"Oh no, not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world
- Lyrics from The Man Who Sold the World, 1970, David Bowie.
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Amusingly, the day Donald Trump was inaugurated this song trended on YouTube. The Man Who Sold the World was an early Bowie tune which never received much airplay till British pop-diva, Lulu - whom DB adored - brought it to the top of the UK charts several years later.
Nirvana covered the song in the 90s - above is an MTV performance - and totally nailed it. But, meanwhile, hiding in the Saturday Night Live archives is, perhaps, DB's most definitive interpretation of the "man" who is revealed to be an eerily puppet-like figure. (Also see.) Featuring the German performance artist, Klaus Nomi, the full video can be found here.
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"I was saved by God to make America great again."
- A grandiose (delusional) statement attributed to Donald Trump on the day of his inauguration sourced from USA Today's Donald Trump sworn in as 47th president, declares 'America's decline is over'.
America's "decline" is over? No, judging by the news headlines over the past 8 days, many, both here and abroad, secretly fear the alleged "decline" may have just begun.
Moreover, America may be losing the support of friendly nations and allies due to the present administration's seemingly pathological disregard for diplomacy. (See article here and videos of officials from Germany, Ireland, and Denmark.)
Observe:
• Trump is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement (again), reversing U.S. climate policy
• Trump administration launches nationwide immigration enforcement blitz
• Trump’s new gender rules gut a key part of the Prison Rape Elimination Act
• Trump uses mass firing to remove independent inspectors general at a series of agencies
• What is US birthright citizenship and what does Trump’s executive order do?
• Brazil slams US after dozens of deportees arrive handcuffed
• Trump imposes tariffs, sanctions on Colombia after it refuses deportation flights
(Update)
• US freezes foreign aid for almost all countries including Ukraine, except Israel and Turkey
• Trump offering buyouts to all federal workers
• Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans
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The news is coming fast and furiously these days. I've never seen anything like it. Every day introduces a new abomination... with the leader of the new administration shooting out executive orders with machine gun-like rapidity. If this is an element of his strategy then it's effectively disabling us, leading some Americans to wonder: has there been a coup?
Seriously...
(Continued below the jump...)
