• PodPerson@lemmy.zip
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      11 days ago

      I think the plan is “do whatever it takes to remain in power and escape consequences for all of the heinous things that he’s done”. I firmly believe that he couldn’t care less about any real issues, since he has no ability to think critically about them or empathize with the people they affect.

      • BremboTheFourth@piefed.ca
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        11 days ago

        Yeah honestly I’m gonna go further, holy fuck y’all shut the fuck up about Epstein already! They don’t care! Of course Trump is a pedophile and he should be in jail forever but I cannot imagine there is a single person on the planet who doesn’t already know about the connection. If they’re stupid enough to still be calling it fake news, they’re not gonna care about the 8,000,000th fed thread talking about it!

        I should not have to think about this worthless pedo so often. Fuckface died, he’s not the problem anymore, call Trump a pedo and if someone asks why, please explain, but also please please please understand that Iran has absolutely fucking nothing to do with Epstein! Trump needs to manufacture as many emergencies as quickly as possible (without boiling the pot) so he can get away with declaring some sort of state of emergency where he gets to control the election. There may be more to it than that, but that IS the big idea, and it’s what we need to deal with, and it’s what no one seems to be talking about.

      • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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        10 days ago

        I tend to agree. Nothing seems to touch trump…on top of that there’s no move to prosecute him for anything. He has no fear of prosecution thanks to the captured judicial branch and spineless authorities. So this whole “war to distract from the files” idea really falls flat. War to keep escalating and look for reasons to not step down as president or cancel midterms? Absolutely.

        But Epstein…? Probably not even on the radar. His family dgaf, his supporters barely twitched, and trump just keeps going.

        Trump is just swinging blindly like those dementia-afflicted old people that are angry and lash out at everything who see conspiracies everywhere. The imagined “The nurse’s aid in the care home stole my socks” is now “The Iranians are threatening my ego” or some other imagined momentary fit of pique.

    • Goodeye8@piefed.social
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      11 days ago

      If this is a plan to distract from the Epstein files I would consider that a successful plan because what is happening is fucking insane. This distraction would literally be hiding child rapists by killing children.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      Btw… all of the names released to date? We doing anything about any of them?

      Is Brett Ratner going to jail? No? He’s making Rush Hour 4 now?

      How about Larry Summer? Woody Allen? Bill Clinton? Anybody??

      • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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        10 days ago

        Nobody will be prosecuted as a result of the Epstein Files. The chain of custody has been irretrievably compromised. Nothing in them can be trusted as evidence in court, and any lawyer can get the evidence tossed, or at least mistrusted enough by the jury to not convict. This is all just salacious gossip.

        The better track to prosecution will be the investigations into the money trails. It’s boring, but the evidence is much stronger, and will hold up in court.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          10 days ago

          The chain of custody has been irretrievably compromised.

          I mean, I don’t think that’s the reason why.

          The better track to prosecution will be the investigations into the money trails.

          But that also won’t happen, for obvious reasons. Nobody is going to prosecute Jamie fucking Dimon for anything, even though he’s closer to the center of this web than even Epstein himself.

        • GladiusB@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          I don’t know why you’re down voted. You are 1000 percent correct. No one will ever see a jail cell. Or if they do it will be a scapegoat. Only social justice is going to happen through shame and horrible reputations.

        • phutatorius@lemmy.zip
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          9 days ago

          The files are not the only evidence. A DoJ not involved in a coverup would interview victims, for one thing, and also interview potential suspects.

          The better track to prosecution will be the investigations into the money trails.

          That’ll show flows of money, but not their purpose. Necessary, but not sufficient.

      • phutatorius@lemmy.zip
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        9 days ago

        You have to look at the context too. There’s nothing in the released files that implies Clinton did anything illegal. Ratner, that’s another story, and same goes for Wexler. And the correspondence with Larry Summer looked incriminating, too.

        • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          There’s nothing in the released files that implies Clinton did anything illegal.

          I gotta wonder how you resolve a game of Clue if you’ve got the suspect, the room, and the murder weapon, but you still can’t figure out who done it.

          Clinton has been credibly accused of sexual assault on multiple occasions. “I didn’t do the sex crimes on the sex island with the other rapists” is a “I smoked but I didn’t inhale” ass defense.

          If you believe it…

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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      10 days ago

      Next week, they’ll trickle out another bunch of Epstein Files, to distract from whatever atrocities they’re committing in Iran.

    • ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      Yep, and wars ain’t free.

      Take a quick look through these reports from this month alone and then add sooner-than-expected loss of Medicare and Social Security to your arguments.

      “Well, Granddad, did you know that the money for all these military actions at home and abroad are depleting your Social Security and Medicare funds far more rapidly than ever before, and that one of the major trusts funding your Social Security is expected to dry up entirely in 2032, only six years from now, because of the way Trump and his Congress is spending your cash?”

      I mean, use your own wording, and your strategy of just asking the question is a great, non-threatening way to approach it. But add the detail about how soon the losses are coming now if you can, because this alone might rouse them from their stupor: NOTHING gets the Silent Generation and older Boomers up and onto their walkers faster than threats to SS and Medicare.


      Medicare
      Feb 23, 2026: In less than a year, Trump erased 12 years of solvency for the trust fund that pays for Medicare Part A – Fortune.com

      Direct link to CBO report on the HI trust fund that backs Medicare:
      https://www.cbo.gov/publication/62165


      Social Security
      February 27, 2026: Social Security faces earlier depletion date, report finds – USA Today

      Direct link to the CBO report on the SS trust funds:
      https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2026-02/51309-2026-02-trustfund.pdf

    • Cris_Citrus@piefed.zip
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      11 days ago

      I definitely agree with asking questions first. I’ve tried to open by explaining how I see things in an effort to get folks to open up and share how they see them, and people are so used to that being an attempt to tell them to think something different they can kinda shut down and get defensive even just from that

      Try to get them talking and engage with them sincerely. If we want to fix the problems we have to do the work to build a bigger coalition

    • whosepoopisonmybuttocks@sh.itjust.works
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      11 days ago

      I would like to do this. The problem is that these disagreements have become sensitive issues and addressing these topics seems like asking for trouble.

      Simply put, how does one approach this topic without inviting an argument? Pointing out the simple items you’ve presented will surely make them defensive to the point of hostility.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      Do not be dumb and try to start an argument, don’t accuse, don’t talk about identity or race or gender or any other issue they’re already distracted with.

      :-|

      “Whatever you do, don’t mention the G word. You’ll just hand Trump more supporters.”

      ~ Average American Liberal

  • Buffalox@lemmy.world
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    11 days ago

    🎶 I’ve been through the desert
    with a man with no plan

    La, la, la, la, la, la 🎶

  • Numinous_Ylem@lemmy.world
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    11 days ago

    This is going to spiral out of control. The whole Middle East is going to suffer from this. How is Russia going to react? What are the domestic repercussions going to be during an election year?

    No love for the Ayatollah’s regime but this is a disaster. This admin has such limited forethought they will make the Bush admin look like geniuses in retrospect

    • MartianHills@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      Definitely. From what I’ve read, the CIA and military brass advised against this move because someone more aligned with the IRGC could be installed. Who knows what that will look like, but the Khamenei government was offering to honor the 2015 nuclear agreement. Next regime probably won’t be so cooperative.

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        11 days ago

        Also wondering how this will change the plans and behavior of other big global players like China and India in the longer term. Preamble to WW3 or just a new era of heightened millitarism worldwide?

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          10 days ago

          Especially with China. From what I’ve seen, they have advanced weaponry that rivals the USA/Israel along with a security agreement with Iran. Could be the beginnings of a new proxy war in the middle east. IRGC aligned proxy groups will also ramp up attacks in the region. No bueno all the way around.

    • ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      How is Russia going to react?

      Long term, no idea. But Putin thrives on creating chaos, and much of his international strategy involves taking stable democracies and doing everything in his power to destabilize them. Just today a report came out in regard to likely Russian interference in Denmark’s upcoming elections, but check out the sub-header:

      US threats to seize Greenland have created ‘new international fault lines’ that can be used to spread disinformation, Danish intelligence agencies say

      Putin did it in the UK with Brexit, he’s done it (and is still doing it) here in the US, and now he’s taking it further. Don’t think for two seconds that Putin is threatened by this at all.

    • freebee@sh.itjust.works
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      10 days ago

      It is out of control. But Russia seems occupied with occupying elsewhere, what could their reaction still be?

      • Numinous_Ylem@lemmy.world
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        10 days ago

        Well as far as concrete actions I’m not sure what they will do. But I do know Russia is certainly a big fan of taking advantage of chaos, and this strike works in Russia’s favor by helping delegitimize international order and rule of law even more, because the US (and Israel) acting unilateraly, illegally, and hypocritically weakens their ability to meaningfully call out Russia for similar behaviors later on.

        Even if they are tied up now in Ukraine this makes it easier for them to act with less constraint when they see fit (yes I know, they have been acting without constraint already but they can always get worse)

  • phutatorius@lemmy.zip
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    9 days ago

    Cheney very much had a plan. It was G W Bush’s job to play the ass-clown, since admitting to that plan would have been electoral suicide.

    “We’ll use 9/11 as an excuse to attack a country that had no connection to 9/11 and that has been killing any Al-Qaida supporters in their own country, in order for us to steer tons of money into contracts for Halliburton to rebuild the oil infrastructure we’ll destroy. And of course the defense contractors will get rich too. And meanwhile the oil price will be higher because Iraq will be offline. And Blair will help us lie about reasons for the war.”

    • beejboytyson@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      You sound like a crazy 🤪 conspiracy theorist, I bet you’ll tell me about how the ultra elite form secret clubs and eat babies.

      • Tryenjer@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        If a “conspiracy theory” doesn’t break the laws of nature, according to current scientific consensus, to make sense and only seems extraordinary and outlandish because it goes against universal moral and ethical values accepted by the majority of the Human population, is it fair to dismiss it by calling it a conspiracy theory? 🤔

  • SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca
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    9 days ago

    This cat…

    Told me the plan is to setup the USA for a National Emergency™. To skip the mid terms. He also suggested a false flag bombing in NY will happen. Trump is desperate because without his Presidency, he will be jailed.

    Then he yakked up a fur ball.

  • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
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    10 days ago

    Fucked Up Beyond All Repair…

    From what I understand, the global economy can survive 2 to 3 weeks without Persian Gulf oil supplies and then it’s recession time. All thanks to the MAGA dipshits.

  • pigeonofparadise@lemmy.orgBanned from community
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    11 days ago

    If you are in the US or Israeli military, you are a baby killing piece of shit, and you should be shunned by your neighbors. Fuck veterans. Take their rights.

    • quick_snail@feddit.nl
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      11 days ago

      Idk I knew an Israeli in the military who literally just played an instrument in the band.

      I guess its more noble to go to prison, but literally some folks in IDF are not murdering babies nor helping.

      • pigeonofparadise@lemmy.orgBanned from community
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        11 days ago

        If you clean floors in the military you are literally a member of the baby killers. People have choices. I guess it’s just more convenient to kill babies and pretend they’re innocent. Running their mouth about freedom or some nonsense.

          • bthest@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            It’s not an argument. It’s just fucking true. What kind of question is this? Do you think going to prison is some kind of moral misdeed in and of itself?

            Yes, going to prison because you don’t want to partake in murder and mutilation is more ethical than murdering and mutilating innocent people.

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            10 days ago

            Sure, or go see a psychiatrist and tell them you’re suicidal, or go dig up whatever other excuse you can find to go teach at some rural middle school instead of greasing the wheels of the murder machine. They have more than enough rabid racists to fill the front lines already; every waffling centrist opposition voter begrudgingly driving supply trucks is still doing exactly the job the fascist government wants them to.

            • quick_snail@feddit.nl
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              11 days ago

              Israel has forced conscription. If you refuse to go to the military (iirc when you turn 18), they throw you in prison

              • pigeonofparadise@lemmy.orgBanned from community
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                11 days ago

                I think they should go to prison, or defect, or flee, or anything but kill people in the name of a fucking government.

  • quick_snail@feddit.nl
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    11 days ago

    I think his plan is to die and be remembered as the guy that started the war with Iran.

    He’s just gonna give that mess to his successor, and he’s fine with that.