Author: njfinn

Robert Reich: 15 Signs of Impending Tyranny Under President trump

Yet Trumps supporters see nothing wrong Consider yourself warned. 1.  Exaggerate their mandate to govern – claiming, for example, that they won an election by a landslide even after losing the popular vote. 2.  Repeatedly claim massive voter fraud in the absence of any evidence, in order to restrict voting in subsequent elections. 3.  Call anyone who opposes them “enemies.” 4.  Turn the public against journalists or media outlets that criticize them, calling them “deceitful” and “scum.” 5.  Hold few if any press conferences, preferring to communicate with the public directly through mass rallies and unfiltered statements. 6.  Tell the public big lies, causing them to doubt the truth and to believe fictions that support the tyrants’ goals. 7.  Blame economic stresses on immigrants or racial or religious minorities, and foment public bias and even violence against them. 8.  Attribute acts of domestic violence to “enemies within,” and use such events as excuses to beef up internal security and limit civil liberties. 9.  Threaten mass deportations, registries of religious minorities, and the banning of refugees. 10. Seek to eliminate or reduce the influence of competing centers of power, such as labor unions and opposition parties. 11. Appoint family members to high positions of authority 12. Surround themselves with their own personal security force rather than a security detail accountable to the public. 13. Put generals into top civilian posts 14. Make personal alliances with foreign dictators. 15. Draw no distinction between personal property and public property, profiteering from their public Source: Robert Reich:...

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U.S. House Republicans weaken ethics body as they return to Congress | Reuters

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives agreed on Monday to weaken a nonpartisan ethics watchdog on the grounds it had grown too intrusive, prompting Democrats to charge they were scaling back independent oversight ahead of a new legislative session. As they returned to Washington following a holiday break, House Republicans voted in a closed-door meeting to place the Office of Congressional Ethics under the oversight of the House Ethics Committee, giving lawmakers greater control over an independent body charged with investigating their behavior.   Source: U.S. House Republicans weaken ethics body as they return to Congress |...

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George Takei: I Lost Family in Hiroshima. Mr. Trump, Nuclear Weapons Are No Game.

George Takei is a great voice calling Trump on the harmful things Trump says and does.  Here he takes on Trump’s Nuke Arm race. Three days before Christmas, President-elect Trump tweeted (yes, tweeted) that the U.S. “must greatly strengthen and enhance its nuclear capability” until the world “comes to its senses regarding nukes.” The world, for its part, blinked in astonishment, wondering once again what Mr. Trump might mean, and why such a momentous announcement appeared via social media. Prior presidents generally undertook any shift in nuclear policy with care, and with the advice of experts in arms control...

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Americans — especially but not exclusively Trump voters — believe crazy, wrong things – The Washington Post

What the hell is wrong with this country?  Has our education system failed so badly that this is the outcome?  Too much lead in our water?  Too much reality TV?  These findings are a horrible statement on the intelligence of American Voters. The misinformation and disinformation of Americans, charted. Source: Americans — especially but not exclusively Trump voters — believe crazy, wrong things – The Washington...

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Trump Inc. and conflicts: What you need to know – Dec. 28, 2016

I personally think trump is going to 100% use the USA Presidency to enrich himself, his family and his corporate friends while screwing the working people of the USA.  In other words, business as usual.  That is why he won’t divest. Donald Trump’s sprawling business interests have raised questions about the potential for conflicts of interest when he becomes president in January. Source: Trump Inc. and conflicts: What you need to know – Dec. 28,...

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