In the 60's student unrest was the vanguard for protestihg against the VietnamWar which was not taken seriously until the mainstream public became shocked by the killing of students at Ohio State or when the police became the rioters at the Chicago '68 Democratic Convention(to name only two events).
The Milgram study on people underestimating compliance to authority is a valuable lesson in how difficult it is to go against authority while the Zambardo experiment speaks to how vicious people can become once given free reign in exercising their authority. Both results of these studies bearing out with ICE agents and the passivity of Congress and the main press.
Singling out students or immigrants may work on keeping the rest of the bystander public passive or compliant, but once you start killing or maiming bystanders, that's when people begin to wake up and start to become involved .
"The flood still rises. The wire still holds. And somewhere in the noise, democracy still breathes." Perfect, Mike. Once again, you have managed to capture the essence of this moment in American political history. Keep up the good work!
Mike - New subscriber, first time commenter. I think you are right on here. Couple of points:
1) This post could be really energizing for folks who are actively doing the resisting, both in Minnesota and elsewhere. Maybe take it from behind the paywall?
2) This jibes with a comment I made on a Bulwark post a few weeks back, in which Jonathan V. Last finally got to the point of calling it all fascism. I get to a place of optimism via a different path than yours, but there are resonances with your argument, so I'm going to just copy it in here because I think it will be useful (apologies for length, feel free to ignore):
"JVL is right on the money here. Between Venezuela and Renee Good, anybody who does not see it at this point is intentionally evading the truth. Yet, our particular brand of fascism is so cheap and small. To paraphrase a famous philosopher, say what you will about the tenets of National Socialism, at least it was an ethos. Ours is the fascism of the cheap thug and the petty thief, just writ large at national and international scale. Well, as Umberto Eco pointed out, fascism is a many headed beast capable of a multitude of variations. We seem to have come up with our own uniquely American flavor.
And yet, perhaps paradoxically, I feel reason for hope. I've come to see what is happening in America as effectively a second civil war, fought in the political and cultural realms, as opposed to with bullets. Although, perhaps that is changing now. What bears remembering is that for all of the horror and destruction of the first civil war, the 60 years following 1865 were some of the most dynamic in American history. Massive crises like the civil war have a way of rapidly and completely reconfiguring the landscape of thought and belief, launching a culture onto a completely new trajectory that would otherwise have been impossible antebellum. I believe something like that is happening now. We will not go back to what was before. That is all gone. But we will go somewhere new.
But what will that new place be? That is of course impossible to say definitely, but I strongly believe that if it starts with a definitive repudiation of Trump and MAGA by Americans, it could be very positive. But what are the chances of that, you might wonder? Well, I actually think it is happening as we speak. Trump started his term with a campaign of "shock and awe", trying to make it appear as if the new culture of MAGA, and the new regime, are inevitable and irresistible. They chose the fast path to domination. Think Hitler, not Victor Orban. But it's not working, the wheels are clearly coming off. Many institutions bent the knee early on, but ultimately others did not. There is widespread anger in Trump's constituency about tariffs, absurd international adventures, and strong indications that our President is in fact a pedophile. Republicans in congress are increasingly defecting to the other side on key issues, and some are just retiring. Marjorie Taylor Green is now an enemy of the President, and is actually saying things that make sense on occasion! Trump himself appears to have the affect of a person suffering from advanced dementia, and his approval ratings are abysmal. The political pressure on the administration is enormous and growing.
In the face of this pressure, the increasing bellicosity and law-breaking of the administration is a sign of weakness, not strength. They are all pot-committed to this path, so they are forced to continue ratcheting up the fascist behavior. If they go backward, they are dead, so expect more flooding the zone with "weapons free" ICE agents, potentially as a path to invoking the insurrection act and some kind of attempt at martial law, as well as additional military aggression in the western hemisphere. Whether it's Cuba, Columbia, Panama, maybe even Greenland and putting a final stake in the heart of NATO, or something else, another one is coming soon in my estimation. However, they've gotten themselves into a death spiral that they can't escape from. The more they ratchet up the fascism, the more they will amplify popular anger and resistance across the political spectrum. We are rapidly approaching the crack-up, and it will come well before the end of Trump's term, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, given what happened on January 6th, 2021 and the obvious willingness of this administration to completely ignore the law, I do not expect us to be able to get through this without at least some violence. This administration will not comply with peaceful political means of curtailing its power, so prepare yourself for what is coming. However, going back to my earlier point, this will cause the rapid shift of the cultural and political landscape of America to be even more profound. So, when JVL says that it if Democrats retake power they will just go back to focusing on kitchen table issues, I disagree. Hearts and minds will have changed. There will be no going back."
MB: I argued we were in 1930. The moment when recognizing what time it is becomes essential to determining what time it becomes.
SS: I say we are beyond 1930. Our Constitution has been violated x many (e.g., due process, press, right to assembly, emoluments, habeas corpus). I view ICE with certainty as Gestapo, without the slightest hesitation. I cannot get over how meek our newscasters and periodicals are. Trump is a Fascist. He has a Gestapo. He is now invading and/or threatening other sovereign nations. Likewise, he is our greatest risk factor for WWIII. Is everyone so blind & deaf? The Republican Congress has no sense of ethic; they are into power and greed. Many in Congress, in both parties, have become multi-millionaires. Insider trading being one etiologic factor.
MB: And Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are not going to like it.
SS: Definitely disagree with you. Both must see Trump being victorious in dismantling the US. Our security has gone to hell. The creme of the crop in the FBI and CIA have been discharged or resigned. Everyday in the USA is one of deflection-oriented chaos and crisis. Putin and Xi Jinping have a green light to invade other territories. They will wait for martial law in the US, which I predict will come to "justify" Trump to postpone indefinitely the midterm elections.
The goals of all of these men that are cited are transparent- as they have been through history. Greed & Power as manifestations of their sick egos.
MB: billionaires answer to the same laws as everyone else is, to them, an intolerable insult.
SS: That we agree. Speaking of which, the Epstein files. Why has not anyone asked the following:
• Why did not the Biden Administration release the Epstein files?
• Why does not the Epstein estate leak the files to the Press?
• Why do not some of the more courageous women, name names?
MB: Re Musk, I would opine beneath his superficial personality lies a Nazi that can't wait to stand up and salute. Meanwhile, the Chinese are making EVs at an incredible low cost and other car makers are coming out with EV models in the $30,000-$40,000 range.
MB: On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
SS: It was murder. Call it the way it was. MURDER
MB: It’s too early to know what Minneapolis means. Maybe it’s the beginning of something. Maybe it’s a local flare that burns out. But consider what’s being tested there, in real-time, against an actual consolidating regime.
SS: Unless we stand up for our rights and demonstrate en masse, we will be in the scenario "and then they came for me." I know that if ICE threatens bodily harm to me or my family, I will answer that in force. I am furious. I am outraged. As old and as small in stature as I am, my passion burns deep. I speak for all of my family that died by similar hands through WWII and before. I speak with passion feeling the same loss as the Ukrainians are feeling from the scourge of Putin, the Murderer. I am beyond belief that so many Americans remain in the "let's see mode" focused on the fucking economy while America remains the land of obesity. There is no way anyone should starve in the US with Carl's Jr or Burger King selling a double patty, with cheese on a roll for $5.99. Is it healthy- hell no. But so isn't water with lead, air with pollutants, radiation, COVID-19, influenza and HIV.
A huge part of the problem in this country is frigging apathy. The consumer or materialistic society is the major focus of most of the individuals in this country. We are constantly bombarded with buy this, buy that on television. And perhaps the more accurate quote would have been, "television is the opium of the people."
MB: Because the Supreme Court is hearing a case about whether the president can fire Fed governors. Because even Trump’s allies warn that attacking Fed independence destabilizes the economy. Because it turns out you can threaten institutions all you want, but actually dismantling them has consequences.
SS: we have seen how badly the Republican Congress has acted. We have seen the ridiculous decisions made by the Republican-weighted Supreme Court that gave Trump unprecedented powers. Now we will see whether or not there is a death blow to this country with the further decisions made by these few people who we stupidly have allowed to go unchecked with lifelong appointments and without a mandate for balance in numbers. We have made ourselves so vulnerable, so weak and susceptible to the death of democracy.
If we come out of this by some unfathomable way, and we do not remedy all these weaknesses in the U.S. Constitution, then we are a stupid, idiotic people that deserve whatever fate lies before us.
As I reach for optimism I know the complacency of which you speak. I’ve watched so many examples where we return to sleep or never awaken. Was there an outpouring in the streets over Citizens United? (How did it get that name?) If money in politics wasn’t an obvious problem where was our education remiss? If 90M people didn’t vote what is their problem? Have we solved that yet?
Randall, it is so much about principles, and if a person has those by which they live. It is part of one's upbringing in the formative years. It is the result of a good education where love and the desire to share underscores the modus operandi of a teacher, not simply memorizing a date or name to pass an examination.
We have seen how the work ethic in America has disintegrated. I saw this back in 1988 when I was burnt out from years of being a cancer doctor. I was sailing on my home (a sailboat), from St. Lucia to Los Angeles. I was somewhat new to sailing so I had a crew to help me. Their expenses were paid for, the experiences they had were life-changing, yet their attitude was "it's not my friggin boat." I fired them all. I sailed through the toughest part of the trip, up the Baja, in fierce winds with a father and son from Seattle. We were a true team.
Too many Americans see life as a bottle of booze, a football game and the biggest truck they can buy. I live in a nice community but mostly, not all, older people. WTF is it with having one car, a huge truck, an RV, etc. They cannot park their car in the garage because it is filled with "stuff." We Americans, the work that we do, is to BUY. For Europeans, in general, the work that they do is to LIVE. Consumerism is the most prevalent "religion." And who is symbolic of consuming, but Trump and other grifters like him. An incredible work is by Dee Hock, The Birth of the Chaordic Age. A paraphrase of just one section of D. Hock's work is below.
Ego, Envy, Avarice, and Ambition (Opportunism)† versus Humility, Benevolence*, Altruism, and Magnanimity**
†As a style of human behavior, opportunism has the connotation of a lack of integrity or doing something that is out of character (inconsistent). The underlying thought is that the price of the unrestrained pursuit of selfishness is behavioral inconsistency. Thus, opportunism involves compromising some or other principles normally upheld. Thus, substantively, opportunism refers to the acting on opportunities in a self-interested, biased or one-sided manner that conflicts or contrasts in some way with one or more general rule, law, norm, or principle. (Wikipedia)
I wrote my interpretation as a long riff on a melody and surprise counter melody. The melody I hear is Narcissistic hierarchy and its flaws, meaning original Narcissus spent his time admiring himself and having others admire him that he couldn’t form relationships and couldn’t get anything done. Everyone and everything was subordinate to his fantasies. Thus the chaos in the hierarchy. A parallel melody arises from the autocratic leaders of other countries esp. Putin, Xi, Orban and the tech bro oligarchies and plutocracies. They all want to be free of regulation especially those created by inferior people.
The counter melody is just beginning. It’s called pluralistic agency and means determined small loosely organized challenges coming from all sides, much like bees swarming and buzzing but always remaining. The pluralism is their strength. Eventually they can win and show people everywhere how to exploit flaws and override an autocracy.
The people of Minneapolis are nothing short of inspiring. I actually have a part of me wishing I was there to be part of telling these fascists to go home. They give us all hope that our fellow Americans also see what is happening and they will fight for our country.
You also write : “Banks are resisting debanking pressure despite presidential threats.” I think that resistance remains to be seen. From Prof. Krugman, it’s my understanding that the president is threatening Jamie Dimon because he’s criticized (mildly, according to Professor Krugman) the efforts to politicize the Fed. Prof. Krugman believes the threat is intended to keep Dimon quiet at the Davos summit. If Dimon does end up saying little or nothing, then the threat has worked.
You write this about Putin’s rigidity: “The free move—accepting Trump’s advances, reintegrating with the West to undermine it from within—sits on the table untaken. He’s too old and too paranoid to reach for it”. What about Trump’s (reported) invitation to Russia join this new alternative UN security ploy, this “Board of Peace”. Do you think Putin will bite? Does it offer him something that previous advances have not? Do you think his rigidity will hold?
Hmm...I hope its true but I think its the opposite. Xi and Putin have created a monster in Trump, JDVance etc they cannot control. They can't do anything about Venezuela, Greenland, Iran and so on. They're losing control. They are not shaking in their boots watching Minneapolis, no. That doesn't worry them much.
In the 60's student unrest was the vanguard for protestihg against the VietnamWar which was not taken seriously until the mainstream public became shocked by the killing of students at Ohio State or when the police became the rioters at the Chicago '68 Democratic Convention(to name only two events).
The Milgram study on people underestimating compliance to authority is a valuable lesson in how difficult it is to go against authority while the Zambardo experiment speaks to how vicious people can become once given free reign in exercising their authority. Both results of these studies bearing out with ICE agents and the passivity of Congress and the main press.
Singling out students or immigrants may work on keeping the rest of the bystander public passive or compliant, but once you start killing or maiming bystanders, that's when people begin to wake up and start to become involved .
"The flood still rises. The wire still holds. And somewhere in the noise, democracy still breathes." Perfect, Mike. Once again, you have managed to capture the essence of this moment in American political history. Keep up the good work!
Mike - New subscriber, first time commenter. I think you are right on here. Couple of points:
1) This post could be really energizing for folks who are actively doing the resisting, both in Minnesota and elsewhere. Maybe take it from behind the paywall?
2) This jibes with a comment I made on a Bulwark post a few weeks back, in which Jonathan V. Last finally got to the point of calling it all fascism. I get to a place of optimism via a different path than yours, but there are resonances with your argument, so I'm going to just copy it in here because I think it will be useful (apologies for length, feel free to ignore):
"JVL is right on the money here. Between Venezuela and Renee Good, anybody who does not see it at this point is intentionally evading the truth. Yet, our particular brand of fascism is so cheap and small. To paraphrase a famous philosopher, say what you will about the tenets of National Socialism, at least it was an ethos. Ours is the fascism of the cheap thug and the petty thief, just writ large at national and international scale. Well, as Umberto Eco pointed out, fascism is a many headed beast capable of a multitude of variations. We seem to have come up with our own uniquely American flavor.
And yet, perhaps paradoxically, I feel reason for hope. I've come to see what is happening in America as effectively a second civil war, fought in the political and cultural realms, as opposed to with bullets. Although, perhaps that is changing now. What bears remembering is that for all of the horror and destruction of the first civil war, the 60 years following 1865 were some of the most dynamic in American history. Massive crises like the civil war have a way of rapidly and completely reconfiguring the landscape of thought and belief, launching a culture onto a completely new trajectory that would otherwise have been impossible antebellum. I believe something like that is happening now. We will not go back to what was before. That is all gone. But we will go somewhere new.
But what will that new place be? That is of course impossible to say definitely, but I strongly believe that if it starts with a definitive repudiation of Trump and MAGA by Americans, it could be very positive. But what are the chances of that, you might wonder? Well, I actually think it is happening as we speak. Trump started his term with a campaign of "shock and awe", trying to make it appear as if the new culture of MAGA, and the new regime, are inevitable and irresistible. They chose the fast path to domination. Think Hitler, not Victor Orban. But it's not working, the wheels are clearly coming off. Many institutions bent the knee early on, but ultimately others did not. There is widespread anger in Trump's constituency about tariffs, absurd international adventures, and strong indications that our President is in fact a pedophile. Republicans in congress are increasingly defecting to the other side on key issues, and some are just retiring. Marjorie Taylor Green is now an enemy of the President, and is actually saying things that make sense on occasion! Trump himself appears to have the affect of a person suffering from advanced dementia, and his approval ratings are abysmal. The political pressure on the administration is enormous and growing.
In the face of this pressure, the increasing bellicosity and law-breaking of the administration is a sign of weakness, not strength. They are all pot-committed to this path, so they are forced to continue ratcheting up the fascist behavior. If they go backward, they are dead, so expect more flooding the zone with "weapons free" ICE agents, potentially as a path to invoking the insurrection act and some kind of attempt at martial law, as well as additional military aggression in the western hemisphere. Whether it's Cuba, Columbia, Panama, maybe even Greenland and putting a final stake in the heart of NATO, or something else, another one is coming soon in my estimation. However, they've gotten themselves into a death spiral that they can't escape from. The more they ratchet up the fascism, the more they will amplify popular anger and resistance across the political spectrum. We are rapidly approaching the crack-up, and it will come well before the end of Trump's term, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, given what happened on January 6th, 2021 and the obvious willingness of this administration to completely ignore the law, I do not expect us to be able to get through this without at least some violence. This administration will not comply with peaceful political means of curtailing its power, so prepare yourself for what is coming. However, going back to my earlier point, this will cause the rapid shift of the cultural and political landscape of America to be even more profound. So, when JVL says that it if Democrats retake power they will just go back to focusing on kitchen table issues, I disagree. Hearts and minds will have changed. There will be no going back."
Hi Peter, my paywalled pieces become free to all 3 days after publication. And thank you for the thoughtful notes.
I hope there is political memory with action in response to this. I long for optimism.
My replies to Mike's comments (some).
MB: I argued we were in 1930. The moment when recognizing what time it is becomes essential to determining what time it becomes.
SS: I say we are beyond 1930. Our Constitution has been violated x many (e.g., due process, press, right to assembly, emoluments, habeas corpus). I view ICE with certainty as Gestapo, without the slightest hesitation. I cannot get over how meek our newscasters and periodicals are. Trump is a Fascist. He has a Gestapo. He is now invading and/or threatening other sovereign nations. Likewise, he is our greatest risk factor for WWIII. Is everyone so blind & deaf? The Republican Congress has no sense of ethic; they are into power and greed. Many in Congress, in both parties, have become multi-millionaires. Insider trading being one etiologic factor.
MB: And Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are not going to like it.
SS: Definitely disagree with you. Both must see Trump being victorious in dismantling the US. Our security has gone to hell. The creme of the crop in the FBI and CIA have been discharged or resigned. Everyday in the USA is one of deflection-oriented chaos and crisis. Putin and Xi Jinping have a green light to invade other territories. They will wait for martial law in the US, which I predict will come to "justify" Trump to postpone indefinitely the midterm elections.
The goals of all of these men that are cited are transparent- as they have been through history. Greed & Power as manifestations of their sick egos.
MB: billionaires answer to the same laws as everyone else is, to them, an intolerable insult.
SS: That we agree. Speaking of which, the Epstein files. Why has not anyone asked the following:
• Why did not the Biden Administration release the Epstein files?
• Why does not the Epstein estate leak the files to the Press?
• Why do not some of the more courageous women, name names?
MB: Re Musk, I would opine beneath his superficial personality lies a Nazi that can't wait to stand up and salute. Meanwhile, the Chinese are making EVs at an incredible low cost and other car makers are coming out with EV models in the $30,000-$40,000 range.
MB: On January 7, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
SS: It was murder. Call it the way it was. MURDER
MB: It’s too early to know what Minneapolis means. Maybe it’s the beginning of something. Maybe it’s a local flare that burns out. But consider what’s being tested there, in real-time, against an actual consolidating regime.
SS: Unless we stand up for our rights and demonstrate en masse, we will be in the scenario "and then they came for me." I know that if ICE threatens bodily harm to me or my family, I will answer that in force. I am furious. I am outraged. As old and as small in stature as I am, my passion burns deep. I speak for all of my family that died by similar hands through WWII and before. I speak with passion feeling the same loss as the Ukrainians are feeling from the scourge of Putin, the Murderer. I am beyond belief that so many Americans remain in the "let's see mode" focused on the fucking economy while America remains the land of obesity. There is no way anyone should starve in the US with Carl's Jr or Burger King selling a double patty, with cheese on a roll for $5.99. Is it healthy- hell no. But so isn't water with lead, air with pollutants, radiation, COVID-19, influenza and HIV.
A huge part of the problem in this country is frigging apathy. The consumer or materialistic society is the major focus of most of the individuals in this country. We are constantly bombarded with buy this, buy that on television. And perhaps the more accurate quote would have been, "television is the opium of the people."
MB: Because the Supreme Court is hearing a case about whether the president can fire Fed governors. Because even Trump’s allies warn that attacking Fed independence destabilizes the economy. Because it turns out you can threaten institutions all you want, but actually dismantling them has consequences.
SS: we have seen how badly the Republican Congress has acted. We have seen the ridiculous decisions made by the Republican-weighted Supreme Court that gave Trump unprecedented powers. Now we will see whether or not there is a death blow to this country with the further decisions made by these few people who we stupidly have allowed to go unchecked with lifelong appointments and without a mandate for balance in numbers. We have made ourselves so vulnerable, so weak and susceptible to the death of democracy.
If we come out of this by some unfathomable way, and we do not remedy all these weaknesses in the U.S. Constitution, then we are a stupid, idiotic people that deserve whatever fate lies before us.
I stopped here.
As I reach for optimism I know the complacency of which you speak. I’ve watched so many examples where we return to sleep or never awaken. Was there an outpouring in the streets over Citizens United? (How did it get that name?) If money in politics wasn’t an obvious problem where was our education remiss? If 90M people didn’t vote what is their problem? Have we solved that yet?
Randall, it is so much about principles, and if a person has those by which they live. It is part of one's upbringing in the formative years. It is the result of a good education where love and the desire to share underscores the modus operandi of a teacher, not simply memorizing a date or name to pass an examination.
We have seen how the work ethic in America has disintegrated. I saw this back in 1988 when I was burnt out from years of being a cancer doctor. I was sailing on my home (a sailboat), from St. Lucia to Los Angeles. I was somewhat new to sailing so I had a crew to help me. Their expenses were paid for, the experiences they had were life-changing, yet their attitude was "it's not my friggin boat." I fired them all. I sailed through the toughest part of the trip, up the Baja, in fierce winds with a father and son from Seattle. We were a true team.
Too many Americans see life as a bottle of booze, a football game and the biggest truck they can buy. I live in a nice community but mostly, not all, older people. WTF is it with having one car, a huge truck, an RV, etc. They cannot park their car in the garage because it is filled with "stuff." We Americans, the work that we do, is to BUY. For Europeans, in general, the work that they do is to LIVE. Consumerism is the most prevalent "religion." And who is symbolic of consuming, but Trump and other grifters like him. An incredible work is by Dee Hock, The Birth of the Chaordic Age. A paraphrase of just one section of D. Hock's work is below.
Ego, Envy, Avarice, and Ambition (Opportunism)† versus Humility, Benevolence*, Altruism, and Magnanimity**
†As a style of human behavior, opportunism has the connotation of a lack of integrity or doing something that is out of character (inconsistent). The underlying thought is that the price of the unrestrained pursuit of selfishness is behavioral inconsistency. Thus, opportunism involves compromising some or other principles normally upheld. Thus, substantively, opportunism refers to the acting on opportunities in a self-interested, biased or one-sided manner that conflicts or contrasts in some way with one or more general rule, law, norm, or principle. (Wikipedia)
* willingness to act to benefit others
** taking actions for noble purposes
I wrote my interpretation as a long riff on a melody and surprise counter melody. The melody I hear is Narcissistic hierarchy and its flaws, meaning original Narcissus spent his time admiring himself and having others admire him that he couldn’t form relationships and couldn’t get anything done. Everyone and everything was subordinate to his fantasies. Thus the chaos in the hierarchy. A parallel melody arises from the autocratic leaders of other countries esp. Putin, Xi, Orban and the tech bro oligarchies and plutocracies. They all want to be free of regulation especially those created by inferior people.
The counter melody is just beginning. It’s called pluralistic agency and means determined small loosely organized challenges coming from all sides, much like bees swarming and buzzing but always remaining. The pluralism is their strength. Eventually they can win and show people everywhere how to exploit flaws and override an autocracy.
The people of Minneapolis are nothing short of inspiring. I actually have a part of me wishing I was there to be part of telling these fascists to go home. They give us all hope that our fellow Americans also see what is happening and they will fight for our country.
You also write : “Banks are resisting debanking pressure despite presidential threats.” I think that resistance remains to be seen. From Prof. Krugman, it’s my understanding that the president is threatening Jamie Dimon because he’s criticized (mildly, according to Professor Krugman) the efforts to politicize the Fed. Prof. Krugman believes the threat is intended to keep Dimon quiet at the Davos summit. If Dimon does end up saying little or nothing, then the threat has worked.
You write this about Putin’s rigidity: “The free move—accepting Trump’s advances, reintegrating with the West to undermine it from within—sits on the table untaken. He’s too old and too paranoid to reach for it”. What about Trump’s (reported) invitation to Russia join this new alternative UN security ploy, this “Board of Peace”. Do you think Putin will bite? Does it offer him something that previous advances have not? Do you think his rigidity will hold?
Thanks for this perspective. It makes a lot of sense and gives me hope.
If ICE, as rumoured, goes into Philadelphia next, well, that's the city that beheaded hitchBOT.
Minneapolis is being polite.
💙💪🏻🥰💯
Did I lose the comment I just wrote?
Hmm...I hope its true but I think its the opposite. Xi and Putin have created a monster in Trump, JDVance etc they cannot control. They can't do anything about Venezuela, Greenland, Iran and so on. They're losing control. They are not shaking in their boots watching Minneapolis, no. That doesn't worry them much.