Our leaders have abandoned us. Why has no legal action been taken to at least stop Musk temporarily? Why aren’t they out there every minute of every day telling us what they are doing to stop him and doing it! Are they still crying over the loss? Put on your grown up pants and get to work! I am organizing locally as it is all I can do and I refuse to sit here and take it. What are you doing?
There has to be tangible documentation (sanction, court suits, impeachment proceedings, etc) to fight back. It can not be just a tweet or verbal action on media. Marc Elias has been using injunctions. Federal judges are helping. We have to use tools.
All of the tools avaiable need to be used but I don’t even know what they all are. I still don’t understand why the people at the Treasury and at OPM didn’t call the local police. Musk is allegedly some kind of fake “special employee” without a salary and able to thus skirt all the rules regarding disclosure, but nobody should just accept this explanation.
We might not get our Supreme Court on the side of our democracy. Perhaps the armed forces will save us by obeying the Constitution instead of obeying that drunkard who will obey the convicted felon, Trump.
Thanks Gary. I can’t comment on your military, I simply don’t know enough about it. But I’m leery of some members of SCOTUS standing up to the constitution. I’ve seen them in action.
I have also written to AOC and Elizabeth Warren asking them to take action to get Musk out of the Treasury Department's private citizen information.
I suggested to both of them to file articles of impeachment towards him,to make Congress stop and think about how it will sound to do this to an unelected,unvetted,unappointed private citizen who is trying to access information that he has absolutely no business doing so.
Flood Congress with letters and phone calls until real action is taken.Don't stop until people start listening and taking this seriously.
General Strike, Boycott everything but essentials, Tax Avoidance and Revolt, Sit-ins, Arrests, Picketing, Demonstrations, anything to disrupt the status quo of Oligarchs, trump/GOP/Project 2025/SCOTUS.
I need a leader, organizer like WE had in the 1960's-70's-80's. A MLK, Gandhi inspiring leader with great energy and enthusiasm in the power of the People individually and as groups. There are too many groups and efforts now. It is too time consuming to investigate them all etc. and pick 1 or 2 who don't move quickly enough. No more waiting, planning for the next election, the next court case, the next new legislation to be killed by the 41 vote Senate filibuster. It is crunch time Now.
Me-I'm maximizing my IRS deductions, not paying IRS taxes, boycotting Red State services and products and buying only essentials for life, survival. Economy must fail for MAGA, lazy voters to WAKE and join us. Dems in Government must be protected in the meantime as much as possible.
Exactly, that is what we have to do. I’m only buying essentials and I am only supporting companies that are opposing Trump’s demands. Where are all the liberal Tesla owners who helped make Musk a billionaire?? Boycott that idiot!!
I have just sent a message to Senator Maria Cantwell in Washington, where I live, asking her and rest of the Senate Committee on Finance to deal immediately with what Elon Musk is doing with the U.S. Treasury. This is a serious crisis. If you have not read Heather Cox Richardson's letter that she sent in the late evening of February 2nd, you should read that right away. I used HCR's comments extensively in my note to Cantwell.
Melissa, today was the day Senate leaders came out at a presser that was pretty strong. And a lot of the Congress went to USAID offices that Musk accessed and shut down. Those elected officials also had a strong message at a presser there. Melissa, also, there was an immediate court case filled to unfreeze all those aid payments to organizations in the US a week ago. The Judges stopped Trump and Musk; however, the money hasn't restarted flowing again despite the judge's order to re-start the $$. So there are contempt charges being pushed.
The leaders' response has been slow, and Schumer's comment about not going after every Trump attack made enough people pissed off, or maybe the Congress at USAid offices had more to do with the fact that USAid was created by Congress back in Kennedy's administration and the $$ USAid distributes is given by Congress, so Musk has actually broken the law by shutting down those offices and stopping the flow of $$, food, and medicines.
As to the Senators finally standing up regarding the Treasury hack by Musk, they are pushing the idea not only that Musk now has access to cutting off $$ payments but he also has personal payment information of 100s of millions of individual citizens and businesses, their SS numbers, their bank account numbers, how much the SS payments are, how much their veterans payments are. etc. AND he brought in his own server that wasn't properly vetted, so that if the proper security isn't in place on that server, it could be open to hacks by foreign adversaries. It's being called a coup by some individuals on some outlets.
And finally, many FBI agents, it is being said are staying online despite the inevitable firings that are coming their way, The senior treasury and security individuals tried to hold the line when Musk and his incel cadre of 19-24 year olds just out of high school or college computer geeks pushed their way in passed carrier employees at Treasury.
We drive 350 miles on snow-covered roads and white out conditions to attend the 50501 protest at our state Capitol. We write and call daily and will do more. Aldo, I am going in person to our Senators office and our nasty Republican Rep’s office. My question will be…what of my personal information does president musk and the rats have. Any other ideas welcome. Also plan on not buying anything but local February 28.
Love this, Melissa. So utterly frustrated by the inaction of Democratic leadership, I signed up for a cybersecurity course, called "Ethical Hacking." Its purpose is to send students into the world to protect cyber-systems. But what it does, essentially, is teach you to think like a hacker. (It's actually not that hard. The average maga would never attempt it. )
As our laws seem to have completely failed us, I began thinking about what a real resistance would look like. We now have lunatics in charge, like Hegseth, who openly believes that violence must crush the left. (We can no longer count on peaceful protests.) As they take control of all private info, and now the SS payment systems, maybe we need to start thinking out of the box.
Or have i just lost my mind?
****************
Here, the lunatic in his own words. And yes, you're reading them in an English newspaper.
Bernie Sanders, Jasmine Crockett, and AOC are not remaining silent. I want to see an assembly of Opposition positions peopled by those who will be prepared at any given moment to 'speak out' on the subject/area they are assigned. Just as if Kamala had won, and populated her cabinet, we should have an Opposition (Shadow) Government. The bench of talent is deep, some courageous media outlet should head up this effort if the Dems don't do it themselves.
I keep wondering if the silence might exist because behind the scenes they ARE pulling plans together. My fantasies see the group including Harris, Obama, Gen'l Milley, governors, key congressional types, etc. (I do think our governors, esp those whose states have been hard hit by floods, fires, etc. may be walking a thin line, hoping they can still procure FEMA and other funding from DC.... but maybe they're now grappling with the distinct probability that that road has closed and will conspire to do differently...)
Unfortunately I think it is a fantasy. I do not feel any one is stepping up. I think it is revealing how so many women step up, from the Jan 6 commission to now, and how so few men do.
I can think of more than a few people that I would like to see develop a painful terminal illness. But that is not very Christian of me. Then again, if it weren’t for the American Christians, I might be one again.
Steve, Ron Fournier made the case earlier that Trump hijacked the GOP long ago and that the democrats don’t have what it takes to defeat maga. I agree. So unless the Democrats rise from the dead in major fashion, which isn’t going to happen, either another party rises up or someone hijacks the Democratic Party and turns it into a progressive/populist movement. Adam Kinzinger is just the hijacker we need. His voice is loud and he thinks differently. How about you call him up and press him?
I like your idea with Kinzinger but also believe that the 2-party system in this country holds a duopoly over voters, making a third party essentially unviable.
Okay, so honestly, where does one begin with this major change? There seems to be a vacuum of leadership, as the true leaders are not holding those positions. Other than contacting my Senators and Representative, is there any other action(s) you recommend?
The silence is deafening, and the apparent absence of any action against musk for hijacking the $5.4 trillion central financial mechanism of government is beyond incredible. Where is opposition leadership?
I have been trying to call the US Capitol to speak to my senators and congressional rep all morning and get nothing but hold music. Meanwhile, musk and a bunch of teenagers are rummaging through all our private data!
Yes, thank you, as always, for your columns, this one in particular. What's with the silence. Most days I feel like screaming! So I've been stunned by the total lack of response. Is the whole country asleep? This man is systematically, in clear sight, destroying the government. And....crickets. I can't bear to look at Schumer anyone looking back at the world over his half-spectacles, a perfect metaphor for what's happening. I never thought I'd say this, but why aren't there crowds of citizens outside the FBI headquarters in NYC expressing support for James Dennehy? Perhaps for the moment it's just political exhaustion. But at some point we need to get back to work. What worries me is that this silence is the sound of fear.
Not sure anything feels like more wasted time than calling my MI senators, one of whom I sent a large number of large donations to help elect. We need REAL ACTION. Injunctions. Arrest of Musk and his trolling teenagers stealing OUR private data and possibly OUR tax dollars. Tax revolt, work stoppages, etc. Have sent and called my congresspeople more than once a day and they still are doing nothing, not even responding.
Yes, I have to say this is my experience too. It's depressing to call my Congresswoman or Senators (although my wife does all the time and seems to think this helps, but then she's Canadian and they tend to have more faith in their government). Following Timothy Snyder, we should all keep living our normal, decent, un-MAGA lives and be ready for the moment when we will be called on to step out and act. But this is hard at the moment. If anyone has any brainstorms on how we might show support for the FBI right now, or USAID, let me know, please.
I believe the lack of response by citizens has many faces. Apathy. Some people just don’t care. Ignorance. Some people know trump and co are bad but they have no understanding exactly how dead serious the breaches are that musk has accomplished. They have no understanding of how our government works. Denial. Some just don’t believe it’s as bad as it is and think the uproar unnecessary. When their parents, sisters,brothers etc are personally effected by these actions, then they may come alive. But even then, there is a percentage of the population who will never understand or simply choose not to get “involved”. Our government…of the people, for the people, BY the people means it’s our duty to get involved. For some, they are happy to let us do the fighting, let someone else do it, then they reap the benefits. They just don’t understand we all must stand together. Otherwise, we will all perish…together.
Beautifully said! I wonder if fear is not part of it too. Trump is a master of intimidation. University administrations right now are terrified of him coming after endowments, tenure, free speech, which is why there is no looking to universities this time around (a la Marcuse in the 1960s) for help. The people--who as you say are responsible in a democracy--need institutions to amplify their voices, like labor unions, political parties, the media. I'm waiting for this to kick in. Anti-MAGA has to become a movement, in other words.
Excellent analysis and trailblazing as a path. I too look for a way to extract the country from the mass psychosis. Few stop to think about the root cause of this dilemma, but Carl Jung understood it well. Mass psychosis is the advent of deluded people. You see those questioned at a Trump rally and you say “How can they be that deluded?” And then you forget about that delusional interview you just watched with YOUR OWN EYES. You do not do the next step: add it all up. It adds up to Mass Psychosis. You are led by a psychopathic neo-fascist that has deluded masses of people.
Steve, Alt Park Service is an arm of the Resistance. It is an uncomfortable place to know that if we march en masse, martial law will get unleashed on us all, yet if we stay silent, these things continue.
Do not obey in advance. If there are not enough people in America to support you in our efforts, we have lost already. Better we should know it now and make alternative plans.
But people who stand up have to be ready to lose something, maybe a lot. That's why they call it courage.
So whatever you do, do it loudly, do it publically so we know who you are and what you need.
We the people echo Steve's exasperation at this deafening silence by the feckless, useless Dems. So, absent of any leadership or action by the party, we the people need to get out on the streets.
I posted this yesterday on several substacks, but it is important enough to repeat. Wednesday, February 5 is a day protest at every state capitol in the U.S. Please watch this video by Cliff Cash. If you don't want to watch it all, at the 8:20 minute mark is when he discusses the Feb 5 protest. If you agree, please share.
I know I sometimes sound paranoid, but after everything that’s happened, I think we need to redefine the term, since the worst is yet to come, and it’s hitting us at record speed; daily!
That said, this trade war is crazy, but in the big picture, it almost makes sense if your goal is to destroy democracy. We know Trump, Thiel and Musk are sociopaths and anti-democracy. What if this situation is part of a larger plot; it’s supposed to destabilize not only the US, but Europe and South America as well.
Think about it, if he starts a global trade war, the situation could easily lead to a massive recession; and with most economies in recession to begin with, it could devastating. Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, could escalate; and with Trump; it’s a given.
He just gave Mexico a reprieve for thirty days. Why? Most of the fentanyl comes from Mexico. It’s because they were joining forces with Canada, and he wants to divide and conquer. Maybe his goal is to topple the Trudeau government? I know, he’s out in less than a month, but toppling his government could cause chaos; which is precisely the point, and maybe he wants Trudeau in power when it happens. One thing about Trump, he never forgets even the slightest of slights! Or maybe, he really intends to annex Canada and Greenland, and in return, Putin gets all of Europe. I wouldn’t put anything past these guys.
And if economy’s collapse, Democracies around the world would collapse. Exactly what Putin, Orban, Thiel, Musk, Trump and these fascists And let’s face it, they need to consolidate power quickly, while all of Congress is suffering from Shock Doctrine. My gut, it’s already too late. We don’t even hear about what’s happening at the Pentagon. Maybe they’re using the crash to consolidate power within the media paying attention. This is Bannon’s playbook.
I also think we underestimated the power of MAGA, I don’t think they’d turn on Trump, even if they lose almost everything. I think most of them wanted to burn the house down all along; especially the fascists and white nationalist evangelicals. And the moderates who no longer exist, they will be in shock like the rest of us, but refuse to admit their folly.
Since Trump's first run for the presidency, I have believed all of his policies are in furtherance of creating two world wide "spheres of influence," one controlled by American oligarchs, the other controlled by Russian oligarchs. That would likely lead to war between the American and Russian Empires; but, Trump doesn't have long and he wants to live out his life with maximum power and wealth; the hell with the global (including Americans) general population.
Robert, I really hate to agree with you on this point, but it is likely already too late to stop the fascists from gaining control of the world with all the horrors that will ensue. However, there is always a chance that the billions in the world duped by fascist lies will have a "great awakening" and the tide could turn against the fascist oligarchs.
Hi Anthony, it took 10 years, but my own late father woke up from being fully emerged in an extremist religious cult. He just finally put it all together that it was a tithing business and a grift. At the age of 13, I overheard, through the wall, my dad tell the visiting preacher, "It is as plain as the egg on your face!". And that was IT for the cult from there on out. So, it has been ten hellish MAGA years: wake-up time!🙏
Lisa, it is always encouraging to hear a story that proves people can extricate themselves from the tentacles of a cult. It is not easy to deny beliefs accepted without question in the past. Congratulations to your father.
Let's hope the number of Americans leaving the Trump/Maga cult grows exponentially as Trump's true goals become inceasingly obvious. There is always hope until there isn't and we are not there yet.
I was saying the same thing to my partner this morning, but I also added Xi looking to control East Asia. The big trifecta ruling most of the world and all of its riches.
Robert, thank you for your gut-wrenching honesty here. We need to see with clear eyes. Unless millions of Americans put these reality-glasses on, asap, we are doomed.😢🤷♀️🙏
Thank you Lisa, ditto on honestly and all your great insight.
This is tough, too many live in a state of denial, or they’re too proud to admit they made mistake. This will be Brexit on steroids; a protest vote which caused more economic damage to Britain, than even Margret Thatcher. I still can’t comprehend how much lasting damage this presidency will cause…:)
Elizabeth Warren is not silent and neither are AOC and Jasmine Crockett. We need more. I’m going to be after my representative, who is new to be more aggressive. I won’t be giving her anymore money unless she does.
Tariffs, North American chaos, Panama Canal seizure > I think I know what's going on now with the MAGA neo-fascist oligarchs' cabal. They're laying the groundwork to eliminate the IRS, or at the very least raise so much money on the backs of American consumers with tariffs that they can cut taxes again for the tech bros, and especially Elon 'The Salute' Musk, who came to this country to rip us off and lead the charge.
Anything's possible! I just know I really do NOT want to file my taxes this year -- it will be sending MY (and all OUR) $$$ straight into the pockets of evil criminals. Actually thinking hard about whether or not to do this. I'm also worried about any investments any of us have that they can get their hands on or at least tie up for as long as they want.
as I stated in a comment post, people I know are already thinking about moving their money to another country - Canada in this case because they have dual citizenship. That person is scared about real money being replaced by crypto and we lose big time. I don't know if it's overthinking the potential issue or if this person is right??? Would appreciate any thoughts you all have about this
I don't think anything can be considered "over thinking" at this point. The pure evil we're experiencing required thought and I'm pretty sure they're not finished. I, too, have been thinking about moving my $$ to outside the country but have done no research yet and no clue if it's possible. I'm now also concerned about the discussions we're all having in forums like this may not be safe. I wouldn't be surprised if there were trump-musk supporters who log in here and elsewhere, representing themselves as just regular citizens like us but getting ideas on where else they can clamp down on us.
Even Cdn citizens who live in the US cannot move their money out. I've met with financial advisors in both countries. Stuck or have to accept that retirement funds etc can't be taken out and one can't invest their US $ in Canada. That law/rule should be changed immediately by Canada if they wanted to increase their revenue markedly, fast, and forever. But I don't see it happening.
Doesn’t just about everyone pay their taxes with each paycheck (or if self employed, with quarterly estimated tax payments) so quite a few people should be owed a refund by now? (Good luck with that) Not filing is just giving them another excuse to prosecute you.
In some cases, people do receive large amounts of one-time-only income that comes without having been taxed yet, so the recipient does have more control over taxes owed. But to a bigger point: your last sentence = totally a big concern.
Trump has stated in the past that he wants to replace income taxes with tariffs, which are regressive, the less you make the bigger % of income they take. That's what Trump likes, exploiting the general public for the benefit of the wealthy.
My feeling is that people are speaking, but no one is taking any action. The Supreme Court has extended to nearly unlimited power and privilege to the office, and they have unleashed a monster.
I read that the actual reason Trump fired the Inspectors-General, ignoring the law requiring 30 days notice and an explanation to Congress, is because he wants the case to go to SCOTUS where the pathetic justices he has in his pocket will decide all federal employees work at the whim of the president and have no constitutional right to job security.
We can only hope that he has acted so blatantly against the law and/or Constitution, that the pandering justices will have to capitulate. Thomas and Alito won't, but they don't want to give up gifted vacations. Supreme Court Justices can be impeached. Someone in Congress must step up and do what is right.
I really hope, but don't expect, that enough Maga senators would put the American people, the law, and the Constitution before their loyalty to Trump, in the event of the impeachment of Alito and Thomas for flagrant violations of their oaths of office, should they rule civil servants have no right to job security.
First, just a few Republican representatives would have to vote to impeach.
Our leaders have abandoned us. Why has no legal action been taken to at least stop Musk temporarily? Why aren’t they out there every minute of every day telling us what they are doing to stop him and doing it! Are they still crying over the loss? Put on your grown up pants and get to work! I am organizing locally as it is all I can do and I refuse to sit here and take it. What are you doing?
Local action for me as well but I don’t agree that all are silent. Elizabeth Warren, AOC, and Jasmine Crockett are all fighting back.
There has to be tangible documentation (sanction, court suits, impeachment proceedings, etc) to fight back. It can not be just a tweet or verbal action on media. Marc Elias has been using injunctions. Federal judges are helping. We have to use tools.
All of the tools avaiable need to be used but I don’t even know what they all are. I still don’t understand why the people at the Treasury and at OPM didn’t call the local police. Musk is allegedly some kind of fake “special employee” without a salary and able to thus skirt all the rules regarding disclosure, but nobody should just accept this explanation.
We need to bring maximum pressure to congress and state houses and govenors, until THEY use the tools. They need to do their damn jobs.
Time to shout it out loud - “Thank god for the Congressional women and their timely behavior”.
We might not get our Supreme Court on the side of our democracy. Perhaps the armed forces will save us by obeying the Constitution instead of obeying that drunkard who will obey the convicted felon, Trump.
Thanks Gary. I can’t comment on your military, I simply don’t know enough about it. But I’m leery of some members of SCOTUS standing up to the constitution. I’ve seen them in action.
I would say"Drunken Lush"meself...
How funny would it be if he was stopped driving drunk?It's really hard to talk yourself out of a DUI!
I have also written to AOC and Elizabeth Warren asking them to take action to get Musk out of the Treasury Department's private citizen information.
I suggested to both of them to file articles of impeachment towards him,to make Congress stop and think about how it will sound to do this to an unelected,unvetted,unappointed private citizen who is trying to access information that he has absolutely no business doing so.
Flood Congress with letters and phone calls until real action is taken.Don't stop until people start listening and taking this seriously.
Also Bernie Sanders has a YouTube up asking for resistance.
I have already written to him as well.We need all our best on this one!!
Always has to be the women! Though male Substack denizens have been superb. Gives me hope.
General Strike, Boycott everything but essentials, Tax Avoidance and Revolt, Sit-ins, Arrests, Picketing, Demonstrations, anything to disrupt the status quo of Oligarchs, trump/GOP/Project 2025/SCOTUS.
I need a leader, organizer like WE had in the 1960's-70's-80's. A MLK, Gandhi inspiring leader with great energy and enthusiasm in the power of the People individually and as groups. There are too many groups and efforts now. It is too time consuming to investigate them all etc. and pick 1 or 2 who don't move quickly enough. No more waiting, planning for the next election, the next court case, the next new legislation to be killed by the 41 vote Senate filibuster. It is crunch time Now.
Me-I'm maximizing my IRS deductions, not paying IRS taxes, boycotting Red State services and products and buying only essentials for life, survival. Economy must fail for MAGA, lazy voters to WAKE and join us. Dems in Government must be protected in the meantime as much as possible.
Exactly, that is what we have to do. I’m only buying essentials and I am only supporting companies that are opposing Trump’s demands. Where are all the liberal Tesla owners who helped make Musk a billionaire?? Boycott that idiot!!
I have just sent a message to Senator Maria Cantwell in Washington, where I live, asking her and rest of the Senate Committee on Finance to deal immediately with what Elon Musk is doing with the U.S. Treasury. This is a serious crisis. If you have not read Heather Cox Richardson's letter that she sent in the late evening of February 2nd, you should read that right away. I used HCR's comments extensively in my note to Cantwell.
I have called Cantwells office & left messages as well
Melissa, today was the day Senate leaders came out at a presser that was pretty strong. And a lot of the Congress went to USAID offices that Musk accessed and shut down. Those elected officials also had a strong message at a presser there. Melissa, also, there was an immediate court case filled to unfreeze all those aid payments to organizations in the US a week ago. The Judges stopped Trump and Musk; however, the money hasn't restarted flowing again despite the judge's order to re-start the $$. So there are contempt charges being pushed.
The leaders' response has been slow, and Schumer's comment about not going after every Trump attack made enough people pissed off, or maybe the Congress at USAid offices had more to do with the fact that USAid was created by Congress back in Kennedy's administration and the $$ USAid distributes is given by Congress, so Musk has actually broken the law by shutting down those offices and stopping the flow of $$, food, and medicines.
As to the Senators finally standing up regarding the Treasury hack by Musk, they are pushing the idea not only that Musk now has access to cutting off $$ payments but he also has personal payment information of 100s of millions of individual citizens and businesses, their SS numbers, their bank account numbers, how much the SS payments are, how much their veterans payments are. etc. AND he brought in his own server that wasn't properly vetted, so that if the proper security isn't in place on that server, it could be open to hacks by foreign adversaries. It's being called a coup by some individuals on some outlets.
And finally, many FBI agents, it is being said are staying online despite the inevitable firings that are coming their way, The senior treasury and security individuals tried to hold the line when Musk and his incel cadre of 19-24 year olds just out of high school or college computer geeks pushed their way in passed carrier employees at Treasury.
We drive 350 miles on snow-covered roads and white out conditions to attend the 50501 protest at our state Capitol. We write and call daily and will do more. Aldo, I am going in person to our Senators office and our nasty Republican Rep’s office. My question will be…what of my personal information does president musk and the rats have. Any other ideas welcome. Also plan on not buying anything but local February 28.
Love this, Melissa. So utterly frustrated by the inaction of Democratic leadership, I signed up for a cybersecurity course, called "Ethical Hacking." Its purpose is to send students into the world to protect cyber-systems. But what it does, essentially, is teach you to think like a hacker. (It's actually not that hard. The average maga would never attempt it. )
As our laws seem to have completely failed us, I began thinking about what a real resistance would look like. We now have lunatics in charge, like Hegseth, who openly believes that violence must crush the left. (We can no longer count on peaceful protests.) As they take control of all private info, and now the SS payment systems, maybe we need to start thinking out of the box.
Or have i just lost my mind?
****************
Here, the lunatic in his own words. And yes, you're reading them in an English newspaper.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/22/trump-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-book?CMP=share_btn_url
Bernie Sanders, Jasmine Crockett, and AOC are not remaining silent. I want to see an assembly of Opposition positions peopled by those who will be prepared at any given moment to 'speak out' on the subject/area they are assigned. Just as if Kamala had won, and populated her cabinet, we should have an Opposition (Shadow) Government. The bench of talent is deep, some courageous media outlet should head up this effort if the Dems don't do it themselves.
I keep wondering if the silence might exist because behind the scenes they ARE pulling plans together. My fantasies see the group including Harris, Obama, Gen'l Milley, governors, key congressional types, etc. (I do think our governors, esp those whose states have been hard hit by floods, fires, etc. may be walking a thin line, hoping they can still procure FEMA and other funding from DC.... but maybe they're now grappling with the distinct probability that that road has closed and will conspire to do differently...)
Unfortunately I think it is a fantasy. I do not feel any one is stepping up. I think it is revealing how so many women step up, from the Jan 6 commission to now, and how so few men do.
The male Dems are showing themselves to be a bunch of Lilly livered cowards
Not Jamie Raskin. Not Pete Buttigieg. Not Gavin Newsom. There are plenty of male Dems with a spine.
It's mostly women of color, too. Or maybe...all?
That is a fantasy. They are doing nothing.
I can think of more than a few people that I would like to see develop a painful terminal illness. But that is not very Christian of me. Then again, if it weren’t for the American Christians, I might be one again.
Steve, Ron Fournier made the case earlier that Trump hijacked the GOP long ago and that the democrats don’t have what it takes to defeat maga. I agree. So unless the Democrats rise from the dead in major fashion, which isn’t going to happen, either another party rises up or someone hijacks the Democratic Party and turns it into a progressive/populist movement. Adam Kinzinger is just the hijacker we need. His voice is loud and he thinks differently. How about you call him up and press him?
The irony of a Freedom Caucus dude leading the resistance.
I like your idea with Kinzinger but also believe that the 2-party system in this country holds a duopoly over voters, making a third party essentially unviable.
Yep, agreed. That’s why I say hijack the Democratic Party and transform it.
Okay, so honestly, where does one begin with this major change? There seems to be a vacuum of leadership, as the true leaders are not holding those positions. Other than contacting my Senators and Representative, is there any other action(s) you recommend?
Agreed. Shouting into Cory Booker's voice mail doesn't seem to be getting me anywhere.
I mean, he's ALWAYS been a tool. But I was hoping his ego would be bigger than his capitulation tendencies. Wrong again!
Join a protest march at your state Capitol 2/5/2025
The Dems lay low. When they should be stopping Elon on site. Show up!
50 Senators and Representatives should be patrolling the buildings that Elon has invaded with cameras rolling.
Fantastic idea!! Share with your senators.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
The silence is deafening, and the apparent absence of any action against musk for hijacking the $5.4 trillion central financial mechanism of government is beyond incredible. Where is opposition leadership?
Jake Tapper is such a tool.
I have been trying to call the US Capitol to speak to my senators and congressional rep all morning and get nothing but hold music. Meanwhile, musk and a bunch of teenagers are rummaging through all our private data!
That means their mailboxes are full!?!?!?
Yes, thank you, as always, for your columns, this one in particular. What's with the silence. Most days I feel like screaming! So I've been stunned by the total lack of response. Is the whole country asleep? This man is systematically, in clear sight, destroying the government. And....crickets. I can't bear to look at Schumer anyone looking back at the world over his half-spectacles, a perfect metaphor for what's happening. I never thought I'd say this, but why aren't there crowds of citizens outside the FBI headquarters in NYC expressing support for James Dennehy? Perhaps for the moment it's just political exhaustion. But at some point we need to get back to work. What worries me is that this silence is the sound of fear.
Call your Senators, both nationally and at their local offices.
Not sure anything feels like more wasted time than calling my MI senators, one of whom I sent a large number of large donations to help elect. We need REAL ACTION. Injunctions. Arrest of Musk and his trolling teenagers stealing OUR private data and possibly OUR tax dollars. Tax revolt, work stoppages, etc. Have sent and called my congresspeople more than once a day and they still are doing nothing, not even responding.
Yes, I have to say this is my experience too. It's depressing to call my Congresswoman or Senators (although my wife does all the time and seems to think this helps, but then she's Canadian and they tend to have more faith in their government). Following Timothy Snyder, we should all keep living our normal, decent, un-MAGA lives and be ready for the moment when we will be called on to step out and act. But this is hard at the moment. If anyone has any brainstorms on how we might show support for the FBI right now, or USAID, let me know, please.
Join one of the protest marches at your state Capitol 2/5/2025
I just did this. I sent a message to Senator Maria Cantwell, who is a member of the Senate Committee on Finance.
I believe the lack of response by citizens has many faces. Apathy. Some people just don’t care. Ignorance. Some people know trump and co are bad but they have no understanding exactly how dead serious the breaches are that musk has accomplished. They have no understanding of how our government works. Denial. Some just don’t believe it’s as bad as it is and think the uproar unnecessary. When their parents, sisters,brothers etc are personally effected by these actions, then they may come alive. But even then, there is a percentage of the population who will never understand or simply choose not to get “involved”. Our government…of the people, for the people, BY the people means it’s our duty to get involved. For some, they are happy to let us do the fighting, let someone else do it, then they reap the benefits. They just don’t understand we all must stand together. Otherwise, we will all perish…together.
Beautifully said! I wonder if fear is not part of it too. Trump is a master of intimidation. University administrations right now are terrified of him coming after endowments, tenure, free speech, which is why there is no looking to universities this time around (a la Marcuse in the 1960s) for help. The people--who as you say are responsible in a democracy--need institutions to amplify their voices, like labor unions, political parties, the media. I'm waiting for this to kick in. Anti-MAGA has to become a movement, in other words.
Excellent analysis and trailblazing as a path. I too look for a way to extract the country from the mass psychosis. Few stop to think about the root cause of this dilemma, but Carl Jung understood it well. Mass psychosis is the advent of deluded people. You see those questioned at a Trump rally and you say “How can they be that deluded?” And then you forget about that delusional interview you just watched with YOUR OWN EYES. You do not do the next step: add it all up. It adds up to Mass Psychosis. You are led by a psychopathic neo-fascist that has deluded masses of people.
https://open.substack.com/pub/hotbuttons/p/comes-a-time?r=3m1bs&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Trump has quite successfully propagated a cult of personality. Look at what it took to finally extricate Germans from Hitler's cult of personality.
Steve, Alt Park Service is an arm of the Resistance. It is an uncomfortable place to know that if we march en masse, martial law will get unleashed on us all, yet if we stay silent, these things continue.
Do not obey in advance. If there are not enough people in America to support you in our efforts, we have lost already. Better we should know it now and make alternative plans.
But people who stand up have to be ready to lose something, maybe a lot. That's why they call it courage.
So whatever you do, do it loudly, do it publically so we know who you are and what you need.
We the people echo Steve's exasperation at this deafening silence by the feckless, useless Dems. So, absent of any leadership or action by the party, we the people need to get out on the streets.
I posted this yesterday on several substacks, but it is important enough to repeat. Wednesday, February 5 is a day protest at every state capitol in the U.S. Please watch this video by Cliff Cash. If you don't want to watch it all, at the 8:20 minute mark is when he discusses the Feb 5 protest. If you agree, please share.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RTaBxjO5Bs
I know I sometimes sound paranoid, but after everything that’s happened, I think we need to redefine the term, since the worst is yet to come, and it’s hitting us at record speed; daily!
That said, this trade war is crazy, but in the big picture, it almost makes sense if your goal is to destroy democracy. We know Trump, Thiel and Musk are sociopaths and anti-democracy. What if this situation is part of a larger plot; it’s supposed to destabilize not only the US, but Europe and South America as well.
Think about it, if he starts a global trade war, the situation could easily lead to a massive recession; and with most economies in recession to begin with, it could devastating. Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs, could escalate; and with Trump; it’s a given.
He just gave Mexico a reprieve for thirty days. Why? Most of the fentanyl comes from Mexico. It’s because they were joining forces with Canada, and he wants to divide and conquer. Maybe his goal is to topple the Trudeau government? I know, he’s out in less than a month, but toppling his government could cause chaos; which is precisely the point, and maybe he wants Trudeau in power when it happens. One thing about Trump, he never forgets even the slightest of slights! Or maybe, he really intends to annex Canada and Greenland, and in return, Putin gets all of Europe. I wouldn’t put anything past these guys.
And if economy’s collapse, Democracies around the world would collapse. Exactly what Putin, Orban, Thiel, Musk, Trump and these fascists And let’s face it, they need to consolidate power quickly, while all of Congress is suffering from Shock Doctrine. My gut, it’s already too late. We don’t even hear about what’s happening at the Pentagon. Maybe they’re using the crash to consolidate power within the media paying attention. This is Bannon’s playbook.
I also think we underestimated the power of MAGA, I don’t think they’d turn on Trump, even if they lose almost everything. I think most of them wanted to burn the house down all along; especially the fascists and white nationalist evangelicals. And the moderates who no longer exist, they will be in shock like the rest of us, but refuse to admit their folly.
Just some thoughts…:)
Since Trump's first run for the presidency, I have believed all of his policies are in furtherance of creating two world wide "spheres of influence," one controlled by American oligarchs, the other controlled by Russian oligarchs. That would likely lead to war between the American and Russian Empires; but, Trump doesn't have long and he wants to live out his life with maximum power and wealth; the hell with the global (including Americans) general population.
Robert, I really hate to agree with you on this point, but it is likely already too late to stop the fascists from gaining control of the world with all the horrors that will ensue. However, there is always a chance that the billions in the world duped by fascist lies will have a "great awakening" and the tide could turn against the fascist oligarchs.
I agree. And with technology today, and MAGA taking control of the police and military, there’s no stopping these fascists. God, I hope we’re wrong!
Hi Anthony, it took 10 years, but my own late father woke up from being fully emerged in an extremist religious cult. He just finally put it all together that it was a tithing business and a grift. At the age of 13, I overheard, through the wall, my dad tell the visiting preacher, "It is as plain as the egg on your face!". And that was IT for the cult from there on out. So, it has been ten hellish MAGA years: wake-up time!🙏
Lisa, it is always encouraging to hear a story that proves people can extricate themselves from the tentacles of a cult. It is not easy to deny beliefs accepted without question in the past. Congratulations to your father.
Let's hope the number of Americans leaving the Trump/Maga cult grows exponentially as Trump's true goals become inceasingly obvious. There is always hope until there isn't and we are not there yet.
I was saying the same thing to my partner this morning, but I also added Xi looking to control East Asia. The big trifecta ruling most of the world and all of its riches.
Robert, thank you for your gut-wrenching honesty here. We need to see with clear eyes. Unless millions of Americans put these reality-glasses on, asap, we are doomed.😢🤷♀️🙏
Thank you Lisa, ditto on honestly and all your great insight.
This is tough, too many live in a state of denial, or they’re too proud to admit they made mistake. This will be Brexit on steroids; a protest vote which caused more economic damage to Britain, than even Margret Thatcher. I still can’t comprehend how much lasting damage this presidency will cause…:)
Elizabeth Warren is not silent and neither are AOC and Jasmine Crockett. We need more. I’m going to be after my representative, who is new to be more aggressive. I won’t be giving her anymore money unless she does.
Tariffs, North American chaos, Panama Canal seizure > I think I know what's going on now with the MAGA neo-fascist oligarchs' cabal. They're laying the groundwork to eliminate the IRS, or at the very least raise so much money on the backs of American consumers with tariffs that they can cut taxes again for the tech bros, and especially Elon 'The Salute' Musk, who came to this country to rip us off and lead the charge.
Anything's possible! I just know I really do NOT want to file my taxes this year -- it will be sending MY (and all OUR) $$$ straight into the pockets of evil criminals. Actually thinking hard about whether or not to do this. I'm also worried about any investments any of us have that they can get their hands on or at least tie up for as long as they want.
I do think a wholesale boycott of federal taxes is one effective means of protest.
It's a big step. One thing to consider is the way in which the "other president" might come after those who do not file.
as I stated in a comment post, people I know are already thinking about moving their money to another country - Canada in this case because they have dual citizenship. That person is scared about real money being replaced by crypto and we lose big time. I don't know if it's overthinking the potential issue or if this person is right??? Would appreciate any thoughts you all have about this
I don't think anything can be considered "over thinking" at this point. The pure evil we're experiencing required thought and I'm pretty sure they're not finished. I, too, have been thinking about moving my $$ to outside the country but have done no research yet and no clue if it's possible. I'm now also concerned about the discussions we're all having in forums like this may not be safe. I wouldn't be surprised if there were trump-musk supporters who log in here and elsewhere, representing themselves as just regular citizens like us but getting ideas on where else they can clamp down on us.
Even Cdn citizens who live in the US cannot move their money out. I've met with financial advisors in both countries. Stuck or have to accept that retirement funds etc can't be taken out and one can't invest their US $ in Canada. That law/rule should be changed immediately by Canada if they wanted to increase their revenue markedly, fast, and forever. But I don't see it happening.
Doesn’t just about everyone pay their taxes with each paycheck (or if self employed, with quarterly estimated tax payments) so quite a few people should be owed a refund by now? (Good luck with that) Not filing is just giving them another excuse to prosecute you.
In some cases, people do receive large amounts of one-time-only income that comes without having been taxed yet, so the recipient does have more control over taxes owed. But to a bigger point: your last sentence = totally a big concern.
Trump has stated in the past that he wants to replace income taxes with tariffs, which are regressive, the less you make the bigger % of income they take. That's what Trump likes, exploiting the general public for the benefit of the wealthy.
"In the list of untested policy ideas from former President Donald Trump, scrapping the federal income tax and replacing it with revenues from sky-high tariffs on imports is one of the most harmful." The full article can be found at:https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2024/can-trump-replace-income-taxes-tariffs
My feeling is that people are speaking, but no one is taking any action. The Supreme Court has extended to nearly unlimited power and privilege to the office, and they have unleashed a monster.
I read that the actual reason Trump fired the Inspectors-General, ignoring the law requiring 30 days notice and an explanation to Congress, is because he wants the case to go to SCOTUS where the pathetic justices he has in his pocket will decide all federal employees work at the whim of the president and have no constitutional right to job security.
We can only hope that he has acted so blatantly against the law and/or Constitution, that the pandering justices will have to capitulate. Thomas and Alito won't, but they don't want to give up gifted vacations. Supreme Court Justices can be impeached. Someone in Congress must step up and do what is right.
I really hope, but don't expect, that enough Maga senators would put the American people, the law, and the Constitution before their loyalty to Trump, in the event of the impeachment of Alito and Thomas for flagrant violations of their oaths of office, should they rule civil servants have no right to job security.
First, just a few Republican representatives would have to vote to impeach.