Autocracy: Rules for Survival

[pbrower2a]

Autocracy: Rules for Survival, from the New York Review of Books

Masha Gessen

(Greatly redacted to avoid copyright violations and to save space. Please read the whole article at this link).

...(Concessive) talk (by Trump's opponents, the current President, and even members of the liberal media) assumes that Trump is prepared to find common ground with his many opponents, respect the institutions of government, and repudiate almost everything he has stood for during the campaign. In short, it is treating him as a “normal” politician. There has until now been little evidence that he can be one.

...Trump is anything but a regular politician and this has been anything but a regular election. Trump will be only the fourth candidate in history and the second in more than a century to win the presidency after losing the popular vote. He is also probably the first candidate in history to win the presidency despite having been shown repeatedly by the national media to be a chronic liar, sexual predator, serial tax-avoider, and race-baiter who has attracted the likes of the Ku Klux Klan. Most important, Trump is the first candidate in memory who ran not for president but for autocrat—and won.

I (Masha Gessen)  have lived in autocracies most of my life, and have spent much of my career writing about Vladimir Putin’s Russia. I have learned a few rules for surviving in an autocracy and salvaging your sanity and self-respect. It might be worth considering them now:

Rule #1: Believe the autocrat. He means what he says. Whenever you find yourself thinking, or hear others claiming, that he is exaggerating, that is our innate tendency to reach for a rationalization. This will happen often: humans seem to have evolved to practice denial when confronted publicly with the unacceptable. Back in the 1930s, The New York Times assured its readers that Hitler’s anti-Semitism was all posture. More recently, the same newspaper made a telling choice between two statements made by Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov following a police crackdown on protesters in Moscow: “The police acted mildly—I would have liked them to act more harshly” rather than those protesters’ “liver should have been spread all over the pavement.” Perhaps the journalists could not believe their ears. But they should—both in the Russian case, and in the American one. For all the admiration Trump has expressed for Putin, the two men are very different; if anything, there is even more reason to listen to everything Trump has said. He has no political establishment into which to fold himself following the campaign, and therefore no reason to shed his campaign rhetoric. On the contrary: it is now the establishment that is rushing to accommodate him—from the president, who met with him at the White House on Thursday, to the leaders of the Republican Party, who are discarding their long-held scruples to embrace his radical positions.


He has received the support he needed to win, and the adulation he craves, precisely because of his outrageous threats. Trump rally crowds have chanted “Lock her up!” They, and he, meant every word. If Trump does not go after Hillary Clinton on his first day in office, if he instead focuses, as his acceptance speech indicated he might, on the unifying project of investing in infrastructure (which, not coincidentally, would provide an instant opportunity to reward his cronies and himself), it will be foolish to breathe a sigh of relief. Trump has made his plans clear, and he has made a compact with his voters to carry them out. These plans include not only dismantling legislation such as Obamacare but also doing away with judicial restraint—and, yes, punishing opponents.

To begin jailing his political opponents, or just one opponent, Trump will begin by trying to capture members of the judicial system. Observers and even activists functioning in the normal-election mode are fixated on the Supreme Court as the site of the highest-risk impending Trump appointment. There is little doubt that Trump will appoint someone who will cause the Court to veer to the right; there is also the risk that it might be someone who will wreak havoc with the very culture of the high court. And since Trump plans to use the judicial system to carry out his political vendettas, his pick for attorney general will be no less important. Imagine former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani or New Jersey Governor Chris Christie going after Hillary Clinton on orders from President Trump; quite aside from their approach to issues such as the Geneva Conventions, the use of police powers, criminal justice reforms, and other urgent concerns.

Rule #2: Do not be taken in by small signs of normality. Consider the financial markets this week, which, having tanked overnight, rebounded following the Clinton and Obama speeches. Confronted with political volatility, the markets become suckers for calming rhetoric from authority figures. So do people. Panic can be neutralized by falsely reassuring words about how the world as we know it has not ended. It is a fact that the world did not end on November 8 nor at any previous time in history. Yet history has seen many catastrophes, and most of them unfolded over time. That time included periods of relative calm. One of my favorite thinkers, the Jewish historian Simon Dubnow, breathed a sigh of relief in early October 1939: he had moved from Berlin to Latvia, and he wrote to his friends that he was certain that the tiny country wedged between two tyrannies would retain its sovereignty and Dubnow himself would be safe. Shortly after that, Latvia was occupied by the Soviets, then by the Germans, then by the Soviets again—but by that time Dubnow had been killed. Dubnow was well aware that he was living through a catastrophic period in history—it’s just that he thought he had managed to find a pocket of normality within it.

Rule #3: Institutions will not save you. It took Putin a year to take over the Russian media and four years to dismantle its electoral system; the judiciary collapsed unnoticed. The capture of institutions in Turkey has been carried out even faster, by a man once celebrated as the democrat to lead Turkey into the EU. Poland has in less than a year undone half of a quarter century’s accomplishments in building a constitutional democracy.

Of course, the United States has much stronger institutions than Germany did in the 1930s, or Russia does today. Both Clinton and Obama in their speeches stressed the importance and strength of these institutions. The problem, however, is that many of these institutions are enshrined in political culture rather than in law, and all of them—including the ones enshrined in law—depend on the good faith of all actors to fulfill their purpose and uphold the Constitution.

The national press is likely to be among the first institutional victims of Trumpism. There is no law that requires the presidential administration to hold daily briefings, none that guarantees media access to the White House. Many journalists may soon face a dilemma long familiar to those of us who have worked under autocracies: fall in line or forfeit access. There is no good solution (even if there is a right answer), for journalism is difficult and sometimes impossible without access to information.

The power of the investigative press—whose adherence to fact has already been severely challenged by the conspiracy-minded, lie-spinning Trump campaign—will grow weaker. The world will grow murkier. Even in the unlikely event that some mainstream media outlets decide to declare themselves in opposition to the current government, or even simply to report its abuses and failings, the president will get to frame many issues. Coverage, and thinking, will drift in a Trumpian direction, just as it did during the campaign—when, for example, the candidates argued, in essence, whether Muslim Americans bear collective responsibility for acts of terrorism or can redeem themselves by becoming the “eyes and ears” of law enforcement. Thus was xenophobia further normalized, paving the way for Trump to make good on his promises to track American Muslims and ban Muslims from entering the United States.

Rule #4: Be outraged. If you follow Rule #1 and believe what the autocrat-elect is saying, you will not be surprised. But in the face of the impulse to normalize, it is essential to maintain one’s capacity for shock. This will lead people to call you unreasonable and hysterical, and to accuse you of overreacting. It is no fun to be the only hysterical person in the room. Prepare yourself.

Despite losing the popular vote, Trump has secured as much power as any American leader in recent history. The Republican Party controls both houses of Congress. There is a vacancy on the Supreme Court. The country is at war abroad and has been in a state of mobilization for fifteen years. This means not only that Trump will be able to move fast but also that he will become accustomed to an unusually high level of political support. He will want to maintain and increase it—his ideal is the totalitarian-level popularity numbers of Vladimir Putin—and the way to achieve that is through mobilization. There will be more wars, abroad and at home
.
Rule #5: Don’t make compromises. Like Ted Cruz, who made the journey from calling Trump “utterly amoral” and a “pathological liar” to endorsing him in late September to praising his win as an “amazing victory for the American worker,” Republican politicians have fallen into line. Conservative pundits who broke ranks during the campaign will return to the fold. Democrats in Congress will begin to make the case for cooperation, for the sake of getting anything done—or at least, they will say, minimizing the damage. Nongovernmental organizations, many of which are reeling at the moment, faced with a transition period in which there is no opening for their input, will grasp at chances to work with the new administration. This will be fruitless—damage cannot be minimized, much less reversed, when mobilization is the goal—but worse, it will be soul-destroying. In an autocracy, politics as the art of the possible is in fact utterly amoral. Those who argue for cooperation will make the case, much as President Obama did in his speech, that cooperation is essential for the future. They will be willfully ignoring the corrupting touch of autocracy, from which the future must be protected.

Rule #6: Remember the future. Nothing lasts forever. Donald Trump certainly will not, and Trumpism, to the extent that it is centered on Trump’s persona, will not either. Failure to imagine the future may have lost the Democrats this election. They offered no vision of the future to counterbalance Trump’s all-too-familiar white-populist vision of an imaginary past. They had also long ignored the strange and outdated institutions of American democracy that call out for reform—like the electoral college, which has now cost the Democratic Party two elections in which Republicans won with the minority of the popular vote. That should not be normal. But resistance—stubborn, uncompromising, outraged—should be.

[David Horn]

(12-15-2016, 02:52 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: I've lived a pretty good life, overall. I've exceeded the life span of one grand parent. Why would I want to survive? No, I'm not talking about taking an easy way out. Anything but.

What I'm talking about is, how many goons can I take out?

That innately needs to be scoped as a suicide mission.

HAIL TO THE MEMORY OF THE WARSAW UPRISING!!!!

You might consider getting off the internet for a few days.  Just saying.

[pbrower2a]

(12-15-2016, 02:52 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: I've lived a pretty good life, overall. I've exceeded the life span of one grand parent. Why would I want to survive? No, I'm not talking about taking an easy way out. Anything but.

What I'm talking about is, how many goons can I take out?

That innately needs to be scoped as a suicide mission.

HAIL TO THE MEMORY OF THE WARSAW UPRISING!!!!

I might suggest becoming a sports fan. I can assure you that you will not be sent to a political prison for cheering on the Chicago White Sox in Kalamazoo or the Detroit Tigers in South Bend.

I don't have much to look forward to while Trump is President, so I can take some more chances than I used to. I am satisfied that I can survive some dog bites or the blast of a water cannon. Trump's America will look more like Mississippi in 1963 than the Devil's Reich in 1943. Both were doomed, but the political order in Mississippi went down with far less bloodshed.

We have a heritage of freedom that many Americans sold out for some vague promises of jobs. Sure, in every fascistic regime there is much work -- more hours of toil, for much less, and under harsher conditions. I doubt that workers will long put up with that. There will be strikes as profitable companies demand pay cuts but unpaid overtime after the Republicans all but outlaw unions and abolish the minimum wage. So end up poorer and without freedom... even some Tea Party participants will find that objectionable.

Donald Trump will surely betray the workingman. Let's take it out on him in Gubernatorial, state legislative, and Congressional elections in 2018, and really clean house in 2020. Then we have major reforms of American politics and even culture.

[Eric the Green]

It is obvious that the warnings expressed in the opening posts are already coming true, according to his appointments. Attorney General Jeff Sessions; uh, yeah.

Will the Democrats have the guts to stop his supreme court appointments? Even if it means the end of the filibuster for them?

I understand anger and feelings of violence against the Trumpistas. I don't encourage it or participate. We don't have civil war--- yet. We still have peaceful ways. But we will have to be militant and uncompromising in our attitudes. No more talk about going easy, being nice or giving them a chance. They have lost any consideration already, with their actions so far.

Would you give Mussolini a "chance?" Would you "not bash" (or actually, not debunk, as I do) him? Then don't give his reincarnated self a chance either. Resist him.

And after Mussolini could come...... if we don't stop him.......



(I'm not sure of the authenticity of this quote)

[Eric the Green]

[Warren Dew]

I don't remember Putin ever walking back remarks the way Trump does. If you believe him, you have to believe the walk back too, right?

[pbrower2a]

(12-15-2016, 04:48 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: It is obvious that the warnings expressed in the opening posts are already coming true, according to his appointments. Attorney General Jeff Sessions; uh, yeah.

Will the Democrats have the guts to stop his supreme court appointments? Even if it means the end of the filibuster for them?

I understand anger and feelings of violence against the Trumpistas. I don't encourage it or participate. We don't have civil war--- yet. We still have peaceful ways. But we will have to be militant and uncompromising in our attitudes. No more talk about going easy, being nice or giving them a chance. They have lost any consideration already, with their actions so far.

If the Democrats don;t take the Supreme Court opening, will they still have the filibuster?

Here's how I see it:

1. Democrats fill the Supreme Court seat and have some institutional protection, however temporary (the death or resignation of one of the moderates) and lose the filibuster in the Senate, but otherwise become irrelevant in American politics at the federal level.

2. Democrats concede the Supreme Court seat and have some institutional protection, however temporary (the death or resignation of one of the moderates) and lose the filibuster in the Senate, and still become irrelevant in American politics at the federal level.

I go with #1. The Republican Party has become a severely authoritarian party and the President will act as a dictator anyway. Go for the only sure thing, even if it is shaky. That is the only check or balance that will be possible in the Capitalist Reich. Democrats need some check or balance, lest America become a complete dictatorship.


American democracy has effectively become Schrödinger's cat.

[Anthony '58]

But one rule has been omitted - and it may end up being universally "violated" -

Rule #7: Don't leave the country - since if you do, the right will gain a permanent majority.

[pbrower2a]

Just a reminder -- Donald Trump still acts as an autocrat, and he shows no sign of backing down.

The same old demagogic bromides, the same anger toward his opponents and detractors...





You might still not like it. Listen at your own risk.

[Ragnarök_62]

(12-15-2016, 02:52 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: I've lived a pretty good life, overall. I've exceeded the life span of one grand parent. Why would I want to survive? No, I'm not talking about taking an easy way out. Anything but.

What I'm talking about is, how many goons can I take out?

That innately needs to be scoped as a suicide mission.

HAIL TO THE MEMORY OF THE WARSAW UPRISING!!!!

Are you sure about this?




Black bloccers are the useful idiots of the age.   They're just as authoritarian as Trump, but are too hormone addled to realize it.  Always remember and never forget, for every action, there's an opposite and equal reaction.

*dum-dum award for black bloccers.






Like I said, Rags will hit the double nickel on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. I have yet to outlive any of my grandparents, or great grand parents for that matter.  Life's only a bit half over for me, man. 

I'd think you'd want to survive to live on in the best of turnings. I barely remember the prior 1T, a nice peaceful era, and I'd love to experience another 2T. In the current 4T, all I see is folks losing sanity, and I'd love to have a fast forward button to just fucking get the thing over with.

[Ragnarök_62]

(12-16-2016, 10:23 AM)Anthony Wrote: But one rule has been omitted - and it may end up being universally "violated" -

Rule #7: Don't leave the country - since if you do, the right will gain a permanent majority.

Rule #7.5: Turn on to weed, tune in to gardening, drop out of society:
Don't leave the country, but instead make yourself utterly useless.  That's why the Soviet Union collapsed. A lot of folks just decided to use a substance of choice, ethanol [vodka] or
krokodil .  There's a reason for rampant opioid abuse here in the US.  I applaud opiates,weed,ethanol , for they shall destroy any fascist tendencies. 



The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers - Star Wars

The more you tighten your grip, the more people will slip through your fingers - Rags

It is for that reason, the Federal Government is afraid, very afraid of drugs. It's also the "force" behind the "farce" of the DEA.

[Eric the Green]

(05-01-2017, 05:01 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(12-15-2016, 02:52 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: I've lived a pretty good life, overall. I've exceeded the life span of one grand parent. Why would I want to survive? No, I'm not talking about taking an easy way out. Anything but.

What I'm talking about is, how many goons can I take out?

That innately needs to be scoped as a suicide mission.

HAIL TO THE MEMORY OF THE WARSAW UPRISING!!!!

Are you sure about this?




Black bloccers are the useful idiots of the age.   They're just as authoritarian as Trump, but are too hormone addled to realize it.  Always remember and never forget, for every action, there's an opposite and equal reaction.

*dum-dum award for black bloccers.






Like I said, Rags will hit the double nickel on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. I have yet to outlive any of my grandparents, or great grand parents for that matter.  Life's only a bit  half over for me, man. 

I'd think you'd want to survive to live on in the best of turnings. I barely remember the prior 1T, a nice peaceful era, and I'd love to experience another 2T. In the current 4T, all I see is folks losing sanity, and I'd love to have a fast forward button to just fucking get the thing over with.

Remember though, my point of view implies you have to move the planets faster!

We need the folks to get active enough to restart progress. There must be victory for the progressive side. Only THEN will we ever experience a peaceful and comfortable 1T. Otherwise, the 1T will be like the one that Dixie experienced after 1865. Right now, Trump is awakening and mobilizing the progressive side. May day, May day! Climate March!

[Ragnarök_62]

(05-01-2017, 05:40 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 05:01 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(12-15-2016, 02:52 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: I've lived a pretty good life, overall. I've exceeded the life span of one grand parent. Why would I want to survive? No, I'm not talking about taking an easy way out. Anything but.

What I'm talking about is, how many goons can I take out?

That innately needs to be scoped as a suicide mission.

HAIL TO THE MEMORY OF THE WARSAW UPRISING!!!!

Are you sure about this?




Black bloccers are the useful idiots of the age.   They're just as authoritarian as Trump, but are too hormone addled to realize it.  Always remember and never forget, for every action, there's an opposite and equal reaction.

*dum-dum award for black bloccers.






Like I said, Rags will hit the double nickel on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. I have yet to outlive any of my grandparents, or great grand parents for that matter.  Life's only a bit  half over for me, man. 

I'd think you'd want to survive to live on in the best of turnings. I barely remember the prior 1T, a nice peaceful era, and I'd love to experience another 2T. In the current 4T, all I see is folks losing sanity, and I'd love to have a fast forward button to just fucking get the thing over with.

Remember though, my point of view implies you have to move the planets faster!

We need the folks to get active enough to restart progress. There must be victory for the progressive side. Only THEN will we ever experience a peaceful and comfortable 1T. Otherwise, the 1T will be like the one that Dixie experienced after 1865. Right now, Trump is awakening and mobilizing the progressive side. May day, May day! Climate March!

http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/t...nal-blues/

[Eric the Green]

(05-01-2017, 06:40 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 05:40 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 05:01 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(12-15-2016, 02:52 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: I've lived a pretty good life, overall. I've exceeded the life span of one grand parent. Why would I want to survive? No, I'm not talking about taking an easy way out. Anything but.

What I'm talking about is, how many goons can I take out?

That innately needs to be scoped as a suicide mission.

HAIL TO THE MEMORY OF THE WARSAW UPRISING!!!!

Are you sure about this?




Black bloccers are the useful idiots of the age.   They're just as authoritarian as Trump, but are too hormone addled to realize it.  Always remember and never forget, for every action, there's an opposite and equal reaction.

*dum-dum award for black bloccers.






Like I said, Rags will hit the double nickel on Wednesday, May 3, 2017. I have yet to outlive any of my grandparents, or great grand parents for that matter.  Life's only a bit  half over for me, man. 

I'd think you'd want to survive to live on in the best of turnings. I barely remember the prior 1T, a nice peaceful era, and I'd love to experience another 2T. In the current 4T, all I see is folks losing sanity, and I'd love to have a fast forward button to just fucking get the thing over with.

Remember though, my point of view implies you have to move the planets faster!

We need the folks to get active enough to restart progress. There must be victory for the progressive side. Only THEN will we ever experience a peaceful and comfortable 1T. Otherwise, the 1T will be like the one that Dixie experienced after 1865. Right now, Trump is awakening and mobilizing the progressive side. May day, May day! Climate March!

http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/t...nal-blues/

The Awakening against Trump is the only way out for this malaise in Red America that Kunstler describes. He mentioned chain stores, but it was trickle-down Reaganomics (still in office today) that made it impossible to enforce anti-trust laws to break them up. That's interfering in the "free market," said the Republicans. And the people in Red America believed them. So, they are responsible for their own malaise and addictions, because of how they vote.

Libertarians can call breaking up predatory chains and monopolies "use of government force." But when predators roam the land, they hurt the people unless the people stop them. It's just too hard for poor individuals or even boycott movements to oppose these predators. There is no free choice for them in the market. That's why progressives support legislation and government action to stop them. 

The free market bosses do not care if they throw people out of work or destroy communities. They replace jobs with machines or foreigners, and then say the market must be free. But people need support if the jobs disappear. Working hours need to be reduced and wages increased. Unions need to be encouraged instead of discouraged. It's up to the people in Red America to wake up to the truth.

To do that, they need to stop blaming scapegoats. Welfare recipients are not responsible for their lost jobs and communities. Neither are poor immigrants. Neither are atheists, nor Hollywood, nor the press. The bosses are entirely responsible. But Republicans like Trump use xenophobic slogans to deceive the people. They cater to religious prejudice-- including the abortion issue; or fear-- including the gun culture. It's not hard to deceive them, when they live in such deprived conditions and lowered states of consciousness.

[Ragnarök_62]

(05-01-2017, 07:23 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 06:40 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 05:40 PM)Eric the Green Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 05:01 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote: <snip>

Remember though, my point of view implies you have to move the planets faster!

We need the folks to get active enough to restart progress. There must be victory for the progressive side. Only THEN will we ever experience a peaceful and comfortable 1T. Otherwise, the 1T will be like the one that Dixie experienced after 1865. Right now, Trump is awakening and mobilizing the progressive side. May day, May day! Climate March!

http://kunstler.com/clusterfuck-nation/t...nal-blues/

The Awakening against Trump is the only way out for this malaise in Red America that Kunstler describes. He mentioned chain stores, but it was trickle-down Reaganomics (still in office today) that made it impossible to enforce anti-trust laws to break them up. That's interfering in the "free market," said the Republicans. And the people in Red America believed them. So, they are responsible for their own malaise and addictions, because of how they vote.

Libertarians can call breaking up predatory chains and monopolies "use of government force." But when predators roam the land, they hurt the people unless the people stop them. It's just too hard for poor individuals or even boycott movements to oppose these predators. There is no free choice for them in the market. That's why progressives support legislation and government action to stop them. 

The free market bosses do not care if they throw people out of work or destroy communities. They replace jobs with machines or foreigners, and then say the market must be free. But people need support if the jobs disappear. Working hours need to be reduced and wages increased. Unions need to be encouraged instead of discouraged. It's up to the people in Red America to wake up to the truth.

To do that, they need to stop blaming scapegoats. Welfare recipients are not responsible for their lost jobs and communities. Neither are poor immigrants. Neither are atheists, nor Hollywood, nor the press. The bosses are entirely responsible. But Republicans like Trump use xenophobic slogans to deceive the people. They cater to religious prejudice-- including the abortion issue; or fear-- including the gun culture. It's not hard to deceive them, when they live in such deprived conditions and lowered states of consciousness.

1. Planets move faster.  Uh, isn't that what the possessor of a black aura can do. A black aura can trans-mutate energy, right?

aura site Wrote:BLACK AURA COLOR MEANING: Draws or pulls energy to it and in so doing, transforms it. It captures light and consumes it.Usually indicates long-term unforgiveness (toward others or another) collected in a specific area of the body, which can lead to health problems; also, entitities within a person's aura, chakras, or body; past life hurts; unreleased grief from abortions if it appears in the ovaries

2. Tinkle down economics:  Ah yes, the economic yellow rain. Eric, Red America voted against globalism which is the equal of Reaganomics. Stop blaming Red America for voting against globalism, OK? Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to see the destruction of globalism. Walmart is globalism writ large. Walmart depends on long supply lines defended by Big Military. How exactly does xenophobia support globalism?  It doesn't.  I rather see it as a wrecking ball in service of localism.  Globalism = free markets run amok. How can any nation enforce laws against multinats when they can just pack up and move.  So, IOW, xenophobia is the ultimate wrecking ball to free markets. Just follow the markets.  Like you said above, the bosses replace domestic workers with foreign ones if they get too uppity.

3. Addiction.  Yeah, it may be ugly, but like I said, addictions are the ultimate downfall of empires. IOW, that's another wrecking ball for Corporate America.

4. Progressives:  There's progressives and regressive left. Do you support those black bloccers?  I think they need a date with bubba myself. Bernie's a true progressive and is worthy. Those stupid teenage mutant ninja black bloccers are the true fascists.  They seek to squelch free speech, you know.

5. Welfare:  Uh a lot of Red America is on welfare. Why would they oppose it?

6. Gunz.  Why do you keep bringing this up? It's a big fat red herring. It's the economy stupid.
7. Predators:  That's where karma comes in. After a while, the working poor can't even afford Walmart stuff, so they move to the next level.  That's flea markets, second hand stores, and garage sales.  Walmart can't compete against its own shit being sold off. That's when the whole rotten edifice collapses. It's happening now, man. JC Penney's closing here, Sears is a zombie company, Rue 21's also bankrupt. Retail America is on the cusp of it's demise. I'll enjoy it all the way to the bank.  I'll buy put options on US retail and take glee and dance on its grave.

[pbrower2a]

(05-01-2017, 10:46 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 07:23 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: The Awakening against Trump is the only way out for this malaise in Red America that Kunstler describes. He mentioned chain stores, but it was trickle-down Reaganomics (still in office today) that made it impossible to enforce anti-trust laws to break them up. That's interfering in the "free market," said the Republicans. And the people in Red America believed them. So, they are responsible for their own malaise and addictions, because of how they vote.

Libertarians can call breaking up predatory chains and monopolies "use of government force." But when predators roam the land, they hurt the people unless the people stop them. It's just too hard for poor individuals or even boycott movements to oppose these predators. There is no free choice for them in the market. That's why progressives support legislation and government action to stop them. 

The free market bosses do not care if they throw people out of work or destroy communities. They replace jobs with machines or foreigners, and then say the market must be free. But people need support if the jobs disappear. Working hours need to be reduced and wages increased. Unions need to be encouraged instead of discouraged. It's up to the people in Red America to wake up to the truth.

To do that, they need to stop blaming scapegoats. Welfare recipients are not responsible for their lost jobs and communities. Neither are poor immigrants. Neither are atheists, nor Hollywood, nor the press. The bosses are entirely responsible. But Republicans like Trump use xenophobic slogans to deceive the people. They cater to religious prejudice-- including the abortion issue; or fear-- including the gun culture. It's not hard to deceive them, when they live in such deprived conditions and lowered states of consciousness.

1. Planets move faster.  Uh, isn't that what the possessor of a black aura can do. A black aura can trans-mutate energy, right?

(I'll pass on that as it makes no sense to me.

Quote:2. Tinkle down economics:  Ah yes, the economic yellow rain. Eric, Red America voted against globalism which is the equal of Reaganomics. Stop blaming Red America for voting against globalism, OK? Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to see the destruction of globalism. Walmart is globalism writ large. Walmart depends on long supply lines defended by Big Military. How exactly does xenophobia support globalism?  It doesn't.  I rather see it as a wrecking ball in service of localism.  Globalism = free markets run amok. How can any nation enforce laws against multinats when they can just pack up and move.  So, IOW, xenophobia is the ultimate wrecking ball to free markets. Just follow the markets.  Like you said above, the bosses replace domestic workers with foreign ones if they get too uppity.

All in all, people want to feel valuable and worthy.  Maybe the system doesn't really want me to take a job -- any job -- after all, with my clumsiness I am an industrial accident waiting to happen. I could easily cripple or kill someone. Myself? No great tragedy. Some fellow with five children? That would be consummate tragedy.

So when I get my disability payment I can do some volunteer work and a little travel and creative activity, maybe describing my experiences in my travels.  With the technology and widespread talent as there is, many people can do that, and it will be hard for me to differentiate myself.  

Quote:3. Addiction.  Yeah, it may be ugly, but like I said, addictions  are the ultimate downfall of empires. IOW, that's another wrecking ball for Corporate America.

There are few things with which I agree with Ayn Rand, but I concur with her that addiction is one of the purest expressions of an empty life.

Quote:4. Progressives:  There's progressives and regressive left. Do you support those black bloccers?  I think they need a date with bubba myself. Bernie's a true progressive and is worthy. Those stupid teenage mutant ninja black bloccers are the true fascists.  They seek to squelch free speech, you know.

Violent anarchists are pure trouble-makers. Although I am nearly an anarcho-syndicalist I still believe in law and order and property. Surely you are aware of my conservative argument for homosexual rights.

Quote:5. Welfare:  Uh a lot of Red America is on welfare. Why would they oppose it?

Including disability. Most people want to work, and they will make up their own work (which can include gardening, which can be a creative activity if done well) if they have a chance. Nut maybe we will have a resuscitation of artisanship so that people can have truly-unique objects that suggest their personalities instead of schlock from a dollar store. 

It could be that when welfare is something that non-white people take, then it becomes truly objectionable to white people who impute welfare that utter strangers get as unacceptable.

Quote:6. Gunz.  Why do you keep bringing this up? It's a big fat red herring. It's the economy stupid.

Maybe I was just never introduced to hunting or target-shooting. 

Quote:7. Predators:  That's where karma comes in. After a while, the working poor can't even afford Walmart stuff, so they move to the next level.  That's flea markets, second hand stores, and garage sales.  Walmart can't compete against its own shit being sold off. That's when the whole rotten edifice collapses. It's happening now, man. JC Penney's closing here, Sears is a zombie company, Rue 21's also bankrupt. Retail America is on the cusp of its demise. I'll enjoy it all the way to the bank.  I'll buy put options on US retail and take glee and dance on its grave.

More precisely, scavengers.

If I had to move from a house too big for me to a senior apartment, then I would be able to furnish it inexpensively with stuff from Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. I am sure that I could find some attractive old china at estate sales. At some point Affluenza becomes too complicated.

Sell the stuff except for my music and video collections, my stereo, and my reader...

[Eric the Green]

(05-01-2017, 10:46 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote: 1. Planets move faster.  Uh, isn't that what the possessor of a black aura can do. A black aura can trans-mutate energy, right?

[quote='aura site']

BLACK AURA COLOR MEANING: Draws or pulls energy to it and in so doing, transforms it. It captures light and consumes it.Usually indicates long-term unforgiveness (toward others or another) collected in a specific area of the body, which can lead to health problems; also, entitities within a person's aura, chakras, or body; past life hurts; unreleased grief from abortions if it appears in the ovaries

The black aura won't speed up Uranus in its track. But, nice try

Quote:
2. Tinkle down economics:  Ah yes, the economic yellow rain. Eric, Red America voted against globalism which is the equal of Reaganomics. Stop blaming Red America for voting against globalism, OK? Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to see the destruction of globalism. Walmart is globalism writ large. Walmart depends on long supply lines defended by Big Military. How exactly does xenophobia support globalism?  It doesn't.  I rather see it as a wrecking ball in service of localism.  Globalism = free markets run amok. How can any nation enforce laws against multinats when they can just pack up and move.  So, IOW, xenophobia is the ultimate wrecking ball to free markets. Just follow the markets.  Like you said above, the bosses replace domestic workers with foreign ones if they get too uppity.

You forget that most of what is wrong with globalism is the corporate ownership of it. In other words, "it's Reaganomics, stupid." That's the only part of globalism that is bad. That includes unfair trade. For the rest, globalism is just unstoppable fact. You might be able to use your black aura (or failing that, some black bloccers) to stop it, but I wouldn't give you much more chance than you'd have to speed up Uranus.

Quote:3. Addiction.  Yeah, it may be ugly, but like I said, addictions are the ultimate downfall of empires. IOW, that's another wrecking ball for Corporate America.

4. Progressives:  There's progressives and regressive left. Do you support those black bloccers?  I think they need a date with bubba myself. Bernie's a true progressive and is worthy. Those stupid teenage mutant ninja black bloccers are the true fascists.  They seek to squelch free speech, you know.

I don't approve of black bloccers, but they aren't the true fascists. The true fascists are the ones they fight.

Free speech; yes I agree it's a good thing. But the oppression of free speech that I have encountered has been perpetrated by my bosses, in both profit and non-profit organizations. The idea that we have free speech in America is a lousy myth. We don't.

Quote:5. Welfare:  Uh a lot of Red America is on welfare. Why would they oppose it?

Why ask why? It's clear that these red Americans don't have much going in the rationality department. The fact is, they do oppose it, but they need to be talked out of it. It's a very hard task. Poor whites want to believe they are better than those others, and see themselves as "self-reliant" so they can blame the others for their plight.

Quote:6. Gunz.  Why do you keep bringing this up? It's a big fat red herring. It's the economy stupid.

Yes, it is; but gunz seems to be an obsession in Red America, especially including the victims of the economy. Again, rationality is not their strong suit. Of course, that's for us to discuss; I know that me calling them irrational won't persuade them.

Quote:7. Predators:  That's where karma comes in. After a while, the working poor can't even afford Walmart stuff, so they move to the next level.  That's flea markets, second hand stores, and garage sales.  Walmart can't compete against its own shit being sold off. That's when the whole rotten edifice collapses. It's happening now, man. JC Penney's closing here, Sears is a zombie company, Rue 21's also bankrupt. Retail America is on the cusp of it's demise. I'll enjoy it all the way to the bank.  I'll buy put options on US retail and take glee and dance on its grave.

[Ragnarök_62]

(05-01-2017, 11:43 PM)pbrower2a Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 10:46 PM)Ragnarök_62 Wrote:

(05-01-2017, 07:23 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: The Awakening against Trump is the only way out for this malaise in Red America that Kunstler describes. He mentioned chain stores, but it was trickle-down Reaganomics (still in office today) that made it impossible to enforce anti-trust laws to break them up. That's interfering in the "free market," said the Republicans. And the people in Red America believed them. So, they are responsible for their own malaise and addictions, because of how they vote.

Libertarians can call breaking up predatory chains and monopolies "use of government force." But when predators roam the land, they hurt the people unless the people stop them. It's just too hard for poor individuals or even boycott movements to oppose these predators. There is no free choice for them in the market. That's why progressives support legislation and government action to stop them. 

The free market bosses do not care if they throw people out of work or destroy communities. They replace jobs with machines or foreigners, and then say the market must be free. But people need support if the jobs disappear. Working hours need to be reduced and wages increased. Unions need to be encouraged instead of discouraged. It's up to the people in Red America to wake up to the truth.

To do that, they need to stop blaming scapegoats. Welfare recipients are not responsible for their lost jobs and communities. Neither are poor immigrants. Neither are atheists, nor Hollywood, nor the press. The bosses are entirely responsible. But Republicans like Trump use xenophobic slogans to deceive the people. They cater to religious prejudice-- including the abortion issue; or fear-- including the gun culture. It's not hard to deceive them, when they live in such deprived conditions and lowered states of consciousness.

1. Planets move faster.  Uh, isn't that what the possessor of a black aura can do. A black aura can trans-mutate energy, right?

(I'll pass on that as it makes no sense to me.

Quote:2. Tinkle down economics:  Ah yes, the economic yellow rain. Eric, Red America voted against globalism which is the equal of Reaganomics. Stop blaming Red America for voting against globalism, OK? Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to see the destruction of globalism. Walmart is globalism writ large. Walmart depends on long supply lines defended by Big Military. How exactly does xenophobia support globalism?  It doesn't.  I rather see it as a wrecking ball in service of localism.  Globalism = free markets run amok. How can any nation enforce laws against multinats when they can just pack up and move.  So, IOW, xenophobia is the ultimate wrecking ball to free markets. Just follow the markets.  Like you said above, the bosses replace domestic workers with foreign ones if they get too uppity.

All in all, people want to feel valuable and worthy.  Maybe the system doesn't really want me to take a job -- any job -- after all, with my clumsiness I am an industrial accident waiting to happen. I could easily cripple or kill someone. Myself? No great tragedy. Some fellow with five children? That would be consummate tragedy.

So when I get my disability payment I can do some volunteer work and a little travel and creative activity, maybe describing my experiences in my travels.  With the technology and widespread talent as there is, many people can do that, and it will be hard for me to differentiate myself.  

I think eventually... We need to move beyond "you must have a job to be worthy."  What you said above is of course true. I also have some weird motor skills impairment. I could be a feature of Bipolar or something else. IOW, you have my understanding and sympathy.

Quote:3. Addiction.  Yeah, it may be ugly, but like I said, addictions  are the ultimate downfall of empires. IOW, that's another wrecking ball for Corporate America.

There are few things with which I agree with Ayn Rand, but addiction is one of the purest expressions of an empty life.

Addition is actually a brain disease. Some folks for whatever reason take some substance and that substance use over time does something to a protein called delta-fos-B. IOW, after some time goes by, addicts can't control the urge to use some substance. It's like sex or hunger. It's a new appetite that gets mixed in with usual "do this" and feel good.

Quote:4. Progressives:  There's progressives and regressive left. Do you support those black bloccers?  I think they need a date with bubba myself. Bernie's a true progressive and is worthy. Those stupid teenage mutant ninja black bloccers are the true fascists.  They seek to squelch free speech, you know.

Violent anarchists are pure trouble-makers. Although I am nearly an anarcho-syndicalist I still believe in law and order and property. Surely you are aware of my conservative argument for homosexual rights.

Yes, and I certainly have no issues wrt homosexual  rights. Black bloccers just are one of those things that invoke the equal and opposite reaction. That's why I say that scene is just a bunch of hormone addled young men. There is no excuse for regressive left free speech suppression. I value free speech and I denounce all causes that compromise it.

Quote:5. Welfare:  Uh a lot of Red America is on welfare. Why would they oppose it?

Including disability. Most people want to work, and they will make up their own work (which can include gardening, which can be a creative activity if done well) if they have a chance. Nut maybe we will have a resuscitation of artisanship so that people can have truly-unique objects that suggest their personalities instead of schlock from a dollar store.  

Quote:6. Gunz.  Why do you keep bringing this up? It's a big fat red herring. It's the economy stupid.

Maybe I was just never introduced to hunting.

Quote:7. Predators:  That's where karma comes in. After a while, the working poor can't even afford Walmart stuff, so they move to the next level.  That's flea markets, second hand stores, and garage sales.  Walmart can't compete against its own shit being sold off. That's when the whole rotten edifice collapses. It's happening now, man. JC Penney's closing here, Sears is a zombie company, Rue 21's also bankrupt. Retail America is on the cusp of it's demise. I'll enjoy it all the way to the bank.  I'll buy put options on US retail and take glee and dance on its grave.

If I had to move from a house too big for me to a senior apartment, then I would be able to furnish it inexpensively with stuff from Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. I am sure that I could find some attractive old china at estate sales. At some point Affluenza becomes too confusing.

Yeah... I have a nice set of lead glass in a curio cabinet. It has unique qualities. It sparkles and has a very nice heavy feel when I dust it. I won't use it to drink out of for obvious reasons.  It's all about aesthetics.  There's nothing like picking up a piece and look at the refractive rainbow of colors. I also sport a mineral collection in some spare bookshelves. I think we're in agreement that  cheap schlock from modern retail is just that, cheap. I gathered my lead crystal from assorted antique stores. I do agree that attractive china is just like lead glass. You can just look at it and know the craftsmanship that went into making the stuff.

[pbrower2a]

(05-02-2017, 10:24 AM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: I want to buy systems made in the US. I want to buy printed circuit board assemblies made in the US, I want to buy cable harnesses made in the US, I want to buy chassis made in the US, I want to buy ICs, SMT chip components, wires, cables, connectors, fans, heat sinks, etc, etc made in the US. 30 years ago I could buy all of the above in the US. The China price is now increasing, the logistics of a 5000 mile shipment channel suck (think of the inventory tied up in transit and buffers at all times), China et al may cut us off on a moment's notice, and we have opioid addicted former good workers idling and getting increasingly angry. Well, at some point, Great War will force these issues, then we shall have to figure out how to make all of the above items again.

Maybe we could make such stuff in the places of spent mines

[Warren Dew]

(05-02-2017, 10:24 AM)X_4AD_84 Wrote: I want to buy systems made in the US. I want to buy printed circuit board assemblies made in the US, I want to buy cable harnesses made in the US, I want to buy chassis made in the US, I want to buy ICs, SMT chip components, wires, cables, connectors, fans, heat sinks, etc, etc made in the US. 30 years ago I could buy all of the above in the US. The China price is now increasing, the logistics of a 5000 mile shipment channel suck (think of the inventory tied up in transit and buffers at all times), China et al may cut us off on a moment's notice, and we have opioid addicted former good workers idling and getting increasingly angry. Well, at some point, Great War will force these issues, then we shall have to figure out how to make all of the above items again.

You should look at the Border Adjustment Tax.  Everyone with a VAT uses VAT rebate for exports against us due to a questionable WTO ruling; time we leveled the playing field.