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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM
Everything Trump does is political theatrer,his tweets,his over the top aggressive behaviour ect,his projection ect.I can ignore his tweets by not looking them up,but his other behaviour is harder to ignore,and he knows it,he knows that as President everyone will pay attention him,and everyone will talk about him constantly
There's no escape and it can feel hopeless at times,especially when you hear of abuses of Ice under his administration with children separated from their parents and confined to cages
I try to look on the bright side life,and only silver lining in all of this is that constantly being bombarded with Trump means people will have politics on their minds for a long time yet,they might have been able to safely ignore things in the past,forgot about it because it felt like nothing major ever happens in politics..well things are different now and there's incentive to vote in the next election,the undecided voter might finally pick a side
have a listen and have a link to my discord serverThe proposed Nordstream Natural Gas Pipeline, is a legitimate issue,
but assuming Trump actually understands the politics of energy is honestly giving him to much credit.
It would give Russia more leverage over Europe's energy markets, which is part of could be translated into political leverage as part of their asymmetric assault on Western Democracies, and further isolates Ukraine from the rest of Europe. But as I said, this is giving him way to much credit, and should be treated as the projection that it is.
Edited by megaeliz on Jul 11th 2018 at 10:55:21 AM
It's also extremely poor PR for any attempts at claiming the Paris Accords are being upheld.
"Oh yeah, we're totally going to uphold the Accords while we're building this massive gas pipeline. Don't worry about it, THE OIL MUST FLOW."
Still not embarrassing enough to stan billionaires or tech companies.
Actually Natural Gas is better than oil. It burns a lot cleaner, and just releases carbon dioxide and water, instead of other, more harmful, greenhouse gases, such as methane.
It's still not ideal, since we are still adding green house gases to the atmosphere, but shouldn't be ruled out as a transition fuel.
Edited by megaeliz on Jul 11th 2018 at 10:35:39 AM
I feel like we're skipping over something we shouldn't, here. House Republicans are trying to get a bill through that would basically make protesting fascism illegal.
i'm tired, my friendVigilantism's already outlawed, I think.
This law just specifically criminalises taking any steps to hide your identity at a protest (which is unfortunate, because it's written broadly enough that it basically translates to "anyone who shows up at a protest can be arrested if we feel like it").
TV Tropes's No. 1 bread themed lesbian. she/her, fae/faerAnd this is exactly the goal of the act. That it is written in such broad terms is no accident; this is a calculated attempt to clamp down on anti-fascist protests. It is yet another reminder that these people could give a damn about free speech until they need to lean on it as an excuse to oppress somebody.
i'm tired, my friendSince we were discussing NATO, this is worth a read.
It discusses how NATO can address the asymmetric threats of hybrid warfare, and become more resilient in the face of unconventional tools and tactics. I won't put the whole thing here, but I will put the recommendations they have.
Invoking Article 4 would mandate political consultations to develop political solutions to hybrid attacks. It would provide an opportunity for allies with differing threat perceptions to share intelligence and best practices to reach consensus about deterrent and defensive strategies to combat hybrid threats during crises. These consultations would include discussion of internal thresholds for triggering various responses by the Alliance to hybrid operations, including the invocation of Article 5. They could also facilitate requests by individual allies for support from NATO in responding to a hybrid operation; a NATO-wide hybrid response team should be established to deploy in response to allies’ requests.
2. NATO and the EU should institute a Joint Task Force on Countering Asymmetric Threats.
NATO and the EU should further improve collaboration to increase transatlantic resiliency to asymmetric tactics. Each organization has disparate elements that address individual asymmetric tools, but are not all well-funded or in sync with one another’s efforts. A Joint Task Force, led by senior officials from both organizations, could better coordinate the work of the various parts of NATO and EU bureaucracies already addressing this challenge to defend against a threat that crosses organizational jurisdictions. Moreover, the Task Force could monitor disinformation campaigns and coordinate public outreach on behalf of both organizations to advocate for the benefits of the transatlantic community in the face of efforts by Russia, China, and others to sell an alternative model for government and society.
3. NATO should further develop public-private partnerships with civil society.
NATO should increase its efforts to develop partnerships with local civil society organizations that can combat disinformation, play the role of the “watch dog” in holding political elites to standards of transparency, and advocate for democratic ideals and principles at the grassroots level. It should also devote additional resources to public diplomacy campaigns, such as the #We Are NATO campaign, and engage all member states in their coordination. New campaigns could target citizens in rural areas who do not use Facebook or Twitter by engaging them at schools, libraries, and community and retirement centers.
4. Allies should reinvigorate Article 3 — Resiliency
Much of the work to counter malign foreign interference in democracies requires strengthening member states institutions and societies to make them more resilient to these attacks. Under Article 3 of the Washington Treaty, each member state is obligated to “maintain and develop” its “capacity to resist armed attack,”35 which should include enhancing resilience and civil preparedness in the realms of cybersecurity, energy security, and election security.36 NATO should renew its focus on Article 3 of the NATO charter and define minimum standards for resilience with a verification process that does not rely on self-reporting. Such an approach is necessary for “21st century defense and deterrence.”37 Member and partner states on the frontline of this assault should receive additional assistance from NATO in order to address persistent vulnerabilities.
5. NATO should issue a declaratory statement.
Hybrid, asymmetric tactics pose a serious threat to the stability of the Alliance and its member states. NATO allies should take the opportunity of the Brussels Summit to issue a declaratory statement about the severity of the threat and allies’ commitment to appropriately respond to it.
Edited by megaeliz on Jul 11th 2018 at 11:28:33 AM
Somewhat ironically, if not entirely unexpectedly, yesterday Senate voted to support NATO ahead of Trump summit
The nonbinding motion, which came as the Senate voted to reconcile its version of the annual defense policy bill with that of the House, expresses the Senate’s support for NATO and calls on negotiators to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to it.
Edited by TerminusEst on Jul 11th 2018 at 8:29:53 AM
Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele

So, Trump just accused Germany of colluding with Russia.
Yes, really.
His reasoning is the gas pipeline Germany has with Russia. Supposedly we are totally dependent on Russia.
Just for the record, there was trade between the European states and Russia even during the Cold war. Because it is a necessity for both sides.
The numbers Trump gave are totally overblown. The actual number of gas Germany buys from Russia is a way lower percentage of its Energie needs...I think it is something around 20-25%, which means it would take a hit if the connection is turned off, but it would hardly be a country destroying event.
I also suspect that Trump actually believes that Germans use more gas then they do. For the record, most Germans prefer oil heating over gas heating and we prefer electric stoves. Replacing the Russian gas would be a hassle, but it is not impossible.