76 Comments

They forget the first rule of Trump - loyalty only flows one way. They also forget the first rule of blackmail - the first payment is only a down payment. They also forgot the second rule of Trump - $1M is not nearly enough to keep him from slamming you when it serves his purposes. F'k them all.

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After WW1 Germany's economy was saddled with reparations of 33 billion (about 580 Billion in today's dollars) and it was forced to forfeit all of it's colonies. The oligarchs thought Hitler would help them regain their lost wealth, so they provided financial support. They thought they could control him, they were wrong. In the 1979 Ba'ath Party Purge Saddam Hussein had a list of 68 party members who he wanted eliminated, they were eliminated. Xi Jinping's purge is called "Anti-corruption campaign" has been going on since 2012. The American Purge started on 2016 it paused in 2021, but it is ready to resume in 2025. You can not control a dictator. If you accept the dictator you can escape the first purge. That is what Mark and Jeff are doing. If trump's purge fails they will flip again, but they should no be forgiven. I agree F THEM.

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Yuck to Zuck.

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Fuck them all! They are greedy pigs at trump’s trough.

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I think you will find it is the other way around as history has taught us. These guys have control of the broad media and narrative and they won't make the same error that the Russian oligarchs made...they aren't about to give control to their 5th grade wanna be mobster puppet. They made him and they can take him out.

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What's the weather like there on Earth II, where the sky is green and the grass is blue?

We just saw this weekend how the powerful are going to defend the press, when Disney decided it was more important to protect The Mouse than it was to defend the First Amendment.

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So, post 2024 election, you can see which way the wind is blowing, what matters more: your principles or your pocketbook? Certainly ironic that it seems the bigger the pocketbook, the more obvious the answer.

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I think the uber-rich are mentally ill. Their lack of morality and a functioning ethical compass does not obtain to the rest of us.

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Greed blinds them. Getting thru the eye of the needle won’t be easy for them

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Bezos ex-wife is an angel.

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Please use something other than “mentally ill” to describe the rich. Those of us with mental illnesses are not Elon or Bezos.

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Is there a term for an illness one acquires through having too much, way beyond your needs? The inability, perhaps, to spend the money fast enough or on absurd things, like super yachts that, at the end of the day, don't make you happy?

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The metal illness of the oligarchs should have its own category to distinguish from the other mental illnesses experienced by ordinary humans who are NOT extremely wealthy and greedy. In Ayurveda (from the same culture that created Yoga) the term is "Tamasic" - the three qualities of the mind being "Sattva" or balanced, "Rajas" or changeable (most humans are Rajasic), and "Tamas" or heavy, dark, sinking. There are gradations of the latter two as the changeable quality that Rajas gives the mind also gives the quality of being able to "rise" towards balance (where one can operate for the betterment of others in the world, experience emotions, but not be overly attached to the success or failure of actions) or to "sink" into depression, anger, evil. Thus, the extremely wealthy tend to be Tamasic in nature though there are exceptions...

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Yup, these douchebags are definitely a bunch of Tamasholes.

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nice mashup! lol

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I have a mental illness and am not remotely offended. MI's come in all shapes and symptoms. Edward Bryant is spot on. They have an affliction known as Greedmania. And are you gonna tell me Scump isn't mentally ill??

Stop being oversensitive. Most of us are pretty fucked up, even those who can't admit it.

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Zuckerberg and Bezos are champions of money power, period. Nothing else. No different than their fellow lizards at the top, nihilists all. They'll eat us, and each other.

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Sad about ABC.

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Pussies!! But the country just can't seem to stop enabling this POS. Frankly, I think they didn't want things revealed in discovery, but they could have fought it a bit further. And this is all happening BEFORE he is even in office!!!

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I feel like Trump's second election is a mask-off moment for so many. The billionaires here, sure, but even the likes of the hosts from Morning Joe and The Young Turks. They've picked a side, and unfortunately, they've chosen the wrong one.

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Wow, the Young Turks, too? That is very surprising although I haven't really followed them for awhile. Has their angle on things been changing over the past couple of years or what?

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Yeah, I don't follow them closely, but from what I've gathered, they seem more interested lately in sniping at others on the left and engaging in transphobic rhetoric, particularly Ana.

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At what point does a person have enough wealth? At what point should the entrepreneur say I'm earning enough? What i see in the 180 degree turn of these "morbidly rich" (to quote Thom Hartman) is the the allure of power. What people say tells us less about their desires, goals, and values than what they do. Sadly, many will suffer because of the changes.

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A lot of speculation here….Judd has given us the facts…but remember in the late 30’s General Stanley stepped forward about a group of rich people wanting to take over this country. Maybe they have their guy this time or will they learn how to fly after being thrown out a window? It hasn’t worked so well for a lot in Russia. We have to stay the course keep spreading and speaking facts…if we lose faith in the truth it’s over.

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Wealthy asslickers all.

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Money Money Money - it's all that matters to the elite. They can say and do whatever they want. In the end, they will do what nets them the most MONEY! Zuck doesn't care about anything but $$$$$

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He would be lost without his money. He would not know how to function. He’s never been without and whatever he’s accomplished will one day crash and burn. He will still have more money than any of us and to me that’s really sad.

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‘Optimistic’ the new favorite adjective of billionaires for the 2nd term of the Orange Menace.

Bezos went on and on about how much more settled he is — right in the midst of the most wacko and dangerous Cabinet choices in history being made public. Now Zuckerberg does the same. These guys are not‘ thought leaders’. Their wallets do the talking.

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Wow, the denial and wishy-washy going on with these two is disheartening. They both say they are optimistic about Trump's second term. That's not dangerous at all... s/

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Gross. Time to shut down my Facebook and get off Amazon.

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I shut down FB about five years ago when Judd was going great guns for Zuck and his rotten business. I felt so exposed being on social media anyway, but the arrogance of power was too much for me. I understand the hesitation of trying to disengage because social media is an addiction, like booze and cigarettes - what will I do without it? You know, like booze and cigarettes, the urge goes away. I know. I gave up all three at some point in my life, and the worst part is the anticipation of not having it. Once you kick it for a day or two or even three, you are good.

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Fwiw, you’re still on social media with Substack.

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I don't classify Substack like typical SM. It's not remotely the same thing. But as it continues to grow quickly I hope it doesn't turn into a mess. Reddit anyone?

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Easier to give up Amazon.

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FUCK AMAZON!!! What amazes me is the power that people really have to crush someone like this--stop patronizing their businesses. I refuse to do Amazon and I hate that I am stuck on Fakebook. I only follow a couple of wise people and I like the sense of community I have with the other folks.

Everyone needs to leave X en masse. I know it's happening more and more but since he took it private it won't matter anyway. It's really the ADVERTISERS who need to leave.

Ugh...what a society we've become. May the giant asteroid humankind deserves be swift and painless (except for a select few...)

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As Yale historian, Dr. Timothy Snyder has told us- the first rule to fight authoritarianism is Do Not Obey in Advance.

The line of those who have willing obeyed in advance continues to grow- Bezos/WaPo, LA Times, Zuckerberg, Joe & Mika, ABC News/Disney. The dominos are rapidly falling. This country is screwed.

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I don't know why our instinct is to humanize billionaires. They can donate (small) portions of their wealth and get a pat on the back. They can say they value their workers, but their business practices say otherwise (Amazon/Wal Mart). We believe them at our peril.

I'm not one to say boycott, because it's not always realistic. But I buy as little as possible from Amazon and Wal Mart, and spend my time on Facebook deleting ads. I already have reduced the amount of time watching TV because I get so many more interesting newsletters ;), and my kids are past the Disney years, so my ABC consumption is reduced as well.

To look on the positive side, at least we know about their hypocrisy in advance? And can look at the 'news' coverage from these sites with a side eye.

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I think boycotts are always good. The first boycott is the personal. You do it. You don't tell anybody, you just stop purchasing from (fill in the blank). You feel good.

The second boycott is the national boycott and that does hurt any company/agency who is its target.

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I have been thinking boycott for a while now but haven’t said much either. Money is the surest way to get their attention.

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They aren't visiting Trump to gain access or gain favor...They are visiting to give him instructions as to what they need him to do. Put him on subtle notice.

We put you in charge but don't think for a minute that we can take you out. It is in your best interest to do as we want or....through "our media control" we can turn MAGA supporters anyway we want along with Congress, the financial sector, Chamber of Commerce, basically all the support structures that control the country, etc..

Ref. yesterday's NYT article... Trump's Merchandising as unethical with a picture of his golden high tops. You have to know who approved that bit of national exposure. A clear warning shot across the good ship Trump's bow to establish the certainty of dominance. As a puppet you don't have to dance but if you do it best be for us or else...no threat intended just a plain and simple fact.

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Bezos must have a different definition of the term "cynical" than the rest of us.

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While this is worth reporting, none of it is shocking — billionaires whose support shifts with the political winds, who benefitted by seeming to stand with more progressive causes in the pre-Trump years, now backing Trump to avoid his wrath and benefit from his pro-billionaire agenda. The only shocking thing is that anyone may have thought these guys ever believed in anything other than money.

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