Trump's Second Term

[TragicMonkey]

Once upon a time, some 30 years ago, I was in charge of arranging a fireworks show for our local community. At that time, a quality, professional show would cost about a thousand dollars a minute. We had a budget of $20,000, which bought us a nice 20 minute show.

Given this is Trump, it's a sure bet this will be put on by one of his shady pals, and given his recent track record, will likely end in disaster, and since it involves fireworks, I won't be surprised if it also ends in an unintended explosion as well.

What are the odds a stray firework will set fire to the "water" in the reflecting pool? That would be symbolic of so much that's happening.

 

[shemp]

I won't be surprised if it also ends in an unintended explosion as well.

I get those a lot when I take a dump.

 

[shemp]

A usual DC 4th of July fireworks show lasts 15 minutes and uses 17.000 to 20.000 shells.

According to reports, Trump's fireworks fireworks show will last over 40 minutes with 850,000+ shells launched from multiple locations.
It's set up to be the biggest fireworks show in the world, ever. Because Trump needs at least one achievement no sane President will try to top.

Most likely, there will be nowhere near 850,000 shells, but he'll claim there were.

 

[Safe-Keeper]

What are the odds a stray firework will set fire to the "water" in the reflecting pool? That would be symbolic of so much that's happening.

I'd be happy with a stray rocket hitting Drumpf, too.

 

[theprestige]

So change your constitution, not try to twist the words or bypass it procedurally.

We already have a substantial body of statue and precedent establishing that constitutional rights can be abridged in certain circumstances. We abridge the rights of freedom and speech for a wide range of criminal activity. We abridge the right to bear arms in extreme cases. We abridge the right to free speech likewise. No need to remove birthright citizenship from the constitution; we already have the institution of strict scrutiny to guide us.

 

[sackett]

Most likely, there will be nowhere near 850,000 shells, but he'll claim there were.

And the 40 minutes will work out to 9 or 10.

But seriously, do we really want to trust him with explosives?

 

[Planigale]

Not true, of course. You can become a French citizen.

Ragism = raging racists.

There is also a legal mechanism by which Helen could be recognised as a Frenchman after becoming a French citizen.

 

[Helen]

I'd rather be a French woman, if you don't mind. I would like to be chic and elegant, and I suspect that would be the only way to attain that...

 

[mumblethrax]

I think it is more "self-justifying". If citizenship confers rights then requiring citizenship to confer those rights to someone else is one of the rights of citizenship.

This simply doesn't follow. Citizenship is not conferred by parents, it is conferred by the state. "Citizenship confers rights, therefore having a citizen's children be citizens is a right" is just window-dressing around an ass-pull that treats citizenship as a quasi-mystical heritable property for no particularly strong reason.

 

[bruto]

Given that Trump is the descendant of an anchor baby.... a lot?

Of course in a sense all of us who are not American Indians are anchor babies if you go back far enough. Now I'm firmly in the "let the amendment stand" camp, and fine with the way it's always been. But I would caution those who use the past too hard that this is, in another way, just the same fault that we are finding with the originalists who are picking at the bones of that amendment and trying to limit its effect to what they perceive the writers saw as the limits. Times do change. It is not an ideological error to consider the fact that the best and wisest immigration policies, including those of citizenship, can change over time and require rethinking. I don't happen to believe that the reconsidering of this amendment at this time is one of those occasions, and my general take on Constitutional reform is to believe rights should be broadened and deepened, and our national soul (in the figurative sense of course) enlarged and not shrunk. But when arguing against the changes we so despise, we should not mistakenly believe the problem is change itself.

 

[bruto]

And remember that Thomas was nominated by Bush Sr, because he was also looking at trashing the country

His nomination and shameful hearing should be remembered and a bleak day in the history of this country.

 

[bruto]

We already have a substantial body of statue and precedent establishing that constitutional rights can be abridged in certain circumstances. We abridge the rights of freedom and speech for a wide range of criminal activity. We abridge the right to bear arms in extreme cases. We abridge the right to free speech likewise. No need to remove birthright citizenship from the constitution; we already have the institution of strict scrutiny to guide us.

I imagine that would be helped if those most inclined to call the current situation extreme were sane.

 

[theprestige]

I imagine that would be helped if those most inclined to call the current situation extreme were sane.

I have no opinion about "the current situation". I think the scenario of someone who is ineligible for immigration or refugee status, or has entered the country illegally, is "extreme" - i.e., sufficient - enough to warrant abridging birthright citizenship.

 

[shemp]

And the 40 minutes will work out to 9 or 10.

But seriously, do we really want to trust him with explosives?

Yes, as long as no innocent people are around.

 

[Andy_Ross]

And the 40 minutes will work out to 9 or 10.

But seriously, do we really want to trust him with explosives?

Everyone will be bored after 10-15 minutes anyway, there's only so much you can keep building it up.

 

[sinnikal]

I've been to a couple of Sydney New Year displays, and very good they were, but they were about the limit of most peoples' attention span. I never heard anyone say "I wish it went on twice as long".
Mind you, they have been very enjoyable.
I've been to quite a few in Thailand as well. They were just downright ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ dangerous. People just throwing fireworks on to crowded bridges. A mate of mine got a firecracker lodged in his sandal. It was only funny because he managed to shake it out before too much damage was done.

I don't think length is the best measurement of a firework display.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Acting AG Todd Blanche: "Everybody should agree that it's a violation of our laws if your intent in coming here if you're pregnant is to have a child to become a US citizen because of our now laws. And so what we have to do as the DOJ is make sure HSI agents and the FBI are focused on stopping that."

video in link

 

[Andy_Ross]

Correct the mistake

JD Vance: "It was 5-4. Sometimes the Supreme Court makes mistakes. We're gonna try to correct that mistake, but nobody is perfect, including the Supreme Court."

video in link

 

[The Great Zaganza]

US is outlawing pregnancy - that's a new one.

 

[Random]

I have no opinion about "the current situation". I think the scenario of someone who is ineligible for immigration or refugee status, or has entered the country illegally, is "extreme" - i.e., sufficient - enough to warrant abridging birthright citizenship.

Because children should be punished for the actions of their parents.

Seriously, I have still yet to hear an argument against Birthright Citizenship that doesn't devolve to racism when you poke at it a bit. The whole point of that part of the 14th Amendment was to make it as broadly defined as possible in order to avoid people playing games with taking away citizenship or creating stateless citizens. Even the racist Supreme Court Justices in Kim Wong Ark couldn't see a way around the intent and wording of the Birthright Citizenship portion of the 14th Amendment.