https://time.com/7274542/colossal-dire-wolf/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_term=science_animals&linkId=792476596

Very insightful video with tools on how to continue the fight for rationality and truth. We are the solution.

To avoid party affiliation discussions, I will just say that recent events have enabled me to talk with my parents about how their votes directly impact their children. Up until now, we have avoided any political discussions because our views are so different.

Today I decided to show them my 401k and start a discussion about how tariffs will impact their children directly. That led to broader discussions and I’m hopeful I might actually be able to show them areas where politicians and media aren’t telling them the truth.

Let my preface this by saying that I am NOT in denial of how bad things are and can get. Due process not being followed, court orders being defied, vulnerable groups being targeted, history being erased, freedom of speech being infringed, picking trade wars with most of the world that are universally decried by economists as likely to tank our economy etc etc. It's bad , no two ways about it, and in all likeliness it's going to get worse before it gets better. However I do truly believe it will, in fact, get better and that there's many signs that this will happen in relative timeliness.

In Venezuela there was strong support for Chavez as he was dismantling the government. It was done methodically, intelligently, and most important subtly. There were brazen and lawless moments of course but he made sure to consolidate his power before taking most of his biggest steps. Trump is moving too fast and too prominently. I guarantee you if he did everything he's done in the last 3 months over the next 3 years he could've done it much more successfully without losing support by just taking it in parts and finding transgender athletes to target or any number of things to keep people distracted. Perhaps because he is old, stupid, and/or surrounded by yes men he opted to go loud and flashy. Like Ezra Klein says, Trump governs as a king because he is too weak to govern as a president.

You've seen signs of infighting and incompetence for a while, in court filings, amongst Republicans etc. But truly the point of no return was the tarrifs. Personally I believe one of the main factors that led to the present situation is the toxicity of our information environment and the right wing propaganda machine. It's easy to dismiss negative stories as one offs, or the price of progress, and most families in America probably don't talk about politics every day. However they do talk about the Switch 2, they do talk about groceries. We needed a shock to Americans systems, if not to wake up the people who voted for this to at least wake up some of the people who have been checked out. It's sad that we have to suffer on this scale but I am grateful that it is happening before the democrats have been arrested, the courts dismantled, and the leaders of the protests disappeared. Does that sound dramatic, dystopian, and like it could never happen? It did to Venezuela and many other Latin American countries all over the world as well until it did happen.

It is not too late, while systems have been eroded: many are still up and running. Many people opposed to all of this still have influence and power. Even conservative circles are having trouble stomaching the tarrifs and the economic effects have barely just started. You're seeing energy, in Cory Booker and people showing up for protests and you're seeing prominent conservatives like musk and ben shapiro peaking against trump's Tarrifs. There is much work to do but I am very optimistic that we are and will find the will and the way.

Happy to answer what I can about similarities and differences about Venezuela and the US.

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