[QuickTidal]

In today's edition of "If Obama or Joe Biden did this the MAGA and R's would be melting the fuck down on the news for weeks".....Trump has bulldozed part of the East wing of the White House for his stupid fucking ballroom...I can't even....every single day this man does something that if the democrats did it, you would NEVER hear the end of the screeching. EVERY. GODDAMNED. DAY.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 21 October 2025 - 01:09 PM, said:

In today's edition of "If Obama or Joe Biden did this the MAGA and R's would be melting the fuck down on the news for weeks".....Trump has bulldozed part of the East wing of the White House for his stupid fucking ballroom...I can't even....every single day this man does something that if the democrats did it, you would NEVER hear the end of the screeching. EVERY. GODDAMNED. DAY.

In loosely related news... for anyone who might have missed this:

Quote

No one can imagine a Democratic president suggesting he can s--- on Americans with impunity. That would be a weekslong scandal. Yet reporters tend to shrug when Trump does it, because they accept as true the argument that Republicans are the only legitimate Americans.

[...] It's outrageous for the congressional Republicans to defend the video or pretend they don't know Donald Trump posted it. It's outrageous, moreover, for the press corps to bend over backwards to avoid describing in plain English what everyone can see for themselves.

I mean, "brown liquid"! Jesus God, c'mon.

Trump's nose has been bloodied — and now he's furious - Alternet.org

Hey wait a second... are you sure he's not a Canadian agent? Destroying the White House... seems pretty Canadian.

But seriously---yes, and it's not just the Republicans, it's also much (most?) of the mainstream media.

OTOH there has been a little bit of Republican pushback on the federal gun registry and some other things... enough Senate Republicans have said they're going to vote against Trump's special counsel nominee (after leaked group chats revealed him saying he has a "Nazi streak" and using racial slurs etc.) that he probably won't be confirmed. Four Republican senators even criticized Trump's punitive withholding of funds to blue stataes. Other Republicans are at least worried that Trump's blatant corruption and other Republican ethics scandals will make it very difficult for Republicans to wiin the midterms (without cheating). And Senator Chuck Grassley is insisting on funding the courts despite the government shutdown, probably in part because they've been one of the few checks on Trump's abuses of power (when he deigns to comply... because he doesn't want to seem like too much of a dictator too soon---he wants to slow-boil the frog in shit).

Pro-gun groups accuse AG Pam Bondi of doing what gun owners have long accused Democrats of wanting to do: create a registry of gun owners – AnneLandmanBlog

Republican senators indicate they won't confirm Trump special counsel pick after 'Nazi streak' comments – US politics live

GOP senators condemn Trump's 'punitive' targeting of blue states - Alternet.org

Republicans fear 'growing public backlash' to Trump's corruption will lead to midterm loss - Alternet.org

[Werthead]

The US military buildup in the Caribbean is starting to reach significant levels, with F-35Bs forward-deployed to Puerto Rico, and a Marine ready task force with over 4,000 troops apparently in a higher state of readiness. Three refuelling ships have entered the theatre to enable faster refuelling of US military vessels in the immediate area.

Apparently the Qatar-mediated negotiations have been shut down after Maduro refused to consider any scenario where he resigns before 2031, with the US delegates saying that Maduro is not a legitimate head of state.

There appears to be growing concern in multiple American and South American circles that the US position is that direct American military invention could be imminent, either a decapitation strike on Caracas to take down Maduro (these famously always work with a minimum of collateral damage, of course) or strikes on claimed drug processing facilities on Venezuelan soil which, even if they were not directed against the state, would still be hugely destabilising.

If you want to stop immigrants fleeing from Venezuela, I would submit bombing it back to the stone age might be counter-productive. Tipping Venezuela into the US sphere of influence would allow US forces to be stationed on the border with Colombia, where a lot of drug production takes place (of course). An increase in a US presence in the region would also put forces close to the Panama Canal, which Trump has taken an interest in (though not from a ground attack POV, due to the extreme hostility of terrain in the Darian Gap).

Whomever taught Trump to play Risk really needs to take his board away from him.

This post has been edited by Werthead: 21 October 2025 - 06:48 PM

[Macros]

Its ok, hes buying Pinochet's seat back, South America is safe

[QuickTidal]

I don't think anyone should be surprised...the USA is the most jingoistic nation on the planet. Has been at war for like 235 of its 249 years in existence...and Trump needs a new distraction.

[QuickTidal]

Re: Trump demolishing part of the White House to make room for his stupid throne room ballroom...after saying he would not touch it a few months back...oh, he lied? is it a day that ends in a Y?

Not his first rodeo:

In his very first hotel deal, he was supposed to turn a bunch of stuff over to local NYC museums. He sent in wrecking crews on a Sunday.

By the time an injunction was served, the damage was already done.

And he learned this shit at his fathers knee:

Fred Trump purchased Steeplechase Park, the anchor of Coney Island, in the 1960s. This was a mostly indoor amusement park in a giant pavilion with glass panel walls like a conservatory. It had a lot of fun house attractions that throw people around and into one another like the human roulette wheel, spinning barrels to walk through, and giant multi-story wooden slides. Things you don't see in US parks anymore.

Amid an attempt by locals to get the park landmark status, he quickly threw a "demolition party." He brought out a half dozen bikini clad women for the news cameras and threw bricks through the stained glass "Funny Face" that was the symbol of the park.

The park was zoned for amusement only, but Fred Trump thought that if he demolished the park the city would be forced to rezone it for his low quality housing.

The city never did.

[QuickTidal]

Also if Trump just decided to tear down the whole ass White House....would the Rs' and MAGA just let him do it and defend him for it?

I need to know if THAT'S where we are....

Cause I'm pretty sure it is...

EDIT: Unless it's not obvious...in any normal administration Renovation work on the white house would be done with scaffolding and behind draperies...he WANTED the media and the public to see this destruction level...he wants to gleefully do the most unhinged fucking thing, and then sit back and smirk at his power that no one will stop him like a WWE wrestling villain.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 22 October 2025 - 04:25 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

I'm surprised he's paid for someone to destroy the WH. Like if he told Israel it was full of Gazan children they'd do it for free!

Sorry. Bad joke that sadly gave me a dark chuckle when I saw it earlier...

[QuickTidal]

 Tiste Simeon, on 22 October 2025 - 05:51 PM, said:

I'm surprised he's paid for someone to destroy the WH.

Oh, I just assumed he was going got stiff them on the bill like he's done for the last 99% of his life with contractors.

[Tiste Simeon]

 QuickTidal, on 22 October 2025 - 06:04 PM, said:

 Tiste Simeon, on 22 October 2025 - 05:51 PM, said:

I'm surprised he's paid for someone to destroy the WH.

Oh, I just assumed he was going got stiff them on the bill like he's done for the last 99% of his life with contractors.

Hah good point.

Or, seen as it's likely a lot of the contractors are not white, he'll just have them rounded up by ICE once the work is finished.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

 Tiste Simeon, on 22 October 2025 - 07:14 PM, said:

 QuickTidal, on 22 October 2025 - 06:04 PM, said:

 Tiste Simeon, on 22 October 2025 - 05:51 PM, said:

I'm surprised he's paid for someone to destroy the WH.

Oh, I just assumed he was going got stiff them on the bill like he's done for the last 99% of his life with contractors.

Hah good point.

Or, seen as it's likely a lot of the contractors are not white, he'll just have them rounded up by ICE once the work is finished.

Quote

ICE's new annual budget places the federal agency among the top 20 most well-funded militaries in the world, sitting between Canada, which spent roughly $29.3 billion in 2024, and Turkey, which spent $25 billion last year.

It surpasses the annual military budgets of Iran, Turkey, Spain, Mexico, Iran, and at least 23 countries in the top 40 military spenders

https://www.newsweek...l-trump-2093456

[Macros]

I love how sneaky the Europeans are.
There's about a half a million western Europeans kicking about the states at any given time living illegally, no visas etc, never get caught.
Those silly Mexicans, dont they know how to dodge ICE?

[HoosierDaddy]

They don't really want to catch "those ones." They're the right color.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

USDA Website Blames SNAP Benefits Expiring On [Democrats' Support for] Trans People And Immigrants During Shutdown

[...] the Trump administration will not use emergency funds to pay out SNAP benefits to the millions of Americans who rely on them starting November 1[... which] will lead to millions of people struggling to secure access to food.

[...] In an official notice posted to the USDA website, the administration blamed Democrats for the lapse, accusing them of holding out for "healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures"—a message that scapegoats marginalized groups and, experts warn, may itself violate federal law.

[...] The USDA post is part of a broader pattern: a wave of overtly partisan messages that the Trump administration has published across federal websites in recent weeks. Legal experts warn that such posts may violate multiple federal laws prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds for political purposes, including the Anti-Lobbying Act and the Hatch Act. Politico reports that several Hatch Act complaints have already been filed against the administration. Yet few expect meaningful consequences—Trump's team has repeatedly brushed off legal constraints, asserting near-limitless executive authority to use the machinery of government for partisan ends.

The message comes as experts warn that more than 42 million Americans could lose access to food assistance[...] For many families, opening the USDA website to check on SNAP status now means being met with a partisan message blaming Democrats, immigrants, and transgender people for their hunger.

https://www.erininth...s-snap-benefits

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 28 October 2025 - 01:19 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

Local leaders rush to help, but can't fill massive SNAP void

"This is pretty much a crisis for families," [...] While attorneys general and governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration on Tuesday to try to force it to pay SNAP benefits next month, the administration says it will not release funds until the congressional budget impasse is resolved.

That leaves food banks, food pantries and local governments scrambling to prepare for an onslaught of demand. States are declaring emergencies, deploying National Guard members and sending millions of taxpayer dollars to local food banks. Nonprofits are bracing for long lines, bare shelves and even panic or civic unrest as some 42 million Americans are expected to lose access to the safety net program in a matter of days.

"The enormity of this issue is almost hard to comprehend," [...] "I don't blame anyone who is rushing to their local food [bank] shelf and stocking up because they're afraid they won't be able to feed their families," [...]

The predicament facing nonprofits and local governments is unprecedented: Food stamps have not been disrupted during other government shutdowns. And even the Trump administration previously offered assurance that it would tap into a multiyear contingency fund to continue paying SNAP benefits.

https://penncapital-...sive-snap-void/

Trump administration decided it would be more politically expedient to force people to starve or go to food banks (often run by religious organizations---even in blue cities---so I'd imagine that's even more true in Trump country) in order to cast blame on trans people, immigrants, and Democrats. The combination of starvation and the humiliation of going to food banks fueling resentment and near future violence (whether through ICE / pro-Trump military recruitment or "extra-legal"... because undocumented immigrants are "illegals" but right-wing violence may be extra extra-legal under Trump: not just outside the law, but more legal than the law...).

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

The whole "don't resist violently as it will give them a thin pretext to ramp up authoritarianism" versus "continue to resist peacefully while they ramp up authoritarianism" conundrum makes no sense to me. They're ramping up authoritarianism either way!

I swear this country's history has been so whitewashed.

This post has been edited by Whisperzzzzzzz: 29 October 2025 - 11:23 PM

[Maark Abbott]

"we have to have guns because what if tyranny"
Tyranny happens
"I'll pretend I didn't see that."

[Tsundoku]

Maark Abbott, on 30 October 2025 - 08:45 AM, said:

"we have to have guns because what if tyranny"
Tyranny happens
"I'll pretend I didn't see that."

Because it's the tyranny they wanted. Until they don't. But by then it will be far too late.

[Cause]

Saw this quote on instraggram recently. It seems very apt.

“The concentration camp was never the normal condition for the average gentile German. Unless one were Jewish, or poor and unemployed, or of active leftist persuasion or otherwise openly anti-Nazi, Germany from 1933 until well into the war was not a nightmarish place. All the “good Germans” had to do was obey the law, pay their taxes, give their sons to the army, avoid any sign of political heterodoxy, and look the other way when unions were busted and troublesome people disappeared. Since many “middle Americans” already obey the law, pay their taxes, give their sons to the army, are themselves distrustful of political heterodoxy, and applaud when unions are broken and troublesome people are disposed of, they probably could live without too much personal torment in a fascist state — some of them certainly seem eager to do so. ”



- Michael Parenti, Fascism in a Pinstriped Suit

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

Judge indicates she'll intervene in fight over SNAP food assistance money

The judge said 'we're not going to make everyone drop dead' from hunger as the shutdown drags on

[...] "Right now, Congress has put money in an emergency fund for an emergency, and it's hard for me to understand how this isn't an emergency when there's no money and a lot of people are needing their SNAP benefits," [...] While she indicated from the bench that she was likely to issue a ruling favorable to a group of Democratic attorneys general and governors who sued the administration earlier this week, she acknowledged that benefits, which should start being sent to recipients on November 1, will be delayed.

"We're dealing with the reality that … the benefits aren't going to be there on November 1," [...] If the judge orders the government to use the emergency funds, it will take time for the US Department of Agriculture and states to get their systems up and running again, which means at least some beneficiaries will likely have to wait for the November allotment.

It's also unclear whether recipients will receive their full November benefits since the USDA's contingency fund does not have enough money to cover the entire payments without drawing from other resources.

Judge indicates she'll intervene in fight over SNAP food assistance money | CNN Politics

Hopefully food banks will then be able to make up the difference... both for the initial delay and for the period after.

Quote

"Huge contrast with illegally refusing to make SNAP payments. What we're seeing from the White House is them moving heaven and earth to pay what they want to pay, even if it's illegal — and moving heaven and earth to NOT pay what they don't want to pay, even if it's illegal."

'Outrageous': Top Democrat tears into 'wannabe king' Trump for being 'missing in action' - Alternet.org

Specifically, Trump is illegally misappropriating funds to pay the military:

Quote

Trump's budget team raided three different financial accounts to make sure U.S. troops are paid Friday as the government shutdown continues, White House officials tell Axios.

[...] Democrats and liberal policy experts have accused the president of illegally usurping Congress' powers to appropriate money, but Trump and his congressional allies believe their opponents won't sue over work-arounds to pay the military because it would be too unpopular.

"It is politically tricky," Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) acknowledged to Axios weeks ago after accusing Trump of illegally moving money around.

White House finds 11th-hour shutdown workaround to pay troops — for now - Axios