Drumbeats category archive
Gunboat Diplomacy 0
Michael in Norfolk argues that Donald Trump wants to bring back “gunboat diplomacy” (though he also suspects Trump has no idea what the term means). He notes, almost in passing, what I suspect to be the underlying reason:
It’s all about strutting about like a bully and monarch and demanding nation’s bend to his wishes.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
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*Mark Twain.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
My old Philly DL friend Noz opines that Venezuela rhymes with Iraq. Methinks he’s onto something.
Meanwhile, the pundit class acts as if Donald Trump has a plan.
He doesn’t.
He’s just breaking things (like laws, traditions, treaties, agreements) because that’s what a toddler thinks makes for a macho macho man. Because he wants to be a Real Big Man, just like his role model.
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*Mark Twain.
Stray Question 0
What’s a good word for someone who used–er–questionable means so as not to go to war, but who quite happily places others in the line of fire?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Circular Reasoning in a Rogue State 0
Steve M. sees a pattern. Here’s a bit of his article:
A Matter of Perspective 0
Why is Donald Trump trying to steal Greenland from Denmark?
Methinks my old Philly DL friend Noz may have nailed it.
Follow the link for the rest of his article.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
The writer of a letter to the editor of the Bangor Daily News hears a rhyme from slightly over two decades ago.
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*Mark Twain.
The War Gamer 0
The editorial board of the Japan Times looks at the statements and actions of Pete Hegseth, a Fox News weekend backbencher who somehow has ended up as Secretary of Defense (but who calls himself the Secretary of War), and argues that he is living out
Follow the link for their reasoning.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Veteran journalist John Young hears a rhyme that sounds awfully like “Remember the Maine!”
No excerpt of summary can do justice to his article. Just go read it.
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*Mark Twain.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Via The Japan Times, Bloomberg”s Adrian Wooldridge hears a rhyme.
Here’s a couple of couplets; follow the link to put them in context.
There has been an awful lot of “getting medieval” in the world recently.
(snip)
A growing cadre of strongmen treat their countries as their personal property and international relations as a test of their personal egos. Religion is exercising a growing influence on global politics. And a post-literate and brain-addled public craves nicknames and memes rather than demanding speeches and complicated reasoning. Whether re-medievalization is compatible with the long-term survival of the species in a world of nuclear weapons and ultrasonic ballistic missiles is open to doubt.
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*Mark Twain.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Seth hears a Trumpled rhyme with George Bush’s Great and Glorious Patriotic War for a Lie in Iraq.
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*Mark Twain.
War and Mongers of War 0
Via the Sacramento Bee, philosophy professor Andrew Fiala considers why some folks–often those who have never and will never see combat–seem to hunger for war.
Methinks it a timely read.
The Contestant 0
In the course of a longer article in which he expresses–er–some concerns over Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran, Field describes how he sees Donald Trump’s approach to governance:
Methinks he is onto something.