The Trump Administration: The Clusterfuck Continues (Part 2)

[DWMarch]

@Smapti

“They have to open the Strait of Trump”

All things being equal, this might be one thing we actually want to name after Trump because it represents a massive, unnecessary clusterfuck where everyone involved should have known better.

[Johnny_L.A]

I saw a Trump cartoon, but I only found it on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Since I don’t know how to change text colours (I read how to once, and it seems to take a bunch of steps), I’ve changed the red text in the cartoon to bold.

Trump is at a desk with a nameplate that says MR. PRESIDENT, SIR. A staffer behind him is reading a report: ‘Unfortunately, sir, our polling shows that “President Ineptstein” is probably going to stick.

[aurora_maire]

Chinese state media made an AI-generated cartoon about the US-Iran conflict. It’s an allegorical story that hits all the important points. Real life is so fucking weird now.

US-Iran war explained by Chinese AI animation: Legend of the Valley of Gold

[Steve_MB]

@enipla

It’s time to back away slowly and bring in the big guys in the white coats and nets.

No doubt they will have tears in their eyes as they say, “Sir, I’m afraid you need to come with us…”

[Steve_MB]

@Great_Antibob

But it was always to somebody in wealth/power’s benefit to keep them away.

I suspect that some of them are smart enough to know they need to get rid of Trump, but they don’t have the spine to step up and bell the cat so they’re delegating their duty to Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders.

[Pardel-Lux]

Good idea. I’ll use it from now on.
President Ineptstein.
The muscle memory is setting in.

[Smapti]

@Steve_MB

No doubt they will have tears in their eyes as they say, “Sir, I’m afraid you need to come with us…”

“Sir, we’d love to watch you put on this big, beautiful straitjacket. People are saying no president before Trump has been brave enough to wear one.”

[dougrb]

@Steve_MB

delegating their duty to Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders.

I would donate to a GoFundMe for McDonalds and KFC gift cards for Donny.

[Monty]

For many years, I’ve enjoyed Stars and Stripes. One of the things that I like(d) about the paper is, although it’s miltary, it’s indepedent. Another thing I enjoyed was getting the funny pages, especially on Sundays. For years, I’ved been accessing that online. The weekend paper is a combined Friday/Saturday/Sunday paper. So, this past Friday, I went to access the paper online includins the Sunday funny papes. The paper itself was rather lean and the Sundy comics had the following in its place.

Content change takes effect today.

Stars and Stripes includes a variety of external content in our print edition to provide readers with a broad mix of news, information and viewpoints alongside our core military reporting. This content includes entertainment and lifestyle features, comics and world news. These items have long been part of our effort to provide a well-rounded publication that reflects the wide range of interests of the military community.

Due to a recent directive from the Department of Defense, Stars and Stripes is no longer permitted to utilize certain syndicated and third-party content. It is the department’s determination that readers can readily access this content through other outlets. As a result, readers will notice that some familiar content no longer appears in our newspaper.

We recognize that many readers have come to enjoy and rely on these sections as part of their daily reading. They have been included for many years to provide broader news context, useful information and a brief break from the demands of military life. The restrictions on using this content will require significant adjustments to future editions of the newspaper.

Despite this change, our newsroom remains fully committed to our core mission of providing independent, military-focused journalism to the community we serve around the world. We will continue to report on the issues, events, and policies that affect service members, their families, and the broader defense community.

We welcome feedback from our readers on these changes. Thank you for being a loyal reader of Stars and Stripes and valuing our independent journalism.

There is also included a Survey Monkey link for feedback on this change.

Thanks, Pete. This has to be your doing. Let’s make life harder for the military. In case you haven’t noticed, the miltiary and those interested in said military occasionaly find themselves in areas where it’s more convenient for them to get their news put together in such papers as what Stars and Stripes used to be.

Nice touch, though, on calling it independent under the curent regime administration.

[Spoons]

Did you go to the Survey Monkey and provide feedback, @Monty ? I hope you did, and I hope you said what you did here.

And I’d suggest calling it what it is: a regime. “Administration” is too polite a term for this clusterflop.

ETA: How soon will it be before Stars and Stripes readers receive their papers to find “Dear Leader Donald Trump Opens Glorious New Tractor Factory” on the front page?

[Monty]

@Spoons I did go to the Survey Monkey link. And I got my point across within the restrictions. Of course that took me three tries. My first two endeavors would’ve been deleted for untoward languge.

Someone fairly recently posted something like “At least he didn’t do a fake accent”. Guess what.

President Donald Trump did a foreign accent during a rant about renaming waterways after he drew laughs with a crack about the “Strait of Trump” at a Saudi-backed investment conference.

[Spoons]

Hey, you know you can vent here. We don’t mind.

I should thank you for your post. I’ve never read Stars and Stripes, but I find it somewhat frightening that a publication you (and many others) have relied on for news and entertainment is becoming the American version of the Pyongyang Times.

[Smapti]

@Spoons

I find it somewhat frightening that a publication you (and many others) have relied on for news and entertainment is becoming the American version of the Pyongyang Times.

I’ll have you know that the Pyongyang Times has much more ethical editorial guidelines and a superior crossword puzzle.

[Spoons]

Ha! I love crosswords. I’ll have to check it out online. Thanks for the tip!

[Monty]

There actually is an English-language newspaper called Pyongyang Times. Sadly, there’s no crossword.

[Spoons]

Oh. Bummer. Well, thanks for saving me some time looking it up.

[Monty]

I suppose you could say it might have a lot of cross words, though.

[Spoons]

Ba-dum-tschhh …

I like it! Well done!

[Monty]

Guess who came to dinner!

Democratic lawmakers and one Republican colleague on Friday demanded answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about why sanctioned Russian lawmakers visited the U.S. and toured the U.S. Capitol building this week, a visit organized by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.).

The letter, signed by Reps. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), called the lawmakers’ visit to meet with some members of Congress and other officials “deeply concerning.”

“Because these individuals are subject to U.S. sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s full-scale, unjustified invasion of Ukraine, their entry into the United States would have required the issuance of sanctions waivers,” the letter reads.

The House members warn that the State Duma members’ “presence in Washington risks undermining” U.S. efforts supporting Ukraine and European allies amid the war with Russia. They argued that the visit legitimizes Russian officials who have been actively involved in “the dismantling of international rules and norms” and goes against “the core purpose of sanctions policy itself.”

The letter demands answers about who decided to approve sanctions waivers to allow the Russian lawmakers into the U.S., who issued them visas, which office or agency initiated or requested the waivers, and what national security or foreign policy objectives were advanced by the meetings, among other questions.

“At a minimum, the American people and Congress deserve full accounting of how and why this decision was made,” the letter continues. “The credibility of U.S. sanctions policy –– and our broader commitment to holding aggressors accountable –– depends on consistent and principled application.”

[Broomstick]

@Monty

Thanks, Pete. This has to be your doing.

Interesting, though, that the Stars and Stripes are still calling it the Department of Defense. If day-drunk Kegbreath finds out he might punish them.