very much allied with Trump.

There are days I can hardly believe what we're dealing with.

Damn...I wish some of that technology had been around during my third divorce case. I could really have taken that private eye to the cleaners.

This is why I try not to wade too deeply into this mess.

...for a couple of years. IF we have free and fair elections and IF his little Johnson swears in the newly elected Democrats (he won't - not without a bunch of "fraud" excuses first).

And then what?

Dems must gerrymander their states to the hilt before 2028, for one thing. If the vile turd won't leave in 2028, then what?

Democrats should start thinking outside the box.

Nominate the fiercest fighters, running on a political platform is nice, but politics don’t matter in a dictatorship.

Dems, nominate a non-politician, nominate the fiercest fighters, there will be no arguments between moderates & progressives .

Miles Taylor
Malcolm Nance

2028- throwing out the billionaires and bringing back democracy is the platform.

below it, and establishing his private mercenary force at taxpayer expense to keep him in power long after 2028. I just hope America wakes up by then and buries him under a million tons of concrete in his bunker.

'By then' is far too late.

Best medicine for that feeling of depression that can lead to a sense of helplessness is to roll up sleeves and work along side others who know that dark place and decided to take action to stop what they can.

When I get down that rabbit hole, and almost all of us do from time to time, I ask myself 'What would someone in Minneapolis do?' Then I pick a task. It really helps.

In the meantime, rest when you need to, We are a choir and we can hold the note while you catch your breath and join back into the powerful music.

And if you need to be less embedded in politics, find a local nonprofit that needs volunteers. Seeing the good day to day really helps fight the overwhelming feeling.

I highly recommend joining an Indivisible group. It is what keeps me going. My Wonderful senator Jeff Merkley tells people do that and so does TImothy Snyder. Community and action with like minded people is an absolute life saver and I mean that literally.

https://indivisible.org/

https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/874938/

Thursday: “What’s the Plan?” with Leah + Ezra (3pm ET/noon PT)
Our weekly interactive Q&A with our co-founders and executive directors Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.

That was just a bunch of local neighborhood meetings, and they were doing NOTHING but having meetings. It was a waste. I hope it's better now. We thought maybe they did that because we were seniors. We did not expect to be treated like that.

But that was then and that was here. I hope it's better out there now! Everywhere!

Also I find lifting heavy things and punching bags help.

will even BE any mid-term elections.
These crazed sycophants will do something to keep them from happening or claim they were rigged, etc…..
Putin would be so proud

prepare for that day.

we're way past the point of using the word "evil."

I am right there with you on all counts. I used to believe goodness and justice would prevail, but no more. He is the most evil and corrupt person to ever occupy the White House. For his nearly eighty years, he has amassed a fortune, committed many horrific crimes, is responsible for thousands of deaths, and he gets away with all of it, every damn thing, all the while living in the lap of luxury at our expense.

That word was reserved for fiction and fantasy, not for real people.

Now I use it often, because what we are witnessing truly is "evil".

If this is allowed to go unchecked - without a MASSIVE GOP-ending wave result in November - it will necessitate armed actions against the illegitimate usurpers in charge and a violent overthrow of the existing system.

That which cannot be changed peacefully WILL be changed violently when there is no other option.

This release of Trump granting himself and his thieving fucking family permanent immunity from IRS investigations or prosecutions is the last straw. I am giddy with anticipation for him to fucking die and still plan an epic and public celebration of that blessed event - one that will make many people uncomfortable with the degree of frivolity it will inspire... but if he is now immunizing his fucking worthless thieving grifter family as well? Nope... THAT dog won't hunt. No fucking way will we live in a country of laws for all not named Trump and privileges for them alone. We do NOT have a royal family and if we DID, it would NEVER be those filthy fucking sewer rat thieves from Queens...

I am starting to entertain the possibility that Aliens (from outside Earth) have given him "healing beds", as he previously stated. But even technology thousands of years ahead of ours can only keep a specimin like him limping along.

I truly believe that. IIRC, one of the J6 groups was fairly well organized, the oath keepers, I think. The midterms could be a turning point in this mess. We either knock them off their game or they entrench themselves futher & continue to "deconstruct the administrative state."

it's almost like we need protective gear and first aid kits with us just to vote.

Yeah, that's hyperbole-- I hope.

I feel like all the norms are gone. I don't know if it helps that other people understand your anger and

feelings of helplessness, but hang in there, my friend. It will take time to straighten things out.

If you look back at history, we have to fight the same battles over and over again. People can be very

evil, but I believe that good will win in the end. We're also dealing with evil that has a time limit--Trump

is failing, and his deterioration is accelerating. Once he is gone, the MAGA movement, imho, will fall apart. There

is no one that is a clear cut leader to take up the reins. We have to make it to the midterms, and hopefully then we

can start the rebuilding process. This time we MUST strengthen the guardrails so we stop any future "Trumps"

before they get too far. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

This most major of scandals is just being ignored and swept under the rug — UNACCEPTABLE!

I am sad, angry and my heart hurts.... I am struggling terribly with the number of people who allow this to happen

I know I'm that way. With all that's going on, the ordinary day-to-day stresses seem much worse. We could all use a little calm and peace.

You are a hella lot tougher than you think . . .

I’m in the same place tho , and it’s a challenge for sure



✌🏻

under a lot of assumptions about democracy, the rule of law, behavioral norms, societal cohesion, ethics in government and business. We have now had all that illusion brutally ripped away by the most evil and corrupt regime the founding fathers ever experienced or imagined. It's up to us to fight back as hard as we can. Only then can we get the opportunity to restore what's worth saving and create new systems. The old ways have been dismantled and destroyed. Keep in mind exactly what we lost and who is responsible. America has been broken by cheaters and liars, operating mainly through the Republicon party. Show no mercy. Stick together with those you trust and keep fighting the small fights as well as the big. Everything they are about has become crystal clear. It's not even debatable. They want it all. Will we let them take everything?

That puts you among a heck of a lot of people. What is happening to or country is terrible. Now, this president is not the first politician in this nation's history that has a significant number of the features common to psychopaths/sociopaths/ malignant narcissists. There are lots of them in corporations, too. But what stands out is that this guy is evil, in the psychological sense that Gary Brucato speaks of in his 2019 classic, "The New Evil."

More, he compares with those that Erich Fromm wrote about in his "The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness." There are a few historic examples of what Fromm termed a malignant narcissist leading a nation. When it is a relatively small nation, that leader might be as rabid as was Idi Amin, but they become largely forgotten as the decades role on. It is only in the those in still somewhat crumbling empires that make the short list of the worst ever. More, as Fromm noted, they have what seems a gravitational pull, bringing anti-social personality disorder individuals in around them. These people feel they have license to engage in their most criminal -- often cruel -- fantasies.

Now, we know that all of organic life on this living Earth exists in a mechanical fashion: they either grow or decay. That includes everything from a single cell to a human empire. Now, I am not prone to panic, but from what I have witnessed in life, I'd say this combination of a sociopath in power in a crumbling empire is where we are at. And if we really understand that today is a direct result of yesterday, and tomorrow from today, we see that we cannot stay the same. Nor can we go back in time, for it is always "Now," always has been, always will be.

Yet by changing today, we can change tomorrow. Have you ever watched the movie "Thunderheart"? Where agent Ray Levoi is told by Grandpa to run, run to the safe place? That is the same today ..... go to higher ground. Operate from that very real place within you. And take care of yourself. I just got off the phone with an old associate, and reminded him that even the greatest heavyweight champion ever, Muhammad Ali, took advantage of the minute's rest between rounds. And that young man defeated Uncle Same after a long and difficult struggle.

I know my sanity -- thin as it is! -- depends upon me taking time out in my gardens.

Like everyone, I feel tremendous rage and despair over the injustices and outright rip offs that keep happening. The worst part is living with impotent rage over not being able to stop this regime, to successfully block their open criminality.
I seem to remember that you are a First Nations person, or have had valuable interactions with people who are? When I start to feel overwhelmed by the paralysis of despair, I remind myself that the Native tribes of this country, as well as all People of Color have been fighting these fights against cruelty and injustice for the entire history of the USA. Even though I am, to the best of my knowledge, descended from the tribes of Europe, I try to draw inspiration and strength from the fact that neither Native people nor people of Color ever completely give up.
You mention the movie, Thunderheart. I think that has John Trudell in it, doesn't it? Talks by John Trudell can be found on YouTube, along with spoken word performances with his band. I find his words to be very helpful, although I hope he would've eventually changed his mind about voting. I know there's a documentary about his life, called simply, "Trudell" which I would love to see. I dropped Amazon some time ago, so I will have to look elsewhere to see if I can find a DVD.
I also find talks by other Native people helpful: Oren Lyons ( my spelling may not be right) of the Haudenosaunee (sp?) Nation, and Robin Wall Kimmerer of the Citizen Potowatami are excellent for my morale.
You are correct in reminding us to take breaks from the fire hose of ugly $hit that spews from this maladministration every day. I'm having ongoing health problems, so I can't do yard work or garden anymore, but I can go outside for a few minutes, put my bare feet on the grass, and I can listen to the birds, even through my windows.
I think that those of us who are descendants of the tribes of Europe need to be aware of something: the tactics that are being deliberately used to make us fearful and helpless are the same tactics that were used against our ancestors going back to the Roman invasions of Europe. Specifically those tactics were/are: destroy the people's connections to the land and to each other as a community. The wannabe conquerors interfere with local leaders who can support the resistance by either bribing or buying them off, or by threatening them with violence and imprisonment. Successful resistance will be characterized by acting in ways that counter these tactics: resistance movements that are collective and as much as possible, leaderless. This all feels hard because the oppression has been going on for centuries and also, this could have all been avoided if more people had voted. We need to keep in mind that Hungary seems to have thrown out their dictator and his minions, even after having suffered for 16 years under his oppression.
I think we're at a pivotal point in our society. Can we find the strength of heart to keep resisting? The problems we face have been building up for centuries: attacks on the people and the land, greed, cruelty and injustice. The fact that our governmental systems have been a thin veneer masking the fact that freedom and justice have only been upheld for a favored few is being rubbed in our faces. Laws don't prevent people from breaking them, they only provide society with the ability to seek recourse when the laws are broken. What is so devastating is seeing that too often there is no recourse when this cruel and greedy regime just ignores and flouts our so-called justice system altogether.
One thought which helps steady me comes from the great environmental classic, " A Sand County Almanac ", by Aldo Leopold. I will have to paraphrase, because I can't remember the quote exactly. He says that wannabe conquerors always think that they know what is best for everything and everybody. It always turns out that they know neither, and so they fail.
I know my perspective is limited, but it helps to deliberately work to repair the damage that has been being done by the greedy and cruel, long before any of us were born. Seek out nature and like minded souls. Engage in whatever spiritual practices that you can do to help heal and renew yourself. I believe that Earth will support us in our endeavors. Why else would She create a thinking animal?

You’ll come here with your worries, fears, or troubles, and what do you get?

Friendship!
Sympathy!
Solidarity!
Empathy!
Definite proof that you’re not alone!

Don’t ever forget that. I believe it was Skittles who, LONG ago, said “someone’s always here.” And chances are, those someones are ready to hear you out, offer advice, or help, or comforting, or the mere message that Skittles was/is right. There really IS somebody always here. And that somebody is always ready to listen - AND to care.

Trump never ruins my day/week/month/year. I have an engaging, interesting, satisfying, and fun day every day. I think the amount it can bother a person depends on that person's world view. In my world view, trump is a nothing.

He bores me. Not worth my attention.

I've quit watching the political shows because they don't deal with his shenanigans with enough depth. I have a better knowledge of the system than these shows' producers do and I think they go along with his tactics to the extent that they can hook in scared viewers. What a scam.

Like his latest fantasy that he can never be audited. This is the fantasy of a six-year old. On stuff like this, take the long view.

I remember how unglued everyone here became when right after trump got into office and started issuing executive orders everywhere. I tried to tell people he'd be sued and what happened? Now everyone knows how lame his executive orders are.

I've also quit reading most of the threads. I skim them but don't spend much time on this stuff. It's the same ole same ole.

The world is way bigger than the U.S. and trump. There's so much more out there and worrying about trump is like worrying about your sneaker shoe string becoming undone.

*I'll never quit watching Lawrence, though! Nobody eviscerates like Lawrence.

Last edited Wed May 20, 2026, 01:28 AM - Edit history (1)

there may be another Boston Tea party, or the use of the guillotine on public squares.

Both those events were triggered not by a small thing, but an accumulation of small things.

At time like that this is a menu of options:

198 Methods of Nonviolent Action by Gene Sharp
https://commonslibrary.org/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action/