xylophone

The MAGA faithful/rednecks want to believe donny and his team but unfortunately FACTS get in the way..... "The Atlantic reported that Trump privately made damning statements against U.S. service members and veterans, such as the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who had been a Vietnam prisoner of war, and former President George H.W. Bush, who was shot down as a Navy pilot in World War II. During a visit to France in 2018 for the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I, Trump also reportedly called Marines who died at Belleau Wood “suckers” and fallen soldiers at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery “losers.” ALSO...Donald Trump said this about John McCain: “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” So the MAGA faithful would like to believe a compulsive liar whose record is appalling.

John Kelly confirms Trump privately disparaged U.S. service members and veterans https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/john-kelly-confirms-trump-privately-disparaged-us-service-members-vete-rcna118543

Luckily the length of the event is short in Phuket, so I will do what I've done every year since I've been here (nearly 20 years) and that is to make sure I'm stocked up with food and wine and if I do need to go out, then I will use the car, especially as it could do with a wash!

It must be galling for the relatives/families of the soldiers killed and wounded in this "war" that trump considers them "Suckers and Losers". Despicable, he is an ignorant excuse for a human being.

And to add to that very disturbing fact, the whole trump circus also consists of these deadbeats.....god help America and the rest of the world!!

Last night I watched the movie, "In the Blink of an Eye" and once I got into it, I was hooked as the saying goes, and although the final/ending was a bit confusing, overall I enjoyed it and although probably dangerous to say this on AN, it gave me another perspective on living, life and "evolution" – – there you go, I've said it!!

One evil at a time. Costs a lot of money and time to take one on, let alone all evils that exist. Sounds hypocritical to me. You'd rather attack weak people than strong people, because they put up a fight. Money is the root of all evil, isn't it? No its not. One isn't born with morals as an instinct. If its shapled by culture, its not natural. If you believe in God, how can you believe in Evolution, and not Creation? All Laws in Western Society have come from the 10 Commandments, drawn up by some wizard in Sinai, who made them up. Iran's government, just like the US, has good and bad, but exterminating people who protest is quite different. Very simple to see the difference between a politician that wants illegals out and killing those who talk and want more freedom and a democracy. So you ignore, or condone the shooting of people who are protesting about how so-called illegals are removed. Jesus was an illegal Palestinian. When he was born, Herod decreed all babies in Bethlehem were to be killed. The baby Jesus was taken to Egypt by his parents, outside of roman occuplied Judea, entering without authority. All Americans are descended from political, religious and economic refugees, the vast majority of whom arrived unannounced in their new land. Same for Iran. It does try and kill civilians, but there is collateral damage, One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, so said Darrell Trent. You know who Trent was. Not a radical, or a revolutionary, or a contrarian. But he was an advisor to President Richard Nixon. A conservative. But you are wrong about the conditions for peace. The British government never eliminated the IRA nor disarmed them. That was the whole point of the Belfast Agreement. Peace in Ireland came about through Game Theory, basically a 2x2 Cooperate versus Defect Game. The British tried the smash 'em tactic (wipe out the terrorists). It didn't work and was never going to work. The IRA tried the bomb 'em approach (force out the Brits). It didn't work and was never going to work. Both sides would label the other side as evil, and would cite outrages to support that. The Nationalists wanted a United Ireland. The Unonists wanted to remain in the United Kingdom. Seemingly an intransigent condundrum Don't pretend you give a single stuff about a single Iranian. Not one US, British, French, Australian soldier is worth a single Iranian. When the Shah was around, the Americans supported his secret police, because it suited their geopolitical ambitions. They did not care about individual Iranians in 1976, why should they now in 2026? Are you saying American morality has changed? You seem profoundly ignorant of history. Beside Northern Ireland, you are not aware of how ETA ended its bombing campaign in Spain and France. Or how FARC came to an agreement with the Colombian government. Or how the white South Africans (most of them anyhow) reconciled with the ANC. The problem with formally declaring a state (as opposed to a group) a "terrorist" is that, in most instances, it makes it a criminal offence to then even speak to them. Some want that, for their own (evil) reasons, who prefer war war to jaw jaw. Even Nazi Germany maintained back channel communications with the Allies. As late as 1945, Japan was conducting POW swaps with the British in Goa (mainly release of British Army Educational Corps member captured in Hong Kong and Singapore). You certainly know your "stuff" @Roadsternut and I have enjoyed reading your posts thus far. Thank you for your insights.

Try telling, "it's all part of God's devine plan" to the families of the dead US servicemen whose remains have been repatriated to the US, this especially when Trump has described fallen servicemen as, "suckers and losers". Furthermore he turns up for the repatriation service wearing a white baseball cap, how dignified! The man is an idiot and there is absolutely no doubt about it.

I saw mention of the movie "Robin Hood" which prompted me to download one version made in 2018 and starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx, amongst others, and I could put up with about 15 minutes of it before switching it off. IMO a poor version and one more suited to kids and the bored. It had an IMDb rating of 5.4, so I should have known by this and it was not a "top-notch" movie. Also tried to watch the movie "Deadwood" and switched it off after about the same time, mainly because I haven't seen any of the previous series and it would seem as though this movie relied upon some history to make it work.

Good luck with your travels and teaching Simon and stay safe and well.

In amongst all of this is the fact that the USA is headed by an idiot and has a team of idiots who support him and it gets worse......

Now I come to think about it, I am not an atheist, but an anti-theist. Thanks for that!!

I decided to take another look at Ronin, which starred, amongst others, Robert De Niro, as I remember enjoying it a few years back so I managed to find a good download and got into it. Still enjoyable although I'm still none the wiser as to what was in the "silver coloured case" and no amount of searching has come up with the answer! Mentioning Robert De Niro, reminds me that I might want to have another look at a movie called "Red Lights".........

Harking back to around 2007, and not the years way before then which some of the other guys are talking about and which sounds very interesting, and really does mirror the Joni Mitchell song, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot" although not sure it was paradise back then. Anyway off track – – so back onto it, whilst I was in Phuket town having lunch with my daughter in Black Canyon in Lotus's I came across a figure from those early days of mine, in the form of "Eric" of Soi Eric who was at the same place having lunch with his wife. So I stopped and chatted briefly and we reminisced about those good old days and he said he was pleased he was out of it now and that "they" have spoilt what was once a good Soi and it seemed like he didn't know that they were planning a nightclub/conglomeration in what was once Soi Eric!! I know time moves on, but IMO Bangla life was a lot happier back in the early days of Soi Eric et al. or maybe I'm just getting old!?

Well I suppose "Chritians" have been killing one another forever, so that excuse won't wash LOL!!

Not sure that there are many unstable idiots like trump available at the moment, although worm brain Kennedy could be a contender!

He is a dumb, sad man, the kind that trump like to have as a back up.....but more to the point, the Iranian ship had been invited to take part in a "friendly" exercise, in which the US participated. See more...... Pete Hegseth torpedoed an UNARMED ship sailing home from a friendly naval exercise, killed 87 sailors, and left the rest floating in the Indian Ocean without lifting a finger to help. On March 4th, a U.S. submarine fired a single Mark 48 torpedo into the hull of the IRIS Dena, an Iranian frigate returning from India's MILAN 2026 multinational naval exercises. The ship had roughly 180 people on board. At least 87 were killed and 61 remain missing. Sri Lanka's navy had to step in and rescue the 32 survivors. Here's what makes this even more sickening. Both the U.S. and Iran were participants in the same Indian-hosted exercise, which required ships to operate without live ammunition. The U.S. sent a P-8A patrol aircraft that flew drills alongside the Dena just days before a submarine destroyed her. Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal called the attack premeditated, noting the U.S. knew exactly where the ship was because it had been invited to the same exercise. Strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney put it bluntly: if the Dena was lightly armed or unarmed, the strike resembles a premeditated execution more than combat. Sinking a ship that was someone's guest, that was following peacetime protocols, that couldn't fight back. Then leaving sailors to drown thousands of miles from home. That's not strength, that’s a war crime.

Watched a good "western" movie which I have seen before, called. "Open Range" starring Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, Annette Benning and Michael Gambon and imo it still stands as a good unerrated Western, with some excellent gunfighting scenes in it, for those interested. Also watched probably Gerard Butler's best movie yet, called "Law Abiding Citizen" and really didn't like the character played by Jamie Foxx, but them's the breakes!!

They also believe in the fairy story of Noahs Ark, so here's a couple of laughs about that.......

Why would the UK want to follow a demented and dumb leader into yet another war? The UK and Australia and New Zealand (amongst others) have followed the US into their wars and skirmishes and yet Trump stated a short while ago that, "the Brits stayed away from the front line mainly" or words to that effect, insulting the troops that fought in the Afghanistan war (for 20 years). Furthermore there seems to have been no planning put into this, nor an exit strategy, which would be typical of someone with less than half a brain like Trump. AND Trump called those lost in battle, "Suckers and Losers".........so who would expect to lay down their lives for a dumb moron like trump.

And the Ayatollah (and his son) was as corrupt as trump. Just goes to show that religion can still be profitable for the corrupt irrespective what side they are on........ Mojtaba Khamenei has amassed international investments, amid widespread economic hardship in Iran On a tree-lined street in north London, known as “Billionaire’s Row”, a clutch of mostly empty mansions sits behind tall hedges and blacked-out gates. As school children wander by, private guards in dark SUVs patrol outside. Behind the facades of these luxury homes on The Bishops Avenue lies a network stretching from Tehran to Dubai and Frankfurt. The ultimate ownership traces back, through layers of shell companies, to one of the most powerful men in the Middle East: Mojtaba Khamenei, the second-eldest son of Iran’s Supreme Leader. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/mojtaba-khamenei-has-amassed-international-investments-amid-widespread-economic-hardship-at-home/ZEIN6BP7OZANTHRDPOGCOOBYO4

Typical trump as he has said that Americans who die in the service of their country are "suckers and losers", but Melania contradicted him at a United Nations Security Council meeting which she presided over, when she said: “To the families who have lost their heroes who sacrifice their lives for freedom, their bravery and dedication will always be remembered,” she said this before the packed chamber. Donny will have to have strong words with her LOL. And just a reminder for MAGA fans...... Don't ya love it!!

Plenty more examples of "religious stupidity" out there and I am looking for one which I cannot find at the moment, but this will do in the meantime.......

Quote, "Israel, the greatest source of instability in the Middle East – always has been since its inception....... ". The more I think about it, the more I believe that Israel is the greatest source of instability in the Middle East and its insatiable desire to stay a state that follows its own strange brand of religion (braids for men who don't work but walk around chanting all day long, kippahs, the wailing wall, large brimmed hats and the belief that they are the chosen ones and more......) and wants to negate/wipe out any other state that doesn't follow its own peculiar path, should sound alarm bells. Israel is the problem and all the while it wants to broaden its impact and state lines, the worse it will become for other nations in that area. This is only a joke, but in reality, however the term "the chosen ones" came into being, it has created a "monster".

I think you have taken the post by @blaze master out of context, much the same as I did when I first saw it, because if I'm not mistaken, he was being sarcastic and sort of parodying part of the post by Bday Prang.......extracting the urine, in fact!