Donald Trump

[domalino]

Do not pin your hopes on Bolton doing the right thing.

 

[SWP's back]

Do not pin your hopes on Bolton doing the right thing.

Well he’s done the right thing already by saying that. It’s a game changer one way or another. Very damaging for Graham to ignite him now.

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Some of them are also “developed” existential nihilists or pseudo-anarchists with a belief that nothing really matters any more and/or their situations cannot get much worse, so let’s enjoy the lights show as the world burns.

I actually talked to one like that this past weekend at hospital. He couldn’t fully articulate how he viewed the world, but as he described why he didn’t care what Trump has done, is doing, or could potentially do in the future, it was fairly apparent he was a sort of nihilist now. And he claimed he used to be a democrat but changed parties after the mills in his small town closed and nearly everyone he knew lost their jobs (entire families losing all of their income at once; I told him that is challenge mancs can fully understand). I do not doubt it happened, and do on some level understand how that could push someone to be more disengaged with the world (rather than more engaged, which is my tendency when met with adversity), but to hear him talk as he did... it really sent shivers down my spine, to be honest. It is just frightening to contemplate there is a large contingent of likeminded souls around the world, and how their lack of caring, in many cases capacity for empathy, whether “reasonably” developed or inherent, is going to impact the course of history.

As alluded to in previous posts by myself, you, and others, Putin and his henchmen long ago realised that he who (ironically) controls and amplifies this contingent often controls governance (especially within the context of democratic norms), and that this sort control is much more cost efficient when waging war than conventional armies and armaments.

We’ve been weaponised for centuries, of course, but new tactics have made such warfare infinitely more responsive and destructive. What used to take years to create, in terms of political movements and cultural shifts, can now be done in days (or even hours).

I genuinely think we’ll all be lucky to see the next decade at this rate. But that’s likely my general pessimism outside of even this political upheaval talking, so I am hopefully wrong in that concern.

Forced optimism to finish this post: clearer minds will prevail? ;-)

I think in general, Western democracies haven't been particularly quick in getting to grips that the way information warfare is capable of shaping the modern political landscape, especially in the digital age and the rise of the internet as we know it (from about 1996 onwards). Russia on the other hand have seized the opportunity. They are streets ahead in the information warfare stakes. Skills they honed in the Cold War era have almost been seamlessly applied in the digital domain.

If you add into that mix long-game social engineering techniques you have an incredibly powerful toolset for manipulating people or organisations to do your bidding on the World stage.....

And here we are.

 

[journolud]

Summary:

If the Senate subpoenas him (which they’re now very unlikely to do), he will testify.

Very big of him

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Well he’s done the right thing already by saying that. It’s a game changer one way or another. Very damaging for Graham to ignite him now.

After their statement earlier, I have absolutely no doubt that the White House will take to the courts in an attempt to block Bolton from testifying.

 

[SebastianBlue]

Very big of him

Courageous, some* might say.

*sycophants

 

[SebastianBlue]

Well he’s done the right thing already by saying that. It’s a game changer one way or another. Very damaging for Graham to ignite him now.

And especially damaging to Bolton. ;-)

 

[kaz7]

Haha you fucking cock end.

Go stand in front of the mirror at the gym and convince yourself how buff you're looking.

Tit!

That's your mate isn't it?

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Netanyahu distances Israel from the 'assassination' of Soleimani.

 

[blueinsa]

That's your mate isn't it?

I like @SWP's back as a poster and i was a bit of a twat the other day, reacted badly and apologise for it.