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NOGODZ20's avatar

Endless grift after endless grift by Trump to enrich himself through the office of the Presidency. Rethuglikkkans are silent as the grave.

Where's all the GOP outrage that was on full display when they went after Jimmy Carter for having a peanut farm? They DEMANDED he give it up immediately and Carter did so.

No standard quite like a double standard.

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Joe King's avatar

That NSGOP outrage machine was on full display when they accused Biden of just helping his son Hunter with international business deals -- without any evidence. They refuse to apply the rules to Trump because it was never about ethics. It was always about seizing power.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Ouais mais, Jimmy Carter got a Peace Nobel prize, it's unfair !

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DnPBH9302-8

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Joe King's avatar

He had integrity, and they didn't like it. If all Christians behaved like Carter, we wouldn't need this blog.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

And the right never acknowledged his, Obama's, or Hillary's life-long faith. They only like performative christianity.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Man, oh man, how that must stick in his craw.

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XJC's avatar
19hEdited

The opening monologue (Trump vs God) and opening song (It Isn't Easy Being God(c)) from Dictator for a Day:

"I was never very religious, never a big believer in God--or as the Muslims call him, Allen; or as the Jewish people call him, Yahtzee--because God never endorsed me....I could probably run for God, and I think I'd win."

🎶

"When you can't control Michael Cohen

And your only friend left is Roger Stone

It's not easy being God."

Dictatorforadayshow.com

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Holytape's avatar

To be fair, they don't have double standards. That implies that they have standards at all.

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Matri's avatar

If it wasn’t for double standards, they would have no standards at all.

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Bonnie Boyce's avatar

Those who worship at the feet of Jabba the Hut are just begging to be fleeced

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painedumonde's avatar

And then fed to the Sarlaac.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Beat me to it.

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cdbunch's avatar

Jabba had better ethics.

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Bonnie Boyce's avatar

And he was considerably more attractive

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Too bad melanoma isn't into cosplaying Leia Skywalker.

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cdbunch's avatar

Where's the brain bleach?

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Ask your dealer.

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cdbunch's avatar

It's on back order to quell the cognitive dissonance of people who voted for Ted Fucking Cruz, et. al.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

And probably smelled better too.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

And no feet.

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Ethereal fairy Natalie's avatar

And he was crime boss, and slaver.

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

And a gourmand with refined tastes.

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Jane in NC's avatar

It's a cult. This grift is no different from all the TV preachers who sell 'holy water' and other woo merch. If people are stupid enough to cough up $100 for something they can get online for free, they deserve to be separated from their money.

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Matri's avatar

Unfortunately, those people also vote.

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John Smith's avatar

And breed, must not forget breed (unless the rednecks are fucking barnyard animals).

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Matri's avatar

Not saying they are.

But also, not saying they aren’t…

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Joe King's avatar

“𝐼 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 $15 𝑡𝑜 $20 𝑡𝑜𝑝𝑠,” 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑠𝑚𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑. “𝐼𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑜𝑓𝑓 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠. … 𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑏 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒.”

Grifters gonna grift. Religion has been doing this for millenia, so why wouldn't Don the Con get in on the grift.

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Jane in NC's avatar

"This feels more like a money grab than anything else." Oh, my sweet summer child. Tell me one thing about religion that isn't a money grab.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Pedophilia.

What do I win?

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Jane in NC's avatar

Allegedly that's not a feature of religion.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Allegedly.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Actually, it gives all the indicators of being a no-cost "benefit!" 🤢🤮

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Except for the jail time with people who don’t like child molesters.

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David Graf's avatar

I've known Christians who could have made a lot more money if they stayed in the United States but chose to go overseas as medical staff such as doctors to minister to the needs of others even if they weren't Christians. Yes, there are a lot of hucksters out there in religion but not all of us are like that.

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Jane in NC's avatar

I suspect those good people would have done good things with or without christianity.

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David Graf's avatar

You may be right but Christianity at least reinforced their doing good things even if it was not the only motivation.

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Jane in NC's avatar

Perhaps. But I've know a lot of people who've done work for non-profit orgs that had nothing to do with christianity. They often volunteered to work without pay because they believed in a cause or a mission. I think good people are motivated to do good because it's in their nature, and you don't have to be religious to be good.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

I have been told by a catholic priest that you must be religious in order to do good because if you are not ordered by god to do it, you are doing it out of your own selfish desire to do what you want, even if the action itself is good.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Unlike Christian charities, atheist charities give their aid freely and without strings attached.

Usually with Christian charities it's proselytizing that comes first and foremost, not the help.

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David Graf's avatar

You don't have to be religious to be good. Though, one might quibble over what does it mean to be "good" as different societies have differed over that. Some things like the Golden Rule appear, though, to be the norm among human societies. Even so, I don't think one can doubt that Christianity has encouraged many to do good as with people I've known.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Absolutely the case, David.

Not all of you are like that. But far too many of you are like that, and far too many of the ones who are not like that fail to condemn the ones who are like that.

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avis piscivorus's avatar

"𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑏"

If it looks like a money grab, swims like a money grab, and quacks like a money grab, then it probably is a money grab.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

"𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑏"

Really, Rev. Wildsmith? Tell me, what was your first clue?

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

In a way, it's a good thing. The more he fleeces his magots, the less they they can move across the country... You saw the results on June 14th, next to no one showed up.

"Judeo-Christian values."

Like slavery ? Misogyny ? Racism ? Bigotry ?

"Instead of Jesus and the Church being the light of the world"

The light of the Western world was the web of Pagan libraries founded by the Greeks about everywhere around the Mediterranean sea. They were destroyed by christians and none other. christians who also destroyed many Natives American cultures. What a light, indeed. Be anti christian, learn something and share it.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

When I read about the destruction of all those great libraries of antiquity, and all the knowledge that was lost, some of which still has not been rediscovered (at least as of the late 70's when I was in school), I felt like crying. Christians have cost the world so much and given absolutely nothing except chaos, evil, suffering, destruction, and death in return.

All this information I had at my fingertips in school, and yet it would be another 20-30 years before I would begin to deconvert.

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OwossoHarpist's avatar

Or be a highly open-minded Christian and side with the secular Christians and non-Christians who have more heart, sense, and brains than those worthless, power-hungry fundies and their stupid followers.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Dumb Idiot Ham selling this cruddy MAGA bible at his putrid creationist faculties alongside his own creationist slog.

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oraxx's avatar

I don't think Trump believes in anything other than money and power. It is illegal for a President to profit off his office, but the law never seems to apply to Trump. This country just keeps handing him one pass after another, and I fear we will pay a steep price for our failure to hold him accountable. Trump hawking Bibles to the gullible, makes for a compelling argument in favor of atheism.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

You forget the third part of his unholy trinity "grab them by the pussy".

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Vanity Unfair's avatar

Constitution S 1: 9

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Has Congress said anything about a second-hand Boeing 747 yet? Or doesn't it count because Qatar didn't exist at the time?

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oraxx's avatar

Trump has spent his entire life flouting the law, and has largely gotten away with it. He was convicted of thirty-four felonies yet sent back to the White House. Something I will never forgive this country for.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

Article II: "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."

Donnie's been violating more than just the one Emoluments Clause... and even if Republicans in Congress wanted to, they couldn't give him a hall pass for 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 one. Not that it's made a lick of difference.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

Most *christians* make for a compelling argument in favor of atheism.

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Old Man Shadow's avatar

"Finally! All the important books I pretended to have read, but never will are included in one handy book!" said Jim Bob Duncan of Calvary Christain Baptist Patriot Eagle church.

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Joe King's avatar

That church name is missing the word "Liberty".

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painedumonde's avatar

I said, what does God need with a book?

Jim!

C'mon Bones, it's not as if God's words aren't wort...ohhh, it's money.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

But he is trying to sell off national parks, even though the money isn’t technically going straight into his pocket. He’s gotten money from the corporations that want to strip mine and clear cut the parks, though. And lots of it.

This is what you get for trying to run a government like a business. Perot tried to do it in the 90s, now an unsuccessful businessman is doing it. It’s worse than everyone said it would be when I was a kid.

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Stephen Brady's avatar

Propaganda + Reactionary Politics + Wealth Envy + Stupidity = the MAGA base.

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Walt Svirsky's avatar

Ya gotta fit “racist” in there somewhere, Stephen.

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Stephen Brady's avatar

True. Next time I have occasion to use it, I'll put it in.

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Ian W's avatar

I am amused when Trump claims America has "Judeo-Christian roots." He is referring to the Abrahamic religions -- those that revered Abraham as the patriarch. A more accurate term would be the "Islamo-Judeo-Christian roots."

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NOGODZ20's avatar

The term Judeo-Christian was manufactured by Christians. It means nothing to people of the Jewish faith. To them, any man who calls himself God is a liar.

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OwossoHarpist's avatar

And yet they mindlessly call Trump "God," kissed his butt, and worship him shamelessly in spite of the First Commandment which says "You shall not have any gods before me."

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Lynn Veit's avatar

They read it as "you shall no"t have any gods before Trumpy.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

The hyphen is also attached with explosive bolts, for when the Nat-Cs don't need the plausible deniability anymore.

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XJC's avatar

The Jewish God didn't have a beard or wear sandals.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Judaism depicts God as...nothing. To them, God is incorporeal. Without physical form. Completely transcendent. Their texts strictly FORBID any attempt whatsoever to create a physical representation of God. It is considered idolatry.

So all those classical paintings you see of an old man in robes and a beard? Those are Christian in nature, not Jewish.

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Joe King's avatar

They don't want "Islamo-" appended because Muslims are all filthy brown people and are the source of all terrorism (in their minds). They only append "Judeo-" because it is a way to try and say "We're not 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 Nazis! See! We mention Jews as part of our values! We also have a black friend!"

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cdbunch's avatar

A black, GAY friend.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

A black, gay, circumcised friend.

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cdbunch's avatar

Well, cut does look better, but that’s no reason to do it to someone who didn’t/can’t consent.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

A black, gay, circumcised, trans, muslim friend.

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Zizzer-Zazzer-Zuzz's avatar

A black, gay, circumcised, trans, muslim, socialist friend.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Not socialist! That is a bridge too far!

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Zorginipsoundsor's avatar

There was no such thing as 𝐽𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑜-Christian when the Constitution was written.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

Let’s not forget that Karolyn Leavitt and a bunch of MAGAts in his sphere and across the country are claiming he’s losing money by being president. He’s never made so much money. Sure, the salary is less than he would get running his companies, ( only by choosing not to pay his bills) but he is making money hand over fist with all these grifts, the way he charges the taxpayers for secret service to be on his golf courses and stay in his hotels, the foreign diplomats who stay at his hotels, and all the special interests throwing money at him directly to influence his policies.

These people don’t know that we’re not all as stupid as his base.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

How long have xtians been bellowing about the Antichrist? Then when someone displaying all the traits fitting the description of the Antichrist comes along, they elevate him to the status of their ressurected Jesus.

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Walt Svirsky's avatar

The irony is thick. It would be laughable, if not so horribly true.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Quick OT

Happy Juneteeth, everyone.

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

Hmmmm ... a bit like wishing us foreigners happy 4th of July. Oh well, I just remembered – Happy Matariki. I wondered why my wife was still at home.

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OwossoHarpist's avatar

O/T: Get a load of this Meme.

A Little Golden Book

The Squeaky Little Tank

https://uploads.disquscdn.Com/images/286e23c3ffb7d27f06a7836d684f82c12d918085e541921918c514390abca8ad.png

Note: Not a real book.

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Die Anyway's avatar

My biggest disappointment with the parade was that none of the tanks lobbed a round at the reviewing stand. You just don't get that many opportunities.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Tank should be gold and Trump should be crying.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

I wish it was, though. I'd buy it just for the laughs.

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Ian D's avatar

Initially when someone mentioned to me about this Trump bible thing, I naturally thought it was simply stire or somewhat of a send up. But no, there he was actually appearing to be holding up Jewish & Christian texts and marketing them for personal and political gain. 🙄

Then my remaining doubts completly diminished, US culture and society not only tolerates shamelessness, it somehow sees it has a virtue and something to aspire to.

No! Then look at the so called political representatives that are running the show and those who finance-pribe them and pay shit wages to workers in both the US and overseas 🙄

US capitalism is NO longer an economic system thats fit for any decent and healthy society. It a social cancer and Trump & co are just symptoms. 🤔

Join and support trade unions for workers or social groups who have policies that have collective reforms.

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Lynn Veit's avatar

When I first heard about Trump Bibles, I pictured them having ordinary covers like ordinary Bibles, with "HOLY BIBLE" in the center, and maybe Trump's name embossed in gold in the right hand corner.

When I saw the photo here, I thought they looked like gaudy passports or something, with those tacky, ugly logos. And what's this obsession with eagles? We all remember what happened the last time he got too close to a bald eagle. Is he trying to remind us of that?

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Trump is about nothing if he isn't about grift, and the product or whatever doesn't matter. All that matters is that he's putting something up there that likely has little to no actual value except that it has his name on it.

And that's all that the Trump sycophants and sheeple need.

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Ian D's avatar

Yes, 70 million people elected a person who knows nothing about delayed gratification which as you know is psychology 101. The ramifications for having someone like that in your family or workplace causes heartache and turmoil let alone in a position to destroy the world. I kid you not. 😢

Generally he's the most prominent result of being conditioned by US capitalism that turns people into consumers of products and services and the right to exploit the environment and other people.

Apologies for typos big fingers small older phone and wife who seems to have Dutch heritage.

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dammit barry's avatar

The crony capitalism we sewe is the result of billionaires controlling the narrative. They paint themselves as job creators and victims of horrendous taxes. They do NOT create jobs. Only demand for products creates jobs. Mass production needs mass consumption. NOBODY makes millions of widgets and sticks them in giant warehouses, unsold, simply to keep workers employed.

The claim of onerous taxes is total falsehood. Bezos abd others of his ilk pay income tax rates of 1, maybe 2% They complain half of America pays no taxes, so they shouold not, either. What theyDO NOT MENTION is that for half the country, wages are so low they cannot be taxed. Now we have MAGAts buying this ludicrous idea that billionaires must not be taxed.

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Ian D's avatar

It's not clever money management and nor is it hard bloody work. Rather its a manipulation of a flawed and corrupt system thats criminal in nature. What's more troubling is that many US citizens have been conditioned to admire it and aspire to it - the you too movement - when it's akin to winning a total odds against lottery.

As you are also aware its a system that cunningly divides working people around differences and greed to the extent that many working people cant get their heads around the fact that they have more in common with other working people than they do with thosr who run the system on behalf of others.

In my neck of woods a number trade unions and members recognised this and advocated over many years and eventually got better wages and conditions for overseas

workers. Never underestimate the power of numbers and positive group think. 🤔

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