13 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

I knew someone who knew someone who used to work as Sarandon's assistant who claimed that she was one of the most self-centered person they'd even encountered!  

 

You can kind of tell this from her interviews and persona going back a long way. She's a beautiful lady (and presumably made wise choices in surgeons, unlike many her age in Hollywood...), but you always have to be wary of people who are too sure of their own intelligence. I still enjoy her more than I probably should, to be honest. 

 

She's actually pretty lucky because a lot of people who went as far as she did during the election season might have faced more career blowback but she seems to have gotten through unscathed. I guess at her age parts or recognition for women are already crumbs anyway. 

It's getting worse.

 

North Korea Calls Trump’s Comments a ‘Declaration of War’

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

 

I meant the international reaction. Most of the coverage I'd seen from outside Germany framed it as being a walk for Merkel (which I suppose it still was) and that the AfD was broken/cracked/missed their moment entirely.

It sounds like based on @huntress in Germany this was not entirely unexpected. And in retrospect with some problems in Germany tied to the refugees, it should have been expected to some extent by the rest of us.

 

BUT

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/25/tony-blair-donald-trump-global-politico-215642

 

This is the problem IMO is that people like Blair have no answer for some of the issues people are upset about(income inequality) and then as usual takes a shot at the US democrats hyber focus on Identity Politics and how out of touch Clinton was - unreal.. Yes he has some valid points in terms of the Corbyn's and Sanders, but the fact there are issues that have driven supporters in their direction he is blind to. He has no answers and frankly I feel Macron is going to replicate the policies have led to some of the economic issues folks are dealing with.

 

Frankly I loath this man more than I loath Bush. I wish he would STFU. His time has passed.

1 hour ago, DramatistDreamer said:

It's getting worse.

 

North Korea Calls Trump’s Comments a ‘Declaration of War’

 

I think North Korea would be pushing in this direction no matter who was President, but what Trump is doing is making it more justifiable to many to turn a blind eye. They can say that Trump brought it on, even though most of this would be happening no matter who was in the White House. And what I hate the most is that I guarantee you most of the people running things in the WH know this but it doesn't matter because he just says whatever comes into his head, damn the consequences.

1 hour ago, DramatistDreamer said:

It's getting worse.

 

North Korea Calls Trump’s Comments a ‘Declaration of War’

When Christiane Amanpour says she's afraid I know I should be too.

https://twitter.com/camanpour/status/912348486028468225

 

 

Edited September 25, 20178 yr by Juliajms

31 minutes ago, JaneAusten said:

It sounds like based on @huntress in Germany this was not entirely unexpected. And in retrospect with some problems in Germany tied to the refugees, it should have been expected to some extent by the rest of us.

 

BUT

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/09/25/tony-blair-donald-trump-global-politico-215642

 

This is the problem IMO is that people like Blair have no answer for some of the issues people are upset about(income inequality) and then as usual takes a shot at the US democrats hyber focus on Identity Politics and how out of touch Clinton was - unreal.. Yes he has some valid points in terms of the Corbyn's and Sanders, but the fact there are issues that have driven supporters in their direction he is blind to. He has no answers and frankly I feel Macron is going to replicate the policies have led to some of the economic issues folks are dealing with.

 

Frankly I loath this man more than I loath Bush. I wish he would STFU. His time has passed.

 

I have a lot of respect for people like Jimmy Carter or in some ways even W, because they knew when their time was over. Carter has still worked on justice and important issues, and he says things when he feels he should, but he let those who were after him have the spotlight. Blair is so personally invested in his image, in keeping what he saw as important for the UK's role in the EU, for the Labour Party, etc. that he has to make it all about himself rather than realizing that his time is over. I kept hearing Brexit backers say how thrilled they were that he got involved, because they knew it would move votes their way. 

Honestly though @DRW50 I seriously doubt another President would threaten to destroy a country with 25 million people, even a rogue one. Words do matter and Trump is loose and lax with his.

 

Meanwhile Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have gotten little to no aid from the U.S. after being devastated while Trump picks fights with sports stars. (by the way, if someone asks me why I believe that Trump is a white supremacist, I will forever point to these examples--it's obvious for those willing to open their eyes).

 

Where are his priorities?  Does anyone seriously believe that other Presidents would do this?  

 

 

Edited September 25, 20178 yr by DramatistDreamer

3 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

Honestly though @DRW50 I seriously doubt another President would threaten to destroy a country with 25 million people, even a rogue one. Words do matter and Trump is loose and lax with his.

 

Oh I agree with you there, I just think this has been happening and would have kept happening. He makes it more likely that they will directly attack us, but I feel like this was all going to be building to something and it just didn't get that much attention last year or in previous years because for a long time now many people and the media have dismissed Kim as a joke. 

Ah, just came across this, to prove my point.  Has the current occupant of the White House even mentioned Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands?

 

5 living former US Presidents expand their hurricane relief effort to include Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands https://t.co/2HaR9O6ElO pic.twitter.com/AEQSFBUn9v

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) September 25, 2017

3 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

Oh I agree with you there, I just think this has been happening and would have kept happening. He makes it more likely that they will directly attack us, but I feel like this was all going to be building to something and it just didn't get that much attention last year or in previous years because for a long time now many people and the media have dismissed Kim as a joke. 

 

Kim Jong-un has been in power for about four years and this is the worst it's ever been simply for the sheer number of nuclear tests and missile launches that have been done this year. I can't think of any other President or administration where there would've been about a dozen tests/launches done in one calendar year! It's preposterous. 

 

Trump is a man who claimed to know more than the generals, what other U.S. President have you ever heard claim this?  

 

The N.K. situation was plodding along at something close to a stalemate in the past and perhaps that is all that one can hope for, for the time being.  

 

If Kim is being enabled by anyone it is Trump himself as Kim is using Trump's bombastic rhetoric to justify him taking the most aggressive, violent action.  I never before heard him threaten to shoot U.S. planes out of the sky. If I'm wrong, someone can feel free to send me a link to where he has mentioned this in the past.

I'll wait...

Edited September 25, 20178 yr by DramatistDreamer

11 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

The N.K. situation was plodding along at something close to a stalemate in the past and perhaps that is all that one can hope for, for the time being.  

 

I first heard about it getting worse last year as that was when the tests increased, and then later on we heard that Obama had been using cyber efforts to try to stop their missile technology advances. I think Trump did escalate it but I don't think we were at a stalemate - I think it was getting bad and we just weren't told. But who knows. 

 

11 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

Ah, just came across this, to prove my point.  Has the current occupant of the White House even mentioned Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands?  

 

He said something about Puerto Rico, but it's obviously not a priority.

Edited September 25, 20178 yr by DRW50

5 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

 

I first heard about it getting worse last year as that was when the tests increased, and then later on we heard that Obama had been using cyber efforts to try to stop their missile technology advances. I think Trump did escalate it but I don't think we were at a stalemate - I think it was getting bad and we just weren't told. But who knows. 

 

 

He said something about Puerto Rico, but it's obviously not a priority.

 

Obama's administration must've one a hell of a job then, because Trump has already doubled the number of tests and missile launches in one year than of Obama's entire years in office.

 

As for Trump mentioning P.R. (not the VI??), obviously having U.S. citizens on an island where there is no power, they are scrounging for food because pretty much all the crops have been ruined and don't even have a reliable water supply but where a dam is on the verge of collapse isn't a priority if the so-called Commander-in-Chief only give it a cursory mention. No mention of the U.S. Virgin Islands (also U.S. citizens but not white enough, apparently) where much of the island has been destroyed.

 

I hope people will stop this assinine talk of Trump ever being presidential or these hideous false equivalency narratives of how there would be no difference between he and HRC.  Anyone who believes them needs a serious moment of truth. 

1 minute ago, DramatistDreamer said:

 

Obama's administration must've one a hell of a job then, because Trump has already doubled the number of tests and missile launches in one year than of Obama's entire years in office.

 

I think where we disagree is that I think a lot of this stuff is technology which was being developed and was going to be tested no matter what. Trump has given them more high ground because he's behaved like a child and they can now say that they are being attacked by him so they can and will attack back, but ultimately I think the pieces were in place for this day no matter what. Susan Rice said that she felt various administrations had let it get this far. I think Obama handled it much better than Trump has but I feel like the day was coming no matter what where we were going to be threatened by North Korea and they would be confident enough to be in the position they are now. They just have even more comfort because Trump has made them martyrs and tough guys by not behaving rationally or in a way that was remotely intelligent. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr has come out in support of the NFL protests. My family loved his father so it's always weird when I see his name pop up. I imagine the crazies are in overdrive.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2017/09/25/dale-earnhardt-jr-quotes-jfk-says-americans-have-right-peaceful-protests/699171001/

*files nails*

 

Kushner used private email to conduct White House business

 

"The senior adviser set up the account after the election. Other West Wing officials have also used private email accounts for official business."

1 hour ago, DRW50 said:

Dale Earnhardt Jr has come out in support of the NFL protests. My family loved his father so it's always weird when I see his name pop up. I imagine the crazies are in overdrive.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2017/09/25/dale-earnhardt-jr-quotes-jfk-says-americans-have-right-peaceful-protests/699171001/

They already were.  Trump knows exactly how to divide people.  Then again, can we blame him for bringing out what was already there? Not sure.  One of my Facebook friends has been going on a tear about the NFL protests for a couple of days now.  She became an activist when Trump was elected. She's from Iowa and I watched her beat her head against the wall trying to engage her conservative friends on the topic. It was pretty sad. Her last message was basically "all my conservative friends are racist assholes and I'm done."  I'm guessing she has fewer friends today than she did two days ago.