Discussion: Angela Merkel Spouts Thinly-Veiled Trump Criticisms At Harvard Commencement

TPM Article Topics
41

Trump U. Oh wait.

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42

So, an updated Odd Couple?

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43

“ignorant” is the operative word, here and always. Ignorance - sometimes willful, more often just garden variety stupid - enables and amplifies his malignant narcissism.

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It’s a trump-centric article and headline. Even when the subject is the leader of the free world addressing an ivy-league commencement audience, anybody who says mean things that might upset little Donnie must be cut down to size.

Really, TPM? Do better.

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45

I had to work yesterday morning so I missed her speech, but was able to make the Tree Spread* afterwards + was impressed by how all of my classmates at my table were raving about how great her speech was - she got a number of standing ovations! :sunglasses:

*The Tree Spread is a Harvard Commencement Day free lunch for alumni who are 50 years or more since graduation = transparent ploy to encourage donations LOL

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46

this is the main reason I will never give TPM PRIME my money…I read this crap and wonder where TPM gets these ‘writers’… my grands 8th grade class does better with their ‘news’ letter…

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47

I think the Mountain would be the Oscar-esque character.

48

I was blissfully ignorant of ED (evangelical dominionism, not erectile disfunction) in the AFA until this thread. Did some Googling and read a Newsweek article that stood the hair up on my head. To wit:

Fundamentalist Christianity has been gaining ground in the U.S. military, especially after 9/11. In 2011, it was revealed that chaplains at another California Air Force base, Vandenburg, were teaching a course in “Christian Just War Theory,” in which they used the Bible and Christ’s teachings to justify atomic warfare.

But the story went on to say:

A year before that, the military admitted that hundreds of thousands of high-powered rifle sights inscribed with “Jesus secret codes” were being provided to troops in the Middle East—a direct violation of military rules prohibiting religious proselytizing in Iraq and Afghanistan in order to avoid accusations of a “crusade.”

Finally, the article says these EDs have been emboldened since tRump’s advent. I think I wish I was still blissfully ignorant, like most of my fellow countrymen. But since these guys can justify atomic warfare, I think I’ll spend the weekend practicing my elementary school days “duck and cover” drills.

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49

I have noticed a frequent use of words that have a decidedly different connotation than I think the writer intends. Spout is a good English word, just ask Barr…but it conveys an underlying criticism of Merkel that should NOT be a part of this story on this site.

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50

What, you’ve never spouted a headline before?

51

Part of Merkel’s commencement address:

"And you thought WE picked a cretin 86 years ago!"

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52

One of my students (female) won a scholarship to the AF Academy. She is a POC and a feminist. She withdrew after the first year.

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53

None of this is news to people of my age.

“Kill a Commie for Christ” was a common refrain during the Vietnam War.

“Godless Communism” was the refrain during the Red Scare and resulted in the script: “In God We Trust” REPLACING the original “E Plurabus Unum” (From many, One) on our REAL GOD (US Currency) in 1954.
They even changed the wording of “America the Beautiful” and inserted religious homilies.
This also resulted in the resurgence of Religous Fundamentalism in America as a (insane) response to “Godless Communism”.

When you need to justify the reduction of “the enemy” to animal status, there is no better vehicle to use than Religion.

This is why, if you ask any side in a conflict, they are CERTAIN that “God(s) is on OUR SIDE.”

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54

The rifle sight thing was a stunt pulled by the manufacturer (Trijicon). They encoded bible verse references into the serial number of the sight. The Wikipedia link has the details and some pictures.

The whole exercise was sophomoric.

55

That caught my attention too. I think someone just learned a new word and wanted to try it out.

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The youngest of six boys, I was the only one who didn’t enter the military. If I had, it would have been at the end of the Vietnam War. My draft lottery number was 350, so I wasn’t going to get called, but I also had a full ride scholarship to college and became the first male in my immediate family to do so.

I remember the “Kill a Commie for Christ” refrain. I also remember the change on our coinage and currency. But changing the wording of “America The Beautiful” was nothing new. The “Battle Hymn Of The Republic” from the Civil War was trying to equate Christianity with the rightness of the War.

I just thought that during this enlightened age, we had gotten that nonsense out of our system. Sadly, we haven’t and it’s no wonder we keep making the same mistakes over and over; we just refuse to learn the lessons of the past.

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57

On a related note -

Two days ago on an interview with Televista, Pope Francis condemned the border wall and told reporters he’d be willing to say so directly to trump.

Unfortunately, most of the US coverage on his statement has been on right-wing sites like Breitbart.

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Yes, it’s negative and implies Merkel was focused on berating trump, as if everyone is as obsessed with him as we are. She brought up his blunders only as an example of what NOT to do.

This is a grievous problem with the American press. The rest of the human population is not governed by trump and his brainless idiocy. There are other things going on in the world. Not every story has to feature what trump thinks or feels or farts or vomits. Some of us are really sick of that bizarre focus.

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59

That’s one of the sadder things I have heard this morning.

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60

If he gets the meeting, could perform the exorcism while there and get a twofer.

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