How does the World view America these days?

[Hugh Mughnus]

I checked some of the homicide stats etc, and then checked the neighborhoods out that are worst hit on google maps. They look like nice areas. 

 

I know I'm probably completely ignorant saying this. I was expecting run down ghettos or something.

 

I take that back. Some of this is pretty sketchy. 

 

Chicago sounds like a scary place. 

Edited December 27, 2016 by Bulk VanderHooj

[LimpyLoo]

chiraq has had 44 shootings from dec 23rd to dec 26th. current murders in chiraq for 2016 = 754.

still a few more days to go including the big daddy of them all: new years

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-chicago-murder-idUSKBN14G1MJ

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/ChiefKeef/status/799949009427173383

Chief Keef can eat shit and die, as usual

[doublename]

Don't lack tbqh

[Audioblysk]

Damn that's sad. I had a friend I worked with who had to move back to Chicago after being raised in the south-east side in a shit neighborhood and escaping a life of bangin'

 

Hope he's okay. They don't play out there

[ambermonk]

And I was disturbed by the fact that we just reached 33 for the year in my city. We ain't got shit on Chi.

[doublename]

+there are 23 US cities with higher per capita murder rates than Chicago.

[ignatius]

[Nebraska]

christmas weekend there were a bunch of fights across 11 states organized on social media. yesterday, brotherly love continued in philadelphia 

 

in the political arena: trump tower had to be evacuated yesterday after a mysterious package was found. once it was revealed there was no danger, a trump admin representative tweeted "back to work here after a false alarm. thanks nypd" to which the mayor's press secretary replied "no problem. we'll send you the bill"

 

i'm really liking how everyone is giving trump and his admin such a hard time

[ambermonk]

Seems like most New Yorkers shun the Donald (his home city), not to mention bald eagles hate him. 

Irony aside, the potential for widespread grassroots resistance is encouraging.

[doublename]

Politics aside, I don't think it's possible not to hate Trump if one of his hideous buildings is in your city.

[joshuatxuk]

i'm really liking how everyone is giving trump and his admin such a hard time

 

freedom of speech swings both ways and Trump is a prime example of someone who doesn't have any concept of that

[joshuatxuk]

It'll be interesting how much of his nanny lifestyle bullshit will be tolerated as well. The US military, already greatly oriented toward POTUS support missions, is having to expand it's role even more so because Trump refuses to move to the White House permanently. The USAF was doing unusual training over Manhattan earlier as an example of this.

 

Foreign policy / military strategy will be scary and fascinating aspect of this new administration. Not since Nixon has a president been so hostile and indifferent to security briefings and operations. Even worse, Trump's idiocy exceeds that of W Bush by a huge factor. Obama has had a lot of flack from military brass but he was never out of line and objectively pretty reasonable (and not much different than any other postwar POTUS, including post-war drawdown admins like Clinton and Carter)

 

Trump is either going to have to get his shit together and mellow out / fall in line with technocrats, policy experts, and military brass or something very ugly is going to happen in terms of indictments, investigations, even flat out calls of impeachment. God willing that is before he gets people killed in some stupid decision making.

 

Roosevelt said "speak softly, and carry a big stick." If that is an example to compare to than Trump is child yelling his head off and swinging a machete.

Edited December 28, 2016 by joshuatx

[Nebraska]

Trump is either going to have to get his shit together and mellow out / fall in line with technocrats, policy experts, and military brass or something very ugly is going to happen in terms of indictments, investigations, even flat out calls of impeachment. God willing that is before he gets people killed in some stupid decision making.

 

^^^ i agree, but the problem is, his supporters agree with everything he does. if he lost a support because of his actions, he'd change, but he doesn't. in fact, i talked to a trump supporter and asked him why he likes trump despite of how much of a fool he makes of himself on twitter. his answer was that he actually likes that trump communicates on twitter because he completely distrusts the mainstream media, and when trump makes a fool of himself it only proves to him that he's human.

 

another problem is when people rage against trump's incompetence, it only fuels his supporters love for him because in their eyes, liberals will dislike anything trump does. right now, if you point out that he's filling his admin with his best donors, his supporters claim it's because they're not corrupt- which is strange because this is corruption by definition. so you have to wonder whether people understand the meaning of words or only pick and choose what to define and be upset about?

 

whatever the case, we are in deep trouble (at least, if you're on the left) because there will be deep repercussion to what is happening (and going to happen) in january plus onwards. 

[ambermonk]

It'll be interesting how much of his nanny lifestyle bullshit will be tolerated as well. The US military, already greatly oriented toward POTUS support missions, is having to expand it's role even more so because Trump refuses to move to the White House permanently. The USAF was doing unusual training over Manhattan earlier as an example of this.

 

Foreign policy / military strategy will be scary and fascinating aspect of this new administration. Not since Nixon has a president been so hostile and indifferent to security briefings and operations. Even worse, Trump's idiocy exceeds that of W Bush by a huge factor. Obama has had a lot of flack from military brass but he was never out of line and objectively pretty reasonable (and not much different than any other postwar POTUS, including post-war drawdown admins like Clinton and Carter)

 

Trump is either going to have to get his shit together and mellow out / fall in line with technocrats, policy experts, and military brass or something very ugly is going to happen in terms of indictments, investigations, even flat out calls of impeachment. God willing that is before he gets people killed in some stupid decision making.

 

Roosevelt said "speak softly, and carry a big stick." If that is an example to compare to than Trump is child yelling his head off and swinging a machete.

And Tricky Dick resigned before he could be impeached after the whole Watergate scandal if I'm not mistaken. Hmm.

 

Trump's refusal to "play ball" will no doubt backfire at some point, in relation to the types of officials you mentioned. As for Roosevelt's analogy though, I'm not sure whether it's more accurate to say he's wielding a machete or a dildo at this point.

[joshuatxuk]

 

Trump is either going to have to get his shit together and mellow out / fall in line with technocrats, policy experts, and military brass or something very ugly is going to happen in terms of indictments, investigations, even flat out calls of impeachment. God willing that is before he gets people killed in some stupid decision making.

 

^^^ i agree, but the problem is, his supporters agree with everything he does. if he lost a support because of his actions, he'd change, but he doesn't. in fact, i talked to a trump supporter and asked him why he likes trump despite of how much of a fool he makes of himself on twitter. his answer was that he actually likes that trump communicates on twitter because he completely distrusts the mainstream media, and when trump makes a fool of himself it only proves to him that he's human.

 

another problem is when people rage against trump's incompetence, it only fuels his supporters love for him because in their eyes, liberals will dislike anything trump does. right now, if you point out that he's filling his admin with his best donors, his supporters claim it's because they're not corrupt- which is strange because this is corruption by definition. so you have to wonder whether people understand the meaning of words or only pick and choose what to define and be upset about?

 

whatever the case, we are in deep trouble (at least, if you're on the left) because there will be deep repercussion to what is happening (and going to happen) in january plus onwards. 

 

 

I could go on and on about this aspect of it, it's the most infuriating and frustrating aspect of his presidency. It's doublespeak, lies, immoral and hypocrisy out in the open and it's impossible to attack when those things are openly embraced. At best when you hone in on these critiques get circular answers, dodged questions, and tangents to other issues. There is not even the basic decency of an ideological difference and debate, it's pure anti-intellectual bullshit.

 

It isn't new. I've seen it a lot among the right in Texas and in the last few elections. It's like a Simpsons plot. I recall talking about how TX governor Greg Abbott receives $14,000 a month, until he dies, from a lawsuit when a tree fell on him while jogging. He was awarded 10 million + total. He later passed laws limiting such lawsuit payouts to $750,000 for anything. He breaks the intention of his own law. He is a hypocrite. He made himself an exception. When I brought this up to supports of him they said "so?" and looked at me baffled. They are the same ones who get riled up over food stamps, welfare payouts, unions, government workers and their benefits, and any liberal politician being paid as consultants, lobbyists, or lawyers. You really can't fight stupid.

 

For example his supporters will retroactively attack Bush and the CIA and cite Iraq as a mistake when pressed about the hacking scandal. They then literally cite neocons and hawkish rhetoric or support Trumps appointment of Bush-era czars and advisers. They distrust the NSA/FBI but support Trumps pro-surveillance agenda. They viciously harass, bully, and attack people then cry foul when someone quips back. They literally have no coherent ideology. They literally vote for the same people who fuck them over. They've been convinced that liberals and Democrats are evil. It's like a religion - you ultimately can't debate faith and their faith is Trump.

 

I've read elsewhere that the reality of his downfall will ultimately be his failure to actually help those who voted for him not out of hate but out of frustration: the working-class votes that carried him to win the electoral college. We can't attack for immorality or deceit. I can't even imagine a scandal or criminal office that could get him ostracized by his supporters - save something that results in innocent people being killed or children harmed...that's an incredible and disturbing realization.

[joshuatxuk]

 

 

 

flol

[joshuatxuk]

 

 

And Tricky Dick resigned before he could be impeached after the whole Watergate scandal if I'm not mistaken. Hmm.

 

 

 

He did. He also had Kissinger in the helm. He didn't so much buck the system as he did ignore it. He was a criminal politician and a cynic but he also passed things like the EPA, establish relations with China, and kick-start key elements of the nuclear treaties.

[ignatius]

 

 

And Tricky Dick resigned before he could be impeached after the whole Watergate scandal if I'm not mistaken. Hmm.

 

 

 

He did. He also had Kissinger in the helm. He didn't so much buck the system as he did ignore it. He was a criminal politician and a cynic but he also passed things like the EPA, establish relations with China, and kick-start key elements of the nuclear treaties.

 

 

 

and for the mainstream he represents the death of innocence and belief in the USA gov't as an 'honest' entity.   at least he knew when to quit. 

[ignatius]

happy new year!

 

maybe this should be in the brexit thread? idk.. this is basically mirroring portland last night. there were numerous fights and drunk stupids

 

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2512502/new-years-eve-fights-vomit-and-sleeping-in-bins-carnage-on-britains-streets-as-boozed-up-revellers-celebrate/

 

Edited January 1, 2017 by ignatius

[goDel]

planet of the apes might be closer to the truth after all

 

*imagines they cried like fighting monkeys*

 

 

HNY! ;D

[ambermonk]

Getting smashed and doing stupid shit out in public on major holidays is overrated IMO. Or maybe I'm just too old for it.

Edited January 1, 2017 by ambermonk

[ignatius]

[cwmbrancity]

well you wouldnt take a knife to a gun fight with a toddler would you

 

i cant help but imagine a 3 year old version of Jack Palance during his role in "Shane", complete with infant tones, spouting "pick up the gun"

[LimpyLoo]

We need to address this epidemic of toddler shootings.

 

I haven't looked into it at all, but I'm confident that it's related to turf disputes between toddler gangs, probably related to black market Gerber's.

[ignatius]

We need to address this epidemic of toddler shootings.

 

I haven't looked into it at all, but I'm confident that it's related to turf disputes between toddler gangs, probably related to black market Gerber's.

 

 

i'm pretty sure it's all consipiracy related. toddlers making deals w/other toddlers.. "you kill my mom and i'll kill yours.. deal?"