The Grand Illusion
Let’s see. For the moment, Trump’s latest dictator-like act is to rip the east wing off the White House, supposedly the “people’s house,” without any authorization from Congress in order to add a palatial ballroom that may well dwarf the rest of the White House complex.
At roughly the same time, Secretary of Defense/War Pete Hegseth attempted to require news reporters to sign an agreement not to print anything he hadn’t approved or to lose their Pentagon access. Virtually, all the reporters refused, turned in their press badges, and left the Pentagon. In return, Hegseth then issued an order to all military that no military personnel could speak to or provide any information to the press, Congress, or apparently anyone else that the Pentagon Office of Legislative Affairs had not approved.
The Trump Administration is citing a 1956 law as the basis by which the Secretary of State can unilaterally deport virtually anyone who the Secretary finds poses any danger to the U.S., without any recourse for an individual so cited, even if they’re a citizen or a legal immigrant.
Hegseth is ordering the Navy to attack and sink “suspicious” boats in the Caribbean before ascertaining what they really might be transporting.
Trump is still pressing for the Supreme Court to allow him to federalize state national guard units and to approve his “declaring war” on cities he doesn’t like, without the vote of the Congress.
ICE continues to round up large bodies of people, including U.S. citizens, on the slightest provocation.
Trump continues to fire federal employees that he doesn’t like, with little or no legal basis, to selectively defund federal activities he dislikes, while shifting funds, again illegally, to programs of which he approves.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is choosing which recently-elected members of the House he’ll swear in immediately and which he won’t – and all the Republicans were sworn in expeditiously, and the sole Democrat is still waiting – possibly because she represents the vote that would require Johnson to call a vote on a measure to immediately release all the Epstein files.
That’s just what I know, but even that sounds an awful lot like what goes on in a dictatorship, and what I want to know is why so many Americans don’t even seem to care.
How many jobs did you apply to in say 2022-24 where you had to write paeans to diversity? (luckily we have Chat GPT and the like but still it felt humiliating)
Did your kids apply to colleges or professional schools so had to write uncountable groveling apologies that they are of the white race and/or the male sex and beg forgiveness for their supposed privilege. My kids had to do it and luckily the younger one caught the 2924 Supreme Court decision that eliminated the worst of those in professional school, though I still remember the college ones
Do you have friends that have to put up with zoophilia in public schools (Colorado if you wonder though I heard there are a few other states where that is forced on the teachers) where young children (elementary school for god sake and with crazy parents but..) are allowed to pretend they are cats or dogs and act as such – eat from the floor, crawl rather than walk etc etc. At least the transgenderism craze seems to have abated, and for now of course no groveling essays are required…
What about the entitled migrants – free schools, free healthcare in the ER at least – btw did you go recently toi an ER and had to wait for 5 hours until someone could see you or you have concierge insurance like many who can afford it?
So do not wonder why we support Trump and while things are moving in the right direction for once, it is still early and we need probably many years until the damage done by the woke and their enablers is healed
Maybe you or the folks you know should apply to a good Christian school. Perhaps there are graduate programs at those same schools that will place their students in great high paying technical and professional jobs?
At least you probably don’t have to carry your ‘papers’ with you (yet) to prove your citizenship.
And probably your thread herein won’t get you in trouble at any airport when re-entering the country given the bias it currently leans toward (not so for some leaning the other way).
All that said, your probably lucky if a Democrat takes the White House in next election cycle that that person won’t ‘come for his enemies’. Always heard Biden proclaim he was a president for ALL Americans. I NEVER heard Trump say that.
Let me see how many loaded phrases you used:
– “paeans to diversity”
– “groveling apologies”
– “beg forgiveness”
– “supposed privilege”
Well, that’s the first two paragraphs. I don’t think I need to continue.
Let me pause to say this, before going on with what I’m trying to say. I get that you feel strongly about this, and it causes you to use highly emotional language. But look at our host’s original post. Note how he tries to keep things neutral, not trying to rouse feelings.
My point is that the problems the U.S. faces need us to keep our heads and think things through. Emotional language hinders that effort.
That’s why I’m disregarding your comment. I don’t find it helpful.
[Note to people who’ve followed this blog for long: Have I used emotional language on here? Yes, when I wanted to vent. I understand anyone wanting to vent. But it should be obvious by now Trumpists wanting to vent aren’t likely to find a very sympathetic audience here. I am merely suggesting that any Trump followers present calm, rational arguments in a place like this.]
[And it ain’t my blog, and whatever LEM wants is fine with me. But I don’t know that Trump-sympathizers will accomplish much with emotional comments.]
No, it’s not the U.S. Not the country anyone who ever spent time in it would recognize. (Have presidents done horrible things before? Sure. Like this? Sustained? No.)
Most people probably aren’t reacting because they can’t, the sand their heads are in immobilizes them.
It is true “we can’t” 100% but we can in someway.
The “real US” is what we have. We, the voters, had our chance to effect the real US somewhat. What we have now is in fact what we are responsible for; whether we supported one party or the other party or voted for the person we thought could make the best decisions for us and/or our US. Was that our last free vote or not is unknown at this time. If we care about the “real” US then we should be noting, responding to and remembering what is happening in the US. Contrasting our everyday experience with what is voiced, written and promised. We have a responsibility to review data and criticize analyses to understand the width and depth of our “real” US, what we ourselves wish for the US and we should work for such as is within our ability.
The real US may be in doom articles as such https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-will-undermine-americas-national-security/ and warnings as in https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/10/07/welcome-to-zero-migration-america but we could be buoyed with observations such as in https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/stagnant-order-michael-beckley
As you point out, your list of dictator like behavior and activities are just what you can readily point out and is possibly just the tip of the iceberg. This is not the America I grew up in, an America in which I’ve seen a continuous march of progress that has been stopped in it’s tracks and it’s course reversed on so many fronts.
Many Americans do care, but are simply so dazed by the barrage of frankly un-American activity from this administration they honestly do not know how to react. This is a deliberate tactic of this administration for just this reason to keep people continually off balance.
Many do care and are vocal about it, but since the people they are vocal to feel the same way and are left feeling helpless once again in the face of the onslaught.
Many do care but are afraid, and perhaps rightfully so, that if they speak up and are vocally critical of the powers that be they will be reported and end up on someone’s list of enemies to be “dealt with” in some manner. They may also not be afraid for themselves but for their families or others who rely deeply on them. It wouldn’t be the first time people needed to be afraid of their neighbors and even family members.
Some, and I have friends like this, simply can not function in their roles in the workplace and family with the cacophony of news and prefer to stay blissfully unaware in the hopes that the next election cycle will cause a turn around.
Others, as who have previously replied herein, don’t care because they perceive that their grievances are finally being heard (even if they really aren’t). The end justifies the mean to them and any argument they are presented with otherwise simply generates unrelated “what-aboutisms”. They quite often have valid concerns and it really is a shame that Trump has achieved a “can do no wrong” status with them. I honestly think he sees most people, his purported enemies and supporters alike as simple stepping stones for his own self aggrandized ascent.
Others don’t care because this is exactly what they want as an ends to further their pursuit for power or to create a society that reflects only their deeply held beliefs at the cost of the larger society as a whole. Christian Nationalism, as an example, has little to do with actual religious values but everything to do with reshaping society to suit a select group of the favored few. These people will gleefully hitch their wagons to those of a wannabe dictator to reach their promised land.
Thankfully I believe more and more people are becoming concerned, as they really should be, and are speaking out and protesting. Hopefully the numbers of these people will continue to grow as Trump’s facade slips away revealing his own unbridled ambitions. Not that he had much of a facade, this is a man who openly admires the likes of Putin, Orban and Kim Jong Un.
LEM,these are sobering times (or maybe not. I might need to have a drink much more often). The destruction of the East Wing of the White House has hit me and my wife especially hard. It seems to us as this is more than just a vanity project. It is peak nihilism. It seems to erase the history of people that are/were much better than Trump himself. My wife said it has hit her as more objectionable than even the Jan 6th insurrection – as bad as that all was for those of us that watched it in real time (as opposed to those who got the spin from Fox News). Had there been any other organization or person (foreign or domestic) that had taken down this structure, there would be immediate retaliation and calls for war given the symbolic nature of the White House and its history. And yet, crickets from Trump and his party and allies. Jesus weeps (for those so inclined, for me just anger).
The White House knows how potent the symbolism is for this act by Trump. From a Daily Beast report today;
CNN chief Mark Thompson reportedly told the cable network’s reporters to ease up on coverage of the controversial destruction of the East Wing—after he had a V.I.P. visit to the White House.
And from Huff Post regarding how the now shifting bias at WaPo covers this in an editorial;
A Washington Post editorial published Saturday gushed over President Donald Trump’s demolition of the White House’s East Wing to build a $300 million ballroom financed in part by Amazon, which Post owner Jeff Bezos founded
The media is being either cowed or taken over by conservatives ownership/management to shape the news or the interpretation of the facts before us.
I would hope that this event would be covered repetitively and in stark pictures for all to see over and over again.
I never thought I would feel so much pity for the people of the USA and so much contempt for their politicians. Hell, when Rand Paul, Mitch McConnell and MTG are now the dissidents, something is clearly wrong.
I find it hard to believe that the question now seriously arises in Europe (including the UK) as to whether China is a better short- or medium-term ally than the US.
It all depends on what sort of an “ally” a nation wants or needs.
I prefer “friendly” friends rather than just “strong” friends. They last longer and are more likely to help in a time of need.