Donald Trump the Megathread part II - mod warnings in OP, Updated 18/03/25

Sky news is reporting that SCOTUS rejects Trump's bid to delay his sentencing over his "hush-money" trial case. That's on the Sky news "tickertape" scroll on TV. Obviously, he'll have some comment lined up for release should he have lost the case. It just remains to see what comment he publishes on his media site about the SCOTUS decision to reject his lawyers application.

America is a meritocracy. You have to earn your way in life. It works, that's why it's the richest, most entrepreneurial, and most powerful country in the world that could crush any country in Europe individually or collectively, either economically or militarily, without breaking a sweat and with no consequences for them.

Trump is not right.

The main driver of these fires, is climate change, simple as that. Trump is talking more nonsense, and at a time where the fires are still burning, useless rhetoric at a time like this…very presidential.

That is hilarious. Next you're gonna tell me your dad can beat up my dad.

These fires have taken place in several countries and regions in addition to the USA: Canada, Greece, France, Scandinavia, Siberia…it's a continuing and widespread problem. Trump's ravings are a typical manifestation of the MAGA inability to look at the wider context, to notice anything that isn't taking place outside their own back yard.

Added that as part of Denmark, the Greenlanders have access to the Danish Social Welfare systems. Healthcare, unemployment, education etc… they benefit as an extension of a relatively wealthy Northern European state. In addition, many of them speak Danish, are EU Citizens by virtue of their Danish citizenship (which they have in addion to being Greenlanders), they send 2 MPs to Copenhagen and use the Danish Krone as their cash.

Compare this to swapping all that over to the US, and you have a pared back / non-existent social system that expects you to take out private health insurance, offers minimal unemployment protection (if any), severly reduced worker rights, a hobbled education system and US control might not even guarentee Statehood. You could actually be looking at a Puerto Rico situation. All the nonsese, and none of the say.

Greenland might want full independance, but it would be madness to suggest that they swap Copenhagen with Alabama-stan.

I don't know how citizenship currently is. Greenland actually left the EU, but it's possible that Greenlanders have full Danish and EU citizenship. This would be in contrast to Pre-Brexit British from say the Channel Islands who were British citizens, but not EU citizens ( it was distinguised even on the passport, and Channel Islanders would have had to live in the UK for around 5 years and get an British EU passport then )

Apart from that, it's pretty much correct in terms of your statement.

I would suspect that once natural resources are fully explored and tapped into, Greenland could be quite strong economically for full independence to work. However international trade relations would have to be negotiated again, possibly with the exeption of NATO membership? They would also have Greenland citizenship, and be no longer Danish, which would raise the question on travel and freedom of movement as well as access to the EU.

Lot's of matters to consider, matters Trump certainly won't consider.

It is certainly sold to the masses as a meritocracy but what, for example has Don Jr ever done to merit his current standing?

There are of course the examples of poor people making it big, but on the whole if you are born into a particular wealth class that is roughly where you will stay, regardless of how much work you do.

The US certainly has an entrepreneurial spirit but it is also backed up by having massive natural resources includinghuge deposits of gold, oil and gas. Its massive population, 3rd largest in the world, means it can overpower almost every other country with ease.

It's use of this considerable power imbalance through trade and controlling the world's currency has ingrained that power balance across the globe.

It's is also not afraid to wield it's militarily power in order to maintain its position as the No 1 country in the world.

It's the resources issue that is the reason for all thos talk of Panama and Greenland and Canada. Panama, to control shipping. Greenland because the US is faced with a lack of the resources that are increasingly required in the future.

So despite all their entrepreneurial spirit even Trump can see that without these resources in the future, US prefominance is under threat.

Makes sense. Sadly, it has become "fashionable" once again to change borders by force or threats of tarifs. Not only Putin but also the "Trump-US". ( Nazi Germany did that with Austria, imposing tarifs, asking to pay 1000 Rechsmark for a German to travel to Austria…) The idea is sadly nothing new.

If I was a Greenlander, I would have a problem with a possible US annexation with the following matters:

• false promises by the US, only serving the interest of corporate US mining and maybe a bit of tourism to divert from the matter
• either loss or choice between Danish- EU and US citizenship
• being subject to FATCA would be bothersome once part of the US
• decision being made over my head without the choice of a referendum
• the sales price too low, the possible financial compensation also too low even though perceived high by some Greenlanders, the vaule of natural recourses wrongly assessed or deliberately assessed lower.
• possible lack of access to the EU / residency, travel, etc…
• lack of access to certain EU products, introduction of US specs automobiles, US gun ownership laws, etc…

I think in American, meritocracy means any ability to cheat, swindle or strongarm your way to wealth is acceptable, once you have wealth you have 'merit'. Bit like earning points in a videogame.

It is when they think it's going to solve age old problems like brush fires, instead of spending on solutions to help people's lives today.

These fires have been happening forever but due to the climate change, carbon footprint cult it means instead of putting effort into trying to find a way of living with changing climate and natural disasters we decide to put all the money into reducing carbon footprint which has no short to medium term benefit.The messaging from environmentalists in the last few years has been solely focussed on carbon reduction , it's like they think all environmental issues end as soon as carbon footprint is reduced.The usual suspects came out (Chris Packham for example) and straight away the cause of these fires was climate change as opposed to realising that brush fires should happen in places like LA (due to it's climate) and have been happening forever, climate change has got nothing to do with what happened this week, lack of planning and incompetence from people in charge is the reason these fires got so out of hand.

The location of the houses and the excessive population of LA is a failure of planning.

You shouldn't have people living in those locations , they never should have been living in those locations in the first place.They should never have let the population of LA get so out of hand. I mentioned this in my earlier posts #5522 and #5526

Just like it isn't wise to build houses in a flood plain, why would you build so many houses in an area at massive risk of scrub fires.

Kristina Crowley served as a Firefighter, Paramedic, Engineer, Fire Inspector, Captain I, Captain II, Battalion Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, Chief Deputy before becoming Fire Chief. Hardly some unqualified hire. Kepner and Larson are also 20 year plus veterans of the LAFD.

Do you have any reason to believe they are unqualified besides the fact that they are lesbians?

First off, surely you're not comparing it to, say, Ireland with its laughably corrupt planning system?

Ireland's taken what, 10 years to spend billions on a children's hospital that's still not done?

Second, you realize that California has 40 million people who want somewhere to live that's got jobs and is attractive to them. "Failure of planning," is lazy, these are hard problems. Here you go - imagine Ireland with a population of 20 million people in the next 5 years. How will you supply them with water, electricity, safe places to live and reasonable transport?

Third: Who is 'they?' The duly elected officials who oversaw the planning and followed the wishes of their constituents? Now you want to turn them into dictators, with 20:20 hindsight?

Are forest fires natural? Yes.

Is the frequency of them natural? No.

The autumn rains, which usually dampen the areas that caught fire in LA, failed last year. So this is why we see what we have now.

You’re denying climate change it seems, and saying that there should be some other solution to help these people. What the hell will help them if the climate is making the environment as bad as it is? Just go for a walk with a hose to wet the land?