Understanding the US - Again

[sanman]

We Indians look at major economic realignments like near-shoring as an opportunity for us, as US-led West tries to decouple from China.

This same trend is resulting in major windfalls in USA itself, in places like Ohio, which has historically been a major manufacturing area for USA:

[sanman]

Leftists are creating an ever tightening noose around freedom of speech, using all their well-worn tactics

Even Robert Kennedy is now being branded as a 'bigot' by the Left-wing Democrat party high command

[sanman]

[ricky_v]

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/14/11874605 ... uid-church

Liquid Church has helped Bhame, 28, and others like her find meaning even as many in her generation have turned away from organized religion. It is one of about 1,800 "megachurches" in the United States — defined as having 2,000 or more members. At a time when empty pews are forcing churches across the country to shutter, these mostly nondenominational houses of worship are largely bucking that trend — attracting younger, more vibrant and more diverse congregations.

The average Christian congregation in the U.S. is in precipitous decline, with just 65 members, about a third of whom are age 65 or older, according to a 2020 pre-pandemic survey. By contrast, a separate 2020 study found that three-quarters of megachurches were growing, many at a rapid clip. Liquid Church claims 6,000 members, 84% of whom are under the age of 55, with most younger than 35. About a quarter of members are Hispanic/Latino, 13% Asian and 8% Black.

The Liquid Church's core beliefs, "Grace wins" and "Truth is relevant," are capped by a less theological component: "Church is fun." Liquid Church also steers clear of politics, he says. That's common in most megachurches because they are more diverse, according to Scott Thumma, a professor of sociology of religion at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. "The vast majority of them have nothing to do with politics," he says.

do not mean to offend anyone, but this glitzy kayfabe is reminiscent of wwe at its peak.
also do we have any megachurches in india?

[sanman]

do not mean to offend anyone, but this glitzy kayfabe is reminiscent of wwe at its peak.
also do we have any megachurches in india?

I was just gonna say it reminded me of Modi's big splash appearance at Madison Square Gardens during his maiden tour back in 2014.
Anyone remember that?

[sanman]

[ramana]

inks to two articles from FPRI. Thans to Rick-V

1) https://www.fpri.org/article/2023/06/ge ... r-periods/

BOTTOM LINE
Since 1945, US foreign policy has been defined by precluding the emergence of adversaries and hostile coalitions by creating an Americanized international system through alliances, extended deterrence, and favorable trade terms.

• The Cold War national security system has not adapted well to global issues of trade, transnational threats, and China’s expansive foreign policy.
  
  Today’s world is defined by China’s return to global importance. The United States is not only the largest destination for Chinese exports, but almost every country in the world is one of its major trading partners. China has used this revenue to modernize its military, fund a global development program, and position itself as a competitor to US power.

2) https://www.fpri.org/article/2023/07/ge ... e-new-map/

BOTTOM LINE
Translating broad strategic guidance into workable strategies and sustainable policies requires both an assessment of the international security environment as well as an analysis of what the domestic political system will permit. National interests are not enough to guide foreign policy.

• The current bureaucratic/geographic organization of the US national security apparatus is not going to be torn down and replaced with a fresh blueprint. Instead, US national security must be executed through existing authorities and structures, but Americans should reconceptualize how they perceive geography, bureaucracy, and national security.
  
  Reducing conceptual national security boundaries from eleven combatant commands and eight Department of State regional bureaus to three yields: trans-Atlantic, trans-Pacific, and trans-Indian regions. Without creating new organizations, this oceanic lens can harmonize existing authorities and organizations since most international trade moves by sea, the global Internet is connected by undersea cables, and Chinese expansionism is through the seas.

This is like King Canute and the waves. Despite all this strategy, China emerged as the biggest threat to the US system.
The problem is Mahan's Ocean strategy which is basically military-based.
China is not a military threat. So all this angst.

[A_Gupta]

One of the courses by PragerU, which just got its first state recognition as an education vendor by the great state of Florida.

India: Priya Overcomes Adversity

Young people may think that discrimination is worse than ever, but they’ll gain perspective with this animated video about India. Through the life of Priya and her family, middle and high school students will learn how the British Empire lifted India out of a long tradition of caste discrimination.
[\quote]

[sanjaykumar]

I hope the 200 million killed by Christians thanked the British empire before heading for the exits.

Hallelujah brothers etc.

[vijayk]

[Jay]

One of the courses by PragerU, which just got its first state recognition as an education vendor by the great state of Florida.

Of course its in Florid and of course its by PragerU, a rightwing, fundo-Christian values centric fake university. Not one bit surprised.

[sanjaykumar]

I guess they don’t teach critical race theory

[Haresh]

MAGA pastor Hank Kunneman warns that GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is Hindu and therefore anyone who supports him "will have a fight with God." https://bit.ly/3Y2tSOV

https://twitter.com/RightWingWatch/stat ... 2538496015

[sanjaykumar]

India should learn freedom of religion from him. And be grateful.

[Haresh]

India should learn freedom of religion from him. And be grateful.

He has so much to teach us

Christian Nationalist Hank Kunneman Attacks Hindu GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy

https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/chr ... amaswamys/

[Cyrano]

Christian fundamentalists have always inspired Islamic fundamentalists.

[sanman]

India should learn freedom of religion from him. And be grateful.

He has so much to teach us

Christian Nationalist Hank Kunneman Attacks Hindu GOP Presidential Candidate Vivek Ramaswamy

https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/chr ... amaswamys/

[disha]

^ Vivek Ramaswamy is making waves and is going to surpass Ron DeSantis in the race. The first debate will be great. Vivek has been preparing very very very well for the first debate and engaging with 'hostile' other side of the camp anchors/media and has been coming out on tops.

Here is his engagement with Krystal and Saagar Enjeti and Krystal looking like she swallowed a lump of coal:



Fast forward to [youtube]cagGlb_LPiA?t=1284[/youtube] or 21:00 mins into the video where Krystal engages in a Kamikaze style attack on Vivek, intending to do full Harakiri but ends up doing a Seppuku.

Here Laura Ingraham starts applauding Vivek

[disha]

Drowning chefs at white house...

You know VijayK, the most dangerous job in the world is to be a Chef at white house. Particularly under Clintonites and OBomber's.

[uddu]

The more he debates, the chance for Trumph Vs Vivek for Republican candidate is higher.

[Cyrano]

David Packman is the most articulate intellectual dishonesty one can come across. But Vivek had him on the ropes with simple intellectual honesty.

[vijayk]

Vivek unpacked packman..
But Vivek is wasting time with this guy. His audience are brainwashed woke crazy idiots. He won't even get .1% of that vote

[chetak]

Christian fundamentalists have always inspired Islamic fundamentalists.

Cyrano ji,

why do you think that each of the abrahamic desert cults have the copyright on their "book" sewn up so tightly

their business model is: compete internally, but pool resources and collaborate externally....

wouldn't the amrikis know all about that.... white xtians, simultaneously working as they do, with the jihadis, and the jews....

and yet, all that they have managed to produce so far, over the tens of decades of "relentless effort", is zilch

[sanman]

Vivek unpacked packman..
But Vivek is wasting time with this guy. His audience are brainwashed woke crazy idiots. He won't even get .1% of that vote

Vivek has gained respect by going into the lion's den multiple times. He's appeared on the most hostile interview shows, and he's batted for his side unflinchingly. This has gained him exposure and respect that he never would have otherwise gotten. He is trying to cut across previously established lines of confrontation to tell people how there are better ways for them to get what they want. The undecided voters are up for grabs, and he's going after them very directly.

[chetak]

Vivek unpacked packman..
But Vivek is wasting time with this guy. His audience are brainwashed woke crazy idiots. He won't even get .1% of that vote

Vivek has gained respect by going into the lion's den multiple times. He's appeared on the most hostile interview shows, and he's batted for his side unflinchingly. This has gained him exposure and respect that he never would have otherwise gotten. He is trying to cut across previously established lines of confrontation to tell people how there are better ways for them to get what they want. The undecided voters are up for grabs, and he's going after them very directly.

and yet, come voting day, he will still be a Hindu

the amrikis really love to lecture us on "equality, inclusiveness, and democracy"

[sanman]

and yet, come voting day, he will still be a Hindu

the amrikis really love to lecture us on "equality, inclusiveness, and democracy"

I'm fine with a Trump victory. Trump looked the other way while India removed 370. Trump also began pushing back against China, and started the decoupling. His cabinet had top China hawks like Peter Navarro, who knew all about the trade challenges.

I think Vivek could be a good running mate for Trump, or even a good cabinet pick.

I like Vivek's support for the US constitution, which is a very admirable document based on strong principles.

[chetak]

and yet, come voting day, he will still be a Hindu

the amrikis really love to lecture us on "equality, inclusiveness, and democracy"

I'm fine with a Trump victory. Trump looked the other way while India removed 370. Trump also began pushing back against China, and started the decoupling. His cabinet had top China hawks like Peter Navarro, who knew all about the trade challenges.

I think Vivek could be a good running mate for Trump, or even a good cabinet pick.

I like Vivek's support for the US constitution, which is a very admirable document based on strong principles.

sanman ji,

on Trump and Vivek, I agree with you 100%

let's hope that the amrikis, as a nation, are fortunate enough to clearly discern what the commies have done to them, and also wise enough to make the right choice

[vijayk]

The problem with Vivek as VP for Trump is he has to keep defending T for 4 years of verbal loose cannon and most of the goodwill will be lost

[sanman]

US govt indicting Trump for trying to overturn 2020 election results:

[KL Dubey]

The problem with Vivek as VP for Trump is he has to keep defending T for 4 years of verbal loose cannon and most of the goodwill will be lost

Trump came with a lot of promise, but had less than zero impact at the end of the day - all noise and no substance. Ramaswamy is more articulate, but I looked him up and found he is an even greater loony than Trump in terms of his political positions and plans.

It seems the candidate choices on both the "woke" and "anti-woke" sides are all absolute jokers, so the only real choice is a Biden re-election. Undecided voters might hold their nose, but will end up voting for a centrist. The election is a long way off (1 year and 4 months). Unless the economy experiences a large disruption, it will be a Biden win again.

Finally, people can save a lot of time on these discussions by just following 6 states: AZ, FL, GA, NC, OH, PA. There is no sea change in the electorate compared to 2016 or 2020. By that I mean there is no significant demographic change in the electorate of these 6 states, except for the slow and inexorable trend towards Gadha in GA.

So, these 6 states will continue to determine the result. Specifically, Haathi will need to win ALL 6 states. Loss of any one will hand the election to Gadha.

[sanman]

Trump came with a lot of promise, but had less than zero impact at the end of the day - all noise and no substance. Ramaswamy is more articulate, but is an even greater loony than Trump in terms of his political positions and plans.

It seems the candidate choices on both the "woke" and "anti-woke" sides are all absolute jokers, so the only real choice is a Biden re-election. Undecided voters might hold their nose, but will end up voting for a centrist.

Biden is a senile figurehead easily led around by his underlings, who are the ones really running the Whitehouse.

[KL Dubey]

Biden is a senile figurehead easily led around by his underlings, who are the ones really running the Whitehouse.

That may be true, but if he is still physically fit to run and the economy is stable, he will be re-elected.

[vijayk]

The problem with Vivek as VP for Trump is he has to keep defending T for 4 years of verbal loose cannon and most of the goodwill will be lost

Trump came with a lot of promise, but had less than zero impact at the end of the day - all noise and no substance. Ramaswamy is more articulate, but I looked him up and found he is an even greater loony than Trump in terms of his political positions and plans.

[sanman]

Biden is a senile figurehead easily led around by his underlings, who are the ones really running the Whitehouse.

That may be true, but if he is still physically fit to run and the economy is stable, he will be re-elected.

Biden's approval ratings are horrendously low. People understand they're looking at a senile doddering old man. They also see rampant inflation and price rises. They also see a breakdown in law & order in cities. Under Biden, things are going from bad to worse.

[vijayk]

But Dubeyji is right ...

Biden is the most moderate face in the party of gadhas.

Look at the Obama, AOC and the rest of the crowd. They are the insidious filth who are dangerous to the humanity.

I wish Trump withdraws from the election by making a deal and support Vivek (in return for future pardon). US has to get past the divisive destructive energy unleashed by T party gang and woke gangs. Time to reconcile and focus on issues what Vivek says are important "Family, Freedom of Speech and Innovation" not on "Drugs, Race, Wars, Identity"

[Cyrano]

I haven't come across Vivek's loony positions, any sources would help

Vivek is too much of an outlier in the system with no experience of holding any form of public office for Trump to cede any ground to him. It would be admitting that Trump himself is part of the "swamp" now!

[sanman]

But Dubeyji is right ...

Biden is the most moderate face in the party of gadhas.

Have you seen the litany of corruption charges being raised against Biden?
Hunter Biden laptop info reveals huge dealings between the Bidens and China, and Ukraine too, among other foreign lobbies.

Collusion by big media & big tech in suppressing such stories, was what led Elon Musk into buying Twitter.

And every time Biden is threatened by new corruption charges, suddenly Biden's Dept of Justice conveniently conjures up new criminal charges against Trump. This kind of pattern is too obvious to be coincidence, and is a sign that Biden's govt has weaponized the justice system against political opponents. Every time some American Lefty complains about "Modi fascism" I always like to recite to them what Biden is doing to political opponents at home. People Living in Glass Houses Shouldn't Throw Stones.

And to make it worse, the Vice President Kamala Harris is a vacuous idiot who'd previously fooled her partymen into believing she was another Susan Rice, but since entering office now stands exposed as just an empty-headed fool.
So nobody in Washington has confidence that she could ably take over from the aging Biden, should he have to step down.

Look at the Obama, AOC and the rest of the crowd. They are the insidious filth who are dangerous to the humanity.

American Left are corrupt, to be sure. And very crucially, they just don't understand economics or how to grow the American economy.
They are just redistributionists who mainly focus on targeting those with more means to give more out of their pockets to those with less means.
Meanwhile I don't see Obamas living a humble lifestyle in their luxury mansions.

AOC is herself just a failed starlet who went into politics, like a Swara Bhaskar, and you can see how she's a wanna-be who still yearns to rub elbows with the successful entertainment celebs she envies. She's a complete mental lightweight who has no knowledge of climate, or environmentalism, or any of the topics she's trying to be an activist on. Only reason AOC got elected to Congress was because she ran in the borough of Queens, home of Donald Trump, where voters felt they had to remove his taint from themselves by choosing a radical Lefty like her.

I wish Trump withdraws from the election by making a deal and support Vivek (in return for future pardon). US has to get past the divisive destructive energy unleashed by T party gang and woke gangs. Time to reconcile and focus on issues what Vivek says are important "Family, Freedom of Speech and Innovation" not on "Drugs, Race, Wars, Identity"

Trump is the founder of the MAGA movement, and everyone else is riding on his coattails. He was the one who originally showed backbone to get the MAGA movement started. He's built a large base which won't abandon him. But Trump's insolence in challenging the political establishment & Deep State means he's facing a ton of criminal charges unleashed by them upon himself.

If Trump is disqualified from running for President (the entire purpose of slapping him with criminal charges), then it will fall upon DeSantis or Vivek to continue carrying the banner. Biden can only run against Trump, and if Trump is replaced by one of the others due to disqualification, then the Democratic Party high command may try to swap out Biden with a younger candidate like Newsome. You may have already seen California Governor Gavin Newsome touring the country and taking potshots at Florida governor Ron DeSantis, in preparation for this possible scenario. But you can also see that Democrats aren't wasting any ammunition in attacking Vivek, because they don't see him as a serious candidate for the whitehouse, and believe that he's just a political operative who is fronting for pro-Trump forces (which he may in fact be, given his rhetoric)

[hnair]

Folks, a periodic reminder: this is not a thread for betting on any US politician or partisans debating endlessly about that country’s banana republic democracy.

Any further discussions that has no relevance to India, Indians or PIOs will result in admin action.

[vijayk]

Listen from 3:39 on why Vivek is taking on Woke gangs

[KL Dubey]

<POOF>