Helena Claire

Successful autocrats know they need to keep the trains running on time so that the people see their governance as disciplined, orderly and in control.

This is the opposite.

Yes, absolutely. But don’t call it “retribution.” The purpose would be accountability and the restoration of justice. The Nuremberg trials were not “retribution” for Nazi atrocities.

State Terror, American Style Forget about “soft autocracy”

Important from Paul Krugman:

"As far as I know, no wannabe autocrat has managed to consolidate power while being as unpopular as Trump is right now. Don’t help him become the first to pull it off."

open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

Sunscreen first - that's what prevents LT damage.

At the same time, that's no excuse for 40+ to give up!

I've had my ass kicked on mountain glaciers, steep hiking trails and the Camino de Santiago by people in their 70s and older. Not all were as active in their younger years as they are now.

The advice is true at any age: do it now!

The Germans had the discipline to pay their troops though. This administration can’t even manage that.

The Blue State governors only have to point to all the gardening that got done in Washington DC to demonstrate how ridiculous it is to federalize the National Guard and position them in blue cities.

And now they’re not even getting paid for the privilege of spreading mulch and picking up trash.

I don’t think killing them is the answer though. The real answer is to make them look ridiculous, which is one thing the photos and testimonies do exceptionally well. Then they can persist in their own fever dreams but they can’t convert others very easily.

I’ve experienced the same, and it’s so sad. All I can do is pray for them, and be prepared to welcome them when they are ready to reconcile with me.

An important distinction, and I think a true one.

They actually have no idea what will happen if they continue down this path, but they have already committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.

We still don't know what Americans will do if they go that far. I don't think they do either, or they would've already done it.

So they are going after the marginalized immigrants. The best tactic now is to surround the vulnerable with protection from White bodies that are much harder to shoot.

I don't think it's entirely pointless, only because the tactics we have available to us now are much better than the tactics we would have available under a truly fascist resume regime.

They have not yet actually shot protestors en masse or arrested opposition leaders (Blue State governors).

I would not trust TikTok or any social media service to do the right thing here. The videos need to be mirrored using zero knowledge encryption so that the service providers can't erase them based on their content.

We can learn a lot from Chinese dissidents here.

The best remedy to this I think will be for people in blue states to talk to their relatives in red state to tell them that what they're seeing on the media is not true, person-to-person.

Yes but all the support for holding people accountable for the concentration camps came because the images were horrific. And even today, the Nazi deniers have to explain away the historical records somehow, and the images are so compelling that they can't.

I say "Miller" because this has his fingerprints all over it.

For those following the "fascist or not" debate this is clarifying.

But no matter what you call our current state, our democracy is in grave danger.

Miller is actively seeking to create the conditions for national martial law by putting Red State NG in Blue cities with active protest groups.

Read the replies too.

It hasn't gotten violent enough yet. But after Trump's efforts to send troops into OR, IL and the arson at a judge's house today, it may be coming.

Question is: what will Americans do? I don't think we'll just roll over but I don't know what that looks like.

When the history of these times is written, this will be marked as a signal event, unless those responsible are brought to justice immediately.

Profile of Major General Lorna Mahlock, seated, at Tuesday's meeting in Quantico, VA

Credited to Rene Syler:

"Look at her face.

This is Major General Lorna M. Mahlock, USMC, the first Black woman in Marine Corps history to reach general officer rank. A trailblazer, a warrior, a woman who's earned every credential, medal, and command in her story."

1/7

I had no idea and I’ve worked in the field for years.

People have been speaking Spanish in the Americas for longer than they have spoken English.

It's almost like they are trying to start Civil War II.

This is what gives me hope: Americans are not going to be easily terrorized into submission.

We have grown up in a free society that celebrated those who fought for freedom, even died for it.

This admin’s abuses make us angry and determined — not afraid.

Contrast this with the horrid video of Trump in similar clothing.

St. Francis wore the clothes of the poor as a sign of humility.

The Grim Reaper wears them as a sign of how little Death cares about wealth and power.

Trump’s minions tried to turn that into a symbol of power that it can never be

Somewhere in America, a young Hispanic girl is hiding in an attic writing a diary.

They want Americans to feel afraid, but they just make themselves look ridiculous.

Trump has done some terrible things this year, but so far, he’s only made people feel more angry and determined to resist.

Americans could see right through all this to the weakness that lies underneath.

Give them absolutely nothing to do except pick up trash and do battle with a real enemy —the English Ivy in Forest Park.

The military in DC looks ridiculous and they didn’t sign up to be on gardening duty.

“Spending time connecting to your true self is not selfish in these times — it’s intricately connected to a resistance movement that is tied to honoring our bodies, our communities, and to the land. We have to build capacity to resist by being exactly who we are!”