Free Republic

For issues like the Middle East, it is always the same.

Even big events devolve into “Another day, another dollar.”

The U.S. administration does the best it can, a recent success, a ton of missteps along before that, some negotiations that sort of worked, many that definitely didn’t.

Then another year comes along and we get back to work. Reminds me of farming actually.

My Father was from Texas. I had jalapenos for baby food. Sadly, he said I wasn’t ready for a real test, and I have never dared go there.

I’m old now, but I have a grandson who may grow up to be worthy, if there aren’t too many New York survivors by the time he grows up.

There is no Democratic Party... except maybe for us to call them out and fuss at them.

The new name for the liberal side of the US voter population is “The Resistance”.

Any pretense of other values or priorities is only to be found in our elderly (and in my case, beloved) family members.

I want to hear more about the “businesses”. They could be part of a fantasy that he was trying to pass into a reality.

No evidence for this. Just a thought.

I’m kind of thinking he might be a security guy trying to build up some demand for his services. Could this be somebody who has gone crazy for money and a job?

Polls are a measure of media message effectiveness. I’m sure the Democrats can do better at persuading Americans that burning and looting are good and stopping a riot is bad.

This poll result just means that AOC needs to try harder so the people on Cable TV can show their little audiences the benefits of a good riot.

I don’t quite get the direction of the posts (or some of them) on this thread.

Turning a state like New jersey red is a one-step-at-a-time process.

You put your best candidate on the ballot. You stay positive with you ads and messages. You get a result. Repeat.

I don’t live in New Jersey. Grumbling about the bad odds for the 2025 Governors race seems like unnecessary surrender before the battle to me.

Go Ciatarelli.

Just commenting on nothing at all, but...

If our First Lady slapped that French guy, he wouldn’t be coming down the stairs smiling. She’s got that “Gangsta behind the Beauty” look that shows up in half the movies on Netflix.

I have noticed that Melania doesn’t get much credit for her extraordinary beauty, but nobody seems much inclined to mess with her.

Trump is a big guy but she never looks small when she’s with him.

I want to point out that this piece is an example of the “dark forebodings” school of what used to be called “journalism.”

Germany threatens this... Trump promises that... Consumer sentiment is down (or up, or whatever)... Deficit will be this or that over the next ten years.

This stuff isn’t news even though it is advanced by Reuters. It is narrative engineering.

First of all- good post. Thanks

For me this is complicated stuff. I loathe current Democrat politics and Democrat policies. The voter movement being described fits right in with my wishes for better government.

Unfortunately, I don’t trust any politicians from either party. I like the Republicans better- right now. I generally side with what I believe to be the working center of the electorate- right now.

I can pretty easily imagine a future where I am more worried about Republicans than Democrats. Too much movement in one political direction spooks me a little even when it is headed my way.

My story with blood sugar.

I have a life history of weight control challenges.

I was prediabetic before Doctors called it that and made a big issue out of my obvious problems.

I looked in the mirror. I told myself that I had been lying to myself all my life. Sugar is bad for me and always was.

I quit sugar- wemt to KETO-light before it was called KETO.

My blood sugar quit being an issue and my weight became manageable. That was 20 years ago.

There you go. Do what you think is right. I wouldn’t take medication in an effort to hang on to sweets in my diet that were harming my health.

Where is the pardon autopen when one of your people needs it?

It’s very hard to program a fake news channel.

I mean—

Do you you program for the childless cat people?

Or maybe, the Brooklyn neighborhood where the MSNBC staff all live?

Polls are a feature of the media. The newspapers and networks pay for the polls. They choose the questions. The only thing that polls reveal is whether the respondents have heard what the media are saying that week (or month, or quarter, depending on the topic).

They are not a measure of “popularity” or “liking” or “opinion on the issues”. They ae a measure of media impact.

what about a used, low-mileage, one-owner handbag.

As long as it gets me to town and back, that’s all I care about.

Nations with “plenty of people”? Near Russia? Eyeing all that empty land?

What nations are those? Russia’s neighbors are in decline as well.

Maybe Sub-Saharan Africa could start some sort Immigrant stream through Scandinavia— kind of like Central Americans migrating through Mexico.

this article is not exactly “au courant”. (see my handle for why I am speaking French).

It is most interesting in that it leaves our the search for the good. Maybe 1960-1964 isn’t coming back, but there is a record for us to study as we search for what would be good 2030-2044.

The “Change is inevitable. Only the uninformed resist it” view is tiresome and a little stupid. In fact, Kunstler’s position is more like “Learned helplessness in the face of doom”.

I liked the article. Thank you.

That said, I don’t think I see things the way the author does.

The difference is that the author only discusses Courts defending the national constitution.

I’m not at all clear that the standoffs in Brazil and Israel that he reviews are really constitutional standoffs. They look like establishment vs. “disliked change” standoffs.

That’s what the current Trump vs the Courts standoff involves, unwelcome (in out-of-power minds) change. The Judges are not defending the Constitution. They are defending stable norms and prevailing government arrangements.

Of course, being on Free Republic, I welcome the change and support Trump as the change agent. With that perspective I really want the Courts to get out of the way of working for a better country.

Chief Justice Roberts better jump on his horse if he wants to preserve the historic role of the Judiciary in American democracy.

Trump is moving too fast for the appellate review process to deal with findings by activist judges.

Roberts wants the Presidency to move at a pace that can be effectively reviewed by the courts. Trump sets a policy. Judges check it out. If they have doubts, they take action to slow it down and take a closer look. The Supreme Court referees everything so that the overall system stays on the tracks.

Unfortunately for the keep-everything-on-the-tracks system Trump is too strong and too fast.

Judges speed up in response. Active interference with the Presidency becomes too frequent for effective control by the appeal process. Activist (likely biased) judges enter the spotlight.

Roberts’ control is threatened and possibly even the broad political faith in the judiciary is compromised.

This is Robert job to resolve and he better get on it.

This post reminded me that a lot of our military and foreign policy is based on ideas that we have held on to for years and years that may not be true any more.

Is there really an Islamic world that is homogenous, united in violent opposition to Israel? Maybe we created that world by assuming that it is there. Or, maybe there used to be such a world, but people are tired of it now.

Anyhow, this post suggests that resolution of the Gaza issue may work out along the lines of post-war Germany. The Germans were horribly damaged by allied bombing and even more by Russian military action and abuses of German civilians. Germany still released their nationalist ideologies and adopted new ideologies that allowed a full economic and cultural life in peace with their conquerors.