I don't usually recommend a book that I
haven't read yet, but I am going to make an exception now. It is
Memorial Day weekend again and I have in the past done posts that
have revolved around the US and our experiences. This year I am
going to do it a little differently and pay tribute to one of our
close allies, the United Kingdom, and all those who found haven on her shores during a time period that was pivotal in the world's history. With the
bombing in Manchester it has been a tough week for our friends across
the pond and I think it time to acknowledge and remind those who need
reminding of how special this relationship is and how important the
intangibles of life really are. Intangibles such as hope.
When the second world war broke out in
Europe many countries were scrambling to respond and find some
footing in a world turned upside down. Where do you go when someone
stronger than you steamrolls over your country? How do you not lose
everything that makes your country what it is? While there may have been missteps along the way during this time it
was the United Kingdom that in the end stepped up and acted like an oasis in an
ocean of chaos. It provided refuge for those seeking a safe haven
and a staging ground for those who were fighting to regain that which
they had lost. In effect the UK became the “Last Hope Island”
for a Europe that was on the brink of
losing the freedoms and rights that Europe and America had struggled
so hard to create. Their actions, and those who lived under their umbrella, were an integral part of the war
effort, helping the allies to prevail in what was a massive struggle
for survival.
If you would like to visit a time in
the world's history that helps us understand the complexities of our
relationships and our need for friends in times of trouble then give Last Hope Island a read.
When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France.
As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as “Last Hope Island.” Getting there, one young emigrĂ© declared, was “like getting to heaven.”
As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as “Last Hope Island.” Getting there, one young emigrĂ© declared, was “like getting to heaven.”
57 comments:
You may have been a little too subtle for the Swede to catch it.
Nono it's obviously about cowards. A tale of those who didn't fight.
So, you're surrendering Sweden to cowards then?
@ Lynnette,
You've always been rather more enthused about the addition of H.R. McMaster to Team Trump than I have ever been. (It could hardly be a bad thing, but I was always considerably less enthused about him than were you.) I now notice that McMaster is almost unreservedly supportive of Team Trumps' outreach to the Russians.
Any comment?
Actually it was Jim Mattis that I rather liked. And that was because I felt he understood that it takes more than military might to really win a war. I respected his support for Spirit of America.
As for McMaster it appears that he is toeing the Trump Administration party line in public. It is rather disappointing.
"Actually it was Jim Mattis that I rather liked."
Yeah, him too. But, you're fairly cool to McMaster these days, which I guess is an answer of sorts. (Mattis is being a good soldier as well, if a little less visibly.)
"French President Emmanuel Macron has said his clenched
handshake with Donald Trump was ‘not innocent’….
‘Donald Trump, the Turkish president or the Russian president see
things in terms of power relationships…’ he said."
BBC
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X2_RbFfkAv0
TrumpTweets: He's clearly not waiting for those lawyers who're gonna be ‘vetting’ his tweets.
By the way… FoxNewsSunday, Chris Wallace, said they've ‘confirmed’ that Jared Kushner did talk with the Russians about setting up a secret ‘back channel’ communications link between the Trump campaign and the Russians via Russian comm equipment at the Russian Embassy and various consulate locations. But, the White House is supposedly taking the position that this was suggested by the Russians, not by Kushner, and, of course, it never did actually get up and running.
"French President Emmanuel Macron has said his clenched
handshake with Donald Trump was ‘not innocent’….
Personally I think the new French President won that duel. I get the feeling that he is man who will walk his own path and not be intimidated. So far I rather like him.
"Personally I think the new French President won that duel."
So does the French President; so does Trump.
Okay, so dig a little under Trump's tweets and you find this(which I have to say is somewhat amusing):
and @FLOTUS is doing a fantastic job buying $51,500.00 jackets! Whilst you cut food stamps, seems legit
its their money and can spend it however the hell they want
They are certainly saving a ton of money on golf vacations ❤️
No, that was Obama
Wrong
That was Obama? Wow, he must have gained 100lbs and lightened his skin to an orange hue. đŸ¤”
100? Trump is easily double the size of Obama. That hair weighs 8 pounds, easily.
By the way… FoxNewsSunday, Chris Wallace, said they've ‘confirmed’ that Jared Kushner did talk with the Russians about setting up a secret ‘back channel’ communications link between the Trump campaign and the Russians...
Fox News again? They also supported the reporter's story in Montana about being body slammed by that Republican candidate. Hmmm...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=X2_RbFfkAv0
Do you really think that fighting one form of extremism with another will work? Isn't that really Daesh's goal? To start a war?
FoxNews hasn't gotten any less out on the right. It's just that they've lost control of their audience who's still moving still farther afield. FoxNews actually first lost control of their audience during the ‘teaparty’ phase when the ‘base’ first began to rebel against the Republican ‘establishment’. FoxNews saw themselves very much as the ‘establishment’ Republican voice, still do. Roger Ailes kept thinking he was going to get the radicals back under control by pandering to their worst instincts and then gently leading them back from the farthest reaches, but he's gone, and besides, these days FoxNews has to decide whether they're Trump voice or Paul Ryan voice. They're going for Paul Ryan voice on the theory that Trump's gonna blow himself up before his first term ends.
And, just by the way, they were still pushing the White House friendly, White House promulgated, line that it was the Russians who came up with the idea of a secret back channel using Russian comm links--and supposedly Kushner's innocent.
And the Montana incident involved a politician roughing up a reporter. Even FoxNews is gonna push back against that; it threatens their sense of immunity. It woulda been a different thing if the politician had roughed up a college kid, or even a college professor.
And, in another of my subject switches…. I notice that the House bill to repeal ObamaCare still has not been sent to the Senate. Ryan was saying at first that it was being held up by a wait for a score from the Congressional Budget Office, but that came down middle of last week, and he's still not sent it over to the Senate for consideration. There's a fly in his ointment, and he's not telling about it, but that got lost in the fuss over Russians being in with Trump's people.
On another note, there's going to be a total solar eclipse on August 21 and I'm going to miss it! Drat! So close.
It's been a good twenty years since I viewed a total eclipse. It might be worth the drive to me.
It sounds like the FBI tried to warn Britain about the Manchester bomber. At least someone in our government understands the meaning of "allied".
British intelligence service MI5 is launching an internal review into how much it knew about Manchester bomber Salman Abedi prior to last week's deadly attack, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd confirmed on Monday.
Rudd's comments follow media reports over the weekend that the agency was alerted to Abedi's extremist views before he blew himself up last Monday, killing 22 people after an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the atrocity.
President Trump has said he has complete confidence in Kushner, that he is doing a "great" job for the country. The problem with that is that I don't have complete confidence in Donald Trump. And apparently neither does Angela Merkel.
"…he has complete confidence in Kushner…"
I'm not sure such pronouncements mean much in TrumpLand unless they're included in the TrumpTweets. Speaking of TrumpTweets, it appears to be Trump's analysis that the recent missile tests by North Korea are a great insult to the Chinese (the Russians also at times, but especially the Chinese), and are not a challenge to Trump's so-far empty threats against the North Korean regime.
I gotta wonder if the dedicated Trumpkins are buying that one? Don't seem likely to me. Seems to me to be an error to mention it at all.
Lynnette: "Do you really think that fighting one form of extremism with another will work? Isn't that really Daesh's goal? To start a war?"
I'm pretty damn sure it is, they say so theselves, and it's gaining speed and is getting closer. How do YOU suggest we ought to fight that evil? Because just putting a #prayfor line on your Facebook doesn't really seem to do it. The attacks keep coming.
Fighting fire with fire is a true and tested way of actually winning. Just wipe 'em out. Why not?
Afghanistan is said to be the graveyard of Empires. Both the British and later the Soviets failed there. But there was one who managed to passify them - Djingis Kahn. And he didn't to it with a soft touch or much love.
"But there was one who managed to passify them…"
Don't think so, he merely managed to die before they finally prevailed. The notion that they were pacified is a fable told by those who actually want to prove something else.
Whatever. He DID alter the entire genome of the country such that the Hazars in the north are basically mongolian, not Pastun like most of the rest of them. Plus he did leave large pyramides of sculls in the plains of what is now Afghanistan to remind the of the consecuenses of not bowing down. That tempered the locals for quite a while. Then of course Djingis moved on, died and Hulago took over, and eventually they ran into real Europeans and got got.
Back home here in Malmö this evening but just this morning I witnessed the changing of the guards at the Parliament in Budapest - what a sight! We're not spent just yet, we do have a couple of strongholds and we will win in the end.
In a twist of irony it's the countries plagued by traditional communism that are the most resilient against the Cultural Marxism that's infecting America and much of western Europe these days.
Should I suppose then that your vision for the future of Sweden includes piles of skulls?
We tend to hope it doesn't have to come to that. If we were to be not invaded threre would be 0 chace of it. Now, we'll see, can probably come up with less dreadful options. Maybe. Probably. Maybe not. We'll see.
Something efficient, like german efficiency which is par course in the nordic nations also. Ships, I think, or maybe cargo planes.
The Muslims plotting terrorist acts in Europe lean heavily on second-generation Muslims, alienated in their new homes and far from their old homes. These are young men with little to lose it would seem; or so they see it.
Your ideas seem to me designed to make certain that the young Muslim men in Europe remain alienated in Europe. In short, you are intentionally providing Da‘esh with the new recruits they need.
I don't think this in an accident on your part. I think you know what you are doing. I don't see how we can trust you to seek a ‘less dreadful option’; I don't think you have any intention of finding such ‘less dreadful option’.
You may try to convince me otherwise; I will listen to you proposals (assuming you would care to make any proposals other than piling of skulls or some equivalent).
And where do you suppose you'll send these Muslims of Swedish citizenship?
Champagne popsicles
President Donald Trump's daughter faced backlash after her lifestyle brand's Twitter account -- "IvankaTrumpHQ" -- gave what some considered an insensitive Memorial Day holiday tip.
Now why does the phrase "let them eat cake" come to mind?
How do YOU suggest we ought to fight that evil?
I honestly don't think that asymetric warfare can be defeated by conventional means. Call it terrorism if you will but it seems to me that we are under attack by those who would undermine our open societies. This would make it a kind of asymtric warfare. They are using the fault lines within our countries to attack us from within. Perhaps we should review basic counterinsurgency tactics. There might be some insights there.
I think you and he are fighting different wars.
@ Lynnette,
I'm guessing you've seen this already:
"(CNN) Russian government officials discussed having potentially
‘derogatory’ [financial] information about then-presidential candidate
Donald Trump…"
Leo Varadkar set to by Ireland's next Prime Minister
He was 22 when he entered Irish politics. At 27, he was elected to parliament. At 36, he publicly came out as gay. And now, at 38, Leo Varadkar, the son of an Indian immigrant father and an Irish mother, appears on course to become Ireland's next prime minister.
Russian government officials discussed having potentially
‘derogatory’ [financial] information about then-presidential candidate
Donald Trump…"
Yes, I had seen this, and it doesn't surprise me after having looked at some of Trump's past business deals.
I think you and he are fighting different wars.
It would work out better for us to be on the same side. I really don't want to see Europe go the way of Syria or relive its past wars.
"At 36, he publicly came out as gay. And now, at 38, Leo
Varadkar…appears on course to become Ireland's next prime
minister."
But, is he Catholic?
If this comes to pass the people who voted Trump and others in who support this will have a lot to answer for.
President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, two senior US officials familiar with his plans told CNN Wednesday, a major break from international partners that would isolate the United States in global efforts to curb global warming.
It's a sad day for America and the world.
"It's a sad day for America and the world."
Yeah. I saw that, but I was expecting it. He will undoubtedly do both America and the world some damage during his tenure.
I figured he was leaning that way when he wouldn't admit to a decision during his European adventure. He craves praise and they'd have praised him for sticking with the Paris Agreement. When he failed to seize the chance to bask in some praise I figured he was leaning against the climate accord. He's somewhat impulsive though, so predicting him is always fraught; it's an educated guess at best.
However, I do expect he's increasingly going to be playing to the Steve Bannon wing, the Trumpkins on the crazy end of the dedicated Trumpkin spectrum. He's losing what soft support he had with independents, so he's gonna wanna firm up his hold on the crazy wing. The noise will comfort him (and they are a noisy bunch) even as his poll numbers worsen overall.
It occurs to me: The anti-Trump demonstrations have pretty much petered out (as I expected they would). But, there is a fair chance that this will ignite them again, at least temporarily.
Trump, being an impulsive character, is apparently getting a load of last minute lobbying from folks who were laying back for fear of angering him and having him decide to get out of the Paris Agreement just to ‘show them who's boss’. The reports that he's decided to pull out, and is waiting for an appropriate venue to announce that, has freed them up, they can quit worrying about driving him to the dark side; he's already gone there. Now they're free to pull out all the stops to try to swing him back.
Let's hope it works. I'm not holding out hope.
But, there's always the possibility of a long shot coming in--Trump did win the Presidency after all.
He will undoubtedly do both America and the world some damage during his tenure.
He is throwing away our leadership role in an important issue for humanity's survival. But there is some hope that where the federal government recedes in importance the states, at least some of them, may rise to the occasion.
My biggest concern is that we will not be able to get rid of the ignorant people currently running the federal government.
The anti-Trump demonstrations have pretty much petered out (as I expected they would). But, there is a fair chance that this will ignite them again, at least temporarily.
Possibly so. One can only hope that all of those demonstrations actually translate to a shift at the polls in the next major election.
Shorthands put out a tweet late yesterday that he's gonna make an announcement of the Paris Accords today at 3:00 pm ET from the Rose Garden.
It's not likely that anybody managed to change his mind in so short a time. (And perhaps he got fed up with those last minute entreaties to stay with the Accords; could be what caused him to move his announcement up to a Rose Garden announcement today.)
The White House talking points distributed for those who're supposed to talk up Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Accords concludes with the observation that the Accords aren't stringent enough.
The hypocrisy there just amazes me, and that's been getting harder to do ever since he took the lead in the Republican candidate field.
It looks like it will take 3 years for us to withdraw. If we can elect a different president we might avoid actually withdrawing. But in the meantime many people are intent on complying with the Paris Accord, in spite of our short sighted current president's decision.
"But in the meantime many people are intent on complying with the
Paris Accord."
The problem is with the people who are eager to avoid the Paris Accords. There are many of them as well.
I think the withdrawal from the Paris Accords is a consolation prize for the dedicated Trumpkins.
He's not been able to deliver on many of his promises so far (with the exception of a Supreme Court appointment for which the credit should properly go to Mitch McConnell), and it's not lookin’ good for him making deliveries on his agenda down the road.
But, he can give them this, a raised middle finger to the entire world. It ain't much compared to the promises made, but it's all he can give them just now, and for them, it's enough, for now. It'll keep ‘em on board a little longer. If they can't be in charge for much longer then they can at least burn the whole damn thing down before they give it up, and with this, they can hold out the hope of doing some permanent damage, arson on a truly global scale.
A wuss bully: I am not the only person to have noticed. link
It’s one thing for the Russians to have poked our border patrol with no response. But what happens when their troops are crossing the border of a Baltic nation instead, because Putin figures no one will stop him? What happens when North Korea finally gets a rocket to Guam — because, you know, why not?
Indifference toward aggression has never spared America from war. And irate tweets have never ended one.
Good point.
If they can't be in charge for much longer then they can at least burn the whole damn thing down before they give it up, and with this, they can hold out the hope of doing some permanent damage, arson on a truly global scale.
Sad but possibly true. And we can only hope that we can get rid of them. After this I don't count on anything anymore. I'm kind of losing faith in the average American voter's ability to see the consequences of their actions.
The Trump administration has planned a campaign style rally to celebrate the U.S.A.'s withdrawal from the Paris Accords for 10:00 am tomorrow in D.C.
It'll be interesting to see who shows up--do they get more Trumpkins come to celebrate than they get protesters come to shout down the celebration?
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