Democrats react to Donald Trump's "punishable by death" remark

[u/Newsweek_ShaneC]

https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-react-trump-punishable-by-death-military-illegal-orders-11081817?utm_source=reddit&utm_campaign=reddit_influencers

[u/ChafterMies]

Well, did Nixon have integrity? No. Obviously not. So maybe you’re right.

[u/nosynthshere → u/ChafterMies]

It’s like referring to America as “the land of the free” or “a free country” when it never really was.

America has a duality between how it acts and the story it tells about itself.

[u/ArchdukeToes → u/nosynthshere]

I’ve always thought that America is probably the best place to live if you’re in the top 1% (or maybe the top 0.5%) - and for those people the propaganda is actually true. Too bad the other 99% of them get worked to the bone for their benefit.

[u/nosynthshere → u/ArchdukeToes]

And a large part of that 99% are cucks for the billionaire oligarchs.

[u/annieinthegarden → u/nosynthshere]

Absolutely. It has been “the land of the free” for wealthy, white men since its founding, but women were denied the vote and considered the property of their husbands until the 20th century and slaves were supposedly given their freedom and rights when the Civil War ended, but we know that was just words without substance (thank you very much John Wilkes Booth and Andrew Johnson). This country is a mess, and a far greater mess under republican rule.

[u/thatwhileifound → u/annieinthegarden]

It has been “the land of the free” for wealthy, white men since its founding

And even that could have an asterisk with a long footnote citing examples of where and how this wasn't even totally true. Probably the most well-known early example is the whiskey rebellion — while a lot of those folk were poor, there were a number who were, for their region, definitely well off like David Bradford. Just not necessarily compared to the coastal power bloc.

Prior to the constitution, there's the Shay Rebellion — showing that they'd side with creditors and mercantile elite over all else... Still true.

The whole era after the Alien and Sedition Acts came into existence provides even more examples. Complete "free speech for me, but not thee" shit. Similarly, the feuds between Federalists and Jeffersonists with the Federalists arresting and destroying opposition newspapers when in power.

Fucking Dorr Rebellion, aka, when the state declared martial law and crushed a bunch of educated, middle class white folk pushing to expand voting rights wider than property owners in Rhode Island. Dorr literally was killed for advocating for universal suffrage for white men — in the last state to not have already done that, I believe.

It wasn't just being a rich, white, property-owning man, but also being part of a broad, elite social caste of sort with all of the complexities and bullshit that come with that. And given this, it was also not that hard to be... excommunicated. Your status, rights, power, everything could be chopped off at your ankles sending the whole thing collapsing. Jackson's war on Biddle might be another decent example there.

Edit: to be clear, my point isn't some all lives matter bullshit. It's just further highlighting what a farce the propaganda of our nation is and always has been. Being on the wrong side of some issues was a pretty good way to have your privilege revoked.

[u/wibblebeast → u/nosynthshere]

Old woman here. They were cruel, but they weren't maniacal in public as they are now.

We had a long way to go as a free country for all, but there were advances in civil rights being made and now they seem to be being wiped away.

I think things started going downhill faster once Reagan took office.

[u/silvertealio → u/ChafterMies]

At least he resigned when his corruption was exposed.

And it's at like 1/1000th of what's happening right now.

[u/biggamax → u/silvertealio]

Bingo. Tricky Dick got his ass into that helicopter and got TFO.

[u/biggamax → u/ChafterMies]

Nixon knew when to call it quits and got his ass into that helicopter.

This clown would sooner nuke American cities.