[Rushy]

But what's up with this shit? Don't tell me that even the Chinese have some kompromat on Trump?

It's weird, unexplained and turns Trump's base against him. Pretty cool.

President Donald Trump is defending his administration’s decision to allow 600,000 Chinese students to study in the U.S. over the next two years, as trade negotiations continue between the two countries.

It may be part of his general floundering with trade deals that he arranged this.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/31/trump-policy-chinese-international-students-00538998

The same reason that the Trump admin now thinks buying stock in corporations is a good idea, comrade.

[honk]

sorry. i will dumb it down for you. im trying to get you to express an original thought for once. does not matter if it is politics or movies or anything else about the CuLtUrE you are so plugged into. i truly am sorry if you dont understand that very simple thing. i wont bother anymore. continue droning on with whatever opinion you just read about and feel the need to make a post for. you really are a very weird and lost cause...

You're the one who came into a thread about Trump and decided to ignore the subject under discussion in favor of complaining that my opinions aren't original enough for you, but I'm the weird one? Look, I really don't want to fight, so I'll play along - and this is wildly off-topic, but you're the mod and you started it, so whatever - I have never, not even once, gotten my opinion on a piece of media from critics or someone else. The idea that I parrot the critical consensus on a show or movie is just one of those "everybody knows" factoids that have no support in actual evidence but have still somehow been fossilized into public opinion. It's like how "everybody knows" that Elizabeth Warren lied about being Native American to get herself jobs and scholarships, despite the fact that there's zero evidence of her ever actually doing that. Or how "everybody knows" that Joe Biden invented a gangster named "Corn Pop" in a senior moment, despite the fact that there's ample evidence of Corn Pop being a very real former gangster whom Biden really did know. Or how "everybody knows" that tort lawyers regularly victimize innocent corporations with ridiculous lawsuits over nonsense and win millions, despite the fact that 99.9% of the outrageous lawsuits people cite are completely fabricated and the one case they cite that really did happen was actually an entirely valid case of corporate negligence leading to injury. I'm interested in how well movies do critically, and I occasionally share articles about shows or movies that I think are thoughtful or raise good points. I don't get my opinions from either. I've deviated from the critical consensus numerous times in my own reviews, and in every review I've written, I'm confident that at least some of the points I've raised are so unique to me that I don't think any mainstream critics have even coincidentally brought them up in their own reviews. To cite my most recent review, for example, I think I'm alone in my criticism of the character of Hawkgirl. As far as I can tell - and of course I haven't read every review of the movie - pretty much everyone else loves Hawkgirl, either because they're drooling over how hot she is or cheering "yas queen" over a scene that I strongly disliked because of how inappropriately it was framed.

As for politics, the case against me is even more feeble than it is with movies. Like, why even single me out? There are a bunch of us who have been consistently critical of Trump throughout this whole thread, and I don't think I'm more easily swayed by the media than any of the others. As it happens, I've been quite consistent in giving my own opinion regardless of what others in the thread or in the media were saying, and in numerous cases I've deviated from their consensus. Just recently, to give one example, I pushed back against the trivial story of Trump seemingly cheating at golf when the entire political media and others in the thread were eagerly treating it as the scandal du jour. In fact, what apparently set you off on this tangent was you either misreading or not reading at all a post of mine where you evidently assumed that I was simply repeating a call to release the Epstein files, but which anyone who reads it can see isn't actually about that at all, and is instead me criticizing the tendency of Trump to prepare to blame a subordinate for one of his scandals instead of standing behind his people like a good leader. That's another original Saddam thought, by the way. I've definitely read criticism of Trump for blaming his subordinates for things he should have taken responsibility for, but as far as I know, nobody else has taken note of the way Trump prepares to blame something on one of his subordinates before the scandal breaks, which is absolutely what he's doing whenever he says something along the lines of "That's x's department/decision. I don't know anything about that."

It's honestly a little embarrassing writing something like this to defend myself. But again, I don't want to fight, so I did it for you. I hope you're happy with it.

[juner]

im just kidding. i will read all that a bit later and respond in kind. i hope the effort in the wall of text isn't terrible but i guess i asked for it in a monkey paw kind of way so i deserve this as punishment.

[juner]

@sadman

my dude... you are missing the forest for the trees. stop taking things so literal because i have told you before things are not that deep and we likely agree more than we disagree. you basically have two real points which im generally on board with. somehow you turned it into a thousand word essay using old SEO tactics with embedded links and everything. when i talk to you, just assume i know your general position but you just come off as annoying sometimes. i do the same, but i know it and lean into it. you have a reputation that is brought up because of your habits/behaviors. i also don't want to fight and won't try to bait you because i know you are a good guy; i just don't understand you at all tbh.

you don't have to defend yourself. instead, just be yourself. and if writing 69 billion words for something that could be said in two sentences (something something brevity soul and wit) is the real you, then i am cool with that. maybe these are your own legit opinions, but we have been posting on a goddamn forum(s) dedicated to talking about the shape of the earth for nearly 20 years. anyone who posts here is weird, no exceptions. and that is also fine.

i am about to wall of text myself, so i will move on for now. and it isn't embarrassing when the person you are"""arguing""" with is generally on your side, whether it be online or irl. i generally read all the shit you post, even if it is regarded, so yeah im happy with this. and if you disagree, then fight for your position instead of giving the person what they want. im sure there is some lesson in here, but i have nothing but love for all of us regards.

[juner]

in other trump news, i am fine with drug boats getting merc'd

[Lord Dave]

Merc'd?

Is that drug boats run by mercinaries?  Or mercinaries attacking drug boats?

[juner]

Is that drug boats run by mercinaries?  Or mercinaries attacking drug boats?

yes

[juner]

Merc'd?

Is that drug boats run by mercinaries?  Or mercinaries attacking drug boats?

here is a less lazy answer since a lady said it for me and is reported by the AP but im aligned entirely.

https://apnews.com/article/trinidad-caribbean-us-strike-boat-drugs-f0529291209ffbf4162340df7860ba4c

[Lord Dave]

Merc'd?

Is that drug boats run by mercinaries?  Or mercinaries attacking drug boats?

here is a less lazy answer since a lady said it for me and is reported by the AP but im aligned entirely.

https://apnews.com/article/trinidad-caribbean-us-strike-boat-drugs-f0529291209ffbf4162340df7860ba4c

I hope they collected evidence of drug smuggling better than they do of Illegals.

[juner]

Merc'd?

Is that drug boats run by mercinaries?  Or mercinaries attacking drug boats?

here is a less lazy answer since a lady said it for me and is reported by the AP but im aligned entirely.

https://apnews.com/article/trinidad-caribbean-us-strike-boat-drugs-f0529291209ffbf4162340df7860ba4c

I hope they collected evidence of drug smuggling better than they do of Illegals.

did you watch the video? i know keys of coke when i see them. that was the only thing of value that was lost...

edit — also the immigrant meme or fisherman meme is regarded so dont go down that path

[honk]

The media is currently making a big deal out of a video where a DoJ official supposedly "admits" that the plan is to redact the names of Republicans on the Epstein list. Remembering that this video is the product of the dishonest faux-journalist James O'Keefe, however, it's important to use some critical thinking and try to figure out what's really going on here. O'Keefe has used this tactic of sending attractive women to coax "admissions" out of his targets while on dates with them before. An isolated admission from that kind of setting can't be relied on, for the simple fact that people will say anything to get laid. I'm willing to bet that a solid chunk of people working for the government could be cajoled into "admitting" that FET is entirely true in a similar setting.

The only actually interesting part of the story is the fact that O'Keefe has turned on Trump, which goes to show how thoroughly he's flubbed this issue.

[Lord Dave]

Merc'd?

Is that drug boats run by mercinaries?  Or mercinaries attacking drug boats?

here is a less lazy answer since a lady said it for me and is reported by the AP but im aligned entirely.

https://apnews.com/article/trinidad-caribbean-us-strike-boat-drugs-f0529291209ffbf4162340df7860ba4c

I hope they collected evidence of drug smuggling better than they do of Illegals.

did you watch the video? i know keys of coke when i see them. that was the only thing of value that was lost...

edit — also the immigrant meme or fisherman meme is regarded so dont go down that path

I have not.
How do you know what a key of coke is, let alone what it looks like?

As for whats lost:
Intel on where they came from?  Unless they already know.

[Dr Van Nostrand]

Merc'd?

Is that drug boats run by mercinaries?  Or mercinaries attacking drug boats?

here is a less lazy answer since a lady said it for me and is reported by the AP but im aligned entirely.

https://apnews.com/article/trinidad-caribbean-us-strike-boat-drugs-f0529291209ffbf4162340df7860ba4c

I hope they collected evidence of drug smuggling better than they do of Illegals.

did you watch the video? i know keys of coke when i see them. that was the only thing of value that was lost...

edit — also the immigrant meme or fisherman meme is regarded so dont go down that path

I have not.
How do you know what a key of coke is, let alone what it looks like?

As for whats lost:
Intel on where they came from?  Unless they already know.

Look, I like watching bad guys getting blown up as much as any red-blooded American does. Yippie-Kiyiyay Mutha fucker and all that. Also, I hate bureaucracy that gets in the way of blowing up bad guys.

But we have to be honest with ourselves. Forty or fifty thousand Americans die from cocaine every year. But almost a half million die from smoking tobacco. Trump's not bombing tobacco farms to protect the kids or save American lives. He doesn't give one shit about any of that.
Blowing up cartel people is cool, it gets votes and support amongst the same rednecks farming tobacco to be exported around the world to kill millions.

So yes, it was cool that bad people were wiped out but don't think it has anything to with making America better or safer. It's about Trump feeling better about his tiny peepee and making his followers feel better about Trump.

[juner]

I have not.
How do you know what a key of coke is, let alone what it looks like?

go watch it...

then watch bad boys with will smith and the other guy from 80s funny shows (martin L) where they use the term dope conflated with anything drug related. their boss in that movie is also in memento (good movie). also do yourself a favor and dont ask questions you dont want to really know the answer to. stick to the tele for your own sake.

Look, I like watching bad guys getting blown up as much as any red-blooded American does. Yippie-Kiyiyay Mutha fucker and all that. Also, I hate bureaucracy that gets in the way of blowing up bad guys.

But we have to be honest with ourselves. Forty or fifty thousand Americans die from cocaine every year. But almost a half million die from smoking tobacco. Trump's not bombing tobacco farms to protect the kids or save American lives. He doesn't give one shit about any of that.
Blowing up cartel people is cool, it gets votes and support amongst the same rednecks farming tobacco to be exported around the world to kill millions.

So yes, it was cool that bad people were wiped out but don't think it has anything to with making America better or safer. It's about Trump feeling better about his tiny peepee and making his followers feel better about Trump.

my esteemed doctor colleague, we borderline don't even disagree. but sometimes you break out the stick when speaking softly doesnt quite do the trick. i think there was something about gunboats and diplomacy. i would love to see cocaine legal since it is, as you mentioned, far less lethal than a lot of other shit (that is a rabbit hole so be careful with your arguments before i say we need to ban cars). i just want to have a bump and not worry about it being laced with fent and if some regards need their boat blown up then fine.

also fun cocaine fact for the uninitiated. you can actually get medical grade cocaine if you go in for deviated septum surgery (it is a nasal spray to stop bleeding, but you get the purest). there is only one company in our fine country that makes it. then they take the flavor of the leaves that is left behind and it literally goes in coca-cola since they had to stop using the good shit.