Bartholomew Gallacher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2018
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- SL Rez
- 2002
Swiss magazine Watson is asking the question if Trump's madness can be stopped. And they are not really beating around the bush, the clarity of the article is quite unmatched:
"More and more psychiatrists and other experts are stating the obvious: Donald Trump is demented, and not only that, he suffers from a particularly dangerous form of age-related confusion, frontal lobe dementia. But we don't even need these experts. Anyone with eyes can see that the US president is deteriorating both physically and mentally. He can no longer walk straight, he has to cover his hands with makeup, he repeatedly falls asleep in public, and his rambling speeches are becoming increasingly incoherent.
The fact that we're talking about the most powerful man in the world makes the situation frightening, especially since his inner circle can't stop him: His chief of staff, Susie Wiles, has no influence on his decisions and refuses to do so. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is a dim-witted sycophant, as is Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President J.D. Vance are spineless opportunists.
Stephen Miller, the man said to have the greatest influence over the president, is—sorry, there's no other way to put it—a dangerous fascist, Trump's Joseph Goebbels, so to speak.
Seen in this light, it's no surprise what's currently happening around Greenland. Trump wants to annex the island to the US, if necessary by military means. He wants it because he can, or as Stephen Miller recently put it in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN: "We live in a world where you can discuss the nice international customs all you want. But the real world is ruled by power and force."
Meanwhile, the US president claims that the US needs Greenland for reasons of national security. "It's strategic," says Trump. "Currently, it's surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships."
That's nonsense. Militarily, the US can already do as it pleases in Greenland. Denmark, a NATO partner to which the island belongs, is placing no obstacles in the Americans' way. The Americans can also easily purchase the mineral resources still hidden beneath the ice, should they ever be extracted.
No, Trump wants Greenland for one reason only: He wants to make history and equal Thomas Jefferson's feat. In 1803, Jefferson bought Louisiana from Napoleon, doubling the territory of the United States in one fell swoop.
Moreover, Greenland is easy prey. Militarily, the US cannot be prevented from annexing the island. Politically, however, the price is very high. Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, speaks plainly: "If the United States were to militarily attack another NATO member, then it's all over."
The military action against Nicolás Maduro is also increasingly proving to be a self-serving project of the president. Trump repeatedly emphasizes that it's all about the oil. He never mentions democracy, and he is even prepared to cooperate with the former cabinet of the Venezuelan dictator.
Even with the oil, things will likely prove difficult. While the Americans have seized Venezuelan oil worth nearly three billion dollars, and Trump intends to personally decide what happens to the money from its sale, this is little more than a drop in the ocean. Indeed, it demonstrates that Trump not only thinks like a mafia boss, but acts like one too. "This is pure imperialism, for which there is no justification," explains Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale Business School, in the Financial Times. "There is absolutely no reason for it. Currently, there is far too much oil on the market."
The situation is complex, even in the long term. While Venezuela possesses the world's largest oil reserves, this oil is difficult to extract and refine. Furthermore, Trump falsely claimed that American oil giants would revitalize Venezuela's dilapidated oil fields. Venezuela is, at best, a potential oil bonanza. Initially, investments in the tens of billions of dollars are needed, and even then, these investments will only be profitable if the oil price reaches at least $80 per barrel. Currently, it is below $60 per barrel.
Moreover, the oil giants will only intervene when they are certain their investments are protected. This is far from certain. Moreover, it is not in the interest of the American oil industry to create an oil glut. Fracking, too, only becomes profitable when the black gold isn't too cheap.
Five years ago, troublemakers attempted to storm the Capitol and prevent the legitimate election of Joe Biden. The Trump administration is not only preventing the installation of a memorial plaque for the police officers who thwarted the attempt. In true Orwellian Newspeak fashion, this event is being reinterpreted on the official White House website. Because they certified Trump's election defeat, the Democrats are labeled the "true insurrectionists." The troublemakers, on the other hand, were "maliciously punished too harshly" and were "hostages for a vindictive regime."
All of this shows that the senile president is on the verge of transforming the USA from a state governed by the rule of law into a mafia state. Trump himself is only interested in his own glorification, his ballroom, his triumphal arch, or in being able to affix his name to as many buildings as possible.
Can this unhinged man still be stopped? The USA are not yet lost, because: Trump is experiencing a slump in the polls. No president has ever been as unpopular after just one year in office. With his policies, for example regarding health insurance premiums, he is frustrating even his own voters.
The Democrats have gained momentum and won all of last year's elections.
The courts are increasingly ruling against the president. Even the conservative-dominated Supreme Court has prohibited him from sending National Guard troops to Chicago. There is also a real possibility that it will overturn Trump's tariffs.
The "No Kings" protest movement is growing and already has more members than the MAGA mob.
Perhaps the most potent antidote to Trump's demented delusions of grandeur is shame. Americans famously see their country as a "shining city on a hill." They see themselves as champions of democracy, the rule of law, and human dignity. Many conservatives are therefore beginning to feel shame. After all, they don't want to be seen as members of a mafia organization—or even as outright fascists like Stephen Miller."
"More and more psychiatrists and other experts are stating the obvious: Donald Trump is demented, and not only that, he suffers from a particularly dangerous form of age-related confusion, frontal lobe dementia. But we don't even need these experts. Anyone with eyes can see that the US president is deteriorating both physically and mentally. He can no longer walk straight, he has to cover his hands with makeup, he repeatedly falls asleep in public, and his rambling speeches are becoming increasingly incoherent.
The fact that we're talking about the most powerful man in the world makes the situation frightening, especially since his inner circle can't stop him: His chief of staff, Susie Wiles, has no influence on his decisions and refuses to do so. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is a dim-witted sycophant, as is Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Vice President J.D. Vance are spineless opportunists.
Stephen Miller, the man said to have the greatest influence over the president, is—sorry, there's no other way to put it—a dangerous fascist, Trump's Joseph Goebbels, so to speak.
Seen in this light, it's no surprise what's currently happening around Greenland. Trump wants to annex the island to the US, if necessary by military means. He wants it because he can, or as Stephen Miller recently put it in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN: "We live in a world where you can discuss the nice international customs all you want. But the real world is ruled by power and force."
Meanwhile, the US president claims that the US needs Greenland for reasons of national security. "It's strategic," says Trump. "Currently, it's surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships."
That's nonsense. Militarily, the US can already do as it pleases in Greenland. Denmark, a NATO partner to which the island belongs, is placing no obstacles in the Americans' way. The Americans can also easily purchase the mineral resources still hidden beneath the ice, should they ever be extracted.
No, Trump wants Greenland for one reason only: He wants to make history and equal Thomas Jefferson's feat. In 1803, Jefferson bought Louisiana from Napoleon, doubling the territory of the United States in one fell swoop.
Moreover, Greenland is easy prey. Militarily, the US cannot be prevented from annexing the island. Politically, however, the price is very high. Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, speaks plainly: "If the United States were to militarily attack another NATO member, then it's all over."
The military action against Nicolás Maduro is also increasingly proving to be a self-serving project of the president. Trump repeatedly emphasizes that it's all about the oil. He never mentions democracy, and he is even prepared to cooperate with the former cabinet of the Venezuelan dictator.
Even with the oil, things will likely prove difficult. While the Americans have seized Venezuelan oil worth nearly three billion dollars, and Trump intends to personally decide what happens to the money from its sale, this is little more than a drop in the ocean. Indeed, it demonstrates that Trump not only thinks like a mafia boss, but acts like one too. "This is pure imperialism, for which there is no justification," explains Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale Business School, in the Financial Times. "There is absolutely no reason for it. Currently, there is far too much oil on the market."
The situation is complex, even in the long term. While Venezuela possesses the world's largest oil reserves, this oil is difficult to extract and refine. Furthermore, Trump falsely claimed that American oil giants would revitalize Venezuela's dilapidated oil fields. Venezuela is, at best, a potential oil bonanza. Initially, investments in the tens of billions of dollars are needed, and even then, these investments will only be profitable if the oil price reaches at least $80 per barrel. Currently, it is below $60 per barrel.
Moreover, the oil giants will only intervene when they are certain their investments are protected. This is far from certain. Moreover, it is not in the interest of the American oil industry to create an oil glut. Fracking, too, only becomes profitable when the black gold isn't too cheap.
Five years ago, troublemakers attempted to storm the Capitol and prevent the legitimate election of Joe Biden. The Trump administration is not only preventing the installation of a memorial plaque for the police officers who thwarted the attempt. In true Orwellian Newspeak fashion, this event is being reinterpreted on the official White House website. Because they certified Trump's election defeat, the Democrats are labeled the "true insurrectionists." The troublemakers, on the other hand, were "maliciously punished too harshly" and were "hostages for a vindictive regime."
All of this shows that the senile president is on the verge of transforming the USA from a state governed by the rule of law into a mafia state. Trump himself is only interested in his own glorification, his ballroom, his triumphal arch, or in being able to affix his name to as many buildings as possible.
Can this unhinged man still be stopped? The USA are not yet lost, because: Trump is experiencing a slump in the polls. No president has ever been as unpopular after just one year in office. With his policies, for example regarding health insurance premiums, he is frustrating even his own voters.
The Democrats have gained momentum and won all of last year's elections.
The courts are increasingly ruling against the president. Even the conservative-dominated Supreme Court has prohibited him from sending National Guard troops to Chicago. There is also a real possibility that it will overturn Trump's tariffs.
The "No Kings" protest movement is growing and already has more members than the MAGA mob.
Perhaps the most potent antidote to Trump's demented delusions of grandeur is shame. Americans famously see their country as a "shining city on a hill." They see themselves as champions of democracy, the rule of law, and human dignity. Many conservatives are therefore beginning to feel shame. After all, they don't want to be seen as members of a mafia organization—or even as outright fascists like Stephen Miller."
