toad.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
Mastodon server operated by David Troy, a tech pioneer and investigative journalist addressing threats to democracy. Thoughtful participation and discussion welcome.

Administered by:

Server stats:

279
active users

#dictator

14 posts13 participants1 post today

He is the strongman who inspired #Trump – but is Viktor #Orbán losing his grip on power?

Opposition activists and journalists explain why the Orbánisation of the #US may fail and how a former ally could end the Hungarian PM’s 15-year reign

theguardian.com/news/ng-intera

The Guardian · He is the strongman who inspired Trump – but is Viktor Orbán losing his grip on power?By Ashifa Kassam

Today in Labor History June 1, 1981: Two Filipino longshore labor organizers, Domingo & Viernes, were assassinated in Seattle, Washington on orders of U.S.-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos. In 1986, as a result of ongoing protests, President Ronald Reagan told Marcos to “cut and cut cleanly.” That evening, Marcos and his wife Imelda fled to Hawaii aboard a U.S. air force plane, after 20 years of rule, with an entourage of 90 people (mostly servants), with 22 crates of cash valued at $717 million, 300 crates of jewelry of unknown value, $4 million worth of unset precious gems, $200,000 in gold bullion, $1 million in Philippine pesos and deposit slips for $124 million in banks in the Cayman Islands. Plus, countless crates of shoes. The Marcos hold the Guinness record for the largest ever theft from a government. Today, their son, Bong Bong Marcos, rules over the Philippines, with Sara Duterte as his vice-president, daughter of the brutal previous president, Rodrigo Duterte, who has been linked to the death-squad murders of over 1,400 alleged drug dealers and street children.

Wannabe #dictator #tRump fears the same thing the reality of his unpopularity.

Vladimir Kara-Murza: A court case reveals Putin’s profound fear: The Russian president’s supposed popularity is a myth. He is terrified of real electoral competition.

"First and foremost, it is public protests against the war in Ukraine, the most common reason for political imprisonment in Russia over the past three years."

#putin #russia #RussiaUkraineWar #autocracy
archive.ph/G0qQ8#selection-411

#MemorialDay2025 I happily spent six hours driving from one National Cemetary after another to visit and pay respect to my wife, my brother and my sister who are all remembered with flowers and tears.

Memorial Day is for families.

However, many who say they respect the military will laugh at #Trump attacking their fellow citizens and calling the wannabe #dictator the “greatest president in history”. Literally ignoring Lincoln, Kennedy, FDR, Jefferson, Adams and … George Washington.

The Army ests🚨the cost at $25-$45M. But it could be higher bc the Army has promised to fix any city streets that the parade damages +cost of cleanup & police are not yet part of the est. While $45M is a tiny fraction of Trump’s proposed Pentagon budget of $1.01T for fiscal year 2026, it comes as the admin🚨seeks to slash funding for education, health & public assistance.

This “raises the Q, ‘Is the US MIL celebrating ?'"

nytimes.com/2025/05/27/us/poli

The last big military parade held in the capital was to celebrate the conclusion of the Gulf War in 1991.
The New York Times · Trump Is Getting the Military Parade He Wanted in His First TermBy Helene Cooper
Replied in thread

#WarInUkraine #PsyOps
#Opinion

(5/n)

...👉who could he be so stupid to unnecessarily risk presidential #Dictator's life in a difficult-to-defend simple helicopter 🚁 in a war zone?
A "flying duck," in the age of the #DroneWars 4), so to speak.

And even if the pilot or others are responsible, why have they not been relieved of their command and arrested, possibly even executed?!?

...

4)
kyivindependent.com/ultimate-g

@KyivIndependent @latest-news-KyivIndependent

The Kyiv Independent · Ultimate guide on how drones changed warfare in UkraineBy Francis Farrell