Nice to hear for once a proposed solution that isnt “So get out there and vote vote vote for Democrats!” Nonetheless, aside from some recent resurgence in labor power, this alternative solution seems unlikely, at least any time soon:
History is clear enough: Positive change nearly always begins with mass movements: the civil rights movement, women’s rights, the Vietnam War protests, the anti-apartheid movement, LGBTQ activism and many more. For a variety of reasons, protest movements in the 21st century — from the Iraq war to Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter and climate justice — have not succeeded in creating large-scale social and economic change, although they have shifted public consciousness to some degree. What the future will require, I believe, is a level of sustained street activism in conjunction with labor militancy and workplace democracy, the likes of which America had in the 1930s. We can see hints of this in the renewed power of labor unions, although these still represent a small proportion of America’s workers.
This kind of unified movement could assert power from outside government by controlling key sectors in the economy, with the goal of improving living standards, increasing wages and providing equal access to health care benefits for everyone. More optimistically, such a movement could, in the longer term, help encourage a return to communal life. People engaged in cooperative efforts for their mutual benefit feel less alone — because they are not alone — and feel a greater sense of purpose and stability in their lives.
Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections, yet have managed to hold power almost half the time — a form of minority sabotage.
Yes, and some of the developments described further in the article as though they are spontaneously occurring are also part of the GOP agenda:
People of all demographic groups feel more alone than ever before, while public trust in the government has been at record lows for years
That’s by design. The GOP has been undermining public trust in government agencies, pushing divisive viewpoints, promoting deregulation/privatization, and supporting conflicts their followers associate with the End Times. Their focus on business has been used to ensure most people are economically insecure or in debt to keep them under the thumb of corporate interests.
It’s the backlash against mass protests fueling desperate attempts to regain control and rule (not govern). This is the root of many undemocratic actions being supported by the GOP now. It’s not all coming from within the US, because they’ve relied on external forces to help achieve their agenda, from outsourcing, to international financial manipulation, soliciting foreign groups to harass pols, or flooding the Internet with misinformation. Once that begins, they deny any responsibility. Positive movements to create change from outside the government also have to fight the well-funded forces that have been at that game and manipulating the economy for decades.
We’ve seen grass-roots campaigns successfully counter dark money and right-wing foundation strategies before. I hope that this year sets the stage for election outcomes as well as movements to support progressive legislation and policy changes. With enough pushback it could be impossible for GOP “minority sabotage” to cause this level of disruption again in the future.
The people who already dislike him I suspect already knew much of this (via inference, if not by the positions the heritage foundation has taken over the years) and those who are supportive probably like what they read here. You get a taste of that in the comments…
hundreds of thousands spent on what seem to be illegally prescribed prescription drugs? no worries.
The investigation was prompted by complaints in May 2018 alleging that an unnamed “senior military medical officer” was engaged in “improper medical practices.”
The report does not mention Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson… [but] Jackson had been accused of fostering a toxic work environment, engaging in alcohol-fueled misconduct, and misusing Ambien… OIG received those allegations around the same time when the pharmacy complaints came in
[A] White House pharmacy staff member gave clues as to what the staff was doing with those brand name prescriptions. The staffer told OIG investigators that ahead of overseas trips, the staff would prepare packets of controlled medications to be handed out to White House staff
Provigil?! That stuff can be dangerous. It’s very easy to build a tolerance and you have to be very careful in using it. A life saver for certain conditions but not a med to be handing out
Modafinil was utilized by the French Foreign Legion, US Air Force, and US Marine infantry during the Gulf War to enhance “operational tempo”… The US military approved modafinil for specific Air Force missions, replacing amphetamines for fatigue management. Modafinil is also available to astronauts on the International Space Station to manage fatigue and circadian rhythm disruptions
( not that i disagree with you. handing out random meds seems like a very bad idea. and i’m not loving the idea of the armed services medicating soldiers either. )
My neurologist said it was used in the military a lot, which is how they found out about the tolerance issue. I was prescribed it for a while because of sleep apnea and REM sleep disorder. I didn’t care for it at all. I remember my doctor warning me about sleep aids and alcohol. Eventually I stopped taking it. The research on iron levels and REM sleep disorder came out and one iron infusion later, I didn’t need it. My doc was very happy I could do without it.
It isn’t as dangerous as a opioid or Xanax but the tolerance is a big issue as some of the side effects can be bad (rare heart issues, common anxiety issues). IIRC, it also has a lot of drug interactions. Which the ppl taking it weren’t getting educated about if it was just handed to them.
Republicans said “no Ukraine funding without additional border security funding!” Democrats said OK. Then Trump got wind of the deal.
The idea that congress might accomplish anything, anything at all through bipartisan negotiation and compromise was too much for TFG to handle so of course the cowards are all backing away as quickly as they can.
But that explains her dumb scarlett A stunt… she doesn’t give two shits about her constiuents, she’s a fucking grifter like so many other Republicans these days.
