Prepare For The Storm
The Road to Authoritarianism: How a Nation Surrenders to a Mad King
It occurred to me that everything the Trump administration is doing is just like what Hitler did to Germany when he took power. I'm just waiting for our version of the Reichstag's fire. I would argue the Jan 6th attack on the Capitol was just a test, a prelude to something bigger and more sinister.
Rumors are swirling that our Reichstag's fire could be on April 20 (4/20) when Trump declares martial law. These are all rumors, but with Trump ignoring court orders, I wouldn't put it past him to do this. We are inches away from losing this country to a dubiously elected Mad King.
Abusing Kids Leads to Authoritarian Leaders
For the longest time, I have seen friends in my age group posting "I was spanked as a kid and I learned respect" memes. I find that belief to be horrid because when a guardian or parent physically abuses a child, it teaches them that someone in authority has the right to hurt them.
It seems that my belief is supported by science.
The MIT Press Reader
The Editors: Can you explain the relationship between physical discipline in childhood and support for punitive political initiatives in adulthood?
The Authors: In our research, we have found that the higher the frequency of spanking a person received in childhood, sometimes referred to as “sub-clinical trauma,” the greater the authoritarianism in adulthood, and the greater their support for punitive public policies like the death penalty and the use of military force. We call this “affect displacement theory,” whereby emotion from one source, in this case, childhood, can be carried into adulthood and displaced onto adult political attitudes.
It is important to note that experiencing childhood abuse is not solely ‘yes’ or ‘no’: There are gradations of abuse. Was physical punishment used a lot or a little? It is also important to note that voting is a blunt instrument, reflecting a decision-making process that integrates multiple factors. And there are, of course, multiple influences on public opinion, including a person’s education and gender and economic position, their parents’ attitudes, their friends’ attitudes, and the mass media. Many who voted for Trump did so, we believe, because they anticipated financial benefits and were willing to ignore his racism and sexism. Racism and sexism are often core elements of a person’s authoritarianism, as it puts other people below them.
Emphasis is mine. I can't help but wonder just how many of my Gen X brethren were abused in their childhood. It sure seems to be a lot of them, as many of my old High School classmates have turned into Trump voters. Sad.
From The Leopards Eating Your Face Files
Years ago, I worked on a project that took me through Northern Oregon, along the Columbia River. I visited small towns like The Dalles and had a great time. The People were great and the countryside was gorgeous. It's one of the reasons why I perk up when I see news about Oregon.
Natalie Pate
Grant is one of seven school districts in the Oregon consortium sharing the federal energy grant. Schools selected across the country were set to receive about $190 million total to decrease energy costs, improve indoor air quality and foster healthier learning environments.
The federal government has a number of funding streams to support education services, from school meals and special education to helping unhoused and low-income students.
Now, educators are worried all of it is in jeopardy.
I can never understand why people vote against their best interests. Oh wait, I think I know why. They probably hate their non-white neighbors and can't stand to see them get Federal funding in another state, so they vote for the Mad King to take it away from their neighbors, only to find out they were in the boat.
So sad, I'm crying. No, I'm not.
Is Climate Change a Religion?
I haven't even written about the travesty of justice and due process yet concerning deporting immigrants, but now they're going after climate science and organizations. They're calling it Climate Change a religion, and they're going after anything attached to it.
Malcolm Ferguson
“The FBI has told Citibank that recipients of EPA climate grants are being considered as potentially liable for fraud. That is, the Trump administration wants to criminalize work on climate science and impacts,” the @capitolhunters account wrote Wednesday on X. “An incoming administration not only cancels federal grants but declares recipients as criminals. All these grantees applied under government calls FOR ENVIRONMENTAL WORK, were reviewed and accepted. Trump wants to jail them.“
They're using fraud as a cover to take out whomever and whatever they don't like. This is exactly what Hitler did with the Jews and other political opponents. Do you think you're safe, Schumer? They'll come for the Democrats soon enough.
Sea Levels Are Rising - Fast
A while ago I warned my Florida readers to get out of that state if you can. Just a foot of sea level rise will destroy so many cities and properties along the coast, and that sea level rise? It's happening faster than scientists forecast.
Jane J. Lee and Andrew Wang, NASA
"The rise we saw in 2024 was higher than we expected," said Josh Willis, a sea level researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "Every year is a little bit different, but what's clear is that the ocean continues to rise, and the rate of rise is getting faster and faster."
It appears last year's rise was 0.23 inches, just under a quarter of an inch, but higher than the 0.17 inch forecast. At this rate, in just 48 years, we'd see a 1-foot level rise. That's assuming the sea level rises don't "hockey stick" higher due to some feedback loop.
Destroy Fox News at All Costs
We have Fox News to blame for brainwashing our parents. Because of that fake news, we now have Trump in power and Project 2025 dismantling everything we've held dear for decades.
Evlondo Cooper
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has used his extensive appearances on Fox News and Fox Business to justify freezing environmental programs and slashing climate-related funding. A Media Matters analysis found that Zeldin has made at least 22 appearances on cable news since his confirmation on January 29, with 21 of those on Fox networks.
Boycott everything that Murdoch owns. Demand that this fake news organization be removed from public view. When our grandchildren rummage through the ashes of our great nation, they'll find an old video of Trump on Fox News and realize that it was nothing more than a propaganda machine and wonder why their grandparents didn't do anything to stop it.
Trump is Following Hitler's Lead
I alluded to it above, but Trump is doing everything that Hitler did to dismantle Germany's democracy in the 1930s.
paul-josephson
Under Hitler, too, the Nazi state imposed restrictions on science owing to prevailing racist, antisemitic ideas. What had once been the world’s greatest scientific establishment was destroyed by ideological interference even before its physical devastation in World War II. Nonpareil U.S. science arose in the postwar years on the foundations of scientific freedom and extensive funding.
It makes sense why he's putting non-scientist crackpots in charge of this nation's science and medical organizations. Their hare-brained ideas will kill many citizens and will help the Mad King stay in power.
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