twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, an Army officer who also worked on the NSC staff who was not a part of the impeachment proceedings. The Friday night massacre could be just the opening act of Trump’s revenge quest. The Washington Post, citing unnamed administration officials, reports that Trump may also remove Michael Atkinson, the inspector general of the intelligence community, who shared the whistleblower report with Congress as required by law." Strong Regimentation of Society: Military leaders push back on Trump's calls for State Governors to take measures to "dominate" their streets or he would use the US military. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-generals-event-1.5599407 That covers it, but if folks are blind at this stage it is likely wasted effort trying to get them to see the danger. The good news is hopefully I won't have to worry about him screwing things up anymore than he already has after folks vote his fascist incompetent *** out of office in November.

You miss the point. Hitler was not a Fascist because of using the Socialism label, he was a Fascist because he fits the definition of Fascist from his actions. Fascism and Socialism are different things. Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe. Trump's actions often mirror Fascism, hence the anti-fascist "Anti fa" belief system which Trump often mischaracterizes as a terrorist organization unlike his reluctance to denounce far-right paramilitary groups which pose real risks to public safety. https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-race-and-ethnicity-archive-bdd3b6078e9efadcfcd0be4b65f2362e

It was dumb of a 17 year old kid to travel to a protest armed with an assault rifle. Like somehow the local trained authorities needed the assistance of armed noobs. I stand by that assessment and the predictable, lethal, and avoidable outcome. This is the very escalation problem folks are pointing out that Trump's irresponsible rhetoric leads to.

An incorrect definition created by linking a label to a political system. You could create a political party called the Freedom Party then take power and proceed to lock everyone who disagreed with you up. Would you then define "Freedom" as a practice of locking people up? Fascism Description Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/) is a form of far-right, authoritarian ultranationalism characterized by dictatorial power, forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy which came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe. so·cial·ism /ˈsōSHəˌlizəm/ noun a political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Trump never drained the swamp, that is just the campaign lie he used to sway votes. Swamp? He cozied up to the likes of that chinless wonder McConnell, and became buds with that spineless flopsicle Lindsey Graham, and dug deep in the muck to install William Barr as his DOJ leader... Barr a political fixer from the old Iran Contra days. He is perfectly at home with his fellow DC swamp creatures as long as it serves his self interests. How novel. He has always been a con man. Having grown up in NJ, I had a front row seat to the man's attention-seeking antics and brushes with the law. His scandals, messy divorces, and endless string of infidelities and lawsuits. His ties to money laundering, the Gotti family, his bankruptcies. Before he had his "The Apprentice" show that somehow annointed him Warren Buffet Christ in the eyes of the gullible (yes, it is a fact that Trump's base is largely comprised of the less educated). He was Don the Con and that has not changed. I only agree with one thing during his tenure. His hard stance with China, but he blew up a perfectly good trade agreement with other Asian nations that the Obama administration worked on just because it was not his. That agreement would have been kind of useful leverage in a trade war. We find ourselves as a nation reduced, alienated from our allies, sidelined and impotent, divided and struggling while other nations lead. He was not a transformative power for good, but I will credit him for being so heinous and unfit for office that he actually created a powerful coalition of moderate Dems and GOP members who can agree he needs to go.

You can either give a man a fish or teach them to fish for themselves. 4 years of "hoax" and "conspiracy" coming from Trump....or "Deep State"....the list is extensive. Just Google "Trump Tweet Conspiracy" and take your pick.

I do blame Trump - and the kid's mom. Rittenhouse was in the front row of a Trump rally, his mother received a standing ovation at another. This is the dystopian world which the Trump and his GOP enablers have fostered with his non-stop lying and pandering to the worst fears and prejudices of this nation. Putin has to be laughing his *** off. He is unfit for office.

2 blocks of trouble in a large city is not justification for usurping the rights that states have to address their own policing needs and certainly does not justify an overreach of sending in federal militia. Protection details around federal buildings to discourage vandalism is within their jurisdiction, unmarked DHS vans rounding up citizens and patrolling the streets, not-so-much. https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/20/us/portland-protester-navy-veteran-beaten/index.html Trump does not understand the mandate that leaders have towards taking the appropriate actions to deescalate conflict - rather, he irresponsibly pours gas on conflicts, leverages rifts between groups for his own gain, works to sow discord, and fosters wild conspiracy theories that resonate with idiot radical armed militias and take root in impressionable 17 year old children whose ding-bat mothers then drive to a protest armed with an assault rifle. What could possibly go wrong when you have a President that uses DHS as his personal militia, appeals to armed fascist militias, and armed impressionable kids. Violence escalates and people end up killed. This kid panicked and fired wildly into a crowd while falling to the the ground after getting into a confrontation and shooting another man. This is why states and cities should handle their own policing not free-lancing armed idiots. We have a President who is incapable of leading in a way that can bridge differences, find compromises, and peacefully move our country forward. It really is that simple, and we do need reform in our policing and that is not as simple as just somehow eradicating racism from the human psyche, but we can make progress with policies that reduce guns on our streets, provide more oversight and transparency in our policing, removal of "bad" cops, and true justice for those harmed by police excessive force. "What strikes me about the talking points is that they didn't call for calm among the public,” said Elizabeth Neumann, who served as DHS's assistant secretary for threat prevention and security policy in the Trump administration. “Even in the early hours after the incident, it was known private militias had self-deployed. …They seemed more interested in Rittenhouse's reputation than calling for calm and actual law and order.” Neumann, who left the Trump administration in April, recently endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president.

Having actually been to Portland during the alleged chaos I can tell you that folks get up go to work and it is business as usual and the city is not a smoldering leftist ruin. There is a 2 block radius where radical elements clashed about every night. Trump and some pretty irresponsible media morphed 1 dude throwing a burning trash can into a militant clash in Lebanon. Ridiculous. And only caused right-wing militia and anarchist groups to flock to Trump's thinly-veiled call to arms. He and those who propped up his regime are unfit for office.

Belichick went with a heavy run-oriented offense the last few years to try to save Brady's arm for the post season. It is inevitable at Brady's age that his arm will get gradually less effective as the season progresses. We have seen it in older QBs before - they tend to get noodle arm. The Bears defense was able to put a lot of pressure on him with just a 4-man rush so they can do a lot of things well defensively that other clubs cannot use. I do think Brady's move was childish and shows the level of self-centered ego he possesses, but we knew that before and have seen the pouting and tantrums. I am sure he did not like the fact that Belichick took his backup QB and played KC down to the wire this week too as it lent credence to the argument that Brady's success was rooted in the system and game plans that Belichick devises that tilts the field in the Patriots favor whether Brady is there or not. Of course Belichick will also exploit any avenue of gaining an edge even outside the rules, which Brady gladly went along with which will taint both their legacies.

Would be nice if the Bills had more time to prep for Chiefs, but I am sure with the extra time they have the coaches are already working on scouting and strategy for KC. McDermott is familiar with Reid and did notch a Bills win against him in 2017...granted the Chiefs are better now, but the Bills are too...our D ranking was bottom tier that year. Daboll was given the boot in KC and replaced by Reid so there may be some extra motivation there too. Got to get the W against the Titans first sans injuries or Covid.

And one sack fumble/int fugly play that the refs mysteriously overruled in KCs favor. The goat makes QBs like Mahomes look average.

I think what I *thunk before. Lock the debaters in sound proof Plexiglass fishbowls and the moderator controls the mics. Don't have to worry about Covid - I guess we would have to install decent HVAC and scrubber units if we feel they need air, and this way these idiot politicians can rant all they want, but the moderator can just hit the mute button and move on to the rebuttal. Forced compliance - they act like unruly children, treat them like unruly children. My other idea is negative rules reinforcement using electric shocks, but could see that killing our current batch of Presidential term hopefuls. Fully convinced this is why Trump wont do a follow-up virtual debate with Biden, because a virtual format will allow a moderator to shut his *** up and mute him when his allotted time to lie, rant, and froth at the mouth is up. Oh how I would love to have that power at my fingertips, just imagining... "Mr... Mr. Pres.... If you could just......Mr. President your time...... "F*** it" ... stab the mute button and take a minute to gloat as he rants in silence and casually move on to the next contestant.

Lost in all this is that McKenzie is nursing a pulled hammy. I think it almost has to be the more minor strain variety and not a sprain, but regardless those injuries remind you each time you go for full burst that they are there waiting to give out. Those take a lot of time to fully heal and he's that fast and not 100%....

Texans job...decent QB, just needs to jettison some of the aging roster and surround him with better talent. The Jets would be a tough sell. Poor Jets fans, we had the Marrone incident, but they had Belichick for 1 day as their head coach till he tendered his resignation on a napkin. https://gothamsn.com/how-a-napkin-16-years-ago-made-bill-belichick-the-most-hated-man-in-new-york-c1fa7b06e3ed

Jeez... so contact-tracing a defensive lineman who test positive the day after a game. So he was locked up with this guy, gang tackled that guy, was yelling in the grill of that guy.... 35 snaps worth....then jawing on the sideline with those guys.

So hopefully was not shedding the virus and heavy-breathing it onto our O-Line.

OK.... that sucks.

The late, late whistle on the play where Mahomes fumbled or threw an INT, but was supposedly whistled dead when he was in the grasp.... Had the goat screaming at the refs, and while he did that and did not challenge, KC quickly lined up and punted his options away. He did have a point, any way you look at those replays that was either a sack fumble or an INT if it got past the line.... The quality of officiating has gotten steadily worse under Rivera.

I was just wondering and found that it has been 8 games since Allen has had a real interception. Not expecting a lamp post kind of reaction - just musing. Happened week 15 last year against the Steelers with a deep pass over the middle to Beasley that floated on him. That is a pretty amazing run (and no, I will never count that travesty of officiating in our game against the Rams). By my admittedly rough unofficial count that would be about 234 passes without an INT - if the clock had not been reset with the Rams game. For a guy that makes me hear "Crazy Train" in my head when I watch him close out games, he really has worked on avoiding those INTs. Now I don't think he was ready to beat out the original record by Brady of 358 passes without an INT that Aaron Rogers recently broke (that dude has not been picked off since his week 4 game against the Bills last year), but it took those guys a long time to get to where they got and it looks promising for Allen. And yes, I will take the blame for jinxing us if Allen suddenly turns into a INT machine against Tennessee.

Get out plenty, maybe not lately without a mask... It is no secret that when pushed by strong women Trump freaks out and he has a fairly well documented Jurassic view of women although he considers those subservient to him to be more loyal then men. https://theweek.com/articles/655770/61-things-donald-trump-said-about-women Now, to be fair, I think that the far left platform does not make enough room for stay at home mothers who make that choice... Sometimes it is just that, a choice to focus on family over a career. That is the problem with narrow, polar views. I have spoken to a few stay at home dads in my time and most men just want to know how they pulled it off?

Well she is a former prosecutor so probably lacks the meekness we see from many women in the GOP circles. I had a tough German mom, so the strong woman thing does not bother me. I remember daring a principal at my school to go ahead and call my mom. A brief bout on the phone with her where I thought she was giving him the business and he put the phone down, turned to me and said, "she said to stick you in detention". No lie But there is a fine line for both men and women between assertive and combative. Just have to ask yourself if a dude said the same thing the same way would it bother me? Or on the other side of the spectrum you have the Governor of SD taking pictures and posting about her boots during session so.... http://dakotafreepress.com/2017/03/09/noem-gets-naked-on-committee-desk-during-midnight-health-care-hearing/

I think being just a Presidential candidate or former President would likely get you access to some serious medical care. Being a Senator is probably not so bad either, but used to be better when select members of the Federal government had their own private healthcare with 100% coverage and no deductibles. But provisions in the ACA removed that Federal exemption and forced them to use the same ACA exchanges as others and they have 28% of their healthcare premiums come out of their checks pre-tax - much like the rest of the working US population. But yeah, it is good to be king, or even the runner up.

Reports pretty much align to this. Trump received experimental treatments (treatments that are promising, but have not been approved yet via clinical trials/FDA). He has a small army of personal physicians and epidemiologists on standby that I am sure were not caught unprepared. My guess they were thinking it was inevitable that he would contract the virus with his loose adherence to protocols even with a staff of people trying to keep him safe and testing those around him. After receiving a cocktail of treatments no one in the world has access to he was allowed to go to his residence which has a world class staff of health professionals and emergency care that would likely rival most hospitals. If his pattern holds true he will downplay Covid-19 and not point out the medical care access that a sitting President has that none of us do as more folks march to the death toll. Because he will always double-down on the dumb - honestly, most politicians will rather than admit a mistake.