Just consider this the answer then:
"People are subservient to their desires and desires can wreck havoc on an individual. Germany could slip out of political alignment with the EU, the EU could fall apart and Europe could land in chaos which could ultimately be detrimental to Germany. "
In other words what is apparently done out of self interest can amount to chaos and the enslavement to the desires.

Well, it's functionally subservient from the United States standpoint. That ethic is preserving the United States self-interest... Trump represents the United States.
From Germany's standpoint I do agree it's an alignment of apparent mutual self interest, that's just a different conversation. Trump doesn't have to represent Germany.
I suppose he is obligated to represent the world at large, and so is Germany...
People are subservient to their desires and desires can wreck havoc on an individual. Germany could slip out of political alignment with the EU, the EU could fall apart and Europe could land in chaos which could ultimately be detrimental to Germany and the world at large. From that perspective (and from the prevailing pseudo-morals against dictators which everyone boasts about) Germany will become subservient to Russia... yes

Well yes, and I acknowledged we are willing participants. My point is Saudi Arabia is an equally brutal regime and yet here we are doing that brutal regimes dirty work. Point is that countries can align economically and then political alignment follows. This is getting into the absurdity of our stance towards Russia to begin with - the fact we consider them an adversary and denounce them - the moral justification is all just a dog and pony show for the public. We're adversarial to them because we have conflicting economic interests. If Germany aligns with them economically it inevitably means they align politically, it undermines our alliance with Germany. and it actually undermines the stability of the EU. Russia is actually taking off and they're projected to take off even more over the next couple decades. That's a larger issue at hand, and it needs to be addressed, which is part of why he's mentioned it. And it's not just Germany it's other countries in Eastern Europe.

We are clearly serving the interests of Saudi Arabia in the middle east. You could call us a willing participant, that's actually how alliances tend to form and be maintained... they're rooted in mutual economic interests. If Germany becomes increasingly entrenched with Russia economically and less connected with the US economically they will likely end up aligning with Russia more closely over time and drifting away from the US, that's just how it works. In reality world leaders care very little about whether this leader is a mean dictator, etc. - just observe our relationship with Saudi Arabia. What they actually care about is the bottom line, they're puppets that represent business interests. This is again why the whole outcry over the comment (which you see from Maw) is absurd and moronic - it presumes that the world operates based on the childish, petty whims of those in charge (this is a projection).

As an aside, and IMO, save these types of comments for your twitter feed. Just make your points, allow others to make theirs. Maybe even think that individuals can have differing viewpoints without the need to be antagonistic

As long as you prove to be reasonable I will refrain from antagonizing you. Your initial comments didn't seem reasonable but your response was thoughtful and you at least read what I said, so...

Where one decides to purchase their energy does not make them automatically subservient to them.

We are not, nor have been subservient to Saudi, Venezuela, Mexico, or Canada.

It could be equally true that Germany as a major purchaser of energy from Russia could exert influence on them.

Actually we have fought wars and engaged in proxy wars on behalf of Saudi Arabia... everything we do in the middle east is geared towards undermining Iran. That's why we've systematically overthrown every major dictator that was leaning closer to Iran.. It actually does largely come down to power and oil in the middle east.
The buyer is dependent on the supplier while the supplier can go to other buyers, the entire world needs oil. It's much easier as a supplier to find new buyers. It's not an equal power exchange. Especially now considering the Russian economy is becoming increasingly free market and it's been growing exponentially. They even have a skyrocketing China right next to them...
So you're just completely wrong, aren't you? Canada and Mexico are in such close proximity to us they could never pose any threat to cutting off our oil, our economies are way too networked.

Maw, since you've made 3 lackluster responses thus far I am discluding you from any further discussion. For example, twice now you have quoted a small portion of what I just said while leaving out other parts that addressed your response. It's a waste of time.

Calling the EU America's largest economic "foe" is in no way a diplomatic or constructive way to "address problems". Saying that Germany is a puppet of Russia does nothing to "address the problem". Contrast Obama's criticism and constructive solutions of Germany's use of Russia's natural gas, with Trump's.

There is nothing derogatory in saying that Germany gets gas from Russia and is thus economically dependent on Russia and functionally subservient to them. All that is... is observing a geopolitical power dynamic and making a point based on it. World leaders think about things like that constantly. There is nothing offensive or controversial about that statement. If a world leader got offended by that it would prove they were absolutely, utterly incompetent and they would need to be replaced immediately. The way you characterize his position and the things he's saying is so childish, reactive and simplistic. You act like world leaders are a bunch of mindless, bickering children engaging in popularity contests, rather than hard nosed business representatives concerned with the bottom line. It's like you've projected your childish fantasies onto the world at large and you believe the entire world runs based on these petty, bickering idiocies. You just don't have a clear representation of how things really work on that level, the kind of priorities those people actually have. Your tone sounds to me like you've internalized the neurosis of various news channels.

It's like I could turn on the news and get everything you're saying verbatim. I don't even need you, there's no use for you. If I want a response I can just go turn on the news

Great racist stuff here :up:

You're racist, you try to manipulate black people into liking you by catering to what you think they want you to say rather than saying the truth. It's proof that you see them in terms of their race. In the process you show that you have no real concern for any of the problems in the black community as you dismiss all the issues that were raised. All this claiming to be sympathetic to blacks is just your effort to keep them under your thumb, you actually do nothing for them and have no interest in helping them. And they know that.

Absolutely none of this is true. There are a fantastic number of publications investigating the zero-tolerance policy, which was started under the Trump administration. I suggest you read up on it. It has not been "done like this for decades", and it hasn't been "resolved".

No he actually signed an executive order halting the family separation policy days after this became a public outcry, here is the video of that happening, see for yourself:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?447373-1/president-trump-signs-executive-order-halting-family-separation-policy

Wow you really digressed into an absurd strawman didn't you? Trump continually attacks the EU, Germany, Canada, their politicians, etc. He has attacked American institutions and federal department. When you claim that Germany is "totally controlled by Russia", that's disparagement. It's not "dramatic nonsense". When you claim that the media is the "enemy of the American people", that's dangerously disparaging. Unless of course the meaning of disparagement looses any and all meaning, out of convenience to support Trump.

It's like nothing I said to you registered - did I not just explain how sometimes, in relationships, people have to call one another out and address the problems...? Did I not explain how glossing over those problems and brushing them under the rug actually damages relationships long term? i.e. damages the alliance long term.? It's like the words I say don't have any effect, you just repeat yourself and ignore what I said to you. This is why the term "Trump Derangement Syndrome" is useful, when I engage with you people reasoning goes out the window.

So? Are you comparing Nazis with Antifa, an organization you probably only heard about via the protest, in which a woman was killed because a Nazi drove his car into the crowd?

So he claimed there were good people at the rally, you said it was a Nazi rally, I said there were people who were not Nazis at the rally..... In other words conservatives that aren't Nazi. Do you understand? Follow the train of thought.

I'm actually more concerned with far-right extremists, rather than radical Islamist extremists, given that the former have been responsible for far more attacks than the latter.

That's because you're caught up in your sheltered, American bubble of ignorance precisely maintained, in part, by said airport security. Though tbh I don't believe you're more concerned with far-right extremists, I think you're saying that because it fits your argument and you're basically a propagandist and a puppet for churning out political babble. Try educating yourself about what's actually happening in Syria before you talk any further. It seems like it's another world away to you but the world is now a very small place, you can travel around the world in 3 days by plane at this point...

There's nothing deranged about attacking Trump's immigration policies, which forces family separation, or departs people who have lived and contributed to this country for decades.

That issue has been resolved, it was resolved rather quickly and he worked to resolve it. But you're talking about it as he is trying to separate the families and I just don't understand why. It's also been done like that for decades but you're hellbent on wringing his neck over it.

Nothing deranged about attacking Trump's foreign policy, which disparages long-term allies, and flatters dictators.

He hasn't disparaged allies, that's dramatic nonsense. Relationships aren't always smiles and hugs, if you've ever had family you'd know better, sometimes you have to handle problems... that's how healthy relationships are maintained. If you just smile and gloss over things, and pretend everything's fine, problems linger and it actually kills your relationships. Shows how much you really understand life. And the idea that he should abuse dictators and not be diplomatic with them is actually absurd. You may as well say that peace talks are a bad thing, or peace with North Korea is a bad thing. Do you really see the world as a playground of children hurling blame at one another? Good thing you aren't in charge!

Nothing deranged about attacking Trump's economic policy, which includes a tax cut that overwhelmingly favors the rich over the poor and middle class,

No, the tax cuts hurt the lower and middle class in the short term (via restricted government programs)... and government benefits help the lower and middle class in the short term. But in the long term the tax cuts grow the GDP, create jobs and stave off the US defaulting on its debt, which preserves social security and medicare... thus they help the lower and middle class in the long term - social security and medicare help the lower and middle class; a working economy helps the lower and middle class. And we've said this many times.

or his ridiculous trade war with a variety of countries, which will only hurt small business and cut jobs.

No, increasing tariffs causes a variety of complex effects throughout the whole economy. It actually doesn't "only hurt small business", it effects alot of things.

Nothing deranged about attacking Trump when he criticizes Black Americans for peacefully kneeling during the American anthem

No, those are people with no gratitude for what they have hopping on anti-American bandwagons and setting a horrible example for the black youth in this country. Black youth are 70% without fathers in the home and are driven to the fringes by the corrupt culture ... they need some parental figures to guide them.... For so many black youth in this country their only parental guidance comes from rappers yelling about capping thugs.... They don't need foodball players feeding them more antisocial sentiment.

but pardons Joe Arpaio who engaged in extreme racial profiling of Latin Americans.

I wonder how you feel about airport security prioritizing Muslims over non-Muslims in searches? In Germany and other European countries the airport security actually actively profiles and they have the best airport security with the lowest rates of smuggling and crime getting through their ports in the world.

Nothing deranged about attacking Trump's comments on women when he gloats about sexual assault

Learn what an actual sexual assault is.

and threatens to overturn Roe v. Wade.

He has every right to appoint a conservative judge and every conservative president before him has appointed conservative judges, likewise every liberal president has appointed liberal judges. This is why we call it Trump Derangement Syndrome.

Nothing deranged about attacking Trump when he claims that there are "very fine people on both sides", during a Neo-Nazi protest.

It wasn't actually just Nazis at the protest.

There is nothing deranged about having the moral clarity to see that these are morally abhorrent and having mettle to call out or fight these injustices. The idea of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome" is nothing more than a sick, vapid attempt to normalize Trump's immorality. This is simply gaslighting.

There is because you've stirred yourself into believing you're some hero and yet your points are easily countered, you should have been able to self-criticize and round out your thinking more than this, meanwhile when people make the points you ignore them and repeat yourself... it's called TDS.

Buddhism was an outgrowth of Hinduism which describes God in terms of aspects, one of which is MahaVishnu which is the absolute transcendent aspect of God as they think about it. They clearly do have a notion of a transcendent God.
Whether they acknowledge it within their own doctrine is no indication that they have no notion of the concept.

You're thinking of choice in a binary manner ... human free will is identified with higher consciousness, the choices are drawn from a void of infinite potential. You're assuming that the range of human choice can be determined by environmental factors, no... human consciousness transcends the surroundings, there is an aspect to consciousness that is not info-cognitive but purely abstract. In that abstract void there is infinite potential because there are no material constraints. It is something like imagination that corresponds to reality and can be applied to reality.
Computers do not have an imagination, and no infinite void that they draw choices from. Their choices are determined by the informational structure inwhich they are operating.
In the transcendent sense "choice" is not a binary decision it is the application of will to manifest potential; and choice is a cognitive process and not merely an observed outcome.

Many people claim to be Christian, so clearly it isn't dead. I see people in here pronouncing it dead and regurgitating Nietzsche, citing the development of science and rationalism as a replacement for belief in God, but faith in God isn't rational.. Nietzsche was naive to assume rationalism would simply displace faith as if there is rough equivalency between them... Fact is it hasn't gone away and the statistics show that. Nietzsche's philosophy was never coherent - he argues that rationalism will displace faith then describes all the ways western civilization will fall into nihilism as a result - he only wound up illustrating the reasons people continue to cling to their beliefs and the reasons that rationalism falls short as a replacement. How he didn't see this is beyond me.