I could only wish the lying in state had overlapped the inauguration. I guarantee you there would have been screaming. And comparison of crowd sizes. There may yet be both!
That won't fly, and it would be a desperate lawyer who'd try it. IMHO the judge is bowing to the reality that a) a custodial sentence could not and would not be carried out, given the difficulties, and b) a fine would mean less than nothing to the Individual concerned. (Hate writing that name) I think the judge has decided that if he fined him, quite a few people would assume that he has "paid his debt to society" by simply paying the fine; but if he leaves him unfined and unimprisoned due to forces beyond his control, the social opprobrium will last forever.
It's similar to the tactic some parents use of saying, "Normally I'd ground you, but this offense is too severe for that. In fact, I can't think of anything sufficient to match it. So I'm going to leave it alone." With a normal human being, that provokes severe shame. With this person, of course, it will do no such thing, but it might possibly make a few of those watching re-consider. (Yeah, I know, but hope springs eternal.)
I see what you mean and it is not my country but surely he needs to go to prison I guess that would make him a martyr. The man needs to be punished somehow
Touche, HH Frances. With the retirement of the present archbishop for Washington DC, the pope has now named one of the Roman church's strongest critics of Trump to be the new archbishop for DC. Nothing like putting a thorn in someone's flesh. Story here.
And there is the incident of a pampered child throwing a tantrum because the national flags will be at half-staff during his inauguration.
Although to be fair, his tantrum seemed to be a response to widespread sniggering about how the flags were going to be at half staff by many of his detractors.
Of course, a grown-up would have responded to the sniggering by issuing a statement that acknowledged President Carter's service to the country, praised his commitment to personal acts of charity (Republicans are in favor of personal charity, so it doesn't cost you political points to praise Carter for it), and affirmed that naturally the flags will be flying at half-staff to acknowledge President Carter's passing, and that that period will include the day of the Presidential Inauguration.
But we know Trump is incapable of something like that.
No. But those who are planning with regards to that aren’t going to make more than the most careful, heavily coded statements regarding it. (I’m thinking of one just after the election to the effect that all US military personnel would be trained to respond to all legal orders of the commander in chief, or words to that effect. The word “legal” was not emphasized but it didn’t have to be, especially when taken in conjunction with certain statements from 2021.
(CNN) — Pentagon officials are holding informal discussions about how the Department of Defense would respond if Donald Trump issues orders to deploy active-duty troops domestically and fire large swaths of apolitical staffers, defense officials told CNN.
No. But those who are planning with regards to that aren’t going to make more than the most careful, heavily coded statements regarding it. (I’m thinking of one just after the election to the effect that all US military personnel would be trained to respond to all legal orders of the commander in chief, or words to that effect. The word “legal” was not emphasized but it didn’t have to be, especially when taken in conjunction with certain statements from 2021.
(CNN) — Pentagon officials are holding informal discussions about how the Department of Defense would respond if Donald Trump issues orders to deploy active-duty troops domestically and fire large swaths of apolitical staffers, defense officials told CNN.
I see a possible nightmare scenario. If Trump pulls us out of NATO, and then invades Greenland... we get all the NATO nations against us. Full scale WW3.
I see a possible nightmare scenario. If Trump pulls us out of NATO, and then invades Greenland... we get all the NATO nations against us. Full scale WW3.
Maybe. I doubt if it'll happen, but the fact that Trump apparently doesn't rule out grabbing what he wants by force is chilling enough.
Under the War Powers Act, the president has the power to defend our country or our allied, IF ATTACKED but I think it is limited to 60 days without Congressional Approval. However, if he wants to attack someone else, he must seek congressional authorization first.
Like all bullies, he makes a lot of threats. But I am betting it is more bark than bite.
Under the War Powers Act, the president has the power to defend our country or our allied, IF ATTACKED but I think it is limited to 60 days without Congressional Approval. However, if he wants to attack someone else, he must seek congressional authorization first.
Like all bullies, he makes a lot of threats. But I am betting it is more bark than bite.
Yeah, but it's kinda like if a school principal shows up at the PTA meeting bombed out of his skull and announces that he's going to implement bone-breaking beatings for any infraction down to chewing gum in class, and the other teachers just sit there silently for the rest of the night and don't bother to contradict him.
BEST CASE SCENARIO: No kids actually get beaten, but the entire academic staff are thereafter regarded as bizarro individuals that respectable townfolk cross the street to avoid.
This morning's radio news had an item about changing the name of The Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. It sounded so weird that I wondered if I had overslept and it was actually April 1st.
This morning's radio news had an item about changing the name of The Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. It sounded so weird that I wondered if I had overslept and it was actually April 1st.
In fairness, Koreans in general can get pretty worked up about East Sea vs. Sea Of Japan. But that's the resentment of a former colony against the colonizer. Trump screaming about mexi-centric nomenclature just screams INFERIORITY COMPLEX.
This morning's radio news had an item about changing the name of The Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. It sounded so weird that I wondered if I had overslept and it was actually April 1st.
In fairness, Koreans in general can get pretty worked up about East Sea vs. Sea Of Japan. But that's the resentment of a former colony against the colonizer. Trump screaming about mexi-centric nomenclature just screams INFERIORITY COMPLEX.
Surely any change in the name of the Gulf of Mexico brought about by Trump would only be for the US. There must be some international agreement about naming things that affect more than one country.
I really appreciate that for once fantasy outfits have the woman in full armour and the man not, even if it does mean being subjected to DT's semi-naked form.
A good Australian woman to boot. Who happens to be Queen of Denmark. Then Crown Prince Frederik, now King Frederik X, is a keen and accomplished sailor. And had served honourably in the Royal Danish Navy. He was with the Danish Olympic sailing team for the 2000 Olympics in a Sydney pub, got into conversation with a Tasmanian business executive who also loved sailing, and the rest is history. Everything in that narrative is alien to Trump.
A good Australian woman to boot. Who happens to be Queen of Denmark. Then Crown Prince Frederik, now King Frederik X, is a keen and accomplished sailor. And had served honourably in the Royal Danish Navy. He was with the Danish Olympic sailing team for the 2000 Olympics in a Sydney pub, got into conversation with a Tasmanian business executive who also loved sailing, and the rest is history. Everything in that narrative is alien to Trump.
And the only American ancestor he has is his dad. His paternal grandparents were both from Germany, and his mother was straight from the Outer Hebrides.
What with the mad Trump on one side, and the mad Putin on the other, Europe (and that includes the UK, whatever the fascist fuckwits might say) is right to be afraid.
Who messed with the Large Hadron Collider back in 2016? Both lunatics were around then, of course, but this parallel universe is not especially attractive.
I know, I know - Cheer up (they said), things could be worse. So I cheered up, and things got worse...
What with the mad Trump on one side, and the mad Putin on the other, Europe (and that includes the UK, whatever the fascist fuckwits might say) is right to be afraid.
And yet people in the UK still object to increases in defence spending.
Surely any change in the name of the Gulf of Mexico brought about by Trump would only be for the US. There must be some international agreement about naming things that affect more than one country.
I know it's fun to crap on Trump, but having American parents or not is irrelevant to leadership in the US. Neither of Kamala Harris's parents were born here.
Moreover, "American" is not an ethnic group, and "US ancestry" is not really a thing. Most of us either came from somewhere else or have forebears who immigrated. My family didn't start arriving till 1876, and one of my grandmothers came in 1930. The only people native to the land predate the existence of the US by 15,000 years or more.
So kindly don't crap on immigrants to the US and their descendants, because that's 97% of us.
What "social opprobrium". How much does that weigh in votes? Looks lighter than air. Boys will be boys. Good on you Don! etc, etc. He can have some of my shame, which I have in clinical amounts.
Surely any change in the name of the Gulf of Mexico brought about by Trump would only be for the US. There must be some international agreement about naming things that affect more than one country.
Trump can call things what he likes. It's ridiculous pandering to the racists among his supporters (similar to his proposal to change Denali back to Mt McKinley), but that's the kind of superficial nonsense that he (and they) like.
I know it's fun to crap on Trump, but having American parents or not is irrelevant to leadership in the US. Neither of Kamala Harris's parents were born here.
Moreover, "American" is not an ethnic group, and "US ancestry" is not really a thing. Most of us either came from somewhere else or have forebears who immigrated. My family didn't start arriving till 1876, and one of my grandmothers came in 1930. The only people native to the land predate the existence of the US by 15,000 years or more.
So kindly don't crap on immigrants to the US and their descendants, because that's 97% of us.
I interpreted the post as comparing Trump to Hitler, with non-German/non-American ancestry just a humourous biographical similarity. Like if some politician you don't like has a little moustache, and you mention that Hitler had one too.
I know it's fun to crap on Trump, but having American parents or not is irrelevant to leadership in the US. Neither of Kamala Harris's parents were born here.
Moreover, "American" is not an ethnic group, and "US ancestry" is not really a thing. Most of us either came from somewhere else or have forebears who immigrated. My family didn't start arriving till 1876, and one of my grandmothers came in 1930. The only people native to the land predate the existence of the US by 15,000 years or more.
So kindly don't crap on immigrants to the US and their descendants, because that's 97% of us.
I interpreted the post as comparing Trump to Hitler, with non-German/non-American ancestry just a humourous biographical similarity. Like if some politician you don't like has a little moustache, and you mention that Hitler had one too.
As did I, though personally I don’t see any humor. That it was an attempted comparison to Hitler doesn’t make what @Ruth said any less valid.
I interpreted the post as comparing Trump to Hitler, with non-German/non-American ancestry just a humourous biographical similarity. Like if some politician you don't like has a little moustache, and you mention that Hitler had one too.
There's virtually no such thing as American ancestry, except for the native peoples. My Congressional representative was born in Peru, as was the owner of the apartment building my partner and I just looked at. My partner's father was born in Croatia. The business woman who got the city's most successful local-owner business district going was born in Germany. Both parents of the woman who succeeded me at the church job were born in El Salvador.
It's hard being an immigrant here, and the xenophobia is no joke -- but is it really any easier in other places? The business woman who was born in Germany is now an American. She lives here, she votes here, she's built a life here. American "ancestry" means nothing. She's one of us.
I know it's fun to crap on Trump, but having American parents or not is irrelevant to leadership in the US. Neither of Kamala Harris's parents were born here.
Moreover, "American" is not an ethnic group, and "US ancestry" is not really a thing. Most of us either came from somewhere else or have forebears who immigrated. My family didn't start arriving till 1876, and one of my grandmothers came in 1930. The only people native to the land predate the existence of the US by 15,000 years or more.
So kindly don't crap on immigrants to the US and their descendants, because that's 97% of us.
I was not doing that. If you think that then you have e misunderstood the post. I was making comparisons between Trump and Hitler. That was obvious, and that was all.
If we want to talk about non Native American Ancestry, some of my people survived Jamestown. I also have a bunch of Pilgrams who came over on (ahem) the Mayflower. You may kiss my ring.
I know it's fun to crap on Trump, but having American parents or not is irrelevant to leadership in the US. Neither of Kamala Harris's parents were born here.
Moreover, "American" is not an ethnic group, and "US ancestry" is not really a thing. Most of us either came from somewhere else or have forebears who immigrated. My family didn't start arriving till 1876, and one of my grandmothers came in 1930. The only people native to the land predate the existence of the US by 15,000 years or more.
So kindly don't crap on immigrants to the US and their descendants, because that's 97% of us.
I was not doing that. If you think that then you have e misunderstood the post. I was making comparisons between Trump and Hitler. That was obvious, and that was all.
But for the reasons @Ruth has laid out, it’s a poor comparison. And that’s even if you take into account that a Hitler comparison is the lowest of the low-hanging fruit.
Comments
The American custom is at the death of a former president, national flags are lowered to half-staff for thirty days of mourning.
Oh dear God did he really? Oh wait of course he did…
What exquisite timing on the part of President Carter. 😈
I could only wish the lying in state had overlapped the inauguration. I guarantee you there would have been screaming. And comparison of crowd sizes. There may yet be both!
I see what you mean and it is not my country but surely he needs to go to prison I guess that would make him a martyr. The man needs to be punished somehow
Although to be fair, his tantrum seemed to be a response to widespread sniggering about how the flags were going to be at half staff by many of his detractors.
Of course, a grown-up would have responded to the sniggering by issuing a statement that acknowledged President Carter's service to the country, praised his commitment to personal acts of charity (Republicans are in favor of personal charity, so it doesn't cost you political points to praise Carter for it), and affirmed that naturally the flags will be flying at half-staff to acknowledge President Carter's passing, and that that period will include the day of the Presidential Inauguration.
But we know Trump is incapable of something like that.
And this guy is going to have access to the nuclear football for the next four years??? Lord, have mercy.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/08/politics/pentagon-officials-discussing-trump/index.html
Thank you, both. Points taken.
Hopefully, his orders to invade would be regarded as not legal?
Maybe. I doubt if it'll happen, but the fact that Trump apparently doesn't rule out grabbing what he wants by force is chilling enough.
Invading Panama seems more likely...
Like all bullies, he makes a lot of threats. But I am betting it is more bark than bite.
Yeah, but it's kinda like if a school principal shows up at the PTA meeting bombed out of his skull and announces that he's going to implement bone-breaking beatings for any infraction down to chewing gum in class, and the other teachers just sit there silently for the rest of the night and don't bother to contradict him.
BEST CASE SCENARIO: No kids actually get beaten, but the entire academic staff are thereafter regarded as bizarro individuals that respectable townfolk cross the street to avoid.
In fairness, Koreans in general can get pretty worked up about East Sea vs. Sea Of Japan. But that's the resentment of a former colony against the colonizer. Trump screaming about mexi-centric nomenclature just screams INFERIORITY COMPLEX.
Can someone that simple have a complex?
I really appreciate that for once fantasy outfits have the woman in full armour and the man not, even if it does mean being subjected to DT's semi-naked form.
A good Australian woman to boot. Who happens to be Queen of Denmark. Then Crown Prince Frederik, now King Frederik X, is a keen and accomplished sailor. And had served honourably in the Royal Danish Navy. He was with the Danish Olympic sailing team for the 2000 Olympics in a Sydney pub, got into conversation with a Tasmanian business executive who also loved sailing, and the rest is history. Everything in that narrative is alien to Trump.
I don't know, Trump married a foreigner.
And the only American ancestor he has is his dad. His paternal grandparents were both from Germany, and his mother was straight from the Outer Hebrides.
Who messed with the Large Hadron Collider back in 2016? Both lunatics were around then, of course, but this parallel universe is not especially attractive.
I know, I know - Cheer up (they said), things could be worse. So I cheered up, and things got worse...
And yet people in the UK still object to increases in defence spending.
Meanwhile, France makes it clear that the EU would not take kindly to the mad emperor's expansion plans:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/08/france-warns-trump-against-threatening-eu-sovereign-borders-greenland
I know it's fun to crap on Trump, but having American parents or not is irrelevant to leadership in the US. Neither of Kamala Harris's parents were born here.
Moreover, "American" is not an ethnic group, and "US ancestry" is not really a thing. Most of us either came from somewhere else or have forebears who immigrated. My family didn't start arriving till 1876, and one of my grandmothers came in 1930. The only people native to the land predate the existence of the US by 15,000 years or more.
So kindly don't crap on immigrants to the US and their descendants, because that's 97% of us.
Trump can call things what he likes. It's ridiculous pandering to the racists among his supporters (similar to his proposal to change Denali back to Mt McKinley), but that's the kind of superficial nonsense that he (and they) like.
I interpreted the post as comparing Trump to Hitler, with non-German/non-American ancestry just a humourous biographical similarity. Like if some politician you don't like has a little moustache, and you mention that Hitler had one too.
There's virtually no such thing as American ancestry, except for the native peoples. My Congressional representative was born in Peru, as was the owner of the apartment building my partner and I just looked at. My partner's father was born in Croatia. The business woman who got the city's most successful local-owner business district going was born in Germany. Both parents of the woman who succeeded me at the church job were born in El Salvador.
It's hard being an immigrant here, and the xenophobia is no joke -- but is it really any easier in other places? The business woman who was born in Germany is now an American. She lives here, she votes here, she's built a life here. American "ancestry" means nothing. She's one of us.
I find this bullshit truly insulting.
I was not doing that. If you think that then you have e misunderstood the post. I was making comparisons between Trump and Hitler. That was obvious, and that was all.
But for the reasons @Ruth has laid out, it’s a poor comparison. And that’s even if you take into account that a Hitler comparison is the lowest of the low-hanging fruit.