Jill: is there evidence that he EVER knew the basics of grammar, syntax, capitalization? Is this a demonstrable decline or did he manage to get through school like that?
Back in the 70s PBS presented a BBC production of Robert Graves' "I, Claudius." The episodes featuring Caligula were frightening for their arbitrariness and madness. This is what our lived reality feels like. When will a horse get introduced as a Senator? This all defies belief.
The other side of this is that manic episodes don't usually last very long, and there's often a hard and corresponding crash. I would like it if Trump is no longer president before that happens.
Here it is. This is in response to an article in ABC News about Trump's tariffs on our European allies.
Donald Trump wants to take over Greenland, and he is willing to do just about anything to acquire the arctic island – even if it means alienating our closest allies. Earlier this week, he announced that eight European countries will be hit with a 10% tariff if they oppose his takeover of Greenland. The tariff will increase to 25% in July. This is a very foolish move that will have very serious repercussions for the United States.
This may seem like a crazy idea, but President Trump does have his reasons. There are three main arguments that he has put forth to justify his arctic acquisition. First, he argues that Greenland is vital to the United States’ security; Russia and China have their eyes set on the island, and the US must annex it before they do. Second, he argues that acquiring Greenland is an important step in his “Golden Dome” initiative. And lastly, the island is full of natural resources and rare earths that America desperately needs.
As far as I know, Russia and China have no interest in annexing Greenland. Furthermore, neither of them is in a position to attack the island at this. Russia is not the mighty superpower it once was. In fact, the war in Ukraine has revealed the vaunted Russia military to be a paper tiger. When the war first began in early 2022, most people predicted a quick Russian victory. The Russians would easily overwhelm the Ukrainian defenses and conquer the entire country. The war was supposed to be over in a matter of weeks.
However, that is not at all what happened. Russia has suffered one humiliating defeat after another, and the war has dragged on for almost four years. The Russians have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties, and their gains have been minuscule at best. They have not conquered Ukraine. In fact, they can barely hold on to the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. In short, Russia already has its hands full, and they are not prepared for another war.
I don’t believe that China will attack Greenland, either. The CCP is much more concerned with another island, namely Taiwan. The island nation is of tremendous symbolic – and strategic – importance to the CCP. It is a crucial part of their national reunification plans – the final piece of the puzzle. China has already begun preparations, and President Xi Jinping says they will be ready to invade by 2027.
So, it seems to me that neither of these countries are going to threaten Greenland anytime soon. They are quite occupied at the moment, and neither of them are ready for a military excursion into the arctic. Furthermore, if either of them did attack Greenland, it would be disastrous for them. Article 5 would be triggered. They would have to deal with not just the United States, but the entirety of NATO. That’s not something China or Russia can do at the moment.
The other reasons given by Trump don’t stand up to scrutiny, either. It may be true that Greenland has lots of natural resources and rare earths, but that doesn’t give us the right to invade another country. Surely, we could acquire those resources much more easily though a simple trade agreement. And Trump’s “Golden Dome” initiative seems doomed to fail whether we annex Greenland or not. Regan tried something similar in the 1980’s – the so-called “Star Wars” initiative. It cost a fortune, and nothing much came of it.
In conclusion, the United States should leave Greenland alone. The reasons given by Trump for acquiring the island simply don’t make sense, and the pros are far outweighed by the cons. If the United States does try to forcibly take Greenland, it will drive a permanent wedge between us and our transatlantic allies. The NATO alliance would come undone. And, despite what some people on the Right may believe, the United States is not invincible. The world is becoming a much more dangerous place, and we will need lots of allies.
This part: "This is honestly a difficult thing to understand, because most adults simply do not think or behave like this. We think before we speak. We feel shame and embarrassment when we behave poorly . We understand that sometimes we want things we cannot have. We grasp that generally-applicable rules might sometimes be annoying, but they protect us, too. We realize that reality may not always comport with our beliefs and biases, and we understand that our beliefs and biases mean that sometimes we get stuff wrong — and correcting course is the only upstanding and decent thing to do." This is what I want to emphasize. Trump is clearly not an adult but what about the rest of the Republicans? Who raised them? Who trained them? Why aren't their families disowning them? Don't give me that BS about being afraid. They won't survive any better than the rest of us in a world of global chaos. What could we offer them, do you think, that would make them grow a spine?
I feel like someone should just get a replica Nobel medal made (just spell it Noble) and tell him he won it. He won't know the difference. Just ask any caregiver of someone with a form of dementia. You can't tell them their reality isn't real, so you just go along with whatever won't harm them or others.
Jill: is there evidence that he EVER knew the basics of grammar, syntax, capitalization? Is this a demonstrable decline or did he manage to get through school like that?
That's a very good question. All of his books were ghostwritten. I wonder if there are any records of papers he wrote in university.
Or at any time in his life, really. Maybe he signed yearbooks or wrote notes during The Apprentice
Back in the 70s PBS presented a BBC production of Robert Graves' "I, Claudius." The episodes featuring Caligula were frightening for their arbitrariness and madness. This is what our lived reality feels like. When will a horse get introduced as a Senator? This all defies belief.
The other side of this is that manic episodes don't usually last very long, and there's often a hard and corresponding crash. I would like it if Trump is no longer president before that happens.
When I was a kid in the 1970s I would hear whistles because the ice cream truck was coming and we’d all run out to buy ice cream.
Now in 2026, when you hear a whistle, it means grab the kids and run in the house and lock your door because the ICE truck is coming to kidnap you.
Is Trump and Miller ever gonna stop?
I wrote my op-ed about this. It's not quite finished yet, but I will post it in the comments section soon.
Please do!
Here it is. This is in response to an article in ABC News about Trump's tariffs on our European allies.
Donald Trump wants to take over Greenland, and he is willing to do just about anything to acquire the arctic island – even if it means alienating our closest allies. Earlier this week, he announced that eight European countries will be hit with a 10% tariff if they oppose his takeover of Greenland. The tariff will increase to 25% in July. This is a very foolish move that will have very serious repercussions for the United States.
This may seem like a crazy idea, but President Trump does have his reasons. There are three main arguments that he has put forth to justify his arctic acquisition. First, he argues that Greenland is vital to the United States’ security; Russia and China have their eyes set on the island, and the US must annex it before they do. Second, he argues that acquiring Greenland is an important step in his “Golden Dome” initiative. And lastly, the island is full of natural resources and rare earths that America desperately needs.
As far as I know, Russia and China have no interest in annexing Greenland. Furthermore, neither of them is in a position to attack the island at this. Russia is not the mighty superpower it once was. In fact, the war in Ukraine has revealed the vaunted Russia military to be a paper tiger. When the war first began in early 2022, most people predicted a quick Russian victory. The Russians would easily overwhelm the Ukrainian defenses and conquer the entire country. The war was supposed to be over in a matter of weeks.
However, that is not at all what happened. Russia has suffered one humiliating defeat after another, and the war has dragged on for almost four years. The Russians have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties, and their gains have been minuscule at best. They have not conquered Ukraine. In fact, they can barely hold on to the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. In short, Russia already has its hands full, and they are not prepared for another war.
I don’t believe that China will attack Greenland, either. The CCP is much more concerned with another island, namely Taiwan. The island nation is of tremendous symbolic – and strategic – importance to the CCP. It is a crucial part of their national reunification plans – the final piece of the puzzle. China has already begun preparations, and President Xi Jinping says they will be ready to invade by 2027.
So, it seems to me that neither of these countries are going to threaten Greenland anytime soon. They are quite occupied at the moment, and neither of them are ready for a military excursion into the arctic. Furthermore, if either of them did attack Greenland, it would be disastrous for them. Article 5 would be triggered. They would have to deal with not just the United States, but the entirety of NATO. That’s not something China or Russia can do at the moment.
The other reasons given by Trump don’t stand up to scrutiny, either. It may be true that Greenland has lots of natural resources and rare earths, but that doesn’t give us the right to invade another country. Surely, we could acquire those resources much more easily though a simple trade agreement. And Trump’s “Golden Dome” initiative seems doomed to fail whether we annex Greenland or not. Regan tried something similar in the 1980’s – the so-called “Star Wars” initiative. It cost a fortune, and nothing much came of it.
In conclusion, the United States should leave Greenland alone. The reasons given by Trump for acquiring the island simply don’t make sense, and the pros are far outweighed by the cons. If the United States does try to forcibly take Greenland, it will drive a permanent wedge between us and our transatlantic allies. The NATO alliance would come undone. And, despite what some people on the Right may believe, the United States is not invincible. The world is becoming a much more dangerous place, and we will need lots of allies.
I think I should have spent more time talking about the importance of NATO and having alliances.
The US and China might be on the road to war. We're going to need some help if we want to win.
This part: "This is honestly a difficult thing to understand, because most adults simply do not think or behave like this. We think before we speak. We feel shame and embarrassment when we behave poorly . We understand that sometimes we want things we cannot have. We grasp that generally-applicable rules might sometimes be annoying, but they protect us, too. We realize that reality may not always comport with our beliefs and biases, and we understand that our beliefs and biases mean that sometimes we get stuff wrong — and correcting course is the only upstanding and decent thing to do." This is what I want to emphasize. Trump is clearly not an adult but what about the rest of the Republicans? Who raised them? Who trained them? Why aren't their families disowning them? Don't give me that BS about being afraid. They won't survive any better than the rest of us in a world of global chaos. What could we offer them, do you think, that would make them grow a spine?
I feel like someone should just get a replica Nobel medal made (just spell it Noble) and tell him he won it. He won't know the difference. Just ask any caregiver of someone with a form of dementia. You can't tell them their reality isn't real, so you just go along with whatever won't harm them or others.
It's godawful that our country has descended into this dysfunctional chaos! Will any saner, more stable "leaders" step up?
It’s gotten so pathetic Tillis, who isn’t even running again, says he doesn’t blame Trump but he blames his advisors…let that speak volumes.