You know what I mean.
Read the thread title. Do you really think this is a subject to joke about?
You didn’t say what the plan is or how it applies specifically to Canada or in what way such plan has existed throughout history.
I am joking (gentle ribbing level) about the excessive, unrealistic, and, in the case of the specific quote, inchoately expressed fear to be found in this thread.
Guys, we agree on the politics for sure. But fear needs to be proportionate to actual probabilities.
Note that Trump has barely spoken of the “51st state” recently, though he did mention Greenland in the incomprehensible speech he gave to the Republican Governors Association. He seems to be focused on DOGE as his shiny object right now.
…if by “barely spoken”, you mean “explicitly said it”, and by “recently”, you mean “just before last night’s hockey game”.
Yesterday is not recent to you?
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/canada-can-keep-o-canada-anthem-as-51st-us-state-trump/3488611
https://www.barrons.com/news/trump-goads-51st-state-canada-ahead-of-hockey-grudge-match-43991504
Haha, it’s hard to keep up with El Rey…
I had heard other comments from the conference (mentioned above) but not that one. My bad!
The last time the United States invaded a foreign country, Iraq, at least 100,000 civilians died in the violence. That’s the most recent precedent for a US invasion. You think we shouldn’t keep it in mind? And that we should laugh at jokes from an American?
First of all, Trump to my knowledge hasn’t directly threatened invasion. IIRC, he has simply said when asked by reporters if military intervention were off the table wrt Greenland and Canada, that they were not. All of this is disgraceful, of course. But if Trump were actively fantasizing about an invasion of Canada, then, owing to his lack of discipline, I think he would have dropped a hint or two about it. Note that wrt Gaza, he indeed has indicated a desire for violence. So it’s a difference that makes a difference, IMHO.
Invading Iraq and invading a NATO ally are such two completely different things that I would cite the comparison as another example of disproportionate and irrational fear in the thread.
Hey, I laugh at Second City.
I disagree with your sense of humour.
You don’t like Second City?
And the official White House spokesperson said the same thing. Trump or one of his spokespeople are saying this basically every day.
He had. Christ almighty. It has already been cited in this thread that he said Canada should be annexed “for protection.” If a mobster said your store needed protection would you pretend he wsn’t hinting at violence? The HINTS are increasing.
I take your point. Again, anything along these lines is a disgrace and completely unacceptable.
But you have to calibrate for Trump. I do think that Trump is fantasizing about the completely unrealistic goals of annexing Greenland and Canada. That fantasy seems based in the goal to control the Arctic in competition with China and Russia. The attention to the strategic value of this region is not wrong, but Trump’s dumb mouth does not further any ambitions thereto related. That’s probably fine for Trump, however: he always has to maintain his background trolling radiation, and any topic will do.
If Trump were actually and actively considering invasion, I think he would say (again, calibrated for Trump): “Oh, we don’t want to invade. It would be a terrible thing. Just terrible. But we might have to. You know, it would be terrible, but we might have to…”
And again, even if Trump were having such a fantasy, that doesn’t mean that anyone other than his slobbering troglodyte followers would go along with it willingly (I don’t assume that no one would, either). That is, his words thus far do not raise the percentage chance of an invasion very much, pace those here who think they do.
Further, I don’t see the “hints” increasing. Has any major figure in the administration (not his M3GAN press secretary) or any Republican in Congress said anything to that effect? I mean, if you tell me that MTG or some of the other bedrock-level morons have said something, I’d believe it (though I have not heard it), but anyone else?
You don’t have the best track record of making political predictions on this board. I think it’s fair to say that you have been wildly optimistic.
America has elected an insane fascist leader. Roughly half the country agrees with his policies and a big portion of the other half are simply pretending it’s not happening (thus enabling the fascists).
When America attacks Canada, our troops will absolutely kill Canadian civilians and then Fox News will blame the victims for being in the way of our bullets and bombs.
They will call it the Second War of Northern Aggression. I wish I was joking.
First, the issue being discussed here is not ordinary “politics.” If the US invaded Canada, it would put world history on a radically different track. So a totally different type of analysis is required than that of ordinary political punditry. Unfortunately, the modality used by many in this thread is “assuming the worst case scenario while engaging in conspiracy theorizing with a side of knickers-wetting.” Again, pointing out that a lot being said here is irrational does not negate the fact that the situation is completely deplorable, fomented as usual by the Deplorable in Chief.
What gives me a chuckle is that I am held to a higher standard here than professional pundits with access to much more information. My big sin is thinking that Harris would win an election that I always admitted was close. And when the polling was dogshit–again. I have also had correct calls, such as saying that Ron DeSantis would flame out tout de suite, but of course those things get forgotten. Which is fine, c’est la vie. (I guess I’m speaking French today, lol.)
It’s not.
True. A disgrace.
I don’t think any of this is true, and the situation is evolving rapidly. Republican pols and pundits are starting to speak out against Trump’s policies, especially wrt Ukraine:
The political channels on YouTube are filling up with videos of GOP pols getting booed and shouted down at town halls. Trump is getting pushback from the courts, etc.
Trump is overreaching in more or less the worst way possible: not going in for any kind of kill so as to take power quickly and efficiently, but making a mess and looking stupid while pissing everyone off, Blue and Red both. If he’s not careful (which he isn’t), he’s going to trigger an actual revolution with just the shit he’s doing now. Trying to invade Canada would instantly upend the political order in the US, and not in a way that favors Trump. It is 100% unrealistic.
Again, this is assuming the worst case scenario without any thought as to ramifications and implications. Trump has already demonstrated that lacks the power to do even what he is doing now.
That’s not wild optimism, since the situation sucks and it’s going to continue to suck. It’s total chaos and what exactly is going to happen is out of view. The only way that Trump can ultimately win is if he goes for full control and the military back him up 100% and they successfully put down the ensuing civil war that is guaranteed to happen. That’s not impossible, but I would put the percentage chance of that scenario at less than 1%.
Another plausible path to power for Trump would be behind-the-scenes machinations… slowly but surely setting up his coup while ingratiating himself to the public. Of course, he is incapable of doing that. So he’s not setting himself up for dictatorial success here…
Another would be winning the 2024 Presidential election.
This is not fact, it is opinion.
It is a fact that DJT has suggested invading or annexing more than one of our allies.
It is your opinion this is unrealistic.
You need to learn the distinction.
Personally I would find even a 1% chance of DJT attempting to attack an ally either economically or militarily appalling. Sadly I find the handwaving away of the seriousness of this issue by multiple posters on these boards to be disappointing.
That was a good one. 
But, of course, I’m talking about total autocratic power. The kind everyone here is worried about (including myself, but to a much lesser degree).