rgmwa

Yes, her various businesses keep a lot of people employed, makes her rich and helps the country's exports, so everyone's happy. Her wealth also buys her a lot of political influence and whether or not that's a good thing depends on whether you agree with her political views. She's too much like Trump in my opinion.

It’s reported that he had a pump action shotgun, a handgun and three knives. The ballroom is on the second level basement. He only got onto the first basement level before being stopped by security, so he was never going to get very far with the weapons he had. The real security issue is that he got as far as he did. Also, that the first, second, fourth and fifth people directly in line to replace the president were in the same room.

No. Just incompetent, vindictive and ignorant.

No, I'm not. I have no respect for Trump and I think he's a disaster for the US and the world, but I don't wish him dead.

Hate is a very strong word that I think would apply to very few. I've never met anyone who said they hate or despise Australia. Have you? Those that genuinely do would very likely feel the same about their home country, or any other country for that matter. They are also free to leave if they want to. Even lots of immigrants from the UK couldn't decide whether they liked Australia or not and kept coming and going for years.

No, I'm pretty balanced. My feast and famine sides cancel each other out.

GON, I'm using both sides my brain to follow your arguments and logic, but not having a lot of luck so far.

Have a look at the `Let's talk about Artificial Intelligence' thread on here. There's been a fair bit of discussion about it, and it's in the news a lot too. I don't think anybody knows where AI is heading but there seems to be plenty of scope for both good and bad outcomes.

I think what Rnx is saying is that we're all doomed.

Who's the `we' in this, and where do you get the idea that people with left wing views `hate' Australia? That's the kind of stuff that Trump and his cohort say to whip up anger among their supporters. I don't believe that anyone on this forum hates Australia, no matter what their views are.

My dad served in the Dutch army as an anti-tank gunner before Germany invaded Holland. He and his crew actually derailed one of the returning German troop trains on its way back to the border after delivering troops to the Rotterdam area on the morning of the invasion. They were also involved in a number of rearguard actions before Holland capitulated. In his later years he decided that despite not being a naturalised Australian he should be entitled to walk in the Anzac parade and take part in the Dawn Service as an allied soldier even though he wasn't an Anzac, so he did. One year he was very proud to be able to march with his grand daughter who was in uniform. She is currently a captain in the Navy. At his funeral in 2016 some local RSL volunteers played the Last Post in accordance with his wishes. Many years ago I went with him on a trip back to Holland, my first time going overseas. We were in a museum in Eindhoven one day and there was a photo among the exhibits of a wrecked locomotive and carriages lying on their sides. He pointed to it and said; "I did that".

Well, in that case I'm not in the tribe then either, although I know about Gelignite Jack, Jack Sue (his old dive shop is not far from me), and CKS. Does that make me more eligible?

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What Trump meant by respect was not admiration, but more like the `respect' a Mafia mob boss wants.

Half the rowers are pulling on imaginary oars in the wrong direction. Does that mean the country is going nowhere?

Cleaning up the mess he’s created will be a major headache for whoever comes after him. He has knocked the US off its perch in terms of how the rest of the world sees it now, and it will never fully recover. Not much of a legacy to brag about. The reason he’s erecting so many monuments to himself is that he knows nobody else will.

Yes, I think the Nation part is pretty questionable. First inhabitants would be more accurate and traditional Australians seems OK to me as a differentiator if you needed one.

You will have to ask GON what a Traditional Australian is. I guess First Nations people should qualify given the length of time they have been here.

In my previous company, we once did a quick headcount and came up with 14 different nationalities. We are a multicultural country and by and large a pretty successful one, but not without associated problems such as crime and gangs. However, the vast majority of immigrants are good people who just want to get on with their lives and be decent citizens. As Jerry said, the only traditional Australians are the First Nations people. The rest of us are all new arrivals by comparison.

What does a `Traditional Aussie' look like in your view?

There's been speculation about who might succeed Trump when he finally goes, or who he might endorse. Vance or Rubio would be the obvious choices, but there is a view that he doesn't want anyone to replace him because he couldn't stand the thought of not being at the centre of things. I think there's some merit in that view and that he would rather take the ship down with him than have somebody else take over the Republican side. He might even be happier to see a Democrat as president than someone from his own side who would replace him as the centre of the universe in the US.

Thanks to my parents I'm a post war immigrant from Holland so the impact on me personally has been quite significant. Likewise, I think our family's impact on Australia has been quite significant, but that's just my opinion.

Do you include European immigrants as Traditional Australians, or does your definition just describe the descendants of the colonial era immigrants (some might say invaders) who were born here (except for the Chinese, I suppose).

There's zero chance of him being awarded a Nobel prize of any sort.

Mark Kelly seems to be generally well liked. At this stage it’s anyone’s guess who ends up running for the Democrats. My comment was more about what the Democrats are for. They are all united in their opposition to Trump and his regime but their vision for the country is less clear at this point.