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Replying To yew_tree: "Last Wednesday: A Fox News host says homeless people should be executed. Monday: Jimmy Kimmel makes a joke. Guess which one lost their job? Americans are losing their free speech rights under this administration. If you speech out against them your done….becoming more and more like North Korea." Unfortunately, free speech in the US now seems to mean speech that is friendly towards the incumbent in the Ehite House. Media outlets who don't kow tow to this MAGA movement or "Project 25" are being threatened with massive lawsuits. North Korean, Russia and China already have eliminated any critical forums. It's sad really to see that once great bastion of freedom and democracy being battered into submission - from within. When all these freedoms are silenced, it will take years to unwind the damage done, if that can ever happen. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1977 - 18/09/2025 12:09:05 2636644 Link
USA becoming more like Russia, China and North Korea these days, than they seem to realise. Even the Pope weighed in with a Trumpish sounding smear about Ireland last week. He's probably a closet MAGA fan too. Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4503 - 18/09/2025 12:16:39 2636646 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "Last Wednesday: A Fox News host says homeless people should be executed. Monday: Jimmy Kimmel makes a joke. Guess which one lost their job? Americans are losing their free speech rights under this administration. If you speech out against them your done….becoming more and more like North Korea." The strange thing is the Americans that talk about unfettered 'liberty' are the one's who restrict these rights the most. Bush administration basically put the whoe country under government surveilance after 9/11. A lot of the MAGA movement and even their mannerisms come across like the mentality of secondary school age, angry teenage boys. Even their debates, they always start shouting down the opponent and always go into personel insults or just shout abuse. Or if they don't descend into shouting they use a lot of passive agggressive insults. Insult seem to be their aim. It's like they've modelled debate and interaction with opponents on MMA trash talk. FullOfPorter (Roscommon) - Posts: 519 - 18/09/2025 12:51:15 2636654 Link
Replying To FullOfPorter: "The strange thing is the Americans that talk about unfettered 'liberty' are the one's who restrict these rights the most. Bush administration basically put the whoe country under government surveilance after 9/11. A lot of the MAGA movement and even their mannerisms come across like the mentality of secondary school age, angry teenage boys. Even their debates, they always start shouting down the opponent and always go into personel insults or just shout abuse. Or if they don't descend into shouting they use a lot of passive agggressive insults. Insult seem to be their aim. It's like they've modelled debate and interaction with opponents on MMA trash talk." I seen a few of them spouting that tourists should be denied holiday visas if they criticise the American government on social media….its bonkers stuff. It's actually sad and worrying how far America is falling down in the gutter. yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11843 - 18/09/2025 14:14:12 2636671 Link
And yet the Trump excusers on here will deny the reality of what was predicted. TheFlaker (Mayo) - Posts: 8682 - 18/09/2025 14:27:16 2636675 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "I seen a few of them spouting that tourists should be denied holiday visas if they criticise the American government on social media….its bonkers stuff. It's actually sad and worrying how far America is falling down in the gutter." If you were to read any study on the lifecycle of an empire this is all quite predictable. The American empire is just past the age of decadence. They don't know right from wrong any more and will collapse in our lifetime. What's really scary is how the world might look afterwards. Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4091 - 18/09/2025 14:31:56 2636677 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "I seen a few of them spouting that tourists should be denied holiday visas if they criticise the American government on social media….its bonkers stuff. It's actually sad and worrying how far America is falling down in the gutter." There are already people having to delete their social media or even whatss app messages before entering the states which is bonkers. That is what you'd do going to China. FullOfPorter (Roscommon) - Posts: 519 - 18/09/2025 15:40:55 2636692 Link
Replying To Pope_Benedict: "USA becoming more like Russia, China and North Korea these days, than they seem to realise. Even the Pope weighed in with a Trumpish sounding smear about Ireland last week. He's probably a closet MAGA fan too." It would be more in the Popes line to think about all the abuse suffered in Ireland at the hands of the catholic church and clergy and apologise for that rather than smearing Ireland over some alleged verbal assault he encountered while wearing the collar here years ago, whenever it was he never gave the date. The catholic church has lost all credibility to speak on such matters imo. Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3611 - 18/09/2025 15:45:23 2636693 Link
Replying To Doylerwex: "If you were to read any study on the lifecycle of an empire this is all quite predictable. The American empire is just past the age of decadence. They don't know right from wrong any more and will collapse in our lifetime. What's really scary is how the world might look afterwards." I'll tell you one thing for certain, when that happens (and it is when not if, as you say empires have finite life span) there is a rogue state in the Middle East that will be wishing they didn't unleash an atrocious genocide and displacement on the inhabitants of that territory. FullOfPorter (Roscommon) - Posts: 519 - 18/09/2025 16:20:43 2636697 Link
Replying To TheFlaker: "And yet the Trump excusers on here will deny the reality of what was predicted." The really worrying thing about Trump thing is when you consider the tens of millions who voted him into office again, the most powerful man in the world they say, a man who said you could maybe kill the covid virus by injecting bleach! what does that say about your average American? The world has gone mad or maybe it always was but we didn't have instant access to the madness years ago. Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 3611 - 18/09/2025 16:47:51 2636703 Link
Replying To Tirchonaill1: "It would be more in the Popes line to think about all the abuse suffered in Ireland at the hands of the catholic church and clergy and apologise for that rather than smearing Ireland over some alleged verbal assault he encountered while wearing the collar here years ago, whenever it was he never gave the date. The catholic church has lost all credibility to speak on such matters imo." A bit of context might not go astray here, the Pope made his remarks over seven years ago when he was a bishop in South America and was highlighting the impact clerical child abuse had on the country as a whole, He wasn't being critical of Ireland but rather pointing out the anger a lot of Irish people felt at the time. tireoghainabu (Tyrone) - Posts: 445 - 18/09/2025 18:47:55 2636714 Link
Replying To tireoghainabu: "A bit of context might not go astray here, the Pope made his remarks over seven years ago when he was a bishop in South America and was highlighting the impact clerical child abuse had on the country as a whole, He wasn't being critical of Ireland but rather pointing out the anger a lot of Irish people felt at the time." Absolutely correct. He wasn't condemning anybody. He was making a point about the challenges the church was facing in Ireland and understood we have good reason. Doylerwex (Wexford) - Posts: 4091 - 18/09/2025 22:24:43 2636727 Link
When young children have to learn drills at school about giving themselves the best chance to survive a gun attack, well that's not a sign of a healthy society if you ask me. But you'll have any amount of goons who will argue the toss about that all day long. Hard to get your head around that for a start like. It's hard to have much sympathy for them. Voting that imbecile into office once was bad enough. They cannot function unless they are in a perpetual state of war. Take your pick from the Cold War (and all its proxies), Vietnam, Gulf, "The War on Terrror"....and yet they still ridiculously champion themselves as bastions of peace and democracy. Look, they've been good to us in terms of FDI, and plenty of Irish people have made good lives for themselves by emigrating there over generations. But there's not many going over there seeking better lives now. Canada, the UAE and Australia and NZ have easily replaced the US as a destination in that regard. Land of the free and home of the brave indeed. Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10167 - 19/09/2025 09:05:41 2636743 Link
Replying To Lockjaw: "When young children have to learn drills at school about giving themselves the best chance to survive a gun attack, well that's not a sign of a healthy society if you ask me. But you'll have any amount of goons who will argue the toss about that all day long. Hard to get your head around that for a start like. It's hard to have much sympathy for them. Voting that imbecile into office once was bad enough. They cannot function unless they are in a perpetual state of war. Take your pick from the Cold War (and all its proxies), Vietnam, Gulf, "The War on Terrror"....and yet they still ridiculously champion themselves as bastions of peace and democracy. Look, they've been good to us in terms of FDI, and plenty of Irish people have made good lives for themselves by emigrating there over generations. But there's not many going over there seeking better lives now. Canada, the UAE and Australia and NZ have easily replaced the US as a destination in that regard. Land of the free and home of the brave indeed." War on Drugs too...they love a good war. Despite the melting pot of cultures it became, it has never fully shaken off its Puritanical roots. They wove violence and God like no other. Just look at the destruction they unleashed here until some of them had to high tail it to America after the Restoration. Genocide on a massive scale, war induced famine, enslavement, transplantation and confiscation of 70% of the land of the native population. The largest transfer of land ownership in Europe at the time. A quater of Irelands population wiped out. Those are the people who formed the blueprint for America. FullOfPorter (Roscommon) - Posts: 519 - 19/09/2025 11:20:50 2636759 Link
Replying To FullOfPorter: "War on Drugs too...they love a good war. Despite the melting pot of cultures it became, it has never fully shaken off its Puritanical roots. They wove violence and God like no other. Just look at the destruction they unleashed here until some of them had to high tail it to America after the Restoration. Genocide on a massive scale, war induced famine, enslavement, transplantation and confiscation of 70% of the land of the native population. The largest transfer of land ownership in Europe at the time. A quater of Irelands population wiped out. Those are the people who formed the blueprint for America." True, I laugh sometimes at the UK and other European countries sticking their beaks in about our low corporate tax rate. My usual response, "here isn't it less immoral than conquering and pillaging for your wealth?" Belgians (Congo), Portugal (Brazil, Angola, Mozambique), France, Spain & Great Britain (take your pick). Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10167 - 19/09/2025 12:00:25 2636763 Link
Replying To FullOfPorter: "There are already people having to delete their social media or even whatss app messages before entering the states which is bonkers. That is what you'd do going to China." I don't think you have ever been to China, if you do want to go you don't have to worry about a visa or someone asking about your social media accounts or to read your text messages. Yes whatsapp is not allowed in China but as a visitor to the country if you have your home roaming package then you can still use it. In travelling around the world the US is the only country I have ever encountered the request for social media platform accounts, however in fairness that was there under the last administration - it came in in 2019. The problem is of course is that one sides interpretation of what is anti American values differs to the other and can be manipulated for political reasons. zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2137 - 19/09/2025 18:33:51 2636798 Link
Replying To Doylerwex: "If you were to read any study on the lifecycle of an empire this is all quite predictable. The American empire is just past the age of decadence. They don't know right from wrong any more and will collapse in our lifetime. What's really scary is how the world might look afterwards." When we think of empires we think military power and there is zero chance of the Americans falling to an outside military power, but rather they will fall by destroying themselves from within. I'm in two minds if we are actually witnessing this right now before our eyes or if they will pull back from the brink. The 1960s was a terrible decade, JFK, MLK, RFK all assassinated but the civil rights bill brought about massive positive change. The difference with the 1960s and now is the two main political parties actually could work together, now there is very little cooperation and you have media on both sides taking swipes at each other every single day. Toxic. The fact your average American gets more worked up about a trans march or gay marriage over a dozen kids getting slaughtered in an elementary school tells you where they are as a nation right now. yew_tree (Mayo) - Posts: 11843 - 19/09/2025 20:55:01 2636803 Link
Replying To yew_tree: "When we think of empires we think military power and there is zero chance of the Americans falling to an outside military power, but rather they will fall by destroying themselves from within. I'm in two minds if we are actually witnessing this right now before our eyes or if they will pull back from the brink. The 1960s was a terrible decade, JFK, MLK, RFK all assassinated but the civil rights bill brought about massive positive change. The difference with the 1960s and now is the two main political parties actually could work together, now there is very little cooperation and you have media on both sides taking swipes at each other every single day. Toxic. The fact your average American gets more worked up about a trans march or gay marriage over a dozen kids getting slaughtered in an elementary school tells you where they are as a nation right now." The rate at which the Republican Party is rushing to sanctify and celebrate hatred and bigotry is breathtaking and should be a worry for everyone. And, they like zealots in all parts of the world claim that their god is on their side. Anyone who doesn't agree with the chosen ones opinions or who " doesn't like" him is being silenced. Where will this all end ? The UK is worryingly heading down the same path with obvious difficulties for us. Nigel Farage stated recently that the GFA could be easily rewritten to take account of his preference for leaving different international courts of justice. Now, where have we heard that before. Freethinker (Wicklow) - Posts: 1977 - 20/09/2025 00:17:57 2636820 Link
Replying To Freethinker: "The rate at which the Republican Party is rushing to sanctify and celebrate hatred and bigotry is breathtaking and should be a worry for everyone. And, they like zealots in all parts of the world claim that their god is on their side. Anyone who doesn't agree with the chosen ones opinions or who " doesn't like" him is being silenced. Where will this all end ? The UK is worryingly heading down the same path with obvious difficulties for us. Nigel Farage stated recently that the GFA could be easily rewritten to take account of his preference for leaving different international courts of justice. Now, where have we heard that before." The question is not about the party itself and how it's going this direction, as the feeling of power, influence and wealth will always have no shortage of candidates willing to sell their soul. The bigger question is how so many people are willing to go along with obvious lies and behaviour which resembles a dictatorship. We can all throw jibes at these people, call them uneducated and ignorant, but that doesn't address anything. For people to put up with so much nonsense, you have to imagine how much they despise the alternative. I think until that's resolved to some degree, it's only getting more polarised. People who would have been fairly rational and decent, found themselves in a place where they weren't happy with narratives which were being pushed and they were ripe to be moulded to be part of a backlash. I worry the same is happening over here, bit by bit. Critical thinking seems to be waning, the ability of people to assess things. It's all buzzwords, group think and ideologies now. Simple explanations for things, and even simpler solutions. People latch on to these and become very entrenched. There's no doubt that age of the internet, mass information and social media has been the biggest facilitator of this. WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2665 - 20/09/2025 11:16:27 2636827 Link
Big Irish language march on today in Dublin city centre. Starts at Parnell square at 1.30pm. The "Cearta" march. Govt is reducing the amount of time spent on learning Gaeilge in our primary schools. Surprise surprise. FFG want us to become German or French speakers now. Not Irish ones. Good luck to it. Adh mór ann. galwayford (Galway) - Posts: 2705 - 20/09/2025 11:58:14 2636833 Link