Whatever else you read today

[malaise]

Read this

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220587299

[SheltieLover]

1. Kick

[Joinfortmill]

2. THIS IS A 'MUST READ'. We're in it, people.

[jmbar2]

3. Kick!

Excellent analysis - both scary and hopeful

[raccoon]

4. Kick. Thanks for posting.

[Blue Full Moon]

5. I have it bookmarked for reference

[Wild blueberry]

6. Thank you

Just read. Very important. Good context, valuable ideas for What We Do Now.
Thank you.

[peggysue2]

7. Governor Newsom is already ahead of the curve

California Governor Gavin Newsom, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Denmark's U.S. Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen signed an agreement today aimed at boosting collaboration on climate, technology and innovation.


https://www.newsweek.com/gavin-newsom-california-donald-trump-denmark-climate-troll-2117856

There are organizing plans going on involving our Democratic Governors and party officials to fight The Beast. Not much fanfare as of yet but the resistance is there. Newsom has already floated the idea of withholding tax monies from the Federal government to counter the defunding of California programs.

California is a huge economic engine, 4th largest economy in the world. If California were to hold back its revenue (much of which funds Red States and now Agent Orange's fascist takeover) it would leave a mark. Have other Blue States follow suit and Democrats have leverage.

The signing of this international agreement is an example of sidelining the Monarchy while protecting the economic viability and growth of California.

Then there's Illinois: Governor Pritzker is not going to lay down and be rolled over. He's declared his warning:

If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me--not time or political circumstance--from making sure you face justice under our constitutional rule of law.

Consolidating what power we still have is going to be crucial. I agree with this OP: Fascism is here but it's not locked in yet.

If turning this around means a soft succession, then so be it.

Have I mentioned recently that I'm really glad my husband and I got out of Tennessee?

[Ksout]

8. Mass selling and leasing of federal lands and resources

Financial newsletters are full of reports that the above is planned and are advising investing in associated industries that will benefit. They say it will wipe out the national debt. Supposedly this will be done by executive order. Thus, the federal government would have lots of resources. States and environmental bodies need to defend their space.

[Mr. Evil]

9. Thanx, Malaise,

for giving people a chance to read it today that most likely missed it last night.

[Escurumbele]

10. Fantastic post, and seems to be well researched. Thank you very much for posting. Please read it and pass around.

The one country he left out that, in my opinion, is Venezuela. One reason he is going after John Bolton is because Bolton, on his book dedicates Chapter 9 to Venezuela. We all know Bolton is a war hawk, and while he was in the administration he was lead to believe the USA was going to get rid of the Venezuelan regime, Bolton was ready, he had a plan, and was just waiting for the OK to execute it. But, in the book Bolton tells that Putin talked to trump, told him to leave Maduro alone because Maduro is "strong and intelligent", and that Guaido, who was the elected president, was weak, so trump told Bolton to leave Maduro alone because he was "strong and intelligent", and that Guaido was weak. Then later, the woman who was Mike Pence's right hand appeared on TV and told that trump was a great admirer of Maduro, that he wanted to be like him, but trump lied to the Latin community about wanting to bring Maduro down, and he did that twice, in 2016 and in 2024 during his campaigns.

He kept telling the Latin community that he was going to get Maduro and his gang out from office, but in reality he admires Maduro and is following their blueprint to the dot. If anyone cares to read about South American history, you will find that what Chavez and Maduro have done in Venezuela parallels to what is going on here. ICE is the "Colectivos" from Venezuela, they were given weapons by the government, they have committed crimes against the population by robbing them, raping women, killing, torturing, and the list goes on. We are not there yet, that we know of, but it will follow if the madness is not stopped.

And one point the author of the article makes is that in all dictatorships, ALL those who aid the dictator take power will eventually be persecuted, apprehended, tortured, killed, and some of them will be lucky enough to get away on time before they suffer the same fate, anyone of those republicans believing they are special, that they are safe, soon will find out they are just pawns whose usefulness will eventually run out and they too will be dismissed.

What a tragedy ignorance is.

[malaise]

14. All the RW dictators and mi,Italy junta and Latin America

and the Caribbean were US backed with complicity and often with involvement by other Western powers.

The sooner Americans wake up to the fact that their leaders and wealthiest men and women have never had a problem with undemocratic rule abroad as long as it benefits them, the better for the entire planet.

They are now doing to their own what they imposed on millions across this planet.

[BobTheSubgenius]

11. Very bleak assessment, but not much worse than I've predicted for quite a while.

The problem is, the :"not much worse," one could argue, is actually exponentially worse. Every bit of power consolidated under their banner is both a loss for the side of democracy and a win for fascism. I guess it still falls within the definition of "incremental," but it gets harder and harder to define that way.

[lark]

12. People are so damn blind, this is obvioius but being missed by almost everyone.

It's horrible and scary, but it's also reality.

[2na fisherman]

13. Blue State Money?

Good to know some are thinking about concrete plans to fight back. But if all the Blue States joined together to fight against federal monetary controls by moving to cryptocurrency or began using another nation's currency, the international status of the dollar would be crippled and this may have unintended consequences. There would be worldwide economic chaos and perhaps a global depression as market stability is shaken by the crashing of the dollar. So something this drastic may be required to defeat American Fascism. But our international enemies would not sit by idly when they see America in such a weakened condition by fighting against itself.

[Heidi]

15. Frantz Fanon had some insights on combatting colonialism

that are very much in sync with what we are facing in the US today. I don’t generally condone extreme measures, but it seems oppressors take power through extreme means and then get all surprised when the oppressed see no choice but to take back their power by the same means.

“Get this into your head: if violence were only a thing of the future, if exploitation and oppression never existed on earth, perhaps displays of nonviolence might relieve the conflict. But if the entire regime, even your nonviolent thoughts, is governed by a thousand-year-old oppression, your passiveness serves no other purpose but to put you on the side of the oppressors.”
Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth

[malaise]

16. Profound

That is a great book

Rec

[summer_in_TX]

17. Just ran across Chris Armitage's Substack, The Existential Republic, a week ago.

Impressive content.

I've saved and shared several of his posts already. This one was fascinating.

Deport Republicans: A Practical Guide

They want mass deportations? Give them economic deportation. Blue states subsidize red states to the tune of hundreds of billions annually. Time to end it.
[snip]
Start with federal tax resistance. Not individual but institutional. California's franchise tax board "accidentally" delays federal transfers. New York's banking system develops "technical difficulties" processing federal revenues. Illinois has "compatibility issues" with IRS systems. Make the federal government sue for every dollar.

Much more at the link.

[malaise]

18. Thanks

Rec