“Our lives at home continue as America begins to show the cracks of radicalized believers of false prophets. It becomes very apparent the rules of the uneducated are here to stay. The warm blanket of stupidity has become our God. “We love it,” she says as she beams of the broadcast. The entertainment of deceit. And now, we wait to make things worse. We love a good cliché so don’t let the pandemic stop you. “It will get worse before it gets better.” Hmm, really? Stepping out on a limb there are you? So bold. The early bird of corruption gets the worm. Bravo, good on ya. Poetic. Yes, I’m a nag. I’ve been saying the exact same thing since election night. “We deserve what is about to happen.” The only question is will we survive it? “
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Comments 28
It occurred to me as I read of your leader reaching a new high watermark of stupid, is there a mechanism for removing a President because of mental instability?
Yes. A few options. Obviously voting him out but this takes time and the voting system is corrupt. The 25th amendment section 4 allows the vice president to step in if the acting president is unable to perform his/her duties ie. sickness (mental sickness included). The only problem is that Pence is Trumpuppet.
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Lucas,
Justice Department, Supreme Court, Appellate Courts, entire Republican party in his pocket. Complete and total control.
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Nigel,
There should be but Donny was very shrewd. He eliminated all checks and balances. He owns the justice department and William Barr. He owns the Supreme Court, and the appellate court system and the entire Republican party. Even his finances are now mired in the same court system he perverted. The Dems are clueless and watched it happen. Rudderless. So, no. Trump is untouchable now and looks to be a lock for reelection. (I REALLY HOPE I’M WRONG.)
Both sides of the aisle have radicalized believers. Those who insist the government has limits and those who believe the government is the benevolent parent that should control your life. Both sides must be given the opportunity to demonstrate to let others know that there might be a second opinion.
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Steven,
Don’t go using common sense on me now. I hear you but our population is so incredibly uneducated and both sides have been radicalized. I have zero faith we will right the ship in my lifetime.
Hey, he’s not my President, but he at least endangered the lives of several Americans by encouraging them to protest.
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Nigel,
It’s a great point. Our system needs us to be sheep and needs us to return to “normal.” What happens if 30-40% of Americans say “I don’t want to go back to the life we had before.” The Trumps of the world, the corporations, the Koch brothers types and all the corrupted entities NEED us to return. That is why Trump is inciting violence. The people who are carrying their AR15’s to protest about the economy are too clueless to understand Trump doesn’t care if they die. He just needs them out supporting the system. American society is incredibly fragile. Energy, finance, etc. If we don’t play along the entire society and culture are at risk.
When the people govern is will be messy at times. We are watching different viewpoints aired. It may not be what we believe but we are not the only ones living in this great country.
it will be messy…
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Steven,
It’s been messy since the colonies. And corrupt. But if you mention that it tends to come with “Hey, that’s anti-American,” from folks who actually don’t know their history AT ALL. Just spoke to someone who had lived in Texas their entire life and didn’t know it was once part of Mexico. You can’t rationalize anything with folks like this. They are post-truth, fabricated history folks. I’ve said it all along, we deserve what’s coming.
You don’t know how badly I wish you were wrong.
Thirty years or more of cheaping out on education can really take toll. Even if we were to massively reverse course, fully fund school districts, pay teachers what they’re worth — you know, like they do in Finland — we’d be a generation away from seeing any improvement.
I still see lots of points of light. But that’s just it — they’re just points of light in an onrushing night.
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Tim,
I REALLY hope I’m wrong. A friend called the other day and asked my thoughts about the 2020 election. We talked for an hour and he said “God I hope you are wrong but everything in my body thinks you’re spot on.”
Hi America,
I’m watching from afar, Australia. It’s unbelievable and sad to see a country imploding as the US is right now. Three or four years ago if one looked down the tracks you could see them buckling and eroding away but everyone has been gleefully hopping on the train with party hats and champagne.
IMO the Republicans had the choice of country or power and chose the latter with a village idiot.
IMO the Democrats chose nepotism and being dyslexic, couldn’t read the writing on the wall. Now when they’re not sitting on their hands they’re wringing them with anguish.
So with around 300 million people are you telling me that the two you will be voting for in the next election are the best you’ve got?
REALLY?
Sorry if I forgot to read the ‘This great country of ours’ script.
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steve,
I think about it everyday. 300 million and we got these two? And why not look at the rest of both parties. Hacks, cheats, corrupted, system folks, for the most part. There are shining lights, in both parties actually, but they get crushed by the system. And the public isn’t educated enough to even understand how the system works. So, they play along. We all do, at least at times. The only folks who can chart their course, for the most part, are those smart enough to know how to game the system. Typically well educated, wealthy, white-collar and well connected. The kind of people who pick up the phone and get their C19 test same day.
Dan,
Maybe you could redo the post, only this time rip the photo into a thousand pieces?
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steve,
Takes too much glue!
Is Trump the problem or merely a manifestation of an even bigger problem? Despite the lies, corruption and electoral flaws he was elected by a free vote. He does have many, many supporters. They are coming out onto the streets today preferring platitudes and ignorance to the advice of medical experts. We need to ask why?
And we need to acknowledge that he was also helped by the indifference by those who couldn’t be bothered voting,
I’m pleased to say that I live in a country where voting is compulsory. You can’t be forced to put a tick on the ballot paper but you will be fined if you don’t make the effort to attend the polling booth or lodge a postal vote. I know some will argue that this is a restriction on my freedom, my freedom not to vote. To those people I would say that government is, like all relationships, a two way street. If you want the benefits of living in that place then you have not just a right but an obligation to contribute to the election of your government. In a country where voting is not compulsory then that obligation to vote is not enforced by law but is perhaps even greater.
Beyond just voting I despise these people who claim that the society in which they live affords them rights but fail to acknowledge any obligations they have to that society. “I have a right to walk the streets and go where I please and no obligation to protect the health of my fellow citizens.” To my mind by claiming one and not the other they place themselves outside of that society and thus relinquish any claim to rights.
So let’s not just bemoan the stupidity and ignorance of what seem to be the loudest voices. Do something about it. If 99 year old Capt Tom can raise over US$30 million for the UK National Health Scheme surely someone in the US can raise 30 million voices to drown out the ignorant.
REMEMBER – “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”
Sorry about the rant.
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Paul,
I can’t believe anyone commmented on this post, let alone made GOOD comments. I’ve been writing about this for years. The system is bad, so to your point, no it’s not just Trump, or the Republicans. Sure, they are the current Bond villain but the Dems are dirty as well. And the American public is so poorly educated, and can’t be bothered, that they don’t even know they are being swindled. The fact is many Americans don’t vote. And if you tried to force them you would have civil war, led by those who would be hurt the most. When it comes to America, don’t think logically.
This one sure drew out a lot of comments. We’ve discussed this topic a few times on your site – I’m definitely in the agree camp.
I think Trump is an all around bad leader. In just about every way. One of a president’s most basic tasks is helping the country see a tomorrow in which everyone is better off. But he can’t do that.
For the past few years I’ve hoped that we could turn things around if we could just get through one term with him. Because I’m not convinced he’s the real problem. It’s a cliché now, but he’s a symptom of the problem. His election was decades in the making. I picture Thanos saying, “I am inevitable.”
I’m a climate change believer. I hope to heck the scientists are wrong. But there’s too much at stake to hope they’ve made some modeling errors. Trump needs to go. He’s not satisfied with mere inaction, he wants to roll back anything that was put in place to counter it, especially if it has Obama’s fingerprints on it.
I don’t have much faith in Biden being a lot better. I liked Biden serving with Obama. Lazy me, even having grown up in much of of Biden’s career, I didn’t know too much about him in detail. The gaffes, the really creepy touchy feelie stuff, the obvious plagiarism. I knew about that. But then he decided to run, and you see a way too long career in politics before you. He’s taken such terrible positions, and despite his claims to the contrary, he was one of the Iraq War cheerleaders. I get pretty upset when people try to rehabilitate that one, especially with Bush. Worst strategic decision of my lifetime, hundreds of thousands dead…but look, he gave Michelle Obama a piece of candy. Cuuuuuute.
And I know that for some reason we’re not supposed to discuss people’s health and age. We all get old. If you watch an interview with Biden in 2016 vs. now, it’s night and day. Don’t get me started on the Hunter Biden stuff. These guys can’t avoid stepping on their d!(ks. “It wasn’t illegal.” No, it wasn’t illegal, Joe. But if you’re one of the top 10 most powerful people on the planet, sit your kid down and tell him to stay the hell out of Ukraine and China until you’re out of office.
And here I am, looking at voting for Biden, thinking that Trump will win.
PS – On a happier note, where’d that photo come from?
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Scott,
It was a 17×22 print I tore up. A portrait I made for stock about twelve years ago. That kid is now in college.
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Scott,
Our system is bad. It’s bad and run almost entirely by conforming to the system of corruption. Compromise. So I agree. We have 300+ million people and we are voting for two Devils. One, a pathologically lying, career white collar criminal who also happens to be a white nationalist, a sexist and one of the most uneducated humans I’ve ever seen and the other a career politician who is very much part of the inbred system. But this issue is FAR more complex and is something that impacts all levels and all areas of our society. Can you help people who don’t want to be helped?
I kept getting notifications for this thread in my email and it worried me only because I know how conversations on this topic can go sideways… fast. Now that I’m catching up I’m happy to see that there are some really good comments with good insights.
I won’t go on because I have no degree or PHD in political science or history… but I will leave you with these thoughts on what I think is the genesis to the governmental catastrophe we have now.
1- The Telecommunications act signed into effect in 1996 rewriting the 1934 communications act = insane media or “fake news” In short, in 1934 the news reporter could get fired for sharing a donut and coffee with the sports caster. News was sacred and was never meant to be entertaining or biased.
2- Citizens United passed in 2010 but was started in 1988 as a PAC giving corporations and their wallets the same rights as free speech.
Tracing the beginnings of both of these topics back to the Reagan administration is pretty interesting.
Two books I HIGHLY recommend are- “Rebooting the American Dream” and “Screwed: the Undeclared War Against the Middle Class” both by Thom Hartmann (a personal hero of mine). He is also writing a series of small pamphlets focusing on key points in America’s history ie guns, the supreme court, the war on voting…
Hey Dan, enjoy your weekend!!
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Lucas,
I’ve also found it interesting how many Trumpetts don’t know he overturned the Clean Water Act. And when I tell them they ask “Why would he do that?” Clueless beyond belief. The only good thing to come from this mess is we can no longer even pretend we are the country we claim to be, although many will and already are. Starting right at the top. They need us sheep to get back to making them richer.
I’ve never been to America before (apart from Saipan) so I’m not sure I should be commenting but I have a number of American friends, all caring, thoughtful, well educated, well travelled, brilliant people – expats that have started over on this side of the Pacific. They are as alarmed as you are and it baffles me to hear that a once revered country can change so much. My friends keep my opinions in check and remind me that there are plenty of good people over.
But when all we get to see on the news is largely unhealthy looking conspiracy theorist protesting in large groups in city centers and a president that doesn’t couldn’t care less about anything other than himself America scares the hell out of me. I’m not exaggerating when I say that personally America is currently one of the least appealing countries on the planet. I wish it wasn’t so.
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Sean,
Well, as I mentioned below. The good thing that could come from this, but won’t, is the idea that we can no longer pretend to be the good guys, the best, and brightest. There will be many who will try. Namely the 40% dumb enough to fall for the continuing con of Trump. Those who decide it’s critical to bring an AR15 to an event about the economy.
*over there