We’ve come a long way, baby, from the days when our American bigots used to chafe at the “political correctness” that kept them from openly expressing their disdain for those despised “others.” As I have previously pointed out, the most consistent “through line” of America’s current, terrible administration has been its open assault on the civility that once kept people from broadcasting their hatreds; it has consistently conveyed its permission–indeed, encouragement–to voice them.
The Trump administration and Red state MAGA culture warriors enthusiastically attack anything that smacks of efforts to level the civic playing field–going after any program that hints of acceptance of diversity. At the federal level, Trump has fired talented and competent people of color and replaced them with wildly incompetent clowns whose most obvious (and often only) qualification for the job is White skin. Closer to home, our embarrassing and unethical Attorney General is harassing teachers and nonprofit organizations that display any concern for fair play or inclusion (one of the unfortunate teachers who made it onto Rokita’s threatening list of teachers he deems too liberal to be in a classroom is deemed guilty of being “unAmerican” because she included a rainbow flag in her room…).
Recently, media reports that the Trump administration has fired FBI agents who had the temerity to kneel in support of racial justice protests
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, three people familiar with the matter said Friday.
The bureau last spring had reassigned the agents but has since fired them, said the people, who insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel matters with The Associated Press.
The number of FBI employees terminated was not immediately clear, but two people said it was roughly 20…
The FBI Agents Association confirmed in a statement late Friday that more than a dozen agents had been fired, including military veterans with additional statutory protections, and condemned the move as unlawful. It called on Congress to investigate and said the firings were another indication of FBI Director Kash Patel’s disregard for the legal rights of bureau employees.
These firings follow others that targeted agents who investigated the January 6th insurrection, or who looked into Trump’s illegal retention of classified documents. Lawsuits stemming from those actions, which were patently illegal, allege that those dismissals are part of an ongoing effort to remove any FBI officers who investigated Trump or his cronies.
There is, rather clearly, also an effort to rid the FBI of officers who display support for racial justice.
In the short time Trump has been in office, he has gutted the Justice Department and turned the DOJ and FBI into compliant tools of his corrupt and lawless administration. Lawmakers and government lawyers have turned a blind eye to Trump’s multiple grifts, allowing him to run the administration like a Mafia boss, and rake in billions of dollars in what are outright bribes. Investigations of Trump allies have been dismissed, while efforts to take vengeance against those who have incurred Trump’s anger have ramped up, leading to meritless indictments (Comey) and invasive and publicized searches (Bolton).
Needless to say, these are the tactics of fascists and autocrats, not the proper activities of an American administration.
And that brings me back to what constitutes the underlying strength of this horrifying, unAmerican cabal: racism (with a side of misogyny). I cannot account for the corruption of the six “Conservative” justices on the Supreme Court, but it has become quite obvious that the Republicans in Congress are completely in thrall to the GOP’s MAGA base–the White supremacists who continue to support Trump because he’s making bigotry acceptable again.
Are groceries more expensive? Is health insurance becoming unaffordable again? Has America’s position and power in the world declined precipitously? Are masked thugs snatching people off the streets? Is public health declining? Is your city struggling due to the federal cutoff of previously authorized funds? Are free speech and the rule of law under attack? Has persistent incompetence and dysfunction caused a government shutdown?
None of that matters to MAGA folks so long as Trump gives them permission to express contempt for those detested “others.”
It is my belief that we are now in the position of many third world countries we have watched take military actions for the WRONG reasons, now have countless rational, life-saving reasons for hoping for a military takeover of this government before it digresses any further into oblivion and blood in our streets by citizens to protect ourselves from our own government.
They have been confronted face to face in real time with the realities of Trump and Hegseth and their supporters at the United Nations General Assembly and the calling forth of all U.S. military leaders from around the world to see and hear for themselves who their Commander in Chief and Secretary of Defense are. “It’s All Out In The Open Now” the insults by government of our military leaders is now known globally. Trump’s open disgust regarding our maimed and disabled veterans, as well as those who gave their lives, as being suckers and fools has been directed at their leaders.
“None of that matters to MAGA folks so long as Trump gives them permission to express contempt for those detested “others.”
I just read this morning that the FBI has severed ties with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). When asked why by reporters, Kash chose not to give a reason. It is known that the ADL had placed Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA on its list several months ago. Elon Musk also attacked the ADL.
Knowing what happens in the late stages of capitalism, I never thought our autocracy phase would premiere someone as ignorant and bigoted as Trump. I thought they would have to be acceptable to most Americans, not just a minority. I knew they’d come from the business world. Still, certainly not a failed businessman who was kept afloat by network executives trying to keep their network relevant – Les Moonves, CEO of CBS, said in 2016, “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.”
Les was discussing the Trump experience with investors. His ratings were soaring! To hell with journalism; it was all about ratings and profit for the oligarchs. With daily spectacles from the White House, it’s still about ratings and profits. Hey baby, if it’s good for the stock market analysts, that’s all that matters.
Instead of accepting our Native American genocide and stealing their land, along with enslaving black men and women, we whitewashed both events. We never came to terms with what we did, so the racists and bigots just kept on being handed down from one generation to another.
p.s. After the government shutdown, Russell Vought cancelled funding for in-process infrastructure projects in Schumer’s NY district to pressure him to cave, since workers would blame him for the loss of their jobs. These people don’t care about the working class.
And all this destruction of democracy has happened/is happening in less than 10 months. That fact validates the explanation that this horror show was planned years previously by creatures from the Milton Friedman school of idiocy like Vought, Vance, et. al.
Trump is THEIR useful idiot even as we watch him turn into a pile of drug-addled mush before our eyes. Even if Trump dies tomorrow, Vance is primed to pick up the same baton of hate and disfunction to finish the job for the oligarchs.
It just seems to my tired old eyes, that what will the oligarchs actually do when they’ve finished taking all the money, impoverishing 75% of the people and allowing foreign nations to “invade” us? What happens when their golden spigot runs dry? The oligarchs have been trained since their freshman years in business school to think only as far as the quarterly report. Next year? The next five years? Who cares. Third-world nation? It won’t matter. It’s “How many Bitcoins did you buy this month?”
Amidst a government shutdown I dont see beyond the hypocrisy of either party. Again ill restate that comment Mark Levin stated when Obama was in office, $9 trillion in deficits is way too much, then Obama exploded it with quantitative easing economics doubling problem.
Trump followed up with tax cuts and then Biden. What a puppet. Mr autopen.
Spend more the democrats say! Shut ut down, free healthcare for illegals.
Just saying!
No, John. There is NO government sponsored health care for undocumented/illegal aliens in the United States. Look it up.
Most of our representatives and senators are complicit in this debacle. Many letters I sent about the problems and illegality receive only off topic form letters in response. So frustrating!
The foundation of MAGA is blame because blame is the foundation for hate. How can the Union hold when one side hates the other?
Hate powers war.
as the so called republican party draws further lines in the dirt to be crossed by those who dare. seems after all the BS from many news journals and not social media flack, theres a possible guarantee to the GROPe party. many so called republicans in congress, oh my, agree the ACA should be carried for thier constituacy. but they voted to disregard Americans needs over trumps blatter. as im finding the solid steel renforced wall of the magats is the whole republican party as a whole. no diffrence, no other party. the nack room of the present admin in the dirty white house is probably guarenteeing ,like the supreme resentment court, a life long position. if we see another vote im sure it will go down in flames. this maybe a hunch, and im not reading it in tea leaves. but seems these magat bunch dont fear themselves losing their job anytime soon, unless they cross that line in the dirt
next november (2026)im headed to L.A.to visit my old stomping ground,(1970s) where i lived free and happy. just to see how this vote unfolds in 11/26
John: If you recall, Obama was left with the economic meltdown from the W Bush administration because of the home mortgage meltdown. I don’t know how that would have turned out without the actions taken by the Obama administration, but thank goodness he didn’t wait until the situation became unmanageable before he took action. Of course, now it’s all Obama’s fault for avoiding an extended recession or depression. I love the way R’s spin the story.
All aboard! Take this train to hell in a handbasket. Bring your own handbasket!
“…FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers…”
Few are interested in hearing a second opinion on the 2020 burning of Minneapolis presumably triggered by the George Floyd incident, but a police officer sent me a link to a 11/23/23 1:42:28 documentary titled “The Fall of Minneapolis,” by journalist Liz Collin. Collin’s documentary has now been seen by more than 3M; many viewers are members of the nation’s police forces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFPi3EigjFA
The documentary alleges the Minneapolis jury would have reached a different verdict if all evidence had been presented. Ask your local police man/woman if they have seen it.
I have been trying lately to take to heart “Love thy neighbor” and give just basic respect for people. However, when it comes to MAGA its hard. Its hard to just agree to disagree when it comes down to the Rule of Law. Its hard to be like “Its ok” when they have unleashed all this corrupt activity and that they defend it? I don’t understand why they are happy to see another human being hurt. Yesterday I watched a video where they shoved down an old veteran and arrested him for no apparent reason at all other than he cursed while he was trying to stand up.
“Good Old U.S.A”….bye now.
As Vernon, and several others, here, have said “I’m glad I”m old.”
The oligarchs have been waiting for this day ever since they caused the crash of 1929, and FDR “Liberalized” the country.
We need to get out in the streets to show our support for honest judges, compassionate law enforcement officers, fired civil servants, the few republicans willing to honor their oath of office, and all the other people who are on the side of the American Idea. If we don’t show up for them, how can we expect them to show up for us?
Below is a cleaner link to “The Fall of Minneapolis” documentary, posted at 10:29 AM today.
https://www.thefallofminneapolis.com/
The intent of the trump regime is plain as day, out in the open and for all to see. Using contemptible, corrupt and illegal means to carry out their white supremacist and self-enrichment schemes while blaming, scapegoating and persecuting anyone (especially the most vulnerable) that’s not on their side is pure evil.
trump’s regime has a tendency to act out for the cameras to create an image of being a lot stronger than they actually are to assure and embolden their followers. A lot of their siloed viewers believe it in their circles, but they are still a hate infected minority.
It was obvious when Hegseth and trump addressed the US military brass recently that they don’t have the power that they claim to have and want. They did show however, what they’re aiming for.
According to HCR US has been through other unsettling times in the past and came through with democracy regarded. I’m the daughter of parents who both served overseas in battle and war zones and I’m glad they don’t have to witness this current debacle. I think they would see it as something to overcome.
The Republican Congress is negligent and complicit in the cover up of their bosses’ crimes and could anytime unite to stop him. It was reported that trump just sent 20 billion taxpayer dollars to Argentina. If I remember right, it was reported that Argentina had set up a crypto bank/base with trump recently. So much for the Republican Congress abdicating their responsibility and power to the Prime Grifter and showing that waste, fraud and abuse is not their real aim.
That video of George Floyd’s case is sad. Just goes to show you how easily people can be decieved.
For me, Trump’s plain plan is to conduct his constitutionally illegal war so that he can claim that, “As we are at war, there will be no mid-term election.”
Technically, as I’m sure all readers of this blog know, only congress can declare a legal war.
Thanks for the article, looking at events as a progression toward an end leads to some ugly conclusions. Trump thinks and is acting as though he can bully his way to a “win” with state sanctioned violence.