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John Santos's avatar

Definition of "emergency" -- When he was 3, my upstairs neighbor was playing in his sandbox. His mom was weeding the garden on the other side of the back yard. I was sitting on the back porch halfway between them. Ben suddenly got up and came toddling across the yard yelling "Mom! Mom! There's an emergency going on!" Mom said "Is it a REAL emergency or a PRETEND emergency?" "It's a REAL emergency! The dump truck is stuck in the sand." "Ben, that is a pretend emergency." Ben replied "It's a REAL PRETEND emergency! The dump truck is buried in the sand!"

Sounds like a three-year-old's understanding of emergencies, but that might be giving the Orange Dead Orangutan too much credit.

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The Baltimore Spectator's avatar

Exactly! If this were about crime, they’d be looking at places like St. Louis or Memphis. Chicago just makes a better headline.

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Michael's avatar

Since the SF judge's ruling struck down the California deployment as an unconstitutional violation of the Posse Comitatus Act then Trump may be thinking he is pulling a fast one by leaving the Texas National Guard under Abbott's command. Google says:

"Reports from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker state that the Trump administration has begun staging Texas National Guard troops for deployment in Illinois, with Naval Station Great Lakes being used as a staging ground. The governor has cited multiple sources for this information."

If Governor Pritzker is right then the moment those Texas Troops leave the federal Naval Station then we have one state invading another and a situation not seen since the Civil War.

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Helen's avatar
Sep 4Edited

I've never visited the US, but I'd like to. But now Trump is telling me how terrible the crime is everywhere, and what a hell hole your once beautiful country has become. I must believe him, so now I am too fearful to come.

Congratulations, Trump, on further reducing the number of visitors to the US by one more. USA will not recieve one NZ dime of my spending money within your borders. Too bad for the server who will not be tipped by me and may even lose their job when the restaurant goes bankrupt.

Moreover, a friend who used to visit the US fairly often, tells me he will longer go, because of the air controller situation leading to increased risk of crashes. The cost of travel insurance to visit is becoming prohibitive, and he is increasingly averse to going through customs at LA and witnessing the blatant targeting of black and brown passengers.

Anyway, I'm sure you Wonketeers are all Democrats and want to do terrible things to me. Thank you Trump for warning me and keeping me safe in my own country.

Wait, what? A friend of yours is coming to Christchurch? But, but, I have family there!!!

Lord have mercy.

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kmblue187's avatar

"...maybe Pete Hegseth will bust out of a cake."

...Horrible in itself, but the least damaging option...

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Zyxomma's avatar

Ta, Marcie. I hope everyone takes Pritzker's advice if and when the invasion happens. Personally, I'm tired of the same old call and response at protests. "Tell me what democracy looks like," "This is what democracy looks like" feels all worn out, even though I believe in it with all my heart.

I want every protest everywhere to have a quiet chant: epstein. Epstein! EPstein!! EPSTEIN!!! etc. until everyone in the crowd joins in. That would drive MAGA mad, IMHO.

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kmblue187's avatar

They could shoot pictures or film everything...people can have no expectation of privacy in

a public place...also shout "Coward!" at the people with masks on.

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eddi-SABH's avatar

Now that Trump has had the National Guard clean up Washington, it's on to bigger things.

Trump’s D.C. Troops Are Boasting About Their Litter Patrols https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-crime-emergency-troops-reveal-how-much-trash-theyve-collected/

The story is mostly about crime statistics in Red cities in the states that sent troops, why the troops should have been armed with rakes, and Bogota reducing it's crime rate.

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The Baltimore Spectator's avatar

So the Guard hasn’t been told anything. City and state leaders are being kept in the dark. Meanwhile as you pointed out, crime isn’t even highest in Chicago. Feels less like law enforcement, and more like a stunt. The sort of scripted theatrics fitting for a reality TV host. Only this time with scary, real life consequences. God help us! -- J.M.

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kmblue187's avatar

Not treating red states with high-crime cities this shows Trump doesn't care about his base...

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The Baltimore Spectator's avatar

Exactly! If this were about crime, they’d be looking at places like St. Louis or Memphis. Chicago just makes a better headline.

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Bloodog's avatar

Are we sure he’s not dead?

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eddi-SABH's avatar

Define dead. A certain percentage of him is obviously rotting away, but is it enough to invoke the 25th Amendment? Or does he have to start smelling first?

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Bloodog's avatar

I understand he’s had a pretty foul odor since at least the Apprentice days.

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Nicole Koretsky's avatar

Chicagoan here: I don't think this one will be a walk in the park for the cosplaytriots. Especially if the Texas guard is deployed (illegally): those bubbas have no idea how complex my city is. We will not make any of them feel remotely welcome.

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Hank Napkin's avatar

Here's your anthem, CHICAGO!!!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUt0dZXPFoU

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ElderlyLoudCatWomyn's avatar

I just found this list on The Hill. Ten cities with the highest murder rates from number one to number 10: Jackson, Miss., Birmingham, Ala., St. Louis, Mo., Memphis, Tenn., Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland, Oh., Louisville, Ky., Indianapolis, Ind., Oakland, Cal.

hmmmm, no NYC, no Chicago,

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Banana Hammer's avatar

Yes - they're in red states, but they're all dem controlled cities, so....

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House0fTheBlueLights's avatar

I cannot tell how stressful this is for those of us in Chicago.

One thing I haven't seen in any reporting is that the area around the Great Lakes Naval Base is both heavily Republican (the white folks) AND heavily Hispanic (all the soldiers, but also all the landscapers and maids and healthcare workers who serve all the rich white Republican folks in the surrounding communities). Highwood, next door to Highland Park (you remember them from the fourth of July shooting jfc what a timeline) shares the public school district with the white communities, so the Highland Park schools are all heavily Hispanic as well. It's just a fucking mess.

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lotsacatsndogs's avatar

Chicago is a great city, and these chuds are assholes. I'm sorry.

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tehbaddr's avatar

The weird little utility vehicles battle in Space Mutiny, they are about as fast as bumper cars and pretty much like they drive in a similar fashion.

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UnionThuggery's avatar

I work in a small college town in the south. The other day I heard ICE was going door to door at the apartments near campus trying to round up international students.

I hate this timeline.

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DJ Teetop's avatar

The Texas National Guard is starting to look like the Shinpū Tokubetsu Kōgekitai

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littlerice vice's avatar

KALAKA! also too!

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