The next distraction:
We’re at war with Iran, but that’s not enough to hide Trump’s crimes. How about going to war with a NATO ally? The invasion of Greenland has begun.
An American oil company connected to Donald Trump is preparing to sink wells in remote Greenland despite not having received permission from the local authorities.
As the US president renews his threats to claim the vast Arctic territory, materials to prepare for drilling were brought ashore in recent days on Greenland’s eastern coast.
Greenland has protested and told them to get out of there, but the drilling companies are ignoring the demands. US companies have hired their very best to promote the plan to invade.
Greenland Energy has retained Phil McGraw, better known as Dr Phil, a prominent rightwing former chatshow host who served on Trump’s religious freedom commission, to make a documentary series that will “capture the mission of these modern-day wildcatters”.
It has also appointed as a director a US navy veteran who is working on Golden Dome, the missile defence plan for which Trump says controlling Greenland is “vital”.
Larry Swets, Greenland Energy’s chair and a big shareholder, appears to enjoy access to Trump’s circle. He has said the oil project is “not related to American annexation”.
As usual, the Trump administration picks the most incompetent charlatans to do their dirty work. That’s a key step in building a pretext: send some bumbling boob in who will antagonize the people and provoke a response that can be used to justify sending in the Marines.
And fucking Dr Phil? A washed-up, lying hack? Why is he being hired to do anything? Oprah has a lot to answer for.
At this point, Europe, I will give zero complaint if you just drop bombs and roll in the tanks to stop this invasion. Trump needs to face consequences.
Last night, I heard something to the effect that Iran will not negotiate until Trump leaves office. It’s looking like we may end up in two wars Trump can’t fight.
Speaking as an oilpatch boy, I need to point out that “wildcatters” drill high-risk (of dry hole) wells.
Technically, we call those who drill where they have no mineral rights or land contracts “trespassers” and “criminals”.
Putin’s still got the pee tape, God only knows who has the epstein files with the juicy and as yet unhinted at donald details therein. He’s being blackmailed, is that a wild conclusion? Consider: Donald is pushing America further into even by American standards ever stupider wars and elsewhere doing as much damage as possible to every other area of American life there is.. How much existential damage does Trump have to be blackmailed into doing to the US before he realises that the consequences of not giving into said blackmail are going to be personally worse? Of course personal corruption can’t be discounted either but still. I’m afraid to think that in his mind he is nowhere near that point. And I shudder to think who might be pulling his strings and why. Because it can’t even be national interest at this point, can it? Is ANYONE going to net benefit from a mortally wounded nuclear armed and still very much a capable belligerent of a US? It almost has to be religious and apocalyptic for mine. And I know my chain of reasoning is long here, but it seems pretty solid to me.
No doubt if the Danish military arrest the invaders Trump will send in the military to rescue his criminal buddies from those “Danish terrorists”. Mind you if I was the Danish government I’d not only boost forces on Greenland and call for help form other NATO countries, I’d remove his thugs to Denmark for a swift trial and sentencing. I don’t think he’d be invading Europe in a hurry to get them back.
I think Trump’s so scattered he can’t help but be pulled in every direction from his “supporters,” blackmailers, dudebro machismo, and random narcissistic impulses. He can’t think beyond the moment.
Don’t forget about how our blockade of Cuba is starving the population and creating a refugee crisis.
Oprah is just another moronic celebrity. In addition to promoting quacks, she has also endorsed multiple psychic frauds (redundant) because she is so stunningly ignorant about science, and reality in general. I wouldn’t be surprised if she also considers the fairies and leprechaun to be real. She does think that angles are real, but I don’t know where she stands on demons. She claims to provide profound “advice” for businesswomen.
https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/a-call-from-beyond/all
https://www.facebook.com/ownTV/videos/in-february-2007-infamous-psychic-medium-john-edward-visits-the-oprah-winfrey-sh/3203266423233152/
https://www.oprah.com/inspiration/psychic-medium-readings-what-to-expect
etc…
indianajones@3: “Putin’s still got the pee tape”
The existence of that tape may, or may not, be true. Putin has complete control of the Orange Shitgibbon, but in a far more damaging way, which is why the WH has been such a complete Russian asset since the Orange idiot got there. Remember when Felon45 announced that Russia was going to assist the US with “cyber security”? Putin was also present at that announcement, and yet he was able to not openly break out laughing. Then there was Felon45 ordering the halting of investigations of Russian trolls and attacks against the US. The withdrawing from NATO. Alienating every US ally. Destroying Democracy from within. Etc.
Putin just happens to want NATO to go away. He also refused to criticize Putin and said that he believed Putin over all the US intelligence agencies. He surrounded himself with people who do business with and are sympathetic to Russia, many of which were indicted. He revealed highly classified information to Russian Sergey Kislyak. And a complete list would fill a book.
And even Steve Bannon pointed out, as Felon45 left the closed door private meeting with Putin in Helsinki, he looked like a badly beaten dog. “Highlighting the stark contrast in demeanor between the two leaders. This comment reflects the perception of Trump’s submissive posture during that summit”. Putin controls the Russian Mob, and Felon45 had laundered Russian Mob money in the 1980s to prevent personal bankruptcy. Putin knows that, and he could expose and totally destroy Felon45, which was why the long face after that private meeting (there wasn’t even a translator present, and no notes). Hence, he became a Russian asset at that meeting, and even defended Putin over numerous US intelligence agencies, and was touting that Putin would help the US with cybercrime fighting. Nothing is too absurd for Mango Mussolini to spout off on, since he is a moron. Since Bannon said the below, he has gone back to being Felon45’s biggest supporter. And for those who don’t already know, Bannon describes himself as a Leninist, and has long been a Felon45 “adviser”.
@Pierce R. Butler:
How about ‘claim-jumpers’ to get a bit more specific on the circumstances? As well as the more personal sense of violation involved.
They aren’t? Was geometry class all a lie?
This nation is now run entirely by greedy, malicious clowns with flame throwers. The tRUMP cult fracked this nation completely and now they want to frack other nations. I HATE THEM! I hope Greenland and Denmark confiscate all that drilling equipment, destroy it and send those aholes into the ocean in a leaking rubber raft.
And, oprah has always boosted imbeciles and losers. The world’s richest vegetable: okra winfrey. (oh, sorry that disparages okra, which is very good.)
I’m now singing Martha and the Vandella’s song in my head often.
This is an obvious act of aggression against Denmark and Greenland.
I can’t figure out what attacked nations best response is though.
.1. My first reaction would be to just arrest them, fly them to Denmark, and charge them with trespassing and littering.
Then again, this is probably what the Trump regime wants so they can declare war on Denmark and invade Greenland.
.2. The other thing Denmark and Greenland could do is just ignore them and hope they get frozen in during the upcoming winter. It gets really cold and camping on the shore of Greenland in the winter isn’t easy.
.3. Or Greenland could demand they take out an exploration permit and then, if they get a permit, pretend this is a normal oil exploration venture.
There are a lot of things Denmark, Greenland, the EU, NATO, the UN, etc.. could do, but what the best response is, isn’t at all obvious.
It is clear that the criminal thugs of the USA want to provoke some sort of reaction from their next victims.
Here is another example of how STUPID tRUMP is:
From Flying Bribery Palace to Failed Leak Investigation to Catering Truck. tRUMP hid in a catering container on the qatari crap plane!
https://emptywheel.net/2026/08/11/from-flying-bribery-palace-to-failed-leak-investigation-to-catering-truck/
@raven I’m starting to wonder if he’s reaching critical mass on provoking reactions: Too much on his table to meaningfully do anything.
Maybe. Who knows?
What Trump and the GOP are doing is classic bullying behavior.
They are only picking on nations and groups of people who are way smaller and weaker then they are.
.1. Greenland only has 56,000 people. Denmark only has 6 million people.
The US has 343 million people.
.2. Cuba. A basket case of 11 million poverty stricken people.
Neither one of these countries could resist the US military for very long
.3. Iran. Even with 93 million people, Iran’s military was no match for the USA.
Then again, we badly miscalculated everything about their politics and resolve and they can and probably will win
just by waiting us out.
You see this bullying behavior in the USA as well.
The targets of the Trump regime are immigrant noncitizens, especially the undocumented ones.
These people are all but helpless and are being rounded up by ICE every day.
Trans people. A small minority of 0.5% of the population with few legal protections.
Scientists. Another small minority.
The cruelty is the whole point.
The Trump/GOP regime has the power and they are going to use it.
Greenland is the only territory that Trump dares pick on, now that he’s used up all his air defence missiles.
And I’m sure this wonderful strategy will win them many votes come November. It’s like these shit-stains just can’t wait to lose. I wonder if Putin’s directive to his toady includes instructions on election sabotage?
Walter Solomon@10: “They aren’t? Was geometry class all a lie?”
That posting was my error, wrong topic. And thanks for catching the DAMN autocorrect that plagues my emailer, it CANNOT be turned off. The goons that force this, like the LLM AI techbros, need to be deposited in the ocean at a maximal distance from land. With a single life jacket among them, that they can fight over. My “careful” reading obviously failed to be sufficient. I do not see any spelling errors or word substitutions in this posting, but these autocorrects are quite determined and too often malicious.
Regarding reaching critical mass: tRUMP and his cockroaches greatest skill is throwing their own feces against the wall as often as possible to distract from their crimes. I don’t think there is a saturation point to that for his cult sheople.
From the article:
Suuuuuuuuuure it isn’t.
I like the clever thinking of @4 Gaz Smith as possible solutions to this ‘invasion of another sovereign country’ by tRUMP sycophant corporations.
As Mr Global has pointed out. Greenland has already been explored for oil and no economical deposits have been found.
I think the Danes have to respond in some way — IIUC if you don’t assert sovereignty over a region, you can lose it under international law. Like how, every time the US would send an icebreaker through the Northwest Passage (claimed by Canada), we’d send a Canadian vessel to “provide escort”, just to make the point, without actually saying that they were trespassing. So maybe a small military contingent on site, just as a “courtesy to provide aid to our visitors should it become necessary, yadda, yadda” would be the appropriate diplomatic response.
One downside to NATO expansionism, increasingly obvious in hindsight (though plenty of so-called tankies like myself were happy to point it out beforehand). is its critical dependence on the U.S. — what if Americans were the baddies? Well, then NATO’s original purpose asserts itself, which is to crush Europe under the heel of the U.S. to prevent a future contest of European world powers.
@12 raven
Not really. We know they are obedient lapdogs when it comes to our military misadventures in the Middle East. Denmark won’t meaningfully interfere in a contested North American colony, unless they want their occupation forces to arrive home in unrecognizeable messy chunks.
What an idiotic claim!
Should you want to educate yourself, check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Brussels
Greenland is in no way a “contested North American colony”, but it takes a real ninny to imagine that Denmark doesnt have sovereignty over Greenland or that a private company can simply start drilling wells in foreign countries.
I hope the Texas oil company gets every piece of equipment confiscated by the local authorities and their workers get arrested for criminal trespass.
Jenora Feuer @ # 9: How about ‘claim-jumpers’ to get a bit more specific …?
That does match this situation more closely, but — mile-deep holes in the ground not being very portable — I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a hustle in the oil business, without also some trickery involving land/mineral rights titles.
The more usual crime is “slant drilling”, of which (iirc) the Iraqis accused the Kuwaitis leading up to the first (from the US point of view) Gulf War. That may well have been the case; it would certainly have aroused the indignation of longtime Texas oilman George H.W. Bush and possibly led him to greenlight Saddam Hussein’s rolling his tanks. (I suspect GHWB thought he had only approved seizing the border area oilfields, but he was never a truly clear communicator, and SH tended to hear what he wanted to hear…)
@Zetopan @8 Tomayto, tomahto.
while I do suspect that Putin does consider Trump an asset that just shows the state of his judgement which by his adventure in Ukraine is turning out not that good. Trump is if anything at all a very poor person to depend on, he is just too ignorant, stupid, self-centered and greedy.
Who else might know Trumps secrets is anybody’s guess more then one no doubt.
I wonder if some variation on “The Producers” plot is involved with this oil deal?
Trump does not care if his businesses make any money so long as he makes money personally .
I would hope the Danes would deploy their military to detain any illegal alien invaders, invoke Article V and call upon their NATO allies for support in repelling the invasion and apply to the European Court of Human Rights to report a breach of the human rights of Greenlanders and ask for a judgement against the US government.
I suspect that all would happen if the so called pee tape was revealed is that a bunch of right wingers would suddenly decide water sports are the sexiest fetish ever! After all Maximum Orange Leader likes it.
I’m a bit more cynical about Oprah than some of you. Given that she’s never been scammed out of large quantities of money by the kooks and cons she’s promoted (or anyone else)I think she doesn’t believe in any of that stuff, but knows a lot of her audience does. So she’s pushed it to keep her profile and revenue up.
beholder @ 24
With Putin as their current sales director NATO expansion is guaranteed!
I can’t look at the OP image and not think of the screaming cowboy.
Kirin J Callinan – Big Enough (4:50)
@ Trumpist Putin simp troll “beholder” :
What the fuck do you think Putin is trying to do to Europe?
Answer : Putin obvs wants to crush Europe or large parts thereof – starting with his genocidal invasion of Ukraine – under Russia’s heel.
Also this latest lie is added to the Trumpist troll “beholders” long & ever growing list of lies on this blog becoz obvs this as NOT the aim of NATO which its European members actually want to have to protect themselves against the likes of Putin.
NATO “expansionism” is not really a thing. NATO ain’t the problem here.
Fixed it For you. Your bad faith lying about what you clearly are is noted, “Beholder” Untruthful Tankie Trumpist Troll. Their dishonesty is staggering but then that’s Trumpists for ya folks.
Then other NATO members will act accordingly. As we’ll start to see.
Of course, had Kamala been elected POTUS the USA would not have been such “baddies” or at least very much less so here.
Also by implication and contrast, are you saying that Putin and Russia are somehow the “goodies” here? They ain’t. They are far worse.
Yeah, nah. Not so much lately notably when it comes to the strait of Hormuz where the European NATO partners and others including Australia have pointedly NOT joined in Trump’s war on behalf of Netanyahu that would NOT be happening if the Democratic party was in power.
So, actually, we know that the Trumpy troll is proven to be lying again here.
Emphasis added and what does using this term for Greenland tell us about our tankie Trumpist untruthful troll “beholder” folks?
Greenland is NOT “contested”, it is Danish and NOT a “colony.”
Denmark does not have “occupying troops” there because it is Danish land.
Only a particularly nasty MAGAt would claim otherwise. “Beholder”, natch, is a particularly nasty & pro-genocide MAGAt who pretends to be progressive but of course is NOT. They keep on proving this more and more often here don’t they?
Also, the USoA is already losing enough wars and doesn’t want any more. Even if the Trumpy troll “beholder” here calls for it & somehow thinks a Trump invasion of Greenland would be a good idea somehow.
Let’s see here…Greenland is a colony of Denmark, it is located in North America, and the reason PZ posts this is because Trump is contesting the whole “colony of Denmark” part.
So instead of “is in no way” you meant the exact opposite? I don’t see what your problem was with my wording.
You really should check your claims, beholder, before chucking them out.
Wrong claims and misleading claims are your stock in trade.
In actuality, Greenald was a colony until 1953, now it’s an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
—
“it is located in North America” is, well, weak.
Yes, it is on the same continental plate, but it’s also an island.
Closest part to the USA is 1200 Km away, so…
Trump claims many idiotic things. Repeating his idiotic falsehoods reflects poorly on you, no matter how you attempt to retcon your comment as truth.
Greenland has been under the sovereignty of Denmark since the Viking era. That predates Columbus and North America by several centuries. It predates the Norman conquest of England.
Go learn some history.
The drilling rig is nowhere near Greenland – it is almost certainly in Stampede Drilling’s yard in Nisku, just south of Edmonton Alberta. It is being modified for Arctic Operations.
Canadian drilling firm says it did not move unpermitted rig to Greenland
Militant Agnostic, I clicked on your adduced link, and I think clarification is needed.
It is not one firm.
That’s two different firms.
Greenland Energy moved logistical infrastructure and landing gear to the east coast of Greenland without local authorisation.
Stampede Drilling was contracted to supply the actual high-performance drilling rig, and they got $4M to upgrade it, and issued that statement.
OT But just for you Sky Captain
@ 36 Morales
You nitpicking again Captain. Colony or “part of the Kingdom” is an irrelevant distinction.
Hahaha. You’re hilarious.
https://www.distancefromto.net/distance-from-denmark-to-greenland
@ ^ Trumpist troll’s support troll Silentbob : Actually the distinction between “colony” and part of the country IS the salient point here.
So do YOU, Silentbob think Greenland is
(1) Contested – outside of Trump’s deluded claims?
(2) A Danish colony that is occupied rather than an autonomous province?
(3) Located in North America?
As the Trumpist lying troll “beholder” claims?
Do you think NATO’s purpose was “…to crush Europe under the heel of the U.S. to prevent a future contest of European world powers” as the Trumpy troll said? (4)
Do you think Greenlanders would welcome the USoA as “liberators” if they invaded Greenland? (5)
Also have you noticed how the Trumpist troll never talks about Gaza now that his excuse for attacking the Democratic party with it is done even though as predicted the genocide there goes on far worse under Trump than previously under former President Joe Biden and with Trump being much more anti-Palestinian and pro-genocide of Gazans than Biden let alone Kamala Harris ever was?
What a non-surprise the Trumpist troll’s support troll Silentbob has, again, run away from answering the questions above.
Oh and have they apologised to chigau (違う) yet?