Today's piece walked me back (again!) from dark edge following Patel's confirmation yesterday as head of the FBI, ready to detain, imprison and execute the many "enemies within" (Democratic reps and senators, activists, journalists, teachers, everyday citizens).
I didn't forget about Patel. And I suspect we'll be revisiting him sooner rather than later. In the meantime, helping folks navigate away from dark edges is what we're all about. Thanks, Brian.
With thanks to Jonathan AND TO THE COMMUNITY he has gathered ....
I never used to read comments, but now I always read comments here. Today, I realized that I do so because of the community Jonathan has built and because I draw strength from this community.
In the immortal (well, at least as long as my brain keeps functioning) albeit saccharine and all-so-trite words sung by Debbie Boone, "... you light up my life/You give me hope to carry on ...."
You are like the "light" in the Nunc Dimittis. You inspire a revision of Julie Andrews' "spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down" - a spoonful of this community serves as a emetic so that my system rejects MAGAt's poison.
I am still routinely disappointed when I read comments ... Yeah, pretty much everywhere else. On Quora I still occasionally get lucky. But I find that reading comments on Substack in general has been good for finding out who else to network with (and who to mute or block, and who to keep a side-eye on, and so on).
Wow, Katie. I love this! I don't think I can claim any credit building the TFN community. I've been inspired and moved from the get-go from the caring and investment in both our country and each other displayed by all the folks here. I'm a misanthropic hermit, so I definitely have to acknowledge that they/you are the ones what done this! For which I'm supremely grateful!
So clever and so modest to boot! I'm reminded of a movie tag line: If you build it, they will come. You built it, we came, and together we formed a community. Again, thanks for all you do.
You did it again, and I was a bit slow on the uptake, expecting some reference to our brilliant American author Fitzgerald but by so simply eliminating the period from his name you so slyly suggested what should be done to a congressional rep(tile) from my state: F Scott Fitzgerald. I'd say God bless you, but, given your unreligiousness, I'll just say Bless You.
Thank you, Liz! I read Democracy in Chains when it first came out; I remember being enthralled and shocked, but I should probably read it again! I have Democracy Inc. in my TBR pile (I actually got it from a thrift store, but had no knowledge of it before “the find”) I’ll move it up in the stack on your recommendation :-)
On that same thrift store excursion, I also found “Manufacturing Consent (Herman and Chomsky), which I haven’t even moved to the pile yet! It’s in the bunch of books that are waiting to be moved to the TBR pile!
I don’t remember becoming acutely aware of Donald Trump as a “personality” but it had to be when The Apprentice was being watched by all. I’m not a TV watcher by nature (I don’t even have a television) but I’m sure I saw an episode or two along the way. I thought Donald was a buffoon and he grated on me like nails on a chalkboard.
I do remember when Trump placed his horrific ad in the NYT calling for the return of the death penalty for the Central Park Five. I was in high school then and had a fantastic civics/social studies teacher who often used current events in class. I’m sure we were learning about criminal justice and I didn’t know who Trump was at the time, but I did put it together in my mind fairly early on in Trump’s “rise” and was disgusted.
Anyway, I don’t have a strong grasp on the bigger forces behind/around Trump’s presidency/actions, yet. I do know Trump is far too dumb plan anything more than seven minutes in the future, so he’s clearly someone’s puppet. Thankfully, I’m a big reader and care deeply about our country- I really appreciate the book recommendations!
Given ALEC and the Koch network are within 6 states of calling an Article V convention to replace the Constitution with an updated version of the Articles of Confederation (the basis, y'all may recall, for the constitution of the Confederacy); and given there are six governorships coming open next year for which at least 5 MAGA Republibertarians have either said they'll be going after or are considering doing same, age may be irrelevant.
I’m predicting (with horror) that at some point Trump is going to order that the Charters of Freedom (the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights) be removed from the National Archives Museum and delivered directly to him.
He’ll either:
- Hang them in his personal White House potty
- Get out his Sharpie and “Make The Bill of Rights Great Again” with big Sharpie Xs over each Article.
- The U.S. Constitution? Total edit job: mark-ups everywhere, lots of edits and removals and then in big capital letters: send to Vought and Miller for rewrite.
- With a Sharpie-flourish (and after edits?), Trump signs the Declaration of Independence (there’s that blank space down at the bottom left, after all. Trump would probably line out John Hancock’s signature, too, “The guys didn’t mean all this stuff, look at those tiny signatures…no boldness at all. Sad.”
I want to say that’s never gonna happen, but admit it, Trump would 100% do it. With Fox broadcasting live. Or he’d burn them.
Dictators burn books, destroy documents and periodicals, eliminate records, etc. that they think might pose a threat to their hold on power, right?
The greatest symbols of freedom in American are The Charters of Freedom; of course Trumps delusional mind needs to destroy them (rewrite history after all). why wouldn’t Trump put on a glitzy golden made-for-tv production of pomp and circumstance and declare he’s purging American of these old dusty relics and modernizing our societal agreements?
For fucks sake, July 4, 2025 screams out to these bastards for a massive patriotic rally (bard) to claim history and show us the future.
I just scared myself with that last bit; that hadn’t occurred to me until this rant. :-/
Then read, in this order, Bertrand Gross’s Friendly Fascism, Sheldon Wolin’s Democracy, Inc., and Nancy MacLean’s Democracy in Chains. I also recommend listening to The Lever’s podcast Master Plan.
Donald Trump is a distraction, a bombastic narcissist with decades of practice playing to an audience who belongs to the same plutocratic class that has been planning for this moment for the last 50 years. Along the way, the public was indoctrinated into the Cult of Personality where they now fasten on those personalities instead of stepping back (as you have started to do—congratulations!) to realize there’s a larger picture.
I’ll be working on an article shortly I hope might help those who are starting to do the same train themselves to see when they’re being conned, which is pretty much 24/7/365 at this point. Meantime, I urge reading those books and that article, listening to that podcast, and have the courage to emerge from their silos and help save the Great Experiment.
Oh no!! Poor Jesse Watter’s 1 friend and white male was fired.
Personally’ I can’t understand why they don’t want the government to hire any “females”. They work harder than males, and you can get them for 75 cents on the dollar.
When I heard Rump say he was sending IRS agents to police the border, I became concerned about the human rights aspect: ACCOUNTANTS? to take on FARMWORKERS? They don’t stand a chance. That’s just plain cruel.
Another oddly cheering edition — ¡muchas gracias! But I'm not sure Levin was 'skulking'. Maybe either Levin's — or possibly Trump's — pronouns are they, them, theirs. And he's just being respectful of diversity.
Here’s a free design for the resistance. Pass it on.
could the country actually be getting its MIND back
we will not stand down.
Thanking the universe that you exist
Thank you. And the universe, obvi.
"... a recurring motif at the event was F Scott Fitzgerald."
icwudt
I love Pete Seeger, but give me Phil Ochs every time when it comes to politics: https://www.last.fm/music/Phil+Ochs/_/Love+Me,+I%27m+a+Liberal
Also, for those interested in a non-US CIA-captured corporate media view of Ukraine and Russia, you need Telegram.
Let’s stop waiting for Democrats to lead, and force them to follow us.
Republicans, like Adam, have an even bigger role to play and, frankly, we cannot do it without them.
I would absolutely welcome Kinzinger as the face of our new movement.
This is 💥🔥☢️⚡
https://open.substack.com/pub/adamkinzinger/p/emergency-live-lets-be-loud?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=1gwgym
Today's piece walked me back (again!) from dark edge following Patel's confirmation yesterday as head of the FBI, ready to detain, imprison and execute the many "enemies within" (Democratic reps and senators, activists, journalists, teachers, everyday citizens).
I didn't forget about Patel. And I suspect we'll be revisiting him sooner rather than later. In the meantime, helping folks navigate away from dark edges is what we're all about. Thanks, Brian.
💙💙💙👊👊👊👺👺👺
More Fox creepezoids who don't actually believe their own Foxing.
With thanks to Jonathan AND TO THE COMMUNITY he has gathered ....
I never used to read comments, but now I always read comments here. Today, I realized that I do so because of the community Jonathan has built and because I draw strength from this community.
In the immortal (well, at least as long as my brain keeps functioning) albeit saccharine and all-so-trite words sung by Debbie Boone, "... you light up my life/You give me hope to carry on ...."
You are like the "light" in the Nunc Dimittis. You inspire a revision of Julie Andrews' "spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down" - a spoonful of this community serves as a emetic so that my system rejects MAGAt's poison.
Thank you!
Thank you for helping the ache in my heart!
I am still routinely disappointed when I read comments ... Yeah, pretty much everywhere else. On Quora I still occasionally get lucky. But I find that reading comments on Substack in general has been good for finding out who else to network with (and who to mute or block, and who to keep a side-eye on, and so on).
Wow, Katie. I love this! I don't think I can claim any credit building the TFN community. I've been inspired and moved from the get-go from the caring and investment in both our country and each other displayed by all the folks here. I'm a misanthropic hermit, so I definitely have to acknowledge that they/you are the ones what done this! For which I'm supremely grateful!
So clever and so modest to boot! I'm reminded of a movie tag line: If you build it, they will come. You built it, we came, and together we formed a community. Again, thanks for all you do.
You did it again, and I was a bit slow on the uptake, expecting some reference to our brilliant American author Fitzgerald but by so simply eliminating the period from his name you so slyly suggested what should be done to a congressional rep(tile) from my state: F Scott Fitzgerald. I'd say God bless you, but, given your unreligiousness, I'll just say Bless You.
I love being seen
Took a double take for me to catch the “F Scott Fitzgerald”—and then I laughed loud and long. Brilliant!
Our guy so clever!
I think I found a glitch! I think I found a glitch!
"…starting in five years. under Pres. Barron."
Barron will only be 23 years old in five years, twelve years short of the required age thirty-five. Did I miss something?
Otherwise, terrific reporting and writing as usual/always.
Thank you, Liz! I read Democracy in Chains when it first came out; I remember being enthralled and shocked, but I should probably read it again! I have Democracy Inc. in my TBR pile (I actually got it from a thrift store, but had no knowledge of it before “the find”) I’ll move it up in the stack on your recommendation :-)
On that same thrift store excursion, I also found “Manufacturing Consent (Herman and Chomsky), which I haven’t even moved to the pile yet! It’s in the bunch of books that are waiting to be moved to the TBR pile!
I don’t remember becoming acutely aware of Donald Trump as a “personality” but it had to be when The Apprentice was being watched by all. I’m not a TV watcher by nature (I don’t even have a television) but I’m sure I saw an episode or two along the way. I thought Donald was a buffoon and he grated on me like nails on a chalkboard.
I do remember when Trump placed his horrific ad in the NYT calling for the return of the death penalty for the Central Park Five. I was in high school then and had a fantastic civics/social studies teacher who often used current events in class. I’m sure we were learning about criminal justice and I didn’t know who Trump was at the time, but I did put it together in my mind fairly early on in Trump’s “rise” and was disgusted.
Anyway, I don’t have a strong grasp on the bigger forces behind/around Trump’s presidency/actions, yet. I do know Trump is far too dumb plan anything more than seven minutes in the future, so he’s clearly someone’s puppet. Thankfully, I’m a big reader and care deeply about our country- I really appreciate the book recommendations!
Thank you! I confess, part of the "joke"(?!?!) was that the Constitution wouldn't permit it. Ha?
I said "did I miss something?" Yep, I did. Dang.
Given ALEC and the Koch network are within 6 states of calling an Article V convention to replace the Constitution with an updated version of the Articles of Confederation (the basis, y'all may recall, for the constitution of the Confederacy); and given there are six governorships coming open next year for which at least 5 MAGA Republibertarians have either said they'll be going after or are considering doing same, age may be irrelevant.
Apologies for the long-windedness.
I’m predicting (with horror) that at some point Trump is going to order that the Charters of Freedom (the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights) be removed from the National Archives Museum and delivered directly to him.
He’ll either:
- Hang them in his personal White House potty
- Get out his Sharpie and “Make The Bill of Rights Great Again” with big Sharpie Xs over each Article.
- The U.S. Constitution? Total edit job: mark-ups everywhere, lots of edits and removals and then in big capital letters: send to Vought and Miller for rewrite.
- With a Sharpie-flourish (and after edits?), Trump signs the Declaration of Independence (there’s that blank space down at the bottom left, after all. Trump would probably line out John Hancock’s signature, too, “The guys didn’t mean all this stuff, look at those tiny signatures…no boldness at all. Sad.”
I want to say that’s never gonna happen, but admit it, Trump would 100% do it. With Fox broadcasting live. Or he’d burn them.
Dictators burn books, destroy documents and periodicals, eliminate records, etc. that they think might pose a threat to their hold on power, right?
The greatest symbols of freedom in American are The Charters of Freedom; of course Trumps delusional mind needs to destroy them (rewrite history after all). why wouldn’t Trump put on a glitzy golden made-for-tv production of pomp and circumstance and declare he’s purging American of these old dusty relics and modernizing our societal agreements?
For fucks sake, July 4, 2025 screams out to these bastards for a massive patriotic rally (bard) to claim history and show us the future.
I just scared myself with that last bit; that hadn’t occurred to me until this rant. :-/
You should be scared, but it’s not and never has been “Trump”.
First, read this: https://newrepublic.com/article/178442/republicans-rewrite-constitution-radicalism-beyond-trump.
Then read, in this order, Bertrand Gross’s Friendly Fascism, Sheldon Wolin’s Democracy, Inc., and Nancy MacLean’s Democracy in Chains. I also recommend listening to The Lever’s podcast Master Plan.
Donald Trump is a distraction, a bombastic narcissist with decades of practice playing to an audience who belongs to the same plutocratic class that has been planning for this moment for the last 50 years. Along the way, the public was indoctrinated into the Cult of Personality where they now fasten on those personalities instead of stepping back (as you have started to do—congratulations!) to realize there’s a larger picture.
I’ll be working on an article shortly I hope might help those who are starting to do the same train themselves to see when they’re being conned, which is pretty much 24/7/365 at this point. Meantime, I urge reading those books and that article, listening to that podcast, and have the courage to emerge from their silos and help save the Great Experiment.
Oh no!! Poor Jesse Watter’s 1 friend and white male was fired.
Personally’ I can’t understand why they don’t want the government to hire any “females”. They work harder than males, and you can get them for 75 cents on the dollar.
Maybe women should be BOGO. ("BOGO" is dumb, anyway; should be Buy One Get Two.
Unfortunately, "free" isn't always what comes after.
When I heard Rump say he was sending IRS agents to police the border, I became concerned about the human rights aspect: ACCOUNTANTS? to take on FARMWORKERS? They don’t stand a chance. That’s just plain cruel.
Yes, but the cruelty is the point. So double your cruelty, double your fun! Trumpamint, Trumpamint, Trumpamint Dumb!
It’s becoming clear that all of the MAGA nitwits and Republican nitwits and willfully ignorant nitwits have been hoodwinked.
Collectively they have been blissfully walking down Putin’s Garden Path and now are genuinely shocked that he turned the sprinklers on.
Another oddly cheering edition — ¡muchas gracias! But I'm not sure Levin was 'skulking'. Maybe either Levin's — or possibly Trump's — pronouns are they, them, theirs. And he's just being respectful of diversity.
lololol