Justin Case comments

Geez, what next, short arm inspections for the safety of your national security?

I guess anyone who comments cares to some extent.

Normal people read the sign and know to stay away from the electrified fence, Trump and his lickspittles piss on it to find out.

Trump has an age old Japanese plan it's called 行き当たりばったり

So, is America's "liberation" on pause? And if so, is the tax cut legislation also paused?

 Won't the rich friends who were upset about the markets be rich friends upset about the delayed tax cut? 

Now that Trump's USA has shown even it's allies that it'll shock them with unexpected actions instead of working things out behind the scenes in advance, commit to ("tariffs are permanent") then flip flop when resistance makes the stock market retreat, why should anyone trust anything the Trump gov't says or does now? What happens if both allies & enemies proceed with the responses they were working up before this pause... AND IMPLEMENT ANYWAY, thereby turning the tables without waiting for the 90 days not knowing which direction Trump's antics will take? They've been in defense mode since USA "liberation." What if they decide to switch to "offense", which seems like exactly what the U.S. would do if the tables were turned?

more tariffs!

Why?

Because everyone wants more than their fair share of everything.

More Depletion:

Our insatiable appetite for more often fuels unsustainable consumption patterns, leading to the depletion of natural resources and environmental damage. 

More Social Inequality:

The pursuit of "more" can exacerbate existing inequalities, creating resentment and conflict as some accumulate wealth and power while others struggle to survive.  

More Environmental Degradation:

The relentless pursuit of economic growth and consumption can lead to pollution, climate change, and other environmental problems that threaten the planet's ability to support human life. 

More Psychological Consequences:

The constant striving for more can lead to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and dissatisfaction, impacting mental health and well-being. 

History is replete with examples of civilizations that collapsed due to overconsumption, resource depletion, or internal conflict, suggesting that the desire for more can indeed be a destructive force. 

A MORE sustainable and equitable future may require a shift in mindset, moving away from the relentless pursuit of MORE and toward a focus on NEEDS RATHER THAN WANTS, and on living within planetary boundaries.

Communism is a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power. 

What Trump seems to be trying to do with his tariffs is plan and control the economy. 

The US now has a single party, in control of al three branches of government. 

It appears to me that Americans have in fact abandoned capitalism in favor of communism.

Ironic, Trump is doing the very thing his fans think he is saving them from.

Toilets are better now than in 1960s'

I am no better than I was then.

Japanese people are more tolerant now.

Foreigners less so.

JMHO

Tamarama 07:01 Today Just thinking out loud here, but I wonder what the likelihood of US Civil war is under the Trump administration? The US in general has looked like a hot mess for a couple of decades, but in 2025 it's really smoking. 

It seems that democracy is fragile, even in the USA, the place I always thought to be the bastion of liberty.

Opposing political factions see each other as enemies, and authoritarian rule uses all manner of ways to suppress the least sign of challenge.

It does not look good.

Thucydides, stated that "right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."

Seems nothing has changed since 410BC

It looks like the White House is very much in Putin's corner with this bout.

Either Trump wants to get Putin on side when the proverbial hits the fan with Xi or he wants a reach-around.

Nothing new about noodles with no toppings, すうどん、すそば and すラーメン have been around ever since I've been here.

Always down with the lid closed, a habit I acquired during the early 70s' living in rural Japan and having to use a ボットン便所

I miss the old days of Usenet and uping @9600Baud

This discussion has been brought up in the media every ten years or so since I first arrived here in the late 1960s'. For an insight into how the Japanese themselves treat the matter, do a youtube search for "Shimura Ken English"

Sadly, Shimura San contracted 'corona' and passed away a few years ago.

I hope we haven’t been deceived by Trump’s rhetoric that the nation’s decline can be reversed and the self-assurance, lost since the 1970s’ will be restored.

marc, you won. Get over it!