Real Americans understand that our nation is built around values, not the “blood and soil” of the marchers’ chants; what makes you an American is your attempt to live up to those values, not the place or race your ancestors came from.
But the man who began his political ascent by falsely questioning Barack Obama’s place of birth — a blood-and-soil argument if ever there was one
.. Real Americans understand that our nation was born in a rebellion against tyranny. They feel an instinctive aversion to tyrants everywhere, and an underlying sympathy for democratic regimes, even those with whom we may currently have disputes.
Real Americans expect public officials to be humbled by the responsibility that comes with the job... Foreign autocrats may rage against unflattering news reports, threaten to inflict financial harm on publications they dislike, talk about imprisoning journalists; American leaders aren’t supposed to sound like that.
Competing to be Mrs. Phillipines-USA
Contestants in the beauty pageant for currently or formerly married women compare Rodrigo Duterte with Donald Trump.
Liberals see an Administration in a tailspin. But Trump’s base sees it differently: a recent Pew survey showed that, among Republicans, the President’s approval rating is eighty-two per cent.
.. Mrs. Philippines-USA pageant. It is open to Filipino-born club members, provided that they have been married at least once.
.. “I prayed for Duterte to win,” she said, adjusting an uncoöperative coconut-shell bra. “It’s not like he’s killing innocent people. They are criminals, and get what they deserve.” Carman compared him to a “tough but good” father.
.. “Everyone supports Duterte because of his iron hand.”
Philippines’ Duterte Says Chinese Leader Raised Threat of War Over South China Sea
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte said his Chinese counterpart had threatened him that Beijing would “go to war” if Manila begins drilling for oil in the South China Sea.
.. “We do not want to quarrel with you. We want to maintain a warm relationship but if you force the issue we will go to war.”
.. Mr. Duterte has a record of inaccuracies and exaggeration.
Judas, Tax Cuts and the Great Betrayal
the two leading Republicans in Congress are apparently O.K. with that cover-up, because the Trump ascendancy is giving them the chance to do what they always wanted, namely, take health insurance away from millions of Americans while slashing taxes on the wealthy.
.. For generations, Republicans have impugned their opponents’ patriotism.
.. circumstantial evidence that a hostile foreign power may have colluded with a U.S. presidential campaign, and may retain undue influence at the highest levels of our government. And all those self-proclaimed patriots have gone silent, or worse.
.. revival of the term “America First,” the name of a movement opposed to U.S. intervention in World War II. What isn’t often mentioned is that many of the most prominent America-firsters weren’t just isolationists, they were actively sympathetic to foreign dictators; there’s a more or less straight line from Charles Lindbergh proudly wearing the medal he received from Hermann Göring to Trump’s cordial relations with Rodrigo Duterte