Is America heading towards dictatorship?

[Pickman's model]

Oh no, you've had years of practice and are a highly skilled proponent, I am a mere novice in comparison.

you do yourself no favours with false modesty, anyone who makes out they think people here are so ignorant they need to be told what pompous means us at once miles beyond me in condescension and their ability to patronise.

 

[Coffeecup]

FFS, cut the whingeing and post on thread or just stick to joke threads, eh?

I’m not the whinger. Projection much.

Anyway, do you think Europe should have its own army if it’s threatened on both sides, maybe?

 

[Derek S-H]

you do yourself no favours with false modesty, anyone who makes out they think people here are so ignorant they need to be told what pompous means us at once miles beyond me in condescension and their ability to patronise.

Um, I presume you've heard of punctuation?

Please rewrite your sentence so it makes some sort of sense. Unless you're using Trump as a role model?

Also, I think perhaps you and Bogbrush don't quite realise how much your aggression is unwanted, unnecessary and unpopular. But if it works for you, then carry on.

 

[kebabking]

 

[Rompipalle]

Bogbrush.

 

[Pickman's model]

Um, I presume you've heard of punctuation?

Please rewrite your sentence so it makes some sort of sense. Unless you're using Trump as a role model?

Also, I think perhaps you and Bogbrush don't quite realise how much your aggression is unwanted, unnecessary and unpopular. But if it works for you, then carry on.

it makes perfect sense as it is. but there's a typo in there, the us should obviously be is.

from your post you haven't read the forum terms and rules, or you wouldn't be pissing about with usernames in contravention of them.

 

[The39thStep]

It’s a good question and, really, who knows what Trump might think he’s achieving. I suppose, trying to rationalise the madness, maybe he thinks that normalising imperial ambitions might soften up domestic/world opinion for the inevitable concessions to Putin?

He is certainly giving the small print in US imperialism a bigger font .

 

[Pickman's model]

Tbh the US has been an empire for well over a century, certainly since the acquisition of the Philippines. And presidents have been issuing diktats for many many years as executive orders. Trump doesn't need to so much while the Congress is the republicans and the sc is packed, and with the immunity ruling they gave him.

 

[brogdale]

Also, I think perhaps you and Bogbrush don't quite realise how much your aggression is unwanted, unnecessary and unpopular. But if it works for you, then carry on.

Again, this thread is not about you or your feelings; either post something useful or stick to threads with content that you can contribute to.

 

[The39thStep]

Strange but true

 

[moochedit]

how does chile under pinochet fit this idea then?

China seems to manage it as well.

 

[brogdale]

Strange but true

View attachment 458627

Jesus, that headline.

 

[moochedit]

Has any leader of a major state or EU come out critical of Trump's talk about economic and military power regarding Canada, Panama and Greenland ?

Yes i read france and germany critised the greenland talk. Not sure if they said anything about panama. Not heard about anything from starmer yet.

 

[moochedit]

Back OT, I notice this Congress commentator managed to screenshot this glorification of Trump's Lebensraum before it was pulled.

View attachment 458585

Interesting to consider what's really going on with this mad shite; is this cover for a Putin Ukraine deal?

He was fed up with musk getting all the media attention so had to top him

 

[DotCommunist]

China seems to manage it as well.

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

 

[moochedit]

Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era

Donald Trump thought on democracy with American Characteristics.

 

[Nylock]

New(er) posters might not be aware (and why would they be?) of the Boards' history and why this leaves remains of a demand for rigour in politics discussion. There was a time when these discussions could feature real experts in niche fields, wielding significant knowledge with specialist lenses.

This is far less the case now (though the levels of expertise you might stumble across from time to time can still surpass anything found elsewhere) but longer-term posters may continue to have little patience for superficial, banal or ignorant assertions.

I agree that rigour and politeness are not mutually exclusive, but I also understand the frustration with how the dumbed down nature of internet discourse has infected even here.

So, a plea from me (which you are all free to do what will with), match the tone of your posts with the level of your expertise. Tentative opinions should not have the same air of certainty as knowledge informed analysis (although the best of that accepts a loss of certainty too).

I know I'm an old man shaking my fist at the sky, but I'm going to shake that fist anyway.

Someone posted they want experts posting. They said they were old and waving their fist at the sky. I’m probably older than them and I don’t get angry and wave my fist at the sky. Interesting post btw.

No, they didn't. The highlighted text in the quoted post from chilango above was a call to "match the tone of your posts with the level of your expertise", that is not the same as "we want experts posting here"...

 

[Coffeecup]

No, they didn't. The highlighted text in the quoted post from chilango above was a call to "match the tone of your posts with the level of your expertise", that is not the same as "we want experts posting here"...

It’s plain to see what they posted, and not just one sentence chosen by you to make your own point. Considering it was posted in the midst of conversations I was having as I defended myself against abuse, it was absolutely uncalled for and unnecessary. Rude is an understatement. Prejudging people knowing nothing about them is low. I am who I am. If someone doesn’t like me or my posts, that’s not my problem. The high and mighty need to reflect lest they fall into the trap of hypocrisy. When someone is new to a forum and gets harassed by some, there is a failure of a person’s rights. I’m no better than anyone else and that goes for everyone. I wouldn’t dream of putting myself above others. It’s embarrassing.

 

[The39thStep]

Hurry up Harry

EU dodges questions on Trump’s proposed invasion of Greenland

“Are you waiting for American marines to land in Greenland or what?” one journalist pressed the European Commission.

www.politico.eu

 

[ska invita]

It’s a good question and, really, who knows what Trump might think he’s achieving. I suppose, trying to rationalise the madness, maybe he thinks that normalising imperial ambitions might soften up domestic/world opinion for the inevitable concessions to Putin?

Thats far too 6d chess IMO - this is nothing to do with Ukraine or Putin and everything to do with making america great again
normalising imperial ambitions is part of the wider normalising of far right opinion and action - this is their general mode
putin is respected because he is doing the same

 

[Pickman's model]

Thats far too 6d chess IMO - this is nothing to do with Ukraine or Putin and everything to do with making america great again
normalising imperial ambitions is part of the wider normalising of far right opinion and action - this is their general mode
putin is respected because he is doing the same

the trajectory trump's taking will not maga
imperial ambitions are i suggest already normalised after more than two centuries of territorial acquisition and nearly a century of hegemony

 

[brogdale]

Thats far too 6d chess IMO - this is nothing to do with Ukraine or Putin and everything to do with making america great again
normalising imperial ambitions is part of the wider normalising of far right opinion and action - this is their general mode
putin is respected because he is doing the same

Maybe, but with the ‘thought’ processes of Trump we are all obviously speculating

 

[ska invita]

imperial ambitions are i suggest already normalised after more than two centuries of territorial acquisition and nearly a century of hegemony

Nothing is normalised....history never ends....getting Greenland would be a boost for sure, purely for the minerals - will be interesting to see if its more hot air or will come to pass

 

[Pickman's model]

Nothing is normalised....history never ends....getting Greenland would be a boost for sure, purely for the minerals - will be interesting to see if its more hot air or will come to pass

i'm not arguing history ends, i'm saying that the americans are used to imperial ambitions, that they are number one and so on. america grew with two great purchases, lousiana and alaska, so there's no reason that there can't be another similar change to their borders.

 

[kebabking]

Nothing is normalised....history never ends....getting Greenland would be a boost for sure, purely for the minerals - will be interesting to see if its more hot air or will come to pass

I wouldn't fall off my chair if it happened - the logistics of it, the correlation of forces, and to be frank the simple refusal to believe that it might happen so prevailant in European societies, mean that it would probably (in an irony) be rather like the Invasion of Denmark in 1940 - invasion by telegram.

 

[ska invita]

I wouldn't fall off my chair if it happened - the logistics of it, the correlation of forces, and to be frank the simple refusal to believe that it might happen so prevailant in European societies, mean that it would probably (in an irony) be rather like the Invasion of Denmark in 1940 - invasion by telegram.

The fact they're talking about it now before taking office suggests to me its top of the to do list and may well happen.
No one can stop them. They see this as a return to the age of the Caesars - who is going to stop them? Is Denmark going to get in a trade war with US? No chance. NATO? EU? Cant see it but for the grumbling

 

[kabbes]

The fact they're talking about it now before taking office suggests to me its top of the to do list and may well happen.
No one can stop them. They see this as a return to the age of the Caesars - who is going to stop them? Is Denmark going to get in a trade war with US? No chance. NATO? EU? Cant see it but for the grumbling

It suggests to me that they have other items on their list that they want to distract you from.

 

[kebabking]

The fact they're talking about it now before taking office suggests to me its top of the to do list and may well happen.
No one can stop them. They see this as a return to the age of the Caesars - who is going to stop them? Is Denmark going to get in a trade war with US? No chance.

No - and I think that for all the words you'll hear, that the EU (both organs and member states) will do nothing about it. Sanction a single one of Trumps hotels or whatever, but nothing that has any kind of bite into the pockets of Mr or Mrs Nowhere, Indiana.

 

[Dystopiary]

I think you're confusing dictatorship with totalitarianism. They're not necessarily the same thing, although some dictatorships have been totalitarian. Dictatorships lack democratic participation (although they may include spurious democratic forms and processes). Totalitarian societies make no pretence of democracy. Dictatorships don't necessarily control all aspects of personal, public, social and economic life. Only the totalitarian dictatorships try to do this.

I understand people get frustrated but this thoughtful post is an example to us all. Thanks Serge.

 

[Pickman's model]

The fact they're talking about it now before taking office suggests to me its top of the to do list and may well happen.
No one can stop them. They see this as a return to the age of the Caesars - who is going to stop them? Is Denmark going to get in a trade war with US? No chance. NATO? EU? Cant see it but for the grumbling

Oh there will be trade wars like there were in djt's first administration, he's made that clear too already