11 Comments
Mar 9Liked by Dan Gardner

Churchill was a master of the language and had no qualms about crafting a phrase as a trap or stealing good material. For instance, he swiped "iron curtain" from Josef Goebbels, who first used it in Das Reich on Feb. 5, 1945, and in his diary the next month.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/09/26/origin-of-the-term-iron-curtain/eba1de60-f26d-4c40-a069-37229c04e2b9/

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Accurate description of, and warning about, Trump.

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Great history; will definitely look up the Gordon / United Church role. I especially share the feeling of holding my breath until November. Although I am feeling a little more sanguine (sensibly I hope). Just a brief edit - I think you meant Ian Bremmer, not Brewer.

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Ah, auto-correct. Thanks for the heads-up.

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And having taken my own (excellent) advice I find this little epigraph: "It is Nixon himself who represents that dark, venal and incurable violent side of the American character almost every other country in the world has learned to fear and despise." - Hunter S. Thompson.

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Personally, I would be thrilled if you “only watched” don’t you have enough to do in your frozen, desolate country? Talk about bad leaders. Trudeau is a walking example of a poor politician. Minding your own business would be refreshing for us Trump voters.

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Excellent. We're agreed then. We'll mind our own business and you will, of course, do the same. Right?

Naturally, that would would mean scrapping your global military and intelligence apparatus, ending your habit of firing missiles at those who displease you, and ceasing to use your economic and military power to bully other countries into doing as you wish. But wait! The man you voted for hasn't promised to do any of that. In fact, he's made it very clear he intends to ramp it all up.

And you want foreigners to "mind their own business"? I am reminded Jesus and the parable of the moat and the beam.

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Interesting chart of the Pew research. It reflects what I’ve been thinking for a while, that Americans are already becoming the most hated people in the world. Except maybe Russia, ha. I’ll be travelling through the UK this summer, and something tells me I better dig out my old Canada hat. Don’t want to be, er, mis-nationed.

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Yes. I would hate for the Europeans to mislabel the child whose parent may have died defending their country

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This is a great time to re-read "Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail." Would that the man were alive today to cover The Mouth on his campaign jet - and courtrooms. Nixon was Lucas's model for the Emperor and Kissinger for Darth Vader. Just about right. Keeping the world "free" for American imperialism.

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America's greatest president, President Bartlett of The West Wing, was prescient when he said, "I want to lead the world not bully it." It does depend on how we define leadership. I think it's influencing people with ideas and that's all leaders need. On that basis, prior to the 2016 election I said that either way, the leader of the free world would be a woman, Clinton or Merkel. I don't say I was right but I had the right idea.

BTW, I enjoyed the call back to Ralph Connor. I read him as a kid; had forgotten him; and knew neither his real name nor his claim to a phrase we are all too familiar with.

As always, thanks for your posts.

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