Geoff > Status Update

temporary injunction on the ban- a small victory. hopefully a sign of things to come.

I am waiting for the day when Trump will sign the executive order banning the judiciary. Not much longer now.

Still at SFO International. Holy crap, this protest is more and more going in an overtly communist direction. Calls from a union leader to radicalize labor, direct quotes from the manifesto, etc. I approve!

David wrote: "Still at SFO International. Holy crap, this protest is more and more going in an overtly communist direction. Calls from a union leader to radicalize labor, direct quotes from the manifesto, etc. I..."

You guys have to be careful. The threat of communism is what the right-wingers will use to break up a popular uprising.

I'm sorry, I'm still having trouble adjusting to the new post-truth world. A few days ago, Trump, having squeaked out an election victory by the narrowest of margins, announced that he was sure there had been massive election fraud, thus rendering his presidency illegitimate. He then followed up by banning nationals of seven Muslim-majority counties from entering the US on the grounds that they posed a threat to security, but ignored Saudi Arabia, the country from which nearly all of the 9/11 terrorists came.

Evidently Trump's supporters think this is normal: if it's not on Fox News, it isn't happening and requires no explanation. I'm sure I'll catch up soon.

Nandakishore wrote: "David wrote: "Still at SFO International. Holy crap, this protest is more and more going in an overtly communist direction. Calls from a union leader to radicalize labor, direct quotes from the man..."

Well, I'd be in favor of putting the fear of god/communism in the billionaire class right now.

I kid you not, but this is actually Brietbart's headline: "Obama-Appointed, Schumer-Allied Judge Blocks Trump on Deportations"

Their only article on the protests is about how they are all organised by the "terrorist organisation" CAIR and all the protestors are fake. Trump is "protecting the nation".

It all reads exactly like the Nazi or Soviet press.

Lol, there was a guy here with a Make America Great hat who accused us of being funded by Soros. I couldn't let that go. I told him we were against all billionaires, Soros as well as Trump. He changed the subject by calling communism 'disgusting' and accused the left of confusing our children with an excessive number of gender options.

I later saw him filming the rally while chanting 'USA!' into his phone.

"Help Help Daddy! I am so confused! What gender option do I pick? They all look soooo cool I can't decide!"

"I would say go with the one most likely to annoy a Trump supporter"

Jonathan wrote: ""Help Help Daddy! I am so confused! What gender option do I pick? They all look soooo cool I can't decide!"

"I would say go with the one most likely to annoy a Trump supporter""

We won't have this luxury soon enough. The type of thinking this administration and its followers exhibits is the kind that puts Others up against a wall and has done with them. Post-truth? I went home today to my parent's house, and they had the Art of the Deal on the coffee table where they used to keep a bible, and I am not kidding you. The Republicans aren't a political party anymore - they're a religious cult capable of making the greatest leaps in false logic and delusional dehumanizing justifications for their faith. The things my dad was saying about immigrants, it reminded me of how the Jesuits spoke of the Native Americans in Fathers & Crows. We have to be very careful here, the Right in our country just got its revenge president - and religious zealots don't go easy with revenge. We cannot count on reason or mercy from our authorities now. We can't count on them obeying the Constitution - that is proved by the irrational, illegal Muslim ban. They have proven now they are willing to detain innocents. They are, first week, testing how far they can go beyond legality to enact their revenge on the country and the world. They are already casually insinuating they are going back into Iraq to steal their oil. If we don't resist and keep them in check, through law and with physical presence and force, they will try to get away anything and everything. But we rational Americans shouldn't forget the danger of going up against a doomsday cult.

It all reads exactly like the Nazi or Soviet press.

the really frightening thing about the breitbart headline is that it's published with at least the tacit approval of...would we say the second most powerful person in the country? i wouldn't be surprised if they put the judge's personal information out there.

Let's just be honest, it's President Bannon.

Tom wrote: "Let's just be honest, it's President Bannon."

Totalitarian states control the media. Their media is now down the hall from the Oval Office. Please, everyone, subscribe to your local papers and pay real money for real journalism while you still can.

Geoff wrote: "We won't have this luxury soon enough...""

..."

i'm not sure enough people on the left understand this. they may be starting to, though.

Tom wrote: "Let's just be honest, it's President Bannon."

basically. and as geoff said, that means we can no longer expect mercy or reason from the government.

I am sorry guys. This is very scary stuff.

I don't think Britain has any idea of what to do yet. They are trying to keep up with the pace of events and not managing. Theresa May did finally manage a halfhearted condemnation of Trump's actions, but she comes across as shell-shocked. This really isn't a good time to be leaving Europe and getting closer to the US. What on earth is her strategy going to be now?

I'm wondering if we're about to see a major realignment, with Russia and the US versus Europe and China. Things seem to be pointing in that direction, even though it makes no sense. I can see why 1984 is topping the bestseller lists.

So let me get this straight. Trump wants to fight "radical Islamic terrorism" but the main ideological and financial bankrollers of the jihadists in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere get free access to the US.

Makes perfect sense.

Steve Bannon on why he wants to destroy your life:

"I’m a Leninist ... Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that’s my goal too. I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment." — The Daily Beast

Jibran wrote: "So let me get this straight. Trump wants to fight "radical Islamic terrorism" but the main ideological and financial bankrollers of the jihadists in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere get free access to the..."

You're getting it wrong. He doesn't want to fight terrorism. He wants to make maximum profit by exploiting the urge for revenge among his cult.

unfortunately, the US is not going to be able to be anyone's liberal ally for at least four years. this would be a great time for theresa may, as well as leaders on the continent, to have the courage of their convictions.

Manny wrote: "I am sorry guys. This is very scary stuff.

I don't think Britain has any idea of what to do yet. They are trying to keep up with the pace of events and not managing. Theresa May did finally manage..."

I could definitely see that scenario. Look, I have an inside window into this, because my dad is a radical right-winger and a Trumpist. Everyone should know, they are willing to do anything and sacrifice anything. They don't care about the constitution, they certainly don't care about the rule of law. I think it's fairly simple, they want revenge for their conception of the last 8 years, at all costs. I am truly scared (it's 4 am here, I was so shaken by my visit to my parent's house I can't sleep)

Geoff wrote: ".He doesn't want to fight terrorism. He wants to make maximum profit by exploiting the urge for revenge among his cult."

sounds right. bannon's the ideologue. trump is just completely without morals and willing to do anything if it helps him accrue money/power.

Mike wrote: "Geoff wrote: ".He doesn't want to fight terrorism. He wants to make maximum profit by exploiting the urge for revenge among his cult."

sounds right. bannon's the ideologue. trump is just completel..."

Exactly.

Today felt like a won battle. I think he's overplaying his hand right now.

As long as people respect the rule of law, Trump can't win. The classic fascist playbook will now have a terrorist incident of some kind which requires the government to suspend civil liberties due to the national emergency. So I guess we'll know soon if they're real fascists or just pretending.

#Resist #NoBanNoWall

(as the kids say on the twitter)

Manny wrote: "As long as people respect the rule of law, Trump can't win. The classic fascist playbook will now have a terrorist incident of some kind which requires the government to suspend civil liberties due..."

Sadly, I bet ISIS is chomping at the bit to attack us, so they can bait Trump into something stupid.

David wrote: "Today felt like a won battle. I think he's overplaying his hand right now."

Thank you for standing up for what's right. Thanks for being there. We all need to "be there" now, put ourselves on the frontlines. You did a great thing.

Tom wrote: "Manny wrote: "As long as people respect the rule of law, Trump can't win. The classic fascist playbook will now have a terrorist incident of some kind which requires the government to suspend civil..."

Or they'll just stage one.

Geoff wrote: "Tom wrote: "Manny wrote: "As long as people respect the rule of law, Trump can't win. The classic fascist playbook will now have a terrorist incident of some kind which requires the government to s..."

Yeah, or look the other way and let one happen.

Tom wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Tom wrote: "Manny wrote: "As long as people respect the rule of law, Trump can't win. The classic fascist playbook will now have a terrorist incident of some kind which requires the g..."

Mussolini staged an assassination attempt to suspend civil liberties and enact martial law. There are many precedents.

Of course the dialectic response is that out of Mussolini's martial law we got Gramsci's Prison Notebooks.

There are many precedents, it could happen. Hitler did it in Danzig to justify the invasion of Poland as well. It's much harder to get away with it now than it was in Il Duce's time.

Tom wrote: "There are many precedents, it could happen. Hitler did it in Danzig to justify the invasion of Poland as well. It's much harder to get away with it now than it was in Il Duce's time."

True. But Isis certainly wants to hit us. And you can guarantee Trump's response will be exactly what they hoped for.

Geoff wrote: True. But Isis certainly wants to hit us. And you can guarantee Trump's response will be exactly what they hoped for.

..."

Absolutely. Hell an "ISIS inspired" attack might be enough for him.

Patriot Act 2.0/Ermächtigungsgesetz is prob already written, awaiting a suitable opportunity.

I agree of course the ban is terrible. But. The last president was regularly engaging in extrajudicial murder (including of American citizens) by fiat with no oversight. That didn't get this kind of wall-to-wall media coverage.

howl of minerva wrote: "Patriot Act 2.0/Ermächtigungsgesetz is prob already written, awaiting a suitable opportunity."

Matt keeps using that word as well. Any guesses what the new version of the Reichstagsbrandverordnung will be?

With regard to extrajudicial murder, did you see Eye in the Sky? I wondered how accurate the reconstruction was.

howl of minerva wrote: "Patriot Act 2.0/Ermächtigungsgesetz is prob already written, awaiting a suitable opportunity.

I agree of course the ban is terrible. But. The last president was regularly engaging in extrajudicia..."

I voiced my disapproval and horror at Obama's drone policy every time I was asked to assess him while he was president and when I am asked about his legacy. But now we have extrajudicial killings by drone, AND ALL THIS NEW SHIT. Obama was about as inclusive a president as the US can pray for in this day and age. Trump and Pence are here to stomp your face into dust.

Manny wrote: "Matt keeps using that word as well. Any guesses what the new version of the Reichstagsbrandverordnung will be"

The Reichstagsbrandverordnung and the Ermächtigungsgesetz are two different things. Here's the rough schedule (quoted from Wikipedia):

German federal election, November 1932

Machtergreifung (seizure of power); Jan 30, 1933

Reichstagsbrandverordnung (Reichstag Fire Decree), Feb 27, 1933; issued by President von Hindenburg; legal basis for the imprisonment of anyone considered to be opponents of the Nazis, and to suppress publications not considered "friendly" to the Nazi cause.

German federal election, March 1933

Ermächtigungsgesetz (Enabling Act), March 24, 1933; Weimar Constitution amendment that gave the German Cabinet – in effect, Chancellor Adolf Hitler – the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag parliament.

Gleichschaltung ("Nazification"), beginning March 31, 1933; The process of Nazification by which Nazi Germany successively established a system of totalitarian control and coordination over all aspects of society, "from the economy and trade associations to the media, culture and education".

https://www.google.com/amp/amp.usatod...

Don't get overconfident, but take heart. As far as fascist dictators go, Trump seems to be really fucking up thus far

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2017/01/tr...

"Whatever the case may be, the point is this: If Trump is a fascist — I’m dubious, as many of you know — he may be the most backasswards fascist we’ve ever seen. Having seized control of the state, he doesn’t destroy his opposition in order to pursue his maximal agenda. Instead, he creates an opposition — what may be shaping up as the largest mass movement this country has seen in fifty years — by pursuing his maximal agenda first."

Geoff wrote: "https://www.google.com/amp/amp.usatod..."

Bannon but not the joint chiefs or intelligence chief on the NSC. How do we read this?

I guess the joint chiefs is/are irrelevant as Trump will take over their roles himself. Intelligence - guess we don't need it as you get everything you need to know to run the world from Fox and Breitbart.

Matt wrote: "Manny wrote: "Matt keeps using that word as well. Any guesses what the new version of the Reichstagsbrandverordnung will be"

The Reichstagsbrandverordnung and the Ermächtigungsgesetz are two diffe..."

Thanks Matt, I think this little glossary will be very handy in the months and years to come :|

There's a dual-state apparatus being erected before our eyes. Very interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxd8m...

Matt wrote: "Manny wrote: "Matt keeps using that word as well. Any guesses what the new version of the Reichstagsbrandverordnung will be"

The Reichstagsbrandverordnung and the Ermächtigungsgesetz are two diffe..."

It should be noted that Hitler's Enabling Act was only Enabling Act #10 under the Weimar government, as was seen by many as a step toward the return of constitutional government. The Centrists, backed to some extent by the left, had been ignoring the legislature entirely and ruling through presidential decrees under article 48 (very different from american decrees - article 48 decrees could override laws), despite not having a majority. The fact that the Nazis could actually command a majority and were willing to merely borrow powers from the reichstag, on terms (theoretically) set by the reichstag, was widely seen as less objectionable than the one-man rule-by-decree that had preceded it.
In context, the Enabling Act is more of a symbolic gesture than a key part of the fall of democracy. If it hadn't been passed, all those powers would still (even assuming the constitution were followed) have passed to Hitler the following year, when he would have been elected to replace Hindenburg and gain the power to declare emergencies himself. The Enabling Act just reduced the amount of paperwork he had to fill out...

Thanks for the Dead Kennedys link Hadrian. Pure pleasure in these dark times.

howl of minerva wrote: "There's a dual-state apparatus being erected before our eyes. Very interesting."

While we're talking glossaries, the normal term for this sort of 'dual state apparatus' is "kitchen cabinet".

The US, however, effectively has a 'triple', rather than 'double' system: you've got the kitchen cabinet, you've got the real cabinet, but then you've also got an intermediate layer of institutions that began as kitchen cabinet stuff but have grown into full-fleged institutions in their own right. Most notable of these are the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council, which have gradually been taking power away from the State Department, the CIA and so forth. The advantage of the NSC and the HSC (and others) is that they're unaccountable. People like the "Secretary of State" and the "Secretary of Defence", and the "CIA Director" and so on are subject to confirmation by the Senate; but the "National Security Advisor", "Homeland Security Advisor", "Director of National Intelligence" and so forth are all in the personal gift of the President, accountable to nobody, with their jobs defined solely through executive orders.

So, for instance, the second-most powerful man in America under Obama was probably John Brennan, who was specifically not given a statutory position because it was felt that the Senate would find him unacceptable - it was only when the Republicans took the majority that it was possible to make him officially CIA Director. Until then he was just part of the kitchen cabinet and the pseudo-cabinet.


Bannon's place in the NSC is a no-brainer, in any case. The WHCoS has always (? long time, anyway) been a permanent member of the NSC. Technically Bannon is not the CoS, but I think everybody understands him to be effectively co-CoS with Priebus, so an NSC seat would be expected for him as part of the job.

Wastrel wrote: "Bannon's place in the NSC is a no-brainer, in any case. The WHCoS has always (? long time, anyway) been a permanent member of the NSC. Technically Bannon is not the CoS, but I think everybody understands him to be effectively co-CoS with Priebus, so an NSC seat would be expected for him as part of the job. "

Geoff wrote: "your level-headed contrarianism can't be stopped!"