The inauguration is over. And what did it tell us? Not much that we didn't already know. One Note Donald gave the same speech he gave at the Republican convention and throughout the whole campaign. Michael Harris writes:
The Trump message? America is surrounded on all sides by threats. Mexican rapists, Muslim immigrants, slick Canadian trade negotiators, wily Chinese currency manipulators, corrupt Wall Street brokers, scumbag journalists and, of course, Crooked Hillary. And did I mention the CIA?
Only Super Donald could save the day.
For one thing, he knifed not only the political opposition, but his own party with startling regularity. Berate, belittle and behead — a modus operandi good enough to win him the Republican nomination for president, and then the presidency itself.
And, while he was fulminating, protesters were in the streets, breaking windows and burning cars. And they will be back in the streets today, in even greater numbers. Get used to it. In the Trump Era, protest will be the new normal.
Not since the days of the Vietnam War has the nation been so divided. Only now, the United States is at war with itself.
Trump's message yesterday was clear and direct: The Ugly American is back. And Ugly America is slithering behind him.
Image: Reuters
17 comments:
My concern is that if they become so divisive what's the chance that it could start a full on civil war? A lot of Canadians rejected Harper, but our reaction to him was nothing like this. I find it all very unnerving. They've got to find some cooler heads to lead the way through the next four years, to help the disaffected pave a path non-violently as they struggle with every change that leaves more in poverty and dismantles supports and enables more abuse by those in authority. I can't even picture how that could happen, though - which is the scary part.
Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education believes that there's a place for guns in schools, Marie -- to protect the inhabitants from grizzly bears. Not a good sign.
In response to Marie, she might take a look at some of Hedges' writings on America as a pre-revolutionary state.
What opportunity must the radical Islamist leadership be seeing in Trump America? The place is loaded and primed for jihad. Imagine how Trump and his extremist cabinet would respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear (dirty bomb) attack on a major US city. As 60 Minutes demonstrated a few years ago it's as easy as one RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) plus one minivan. Major cities have inner-city chemical tank farms full of chemicals, chlorine or worse, that if attacked could release instant clouds of death that the winds can carry through downtown cores. Some of them are adjacent to highway overpasses. Two guys - a driver and a gunner. The driver pulls over on the shoulder beside the tank farm. The gunner gets out, aims, launches the RPG and they drive off to upwind safety. Thirty seconds, max. It was estimated that deaths could well exceed a million.
Anthrax, sure. A radiation bomb, sure. Better yet, what if the attackers left a trail showing they had infiltrated through Mexico? Imagine.
The Trump presidency has placed a bullseye over the United States.
There are buildings there with Trump's name on them, Mound. Easy targets.
At least you don't have to live in this country. You'd only merely visit once in a while.
I remember a skit from the late-60s comedy show Laugh-In where Dan Rowan, commenting on the National Election Day, stated "It's the one day you stay sober so you can elect someone who'll drive you to drinking for the next four years."
@ Mound - You're not making me rest any easier! I feel like we'll all be holding our breath for the next four years, just waiting for some inevitable horror show. WRT Hedges, I love the idea of the people waking up and revolting against neo-liberal ideology and move towards a viable kind of socialism, but the reality is that there are casualties in any revolution. It might be necessary, but it will be painful.
I suspect, Tal, that the overall consumption of alcohol will rise in the United States.
.. Let's see if Hollywood goes after Trump et al..
regarding segment I've seen of the Inauguration Speech
(he claims to have written it himself.. plus a staged photograph
while White House operators now say Bannon et al wrote it)
Almost vebatim, is one segment from the film Avatar
Will Mainstream Media let this slide? Hollywood ?
Advice - don't hold your breath..
and remember, Melania Trump was unconcerned
when she or someone else lifted Michelle Obama's writing
The great silencing is already underway
It's a kleptocracy, salamander. Stealing money, stealing words. They're betting people are too stupid to notice -- or care.
Hi Owen, sorry if I am repeating something already said. Trumps inagural speech was something I had heard before and it was in essense plagurized from DC comics and brought to the silver screen by the villian Bane. No sense in writing fiction anymore.
In response to Mound if terrorism was real and the borders so pourus anything anybody could have imagined would have happened a decade ago
It sounded like something from the Breitbart website, Steve.
I think Mound's point, Steve, is that Frump's incendiary rhetoric encourages a response.
Talking about plagiarism, Trump or someone working for him plagiarized the inauguration cake! What a hoot! The Trump cake looks exactly like the Obama cake from 2013. Buttercream Bakery who made the Trump cake confirms that they were asked to copy the Obama cake. I'd send you a comparison photo if I could, but failing that, just google "inauguration cake plagiarism".
I saw that story yesterday, ffs. Interesting, isn't it? They plagiarized Michelle's speech and the Obama cake. You get the impression that there's not a fresh idea anywhere in the bunker.
"Inauguration Cake Plagiarism".
Now there's some food for thought.
I would have expected a blood-red with white and blue American flag frosting (or something else along that line, equally cliche)
Maybe a gold frosting, Tal? Trump appears partial to to that colour. I read that the new drapes in his office are gold.
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