I love Trump's "They were not Angels" In Earth One it would have meant the murderers.
Every time Trump pushes the boundaries--of norms, of civility, of law --he gets pushback. But every time the bar is lowered just a bit more. And over time it all adds up.
And pretty soon we're all Frogs in the Proverbial Pot
"Moral rot" is apt but does not go far enough to describe this soulless man and his revolting enablers. Our language does not have words that are strong enough to accurately depict this despicable hollow man.
And now we have this per the NYT:
" Trump posted a blatantly racist video clip portraying former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama as apes."
He sinks farther down in the sewer each day and drags the country with him.
Evil is as evil does. Lies, cruelty, deception, seduction, hypocrisy: aren’t these the broadly accepted attributes of evil in religion, myth and literature?
Those who parade their faith with necklaces and professions of piety, while living the opposite in word and deed, are common villains in stories and reality.
Do the Bible-hugging hypocrites and deceivers in Trump’s circle not see themselves? That’s a rhetorical question, unfortunately.
when i listened to that interview three things hit me like a baseball bat. "they were not angels", the "two out of ten thousand and we get bad press...", and the "feel sorry for the ICE agents..." one person was in her car slowly driving away trying to obey ICE commands... the other was on the ground, subdued, then executed SS style with 10 shots in the back. i have not seen anything in print anywhere that would indicate that either of these two people were bad actors in any way, shape or form, other than they did not like what ICE was doing. i hope that all the people that voted for trump are slowly beginning to understand that like Mediaeval surfs or peasants, they are simply numbers... of no more value than a cow, a pig, and acre of corn, a ton of iron ore. something from which value is to be extracted then discarded.... the farmers should have realized this by now.. the rural whites who are now without healthcare should have realized this by now. those on low or fixed income watching their electricity and natural gas prices climb and climb and climb should have realized this by now.. anyone who buys groceries and cooks their own food should have realized this by now... the Hispanics in Florida who voted for him in overwhelming numbers are now saying "this is not what we wanted.." anyone with a third grade education that cares to read will realize that the rest of the world is benefiting from sustainable energy and EVs.... we are not. not because of a strategic plan or limited resources, but simply because he is owned by the oil companies. those three remarks, compressed into a few minutes of an interview show exactly what he thinks of the citizens of this country... people die, he gets bad publicity and his SS squad is not loved and welcomed with open arms, and disagree with him and your life has little to no value. in the meantime, he extracts ransom from corporations, from the press, from his own government and becomes richer by millions each passing day... and the voters who voted for him, the republicans in congress and the senate have no issues with this. and we all know, deep down, it will get far worse...
I am so sick and tired of hearing "this is not what we wanted or voted for" from his minions. YOU KNOW WHO HE IS!!!! He doesn't hide himself!! He's been this disgusting excuse for human flesh for decades!! YET, they fawn over him, kiss his ring and then complain, piss and moan! ENOUGH ALREADY!
i think over the years the right has been successful in painting a picture of the left as elitist, against family values, and all sorts of other bad things... so much to the extent that many people who are middle of the road would vote for trump rather than a democrat... this is one of the reasons why we are where we are today. Democrats have not done a good job in taking credit for all the things that they have brought to this country over the years, that everyone takes for granted... many, especially on the right, benefit from these policies and government systems without realizing that their own party tried to stop these things... like a five day work week, a minimum wage, an eight hour day, etc. and they really don't understand how much the deficit and economy suffer under republicans... they get conned and are so gullible.
There's several Democrats in Congress that say they're working for us but they are NOT. They're too busy worrying about themselves to help the American people. I'm tired of them using the government as their paycheck and retirement. It's time for term limits!! I agree with you about them not taking credit....look where it's gotten us! Most of them need to go, we need young blood!!
there is a laundry list of things that should change or needs to be changed to improve the government and to avoid this sort of thing from happening again. term limits is right up there near the top. no contributions from corporations, no lobbying, and isolate members of congress and senate from buying stocks. the biggie is a wholesale change in income taxes.. make the inheritance tax work, cut out all the loopholes for the uber rich, and get the corporate tax rate functional. the vast majority of the federal budget comes from income tax then employment tax. and the super wealthy pay virtually no tax even though the control something like 50 trillion of the wealth in the country. the problem is that the current collection of congresspeople and senators are all wealthy and unlikely to change the laws on where they get their money. if you are in the federal government you should not be able to sue the federal government while in office. if you are president, you should not have your criminal matters presided over by a judge you appoint!!
I love Trump's "They were not Angels" In Earth One it would have meant the murderers.
Every time Trump pushes the boundaries--of norms, of civility, of law --he gets pushback. But every time the bar is lowered just a bit more. And over time it all adds up.
And pretty soon we're all Frogs in the Proverbial Pot
Thank you Mary. I can tell you're mad. I am too. Trying to avoid despair. The stealing of elections is what's up next.
"Moral rot" is apt but does not go far enough to describe this soulless man and his revolting enablers. Our language does not have words that are strong enough to accurately depict this despicable hollow man.
And now we have this per the NYT:
" Trump posted a blatantly racist video clip portraying former President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama as apes."
He sinks farther down in the sewer each day and drags the country with him.
Evil is as evil does. Lies, cruelty, deception, seduction, hypocrisy: aren’t these the broadly accepted attributes of evil in religion, myth and literature?
Those who parade their faith with necklaces and professions of piety, while living the opposite in word and deed, are common villains in stories and reality.
Do the Bible-hugging hypocrites and deceivers in Trump’s circle not see themselves? That’s a rhetorical question, unfortunately.
Portray the enemy as less than human and he will be easier to kill...
This is one of the scariest aspects of this administration.
Moral rot. That phrase brilliantly sums up this stinking, corrupt administration. Thank you Mary. Your eloquent writing is perfect, as always.
I don’t know how you do what you do, Mary, but I’m grateful that you do it. When I was 27, I couldn’t even spell “grateful.”
This post is an absolute mic drop! From murder under the carpet to the Cub Scout ultimatum you see them for what they are!
At what point , folks…what can be done to stop the mad hater ?
"And yet in Trump’s rhetorical universe, you can hear the premise plainly: if you weren’t perfect, maybe you were disposable."
In Trump's universe only he is not disposable. Everyone else--children, spouse(s),siblings--can be discarded. He is the center and the "all."
Ewwww!
when i listened to that interview three things hit me like a baseball bat. "they were not angels", the "two out of ten thousand and we get bad press...", and the "feel sorry for the ICE agents..." one person was in her car slowly driving away trying to obey ICE commands... the other was on the ground, subdued, then executed SS style with 10 shots in the back. i have not seen anything in print anywhere that would indicate that either of these two people were bad actors in any way, shape or form, other than they did not like what ICE was doing. i hope that all the people that voted for trump are slowly beginning to understand that like Mediaeval surfs or peasants, they are simply numbers... of no more value than a cow, a pig, and acre of corn, a ton of iron ore. something from which value is to be extracted then discarded.... the farmers should have realized this by now.. the rural whites who are now without healthcare should have realized this by now. those on low or fixed income watching their electricity and natural gas prices climb and climb and climb should have realized this by now.. anyone who buys groceries and cooks their own food should have realized this by now... the Hispanics in Florida who voted for him in overwhelming numbers are now saying "this is not what we wanted.." anyone with a third grade education that cares to read will realize that the rest of the world is benefiting from sustainable energy and EVs.... we are not. not because of a strategic plan or limited resources, but simply because he is owned by the oil companies. those three remarks, compressed into a few minutes of an interview show exactly what he thinks of the citizens of this country... people die, he gets bad publicity and his SS squad is not loved and welcomed with open arms, and disagree with him and your life has little to no value. in the meantime, he extracts ransom from corporations, from the press, from his own government and becomes richer by millions each passing day... and the voters who voted for him, the republicans in congress and the senate have no issues with this. and we all know, deep down, it will get far worse...
I am so sick and tired of hearing "this is not what we wanted or voted for" from his minions. YOU KNOW WHO HE IS!!!! He doesn't hide himself!! He's been this disgusting excuse for human flesh for decades!! YET, they fawn over him, kiss his ring and then complain, piss and moan! ENOUGH ALREADY!
i think over the years the right has been successful in painting a picture of the left as elitist, against family values, and all sorts of other bad things... so much to the extent that many people who are middle of the road would vote for trump rather than a democrat... this is one of the reasons why we are where we are today. Democrats have not done a good job in taking credit for all the things that they have brought to this country over the years, that everyone takes for granted... many, especially on the right, benefit from these policies and government systems without realizing that their own party tried to stop these things... like a five day work week, a minimum wage, an eight hour day, etc. and they really don't understand how much the deficit and economy suffer under republicans... they get conned and are so gullible.
There's several Democrats in Congress that say they're working for us but they are NOT. They're too busy worrying about themselves to help the American people. I'm tired of them using the government as their paycheck and retirement. It's time for term limits!! I agree with you about them not taking credit....look where it's gotten us! Most of them need to go, we need young blood!!
there is a laundry list of things that should change or needs to be changed to improve the government and to avoid this sort of thing from happening again. term limits is right up there near the top. no contributions from corporations, no lobbying, and isolate members of congress and senate from buying stocks. the biggie is a wholesale change in income taxes.. make the inheritance tax work, cut out all the loopholes for the uber rich, and get the corporate tax rate functional. the vast majority of the federal budget comes from income tax then employment tax. and the super wealthy pay virtually no tax even though the control something like 50 trillion of the wealth in the country. the problem is that the current collection of congresspeople and senators are all wealthy and unlikely to change the laws on where they get their money. if you are in the federal government you should not be able to sue the federal government while in office. if you are president, you should not have your criminal matters presided over by a judge you appoint!!
Another beautifully written, oh-so-poignant essay. Thanks, Mary!
If I had to rely on only one of the Substack journalists to read daily, it would be you, Mary Geddry. Thanks for being here.
I am crying. Mary, do you know whether the report by the Independent can be confirmed/authenticated? https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-agents-job-complaints-b2914662.html?test_group=lighteradlayout&fbclid=IwY2xjawPzHApleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeZDd_WvG5ayXHHw4vM7Rt6Kg2Yr9D2nbuvJR12mErBgAKicnnFHKFSd8iG5I_aem_7Z2SD1NeQZlb8X3jjQUOYg