“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one.”
“This is a blatantly unconstitutional order.”
Judge John C Coughenour
“There was applause in the courtroom after U.S. District Judge John Coughenour extended an order he had issued two weeks ago temporarily blocking Trump’s order from being implemented into a nationwide injunction lasting indefinitely.”
Not unexpectedly, day 4 opens up a conversation about the Constitution… which leads to the following (paraphrased) observation/opinion:
If the American people were given carte-blanche to re-write the Constitution, I’m confident most of the language would be unchanged. Also, many of our Amendments would make the cut – probably with some minor adjustments.
Interesting questions arise, don’t they?
Would Freedom of Speech or Religion survive? I think they would be virtually unchanged.
Would the Right to Keep and Bear Arms survive?
The well-regulated militia commentary would certainly disappear.
A member points out that repealing and/or vacating the 14th amendment opens the door to some sort of TBD form of slavery.
Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.
Article 1 Section 2
This is the language currently vacated by the 14th amendment.
A Trump supporter philosophized the conflict in terms related to the wisdom of war.
Sun Tzu would likely give the nod to Trump.
Why?
It’s because you – the libs – persist in speculating about what Trump will do rather than taking the time to read his playbook:
The Art of the Deal.
For all of you looking to distinguish your ass from a hole in the ground, try to think about it like this:
It’s as if a careless allied commander had left a copy of Operation Overlord lying around for a German spy to walk off with.
“Igitur quī dēsīderat pācem, præparet bellum”
Therefore let him who desires peace prepare for war.
The link above was added with clear frustration.
“I can’t believe people didn’t read project 2025; Trump was clearly & blatantly lying when he said he didn’t know anything about it.
Despite not reading it, he said Project 2025 was too extreme and then he again said he never read it.
“Believe me” (I know, this is a well-worn trump expression) when I tell he’s going to be firing 1000’s of bureaucrats who aren’t MAGA – along with some who are; call it friendly “fire” – and he’s replacing them with 1000’s of fully vetted MAGA faithful who don’t know a bureau from a crat.
It’s only day 4; project 2025 is a big plan with an intensive and broad spectrum implementation strategy.”
Another Trump supporter argues the threat of tariffs on Canadian stuff is a big deal.
Referring to the top 10 strategies trump employs, he claims (sorry reader, you’ll have to look them up or see them unaligned in the link above) 1., 2., 5., 6., 7., 8., and 10 to great effect.
He adds that diplomats in Canada know that, too.
He expects they’re frustrated, along with a great many other Canadians, with a lame-duck PM who chooses to use the issue as an election ploy rather than just fixing the problems with the U.S. and Mexico borders.
Following an extended pro-and-con discussion of Trumps psychopathy, a member chimed in with this paraphrased observation:
I think it’s time for some devils advocacy, because, why not?
Why, at this point, does it matter if he’s a psychopath?
The question is: What he does; does it work?
If his methods result in a “win” for the country, as opposed to a hypothetical non-psychopath who doesn’t “win”, shouldn’t that result with you preferring the psychopath?
In an engineer’s terms: “It isn’t whether it is right or wrong: it is whether it works.” (Heard in context of Newtonian Mechanics vs. General Relatively.)
I guess I’m to understand his tactics have work out quite well for him. Also, it’s well understood that psychopaths are disproportionately present in the C-suite and government. When you’re only concerned about achieving the intended results – without any intervening sense of social responsibility – then the psychopath presents a case for being in charge.
The trick is making sure the psychopath’s and your interests are sufficiently aligned.
Assuming you can stomach it.
The response: Disagree. The question is not whether it works so far, but whether it will work for the future.
following a rather long discussion of the moral & ethical compasses of Trump and MAGA, the conversation shifted to deportations and the emerging oligarchy.
Someone referred to a “fever dream” they have about the best way to deal with MAGA and the oligarchs and offered this:
Following a conversation about the pros & cons of Trump & MAGA, a Bernie-bro offered a coupla of images with minor comments.
To the LEFT, a comment about the stupidity of the Democrat party.
“Not your Presidential candidate?“
Seriously?
============
To the RIGHT, a comment about the stupidity of the MAGA party.
“MILTARY”
Seriously?
Regarding the possible outcome, with no clear referral as to who is who, this was said along with a GIF:
I’m anticipating a weird political equivalent of a high school food fight/cage fight…
when the battle becomes:
presidential power v. immense wealth
People are saying it’s a real ground floor BTC opportunity.
Whadaya think?
Every dollar he strips out of the federal budget, especially money that needs to be allocated as a reserve without a particular or specifically known use is money that he hopes to convert into tax cuts for his rich friends.
Day 4 continues
FYI, it’s all in project 2025.
============================
I don’t feel that that’s necessarily his motivation; I actually think he may believe, because of the people he’s listening to, who are probably influenced by Ayn Rand and similar views, that he’ll make his supporters support him more if he moves us closer to raw, unmitigated, capitalism.
============================
They’re serious about stripping $2 trillion out of the budget and they’re serious about tax cuts and they’re especially serious about tax cuts for the rich.
You can take what you want from that, but my interpretation is…
This is actually turning into a kleptocracy.
It sounds like it may.
Have you read Atlas Shrugged? If he’s listening to people who take it seriously, it’s an alternative explanation that actually seems plausible to me.
Back to Trump. I think he cares far more about the adulation than he does about more money.
You are now being spared the rather long and meandering conversation about Ayn Rand and her contributions to our modern, uniquely American social, cultural & political dysfunctions regarding wealth, ambition and the ethics + morals of power.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is an excellent documentary; it was nominated for an Academy Award in 1997.
Highly Recommended
Another rather long conversation about the psychology and potential psychosis of Trump and diehard MAGA followers ensued.
The conversation can be summed up with these three comments:
“Do you think this level of “debate” is worthy of this group?”
“”Debate?”; I’m simply suggesting you could be better informed by becoming informed about project 2025.”
“I’m not interested in studying or debating or arguing Project 2025. The conspiratorial overtones of it – whatever it is – have become insufferable.”
This excerpt from Project 2025 is offered as a example of either straight-up delusions or clinical paranoia:
“… the Department of Justice has two primary functions: protecting public safety and defending the rule of law.
Unfortunately, the department has lost its way in recent years and has forfeited the trust of large segments of the American people. Large swaths of the department have been captured by an unaccountable bureaucratic managerial class and radical Left ideologues who have embedded themselves throughout its offices and components. The department also suffers from institutional inattentiveness to its core functions. Instead of being perceived as possessing the utmost impartiality and fairness as it advances the national interest on behalf of the American people—fighting crime and defending the rule of law—the DOJ has become a department that 46.6 percent of Americans recently indicated is, in their view, “too political, corrupt, and not to be trusted.”
The weight of the publicly available evidence indicates that there are many reasons for this lack of trust. For example: The Federal Bureau of Investigation, knowing that claims of collusion with Russia were false, collaborated with Democratic operatives…”
pg 545/6
project 2025
Random comments:
Mitch McConnell voted with the good guys. Crazy times.
But now Vance is positioned to cast the tie-breaking vote! Looks like we’re about to get a totally inappropriate, incompetent person in an extremely challenging job—the competent and faithful execution of which is extremely important for the US and the world.
The deed is done…
Back to Project 2025:
Congress should make the Department of Defense (DOD) a CFIUS co-chair with the Department of Treasury. Making DOD an official CFIUS co-chair along with Treasury will establish a balanced committee process by elevating national security interests to an equal stature. The committee is currently imbalanced toward the interests of corporate America because Treasury is the sole chair of CFIUS and, in practice, runs a process that is not fully transparent and which biases it from the national security interests represented by DOD and the Intelligence Community (IC).
pg 704
Implement nuclear modernization and expansion. The United States manifestly needs to modernize, adapt, and expand its nuclear arsenal. Russia maintains and is actively brandishing a very large nuclear arsenal, but China is also undertaking a historic nuclear breakout.
pg 94
1] Expand and modernize the U.S. nuclear force so that it has the size, sophistication, and tailoring to deter Russia and China simultaneously.
2] Develop a nuclear arsenal with the size, sophistication, and tailoring -including new capabilities at the theater level—to ensure that there is no circumstance in which America is exposed to serious nuclear coercion.
pg 95
From a member clearly upset about the Hegseth confirmation to head the military.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Once the drunkard is given the keys to the largest fucking bureaucracy on the planet, Trump has established that he will see all of his pawns and power players on the game board and they’re all going to be pointing in the same direction.
Shame on us
ps. Hegseth is a big, big V for trump
A member posted the above video and asked for thoughts.
A member replied that he’s familiar with these guys and hopes their global vision will help focus attention on how a trump-centric view of diplomacy will change the U.S. role and what that could mean to the world.
He added that he’s concerned about Project 2025 and the potential for a handful of men to control the global news and history repositories.
It’s entirely possible, he says, the U.S. could soon have a government office – a Ministry of Propaganda, if you will – to embrace future glorious conquests… such as Greenland
He believes Trump to be a bully and a liar; and believes Trump wants to write his legacy.
From a member on the right side of the political dial:
Target, Walmart and McDonald’s and a host of others have scrapped or scaled back DEI.
I’m guessing that trend will continue. There’s very little liberal anger about this.
DEI is going away unmourned.
While that’s interesting in its own right; it’s unsurprising to see the anger beginning to focusing on Musk instead.
I expect that’ll last for a minute until they tire of that and move onto a new source of ire.
““Dear President Trump, listen very carefully. Greenland has been part of the Danish kingdom for 800 years. It is an integrated part of our country,” Vistisen said.
Vistisen’s remarks came during a meeting of the Parliament in Strasbourg, France as he went on to rebuke the sale proposal more forcefully.
“It is not for sale,” Vistisen continued. “Let me put it in words you might understand, Mr. Trump: FUCK OFF!”
The heated remarks were quickly addressed by the European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Ștefănuță, who said profane language was not allowed in the chamber.”
European Parliament Vice President Nicolae Ștefănuță, in an attempt to tell the world that “norms” matter, said profane language was not allowed in the chamber.