Scrutable

Grumble wrote: Sun Dec 14, 2025 10:01 am

Gfamily wrote: Sat Dec 13, 2025 12:08 am

Fishnut wrote: Fri Dec 12, 2025 9:22 pm

Why are the all sideways?

Not all of them, after a while, they have correct alignment
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/fq3vn18l ... t=rxoz19hb

File 74 of 92 is particularly disturbing for the photos on the desk.

Also 68 and presumably 67.

His response to Rob Riener's death is mindbogglingly petty and vile. I thought my expectations of him couldn't go lower, but it turns out they could!

Tristan wrote: Mon Dec 15, 2025 3:26 pm His response to Rob Riener's death is mindbogglingly petty and vile. I thought my expectations of him couldn't go lower, but it turns out they could!

Jesus. I thought I would be prepared but it’s shocked even me and I’ve been following Trump closer than many for years.

I am not surprised. Trump has been saying such things about his perceived enemies for some years. The only difference here is that Riener has just been murdered. For Trump only 2 things matter: stoking his own ego and retribution against his perceived enemies.

Unsurprisingly, those who went after people who criticised Charlie Kirk after his assassination seem completely quite now.

I'm a little surprised that neither Trump nor the NRA have commented on the Bondi killings. Especially as it's likely to result in an increase in gun control in Australia; see what happened after Port Arthur, which in recent years have been slowly being eroded by the pro-gun lobby over here, often funded by American interests!

Martin_B wrote: Mon Dec 15, 2025 11:39 pm I'm a little surprised that neither Trump nor the NRA have commented on the Bondi killings. Especially as it's likely to result in an increase in gun control in Australia; see what happened after Port Arthur, which in recent years have been slowly being eroded by the pro-gun lobby over here, often funded by American interests!

Trump has commented. The NRA are only barely functional after their bankruptcy, court cases, corruption scandals involving the CEO and flogging off most of their assets to stay afloat, so we may not hear a lot from them.

Chris Preston wrote: Tue Dec 16, 2025 2:41 am

Martin_B wrote: Mon Dec 15, 2025 11:39 pm I'm a little surprised that neither Trump nor the NRA have commented on the Bondi killings. Especially as it's likely to result in an increase in gun control in Australia; see what happened after Port Arthur, which in recent years have been slowly being eroded by the pro-gun lobby over here, often funded by American interests!

Trump has commented.

Indeed he made a suitably respectable statement of shock and condolence, which apparently he is capable of. Further, he considerably commended the man who disarmed one of the shooters, which I felt I had to check if he would, given who the man was.

Just seen the bizarre additional plaques that Trump has added to his odd Walk of Presidents. Wow. Just wow. New levels of pettiness.

Trump is an expert on pettiness. Ironically, Susie Wiles (White House Chief of Staff) in her interview with Vanity Fair revealed that Trump will go for it whenever there is an opportunity for retribution.

In other Trump news, he has given a prime time speech that has been roundly panned as "pointless". Jonathan Chait, a writer at The Atlantic, summed it up as, “My Fellow Americans, tonight I am here to say the same things I’ve been saying every day, except faster and louder.”

He's gone and created a quota for stripping naturalised US citizens of their nationality, something like 100-200 a month. Expect that to be weaponised against any and all.

c.nt.

bjn wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 11:48 am He's gone and created a quota for stripping naturalised US citizens of their nationality, something like 100-200 a month. Expect that to be weaponised against any and all.

There's also a Republican bill in the Senate to make multiple nationality illegal for US citizens. US multiple nationals failing to abandon their non-US nationalities would automatically lose their US citizenship. If passed, this would cause a lot more people to lose their citizenship, on the assumption that they would like to keep their other nationality. In particular, the naturalised are already required to renounce their other citizenships on naturalisation. So many, maybe most, US multiple nationals are people like Boris Johnson, who have US citizenship as right, without need for naturalisation, but also have rights to one or more other citizenships. What would happen to those whose other nationality cannot be lost, like the UK, is unclear. Already UK people naturalising as US nationals go through a charade of presenting a statement renouncing UK nationality, which is accepted in the US but ignored in the UK.

It is not clear how far this proposed legislation would go. Maybe Trump wouldn't like it, because it could be very annoying to Melanija (her name at birth), who is a US/Slovenian dual national. Or maybe he would like to annoy her like that.

And then it would appear to be unconstitutional, because the Supreme Court has previously ruled that you can't legislate to take away people's nationality. Though the Supreme Court mostly does what it is told these days. Interestingly, that was just the method the Maduro, and Chávez before him, uses to do what they want in Venezuela. Not sure why Trump doesn't celebrate a man who showed him how to do it.

And then quite a few Republicans would vote against it, unless otherwise made clear by Trump it was an issue of loyalty, knowing how broadly unpopular such legislation may be. And maybe such unpopular legislation can just be filibustered anyway.

So ultimately maybe presenting this is just an act of performative "we hate you".

Perhaps he assumes Melania would happily renounce her Slovenian nationality. And Musk would renouce both SA and Canadian.

It'll force anyone with a parent born in Ireland to give up their birthright too.

Tessa K wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 2:26 pm Perhaps he assumes Melania would happily renounce her Slovenian nationality. And Musk would renouce both SA and Canadian.

More likely he enjoys the thought that he will be forcing both to grudgingly choose.

Gfamily wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 3:55 pm It'll force anyone with a parent born in Ireland to give up their birthright too.

Well, not to act on it anyway. I have that right but haven’t claimed Irish nationality

But, presumably, both Melania and Elon are going to be removed from the USA as it's a matter of record in both cases that they worked when they first entered the USA even tho' they didn't have work visas.

[Don't hold your breath]

Grumble wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 3:57 pm

Gfamily wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 3:55 pm It'll force anyone with a parent born in Ireland to give up their birthright too.

Well, not to act on it anyway. I have that right but haven’t claimed Irish nationality

If you're more than 21 years old* you are Irish automatically; no requirement to 'claim' the Nationality, you have a right to an Irish passport with no further conditions being made.


* Constitution changed in 2005.

Gfamily wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 8:59 pm

Grumble wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 3:57 pm

Gfamily wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 3:55 pm It'll force anyone with a parent born in Ireland to give up their birthright too.

Well, not to act on it anyway. I have that right but haven’t claimed Irish nationality

If you're more than 21 years old* you are Irish automatically; no requirement to 'claim' the Nationality, you have a right to an Irish passport with no further conditions being made.


* Constitution changed in 2005.

Yes. In my case, by Irish law I'm an Irish citizen automatically. Also, by US law I'm an American citizen automatically (parent born there). So if that bill passes I'd be committing an illegal act just by existing. I suppose I could just renounce my US citizenship somehow. In practice, I'm just trying to stay under the radar (I've never applied for a US passport) just so I don't get the IRS on my back.

Brightonian wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 10:30 pm ... In my case, by Irish law I'm an Irish citizen automatically. Also, by US law I'm an American citizen automatically (parent born there). So if that bill passes I'd be committing an illegal act just by existing.

"How very dare you be granted an unrequested entitlement by our country!" Absurd.

Brightonian wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 10:30 pm

Gfamily wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 8:59 pm

Grumble wrote: Thu Dec 18, 2025 3:57 pm

Well, not to act on it anyway. I have that right but haven’t claimed Irish nationality

If you're more than 21 years old* you are Irish automatically; no requirement to 'claim' the Nationality, you have a right to an Irish passport with no further conditions being made.


* Constitution changed in 2005.

Yes. In my case, by Irish law I'm an Irish citizen automatically. Also, by US law I'm an American citizen automatically (parent born there). So if that bill passes I'd be committing an illegal act just by existing. I suppose I could just renounce my US citizenship somehow. In practice, I'm just trying to stay under the radar (I've never applied for a US passport) just so I don't get the IRS on my back.

It's not possibly to give up British citizenship by birth. You can temporarily declare that you aren't using it, but you can get it back.

A republican senator has introduced a bill that would enable Trump to issue letters of marque “to allow private entities to stop drug cartel smuggling and violence.”

https://www.lee.senate.gov/2025/12/patr ... s-approval

bjn wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 8:32 am A republican senator has introduced a bill that would enable Trump to issue letters of marque “to allow private entities to stop drug cartel smuggling and violence.”

https://www.lee.senate.gov/2025/12/patr ... s-approval

The word "privateers" immediately popped into my head, and then I looked at your link to find he's actually used the word in his press release, along with "Seize Cartel Assets". WCPGW?

Brightonian wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 9:35 am The word "privateers" immediately popped into my head, and then I looked at your link to find he's actually used the word in his press release, along with "Seize Cartel Assets". WCPGW?

Indeed. Can you just imagine what might happen if Trump really did issue letters of marque to some jackass vigilante who thinks he's going to go and seize a drug cartel's shipment by force?

Firstly you would need to outgun them, but they're a drugs cartel. I could just stop there. They're a drugs cartel who already operate outside the law, have plenty of weapons, and use them. And they know you're coming so they will be extra tooled-up.

Secondly you're not the US Navy so your intelligence resources are not so hot at telling desperately dangerous bad guys apart from some lads out fishing.

Thirdly they're not smuggling gold dubloons. They're smuggling illegal drugs, which have a high value but only while outside the law. You are not allowed to keep that stuff. So the only asset you get to seize is a blood-stained powerboat you just riddled with bullet holes.

Thankfully the whole proposal is just the fantasy of one idiotic senator and will disappear.

Brightonian wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 9:35 am

bjn wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 8:32 am A republican senator has introduced a bill that would enable Trump to issue letters of marque “to allow private entities to stop drug cartel smuggling and violence.”

https://www.lee.senate.gov/2025/12/patr ... s-approval

The word "privateers" immediately popped into my head, and then I looked at your link to find he's actually used the word in his press release, along with "Seize Cartel Assets". WCPGW?

bjn wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 8:32 am A republican senator has introduced a bill that would enable Trump to issue letters of marque “to allow private entities to stop drug cartel smuggling and violence.”

https://www.lee.senate.gov/2025/12/patr ... s-approval

Me too

Post in thread 'Trump's Second Term' https://internationalskeptics.com/forum ... t-14723815

Martin Y wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 10:06 am

Brightonian wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 9:35 am The word "privateers" immediately popped into my head, and then I looked at your link to find he's actually used the word in his press release, along with "Seize Cartel Assets". WCPGW?

Firstly you would need to outgun them, but they're a drugs cartel. I could just stop there. They're a drugs cartel who already operate outside the law, have plenty of weapons, and use them. And they know you're coming so they will be extra tooled-up.

Yes, but also I'm thinking what if they targeted low-hanging fruit such as people doing illicit runs of Cuban cigars, people etc., or just straight-up manufacturing evidence, in order to grab $100k yachts?

Martin Y wrote: Sat Dec 20, 2025 10:06 am Thankfully the whole proposal is just the fantasy of one idiotic senator and will disappear.

Probably, but I'm never really sure who's behind the apparently random decisions of the Trump administration. Some decisions seem to be purely Trump's prejudice, others are where someone happens to have Trump's ear at the time.