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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245826: Jun 15th 2018 at 8:58:14 PM

D-Day is example of America's 'strong relationship with German government', Trump State Department spokeswoman says

Whenever you think it couldn't get any stupider...

edited 15th Jun '18 8:58:26 PM by DrunkenNordmann

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#245827: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:05:08 PM

Eh, the actual quote isn't that bad.

Nauert is a tool though. She was a "Fox News blonde" for ages, and more or less got her job on the basis of being pretty and also being willing to badmouth Iran. She's one of those people who will just about say anything for a paycheck.

They should have sent a poet.
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245828: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:10:17 PM

[up] Citing D-Day while talking about the "long and strong relationship" between the USA and Germany is stupid - because just in case some people have forgotten: Germans and Americans weren't just having a nice day on the beach - there was an invasion going on and people were shooting each other. As one tweet points out, it's like bringing up Pearl Harbour when trying to highligh the strong relationship between the USA and Japan.

This blunder also came out of an attempt of the White House to downplay the fact that their new ambassadore has been trying to meddle in German and European politics, which caused German MPs to call for his expulsion.

edited 15th Jun '18 9:11:25 PM by DrunkenNordmann

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#245829: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:14:31 PM

This administration has a bad case of open mouth insert foot, among its many, many, many problems.

edited 15th Jun '18 9:14:51 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245830: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:17:43 PM

You know, I was actually annoyed when Trump fired all the diplomats without replacing them, hoping he'd get off his ass and actually fill these posts again.

Well, Be Careful What You Wish For, I guess.

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#245831: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:18:39 PM

This administration is usually less dangerous when it's not doing anything. Especially since Trump has demonstrated a knack for picking the worst people to fill in posts.

edited 15th Jun '18 9:19:21 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245832: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:21:21 PM

I'm still baffled by how blatant this ambassador is about what he's doing - outright talking about "empowering the right in Europe", meeting with Austria's chancellor over dinner...

It would be comical if I wasn't horrified.

edited 15th Jun '18 9:21:45 PM by DrunkenNordmann

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Steven (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#245833: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:41:32 PM

Something something not surprised, disgusted.

Remember, these idiots drive, fuck, and vote. Not always in that order.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#245834: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:44:23 PM

Given all the shade Trump has thrown at Germany, I'm just surprised the guy he sent isn't worse.

Disgusted, but not surprised
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245835: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:45:28 PM

[up] If we expel the dipshit, next one might be.

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Steven (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#245836: Jun 15th 2018 at 9:46:42 PM

So I was reading an opinion piece on CNN and this bit had me both laughing and crying on the inside:

"In fact, more than a year after Trump took office, Republican outrage over anything and everything Obama or Hillary Clinton-related still knows no bounds. In fact, for fun, I periodically tune into Fox News, because on that network Clinton is actually president — at least on the days they aren't suggesting Barack Obama still is, and he's to blame for some current wrong."

Remember, these idiots drive, fuck, and vote. Not always in that order.
Wariolander Since: Nov, 2017
#245837: Jun 15th 2018 at 10:34:23 PM

[up]x5 Why don't they just kick him out? Show him that sort of speech does have consequences in Germany. For the German government thing from last page, though, most Americans (including Trump himself) are of German descent...

edited 15th Jun '18 10:36:09 PM by Wariolander

DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245838: Jun 15th 2018 at 10:37:33 PM

[up] Because expelling an ambassador is a big step with consequences, a decision that has to be carefully evaluated.

You can't just make rash decisions in sensitive matters like this.

edited 15th Jun '18 10:38:46 PM by DrunkenNordmann

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Lorsty Since: Feb, 2010
#245839: Jun 15th 2018 at 10:50:23 PM

From my understanding, expelling an ambassador is a last resort situation that is usually preceded by the breaking of diplomatic relations between two countries.

Even when an ambassador is found to be a criminal, both countries negotiate a way to remove the ambassador while making it perfectly clear that all is well (so to speak) between the home and host nations. For example, the home country government will recall their ambassador and then assignsomeone else to replace them.

Since we know Trump won't do that, the German government has got to be smart on how to handle the situation.

Also, while traditionally ambassadors are more of a suggestion between friendly/allied countries (their need is greatly reduced when two countries get along just fine), the situation with Trump is far from friendly so it's in Germany's best interests to keep the ambassador around for they know, as the smart adults they are, that resolving diplomatic issues through the proper channels is better than just ranting on Twitter.

Or so it was explained to me by my boyfriend who works at the UE embassy. wink

edited 15th Jun '18 10:51:10 PM by Lorsty

DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245840: Jun 15th 2018 at 10:56:58 PM

[up] Of course we'd still like the US to send us an ambassador who isn't blatantly trying to interfere in European politics.

edited 15th Jun '18 10:57:11 PM by DrunkenNordmann

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#245841: Jun 15th 2018 at 11:25:24 PM

It's a bit of a Sadistic Choice, like so many things in politics. Do you stick with the borderline Neo-Nazi ambassador who is trying to tear Germany apart by appealing to its worst elements? Or do you kick him out, pissing off the most powerful nation on Earth's mercurial immature manchild of a leader? Who might respond by either leaving the post empty, denying Germany pretty much all diplomatic channels, or replace said borderline Neo-Nazi with an even more blatant Neo-Nazi?

There's no "good" option here. But then, the chance for a "good" option was lost the moment Trump won.

edited 15th Jun '18 11:26:16 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245842: Jun 15th 2018 at 11:41:52 PM

[up] It guess it's my fault for expecting better. tongue

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Wariolander Since: Nov, 2017
#245843: Jun 15th 2018 at 11:55:17 PM

Grr...

edited 15th Jun '18 11:57:57 PM by Wariolander

DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245844: Jun 15th 2018 at 11:56:14 PM

[up] That's a bit much.

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#245845: Jun 15th 2018 at 11:56:41 PM

[up][up]Oh, nice, directly insulting all Americans...

edited 15th Jun '18 11:56:51 PM by LSBK

Wariolander Since: Nov, 2017
#245846: Jun 16th 2018 at 12:00:39 AM

Sorry. This site is still glitching out (why am I getting ads now even with Adblock on, everything is going slow, pages reloading about a dozen times and certain symbols appearing as blank squares? This didn't happen until today) and this tweet on how recent events in the US are similar to what Nazis did really doesn't help: https://twitter.com/Redpainter1/status/1007388578912055296

edited 16th Jun '18 1:07:44 AM by Wariolander

DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245847: Jun 16th 2018 at 1:13:19 AM

U.S. expected to retreat from main U.N. rights forum: activists, diplomats

GENEVA (Reuters) - Talks with the United States over how to reform the main U.N. rights body have failed to meet Washington’s demands, activists and diplomats say, suggesting that the Trump administration will quit the Geneva forum whose session opens on Monday.

A U.S. source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters the withdrawal appeared to be “imminent” but had no details.

Diplomatic sources said it was not a question of if but of when the United States retreats from the Human Rights Council, which is holding a three-week session through July 6.

A separate U.S. official in Geneva had no information about a looming pull-out during the upcoming talks, saying: “We are still moving ahead with our engagement for the coming session.”

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, publicly told the Council a year ago that Washington might leave the body unless a “chronic anti-Israel bias” were removed.

The forum, set up in 2006, has a permanent standing agenda item on suspected violations committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, which Washington wants removed.

Washington says the Council is stacked with opponents of Israel and boycotted it for three years under President George W. Bush before rejoining under Barack Obama in 2009.

The 47-member forum last month voted to set up a probe into killings in Gaza and accused Israel of excessive use of force. The United States and Australia cast the only “no” votes. Israel’s ambassador in Geneva, Aviva Raz Shechter, castigated the Council for “spreading lies against Israel”.

LACK OF CONSENSUS

Talks held in Geneva and in New York for months could not find consensus around a new agenda, according to activists and diplomats who have taken part.

While the Trump administration has yet to announce a decision, any suspension or withdrawal would be the latest U.S. rejection of multilateral engagement after pulling out of the Paris climate agreement and the deal with world powers over Iran’s nuclear program.

Diplomats said it could also lead to Israel being even more isolated in the Human Rights Council and could bolster countries such as Cuba, Egypt, Pakistan and Russia who resist what they see as U.N. interference in sovereign issues.

The European Union failed to find a common position, mainly due to Belgium’s wish to keep violations in individual countries firmly on the agenda of each session, they said.

The United States also wants to make it easier to kick off member states with egregious rights records. Haley has cited Venezuela, China and Saudi Arabia as violating standards.

The Council has ongoing investigations into violations in hotspots including Myanmar, South Sudan, and Syria, with a view to gathering evidence that could lead to future prosecutions.

Marc Limon, executive director of the think tank Universal Rights Group, said there were “rumors and mutterings” of a “political decision” having been taken in Washington to disengage.

“They could either leave the seat empty, which could happen in June, or if withdrawing, formally notify the (U.N.) General Assembly,” he told Reuters.

Swiss Ambassador Valentin Zellweger said: “The decision by the Americans will have a profound impact on the Council. If they withdraw, we can expect significant consequences.”

The United States had long played a “leadership role” in the Council, Zellweger said, adding: “Unfortunately I agree with them that not all members fulfil the (membership) criteria.”

(The story corrects position of Belgium in 12th paragraph to wanting to keep urgent situations in countries, not just Israel, on the agenda of each session)

edited 16th Jun '18 1:19:55 AM by DrunkenNordmann

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Wariolander Since: Nov, 2017
#245848: Jun 16th 2018 at 1:18:13 AM

[up] Your bolding just comes up as squares on either side of the words that are suppose to be bolded...

DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#245849: Jun 16th 2018 at 1:19:32 AM

[up] Wait, what? I didn't bold anything.

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Wariolander Since: Nov, 2017
#245850: Jun 16th 2018 at 1:25:44 AM

[up] Oh, seems like it is the apostrophes and quote marks that are coming up as squares.


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