Chilling

[vmax]

Long ago I posted about the similarities between Trump and Hitler. Both are megalomaniacs and pathological liars obsessed with the acquisition of power. I study history and this last year I watched in horror as 70 million American citizens believe his lies. Trump must have studied this too as he basically has used all of Hitler's political tactics. The huge rallies, flag waving, red dress code, creation of fictional enemies, socialist will take over, conspiracies everywhere, save America Patriots!, guns, drunken euphoria, rhetoric, read only our stuff not the Fake media.....wave the Bible, talk Jesus and hate your neighbor....and there you have it. 70 million people fooled and obsessed. Facts, truths, science are made up lies to them. There leader will stop these lies.

I've been dumbfounded about the fact that people couldn't see through this. that the American consciousness is so low. What we saw come to fruition this past week happened in a democratic Germany in Munich, Nov. 8, 1923. That is not that long ago and we have forgotten what happened then in a similar situation and set of circumstances.

They lost democracy. It's fragile. 

This is a chilling article...

Opinions | Pre-Nazi Germany tells us the fight to save American democracy is just beginning (msn.com)

 

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Germany during the 1920s offers crucial lessons for us today about how democracies become imperiled.

Germany’s democracy was young but the majority of the population stood behind it in the early 1920s. Yet, humiliated by defeat in World War I and plagued by an unprecedented economic crisis, a growing minority resorted to lies and conspiracy theories, such as the stab-in-the-back myth, which blamed scapegoats like Jews and socialists rather than the military for losing the war.

It was these lies that resonated with Hitler and his followers. They hoped to establish authoritarian rule first in Munich and then in Berlin to restore Germany‘s military strength.

What at first blush looked like a failed coup proved successful in the long run because of a justice system that was blind in its right eye and conservative political leaders who fueled the myths that Hitler had tapped into, planted the seeds of political polarization and discredited the legitimacy of elected officials. These leaders were also convinced that they could use Hitler and his mass movement as a vehicle to stay in power, even though they despised him and looked down on him as an upstart. His vice-chancellor, Franz von Papen of the Catholic Center Party, famously claimed that he and his moderate cabinet members would keep Hitler and his Nazi troops in check. Von Papen lost this game, and so did all the other enablers who made Hitler’s rise possible. But they didn’t decisively move to squelch his movement during the 1920s when they had the opportunity.

This history highlights how the real risk to American democracy came hours after order had been restored in the U.S. Capitol when seven U.S. senators and 138 members of the House of Representatives voted to sustain an objection to Pennsylvania’s electoral votes, giving credence to the lies that nourished the mob’s anger. Further, to date, Vice President Pence and members of the cabinet have stood by without invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power. By doing so, they enable the president — who initially doubled down on lies about the election in subsequent videos and tweets — to cause additional harm to the nation, including his ability to pardon more of his supporters and spread more lies. Even many of those Republican elected officials who during the last days of this presidency have distanced themselves or expressed disgust with the President’s deeds, only a few weeks ago fought to keep him in office for another four years.....Opinions | Pre-Nazi Germany tells us the fight to save American democracy is just beginning (msn.com)

 

[papasmurfbell]

There is a simple reason for that.  All by design.

 

[Spen]

I'm not surprised a portion of Americans could be duped by a cult leader but I am surprised how many were/are and I am surprised how bad (for lack of a better term) of a cult leader Trump is. I imagine great (for lack of a better term) cult leaders from history watching the last 4-6 years, scratching their heads and asking "this guy?". He's dumb, he's not good looking, and he's not charismatic. At least not to me. And he's been in the public eye and an asshole for 50 years. 

We need to hold politicians who lie about conspiracies and plots they know are not true accountable and punish them.  Since Jade Helm (fake plot about an internal attack on America by Obama to declare martial law - everyone knew it was fake but some Republicans acted like it wasn't to cater to the crazies in their party) its gotten worse and people die when things are not debunked. 

And people do seem more gullible and dumbed down than they used to or than I would like. Picking up my car from the shoppe* two weeks ago and there were 3 very nice and pleasant other people waiting. I'd guess they were 30s-40s the three were talking. Someone mentioned 5G and all three seemed suspicious of it because of the crazy Bill Gates 5g conspiracy stuff. Crazy.

 

 

*this spelling makes it sound quaint, I don't mind dropping $200 at the shoppe

Edited January 9, 2021 by Spen
And changed to age

[papasmurfbell]

Quote

President Dwight Eisenhower (1953–1961)

 

During his term, the Supreme Court ruled that schools must be integrated. In 1957, Eisenhower provided critical support. He sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas. He was acting to enforce the integration of the city’s main high school.

 

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare was formed in 1953. It was the first step in creating the modern Department of Education. Also under Eisenhower, the National Defense Education Act of 1958 was passed. It gave schools more money for science and math programs.

What Ike pushed for and got was the way education worked until around Reagan.  It pumped out lots of smart ppl for decades and lead to the great economies of the 50s and 60s.  Then it has been stripped away and made stupid ppl for the last 30 yrs.  

[vmax]

I hope this impeachment goes all the way so he is banned from running for any Federal office. If not, it will open the door for others more talented than Trump to go all the way. Politically neuter him. It will help to cut down on the damage that he can cause while out of office. You can be sure he will continue to say this election was stolen till the day he dies.

Part of this impeachment is that he knowingly lied about the election by claiming it was fixed and stolen. People believed this and became very upset and mobilized. The impeachment will address this. The House and Senate will clearly reveal the truth that this was the most secure election in American history. This will probably not be enough for those who have sought an alternate reality of conspiracies for a long time.

I don't know...they are my fellow man, they have mothers and fathers and families....how can we raise the vibration and come together?

[papasmurfbell]

Chick and Nancy need to drum out the other reps who incited this.  Also find out which reps helped this go down and charge them with treason.

[vmax]

Trumps election became the green light for many of these groups to come out of the closet. In a sense, Trumps Presidency exposed how sick we are as a nation and what a long path of change we have ahead of us.

A good read:

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Trump may have been the one who invited the angry mob to Washington on Jan. 6, and then stirred them up with repeated false claims about a stolen election. However, the events on that shameful day — and indeed Trumpism itself — simply represent the culmination of a half-century of Republican strategy to mobilize and empower both white-nationalist sentiment and reactionary Christian fundamentalism. Whether they were bearing crosses, waving Confederate flags, toting automatic rifles or wearing “Make America Great Again” paraphernalia, those who gathered in Washington on Jan. 6 all spoke a common language of white grievance, convinced that traditional American values are under assault by elite leftist intellectuals, feminists, immigrants, members of the LBGTQ community, African American activists and a mainstream media that promoted their agenda. For them, “Make America Great Again” was not simply a slogan. It embodied a set of intertwined beliefs that compelled them to seize control of the Capitol, attempt to overturn a free and fair election and return the nation to a time when White, native-born, God-fearing, heterosexual men dominated every aspect of national life...Opinions | Convicting Trump would have required accepting a half-century of Republican guilt (msn.com)

 

Edited February 16, 2021 by vmax

[Spen]

It's a scary time.  One side wants affordable healthcare and decent wages and the opponents claim that would be handouts. Then they try to convince a generation of primarily white men that their futures have been stolen by immigrants and minorities. And that women owe them too. 

Also "fun" - Texas is a mess and I feel bad for them but blaming it on wind and solar power? Lol. When something goes bad in a state or city run by democrats, republicans blame democrats. When something goes wrong in a state or city run by republicans, republicans blame democrats.  

[papasmurfbell]

Apparently it is to chilly in Texas.   Cruz flies down to Cancun while ppl in his state freeze to death.  

[vmax]

Record numbers of hurricanes and wild fires last year.

Civil unrest.

A foot of snow in San Antonio??? And nothings wrong?

Anybody who continues to live in Houston, a city in a flood plain that gets wiped out once a year, must love disaster and chooses a "Disaster Life."

Millions are boiling water because there is no clean water in Texas and many states.

Oh!...there's a year old pandemic and we're being told maybe by next Christmas things will get back to some kind of normal. Until then, stay home, stay masked America and social distance because people are not safe to be around.

Economy in serious trouble? Check.

Sky rocketing unemployment??? Check.

How about a failed Coup attack on the Capital of the United States! The little guys, the infantry, the foot soldiers are getting rounded up but the generals behind it are not to be bothered.

This is the America we are living in today.

[vmax]

Add Major Bug Infestation to the list....

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droves of cicadas will soon be infesting 15 states. This phenomenon, referred to as Brood X, will see trillions of the insects emerge from the ground. The event only occurs every 17 years, and it's nearly upon us again. Maryland will be the epicenter of the upcoming cicada reemergence. Raupp predicts that as these cicadas emerge from the ground, some areas in Maryland will see as many as 1.5 million cicadas per acre rising up....If You Live Here, Prepare for a Major Bug Infestation, Expert Warns (msn.com)

But hey! It's a beautiful spring like day outside. Enjoy it. It's been a long winter.

Edited February 25, 2021 by vmax