I Lived Through Collapse. America Is Already There.

[JudgeRightly]

Is that the mission of the National Guard?

Not sure if you're aware of this, but cleaning is part of any branch of the military's soldier's duty as a soldier.

I GUARANTEE YOU that they're glad to not be cleaning the latrine or bunks for the hundredth time, instead being out and cleaning up the city.

All it does is highlight that they weren't actually needed.

You seem to have missed the part where they were cleaning up the city.

Meaning it's dirty.

Meaning whoever was running things wasn't keeping it clean.

It's now clean, thanks to the soldiers' efforts.

And you think they weren't needed?

You're all for the president who's demented enough to claim that he knows more about grass than any human being in the world?

Now you're just being dishonest.

That's not at all what I said.

Check your biases, Anna, they're becoming obvious.

I said "make our parks great again." If that means a president who owns and makes a profit off of at least one golf course (which facilities generally have very nice grass), makes such an offer, I'd say he's at least qualified enough to come to the table to propose a solution or two, regardless of what you personally think of him.

Such an embarrassment.

The real embarrassment here is your obvious hatred for a man who has done nothing but try to turn the country around away from the cliff it's about to head off of, and been nothing but vilified for his efforts by the left.

Now on to the particulars of our parks. His administration, via DOGE, decimated the parks work force.

Now they should be lauded for pretending to fix what they broke?

Another ludicrous, Alice in Wonderland twisting of truth and reality by Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/us/politics/trump-cuts-national-parks.html

National Park Service Cuts Push Fire Island National Seashore Into Uncharted Waters » Fire Island News & Great South Bay News

DOGE has targeted the National Park Service (NPS) with unprecedented funding disruptions and staffing reductions. These abrupt cuts have sown chaos across the National Park System, and Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) has not emerged unscathed.

www.fireislandnews.com

Shuttered Visitor Centers, Closed Campgrounds, Slower Emergency Response: Staffing Crisis Hits National Parks Nationwide

“Losing a quarter of the Park Service’s permanent workforce has made it nearly impossible for some parks to operate safely or effectively. And sadly, this is just the beginning." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA's President and CEO

www.npca.org

America’s National Parks at Breaking Point as Staff Cuts, Budget Slashes Threaten Safety and Preservation – The Coalition To Protect America's National Parks

protectnps.org

Our National Parks in Crisis: Park Staff Worked for Weeks Without Pay as NPS Faces Staffing and Budget Cuts | ANPR

The following news roundup calls attention to threats to the National Park Service as the busiest season of the year for parks continues.

www.anpr.org

US national parks staff in ‘survival mode’ to keep parks open amid Trump cuts

Park bosses say they’re running visitor centers and even cleaning bathrooms as remaining staff try to keep sites open

www.theguardian.com

Have you considered the possibility that the reason he made cuts was because it was bloat, and not actually serving any purpose?

 

[JudgeRightly]

Is that the mission of the National Guard?

All it does is highlight that they weren't actually needed.



You're all for the president who's demented enough to claim that he knows more about grass than any human being in the world?

Such an embarrassment.

Now on to the particulars of our parks. His administration, via DOGE, decimated the parks work force.

Now they should be lauded for pretending to fix what they broke?

Another ludicrous, Alice in Wonderland twisting of truth and reality by Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/us/politics/trump-cuts-national-parks.html

National Park Service Cuts Push Fire Island National Seashore Into Uncharted Waters » Fire Island News & Great South Bay News

DOGE has targeted the National Park Service (NPS) with unprecedented funding disruptions and staffing reductions. These abrupt cuts have sown chaos across the National Park System, and Fire Island National Seashore (FINS) has not emerged unscathed.

www.fireislandnews.com

Shuttered Visitor Centers, Closed Campgrounds, Slower Emergency Response: Staffing Crisis Hits National Parks Nationwide

“Losing a quarter of the Park Service’s permanent workforce has made it nearly impossible for some parks to operate safely or effectively. And sadly, this is just the beginning." - Theresa Pierno, NPCA's President and CEO

www.npca.org

America’s National Parks at Breaking Point as Staff Cuts, Budget Slashes Threaten Safety and Preservation – The Coalition To Protect America's National Parks

protectnps.org

Our National Parks in Crisis: Park Staff Worked for Weeks Without Pay as NPS Faces Staffing and Budget Cuts | ANPR

The following news roundup calls attention to threats to the National Park Service as the busiest season of the year for parks continues.

www.anpr.org

US national parks staff in ‘survival mode’ to keep parks open amid Trump cuts

Park bosses say they’re running visitor centers and even cleaning bathrooms as remaining staff try to keep sites open

www.theguardian.com

https://x.com/rawsalerts/status/1962979310425231664

 

[annabenedetti]

Not sure if you're aware of this, but cleaning is part of any branch of the military's soldier's duty as a soldier.

I GUARANTEE YOU that they're glad to not be cleaning the latrine or bunks for the hundredth time, instead being out and cleaning up the city.

You GUARANTEE me?

Have you ever served in the National Guard?

Here's someone who has:

"This is a gross misuse of such a critical national resource,” retired Maj. Gen. of the National Guard Randy Manner said. “I think it’s insulting to every man and woman in uniform."​

​

He told WTOP that National Guard personnel are trained in combat, not in urban policing or simply walking up and down the street.​

​

"Our men and women want to defend our country overseas, and they also want to save lives in the United States and in their community, neither of which are happening… in this photo opportunity the administration has generated," Manner said.​

You seem to have missed the part where they were cleaning up the city.

Meaning it's dirty.

Lots of cities are dirty. No one ever called in the National Guard to do that, it's a job (outside natural disasters) that is left to the cities and states. When did conservatives go Big Government? (Hint: under Trump)

Meaning whoever was running things wasn't keeping it clean.

It's now clean, thanks to the soldiers' efforts.

And you think they weren't needed?

For cleaning up the city? No. As stated above, that's a city and state job.

Now you're just being dishonest.

No I'm not, JR.

That's not at all what I said.

You literally said "I'm all for it!"

Maybe you could clarify then, that you're all for what Trump's doing, but not for all the gobbledygook that comes out his mouth?

I said "make our parks great again." If that means a president who owns and makes a profit off of at least one golf course (which facilities generally have very nice grass), makes such an offer, I'd say he's at least qualified enough to come to the table to propose a solution or two, regardless of what you personally think of him.

Because he has nice golf courses, you're willing to set aside his delusions of grandeur so DC will have less trash because it was picked up by the National Guard who called them to DC because DC has a lower crime rate than say, Memphis, TN? Why isn't the National Guard in Memphis?

The real embarrassment here is your obvious hatred for a man who has done nothing but try to turn the country around away from the cliff it's about to head off of, and been nothing but vilified for his efforts by the left.

The country is being damaged by those who don't or won't see Trump for what he is, because of what they want from him.

Have you considered the possibility that the reason he made cuts was because it was bloat, and not actually serving any purpose?

​

It obviously wasn't bloat, or Elon would've found the 2 Trillion he never found. These agencies were intentionally decimated. Why? So Trump could say "I alone can fix this?" (This thing that he broke... )

 

[annabenedetti]

Goodbye, American dominance, leader of the free world. Now Trump's the bridesmaid without a bride:

Trump is China’s Favorite ‘Useful Idiot’

On every front, Trump is helping China

contrarian.substack.com

China is now in the cat-bird’s seat, the beneficiary of Trump’s cloddish foreign policy. Trump’s delusional vision of a Russia-U.S. partnership and his zig-zagging tariff war with China (with intermittent attempts at ingratiation) have pushed these two powers together. Worse, seeing Trump as weak, gullible, and unsophisticated, the two powers have found a new member of the alliance of autocrats.​

​

The sight of Wednesday’s elaborate, humongous Chinese military parade (putting Trump’s pathetic, disorganized birthday parade to shame) sent an unmistakable signal to the ever more enfeebled president. The summit that preceded it was an even bigger rebuke to the United States. The New York Times reports:​

​

It was a scene in eastern China almost certainly intended for an audience on the other side of the world: The leaders of China, Russia and India, the three largest powers not aligned with the West, smiling and laughing like good friends as they greeted each other at a summit on Monday.​

It starts with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia holding hands and walking into a meeting hall filled with other world leaders. They head straight for President Xi Jinping of China, shake hands and form a close circle. A few words are exchanged before translators join the huddle. Mr. Putin cracks a broad smile, and Mr. Modi lets out a big laugh. At one point, Mr. Modi joins hands with the two leaders.​

​

Between imposing secondary sanctions on India and trying to take credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire, Trump wound up alienating Modi—and giving China a new ally. As Paul Krugman observes: “America has spent decades trying to cultivate good relations with India, which could be a useful counterweight to China. Now we have a nearly complete rupture, with India actually cozying up to China.”​

​

Not so long ago, India was pursuing the so-called China Plus One, a strategy to make India an alternative to China. Trump has made hash of that, to the delight of Beijing. “Mr. Trump’s tariffs are already causing dislocation in supply chains. India has been rendered far less enticing to American importers,” the New York Times reports. “[India’s economy] is currently fifth and on pace to overtake Japan soon. If the United States won’t help or, worse, gets in its way, India has no choice but to get closer to Beijing, even as it holds to its goal of becoming a stronger manufacturing rival to its giant neighbor.”​

​

Incredibly, China has been the biggest beneficiary of an assortment of Trump’s domestic and foreign moves. When he blew up USAID; China was happy to step in to influence peddle in developing countries. Business Insider reported earlier this year:​

​

China has its own capacity-building programs, such as the training of political elites, government officials, and subject-matter experts from Africa and Southeast Asia. Those programs have a strong component of promoting China’s governance model and exporting China’s political ideology. …. [L]eft uncontested after the withdrawal of USAID programming, the influence of Chinese political capacity-building projects could grow in recipient countries in the long run.​

​

At a moment when China is striving to expand its influence in Africa, a demonstration of U.S. fecklessness and indifference will only accelerate that process. (Even aside from China, Trump has immeasurably harmed U.S. interests in short-circuiting infectious diseases, gaining access to precious minerals, and stemming outflow of migrants that can destabilize neighbors. Our self-sabotage undermines all that.)​

​

While Trump bizarrely has tried to stymie green energy development; China accordingly has raced ahead to extend its lead in electric car manufacturing and exports. “The speed and scale of China’s electric vehicle revolution has caught the world by surprise, and analysts say this trend shows no sign of slowing down,” CNBC reports. China is projected to “manufacture 36 million vehicles per year, or four out of every 10 cars built globally” by 2030.​

​

Trump has engaged in a senseless trade war with our closest trading partners; China now has an opening to pick up new markets. In particular, democratic allies in Asia increasingly will find no place to turn but China, as crippling sanctions close off the U.S. market.​

​

“Trump is showing that he is willing to violate long-standing norms and strike at the core of other countries’ prosperity—and that nothing in the American system will stop a president hell-bent on punishing his own country’s allies for the sake of domestic politics,” Atlantic magazine’s Phillips Payson O’Brien wrote in April.​

​

This won’t just drive traditional allies away from the U.S.; it will also likely push them toward closer economic relations with the world’s other superpower. China offers access to rare-earth minerals and deep, well-functioning supply chains. Chinese leaders can present themselves, unlike their mercurial American counterparts, as reliable and steady economic partners.​

​

. . . .​

​

 

[JudgeRightly]

You GUARANTEE me?

Yup.

Have you ever served in the National Guard?

Nope.

Here's someone who has:

"This is a gross misuse of such a critical national resource,” retired Maj. Gen. of the National Guard Randy Manner said. “I think it’s insulting to every man and woman in uniform."​

​

He told WTOP that National Guard personnel are trained in combat, not in urban policing or simply walking up and down the street.​

​

"Our men and women want to defend our country overseas, and they also want to save lives in the United States and in their community, neither of which are happening… in this photo opportunity the administration has generated," Manner said.​

"Retired Major General"

Meaning he's not active duty, and definitely not a grunt, and hasn't been for a long time.

Far as I can tell, he retired around 2012.

Here's his photo:



Notice anything?

He's old. Probably around 70 (based only on his service record, I can't find his age anywhere).

Trump declared an emergency in DC. (And for good reason.)

He sent the National Guard in to clear the emergency.

He's doing things by the boom, regardless of your and the left's screeching.

Lots of cities are dirty.

Why is that?

Shouldn't they be clean and free of litter? No vagrants/homeless in the streets? No trash lining the road? No thugs or criminals committing crimes?

Sounds like someone wasn't doing their job, and Trump having the National Guard step in cleaned things up.

No one ever called in the National Guard to do that, it's a job (outside natural disasters) that is left to the cities and states.

And it was a job that clearly wasn't being done. Which is why Trump told them to go clean it up.

This isn't hard to understand, Anna.

DC is a cesspit. Both in cleanliness and in crime.

And now crime is down.

It's amazing what you can do when the law is enforced.

When did conservatives go Big Government? (Hint: under Trump)

If it's not wrong for your side to be pro-big-government, why is it so bad when our side decides to use the existing power of the government to do the things your side refuses to do, like cleaning up cities and policing the streets?

For cleaning up the city? No. As stated above, that's a city and state job.

Crime in the city dropped overnight, Anna.

Just by the National Guard being there.

From CBS:

But Leroy Thorpe, who leads a neighborhood crime watch program in Washington D.C.'s Shaw neighborhood, has applauded the National Guard deployment. "Absolutely it helps," Thorpe told CBS News. "The subway poses a public safety issue for law-abiding citizens who are going to — or coming from — work."

A White House official says that since the start of the operation on Aug. 7, more than 1,094 arrests have been made, including eight known gang members with affiliation to either MS-13 or Tren de Aragua, and 115 firearms have been seized. On the night of Aug. 25, there were a total of 87 arrests, 39 of which were undocumented immigrants with prior arrests on a range of charges from simple assault to felony robbery, according to the official, and four illegal firearms were seized. To date, 49 homeless encampments have been cleared by multi-agency teams.

CBS News analyzed D.C. crime data amid National Guard deployments. Here's what the numbers show.

In the weeks since President Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., violent crime is down vs. the same time last year.

www.cbsnews.com

I'd call that a good thing, wouldn't you?

No I'm not, JR.

Yes, you are, Anna. Take it from someone who's not you. A second opinion, if you will.

You deliberately shifted the focus from what Trump said he would do to Trump himself, when you're the one who brought up the fact that he said he was going to make the parks better with different grass.

That's dishonest.

You literally said "I'm all for it!"

Yup, because the topic was:

" I have a lot of golf courses all over the place. I know more about grass than any human being, I think, anywhere in the world. And we're gonna be regrassing all of your parks, all brand new sprinkler systems, the best that you can buy."

Not:

the president who's demented enough to claim that he knows more about grass than any human being in the world?

Set aside the Trump-Derangement Syndrome for a moment, Anna.

Maybe you could clarify then, that you're all for what Trump's doing,

I'm all for Trump cleaning up our parks and making them look nice.

That's what we were talking about.

How you go from that to "you're all for what Trump's doing" is illogical.

but not for all the gobbledygook that comes out his mouth?

See, the difference between you and me, Anna, is that I focus on what someone is doing, rather than the personal vendetta I have with someone who has differing political beliefs.

He's using his power lawfully. And even the mayor of DC is onboard now.

DC mayor Bowser signs order aligning city with Trump’s federal police takeover

Order sets rules for federal forces as locals stage noise protests, block indictments and demand home rule

www.theguardian.com

Because he has nice golf courses, you're willing to set aside his delusions of grandeur so DC will have less trash because it was picked up by the National Guard who called them to DC because DC has a lower crime rate than say, Memphis, TN? Why isn't the National Guard in Memphis?

Do you even hear yourself, Anna?

What is he doing?

He's cleaning up DC.

And apparently it took the national guard to do it.

You should be glad that our Capital City is being cleaned up. You should be glad that the law is finally being enforced against criminals.

Your hatred of Trump has clouded your perception of what he's doing.

I hate Trump. I love him as a human being, but he's evil.

Yet even I can recognize that what he's doing is good for the country.

The country is being damaged by those who don't or won't see Trump for what he is, because of what they want from him.

Damaged?

You mean the left's stranglehold is being removed from our necks?

He's working within a government that hates him because he refused to bend the knee to them.

Obviously, there are some things that he'll get wrong. This is not one of them.

​

It obviously wasn't bloat, or Elon would've found the 2 Trillion he never found. These agencies were intentionally decimated. Why? So Trump could say "I alone can fix this?" (This thing that he broke... )

Saying it doesn't make it so.

 

[JudgeRightly]

Like the white American citizen who just killed and wounded schoolchildren as young as 6 years old in a church in Minneapolis today.

You mean the boy who was mentally ill that he thought he was a girl, then started to regret transitioning?

Yeah, that's a result of YOUR SIDE'S policies, not mine.

The idea that as debaters continue to add more points or evidence to support a claim, the effectiveness of each attempt may decrease to the point that additional points or evidence diminishes and can even take away from the original claim.

In other words, you're pharaoh, and my evidence is God bringing the 10 plagues upon egypt.

Yes, this theme is very common in the Bible.

You see it with Jesus' miracles in the New Testament as well, where the three cities Jesus preached in the most were the most unfruitful. He said it would be worse for them than for Sodom and Gomorrah.

The evidence is overwhelming, and because the person refuses to concede, they harden their hearts to the truth.

You have a very hard heart, Anna.

You need to repent, before it's too late.

 

[JudgeRightly]

You GUARANTEE me?

https://x.com/DonutOperator/status/1961545292441956733

 

[annabenedetti]

https://x.com/DonutOperator/status/1961545292441956733

“I don’t know what he thought he’d be doing, but I really don’t think he thought he’d just be walking around for 12 hours every day,” said the father of a Guardsman from Tennessee.​

​

“When I talked to him, he was just like, ‘Yeah, this is crazy,’” the father added. He said his son, a car salesman, is making less money now while deployed.​

​

national-guardsmen-deployed-to-dc-balance​

 

[annabenedetti]

"Retired Major General"

Meaning he's not active duty, and definitely not a grunt, and hasn't been for a long time.

Far as I can tell, he retired around 2012.

Here's his photo:

Notice anything?

He's old. Probably around 70 (based only on his service record, I can't find his age anywhere).

He's younger than Trump!

And looks a lot healthier, too.

I'll take his opinion based on professional experience.

Trump declared an emergency in DC. (And for good reason.)

He sent the National Guard in to clear the emergency.

He's doing things by the boom, regardless of your and the left's screeching.


Why is that?

Shouldn't they be clean and free of litter? No vagrants/homeless in the streets? No trash lining the road? No thugs or criminals committing crimes?

Sounds like someone wasn't doing their job, and Trump having the National Guard step in cleaned things up.


And it was a job that clearly wasn't being done. Which is why Trump told them to go clean it up.

Again: it's the job of cities and states, not the federal government. This is literally the big government conservatives never wanted, until they did.

DC is a cesspit. Both in cleanliness and in crime.

And now crime is down.

It's amazing what you can do when the law is enforced.

Again, what about the crime rate in Memphis? Kansas City? Nashville? Houston? They all rank higher than DC.

If it's not wrong for your side to be pro-big-government, why is it so bad when our side decides to use the existing power of the government to do the things your side refuses to do, like cleaning up cities and policing the streets?

Because it's hypocrisy, clearly, for conservatives to screech about big government overreach until they're the ones in power. I know this, and I suspect you know it too. Just like @Jefferson agreed that conservatives could make good use of Alinsky's rules for radicals even though they'd been railing against them for decades, conservatives will not willingly give up power even if gotten unconstitutionally, though they were so sure Obama was going to do what Trump is actually doing. Jade Helm, FEMA camps, remember those? So much ado about nothing. Yet now, under the guise of city beatification or exaggerated emergency (no, Los Angeles wouldn't have "burned down" without Trump's overreach), Trump violates posse comitatus and conservatives are nowhere to be found.

Judge rules Trump can't act as national police chief​

The president broke the law when he deployed troops to Los Angeles, Judge Charles Breyer ruled.

Crime in the city dropped overnight, Anna.

Just by the National Guard being there.

From CBS:

But Leroy Thorpe, who leads a neighborhood crime watch program in Washington D.C.'s Shaw neighborhood, has applauded the National Guard deployment. "Absolutely it helps," Thorpe told CBS News. "The subway poses a public safety issue for law-abiding citizens who are going to — or coming from — work."

A White House official says that since the start of the operation on Aug. 7, more than 1,094 arrests have been made, including eight known gang members with affiliation to either MS-13 or Tren de Aragua, and 115 firearms have been seized. On the night of Aug. 25, there were a total of 87 arrests, 39 of which were undocumented immigrants with prior arrests on a range of charges from simple assault to felony robbery, according to the official, and four illegal firearms were seized. To date, 49 homeless encampments have been cleared by multi-agency teams.

CBS News analyzed D.C. crime data amid National Guard deployments. Here's what the numbers show.

In the weeks since President Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., violent crime is down vs. the same time last year.

www.cbsnews.com

I'd call that a good thing, wouldn't you?

Yes of course decreased crime is a good thing. However, let's keep it in context. From your link:

For comparison, CBS News' review of district police arrest records for the same days in previous years show a similar pace of arrests this year: the district police data show 1,071 arrests for the same period of days in 2024. The data document 856 arrests during that period in 2023, 800 in 2022, 755 in 2021 and 734 in 2020

So the arrests made for the same period last year compared to current are almost identical: 1,071 to 1,094.

Yes, you are, Anna. Take it from someone who's not you. A second opinion, if you will.

The same in turn. This whole conversation is about two completely opposing views being expressed.

You deliberately shifted the focus from what Trump said he would do to Trump himself, when you're the one who brought up the fact that he said he was going to make the parks better with different grass.

That's dishonest.

I have no problem quoting Trump's words to illustrate his mental state. It's possible to do two things at the same time. Discuss his actions, and discuss his words. Why the limitation? And why call it dishonest? It's not.

Yup, because the topic was:
Not:
Set aside the Trump-Derangement Syndrome for a moment, Anna.
I'm all for Trump cleaning up our parks and making them look nice.

That's what we were talking about.

No, if you go back and look, my post quoting Trump wasn't even addressed to you. You replied to it, but my original post stands.

How you go from that to "you're all for what Trump's doing" is illogical.

Do you even hear yourself, Anna?

Your hatred of Trump has clouded your perception of what he's doing.

See, the difference between you and me, Anna, is that I focus on what someone is doing, rather than the personal vendetta I have with someone who has differing political beliefs.

It would be nice if you wouldn't focus on me. Just stick to the events and issues under discussion.

I hate Trump. I love him as a human being, but he's evil.

Yet even I can recognize that what he's doing is good for the country.

Do you think he's doing any damage at all? If so, what?

He's using his power lawfully. And even the mayor of DC is onboard now.

DC mayor Bowser signs order aligning city with Trump’s federal police takeover

Order sets rules for federal forces as locals stage noise protests, block indictments and demand home rule

www.theguardian.com

The DA is not.

dc-sues-trump-administration-illegal-deployment-national-guard-rcna228913

 

[annabenedetti]

You mean the boy who was mentally ill that he thought he was a girl, then started to regret transitioning?

Yeah, that's a result of YOUR SIDE'S policies, not mine.

Still homegrown, not an undocumented immigrant, which harks back to our earlier exchange about citizen vs. non-citizen crime rates.

In other words, you're pharaoh, and my evidence is God bringing the 10 plagues upon egypt.

Yes, this theme is very common in the Bible.

You see it with Jesus' miracles in the New Testament as well, where the three cities Jesus preached in the most were the most unfruitful. He said it would be worse for them than for Sodom and Gomorrah.

The evidence is overwhelming, and because the person refuses to concede, they harden their hearts to the truth.

You have a very hard heart, Anna.

You need to repent, before it's too late.

The law of diminishing returns as relates to a discussion (or economics, or anything in life you're putting effort into) has nothing to do with Pharaoh, or anything Biblical, and certainly nothing to do with my heart or salvation, so again: it would be nice if you wouldn't focus on me. Just stick to the events and issues under discussion.