The Trump Card...

Ragman · 2026-04-12T11:08:15-0400

I’m glad to see that Donald Trump is working so hard to end his war with Iran that — as our military continues to risk their lives — he still had time to attend a UFC fight in Miami.

Always good to see our tax dollars being spent wisely.

I’m sure the Republican Party and conservative media would be completely fine with — and fully supportive of — a Democrat doing the exact same thing.

ATeam · 2026-04-12T11:15:59-0400

Did Joe Biden Do This?

"Trump promised to cut electric costs in half. Bills in energy-rich West Virginia now top mortgages." (Source)

ATeam · 2026-04-12T11:18:08-0400

muttly said:
“The others stood solid”. I didn’t check after two totally fabricated quotes by two different people on the list I picked at random, I just smdh and cackled out loud realizing It was just internet slop.

Is Trump's dementia slop? Do you believe he suffers from this disease?

ATeam · 2026-04-12T11:19:27-0400

muttly said:
Apparently we have online psychiatrists with “expert” analysis along with political pontificators. View attachment 24735

As I have said before, I don't need to be a certified meteorologist to tell you it's raining.

ATeam · 2026-04-12T11:20:58-0400

muttly said:
A large collection of Strait Of Hormuz tolls by Iran has been grossly exaggerated.

If that is the case, why did Trump just announce he will seize on the high seas (an act of piracy by the way - an impeachable offense) any ship that paid such a toll, and why did he blockade the Straight of Hormuz? You don't need to invent an answer here. Look at Trump's own statements. He tells you.

And about that blockade, didn't he say he wanted the Straight open? Iran closed it. Now Trump is blockading it too. The two nations are now partners in halting all oil flow. Let me guess ... 4-dimensional chess, right? Art of the Deal, right?

How about this instead? Trump has lost his marbles and has no idea what he is doing.

ATeam · 2026-04-12T15:43:56-0400

The Great Red State of West Virginia

Since watching a continuous hour of YouTube posts and news videos from West Virginia showing business owners and individuals struggling with their electric bills, I have not been able to put the scenes out of my mind.

People are reporting that their electric bill is now higher than their mortgage payment.
A woman who owned a bakery, fired 3 employees when high electric rates forced her out of business. She is now selling cupcakes out of a kiosk at a farmers market trying to get by.
A family is using a space heater to heat just one room, to save every energy dime they can.
Another business owner closed two of his 3 locations to try to survive.
A woman who says she tries to be optimistic is reduced to tears as she speaks of falling further and further behind every time the electric bill comes.

Such is life under Trump in West Virginia. And I fear this is a preview of what's about to come to other states too.

A common refrain in these videos is "I didn't vote for this." That is correct. No one is going to vote for devastatingly high energy costs. But you did vote for the man who is bringing this realty into your homes and businesses. And now you get to live with that.

ATeam · 2026-04-12T17:58:07-0400

Hungary Election: Trump Buddy Victor Orban Voted Out by a Landslide

In what is widely seen as a huge blow to the the global far-right movement, and a big boost to the European Union and NATO, Hungarian voters elected Orban's opponent not by a majority but by a supermajority for the new president, Péter Magyar, and parliament too. Trump and Putin both lost a friendly figure in this election. And given the astounding margin with which the voters spoke, change will certainly come. While Hungary is a member of both the EU and NATO, Orban was a hard-right, authoritarian-leaning blocking force. No more. The voters put a firm end to that today.

Over the years, the political pendulum swings from left to right and back again. With US Republican popularity in the toilet, feeble Trump on his last legs, and elections like we just saw in Hungary, I'm hopeful that we've seen the swing to the right hit its limit, and the swing back toward the middle beginning now.

Meaning for Trump: Trump issued his "Complete and Total Endorsement" of Orban, telling Hungarian voters that he would position America’s economic might behind Hungary if Orban won. Voter response to that amounted to two middle fingers. Vance's personal visit to Hungary just days ago to hold rallies to support Orban counted for nothing with the voters. The Trump/Vance support may have even worked against Orban. By this election, Orban is out and Trump/Vance are diminished figures on the world stage.

Importantly, Trump and Putin can no longer count on Hungary to veto EU aid to Ukraine or stall sanctions against Russia

muttly · 2026-04-12T18:09:39-0400

ATeam said:
Is Trump's dementia slop? Do you believe he suffers from this disease?

No

ATeam · 2026-04-12T18:15:43-0400

muttly said:
No

That is a belief you are entitled to maintain. There is no point in debating the point with you any further. I'm content to let nature take its course to prove me right. If Trump lives long enough, the symptoms of his dementia will become so obvious that only the intentionally blind will be unable to see it.

muttly · 2026-04-12T18:30:31-0400

ATeam said:
If that is the case, why did Trump just announce he will seize on the high seas (an act of piracy by the way - an impeachable offense) any ship that paid such a toll, and why did he blockade the Straight of Hormuz? You don't need to invent an answer here. Look at Trump's own statements. He tells you.

And about that blockade, didn't he say he wanted the Straight open? Iran closed it. Now Trump is blockading it too. The two nations are now partners in halting all oil flow. Let me guess ... 4-dimensional chess, right? Art of the Deal, right?

How about this instead? Trump has lost his marbles and has no idea what he is doing.

Did you know that if a vessel travels through the strait and is hit by Iran, it is a war crime? The more you know.

muttly · 2026-04-12T18:47:32-0400

ATeam said:
That is a belief you are entitled to maintain. There is no point in debating the point with you any further. I'm content to let nature take its course to prove me right. If Trump lives long enough, the symptoms of his dementia will become so obvious that only the intentionally blind will be unable to see it.

Hopefully he’ll live out his term. In the meantime some have to accept that Trump was duly elected and entitled to 4 years of his presidency instead of getting undermined by the Russia collusion hoax or this 25th amendment nonsense.

ATeam · 2026-04-12T18:54:22-0400

muttly said:
Did you know that if a vessel travels through the strait and is hit by Iran, it is a war crime? The more you know.

Of course I knew that. Most people do. What's your point?

ATeam · 2026-04-12T18:56:09-0400

muttly said:
Hopefully he’ll live out his term. In the meantime some have to accept that Trump was duly elected and entitled to 4 years of his presidency instead of getting undermined by the Russia collusion hoax or this 25th amendment nonsense.

Trump is entitled to serve out his term if the people who are empowered to do so do not remove him under the 25th Amendment or impeach and convict him. Both possibilities are increasingly likely as his dementia progresses and as the midterm elections approach.

muttly · 2026-04-12T18:56:53-0400

ATeam said:
If that is the case, why did Trump just announce he will seize on the high seas (an act of piracy by the way - an impeachable offense) any ship that paid such a toll, and why did he blockade the Straight of Hormuz? You don't need to invent an answer here. Look at Trump's own statements. He tells you.

And about that blockade, didn't he say he wanted the Straight open? Iran closed it. Now Trump is blockading it too. The two nations are now partners in halting all oil flow. Let me guess ... 4-dimensional chess, right? Art of the Deal, right?

How about this instead? Trump has lost his marbles and has no idea what he is doing.

Iran may have collected a handful of tolls that were illegally extorted. But that’s a tiny amount compared to what was blustered about that they were getting. By the way, it’s illegal on multiple laws to extort tolls from vessels. Trump is just making sure that doesn’t happen. Solid Trump.

ATeam · 2026-04-12T19:03:08-0400

muttly said:
Iran may have collected a handful of tolls that were illegally extorted. But that’s a tiny amount compared to what was blustered about that they were getting. By the way, it’s illegal on multiple laws to extort tolls from vessels. Trump is just making sure that doesn’t happen. Solid Trump.

Solid law-breaking Trump. Seizing ships on the high seas is piracy ... a crime.

With years of state-sponsored terrorism, and now the control of the Straight of Hormuz, Iran is an outlaw nation. It's a theocracy, not a democracy, that brutally suppresses its people and limits their freedoms. Iran has few redeeming features. But none of that entitles Trump to start wars and commit crimes. His crazed state has visited more harm on the American people than anything Iran ever did.

muttly · 2026-04-12T19:16:05-0400

ATeam said:
Solid law-breaking Trump. Seizing ships on the high seas is piracy ... a crime.

With years of state-sponsored terrorism, and now the control of the Straight of Hormuz, Iran is an outlaw nation. It's a theocracy, not a democracy, that brutally suppresses its people and limits their freedoms. Iran has few redeeming features. But none of that entitles Trump to start wars and commit crimes. His crazed state has visited more harm on the American people than anything Iran ever did.

No, he’s preventing the piracy and the illegal extortion to travel through international waters.

muttly · 2026-04-12T19:26:53-0400

The U.S. navy is clearing a path of any mines. Vessels can then use that route to ensure safe passage. And also not agree to be illegally extorted by Iran. The U.S. is preventing the piracy . Also, Iran would be committing a war crime if they hit any commercial vessel. It’s a win win for the U.S. and a lose lose for Iran.