Musings about our changing times and how I anticipate it may effect me (us)

[Ray]

What Trump and Vance did to Zelenskyy at the White House yesterday was an utter disgrace to their country. They bullied another national leader in public. Just because they want Ukraine’s resources for a song.

Trump is a puppet of Putin now. He and his cockroach, Musk, are well down the path to Naziism. The parallels are shocking.

The world is aghast at the Orange One’s behaviour. He’s no longer leader of the Free World. To be a leader, others need to follow you. That’s no longer the case outside of the US. Europe despises both. Tesla sales in Europe have tanked in Jan 25. Tesla shares dropped 9% on the news. I expect this to worsen. Trump and Musk could damage the US severely - especially economically and politically.

As for renaming the Gulf of Mexico? Haha! The fool. The arrogant cretin.

The US - the country I USED to know - deserves better.

Trump is vile, evil, and not fit to hold any office. He has trashed the Republican Party - the party that abolished slavery. A great party with a storied history. Not in the last few decades, and certainly not in the last 10 years.

Carl? Move to Canada. It’s more civilised.

I’ll say no more on politics, although it’s more about individuals really.

[Grok]

I once came across this comment-"Trust is easy to destroy, difficult to rebuild." I posted the Canada links to illustrate this destruction, and also how this came about very quickly.

[familyman34]

As a member of this community based outside of the USA, and having read some of the observations (from Carl and Moon in particular) about working life in the USA, I found the information in https://arstechnica.com/information-tec ... he-office/ (especially in the comments) about the future of work particularly disheartening, and it made me glad that I spent my own working years elsewhere.

[crfriend]

This is usually described as "Trust is extremely difficult to attain and trivial to destroy." And we're getting a blistering example of that in action with the current antics going on in DC. The treatment of another head-of-state at the hands of Rump and his boneless chicken of a VP is a disgrace on the international stage. Zelensky should have flipped the two of them the bird, said, "F*ck Off!", and walked out. Show them the respect they deserve.

I tried getting out of the USA during the '80s shortly after Ronald Reagan was elected (seeing the handwriting on the wall). I failed abjectly as I found myself being viewed by the developed world as "an economic migrant" and was unwelcome everywhere I looked -- in spite of a stellar work record and being early in a career, If I couldn't pull it off as a 20-year-old, there's no way possible I'll be able to pull it off as a 64-year-old. I'll just die, cold and alone, in this third-world hole. Canada was on the short-list, as was Australia, New Zealand, and most of Europe.

I just hope that there are folks in the US State Department that are seriously investigating the rumours that Trump was recruited by the KGB in the '80s. Then we could get him on charges of treason -- which might carry the death penalty, which is going to be the only way to get rid of him once and for all.

[Faldaguy]

So many valid concerns popping up in this thread. I have to bite my tongue not to respond -- which would mostly be re-iterating the anger, fears, and impotence expressed. However; for those who do seriously wish to find a a personal sanctuary -- there is more to the world, despite the Yankee's ethnocentric view. Carl, we too tried NZ -- sadly we were essentially told we were "too old, too dumb, and too poor". We did not have youth to contribute to the social safety net; we did not have desperately needed skills; and we did not have a bit over half a mil in pocket change to buy our way in --- and that was many years ago. Lawyers told us our only route was to divorce and marry kiwi's!

We have also lived in Canada -- and health care was great, in our youth! My younger siblings are still there -- and the health care system has suffered and become ineffective, despite there still being a more caring attitude. In the USA -- most people have the illusion it is the best health care in the world (like they think everything else in the US is the world class best) -- and in all of these respects, they are wrong. If you look at the medical care outcomes for health care in the US -- on surveys that typically assess 150 countries or more -- the US usually is about 25 -35 places down from the top. Most problems in the US, and much of the world -- are an outgrowth of greed, and inequality--that tends to hold true universally -- but the particular elements differ, with healthcare being a key one in the USA.

You can find compassionate health care, even in the US from individual practitioners, but they are still slaves to the insurance and pharmaceutical industries who are actually directing the the Physician's practice. For the moment T has 'promised' not to touch Social Security (but the financial industry wants it, and in time it will go -- if you can land a pension before then, do so -- even if it you take a cut; because it is less likely they will annul existing contracts. The current threat to Medicaid might help re-set the status quo.

Meantime, other countries are still affordable (no $5 million --'gold' card buy in)-- and they often exhibit far more humanity than one has seen in the US for the last couple of decades-- and especially now. We visited several countries before retiring to investigate the possibilities; and have lived long enough in several countries to have a sense of factors that often dramatically impact one's preferred life-style. They are not the same for everyone --- but there is usually a decent choice for almost everyone somewhere on this globe.

I'm not here to tout Costa Rica, but it is one decent option. I will use it as an example. It is not for everyone, it is not perfect (I don't know a country that is) -- but as a real example: Here, you can come under several programs -- $1000.00 a month in a pension or annuity will serve for a single person; $1200.00 for a couple. Put $60K in a local bank -- you're IN; AND, you get your money back in monthly payments over 5 years. Buy in, presently, for $150K (a house will do) & bring your car and airplane or boat and household goods duty free. Come before you are 70, and you will pay a pittance for public health care -- which is similar to the current Canadian standard -- pretty good, but often delayed for elective or non-life threatening items. Your medications, and God-forbid- vaccines, will be included. Pick from many micro-climates -- we seldom see the temperature below 60 or above 75. Water from tap is great. There is no army -- nobody is trying to invade us. I could go on, but my point is there are OPTIONS around the globe, and they don't all cost a fortune. I do fear the US may not survive -- unless the SCOTUS gets some integrity fast. T's crew will likely try to use the Armed forces against their own people to keep the power. For those of you on the west coast and the far NE -- you'd better hope Canada offers to annex you!

[Grok]

September 2023. I very nearly lost a large portion of my life savings to a scam. To a master manipulator. I was lucky, a bank teller saved the day.

(Recently, on the television news, it was reported that a woman lost all of her life savings to a phishing scam).

I have a friend who is a Trump supporter, and who is also into conspiracy theories. He is a good person. To keep his friendship, I am very circumspect when he starts talking about politics.

I think that many Trumps supporters are okay people, its just that they have been fooled by a con man. Now some of them are waking up, they feel burned.

[moonshadow]

I feel I have to address the 800lb gorilla in the room here...

All this talk about how the U.S. is about to go under (for real), a complete and utter collapse. One that I can imagine we'd all agree would be catastrophic and a humanitarian nightmare.

And yet, despite all of this, I'm reading post after post about how much it cost to "buy into" other countries, Carl and Faldaguy's unsuccessful attempts to relocate to certain other first world nations over the years. Apparently you have to be in your prime, and come fully loaded to gain citizenship in these other countries, and yet all you hear touted in many discussions is how wonderful, civilized, and upstanding other countries are in comparison to the United States.

I don't know if my country is truly dying a miserable death or not, but I'm not sure what it says about the other world's "civilized" nations when they can sit back and watch millions upon millions of innocent American's starve to death and then seal off their borders and offer no sanctuary in their nations, and then the citizens of these very same nations want to kick rocks at the United States for being "morally inferior".

Maybe it's always been that way, Jamestown, after all, was basically a British penal colony. This country has been absorbing the world's rejects for almost 300 years. It may not have the pomp of Europe, or the healthcare, or a lot of the other sweet candies that the rest of the world enjoys, but this country has a lot of soul, and a good heart.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

-Said no other country, only America.

Steven Stills said, "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with". Could apply in this situation. The rest of the world doesn't want us. I'm afraid, this is where we make our stand.

America and I have a lot in common. We both gave and gave and gave and gave until there was nothing more to give, then we had the audacity to pull back and say "I need to work on myself for a little bit", now suddenly, we're the "bad guys".

I feel ya Lady Liberty.

[Uncle Al]

To all of the naysayers who "claim" Pres. Trump and Vice Pres. Vance messed up, I offer this excellent view of what really happened. I'm copying this from a good friend on Facebook, who is not the author of this review.

Many of you probably watched what took place between Donald Trump and Zelenskyy. Whether you're Democrat or Republican, you might be thinking to yourself, Oh my God, Donald Trump just screwed up. But in fact, it was
Zelenskyy who screwed up. Let me explain the difference between what you believe you witnessed and what actually happened.
Donald Trump has been under constant political persecution since the beginning of his first term. Over time, he has learned to be patient and calculated.
Zelenskyy was invited to the Oval Office. However, both Trump and JD Vance knew exactly what Zelenskyy was going to do—he would use this opportunity, in front of the American people, to make a power play. Both Trump and Vance anticipated this.
When Zelenskyy began appealing to the emotions of the American people, JD Vance stepped in, accusing him of disrespecting Donald Trump. This was brilliant strategy. It’s important to understand that Zelenskyy is trying to gain access to NATO.
Trump knew this but could not allow it to happen. If Ukraine joins NATO, the U.S. would be bound by NATO’s collective defense agreement—an attack on one is an attack on all.
Now consider the larger implications: Ukraine and Russia despise each other. If Ukraine were to become a NATO member, any future skirmish between them would obligate the U.S. to enter into direct conflict with Russia. This would mean World War III. And if that happened, China would have to choose a side—they would almost certainly align with Russia.
So what you witnessed was a setup. Trump and JD Vance knew that the only way to achieve peace was to strategically align, at least on the surface, with Russia. Why? Because Russia would never sign a peace treaty if Ukraine were admitted into NATO.
This is why Trump dismantled Zelenskyy’s argument. And when Zelenskyy, seeing his play failing, tried to backtrack and offer a treaty, Trump refused.
Zelenskyy’s real intent was clear—he would not agree to peace unless security guarantees were in place. But what was he actually saying? That NATO must accept Ukraine. However, Russia would never agree to peace, knowing that NATO, their historical adversary, would surround them.
Zelenskyy, Putin, and Trump all knew this. Zelenskyy, thinking he had Democratic support, believed he could make this bold move on live television. But Trump and Vance saw right through it and outmaneuvered him.
They knew that, in the short term, Democrats and the media would try to use this moment against them. But they also knew they had two years before midterms to prove their strategy was the right one. So they held their ground—brilliantly so.
Now, Zelenskyy will have no choice but to back down and accept Trump's terms. But here’s the genius part—Trump is actually protecting Ukraine without dragging the U.S. into war.
By negotiating a mineral deal, Trump ensures that Americans will be involved in Ukraine’s mining industry. This prevents Russia from launching an invasion, because attacking Ukraine would mean endangering American lives—something that would force the U.S. to respond.
Trump played both sides like a master chess player. In the end, Zelenskyy will have no choice but to concede, because without U.S. support, Ukraine cannot win a prolonged war against Russia. And once U.S. companies have mining operations in Ukraine, Putin will be unable to attack without triggering massive international consequences.
Don’t underestimate Donald Trump. In this game of chess, he’s 10 moves ahead of everyone.
Michael McCune - Author

Now, can we get back to the reason we're all here
To promote Men in Skirts - AS MEN, not woman wannabe's.
The concept that clothing is just that, clothing - not gender defining items.
Too many members are still trying to twist this concept around, to make it
detrimental to/for men who want to wear skirts/dresses. We're here to help
open the public's mind to this concept - not promote division.

Remember - United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Uncle Al

[Ray]

No, Al. We will not yet revert to the topic of skirts. Just because the conversation does not fit your world view (narrow, US-centric) doesn’t mean you can wade in and stop it.

Your post is an opinion - and a highly skewed one at that. Trump couldn’t strategise his way out of a paper bag, so to suggest, as the writer does, that this was all part of a grand plan, is utterly naive. It’s beyond his feeble little brain to come up with such Machiavellian thinking.

Trump is evil. He breaks all rules of decency. He distorts, lies, lies, and lies again. He cannot be trusted. He is the dictator, not Zelenskyy. He is the single largest threat to democracy since the 1930s.

If you can’t see this; if your view is so myopic that you slavishly follow these tyrants - then you are beyond redemption.

Oh, and you can tell Trump to p155 off in relation to his comments on Greenland, Panama, Canada.

[Seb]

If Ukraine were to become a NATO member, any future skirmish between them would obligate the U.S. to enter into direct conflict with Russia.

I'm sorry, I can't let this one slide...
This is the entire premise of a defence alliance. Russa, even with the help of China could'nt take on all of Nato, which is why is a security guarantee that is actually worth something. No Nato country has ever been invaded by a foreign power because doing so would be suicide.

Ukraine needs to have these guarantees if it is to agree to peace, because its the only guarantee that Russia wont just invade again once they have licked their wounds.

The free democratic nations of Earth see this, and we will stand by Ukraine until the war is concluded in a way that protects Ukraines sovereignty, both Nato and EU membership are crucial. We stand behind Ukraine with or without the USA, because we have a moral compass. We fought fascists before, we will do it again if its needed.

Remember, Russia started this war, they can end it anytime by withdrawing to the internationally recognized borders (Budapest memorandum 1994), ceizing hostillities, putting war criminals to international trial and paying war reps.

Ukraine is rightfully defending their right to exist and should not be forced into an unjust treaty, they, and they alone have the right to decide what is good enough of a treaty to lay down arms. No one is going to be allowed to bully them into submission.

If USA, Russia, UK and France had not forced Ukraine to give up its nuclear arsenal in 94, OR if USA, UK and FRA had actually held up their part of that agreement in 2014, this war would never have happened.

[rode_kater]

[...] I'm not sure what it says about the other world's "civilized" nations when they can sit back and watch millions upon millions of innocent American's starve to death and then seal off their borders and offer no sanctuary in their nations, and then the citizens of these very same nations want to kick rocks at the United States for being "morally inferior".

Now the shoe is on the other foot...

You could also write it this way:

I'm not sure what it says about the [United States] when they can sit back and watch millions upon millions of innocent [Latin] American's starve to death and then seal off their borders and offer no sanctuary in their [states], and then the citizens of these very same [states] want to kick rocks at the [Latin Americans] for being "morally inferior".

I'm not trying to be mean here, but borders are a hot topic these days and they have two sides. Everyone always wants to keep the "others" out. Before ~1910 border controls weren't a thing and everyone had true freedom to travel the world (if you could afford it). That disappeared in WW1 and never came back except in small pockets like the Schengen Area in Europe.

As an aside...

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive opening this forum today because I didn't know which way the wind would blow and if I could remain a member in good conscience. I've been heartened by many of the responses, even if it doesn't really help in any practical sense. America doesn't need to worry about starving no matter what the political situation. You are geographically and geologically privileged. Whatever happens, Europe is going to bear the brunt of it, again.

[Mouse]

It is also interesting to note that only one country in NATO has invoked article 5 and that was after 9/11.

[crfriend]

So, a foreign Head of State gets demanded to show up in DC to sign off on an extortion attempt for natural resources, said Head of State says, "No.", and gets mugged. The only winner here was Vladimir Putin, who once again played Trump like a $2 fiddle. If the US had a shred of credibility or trustworthiness before this event, it sure doesn't now -- and it's good to see Europe aligning itself to help Ukraine.

I'm actually wondering now whether the allegations that Trump was recruited into the KGB in the '80s are factual. Three separate KGB individuals in geographically-distributed regions all telling the same story. I hope somebody is investigating this at the State Department level. It'd be nice to get Trump on a charge of treason and hang him -- because treason during a time of war can be punishable by death -- and we're in a de-facto war at the moment with Russia.

Zelensky would have been well within his right to tell the Orange one and the boneless chicken to -- in as many words -- "F*ck off!" and departed the premises without ado. However, I suspect he's got a bit more class than that. If the US becomes a pariah nation (like South Africa did during Apartheid) I could only feel joy at it. Whether the US will survive the next few years is open to conjecture, but traces can be heard of the death-rattle in its voice.

[moonshadow]

[...] I'm not sure what it says about the other world's "civilized" nations when they can sit back and watch millions upon millions of innocent American's starve to death and then seal off their borders and offer no sanctuary in their nations, and then the citizens of these very same nations want to kick rocks at the United States for being "morally inferior".

Now the shoe is on the other foot...

You could also write it this way:

I'm not sure what it says about the [United States] when they can sit back and watch millions upon millions of innocent [Latin] American's starve to death and then seal off their borders and offer no sanctuary in their [states], and then the citizens of these very same [states] want to kick rocks at the [Latin Americans] for being "morally inferior".

I'm not trying to be mean here, but borders are a hot topic these days and they have two sides. Everyone always wants to keep the "others" out. Before ~1910 border controls weren't a thing and everyone had true freedom to travel the world (if you could afford it). That disappeared in WW1 and never came back except in small pockets like the Schengen Area in Europe.

Yeah, I know what you're saying rode *hangs head*. The United States is a country of immigrants (save for the tribes that were already here centuries ago. My mother's side of the family has only been here for about 100 years now.

You should know that while most Americans do indeed want to keep dangerous foreigners out, most of us (even conservatives.. (or at least they used to)) fully support the notion of legal immigration. One thing that always made me smile with regards to our own country, was our diversity, and the fact that people from all over would flock to this country for a better life.

I still like to think that most Americans support legal immigration. I believe most immigrants come to this country for honest reasons and not to cause problems, and I believe that Americans would do well to treat immigrants like family, it is, after all, the Christ like thing to do. But we shouldn't do it because we believe it will get us into heaven, we should do it because we care about people and want the best for everyone, regardless of their nationality. I hope that sentiment still exist in the United States. I fear that we are turning away from that now, and when it blows up in our face (and it will), we will blame the poor and downtrodden for it. There is no way a "Christ like" nation would abide what is going on today. Christ commands his followers to give and expect nothing in return. If we don't turn soon, they might as well change the National Motto, for it is no longer "God" in which we trust.

Please help spread the word, there are millions upon millions of us here that do not approve of what is going on. Just like not every Russian supported what's going on in Ukraine and not every Muslim is a terrorist.... not every American is an obnoxious asshole. But to be fair, even most Trump voters are NOT assholes. They are good people at heart, but they are human still, and prone to error, just like the American "liberal". Nobody is perfect.

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive opening this forum today because I didn't know which way the wind would blow and if I could remain a member in good conscience. I've been heartened by many of the responses, even if it doesn't really help in any practical sense. America doesn't need to worry about starving no matter what the political situation. You are geographically and geologically privileged. Whatever happens, Europe is going to bear the brunt of it, again.

I understand what you're saying, and I can't really refute any of it. Millions of us didn't vote for this, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. No country should suffer on account of our actions. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make all of this go away but I can't. I'm only good for one vote, and I have an opinion I can share, but that is even worth less than my vote. There is, quite literally... nothing I can do.

I will say however that while "America" (as a whole) may not have to worry about literally starving, make no mistake, we have a poverty crisis here, and it's in all 50 states, in just about every single locality. Our homeless problem is simply out of control and nobody really knows what to do about it, some of the stories you hear are simply heart breaking, not all of them are druggies or troublemakers. I was blessed because my step father got me into a trade that paid well and had a future. But had it not been for that I could have easily found myself going without. I could NEVER afford to live in a place anywhere near the PNW, I would have wound up being chained to a low cost of living area, working a low wage job, with no real prospects, and I would have the yoke of conformity placed on my shoulders for life (i.e. no skirts), because low cost of living areas tend to be Republican controlled, and as our friend layne so eloquently points out, "employment is a privilege" in those parts, so you'd better tow the line and do as your told... if you want to eat anyway.

Prior to Trump, this is what I was raised to believe America represented:

This ain't comin' from no prophet,
Just an ordinary man.
When I close my eyes,
I see the way this world shall be
When we all walk hand in hand.
When the last child cries for a crust of bread,
When the last man dies for just words that he said,
When there's shelter over the poorest head,
We shall be free.
When the last thing we notice is the color of the skin,
And the first thing we look for is the beauty within;
When the skies and the oceans are clean again,
Then we shall be free.
We shall be free, we shall be free.
Stand straight, walk proud,
'Cause we shall be free.
When we're free to love anyone we choose,
When this world's big enough for all different views,
When we all can worship from our own kind of pew,
Then we shall be free.
We shall be free, we shall be free
Have a little faith, hold out,
'Cause we shall be free.
And when money talks for the very last time,
And nobody walks a step behind;
When there's only one race,
And that's mankind, then we shall be free.
We shall be free ,we shall be free
-From "We Shall Be Free", Garth Brooks

I want to bring us back to that place.

[moonshadow]

To be honest, I was a little apprehensive opening this forum today because I didn't know which way the wind would blow and if I could remain a member in good conscience.

On this, I would appeal to you to consider sticking around.

It's ironic that on another thread, I (and my "liberal way of thinking") was taken to task for apparently "wanting to live free without consequences". An ironic statement coming from a member who'd I hazard a guess is certainly an "America FIRST above all others" kind of guy, and yet the reality of the matter is we make up a small population of the overall world, despite consuming most of the world's resources, and now we have an administration that is breaking everything in sight with no regards to "consequences".

Interesting.

America is hurting it's allies, and those chickens will come home to roost eventually. Frankly, we need people like you to hold us to the fire. Don't let us retreat into our own bubble and echo chambers. We have too many nukes for that. We're on a dangerous path now, and unlike Hitler who ran up against the U.S. and it's allies, this time I don't know if there is another nation strong enough to bring us down, lest we destroy the whole planet in the process. (World War III)

I'm hoping there are still cooler heads here in America, and in the meantime, we need foreign citizens to continue to call us out on our crap. American's have to be reminded that we are not the masters of the Universe, we are but a voice in a choir.

Basically, if you and people like you just turn and walk away, leaving us to self destruct, this country will "circle the wagons", and take the whole world down with us. If Russia and the U.S. cozy up to each other, between us, we have enough firepower to eliminate all life on this planet, down to the bacterial level.

Stay... the voice of opposition is all we have left... the pen is often mightier than the sword. Frankly I'm not good at debating. I fancy myself a good natured man, but I can be a political idiot. (I know this). I know what's going on isn't right, but when I open my mouth, for some reason people just shout over me, ignore me, treat me like I'm not even in the room. Thus, I conclude that my voice simply carries no weight, maybe it's my feminine nature, maybe it's my nervous tics (people think I'm retarded), I don't know. But it is what it is.

I can't stop this. It's up to you.