A comment I saw elsewhere:
“As an American, I’m out of fucks to give for my fellow Americans. It’s been almost 10 years to see who he really is, and 3/4 of us either LIKE that or are too ignorant to care.
Don’t come crying when your loved one gets beaten by a police officer and they face no charges.
Don’t come crying when a friend/family member gets raped and the baby can’t be aborted, nor if they suffer a miscarriage from a pregnancy and bleed out because they can’t get medical help.
Don’t come crying when the Supreme Court is packed with 2 more far right corrupt justices and more lifelong rights start to vanish.
Don’t come crying when Ukraine aid stops and, if the rest of the world doesn’t pick up the slack, Russia takes even more land and continues killing more people.
Don’t come crying as the deficit explodes from corruption and the economy crashes as Trump lines his own pockets.
Don’t come crying when our education system bottoms out because Elon guts the government so that, combined with project 2025 ending all abortion care, poor people are forced to raise lots of stupid babies to run his factories.
Don’t come crying when worker protections are cut and overtime pay is all but eliminated.
Don’t. Complain. To. Me. I’ll ask who you voted for and then laugh in your fucking face. ‘But. But. I didn’t think. . . ‘
‘Of course you didn’t fucking think. You voted for him. Well, we tried to tell you. We tried to reason with you. We tried to compromise, but no. You just had to take your stand on whatever single fucking issue.’”
It was still something shoved up your ass while strangers watched.
Scottie's Playtime 
Somewhere out there in the US, I reckon, right now someone is wondering about launching a T-Shirt brand for 2026 with the phrase:
‘Told Ya*’ on the front ‘But Did Ya Listen???’ on the back. Worth a try with a potential market of 60,000,000+ buyers.
Thoughts and Genuine Prayers from the UK.
Roger
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Hi Roger. I love the idea. Yes 2026 is going to be fun. We will face the threats of the White House and those in power, plus the growing right wing media which seems to be what the entire country listens to along with Facebook and Twitter / X social media. We need to learn to counter them somehow. Many people never heard the negitives about tRump and never heard the positives about Harris. The people don’t watch main stream news, they scan social media or watch right wing shows like Joe Rogan thinking they are telling the truth. Scary but we have to fight fire with fire and either start our own left wing media or something. We have to get our message to the people somehow. Corporate media was pissed at Biden and Harris for sideling them for podcasts, but that is where the voters are. That is where you have to reach them. Harris went on some but she only had 100 days to run in. Not a lot of time to schedule podcasts in. Hugs.
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It is very important Scottie to start getting the message out.
By now it is evident that a substantial portion of the USA are immune to attacks on Trump as a person and his history.
It is now time to divert the message to the folk themselves and ask of them the hard questions as to how such and such a policy might personally affect them.
Going for ‘nickles & dimes’ questions about street-level economics can work, but can also get lost in the ‘maths’ and ‘charts’
Harder for folk to turn their backs on would be personal questions such as:
‘Suppose your daughter or sister gets pregnant……’ – you then lead on with alternative scenarios.
‘Suppose that son/daughter you love so much and are so proud of what they have accomplished and who loves you…comes out as gay?’
‘Suppose you find folk knocking at your door canvasing to go their church. And they just keep coming back, getting less friendly’
‘How do you feel about those guys in combat camo outfits carrying guns out and about in your town, swinging their weight about?’
The slow steady campaign of getting them to face up to the possibilities.
Anyone gets in your face, a simple, knowing, grim:
‘Fine. So far so good then…Uh?’ either on the net or face to face should do it.
Slow and steady
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Roger you mentioned something very important in your reply I have been hearing that tRump showing he is failing. The question being asked can anyone else tap into his cult power and lead maga with the trance like ability he has and has shown. The answer I am hearing is no. Maga thugs will try to stay relevant, but no leader in congress or even JD Vance can step into tRump’s shoes and be as much the cult salesman he can. The problem, if tRump dies or is removed during the next two years, Vance gets the entire term. I doubt he could get another one. But if he does get a second term, it would be his last. But here is the bad part. If tRump lasts two years and then dies or is removed, Vance is eligible for two more complete terms if he can win them.
But back to the point. I believe no one can replicate what tRump is or has done. tRump has all his life managed to use his money of connections to deny reality and replace it with what he demands is true. Even if it was only in his own sphere of influence when he was barely holding on before the myth of the Apprentice TV show made him a pretend wealthy person. If you read what the producers of the show wrote, they were stunned when they finally got into to tRump’s offices. Torn chairs, worn furniture, crapy decor. They had to rebuild total office and boardroom sets inside tRump Towers to film in. Only the press tRump had built for himself by constantly selling himself to page 6 (the gossip page for those that follow the wealthy set) writers had kept him looking like a high floating billionaire. Reports are that tRump was only worth on paper a few million up to 10 million and mortgaged much more heavily than that before the TV show brought him fame and money.
You ask about Mar-a-Largo. That was given to the US. Carter to save money sold it to trump for 7 million. tRump created a club, sold it to that club for 14 million, then started grifting from it. When Ron worked as his nighttime butler / house supervisor, all staff and him were paid by the club by club dues, but worked personally for tRump. The bylaws said no one could live at the club, but tRump from the start had his own apartment complex there, again all paid for by the club. Once the club got going he mortgaged it for more money to get more money. Yes he used something he used something he did not own, but calls his, so he could buy more things to put his name on. When that started to go badly and the US money laundering dried up he turned to the Russian mob to money launder from. That again restarted the greatest part of his grift. But wait for it. He used his TV show fame as a great businessman to become the US president so began the greatest grift of all soaking the US government for everything he could get and getting foreign governments who wanted to curry favor to join his clubs and buy his merchandise. Now he has a second bite at the public treasury. Yet poor people on public assistance are ridiculed, mocked, and insulted by him along with his followers / sycophants.
Again I just don’t see any other republican pulling this off. Hugs
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Somewhere along the way The American Dream lapses into this worshiping of Gaudy Excess over any Compassion and Respect for people.
I suspect this may have had its roots in the losses in Vietnam and thence an insecurity in the nation which had folk turn for all sorts of easy-fix answers. Then came 9/11 which was a bloody assault on the USA which it has never experienced. It was something folk could not handle and they had to invent internal reasons, because no foreigners could do it right?
Up until then the only conspiracy in town was the JFK one, and one embraced solely by folk who were suspicious of central government. After 9/11 and also the Waco siege the Right took up the ball and ran with it, looking for someone to be their figure head, The Bush men were too conservative, along came Trump, gaudy, vulgar and pushy…just what they wanted; firstly in the media and then in the disaffected grass-roots horrified that an African American had won the seat in the Whitehouse twice…..
The unholy alliance of snake-oil opportunists and grass-roots intolerance was formed.
Oh there will be a scrambling and a fighting for that heritage, that I agree, it will be ugly and regrettably Trump will have an undeserved place in the pantheon.
But the saga has many sides to it, and these matters are not done, not by a long way, and Trump’s heritage is not one that will be sanctified by everyone.
The tale had a long way to go yet Scottie.
Take care you guys.
Roger & Sheila.
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Hi Roger. Your question: “‘Suppose that son/daughter you love so much and are so proud of what they have accomplished and who loves you…comes out as gay?’” Well back in the late 1990s and the 2000s several anti gay senators kids came out as gay. I remember one especially because he had originally backed the banning same sex marriage act that Bush wanted to force through. But when he learned that his golden boy athletic son he bragged about told him publically he was gay … the Senator changed his vote. See that is how it worked for a lot of congressional bigots, once their children came out to them … They changed their stances and never faced scrutiny about it. But they should have. They should have been pilloried, but everyone excused them because it affected their own children / family … but what about all the other kids / families their votes hurt that they got a pass for? Is it only the elite that matter? Sorry right now I am tired and raw. I stand up for those that have no voice, but it seems once the powerful come out and have their say it is OK for them to change sides. I disagree with that. Hugs
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Hi Scottie.
Sorry for another delay….I wanted to give some time to reply to this one.
Also our daughter Meg wanted to come on a visit at short notice, at a time when the house was a bit topsy-turvey with a re-decorate, so we had to take time out to make the place presentable, and then when Meg arrived yesterday do a lot of catching up.
Anyway, here I am, over UK breakfast (8.00 am GMT-UK).
When it comes to a change of stance, I think a lot depends on the follow through. A case of ‘You talk The Talk. But can you walk The Walk?’.
As I type this I’m thinking about arch-segregationist of the 1960s George Wallace, who narrowly missed assassination, but lost the use of his legs. The whole experience had him turning around and for the rest of his life he campaigned for Civil Rights and equal status.
The question is, if someone supports their child, are they going to support only their child through parental love (or duty) or are they going to understand and work for their child’s wider life? If they are willing to learn more about their child’s feelings and concerns and understand. Or are they just going to ‘make allowances’ only for their child.
The former is an enlightenment and they move forward. The latter has that element of hypocrisy.
You are right of course that it can be easier for those with resources to change direction, whereas those who are without and vulnerable do not have that luxury. On the other side those who have resources will also have opponents and foes who will make capital out of anything they can use, and that is another layer of complexity.
At the end of the day it all comes down to a matter of navigating ourselves as communities into more tolerant and understanding standards. Sadly the tide seems to be moving the other way. Obviously these folk who think Trump has been sent by God have not fully read Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels and embraced the lessons.
We hope you are feeling better Scottie.
Take care
Roger & Sheila.
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Thank you Roger. I am feeling a lot better. I got a lot of sleep last night. I can not regulate my sleep. So some night I only get at most an hour, other nights I sleep well. No change in diet or habits.
As for those wanting acceptance and tolerance of others we seem to be at the mercy of a 19% fundamentalist Christian Nationalist minority who feel that their god will only love them and the US is if they force everyone their church doctrines and dictates. Forcing everyone to live as they demand … as they pretend to live by. They demand everyone be of their religion, as they know their god will only be happy once the country only allows their god, their morals, and all kids to recite by rote their views of god. They follow the Old Testament god not the New Testament Jesus. They will claim parents rights to force your child to do what they want denying you your parental rights. They want a society that never existed but they think did or could, if we just believe enough, have enough faith.
As for these republican politicians and the way they vote compared to their private lives or children. These are the same people that feel their wives, daughters, and mistresses can/ should have the right to abortion but not the rest of the people. They feel it is OK for them to have sex out of marriage or same sex relations but not the people. We know that everywhere there is a republican convention or meeting male sex workers triple their incomes. They feel they are the elite who have rights not allowed to the masses, the population in general. So remember when Dick and Liz Cheney came out against same sex marriage at the same time Dick’s daughter, Liz’s sister, that both claimed to love was a lesbian. So again it is OK for their children, but others peoples kids are going to hell and have to be converted to heterosexuality and to accept the gender they were assigned at birth. It is the idea that they are above the laws and rules that others must follow to please their god.
This is horrible for those of us who don’t want to lose the right to live freely and enjoy the rights straight cis people take for granted. Already Janet who is trans feels she can not wear some jewelry or some wigs for fear of being attacked. In many places the police and others will not help or back up LGBTQ+ people if attacked and assaulted. In their minds it is what we deserve. I lived through that and it seems the fundamentalist and Nazi groups want to bring those times back. It is driving me crazy, Ron is so worried he has stopped telling people we are married or a couple if they don’t know already. Hugs
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