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Michelle G's avatar

Thank you, Martin, for this thought-provoking piece. I have to admit, I found myself thinking the same thing this afternoon. Once it became clear the bill would pass, I took a moment to sit back and process everything from the past week.

I kept wondering—why are so many Republicans backing a bill this deeply unpopular and politically toxic? On the surface, it seems like political suicide. But then it hit me: maybe they’re not worried about re-election because they’re betting on something else. If the broader strategy is to erode checks and balances, then what’s to stop them from eroding voting rights too? If the goal is to rewrite the rules of democracy itself, then public backlash—or even electoral consequences—might not matter to them.

Practically choking on that realization, I started thinking about how we stop it. That’s when the phrase “taxation without representation” popped into my head. What if we started hitting them where it hurts—the purse?

For context, I’m from Massachusetts—near Boston, actually—and you might know the whole “tea in the ha-bah” story. 😉 I figure, we’ve got history behind us, right? 😊

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Truth Matters's avatar

Thank YOU Michelle for your continued support, it really matters to me that we can engage and share our thoughts. It’s never my intent to frighten people, because nobody deserves that. But good friends should never be afraid to warn people of the dangers and that’s how I see my role.

if I can provide an outside perspective not based on party but rather values and hopes, then we can deal with the reality together and with joint purpose.

Be in no doubt, I struggle with the stress of it like many of you, even though I’m an ocean away. Sometimes I feel utterly helpless as I watch the unfolding car crash, but I know I can at the very least help folk believe that others really do care.

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Linda Garcia's avatar

Before the November election, 🍊🤡 said in a speech that "I've fixed it so that if you vote for me now, you won't ever have to worry about voting again."

I have no doubt that there are election shenanigans afoot!!

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Jerry's avatar

Even though Trump was born & raised in NY, it's safe to say that he never visited the Statue of Liberty and, if he did, wouldn't understand what is written on it. He's unable to grasp that "US" is the antithesis of "ME".

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Susan Zabel's avatar

There’s still time we just have to stand and hold our ground!

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Heather Elowe's avatar

We need to explain the growing evidence of tabulator manipulation in ‘24 and FIX IT before the speech suppression and surveillance of our data renders 2026 a meaningless charade. Electiontruthalliance.org

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Judith McNew's avatar

We need to start thinking about another Declaration of Independence. This one would not be to free us from a king, but from a president. In addition, many of the circumstances that occurred during the Civil War mirror what is happening now: The wealthy did not want to give up their way of life, which had made them wealthy through the labor of slaves. Now we have depraved politicians and oligarchs who want all the money and do nothing for others not so fortunate who made the freedoms we had before today.

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Steve Tartaglione's avatar

How stupid are the people that still think he is a king?? Every chicken shit republican that voted for this country ending bill should be put into a room with their constituents and lock the doors!!!!

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Rarelightmare's avatar

Thank you for being the light we need to fight a soulless mafia willing to burn the country to the ground for fun while using inhuman cruelty for profit. I hope you’ll read my posts to give you the ability to expose these crimes in an easily digestible reality in order to help the majority of citizens who are the intentional victims of disinformation from being poorly educated. May the universal force of justice be forever in your favor.

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Peggy Nocchiero's avatar

Thank you Martin for your article. Makes you think and scares the hell out of me.

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Edie Patterson's avatar

We have to start now. The luxury of time to plan is gone.

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stuart burstin's avatar

With the passage of this bill, the regime and those that are behind it have ended the American Experiment in representative democracy. They have shown that power and greed remain a part of man’s nature and those without virtue and empathy will use peoples lack of interest in truth, reason and understanding to take power and enrich themselves with worldly goods, which is all that exists in their diminished vision. They have ended our dominant place in the future world, and helped end a better future for a world of climate catastrophe. China will now be happy to take the lead in energy production from cleaner energy, while the US will continue with pollution harming our economic future and all the world. Another means of giving up any good will and soft power. You speak of weapons to turn the tide, but reason has not been used effectively and I think the levers left us have no fulcrum . The race between education and catastrophe is lost. The world of abundance with freedom to advance as individuals, which requires cooperation, seems like a dream that has died.

We need to retake the government. To do that we need to have a message that brings people together before the effects of this regimes destruction becomes irreversible. The enemy of climate catastrophe and oligarchy need to be developed and presented in a way they gain traction, and the facilitation of these evils by the republicans made so clear that we do gain a large enough majority to change the direction we are going. They have ended time is short.

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Max's avatar

You are right. Time is perilously short and it may be too late.

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Kathleen M. Eisenhauer's avatar

Thank you!! This is heartbreaking!!!!!

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Gloria W's avatar

I feel like my heart it empty, and it’s affecting my ability to speak from the heart.

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Ljhuk's avatar

As someone helplessly watching from the other side of the atlantic, you are correct in everything you say, but you're not reaching the masses! You need to get your message out to the 30% who voted democrat and the 30% who didn't vote!

Otherwise your message is falling on deaf ears.

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Truth Matters's avatar

I’m all ears, I dint just exist here.

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Caitlin Sloan's avatar

Wow, very moving.....

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Dee Jewell's avatar

All of you will be shut down too, and there will likely be no reporting of truth very soon.

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Pis Aller's avatar

Well. He’s a conman after all.

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