This tariff nonsense is one more bit of proof that on the international stage, the US's word of honor is meaningless. Any treaty or agreement can unilaterally be voided at the president's whim. Why would any sane nation bother to discuss anything with us? As a result, our international power/prestige will decline. Woohoo, we're great again!
This tariff nonsense is one more bit of proof that on the international stage, the US's word of honor is meaningless. Any treaty or agreement can unilaterally be voided at the president's whim. Why would any sane nation bother to discuss anything with us? As a result, our international power/prestige will decline. Woohoo, we're great again!
I'd complain that we have ironclad defense treaties with Canada, but why bother? Of course we asked them to stop depending on Great Britain and depend on us instead. What could possibly go wrong?
I'm just praying Trump doesn't start a nuclear war somewhere.
To be a little bit fair, CanadaтАЩs defense capabilities have declined dramatically and its military is basically incapable of defending its borders. That was a choice Canadians made and there is no evidence they are even considering addressing their military weaknesses.
Sure, it's a choice they made because we promised to come to their defense, no backsies, we pinky swear. A treaty inked in blood, one might say. Which Trump sees as an asset to use to blackmail Canada.
Yes, but given our agreement to help ensure UkraineтАЩs borders, the Russian invasion in 2014 and the failure of the Obama administration to take decisive action with major arms deliveries to Ukraine and meaningful sanctions, Canada and everyone else has been on notice that when push comes to shove, each nation is responsible for defending itself. Canada and most of our allies have failed to take this lesson to heart and ultimately they will bear the consequences of their own willful blindness.
ItтАЩs not so much fault as it is dealing with reality, which is often uncomfortable and expensive. Canada and especially most European nations have put their heads in the sand and ignored what is happening in the world while making well meaning but pointless statements that show extreme naivety as to the reality of living in a world of competing powers with nuclear weapons and ambitions that do not match the rhetoric of nations that just want to live in peace. If you truly desire peace, you must be well armed and prepared to resist aggressors. Canada is extremely vulnerable to Russia or China seizing their resources in the Arctic and they are totally dependent on the US military. Incredibly shortsighted and naive. Further, Canada should never rule out a future where the US decides to take Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon to link up with Alaska as Putin linked up Russia proper with Crimea in the latest invasion. But Canada has continued to let its military deteriorate to the point where the NYC police department could conquer a Canadian province. This should be a wake up call for Canada, but I see zero evidence that they get it.
They should have been on alert when we abandoned the Hmong and Montagnard people to the loving embrace of the North Vietnamese government. We have a history of discarding our allies once they're of no more use to us.
I thought he would the first time around but except for the mysterious detonation of the MOAB in remote Pakistan nothing like that happened. He backed off of North Korea in favor of love letters with its leaders and bragged about how he ended war. This time? I have no prediction because I think he is more impulsive yet more amenable to suggestions from his coterie.
ItтАЩs Musk, Theil, Vance, Vought, Yarvin that are my favorite supervillains of great wealth and intellect beyond what any elitist Marxist has, right?
If only people would understand that technically everyone who works FOR someone is a Marxist. It just doesnтАЩt have to end in communism.
The angry MAGA base are working people who think a fast slick talking fraud is the hero bro because heтАЩs figured out how to make them believe what he nor any republican has ever doneтАжhelp Americans while crapping on a literal golden toilet. Lies to them like southern comfort all smooth and warm to get those poor confederate soldiers all riled up!
Trump would do Trump. They donтАЩt want Trump. Trump isnтАЩt doing this, exactly. Musk knows this and itтАЩs why he moved to FL part time.
Trump is only as good as the last person heтАЩs spoken to. They want Vance. HeтАЩs the mini version of nothing.
Trump would kiss his WH picture and still write love letters and huff and puff and go after his enemies which would not see its end in his lifetime.
Musk and the rest are sadly sad little white men pouncing on AmericaтАЩs sickly baby kittens because thatтАЩs easy.
If they were to take on their own IтАЩd buy a ticket to the battle at the colosseum! But thatтАЩs not the strong man playbook. They must bully on the mountain and promise themselves the wicked are the innocent! Go get тАШem little boys!
WeтАЩll meet you at the colosseum in the end regardless!
What I find amusing is those Evangelicals really believe they're going to be in the warm embrace of The Lord when the world ends and they've never considered "Our Father Below" is waiting for them.
You have that all wrong. The guy below is waiting for those of us who think gays deserve civil rights and that it's acceptable for women to have checking accounts and wear trousers.
That our "soft power" will decline to nearly nothing is without question. Which leaves only "hard power", which is what MAGA wants: warfare against any perceived opponents. The "strength" fetish (see Bronze Age Pervert's suggestion of a minimum physical strength test for the presidency) can never be satisfied by successful influence. Our addiction to violence will eventually come back to haunt us.
If we'd had a physical strength test this time, Harris would now be president- unless Trump fell over and somehow managed to land on top of her like a sack filled with wet cement. But I assume she would have been quick-footed enough to leap out of the way first. So there is that.
The military is already having a hard time meeting recruiting goals. Eliminate DEI initiatives and see how that helps recruiting. I hope all the young white men who voted for this are happy with the draft's return.
Especially the lower income magat voters if and when they notice that the rich and connected don't have to serve in the battlefields of Eastasia (We've always been at war with Eastasia).
When I saw JD Vance's comments about (paraphrasing) "being sick of Canada taking advantage of us", it occurred to me that he probably didn't give two shits about Canada until his boss decided it was a thing. The sight of a multimillionaire like Vance whining about how Canada after being catapulted into the vice presidency via tech bros' money is amongst the more pathetic things I've witnessed lately.
TheyтАЩre all pathetic. Wealthy people whining about тАЬthe eliteтАЭ is practically its own genre of podcast now. Somehow theyтАЩre victims of something, probably those annoying reporters and college kids. And their employees. And anyone who questions their judgment.
Similar to my belief that Rubio never gave Panama and the canal even a passing thought until Trump became obsessed by it. Now he's all "Yeah, we're gonna beat them down! MAGA!"
What we have is a bunch of idiots with adolescent minds in charge of very large, necessary and serious agencies. They will succeed in destroying the large bureaucracy that is necessary to keep this large country running somewhat smoothly. But the new pwople in charge just want to have a government that allows them to plunder and rape the rest of the country. That's what people voted for.
This tariff nonsense is one more bit of proof that on the international stage, the US's word of honor is meaningless. Any treaty or agreement can unilaterally be voided at the president's whim. Why would any sane nation bother to discuss anything with us? As a result, our international power/prestige will decline. Woohoo, we're great again!
No honor. No humility. No righteousness. The US is now a criminal enterprise run by a mob boss.
I'd complain that we have ironclad defense treaties with Canada, but why bother? Of course we asked them to stop depending on Great Britain and depend on us instead. What could possibly go wrong?
I'm just praying Trump doesn't start a nuclear war somewhere.
To be a little bit fair, CanadaтАЩs defense capabilities have declined dramatically and its military is basically incapable of defending its borders. That was a choice Canadians made and there is no evidence they are even considering addressing their military weaknesses.
Sure, it's a choice they made because we promised to come to their defense, no backsies, we pinky swear. A treaty inked in blood, one might say. Which Trump sees as an asset to use to blackmail Canada.
Yes, but given our agreement to help ensure UkraineтАЩs borders, the Russian invasion in 2014 and the failure of the Obama administration to take decisive action with major arms deliveries to Ukraine and meaningful sanctions, Canada and everyone else has been on notice that when push comes to shove, each nation is responsible for defending itself. Canada and most of our allies have failed to take this lesson to heart and ultimately they will bear the consequences of their own willful blindness.
Sure, I guess we could call it their fault we're not to be trusted.
ItтАЩs not so much fault as it is dealing with reality, which is often uncomfortable and expensive. Canada and especially most European nations have put their heads in the sand and ignored what is happening in the world while making well meaning but pointless statements that show extreme naivety as to the reality of living in a world of competing powers with nuclear weapons and ambitions that do not match the rhetoric of nations that just want to live in peace. If you truly desire peace, you must be well armed and prepared to resist aggressors. Canada is extremely vulnerable to Russia or China seizing their resources in the Arctic and they are totally dependent on the US military. Incredibly shortsighted and naive. Further, Canada should never rule out a future where the US decides to take Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon to link up with Alaska as Putin linked up Russia proper with Crimea in the latest invasion. But Canada has continued to let its military deteriorate to the point where the NYC police department could conquer a Canadian province. This should be a wake up call for Canada, but I see zero evidence that they get it.
I have a feeling they are playing their cards close to their chests and we will never find out what they're doing, as it should be. Time will tell.
They should have been on alert when we abandoned the Hmong and Montagnard people to the loving embrace of the North Vietnamese government. We have a history of discarding our allies once they're of no more use to us.
True, unfortunately.
I thought he would the first time around but except for the mysterious detonation of the MOAB in remote Pakistan nothing like that happened. He backed off of North Korea in favor of love letters with its leaders and bragged about how he ended war. This time? I have no prediction because I think he is more impulsive yet more amenable to suggestions from his coterie.
HeтАЩd be the exact same only angrier.
ItтАЩs Musk, Theil, Vance, Vought, Yarvin that are my favorite supervillains of great wealth and intellect beyond what any elitist Marxist has, right?
If only people would understand that technically everyone who works FOR someone is a Marxist. It just doesnтАЩt have to end in communism.
The angry MAGA base are working people who think a fast slick talking fraud is the hero bro because heтАЩs figured out how to make them believe what he nor any republican has ever doneтАжhelp Americans while crapping on a literal golden toilet. Lies to them like southern comfort all smooth and warm to get those poor confederate soldiers all riled up!
Trump would do Trump. They donтАЩt want Trump. Trump isnтАЩt doing this, exactly. Musk knows this and itтАЩs why he moved to FL part time.
Trump is only as good as the last person heтАЩs spoken to. They want Vance. HeтАЩs the mini version of nothing.
Trump would kiss his WH picture and still write love letters and huff and puff and go after his enemies which would not see its end in his lifetime.
Musk and the rest are sadly sad little white men pouncing on AmericaтАЩs sickly baby kittens because thatтАЩs easy.
If they were to take on their own IтАЩd buy a ticket to the battle at the colosseum! But thatтАЩs not the strong man playbook. They must bully on the mountain and promise themselves the wicked are the innocent! Go get тАШem little boys!
WeтАЩll meet you at the colosseum in the end regardless!
You know that he's just itching to show the world how big a man he is and to give that order.
It's pretty hard to build hotels or golf courses in a nuclear wasteland. I suspect nuclear war is not on the table for Trump...not sure about Musk.
But the holes will be pre-dug.
But think of the glorious moment when he can finally be the guy to unironically say "nuke 'em."
Given how many Evangelicals are in Trump's orbit, I think they hope he starts the proverbial End of the World.
"It's the end of the World as we know it and I feel fine"
What I find amusing is those Evangelicals really believe they're going to be in the warm embrace of The Lord when the world ends and they've never considered "Our Father Below" is waiting for them.
You have that all wrong. The guy below is waiting for those of us who think gays deserve civil rights and that it's acceptable for women to have checking accounts and wear trousers.
Interesting. Did checking accounts exist when the New Testament was written? :)
Get a load of this, in Biblical times men didn't wear trousers either! :)
Men Without Pants!
Who doesn't love "Safety Dance?" :)
That our "soft power" will decline to nearly nothing is without question. Which leaves only "hard power", which is what MAGA wants: warfare against any perceived opponents. The "strength" fetish (see Bronze Age Pervert's suggestion of a minimum physical strength test for the presidency) can never be satisfied by successful influence. Our addiction to violence will eventually come back to haunt us.
IтАЩd be ok with BAPтАЩs suggestion if it had applied to this election. Donald is an old fat guy with no muscle tone.
If we'd had a physical strength test this time, Harris would now be president- unless Trump fell over and somehow managed to land on top of her like a sack filled with wet cement. But I assume she would have been quick-footed enough to leap out of the way first. So there is that.
I don't know, I'd have a hard time fighting someone who's diaper smelled that bad!
The military is already having a hard time meeting recruiting goals. Eliminate DEI initiatives and see how that helps recruiting. I hope all the young white men who voted for this are happy with the draft's return.
Especially the lower income magat voters if and when they notice that the rich and connected don't have to serve in the battlefields of Eastasia (We've always been at war with Eastasia).
Didn't you hear, the villain is Eurasia!
Mike, this is such a perfect comment, especially with a President who ducked the draft.
When I saw JD Vance's comments about (paraphrasing) "being sick of Canada taking advantage of us", it occurred to me that he probably didn't give two shits about Canada until his boss decided it was a thing. The sight of a multimillionaire like Vance whining about how Canada after being catapulted into the vice presidency via tech bros' money is amongst the more pathetic things I've witnessed lately.
TheyтАЩre all pathetic. Wealthy people whining about тАЬthe eliteтАЭ is practically its own genre of podcast now. Somehow theyтАЩre victims of something, probably those annoying reporters and college kids. And their employees. And anyone who questions their judgment.
Rev dietrich bonhoeffer on maga.
https://youtu.be/ww47bR86wSc?si=xvJoWoEWDjIA0atk
https://youtu.be/KA5vytp9JPU?si=h0bxrK4GqnUiuLfz
Those motherfuckers wouldn't know what persecution is if it hit them in the head with a pitching wedge.
Similar to my belief that Rubio never gave Panama and the canal even a passing thought until Trump became obsessed by it. Now he's all "Yeah, we're gonna beat them down! MAGA!"
What we have is a bunch of idiots with adolescent minds in charge of very large, necessary and serious agencies. They will succeed in destroying the large bureaucracy that is necessary to keep this large country running somewhat smoothly. But the new pwople in charge just want to have a government that allows them to plunder and rape the rest of the country. That's what people voted for.
Almost half of us ( who bothered to vote) did not vote for this