this post was submitted on 03 Feb 2025
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Image is of Elon Musk giving the Nazi salute a week or so ago.


I didn't really want to keep spotlighting American domestic events as I had assumed that shit would calm down pretty quickly, but it appears that the Trump administration, including Musk, are determined to bring down the empire from the inside.

One of the most important lessons of ruling a country - and especially an empire - is to never, ever believe your own propaganda; and yet now we have neo-Nazi failsons disrupting parts of the imperial apparatus and causing general government mayhem because they actually seem to believe in libertarianism; that the state and the capitalists are somehow in opposition, rather than working in lockstep to maximise profit and boost American hegemony around the world.

I'm not so optimistic as to believe that a national collapse is FOUR DAYS AWAY, like those weird anti-China cranks often speculate - the US has at least a decade or two left even under these conditions. But consider the damage being inflicted in these past couple weeks, and extrapolate that over the next four years. Does any living American political figure possess the competency to halt - or even meaningfully slow - the already ongoing decline? And could they achieve power (or even be allowed to do so) after Trump's term is done?


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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
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Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
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Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.

Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.

Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:

Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.


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[–] Lando@hexbear.net 100 points 2 days ago (6 children)

I don't want to get all "muh constitution" but if the president can just unilaterally decide to eliminate federal departments there really isn't a constitution at that point is there? Like that's so far out of bounds of what's legal in any way. Looks like it's just going to happen?

I also don't understand any of the reporting or statements regarding being denied access to the buildings either. Every report I have read (and I have gone intentionally searching for this) has said that they were told no. It does not specify who told them no, the democrats are not specifying who is telling them no. The closest I have been able to find is an article The Hill saying the dems were stopped by "security forces". WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE? Is anyone going to ask who the fuck they are working for or under whose authority? What answer could they possibly give you that would be acceptable to pack up and leave?

If I drop you off at a gas station and 20 seconds later you came back and said "they said no." I would be like "who said no? What did they say? And you just keep repeating "they said no" I would get actually pissed at you! Yet that's what were getting for some reason?

There was this story in the guardian

  • “They apparently just sort of walked past security and said: ‘Get out of my way,’ and they’re looking for access for the IT systems, as they have in other agencies,” said Andrew Rosenberg, a former Noaa official who is now a fellow at the University of New Hampshire. “They will have access to the entire computer system, a lot of which is confidential information.”

What is even going on here?!?! If you walked into where I work and were like "hey were taking over?" I would be like "who the fuck are you? what the hell is going on?". Even if I don't give a shit about my job I'm not just going to leave my post because some goofball told me to. Could I actually just walk into any federal building and say I'm with doge and they just let me in? Because that's legitimately what it feels like here!

So we have people we know nothing about, closing down federal office buildings, locking everyone out and nobody cares who is doing that? Do they have names? Are they security for the agency? Who gave them the orders? Are they just random people? I feel like these are kind of important questions that are being completely glossed over!

[–] Boise_Idaho@hexbear.net 24 points 1 day ago

I don't want to get all "muh constitution" but if the president can just unilaterally decide to eliminate federal departments there really isn't a constitution at that point is there? Like that's so far out of bounds of what's legal in any way. Looks like it's just going to happen?

The president always had this power. Outside of edge cases like the post office or the army, every federal department exists at the discretion of the president. Nothing's stopping a president from shutting down almost every single federal agency outside of norms^TM^, threats of impeachment, or being shown footage of the JFK assassination from the grassy knoll.

[–] Saoirse@hexbear.net 78 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Perhaps it's premature to say, but what we know so far paints a stark picture of the paralytic culture within US government institutions. Nobody will twitch a muscle without word from on high, and all it takes is a few white kids who feel entitled to act with impunity to punch right through. Meanwhile, the vast liberal public simply cannot accept what their lying eyes show them, because it would require that they accept that all the excuses for decades of inaction, of political impotence, was just kayfabe.

[–] newmou@hexbear.net 47 points 2 days ago

I honestly don’t think they’re smart enough to realize even that. There is nothing except the Present Situation for them

[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 15 points 1 day ago

If it’s any consolation, the first trump administration made plenty of people into leftists. So we are in for a rough ride.

[–] Sbebg@hexbear.net 57 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

The school shooter 6 has couped the government basicallly. No more elections. The only question now is when will elon coups trump. And becomes the new god emperor. Who would’ve thought the end of America was put in place by a ghb broccoli boy frat bro in a suit and khaki pants

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The 6 18-26 year olds Elon Musk hired to do his dirty work is a common tactic used in startup/rapidly expanding companies. The higher ups don't like an older employee, so they hire someone young with a fancy resume/degree and little real life work experience, to basically act as their puppet and undermine the older employee. Older employee is obviously pissed off by someone half their age with no real life work experience coming in and telling them that everything they're doing is wrong and conspiring behind their back with upper management, so they usually quit, get moved onto another department where they do busybody work and eventually quit, or even get fired. I've seen it happen before personally. Elon Musk is just expanded this model and applied it to the whole US government.

[–] Lemister@hexbear.net 4 points 1 day ago

“Nazi Germany was another subsidiary of IG Farben”

History always repeats itself.

[–] hotcouchguy@hexbear.net 20 points 1 day ago

Could I actually just walk into any federal building and say I'm with doge and they just let me in?

Could work tbh

[–] Coolkidbozzy@hexbear.net 52 points 2 days ago

Nobody expected the executive branch to reduce its own powers by attacking its departments, I guess

[–] ThomasMuentzner@hexbear.net 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Could I actually just walk into any federal building and say I'm with doge and they just let me in? Because that's legitimately what it feels like here

yes .. the people in goverment work in goverment because they have demonstrated that they follow autority. and they will follow authority , because this is what they do.

[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is fairly reductive. Just about everyone follows authority. Wether in private or public enterprise.

[–] ThomasMuentzner@hexbear.net 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

you seeem to be blessed by personal Biography with not knowing the extent of Non-Charakter that the average Burecrat has.

[–] marxisthayaca@hexbear.net 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is a stupid argument. Your average person follows rules depending on the situation. The person of authority is one variable, there’s also the number of people present, whether anyone refuses, whether immediate danger or death is going to occur, what existing culture in the department, the political alignment of the employee, the threats issued, etc.

[–] ThomasMuentzner@hexbear.net 3 points 1 day ago

I can not follow .

Do you wanna say that "the "Base" is NOT generally Dominant ? But just one "Variable"

or do you deny that people working in goverment are not choosen by Lottery but by a Human Ressource Department looking for a specific kind of Human ressource ?

[–] Parzivus@hexbear.net 3 points 1 day ago

Not significantly different than the average cubicle worker, in my experience