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I was reading this morning in The Atlantic about the tidal wave of misogyny that will be unleashed next year in the United States. I came across a quote from J.D. Vance: “the entire function of post-menopausal women is to care for grandchildren.”

There are a lot of enablers — 77 million of them — and the entire Senate Republican Caucus, male and female, are enablers of this misogyny, too. It only varies by degree, but they are all complicit.

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Christo-fascists are no different than their fanatical Muslim counterparts. There are Aunt Lydias in every society more than willing to live a little better by cooperating with the subjugation of their sisters.

What the Trump voters have unleashed on this country is an abomination and we must resist if we are to limit the suffering about to become reality as Trump implements his cruel policies; think Project 2025.

I hope people emerge to develop and coordinate protests. With any luck marches, sit-ins, and other types of protest are being planned. I'll do what I can, as old as I am; there are no words to express my disgust at what Magats of done to us.

The most dangerous people in the world are religious fanatics; both the leaders (I think many of them don't believe their own bullshit) and the pathetic fools who do whatever they ask.

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"Christo-fascists are no different than their fanatical Muslim counterparts."

Two sides, same coin. Can you say Leonard Leo and Opus Dei?

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Opus/Gareth-Gore/9781668016145

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I am of the opinion that protests will not accomplish as much as directing energy, efforts, and funding towards building a robust and decisive challenge by the Democratic Party in order to achieve victories in the mid terms.

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I'm not too sure the Democratic party will get up off it's a$$ and do something or anything constructive. I still plan to hobble with my walker to any and all protests that come my way.

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Democrats range from people like Manchin to those like AOC and Katie Porter. I think as Trump's horrors become reality more people will see the only hope is in establishing an American system mirroring the societies, economies, and governments of Scandinavian countries. Democrats like AOC, Porter, and Warren will appeal to more and more Americans. I know building a Danish-style America will be difficult due to the size and history of our country. But, I think it is the only solution that will lead to long term survival. A world of social democracies would be far more likely to cooperate internationally, stop war, and see to it that a global community emerges emphasizing fulfilling the needs of all and tells the Musks Bezos, and Trumps of the world to go F%#* themselves.

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That would be a dream come true! I don’t know how the Republicans became so “EVIL “ but we cannot let them get away with with their lies and plans to basically work only for themselves and their wealthy donors. That’s what it’s all about, they are so corrupt and greedy that they don’t care one bit about their constituents. Maybe they never did. Trump is a smug, arrogant dictator want to be. Where he ever got the idea that he’s actually capable of being president or dictator is almost humorous if it wasn’t so terrifying. He’s not capable and there are many signs that he’s already got early stages of dementia. The way he’s making threats and demands is chilling. You know Stalin was mentally ill in his last years as well.

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We need a mass showing of people to send the message...similiar to South Korea. We need to be loud and committed.

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Any resistance that develops will likely be organized and coordinated by leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

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I had great hope for the outcome of our recent election based on my belief that American women would come into their own vast power and send TFG a pink slip. I still believe this can happen but it's going to take another round of TFG's misogyny and cruel lies to get there. And American men are going to have to pull their heads out, pay attention, and respond accordingly.

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If exit polling is accurate, the only part of the electorate to say no to MAGA were black women.

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Almost HALF of white women voted for Kamala so STOP blaming ALL white women!

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Did you say almost half? I half to laugh. How many did not vote? That was another half. Why were white women so conflicted?

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I am not blaming anyone. I am pointing out that the only clear majority to vote for Harris were black women. Something on the order of 70 percent.

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During the campaign, the child care tax credit was discussed. Kamala had a clear plan and discussed it. Trump went on some diarrhea of the mouth ramble to the economics club of New York (IIRC?), saying it's important and expensive, but tariffs will solve the problem because they will bring in so much money. Vance said, child care can be done by parents and grand parents. Seriously, WTF??!! It's already ugly - and it's going to get much worse.

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I think most of us know this will come down to whether the military follows Trump’s orders or defends the American citizens. I am not planning on any pangs of morality in Republicans who are drunk with power.

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That is the question.

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Women have always been considered “less than” men. Prove me wrong. We aren’t ‘less’, but they will never get it..because, well, men. Just sayin’. And when they feel ignored or somehow disrespected, it’s a natural consequence of their decisions. I’m a fortunate one, who’s ‘man’ is a true exception to that seeming norm. But then, I’d accept nothing less.

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Sadly, the photograph is a reflection of what is to come… Stay alert, stay informed, & RESIST.

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Yes, I saw a reflection in that photograph, too...."Stay alert, stay informed, & RESIST."!!

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I made one trip to Riyadh for work some years ago, and found the male-dominated society there to be intolerable. I saw very few women at the workplace (a bank) but I could sense their dissatisfaction with the hijab-enforcing clerics. As I told my American companions: there will come a time of the long knives, and a generation of eunuchs in Arab societies. This story of the worsening of conditions for women in Iran will only hasten the arrival of that time. Not to say it will not be warranted.

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“A generation of eunuchs in Arab countries.” If only.

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Excellent clip John. How prophetic.

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Thank-you Sandra. I thought the clip was on point and relevant to today’s climate and stormy political forecast

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Yes, "on point" for sure. I hope Steve gets to see this -timely, telling, and true.

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Frank Zappa was a genius. Far ahead of the times. I loved his music and to me, the lyrics were often hilarious. He died far too young.

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I agree. Zappa was sharp, wide awake and is missed

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Wow, he saw it coming in 1986. Thank you for posting.

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Boy was Frank Zappa right

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"We are moving toward a fascist theocracy." Frank Zappa 1986. Thank you, John!

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I'm a post-menopausal, white suburban woman. I've been Democrat all of my life and have never voted for a Republican for president, let alone for Dear Leader. I'm not a mother or a grandmother and I have no intention on tending to other's grandkids since Shady Vance thinks that's all I'm good for. He, Dear Leader, Mike Johnson, the Space Nazi and the rest of the MAGA "elite" can fuck all the way off. I'll continue to live independently as I always have, and I'll speak freely as I have the right to do. As I said, there CAN be safety in numbers if we all stick to our principles. I sure as hell will not be subject to an American Christofacist version of the Taliban, ever!

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Right On, Jennifer! Let's raise our voices and our fists and fight these misogynists -now!

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Excellent newsletter Steve! If Iran enforces this ban, the minute there is a killing, or a long prison sentence enforced; there will be a revolution, or at least the beginning of one. Iran came close to revolution back in 2022. This occurred when Mahsa Amini was killed by the Morality Police, and the country erupted in violence. Now with a decree mandated into law, all bets are off.

The country has been teetering on the brink of collapse for decades, and now with all of Iran’s allies in the region decimated; it’s about to get progressively worse; both internally and internationally. And civil unrest will be the last nail in the coffin.

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I worry that ultimately it will take violence to stop fascism from destroying our country.

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Agreed!…:)

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I wonder, will Marjorie Taylor Green and Tulsi be okay with wearing a hijab?

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They're both crazy, so who knows? They would be good candidates for the role of Aunt Lydia.

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These two Corrupt, Traitor MAGA Nutjobs are Really Corrupt in Mind and Spirit. So, no I don't see them wearing hijabs.

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The rigid church in Iran presents a dichotomy when enforced on a people interested in progressing as a society. The Church-State is in power until such time as the Iranian people say enough of this. They did say enough of this to the Shah. I lived there at the time. The church was part of that uprising that I witnessed, and the church has been in control since early 1979. Like all totalitarian regimes, they lop the head off of any opposition. A church, mind you, lopping off people’s heads. Ludicrous. When will the Iranian people say enough? We cannot do it for them.

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We've got our own Church-State problem to deal with here... all those Christian nationalists are going to make trouble for us. And the lopping of heads of those opposed? Have you heard some of the rhetoric of these people? They're absolutely insane.

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This is the playbook. The Proud Boys will be used for the head lopping.

https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/dictatorship-is-choreographed?r=3m1bs

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Thank you Carl Selfe for this link. I knew bits and pieces but this article is so informative.

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You make my writing worthwhile!

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Thank you. Everyone should take a look at this, the story of how Hitler and Mussolini achieved control over their countries. We must stop Trump; he is clearly using the same strategies.

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Please help me share the information. We did not live through this time and have little insight into what actually happened. Also thanks to Tim Synder for his input and the spark that set a fire under me.

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Tim Snyder is an outstanding historian, truth speaker, and teacher.

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Religion fanatics have always been unbelievably cruel. Think about the Roman Catholic Inquistion and the Protestant response, the pain and death it brought to so many. And then we have our own Jim Jones as another example. DISGUSTING.

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Aided by unknown quantities of dark money provided by domestic billionaires, astroturf PACS , AIPAC, and sundry foreign governments, as well as the enthusiastic complicity of Congress and the Supreme Court, the Fourth Reich will soon dawn in America. The Constitution? Forget about it - our new President For Life intends to “terminate” parts or all of it as he sees fit, which the aforementioned Court will reliably find consistent with his official duties. “Checks and Balances”? Forget about that irrelevant, outmoded concept. Bothersome notions such as morality, integrity, ethics, etc., will be displaced by Christian Nationalism in the name of God; draconian punishment will await the unobservant, whose failures will be reported to authorities by their neighbors. The fourth estate will honor its solemn responsibilities by reporting the foregoing as normal.

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It all is my fear. And I really don’t understand how it is possible yet I do understand. Once unleashed, hate and fear of others allowed to flourish does time and again. The J6 insurrectionists went so far. Will our resistance find a mechanism to do .. what?

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Judgment at Nuremberg is a great movie about the German citizens who helped make places like Auschwitz “legal.”

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Starring Spencer Tracey as a Maine lawyer sent over to serve on a panel of judges trying the case

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The German people did not do that. The Nazis did it in secret in Poland. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/dictatorship-is-choreographed?r=3m1bs

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The movie features a true story of the trial of three German judges who sent regular people to concentration camps…watch it …the Germans set up camps in Poland…but the movie is about the trial of German civilians who played a part in the Holocaust. They did do it…and the Nazis were Germans wether you like it or not

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Actually I lived in Germany for 3 years and saw the movie long ago. The Army showed us their films of the camps in junior high school. There was a reason the 6 main camps were in Poland. To hide it all from the German people. Some locals were of course involved in Germany and in Poland. It takes a huge paint brush to support your position. You might note that the German people did not go to trial. Only the criminals caught at the time. Germany is one of our strongest allies. The enemy is totalitarianism.

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Germans knew what was going on and failed to stop it. I realize it is difficult to resist considering the torture facing those who dare. Did they not wonder about people disappearing? the horrible stench coming from the camps? Did they know about Kristallnacht? Of course they did.

However, I blame the Germans no more than the rest of mankind. Too many people are simply vulnerable to fascist beliefs and propaganda. Were Americans unaware of the genocide going on against Native Americans? Are we aware of the genocide currently going on in the Gaza strip? We feel powerless to stop evil in the world. People fall for the promises made by evil people who achieve power because evil people are not constrained by considerations of right and wrong. They fail only when their control and exploitation of the people creates enough misery to overcome fear and revolution and/or war brings the totalitarian regimes down.

The problem is, the weapons we have now may mean this will be the final cycle, as no one will be left to build a better society in the wake of resistance to totalitarianism, which seems to be engulfing the world.

Maybe the tortured Earth will survive long enough for a new flora and fauna to take over. Hopefully, it will be a better network of life than the current one which seems to be dog eat dog across all species.

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The Nazis were German people. Just like in the future- people will say about Trump atrocities, “The American people did not do that. Trump Magats did.”

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When Iran tries to enforce that horrific "law" there will be resistance. First Biden, then Trump must forcefully denounce the punishments enacted against the protesters and work with our allies..if we still have any..to further isolate Iran. The people there, for the most part, want to live like us. It is far past time that they are allowed to do so. With luck and clever politicking, Iran may be an important ally of the west in the not too distant future.

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"Trump must forcefully denounce the punishments enacted against the protesters and work with our allies.."

Are you kidding me? TFG is getting tips from the Iranians on how to handle and dominate American women.

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Have you not been paying attention? Trump will never denounce any authoritarians unless it is in his financial interest.

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So I wonder- would it be wrong for women in Iran to murder allatollahs and others oppressing them? I don’t think so. I am constantly amazed at why there aren’t more violent uprisings against such oppressive regimes. Sure, there’s fear of being caught, but if you could get away with it? Why not?

Would it have been morally wrong for slaves to have murdered their owners and others who imprisoned them? I think not.

Would it have been wrong for Jews to have killed Nazis if they had the opportunity? I don’t think so.

Women are being killed in this country because of abortion laws and misogynistic mediocre men who want to oppress women in order to prop up themselves. How long are we supposed to just take it?

How far was the United healthcare killer removed from a similar situation?

Trump has unleashed a lot of repressed rage in this country. He’s an evil man and he wants to see the violence that will surely ensue.

He may get to see it because our laws and institutions no longer protect the constitutional rights of the vast majority if Americans.

Very dangerous times are ahead.

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Here’s my 2 cents for what it’s worth. It’s important that those of influence and means pull their resources together and come up with a plan to rival the X platform and Rogan. They are ruling the day, day after day they are poisoning the hearts and minds of the people who tune in and listen to them and those that listen to them are bringing in others to listen to them, because there is no other platforms out there to counter their poisonous

lies. They are winning the battle against us who believed in democracy,the Constitution, and importantly the rule of law. Where are those big donors that gave to Harris loads of money during her campaign? Where have they gone? (truth be told they packed up and left America.) They took their money and ran instead of staying and helping fight the good fight against the Trump regime. The lies that are coming from Musk via X are insane. I recently saw a YouTube video with musk and his son named X, they’re in the car and the boy is in his carseat in the back, and the little boy says to Musk, “you need to help Trump because you need to save America”. He now has his youngest son believing that he needs to save America from who; people like us?

To be honest with you, I would rather subscribe to a social media platform the likes of something equivalent to the X platform where I could hear people who are on the side of Truth, speak truth to power and hit back against the lies that are permeating the depths of American Society. “It takes one rotten apple to spoil the whole bunch” as the same goes. Well there are 2 most powerful rotten apples in the bunch Musk & Rogan.

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Please keep speaking out on this, Steve! You well know that far too many power-hungry misogynist men in the USA could and would burn freedom loving women at the stake. The Hillary Clinton quote is spot on; this must be a global movement. We must stand and speak!

Women's rights = human rights.Thank You.

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