Thank you Greg. I read all of the transcript. I have always loved and appreciated your writing. It always feels like I am sitting across from you at the ' diner ' and we are just having a conversation between friends.
I'm just about out of the shock and awe state.."I'm a nervous broad " ( lifted from Klute - Jane Fonda ) so, even though I knew a blow was coming it still left me in shock. I am grateful for your endless work in always helpful us to PREVAIL.
Thanks, StacyO. I think we were all shocked, even we who knew better what to expect, and while it's been disappointing to see how the Dems had zero plan for this, it;'s also heartening to see people fighting back. Sand in the gears. Always sand in the gears.
Exactly Lisbeth, get on the horn and let all of your elected representatives, including your attorney general know your disdain for the coup that’s being waged against our republic!! Thanks Greg!!
This blessed patch, our USA has prospered to the point that our 6% of the plant’s population produces more goods and services (and pollution) than any other patch with way more massive population. More prosperous people too.
I believe that it is not because of American ’exceptionalism,’ but rather it is due to exceptional Government.
Congress and the court will get going and re-assert their authority and power. The breaks will be applied. No king for us. Trump et al will be disappointed.
Keep on Greg. Love your hard work and brains. Whatta combo.
Thank you for the reminder: ‘remember we can only do what we can do, and it’s okay to give yourself breaks, it’s okay to think about something else’. 🙏🏼
Years ago, Philip Agee came to speak on campus, to urge students to reject CIA recruitment efforts on moral grounds. They are known to recruit primarily straight-A students at the "Ivy+" schools. My question for him was that if good people don't go into intelligence work, wouldn't that shape the cadre to amoral or immoral people? He didn't have a good answer for that.
Great point! I'm hardly an expert, but from what I've seen, those agencies are staffed in the whole by smart, patriotic, brave Americans -- the best of us. The CIA stuff, a lot of it is myth...certainly at this point.
I have a question Greg, are we experiencing a State Capture? When oligarchs take over a state using the states own laws to open the doors to full corruption? This happened in Turkey in 2002, Bulgaria, South Africa (Gupta family), Latin countries, and other countries. The common thread in all of these State Captures is Russia. As you stated, shutting down the AID department is right out of Viktor Orban's playbook. Shitpants just stopped all investigations into Russian Oligarchs. The Russians followed the yellow brick road and landed in OZ, USA.
In regards to our Democratic leaders, ( with a few exceptions) it appears they're showing their neoliberal souls. The fuckwad, narcissistic, functionally illiterate Republicans gave them the "how we are going to this" handbook. They had no game plan. But, yet, the dirtbags are hitting me up for money. I messaged back that they should dip in their stock portfolios and their Citizens United Bank accounts. Citizens United, who thought of that name? I'm disgusted with the whole neoliberal, dysfunctional, toxic system of bullshit. Hope feels like a luxury.
I don't know if it's fully captured yet, but it's certainly writhing around in the trunk of the car trying to undo the duct tape.
The fundraising emails make me furious...and, I mean, I unsubscribed right after the election when they immediately gave up. Money is better spent elsewhere, on the legal challenges and etc.
With that said, some of the pols are leading. AOC. God bless her.
Coming to you live, 6 ft. from a MAGA's thought process: Being co-founders of, and grantwriters for a non-profit, we both know what USAID is. My opinion: OMG. People are gonna starve/die, world is gonna hate us, bad guys'll take over. Her opinion: USAID has been doing some really awful stuff (cites absurd examples.) It's just temporary, until He fixes it.
Next topic: Musk takes control of Treasury payments, Congressman Jeffries says his GOP peers have been told to end Medicare-as-we-know-it. Me: They could stop Soc. Security, Medicare and maybe PBGC (agency that shells out pennies on the dollar from pensions terminated by evil GOP-Oligarch alliances). Her: (Side-eyes me with utter disgust as I continue to fail English comprehension) He SAID He's not going to touch Social Security and Medicare.
Next topic: Me: (Trying ever-so-delicately to broach any Rump-related subject, hoping desperately for any sign of daylight...) Her: Screams; rants in rabid Klingonese; grabs my shoulder (leaves bruise); shakes me; demands to know why I've changed, listened to libruhls, lost my mind; stomps away. Returns next day as if, other than her having heroically to endure my insanity, not a thing is wrong in the world.
Rinse, repeat.
Synopsis of scenes: She is not troubled by any of this madness but THINKS HE IS DOING A GOOD JOB.
After years of the above, I say again (or as we in aviation request when comm is garbled, "Words twice": We will get nowhere by continually convincing each other, playing by the legal/govt rules (suing, depending on judges and Congress, etc.), trying to talk sense into Rump voters, etc. Condition RED. Essentials: anti-brainwashing experts and rapid action.
This is an alternate reality that the right wing has created over the last 40+ years. We need to break into that reality. I haven't heard any good solutions yet, but there has to be a way.
The thing that worries me the most is that when the MAGA voters start to feel the pain of this, the right wing will convince them that it was Biden and the Deep State's fault.
She really left a bruise? I could feel it, viscerally, when she grabbed your shoulder. I know the type.
In my experience with these people, they constantly move the goalposts, so even if you say something they know is right, they just change the subject. "Sure, but what about..." And it never ends. The inability to stay with a coherent thought line is a symptom of our Twitterian Age.
Good on you for TRYING to get through. Who knows, one day she may just change sides and pretend she was with you all along. They do that, too.
Greg, if only they had bothered to follow what was happening in the UK from 2006 when Russian dissents were dropping dead like flies. The most known case was Alexander Litvinenko who was murdered slowly with Polonium 210 in his tea. I was living then in London. Followed every agonizing day. At one of my literary lunches I met the person who published Alexander’s book. Death of a Dissident by Alex Goldfarb and Marina Litvinenko. It was the most detailed warning to the West, specifically the US, of what he was going to do. He gave us Putin’s playbook for f**k’s sake!! From then on 3 other oligarchs were poisoned for disagreeing with Putin. See why the GOP is terrified or spineless to do the right thing and save our country? Once Elon Musk entered the picture I knew it was mission accomplished. Many MI5 spooks wrote books with same warnings. NO ONE CARED!!
Thanks for that, Rusalka. I think most people, and certainly most Americans, are incapable of imagining something that hasn't happened yet. That's why Trump can, for example, cut the pandemic response team in 2019. Hey, what have they done? Extrapolating into the future is hard mental work, especially when almost our entire media and entertainment complex wants them not to. I don't know if that's a failure on the part of our education, or just a flaw in human nature that the bad guys are exploiting. It's a lack of imagination. And I don't know how to solve that.
Ooh I like this! Soon as I warm back up I'll listen to you while sanding my driveway. The wind is blasting out there! See you tonight if I manage to stay awake long enough...
My firm opinion is that Musk needs to be subpoenaed to sit in front of the House Oversight Committee and explain what the FUCK he's been doing for the past few weeks in OUR government computers, accessing information that previously could only be seen by very few while inside a SCIF. (And now that you mention it, Greg, for WHOM? His actions seem less about Donald Trump and the DOGE, than about amassing power and inside information. Why would the "world's richest man," be lowering himself to doing "government work?" What's in it for him? What does the information inside the Treasury computers DO for him?) The subpoena should have NO wiggle room. He shows up or is arrested and brought to Congress by Federal Marshalls (preferably in chains), if that's what it takes. Who does this guy think he is? Whatever he thinks, he's NOT.
He’s got the permission of the bully that has the power. So he has the power. He’s already got the money, so after power, action. Revenge first, Nazi history tells what will come next…
Oh, I'd LOVE to see that, but it is never happening. It's not a real agency, so why should he appear? And the last eight years have already established that there are no consequences for blowing off subpoenas...certainly not when Donald can dole out pardons.
He wants to BE the Doge, the oligarch prince who ruled Venice. But somebody needs to throw his pasty ass off the gondola of state.
But yes: he's there for his benefit, and the benefit of our enemies. He doesn't help anyone here. He has, what, 400 billion? He's done precious little with that in terms of charitable work. That shows you who he is.
I’m not giving up. My hope is “the people” will wake from their stunned state and push back hard. All of my family are in U.S. I’m outspoken and do everything I can but am an American Canadian.
I feel ya Greg. Not sure what to do at this point. It’s tax time and I’m overseas so I think I’ll ask for an extension and see what happens in the meantime. Things I’m certain will only get worse. Very pessimistic at this point.
One more thing, I found this little tidbit in another newsletter, “What if DOGE gets into the wrong computer system”; that system of The National Nuclear Security Administration. It’s a gift article so I hope it opens for you.
I filed for an extension. But, a caveat: my accountant said that the extension only applies to the documents, not the cash, so if you owe anything, it's still due when it's due. Just FYI.
Thank you Greg. I read all of the transcript. I have always loved and appreciated your writing. It always feels like I am sitting across from you at the ' diner ' and we are just having a conversation between friends.
I'm just about out of the shock and awe state.."I'm a nervous broad " ( lifted from Klute - Jane Fonda ) so, even though I knew a blow was coming it still left me in shock. I am grateful for your endless work in always helpful us to PREVAIL.
Love, StacyO 💕
Thanks, StacyO. I think we were all shocked, even we who knew better what to expect, and while it's been disappointing to see how the Dems had zero plan for this, it;'s also heartening to see people fighting back. Sand in the gears. Always sand in the gears.
TGIF🎉🎉🎉Call your Senators and urge them to vote no on Patel.
Exactly Lisbeth, get on the horn and let all of your elected representatives, including your attorney general know your disdain for the coup that’s being waged against our republic!! Thanks Greg!!
He's the last man standing. All the other dregs of humanity are in. Ugh.
OMG! The sky is falling.
This blessed patch, our USA has prospered to the point that our 6% of the plant’s population produces more goods and services (and pollution) than any other patch with way more massive population. More prosperous people too.
I believe that it is not because of American ’exceptionalism,’ but rather it is due to exceptional Government.
Congress and the court will get going and re-assert their authority and power. The breaks will be applied. No king for us. Trump et al will be disappointed.
Keep on Greg. Love your hard work and brains. Whatta combo.
I agree, Bill, ultimately...I think there are too many people, too spread out, who don't like or want what these assholes are selling.
Thank you for the reminder: ‘remember we can only do what we can do, and it’s okay to give yourself breaks, it’s okay to think about something else’. 🙏🏼
I mean, it IS Super Bowl weekend...
This video really helped me to be calm enough to eat breakfast:
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19ykCJ1v6M/?mibextid=oFDknk
Thanks, MaryPat...but you have to warn us when Bannon's big leprous face is going to appear on a screen. ; )
Years ago, Philip Agee came to speak on campus, to urge students to reject CIA recruitment efforts on moral grounds. They are known to recruit primarily straight-A students at the "Ivy+" schools. My question for him was that if good people don't go into intelligence work, wouldn't that shape the cadre to amoral or immoral people? He didn't have a good answer for that.
Great point! I'm hardly an expert, but from what I've seen, those agencies are staffed in the whole by smart, patriotic, brave Americans -- the best of us. The CIA stuff, a lot of it is myth...certainly at this point.
Thank You, Greg!
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/18KMyXnevR/?mibextid=oFDknk
Thank you, Mary Pat!
I love Colbert.
I have a question Greg, are we experiencing a State Capture? When oligarchs take over a state using the states own laws to open the doors to full corruption? This happened in Turkey in 2002, Bulgaria, South Africa (Gupta family), Latin countries, and other countries. The common thread in all of these State Captures is Russia. As you stated, shutting down the AID department is right out of Viktor Orban's playbook. Shitpants just stopped all investigations into Russian Oligarchs. The Russians followed the yellow brick road and landed in OZ, USA.
In regards to our Democratic leaders, ( with a few exceptions) it appears they're showing their neoliberal souls. The fuckwad, narcissistic, functionally illiterate Republicans gave them the "how we are going to this" handbook. They had no game plan. But, yet, the dirtbags are hitting me up for money. I messaged back that they should dip in their stock portfolios and their Citizens United Bank accounts. Citizens United, who thought of that name? I'm disgusted with the whole neoliberal, dysfunctional, toxic system of bullshit. Hope feels like a luxury.
Trump believes he owns the US and plans on owning all of the planets, Earth and Mars!
How many of the planets can he name, and will he Make Pluto Planetary Again?
I don't know if it's fully captured yet, but it's certainly writhing around in the trunk of the car trying to undo the duct tape.
The fundraising emails make me furious...and, I mean, I unsubscribed right after the election when they immediately gave up. Money is better spent elsewhere, on the legal challenges and etc.
With that said, some of the pols are leading. AOC. God bless her.
I’ve hugely appreciated your persistent and astute investigations into the Putin/Trump plans for treason. Thank you..
Thanks so much, Lisa.
Coming to you live, 6 ft. from a MAGA's thought process: Being co-founders of, and grantwriters for a non-profit, we both know what USAID is. My opinion: OMG. People are gonna starve/die, world is gonna hate us, bad guys'll take over. Her opinion: USAID has been doing some really awful stuff (cites absurd examples.) It's just temporary, until He fixes it.
Next topic: Musk takes control of Treasury payments, Congressman Jeffries says his GOP peers have been told to end Medicare-as-we-know-it. Me: They could stop Soc. Security, Medicare and maybe PBGC (agency that shells out pennies on the dollar from pensions terminated by evil GOP-Oligarch alliances). Her: (Side-eyes me with utter disgust as I continue to fail English comprehension) He SAID He's not going to touch Social Security and Medicare.
Next topic: Me: (Trying ever-so-delicately to broach any Rump-related subject, hoping desperately for any sign of daylight...) Her: Screams; rants in rabid Klingonese; grabs my shoulder (leaves bruise); shakes me; demands to know why I've changed, listened to libruhls, lost my mind; stomps away. Returns next day as if, other than her having heroically to endure my insanity, not a thing is wrong in the world.
Rinse, repeat.
Synopsis of scenes: She is not troubled by any of this madness but THINKS HE IS DOING A GOOD JOB.
After years of the above, I say again (or as we in aviation request when comm is garbled, "Words twice": We will get nowhere by continually convincing each other, playing by the legal/govt rules (suing, depending on judges and Congress, etc.), trying to talk sense into Rump voters, etc. Condition RED. Essentials: anti-brainwashing experts and rapid action.
This is an alternate reality that the right wing has created over the last 40+ years. We need to break into that reality. I haven't heard any good solutions yet, but there has to be a way.
The thing that worries me the most is that when the MAGA voters start to feel the pain of this, the right wing will convince them that it was Biden and the Deep State's fault.
Until they feel the painful consequences of their actions, nothing will change. It's like dealing with chronic alcoholics.
And even then. Covid didn't do it. Covid! What on earth will?
They surely will, and Dems will say no, you did it. Like the playground bullies, aggression, accusation, and repeat
So disappointing, all of it.
A plague didn't cut through it. People, MAGA people, were on ventilators dying in droves and they didn't wake up to reality.
It's all Biden's fault, of course. That's all we'll hear for four years. And these assholes will eat it up.
She really left a bruise? I could feel it, viscerally, when she grabbed your shoulder. I know the type.
In my experience with these people, they constantly move the goalposts, so even if you say something they know is right, they just change the subject. "Sure, but what about..." And it never ends. The inability to stay with a coherent thought line is a symptom of our Twitterian Age.
Good on you for TRYING to get through. Who knows, one day she may just change sides and pretend she was with you all along. They do that, too.
Greg, if only they had bothered to follow what was happening in the UK from 2006 when Russian dissents were dropping dead like flies. The most known case was Alexander Litvinenko who was murdered slowly with Polonium 210 in his tea. I was living then in London. Followed every agonizing day. At one of my literary lunches I met the person who published Alexander’s book. Death of a Dissident by Alex Goldfarb and Marina Litvinenko. It was the most detailed warning to the West, specifically the US, of what he was going to do. He gave us Putin’s playbook for f**k’s sake!! From then on 3 other oligarchs were poisoned for disagreeing with Putin. See why the GOP is terrified or spineless to do the right thing and save our country? Once Elon Musk entered the picture I knew it was mission accomplished. Many MI5 spooks wrote books with same warnings. NO ONE CARED!!
Thanks for that, Rusalka. I think most people, and certainly most Americans, are incapable of imagining something that hasn't happened yet. That's why Trump can, for example, cut the pandemic response team in 2019. Hey, what have they done? Extrapolating into the future is hard mental work, especially when almost our entire media and entertainment complex wants them not to. I don't know if that's a failure on the part of our education, or just a flaw in human nature that the bad guys are exploiting. It's a lack of imagination. And I don't know how to solve that.
Ooh I like this! Soon as I warm back up I'll listen to you while sanding my driveway. The wind is blasting out there! See you tonight if I manage to stay awake long enough...
Thanks, Meemaw!
My firm opinion is that Musk needs to be subpoenaed to sit in front of the House Oversight Committee and explain what the FUCK he's been doing for the past few weeks in OUR government computers, accessing information that previously could only be seen by very few while inside a SCIF. (And now that you mention it, Greg, for WHOM? His actions seem less about Donald Trump and the DOGE, than about amassing power and inside information. Why would the "world's richest man," be lowering himself to doing "government work?" What's in it for him? What does the information inside the Treasury computers DO for him?) The subpoena should have NO wiggle room. He shows up or is arrested and brought to Congress by Federal Marshalls (preferably in chains), if that's what it takes. Who does this guy think he is? Whatever he thinks, he's NOT.
He’s got the permission of the bully that has the power. So he has the power. He’s already got the money, so after power, action. Revenge first, Nazi history tells what will come next…
Can we fast forward to the part in the bunker, please?
Oh, I'd LOVE to see that, but it is never happening. It's not a real agency, so why should he appear? And the last eight years have already established that there are no consequences for blowing off subpoenas...certainly not when Donald can dole out pardons.
He wants to BE the Doge, the oligarch prince who ruled Venice. But somebody needs to throw his pasty ass off the gondola of state.
But yes: he's there for his benefit, and the benefit of our enemies. He doesn't help anyone here. He has, what, 400 billion? He's done precious little with that in terms of charitable work. That shows you who he is.
I think Putin is likely giggling with glee :-(
Sigh.
I’m not giving up. My hope is “the people” will wake from their stunned state and push back hard. All of my family are in U.S. I’m outspoken and do everything I can but am an American Canadian.
I feel ya Greg. Not sure what to do at this point. It’s tax time and I’m overseas so I think I’ll ask for an extension and see what happens in the meantime. Things I’m certain will only get worse. Very pessimistic at this point.
https://open.substack.com/pub/understandably/p/moving-to-canada-chasing-immortality?r=np4n&utm_medium=ios
One more thing, I found this little tidbit in another newsletter, “What if DOGE gets into the wrong computer system”; that system of The National Nuclear Security Administration. It’s a gift article so I hope it opens for you.
Yikes. Yeah, not good.
I filed for an extension. But, a caveat: my accountant said that the extension only applies to the documents, not the cash, so if you owe anything, it's still due when it's due. Just FYI.