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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Yeah. You should only be concerned about North Korea if you have any friends or family living in South Korea, Japan, China or the Russian Far East, or are living there yourself. They are much more of a threat to their neighbors and the US's East Asian allies than the US itself.
edited 7th Apr '17 7:17:02 PM by Bat178
Regarding anyone being capable of redemption
:
"Redemption requires more than simply the execution of your duty, even if you follow that duty to the end. True redemption requires that you seek forgiveness for your past misdeeds. ... That you even acknowledge that you could, in fact, be wrong."
I don't see Trump and his ilk doing that any time soon, even if they might occasionally make decisions that aren't an affront to everything good and humane.
Self-improvement isn't an action. It's a shift in worldview. A change in not just opinions held but in the processes by which you form those opinions. Without that shift, Trump making not-shitty calls from time to time is an empty gesture.
edited 7th Apr '17 7:23:13 PM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub."Um. This might sound crazy. But do you think Trump and Putin planned this to try and clear up the whole Russian interference stuff? I read this theory on The Guardian's web site, but I dunno. Seems a little far fetched, But what can I believe in this MGS 2 world we currently live in?"
Maybe, maybe not, but not outside the realm of possibility that everything, from Trump's missile strike to Putin's condemnation of it was playacting to sell a mole as a genuinely loyal actor, while leaving him free to surreptitiously act in Russia's interest.
Speculation: Trump's missile attack and Putin's condemnation in actuality planned between the two nations as an elaborate ruse and masterwork of tradecraft. Removes suspicion from Trump as pro-Russian actor, casts him as a stalwart enemy of Assad and rival of Russia, freeing him from congressional suspicion, and allowing him to direct U.S. resources to Russia's advantage with a free hand.
edited 7th Apr '17 7:30:58 PM by CrimsonZephyr
"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."I doubt Putin would elevate Trump's dumb bombing to a war. I would wager he would even be willing to throw Assad to the dogs if he could get other benefits.
In a wild, extreme example only possible with like, lots of rolling 1 on the dice, if Trump keeps going full retard and bombs Syria more without announcing stuff, it could strain and even break U.S relationships with NATO. Again, extreme example but if it was possible, I would wager Putin would give up Assad for that.
No need to get so wild though; Putin could want to put someone else other than Assad, and let Trump do the bombing and then walk in himself and do what he wants. Trump's reputation would get fucked, Putin gets what he wants, he retains Syria, less fighting and bombing than otherwise. Totes worth. Would twitter bait again.
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes![]()
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Oh no; he may be a Conservative, but he's also an actual Conservative, and isn't afraid to vote Democrat if someone from that party better suits his beliefs and interests. (Like Hilary.) But he's also an old man who grew up in the Cold War, so that's probably influencing his line of thinking here.
edited 7th Apr '17 7:28:46 PM by kkhohoho
Bit off topic, but still relevant to the Syria question. I linked to this guy a while back.
http://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/04/06/crocodile-trumper-tears-and-dead-syrian-children/
It's a brutal deconstruction of the Trump supporters horrified reactions to the images in Syria, when they are the ones who support the Refugee ban, stopping people fleeing the atrocities in Syria to enter our country.
Also I think this might be relevant too.
http://johnpavlovitz.com/2017/01/12/no-my-diversity-doesnt-have-to-include-your-bigotry/
edited 7th Apr '17 7:44:07 PM by megaeliz
Eeeeeh, I've heard reports of him slapping Donnie Jr. in college, Donald Jr. has admitted to him verbally abusing him when he was a kid and I've heard there's a recording of him calling one of his sons "a retard" while he was on the Apprentice. Some people say it was directed towards Barron.
That's not to mention that he screwed his dead older brother's children out of their inheritance (they sued him) as well as making some sexually vulgar comments on the wife of one of his sons.
I think he just loves Ivanka and Jared specifically.
Bah. Accusing Trump of being clever for doing some awful stuff is like calling mugging an intelligent act: You do something socially heinous in order to get money from other. Look at it financially: Net gain: Positive for you, negative for the schmuck you mugged. FINANCIAL GENIUS. THE OTHER IS A LOSER. SAD.
Trump is not smart or clever for deciding to skip over certain lines of decency, diplomacy, protocol, etc. He's just a bully who thinks that just cuz' he got the lunch money of others he's the best in all school.
It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes![]()
I read about stuff like that. It just makes me sad and a bit angry.
I agree that people have to want to change to be redeemed. They have to acknowledge that they did things that are unacceptable. It may also help if they stand to actually lose something that they've gained.
People who do not face consequences for their actions may be less likely to see why they may need to change.
In regards to Trump loving Ivanka and Jared more, does anyone think that he sees himself in them more than his other kids and in-laws?
edited 7th Apr '17 8:11:23 PM by BearyScary
Do not obey in advance.
x5 Hardly off-topic. Guy really could've just wrote:
I want to believe that you’re truly outraged, but honestly your resume is less than convincing.
edited 7th Apr '17 8:15:05 PM by CenturyEye
Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our livesWell there was a pretty good article about how Jared and Trump are a lot alike in premise and they enjoy each other's company.
And Trump puts Ivanka on a pedestal so I think there's a bit of narcissism there. I created this hot, intelligent girl therefore I'm awesome because I gave her those good genes.
Trump's seventy and has spent most of his life being the same awful person. He's not going to change. He's not going to become a better person. Not unless he gets a visit from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-come.
Hoping for him to "redeem" himself is wishful thinking and yet another iteration of the tired "Give him a chance" rhetoric we've been hearing since he won the election. How many more chances are we supposed to give him?
edited 7th Apr '17 8:59:04 PM by M84
Disgusted, but not surprised

All I know is SNL's got some great material to work with.
So, Bannon's on the way out?
Pity. My best friends and myself were wondering if he or Trump would turn out to be the Final Boss.
You know, for Trump's many, many, many flaws, he does seem to love his family. And not in that "I'd date my daughters" way.
While I oppose many policies put forth by this White House, if they cleaned up their act I would forgive and support them. I may be naive, but I believe anyone can be redeemed.