Trump thinks China's president for life is a great idea

[bobjimwilly]

Does Trump know anything about the history of autocracy and dictators? Does he know what he is saying, which spells trouble, or he really is that stupid, which also spells trouble?

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/03/politics/trump-maralago-remarks/index.html

[Glyn_Wigley]

He was probably just joking, but his problem appears to be that he hasn't got a gob filter.

[BillyStubbsTears]

He does have a strange admiration for dictators who don’t worry themselves too much about democracy.

Putin.
Xi.
Erdogan.
Dutarte.

Folk who deal with criticism by having critics imprisoned or assassinated.

Trump has poured vitriol on the democratically elected Mayor of London but he has never had anything but glowing words to say about them four.

Strange times...

[bahrain rover]

BST, I have 1st hand experience of the effect Roa Duterte being in power. I have just returned back from a month and half vacation back to home in Cotabato City Mindanao. I can honestly say the transformation and the atmosphere of the city are a million miles away from when I was last there 18 months ago. Then as a westerner it was unadvised to go out alone with out a family member. I remember getting off the plane and being the only western on there. This time there were maybe 50+. You drive through the city and were seen all over now out alone on the streets,in the bars with friends. Cotabato City has transformed from one of the top 3 most dangerous citys in the Philippines, to one of the most safest. Yes I also know first hand the so called extra judicial(sic) killings. My niece's boyfriend was gunned down in the street by the PNP, but I also know this isn't without reason. All in all the Filipinos love what he is doing, and by hell it was needed to be done.Add to this Roa didn't even want to stand for President he was happy doing his job in Davao. It was public pressure that made him change his mind and stand. The voting figures say it all. Maybe more countries in this world need to wake up and vote in a leader with balls who will do exactly what he said, before he was elected.     

[bobjimwilly]

Did I just read correct that you believe these murders are ok because "they aren't without reason"? 
And I'm sure it was all end well for the Filipinos when they decide they want a new leader...

[Glyn_Wigley]

Do all those who get shot out of hand and their families love what he's doing?

[bahrain rover]

You did not read correctly or how I wrote it read wrong. And I was referring to my nieces fiance so that makes it very much family to me!! As I treat my niece as a daughter and someone we love very much. And I said THIS isn't without reason not THEY. I don't mind comment but don't change my words.

[Glyn_Wigley]

You did not read correctly or how I wrote it read wrong. And I was referring to my nieces fiance so that makes it very much family to me!! As I treat my niece as a daughter and someone we love very much. And I said THIS isn't without reason not THEY. I don't mind comment but don't change my words.

Yes, you might have an idea about the reason for that one, but I was referring to the words you used when you said "All in all the Filipinos love what he is doing, and by hell it was needed to be done". I haven't changed any of your words.

[bahrain rover]

Im afraid you did you changed THIS in to THEY which then changes the way iwrote it and changed the meaning of what i was saying. Anyway I was trying to put across my experiance of the effect of one of the 4 leaders mentioned in BST.

[Glyn_Wigley]

Im afraid you did you changed THIS in to THEY which then changes the way iwrote it and changed the meaning of what i was saying. Anyway I was trying to put across my experiance of the effect of one of the 4 leaders mentioned in BST.

WTF are you talking about? How can I have changed THIS to THEY when I haven't used either word anywhere??

[bahrain rover]

Sorry Glynn my mistake got you mixed up with Jimbob. Cant see too clearly on my phone.
What I will say if allowed is there is a lot of misconceptions in the western world regarding what Duterte is doing, again the media. I can pretty much guess before he became President most of you will only know Philippians for Imelda Marcos and her shoes?
The Philippians for decades has been a pit of corruption. The Malacanang (parliament) was run by drug lords and gangland bosses. They had Presidents,politicians,judges,lawyers and so on all in their pockets and if they refused to play ball they were killed. Again I have experience of this, Benny Mokalid my wife's uncle at the time vice mayor of Datu Piang was gunned down in the high street in broad daylight for standing up to this corruption. My wife's dad Bennys driver escaped with gun shot wounds to his legs. This led to the gangs and those in there pockets being super rich and the general population super poor. All the money allocated for public use dissapeared in to their pockets.This is the reason a lot were forced to leave and find work overseas. Its this corruption Duterte vowed to end. He warned it would be swift hard and not pretty, but he knew who he was after. Lists were drawn up of all the bosses and officials and their collaborators. They were given a amnesty period and warned to hand themselves in or they will be hunted down in the bid to end corruption and clean the streets of crime. This is then what happened and the result is what the media reported, but non I guess of what I have told above. These killings have all but stopped now. Untold amounts of former officials and bosses are now behind bars or worse. Duterte isn't a dictator in the sense he is portrayed in the media. He only sees himself as a ordinary servant to his country. He has taken all the government private jets/helicopters/flash cars and sold them all off plowing the money back in to the country's infrastructure. He shuns his Presidential pay packet and stays on his Mayors salary. When he travel he uses everyday commercial chartered flights and sits in economy. As mayor of Davao it was well known he would drive taxis in the city so he could get close to the people and listen to them. This is all why he is popular this is why the Pinoy population forced him to run for office. I say this with a lot of inside knowledge as my Wife majored in politics and public administration at Marawi State University with the view to continuing the Mokalid tradition in provincial politics and running for local office. Now Duterte has greatly cleaned up the country her dream is now looking safe again to realize.   
Sorry for the essay. But this means a lot to me.