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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

Planit said:
WORLD CUP NATIONS HIT BY TRUMP'S BAN
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Algeria
Cape Verde
Colombia
Cote d'Ivoire
Egypt
Ghana
Iran
Jordan
Senegal
Tunisia
Uruguay
Uzbekistan

The State Department will provide exceptions for some visa applications under the new pause, but it will be 'very limited.'

'very limited' meaning - Here's how much you'll have to pay for a visa?

If FIFA was smart - which they're just greedy - they would move some matches from US to Can or Mex.
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Knock out a few more Asian, European, and South/Central American countries and the US might win its first World Cup.
 
JNA said:
View attachment 66113
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I have a friend who was an accountant for the Detroit Pistons years ago and when they won the championship in 2004, Bill Davidson (the owner at the time) made sure EVERYBODY got a championship ring. My buddy let me wear his ring around the office for a while (back in 2008 or 2009?). Are you saying that I was not in fact a member of the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons?


FWIW, my friend's ring is about the size of a very small high school class ring and probably cost about the same. He showed me a picture of his ring next to one of the players rings and his is comically small and boring compared to the ones the players and coaches got.
 
Planit said:
WORLD CUP NATIONS HIT BY TRUMP'S BAN
Brazil
Morocco
Haiti
Algeria
Cape Verde
Colombia
Cote d'Ivoire
Egypt
Ghana
Iran
Jordan
Senegal
Tunisia
Uruguay
Uzbekistan

The State Department will provide exceptions for some visa applications under the new pause, but it will be 'very limited.'

'very limited' meaning - Here's how much you'll have to pay for a visa?

If FIFA was smart - which they're just greedy - they would move some matches from US to Can or Mex.
Click to expand...
In the lobby of Coca Cola World there’s a lit up globe with the FIFA teams named. Both my kids asked me if I thought the World Cup was going to happen with so many countries now on the no visa list. I told them I didn’t know but I expect many of the matches slated to be played in the U.S. will move to Canada and Mexico.
 
I overheard some folks praising the Ken Burns doc on the Revolution and 1776, and one person made a very astute observation. There is “history” that we have been told, then there is the “truth” that is not just one persons story, but a collection of actual events that are intertwined.

It really has me wondering about the history that we were told in school, and how much of it is true and how much they didn’t tell us. I am a massive fan of Ben Franklin, but I also know that he had some significant issues too, especially when it came to alcohol and women.

What about you. When it comes to politics how do you differentiate between history and the truth?
 
I'm from Texas. Our history is one of the most massively revisionist you'll find built around the Texas myth, but there are a number of incomplete elements to its history as an early nation-building exercise rooted in the Monroe Doctrine with an eye towards increasing southern power by other states. Basically, the U.S. saw benefit to Mexico gaining its independence and then subsequently Texas, allowing it to exert influence. Southern states particularly took advantage, with slavery a practice in portions of Texas (but not all). There's even an argument that the Confederacy neglecting Texas contributed substantially to its loss, as Texas didn't really form a strong functional central state despite resources, and Texas having an interesting conflict with comfort with slavery but a really, REALLY complex relationship with the Native Americans when it came to displacement.

There's a lot of folks actively working on Tejano history, which is really the story of various borders crossing people instead of people crossing borders. I even have friends that are descended from original Texicans (history traced to being in current Texas through the Spain-to-Mexico-to-Texas-to-US transition over a 35 year period.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
I'm from Texas. Our history is one of the most massively revisionist you'll find built around the Texas myth, but there are a number of incomplete elements to its history as an early nation-building exercise rooted in the Monroe Doctrine with an eye towards increasing southern power by other states. Basically, the U.S. saw benefit to Mexico gaining its independence and then subsequently Texas, allowing it to exert influence. Southern states particularly took advantage, with slavery a practice in portions of Texas (but not all). There's even an argument that the Confederacy neglecting Texas contributed substantially to its loss, as Texas didn't really form a strong functional central state despite resources, and Texas having an interesting conflict with comfort with slavery but a really, REALLY complex relationship with the Native Americans when it came to displacement.

There's a lot of folks actively working on Tejano history, which is really the story of various borders crossing people instead of people crossing borders. I even have friends that are descended from original Texicans (history traced to being in current Texas through the Spain-to-Mexico-to-Texas-to-US transition over a 35 year period.
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For a period while slavery was still legal in Texas, (the republic), an American Indian came into a town with a young slave he legally owned. She looked white. He had his papers in order. He was arrested and the girl taken from him. I have a book somewhere about that story. The story is of his trial.
 
I'm sure by now everyone has heard that Trump sent a whiny email to the leader of Norway. And it seems to point powerfully towards a serious cognitive decline. Or some kind of mental deficiency. One can't make this shit up so here verbatim is what the email said.
DJT said:
Dear Jonas,

Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America. Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a “right of ownership” anyway? There are no written documents, it’s only a boat that landed there hundreds of years ago, but we had boats landing there, also. I have done more for NATO than any person since its founding, and now, NATO should do something for the United States. The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland. Thank you! President DJT
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Where to even begin with this? Evidently, he believes the government of Norway (as opposed to the Nobel foundation) awards Nobel prizes. That's bad enough, but the whole 3 year-old temper tantrum in front of the entire world defies belief! - if I can't have a Nobel Peace Prize for stopping 8 imaginary wars, than I just might have to...invade Greenland! You know, I don't want that stupid Nobel prize anyways. They give it out to losers! So you'll WISH you'd given it to me when I decide to invade YOUR country!!! You'll all be sorry then! Wahhhhh! How the eff did this brain damaged moron EVER get elected President? Who thought giving this nearly 80 year old spoiled crybaby the nuclear launch codes was a good idea? Would he really be willing to break apart NATO to keep public attention away from the (only 1% released) Epstein files?
 
Well, between some minor issues with Biden at the end and pretty much everything with Trumpendejo, one should expect bipartisan support for a constitutional amendment prohibiting presidential and congressional candidates from being eligible if over the age of 65 on election day. We've got a minimum age, and it is crystal clear now we need a maximum.
 
michaelskis said:
I overheard some folks praising the Ken Burns doc on the Revolution and 1776, and one person made a very astute observation. There is “history” that we have been told, then there is the “truth” that is not just one persons story, but a collection of actual events that are intertwined.

It really has me wondering about the history that we were told in school, and how much of it is true and how much they didn’t tell us. I am a massive fan of Ben Franklin, but I also know that he had some significant issues too, especially when it came to alcohol and women.

What about you. When it comes to politics how do you differentiate between history and the truth?
Click to expand...
I think as you get older and study history more, you should get depth, dimension, detail, and context. People are people. They are products of their time. They err. I believe you can still admire people for what they did even when they have flaws, sometimes serious ones. When we teach elementary school kids about Franklin it's ok to talk about him as a founding father, statesman, inventor, and swell guy. In middle school you may add in context that he spent time in France as an ambassador trying to gain support for America's cause. In high school and college you can introduce that he was a slave owner, but later became and abolitionist. Or maybe you talk about how his puritanical roots and growing enlightenment affected historical documents.

We can't agree on what happened yesterday, so I doubt we'll ever agree on all parts of history and what's true. The best we can do is research, listen to experts, and make judgements based on that and why a particular event or person is important.
 
Maister said:
Would he really be willing to break apart NATO to keep public attention away from the (only 1% released) Epstein files?
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The answer is obviously "yes." No question. Maybe somebody can stop him, (Joint Chiefs? EU threatening to dump US bonds?) but left to his own devices with only his Rosencrantz & Guildenstern advisors, absolutely no question he would.
 
1768948624377.png
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
They err.
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I've listened to most if not all the audiobooks by Bart Ehrman on the history of Jesus and early Christianity, and the inadvertent role scribes have had in fueling debates regarding biblical canon over the centuries is fascinating to me. Until I listened to those books, I never gave much thought about how scribes are error-prone, which, notably, helps shape what gets passed down as history. Tangentally, Bart's narratives on the book of Revelations was, uh, revelatory because he made a key point that its contents were likely allegorical and not meant to be literal, thus pointing at human cognition as another potential imperfect component contributing to our understanding of history.
 
From the times we live in ...

One of my staff had school closed today due to winter weather. When his wife told their daughter school was closed due to ice, the daughter replied "What is ICE doing in my school?"
 
A friend of mine's son lives/works in Minneapolis. He said his son told him it was 'horrific' right now in the city.

His partner is an elementary school teacher & 2 kids have been missing from class for a week. Found out today they are in Texas.
 
Sal, dookhickie, SubRepairmanit looks like you guys are going to get hammered with ice (not ICE thank goodness). I saw this news today...

Ted Cruz was photographed on Tuesday on a plane headed to a popular California beach town as the state of Texas braces for a winter storm.
 
Planit said:
A friend of mine's son lives/works in Minneapolis. He said his son told him it was 'horrific' right now in the city.

His partner is an elementary school teacher & 2 kids have been missing from class for a week. Found out today they are in Texas.
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Planit said:
A friend of mine's son lives/works in Minneapolis. He said his son told him it was 'horrific' right now in the city.

His partner is an elementary school teacher & 2 kids have been missing from class for a week. Found out today they are in Texas.
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Sh*t. Terry Gross talked to a law professor today that was once arrested for his color.
 
T - 2 days: Report from Kroger. Parking lot is full, as well as the gas pumps. Bread and TP fully stocked, but milk not fully shelved. Bottled water starting to run low - but there's time for them to restock. Random customer stressed out, but others just minding their own business.
 
sardonically recognized actual dubious achievements by public individuals or institutions,
the most frequent recipients being members or branches of the government
1769037794776.png


Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
 
Planit said:
Sal, dookhickie, SubRepairmanit looks like you guys are going to get hammered with ice (not ICE thank goodness). I saw this news today...

Ted Cruz was photographed on Tuesday on a plane headed to a popular California beach town as the state of Texas braces for a winter storm.
Click to expand...
More accurate than even the Waffle House Index for hurricanes and floods!

I think it'll be fine. Seems like we get a shitty ice storm once a year that loads around 1/4" of ice onto trees and roads that lasts a couple days. I am a bit full of regret for deciding to wait until spring to deal with some branch cutting on my "self pruning" pecan trees. Every weekend I planned to cut some of the critical branches I had something come up or bad weather. Now I'm staring at it trying to decide if I try to cut a couple of them tonight with a headlamp after work.

Sal and doohickie will get it worse up in DFW though.
 
Suburb Repairman said:
More accurate than even the Waffle House Index for hurricanes and floods!

I think it'll be fine. Seems like we get a shitty ice storm once a year that loads around 1/4" of ice onto trees and roads that lasts a couple days. I am a bit full of regret for deciding to wait until spring to deal with some branch cutting on my "self pruning" pecan trees. Every weekend I planned to cut some of the critical branches I had something come up or bad weather. Now I'm staring at it trying to decide if I try to cut a couple of them tonight with a headlamp after work.

Sal and doohickie will get it worse up in DFW though.
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My sister has a couple large diameter secondary oak tree branches hanging over the bedroom/main bath end of her house and I constantly remind here that she should preemptively remove those. The oak is about 70-80 years old and big. Luckily, she's in around Flint, MI and nasty ice storms are not common. Plus, this oak is quite hardy and healthy...but...still though...
 
Wife's Hospital notified staff that if ICE comes in, to essentially get out of their way. She is pissed.




EDIT:
I have seen several of you post things on social media in opposition to a lot of what is going on with the Federal Government right now. One posted asking where the outrage is. With my role in my job and the community that I work for, I make a deliberate effort to stay politically neutral on social media. My silence there does not mean I don't agree with you and it does not mean that I am not working behind the scenes to do what little I can to change things. For the sake of my career, which I am loving right now, I just need to do it somewhat under the radar.

As for the most recent comments regarding people with CPL's, NRA's response is a classic example of why I dropped my membership with them more than 15 years ago. They don't represent the interests of most gun owners anymore.
 
It's been hard to watch the news in Minneapolis. Buffalo is preparing for similar, and the city has been really coming together in ways that are inspiring, but shouldn't have to be necessary in a healthy democracy..........as if lol
 
michaelskis said:
Wife's Hospital notified staff that if ICE comes in, to essentially get out of their way. She is pissed.




EDIT:
I have seen several of you post things on social media in opposition to a lot of what is going on with the Federal Government right now. One posted asking where the outrage is. With my role in my job and the community that I work for, I make a deliberate effort to stay politically neutral on social media. My silence there does not mean I don't agree with you and it does not mean that I am not working behind the scenes to do what little I can to change things. For the sake of my career, which I am loving right now, I just need to do it somewhat under the radar.

As for the most recent comments regarding people with CPL's, NRA's response is a classic example of why I dropped my membership with them more than 15 years ago. They don't represent the interests of most gun owners anymore.
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One thing I enjoy about being private sector now--I don't have my speech indirectly suppressed. Everyone finds their path to support if speech isn't the option, in my experience. Oskar Schindler is probably a better known example of helping without speaking.

I'll readily admit that much of what I'm sharing is directly targeting members of my family as a giant "I told you so" and challenging them to acknowledge they screwed up.
 
Anyone else struggling with managing the usual desk job TPS report filing, staff memo drafting, and quotidian email back and forth exchanges on 'deliverables' when armed representatives of the state are pulling people out cars at stoplights and putting them in the back of a van to disappear them into oblivion? Let's all just stare at our monitors and do our little jobs because that's all we can do, I guess?

See: The Dual State
 
MacheteJames said:
Anyone else struggling with managing the usual desk job TPS report filing, staff memo drafting, and quotidian email back and forth exchanges on 'deliverables' when armed representatives of the state are pulling people out cars at stoplights and putting them in the back of a van to disappear them into oblivion? Let's all just stare at our monitors and do our little jobs because that's all we can do, I guess?

See: The Dual State
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First off, I think Trump is an idiot. An embarrassment to the office of the president. Secondly, all recent past presidents deported those here illegally and on record stating immigration laws need to be enforced. At that time, did ICE just go up to the individual and ask them of come with ICE nicely so they can be deported? Don't think so. Why not the outrage then? So sad our country has come to this where the other side is the enemy and no matter what one side does, the other see it as evil. Such a mess now and with two people dead that should be alive.
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
First off, I think Trump is an idiot. An embarrassment to the office of the president. Secondly, all recent past presidents deported those here illegally and on record stating immigration laws need to be enforced. At that time, did ICE just go up to the individual and ask them of come with ICE nicely so they can be deported? Don't think so. Why not the outrage then? So sad our country has come to this where the other side is the enemy and no matter what one side does, the other see it as evil. Such a mess now and with two people dead that should be alive.
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Yes, but back then ICE came with a warrant or suspects did something that said they might not be here legally like wandering through the desert. They don't seem to be doing that every time now. They also didn't shoot bystanders and protestors...granted there aren't a lot of protestors hanging around the Arizona or Texas border crossings. I have problems with them breaking peoples constitutional rights. I have problems with them being used as a political tool - because Minneapolis is just known for its immigrant population.

But yes, I hate the all or nothing attitude everyone has on solving problems. We need ICE to enforce our laws. Maybe we can actually reform the laws so they work better, but that would mean the people in Washington would have to do their job.
 
All of this sounds rather abstract to the two of you. However, I'm in a state where they are actively deployed, and as a POC, I don't even want to go to the grocery store at this point. They are actively profiling individuals who fit the mold they're looking for, and because these aren't Uncle Sam's best and brightest, any shade of melanin can land you a 'papers, please' check. These are J6ers with a badge.

Pinochet-style roving murder squads plucking folks off the street was not on my 2026 bingo card. It's horrendous.
 
MacheteJames said:
All of this sounds rather abstract to the two of you. However, I'm in a state where they are actively deployed, and as a POC, I don't even want to go to the grocery store at this point. They are actively profiling individuals who fit the mold they're looking for, and because these aren't Uncle Sam's best and brightest, any shade of melanin can land you a 'papers, please' check. These are J6ers with a badge.

Pinochet-style roving murder squads plucking folks off the street was not on my 2026 bingo card. It's horrendous.
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It sounds like your experience there is different than here in Memphis. I am not a POC, but the focus on the criminals is so high, ICE offers are assisting the state crime task force, and that’s about it.

There are no “murder squads” here however the most recent issues was a few years ago the death of Tyrese Nichols who was beaten to death by cops (who were black) and lead by a black female police chief and a black mayor. People here recognize that the real crime problem is so much worse than the immigration problem.
 
A couple of thoughts: Federal law enforcement has no business doing "police work" as reasonable people define it. They simply aren't trained like your city or county police are. There have been plenty of people deported during the last several administrations. And for good reason, if you're here and you're engaged in criminal activity, you gotta go. I have absolutely zero problem with that. But the way this latest effort has been handled has been absurd. We have an administration that says if people look a certain way they need to be detained, asked for identification etc. I keep hearing folks saying "Obama deported X amount of immigrants". Ok, where was your cheering then? And why are you so boisterous in your approval now? The only thing I can conclude is that they like the cruelty of today's enforcement.
 
MD Planner said:
A couple of thoughts: Federal law enforcement has no business doing "police work" as reasonable people define it. They simply aren't trained like your city or county police are. There have been plenty of people deported during the last several administrations. And for good reason, if you're here and you're engaged in criminal activity, you gotta go. I have absolutely zero problem with that. But the way this latest effort has been handled has been absurd. We have an administration that says if people look a certain way they need to be detained, asked for identification etc. I keep hearing folks saying "Obama deported X amount of immigrants". Ok, where was your cheering then? And why are you so boisterous in your approval now? The only thing I can conclude is that they like the cruelty of today's enforcement.
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As it pertains to immigration, I 100% agree.

With the other 'crime' side related, I think there is more to discuss. Memphis has a crime problem, and as great as the local, county, and state police are, they just didn't have the resources to address the problems. They were not out looking for crimes in progress, but they are out picking up people with warrants for their arrest, they are assisting detectives during investigations, they are walking the beat in high tourism areas with local officers to stabilize the situations. The region also has a very high foreign population due to several global companies and the university here and verry few of the warrants are for immigrants (legal or illegal).
 
michaelskis said:
It sounds like your experience there is different than here in Memphis. I am not a POC, but the focus on the criminals is so high, ICE offers are assisting the state crime task force, and that’s about it.

There are no “murder squads” here however the most recent issues was a few years ago the death of Tyrese Nichols who was beaten to death by cops (who were black) and lead by a black female police chief and a black mayor. People here recognize that the real crime problem is so much worse than the immigration problem.
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It's different down here. We have experienced agents so they know how to serve a warrant and do their job. The only difference is a few more immigration raids on different establishments, but they're done right and done peacefully. Barely even comes up on local news and cleaner than our old sheriff who took it upon himself to do immigration law.
 
MD Planner said:
That's all well and good but if you notice, with very few exceptions the Republicans calling out the ridiculousness of this administration are those on their way out and not running again. I have a hard time appreciating people who only stand up for what's right when it's convenient for them and won't cost them anything.
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Agreed. I'm not willing to give Tillis a pass just because he 'woke' up to the realities AFTER he said he wasn't running. He was a deciding vote on patriot pete's confirmation when he had big serious concerns.

I am glad he is speaking now & might give him a golf clap.
 
Kevin Warsh as new fed chair:

apnews.com

Trump names former Federal Reserve official Warsh as the next Fed chair to replace Powell

President Donald Trump says he'll nominate former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to be the next Fed chair.
apnews.com apnews.com

AP said:
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will nominate former Federal Reserve official Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Fed, a decision likely to result in sharp changes to the powerful agency that could bring it closer to the White House.

Warsh would replace current chair Jerome Powell when his term expires in May. Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.
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I am a little surprised by this given Warsh's past positions and Trumps goals, but who knows.

If he does what Trump demands, our economy is screwed.
 
article excerpt & video

“Existing housing, people that own their homes, we’re gonna keep them wealthy,” Trump said. “We’re gonna keep those prices up. We’re not gonna destroy the value of their homes so that somebody that didn’t work very hard can buy a home.”

While Trump promised his administration would work to lower interest rates and make buying easier, he said he did not want home prices to fall.

“I don’t want to drive housing prices down,” he said. “I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes and they can be assured that’s what’s going to happen.”
 
Planit said:
article excerpt & video

“Existing housing, people that own their homes, we’re gonna keep them wealthy,” Trump said. “We’re gonna keep those prices up. We’re not gonna destroy the value of their homes so that somebody that didn’t work very hard can buy a home.”

While Trump promised his administration would work to lower interest rates and make buying easier, he said he did not want home prices to fall.

“I don’t want to drive housing prices down,” he said. “I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes and they can be assured that’s what’s going to happen.”
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So, exacerbating the housing shortage in other words.
 
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