Juliajms

This is the kind of thing I find so bizarre. It's the policy of his administration.

I think there is more to it than that. Look at the rise in hate crime, we had Nazi's marching in the street with a wink and a nod from our President. They way he has gone after immigrants and closed the door to refugees. Every politician lies, but he has taken it to a level that I don't think we've ever seen before and people choose to swallow it, just to stay in power. The travel bans, the attacks on the press, the "jokes" about being president for life. ICE has been up to no good for along time as some of these reports show, but he's given them carte blanche now. Look at the way they are rounding people up who haven't even committed a criminal offense on a level that certainly wasn't happening under Obama, even though he deported a lot of people. Maybe in the end the good times were the outlier and the bad stuff is what's normal when it comes to America. I can't argue with that given our history. Oh and Dick Cheney, I have to agree with you there. Thank God he is not part of Trump's team. We are very lucky that he's not smart and he's alienated the smart people who were with him.

You (and I dare say many on this board) are way more informed about the W years than I am. I was living in San Francisco when 9/11 happened. I heard about it when I was riding on a bus to my job. I didn't even have a TV or a computer (other than at work) at the time. I spent that whole year working constantly and it's all a blur and a huge blind spot for me. I had a TV by the time Katrina rolled around because I remember a distraught Celine Dion on Larry King wondering why we couldn't go get the people standing on rooftops begging to be saved. I hate even thinking back to that time because I had my head up my ass in so many ways. I fell for the lies 100%. I remember when one of my Mexican born co-worker/friends said (concerning WMD's) "we don't know what they have", I replied "The government wouldn't lie to us". My only defense is I was young and naive.

Or anyone else. Look at how much ethnic cleansing has gone on under the watch of the UN. Trump is definitely a symptom and not the cause, but we know that he doesn't represent the majority. So I do wonder what it will be like to live with Trump voters, if we get a different kind of leader next time. I don't think Trump is like Hitler, but I do think he might like to be and I do think ICE is dangerous. W was never like Hitler. He got a lot of people killed, but I don't really even understand the comparison. I wasn't really connected to politics on the internet then, so I don't know what people were saying. I know some people thought his regime was dangerous and they were right. He opened doors to surveillance on a level never seen before, but looking back, wasn't that kind of government surveillance in the age of tech inevitable? And yes, the response to Katrina was racist, but I'm not sure W understood that at the time. What Trump did to Puerto Rico was absolutely a deliberate slap in the face.

^ I can see why people might have felt that way pre- 2016, although now reports are coming out about children being abused while in custody even before Trump was elected. Now I think we don't really know how things will shake out. What will America be like after Trump? Now we know first hand (as opposed to various experiments and the historical record) that there are a lot of people who will just go along.

That's one of the many disheartening things going on right now. People are willing to excuse anything. They just brush it all of and blame the people trying to come here. Yes. That's definitely happening. The government actually losing over 1,000 children in a program that is just gearing up and not being held to account in any meaningful way? That is nuts. I think YZ is right about how this is going to go. Children lost to disease, trafficking and taken from their parents and raised in foster homes.

Seriously. I have to admit I never though he'd be held accountable.

I hope all who have the time will read and share this thread.

^ Ugh. I feel for anyone who has to get in a strangers car on a regular basis or use public transportation. I did both for years and it resulted in so ,many scary/uncomfortable instances. This is why I cannot wait until the self driving car is ready to go.

^ Yes! There really are some inspiring seniors out there (not including the predators, of course). Some people are unstoppable it seems. I hope he does some real time. I'm not one to wish prison on people, but he has it coming.

One of the things about the MF case, where does an 80 year old man get the energy, I ask you? I just can't imagine rolling out of bed at 80 years old and thinking "today is the day I inspect the interns"! I'm not trying to be funny either, I honestly find it strange that some people don't quit even when they are decrepit.

Yeah, I remember I did hear about his affair with a step granddaughter (lordy) years ago, but then I forgot about it as time passed. That's the power of Hollywood, making us forget reality in favor of illusion. There are a lot of bad things about the internet, but holding people to account has been a good thing.

I just went to CNN and saw this. Damn. https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/24/entertainment/morgan-freeman-accusations/index.html?adkey=bn

I'm glad he did. Once you say something so completely out of touch people will not forget, but he needed to take it back, if for no other reason than to support the person who was actually harmed. Also, it may be mostly white men who get away with being assh*les on set, but no, it is not their exclusive province. Just read the Bronson Pinchot interview in the Perfect Strangers thread to see that if you didn't already know. They may be the worst offenders because they've generally had the most power. Still, I think we can all name a few women who have made sets hell too. Also, I can't help but note that women are so often accused of being "overly emotional" in the work place. Somehow anger doesn't seem to be counted as an emotion by the people who make that accusation.

Not sure what to believe about Woody Allen. Ronan was four, so he only knows what he was told. Lucky for me I've never liked Woody's movies, so no dilemma there. I have always liked Jason Bateman. He comes across as a bit of a jerk in that interview though. Him and his "processes". Get a grip man, play acting does not give you the right to unleash on people.

As it should in this case. This is the type of thing that just feels so anti American. I hope this attempt to muzzle the players backfires.

There was a time when I would have just seen this as rich people arguing with richer people. Once the blinders are off though, it's impossible to see it as anything other than unjust and oppressive. Especially now that we know the players are damaging their brains. It take some nerve to profit off people's suffering while taking away their right to a peaceful protest.

Even though I don't care a fig about football I'm horrified by what the NFL is doing. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2018/05/23/nfl-national-anthem-policy-kneeling-protest/637050002/

Some people seem to be enjoying it, but I haven't watched in about a month. I just have no motivation to watch and I cut the cable cord, so I can't just let the episodes pile up on my DVD anymore. A DC based soap would be just the thing right now.

How fitting.

That was something that recommended him for office to a chunk of our electorate. Just like there is a chunk that approves of what he is doing to the press. He appealed to the racist in people, but he also appealed to those who crave authoritarian rule. That's real, even though it's become overshadowed.

^^ Yeah, these continued assaults on the press are terrifying to me. I'm not saying the media is perfect, but the way this administration treats the press is such a clear violation of democratic norms.

Coming after the few safety nets this country has is despicable, especially after that tax bill that benefited the rich so much. They R's are so relentless about it too. They are determined to screw the poor.

^ I definitely would have watched the reboot if it came out a few years ago. There is so much good TV right now I doubt I will at this point, unless I hear it's really good.

Another shooting that seems down to a guy not getting the woman he thinks he's entitled to. Our society is so sick right now.