Greenland And Denmark

Trump “Meet The Press” Interview Highly Disturbing!

Ronald 18 Comments

To commemorate his first 100 Days in Office, Donald Trump had an interview with Kristen Welker of NBC’s “Meet the Press”.

Trump expressed doubt that he had to obey the federal courts on the issue of the Alien Enemies Act not being able to be used as a justification of mass deportation of immigrants, with many of them going to the horrendous prison in El Salvador that the Trump Administration is paying to take many deported migrants, many of whom are not involved in any Venezuelan gang, or having an otherwise criminal record. This includes Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a case which has been dragging on for nearly two months.

The idea of due process seems insignificant to Trump, and he “passed the buck” to Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is outrageous in her utterances, along with many other Trump Cabinet members!

So America is in a clear constitutional crisis, but also Trump is creating continued crises over his “expansionist” goals in foreign policy.

Therefore, Trump doubled down on the concept of taking Greenland away from Denmark, possibly by military force, and will continue to promote Canada as the “51st State”, when he meets this week with the Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, whose party had an amazing revival in the recent national elections.

He also insulted Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett for being outspoken, calling her low level intellect, a characterization he used in 2024 against his Presidential opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. So the common theme is to insult intelligent, educated, outspoken black women, a clear sign of racism!

Trump came across during the interview as overly combative, delusional, and clearly intending to defy the Constitution, rule of law, and the federal courts!

Trump’s Admiration For Presidents Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, And William McKinley! :(

Ronald 27 Comments

Donald Trump has demonstrated a fixation with three past Presidents–Andrew Jackson (1829-1837); James K. Polk (1845-1849); and William McKinley (1897-1901).

All three of these Presidents had accomplishments worthy of being recalled, but all three also had major shortcomings.

Jackson is rated number 21; McKinley number 24; and Polk number 25 in the American Political Science Association Survey in 2024.

Jackson fell 12 points in rank; McKinley 3 points in rank; and Polk 6 points in rank from nearly a decade earlier, in 2015.

In the last C Span Presidential Survey in 2021, Jackson was number 22, down from 18 and 13 in earlier rankings

McKinley was number 14, up from 16 and 15 in earlier rankings.

Polk was number 18, down from 14 and 12 in earlier rankings.

Jackson has had major problems in historical rankings with growing recognition of the “Trail of Tears”, the forcible removal of five Indian tribes from the South to Oklahoma in the 1830s. Also, Jackson was a vehement supporter of slavery, and worked to prevent abolitionists from being able to send their antislavery literature through the US Mail system. The corrupt spoils system began under him, and he was infamous for his terrible temper and killing of a number of people through gun duels. And yet, Donald Trump admires him, and promoted him in the Oval Office during his first Presidential term.

Now, in his second term, Trump has promoted James K. Polk, whose imperialistic bent, “Manifest Destiny” led to more gaining of territory than anyone except Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase. War with Mexico added the whole Southwest, and a treaty with Great Britain divided the Pacific Northwest between Canada and the United States. And Polk promoted slavery, and like Jackson, owned hundreds of slaves

Also, William McKinley has fasinated Donald Trump, with his McKinley Tariff in 1890, when McKinley was in Congress, which led to the “Panic of 1893”, the worst economic downturn until that time frame. And then, McKinley promoted going to war with Spain (Spanish American War), with the US gaining the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, a sphere of influence over Cuba, and separately, annexation of the Hawaiian Islands. So McKinley, just like Polk, was a clearcut imperialist.

Trump and his fixation with tariffs finds McKinley fascinating, despite the truth of the Panic of 1893, and both Polk and McKinley and their imperialistic bent fascinate Trump, with his stated interest in taking back the Panama Canal; making Canada the 51st state; taking Greenland away from Denmark; and wanting US involvement in the Gaza Strip.

Donald Trump, The Full Blown Imperialist! :(

Ronald 40 Comments

Donald Trump was thought to be an isolationist in his foreign policy views in his first term.

But now in his second term, Donald Trump is a full blown imperialist, who has no concern for our relations with nations that have been America’s allies since after World War II.

So Trump is making clear that he intends, even by military force if necessary, to seize control of the Panama Canal, which was legally handed over by treaty in the Jimmy Carter Administration, effective in the year 2000, and with Republican and Democratic backing in the signing of the treaty in 1977. Such action will cause a major rift with Latin America.

So Trump is continuing to assert that Canada will be the “51st state”, and is imposing heavy protective tariffs, and acting aggressive and abusive toward our northern neighbor. This is causing great stress and the rise of antiAmericanism in Canada, which has no intention of giving up its sovereignty.

So Trump is claiming that Greenland, which has been semi-autonomous from Denmark for a long time, will become a territory of the United States, causing hostility and alarm in Denmark, the European Union, and among our NATO Allies.

So Trump is claiming that the Gaza Strip needs to be emptied, and redeveloped with American investment, a totally loony idea, which would cause the spread of Middle East terrorism to all Americans who would work or live in territory that America has no right to claim.

Donald Trump is, clearly, a full blown imperialist, similar in many ways to authoritarian leaders, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, with his attempt to justify invasion and seizing of territory in Ukraine!

This makes the 47th President “a clear and present danger” to international peace!

Trump State Of The Union Address: Highly Divisive And Lies, Lies, Lies! :(

Ronald 14 Comments

Donald Trump gave the longest State of the Union speech ever delivered last evening, about 9,900 words lasting about 100 minutes, surpassing Bill Clinton’s State of the Union speech in 2000.

The speech was highly, extremely divisive, unusual as Presidents usually try to promote a sense of unity when giving the State of the Union address, even with the opposition party, but instead Trump was gloating about his victory, which he exaggerated regarding its magnitude.

Trump, as usual, lied, lied, and lied some more, distorting and exaggerating reality, facts, and truth.

Trump lied about Joe Biden’s record, calling him the worst President in US History (which was an example of projection about himself).

Trump also took a dig against Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, the primary promoter of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that became law under Barack Obama, but now is on the chopping block.

Trump also claimed that there are people over 100 years of age, up to 300 years old, who are collecting Social Security, a clearcut attack on that program that has existed for 90 years since the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt. There is fear that Social Security may not be paid in future months, due to the claims of waste, fraud, and abuse that are totally preposterous, and with layoffs of civil service employees in that agency.

Trump also promoted the idea of seizing the Panama Canal and taking over Greenland from Denmark, which will antagonize Latin America and NATO respectively, as Trump promotes “imperialism”.

Watching the smirks of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance was infuriating, as the nation clearly is evenly divided, but there was no interest in crossing the aisle and promoting cooperation, with the Congress more divisive and the majority unconcerned about compromise and negotiation.

Trump’s promotion of tariffs with Canada, Mexico, and China will raise the cost of living dramatically, and soon, and goes against the record of history, that tariffs are counterproductive.

Plaudits to newly elected Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, who gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union, and introduced herself to the nation as a legislator who should be respected and paid attention to in the future of the Democratic Party.

The battle ahead for the average American taxpayer and families will be a long, bitter struggle, but the Democrats must not sit on the sidelines, but instead march, demonstrate, organize, and vigorously fight with every bone in their bodies against the extreme right wing tilt of the Republican Party, which has repudiated so much of their heritage over 170 years of their history from Abraham Lincoln to Theodore Roosevelt to Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan!

Donald Trump Creating International Crises And Disruption Of American Diplomacy!

Ronald 13 Comments

Donald Trump is creating an image that “Might Makes Right” in international affairs, and that presents a disaster for the world!

Trump has said the Russia-Ukraine War must end, and is taking the side of Vladimir Putin, that territory gained from Ukraine since 2014 should be conceded by Ukraine, and that Ukraine cannot be allowed to join NATO in the future.

Trump says Russian troops have been “sacrificed”, and that, therefore, that nation must be able to have its advancements on the battlefield legalized under international law!

Trump is setting up the situation for his own plans to be aggressive in foreign affairs, and claim that American “sacrifices” must be rewarded with the gaining of teritory he has an eye on, including the Panama Canal, Greenland (Denmark), Canada, and the Gaza Strip (Middle East).

We are about to see America become aggressive and imperialistic as it was in the 1840s under President James K. Polk and the 1890s under President William McKinley!

Trump wants to act like the governments of Russia and China, and divide the world into areas of dominance controlled by those two nations and America.

It is a repudation of our alliances, including European nations in NATO, and Pacific alliances with Asian nations and Australia and New Zealand.

This is a radical, revolutionary transformation of American foreign policy, diametrically opposite to that pursued by Presidents from Franklin D. Rooevelt through Joe Biden, minus the first four years of Donald Trump!

Donald Trump “Worship” Of Andrew Jackson And WIlliam McKinley!

Ronald 15 Comments

Donald Trump has, through his words and actions, indicated a “worship” of two Presidents, both of whom became engaged in controversial actions.

The 7th President, Andrew Jackson (1829-1837), was a clearcut racist who thought native Americans were subhuman, and defied the Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Marshall, in the case of Worcester V Georgia (1832), that upheld Cherokee Indian rights to their ancestral lands in Georgia.

That 1832 case led Jackson to announce defiance of the Court, and state that John Marshall and the Supreme Court had made its decision, now let them enforce it!

The result was the forced removal of thousands of native Americans to Oklahoma, infamously known as “The Trial Of Tears”, between 1830 and 1838, after passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

About 15,000 native Americans were killed or died from disease during this forced removal, where about 60,000 native Americans, of five tribes—Creek, Choctaw, Chicasaw, Cherokee, and Seminole–were forced to “Indian land” in Oklahoma, which after a half century and discovery of oil, led to white settlement, taking away much of that territory from native Americans.

The 25th President, William McKinley (1897-1901), became infamous for having promoted the McKinley Tariff of 1890, making for very high tariffs on foreign goods, a factor in the worst economic downturn of the 19th century, the Panic of 1893, which was not overcome until the second year of the McKinley Presidency in 1898.

McKinley also is remembered for having promoted imperialism and expansion, including the gaining of Hawaii by joint resolution in 1898, and going to war with Spain, and gaining control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, and a “sphere of influence” over Cuba, giving the US an “Empire”, and new markets for industrial goods produced by corporations in their quest for new markets for their goods.

And the US fought a three year “guerrilla war” against the Philippines, who wanted independence after being liberated from Spanish control, but instead were forced to be a colony until after World War II in 1946, an event known as the “Filipino Insurrection”, mostly ignored in teaching of American history to students!

Trump is now pushing protective tariffs on all nations, and is now advocating American expansionism by considering retaking control of the Panama Canal; suggesting Canada become the 51st state; making clear his desire to gain control of Greenland from Denmark; and suggesting that the US take over the Gaza Strip in the Middle East and force removal of the 2 million Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan.

So Trump is guided by the worst policies of two of his predecessors in the White House–Andrew Jackson and William McKinley!

Pure Insanity: The Gaza Strip, Added To Panama Canal, Greenland, Canada, As Expansionist Ambitions Of Donald Trump!

Ronald 37 Comments

America and the world is in a season of pure insanity, with lunatic, out of control President Donald Trump, setting out to dismantle many federal government agencies with the assistance of billionaire Elon Musk, who holds no government position and is a danger to the nation and the world, alongside the 47th President!

But also, Donald Trump, supposedly a President who was “isolationist” and wanted America to withdraw from world commitments, is on a rampage to have the United States take over the Gaza Strip, and remove all Palestinians permanently from their land!

This, if it occurred, would be truly “ethnic cleansing”, similarly to what America did to its native Americans over the past four centuries!

THere is ZERO support in the Middle East to relocate, forcibly, 2 million Palestinians, and imagine if one was to say that the Jewish population of Israel should leave their land under force of a foreign nation that has no business getting involved in any threatened, and forced, relocation of population?

And Trump is a threat not only on the Gaza Strip, but also to the Panama Canal treaty signed and ratified by the US Senate a quarter century ago under President Jimmy Carter, a rightful action to undo three quarters of a century of exploitation by the United States from the time of Theodore Roosevelt onward.

And Trump also is threatening Denmark over its territory of Greenland, all over wanting access to the mineral resources of that barren island of only about 56,000 people, endangering US relations with our European allies in NATO.

And putting tariffs on Canada, and then having a 30 day delay, is inflaming anti American sentiments in Canada, among all political views in that nation, and the insult of Trump suggesting that Canada become the 51st state, and calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “Governor”!

Donald Trump is out of control, acting maniacally, and his Republican Party is ceding all rights of Congress to promote checks and balances, as required under the US Constitution!

America is in a constitutional crisis and an American national security crisis, and the only winners are our adversaries in Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and foreign terrorists!

Trump, Project 2025, And Open Declaration Of War On Federal Government: A Massive Crisis!

Ronald 42 Comments

Donald Trump had claimed he knew nothing about Project 2025, a right wing radical attack on the federal government.

But now, it is clear that Trump is utilizing the extremism of Project 2025 to declare open war on the federal government!

The shock of Trump ordering a total freeze on all government funding immediately, which was only temporarily paused by a federal judge until a ruling on next Monday, is reeling across all 50 states and our relations with foreign nations as well.

Firing 18 Inspectors General who are committed to open, honest government investigations, and working to decimate the existing civil service protections of federal government workers in order to replace all of them with political loyalists, is also a shocking attack on the concept of honest, good government!

The decision of Trump to fire all those engaged in the Justice Department into his wrongdoings that led to impeachments and indictments, and also to weed out those in Defense and National Security posts who are not slavishly loyal to his vision, is terrifying.

Trump’s disruption of international relations and foreign policy with his aggressiveness toward Panama, Denmark over Greenland, and tariff threats against our Latin American neighbors and Canada, are a danger of massive proportions!

Trump is moving toward authoritarian dictatorship, which was predictable, and there is no time for shock, but rather for action by Democrats, the courts, and the sensible news media to move to prevent in every way possible this grab for absolute power!

Alarming Trump Press Conference: Signs Of American Imperialism And War Mongering Expansion!

Ronald 23 Comments

One day after the Electoral College counting in Washington DC that officially confirmed the victory of Donald Trump for the Presidency, Trump has held a press conference at Mar a Lago, and is stirring up elements of imperialism, militarism, and expansionism as his plans after the Presidential Inauguration on January 20.

Trump’s earlier statements and assertions regarding the Panama Canal, Greenland, and Canada were emphasized, making clear his intentions to promote expansion of American territory, in the name of “national security”.

Trump issued what could be considered threats against Panama, with his assertion, wrongfully, that Panama mistreats American ships as compared to other foreign vessels, and making it clear that he believes America should never have agreed to President Jimmy Carter’s pursuit of the Panama Canal treaty a half century ago. He emphasized the financial cost and loss of lives of Americans in building and sustaining that canal over a century. He implied that American military force might be utilized.

Trump also made it clear, that in his mind, Greenland is essential for American national security, and seems ready to use pressure on NATO ally Denmark to agree to allow America gaining control of that vast area of land, no matter how Denmark may feel about the matter, including possible use of military force. Greenland is the largest island in the world, at 836,000 square miles, which if added to the total area of the US (3 million, 532 thousand square miles), would make America have a total of 4 million 368 thousand square miles), putting America ahead of Canada and China, and only behind Russia in land area. Of course, if Canada, crazily were to become part of the US, the total land area would be 7 million 879 thousand square miles, putting the US first, ahead of Russia with 6 million 323 thousand square miles.

Trump said economic pressure might be brought on Canada, as he pursues the mission of making Canada the 51st state, a totally crazy idea, undermining the close relationship of our northern neighbor and the stability of the boundary line, which has been stable since the early 19th century by treaties. It is the longest border between two nations, at 5,525 miles long, including both the border with the mainland United States, and also with the state of Alaska.

And to top it off, Trump stated that the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed the Gulf of America, therefore creating an issue with our southern neighbor, that we share a boundary of 1,954 miles.

Trump’s threat to wage tariff increases against both Canada and Mexico are bound to undermine relations with both of our neighbors, and will cause vast inflation if allowed to be pursued.

We are faced with a person who could be considered a “madman”, who could be a danger both to America and world stability, particularly with our neighbors in the hemisphere, and with our NATO allies, which include Denmark!

Back From Rome, Italy Vacation To True Madness!

Ronald 20 Comments

This author and blogger has been away on vacation for two weeks, taking a well deserved break and hitting the mark of being 80 years old.

Part of that vacation was traveling to Rome, Italy with my older son to experience the heritage of the Roman Empire, and it was very enlightening, and revealing, how what happened to Rome in ancient times seems to be happening in America in the 21st century, a sense of true madness!

The fact that we are seeing the conflict between MAGA Republicans and technocrats, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, makes clear that we are headed toward total chaos and anarchy.

The two factions, one very racist, misogynist, and nativist, clashes with the billionaires which include people of color and foreign birth in the battle for control of future policy.

The idea that Donald Trump is threatening to take control of the Panama Canal, given back by treaty under Jimmy Carter, and taking place in 2000, is astounding.

The repeated desire of Trump to take over Greenland from Denmark, and to suggest all of Canada as the 51st state is mind boggling.

The growing threat to journalism and freedom of the press of all kinds, including comedy, and also commentary, even by bloggers like this author, is stunning.

With only 23 days until Joe Biden leaves office, and Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office, there is a sense of foreboding that one wonders about the upcoming 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence only 18 months away!