Update: 2/27/2025 The Associated Press has been barred from White House pressers; CBS was forced to settle a lawsuit over an interview with Kamala Harris; the owner of the Washington Post, billionaire Jeff Bezos, has taken over the Washington Post editorial page and will permit no dissent.
The free press is the last line of defense of democracy threatened by a president who now boasts he is a king. The free press is key to America becoming aware of the danger and the fallout that will also harm the very lives of American citizens. Without a free press, voters will not even know that they have been hurt by whom, much less be able to mount a resistance. Trump thinks he can lie, and he can get away with it because his loyal followers will believe any thing he says. Grisham: Trump ‘knows he can basically say anything and his base will believe’ That is what it is like to live in a dictatorahip.
: "Modern-day dictators have gained the power they seek because they have used modern technology to spin and mind-control their way to their position. .They spin the news to engineer their support" "The central goal remains the same: to monopolize political power. But today’s strongmen realize that in current conditions, violence is not always necessary or even helpful. Instead of terrorizing citizens, a skillful ruler can control them by reshaping their beliefs about the world. He can fool people into compliance and even enthusiastic approval. In place of harsh repression, the new dictators manipulate information. Like spin doctors in a democracy, they spin the news to support. They are spin dictators." How Do Dictatorships Survive in the 21st Century? | Andrew Carnegie Fellows | Carnegie Corporation of New York
Don't believe your eyes; we were told the violent rioters on Jan. 6 were just looky-loo tourists. Now, Trump tells us again not to believe our eyes that the Russian army invaded Ukraine. Ukraine started it.(so Putin tells him) How stupid does he think Americans are, anyway? Grisham: Trump ‘knows he can basically say anything and his base will believe’
.https://www.reuters.com/.../pictures-600-days-war.../ From British Reuters: Images from 600 days of fighting in Ukraine after Russia launched an all-out invasion by land, air, and sea, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two . Trump, as suspected, is a Putin tool and a fool. He has just spouted Kremlin talking points. We now know on whose side he is...suspected, but now the proof. Wicker has other ideas...Putin is a war criminal and should be executed. https://www.mediaite.com/.../top-gop-senator-slams-idea.../
What Trump appears to be doing is to form an alliance with Russia against Western Europe by capitulating to Russia and appeasing them. That kind of belly-up is a characteristic of a weak country in the face of an overwhelming aggressor. Trump is engineering the US to be a weak country on purpose, repeating a history of appeasement by fools that led to World War II. instead of "peace in our times".
Why does it seem eyes glaze over whenever the rule of law, the Constitution, is cited and terms like separation of powers and checks and balances are tossed around? No wonder we are about to lose our democracy. We are a country of civics illiterates. As a country, we sorely need an education in civics, and the Abrego Garcia case is an opportunity. Somewhere, our educational system failed us. Naturalized citizens must pass a civics test to become citizens, and according to a 2018 survey, 60% of Americans would flunk it. Those over 65 had learned it in school; the younger you are, the more likely you are to fail. "Those 65 years and older scored the best, with 74 percent answering at least six in 10 questions correctly. For those under the age of 45, only 19 percent passed with the exam, with 81 percent scoring a 59 percent or lower."National Survey Finds Just 1 in 3 Americans Would Pass Citizenship Test - Institute for Citizens & Scholars. No wonder the age and educational divide predict who votes for whom in any poll. No wonder we are about to lose our democracy because 60% of voters do not understand how worse it could be without it. This is a challenge for political messaging. Trump's defiance of the Constitution and the rule of law presents an opportunity for a national civics lesson. It is also important for anyone crafting a political message to take heed. An explanation in common terms must be part of any messaging of what it means and why it is important to all of us.
So here is lesson one: What the heck is due process?
We are now aware of a term we may not have learned in school: "due process".Why is due process so important? All persons in the US are protected by the 5th amendment of the Constitution. It protects us from being snatched and disappeared by a tyrannical government. That is why the Supreme ruled 9 to 0 that migrants are covered ..including Abrego Garcia. It is fundamental to our personal freedom from fear of an overpowering "King", tyrant, or dictator. The Abrego Garcia case is a learning opportunity.
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