Peak anti-Trumpism is becoming more and more common. — NOS4A2

You're out of the loop.

No-one - and I mean no-one - has put more targets on the backs of people than Donald Trump.

And his best friend was a pedophile.

Trump posted the Obamas as monkeys — Questioner

Any support for Trump now is an explicit declaration that you are a racist

On the same day, Trump posted a video that outlined how the post-civil-war Republicans advanced the rights of African Americans and the Democrats were the racists.

It completely ignores the fact that the ideologies of the parties flipped during the 20th century.

In the 1860s-1870s – the Republicans were the progressives, and the Democrats the conservative party

By the time of FDR – the Democrats were the progressives, and the Republicans the conservative party

As if to correct that mistake, Trump posted the Obamas as monkeys, just to make it plain where they now stand

Thank you for the insightful (though dark) take on things.

I don't think the problem is Trump — Christoffer

I understand where you're coming from, but I'm not quite prepared to relieve the autocrat (and his enablers) of accountability. The damage happening in the US does not happen without Trump.

Leadership matters, and whether that leadership seeks to unite or divide, and whether that leadership puts his own self-serving needs or those of the country first.

watch the brief (about one-minute) video Trump posted to his official social media account

It ends with the obscenely racist image of the Obamas as monkeys

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116021857490657707

Reactions to it on Insta -


https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUZ-1ONDpE8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUaHNyfDkDs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

I read an interesting headline today.

The World is Investigating Epstein's Network. America is Protecting It

hese are images generated by users, not the company. — NOS4A2

You can't be that naive.

Grok (the generative-AI developed by Musk's company xAI) has become a porn generator.

Employees at xAI have to sign a waiver stating that -

...their jobs would require being exposed to “sensitive, violent, sexual and/or other offensive or disturbing content,” the waiver said, emphasizing that such content “may be disturbing, traumatizing, and/or cause you psychological stress.”

... In meeting after meeting (Musk) has championed a new metric, “user active seconds,” to granularly measure how long people spent conversing with the chatbot, according to two of the people.

... As part of this push for relevance, xAI embraced making sexualized material, publicly releasing sexy AI companions, rolling back guardrails on sexual material and ignoring internal warnings about the potentially serious legal and ethical risks of producing such content, according to interviews with more than a half-dozen former employees of X and xAI

but you want them to live fully to their potential without being locked into traditonal motherly roles, — Hanover

This is false. I have never said this.

egalitarianism ("[My mother] never treated the boys and girls different, but encouraged us at every step to achieve as much as we could) and condemn those women who don't act like women but have abdicated their true calling to maternalism — Hanover

Egalitarianism does not imply identicality. I fully accept that men and women are different by nature, indeed I have alluded to that in my posts. I've made the point that we need more of a balance in the feminine and the masculine in society (and politics) and instead these women have become like men.

condemn women who protect pedophelia because that is something antithetical to maternalistic instincts, — Hanover

It is

but I would say it's as equally abhorrent to paternalist instincts. — Hanover

But yet 94% of sexual abuse offenders are men

as if the Biden administration did anything to expose Epstein — Hanover

From what I understand, the files were sealed by court order until 2024

women should be able to act like men but also should act like proper women. — Hanover

This is a misrepresentation of what I have been saying. I do not want women to act like men. And I have not used the word "proper" - with its connotations of societal approval.

I haven’t defended anything. In fact I criticized French authorities. — NOS4A2

You called their move on targeting the pornography as censorship

I don’t know, I’m not going to read it. — NOS4A2

Why? Because it might tell you something you don't want to hear?

You’re linking me to substack articles — NOS4A2

What part of it do you believe to be not true?

And why would you defend spreading pornographic images of minors?

Anyway, here's another corroborating article

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/french-police-raid-x-grok-elon-musk-9.7072861

their censorship regime — NOS4A2

They are the good guys.

Yeah, Elon Musk called the raid on Twitter (X) offices a ‘political attack.’

France’s official response -

“Investigating child sexual abuse material isn’t controversial. Turning it into political theater is manipulation. Maybe that logic flies on some island. Doesn’t fly in France."

French authorities — and their European counterparts — have been watching Elon Musk for a long time. Officially, French Law enforcement is responding to whistleblower complaints of the “sexual abuse of minors” and funding from foreign entities to destabilize the French government by working with local far-right Russian-funded groups (proven in a court of law) with Russian-backed leaders of France’s far right.

Musk has used X to:

• Boost extremist narratives in Europe
• Undermine trust in democratic institutions
• Attack elected leaders who challenge him
• Interfere in public discourse during elections
• Promote AI-generated propaganda with minimal safeguards

But wouldn't that reveal itself differently through different women, where some would have full buy in to a progressive way of living and some being far more conservative? — Hanover

Cultures differ around the world, of course, but I think the feminine instinct, the maternal instinct, is universal.

For example, most mothers in all cultures would never protect a sexual predator. But yet, we see powerful women in the USA who not only excuse Trump’s crude and defiling remarks and behaviors directed at women, but continue to steadfastly support him despite the mention of his name thousands of times in the Epstein files.

Are they following their feminine/maternal instincts? Or are they more concerned with their own power, lining their pockets, and building their brands? What makes them use their platforms to add to the pain of female victims of sexual abuse?

I’m talking about women like Karoline Leavitt, Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Megyn Kelly, Tulsi Gabbard, Maria Bartiroomo, Laura Ingraham

He looks worried. — Punshhh

He's not going to be able to outrun the questions forever

The exchange between CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins and Trump (video at the link) illustrates a couple of things about Trump – that he thinks the Epstein files only concern him - and that he’s a misogynist who feels a woman’s place is to just smile and not question him – and he even plays the “shame” card.

What a twisted mind he has

Collins noted that “a lot of women who are survivors of Epstein are unhappy with” the way the justice department redacted the documents, including, “entire witness interviews are totally blacked out”

Trump attempted to end the discussion: “I think it’s really time for the country to get on to something else … nothing came out about me … (there was) “a conspiracy against me”

Collins asked: “But what would you say to people who feel they haven’t gotten justice, Mr President?”

Trump then launched into a personal attack on Collins

“You know, you are the worst reporter,” Trump said. “You know, she’s a young woman,” Trump said to the Republican lawmakers arrayed around his desk. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile,” he said, turning back to Collins.

“I’ve known you for ten years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face,” Trump said bitterly.

“Well,” Collins interjected, “I’m asking you about survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, Mr President.”

Ignoring her reply, Trump continued, “You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth. And you’re a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you.”

“These are survivors of a sexual abuser” Collins replied.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUUKJxejbFq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

I don't know about you guys, but the more I read the more I realize the US is f*cked.

Now he wants to take over elections? What could go wrong?

In your rush to be domineering, you seem to be rebutting things that I never said, or intended to intimate. I in no way mean to disparage or diminish the role of motherhood. Quite the contrary. I began this thread with how important my mother is to me. What I think you have failed to understand is that one of my main points is that we need more of the feminine, nurturing, maternal instinct in our society. If we want a fair and just society, we need more of that.

There are several misunderstandings in your reply, and I am not inclined to answer each one specifically.

And you continue to post condescending, lecturing attacks.

You remind me of the way MAGA treats Greta Thunberg. They tear her apart. Your reaction to me, and their reaction to her, is telling. In New York in 2019, Greta said -

You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!

It's not her words, but what they represent - an idealist expressing her truth - that I want to point out.

But MAGAts denigrate and mock her. They follow the lead of Trump – and his condescending, sexist remarks – (There, there, be a good little girl) - like when he posted -

So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!

Again, it's not the words, but the attitude.

his complaints about the reservation were that the soldiers wouldn't let the Apache men beat their wives or cut off their noses. — Ecurb

Yeah, and a killed woman's murderer in our society is most likely to be her intimate partner. Marital violence was legal up to a generation or two ago. And there's that history of burning witches.

The question becomes - "How does the society treat women as a whole?"

Here's the truth about the Apache nation -

Apache women were the pillars of the tribe. They maintained and passed down the Apache culture, traditions, and history to the next generation and in addition to being the teachers they also built the houses, made the clothing from hides, gathered and stored food for the winter using baskets which they made and raised crops if they had a camp which they were staying in for a long period of time.

They were also the healers who prepared the many herbal treatments and of course bore and raised the children. In Apache culture they also had the choice of becoming a warrior and fighting alongside the men if they chose.

maybe this time there’ll be progress. :cheer: — Mikie

I appreciate the encouragement. Thanks so much. :)

should reeducate those women — AmadeusD

Maybe it is more about re-educating society, especially men.

Women are not monolithic — AmadeusD

No, but they are human with the usual human drives for self-autonomy.

you're trying to enforce a view and set of beliefs about women. — AmadeusD

No, just looking at the history.

The narrative most influencing the bent of the Western world for the last thousand years is tipped toward the masculine, rather than the feminine. The feminine has been suppressed. Reclaiming the balance between the masculine and feminine qualities (that characterizes the ancient wisdom) shifts us out of the patriarchy, to a more truly “free and equal” society.

A just society depends on having the voices of the maternal wisdom heard. This requires that women reclaim their voices, and that men listen.

The Bible (men) rewrote the feminine story. “The Word” cast women as untrustworthy seducers to be ruled. They must be quiet and obedient. All that is instinctual and wild became evil, and must be tamed, cursed and shunned. Guilt, shame and fear became tools of control. The ancient wisdom was lost; the heart of the feminine was lost.

(Side note – MAGA women are starting to realize they are surrounded by misogynists. As Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene said, “They want women just to go along with whatever they’re doing and basically to stand there, smile and clap with approval, whereas they just have their good old boys club.

Republican women are especially aggrieved by Speaker Johnson. Some said he’d failed to listen to them or engage in direct conversations on major political and policy issues - a cultural challenge for Mr. Johnson, an evangelical Christian who has often voiced firm views about the distinct roles men and women should play in society.)

An ancient myth – The Maidens of the Well – (first written in the 13th century, but rooted in ancient Celtic folklore) foretells what happens when the Voices of the Well - representatives of the Goddess of sovereignty – the bearers of the cup of wisdom - are silenced. The Wasteland ensues.

Here’s the story -

The Maidens of the Wells

The kingdom went to ruin,
The land was so dead and desolate
That it wasn’t worth two bits;
They lost the voices of the wells
And the maidens who dwelled in them.
Indeed, the maidens served a very important purpose:
No one who wandered the highways,
Whether at night or in the morning,
Ever needed to alter his route
In order to find food or drink;
He had only go to one of the wells.
He could ask for nothing
In the way of fine and pleasing food
That he would not have forthwith,
Provided he asked reasonably.
At once a damsel would come forth
From the well, as I understand:
Travelers could not have asked for one more beautiful!
In her hand she’d be bearing a golden cup
With bacon, meat pies, and bread.
Another maiden would come carrying
A white towel and a gold and silver
Platter, in which was
The food that had been requested
By the man who’d come to be fed.
He was warmly received at the well;
And if this food did not please him,
She would bring a number of others,
Joyfully and generously,
According to his desires.
One and all, the maidens
Happily and properly served
All those who wandered the highways
And came to the wells for food.

King Amangon was the first to violate their hospitality:
He behaved wickedly and underhandedly;
Afterwards many others did likewise
Because of the example given
By the king who should have protected the maidens
And guarded and kept them safe.
He forced himself upon one of the maidens
And deflowered her against her will
And took the golden bowl from her
And carried it off along with the girl,
Then had her serve him ever afterwards.
Ill luck was to come of it,
For no maiden served again
Or came forth from that well
To help any man who happened by
And requested sustenance there;
And all other [travelers] followed [the king’s example].
God! Why didn’t the other vassals
Act according to their honor?
When they saw that their lord
Was raping the maidens
Because of their beauty,
They likewise raped them
and carried off the golden bowls.
Never afterwards did any maiden serve
Or come forth from any of the wells;
Know that this is the truth.
My lords, in this way
The land went into decline
And the king who had so wronged them
And those who’d followed his example
All met a dreadful end.
The land was so wasted
That no tree ever bloomed there again,
The grasses and flowers withered,
And the streams dried up.
Afterwards no one could locate
The court of the Rich Fisher,
Which had made the land resplendent
With gold and silver, splendid furs,
Precious brocaded silks,
Fine foodstuffs and cloth,
Gerfalcons and merlins,
Goshawks, sparrowhawks, and falcons.
In earlier days, when the court could be found,
There was throughout the land
Such an abundance of riches,
Of all those I’ve named here,
That everyone, rich or poor,
Was awestruck at the wealth.
But now it has lost everything.

We often find that Indigenous cultures retain the ancient wisdom, as exemplified by this quote by Nahko Bear, speaking about Winona LaDuke and Indigenous women leaders at Standing Rock –

“One of the most beautiful things I feel right now, is that you see these amazing, empowered women who are stepping up and really reminding us young men, and men in general, that our role is to let the women lead, and yet, we’re their protectors and we stand side-by-side, but the women are supposed to lead with their hearts.”

Ah okay! Well that’s certainly true as well. — Mikie

Lol, I mean, with reference to my OP

It's no secret that women have been molded for centuries by men, and there is a movement afoot to turn back the clock. My concern is not the men who feel so threatened by this, but the women who will deny their inner knowing to go along with the flow.

Well you’re far more patient than me then. — Mikie

I was referring to women :)

Thanks for the reply.

I'm a firm believer that we have deeper natures that need exploring, and understanding.

I think you may have a very hard time learning things. — AmadeusD

Oh gosh, learning defines me.

I was the one who presented a new perspective to you, and you dismissed it out of hand.

Thanks for your response.

And yes, you do lecture.

Why do some men need to consider themselves as inherently superior?

The way that Christian nationalists attack progressive women is a case in point.

"White liberal women are a cancer on the nation.” - right-wing comedian Vincent Oshana wrote on X.

The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution "has been a moral and political tragedy for America," firebrand pastor Dale Partridge said in a video last month.

"Why? Women were not made to lead, but to follow and to feel."

Straight out of the Bible shit.

And conservative women, wanting to get in good with the guys, join in. Katie Miller - wife of Stephen Miller - posted on X - "Conservative women are just hotter than Liberal women."

If we go back over a thousand years, we’ll find a lot of societies in which women enjoyed independence and self-autonomy. But then, Christianity – and the Bible - forced them into an oppressed role.

Many read the Book of Genesis as the ascension of consciousness. But the thing is, this consciousness was only reserved for men. The Book of Genesis produced different outcomes for men and women. It was read quite literally when it came to the role of women in the fall. Eve led Adam astray. She is the cause of the fall of the human race. She destroyed God’s image.

This fed centuries of misogynistic interpretations. Eve represents the evil that is inherent in all women. This paradigm spread through the western world: subordinate and inferior, women are by nature disobedient, weak-willed, untrustworthy, deceitful, seductive and motivated only by self-interest.

1 Timothy 2:12-14
I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.

1 Corinthians 11:3 spells out the hierarchy explicitly.
But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.

Thomas Aquinas, influential in the early Christian church, furthered the reduced status of women. In the 13th century, he wrote that women are inferior to men in not just strength but intellect. They are born female because of some defect in the active force or maternal disposition and are important not for any inherent value or virtue, but only for their ability to reproduce.

Women were put into a box as defective adjuncts of men. Their only holy role could be in marriage and reproduction. It formed a culture of oppression. It diminished their contributions. It justified the witch trials, as an instance. The Book of Genesis is a man’s story. It did not serve women well.

We've come a long way, but these ancient tenets of female oppression are not completely erased yet.

We need all women to reclaim their feminine instincts, to find their true home.

Don't approach communities by engaging their critics. That is absurd. Engage communities by engaging its members and its actual activities. — AmadeusD

Lol, there's you lecturing again. Does the word "mansplaining" ring any bells with you?

I read a variety of things and make up my own mind.

are somehow subverting their rights and what not. — AmadeusD

I didn't mention rights, but rather instincts. I am a typical woman, and I believe the vast majority of women have the same instincts as me. But they may have a different psychology - for example needing the acceptance of a domineering man, or a domineering group - and in acquiescence, they obey.

who are certainly not oppressed in any sensible way - unless, of course, your bent is to assume that any one who submits even a smidgen of anything to anyone else must be a child incapable of taking care of herself against the big bad mean men — AmadeusD

You're twisting things. And showing that you do not understand where I am coming from.

Having said that, I will affirm that in any partnership, there should not be one who dominates, and one who submits. Submission requires a surrender of a part of you.

This is exactly the kind of stuff that the vast majority of mothers dealing with real-world problems have no time for. — AmadeusD

Any woman who has no connection to the knowing of her soul would be a sad, sad creature.

unhelpful rhetorics floating about convincing young women we're living in the middle ages and we can create our living myths around our children. It's self and dumb. — AmadeusD

You totally don't get it.

The OP presents as a severe case of overthinking.

Most people understand the Golden Rule means to treat others well, and fairly.

It presumes that most people want to be treated well, and fairly.

"Treat others as you would want to be treated."

Fueling the idea that House Trump is going to retire to Sochi with an "Adios, suckers": — jorndoe

New reporting from the New Yorker sets the profiteering by Trump and his family at over $4 billion

Have you been leafing through those files? — Punshhh

No, I just Googled images

the hottest First Lady ever — Mikie

I have just now become aware of a book by Elinor Cleghorn -

A Woman's Work: Reclaiming the Radical History of Mothering

Here's the blurb on Amazon -

Mothers make history. But what it has meant for mothers to do the physical and emotional work of mothering has, for centuries, been neglected in the stories of the past. Patriarchal control of motherhood has relegated the acts of growing, birthing, nurturing, and loving to the sidelines, and deemed it unimportant, women's work. Now, through the voices of women themselves, Elinor Cleghorn reclaims and retells the history of motherhood, showcasing the mothers, othermothers, midwives, activists, community leaders, and more who have shaped the course of history.

Beginning in the ancient world, we encounter a figurine made for a childbirth ritual over three thousand years ago. We meet extraordinary writers and poets, like Anne Bradstreet and Elizabeth Jocelin, who were expressing their innermost feelings about motherhood. During the seventeenth century, in the streets of London, we encounter unmarried mothers struggling against stigma and shame, and the women who strove to help them. Later, pioneers like Mary Wollstonecraft laid the intellectual foundation for the liberation of motherhood from male control, and the abhorrent treatment of enslaved mothers was brought to public attention by courageous activists like Sojourner Truth. These and many other brave characters lobbied for mothers of all classes and circumstances to be valued, respected, and supported--not as reproductive vessels, but as people.

Honestly, I can't think there is anything interesting about her that would make me want to watch a movie about her.

AI is excellent for research, but the information should always be verified.

And when we do give over our thinking to AI, yes, thinking atrophies in us

Also, I mentioned those abilities are uniquely human - including creating art. Art by its very definition is a human capacity - it can only be produced by human feeling.

But they will be, for humans in history, sentient because most of us will ignore this deficiency and believe they are sentient. — ENOAH

I'm not sure that believing something makes it true

Don't you think the same can be said of the human creative process? The data has been input and we rewrite it. — ENOAH

No, not exactly. We are able to take unrelated thoughts, bits of knowledge, memories, ideas, sparks of inspiration, and combine them (often with a dash of intuition, and an incubation period) into something new, something original.

Einstein called this "combinatory play" and he said it was the essential feature in productive thought.

https://www.themarginalian.org/2013/08/14/how-einstein-thought-combinatorial-creativity/

I can't disagree with anything you've so eloquently said. I will add to that, though, that there are a lot of very good people in the US, and the future of the country is going to depend on them to continue to make their voices heard.

Right now, it appears that the leader best poised to steer the US out of the dark time they find themselves in right now is Gavin Newsom

God didn’t save his life so he could make mistakes. He knows what he is doing. — Questioner

“I cannot be mistaken - what I say and do is historical.”

~ Hitler

“Il Duce ha sempre ragione.” (The leader is always right).

~ Mussolini

The key word is 'participates'. It correlates with various functions. — EnPassant

If you do not accept that structure produces function, then please provide an alternative hypothesis

More classic fascism from Trump –

Below is a link to a video Trump posted on his social media a couple of days ago. After a minute or so of propaganda, the main message is spoken – (which seems to be that Trump doesn’t make mistakes, and how dare you question him) –

Word for word from the video -

“This is what you voted for, so why are you questioning every decision he makes? God didn’t save his life so he could make mistakes. He knows what he is doing. Maybe it’s time to shut the fuck up and let him cook.”

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115976094211574919