I wonder how this will affect the work of US counter-terrorism and national security organizations. Trump proclaimed that a "million gold visas will generate a trillion" in revenue for the US. If this is his scheme to pay down the evergreen $7.5 trillion budget deficit that his tax cuts for billionaires will create, it's still a mirage. Mafiosi , international spies and plants, and terrorist leaders and autocrats from all over the world will become the beneficiaries of this open door to barely faithful investors.

After 34 years of service, 30 of them as a commissioned officer, I have to say that I never met any son or daughter or grandchild of billionaires in any military branch, and the # of recent descendants of multimillionaires were less than could count on two hands. And in civilian life yet these entitled uber-wealthy citizens generally feel that their "contribution" to US society is of greater value than any poor person's sons, daughters or grandkids that have been (or even died) in service in the Mideast sandbox or Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world.

As far as we can see, a billionaire's wealth is fungible, and like Trump did, their wealth can cross borders easily or be hidden by creative accounting. The US financial system allows wealth of billionaires and multi-millionaires to be untouched by the IBDI scheme - invest, borrow, die, inherit. This allows legacy wealth to accrue and pass on generationally without incurring taxes.

When I see billionaire owners of casinos making huge campaign contributions to right wing "nationalist" politicians in exchange for big tax breaks, or lucrative government contracts, or once highly regarded civilian awards it cheapens every veteran's service as am indicator of who is really appreciated in this country under Trump.

The Republican Party needs to get a spine. It's never bren more clear that Trump's values aren't America's. He acts and spesks ss if a miniature Putin is sitting in his shoulders telling him ehat to do to get control of the GOP, then the US government to drive America's democracy into crisis.

Any international affairs experts here? For the life of every living veteran, the fortunes of Europe and America were generally paired. And Russia went form being the "evil empire" under Reagan to the country with a chance of becoming a market economy democracy under Clinton, to the country whose leader GW Bush was able to see decency "in his and then back to being the evil empire in the 2010s under Obama with Russia's land grab of Georgia's Abkahzia region and Ukraine's Crimea and western parts of Luhansk and Donetzk Oblasts and failed attempt to destroy Mariupol.

Trump 45 almost sold Ukraine under the bus, but better senses prevailed. Then Russia invaded Ukraine again, aiming for Kyiv and Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporhizhia, and Mariupol and bombing civilian apartment buildings and homes, hospitals, churches, children's centers, and supermarkets and other stores. They kidnapped a generation of children, and have continue to murder civilians in Kherson for no military purpose, just to be evil. SO, until this week, throughout the free world, Muscovy was again the undisputed "Evil Empire"!

So to my State Dept. DIA, and DOD pals, what gives with America's leadership suddenly declaring Zelensky the "dictator", but not Putin, and our treaty-making team fawning over Russia's Lavrov and opening the vault doors to take anything they wanted from Ukraine? I can't make sense of this unless kleptofascist dictator Putin's awfully blackmailed Trump, or it's that Trump might be the "Muscovy President", funded by Moscow to destroy NATO (and America) and in fulfillment of his real mission: "To Make Russia Great Again". Hmm?

In 20219-20, Trump and Pompeo met the Taliban in Qatar to independently capitulate at the expense of the Afghan government. Is the Trump-Waltz's intention with Russia in Saudi Arabia to repeat a unilateral American capitulation to the bad guys? Seems like that's where this is heading.

Would anyone with inside info on what we who regarded NATO as the driver of a rules based world order should do now that our country doesn't stand for that, but seem to be aiming for a world order of hungry wolves eating the spawn of the lambs around them? How do we American warriors for democracy and free economies rationalize this about face that makes enemies of our allies and makes emenies our new friends?

What a disgrace! After post-Soviet Russia was welcomed into the G7, making it the G8, Russia had a chance to join the world of democracies and market-driven economies. But then, after Yeltsin's retirement, Putin rose to power and soon after his KGB buddies became leaders of Russia's industry and Orthodox Church. What happened next is as expected. Private ownership by former KGB officers meant that these industries were no longer public nor open to private investors. Nor were the owners free from government influence. Their owners existed only with the consent of the leader, essentially helping Russia develop into a fascist state, where corporations support the single leader and his objectives. If these "oligarchs" would defy their leader (Putin), a ticked off Putin could lead to an "accidental" window fall that might likely kill you.

It's beyond any US veteran's comprehension that Russia could be considered the good guy. With Putin in power for the past 22 years, he's neither someone who shares the West's values of plural governance or polity, nor the morality of any modern nation. Instead Putin believes in government that obeys the dictates of a single "leader" whose institutions supporting him broach no dissent, nor any bad press. He also believes that industry has to follow his desires and the leaders of industry have to operate with the supreme leader's consent.

So, Putin's Russia has become a fascist kleptocracy -- a sham-democracy, nearly fully separated its predecessor, a semi-fascist "communist" Soviet Union. As early as 2008, Putin told then-President George W Bush that "Ukraine is not a country". Since then, Putin has asserted that there is no such thing as a Ukrainian people separate from Russia.

"These claims were designed to deny the existence and agency of the Ukrainian nation," Erik Herron, a West Virginia University political scientist and author of the book Elections and Democracy after Communism, told PolitiFact in 2022.

Yet, the history of Ukraine has involved several empires or states, some of which were entirely separate from Russia, Eugene Finkel, an associate professor with Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, told PolitiFact on the eve of the war.

Putin set the table for the 2022 invasion with a 5,000-word essay in July 2021. In it, he argued that much of modern-day Ukraine occupies historically Russian lands and that "Russia was robbed" of them. Putin's essay blamed the conflict on the West, claiming that the protest-driven ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, an ally of Russia, was engineered from the outside and that the Ukrainian government elected in 2014 was illegitimate.

Wow!

What an "offer Zelensky cannot refuse!"

This tactic must have been learned when studying "Extortion & Grifting 101" at the vaunted & famous "Trump University".

Wonder if his instructor was John Gotti or Bernardo Provenzano? Either way, Trump & Putin are two peas in a pod. Hard to tell them apart.

Achtung! Alle, die den obersten Fhrern gegenber illoyal sind, werden vom Reich verfolgt.

auf obersten Befehl:
- Elon und Donald.

Achtung!!
Ze Gestapo now hast deine records. Zey know who you are, und vether you are loyal to zer Reich! Bevare!! Zey vill audit alles who vork (albeit) fr den liberal programs und who do not like dee Frher!!

Achtung! " alle, die den obersten Fhrern gegenber illoyal sind, werden vom Reich verfolgt.
- auf obersten Befehl:
- Elon und Donald.

Don't MAGAns call non-MAGA protesters "snowflakes"? Looks as if a MAGA nerve was touched. Who thunk tough, mean, uncompassionate MAGA toughies had their feelings hurt by a satirical skit performed by an Academy Award-winning thespian?

The poor snowflakes!

Putin is a fascist. A kleptofascist to be more accurate. But a shrewd one. His KGB training was successful but he did not count on Ukraine fighting back nor on NATO getting larger. As a result, Russia had at least 2 million educated, prime working age men leave Russia to avoid conscription and another 1/2 million men died in combat or have lost so much mobility they might be forever unemployed. Russia's rouble is tanking and inflation rampant with borrowing rates over 20%.

But Putin had faith in Trump and Trump certainly seems ready to deal with Putin and give Putin a lifeline. What sort of quid pro quo will Trump want from Putin? Something fishy & no good. What will Putin ask for in return? Any ideas? When two mafia dons make deals, everyone loses.

If anyone could think hard about how Trump has done so much crap in 3 weeks is because there has been a small army of ultra nationalist anti-government experts scheming for Trump for over 3 years. The Stop The Steal extremists that included so many of his cabinet nominees meets billionaire fascists and kleptocrats. So is Project 2025 all that is behind this whirlwind of crazy nominees, seemingly stream of consciousness drivel and creating chaos within federal agencies and the international community? Probably not.

Trump's off the cuff remark that "if elected there'd be no more need to worry about elections" isn't a harmless meaningless utterance. He's running the table with his nominees as they get confirmed. Next is Cash Patel who has the most convoluted financial disclosure statements, and has hated the FBI his entire life in the US. If Patel's nomination isn't rejected the march into American fascism will speed up double time.

Ultimately, Trump will be able to instigate enough turmoil that he might feel justified to declare martial law and accelerate his war on America. But only 30% of the US public thinks Trump's view for the country's right wing is OK. That 30% seems willing to start a civil war against the rest of America.

If Trump declares martial law, where will the guardrails be to constrain him? What is Congress doing to prepare for this potential debacle? They'd better prepare because this is the well-planned plot that Trump's schemers have been working on.

Who here is ready for martial law under Trump and Vance? How long do you think it would take for Trump's cabinet and his GOP cronies in Congress to instigate a situation that would allow Trump to invoke martial law?

Accept the risk that is part of the larger plan. If this administration does enough through its vile Cabinet appointees and DOGE & Trump & Vance & the SCOTUS majority to provoke his opponents into ever more vociferous protests all around the country.

That's already been happening like clockwork. Now add in 1500 Jan 6 convicts who are all out of jailed getting the code word to counter anti-Trump protests and provoke violence at these 50 state demonstrations. SECDEF Hegseth will nationalize national guards across the country to suppress dissent. And the chaotic DOGE process will throw enough Americans to step up their militancy in protest.

Bang!

At some point, Trump will tell his National Security Council that the cities across America are too problematic that he MUST declare martial law. And how will that end?

With unfaithful politicians on the protest lines thrown in jail and having their security clearances pulled, with military officers resisting martial law indicted for treason, along with AOC and Schiff and Raskin.

Once Trump declares martial law say goodbye to the America as we know it.

If only moderate GOP senator's who are rubber-stamping Trump's caninet nominees' appointments understood the precarious situation they are ensbling.

Congress will likely eventually pass an Omnibus spending bill and that Project 2025's creators will generally like and that Trump will sign into law.

So the only ways to erase DOGE from existence would include either: 1) explicit action by Congress to require DOGE to retake USDS's original mission in order for DOGE to be funded in this fmFY (fat chance!); or 2) for the courts to determine that DOGE is a misappropriation of funds specifically intended to carryout the mission of USDS. Could a Dem caucus file such a lawsuit without some GOP support? Probably, Congress's GOP majority might then retroactively pass a law approving the demise of USDS's mission and the reappropriation of 2025 funds to DOGE's mission? This is DEFINITELY what the Democratic leadership must force the GOP caucus into doing.

Why? Because, if a FY 2025 budget law is passed that misses the step to retroactively repurpose USDS's funds to serve DOGE's specifically & legally delineated purposes, call your senators & Congress members and insist that the administration be sued for misappropriating federal budget monies. It could eventually force Congress to vote on DOGE's new mission, which probably would not erase DOGE, but it would force it to be created legally by Congress and give Congress a say in its mission and give Congress oversight over USDS's successor entity.

Since the previous Congress ended its session under a continuing resolution, does this Executive Branch have power to repurpose USDS's mission and to use USDS's previously authorized funding?

Congress could challenge the misappropriation of USDS's funding and de-facto disestablishment of USDS with an entirely repurposed agency. But would the current (Trump-cowering) GOP-dominated Congress stand up to Trump when it finally approves a FY-2025 budget bill?

Superficialky, it seems that the Jan. 20 Executive Order that created DOGE (www.whitehouse.gov) is legal even though DOGE takes for itself all the funds previously appropriated to the executive branch's US Digital Service (USDS) agency, because the first paragraphs imply this to be an organizational name change.

This is where DOGE's legality is questionable. The replacement of the Congressionally approved and funded USDS should be legally challenged on the grounds that the mission of DOGE is incredibly different from USDS's, which was to make federal agencies' software and internet systems more customer-friendly and effective. This isn't Trump's Executive Order's purpose for DOGE. What DOGE is doing is almost certainly not what any previous Congress appropriated budget funds to USDS to do.

Clearly, there is no legal precedent for the executive branch to do a lot of what its done. Congress oversees of these agencies that are being storm-troopered by DOGE and summarily closed without due process. If a president wants to disestablish any one of them, he would in nearly all cases need Congress to make that happen.

What is unclear is whether DOGE, an unauthorized Executive Branch creation is legally empowered to do anything with congressionally established departments or agencies. Congress has the sole power to appropriate funds to departments and their agencies. So, could any president legally create and fund and empower something like DOGE?

Clearly, there is no legal precedent for the executive branch to do a lot of what its done. Congress oversees of these agencies that are being storm-troopered by DOGE and close without due process. If a president wants to disestablish any one of them, he would in neatly all xases need Congress to make that happen.

What is unclear is whether DOGE, an unauthorized Executive Branch creation is legally empowered to do anything with congressionally established departments or agencies. Further, Congress has the sole power to appropriating funds to government's departments and their agencies. So, could the president legally create and fund and empower something like DOGE?

Why Michigan's pro-Palestinian voters voted for Trump astounds everyone who knew that Trump would be Netanyahu's lapdog.

It doesn't surprise me. Stock market near all time high. Billionaires spending obscenely bribe-like amounts to get governors, legislatures and presidents elected.

Impeach Trump, Vance, and Rubio NOW!

In the 1930's the America First movement was a US Nazi front organization. Today, a South African aparthied loving hail Hitler saluting billionaire is leading a cabal of computer hackers into the most sensitive computer systems of our nation's government.

The "Repubkan" party has become America's America First party in the full sense of the 1930's domestic Nazi movement. To stop America from falling into an unstoppable slide toward fascism, GOP officials need to act now to protect the separation of powers and government's system of checks and balances.

Putin has recreated KAOS, the mocking version of the Soviet Cold War paramilitary agency in the Get Smart TV series. His mercenary paramilitaries and troll-farm hackers have been at work trying to destabilize the West and other democracies for almost 2 decades. It's about time Germany's military realized that Putin's fingers are deeply in the roots of its anti-establishment Alternatives Fur Deutschland (AFD) party and behind most of the EU's regressive nationalist political groups including France's National Rally party.

I seriously think it can only be done by Amending the Constitution. Good luck with that.

This is not going to be, "Government of the people, by the people, for the people." Perish that prospect!!

Let the oligarchs line up at the starting line. America is trending away from democracy to a right-wing plutocracy. Abe Lincoln & U.S. Grant would be appalled.