Andy1

Yea, a win for democracy… Maybe Rs will start getting the message that voters do not want what they are selling.

It looks like he is going to challenge the authority of the court and ignore whatever order is decided upon. He probably figures, maybe correctly, that he will not be imprisoned for talking, so why bother complying with the court order. And the show goes on….

Corporatism is certainly thriving in America. From massive tax cuts, state tax deals to attract business, government bailouts, being considered “people” by the Supreme Court and the breaking of labor unions, corporations rule America.

I don’t label people fascists here, but in case anyone is wondering… Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy. The 14 characteristics are: Powerful and Continuing Nationalism Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc. Supremacy of the Military Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized. Rampant Sexism The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy. Controlled Mass Media Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common. Obsession with National Security Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses. Religion and Government are Intertwined Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions. Corporate Power is Protected The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite. Labor Power is Suppressed Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed . Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts. Obsession with Crime and Punishment Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders. Fraudulent Elections Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

There were so many unnecessary deaths. I knew one guy, strong Trump supporter, who died unnecessarily after refusing to get vaxed. He was in a very high risk population and sadly left behind wife and kids.

You’ll never get a response cause they have no idea what real communism is other than a label to put on people they disagree with.

A lot of ideology has become warped in the Trump era. Reagan would never get elected by the MAGA crowd. When I think of traditional family values, I think of how my father and grandfather lived their lives and loved this country.

I’m hoping he doesn’t come out of his hole!

Threats and name calling on a message board is just dumb. I think I got rid of a groundhog this morning. I too have been battling them this summer. At least I don’t have to think about bears.

The train has gone off the track…. Bizarre.

Great question. I would say it’s The Golden Rule - treat others as you would want them to treat you. I would also add supporting families in whatever shape or form they are, protecting the environment for our children’s children, and sacrificing our wants for the benefit of our children.

I agree, the public should hear whatever evidence Smith has. We will when these cases go to trial. The government does hold all the cards. That’s why legal experts all say you really don’t want to face federal charges. Trump didn’t care about the consequences, so now he faces the charges. The feds still need to convince a jury of their case. The amount of classified documents our country has is ridiculous. My local library does a better job tracking and retrieving late books than our government does with their classified docs. This is a good opportunity for bipartisan legislation to deal with this issue.

Lehnerd you raise some interesting points. As far as the leaked photos of the docs Trump had, I have no good answer. Was it illegal to release them? I’m no attorney so I have no clue on that. Maybe Bidens garage with the docs there should be shown too. The FBI announced the investigation of Hillary and never told the public about their investigation of Trump before the election. Who knows, that may have swung the election towards Trump. That wasn’t fair either but that’s how the world goes. I’ve long thought that political leaders on both sides need to turn down the temperature of political rhetoric. If Trumps language threatens witnesses or court members a limited gag order seems appropriate if that is within the norms of the justice system. At this point we just need to let the justice system do its job. I have faith in our justice system and eventually this will be resolved and both parties will move on to some sort of new post-Trump political world.

Trumps language is a threat. How dumb does one have to be to threaten a federal prosecutor? What would the court do to anyone else under indictment who threatened their prosecutor? Trump loves to threaten anyone who opposes him and he doesn’t care about the consequences for the other individual. I’m sure Trump would love one of his deranged MAGA minions to take violent action so I don’t think we can assume no lives endangered.

Trump is blathering like a senile old man who knows he is guilty, so the only option is to start thrashing about.

Imagine a Biden cult….that’s like the funniest thing I’ve heard today! He’s the complete opposite of a cult leader. Has anyone ever flown Biden flags or worn Biden hats? I’ve never seen them. Biden has never said “I alone can fix it …” How many republicans disagree with Trump and what happens to them. We all know the answer and that’s a sign it’s a cult.

We now have dozens and dozens of Trumpers, life long Republicans, who are on record testifying against Trump vs Republican politicians and media who will continue to push the false fantasies their supporters want to hear. I guess they are all still in the stage of denial at this point. Hopefully we see a trial before the election.

And the Republican Party will continue to support the guy who can deliver the endorphins of hate that only Trump can give to them.

The Trump trials will be filled with Republicans testifying against Trump and his illegal actions. The wheels of justice turn slowly but they are turning and his BS won’t fly in court.

Trump now has 78 criminal charges against him in 3 cases. Republican Party will still follow him over a cliff.

Trump, his aides and other Rs who conspired with his illegal schemes are in a world of legal s#@t. Jack Smith and state prosecutors are flipping people moving up the food chain. The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they are turning and Trump can’t stop it. Trump is running for President on the chance that he wins so he can pardon himself, or step down and have his VP pardon him.

Trump doesn’t care about anyone unless they are paying him money or doing his bidding. His feelings are proportional to what he gets from them. Relationships are transactions for him. He views the MAGA masses as fools he can milk for money and use to attain power.

Without Brady, the Patriot way ain’t so great.