Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

The EU, UK, France, and Germany are all siding with Trudeau in Trump's latest hissy fit. Merkel announces the EU will retaliate against the steel and aluminum tariffs.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g7-summit-wrapup/u-s-canada-spat-escalates-after-tense-g7-europeans-criticize-trump-idUSKBN1J60TG

[CGVT]

Wow. FOX actually told the truth for once...

Fox News host sorry for calling Trump, Kim 'two dictators'

• By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK ? Jun 10, 2018, 4:40 PM ET
A Fox News host has accidentally referred to the highly anticipated summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a meeting of "two dictators."

"Fox & Friends" co-host Abby Huntsman made the comment on Sunday as TV footage showed the Republican president landing in Singapore for a summit with Kim on Tuesday. Guest and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci didn't catch it.

But the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman later apologized on air for what she had said. Her gaffe still took off on Twitter.

The two leaders arrived in Singapore on Sunday for their talks, which initially were billed as an effort to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons. The meeting has been downplayed by Trump in recent days.

[hack]

Thanks Froot. I guess all those attempts to get a government tenant failed. Wonder what the price will be, but seems in general good to get it into somebody else's hands.

[hack]

The EU, UK, France, and Germany are all siding with Trudeau in Trump's latest hissy fit. Merkel announces the EU will retaliate against the steel and aluminum tariffs.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-g...-idUSKBN1J60TG

As a Canadian, I hope this is finally the wakeup call we need to diversify our global footprint. There's no way to know if this kind of behavior from our souther neighbor will be limited to this administration or if there will be more of them to come in the future. About the only Cdn cos who take a global outlook are the miners, Bombardier and SNC Lavalin. And even then it's mostly within the Americas. I think Trudeau gets this. Say what you will about the cultural stuff, but he's more than willing to ram through the pipeline project so we can finally have more customers for our oil. In a broader sense it is very much time for Canada to consider where it belongs on the spectrum -- closer to the US or closer to Europe.

[Kapture1]

Lol, Europe can have you. Perfectly fine to build a northern border wall and make Castro pay for it.

[Ghengis Jon]

Hack, just remember that Trump does not represent the majority of people in the United States. He represents only himself. However, given the power he wields due to the minority of voters electing the John Wayne Gacy of politics to the presidency, it is something we all have to endure for a couple more years. Less if the USA has a blindingly good stroke of luck. Perhaps Trudeau should announce that a wall is going to be built at the border and Trump is going to pay for it.

Here's an interesting analogy, delving into the (tiny) mind of Chump. It notes a similar mindset towards the Kim summit that was seen when building the Trump Shuttle. Perhaps this explains why Putin's cock holster is favoring 'gut instinct' over preparation.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/10/politics/trump-north-korea-deal-singapore/index.html

[hack]

You could take the ``this too shall pass" approach, but what if he isn't the last/only one of his kind? America has no shortage of these kinds of people.

[Ghengis Jon]

I pray to God that it will be another 250 years before the Republic self inflicts another unqualified shit for brains like Trump as Chief Exec. Trump is like developing an extraordinarily rare form of brain cancer. You want that tumor removed as soon as possible and hope that a cure can be effected before the cancer turns terminal. But right now, Trump has Lady America standing on a street corner drooling, shaking her fist to the sky, screaming incoherently.

[iam416]

I'm not exactly sure why Canada or Italy are in the G7. Personally, I'm fine if it's the G6 next time.

[iam416]

Heh. CEO of the Twitter is gay-shamed into apologizing for eating at Chick-Fil-A. LOL.

[AlabamAlum]

One should never apologize for eating at Chik-fil-a.

It is gay month, though, and the choice to promote that particular restaurant did come across as awkward due to Cathy's well-known views (which are deeply rooted in the text of the mythology of the imaginary bearded Sky-Dad).

I found it funny.

[iam416]

It's funny and typical.

Some good news...Kevin Williamson is back in full throat: https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/...-to-activists/

[AlabamAlum]

I actually give Trump a pass at the G-7. At least for now.

Negotiations and mediations are often contentious. We just have a been given a look inside and I think this possibly sets up a, "You know, you may be right. Let's remove ALL tariffs between G-7 countries" play. At the very least, it makes other countries consider carefully before they raise on the US if he backs down from his threats.

It's a dangerous game, though, and could blow-up in his face.

But, this isn't my forte. My take could be trash.

[AlabamAlum]

I wonder if I wore an H&M monkey shirt while driving my Volkswagen through a Chik-fil-a drive though if I could get the SJW folks to hate on me?

[Jeff Buchanan]

You could take the ``this too shall pass" approach, but what if he isn't the last/only one of his kind? America has no shortage of these kinds of people.

There have been several good pieces recently written about the impact of growing nationalism globally. It's not just in the US. The trend is rocking a traditional world order characterized by the inter-dependency of sovereign nations on multiple levels including, security, trade and financial. The most striking remake of this traditional world order, IMO, is that going on between the US, Europe and North American countries including Mexico and Canada.

I find it chaotic to say the least under the PDJT administration which takes the BO administrations "Pivot to Asia" foreign policy to another level. I can't say that his behavior in Europe at the G7 Summit was calculated because of what I think of the kind of petulant, egocentric person I believe Trump to be. But certainly, he is playing the part of the great disruptor he likes to fancy himself as. Regardless of what you think about the person of PDJT, he is definitely creating huge cracks in what were previously the foundation of relationships between NATO and North American countries. I'm not at all confident the cracks he is producing will result in improved global security and enhanced trade, especially for the US but also for other countries who engage in trade with the US.

One can connect Trump's seemingly outrageous behavior at the G7 Summit with his "America First" approach to relationships with traditional European/NATO allies, Canada and Mexico. Certainly, there are issues between the US and continental NATO allies (I think the US/British relationship is different than that present with continental European nations) worth talking about and re-negotiating - these are all out there publicly. Whether they are as bad as the Trump administration wants to make them out to be remains to be seen. How crude, compared to traditional ways to relate with other countries, PDJT himself and principals in his administrations are in articulating the perceived unfairness and whether this is an effective way to leverage these countries into renegotiating them is, IMO, questionable.