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What makes me deeply worried for the US is not how many I see scream in terror, because they know what Trump is doing.
What really scares me is, how many US citizens are silent, because they do not even realize that a fascist gang is tearing down every pillar of democracy in their country.
Apathy and ignorance is what made the Russian dictatorship possible.
The Russians did not wise up before all was lost. I sincerely hope the Americans are brighter and quicker.
The information silos of major media platforms like Facebook govern peoples information. We have to remember how deep those silos are.
Just consider the changes to the media landscape that are now taking place with Larry Ellison and his offspring, consolidating traditional media like Warner Brothers with now with something like TikTok.
Ellison is one of the primary creditors to Elon Musk‘s acquisition of Twitter, along with Saudi Arabia IIRC.
@randahl I think I'd argue that what made the Russian dictatorship possible was Boris Yeltsin removing all checks and balances on presidential power at gunpoint, while we in the west actively encouraged him. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Russian_constitutional_crisis>
@randahl Couldn't have made it here without Social Media. Share and share alike. Algorithms tuned to maximize rift.
The Smiling Orange
@randahl The evidence so far isn't good.
@randahl
A lot of Americans are conditioned not to think. What you see today is simply the pinnacle of a long history. Fascists will be fascists.
A Democrat needs to stand up and get righteous with liberal values. This too is where America is failing.
@taatm I am keeping an eye on Hakeem Jeffries. He seems gifted oratorically and he has a bit of an Obama vibe to him — not because of his skin color, but the way he talks calmly with powerful, precise points.
@randahl @taatm Sorry, but Hakeem has been an ineffective disappointment. People want a strong leader, which is a big part of how Trump got elected, but of course he's a complete idiot too so I can't explain the thought process behind voters on that one. Point is, Democrats need a JFK, not a Jeffries or Schumer.
@randahl Sorry bit I don't think they are brighter and quicker.
there is no app for 'revolution.' if there is no app, there is no possibility of americans even noticing.
@randahl
I see similarities in Trump’s America with the collapse of the Soviet Empire… the US may not turn out as bloody but the end will deliver a similar result with devastating consequences for the free world…
And now it's a transparently venal, gaudy, made for TV spectacle where the lead is haunted by a file and succomes to dementia like his father.
Nothing uplifting, no memorable ideas or clever turns of phrases. No interesting character arcs. Martial law is declared. Society collapses. Civil War II begins with the South playing thr role of Union and the North the rebels.
Cut to a drone's eye view of a sweeping landscape of ultra-modern hotels along the Med. flying Israeli flags.
Once all of the safeguards are torn down by them, the destruction of their democracy will happen quickly. Threatening a government shutdown and mass firings of federal workers is the perfect opportunity for these lunatics.
I think what saves us is not that we are brighter and quicker - that can't be the case since we elected this vicious clown twice - but that we have a deep cultural/societal connection to our foundation as a democracy. A democracy formed and fought for in reaction to a tyrannical king. It's in our collective DNA as a country. Was it Churchill who said America will do the right thing after they've tried everything else? We REALLY don't want to engage if we can avoid it. We're there.
@jawarajabbi an enormous general strike that halted activity across the nation could send a helpful signal. But I do not suppose the US has the strong labor unions we see in France and Germany.
@randahl I don't think the US has that sense of solidarity required for a strike big enough. When AP was kicked out of the presser, no other journalist left with AP. There is a sense of 'this cannot happen here' for too many people. And that idea of DNA, just one more myth. Look how far it has gone already. Project 2025 just went up by 1% today to 48% complete. 100% is not needed... 50% will suffice.
I think what went down with Disney last week was very instructive. Gave people a sense of their economic power. A national strike is coming. Democratic leadership is still tied too much to the status quo to lead the charge so it's going to take some ew leaders to emerge soon. I see themnow, thankfully. They're out there.
@randahl @jawarajabbi I think the only way to get rid of dictatorship in USA is a military intervention. I don't think that will happen.
@randahl @jawarajabbi A lot of USians voted for this and wanted this.
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