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GreyGrendel
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Max Notes
There’s power, and then there’s Donald Trump.
Herr Trump appeared on the big screen in Davos this week and dropped verbal bombs that shook the markets momentarily. Oil prices dropped a percent overnight upon his rebuke of OPEC. The market surged forward when he reignited his verbal abuse of the Federal Reserve. He even took a strip off Brian Moynihan, the CEO of Bank of America, with the claim that BOA targeted and shut down conservative accounts.
Meanwhile, back home ICE has already begun conducting immigration sweeps with Fox camera crews in tow like an episode of COPS. The targeted raids that ICE is allowing Fox to film are against undocumented immigrants with criminal records or charges outstanding. The administration is coordinating with the unofficial office of propaganda (Fox) to demonstrate to viewers that they’re only going after hardened criminals. Uncritically, of course, they’re not diving into the lack of due process and why we would deport people who are accused of committing crimes on American soil. That’s just bad journalism. But they’re really doing this to keep our eyes off the real sweeps. To tire us out. Look this way while we carry out the real agenda elsewhere.
Amidst the chaos in the markets and on the streets in our cities, Trump is carrying out his promise to shutter all federal DEI offices and initiatives with blinding speed. He floated the idea of eliminating FEMA even while Los Angeles continues to burn. Dr. Anthony Fauci’s protection services were stripped, despite him being one of the most targeted citizens in America; a direct result of Trump’s rhetoric.
This is a snapshot of activities from week one under Trump 2.0. If these all sound vaguely familiar it’s because each move was explicitly stated in Project 2025. Every single one. This document will truly be the guiding light of this administration and it marks the culmination of the 70 year effort to undo the New Deal. Beginning with the passage of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, the moment conservatives decided to take back the country from the people and deliver it into the hands of the corporate elites.
No President since FDR has wielded such power and sway over global politics. When the Supreme Court began signaling that it would slow down FDR’s agenda, he threatened to pack the courts. When the corporate elites accused him of being a “traitor to his class” he took to the airwaves in fireside chats to taunt them. He imprisoned Japanese citizens in internment camps, in what remains the biggest stain on his presidency. He broke with norms to run and win the presidency four consecutive elections. We don’t appreciate the sheer force of will that FDR was and the hold he had over the United States and the world anymore. But we’re experiencing it again, only it’s the mirror image.
Donald Trump is the battering ram being used to destroy the last vestiges of the New Deal and the Great Society programs it inspired. The coup is nearly complete. The maddening thing is that we have the script in our hands so we know how this all plays out. His appointments are closing in on confirmation across the board, which means the real initiatives will begin in earnest. Next up: The Department of Education. Get ready for more charter schools, no school lunches, abolition of federal standards and introduction of Jesus, the Pledge of Allegiance and pictures of Donald Trump hanging in schools throughout the nation. And even this is just the beginning.
Other things I’m obsessing over…
Declassifying Kennedy. We’re finally going to find out who killed Laura Palmer. Sorry, I still have David Lynch on the brain. RIP.
George Bush’s face during the inauguration. Isn’t it adorable when war criminals make googly eyes at inappropriate times?
I think I mispronounced her name on the pod. Either way, I can’t stop watching the Right Rev. Budde speak truth to power.
Oldie but a goodie. If goodies were Halloween candy bars stuffed with razors and fentanyl. In the spirit of Trump’s power, here’s an old graph that tracks his ability to literally move the markets with a tweet.
Headlines
Musk to Milei, an Alliance That Was Ever Thus
This Jacobin piece is a solid sojourn through history that speaks to the power of capitalism to overcome efforts to promote social good. It caught my eye because it leads with a photo of Javier Milei and Elon Musk together and I’ve been thinking a lot about our brothers and sisters in the Southern hemisphere. Anyway, put on your elbow patch sweater and grab a whisky and pipe for this one.
From the article:
“Today at a time when the vast majority of people have lost sight of the horizon of socialism, democratic aspirations play a central role in the struggle to wrest control of our lives from capitalist profits and of public life from the oligarchic governments at their command. This explains the call for ‘real democracy, now!’ issued by the street occupations of 2011, not only in the Arab region, but also in Spain and the United States, as well as France’s Nuit Debout and Yellow Vests movements.”
It’s unsettling to see how many headlines on Human Rights Watch are dedicated to Trump’s sweeping policy announcements already. Considering it has an entire planet of horrific events to choose from, we’re in the worst company possible on the main news scroll.
From the article:
“All people, regardless of immigration status or criminal history, have the right to fair treatment before the law and a chance to argue for their liberty and rights when they are detained or face deportation. All people have the right never to be forcibly separated from their children or the country they call home without a fair chance to defend their rights. Respect for these rights does not mean banning deportation. But rather, if deportation is imposed, it should be done fairly and with dignity.”
This is brilliant. This Canadian Dimension piece looks at America’s obsession with annexing Canada throughout our brief history. In perfect Canadian fashion it suggests making itself wholly unappealing by doubling down on social justice and democracy. Yuck!
From the article:
“There is, of course, an opportunity for Canada to play offense. We could model what a true democracy can accomplish when people are put over profits, thus rendering this country unpalatable to the MAGA crowd. To address climate catastrophe, Canada could engage seriously with Indigenous nations and learn from their stewardship practices. To ensure we remain a country filled with critical thinkers, all provinces should fully fund our systems of higher education. We could implement a truly democratic electoral process, something along the lines that Trudeau promised years ago. Most importantly, our elected officials could offer workers policies that would improve their material conditions by listening to organized labour.”
We’re through the first two “non-negotiables” of the Left (Housing First and a Civilian Labor Corps) and I’m taking my sweet ass time with the third: Medicare for All. In the meantime, this week’s pod is a compilation of thoughts and writing I’ve done since the inauguration; officially another Max Unfiltered entry into our canon.
Here’s a snippet from the pod:
Max: “The Right Rev. Mariann Budde asked Donald Trump to show mercy on immigrants and members of the LGBTQ community and in doing so committed the first official cardinal sin of this new era. It was a bold act of defiance to our Dear Leader; one that will likely be met with a forceful rebuke. For if there is one man whom god has chosen above all others, it is Donald J. Trump. At this point, do we even need to question what the “J” now stands for?”
“The Russians invested decades of financial and other support into Trump and his family, as Russian mafia expert Olga Lautman explains on this week’s Gaslit Nation. But now, with American oligarchs, unlimited money, immunity granted by the illegitimate Supreme Court, pardon power, and a mainstream media eager to please, Trump has everything Putin could only dream of.”
Forgot to put this out there last week when I referenced it on the pod.
“Vonnegut’s spins the chilling tale of engineer Paul Proteus, who must find a way to live in a world dominated by a supercomputer and run completely by machines.”
“The free market is a tool that generates utility in some circumstances and contexts. The idea that it should be the be-all, end-all of social organization is ludicrous and is rotting our countries from the inside out.”
Hasan Piker, a key leftist voice on Twitch, engages younger voters with relatable political commentary and challenges mainstream media norms.
Progressive Organization of the Week
Turning this around to the Unf*cking community. If you know of any authentic apps that track ICE activities, please let us know. We’ll do our best to vet them and make sure they’re real and not a trap. I’ve already seen a couple references out there but I think this is a good one to crowd source and gain consensus on. Please email us at unftrpod@gmail.com with any leads.
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