141 Comments
User's avatar
MLR's avatar

Remember when Turkey also a NATO ally wouldn’t allow us using Turkey to invade Iraq? It seems that our allies are only allied with us when it suits them. Erdogan is an Islamist and Starmer is a communist perhaps that has something to do with this issue. We need a better way to vet our true allies.

EODMom's avatar

NATO just seems a doghouse filled with fleas. Turkey and its hostility is just one of the reasons to quit it. If they ain’t freedom loving, they ain’t an ally.

Suzie's avatar

The situation occurring in the world today often reminds me of when Moses, after having just received the 10 Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai, came down only to find the people had fallen back into idol worship.

When Moses descended from Mount Sinai and saw the Israelites worshipping the golden calf, he was enraged. He threw down the two tablets of stone he had received from God, breaking them at the foot of the mountain. Moses then burned the golden calf in a fire, ground it to powder, and mixed it with water, forcing the people to drink it as a test. He confronted Aaron, who admitted to collecting the gold and casting it into the fire, claiming it "came out as a calf." Moses called for those loyal to God to stand with him, and the Levites obeyed, killing three thousand of the idolaters. Despite the severity of the sin, Moses interceded for the people, and God relented from destroying them entirely.

We’re very much experiencing a similar sorting event these days.

Damn the torpedoes's avatar

Nothing is new in the world today when it comes to human nature.

donald b welch's avatar

exactly correct. not a thing. no exceptions.

Retirednottired's avatar

Yes, but so far, it is not the evil faction which is dying.

Gail W's avatar

I'd refine your last sentence even a bit more: IF they ain't AMERICA loving, they ain't an ally.

Retirednottired's avatar

I have never understood why Turkey, of all countries, is a NATO member. It is an Islamist nation, who will turn coat on us when it suits their interest to do so.

Gary Jacobson's avatar

It began when Turkey was secular and provided proximity to the U.S.S.R. for air and middle deployment. That changed with the fall of the Soviet Union 35 years ago and the rise of Erdogan 25 years ago.

It

Forbes's avatar

NATO has outlived its purpose and usefulness. Specifically, the Soviet Union ceased, along with the Warsaw Pact countries in league with it, that NATO officially opposed. What remained of NATO is a political boondoggle dressed up as a military alliance opposing a ghost.

I go back to George Washington's farewell address where he discussed foreign relations, the dangers of permanent alliances and foreign entanglements. He urged avoiding long-term friendly relations or rivalries, as such will cloud the government's judgment in its foreign policy. He argued that alliances are likely to draw the United States into wars that have no benefit to the country. Alliances threaten to influence the American government into making decisions based upon the interest of allies instead of the interest of the American people. In a phrase, we have permanent interests but not permanent allies (allies having their own permanent interests).

It's really time to move on from 1945.

JR's avatar

Starmer is a communist fashioned along China's version without its capitalist flavor. Therefore, Mauritius having China whispering in its ear doesn't bother Starmer in the least. World stability be damned, just like the UKs stability under his control.

dancingtime's avatar

Well....Starmer will soon be the PM of an Islamic country so there's that....

TishalaFaye's avatar

For about 5 minutes.

dancingtime's avatar

And, if he has a pet dog, that dog will last even less time. Who are these people who say that dogs shouldn't be indoors....I was so glad when the military stopped leaving their military dogs behind in countries which hate dogs...but the handlers had to fight for it...

Grumpy Oldman's avatar

pull our troops, England & Germany’s economies collapse overnight.

dancingtime's avatar

They are doing very well collapsing on their own....that would just push them over the top sooner...

Playswithneedles's avatar

Perhaps Starmer should do a little research on WWII and where we staged attacks which won the war in Europe. Or maybe he would prefer to now be speaking German.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Starmer does have a German sound to it.

Wim de Vriend's avatar

Well, there is this: Der Stürmer (= The Storm Trooper, or The Attacker) was an outrageously antisemitic newspaper founded by Julius Streicher in 1923. The paper died in 1945 and Streicher the following year, the main reason being that he was hanged at Nuremberg.

WTPuck's avatar

I call him Herr Schtarmer.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Well, Herr does rhyme Keir

Robert Brusca's avatar

Rhymes with 'charmer' as in snake charmer.

donald b welch's avatar

i wouldn't trust starmer with my cat (s) pan.

Alice Ball's avatar

Gilligan’s Other Island!! Of course. Starmer is incompetent. Sometimes I look around at Dems here and many European politicians and wonder, why are stupid people in charge??

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Where else other than politics can stupid people succeed - look no further than the US House & Senate - there are way too many in those institutions.

Sam Prentice's avatar

Lacking in common sense along with intelligence is a job requirement for congress. There is a reason satirists have always had a special place in their hearts for politicians!

Reddog's avatar

Brings up another issue. The constitution sets the rules for how many Reps and Senators a state has. It says nothing about political representation. How about we dissolve political organizations completely and simply choose those people on the basis of what they have done for the state they propose to represent? Who do they work for, their state that elected them or a political entity? Political organizations have become toxic to the well being of our country.

Suzie's avatar

Actually the Constitution does set limits to just two Senators from each state, and Representation in the House is based on state population as determined by the decennial census.

Suzie's avatar

But I think I get your point about party representation. Historically, however, third party candidates only manage to disadvantage the main party and have much harder time getting elected, not to mention raising money.

It really the money that largely rigs the game. No surprise there.

Reddog's avatar

Yes, I was referring to our current practice of electing members to represent, in effect, a party rather than their state. With fundraising being a national source of campaigning today, you can argue that voters in a state have only a minor role in who represents their state. This is at the heart of why we end up with duds in our elected offices today. Time to figure out a way to get national money out of state elections. .

Jeremy R's avatar

We just need to limit campaign donations to the district they represent and bar others from participating.

Also bar donations from corporations.

TeaPartyGal's avatar

Or, MAGA needs to become more active in the state Party apparatuses and dominate them.

Wim de Vriend's avatar

Not possible. There is such a thing as Freedom of Association.

Joe LaGreca's avatar

In some cases - yes. But, sometimes we have no choice. I live in NY & am forced to vote for a RINO in order to prevent a DEM from taking that seat. My district has flip-flopped from DEM to RINO since I moved here in 1987. As far as voting for the US Senate, my vote is meaningless. The NY GOP hasn't even put up a formidable candidate for Senate in years. So, we're stuck with Chuckie Cheese & his sock-puppet Gillibrand.

Sam Prentice's avatar

I wouldn't call my senators, Murphy and Blumenthal, as an improvement over yours!

Joe LaGreca's avatar

Your 2 Senators & my 2 NY Senators are the scum of the earth. The only positive thing about Gillibrand is that she's in hiding most of the time.

TeaPartyGal's avatar

Same comment as to Sam Prentice above. It would be so cool for the clear MAGA people commenting here to be (pleasantly and charmingly) confronting the long-term RINO's at these meetings.

tj's avatar

I am in the same boat. It is mostly RINOs and Dims. Lordy I wish we could get some real Republicans.

Grumpy Oldman's avatar

bring back dueling…no more jacka$$e$!

TeaPartyGal's avatar

YOU'RE a real Republican, TJ--you'd be great!

tj's avatar

If I were younger, I would. I dont have the stamina right now.

Lee's avatar

Starmer would be a janitor if the Iron Lady was still PM.

Robert Brusca's avatar

Ah...more sweeping change.

TishalaFaye's avatar

He wouldn't even be allowed in the building.

Albert P. Sweeney's avatar

Good Friday my fellow Surber-ites! Trumpland IS the choice!! Or perhaps “Islando el Donaldo”.

He can secure the island forever by reminding the brits they can fight their own damn wars from now on.

These as*-wipe Europeans will be begging for our military to save them within the next few years.

The “Art of the Deal” is strong.

Have a great weekend Surber Pals!

Wim de Vriend's avatar

How about "The Melanias", kind of like "The Marianas"?

Sam Prentice's avatar

Depends on the topography of the island?

Shrugged's avatar

I see what you did there . . and I agree.

Sam Prentice's avatar

The problem with your choice is that the name will already be taken when Greenland is renamed as Trumpland. We'll have to settle for South Trumpland or maybe Trumpland Isle.

Richard Luthmann's avatar

Keir Starmer’s Diego Garcia gambit is not diplomacy. It is strategic malpractice. That 12-square-mile atoll is a floating fortress for American power projection. B-2 bombers launch from there. Tankers refuel there. It is the hinge between Africa, the Middle East, and the Indo-Pacific. Handing sovereignty to Mauritius—while cutting £10 billion rent checks—telegraphs weakness to Beijing and Tehran. The United Nations does not command the free world’s security architecture. Allies do not obstruct access in a crisis, then plead “international law” when deterrence is on the line. Margaret Thatcher defended the Falklands. Starmer flirts with surrender. America must secure Diego Garcia—by leverage, lease, or purchase—and make clear: strategic choke points are not bargaining chips.

Shrugged's avatar

Amen. It's Greenland, Part 2.

No compromise.

John Wiles's avatar

I didn't like 'Trumpland' as it's a little 'in your face' of a message. However, 'South Greenland' has a meaning that has a broader and leaves one questioning, "What's next?" I wish 'South Cuba' could have been a choice, but I believe we will get there, and the Cuban people will love it. Trump is working the 4 dimensional chess board, and he is the one who knows the 'game' better than anyone else. However, he is 'teaching' some fine followers 'the art of the deal'. There is HOPE. We are the light of the world, whether the dark parts of the world understand that or not.

Steve Boggs's avatar

‘Light set on a hill’, maybe.

I believe there’s a heavenly copyright on ‘Light of the World’, and Trump can’t buy that even with the artiest of deals.

Danimal28's avatar

And didn't our "State Department(sans Rubio)" agree to negotiate for its release until Trump Truthed?

Starmer and his Globalists keep trying to F us wherever they can. I appreciate the British People, but they have to get rid of the globalists ruining the world.

Suzie's avatar

There is a brand new party being formed now in the UK, the “Restore Party”, headed by Rupert Lowe.

The Reform Party, headed by the feckless Nigel Farage, has shown itself, Farage himself actually, to be a quisling sellout.

Check out this video announcing Restore’s debut…

https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/2022394419685822647?s=20

TeaPartyGal's avatar

What a fantastic link to Rupert Lowes announcement. He SOUNDS great, and probably is "the real thing". We don't want to see the Save Britain groups fight too much among themselves and splinter the vote on the Right (ensuring the Left wins again), but if they could coalesce around someone like Lowes it would be great.

Britain has needed a real leader to step forward, I hope Rupert Lowes is it.

Danimal28's avatar

Will do. I have been wondering what happened to Nigel... He used to be a regular on Bannon, etc., but has not been around. I wonder if health is an issue.

Suzie's avatar

Not his physical health - more like his mental health. He’s actually been cozying up to the Islamists and pretty much has lost the plot when it comes to remembering what is was that got him where he is. He’s become a UK version of our RINO’s.

Many “Reformers” as a result, are abandoning that ship for “Restore”.

Reddog's avatar

I wouldn’t characterize him as a traitor just yet. He has moved the political discussion more by himself than anyone in the last 50 years. Reclaiming a country is a process, not a one step deal.

Danimal28's avatar

Is it money? I follow the chiquitas at prometheanaction.com who detail the British Bankers' methods, etc.

Suzie's avatar

It’s always money and/or power that corrupt.

Reddog's avatar

Hes a member of Parliament, is he not?

WTPuck's avatar

First they have to get rid of the muslims the politicians are afraid of.

Danimal28's avatar

That is a very true statement. I will never yield to muslims. Ever.

Sam Prentice's avatar

And one thing for sure is that you never stick your neck out for them!

Reddog's avatar

The UK has its moments but one could argue that they have been in decline ever since they let a bunch of rebels with pitchforks kick them out of the “colony”. Why Scotland and others put up with England and its United Kingdom today is beyond me. England has had a death wish for a couple hundred years with its elitist attitudes. It would be acting far differently with its decisions if it were not for the NATO umbrella.

WTPuck's avatar

I think Elizabeth II was the only thing holding that hot mess together. She was apparently the only person there with any sanity.

Suzie's avatar

Have you heard of the State Department’s new website they’re launching soon, Freedom.gov, which will make it possible for the people in the UK and Europe to access information that is restricted there due to their speech crushing Digital Services Act.

Let FREEDOM OF SPEECH REIGN!!

Way to go, Secretary Rubio!Heh 😏

Shrugged's avatar

IP-Based Geolocation will block access to the website by country, city, even by street-level location. Technology helps the good guys and the bad guys equally.

Grumpy Oldman's avatar

Hmmm, North Greenland and South Greenland? I like it!

Time to slap the Nazi, Keir Starmer, down.

Close our embassies and bring our diplomats and staff home; relocate our military personnel and equipment to Poland, Hungary and Italy if they want them, bringing the rest home.

STOP all economic aid to the Nazi outpost of Englandistan. They are not our ally of yesteryear.

As Mr. Surber noted, we have nothing in common with the faggoty French, Nazi Germans and English terrorists - ChiCom puppets all.

Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher have turned over in their graves.

It would also be a great time to finally jettison our ties to the UN and NATO, both useless and anachronistic organizations.

Reddog's avatar

Remember, Starmer didn't get in office thru a magic trick, a lot of people had to support him and there lies the problem. They are a socialist government and the people are heavily invested in what their government can do for them. Should be a warning for us here if we bother to learn from their mistake.

TeaPartyGal's avatar

And the Left is already actively, very aggressively, rigging the next election.

Grumpy Oldman's avatar

Americans are just as stupid, Reddog.

65,000,000 dumba$$e$ voted for Dumbo, while 81,000,000 even stupider dumba$$e$ voted for Briben.

Sam Prentice's avatar

When you are put in jail by your own government for waving your own country's flag, you are in a great deal of trouble and there is probably no returning from that. Wave a flag, speak your mind, complain about the never-ending calls to prayer, and you will find yourself being fined and imprisoned. UK is FUBAR.

James Wills's avatar

re: Starmer refuses permission for US to base Iranian strikes at Diego Garcia. Do tell.... paraphrasing Uncle Joe Stalin, how many divisions does Prime Minister Starmer have? Since nobody but the US is standing up to the world's aggressors, perhaps we need a little patch of land there in the Pacific to call our own - you know, to go with Greenland and Alberta.

Marlan Hoerer's avatar

Great viewpoint J.W. !

Brian LeMay's avatar

Agree , we already have it . I doubt they will attempt to take it back .

William Coulter's avatar

These “ allies” seem to be that as long as it’s our money and our blood shed for their misadventures.

Seth Kanter's avatar

Europe is gone and proving that they are unreliable, they have invited in their destroyers. BTW, I have been to Diego Garcia many times, one star, would not recommend.

Dennis's avatar

Always have a backer plan!

While he’s at it, Trump should pick up Isle of Islay, Scotland, (240 square miles) set up a staging base there, then thumb his nose at Starmer’s future pleas to defend the U.K. from the teaming hordes (from anywhere). Trump could also drop the 10 percent tariff on the really great Scotch whisky distilled there. So what if no one can pronounce Laphroaig, you can sip it. Speaking of which, it’s Friday, folks… Have a great weekend!

Jeremy R's avatar

Today is POETS Day. It stands for Piss On Everything Tomorrow's Saturday.

Dennis's avatar

Good to have at least one of those every week!

James Mead's avatar

Best explanation of the history behind this island I've seen.Thanks

Balsa wood is good for fishing lures. I suppose some bottom feeding creature would eat up Starmer

Reddog's avatar

Perhaps it is time to create a new word for the term ally, one that actually is more meaningful and appropriate today. Oh wait, we already have one, it’s called NATO. If Mr. Starmer wants to play games here, Mr Rubio should bring about an immediate discussion on the dissolution of NATO as unnecessary today. Hardball should be adopted as our national pastime again.

TeaPartyGal's avatar

This is tricky, because trying to punish Starmer (which is good) unfortunately also hurts Britain itself, which is gasping for breath and whom we need to resuscitate, not crush.

Reddog's avatar

They need to hit bottom…..hard. They just will not get it otherwise. They are past fine tuning now. They have serious structural problems. If they have any hope of reclaiming their heritage, something has to hit them at their core. Its 2x4 time in UK.