Please be mindful of the tone of your posts, and avoid using tone that might be perceived as aggressive, confrontational, or dismissive. Instead, try to use a tone that is respectful, friendly, and supportive.
- Manlobbi
Halls of Shrewd'm / US Policy❤
No. of Recommendations: 11
If you consistently use that term “you people” to describe those with whom you disagree……… you may be a fascist.
Since he took office in 2017, President Donald J. Trump has worked hard to convince Americans that they are divided into two partisan camps: Republicans, whom he defines as those people loyal to him, and Democrats, a group made up of everyone else. In his first term, when actual Republicans, some of whom he appointed himself, challenged him, he simply redefined them as Democrats. In his telling, major figures in the investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign’s association with Russian operatives, including special counsel Robert Mueller and his staff, FBI director James Comey, and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, were all Democrats.
In 2020, when Utah senator Mitt Romney voted to convict Trump on one of the charges on which the House impeached him, Trump tweeted a video calling him a “Democrat secret asset” who “tried to infiltrate Trump’s administration” while “posing as a Republican.” Romney was the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nominee.
In Trump’s worldview, it appears, those who oppose him, those he calls “Democrats,” are anti-American and dangerous. In his first term, he insisted those people were organized as “Antifa,” for “anti-fascist.” In summer 2020, in the midst of protests after the murder of George Floyd, Trump threatened to designate “Antifa” as a “major terrorist organization.” When FBI director Chris Wray, whom Trump appointed himself, said antifa is an ideology, not an organization, Trump posted: “I look at them as a bunch of well funded ANARCHISTS & THUGS who are protected because the Comey/Mueller inspired FBI is simply unable, or unwilling, to find their funding source, and allows them to get away with ‘murder’. LAW & ORDER!”
Dividing a population into friends and enemies is a tool of authoritarians, clearly articulated by Nazi political theorist Carl Schmitt, who is enjoying a burst of popularity right now in the American right wing. MAGA figures have pushed the idea that the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last week, apparently by a lone gunman, could be blamed on “Democrats” or “THEM.” Last night, after news broke that ABC was suspending comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s television show, the Trump administration announced it was putting the teeth of the government into this division of the world.
His social media account posted: “I am pleased to inform our many U.S.A. Patriots that I am designating ANTIFA, A SICK, DANGEROUS, RADICAL LEFT DISASTER, AS A MAJOR TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. I will also be strongly recommending that those funding ANTIFA be thoroughly investigated in accordance with the highest legal standards and practices. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Legal experts point out that government officials can designate “foreign terrorist organizations,” but that there is no legal grounds for designating any domestic organization a “terrorist organization,” especially in light of the First Amendment that protects free speech and the right of Americans to assemble peacefully. Even if the designation can’t actually be made, though, the rhetorical division of the country into Americans and “Antifa” serves to divide the country into friends and enemies.
But the uproar over the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel brought to light a different, far more American, division in this country. Americans could divide along partisan lines so long as the guardrails of a secular, evidence-based, liberal democracy remained in place. But as the Trump administration smashes through those guidelines, it appears that rather than being divided along partisan lines, Americans are beginning to realign as “We the People” against a wannabe authoritarian.
Yesterday, Republican political strategist Karl Rove, who was a key member of President George W. Bush’s administration, pushed back against the friends and enemies distinction in the Wall Street Journal. “No,” he wrote. “Charlie Kirk wasn’t killed by ‘them.’ ‘They’ didn’t pull the trigger. One person did, apparently a young man driven by impulse and a terrible hate. If there were a ‘they’ involved, law enforcement would find ‘them’ and the justice system would hold ‘them’ accountable. But ‘he’ and ‘him’ are the correct pronouns for this horrendous act…. Using Charlie’s murder to justify retaliation against political rivals is wrong and dangerous. It will further divide and embitter our country. No good thing will come of it.”
As Trump’s popularity continues to plummet—The Economist today has his approval rating at -17%, down 2.6 points since last week—it’s becoming clearer every day that opposition to the president is not partisan. Yesterday, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Susan Monarez testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where she explained that Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is operating according to his ideology without regard for science. Kennedy fired her after she refused to rubber stamp his plans to change the childhood vaccination schedule without research supporting such a change.
Trump appointed Monarez.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) warned yesterday against the panelists Kennedy appointed to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices after he purged the panel making changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. Not only Cassidy but also insurance companies appear to have little confidence in the decisions of Kennedy’s panel. They say they will disregard any changes and continue covering the cost of vaccines—a clear sign they consider vaccines beneficial to helping people stay healthy.
John Yoo, the former deputy assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush who wrote the legal justification for torture during the war on terror, pushed back on the extreme powers Trump is claiming to kill those he labels terrorists. “There has to be a line between crime and war,” Yoo said. “We can’t just consider anything that harms the country to be a matter for the military. Because that could potentially include every crime.”
Some voices on the right who, in the past, were protected by the laws and norms of democracy are now calling out its loss. Last night, after the administration pressured ABC to suspend Kimmel’s show, right-wing media host Tucker Carlson explained why a government must not be able to limit speech. “You hope that a year from now, the turmoil we're seeing in the aftermath of his murder won't be leveraged to bring hate speech laws to this country. And trust me…if that does happen, there is never a more justified moment for civil disobedience than that, ever, and there never will be, because if they can tell you what to say, they're telling you what to think. There's nothing they can't do to you, because they don't consider you human. They don't believe you have a soul. A human being with a soul, a free man, has a right to say what he believes, not to hurt other people, but to express his views.”
Today, agents from the Department of Homeland Security arrested New York City comptroller Brad Lander and public advocate Jumaane Williams along with ten other city and state elected officials near federal immigration courts when they tried to conduct oversight of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the building.
—
Notes:
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/420818...
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/mar/21/...
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/06/trump-att...
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/18/politics/antifa-wha...
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-new...
https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approv...
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cvgje507pn2t?post=as...
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/they-didnt-kill-charli...
https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/202...
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/09...
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/health/kennedy-...
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/16/trump-gop...
https://www.amny.com/news/brad-lander-jumaane-will...
Bluesky:
kyledcheney.bsky.social/post/3lz33srpezc2m
iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social/post/3lz2zc6rxk22mhttps://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/septem...
No. of Recommendations: 3
If you consistently use that term “you people” to describe those with whom you disagree……… you may be a fascist.
You people always project your faults onto others.
At any rate. Antifa is similar to another democrat party brownshirt outfit, that would be the KKK from days gone by. They've learned from that and now their brownshirts have an even looser organizational structure. There's no Grand Kleegle or High Wizard this time. But they do have listservs and email addresses and lots of shadowy funding.
BTW, this chick you cite frequently is all over the map in terms of these threads she's trying to tie together. It's like in the cop show where the detectives go to the stalker's house and find the room with all the newspaper articles with section circled in red marker and lots of strings connecting random crap together.
No. of Recommendations: 2
A more orderly Sheeple meltdown :) It gets to him.
As usual.....
The punishment is continuing.
Do YOU PEOPLE ever think ---that YOU allowed Trump to win twice?
And do YOU PEOPLE have any interest in winning it back asap?
Nope. You don't.
BTW, you want 1 trillion bucks in tarrif money returned from the government to big corporations.
Just one reason, you are fascists.
What you arent: Focused on winning this back from MAGA.
If anyone out there wants to beat this stuff -- - let's chat.
No takers.
No. of Recommendations: 3
Do YOU PEOPLE ever think ---that YOU allowed Trump to win twice?
He says he won three times. Some time ago, I said I expect, if he can draw breath in 28, he will run again, and declare himself the winner, again.
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 1
BTW, this chick you cite frequently
funny
No. of Recommendations: 10
Seems that Ted Cruz has become one of "you people".
‘Dangerous as hell’: Ted Cruz compares FCC chair’s threats against ABC to mob tactics
GOP Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday denounced Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr’s threats to pull ABC’s broadcast license as “unbelievably dangerous” and compared some of his rhetoric to “mafioso” tactics.
...the Texas Republican said he was “thrilled” Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off the air by ABC over his comments about conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. But he said he strongly disagreed with the government policing speech, asserting it could come back to bite conservatives when Democrats retake power.https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news/articles/dang...He thinks the Dems will be allowed an opportunity to retake power? How quaint.
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 18
Antifa is similar to another democrat party brownshirt outfit, that would be the KKK from days gone by.
Antifa is a loose, decentralized movement with a diverse range of left-wing ideologies united by their opposition to fascism, racism, and other far-right extremism. It is not a single, cohesive organization with a central leader or platform, and adherents hold a variety of beliefs that generally exist outside of mainstream Democratic politics.
Charlie Kirk would love the KKK fro what I can see.
The Ku Klux Klan (/ˌkuː klʌks ˈklæn, ˌkjuː-/),[e] commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is American Protestant-led Christian extremist, white supremacist, far-right hate group.
Don't see any similarities, probably because the KKK has - hmmm... - evolved into mainstream MAGA?
No. of Recommendations: 2
Shit.
Dope, you were right again.
These people actually support domestic terrorists.
Wow.
We need to take their guns.
No. of Recommendations: 2
Antifa is a loose, decentralized movement with a diverse range of left-wing ideologies united by their opposition to fascism, racism, and other far-right extremism. It is not a single, cohesive organization with a central leader or platform, and adherents hold a variety of beliefs that generally exist outside of mainstream Democratic politics.
*****
Lambo is Antifa's Baghdad Bob.
I still would've never guessed this one.
Wow
No. of Recommendations: 5
It is not a single, cohesive organization with a central leader or platform,For those who missed it, three weeks ago "his nibs" signed an EO mandating the formation of his own Brown Shirts, drawn from the ranks of the National Guard, to exert force where he wishes.
That EO is the first, in the series signed in this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjGX_LCYQ98Steve...hallowed be the Trump
No. of Recommendations: 13
We need to take their guns.
Saw a discussion of the court's interpretation of the second amendment a couple days ago. The "originalists" in the court want to turn the clock back to 1791. For instance, there was no way to run a background check on someone in 1791, so they want that to be the law now: no background check.
OK....if that's the way they want to play, lets decree that the second only applies to the sort of guns that were available in 1791: single shot, muzzle loading, flintlocks. You want an assault rifle Bunkie? The second doesn't apply to that sort of gun.
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 5
Dope, you were right again.
These people actually support domestic terrorists.
Damn straight they do. Notice how defensive they get when you bring up Antifa?
Just posted a thread on how they're organized and how they function. The Droogs here can keep chanting all they want about how "it's an idea" (a lie) and how "they have no organization" (a bald faced lie).
In the other thread I posted an article that details how Antifa is structured and how the government has to deal with them. The article is flawed in its approach because it calls for the feds to coordinate with the states...but in some cases that will never happen. Antifa can burn and riot with complete immunity in Washington, Oregon and Minnesota, to name 3.
No. of Recommendations: 0
Steve...hallowed be the Trump
Well, it IS "Pumpkin Carving Season". KNIVES OUT !! COMMENCE CARVING !!
No. of Recommendations: 5
We need to take their guns.
We need to take everybody's guns. Then stuff like Sandy Hook won't happen, and neither would Charlie Kirk (though I hesitate to mention both in the same sentence...22 school kids seems "worse" some how, even if both were bad).
No. of Recommendations: 2
BTW, this chick you cite frequently
Is he talking about Heather Cox Richardson? Being a provocateur,
No. of Recommendations: 2
Sheepman: We need to take their guns.
Steve: Saw a discussion of the court's interpretation of the second amendment a couple days ago. The "originalists" in the court want to turn the clock back to 1791.
Got a link? I think the 14th amendment has something to say about that and I'd like to see if they address it.
No. of Recommendations: 6
Got a link? I think the 14th amendment has something to say about that and I'd like to see if they address it.
It was a discussion I saw on TV, maybe on the Beeb, maybe on Amanpour. I didn't bother to take notes on that one.
This is what Google's net sifter says. Apparently Scalia wants it both ways: modern weapons protected, but not modern security measures.
An originalist interpretation does not automatically ban modern background checks based on the fact that they did not exist in 1791
. Instead, the legal debate centers on whether contemporary regulations align with the "text, history, and tradition" of gun laws at the time the Second Amendment was ratified.
The originalist framework for evaluating gun control was cemented in the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. It requires courts to determine if a modern firearm regulation is consistent with historical regulations, using analogy to bridge the gap between the 18th century and today.
Arguments against background checks
Some legal challenges and interpretations argue against modern background checks by contending they have no direct historical parallel and are therefore unconstitutional under a strict originalist view. The difficulty is that the technology and scope of modern checks are far removed from anything the founders could have conceived. Critics of background checks may also argue that the Bruen test is flawed and can be manipulated to produce biased results.
The originalist debate over new technology
The question of how to apply 18th-century principles to 21st-century issues is a central challenge for originalists. Justice Antonin Scalia, a leading originalist, acknowledged this problem in his majority opinion for District of Columbia v. Heller. He noted that the right to "bear arms" is not limited to 18th-century weapons, implying that the Second Amendment applies to modern guns. However, the exact method for analogizing new regulations like background checks to old laws remains a subject of intense debate.
I don't see how the 14th amendment is relevant here?
Steve
No. of Recommendations: 1
Well, it IS "Pumpkin Carving Season". KNIVES OUT !! COMMENCE CARVING !!Not "hollowed", "hallowed".
hallowed
1: holy, consecrated
the church stands on hallowed ground
2: sacred, revered
the university's hallowed hallshttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallowe...Usage, in "Stargate SG-1", where a race of advanced beings use the trappings of religion, to advance their agenda.
Stargate: In The Name of the Godshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuB4eyPCuX8Steve...hallowed is the Trump
No. of Recommendations: 20
From the article Steve203 linked:
“Going down this road, there will come a time when a Democrat wins again – wins the White House … they will silence us. They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly. And that is dangerous,” Cruz said.
So Cruz doesn't think this administration's mafioso tactics are inherently evil. He only thinks they're bad because they might be used against Republicans someday. I guess that's something, but Jesus H Christ.
No. of Recommendations: 7
Jesus H Christ
Jesus says don't blame him, he's not MAGA.
No. of Recommendations: 0
And ---he's weakening in the west.
Ask Sweden and France....
There's gonna be a new sheriff in town.
And you people - will "submit" .
No. of Recommendations: 8
And you people - will "submit" . Cruz's current term in the Senate expires in January, 2031, unless "his nibs" finds an excuse to remove him before then.
On the broader question:
Trump: ‘It’s no longer free speech.’
The president doubled down on his claims that critical media coverage of him is 'illegal.'
Trump in the Oval Office defended Carr, calling him “incredible” and “a great American.” He said he disagreed with Cruz.
“I think he’s a courageous person,” Trump said of Carr. “He doesn’t like to see the airwaves be used illegally and incorrectly.”
-----
After Kimmel was suspended, Carr said “I don’t think this is the last shoe to drop” and suggested the FCC — an agency, overseen by Congress, designed to act independently from the president — may target other shows, including ABC’s “The View.”https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/19/trump-no-...Trump Claims Excessive Criticism of Him on TV Is ‘Illegal’ and ‘No Longer Free Speech’
“I’m a very strong person for free speech,” the president replied. “But 97, 94, 95, 96% of the people are against me in the sense of the newscasts are against me. The stories are– they said 97% bad. So, they gave me 97, they’ll take a great story, and they’ll make it bad. See, I think that’s really illegal, personally.”https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-claims-e...As noted before, as a student of history, it's something watching this play out in real time.
Steve...hallowed be the Trump
No. of Recommendations: 0
"Submit" is about Jesus leaving the Western World and another great, aggressive fiath that don't take no shit taking its place.
I hope France and Europe feels it even more.
No. of Recommendations: 0
feels it even more.
MAGA will REALLY feel it. They will be decimated.
No. of Recommendations: 19
"Dope, you were right again.
These people actually support domestic terrorists." - LOL Jedi
I cannot believe anyone is stupid enough to actually believe that.
On the other hand, there does seem to be a whole cult that does support pedophiles.
No. of Recommendations: 1
MAGA will REALLY feel it. They will be decimated.
**
If you mean the "Anti Vax" "Bill Gates wants my brain" people then yes, some of them will be self deleted and our country becomes a tad of a better place. If they want to be pro-choice with themselves ---buy em a drink on me and tell them to say hi to Junior when they get to heaven and plot how to leave non believers behind during the Rapture -- and make sure they have the right streaming service up there so they can watch too because i'm a swell guy.
But politically - no not decimated. As long as arrogant white Liberals continue their equally intolerant and insensitive ways, MAGA won't be decimated. As a matter of fact it'll be the best thing: MAGA out of power, but with a plurality big enough to cause trouble and stymie progress---but able to blame the incumbent.
It's happened for years in America.
Also see UK. See France.
It's happening exactly like this.
The Left has NO interest in changing this and moving forward so, indeed, MAGA isn't going anywhere.
BTW Jerry no "Spankee" in your post. C'mon dude that's the main reason to click your posts.
