What exactly do we say?
So…yeah.
Call me conspiratorial but I kind of think this is part of the point: A small number of strong men each holding their own sphere of influence, ceding the rest to the others to do as they want. https://t.co/7iVLByd7ao
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) January 3, 2026
Wouldn’t surprise me if Trump, Putin, Xi, and the other goons held their version of the Berlin Conference of 1884 in secret a few months ago.
When i first read the Jill Filipovic quote “…: A small number of strong men each holding their own sphere of influence, ceding the rest to the others to do as they want.” i expecting one of your excellent critiques of the transgender movement with its gender ideology and institutional capture, was i wrong? ;-)
especially thinking of the UK including rape centers, prisons, nursing changing rooms, etc.!!!
Well it is a pattern certainly, but of course this is way more horrific.
The United States will say nothing, as long as it gets to do what it wants, or at least as long as Trump gets to do what he wants.
Exactly. In this view, Maduro’s true sin was to not be a big enough, or powerful enough crook. Another question, perhaps a better one, is what happens when the desires of these few strong men conflict with each other, as they will inevitably do? Can the rest of us really rely on honour among theives? What mob boss can resist a moment of perceived weakness in one of his rivals (whether that perception is accurate or not)? Which of them will deny themselves the “right” to add to their territories at a rival’s expense? Can you say “gang war”?
The rest of the world, like so many stockyard cattle, gets no say in how they are divvied up, with these few powerful men drawing up their preffered cuts of beef, openly, for all to see.
Trump never met a boundary he wouldn’t cross. Trump has crossed so many alleged Rubicons with no cost or consequence, that too many Americans have become numbed to his violations (and too many Americans have cheered him on). What’s one more? This is where the death by a thousand cuts of the rule of law, and the subversion and submission of the Legislative and Judicial branches* to the voraciousness of an insatiable, all consuming, unopposed, nuclear-armed Execucutive has brought us to.
Speaking from outside of the United States, somehow, though, this line is more terrifying than almost any of the others, but something that the others have inevitably led up to. Trump has turned his domestic dictatorship into a global enterprise. This is just the opening act, a warp up, a practice run. Push the boundaries, and see if anyone or anything pushes back. As a Canadian, I hope that Prime Minister Carney speaks more directly (or at all) towards the illegality of Trump’s actions. I can understand, to some degree, the need for caution, tact, and deliberation, but silence will not save us.** Before long, Trump will covet, demand, and take what he wants from us, water likely topping the list, as anthropogenic climate change dessicates large parts of the United States.
This is something his supporters don’t seem to grasp: if the law is not there for the worst of us, then it can’t be relied upon to protect anyone. If the law is sidestepped and ignored, then it isn’t really “law” anymore, and nobody is safe, Trump supporters included. How can they be sure that they will forever stay in Trump’s good books? What happens when they disagree with him? Ask Marjorie Taylor Green. The United States is no longer a nation of laws, but of one man, Donald Trump.
*A trend which started long ago, but one that has been leveraged and weaponized by Trump.
** Though at least Carney is not fucking cheering Trump on, like Polievre. As America plunges further and faster into dictatorship, I hope this tweet of his will be used against him, especially by other Conservatives. It’s disgusting to start with, and will not age well. He’s clearly thrown his lot in with the impending Era of Global Dictators. I hope it makes him unelectable.
not Bruce:
The rule of law is still there. It’s just that Trump has used what power he has to grab the right to make the law up as he goes along. So, he’s naturally very respectful of it. Own the power; own the law.