America - The Official Thread

[Liquid]

And some [Trump supporters], I assume, are good people.

Rock and roll MAGA youth pastor who performed for Trump Jr. arrested on child sex abuse charges

Radcliff was a youth pastor in Michigan.

www.dailydot.com

When you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.

 

[HenrySwanson]

Because there's an axis of authoritarianism/"chaos" forming vs liberal democracies. If Trump wins, the US switches sides and that's never happened before so god knows where we end up.

The Brics summit may not have been what Putin was hoping for but the group still needs monitoring. Trump, should he get in, will be unpredictable in how he deals with them, and with Putin massaging his ego by name-checking him he could very well end up being a puppet.

 

[Danoff]

Putin teaming up with Elon makes sense for Putin. For Elon it's just sad.

Are Americans really going to let the richest man in the world, blood-soaked Putin, and made up nonsense destroy our country by installing a hitler-idolizing sociopathic rapist with a gold toilet as some kind of dictatorial king?

Surely not, right? That can't be something actually happens right? People aren't THAT crazy are they? Are they?

I guess I'm not taking into account how awful Kamala is. She seems so... competent and normal. How terrible. [/s]

 

[Scaff]

Putin teaming up with Elon makes sense for Putin. For Elon it's just sad.

Are Americans really going to let the richest man in the world, blood-soaked Putin, disinformation, and made up nonsense destroy our country by installing a hitler-idolizing sociopathic rapist with a gold toilet as some kind of dictatorial king?

Surely not, right? That can't be something actually happens right? People aren't THAT crazy are they? Are they?

It honestly shouldn't even be a question, but right now I'm far from confident, and even living on the other side of the ocean, it will have repercussions.

 

[Danoff]

It honestly shouldn't even be a question, but right now I'm far from confident, and even living on the other side of the ocean, it will have repercussions.

I'm also far from confident. I see the polls. But I also just really have a hard to believing that Epstein's buddy can win. I just can't wrap my head around it. We've never elected that kind of crazy in the history of our country, including Trump's first term. Idolizing hitler and putin? Really?

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Putin teaming up with Elon makes sense for Putin. For Elon it's just sad.

Are Americans really going to let the richest man in the world, blood-soaked Putin, and made up nonsense destroy our country by installing a hitler-idolizing sociopathic rapist with a gold toilet as some kind of dictatorial king?

Surely not, right? That can't be something actually happens right? People aren't THAT crazy are they? Are they?

I guess I'm not taking into account how awful Kamala is. She seems so... competent and normal. How terrible. [/s]

People (probably driving $50k+ pickup trucks) think they have nothing to lose and would like nothing more than to punish the people they deem as antagonists. Part of me wants them to experience how much they have to lose, but that would be...bad...for everyone.

 

[Danoff]

People (probably driving $50k+ pickup trucks) think they have nothing to lose and would like nothing more than to punish the people they deem as antagonists. Part of me wants them to experience how much they have to lose, but that would be...bad...for everyone.

Ok, I hear that. Totally. And I also would like for them to understand reality.

But Putin? Hitler? Epstein? Have they left no sense of decency? This can't possibly be the outcome, it's too much crazy.

 

[Sprite]

It’s getting close to brown trouser time for the planet Earth

1. The Orange Overlord and his simping minions take over the Whitehouse. The USA becomes a dictatorship and the whole world erupts and turns on it’s head.

2. Kamala gets into the Whitehouse and the Orange Overlords simping minions go on a rampage and stage another Jan 6th style coup which is either squashed quickly or deals a huge blow to the US.

Either way Putin and his friends in China & Nk hold a party.

For me, the biggest worry with the Orange Overlord getting in, is it leads to Farage and his ilk gaining more ground quicker in the UK along with lending credence to the Far Right ideologies and in turn at the next election we see all sorts of crazy.

 

[Fezzik]

For me, the biggest worry with the Orange Overlord getting in, is it leads to Farage and his ilk gaining more ground quicker in the UK along with lending credence to the Far Right ideologies and in turn at the next election we see all sorts of crazy.

We don’t anywhere near the amount of religious nuts who make up a large part of Trump’s support. Farage isn’t the messiah for us.

 

[Danoff]

It’s getting close to brown trouser time for the planet Earth

It's not great.

2. Kamala gets into the Whitehouse and the Orange Overlords simping minions go on a rampage and stage another Jan 6th style coup which is either squashed quickly or deals a huge blow to the US.

Either way Putin and his friends in China & Nk hold a party.

This one doesn't concern me as much, because I think we're more prepared and there is some precedent that people will go to jail. There would be no hope of pardons for those people.

For me, the biggest worry with the Orange Overlord getting in, is it leads to Farage and his ilk gaining more ground quicker in the UK along with lending credence to the Far Right ideologies and in turn at the next election we see all sorts of crazy.

If orange man gets in, Ukraine falls and Russia starts gobbling up more. NK is already helping Russia, and the US would probably join in. Remember when Trump said he wanted Greenland? You have an axis of authoritarianism setting up a WWII re-do.

I think if Trump is elected Biden cannot simply play it straight. It's too crazy. There has to be some kind of scenario with states breaking off and the US dis-integrating. The previous civil war was over less.

 

[Liquid]

If orange man gets in, Ukraine falls and Russia starts gobbling up more.

If Slovakia leaves NATO, I am gone.

 

[Duke]

But Putin? Hitler? Epstein? Have they left no sense of decency? This can't possibly be the outcome, it's too much crazy.

What's alarmingly bizarre is that they think Epstein is a Democrats-only problem and that they are the only ones left who DO have a sense of decency.

 

[Danoff]

If Slovakia leaves NATO, I am gone.

What if the US leaves, or guts it?

What's alarmingly bizarre is that they think Epstein is a Democrats-only problem and that they are the only ones left who DO have a sense of decency.

That part is as blind as it gets.

 

[Liquid]

What if the US leaves, or guts it?

Interesting. I'd be looking elsewhere but perhaps not quite as quickly.

Just from my own perspective living here, I think that Slovakia, a country that borders Ukraine, is a very useful airstrip for the US. Not indispensable or even well-known but very useful for its unassuming yet strategic location. I vaguely know people from the American intelligence and armed forces community who live here and get a small picture of what, hypothetically, might go on here behind the scenes.

So I personally don't see the USA abandoning a strategic listening post and it wouldn't really be possible for the USA to leave NATO but keep all of its installations unless it elected a fascist tyrant. But that's not exactly unrealistic at the moment. Unfortunately.

 

[Danoff]

Interesting. I'd be looking elsewhere but perhaps not quite as quickly.

Just from my own perspective living here, I think that Slovakia, a country that borders Ukraine, is a very useful airstrip for the US. Not indispensable or even well-known but very useful for its unassuming yet strategic location. I vaguely know people from the American intelligence and armed forces community who live here and get a small picture of what, hypothetically, might go on here behind the scenes.

So I personally don't see the USA abandoning a strategic listening post and it wouldn't really be possible for the USA to leave NATO but keep all of its installations unless it elected a fascist tyrant. But that's not exactly unrealistic at the moment. Unfortunately.

Yea, it's strategic from the perspective of Russia being an adversary? What if the US is not bothered by Russian expansion plans? Honestly I don't think I'm in a particularly safe or stable location should Trump be elected either. It's something I've bee thinking about a lot in the last few years.

 

[Liquid]

Yea, it's strategic from the perspective of Russia being an adversary? What if the US is not bothered by Russian expansion plans? Honestly I don't think I'm in a particularly safe or stable location should Trump be elected either. It's something I've bee thinking about a lot in the last few years.

While Slovakia is still a member of NATO, it's up for grabs by any other NATO member and plenty of them do still and will continue to find Russia adversarial. The US would leave big shoes to fill but I'm sure Turkey definitely and Germany maybe would enjoy the chance to flex their muscles in the US's absence and the UK would like to relive those "I used to be a major player" days.

If Slovakia wasn't a member of NATO, it's an immediate concern and open season for Russia. That's the bigger worry for me.

 

[Joey D]

It’s getting close to brown trouser time for the planet Earth

That ship sailed already. The political climate is small scale compared to climate change. We should dealt with climate change 40-50 years ago but we kept kicking the can down the road.

Trump won't do anything about climate change because he probably doesn't believe it in. The Democrats aren't forceful enough to take action either. Mandating people drive EVs won't do anything, nor will any of the other programs they've come up with. Tackle energy generation then manufacturing, after that we can discuss me buying an EV and sorting all my waste.

So while yes, the political climate is undoubtedly going to cause problems, I think they're going to be minor in comparison to climate change. Massive hurricanes, destructive storms, drought, heat waves, and crazy blizzards are only the tip. When population centers are no longer habitable and there are millions of climate refugees, thing will get interesting quickly. Leaders should be scared of that because if people lose everything they'll have nothing to really live for. Having a bunch of people with nothing to live for who are pissed at the leaders never works out well for the leaders.

Honestly I wish we had a presidential candidate who was like Reagan when it comes to foreign policy (ie killing the Soviets) and Gore when it comes to things like environmental policy with the charisma of Obama.

 

[Danoff]

That ship sailed already. The political climate is small scale compared to climate change. We should dealt with climate change 40-50 years ago but we kept kicking the can down the road.

Trump won't do anything about climate change because he probably doesn't believe it in. The Democrats aren't forceful enough to take action either. Mandating people drive EVs won't do anything, nor will any of the other programs they've come up with. Tackle energy generation then manufacturing, after that we can discuss me buying an EV and sorting all my waste.

So while yes, the political climate is undoubtedly going to cause problems, I think they're going to be minor in comparison to climate change. Massive hurricanes, destructive storms, drought, heat waves, and crazy blizzards are only the tip. When population centers are no longer habitable and there are millions of climate refugees, thing will get interesting quickly. Leaders should be scared of that because if people lose everything they'll have nothing to really live for. Having a bunch of people with nothing to live for who are pissed at the leaders never works out well for the leaders.

Honestly I wish we had a presidential candidate who was like Reagan when it comes to foreign policy (ie killing the Soviets) and Gore when it comes to things like environmental policy with the charisma of Obama.

We've had a massive increase in renewable energy over the last decade, and it's currently still picking up speed. We're investing in it as a nation, and it has its own economic momentum as well. You're right that we should have done something about climate change long ago, but it's not like we're ignoring it. Our energy sector has been rapidly going through a complete transformation.

 

[McLaren]

Ok, I hear that. Totally. And I also would like for them to understand reality.

But Putin? Hitler? Epstein? Have they left no sense of decency? This can't possibly be the outcome, it's too much crazy.

That's what happens when they've done nothing but consume right-wing influencers for Trump who do the dirty work. These become the only people they listen to, so these "commentators" start running on things like, "Abortion is bad, all life is precious. But, feeding kids is socialism & not your responsibility. Racism? That's actually ok b/c why can they say it and you can't, so your freedom of speech is being oppressed & here's some 'facts' about them to justify racism, too. Misogyny is also good b/c women belong at home & having your kids and it made the world weak".

It is not surprising at all these ghouls become the same folks who will start, "Hey guys, on today's episode, let's explain why authoritarianism isn't such a bad thing & those pesky little Germans were right about some things".

Obviously, they don't state these things outright (unless they're Matt Walsh), but it's there under subtle messaging & misleading/made up "data". It's a rabbit hole that starts with someone like Shapiro and ends up with Fuentes. There's a reason it has become incredibly easy to grift Conservatives into anything you want b/c all you have to do is go, "MSM sucks, I love Trump more than you" & they'll listen to you. As we saw with the 2020 election, you can get literally caught revealing you don't actually like Trump & you know you're full of ****, but if you stick to your guns, these folks will keep listening.

Henceforth, cult 45.

 

[CTznOfTime]

That ship sailed already. The political climate is small scale compared to climate change. We should dealt with climate change 40-50 years ago but we kept kicking the can down the road.

Trump won't do anything about climate change because he probably doesn't believe it in. The Democrats aren't forceful enough to take action either. Mandating people drive EVs won't do anything, nor will any of the other programs they've come up with. Tackle energy generation then manufacturing, after that we can discuss me buying an EV and sorting all my waste.

So while yes, the political climate is undoubtedly going to cause problems, I think they're going to be minor in comparison to climate change. Massive hurricanes, destructive storms, drought, heat waves, and crazy blizzards are only the tip. When population centers are no longer habitable and there are millions of climate refugees, thing will get interesting quickly. Leaders should be scared of that because if people lose everything they'll have nothing to really live for. Having a bunch of people with nothing to live for who are pissed at the leaders never works out well for the leaders.

Honestly I wish we had a presidential candidate who was like Reagan when it comes to foreign policy (ie killing the Soviets) and Gore when it comes to things like environmental policy with the charisma of Obama.

you are the first American i know who seem to be worried much more about making progress on climate change over political climate...

personally i think the US is actually making good progress/ fairly good progress overall, not as much as i would have liked nor to be in proportion to the size of our country when compared to the advancement made else where (europe is smaller scale, yet seems to have made much more progress).

so i am in agreement with @Danoff that we are making decent progress despite the reticence and reluctance from a party/group in the US and refusal to accept truth...

 

[Joey D]

We've had a massive increase in renewable energy over the last decade, and it's currently still picking up speed. We're investing in it as a nation, and it has its own economic momentum as well. You're right that we should have done something about climate change long ago, but it's not like we're ignoring it. Our energy sector has been rapidly going through a complete transformation.

I still think it's painfully slow. We're also not doing enough to mitigate disasters. They should be investing in all kinds of flood control in Florida as well as break walls since hurricanes are only going to get worse. But DeSantis nixed climate change from schools so he's building a scientifically ignorant population.

We just feel woefully under prepared for the incoming flux of disasters. Republicans don't care and Democrats only kind of care. Granted I'd rather have people in charge that kind of care over outright denying the existence of climate change. But all these problems about losing democracy or the Russians being horrible seem to pale in comparison to what will happen if we don't address climate change with more of an urgency. I know that's not going to happen but it would be nice to see politicians doing more, even if it's just not denying the existence of climate change.

you are the first American i know who seem to be worried much more about making progress on climate change over political climate...

personally i think the US is actually making good progress/ fairly good progress overall, not as much as i would have liked nor to be in proportion to the size of our country when compared to the advancement made else where (europe is smaller scale, yet seems to have made much more progress).

so i am in agreement with @Danoff that we are making decent progress despite the reticence and reluctance from a party/group in the US and refusal to accept truth...

I think it's a problem that more people aren't worried about it. It's likely one of the biggest threats to humans right now and the climate doesn't care about your nationality, wealth, or political ideology. You're going to feel the effects no matter what.

There's also the mass extinction of wildlife occuring right now too. I don't think enough people appreciate how important everything living around us is. I mean take bees, we're losing them at an alarming rate. If they go extinct, we lose a key pollinator and that will affect the food supply.

I agree we are making progress but it's slow. And we're not prepared to mitigate the effects of climate change either. Instead of throwing money at whatever we throw money at, we should be investing in public works projects to shore up our population centers that will be most affected.

 

[Danoff]

I still think it's painfully slow. We're also not doing enough to mitigate disasters. They should be investing in all kinds of flood control in Florida as well as break walls since hurricanes are only going to get worse. But DeSantis nixed climate change from schools so he's building a scientifically ignorant population.

We just feel woefully under prepared for the incoming flux of disasters. Republicans don't care and Democrats only kind of care. Granted I'd rather have people in charge that kind of care over outright denying the existence of climate change. But all these problems about losing democracy or the Russians being horrible seem to pale in comparison to what will happen if we don't address climate change with more of an urgency. I know that's not going to happen but it would be nice to see politicians doing more, even if it's just not denying the existence of climate change.

Society can only move so fast before it breaks. If we try to overhaul our power generation in the US faster, you end up with crazy Trumpists that stop the whole thing anyway. I think it's actually surprisingly fast all things considered. The speed has left coal production towns and people out of jobs, and that has caused real political pressure. Not sure we could have moved much faster.

That being said, the biggest climate action that can be taken today is to prevent Trump from winning the election. It's not so much that I see one paling in comparison to the other as it is that they go hand-in-hand. Meaningful climate action going forward is only really possible if Trump loses. It has been solid under Biden.

I agree that some states aren't doing enough to deal with disasters. I think Florida is not a good place to live right now.

 

[05XR8]

Holy snaps! I got my haircut yesterday and and the barber is asking me about USA stuffs. I mentioned how Kevin Rudd gave the apology acknowledging the treatment of First Nations people. I said the USA will never ever apologise to Natives in the USA.
Biden going out with taking the first steps to apologise.

 

[CTznOfTime]

I still think it's painfully slow. We're also not doing enough to mitigate disasters. They should be investing in all kinds of flood control in Florida as well as break walls since hurricanes are only going to get worse. But DeSantis nixed climate change from schools so he's building a scientifically ignorant population.

We just feel woefully under prepared for the incoming flux of disasters. Republicans don't care and Democrats only kind of care. Granted I'd rather have people in charge that kind of care over outright denying the existence of climate change. But all these problems about losing democracy or the Russians being horrible seem to pale in comparison to what will happen if we don't address climate change with more of an urgency. I know that's not going to happen but it would be nice to see politicians doing more, even if it's just not denying the existence of climate change.


I think it's a problem that more people aren't worried about it. It's likely one of the biggest threats to humans right now and the climate doesn't care about your nationality, wealth, or political ideology. You're going to feel the effects no matter what.

There's also the mass extinction of wildlife occuring right now too. I don't think enough people appreciate how important everything living around us is. I mean take bees, we're losing them at an alarming rate. If they go extinct, we lose a key pollinator and that will affect the food supply.

I agree we are making progress but it's slow. And we're not prepared to mitigate the effects of climate change either. Instead of throwing money at whatever we throw money at, we should be investing in public works projects to shore up our population centers that will be most affected.

i totally see the effects on a daily basis, bees are literally dropping dead on my parkway and backyard every day i see them being on the ground dying from exhausion




@05XR8

 

[Danoff]

Moved to the election thread.

 

[Carbonox]

Honestly I don't think I'm in a particularly safe or stable location should Trump be elected either. It's something I've bee thinking about a lot in the last few years.

Any specific reason? Colorado appears to be a state with a slight blue lean mostly surrounded by reds, so a potential civil war battleground perhaps?

 

[Danoff]

Any specific reason? Colorado appears to be a state with a slight blue lean mostly surrounded by reds, so a potential civil war battleground perhaps?

I wasn't really thinking Colorado specifically, I was thinking the US as a whole is on the verge of massive destabilization. There are many scenarios playing out in my head at the moment. Mob violence, which Trump has been happy to command, specific targeted action such as going after Harris donor rolls (I have donated several times), financial instability as he picks fights with companies over various policies or positions, government instability as Elon goes after various agencies... and yea, the looming prospect of war.

He'll pardon Jan. 6th folks, and then command mobs to go after democrats wherever they find them, and pardon them too. It could get real messy real quick.

 

[eran0004]

What surprises me is not that Trump is popular among the masses. There is SOME sense in the logic that stupid people would rather be ruled by someone stupid than by someone intelligent.

No, what surprises me is that the Republican Party has let him hijack them and completely destroy them, to the point that all their intellectuals have been bullied away and they are now practically endorsing Hitler.

 

[Keef]

@05XR8

Okay, now let's do something about it. Let's combine more autonomy with more responsibility and more opportunity. Give them historical land, give them permanent seats in government, give them resources to grow their families and reacquiant themselves with their heritage. Give them the opportunty to earn what's theirs.

 

[Pupik]

Are Americans really going to let the richest man in the world, blood-soaked Putin, and made up nonsense destroy our country by installing a hitler-idolizing sociopathic rapist with a gold toilet as some kind of dictatorial king?

If it was ten years ago, I'd swear this was the plot to a direct-to-video movie which Cinemax/HBO/Showtime would play at 2am.

We've let brinkmanship treat us like extras in a B-movie, and it's not even that campy one with Jerry Seinfeld in it.