Is Trump Keeping his Promises?

[Guest MormonGator]

19 minutes ago, DoctorLemon said:

Perhaps I should be more worried about Putin instead?  What do you guys think - is Putin misunderstood, a true threat, or a clown?

 

Putin, far and away. Romney was exactly right when he said in 2012 that Putin was a growing threat. Like it or not, Putin is basically the most powerful man in the world. He's shown to be ruthless-blowing up planes, invading countries because he feels like it...

North Korea is the nation state equivalent of the short school bus. When you can't feed your own people you can't run and win a war. 

[askandanswer]

6 hours ago, DoctorLemon said:

I have to admit, I feel a little better seeing that people are not as worried about North Korea as I am @Vort @anatess2.  Perhaps I am overreacting to the whole situation.  I read a thing today about our missle defense systems, and while they would be overwhelmed from a full missle attack by Russia or China, they are perfectly capable of shooting down the entire North Korean nuclear arsenal if it were launched simultaneously (as we have a 50% or better track record per shot, and we can launch multiple interception missles per ICBM).  That, and it would absolutely be suicide for North Korea to launch even a single ICBM against the United States.

Perhaps I should be more worried about Putin instead?  What do you guys think - is Putin misunderstood, a true threat, or a clown?

 

I think its the North Korean people who should be the most concerned.

[Mike]

15 hours ago, DoctorLemon said:

I have to admit, I feel a little better seeing that people are not as worried about North Korea as I am @Vort @anatess2.  Perhaps I am overreacting to the whole situation.  I read a thing today about our missle defense systems, and while they would be overwhelmed from a full missle attack by Russia or China, they are perfectly capable of shooting down the entire North Korean nuclear arsenal if it were launched simultaneously (as we have a 50% or better track record per shot, and we can launch multiple interception missles per ICBM).  That, and it would absolutely be suicide for North Korea to launch even a single ICBM against the United States.

Perhaps I should be more worried about Putin instead?  What do you guys think - is Putin misunderstood, a true threat, or a clown?

I don't think Putin is a clown. I think he is intelligent, experienced, and shrewd. In terms of worrying about nuclear first strike attacks I personally don't think one should be worried about Putin specifically.  I think it's much more complex than worrying about one specific world leader. I think that Putin doesn't wants his country destroyed any more than any of us want ours destroyed.

Edited July 7, 2017 by Mike

[Vort]

19 hours ago, Godless said:

Trump's entire presidential campaign was based on rhetoric.

Sadly, this is accurate. The despicable Hillary Clinton looked almost, I don't know...rational...compared with Trump's ravings. I'm still glad that Trump won, of course. Clinton would have been the continuation of the destruction of our republic. Strong words, I know, but I don't think they are overstated in the least.

[Mike]

On 7/5/2017 at 0:33 PM, Vort said:

I find myself in that same position far more often than I'd like. The wholesale media attack on the sitting president is unprecedented in my lifetime. Nixon did not receive such treatment from the press, even after Watergate broke.

I suppose that it's a matter of perception. In my own lifetime I perceived the media attacks on sitting presidents to have been disgraceful since President Kennedy was in office. I wasn't old enough to have paid direct attention before then. I readily admit that the tenor of political argument in general seems to have gone lower and lower, but I find myself wondering if even that is true (no one in Congress seems to have resorted to caning since the mid-nineteenth century, happily). But I believe (until shown otherwise) that the personal comportment of the current sitting president toward his detractors is unprecedented. One thing I find curious is how frequently we examine the flaws of a sitting president we happen to support and simultaneously feel compelled to offer a statement relating to the flaws of someone else whom we happen to hate. 

Edited July 7, 2017 by Mike

[Vort]

9 minutes ago, Mike said:

One thing I find curious is how frequently we examine the flaws of a sitting president we happen to support and simultaneously feel compelled to offer a statement relating to the flaws of someone else whom we happen to hate.

You have a lizard in your pocket?

[Mike]

54 minutes ago, Vort said:

You have a lizard in your pocket?

Hahaha, sadly this is accurate. But the despicable Albert Fish ate children. 

[Vort]

10 minutes ago, Mike said:

Hahaha, sadly this is accurate. But the despicable Albert Fish ate children. 

LOL.

[anatess2]

On 7/6/2017 at 6:47 PM, Just_A_Guy said:

"Alliance" typically designates a written agreement.  Or, at least, an announcement that such an agreement exists.

And I couldn't care three straws what the murderous thug-ocracy that is the Duterte regime, conducts its business; so long as Duterte's lap dogs don't try to export their dysfunction to my homeland.

I don't use the word alliance in such strict terms.  Geopolitical diplomacy does not run solely on treatises.  So, let me ask you.  What piece of paper gave the US the authority to wage war in Somalia, Yemen, Libya, Iraq, Syria with Arab nations such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia and even Egypt and Turkey taking supportive back seats?

And your uninformed attack on the Duterte regime is EXACTLY an illustration of how Americans remain ignorant as they avidly consume news articles.  I showed you one example of how to read the weeds in a news article and you fire back with Duterte... completely validating what I've been saying.

This analysis in the YouTube video below from an alternative journalist (non mainstream) on today's news on DPRK is another example of what I've been showing you when you ask for sources.  He read the news article and pulled out the seed out of the weeds.  I got the same analysis out of the news story but I do not agree with the stated opinion of this journalist that the US  with the blessings of China Japan and RoK signaling their readiness and willingness to act on the DPRK for a regime change is a bad thing.  This is something I have stated waaaay early on in the primaries which is the catalyst of my Trump support (I started an lds.net thread on it).  This journalist's opinion is in line with Ron Paul's.  I agreed with Paul's identification of the US foreign policy problems, I didn't quite agree with how he wanted to solve it.  Trump's more balanced position on foreign policy - the willingness to commit the strength of the US military but without the blind arrogance of the past administrations.  I believe wiping out the DPRK regime and uniting the people under the RoK is the best long-term solution.  It removes DPRK from the arsenal of China and Russia and the rest of the pacific theater can embrace western-style government without having to worry about the potential of being Chinese/Russian targets.  And, as it stands, the US is the only one that can do it.  I mean, Russia could - but we don't want them doing it because of its implications.  Oh, by the way... latest on Russia... Putin is not going to interfere with a DPRK regime change effort.  I haven't dug this up yet to gauge its accuracy, though.

 

Anyway, I don't expect you to believe a thing I say being that you don't know me from Eve.  What I do hope, though, is you take what I say - as far as wading through news articles and figuring out what is REALLY going on - and start figuring these things out on your own if you want to engage in political commentary or activism.  Your Duterte comments are what one would expect from a brain dead liberal consuming CNN and I have a lot more confidence in your intelligence than that.

Edited July 8, 2017 by anatess2

[Mike]

@anatess2 Hi, my friend. I've been reading (and re-reading to comprehend) the exchange between you and @Just_A_Guy.  Among other points you mentioned I'm understanding you to say that you favor what you call Trump's more balanced position which would use the U.S. military to wipe out the current DPRK regime, establish a reunification with South Korea, and thereby remove the military force of the DPRK from the "arsenal" of China and Russia. If (your) lds.net thread to which you referred provides additional substance, would you provide a link to it to make my life easier?  If not, maybe you'd like to provide more detail here (unless that's all you really care to say on the specific issue of U.S. military force as a solution to Kim Jong-un's nuclear weapons program). 

Quote

 ...I do not agree with the stated opinion of this journalist that the US with the blessings of China Japan and RoK signaling their readiness and willingness to act on the DPRK for a regime change is a bad thing.  This is something I have stated waaaay early on in the primaries which is the catalyst of my Trump support (I started an lds.net thread on it). ...  Trump's more balanced position on foreign policy - the willingness to commit the strength of the US military ...  I believe wiping out the DPRK regime and uniting the people under the RoK is the best long-term solution.  It removes DPRK from the arsenal of China and Russia and the rest of the pacific theater can embrace western-style government without having to worry about the potential of being Chinese/Russian targets.  

Apologies in advance if I have misinterpreted anything you've written.

 

[Guest Godless]

1 hour ago, anatess2 said:

I believe wiping out the DPRK regime and uniting the people under the RoK is the best long-term solution.  It removes DPRK from the arsenal of China and Russia and the rest of the pacific theater can embrace western-style government without having to worry about the potential of being Chinese/Russian targets.

I believe the statement in red will not happen for a very long time, and I believe the statement in blue is one of several reasons. I don't think we have the diplomatic firepower to convince China and Russia that a united RoK is a good idea (and I don't even blame Trump for that, I think that's a universal truth regardless of who's in office). And I doubt very much that either country wants to share a land border with a country that currently hosts the US military. 

[Vort]

You know that Duterte is the bad guy when even his party calls itself Laban.

Seriouisly, I for one am very impressed by anatess' knowledge and insights on these topics. I don't know that I agree with her perspective, but when I read things like the conversation between her and JAG, my own opinion becomes very unimportant, even to me.

[Guest MormonGator]

2 hours ago, Vort said:

, my own opinion becomes very unimportant, even to me.

You finally understand how we all feel.

[Vort]

1 hour ago, MormonGator said:

You finally understand how we all feel.

Oh, this isn't new to me. I'm under no illusion about the importance of my opinions, either to me or to anyone else.

[Guest MormonGator]

15 minutes ago, Vort said:

Oh, this isn't new to me. I'm under no illusion about the importance of my opinions, either to me or to anyone else.

In all seriousness I think everyone here (myself included, no question) loves hearing/reading your thoughts, even when we don't agree with them. Which is almost always the case with me. But you knew that. 

Edited July 9, 2017 by MormonGator