I agree, there is that threat there with someone like Trump as the POTUS. It is a risk from electing a convicted felon with serious autocratic desires.
Joanne, I am taking this post down for any expression that all of our work is worthless is 1) the opposite of what history and every expert on authoritarianism tells us 2) the opposite of literally everything we are seeing in the polling and consumer confidence and stock market data right now 3) an insult to your fellow Hopium members who are working so hard every day, and to me
To me, it meant an effing moron who doesn't know shit.
Elections run deep in our states and localities. We the people are not going to give those up. It's the states that manage elections for federal offices.
I attended the Principles First Conference last year and suggested to Leadership at time that they bring in voices like yours. Happy you were a presenter and that other members of the Hopium
community were in attendance. I see a great deal
of opportunity in melding all the voices of the opposition. Sorry to have missed it this year.
Thank you Susan. Yes, I began my remarks by thanking everyone there for staying in the fight and said it was great to be in a room with so many proud patriots. While we may not have always been on the same team before we are now, and I was honored to be able to attend and speak to them (this is a center-right, never Trumper world).
I made my daily calls to Senator Johnson and Rep Vanorden (one of the 17) expressing my outrage and concern. I did add that I would be making several calls a day, because there is so much that outrages me, until this madness stops and they start fighting with us to save our democracy. I’ll keep it up even though with these two it seems kind of hopeless. Thanks for the encouragement, Simon.
We actually may have won the big one. pls check Vigilantes Inc. and Greg Palast. It's not just throwing junk at the wall. They ('true the vote', which is not true) used 'color of law' to have people challenge 4K and 32K at a time. We need to identify EVERY person purged, why they were purged, if they were notified, if they were given a provisional ballot, if that was counted, if they were denied the right to vote, and the constitution says they get fewer electoral votes and reps as a remedy. We need to ID each and EVERY local / state official that purged lawful voters and did not allow notice/cure and/or provisional. They went to court with 65 actions and no evidence. We likely have the evidence. We need to spend the next two years litigating it. We need to gain back the moral and ethical high ground and get rulings, proof, verdicts, determinations and remedies, we need this 'true/false' the vote to NEVER happen again or we will never win!
I wish he was, but Greg Palast is not a reliable source. Based on two of his books that have I read, Palast is unacceptably sloppy with sources as well as evidence. That doesn’t mean he’s wrong – just that he unnecessarily weakens his case.
I have been wondering why Greg Palast is ignored by so many. To be fair, I haven't read any of his books. I had started to wonder if he is credible though.
Also worth knowing besides the Wisconsin Supreme Court election and the NC Supreme Court recount, as Simon knows, there are also special elections for control of state legislative chambers in Minnesota, Michigan, and Pennsylvania coming up. And it comes off past successes already in Virginia, Iowa, and Minnesota.
It's important Democrats talk about the inequalities in today's society as it relates to how it comes from the result of the elites taking more and more political power. Trump, Musk, Zuckerberg, and several other prominent figures are the best examples of that right-wing autocratic oligarchic kleptocracy. And how they enrich themselves is also how they screw the rest of us. That is the message Democrats need to beat like a drum, and it is what I bring up regularly on my own posts. We also need a New Deal-esque vision for the 21st century...somehow.
Yes, Greg Palast has won awards for investigative journalism, and the subject of the movie (voting rights) is important. ArticStone's comments about being sloppy with sources and evidence caught my attention: I am a scientist and those things matter to me. However, I should not have underestimated the significance of his work.
Yeah, it’s all good and I’m glad we’re having the back-and-forth. He really does go into the detail. He is used to doing the freedom of information act request, and the public record act request and if you watch the movie vigilante Inc. I love how he cornered, the woman who had the gall to challenge 32,000 people none of them got notice. None of them knew until they showed up to voteand then they weren’t even offered provisional ballot and so that was focusing on the Georgia race but all over every one of these swing states we need to find out everybody who was purged who tried to vote how they would’ve voted and if they were offered a provisional ballot I mean, we need to have a movement or we will never win again.
A Republican friend of mine sent this to our Rep Dave Schweikert today:
Dave,
What the f**k is wrong? I told you I am the son of a 30 year military officer. My father flew P 51s in Europe in WWII. He spent his life protecting us from the red curtain as a fighter squadron commander. Our family gave our life supporting the USA. How can you stand by and let Trump fire generals who have served our country their whole working career. If this is who you are you will never get my vote again and I will do everything I can to see you and the other Republican cowards out of office. My father gave his life as a fighter squadron commander until retiring. He is rolling in his grave right now.
There was some "deer-in-the-headlights" moments as these GOP House members took it on the chin from their constituents at the town halls. That was good to see.
As long as We, the People, expand our pressure they may begin to fear their own voters more than they fear Trump and Musk. Although GOP is still strongly behind the orange boy, when the pain expands directly into their lives... many of them will make noise like the story from Smoot above.
This morning Robert Hubbell had an interesting breakdown of the constituencies that voters belong to. 4th = GOP, 3rd = Dems, 2nd =Ind, 1st = non-voting public. Trump is underwater with the 2nd and 3rd groups. No one even polls the largest group, but they receive government services and pay taxes, and might shift out of the non voter group soon. "Here's Hopium it happens"
"Last night, while most of us were logging off and winding down — eating dinner, watching a movie with the kids, or enjoying an evening out with friends — Trump and Hegseth started purging senior Military officers that they deem insufficiently loyal. We’ve been talking about this for months, and last night it finally began.
They started with the Chair of the Joint Chiefs, General CQ Brown. They followed with Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife.
But they didn’t stop there.
Trump and Hegseth also purged the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. JAG officers interpret and determine lawful and constitutional orders. Replacing career JAG officers with loyalists is essential to Trump’s overall goal of a Military dedicated not to the Constitution, but to him alone.
I wasn't surprised either. Hell, I figured it might have already silently happened. The courts will rule against the illegal appointment as another usurpation of congressional authority. Congress makes these laws about replacement of the chairmanship. Then what?
Every day of non-action, is a day the military is further weakened. They are being decapitated while making more contingency plans? Fish or cut bait, the time has arrived.
Tragically for America, for NATO and the world, we have a president who rages about the imagined evils of "DEI" in the military – while installing his unqualified DUI hire as Secretary of Defense.
I am using your 4 things for what I will do today. Thank you! I also am volunteering for a (D) mayoral candidate in my city and am wearing his campaign t-shirt as I run errands today:-)
Last night’s firings of top military have shaken me more than most anything thus far, behind the obvious white male supremacy goal. Yet this morning, I awoke to lots of emails and with news, but not this 4-alarm fire. No where. I will bet maybe one other person, maybe, on my street knows about this, and i’m on a street with educated, well informed people.
I keep asking myself how we reach the 1/3 of the population who need to know about this and stay informed at least to the point that they vote? They DO care about jobs, kids, health, etc.mi think they have just assumed all would be well enough.
I feel we need a “News on the Corner” approach where the news goes to people rather than people going to the news. We can’t put that little news kid on every corner, but can’t we blanket places with postcard size headlines? Maybe that Walmart shopper finds a few cards in the ladies room, or maybe we out postcards under doormats in low voting neighborhoods, with the short message:
“Late Friday night, President Trump fired 8 superbly qualified top military officials, including the Chair of the Joint Chief of Staff. Trump announced he would replace Gen. C. W. Brown, the first African American Chief, with a lesser rank, retired, less qualified white male, loyal to Trump.
The military’s oath is to the Constitution, not to one person, which is why experts see these firings as dangerous—Trump is installing a military loyal to him alone.
See QR code for unbiased information about this event, and see QR code to be sure you are registered and ready to vote in every election.
Trump’s pick to replace General Brown as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is Lieutenant General Dan Caine, Air Force. There is only one big problem: Caine is neither qualified nor eligible.
"…according to the U.S. Code, Caine is not eligible to be nominated as he has not "served in any of the positions required by law to serve as Chairman. The U.S. Code states the “President may appoint an officer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff only if the officer has served as (A) the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; (B) the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the hAir Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, or the Chief of Space Operations; or (C) the commander of a unified or specified combatant command"."
– Lady Emsworth, reader’s comment in the Washington Post
You can go talk to those neighbors, Cathy, and then at least they will know. The word is seeping out and our job is to amplify and accelerate, even if it's just among our small circle. If we talk about this as well as the price of eggs, it gives others a sense that they are not isolated in their fears, that most of us have these concerns. Every little action has a ripple effect.
I am the son of a military veteran. My father was a navy veteran who served in WW II. His ship was sunk off of Savo island and went back to war as an officer on a submarine putting his life at great risk. He served his country honorably, unlike Trump, who fraudulenty avoided military service. With that said, I am extremely angry at Trump for firing the chair of the joint chiefs. With that move he dishonors my father's service. There is no rational reason for this firing. Congress should investigate this matter as well as the firing of several adjutant generals who give advise on the legality of military orders. Given Trump's actions which are mostly illegal, I am very concerned he is trying to allow himself to give the military clearly illegal orders with possible dire consequences for our country. We have a democracy not a king. Show some spine.
My report: On Thursday, after learning that Kash Patel had been confirmed I was nauseous and was shaking.. I took Friday off. My group worked so hard on issues with Department of Justice, Department of Defense, and the nomination of RFK, Jr. to lead Health and Human Services. I'm doing my recurring donations and postcards. All five of us in my group will reorganize and get back to work on Monday.
Here is a link to something Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse) posted this morning. She started a project called "The Democracy Index", which will post every Saturday The Contrarian on Substack. https://contrarian.substack.com/p/the-democracy-index-e1f
This is frightening beyond words. Judges and Senators are receiving death threats. Quote:
"Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman reported this week on Republicans in the Senate: “‘They’re scared shitless about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff,’ a former member of Trump’s first administration tells [Sherman]. According to one source with direct knowledge of the events, North Carolina senator Thom Tillis told people that the FBI warned him about ‘credible death threats’ when he was considering voting against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary"
I agree with Simon: We might not have midterms in 2026. We must work at all levels of government - Federal, State, Local to do what we can. However, at times we must step back, take a walk, close our eyes and meditate, and take many deep breaths.
Keep up the great work Linda! Taking a day every now and then is a good thing. The only way through this mess is to keep going foward. I told me wife last night what my mantra is: only the end of the world is the end of the world and until that point, the future is ours to make it what we want. That's how I approach every day now. Great work by you and your group!
2026 is our nation's 250th birthday. No midterm elections? Fascinating.
"We must work at all levels ... to do what we can."
OK. If we're facing a 2026 without elections (potentially), I'm mystified why the elections we ARE facing in the first half of this year are being treated so dismissively to this point.
Today is the real birthday of George Washington. Maybe today is the beginning of our Second American Revolution, only this time it’s against fascism. It’s all of us with everything we are doing every day.
I hold with those who consider our Civil War as a second revolution. A chance to right the horrendous wrong of slavery, and to usher in a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Long may it live, as we keep on that path to a more perfect union.
The answer to this rogue fascist regime is not legislative, that's lost It's up to us WE THE PEOPLE!!! If Kings Trump and Musk want to take down the people's republic then come at us
I say that WE THE PEOPLE take his government down by a DEBT STRIKE On the street protests are fine but an ECONOMIC PROTEST would collapse King Trump We need to organize like we did in 1776
Simon comments periodically on them - issue is how to allocate Hopium's resources; he has said he monitors those races and will note if/ when they become cost effective given our relatively limited resources
I have to confess that I do not know what "cost effective" means when conserving resources for 2026 midterms that some here assert -- without kidding -- may not happen.
Thomas, these three House races would require us to spend extraordinary sums of money and we are still likely to lose. If the national Party committees make the decision to go we will go. But at this point I cannot recommend that we put our time and money into races that have such a low probability of success. As I often say here we cannot rush into battle and need to be smart and strategic about what we do. Our election work was very successful in 2023 and 2024 in part because we invested in races where our money and time could make a difference. I also feel like the way you keep repeating my comment about the 2026 elections is becoming a bit belligerent and I would appreciate you toning it down a bit. Thank you.
By all means I respect the professional judgement and calculation of where to invest strategic resources. If it doesn’t make strategic sense to go full-bore as a community at any of these three races, are there at least things we can do in the information warrior space that would benefit both the national fanning of the backlash flames and these races?
I for one would be interested in Hopium or one of the pods engaging with at least Blake Gendebien (running in NY-21) to discuss how we can swing the pendulum with farmers. (He is a dairy farmer.) A lot of us who are farmers see farmers 1) voting overwhelmingly for Republicans and 2) being regularly screwed over by Republicans. On paper at least it seems like recruiting this candidate is a smart move not just to try and pull an upset in a special but also try to rebuild the brand in rural America. With everything DOGE is doing to screw farmers, we may have a huge opportunity. Can we give him attention at least even if we reserve fundraising energy for Wisconsin and Virginia?
I am also curious about the caution in conserving financial resources given the massive fundraising in 2024, the big grassroots energy, and the party’s strength with segments of the population that can donate to multiple races at once.
" would require us to spend extraordinary sums of money"
I have never advocated anybody should be spending anything. Her name is Gay Valimont. She's a Democrat, running in FL-1. (That did not cost anything.) My point is that this "community" is not able to say her name, or the name of the other Democrats running, which would be acknowledging them as human beings and Democrats. "Because we can't invest in you, we can't acknowledge that you even exist." That's how it seems to me. Am I wrong?
"the national Party committees"
I have no earthly idea about any of that. Gay is a living person running as a Democrat. I feel for her as a fellow Democrat. I am passionate for her to do well. I'm not going to "tone" that down.
The answer to this rogue fascist regime is not legislative, that's lost It's up to us WE THE PEOPLE!!! If Kings Trump and Musk want to take down the people's republic then come at us
I say that WE THE PEOPLE take his government down by a DEBT STRIKE On the street protests are fine but an ECONOMIC PROTEST would collapse King Trump We need to organize like we did in 1776
It now looks like Austria will finally have a new government – a centrist coalition. "Austria's conservative People's Party (ÖVP) and Social Democrats (SPÖ) said on Friday they had widened their talks aimed at forming a coalition government to include the small, liberal Neos Party so as to have a solid majority in parliament."
The sane, mainstream political parties are thus set to keep the extreme right-wingers out of power. Although winning the biggest single block in September’s parliamentary elections, Herbert Kickl and his FPÖ, the so-called "Freedom Party", failed in their repeated attempts to build a governing coalition.
"The main objective of Austria’s foreign policy, since World War II, has been to convince the world that Beethoven was Austrian – and Hitler was German."
THE MORE DANGEROUS CASE OF DONALD TRUMP 40 PSYCHIATRISTS AND MENTAL HEALTH EXPERTS WARN ANEW
p89
"So, what needs to be done to keep America safe from enemies from within?
... extraordinary times require extraordinary skill in applying the laws and who possess the self-understanding to fight off the twin temptations of complicity or cowardice in the face of fear .."
CALL. Especially for Democrats in Red states. Thank your Representatives.
🔸️Keep calling Attorneys General in the states.
🔸️Keep calling to stop Musk's crime spree and assault on the US government.
🔸️Keep calling your electeds and let them know you are outraged by traitorous Trump's selling out of Zelenskyy, abandonment of Europe and embrace of Putin.
DO MORE, WORRY LESS. Join us on Hopium Chronicles on SubStack.
The answer to this rogue fascist regime is not legislative, that's lost It's up to us WE THE PEOPLE!!! If Kings Trump and Musk want to take down the people's republic then come at us
I say that WE THE PEOPLE take his government down by a DEBT STRIKE On the street protests are fine but an ECONOMIC PROTEST would collapse King Trump We need to organize like we did in 1776
Just a little self-reporting today. I know it's Saturday, but I called my rep and my sens and left messages. Today was imploring all three to make criminal referrals to the DOJ for Musk. I told them that I know it won't go anywhere, but our leaders need to be using the words "illegal actions" when describing Trump and Musk. Let that seep into the general public.
Tomorrow I will do it again. Thanks to all of you who are in this fight with all of us!
No.
I agree, there is that threat there with someone like Trump as the POTUS. It is a risk from electing a convicted felon with serious autocratic desires.
When he told people to go out and vote and that it’s the last time -what do you think he meant? Take this clown at his word
Joanne, I am taking this post down for any expression that all of our work is worthless is 1) the opposite of what history and every expert on authoritarianism tells us 2) the opposite of literally everything we are seeing in the polling and consumer confidence and stock market data right now 3) an insult to your fellow Hopium members who are working so hard every day, and to me
"what did you think he meant?"
To me, it meant an effing moron who doesn't know shit.
Elections run deep in our states and localities. We the people are not going to give those up. It's the states that manage elections for federal offices.
Why should I? His word is no good on anything else…
In the month that has passed since this thread, I think he meant this:
"This is the last time you'll have to vote for a candidate that won't lose for you."
Every election will be rigged for them to win. Just like North Korea.
Thank you, Simon, for attending the Principles First 2025 conference and continuing to speak out so cogently and courageously!
About time
I attended the Principles First Conference last year and suggested to Leadership at time that they bring in voices like yours. Happy you were a presenter and that other members of the Hopium
community were in attendance. I see a great deal
of opportunity in melding all the voices of the opposition. Sorry to have missed it this year.
Thank you Susan. Yes, I began my remarks by thanking everyone there for staying in the fight and said it was great to be in a room with so many proud patriots. While we may not have always been on the same team before we are now, and I was honored to be able to attend and speak to them (this is a center-right, never Trumper world).
Can you provide a link to your remarks? Thanks.
Self reporting
I made my daily calls to Senator Johnson and Rep Vanorden (one of the 17) expressing my outrage and concern. I did add that I would be making several calls a day, because there is so much that outrages me, until this madness stops and they start fighting with us to save our democracy. I’ll keep it up even though with these two it seems kind of hopeless. Thanks for the encouragement, Simon.
Several calls a day!!!! Thank you for that inspiration and achievement marker! Going for it. 💪💪💪👌
Wow! Thank you! Great work!
John Thune told Trump that most of his agenda is DOA in the Senate:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/senate-majority-leader-john-thune-fires-back-at-trump-admin-s-ambitious-spending-cuts/ar-AA1zzdmB
We actually may have won the big one. pls check Vigilantes Inc. and Greg Palast. It's not just throwing junk at the wall. They ('true the vote', which is not true) used 'color of law' to have people challenge 4K and 32K at a time. We need to identify EVERY person purged, why they were purged, if they were notified, if they were given a provisional ballot, if that was counted, if they were denied the right to vote, and the constitution says they get fewer electoral votes and reps as a remedy. We need to ID each and EVERY local / state official that purged lawful voters and did not allow notice/cure and/or provisional. They went to court with 65 actions and no evidence. We likely have the evidence. We need to spend the next two years litigating it. We need to gain back the moral and ethical high ground and get rulings, proof, verdicts, determinations and remedies, we need this 'true/false' the vote to NEVER happen again or we will never win!
I wish he was, but Greg Palast is not a reliable source. Based on two of his books that have I read, Palast is unacceptably sloppy with sources as well as evidence. That doesn’t mean he’s wrong – just that he unnecessarily weakens his case.
I have been wondering why Greg Palast is ignored by so many. To be fair, I haven't read any of his books. I had started to wonder if he is credible though.
We need to stick to reliable sources.
That's right. I wouldn't trust The New York Post for anything.
Also worth knowing besides the Wisconsin Supreme Court election and the NC Supreme Court recount, as Simon knows, there are also special elections for control of state legislative chambers in Minnesota, Michigan, and Pennsylvania coming up. And it comes off past successes already in Virginia, Iowa, and Minnesota.
It's important Democrats talk about the inequalities in today's society as it relates to how it comes from the result of the elites taking more and more political power. Trump, Musk, Zuckerberg, and several other prominent figures are the best examples of that right-wing autocratic oligarchic kleptocracy. And how they enrich themselves is also how they screw the rest of us. That is the message Democrats need to beat like a drum, and it is what I bring up regularly on my own posts. We also need a New Deal-esque vision for the 21st century...somehow.
Not true - he’s very reliable and the receipts are there
Yes, Greg Palast has won awards for investigative journalism, and the subject of the movie (voting rights) is important. ArticStone's comments about being sloppy with sources and evidence caught my attention: I am a scientist and those things matter to me. However, I should not have underestimated the significance of his work.
Yeah, it’s all good and I’m glad we’re having the back-and-forth. He really does go into the detail. He is used to doing the freedom of information act request, and the public record act request and if you watch the movie vigilante Inc. I love how he cornered, the woman who had the gall to challenge 32,000 people none of them got notice. None of them knew until they showed up to voteand then they weren’t even offered provisional ballot and so that was focusing on the Georgia race but all over every one of these swing states we need to find out everybody who was purged who tried to vote how they would’ve voted and if they were offered a provisional ballot I mean, we need to have a movement or we will never win again.
A Republican friend of mine sent this to our Rep Dave Schweikert today:
Dave,
What the f**k is wrong? I told you I am the son of a 30 year military officer. My father flew P 51s in Europe in WWII. He spent his life protecting us from the red curtain as a fighter squadron commander. Our family gave our life supporting the USA. How can you stand by and let Trump fire generals who have served our country their whole working career. If this is who you are you will never get my vote again and I will do everything I can to see you and the other Republican cowards out of office. My father gave his life as a fighter squadron commander until retiring. He is rolling in his grave right now.
May this be repeated a millionfold across veterans’ families and the entire electorate. Going in my phone calls today.
I sure wish my LIKE button worked. Thank you.
So agree! The Republican reps. Are cowards, unless and until they stand up against this tyrant maniac
There was some "deer-in-the-headlights" moments as these GOP House members took it on the chin from their constituents at the town halls. That was good to see.
As long as We, the People, expand our pressure they may begin to fear their own voters more than they fear Trump and Musk. Although GOP is still strongly behind the orange boy, when the pain expands directly into their lives... many of them will make noise like the story from Smoot above.
This morning Robert Hubbell had an interesting breakdown of the constituencies that voters belong to. 4th = GOP, 3rd = Dems, 2nd =Ind, 1st = non-voting public. Trump is underwater with the 2nd and 3rd groups. No one even polls the largest group, but they receive government services and pay taxes, and might shift out of the non voter group soon. "Here's Hopium it happens"
Thank you so much for posting this!
From my veteran's org: "Friday night massacre"
"Last night, while most of us were logging off and winding down — eating dinner, watching a movie with the kids, or enjoying an evening out with friends — Trump and Hegseth started purging senior Military officers that they deem insufficiently loyal. We’ve been talking about this for months, and last night it finally began.
They started with the Chair of the Joint Chiefs, General CQ Brown. They followed with Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General James Slife.
But they didn’t stop there.
Trump and Hegseth also purged the Judge Advocates General for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. JAG officers interpret and determine lawful and constitutional orders. Replacing career JAG officers with loyalists is essential to Trump’s overall goal of a Military dedicated not to the Constitution, but to him alone.
I didn’t read about JAG dismissals. Horrific and hopefully a big spur to those teetering on the verge of turning against Trump.
There's a saying our military leaders are very familiar with:
"A commander can be forgiven for being defeated, but NOT for being surprised."
Our leaders were expecting this.
I wasn't surprised either. Hell, I figured it might have already silently happened. The courts will rule against the illegal appointment as another usurpation of congressional authority. Congress makes these laws about replacement of the chairmanship. Then what?
Every day of non-action, is a day the military is further weakened. They are being decapitated while making more contingency plans? Fish or cut bait, the time has arrived.
They’ve told us their plan “Shock and Awe”!
Tragically for America, for NATO and the world, we have a president who rages about the imagined evils of "DEI" in the military – while installing his unqualified DUI hire as Secretary of Defense.
How can they do this??????
I am using your 4 things for what I will do today. Thank you! I also am volunteering for a (D) mayoral candidate in my city and am wearing his campaign t-shirt as I run errands today:-)
Last night’s firings of top military have shaken me more than most anything thus far, behind the obvious white male supremacy goal. Yet this morning, I awoke to lots of emails and with news, but not this 4-alarm fire. No where. I will bet maybe one other person, maybe, on my street knows about this, and i’m on a street with educated, well informed people.
I keep asking myself how we reach the 1/3 of the population who need to know about this and stay informed at least to the point that they vote? They DO care about jobs, kids, health, etc.mi think they have just assumed all would be well enough.
I feel we need a “News on the Corner” approach where the news goes to people rather than people going to the news. We can’t put that little news kid on every corner, but can’t we blanket places with postcard size headlines? Maybe that Walmart shopper finds a few cards in the ladies room, or maybe we out postcards under doormats in low voting neighborhoods, with the short message:
“Late Friday night, President Trump fired 8 superbly qualified top military officials, including the Chair of the Joint Chief of Staff. Trump announced he would replace Gen. C. W. Brown, the first African American Chief, with a lesser rank, retired, less qualified white male, loyal to Trump.
The military’s oath is to the Constitution, not to one person, which is why experts see these firings as dangerous—Trump is installing a military loyal to him alone.
See QR code for unbiased information about this event, and see QR code to be sure you are registered and ready to vote in every election.
Elections matter.
Trump’s pick to replace General Brown as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is Lieutenant General Dan Caine, Air Force. There is only one big problem: Caine is neither qualified nor eligible.
"…according to the U.S. Code, Caine is not eligible to be nominated as he has not "served in any of the positions required by law to serve as Chairman. The U.S. Code states the “President may appoint an officer as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff only if the officer has served as (A) the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; (B) the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the hAir Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, or the Chief of Space Operations; or (C) the commander of a unified or specified combatant command"."
– Lady Emsworth, reader’s comment in the Washington Post
This is correct. Congress will have to grant a waiver in order that "Raisin' Cain" will be accepted.
Is it worth it for us to raise this with our senators?
Absolutely! I’m sure some of them are well aware, but perhaps not everyone.
You can go talk to those neighbors, Cathy, and then at least they will know. The word is seeping out and our job is to amplify and accelerate, even if it's just among our small circle. If we talk about this as well as the price of eggs, it gives others a sense that they are not isolated in their fears, that most of us have these concerns. Every little action has a ripple effect.
And I sent this:
I am the son of a military veteran. My father was a navy veteran who served in WW II. His ship was sunk off of Savo island and went back to war as an officer on a submarine putting his life at great risk. He served his country honorably, unlike Trump, who fraudulenty avoided military service. With that said, I am extremely angry at Trump for firing the chair of the joint chiefs. With that move he dishonors my father's service. There is no rational reason for this firing. Congress should investigate this matter as well as the firing of several adjutant generals who give advise on the legality of military orders. Given Trump's actions which are mostly illegal, I am very concerned he is trying to allow himself to give the military clearly illegal orders with possible dire consequences for our country. We have a democracy not a king. Show some spine.
The felon has no respect for our military personnel. He views them as “suckers and losers “!
My report: On Thursday, after learning that Kash Patel had been confirmed I was nauseous and was shaking.. I took Friday off. My group worked so hard on issues with Department of Justice, Department of Defense, and the nomination of RFK, Jr. to lead Health and Human Services. I'm doing my recurring donations and postcards. All five of us in my group will reorganize and get back to work on Monday.
Here is a link to something Joyce Vance (Civil Discourse) posted this morning. She started a project called "The Democracy Index", which will post every Saturday The Contrarian on Substack. https://contrarian.substack.com/p/the-democracy-index-e1f
This is frightening beyond words. Judges and Senators are receiving death threats. Quote:
"Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman reported this week on Republicans in the Senate: “‘They’re scared shitless about death threats and Gestapo-like stuff,’ a former member of Trump’s first administration tells [Sherman]. According to one source with direct knowledge of the events, North Carolina senator Thom Tillis told people that the FBI warned him about ‘credible death threats’ when he was considering voting against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary"
I agree with Simon: We might not have midterms in 2026. We must work at all levels of government - Federal, State, Local to do what we can. However, at times we must step back, take a walk, close our eyes and meditate, and take many deep breaths.
Keep up the great work Linda! Taking a day every now and then is a good thing. The only way through this mess is to keep going foward. I told me wife last night what my mantra is: only the end of the world is the end of the world and until that point, the future is ours to make it what we want. That's how I approach every day now. Great work by you and your group!
love your mantra, thank you!
Will you be my sponsor?
"We might not have midterms in 2026."
2026 is our nation's 250th birthday. No midterm elections? Fascinating.
"We must work at all levels ... to do what we can."
OK. If we're facing a 2026 without elections (potentially), I'm mystified why the elections we ARE facing in the first half of this year are being treated so dismissively to this point.
House Republicans 217 .... House Democrats 216.
Today is the real birthday of George Washington. Maybe today is the beginning of our Second American Revolution, only this time it’s against fascism. It’s all of us with everything we are doing every day.
I hold with those who consider our Civil War as a second revolution. A chance to right the horrendous wrong of slavery, and to usher in a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Long may it live, as we keep on that path to a more perfect union.
The answer to this rogue fascist regime is not legislative, that's lost It's up to us WE THE PEOPLE!!! If Kings Trump and Musk want to take down the people's republic then come at us
I say that WE THE PEOPLE take his government down by a DEBT STRIKE On the street protests are fine but an ECONOMIC PROTEST would collapse King Trump We need to organize like we did in 1776
Simon comments periodically on them - issue is how to allocate Hopium's resources; he has said he monitors those races and will note if/ when they become cost effective given our relatively limited resources
I have to confess that I do not know what "cost effective" means when conserving resources for 2026 midterms that some here assert -- without kidding -- may not happen.
Thomas, these three House races would require us to spend extraordinary sums of money and we are still likely to lose. If the national Party committees make the decision to go we will go. But at this point I cannot recommend that we put our time and money into races that have such a low probability of success. As I often say here we cannot rush into battle and need to be smart and strategic about what we do. Our election work was very successful in 2023 and 2024 in part because we invested in races where our money and time could make a difference. I also feel like the way you keep repeating my comment about the 2026 elections is becoming a bit belligerent and I would appreciate you toning it down a bit. Thank you.
Hi Simon,
By all means I respect the professional judgement and calculation of where to invest strategic resources. If it doesn’t make strategic sense to go full-bore as a community at any of these three races, are there at least things we can do in the information warrior space that would benefit both the national fanning of the backlash flames and these races?
I for one would be interested in Hopium or one of the pods engaging with at least Blake Gendebien (running in NY-21) to discuss how we can swing the pendulum with farmers. (He is a dairy farmer.) A lot of us who are farmers see farmers 1) voting overwhelmingly for Republicans and 2) being regularly screwed over by Republicans. On paper at least it seems like recruiting this candidate is a smart move not just to try and pull an upset in a special but also try to rebuild the brand in rural America. With everything DOGE is doing to screw farmers, we may have a huge opportunity. Can we give him attention at least even if we reserve fundraising energy for Wisconsin and Virginia?
I am also curious about the caution in conserving financial resources given the massive fundraising in 2024, the big grassroots energy, and the party’s strength with segments of the population that can donate to multiple races at once.
" would require us to spend extraordinary sums of money"
I have never advocated anybody should be spending anything. Her name is Gay Valimont. She's a Democrat, running in FL-1. (That did not cost anything.) My point is that this "community" is not able to say her name, or the name of the other Democrats running, which would be acknowledging them as human beings and Democrats. "Because we can't invest in you, we can't acknowledge that you even exist." That's how it seems to me. Am I wrong?
"the national Party committees"
I have no earthly idea about any of that. Gay is a living person running as a Democrat. I feel for her as a fellow Democrat. I am passionate for her to do well. I'm not going to "tone" that down.
The answer to this rogue fascist regime is not legislative, that's lost It's up to us WE THE PEOPLE!!! If Kings Trump and Musk want to take down the people's republic then come at us
I say that WE THE PEOPLE take his government down by a DEBT STRIKE On the street protests are fine but an ECONOMIC PROTEST would collapse King Trump We need to organize like we did in 1776
Does anyone have suggestions for countering the maga doxxing, death threats etc? Fundraiser for private protection? Anything else?
When I donate to Marc Elias, Democracy Docket, I know I’m
also donating for his security.
ADOLF’s GHOST must be none too pleased...
It now looks like Austria will finally have a new government – a centrist coalition. "Austria's conservative People's Party (ÖVP) and Social Democrats (SPÖ) said on Friday they had widened their talks aimed at forming a coalition government to include the small, liberal Neos Party so as to have a solid majority in parliament."
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/austrian-parties-bring-liberals-board-they-seek-form-government-2025-02-21/
The sane, mainstream political parties are thus set to keep the extreme right-wingers out of power. Although winning the biggest single block in September’s parliamentary elections, Herbert Kickl and his FPÖ, the so-called "Freedom Party", failed in their repeated attempts to build a governing coalition.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78x3klx4rjo
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rdygy5888o
(Note: Austria’s election turnout of 77.3% puts America’s presidential election turnouts to shame – last November it was a dismal 63.7%!)
thanks for posting
Thank you, ArticStones! Thank you, new Austrian coalition!!
An old joke:
"The main objective of Austria’s foreign policy, since World War II, has been to convince the world that Beethoven was Austrian – and Hitler was German."
Not to mention that great Austrian, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Actually, neither nation existed when Wolfgang lived.
Then again, there is Governor Arnie.
The 2024 US Presidential Election was razor thin. Lots of room for Opposition against authoritarianism and towards democracy.
THE MORE DANGEROUS CASE OF DONALD TRUMP 40 PSYCHIATRISTS AND MENTAL HEALTH EXPERTS WARN ANEW
p89
"So, what needs to be done to keep America safe from enemies from within?
... extraordinary times require extraordinary skill in applying the laws and who possess the self-understanding to fight off the twin temptations of complicity or cowardice in the face of fear .."
CALL. Especially for Democrats in Red states. Thank your Representatives.
🔸️Keep calling Attorneys General in the states.
🔸️Keep calling to stop Musk's crime spree and assault on the US government.
🔸️Keep calling your electeds and let them know you are outraged by traitorous Trump's selling out of Zelenskyy, abandonment of Europe and embrace of Putin.
DO MORE, WORRY LESS. Join us on Hopium Chronicles on SubStack.
https://open.substack.com/pub/simonwdc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=280c3q
The answer to this rogue fascist regime is not legislative, that's lost It's up to us WE THE PEOPLE!!! If Kings Trump and Musk want to take down the people's republic then come at us
I say that WE THE PEOPLE take his government down by a DEBT STRIKE On the street protests are fine but an ECONOMIC PROTEST would collapse King Trump We need to organize like we did in 1776
Just a little self-reporting today. I know it's Saturday, but I called my rep and my sens and left messages. Today was imploring all three to make criminal referrals to the DOJ for Musk. I told them that I know it won't go anywhere, but our leaders need to be using the words "illegal actions" when describing Trump and Musk. Let that seep into the general public.
Tomorrow I will do it again. Thanks to all of you who are in this fight with all of us!