“A society becomes totalitarian when its structure becomes flagrantly artificial: that is, when its ruling class has lost its function but succeeds in clinging to power by force or fraud.”
— George Orwell, The Prevention of Literature
The Young Turks (3/14/19)
“President Trump issued a bizarre, indirect warning Monday that his supporters could get “tough” on his political enemies at a “certain point,” in a clip of a Breitbart interview spotted Thursday by The Toronto Star. “You know, the left plays a tougher game, it’s very funny,” the president told Breibart’s Matthew Boyle. “I actually think that the people on the right are tougher, but they don’t play it tougher. Okay? I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump–I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough—until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.”
Link to Story and 5+-Minute Video
- Time To wake Up! The President Threatens To Unleash Waves Of Violence On His Political Rivals — Read the RestIt says a lot about the state of the country when the President of the United States can make a laudatory, if oblique, reference to having fascist goon squads commit violence on his behalf, and it’s not the biggest headline of the day. Nevertheless, that’s evidently where we are after Donald Trump’s latest, sincerely horrifying, interview with Breitbart News. …
(Commoner Call cartoon by Mark L. Taylor, 2019. Open source and free for non-derivative use with link to www.thecommonercall.org )
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Trump Is Cornered, With Violence On His Mind. We Must Be On Red Alert
As Trump becomes ever more entrapped in the web of his own misdeeds, his threats are becoming more ominous.
By Robert Reich
The Guardian (3/16/19)
What does a megalomaniacal president of the United States do when he’s cornered? We’ll soon find out.
House Democrats are beginning a series of investigations and hearings about Donald Trump. Senate Republicans have begun to desert him. Twelve defected on the wall. Seven refused to back Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.
Almost all have gone on record that they want Robert Mueller’s report made public. That report, not incidentally, appears imminent.
Trump cannot abide losing. His ego can’t contain humiliation. He is incapable of shame.
So what does a cornered Trump do? For starters, he raises the specter of violence against his political opponents.
In an interview with Breitbart News published on Wednesday, Trump noted: “I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough – until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad.”
Throughout his campaign and presidency, Trump has given cover to some of the most vile bigots in America. As he grows more desperate, he is giving them encouragement.
In case you missed it, “they” are Trump’s political opponents, including House Democrats and the mainstream media. And the “certain point” could be impeachment but is more likely to be reached if the House investigations reveal crimes Trump committed both before and after he became president.
“I actually think that the people on the right are tougher,” Trump warned in the same interview. “But the left plays it cuter and tougher. Like with all the nonsense that they do in Congress … with all this invest[igations] – that’s all they want to do is – you know, they do things that are nasty.”
Here we have it, in a nutshell. In Trump’s mind, congressional investigations that could cause him shame and humiliation, and quite possibly result in a prison sentence, will be countered by forces loyal to him: the police, the military, and vigilante groups like Bikers for Trump.
To put it another way, the work of a democratically elected Congress will be met by Trump loyalists who, he asserts, are “tougher” because they have brute force on their side. …
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Khizr Khan & Rabbi Chuck Diamond: Trump ‘Politically Expedient’ For Minimizing White Nationalism In NZ Attack
Hardball / MSNBC (3/15/19)
“In the United States, law enforcement and civil rights group say they have seen an uptick in hate-motivated crimes. According to the FBI, the number has increased for a third consecutive year. Khizr Khan and Rabbi Chuck Diamond join Hardball for a discussion on the New Zealand attack.
- The New Zealand Shooter’s Rhetoric Sounds Like Something You Straight Out Of The Republican Side Of Congress — When I read the New Zealand shooter’s manifesto, what struck me most were the similarities between his writings and some of the things I hear from members of Congress on immigration. I don’t blame anybody but this shooter for his horrible actions, and I’m not suggesting there’s some equivalence between what he has done and what some lawmakers have said. But I do think it’s quite telling that the way this shooter talked about immigration is also how I hear some Republicans talk about the issue. … Read the Rest
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How To Support & Donate To New Zealand Shooting Victims
The Young Turks (3/15/19)
You can help the victims of the New Zealand shooting. Cenk Uygur, Tommy Vietor, and John Iadarola, hosts of The Young Turks, break it down.
United for Christchurch Mosque Shootings