Douthat's reference to Catholicism being a unifying factor is a little bizarre given the fact that hardly anyone goes to Mass anymore in France.
His handwaving away the Holocaust in his phrase "crippling sense of historical guilt that still pervades Germany" is a little befuddling. There are still people alive who went through it. We're currently seeing in America what happens when self-reflection becomes taboo. The American right's embrace of AfD is more than a little concerning.
The strategy of trying to bolster our European allies into becoming true allies instead of vassals is a good one, but doing so by pushing them out of the nest immediately after hatching is a method doomed to failure.
OK, let's come at it this way: is my trying to make Tate irrelevant worth the opportunity cost. Anyone that thinks that idiot is worth a 2nd thought is going to take a lot of convincing.
A long time ago I read a novel, which title I can't recall, where through some plausible circumstance Germany seizes U.S. military installations, including the nukes stored there. Probably not something we want to see happen in real life.
People thrive on certainty, which the current administration is not providing to our ostensible allies. If Europe doesn't see the U.S. as a bulwark against Russia, I have to believe they'll make the coherent choice to become their own bloc, acting in their own interest.
For now. I just heard a report on NPR that EU countries are going to have to rearm (duh). It's kind of hard to believe DJT and his advisors can't see that a vassal Europe is much more preferable.
That's probably true. All of the online advice (take that for what it's worth) to Zelensky has been along the lines of "Just pretend to suck up to him, flatter him, and generally pretend to like him and you have him in the palm of your hand." Unfortunately, Zelensky, pissed off after a 3 year invasion and stalemate, only saw the knife Trump wanted to stick in his back and lashed out.
Greater minds than I could see Russia's military capability being ground down in Ukraine, just as it was in Afghanistan, and we were hastening the process for a relatively small sum. Honestly, if the United States wanted Ukraine to win, we would have let them use the arms we gave them for offensive purposes from the get go.
"...online sleuths tracked Brösche to the Otay Mesa Detention Center, which is a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility run by the private contractor Core Civic."
"Based on that average, a month of detention costs taxpayers $4,900."
Mystery solved.
2025-03-05 08:52:54
If DJT wants people to believe that Russia, Russia, Russia is truly a hoax, he's making that really hard to do.
That might be the case, but the anti forces still get to paint it as a tax increase, ignoring the attendant lowering of insurance premiums. And that's all people will hear.
Raising a tax to fund universal healthcare is always going to be a tough lift in this country. Those against the tax can immediately cry out, "Socialism!", and trot out some poor Canadian who had to wait 3 years to get a knee replacement. Plus, the majority of Americans get health insurance through their employer and I believe are more or less happy with it. Lastly, consider who's going to benefit the most from universal healthcare. Not exactly the most popular people with the party in power right now.
Meanwhile, those on the other side have to come up with a complicated explanation of how you're saving money even though your paycheck is smaller.
I'm all in favor of it, but I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime.
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Let's just go with a bunch of adults being upset over the casting in a kids movie reveals a lot about the complainer.
Douthat's reference to Catholicism being a unifying factor is a little bizarre given the fact that hardly anyone goes to Mass anymore in France.
His handwaving away the Holocaust in his phrase "crippling sense of historical guilt that still pervades Germany" is a little befuddling. There are still people alive who went through it. We're currently seeing in America what happens when self-reflection becomes taboo. The American right's embrace of AfD is more than a little concerning.
The strategy of trying to bolster our European allies into becoming true allies instead of vassals is a good one, but doing so by pushing them out of the nest immediately after hatching is a method doomed to failure.
For those without a subscription to the failing New York Times.
https://archive.is/mCumB
Oh, I'm sure he has his fans. I also, despite the volume of my comments here, have a job. Something's gotta give.
OK, let's come at it this way: is my trying to make Tate irrelevant worth the opportunity cost. Anyone that thinks that idiot is worth a 2nd thought is going to take a lot of convincing.
(Non) election interference.
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-allies-secret-talks-volodymyr-zelenskyy-opposition-ukraine-elections-yulia-tymoshenko-petro-poroshenko/
A long time ago I read a novel, which title I can't recall, where through some plausible circumstance Germany seizes U.S. military installations, including the nukes stored there. Probably not something we want to see happen in real life.
Does this look like a guy who's mind is open to change? Why even bother?
Edited to add: I'm referring to Tate.
People thrive on certainty, which the current administration is not providing to our ostensible allies. If Europe doesn't see the U.S. as a bulwark against Russia, I have to believe they'll make the coherent choice to become their own bloc, acting in their own interest.
For now. I just heard a report on NPR that EU countries are going to have to rearm (duh). It's kind of hard to believe DJT and his advisors can't see that a vassal Europe is much more preferable.
That's probably true. All of the online advice (take that for what it's worth) to Zelensky has been along the lines of "Just pretend to suck up to him, flatter him, and generally pretend to like him and you have him in the palm of your hand." Unfortunately, Zelensky, pissed off after a 3 year invasion and stalemate, only saw the knife Trump wanted to stick in his back and lashed out.
Greater minds than I could see Russia's military capability being ground down in Ukraine, just as it was in Afghanistan, and we were hastening the process for a relatively small sum. Honestly, if the United States wanted Ukraine to win, we would have let them use the arms we gave them for offensive purposes from the get go.
"...online sleuths tracked Brösche to the Otay Mesa Detention Center, which is a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility run by the private contractor Core Civic."
"Based on that average, a month of detention costs taxpayers $4,900."
Mystery solved.
If DJT wants people to believe that Russia, Russia, Russia is truly a hoax, he's making that really hard to do.
https://www.ft.com/content/c58fccea-00c4-4fad-bc0a-0185b7415579
If you dipped you toes into the online right at all during BHO's tenure, there was plenty of cult talk.
I knew it! You can take the man out of the Chicago Machine, but you can't take the Chicago Machine out of the man.
Heh. Marchmaine: closet Democrat.
I think this comment proves my point about the messaging work necessary for those on the side of publicly funded health insurance.
That might be the case, but the anti forces still get to paint it as a tax increase, ignoring the attendant lowering of insurance premiums. And that's all people will hear.
Raising a tax to fund universal healthcare is always going to be a tough lift in this country. Those against the tax can immediately cry out, "Socialism!", and trot out some poor Canadian who had to wait 3 years to get a knee replacement. Plus, the majority of Americans get health insurance through their employer and I believe are more or less happy with it. Lastly, consider who's going to benefit the most from universal healthcare. Not exactly the most popular people with the party in power right now.
Meanwhile, those on the other side have to come up with a complicated explanation of how you're saving money even though your paycheck is smaller.
I'm all in favor of it, but I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime.