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Trump 21: Tweeting Us Into the Apocalypse


Destiny

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"CNN's" response to the presidunce's tweet:

 

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"Bizarre. Absurd. Ridiculous. Embarrassing. Trump."

Spoiler

As the nation was preparing to celebrate its storied independence from the British crown, the president secured his place as history’s greatest jester.

Or America’s first toddler president. Take your pick.

Trump did so by tweeting a doctored video clip of himself from several years ago in which he takes down wrestling magnate Vince McMahon and gives him a good pummeling. The new version superimposes the CNN logo on McMahon’s head. Get it? In the 28-second clip, Trump walks away from the fray unrumpled with nary a hair out of place.

Bizarre comes to mind. Absurd. Ridiculous. Funny, perhaps, to a certain sort. Embarrassing in the extreme to many Americans who would describe themselves as perpetually appalled. What’s next, Trump in his tighty whities atop Trump Tower punching an inflatable Vladimir Putin?

It is baffling to think that Trump is proud of himself and such high jinks, to put it charitably. We get that he’s at war with the media, hardly an original concept at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But no one has ever seen a U.S. president behave in such an idiotic manner. Most adults have a pause button in their brains that shields civilized society from impulsive, inappropriate behavior. For the president, every impulse is apparently irresistible.

For good reason, many in the journalism world have expressed deep concerns about the effect the video might have. CNN’s response said in part: “It is a sad day when the president of the United States encourages violence against reporters.”

We’ve already witnessed one such event this year when Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte, now a member of Congress, assaulted a reporter for the Guardian, breaking his glasses. In a comedy, the audience might applaud the tough guy punching the obnoxious reporter, but this isn’t a comedy. Please, someone tell the president.

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), whose recent book laments the absence of people behaving like grown-ups in America, reacted to the video-tweet in strong language, suggesting that Trump is trying to “weaponize distrust” toward the media. It’s not as though the country’s media-haters need much encouragement to act out Trump’s looney-tunes dreamscape. It only takes one.

All is not glum, however. There have been some truly humorous moments in the aftermath of the video’s viral reception, principally from those defending Trump’s cartoon presidency. The ever-earnest Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president “in no way, form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence.” How’s that? Isn’t this the same Trump who offered to pay the legal fees of anyone who got in hot water for punching out a protester at one of his campaign rallies?

To Trump supporters who find the wrestling video unobjectionable or, I suspect, hilarious in some cases, I would ask that they try to imagine the same video showing Barack Obama superimposing Fox News on someone’s face, punching him repeatedly and then smugly strutting away.

Very likely these same folks would have stormed the Mall demanding the president’s impeachment.

As an opinion columnist who draws plenty of threatening hate mail, I fear less for my personal safety than for the integrity and security of our country. I’ve covered politics off and on for 40 years, including writing a thrice-weekly column for the now-defunct Charleston Evening Post in 1980 leading up to the first Republican presidential primary in South Carolina.

Never during that time or since have I ever worried that a president’s behavior would embarrass the country on the world stage. Trump’s most unpardonable offense isn’t his implied threat to members of the fourth estate but his minimizing of the nation’s stature in the world. Our allies must shudder while our enemies devise new ways to celebrate. Trump may crack himself up, but he also shatters any pretense of our seriousness as a nation. So much for that shining city on the hill, not to mention the president as leader of the free world.

We look like fools because our president so convincingly plays one.

Trump, naturally, begs to differ. To his mind, he’s acting perfectly presidential. His Twitter habit is simply a “modern day presidential” way of communicating. To this thought, homeland security adviser Thomas Bossert added that Trump is a “genuine president expressing himself genuinely.”

Well, there’s that.

But the act of a president using modern technology doesn’t necessarily convey “presidential,” as most define it.

And being genuine in Trump’s case simply means he’s a genuine fool.

I couldn't agree more, especially about the minimizing of the nation's stature.

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"The greatest threat facing the United States is its own president"

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...

Last week, at the Aspen Ideas Festival, I moderated a panel on U.S. national security in the Trump era. On the panel, former CIA director David H. Petraeus offered the most robust defense of President Trump’s foreign policy that I have heard. Central to his premise were two facts. First, he argued that Trump’s national security team was the strongest he had ever seen. Next, he argued that whereas President Barack Obama was indecisive to the point of paralysis, such as in the case of Syria, Trump is decisive.

Toward the end of the conversation, we turned to Trump’s erratic behavior and I noted that for the first time in three decades in the world of foreign policy, I was getting regular questions about the mental health of the president.

I asked Petraeus, a man I respect, if he thought the president was fit to serve. His response was, “It’s immaterial.” He argued that because the team around Trump was so good, they could offset whatever deficits he might have. I was floored. It was a stunningly weak defense.

That is where we are now. The president’s tweeting hysterically at the media is just an element of this. So too is his malignant and ever-visible narcissism. The president has demonstrated himself to have zero impulse control and a tendency to damage vital international relationships with ill-considered outbursts, to trust very few of the people in his own government, and to reportedly rant and shout at staff and even at the television sets he obsessively watches.

Whether he is actually clinically ill is a matter for psychiatric professionals to consider. But when you take the above behaviors and combine them with his resistance to doing the work needed to be president, to sitting down for briefings, to reading background materials, to familiarizing himself with details enough to manage his staff, there is clearly a problem. Compound it with his deliberate reluctance to fill key positions in government and his wild flip-flopping on critical issues from relations with China to trade, and you come to a conclusion that it may be that Trump’s fitness to serve as president is our nation’s core national security issue.

Not only does the president diminish the office with his pettiness; he also shows disregard for constitutional principles including free speech, freedom of religion and separation of powers, and he operates as though he were above ethics laws. Daily he shows he lacks the character, discipline, intellect, judgment or respect for the office to be president of the United States. In normal times, this would be worrying. But look at the news. North Korea is moving closer to having the ability to deliver a nuclear weapon to the United States. A confrontation is coming that will be a test of character pitting North Korea’s unhinged leader, Kim Jong Un, against our leader.

Later this week, he will sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hamburg, Germany, during the Group of 20 meeting. Quite apart from the political optics of rewarding a man who attacked the United States with to help get Trump elected with such a meeting, the summit reveals why it is so dangerous to have an erratic president. Much of U.S. foreign policy comes down to personal diplomacy conducted by the president and his actions in the wake of such meetings. If a dedicated enemy of the United States and opportunist such as Putin determines to take advantage of Trump’s narcissism, ignorance, paranoia, business interests or brewing scandals, he will do just that. If he sees Trump’s behavior as a tacit endorsement of his own thuggishness, he will seize the opportunity. Could Trump enter the meeting with good advice from the team that Petraeus and others admire so much? Yes. But they can’t undo Trump’s record, nor can they, we have learned, always shape the behavior of a man who has shown repeated propensity for ignoring the advice of his best allies. That is one reason, according to reports, that European officials are deeply concerned about the outcomes of the meeting that will take place in Hamburg this week.

The United States has had a wide variety of presidents; we have as often been victimized by their errors of judgment as we have benefited from their leadership. But the stark reality is that objective analysis reveals that we have never before seen a president so unfit for office. Even President Richard Nixon at his moments of darkest paranoia was a professional public servant who understood the office and the stakes associated with it. One might, on this Independence Day week, have to go back to King George III to find a head of state who so threatened America. But there is no precedent for one whose character is so obviously ill-suited to the presidency.

At the end of the Aspen session, a gentleman approached me and asked why I had made the conversation so ad hominem by questioning Trump’s fitness. I explained that when we have a system in which the chief executive is endowed with so much power, we regularly find that our fate in crises turns on the character of the president. For that reason, it is not the incivility of modern politics that drives us to question Trump’s fitness; it is a respect for the lessons of history and for the national interests his profound deficits put at risk.

I'm sorry, but Petraeus is incorrect; the team around the malignant manbaby is not good.

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Aides’ Biggest Worry on Trump’s Europe Trip: A Meeting With Putin

Spoiler

President Trump has been briefed repeatedly. His advisers have alerted him to the web of potential risks, complex issues and diplomatic snags.

But even his top aides do not know precisely what Mr. Trump will decide to say or do when he meets President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia face-to-facethis week on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit gathering in Hamburg, Germany. And that is what most worries his advisers and officials across his administration as he embarks Wednesday on his second foreign trip, first to Warsaw and then to Hamburg.

The highly anticipated conversation with Mr. Putin on Friday is in many ways a necessity, given the critical disputes separating the United States and Russia. But it is also a diplomatic and political risk for Mr. Trump, who faces a web of investigations into his campaign’s possible links to Russia, as well as questions about his willingness to take on Moscow for its military misdeeds and election meddling on his behalf. The air of uncertainty about the meeting is only heightened by the president’s tendency for unpredictable utterances and awkward optics.

If Mr. Trump’s first foreign trip in May was a chance for him to escape turmoil at home — staff infighting, a stalled agenda and the Russia-related investigations — his second thrusts him into the maelstrom. And at the center of it, Mr. Putin awaits.

“There’s a fair amount of nervousness in the White House and at the State Department about this meeting and how they manage it because they see a lot of potential risks,” said Steven Pifer, a former ambassador to Ukraine who has worked for the National Security Council and the State Department. “There is this gray cloud for the president of the investigations about collusion, so any kind of a deal is going to get the micro-scrutiny of, ‘Is this a giveaway to the Russians?’”

Mr. Trump himself is not troubled by the meeting. He has told aides he is more annoyed by the prospect of being scolded by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and other leaders for pulling out of the Paris climate accordsand for his hard line on immigration.

Mr. Trump’s team said he might bring up Russia’s documented meddling in the 2016 election, but he is unlikely to dwell on it: Doing so would emphasize doubts about the legitimacy of his election. Aides expect him to focus on Syria, including creating safe zones, fighting the Islamic State and confronting Mr. Putin’s unwillingness to stop the government of President Bashar al-Assad from using chemical weapons against civilians.

A day before Mr. Trump was to leave Washington, the White House announced that the meeting with Mr. Putin would be a formal bilateral discussion, rather than a quick pull-aside at the economic summit meeting that some had expected.

The format benefits both. Mr. Putin, a canny one-on-one operator who once brought a Labrador to a meeting with Ms. Merkel because he knew she was afraid of dogs, will be able to take the measure of Mr. Trump.

Mr. Trump’s aides are seeking structure and predictability. They hope that a formal meeting, with aides present and an agenda, will leave less room for improvisation and relegate Russia’s meddling in the campaign to a secondary topic, behind more pressing policy concerns that the president is eager to address.

“Nobody has found the slightest evidence of collusion, any evidence the vote was tampered with, so now they have turned their obsession to Russian ‘interference,’” said Kellyanne Conway, the president’s senior counselor and former campaign manager. “I don’t think that’s what the American people are interested in.”

Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. Putin is one of several charged encounters he will face in Hamburg. After North Korea’s announcement on Tuesdaythat it had successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile, his planned huddle with President Xi Jinping of China took on greater significance, as Mr. Trump bristles at Beijing’s refusal to do more to confront the nuclear threat from North Korea and weighs his limited options for acting alone. He is also planning private discussions with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea that are certain to center on the North’s continued provocations.

But the political stakes could not be higher for Mr. Trump in his meeting with Mr. Putin, as lawmakers in both parties press him to stand tough. They signaled their wariness last month with a 98-2 vote in the Senate to codify sanctions against Russia and require that Congress review any move by the president to lift them, a step the White House is resisting.

“Let’s be clear: The Russians interfered in our election and helped elect Donald Trump president,” said Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island and the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. “There is a serious, ongoing criminal investigation into this matter. And President Trump must refrain from any unilateral concessions to Russia.”

Cognizant of the perils, the White House has planned Mr. Trump’s itinerary to counter the perception that he is too friendly with Moscow. In Warsaw on Thursday, he will deliver a major speech and meet with Central and Eastern European allies, activities calculated to demonstrate his commitment to NATO in the face of Russian aggression. But there, too, Mr. Trump will be under pressure to do what he refused to in Brussels during his first trip: explicitly endorse, on European soil, the Article 5 collective defense principle that undergirds NATO.

His advisers say that he is eager to meet with President Andrzej Duda of Poland, a center-right politician who shares Mr. Trump’s skepticism about migration from Syria, and that he sees a chance to make lucrative energy deals with Mr. Duda’s government — perhaps at the expense of Russia.

But the substance and body language of his encounter with Mr. Putin will draw the most scrutiny.

“I expect an Olympian level of macho posturing between these two leaders, who both understand the power of symbolism,” said Derek Chollet, a former assistant secretary of defense. “Putin will be very prepared for this meeting. He’s someone who is a master at manipulation.”

Mr. Putin has signaled that he will press Mr. Trump to lift sanctions imposed on Russia for its annexation of Crimea, its interference in Ukraine and its election meddling, and to hand over Russian diplomatic compounds on Long Island and in Maryland that the United States seized last year.

The potential pitfalls are more than theoretical. White House officials recall with dread the images that emerged from Mr. Trump’s May meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak of Russia in the Oval Office, which showed the president grinning, laughing and clasping hands with the Russian officials.

The biggest concern, people who have spoken recently with members of his team said, is that Mr. Trump, in trying to forge a rapport, appears to be unwittingly siding with Mr. Putin. Like Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin has expressed disdain for the news media, and he asserted in a recent interview that secretive elements within the United States government were working against the president’s agenda. Two people close to Mr. Trump said they expected the men to bond over their disdain for “fake news.”

“You don’t want to come out of there saying, ‘We’re friends, and the enemy is the deep state and the media,’” said Michael A. McFaul, a former ambassador to Russia. “If it were somebody else other than Trump, you could imagine a tough conversation about Ukraine and election meddling, but that’s probably too optimistic. Politics does constrain, I think, the parameters of the possible for any kind of major breakthrough.”

From the article:

Quote

If Mr. Trump’s first foreign trip in May was a chance for him to escape turmoil at home — staff infighting, a stalled agenda and the Russia-related investigations — his second thrusts him into the maelstrom. And at the center of it, Mr. Putin awaits.

The image of a dark, devious and dangerous spider sitting in its web comes to mind. As a master of manipulation, this meeting will be dominated by Putin, who will come with his special brand of smoke for some non-subtle ass-blowing, accompanied by threats of revealing certain embarassing tapes I'm certain Putin has of TT. 

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39 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

“I expect an Olympian level of macho posturing between these two leaders, who both understand the power of symbolism,” said Derek Chollet, a former assistant secretary of defense. “Putin will be very prepared for this meeting. He’s someone who is a master at manipulation.”

Okay, now I'm picturing Putin showing up bare-chested, leading two stallions and asking Trump to "go for a ride" with him. In a fit of pique, trump rips off his shirt and challenges Putin to wrestle. Oh, dear God!

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Just now, GrumpyGran said:

and asking Trump to "go for a ride" with him

Oh, I'm sure Putin will take the presidunce for a ride...

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WUT?

 

:confusion-scratchheadyellow:

Holy Rufus! Does this mean that they know he's mentally unfit?

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15 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

WUT?

 

:confusion-scratchheadyellow:

Holy Rufus! Does this mean that they know he's mentally unfit?

Uh, ok, what? I think it does, that's the purpose of that clause in the amendment, isn't it? And @fraurosena, you know that the other patients in the psych ward aren't the best candidates to diagnose someone. :pb_lol:

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And the hits just keep on coming.

 

http://www.wcvb.com/article/trump-proposes-end-to-heating-aid-for-low-income-americans/10251853

 

Quote

...President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating heating aid for low-income Americans, claiming it's no longer necessary and rife with fraud. People needn't worry about being left in the cold, he says, because utilities cannot cut off customers in the dead of winter.

But he is wrong on all counts.

The heating program provides a critical lifeline for people like Perkins, and officials close to the program don't see any widespread fraud. Guidelines for winter shutoffs by utilities vary from state to state and don't apply to heating oil, a key energy source in the bitter New England winter.
 

I have no words anymore other than, he's just an asshole. It's a popular program, especially (obviously) in cold weather states, so hopefully he will face bipartisan opposition if he actually tries eliminating it.

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On 7/3/2017 at 5:27 AM, VixenToast said:

I have a 6yo boy. Hahaha. So much yes. Only instead of space, it's Titanic (ship and movie). And instead of Power Rangers, it's Thomas and Friends. 

Ok, back to the thread.

Oh, dear God!  My six year old is totally obsessed with the Titanic also.  What is it about that stupid ship?  His other obsession is the solar system.  I know way more than is healthy about both these subjects.  LOL

On 7/3/2017 at 9:07 AM, GreyhoundFan said:

Welcome! Yeah, every day is WTF with the tangerine toddler.

 

"Trump brings up the war on Christmas — in July"

  Reveal hidden contents

The war on Christmas came early this year.

That is, according to President Trump, who devoted a large portion of his speech at a Celebrate Freedom event at the Kennedy Center on Saturday to railing against those who might try to shy away from overt references to Christianity in American discourse.

“Our religious liberty is enshrined in the very first amendment in the Bill of Rights. The American founders invoked our Creator four times in the Declaration of Independence,” Trump said. “Benjamin Franklin reminded his colleague at the Constitutional Convention to begin by bowing their heads in prayer. I remind you that we’re going to start staying ‘Merry Christmas’ again.”

Though the rally was meant to honor military veterans, Trump opened his speech by attacking the media and boasting of his election win.

“The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House,” he said, “but I’m president and they’re not.”

He then declared that he would fight any “bureaucrats” who “think they can run over your lives, overrule your values, meddle in your faith and tell you how to live, what to say and where to pray.” The mostly evangelical Christian crowd at the event — which was sponsored by the First Baptist Dallas megachurch and Salem Media Group — responded to Trump’s remarks with resounding applause.

“Politicians have tried — oh, have they tried — to centralize authority among the hands of a small few in our nation’s capital,” Trump said. “I see them all the time … But we know that parents, not bureaucrats, know best how to raise their children and create a thriving society. And we know that families and churches, not government officials, know best how to create a strong and loving community.”

After a pause, he added: “And, above all else, we know this: In America, we don’t worship government. We worship God.”

As cheers broke out after that line, Trump nodded his head and mouthed: “Thank you.” He then pumped his right fist as the crowd began chanting: “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

As The Washington Post’s Sarah Pulliam Bailey reported last year, one of Trump’s campaign promises was the assurance that Americans would see “Merry Christmas” being used more. It was a strategy that paid off come November:

Many of Trump’s promises, including his emphasis on “Merry Christmas,” included direct appeals to religious voters, especially to evangelical voters who came out and voted overwhelmingly in favor of him. His spiritual cabinet during the campaign was made up of conservative Christian leaders, many of whom identify with the prosperity gospel movement that links faith with wealth.

“When was the last time you saw ‘Merry Christmas’? You don’t see it anymore,” then-candidate Trump said in a campaign speech at Liberty University in January 2016. “They want to be politically correct. If I’m president, you will see ‘Merry Christmas’ in department stores, believe me, believe me.”

Though there has not been a Christmas yet since Trump took office, references to religious freedom during his presidency have centered on Christianity. For the first time in nearly two decades, the White House did not recognize Ramadan with an iftar dinner or an Eid al-Fitr celebration this year, which some viewed as a slight against Muslim American communities.

Trump’s campaign rhetoric — and speeches since becoming president — have extended a long argument between ideologues over holiday greetings. During his tenure, President Barack Obama was frequently accused by the right of being too politically correct in his annual holiday cards, even though he and Michelle Obama wished the nation “Merry Christmas” every year while in office in spoken and other addresses.

For years, retailers and politicians have found themselves at the center of the politicized debate over the use of the neutral greeting “Happy Holidays” — which has the potential to be even more offensive to some groups than “Merry Christmas,” according to a recent survey from Public Policy Polling.

The Post’s Christopher Ingraham parsed the survey results last year and surmised that those who were most offended by references to “Happy Holidays” included strong conservatives, Gary Johnson voters, Trump supporters and men.

“These are the same groups of people that tend to say there is too much political correctness in society, yielding a paradox,” Ingraham reported. “The folks who complain the most about political correctness are the ones who are the most offended by what they see as ‘incorrect’ speech.”

Um, he doesn't worship God. He worships himself, money, and Putin. In that order.

Grrrrrrr....  Why do Christians insist on yammering on about this non-existent war on Christmas?  Nobody is keeping them from celebrating it or going to church.  Hell, most of the damn country shuts down on Christmas Day.  Why do they persist with this persecution complex?  So, some kid wished you Happy Holidays at Target.  Big damn deal.  That's hardly a war.  To me, these people just seem pathetic, like they're trying to make a big deal about it so they can feel important.  Bunch of drama queens are what they are.

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18 minutes ago, Childless said:

Oh, dear God!  My six year old is totally obsessed with the Titanic also.  What is it about that stupid ship?  His other obsession is the solar system.  I know way more than is healthy about both these subjects.  LOL

Grrrrrrr....  Why do Christians insist on yammering on about this non-existent war on Christmas?  Nobody is keeping them from celebrating it or going to church.  Hell, most of the damn country shuts down on Christmas Day.  Why do they persist with this persecution complex?  So, some kid wished you Happy Holidays at Target.  Big damn deal.  That's hardly a war.  To me, these people just seem pathetic, like they're trying to make a big deal about it so they can feel important.  Bunch of drama queens are what they are.

Maybe we can start saying "Merry Christmas, but I hope your New Year is just a shitty as it can be!"

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2 hours ago, GrumpyGran said:

Okay, now I'm picturing Putin showing up bare-chested, leading two stallions and asking Trump to "go for a ride" with him. In a fit of pique, trump rips off his shirt and challenges Putin to wrestle. Oh, dear God!

I was thinking of them whipping off their pants and having a dick-measuring contest. That would be par for the course.

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2 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I was thinking of them whipping off their pants and having a dick-measuring contest. That would be par for the course.

Except there's nothing to see there. :pb_lol:

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3 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

I was thinking of them whipping off their pants and having a dick-measuring contest. That would be par for the course.

Yuk, @GreyhoundFan, now I have to go run for the bleach... :brainbleach:

 

Here's some more evidence of how America First is turning into America Last (or should that be "Lost"?).

 

Germany Bolsters China Ties as Trump Policies Raise Concern

Spoiler

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China’s President Xi Jinping pledged to boost economic cooperation between their countries as they met ahead of what is expected to be an unusually tense international summit on Friday.

“We are very happy to see that thanks to efforts from both sides, Chinese-German relations have entered a new phase,” Mr. Xi said Wednesday, according to a German translation of his remarks.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies, his threats to crack down on abuse of free trade, and his withdrawal from the Paris climate change accord have brought Germany and China, two of the world’s largest exporters and both defenders of the climate agreement, closer together.

This new closeness is expected to feature prominently later this week when Ms. Merkel chairs this year’s G-20 summit of the world’s largest economies, which will force her into a delicate balancing act between her commitment to the Western alliance and her professed aversion to Mr. Trump’s international agenda.

“Economic relations between China and Germany are of course very important,” Ms. Merkel told a joint press conference with Mr. Xi. “We don’t only exchange goods, but we’re also cooperating more and more in technological areas.”

If the value of exports and imports are combined, China beat the U.S. and France to become Germany’s leading trading partner for the first time last year. Germany exported €76.1 billion ($86.4 billion) of goods to China, making the Asian giant its fifth-largest export partner, and imports from China reached €93.8 billion, making it Germany’s biggest supplier.

The two-day G-20 summit starts Friday in Hamburg. European delegates have said they would confront Mr. Trump on his trade stance and on his decision to withdraw from the Paris accord.

Ms. Merkel said she expected difficult negotiations.

“It’s not easy to bring together all 20 countries with all their developments and positions,” she said. “I don’t know yet what the final result will look like.”

Apart from conflicting views on free trade, climate protection is seen as the main stumbling block at the G-20 meeting. China, the world’s largest emitter of carbon ahead of the U.S., has said it would stick to its commitments under the Paris deal, which saw more than 190 countries pledge to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.

In separate comments published Wednesday, Ms. Merkel also took direct aim at Mr. Trump’s trade policy.

The U.S. view of globalization, she told the Die Zeit weekly, was “not about a win-win situation but about winners and losers… Not just the few should benefit from economic progress. Everybody should participate.”

Several commercial deals were signed on Wednesday, timed to the meeting between Ms. Merkel and Mr. Xi. These included an agreement between car maker Daimler AG andBAIC Motor Corp. to develop electric cars; strategic partnerships between industrial conglomerate Siemens AG and Chinese companies; and a Chinese order for 140 aircraft from Airbus SE . No figure was given for the value of the contract.

Ms. Merkel also pledged that Germany would participate in China’s planned revival of ancient Silk Road trading routes from China to Europe if the tendering process was transparent. Ms. Merkel didn’t elaborate on what form this participation would take.

The project to improve infrastructure along China’s main international trade channels is expected to generate more than $900 billion in investments in roads, ports, pipelines and other projects.

Mama Merkel is not happy with the toddler, that much is obvious. And China is happily jumping into the void left by a navel gazing WH.

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So is Trump going to make it a law that department stores have to put up Merry Christmas posters, or how is he going to make that happen?

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16 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Yuk, @GreyhoundFan, now I have to go run for the bleach... :brainbleach:

 

Here's some more evidence of how America First is turning into America Last (or should that be "Lost"?).

 

Germany Bolsters China Ties as Trump Policies Raise Concern

  Reveal hidden contents

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China’s President Xi Jinping pledged to boost economic cooperation between their countries as they met ahead of what is expected to be an unusually tense international summit on Friday.

“We are very happy to see that thanks to efforts from both sides, Chinese-German relations have entered a new phase,” Mr. Xi said Wednesday, according to a German translation of his remarks.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies, his threats to crack down on abuse of free trade, and his withdrawal from the Paris climate change accord have brought Germany and China, two of the world’s largest exporters and both defenders of the climate agreement, closer together.

This new closeness is expected to feature prominently later this week when Ms. Merkel chairs this year’s G-20 summit of the world’s largest economies, which will force her into a delicate balancing act between her commitment to the Western alliance and her professed aversion to Mr. Trump’s international agenda.

“Economic relations between China and Germany are of course very important,” Ms. Merkel told a joint press conference with Mr. Xi. “We don’t only exchange goods, but we’re also cooperating more and more in technological areas.”

If the value of exports and imports are combined, China beat the U.S. and France to become Germany’s leading trading partner for the first time last year. Germany exported €76.1 billion ($86.4 billion) of goods to China, making the Asian giant its fifth-largest export partner, and imports from China reached €93.8 billion, making it Germany’s biggest supplier.

The two-day G-20 summit starts Friday in Hamburg. European delegates have said they would confront Mr. Trump on his trade stance and on his decision to withdraw from the Paris accord.

Ms. Merkel said she expected difficult negotiations.

“It’s not easy to bring together all 20 countries with all their developments and positions,” she said. “I don’t know yet what the final result will look like.”

Apart from conflicting views on free trade, climate protection is seen as the main stumbling block at the G-20 meeting. China, the world’s largest emitter of carbon ahead of the U.S., has said it would stick to its commitments under the Paris deal, which saw more than 190 countries pledge to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.

In separate comments published Wednesday, Ms. Merkel also took direct aim at Mr. Trump’s trade policy.

The U.S. view of globalization, she told the Die Zeit weekly, was “not about a win-win situation but about winners and losers… Not just the few should benefit from economic progress. Everybody should participate.”

Several commercial deals were signed on Wednesday, timed to the meeting between Ms. Merkel and Mr. Xi. These included an agreement between car maker Daimler AG andBAIC Motor Corp. to develop electric cars; strategic partnerships between industrial conglomerate Siemens AG and Chinese companies; and a Chinese order for 140 aircraft from Airbus SE . No figure was given for the value of the contract.

Ms. Merkel also pledged that Germany would participate in China’s planned revival of ancient Silk Road trading routes from China to Europe if the tendering process was transparent. Ms. Merkel didn’t elaborate on what form this participation would take.

The project to improve infrastructure along China’s main international trade channels is expected to generate more than $900 billion in investments in roads, ports, pipelines and other projects.

Mama Merkel is not happy with the toddler, that much is obvious. And China is happily jumping into the void left by a navel gazing WH.

God, how I wish she would just slap Trump the minute she sees him.

Quote
15 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

So is Trump going to make it a law that department stores have to put up Merry Christmas posters, or how is he going to make that happen?

 

He's going to wave his Magic Wand of Hypocrisy!

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One of Trump's slogans has been made into a worship song. How far down the rabbit hole are we, that I'm just relieved that it's not the grabby one? :kitty-shifty:

Spoiler

 

At last night’s “Celebrate Freedom Rally,” the choir and orchestra of First Baptist Dallas premiered a new song. It’s written by their former Minister of Music, Gary Moore, who was in attendance and recognized. As of today, it is now available in the CCLI database for any church who wishes to sing it. Here is the text:

Make America great again
Make America great again
Lift the torch of freedom all across the land
Step into the future joining hand in hand
And make America great again
Yes make America great again.

Americans from ev’ry corner of this blessed land
Come together with one voice
Help us take a stand
Following the vision to make her proud and grand
And make America great again
Make America great again

Like the mighty eagle that is rising on the wind
Soaring t’ward our destiny
Hearts and voices blend
With a mighty melody oh let the song begin
And make America great again
Make America great again

Each and every state
Make America great again
Make America great again

It’s saccharine and uninteresting but it seems innocent enough. Indeed, if it were just another little ditty to whistle on Independence Day, it would be fairly innocuous. The problem is that the sentiment behind it has been adopted by a significant portion of the evangelical church. It’s not only  their candidate’s campaign slogan, it’s now a part of their gospel. It’s their mantra, their creed, their prayer, and they shout it out with nationalistic fervor. Pledging allegiance to God and to America in the same breath, melding together the kingdom of God and self, they pray a blasphemous prayer to a red, white, and blue Jesus.

The mere existence of a song like “Make America Great Again” in a database of so-called “worship” songs highlights the degree to which American Christianity has sold its soul to a gospel of power and self-interest.

The premiere performance was followed by one of the most disturbing presidential introductions I’ve ever heard. Robert Jeffress, Pastor of FBC Dallas and faithful presidential lapdog, introduces Donald Trump as the American god’s prayer for the world, the Übermensch who can redeem our lost empire, and through whom this god’s hand of blessing will forcefully and triumphantly be restored upon the USA.

 

There's a video of the entire rally at the link.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ponderanew/2017/07/02/make-america-great-now-ccli-licensed-christian-worship-song/

32 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

So is Trump going to make it a law that department stores have to put up Merry Christmas posters, or how is he going to make that happen?

 It's freedom and liberty from God's chosen one!

* sobs a little, bangs head on desk*

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I thought he was against regulations. But forcing businesses to say merry christmas is fine. 

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47 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

Maybe we can start saying "Merry Christmas, but I hope your New Year is just a shitty as it can be!"

I was thinking, "Merry Christmas. If Jesus is the Reason for the Season, why are you shopping? You should be spending the Christmas season in worship and quiet contemplation." Double points for Thanksgiving Day, which shouldn't be a day of shopping. I know, it would be bad for business.

Snark tone off.

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1 hour ago, Childless said:

Oh, dear God!  My six year old is totally obsessed with the Titanic also.  

Grrrrrrr....  Why do Christians insist on yammering on about this non-existent war on Christmas?  Nobody is keeping them from celebrating it or going to church.  

SOME Christians. I'm Christian and I know there is no such thing as a war on Christmas. Then again, I don't believe Christians should seek to dominate popular culture in this pluralistic society. No culture wars for me, just love in action.

Oh, and your six year old is brilliant. I was obsessed with Titanic as an adult, twenty years ago. It really is a fascinating topic.

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22 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

introduces Donald Trump as the American god’s prayer for the world, the Übermensch who can redeem our lost empire, and through whom this god’s hand of blessing will forcefully and triumphantly be restored upon the USA.

This really makes me want to :puke-huge:

Phew, glad that's out. Now for a few questions and remarks.

  1. I didn't know there was an "American god"... Here I thought there was only one. Silly me.
     
  2. Übermensch.  Übermensch? Now which Reich was it again, that glorified Übermenschen?
     
  3. Prayer for the world [...] through whom this god's hand of blessing will forcefully and triumphantly be restored upon the USA. 
    a] That the world is bigger than just the USA hasn't registered yet with this moron
    b] I can just see that glorified hand now, bursting through the presidunce's chest like the Alien exploding forth and gentlypetting the ground before it... 
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1 hour ago, AmazonGrace said:

So is Trump going to make it a law that department stores have to put up Merry Christmas posters, or how is he going to make that happen?

Trump isn't going to do jack shit because he could care less about Christmas (beyond people buying gifts for him).  He's just using the stupid war on Christmas bullshit to get people to fawn all over him and stroke his ego.  And they gave him exactly what he wanted (for godsake they sang a song about him).  If spitting on a nativity scene and kicking baby Jesus across the lawn would make him money or garner adulation, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

The saddest part about the whole thing is the fact that he's got all these people totally fooled.  They think he actually cares.

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CNN has a comprehensive overview of the countries the presidunce has pissed off in a mere 5 months, orderd by issues of contention.

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Mexico
  • Russia
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Turkey
  • UK
  • EU

Although I've added the EU from the article, note that it is not a country - maybe somebody should tell CNN?
And while they're at it, also tell them that France, Germany and Italy are part of the EU, so it's superfluous to mention them separately in the list when also including the EU on the same issues. Either list all  the EU countries separately, or list the EU as a whole. :pb_rollseyes:

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Sweden, he pissed off Sweden by inventing an imaginary terror attack there. 

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4 hours ago, Childless said:

Oh, dear God!  My six year old is totally obsessed with the Titanic also.  What is it about that stupid ship?  His other obsession is the solar system.  I know way more than is healthy about both these subjects.  LOL

Grrrrrrr....  Why do Christians insist on yammering on about this non-existent war on Christmas?  Nobody is keeping them from celebrating it or going to church.  Hell, most of the damn country shuts down on Christmas Day.  Why do they persist with this persecution complex?  So, some kid wished you Happy Holidays at Target.  Big damn deal.  That's hardly a war.  To me, these people just seem pathetic, like they're trying to make a big deal about it so they can feel important.  Bunch of drama queens are what they are.

I could care less if a salesperson doesn't wish me a Merry Christmas while handing me my change and purchase.  Many times, they don't say anything at all.  Won't make me want to boycott their store.

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