Is the US experiencing authoritarian collapse?

[darkprincealain]

It's very possibly simple incompetence or a natural consequence of an organization that is so huge the different limbs literally aren't aware of what the others are doing. Not that there can't be secrets as well. There is a vast amount of money involved, even without the concerns about national security and military secrets.

Valid point. In yesteryear, some fiscal conservative might be concerned about wasted money and whether there are limbs that are doubling up on the same or similar work. I think those folks have largely been chased out of politics.

 

[frimble3]

And with the Pentagon's huge budget, it must be very hard to resist temptation, whether it's to shell or to shill.

 

[Introversion]

The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association is urging lawmen to form posses, seize voting machines and investigate baseless claims of voter fraud.

A conference for a far-right sheriffs group this week drew a parade of felons, disgraced politicians, election deniers, conspiracy theorists and, in the end, a few sheriffs.

The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, or CSPOA, met in Las Vegas’ Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel conference center to publicly counter reports of extremism within the group and set a course for the coming election — one that involves sheriffs’ investigating what they claim, despite a lack of evidence, is rampant voter fraud.


The group sees sheriffs as the highest authority in the U.S., more powerful than the federal government, and it wants these county officers to form posses to patrol polling places, seize voting machines and investigate the Democrats and foreign nations behind what they claim is a criminal effort to rig the vote by flooding the country with immigrants who vote illegally.

 

[CWatts]

The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association is urging lawmen to form posses, seize voting machines and investigate baseless claims of voter fraud.

What a laughable bunch of butthurt losers.

Unfortunately we shouldn't underestimate them. Conspiracy theorists do like to rant about the "deep state" but here they are throwing pizza parties for their Fifth Column in a half-empty conference center.

(Did the hotel even get paid? Mike Lindell is too broke to pay his warehouse rent after all.)

 

[Introversion]

Republicans Are Suing for the Right To Harass Election Workers

You might think that even in today’s highly polarized election environment there would be a bipartisan consensus to protect election workers from intimidation and harassment. If you thought so, you would be wrong. In recent weeks, there have been a series of lawsuits aimed at undoing protections for election workers.

Nevada recently enacted a new Election Worker Protection Law to combat the increasing threats faced by election workers. The law, which passed the Legislature unanimously and was signed by the Republican governor, makes it a crime “to use or threaten or attempt to use any force, intimidation, coercion, violence, restraint or undue influence with the intent to interfere with the performance of the duties of any elections official relating to an election; or retaliate against any elections official for performing duties relating to an election.”

Shortly after the law was enacted, the Republican Party’s failed 2022 attorney general candidate — who is currently a Republican National Committeewoman — filed a lawsuit to block the law. Her argument is that the law violates her First Amendment rights and is too vague to understand.

Meanwhile in Arizona, right wing organizations, including America First Policy Institute founded by former Trump aides, are suing to block the anti-harassment provisions of the state’s Election Procedures Manual from going into effect. Among the provisions they find objectionable are those that prohibit:

• Any activity by a person with the intent or effect of threatening, harassing, intimidating, or coercing voters (or conspiring with others to do so),
• Aggressive behavior, such as raising one’s voice or taunting a voter or poll worker,
• Using threatening, insulting or offensive language to a voter or poll worker,
• Following voters or poll workers coming to or leaving a voting location, including to or from their vehicles,
• Questioning, photographing or videotaping voters or poll workers in a harassing or intimidating manner, including when the voter or poll worker is entering or leaving the polling location.

It is not only election officials that right-wing groups want to be able to harass — it is also voters. In Minnesota, an anti-voting outfit ironically called the Minnesota Voters Alliance is challenging a law that prohibits making statements that intend “to impede or prevent another person from exercising the right to vote”’ within 60 days of an election.
…

 

[Roxxsmom]

Republicans Are Suing for the Right To Harass Election Workers

They aren't going to stop in their quest to define freedom as whatever it is THEY want to do to hurt the less powerful, are they?

At some point, I suppose, they plan that freedom will be so defunct they won't even bother invoking the Constitution anymore, but for now they are gleefully twisting it into knots.

Interesting article on Neoliberalism and the weird, debunked notion that all freedoms stem from unfettered capitalism. Why won't this idea die? Maybe it is, but if so the metaphoric death throes of this gigantic monster is doing immeasurable collateral damage to our society.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/04/neoliberalism-freedom-markets-hayek/678124/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-atlantic-am&utm_term=The%20Atlantic%20AM

 

[Diana Hignutt]

Pro-Genocide President Biden calls Anti-Genocide protestors Anti-Semitic.

https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ests-palestinians-israel-gaza-hamas-columbia/

Biden signs Tik Tok Ban

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1246663779/biden-ban-tiktok-us

Looks to me like we get fascism no matter who wins...

I can't imagine why young people aren't excited about voting for the guy.

 

[Lundgren]

A question. What definition of genocide are you using?

 

[lizmonster]

The entire situation is frustrating to say the least. Makes me wish I could sit down with Biden and find out what he’s really thinking about all this. I want to believe our foreign policy is working quietly - we’ve done that sort of thing before - but it sure doesn’t look good from here.

I could tell the kids *rump would be unimaginably worse, and they might even believe me. But I understand why they might just sit out the election instead. On this issue, the lesser of two evils isn’t looking very good.

Someone on Bluesky noted that the GOP is shrieking about campus protests in part because border crossings are dropping, and the bogus Biden impeachment attempt is going nowhere. They need to rile people up, and Israel/Palestine is the hottest of all hot buttons. Which doesn’t excuse Biden helping them out.

The other side of it is there are some virulent anti-semetic people taking advantage of those sincerely wishing to help the Palestinians. I’ve run into some of them on line. I’d like to think they’re all plants and bad actors, but we all know better. This doesn’t change the horror of what Netanyahu is doing, but I do think it plays into why a lot of people - especially older folks, like Biden - are having a hard time with stronger statements against what’s happening.

It’s possible to both hate Netanyahu’s actions and recognize the dangers of global anti-semitism. But this situation makes both, in some contexts, hard to discuss.

 

[darkprincealain]

Someone on Bluesky noted that the GOP is shrieking about campus protests in part because border crossings are dropping, and the bogus Biden impeachment attempt is going nowhere.

There’s nothing a modern GOP representative (especially of the neocon, MAGA or Christian nationalist wing of the party) hates more than a good campus (unless it’s at a deeply Christian conservative school). Especially if there’s freedom of speech and thought. Look at all the states where school vouchers are back on the agenda.

Adding linky I was made aware of after this post, showing arrests in Boston, Austin and Los Angeles.

 

[Diana Hignutt]

A question. What definition of genocide are you using?

Which one do you like?
UN ICJ: Israel plausibly guilty of genocide.
https://www.npr.org/2024/01/26/1227078791/icj-israel-genocide-gaza-palestinians-south-africa

But, it doesn't really matter what I think is genocide, it matters what those kids protesting think is genocide. And they believe Israel is guilty, and the US is providing the weapons for it.

 

[Introversion]

This doesn’t change the horror of what Netanyahu is doing, but I do think it plays into why a lot of people - especially older folks, like Biden - are having a hard time with stronger statements against what’s happening.

I honestly don’t understand why Biden’s administration isn’t publicly condemning Israel’s acts in Gaza, and withholding aid to them. Maybe they’re applying pressure through ways and channels we can’t see, but it sure doesn’t look that way.

I get that anti-semitism exists.

I get that Israel has been an ally in a region where we don’t have many.

I get that Hamas is awful. I get that Palestinians aren’t all Hamas, and that they’re helpless to get rid of Hamas.

I also get that many rightwing Christians in the US will hate on anything but complete political devotion to Israel — but they’re also mostly not voting for Biden anyway.

This is an epic humanitarian cluster-f*ck tragedy. “Hamas started it” isn’t justification for this. Nothing is.

And if it costs Biden the election, well, he’ll have earned that. But the rest of us here and around the world sure as hell didn’t earn another Trump term, and all that it will cost us.

Honestly, I just don’t get it. If nothing else, I thought Biden was smarter than this.

 

[lizmonster]

If nothing else, I thought Biden was smarter than this.

This is where I land, too.

I think he's been doing a lot of really good things - infrastructure bills, EPA rules, student loan forgiveness. But he's been relying too much, I think, on the purported rationality of voters. We're not a monolith, of course - especially not liberals/Democrats - but I think ignoring the internal differences on this one is really, really dangerous.

The GQP would love to see Israel go nuclear, because to them that means ushering in the End Times, and even as they're certain they'll be swept up in golden chariots, they'll revel in seeing the rest of us burn. They're working to feed the irrational arguments in this situation. That's to be expected. But we do not have to help them, and it sure does feel like that's exactly what we're doing.

 

[Introversion]

In arguments to the Supreme Court today.

Trump Lawyer Says Having Political Rival Killed Could Constitute ‘Official’ Presidential Act

…

So what kind of crimes do the former president’s attorneys think should fall under the umbrella of executive immunity? Pretty much everything, apparently, including political assassinations.

When asked by Justice Sonya Sotomayor during arguments on Thursday if the president deciding “that his rival is a corrupt person and he orders the military — or he orders someone to assassinate him” would constitute an official act subject to immunity, attorney D. John Sauer said it could.

“It would depend on the hypothetical but we can see that could well be an official act,” Sauer told the court.
…

I don’t think the SC will buy this argument. But it’s gobsmacking to hear it said in the nation’s highest court, as if it’s perfectly sane and logical in a country that’s totally not a banana republic.

 

[dickson]

I get that Israel has been an ally in a region where we don’t have many.

As I understand it, US support for Israel is the main reason they’re our only ally there, based on what I’m told by an in-law who works for Schlumberger and has spent lots of time in the Middle East over a span of decades.

 

[Introversion]

As I understand it, US support for Israel is the main reason they’re our only ally there, based on what I’m told by an in-law who works for Schlumberger and has spent lots of time in the Middle East over a span of decades.

I mean, it probably doesn’t help?

 

[lizmonster]

As I understand it, US support for Israel is the main reason they’re our only ally there, based on what I’m told by an in-law who works for Schlumberger and has spent lots of time in the Middle East over a span of decades.

There’s an undoubtedly chicken-egg problem here. But every time I look into the history of the Middle East, I come out thinking it’s really, really complicated.

Regardless, in this case my sympathies are with the people wondering why we can’t just say “knock it off, or we’re taking our $$$ and going home.” If there’s a good reason we’re not doing this, it’s being kept super-secret.

 

[Meg]

Senior Democrat calls for arrests of ‘leftwing fascists’ urging Gaza ceasefire​

Congressman Adam Smith says ‘totalitarian’ protesters are ‘trying to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them’

 

[darkprincealain]

Senior Democrat calls for arrests of ‘leftwing fascists’ urging Gaza ceasefire​

Congressman Adam Smith says ‘totalitarian’ protesters are ‘trying to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them’

Is Adam Smith projecting?

 

[Meg]

This isn't just a right-wing issue, and that's what's so scary about it. I know people who are staunch progressives on every other issue, who believe that every call for justice for Palestinians is motivated by virulent anti-Semitism and is equivalent to a call for Jewish genocide. Who consider themselves morally covered by saying "of course I don't support what's happening in Gaza," but that the other side has lost the right to speak because they haven't condemned the October 7 attacks loudly enough yet. (It will never be enough.) It's like being in upside-down land, trying to talk to them.

This could well be the issue that takes Biden down, because he will lose left-of-center votes whether he leans into or away from support for Israel.

 

[CWatts]

This could well be the issue that takes Biden down, because he will lose left-of-center votes whether he leans into or away from support for Israel.

It will be a lose-lose for long as Netanyahu and his cronies are in power. It's still crazy to me that Rabin was assassinated yet Bibi is the POS that won't flush.

 

[David_G]

It will be a lose-lose for long as Netanyahu and his cronies are in power.

Agreed and the Iran missile attack has given him some room to hold onto his corrupt position for the time being. Along with the ongoing tragedy in Gaza, the region is becoming a powder keg.

 

[David_G]

Senior Democrat calls for arrests of ‘leftwing fascists’ urging Gaza ceasefire​

Congressman Adam Smith says ‘totalitarian’ protesters are ‘trying to silence anyone who dares to disagree with them’

I saw this earlier today and decided Adam Smith needs to go away, retire, whatever. He is making names up that are incendiary in and of themselves.

 

[Roxxsmom]

Pro-Genocide President Biden calls Anti-Genocide protestors Anti-Semitic.

https://thehill.com/homenews/admini...ests-palestinians-israel-gaza-hamas-columbia/

Biden signs Tik Tok Ban

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1246663779/biden-ban-tiktok-us

Looks to me like we get fascism no matter who wins...

I can't imagine why young people aren't excited about voting for the guy.

As a human being, I wish he would do what is right, even if it does earn him the title of being antisemitic* Israel is not about one set of policies or about one politician or party, any more than is any country. I wish more people would remember that. I don't know that pro-genocide is the right term, though. I don't think Israel's current government cares what happens to the Palestinian people in Gaza after they leave, but they want them to live elsewhere. They want the land for their settlers. However, they also don't seem to care about how many noncombatants die in the interim. Still, we haven't historically call every mass bombing that resulted in mass civilian deaths genocide.

As a pragmatic politician who knows he must get re-elected if the US is not to descend into authoritarianism, I don't envy Biden the task of threading a needle between two traditionally Democratic demographics who can't be simultaneously pleased.

There should be a reasonable middle ground right now, one that supports the people of Israel in Isreal and the right of Israel to defend itself from terrorist groups like Hamas without this wholesale slaughter of the people in Gaza, and one that absolutely enforces international law re the expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories. I wish he would find it, but then both groups will accuse him of not doing enough to support them. Whatever happened to the two-state solution we used to promote?

As the situation with various college administrators demonstrates, there is no position one can take on this damned war that won't get you fired. College administrators are supposed to support free speech on campuses (so any attempt to rein in the protests will be attacked by the incredibly hypocritical Right, which has no problem suppressing academic speech when it suits them), but they are also supposed to keep campuses safe. Groups of Jewish students are saying they don't feel safe on campus. Again, administrators are blamed for this for letting the protests get "out of hand," or even for occurring at all.

This whole situation is horrific, and I fear it may be a dress rehearsal for what is to come, as climate change causes mass migration and disruptions of economies and supply chains.

*If it weren't so dreadful, it would almost be funny to see the GOP suddenly so concerned about antisemitism, something they've encouraged in the past.

 

[Introversion]

Still, we haven't historically call every mass bombing that resulted in mass civilian deaths genocide.

It’s not “just” bombing though. They’ve been starving the entire population, and shooting civilians, and destroying hospitals, with apparently no end in sight. Not sure why that isn’t genocide? Sure sounds like it to me.

And even if it’s not on some technicality, who cares? It needs to stop.