Skip Navigation

Posts
18
Comments
2,304
Joined
2 yr. ago

  • Only applies to the presidency and only if the courts remain a legitimate institution in the US, a fact that is increasingly in question.

    But also, his goons are completely vulnerable either way and there is little the president can do with his own hands.

  • I would advise you not to hate people you don’t know just because they fly a flag but your feelings are valid. Nationalism is a toxic ideology founded in violence and oppression at its very core.

  • And all the morons on reddit are trying to convince me that Trump is just a purehearted hero trying to save us from corruption and that's why he has to break the law and ignore court orders and all of the other tyrannical things he's doing.

  • They are apathetic primarily because they feel powerless. So the first thing we need to do is remind people of their power.

  • There are plenty of political actions one can take beyond voting and there is absolutely not time to wait 2 years to address these things. Protest, join orgs fighting this, call your representatives, do anything you can think of.

    It's never too late. Remember, whatever democratic protections we have today were fought and clawed from the rulers of the past by people like us. Worst case scenario we have a repeat of that situation but they never win in the long run. The human spirit and desire for freedom can never be permanently defeated.

  • Finally the media will actually say it. I've been trying to point this out for a week but no one has been talking about it. Ignoring lawful court orders, laws passed by congress, and the constitution. This is not a drill, please think about what it will take to reverse this and what you personally can contribute to this struggle. The consequences will be dire for everyone if this is not stopped.

  • I would say this is even worse than exile. Basically paying other countries with less oversight on human rights to torture people he doesn’t like.

    How long until this becomes a weapon against his political opponents or dissidents?

  • Permabans are also a thing here. I kind of agree with you that there’s not really a need for them except maybe in very rare circumstances.

    Each instance and community has its own moderation policy. Maybe there is one that does not do permabans but I have not heard any explicit discussion around this.

  • If we organize we can stop him. They want you to believe we’re powerless but it’s not true.

  • Money is important though. People may lose their jobs if they don’t obey. Programs or even entire orgs will shut down.

    I am not saying they should capitulate but also sometimes you need to pick your battles also. I have heard some nonprofits are purging certain words but planning to keep doing the same work. Is that the right choice? I don’t know but if it allows services to keep going to the vulnerable then maybe.

  • Fear. But people need to realize that capitulation only makes this political terrorism stronger. The only solution is solidarity. United we are much stronger than this administration.

  • The whole point is for it to be inclusive. Yes it has never fully lived up to that potential but the people fighting and clawing for the last few hundred years have brought it closer and closer with time.

  • It’s at least possible it may be a good thing but without a broader liberation movement to fill the power vacuum, it’s more likely it will simply be filled by another imperialistic nation or coalition. I don’t see much sign of such a movement so I’m not very optimistic.

  • I can’t predict the future, I’m just speaking to what I see in the culture today. I heard from a lot of Trump voters that their perception of him as an anti-war candidate was a factor in their support, so I do think this is true in this moment. How deeply held that conviction is and how easily it will be swayed when our rulers decide war is to their favor remains to be seen but at minimum it will require political capital to drag people along with their imperialism.

  • I’m fine with preparations. If it comes to war then we must try to win. But we don’t need to make that outcome more likely. I think the right has a huge advantage in war because of their inherent militarism and because legally Trump is the commander in chief and the military is very likely to side with him. It’s not to our advantage to fight them militarily.

    But I think there are still other paths available to us. You are wrong that nonviolent solutions are not useful. They can and have been used successfully in situations far more dire than the situation in the US today. There is a widespread lack of knowledge about the effectiveness of civil resistance in our culture today and we need to educate ourselves about these tactics that have worked to bring down dictatorships in the past.

    I highly recommend this book for a deeper dive on this topic: https://commonslibrary.org/civil-resistance-what-everyone-needs-to-know/

  • Maybe you are right that I should have phrased it differently. I apologize for that but I am frustrated by this kind of rhetoric that in my view misses the underlying dynamics and makes us feel powerless.