I am in Facebook jail today because of my post being critical of the Orange Felon invasion of Venezuela, now he can bankrupt that country and take all their natural resources
Supporting a #CONVICTEDFELONRAPISTPEDOPHILE AND Anything associated with him and his sycophants is EVIL. SUBSTACK isn't always balanced especially if you can't hear someone video unless you pay to play.
The writers on Substack have to make money somehow. Many of them publish seven days a week. They have to constantly be up to date with what’s going on in this shit show administration.
Susan, I don't know. I am on Signal Chat groups through Democrats Abroad and Indivisible Abroad and Substacks. I have never been on the social media. The moment I heard Musk was buying Twitter I recommended to my friends to get off of it, saying he is up to no good. I wrote two articles about research presented on his attempts to influence the German elections with his X platform.
Agree Linda never ever have joined any Social Media sites! Too many possibilities of shenanigans going on there. Isn’t Instagram also owned by Zuckerberg? Substack is the first platform I’ve ever trusted and I am very cautious about who I follow. Call me paranoid!
When it comes to Farcebork, friends and family that are sane and logical are the good connections. Those who aren't and the shit they dump in their posts raise red flags, and I like knowing who they are. Knowing who NOT to trust, and who DOESN'T have my back is as important as knowing who does. In they end, they're the ones who tend to unfriend me in a MAGA meltdown snit, leaving room in my feed for the GOOD connections.
During Covid, I attended conferences and lectures on zoom about disinformation. The person not to trust with Facebook is Zuckerberg. He is a fascist little shit! and his platform mirrors that.
Omg, Bezos paid Melanie the 40M. 40M could have fed a bunch of hungry children. Now all Bezos has to show for his money is a documentary about a stripper/golddigger.
These people don’t share the values of normal citizens. 40 million is pocket change to Bezos. Meaningless. Except for the favor it buys. It’s sad to think of all the worthy charities, that benefit society, these extorted “contributions” could have funded instead of trump vanity projects.
Janet, it is sickening that Bezos does not give that money to help heal sick people, or pay of college debt for people who have graduated. So many good things he could do, but he is not a good person.
trump met Melania through Epstein. I've always thought it was clear she was one of Epstein's traffickers, like Maxwell. I thought, since her nudies are all over the internet, that she sold herself to whoever was willing to pay. Then along came trump. The rest is her history. I've also wondered who Barron's father is. I don't believe for a minute it's trump's, looking at him. trump is also always calling him, her son. He's not their son, Barron is her son, and she loves him very much.
“The anti-ICE playbook in red states involves creating a hotline for residents to report ICE activity, ‘Know Your Rights’ sessions, and ICE-watch trainings.”
- Sonali Kolhatkar, from Anti-ICE Resistance Sprang Up Across Red States in 2025
I deleted my facebook and IG accounts January, 2025 after Zuckerprick gave felon 47 $50 million with an apology for deleting his account after he incited the insurrection. I’m here on Substack and Bluesky.
I use it “judiciously”. I am a pusher-backer on the abandonment idea, because we NEED to know what's cesspooling in order to fight it. Plus, I DO have friends there that matter to me. I hate what it's become, so I act accordingly.
Lots of people get their misinformation from social media. If you want people to know what’s happening, you have to put the information where the people are.
lol Thanks for the chuckle. Our democratic republic government was against monopolies. This changed as the government kept leaning to the right over the last 4 or so decades. These days, monopolies can be bought by the oligarch that the leader likes. Just takes loyalty and money.
I was kicked off Facebook for making all kinds of critical posts of Trump. You are in good company. I have not bothered to go back because I would not be able to not criticize the Evil One and his minions.
The irony is that Trump is talking about running Venezuela as the US faces shutting down at the end of the month. Crazy isn't it?
U.S. citizens living, serving, or studying abroad—you can vote from wherever you are! 🌍 Visit https://votefromabroad.org to register and request your overseas ballot.
It’s quick, free, and valid for all elections in 2026. Need help? Write to help@votefromabroad.org.
Vote from Abroad volunteers are ready to assist you with any questions about requesting or returning your ballot. Don’t wait! Request your ballot today and make your voice heard! 🗳️
It is crazy, and I am doing everything in my power to stay sane. This is also exhausting and I'm tired of waking up with nightmares, but I refuse to give these soulless people my joy.
Susan, your concerns are understandable. it might help to sing, hum, read some jokes, recite some poem or things you have memorized, smell some of your favorite scents, sip a cup of hot tea, get some sunshine or bits of nature each day, name some things that make you happy before you go to sleep, or imagine or recall a favorite place, or work on a fun hobby, or read a good book when you can. It is your life, so please do not let anyone control it. You are worth doing and thinking about things that make you feel good.
You’re welcome, Susan. I could have included suggestions such as whistle, pet a loving animal whether it’s your pet or somebody else’s, do an art project, make something for somebody, have a long shower or a relaxing bubble bath, or just gently lavish water on your face and maybe hold a washcloth wet with nice warm water on your face and neck. Breathe deeply and picture something lovely in nature with each breath.
All are excellent suggestions. Being in nature, making art, listening to music, and feeding the birds and squirrels help me. Obsessing about lunatics definitely does not help. Thanks again. Doing something for someone else definitely helps. We need to stay connected and keep our spirits strong.
I have never heard of that option! In my state, Oregon, we vote by mail. There are drop boxes for that purpose as well. And when we lived overseas (my dad was in the service) our APO took care to make sure those ballots were safely delivered.
Katherine, voting by mail when you can drop your ballot into a box, or mail it and it arrives in 1-3 days is different than when it takes over a month to arrive by mail. All of us ask for the email version to get the ballot because that saves the month in one direction. The big worry is getting it back in the other direction. People in the military have options as well for the military to get their ballots in for them.
In Germany we are supposed to be able to take it to the Embassy in Berlin and they will get it to the US safely, but last election I was told people had problems with that. So, given that Germany warned us last year that mail will be slower, the month may now be 5 weeks, and that could mean from point A to B and back to A is 10 weeks. We do not get the ballots early enough for that. We cut some of the time requesting our ballots be sent to us by email, but then we have to put it in our own envelope and we have to pay for postage anyway.
I have heard people in other European countries having problems. I heard that about France. In Denmark they are getting rid of their government postal service totally. So the older people who do not use the internet for everything, and Americans who want to vote and need to mail it in, will have to use private mail services.
No it is not. It is not private, but some people choose that anyway for the convenience. It is a choice. Get your vote in on time and not be private. I would choose that. My votes are not a big secret. My third and fourth grade students would ask me each election who I voted for. I would tell them that they were bright, knew me pretty well and could probably figure it out for themselves, but I was not telling them. Not because it was secret, but because children whose parents voted differently would feel badly about how their parents voted. We would do election simulations in my class that did not have any of the adult characters. There were many different ways we did this, but they got to run campaigns, and vote, and then we lived with the government that they had elected.
Robin, plenty of people I know enjoy being able to send their ballot via email, and I would too. You have to live abroad to understand how complex mailing it in time is. My daughter and I mailed our ballots at the same time at the same post office, for a cost of 7€ the last election, and mine arrived to the same place 10 days before hers. Think about that for using snail mail.
NON POST OFFICE election drop boxes are much better option. But not sure how small towns handle if they are not installed. Permanent, cemented into sidewalk. Luckily, in a big city, I have 2 election-only boxes I can walk to to drop off ballot.
When I drove a Friday afternoon car pool when my daughter was in high school, I had to make clear that no one was using TikTok in our car. But then, I am also grateful that I never got around to buying a robot vacuum cleaner. Now that it is sold to a Chinese company, they get all the data it has been gathering, like everything said in your home within electronic earshot. There are positives to not being fastidious about cleaning.
I think they are watching me and controlling what I post. Most items I shared don’t show up on my page. One way I know that is I posted a picture of a waterfall, said it’s near where I live. It was blocked.
I live in the city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania there wasn’t any print media for almost two years because they were on strike and now we only have two local media outlets because one has been off the air for almost a month so WPXI is no longer a a place to get news and the fight between Cox Media and Verizon continues so basically the only place to get news is from Social Media. And tonight I can’t watch my Steelers play.
See my reply concerning legitimate news on Substack. Many authors have free editions. My comment went to the top because I just posted it at 10:40 CST Sunday night.
As a born and bred Venezuelan, I'm sick and tired, very disappointed and so frustrated after reading/hearing the pontifications of people who have never suffered under a dictatorship. Although you're getting a homeopathic dose with trump🎃.
You kevtch ad nauseam & ad infinitum, with good reason, about his malignant narcissism and mental acuities, his loose morals, and business practices, and his government mismanagement. I despise him because he reminds me of Chavez and Maduro. Same playlist, same screenplay, same autocratic vibes. IYKYK
You’ve suffered him only for a year this time. Everyone is exhausted with the moral grief and indignation, now imagine 26 YEARS. But… it’s easy; you all write from your comfy homes, food in the fridge, power to heat or cool your house and water to bathe in. A CVS in the corner to get your meds. NOT like the image below of people queueing at a pharmacy on Jan 3rd, 2026 after Maduro’s capture.
You are pampered and privileged beyond belief, and yet you feel you have the moral authority to rain on our uncertain anxious parade about our future.
But…during 26 yrs you have never lifted a finger to protest, or write op/eds or become political commentators to denounce, to help us decry through the horrid human rights abuses against our population. You live in your own navel.
The worst comments come from my fellow Democrats. I’m so disgusted by the insults received, entitled, clueless opinions, tinted by their rejection of 🎃, that I’ve decided to leave the party, and register as an Independent. What’s the point to be registered in a party that behave and react like the MAGA you all criticize? Hypocrisy doesn’t still well with me
You're all babbling about a country you've never been to. Specially during these 26 barbaric years. Spouting nonsense about “oil for money, colonization, international law”... but you seem to think we should suck it up even more, when the invaders and real colonizers, the oil succubus are the Cuban regime who provide torturers and spies, and bodyguards for Maduro in exchange -- that didn't go so well for him, did it? 90 cubans dead, so? Plus the other colonizers: the Russians, China, Hamas and Hezbollah cells, and the Colombian Guerrillas who are stealing our resources, depleting the Amazon by enslaving and killing our native indigenous people forced by circumstances to slave in the illegal mines for gold, trafficking oil & humans.
So for the love of God, respect our joy, our worried relief and anxiety about our future. Give us space and please shut up and stop opining and talking about theories when you haven't lived through the experience. Use those opinions and typing fingers to research what we have gone and atill 1000 political prisoners are going through. Every time you spout some new nonsense defending “poor kidnapped Maduro”, a Cuban torturer is flipping the ON switch of the electric cables to be used on some protester who dared, some as young as 16 yrs old, some as old as 75.
Be mindful, respectful and show compassion towards the suffering and conditions that made 1/3 of the population, 9.1 Million of us ( the largest refugee crisis in this Hemisphere) to flee our beautiful beloved home country.
where did you read news before social? Social... it is named that for a reason. It does not even pretend to be real life. Facemash started as a rating of attractiveness of other people- public shaming. Zuckerberg is still Zuckerberg, but now infinitely wealthy from feeding human neuroses.
I've been asking this since 2016, and before that, I was posting articles on how he continuously shafted the contractors he hired; bankrupted his own casino, etc.. Apparently, in the last decade, there is nobody who can or will stop him. The only answer I ever got was to vote blue. Hmmm that didn't work. smh
Maybe Vlad will "capture" him and his wife, like he "captured" Maduro and his wife? lol This could be a great soap opera...on Fridays, a cliff hangar of "who will be abducted next?" sigh Too bad it's reality. :(
I wonder if Maria Machado getting the Nobel Prize that Trump wanted has anything to do with her being dismissed as "not respected." She tried hard to deflect him by praising him when she got it, but everyone knows that Trump revels in retribution and never forgets.
This is a woman who risked her life for what she believed in. Why she would praise Trump is beyond me. Bullies only kick harder if they sense a weak spot.
She, as so many others, stupidly capitulated herself to the orange brainless lifeform. At this point they all fall into the categories: "stupid is as stupid does" and "ass kissers are full of shit."
He said she was a "nice lady" but did not have the "respect" of Venezuelans. She was either trying her best to think the best of him (there is no 'best' of him) or she was a fool.
Ya think?! That's exactly why. She got the Nobel Peace Prize instead of him. So of course he will not allow her to take her rightful place as President of Venezuela.
I can’t believe how blatant the US has been about why Trump took over Venezuala. It was bad enough seizing tankers who had customers, effectively stealing other people’s oil. Then you have Rubio ‘pretending’ it’s about the drugs. If it was about the drugs, the Felon-in-Office wouldn’t have pardoned Hernandez!
If true (which is doubtful): Trump said that he was told to pardon the kingpin, cartel boss, so he did it.
What kind of president pardons people without looking into why the person was convicted. Now, he says he pardoned him because Biden's administration didn't treat the cocaine king fairly.
Stupid man is getting so bad that now he can't even remember his lies.
The problem with narcissism is that they lie so much. It gets to the point you can’t believe anything they tell you. When caught in the lie, he’ll either play victim or find someone else to blame. Never expect the Felon-in-Office to admit fault on anything. He’ll only boast about things the ‘thinks’ he’s done.
The problem is that the men behind the curtain or the “co-presidents”-Miller, Vought, Theil are the ones directing the pardons, executive orders and everything else! They just say it in DT’s ear, or put the documents in front of him to sign as he never reads anything!
This is no longer an America I can recognize or respect. This is a regime of oligarchs who want to dominate everyone and everything for their own pocketbooks and egos.
As a Canadian, we have lost complete trust in the US as a whole. Not to the American people, but to the people who have created the monster who now leads your nation. Even long after he's gone, the US will have to put up with the MAGA base that put him in this situation. They ironically love what he's doing, despite the fact that most of them are hurting badly by his actions.
It will take decades for the now-shattered reputation the US has earned to heal - and only if you end up with someone with a head on their shoulders.
The warmongering 'Peace President' is all about self-gratification. Everything he does is for his own gain. He sees himself as America. When he declares huge wins, it's because he's personally won or gained something. It also goes for his opposition. The Felon-in-Office doesn't have rivals or opponents. He's very black and white about life. He has friends or he has enemies. Don't kiss up to him? You are now his enemy. We've seen firsthand what he does to enemies.
In Canada, we stood there in shock and disgust when you elected him the first time. How you've let a convicted criminal run and win the office of the presidency is appalling to most of the rest of the world.
Oh, it was perfectly clear that he cheated his way to his election. He started to boast at the end of his campaign that "I don't want your votes. I don't need your votes. I have all the votes I need." This was a clear indication that he had already bought the election.
Why anyone is surprised by his behavior beats me. The only book this man grew up with was Mein Kampf. I hope the rest of the world will stand with those of us in the United States who are working overtime to stop this.
I'm glad people outside the United States find this insane man and his insane regime appalling. Trump and all he stands for (which is himself, only) have always revolted me. I am doing whatever I can to help rid ourselves of this regime and wake people up. Why anyone would vote for this incompetent individual a second time beats me. It is sad. It is dangerous. And it needs to end. Onward.
I started screaming when he announced his candidacy. It did no good. America is no longer the land of the free, or the land of opportunity. It is not the country my family members went to war to protect. It is not the country I loved. I'm so very sorry. Please protect your country from us.
Not just the oligarchs. Evangelicals are very supportive of this regime. I've been told that they are looking forward to the end of time when only they will receive God's gift: living on Earth that is a paradise. And all of us will end up in Hell...whatever that is for them. And they want a one religion country...theirs. The Heritage Foundation also has their own agenda: the total control of this country (and the whole world). smdh
NO MAGA supporters, regardless of what they call themselves, can be Christian. They do not believe in following Jesus Christ's teachings, therefore they cannot be Christians.
But I agree, this is not the country I once called home. It is where I live, but it is not the country my family members fought for starting in WW II.
I find it interesting that very few independent news people have mentioned the type of oil that the felon is stealing. This oil is heavy and very difficult to refine. The refineries in Venezuela are in poor shape and will take a lot of money to repair. American refineries would prefer the crude oil from the U.S. as it's easier and cheaper to refine. I have little knowledge about this process, but from what I've read it will take longer to refine and will be much more expensive to refine.
The oil from Venezuela is not that far off from the Bitumen Canada produces. The US already has heavy oil refineries to deal with that sort of crude. This removes the one key resource the Alberta Seperatist movement was leaning on.
But this oil takes more time and costs more money to refine. The US has refineries that will do it, but they'd prefer to work with lighter "sweeter" oil. More profit in it for them.
Mind? Please... his addled mind was gone long ago. He is an irrelevant figure head now for his MAGA followers to worship. The real people running the show are the evil men standing behind him.. Notice when he steps away from the mic he starts to fall asleep (while standing!) Just MHO... :)
I think you're right. These are evil people. It's going to be difficult, but we have to stay calm and work together. Whether this regime admits it or not, life is more than a TV show and an advertising agency.
This is a wide open corruption unraveling before our eyes, no remorse, no shame at all. This is so sad and heartbreaking for our country to be this way.
I hope that when rethuglikkkrussians come back from their Christmas Vacation they will understand that they need to quit kissing🍊💩🫏 and do some work for we the people! Scared to make a Dr. appointment!
tramp needs to go!! And his treasonous kiss ass cabinet!
Rubio mentioned Biden twice in his Meet the Press interview this morning, yet they claim that anyone who disagrees with Trump has the mythical TDS. Their lack of self-awareness is mind-boggling!
I love the "idea" of America. The current reality...not so much. I'm feeling less and less patriotic every day. The thought that the American military will surely save us if he goes to far...well...no.
They've shown us that they are more than willing to carry out illegal orders.
I totally feel you! I too thought the military would save us. I quickly realized they wouldn't once the marines were sent to LA (my state). I had so many veteran friends and family defend the active military and disregard my concerns. It was too frustrating to try to convince them otherwise. We don't speak any longer. I wish I could rub their noses in it now but not worth my time and energy.
The military will not go against him as long as there isn't enough push back from the public to support it. There needs to be a public uprising far greater than the numbers we've had so far, or the military will continue to do whatever Trump says to do. Historically, at least, that's the reality.
deported Venezuelans, unhappy with the whole shebang get sent back. There are plenty in Venezuela who hate those folks.
Now ask yourself, what could possibly go wrong?
Besides, the US Army is woefully understaffed, morale is in the toilet, where is this junta going to get the soldiers to occupy a country of 28 million people? The oil companies? Really?
You can see how not thought out at all this dumb ass move was
PS
and Warton grad, stable genius, more oil on the world market means the price of oil goes down, esp. as demand keeps heading down. No wonder you are a bankrupt failure You are too arrogantly stupid to figure anything out
If its ok for America to kidnap Maduro and his wife and put them on trial in the US. I guess it's ok for Europe to kidnap tRump and melania and put them on trial in The Hague.!!!!
Oh, it's also about power. He's testing the waters to see how well this goes over... Eventually he'll own all of the southern countries...then he'll move north. That's the goal. lol
BTW: Look up the kind of oil from Venezuela...it's oil that takes much more time and money to refine because it's so heavy and dirty, as compared to the oil we get from the U.S.
Trumputinelonstein Natenyahuvance poltergeist antichrist regime (weapons, drugs, human trafficking, warcrimes against humanity) is at war against everyone. Prayers for unity in fighting for the soul of our nation with love for equal rights, justice and truth 🙏 ❤️ ⚖️
I am in Facebook jail today because of my post being critical of the Orange Felon invasion of Venezuela, now he can bankrupt that country and take all their natural resources
Get off that cesspool of propaganda and leave. Meta is in his pocket ☠️
Supporting Meta is supporting the devil. He exists in the form of members of the Trump administration.
Supporting a #CONVICTEDFELONRAPISTPEDOPHILE AND Anything associated with him and his sycophants is EVIL. SUBSTACK isn't always balanced especially if you can't hear someone video unless you pay to play.
The writers on Substack have to make money somehow. Many of them publish seven days a week. They have to constantly be up to date with what’s going on in this shit show administration.
Where can we go that is not Meta? I don't use Facebook, and I only use Instagram from time to time. It used to be fun, but now it creeps me out.
Try Bluesky. A lot of liberals who got off Twitter/X go there.
True Camille!
Susan, I don't know. I am on Signal Chat groups through Democrats Abroad and Indivisible Abroad and Substacks. I have never been on the social media. The moment I heard Musk was buying Twitter I recommended to my friends to get off of it, saying he is up to no good. I wrote two articles about research presented on his attempts to influence the German elections with his X platform.
Part 1
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/did-bots-and-right-wing-media-platforms?r=f0qfn
Part 2 talks about X and TikTok and I think her research is more convincing.
https://lindaweide.substack.com/p/did-bots-and-right-wing-media-platforms?r=f0qfn
Musk is evil.
Agree Linda never ever have joined any Social Media sites! Too many possibilities of shenanigans going on there. Isn’t Instagram also owned by Zuckerberg? Substack is the first platform I’ve ever trusted and I am very cautious about who I follow. Call me paranoid!
Instagram is also meta! Delete it along with Facebook!
What she said🥴🤣⬆️
Exactly. Don't leave. Know thine enemy. And keep the good connections.
II which enemies are you referring to? Also, what are you referring to as "good" connections?
When it comes to Farcebork, friends and family that are sane and logical are the good connections. Those who aren't and the shit they dump in their posts raise red flags, and I like knowing who they are. Knowing who NOT to trust, and who DOESN'T have my back is as important as knowing who does. In they end, they're the ones who tend to unfriend me in a MAGA meltdown snit, leaving room in my feed for the GOOD connections.
During Covid, I attended conferences and lectures on zoom about disinformation. The person not to trust with Facebook is Zuckerberg. He is a fascist little shit! and his platform mirrors that.
They are all in his pocket. Bezos wrote a check to Melania after she told him she planned to do a documentary on herself. $40million dollars.
Omg, Bezos paid Melanie the 40M. 40M could have fed a bunch of hungry children. Now all Bezos has to show for his money is a documentary about a stripper/golddigger.
These people don’t share the values of normal citizens. 40 million is pocket change to Bezos. Meaningless. Except for the favor it buys. It’s sad to think of all the worthy charities, that benefit society, these extorted “contributions” could have funded instead of trump vanity projects.
Indeed, shameful.
These people are all narcissists. I wouldn't watch a documentary on any of them.
Janet, it is sickening that Bezos does not give that money to help heal sick people, or pay of college debt for people who have graduated. So many good things he could do, but he is not a good person.
I don’t know much about him, other than he owns a monopoly and gave 40M to a slut.
Or a Russian spy honey pot.
Nothing surprises me these days.
trump met Melania through Epstein. I've always thought it was clear she was one of Epstein's traffickers, like Maxwell. I thought, since her nudies are all over the internet, that she sold herself to whoever was willing to pay. Then along came trump. The rest is her history. I've also wondered who Barron's father is. I don't believe for a minute it's trump's, looking at him. trump is also always calling him, her son. He's not their son, Barron is her son, and she loves him very much.
“The anti-ICE playbook in red states involves creating a hotline for residents to report ICE activity, ‘Know Your Rights’ sessions, and ICE-watch trainings.”
- Sonali Kolhatkar, from Anti-ICE Resistance Sprang Up Across Red States in 2025
Government and sponsored censorship, This aggression shall not stand!
META: IG, FB, and Threads.
I deleted my facebook and IG accounts January, 2025 after Zuckerprick gave felon 47 $50 million with an apology for deleting his account after he incited the insurrection. I’m here on Substack and Bluesky.
Thank you, Johnny Law. I do know of FaceBook but do not have it. The others are new to me.
P. S.
I did look up to find that IG is Instagram, and I have heard of it.
Yup!! Bought and paid for!!
I use it “judiciously”. I am a pusher-backer on the abandonment idea, because we NEED to know what's cesspooling in order to fight it. Plus, I DO have friends there that matter to me. I hate what it's become, so I act accordingly.
Lots of people get their misinformation from social media. If you want people to know what’s happening, you have to put the information where the people are.
What is Meta?
Everything owned and run by Zuckerberg and Co.
Facebook
Instagram
Snapchat
Threads
And more.
I thought we had laws against monopolies.
lol Thanks for the chuckle. Our democratic republic government was against monopolies. This changed as the government kept leaning to the right over the last 4 or so decades. These days, monopolies can be bought by the oligarch that the leader likes. Just takes loyalty and money.
That doesn’t apply to the uber rich🙄
It should apply universally within our country.
Thank you, Kathryn!
What is it? I am not familiar with it at all.
I was kicked off Facebook for making all kinds of critical posts of Trump. You are in good company. I have not bothered to go back because I would not be able to not criticize the Evil One and his minions.
I was also kicked off Facebook for talking badly about this rapist and convicted criminal, E.Jean Carroll, also twice impeached.
Be careful, Trump made a statement the other day saying any thing negative about him should be illegal and he is looking into it.
Isn't Palantir hoovering Facebook now?
Facebook aint the only show in town
The irony is that Trump is talking about running Venezuela as the US faces shutting down at the end of the month. Crazy isn't it?
U.S. citizens living, serving, or studying abroad—you can vote from wherever you are! 🌍 Visit https://votefromabroad.org to register and request your overseas ballot.
It’s quick, free, and valid for all elections in 2026. Need help? Write to help@votefromabroad.org.
Vote from Abroad volunteers are ready to assist you with any questions about requesting or returning your ballot. Don’t wait! Request your ballot today and make your voice heard! 🗳️
It is crazy, and I am doing everything in my power to stay sane. This is also exhausting and I'm tired of waking up with nightmares, but I refuse to give these soulless people my joy.
Susan, your concerns are understandable. it might help to sing, hum, read some jokes, recite some poem or things you have memorized, smell some of your favorite scents, sip a cup of hot tea, get some sunshine or bits of nature each day, name some things that make you happy before you go to sleep, or imagine or recall a favorite place, or work on a fun hobby, or read a good book when you can. It is your life, so please do not let anyone control it. You are worth doing and thinking about things that make you feel good.
Such good advice, and I will take it to heart. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Susan. I could have included suggestions such as whistle, pet a loving animal whether it’s your pet or somebody else’s, do an art project, make something for somebody, have a long shower or a relaxing bubble bath, or just gently lavish water on your face and maybe hold a washcloth wet with nice warm water on your face and neck. Breathe deeply and picture something lovely in nature with each breath.
All are excellent suggestions. Being in nature, making art, listening to music, and feeding the birds and squirrels help me. Obsessing about lunatics definitely does not help. Thanks again. Doing something for someone else definitely helps. We need to stay connected and keep our spirits strong.
Hopefully mail in ballots will still work now that the P.O. has changed postmarks from day of drop to day of "process".
Hopefully more states will allow people to email ballots.
I have never heard of that option! In my state, Oregon, we vote by mail. There are drop boxes for that purpose as well. And when we lived overseas (my dad was in the service) our APO took care to make sure those ballots were safely delivered.
Katherine, voting by mail when you can drop your ballot into a box, or mail it and it arrives in 1-3 days is different than when it takes over a month to arrive by mail. All of us ask for the email version to get the ballot because that saves the month in one direction. The big worry is getting it back in the other direction. People in the military have options as well for the military to get their ballots in for them.
In Germany we are supposed to be able to take it to the Embassy in Berlin and they will get it to the US safely, but last election I was told people had problems with that. So, given that Germany warned us last year that mail will be slower, the month may now be 5 weeks, and that could mean from point A to B and back to A is 10 weeks. We do not get the ballots early enough for that. We cut some of the time requesting our ballots be sent to us by email, but then we have to put it in our own envelope and we have to pay for postage anyway.
I have heard people in other European countries having problems. I heard that about France. In Denmark they are getting rid of their government postal service totally. So the older people who do not use the internet for everything, and Americans who want to vote and need to mail it in, will have to use private mail services.
Email is not a secure medium.
No it is not. It is not private, but some people choose that anyway for the convenience. It is a choice. Get your vote in on time and not be private. I would choose that. My votes are not a big secret. My third and fourth grade students would ask me each election who I voted for. I would tell them that they were bright, knew me pretty well and could probably figure it out for themselves, but I was not telling them. Not because it was secret, but because children whose parents voted differently would feel badly about how their parents voted. We would do election simulations in my class that did not have any of the adult characters. There were many different ways we did this, but they got to run campaigns, and vote, and then we lived with the government that they had elected.
It is easy to spoof - that would open the system up for fake ballots.
Robin, plenty of people I know enjoy being able to send their ballot via email, and I would too. You have to live abroad to understand how complex mailing it in time is. My daughter and I mailed our ballots at the same time at the same post office, for a cost of 7€ the last election, and mine arrived to the same place 10 days before hers. Think about that for using snail mail.
NON POST OFFICE election drop boxes are much better option. But not sure how small towns handle if they are not installed. Permanent, cemented into sidewalk. Luckily, in a big city, I have 2 election-only boxes I can walk to to drop off ballot.
I live in a city in Northern Germany. There is no non-post office election box for US elections in my city.
I never post on Facebook or YouTube anymore. Those sites can be evil!
What’s Facebook?
✌🏽
I’m just kidding. I’ve never posted on FB, IG or TT. It’s not appropriate when you’re self employed.
don't forget TikTok now that it's under new management
Old or new
it is a devil site too.
When I drove a Friday afternoon car pool when my daughter was in high school, I had to make clear that no one was using TikTok in our car. But then, I am also grateful that I never got around to buying a robot vacuum cleaner. Now that it is sold to a Chinese company, they get all the data it has been gathering, like everything said in your home within electronic earshot. There are positives to not being fastidious about cleaning.
Cats know what robot vacuums are good for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUPg0dg7_fU And that's about it!
Not management. Ownership. tiktok was bought. Sadly.
Ahh I have been there so many times 😂 😂 at least they know me 🤣
Facebook Jail - A badge of honour 🪪🤣🇨🇦
like being on NIXONS ENEmY"S list back in the DAY !
I think they are watching me and controlling what I post. Most items I shared don’t show up on my page. One way I know that is I posted a picture of a waterfall, said it’s near where I live. It was blocked.
I live in the city of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania there wasn’t any print media for almost two years because they were on strike and now we only have two local media outlets because one has been off the air for almost a month so WPXI is no longer a a place to get news and the fight between Cox Media and Verizon continues so basically the only place to get news is from Social Media. And tonight I can’t watch my Steelers play.
See my reply concerning legitimate news on Substack. Many authors have free editions. My comment went to the top because I just posted it at 10:40 CST Sunday night.
That’s bullshit if somebody kept me from watching my Kansas City Chiefs I would have to strangle somebody.
Radio is blacked out in PA?
Censorship:
So much for transparency 😇
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SORRY NOT SORRY @Katie Phang
As a born and bred Venezuelan, I'm sick and tired, very disappointed and so frustrated after reading/hearing the pontifications of people who have never suffered under a dictatorship. Although you're getting a homeopathic dose with trump🎃.
You kevtch ad nauseam & ad infinitum, with good reason, about his malignant narcissism and mental acuities, his loose morals, and business practices, and his government mismanagement. I despise him because he reminds me of Chavez and Maduro. Same playlist, same screenplay, same autocratic vibes. IYKYK
You’ve suffered him only for a year this time. Everyone is exhausted with the moral grief and indignation, now imagine 26 YEARS. But… it’s easy; you all write from your comfy homes, food in the fridge, power to heat or cool your house and water to bathe in. A CVS in the corner to get your meds. NOT like the image below of people queueing at a pharmacy on Jan 3rd, 2026 after Maduro’s capture.
You are pampered and privileged beyond belief, and yet you feel you have the moral authority to rain on our uncertain anxious parade about our future.
But…during 26 yrs you have never lifted a finger to protest, or write op/eds or become political commentators to denounce, to help us decry through the horrid human rights abuses against our population. You live in your own navel.
The worst comments come from my fellow Democrats. I’m so disgusted by the insults received, entitled, clueless opinions, tinted by their rejection of 🎃, that I’ve decided to leave the party, and register as an Independent. What’s the point to be registered in a party that behave and react like the MAGA you all criticize? Hypocrisy doesn’t still well with me
You're all babbling about a country you've never been to. Specially during these 26 barbaric years. Spouting nonsense about “oil for money, colonization, international law”... but you seem to think we should suck it up even more, when the invaders and real colonizers, the oil succubus are the Cuban regime who provide torturers and spies, and bodyguards for Maduro in exchange -- that didn't go so well for him, did it? 90 cubans dead, so? Plus the other colonizers: the Russians, China, Hamas and Hezbollah cells, and the Colombian Guerrillas who are stealing our resources, depleting the Amazon by enslaving and killing our native indigenous people forced by circumstances to slave in the illegal mines for gold, trafficking oil & humans.
So for the love of God, respect our joy, our worried relief and anxiety about our future. Give us space and please shut up and stop opining and talking about theories when you haven't lived through the experience. Use those opinions and typing fingers to research what we have gone and atill 1000 political prisoners are going through. Every time you spout some new nonsense defending “poor kidnapped Maduro”, a Cuban torturer is flipping the ON switch of the electric cables to be used on some protester who dared, some as young as 16 yrs old, some as old as 75.
Be mindful, respectful and show compassion towards the suffering and conditions that made 1/3 of the population, 9.1 Million of us ( the largest refugee crisis in this Hemisphere) to flee our beautiful beloved home country.
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Once again putins puppet does what he ordered to do that oil is going to Russia
Hmmm, that smells like BS, no one has ever been put in FB jail for criticism of Trump, NEVER!!!
Joe boy, you're a liar
HA HA HA
MUST ! be irony !!
False.
Same
I criticize him all the time. I must not be doing a good enough job. Last time I was in FB jail was for liking too many things ..
where did you read news before social? Social... it is named that for a reason. It does not even pretend to be real life. Facemash started as a rating of attractiveness of other people- public shaming. Zuckerberg is still Zuckerberg, but now infinitely wealthy from feeding human neuroses.
Read "Careless People" by Sarah Wynn Williams, and you likely will never venture there again.
You should delete your facebook account they’ve turned into another Nazi site like twitter.
At least I'm sure you have some great company there in Facebook Jail.
FB is a bully
He needs to be stopped or else.
It’s only going to get worse.
Who can stop him? Who will stop him?
For starters, the Cabinet can make a good case for the 25th Amendment.
Trump could easily be impeached, if some of the Republicans would go along with all the Democrats.
That's a huge "IF". Which cabinet members (his personal cheer-leaders) were you thinking of ?
I've been asking this since 2016, and before that, I was posting articles on how he continuously shafted the contractors he hired; bankrupted his own casino, etc.. Apparently, in the last decade, there is nobody who can or will stop him. The only answer I ever got was to vote blue. Hmmm that didn't work. smh
Maybe Vlad will "capture" him and his wife, like he "captured" Maduro and his wife? lol This could be a great soap opera...on Fridays, a cliff hangar of "who will be abducted next?" sigh Too bad it's reality. :(
Exactly. Those Republicans are pure greedy cowards.
He’s panicking and desperate.
I wonder if Maria Machado getting the Nobel Prize that Trump wanted has anything to do with her being dismissed as "not respected." She tried hard to deflect him by praising him when she got it, but everyone knows that Trump revels in retribution and never forgets.
I suspect it’s both the Nobel PP and the fact that she’s a woman (oh, and non-white?) that has Turnip dissing her.
This is a woman who risked her life for what she believed in. Why she would praise Trump is beyond me. Bullies only kick harder if they sense a weak spot.
She, as so many others, stupidly capitulated herself to the orange brainless lifeform. At this point they all fall into the categories: "stupid is as stupid does" and "ass kissers are full of shit."
That sums it up nicely. Thanks.
He said she was a "nice lady" but did not have the "respect" of Venezuelans. She was either trying her best to think the best of him (there is no 'best' of him) or she was a fool.
I have a couple of ideas about this.
One is that she thought that he would do the "right" thing, i.e., respect her and want Venezuela to do well.
Two, she seriously fell into the trap of believing if she flattered him, bent the knee, that he would do the "right" thing.
What she didn't know was that he would do the RIGHT thing that definitely would not mean he would do the RIGEOUS thing.
Ya think?! That's exactly why. She got the Nobel Peace Prize instead of him. So of course he will not allow her to take her rightful place as President of Venezuela.
Absolutely! He’ll never get over a non-white woman won the NPP. He’ll probably start saying it was stolen from him just like the 2020 election.
I agree
Agree
I can’t believe how blatant the US has been about why Trump took over Venezuala. It was bad enough seizing tankers who had customers, effectively stealing other people’s oil. Then you have Rubio ‘pretending’ it’s about the drugs. If it was about the drugs, the Felon-in-Office wouldn’t have pardoned Hernandez!
If true (which is doubtful): Trump said that he was told to pardon the kingpin, cartel boss, so he did it.
What kind of president pardons people without looking into why the person was convicted. Now, he says he pardoned him because Biden's administration didn't treat the cocaine king fairly.
Stupid man is getting so bad that now he can't even remember his lies.
The problem with narcissism is that they lie so much. It gets to the point you can’t believe anything they tell you. When caught in the lie, he’ll either play victim or find someone else to blame. Never expect the Felon-in-Office to admit fault on anything. He’ll only boast about things the ‘thinks’ he’s done.
Madness all.
Wonder how much Hernandez put in Trumps Crypto?
Yep, or how much did he pay to get the pardon in other ways.
Wasn't there a report one time that if people paid a million dollars they would see about getting them pardons?
The problem is that the men behind the curtain or the “co-presidents”-Miller, Vought, Theil are the ones directing the pardons, executive orders and everything else! They just say it in DT’s ear, or put the documents in front of him to sign as he never reads anything!
ABSOLUTELY!! They chose trump as someone without morals, low IQ, sucker for flattery, GREEDY, etc, etc.
He does what they tell him, and it’s all there in their bible -
Project 2025.
Their lies never end. They believe they will never be held accountable for any of this. Our job is to figure out how to stop them.
That’s what liers always do - they cannot remember their lies.
This is no longer an America I can recognize or respect. This is a regime of oligarchs who want to dominate everyone and everything for their own pocketbooks and egos.
As a Canadian, we have lost complete trust in the US as a whole. Not to the American people, but to the people who have created the monster who now leads your nation. Even long after he's gone, the US will have to put up with the MAGA base that put him in this situation. They ironically love what he's doing, despite the fact that most of them are hurting badly by his actions.
It will take decades for the now-shattered reputation the US has earned to heal - and only if you end up with someone with a head on their shoulders.
The warmongering 'Peace President' is all about self-gratification. Everything he does is for his own gain. He sees himself as America. When he declares huge wins, it's because he's personally won or gained something. It also goes for his opposition. The Felon-in-Office doesn't have rivals or opponents. He's very black and white about life. He has friends or he has enemies. Don't kiss up to him? You are now his enemy. We've seen firsthand what he does to enemies.
In Canada, we stood there in shock and disgust when you elected him the first time. How you've let a convicted criminal run and win the office of the presidency is appalling to most of the rest of the world.
The second time was not a fair and honest election. There was interference by Putin, Musk and local officials. The data are available.
Oh, it was perfectly clear that he cheated his way to his election. He started to boast at the end of his campaign that "I don't want your votes. I don't need your votes. I have all the votes I need." This was a clear indication that he had already bought the election.
Why anyone is surprised by his behavior beats me. The only book this man grew up with was Mein Kampf. I hope the rest of the world will stand with those of us in the United States who are working overtime to stop this.
And yet, democrats refused to demand re-counts. :(
I wish we could shout that story from the rooftops and be believed.
I'm glad people outside the United States find this insane man and his insane regime appalling. Trump and all he stands for (which is himself, only) have always revolted me. I am doing whatever I can to help rid ourselves of this regime and wake people up. Why anyone would vote for this incompetent individual a second time beats me. It is sad. It is dangerous. And it needs to end. Onward.
I started screaming when he announced his candidacy. It did no good. America is no longer the land of the free, or the land of opportunity. It is not the country my family members went to war to protect. It is not the country I loved. I'm so very sorry. Please protect your country from us.
Not just the oligarchs. Evangelicals are very supportive of this regime. I've been told that they are looking forward to the end of time when only they will receive God's gift: living on Earth that is a paradise. And all of us will end up in Hell...whatever that is for them. And they want a one religion country...theirs. The Heritage Foundation also has their own agenda: the total control of this country (and the whole world). smdh
NO MAGA supporters, regardless of what they call themselves, can be Christian. They do not believe in following Jesus Christ's teachings, therefore they cannot be Christians.
But I agree, this is not the country I once called home. It is where I live, but it is not the country my family members fought for starting in WW II.
I find it interesting that very few independent news people have mentioned the type of oil that the felon is stealing. This oil is heavy and very difficult to refine. The refineries in Venezuela are in poor shape and will take a lot of money to repair. American refineries would prefer the crude oil from the U.S. as it's easier and cheaper to refine. I have little knowledge about this process, but from what I've read it will take longer to refine and will be much more expensive to refine.
https://www.wearethemighty.com/feature/venezuela-oil-reserve/
The oil from Venezuela is not that far off from the Bitumen Canada produces. The US already has heavy oil refineries to deal with that sort of crude. This removes the one key resource the Alberta Seperatist movement was leaning on.
But this oil takes more time and costs more money to refine. The US has refineries that will do it, but they'd prefer to work with lighter "sweeter" oil. More profit in it for them.
Trump has completely lost his mind..
Completely! He thinks he's God. There's only one God and it's not trump. We must keep that in mind. He wants to take over the world 😡
Mind? Please... his addled mind was gone long ago. He is an irrelevant figure head now for his MAGA followers to worship. The real people running the show are the evil men standing behind him.. Notice when he steps away from the mic he starts to fall asleep (while standing!) Just MHO... :)
Steven Miller planned the attack on Venezuela. He had the approval of Hegseth and Rubio, among others. Trump can barely speak his lines.
Agree. I just wish more people understood that Trump is shell (of his former horrible self) and others (unelected) are running the show. Sigh
I think you're right. These are evil people. It's going to be difficult, but we have to stay calm and work together. Whether this regime admits it or not, life is more than a TV show and an advertising agency.
Peter theil runs the USA
And once Vance is put in the presidency? :(
Does anyone think that the golden, orange, old 79-year-old has AIDS ?
I don't care what he has. I want to see the last of them. And, Ben, it looks like you could use a little sleep. Take care of yourself.
This is a wide open corruption unraveling before our eyes, no remorse, no shame at all. This is so sad and heartbreaking for our country to be this way.
I hope that when rethuglikkkrussians come back from their Christmas Vacation they will understand that they need to quit kissing🍊💩🫏 and do some work for we the people! Scared to make a Dr. appointment!
tramp needs to go!! And his treasonous kiss ass cabinet!
Don’t hold your breath, friend.
Will people ever learn that Trump eventually comes for everyone, and there’s no bus long enough, no camp large enough, no cruelty painful enough.
So who has the balls to call out Jim and, of course, Mike when they spew this BS?! Someone needs to slap Rubio out of his stupor. Good lord. 🤬
Agreed. I don't think Jordan can form any opinion on his own. He certainly can't answer a direct question without trying to bring Biden into it.
Rubio mentioned Biden twice in his Meet the Press interview this morning, yet they claim that anyone who disagrees with Trump has the mythical TDS. Their lack of self-awareness is mind-boggling!
Oh, they know. The just don't have any shame.
The fact that they even refer to "TDS" just shows that they are acknowledging its existence. What idiots.
None of them can. “Biden” is a maga dog whistle (along with “Obama”).
🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
Why doesn’t someone mention Epstein orgies to him?
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Seriously! Why bother asking the question when the fuckers are allowed to lie and evade with zero pushback.
Gym Jordan doesn’t have an honest bone in his body!
I love the "idea" of America. The current reality...not so much. I'm feeling less and less patriotic every day. The thought that the American military will surely save us if he goes to far...well...no.
They've shown us that they are more than willing to carry out illegal orders.
I totally feel you! I too thought the military would save us. I quickly realized they wouldn't once the marines were sent to LA (my state). I had so many veteran friends and family defend the active military and disregard my concerns. It was too frustrating to try to convince them otherwise. We don't speak any longer. I wish I could rub their noses in it now but not worth my time and energy.
The military will not go against him as long as there isn't enough push back from the public to support it. There needs to be a public uprising far greater than the numbers we've had so far, or the military will continue to do whatever Trump says to do. Historically, at least, that's the reality.
deported Venezuelans, unhappy with the whole shebang get sent back. There are plenty in Venezuela who hate those folks.
Now ask yourself, what could possibly go wrong?
Besides, the US Army is woefully understaffed, morale is in the toilet, where is this junta going to get the soldiers to occupy a country of 28 million people? The oil companies? Really?
You can see how not thought out at all this dumb ass move was
PS
and Warton grad, stable genius, more oil on the world market means the price of oil goes down, esp. as demand keeps heading down. No wonder you are a bankrupt failure You are too arrogantly stupid to figure anything out
If its ok for America to kidnap Maduro and his wife and put them on trial in the US. I guess it's ok for Europe to kidnap tRump and melania and put them on trial in The Hague.!!!!
Thank you for your constant updates. I hope you find time for your family and sleep!
If anyone thought this was about anything else but oil, please crawl back under the rock you crawled out of.
But but but FOX weekend host Hegseth is murdering boaters and fishermen because “drugs”
They are silent on blowing up fishing boats these days notice?
Oh, it's also about power. He's testing the waters to see how well this goes over... Eventually he'll own all of the southern countries...then he'll move north. That's the goal. lol
BTW: Look up the kind of oil from Venezuela...it's oil that takes much more time and money to refine because it's so heavy and dirty, as compared to the oil we get from the U.S.
Trumputinelonstein Natenyahuvance poltergeist antichrist regime (weapons, drugs, human trafficking, warcrimes against humanity) is at war against everyone. Prayers for unity in fighting for the soul of our nation with love for equal rights, justice and truth 🙏 ❤️ ⚖️
He's leaving the largest, most odoriferous shit stain on American history than any other person living or dead. Can't wait to read his obituary.
or help create the need for it
With as many people that he is pi$$ing off nobody has to do anything except wait for the person(s) who feel they have nothing to lose to do it.
I'll bet Secret Service has doubled up on protecting him. They surely know that he is writing his own obit.
Lord, hear our prayer.
It is time to arrest tRump!
way way past time
No one has the balls to do it though!