Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[Rob C]

It's obvious you don't know %$#@ about planning, negotiating and deal making, because that's exactly what's happening here.

No Frans, what’s happening here is that the supposedly most powerful country in the world is having its credibility destroyed, either wilfully or because of dreadful judgement on the part of the power structure that America presumably voted to put at its head. It’s easy, in this case, to point the finger at one individual, but the trouble is that the problem runs much deeper than that, and is publicly visible in the entire structure Trump has surrounded himself with, and stacking the Supreme Court so obviously in his own political favour is fooling nobody. Well, red baseball caps aside, of course.

I mentioned a few posts ago that I had doubts about whether or not the military top brass would back a war on Greenland or any other European ally. It’s my guess this is what has just happened. They said no.

Nothing to do with business or negotiating, simply verbal action without clear thought. Retirement, compulsory in any other situation, would be on the cards.

I see Mrs T also has big legal problem because of trying to scare a journalist away from herself by suing him for a billion dollars, only to have him counter-sue her instead of losing his courage. Jeez, what a way to live.

[digitaldog]

No Frans, what’s happening here is that the supposedly most powerful country in the world is having its credibility destroyed, either wilfully or because of dreadful judgement on the part of the power structure that America presumably voted to put at its head.

Indeed, and well outlined here (but our 'friend' Frans will not view it):
Fareed’s take: World countering Trump with shrewd moves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swF-r2pjYsQ

Case in point, Trump's silly 'negotiations' improved China's trade and hurt ours. Chinese Exports surged to nearly 1.2 trillion dollars in 2025, thanks in part to Trump. In a poll of various countries, when asked "if your country was forced to choose between being part of an American or a Chinese bloc of countries, which would you prefer," the drop was between 15-19 percentage points in two years. Only 16 percent of EU countries consider now the US an ally. 
Can we blame them with this awful business person running the US like all his other failed businesses?

[Frans Waterlander]

Indeed, and well outlined here (but our 'friend' Frans will not view it):
Fareed’s take: World countering Trump with shrewd moves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swF-r2pjYsQ

Case in point, Trump's silly 'negotiations' improved China's trade and hurt ours. Chinese Exports surged to nearly 1.2 trillion dollars in 2025, thanks in part to Trump. In a poll of various countries, when asked "if your country was forced to choose between being part of an American or a Chinese bloc of countries, which would you prefer," the drop was between 15-19 percentage points in two years. Only 16 percent of EU countries consider now the US an ally. 
Can we blame them with this awful business person running the US like all his other failed businesses?

Ah, Fareed Zakaria, what a loser.

[digitaldog]

Ah, Fareed Zakaria, what a loser.

As I predicted, the Rodney Dangerfield of LuLa (he gets no respect but lots of laughs) didn't watch or understand the video. Which is evidence that others will.

About Zakaria accomplishments:
•Media & Television: Host of Fareed Zakaria GPS (CNN) since 2008, which won a Peabody Award and multiple Emmy nominations. He previously hosted Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS.
Journalism & Writing: Columnist for The Washington Post and former editor of Newsweek International (2000–2010).
•Best-Selling Author: Author of The Post-American World (2008), The Future of Freedom (2003), and In Defense of a Liberal Education.

Awards & Honors:
•2024 Emmy Winner: Outstanding Breaking News Coverage for the Israel-Hamas War.
•Padma Bhushan: Awarded by the Indian government in 2010 for journalism.
•Order of Merit: Awarded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2022.
•Top Global Thinker: Named by Foreign Policy magazine as one of the top 100 global thinkers and a "Top 10 Global Thinker of the Last 10 Years".
•National Magazine Award: 2010 winner for his columns.
•Academic & Thought Leadership: Holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University and serves on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations and Yale University.

About Frans Waterlander (photographic or otherwise) accomplishments:

Thank you Frans for your contribution to the forums today.
"When a man's knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has the greater will be his confusion."- Herbert Spencer

[digitaldog]

Ah, Fareed Zakaria, what a loser.

“When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser”.-Socrates

[Robert Roaldi]

Here's an unexpected tidbit from the ex pardon lawyer again, this time about Trump and FIFA https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jq48eC2OvPk.

[digitaldog]

Not for the humor, irony, and fact impaired sycophant.

[digitaldog]

Here's an unexpected tidbit from the ex pardon lawyer again, this time about Trump and FIFA https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jq48eC2OvPk.

Shocking! Thanks for sharing, I'm going to do the same, it's a must-see video (except for one here). 

[Rob C]

Shocking! Thanks for sharing, I'm going to do the same, it's a must-see video (except for one here).

Shocking indeed, and as shocking, the fact that nobody is any longer shocked by anything that happens in the US.

The decline and fall of that nation’s prestige in the modern world beats the speed of collapse of that of any other recent civilisation that has fallen from international grace. Perhaps Britain may not be that far behind: my state pension, which derives from there, has fallen steadily in value - yes, in actual numerical value - when it arrives, converted into euros. Some years ago, one pound was worth around 1.30 euros; now, about 1.08 depending on bank or agency. I’m too depressed to work out the actual exchange rate my pension gets, mainly because there’s f-all I can do about it. Suffice to say, I never imagined the day would come when Spanish pensioners on the average rate would be collecting about 80% more than I. We laughed at their toy donkeys on sale at the holiday airports. Nobody’s laughing now. We shouldn’t have been laughing then: iț wasn’t the Spanish who were doing the buying.

[Robert Roaldi]

"Daddy" Trump posted that he will increase import taxes (aka tariffs) on Canada to 100% again. I am thinking of getting a plaque made up and awarded to him, see what discount I can get. Maybe he'll get Canada mixed up with Iceland, hit them with the import taxes instead. Personally I don't understand this reaction. Hasn't he repeatedly said that Canada doesn't matter. If that's so then why worry who we trade with.

The ups and downs of import tax percentages over the last year are confusing as hell and must be confusing to the American authorities in charge of collecting them. They must have forms and procedures to do their jobs, can't be easy when they change on a whim. Did DOGE fire any of them too, that might it worse?

It's anecdotal but my wife and I see a lot of vendors, on their own sites or on etsy or similar, saying that they apologize but can no longer ship to the US. It has become too difficult to deal with US customs, they often can't get a definitive answer to their buyers about what things will cost. This must be part of getting rid of the regulatory swamp.

I saw that one of the cabinet Sec's said that Greenland traditionally belonged to the US, like Venezuelan oil. They never go after anything Russian I notice. I get that though, it's probably more difficult.

[digitaldog]

"Daddy" Trump posted that he will increase import taxes (aka tariffs) on Canada to 100% again.

TACO; he will chicken out.

[Rob C]

Yet another American citizen falls, shot in the street, what, four or five times, by one of the government’s masked murderers.

The NRA must be pleased as hell to see so much use being made of American weapons. In America. That was always the intent, wasn’t it, home defence?

On the video shown in Spain, it was interesting to see one of the gang running away from the scene as fast as he could. I wonder why, if the gangs have been presidentially pardoned before the act? Better hang around and maybe get a medal, no? On the other hand, that’s no more than established Christian logic: the Catholic church, knowing very well all there was to know about military plunder and rape, pre-forgave all the knights and associated rabble that constituted the Crusaders. So what’s new, in the good ol’ land of the free? It made sense in N. Ireland, after all, and many died there…

[Robert Roaldi]

The ex pardon attorney returns with an update on some of the Jan 6 rioters and what they're up to https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wxQlHqylR_U.
 

[Robert Roaldi]

Short report by a US Senator about how ICE targets immigrants who are appearing for their court cases https://www.youtube.com/shorts/D37BqP37L9M.

[Robert Roaldi]

Did they stop sinking "drug" boats after kidnapping Maduro?

Why, if they are such a threat.

[digitaldog]

Another ICE Murder? You be the judge:

CNN video analysis sheds new light on the killing of Alex Pretti Pretti
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/25/us/video/minneapolis-ice-shooting-alex-pretti-visual-analysis-digvid

[degrub]

Did they stop sinking "drug" boats after kidnapping Maduro?

Why, if they are such a threat.

No.

[Robert Roaldi]

No.

Thnx, I haven't seen anything on the news lately but it may not be getting much coverage.

[digitaldog]

Thnx, I haven't seen anything on the news lately but it may not be getting much coverage.

The US military conducted a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday, killing two people with one survivor, according to US Southern Command. “On Jan. 23, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” SOUTHCOM wrote on X.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/politics/us-military-strikes-boat-pacific-survivor

[Rob C]

I wonder how those who voted for Trump feel now. If they haven’t changed their mind after all these killings, then there is no hope for them, they are as complicit in the murders as is their hero. God help them sleep at night once realisation of what they support actually does sink in, as it eventually will, possibly years down the line, when it will be too late to mend the damage they have done both to themselves as to the reputation of their country.