Apparently, our own Mr Christopher Pyne is frightened by the rise of Trump... He should not fear anything sinister — or at least nothing more sinister than the election of our own Tony Abbott, in which Pyne played an important role — especially in demonising Julia Gillard beyond the pale.

At least Trump seems to have entertaining qualities that our best actors would envy, though some of the showmanship is a bit close to the rhetoric at a Hitler rally. His populist politics of course strongly rely on religious fervour, like that of Abbott, except that Trump does not believe a spiffle of it. It's all theatricals, telling everyone they are idiots, suckers, sexists, gunslingers, racists, and they all love it as badges of honor. Actually you know the T-shirt with "I'm with stupid" and an arrow point left or right? Well they wear the T-shirt with the arrow pointing up... 

The world has gone mad, of course... Er, I will rephrase this: the world has been mad since god decided to make Adam out of a mudcake and make Eve out of a spare rib. From then on, it was downhill all the way to Trump who seems to have gloriously eaten an onion like our illustrious Tony last year — in order to give that extra smirky mouth twist. That is an art form in itself. No actor could match this convincingly.

 

It was intended, according to its creator, as a “warning to America”, a horrifying and fantastical vision of the future in which the US – ludicrously – had elected as its president Donald Trump.

But with the property billionaire now the favourite to gain the Republican nomination for the presidency, the episode of The Simpsons that in 2000 foresaw such a laughable outcome has begun looking unnervingly prescient.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/17/simpsons-president-trump-prediction-was-meant-as-warning-to-us

 

Now you know why I place the Simpsons in my toons about the US presidential elections (this one and the previous ones). I must guess that Mr Murdoch would be laughing his head off as the publisher of the Simpsons.  He loves Trump's strategy of telling you you're suckers, racists, sexists morons. Uncle Rupe has used this strategy under the cover of most of his media stable, except for The Australian and The Times where the CONservative syntax is aimed at those who make sure you are exploitable suckers, sexists, racists and idiots. Rupert would not care much about your economic discomfiture as long as you keep buying his papers and watch his Fox network to see analysis of your discomfiture and why you should love being screwed. It works, like aerobics for couch potatoes.

 

 

The Republican primaries have occupied most of the headlines and are the topic of the moment. Much of the spotlight has been on Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. The billionaire magnate from the real-estate industry is making his second presidential run (he ran as a Reform Party candidate in 2000). Trump leads comfortably, with 661 delegates. If these trends continue, he will win the Republican nomination.

And a large percentage of voters who say they are evangelical have received and embraced most, if not all, of these proposals.

Some pastors and friends from other countries have written me with curiosity and surprise to ask: How is it possible that Trump is leading despite all the negativity that he represents? I will answer this question later, but it seems clear that his supporters attribute to him intelligent proposals and success as an entrepreneur.

Let us review the proposals of Donald Trump and his experience as an administrator, which allegedly qualify him to "Make America great again":

1. Create a 50-foot-high wall to "secure" the borders between the US and Mexico. He is guaranteeing the American electorate that Mexico will pay for it.

2. Deport more than 11 million immigrants who are in the U.S. without authorization.

3. Deny Muslims the entry to the country whether they are legal residents or not.

4. Promise to eliminate ISIS, including the innocent wives and children of militants.

5. Not denouncing, immediately, the support of Ku Klux Klan leadership.

One source of Trump's support, among self-identifying evangelicals and others, is his reputation as a "successful" businessman.

However, while no one can argue against his fortune, he has not been as successful as the media have tried to present:

1. Trump University failed.

2. Trump Mortgage failed.

3. Trump Airlines failed.

4. Trump Vodka failed.

And that's just a sample of his failed businesses.

If his proposals are so radical, inhumane and deplorable and there is hard evidence that he is not as successful as he has tried to argue, how is it possible that a large sector of "evangelicals" and conservatives in this country support him?

This leads me to ask another question: Is Donald Trump the problem or not? My answer is no. Donald Trump is not the problem.

Joseph de Maistre said that every nation gets the government it deserves. Should the trend toward Trump continue and conclude with him winning the nomination and then the presidency of the United States, his victory would reflect great societal ills.

And his support among "evangelicals" calls into question just who is identifying as evangelical. I would go so far as to say that many who claim to be evangelical actually are not.

What is my basis for this argument? My answer is simple. Donald Trump is racist, nativist, xenophobic, fascist, classist, narcissistic, arrogant, disrespectful, irreverent and a man without God. A self-proclaimed "Christian" who has said he never had to ask God for forgiveness.

If he has the "evangelical" vote it is because this sector which calls itself "evangelical" has not been born again, nor does it know the God of Scripture.

It is impossible that Donald Trump is a Christian with such an anti-biblical and immoral speech, including challenging God. Nor are those who follow him true Christians. You are what you worship. If you call yourself "Christian" and follow this individual, you need to repent.

My conclusion is that Donald Trump has awakened the "sleeping giant" of this nation — that racist, nativist and exclusivist feeling that dominated the United States of America for years. With the argument that we should make America "great" again, Trump has sold a "hope" to make America white, narcissistic, exclusivist and racist again.

If that is the position of those who follow and vote for him, do not "Christianize" your racist, nativist, narcissistic and exclusivist arguments. If you like the people of Israel, want another Saul, again, you are within your rights, but do not forget that you will have to face the consequences.

Each debate, caucus and state election process that I see reminds me even more the words of John Calvin:

"When God wants to judge a nation, he gives them evil rulers."

So no, Trump is not the problem. The problem is you and me.

May God have mercy on us!

 

Félix Cabrera is the pastor of Iglesia Bautista Central, a Southern Baptist congregation in Oklahoma City.
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/donald-trump-gods-judgment-america-159315/#qCOAhx5WQ4cVYYu8.99

I though you might like to see what some evangelicals think about Trump... A judgement from god on the SINS of America... And I don't mean the wars — the illegal wars, the secret wars, infiltration of other countries and economic wars— I mean the sin of harbouring decent homosexuals or those helping women to choose, in regard to abortion. God forbids... Mea culpa three times, America.
Quite funny really. One of the evangelical boys has bitten the dust: Rubio... The last one they might support is Cruz, who to say the least is on par in lack of substance but does not have the showmanship of Trump.
The one that the Republican should align behind is Mr K...
I can understand "god inflicting Trump on the Americans" as punishment, BUT GOD INFLICTING TRUMP ON THE REST OF THE WORLD?  You must be kidding...

 

 

Picture at top by Gus Leonisky.

 

 

In 1998, the logo of Miss Universe – "the woman with stars" – was created,[8] representing the beauty and responsibility of women around the world.[9] The same logo is used in present-day pageants.[8]

In 2015, after Donald Trump made statements about immigrants from Mexico in his presidential campaign kickoff speech, NBC decided to end their business relationship and stated that they will no longer air the pageant, or the Miss USA pageant, on their networks.[10] In September 2015, Trump bought the entire stock of the Miss Universe Organization from NBC, becoming its sole owner for three days until selling the entire stock to WME/IMG.[6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Universe

 

 

San Juan: Puerto Rico's 2016 Miss Universe contestant has been stripped of her crown after officials said she had an "attitude problem".

Kristhielee Caride will no longer represent the US territory in the upcoming international beauty contest.

Caride won the crown four months ago but recently did an interview with a local newspaper in which she was criticised for being dismissive and saying she did not love cameras.

Desiree Lowry, national director of Miss Universe Puerto Rico, was present during that interview.

"I wanted the earth to swallow me," Lowry said. "You always have to put your best face forward ... it's a given that we are going to be in front of cameras and that we have to answer all types of questions."

Lowry said Caride never apologised and only told officials that she was having a personal problem and that the incident would not repeat itself.

But Lowry said Caride then cancelled other appearances because she said she had a doctor's appointment that she refused to reschedule.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/ls-celebrity-news/puerto-rico-miss-universe-kristhielee-caride-stripped-of-title-over-attitude-problem-20160317-gnlqwh.html#ixzz43EcbjCXg
Follow us: @smh on Twitter | sydneymorningherald on Facebook

Meanwhile at WME/IMG

For many years Emanuel's most enduring obsession was to combine his talent agency, whose clients include movie and television stars such as Ben Affleck, James Franco, and Oprah Winfrey, with IMG, the sports-entertainment-and-marketing giant that has worked with such elite athletes as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Pete Sampras, and Martina Navratilova. Emanuel's quest to own IMG began in earnest in the summer of 2004, when he and others had dinner with private-equity mogul Teddy Forstmann at the fashionable (now defunct) Midtown Manhattan restaurant Davidburke & Donatella, according to a former Forstmann partner. The two men discussed how Forstmann's firm, Forstmann Little & Company, might make an investment in Emanuel's agency, Endeavor, as it was called before it merged with William Morris. A term sheet was drawn up, but the deal went nowhere.

Forstmann—himself a larger-than-life character, just as passionate and mercurial as Emanuel—also nursed an obsession to own IMG, which was then still controlled by its founder, Mark McCormack. An amateur golf player, McCormack had begun the firm to help his friend Arnold Palmer and other professional athletes earn extra money by endorsing products and adding their star power to corporate marketing campaigns. Forstmann thought IMG was amateurishly run but full of potential. “They had a hell of a franchise that they weren't really taking advantage of,” he told me in a December 2010 interview in his posh office in Manhattan's G.M. Building. “This company had never used the word ‘profit.’ Mark liked to end the year at zero. He wanted to take the last $20 or $25 million. None of these people knew what the other guy did. It was … I'll use colorful language … It was the most fucked-up company I've ever seen in my whole life by a long shot.”

read more: http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/02/wme-img-merger-ari-emanuel

-------------------

Oh for a beautiful face or to have some talent at pushing a little white ball into a hole!... and for Trump, the god of hubris with magnificent hair. It's the stuff dreams are made of, despite the niggles... and not be so old... and be so good at things that talent scout would rush at your door... Oh for a quiet evening...

 

see also: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/03/donald-trump-women-comments-misogyny-jennifer-lopez