Re: [FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

Eric - excellent analysis (as usual)... I approve of the attempts to pull Trump off of the ballots, but that is not to say i think succeeding at the effort is the ideal outcome.  Even though it feeds the "politically motivated" gripe, it is a good nationwide reminder that his acts could very

Re: [FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

I don’t suppose I want to make some strident argument about his being or not being on the ballot, since there are good reasons a careful system of laws might want to allow someone to run for an office even from a prison (didn’t Lula da Silva have to do that?) But trump needs to get his ass

Re: [FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

Focus on getting the majority in Congress so he can be impeached. > On Feb 29, 2024, at 7:08 AM, glen wrote: > > This is exactly why Trump needs to stay on the ballot(s) and be defeated by > a "normal" election. Every cry of Martyr is more fuel for the much smarter > younger traitors waiting

Re: [FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

This is exactly why Trump needs to stay on the ballot(s) and be defeated by a "normal" election. Every cry of Martyr is more fuel for the much smarter younger traitors waiting in the wings. Or, if he is elected again, those of us in a position to bolster whatever Rule of Law we have left will

Re: [FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

I went looking for depressing news in 1924, you know, lying politicians and cancerous social movements: April 1 - Adolf Hitler is sentenced to 5 years in Landsberg Prison

Re: [FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

If we reframe _angry & want more power_ from a peculiar ascription to a particular populist ethic, it makes more sense. Victimhood is a common part of populist ethics. And even if/when they get power, e.g. in Trump's case, they can maintain that ethic by relying on conspiracy theories about

Re: [FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

Yeah, good point. MAGA was actually coined (?) by Ronald Reagan's campaign, I think. But the sentiments behind it (nostalgia, exceptionalism, jingoism, etc.) are age old. And they seem more nest/hive/collective oriented than individualist mandates like the Commandments. It would be less like

Re: [FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

IDK. It seems like ecDNA, in general, can be either good or bad. And mitochondrial DNA feels like a boon, overall. Maybe a better analogy would be ecDNA <-> media and MAGA to the oncogenes being promoted. I think a useful foil for stressing the analogy is the difference between a filter bubble

[FRIAM] The lies of Trump and ecDNA

The lies of Trump and his MAGA cult are a bit like extrachromosomal DNA that is apparently behind many malignant cancers. Both are normally part of selfish entities - single cell organisms or narcissistic con men -  and disrupt or distort the normal fabric of the world they live in.