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

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#246226: Jun 19th 2018 at 10:29:52 PM

Seriously, when is the last time any assassination attempt ultimately made things better for the world?

Alexander the Great's death arguably prevented a Macedonian Empire from dominating the world.

Jael's assassination of the King of Syria saved the Israelites.

But, honestly, very few times.

Certainly, Brutus' killing Caesar arguably made it certain a tyrant would take over the Republic.

But the thing about Trump is he doesn't need to die to end this. He just needs to be treated like someone actually subject to the damn law. What he's doing is illegal over and over again and it's the fact no one calls him to task for it.

edited 19th Jun '18 10:33:41 PM by CharlesPhipps

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#246227: Jun 19th 2018 at 10:32:39 PM

Eh, hard to argue better or worse with ancient empires. Reinhard Heydrich biting the bullet was only an improvement.

Let's just not plot.

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#246228: Jun 19th 2018 at 10:34:29 PM

While true, the horrific punishment enacted afterward was terrible.

If only the Prague could have, I dunno, Make It Look Like an Accident.

edited 19th Jun '18 10:35:32 PM by CharlesPhipps

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
Ominae Since: Jul, 2010
#246229: Jun 19th 2018 at 10:47:33 PM

Nikki Haley announced that the US will not stay in the UN Human Rights commission due to growing predujices against Israel.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#246230: Jun 19th 2018 at 10:58:52 PM

Honestly, I think it's time people let go of the idea that Trump just wants the wall to satisfy his ego.

It's long since been clear that Trump wants the wall because he really, truly, passionately, violently hates border crossers. Not "illegal immigrants"; he doesn't care about overstayed Visas. Border crossers. Trump is the lowest common denominator for the Republican rhetoric and believes wholeheartedly in the worst parts of their ideology.

Trump wants his wall because he wants to get the Mexicans out of this country and he's too stupid to realize that it won't work. It's his racism at work, plain and simple, and we give him too much credit when we excuse his behavior as him just wanting an egotistical monument. When will we accept that the reason that Trump does racist and sexist things is because Trump is racist and sexist?

edited 19th Jun '18 11:00:22 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#246231: Jun 19th 2018 at 11:00:34 PM

I mean, can't it be both vicious racism and wanting a ridiculous monument to his ego? Because that's how I've been looking at it for awhile.

edited 19th Jun '18 11:01:16 PM by LSBK

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#246232: Jun 19th 2018 at 11:01:27 PM

Like I said above, Trump isn't just kind of racist.

He's really really fucking racist.

To the point he's happy to take bad press as long as it hurts immigrants.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#246233: Jun 19th 2018 at 11:39:03 PM

I think it's both too. He's a vicious bigot and he really wants that monument.

It's probably why he's really determined to have it. It's born from two of his most primal motivations: bigotry and egotism.

edited 19th Jun '18 11:40:14 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#246234: Jun 19th 2018 at 11:52:24 PM

I'm not even sure why Tobias is asking us this question when we've long since acknowledged that Trump is a racist dickbag. It's not like we're in denial here.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#246235: Jun 19th 2018 at 11:56:07 PM

I guess he thinks there's some doubt here as to whether he is really a bigot or is just pandering to the crowd. Never mind of course that a) being willing to pander to bigots is in and of itself kind of bigoted since it means you don't care that much if you hurt minorities to do it and b) as you've said, we all have acknowledged that he's a bigot.

The only real question is whether his bigotry is his primary motivation or just one of the many inner demons flapping around in his melon.

edited 19th Jun '18 11:56:44 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#246236: Jun 19th 2018 at 11:58:16 PM

Whether it's his ego or his bigotry that's most important varies depending on the issue, I think, but ultimately doesn't matter because they're both always involved.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#246237: Jun 19th 2018 at 11:59:28 PM

Regardless, we can all agree that Trump's head is a really scary and weird place. Keith Olbermann once called it a fun-house mirror maze.

Disgusted, but not surprised
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#246238: Jun 20th 2018 at 12:24:27 AM

Youngest migrants held in ‘tender age’ shelters

Trump administration officials have been sending babies and other young children forcibly separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border to at least three “tender age” shelters in South Texas, The Associated Press has learned.

Lawyers and medical providers who have visited the Rio Grande Valley shelters described play rooms of crying preschool-age children in crisis. The government also plans to open a fourth shelter to house hundreds of young migrant children in Houston, where city leaders denounced the move Tuesday.

edited 20th Jun '18 12:25:41 AM by TerminusEst

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
Hylarn (Don’t ask)
#246239: Jun 20th 2018 at 12:26:53 AM

It's long since been clear that Trump wants the wall because he really, truly, passionately, violently hates border crossers. Not "illegal immigrants"; he doesn't care about overstayed Visas.

That's not really true; there's been efforts to go after immigrants in general (including legal ones). I think Trump just believes border crossers to be a much higher proportion of immigrants than they actually are

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#246241: Jun 20th 2018 at 12:33:26 AM

Because of course they are. After all, it's mostly Democratic Senators who have to defend their seats this year.

edited 20th Jun '18 12:33:38 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#246242: Jun 20th 2018 at 1:12:35 AM

Trump propaganda is apparently enough to make these kidnappings fine.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/19/us/trump-voters-family-separation/index.html

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
NickTheSwing Since: Aug, 2009
#246243: Jun 20th 2018 at 1:23:09 AM

Speaking of the devil, isn't it good that Trump doesn't have a Heydrich figure in his ranks? Incompetence and malice is one thing - and I am glad he doesn't have a guy who managed the Olympics at age 28 on his payroll.

The thing with Trump I think is that his ego, his bigotry, and his l'etat cest'mois authoritarianism all play into one another. There is no unrelated bit in Der Fuck-Up's head.

Everything plays together, and contributes to his utter vainglory.

We have seen what Xi Jinping Thought is like.

Trump Thought would be "ME AM BIGGEST TOUGHEST WHITEST MAN. ME AM MURRICAN. ME HAVE CONNECTIONS AND MONEYS AND WOMENS!" And his supporters eat it up and presuppose cleverness on the squawking of what amounts to a particularly gaudy, ugly bird convinced of its own beauty.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#246244: Jun 20th 2018 at 1:25:52 AM

Trump's basically a particularly annoying racist peacock with fake plumage.

edited 20th Jun '18 1:26:30 AM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
NickTheSwing Since: Aug, 2009
#246245: Jun 20th 2018 at 1:34:50 AM

@M84: Apt. He displays the plumage (wealth, gold, power, status) but he doesn't know how to arrange these things. His displays of wealth, gold and power are lopsided, hilariously tacky - he doesn't know how to do anything but show off everything all at once.

Donald Trump is what a low class white thinks a rich man is like in manner, decoration and behavior.

By the by, what is the read anyone else on here has of Thomas Homan, Trump's ICE Director, especially considering he's apparently going to retire.

Lesser political news of the day include that apparently the Palin Family is disintegrating. Track badly battered his father, and from some sources Sarah Palin is...not in a good state over it. There is the word out there that Track has some alcohol and anger problems. Very, very intense problems.

And holy shit Corey Lewandowski mocked a migrant with Downs Syndrome. He only hires the best people. Corey, you thug, you brainless oaf of a thug, I don't think you'd mock anyone even half your own body weight. Even the thought of someone fighting back against him probably makes Corey's boxers a bit wet.

edited 20th Jun '18 1:36:57 AM by NickTheSwing

Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#246246: Jun 20th 2018 at 2:17:40 AM

Yeah, Trump behaves like the stereotypical Gatsby-esque Nouveau Riche, which is all the weirder since all his money is inherited.

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#246247: Jun 20th 2018 at 3:56:21 AM

Don't remember if people have already discussed that, but did the director of the ICE seriously use the Nuremberg defense to dodge Nazi comparisons?

What is wrong with these people?

edited 20th Jun '18 4:05:26 AM 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.
#246248: Jun 20th 2018 at 4:16:50 AM

[up] Where to begin...the bigotry, the anti-intellectualism, the knee-jerk hatred of "liberals", the greed, the malice, the selfishness, the stupidity, the authoritarianism...

Disgusted, but not surprised
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#246249: Jun 20th 2018 at 4:32:40 AM

Trump wants the wall for a lot of reasons, actually:
1) Plain old bigotry,
2) He wants a monument for himself.
3) He wants to look as if he keeps his promises to his base, no matter if the promise has negative consequences.
4) He watches a lot of Fox News, who is one of the biggest fearmongers in news.
5) To stick it to the libs.

Ingonyama Since: Jan, 2001
#246250: Jun 20th 2018 at 4:44:34 AM

Just wanted to poke my head in to remark on the thing with Sessions: my boyfriend is a Methodist and he's informed me that the church used to be split between northern and southern branches, just like the Baptists and a number of other denominations during and just prior to the Civil War. Eventually, after Reconstruction (he's not sure exactly when, maybe after the Civil Rights Era?), the two branches reconciled into one church again. So that's how a racist like Sessions could be a Methodist (who are indeed known for being one of the more socially-conscious and liberal of Christian denominations in the USnote ).

He's also quite proud of them for what they did. Apparently this investigation is one that has rarely ever been invoked, and if it goes all the way through the full process it would result in the Methodist version of excommunication. It never has before, but some of the pastors who signed on to the letter the church sent him about this are apparently very serious, so who knows how far it will go. Regardless, it's a wonderful development, and while it likely won't affect him one bit (or a lot of Trumpists), there may be some of the more genuinely devoted believers among the voters (the ones who held their nose for something else, like abortion) who could be swayed by this in November. At least into staying home from the polls.

edited 20th Jun '18 4:45:18 AM by Ingonyama


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