Trump Presidency

[Incubi]

Are you denying that extreme left exist only extreme right? I'm not sure how to approach that without knowing where you are coming from. I find the Guardian to among the more extreme left publications as the articles there are often using loaded language that try to tell you what to think rather than allow you to determine it yourself.

I'll start with some clarity on my part. When I consider a left to be extreme, it is when the agenda does not align with the cause. Antifa is a good example, this is an antifascist group that is fascist in its execution. They also use violence rather than education and the pursuit of ending ignorance, they prefer to punish it. Using feminism as another example, Feminism is about creating equality for women as its base, it includes a foundation of equality for all races genders and sex. It did not ignore or exclude male issues or polarize men and women. A very important aspect is the fight for the agency and autonomy of all women. And to this I fully support 110% Radical feminism excludes men, polarize the sexes and denies female autonomy and agency. An easy way to witness this is to evaluate the tenets of 4b feminist and see how the world of feminism is currently treating sex positive feminist outside of lesbian feminist and the fact that the term "gold star" lesbian even exist shows a lack of agency in female choices of sexual partners. This is when a leftist cause enters the realm of extremes, and the goal of the cause is lost. Conservatives are losing sight of their goals in a very similar way. Throwing in with extreme groups such as Maga and the Tea party defy their own ideals in exchange for a polarizing agenda. I find myself wondering if there even is any true liberals or conservatives left in the world.

I find it odd how you can acknowledge one without the other.

[fiksal]

No word fighting intended

I am skeptical on the extremes of the left, but let's explore it. And whether the groups you are describing are actually left of anything.

I do not often read Guardian, but I can be on the look out. Do you have a page that stood out as extreme left to you?

If Antifa are left, then it's news to me because I have yet to hear a political leaning or a coherent ideology from the group. At most, the members I have seen, are various flavors of anarchists. I would not define anarchists as Left.

For them to be fascist they need to check a few specific check boxes on how the society needs to be structured, and the government for it. Have they? Isn't anarchy an opposite of fascism?

What are Antifa extreme left views?

With feminism you are using terms I am not familiar, I think I am unfamiliar with where they hang out or that info is spread.

My scepticism is from conservative taking points. Anything they say I have to question automatically if it's real. Usually, it's not. And the scary extreme left is their main one.

Again I have yet to meet any single person who in my face told me of those extremes. (Except for usual Russian speaking Z sympathizers)

Maybe my life is quite sheltered


I could call one group by that label. The extreme left are those that unironically wearing the hammer and sickle. And those don't usually appear in the mass media

[clakclak]

Are you denying that extreme left exist only extreme right? I'm not sure how to approach that without knowing where you are coming from. I find the Guardian to among the more extreme left publications as the articles there are often using loaded language that try to tell you what to think rather than allow you to determine it yourself.

I'll start with some clarity on my part. When I consider a left to be extreme, it is when the agenda does not align with the cause. Antifa is a good example, this is an antifascist group that is fascist in its execution. They also use violence rather than education and the pursuit of ending ignorance, they prefer to punish it. Using feminism as another example, Feminism is about creating equality for women as its base, it includes a foundation of equality for all races genders and sex. It did not ignore or exclude male issues or polarize men and women. A very important aspect is the fight for the agency and autonomy of all women. And to this I fully support 110% Radical feminism excludes men, polarize the sexes and denies female autonomy and agency. An easy way to witness this is to evaluate the tenets of 4b feminist and see how the world of feminism is currently treating sex positive feminist outside of lesbian feminist and the fact that the term "gold star" lesbian even exist shows a lack of agency in female choices of sexual partners. This is when a leftist cause enters the realm of extremes, and the goal of the cause is lost. Conservatives are losing sight of their goals in a very similar way. Throwing in with extreme groups such as Maga and the Tea party defy their own ideals in exchange for a polarizing agenda. I find myself wondering if there even is any true liberals or conservatives left in the world.

I find it odd how you can acknowledge one without the other.

Antifa is not A group, it has not been since the Original Antifa got disbanded and many of its members were sent to the concentration camps.

The guardian is also not a far left publican, it is center left. Far left publicans are newspapers like Jungle World, which is aligned with the Anti-German branch of the Antifa movement (that is the pro Israel part of the far left in the German speaking countries). There are giant differences between the groups who call themselves Antifa today. For example Germany‘s currently ruling party, the SPD, calls itself Antifa. It was the only party to vote against Hitlers enabling act and many of its members were subsequently send to the concentration camps. Yet there are other Antifa groups in Germany today, that a far further to the left than the SPD and not all of them like the SPD. The left wing extremist and Maoist group Jugendwiederstand Berlin would be an example. Throwing all of these groups into one pot is dangerous, because they are not the same and they do not remotely follow the same ideology.


I really don‘t care enough to jump into a discussion about feminism and sexisms at thus point, thus is not the topic for it.

[matthewfarmery]

In other news

Migrant Flights to Guantanamo Begin This Weekend

“The Pentagon expects to send two flights of migrants to Guantanamo Bay this weekend, the first step in President Donald Trump’s plans to use the the base for detaining people swept up in his crackdown on illegal immigration,” Politico reports.

How can this be even legally justified? They are using that base as a concentration camp, I wonder how many other bases will be converted for this? how well will these migrants be treated? Its sickening that America has swooped down to this level. And where will it end?

Edit

This is getting very dark indeed

https://x.com/GregTSargent/status/18854 ... 06224?mx=2

Musk is trying to gain access to the gov payment system, if he has control of that, he could just turn things off at a drop of a hat. I'm telling you, this guy has way more power then he should. Now the key question is, is this ordered by Trump or not? as they are really going into the extremes of their powers. Dark days are coming, and the concentration camp/s are just the beginning.

edit 2

This has to be both make you laugh, and cringe at the same time.

The press secretary response to Canada turning off electricity to the US. What a bloody stupid response

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/ ... 593048.amp

Edit 3

More Trump madness

Acting on Trump’s order, federal officials opened up two California dams

https://x.com/JonLemire/status/1885519717806281091

So when that water is needed, there won't be any, what a clown show this is turning out to be.

Edit 4

Musk Aides Lock Federal Workers Out of Computer System

“Aides to Elon Musk charged with running the U.S. government human resources agency have locked career civil servants out of computer systems that contain the personal data of millions of federal employees,” Reuters reports.

Said one official: “We have no visibility into what they are doing with the computer and data systems. That is creating great concern. There is no oversight. It creates real cybersecurity and hacking implications.”

More madness.

From Raw Story:

"Musk demands that his team work overnight and 80-hour weeks to find all of the necessary cuts, violating federal labor laws unless a worker is paid overtime. However, it's unclear whether Musk or American taxpayers are paying those workers.

Musk had sofa beds brought into the OPM office on Jan. 20, the day Trump took office, to ensure his personal team could work non-stop. The area can only be accessed with a special security badge or a security escort, an OPM employee said."

Musk is doing a lot of damage, this isn't going to go well. and there already been one plane crash involving a black hawk helicopter, and Trump went ballistic over trans and DEI. But from what I seen, other planes have come down recently. All in all, with the above, its going to do even more damage. More federal workers will get the axe. and more key areas will lose employees that are key to different areas of employment. By the end of this, Musk is going to take a hacksaw to the fed government and cripple it.

And that will only leave America in a weak position.

[chew-ie]

In other news

Migrant Flights to Guantanamo Begin This Weekend

“The Pentagon expects to send two flights of migrants to Guantanamo Bay this weekend, the first step in President Donald Trump’s plans to use the the base for detaining people swept up in his crackdown on illegal immigration,” Politico reports.

How can this be even legally justified? They are using that base as a concentration camp, I wonder how many other bases will be converted for this? how well will these migrants be treated? Its sickening that America has swooped down to this level.

It's basically fascists playbook at [heavy] work. There needs to be a scapegoat, and there need to be a lot of ratcatching to hunt that scapegoat. The way things unfold in the US this scapegoat is a double-helix consisting of DEI and immigrants. The first deportation center is now open for the latter (the picked location - quite a thing in itself), the first campaigns to hunt DEI are on. And the ratcatching worked so far: [some] people are cheering, welcoming those "changes". They even managed to turn that into an intrinsic whish of the people to go against DEI themselves. As in an angry mob waiting to escalate. The mindset is shaped, the "enemy" is clear as day.

I'd be curious what their ancestors who fought on D-Day (and all the other battlegrounds against Nazi Germany) would say if those people cheering to MAGA would be able to write them the "good news from home" via timetravel.

And where will it end?

If further left unchecked we've a pretty good example in history.

I still have hope that "someone" in the US will finally form a protest movement. With all the laughing about the "gullible US" we do know that not all of the US are MAGA.

[matthewfarmery]

The warning from history wasn't learned by America. and history is very much quickly repeating itself. I don't see a good end to this. and its only going to get worse. Musk will do a lot of damage. But still, is this on Trump's orders or his own?

Oh may god

[According to a report from The Federal News Network out a half hour ago, at a meeting this morning Trump administration officials told staff of the Office of Personnel Management to prepare plans for a 70% cut in staff and programs at the agency. Agency executive were tasked with working over the weekend to prepare plans for the 70% staffing cut with final plans ready no later than Monday. Remember that OPM is essentially the HR department for the federal government – covering not only the immediate mechanics of employment but administering retirement and health care benefits as well as other programs. OPM is the source of those ‘resignation’ emails and it’s the agency which appears to be most directly under the control of people working at the direction of Elon Musk.

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/manageme ... ams//quote]

The damage will be extreme. Musk is clearly taking a hacksaw to the government system. This kind of thing will only cripple America and goodness knows what more damage Musk is planning.

Edit

Senior U.S. official to exit after rift with Musk allies over payment system

Source: Washington Post

January 31, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. EST

The highest-ranking career official at the Treasury Department is departing after a clash with allies of billionaire Elon Musk over access to sensitive payment systems, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private talks. ......................................
.............................................
Typically only a small number of career officials control Treasury’s payment systems. Run by the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, the sensitive systems control the flow of more than $6 trillion annually to households, businesses and more nationwide. Tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people across the country rely on the systems, which are responsible for distributing Social Security and Medicare benefits, salaries for federal personnel, payments to government contractors and grant recipients and tax refunds, among tens of thousands of other functions.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... t-systems/

You know what this means, the US economy will hit the floor. Things will be a total meltdown.

But then again, maybe this should happen, and make America wake up to the madness. I just hope that they do, but sadly, I don't see much hope, before things really do spiral out of control.

Edit

worth a look, again, how can this be even legal? Trump is changing the legal system as we know it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ1HWDhLOoQ

Edit

I just want to add, Trump is doing Hitler’s playbook, by destroying the checks and balances, America is no longer a democracy, but a full blown dictatorship. This is a full on attack to everything that America holds dear. And its being ripped up. And the constitution is now offically dead in the water.

Congrats America, you really have done yourself proud, I hope you finally understand what is happening, and what it;s like to be a full blown dictatorship. Now the world will watch in horror as more and more checks and balances are destroyed.

I weep for mankind. Unless this is stooped by congress, I only see dark days. But the FBI will be the American Gestapo, Either this will lead to a civil war, or a full blown war with Trump declaring war on another country for more land. We are rapidly getting close to that.

[clakclak]

A story in two headlines:

Headline 1: Exclusive: Musk aides lock government workers out of computer systems at US agency, sources say

Headline 2: ELON MUSK’S DOGE WANTS ACCESS TO THE TREASURY’S PAYMENT SYSTEMS: REPORT

Someone is about to turn America into his personal piggy bank.

Short update to this. Elon Musks team now has full access to the treasury payment system. Soon he might able to not only access the system, but revoke access to federal employees like he did in other agencies. When that happens Musk will be solely in control of the U.S. treasury.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/us/p ... ystem.html

[matthewfarmery]

So the trade wars begins, and this will only impact the world economy. This will not bring prices down. But Trump is quite mad. Things will only escalate from here.

@Observe

Well, what is your take on Musk? You defended him for a while now, and kept on insisting he not in a government job. But here we have him and his cronies who now have access to the fed payment system. Musk will use that for his own ends, millions will not get paid. There is no telling on the amount of damage he will do with this level of access. And you don't give an advisor access to this system. So what is your take?

---------------

So far, the head of the FBI has resisted firing of the staff, but I don't see how long that will last, as the head of the FBI will soon be fired himself. and once the changes become into effect, expect the new FBI to target not just the FBI, but all those that opposed Trump. And that will not go down peacefully. Trump will give them orders to do whatever is neccessary to remove his rivals, even if that means bloodshed.

So much for America's check and balances, and the rule of law. like I said, the constitution has been shredded.

Edit

You know, Musk could very well stop SS/Medicare payments, if that happens, there will be riots in the street. I got this idea from another site, but I wouldn't put it past Musk if this is his game plan. what they couldn't achieve through the courts and the EO, Musk can now do at a drop of a hat. Which means, this will effect a whole lot of people.

[chew-ie]

Trump warns his minions that there will be pain.

Donald Trump has said that Americans may feel economic “pain” from his tariffs on key trading partners.

Kind of hilarious - getting voted because of lies RE making everything better. And by antagonizing two direct neighbours simultaniously doing the exact opposite both long and midterm. And still no one objects. One has to love the human brain.

[matthewfarmery]

Trump doesn't care at this point, especailly if his magrat army feels this pain too. As he is very much above the law. His madness will only hurt a lot of people in the long run.

I think it's clear now, that old man demented Trump has lost his mind. attacking Canada with tariffs will not go down well. and will only give China and Russia more power. Trump is destroying America from within. Unless Trump is stopped, things will only escalate. Then again, he only ran to stay out of prison. this is poor bloody revenge.

Edit
If Trump wants a war, he will be getting a war

Canadian Labour Congress calls for massive retaliation against US tarrifs, including full cutoff of electricity, critical minerals, and O&G. Also demanded are matching tariffs, worker support programs, and diversification away from US economy.

If this is what's being demanded in the open, I'm curious the extent union labour in strategic sectors might put on their wooden shoes. Dumping of American goods in Canadian ports seems very plausible.

Trump is bloody clueless. But this is revenge for him, and his demented mind.

Edit 2

I suspect that the markets will take a big hit, and the economy will start to nose dive. Trump loves the markets, so if things do go down, it will probably hurt his ego. But then again, at this point, he probably doesn't care.

Edit 3

What a stupid remark from a stupid man
https://bsky.app/profile/maks23.bsky.so ... 76sop3yc2e

[matthewfarmery]

This is a screenshot of a reddit post I found from another source. its well worth the read

https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/f4 ... fa398b.png

to sum it up, republicans only have a 4 seat majority in the house. If things go as bad as I suspect it might, then those people with either be forced to stand up to Trump or lose their seat. This might be some hope that there might be an impeachment. But then again, it will have to go through the senate as well.

But still, Trump and Musk are clearly operating outside the law. But I still fear things will only get worse before they get better.

Anyway, the reddit post is worth reading. I think tomorrow will be the make or break.

[matthewfarmery]

BREAKING

So, another dumb shit move by Trump, he has signed an EO to ground all female military pilots from flying. Saying that men are superior.

The stupidity, wordless, but he is really coming out in force with his racist views. That will hurt the military no end. Shear madness. Putin will be laughing his socks off.

[chew-ie]

A real shame he didn't do that before the election...

[mr.WHO]

It will be crazy 2 years untill next midterms.

[Observe]

So the trade wars begins, and this will only impact the world economy. This will not bring prices down.

It won't bring prices down, but it will favor companies who produce domestically. Those who depend on imports and exports, might be in trouble. This is fine with me, as I've long been in favor of reducing dependency on foreign products and resources. "Made in America" used to be a thing. Now, it's hard to find anything that is made here.

@Observe. Well, what is your take on Musk? You defended him for a while now, and kept on insisting he not in a government job. But here we have him and his cronies who now have access to the fed payment system.

Nothing wrong with the DOGE team having access to the fed payment system. It is necessary for them to be able to see and understand where all the money is going. Is this a case of the fox guarding the hen house, or is Musk merely the rooster and the foxes are already entrenched in the government?

Government is rarely known for using money or resources wisely. People are often envious of someone having a government job. Health and retirement benefits are great, you generally don't have to worry about being fired, no hurry to do anything and no concern about competition. For some, a rather cushy job. I've seen the same kind of thing happening in some of the big, old private companies. You get a bunch of old-timers sandbagging their time to retirement. They lose their cutting edge. They become complacent.

You know, Musk could very well stop SS/Medicare payments, if that happens, there will be riots in the street.

Not going to happen. Most of SS/Medicare payments end up flowing back into the economy, so it doesn't make sense to interfere with that. Besides, as you say, there would be riots to say the least.

I'll repeat. I don't like Trump. I have voted Democrat all my life, except for this time. I am tired of Musk and his constant antics. Nevertheless, the cage of government desperately needs to be shaken and shaken hard. Trump and Musk seem to be doing just that. I will probably disagree vehemently with 80% of what Trump says and does. However, things are so bad, that drastic changes are required, and Democrats are currently asleep at the wheel.

[matthewfarmery]

I'm guessing the markets will tumble tomorrow, but Trump will blame the dems and the DEI for the fall. But some are suspecting we will see another great depression. and it will be far worse then 1.0.

[matthewfarmery]

But the problem is, even those in charge of the fed payment system had no idea what Musk;s aids were doing, they could very well have downloaded a huge amount of data to sell to an unknown country. Plus lets not forget, he is unelected official. he should not have that clearance, or Musk's cronies for that matter. I think you are underestimating the damage Musk will do, on top of the other changes. And this trade war will not bring down prices, Canada and Mexico will retalilate with even worse.

For example, Canada supplies electricity to the USA, how if this trade war going to help, if thousands lose power? What Trump and Musk are doing is shear madness. Besides, there was zero reason for these tariffs, ZERO. But here we have a man who is totally out of his mind. I'm telling you, this isn't going to end well. And America will feel the pain.

[Observe]

Besides, there was zero reason for these tariffs, ZERO.

The claim is that imposition of tariffs on Canada and Mexico, will force those countries to put more efforts into stopping illegal border crossings and force them to also do more to prevent fentanyl and illegal drugs coming into the US. Apparently, Trump things that those two countries are not doing enough in these regards. Trump also complains that those two countries have unfair trade practices. I don't know anything much about that.

Trump wants to see conservative governments in Mexico and Canada. He may think that these actions will cause Canadians to reject liberals and vote in leaders more in line with his views. Canadians already seem to be on the cusp of rejecting liberals, so probably there is no outside encouragement needed. I'm guessing the next PM of Canada will fit in very well with Trump and company.

[matthewfarmery]

So Musk has given an 18 year old access to personal data, amongst other things. This link shows what in part Musk has done.

https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/01/31/s ... two-weeks/

seriously, he should not have this power, you said yourself he is an unelected person, and advisor. then how the hell does he have access to key systems that need security clearance? There is no telling the damage he will do.

Sources within the federal government tell WIRED that the highest ranks of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)—essentially the human resources function for the entire federal government—are now controlled by people with connections to Musk and to the tech industry. Among them is a person who, according to an online résumé, was set to start college last fall.

According to the same sources, other people at the top of the new OPM food chain include two people with apparent software engineering backgrounds, whom WIRED is not naming because of their ages.

How can this be even allowed? Who are these people? do they have security clearance? I doubt it. and what else are they up too? Sorry, but this is wrong on so many levels.

[matthewfarmery]

Two senior security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were threatened with arrest and then put on leave after refusing to let Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access systems at the agency.

https://www.rawstory.com/elon-musk-usaid/

You call that justified? as I sure don't.

Edit

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) appears to be beside himself over this destruction. “Let me explain why the total destruction of USAID…matters so much,” he posted on social media. “China—where Musk makes his money—wants USAID destroyed. So does Russia. Trump and Musk are doing the bidding of Beijing and Moscow. Why?”

“The U.S. is in full retreat from the world,” he wrote, and there is “no good reason for it. The immediate consequences of this are cataclysmic. Malnourished babies who depend on U.S. aid will die. Anti-terrorism programs will shut down and our most deadly enemies will get stronger. Diseases that threaten the U.S. will go unabated and reach our shores faster. And China will fill the void. As developing countries will now ONLY be able to rely on China for help, they will cut more deals with Beijing to give them control of ports, critical mineral deposits, etc. U.S. power will shrink. U.S. jobs will be lost.” Murphy speculated that “billionaires like Musk who make $ in China” or “someone buying all that secret Trump meme coin” would benefit from deliberately sabotaging eighty years of U.S. goodwill on the international stage.

It's clear to me that Musk is doing all that he can to bring down the government, its just that congress and the American people still seem to be asleep at the wheel. What Musk is doing is just an outrage. and he needs to be stopped.

Edit 2

The DOGE personnel, who do not officially work for the U.S. government, demanded access and then threatened to call U.S. Marshalls.

"Three of the sources said the DOGE personnel wanted to gain access to security systems and personnel files. Two of those sources said also they wanted access to classified information," CNN reported.'

So DODGE don't work for the US officially, demands access to sensitive information, to me that smells like treason. how can that be again be justified?

Plus, DODGE isn't even a government agency, they should not have the power to do anything like this.