News items this morning on our gangster nation, with a self- aggrandizing crime boss feeding at the public trough while his thugs continue to terrorize communities.
President Donald Trump's senior officials have marshaled taxpayer resources to the tune of $1 billion, just on various projects to keep Trump personally happy, Rolling Stone reported [$$] on Friday.
This comes after the president has already received widespread criticism for the self-aggrandizing aspects of his Cabinet meetings, including having them all sit in a room full of "Gulf of America" merchandise, referencing his executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
"Trump’s demands for flattery are costing a fortune," reported Ryan Bort, Asawin Suebsaeng, and Andrew Perez. His new administration is only a few months in, and already the total price of just three such initiatives — a flashy, Trump-flattering ad campaign from the Department of Homeland Security, a gigantic military parade in Washington, D.C., on Trump’s birthday, and the repurposing of a palatial airplane from Qatar as Trump’s new Air Force One that he can use in his post-presidency — will easily top $1 billion. And that’s just the beginning."
Political author Anthony DiMaggio said that these efforts “have to do with a president who needs to be not only at the center of a media circus, but who needs to be told ritualistically over and over how great he is. What’s interesting to me about this, as a political scientist, is that it’s not just a personality-based thing or a defect. It’s a broader pattern that has to do with behaviors that are overlapping with authoritarian politics and ideology.”
According to the report, these policies to keep the president flattered pervade into everything. For instance, after Attorney General Pam Bondi made a widely-mocked boast that fentanyl seizures under the Trump administration saved 119 million lives, staffers went scouring the internet for examples of Democrats "flipping the f--- out" over Bondi's remarks, that they could compile into a printout and hand to Trump to improve his mood.
The same day this report was made public, Trump announced on social media another vanity project, to add a $100 million ballroom onto the White House. (our emphasis)
... as they propose butchering Medicaid/Medicare, SNAP, science and technology, education, etc.
ICE thugs make more warrantless arrests
The Department of Homeland Security conducted raids on multiple locations across Los Angeles on Friday, clashing with the crowds of people who gathered to protest.
Masked agents were recorded pulling several people out of two LA-area Home Depot stores and the clothing manufacturer Ambient Apparel’s headquarters in LA’s Fashion District. Immigration advocates said the raids also included four other locations, including a doughnut shop.
There has not yet been confirmation of how many people were taken into custody during the coordinated sweeps.
At an afternoon press conference, Angelica Salas, executive director for the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights, said at least 45 people were arrested without warrants.
“Our community is under attack and is being terrorized. These are workers, these are fathers, these are mothers, and this has to stop. Immigration enforcement that is terrorizing our families throughout this country and picking up our people that we love must stop now,” Salas told the crowd.
The protest only grew as the afternoon wore on. By 6pm local time, hundreds of people assembled around the federal building in downtown Los Angeles, where those taken into custody during the raids are being held.
Earlier in the day, armed agents clad in heavy protective and tactical gear, including some who wore gas masks, could be seen on video and through aerial footage pushing individuals and trying to corral large groups that congregated to challenge the raids.
Smoke grenades were reportedly thrown near the crowds and pepper spray was used as the federal officers attempted to clear the area. As the demonstrations continued into the evening, videos showed officers firing less-lethal weapons toward protestors... (our emphasis)
These paramilitary fascists let loose by the corrupt Malignant Fascist must face a reckoning -- from the top echelons to the foot soldiers "just doing their job." We can't allow this to be the future of this country, for the lawlessness to be normalized, and the cruelty not punished. As Americans, we must never forget what is being done in our name.
The innocent will be punished and the guilty will not just be set free, but rewarded for their crimes with money and notoriety.
ReplyDeleteThink about how much Kyle Rittenhouse has benefited from his double murder.
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