RichM They’re two separate branches of government. The president is part of the executive branch, and Congress is part of the Legislative branch.

    Kells77 I mean, that is not exactly relevant here. The Speaker of The House takes one of the riskiest trips in our lifetimes, all to deflect from a stock trading scandal, by visiting Taiwan supposedly against the President’s wishes, who by the way is the leader of the Speaker’s party, and you think it all comes down to oh well, there is branch separation? No way. The only way this works is if Joe wanted her to take the trip. Either that, or he really is so out of it and powerless that he has lost complete control of his dog shit party.

      zackster I was answering Rich’s question about how it’s possible. The Executive branch has no authority over the Legislative branch, thus making it possible for members of Congress to do what the fuck they want. Is it a good idea? No, absolutely not, but the president technically can’t prevent her from doing it.

        What a fucking shit show America is on a world scale right now. Utter embarrassment. Dangerous fuckwits, shit stirring twats. 👎🤮

        Kind of hilarious to see all the butthurt Chinese nationalists go mental though.

        Cankles-McJeggings Aren’t they just forced to be nationalists though?

        Like many places, in Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing (and maybe a few other large cities) you get the full range of people from urbane cosmopolitan liberals (usually those with passports, who travel, do international business, access foreign media) through to insane haters of everything ‘foreinge’ wanking into a sock in their hovels inbetween shifts as delivery drivers. Basically, like BNP whose lives are so shit they enjoy directing their hatred at something and having an occasional outlet (usually protesting the Jap embassy).

        In the countryside, though, yes, people are basically badly-educated farmers or factory workers who do what they’re told.

        Oh, and the nouveau riche are the absolute worst (probably a lot of them in Australia).

        Usually farmers who struck gold somehow (a shady deal, or sitting on land that a property developer paid millions for) and then go abroad and are still nationalist-peasant as ever.

        But they’re not a lot different to the Russians in Europe in this regard.

          bosstrabs although I obviously never enquire where their wealth came from, I have to deal with the latter (both Chinese and Russians until the war) on an almost daily basis. Just fucking horrible entitled cunts, who probably as you say, came from nothing. Same with Indians I deal with too. They are arguably the worst. But neither Indians or Russians are forced to do what they do, they just like doing it. I always get the feeling chinks are, no matter how rich or where it happened to come from, just subservient drones.

          Even the less nationalist types are inflamed by this Pelosi thing.

          I am not totally sure where I stand on it.

          I was discussing it with an educated but fairly apolitical Chinese mate, though (studied in the UK), and he said “Can you imagine if Chinese military ships were going up and down the Irish sea whenever they felt like it and high-ranking Chinese politicians kept visiting Northern Ireland to stick their fingers in?” I know this equivalence doesn’t exactly stand up, but he has a point. We’d be fucking livid.

            It is, of course, technically a civil war that has an uneasy peace.

            Up until recently, the Republic of China (the Taiwanese) even claimed Nanjing (on the mainland) to be its official capital, which is where the capital would have been if the Nationalists had won. Only after decades did reality prevail and Taipei became the capital.

              bosstrabs

              So all the Taiwanese you see on the news today telling America to fuck off and mind their own business? Pro China nationalists, planted protesters for China or concerned Taiwanese? Hard to know.

                On good news the referendum to remove the constutional protections to abortion in Kansas failed HUGELY. Something like 63-37. And it’s a very red state.

                bosstrabs

                China regularly ‘stray’ into Australian waters. My gardener is in the navy and he says they do it on purpose. It’s called guns down or something. Where they are allowed to travel through to reach another international water. Thing is they are supposed to ask for permission in advance but never do. The other thing is where they are heading is of no interest to anyone as it’s towards the Antarctic and treacherous. They are just doing it to be caught and antagonise. A show of both defiance and strength. They are then escorted off Australian waters. This is a regular occurrence apparently. So often it doesn’t get reported in the media.

                Cankles-McJeggings So all the Taiwanese you see on the news today telling America to fuck off and mind their own business? Pro China nationalists, planted protesters for China or concerned Taiwanese? Hard to know.

                I have no idea as to their motives. Could be a combination of all three. I only know one Taiwanese person, and she’s working here on the mainland so isn’t a good gauge of Taiwanese public opinion.

                When Lindsay Graham and a gaggle of other meth and gay orgy twats went to Taiwan a few months ago there wasn’t a peep out of China. Why was this visit world news?

                  Because it wasn’t announced, and everyone likes Lindsey.