Trump 2.0

[Knobby22]

A trip down memory lane , you are probably too young for that, and i am borderline : the current TDS was paralleled during Reagan/ Thatcher time
He was a stupid actor, outside establisment, his wife was in control on astrology, memes equivalent on paper at the time
In Europe, millions were in the street, really, millions,against Pershing bases....
Us go home was tagged all over Europe
You might be unaware in Australia
Yet Reagan managed to give the final blow to USSR and bring decades of peaces and renewal of the USA.
Trump is not that far, he is fighting the new communism where it is now, inside, in the west.
I believe Reagan would be if not proud, at the least happy that some one stands for freedom and the US. Of A, and more generally the western world
Who else but Trump could do it?

I don't get the freedom rhetoric. What has Trump done for freedom?

 

[moXJO]

New best mates. Watch out, Taiwan, Estonia, Greenland and Canada in particular.

Saw he bagged Ronald Reagan.
I am absolutely certain if he was alive, Ronald Reagan would bag Trump. He was a great man with great morals.

I'd refresh on the octopus murders and inslaw. There's a deeper level of netherworld activity going on.
Even reached here with the nugan bank.

 

[qldfrog]

I don't get the freedom rhetoric. What has Trump done for freedom?

Seriously?

 

[qldfrog]

Seriously?

We are really too far apart .
Freedom of information?
Freedom of speech?
Obliteration of the narrative and propaganda tools?
POV difference happens andare welcome.
Let's go stick to the usual agree to disagree i think:
At this point, we are too far apart to even comprehend respective views.
Facts will not matter it seems.

 

[qldfrog]

We are really too far apart .
Freedom of information?
Freedom of speech?
Obliteration of the narrative and propaganda tools?
POV difference happens andare welcome.
Let's go stick to the usual agree to disagree i think:
At this point, we are too far apart to even comprehend respective views.
Facts will not matter it seems.

And by the way, i can have a discussion about freedom being a good thing or not:
Is all truth good to say, is freedom of speech desirable,etc...
Both sides can have valuable arguments and it is not binary
I better not engage in these threads as it gives me far too much information on the state of our western society
Have all a great weekend

 

[Knobby22]

We are really too far apart .
Freedom of information?
Freedom of speech?
Obliteration of the narrative and propaganda tools?
POV difference happens andare welcome.
Let's go stick to the usual agree to disagree i think:
At this point, we are too far apart to even comprehend respective views.
Facts will not matter it seems.

Yea,where miles apart. I was at a barby.

I'm not seeing things getting free-er. Unless you mean free to sack people with no cause, free to ban books, free to stop women having abortions, suing the press for unfavourable coverage limiting press freedom, banning reporters who aren't with you. Cracking down on dissent.

Evading the freedom of information act. That is stopping transparent government.

DOGE Employees Ordered to Stop Using Slack While Agency Transitions to a Records System Not Subject to FOIA

Employees at Elon Musk's agency have been told "OMB is asking us to stop generating new slack messages starting now."

www.404media.co

The are saying they are going to ban public access from the NOAA e.g. releasing atmospheric data such as CO2 levels and satelite arctic melt information, Why??

An Era of Silence and Fear

While Donald Trump promised to “bring back free speech,” his government has initiated a crackdown on dissent—reshaping the flow of information in America.

www.status.news

Why these attacks on freedom of information?

What have they done freedom wise? Can't see anything. Good rhetoric though.

 

[basilio]

Yea,where miles apart. I was at a barby.

I'm not seeing things getting free-er. Unless you mean free to sack people with no cause, free to ban books, free to stop women having abortions, suing the press for unfavourable coverage limiting press freedom, banning reporters who aren't with you. Cracking down on dissent.

Evading the freedom of information act. That is stopping transparent government.

DOGE Employees Ordered to Stop Using Slack While Agency Transitions to a Records System Not Subject to FOIA

Employees at Elon Musk's agency have been told "OMB is asking us to stop generating new slack messages starting now."

www.404media.co

The are saying they are going to ban public access from the NOAA e.g. releasing atmospheric data such as CO2 levels and satelite arctic melt information, Why??

An Era of Silence and Fear

While Donald Trump promised to “bring back free speech,” his government has initiated a crackdown on dissent—reshaping the flow of information in America.

www.status.news

Why these attacks on freedom of information?

What have they done freedom wise? Can't see anything. Good rhetoric though.

Could Not Have Put It Better.

It is pretty crazy when the rhetoric espoused in defense of Trump is so bereft of reality.

The Reagan comparison? Ronald Reagan (or at least his advisors) decided to bankrupt the USSR by stepping up an arms race only the US could win.

They didn't destroy their international alliances.
They didn't actively support USSR military adventures
There is no universe in which what is happening now parallels the foreign policy programs of Ronald Reagan .

 

[IFocus]

Watching this attack on democracy while the Cult keep reciting the mantra “draining the swamp “like parrots in a pet shop is a great example of propaganda being repeated enough times the cult accept it as fact its quite extraordinary that Australians buy the US BS.

 

[basilio]

Watching this attack on democracy while the Cult keep reciting the mantra “draining the swamp “like parrots in a pet shop is a great example of propaganda being repeated enough times the cult accept it as fact its quite extraordinary that Australians buy the US BS.

Indeed. It's one thing being directly involved with the orange idiot as a MAGA supporter. But standing an ocean away watching the BS rubbish being spewed, the destruction of international relationships, the carnage inflicted on US administration and swallowing it all ?

 

[basilio]

Robert Reich offers a way of coping with the unfolding of an (attempted) New World Order.
IMV very useful.

Taking Heart

Friends,

It seems like an eternity, but Tuesday marks the seventh week of this despicable regime. Before I post my Sunday cartoon, I’d like to talk about coping with the stresses of this era.

A few people I know are coping by remaining in denial. They continue to normalize what’s happening in the familiar terms of Republican versus Democrat, right versus left, conservative versus liberal or progressive.

But they’re deluding themselves. There’s nothing normal about this. We’re in a different world now. Even calling this “Trump 2.0” radically understates what’s happening.

The choice is democracy or dictatorship. Self-government or oligarchy. Everyone must choose sides. Not to choose is to accept the forces now in control — to allow Trump to become even more of a dictator and his billionaire backers and cronies to siphon up even more oligarchic wealth and power.

Another coping mechanism that’s just as dangerous is giving up — succumbing to cynicism, believing everything is hopeless. Those in this defeatist camp think nothing can prevent us from an apocalypse — the end of America, the termination of civilization, the death of the planet. They’ve stopped reading or listening to the news. They’ve turned their backs on activism.

But defeatism is exactly what Trump, Vance, Musk, and Putin want us to feel. They’d like nothing better than for us to give up, so they can have it all. Cynicism and hopelessness play into their fetid hands.

It’s also a self-fulfilling prophesy. If we believe we’re doomed, we’re doomed.

The reality is that Trump, Vance, and Musk have done truly terrible things over the past seven weeks that are already hurting millions of people.

But the regime has not extinguished hope or resolve. To the contrary, it is igniting activism. It’s fueling courage. I see it all around me, as I’m sure you do as well.

Let me share with you my six coping mechanisms.

First, I’ve stopped listening to Trump and even stopped trying to analyze his warped psyche. I already know he’s spouting nothing but lies. And by now I’m familiar with his malignant narcissism.

Second, I no longer pay attention to the politicians, media personalities, political operatives, and pundits who are treating what’s happening as a variation on normal partisan politics. They’re tiresome and wrong.

Instead, I’m seeking out voices who understand the stakes, who give me reasons for hope and practical ideas for what you and I can do. I’ve already shared some of them with you and will share more this week.

Some are voices from the past — people who lived through Hitler and Mussolini and Stalin, or through Mao’s “Cultural Revolution” or Pol Pot’s “killing fields.” Some are keen observers of what occurred (Hannah Arendt’s The Origins of Totalitarianism) or historians (William Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany provides a chilling account that echoes today).

Fourth, I’m interacting with people whose average age is a half-century younger than mine — my students at Berkeley and my colleagues at Inequality Media. Their energy, humor, and commitment continue to buoy my spirits.

Fifth, I’m relishing my friendships and holding my loved ones tight.

Finally, I’m writing this daily letter to you in hope that it helps you cope in all these ways — and inspires you to even more activism, resistance, rebellion, good trouble, and peaceful civil disobedience.

These are familiar terms to those of us who remember the struggles over civil rights and the Vietnam War. They are as relevant for what we’re going through now as they were then.

In other words, one of the best way of coping with this nightmare is to fight it.

Keep calling the White House: 1-202-456-1414 (switchboard). 1-202-456-1111 (comments). Jam it.

Keep calling your senators and representatives. The Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121. The switchboard operator will connect you directly with the Senate or House office you request.

Organize and mobilize for downballot elections this year, and for House and Senate elections next year.

Protect the vulnerable in your community: undocumented workers. LGBTQ+ people. Vocal anti-Trumpers who may need protection from Trump vigilantes. Refugees from Ukraine. Others who need your help.

I’m sure you’ve found additional ways of fighting back. Please share them with us in today’s comments.

Take heart. We will get through this and be stronger for it.

Bless you and thank you.

RR

 

[DB008]

The theory goes, import so many illegals of which something like 80% vote left (blue). Eventually the USA isn't a democracy anymore and once the left controls the house and senate they then fill SCOTUS with lefties.

​

 

[DB008]

The next USAID

​

 

[Knobby22]

The next USAID

​

All good. China has set up its own stations, now they will have no competition. Will be very useful in Africa and the Middle East.

China Radio International (CRI), now part of the China Media Group (CMG), is the international radio arm of the People's Republic of China, broadcasting in multiple languages and aiming to promote favorable relations and expand Chinese culture globally.

CRI was established in 1941 and now broadcasts in over 60 languages and Chinese dialects.

Purpose:
CRI aims to "promote favorable relations between the PRC and the world" while upholding the PRC's official positions, playing a role in the PRC's "soft power strategy" and "Go Out policy".
Structure:
CRI is under the control of the Central Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party and is now part of the China Media Group, a unified holding company for national and international radio and television broadcasting services.
Global Reach:
CRI broadcasts worldwide, including via partnerships with and providing content to radio stations globally, using a strategy of outsourcing China-related programming to local partners, known as "borrowing a boat to go out on the ocean".
Criticism:
Some sources suggest that CRI's strategy is used to launder Beijing's propaganda and foster the acceptance of its messaging among local audiences.

 

[Dona Ferentes]

that's good Knobby

I'm sure the messaging will be so attractive that the dispossessed - the fratricidal levantines, the unwashed africans , the impoverished latinos - will instruct their smuggling G-Os to establish new land, sea and air routes to check out the beguiling middle kingdom.

 

[basilio]

The Voice of America is now on life support. That was the US official soft power presentation of all good things Amercian. China , Russia whoever else get a free go at influencing the rest of the world - particularly Asia and Africa

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/15/nx-s1-5329244/bloody-saturday-voiceofamerica-radio-free-asia-europe-trump-kari-lake

President Trump's late-night decree Friday led to orders gutting the Voice of America and other U.S.-funded international broadcasters.
Andrew Harnik/AP

Journalists showed up at the Voice of America today to broadcast their programs only to be told they had been locked out: Federal officials had embarked on indefinite mass suspensions.

All full-time staffers at the Voice of America and the Office for Cuba Broadcasting, which runs Radio and Television Martí, were affected — more than 1,000 employees. The move followed a late Friday night edict from President Trump that its parent agency, called the U.S. Agency for Global Media, must eliminate all activities that are not required by law.

In addition, under the leadership of Trump appointees, the agency has severed all contracts for the privately incorporated international broadcasters it funds, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.

The termination notices for grants for the funded networks, two of which were reviewed by NPR, carried the signature of Trump's senior adviser Kari Lake, whom he placed at USAGM, not the agency's acting chief executive. Lake does not appear in her current job to have the statutory authority to carry out that termination.

 

[basilio]

I understand that Truth Social will be given the responsibility to present American views to the world ?

 

[Knobby22]

that's good Knobby

I'm sure the messaging will be so attractive that the dispossessed - the fratricidal levantines, the unwashed africans , the impoverished latinos - will instruct their smuggling G-Os to establish new land, sea and air routes to check out the beguiling middle kingdom.

It's more about letting them own mines, be the local police force back up etc.

When we closed down our international radio stations, China bought the equipment and kept them going under their name.

It is true that radio is becoming less effective as a soft power but it is still used especially in the poorer countries. Stupid to let the Communists have a monopoly.

Papua New Guinea has China radio now where once it was Radio Australia.

China takes up Australia's former radio space in Pacific

China has taken over many of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's former shortwave radio frequencies into the Pacific.

www.rnz.co.nz

 

[mullokintyre]

It's more about letting them own mines, be the local police force back up etc.

When we closed down our international radio stations, China bought the equipment and kept them going under their name.

It is true that radio is becoming less effective as a soft power but it is still used especially in the poorer countries. Stupid to let the Communists have a monopoly.

Papua New Guinea has China radio now where once it was Radio Australia.

China takes up Australia's former radio space in Pacific

China has taken over many of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's former shortwave radio frequencies into the Pacific.

www.rnz.co.nz

I doubt there are many people in the South Pacific , or many other countries for that matter, who even listen to radio.
Like most citizens these days, they have phones and the internet, and get their information from that medium.
I would bet that most people are behaving like Australians, and making more of their own decisions as to what they listen/watch.
The ACMA in its Trends in Listening survey highlighted how radio ownership has dropped, and the 45+ age group are far more likely to listen to Radio than the 18-24 age group.
There are so many alternatives, as can be seen from the chart below taken from the report.
Notice where Radio comes in.

Mick

 

[investor13]

I doubt there are many people in the South Pacific , or many other countries for that matter, who even listen to radio.
Like most citizens these days, they have phones and the internet, and get their information from that medium.
I would bet that most people are behaving like Australians, and making more of their own decisions as to what they listen/watch.
The ACMA in its Trends in Listening survey highlighted how radio ownership has dropped, and the 45+ age group are far more likely to listen to Radio than the 18-24 age group.
There are so many alternatives, as can be seen from the chart below taken from the report.
Notice where Radio comes in.
View attachment 195526
Mick

Would be interesting to see the numbers for the AM & FM bands formcomparrason

 

[IFocus]

Meanwhile is Musk going to be collateral damage and how is the Whitehouse dealership going?