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Trump's Second Term

Blue Mountain said:
At the risk of carrying on a derail, many evangelical Christians are saddened and indeed horrified at the thought of many millions or even billions being rejected from God's presence at the final judgement, which is why they continue to, well, evangelize.

Within Christianity there seems to be a split between two camps: those who rejoice at the idea of sinners in the hands of an angry God, and those who are despondent that so many will suffer this very fate. The second group rejects the idea that God deliberately casts sinners into hell; their view is God reluctantly cannot allow unclean souls to enter his presence. Unfortunately the devil provides their only alternate resting place.

Having said that, the Bible provides a fair bit of evidence for the first view: "Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15, New International Version)
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I'll carry it on a little further, too, then. You're mostly right. Many evangelical Christians don't like the expected end. Hence the root of and support for many of the efforts to "save" or convert people to their faith. There are also plenty that rejoice in the idea of sinners in the hands of an angry god. I'd add 2 related other groups as being particular notable though. The apathy group is one. To give a categorical example, self-identified conservatives may tend to express about as much empathy as self-identified liberals, but it's normally much, much more focused on those close to them. Especially in the US, the conservative Christians in question tend to have Christians like them as the people close to them, which means that they tend to have rather limited empathy for non-Christians in practice. A fair bit more can be said about the various reasons why they don't really care about the massive suffering and death toll predicted in their mythology, but the simple fact is that they don't. A second group of note are the people who just want it all to be over and for God to take them away and free them from the trials of this world. People get understandably tired, after all, and tired people tend to lack energy to be concerned about others. Quietly pushing to get to the end of whatever task sooner so they can "rest" is a very human thing.

As for that last bit? Pretty much. Also, biblical heaven seems to basically be a forced eternity of continually singing praises to God, which sounds like a suspiciously hellish prospect and to have little resemblance to more popularly preferred versions of heaven.

Safe-Keeper said:
Abusive partner punishes the girl he obsesses over for daring to spend time with anyone but him.
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Story of the GOP. They're an abusive partner to the US, so why expect better from them towards anyone else?

Planigale said:
In a practical sense yes. In a 'diplomatic' sense I think that by enriching, Iran hoped that they would entice the US back to negotiations. A bit like negotiating for the Sybelline prophecies. It clearly didn't end the way Iran hoped. The problem with crying wolf is that sometimes people believe there is a wolf.
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Or like to pretend there to be as they push their own ends, as is more likely the case here.
 
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Andy_Ross said:
Federal agents blasted their way into an LA home where Jenny Ramirez lives with her boyfriend and two kids.

She heard the blast while checking on her 6-year-old, with her 1-year-old in her arms.

Ramirez says everyone in the home is a U.S. citizen.

https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com%2Fpost%2F3lsmdfp2obk2u
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From the comments: "These guys need to have charges brought against them"
Me, momentarily misunderstanding: "what, like the charges they used on her front door?"
 
Andy_Ross said:
Federal agents blasted their way into an LA home where Jenny Ramirez lives with her boyfriend and two kids.

She heard the blast while checking on her 6-year-old, with her 1-year-old in her arms.

Ramirez says everyone in the home is a U.S. citizen.

https://bsky.app/profile/cwebbonline.com%2Fpost%2F3lsmdfp2obk2u
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It's all about performative cruelty and spreading fear. Never do a job with two cops and a warrant when thirty SWAT team members and explosives will do.
 
arthwollipot said:
I heard a disturbingly plausible speculation recently. It's possible that Trump believes that asylum seekers are literally from insane asylums.
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He totally does. It took months for his handlers to explain to him that the Electoral College isn't a bunch of professors, and when someone says they "traveled by Greyhound" he thinks they rode a dog.
 
TwiX is reporting that barricades are going up around the White House and the Treasury. It's a bit early for a 4th of July lockdown. What in the world could be the reason?
(eta) They all seem to be showing the same clip, though. There's a proposed NO KINGS protest for the 4th, but I'd think this precedes some sort of announcement. Perhaps something related to Pride Month?
 
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Andy_Ross said:
Donald says he terminating all discussions on trade with Canada and will hit them with more punitive tariffs "within the next seven day period."
He’s mad about the new partnership between Canada and the European Union, which was launched earlier this week in Brussels.
Donald J. Trump, @realDonald Trump
We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country. They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also. Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
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As usual, Trump is lying about the 400% tariffs. The truth is these are anti-dumping tariffs that kick in only after a certain cap on imports has been reached for the year. The cap has never been reached, so the 400% tariffs have never been charged.

The hypocrisy is heavy, too. The US government collects income taxes from US citizens no matter where where they live in the world. But here Trump is angry that other countries want to collect taxes on US companies operating within their jurisdiction.

Edit: changed "no where" to "no matter where" in above paragraph.
 
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It's been a bad day for the US: I've recorded not one but two items at the -2 level.

As of the close of the day on June 27, my positive/negative score on the Trump administration stands at -868.

27 June 2025
-2: Headline: Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions in birthright citizenship order (-2 for implications) (NPR)
-2: Trump uses Supreme Court decision to end birthright citizenship (-2 for unconstitutional) (330)
-1: Trump posts a 335 word rant about Iran and “saving” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s life (331)
-1: Headline: Trump wants Canada’s digital services tax gone before trade talks resume (CBC)
-1: Trump threatens Canada on trade [332]
-1: Per above, Trump lies about the 400% tariff: it kicks in only after a cap has been reached, which has never happened

References

330. Trump: “Why would the so-called “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, of the war torn Country of Iran, say so blatantly and foolishly that he won the War with Israel, when he knows his statement is a lie, it is not so. As a man of great faith, he is not supposed to lie. His Country was decimated, his three evil Nuclear Sites were OBLITERATED, and I knew EXACTLY where he was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces, by far the Greatest and Most Powerful in the World, terminate his life. I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, “THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!” In fact, in the final act of the War, I demanded that Israel bring back a very large group of planes, which were heading directly to Tehran, looking for a big day, perhaps the final knockout! Tremendous damage would have ensued, and many Iranians would have been killed. It was going to be the biggest attack of the War, by far. During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery - The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more. Iran has to get back into the World Order flow, or things will only get worse for them. They are always so angry, hostile, and unhappy, and look at what it has gotten them - A burned out, blown up Country, with no future, a decimated Military, a horrible Economy, and DEATH all around them. They have no hope, and it will only get worse! I wish the leadership of Iran would realize that you often get more with HONEY than you do with VINEGAR. PEACE!!!”

331. Trump: “We have all the cards. Every single one. We don’t want to do anything bad, but economically we have such power over Canada. I’d rather not use it ... it’s not going to work out well for Canada.”

332. Trump: “We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country. They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also. Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
 
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