lol mention leaving Europe/NATO and everyone gets their panties in a bunch over that idea. But but but Russia! Putin! The Evil Empire! They'll get us if you leave. The U.S. accounts for almost half of the world’s military expenditures and provides defense guarantees to prosperous, populous allies throughout Asia and Europe. Wandering the globe attempting to create democracy and stability out of nothing. At the same time we're propping up dictatorships in the Persian Gulf and Central Asia.

Maybe it is time to let others take care of themselves. Maybe instead of being in everyone else's business we should start acting as a true Great Power. Rather than seeking to control everything and manipulate everyone overseas, we should go home and get on with life. Put a red box on the front door that says 'Break Glass in Case of Emergency"

Better yet. A sign that says:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/11/c5...691329bc24.jpg

So....a return to isalationism?

Don't worry guys the Democrats got this!

https://i.imgur.com/x8VVzm7.jpg

Anything to make Trump look bad, who cares about the consequences.

How about instead of calling it a return to Isolationism (which I don't recall ever having hurt us) we call it a return to "Speak softly, and carry a big stick."
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...h_Bros.tif.jpg

Unmitigated bull. The website shown it the upper right-hand corner of the picture is that of a news parody site, a source of genuine fake news. So, either you are being sarcastic, ironic, or perhaps you have been duped...

Technically, the premise given in the phony picture is valid. Trump cannot, on his own, end the Korean War. There are several parties who are signatories to the Korean Armistice Agreement (there is not actual "peace treaty", yet) and all must give their 'OK' to any final treaty, so Trump could not act unilaterally and declare peace; additionally, any peace treaty must be ratified by 2/3rds of the US Senate and any effort to circumvent that Constitutional provision would be, in fact, un-Constitutional, and, perhaps, an impeachable offense...

Long story short: unless there is a very sudden ramping up in governmental speed by all parties involved, it is going to be a long time before a final treaty is completed...

...certainly past the time of Trump's impeachment... :D








<O>

Economically, isolationism does nto work well in a world where the US depends absolutely on foreign investors buyin g US bonds, where the dollar and other Fiat currecny regimes rule and are seen as vital of not getting their masks teared down, and globalised production chains and globalised economy. Also, much of America'S power is soft power, and an important share of that spoft power comes in form of IT dominance - which again works and unfolds globally only.

Military isolationism is linked to these economic interests, they need to be militarily defended.

The US imports more than it exports I think, like almost every major empire before, the centre is ever increasing its dependency not only on the controlled periphery, but even on that what lies behind that periphery, and the economical influx from there.

If isolation is America'S option, it cannot just move to, it needs preparation by redesigning the whole economical structure of the US. And that will take more time than just one or two legislation periods. It can be done, I think. But not as easily and quickly as many think, or the staff in the Donaldinarium desires. Plus it leaves the stage to hostile factions like China, Russia, the Islamic world - and the US it will be prone to them growing strong.

Its not as if the others stop pushing just because America maybe chooses to stop wanting to contain them. History teaches that empires cannot afford to not react to challenges on their peripheral borders or their central cultural, economical, social structures. Where they do, they start to decline, and finally fall apart.

Interestingly, the oft-cited quote by TR is, as so many other 'snippet' quotes, lacking in full context. The TR quote first appeared in a letter sent by TR to Henry L. Sprague, on January 26th 1900. Here is a link about the quote:

http://wist.info/roosevelt-theodore/16285/

Of further interest in the full quote are these admonitions by TR regarding the "Big Stick" and those who would use it:

Kinda sounds a bit like he could be referring to our current "Blusterer/Boatser-In-Chief"...









<O>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44056972

Most welcome news but not all that surprising when taking the current climate and expected meeting in the near future into account.

Break your own news? Is that fake news?

Google news search.

As fake as it gets...


http://breakyourownnews.com/


I hear the Alt-Right and the Trumpers love it...










<O>

Well, to be fair, liberals and Dems have CNN, NPR, and the Washington Post

I like this goodby :yep:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-n...-idUSKBN1IA08I

Oh, you mean the sites that actually have researched reportage?...

Speaking of fake news, did anyone else happen to see the fiasco over the alleged 'official' questions Mueller was supposed to want to ask Trump? After the list was 'leaked' and Trump and his minions expressed their outrage over the "disgraceful" leak, it turned out Trump's own legal team actually leaked the alleged list, and, what's more, the list wasn't even officially from the Mueller team, it was from a list compiled by a member of the Trump legal team who had compiled, based on his 'analysis' of possible questions Mueller might ask Trump. Somehow the Trumpers didn't seem to be in a hurry to clean their own house of leakers or disseminators of actual fake news. I guess that old double standard and blatant hypocrisy of "The Swamp" is alive and well, and thriving, over at the White House...








<O>

Funny that the three detainees are Kim's!! :hmmm: