Nice to see citizens standing against a rotten system AKA Trump. He cannot do much against the people and we are all talking and in our own ways resisting. He may have a following but it is dwindling rapidly.
We've had an inspiring amount of political change over the last 250 years as more members of society have fought for enfranchisement. We've had an incredible amount of social change over the last 70 years, not all of it positive, especially for the less affluent. A determined minority is so offended by the social changes that they are willing to risk undoing all political change and take us back to authoritarian rule. Dash, I hope you are correct that through resistance and exposing the idiocy and exaggeration we can pull off the ultimate social change: getting MAGA adherents to value the rule of law as much as their grievances.
I think the people missed a big opportunity yesterday. There should have been short notice rallies all over the country against the calling of the National Guard in L.A. It would show Trump that he can't call on the military in hundreds of locations. I drove to our Govt. Center with a sign and was disappointed we had no response in our community.
Thank You Dash! I have been listening to the liar mischaracterize the protests in LA.
I opened Substack and saw your post. It gave me hope.
****Governments are supposed to function like a well run business on a massive scale.
We the people pay them money through our tax dollars. They serve us.
They provide services for us including securing our borders and preventing our people from attack.
This Administration is cutting all the services to “the people”, the taxpayers, and serving itself through its own enrichment.
The Speaker, their media machine all reinforces the false message.
Why do we even pay taxes?
What are we getting for our money?
As someone who worked for or was involved with multi national corporation in marketing research, the question was always: what is the consumer getting for the money we are asking them to spend?
In the case of the Trump Administration - normal taxpayers aren’t getting “jack” really.
Everything is being siphon off to the Executive Branch.
Ask your representatives and senators - state and federal?
Ask the people - what are we the people getting for our tax dollars?
I’m old. Your generation has do deal with the fallout from this mess
Peaceful protest is the key. The Dem' leadership should actively organize and facilitate protests across the country every time a raid like this takes place. In every state.
Something Trump has failed to understand here. Unlike Putin who has a subjugated and docile population, Americans have some tools and the will to resist. Americans hate tyrants. It's kind of our thing.
Sure, a certain percentage of the population will always have an authoritarian mindset. They like belonging to the MAGA cult. They like letting Trump or another strongman tell them what to feel and do. However, they are not the majority. They really aren't. And the other thing about the authoritarian mindset is, it is highly correlated with peer pressure.
When these 'joiners' realize they are not in sync with their peers, they will either switch or stand down. Exactly right that exposing the cold hard realities of the Trump regime will nibble away at his power for this reason. Trump's power erosion will be effectuated by losing his cult's backing.The problem I see is Congress is AWOL in this fight. Under the constitution, its job right now is to check Trump's power.
While Republicans bow down and Democrats wait for us to DIY democracy, things could get bad.
I keep remembering that scene in Dr. Zhivago where the Czar's soldiers encountered some peasants and started to push them out of the way. But the peasants convinced the soldiers that they we all in the same boat, and the Czar's commander was dispatched. That's what has to happen.
That 3.5% thing is so NOT A THING. It involved a study of countries with populations of never more than 60 millions. We are 340 millions; the math doesn’t track. Still, if we don’t rise up to fight this criminal regime, we doom democracy here and everywhere. Our problem here in Substack is, we are an isolated bubble. Most of the U.S. is getting their information from corporatist MSM, which does not bode in our favor.
Another problem is that Democratic congressional response is pitifully weak: leaders Schumer and Jeffries aren’t up to the task. We have Chris Murphy and David Garcia, and many strong women who are powerfully vocal warriors but have limited appeal to toxic masculinity. As protests spread because of the felon’s attack on CA, we can hope, but we seem unable to muster the numbers or sustain the effort European countries do. We are spoiled because we’ve never confronted our government before. And always,the overriding American tradition of White supremacy remains our Achilles heel.
I actually think everything you said proves the value of the 3.5% theory.
You're right that the mainstream media is complicit and Dem leadership is weak. That’s exactly why the theory matters — because it doesn’t require a majority. It shows that even in the face of apathy and propaganda (and weak leadership) a small and relentless group of people can still drive systemic change. It's happened in history and across the world, and it can happen here if we stay loud!
Hegseth has now declared the National Guard will remain in L.A. for 60 days. Vought’s no dummy, he’s banking on protests here petering out as people must go on living their lives; in this, their analysis is most likely correct. Now do you see that the 3.5% thing is a pipe dream that doesn’t add up in the U.S.? How many times must we multiply 3.5% to get to ½? or even 25%, Dash?
Europe is far better educated with greater staying power. Most Americans have less than the 9-second attention span of goldfish. Remember that more than half of our citizens have only a 6th grade education, and that 1 in 5 can barely read at 3rd grade level.
During the Viet Nam war, I took part in sheltering an AWOL kid drafted too young because he got caught with alcohol in some podunk red state. We remained in Boston University’s MLK Chapel 24/7 for 6 days, participating in all services of various faiths. How self-satisfied and sanctimonious we were! On Saturday night, almost everybody left to go back to their dorms or wherever to shower, certain that Sunday services wouldn’t be interrupted. The Fed went in at 6 am on Sunday morning, before any services were scheduled to occur, swooped up the poor guy, now completely unprotected—and that was the end of THAT. Just sayin’. OUR DEMOCRACY IS IN TERRIBLE PERIL AND THE FUTURE IS LOOKING GRIM. As a culture of consumers rather than creators, we are so very ill equipped for this.
You’re inspiring, Dash. Thanks for sharing a ray of sunshine with us.
We've got this.
You are right Terence! Dash is fantastically inspiring. We are so proud of him.
Nice to see citizens standing against a rotten system AKA Trump. He cannot do much against the people and we are all talking and in our own ways resisting. He may have a following but it is dwindling rapidly.
Yes, we are eroding his power every time we resist!
We've had an inspiring amount of political change over the last 250 years as more members of society have fought for enfranchisement. We've had an incredible amount of social change over the last 70 years, not all of it positive, especially for the less affluent. A determined minority is so offended by the social changes that they are willing to risk undoing all political change and take us back to authoritarian rule. Dash, I hope you are correct that through resistance and exposing the idiocy and exaggeration we can pull off the ultimate social change: getting MAGA adherents to value the rule of law as much as their grievances.
Me too, Don. It’s the only path available at the moment!
I think the people missed a big opportunity yesterday. There should have been short notice rallies all over the country against the calling of the National Guard in L.A. It would show Trump that he can't call on the military in hundreds of locations. I drove to our Govt. Center with a sign and was disappointed we had no response in our community.
Thank you - this gives me hope. I'm in LA and I'm going to join the protest today.
All the power to you. Patriot!
Thank You Dash! I have been listening to the liar mischaracterize the protests in LA.
I opened Substack and saw your post. It gave me hope.
****Governments are supposed to function like a well run business on a massive scale.
We the people pay them money through our tax dollars. They serve us.
They provide services for us including securing our borders and preventing our people from attack.
This Administration is cutting all the services to “the people”, the taxpayers, and serving itself through its own enrichment.
The Speaker, their media machine all reinforces the false message.
Why do we even pay taxes?
What are we getting for our money?
As someone who worked for or was involved with multi national corporation in marketing research, the question was always: what is the consumer getting for the money we are asking them to spend?
In the case of the Trump Administration - normal taxpayers aren’t getting “jack” really.
Everything is being siphon off to the Executive Branch.
Ask your representatives and senators - state and federal?
Ask the people - what are we the people getting for our tax dollars?
I’m old. Your generation has do deal with the fallout from this mess
Yes isn’t it crazy that we pay Trump’s and ICE’s salary? Oh the travesty. Thanks for the comment👍🏻
Peaceful protest is the key. The Dem' leadership should actively organize and facilitate protests across the country every time a raid like this takes place. In every state.
Agree with this.
God bless and give strength to the 3.5%.
Yes yes!
Enjoy NOLA Dash, it's such a cool place. I hope you have a great time. Try "Mother's" for some Jambalaya, and Cafe DuMonde for Beignets!
DuMonde was delicious! Will put Mothers on the list thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Something Trump has failed to understand here. Unlike Putin who has a subjugated and docile population, Americans have some tools and the will to resist. Americans hate tyrants. It's kind of our thing.
Sure, a certain percentage of the population will always have an authoritarian mindset. They like belonging to the MAGA cult. They like letting Trump or another strongman tell them what to feel and do. However, they are not the majority. They really aren't. And the other thing about the authoritarian mindset is, it is highly correlated with peer pressure.
When these 'joiners' realize they are not in sync with their peers, they will either switch or stand down. Exactly right that exposing the cold hard realities of the Trump regime will nibble away at his power for this reason. Trump's power erosion will be effectuated by losing his cult's backing.The problem I see is Congress is AWOL in this fight. Under the constitution, its job right now is to check Trump's power.
While Republicans bow down and Democrats wait for us to DIY democracy, things could get bad.
I keep remembering that scene in Dr. Zhivago where the Czar's soldiers encountered some peasants and started to push them out of the way. But the peasants convinced the soldiers that they we all in the same boat, and the Czar's commander was dispatched. That's what has to happen.
That 3.5% thing is so NOT A THING. It involved a study of countries with populations of never more than 60 millions. We are 340 millions; the math doesn’t track. Still, if we don’t rise up to fight this criminal regime, we doom democracy here and everywhere. Our problem here in Substack is, we are an isolated bubble. Most of the U.S. is getting their information from corporatist MSM, which does not bode in our favor.
Another problem is that Democratic congressional response is pitifully weak: leaders Schumer and Jeffries aren’t up to the task. We have Chris Murphy and David Garcia, and many strong women who are powerfully vocal warriors but have limited appeal to toxic masculinity. As protests spread because of the felon’s attack on CA, we can hope, but we seem unable to muster the numbers or sustain the effort European countries do. We are spoiled because we’ve never confronted our government before. And always,the overriding American tradition of White supremacy remains our Achilles heel.
I actually think everything you said proves the value of the 3.5% theory.
You're right that the mainstream media is complicit and Dem leadership is weak. That’s exactly why the theory matters — because it doesn’t require a majority. It shows that even in the face of apathy and propaganda (and weak leadership) a small and relentless group of people can still drive systemic change. It's happened in history and across the world, and it can happen here if we stay loud!
Hegseth has now declared the National Guard will remain in L.A. for 60 days. Vought’s no dummy, he’s banking on protests here petering out as people must go on living their lives; in this, their analysis is most likely correct. Now do you see that the 3.5% thing is a pipe dream that doesn’t add up in the U.S.? How many times must we multiply 3.5% to get to ½? or even 25%, Dash?
Europe is far better educated with greater staying power. Most Americans have less than the 9-second attention span of goldfish. Remember that more than half of our citizens have only a 6th grade education, and that 1 in 5 can barely read at 3rd grade level.
During the Viet Nam war, I took part in sheltering an AWOL kid drafted too young because he got caught with alcohol in some podunk red state. We remained in Boston University’s MLK Chapel 24/7 for 6 days, participating in all services of various faiths. How self-satisfied and sanctimonious we were! On Saturday night, almost everybody left to go back to their dorms or wherever to shower, certain that Sunday services wouldn’t be interrupted. The Fed went in at 6 am on Sunday morning, before any services were scheduled to occur, swooped up the poor guy, now completely unprotected—and that was the end of THAT. Just sayin’. OUR DEMOCRACY IS IN TERRIBLE PERIL AND THE FUTURE IS LOOKING GRIM. As a culture of consumers rather than creators, we are so very ill equipped for this.
Keeping it positive! Way to go Dash!