Donald Trump

[pipbarber]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ion-centre

I found this to be quite a powerful story. She was lucky she and her family had some media connections, because that seems to have been what saved her from being imprisoned for more than a few weeks.

It's a lottery. It will get worse as maga collapse the economy too. They consider their 32,000 arrests without due process since Jan 20 to be a 'success,' probably their greatest achievement so far, they're not going to stop.

[stylofone]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ion-centre

I found this to be quite a powerful story. She was lucky she and her family had some media connections, because that seems to have been what saved her from being imprisoned for more than a few weeks.

It's a lottery. It will get worse as maga collapse the economy too. They consider their 32,000 arrests without due process since Jan 20 to be a 'success,' probably their greatest achievement so far, they're not going to stop.

When the orange dictatorship cut off funding of Australian research projects, I saw a comment by an Australian Trump cultist, to the effect that "the lazy freeloading scientists were getting what they deserved". It's the same with the tariffs. A reader's comment in the SMH: "what's so bad about trying to make trade fair?" These are seemingly Australian Trump lovers celebrating what is effectively an attack on their own country.

On hearing this story, I can imagine the MAGA cultists saying "serves her right for not doing her homework and getting the right visa". This sort of acceptance will go all the way. There will be death camps for "terrorist gang members" where children are being gassed and the MAGA faithful will say "it's what they deserve".

[stevebrooks]

Australian MMA coach detained and deported on arrival in the US. I don't understand why they can't just turn them around and shove them on the next plane if they want to get rid of them, it's bizarre. They have to detain them, shackle them, strip them, send them to Federal prison where they could be beaten up or killed, refuse them any contact with lawyers or family, then a few days or a week later put them on a plane out, why not do it basically the same day? Just keep them at the airport until there's a seat free heading for Australia and shove them on it.

I can only assume here that they want other countries to see how they treat innocent visitors so they will be scared to visit the US, it's a mechanism to actually drive down visitor numbers. I mean this guys lucky, a few weeks earlier and he could have been on one of those planes to El Salvador, he's got the right looks and colour for the US to assume he's a gang member.

The only lesson I can get from these repeated stories is simply, don't visit the US!

[stylofone]

So many Guardian links. It makes me think the other media tied to their "objectivity" are less well equipped to respond appropriately to the historical moment we find ourselves in. Factual, sane, reasonable coverage should decry the Trump disaster for what it is. Outlets like the ABC can't do that, they tone it down because they have an institutional need to resist the "lefty" slur made by Murdoch rivals and right wing politicians with the power to defund Aunty.

Anyway, I thought this editorial was good because it mentioned the US demand for digital dominance. I have given up trying to convince people I know to stop using google, facebook, amazon, uber, airBnB, spotify, ebay etc.. Everyone is addicted. But I think cold turkey is what is needed.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... cas-empire

[stylofone]

My daughter rang me yesterday so she could share her excitement about the release of the Nintendo Switch 2. I'm not a big gamer. I sold my PS4 and consolidated my gaming to exclusively Nintendo a few years ago. But I Still enjoy the odd Zelda or Metroid playthrough, and I'll be in the market for the new console to refresh this pastime.

But in the US the Jun 5 release has been shaken by the tariff madness. This is an earthquake in terms of gaming. It could be that Trump has made the Switch unaffordable for a whole lot of people... the tax on fun, brought to you by the orange grinch.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78j64dqj2qo

[stevebrooks]

Justice department attorney explains to judge he has been given no evidence by the administration, his superiors or the DOJ as to why Abrego Garcia was arrested, why he was deported and why he couldn't be brought back. Because he didn't toe the Trump Admin line that Abrego Garcia was an evil gang member who deserved all he got, because he spoke the truth to a judge instead of lying, instead of committing perjury, a Federal Crime btw, he has been suspended from duties.

He said to the judge the government made a choice to present no evidence, he was accused of being disloyal and zealously advocating on behalf of the United States. Surely that's not his job, surely his job is dealing with the law! He wasn't loyal enough!

There's some authoritarian shit right there, loyalty is everything, even if it means committing crimes!

https://imgur.com/gallery/abrego-garcia ... id-BxfQmr9

[stevebrooks]

And who couldn't have predicted this:

That said, don’t get too used to hearing Mr Waltz’s Floridian drawl in the Oval Office, with another insider reportedly predicting, “he’ll be gone in a couple of weeks”.

“I predict JD Vance will go the way of Mike Pence,” Mr Scaramucci told CNN, his theory being he thinks Mr Vance is “probably annoying” Mr Trump right now.

He argued that Mr Vance’s “sycophantic” approach to Mr Trump will backfire and that “people mistake this about [Trump], I don’t think he likes the obsequiousness stuff”.

Another Trump appointee increasingly on the naughty list is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jnr, with White House aides already leaking about what a schmozzle things are under his leadership.

Lol, night of the long knives, only they are using them against each other!

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-ame ... 403c446f30

[pipbarber]

It's quite clear that maga allies are not fond of maga's tariff policy and they are starting to speak out against it. This is what i would say to them if i could:

No problem with arrest and deportation without due process?

No problem with sending people, without due process, to the world's worst prison?

No problem with sacking 250,000 public servants? Many of whom are veterans?

No problem with cancelling tourist visas on arrival because someone said something anti-Trump on social media, or just didn't look right?

No problem arresting and disappearing international students?

No problem with attacking universities, law firms and judges?

No problem attacking scientists and scientific research institutions?

No problem cancelling USAid?

No problem cancelling the program that feeds kids a school lunch even though for many of said kids it is the only meal they will have that day?

Oh....but you have a problem with the share market crashing? Ya know what...fuck you. I do not take the slightest encouragement from these people being critical of Trump's tariffs. I hope the orange fartcup doubles down and sends the lot of them bankrupt.

[pipbarber]

...to add to that somewhat emotional outburst above...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... y-shock-us

Focusing on the fucking share market is completely confusing the resistance, imo. We (as in anti-fascists world wide) are being distracted. The share market might well recover, the US economy may begin to thrive sooner than many predict. This is not the right issue to focus on, i'm beginning to think.

I do get that it's encouraging for the mid-terms (assuming they happen and are fair and free) and that maga will almost certainly lose the house, but fascism doesn't need parliaments. And 'we' do not need the support of people who are all in for maga on every other issue....but not tariffs and a falling share market.

[stevebrooks]

There's a list the WH has put out that they say will help countries in easing tariffs, it's a ludicrous list, but you can tell just how ludicrous it is when you get to the 5th option!

The list is here, I have saved video where you can see the list.



What exactly is the 5th option you ask? The 5th option is, "send us money." That's it, the entire thing is just a global extortion scheme!