Bannon not cooperating. "Compel" him. If not, why not?

TFG's dad (Fred) was a arrested at a Klan rally in NYC (WaPo). He took us in the same direction

and brought the white, somehow aggrieved, maligned, ignored racists from their shadows. He is and always was, a racist, vile human. The apple did not fall far from the tree. The question is, as a country do we have the resolve to clearly and finally call it out and address the systemic hatred, racism or do we succumb to the hatred and vileness which is Cult 45? It has progressed since Charlottesville all the way to 1/6/2020 and a concerted effort to overthrow our government. It is now at a dangerous inflection point. Do we have the will in our institutions to return them to their shadows?

I witnessed in 2015 when graffiti swastikas and pro-45 crap started showing up on local playgrounds. Fucking playgrounds. I knew then, that Voldemort was back.

As of yet, I have heard crickets calling it out. It's like the "MSM" media is directed or afraid to not call out that which "shall be not be named" or openly addressed. Southern Poverty Law Center is who is tracking this, better than the FBI or any government institution in my estimation.

I welcome your "General Discussion" comments.

What's going on with the folks served subpoenas? Bannon still on the lam?

In the face of clear evidence of a coup, why in the world are we not indicting 45 and accomplices?

We are burning daylight folks. There is no turning back if those that plotted. financed and conducted this coup on Democracy are not charged. It's been over 9 months. Does DOJ have any interest? The 1/6 committee has issued subpoenas. In another six months, maybe there will be responses. Maybe. Then we're into mid-terms and Dems may be in for a rude surprise. Not wishing, just observing both nationally and in my neck of the woods.

Stop giving a twice-impeached, failure of a former President media coverage. MSM can't contain

themselves, can they? Too much revenue. It is disgusting that this sociopath, pathological liar, tax cheat and mob boss has not been run into exile. MSM and mis/dis-information (thanks Facebook and the dark web) are largely why we're here. And of course Vlad's buddies.

Is DOJ hamstrung? I'm not sure under Garland's leadership that accountability and prosecution

are priorities. I'm contrasting to the arrests ironically under the previous administration (Manafort, Stone, etc.) for crimes committed. And can we ever have an un-redacted Mueller report?? Perhaps DOJ is as divided as America.

Two words made a huge impact on where we are as a divided nation: "Fake News."

Millions no longer trust viable news sources and instead embrace what their peers recommend or looks attractive. This strategy is not unique, is modeled after other previous autocrats, and has proven to be quite effective. The message is so tried and true that other autocratic leaders across the globe have been copying the resurrection by the one that made it popular again in the greatest democracy in the world. Accusations, actual charges, counts of impeachment, sexual assault suits, Covid, were all hoaxes and "fake news." Masks and vaccinations make you "look weak" and are dismissed openly, while embraced secretly. Military service is for "losers and suckers". It's OK not to disclose or pay taxes as an "elected" official and it's fine and dandy to mock, abuse, ridicule and threaten anyone who doesn't agree with the autocratic cult. "Lock her up," "Lock them up" all fire the bellies of the red meat "base". It's even OK to say elections are "rigged" and the outcome must be fraudulent. Based on what? Nothing. It's the huckster, con-artist carnival barker that has the biggest megaphone and today the message is amplified in seconds around the world.

Two words resonate with millions and you don't have to offer evidence or prove a damn thing. So easy. So effective. No soul or humanity required. Putin must be thrilled and Roy Cohn would be very proud.

After 20 months or so of the pandemic, I am saddened to state the following:

As a nation, approximately half of us have just said "fuck it." They opposed virtually every approach to the pandemic that would have us in a very different place today. No masks, no contact tracing, no vaccinations, no nothin'. Democratic hoax.

A similar group was fine with everything TFG did because he was "fighting for us", which is just laughable but they believed it and still believe it. This includes 4 years of intentionally destructive and divisive actions by Executive Orders, appointments of supporters who were the antithesis of the agencies they ran (by design), Supreme Court appointments and as many right-wing judges as possible in an effort to make sure that equality and basic human rights causes are cudgeled back to the 1960's, preferably much further. 35 years of Limbaugh and countless others who followed the model made this divisive brainwashing happen.

They bought into climate change as a hoax, alternative facts (WTF?) and turned their heads while watching police violence inflicted on POC. Many of them are total racists. I knew a bunch growing up. I ended some friendships.

What brought me to the point where I seriously doubt we will ever turn this around is the total, constant attack mode by what's left of the GOP. A viscous cesspool of rabid deniers and destroyers, mostly the ones in suits but also the increasingly dangerous AR crowd. This has been evident once again with the rapid pullout of Afghanistan, a war we should never have embarked on, like Iraq. 100,000 successfully removed, but yesterday's tragedy (and I'm not minimizing the loss of life for our soldiers or the Afghani civilians) will be the Benghazi they will hang their hat on for the next 3 years. And now comes the hatred for the refugees by TFG's "base" stoked by Fox and the right-wing radio "hosts" that haven't died yet. Lady Liberty is beyond tears.

If anything, I hope the regular folks; the enlightened that just want to work toward a moral and just society, raise families safely, promote education, equality and "Make Lying Bad Again" see how grave this really is, speak up, call it out and vote. It is anti-democratic and very dangerous. We have lost the ability (as a nation, not "us&quot to share sacrifice (of any kind) for the common good, and the 24/7/365 propaganda rhetoric is a constant poison to our society. My depression-era parents and WWII vet father would be appalled.

Thanks for listening and sorry to be a Gloomy Gus. I have teenagers who just want the same things I've articulated, so I have that, which is a lot. I just wish their future looked a little (OK a lot) brighter. No offense to anyone named Gus.

The reins on hate have been unleashed. Moral compasses, if they existed, have been buried.

Bannon, Miller, Gaetz, Greene, the "Don's " family and millions of the Orange Emperor's adoring "base" are gearing up for violence. The numbers and un-restricted armament could easily overwhelm local law enforcement. Your opinion and thoughts matter. Please chip in and tell me that's not our future. Thanks

I am in a constant struggle with all the electronic crap and "upgrades" that do nothing to improve

my life. Having to buy new printers, phones, hard drives, cloud crap, "life-lock" identity theft protection, phone, internet cable "plans" and contracts? (WTF), passwords in unlimited quantity, spam on phone and internet (despite "no call" registration), etc., etc. It is accelerating and in concert with the other, not insignificant daily issues (mass shootings, rising domestic terrorism, ongoing systemic racism, voter suppression, militarization of police (thanks W for starting that with Iraq war surplus to PD's and returning vets trained to kill becoming cops; sorry personal disdain for the Bush/ Cheney cabal).
NONE of this is improving the quality of our existence. We have a fractured society that is now subject to the propaganda/ misinformation reaching the heavily armed and dis-enfranchised by virtue of the multi media platforms. We can't even agree to wear masks in the face of a global pandemic, let alone agree on the basics like spending on infrastructure, education and the environment. Pitiful. I want my black, 8 pound indestructible rotary phone back (well maybe a "princess" touchtone)..... All done for now.