To my mind, one only has to ask one question. What motivates Trump. Dr Trump probably knows him better than anyone, but I hope she will forgive me if I try my hand at describing his agenda in a nut shell. To my mind he is obsessed with six things.
To gain as much wealth as possible To amass as much political power as he can. To the extent that it is possible to eliminate or at least to neutralize any one or any organization that might stand in the way of either. To take whatever vengeance he can on anyone who has ever tried to stand in his way. To be able to bask in the acceptance/adoration of as many as possible. The fifth is a corollary of the fourth - to be able to strut astride the largest stage he can manage.
It seems to me that everything he is doing is in pursuit of those goals.
This is called “burning the furniture.” During the American Revolution, there were severely cold winters. Troops needed warmth but firewood was very hard to get having been removed all around camps or because cities were blocked in. Troops and residents resorted to burning the furniture to stay alive. British troops chopped up church pews in New York City for firewood. Donald Trump is terrified of what is in the Epstein files. He is taking every radical action he can imagine to keep the focus off the files. He is burning the furniture. Expect more of this and even worse. Do not be distracted by the fire. Keep demanding the files.
It is important to recognize that our system of government as it existed before Nov. 3rd, 2024, or more aptly before 'donald' was exonerated from prosecution by the failed impeachment proceedings subsequent to Jan. 6. 2021, has ceased to exist. His scheme to subvert, insurrect, and overthrow the imperfect Republic of nearly 250 years is in the balance. He has demonstrated that he will stop at nothing to consolidate absolute power, the lawless autocrat for the ages. It has come down to the People to rise up to resist his tyranny at such great cost since this is our only way out from the abyss. It is not ordained by nature that humanity will survive the onslaught of a madman without a supreme struggle for the common good. Thank you, Mary, for elucidating our mortal plight.
Peter Theil (if i spelled it correctly), Russell Vought and other oligarchs are the ones behind all of this, you can be sure. No need to wonder about it!
"[I]t is not the prerogative of a foreign power to kidnap and prosecute him. If it were, perhaps someone could intervene here in America." This is what I have been hoping for. Donald is not just a scourge on the US, he is a scourge on the whole world. In the first term, he asked what do we have nukes for if we aren't going to use them. The whole world is vested in the US's domestic problems.
There are some powerful regimes out there who might take the opportunity to "intervene here in America" - China after it grabs Taiwan, Russia after it manages to bomb Ukraine back to the stone age or gives up on that. The terrible thing is that would be the opposite of saving us. But perhaps a multinational group could quietly intervene, preferably at one of the big parties in Florida where all the loyalists show up, and ... do what it takes (fly all the war criminals to the Hague for immediate processing?) to put the US back on track to restore the Constitution, the rule of law, and democracy.
I am mostly in despair but have maintained a small sliver of hope which is why I’ll be at the Jan 20th Indivisible protest. The murder of Renee Nicole Good was a real gut punch.
Mary, you say: "This is not accidental. Much of it is intentional. The goal is to demoralize us, exhaust us, overwhelm us, and stoke fear. They want us disorganized. They want it to be nearly impossible to fully process the relentless stream of horrors."
Yes, "they" want this and that, and they must be working in the tradition of a century or more. I think you personalise it too much to Donald. My best guess is that he was mind-controlled from an early age. The 'tasks' he carries out could just as well be done by Joe Schmoe. Donald is probably a slave. Does he really have the brains for, say the Iran/Maduro combination?
You underestimate Trump. He is the single most successful demagogue in our entire history. That does not mean that he is working alone, but it does mean that he is a good deal more than simply a figurehead controlled by others. No one else in his administration could have pulled off the most successful political con job in American history. He opened the door to the others, and he continues to both hold that door open and to enable his myrmidons even as they enable him. It is a parasitic relationship.
I believe Donald is the tail wagging the dog. Donald's brand of insanity is what attracted so many insane voters -- I don't know that anyone else could have been the blue-collar whisperer. It's Donald's insane ideas about the need for a Nobel Peace Prize, or to annex Canada and Greenland. I don't think those ideas were in Project 2025.
James Perloff, in January 2025, published an article where he described his efforts at finding who was behind our 'leaders.' This led him to find a map at historyheist.com, that was printed confidentially by the Club of Rome in 1973.
It shows Greenland as part of "Region 1," which is mainly Canada, US, and Mexico. The theme has to do with establishing regions (as has been done with Europe via the EU) on the way to complete globalisation. So Donald is a late comer to this business.
That assumes that he was aware of and captivated by that of which you are speaking, as opposed say to, say, an authoritarian misinterpretation of the Monroe Doctrine. Or, as impulsive as he is, that he simply fastened on the idea after a glance at a map.
Not paying attention is what got us the Congress we have now. It's a lesson we're still learning. And Venezuela's instability is nothing compared to Donald's.
Yes, a lot of things are demanding our attention. So it's good advice to pick a few & go after them. Because they are few, & we are many...as in millions.
Everyday it becomes sadder and my anxiety increases. I made a resolution not to comment on people’s posts I disagree with, because of the stress it causes. I can’t just sit back. It’s so hard.
Thank you, Mary. Your words ring true. We must resist and protest this insanity, these absurd lies from the mouths of Trump, Noem, Vance and others. We stand strong and support each other. We must have faith in our unity.
Do this one thing today. Find your Congressperson's address and write a short demand that your Representative serve the people and not a man gone mad in the President's office!
Donnie is sowing the seeds of his own downfall. It is coming slowly but sooner than he thinks it will come suddenly. Maybe because he tries to invade Greenland and the generals who know better say no. Maybe it's because ICE murders another innocent and Republicans in Congress finally realize that ICE will lose them their next election. Maybe because he eats one too many Big Macs. But it will come. And he won't see it coming...
To my mind, one only has to ask one question. What motivates Trump. Dr Trump probably knows him better than anyone, but I hope she will forgive me if I try my hand at describing his agenda in a nut shell. To my mind he is obsessed with six things.
To gain as much wealth as possible To amass as much political power as he can. To the extent that it is possible to eliminate or at least to neutralize any one or any organization that might stand in the way of either. To take whatever vengeance he can on anyone who has ever tried to stand in his way. To be able to bask in the acceptance/adoration of as many as possible. The fifth is a corollary of the fourth - to be able to strut astride the largest stage he can manage.
It seems to me that everything he is doing is in pursuit of those goals.
Greed. Greed motivates him. Greed possesses him, and he cannot be filled or sated.
I would use ‘insatiable hunger’ as slightly more accurate, but your point is valid.
James Quinn- I think your 6 points are spot on
This is called “burning the furniture.” During the American Revolution, there were severely cold winters. Troops needed warmth but firewood was very hard to get having been removed all around camps or because cities were blocked in. Troops and residents resorted to burning the furniture to stay alive. British troops chopped up church pews in New York City for firewood. Donald Trump is terrified of what is in the Epstein files. He is taking every radical action he can imagine to keep the focus off the files. He is burning the furniture. Expect more of this and even worse. Do not be distracted by the fire. Keep demanding the files.
Best organized summary that I have read.
It is important to recognize that our system of government as it existed before Nov. 3rd, 2024, or more aptly before 'donald' was exonerated from prosecution by the failed impeachment proceedings subsequent to Jan. 6. 2021, has ceased to exist. His scheme to subvert, insurrect, and overthrow the imperfect Republic of nearly 250 years is in the balance. He has demonstrated that he will stop at nothing to consolidate absolute power, the lawless autocrat for the ages. It has come down to the People to rise up to resist his tyranny at such great cost since this is our only way out from the abyss. It is not ordained by nature that humanity will survive the onslaught of a madman without a supreme struggle for the common good. Thank you, Mary, for elucidating our mortal plight.
Peter Theil (if i spelled it correctly), Russell Vought and other oligarchs are the ones behind all of this, you can be sure. No need to wonder about it!
You needn't worry. You mis-spelled "ThIEl" (correct) as "ThEIl". Remember your elementary school spelling rhyme: "I before E, except after C" !
“Or when sounded like ‘a’ as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh’.
"[I]t is not the prerogative of a foreign power to kidnap and prosecute him. If it were, perhaps someone could intervene here in America." This is what I have been hoping for. Donald is not just a scourge on the US, he is a scourge on the whole world. In the first term, he asked what do we have nukes for if we aren't going to use them. The whole world is vested in the US's domestic problems.
There are some powerful regimes out there who might take the opportunity to "intervene here in America" - China after it grabs Taiwan, Russia after it manages to bomb Ukraine back to the stone age or gives up on that. The terrible thing is that would be the opposite of saving us. But perhaps a multinational group could quietly intervene, preferably at one of the big parties in Florida where all the loyalists show up, and ... do what it takes (fly all the war criminals to the Hague for immediate processing?) to put the US back on track to restore the Constitution, the rule of law, and democracy.
I make up daydreams like this. It helps me to cope.
I’m glad someone finally mentioned trump’s hypocrisy regarding protesters. Kill them here; send in our military to protect them in Iran.
Couldn’t agree more Mary. Your uncle needed to be stopped in November 2024 and he wasn’t. Now nothing can stop him.
I am mostly in despair but have maintained a small sliver of hope which is why I’ll be at the Jan 20th Indivisible protest. The murder of Renee Nicole Good was a real gut punch.
Live in the DC area? There'll be an anti-ICE rally tomorrow (Tuesday, 1/13) at ICE Central (14th Street between PA and Constitution Avenues). Five PM.
Just do it.
Mary, you say: "This is not accidental. Much of it is intentional. The goal is to demoralize us, exhaust us, overwhelm us, and stoke fear. They want us disorganized. They want it to be nearly impossible to fully process the relentless stream of horrors."
Yes, "they" want this and that, and they must be working in the tradition of a century or more. I think you personalise it too much to Donald. My best guess is that he was mind-controlled from an early age. The 'tasks' he carries out could just as well be done by Joe Schmoe. Donald is probably a slave. Does he really have the brains for, say the Iran/Maduro combination?
You underestimate Trump. He is the single most successful demagogue in our entire history. That does not mean that he is working alone, but it does mean that he is a good deal more than simply a figurehead controlled by others. No one else in his administration could have pulled off the most successful political con job in American history. He opened the door to the others, and he continues to both hold that door open and to enable his myrmidons even as they enable him. It is a parasitic relationship.
You nailed it, brother, and big time!
I believe Donald is the tail wagging the dog. Donald's brand of insanity is what attracted so many insane voters -- I don't know that anyone else could have been the blue-collar whisperer. It's Donald's insane ideas about the need for a Nobel Peace Prize, or to annex Canada and Greenland. I don't think those ideas were in Project 2025.
James Perloff, in January 2025, published an article where he described his efforts at finding who was behind our 'leaders.' This led him to find a map at historyheist.com, that was printed confidentially by the Club of Rome in 1973.
It shows Greenland as part of "Region 1," which is mainly Canada, US, and Mexico. The theme has to do with establishing regions (as has been done with Europe via the EU) on the way to complete globalisation. So Donald is a late comer to this business.
That assumes that he was aware of and captivated by that of which you are speaking, as opposed say to, say, an authoritarian misinterpretation of the Monroe Doctrine. Or, as impulsive as he is, that he simply fastened on the idea after a glance at a map.
Interesting premise! I also have wondered who really has control. Hidden away from the public.
Not paying attention is what got us the Congress we have now. It's a lesson we're still learning. And Venezuela's instability is nothing compared to Donald's.
Yes, a lot of things are demanding our attention. So it's good advice to pick a few & go after them. Because they are few, & we are many...as in millions.
Everyday it becomes sadder and my anxiety increases. I made a resolution not to comment on people’s posts I disagree with, because of the stress it causes. I can’t just sit back. It’s so hard.
Thank you, Mary. Your words ring true. We must resist and protest this insanity, these absurd lies from the mouths of Trump, Noem, Vance and others. We stand strong and support each other. We must have faith in our unity.
Do this one thing today. Find your Congressperson's address and write a short demand that your Representative serve the people and not a man gone mad in the President's office!
Donnie is sowing the seeds of his own downfall. It is coming slowly but sooner than he thinks it will come suddenly. Maybe because he tries to invade Greenland and the generals who know better say no. Maybe it's because ICE murders another innocent and Republicans in Congress finally realize that ICE will lose them their next election. Maybe because he eats one too many Big Macs. But it will come. And he won't see it coming...