Understanding the US - Again

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UlanBatori
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by UlanBatori »

Its simple: Back in the 1960s there was a cartoon in a British newspaper about the spate of train-robberies. A toy salesman explaining to a Dad and son:
And we throw in 6 mail robbers to go with each train set
Same here:
Take 6 lawyers and 8 Talking Heads to go with each public position.
I think MAJOR robbery is taking place behind the scenes while the public is glued to CNN and FOX reading total garbage.
ricky_v
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by ricky_v »

I recently read "Fantasyland: How America went haywire, a 500 yr history" by kurt andersen, which to me is a condensed form of understanding america and its proclivities. I posted a link to the excerpt when it was first released, posting it again
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ar ... nd/534231/
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6825&p=2200136#p2200136
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by VKumar »

Everyone should read ' BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE'
How America dealt with native Indians. A true classic.
Lalmohan
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

VKumar wrote:Everyone should read ' BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE'
How America dealt with native Indians. A true classic.
compulsory reading
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

mccabe's firing was more to do with putting sessions under pressure. oddly for a trumpista, klanboysessions has decided to uphold the law - which means that the great leader basically pushed him into a him or you situation... so i guess it was him then
basically, now mccabe's shooting has generated primary evidence of obstruction...
trex's deputy also got fired, for not upholding the party line on trex's departure...
fun times in the land of the free
UlanBatori
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by UlanBatori »

Let's analyze that for a moment. Agint McCabe was fired after an Internal Report of a Top-Level Investigative Panel the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States of America - as grand and impeccable an Investigative qualification as an investigative body can have, hain? They recommended firing him, citing thoroughly investigated and irrefutable evidence (one assumes?) and the Hon. AG Sessions, being a paragon of integrity sworn to uphold the laws of the US of A, merely carried out that recommendation. So if the Internal Report was false, then the FBI IS corrupt to the core and plays politics and cooks up false evidence to smear innocent and honest, upstanding employees and citizens, which is precisely what the President said - the FBI is messed up and rotten at the top, and which is why McCabe was fired, for leaking stuff and otherwise playing politics. So what is the mango yankeestani make of this? Is the FBI rotten or not? Seems there is a problem, one way or the other. Either the FBI is rotten as exemplified by McCabe, or the FBI is rotten as exemplified by the Internal Top Level Panel that smeared poor Agint McCabe. Or, more probably, both?

It's like Hizzoner said in the movie "Lock Up Your Daughters":
If she accuses him of rape, then he must hang.
If she lied, then she must hang.
IOW, the Hon. POTUS is right when he says Something Smells In DupleeCity. Sure it may be he and his cronies most of all, but something DOES stink so he is right.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by A_Gupta »

No, Trump & co could be lying about the Inspector General’s finding. Won’t be the first time they have lied about such things. What is definitely rotten is Trump and his cronies. The rest, maybe, but such judgment can’t be based on their statements.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Gus »

With all the expulsions and unfilled posts in the WHOTUS, I think some folks here would make excellent replacements. plenty of qualities that the president values - unquestioning unwavering loyalty, ability to defend any BS with specious logic etc.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

mean-e-while
all this has given me a legitimate opportunity to study the works of storm-e-daniels; purely for research purposes m'lud!
lordy I hope there's tapes!
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

mean-e-while 2
Cambridge analytica seems to be back in the news
and even Saul in Homeland is making wisecracks about hacking the brexit vote and dezainformatsiya
but not to worry, I am sure that brown folks are welcome in 2nd amendment rallys
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by UlanBatori »

Lalmohan wrote:mean-e-while
all this has given me a legitimate opportunity to study the works of storm-e-daniels; purely for research purposes m'lud!
lordy I hope there's tapes!
I am waiting for C-SPAN -Mongolia: this HAS to be aired live from the Congressional Hiyarings. Since they excused Fawn Hall in the Iran-Contral Hiyarings there has been no such promising revelation. The AMERICAN and MONGOLIAN PUBlIC has a Right to Know!
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

potentially storm-e-daniels can offer live action testimony to the congress wallahs...
spread open democratic process and all that...
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by BajKhedawal »

Lalmohan wrote:
VKumar wrote:Everyone should read ' BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE'
How America dealt with native Indians. A true classic.
compulsory reading
Or watch it on HBO, "Sitting Bull" character reminded me of our pre-azadi brown sahib princelings showcased in their exotic finery to the gora population back home, but mired in poverty in their own "kingdoms".
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

need to understand concept of 'manifest destiny'
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Philip »

Understand which US? The US of neo-cons and rabid ,racist Republican right of US imperialism ? The US of sinister insider back-stroking and deals within wheels,crony-capitalist Clinton style? The US of anti-govt. anti-establishment socialism of Bernie Sanders? Or the US of the "white trash" out-of-work-ers
,"joe six-pack" and his dudes,Trump supporters? Or the US of "King Donald the Trump",who doesn't mean what he says,doesn't say what he means,and uses ends to justify the means,in a "trump uber alles" dictatorship of the "real (e)state" tycoon!
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

there are also many positive models of the US, most of which I rather like - and on balance they are a positive force in the world
but I am under no illusions about their dark side
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Philip »

I forgot to add the two major ethinc US's.The Afro-American (Black) US and tbe Hispanic US.
In the last election Hillary was found to be too establishment and untrustworthy, while neglected out-of-work "White trash", and religious right voted Trump in.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Rudradev »

Meet John Bolton (again). Unreconstructed 2003-model Neocon, and new NSA of the United States.

You could not get further away from McMaster, a general who would hesitate to risk the lives and limbs of his men on reckless and strategically unviable adventures.

https://www.theatlantic.com/internation ... on/556346/



A Short Guide to John Bolton's Government Career


The incoming national security adviser has advocated for war with North Korea.

It is only fitting that, within the same week the United States marks 15 years since the 2003 Iraq invasion, John Bolton has been named the president’s national security adviser.

Bolton advocated for another U.S. invasion of Iraq, following the first Gulf War, as far back as the 1990s, when he called on President Clinton to oust Saddam Hussein. Later, as under secretary of state for arms control, during President George W. Bush’s first term in office, he told the BBC the U.S. was “confident that Saddam Hussein has hidden weapons of mass destruction and production facilities in Iraq.” The evidence used to go to war in 2003 might have long been deemed mistaken, and some of the war’s most ardent supporters might have expressed second thoughts since then given the immense cost of human life and the destabilization of the region, but Bolton has maintained that deposing Saddam was worth the effort—even if the decisions made after the invasion weren’t always right.

It is that sort of steadfastness in views—or, depending on your perspective, unapologetic hawkishness—that apparently impressed President Trump, a critic of the war in Iraq. Bolton, was a regular on Fox News, where he called for aggressive postures toward North Korea and Iran. Bolton, like Trump, is also a critic of multilateral institutions, international agreements, and free trade, and an advocate for a foreign policy based on what he sees as exclusively American interests.

Bolton has called for an “end” to North Korea and argued recently in The Wall Street Journal for a preventive first strike against the regime of Kim Jong Un, who Trump is expected to meet in May. Like Trump, he believes the nuclear deal China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union signed with Iran is a sham that does little to curb Tehran’s activities. His appointment increases the likelihood the president will withdraw from the agreement in May.

Bolton served in government as a political appointee in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations. He served at the U.S. Justice Department, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Agency for International Development in a variety of positions. His hawkish views on foreign policy won him many admirers (as well as critics). He remained a polarizing figure during the presidency of George W. Bush. He was named, at Vice President Dick Cheney’s insistence, undersecretary of state for arms control in Colin Powell’s State Department. There, he made the case for the U.S. withdrawal from the antiballistic missile treaty with Russia, but later helped negotiate a pact with Russia that saw both countries commit to large reductions in their nuclear-weapons stockpiles. He did not win many admirers among U.S. allies during this time, with U.K. officials, in particular, seeing him as an obstacle to negotiations with difficult countries like Iran and Libya, and persuading Bush to keep Bolton off the negotiating teams.

Bolton, in his memoir, Surrender Is Not an Option, :D made clear what he thought about the State Department: “State careerists are schooled in accommodation and compromise with foreigners, rather than aggressive advocacy of U.S. interests, which might inconveniently disrupt the serenity of diplomatic exchanges, not to mention dinner parties and receptions.” He called the department’s East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau, which works on issues including North Korea and China, the “EAPeasers.” Those “State careerists” could be similarly skeptical of him. Christopher Hill, a diplomat of long standing who conducted negotiations with the North Koreans during the Clinton administration, characterized Bolton’s appointment as a “major promotion.” Bolton, Hill told me via email, has “never had this level of responsibility before. [He was] always a kind of in-house free electron, amusing but not particularly consequential. All that changes now.”

Condoleezza Rice, who succeeded Powell as U.S. secretary of state, resisted the White House’s efforts to make Bolton her deputy. Instead, he was dispatched to the UN as U.S. ambassador. Bolton was a longtime critic of the United Nations. In 1994, he famously said: “The (UN) Secretariat building in New York has 38 stories. If it lost 10 stories, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.” When U.S. senators asked Bolton what he meant by those remarks, he said he was making the case for a leaner bureaucracy in an organization notorious for its red tape. But comments like that, along with his other views, ensured that Bolton could never win over the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Bush named him to the UN post as a recess appointment. Bolton served in the position for about a year before stepping down.

But if his blunt assessments of U.S. allies and adversaries alike, as well as his brusque manner, has won him admirers, Bolton’s conduct with his colleagues has been criticized. Subordinates complained about his abrasive behavior. During Bolton’s nomination hearing for the UN job, Carl Ford, an intelligence official and assistant secretary of state, as well as a self-described conservative Republican, testified that Bolton bullied an intelligence analyst over evidence about Cuba’s suspected weapons programs, prompting an intervention from Powell. Bolton is a “kiss-up, kick-down sort of guy” who “abuses his authority with little people,” Ford said at the time.

George W. Bush later appeared to regret his choice of Bolton, reportedly saying he didn’t “consider Bolton credible.” Those remarks, made in the final days of his administration, came after Bolton wrote a column in the Journal, criticizing the Bush administration: “Nothing can erase the ineffable sadness of an American presidency, like this one, in total intellectual collapse.”

Trump had long wanted to name Bolton to a top Cabinet position, but in addition to the fact he would likely have faced strong opposition in the Senate, Rice and other Republican éminences grises advised Trump against it. And yet, a little more than a year after he entered the White House, Trump went his own way, announcing Thursday that Bolton would replace H.R. McMaster to become the president’s third national security adviser. The position doesn’t require Senate confirmation—a point that was also apparently relevant to Trump’s appointment of his first national-security adviser, Michael Flynn, a controversial pick at the time who has since pled guilty to lying to the FBI. Bolton, meanwhile, had the president’s ear while on Fox News. Whether he can keep Trump’s attention now is a question for another day.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

excellent tweet by George takei - john Bolton only slightly less scary than ramsey Bolton (from game of thrones)
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by chanakyaa »

Statistically speaking, odds of Bolton getting fired on this job is high -- within 6-7 months.

Bolton would be the 3rd? National Shecurity Advisor. Statistically speaking, given the past of other firings, the age of person spending time on this job is around 6 months. The odds, however small, are also there that he spends more than 6 months on the job. This job does not require senate confirmation. Hire, fire all day.
UlanBatori
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by UlanBatori »

The good thing is that this time around, Bolton is in the Orange House. So the entire media is up in arms against him. CheeNN had an OpEd titled: "Bolton's moustache is more qualified than he is", basically calling him an idiot with a uniformly disastrous record. We knew that a long time ago. With any luck, Bolton will be exposed as an idiot in public b4 Orangehead fires him. It only takes ONE disagreement....
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by jaysimha »

Markets tumble after US-China trade war fears
U.S. stocks continued to plummet on Friday, ending the week with biggest loss in more than two years, as investors were agitated by the scale of U.S. tariffs and possible impact on global trade

Image

baap re baap,,, there is no better way to portray the situation than uniform shaving of heads..
may be it is the shape of things to come under stump...
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Philip »

Even in 6 months he could do more damage than the Donald in 6 years!
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by panduranghari »

jaysimha wrote:Markets tumble after US-China trade war fears
U.S. stocks continued to plummet on Friday, ending the week with biggest loss in more than two years, as investors were agitated by the scale of U.S. tariffs and possible impact on global trade

Image

baap re baap,,, there is no better way to portray the situation than uniform shaving of heads..
may be it is the shape of things to come under stump...

The tariffs are only against China. The USG has stated very categorically Mexico and Canada who are the next biggest trading partners won't be affected.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

with bolton and trump at the helm, the risk of a war that no one wants against either Iran or NoKo - or both(!) have gone up significantly. Bolton will do it for ideological reasons (or maybe God called him up and told him to) and Trump will do it to distract from the latest khelbaby expose or another henchman confessing all to mueller

things carry on like this, there might be more than one Amreeki jarnail wondering if it is time to borrow the regime change manual from their birathers in Pindi...
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by chetak »

Looks like India may have agreed to sign the (CISMOA) and (BECA), per TV news

This will jeopardize our relations with the ruskis for leasing their nuke subs.

Better to have many baskets rather than just one basket and that too, a basket with the highly unreliable US.

The three agreements — Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) are referred to as the foundational agreements which the U.S. signs with countries with which it has close military ties.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Philip »

We'll have to see how these affdct our key programmes with the Russians, extra Akulas, N-sub support and tech, FGFA, etc., etc.The Russians would not want US naval personnel using an Indian naval base where its prize weapon systems (Akulas are on lease to India remember) are vulnerable to US espionage.

This if true would be a very detrimental act and enrage the Chinese who would now treat us as a confirmed stooge of the US and accelerate their anti- Indian military, diplomatic and economic efforts alreadu causing us much heartburn.All our neighbours have joined the Chinese and ganged up against us with only BDesh adopting a tilt towards India. Upto now we have appeared to be close to but not yet in Uncle Sam's anti-China military posse.

Signing on as a Yanqui stooge will also bring us inevitably into a confrontation with Russia should a US-Sino spat occur and should Russia support China at that time militarily, what would we then do when Uncle Sam demands his pound of flesh from us, access to our naval bases, interoperability of Indian warships and subs ...what then? Our ships and subs and bases would become legitimate targets for any Sino-Russo combine.Havd our great schemers factored that in? The US would happily allow us to be chewed up as mere cannon fodder for the Chin enemy while his landmass remains intact.The sh*t will hit the Yanqui hangers-on hardest.

When we are insulted by a tinpot dictator of the smallest consequence on the planet in the Maldives and are found as virile as a castrated mouse, it is going to be hilarious to see us caught in a possible , nay probable future clinch between the three top military powers on the globe!
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Zynda »

^^The Russians have not exactly been sensitive to our concerns wrt China & Pak as well. They are chasing after their national interests & so should we. Further, we have always managed to operate both Russian & Western equipment with segregation and I am sure we can restrict US equipment to certain Naval bases if need be even though it would compromise our operational flexibility a little bit. And Russia is not a fool to let go of huge Indian contracts ranging in Billions as they realize that their market is running out. I'd think they would be satisfied if we can guarantee good segregation...BTW, I am not too keen on signing those contracts with US...but if both GoI & IN are for it, I'll say do what needs to be done to advance our interests & capabilities.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Mort Walker »

No one in India has signed anything. India is no yanqui stooge anymore than being a Ruski stooge.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Falijee »

Saudi Crown Prince Claims That He Is Appyling "Islamic Message" To POTUS Son In Law "Yahoodi" Jared Kushner. :D

Saudi Crown Prince says Trump’s son-in-law in his pocket
WASHINGTON: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman boasted US President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner was "in his pocket", according to a report published in ‘The Intercept’.
Citing three sources close to the Saudi and Emirati royal families, the news outlet said Kushner provided the heir to the Saudi throne details about Saudi princes who are not loyal to him. According to a separate source, Mohammed bin Salman is said to have told the Abu Dhabi crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, that Kushner was "in his pocket". Kushner's lawyers have rejected the report as "false and ridiculous", adding the allegations did not "merit response". Might as well get "things" done ASAP, while still Jared has influence with Trump. Wonder what the pro-quo- qua is ? Official recognition of the "Artificial Zionist Entity," ( AKA Israel) which is so dear to Trump and Kushner :D
‘The Intercept’ report comes just weeks after Kushner had his White House security clearance to access highly classified US intelligence revoked. :D
The 37-year-old has reported earned the ire of others in the Trump administration, including the White House chief of staff, John Kelly. Kelly is reportedly looking at ways of pushing Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump from their roles at the White House. Mohammed bin Salman is currently on a two-week state visit to the US.


That is a long, long time to spend TWO FULL WEEKS AWAY , from the Land Of The Sand . :roll:. With Raheel Sharif in Pakiland, who is "protecting MBS's backside" back home , while in the guise of a state visit, he is taking in all the sights and sounds of the Big Apple, Miama and Florida, and the Hollywood West Coast and tasting, eating and drinking his way through Disneyworld, Disneyland and whatever :mrgreen:
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by ramana »

DT campaigned against Neocons who led US into Middle East wars. So Bolton appointment is against his campaign.

Lets see.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by UlanBatori »

ramana: Bolton appt per Graham, is to "negotiate" with NoKo. I have to agree that is excellent strategy. The thing people forget is that in the Orange-utan regime, there is no place for Assistant Bosses. Decision-making is straight from the top. This came through in several of our PeeAref experiences, where ppl finished a small 1-day job, then were asked to wait until the 'utan came on the line to threaten and bully them, then commend and pay them. Or in other cases, where his flunkies tried threats, and the team threatened right back, they yielded because they had no authority to do anything without the Utan's say-so. Everything he has done can be explained in the light of those two experiences.

Look at what he has achieved, not all the sideshows. Tax law is IMO excellent. He made sure the elephant crowd got spanked on Obamacare because he was never opposed to Obamacare. I think he will accept DACA because he sympathizes. He will pass a fairly reasonable gun law, but the elephant crowd will shoot themselves in the foot.

He tried negotiating with cheen, following advice from his Advisors, until he was sure that his instincts were right. Cheen was backstabbing on NoKo, no doubt about that. So he told Tillerson he was wasting his time, and basically went to the brink. 30 seconds to midnight on doomsday clock.

Cheen and Roos bullied SoKo with visions of total destruction, and SoKo folded at the knees and went to negotiate with NoKo. But this played into DT's hands because he was still threatening, SoKo be damned. So SoKo and NoKo came to negotiate. DT showed that he is willing to slap SoKo, with trade tariffs.

OK, now he is sure he can do better without the pompous Diplomats, so Tillerson is out. Tillerson had served his purpose, gutting Foggy Bottom. (Tillerson is too big to just take orders, and DC ain't big enough for 2 egos of the scale of Tillerson and DT).

The military campaign plans are all set, so McMasters can go back to the military. In comes Dolt1. Everybody is looking at Dolt1's past, but it is irrelevant. He has no independent voice in Trumpistan: he is just ordered to follow orders, or get fired. Dolt1 actually said that a few times, but ppl are not paying attention.

Likewise,Pompeo is a loyal puppet. He is there to obey orders, not dispense advice because he has no experience.

Tariffs against Cheen show that DT is not afraid of cheen's bluff. Sure enough, after initial bluster, Eleven is pleading for "cooperation". Cheen now has something to worry about, and playing with US using NoKo is becoming expensive.

Trump-Haley-Dolt1-Pompeo makes a pretty unified front (they have one brain between the 4 of them). All march to the same orders. The other 3 are not there for their advice, they are there to carry out orders.

I think Trump is going to win denuclearization of NoKo, and probably SoKo. And trade balance with Cheen. There may be a recession before all that, and the Elephants may lost majority in the COTUS this November, but until then Trump has a clear window to follow his playbook.

At the end of the day, it is useful to remember that Trump is a Republican only out of grudging convenience. His only party is Trumparty.

But of course there's Mueller and Stormy. Mostly distractions to keep people's minds off nuclear war, IMO.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by disha »

jaysimha wrote:Markets tumble after US-China trade war fears
U.S. stocks continued to plummet on Friday, ending the week with biggest loss in more than two years, as investors were agitated by the scale of U.S. tariffs and possible impact on global trade

baap re baap,,, there is no better way to portray the situation than uniform shaving of heads..
may be it is the shape of things to come under stump...
Never trust the financial anal-cysts., they stick together in herds.

1. January 30, 2018 -> US stock markets high -> Economy growing at 3% per year.
2. March 15, 2018 -> Stock has to crash since inflation is picking up. Funny thing, inflation tracks wage growth, but there is no wage growth. Now inflation fears are considered overblown.
3. March 23, 2018 -> Huge stock sell-off., why because of trade wars!

Funny thing is, this "trade war" will boost American economy.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

maybe the nuclear war is a distraction from stormy and khelbaby and marineboymuller...?
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by A_Gupta »

Dunno if you can make sense of it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mon ... 61952f1c09
Why are white Christians sticking so closely to Trump, despite these claims of sexual indiscretions? And why are religious individuals and groups that previously decried sexual impropriety among political leaders suddenly willing to give Trump a “mulligan” on his infidelity?

Our new study points to a different answer than others have offered. Voters’ religious tenets aren’t actually what’s behind Trump support; rather, it’s Christian nationalism — their view of the United States as a fundamentally Christian nation.
Ironically, Christian nationalism is focused on preserving a perceived Christian identity for America irrespective of the means by which such a project would be achieved.
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Lalmohan »

^^^ white Christian nationalism with a special place in heaven for those that fight the good fight
this is why they don't care about putin - they think he is the messiah
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by Philip »

The US expels 60 Ru diplomats,along with EU expulsions too, in what is the worst ever state of affairs between the West and Russia.Welcome to Cold War-3.Expect hot wars to break out in the hot spots of the globe,as there is now a total lack of understanding between the two blocs. This is a planned move,details made months ago,as the attempted attack on a minor ex-spy is too unimportant for such a reaction.One clear aim is to totally wreck the impending soccer World Cup in Russia,just as the UKR crisis was created to wreck the Sochi Winter Olympics.This is utterly deplorable of the West.

I do not know what the GOI's attitude to this will be,but in my opinion,deeply worried as to the fall out. We are drifitng rapidly towards actual military confrontation which could take only a small spark anywhere on the globe. In this context,with a trade war against China,we may see China take a more conciliatory attitude towards India and try and try and persuade India not to join a mil "Quad" against it but get into a "triad" along with Russia to protect Asian interests.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/0 ... salisbury/
US expels 60 Russian diplomats as EU members follow suit in response to Salisbury spy poisoning
Donald Trump is expelling 60 Russian diplomats

Ben Riley-Smith, us editor Rozina Sabur
26 MARCH 2018 • 2:00PM
Donald Trump has expelled 60 Russian diplomats from America as punishment for the Salisbury poisoning and to protect the country from spying.

Germany and France have also announced they are each expelling four Russian diplomats with various other European countries have followed suit.

EU leaders agreed last week it was highly likely Russia was behind the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter in the UK.

Some 48 diplomats at the Russian embassy in the US have been asked to leave and 12 Russians who work at the United Nations. The Russian consulate in Seattle will also be closed.

Senior US administration officials said the Russians being expelled were intelligence officers who are being "cloaked" by their diplomatic status.
The US officials accused Russia of a “reckless attempt” to murder British citizens on UK soil and said the attack would not go unpunished.

US officials said that the lives of "countless" innocent people including children had been put at risk by the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
They also blamed the Kremlin directly for the attack.

A senior US administration official said: "This was a reckless attempt by the government to murder a British citizen and his daughter on British soil with a military-grave nerve agent. It cannot go unanswered.

“The Salisbury attack was only the latest in a long series of Russian efforts to undermine international peace and stability.

“The Russian government has shown malicious contempt for the sovereignty and security of countries worldwide. It has repeatedly sought to subvert and discredit Western institutions. These efforts are ongoing.

“Today we stand in solidarity with America's closest ally, the United Kingdom. To the Russian government we say: ‘When you attack our friends you will face serious consequences.”

The diplomats and their families have seven days to leave the country.

A number of European Union member states, including Germany and Poland, have announced similar moves this morning. The German foreign ministry confirmed Berlin has expelled four Russian diplomats over the Salisbury attack while Poland has said it is also expelling four of the state's diplomats.
kiranA
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by kiranA »

Trump is doing a good job overall but one need to be careful not to intrepret his moves to support one pre-concieved notions. His removal of onerous regulation in manufacturing can help USA. But his trade war with china is the "Art of the Deal" nonsense. The "war" has already fizzled out with US and CHina starting backroom negotiations. China's trade surplus with usa has grown over the last year. And trump is not so much playing china as he is playing with this own base. The same with Russia he wont publicly rebuke russia to play the "art of the deal" with his base while on policy basis he simple toes the establishment line just like he does with china.
UlanBatori
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by UlanBatori »

South Korea bends to trade pressure.
Add that to the $4B worth of THAAD mijjiles.... I'd say that the Mafia-style "Art of the Deal" is working, hain?
kiranA
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Re: Understanding the US- Again

Post by kiranA »

UlanBatori wrote:South Korea bends to trade pressure.
Add that to the $4B worth of THAAD mijjiles.... I'd say that the Mafia-style "Art of the Deal" is working, hain?
What makes you so sure ? trade deals are complex and there are plenty of articles there which say damage to korea is minimal. We wont know results until much later. While this mafia style vastly damages US credibility because US is using tariffs which go against WTO norms to extract normal free trade benefits the benefits to US are yet to be seen. US tried this tariff war with japan to block japan imports and increase american exports. It didnt work. American couldnt import export that much. But Japan built manufacturing plants in USA which it could have done even without its tariff war.

Aalso where did you get the $4b figure for thaad ? AFAIK THAAD is free for so ko apart from costs of land and operation .
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