The US is a Banana Republic

[nigel99 474]

Reviving this thread because frankly the US has demonstrated that is far from the model of democracy that it pretends to be, and is well in the way to being a typical banana republic.,

The fact that the system allows for blatant disregard of the law by politicians is shameful. In fact I would imagine the US would be towards the bottom of the Western countries leaderboard. 

It goes well beyond Trump, he is just the symptom. The refusal of politicians to vote based on morality or adherence to law, but rather vote on their back pocket is a horrible reflection of American society and values. 
 

[kallend 2,027]

So three US senators (GOP)  meet and confer with Trump's defense lawyers prior to the defense presentation in the impeachment trial.  The same senators that form the jury in the trial.

We certainly wouldn't allow defense attorneys to confer privately with the jury in a criminal trial.  Immediate grounds for a mistrial.

WTF?  Banana republic indeed.

 

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

1 hour ago, kallend said:

So three US senators (GOP)  meet and confer with Trump's defense lawyers prior to the defense presentation in the impeachment trial.  The same senators that form the jury in the trial.

We certainly wouldn't allow defense attorneys to confer privately with the jury in a criminal trial.  Immediate grounds for a mistrial.

WTF?  Banana republic indeed.

 

As I noted in the "Impeachment" thread, 15 'jurors' found better things to do than listen to testimony yesterday.

I'd love to see them be told that they can't vote at the end. Not gonna happen, but it would be cool to see them held accountable for their actions.

[obelixtim 150]

This farce shows why the rest of the world is pointing at the US and laughing. What a joke.

[JoeWeber 2,720]

On 2/12/2021 at 10:18 AM, kallend said:

So three US senators (GOP)  meet and confer with Trump's defense lawyers prior to the defense presentation in the impeachment trial.  The same senators that form the jury in the trial.

We certainly wouldn't allow defense attorneys to confer privately with the jury in a criminal trial.  Immediate grounds for a mistrial.

WTF?  Banana republic indeed.

 

Relax. They were just showing a little good 'ol, back home, republican unity.

[wmw999 2,447]

I'm waiting for the meme showing them, or any of the senators obviously not paying attention, with the caption "would they have voted to convict the Birmingham church bomber?"

Wendy P.

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

I kinda like the one asking how the Nuremburg trials would have ended had half the juries been Nazis.

[obelixtim 150]

I think the thread title is a bit of an insult to Banana Republics.

[JoeWeber 2,720]

21 minutes ago, obelixtim said:

I think the thread title is a bit of an insult to Banana Republics.

Indeed. So, where do you guy's get your banana's? Seriously, Tim, NZ is a cool place but you press things to join an insult made by folks who also pressed things. 

[obelixtim 150]

4 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

Indeed. So, where do you guy's get your banana's? Seriously, Tim, NZ is a cool place but you press things to join an insult made by folks who also pressed things. 

I am sitting within 5 metres of a banana tree which is growing outside my window.

And I wouldn't consider my observation as an insult. Most banana republics have one corrupt politician calling the shots. The US have a bunch of self serving senators allowing their ex president off the hook for something he quite clearly instigated. And seeing the sheer numbers of people who still believe his bullshit makes the rest of the planet despair for American democracy. The ignorance on display is breath taking. 

Thus the US has lost the trust and respect it once enjoyed from most of the free world. Even if the US manages to expunge the corruption in full view of the rest of the world, it is doubtful that trust will ever be earned back. Making 45 pay for his crimes would just be the start, and seeing some of his bootlicking enablers like Graham, Cruz et al thrown out would also help.  

 The US is definitely on the banana republic list.

[gowlerk 2,192]

5 hours ago, obelixtim said:

The US is definitely on the banana republic list.

Banana republics are controlled by people from the outside, typically the US. But other western nations have run them from afar as well. They have a strong man figurehead who is beholden to a foreign actor. The US is not a banana republic, however it is showing signs of being some sort of over ripe fruit rotting from within. So Joe gets upset because he doesn't feel like his nation deserves that name. Maybe we could call it a soft decaying watermelon republic instead?

The R party senators and the party in general let Trump off because they understand that the stain of being the party of the only ever convicted POTUS would mark and scar them even deeper than they already have been.

[JoeWeber 2,720]

6 hours ago, obelixtim said:

I am sitting within 5 metres of a banana tree which is growing outside my window.

And I wouldn't consider my observation as an insult. Most banana republics have one corrupt politician calling the shots. The US have a bunch of self serving senators allowing their ex president off the hook for something he quite clearly instigated. And seeing the sheer numbers of people who still believe his bullshit makes the rest of the planet despair for American democracy. The ignorance on display is breath taking. 

Thus the US has lost the trust and respect it once enjoyed from most of the free world. Even if the US manages to expunge the corruption in full view of the rest of the world, it is doubtful that trust will ever be earned back. Making 45 pay for his crimes would just be the start, and seeing some of his bootlicking enablers like Graham, Cruz et al thrown out would also help.  

 The US is definitely on the banana republic list.

Thanks for the analysis. Now I can just sit back and watch New Zealand lead the western worlds democracies back to greatness.

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

9 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

Thanks for the analysis. Now I can just sit back and watch New Zealand lead the western worlds democracies back to greatness.

Well, they did a pretty good job containing Covid. If we had followed their lead, maybe a few hundred thousand people wouldn't have died.

Unfortunately, no matter how well one leads, unless those coming behind are willing and able to follow that leadership, it doesn't do a damned bit of good.

[JoeWeber 2,720]

1 hour ago, wolfriverjoe said:

Well, they did a pretty good job containing Covid. If we had followed their lead, maybe a few hundred thousand people wouldn't have died.

Unfortunately, no matter how well one leads, unless those coming behind are willing and able to follow that leadership, it doesn't do a damned bit of good.

If we were a small island by itself in the roaring 40's maybe we would have done as well, too. I'm currently in the ABC's, even smaller Islands, and they are also doing a good job of containing Covid. Not the same, not even close.

[Phil1111 1,149]

The damages trump did to America's reputation are being repaired right now. Because of a free press the corrupt in charge of the GOP inflicted temporary damage. World leaders understand exactly what occurred in the US and they know adults are back in the room.

A little Roundup on the banana plants that are not growing where they belong should fix things nicely. Poland has a nice banana crop starting right now. So its not as if trump was a one off.

I trust President Biden and he's only been in charge for a scant 27 days. Sometimes when there is a super size deposit in the toilet bowl it takes two flushes. Think of trump as needing a second flush to send him off where he can properly be digested.

Edited February 16, 2021 by Phil1111

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

31 minutes ago, Phil1111 said:

...Sometimes when there is a super size deposit in the toilet bowl it takes two flushes. Think of trump as needing a second flush to send him off where he can properly be digested.

Well, the first flush didn't work.
Hopefully GA & NY will be able to properly flush him when they take their turn.

[gowlerk 2,192]

1 minute ago, wolfriverjoe said:

Well, the first flush didn't work.
Hopefully GA & NY will be able to properly flush him when they take their turn.

No one really knows yet what longer term influence him and his followers will have. The 2022 mid-terms will tell a lot of that story.

[obelixtim 150]

6 hours ago, gowlerk said:

Banana republics are controlled by people from the outside, typically the US. But other western nations have run them from afar as well. They have a strong man figurehead who is beholden to a foreign actor. The US is not a banana republic, however it is showing signs of being some sort of over ripe fruit rotting from within. So Joe gets upset because he doesn't feel like his nation deserves that name. Maybe we could call it a soft decaying watermelon republic instead?

The R party senators and the party in general let Trump off because they understand that the stain of being the party of the only ever convicted POTUS would mark and scar them even deeper than they already have been.

I thought old mate Vlad was doing a pretty good job of pulling the strings attached to 45.

The Saudi crime boss had his fingers in the pie as well.

Edited February 16, 2021 by obelixtim

[obelixtim 150]

5 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

Thanks for the analysis. Now I can just sit back and watch New Zealand lead the western worlds democracies back to greatness.

We don't need to lead. You just need to follow.