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Nov 2023 Mod notice:


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

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#265201: Dec 28th 2018 at 3:43:22 PM

Read it. Short version: Late night comedians have an unhealthy obsession with Mueller. Not the investigation, the man himself. And they aren't as subversive as they think they are since everyone already hates Trump.

Edited by Parable on Dec 28th 2018 at 3:43:50 AM

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#265202: Dec 28th 2018 at 3:44:21 PM

I clicked the link. The article is garbage, and two of the related ones were titled "In Defense of Maria Butina" and "Trump is a man of Peace".

Thanks for giving me another site to avoid, I guess.

Also, link dropping without a quick summary is against forum rules.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Rebel20 Since: Dec, 2018
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#265204: Dec 28th 2018 at 4:02:25 PM

On Trump compromising the identities of spec-ops troops just before a clandestine operation... Shouldn't this be a crime that the POTUS ought to be taken to court over?

Huh.

I had completely forgotten the religious roots of the holiday, good point.

... I question how that's even possible when it's literally called Christmas.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Larkmarn Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#265205: Dec 28th 2018 at 4:04:30 PM

[up] No? It's not even worse than things he's done in the past. If we did something about this, then we would have done something about his just plain giving out higher-than-Top Secret info to Russia without any vetting. And most people don't even remember that.

Found a Youtube Channel with political stances you want to share? Hop on over to this page and add them.
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#265206: Dec 28th 2018 at 4:05:45 PM

Christ on its own and the Christ part of Christmas aren't pronounced the same. Its easy to forget or never even realize they are related.

Ultimatum Disasturbator from the Amiga Forest (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#265207: Dec 28th 2018 at 4:05:51 PM

> I question how that's even possible when it's literally called Christmas.

Its entirely possible when you're talking about something as commercialised Christmas

Edited by Ultimatum on Dec 28th 2018 at 12:06:25 PM

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
DeMarquis (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#265208: Dec 28th 2018 at 4:53:04 PM

From the Fact Checker site:

Factual Reporting: HIGH

Notes: The American Spectator, is a conservative U.S. monthly magazine covering news and politics, edited by R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr. and published by the non-profit American Spectator Foundation. Primarily focuses on economics with a right wing bias. Although the American Spectator is biased and uses loaded language especially in headlines, we could not find any failed fact checks from credible sources. (7/18/2016) Updated (D. Van Zandt 4/5/2017)

I'm done trying to sound smart. "Clear" is the new smart.
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#265209: Dec 28th 2018 at 7:24:09 PM

[up]x5 The President can declassify anything he wants at any time, so this isn’t illegal, it’s just in very poor taste. You’ve already got the usual suspects claiming he meant to do this and it’s a good thing the identities were revealed.

They should have sent a poet.
Boston Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
#265210: Dec 28th 2018 at 8:04:11 PM

....But did No. 45 actually declassify the information? I mean, there's a process that any other government entity would go through to declassify information, and, more importantly, it would be vetted first to make certain releasing that intelligence doesn't endanger current operations. Certainly the President did not show that depth of understanding.

I would stand by the argument that the President may have made that information *public*, but that he failed to declassify it.

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#265211: Dec 28th 2018 at 9:24:50 PM

While it should have been obvious to anyone with a brain, George Nader reportedly has told the Special Cousel that the Seychelles meeting between Erik Prince (of Darkness) and Kirill Dmitriev (the head of a sanctioned Russian investment fund), was set up in advance to try to set up a back-channel between the Trump Campaign and Russia.

This directly contrdicts Erik Prince of Darkness’ testimony he gave in the House’s Sham investigation that the meeting was completely by chance, after they were introduced by other potential investors.

Edited by megaeliz on Dec 28th 2018 at 2:13:01 PM

BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#265212: Dec 28th 2018 at 10:03:17 PM

[up]I'm curious as to why you call him Eric Prince of Darkness, besides the fact that he's in the Trump family business and therefore likely a corrupt shyster?

Do not obey in advance.
Kakuzan Let memes die. Kill them, if you have to. from Knock knock, open up the door, it's real. Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Let memes die. Kill them, if you have to.
#265213: Dec 28th 2018 at 10:04:21 PM

Edited by Kakuzan on Dec 28th 2018 at 1:04:58 PM

Don't catch you slippin' now.
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#265214: Dec 28th 2018 at 11:12:29 PM

[up][up][up][up] Presidental declassification powers are massively broad. A sitting president can declassify anything at any time with no process. Simply by making information public a President has declassified it. If Trump woke up tomorrow and tweeted out some military secret (like he just did) that information would technically have been declassified.

Perhaps something we should look into changing, but that’s the rules as they stand.

They should have sent a poet.
megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#265215: Dec 28th 2018 at 11:15:17 PM

[up][up][up]. It’s a bit of a running gag here, but he deserves it.

He founded Blackwater, and is a big advocate for privatizing the military. Other people here could tell you more, but he’s definitely an evil guy.

Edited by megaeliz on Dec 28th 2018 at 2:25:18 PM

BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#265217: Dec 28th 2018 at 11:57:05 PM

[up][up]That's horrifying.

...I finally realized that I thought you were talking about Eric Trump this whole time, not a different individual. A little accidentally funny, I guess. tongue

Do not obey in advance.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#265218: Dec 29th 2018 at 12:32:21 AM

He's also the younger brother of Betsy Devos. The current Secretary of Education who is currently doing her best to dumb down the children of the USA.

Of all the Cabinet members, she's the one I found the most abhorrent. To add insult to injury, I am constantly reminded she exists because the place where I live in Taiwan has an Amway branch practically next door to me.

Disgusted, but not surprised
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#265219: Dec 29th 2018 at 12:59:55 AM

Basically, when problems with private military and security firms are discussed in terms of accountability or transparency (or anything really), Erik Prince is the example of what not to do. The guy comes off shadier than Eeben Barlow.

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#265220: Dec 29th 2018 at 2:04:11 AM

Do you need to say a man describable as, "Possesses the world's largest private army" is shady?

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#265221: Dec 29th 2018 at 2:05:13 AM

Something I found on the FiveThirtyEight Twitter feed here (from here)

Another top adviser said internal polling showed illegal immigration was a galvanizing issue for the suburban women voters Republicans had lost in the midterm elections. Trump and the Republican Party’s strategy leading up to those midterm elections had relied heavily on overhyping fears about asylum seekers on the southern border. That nativist touch ultimately proved ineffective in helping the GOP hold on to its House majority, though the adviser insisted that the messaging was simply overshadowed by other issues, including health care.
Folks are busy speculating if Stephen Miller is that "top adviser". Apparently he has a record of making up data that advance his viewpoint.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#265222: Dec 29th 2018 at 2:15:25 AM

While that does seem like a safe bet, I'm also willing to bet this cabinet has more than one racist powerhungry asshat with delusions of grandeur.

3of4 Just a harmless giant from a foreign land. from Five Seconds in the Future. Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: GAR for Archer
Just a harmless giant from a foreign land.
#265223: Dec 29th 2018 at 2:34:28 AM

He's also repeatedly pushed for Trump essentially setting him up as Afghanistans Private Military Governor.

"You can reply to this Message!"
TerminusEst from the Land of Winter and Stars Since: Feb, 2010
#265224: Dec 29th 2018 at 2:48:51 AM

While he doesn't run Blackwater/Academi anymore (they're under Constellis Holdings), he is working with the Chinese and allegedly some Gulf states as well in Yemen (don't know if there was any concrete proof of it).

Si Vis Pacem, Para Perkele
TheRoguePenguin Since: Jul, 2009
#265225: Dec 29th 2018 at 9:30:01 AM

In more news of diplomatic incompetence, Trump lifts sanctions on Turkey despite Americans still being detained.

It's a long article and I'm on mobile, so the short of it is that sanctions were lifted for the release of pastor Andrew Brunson, even though numerous Americans are still imprisoned and Turkey tends to capitulate when we put the screws to them.


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