I witnessed the exchange of Maine Governor Mills and Trump just minutes after it occurred. I could feel the powerful current of defiance flowing through the country at that moment. This was like an individualized chamber drama, with a captive, powerful and televised audience, that can change the affective course of this administration. Perhaps even more resonantly, as I first caught only the snippet via Bluesky, I was privy to no legal context -- I did not know it was regarding an NCAA / trans rights inclusion. In fact, I did not know the exchange was even a woman standing up to Trump, which made it all the more potent and poignant. I only read this dramatic text:
Gov. Mills: I'll comply with state and federal laws.
Trump: We are the federal law. You better do it because you're not going to get any federal funds.
Gov. Mills: See you in court.
For that moment, the legal context did not matter. It was the righteous defiance of a state Governor (and former Maine AG) standing up, in person, with all the power and standing of the law and democratic precedent to a thuggish, coercive bully. It was emblematic. When I then saw the video clip, and discovered Governor Mills was a woman, it was like lightning striking down. It was a room in the WH, full of governors -- some with their own presidential ambitions -- who surely felt the tectonic shift. Trump's grandiose language and demeanor betrayed weakness and his characteristic, underhanded misogyny and ignorance. He could not compete.
I commented a few weeks ago how the Supreme Court's rejection of the Chevron Doctrine in Roper could in fact be a double-edged sword, ultimately returning more power to the states. This exchange brought that constitutional dynamic into the wild, in real time. I was so proud to see a Governor speak truth to power. These are moments of resistance that can sustain a nation.
Great description here! I have been feeling that women will be instrumental in the restoration of our country, and have also been watching to see who is emerging to lead victory for us in 2026 & 2028. Governor Mills may be one to add to the list,
I've considered myself more a humanist than a feminist. Still, I view the absence of women in Trump and Musk public appearances; a total absence, as far as I know of, say, Musk's son's mother while we have X himself paraded in front of us in the Oval Office, an unmistakable sign of toxic brosculinity
Yes, I thought it is a striking lack. And his cabinet is filled with white, male dullards. The rare women are screamingly subservient. I've never seen the term 'brosculinity', but wow, is it ever toxic!
Thank you, Joyce. Yes I think women will also be instrumental, and righteous moments like these help to reframe the national narrative. With oppressive proposals like the SAVE act, women have good cause to lead us to a House victory in 2026 and beyond.
This is not the first time Gov. Janet Mills has publicly defied Trump. She did so during a governors conference call with Trump during COVID.
Of course, Mills had a lot of experience 'reading the law' to self-styled "Trump before Trump" teaparty Paul Le Page. When Mills was Attorney General and then in gubernatorial campaigns.
It was an important, special moment. But I could not help asking out loud "where is the support from her fellow governors?". Are they so weighed down by an obligation to "behave" that they cannot rally to the aid of a fellow state executive? Did they think they were watching a "West Wing" rerun and not completely disrespectful threats from the President in real time? Perhaps it was lost in the feed, but I heard no affirmation of her resolute defense of the law nor vocal condemnation of Trump's vile, mobsterish behavior. For those wishing to be seen as leaders and defenders of democracy, it was a telling moment of weakness only highlighted by Gov Mills' courage and integrity.
To be fair, Trump called her out specifically (prior to the excerpt above), interrupting his word salad to ask if the Gov from Maine was there. Then he attempted to coerce her on live TV. Realistically, the others didn't have the floor, and at least the GOP half probably didn't want it. It would have been cathartic to see others chime in, but I think she already held the day.
Well, that's actually not what I said above [OP]. I said she stood up with righteous defiance to a (an implied perennial) bully. And the intent of the paragraph is he was diminished and she was righteous and dominant.
I'd prefer we stand together and not parse each others' words to damaging effect. I agree with your sentiment.
On the direct above, I did say he bullied his case -- a federal case -- to her. She wasn't buying. I will change that if it makes you feel better.
What is most distressing to me at this juncture is not Trump, but Musk. I can't believe he would extort rare mineral resources out of Ukraine by threatening to shut down Starlink otherwise. Is there any alternative for Ukraine?
I agree that Musk's usurpation of power is currently the most significant source of destruction. I didn't know much about him prior to his warping of the race last year. Now I can believe he would extort resources for his own ends. It is not dissimilar to apartheid extortion in S.A., or his meddling in other countries. I still think this arrangement won't last, though he's currently waging an unprecedented amount of damage.
Just looking at what is happening within the US at this very moment you have a point. But just wait a few weeks until Patel and Bondi have successfully subverted and positioned the DOJ, FBI and other law enforcement agency to go after every real or perceived opponent of the regime. And the Army is groomed to run interference should the need arise.
On the international level, though, Musk doesn't appear to be the most dominant player. Trump currently is skinning the Ukraine alive to please his buddy Putin and by doing so, is seriously harming not just the Ukraine but the whole of Europe and, while he is at it, the international order which has been established since the end of WWII. So we Europeans literally have skin in the game.
And if that was not enough Vance shocks Europeans with his fascist rant at the Munich Security Conference demanding that we start to cooperate with our home-grown neo-nazi parties and movements. He followed up on this at the CPAC this weekend with the threat of withdrawing US troops from Europe in case we don't stop censuring free expression – MAGA speak for the unfettered dissemination of lies and 'alternative facts' by the alt-right.
Dan, I hope you are right: that Musk’s influence will not last. Having lived in S.A. during and past the early days of Apartheid, I well remember the same was thought (and hoped) that the Nationalist Party Rule would not last. But between 1948-49 and 1994, they ruled and created a lot of havoc and violence. This is not meant to be so much a negative reminder, but a reminder that we must stay resolved and creative. Democracy cannot afford long years of Trump chaos, so I also,with mighty hopefulness, hope you are right! I, as many, still see a path especially in the House by-elections.
I appreciate this, Pam. Your experience is profound and I wouldn't argue against it. I have lived in several other countries and I am personally having difficulty processing the radical disavowal of our democratic allies by the Trump + coterie. We are in an unprecedented historical moment, and truthfully, the U.S. moving forward will not functionally be the same as it was for the past ~80 years. Scholars of autocracy have been quite clear about this and it's fairly accurate, if bitter. I still do hold modulated optimism also. Robert spoke of this as well today in his substack video. I think the House 2026 looks positive from this early stage.
I do envy you for still being able to distinguish between the actors in this dystopian horror movie and find nuances in rating their depravity, criminal intent and sick sense of purpose in destroying everything the US and for that matter the world stood for.
Just read in NYT that it was Ukraine that first proposed a partnership:
“The idea of trading natural resources for U.S. assistance was first put forward by Ukraine, but Mr. Zelensky balked when the U.S. proposal suggested that Kyiv provide access to profits from 50 percent of the country’s minerals and energy resources. Mr. Zelensky had also objected that the deal included no American security commitments.”
I think Musk’s threat was for show as an agreement is very close to happening with more favorable terms for Ukraine. I don’t say this to disagree that Musk’s statement of extortion is despicable, but only to try to put it into context. Everything Musk says and does is despicable. When the deal is signed, Trump will claim victory, ignoring his concessions to Zelensky. Hope the media and Dems are up to countering whatever narrative he puts forth.
The only reason Trump is so adamant about obtaining Greenland is for their rare earth mineral resources. Musk bought Trump lock, stock, and barrel, and Trump must and will do everything in his power to make Musk happy, including betraying our most stalwart allies.
I don't disagree about Musk buying Trump, but remember Trump was in Putin's pocket during Trump 1.0 and he definitely holds a grudge against Zelinsky for that "perfect" phone call that led to his 1st impeachment.
There might be more protests such as Skokie, Schaumburg, etc but I have no time to look this up. I know there are probably protests against Tesla all over the US
Thank you, Robert, especially for sharing the words of Rebecca Sonit:
"Everywhere I went it felt like people were trying harder than usual to show up, to connect, to be their best selves. This is emergency behavior. This is how people behave when their city is bombed or flooded or burning down, this extra care, this extra presentness, this best self-connecting with other best selves."
I just want to add a plea that we extend this extra care and presentness to Republicans who are also suffering from Donald Trump's lawless actions. We mustn't be selective with our compassion. If nothing else, we can offer them an alternative to the cruelty and lies they've gotten from the other side. Let's not slam the door in their faces.
Well, I agree to a point. And nicely stated. But there's a limit to how much compassion one can extend while still maintaining a core of sanctity to sustain ourselves through a very long and grinding battle ahead. When extending compassion to bad faith actors and hostile interlocutors, the notion of self-compassion can take priority. It's an individualized decision where that border rests. What I take comfort in from this is how great, and how supportive our broad-tent community has become. We are here for each other, and there are many of us who find measures of solace and strength we did not know existed before.
TCINLA also reported on the Firing of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I appreciate Robert's look at it from a racist lens. But can we discuss this aspect:
THIS ONE IS REALLY, REALLY BAD
At 9:10pm ET, Dilbert ALL the Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Among many other things, these are the military lawyers who determine what is a legal order and what's not. If you're planning to give illegal orders they are an obvious obstacle. This has all the look of preparation for a military coup that would establish him as A dictator.
Yes, very concerning. We should remember that just before January 6 Trump replaced several top military officials. Those are the same people who refused for hours to send in the National Guard.
Deepak, I am sharing your maps of who is impacted by various Trump/Musk/GOP legislative bills with my friends and family to help amplify the message. Please keep them coming!
Last night’s firings of top military have shaken me more than most anything thus far, beyond the obvious white male supremacy goal. Yet this morning, I awoke to lots of emails, with news, but not this 4-alarm fire. I will bet maybe one other person, maybe, on my street knows about this, and i’m on a street with educated, well informed people.
Imagine non-voters. They may NEVER know this story.
I keep asking myself how we reach the 1/3 of the population who need to know about this and stay informed at least to the point that they vote? They DO care about jobs, kids, health, etc. I think they have just assumed all would be well enough.
I feel we need a “News on the Corner” approach where the news goes to people rather than people going to the news. We can’t put that little news kid on every corner, but can we blanket places with postcard size headlines? Maybe that Walmart shopper finds a few cards in the ladies room, or maybe we put postcards under doormats in low voting neighborhoods, with the short message:
“Late Friday night, President Trump fired 8 superbly qualified top military officials, including the Chair of the Joint Chief of Staff. Trump announced he would replace Gen. C. W. Brown, the first African American Chief, with a lesser rank, retired, less qualified white male, loyal to Trump.
The military’s oath is to the Constitution, not to one person, which is why experts see these firings as dangerous—Trump is installing a military loyal to him alone.
See QR code for unbiased information about this event, and see QR code to be sure you are registered and ready to vote in every election.
Cathy, I share your interest in putting factual news into physical spaces; Many of the people who need to know what's really happening will not get it from right-wing media, and wouldn't be caught dead visiting center and left-leaning media. So we bring it to them, on phone poles, bus benches, gas pumps, etc. Let's talk: melodic@sonic.net.
Peggy, I'll email you separately, but I've created this Google doc to do some brainstorming. (I'm sure there's a better way, but that's what I know:-)) It's viewable and editable.
I write postcards for Field Team 6 (www.fieldteam6.org) which uses a QR code to send prospective voters to their Voterizer website to register to vote. You can purchase postcards from FT6 that include the QR code, but you can also print out the QR code on a label and attach it to the postcard. I do the latter and print to QR codes on Avery Labels (style 94103 is a 1" x 1" square label which is the perfect size for a 4" x 6 " postcard.
I have been thinking that I need to find an app and or website that allows you to create your own QR codes. Or else look for messaging that already included a QR code or allows you to create one. For example, if you right click on the heatmap included in Deepak Puri's link in his comment above, one of the options is to create a QR code that can be copied and pasted.
The importance of being physically together in our activism has jumped out at me in the last few months. Our group of volunteers worked hard over the past eight years, but lost some ground as a community when we only got together as little faces on a screen. This emergency has called us to be together in person at least some of the time and it makes a difference—and gives us literal comfort.
Black voters who support Trump are a total mystery to me. His recent firings of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his abandonment of the data base of police brutality, abolishment of DEI initiatives, and so many other things along similar lines, floor me. Am I just a hopelessly New England Liberal? Or are his recent actions as awful and as racist as it seems to me?
To be sure. But our elderly relatives must spend (or give away) all their savings before they even qualify for Medicaid for nursing home care.That is so demeaning to those who have worked hard all their lives to accumulate a bit of money to pass to their children. (Yes, there are legal estate planning techniques for the wealthy to get around this and make themselves “poor” to meet Medicaid regulations, but the point is one can only get Medicaid when one is legally “poor”.)
It is not just grandmas. I have a friend whose husband had early onset Alzheimers.
They got married when she was mid-30s and he was mid-40s and had one daughter. He ended up being a stay-at-home dad after he was offered a package at work to voluntarily quit. But when their daughter was in middle school, he got sick and a(as is often the case with the early-onset version, it progressed rapidly and he soon needed to be placed in a memory unit. I don't think Medicaid was involved in this case, but my point was that he wasn't even 60 when he went into the facility. (He has since passed away).
Democrats in congress need to tell us how Republican cuts to Medicaid will affect LTSS. How will cuts to LTSS impact the lives of ordinary Americans in our aging population? Are adult children prepared to provide the LTSS that the government will no longer subsidize? (Double whammy: Trump has cancelled NIH Alzheimer’s research, too.)
The resistance to Trump and Musk will not be a big event or a big bang but a slow gradual build up of outrage and pushback and an awakening of the reality of the horrors of Trump. Promises made and not kept will keep adding up and today it’s eggs and inflation and tomorrow a major weather induced catastrophe or a breakout of some disease and virus killing many people. It will take some time for voters to feel the pain in their lives and for Republicans to realize that Trump is not the saviour but the reason they won’t get re-elected. Every day brave souls will stand up to him and give us hope and incentive. One day at a time.
Norbert - Do not surrender in advance. Join us in the fight. Find your local Indivisible group or other action-oriented grassroots group and pitch in for the work to protect free and fair elections. It’s up to us.
Well Susan Collins turned against Trump again, and our Governor, Janet Mills, told the Convicted Felon, that she would see him in court, so it's interesting that the two politicians who had the balls to fight back against Trump don't have any. Brava!
I've seen Pritzker's comments and they are great. But I was talking obviously about Janet Mills and the Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins (albeit sometimes very frustrating and flip flopping) who has voted against several Trump cabinet nominees....but not all.
I witnessed the exchange of Maine Governor Mills and Trump just minutes after it occurred. I could feel the powerful current of defiance flowing through the country at that moment. This was like an individualized chamber drama, with a captive, powerful and televised audience, that can change the affective course of this administration. Perhaps even more resonantly, as I first caught only the snippet via Bluesky, I was privy to no legal context -- I did not know it was regarding an NCAA / trans rights inclusion. In fact, I did not know the exchange was even a woman standing up to Trump, which made it all the more potent and poignant. I only read this dramatic text:
Gov. Mills: I'll comply with state and federal laws.
Trump: We are the federal law. You better do it because you're not going to get any federal funds.
Gov. Mills: See you in court.
For that moment, the legal context did not matter. It was the righteous defiance of a state Governor (and former Maine AG) standing up, in person, with all the power and standing of the law and democratic precedent to a thuggish, coercive bully. It was emblematic. When I then saw the video clip, and discovered Governor Mills was a woman, it was like lightning striking down. It was a room in the WH, full of governors -- some with their own presidential ambitions -- who surely felt the tectonic shift. Trump's grandiose language and demeanor betrayed weakness and his characteristic, underhanded misogyny and ignorance. He could not compete.
I commented a few weeks ago how the Supreme Court's rejection of the Chevron Doctrine in Roper could in fact be a double-edged sword, ultimately returning more power to the states. This exchange brought that constitutional dynamic into the wild, in real time. I was so proud to see a Governor speak truth to power. These are moments of resistance that can sustain a nation.
Great description here! I have been feeling that women will be instrumental in the restoration of our country, and have also been watching to see who is emerging to lead victory for us in 2026 & 2028. Governor Mills may be one to add to the list,
I've considered myself more a humanist than a feminist. Still, I view the absence of women in Trump and Musk public appearances; a total absence, as far as I know of, say, Musk's son's mother while we have X himself paraded in front of us in the Oval Office, an unmistakable sign of toxic brosculinity
Yes, I thought it is a striking lack. And his cabinet is filled with white, male dullards. The rare women are screamingly subservient. I've never seen the term 'brosculinity', but wow, is it ever toxic!
Thank you, Joyce. Yes I think women will also be instrumental, and righteous moments like these help to reframe the national narrative. With oppressive proposals like the SAVE act, women have good cause to lead us to a House victory in 2026 and beyond.
I have certainly noticed that from the start of this chaotic administration, it has been WOMEN who have stood strong and taken no crap from the Felon.
This is not the first time Gov. Janet Mills has publicly defied Trump. She did so during a governors conference call with Trump during COVID.
Of course, Mills had a lot of experience 'reading the law' to self-styled "Trump before Trump" teaparty Paul Le Page. When Mills was Attorney General and then in gubernatorial campaigns.
She is one tough broad and I mean that sincerely! Others could learn a lot from her and Pritzker on how to govern and protect.
Bad idea to mess with a Mainer.
It was an important, special moment. But I could not help asking out loud "where is the support from her fellow governors?". Are they so weighed down by an obligation to "behave" that they cannot rally to the aid of a fellow state executive? Did they think they were watching a "West Wing" rerun and not completely disrespectful threats from the President in real time? Perhaps it was lost in the feed, but I heard no affirmation of her resolute defense of the law nor vocal condemnation of Trump's vile, mobsterish behavior. For those wishing to be seen as leaders and defenders of democracy, it was a telling moment of weakness only highlighted by Gov Mills' courage and integrity.
To be fair, Trump called her out specifically (prior to the excerpt above), interrupting his word salad to ask if the Gov from Maine was there. Then he attempted to coerce her on live TV. Realistically, the others didn't have the floor, and at least the GOP half probably didn't want it. It would have been cathartic to see others chime in, but I think she already held the day.
Correct your statement that he bullied her. He tried to but like a warrior, she stood up to him toe-to-toe!
Well, that's actually not what I said above [OP]. I said she stood up with righteous defiance to a (an implied perennial) bully. And the intent of the paragraph is he was diminished and she was righteous and dominant.
I'd prefer we stand together and not parse each others' words to damaging effect. I agree with your sentiment.
On the direct above, I did say he bullied his case -- a federal case -- to her. She wasn't buying. I will change that if it makes you feel better.
That’s my governor!!!
“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream will always win, but by persistence”.
-Buddha-
Steve Schmitz
We are the stream, gathering force daily.
Congratulations on your new grandkids and have a wonderful trip. You are an invaluable resource in these awful days.
What is most distressing to me at this juncture is not Trump, but Musk. I can't believe he would extort rare mineral resources out of Ukraine by threatening to shut down Starlink otherwise. Is there any alternative for Ukraine?
I agree that Musk's usurpation of power is currently the most significant source of destruction. I didn't know much about him prior to his warping of the race last year. Now I can believe he would extort resources for his own ends. It is not dissimilar to apartheid extortion in S.A., or his meddling in other countries. I still think this arrangement won't last, though he's currently waging an unprecedented amount of damage.
Just looking at what is happening within the US at this very moment you have a point. But just wait a few weeks until Patel and Bondi have successfully subverted and positioned the DOJ, FBI and other law enforcement agency to go after every real or perceived opponent of the regime. And the Army is groomed to run interference should the need arise.
On the international level, though, Musk doesn't appear to be the most dominant player. Trump currently is skinning the Ukraine alive to please his buddy Putin and by doing so, is seriously harming not just the Ukraine but the whole of Europe and, while he is at it, the international order which has been established since the end of WWII. So we Europeans literally have skin in the game.
And if that was not enough Vance shocks Europeans with his fascist rant at the Munich Security Conference demanding that we start to cooperate with our home-grown neo-nazi parties and movements. He followed up on this at the CPAC this weekend with the threat of withdrawing US troops from Europe in case we don't stop censuring free expression – MAGA speak for the unfettered dissemination of lies and 'alternative facts' by the alt-right.
Dan, I hope you are right: that Musk’s influence will not last. Having lived in S.A. during and past the early days of Apartheid, I well remember the same was thought (and hoped) that the Nationalist Party Rule would not last. But between 1948-49 and 1994, they ruled and created a lot of havoc and violence. This is not meant to be so much a negative reminder, but a reminder that we must stay resolved and creative. Democracy cannot afford long years of Trump chaos, so I also,with mighty hopefulness, hope you are right! I, as many, still see a path especially in the House by-elections.
I appreciate this, Pam. Your experience is profound and I wouldn't argue against it. I have lived in several other countries and I am personally having difficulty processing the radical disavowal of our democratic allies by the Trump + coterie. We are in an unprecedented historical moment, and truthfully, the U.S. moving forward will not functionally be the same as it was for the past ~80 years. Scholars of autocracy have been quite clear about this and it's fairly accurate, if bitter. I still do hold modulated optimism also. Robert spoke of this as well today in his substack video. I think the House 2026 looks positive from this early stage.
I do envy you for still being able to distinguish between the actors in this dystopian horror movie and find nuances in rating their depravity, criminal intent and sick sense of purpose in destroying everything the US and for that matter the world stood for.
I am very well past that point.
Just read in NYT that it was Ukraine that first proposed a partnership:
“The idea of trading natural resources for U.S. assistance was first put forward by Ukraine, but Mr. Zelensky balked when the U.S. proposal suggested that Kyiv provide access to profits from 50 percent of the country’s minerals and energy resources. Mr. Zelensky had also objected that the deal included no American security commitments.”
Gifted:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/world/europe/ukraine-zelensky-minerals-peace.html?unlocked_article_code=1.y04.bqtX.6ZWeZh9-Gmvg&smid=url-share
I think Musk’s threat was for show as an agreement is very close to happening with more favorable terms for Ukraine. I don’t say this to disagree that Musk’s statement of extortion is despicable, but only to try to put it into context. Everything Musk says and does is despicable. When the deal is signed, Trump will claim victory, ignoring his concessions to Zelensky. Hope the media and Dems are up to countering whatever narrative he puts forth.
It's a classic shake-down. Trump and Musk have elevated the mobster's signature MO to new levels.
😡🤬🤬
The only reason Trump is so adamant about obtaining Greenland is for their rare earth mineral resources. Musk bought Trump lock, stock, and barrel, and Trump must and will do everything in his power to make Musk happy, including betraying our most stalwart allies.
I don't disagree about Musk buying Trump, but remember Trump was in Putin's pocket during Trump 1.0 and he definitely holds a grudge against Zelinsky for that "perfect" phone call that led to his 1st impeachment.
Let’s try that Budda quote one morning time.
“ in the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream will always win, not by force, but by PERSISTENCE”.
Steve
I only hope I live long enough to see the rock worn down.
Saturday, rainy day protest gathering in Seattle, noon-1, Ballard at Bergen Pavilion.
Much larger protest at U Village Tesla dealership. 10-1. And all over the country. https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/teslatakedown
There's a protest at the Tesla dealership in Libertyville, IL (Lake County) here today as well at 11:30 AM. 1121 S. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville
Also in Chicago AT 12 PM, 901 N Rush Street
Weather: Sunny, High of 34 degrees.
There might be more protests such as Skokie, Schaumburg, etc but I have no time to look this up. I know there are probably protests against Tesla all over the US
Durham Democrats Tesla protest
Tuesday Feb. 25 4-6pm
7101 Glenwood Ave
Raleigh, NC 27612
Thank you, Robert, especially for sharing the words of Rebecca Sonit:
"Everywhere I went it felt like people were trying harder than usual to show up, to connect, to be their best selves. This is emergency behavior. This is how people behave when their city is bombed or flooded or burning down, this extra care, this extra presentness, this best self-connecting with other best selves."
I just want to add a plea that we extend this extra care and presentness to Republicans who are also suffering from Donald Trump's lawless actions. We mustn't be selective with our compassion. If nothing else, we can offer them an alternative to the cruelty and lies they've gotten from the other side. Let's not slam the door in their faces.
.
Well, I agree to a point. And nicely stated. But there's a limit to how much compassion one can extend while still maintaining a core of sanctity to sustain ourselves through a very long and grinding battle ahead. When extending compassion to bad faith actors and hostile interlocutors, the notion of self-compassion can take priority. It's an individualized decision where that border rests. What I take comfort in from this is how great, and how supportive our broad-tent community has become. We are here for each other, and there are many of us who find measures of solace and strength we did not know existed before.
TCINLA also reported on the Firing of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I appreciate Robert's look at it from a racist lens. But can we discuss this aspect:
THIS ONE IS REALLY, REALLY BAD
At 9:10pm ET, Dilbert ALL the Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Among many other things, these are the military lawyers who determine what is a legal order and what's not. If you're planning to give illegal orders they are an obvious obstacle. This has all the look of preparation for a military coup that would establish him as A dictator.
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers"
-William Shakespeare
(in “Henry VI, Part 2”, Act IV,
Scene 2 )
Yes, very concerning. We should remember that just before January 6 Trump replaced several top military officials. Those are the same people who refused for hours to send in the National Guard.
Robert gave excellent perspective on this topic during the live session.
If you want to share something with more details, check out the VoteVets You Tube video. Fred Wellman has been doing a series of longer form videos:
https://www.youtube.com/@votevets/search?query=fred%20Wellman
The latest one is this one:
Trump's Military Purge Begins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdOjEdRCYug
Who’s hurt by Trump’s cutting Medicaid and Food Stamps to give tax cuts to his billionaire donors? Check this map with details by county.
https://thedemlabs.org/2025/01/28/map-of-communities-hurt-by-trumps-federal-aid-freeze-jeopardizing-medicaid-and-food-stamps/
Deepak, I am sharing your maps of who is impacted by various Trump/Musk/GOP legislative bills with my friends and family to help amplify the message. Please keep them coming!
I hope other readers are doing the same!
Last night’s firings of top military have shaken me more than most anything thus far, beyond the obvious white male supremacy goal. Yet this morning, I awoke to lots of emails, with news, but not this 4-alarm fire. I will bet maybe one other person, maybe, on my street knows about this, and i’m on a street with educated, well informed people.
Imagine non-voters. They may NEVER know this story.
I keep asking myself how we reach the 1/3 of the population who need to know about this and stay informed at least to the point that they vote? They DO care about jobs, kids, health, etc. I think they have just assumed all would be well enough.
I feel we need a “News on the Corner” approach where the news goes to people rather than people going to the news. We can’t put that little news kid on every corner, but can we blanket places with postcard size headlines? Maybe that Walmart shopper finds a few cards in the ladies room, or maybe we put postcards under doormats in low voting neighborhoods, with the short message:
“Late Friday night, President Trump fired 8 superbly qualified top military officials, including the Chair of the Joint Chief of Staff. Trump announced he would replace Gen. C. W. Brown, the first African American Chief, with a lesser rank, retired, less qualified white male, loyal to Trump.
The military’s oath is to the Constitution, not to one person, which is why experts see these firings as dangerous—Trump is installing a military loyal to him alone.
See QR code for unbiased information about this event, and see QR code to be sure you are registered and ready to vote in every election.
Elections matter.”
Cathy, I share your interest in putting factual news into physical spaces; Many of the people who need to know what's really happening will not get it from right-wing media, and wouldn't be caught dead visiting center and left-leaning media. So we bring it to them, on phone poles, bus benches, gas pumps, etc. Let's talk: melodic@sonic.net.
Peggy, I'll email you separately, but I've created this Google doc to do some brainstorming. (I'm sure there's a better way, but that's what I know:-)) It's viewable and editable.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hsM09dlhaAz_MBwmnfBO646gogxcSU05Zeb7Hb79gR4/edit?usp=sharing
This is a really interesting idea.
I write postcards for Field Team 6 (www.fieldteam6.org) which uses a QR code to send prospective voters to their Voterizer website to register to vote. You can purchase postcards from FT6 that include the QR code, but you can also print out the QR code on a label and attach it to the postcard. I do the latter and print to QR codes on Avery Labels (style 94103 is a 1" x 1" square label which is the perfect size for a 4" x 6 " postcard.
I have been thinking that I need to find an app and or website that allows you to create your own QR codes. Or else look for messaging that already included a QR code or allows you to create one. For example, if you right click on the heatmap included in Deepak Puri's link in his comment above, one of the options is to create a QR code that can be copied and pasted.
The importance of being physically together in our activism has jumped out at me in the last few months. Our group of volunteers worked hard over the past eight years, but lost some ground as a community when we only got together as little faces on a screen. This emergency has called us to be together in person at least some of the time and it makes a difference—and gives us literal comfort.
Black voters who support Trump are a total mystery to me. His recent firings of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his abandonment of the data base of police brutality, abolishment of DEI initiatives, and so many other things along similar lines, floor me. Am I just a hopelessly New England Liberal? Or are his recent actions as awful and as racist as it seems to me?
Or are his recent actions as awful and as racist as it seems to me?
I certainly think so!
Medicaid is not just a benefit for the poor. Have a relative a long term care facility? What will happen to them if Medicaid is cut?
• In 2022, Medicaid spent 58% of its budget on LTSS.
• In 2020, 78.2% of Medicaid's LTSS spending went to nursing facilities.
• Medicaid is the main source of public funding for long-term institutional care.
To be sure. But our elderly relatives must spend (or give away) all their savings before they even qualify for Medicaid for nursing home care.That is so demeaning to those who have worked hard all their lives to accumulate a bit of money to pass to their children. (Yes, there are legal estate planning techniques for the wealthy to get around this and make themselves “poor” to meet Medicaid regulations, but the point is one can only get Medicaid when one is legally “poor”.)
If nursing homes lose most of their Medicaid funding, they won’t be able to stay in business for those who can pay.
And grandma will have to live with her kids and grandkids.
It is not just grandmas. I have a friend whose husband had early onset Alzheimers.
They got married when she was mid-30s and he was mid-40s and had one daughter. He ended up being a stay-at-home dad after he was offered a package at work to voluntarily quit. But when their daughter was in middle school, he got sick and a(as is often the case with the early-onset version, it progressed rapidly and he soon needed to be placed in a memory unit. I don't think Medicaid was involved in this case, but my point was that he wasn't even 60 when he went into the facility. (He has since passed away).
Democrats in congress need to tell us how Republican cuts to Medicaid will affect LTSS. How will cuts to LTSS impact the lives of ordinary Americans in our aging population? Are adult children prepared to provide the LTSS that the government will no longer subsidize? (Double whammy: Trump has cancelled NIH Alzheimer’s research, too.)
Triple whammy, I should have said. Most of the providers of LTSS are immigrants, so staffing shortages loom.
The resistance to Trump and Musk will not be a big event or a big bang but a slow gradual build up of outrage and pushback and an awakening of the reality of the horrors of Trump. Promises made and not kept will keep adding up and today it’s eggs and inflation and tomorrow a major weather induced catastrophe or a breakout of some disease and virus killing many people. It will take some time for voters to feel the pain in their lives and for Republicans to realize that Trump is not the saviour but the reason they won’t get re-elected. Every day brave souls will stand up to him and give us hope and incentive. One day at a time.
Assuming there are elections.
Norbert - Do not surrender in advance. Join us in the fight. Find your local Indivisible group or other action-oriented grassroots group and pitch in for the work to protect free and fair elections. It’s up to us.
Thank you for all you do. Have a wonderful, restful and fun trip. You both deserve it!
Well Susan Collins turned against Trump again, and our Governor, Janet Mills, told the Convicted Felon, that she would see him in court, so it's interesting that the two politicians who had the balls to fight back against Trump don't have any. Brava!
However – Check out the strong, principled statements and actions by the Governor of Illinois (a man).
I've seen Pritzker's comments and they are great. But I was talking obviously about Janet Mills and the Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins (albeit sometimes very frustrating and flip flopping) who has voted against several Trump cabinet nominees....but not all.