Chad Nagle's perceptive insights and astute knowledge are only exceeded by his courage and talent. Mr. Nagle deserves far better, than the chorus of crass cynicism that often permeates this comment section. I am saddened that the research community thinks all its woes began with DT. Scarcely any JFK discussion occurs now, without Trump-Derangement-Syndrome smothering any open, free conversation. And the bizarre, unhinged, frankly deranged references to the mustachioed-man are appalling. Mr. Nagle has written an excellent article exposing corruption. We would all do well, to thank him. To his vicious detractors, I would quote Mr. Welsh during the 1950's infamous assault on Americans freedoms..."Have you no sense of decency Sir?" Take just 14 seconds to familiarize yourself with an earlier malignant outbreak of sensorship.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7x8RkdG6I0
Thank you for this additional info. I thought Trump just wanted to get a badge for saving money, even if it was used to help people around the world. Foreign aid strictly for humanitarian purposes can win hearts and minds and is good marketing, but if such a cause is exploited as an instrument for covert operations and regime control, not good to say the least.
That would be a very interesting memo to redact.
And thanks for mentioning that film. I vaguely remember it.
I believe USAID’s budget (about $60 billion) is a drop in the bucket relative to the whole federal budget deficit. But that’s not really the point. The question is how USAID is expending its resources. Is it for truly benign ends, or has it gone off the deep end into the realm of evil? I think the latter, and if our premier humanitarian agency is just an appendage of the Pentagon and CIA in foreign military interventions (it is), then I think Trump is right to bring it to an end.
Additionally, the rumor that Trump kept a copy of Mein Kampf on his bedside table is not substantiated. I read years ago that he was reading a book of Hitler’s speeches, not Mein Kampf, and that for a while a copy was next to his bed. But so what? Half a dozen books are now stacked on my bedside table, because I like to read in bed. I don’t have anything of Hitler’s, but what if I did? I might have any number of reasons for reading Hitler’s work, and I don’t automatically see it as an indictment of Trump’s character.
Finally, I think comparisons between Trump and Hitler are a mortal insult to Hitler’s millions of victims, especially Jews. There is no evidence that Trump intends to scapegoat Jews for America’s problems. Quite the contrary, I think the New York real estate mogul probably sees Jews as an indelible and entertaining part of his life in business.
His complaints about undocumented aliens committing crimes may seem like scapegoating, but there is no evidence that they are race-based. That is an assumption that’s not borne out by experience. If illegal immigrants are committing violent crimes, I would just as soon deport them back where they came from. We have too many crimes committed by natural born citizens to worry about those perpetrated by illegal aliens too. But comparisons with the Third Reich are irresponsible or worse, in my opinion, and they should stop.
I think I have a copy of Mein Kampf that I bought decades ago, simply out of curiosity. Nothing wrong with learning about history (I've also personally visited Dachau Concentration Camp decades ago as a student). I'm not saying that having that book automatically makes him (or anyone) an Anti-Semite or Nazi (obviously not, Trump is very pro-Israel), but there are elements of what he is doing that appear it's from a dictator's playbook. Frankly, to me, he's closer to a Mussolini (my dad as an impressionable kid in Italy liked Benito because of the supply of school uniforms to the poor,
mandatory phys-ed, and his re-kindling of the greatness of the Roman Empire, and need to conquer North Africa, etc.) As for the illegals, it seems he paints every undocumented immigrant with the same brush - making them all out to be violent criminals. The numbers he claims sounds like an exaggeration to stoke his base.
We don't have to wait 21 years. He said he'd act like a dictator for a day, but it seems longer.
I'm sorry Bill, but when he is disrespectful to our head of state by referring to him as governor, or thinks we should annex our country with the USA, particularly with the threat of tariffs which he claims we can avoid (sounds like blackmail to me), or when he doesn't rule out the use of military force to take Greenland, or when he wants the Panama Canal, he certainly sounds like a wannabe dictator.
Mussolini stoked his base with the nostalgia of the conquests by the Roman Empire to justify his expansion into Northern Africa, sort of like a "Make Italy Great Again".
There are other things Trump has done or said that suggests an authoritarian state is at hand.
I believe the US ranks 29th in the world on providing actual humanitarian aid...food, medicine, etc. per capita. Pretty pathetic. In 2023, the U.S. gave $189.59 per person while Norway gave $1,161.39 per person. The Oligarch Mouthpieces at CNN and MSNBC and Fox will tell you how generous we are. Were it only true.
So, will we have a new agency that actually does good in the world, or are we too much of a bad actor country to be trusted to do anything other than support Russian imperialism? I think if USAID was just a front for intelligence work, still that front of doing humanitarian work did give the US soft power in those countries. Now that we have taken the relied upon aid out without warning we will lose soft power in those countries. I wonder if it intentionally paved the way for Russia to take more resources and power in the Sahel and other areas in Western Africa.
Loved the conversations and this is a great piece, which I will re-read for a deeper understanding. Eager for the coming reveals on JFK/MLK/RFK and future discussions and mutual interest in decentralized government and radical transparency in this “post truth” era.
I’m just waiting for your piece on why it’s good that Trump has abolished the Democratic Party because they supported the lone gunman theory. I think your view of history begins on November 22, 1963. If you can’t see the larger picture of our democracy being gutted from within by Trump’s step by step following of Hitler’s playbook you are blind. And a danger to democracy. You are dealing with the devil and will join Angleton in hell.
I don’t know if her but the parallels are incredible. And along the way so many collaborators thought they could get what they wanted from Hitler and that would be it. They were consumed by the Reich.
A wonderful article Chad. Congratulations yet again. Time for your articles to go in a book.
I would buy that book.
I would buy several and gift them to friends.
"Champagne socialist."
Very good.
Chad Nagle's perceptive insights and astute knowledge are only exceeded by his courage and talent. Mr. Nagle deserves far better, than the chorus of crass cynicism that often permeates this comment section. I am saddened that the research community thinks all its woes began with DT. Scarcely any JFK discussion occurs now, without Trump-Derangement-Syndrome smothering any open, free conversation. And the bizarre, unhinged, frankly deranged references to the mustachioed-man are appalling. Mr. Nagle has written an excellent article exposing corruption. We would all do well, to thank him. To his vicious detractors, I would quote Mr. Welsh during the 1950's infamous assault on Americans freedoms..."Have you no sense of decency Sir?" Take just 14 seconds to familiarize yourself with an earlier malignant outbreak of sensorship.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7x8RkdG6I0
Thanks for the kind words, Bill.
Thank you for this additional info. I thought Trump just wanted to get a badge for saving money, even if it was used to help people around the world. Foreign aid strictly for humanitarian purposes can win hearts and minds and is good marketing, but if such a cause is exploited as an instrument for covert operations and regime control, not good to say the least.
That would be a very interesting memo to redact.
And thanks for mentioning that film. I vaguely remember it.
Thanks, Gerry.
I believe USAID’s budget (about $60 billion) is a drop in the bucket relative to the whole federal budget deficit. But that’s not really the point. The question is how USAID is expending its resources. Is it for truly benign ends, or has it gone off the deep end into the realm of evil? I think the latter, and if our premier humanitarian agency is just an appendage of the Pentagon and CIA in foreign military interventions (it is), then I think Trump is right to bring it to an end.
Additionally, the rumor that Trump kept a copy of Mein Kampf on his bedside table is not substantiated. I read years ago that he was reading a book of Hitler’s speeches, not Mein Kampf, and that for a while a copy was next to his bed. But so what? Half a dozen books are now stacked on my bedside table, because I like to read in bed. I don’t have anything of Hitler’s, but what if I did? I might have any number of reasons for reading Hitler’s work, and I don’t automatically see it as an indictment of Trump’s character.
Finally, I think comparisons between Trump and Hitler are a mortal insult to Hitler’s millions of victims, especially Jews. There is no evidence that Trump intends to scapegoat Jews for America’s problems. Quite the contrary, I think the New York real estate mogul probably sees Jews as an indelible and entertaining part of his life in business.
His complaints about undocumented aliens committing crimes may seem like scapegoating, but there is no evidence that they are race-based. That is an assumption that’s not borne out by experience. If illegal immigrants are committing violent crimes, I would just as soon deport them back where they came from. We have too many crimes committed by natural born citizens to worry about those perpetrated by illegal aliens too. But comparisons with the Third Reich are irresponsible or worse, in my opinion, and they should stop.
I think I have a copy of Mein Kampf that I bought decades ago, simply out of curiosity. Nothing wrong with learning about history (I've also personally visited Dachau Concentration Camp decades ago as a student). I'm not saying that having that book automatically makes him (or anyone) an Anti-Semite or Nazi (obviously not, Trump is very pro-Israel), but there are elements of what he is doing that appear it's from a dictator's playbook. Frankly, to me, he's closer to a Mussolini (my dad as an impressionable kid in Italy liked Benito because of the supply of school uniforms to the poor,
mandatory phys-ed, and his re-kindling of the greatness of the Roman Empire, and need to conquer North Africa, etc.) As for the illegals, it seems he paints every undocumented immigrant with the same brush - making them all out to be violent criminals. The numbers he claims sounds like an exaggeration to stoke his base.
We don't have to wait 21 years. He said he'd act like a dictator for a day, but it seems longer.
I'm sorry Bill, but when he is disrespectful to our head of state by referring to him as governor, or thinks we should annex our country with the USA, particularly with the threat of tariffs which he claims we can avoid (sounds like blackmail to me), or when he doesn't rule out the use of military force to take Greenland, or when he wants the Panama Canal, he certainly sounds like a wannabe dictator.
Mussolini stoked his base with the nostalgia of the conquests by the Roman Empire to justify his expansion into Northern Africa, sort of like a "Make Italy Great Again".
There are other things Trump has done or said that suggests an authoritarian state is at hand.
Point taken, but what about the real humanitarian aid?
I believe the US ranks 29th in the world on providing actual humanitarian aid...food, medicine, etc. per capita. Pretty pathetic. In 2023, the U.S. gave $189.59 per person while Norway gave $1,161.39 per person. The Oligarch Mouthpieces at CNN and MSNBC and Fox will tell you how generous we are. Were it only true.
So, will we have a new agency that actually does good in the world, or are we too much of a bad actor country to be trusted to do anything other than support Russian imperialism? I think if USAID was just a front for intelligence work, still that front of doing humanitarian work did give the US soft power in those countries. Now that we have taken the relied upon aid out without warning we will lose soft power in those countries. I wonder if it intentionally paved the way for Russia to take more resources and power in the Sahel and other areas in Western Africa.
Loved the conversations and this is a great piece, which I will re-read for a deeper understanding. Eager for the coming reveals on JFK/MLK/RFK and future discussions and mutual interest in decentralized government and radical transparency in this “post truth” era.
💥💥USAID FUNDED IRISH DEI MUSICAL FOOTAGE💥💥
For some, albeit slight, light relief, here is footage from the USAID funded Irish DEI Musical:
https://open.substack.com/pub/twentyx/p/usaid-funded-irish-dei-musical-footage
I’m just waiting for your piece on why it’s good that Trump has abolished the Democratic Party because they supported the lone gunman theory. I think your view of history begins on November 22, 1963. If you can’t see the larger picture of our democracy being gutted from within by Trump’s step by step following of Hitler’s playbook you are blind. And a danger to democracy. You are dealing with the devil and will join Angleton in hell.
Robert, didn't Trump's ex-wife Ivana write in her book that Donald used to keep a copy of Mein Kampf by his bedside?
I don’t know if her but the parallels are incredible. And along the way so many collaborators thought they could get what they wanted from Hitler and that would be it. They were consumed by the Reich.
Like a cult. (Yes, I believe it was her if I recall from a post I saw on X or elsewhere)