An Apology from an American.

[jomar]

I just want to say, as an American, Patriot, lover of my country and of peace freedom and justice,

I am appalled and saddened by what is happening in my country.

This post is mainly for the Non-Americans out there on this forum. The Brits, Australians, Canadians, and others. Just so you know, most Americans do NOT support the actions of our government, both in our country and especially in terms of foreign policy. It is true, many of us did vote for Trump, and we did so under the belief, however naive, that he would reverse the economic trends of inflation that were hurting our pocketbooks, and deliver safety in the form of secure borders.

We did NOT vote for abandoning our allies, breaking our treaties, becoming traitors to everything America once stood for and joining what our former leader, Ronald Reagan, a truly great statesman and American, called the "Axis of Evil. We did NOT vote for supporting Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. We did NOT vote for destroying our infrastructure and all the good that our country does for it's citizens, so that a few billionaire oligarchs could become even wealthier billionaires. We did NOT vote for pollution, for outspoken racism and the return of Jim Crow. We did NOT vote for Project 2025, which Trump himself assured his supporters that he did not want.

We did not vote for this, because this is not what America stands for. This is not what America IS.
There are those on this forum who pretend to be Americans who will insist otherwise. I say "Pretend" to be Americans because I strongly suspect they are not, no matter how much they try to convince us. They also try to be deceptive by creating multiple aliases on the forum, so as to give the impression that their toxic world views reflect a larger percentage of Americans than they do.

Americans are not like this. We never were, and we still are not. We are better than this. This leader does NOT represent who we the people are or what we are about. Even most of those who voted for Trump, for whatever reasons, are not at all supportive of what he is doing to America and to the world, and even regret doing so.

So I will take this time to apologize, on behalf of all Americans, to the world. One day, I hope that America will truly be made great again, to be the beacon of liberty and freedom that it once was.

Signed,
An American.

Nice sentiment, but we did vote him in, not a majority but enough to win. And we knew who he is. He told us what he’d do. We know he’s a liar so we knew his denial of project 2025 was bullshit. We knew he was pro Russia and Putin and all of the other stuff. So, we’re getting what we asked for.

With the voting in of trump 2.0 we are now clearly a nation in decline.

Nope, I think he's right in that there is a tremendous amount of waste and corruption permeating the Federal bureaucracy. USAID has been just the first and most blatant example, and the most effective way to deal with it is just to shut everything down and burn it downwhen it's as bad as it is now. Musk demonstrated how to do it with Twitter. Fire all the lefties in govt and force them to find real work. Don't bother prosecuting anyone except the most egregerious of criminality - that by itself will be enough to keep the FBI (whats left of it) busy for years. After they have to do real work, the lefties will be too busy to think about politics except in passing, just like the rest of us.

You slice to the bone, and then you fix it when you've cut to far. My only real concern is that people like Rubio won't cut hard enough. The State Dept needs to be decimated. The FBI needs to be culled, decapitated, and rebuilt. Whole Govt depts needs to be closed down, the buildings sold or pulled down and the sysrems wiped to make it impossible to rebuild. Education - delete. ATF - delete. FBI - gut. Military - fire all the political hires and the useless drones. There's a raft of others. Slice the Feds by 80-90%, hand responsibility for everything possible back to the States. Reduce taxes, reduce Fed govt regulations and intrusion. Stop all the social engineering in its trracks.

This is where I call you rude names and blow raspberries in your general direction!

 

[ChloeTzang]

This is where I call you rude names and blow raspberries in your general direction!

This is where I say "you're welcome," and wonder just WTF Trump is thinking he's doing.

 

[Deadbed1968]

"PRO AMERICAN / ANTI CAPITALIST"

Capitalism is fine, as long as it is properly regulated and not allowed to run amok. We are about to learn a very hard lesson yet again about the folly of allowing companies and individuals with money to do whatever they want. We never seem to remember the lessons of the past.

 

[RobDownSouth]

Capitalism is fine, as long as it is properly regulated and not allowed to run amok. We are about to learn a very hard lesson yet again about the folly of allowing companies and individuals with money to do whatever they want. We never seem to remember the lessons of the past.

Musk's Musk Rats got the stodgy law-abiding IRS commissioner to retire this week (he had refused to release American tax return data to Team Musk) and the social-climbing deputy Commissioner-cum 'Acting Commissioner' announced last Friday after hours that Team Musk was more than welcome to examine 700,000 random folks' tax data, no problemo, just Hispanic surnames and a few...very few...senior management folks of companies competing with various Musk entities!

 

[Deadbed1968]

Musk's Musk Rats got the stodgy law-abiding IRS commissioner to retire this week (he had refused to release American tax return data to Team Musk) and the social-climbing deputy Commissioner-cum 'Acting Commissioner' announced last Friday after hours that Team Musk was more than welcome to examine 700,000 random folks' tax data, no problemo, just Hispanic surnames and a few...very few...senior management folks of companies competing with various Musk entities!

Sounds just about right. We are returning to the Guilded Age of robber barons who rape and pillage the economy, leaving nothing but disaster behind.

 

[Politruk]

I just want to say, as an American, Patriot, lover of my country and of peace freedom and justice,

As a Brit, I think we ought to thank President Trump and his sidekick, Vance. I can't remember a time when Europe has been so united, and for once, Nigel Farage is lost for words.

Is it possible Britain might rejoin the EU?

 

[Fuzzy1975]

With the voting in of trump 2.0 we are now clearly a nation in decline.

You have my sympathy.

 

[DeYaKen]

Is it possible Britain might rejoin the EU?

It's unlikely to happen in the next five years, but it's always possible. Things have gone downhill quite a lot since we left. Maybe if we get back to where we were in 1973 people might be keen to rejoin. Right now there is a significant majority who think it was a mistake to leave.

 

[butters]

Trudeau Asks King Charles to Declare Canada's Sovereignty in Response to Trump Threat

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with King Charles III on Monday and reportedly discussed the King making a public declaration in support of Canada's sovereignty.

Charles, who is the head of state of Canada as a British commonwealth nation, drew backlash in Canada for extending an invitation for a state visit to Donald Trump, while Trump is actively promoting the idea of annexing Canada and making it the "51st state."

"I can tell you that nothing seems more important to Canadians right now than standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation," Trudeau told reporters in the lead up to the meeting with the King.

Constitutionally, the King cannot take any political action in a nation unless formally asked to do so by the prime minister, so ministerial advice from Trudeau would be the first step in the King getting involved to defend Canada from Trump.

 

[Philthy_Phil]

Pax,

Very nice, and as a Canadian I do get it. But at the end of the day, Trump is your President, get rid of the fucker, and don't tread north of the border. Collectively Canadians are pissed. Americans are not safe here, and we can't tell apart which ones voted for who.

Americans are safe here no matter how pissed we are, unless this shit escalates...

 

[Lazaran]

Trudeau Asks King Charles to Declare Canada's Sovereignty in Response to Trump Threat

Prudent move - and a not so subtle message to / dog at King Charles.

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Americans are safe here no matter how pissed we are, unless this shit escalates...

Really? From off the record comments I've heard from friends a CBSA,if you've got plates from Red states, be prepared to get a vehicle search when crossing. Trump support stickers/flags and you might get turned back. Cops I know have told me 58km on the highway, you're getting stopped. My area is #13 on the list of affected cities in all of Canada. Yah were not fucking happy here. Americans who visit can expect a less than joyful response.

 

[Philthy_Phil]

Really? From off the record comments I've heard from friends a CBSA,if you've got plates from Red states, be prepared to get a vehicle search when crossing. Trump support stickers/flags and you might get turned back. Cops I know have told me 58km on the highway, you're getting stopped. My area is #13 on the list of affected cities in all of Canada. Yah were not fucking happy here. Americans who visit can expect a less than joyful response.

They are safe from physical harm is what I meant.

 

[butters]

Prudent move - and a not so subtle message to /dig at King Charles.

the Head of State title is, nowadays, more just an honorary thing with Canada, Australia and NZ all doing their own things even as Charles remains titular 'Head of State'... as I see it, this was more about letting trump know Canada has the King on their side and, given how much trump loves to tout his closeness to royalty, that's no small thing.

Canada is already a fully sovereign state since the Constitution Act of 1982

 

[Ciceri]

Trump is an easily compromised person. He’s deeply in debt to Putin and to tech bros and to evangelicals (Heritage Society). These entities do NOT have America’s best interests in mind. Trump was installed to dismantle our democracy. Like the old Soviet saying “Leave them sick, broke and divided.” Trump is on track for just that

 

[Fuzzy1975]

They are safe from physical harm is what I meant.

They best not mouth off to me up here about how "great" Trump is.....

 

[Lazaran]

the Head of State title is, nowadays, more just an honorary thing with Canada, Australia and NZ all doing their own things even as Charles remains titular 'Head of State'... as I see it, this was more about letting trump know Canada has the King on their side and, given how much trump loves to tout his closeness to royalty, that's no small thing.

Canada is already a fully sovereign state since the Constitution Act of 1982

Yeah, I know.

I meant it was more of a personal dig and a message that Canada, a sovereign member of the commonwealth, is less than happy about King Charles inviting DonOld while he is being hostile towards Canada.

I think King Charles cares what Canadians think of him, and it may be enough for him to manufacture a reason for “uninviting” DonOld.

We shall see.

 

[butters]

Ukrainians show off their ‘suits’ after Trump’s criticism of Zelensky’s attire

On Sunday, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry posted a series of photos on Instagram, labeled “UKRAINIANS HAVE THEIR SUITS.”

“Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians changed their smart office attire for military uniforms to protect their homes and families. For others, daily outfits became a symbol of a lifetime mission, sacrifice and saving lives,” the post read. “Amid war, Ukrainian suits may look different, but they are all worn with the ultimate dignity.”

The photos showed Ukrainian troops in full gear, a doctor in scrubs covered in blood after a hospital bombing, a fighter pilot, rescue workers carrying a civilian out of a bombed apartment, a combat medic with a first aid kit, firefighters and energy workers at a plant that had just been bombed by Russia. The last photo shows a man and a woman in Ukrainian-designed clothes at a fashion show. The man, a double amputee with two prosthetic legs, holds hands with a woman whose outfit shows off her prosthetic leg as well.

 

[butters]

Yeah, I know.

I meant it was more of a personal dig and a message that Canada, a sovereign member of the commonwealth, is less than happy about King Charles inviting DonOld while he is being hostile towards Canada.

I think King Charles cares what Canadians think of him, and it may be enough for him to manufacture a reason for “uninviting” DonOld.

We shall see.

hmmn... Charles has always been big on diplomacy, same as his mother, and I'd think (as someone who emigrated from there) that he'll be more concerned with at least attempting to keep trump more in line with Europe on the war since things would certainly go easier if trump were against russia's ambitions here. Europe, and I include the UK, has so much to lose if russia wins by the USA cutting off support and even, potentially, actively supporting russia with arms, troops, sanctions.... Because Europe sees the dangers, it is on Charles' shoulders to attempt to sway trump's actions. Success isn't guaranteed.

isn't trump more likely to find some reason to back out of the visit, himself, in a pique of hubris because King Charles hosted Zelenskyy BEFORE him?

 

[Lazaran]

hmmn... Charles has always been big on diplomacy, same as his mother, and I'd think (as someone who emigrated from there) that he'll be more concerned with at least attempting to keep trump more in line with Europe on the war since things would certainly go easier if trump were against russia's ambitions here. Europe, and I include the UK, has so much to lose if russia wins by the USA cutting off support and even, potentially, actively supporting russia with arms, troops, sanctions.... Because Europe sees the dangers, it is on Charles' shoulders to attempt to sway trump's actions. Success isn't guaranteed.

isn't trump more likely to find some reason to back out of the visit, himself, in a pique of hubris because King Charles hosted Zelenskyy BEFORE him?

Fair enough…

I would just say, there is a precedence for not giving a coveted invitation/ audience to dictators (an orange wannabe dictator, in this case) for very tangible reasons.

Still, you’re right. The damage is only done if DonOld actually makes the visit, and King Charles hosting President Zelenskyy first was a bit of a message and a dig in itself.

We shall see what happens…

 

[Fuzzy1975]

Canada is already a fully sovereign state since the Constitution Act of 1982

Canada became a country with it's own Government in 1867, in 1931 Canada gained full legal autonomy. In 1982, Canada adopted it's own Constitution, up until that point citizens of Canada were under the British constitution.

We are still a member of the British Commonwealth. As such our head of State is the British Monarch, whoever that happens to be.

 

[Politruk]

With the voting in of trump 2.0 we are now clearly a nation in decline.

Indeed.

 

[CambridgeBi]

I can't remember a time when Europe has been so united, and for once, Nigel Farage is lost for words.

Well that's not true, Farage has had plenty to say. He and Trump may be personal friends and have a fair degree of political common ground but they're very different personalities. Farage criticized Trump's pardoning of the Capitol rioters, he gave Vance short shrift over the "random countries" comment and he made it clear to Musk he would not tolerate a loose canon like Tommy Robinson rattling around his deck.

Is it possible Britain might rejoin the EU?

UK is being railroaded back in to the EU's orbit by our rotten government. That's pretty much how the EU and its supporters work - devious, duplicitous and underhanded.

A prime example of this is the French rejecting the EU constitution in a referendum. The text from the EU Constitution was later copied and pasted into the Lisbon Treaty and the French were denied a vote on that so the French electorate were railroaded into something they had expressly rejected.

The UK government at the time was "New" Labour, they promised the UK electorate a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty and then reneged on that promise so we were railroaded in too.

You'll note the politicians that are voted into the EU parliament by the electorate do not have the power to table any legislation, only the unelected commissioners can do that. The elected politicians are just rubber-stampers with unlimited expense accounts that don't get exposed to scrutiny so they're nice and compliant.

To Brexiteers such as myself the European Union is just the Soviet Union v2.0

 

[Chernosoth]

American geography and climate allows a degree of independence and self-sufficiency not possible in Europe. That's why we had the American Revolution, and why many people want less or no government now. Most of Canada is harsher, where they need more government per capita to make their imported European civilization work. With more trust in government, Canadians let the situation become severe before they started pushing back against incompetence and catastrophic decisions. They may be too late to stop the avalanche into failed state status. Annexing some parts of Canada that want to join the USA could happen.

 

[MajorRewrite]

American geography and climate allows a degree of independence and self-sufficiency not possible in Europe. That's why we had the American Revolution, and why many people want less or no government now. Most of Canada is harsher, where they need more government per capita to make their imported European civilization work. With more trust in government, Canadians let the situation become severe before they started pushing back against incompetence and catastrophic decisions. They may be too late to stop the avalanche into failed state status. Annexing some parts of Canada that want to join the USA could happen.

Crazy dystopian guy has weird beliefs. Who would have guessed?