Monitoring Biden and other Contemporary Events

Yeah, that might be the case...but "fascist", "totalitarian", and "regimes" normally refer to the sorts of established governments which wouldn't need to establish "alternative providers of governance" as they would already have achieved, and would be expected to enforce, a monopoly on civil power. I was thinking more of community organizations, systems of barter, local constabularies and militias, homegrown networks for the distribution of resources, activities and associations stepping up to replace functions of an ineffective state. Big sprawling democracies like ours will be severely challenged. The current divide between those who trust and obey public health experts and those who refuse to recognize anything but individual rights — in the midst of a pandemic — make me wonder if many countries might come to accept something like the Chinese model in the face of impending anarchy and collapse.

I got a new drug prescribed for pain the other day; and as usual, I went to WebMD to read up on it. For the 1st time ever, I found literature from a respected pharma provider list marijuana products as an alternative pain reliever!

I find this to be the opening of doors of an "alternate provider(s) of governance"!

I remember in my youth, we use to predict that if world leaders would just opine over a few "bowls" of the really good stuff, there would never be war anymore! Another example of "alternate provider(s) of governance"?

Rather than use the terms I used, I ought to have said "increasingly authoritarian", mild to more severe. Trump's successes or that of others like Bolsonaro and an apparent increasing popularity of such figures elsewhere is, I'm guessing, a harbinger of what will become quite tempting in the future. But your reading might be what the intel people were pointing towards. Surely such options and networks will be taken up at the local level. Though as you suggest, they will include a range of ideologies, often in opposition (oath keepers and food cooperatives). My concerns sit with how the reigning power structures will act in the face of such disorder. What will things look like in the US given, say, a Tucker Carlson or a second Trump presidency?

Ted Nugent, who'd previously claimed covid was "not a real pandemic" has come down with the virus. He says...

The chances this experience will make him smarter are low but I suppose there might be a small chance it could happen.

It’s not like it could make him any stupider.

Idriss Déby, the man who has been president of Chad since 1990 has died following clashes with rebels in the north of the country.

Oh Gosh, no please. Maybe something better will come along for Trump, some great deal where he will lose interest in politics. I hope and pray so.

Yeah some great deal - like 10million$ fine or ten years in federal lockup.

True.

It would seem unlikely but as the GOP has decided their only chances to retake power lie in corruption, nativism, propaganda and voter suppression it is possible. And even if it is not Trump up front, whoever follows him will operate in very similar ways. The GOP is no longer a rational agent. It is now broadly devoid of any ethical or moral sensibility.

Chauvin found guilty of murder on all counts. Thank god.

This is true Walter, then again, it is true of every major decision made by committee - As the World Turns; no, make that - As the Universe Turns!!!

I hate to give credit to Trump, ugh leaves a bad taste in my mouth, however, he was uniquely able to garner headlines and followers who were extremely loyal to him alone, which in turn kind of held hostage some of the GOP who might otherwise have ditched him long ago. Proof of that is when 1-6-21 first happened, a lot of those same folks like McConnell came out against him, denouncing him. Well, that didn't last long.

Not that McConnell was above using Trump himself, he isn't. Also even without Trump, most of todays GOP have turned into exactly how you described. So, you are right any of today's republican will be such as the ones who support things like voter suppression, taking away Medicare, social security and other needed social programs, putting religious dominance (so to speak) into our government, things like that. Plus they have shown themselves to be completely without any morals or compassion or empathy for any other people other than people who are just like them.

I'm sure one or another won't be allowed to play in the outside sandbox during the pandemic.
I don't begrudge them the small pleasure of down thumbing.

I enjoyed the thumbs down feature on threads so I could compress the threads I wasn't interested in reading. Just not into puzzles for example and thumbing them down cleaned up my reading dramatically.