Hanaguma

Gee, imagine that. The Nazi fascist, when he got power, did NOT go after his opponents, jail/kill them, cancel elections, or install himself as dictator. If we ar to believe that pasy performance can indicate future behavior, that means that there is no reason to fret about a possible Trump victory in November. And all the hysteria about 'the end of democracy' and the like can be ignored.

True, and IF Trump was a Nazi fascist, the same would have happened to various lefties and Democrats. So perhaps both can tone down the useless rhetoric, hmm?

It's a bit pathetic really. DeNiro has spent too much time playing tough guys in movies, now he thinks he really IS a tough guy. Nah, he's just a guy that memorizes and reads the words of others in front of a camera. Even funnier, I heard DeNiro criticizing Trump for not having any 'real world experience'.....this coming from a man who has spent his life in the pretend world of Hollywood. Spoken about a man who ran a real estate business for decades in New York City. Self parody doesn't do justice.

Well, the GOP actually tried that a few times. They nominated morally unimpeachable characters like John McCain or Mitt Romney. Seemed not to matter, the Democratic smear machine was able to cast mud and drag the campaign downwards. Funny nobody mentions those things with the Democratic candidates though. And Democrats seem very happy to 'claim' the current economy as a win for Biden, not to mention inflation...

One way to look at it. Another way is that today's protesters are just trying to piggyback on the misfortune of others, trying to feel oppressed when they are actually living in a rather free society. Hence the inevitable narrative shift from protesting the war to protesting America as somehow a terrible and evil place. I don't think I ever saw a protester with a sign that said, "I support the Palestinian people, but I hate Hamas!". I guess that would be a little too nuanced.

Oh, no disagreement here. I am sure that there is some genuine sympathy among students. Especially when it ties to an underdog narrative or a comfortable racial narrative. University age students are adults, true. Yet they are unique among all adults in many having very little life experience or anything in the way of adversity or responsibility in their lives. Which gives them time and energy to engage in these activities. It was funny (to me anyway). The biggest thing my wife said about the protests was, "don't they study? Don't any of them have part time jobs? Why do they have so much free time to do this?!?" A very... Japanese... perspective on the situation. But the actual protests and how they were organized/held clearly show other players were present than simple student protesters.

As I have written many times, not a fan of either the senile geriatric OR the Bad Orange Man. Not tied to either. But in this election, it is the rare case that BOTH candidates have records to run on. Both have had a shot at the Presidency. So I look at the Trump years- 2% inflation, two dollar gas, record low unemployment for minorities, steps towards peace in the Middle East, attempts to engage with North Korea, etc. and from a pragmatic point of view, it ain't bad. Then compare the Biden years...not so good. It is also a position held by a majority of American voters.

True. But... The anti-war protesters in the 60s were actually students. Not outside agitators. The faculty and uni staff in the 60s didn't join the students There was no outside money being pumped in. They actually protested the war in Vietnam. Today's callow youth have morphed their protest into the usual neo-Marxist screed against capitalism and America.

I smell Soros money... lots of the student 'protest' groups trace their funding back to the Open Society Foundation. Politico ran an article about it a day or two ago; https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/05/pro-palestinian-protests-columbia-university-funding-donors-00156135

Also telling is that many of the protesters were not actually students, or even faculty. Upwards of half seem to be either professional protesters or plants sent to cause trouble. Not just me saying it, NPR agrees, and they are most definitely NOT right wing; https://www.npr.org/2024/05/04/1249188864/nyc-columbia-city-college-gaza-protests-palestinian-campus Mayor Adams of NYC said the same, and he also is not a friend of conservatives.

...and how many on the left have thrown accusations of Naziism, being Hitler, etc have been thrown Trump's way? The latest being DeNiro's childish screed last week. So enough of the faux outrage please.

Yeah. I remember a couple years ago there was a "no oil" protest in Germany at a museum in Munich. The protesters glued their hands to the floor and vowed to stay. After an evening, they left. One complained of a swollen hand and demanded medical attention. They were all huffy because they weren't allowed to have food delivered during their protest. Soft as puppy poo in a hailstorm these lefties.

Great quote from the president of the University of Florida; At the University of Florida, we have repeatedly, patiently explained two things to protesters: We will always defend your rights to free speech and free assembly—but if you cross the line on clearly prohibited activities, you will be thrown off campus and suspended. In Gainesville, that means a three-year prohibition from campus. That’s serious. We said it. We meant it. We enforced it. We wish we didn’t have to, but the students weighed the costs, made their decisions, and will own the consequences as adults. We’re a university, not a daycare. We don’t coddle emotions, we wrestle with ideas.

First thing I thought when I saw the line up of these so-called "civil rights leaders" was, 'I smell Soros money'. As to why women don't become engineers, perhaps because they don't want to be engineers? Same as not too many women are roofers or electricians or bricklayers. Also the same reason a lot of men aren't elementary school teachers or work in the HR department. If you look at the federal workforce in the US, African Americans (especially African American women) are OVER-represented compared to their percentage of the overall population. Guess we need a bit of Affirmative Action there too. Those are good jobs with benefits and security.

You need to check a little more closely. A lot of the items on the schedule are movements, or recieving a briefing, or someone else llike KJP doing something. Oh, and Joe spent the weekend at his beach house, no events. Friday was one event, the ceremony. On Joes schedule he started at 430pm and finished at 445pm. After that, off to Delaware and the beach. Thursday, 2 events in the afternoon. Wednesday, a campaign event in the late afternoon, which Joe attended for less than an hour. Tuesday, a digital town hall campaign event in the afternoon. See a pattern here? Joe needs his beauty sleep. Almost nothing scheduled before lunchtime.

I wouldnt go so far as forcing them, but creating another one does no good. I would also tie any aid to certain behavior and civil standards. Many people want aid to Israel tied to their behavior. Fair enough. Lets have the same standard for Gaza. No aid until the hostages are free, and until a civil society can be in place. It's frustrating- Gaza could flourish under the right conditions and with proper freedoms. But it cannot when the head hackers and homophobes are in charge. The size issue is also ignored by the anti-semites. The Arab states are 50 TIMES the size of Israel in population, and 500 times the area. Who is David and who is Goliath?

Not "the actions of some individuals". The legal apparatus of Gaza and the West Bank. Being gay is a death sentence by LAW. These laws are supported by more than 90% of the population. The aid given does NOTHING to "promote basic human rights", as they did not exist in Gaza before October 7. No political freedom, no freedom for minorities or women or LGBT people. The world has no need of ANOTHER state that holds these primitive and inhuman beliefs. There are plenty already.

I could be wrong, but from what I gleaned it was Daniels who approached Trump. Her own lawyer said that it wasn't hush money, just "consideration". From the Washington Post; According to Davidson’s testimony, in the days after the damaging Access Hollywood tape came out, Daniels’s manager reached out to the National Enquirer to start brokering a deal that would pay Daniels in exchange for her staying quiet about her alleged tryst with Donald Trump. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/30/trump-hush-money-trial-live-updates/

It stopped being their land when they lost a war of aggression against Israel. Much like Germany lost substantial land after starting WW2.

Since they are by and large a group of misogynistic homophobes, their fate doesn't really concern me that much. I am surprised that it concerns so many people, like you for example. Why are you willing to support people who thing being gay is a death penalty offence, where only 4% of the populace accepts homosexuality? Abortion is illegal, until recently rapists could escape punishment by marrying their victims. The current conflict aside, people with views like these deserve nothing but contempt and scorn.

My sister just bought a place about 70 minutes outside of Toronto (Caledonia Ontario). 700 grand for half of a duplex. Or, you can rent a similar place on the street for $3,300 a month. Want a detached property in the same neighbourhood? 900k, on a frontage of 33ft, property depth 92 feet. And 6,000 a year in property tax.

...which begs the question, why didn't Egypt (who controlled Gaza) or Jordan (who controlled the West Bank) bother to create any form of Palestinian state in the years between 1948 and 1967? Seems like it wasn't a priority for them, or for the Palestinians. There are 22 Arab countries in the world, and 56 Muslim countries. They could easily step up to the plate and help their Palestinian brothers find shelter and peace. But they don't. They want to put the responsibility on one country (population 9 million) and not on the Arabs (population 450 million) to find the answer and make concessions.

This is happening now. There are a lot of specialized programs for targeted industries for trainees and temporary workers to come. I think now there are close to half a million Vietnamese here, more than that of Chinese, etc. I think the difference is that Japan wants immigrants who will contribute to the country, not that requre contributions FROM it.

It is being tried, believe me. A big part of the problem is people leaving the countryside to live in urban areas that are already quite crowded. Some towns in rural areas area actually giving away housing for young families as an incentive to move there.

Ya think? I think Japan looks at places like the US and sees all the joys that immigration has brought- the crime, the drugs, the dissent, the enormous cost of caring for them, etc. and finds a better solution, that fits THEIR needs. People in Japan will put up with a bit of an economic hit if it means their kids can still play in the parks, the streets are clean, people can walk the streets at night, and so on.