Trump Redux: The Death of Democracy, or Overblown Hyperbole?

[Lexi Darling]

'Chilling effect on free speech:' Trump wants green card applicants already legally in the US to hand over social media profiles

I don't want to say I told you so but...

[Lexi Darling]

I haven't heard that name in a while. Prompted me to look him up. "I am the son of the godhead". Seems pretty Jesus-like to me. Himself and RFK Jr. would make a formidable team. Edit to add, ICKE doesn't have a  clue what the purpose of FEMA camps is.

I mean he's a professional pusher of conspiracy theories (often antisemitic ones as 99% of conspiracy theories are) who thinks world leaders are actually alien lizard people, so I'm not sure clues are particularly abundant in his head.

[DJChameleon]

'Chilling effect on free speech:' Trump wants green card applicants already legally in the US to hand over social media profiles

I don't want to say I told you so but...

My friend is so paranoid about this. She's a citizen but she's been scrubbing her social media and deleting most of it.

[jimmy jazz]

Me and DJ have been sorting out our differences on PM, and we are proud to announce he'll be coming to the UK where I'm going to buy him a few pints and some saltfish patties.

#FriendsAgain

[DJChameleon]

Hopefully I don't get fucked with when I return but I should be okay. International travel is mad risky for certain Americans lately.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/18/germany-investigates-after-national-with-green-card-arrested-at-us-border

Berlin is investigating whether US immigration policy has changed, after a German national who is a permanent US resident was detained and "violently interrogated" by US border officials.

Fabian Schmidt, 34, is being held at a detention centre in Rhode Island after attempting to return to his home in New Hampshire after a trip to Luxembourg.

[Lexi Darling]

New Trump demand to colleges: Name protesters — and their nationalities

Trump fulfilling his daily racist shithead quota.

As a non practicing Jew I'm utterly mortified that this administration is committing such disgusting abuse and hiding behind the bold faced lie that they care about "fighting antisemitism". Anyone who buys that bullshit when this administration continues to employ the Nazi salute guy and embolden countless antisemitic white nationalists is deeply stupid at the absolute best.

[Jwb]

The issue is that everything you say seems to be trying to downplay what's happening, and it saddens me because I didn't think you were that sort of person. You're free to make whatever comments you want here of course, but I have yet to see any post by you condemning what Trump and Musk are doing. If you don't condemn it, fair enough. I just want to know: am I dealing with someone who supports/would have voted for him, or not? Most people here have made their position clear enough (not sure about JWB) so it's not an invalid question: do you support what's happening in America, not care about it, or deplore it?

which part have I not made clear?

I don't think there's likely to be a pending trans holocaust, but I do think democracy is on its last legs and that within 10 to 20 years (that's being conservative) I basically expect  us to be living under an autocrasy that more closely resembles modern Russia than it does Nazi Germany. There's still a small part of me that hopes that's wrong.  But every signal they send is pointing in that direction.

Out of everything they have done so far,  rounding up random people who they say are illegal alien gang members with no due process and shipping them to a slave labor camp in a foreign country is definitely the most on the nose as far as the Nazi comparisons go.

[DJChameleon]

In NY state they are trying to pass a mask ban but it has the same end goal of trying to oust protesters under the same lie you posted about, Lexi.

https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/buffalo/state-legislature-expected-to-consider-ban-on-face-masks-to-prevent-criminal-activity#:~:text=BUFFALO%2C%20NY%20(WKBW)%20%E2%80%94,their%20identities%20while%20committing%20crimes.

[Jwb]

Who are you talking to?

[Lucem Ferre]

bold faced lie

[Jwb]

which part have I not made clear?

I don't think there's likely to be a pending trans holocaust, but I do think democracy is on its last legs and that within 10 to 20 years (that's being conservative) I basically expect  us to be living under an autocrasy that more closely resembles modern Russia than it does Nazi Germany. There's still a small part of me that hopes that's wrong.  But every signal they send is pointing in that direction.

Out of everything they have done so far,  rounding up random people who they say are illegal alien gang members with no due process and shipping them to a slave labor camp in a foreign country is definitely the most on the nose as far as the Nazi comparisons go.

also, since I scrolled up and saw this whole thing started with Lexi saying some people don't like Nazi comparisons,  let me be clear: I don't like bad Nazi comparisons. Like for example thinking they're sending secret Nazi messages through the number given to an executive order, which are given out sequentially. Yet she's over here going "14! 88! I see a Nazi clue!" When all roads lead back to the third reich, as they clearly do for her,  I start to think these types of Nazi comparisons just make the left look stupid.

Invoking a Nazi comparison for the recent videos of people being unloaded into a foreign labor camp would have indeed hit a lot harder than the kinds of shit I have actually responded to from Lexi or TH. Just so I'm clear.

[DJChameleon]

Who are you talking to?

Re read Lexi's post.

[Jwb]

I just misunderstood your post. I see where that happened. You missed a comma before Lexi. So I read it as "the same lie you posted about Lexi" where as you were apparently trying to say "the same lie you posted about,  Lexi." I forgive you.

[Lexi Darling]

If it were just the 1488 thing then sure. But they do these dogwhistles so frequently (not always specifically Nazi ones but white nationalist and antisemitic ones certainly) that it's not something I feel like I can just dismiss or downplay. We've established that you and I differ on what we think is is proper to call a Nazi comparison, and for the record I don't necessarily disagree with you. I have acknowledged that the comparisons I make aren't intended to be one to one. I've agreed with you that I don't think they're trying to re-establish the Third Reich. But I also don't think it's correct to say that they haven't been inspired by the actions, rhetoric and techniques of the Nazis. Not exclusively, I agree with your call on Russia for sure. And it's probably a fair point that I'm less studied on other authoritarian regimes than Nazi Germany, I fully admit this.

I call out Nazi shit: A. when it's obvious Nazi signaling. Maybe you're right on the 1488 thing, I saw a bunch of people saying that they timed the 'antisemitism' order deliberately to fall on a number including 14 and 88, but even without that they do the Nazi signals all the time and I can provide plenty more examples. And B. When I analogize parallels and point out historical patterns that line up with the descent into authoritarianism that occurred in Germany in the 1930s. I've never meant to imply that I think that's the only place and time where those patterns occurred and those parallels can be drawn. But fair enough, I could probably make more accurate comparisons if I were more knowledgeable on other authoritarian regimes.

[Lucem Ferre]

I just misunderstood your post. I see where that happened. You missed a comma before Lexi. So I read it as "the same lie you posted about Lexi" where as you were apparently trying to say "the same lie you posted about,  Lexi." I forgive you.