American Politics

[sbgawa]

I saw someone from either Greenland or Danish politics note that the similar claims of a Chinese threat in the region were odd given the last Chinese warship observed near Greenland was in 1950. There is little point paying the slightest attention to what Trump says, as it's a diahorria of utter ********. But every word gets reported hysterically because it generates clicks. Now, when he imposes tariffs for not handing over Greenland, which I think he's done - you'd lose track of all the BS - then you have to react.

I'm baffled by some of the appeasment-themed nonsense I've heard from politicians recently. China matched his tariffs up to about 120% and then announced that they were bored now as US goods were totally uncompetitive in their market at those rates anyway, and he folded like a wet towel. Tell him to **** off and stop showing snivelling weakness.

Unlike China who dont depend on Trump our entire Economic well being and ability to defend ourselves (at a European level rather than just Ireland) depends on the USA.
Hence the appeasement talk.
Without American inteligence and American weopans (paid for largely by Europeans now) Ukraine are done and the Baltics are next.

I would still tell him to F off but the politicians are doing what politicians do and trying to keep people safe and the show sort of on the road.
Im probably glad it isnt my call tbh.
A full American withdrawl and Russia free to do whatever they want is a worrying thought

[Mr A]

Saw this on twitter:

"Five stories from just the last 24 hours:

1. Minnesota police chief says ICE has been unconstitutionally stopping & pulling guns on his own off-duty officers who are brown/black.

2. The Social Security Administration referred two DOGE employees for Hatch Act violations after discovering contacts with a political group seeking SSA data to overturn election results.

3. Canada struck a historic trade deal with China, declaring them more "predictable" than the U.S., then its PM warned of a rupture with the U.S. and the "end of the rules-based international order."

4. Trump quietly pardoned a slew of more white collar criminals, almost all of whom were convicted of fraud.

5. NYTimes released an editorial documenting how Trump has made $1.4 billion (with a "b") dollars off the presidency in his first year in office -- just on the publicly documented trades and transactions.

That's legitimately 24 hours of news, and it's just scratching the surface."

You could add any number of things on top of that since I saw it a few hours ago. Trump is all over the place and is getting worse and worse.

ICE seem intent on igniting as much resistance as possible, probably to justify sending troops in. The big question somes when that happens somewhere- will they serve the president or the constitution.

Dangerous times.

[Dermobohs]

Unlike China who dont depend on Trump our entire Economic well being and ability to defend ourselves (at a European level rather than just Ireland) depends on the USA.
Hence the appeasement talk.
Without American inteligence and American weopans (paid for largely by Europeans now) Ukraine are done and the Baltics are next.

I would still tell him to F off but the politicians are doing what politicians do and trying to keep people safe and the show sort of on the road.
Im probably glad it isnt my call tbh.
A full American withdrawl and Russia free to do whatever they want is a worrying thought

This lunatic is every bit as dangerous as Putin, we would be far worse off with US “defence”, they are done as a democratic nation.

[SkStu]

I thought Canadian PM Mark Carney's speech was outstanding. A very well put excerpt below:

For decades, countries like Canada prospered under what we called the rules-based international order. We joined its institutions, we praised its principles, we benefited from its predictability. And because of that, we could pursue values-based foreign policies under its protection.

We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically, and we knew that international law applied with varied rigour, depending on the identity of the accused or the victim.

This fiction was useful, and American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security and support for frameworks for resolving disputes.

So we placed the sign in the window. We participated in the rituals, and we largely avoided calling out the gaps between rhetoric and reality.

This bargain no longer works.