Malcador Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 19 minutes ago, Gorth said: I always wondered if Trump suffers from some kind of small **** complex, envying people like Kim, Xi, Putin etc. for the power they wield over their subjects. Seems like that is it, well or at least just NPD and the ensuing need for admiration. Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ManifestedISO Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 1 All Stop. On Screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Gorth said: I always wondered if Trump suffers from some kind of small **** complex, envying people like Kim, Xi, Putin etc. for the power they wield over their subjects. This has been raised several times by political analysts and its an interesting question, why indeed does Trump embarrassingly and disconcerting seem to publicly endorse and have such nice things to say about many dictators and strongmen around the world? There are several theories, I think its primarily because he literally admires the concept and thought of leaders who are not accountable and answerable to citizens and Democratic institutions like the media and independent courts. He feels he would be a more effective leader without political transparency and also that there are groups of people in modern Democracies who " conspire " against him like the " evil, fake news media" But I also consider most dictators as dysfunctional sociopaths and the countries they govern are overall much worse places to live in than the USA so Trump is delusional and confused about his admiration for strongmen because the things he likes about there policies would ultimately lead to the collapse of the USA and degrading of overall quality of life for all Americans...including Trump. " In the land of the blind the one -eyed man is king " https://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/16/world/trump-strongmen-erdogan-visit/index.html Edited July 5, 2019 by BruceVC "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorth Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 47 minutes ago, BruceVC said: This has been raised several times by political analysts and its an interesting question, why indeed does Trump embarrassingly and disconcerting seem to publicly endorse and have such nice things to say about many dictators and strongmen around the world? There are several theories, I think its primarily because he literally admires the concept and thought of leaders who are not accountable and answerable to citizens and Democratic institutions like the media and independent courts. He feels he would be a more effective leader without political transparency and also that there are groups of people in modern Democracies who " conspire " against him like the " evil, fake news media" But I also consider most dictators as dysfunctional sociopaths and the countries they govern are overall much worse places to live in than the USA so Trump is delusional and confused about his admiration for strongmen because the things he likes about there policies would ultimately lead to the collapse of the USA and degrading of overall quality of life for all Americans...including Trump. I'm not a shrink, but I could easily imagine Trump on the podium at the Nuremberg Rally in 1933, enjoying the adulation of the masses, he would fit the profile like a hand in a glove. I dismissed his initial lies as the typical election lies that all politicians give the voters. Not sure anybody really believe election promises (although I'll make allowances for the Fox News audience, but I don't exactly hold them in high regard, unless you read/watch it for the giggles). What made me start thinking this guy has a serious problem with truth and the real world was the lies and exaggerations around his inauguration and the crowd sizes. Hence my comment above about his envy of totalitarian rulers, which can just order a sizeable crowd out on the streets. Edited for weird Friday afternoon spelling techniques applied 1 “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 1 minute ago, Gorth said: I'm not a shrink, but I could easily imagine Trump on the podium at the Nuremberg Rally in 1933, enjoying the adulation of the masses, he would fit the profile like a hand in a glove. I dismissed his initial lies as the typical election lies that all politicians give the voters. Not sure anybody really believe election promises (although I'll make allowances for the Fox News audience, but I don't exactly hold them in high regard, unless you read/watch it for the giggles). The I started think this guy has a serious problem with truth and real world was the lies and exaggerations around his inauguration and the crowd sizes. Hence my comment above about his envy of totalitarian rulers, which can just order a sizeable crowd out on the streets. " Trump on the podium at the Nuremberg Rally in 1933 " ....excellent analogy Gorthfuscious, I can also imagine Trump loving that type of event "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bringingyouthefuture Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Happy 4th of July (this is me getting political) ... “How do you 'accidentally' kill a nobleman in his own mansion?" "With a knife in the chest. Or, rather, a pair of knives in the chest...” The Final Empire, Mistborn Trilogy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teknoman2 Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 i was watching a video about US politics and it said that according to studies, the average left leaning person in USA today is so far left that socialists from 10 years ago are seen as right wingers today. meanwhile here in Greece, the average right winger has gone so far right that the conservatives of 10 years ago are seen as communists today. The words freedom and liberty, are diminishing the true meaning of the abstract concept they try to explain. The true nature of freedom is such, that the human mind is unable to comprehend it, so we make a cage and name it freedom in order to give a tangible meaning to what we dont understand, just as our ancestors made gods like Thor or Zeus to explain thunder. -Teknoman2- What? You thought it was a quote from some well known wise guy from the past? Stupidity leads to willful ignorance - willful ignorance leads to hope - hope leads to sex - and that is how a new generation of fools is born! We are hardcore role players... When we go to bed with a girl, we roll a D20 to see if we hit the target and a D6 to see how much penetration damage we did. Modern democracy is: the sheep voting for which dog will be the shepherd's right hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 20 hours ago, smjjames said: He changed it to independent, slightly surprised he didn't change it to Libertarian given his well known Libertarian-ness. I imagine there are a few good reasons. He's making a lot of hay by pointing out the corrosive effects of partisan party politics. To jump into another party would undermine whatever juice he's gotten from that. Also the LP is highly dysfunctional and has very little help to offer candidates to be worth the affiliation. They CAN help with ballot access and the like but he's an incumbent and in the news right now. So there is little they can do for him to be worth the detriments that LP affiliation brings. And there are detriments. Believe me. "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartimaeus Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 Trump thinks we had airports in 1775, gets Revolutionary War details confused with War of 1812? It was supposedly a scripted speech, how did no-one catch at least the airport one? ...Trump's constant stream of gaffes might make him a pretty funny guy if he both had zero power and didn't also happen to be a revolting human being...but then we probably wouldn't care if that were the case. 1 Quote How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart. In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 (edited) Tusli Gabbard gave a very non-democrat campaign message last week: https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2019/07/04/gabbard-campaign-message-lets-take-patriotism-back/ Quote Most of all, I love our freedom. The freedom endowed by our creator. The freedom that is enshrined in our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. The freedom we fight to protect: Freedom of speech and of the press Freedom of religionThe right to bear armsFreedom from unreasonable search and seizure The right to a fair and public trial Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment Well, that's that. She is a true "enemy of the people" now. Democrats don't believe in any of that. Not for everyone at least. Edited July 5, 2019 by Guard Dog "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 12 minutes ago, Guard Dog said: Tusli Gabbard gave a very non-democrat campaign message last week: https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2019/07/04/gabbard-campaign-message-lets-take-patriotism-back/ Well, that's that. She is a true "enemy of the people" now. Democrats don't believe in any of that. Not for everyone at least. GD dont you think this word freedom is used selectively and means different things to different people ? For example I believe in freedom but the rule of law and order needs to be maintained and also I dont believe in the freedom that dictators assume they have in illegitimate governments where there was no real Democratic process to elect them hence making them valid targets of sustainable regime change "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said: Trump thinks we had airports in 1775, gets Revolutionary War details confused with War of 1812? It was supposedly a scripted speech, how did no-one catch at least the airport one? ...Trump's constant stream of gaffes might make him a pretty funny guy if he both had zero power and didn't also happen to be a revolting human being...but then we probably wouldn't care if that were the case. Maybe he just needs eyeglasses. That must be it. Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skarpen Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said: Trump thinks we had airports in 1775, gets Revolutionary War details confused with War of 1812? It was supposedly a scripted speech, how did no-one catch at least the airport one? ...Trump's constant stream of gaffes might make him a pretty funny guy if he both had zero power and didn't also happen to be a revolting human being...but then we probably wouldn't care if that were the case. It's not about being factually correct it's about being morally right. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pidesco Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 lolzorz 1 "My hovercraft is full of eels!" - Hungarian touristI am Dan Quayle of the Romans.I want to tattoo a map of the Netherlands on my nether lands.Heja Sverige!!Everyone should cuffawkle more.The wrench is your friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceVC Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Skarpen said: It's not about being factually correct it's about being morally right. Its similar to " alternative facts " right skarpen Edited July 5, 2019 by Amentep Use other posters usernames "Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss” John Milton "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” - George Bernard Shaw "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 6 hours ago, BruceVC said: GD dont you think this word freedom is used selectively and means different things to different people ? For example I believe in freedom but the rule of law and order needs to be maintained and also I dont believe in the freedom that dictators assume they have in illegitimate governments where there was no real Democratic process to elect them hence making them valid targets of sustainable regime change Some people equate the words freedom and democracy. They shouldn't. Not the same things. If you have the latter you probably get the former. But not necessarily. The USSR was "democratic" in that it held elections, even if they were not a sham the opportunity to choose your leaders does not make you free. There is a school of thought that the actions of a duly elected legislative body can't be illegal because the very act of electing them gives them the mandate of the people. Nothing could be father from the truth. Slavery for example was legal and popular and democratically mandated and because of it people were not free. So even if there is a democratic process he end result is not always freedom. As far a regime change goes, IMO that is solely the responsibility of the people under the regime. No one else. The Colonists did not ask the French or Spanish to fight the Brits for them, they lined themselves up in Lexington MA on a hot April morning with muskets in hand. I would not trade on drop of American blood to change any government on this Earth no matter how vile it may be. Not. Our. Responsibility. And if history has taught us anything such an action usually leaves the people of those countries fewer, worse off, and very ungrateful. "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 6 hours ago, Skarpen said: It's not about being factually correct it's about being morally right. 1 "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoonDing Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 "Trump thinks" no he doesn't The ending of the words is ALMSIVI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
213374U Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Guard Dog said: There is a school of thought that the actions of a duly elected legislative body can't be illegal because the very act of electing them gives them the mandate of the people. Nothing could be father from the truth. Slavery for example was legal and popular and democratically mandated and because of it people were not free. So even if there is a democratic process he end result is not always freedom. Interesting. Maybe consider applying that same reasoning to the private ownership of capital goods. And... weren't the French majorly involved in the American Revolutionary War? Happily for the rebels, Louis XVI had a rather cavalier attitude regarding "French blood". - When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skarpen Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 17 minutes ago, 213374U said: Interesting. Maybe consider applying that same reasoning to the private ownership of capital goods. And how exactly would that apply to capital goods? Are capital goods freedom or democracy in this situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PK htiw klaw eriF Posted July 5, 2019 Share Posted July 5, 2019 20 minutes ago, 213374U said: Interesting. Maybe consider applying that same reasoning to the private ownership of capital goods. And... weren't the French majorly involved in the American Revolutionary War? Happily for the rebels, Louis XVI had a rather cavalier attitude regarding "French blood". I agree, but legality is a spook to begin with. The legitimacy of the state does not come from any natural law or diety, it comes from wielded force and exists to perpetuate itself and support the class that (largely) composes it. "Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman run the 21st century version of MK ULTRA." - majestic "I'm gonna hunt you down so that I can slap you square in the mouth." - Bartimaeus "Without individual thinking you can't notice the plot holes." - InsaneCommander "Just feed off the suffering of gamers." - Malcador "You are calling my taste crap." -Hurlshort "thankfully it seems like the creators like Hungary less this time around." - Sarex "Don't forget the wakame, dumbass" -Keyrock "Are you trolling or just being inadvertently nonsensical?' -Pidesco "we have already been forced to admit you are at least human" - uuuhhii "I refuse to buy from non-woke businesses" - HoonDing "feral camels are now considered a pest" - Gorth "Melkathi is known to be an overly critical grumpy person" - Melkathi "Oddly enough Sanderson was a lot more direct despite being a Mormon" - Zoraptor "I found it greatly disturbing to scroll through my cartoon's halfing selection of genitalias." - Wormerine "Am I phrasing in the most negative light for them? Yes, but it's not untrue." - ShadySands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guard Dog Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 3 hours ago, 213374U said: And... weren't the French majorly involved in the American Revolutionary War? Happily for the rebels, Louis XVI had a rather cavalier attitude regarding "French blood". French involvement came in the form of muskets, powder, shot, and money. And it was integral. But aside from a handful of notable volunteers like L'Enfant and Layfayette French soldiers did not participate. Not the same thing as regime change in the modern world. Like Iraq for example. Of course it would be fair to say French blood was shed BECAUSE of the revolution. Monetary and military aid to the US added to an already desperate economic crisis that was one of the root causes to the French revolution. A far nastier and bloodier mess than we had to deal with. "While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before" Thomas Sowell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjjames Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 33 minutes ago, Guard Dog said: French involvement came in the form of muskets, powder, shot, and money. And it was integral. But aside from a handful of notable volunteers like L'Enfant and Layfayette French soldiers did not participate. Not the same thing as regime change in the modern world. Like Iraq for example. I'd call taking a major part in the last campaign in the Revolutionary War more than a handful. Not to mention being responsible for the decisive naval battle during the same campaign. Not sure where you're getting that French soldiers did not participate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoraptor Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Heh, gazumped. de Grasse really should be remembered a lot more by the US than Lafayette is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 27 minutes ago, smjjames said: Not sure where you're getting that French soldiers did not participate. The Patriot ? Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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