Chit-Chat: The Feels

[SoMuchTV]

26 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Not only that but a tenant is prohibited to materially  change the landlord's property. They may not paint, replace flooring or cabinets. They may not damage or cause repairs to be needed unless they are willing to reimburse the property owner for said damages or alterations.

Actually, I think I’d be fine if he stuck to redecorating the White House, eliminating pennies, and making showers great again. 

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Not only that but a tenant is prohibited to materially  change the landlord's property. They may not paint, replace flooring or cabinets. They may not damage or cause repairs to be needed unless they are willing to reimburse the property owner for said damages or alterations.

Exactly, you said it! If the White House were an apartment building Trump would never get his security deposit back. 

All that gold plating and bling in the Oval Office looks low class and tacky.

[Affogato]

1 hour ago, tearknee said:

 

pacifism has no place. A ceasefire is coddling Putin and leaving people under his yoke.

Well yes it was. It wasn’t pacifism. 

[Kemper]

1 minute ago, Yeah No said:

Exactly, you said it! If the White House were an apartment building Trump would never get his security deposit back. 

All that gold plating and bling in the Oval Office looks low class and tacky.

Yes! It looks like a low-class version of a House of ill Repute. At least what I always imagined one looked like. Who knows? That may be the look he is going for. If so? Kudos.

[Affogato]

45 minutes ago, Kemper said:

Yes! It looks like a low-class version of a House of ill Repute. At least what I always imagined one looked like. Who knows? That may be the look he is going for. If so? Kudos.

Yes that is what he likes, from the bits of his other signature properties I’ve seen pictures of. 

[tearknee]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Only because Putin is a liar and so is Trump. A real ceasefire would be different.

that's the realism - "Our goal must always be peace" = useless against anyone with no such qualms.

[Anela]

This is what I remembered.

New Rule: The Slow-Moving Coup | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)

Edited April 17 by Anela

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, Affogato said:

Yes that is what he likes, from the bits of his other signature properties I’ve seen pictures of. 

The poisonous apple doesn't fall far from the family tree.

[Annber03]

Another thing about Trump hanging up a photo of himself from that assassination attempt...I've seen "Twilight Zone" episodes where ruthless leaders flaunted their survival against their enemies and laughed in their faces. Greek literature is LITTERED with stories about rulers like this. Freaking real life history has a shitton of stories about rulers like Trump who got all cocky and openly tempted fate with this sort of thing. 

If Trump had anything resembling any sort of self-awareness, I'd suggest he pay VERY close attention to how all those stories ended for those rulers.

(Hint: Not very well.)

Edited April 17 by Annber03

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

We've talked about this before here but the lack of empathy is just simply shocking to me.  And I don't know what has caused it.  Social media?  The toxic environment on the political extremes? Our soldiers on D Day knew some of them knew were going to die but they still stilled stormed the beaches of Normandy.   I don't think that would happen today.  And not just because we have drones and whatever else that has replaced boots on the ground. I don't know if we can ever fix the real problems in this country.  And a big one is a lot of the people who live  here.

This is something I didn't get a chance to talk about before - How social media and the current online experience has shortened people's attention spans even more than they were before. People deal in nothing but sound bytes that demand no real introspection, no deeper thoughts. I doubt most people even read anymore and when they do it's online and not anything truly enriching. Everything they see is on the surface only. People don't take a closer look at anything or anyone. Issues are either black or white, no shades of gray. They judge people based on appearances and hearsay. People are reduced to mere objects, obstacles to get around or eliminate. Thumbs up or thumbs down. They never take the time to get to understand them let alone care about them. 

I remember when I first got email over 30 years ago, my best friend and I wrote each other long email letters a couple of times a week. No one would do that today. In fact even on chat boards like this one, if you go on too long a lot of people will pass over your post if they think it's "too long". Everyone has conditioned themselves to write the "one-two punch" line that takes only a few seconds if that to read. But unfortunately many of the deeper, more nuanced thoughts aren't that easy to reduce into one line sound bytes. And you have to be willing to sit with your thoughts and not be distracted by 15 other things at the same time. In order to be a human being that cares, you have to let things sink in and allow yourself time to contemplate what it all means - let yourself appreciate someone's humanity. People can't even drive anymore without being distracted by 5 things at the same time so how are they going to sit with themselves long enough to think or feel anything worthwhile? I wrote a post at least a year ago on another thread about how we don't just have distracted driving anymore - we have distracted living. 

[Soapy Goddess]

10 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

The truth is coming to come out at some point and while  his MAGA base won't care the rest of the world is going to call him out for being the monster that he is.

And once again, not one iota of empathy for the victim of migrant crime.

BTW, did anyone see the mother of the latest victim speaking today?  It was heartbreaking to watch, and extremely disheartening the way politics is adding insult to (their) injury. All the left cares about is getting back at DJT. Instead, the migrants get more press and sympathy.

 

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

The fact that this lunatic's base is mum and won't call him out for being the crazy monster he is after something like this is just beyond the pale for me. I can't....I just can't get over it. I think "Trump derangement syndrome" applies to his base, NOT Democrats!  Not ONE of them has any integrity AT ALL even in the face of something as heinous and twisted as THIS? How on earth could this be happening? I weep for the future of this country and for all of us.....

The exact same words could be said about Dems. They will never call out a migrant criminal because they don't have the integrity to face the heinous crimes of rape and MURDER!  How on earth could this be when Dems tout themselves as caring and empathetic? I'm weeping for the victims, not the criminals.

[Soapy Goddess]

8 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Not when you completely disrespect the office of the presidency, actively dismantle every important aspect of our govenrment, and have a history of actively trying to overthrow a democratic election, you don't. He doesn't respect the place he lives, so no, he shouldn't get to do shit with it. He shouldn't even still be allowed to be IN the White House at all at this point. He should've been thrown out on his ass and barred from ever being allowed back a long time ago. 

And that's your opinion. However, we were only (initially) talking about removing Obama's picture, which in MY opinion is his right as the tenant of the WH. But hey, if it makes you feel better to regurgitate your gripes, go for it.

6 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Not only that but a tenant is prohibited to materially  change the landlord's property. They may not paint, replace flooring or cabinets. They may not damage or cause repairs to be needed unless they are willing to reimburse the property owner for said damages or alterations.

You are correct, BUT there are no laws or stipulations that say you can't take down a photograph and replace it with your own. Pure & simple.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Soapy Goddess said:

The exact same words could be said about Dems. They will never call out a migrant criminal because they don't have the integrity to face the heinous crimes of rape and MURDER!  How on earth could this be when Dems tout themselves as caring and empathetic? I'm weeping for the victims, not the criminals.

The truth is that migrant crime doesn't occur at any greater rate than crime committed by anyone else including citizens so making it about them being a migrant is not the issue. I (and I'm sure Dems. in general) have sympathy for any victims of violent crime no matter who committed that crime. But that's not what I see coming from the right. The right only cares about minorities committing crimes, whether they are citizens or not.

Shall white people be against minorities in general based on the rate of their responsibility for violent crime? What about the crime that white immigrants commit? You don't think they commit any? Oh that's right, no one on the right cares about that so you'll never hear about it.

It's just racism, pure and simple. If those migrants were white the right would not care less about any crime they committed. And if the victims were not white they similarly would not care less about them either. So please don't make this about hypocrisy because there's far more coming from the right as far as I can see.

The real issue is that the right just doesn't like migrants if they are minorities. If they were white Trump would be welcoming them with open arms whether they were coming here legally or not.

[suomi]

from the article:

In an indication of the strains on the “special relationship”, British civil servants have changed document-handling guidance, adding higher classifications to some trade negotiation documents in order to better shield them from American eyes, sources told the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/16/uk-officials-trade-documents-secret-trump-tariff-security

Edited April 17 by suomi

[suomi]

The folks at The Guardian chose a header photo with his face matching the orange drapes behind him. Bless their hearts.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/17/donald-trump-trade-deal-uk-president

[JustHereForFood]

On 4/14/2025 at 12:46 AM, annzeepark914 said:

Trump wears lifts (it has been said). I believe it. What a fragile ego.

Same as Putin. Gods protect us from men and their fragile egos.

 

On 4/15/2025 at 4:18 PM, Ohiopirate02 said:

I do feel bad for the Jewish population with Trump pretending to be their #1 defender when in reality he is Bibi's #1 defender. He defines antisemitism as anyone who is Anti-Zionist and anyone who criticizes Netanyahu.

To be fair, there is a large movement on the far-left that is using the current situation as an excuse to show their antisemitism loud and proud, under a disguise of anti-zionism. It doesn't mean that Trump is an ally to Jewish people, of course, but it frightens me how lightly people take it. It's like everybody took a side and judges every news through whether a person on the right or left did or said something, and then decides how bad it is based on that, rather than what was said or done.

 

20 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

And if a ceasefire in Ukraine stops the killing I'm all for it.

It won't.

Edited April 17 by JustHereForFood

[JustHereForFood]

 

18 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

We've talked about this before here but the lack of empathy is just simply shocking to me.  And I don't know what has caused it.  Social media?  The toxic environment on the political extremes? Our soldiers on D Day knew some of them knew were going to die but they still stilled stormed the beaches of Normandy.   I don't think that would happen today.  And not just because we have drones and whatever else that has replaced boots on the ground. I don't know if we can ever fix the real problems in this country.  And a big one is a lot of the people who live  here.

 

 

Honestly, I've spent a lot of time thinking how WWII would go now and I'm pretty pessimistic. Way too many people would be calling Churchill a warmonger and would be protesting for appeasement and against bombing Germany because not all Germans are bad or something. Not to mention how many young people would not want to fight even to save their own country, much less to help an ally. The mentality has changed a lot since then and it'snot all for bad, but people simply became too comfortable and war became something abstract for us. I can only look at the current discourse about the wars and politics to see how many people are willing to sacrifice the freedom of others and even parts of their own freedom to keep their own level of comfort.

[tearknee]

7 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

To be fair, there is a large movement on the far-left that is using the current situation as an excuse to show their antisemitism loud and proud, under a disguise of anti-zionism. It doesn't mean that Trump is an ally to Jewish people, of course, but it frightens me how lightly people take it. It's like everybody took a side and judges every news through whether a person on the right or left did or said something, and then decides how bad it is based on that, rather than what was said or done.

 

The point is always raised that hostility to Israel, and even the assertion that Israel has no right to exist – in other words anti-Zionism – is not the same thing as anti-Semitism, which is hostility to Jews as Jews, not to Israel as a state. Are there not Jews who hold anti-Zionist views (it is said), and does this not prove that anti-Zionism is not the same as anti-Semitism?


As a proposition in logic, that is undeniable. There are many Jews who reject Zionism, although they are a small proportion of all the Jews in the world. They include both leftist secular intellectuals such as Shlomo Sand and Noam Chomsky, and some ultra-Orthodox sects such as Satmar, which reject secular Zionism as blasphemous. Therefore it cannot be asserted that to be an anti-Zionist is also, automatically, to be an anti-Semite.


But in practice this argument doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny. For the great majority of the world’s Jews, now and throughout history, identification with the Land of Israel as the historic homeland of the Jewish people, and the belief that the Jews should and will return there, has been and is still central to their identity as Jews, and this is true of both religious and secular Jews. To deny the legitimacy of that identity and that aspiration is in effect an attack on the Jewish people, and is experienced as such by the great majority of Jews.


In practice, most of those who most vocally espouse anti-Zionism, whether from a Muslim background or from a secular leftist background, also explicitly or implicitly espouse one or more of the traditional tropes of anti-Semitic rhetoric. The most powerful of these are that the Jews are uniquely powerful and influential, that they work together as a secret international cabal, that they control the world financial system and the world media, and that they use their power to manipulate governments for their own benefit. 

[Spartan Girl]

4 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Another thing about Trump hanging up a photo of himself from that assassination attempt...I've seen "Twilight Zone" episodes where ruthless leaders flaunted their survival against their enemies and laughed in their faces. Greek literature is LITTERED with stories about rulers like this. Freaking real life history has a shitton of stories about rulers like Trump who got all cocky and openly tempted fate with this sort of thing. 

If Trump had anything resembling any sort of self-awareness, I'd suggest he pay VERY close attention to how all those stories ended for those rulers.

(Hint: Not very well.)

I wish we could just skip to the ending.

[tearknee]

14 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I wish we could just skip to the ending.

But then we'd have to show it to our friends and... seven days.

[Mollywolly555]

12 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Not when you completely disrespect the office of the presidency, actively dismantle every important aspect of our govenrment, and have a history of actively trying to overthrow a democratic election, you don't. He doesn't respect the place he lives, 

This are facts, based on  trump's words,  not opinion.

Add a few felonies, broken campaign promises, had his tech oligarch car dealer friend  "fix" voting machines,  previous impeachment, and continue to disregard the Constitution, then NO, he should not be in the White House, much less tacky redecorating. 

What good has he does thus far?

Not just for himself or foreign billionaires,  but for  Americans? 

Anything? Bueller? 

Are you safer?

Have prices gone down?

Do you,  or all your family and friends,  still have their jobs?

Where's your share of the $ he's saving the US with tariffs?

Is your SSN not in peril?

Have your stocks/retirement increased with his insider trading tips?

Check back in 6 months and let me know. If China hasn't eliminated our tech access, as retaliation for tariffs. 

 

 

[Affogato]

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

And once again, not one iota of empathy for the victim of migrant crime.

BTW, did anyone see the mother of the latest victim speaking today?  It was heartbreaking to watch, and extremely disheartening the way politics is adding insult to (their) injury. All the left cares about is getting back at DJT. Instead, the migrants get more press and sympathy.

 

The exact same words could be said about Dems. They will never call out a migrant criminal because they don't have the integrity to face the heinous crimes of rape and MURDER!  How on earth could this be when Dems tout themselves as caring and empathetic? I'm weeping for the victims, not the criminals.

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/debunking-myth-immigrants-and-crime
 

The American Immigration Council compared crime data to demographic data from 1980 to 2022, the most recent data available. The data showed that as the immigrant share of the population grew, the crime rate declined. In 1980, immigrants made up 6.2 percent of the U.S. population, and the total crime rate was 5,900 crimes per 100,000 people. By 2022, the share of immigrants had more than doubled, to 13.9 percent, while the total crime rate had dropped by 60.4 percent, to 2,335 crimes per 100,000 people. Specifically, the violent crime rate fell by 34.5 percent and the property crime rate fell by 63.3 percent.

[Affogato]

2 hours ago, tearknee said:

The point is always raised that hostility to Israel, and even the assertion that Israel has no right to exist – in other words anti-Zionism – is not the same thing as anti-Semitism, which is hostility to Jews as Jews, not to Israel as a state. Are there not Jews who hold anti-Zionist views (it is said), and does this not prove that anti-Zionism is not the same as anti-Semitism?


As a proposition in logic, that is undeniable. There are many Jews who reject Zionism, although they are a small proportion of all the Jews in the world. They include both leftist secular intellectuals such as Shlomo Sand and Noam Chomsky, and some ultra-Orthodox sects such as Satmar, which reject secular Zionism as blasphemous. Therefore it cannot be asserted that to be an anti-Zionist is also, automatically, to be an anti-Semite.


But in practice this argument doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny. For the great majority of the world’s Jews, now and throughout history, identification with the Land of Israel as the historic homeland of the Jewish people, and the belief that the Jews should and will return there, has been and is still central to their identity as Jews, and this is true of both religious and secular Jews. To deny the legitimacy of that identity and that aspiration is in effect an attack on the Jewish people, and is experienced as such by the great majority of Jews.


In practice, most of those who most vocally espouse anti-Zionism, whether from a Muslim background or from a secular leftist background, also explicitly or implicitly espouse one or more of the traditional tropes of anti-Semitic rhetoric. The most powerful of these are that the Jews are uniquely powerful and influential, that they work together as a secret international cabal, that they control the world financial system and the world media, and that they use their power to manipulate governments for their own benefit. 

When Israel was created land was taken, people were already living there. Everyone felt horrified and guilty at what happened. The world wanted to feel less bad about what happened. But the reparations happened at the expense of other people, in a volatile area, and it has not gone particularly well. The current state of Israel was created by man, not God, and there have been problems that should not be ignored. 
 

editing to add I don’t think Israel could or should be undone. I think the area needs a lot more understanding and diplomacy and less carpetbombingvv

Edited April 17 by Affogato

[bluegirl147]

9 hours ago, Kemper said:

Yes! It looks like a low-class version of a House of ill Repute. At least what I always imagined one looked like. Who knows? That may be the look he is going for. If so? Kudos.

Trump's decor taste is what he thinks other rich people like.  As with so much about him he is a caricature.  You see a lot of gold but it's only gold plated.  It's all a facade.  

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

And once again, not one iota of empathy for the victim of migrant crime.

Mr Garcia has nothing to do with migrant crime.  He was not accused of any crime.  Just because the Trump administration is slandering him doesn't make it true. 

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

It was heartbreaking to watch, and extremely disheartening the way politics is adding insult to (their) injury.

I couldn't agree more but it's the Trump administration who is playing politics with people's lives.

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I'm weeping for the victims, not the criminals.

Do you weep for the victims when they are immigrants and the criminals are American citizens?

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

The real issue is that the right just doesn't like migrants if they are minorities. If they were white Trump would be welcoming them with open arms whether they were coming here legally or not.

Truth.  ICE is targeting people of color. They aren't going after immigrants from Ireland or Norway or any other predominately white country. I honestly don't see how this any different from Nazis rounding up Jews.  And lest we forget the Nazis then started rounding up other people they considered "undesirable". So how long before ICE or whoever starts picking up members of LGTBQ or people with autism since Booby thinks they are unable to function and contribute to society?

2 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Gods protect us from men and their fragile egos.

It's never women who commit these atrocities.  But yet we are told women are too emotional to lead.  Oh wait it's just certain Americans who say that. Fragile egos indeed.

2 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

To be fair, there is a large movement on the far-left that is using the current situation as an excuse to show their antisemitism loud and proud, under a disguise of anti-zionism.

The far left and the far right do have some things in common.

2 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

The mentality has changed a lot since then and it'snot all for bad, but people simply became too comfortable and war became something abstract for us.

Also war stopped being about liberating people or stopping atrocities. There were agendas and profits to be made. At the American people's expense of course. How many people died in Iraq and Afghanistan?  And for what exactly?

 

 

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

And that's your opinion. However, we were only (initially) talking about removing Obama's picture, which in MY opinion is his right as the tenant of the WH. But hey, if it makes you feel better to regurgitate your gripes, go for it.

"Regurgitate your gripes" - yes, how dare I keep harping on about the fact that the guy currenly occupying the White House activey tried to overthrow a democratic election a few short years ago. Not like that was kind of, y'know, a big freaking deal or anything. 

And no, it's not an "opinion", it's based on actual factual things that Trump has done and is doing. He has no respect for the place he lives, or the job he holds. My famiy reents our apartment. If we behaved even remotely like him, we'd be out on our ear so fast our heads woudl spin. The same standards should apply to him. Period. End of story. When you try and overthrow a democratic election, you do not get to have a say in anything that happens at the White House anymore. Or you shouldn't, anyway. 

[Affogato]

3 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Same as Putin. Gods protect us from men and their fragile egos.

 

To be fair, there is a large movement on the far-left that is using the current situation as an excuse to show their antisemitism loud and proud, under a disguise of anti-zionism. It doesn't mean that Trump is an ally to Jewish people, of course, but it frightens me how lightly people take it. It's like everybody took a side and judges every news through whether a person on the right or left did or said something, and then decides how bad it is based on that, rather than what was said or done.

 

It won't.

Trump is an ally to like minded leaders. Putin is only one. 

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Honestly, I've spent a lot of time thinking how WWII would go now and I'm pretty pessimistic. Way too many people would be calling Churchill a warmonger and would be protesting for appeasement and against bombing Germany because not all Germans are bad or something. Not to mention how many young people would not want to fight even to save their own country, much less to help an ally. The mentality has changed a lot since then and it'snot all for bad, but people simply became too comfortable and war became something abstract for us. I can only look at the current discourse about the wars and politics to see how many people are willing to sacrifice the freedom of others and even parts of their own freedom to keep their own level of comfort.

I agree but I think the major change has been in how much of their own freedoms American's are willing to give up in order to keep their level of comfort. The sentiment in the US was against getting involved in WWII unless that freedom was specifically challenged, which it eventually was after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Japan's declaration of war. That made the difference. It's much harder to see something that direct as abstract!

For many reasons, including the U.S. being war-weary after WWI and the Great Depression still being overcome, the predominant sentiment in the US was to stay out of the conflict if our freedoms were not being specifically challenged. Right now, none of our freedoms are being specifically challenged and many people feel that we need to focus on our own issues before getting involved in those of other countries even if our freedoms are being indirectly challenged as well (although I'm not condoning that necessarily). So that's similar. But I agree with you that even if our freedoms were directly challenged, fewer Americans would want to make the necessary sacrifices to defend them. And that's really sad.

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Mr Garcia has nothing to do with migrant crime.  He was not accused of any crime.  Just because the Trump administration is slandering him doesn't make it

This, and for the upteenth time, Ms. Morin’s killer was arrested and found guilty and no one framed it as some kind of injustice. So as much as I feel sorry for her mother, for her to get up on that podium and act like all migrants/immigrants deserve to be deported and act like speaking up for Mr. Garcia—an innocent man who had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with her daughter’s murder—is somehow spitting on her daughter’s grave shows her ass as a racist.

I’m so sick of the Victim Olympics going on. It’s the same story with the sntivaxxers that claim the COVID vaccine killed their family members: they act like they’re entitled to all the sympathy in the world while not giving a fuck about people that died from COVID or other diseases because of idiots like them.

[laurakaye]

15 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Or play baseball or write a poem. This administration should really meet once in a while to get their lies straight.

To me it seems that there are a small handful of people in this administration who can say whatever the hell they want and merrily go on with their day (or golf game), and their minions have to go on the news shows and explain what the big guys really meant when they themselves have no idea either, but they'd better get it right, whatever "right" means.

13 hours ago, tres bien said:

Today Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador in an attempt to see Kilmer Armando Abrego Garcia one of Van Hollen’s constituents 

He was denied a visit and was told by the VP of El Salvador that the reason Garcia is being held in CECOT is that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador 

If the senator was "denied" a visit and it turns out Mr. Garcia was no longer with us, that's a level of depravity so low, it's actually sickening to think about.  

 

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

This is something I didn't get a chance to talk about before - How social media and the current online experience has shortened people's attention spans even more than they were before. People deal in nothing but sound bytes that demand no real introspection, no deeper thoughts.

I just read a book called Stolen Focus, and you are 100% correct.  I checked the book out of the library and took notes.  One thing I wrote down was that in the past, we could read a newspaper article and have plenty of time to process what we'd just read.  Now, we're being smacked from all sides by constant "breaking news," putting us in a non-stop state of fight, flight, or freeze, and we have zero time to process anything.  Our brains weren't designed to work that way.  It's making us angrier, more stressed and hopeless.  And from what I am hearing and reading, this is the exact state Trump wants us in.  If nothing else, it's working.

Edited April 17 by laurakaye

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Truth.  ICE is targeting people of color. They aren't going after immigrants from Ireland or Norway or any other predominately white country. I honestly don't see how this any different from Nazis rounding up Jews.  And lest we forget the Nazis then started rounding up other people they considered "undesirable". So how long before ICE or whoever starts picking up members of LGTBQ or people with autism since Booby thinks they are unable to function and contribute to society?

For all we know (I haven't seen any statistics) white immigrants from Ireland and Norway might actually be responsible for more crime than non-white immigrants, but if true the right wouldn't want its base to know about that and even if it were being reported by the media it would likely dismiss it as "fake news". Anything to keep up the myth that most non-white immigrants are gang members, murderers and other types of criminals. And to your point, isn't that similar to what Hitler did? He tried to scapegoat the Jews as being responsible for some of Germany's biggest problems even though that was not true. So that lie was just an excuse to get rid of them.

[Yeah No]

5 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

I just read a book called Stolen Focus, and you are 100% correct.  I checked the book out of the library and took notes.  One thing I wrote down was that in the past, we could read a newspaper article and have plenty of time to process what we'd just read.  Now, we're being smacked from all sides by constant "breaking news," putting us in a non-stop state of fight, flight, or freeze, and we have zero time to process anything.  Our brains weren't designed to work that way.  It's making us angrier, more stressed and hopeless.  And from what I am hearing and reading, this is the exact state Trump wants us in.  If nothing else, it's working.

Thanks for that, I think I'll look into that book. That's exactly it. I notice that with all this information being thrown at us big details and fine distinctions are not being shared. So not only do we not have time to process the information, but the information is either lacking important details or is slanted to get a certain emotional response out of us (usually a negative one like anger). It's way too much and not enough all at the same time. And YES, that's exactly the state Trump wants us in. We're most vulnerable to him getting away with what he wants if we are in a constant state of of hopelessness and confusion such that many can be mislead by him and others can feel unable to actively and effectively respond to his constant barrage of lies and deception. It's just too much for even the most formidable of us to process.

[tres bien]

JFC it’s scary to get up everyday. It’s barely 9 am CT and crazy pants Gramps and his nutty HHS Secretary must have been up all night dreaming up more crazy charges against Harvard University 

Noem has sent a letter to the University threatening to strip their ability to enroll international students unless the school turns over the disciplinary records on visa holders with information on their threats to other students and personnel, obstructing of the school’s learning environment and disciplinary actions taken as a result of participating in protests 

The deadline in April 30

All this under the guise of antisemitism 

JFC

[Affogato]

2 minutes ago, tres bien said:

JFC it’s scary to get up everyday. It’s barely 9 am CT and crazy pants Gramps and his nutty HHS Secretary must have been up all night dreaming up more crazy charges against Harvard University 

Noem has sent a letter to the University threatening to strip their ability to enroll international students unless the school turns over the disciplinary records on visa holders with information on their threats to other students and personnel, obstructing of the school’s learning environment and disciplinary actions taken as a result of participating in protests 

The deadline in April 30

All this under the guise of antisemitism 

JFC

They are using the law to threaten while ignoring it as it applies to itself. Not even trying to pretend. 

[Dimity]

4 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Honestly, I've spent a lot of time thinking how WWII would go now and I'm pretty pessimistic.

I remember saying this back during the pandemic and it's even more true now - a far too large segment of the population, even as the bombs are falling, would be screaming "you expect ME to close my curtains?  No one tells ME what to do."

[bluegirl147]

30 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I’m so sick of the Victim Olympics going on.

I would like to add the people who talk shit about others and when those same people are condemned for that cry they are being picked on.  Trump and Musk do that all the time. So free speech for them but nobody else.

30 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

He tried to scapegoat the Jews as being responsible for some of Germany's biggest problems even though that was not true.

There are still people who think that.  See MTG with her Jewish space lasers starting California wildfires.

23 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I notice that with all this information being thrown at us big details and fine distinctions are not being shared.

They are flooding the zone. They are incompetent and not able to actually govern so they are going to bullshit their way through.

 

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I remember saying this back during the pandemic and it's even more true now - a far too large segment of the population, even as the bombs are falling, would be screaming "you expect ME to close my curtains?  No one tells ME what to do."

The father of the latest child to die from the measles said he would still not vaccinate any future children he could have.  So I guess he wants freedom to do whatever he wants but doesn't believe his children should have the freedom to live.  And he doesn't think the hospital treated her pneumonia correctly.  He takes zero responsibility for his child dying. Guess he is really owning all of us libs.

 

[Notabug]

15 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Not when you completely disrespect the office of the presidency, actively dismantle every important aspect of our govenrment, and have a history of actively trying to overthrow a democratic election, you don't. He doesn't respect the place he lives, so no, he shouldn't get to do shit with it. He shouldn't even still be allowed to be IN the White House at all at this point. He should've been thrown out on his ass and barred from ever being allowed back a long time ago. 

There is also the fact that the portrait of President Obama that Trump had removed was not in the living quarters of the White House, but in the public portion.  It was in the grand foyer of the East wing, where other presidential portraits hang.  If Trump didn't want the portrait hanging in his private rooms at the White House, fine, absolutely his choice.  But to remove a portrait of a former president from the People's House in an area where it is meant to be displayed for the public is quite juvenile and silly.  BTW, it appears that Trump is the first president to ever commission a portrait of himself and hang it in the gallery with the other presidents' portraits. Figures.

[tres bien]

In an open letter signed by more than 100 Jewish students at Harvard University opposing Trump’s funding cuts the students called Trump’s recent threats to pull funding a misguided response to concerns about antisemitism 

The students say this crackdown will not protect us on the contrary we know that funding cuts will harm the campus community. The cuts are not going to be beneficial to Jewish students 

[Affogato]

8 minutes ago, tres bien said:

In an open letter signed by more than 100 Jewish students at Harvard University opposing Trump’s funding cuts the students called Trump’s recent threats to pull funding a misguided response to concerns about antisemitism 

The students say this crackdown will not protect us on the contrary we know that funding cuts will harm the campus community. The cuts are not going to be beneficial to Jewish students 

And Harvard knows he isn’t concerned about anything more than his need to have Harvard bend the knee. Probably to any demand. This is repeated behavior. Which is why people need to resist.  No should be the only conceivable answer. 

[bluegirl147]

20 minutes ago, Notabug said:

But to remove a portrait of a former president from the People's House in an area where it is meant to be displayed for the public is quite juvenile and silly. 

I'm guessing Biden's official portrait hasn't been completed yet.  Because you know Trump isn't going to let it be hung.

21 minutes ago, Notabug said:

BTW, it appears that Trump is the first president to ever commission a portrait of himself and hang it in the gallery with the other presidents' portraits. Figures.

This is a man who had fake Time magazine covers made up to say he was Man of the Year. So yeah figures.

[laurakaye]

9 minutes ago, Notabug said:

BTW, it appears that Trump is the first president to ever commission a portrait of himself and hang it in the gallery with the other presidents' portraits. Figures.

If he weren't the leader of our country, his overblown fragile ego would be comical in an insane kind of way.  It's deeply unsettling how big of a giant he thinks he is, because that makes the rest of us very insubstantial in his eyes.

 

57 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Thanks for that, I think I'll look into that book. That's exactly it. I notice that with all this information being thrown at us big details and fine distinctions are not being shared. So not only do we not have time to process the information, but the information is either lacking important details or is slanted to get a certain emotional response out of us (usually a negative one like anger). 

I picked it up from the library and found myself taking notes on it like it was my job.  A lot of it is such clear and common sense but it was helpful to me to understand why I am a walking ball of rage on many days, and I can't focus to save my life even on something I enjoy.  I know exactly what I'm doing to my mood by scrolling social media, but it was interesting to be told that we're being hooked on purpose and it's not as easy as just putting down the phone.

[tres bien]

Hey every one of you MAGA senators you did this to us beginning in January 2021 and NOW you’re afraid? Well boo fucking hoo

Senator Lisa Murkowski: We are all afraid. We are in a time and place where I certainly have not been before. I’m anxious about raising my voice because of retaliation and that's not right “

 Then what good are you? You voted for all his unqualified unfit secretaries of everything and his destructive budget bill so either do something or just STFU

Edited April 17 by tres bien

[Dimity]

6 minutes ago, tres bien said:

Senator Lisa Murkowski: We are all afraid. We are in a time and place where I certainly have not been before. I’m anxious about raising my voice because of retaliation that’s not right “

A Canadian writer I follow  commented today:

I’m nonpartisan. I vote. I care. I’m proudly Canadian. I will support whoever is elected, because that’s how democracy works. And I will always defend democracy.

But I really need to say this: the people showing up in my feed with the most aggression right now are identifying themselves as Conservatives. Not all but more than enough to notice.

They twist my words. They accuse me of things I haven’t said. They label anything I post to do with fairness, equality, decency or thoughtful voting, as some kind of Liberal agenda.

People like Murkowski are finally openly acknowledging that the real danger, the actual threats, are not coming from that old bogeyman, 'the left' it is coming from the people who support their party.  They let the genie out of the bottle to further their own agenda and now that it's turning on them they have no idea what to do.

Well here's an idea - impeach that monster in the White House and do it before you don't even have that alternative open to you as your country slips further and further into fascism.

Edited April 17 by Dimity

[fairffaxx]

15 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

If he weren't the leader of our country, his overblown fragile ego would be comical in an insane kind of way.

Remember Idi Amin?  I'm reminded of him hourly -- only real difference between him & Trumpy is that Uganda wasn't an important country, so the rest of us could afford to giggle at his antics.

 

[tres bien]

From today’s satirical Borowitz Report 

Harvard to award Trump an honorary doctorate degree to show it's thanks for making it’s approval rating soar

The University despised by Americans since its founding in 1636 released a statement of thanks to Trump for his “game-changing service to Harvard”. 
Harvard said it has received Trump’s biggest PR boost since the one he bestowed on Zelensky in the Oval Office 

“Donald J Trump may not have built a wall with Mexico or Canada but he has done something far more monumental. He has made Americans like Harvard”

Edited April 17 by tres bien

[Mollywolly555]

1 hour ago, Affogato said:

They are using the law to threaten while ignoring it as it applies to itself. Not even trying to pretend. 

Exactly!!!! 

And how is that ok with their followers???? Mind boggling.

[bluegirl147]

33 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

If he weren't the leader of our country, his overblown fragile ego would be comical in an insane kind of way. 

Yes. If he wasn't so dangerous we would be laughing at him.  And that is what he fears the most.  People laughing at him.  President Obama making jokes at his expense at that White House Correspondent's dinner all those years ago was the impetus for him to run in 2016. He is a clown and on some level he knows it and he doesn't want anyone else to know it. 

31 minutes ago, tres bien said:

Senator Lisa Murkowski: We are all afraid. We are in a time and place where I certainly have not been before. I’m anxious about raising my voice because of retaliation and that's not right “

Her and Susan Collins who is always "concerned".  I will never forget Collins voting to confirm Brett Kavanaugh because she said he gave her private assurances Roe was precedent he would not overturn.  She also didn't vote to impeach Trump the first time because she thought "he had learned his lesson".

30 minutes ago, Dimity said:

People like Murkowski are finally openly acknowledging that the real danger, the actual threats, are not coming from that old bogeyman, 'the left' it is coming from the people who support their party.  They let the genie out of the bottle to further their own agenda and now that it's turning on them they have no idea what to do.

They always knew who the real danger was.  Murkowski is not some MAGA cultist but she didn't want to upset them and have them come after her.  Same with Collins.  She can't win with just Republican votes in Maine so she pretends to be just enough of a moderate to appeal to independents.   And then she goes back to supporting Trump.

 

[Milk-Eyed Mender]

6 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

Honestly, I've spent a lot of time thinking how WWII would go now and I'm pretty pessimistic. Way too many people would be calling Churchill a warmonger and would be protesting for appeasement and against bombing Germany because not all Germans are bad or something. Not to mention how many young people would not want to fight even to save their own country, much less to help an ally. The mentality has changed a lot since then and it'snot all for bad, but people simply became too comfortable and war became something abstract for us. I can only look at the current discourse about the wars and politics to see how many people are willing to sacrifice the freedom of others and even parts of their own freedom to keep their own level of comfort.

I've spent time, as I'm sure most of us have, contemplating that popular and poignant saying (paraphrased) "whatever you're doing now is what you would have done in early 1930s Germany." Of course I wished Sophie Scholl lived inside me, but she doesn't. I won't lift a finger of assistance to the current administration, but when it comes to my very life where will my line in the sand be?

I'm already overthinking my posts here, on FB, on bluesky, wondering if I could be sent to El Salvador for wishing certain people would just die already. I'm a nobody, so my fear of that outcome probably sounds insane. But the thing is, several of those detained on US soil or already in El Salvador are nobodies as well and that hasn't saved them. It's chilling to realize, at this moment in time, due process and all kinds of Constitutionally protected rights are no longer rights but obstacles be trampled underfoot by fascist White House thugs. That our salvation rests on the will of the voters just makes it that much worse.

[bluegirl147]

41 minutes ago, Milk-Eyed Mender said:

I'm already overthinking my posts here, on FB, on bluesky,

That thought crossed my mind too.  Why wouldn't they take nobodies?  If they take someone famous there would be outrage. I've heard people ask why does Mr. Garcia matter. My question is why doesn't everyone matter?

[Anela]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

For all we know (I haven't seen any statistics) white immigrants from Ireland and Norway might actually be responsible for more crime than non-white immigrants, but if true the right wouldn't want its base to know about that and even if it were being reported by the media it would likely dismiss it as "fake news". Anything to keep up the myth that most non-white immigrants are gang members, murderers and other types of criminals. And to your point, isn't that similar to what Hitler did? He tried to scapegoat the Jews as being responsible for some of Germany's biggest problems even though that was not true. So that lie was just an excuse to get rid of them.

One of those “Unite the Right” protesters, who held those torches, surrounded those college kids who were counter-protesting, and chanted things like “blood and soil” and “Jews will not replace us” was arrested for bringing fentanyl across the border.  He took his own life, before being sentenced.  

they were called “very fine people” by trump.

2 hours ago, tres bien said:

Hey every one of you MAGA senators you did this to us beginning in January 2021 and NOW you’re afraid? Well boo fucking hoo

Senator Lisa Murkowski: We are all afraid. We are in a time and place where I certainly have not been before. I’m anxious about raising my voice because of retaliation and that's not right “

 Then what good are you? You voted for all his unqualified unfit secretaries of everything and his destructive budget bill so either do something or just STFU

Right, it’s their JOB. that’s why they were elected. 

1 hour ago, Milk-Eyed Mender said:

I've spent time, as I'm sure most of us have, contemplating that popular and poignant saying (paraphrased) "whatever you're doing now is what you would have done in early 1930s Germany." Of course I wished Sophie Scholl lived inside me, but she doesn't. I won't lift a finger of assistance to the current administration, but when it comes to my very life where will my line in the sand be?

I'm already overthinking my posts here, on FB, on bluesky, wondering if I could be sent to El Salvador for wishing certain people would just die already. I'm a nobody, so my fear of that outcome probably sounds insane. But the thing is, several of those detained on US soil or already in El Salvador are nobodies as well and that hasn't saved them. It's chilling to realize, at this moment in time, due process and all kinds of Constitutionally protected rights are no longer rights but obstacles be trampled underfoot by fascist White House thugs. That our salvation rests on the will of the voters just makes it that much worse.

Same.  Last week, I was thinking again about passports, and if I could go to the British consulate in Cleveland, if I needed protection from this government.  I told someone in an email, that I’d never thought I’d be worrying about that here, until now.  

That leads me back to complaints I have about people in other countries saying that we aren’t doing enough.  wtf are we supposed to do? I also remember someone I know, posting that the same people who were cheering on Ukrainians for defending themselves, were those of us who want a lot of gun control over here. Where are they now? I don’t see them fighting tyranny.  Of course, she also said that she wouid register to vote in 2018, if they were going after roe, and then she did nothing.  

39 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

From CBS News today-

The Pentagon has put two Defense Department officials on administrative leave pending an investigation into an unauthorized disclosure, officials confirmed to CBS News. 

Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was escorted from the Pentagon on Tuesday, according to an official. Darin Selnick, the Pentagon's deputy chief of staff, was also suspended as part of the same probe per two Defense Department officials

Additional personnel removals are being discussed at the Pentagon amid a probe into Defense Department leaks, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.

Hegseth's chief of staff Joe Kasper issued a memo at the end of March directing the Pentagon to conduct an investigation into unauthorized disclosures and use lie detector tests if necessary. 

Reuters was the first to report Caldwell was put on administrative leave amid an investigation. Politico was first to report Selnick being placed on leave.

I saw that yesterday. Yet, the people from signal gate were not fired.  

Edited April 17 by Anela