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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/16/trump-authoritarianism-warning

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To conduct the assessment, the authors applied the same analytic methods used by US intelligence agencies to assess the fragility of democracies abroad but turned them inward for what the group called a “first-of-its-kind” analysis of domestic democratic decline.

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The authors conclude with “moderate to high confidence” that the US is moving toward what scholars call “competitive authoritarianism”, a system in which elections and courts continue to function, but are “systematically manipulated” to consolidate executive power and weaken checks and balances. According to the assessment, these trends are increasingly visible in the US, as part of a broader effort by Donald Trump in his second presidential term to “ensure loyalty and ideological conformity” across the federal government.

 

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Posted
40 minutes ago, pacman said:
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The speed at which the administration was moving made it difficult to complete the assessment, Steven Cash, executive director of the Steady State, told reporters. “We would finish a draft and then five things would happen,” he said, adding that the document was published as a “baseline” that could be updated with new developments.

 

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Posted
1 minute ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Hard, hard, hard disagree and the statistics back me up. Across cultures, religions, continents rising levels of income, educational attainment, employment, and economic opportunity goes right along with declining birthrates and lower/later marriages.  And that even holds true within countries— higher income and options means fewer kids. It holds true despite incentives and benefits to mothers; and in fact the most generous governments see some of the lowest birthrates.  A lot going on with this but one of the big reasons is introducing other options, choices, and stability for women. They can afford to be selective with mates and when they do select, there is a preference for high-investment parenting into fewer children.

The data are pretty clear, for the most part early marriage and lots of kids (and for that matter lots of kids) is poverty behavior. 

Oh, absolutely point well-taken.  I was posting with tunnel-vision, with the perspective being solely of developed economies.  Because you're right, as economies develop and women have choices, birthrates go down.

My point is that once you are a developed economy and women have choices....then that society needs to pivot to take an approach that makes the choice of having kids a more attractive one.  

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Posted

Man, trump cant wait for these no kings protests. Almost certainly will be violence. 
 

Said it before but hes def gonna place agents disguised as protestors to throw shit/molotov cocktail stuff and up the violence so that protests can turn nasty and he can invoke the Insurrection Act

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Posted
3 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Man, trump cant wait for these no kings protests. Almost certainly will be violence. 
 

Said it before but hes def gonna place agents disguised as protestors to throw shit/molotov cocktail stuff and up the violence so that protests can turn nasty and he can invoke the Insurrection Act

Ballgame. 

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Posted (edited)
7 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Man, trump cant wait for these no kings protests. Almost certainly will be violence. 
 

Said it before but hes def gonna place agents disguised as protestors to throw shit/molotov cocktail stuff and up the violence so that protests can turn nasty and he can invoke the Insurrection Act

I forget - was it in St. Louis or somewhere else during the police brutality protests in 2020 that the protesters tried to stop a far right instigator from burning down a retail store? But that was at night, and I believe the arsonist was caught on video. The No Kings rally is on a Saturday morning and someone like that would absolutely be stopped and/or on film. I agree with your sentiment though and people esp in big cities should be on the look out for infiltrators. 

Edited by Chopper
Posted
10 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Said it before but hes def gonna place agents disguised as protestors to throw shit/molotov cocktail stuff and up the violence so that protests can turn nasty and he can invoke the Insurrection Act

Kirk Watson and others should be tweeting this nonstop.  Whether this happens or not, they might as well bolster the narrative that MAGA is just stirring up fuckery in an attempt to justify the unnecessary deployment of federal troops to blue cities.

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Posted
4 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Man, trump cant wait for these no kings protests. Almost certainly will be violence. 
 

Said it before but hes def gonna place agents disguised as protestors to throw shit/molotov cocktail stuff and up the violence so that protests can turn nasty and he can invoke the Insurrection Act

This is the concern. Organizers, which is at the national level, have stressed non-violence and positivity. Search for their statement.

1 minute ago, immamac said:

Ballgame. 

This is why I won’t be armed. Give those fuckers no excuse. If you see violence, our rules of engagement are to kneel immediately, so those engaged in violence can be seen and identified.

 

John Lennon’s estate has created a Bluesky account and posted a still relevant video.

 

 

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Posted
17 hours ago, Chopper said:

Bolton:

 

He is so screwed... wait. I have seen this pretty successful defense strategy work before.

 

John Bolton for President 2028

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Posted
6 minutes ago, Willfully Horn said:

This is the concern. Organizers, which is at the national level, have stressed non-violence and positivity. Search for their statement.

This is why I won’t be armed. Give those fuckers no excuse. If you see violence, our rules of engagement are to kneel immediately, so those engaged in violence can be seen and identified.

 

John Lennon’s estate has created a Bluesky account and posted a still relevant video.

 

 

Goddammit, how have we gotten so lost so fast that this is still applicable to the point that this brings a slight tear to my eye -- in 2 thousand fucking-25?!?!

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Posted

I believe Trump would rather see a bunch of protesters mowed down by ICE bullets than a building go up in fire that would lead to ICE patrolling more peaceful streets and getting mocked, as in pdx and chi.

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Posted
44 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Man, trump cant wait for these no kings protests. Almost certainly will be violence. 
 

Said it before but hes def gonna place agents disguised as protestors to throw shit/molotov cocktail stuff and up the violence so that protests can turn nasty and he can invoke the Insurrection Act

Don't listen to this fucking weirdo. Get your ass out to the protests.

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Posted
37 minutes ago, Chopper said:

I forget - was it in St. Louis or somewhere else during the police brutality protests in 2020 that the protesters tried to stop a far right instigator from burning down a retail store? But that was at night, and I believe the arsonist was caught on video. The No Kings rally is on a Saturday morning and someone like that would absolutely be stopped and/or on film. I agree with your sentiment though and people esp in big cities should be on the look out for infiltrators. 

Police tried to question him, but he just kept hanging up.

https://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-police-say-umbrella-man-was-a-white-supremacist-trying-to-incite-george-floyd-rioting/571932272

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Posted
1 minute ago, HenryJames said:

Don't listen to this fucking weirdo. Get your ass out to the protests.

Wtf are u talking about? Ill be at Houston City Hall on Saturday. 
 

Im just telling you what is gonna happen

Posted

My wife, an alum of University of Arizona, is feeling guilt that we’re going to the UofA vs Houston game at TDECU tomorrow instead of being downtown at City Hall.

Posted
40 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I think glasses lady at :37 is standing in front of $4 beer. I know it well. 

Same guy owns/runs that place and the Beer Barn in front of the main Cotton Bowl entrance.  He's a Longhorn (and friend of mine).  Be sure to tell him I said hi.

Posted (edited)

Deficit spending for this past fiscal year ended up around $2 trillion, with $500 billion occuring during the first quarter (October 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024)

With this accumulation, and the accumulation during his first Presidency, Trump accounts for roughly 20% of the national debt accumulation in under 5 years as President.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/u-s-runs-another-huge-budget-deficit-in-2025-and-the-national-debt-hits-another-record-58ac8785?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqem4iqBtLVVmFftmmcfnmmhp1lfA_gGhnU2qE67oItbC7dt0FggiHout9EbMDc%3D&gaa_ts=68f26a1b&gaa_sig=Mn9bAXvjh8FcfcC8mXYL0fWCuMWCGJvKA3KnKbYjYoOywdCZjuIXPaMQgi_wQKKLAratKsUVlnS8ntTv44UTzw%3D%3D

Edited by pacman
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Posted
3 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

Same guy owns/runs that place and the Beer Barn in front of the main Cotton Bowl entrance.  He's a Longhorn (and friend of mine).  Be sure to tell him I said hi.

That man has given me so much. He is like a father to me. 

Posted
25 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

Same guy owns/runs that place and the Beer Barn in front of the main Cotton Bowl entrance.  He's a Longhorn (and friend of mine).  Be sure to tell him I said hi.

"Triple D dad says hello" sounds like a greeting at a glory hole.

Posted
4 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Have a family thing in downtown Seattle kind of in between stated protest areas, at the stated protest time.  Could be interesting. 

On the bright side, the national guard might put you all in the same cell.

Posted (edited)

Ours is from 10 AM to 1 PM tomorrow.  Protest, then football.

My wife is disturbed that there seems to be so little negative press about his health and what this regime is doing.  Why isn't the press pressing the administration over obvious Hatch Act violations by Leavett, Noem, Bessent, Patel and the rest?

Edited by VABuckeye
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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, yoladu said:

you mean this kind of serious?

Trump indictment: Former president kept classified docs in Mar-a-Lago  bathroom, ballroom

 

in fairness to Trump, the really super secret stuff were in the boxes behind the shower curtain. Not only was it well hidden, unless you were tall, you also had to move the other boxes to get to the shower. No one was going to crack this security system unless your name was James Bond.

Edited by Nice Guy Eddie
Posted (edited)
52 minutes ago, royiv said:

My wife, an alum of University of Arizona, is feeling guilt that we’re going to the UofA vs Houston game at TDECU tomorrow instead of being downtown at City Hall.

YARN | Say, who wears the pants around here, H.I.? | Raising Arizona (1987)  | Video gifs by quotes | 862bb805 | 紗

Edited by HenryJames
Posted
6 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

Ours is from 10 AM to 1 PM tomorrow.  Protest, then football.

My wife is disturbed that there seems to be so little negative press about his health and what this regime is doing.  Why isn't the press pressing the administration over obvious Hatch Act violations by Leavett, Noem, Bessent, Patel and the rest?

Thanks to private equity and corporations bowing to the mentally retarded king, the only press we have remaining is independent journalists. Anyone working for corporate news or a newspaper is either trash or internally censored.

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

in fairness to Trump, the really super secret stuff were in the boxes behind the shower curtain. Not only was it well hidden, unless you were tall, you also had to move the other boxes to get to the shower. No one was going to crack this security system unless your name was James Bond.

I feel like everyone puts too much emphasis on where he kept the stolen documents. He stole them on his way out the door, lied about having them, refused to give them back, had his lawyers sign off that he had returned everything (he hadn't, not anywhere close), etc. Flooded the pool room with the cameras, etc. This all happened over the course of multiple years. 

Not a huge deal but I feel like this became "Trump kept the documents in his bathroom, but hey both sides, Biden kept his in his garage". Which is like comparing Jeffrey Dahmer to someone with a parking ticket. 

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Posted

In a real society, stuff like that and oh you know everything else, would have republicans' approval ratings near zero and it would be impossible to run for office as a republican and win. The word would be beyond toxic by now. Akin to nazis. But, you know.

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Posted
5 minutes ago, Red Five said:

I feel like everyone puts too much emphasis on where he kept the stolen documents. He stole them on his way out the door, lied about having them, refused to give them back, had his lawyers sign off that he had returned everything (he hadn't, not anywhere close), etc. Flooded the pool room with the cameras, etc. This all happened over the course of multiple years. 

Not a huge deal but I feel like this became "Trump kept the documents in his bathroom, but hey both sides, Biden kept his in his garage". Which is like comparing Jeffrey Dahmer to someone with a parking ticket. 

Agree. Think about the facts:

  • the govt gave Trump multiple opportunities to return the items
  • he and his lawyers continually lied about not having them
  • attempted to hide the boxes of documents
  • complained about "home invasions" or raids when the feds showed up with a signed search warrant
Posted
16 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

YARN | Say, who wears the pants around here, H.I.? | Raising Arizona (1987)  | Video gifs by quotes | 862bb805 | 紗

Well, I guess I do since I told her that we had already bought the tickets and I didn’t want to eat the cost to go the protest. Imma said none of this is a big deal and we all need to chill out and enjoy football so I’m following his advice.



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