June 2016 Chit Chat

Welcome June across the pond!

And soon to be June on this side of the pond.

Already a hot bugger!!!!  Dammit!

A ready excuse to pour an icy cold margarita, melbert.


Cocktails at 5PM on the balcony.   BYOD  ( bring your own date)  

George is MY date!  But, my balcony is bigger that that little one in Rome.  C'mon over PigPen!

Don't read on if you easily offended....I had a dream last night....

I rushed to the loo....assumed the position...and felt something warm and a bit hairy under my thighs, I jumped up to see George already sat on the loo fast asleep.....

What the heck does that mean....I haven't dreamt of George in ages....

What does this dream want to tell you, WWHS?
I thinknI would prefer to wake up at night and see George lying next to me...

By the way:
I recently posted that the German parliament declared the massacre on Armenians as genocide.
The Turkish president and parliament were really p...ed by that (they had threatened our MPs before that). Afterwards Erdogan called them terrorists who support the Kurds and are financed by them. The MPs with Turkish roots can't have Turkish blood because otherwise they hadn't voted for this resolution, so their blood should be checked . These MPs also received death threats. So in the end our chancellor, our parliament head and the EU parliament head had to speak out against that. I had never heard that before when other countries declared the genocide...

Another extreme act of hate happened last night. This time in the U.S. One hundred and three people were shot and 53 died at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
The largest mass shooting in American history. The man who committed this terrorist act claimed affinity with ISIS and was killed in a shootout with the police.

Donna,
I saw it on TV last night.
How horrible this must be! I still don't understand why people just want to kill as many others as possible, just because they hate what they represent...

I would like to know what they think. Often murderers kill others because they are mentally ill and are in a delusion that somebody tells them to do so. Since these assassins usually are killed or kill themselves, we will never get the chance to find out. It's no excuse, just a thought which came to my mind...

Carolhathaway -  As long as there are "leaders" who give their followers permission to hate and encourage them to act on their hatred this will never end - especially in this country, where so many feel that the answer is to give everyone a gun. We're seeing it everywhere and I'm beginning to wonder if all this violence we're seeing isn't Mother Nature's way of getting rid of us for spoiling her planet.

PS - If anyone needs another reason not to vote for Donald Trump? He took to the airwaves to offer his sympathies by saying "This is only the beginning." This is what you say to survivors of a tragedy and the families of the dead?  How cynical to use a tragedy as a vote-getting opportunity! His lack of compassion and empathy is astounding!

Yep, Lizzy, and yep over and over...........

I thought this was brilliant - but I can't vote!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQt4KxUmnzw

Lizzy,
I googled for it because I couldn't believe that Trump really said that. I found another 'nice' tweed:

https://mobile.twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/742034549232766976
'Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism.'

Isn't that horrible?

Yes this man is horrible. To congratulate himself for somehow in his mind "getting it right"? Ego, ego, ego.

And as to the speech that Clinton gave all one needs to do is use actual quotes from Trump to make the case for why this man is unfit to hold any elected office. That was what was so powerful about her speech.

I've run out of negative adjectives to describe Trump. I'd call him a pig except I like pigs.

Every time there's another mass shooting, I think that finally something will be done about assault weapons in our country. Instead there are prayer vigils, promises from politicians that this won't happen again, and then the NRA making their own claims that gun laws would be unconstitutional. Seriously, what is it going to take? When I think of those family members getting that horrible news, I just want to cry. This world is a scary place right now.

We all have politicians like Trump. In Germany there are politicians from this new party 'AfD', and they always say really horrible things and deny or excuse afterwards. Like wanting to shoot refugees at the borders or using strange comparisons between - let's say - Caucasians and Africans in matters of reproduction. Last week one of their leaders said that 'the people don't want Boateng as theit neighbot'. Boateng is one of our best soccer players, helped our team to become world champions in w014 - and he's black. 
He later added that he didn't know who Boateng was and didn't know that he's black. But he prefers the teams who'd previously won the world cup before because they looked more familiar. 
And they always wait for reactions before they deny or apologize, and there are always people who agree with them! So our other politicians and medias are quite unsure about how to react.
Anyway, Boateng saved our team last night at the EURO another one with Albanian parents shot one goal, and so the reactions on social medias were "Gauland's team had played 1-1 instead of 2-0'. And our coach called Boateng a good neighbor.

There are always idiots talking  general bullshit, but tge number of people agreeing with them worries me.

Trump also called for President Obama's resignation, because he didn't blame the Muslim's and Isis for this attack. 

He is an idiot the president is not allowed to accuse anyone until he has all the facts and those have to come from the FBI.

I feel like I never knew there were so many stupid Americans until now. I believed maybe foolishly that more people had 

and used common sense when it came to candidates.

Donnamarie,
I'm just asking myself if all those Trump supporters will also be voting...

These politicians get away with their divisive talk because there are people who believe what they say.  I guess like carolh said its going on in Europe too.  Fear stokes these politicians' popularity. Shamefully there are still many racists and bigots in our country.  Annemarie you call them stupid.  I'll call them ugly Americans.  They think like Trump but now they have an official mouthpiece to defend their views.

Carolh, I think the people who voted for Trump during the primary season will come out to vote. Yes I do. Most of them see Trump as a winner and he can do no wrong. And they see the press as being totally unfair to him. But a lot can happen between now and November that might change some people's minds who might be undecided. One thing for sure Trump supporters can't stand Hillary Clinton. Even many moderate Republican voters don't like her. If Trump really screws up and loses the affection of his base they just won't vote.

There was a news piece on tv this morning chronicling all the times President Obama has had to speak to the press and the nation about mass shootings just since he has been in office.  I didn't count but it's a lot and you wonder how numb the public gets to hearing about another mass shooting.  BTW most of these terror attacks have not been committed by Muslims.

I'm totally against guns but at least like premiere said can we not do something about semi automatic assault weapons?  I know the answer.  No.  Not until maybe we get a democratic majority in the House and Senate of the U.S. Congress.  Background checks are not going to put a dent in stopping the gun violence in our country.



I'd call Trump a cockroach. Who likes cockroaches???

Donna,
but if you listen to the NRA, guns are the solution for peace
Because if everybody had a gun, he would be able to fight an assassin. Just imagine this in Orlando, 300 people carrying guns. One of them starts shooting, and because of the panic, at least ten others will follow him. I guess we had at least 100 dead people...
Or somebody shouts aggressively in a shop, somebody else may get scared and decides to shoot him. 
For me that's just horror!

I don't know how much you know about Anders Breivik. Nearly five years ago he detonated a car bomb in Oslo, Norway's capitol, and killed eight people. Afterwards he took a boat to an island where the youth organization of the Social Democratic Party (which was in charge) had a summer camp. He had a few guns and killed 69 young people.

He wanted to prevent Norway from Islamization and thought that the country's Minister President was responsible for mass integration from other cultures. He said that he was guilty but acted in a 'lawless state of emergency'.

I found it remarkable that Norway was able to cope with that tragedy. He got a fair trial, was fit to plead, and although there were demands for death panalty, he was sentenced to prison fof the rest of his life.

Donnamarie  I agree with most of what you say with one exception: Nobody thinks like Trump because nobody knows what Trump thinks! He says whatever he believes will get him the most attention and changes what he "believes" to fit the audience in front of him. He has even said, himself, that we're not seeing the real Trump and we won't until he's in office, when he'll be "more Presidential".


BULL!!! We've seen the real Trump for years here in NY. He's a thin-skinned, egotistical , entitled pig who will do or say whatever it takes to get what he wants! Even if he doesn't want it, he won't let anyone else have it without a fight - just for spite. The idiots who are swallowing his line are in for a rude awakening if he gets into office.

Carolhathaway -  I remember that massacre and how shocked the whole world was. Sadly, we're not as shocked anymore. These kinds of things have become an almost daily occurrence. As one of our reporters said, it's happening so often we're becoming numb.And that may be the greatest tragedy - that we may get to a point where it's so commonplace that we just don't care anymore.

Right there Lizzy.  Trump does change his position all the time.  And luckily we have him on the record doing as much.  Which will be good ammunition for Clinton to use against him.  But Trump followers are exactly that.  They seem devoted to him.  If he changes his mind they'll just excuse him.  He's not a politician they will say.  It's ok.  We are still with him regardless.  That's one of the reasons real Republicans can't stomach him.  He isn't a real Republican.  But the cowards will still vote for him because they think he would still be better than Clinton.  Republican leaders in our Congress are going to support him.  I think that galls me as much as Trump himself.  

Lizzy and Annemarie, I'm curious about Trump's reputation in NYC. There have been a number of accusations as to how he runs his businesses, his past discrimination tendencies towards applicants to his apartment or condo residences, the number of lawsuits brought against him by businesses who provided services to his properties.  What's your take ....

DM - My take is that I wish he came from anywhere but here - and would go back there - now. He represents everything ugly in my city. The elitism, entitlement, arrogance and disrespect of anyone who doesn't think he's the best thing since sliced bread. If his father hadn't left him money, he'd probably be another Madoff - and I'd love it if they were cellmates!

LizzyNY wrote:DM - My take is that I wish he came from anywhere but here - and would go back there - now. He represents everything ugly in my city. The elitism, entitlement, arrogance and disrespect of anyone who doesn't think he's the best thing since sliced bread. If his father hadn't left him money, he'd probably be another Madoff - and I'd love it if they were cellmates!

Well his family is from Scotland. But they don't want him either ..... Ha!

Correct. Can't see Germany wanting him either.

His mum came from Scotland, and his dad from Germany - but of course liked to say he was Scandinavian when he was based in Queens because many of his tenants were Jewish! His name originally was Drumpf........

PAN,
you really shocked me!
No, we don't want him back! We've got enough loud-mouth idiots here and absolutely don't need him as an addition...

Now the idiot has blamed immigration for the shooting in Florida, he said the killer was only in this country because we allowed his family to come here.

Just think if his parents were allowed to come here we wouldn't have him or his bull.

I heard that too annemarie. Trump is truly a disgrace to our country. Also he made comments today about Obama making sinister implications that he knows something that he's not talking about. "He's got something else in mind". Obama either doesn't know what's going on or doesn't want to say. Trump clearly playing on his original accusation of Obama not being who he says he is. He's not an American. And he said that Obama should resign.

He also said today that when he is elected (ha) he's going to suspend immigration from all countries where there may be imminent threats.

A narcissist and a fascist devoid of any empathy for those who were killed on Saturday night. Has he said anything in the last 48 hours to extend sympathy to the LGBT population? To their families?

Who in their right mind could vote for this man?

OMG were talking way too serious here!

Is it ok if I start a new thread for our gloom and doom topics of conversation??? Any suggestions as to what to call it? Please

We all know that the President can't make any statement until he knows all the facts As the investigation is on going what is he supposed to say there so far is no proof this guy was with the terrorists he may have been a wanna be.

Donnamarie wrote:OMG were talking way too serious here!  

Is it ok if I start a new thread for our gloom and doom topics of conversation???  Any suggestions as to what to call it?  Please

P L E A S E !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Just as a reminder:

Re: May 2016 Chit Chat
 by melbert on Mon May 30, 2016 4:15 pm





Mods:

Could you create a non-George political thread for the people who want to discuss political views?  It disrupts ChitChat with garbage that only a few are interested in.

Thank you!

Re: May 2016 Chit Chat

 by Donnamarie on Mon May 30, 2016 9:32 pm



melbert you have asked for a separate thread before. I have no problem with that even though Chit Chat is for everything not about George. Maybe the mods don't agree with you.

Regardless, your comment was rude and insulting .... to me and others here who like to talk about world issues.

I wouldn't mind to have a separate thread on tgat but have no idea how to name it.
By the way: Today is Trump's 70th birthday, and I guess that for him the Orlando massacre is his best gift

Of course the US could stop any immigration. But usually there are a lot of security checks fir entering the country. My niece is in Minnesota for ten months (which are nearly over, I can't believe it...) and she said that she was really checked over and over again. So there's a lack on that, but you can also never look into somebody's head. And when you're asked "Are you planning to kill the President of the US?" an assassin would surely say "Yes!"...

Does Trump want to stop every immigrant? Every tourist? Or just from several countries? A certain ethnic appearance? Does he want to ask everybody "Are you a muslim?" "What do you think about ISIS?" This man in Orlando was a US citizen, just as his father who had immigrated from Afghanistan. Does Trump want everybody with muslim roots to leave the country?

It just doesn't work. 
And at tge moment it sounds as if there had never been any assassinations before. What about all the attacks at schools? Family planning clinics?
There is no absolute safety...

Trump he embarrassed American people.They not like Trump.

Not  all terrorists are from other countries some of the worst events that have taken place over the years have been by Americans born here.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who do like Trump and agree with the garbage he spews sadly. If people didn't like

him he wouldn't have gotten where he is.

Just a thought: Every day Trump and his followers sound more and more like ISIS. Maybe we should consider deporting them.

Lizzy that would be great for all of us who are tired of them and him.

LizzyNY wrote:Just a thought: Every day Trump and his followers sound more and more like ISIS. Maybe we should consider deporting them.

But NOT to Germany, please!!! We don't want him!

Like Carol I don't think any other country would take him.

We could send him to his own private island. He could take his supporters with him.

Lovely, and it wouldn't cost us anything he could use his own plane and pay for fuel it would probably take a few trips but hey not our money who cares.

Right annemarie. And as long as Trump has his followers with him to feed his ego then everyone is happy! He can anoint himself King.

How about just naming the new thread "Serious Chat". Not very clever but that's all I can come up with at the mo.

Orlando

Anyone watched this? Brilliant!

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/06/13/samantha-bee-rips-gop-s-orlando-shooting-response-yes-i-do-want-to-take-your-guns-away.html?via=desktop&source=twitter

PAN,
thanks for that link. It was brilliant!
And one thing we in other countries never understand is why everybody needs the right for weapons, especially semi-automatic weapons. Yes, it may be helpful when somebody breaks into your house. But the chance is much higher that your children might use it as a toy or you might shoot your wife or a neighbor. And if a burglar knows that there are guns in many houses, he will have a weapon as well. And is more willing to use it. Or somebody might use it because he's frustrated or angry, takes his gun and shoots somebody else...

Carolhathaway - There is no logic involved. The Constitution says we have the right to bear arms, so these people insist on owning them whether there is a need for them or not. More often than not they shoot each other, which at this point is fine with me.(Not long ago a young mother was shot in the face by her toddler. She lived - lucky for her - and was right back out at the shooting range with her kids. Mother of the Year material!)

The real threat is their willingness to curtail our Constitutional rights because of their fears, spurred on by the NRA, which plays them like a fiddle in their effort to increase their profits by selling more and more guns.

........and it has something to do with this:

In 2012 261 Congressmen received payments from the National Rifle Association (i e the gun lobby) of which 25 were Democrats


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/nra-congress/

Oh boy does the Congress prostitutes itself for the NRA. Of course it does!

I heard this morning on the news that since the Orlando shooting at this one gun shop in Georgia there has been a significant uptick in the sales of AR 15 rifles (the one the shooter used to kill his victims in Orlando).  The owner said he usually sells one or two a day and it has surged to at least 10 a day.  They are coming to take our guns is the mentality.  With the lies Trump has been spewing since the shooting and the renewed talk of taking on guns in the Congress the gun lovers are thinking up all kinds of conspiracy theories no doubt!

That was a stunning speech by Ms Bee. Unfortunately I don't think the cowards in Washington are listening

I've been thinking that the CDC should treat this like they did smoking. They should put ads on tv showing gunshot wounds and statements from gunshot victims. Then they could do what they did to smoking - tax the shit out of bullets! Then the idiots could have all the guns they want - they just couldn't afford to shoot them.

I'm thinking James Madison, Hamilton's friend, has a lot to answer for!

Well PAN Madison did draft the Bill of Rights. Guilty. But I think if he were here today he would make the point that the right to bear arms was meant to protect people against militias in the time of war. That argument is lost on Americans who feel it is their God given right to carry guns .... no questions asked.

Lizzy that did help some with smoking but with everything there are those who ignore the ads and keep on smoking.

Those who want guns will bitch and pay for the bullets same with cigarettes. People don't care they want what they want

and feel it's their right to have guns no matter who gets killed.

annemarie - You have to start somewhere. If there's one less gun fatality, it's worth the effort. Besides, if these gun lovers are going to be responsible for filling our emergency rooms with gunshot victims they should at least pay for it with their taxes!

LizzyNY wrote:I've been thinking that the CDC should treat this like they did smoking. They should put ads on tv showing gunshot wounds and statements from gunshot victims. Then they could do what they did to smoking - tax the shit out of bullets! Then the idiots could have all the guns they want - they just couldn't afford to shoot them.

Absolutely agree, Lizzy! 
You'll never persuade everybody NOT to have weapons, so try to minimize it via money.
In Germany we have quite strict laws about who's allowed to own a weapon and that you have to keep it in an enclosed steel locker, unloaded, away from the bullets, and the local authorities are allowed to control it. These laws were tightened after a young man took his father's gun (he'd kept them in his bedroom), went to a school and shot 14 pupils and teachers there and on the run before killing himself. I think this sounds familiar, had happened a lot in the US...
When these shooting happened I worked with gun holders for our local authorities, and I was shocked to see how many people own weapons legally. And when they are convicted for a crime, they are not allowed to keep their weapons. So they usually just worry about when they will get back their weapons. If I was convicted for a crime, I'm sure I would worry ahout other matters...