It just never ends - today I read that he fired the most senior person at the US base in Greenland because she advised that it is inappropriate for the US to try to take over a NATO country.
Thanks for the inside info here, Charlie. I'll be encouraging everyone to stop buying from Lauder. That company owns a ton of brands. I'll start with the top five. 😁
"There was no bigger geo-political plan at all. It was all ego. All while California burned." This line reminds me of Trump's assurance that Canada would be their "cherished" 51st state. Yah, right! How cherished do we think California is feeling, today?!
The problem with Trump's plan to take over Greenland? It actually makes a twisted sort of sense if you don't dig too deeply. Greenland has many valuable resources that would become increasingly easy to exploit as the ice continues melting. (Less so before then.) This makes no sense from the perspective of global peace and the rule of law, but since when have such things bothered Trump? Making matters worse, we should ask the scary question about what happens if the U.S. sends its Atlantic Fleet to Greenland and gives the Danes 1 week to move out. Would the EU really open a two-fronts war with Russia by attacking the U.S. fleet? It seems unlikely. To be clear, a sane man wouldn't try to take Greenland, but let's not forget who we're talking about.
You wrote: "They played up Cicero and Cincinnatus (whom the city of Cincinnati is named after) as models of civic virtue. But we all know how dismal Rome was at resisting tyranny. The Republic gave way to the Caesars."
Two nits to pick: First, Cincinnatus WAS a model of civic virtue, and a good role model for today. Simplistically: He returned from retirement to lead Roman armies to victory against Rome's enemies, then -- here's the important part -- he resigned and became once more a peaceful farmer rather than trying to become Caesar. Second, Rome was actually pretty darned good at resisting tyranny; the Republic lasted some 500 years before being taken over by dictators. Historically, that's really long by most standards. A third minor quibble: attractive though the image is, Nero was unlikely to have played the fiddle, which was invented more than 1000 years later. Nero probably went for a few rounds of golf while Rome burned. *GDRLH*
You wondered: "what happens if there is a serious showdown with China or Russia?" Probably nuclear war (cf. Dr. Strangelove). Trump's not the kind of guy who understands or cares about consequences. You can bet serious money that Trump thinks he can just walk away from his deals with Putin when the time comes. We'll all learn a hard lesson from such naivete.
All interesting points. A few thoughts in response:
> Your point of view seems to be Trump is guiding everything.
I think it's more realistic to imagine him as a headstrong 6-year-old with no impulse control being guided by adults (the people behind the 2025 agenda). He controls things because he's the one who speaks the words, even though the adults are really setting the policy.
> He will not walk away from Putin
Until such time as he thinks he no longer needs Putin. Like most fascist leaders, Trump surrounds himself with useful idiots he can dispose of when they're no longer useful. And he's not real big on sharing power. What he doesn't understand is that he's not smarter or more powerful than Putin. As you noted, he'll discover that Putin "can kill off his enemies across the globe". He's probably forgotten how many people who disagreed with Putin accidentally fell out of a window.
> Does Trump have the strategic understanding
Probably not. More likely, he mouths a few words about the importance of Greenland's resources, but really see this as an opportunity for personal aggrandizement ("look how much bigger my countr is now") and enriching his cronies.
> As far as the EU opening a two front war, which I assume you mean
> simultaneously protecting Ukraine and Greenland.
Exactly. As you note, Trump seems to be backing the Putin line about Ukraine. My implication was that Trump would (acting as Putin's puppet) in effect be opening a second front and distracting Europe away from Ukraine. Europe has a moral obligation to defend both, but has a legal obligation (NATO) to defend Denmark.
> So, are you saying the rest of the world should just stand
> there and allow the shit to be kicked out of everybody?
Quite the opposite: I'm saying that Europe probably will do that, not that they should. I fully agree with you that this shouldn't be allowed to happen, but realpolitik being what it is, Europe may decide they need to pick their battles judiciously.
You suggested the possibility of civil war in the U.S. Many people, myself included, have been fearing this ever since Trump announced he was running for a second term. Would the good guys win? Too early to tell.
The Ides of March have come and gone, and still Caesar remains. Thanks for the refresher in Roman history. Stay strong for democracy, Canada. Do not vote in your own MCGA version of he who would be our Emperor. Elbow up, neighbors. 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇲🇽
The association with Nero is accurate. The problem is the the Roman empire lasted hundreds of years after Nero. We can't wait that long after Trump. I suspect the people that are living kely to alsucceed Trump aren't smart enough to hold on but the may well be brutal enough.
A new new remake of Dr. Strangelove has to be made. Dr. Strange Lovers Vlad and DJ Go to Canada
Opening scene: 1987, DJ in hotel room performing disgusting acts on young woman involving male pee.
Cut to camera hidden in the eye of a portrait of Brezhnev.
Cut to hidden compartment with Vlad looking through the camera. Of course he's wn k in g off.
Cut to theme song, Mashup of Russian anthem and Amerikan anthem sang by Pussy Riot Grrls and Jello Biafra, formerly of the Dead Kennedys, while credits roll:
Vlad played by Eddie Marsan
DJT played by Alec Baldwin
Middleman Mark Carney played by Mark McKinney
Directed by Atom Egoyan
Cut to modern day. Russia plans to invade Canada thru the Arctic. Trump will make a deal. The phone call to Putin, trump'svoice:
"You do the invading Vlad. Get your own people killed and we'll split the spoils and buy critical minerals from you.
What? We already made a deal with Ukraine?
Ya, well look how well making a deal with me worked out for Canada and CUSMA. Haha.
Why should you trust me now?
You've got the tapes...you know the ones...yes yes they involve peeing on women but they were who r es Vlad, they shoulda expected that.
Any way. We got a deal?
Great. It's gonna be great. No more pesky Canucks and their stupid flags. We'll split the spoils...we're gonna Make America And Russia Great Again. MAARGA. We'll get new hats made..."
So well said once again.
But This Nero is not just fiddling as the Empire burns, he’s just fanning the flames as the Planet burns.
American Nero
Fantastic essay Charlie, and spot on.
Another great post, Charlie!
Elbows up!
It just never ends - today I read that he fired the most senior person at the US base in Greenland because she advised that it is inappropriate for the US to try to take over a NATO country.
Thanks for the inside info here, Charlie. I'll be encouraging everyone to stop buying from Lauder. That company owns a ton of brands. I'll start with the top five. 😁
Thoughts on “Buying Greenland” - Trump read a book? Authored by Lauder, a nepotist cosmetics guy?
And that was the takeaway?
I should have guessed.
As usual, Charlie perfectly said.
"There was no bigger geo-political plan at all. It was all ego. All while California burned." This line reminds me of Trump's assurance that Canada would be their "cherished" 51st state. Yah, right! How cherished do we think California is feeling, today?!
The problem with Trump's plan to take over Greenland? It actually makes a twisted sort of sense if you don't dig too deeply. Greenland has many valuable resources that would become increasingly easy to exploit as the ice continues melting. (Less so before then.) This makes no sense from the perspective of global peace and the rule of law, but since when have such things bothered Trump? Making matters worse, we should ask the scary question about what happens if the U.S. sends its Atlantic Fleet to Greenland and gives the Danes 1 week to move out. Would the EU really open a two-fronts war with Russia by attacking the U.S. fleet? It seems unlikely. To be clear, a sane man wouldn't try to take Greenland, but let's not forget who we're talking about.
You wrote: "They played up Cicero and Cincinnatus (whom the city of Cincinnati is named after) as models of civic virtue. But we all know how dismal Rome was at resisting tyranny. The Republic gave way to the Caesars."
Two nits to pick: First, Cincinnatus WAS a model of civic virtue, and a good role model for today. Simplistically: He returned from retirement to lead Roman armies to victory against Rome's enemies, then -- here's the important part -- he resigned and became once more a peaceful farmer rather than trying to become Caesar. Second, Rome was actually pretty darned good at resisting tyranny; the Republic lasted some 500 years before being taken over by dictators. Historically, that's really long by most standards. A third minor quibble: attractive though the image is, Nero was unlikely to have played the fiddle, which was invented more than 1000 years later. Nero probably went for a few rounds of golf while Rome burned. *GDRLH*
You wondered: "what happens if there is a serious showdown with China or Russia?" Probably nuclear war (cf. Dr. Strangelove). Trump's not the kind of guy who understands or cares about consequences. You can bet serious money that Trump thinks he can just walk away from his deals with Putin when the time comes. We'll all learn a hard lesson from such naivete.
All interesting points. A few thoughts in response:
> Your point of view seems to be Trump is guiding everything.
I think it's more realistic to imagine him as a headstrong 6-year-old with no impulse control being guided by adults (the people behind the 2025 agenda). He controls things because he's the one who speaks the words, even though the adults are really setting the policy.
> He will not walk away from Putin
Until such time as he thinks he no longer needs Putin. Like most fascist leaders, Trump surrounds himself with useful idiots he can dispose of when they're no longer useful. And he's not real big on sharing power. What he doesn't understand is that he's not smarter or more powerful than Putin. As you noted, he'll discover that Putin "can kill off his enemies across the globe". He's probably forgotten how many people who disagreed with Putin accidentally fell out of a window.
> Does Trump have the strategic understanding
Probably not. More likely, he mouths a few words about the importance of Greenland's resources, but really see this as an opportunity for personal aggrandizement ("look how much bigger my countr is now") and enriching his cronies.
> As far as the EU opening a two front war, which I assume you mean
> simultaneously protecting Ukraine and Greenland.
Exactly. As you note, Trump seems to be backing the Putin line about Ukraine. My implication was that Trump would (acting as Putin's puppet) in effect be opening a second front and distracting Europe away from Ukraine. Europe has a moral obligation to defend both, but has a legal obligation (NATO) to defend Denmark.
> So, are you saying the rest of the world should just stand
> there and allow the shit to be kicked out of everybody?
Quite the opposite: I'm saying that Europe probably will do that, not that they should. I fully agree with you that this shouldn't be allowed to happen, but realpolitik being what it is, Europe may decide they need to pick their battles judiciously.
You suggested the possibility of civil war in the U.S. Many people, myself included, have been fearing this ever since Trump announced he was running for a second term. Would the good guys win? Too early to tell.
This is excellent. Thank you.
I posted this yesterday. Writing as therapy.
Consider sycophants. In competition to achieve
the most favoured status, they arrive
at the darkest point. Stalin surrounded himself
with lavish delusional lies that made him feel better.
Then the rug of the Grim Reaper was pulled out
from them all. The leitmotif?
Terrified to say out loud that Stalin was
dead. (Watch The Death of Stalin
for the delicious aftermath.)
History as tragedy, then farce. (Marx.)
The Ides of March have come and gone, and still Caesar remains. Thanks for the refresher in Roman history. Stay strong for democracy, Canada. Do not vote in your own MCGA version of he who would be our Emperor. Elbow up, neighbors. 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇲🇽
great hisorical perspective as always, Charlie. Thank you from Virginia. it is so sickening sad you have to write of this debacle in the year 2025!
Resistance is Fertile
The association with Nero is accurate. The problem is the the Roman empire lasted hundreds of years after Nero. We can't wait that long after Trump. I suspect the people that are living kely to alsucceed Trump aren't smart enough to hold on but the may well be brutal enough.
A new new remake of Dr. Strangelove has to be made. Dr. Strange Lovers Vlad and DJ Go to Canada
Opening scene: 1987, DJ in hotel room performing disgusting acts on young woman involving male pee.
Cut to camera hidden in the eye of a portrait of Brezhnev.
Cut to hidden compartment with Vlad looking through the camera. Of course he's wn k in g off.
Cut to theme song, Mashup of Russian anthem and Amerikan anthem sang by Pussy Riot Grrls and Jello Biafra, formerly of the Dead Kennedys, while credits roll:
Vlad played by Eddie Marsan
DJT played by Alec Baldwin
Middleman Mark Carney played by Mark McKinney
Directed by Atom Egoyan
Cut to modern day. Russia plans to invade Canada thru the Arctic. Trump will make a deal. The phone call to Putin, trump'svoice:
"You do the invading Vlad. Get your own people killed and we'll split the spoils and buy critical minerals from you.
What? We already made a deal with Ukraine?
Ya, well look how well making a deal with me worked out for Canada and CUSMA. Haha.
Why should you trust me now?
You've got the tapes...you know the ones...yes yes they involve peeing on women but they were who r es Vlad, they shoulda expected that.
Any way. We got a deal?
Great. It's gonna be great. No more pesky Canucks and their stupid flags. We'll split the spoils...we're gonna Make America And Russia Great Again. MAARGA. We'll get new hats made..."