The Columbia Tour

[ThePoshUns]

2 threads deleted. Sabotaged by the Squad?
Shall we continue?

No idea, @Vabenejulio but your statistics look about right.

Worldwide censorship tour. Unpopular, would be authoritarian, left wing politician mired in scandal interested in a couple who work to bring about online censorship of information they deem “misinformation” (but which, in their case, includes fair comment, the questioning of their many questionable utterances, calling out their many lies and anything that paints them in anything less than glowingly positive terms). The Sussexes have an in with the democrats via this work, so could be politically useful.

Reparations agitation. The VP wants slavery reparations. Colombia was a Spanish colony and the Spanish royal family should be the target for this demand, but why let a small detail like that get in the way when you have a high profile royal from the British RF willing to throw his father under the bus on this issue? Most of the dimwits already believe the only country to ever engage in colonialism and slavery was the UK.

Distraction and positive headlines. The unpopular VP wants to garner some positive headlines at home and thinks bringing the Sussexes will do that. Not sure it’s worked out quite how she intended, not least because South Americans aren’t that interested in the BRF.

Invictus. Colombia has recently been added as a participant country. I think they are the first and only South American country involved. The Sussexes spent a bit of time meeting Colombian veterans, who were a nice prop for Meghan’s Diana the Angel of the Misfortunate poses.

Good summary, @Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar 👍

Thanks @Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar . So:

Worldwide censorship tour: they don't have the slightest in with the Dems. I live in an very blue state in the US, and can attest to the tides changing. Those ultra-work days are gone, and these two already look stale in those stakes. There's nothing they can bring the Kamala and Walz - ha, they'd actually be a liability. They lack pretty much every quality required to be useful: no gravitas, no influence, no reach, no money, no power, no desirable skills, no presence.

Reparations agitation: I'm pro reparations and am in favour of the increasing volume of calls by academics around the world (although concerned by the populist clamouring). But, nowithstanding the minor details of Spain/UK, and Harry having zero authority (a detail which passed him by when cruelly and dismissively suggesting to First Nations representatives in Canada recently that they have standing), was this actually brought up by the Colombian VP to them publicly? How did Harry respond (I'm not even going to entertain the possibility that MM had anything to do with this)?

Distraction and positive headlines: so, they were useful idiots to the Colombian VP?

Invictus: gotcha. Afraid that bit was lost on me amidst all the photos of MM gurning and her sundry outfit changes (many of which looked like she'd got dressed in the dark and in a hurry - sorry, bitchy I know).

Gritted teeth. “Harry, Harry, don’t look, no LOOK, Someone is touching me. My shoulder you idiot, look at my shoulder. There’s a HAND on it. Tell them, tell them Harry, they don’t touch , they can look, but not touch. Your grandmother made that abundantly clear when I gave her a hug. We don’t grope dear, she said, we don’t grope. Sort it Harry, just sort it.”

This is a caption for @sausawyee s picture posted at about 10.15 this morning. Not sure where it went.

@Vabenejulio . They shared a platform last year with the Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy re mental health for kids (the pre-event to the Parent Network thing), and that is tied up in their censorship work with the Aspen Institute, which also has Democrat connections. Gavin Newsom came out to bat for Archewell over delayed filings, one of many companies issued with the delinquency notice they received. Kamala has spoken up for them and in the past they counted the Obamas as allies. They have had a powerful platform in left leaning Hollywood via Netflix (they may still have this going forward). I agree that domestically they may well be regarded as a b used flush, but abroad they may still be viewed as an asset.

The VP took them to a freetown that was founded by emancipated African slaves. Reparations is part of her political manifesto and something she has spoken of and campaigned about for years. I don't know if she spoke about it with them publicly, as only limited audio footage has been released, but she may well have discussed it with them privately, and the subtext of her taking them there is clear enough.

@Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar The sheer volume of stuff and people that the likes of Newsom and Kamala get through is so immense that in reality the delinquency notice comment by the former was no more than a passing comment because he was asked (which was pounced on by the UK media and made out to be so much more than it was - ie diplomacy on his part, and not necessarily towards Harry or Meghan) and the attack-defending by Kamala because she was put on the spot (again, diplomacy. What else could she have said?). They may well have counted the Obamas as allies; the opposite would not have been true. Harry and Meghan aren't serious people. They like to be mentioned in the same breath as the Dems and big players in the party because it makes them feel important. They've have to climb over the dead bodies of people far cleverer, far more cunning and with much more to lose than them to get anywhere, though.

The Aspen Institute has some reach, but Harry is no more than a face. He still had heft when they took him on. The minute he utters something unfavourable (which he has done and will surely continue to do, because he's Prince Harry) and as he continues to lose his litigation in the UK, he'll be out. I wouldn't be surprised if he's already feeling frozen out: has anything come from him or them publicly recently? There are some very clever people in the zoom rooms he sits in there. I'd be amazed if he could actually follow everything that goes on. The man barely has any A Levels.

Harry and Meghan are kindergarteners in a room of (in some cases, actual) Ivy League PhDs with the Aspen institute, let alone Newson/Harris/Obamas. He's literally a dumb prince, and she was literally a supporting actress on Suits.

The BBC have no idea why they were there either. Along with the Telegraph article, everyone is bewildered.

it says in the bbc article that daily footage was released but no audio. The lengths H&M have gone to, to control is clearly being condemned by the BBC. It wrote this about the methods H&M used to release info:

The BBC chose not to rely on this material alone, as we could not be present to verify what was said and described, but we were able to attend the summit and watch some events from the side-lines.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gdkljn78ko

@Vabenejulio I really hope you are right about all you have said and that they are political nobodies, bcasue otherwise I think they are dangerously useful idiots for certain political figures. However, there are other things too - the connection between Meghan and Gloria Steinham, the Ripple of Hope award from the Robert F Kennedy Centre, the efforts the Dept for Homeland Security are going to over the visa case and Biden saying Harry would be safe under him. The connections with media and show business figures who have political clout, like Oprah. Perhaps - let's hope - most of this can be viewed as a distant memory.

Well, certainly part of that will be the BBC getting pissy that it was blocked from parts other journalists were able to reach (although I wonder if “journalist” might be over-egging it. “PR mouthpiece” maybe?).

The first big part is the seeking to make sure that events were covered “accurately”. This is partly why these two are so gobsmacking: they want to talk about the Internet being used to spread lies, by disallowing reporters from the event at which they said this in order for them to be reported on “accurately”? This is like Harry’s “my memories of facts are just as important as objective, provable facts”. And is why I mean they’re not serious people, and how they’re already stale in the woke-stakes. They make no sense. People can see through the BS and know how to call it out in the face of the wokersti screaming in their faces about “their truths” being just as valid as “the truth” (science be damned). They’re beating this drum but the world has moved on - and they’re getting caught with their pants around their ankles, censoring the likes of the BBC!

The second big part is that it sounds like they’re trying to replicate the media coverage that Charles, William and Kate et al get. They’re basically left alone, ne’er an unflattering photo of any of them is published (there’s such a thing known colloquially as the “Kate Middleton editing suite” apparently in the tabloid offices), negotiated lines are published, the main players aren’t ridiculed these days. But this is all (1) by agreement as quid pro quos (2) because they’re the king and future king and queen, actual monarchs in a monarchy (3) ultimately meant to be in the nation’s best interests. Replicating this media access for themselves isn’t in anyone’s best interests but Harry’s and Meghan’s!! The British media sail close to the wind with even the actual monarch (and his brother) sometimes, because free press and journalists have egos too goddamit. But Harry and Meghan sound like they’re rolling out North Korea style censorship. Ultimately, it’s all propaganda but for the BRF it’s for the greater good and for Harry and Meghan it’s for their pockets and egos. And how on earth they think they can maintain this in the days of Twitter and camera phones I don’t know.

They just so bloody stupid. So unclever. How do they think this is going to end for them? What are they trying to achieve? Meghan once said something like if you can’t be a princess you can build yourself a life that’s better than a princess’s. Is that what they’re after? Better than the BRF? With jam, these trips, docusoaps, Spare etc? It just makes no sense!

Uh oh… when is Harry 40 again?

The BBC article annoyed me with the security, Harry has bespoke security and it dangerous that the BBC dismiss that. Whatever the reasons for the trip the PR angle has clearly been Meghan from People, Harper, Hello, Vanity fair is all about Meghan even her clothes are deemed more important than Harry, he is purely an accessory and at times one she’d probably rather leave at home.

(I don’t like quoting because it makes people scroll but will to ensure I don’t miss anything in your list!).

Gloria Steinem: she was revered in the 60, 70s, 80s. She still had much to say in the 90s and 00s. She was one of the shoulders that modern day feminists stood on. She’s now elderly and thanked, but she’s not the zeitgeist for feminists anymore. She’s not a national treasure like David Attenborough or Judi Dench. She’s more Zandra Rhodes than Vivienne Westwood, so to speak.

Robert F Kennedy - he’s whacko, and anything associated with him is tarred with the same brush. These awards, actually, put me in mind of Groucho Marx. It’s beginning to look like if Harry or Meghan have it (Legend of Aviation? NAACP?), it’s not worth having anymore. Personally I feel the same about Cartier jewelry, Hermes blankets, Goyard bags etc. Dior did the right and only thing publicly distancing themselves.

Harry’s visa: this is about diplomacy, nothing to do with Harry the man. They’ll do the same for Rishi Sunak when he inevitably moves to Malibu. They would and do do the same for anyone it benefits them to stay the right side of (in this case, the British royal family). It doesn’t take much. It’s all a red herring anyway: Homeland Security have enormous discretion. They’ll do whatever is expedient whenever they want. It’s a joke to think Harry would be treated like a non-royal in terms of taxes, visas etc. From Guantanamo Bay to Montecito, there are different rules for special cases.

Oprah: she’s a master at her craft, actually not unlike the BRF. She’s letting them did their own graves. She used them, not the other way around. She wields enormous power, and she’s rich as Croesus. She got them when their star was highest. They’re no good to her at this level.

A lot of Americans were very annoyed by the Tillman Award and their behavior at the ceremony.

I've seen lots of comments from people requesting another South Park episode.

People don't take them seriously. California has been devastated by wild fires, which H & M ignore. Canada has been equally devastated. The Gaza situation is a real issue in the cities. Ditto the migrants coming over the border. I have said multiple times that a very high percentage of migrants in NYC shelters are from Colombia.

Harry bleating about security and Meghan pushing jam that she makes in a ball gown makes them look oblivious.

Edited for grammatical errors.

The RFK Foundation is named after RFK senior not junior. Actually, I read somewhere that junior asked his sister (who runs the foundation) what she was thinking in awarding them.

Not sure I agree with you about Steinham ( the oh so popular and powerful pro trans feminists love her). But like I said, overall I hope you are correct @Vabenejulio about them being (and staying) nobodies in the States. It doesn’t always translate that way in their media coverage over here.

@BemusedAmerican thanks also. I think South Park have enough material for a whole series on these two by now! The Prince and his ILBW would make great permanent residents, actually!

@viques Since the update, photo links no longer repost when quoting a poster. But I got what you were referring to…

@Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar
What’s his ILBW please? Thanks.

Thanks for your post, @Vabenejulio , that was very interesting and very informative. It's given quite a clear perspective on Harry and Meghan.
Thanks also @BemusedAmerican - I think in the UK it's difficult for us to understand what's going on with them in the USA.

@Vabenejulio

Harry’s visa: this is about diplomacy, nothing to do with Harry the man. They’ll do the same for Rishi Sunak when he inevitably moves to Malibu. They would and do do the same for anyone it benefits them to stay the right side of (in this case, the British royal family). It doesn’t take much. It’s all a red herring anyway: Homeland Security have enormous discretion. They’ll do whatever is expedient whenever they want. It’s a joke to think Harry would be treated like a non-royal in terms of taxes, visas etc. From Guantanamo Bay to Montecito, there are different rules for special cases.

A sealed, ex parte order been issued by the judge in the case. The rumour is that Harry is on an A1 Head of State visa. How or why would he have received this? And if he is on this visa, he's been breaching it, hasn't he, in working and earning as a private citizen, not to mention undermining the state he's purporting to be the head of. Also, shouldn't he be registered as a foreign agent or whatever when he's doing work encouraging Americans to vote (democrat)? It's all so strange! Have you heard anything locally?

It's also important to remember how vast and diverse the US is. Even if Harry and Meghan were immensely popular and courted by celebrities in California this would probably mean very little to people in the Southern States or the Mid West. Breaking America is hard and not something many accomplish, it is way beyond them on their present trajectory.

Also, @Vabenejulio It's one thing for the DHS to overlook things that would result in the removal of an ordinary worker's visa, eg the drug taking. The George Gibney's visa/FOI case that was cited in Harry's case shows that they play favorites with some fairly nefarious characters if they can get support from bodies with influence. But a head of state of state visa being allowed to continue in the face of some patent breaches (and when there are clear, alternative paths for Harry via his marriage or under one of the "genius" visas) seems an extreme form of protection. Do you think the British government has pulled strings for him?

Let me try! Not great at using my phone. Scroll right down past the scores of photos…

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13755169/amp/meghan-harry-duchess-speech-colombian-tour.html

I thought they didn't have tabloids in the US, only in nasty Britain.

After the Spanish opening, Meghan went straight into the Fairy Liquid story… gave the audience some time to take in the sheer magnitude of her 11-year-old self, then sort of segued into Archewell Foundation work which is yet again described in terms that are clear as mud:

'Does it ever feel good to use your voice and no one hears you. That's not ideal.
So for us and the work that we do with our Archewell Foundation, certainly the work that we do as parents, as I do as a mother, is ensuring that young girls feel as though their voices are being heard, and also that young boys are being raised to listen and to hear those young women as well.
And the same goes for adult women and men. This isn't something that can be solely responsible and in the hands of just women.
Yes, we work incredibly well together as a team, but as my husband, is great testament to the role of men in this of empowering women, of allowing them to know that their voices are heard, starting at a young age all the way through adulthood, is key.
So at the Archewell Foundation, we are very, very dedicated to creating a sense of community, but also one in which women are heard and that their ideas are really felt and implemented in the programming that we do.
So we just recently launched a program called the parents network, which is for parents who have lost children or have encountered the worst possible challenges and level of grief as a result of online harms, and allowing those mothers, those parents, to be heard, is very key to the work that we're doing.'

It's just nonsense, isn't it.
In what possible way does Harry "empower" women?
Do you think they actually believe this utter garbage?