Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Post Summit Good and Bad News

So the summit between Kim Jong Un (North Korea) and electoral vote winner Donny happened yesterday.  The good news is we're still here - for now at least.  Somehow neither one's temper got the best of them and decided to get us all blown up real good,  Given that either one of them tend to act like little kids we can be forgiven that that could be a possibility.

Now the bad news - while North Korea has said they'd take steps towards complete denuclearization it appears to be the same rehash of promises they've made numerous times in the past.  Donny, the deal maker that he is, jumped at the offer without putting anything in place to verify or acknowledging that this will take time and be a somewhat long process (something Obama and company did put into the Iran deal that Donny's so anxious to scrap). 

Meanwhile there are reports that the Dept of Homeland Security wants to strengthen our northern border - the one with Canada.  While there are obvious problems with things like NAFTA and the G7, claiming the Great White North is a national security threat would be funny if these were normal times.  With Donny in charge, it appears to be a way to not have to get Congress' approval before acting like he normally does.  All while Donny praises Un, claiming he is loved by his people and is tough because "he has to be" (overlooking the way too many human rights violations).

Will these talks be a beginning in a path toward deescalation and possibly peace on this front?  That goes into the time will tell category.  However, anyone who thinks this is over is deluding themselves, the path is just beginning and everyone has just dipped a toe in the water before jumping in. 

Monday, June 11, 2018

Electoral Vote Winner Donny, the Legal Weed Issue, and Why We Should Be Suspicious

With the summit issue out of the way I'd like to briefly address a toss off line electoral vote winner Donny said just before he left for Canada for the G7 Summit (where his arriving late, leaving early, and acting like a bullying 6th grader has already been discussed elsewhere).  One of the things he said to the press was the he'd probably go along with a bipartisan bill to protect legal marijuana.  This has led some in the media to hint that the electoral vote winner might kinda sorta be on board with legalizing weed.  While some libertarians may find delight in this I have a feeling it's some throwaway line for the midterms that, like anything Donny says that isn't complete fucked up and horrible, shouldn't be believed for a second.

Why?  Let's remember that he also hinted at being in favor of this issue while on the campaign trail against Hillary Clinton.  So what occurred to prove we shouldn't believe this for even a nanosecond.

One sentence:  ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFFY SESSIONS.

Yes, the fact he appointed and the Repubs confirmed a man who once "joked" that he used to think that Ku Klux Klan were okay until he "found out some of them smoked pot" should be the most obvious proof that he has no goddamn intention of seeing this through.  Add to ths the increase in proftis for private prisons and the proof should be at least in the ingredients of the pudding if not in the dessert itself.

With that in mind let's say that such a bill did happen and somehow manage to get passed through Congress.  While it be a good thing and put a massive dent in the drug war, what are the odds that the Repubs wouldn't attach something completely fucked up such as a complete outlawing of abortion and contraception to the bill or maybe something that overturns the equal protection clause of the Civil Rights Acts of 1965 and brings back discrimination (which, believe me, a lot of Donny's fans would love).  You and I know damn well the pretty much no Democrat in good (or even slightly mediocre) conscience could support that and it wold go nowhere. 

I worry that is what electoral vote winner Donny is counting on - using the issue to mislead people for midterm votes but making sure nothing gets done that would hinder the red meat his fan base wants.  Thus, anytime he shoots something like this off the hip we should act with extreme caution at best and probably assume he's full of it and lying out of his ass. 

Part of me wishes it wasn't that way but look at Donny's record. 

EDITOR'S NOTE:  ON this post I do plan to allow comments.  However, I do reserve the right to delete hateful (racist, misogynist, homophobic/transphobic) or otherwise ignoramt shit or to close down comments altogether if that has to be done.  Keep that in mind if you wish to comment.

Brief Thought on the North Korean summit that managed to happen almost in spite of Donny and Un

As I type this electoral vote winner Donny and North Korean leader Kim Jung Un are busy in the midst of a summit that's both historic and worrisome.  At stake is the fate of North Korea's nuclear weapons and Donny's insistence on complete denuclearization.  Also at stake is what Donny might give on the deal. 

I think many people would agree that something this historic actually happening is almost a miracle in and of itself.  Given Donny's cancelling so Un wouldn't a few weeks back, John Bolton's insistence on the Libya model, and Rudy Giuliani's mouthing that Un was on his hands and knees for this, one would be forgiven if they thought it would fall apart before it happened.  While sources close to Donny claim it's going ahead of schedule and he'll leave Singapore early, there are still questions that linger.

First, what will happen with this in the long run.  For Donny it's about getting the Nobel Peace Prize and looking good in the corporate owned mainstream media.  This is especially true after his behavior at the G7 Summit in Canada last weekend appeared to alienate allies while he insisted Russia be allowed back in the summit.  For Un it's harder to say since the mystery around him is something he plays to his advantage.  Yes, North Korea's population is impoverished and starving.  However, what guarantees do we have that whatever aid or business benefits going to NK will help the people?  Also, what's to keep the other side from breaking the treaty?  While most people are logical enough to realize nuclear weapons shouldn't be used the fact we're dealing with Donny and Kim Jong Un here means we have to wonder what lies ahead.,

Then there's the difficulty of negotiations even with allies.  While Donny has proven he wants to be friendly with tyrants and dictators to the extent of pissing off trusted allies, especially Canada, diplomacy takes time and work to make things come to fruition.  This can be hard even with skilled negotiators when dealking with a situation like this.  While such negotiators and deal makers know the value of compromise and knowing when to stand firm, Donny claims to go on instinct which means anything can happen. The fact he's leaving early also can be suspect.

This leaves us to wonder what will happen next?  While some sort of detente or understanding is needed between the two nations, one also has to keep their fingers crossed that things don't go completely downhill or that the world doesn't get blown to hell. 

Time will tell here.  Let's hope that what went down this week isn't completely catastrophic.