BusyB

Agreed. But it underlines something and needs to be said. There has been a takeover. It's the white collar version of January 6. And yes, 70 odd million Americans actually voted for it despite the Shaman and the Proud Boys. (We note: boys not men.) I'm sure they're not all as thick as two by fours. But the vast majority I've seen and heard and read had no clue about just about anything. Anything at all. And the ones who get on mainstream TV are blatantly dissembling grifters and fake fact purveyors. Political flat-earthers. A national outbreak of Dunning-Krugerism. But this thread is about Trump's 'relationship' to what he considers art. Art being usually one of the first targets of people like him and his supporters because it expresses free thought and genuine freedom, which is anathema and a threat to them and their project. It's uncontrolled which inculcates fear in those who need to control everything. It puts people beyond their control. That's why the Soviet Union and the Nazis (the two most well known examples) suppressed all forms of art and dictated what was acceptable and what not. The Great Dictator (watch the film, the whole film, from beginning to end: perhaps Charlie Chaplin's best) decides what is 'in' and what is 'out', who is 'in' and who is 'out', according to his own fear based and philistine, tiny minded taste. 'In' is usually retrospective, 'folksy' and utterly phony representations of a supposedly better, 'cleaner' past. Like now in the Kennedy Center. Cheered on by the sycophants, acolytes and the lying excuse makers in TV. Kennedy himself would probably puke. There is indeed another America somewhere - we just can't see it right now and it seems to have caved. Possibly permanently, it's too soon to say. But we can hope. In the meantime: enjoy the show folks.

They were too frightened and servile to face off against the system as it was. You don't think they'll grow enough spine or nous to face off against this lot do you? Much less admit they might have just been a teensy weensy bit wrong? Funny, dictators always fancy themselves as artists or connoisseurs of such. And then enforce their taste on the population.

Semi-literate, hate fueled servile goons don't like liberal democracies or 'libtards'. Hadn't you noticed? Exhibit 1: I offer you the proud President of the US of A. Exhibit 2: His supporters - visible on YouTube for your daily delectation.

'Course he will. He thinks they're the pinnacle of fine arts. I wonder what his Spotify playlist is like (retch, choke ...)

He's getting off to a flying start. Soon he'll be banning 'Degenerate Art'.

I wonder how long it'll be before the philistine bigot bans screenings of Some Like it Hot.

Doesn't really matter if you're in the here and now.

They are enemies of everything you claim to stand for. Claim being the operative word in that sentence.

File it under freedom of speech ...

This barfbag is the biggest coward on the planet. Proven. Time and again.

Nope.

Welcome. You'll be popular on AN 🤣

This is one of the things I really hate about Thailand. That you can't wander along 2 or 3 abreast with a couple of friends, enjoying the scenery and watching what's going on around you. You can rarely walk even 2 abreast, and either way have to keep your eyes firmly a few meters on the 'sidewalk' ahead. It's become so ingrained in me now that back home I deliberately avoid manhole covers, drains and grills - I just don't trust them any more.

They don't have to listen to the people with the electoral system and constitution as it is. They remain in power whoever you vote for. That includes 'Reform'.

We can but hope. I've said all along the basic plan is to install Vance after a 'respectable' period of time. Trump is essentially stupid (literally) besides being immoral and conniving. It's the people behind him you need to really worry about. The US can recover from a Trump Mk2 'presidency'. Recovering from Project 2025 could well be impossible.

I don't know about the SAS, but I do know from personal experience that virtually all army training at the time was tailored to 'IS', or Internal Security. It was essentially police training, months of it before deployment, basic law including arrest grounds and techniques, riot control and so on. All under the motto of 'minimum force required to do the job'. I can honestly say that in '74 my unit lived by that. I'm not denying by any means that there were many awful egregious and deadly failures on the part of the army on the ground and policy makers. Maybe that's an inevitable side effect in civil conflicts like that where deadly force is being used on both sides. I also understood back then that if I'd been a young catholic man brought up on the Falls Road, I'd have been looking down the sights of a rifle in exactly the opposite direction to the sights I was looking down as a young Brit soldier. That's what these young guys were doing. It looks like arrests were possible after a lot of experts have had the chance to sift through all the evidence for months on end. I'm sure none of them wanted to come to unfair conclusions and were interested only in the truth of the situation. It has nothing to do with 'woke' or any such garbage. I don't think the SAS is a gang of executioners. I have known some. The article doesn't say but if those guys were carrying small arms as well as that .50 sized monster then I can't guarantee I would have attempted an arrest either. At least those PIRA operatives were acting like soldiers and must have been aware of the risks. I have immense respect for that even if I basically don't like the idea of people running around blasting off on Somali type 'technicals' and would certainly be prepared to kill to prevent it. My deepest consuming utter hatred and contempt is most definitely reserved for those who plant bombs in public places.

... many of whom can be recognized by their brown uniforms.

It certainly doesn't refer to an A321neo that's for sure, which was the thrust of the story. Well spotted about HK.

I remeber that. Wonder if the pig's still in jail in Thailand. I hope so.

It's shaping up to be a lot worse than that. There will be much much grief. Everywhere. Beginning with the kids in Africa who aren't getting their malaria shots now. But hey, we all know vaxes cause autism eh? Even Google and Amazon now kowtowing just like the Russian oligarchs before Putin. Anticipatory obedience at the highest levels. AKA groveling. Couldn't happen here could it? We're all freedom fighters eh? Home of the brave eh? Don't make me laugh. Or puke. Well it's happening right in front of your eyes.

I think that as with most shoplifting it's more of a psychological issue than a meagre attempt to enrich themselves. Some people just can't help it. But they should be hammered nonetheless.

All of this purge is what the Soviet Union used to implement. The flavors of the week will vary from time to time. In the end noone will be safe and everyone will be informing on each other. Midnight arrests eventually follow. Think it can't happen in good ol' USofA? It's happening right in front of your eyes. Now.

It appears to me the only 'qualification' any of them has is sycophancy and a taste for ring pieces. And they're the ones railing against DEI. If only the irony wasn't so terrible.

Munich's catchment area is vastly larger than LHR/LGW. It's close to and easily accessible from Austria, Switzerland, even France and the Czech Republic. And also has all the domestic connections. LH Group subsidiaries OS and LX also coining it by being in Central Europe. LHR/LGW catchment area ends at Dover, in more ways than one now unfortunately.

Duschbeutel. Not directly I think. Rather meaningless. But Schlappschwanz would certainly do the job: = flaccid penis.