2025 Political Thread

[maroonedinhsv]

Guess who smuggles most of the fentanyl into the United States?

Hint: It's not Mexicans. Or Canadians.

Nino Brown?

 

[Mike S]

Nino Brown?

Half the people here aren't old enough to remember that movie!

 

[Anti Marine Layer]

 

[Anti Marine Layer]

To give you a sense of just how bad USAID has become, here’s an incomplete list, in no particular order, of its expenditures in the 21st century:

Paid $20 million to the hard-left Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a 501(c)(3) that manages at least $200 million in annual fund disbursements. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, in turn, funded Bill Kristol, a wealthy man whose raison d’etre since 2016 has been to destroy Trump. It also funded myriad organizations pushing leftist ideologies such as BLM, climate change, DEI, illegal immigration, and LGBTQ+. The fund is especially notable for its commitment to destroying Israel.

Paid $1,999,900 to Asociacion Lambda to strengthen transgender organizations in Guatemala.

Paid $1,499,999 to Grupa Izadiji to advance LGBTQ+ diversity in Serbia.

In the years leading to the October 7 attack on Israel, USAID did nothing to prevent at least $151 million in aid from going straight to Arab terrorists in Gaza and the West Bank.

In the years since the October 7 attack on Israel, USAID sent around $420 million to the Gazans and West Bankians without any assurance that it would be kept from terrorist organizations, including Hamas. And indeed, much of it went straight to those organizations.

Canceled $237 million in contracts for work in Afghanistan but still paid $61 million for work that was not performed and $74 million for work with questionable results.

Paid $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland.

Paid $30 million to study HIV in Africa among sex workers, especially so-called “transgender” sex workers. This money seems to have been used for chemically and surgically mutilating mentally ill Africans.

Directly and indirectly funneled $200 million to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which introduced COVID to the world.

Paid $2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam, with only one battery station built. When I was in Vietnam in 2017, most people traveled using small scooters.

Paid for a “trans” care clinic in Vietnam.

Paid $25,000 for a “trans” opera in Colombia.

Paid $32,000 for “trans” comic books in Peru.

Paid $500,000 to expand atheism in Nepal.

Paid $6 million to promote tourism to Egypt.

Paid $20 million for an Iraqi version of Sesame Street.

Handed out $4.4 billion to Haiti in 2010, much of it under the aegis of the Clinton Foundation when Hillary was Secretary of State. Almost none of the Clinton Foundation money went to the Haitian people. Bill and Hillary Clinton are estimated to have a net worth of around $120 million.

Funded an Irish event that attacked Catholicism and promoted mass immigration to Ireland.

Paid over $300,000 to BBC’s media action fund. The BBC is a British government entity that receives its funding from a mandatory tax on any UK residents who own televisions. Its annual revenue is £5.389 billion ($665,0295,450).

Paid $27 million for “reintegration gift bags” to illegal aliens being returned to Latin America.

Paid an estimated $300 million to Afghanistan during the Obama years, an unsupervised activity that funded the Taliban.

Funded hundreds of thousands of meals to Syrian al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters.

 

[maroonedinhsv]

To give you a sense of just how bad USAID has become, here’s an incomplete list, in no particular order, of its expenditures in the 21st century:

Paid $20 million to the hard-left Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, a 501(c)(3) that manages at least $200 million in annual fund disbursements. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, in turn, funded Bill Kristol, a wealthy man whose raison d’etre since 2016 has been to destroy Trump. It also funded myriad organizations pushing leftist ideologies such as BLM, climate change, DEI, illegal immigration, and LGBTQ+. The fund is especially notable for its commitment to destroying Israel.

Paid $1,999,900 to Asociacion Lambda to strengthen transgender organizations in Guatemala.

Paid $1,499,999 to Grupa Izadiji to advance LGBTQ+ diversity in Serbia.

In the years leading to the October 7 attack on Israel, USAID did nothing to prevent at least $151 million in aid from going straight to Arab terrorists in Gaza and the West Bank.

In the years since the October 7 attack on Israel, USAID sent around $420 million to the Gazans and West Bankians without any assurance that it would be kept from terrorist organizations, including Hamas. And indeed, much of it went straight to those organizations.

Canceled $237 million in contracts for work in Afghanistan but still paid $61 million for work that was not performed and $74 million for work with questionable results.

Paid $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland.

Paid $30 million to study HIV in Africa among sex workers, especially so-called “transgender” sex workers. This money seems to have been used for chemically and surgically mutilating mentally ill Africans.

Directly and indirectly funneled $200 million to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which introduced COVID to the world.

Paid $2.5 million for electric vehicles for Vietnam, with only one battery station built. When I was in Vietnam in 2017, most people traveled using small scooters.

Paid for a “trans” care clinic in Vietnam.

Paid $25,000 for a “trans” opera in Colombia.

Paid $32,000 for “trans” comic books in Peru.

Paid $500,000 to expand atheism in Nepal.

Paid $6 million to promote tourism to Egypt.

Paid $20 million for an Iraqi version of Sesame Street.

Handed out $4.4 billion to Haiti in 2010, much of it under the aegis of the Clinton Foundation when Hillary was Secretary of State. Almost none of the Clinton Foundation money went to the Haitian people. Bill and Hillary Clinton are estimated to have a net worth of around $120 million.

Funded an Irish event that attacked Catholicism and promoted mass immigration to Ireland.

Paid over $300,000 to BBC’s media action fund. The BBC is a British government entity that receives its funding from a mandatory tax on any UK residents who own televisions. Its annual revenue is £5.389 billion ($665,0295,450).

Paid $27 million for “reintegration gift bags” to illegal aliens being returned to Latin America.

Paid an estimated $300 million to Afghanistan during the Obama years, an unsupervised activity that funded the Taliban.

Funded hundreds of thousands of meals to Syrian al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters.

Wow, kudos to you for the extensive research!

Oh, wait.. you just copied and pasted from American Thinker? I am SHOCKED!

 

[Kolle]

Oh, hell no. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/doge-noaa-headquarters

 

[bjdeming]

Oh, hell no. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/doge-noaa-headquarters

All of the moves since or even before the inauguration have been very provocatory, as if they want us to rebel. Come to think of it, this kind of happened last time Mr. Trump was in office, too.**

And only a few dam' fools acted. Yay for American common sense and our enduring political institutions, but the actions of those few fools have been mightily leveraged ever since 2021 to keep dissension and trouble going.

Makes me wonder what Zaphod Beeblebrox's other head is thinking about these days ("Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" book series reference). Something along these lines?

I think Congress and our allies are handling these domestic and international provocations well. There are some old hands in Congress (and on the side lines, too) who are quite capable of waiting as the Beeblebroxers walk a thinner and thinner line on what may well be a bad gamble of some sort, and then striking hard with charges at the most effective moment as soon as the Beeblebroxers make even one small slip or just plain run out of room to maneuver.

Meanwhile, we the People have a lot more common sense and patience in stock...not to mention constitutional protections. I think the only way we could mess up is by getting tricked into applying unhelpful kinds of pressure on Congress that would force it to act too soon and in ways more favorable for the Beeblebroxers.

It's a tricky problem.

**PS: Not to just dump on his party -- the craving for and exercise of uncontrolled power are itches that don't follow party lines. Just to bring in the other side of the aisle, here's a "what if" that I do not seriously suggest, but in a hypothetical situation, what if Mr. Biden's unwillingness to get his mental status checked was based on concern that he would be shown NOT to be demented, but just gas-lighting us to set up a weak hand on the reins before the powerful one got to the saddle? Yes, it's ridiculous, but stranger things have happened down through the centuries in power plays in Europe and elsewhere. We were set up to avoid all that, but it's so easy to forget that we are a very young experiment in self-government compared to other places and there are no guarantees the experiment will succeed. It's a hassle for every generation.

 

[Jacob]

All I'll say is it's been interesting for two weeks watching anything occur, and then reading two completely opposite realities form out of said events.

The Mexican tariffs probably made me laugh the most. In a span of 5 minutes I read multiple headlines on how "Trump caves in Mexico tariffs" and also how "Mexico caves to Trump tariffs".

You have to do some research to figure out what is or isn't true these days. It's a damn shame that's where we are with media, but everybody has an agenda.

 

[Blountwolf]

Oh, hell no. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/04/doge-noaa-headquarters

If only there had been some blueprint of what they wanted to... oh, wait.

Yeah, page 664.

 

[Mike S]

I've moved the posts from the Inauguration to today from the previous thread to this one and I have locked the other thread. Please carry on.

 

[Mike S]

Oh, and Trump will have to pull my NOAA from my cold, dead hands.

With that said, I'm sure NOAA, like every other government organization, could stand a complete top to bottom examination. But the service itself something you can't leave to the states, and I don't need to explain that on this site.

 

[bjdeming]

If only there had been some blueprint of what they wanted to... oh, wait.

I didn't believe it until it happened. You and others who posted about that were right.

 

[Jacob]

Looks like the DOGE/NOAA deal was more DEI related than just showing up and trying to make wholesale changes to NOAA.

 

[Mike S]

I didn't believe it until it happened. You and others who posted about that were right.

Trump is a populist at heart, much like Bill Clinton. He wants to be loved. Revered even. Clinton was just much better at making it seem like it was his plan all along. If it ever gets to the point that they are truly going to attempt to dismantle NOAA, I *feel* like Trump would put a stop to it so he could brag about saving NOAA. "Sleepy Joe couldn't save NOAA, but your favorite President did just that!"

Maybe sometimes there are advantages to having no moral compass!

 

[Mike S]

Looks like the DOGE/NOAA deal was more DEI related than just showing up and trying to make wholesale changes to NOAA.

For this round, at least.

 

[Anti Marine Layer]

Democrats are evil

 

[gangstonc]

Democrats are evil
View attachment 33432

This is misleading. Much of this waste is from previous administrations and has been found and investigating by investigators General (many of whom Trump fired).

 

[Mike S]

Democrats are evil
View attachment 33432

The $26 million for Politico is due to various government agencies and politicians who subscribe to Politico Pro. It is not government funding. Lauren Boebert, who is claiming Musk is exposing Politico's "grift", subscribes to Politico out of her office. They all do.

 

[Anti Marine Layer]

Here is why the DOE needs to go.

New Survey Proves Critical Race Theory is Still in Schools

Remember, it's not about skin color. It's about capitalism.

karlyn.substack.com

 

[gangstonc]

Here is why the DOE needs to go.

New Survey Proves Critical Race Theory is Still in Schools

Remember, it's not about skin color. It's about capitalism.

karlyn.substack.com

View attachment 33451

“Author’s survey of 850 high school students”

LOL.