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The New Rome? – politicalbetting.com
The New Rome? – politicalbetting.com
Why is it that the US’s vaunted constitutional protections, separations of powers and independent institutions we have heard so much about over the years have just dissolved like wet tissue?
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As the great Pratchett had Vimes ask "Who watches the watchers?"
For all the bluster and misbehaviour, I think we are rapidly approaching the point where opposition to this shit starts in earnest. At least I hope we are.
Until, and less, the GOP decide they have had enough the lunacy will continue.
Even then it may be too far gone
Whether they would comply is still an open question
One is the armed forces, and the other is the ability of 100,000,000 million people to take to the streets, go on strike amd generally engage in civil disobedience.
But yes - what actually happen if Trump tried to declare war on Canada?
I saw a quote from someone recently that said watching the Trump phenomena they now understand how Jim Jones got 900 people to drink poison
Trump invited Conor McGregor, the Reform-y Tomm-eh esque UFC dude in to the WH and the Oval Office, for St Paddy's Day, and left the Teseaichoichscshuckseoischyeiaghhrshffffqooowooo fuming half a mile down the road
I know Donald Trump is not always to everyone's taste, on PB, but he can be fucking funny
Homan: "We're not stopping. I don't care what the judges think. I don't care what the left thinks. We're coming."
(And thanks Cyclefree. I was vaguely aware of the law firm thing but did not understand why it was so important).
The more this is so, the greater is the chance of an attempted counter-coup, in which, if it occurred, I think the armed forces are bound to be a part along with civil leadership.
It seems to me that the first, Trump's attempted coup, is becoming likely, and the second unlikely but not impossible.
GET OVER YOURSELVES
@adamjschwarz.bsky.social
The White House is hosting Conor McGregor today, who the Irish High Court ruled four months ago assaulted and raped a woman.
Press Secretary Karoline Levitt says the Trump Administration "couldn't think of a better guest to have on St Patrick's Day."
He will be meeting Trump later.
https://x.com/ericldaugh/status/1901644988733092176
"The 40,000,000 Irish Americans, as I said, need to hear this because if not, there will be no place to come home and visit."
"That which pleases the Prince has the force of law" was invented by a Roman jurist.
The Roman republic died of attempted Legalism - instead of reforming to actually deliver to the bulk of the Roman people, the autocrats clung to The Law. So along came the Populares who got the Head Count behind them......
One other thing it might usefully have gone into in more detail is yesterday's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act (what remains of the Sedition Acts of 1798), in the deportation, without any court proceeding, of over 200 unnamed Venezuelans (alleged, without evidence being provided, of being gang members).
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/21
Whenever there is a declared war between the United States and any foreign nation or government, or any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated, attempted, or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation or government, and the President makes public proclamation of the event, all natives, citizens, denizens, or subjects of the hostile nation or government, being of the age of fourteen years and upward, who shall be within the United States and not actually naturalized, shall be liable to be apprehended, restrained, secured, and removed as alien enemies. The President is authorized in any such event, by his proclamation thereof, or other public act, to direct the conduct to be observed on the part of the United States, toward the aliens who become so liable; the manner and degree of the restraint to which they shall be subject and in what cases, and upon what security their residence shall be permitted, and to provide for the removal of those who, not being permitted to reside within the United States, refuse or neglect to depart therefrom; and to establish any other regulations which are found necessary in the premises and for the public safety...
Invoking it in peacetime goes against two centuries of precedent, and goes against the obvious interpretation of the statute.
The administration ignored a court order to halt the deportation - which was not to the individuals' country of origin, but to a El Salvadorean jail, where inmates regularly die in captivity.
Under the act, any foreign national, including those legally resident, could be treated in this manner, should the administration so decide.
According to the mastermind of the new regime, Peter Thiel
Moreover, a direct path forward is prevented by America’s constitutional
machinery. By “setting ambition against ambition” with an elaborate system
of checks and balances, it prevents any single ambitious person from recon-
structing the old Republic. America’s founders enjoyed a freedom of action
far surpassing that of America’s subsequent politicians. Eventually, ambitious
people would come to learn that there is little one can do in politics and that
all merely political careers end in failure. The intellectual paralysis of self-
knowledge has its counterpoint in the political paralysis embedded in our
open system of government.
Still, there are more possibilities for action than first appear, precisely
because there are more domains than those enumerated by the conventional
legal or juridical system. Roberto Calasso reminds us of the alternative thread, in The Ruin of Kasch."
More can be found in his "Straussian Moment", autocrat's manifesto.
Go you.
He's the only person currently able to command that.
South Korean people have been protesting EVERY DAY since Yoon was released last week. The country expects the Constitutional Court's ruling on Yoon's impeacement case early next week.
https://x.com/yejinjgim/status/1900931292385964459
Shocking taste in suits, mind.
Not sure how sharp the conversation will have been in the Oval Office, but certainly some pricks.
https://lobste.rs/s/ukosa1/uk_users_lobsters_needs_your_help_with#c_xevn8a
If you're trying to draw a distinction between colonisation and immigration, then you have a semantic point. But little more than that, since the United States were largely peopled by immigration.
Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...
Ruthless efficiency has been left for Elon to sort out.
They, in turn, were descended from thousands of years of Native People.
UPDATE: Chief Judge Boasberg schedules a hearing for 4p today on the government’s notice and the plaintiffs’ response, notes that the gov’t “shall be prepared to provide answers to the questions raised by Plaintiffs on page 6 of their Response.”
Here are those questions:
https://bsky.app/profile/chrisgeidner.bsky.social/post/3lkleyburtc2a
But I note 'rapist' is trending on X.
Now there's a club that's slightly bigger than Mensa.
Stalin really enjoyed violent bank robberies (think shoot everyone) chasing the ladies and was life and soul of the party. In fact, the young Stalin was the real life mad and funky bandit from the spaghetti westerns.
Then he discovered politics.
Russia and allies were target of International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/trump-russia-ukraine
Coastal British Columbia has a climate very similar to the UK. Vast areas of it are undeveloped (which is great as it means wonderful untouched forests and beaches etc)
BC by itself is huge. Bigger than France. They could easily squeeze in another 10 million (not that they should - they just could)
https://thehill.com/homenews/5198477-trump-russia-ukraine-poll/
Nearly half of American voters think President Trump favors Russia over Ukraine, according to a new poll taken as his administration tries to broker a deal between the countries to end their war.
Just 8 percent of respondents in the NBC News poll said they think Trump is on Ukraine’s side in the war, which started three years ago with Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, even as 61 percent said they personally back Ukraine in the conflict.
Two percent of respondents said they are more sympathetic to Russia, and 35 percent said they favor neither side.
About a third of respondents said they think Trump is neutral in the conflict — a position the president has stressed (sic)...
Good afternoon, PB 👍
I don't know that I would use the word "brainwashed", but it seems undeniable that there is a MAGA core that have swallowed a lot of propaganda, who believe Trump really won in 2020, Putin's a nice guy, Jan 6 was a false flag operation, etc. How should we refer to this group of people who believe a set of "alternative facts"?
I have not posted much recently because it seems everything is upside down, predicting what comes next is impossible and with the exception of Reform, who I oppose with a passio, I am resigned to just watching and waiting to see how politics evolves
Interesting I received some oranges from Asda from Spain with not for the EU on the label
Are Spain producing non EU range of exports ?