“I’d like to believe the Europeans can do something useful, but a strongly worded letter isn’t going to cut it here.”
At the very least, the EU can:
- accuse all the key people in the election-stealing government of being criminals, and issue corresponding European Arrest Warrants (which won’t be acted upon as long as the criminals remain in Hungary, but it’d still be a powerful symbolic step);
- explicitly not recognise the criminals and those who act on their behalf as representing a EU member country; this would in practice mean that Hungary’s government would no longer have any voting rights at the EU level — in particular Orbán would lose the ability to hold up, or use as leverage, decisions that require unanimity;
- stop the flow of euros from the EU budget to Hungary’s government and businesses and other organisations which are close to it.
Good point. It is important to acknowledge that Europe has tools against Orban. It would seem to me that Orban has little that he can do to retaliate if they exercise the power that you point out here. And, he has a significant popular movement working against him, right? That has to matter, I would think.
Strong piece. Democracies rarely disappear in one move. They get tested at the point where an incumbent decides the rules only apply if he wins.
From there, the question is no longer procedural. It’s whether anyone inside the system still has the will to translate formal legitimacy into actual constraint.
No one wants to deal directly with the Russians as you are basically dealing with the Mob.
.
They don't play by the same rules.
.
Kazakhstan has also functioned as an awkward intermediary with the Russians and also the worlds 4th most significant nuclear power (if memory serves me).
Yes, it has been said over and over that Hitler was put into office by a legitimate ELECTION. YES that is true, however, what is never said is that Hitler won the election by A MINORITY OF THE VOTES THAT WERE CAST IN THE ELECTION. It is not just that a person must WIN an election, it is also relevant HOW that person wins. In the 1930's Germany all someone had to do to win was to get MORE VOTES THAN OTHER CANDIDATE. Hitler did get more votes than any other candidate, but he did not even get a majority of the people who decided to actually vote in that election. The majority of people in Germany who actually voted, voted AGAINST Hitler. But there was at least three other candidates running against him. THINK ABOUT THAT, in fairness to the German people HITLER was not elected by a majority of the people who voted in that election. If that does not scare you, I do not know what would scare you. So how the election is run and the rules for who wins and who loses matter greatly in ALL elections in ALL countries. Our electoral system while NOT as bad as the system in place in 1930's Germany, still allows a person to win the Presidency by a MINORITY of the people who are elegible to vote. While better than the 1930 German system, it still is dangerous. People who stay at home and do not vote MATTER. Trump won both times he was elected, he was not elected by a majority of the people eligible to vote IN BOTH ELECTIONS. Therefore, we need to look at how we elect the President of the USA and perhaps make changes to this system so it more closely reflects the will of the people.
I thought to look up, using Google Gemini, and see if somehow Hungary has less experience with slavery than the US.
Alas, historically, no. As well, the last paragraph:
"Modern Slavery: According to the Global Slavery Index, an estimated 66,000 people in Hungary were living in modern slavery (forced labor or forced marriage) as of 2021. "
Is this where the Trump administration wants to take us? Gilead? Worst case scenario: will the slavery trade be resurrected. Will "undesirables" in the US be sold to other counties for cheap slavery labor? We certainly are deporting enough, so what's to stop Trump from making an extra buck, except our votes?
That is, indeed, a very good question -- why did Orban just "accept" the election outcome. There were little to no shenannigans reported by the press. Was the victory such overwhelming that he felt that there was no point to even try, or did he suddently realise how much everybody actually hates him and pulled out a face-saving gesture of "No, I will not fight tooth and nail for something I never deserved to own. I will release it"?
is a line from the poem "Not Waving but Drowning" by Stevie Smith. In this poem, the speaker reflects on the idea of a drowning man who is still alive, symbolizing the fragility of life and the contrast between the physical and emotional states of being. The line captures a moment of stillness and softness, suggesting a sense of comfort in the face of death, which is a recurring theme in Smith's work.
.
Another "Smith".
.
Not just Winston.
I think this computer is totally smoking crack...
.
How can you sit aloft you can only softly sit in a loft - being buoyant does not make you aloft unless one is already drowning and significantly UNDER the surface of the water looking up and - Croft seems to have already limply given up and relaxes.
.
^^^ exactly in that moment...
.
Still one would lying flat not Sitting ... unless you are in the Red Sea.... (lots of salt) but then again you wouldn't be able to see through such a concertation of brine from underneath ...
.
WAITER !!!
.
Waiter (snapping fingers)...
.
This poem or Haiku or whatever you call it - is not very good...
.
~ I'm sorry sir - perhaps may I offer you... some conversation cards ... Have you ever thought...
Sidenote : The US constitution has a set of provisions that explicitly bans the adoption of ANY foreign ideologies or systems of 'law" or organizing principals of government.
.
The whole lot has to be 'Home grown".
.
So much so that to be seen as "cut and paste" of other ideological principals into the US constitution in the form of amendments ('reforms') or amped up or skewed codifications from a foreign source represents a literal act of treason.
.
That's why in principal not even Bernie could "Join" Deim 25 (become a member)- forward looking Marxist "lite" - off the peg be - stridently - NICE to everyone constitution "gang".
.
This would be construed as a treasonable act.
.
Similarly it is forbidden for foreign ministers and prime-ministers to address the Congress in a formal political speech - so the visual representations of Netanyahu addressing congress - were literal fabrications - additionally the 3d perspective of the scenes didn't actually match correctly nor three dimensionally and dynamically composite correctly. [although historically - Winston Churchill did address congress in a more informal way. ].
.
^^^ One small example.
.
So although Viktor Orbán may have made radical changes to Hungary's judicial branch and massive constitutional changes - no such thing could usefully or un-usefully happen here in the USA.
.
Obama trying to fill us all in on what its really like being POTUS and the scope of change that is really possible, went from the ,
.
"Yes We CAN !" candidate...
.
to the ...
.
[ "Uhhh well actually its a lot more difficult than you think and change is necessarily slow, but such slowness brings needed stability to certain processes that cannot be ignored overnight but only after very careful consideration one might be given to .... " ]. Blah blah blah ...
.
Banning LGBTQ + is BAD for business now and therefore the USA will not become Hungary.
.
My principal complaint is that from the Clinton Administration forwards that the "Knowing why" and the "Knowing how" and the "Ability to do" has all been separated into a fragmented and fragile and very untrustworthy global supply chain where nobody in America knows how to do anything anymore. IP is critical and doing business in mainland China has NEVER been a wanted option for me. [Not forgetting Malaisia, S. Korea and Indonesia etc. also being significant hubs of technical and manufacturing expertise including Singapore and of course the ultimate stepping stone "Taiwan" even back and forth through Japan's manufacturing base.].
.
Such a (tight) loop of the (Knowing why - the knowing how - and the ability to do) should never have been broken in the first place in place of a flawed premise that "We" in America can wield symbolic knowledge at a distance ... and Now Apple has i-phone made by slave labor in China to help bail out the state of Kentucky.
.
^^^ Which incidentally is BAD if you didn't know that already.
.
I will re-iterate EVERYTHING right now exists by the grace of CHINA <--- do not forget that.
.
That's a big fucking Domino that they can absorb, to fall, but we certainly can't - being "Soft" in the west.
I actually read ALL 230 pages and core sixty pages of the Roe vs Wade / Dobbs thing...
.
Seems very few other people actually read the supposed 'Document" and claimed transaction of the Supreme court.
.
People don't read they don't try to understand they only react much like the sheep in George Orwell's Animal farm - although the sheep were quite mendacious and malevolent in a very organized and pre-determined way.
The Americans can't be trusted with a President of a corresponding "Christian" party for sixteen years of power in mirror image to the German CDU (Christian Democratic Union) and a Chancelor.
.
So at least the US constitution had some guard rails against the intrusion of certain and various religious groups.
.
I'm still not buying the Hungary = America in Microcosm.
.
Trump has to leave or DIE or both ...
.
That's literally the only consolation that eventually these mother fuckers will eventually die - even Putin.
.
This will not create a (Paull) Hindenburg - situation (not the Airship burning down) but the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg really threw a spanner / wrench into the works.
“I’d like to believe the Europeans can do something useful, but a strongly worded letter isn’t going to cut it here.”
At the very least, the EU can:
- accuse all the key people in the election-stealing government of being criminals, and issue corresponding European Arrest Warrants (which won’t be acted upon as long as the criminals remain in Hungary, but it’d still be a powerful symbolic step);
- explicitly not recognise the criminals and those who act on their behalf as representing a EU member country; this would in practice mean that Hungary’s government would no longer have any voting rights at the EU level — in particular Orbán would lose the ability to hold up, or use as leverage, decisions that require unanimity;
- stop the flow of euros from the EU budget to Hungary’s government and businesses and other organisations which are close to it.
Good point. It is important to acknowledge that Europe has tools against Orban. It would seem to me that Orban has little that he can do to retaliate if they exercise the power that you point out here. And, he has a significant popular movement working against him, right? That has to matter, I would think.
If Orban tries to overthrow election results he does not like, the EU have to kick them out.
The EU and European Commission have to stop sending Orban money. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/12/billions-funding-wrongly-released-hungary-eu-court-adviser#:~:text=Jon%20Henley%20Europe%20correspondent,to%20Ukraine%2C%20was%20politically%20motivated.
Hungary; you have an enormous hurdle (time) to overcome . We are with you . See you on the other side 🇭🇺
Strong piece. Democracies rarely disappear in one move. They get tested at the point where an incumbent decides the rules only apply if he wins.
From there, the question is no longer procedural. It’s whether anyone inside the system still has the will to translate formal legitimacy into actual constraint.
That’s why Hungary is worth watching.
Micro America!
No one wants to deal directly with the Russians as you are basically dealing with the Mob.
.
They don't play by the same rules.
.
Kazakhstan has also functioned as an awkward intermediary with the Russians and also the worlds 4th most significant nuclear power (if memory serves me).
.
Yes, it has been said over and over that Hitler was put into office by a legitimate ELECTION. YES that is true, however, what is never said is that Hitler won the election by A MINORITY OF THE VOTES THAT WERE CAST IN THE ELECTION. It is not just that a person must WIN an election, it is also relevant HOW that person wins. In the 1930's Germany all someone had to do to win was to get MORE VOTES THAN OTHER CANDIDATE. Hitler did get more votes than any other candidate, but he did not even get a majority of the people who decided to actually vote in that election. The majority of people in Germany who actually voted, voted AGAINST Hitler. But there was at least three other candidates running against him. THINK ABOUT THAT, in fairness to the German people HITLER was not elected by a majority of the people who voted in that election. If that does not scare you, I do not know what would scare you. So how the election is run and the rules for who wins and who loses matter greatly in ALL elections in ALL countries. Our electoral system while NOT as bad as the system in place in 1930's Germany, still allows a person to win the Presidency by a MINORITY of the people who are elegible to vote. While better than the 1930 German system, it still is dangerous. People who stay at home and do not vote MATTER. Trump won both times he was elected, he was not elected by a majority of the people eligible to vote IN BOTH ELECTIONS. Therefore, we need to look at how we elect the President of the USA and perhaps make changes to this system so it more closely reflects the will of the people.
I thought to look up, using Google Gemini, and see if somehow Hungary has less experience with slavery than the US.
Alas, historically, no. As well, the last paragraph:
"Modern Slavery: According to the Global Slavery Index, an estimated 66,000 people in Hungary were living in modern slavery (forced labor or forced marriage) as of 2021. "
Is this where the Trump administration wants to take us? Gilead? Worst case scenario: will the slavery trade be resurrected. Will "undesirables" in the US be sold to other counties for cheap slavery labor? We certainly are deporting enough, so what's to stop Trump from making an extra buck, except our votes?
(Sorry for the dark outlook)
So even if Trump & his mooks attempt to rig the mid-terms, they'd still fail? Here's hoping.
That is, indeed, a very good question -- why did Orban just "accept" the election outcome. There were little to no shenannigans reported by the press. Was the victory such overwhelming that he felt that there was no point to even try, or did he suddently realise how much everybody actually hates him and pulled out a face-saving gesture of "No, I will not fight tooth and nail for something I never deserved to own. I will release it"?
And, from the other side, with 93% votes in, 138 seats for Tisza, Organ out - the kiss-of-Vance!
In the END it's ALL garbage.
.
Computer says:
.
"Aloft sits Croft,
.
he is soft"
.
.
is a line from the poem "Not Waving but Drowning" by Stevie Smith. In this poem, the speaker reflects on the idea of a drowning man who is still alive, symbolizing the fragility of life and the contrast between the physical and emotional states of being. The line captures a moment of stillness and softness, suggesting a sense of comfort in the face of death, which is a recurring theme in Smith's work.
.
Another "Smith".
.
Not just Winston.
I think this computer is totally smoking crack...
.
How can you sit aloft you can only softly sit in a loft - being buoyant does not make you aloft unless one is already drowning and significantly UNDER the surface of the water looking up and - Croft seems to have already limply given up and relaxes.
.
^^^ exactly in that moment...
.
Still one would lying flat not Sitting ... unless you are in the Red Sea.... (lots of salt) but then again you wouldn't be able to see through such a concertation of brine from underneath ...
.
WAITER !!!
.
Waiter (snapping fingers)...
.
This poem or Haiku or whatever you call it - is not very good...
.
~ I'm sorry sir - perhaps may I offer you... some conversation cards ... Have you ever thought...
.
.
Sidenote : The US constitution has a set of provisions that explicitly bans the adoption of ANY foreign ideologies or systems of 'law" or organizing principals of government.
.
The whole lot has to be 'Home grown".
.
So much so that to be seen as "cut and paste" of other ideological principals into the US constitution in the form of amendments ('reforms') or amped up or skewed codifications from a foreign source represents a literal act of treason.
.
That's why in principal not even Bernie could "Join" Deim 25 (become a member)- forward looking Marxist "lite" - off the peg be - stridently - NICE to everyone constitution "gang".
.
This would be construed as a treasonable act.
.
Similarly it is forbidden for foreign ministers and prime-ministers to address the Congress in a formal political speech - so the visual representations of Netanyahu addressing congress - were literal fabrications - additionally the 3d perspective of the scenes didn't actually match correctly nor three dimensionally and dynamically composite correctly. [although historically - Winston Churchill did address congress in a more informal way. ].
.
^^^ One small example.
.
So although Viktor Orbán may have made radical changes to Hungary's judicial branch and massive constitutional changes - no such thing could usefully or un-usefully happen here in the USA.
.
Obama trying to fill us all in on what its really like being POTUS and the scope of change that is really possible, went from the ,
.
"Yes We CAN !" candidate...
.
to the ...
.
[ "Uhhh well actually its a lot more difficult than you think and change is necessarily slow, but such slowness brings needed stability to certain processes that cannot be ignored overnight but only after very careful consideration one might be given to .... " ]. Blah blah blah ...
.
Banning LGBTQ + is BAD for business now and therefore the USA will not become Hungary.
.
My principal complaint is that from the Clinton Administration forwards that the "Knowing why" and the "Knowing how" and the "Ability to do" has all been separated into a fragmented and fragile and very untrustworthy global supply chain where nobody in America knows how to do anything anymore. IP is critical and doing business in mainland China has NEVER been a wanted option for me. [Not forgetting Malaisia, S. Korea and Indonesia etc. also being significant hubs of technical and manufacturing expertise including Singapore and of course the ultimate stepping stone "Taiwan" even back and forth through Japan's manufacturing base.].
.
Such a (tight) loop of the (Knowing why - the knowing how - and the ability to do) should never have been broken in the first place in place of a flawed premise that "We" in America can wield symbolic knowledge at a distance ... and Now Apple has i-phone made by slave labor in China to help bail out the state of Kentucky.
.
^^^ Which incidentally is BAD if you didn't know that already.
.
I will re-iterate EVERYTHING right now exists by the grace of CHINA <--- do not forget that.
.
That's a big fucking Domino that they can absorb, to fall, but we certainly can't - being "Soft" in the west.
.
.
.
I actually read ALL 230 pages and core sixty pages of the Roe vs Wade / Dobbs thing...
.
Seems very few other people actually read the supposed 'Document" and claimed transaction of the Supreme court.
.
People don't read they don't try to understand they only react much like the sheep in George Orwell's Animal farm - although the sheep were quite mendacious and malevolent in a very organized and pre-determined way.
.
I won't be reading Animal Farm.
.
Nor dissecting it.
.
I don't like it.
.
The Americans can't be trusted with a President of a corresponding "Christian" party for sixteen years of power in mirror image to the German CDU (Christian Democratic Union) and a Chancelor.
.
So at least the US constitution had some guard rails against the intrusion of certain and various religious groups.
.
I'm still not buying the Hungary = America in Microcosm.
.
Trump has to leave or DIE or both ...
.
That's literally the only consolation that eventually these mother fuckers will eventually die - even Putin.
.
This will not create a (Paull) Hindenburg - situation (not the Airship burning down) but the death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg really threw a spanner / wrench into the works.
.
Very bad "pla ...ing overall".
.
.
.