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Americans, your Mad King is putting us all in grave danger. Would you please do something about it?
by saubeidl 9mo ago
Americans, your Mad King is putting us all in grave danger. Would you please do something about it?
- selectodude 9mo agoUnfortunately our federal government is more than powerful enough to take Greenland and mow us all down. I am genuinely sorry that Atlanticism came down to a few hundred thousand of the dumbest Midwesterners we could find.
- nibbleyou 9mo agoDon't the Americans have the second amendment to save themselves from their government?
- kentm 9mo ago“Second Amendment solutions” are only OK to talk about if you’re a Republican (I.e. “Real American”). I’m being sarcastic, for the record. Back during his first term, Trump talked about “second amendment people” doing something about liberal Supreme Court justices (iirc) and the right wing media treated everyone as crazy for thinking that was wildly inappropriate.
- nibbleyou 9mo agoIt's really interesting how the same propaganda is applied by fascist governments everywhere. The ones supporting the "nationalist" government are the patriots and the others are enemies
- __turbobrew__ 9mo agoThe second amendment almost ended the current government.
- DetectDefect 9mo ago[flagged]
- hdgvhicv 9mo agoThe average Waco wacko can’t possible to fight even a small contingent from the local national guard, let alone a military with trillions of dollars of meteriel All the assault weapons you can store in your shed are useless when an f35 takes them out from 300 miles away.
- DetectDefect 9mo ago> an f35 takes them out from 300 miles away. Ah yes, and if I recall, that is how the US won in Vietnam ... oh wait. Your comment is a perfect example of the very problem I described.
- kyboren 9mo agoYes, that is exactly how the US "lost" in Vietnam: Not having air power take them out from 300 miles away. I put "lost" in scare quotes because that "loss" is debatable, but that's a debate for another time. The broader context was that the Indochina War was partially concurrent with, and the bulk of the combat only a little more than a decade after, Chinese intervention in the Korean War. The White House was simply terrified of the Chinese and put all sorts of restrictions on US forces that effectively guaranteed the US could never win an outright military victory. Hanoi was declared off-limits to US bombers while Soviet and Chinese materiel flooded into the DRV, foreign pilots (including Soviets and North Koreans) were allowed to operate with impunity, airbases just over the Chinese border were used as safe havens for combat missions yet were off-limits to US pilots, over 180k Chinese troops rotated through Vietnam operating AAA batteries and such, etc. etc. So yes, US unwillingness (arguably, inability) to apply air power where it could actually achieve strategic effects played a very large role in ensuring the US could never win an outright military victory in Vietnam. It's an open question whether the proper application of air power could have enabled such an outright military victory. Certainly the US could and would apply air power to any serious domestic insurrection. There would be no targeting restrictions for fear of foreign escalation. There would be no influx of foreign aid and materiel. There would be no foreign pilots flying training and combat missions and no foreign troops manning foreign SAMs. There would be no foreign safe havens for rebels. The conditions that IMO prevented an outright US military victory in Vietnam simply do not exist in a domestic context. Barring the coordinated defection of a significant portion of the US military, any armed insurrection in the US would be quickly crushed.
- pseudosavant 9mo agoThe truth is that on average Republicans have way more guns that Democrats. Anecdata but… I’ve personally known many Republicans who have massive gun collections and even personal shooting ranges in their basement. I’ve never met a Democrat with any of that. Only one side of this conflict is meaningfully armed and they are already in power.
- djeastm 9mo agoWell 40% of the population or so approves of the administration, so it's more like "to save themselves from their government and 40% of the rest of the population". That means resorting to the 2A is, at the very best, a rather weak bet.
- fatbird 9mo agoThere have been multiple instances of exactly what NRA members decry as federal tyranny: Waco, Ruby Ridge, etc. At not a single one did any number of people exercising their second amendment right ever show up to actually do anything, even to peacefully protest. The idea that the 2nd amendment exists to keep alive a threat of rebellion against a tyrannical gov't is a joke.
- wyldfire 9mo agoWould that it were so easy to blame the flyover states. Almost half the people who cast votes voted for this - and at the same time voted for the status quo legislators who opt not to keep him in check.
- selectodude 9mo agoThe blame extends equally to everybody who supported this but due to the way American elections are set up, those people on the margins are “how” this happened.
- binary132 9mo agoIt’s easier to blame the heartland than it is to think about why it happened that way, isn’t it?
- selectodude 9mo agoI’ve long since stopped giving a fuck about why these people are the way they are.
- binary132 9mo agoenjoy the decline then I suppose
- Geonode 9mo agoHe won the popular vote.
- leviathant 9mo ago...among the people who voted. There are a lot of folks who opted out that bear responsibility for the way this country and its power is being dismantled. He wouldn't win the popular vote today! Why is it that when you call yourself a Republican, you take a very narrow margin of victory and consider it a mandate to only listen to your fanbase? I bet it feels fun at first, and there are a few people who get very wealthy and powerful as a result, but reality always comes crashing back down. I suppose that if the talk of suspending mid-term elections bears fruit, that changes the equation.
- bjourne 9mo agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness You can still call your congressman, senator, local political, councilman, or someone else, spend 30 mins watching a demonstration, donate $10 to Amnesty, tell a random dude in fatigues "grateful for your service but please don't invade Greenland". The more people that do these kind of things the harder it gets for the Fascists to brand those that do as left-wing terrorists.
- selectodude 9mo agoI’ve been tear gassed. I’m out here trying. I just know it’s gonna get a lot worse before it gets better. The regime is losing its grip and the only way out that fascists know is to escalate the violence. Invading Greenland is a symptom of us on the ground fighting back. It’s to prove to Americans that we’re now isolated.
- hwguy45 9mo ago[flagged]
- saubeidl 9mo agoI am speaking German and I wouldn't call what the US is providing security, nor would I call the rampant propaganda bots free speech.
- daveguy 9mo agoRampant propaganda bots and consolidation of communications channels in the US is a real problem. Half the country is getting fascist cheerleading 24/7. When you can monopolize the communications channels there is effectively no free speech. Because dissenting views are priced out. Thanks to lax oversight on merging communication companies and the Citizens United decision that equates speech to money in politics, we are in the middle of it now.
- dieortin 9mo agoEven if any of these claims were true (they aren’t) how exactly does that justify the US annexing an EU territory that clearly stated it does not want anything to do with the US?
- hwguy45 9mo ago[dead]
- __turbobrew__ 9mo agoU.K. and France have nukes. Against a conventional army like the USA, that is all that matters.
- Hamuko 9mo agoSeveral European countries are also hosting American nukes on their soil. What happens to those in case the US starts an open war with those countries?
- DrDeadCrash 9mo agoRepublicans love this, legally speaking we can do nothing.
- leviathant 9mo agoLegally speaking, the Republicans have been losing in court over and over. That doesn't mitigate the damage they're doing during the lag, and the consequences for breaking the law have never been as strong as they should be when officers of the law and elected officials are the ones breaking the law. But it is important to acknowledge the wins. They do have an effect, and that's the only path we seem to have toward slowing down the march to autocracy.
- mrweasel 9mo agoAs a Dane, while slightly angry, and gravely concerned for the people of Greenland, I'm still more fearful of the safety and mental well-being of my US friends and colleague than I am for my own.
- DetectDefect 9mo agoLiterally cannot. The asymmetry of technology which we have allowed to grow and flourish makes it infeasible. Flock and other manifestations of this beast sends shivers down spines and prevents any serious resistance.
- Symbiote 9mo agoYou can protest or go on strike, for example. Refuse to buy from any company that supports the current administration (like Microsoft). End contracts where they exist.
- DetectDefect 9mo agoYou can also put a bumper sticker on your car decrying world events and this would have about as much effect as your suggestions.
- undeveloper 9mo agostriking is extremely tangible compared to protesting
- DetectDefect 9mo agoThis thread is about effectiveness, not tangibility (which ironically proves my point).
- ChromaticPanic 9mo agoGeneral strikes are extremely effective
- oenton 9mo agoI guess I'll be the one to say it: Having an organization that collectively bargains for the employees would be very useful right about now. I know, I know... unions can be corrupted and next thing you know, it's a legalized mob. Well, if my choice is that or "upskill myself" and "negotiate", while ignoring the inherent and overwhelming power asymmetry that exists between an employee and the employer, I'll go with the mob; at least they have my back. Yes I'm being glib, but there's also some truth to that. Almost all of the reasons or arguments I've seen from those who oppose unions are based on some myth or combination of myths, such as: - We don't need unions because we're 'well paid' (relatively speaking) - Unions only value seniority - Make it nye impossible to get rid of poor performers - Dark money comes in and corrupts the nomination process, now the CEO's buddy runs the union and you don't even know this is controlled opposition Okay I'm being facetious on that last one, but seriously. We are long, long overdue for a power shift that values the workers. Emphasis on values because that word value has been cooped to be synonymous with money, and it is anything but.
- pjmlp 9mo agoApparently the right to port arms doesn't apply to take down dictorships. We all know they fall down by showing painted signs at street demos. /s
- pengaru 9mo agodon't forget the pink hats and furry costumes
- leviathant 9mo agoWhile you're remembering things you shouldn't forget, pay attention to how the Black Panthers are out in Philadelphia, and ICE isn't messing around over here. We chased those Patriot Front clowns out immediately, too. But yeah, focus on the peaceful citizens making their voices heard, if that makes you feel more secure about how things are going.
- cjonas 9mo agoYou have no idea what it's like to be American right now. The propaganda information war that's being waged in us is overwhelming and it appears to be working. The world needs to start preparing for a reality where the US can no longer be relied on for security or economic stability. For the sake of all of us, I hope that our European allies are taking serious steps to become more independent from US power and security.
- saubeidl 9mo agoI know there is a lot of good and brave people in the US - I lived there for a long time and call many of your compatriots good friends. We're trying our best over here, but y'all can't give up at home either. I know it sucks and it's hard, but don't give into the temptation to just tune out. If you don't like what is happening with your country, do your best to change it - don't wait for others to do it for you!
- yread 9mo agoIs 2026 the year of Polish nukes?
- undersuit 9mo agoOur Congress and Supreme Court are beholden to him. State and Individual resistance will be treated as rebellion. The legal pathways have us waiting until elections. The line of succession is GOP 40 levels deeps. If we successfully revolt the US doesn't survive in any form to stabilize the world built around us and there is no guarantee that the ruling party isn't MAGA-like. The rubicon was crossed. This is the new normal.
- malshe 9mo agoI hope you are right but I don't have any confidence in a Democratic party controlled Congress. I have never seen a meeker group of politicians. They will struggle to get everyone on board and some of them will defect and vote with Republicans like they did recently to end the government shutdown.
- pseudosavant 9mo agoWe are trying. Please realize that the second largest conflict (based on spending) in the world right now, behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is DJT’s ICE attacks on the US. That is how much he is spending to attack his own country. More than Israel spends to occupy Palestinians. Sadly, if you look at polling, none of this is remotely unpopular with US Republican voters. Our country’s union is hanging on by tattered threads.
- saubeidl 9mo ago[flagged]
- pseudosavant 9mo ago[flagged]
- rpiguy 9mo ago[flagged]
- teiferer 9mo agoThose sterilized during Nazi rule would like a word.
- perihelions 9mo ago[flagged]
- dyauspitr 9mo agoThe Americans you’re trying to reach are not here. They’re in Facebook and right wing social bubbles with a constant influx of fresh slop propaganda. It’s unprecedented in the fact that it’s affecting people at the family unit level with people tearing off into political parties within families that cut off all contact from each other.
- yoyohello13 9mo agoYou'd be surprised how many people on HN voted for this. A lot of people seem to only care about their stock portfolio, and Trump makes number go up.
- rpiguy 9mo ago[flagged]
- saubeidl 9mo agoI don't think anyone's ever assumed left wing consensus here. When's the last time you heard somebody here talk about public ownership of the means of production?
- dxdm 9mo ago"Conservatism" used to mean something that is incompatible with voting for what's become of the Republican party.
- yoyohello13 9mo agoWell, whatever your reasons. I hope it was worth it.
- Sabinus 9mo agoDid you vote for Trump? Do you approve of the immigration enforcement? Do you approve of the tariff antics? Do you approve of Trump torching American reputation with her allies? Was Jan 6 an attempt to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power? Would you vote for Trump again?
- yoyohello13 9mo agoBlame all the HNers who voted for this admin because they "didn't want any woke business regulations" or whatever.