The US Hamster Wheel

[IJ Reilly]

From the other thread, Irving Stone wrote about William Jennings Bryan. Where do I collect my prize, in a no-go area of Bremen? C'mon, I ain't falling for that that one!

[obgraham]

Larfed like heck today:
That nice guy from India called me today. The one from Windows Technical Department who is always willing to help me solve my computer's "error messages".
After a bit of back and forth, I asked him what he thought of Trump. "Veddy nice man, Trump. I woted for him too, here in Florida".

I laughed so long, he never got around to fixing my computer!

[Dirk]

For gods sake think of the children!!!!

(well someone had to say it)

[Dirk]

AA made a comment on the locked thread that indicated that it was wrong to criticise Trump's performance as a President before he has even entered the position.
I agree, I have massive preconceptions of what he will or will not do (I actually think he is a massive dick), but he has, via the American election system, gained the opportunity to lead.

I sincerely hope he is a better man than I believe him to be and wish him and his country well.

[Airborne Aircrew]

As do I Dirk, as do I...

[Chuks]

AA, try this for some facts: http://www.factcheck.org/2015/06/where- ... -money-go/

In the article you can read (or ask a friend to read it to you, since it does have some big words in it) the following:

'Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina says that “so little” of the charitable donations to the Clinton Foundation “actually go to charitable works” — a figure CARLY for America later put at about 6 percent of its annual revenues — but Fiorina is simply wrong.

'Fiorina and others are referring only to the amount donated by the Clinton Foundation to outside charities, ignoring the fact that most of the Clinton Foundation’s charitable work is performed in-house. One independent philanthropy watchdog did an analysis of Clinton Foundation funding and concluded that about 89 percent of its funding went to charity.'

AA, you really do need to get a grip! Hillary Rodham Clinton lost the election. The President-elect is Donald John T R U M P, a/k/a F*ckface von Clownstick. He's the one you need to focus on now, not her. Take a look at how much money the Trump Foundation has actually dispersed lately, and how much of that meager sum was donated by Trump himself, if you need a laugh. Your man is a piker, a fraud and a mountebank, but I fear that telling you that shall only make you love him all the more.

Mr. Reilly, if you will kindly remit 25 euros for postage and handling I will send your prize to you by return of post. It is a very handsome engraving of famous children's author Astrid Lindgren, as found on the Swedish 20-crown bank note, suitable for framing. In fact, if you send me 50 euros I will throw in a frame!

[Airborne Aircrew]

Chuks:

So, a simple question, is the ***** you provide as evidence any better than mine?

Mine shows a tax return. Yours is someone's opinion...

I know what I think and you know what you think. We both know you're wrong...

[IJ Reilly]

When looking at The Donald and his European Alter-Ego Geert Wilders, I'm struck by the beautiful locks of hair on these manly men. I'm not sure if it is a requirement to sport such coiffed looks, or simply a coincidence of nature. But my goodness, do they ooze confidence!

Good gravy Marie, Chuks. Quoting Jon Stewart? That guy stopped being funny when John Woo mopped the floor with him, and you're trotting him out as if he is still relevant? Every late night comedy show presents the same tired, boring, lame-ass shtick, nothing but "F" bombs, cleverly-edited clips and cuts to smug exasperation on the face of the smug host. It turns off the masses, and they're gonna lose the next one if they don't think of something more clever. Try South Park for real satire. That or King of the Hill...but it may be too nuanced for you.

[Chuks]

John Stewart is old hat? I just discovered him last week. This is like the time I went into the Watering Hold in Ikeja and heard "I want to break free." I said "That's nice. Who is singing? Is it new?" only to be told that, "He died last year." This is what you get for being an elitist, I guess.

I recently discovered "Knight Rider." Have you ever watched that series? The subtle turns of dialogue and the clever plot developments are just amazing. It even beats going porcupine-watching in Michigan. I think it is the most under-rated TV series ever, Hasselhoff's best work. He was on his way to out-do Richard Burton, but then he seemed to get side-tracked by fame and fortune.

[Airborne Aircrew]

Here's a totally defeated man... If you don't see the speech, body language and eye movements that demonstrate that then you need to understand that you don't understand the basics of human nature....

Link

[Chuks]

Again, AA, try to focus on T R U M P. Obama is leaving office soon, after 8 years as President. if that's total defeat, what does relative success look like?

What does going bankrupt four times look like, in real terms? Trump may like to strut and crow, but seeing his prize yacht go on the block, seeing his prize casino, what he called "the eighth wonder of the world," go bust ... that has to look like defeat.

Keep looking, AA, as Trump now tries to get his crackpot schemes through Congress. You may be able to spot total defeat when you see it for Trump, unless you are still focusing on Clinton and now Obama. I think we are in for some mean fun, seeing thin-skinned Trump being given a good roasting for being who he is, a widely disliked bully, and a sex pest to boot.

As a Brit, AA, perhaps you can answer these questions: I understand that when meeting your Queen you are not supposed to put your arm around her shoulders. Would it be proper, though, for President Trump to grab her by the pussy, since he's some sort of star and she's some sort of female? If he uses Tic Tacs first, can he at least stick his tongue down her throat? I think we need to know these things well before Trump makes it to Buck House. I know that the Queen is over three times as old as the usual women Trump preys upon in this charming way that he has, but just in case ....

I might be underestimating the man. Perhaps on National Coming Out Day, October 11th, next year, President Trump shall grab a trans-sexual by her pussy as a sign that he has grown and changed as a man, in a way that all his followers might do. Not to stop with the sex attacks; that would be too much to hope for realistically, but just to be open to attacking all women without regard to gender at birth, to treat all women as women, there to be degraded, humiliated and attacked in a way that says, "Look out, American women, all American women, here we come! Oh yeah, Baby, spread 'em!"

[Sisemen]

Chuks. Un-called for tripe. If that is an example of a supposed intelligent 'elite' American then I despair.

[OFSO]

Forgot the tablets this morning, Chuks ?

[IJ Reilly]

No Siseman, that's not an example of our self-professed American elite. The real elite would never move to Germany, as that would conjure up too many conflicting emotions. Instead they'll high-tail it for Scandanavia, where the ultimate manifestation of human evolution lives, in societies that protect one and all, borne from 500 years of Lutheran work ethic, with pure-white, mono-cultural simplicity, and emotion-dampening weather.

No, those liberal elite who choose to stay live safely on the east-and west coasts, insulated from the horrors of middle American Waffle Houses and Tractor Supply stores. They send their children to the best private schools money can buy (no public schools for little Tiffany!) and drive a hybrid with radios permanently tuned to NPR. They watch Trevor Noah religiously, vote straight-ticket Democrat because that's what they're supposed to do, and take their holidays in Provence because, well, if I have to explain then you've obviously never had a Pastis on the Cours Mirabeau in September.

These are the ones that Donald Trump truly horrifies. But the guy in Germany; he's not afraid of nuthin'. Heck he's the one who says importing waves of single, unskilled young males with a pussy-grabbing culture of their own is really not a problem at all.

[Airborne Aircrew]

Again Chuks, you prove that you are either a fool or a troll...

I suppose it is quite possible to be both concurrently though...

[Chuks]

Sisemen, the behavior seems to be okay now (we just voted in the guy who does exactly this sort of thing to women), so is it wrong to explore its impact on our politics and our culture? It's being inclusive to prey on all people of a certain gender, whether that is one from birth, or one later chosen.

Looked at one way, defeat often leads people to change their behavior; it may have a chastening effect. Victory, not so much and why should it, so that victorious Donald will probably carry on much as he has in the past. (Nothing to do with sex, at least I hope not, but one of his first choices is Bannon for chief strategist, when Bannon brings a lot of baggage to do with intolerance with him.)

Trump will, I hope, not grope nor even snog the Queen, lacking as she does most of that necessary hotness that seems to send Trump out of control, but that said I think we can expect Trump to continue to behave as Trump in very many ways that are just essentially ... Trump. Uninhibited lying for one thing, dubious business practices for another ... behaving as a sexual predator will probably have to come into this. From Trump's point of view, hey, he's a guy, and guys do this kind of thing! "It's good to be the king!" and if you don't like that, tough! Here's just one serious problem that may arise: http://www.bloomberg.com/http://www.blo ... f-interest

You have that about right, Mr. Reilly, but you missed one key thing. If you make a sex pest of yourself in Germany you may find yourself in big trouble. It's a short history so far, but under the present system Germans have never elected a national leader who has been so open about being a sexual predator as Donald Trump has, and sexual predators here are often caught and punished; that kind of behavior is not taken to be normal the way Donald Trump and his followers take it to be. You need to behave that way, go to a licensed prostitute.

Have you been to Scandinavia recently? The weather is as you describe it, but Scandinavia as mono-cultural and pure white? Not any more! Someone seeking a so-called Aryan society would be flat out of luck in modern Scandinavian countries such as Denmark and Sweden.

With your aside "(no public schools for little Tiffany!)" are we to assume a reference to Tiffany Trump? She did attend a private school, as a matter of fact, a good one on the West Coast that emphasized learning French, and I bet that she has never been in a waffle house in her entire life. How far does that go towards making her a member of this elite you seem to despise?

[IJ Reilly]

Yes and the Donald himself went to an elite military academy, meant to instill some discipline in the spoiled little brat. We see how well that worked.

I last spent time in Scandinavia in 2010, so yes my impressions may be a little dated. My taxi driver was from Somalia, got his first driver's license in Arizona, and was proud of the fact that he had a massive Buick back with his cousins in the states.

But yes, these are essentially white-bread countries. I've got more diversity in languages and cultures within five square miles of my home than is in the entire country of Norway, so much so that I don't need to explain that I spent a weekend at a Latin Festival. Where I come from, we call that "every day," and I personally love it.

[Airborne Aircrew]

IJ:

meant to instill some discipline in the spoiled little brat.

Looking at his children I'd say it did a pretty good job. They were all brought up in an environment that has brought down so many children that found themselves there. Yet Donald's children all seem well brought up, well balanced and successful in their own right...

Credit where credit is due and all that...

[Chuks]

So what about Donald himself, AA? He's the one who went to the military school, but it does not seem to have taught him much respect for women, at least. Do you think that Fred Trump got a good return on that investment? Come to the children, none of them is speaking up about Daddy's abusiveness, so that I would not call them all that well brought-up either.

Tiffany is the odd one out, having been raised on the West Coast, not among the East Coast Trumps, so that she might be fairly normal, just guessing.

[500N]

So what about Donald himself, AA? He's the one who went to the military school, but it does not seem to have taught him much respect for women, at least. Do you think that Fred Trump got a good return on that investment? Come to the children, none of them is speaking up about Daddy's abusiveness, so that I would not call them all that well brought-up either.

Tiffany is the odd one out, having been raised on the West Coast, not among the East Coast Trumps, so that she might be fairly normal, just guessing.

Chuks

You should know as well as anyone that Military Schools in the past have been very sexist places.
Unlikely men of his era learned respect for women at those institutions.