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?!
Good question. Maybe you could ask the former Biden officials who gave no federal leadership since the fire began on Jan 7th—two full weeks BEFORE Trump took office—and also extend the inquiry to the pathetic response by FEMA and other agencies in response to Hurricane Helene's disaster relief efforts throughout North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and elsewhere.
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.
You're right about Greenland having many natural resources that the U.S. would like to procure but entirely wrong about taking it over through annexation, decree, or force. It's not just that such an egregiously illegal power grab would run afoul of international (as well as national) law, but that it would have almost zero support by even the most diehard MAGA fans here in the U.S.
Greenland and Canada are both examples of a "look! shiny object in this hand!" distraction whilst the other hand is working behind the scenes to achieve the goals he wants for America. And yet, too many people on here and elsewhere around the world simply refuse to understand his tactics (or goals!) and get played like the suckers they are.
As far as NATO allies are concerned, why is America funding the bulk of their security using our military when it's their borders and their first-on-the-front-line necks at risk? Trump understands that the EU has been living large under American protectionism while they funnel more of their revenue for social services. We in the U.S. have our own issues to address, and it would help if we didn't have to take primary responsibility for NATO against an adversary that can't even roll through Ukraine with 500,000 troops. Nuclear war? Not a chance—mutually assured destruction still remains in effect and that did not end when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, so get off that ridiculous high horse of implausibility.
Geoffrey, you need to look more deeply than just superficially, at the entire chain of global players.
Your point of view seems to be Trump is guiding everything. You said it yourself: does he embody the brain of a mastermind that can organize all of this?
He will not walk away from Putin, because he IS currently running away from him in fear of his life. Putin has a long reach, and has shown he can kill off his enemies across the globe using well placed agents and poison.
Does Trump have the strategic understanding of what rare earths to extract, how to do it, and where they can be used? No, he will come back with a sandbucket filled with worns and soil. Greenland is simply closer to Putin, and further away from Trump so he can be stopped there before he gets any closer, if he happens to come that way.
As far as the EU opening a two front war, which I assume you mean simultaneously protecting Ukraine and Greenland.
In case you haven't noticed, Trump just sent a delegation to Putin in-order to reaffirm his alignment with him. So, if Russia and the U.S. are co-ordinating their military to attack other countries, then it is Trump's alliance that is opening up a war on multiple fronts and not the EU. So, are you saying the rest of the world should just stand there and allow the shit to be kicked out of everybody?
Of course that will not be allowed to happen, and the Danes, Greenland, Canada, EU, NATO, and whatever is left of the American military still loyal to the constitution will band against Trump and take his regieme and war machine down. Will a lot of us die doing it? Probably, but he was going to do that to us anyways. We have a better chance of staying alive with fewer casualties by fighting back than rolling over on our backs hoping this monster will spare us.
Yeah, no, there isn't even a one-front war going on that the EU is involved with, let alone potentially a second one. Fantasizing about America and Russia joining up to wage war against the rest of the world is pure progressivism fantasy.
You wrote, "In case you haven't noticed, Trump just sent a delegation to Putin in-order to reaffirm his alignment with him." No, he sent a delegation to attempt to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war—no one else was attempting to do so, only saying that (a) Ukraine can't win this war by themselves but (b) we'll continue to pump $200+ billion in aid to Ukraine without any accountability on how that money is spent. Ukraine's troops with makeshift shitty little drones have been able to bog down Russian front lines for 2.5+ years; do you think that if there was any air superiority that either side wanted to commit to the war that we'd even be having a war yet? So if Ukraine can do that and fend off Russia, but knows they cannot win while still sending tens of thousands of their men to the grave, where does it end? And why SHOULDN'T some kind of negotiation with Putin take place? Since America funds NATO, and we're the strongest nation on the planet, why wouldn't Putin want to talk with Trump? After all, he knows Trump is a businessman—unlike Biden, or Obama, both of whom are lying pussies without a backbone to back up their 'red line in the sand' demands. Zelenskyy can negotiate, or, he can continue fighting a war he can't win and eliminate an entire generation of his people the way Russia did in WWII.
Trump being a dealmaker is a big joke. He doesn't keep his end of any bargain.
Like he bullied Canada and Mexico into renegotiating NAFTA. We 🇨🇦 didn't like NAFTA either, so we allowed it. Did he bother asking first if we were happy with NAFTA? Noooooo.
That's not a sign of a bright negotiator. It's the sign of a fool when you guys start swinging out at us with tariffs and expect us to be accommodating to you.
Tell me. Do you slug your bosses in the face and try to knock them out, right before you ask them for a raise?
Now, he's crying about USMCA, which HE HIMSELF MADE. Then he breaks it.
How can you trust anything this idiot says? Does he even know what he's talking about or wants? Is he cognitive at all? And, you think this guy can negotiate a war. He doesn't even know what's going on around him.
Your savvy businessman just crashed your economy citizen. He even destroyed the safest kind of investments you guys had: your bond market. Tell me, how does one do that, by first punching people in the face?
We don't want to see or hear this idiots face anymore. He's just a big waste of our time and resources. He is a clown that can't live up to his word or promise anything.
And, Putin is the same. Within the first three months of the war, Zelenskyy sent a negotiating team to Putin, only for one of its members to be killed. Is this the punch in the face and ask questions later strategy again? Trump and Putin must love each other. Do they hold a WWF wrestling match when they negotiate with each other?
And, if the negotiation is about Zelenskyy, shouldn't he be at the table, as the party Putin should be negotiating with?
What's Trump supposed to be, the facilitator? Or, does he think he's the referee for another wrestling match? Is he going to punch someone in the face again, before anything starts?
If you haven't looked at a map lately, Ukraine IS in Europe. It trades with the EU. It recieves support from the EU. Are you also saying the British aren't part of Europe either, and the isles are floating away to Greenland?
Yes, there is a war in Europe. The front is on the Ukrainian/Russian border, with Putin being the aggressor. European nations are deploying their troops along the Russian borders, especially in Poland and Finland. Why? It's to make sure Putin can't expand his front. You really think these guys are gonna just let him take their land and ask for it to be handed back later?
And, you talk about air superiority. You do have a point there. Where are all the Russian planes? Ukraine lost all of theirs at the start of the war. But, they compensated by building drones which are more nimble and easily relocatable.
It takes a few days to build a drone. It takes at least three years to build the least sophisticated fighter jet. Ten years if it's cutting edge.
Obviously, the Russians are keeping their jets in reserve for something else. They don't want to lose them. But what? Jets have longer range and carry bigger payloads than drones. You would need jets if you wanted to reach and attack western Europe.
And, don't think about coming across the border into Canada. We know how to fight.
We've equipped Ukraine with advanced drone vision systems and guerrilla tactics. The bond market fallout speaks for itself. Only morons will try to open a second front in their global war. We're not stupid when you send a delegation to Russia and what it's for.
If I were you guys, I'ld distance myself from Putin as much as possible so nobody gets the wrong idea. Like China. They will be greatly concerned about the power imbalance if Putin and Trump joined forces. China already knows both of them like to punch people in the face first, before they do anything else.
You wrote, "Like [Trump] bullied Canada and Mexico into renegotiating NAFTA."
Bullied? Let's see ... American manufacturing jobs went to both 🇨🇦 and Mexico, jobs that COULD have stayed in the U.S., good paying middle class jobs compared to much lower paying retail/consumer based jobs. So yeah, YOU may have been happy with the NAFTA arrangement, but HE wasn't. Neither am I. Why the fuck would he "ask" you if you were happy with the arrangement? Do YOU pay U.S. taxes? No? Then why would the U.S. president go begging to ask if other nations' trade agreements are "acceptable"? I can just see that exchange now ...
Trump (to 🇨🇦): "Oh, hey, just wondering 🇨🇦 ... you guys doing alright with NAFTA? Everything OK?"
You (🇨🇦): "Yep. Everything is great. We're doing great here doncha know, eh?"
Trump: "Well, see ..." *coughing* ... "the thing is, we're losing out on a lot of revenue due to our trade imbalances and I was thinking maybe you guys in 🇨🇦 would like to, I don't know, maybe address the imbalance we've got going on with you?"
You (🇨🇦): "Yeah, no, eh? We're fine with the imbalance that favors 🇨🇦 by $63.3 billion. Maybe come back in 20 years or so, eh?"
America can't continue to be a bottomless consumer of the world's manufacturers churning out useless shit, driving us into the abyss of fiscal irresponsibility. We have a $36 TRILLION national debt and $7 TRILLION federal budget, one-third of which we don't have the taxation revenues to support because SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid are Ponzi scheme entitlements. It doesn't matter that Trump negotiated the USMCA agreement himself—that was in 2020, before Biden and his cronies let in 8+ million illegals. Assuming a paltry $24,000 income per illegal (which is 150% of the US federal poverty level for single persons) the cost to ensure housing, medical, and food for all 8+ million is $192+ BILLION at a minimum. We already rely on 1/3 of our budget from non-tax revenue (i.e. Treasuries) and it's long past time that the trajectory of federal debt not only level off but decline. That is why Trump wants to renegotiate the USMCA, because circumstances have changed in the four years he's been out of office.
It's also why smart employees ask their boss to consider changing their compensation annually, not every five or ten years. Talk is cheap, and both 🇨🇦 and Mexico could have shrugged off any real-world dialogue without the threat of tariffs. They are a means to an end, a tool—nothing more, nothing less.
You wrote, "Your savvy businessman just crashed your economy." But it has largely recovered. The bond crash is just as likely the result of hedge fund managers being overleveraged in bonds and needing to dump them as foreign investors' reluctance to buy them. Bond yields are the same now as they were in Oct '23 ... so keep on lying to "prove" how smart you are and how bad Trump is. Read CNBC for fuck's sake, maybe you would have a modicum of relevance.
You wrote, "We don't want to see or hear this idiots face anymore." Well who the fuck is "we"? A majority of American voters *do* want to see his face. They want to see MORE action taken on core issues that will benefit all Americans—deporting illegal immigrants, closing the border, better trade deals, less capital outlay to EU for NATO protection, an end to the Ukraine-Russian war that has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and is impacting humanitarian crises in Middle East and African countries who buy Ukrainian wheat that cannot be harvested and exported, among many others. YOU want a weak, capitulating America—"keep up with the status quo, keep paying for everything we haven't had to devote our money towards for 50 years, buy our shit, we don't care about the American consumer so long as they can continue being in debt and continue buying all our shit we manufacture." Well I'm sorry to say, that chicken has come home to roost—and it's not happy with the condition of the hen house. The problem is that people like you have benefited so much and for so long from weak leadership that any whiff of upsetting that paradigm scares the shit out of you. And why wouldn't it? Since 1949, America has largely paid for NATO military protection against the threat of Russian invasion and expansion; monies the EU saved on maintaining their own military readiness was instead spent on propping up their generous social welfare system, and now that they're being asked to cough up more money for protecting their own necks, they're having a collective hissy fit. Know what? Fuck them. If I don't have a decent job to pay my bills because greedy corporations have outsourced jobs overseas (and caused wage stagnation for 40+ years) why should I continue to rely on credit to buy useless shit imported from those countries? That's a lose-lose situation, one that has an ugly ending when the country as a whole can no longer prop up the charade of fiscal irresponsibility.
You said, "And, don't think about coming across the border into Canada" but follow up thereafter with "We're not stupid when you send a delegation to Russia and what it's for."
Yes, you ARE stupid. No one from Trump's administration is going to war with Canada, Greenland, or the EU. Like I said before, you have a twisted fetish lust for violence where none exists. But I'm sure that when war *doesn't* break out and some new president takes over for Trump, you're gonna claim how Canadian resolve and superiority was able to stave off Trump's war plans. And as far as China being scared that Trump and Putin would join forces? Don't be so blatantly retarded—China is *already* supplying Russia with military aid, you moron! https://apnews.com/article/united-states-china-russia-ukraine-war-265df843be030b7183c95b6f3afca8ec
I can't believe I have to attempt to correct the demonstrably retarded narrative that people like you on here are spewing, but since retards like to collect together before doing retarded shit, I feel it's my duty to show you that you're not *just* retarded, but that you're FUCKING retarded.
Canada was never happy with NAFTA for the same reasons you site. We lost a lot of our manufacturing to the states and Mexico.
Campbell's soup company used to have a factory in Canada. after NAFTA, it closed down because the facility in the states could manufacture the soup for Canada and ship it up here.
We had a huge commercial bakery called Christie Brown and Co. It manufactured toast bread for independent variety stores, made Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies. It even baked the girl guide cookies. Ritz crackers. And, a variation of Nabisco's saltine crackers called Premium Plus. It was affiliated with Nabisco. After NAFTA, it shutdown for the same reason Campbell's did.
So, smell the coffee evil dude. it will do your mind some good. You seem to be getting your facts all mixed up.
We would have happily renegotiated NAFTA if you guys asked. when it was put in place nobody wanted it, and it was negotiated by a conservative government that steam rolled over everybody.
So, did you slap any people around lately because you wanted something?
If Canada was "never happy" about NAFTA and "would have happily renegotiated if you guys asked" then why didn't *YOU* guys initiate talks? Like, seriously? What the fuck is your excuse for your inaction?
Ohh ... could it have been that you still were getting the better end of the bargain than the U.S. was and didn't want to risk losing some of that trade imbalance in your favor?
Yeah, no slapping people around here, buddy. You aren't any victim here, and you're not at risk of being invaded either.
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.
You wrote: "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)."
You're worried about who's "guiding" Trump? Who was in charge while Biden was in office??? Because it's demonstrably clear Biden was in violation of the 25th Amendment of not being mentally fit for office—and since Kamala was on the road campaigning for her presidential run, that left a vacuum of unelected bureaucrats calling shots. Do you not find that more disturbing from the perspective of accountability than Trump getting advice—but still fully in control of his mental and physical capabilities—from fellow advisors?
You wrote, "As you note, Trump seems to be backing the Putin line about Ukraine."
Trump is seeking an end to senseless slaughter on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine said it would not petition to join NATO as part of the Minsk Agreement—and then it did. Ukraine has a Russian separatist problem in its eastern provinces of the Donbar region, and was the 6th most corrupt nation prior to the start of the war—none of which justifies Russia for invading the country, but again, Ukraine is fighting a much larger and better funded army who is also getting assistance from China and North Korea. And since Ukraine is the breadbasket for grain exports to much of the Middle East and Africa, to prevent humanitarian crises across those regions it behooves Trump to help end the war as quickly as possible. But ask yourself, what has the U.S. gained from the $200+ BILLION it sent to Zelenskyy to fight the war? Nothing—it's still a stalemate, and not only that, Ukraine is building a $1.4 billion luxury ski resort in the middle of this war. Does that sound like a good use of our money?
You are right he is not big on sharing power. And Musk wants some of that power (if not all of it) to move his dystopian nightmare forward.
Musk will go it alone if he has to. He has the financial resources to build his own military and take on even the states -- that is until Trump tanked the stock market and cut Musk's wealth in half.
I was hoping they would take each other out. Like Musk's kid explained to Trump: "You're not the president, you gotta go" And, Trump explained to Musk: "Now look at what your kid done. I have to refinish the resolute desk because you guys wiped snot on it. I think you better just go back running your companies before they crash into the ground"
But, remember this: you guys are already in a civil war the MAGA regime is actively waging on you right now, just as Canada is in a real war with the same regime.
And, Trump is just a smoke screen. As you said, he is the mouth piece for a bigger organization that is not the U.S.A. or even an identifiable country.
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.
There will be no coming back because of the emergence of AI technologies. The people hundreds of years after Trump will not be human anymore. If we follow Elon Musk's vision and look at the directions of the companies he had acquired, it will be cyborgs, just like Elon's kid "Little X" who is named after a serial number (he is not one yet, but his dad is preparing him for it)
This is what will happen if Trump and his regime is not stopped now. Humanity, as we recognize it, will be completely gone.
Unless Musk decides to pay $25000 himself for everyone to have their own humanoid robot who wants one, the dystopian future you're seeking to have happen won't occur. The greater threat is from AI-powered robots that will replace human labor which could cause mass unemployment.
I am not seeking for a dystopian future to happen. And, I am not talking about robot servents.
The term cyborg is not a synonym for a robot. It refers to a human robot hybrid, where some of the human's own body functions are augmented with electronics and machinery.
Sure, this maybe good for people who are disabled and fitted with prosthetics so they can continue to live a somewhat normal life. I have a hip replacement myself. Other people have dental implants and pace makers. And, devices like neuralink can help stroke victims.
But, it's another thing to force people to replace healthy tissue for the sake of "improving the human race" or uploading your consciousness into a computer while hoping to become immortal.
And, you are right, this is the fourth industrial revolution where AI and robotics have become viable enough to do most jobs humans do. We have to come to terms how people will make a living.
It means reworking what money means, how to accomodate people's housing, medical, and nutritional needs - in addition to how to distribute and realocate product AI provides. What does it mean to be an industrialist anymore, or a consumer? You certainly do not want an authoritarian regime controling that.
Does AI get to vote in our society for its own best interests? It should have a say if it's self aware and sentient.
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.
She preemptively undermined the chain of command and commander-in-chief by sending that email when no response to JD Vance's visit was necessary.
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?!
Good question. Maybe you could ask the former Biden officials who gave no federal leadership since the fire began on Jan 7th—two full weeks BEFORE Trump took office—and also extend the inquiry to the pathetic response by FEMA and other agencies in response to Hurricane Helene's disaster relief efforts throughout North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and elsewhere.
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.
You're right about Greenland having many natural resources that the U.S. would like to procure but entirely wrong about taking it over through annexation, decree, or force. It's not just that such an egregiously illegal power grab would run afoul of international (as well as national) law, but that it would have almost zero support by even the most diehard MAGA fans here in the U.S.
Greenland and Canada are both examples of a "look! shiny object in this hand!" distraction whilst the other hand is working behind the scenes to achieve the goals he wants for America. And yet, too many people on here and elsewhere around the world simply refuse to understand his tactics (or goals!) and get played like the suckers they are.
As far as NATO allies are concerned, why is America funding the bulk of their security using our military when it's their borders and their first-on-the-front-line necks at risk? Trump understands that the EU has been living large under American protectionism while they funnel more of their revenue for social services. We in the U.S. have our own issues to address, and it would help if we didn't have to take primary responsibility for NATO against an adversary that can't even roll through Ukraine with 500,000 troops. Nuclear war? Not a chance—mutually assured destruction still remains in effect and that did not end when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, so get off that ridiculous high horse of implausibility.
Geoffrey, you need to look more deeply than just superficially, at the entire chain of global players.
Your point of view seems to be Trump is guiding everything. You said it yourself: does he embody the brain of a mastermind that can organize all of this?
He will not walk away from Putin, because he IS currently running away from him in fear of his life. Putin has a long reach, and has shown he can kill off his enemies across the globe using well placed agents and poison.
Does Trump have the strategic understanding of what rare earths to extract, how to do it, and where they can be used? No, he will come back with a sandbucket filled with worns and soil. Greenland is simply closer to Putin, and further away from Trump so he can be stopped there before he gets any closer, if he happens to come that way.
As far as the EU opening a two front war, which I assume you mean simultaneously protecting Ukraine and Greenland.
In case you haven't noticed, Trump just sent a delegation to Putin in-order to reaffirm his alignment with him. So, if Russia and the U.S. are co-ordinating their military to attack other countries, then it is Trump's alliance that is opening up a war on multiple fronts and not the EU. So, are you saying the rest of the world should just stand there and allow the shit to be kicked out of everybody?
Of course that will not be allowed to happen, and the Danes, Greenland, Canada, EU, NATO, and whatever is left of the American military still loyal to the constitution will band against Trump and take his regieme and war machine down. Will a lot of us die doing it? Probably, but he was going to do that to us anyways. We have a better chance of staying alive with fewer casualties by fighting back than rolling over on our backs hoping this monster will spare us.
>>"As far as the EU opening a two front war"
Yeah, no, there isn't even a one-front war going on that the EU is involved with, let alone potentially a second one. Fantasizing about America and Russia joining up to wage war against the rest of the world is pure progressivism fantasy.
You wrote, "In case you haven't noticed, Trump just sent a delegation to Putin in-order to reaffirm his alignment with him." No, he sent a delegation to attempt to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war—no one else was attempting to do so, only saying that (a) Ukraine can't win this war by themselves but (b) we'll continue to pump $200+ billion in aid to Ukraine without any accountability on how that money is spent. Ukraine's troops with makeshift shitty little drones have been able to bog down Russian front lines for 2.5+ years; do you think that if there was any air superiority that either side wanted to commit to the war that we'd even be having a war yet? So if Ukraine can do that and fend off Russia, but knows they cannot win while still sending tens of thousands of their men to the grave, where does it end? And why SHOULDN'T some kind of negotiation with Putin take place? Since America funds NATO, and we're the strongest nation on the planet, why wouldn't Putin want to talk with Trump? After all, he knows Trump is a businessman—unlike Biden, or Obama, both of whom are lying pussies without a backbone to back up their 'red line in the sand' demands. Zelenskyy can negotiate, or, he can continue fighting a war he can't win and eliminate an entire generation of his people the way Russia did in WWII.
Which one do YOU think makes more sense?
Trump being a dealmaker is a big joke. He doesn't keep his end of any bargain.
Like he bullied Canada and Mexico into renegotiating NAFTA. We 🇨🇦 didn't like NAFTA either, so we allowed it. Did he bother asking first if we were happy with NAFTA? Noooooo.
That's not a sign of a bright negotiator. It's the sign of a fool when you guys start swinging out at us with tariffs and expect us to be accommodating to you.
Tell me. Do you slug your bosses in the face and try to knock them out, right before you ask them for a raise?
Now, he's crying about USMCA, which HE HIMSELF MADE. Then he breaks it.
How can you trust anything this idiot says? Does he even know what he's talking about or wants? Is he cognitive at all? And, you think this guy can negotiate a war. He doesn't even know what's going on around him.
Your savvy businessman just crashed your economy citizen. He even destroyed the safest kind of investments you guys had: your bond market. Tell me, how does one do that, by first punching people in the face?
We don't want to see or hear this idiots face anymore. He's just a big waste of our time and resources. He is a clown that can't live up to his word or promise anything.
And, Putin is the same. Within the first three months of the war, Zelenskyy sent a negotiating team to Putin, only for one of its members to be killed. Is this the punch in the face and ask questions later strategy again? Trump and Putin must love each other. Do they hold a WWF wrestling match when they negotiate with each other?
And, if the negotiation is about Zelenskyy, shouldn't he be at the table, as the party Putin should be negotiating with?
What's Trump supposed to be, the facilitator? Or, does he think he's the referee for another wrestling match? Is he going to punch someone in the face again, before anything starts?
If you haven't looked at a map lately, Ukraine IS in Europe. It trades with the EU. It recieves support from the EU. Are you also saying the British aren't part of Europe either, and the isles are floating away to Greenland?
Yes, there is a war in Europe. The front is on the Ukrainian/Russian border, with Putin being the aggressor. European nations are deploying their troops along the Russian borders, especially in Poland and Finland. Why? It's to make sure Putin can't expand his front. You really think these guys are gonna just let him take their land and ask for it to be handed back later?
And, you talk about air superiority. You do have a point there. Where are all the Russian planes? Ukraine lost all of theirs at the start of the war. But, they compensated by building drones which are more nimble and easily relocatable.
It takes a few days to build a drone. It takes at least three years to build the least sophisticated fighter jet. Ten years if it's cutting edge.
Obviously, the Russians are keeping their jets in reserve for something else. They don't want to lose them. But what? Jets have longer range and carry bigger payloads than drones. You would need jets if you wanted to reach and attack western Europe.
And, don't think about coming across the border into Canada. We know how to fight.
We've equipped Ukraine with advanced drone vision systems and guerrilla tactics. The bond market fallout speaks for itself. Only morons will try to open a second front in their global war. We're not stupid when you send a delegation to Russia and what it's for.
If I were you guys, I'ld distance myself from Putin as much as possible so nobody gets the wrong idea. Like China. They will be greatly concerned about the power imbalance if Putin and Trump joined forces. China already knows both of them like to punch people in the face first, before they do anything else.
You wrote, "Like [Trump] bullied Canada and Mexico into renegotiating NAFTA."
Bullied? Let's see ... American manufacturing jobs went to both 🇨🇦 and Mexico, jobs that COULD have stayed in the U.S., good paying middle class jobs compared to much lower paying retail/consumer based jobs. So yeah, YOU may have been happy with the NAFTA arrangement, but HE wasn't. Neither am I. Why the fuck would he "ask" you if you were happy with the arrangement? Do YOU pay U.S. taxes? No? Then why would the U.S. president go begging to ask if other nations' trade agreements are "acceptable"? I can just see that exchange now ...
Trump (to 🇨🇦): "Oh, hey, just wondering 🇨🇦 ... you guys doing alright with NAFTA? Everything OK?"
You (🇨🇦): "Yep. Everything is great. We're doing great here doncha know, eh?"
Trump: "Well, see ..." *coughing* ... "the thing is, we're losing out on a lot of revenue due to our trade imbalances and I was thinking maybe you guys in 🇨🇦 would like to, I don't know, maybe address the imbalance we've got going on with you?"
You (🇨🇦): "Yeah, no, eh? We're fine with the imbalance that favors 🇨🇦 by $63.3 billion. Maybe come back in 20 years or so, eh?"
America can't continue to be a bottomless consumer of the world's manufacturers churning out useless shit, driving us into the abyss of fiscal irresponsibility. We have a $36 TRILLION national debt and $7 TRILLION federal budget, one-third of which we don't have the taxation revenues to support because SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid are Ponzi scheme entitlements. It doesn't matter that Trump negotiated the USMCA agreement himself—that was in 2020, before Biden and his cronies let in 8+ million illegals. Assuming a paltry $24,000 income per illegal (which is 150% of the US federal poverty level for single persons) the cost to ensure housing, medical, and food for all 8+ million is $192+ BILLION at a minimum. We already rely on 1/3 of our budget from non-tax revenue (i.e. Treasuries) and it's long past time that the trajectory of federal debt not only level off but decline. That is why Trump wants to renegotiate the USMCA, because circumstances have changed in the four years he's been out of office.
It's also why smart employees ask their boss to consider changing their compensation annually, not every five or ten years. Talk is cheap, and both 🇨🇦 and Mexico could have shrugged off any real-world dialogue without the threat of tariffs. They are a means to an end, a tool—nothing more, nothing less.
You wrote, "Your savvy businessman just crashed your economy." But it has largely recovered. The bond crash is just as likely the result of hedge fund managers being overleveraged in bonds and needing to dump them as foreign investors' reluctance to buy them. Bond yields are the same now as they were in Oct '23 ... so keep on lying to "prove" how smart you are and how bad Trump is. Read CNBC for fuck's sake, maybe you would have a modicum of relevance.
You wrote, "We don't want to see or hear this idiots face anymore." Well who the fuck is "we"? A majority of American voters *do* want to see his face. They want to see MORE action taken on core issues that will benefit all Americans—deporting illegal immigrants, closing the border, better trade deals, less capital outlay to EU for NATO protection, an end to the Ukraine-Russian war that has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and is impacting humanitarian crises in Middle East and African countries who buy Ukrainian wheat that cannot be harvested and exported, among many others. YOU want a weak, capitulating America—"keep up with the status quo, keep paying for everything we haven't had to devote our money towards for 50 years, buy our shit, we don't care about the American consumer so long as they can continue being in debt and continue buying all our shit we manufacture." Well I'm sorry to say, that chicken has come home to roost—and it's not happy with the condition of the hen house. The problem is that people like you have benefited so much and for so long from weak leadership that any whiff of upsetting that paradigm scares the shit out of you. And why wouldn't it? Since 1949, America has largely paid for NATO military protection against the threat of Russian invasion and expansion; monies the EU saved on maintaining their own military readiness was instead spent on propping up their generous social welfare system, and now that they're being asked to cough up more money for protecting their own necks, they're having a collective hissy fit. Know what? Fuck them. If I don't have a decent job to pay my bills because greedy corporations have outsourced jobs overseas (and caused wage stagnation for 40+ years) why should I continue to rely on credit to buy useless shit imported from those countries? That's a lose-lose situation, one that has an ugly ending when the country as a whole can no longer prop up the charade of fiscal irresponsibility.
You said, "And, don't think about coming across the border into Canada" but follow up thereafter with "We're not stupid when you send a delegation to Russia and what it's for."
Yes, you ARE stupid. No one from Trump's administration is going to war with Canada, Greenland, or the EU. Like I said before, you have a twisted fetish lust for violence where none exists. But I'm sure that when war *doesn't* break out and some new president takes over for Trump, you're gonna claim how Canadian resolve and superiority was able to stave off Trump's war plans. And as far as China being scared that Trump and Putin would join forces? Don't be so blatantly retarded—China is *already* supplying Russia with military aid, you moron! https://apnews.com/article/united-states-china-russia-ukraine-war-265df843be030b7183c95b6f3afca8ec
I can't believe I have to attempt to correct the demonstrably retarded narrative that people like you on here are spewing, but since retards like to collect together before doing retarded shit, I feel it's my duty to show you that you're not *just* retarded, but that you're FUCKING retarded.
Canada was never happy with NAFTA for the same reasons you site. We lost a lot of our manufacturing to the states and Mexico.
Campbell's soup company used to have a factory in Canada. after NAFTA, it closed down because the facility in the states could manufacture the soup for Canada and ship it up here.
We had a huge commercial bakery called Christie Brown and Co. It manufactured toast bread for independent variety stores, made Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies. It even baked the girl guide cookies. Ritz crackers. And, a variation of Nabisco's saltine crackers called Premium Plus. It was affiliated with Nabisco. After NAFTA, it shutdown for the same reason Campbell's did.
So, smell the coffee evil dude. it will do your mind some good. You seem to be getting your facts all mixed up.
We would have happily renegotiated NAFTA if you guys asked. when it was put in place nobody wanted it, and it was negotiated by a conservative government that steam rolled over everybody.
So, did you slap any people around lately because you wanted something?
If Canada was "never happy" about NAFTA and "would have happily renegotiated if you guys asked" then why didn't *YOU* guys initiate talks? Like, seriously? What the fuck is your excuse for your inaction?
Ohh ... could it have been that you still were getting the better end of the bargain than the U.S. was and didn't want to risk losing some of that trade imbalance in your favor?
Yeah, no slapping people around here, buddy. You aren't any victim here, and you're not at risk of being invaded either.
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.
You wrote: "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)."
You're worried about who's "guiding" Trump? Who was in charge while Biden was in office??? Because it's demonstrably clear Biden was in violation of the 25th Amendment of not being mentally fit for office—and since Kamala was on the road campaigning for her presidential run, that left a vacuum of unelected bureaucrats calling shots. Do you not find that more disturbing from the perspective of accountability than Trump getting advice—but still fully in control of his mental and physical capabilities—from fellow advisors?
You wrote, "As you note, Trump seems to be backing the Putin line about Ukraine."
Trump is seeking an end to senseless slaughter on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine said it would not petition to join NATO as part of the Minsk Agreement—and then it did. Ukraine has a Russian separatist problem in its eastern provinces of the Donbar region, and was the 6th most corrupt nation prior to the start of the war—none of which justifies Russia for invading the country, but again, Ukraine is fighting a much larger and better funded army who is also getting assistance from China and North Korea. And since Ukraine is the breadbasket for grain exports to much of the Middle East and Africa, to prevent humanitarian crises across those regions it behooves Trump to help end the war as quickly as possible. But ask yourself, what has the U.S. gained from the $200+ BILLION it sent to Zelenskyy to fight the war? Nothing—it's still a stalemate, and not only that, Ukraine is building a $1.4 billion luxury ski resort in the middle of this war. Does that sound like a good use of our money?
You are right he is not big on sharing power. And Musk wants some of that power (if not all of it) to move his dystopian nightmare forward.
Musk will go it alone if he has to. He has the financial resources to build his own military and take on even the states -- that is until Trump tanked the stock market and cut Musk's wealth in half.
I was hoping they would take each other out. Like Musk's kid explained to Trump: "You're not the president, you gotta go" And, Trump explained to Musk: "Now look at what your kid done. I have to refinish the resolute desk because you guys wiped snot on it. I think you better just go back running your companies before they crash into the ground"
But, remember this: you guys are already in a civil war the MAGA regime is actively waging on you right now, just as Canada is in a real war with the same regime.
And, Trump is just a smoke screen. As you said, he is the mouth piece for a bigger organization that is not the U.S.A. or even an identifiable country.
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.
There will be no coming back because of the emergence of AI technologies. The people hundreds of years after Trump will not be human anymore. If we follow Elon Musk's vision and look at the directions of the companies he had acquired, it will be cyborgs, just like Elon's kid "Little X" who is named after a serial number (he is not one yet, but his dad is preparing him for it)
This is what will happen if Trump and his regime is not stopped now. Humanity, as we recognize it, will be completely gone.
Unless Musk decides to pay $25000 himself for everyone to have their own humanoid robot who wants one, the dystopian future you're seeking to have happen won't occur. The greater threat is from AI-powered robots that will replace human labor which could cause mass unemployment.
I am not seeking for a dystopian future to happen. And, I am not talking about robot servents.
The term cyborg is not a synonym for a robot. It refers to a human robot hybrid, where some of the human's own body functions are augmented with electronics and machinery.
Sure, this maybe good for people who are disabled and fitted with prosthetics so they can continue to live a somewhat normal life. I have a hip replacement myself. Other people have dental implants and pace makers. And, devices like neuralink can help stroke victims.
But, it's another thing to force people to replace healthy tissue for the sake of "improving the human race" or uploading your consciousness into a computer while hoping to become immortal.
And, you are right, this is the fourth industrial revolution where AI and robotics have become viable enough to do most jobs humans do. We have to come to terms how people will make a living.
It means reworking what money means, how to accomodate people's housing, medical, and nutritional needs - in addition to how to distribute and realocate product AI provides. What does it mean to be an industrialist anymore, or a consumer? You certainly do not want an authoritarian regime controling that.
Does AI get to vote in our society for its own best interests? It should have a say if it's self aware and sentient.
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..."