I meant Brazil... not Chile, and the trade surplus is over $7 billion.

"Donald Trump is very slowly bending"? *laughs* You made me laugh, which is a good thing. Trump already flip-flopped on that issue and then flip-flopped immediately back and is now supposedly, allegedly "very slowly bending"!? Is this so-called "bending" the aftereffects of the flip-flip-flip, and then *bam* comes the re-flip?

Oh, heavens. I just heard Canada will (allegedly) be assessed an additional 35% tariff beginning August 1 (additional to what percentage? I lost track of the current bullshit). Stock futures are falling. *laughs*

Which reminds me: We literally have quite a trade surplus, somewhere between 1.5 and 2 billion with Chile, but Trump is (allegedly) going to assess them an additional 50% tariff because... why? His dictator friend who attempted a coups/insurrection (pick your own noun) is being prosecuted. So let me get this straight: Americans will be paying additional taxes in the form of tariffs for a myriad of things from Chile (our coffee) because they're a country exercising their rights as a sovereign nation to prosecute the criminals in their country... and how is this considered an emergency reason to slap tariffs on a country? Rhetorical question; it's unconstitutional. Chile prosecuting their criminals is their own dang business and isn't an emergency reason to impose tariff taxes on Americans.

I did say Trump was stupid, but I realize at this point it wasn't fair to stupid people; he's definitely undercutting his own argument for imposing any tariffs at all by trying to extort a country to bend to his will or he will impose tariffs that will raise prices in America... or is he perhaps so damn dumb he believes the coffee growers of America can increase production? *laughs*

I’m similarly situated here in solid blue The People’s Republic of California. Our Republicans passed the hateful anti-immigrant Prop 187 twenty-some years ago and are suffering the backlash to this day. A State party perennially in disarray, they are generally only competitive out in the sticks aka Eastern California, where I live.

I don’t expect perfection out of my blue California government. I’m sure there will be at least some overreach and the obligatory touch of corruption. But that’s it. So I really don’t need to pay attention to my state and can focus on the national and international stuff.

First, some months ago this site started signing me out in between visits, and by now having to sign back in is…annoying.

Second, when signing back in I’m warned that your website is “unsecured”. Following that posting a comment draws the same “This form is not secure” warning.

And now my properly formatted links are going straight to your website’s 404 — Page Not Found.

Dunno if there’s anything to be done but at least now you know about it.

____________________00______________
___________________0000_____________
__________________000000____________
_______00_________000000__________00
________0000______000000______00000_
________000000____0000000___0000000_
_________000000___0000000_0000000___
__________0000000_000000_0000000____
____________000000_00000_000000_____
____0000_____000000_000_0000__000000
_____000000000__0000_0_000_000000000
________000000000__0_0_0_000000000__
____________0000000000000000________
_________________000_0_0000_________
_______________00000_0__00000_______
______________00_____0______00______
____________________________________

So, I raised a few glasses in your honour. And, suddenly, was inspired to start reading Our Divided Beginnings, again and wondering whatever became of it.

Here's a little side note ... lately, I have stopped watching the broadcast news in my country and yours. On my side of the border, we are blessed with ridiculously competent government - nationally, at least. We still have Alberta to deal with. So I don't have to follow it too closely. Of course, I stopped watching CNN on a regular basis quite a while ago. I have entered my perennial cycle of asinine media avoidance.

What I have been watching is the Business Network - Bloomberg, equally focused on Canada and the US as well as China, from a political and financial perspective. Long story, short - Trump is so much easier to take that way as we chuckle over his funny Truth Social pronouncements. The latest being about an ambiguous 50% tariff on copper. ;)

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Heh.

Only three and a half more long years...Cheers!

If you think about it, the logical path to top mental health is to stop following the antics of the Republican administration and its leader entirely.

Have a great day off, Chris!