He asks for ten times what he wants, the other side freaks out, huge news cycle, back & forth, then they settle for what they could’ve had day one.
As an American working and living in Europe for many years I can validate the positions expressed recently by Paolo and Gorgasal. Don’t be hard on them. They mostly support Trump’s agenda but are found in an increasingly difficult position to explain his behavior to their fellow countrymen. It is true that the news outlets are (very) anti Tumpian in their outlook. It makes it very difficult for a European to publicly swim against the anti-Trump tide. As for me, I have always had a rebellious streak, so I actually enjoy mixing it up with my European neighbors. I try my best never to be combative but to use reasonable arguments to advance insights into of Trump’s behavior that are completely unknown to them. Sometimes I am able to cut through the veil of negativity promulgated by the left-wing European press and sometimes they admit to not recognizing another viewpoint that they had not considered. Take Gorgasal’s objection to Trumps threat to take Greenland by force, for example. That was never going to happen. What Trump did was to elevate the discussion to the point that it could no longer be dismissed. Then, the NATO chief and Euro leaders came to recognize the importance of the issue for their own benefit and security and voila! a Deal was cut! The Europeans (and many Americans also) do not understand the Art of the Deal. TAW
Having lived in Germany for several years I often go back to visit. It is true that the press is hostile to Trump’s world view. Even the normally pro American Bild Zeitung has trouble to disguise its anti-Trump sentiments. However, it is also true that when I talk to the ordinary man in the street, the “man on the Clapham omnibus” so to speak; the deliveryman, the construction worker, the shop keeper, they are usually supportive of what Trump is doing and wish for a Trump-like figure that would take up their cause. I find this to be true in Greece as well. Especially among the young people who sense that their elders are not delivering on their promises.
Paolo and Gorgasal, I encourage you both to stay in the fight and to defend your positions. It is not always easy to justify Trump’s behavior to your neighbors, but as NATO Secretary Mark Rutte just announced at Davos “Trump is Right” about Greenland (and most other things). Don’t be discouraged, our leaders may disparage him, but I do believe they secretly agree with the NATO Secretary.
By the way, Gorgasal, that is not a German moniker, are you by any chance a Georgian living in Germany?
New post: America’s Story in Song…looking for suggestions for songs that tell important things about the American story and spirit…the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Two of the “ladies” have been arrested for the church invasion. However, a judge refused to sign the warrant for Lemon. I can guarantee those two women will walk after seeing a MN judge in a day or so.
Trump’s behavior is the real key behind some of the TDS I see from friends. They can’t get past his bombastic approach, and they fail to see how he sets up an initial position that is so far out that it forces the opposition to respond. As you note, that’s exactly what happen with Greenland.
But this, and what happens in Minnesota and California (and other blue entities) is apparently perfectly acceptable…
“…Washington State is about to attempt to seize complete control of manufacturing–a new bill bans 3D printers and CNC mills, requires state censorship of files, and a centralized database to facilitate that censorship. It pretends to be a gun control bill, but it’s not…”— https://instapundit.com/771359/
Mike Plaiss:
As a Kansan I’ve long thought that Pluto, discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, should be our official state planet.
Barry Meislin…of course you can also make a gun with conventional machine tools, no CNC or 3D printing required. Probably still some people around with the required skills.
Well the tyrannical morons in Olympia WA will have to seize analog lathes and milling machines as well, not just 3D printers and CNC machines. They will also have to seize those things called “blue prints,” engineering drawings, and technical specifications.
Why not! Forward, comrade!
But The Great Orange Whale is the threat to you and this country.
Washington is vital for control of the Pacific. Commie China is trying to drive Americans out of the state and repopulate with Chinese.
Remember, the Growlers are homeported at NAS Whidbey Island along with a bunch of Poseidon ASW planes. Next south is Indian Island Naval Weapons depot, where the ships going in and out of Naval Shipyard Puget Sound drop off and retrieve their weapons.
Then is the Undersea Warfare Center at Keyport, the huge Bangor weapons depot, the Trident submarine base and even the lowly Hood Canal Dabob Bay torpedo test range. And on and on.
Xylourgos,
I appreciate your input. Trump is certainly sui generis and I personally find some of his statements not only absurd, but detrimental. However, I just no longer care what Europeans think about America or our politics.
I first dealt with this in the ’90s, when I started traveling there on business and to visit my wife’s family. Continual, unsolicited opinions about what America has done wrong, is doing wrong, will do wrong; our treatment of indigenous people, slavery, our use of nuclear power, our military, our obsession with guns, our lack of charity (especially regarding health care), or naive embrace of religion… And on, and on… I’ve been in about two dozen foreign countries and never once did I think it appropriate to lecture the locals on how they ran their country, nor did I find it appropriate to lecture them on how my country was better. But Europeans? They share their opinions on America all day long, whether asked, or not.
And, over the nearly half a century since first encountering that attitude among Europeans, the U.S. is in better shape than all western European countries in all of those areas. England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden… they are all losing their cultures, their standard of living, their access to quality medical care, their personal freedoms. Have any of the Europeans that lectured me that crazy Ronald Reagan will get us into World War III ever apologized, and said they were wrong and expressed gratitude that Ronald Reagan freed more people than any European nation in their lifetimes? Have any Europeans applauded the U.S. for the great job we have done assimilating so many immigrants throughout our history as they have failed immensely at the task over the past half century?
No. They still gloat and look down their noses at America and Americans. Yes, Trump says and does some insane things and should be held accountable for his words or actions, but at least he moves in the direction of acting in America’s best interests. Europeans continually elect politicians who undermine their nations’ interests. I guess they don’t care they are losing their national identities as long as they have America to bash.
David Foster,
Interesting list. “Proud Mary” is not about the “riverboat era.” It was written by Californian, John Fogerty, in the late ’60s about a contemporaneous riverboat, and, from what I hear in the lyrics had nothing to do with the 1800s, when riverboats were a major form of transportation in the U.S. (see Sam Clemens a.k.a. “Mark Twain”).
It is a good song, however. I prefer Ike and Tina’s version to CCRs. For a transportation related song about America by John Fogerty I prefer, “Midnight Special.”
Everything Rufus said. Screw Europe. They murdered six million Jews (Hitler), about as many Ukrainians (Stalin) and as for “warmongering” Reagan they plunged the planet into two bloody world wars and *we* had to bail them out both times.
My husband’s experiences with Europeans, and mine, are similar to what Rufus T. Firefly described. One of my husband’s closest business friends, a really nice man in general, became outraged when the “no go” zones in Sweden, his home country, were mentioned. He insisted this was false. Of course, events have proved the opposite. Recently I have looked at his Facebook page. He’s in full-blown TDS. Quite often, when people heard my American accent, they would immediately launch into a diatribe about how awful our government or culture were. I would never be so rude.
On two different occasions on International flights, when seated next to Germans who discovered I speak German, I was treated to long histories of the U.S.’ abusive treatment of the American Indians.
First, like you honestly don’t think we Americans know this? About half our city and lake names come from native American languages. We are aware that people lived here prior to the murderous Europeans 🙂 setting foot on our soil.
Second, like the Goths, Juttes, Teutons, Chauci didn’t rape, pillage and take land all throughout “Germany” for most of the region’s history? And the “Germans” didn’t send tribes all throughout Europe raping, pillaging and confiscating others’ land? Where does the English word “Vandal” come from?!
Third, as a German living in the 20th (at the time) century, do you really think it’s appropriate to chastise others for trying to eliminate a race of people from a nation? It would be like me sitting next to an Afghan on a flight to Kabul in 2026 and thinking it appropriate to bring up the topic of Mahmud of Ghazni eliminating Hindus from the region in the 11th century.
Many Europeans and American liberals/leftists share a commonality: their greatly inflated sense of their own moral and intellectual superiority over all other Americans.
HEADLINE—“ Minnesota Judge Blocks Federal Charges Against Don Lemon Over Anti-ICE Church Disruption”.
Of course, the Left peons lookiutfro their footsoldiers, even though three leaders of the church invasion have been indicted.
“Lemon argued that all he did was ‘commit an act of journalism’ by going inside, though his prior knowledge of the protesters’ plans may implicate him in criminal activity, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said on ‘The Benny Johnson Show” [YT podcaster] Monday.”
Here’s the BIG news: this Magistrate Judge is married to an attorney working the State AG office for Kieth Ellison – a Marxist Muslim masquerading as a moderate friend of Minnesotans at election time?
A large number of American expats are Trump-haters. Of about 100 international (US & other EU & Ukrainian) expats expressing an opinion on Trump in 2024, I was the only Trump supporter (at one Bratislava bar owned by ex-pats). Most pretty nice people, tho many happy to complain about the US & Trump unasked.
So many are cosmopolitan “anywhere” people, globalists. Complaining about the US predates Trump, but for 10 years he has become the personification of their anti-capitalist, anti-Christian, anti-American feelings, and Trump’s words allow them to rationalize how all their feelings are somehow true.
I laugh at them at say I’d rather have a bragging narcissist who gets good results over a polished statesman with bad results.
Trump 45’s results were pretty good, Trump47 is Great. Lower inflation, lower trade deficit, lower budget deficit, lower unemployment, far lower illegals coming & millions leaving. Only select lower rents so far. Higher wages for citizens, higher investment, higher energy production (lower gas prices!), higher stock prices. Fewer fears of Iran, or Hamas, tho not yet peace in Ukraine.
Any EU person who thinks Biden & Dems was better is ignoring the clear evidence. “But Trump said …“ blah blah blah. Trump’s words are about getting a better deal for America. He’s getting good results.
I haven’t yet, but I’m about to call them jealous, Americans have Trump & a better future. Slovakia & each EU country has some wimpy leader and continued slow decline relative to China or India.
Or, demographically, as compared to Nigeria’s 7.3 million births last year, all of Europe + Russia had only 6.8 million, or so.
Venezuela lightning strike by the US. Is Cuba next? They’ve been tied together, depending on each other, for decades.
Reporting with Wall Street Journal sources comes the story, “White House Aims For Cuba Regime Change By Year-End”:
“According to the Journal’s sources, the White House views the Cuban regime as teetering on the edge of collapse, and increasingly vulnerable with the loss of its Venezuelan trading partners. Assessments by the U.S. intelligence community paint a grim picture inside the communist nation, with Cuba’s tourism and agriculture industries significantly affected by shortages of medicine and basic necessities, routine blackouts, trade sanctions, and a host of other problems. Tourism has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Cuba’s economy has retracted alongside Venezuela’s over the past decade.”
A prime issue is this: who inside this closed regime could possibly enable a transition led by the US? Is there anyone? This is neither Kansas or Venezuela with genuinely contested elections in lived memory. Cuba has none of that to work with and build on.
Can the US husband the transformation and guide the evolution an ex-Communist island like West Germany did with East Germany?
Or should this be officially led by a consortium of neighbouring nations like the OAS — the Organization of American States?
Perhaps the die is already cast: “Following Maduro’s ouster, Trump used his Truth Social account to warn that the Venezuela operation spelled doom for the communist government of Cuba, and that they should cut a “deal” soon.”
Rufus T Firefly writes about discourse with Germans about the American past, which raises a salient issue I wish to answer.
When did the right to land by conquest cede the way to something more sociable and peaceful? When and where?:
“On two different occasions on International flights, when seated next to Germans who discovered I speak German, I was treated to long histories of the U.S.’ abusive treatment of the American Indians.
“First, like you honestly don’t think we Americans know this? About half our city and lake names come from native American languages. We are aware that people lived here prior to the murderous Europeans ? setting foot on our soil.
“Second, like the Goths, Juttes, Teutons, Chauci didn’t rape, pillage and take land all throughout ‘Germany’ for most of the region’s history? And the ‘Germans’ didn’t send tribes all throughout Europe raping, pillaging and confiscating others’ land? Where does the English word ‘Vandal’ come from?!”
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, and for all of past civilizations, land and territory was gained by conquest.
Yet that’s ceased to be the international and respected norm until only quite recently. What happened to change all that…well, time honored tradition?
I’ve researched a planned dissertation or book on the subject. Chronic illness prevented me from moving on it, despite gaining a PhD advisor in American history at the University of North Carolina some 20 years ago. And since then, I’ve grown to appreciate that the unmined data in many sources from maps to other languages makes the entire project extremely daunting. It will take teams of scholars to carry out in full.
Rufus wrote: “About half our city and lake names come from native American languages. We are aware that people lived here prior to” us.
It’s more dramatic than you say. After the American Revolution, unmoored from a Colonial past why didn’t these colonists keep going and name new states after Lords and great landowners?
In fact, following the Revolution, ALL BUT ONE state — Washington state — is named for prior inhabitants. Thus, 36 states acquired names not of conquest imposed from without, but rather from local and indigenous sources.
Not only were the olden names from abroad in the Colonies typical here, it also seems to be the defining pattern throughout history: conquerors rename conquered lands to spread hegemonic legitimacy by right of naming places after themselves. It’s virtually like a flag itself.
Even in the 20th century, we can see this in border changes between Austria and Italy, or in Brazil and its neighbors.
But after the American Revolution, things changed. Indian names, Spanish names, even a French name like Louisiana (named for King Louis) becomes a political place names.
Instead of vanquishing the conquered by expunging their memory and eliminating the past, Americans’ embraced and celebrated the local past and with it local rule because “here,” as De Tocqueville observed because people said so, “the people rule.”Not any “betters.” Our founders and forbears were proud of this fact.
My thesis title is “Icons for Liberty: Political Toponyms [or place names] After The American Revolution.” Similarly, at the local county level of over 3,000 jurisdictions, localism prevails! People and places or physical features there make up the entirety of county names.
Now, the question is, did the new US tradition spread else where? Indeed it did. Canada’s early settled provinces got imported names like Nova Scotia (New Scotland) or Quebec or British Columbia.
But most of the vast expanse in between got Indian names —- Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, with local signicance.
Why do we celebrate localism in place names? Americans are unafraid to be newcomers, unlike European tradition. Instead of committing the past to oblivion, we honor our past peoples loudly.
And so it began. And after World War II, in the decolonization era, a new norm setting itself up against conquest grew. Tell this to every haughty and gloating European!
TJ: In fact, following the Revolution, ALL BUT ONE state — Washington state — is named for prior inhabitants.
Not quite:
Idaho: the name is a fabrication; it “sounded” Indian. Could be other states have made-up names as well – I haven’t looked.
David Foster.
Back some decades; album by The New Christy Minstrels. “This Is A Land of Giants”
You can get a lot of it on youtube.
There are certain occupations, besides lumbering which has Paul Bunyan, which have legendary folk heroes; steel mills, “Joe Magarac”.
And The Blacksmith of Brandwine.
“Battle Cry of Freedom”.
“We Are Coming, Father Abraham.”
Might think of more, but I’ve got to cue it up now.
gregJM:Idaho: the name is a fabrication
Lots of the Western states are not named for former inhabitants.
Oregon: made up, possibly Spanish
Montana: Latin for “mountainous”
California: named for fictional queen of a fictional Asian country
Arizona: made up, possibly Spanish or Basque
Colorado: Spanish for “red”, named after the river
Nevada: Spanish for “snowy”
Wyoming: named after a place in Pennsylvania which in turn was named by entirely different Indians from the ones in Wyoming
New Mexico: named after the Aztecs, who didn’t live in New Mexico
Place names in Washington and Oregon though are very commonly Indian names, in my area Salish or Chinook.
For example, I live in Snohomish County, which is south of Skagit County, which is south of Whatcom County, which is south of British Columbia. Those county names are all Salish languages.
The principal rivers in Snohomish County are the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, and Pilchuck rivers. You get the idea.
As regards cats; compared with dogs, that’s a heck of a lot fewer generations to get a wild cat domesticated.
However, as an experiment with Russian silver foxes showed, a serious culling–90% of each litter taken out of the experiment, in the Russian case, I believe, can show results pretty quickly.
Perhaps that’s what happened with the Egyptian cat thing.
On the other hand, few cats are affectionate or much use in a practical sense. So, if bred for a particular purpose, it wasn’t for the purpose dogs were bred. Although the “breeding” was likely only in the last couple of thousand years. Prior to that, it is said to have been self selection; wolves hung around for warmth and food. Those which were useful got more of each, the others less. Or were killed, if not driven off. Those paying too, too much attention to the two-year old kids were likewise removed from the breeding pool which hung around. Thence to domestication.
Being pack animals, dogs were more likely to be convinced that certain cooperations were a good idea.
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Servants of Satan, every one of them.
I imagine most have seen by now, but too perfect not to post.
https://x.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2014131802387218745
As an American working and living in Europe for many years I can validate the positions expressed recently by Paolo and Gorgasal. Don’t be hard on them. They mostly support Trump’s agenda but are found in an increasingly difficult position to explain his behavior to their fellow countrymen. It is true that the news outlets are (very) anti Tumpian in their outlook. It makes it very difficult for a European to publicly swim against the anti-Trump tide. As for me, I have always had a rebellious streak, so I actually enjoy mixing it up with my European neighbors. I try my best never to be combative but to use reasonable arguments to advance insights into of Trump’s behavior that are completely unknown to them. Sometimes I am able to cut through the veil of negativity promulgated by the left-wing European press and sometimes they admit to not recognizing another viewpoint that they had not considered. Take Gorgasal’s objection to Trumps threat to take Greenland by force, for example. That was never going to happen. What Trump did was to elevate the discussion to the point that it could no longer be dismissed. Then, the NATO chief and Euro leaders came to recognize the importance of the issue for their own benefit and security and voila! a Deal was cut! The Europeans (and many Americans also) do not understand the Art of the Deal. TAW
Having lived in Germany for several years I often go back to visit. It is true that the press is hostile to Trump’s world view. Even the normally pro American Bild Zeitung has trouble to disguise its anti-Trump sentiments. However, it is also true that when I talk to the ordinary man in the street, the “man on the Clapham omnibus” so to speak; the deliveryman, the construction worker, the shop keeper, they are usually supportive of what Trump is doing and wish for a Trump-like figure that would take up their cause. I find this to be true in Greece as well. Especially among the young people who sense that their elders are not delivering on their promises.
Paolo and Gorgasal, I encourage you both to stay in the fight and to defend your positions. It is not always easy to justify Trump’s behavior to your neighbors, but as NATO Secretary Mark Rutte just announced at Davos “Trump is Right” about Greenland (and most other things). Don’t be discouraged, our leaders may disparage him, but I do believe they secretly agree with the NATO Secretary.
By the way, Gorgasal, that is not a German moniker, are you by any chance a Georgian living in Germany?
New post: America’s Story in Song…looking for suggestions for songs that tell important things about the American story and spirit…the good, the bad, and the ugly.
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/75987.html
Well now we’re getting somewhere.
https://x.com/TheCalvinCooli1/status/2013779093066596362
Two of the “ladies” have been arrested for the church invasion. However, a judge refused to sign the warrant for Lemon. I can guarantee those two women will walk after seeing a MN judge in a day or so.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/media/article-15489303/Judge-block-charge-Don-Lemon-anti-ICE-protesters-Minnesota-church.html
Xylourgos,
Trump’s behavior is the real key behind some of the TDS I see from friends. They can’t get past his bombastic approach, and they fail to see how he sets up an initial position that is so far out that it forces the opposition to respond. As you note, that’s exactly what happen with Greenland.
But this, and what happens in Minnesota and California (and other blue entities) is apparently perfectly acceptable…
“…Washington State is about to attempt to seize complete control of manufacturing–a new bill bans 3D printers and CNC mills, requires state censorship of files, and a centralized database to facilitate that censorship. It pretends to be a gun control bill, but it’s not…”—
https://instapundit.com/771359/
Mike Plaiss:
As a Kansan I’ve long thought that Pluto, discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930, should be our official state planet.
Barry Meislin…of course you can also make a gun with conventional machine tools, no CNC or 3D printing required. Probably still some people around with the required skills.
Well the tyrannical morons in Olympia WA will have to seize analog lathes and milling machines as well, not just 3D printers and CNC machines. They will also have to seize those things called “blue prints,” engineering drawings, and technical specifications.
Why not! Forward, comrade!
But The Great Orange Whale is the threat to you and this country.
Washington is vital for control of the Pacific. Commie China is trying to drive Americans out of the state and repopulate with Chinese.
Remember, the Growlers are homeported at NAS Whidbey Island along with a bunch of Poseidon ASW planes. Next south is Indian Island Naval Weapons depot, where the ships going in and out of Naval Shipyard Puget Sound drop off and retrieve their weapons.
Then is the Undersea Warfare Center at Keyport, the huge Bangor weapons depot, the Trident submarine base and even the lowly Hood Canal Dabob Bay torpedo test range. And on and on.
Xylourgos,
I appreciate your input. Trump is certainly sui generis and I personally find some of his statements not only absurd, but detrimental. However, I just no longer care what Europeans think about America or our politics.
I first dealt with this in the ’90s, when I started traveling there on business and to visit my wife’s family. Continual, unsolicited opinions about what America has done wrong, is doing wrong, will do wrong; our treatment of indigenous people, slavery, our use of nuclear power, our military, our obsession with guns, our lack of charity (especially regarding health care), or naive embrace of religion… And on, and on… I’ve been in about two dozen foreign countries and never once did I think it appropriate to lecture the locals on how they ran their country, nor did I find it appropriate to lecture them on how my country was better. But Europeans? They share their opinions on America all day long, whether asked, or not.
And, over the nearly half a century since first encountering that attitude among Europeans, the U.S. is in better shape than all western European countries in all of those areas. England, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden… they are all losing their cultures, their standard of living, their access to quality medical care, their personal freedoms. Have any of the Europeans that lectured me that crazy Ronald Reagan will get us into World War III ever apologized, and said they were wrong and expressed gratitude that Ronald Reagan freed more people than any European nation in their lifetimes? Have any Europeans applauded the U.S. for the great job we have done assimilating so many immigrants throughout our history as they have failed immensely at the task over the past half century?
No. They still gloat and look down their noses at America and Americans. Yes, Trump says and does some insane things and should be held accountable for his words or actions, but at least he moves in the direction of acting in America’s best interests. Europeans continually elect politicians who undermine their nations’ interests. I guess they don’t care they are losing their national identities as long as they have America to bash.
David Foster,
Interesting list. “Proud Mary” is not about the “riverboat era.” It was written by Californian, John Fogerty, in the late ’60s about a contemporaneous riverboat, and, from what I hear in the lyrics had nothing to do with the 1800s, when riverboats were a major form of transportation in the U.S. (see Sam Clemens a.k.a. “Mark Twain”).
It is a good song, however. I prefer Ike and Tina’s version to CCRs. For a transportation related song about America by John Fogerty I prefer, “Midnight Special.”
Everything Rufus said. Screw Europe. They murdered six million Jews (Hitler), about as many Ukrainians (Stalin) and as for “warmongering” Reagan they plunged the planet into two bloody world wars and *we* had to bail them out both times.
My husband’s experiences with Europeans, and mine, are similar to what Rufus T. Firefly described. One of my husband’s closest business friends, a really nice man in general, became outraged when the “no go” zones in Sweden, his home country, were mentioned. He insisted this was false. Of course, events have proved the opposite. Recently I have looked at his Facebook page. He’s in full-blown TDS. Quite often, when people heard my American accent, they would immediately launch into a diatribe about how awful our government or culture were. I would never be so rude.
On two different occasions on International flights, when seated next to Germans who discovered I speak German, I was treated to long histories of the U.S.’ abusive treatment of the American Indians.
First, like you honestly don’t think we Americans know this? About half our city and lake names come from native American languages. We are aware that people lived here prior to the murderous Europeans 🙂 setting foot on our soil.
Second, like the Goths, Juttes, Teutons, Chauci didn’t rape, pillage and take land all throughout “Germany” for most of the region’s history? And the “Germans” didn’t send tribes all throughout Europe raping, pillaging and confiscating others’ land? Where does the English word “Vandal” come from?!
Third, as a German living in the 20th (at the time) century, do you really think it’s appropriate to chastise others for trying to eliminate a race of people from a nation? It would be like me sitting next to an Afghan on a flight to Kabul in 2026 and thinking it appropriate to bring up the topic of Mahmud of Ghazni eliminating Hindus from the region in the 11th century.
Many Europeans and American liberals/leftists share a commonality: their greatly inflated sense of their own moral and intellectual superiority over all other Americans.
HEADLINE—“ Minnesota Judge Blocks Federal Charges Against Don Lemon Over Anti-ICE Church Disruption”.
Of course, the Left peons lookiutfro their footsoldiers, even though three leaders of the church invasion have been indicted.
“Lemon argued that all he did was ‘commit an act of journalism’ by going inside, though his prior knowledge of the protesters’ plans may implicate him in criminal activity, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said on ‘The Benny Johnson Show” [YT podcaster] Monday.”
Here’s the BIG news: this Magistrate Judge is married to an attorney working the State AG office for Kieth Ellison – a Marxist Muslim masquerading as a moderate friend of Minnesotans at election time?
On the Up and up? SURE. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/fbi-arrests-far-left-activists-who-stormed-minnesota-church
Long, long ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4i3LmR0K74
But I rather preferred the subject matter of cats.
Lots ‘n lots of lies out there.
Endless half-truths.
Shameless misrepresentations.
Vicious slanders.
Around the clock…
Here’s something that unfortunately had to be written and now MUST be read:
“The Genocide Slur Is Not Just for Jews;
“Judging Israel’s wartime behavior through epithets, TikTok clips, and faulty balance sheets poses a direct danger to American lives”—
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/genocide-slur-israel-us-military
H/T Powerline blog.
Re: Europe
Teach your parents well…
AND MORE WINNING!! US Murder Rate lowest since 1900 (125 year low): Re-Post
https://commoncts.blogspot.com/2026/01/and-more-winning-us-murder-rate-lowest.html
A large number of American expats are Trump-haters. Of about 100 international (US & other EU & Ukrainian) expats expressing an opinion on Trump in 2024, I was the only Trump supporter (at one Bratislava bar owned by ex-pats). Most pretty nice people, tho many happy to complain about the US & Trump unasked.
So many are cosmopolitan “anywhere” people, globalists. Complaining about the US predates Trump, but for 10 years he has become the personification of their anti-capitalist, anti-Christian, anti-American feelings, and Trump’s words allow them to rationalize how all their feelings are somehow true.
I laugh at them at say I’d rather have a bragging narcissist who gets good results over a polished statesman with bad results.
Trump 45’s results were pretty good, Trump47 is Great. Lower inflation, lower trade deficit, lower budget deficit, lower unemployment, far lower illegals coming & millions leaving. Only select lower rents so far. Higher wages for citizens, higher investment, higher energy production (lower gas prices!), higher stock prices. Fewer fears of Iran, or Hamas, tho not yet peace in Ukraine.
Any EU person who thinks Biden & Dems was better is ignoring the clear evidence. “But Trump said …“ blah blah blah. Trump’s words are about getting a better deal for America. He’s getting good results.
I haven’t yet, but I’m about to call them jealous, Americans have Trump & a better future. Slovakia & each EU country has some wimpy leader and continued slow decline relative to China or India.
Or, demographically, as compared to Nigeria’s 7.3 million births last year, all of Europe + Russia had only 6.8 million, or so.
Venezuela lightning strike by the US. Is Cuba next? They’ve been tied together, depending on each other, for decades.
Reporting with Wall Street Journal sources comes the story, “White House Aims For Cuba Regime Change By Year-End”:
“According to the Journal’s sources, the White House views the Cuban regime as teetering on the edge of collapse, and increasingly vulnerable with the loss of its Venezuelan trading partners. Assessments by the U.S. intelligence community paint a grim picture inside the communist nation, with Cuba’s tourism and agriculture industries significantly affected by shortages of medicine and basic necessities, routine blackouts, trade sanctions, and a host of other problems. Tourism has declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Cuba’s economy has retracted alongside Venezuela’s over the past decade.”
A prime issue is this: who inside this closed regime could possibly enable a transition led by the US? Is there anyone? This is neither Kansas or Venezuela with genuinely contested elections in lived memory. Cuba has none of that to work with and build on.
Can the US husband the transformation and guide the evolution an ex-Communist island like West Germany did with East Germany?
Or should this be officially led by a consortium of neighbouring nations like the OAS — the Organization of American States?
Perhaps the die is already cast: “Following Maduro’s ouster, Trump used his Truth Social account to warn that the Venezuela operation spelled doom for the communist government of Cuba, and that they should cut a “deal” soon.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/white-house-aims-cuba-regime-change-end-year
Rufus T Firefly writes about discourse with Germans about the American past, which raises a salient issue I wish to answer.
When did the right to land by conquest cede the way to something more sociable and peaceful? When and where?:
“On two different occasions on International flights, when seated next to Germans who discovered I speak German, I was treated to long histories of the U.S.’ abusive treatment of the American Indians.
“First, like you honestly don’t think we Americans know this? About half our city and lake names come from native American languages. We are aware that people lived here prior to the murderous Europeans ? setting foot on our soil.
“Second, like the Goths, Juttes, Teutons, Chauci didn’t rape, pillage and take land all throughout ‘Germany’ for most of the region’s history? And the ‘Germans’ didn’t send tribes all throughout Europe raping, pillaging and confiscating others’ land? Where does the English word ‘Vandal’ come from?!”
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, and for all of past civilizations, land and territory was gained by conquest.
Yet that’s ceased to be the international and respected norm until only quite recently. What happened to change all that…well, time honored tradition?
I’ve researched a planned dissertation or book on the subject. Chronic illness prevented me from moving on it, despite gaining a PhD advisor in American history at the University of North Carolina some 20 years ago. And since then, I’ve grown to appreciate that the unmined data in many sources from maps to other languages makes the entire project extremely daunting. It will take teams of scholars to carry out in full.
Rufus wrote: “About half our city and lake names come from native American languages. We are aware that people lived here prior to” us.
It’s more dramatic than you say. After the American Revolution, unmoored from a Colonial past why didn’t these colonists keep going and name new states after Lords and great landowners?
In fact, following the Revolution, ALL BUT ONE state — Washington state — is named for prior inhabitants. Thus, 36 states acquired names not of conquest imposed from without, but rather from local and indigenous sources.
Not only were the olden names from abroad in the Colonies typical here, it also seems to be the defining pattern throughout history: conquerors rename conquered lands to spread hegemonic legitimacy by right of naming places after themselves. It’s virtually like a flag itself.
Even in the 20th century, we can see this in border changes between Austria and Italy, or in Brazil and its neighbors.
But after the American Revolution, things changed. Indian names, Spanish names, even a French name like Louisiana (named for King Louis) becomes a political place names.
Instead of vanquishing the conquered by expunging their memory and eliminating the past, Americans’ embraced and celebrated the local past and with it local rule because “here,” as De Tocqueville observed because people said so, “the people rule.”Not any “betters.” Our founders and forbears were proud of this fact.
My thesis title is “Icons for Liberty: Political Toponyms [or place names] After The American Revolution.” Similarly, at the local county level of over 3,000 jurisdictions, localism prevails! People and places or physical features there make up the entirety of county names.
Now, the question is, did the new US tradition spread else where? Indeed it did. Canada’s early settled provinces got imported names like Nova Scotia (New Scotland) or Quebec or British Columbia.
But most of the vast expanse in between got Indian names —- Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, with local signicance.
Why do we celebrate localism in place names? Americans are unafraid to be newcomers, unlike European tradition. Instead of committing the past to oblivion, we honor our past peoples loudly.
And so it began. And after World War II, in the decolonization era, a new norm setting itself up against conquest grew. Tell this to every haughty and gloating European!
TJ: In fact, following the Revolution, ALL BUT ONE state — Washington state — is named for prior inhabitants.
Not quite:
Idaho: the name is a fabrication; it “sounded” Indian. Could be other states have made-up names as well – I haven’t looked.
David Foster.
Back some decades; album by The New Christy Minstrels. “This Is A Land of Giants”
You can get a lot of it on youtube.
There are certain occupations, besides lumbering which has Paul Bunyan, which have legendary folk heroes; steel mills, “Joe Magarac”.
And The Blacksmith of Brandwine.
“Battle Cry of Freedom”.
“We Are Coming, Father Abraham.”
Might think of more, but I’ve got to cue it up now.
gregJM:Idaho: the name is a fabrication
Lots of the Western states are not named for former inhabitants.
Oregon: made up, possibly Spanish
Montana: Latin for “mountainous”
California: named for fictional queen of a fictional Asian country
Arizona: made up, possibly Spanish or Basque
Colorado: Spanish for “red”, named after the river
Nevada: Spanish for “snowy”
Wyoming: named after a place in Pennsylvania which in turn was named by entirely different Indians from the ones in Wyoming
New Mexico: named after the Aztecs, who didn’t live in New Mexico
Place names in Washington and Oregon though are very commonly Indian names, in my area Salish or Chinook.
For example, I live in Snohomish County, which is south of Skagit County, which is south of Whatcom County, which is south of British Columbia. Those county names are all Salish languages.
The principal rivers in Snohomish County are the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, and Pilchuck rivers. You get the idea.
As regards cats; compared with dogs, that’s a heck of a lot fewer generations to get a wild cat domesticated.
However, as an experiment with Russian silver foxes showed, a serious culling–90% of each litter taken out of the experiment, in the Russian case, I believe, can show results pretty quickly.
Perhaps that’s what happened with the Egyptian cat thing.
On the other hand, few cats are affectionate or much use in a practical sense. So, if bred for a particular purpose, it wasn’t for the purpose dogs were bred. Although the “breeding” was likely only in the last couple of thousand years. Prior to that, it is said to have been self selection; wolves hung around for warmth and food. Those which were useful got more of each, the others less. Or were killed, if not driven off. Those paying too, too much attention to the two-year old kids were likewise removed from the breeding pool which hung around. Thence to domestication.
Being pack animals, dogs were more likely to be convinced that certain cooperations were a good idea.