"My name is Bond. Cant-Afford Bond."
@selzero I'm extremely successful, they all hate me for my success and try to bring me to my knees. I'm the richest man, the absolute richest. everyone says that. I could afford to pay, but I choose not to, because I'm so immensely rich and successful
@selzero It's not easy to feel sorry for someone as wealthy as the Queen but sometimes you just can't help it.

@Jawaka
Her expression says "Who let this riff-raff into the room?"

@selzero

@violet @Jawaka

Our royalty think that of all "Colonials" to be fair. And most of us unfortunately.

@selzero
Unfortunately, that "royal" attitude extends well beyond old-world bloodlines.

@Jawaka

@violet @selzero @Jawaka Truth. Being autistic, raised to be plain-spoken, and having a Texas drawl, I see it regularly, and I've never been overseas.
@selzero @violet I’m no royalist but they do have their uses. William visited us after a major natural disaster some years ago and it really cheered up a lot of miserable people.

@Jawaka @violet

He can do that while.living in a flat and driving a Honda like everyone else.

@violet @selzero If it was someone living in a flat and driving a Honda he wouldn’t have been there.

This area is largely stocked with Catholics of Irish and Italian heritage but they drooling all over the presumptive head of the Church of England like he was a global pop star.

@Jawaka @violet

He could still be the head of the church of England and all those titles without taking millions in taxes to live a bizarre life of decadence.

Those tax £s could go to feed the poor and heat homes for the elderly.

Wouldn't that *improve* their standing in religion??

Why is taking from the poor to live a life 100x more luxurious than anyone would ever need considered pious?

@selzero @Jawaka @violet Well I don't think it is. These people use religion to control the so-called masses. They don't believe any of it. Not sure of the exact words but; "The people think religion is true, the wise think it's false, and the rulers think it's useful".

@selzero @Jawaka @violet He's a billionaire with essentially a work from home gig + travel and he's *not* in sweats and a T-shirt 99% of the time?

The perks of royalty don't necessarily come with high costs, just very weird costs.

@violet @selzero While I agree in theory, the problem is that almost every society uses a system with tiers of privilege.

You have the wealthy ruling class at the top, often historically based on a belief system such as religion and/or capitalism.

Then you have the management tier who do the bidding of the rulers and pass on their demands to the lower class.

The lower class obey their orders and do the dirty work of the ruling class.

Next —>

@violet @selzero We tried a republic in England centuries ago. The king was dethroned and beheaded. A proper parliament replaced the old one.

Guess what happened next? The republic failed and a new king was installed by public demand. The people didn’t like the terms and conditions of the republic.

You may not like it but it’s democracy in action. The will of the people prevailed.

If public opinion changes again the monarchy can be binned. Democracy will always win.

@Jawaka @violet

Nothing that you state is desirable.

We have to change this shit.

@violet @selzero Good luck with that. You’re up against human nature, a mighty force.

@Jawaka @violet

No. We really are not. Many countries don't have royalty. The citizens there are also human.

@selzero @violet Many countries don’t have royalty but they do still have the three tier class system: The powerful, their middle class lackeys and the lower class that does all the work. Show me some that don’t.

@Jawaka @violet

Now you are talking about the capitalist system that has risen up from feudalism based on taking the work of others and turning it into profits for the few, under the guise of "market led decision making"

We can debate how valid this is and how it can be changed, but it is a different debate that outright giving taxes to a monarchy to the point that they are hiring people to dress them.

@selzero
Who knew that earning a reputation as someone who doesn't pay his debts would make it impossible for #TheOrangeMenace to find anyone willing to put up the half-BILLION dollar bond to protect his ass-ets? https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/panicking-trump-coming-up-short-for-civil-fraud-penalty-no-friends-stepping-up-as-deadline-nears-206893125542
Panicking Trump coming up short for civil fraud penalty; no friends stepping up as deadline nears

Court filings show an acutely desperate Donald Trump unable to secure a bond for the nearly half billion dollar civil fraud penalty that is part of the judgment against him in New York. Susanne Craig, investigative reporter for the New York Times, talks with Rachel Maddow about what could come next as Trump runs out of options.

MSNBC

@selzero @selzero
This has me wondering...

As we all know, just days after leaving office, #DarthTraitor's Jewish son-in-law Jared signed some mystery deal with the #Saudi's who then gave him TWO BILLION DOLLARS.

Now, #TheOrangeMenace is in need of a half-Billion and seeking money from banks (who are refusing to lend to someone who is such a known bad risk.)

Is T****'s sudden wave of Antisemitic talk in reaction to Kusher saying "No" to his FIL for a half Bil loan? 🤔

@MugsysRapSheet pretty sure they would want to save him just before the election 🤔
@selzero @MugsysRapSheet What if JK ends up being the guy Trump is beholden to, instead of Putin? The puppet master running the presidency...
@hosford42 @selzero @MugsysRapSheet for half a second I thought you meant the magic school author, which would initially seem like an even more hilarious scenario until it turned out to be even worse for trans people.
@MugsysRapSheet @selzero Does he really think he has any friends? Fellow grifters and sycophants don't count.
@StumpyTheMutt @selzero
As #RachelMaddow brought up Monday night, there is long line of wealthy #Industrialists and foreign #dictators who would *happily* shell out a half-bil (pocket change) to own a #Potus deep in debt to them.

@MugsysRapSheet @selzero
“Don’t pay the Reaper”

Man the cow bells.

@selzero The Would-be Emperor has no clothes
@selzero when will we ever be rid of that embarrassing wart?
@johnlogic @selzero I keep hoping he'll stroke out or something. I'm not one to wish harm on anybody, even awful people, but the harm he will do to the US and the world if this continues is enough to tip the scales.

@hosford42 @selzero

If Trump were to die suddenly, who would Putin replace him with?

@selzero One of these people lied to avoid being drafted.

The other served in the military but didn’t have to.

https://youtu.be/GOhYrBQFSTQ?si=O_i2Bfyg1V8_PWmj

@selzero

One of these two served in their nation's military.

(Hint: It's not the dumb fat one.)

@selzero

Are we sure that photo wasn't "Photoshopped"? I thought the former President was a little heavier than that photo shows.

@selzero
Alternate caption:
“Fat tick in need of disgorgement”

@selzero

👏 👏 👏 🤣 🤣 🤣

all timelines are possible, and while Donald Trump becoming the next James Bond, instead of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, is a vanishingly small portion of the potential timelines, that we get to live that timeline is, unfortunately, due to our luck so far, our fate

@selzero Good god who is that "looking like a just got freaky with a bag of cheetos" tailor. I need a PHD in Physics to calculate the load (literally and figuratively that vest is holding back
@selzero she looks like he just grabbed her …
@selzero two people who made their fortunes by exploiting others
@selzero
Very telling photograph, well spotted. He looks like he thinks he's about 100 pounds lighter, muscular and wearing armor and she looks like she really, really wants a very hot shower, preferably one that would remove all the skin on her left side and, believe me, I find it difficult to empathize, not being a fan of either.
@selzero He's trying so hard to look regal and all he looks is constipated.
@selzero
Putin will let you stroke his pussy, for contributions over $50.