Trump's America

[RoseMorninStar]

In the middle of the furor over Trump and soldiers is John Kelly, who so far has remained silent. Kelly has told associates that a retired 4-star general should not come out against a sitting president in the heat of a campaign.

That is not the principled stand one associates with military honor, but it is also very loudly not a "no, he never said that to me."

https://twitter.com/peterbakernyt/statu ... 27969?s=19

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/us/p ... trump.html

I read an article which stated that the silence from those who were military officers at the highest levels in this administration is very telling. If it were not true, they would say so.

[Sunsilver]

I think this article from Business Insider sums it up very well. Trump just cannot fathom doing anything that's not going to benefit him personally.

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-q ... sit-2020-9

Christians - true Christians, that follow the teaching of Jesus- are, of course very altruistic. In his book,
"Think Big", he calls Christians "fools" and "idiots" and "schmucks".

[elengil]

While it is obviously not a universal belief among military members, here is one speaking out very decidedly against the idea that Trump supports or respects the military, and why.

[Frelga]

There are currently no reports of injuries so I don't feel to guilty for giggling at the real life metaphor. I do sincerely hope that no one is seriously hurt.

Screenshot_20200905-134449.jpg (84.75 KiB) Viewed 2981 times

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/multip ... ake-travis

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Sorry, but I do not take any joy at all in something like that, even if no one was seriously hurt.

[Inanna]

Whats the metaphor?

[RoseMorninStar]

While it is obviously not a universal belief among military members, here is one speaking out very decidedly against the idea that Trump supports or respects the military, and why.

That's a really good clip, elengil.

Whats the metaphor?

Trump is a sinking ship (I presume).

[Frelga]

Whats the metaphor?

Trump's campaign was very proud of the pro-Trump boaters, as if it's the most important demographic.

[RoseMorninStar]

Frelga, I saw some other photos of that parade. If the photos are accurate/from THAT parade, it appeared that there were some awfully big waves for a lake. I'm wondering/guessing that some larger boats may have created such a huge wake that it caused problems for smaller boats.

[RoseMorninStar]

This is... astounding. Trump returned from Paris in 2018 with art from US envoy's residence. So, while he didn't spend time going to the Aisne-Marne American cemetery with other dignitaries.. he stayed behind to 'shop' the art at the ambassador's residence.

[River]

It's all US government property being shuffled around so legally it's fine but it created a procedural/bureaucratic mess and at a human level, it's kind of weird to run off with your host's decor, even if it's all government property and the host is your subordinate. Makes me wonder what Trump's like as a houseguest. Anyway, an extra layer of weirdness on the whole episode is the art wasn't even all that valuable. They were replicas. The portrait of Ben Franklin that Trump took home was a copy of a painting hanging in the National Gallery. In the aftermath of the "shopping" trip the original was brought to the Oval Office, swapped with another portrait of Franklin already hanging there.

[RoseMorninStar]

It's odd behavior. Petty and small. To know that is what Trump was doing rather than attending the ceremony at the cemetery for fallen soldiers just adds to the weirdness. At the time he took the items, he didn't know the value of the pieces before removing them (obviously he considered them to be of great value) nor did he know the legal protocol, which sent state lawyers scrambling due to it's odd nature. The WH spokesperson stating, "The president brought these beautiful, historical pieces, which belong to the American people, back to the United States to be prominently displayed in the People's House." is beyond weird as well. It is not behavior we would expect from a president. Makes me wonder if he took items from Buckingham palace.

[Sunsilver]

You're not the only one who thought of that!

[Sunsilver]

Frelga, I saw some other photos of that parade. If the photos are accurate/from THAT parade, it appeared that there were some awfully big waves for a lake. I'm wondering/guessing that some larger boats may have created such a huge wake that it caused problems for smaller boats.

And yes, I've seen photos that make it clear the waves on the lake caused the swamping. The waves were natural, not boat wakes. I'd show you a photo, but FB meme-makers are having a field day with the situation, and they are not being kind.

ALL boats matter, folks!

[elengil]

So what we're saying is... Trump is a Sackville-Baggins?

[Frelga]

We are not saying that. Lobelia attacked the ruffians with a an umbrella and even Otto ended up locked up because he wouldn't go far enough in collaborating with a hostile foreign power.

[Sunsilver]

Ouch. Good point, Frelga!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

At the heart of @realDonaldTrump statement is a lack of respect for those who have served - a disqualifying characteristic to be president

- Sen. Lindsey Graham, July 15, 2015

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[RoseMorninStar]

At the heart of @realDonaldTrump statement is a lack of respect for those who have served - a disqualifying characteristic to be president

- Sen. Lindsey Graham, July 15, 2015

Yeah, well Lindsey Graham has shown he can change colors with the best of chameleons.

I am continually saddened but not surprised, given all that should be consuming a president's time and attention, about things like this that are so petty. Instead of honoring the dead he's checking out what's in it for him personally. It's not only greedy and selfish but manipulative and intimidating, not to mention disrespectful on more than one level.

Normally, a president would unveil the former presidents portrait in the main hall but Trump refused to do so and he had the Bush & Clinton portraits moved to an old dining room that is generally used for storage. This, is in the midst of a pandemic and economic crisis.

There is also the hypocrisy of Trump's criticism of Obama golfing. In 2014 when the US had 2 cases of Ebola Trump said, “There are times to play and times that you can’t play. It sends the wrong signal. You know when you’re president you sorta say, like, ‘I’m gonna give it up for a couple of years and I’m really gonna focus on the job."

Yet by 3 years into the office Trump had already spent more than 2 1/2 times more days on the golf course than Obama had in his first 3 years, not to mention the outrageous cost, a great deal of which is lining his own pockets. The more he golfs, the more he rakes in from the taxpayers.

In any case, buckle up because Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg says there is more to come.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Whats the metaphor?

Trump's campaign was very proud of the pro-Trump boaters, as if it's the most important demographic.

Or it is this.

The wake of other boats in a pro-Trump parade in Texas caused 5 boats to sink, sheriff's office says

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