Historian: "It's like the barbarian sack of Rome..."

[Tanuki]

He was specifically talking about the impending sabotage of the Smithsonian, but it seems an equally apt simile for the entire Musk-Trump-Project 2025 regime.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/30/smithsonian-institution-trump-executive-order

..."The sentiment was echoed by Raymond Arsenault, a professor of southern history at the University of South Florida, St Petersburg. He said: “What is written in that order sounds almost Orwellian in the way Trump thinks he can mandate a mythic conception of American history that’s almost Disney-esque with only happy endings, only heroic figures, no attention at all to the complexity of American history and the struggles to have a more perfect union.

He added: “It’s so chilling. Everything I’ve worked on in my career is simply ruled out by this one executive order. It’s like the barbarian sack of Rome in the level of ignorance and ill-will and anti-intellectualism.”

Arsenault, a biographer of John Lewis, who was instrumental in creating the African American museum, said the late congressmen would be “shocked” by Trump’s order: “It’s totalitarian. It does remind you of a fascist state and makes us a laughingstock around the western world. I have to confess in my worst nightmares I didn’t think it would proceed this far in terms of willful megalomania.”...(more)

[SWBTATTReg]

1. Well, tRUMP has got the Kennedy Foundation somehow, I don't see how he got this position that he weaseled his way

into, the Smithsonian is a different story...

The Smithsonian was created by Congress in 1846 with funds from James Smithson, a British scientist who left his estate to the United States to establish an institution “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” Smithson never visited the United States, though his remains are now housed at the Smithsonian Institution Building, known as the Castle.

These days, the Smithsonian is about 62 percent federally funded by a combination of congressional appropriation along with federal grants and contracts. The rest comes from trust funds or nonfederal sources, which include endowments, donations and memberships, as well as revenue from magazines, restaurants, concessions and more. The institution’s federal budget for the 2024 fiscal year was more than $1 billion.

Is the Smithsonian a government agency? No, the Smithsonian is not a federal agency but a “trust instrumentality” of the United States, tasked with carrying out the responsibilities undertaken by Congress when it accepted Smithson’s donation. It’s overseen by the secretary, currently Lonnie G. Bunch III, who is appointed by the Board of Regents — made up of the chief justice, vice president, three members of the Senate, three members of the House and nine citizens.

I say it's time to fully make the Smithsonian totally taxpayer paid for, that is, no government funding what-so-ever. Fund it w/ donations from the public 100% or more. Keep the filthy pig hands off our national treasure, the Smithsonian.

[underpants]

3. Not putting race aside but I can see thumper influence coming

Natural history- do they get rid of the dinosaurs or will they somehow work humans being around that time?

[SWBTATTReg]

4. Unfortunately, we all already know how moronic and stupid these tRUMPers are. This country is entering into the Age of

the Nitwits and so just wait until some really stupid things get done. These people aren't known for their intelligence or thinking ahead about doing stupid things. If you're going to do something, think long and hard about it first, and then do it respectfully and right. Don't go in a room and bashing the baseball bat around, smashing things around.

[underpants]

5. There's no consideration of consequences at all.

Even the immediate ones let alone two or three steps in several directions. People can say it’s all by design and cruelty is the point but they’ve corrected or completely reversed course several times already. If they got what they wanted they wouldn’t have worried about it.

I’m still on Twitter. It doesn’t matter how Trump does it’s unanimous support even praise. Speculation and extrapolation rule.

[underpants]

2. That's what I immediately thought would happen

when the announcement was made on Friday.

I expect them to just close the African-American museum

[tanyev]

6. Remind me of a fascist state? I'd say it IS a fascist state.

Or it’s moving there as fast as Donny and his enablers can make it happen.