The Trump Presidency | Biden Inaugurated

[The Firestarter]

We will never be free of her.

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Did @Cal? ghost write that tweet?

 

[matherto]

It actually baffles me how in this day and age a society can be so insular, terrified of absolutely everything and utterly brainwashed.

I think there's a few things. Though it's very sweeping in terms of generalisations and mainly aimed at the older folk so Americans on here, please correct as appropriate for more realism and please don't take offence.

- Seemingly nobody has any savings and there are no worker protections so everyone just works > eats > sleeps > works > eats > sleeps and anyone that doesn't do that is a dirty no good slacker who isn't trying hard enough. Everyone has to work, no exceptions. Doesn't matter if you've got nine jobs and you never sleep or eat, long as you're not on welfare.
- Then factor in that those who can afford to travel a bit and have to make the most of their miniscule days off just travel between states rather than go abroad because the country is so vast and they don't have enough time to go anywhere else. Many have never left the state they live in/were born in.
- Seemingly they all religiously watch TV and there's no control over how propagandised the news is cause they got rid of the fairness doctrine so you're either full Fox or full CNN/MSNBC and utterly terrified of everything because the news only reports the worst stuff.
- Their radio stations are the same, although even worse so imagine that when stuck in traffic on the way to work scaring them into submission.
- Factor in hyper-religious evangelicals hammering more propaganda down their throats and again scaring them into submission.
- Then factor in the indoctrination in the education system that then bleeds into society at large about American exceptionalism, pledging allegiance to the flag, not kneeling, love the troops because the US military is great and not an imperialist force that invades other lands - Team America - that sorta thing.
- Factor in that the education system itself is defunded to shit so unless you're Lisa Simpson, you're thick as pigshit and malleable to indoctrination - this is purposely done by the government to keep people stupid as easy to manipulate into voting one way or another.
- Factor in the gun culture too which breeds people with fragile egos and the same fear that's been hammered into them from all angles about criminals coming to kill them/their families/steal all their stuff.
- They know nothing of the outside world except seeing terrorist attacks or other bad stuff on the news or watching TV programmes that stereotype things (like we all love the Queen and we've got a picture of her on the wall whilst eating crumpets and drinking tea).

The internet has allowed the younger generations to see beyond the veil. In my experience of meeting them in Europe when they've managed to secure a scholarship or something that allows them to go abroad, they're pretty much as miserable and embarrassed about their own country as I am as a Brit (and I'm well aware that many more are patriotic so I don't represent anything but myself). Absolutely anecdotal evidence and a very small sample size but at least they're not MURIKA #1 types.

Now this doesn't mean that most of the country is rotten, they're just thte same as anywhre else, trying to live paycheque to paycheque, look after their families, see their friends, enjoy time away from work but the system around them is so constricting that they're helpless and it's more extreme in America than in pretty much any other developed nation. If you can call America developed because certainly a lot of it isn't.

Outsider looking in too so obviously I can only go off what I see which is narrow in itself.

 

[TheGame]

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[Sparky_Hughes]

I think there's a few things. Though it's very sweeping in terms of generalisations and mainly aimed at the older folk so Americans on here, please correct as appropriate for more realism and please don't take offence.

- Seemingly nobody has any savings and there are no worker protections so everyone just works > eats > sleeps > works > eats > sleeps and anyone that doesn't do that is a dirty no good slacker who isn't trying hard enough. Everyone has to work, no exceptions. Doesn't matter if you've got nine jobs and you never sleep or eat, long as you're not on welfare.
- Then factor in that those who can afford to travel a bit and have to make the most of their miniscule days off just travel between states rather than go abroad because the country is so vast and they don't have enough time to go anywhere else. Many have never left the state they live in/were born in.
- Seemingly they all religiously watch TV and there's no control over how propagandised the news is cause they got rid of the fairness doctrine so you're either full Fox or full CNN/MSNBC and utterly terrified of everything because the news only reports the worst stuff.
- Their radio stations are the same, although even worse so imagine that when stuck in traffic on the way to work scaring them into submission.
- Factor in hyper-religious evangelicals hammering more propaganda down their throats and again scaring them into submission.
- Then factor in the indoctrination in the education system that then bleeds into society at large about American exceptionalism, pledging allegiance to the flag, not kneeling, love the troops because the US military is great and not an imperialist force that invades other lands - Team America - that sorta thing.
- Factor in that the education system itself is defunded to shit so unless you're Lisa Simpson, you're thick as pigshit and malleable to indoctrination - this is purposely done by the government to keep people stupid as easy to manipulate into voting one way or another.
- Factor in the gun culture too which breeds people with fragile egos and the same fear that's been hammered into them from all angles about criminals coming to kill them/their families/steal all their stuff.
- They know nothing of the outside world except seeing terrorist attacks or other bad stuff on the news or watching TV programmes that stereotype things (like we all love the Queen and we've got a picture of her on the wall whilst eating crumpets and drinking tea).

The internet has allowed the younger generations to see beyond the veil. In my experience of meeting them in Europe when they've managed to secure a scholarship or something that allows them to go abroad, they're pretty much as miserable and embarrassed about their own country as I am as a Brit (and I'm well aware that many more are patriotic so I don't represent anything but myself). Absolutely anecdotal evidence and a very small sample size but at least they're not MURIKA #1 types.

Now this doesn't mean that most of the country is rotten, they're just thte same as anywhre else, trying to live paycheque to paycheque, look after their families, see their friends, enjoy time away from work but the system around them is so constricting that they're helpless and it's more extreme in America than in pretty much any other developed nation. If you can call America developed because certainly a lot of it isn't.

Outsider looking in too so obviously I can only go off what I see which is narrow in itself.

Excellently put, and far more accurate than my "they are all batshit mental".

 

[utdalltheway]

I think there are as many dopey types in the US, as there are in the UK.
Some of the UK people can be absolutely brilliant; crack Enigma, develop radar, invent steam engines & trains, create a C-19 vaccine (hopefully) but you also have a ton of The Sun and The Daily Mail reader types and Brexiteers.
Same folk but with a different passport and less guns.

 

[utdalltheway]

I hear Trump is coming out of his bunker today to re-start the C-19 briefings.
Not a coincidence after the Oxford trials results.
Watch how much credit his admin (him) takes for the apparent success.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Seemingly nobody has any savings and there are no worker protections so everyone just works > eats > sleeps > works > eats > sleeps and anyone that doesn't do that is a dirty no good slacker who isn't trying hard enough. Everyone has to work, no exceptions. Doesn't matter if you've got nine jobs and you never sleep or eat, long as you're not on welfare.

We don't say "work, eat, sleep, repeat" for nothing over here!

Then factor in that those who can afford to travel a bit and have to make the most of their miniscule days off just travel between states rather than go abroad because the country is so vast and they don't have enough time to go anywhere else. Many have never left the state they live in/were born in.

It's not so much that but there are two things to consider:

1) Americans have become culturally insular. Experiencing different cultures is uncomfortable for them so they tend not to have a great desire to travel abroad.
2) Their country is vast and has a lot to offer from a travel perspective. Hawaii, southern California, Florida and the rest of the gulf coast offer an easy tropical vaction for any American and they don't have to step outside of their comfort zone. If they want culture they have NYC, San Franciso and New Orleans. There are so many options that going far abroad seems unnecessary to them unless they have a specific interest.

 

[Cheimoon]

Not sure what's the best thread for this, but since it's a Trump Administration decision and pretty typical of the sort of thing Trump likes (being the national bully, essentially): what does everyone think about the federal agents policing Portland (OR) right now? Here is an NPR summary of the situation, and here an NYT discussion of its legality.

To me, it's quite scary. I had thought that Trump doesn't really have a path to imposing a physical presence like this throughout the US, and it's chilling to see how easily it can actually be put together on the back of an Executive Order, and how little can be done about it. (So far, anyway.) In that sense, I am surprised this has not gotten more media coverage. Cause if the actions in Portland work out for Trump, I think we can expect a very wide deployment of these units very soon.

 

[utdalltheway]

Yeah, I think too that Portland is a testing ground to see how far he can take it.
That's why the OR pols and judiciary need to be on this to stamp it out really quickly.

 

[RedChip]

We don't say "work, eat, sleep, repeat" for nothing over here!



It's not so much that but there are two things to consider:

1) Americans have become culturally insular. Experiencing different cultures is uncomfortable for them so they tend not to have a great desire to travel abroad.
2) Their country is vast and has a lot to offer from a travel perspective. Hawaii, southern California, Florida and the rest of the gulf coast offer an easy tropical vaction for any American and they don't have to step outside of their comfort zone. If they want culture they have NYC, San Franciso and New Orleans. There are so many options that going far abroad seems unnecessary to them unless they have a specific interest.

The bolded is a real issue for them, though. The US is varied and interesting, but seen from the outside and compared to other cultures, it is pretty much the same culture. And in the end, no matter how interesting your own home is, you will still be ignorant of the outside world if you don't venture out. Hence, weirdness about social security for example.

 

[DavidDeSchmikes]

i'm out the loop, but what is happening regarding Portland?

 

[Cheimoon]

i'm out the loop, but what is happening regarding Portland?

Basically, in response to his Executive Order to protect monuments, Trump got the Department of Homeland Security to put together quick deployment units, consisting of agents from the Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. So that's a kind of federal police. They have now deployed one of those units in Portland, against the wishes of the city and the state and their policing methods seem pretty random, inappropriate and violent. There are further details in the links I included in my e-mail:

NPR: https://www.npr.org/2020/07/19/8928...als-blast-trump-response-to-portland-protests
NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/politics/federal-agents-portland-arrests.html

 

[calodo2003]

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[GiddyUp]

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Trump will be looking to see which one of "his" properties needs a cash injection.

 

[MTF]

Not sure what's the best thread for this, but since it's a Trump Administration decision and pretty typical of the sort of thing Trump likes (being the national bully, essentially): what does everyone think about the federal agents policing Portland (OR) right now? Here is an NPR summary of the situation, and here an NYT discussion of its legality.

To me, it's quite scary. I had thought that Trump doesn't really have a path to imposing a physical presence like this throughout the US, and it's chilling to see how easily it can actually be put together on the back of an Executive Order, and how little can be done about it. (So far, anyway.) In that sense, I am surprised this has not gotten more media coverage. Cause if the actions in Portland work out for Trump, I think we can expect a very wide deployment of these units very soon.

I think it's nuts. I expected a much more forceful legal challenge of this, by the state of OR. To at least make a judge look at it and make some sort of ruling as to what is allowed and what is not. Because some pretty basic violation of rights seem to be going on in several cases.

 

[Drifter]

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[Drifter]

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Trump as stiffed 14 cities out of $1.82 Million in safety costs. No wonder they are cautious.

 

[Rob]

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All things considered, he’s fecking hilarious. “Doctors said it’s good to wear a mask because of public health reasons, but feck them and feck health reasons. But now the people say it’s patriotic to wear a mask so now I’m wearing one because I’m as patriotic as they come, except of course when the bone spurs set in”

 

[berbatrick]

Excellently put, and far more accurate than my "they are all batshit mental".

Only thing I'd disagree with is the bit about savings - this isn't limited to those without them. Many of those interviewed here are visibly not poor

 

[ha_rooney]

Thought it was all a hoax?

 

[Eyepopper]

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Wait, is that the Lone Ranger?

 

[utdalltheway]

No, his sidekick Bunker Boy.

 

[Fingeredmouse]

How exactly are the US Government able to lift people off of the streets for feck all in unmarked vehicles like the Stasi?

 

[Redplane]

How exactly are the US Government able to lift people off of the streets for feck all in unmarked vehicles like the Stasi?

Wut?! You don't think POTUS has the freedom to do as he pleases in the free-est country on earth? I'm sure they d be just fine with it if people exercised their second amendment rights to protect themselves from a tyrannical government. /s

Just wait for Trump to pull some other shit again to distract from it. Maybe fire someone this Friday or whatever. Who knows anymore.

Edit: and more coming to Chicago now apparently: Chicago Tribune: Homeland Security making plans to deploy some 150 agents in Chicago this week, with scope of duty unknown. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news...0200720-dftu5ychwbcxtg4ltarh5qnwma-story.html

 

[GiddyUp]

No, his sidekick Bunker Boy.

Tanto

 

[maniak]

My crazy uncle who lives in the US just posted on FB that he was much more free in Portugal during the fascism period than he is now under his democratic governor. This is a man who was literally forced to go to war in Africa in the 60's, but now having to wear a mask is making him lose the plot for good.

 

[Redplane]

My crazy uncle who lives in the US just posted on FB that he was much more free in Portugal during the fascim period than he is now under his democratic governor. This is a man who was literally forced to go to war in Africa in the 60's, but now having to wear a mask is making him lose the plot for good.

The reason why history repeats itself summed up in a nutshell.

Maybe suggest he move back to Portugal?

 

[maniak]

The reason why history repeats itself summed up in a nutshell.

Maybe suggest he move back to Portugal?

We have the socialist party in power right now, he'd have a heart attack every week if he lived here.

 

[MrMarcello]

Ted Cruz...

https://sports.yahoo.com/amphtml/ma...ce-out-of-control-sen-ted-cruz-164719685.html

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has an answer for the “national anthem police” who take issue with athletes kneeling during the pre-game song.

Cuban called out both Mark Davis, a radio talk show host in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, and Sen. Ted Cruz, who got involved in the Twitter thread on Monday morning.

 

[RedTiger]

Look at his heel

Spoiler: Close up

 

[ArmandTamzarian]

He looks like a duvet cover, stuffed with pillows, moulded into something resembling the shape of a human then they stuffed it into a fecking suit.

 

[Wibble]

I think there are as many dopey types in the US, as there are in the UK.
Some of the UK people can be absolutely brilliant; crack Enigma, develop radar, invent steam engines & trains, create a C-19 vaccine (hopefully) but you also have a ton of The Sun and The Daily Mail reader types and Brexiteers.
Same folk but with a different passport and less guns.

And less evangelical religion

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Look at his heel

Spoiler: Close up

That's the hugest bone spur I've ever seen!

 

[oates]

His feet are smaller than his hands.

 

[mariachi-19]

Wears lifts?

 

[Sky1981]

Trump is the dark knight

He took the full brunt from the mighty sword of historians, in order to destablize the GOP from the inside.

He's the Thanos of our world, he has shown the world how absurd America really is, but sadly the quagmire that is America is a bigger monster than he ever planned. It has become a nitemare, now no matter how stupid how low how hard he tries it turns out people loved him more and more (by Republican standard). It's like a parody movie, a spy got sent to the opposition, ended up as their leader, trying his best to raze the kingdom but the harder he tries the more they love him.

 

[calodo2003]

Look at his heel

Spoiler: Close up

That’s what lifts do, push your entire heel out of your shoe.

 

[utdalltheway]

Hasn’t he grown an inch as he’s gotten older, per the results of his physicals? 6’-3” supposedly these days.

How insecure do you have to be to wear lifts when you’re already tall?

 

[sglowrider]

That’s what lifts do, push your entire heel out of your shoe.

So the shoe becomes like a slipper? I mean your heels all the way outside your shoe.

 

[calodo2003]

So the shoe becomes like a slipper? I mean your heels all the way outside your shoe.

That’s a bit extreme, the photo. Often times the lift is the heel itself, but it looks odd if it is too much. Insert lifts are then used which limit the amount of potential volume inside the shoe itself.
It’s these lifts that undoubtedly cause his typical tilted-forward standing pose.