The only thing scarier than thinking about what Donald Trump might do to our neighbours, is thinking what he might do to the planet.
Because not only is he planning to torch it, by ending the war on climate change.
His foreign policy plans are as dangerous and as crazy as he is.
For that's a tweet he fired off early yesterday morning.
Which not only revealed him to be an illiterate, who can't spell "unprecedented."
But also seems needlessly provocative, considering what China already thinks of his threat to scrap the "One China" policy. And their already high state of alert.
Which makes this follow up tweet a few hours later, seem even more bizarre...
Especially since the Chinese were already preparing to return the drone.
And it can only make even more Americans question Trump's judgement. Or his foreign policy credentials.
David Friedman is a bankruptcy lawyer who believes the two-state solution is an “illusion,” Barack Obama is anti-Semitic, and that Israel has a legal right to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank — or else to annex the territory in its entirety.
Or his sanity.
As well as of course, question his loyalty to the United States.
Because now that we know what he got for Christmas...
Well, look who came down the chimney! #SNL pic.twitter.com/0R9o81HvlY— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) December 18, 2016
Trump already has the spectre of treason hovering over his head.
A specter of treason hovers over Donald Trump. He has brought it on himself by dismissing a bipartisan call for an investigation of Russia’s hacking of the Democratic National Committee as a “ridiculous” political attack on the legitimacy of his election as president.
By denigrating or seeking to prevent an investigation of the Russian cyberattack Trump is giving aid or comfort to an enemy of the United States, a crime that is enhanced if the fourth explanation applies — that he is in fact seeking to cover up his staff’s or his own involvement in or prior knowledge of the attack.
And is opening himself up to the charge of either being a traitor, or a Russian poodle.
Let’s be clear: This was an attack on America, less lethal than a missile but still profoundly damaging to our system. It’s not that Trump and Putin were colluding to steal an election. But if the C.I.A. is right, Russia apparently was trying to elect a president who would be not a puppet exactly but perhaps something of a lap dog — a Russian poodle.
And Trump's appointment of the Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be his ambassador to Moscow only makes matters worse...
*casual secret handshake* #SNL pic.twitter.com/A6rAp4gvav— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) December 18, 2016
Whatever our personal politics, how can we possibly want to respond to Russia’s interference in our election by putting American foreign policy in the hands of a Putin friend?
And really what more can you say about about a President to be, and a government like that one?
Except this:
It is a matter of survival. Progressives need to unite, form a mass resistance movement, and attack Trump like they never have before.
They should take a page out of the Republican handbook, start defining Trump as he tried to define Obama.
And start hitting him where it hurts...
Is he a poodle, or a traitor, or a maniac? Who knows? But in a post-truth world who cares?
In a society as paranoid as the U.S. just the spectre of treason hanging over him could do him enormous harm.
And only by deflating that deranged demagogue, by whatever means necessary.
Can we hope to save ourselves...
15 comments:
Oh lord, the Communists are coming, err the Russians are coming, we are being betrayed by everyone. I'm the only loyal American left, I must save the Konstitution and the Republick, God has told me so
I agree that "deranged demagogue" is a good description of the president-elect but this crap about the Russians working to get him elected is ridiculous.
I suppose, as someone on As It Happens or The Current apparently suggested the Russians might have released some Democratic Party emails to spread confusion and inspire doubt about the US electorial process, not that it needed more fuel but try to make Trump President?
Come on, even if they did release a few emails without doing the same to Trump I'd suggest three reasons, 1) Trump was such an obviously crooked, lying and wildly unsuitable candidature that there was no need to release anything. He has a track record that says he should have crashed and burned a year ago. 2) The Russians may have had the silly idea that the American pundits understood their own country and when the pundits said Trump could never win, they believed them and 3) they sadly underestimated the level of frustration, racism, misogyny and, possibly, credulity of the American voter.
On the other hand, the only slightly good factor I saw about Trump was that he was not out to pick a fight with Russia as the woman who had never realized the cold war was over 25 or 30 years ago.
Mind, Trump was probably saying nice things about Putin because he saw a future business opportunity. I'm not suggesting that he has ever had a strategic geopolitical thought in his head but at least it was a step in the right direction.
Of course, his idiocies with China are almost but not quite as bad a Clinton's obsession with Russia. NATO is on Russia's boarders, China has a bit of breathing room.
As for the CIA finding, well of course, the US Gov't or parts of it never lie, Tonkin, cough; Laos, cough; Grenada, cough, Iraq, cough, the last sponsered coup in Venezuela to date, cough.
The New York Times seems to be continuing its role as cheerleader/sock-puppet for the US administration---whoever is in office. I don't think that their editorial board has met a rumour or outright lie from the Administration that they were not happy to trumpet.
Trump bids well to be an awful president, but a Russian agent put in office by the Kremlin, I think we're in Dr. Strangelove territory here.
George W. Bush's behaviour was far more convincingly that of an Al Quaeda agent than is the erratic Mr. Trump's behaviour as a Russian agent.
Bush started out by frightening and antagonizing a lot of Arabs especially Muslim Arabs by talking about a Crusade against Terrorism. The term, Crusade, is a terribly loaded word in the Middle East where the Medieval crusades by invading barbarian Europeans are still well remembered.
Then he proceeds to invade Afghanistan when there was very good change that the Taliban would have agreed to extradite Bin Laden if given proof of his complicity in the 9/11 bombings.
Then, he, invades Iraq when the entire world knew that the "evidence" for weapons of mass distruction was a tissue of lies.
And they have no plan of what to do when they win. The US proceeds to totally botch any reconstruction in Iraq and goes out its way to encourage sectarian divisions and strife. Even now, when I read of the amazing levels of ignorance and stupidity the US occupation showed in Iraq, I find it hard to believe that this is the same country who worked with its Western allies to develop such a successful occupation and reconstruction of Germany after the Second World War.
The US, also, encouraged the torture of captured soldiers, civilians and anybody that the US felt like kidnapping around the world. Obviously good for Arab-Western relations.
Every time Osama bin Laden prayed, prayers for G.W. Bush's continued good health must have been a key component. He must have been very proud of getting Bush to create ISIS.
WTF?
Who cares what the U.S might have done in the past? Trump is the greatest threat this world has known since Hitler, and he has to be neutralized by whatever means necessary.
You sound like a real nutjob anon 8:40OPM. One of these days your rhetoric is going to get someone killed Simon.
Hi jrkrideau...as I said in my post, I don't know the extent of Russian involvement in the U.S election, and I don't really care. All I know is that Trump called on the Russians to hack Clinton and that can now be used against him. I believe Trump is an existential threat to our world. His views on climate change are so dangerous he must be stopped by whatever means necessary. And since the angry orange likes to pose as a patriot, accusing him of being Putin's stooge or his puppet is one way to deflate and eventually destroy him. As far as I'm concerned that's all that counts. We're in a new world, and all old assumptions are now outdated, and irrelevant. i don't care about geopolitical considerations, I trust the CIA as much as I trust the KGB. But our precious blue home must be defended no matter what it costs....
The guy with small hands in certainly guilty of many things, including attacking his fellow Americans in order to WIN the election but treason is not one of them. The Russians just pushed back at the US political establishment after years of interference in east European politics including Russia; regime change anyone? It is likely the Russians would have supported anyone with a less aggressive foreign policy including Bernie running against a Bush.
Trump and Putin are somewhat unique as they are not separated by any religious or east vs west political ideologies and seem to have a common objective of externalizing their egos through the power and influence exerted by their countries while lining their own pockets. Countries similar to the cool rich kid on the block. Perhaps you or a friend confiscated his toy drone when you were younger with no direct retaliation but eventually learned that it was not a smart move....just too well connected. A somewhat better objective than the past hacks who only trusted those they owned or had beaten into submission but in reality will be just as destructive because the need is flowing in the wrong direction. In a democracy politicians are there to serve not to be served.
RT
hi anon 8:40 pm...Trump is not Hitler. But you're right, he is an existential threat to the planet, and he must be defeated by whatever (legal) means necessary...
hi anon 9:07 PM...I have never advocated violence against anyone. Ever. I have received in the past and continue to receive all kinds of vile comments and veiled death threats. But all I am calling for is mass peaceful resistance...
You see Mugabe running at age 92? That'll be trump in 20+ years. He'll die at almost a 100 year old in office and we will get our first female President Ivanka.
Put a fork in America, it is done. Y'all holding your breath for a resistance, save your energy, put it into saving Canada from Leith or O'Leary racist kleptocracy.
Clinton lost because a lot of angry people came out and voted for Trump in the right states. Americans wanted a change, I expect those who had not voted in the past 15 yrs or so went out and voted. Clinton didn't caimpaign in some states she lost, thinking they were a lock.
If Russia did hack and release Clinton's emails, it is doubtful they did enough damage to her to cause her to loose. that happened all on its own. Americans were not ready for a female president.
those who voted for Trump will live to regret it. His billionaire cabinet is interested in doing what works for them, not the workers of the U.S.A. As to the climate change deniers, there are a number of American states which will continue with making changes to work toward an environmental solution, as will large cities..
Trump will be a disaster and may well be empeached or just walk away when the going gets tough. There will be some things he can do, but a lot, not so much. If the democrats do their job in the Senate, they need only 3 Republicans to vote with them. The big issue will be who Trump appoints to the Supreme court of the U.S.A. They are there for life.
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Well, I'm going from memory but I think what he said was more along the lines of "If the Russians have those emails, maybe they should release them" and it sounded like he was joking.
Trump is an existential threat to our world. His views on climate change are so dangerous he must be stopped
I totally agree with this.
I just get annoyed that people are falling for a silly "Red Scare" story worthy of Sen. Joe McCarthy based on no evidence. A CIA statement is not even close to "evidence".
hi RT...you may be right, and Trump didn't know anything. But remember he did call on the Russians to hack Clinton's e-mails. We can't be sure that Putin doesn't have something on Trump, or whether he's in hock to some oligarch because he won't show us his tax returns. So while I wouldn't want to stir up Cold War feelings, if I was the Democrats I would use it to make some of his less fanatical supporters question their support for him. All's fair in love and war, and this will be war....
hi anon...OMG not Mugabe. Not that old beast. I've been earnestly praying for his death for years, and still he survives. But seriously, I think you're wrong about Trump. His government is too extreme to survive more than four years. His victory will be seen eventually as just a fluke, or a perfect storm of events, that came together once but will not be replicated. Demographics still favour the Democrats, and I pretty sure that they will win the next election. But yes you're right, we can't forget that some Cons are trying to pull a Trump right here in Canada...
hi e.a.f... yes you're right, Clinton did lose because of a number of factors, and most experts seem to agree that the hackers didn't determine the result of the election. But you're also right, Trump's Supreme Court choices will taint that country's justice system for the next 20 years. So he also deserves to be tainted by whatever means possible.
@ Simon
he did call on the Russians to hack Clinton's e-mails
As I mentioned above I don't think he did. Can you give us a direct quote?
I'll try and see if I can find the throw-away comment I seem to remember Trump making about the issue.
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