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Trump’s ‘truly bizarre’ visit to Mt. Vernon

  

Category:  News & Politics

Via:  john-russell  •  5 years ago  •  100 comments

Trump’s ‘truly bizarre’ visit to Mt. Vernon
If Trump was impressed with Washington’s real estate instincts, he was less taken by Mount Vernon itself, which the first president personally expanded from a modest one-and-a-half story home into an 11,000 square foot mansion. The rooms, Trump said, were too small, the staircases too narrow, and he even spotted some unevenness in the floorboards, according to four sources briefed on his comments. He could have built the place better, he said, and for less money

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T



The 45th president — no student of history — marveled at the first president’s failure to name his historic compound after himself.

President Donald Trump had some advice for George Washington.

During a guided tour of Mount Vernon last April with French president Emmanuel Macron, Trump learned that Washington was one of the major real-estate speculators of his era. So, he couldn’t understand why America’s first president didn’t name his historic Virginia compound or any of the other property he acquired after himself.

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“If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it,” Trump said, according to three sources briefed on the exchange. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”

The VIPs’ tour guide for the evening, Mount Vernon president and CEO Doug Bradburn, told the president that Washington did, after all, succeed in getting the nation’s capital named after him. Good point, Trump said with a laugh.

America’s 45 th president is open about the fact that he doesn’t read much history. Trump said in July 2016 that he had never read a presidential biography — and had no plans to do so. Though he is an avid fan of George Patton, the flashy, tough-talking World War II general, he has shown less interest in learning about his presidential predecessors or about the office he now occupies. Former White House aides say Trump initially did not know the history of the Resolute Desk, which has been used by presidents since Rutherford B. Hayes, though he now enjoys showing it off to visitors to the Oval Office.

Trump’s lack of interest in presidential history, said the historian Jon Meacham, means that he has “basically thrown out the one data set available to him. We don’t have anything else to study. It’s all you got.” It also stands in contrast to the fascination of other presidents with their predecessors. Even former President George W. Bush — not known as a tweedy intellectual — consumed several presidential biographies while in office.

A spokeswoman for Mount Vernon pointed to a statement posted on the estate’s website at the time of the president’s visit. “We are always happy to extend the famous Washington hospitality to the President of the United States and visiting dignitaries from around the world,” said Mount Vernon Regent Sarah Miller Coulson. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

The president’s disinterest in Washington made it tough for tour guide Bradburn to sustain Trump’s interest during a deluxe 45-minute tour of the property which he later described to associates as "truly bizarre." The Macrons, Bradburn has told several people, were far more knowledgeable about the history of the property than the president.

A former history professor with a PhD , Bradburn “was desperately trying to get [Trump] interested in" Washington's house, said a source familiar with the visit, so he spoke in terms Trump understands best — telling the president that Washington was an 18th century real-estate titan who had acquired property throughout Virginia and what would come to be known as Washington, D.C.

Trump asked whether Washington was "really rich," according to a second person familiar with the visit. In fact, Washington was either the wealthiest or among the wealthiest Americans of his time, thanks largely to his mini real estate empire.

“That is what Trump was really the most excited about,” this person said.

If Trump was impressed with Washington’s real estate instincts, he was less taken by Mount Vernon itself, which the first president personally expanded from a modest one-and-a-half story home into an 11,000 square foot mansion. The rooms, Trump said, were too small, the staircases too narrow, and he even spotted some unevenness in the floorboards, according to four sources briefed on his comments. He could have built the place better, he said, and for less money.

“Mount Vernon has a policy of not providing details about high profile visits outside of the official statements provided by the organization,” a spokesperson for Mount Vernon told POLITICO.

Many Americans don't fare much better than the president when it comes to a knowledge of the basic facts of American history — and one person close to the White House said the president’s supporters aren’t bothered by the fact that he isn’t a history buff.

“His supporters don't care, and if anything they enjoy the fact that the liberal snobs are upset” that he doesn’t know much history, this person said.

A recent survey conducted by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation found that just four in 10 Americans today can pass the country's citizenship exam, which is comprised of several multiple-choice questions about the Constitution and American history, such as "Who did the United States fight during World War II?" and "What is one right granted under the First Amendment to the Constitution?"

But most Americans do not become president of the United States. After their tour of Washington's mansion, the Trumps and the Macrons dined in the house's New Room, an experience rarely afforded even to the most exclusive visitors to the property, according to sources familiar with the site’s operations. The previous year, the Macrons hosted the Trumps for dinner in the Eiffel Tower, and the evening at Mount Vernon was meant to be a corresponding gesture.

Mount Vernon, which includes extensive gardens, a farm, a distillery and gristmill, and the tombs of Washington and his wife, Martha, attracts an average of a million tourists a year, including dozens of VIPs, according to its website. Bush visited the site with his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, in 2007, and foreign dignitaries from Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have all dropped in while visiting the United States.


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JohnRussell
Professor Principal
1  seeder  JohnRussell    5 years ago
“If he was smart, he would’ve put his name on it,” Trump said, according to three sources briefed on the exchange. “You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”

Mt Vernon already had it's name when George Washington inherited it from a family member. The place had been named by George Washington's older half brother Lawrence, who named it Mt. Vernon after a British military officer Lawrence Washington had served under. If Trump had followed his own advice he would have renamed Mar-a-lago, his Florida estate,  Trumpworld.

Trump is an idiot.

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
1.1  Trout Giggles  replied to  JohnRussell @1    5 years ago
“You’ve got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you.”

Yeah....I never heard of Washington....jrSmiley_78_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
Veronica
Professor Guide
1.1.1  Veronica  replied to  Trout Giggles @1.1    5 years ago
I never heard of Washington.

I was thinking the same thing when I saw the report on CNN.

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
1.1.2  Trout Giggles  replied to  Veronica @1.1.1    5 years ago

I think there has to be at least one county in each state named Washington and a town or city named Washington. Or as they say in Arkansas "Warshington"

 
 
 
MrFrost
Professor Expert
1.1.3  MrFrost  replied to  Trout Giggles @1.1.2    5 years ago

Or an entire state. 

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
1.1.4  Trout Giggles  replied to  MrFrost @1.1.3    5 years ago

LOL!

I wonder if there is a Washington Township, Washington County, Washington?

 
 
 
MrFrost
Professor Expert
1.1.5  MrFrost  replied to  Trout Giggles @1.1.4    5 years ago

I live in WA., guess it would have been a tad funnier had I said so. 

Several years ago I took a trip to DC because...I had never been there. One gal asked me where I was from...

Me: "Washington."

Them: "OH! So you're a local!"

Me: "No, Washington State."

Them: "Oh ok, you didn't say, "state"". 

Me: "When someone from Colorado tells you they are from Colorado, are you confused when they don't say, "state"?

......

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
1.1.6  Trout Giggles  replied to  MrFrost @1.1.5    5 years ago

I grew up about 20 miles outside of a town named Indiana. I went to college there at Indiana University of PA. People would think I was from the state of Indiana when they asked where I was from.

And it was in Indiana County.....

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
1.1.7  epistte  replied to  Trout Giggles @1.1.4    5 years ago
LOL! I wonder if there is a Washington Township, Washington County, Washington?

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
1.1.8  Krishna  replied to  MrFrost @1.1.3    5 years ago
Or an entire state. 

Or even, possibly, an entire nation's capital!

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
1.1.9  Krishna  replied to  Trout Giggles @1.1.4    5 years ago
er if there is a Washington Township, Washington County, Washington?

Trivia alert: There are 20 towns in America named "Moscow".

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
2  seeder  JohnRussell    5 years ago

Reports like this really give the lie to all the conservatives who associate Trump with carrying on for the founding fathers. The founding fathers would have been appalled by an ignoramus like Trump. Everyone knows this, even the right wingers who deny it.

 
 
 
Sunshine
Professor Quiet
2.2  Sunshine  replied to  JohnRussell @2    5 years ago
The founding fathers would have been appalled by an ignoramus like Trump.

I thought the founding fathers where racist bigots. 

 
 
 
Thrawn 31
Professor Guide
2.2.1  Thrawn 31  replied to  Sunshine @2.2    5 years ago

Damn near all of them were.

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
2.2.2  Krishna  replied to  Sunshine @2.2    5 years ago
I thought the founding fathers where racist bigots. 

No they weren't-- how could they be when in fact many were actually Muslims! (Everybody knows this).

 
 
 
Thrawn 31
Professor Guide
2.3  Thrawn 31  replied to  JohnRussell @2    5 years ago
Reports like this really give the lie to all the conservatives who associate Trump with carrying on for the founding fathers. The founding fathers would have been appalled by an ignoramus like Trump.

Honestly, dip shits like Trump were actually one of the reasons the Electoral College was created. Part of the idea was that if the people voted for a moron like Trump, the electors would basically step in and say "nah, he is too much of a dumb ass, this guy will be president instead." Of course it doesn't work like that, which is yet another reason the EC needs to go.

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
2.4  Krishna  replied to  JohnRussell @2    5 years ago
The founding fathers would have been appalled by an ignoramus like Trump. Everyone knows this,

How do you know what the Founding fathers would've thunk? 

 
 
 
Bob Nelson
Professor Guide
3  Bob Nelson    5 years ago

        jrSmiley_80_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
It Is ME
Masters Guide
4  It Is ME    5 years ago

"He could have built the place better, he said, and for less money"

Been there, done that, said that myself.

Big Deal !

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
4.1  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to  It Is ME @4    5 years ago

[delete

 
 
 
It Is ME
Masters Guide
4.1.1  It Is ME  replied to  JohnRussell @4.1    5 years ago
Your comments resemble mouse droppings. 

Who the fuck ever studies "Mouse Droppings" 

Fascinating ! jrSmiley_30_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
It Is ME
Masters Guide
4.1.4  It Is ME  replied to    5 years ago
That is poetic and prophetic.

“oh shit it's shit”
― Stephen King,

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
4.1.5  Krishna  replied to  It Is ME @4.1.1    5 years ago

Who the fuck ever studies "Mouse Droppings" 

Everybody says "Mouse Droppings". 

 
 
 
It Is ME
Masters Guide
4.1.6  It Is ME  replied to  Krishna @4.1.5    5 years ago
Everybody says "Mouse Droppings".

REALLY ? jrSmiley_97_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
Paula Bartholomew
Professor Participates
4.2  Paula Bartholomew  replied to  It Is ME @4    5 years ago

I doubt Washington would have stiffed his workers like Trump has done to his.

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
4.2.1  Texan1211  replied to  Paula Bartholomew @4.2    5 years ago

Yeah, and I bet his slaves would have been pissed off if Washington didn't pay them.

 
 
 
katrix
Sophomore Participates
5  katrix    5 years ago

I wonder if he'd also complain about the name of Monticello?

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
5.1  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to  katrix @5    5 years ago

It's hard to understand what would motivate someone to display their profound ignorance so openly every day. It's like Trump is proud of knowing so little about the country he leads. 

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
5.1.1  epistte  replied to  JohnRussell @5.1    5 years ago
It's hard to understand what would motivate someone to display their profound ignorance so openly every day. It's like Trump is proud of knowing so little about the country he leads. 

Donald Trump is a one-note wonder who only knows how to promote himself. He is not a leader and he has failed as a businessman. 

 
 
 
Ozzwald
Professor Quiet
5.1.2  Ozzwald  replied to  JohnRussell @5.1    5 years ago
It's hard to understand what would motivate someone to display their profound ignorance so openly every day. It's like Trump is proud of knowing so little about the country he leads. 

It's known as the Dunning–Kruger effect.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
5.1.3  seeder  JohnRussell  replied to  Ozzwald @5.1.2    5 years ago

ok thanks

i will check it out

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
5.1.4  Krishna  replied to  Ozzwald @5.1.2    5 years ago

It's known as the Dunning–Kruger effect.

Thanks for mentioning that! :-)

I was well aware of the concept, but never knew it had a name-- and that it was explained in such detail.

Among other things on the page you linked to it says:

The mechanism behind this bias is two-fold. A first cause is  ego . Very few people like to think of themselves as below average in anything, therefore we tend to overestimate our abilities to increase our confidence. Secondly is the more important point, which Dunning and Kruger highlight in their paper, that our below-average abilities in an area inherently makes us a bad judge of how good we are in that skill. Our knowledge gaps create difficulties in recognizing errors. It is quite hard to judge what a good writer is if you have poor grammar skills. Therefore, as Dunning and Kruger put it

“overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it.”

These people aren’t just bad at a skill, they’re also bad at knowing they are bad at it.

After reading that, I immediately thought of political (and religious) discussions on NT-- most comments are in these discussions are extreme examples of this phenomenon! 

LOL?  NOT! :-(

 
 
 
bbl-1
Professor Quiet
6  bbl-1    5 years ago

The Trump's bizarre visit?  Not really, it is who he is.  And do not forget, his base adores 'the classiness' of the Trump presence.

Wonder what Macron and his wife discussed later? 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7  Buzz of the Orient    5 years ago

I was interested by the reference to the American citizenship exam, which used multiple choice questions.  In such an exam, only one choice could be correct.  The question referenced in the article was:

"Who did the United States fight during World War II?"

I was wondering about 4 suggested answers for the question:

1.   Canada

2.   India

3.   Germany

4.   Japan

Remember, there can only be one right answer, so what would it be?

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
7.1  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7    5 years ago

Buzz,

We declared war on Japan first, since the bombed Pearl Harbor but 3 days later we declared war on Germany. We fought both.

I am actually disturbed that most American citizens could not pass a Citizenship test. Our founding fathers were very worried about an uninformed electorate. Maybe we should start giving a test to pass high school, or you can't vote. 

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
7.1.1  Trout Giggles  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7.1    5 years ago

I thought Germany declared war on us after we declared war on Japan? I need to go Wiki....

Following an immediate U.S. declaration of war against Japan, supported by one from Great Britain, the European Axis powers quickly declared war on the U.S. in solidarity with their Japanese ally.

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.2  epistte  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7.1    5 years ago
I am actually disturbed that most American citizens could not pass a Citizenship test. Our founding fathers were very worried about an uninformed electorate. Maybe we should start giving a test to pass high school, or you can't vote. 

My high school civics teacher used the US citizenship test as half of the final exam.   I thought that it was easy.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.1.3  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7.1    5 years ago

Good idea - no credentials authorizing voting privilege unless such a test is passed.  Of course, your huge number of illegal immigrants might never get the opportunity to take such a test, and wouldn't that cut a lot of votes for the Democrats?

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.4  epistte  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.1.3    5 years ago
Good idea - no credentials authorizing voting privilege unless such a test is passed.  Of course, your huge number of illegal immigrants might never get the opportunity to take such a test, and wouldn't that cut a lot of votes for the Democrats?

That would be a blatant violation of the 26th amendment that says that any American over the age of 18 can vote.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.1.5  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  epistte @7.1.4    5 years ago

Does the definition for an American for the purpose of that Amendment include illegal aliens?  If it does, then perhaps when I was living an hour's drive from Buffalo I could have driven over the Peace Bridge and found a polling station and voted, eh?

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.6  epistte  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.1.5    5 years ago
Does the definition for an American for the purpose of that Amendment include illegal aliens?  If it does, then perhaps when I was living an hour's drive from Buffalo I could have driven over the Peace Bridge and found a polling station and voted, eh?

You need to be an American citizen to vote.

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
7.1.7  Texan1211  replied to  epistte @7.1.6    5 years ago

You need to be an American citizen to vote in federal elections legally.

 
 
 
charger 383
Professor Silent
7.1.8  charger 383  replied to  epistte @7.1.2    5 years ago
"My high school civics teacher used the US citizenship test as half of the final exam.   I thought that it was easy."
sounds like you had a good teacher

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.9  epistte  replied to  Texan1211 @7.1.7    5 years ago
You need to be an American citizen to vote in federal elections legally.

How many non-citizens are illegally voting in federal elections?

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
7.1.10  Texan1211  replied to  epistte @7.1.9    5 years ago
How many non-citizens are illegally voting in federal elections?

I have no earthly idea, and all anyone can do is estimate it anyways.

What's that got to do with requiring one to be an American citizen to legally vote in federal elections?

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.1.11  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  epistte @7.1.9    5 years ago

Have there not been reports of such things happening, especially in California?

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.12  epistte  replied to  Texan1211 @7.1.10    5 years ago
I have no earthly idea, and all anyone can do is estimate it anyways.

You brought it up so where is the proof to support your claims? If you don't have the proof to support your claims then don't bring it up. 

What's that got to do with requiring one to be an American citizen to legally vote in federal elections?

Don't try to move the goalposts now. 

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
7.1.13  Texan1211  replied to  epistte @7.1.12    5 years ago
You brought it up so where is the proof to support your claims? If you don't have the proof to support your claims then don't bring it up.

Whoa. Slow down. What I claimed is that one must be an American citizen to legally vote in a federal election.

Remember this? Post 7.1.7

You need to be an American citizen to vote in federal elections legally. Don't try to move the goalposts now.

I made a comment. It is a fact that my comment is correct. What you decided you thought I wrote isn't what I did write.

No one moved any goalposts on you.

SMMFH

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.14  epistte  replied to  Texan1211 @7.1.13    5 years ago
Whoa. Slow down. What I claimed is that one must be an American citizen to legally vote in a federal election.

You did more than that in this post.  You implied that people are illegally voting, but you have no proof of that. 

You need to be an American citizen to vote in federal elections legally.
 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
7.1.15  Texan1211  replied to  epistte @7.1.14    5 years ago
You did more than that in this post. You implied that people are illegally voting, but you have no proof of that.

It is very poor form to try and debate what you "think" I said or meant" instead of what I actually write.

You may get away with that with others, but I won't be participating in that.

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.16  epistte  replied to  Texan1211 @7.1.15    5 years ago
It is very poor form to try and debate what you "think" I said or meant" instead of what I actually write. You may get away with that with others, but I won't be participating in that.

Your evasive game is not amusing.

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
7.1.17  Texan1211  replied to  epistte @7.1.16    5 years ago
Your evasive game is not amusing.

Good. It isn't a game and it isn't amusing to me either.

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.18  epistte  replied to  Texan1211 @7.1.17    5 years ago
Good. It isn't a game and it isn't amusing to me either.

Then stop doing it and answer my previous question in 7.1.9.

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
7.1.19  Texan1211  replied to  epistte @7.1.18    5 years ago
Then stop doing it and answer my previous question in 7.1.9.

Someone's not paying attention.

Asked and answered, counselor.

 
 
 
Thrawn 31
Professor Guide
7.1.20  Thrawn 31  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7.1    5 years ago
We declared war on Japan first, since the bombed Pearl Harbor but 3 days later we declared war on Germany. We fought both.

Actually, while we delcared war on Japan, we did not declare war on Germany. Germany declared war on us with the understanding that Japan would declare war on the USSR (which didn't happen). Had Germany not done that we would only have been fighting the Japanese (that part of the war would have ended a lot sooner if that were the case).

 
 
 
Thrawn 31
Professor Guide
7.1.21  Thrawn 31  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.1.3    5 years ago
Of course, your huge number of illegal immigrants might never get the opportunity to take such a test, and wouldn't that cut a lot of votes for the Democrats?

No, because they don't vote. Or at least not in numbers that make even the slightest difference. 

Our problem is not voter fraud, it is the fact even in a good election year maybe half of the eligible population actually turns out. 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.1.22  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Thrawn 31 @7.1.21    5 years ago

Australia probably has the right idea - it's an offence NOT to vote without a lawful excuse, and you have to pay a fine.

 
 
 
Bob Nelson
Professor Guide
7.1.23  Bob Nelson  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.1.22    5 years ago

Belgium, too. It's a good idea.

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.24  epistte  replied to  Thrawn 31 @7.1.20    5 years ago

The US declared war on Nazi Germany in the afternoon of the 11th of December 1941, after they declared war on the US that morning following the US declaration of war on their Axis ally Japan.  

 
 
 
cjcold
Professor Quiet
7.1.25  cjcold  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.1.22    5 years ago

Pretty sure that folk who don't intelligently follow all of the issues shouldn't vote.

There should be a civics and current issues test to decide who can and who can't vote.

An IQ test should also be involved.

 
 
 
Ed-NavDoc
Professor Quiet
7.1.26  Ed-NavDoc  replied to  Trout Giggles @7.1.1    5 years ago

You are correct. Germany did declare war on the U.S. first.

 
 
 
Thrawn 31
Professor Guide
7.1.27  Thrawn 31  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.1.22    5 years ago

I am cool with that.

 
 
 
Thrawn 31
Professor Guide
7.1.28  Thrawn 31  replied to  epistte @7.1.24    5 years ago

Oh those technicalities lol. So we were both right! But thank you, I was not aware of that bit of info. 

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.29  epistte  replied to  Thrawn 31 @7.1.28    5 years ago
Oh those technicalities lol. So we were both right! But thank you, I was not aware of that bit of info. 

I remember that it happened from my European history class but I still looked it up to be sure of the date. 

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
7.1.30  Krishna  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7.1    5 years ago

Maybe we should start giving a test to pass high school,

And here's another idea: maybe we should give a test to pass high school that actually measure whether kids actually learned what they should've in High School-- and then not let them graduate if they don't pass it!

(Just kidding :-)

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
7.1.31  Krishna  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7.1    5 years ago

I am actually disturbed that most American citizens could not pass a Citizenship test. Our founding fathers were very worried about an uninformed electorate. Maybe we should start giving a test to pass high school, or you can't vote. 

But what about the people who are already voters-- but who are extremely ignorant? Shoukld they have to take that test as well?

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
7.1.32  Krishna  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @7.1    5 years ago

We declared war on Japan first, since the bombed Pearl Harbor but 3 days later we declared war on Germany. We fought both.

Which shows the stupidity of the person who formulated that question....

(Well, unless they would accept "germany" and "Japan" as correct answers. Still-- not exactly a great way to word a question).

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.1.33  epistte  replied to  Krishna @7.1.31    5 years ago
But what about the people who are already voters-- but who are extremely ignorant? Shoukld they have to take that test as well?

That would be a violation of the 26th Amendment as well as the Voting Rights Act that prohibited tests to vote. 

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
7.2  Trout Giggles  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7    5 years ago

There is only one right answer: Canada. Because you're too damn nice

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.1  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Trout Giggles @7.2    5 years ago

One must not ignore history or be bound to repeat it.  America tried to invade Canada in 1812 and ended up with a fire-blackened white house.  The Battle of Stony Creek, Ontario, (just east of the city of my birth and youth) was the decisive defeat of the American troops.

 
 
 
epistte
Junior Guide
7.2.2  epistte  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.1    5 years ago

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.3  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  epistte @7.2.2    5 years ago

Sorry, episte, but I'm unable to open that link.

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
7.2.4  Trout Giggles  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.1    5 years ago

But we didn't lose the war of 1812

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.5  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Trout Giggles @7.2.4    5 years ago

Maybe you didn't lose it, because the French fleet came to your rescue, but you didn't win it either, because Canada did not become part of the USA, eh?

 
 
 
Bob Nelson
Professor Guide
7.2.6  Bob Nelson  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.5    5 years ago
the French fleet came to your rescue

That was the Revolutionary War. France wasn't much involved in 1812.

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
7.2.7  Trout Giggles  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.5    5 years ago

what Bob said. Your grasp of history is worse than mine

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.8  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Trout Giggles @7.2.7    5 years ago

We didn't study American history when I was in school in Canada - and history was my worst subject anyway.

 
 
 
Bob Nelson
Professor Guide
7.2.9  Bob Nelson  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.8    5 years ago

... whereas all Americans are intimately familiar with all the details of Canadian history...   jrSmiley_82_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.10  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Bob Nelson @7.2.9    5 years ago

LOL

 
 
 
cjcold
Professor Quiet
7.2.11  cjcold  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.5    5 years ago
because Canada did not become part of the USA, eh?

Seems Canada can't decide on which world power to be part of, eh?

 My French was always marginal at best.

I say shut down the border with Canada so we no longer have to worry about another William Shatner.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.12  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  cjcold @7.2.11    5 years ago

We spell like the Brits and talk like the Yankees. 

LOL.  I had to study French in High School, and my French is marginal as well.

If I were you, I'd keep the border in place, or you would have Justin Bieber become an American.  Wait a sec. Did I hear he was applying for American citizenship?  I hope he does - you can have him.

 
 
 
Bob Nelson
Professor Guide
7.2.13  Bob Nelson  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.12    5 years ago

I think Canada should join the EU. There's a place opening up, one of these days.

 
 
 
Split Personality
Professor Guide
7.2.14  Split Personality  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.12    5 years ago

Too long of a criminal record, sorry.

384

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.15  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Split Personality @7.2.14    5 years ago

LOL. Well, I saw that he purchased an historic mansion in England - hopefully he'll settle there then.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.16  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Bob Nelson @7.2.13    5 years ago

And have a bunch of unelected European officials tell Canada what it can and can not do?  That'll be the day.

 
 
 
Bob Nelson
Professor Guide
7.2.17  Bob Nelson  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.16    5 years ago

You're right. You'll do fine with Trumpland and China.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.18  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Bob Nelson @7.2.17    5 years ago

Neither the USA nor China can force Canada to do anything. Granted that Trump bullied Trudeau into signing a NAFTA replacement, but that's either because Trudeau preferred not to fight or else in fact it had its benefits for Canada as well. It seems to me that the EU has the power to force its member nations as to what they can and cannot do.

 
 
 
Bob Nelson
Professor Guide
7.2.19  Bob Nelson  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.18    5 years ago
It seems to me that the EU has the power to force its member nations as to what they can and cannot do.

Not exactly. The Commission, which is an emanation of the member states, creates "directives", which the member states must apply. It's "doubly indirect" democracy.

Do you think Canada can go it alone indefinitely?

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
7.2.20  Krishna  replied to  cjcold @7.2.11    5 years ago

I say shut down the border with Canada so we no longer have to worry about another William Shatner.

Personally I'd be more worried about them sending us more people like Justin Beiber. 

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
7.2.21  Krishna  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7.2.12    5 years ago
If I were you, I'd keep the border in place, or you would have Justin Bieber become an American.  Wait a sec. Did I hear he was applying for American citizenship?  I hope he does - you can have him.

Personally I think we shoud deny citizenship to the Kardashians (every lastone of 'em) , and deport them.

Permanently!

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
7.2.22  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Bob Nelson @7.2.19    5 years ago
"Do you think Canada can go it alone indefinitely?"

Why not?  Canada is not exactly bereft of necessary natural resources.

 
 
 
Krishna
Professor Expert
7.3  Krishna  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @7    5 years ago

I was interested by the reference to the American citizenship exam, which used multiple choice questions.  In such an exam, only one choice could be correct.  The question referenced in the article was:

"Who did the United States fight during World War II?"

I was wondering about 4 suggested answers for the question:

1.   Canada

2.   India

3.   Germany

4.   Japan

Remember, there can only be one right answer, so what would it be?

Who did we fight during WWII? At first I thought the correct answer was "India"-- but then I realized I must've been thinking of The French and Indian War.

 
 
 
Kavika
Professor Principal
8  Kavika     5 years ago

Actually the War of 1812 was pretty much a stalemate. The US invasion of Canada was a loser from the get go. 

Here is an article from History that explains it quite well. 

In many battles American militia men refused to cross into Canada to fight. 

 
 
 
Trout Giggles
Professor Principal
8.1  Trout Giggles  replied to  Kavika @8    5 years ago

Thanks, Kavika. Interesting read

 
 
 
Thrawn 31
Professor Guide
9  Thrawn 31    5 years ago

I read this. Makes me sad that such a downright stupid individual is somehow our president. 

 
 
 
cjcold
Professor Quiet
9.1  cjcold  replied to  Thrawn 31 @9    5 years ago

I have been in a state of shock for the past few years.

 
 

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