It appears that the power of Kim Kardashian moves no limits . . . at least when it comes to President Donald Trump. Kardashian reportedly called Trump to intervene after the arrest of American rapper A$AP Rocky for assault in Stockholm. As discussed earlier, Trump not only asked for bail (which is not an option in Sweden) but raised the diplomatic relations between the countries if Sweden were to continue its prosecution. Sweden understandably stuck with the rule of law and refused to simply release the rapper. Now Trump has now sent an Ambassador as an envoy to sit on a simply assault case. Ambassador Robert O’Brien “leads the U.S. government’s diplomatic efforts on overseas hostage-related matters.” The over-top-response to the case is an embarrassment for this country. Sweden is simply enforcing its laws and refusing to grant waivers for powerfully connected celebrities. We have responded by making it look like the trial of A$AP Rocky is the new Nuremberg trials.
Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, is accused with two others of beating a 19-year-old man in Stockholm on June 30. Prosecutors relied on a videotape as the key evidence in the case.
Mayers, 30, pleaded not guilty to to the assault charge and claims self-defense. It may well have been self-defense but there is no reason to question the ability of the Swedish system to adjudicate the case fairly.
Instead of trusting an ally, we send a diplomat known for dealing with hostage-related matters. Furthering the insulting narrative for Sweden, friend and rapper RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan declared that he was “disappointed that a judge cannot discern that this is not a man you hold hostage.”
For his part, Trump has declared “Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM.” We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky.”
All of this because Sweden had the temerity to arrest of powerful rapper and a friend of the Kardashians.
___
Speaking of 3rd World Shiitholes: New York City.
This is why you never give up your Right to Carry Weapons/Guns.
http://www.fox5ny.com/news/maga-hat-beating
Via usnews.com:
A Swedish Trial as Spectacle
The case of U.S. rap star A$AP Rocky, which has drawn comments from Donald Trump, shows the differences between the Swedish and U.S. judicial systems.
By Cajsa Collin ContributorAug. 1, 2019, at 4:12 p.m.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2019-08-01/trial-of-a-ap-rocky-puts-spotlight-on-countries-differing-legal-systems
Excerpt:
Mayers and his two co-defendants are accused of assaulting a 19-year-old man outside of a fast-food restaurant here in the Swedish capital on the evening of June 30. Mayers says that the alleged victim tried to punch Mayers’ bodyguard first, and that Mayers and the co-defendants asked the alleged victim to “get away” from them several times before the assault occurred. Prosecutors say the alleged victim and his friend, while perhaps rude, were non-threatening and Mayers and his group had opportunities to walk away.
If convicted, Mayers could face up to two years in prison.
Many legal scholars and experts, including Sweden’s leading criminologist and commentator, Leif GW Persson, say all three are likely to be convicted but sentenced to time served.
“The over-the-top response is an embarrassment to this country.” -JT
JT is very often an embarrassment anymore, like in this case,
It’s clear from the videos Infowars played, the Rapper & his body guards went out of their way to avoid trouble with those Islamic Nut job gang members That the Swedish govt warship.
Hell ya, those Rap guys should have just bent over that Islamic Rape Gang had their way with them.
Turley ignores any news daily of the Islamic Rapes of very young kids or like the other day Islamic Nut that threw a mother & a 9 year old in front of a train & to his Death. FOR NO REASON!
Turley says next to nothing as Western Europe & the US govt’s fall to the Globalist Banker terrorist agents like Islamic Nuts, the Commie/Fascist Antifa, etc.
AKA Tommy Robinson is sitting in prison today in the UK because he dared standing up against the Islamic wacko Rape gangs raping/Murdering young kids in the UK the LAST 10 YEARS.
A loose group of Americans came together under the name Proud Boys to defend citizens Rights of free speech on the streets from the voilent terrorist Commie/Fascist Group Antifa and are facing charges now in NY for Self Defence just as this Swedish case.
So see, that Crap is Here Now.
Ask any cop or that Dead Cop’s family that was interviewed this week,
if one let’s his defences down or hesitates when in possible danger your dead.
I’d just as soon Pres Trump repeated that W Europe is turning into a complete shiithole, issues travel advisories of where to avoid & issue a Travel Ban too & from Sweden & put Tariffs on their azzes.
ET Al: Read a few pages about what’s already happening in Sweden:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sweden+lets+off+muslim+that+raped+a+5+year+old&t=lm&ia=web
http://www.killingeurope.com/
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/07/15/killing-free-speech-documentary-exposes-far-left-propaganda-in-schools/
Much ado about very little. Let them sort it out in Sweden. Trump should have stayed out of it.
Natacha said (to Karen S),
“Why didn’t they break it off by going inside a building, calling the police, or going somewhere else? What about the earphones the victim kept mentioning? A$AP is NO victim here. In any event, it’s Sweden’s business, not yours.”
Precisely.
It should be pointed out that there is a #Justice for Rocky public campaign. Granted, just because there is a movement does not mean it is justified. The second link below is to the video. I do not think this has anything to do with Kim and Kanye, except for their bringing it to the attention of the President. Everyone can form their own opinion upon viewing it.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/31/rapper-aap-rocky-to-testify-in-sweden-assault-trial
https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/07/asap-rocky-sweden-fight-video-full/
“at one point, A$AP Rocky can be heard telling the man that he doesn’t want to fight or anyone to go to jail. “Just for the cameras, we don’t want no problems with these boys. They keep following us,” he says at one point to the camera. A second video, though, shows the man being pummeled on the street, allegedly by A$AP Rocky and members of his crew.”
There are a couple of videos. Unfortunately, they only capture two different times in the interaction; there is no continuous recording. In one, you can hear A$AP and his bodyguards repeatedly urging the alleged victim to please go the other way, and to top following and harassing them. They said they don’t want to fight with them or want any trouble. You can see the alleged victim refusing to leave. You can hear the guy keep bringing up his broken headphones. The allegation is that the alleged victim threw his headphones at the group, they broke, and then he blamed them. Then, you can see it is the alleged victim who kept hitting this enormous body guard. (Trying for the Darwin Award???) Meanwhile, the bodyguard just moved forward and tried to get the guy to retreat. After that, A$AP’s group still pled with the alleged victim to stop. When the alleged victim brought up the headphones yet again, A$AP said, you threw your headphones at him. The body guard even walks way up the street, and the two small guys just kept following him, harassing. This was after one had already punched the bodyguard repeatedly. You can hear the bodyguard saying that he cut him in the head with his headphones.
Honestly, it seemed like the alleged victim was trying to commit suicide.
What appears to have happened is that the Muslim immigrant threw his headphones at the bodyguard, cutting him in the head, for reasons not revealed on the video. Then he harassed, followed, and punched the bodyguard because he wanted money for the headphones he, himself, broke. The first video ends with a bystander, off camera, saying those same small guys just “whopped”? not sure if that’s the word, his a## and his girlfriend’s a##.
I did not expect this level of calm in the face of a guy absolutely determined to get in a fight with them. While rappers have the reputation for a generally pugnacious lot, A$AP and his body guard showed a great deal of restraint. Good for them.
The second video was taken from inside a coffee shop or the like. You can see A$AP put his hand on the alleged victim’s shoulder in a manner suggestive of trying to calm him down. Then it cuts to them outside, with A$AP whopping him.
The alleged victim was clearly the aggressor. The alleged victim hurt the bodyguard twice, cutting his head with his headphones and making him bleed, and then punching him, all while the bodyguard showed restraint. The second video does not show what was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It only showed the little guy losing, badly.
For A$AP to have been arrested, and not the other guy, raises serious concerns about justice in Sweden. There have been years of allegations that the Swedish government and media have refused to discuss or act against immigrants behaving badly. One of the allegations is that the behavior of the Muslim immigrant was ignored, and that the victim who was defending himself was arrested. You cannot see what finally lit the match on the fight, but it is clear that the smaller man was absolutely determined to get in a fight.
The end of the video is too shaky to tell what happened. I cannot make out if the bodyguard was trying to break up the fight. I saw no bottle. But if they are trying to spin this as the big, bad American black guy picked on the poor little guy, they are utterly and completely wrong.
I hope that authorities interview that bystander who claimed that the alleged victim assaulted he and his girlfriend (hard to make out the word that he used). Was this arrest the result of bias? It will need to be thoroughly investigated.
Without video of the actual start of the fight, all we have to go on is that the alleged victim engaged in repeated violence, stalking, and harassment, and then we see a fight.
Uh, Karen…what right did A$AP or his bodyguards or whatever they were have to tell people they couldn’t walk down this public alley? Were these people required to go another direction because they were ordered to do so? By whose authority? Why didn’t they break it off by going inside a building, calling the police, or going somewhere else? What about the earphones the victim kept mentioning? A$AP is NO victim here. In any event, it’s Sweden’s business, not yours.
Natacha said (to Karen S),
“Why didn’t they break it off by going inside a building, calling the police, or going somewhere else? What about the earphones the victim kept mentioning? A$AP is NO victim here. In any event, it’s Sweden’s business, not yours.”
Precisely.
Natacha:
“what right did A$AP or his bodyguards or whatever they were have to tell people they couldn’t walk down this public alley”. The same right that a woman has to tell a man who was harassing her to leave her alone, and to walk away.
The video showed the smaller man assaulted the body guard, repeatedly punching him. The body guard said before that, he’d thrown his headphones at his head, which was bleeding. You could see blood on A$AP’s shirt, before the fight.
They actually did try to go somewhere else. The videos I posted showed them trying to walk up and down streets to get away. The bodyguard at one point even walked away from the group to draw them away, way up the street. The two stalkers followed him. I don’t know if the group had cell phones that worked in Sweden, or if they knew the emergency number. They might have thought it was going to blow over, right up until the point it blew up.
The video shows that the smaller men were the aggressors. They engaged in two acts of violence first. There is no video that I have found that shows the seconds before the fight. It is segments of time.
A$AP claimed that the small man once again assaulted the body guard, and that he then threw him to the pavement and beat him. That alleged assault was not on camera, but the earlier one was. From the footage, it would be in character for the smaller man to have attacked the body guard again. He’d done it with impunity twice before.
What about the headphones? If you watched my two videos, A$AP told the guy his headphones broke because he threw them at the bodyguard. He did not deny it. The bodyguard said his head was bleeding from where he threw his headphones at him. He did not deny it. That’s assault.
Would this have been different if it were two white guys stalking black guys here in the US? Your comments indicate you either didn’t watch the videos I posted, or didn’t care.
If this is the kind of behavior that American citizens can expect while walking the street in Sweden, perhaps we need a travel advisory.
As if “this…kind of behavior” doesn’t happen in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Anonymous:
“As if “this…kind of behavior” doesn’t happen in the U.S. and elsewhere.” Sure it does. Antifa harasses and assaults people on the street all the time. If the government arrested the victims who defended themselves, there would be an outcry then, too.
Free speech.
“Sure it does. Antifa harasses and assaults people on the street all the time. If the government arrested the victims who defended themselves, there would be an outcry then, too.”
LOL.
What a joke of a response.
No, Anonymous. A joke of a response is “LOL.”
One good joke deserves another, in response.
They could have asked someone to phone the police…, or maybe hailed a cab and extricated themselves from the situation, tossed the guy some money to compensate him for the headphones (even if he didn’t deserve it)…
There were any number of things they could have done.
If Obama had intervened in the same way, people like Karen S certainly wouldn’t be defending…
Did you see any cabs passing? I did not see any cabs. Maybe I missed it. I wonder if the bystander who said the small guy had assaulted him and his girlfriend had called the police. No, you are not at fault for not giving money to people allegedly high on drugs. That’s why you have a bodyguard, to protect against crime. There have been instances where crazy and/or high homeless people have gotten agitated or violent when they are not given the money they demand. That’s not the fault of the victim.
I don’t give a care who’s interfering. I don’t even like the Kardashians show. It’s ridiculous. I saw the video of what led up to the fight and was appalled. I didn’t like when Obama sided against the police when evidence indicated it was wrong. This video was disturbing.
If it matters to you who interfered, Trump or Obama, then you are not judging this on its merits, but rather politics.
Sweden will sort it out.
(Trump shouldn’t have intervened, just as I would not have wanted Obama to intervene in a similar mess.)
I’ve seen a couple of different videos…
Anonymous, no matter how many video snippets you’ve seen of the fight, the video I linked showed the small man repeatedly punching the body guard, who did not fight back. It shows the bodyguard telling the guy, hey, you thew your headphones at me and now my head’s bleeding. The guy didn’t deny it, but kept trying to shake them down for money. That’s rich. Break something over someone’s head and then threaten them unless the victim pays you for it.
Let’s apply Leftist logic. It is not safe for black people in Sweden. They will be chased, harassed, get a head wound, punched…and if they fight back, they will be arrested.
No. That’s Karen’s logic:
“It is not safe for black people in Sweden. They will be chased, harassed, get a head wound, punched…and if they fight back, they will be arrested.” (Karen’s logic)
They could have tossed some money at the guy and let it go. Look where they are now? And at what cost?
They could have called the police — or asked someone else to do it for them.
This isn’t rocket science. You’re in a foreign country. Don’t get involved in fights or altercations — even if it’s a case of self-defense. If you do, you’re just asking for trouble. And it’s exactly what Rocky got.
Anonymous:
“They could have tossed some money at the guy and let it go. Look where they are now? And at what cost?” So if a little guy demands money, just give it to him? What will that do to the other tourists who might not have hundreds of dollars to throw at street criminals?
It does not matter if they threw money at him or not. He assaulted the body guard repeatedly. Made his head bleed. Defending yourself is not a crime. They walked away. Pleaded with him. Reasoned with him. Spoke with bystanders. Split up. Rejoined. They said the guy appeared to be on drugs. Perhaps he would have hurt someone else if they walked into a cafe. The bystander said he’d already attacked him and his girlfriend before attacking the bodyguard multiple times. They should have arrested this guy and run a toxicology test. At least a street assay, even though those are notoriously prone to errors.
What do you tell rape victims? They should have just given the rapists what they wanted? Why put up a fight? Stop blaming the victims. They put an extraordinary effort into avoiding this fight. It’s easy to come up with even more possibilities to try from the safety of your computer screen. You’re not being chased down the street from some guy allegedly high on drugs and assaulting people.
Sweden will sort it out.
To clarify, the immigrant’s religion had nothing to do with the incident. He acts like an entitled millennial. The Muslim woman tried to get him to leave the men alone. The allegation is that the government has been looking the other way when Muslim immigrants behave badly, so the immigration status has to do with the government response, not the incident. I do not know if that is true, just that it is one of the complaints about Sweden at this time.
The Left has continued its tradition of labeling Republicans racist, ramping up the rhetoric against Trump.
Meanwhile, right or wrong, President Trump has gone to the mattresses for a black rapper, whose plight was brought to his attention by an interracial couple, all of whom the elites disdained.
For a man who is supposed to be an entrenched racist, he has spent a curious amount of time on prison reform, even pardoning minorities. It does remind us of how Snoop Dogg used to love Trump, before he was convinced he should hate him.
“Plight”? Trump IS a racist. He is doing this for show, for publicity, to prove how powerful he is. He isn’t going to any “mattresses” (sic–mat?–a boxing reference) for anyone. What “prison reform” are you talking about? Issuing pardons isn’t “prison reform”.
No, Natacha. Trump is not racist.
What prison reform am I talking about? He’s attended a Prison Reform summit, and pardoned people with unjust sentences. He signed the First Step Act last year.
“Qualifying Inmates — mostly people who have committed low-level drug offenses — can earn credits to be released from prison early and serve the remainder of their sentence in home confinement or halfway houses if they participate in the plan’s anti-recidivism programs such as job training, education and faith-based classes.”
Read more here: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article223414935.html#storylink=cpy
Yes, Karen, Trump IS a racist. He called African countries sh*tholes, he said “no human” would want to live in Baltimore, he has opposed relief for Puerto Rico hurricane victims, he referred to brown-skinned migrants as “vermin” (reminiscent of how Hitler referred to Jews), he created concentration camps and holds migrants in inhumane conditions to inter brown people from seeking asylum and he separates children from their parents as a deterrent, he praised White Supremacists as “fine people” (which he tried to walk back, after it made him look bad) and he told 4 validly-elected (as opposed to winning by cheating like he did) female members of Congress to go back to where they came from. He has also called Elijah Cummings and Rev. Al Sharpton racists. And, don’t forget that he signed a consent degree to resolve a racial discrimination in housing lawsuit in New York, which he continues to lie about, claiming that he “won” the case. His company continued to engage in racism in renting apartments after this consent decree.
I attend mandatory CLEs. If I go to a CLE on prison reform, does that make me a prison reformer? Signing a bill someone else drafted does not mitigate his racism, which comes straight from the heart, and which is of long-standing. Did he propose the bill, did he draft the bill? Doesn’t it also apply to white people? Kellyanne probably told him Faux News could spin this into proof he isn’t a racist.
Nutacha……Lifelong Democrat party pimp and rep. Dick Durbin told the media that Trump had used the term “sh^thole countries” in a White House meeting that he attended.
Durbin is a known liar, so you’ve built that entire talking point on a loser: Pimpy Dick.
Good job! LOL
“Durbin doubles down: Trump said sh*thole”
“Durbin’s ‘History’ of Misrepresentations”
By Robert Farley
Posted on January 18, 2018
https://www.factcheck.org/2018/01/durbins-history-misrepresentations/
(Fact-checked as “misleading.”)
Anonymous…….”.Fact check” is Left biased. Nice try.
But the Annenbergs did have a helluva publication in TV Guide, back in the day.
Cindy Bragg to “Nutacha”:
“Durbin is a known liar, so you’ve built that entire talking point on a loser: Pimpy Dick.”
____
Despicable.
The alleged comment that African countries were s8(&(*&holes were not because of melanin. It was because they were war torn, child soldier, high violence against women, areas of misery.
I refer you to this article: http://fp-reg.onecount.net/onecount/redirects/index.php?action=get-tokens&js=1&sid=&return=https%3A%2F%2Fforeignpolicy.com%2F2010%2F02%2F11%2Fafricas-forever-wars%2F&sid=68u7lhhhch978674f2dti3nls4
Similar reasoning leads people to condemn areas of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Baltimore as s*&&*holes, as well. I don’t use such language, and prefer adjectives such as infectious, dilapidated, miserable, high crime, strewn with feces, etc to describe the homeless encampments and blight in such areas.
I’ve known people who served as missionaries in African countries. The people were lovely and welcoming, where they helped in schools. The extreme poverty and drought was heartbreaking.
I wouldn’t use the word s&*(*&hole because it is not compassionate, not because it is racist.
You have been told repeatedly that Trump said that racists should be condemned totally, and he was not referring to them. You should stop repeating falsehoods for political gain.
He did not say all black people should go back to Africa, and it was not race based. He told a supporter of Socialism she should return to her host country, learn how to fix its problems, and then return and show us how to do it. It was definitely rude. She had been blatantly rude towards him quite often, herself, and had called him quite a few terrible names, so she has no leg to stand on. I disagreed with his statement, but not because I thought it was racist, rather, because it’s ineffective. She came from a failed Socialist nation with many problems. The United States rescued her. In return, she supports the very socialist policies that her family escaped. It would degrade our country. She learned nothing. I can disagree with his statement while still pointing out the obvious, that it was not racist. People would have said the same thing to a Russian immigrant who supported socialism in the US. People would say go back to Russia and figure out what was wrong with Socialism before returning. That is not the same as a deportation order, and it obviously wouldn’t be racist, but rather politically motivated.
Trump is very rude to politicians who are very rude to him. I don’t find his quarreling very effective. He could have pointed out that she’d learned zero about why socialism is a bad idea, having come from a socialist country.
If saying you support prison reform, remarking that some sentences have been unfair, attending a summit (to which no one can force the President to go in person), and signing legislation he supported, and called bipartisan, does not make him support prison reform in your eyes, then you are clearly not reasonable or addressing facts.
Also, you are seriously obsessed with Fox News. Conservative media exists. Here’s a bridge. Get over it.
You can quarrel with a black person without being racist.
‘Go to the mattresses’ – the meaning and origin of this phrase
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/159900.html
Go to the mattresses. What’s the meaning of the phrase ‘Go to the mattresses’?. To go to the mattresses is to prepare for a battle or adopt a warlike stance.
go to the mattresses – Wiktionary
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/go_to_the_mattresses
Verb[edit]. go to the mattresses. (idiomatic) To go to war; to use ruthless tactics; to act without restraint.
(Typical for Karen S)
“Go to the mattresses” was made famous by The Godfather. Normally, one would not expect a vicious racist to go all in for a black rapper.
But why let common sense get in the way of political posturing? It was telling how the Leftists even attacked Trump for signing the bill that would ensure that funding never ran out for First Responders of 9/11. Very Saul Alinsky.
Remember when the Democratic media blamed warlike rhetoric for a shooting (was that Gabby Giffords)? They swore a solemn oath they would never use such terminology again. Unfortunately, since this was during an election cycle, they were perpetually stopping themselves, apologizing, and stumbling when using words like war room, target, aim, opponent, forces, war on (insert word), fight, take a hit, it was a blow…In short, I watched the Democratic news for the sheer joy of watching anchors unable to complete a sentence without using battle terminology, because those terms were appropriate and obviously did not refer to actual fighting. Any fool, who was not a news anchor, would realize this. Again, no common sense, but instead a rush to accuse.
‘“Go to the mattresses” was made famous by The Godfather. Normally, one would not expect a vicious racist to go all in for a black rapper.’
…as in going to war.
Get a grip, Karen. This isn’t an international incident and the president should have stayed out of it.
Anonymous, that’s the thing. I do have a grip on reality. A racist would not keep interfering on the behalf of minorities. Would not have hired them into upper level positions at his companies over the past few decades, when those jobs were very difficult for minorities to obtain.
It is you who lacks a grip on reality, if you persist in saying that this proves Trump is a racist alt-right. Or is that a different Anonymous sock puppet? There are so many…
“A racist would not keep interfering on the behalf of minorities.”
There’s an election coming up, Karen. Trump is campaigning.
Anonymous – and all those times he promoted minorities to upper level positions at his companies going back decades, when very few held such jobs, was because….?
If he does anything for any minority, like the UCLA players or the pardons, or the prison reform bill, you’re saying it doesn’t count, because he just wants to be re-elected. But if he did nothing for minorities while in office, you’d say he didn’t care. Either way, you’d say he’s a racist.
This is not rational. Do you seriously not see that?
Do you seriously believe that Donal Trump, whose Twitter feed is flow of consciousness, extemporaneous, mind to keyboard, is running some deep game in which he does all these good works for minorities, but is secretly a racist? Do you think he was running the 50 year long game?
I don’t think he could hide his opinion about anyone for 30 seconds. If Trump hates you, I think you’d know it from across the room. And on all your Social media. And on the news.
In case you do not understand, we use battle terminology in everyday life. it is intuitively obvious to the most casual observer that we’re not actually engaging in a real battle. For reference, look back at the media’s inability to excise battle terms from political commentary after the Giffords shooting.
I am at war with the ground squirrels stealing my nectarines. I am not actually digging trenches or building an army. If you don’t understand that “going to the mattresses” is not, actually, referring to a Renaissance castle defense strategy, then that is your issue.
I think it’s time for your nap, Karen.
“…we use battle terminology in everyday life” — says Karen.
Some might say that it’s just Karen. She’s a bit melodramatic at times.
“Anonymous, that’s the thing. I do have a grip on reality.” (Karen about herself)
LOL. So you say.
Trump claims to have seen a video in which A$AP was the victim, and defending himself. I have not seen it, and so cannot comment. Our country has voiced outrage over the abuse of journalists and activists, why not a rapper, if the case was warranted?
Sweden has seen an increase in crime, that the government is not addressing.
I don’t know if the video proves that his arrest was unfair. That’s the claim.
I am concerned that Professor Turley is implying that Kim Kardashian controls the president, as opposed to he agreed with her on this matter. While there should be no undue influence, celebrities made a habit of socializing with, and bringing their issues to, the Clinton and Obama White House.
Regardless of whether we like Kim K or not, she may have a point. Regardless of whether A$AP has a criminal history, he might be innocent. A lawyer may automatically defer to the legal system, but that does not address any political difficulties in another country’s legal system, nor does it address the allegation that the arrest was wrongful, and the charges should be dropped.
As for trusting an ally, the anti-Trump rhetoric in Europe has been a bit high. Besides, cannot a trusted friend make a bad decision? What I do think is that Trump is making a public kerfuffle instead of quietly using negotiating channels. You tend to not get what you want when you accuse the other side of wrongdoing. That should be reserved for when negotiations break down. Plus, I have not heard any unbiased review of the video.
I have no idea whatsoever if A$AP deserved to be arrested, and am curious how this will play out, and if we will learn more information regarding how Trump arrived at his conclusion.
BUT THEY SAID DONALD WAS RACIST!
https://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/sport/ucla-basketball-players-leave-china/index.html
not Trump’s first go round at personal pleas for leniency
Why don’t you educate yourself about the case…and then get back to us, Karen S, You have “no idea” and yet you’ve provided a lengthy comment…based on knowing zip about what happened.
There isn’t enough in the video to know exactly what happened. It looks like Rocky and his crew were being harassed, but later on the supposed harasser gets some nasty cuts that supposedly came from a broken bottle used by Rocky’s crew. Apparently, it’s the use of the bottle which is at issue.
Thanks.
You still don’t get it–do you? The life of Donald J. Trump revolves around him, him, him. All about him–attention to him, adulation for him, power for him. Him, him, him! Some low-class butt-implanted white trash former porn star with a reality TV show appeals to his ego and he thinks he can just pick up the telephone and order Sweden to release someone on his say-so because, after all, he’s so very important. Where is there any allegation “that the arrest was wrongful”? Why was it wrongful? Because he claimed self-defense? He apparently did beat the snot out of someone because it is on videotape and got arrested. There could be defenses, but there appears to be no dispute that he beat someone. He is subject to arrest because you can’t just beat someone up and walk away. His criminal liability is for a Swedish court and jury to decide. Trump thought a simple call from him would free this person.
This is not a case involving international relations–it is a relatively low-level criminal case. And, A$AP isn’t even a major celebrity. What isn’t subject to dispute is the simple fact that Sweden is an ally. It has a right to enforce its laws. We, as an ally, have the obligation to respect their sovereignty and to respect their ability to fairly mete out justice. If a favor were to be requested, it should be done quietly, via a diplomat, but truthfully, this is not a case where any favor is owed. Someone was beaten on their soil, and they have the right to address this behavior. Trump not only insulted the Swedes by publicly demanding his release because some trashy reality TV performer asked for a favor but also by sending someone to “monitor” the criminal proceeding, and commenting about how much the US allegedly does for Sweden. Therefore, according to him, they OWE The Donald a chance to prove how strong and powerful he is. What he continues to prove is how unfit he is to occupy the Oval Office and how he doesn’t even understand the fundamentals of diplomacy and international relations.
What is amazing to me is the length to which people like Karen are willing to go to believe that all of this is OK. She is willing to believe he is innocent without even seeing any evidence, she is so deeply entrenched in Trump Derangement Syndrome.
“The over-the-top response is an embarrassment to this country.” -JT
Yep.
“The over-the-top response is an embarrassment to this country.”
hmmmm. That brings to mind the most incredible “under-the-top”, ridiculously insensitive, and downright silly, pathetic and sophomoric touchy-feelly response from Obama to France during it’s hour of need:
Awkward: John Kerry Brings James Taylor to Paris, Sings ‘You’ve Got a Friend’
America’s top diplomat went to Paris for some high-level fence-mending in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks.
By Elias Groll | January 16, 2015, 11:17 AM
In the days following the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery store, the White House has come under intense criticism for not dispatching a high-level official to join last Sunday’s solidarity march in Paris. More than 40 world leaders joined French President Francois Hollande for the event, but the United States only sent along its ambassador in Paris.
On Friday, Secretary of State John Kerry sought to sing his way out of the controversy. Following meetings with Hollande, Kerry — a notorious Francophile and classical guitar player — appeared at the Paris city hall alongside James Taylor, who delivered a rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend.”
Professor, President Trump has a ton of catching up to do to arrive even close to that level of embarrassment for this country.
P.S. Kerry also gave the French representative at the Paris city hall a “hug” from the U.S.. A hug! LOL
,..apples and oranges
Cindy Bragg says, “Professor, President Trump has a ton of catching up to do to arrive even close to that level of embarrassment for this country.”
Not really.
And, again. Cindy Bragg is comparing apples to oranges…
It’s hard to get angry about the President expressing concern about one of our citizens in a foreign court. I like it and I also like the fact that he talks to Kim and Kanye about injustice in our system. The Professor would do well to follow the President’s lead rather than nip at his heels- injustice(in the justice system) reigns throughout our country and the world.
asap rocky is probably a thug like most rappers, but they are generally entertaining ones.
sweden should indeed focus on handling its migrant problems. they should be pleased to have more visitors like asap rocky but far fewer refugees, and not confuse the two
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/reality-of-swedens-migration-problem/
i trust the courts of sweden, as most public goods in scandanvian countries are managed competently. it’s a wonderful country, really
And the A$$hat Rocky case has nothing to do with Sweden’s “migrant problems.”
It was a Muslim migrant who assaulted A$AP. Didn’t you hear him speaking Arabic to the woman in the hijab?
While I don’t think his immigration status had anything to do with the fight, as he was acting like an entitled millennial, it may have affected the government’s response. Immigrant in Sweden vs black American tourists.
The alleged victim should have been arrested. If they wanted to arrest both of them to sort it out, fine, but the alleged victim clearly assaulted the bodyguard more than once.
After having been caught on camera trying to shake down A$AP for money to replace the headphones he broke himself by throwing them at the bodyguard, now this guy is asking for damages in court.
It was alleged that the little man appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Since he was not arrested, now we’ll never know. You can clearly see on the videos I posted that A$AP’s group was not inciting the harassment, and pled continuously for the smaller men to leave them alone. There seemed to be something seriously wrong with the two smaller men. Maybe it was drugs, or maybe it was mental illness. A bystander off camera can be heard saying that he had assaulted him and his girlfriend, too.
“The over-top-response to the case is an embarrassment for this country.” –Jonathan Turley
That pretty well sums it up, JT.
JT said, “…friend and rapper RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan declared that he was “disappointed that a judge cannot discern that this is not a man you hold hostage.”
What an idiot. And one with a sense of entitlement.
A$AP Rocky and his crew need to learn how to behave while abroad (or at home, for that matter). If one is being followed and harassed, then most people know that it’s best to remove oneself from the situation. Calling the police is an option. A$AP Rocky is just where he belongs and Trump needs to stay out of it.
are you reluctant to even leave a fake name to identify yourself? this is a tepic topic, control your timidity
Why would you care?
Kim is my favorite heroine.
Eh. I figured the move is a sop to Blacks. Trump engages in selective cultivation, or so it appears to me. Engages in goosing realignment as well.
Or maybe he’s just being an idiot.
JT needs a proof reader.
He’s been advised of this before and apparently doesn’t care.
This is part of Trump’s authoritarian pattern where he seeks to associate himself with and vindicate thuggish types who threaten to use or use violence to get what they want (or who symbolize these traits), legally or not, whether they are cultural figures, in the military, or among the police. It is not talked about enough, but Trump and his people clearly are consciously cultivating a far-right, neo-fascist movement. This is part of it, irrespective of the guilt of this particular rapper, as is his rescinding of the medals of the prosecutors of Eddie Gallagher. I don’t think Professor Turley is sufficiently appreciating this aspect of Trump, who has insinuated that he may not accept the results of the next presidential election if he loses.
A key point, and I agree:
“It is not talked about enough, but Trump and his people clearly are consciously cultivating a far-right, neo-fascist movement. “
The fascists on the left seek to eliminate free speech and control all thought. They even have their own blackshirts walking the street and committing brazen acts of violence. I voted for the Dems for most of my life, but the left has gone fascist.
Anonymous – Antifa is neo fascist. Engaging in violence against people with which you disagree, terrorizing the opposition, as well as working towards the erosion of individual rights, such as free speech, in the name of the greater good, are aspects of fascism.
Trying to help out a black American citizen is not alt-right. It’s like you’re stringing together word soup.
Karen,
Take some deep breaths and calm down. You’re all over the place.
Wortmanberg – so, it was racist for Trump to stand up for black American rappers, and indicates he’s part of the far right?
Interesting, um, logic, you have going there.
Karen – I don’t think Trump is a racist. He uses racism instinctively, which appeals to white supremacists, to aggrandize himself, but he will opportunistically use any association with anyone that he can lay his hands on to achieve the same end of advancing his own interests (which right now happen to be political and personal power). The common thread between his cultivation of white supremacy and his intervention on behalf of this rapper, at least on its face, is his identification with a rapper who has cache as a tough guy willing to use force to get what he needs or to vindicate himself, regardless of whether he really is a thug or the other facts of the case going to his guilt or innocence. The white supremacist might find Trump’s support of a black man a disconcerting contradiction, but the admiration Trump has for the thug, white supremacist or otherwise, is completely consistent and, because he’s the president, it is totalitarian.
Wortmanberg:
“I don’t think Trump is a racist. He uses racism instinctively, which appeals to white supremacists”. That is a contradictory statement.
White supremacists don’t like Jewish people. Trump’s family is Jewish, and he’s close friends with Netanyahu. It is the media which keeps telling the white supremacists that Trump is their guy, while Trump keeps telling them to knock it off.
If someone kept telling the world that you’re a racist, people would believe it.
According to Leftists, calling a black rapper a thug is racist. I find it interesting that you are attacking a minority that Trump is defending.
Totalitarian does not mean what you think it means.
“Totalitarian does not mean what you think it means.” — Karen mimicking TIA
TIA x X+ has taught you well.
Copycat.
Karen – I rewrote my second comment here for clarity: I don’t think Trump is a racist. He uses racism instinctively as a strategy, which appeals to white supremacists, to aggrandize himself, but he will opportunistically, and just as instinctively, use any association with anyone that he can lay his hands on to achieve the same end of advancing his own interests (which right now happen to be political and personal power). The types he turns to for this purpose, and the common thread between his cultivation of white supremacy and his intervention on behalf of this rapper, at least on its face, is Trump’s identification with the rapper as a cultural figure, who in certain iterations has cachet as a tough guy willing to use violence to get what he needs or wants or to vindicate himself, regardless of whether this particular rapper exemplifies this figure or the other facts of the specific case supporting his guilt or innocence. The white supremacist might find Trump’s support of any black man disconcerting, but the admiration Trump has for the thug in general, white supremacist or otherwise, is completely consistent and, because he’s the president, it is totalitarian. This does not mean that all black people, or all black rappers, are necessarily thugs.
You say that was for clarity? President Trump is a strategic racist, but not really a racist?
What you’ve described in your two posts is every politician. You say he appeals to white supremacists and black (thug) rappers. And because of that you conclude he’s a totalitarian.
How does your theory wash when you add in every other demographic group that supports President Trump? Does every white supremacist support Trump? Does every black rapper support Trump? If not, why not? Also, you’ve describe how Trump’s racist and totalitarian strategy has manifested itself by appeal, how has it manifested itself by actual governance?
It seems like you’re willfully missing the point about adulation of violence, and the use of it, or the threat of using it, to get what you want, notwithstanding any legitimate mode of conducting oneself in office. There are people willing to use violence, or to tout doing so as a value, everywhere, in every social group or formation, whether racial or otherwise. It can come from any quarter. The point is that the would-be tyrant loves it all, because he doesn’t want to be restrained by legality and thus encourages these tendencies and intervenes in one way or another on their behalf with whatever influence he can bring to bear that he can get away with. How is this complicated?
The other point with respect to racism is that politics is frequently, to quote one author I respect, the rational use of irrational symbols and arguments. Hitler, for example, was a racist, but he also consciously used racist and anti-semitic tropes in different ways depending on his audience. He was very smart in that way. In general, depending on one’s position, one can observe the benefits to oneself of deploying racist or xenophobic demagogy (e.g. “Send Her Back!!) cynically to obtain an advantage, while oneself being indifferent to racism or even contemptuous of it. Trump in this respect is not Hitler. He’s just not as diabolically talented or disciplined. I suspect Trump’s mind lies somewhere along the spectrum of himself not being a racist but seeing that his peculiar way of deploying racism and xenophobia theatrically produces political returns, so he indulges in its ugly displays or coded messages and omissions for as far as they will take him. Maybe he even gets a kick out of it all and thinks to himself, “Hey this racism shit is kinda fun, maybe I could become a racist after all.”
I don’t know what you mean by “actual governance” but I think you’re referring to the formal procedures of the executive branch as an institution and its functioning according to lawful requirements under the Constitution. I could cite Trump and his cabinet’s refusal to cooperate with a congressional committees to the point of being held in contempt, which is another symptom of the same totalitarian tendency, but I don’t think that that’s the really significant fact. You don’t have to “actually govern” in a totalitarian mode to stir the pot. Are you concerned that Trump has insinuated that he might not leave office if he loses the election? I suspect you haven’t given it much thought.
Chaff
I suspect you haven’t given it much thought.
Wortmanberg,
I responded to your first 2 posts because I seriously believe you haven’t given your theories much thought. So I asked you questions for clarity, so I could better understand understand the basis for your theories. Here, once again are the questions you have not attempted to answer:
– How does your theory wash when you add in every other demographic group that supports President Trump?
-Does every white supremacist support Trump? Does every black rapper support Trump? If not, why not?
Your response to the question regarding governance and your “suspicions” of what’s in President Trump’s mind, demonstrate it is you that has not considered any alternative theories.
If stirring the pot was totalitarian, then you’d be hard-pressed to not find a totalitarian in the political class. You’d also have to be a special kind of stupid to swallow the bait these politicians cast out. So what is our responsibility in all of this? What do we have available that informs us of how each administration governs?
Are you concerned that Trump has insinuated that he might not leave office if he loses the election? I suspect you haven’t given it much thought.
I suspect you have, and that should inform everyone of just how willfully ignorant you are of the conservatives in this country. The vast majority do not trust any politician, regardless of party. Republicans are slightly less suspect than Democrats, but still not to be trusted. A large majority want term limits for both houses of congress. Do you really believe we would then support any president to defy the term limits of that office?
Why is this so complicated for you?
I didn’t answer your questions directly because they do not address the point I was making about Trump’s behavior (and those behind the scenes backing him), not that of every conceivable one of his supporters across the “conservative” to right-wing spectrum, stirring the totalitarian pot by attempting over time to validate violence to attain one’s ends regardless of legality – in both racist and non-racist ways. If you don’t think that’s totalitarian, then I don’t think you’re going to be of much use in stopping a totalitarian government if it comes to power.
With respect to what’s in Trump’s mind, I’ve had the misfortune of being forced to observe him over many decades before and after he was elected president, so I have made some observations. I don’t know what’s in his mind. That’s true, but that’s why I used the word “suspect”.
Your comments on stirring the pot are more or less incoherent. If you’re saying that we as Trump’s political audience have a responsibility to oppose his filthy racist and xenophobic yammering (do you oppose it? I can’t tell), and his symbolic and direct encouragement of the use of violence by the police, the military, inviting bikers to the White House, etc. to obtain one’s political ends, then I agree. But I do not think you have to be stupid to be encouraged in that direction by him, or by any other politician, if that’s what you’re into. You only need to feel that it’s okay to go there and that you’ll be supported or vindicated if you do.
You might be right that Trump would not be successful in staying in the White House if he loses the election and refuses to leave, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t try to stay even if many conservatives or even large majorities objected. This is becoming an increasingly more open political question for which the answer is unfortunately no longer obvious.
I didn’t answer your questions directly because they do not address the point I was making about Trump’s behavior…
No, they address the “logic” leading to your point. Of course that would require intellectual honesty and that apparently wasn’t your objective.
Your comments on stirring the pot are more or less incoherent.
You not understanding my comment does not necessarily make it incoherent. If you want clarity, then ask a direct question and I will attempt to rephrase. That would be what objective, normal people do.
The rest of your response is a word salad masquerading as a I hate Trump screed.
Trump can’t send anyone anywhere without the Advice and Consent of the Senate, Provided 2/3 of the Senators Present Concur. Foreign policy is not a responsibility of the President alone, the President and the Senate share those responsibilities, with the Senate having consent and concurrence Control! The Senate is the Assembly of the States as the Union, and the Union is the Boss, Not The President!
Federalist:
an abstraction can never be a boss. only a living person can be a boss.
The Union is not an abstraction! Each State has a Representative, persons, which assemble to act as the Union through Majority Consensus Voting, where do you people get this ignorance that you justify our government Dysfunction and corruption.