And so, we must speak loudly against allowing cabinet appointment by recess. I put together a list of resources here. We all need to call our legislators to say NO RECESS APPOINTMENTS! It's their minimum duty to vet and approve/disapprove the nominees who will shape our daily interactions with our government. Resouces here
Do read VP Henry Wallace’s essay on Fascism from 1944
“Afascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or
nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends. The
supreme god of a fascist, to which his ends are directed, may be money or power; may be
a race or a class; may be a military, clique or an economic group; or may be a culture,
We definitely need this as we head into the final stretch to January 20th. Thank you for bringing it back. Ruth’s work is, just like everyone’s at The Big Picture, invaluable.
I’m saving it for January 2nd though because I promised myself no news related to trump (and everything connected to him) for New Year’s Eve & Day. Right now I am immersed in reading wonderful articles from Brian Klaas on his Substack “The Garden of Forking Paths”. His year end list of his favorite articles has me busy going down fun rabbit holes while a rainstorm replenishes the thirty ground. A perfect day for reading fun and intriguing topics.
I wish everyone at The Big Picture safe & fun New Year’s holidays.
Ruth tells it well, what we all need to keep hearing. It starts to become unbearable if we don’t listen and speak up. Here in the happy sovereign country north of you we are feeling Trump’s bullying and it just doesn’t go down well. We’ll be fighting his would-be dictatorship every step of the way. Normalizing his bizarre behaviour and lies is maddening.
It's terrible that much of the world will feel the effects resulting from the U.S. electoral system (and a shocking percentage of the electorate). It's important to keep in mind that there are a LOT of people in this country who did not vote for this and are horrified. We must not hand over our agency. We must all stick together. In the U.S. and people in the rest of the world who see this for what it is.
Thank you for whatever actions you take to protect your own country.
I have numerous cousins in the United States and I know 2 of them quite well enough that they are very Blue and fed-up. One is applying for her Canadian citizenship.
She is absolutely correct; Trumpism *is* fascism. Anyone who has studied the rise of Nazism in Germany and Mussolini's rise in Italy can clearly see this here and now. BTW, at least one of Trump's wives said that he kept a copy of Mein Kampf at his bedside.
Except A James Gregor, who studied Fascism closely for fifty years and taught Political Science at UC Berkeley for forty years.
He wrote: "He is not a statist." "Perhaps the most outrageous charge against Trump’s populism is that it is “fascist.”"
"His nationalism is neither aggressive nor expansionist......Unlike other nationalisms, that of Trump’s United States has no specific racial reference; it has no irredentist claims on the territory of others, nor does it seek to secure external “vital spaces” to supply it resources."
well, what about Trump saying that he wants the Panama Canal back, and about buying Greenland??? Maybe that is simply Trump's cognitive decline speaking, but Musk and others are egging him on in that. Trump also mentioned attacking Mexico.
True about Panama Canal maybe, I don't know the details of ownership of the canal. Buying Greenland wouldn't be an act of aggression. When did he say anything about attacking Mexico?
It was a while ago and may have been a one-off. He was complaining about drugs and immigrants coming into this country. Of course, it could have been Musk or one of Trump's handlers that came out with that.
A good review of a distinguished professor who’s pretty much nailed T…p as a fascist. While not an “expert” in fascism I’ve been responding to the news and SubStack writers with that particular analysis: He’s a fascist. He doesn’t really know this himself, but his bullying behavior over the years demonstrates this perfectly. His speech, his cohorts, fear he stokes in his “fellow” Republicans to the point that they literally melt at his threats. It is scary. It’s petrifying. And there are no more protections against this type of behavior. The checks and balances between the different parts of our government will have been rendered asunder. My problem with all of this is the sheer ignorance of those who voted for him as well as those who cheer him on for his promises of retribution, of counteracting the convictions of those who participated in the January 6th insurrection, the setting aside of legal action for his reckless abandonment of any pretense of obeying any law, anywhere. Who are these people? Did they actually go to school and learn what happened in Germany and Italy in WWII? “Oh, duh, I missed that in my history class, I guess” doesn’t cut it. PEOPLE: He’s a dyed in the wool fascist cut from the same cloth as Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. He will eventually take away all our rights. He’ll appeal to “his” Supreme Court to bypass the limit on term limits for Presidents and convince that body of T…p appointees that “only he can fix what’s wrong”. We’ve got to put up with this foolishness for four years. But in the meantime it should become apparent to even the dumbest MAGA supporter that he’s plain wrong for the job and we need to reverse course from this idiocy.
I guess everyone forgets that trump is 78 years old and most definitely has dementia and is unhealthy looking. A couple of times when he was here in Pennsylvania, he said thank you North Carolina. Kennedy has health issues of his own and sounds terrible and I doubt he will be around in office for eight years. Trump already said that he cannot do anything about lowering grocery prices for Americans.
People who are deluded believe their delusions. While WE can see through them, to their basis in supremacy, misogyny, and simple greed, they cannot. They adhere to ‘Christian principles’, ‘family values’, ‘dark state’ fears and conspiracies, and various foundational beliefs, unable to see their own contradictions and sacreligiosity. That’s the nature of delusion. Delusions have to be believed, all evidence to the contrary. They have to be defended because they cannot be questioned or doubted. Their leaders are, by definition, faultless and infallible. Even the slightest doubt is intolerable. Any flaw has to be denied; any confrontation with reality has to be skirted, denied, rationalized, ignored. They congregate with other delusionals like themselves and get violent when threatened by upheaval and challenge. How can they not SEE? That’s how delusions work.
Off track a bit, but why do you think the 14th amendment case was not pursued? This has worried and perplexed many as it appears a slam dunk. Yet I recall the crap when the states tried to get him off the ballot.
Although this article mentions a whole variety of topics, I couldn’t help but notice the point of importance.
As per a report from WAPO: “When one senator, a member of leadership, said he was leaning toward voting to convict (tRump), the others urged him to reconsider. You can’t do that, Romney recalled someone saying. Think of your personal safety, said another. Think of your children. The senator eventually decided they were right.”
Former Sen. Mitt Romney recalled, senators were afraid to vote to convict Trump during his second impeachment out of fear for their safety. To this, I say the senators are a bunch of ‘Spineless fucking pussies!!’
I might be wrong but I think the same thing can be said for the FBI. With them not doing any background checks on ALL of tRump’s picks for top jobs in government, they’re all pussies too!!
IMHO, It won’t be long before America realizes the mistake they made by putting that overgrown, diaper filling, fart machine back in the White House. By that time, it’ll be too fucking late.
Dear God, can you imagine what the Jan. 6th insurrection would have been like had it been a person of color that had been elected over Dictator in Chief? I live in an area where the vile undertones of racism survive and flourish behind the closed doors of the close minded. Growing up in the 60's & 70's I never dreamed of the commandeered U-turn our society would take. We've got to collectively grab the wheel and steer our country back onto the progressive highway. That swamp water from the ditch we're heading for is over the tires already.
When are you people going to follow a democratic process and support a legally elected president and the team voted into power instead of being subversive and non-productive and non-democratic.
Ok… my position is that again we have used a biased expert to define a problem… Its about the same as the hoax of climate change pushed by the self-serving UN and its puppet the IPCC and the so called expert over reaction and mis-appropriated approach to COVID.
Trump and his position does not check all the boxes on Fascism … it checks some.. and some are already part of our normal approach to government with or without Trump.
Yes he will lead to the right of center and it will be “follow or get out of the way” for the national good.
He is better described as a “neo-nationalist” And quite frankly with the mistakes we made in the west about globalism, multilateralism and multiculturalism we do need a reset.
So far the good news about Trump is that he has always done what he said he would do… He does like to wheel and deal and likes to push the boundaries of a negotiation and that is why he drives the linear thinking press so crazy.
When I read through his policy plans I don’t see anything I disagree with… about the only baggage he has to contend with is the stupid republican position on the right to abortion.. Other than that its all good and just what we need to reset on those things mentioned above, and get our prosperity back.
Look..He will definitely be breaking eggs to make the omelet as far as the existing moribund institutions are concerned…… and so please get used to it.
I am actually living in Canada and still welcome “the Trump effect” to sort out the total mess we are in even if its going to upset many here.
Last thought…. If you are happy with where things are at now and don’t want change then you need to talk more to your fellow citizens.. as you are not in touch with reality.
Right. I know those of you on the far right have a hatred for expertise, as *their* knowledge makes *your* views look like the unintelligent and ignorant drivel that it is, so we shouldn’t be surprised that in response to one of the world’s leading authorities on fascism, you find it “silly”.
Maybe if you could string together a few more than 15 words and help us understand what *your* learned opinion on the roots of fascism are, it might be an interesting start for a conversation. As it is, you’re simply reinforcing the Dunning Kruger Effect.
When are you people going to follow a democratic process and support a legally elected president and the team voted into power instead of being subversive and non-productive and non-democratic.
Ok… my position is that again we have used a biased expert to define a problem… Its about the same as the hoax of climate change pushed by the self-serving UN and its puppet the IPCC and the so called expert over reaction and mis-appropriated approach to COVID.
Trump and his position does not check all the boxes on Fascism … it checks some.. and some are already part of our normal approach to government with or without Trump.
Yes he will lead to the right of center and it will be “follow or get out of the way” for the national good.
He is better described as a “neo-nationalist” And quite frankly with the mistakes we made in the west about globalism, multilateralism and multiculturalism we do need a reset.
So far the good news about Trump is that he has always done what he said he would do… He does like to wheel and deal and likes to push the boundaries of a negotiation and that is why he drives the linear thinking press so crazy.
When I read through his policy plans I don’t see anything I disagree with… about the only baggage he has to contend with is the stupid republican position on the right to abortion.. Other than that its all good and just what we need to reset on those things mentioned above, and get our prosperity back.
Look..He will definitely be breaking eggs to make the omelet as far as the existing moribund institutions are concerned…… and so please get used to it.
I am actually living in Canada and still welcome “the Trump effect” to sort out the total mess we are in even if its going to upset many here.
Last thought…. If you are happy with where things are at now and don’t want change then you need to talk more to your fellow citizens.. as you are not in touch with reality.
“So silly”? This is such serious stuff that when the hatchet starts dropping you might be the person whose neck is the target. I don’t think your partisan take on this holds any water whatsoever.
When are you people going to follow a democratic process and support a legally elected president and the team voted into power instead of being subversive and non-productive and non-democratic.
Ok… my position is that again we have used a biased expert to define a problem… Its about the same as the hoax of climate change pushed by the self-serving UN and its puppet the IPCC and the so called expert over reaction and mis-appropriated approach to COVID.
Trump and his position does not check all the boxes on Fascism … it checks some.. and some are already part of our normal approach to government with or without Trump.
Yes he will lead to the right of center and it will be “follow or get out of the way” for the national good.
He is better described as a “neo-nationalist” And quite frankly with the mistakes we made in the west about globalism, multilateralism and multiculturalism we do need a reset.
So far the good news about Trump is that he has always done what he said he would do… He does like to wheel and deal and likes to push the boundaries of a negotiation and that is why he drives the linear thinking press so crazy.
When I read through his policy plans I don’t see anything I disagree with… about the only baggage he has to contend with is the stupid republican position on the right to abortion.. Other than that its all good and just what we need to reset on those things mentioned above, and get our prosperity back.
Look..He will definitely be breaking eggs to make the omelet as far as the existing moribund institutions are concerned…… and so please get used to it.
I am actually living in Canada and still welcome “the Trump effect” to sort out the total mess we are in even if its going to upset many here.
Last thought…. If you are happy with where things are at now and don’t want change then you need to talk more to your fellow citizens.. as you are not in touch with reality.
Maybe consider not repeating your same comments 3 times to 3 separate posters with 3 separate comments? Frankly, it just further highlights your ignorance.
Oh, and given that you’re not an American, maybe stay out of our conversation? Just sayin’…
And so, we must speak loudly against allowing cabinet appointment by recess. I put together a list of resources here. We all need to call our legislators to say NO RECESS APPOINTMENTS! It's their minimum duty to vet and approve/disapprove the nominees who will shape our daily interactions with our government. Resouces here
https://bit.ly/StopRecessAppts
Do read VP Henry Wallace’s essay on Fascism from 1944
“Afascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or
nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends. The
supreme god of a fascist, to which his ends are directed, may be money or power; may be
a race or a class; may be a military, clique or an economic group; or may be a culture,
religion, or a political party.”
https://www.cbsd.org/cms/lib/PA01916442/Centricity/Domain/1864/Henry%20Wallace_The%20Danger%20of%20American%20Fascism.pdf
We definitely need this as we head into the final stretch to January 20th. Thank you for bringing it back. Ruth’s work is, just like everyone’s at The Big Picture, invaluable.
I’m saving it for January 2nd though because I promised myself no news related to trump (and everything connected to him) for New Year’s Eve & Day. Right now I am immersed in reading wonderful articles from Brian Klaas on his Substack “The Garden of Forking Paths”. His year end list of his favorite articles has me busy going down fun rabbit holes while a rainstorm replenishes the thirty ground. A perfect day for reading fun and intriguing topics.
I wish everyone at The Big Picture safe & fun New Year’s holidays.
Ruth tells it well, what we all need to keep hearing. It starts to become unbearable if we don’t listen and speak up. Here in the happy sovereign country north of you we are feeling Trump’s bullying and it just doesn’t go down well. We’ll be fighting his would-be dictatorship every step of the way. Normalizing his bizarre behaviour and lies is maddening.
It's terrible that much of the world will feel the effects resulting from the U.S. electoral system (and a shocking percentage of the electorate). It's important to keep in mind that there are a LOT of people in this country who did not vote for this and are horrified. We must not hand over our agency. We must all stick together. In the U.S. and people in the rest of the world who see this for what it is.
Thank you for whatever actions you take to protect your own country.
I have numerous cousins in the United States and I know 2 of them quite well enough that they are very Blue and fed-up. One is applying for her Canadian citizenship.
I finished "Strongmen" last week. Fantastic in depth study of the last 100 years of Fascists and Authoritarians.
Fantastic book. Finished it earlier this year.
She is absolutely correct; Trumpism *is* fascism. Anyone who has studied the rise of Nazism in Germany and Mussolini's rise in Italy can clearly see this here and now. BTW, at least one of Trump's wives said that he kept a copy of Mein Kampf at his bedside.
Also consider Pol Pot and Mao Zedong.
Except A James Gregor, who studied Fascism closely for fifty years and taught Political Science at UC Berkeley for forty years.
He wrote: "He is not a statist." "Perhaps the most outrageous charge against Trump’s populism is that it is “fascist.”"
"His nationalism is neither aggressive nor expansionist......Unlike other nationalisms, that of Trump’s United States has no specific racial reference; it has no irredentist claims on the territory of others, nor does it seek to secure external “vital spaces” to supply it resources."
well, what about Trump saying that he wants the Panama Canal back, and about buying Greenland??? Maybe that is simply Trump's cognitive decline speaking, but Musk and others are egging him on in that. Trump also mentioned attacking Mexico.
True about Panama Canal maybe, I don't know the details of ownership of the canal. Buying Greenland wouldn't be an act of aggression. When did he say anything about attacking Mexico?
The Fascists didn't offer to buy land.
It was a while ago and may have been a one-off. He was complaining about drugs and immigrants coming into this country. Of course, it could have been Musk or one of Trump's handlers that came out with that.
A good review of a distinguished professor who’s pretty much nailed T…p as a fascist. While not an “expert” in fascism I’ve been responding to the news and SubStack writers with that particular analysis: He’s a fascist. He doesn’t really know this himself, but his bullying behavior over the years demonstrates this perfectly. His speech, his cohorts, fear he stokes in his “fellow” Republicans to the point that they literally melt at his threats. It is scary. It’s petrifying. And there are no more protections against this type of behavior. The checks and balances between the different parts of our government will have been rendered asunder. My problem with all of this is the sheer ignorance of those who voted for him as well as those who cheer him on for his promises of retribution, of counteracting the convictions of those who participated in the January 6th insurrection, the setting aside of legal action for his reckless abandonment of any pretense of obeying any law, anywhere. Who are these people? Did they actually go to school and learn what happened in Germany and Italy in WWII? “Oh, duh, I missed that in my history class, I guess” doesn’t cut it. PEOPLE: He’s a dyed in the wool fascist cut from the same cloth as Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini. He will eventually take away all our rights. He’ll appeal to “his” Supreme Court to bypass the limit on term limits for Presidents and convince that body of T…p appointees that “only he can fix what’s wrong”. We’ve got to put up with this foolishness for four years. But in the meantime it should become apparent to even the dumbest MAGA supporter that he’s plain wrong for the job and we need to reverse course from this idiocy.
We must stop him from taking office on January 20 - it is ridiculous to sit here and watch the destruction of our country and the world.
I guess everyone forgets that trump is 78 years old and most definitely has dementia and is unhealthy looking. A couple of times when he was here in Pennsylvania, he said thank you North Carolina. Kennedy has health issues of his own and sounds terrible and I doubt he will be around in office for eight years. Trump already said that he cannot do anything about lowering grocery prices for Americans.
Peter Thiel and Elon Musk have their next docile puppet in VP JD Vance (remember him?)
Resist! Do not give up or give
in! There is always something
you can do! An excellent
example is "A Woman of No
Importance," by Sonia Purnell.
Every single one of us who
believes in freedom from
tyranny can do some thing.
People who are deluded believe their delusions. While WE can see through them, to their basis in supremacy, misogyny, and simple greed, they cannot. They adhere to ‘Christian principles’, ‘family values’, ‘dark state’ fears and conspiracies, and various foundational beliefs, unable to see their own contradictions and sacreligiosity. That’s the nature of delusion. Delusions have to be believed, all evidence to the contrary. They have to be defended because they cannot be questioned or doubted. Their leaders are, by definition, faultless and infallible. Even the slightest doubt is intolerable. Any flaw has to be denied; any confrontation with reality has to be skirted, denied, rationalized, ignored. They congregate with other delusionals like themselves and get violent when threatened by upheaval and challenge. How can they not SEE? That’s how delusions work.
Off track a bit, but why do you think the 14th amendment case was not pursued? This has worried and perplexed many as it appears a slam dunk. Yet I recall the crap when the states tried to get him off the ballot.
Although this article mentions a whole variety of topics, I couldn’t help but notice the point of importance.
As per a report from WAPO: “When one senator, a member of leadership, said he was leaning toward voting to convict (tRump), the others urged him to reconsider. You can’t do that, Romney recalled someone saying. Think of your personal safety, said another. Think of your children. The senator eventually decided they were right.”
Former Sen. Mitt Romney recalled, senators were afraid to vote to convict Trump during his second impeachment out of fear for their safety. To this, I say the senators are a bunch of ‘Spineless fucking pussies!!’
I might be wrong but I think the same thing can be said for the FBI. With them not doing any background checks on ALL of tRump’s picks for top jobs in government, they’re all pussies too!!
IMHO, It won’t be long before America realizes the mistake they made by putting that overgrown, diaper filling, fart machine back in the White House. By that time, it’ll be too fucking late.
So, Republicans are cowards. In other news, the daytime sky is blue.
Dear God, can you imagine what the Jan. 6th insurrection would have been like had it been a person of color that had been elected over Dictator in Chief? I live in an area where the vile undertones of racism survive and flourish behind the closed doors of the close minded. Growing up in the 60's & 70's I never dreamed of the commandeered U-turn our society would take. We've got to collectively grab the wheel and steer our country back onto the progressive highway. That swamp water from the ditch we're heading for is over the tires already.
O dear.. so silly...A combination of sour grapes and left leaning fear of change.
If you don’t fear the changes this Administration will be making, you’re not paying attention.
When are you people going to follow a democratic process and support a legally elected president and the team voted into power instead of being subversive and non-productive and non-democratic.
Ok… my position is that again we have used a biased expert to define a problem… Its about the same as the hoax of climate change pushed by the self-serving UN and its puppet the IPCC and the so called expert over reaction and mis-appropriated approach to COVID.
Trump and his position does not check all the boxes on Fascism … it checks some.. and some are already part of our normal approach to government with or without Trump.
Yes he will lead to the right of center and it will be “follow or get out of the way” for the national good.
He is better described as a “neo-nationalist” And quite frankly with the mistakes we made in the west about globalism, multilateralism and multiculturalism we do need a reset.
So far the good news about Trump is that he has always done what he said he would do… He does like to wheel and deal and likes to push the boundaries of a negotiation and that is why he drives the linear thinking press so crazy.
When I read through his policy plans I don’t see anything I disagree with… about the only baggage he has to contend with is the stupid republican position on the right to abortion.. Other than that its all good and just what we need to reset on those things mentioned above, and get our prosperity back.
Look..He will definitely be breaking eggs to make the omelet as far as the existing moribund institutions are concerned…… and so please get used to it.
I am actually living in Canada and still welcome “the Trump effect” to sort out the total mess we are in even if its going to upset many here.
Last thought…. If you are happy with where things are at now and don’t want change then you need to talk more to your fellow citizens.. as you are not in touch with reality.
Right. I know those of you on the far right have a hatred for expertise, as *their* knowledge makes *your* views look like the unintelligent and ignorant drivel that it is, so we shouldn’t be surprised that in response to one of the world’s leading authorities on fascism, you find it “silly”.
Maybe if you could string together a few more than 15 words and help us understand what *your* learned opinion on the roots of fascism are, it might be an interesting start for a conversation. As it is, you’re simply reinforcing the Dunning Kruger Effect.
When are you people going to follow a democratic process and support a legally elected president and the team voted into power instead of being subversive and non-productive and non-democratic.
Ok… my position is that again we have used a biased expert to define a problem… Its about the same as the hoax of climate change pushed by the self-serving UN and its puppet the IPCC and the so called expert over reaction and mis-appropriated approach to COVID.
Trump and his position does not check all the boxes on Fascism … it checks some.. and some are already part of our normal approach to government with or without Trump.
Yes he will lead to the right of center and it will be “follow or get out of the way” for the national good.
He is better described as a “neo-nationalist” And quite frankly with the mistakes we made in the west about globalism, multilateralism and multiculturalism we do need a reset.
So far the good news about Trump is that he has always done what he said he would do… He does like to wheel and deal and likes to push the boundaries of a negotiation and that is why he drives the linear thinking press so crazy.
When I read through his policy plans I don’t see anything I disagree with… about the only baggage he has to contend with is the stupid republican position on the right to abortion.. Other than that its all good and just what we need to reset on those things mentioned above, and get our prosperity back.
Look..He will definitely be breaking eggs to make the omelet as far as the existing moribund institutions are concerned…… and so please get used to it.
I am actually living in Canada and still welcome “the Trump effect” to sort out the total mess we are in even if its going to upset many here.
Last thought…. If you are happy with where things are at now and don’t want change then you need to talk more to your fellow citizens.. as you are not in touch with reality.
“So silly”? This is such serious stuff that when the hatchet starts dropping you might be the person whose neck is the target. I don’t think your partisan take on this holds any water whatsoever.
When are you people going to follow a democratic process and support a legally elected president and the team voted into power instead of being subversive and non-productive and non-democratic.
Ok… my position is that again we have used a biased expert to define a problem… Its about the same as the hoax of climate change pushed by the self-serving UN and its puppet the IPCC and the so called expert over reaction and mis-appropriated approach to COVID.
Trump and his position does not check all the boxes on Fascism … it checks some.. and some are already part of our normal approach to government with or without Trump.
Yes he will lead to the right of center and it will be “follow or get out of the way” for the national good.
He is better described as a “neo-nationalist” And quite frankly with the mistakes we made in the west about globalism, multilateralism and multiculturalism we do need a reset.
So far the good news about Trump is that he has always done what he said he would do… He does like to wheel and deal and likes to push the boundaries of a negotiation and that is why he drives the linear thinking press so crazy.
When I read through his policy plans I don’t see anything I disagree with… about the only baggage he has to contend with is the stupid republican position on the right to abortion.. Other than that its all good and just what we need to reset on those things mentioned above, and get our prosperity back.
Look..He will definitely be breaking eggs to make the omelet as far as the existing moribund institutions are concerned…… and so please get used to it.
I am actually living in Canada and still welcome “the Trump effect” to sort out the total mess we are in even if its going to upset many here.
Last thought…. If you are happy with where things are at now and don’t want change then you need to talk more to your fellow citizens.. as you are not in touch with reality.
Maybe consider not repeating your same comments 3 times to 3 separate posters with 3 separate comments? Frankly, it just further highlights your ignorance.
Oh, and given that you’re not an American, maybe stay out of our conversation? Just sayin’…
why ?….. you cannot take the comments?