What a beautiful speech by JD Vance, on the nose, great speech writer too! And lecturing in Munich to the right audience: all those spooks and military people who gave us the Covid censorship regime, clueless about our first amendment.
I thought it was nicely restrained that Vance didn't characterize European speech suppression as human rights violations of the type we usually sanction. Maybe they are waiting to make those assertions at the UN?
Yes, nicely restrained and limited to freedom of speech to avoid the predictable accusations of overblowing everything or making ourselves vulnerable to “tu quoque” (eg we have the death penalty).
Pretend that Vance were lecturing some country that germany doesn't approve of. Wonderbitch Pistorius would be clapping like a trained seal, not acting all butthurt because Vance didn't make germany not automatically exempt because europe.
I think we already know from Mike Benz that the US was leading the charge on this. NATO and USAID. Germany was the best place to start a new censorship regime because they had a post- World War II (previously very narrow) prohibition on holocaust denial, which could be expanded and exploited during covid.
Germany has a very fraught relationship with democracy, to say the least. Might be a really good time for a nation driving off the cliff to take a step back and actually listen.
Germany is confused. You can stab them, run them over with cars, rape them, freeze them, and take their jobs, they will not change their humanitarian, anti-NAZI and anti Russian stance. They are USAID/SOROS brainwashed fanatics. If they can not move to safety, they deserve to die in their toxic environment. Darwin in action.
Some claim that WWI, which unquestionably led to WWII, the A-Bomb rattling Cold War, Korea, Vietnam et al. since, began with French/English jealousy over a growing united and powerful German economy and the desires of a handful on international financiers (criminal?) to form the basis of a one world government wielding absolute financial control over the worlds peoples and economies. It's also rumored that Adam Schiff's grandpa was one of the Wall Street titans who put ten grand in solid gold in Trotsky's pocket and sent him off to bring down the Russian Czar, then the richest man in the world. Capitalists fronting communism? Oh my.
Benz observations about State Department use of USAID for the creation of "rent a riot" spook ops across the world and, it seems, the willingness to unleash the same tactics on American soil should give us all reason for pause. BLM? (Far afield in this conversation, the "practice" raid on the Coyote Ca. power grid in which the perps got away clean?)
Could there really be a generational self-interested cabal of international criminal financiers intent on seizing control of Planet Earth's people, natural resources and finances? OR, IS UNREGULATED WEALTH AND POWER IN THE HANDS OF MALIGNANT NARCISSISM THE ROOT CAUSE OF HUMAN SUFFERING? Our situation certainly seems to be more pathological than political.
Mr. Soros continues to use
his wealth to disrupt the
American judiciary. Mr. Kerry
feels our Republic's Constitution stands in the
way of real human progress. Mr. Schwab? (Check the EU push for 20% of flour to be bug protein?) Mr. Fink and his pal's destroy American manufacturing and swallow pension funds every day. Hey? Why was Davos chosen for rich boy vacation and why is Swiss banking allowed to conceal information on its depositors? How many unaccounted for billions have disappeared from the American treasury? Where did that money go? Elon, Markie Z. and Jeff want to issue their own currency. Trump is reprieve not salvation. BRING BACK THE CFPB!!
There is the American Republic, its Constitution and the free citizen. Everything else is passing through.
Now it’s clear why Matt is so violently opposed to the ‘Legacy Media.’ Back when he had editors he’d make up some sophomoric phrase and then write an article around it. Here her can ditch the article and just go with the sophomoric phrase. And he can walk around in his tracksuit all day and shoot the bull with some old dude in Montana who extols Trump. And he makes more money. Life is good, Matt
German courts have ruled that the AfD can be classified as a suspected threat to democracy, paving the way for the country’s domestic intelligence agency to spy on the opposition party.
"And if I have understood him correctly, he is comparing conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regions… That is not acceptable."
Actually, it's parts of Europe being comparable to authoritarian regions that is not acceptable. This kind of reminds me of the Democrats' objections to DOGE, where they complain that it's unacceptable for DOGE to be discovering fraud. As if the problem were the discovery of it rather than it's existence.
Of course germany is an authoritarian regime. They should try not acting like an authoritarian regime if they don't want to be called one, not just assume that they are above all criticism, Because Europe.
No Germany is not an authoritarian regime like the Soviet Union or China. But it does have a different definition of Free Speech, just like most of European countries.
if you mean We/the US, then I see that as libtards/dems sensoring free speech/thoughts, as that does not support their objectives. That is not ok for those of open mind and sharing freedom of speech.
What's a present tense comment about the Soviet Union got to do with this discussion. Russian citizens on the other hand appear to have at least as much freedom as Germans and Brits.
Yes it is. If you cannot accept speech you hate and suppress it with the force of law, you’re authoritarian. If you cannot accept a party the people have chosen to support and attempt to destroy it, you’re an authoritarian.
If you control speech you don't like, then you do not have free speech. In Germany and the UK you live in an authoritarian regime that suppresses speech that it does not like.
How happy are the Germans going to be with their 'leaders' if it turns out the German government turned a "blind eye" to a NATO ally attack on Germany?
Greenwald is all over this: Vance has done more to change minds about Trump and America in a good way than any US politician or activist.
Don't you remember the Podesta Emails? It was literally said on CNN and MSNBC that it was not relevant what was contained in the emails it was more about that it was obtained in a questionable manner so therefore the public shouldn't view it or have an opinion on it.
It's amazing that so many of the people I once felt were educated are SO on the wrong side of this. It makes me question my own intelligence in believing this people were smart.
i have noticed that highly educated folks are the last to admit that a broken media causes EVERYONE including themselves to be poorly informed. People with Ivy league PhDs tend to believe that a broken media landscape means “everyone else” is poorly informed
Kat on Gutfeld's analogy: you find our your husband is cheating on you, and he screams, "You looked in my phone! How can I be with you if you don't trust me?"
Emmanuel, you’re correct that parts of Europe are authoritarian and sadly getting more so by the year. I’ve had a running conversation with an English friend over Musk calling out the UK “grooming gangs”. Her issue is that Musk shouldn’t comment because it’s not his business and it “just causes further problems.” MY issue to her is if she wants him to be prevented from commenting, who’s next to be censored and who is it exactly who will do the censoring? Is it the state that gets to decide what we read and say? And what kind of a government is that exactly and what kind of power does that ultimately give them? (When someone can be arrested in the UK for silently praying outside an abortion clinic - be asked what he was praying and then tell the truth to the police - and be arrested for his thoughts, Houston, we have a very big problem.)
She’s very intelligent and on the conservative side which makes it even more maddening. But she’ll think about it after her latest vacation - because that’s what they do. Worry about it tomorrow except that tomorrow, as it has been, is disappearing while so many of them are playing. I’m having somewhat the same conversation with a German friend who is on the left although it’s interesting that he may just get it. We’ll see.
Broken record I am. It has been 80 years since the end of WW2 and 35 years since the end of the Cold War. Since then, much of Western Europe has adopted the very same fascistic statist socialism we were allegedly fighting with the added benefit of Bond villain accents. Added bonus, paying for (and fighting) their wars while they try to impose restrictions on our freedoms. 115,000 dead in World War 1, 250,000+ dead Americans in Europe in WWII. Trillions in defense spending for their security over the last 85 years. No more please.
I am obviously no foreign policy brainiac, but why would you hitch your energy needs to Russia? Unless you are willing to BE like Russia?
I think the EU crowd has no taste for freedom, like we have it here in America.
Trump has really opened the door to a re-alignment, calling out the EU. This could get ugly. Because really, they have never thought much of the shaggy dog American.
Love. And, resent. But --- we were never supposed to question anything. Biden wandering away in Italy. Even the EU had to be thinking, "whaaaat?" They had to be on notice.
The French are way worse than the Germans. Like, fuck them. I traveled extensively in Europe from 2011 to 2020 for business. There were two locations I'd go in Germany, and they sure had lots of questions about this Trump guy in 2017. The other thing I noticed throughout Germany was the "never again" feeling about the Nazis. I give them credit for not pretending WWII didn't happen. And I know they're trying to stop any new Nazi-ish recurrence with some of their shortsighted laws. Now comes the opportunity to understand that perhaps they overcorrected. Alas, old Boris doesn't appear to have any concerns.
Fuck them. They are the size of new England. Basically, they are broke. Put all their energy needs in the Russian basket. But, they are a great living museum. Maybe we should buy Europe.
I remember watching Ukranian refugees getting on trains, flooding into Poland. Or how about the poor grandma sitting on a chair in the middle of a field, with nothing.
Yeah. Get your energy from Russia, and don't take the time to protest its invasion. Maybe if Russia didn't know how it had you by the balls, things could have been different.
There is no connection between buying Russian energy and adopting its politics. Europe should buy energy from Russia because it’s right next door, has a near endless supply of energy to sell, and can therefore sell it far cheaper than from any other source, as was happening for decades prior to 2022. Cutting off Russian energy, or rather buying it through third parties for a much more expensive price, has been a disaster for Europe.
Germany was (and is) resource poor and USSR/Russia was (and is) resource rich. Plus America had the Texas oilfields, the Midwestern Breadbasket and the two greatest industrial cities in the world in Detroit and Chicago. WW2 in a nutshell.
All I am saying is, this relationship is something to be considered. We are financing the Ukranian war caused by Russian invasion. Why is there a war. Why are all these countries financing the war. And, BTW, where is the accountability.
Well, the US at one time hitched its energy needs to Saudi Arabia, etc. Hydrocarbons are often found under the ground in countries that are not necessarily "democratic."
Anyway, the Germans were doing well with Russian gas. Now, they're not doing so well. They've more firmly welded themselves into a vassal relationship with the American empire and now they're upset that Trump no only doesn't have much respect for them, he's quite open about it.
They also got rid of all nukes right after Fukushima (in spite of the fact that they are not prone to earthquakes or tsunamis!) They are great at virtue signaling to their left!
One of America's oldest continuing alliances is the one it has with Saudi Arabia. FDR's last overseas trip was in 1945 to meet with the Saudi king. At one time of course US was very energy-dependent on KSA. It still has enough oil to get away with an endless train of atrocities and human rights abuses.
Trump makes his out of the box moves, shocks everyone, yet keeps getting results. He ought to threaten to pull out all of our troops unless they adopt freedom of speech laws, and heck, throw in the 2nd Amendment as well. Because you are correct. We are defending fascistic regimes over there!
That is a great idea- tie our support not just to their increased military spending but to traditional small l liberal values like freedom of speech, the right to bear arms etc. We don't need to be part of an alliance that undermines our values and the values our soldiers fought and died for in the last century. Countries that share our values can realign with us. Oh, and stop meddling in elections when you don't like the outcome like in Romania.
Why not pull out all of our troops anyway? Why are they here to begin with? Russia is totally on the defensive vis a vis NATO. Our excuse for bullying them used to be ideology. They were Commies. Now it's. . . what again? Oh yeah, Putin's a mean guy. No, we want what they have. Our "breadbasket" is a polluted drought zone and we're no longer mineral rich. We have to open up our treasured national parks to "drill, baby, drill!" Even the CIA is fully aware that global warming means, as the Cargill execs put it, "Siberia is the new breadbasket." Why don't Americans wake up?
Free speech, for sure. I'm not so sure Germany needs more guns. Like, ever.
I can say that shit without people calling me a whatever because I am of German descent and I've spent enough time in that country to think they need to move away from the censorship. But guns?
I've only ever heard of two people named Pistorius--this blowhard and the South African runner with the blades for legs who killed his girlfriend. Wonder if they're related.
then there is brilliantly talented (but tragically self-destructive) bassist, Jaco Pastorius, and the mad scientist from The Bride of Frankenstein, "Dr. Pastorius". Methinks there is a thread here!!
The next president isn't Vance, it's Gabbard. She has much higher visibility, she has a real job not just a figurehead, she's super smart, and she's beyond gorgeous. Even setting all that aside, Republicans will need her to combat the irresistable appeal of a female minority candidate on the left, even one that's an incoherent idiot.
Wow. You are beyond deluded. Gabbard is a renegade Dem. No one likes a traitor. I cannot imagine a GOP voter voting for her, and no Dem would. Like Liz Cheney, she has no constituency.
The problem is that DNI is as much of a make-work job as VP. Unless....Trump has given her and Ratcliffe specific orders to gut the Intel State. Which I sure as hell hope he has.
I think (maybe that's hope!) that Gabbard will force the IC to reorient toward understanding national security issues, both DOMESTIC and foreign. These foreign policy war positions are NOT in our national security interests.
Stopping corruption in foreign policy is her greatest challenge.
Independents are like skunks with yellow stripes. Why yellow? Because they got run over in the middle of the road. No one votes for independents. And the "independents" in Congress are just partisans without the courage to actually declare their party.
When she did a podcast a year or two ago, her first guest was Ron Paul, and her second or third guest was Steve Scalise, defending the 2nd Anendment. She has publicly shown her allegiance to new GOP policy goals, she was never a neo-con like Cheney and her dad.
I like Tulsi, but as VP Vance is the clear heir apparent at this point. Tulsi is still too close to her affiliation with the Dems. She may well be a serious candidate in 12 years, but I doubt she could beat Vance in the primaries if she tried, which I don’t think she will.
Won't come to that. The Egyptians have taken the reins and want to lead the effort of rebuilding Gaza with other Arab countries. They're so desperate to not have to take Gazans, Hamasniks and Palestinians in that they and other Arab countries will rebuild Gaza themselves.
Got to love it. BB and his Zionist buddies must be ecstatic to contemplate Arab nations camping next door rebuilding Gaza! I wonder if Israel will be required to supply the electricity and water as in the past?
Perhaps the "Palestinians" should have used some of those gazillions $$ to have electricity, water, sanitation in Gaza. In fact they did it, although underground.
Like our own. It wasn’t really enforced as federal law until the 1920s, in reaction to Wilson’s authoritarian actions. Back when Madison was around, he initially opposed it, on the grounds that the states’ constitutions already covered it, but switched positions and actually drafted one to avoid a second constitutional convention. It’s an interesting story.
But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain - that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.
I used to tell my AP students that the USA is only country in the world that takes its Bill of Rights completely seriously at face value. Every country has a “Bill of Rights” of some ostensible sort-but don’t treat it as a guarantor of natural rights from God.
Ah, the German psychology-- or is it pathology? Great engineers, *very* rules based, to their detriment. But once they get "a leader", their default is to unquestioningly follow. And the answer to discontent is more rules, not the more American response of "throw the bum out". Getting a devious leader, these guys inevitably march right off a pier rather than question how sane the rules are.
I do business with Germany and other countries regularly. It's amazing how strict they are. Almost every time I ask a question about solving a problem by doing something a little different than normal, the answer comes back "It's Not Possible". They say it so officiously that I can barely hold back from laughing sometimes.
The irony is that because europeans are so obessed with box-cchecking and rule following, europeans are not good at any kind of indepenent or cirtical thought and they don't like it. Germany also is a very high trust society, which means that they tend to take statements at face value without knowing what to check.
The average frustrated european is much better educated than the average frustrated American, but the europeans tend to be bland, predictable, and much of a muchness. Critical thinking as I said, is mistrusted.
Sure, the Germans will have Nazism again, except this time it will come in the form of socialism... Hey wait, that's the form it came in the first time...
Vance simply spoke the truth about what you and I and a ton of people in the comments section have been screaming for years - the Censorship Industrial Complex has already consumed Europe, Canada, and Australia. (At least.)
Don't forget the U.K. (though you may figuratively include them in Europe). They're the only Western country I know of that has arrested people for thought crimes in recent years.
AfD is rising in Germany, in response to the incredibly stupid immigration policy which has brought in millions of Muslim terrorists. In response multiple efforts have been made to outlaw AfD by the centrist parties. AfD is gonna make bank politically 2024/02/23. Big changes coming to Germany.
I fully expect the EU is fully prepared to reject the election results in Germany, as they have in Romania. Austria, I believe, also has a similar scenario developing.
They nearly pulled that off here last election, or thought they could. This regime change business goes back to the Dulles brothers (maybe even further back). Not surprising it would eventually be tried domestically.
I saw one article recently where Billy was claiming USAID helped "defeat" the Iraqi insurgency. Now I don't know about you but I don't think that is making the case he thinks it is making.
A couple of months ago I developed a heuristic rule that I use to quickly evaluate people and their political statements. Following from Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking Fast and Slow," it depends on my quick, intuitive reaction to assess what I see and hear. I then subject it to a more thoughtful (and time consuming) analysis. I have used it dozens of times and not once have I had to revise that initial reaction.
It is quite simple. If my instant thought is, "Go F**K Yourself," I know I am dealing with an enemy who is trying to manipulate me. As I said, it has not failed, yet.
My reaction to Pistorius, and allowing for possible translation issues, is, "Go F**k Yourself."
Stop censoring and Vance won't have anything to call out.
What a beautiful speech by JD Vance, on the nose, great speech writer too! And lecturing in Munich to the right audience: all those spooks and military people who gave us the Covid censorship regime, clueless about our first amendment.
So true! Three cheers for JD Vance.
OK, four cheers!
What a relief to hear an American politician stand up with a backbone for traditional Heritage American values. My God. It's music. Really.
Vance in 2028!
I thought it was nicely restrained that Vance didn't characterize European speech suppression as human rights violations of the type we usually sanction. Maybe they are waiting to make those assertions at the UN?
Yes, nicely restrained and limited to freedom of speech to avoid the predictable accusations of overblowing everything or making ourselves vulnerable to “tu quoque” (eg we have the death penalty).
Pretend that Vance were lecturing some country that germany doesn't approve of. Wonderbitch Pistorius would be clapping like a trained seal, not acting all butthurt because Vance didn't make germany not automatically exempt because europe.
If Vance were not the US vp, his speech would definitely be banned. This free exchange of ideas is the greatest threat to special interests.
If Vance were german, he'd likely be subject to arrest.
Ha! Mrs. Clooney is probably working on the warrant right now.
Who knew that German reunification would result in the Stasi taking over?
I think we already know from Mike Benz that the US was leading the charge on this. NATO and USAID. Germany was the best place to start a new censorship regime because they had a post- World War II (previously very narrow) prohibition on holocaust denial, which could be expanded and exploited during covid.
I doubt USAID was necessary. A good slave knows what Master wants without being ordered.
True, although it underscored who is Master and who is the whimpering little bitch.
Germany has a very fraught relationship with democracy, to say the least. Might be a really good time for a nation driving off the cliff to take a step back and actually listen.
Well , the last time they drove off a cliff, they found Der German ZZ goose stepping down der street. Maybe we should watch them more ….
Germany is confused. You can stab them, run them over with cars, rape them, freeze them, and take their jobs, they will not change their humanitarian, anti-NAZI and anti Russian stance. They are USAID/SOROS brainwashed fanatics. If they can not move to safety, they deserve to die in their toxic environment. Darwin in action.
think about it, the current German regeime is designing their "Wall 2.0" . Still time for common sense to show up.
eet iz not in zer nay-tchua!
I agree it was reminiscent of democrat leadership and their press poodles where “muh democracy” translated into fascism.
Or we can yell childish catchphrases like Matt Taibbi.
Some claim that WWI, which unquestionably led to WWII, the A-Bomb rattling Cold War, Korea, Vietnam et al. since, began with French/English jealousy over a growing united and powerful German economy and the desires of a handful on international financiers (criminal?) to form the basis of a one world government wielding absolute financial control over the worlds peoples and economies. It's also rumored that Adam Schiff's grandpa was one of the Wall Street titans who put ten grand in solid gold in Trotsky's pocket and sent him off to bring down the Russian Czar, then the richest man in the world. Capitalists fronting communism? Oh my.
Benz observations about State Department use of USAID for the creation of "rent a riot" spook ops across the world and, it seems, the willingness to unleash the same tactics on American soil should give us all reason for pause. BLM? (Far afield in this conversation, the "practice" raid on the Coyote Ca. power grid in which the perps got away clean?)
Could there really be a generational self-interested cabal of international criminal financiers intent on seizing control of Planet Earth's people, natural resources and finances? OR, IS UNREGULATED WEALTH AND POWER IN THE HANDS OF MALIGNANT NARCISSISM THE ROOT CAUSE OF HUMAN SUFFERING? Our situation certainly seems to be more pathological than political.
Mr. Soros continues to use
his wealth to disrupt the
American judiciary. Mr. Kerry
feels our Republic's Constitution stands in the
way of real human progress. Mr. Schwab? (Check the EU push for 20% of flour to be bug protein?) Mr. Fink and his pal's destroy American manufacturing and swallow pension funds every day. Hey? Why was Davos chosen for rich boy vacation and why is Swiss banking allowed to conceal information on its depositors? How many unaccounted for billions have disappeared from the American treasury? Where did that money go? Elon, Markie Z. and Jeff want to issue their own currency. Trump is reprieve not salvation. BRING BACK THE CFPB!!
There is the American Republic, its Constitution and the free citizen. Everything else is passing through.
Central banking, digital currency
Wow!
I see what you did there.
Found on internet
EUROPE - A lesson in explaining irony.
JD Vance - “Europe does not accept free speech."
Europe - “ The JD Vance speech is not acceptable."
Here endeth the lesson
Now it’s clear why Matt is so violently opposed to the ‘Legacy Media.’ Back when he had editors he’d make up some sophomoric phrase and then write an article around it. Here her can ditch the article and just go with the sophomoric phrase. And he can walk around in his tracksuit all day and shoot the bull with some old dude in Montana who extols Trump. And he makes more money. Life is good, Matt
Keep following orders, comrade
And it’s a beautiful thing.
German courts have ruled that the AfD can be classified as a suspected threat to democracy, paving the way for the country’s domestic intelligence agency to spy on the opposition party.
"And if I have understood him correctly, he is comparing conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regions… That is not acceptable."
Actually, it's parts of Europe being comparable to authoritarian regions that is not acceptable. This kind of reminds me of the Democrats' objections to DOGE, where they complain that it's unacceptable for DOGE to be discovering fraud. As if the problem were the discovery of it rather than it's existence.
Of course germany is an authoritarian regime. They should try not acting like an authoritarian regime if they don't want to be called one, not just assume that they are above all criticism, Because Europe.
No Germany is not an authoritarian regime like the Soviet Union or China. But it does have a different definition of Free Speech, just like most of European countries.
I'd like to know more about this "different definition of free speech." I have a feeling it's a lot like "sorta pregnant."
It is a short path down a slippery slope from "surpasses dissenting views" to "authoritarian regime".
j/s
No separation at all.
When WE do it, then that makes it okay. When THEY do it, then it;s very very bad.
clarify "We and They" Feral.
if you mean We/the US, then I see that as libtards/dems sensoring free speech/thoughts, as that does not support their objectives. That is not ok for those of open mind and sharing freedom of speech.
Vance was on target overall.
rich
It’s the rules based order. We make the rules and that’s the order of things.
Speech is either free or it's not there really isn't much in between.
Erhard, do you think Germany is on the right track with their energiewende and immigration policy?
Nice try.
What's a present tense comment about the Soviet Union got to do with this discussion. Russian citizens on the other hand appear to have at least as much freedom as Germans and Brits.
Yes it is. If you cannot accept speech you hate and suppress it with the force of law, you’re authoritarian. If you cannot accept a party the people have chosen to support and attempt to destroy it, you’re an authoritarian.
If you control speech you don't like, then you do not have free speech. In Germany and the UK you live in an authoritarian regime that suppresses speech that it does not like.
Nord Stream Bombing.
How happy are the Germans going to be with their 'leaders' if it turns out the German government turned a "blind eye" to a NATO ally attack on Germany?
Greenwald is all over this: Vance has done more to change minds about Trump and America in a good way than any US politician or activist.
Don't you remember the Podesta Emails? It was literally said on CNN and MSNBC that it was not relevant what was contained in the emails it was more about that it was obtained in a questionable manner so therefore the public shouldn't view it or have an opinion on it.
It's amazing that so many of the people I once felt were educated are SO on the wrong side of this. It makes me question my own intelligence in believing this people were smart.
i have noticed that highly educated folks are the last to admit that a broken media causes EVERYONE including themselves to be poorly informed. People with Ivy league PhDs tend to believe that a broken media landscape means “everyone else” is poorly informed
Surprising but true.
Kat on Gutfeld's analogy: you find our your husband is cheating on you, and he screams, "You looked in my phone! How can I be with you if you don't trust me?"
Even the most intelligent can be fooled, at least once (^_^)
Emmanuel, you’re correct that parts of Europe are authoritarian and sadly getting more so by the year. I’ve had a running conversation with an English friend over Musk calling out the UK “grooming gangs”. Her issue is that Musk shouldn’t comment because it’s not his business and it “just causes further problems.” MY issue to her is if she wants him to be prevented from commenting, who’s next to be censored and who is it exactly who will do the censoring? Is it the state that gets to decide what we read and say? And what kind of a government is that exactly and what kind of power does that ultimately give them? (When someone can be arrested in the UK for silently praying outside an abortion clinic - be asked what he was praying and then tell the truth to the police - and be arrested for his thoughts, Houston, we have a very big problem.)
She’s very intelligent and on the conservative side which makes it even more maddening. But she’ll think about it after her latest vacation - because that’s what they do. Worry about it tomorrow except that tomorrow, as it has been, is disappearing while so many of them are playing. I’m having somewhat the same conversation with a German friend who is on the left although it’s interesting that he may just get it. We’ll see.
Broken record I am. It has been 80 years since the end of WW2 and 35 years since the end of the Cold War. Since then, much of Western Europe has adopted the very same fascistic statist socialism we were allegedly fighting with the added benefit of Bond villain accents. Added bonus, paying for (and fighting) their wars while they try to impose restrictions on our freedoms. 115,000 dead in World War 1, 250,000+ dead Americans in Europe in WWII. Trillions in defense spending for their security over the last 85 years. No more please.
I am obviously no foreign policy brainiac, but why would you hitch your energy needs to Russia? Unless you are willing to BE like Russia?
I think the EU crowd has no taste for freedom, like we have it here in America.
Trump has really opened the door to a re-alignment, calling out the EU. This could get ugly. Because really, they have never thought much of the shaggy dog American.
They love US(A) when we are paying their bills...
Love. And, resent. But --- we were never supposed to question anything. Biden wandering away in Italy. Even the EU had to be thinking, "whaaaat?" They had to be on notice.
Uh no they don't. They take your money and they laugh at you behind your back. You have travelled to Europe?
Around here, we call it "conditional love". Same as you'd get from a hooker.
At least the hooker does its job and goes away.
The French are way worse than the Germans. Like, fuck them. I traveled extensively in Europe from 2011 to 2020 for business. There were two locations I'd go in Germany, and they sure had lots of questions about this Trump guy in 2017. The other thing I noticed throughout Germany was the "never again" feeling about the Nazis. I give them credit for not pretending WWII didn't happen. And I know they're trying to stop any new Nazi-ish recurrence with some of their shortsighted laws. Now comes the opportunity to understand that perhaps they overcorrected. Alas, old Boris doesn't appear to have any concerns.
Yes, I have. But Many years ago. 1979.
'Did the whole youth hostel thing. Met young people traveling from all over. Eurail pass, hitching rides, and so on.
The Ugly American. Speak our language. Blah, blah, blah. That was then, this is now.
We should have a lot of things in common. Do we?
Fuck them. They are the size of new England. Basically, they are broke. Put all their energy needs in the Russian basket. But, they are a great living museum. Maybe we should buy Europe.
You know, I have changed to Team F Them.
I remember watching Ukranian refugees getting on trains, flooding into Poland. Or how about the poor grandma sitting on a chair in the middle of a field, with nothing.
Yeah. Get your energy from Russia, and don't take the time to protest its invasion. Maybe if Russia didn't know how it had you by the balls, things could have been different.
Meanwhile, back at Blank Check US of A . . .
There is no connection between buying Russian energy and adopting its politics. Europe should buy energy from Russia because it’s right next door, has a near endless supply of energy to sell, and can therefore sell it far cheaper than from any other source, as was happening for decades prior to 2022. Cutting off Russian energy, or rather buying it through third parties for a much more expensive price, has been a disaster for Europe.
Many countries buy Russian oil and gas-- directly and indirectly (through India etc) including the US.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MTTIM_NUS-NRS_1&f=M
There’s a lot of oil and gas in Russia; that’s why other countries buy it. Seems pretty obvious…
Germany was (and is) resource poor and USSR/Russia was (and is) resource rich. Plus America had the Texas oilfields, the Midwestern Breadbasket and the two greatest industrial cities in the world in Detroit and Chicago. WW2 in a nutshell.
Thank you for this information.
All I am saying is, this relationship is something to be considered. We are financing the Ukranian war caused by Russian invasion. Why is there a war. Why are all these countries financing the war. And, BTW, where is the accountability.
History did not begin in late February 2022. The Russian invasion was caused by western provocations starting long before and continuing until then.
Well, the US at one time hitched its energy needs to Saudi Arabia, etc. Hydrocarbons are often found under the ground in countries that are not necessarily "democratic."
Anyway, the Germans were doing well with Russian gas. Now, they're not doing so well. They've more firmly welded themselves into a vassal relationship with the American empire and now they're upset that Trump no only doesn't have much respect for them, he's quite open about it.
They also got rid of all nukes right after Fukushima (in spite of the fact that they are not prone to earthquakes or tsunamis!) They are great at virtue signaling to their left!
One of America's oldest continuing alliances is the one it has with Saudi Arabia. FDR's last overseas trip was in 1945 to meet with the Saudi king. At one time of course US was very energy-dependent on KSA. It still has enough oil to get away with an endless train of atrocities and human rights abuses.
Trump makes his out of the box moves, shocks everyone, yet keeps getting results. He ought to threaten to pull out all of our troops unless they adopt freedom of speech laws, and heck, throw in the 2nd Amendment as well. Because you are correct. We are defending fascistic regimes over there!
That is a great idea- tie our support not just to their increased military spending but to traditional small l liberal values like freedom of speech, the right to bear arms etc. We don't need to be part of an alliance that undermines our values and the values our soldiers fought and died for in the last century. Countries that share our values can realign with us. Oh, and stop meddling in elections when you don't like the outcome like in Romania.
No arm twisting those people. Just don’t pay for their stuff
I can think of no beneficial reason for the US to remain in NATO. Haven't we fallen for the Domino Theory enough times by now?
what does pizza have to do with anything? 🙂🙂🙂
The Podesta emails make me think pizza may be quite relevant.
Why not pull out all of our troops anyway? Why are they here to begin with? Russia is totally on the defensive vis a vis NATO. Our excuse for bullying them used to be ideology. They were Commies. Now it's. . . what again? Oh yeah, Putin's a mean guy. No, we want what they have. Our "breadbasket" is a polluted drought zone and we're no longer mineral rich. We have to open up our treasured national parks to "drill, baby, drill!" Even the CIA is fully aware that global warming means, as the Cargill execs put it, "Siberia is the new breadbasket." Why don't Americans wake up?
Free speech, for sure. I'm not so sure Germany needs more guns. Like, ever.
I can say that shit without people calling me a whatever because I am of German descent and I've spent enough time in that country to think they need to move away from the censorship. But guns?
Correct, currently, Germany’s Balls aren’t Big enough to handle a real 2A.
amen!!!
The “Bond villain accents” gotta be worth something. Good one
Love him ( me) or hate him, you have to admit that Elon Musk has more real life Bond villain potential than any individual ever.
Goldfinger was the greatest Bond villain. He was one of us.
Brilliantly put-- hear hear!
Your grandfather wouldnt be thrilled with abortions at 9 months and trans children?
Must been his white supremacy
There is a proper American response to European hacks like Pistorius here when he says, "that is not acceptable."
It's one simple question.
"And?"
I was going with "well, that's just like your opinion, man"
Till the trigger goes 'click'? Tutturro was awesome!
8 year old, dude
“…click, Click, click…”
Both of you are way too polite.
Zackly. The proper response starts with and ends witht he word "bitch".
As in "Bitch, nobody cares what you think is 'acceptable', bitch."
Nihilists couldn't stop the Dude and neither can Pistoriuses
Maybe Oscar could.
Nice one, dude 😎
Or maybe "I really don't care, Margaret".
That line is going to be used a lot from now on. Such a great response.
The Gen X in me is proud of young Vance.
I've only ever heard of two people named Pistorius--this blowhard and the South African runner with the blades for legs who killed his girlfriend. Wonder if they're related.
then there is brilliantly talented (but tragically self-destructive) bassist, Jaco Pastorius, and the mad scientist from The Bride of Frankenstein, "Dr. Pastorius". Methinks there is a thread here!!
Ah c'mon, Jaco was great. Heavy Weather is a classic. Don't judge him by a vowel's difference with sociopaths.
I'm stealing that one!
Fuck the Germans…
This is certainly a refreshingly candid take.
Yeah!
Vance was right.
And this guys response sounds exactly like what an authoritarian would say
I don't care, Margaret.
Don’t leave out!”Martha, uh, err, Boris, do you hear yourself?”,
Fuck em. Germany is lost. Soon to be renamed ‘Muhammadville’.
They decided to kill their own country and economy because China, India and Africa keep burning coal.
*Ahem* MuhammadBERG.
Euros need to get used to being upset by Vance. Gonna be a long 12 years…
4 of Trump and 8 of Vance might be enough to turn the corner. The Swamp, she's vast and deep.
The next president isn't Vance, it's Gabbard. She has much higher visibility, she has a real job not just a figurehead, she's super smart, and she's beyond gorgeous. Even setting all that aside, Republicans will need her to combat the irresistable appeal of a female minority candidate on the left, even one that's an incoherent idiot.
Wow. You are beyond deluded. Gabbard is a renegade Dem. No one likes a traitor. I cannot imagine a GOP voter voting for her, and no Dem would. Like Liz Cheney, she has no constituency.
There may be reasons not to support Gabbard's future political moves, but having been a Democrat is not one.
Ronald Reagan was a long-time Democrat, before he changed to the Republicans.
Hey, Trump was a Dem for a long time.. those terms don't mean what they used to..
A lot of those "traitors" are called Independents now. I'm thinking Vance-Gabbard 2028
I think it's pretty obvious...especially if Gabbard does a great job as DNI.
But yeah, Vance gets the job in 4 years.
The problem is that DNI is as much of a make-work job as VP. Unless....Trump has given her and Ratcliffe specific orders to gut the Intel State. Which I sure as hell hope he has.
I think (maybe that's hope!) that Gabbard will force the IC to reorient toward understanding national security issues, both DOMESTIC and foreign. These foreign policy war positions are NOT in our national security interests.
Stopping corruption in foreign policy is her greatest challenge.
Independents are like skunks with yellow stripes. Why yellow? Because they got run over in the middle of the road. No one votes for independents. And the "independents" in Congress are just partisans without the courage to actually declare their party.
Maybe no one votes for independents, but a whole lot of independents vote!
sorry- I have been an independent ALL my voting life- and I am no yellow skunk! Some of us just don't drink either party's Kool-aid!!
Love the yellow stripes..
Yes. Me too.
When she did a podcast a year or two ago, her first guest was Ron Paul, and her second or third guest was Steve Scalise, defending the 2nd Anendment. She has publicly shown her allegiance to new GOP policy goals, she was never a neo-con like Cheney and her dad.
Winston Churchill pulled it off twice.
But he's totally right on her being hot.
Traitor?
I like Tulsi, but as VP Vance is the clear heir apparent at this point. Tulsi is still too close to her affiliation with the Dems. She may well be a serious candidate in 12 years, but I doubt she could beat Vance in the primaries if she tried, which I don’t think she will.
Even “ one”? I’ll bet they drag up a gaggle of dumb asses.
I would love her as our first woman prez!
And, actually, who gives a rats ass what they like?
Ha! Excellent.
The Germans will "teach us a lesson" by allowing all of Palestine to move to Germany.
Won't come to that. The Egyptians have taken the reins and want to lead the effort of rebuilding Gaza with other Arab countries. They're so desperate to not have to take Gazans, Hamasniks and Palestinians in that they and other Arab countries will rebuild Gaza themselves.
If Trump's idea ends up with the neighboring countries rebuilding Gaza, wouldn't that be just fine!
Got to love it. BB and his Zionist buddies must be ecstatic to contemplate Arab nations camping next door rebuilding Gaza! I wonder if Israel will be required to supply the electricity and water as in the past?
I always wonder how many people realize that Israel provides those essentials to Gaza. Most people are totally clueless, I believe.
Perhaps the "Palestinians" should have used some of those gazillions $$ to have electricity, water, sanitation in Gaza. In fact they did it, although underground.
Are you sad, Shelley? You can always move to Gaza yourself and get the rest of us a first hand account.
ID, your are a loon.
pobre cito.
Israel offered Gaza to Egypt years ago, and the Egyptians said hell no.
great idea! They can bond on their hatred of Jews!
LOL!!
If there are any Germans here, do yourselves a favor and work on getting a bill of rights established. Well worth the headaches.
We actually have something like that. They're just shitting all over it.
Exactly. A Bill of Rights or whatever is meaingless if not enforced.
Like our own. It wasn’t really enforced as federal law until the 1920s, in reaction to Wilson’s authoritarian actions. Back when Madison was around, he initially opposed it, on the grounds that the states’ constitutions already covered it, but switched positions and actually drafted one to avoid a second constitutional convention. It’s an interesting story.
Indeed. We just lived through some of that here during covid. Still no one held to account.
Yet.
Patel confirmation coming Tuesday.
It’s coming!!
That any number of people are getting away with crimes . . . My hope is that there is a reckoning coming.
But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain - that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.
Lysander Spooner
Long ago I stopped buying German cars.
I used to tell my AP students that the USA is only country in the world that takes its Bill of Rights completely seriously at face value. Every country has a “Bill of Rights” of some ostensible sort-but don’t treat it as a guarantor of natural rights from God.
What is it and is there a movement underway to stop the shitting on it?
Ah, the German psychology-- or is it pathology? Great engineers, *very* rules based, to their detriment. But once they get "a leader", their default is to unquestioningly follow. And the answer to discontent is more rules, not the more American response of "throw the bum out". Getting a devious leader, these guys inevitably march right off a pier rather than question how sane the rules are.
I do business with Germany and other countries regularly. It's amazing how strict they are. Almost every time I ask a question about solving a problem by doing something a little different than normal, the answer comes back "It's Not Possible". They say it so officiously that I can barely hold back from laughing sometimes.
The irony is that because europeans are so obessed with box-cchecking and rule following, europeans are not good at any kind of indepenent or cirtical thought and they don't like it. Germany also is a very high trust society, which means that they tend to take statements at face value without knowing what to check.
The average frustrated european is much better educated than the average frustrated American, but the europeans tend to be bland, predictable, and much of a muchness. Critical thinking as I said, is mistrusted.
Gross generalizations.
Wait, are you saying Germans are dour, rule-bound nitpickers with an ominous accent? Well, I never!
(Very happy my ancestors GTFO of Germany in the 1880s.)
Sure, the Germans will have Nazism again, except this time it will come in the form of socialism... Hey wait, that's the form it came in the first time...
wasn't Hamlin in Germany?
Sounds historically familiar…….
and damn, the MFers are punctual.
Used to be! Recent reports say the trains are not running on time
Vance simply spoke the truth about what you and I and a ton of people in the comments section have been screaming for years - the Censorship Industrial Complex has already consumed Europe, Canada, and Australia. (At least.)
That's what they wanted for us, too.
Don't forget the U.K. (though you may figuratively include them in Europe). They're the only Western country I know of that has arrested people for thought crimes in recent years.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXURFRSUS9U
Sebastian Vaughan-Spruce: https://www.foxnews.com/media/man-fined-standing-silently-outside-uk-abortion-clinic-officers-couldnt-tell-him-crime
Fr Sean Gough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q50cBO6HAvo
Adam Smith-Connor: https://www.ncregister.com/interview/another-english-pro-lifer-is-penalized-for-praying
At first I typed "EU", then went back and change it because I wanted to include the UK in that. They might be the furthest down the road.
My mistake regarding Europe versus the European Union.
AfD is rising in Germany, in response to the incredibly stupid immigration policy which has brought in millions of Muslim terrorists. In response multiple efforts have been made to outlaw AfD by the centrist parties. AfD is gonna make bank politically 2024/02/23. Big changes coming to Germany.
I fully expect the EU is fully prepared to reject the election results in Germany, as they have in Romania. Austria, I believe, also has a similar scenario developing.
They nearly pulled that off here last election, or thought they could. This regime change business goes back to the Dulles brothers (maybe even further back). Not surprising it would eventually be tried domestically.
Break out the jack boots and riding crops
Clueless and senseless is no way to go thru life, sonny boy.
It’s worked for 79 years, little man
We can hope
Just don’t hate Germans (or any other nationality); their government sucks, but that’s distinct from the people that live there.
Respectfully disagree. The populace, sooner or later, acquiesce to the State
Is your head a softwood or hardwood? Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Haben Sie zu Deutschland gegehen?
Good questions. I might ask is your a dick head? Asking for a friend.
Love look at Boris and Bill Kristol in their bunker as the neocon regime collapses: https://yuribezmenov.substack.com/p/downfall-usaid-bill-kristol-neocon-ngo
I saw one article recently where Billy was claiming USAID helped "defeat" the Iraqi insurgency. Now I don't know about you but I don't think that is making the case he thinks it is making.
Thank you! :)
All of you who don't read The Bulwark, GET OUT! too funny...
So good
A couple of months ago I developed a heuristic rule that I use to quickly evaluate people and their political statements. Following from Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking Fast and Slow," it depends on my quick, intuitive reaction to assess what I see and hear. I then subject it to a more thoughtful (and time consuming) analysis. I have used it dozens of times and not once have I had to revise that initial reaction.
It is quite simple. If my instant thought is, "Go F**K Yourself," I know I am dealing with an enemy who is trying to manipulate me. As I said, it has not failed, yet.
My reaction to Pistorius, and allowing for possible translation issues, is, "Go F**k Yourself."
I’ve recently been advising my daughters to do the same.
No idea why it works, but has a damn good track record.
I like your system!
All tubes ready, Captain Taibbi!