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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#164726: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:15:51 PM

A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility, according to U.S. officials.
While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations of the utility, according to officials who asked for anonymity in order to discuss a security matter, the penetration of the nation’s electrical grid is significant because it represents a potentially serious vulnerability. Government and utility industry officials regularly monitor the nation’s electrical grid because it is highly computerized and any disruptions can have disastrous implications for the function of medical and emergency services.

Wasn't this a plot to a video game before an invasion? I can't even remember the damn name of it.

New Survey coming this weekend!
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#164727: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:16:31 PM

I wonder how many people in the intelligence community and military would still follow Trump if he just said he's working for Putin. I'd hope none would but I have too little faith in humanity for that.

RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164728: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:19:59 PM

My question at the moment is actually "how many people in the intelligence community know he's working for Putin?" He's certainly been making himself no friends in the CIA, and per their usual MO, they probably know more than they're telling us.

As for the military, this is a tangential note, but I've actually seen people warn that the way Trump has packed his cabinet full of generals looks an awful lot like a preemptive firewall against any potential military coups. He's turning half his cabinet into a junta.

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#164729: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:22:23 PM

[up][up][up] Shattered Union. Russia manipulates an election, causing one really unpopular president to come into power. The US federal government starts to weaken, California secedes and soon fo many other states.

Eventually the EU gets fed up with this and invades the former US to re-establish the former US government.

edited 30th Dec '16 5:22:38 PM by Protagonist506

Leviticus 19:34
RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164730: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:24:55 PM

If Calexit gains traction, we're in trouble. If it happens, we're sunk. The Russians are behind that too, you know - the guy who started it frickin' lives there.

California is shaping up to be one of the first lines of defense and resistance against Trump. And Russia knows that, which is why they're looking to weaken them with internal conflict.

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#164731: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:25:24 PM

[up][up][up]At a certain point I would hope most of the people in the military would tell him to fuck off and refuse to follow the orders of their generals.

edited 30th Dec '16 5:25:46 PM by Kostya

JBC31187 Since: Jan, 2015
#164732: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:27:25 PM

I heard it was the opposite- that most of the officers were opposed to Trump, but the rank-and-file voted 60% for him.

RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164733: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:28:32 PM

[up][up] I don't have much hope. Soldiers already do terrible things, even under a nominally just and democratic government. Let alone the authoritarian kleptocracy we're staring down the barrel of.

[up] Grim news, but unsurprising. I would imagine that a strongman like Trump holds a lot of appeal for your typical military meathead.

edited 30th Dec '16 5:29:23 PM by RBluefish

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#164734: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:30:05 PM

[up][up]

I don't know why the military keeps voting in Republicans when they repeatedly screw them over.

I swear it's like stockholm syndrome.

New Survey coming this weekend!
RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164735: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:31:34 PM

Same reason middle-class whites keep doing it, I imagine. They're gullible, drawn to power, and utterly clueless as to the fact that they're screwing themselves over.

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#164736: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:31:45 PM

[up][up][up]That may be true but when your president admits he's working for your worst enemy I feel like that should make you question things.

edited 30th Dec '16 5:31:54 PM by Kostya

ViperMagnum357 Since: Mar, 2012
#164737: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:31:50 PM

[up][up][up]Up to a point; most of the current military brass is no fan of him, which is why Trump is filling his cabinet with older military officers that have been put out to pasture or forced out of command by Obama due to their bloodthirsty tactics and disregard for collateral damage-hence Flynn and Mattis.

edited 30th Dec '16 5:33:21 PM by ViperMagnum357

RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164738: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:34:31 PM

[up][up] But remember, as far as a good number of Republicans are concerned, Putin is America's new best buddy. MSNBC polls show that Putin is 51% favorable with them. Obama? 90% unfavorable.

They prefer a foreign tyrant who is a proven enemy of the US to one of the best presidents we've had in generations.

I'm sure it has nothing at all to do with the fact that Obama's black, though.

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#164739: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:42:20 PM

What the hell has Obama done to piss them off so bad? Do they want to murder Muslims that bad?

RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164740: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:46:57 PM

Part of it is undoubtedly due to the wave of misinformation, right-wing populism, and pro-Russia propaganda that's been sewed by both the GOP and Russia. (Doesn't help that the GOP obstructed Obama for years, to a downright unconstitutional degree, then blamed the Democrats.)

But I think that good old fashioned racism plays a huge part as well. Both towards Obama himself, and towards the people that Obama has helped and Trumputin will hurt.

edited 30th Dec '16 5:48:26 PM by RBluefish

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#164741: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:51:25 PM

I think what pisses me off the most is that these fuckheads refuse to admit their bias and racism.

Ironically enough, I have enormous respect (relatively, of course) for Brutally Honest Trump voters who straight up say "I can't stand obama because I believe a nigger shouldn't be in the white house."

Well...shit.

New Survey coming this weekend!
RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164742: Dec 30th 2016 at 5:55:11 PM

Although remember - even those people will vehemently argue that they're not racist when the accusation is leveled at them. There's an actual video of an English guy ranting about how much he hates n*****s and P***s (Pakistani people)...then insisting that he's not racist.

I know what you mean, though. On some level, at least those people have the honesty to say that they hate Obama because he's black, or love Trump because he'll hurt minorities, rather than hiding behind dogwhistles and weasely excuses.

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#164743: Dec 30th 2016 at 6:42:50 PM

How can somebody claim they're not a racist when they refer to certain people of color with slurs? Do they know what words actually mean?

Do not obey in advance.
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#164744: Dec 30th 2016 at 6:45:54 PM

They just shut down when the word comes up. They can't handle being called it even if they're proud white supremacists.

Lots of people have written interesting thoughts and so on about it lately.

edited 30th Dec '16 6:52:02 PM by LeGarcon

Oh really when?
RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164745: Dec 30th 2016 at 6:46:54 PM

[up][up] They really don't. See for yourself.

Nobody (well...very, very few people) actually self-identifies as racist for the same reason that almost nobody actually self-identifies as evil. They have limitless excuses, rationalizations, and barriers made of willful ignorance that prevent them from ever having to confront the hideous truth about themselves.

edited 30th Dec '16 6:47:08 PM by RBluefish

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."
SeriesOfNumbers Since: Jun, 2013
#164746: Dec 30th 2016 at 6:53:12 PM

He's surrounded himself by people with ties to the Russian government
Like who?
we have seventeen three letter organizations saying the Russians are involved in his victory
No, we have one organization that claims to speak for 17 saying that. And considering how this administration treats whistle blowers, it makes sense that no one in those 17 would want to correct the record if that one group is lying. Besides, if Russia helped simply because he’s less likely to start a war with them and they don’t want to go to war with the US, that doesn’t mean he’s working for them.
all of his foreign policy stances run directly counter to NATO's long standing interests and agreements and support Russian encroachment
Even if that’s true and the foreign policy stances you’re referring to are worse than simply not intervening to stop Russia, that could just be because he’s an idiot who doesn’t realize how helpful he’s being to Russia.
and he even asked them publicly on TV to hack the DNC and support him
So if he’s Russia’s puppet, why did he need to ask for their help? Wouldn’t Russia help its puppet without being asked?

You have to be trolling at this point not to believe the Russians didn't do some serious meddling in our internal affairs.

Had this happened in the 80s we'd likely be on the brink of actual war.

Giving us information that we had every right to know anyway is a pretty benign form of interference. It’s not like Russia forced anyone to vote a certain way or hacked into voting machines to change the results. How about we blame Clinton and the DNC for ‘’doing’’ the things the leak exposed them for doing? Bringing up Russia is the Democratic establishment’s way of deflecting from what’s in the e-mails, and you’ve fallen for it. The number one person to blame for Hillary Clinton’s loss is Hillary Clinton.

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#164748: Dec 30th 2016 at 6:58:14 PM

[up][up][up] It's just a question of semantics.

"Racism" has a negative connotation that implies an unreasonable, untenable position.

By that definition, no racist is ever going to think they're racist because they obviously don't think their own feelings are illegitimate.

edited 30th Dec '16 7:01:09 PM by Draghinazzo

DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#164749: Dec 30th 2016 at 6:58:26 PM

[up][up][up]

Like who?

Rex Tillerson, his Sec. of State pick, has deep connections with Russia, as well as Vladimir Putin. He's so friendly to the Russians that I'm honestly thinking he might not even get the job.

edited 30th Dec '16 6:58:46 PM by DingoWalley1

RBluefish Since: Nov, 2013
#164750: Dec 30th 2016 at 7:14:26 PM

Don't forget Carter Page, Michael Flynn, and Paul Manafort.

Manafort is closely tied to Putin and allegedly told Trump to focus on a select few key swing states - particularly Michigan - which he then won. Coincidentally, there were also serious suspicions raised about the legitimacy of that victory, especially when eighty-seven voting machines broke on election night.

Carter Page appears to be something of an enigma, unknown to the political community at large, and both he and Manafort were under investigation for ties to Putin and Russia. Some speculate that he was involved in making a deal - get Trump elected, and he'll lift sanctions against Russia in exchange. (Which Trump will probably do, with untold consequences.)

Oh, and Flynn has appeared on Russian propaganda TV. That's right, our future National Security Advisor was literally on Putin's payroll.

Seriously, Series Of Numbers, I don't understand how you don't at least know about Tillerson.

So if he’s Russia’s puppet, why did he need to ask for their help? Wouldn’t Russia help its puppet without being asked?

Because Trump is a complete buffoon who got cocky. Notice that that was the last press conference he ever gave to date. Somebody got put on a leash to prevent him from running his mouth again, methinks.

"We'll take the next chance, and the next, until we win, or the chances are spent."

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