53percenter's Blog

President Donald Trump signaled urgency for a Space Force branch of the military on Monday while signing a funding bill for America’s defense.

“It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space,” he said.

The president signed a $716 billion appropriations bill for FY 2019 at Fort Drum in the state of New York, noting that it would help advance the technological advances quickly.

“We will be so far ahead of them in a short period of time, your head will spin,” he said.

Trump warned that other foreign countries were already weaponizing space by developing tools to disrupt American operations.

“I’ve seen things, you don’t even want to see what they are doing and how advanced they are,” he said. “We’ll be catching them very shortly.”

Trump warned that China launched a military division to address military operations in space.

“Just like the air and the land and the sea, space has become a warfighting domain,” Trump said.

The military troops cheered in response to the mention of Space Force.

“Gotta get it Joe!” he said, pointing out Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford. “Right Joe? Right?”

President Donald Trump traveled to Ft. Drum in New York on Monday to sign a bill funding military operations for FY 2019.

During the signing ceremony, Trump quoted one of General George Patton’s famous addresses to the troops in World War II.

“I don’t want to get any messages saying, ‘I am holding my position.’ We are not holding a damned thing … we are advancing constantly,” Trump said, quoting Patton, editing some of the more colorful language from the historic speech.

Trump said that Patton’s words “still ring true,” noting that the American military was the most powerful in the world.

“We have the best spirit, the best soldiers, ever to set foot on any battlefield, anywhere, at any time,” he said, asserting that the United States was respected again.

Trump was met at the runway by military officials as an air assault exercise was underway.

The $716 billion appropriations bill was named in honor of Sen. John McCain, but Trump did not mention the senator’s name during his speech.

According to the White House, the bill authorizes an increase of 15,600 troops, funding for 77 F-35 fighter jets and funding for 13 new battleships.

“This authorization will give America’s warfighter the firepower they need to win any conflict quickly and decisively,” he said. “We must always be on the cutting edge.”

President Donald Trump ridiculed windmills as a source of energy on Monday, professing his appreciation for coal instead.

The president spoke about energy during a fundraiser in New York, pointing out that coal was an “indestructible” form of energy, but it was easy to destroy a windmill.

Why Windmills are the Worst — by @realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/t5WqMu9hSe

— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) August 13, 2018

“Bing, that’s the end of that windmill,” Trump said, imitating someone shooting a windmill.

The president pointed out that windmills also kill birds.

“They kill so many birds, you look underneath some of those windmills, it’s like a killing field of birds,” Trump continued.

In a 2013 study, Researchers estimated that windmills kill as many as 328,000 birds a year.

Trump also pointed out that windmills were useless if the wind was not blowing and had to be subsidized to be profitable.

“Who wants to have energy when you need a subsidy?” he asked.

Trump boasted that the United States was now producing more oil than ever and that they were exporting natural gas around the world.

President Trump’s “buy American, hire American” approach to the United States economy has had a trickle-down impact on voters who, by a large majority, are economic patriots.

In the latest Rasmussen Reports survey, more than 3-in-4 voters said buying an American-made product is “somewhat important” or “very important,” revealing Americans’ craving for products that are made and manufactured in the U.S. rather than imported from overseas.

About 75 percent of white voters and 81 percent of black Americans said buying American-made products is “important” to them. Another 61 percent of voters said “Made in America” isn’t just a slogan, but a way of life.

Trump’s tariffs to protect U.S. jobs and industries have been met with backlash from the free trade apparatus of the billionaire Koch brothers and the Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile, Americans — especially Republican voters — increasingly see themselves as economic patriots who are interested in the protection of American jobs, rather than cheap products.

For example, when Trump announced he would be delivering $12 billion in aid to American farmers who have been targeted by Chinese retaliatory tariffs, a whopping 78 percent of GOP voters said they supported the effort.

A Morning Consult Poll conducted in July revealed that nearly half of Republican voters believe the U.S. has benefitted the least from the country’s current free trade deals like NAFTA and KORUS. Additionally, a plurality of Republicans — 46 percent — said the U.S. economy benefits more from imposing tariffs on foreign-made goods to protect domestic industries, while only 30 percent said the U.S. economy benefits more from lowering trade barriers and entering into free trade deals.

Actor Chris Pratt worked his Christian faith into his acceptance speech at the “Teen Choice Awards” Sunday night, urging his young audience to “love God.”

Pratt, who frequently uses his celebrity to witness to his faith, told his hearers that Christianity is his “thing.”

“I’m so thrilled to be here, I have not been a teen for quite some time,” said the popular star of Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy as he took to stage Sunday. “This means a lot to me.”

“I want to thank God,” he shouted. “I always do that when I’m up on a platform in front of a bunch of young faces.”

“I love God, that’s my thing, I love him! And you should too!”

Less than two months ago, Pratt offered a similar testimony while accepting the Generation Award at the MTV Movie and TV Awards, telling his millennial viewers that “God is real,” that they have a soul, and they have to take care of it.

“God is real. God loves you. God wants the best for you. Believe that. I do,” Pratt said to a sustained round of applause.

Not long after, he added, “Learn to pray. It’s easy and it’s so good for your soul.”

Using a curious metaphor, Pratt told young people that when giving a dog medicine, “put the medicine in a little piece of hamburger and they won’t even know they’re eating medicine.”

It seemed like a description of his own formula for evangelizing the young: give some spiritual message, but wrap it up in some humor and people will accept it more easily. So far, his formula seems to be working.

Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter Follow @tdwilliamsrome