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GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#273001: Feb 27th 2019 at 7:55:00 AM

I played that once, a long time ago. Never engaged with the community funnily enough.


On-topic re: Cohen's testimony, is it only me that raises an eyebrow at the 'I may have lied, but I am not a liar' statements?

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#273002: Feb 27th 2019 at 7:55:41 AM

I found it suspect, but not unexpected.

Anyway, dude needs to wrap this up, I have a class in four minutes.

Edited by PhysicalStamina on Feb 27th 2019 at 10:56:08 AM

i'm tired, my friend
PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#273003: Feb 27th 2019 at 7:56:24 AM

"I do not intend to make a habit of lying, the opportunities just keep presenting themselves."

GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#273004: Feb 27th 2019 at 7:57:06 AM

You're not going to finish this before class, the good stuff's not even started. tongue

Edit: Jordan's angle seems to be that Cohen did reprehensible stuff to help himself as much as he did to protect Trump. Basically, Cohen is a liar with a habit of lying, he's lying now about Trump to help himself.

Edit: Now Jordan is implying that this is Cohen's revenge for not getting a White House job. Cohen isn't having it.

Edited by GoldenKaos on Feb 27th 2019 at 4:08:36 PM

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#273005: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:08:34 AM

Couple of side things:

"Exclusive: House panel seeks to depose Trump tax, ethics attorneys" - http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-lawyer-exclusive/exclusive-house-panel-seeks-to-depose-trump-tax-ethics-attorneys-idUSKCN1QG1WZ

Ocasio-Cortez: ‘There’s a hostage situation going on’ in the GOP

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/431778-ocasio-cortez-theres-a-hostage-situation-going-on-in-the-gop

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) says in a new interview that there is a “hostage situation” in the Republican Party.

The freshman lawmaker and self-described democratic socialist told Rolling Stone that “a lot of Republicans” know they should speak out against President Trump, but don’t.

“In the Republican Party, there’s a hostage situation going on,” she told the magazine. “There are a lot of Republicans that know what the right thing to do is — not just on impeachment but on a wide range of issues — and they refuse to speak up.”

Ocasio-Cortez called it “an unacceptable position” for GOP figures not to stand up to the president.

“We’re not in the realm of politics anymore,” she said. "These are not questions of politics. These are questions of society. These are questions of equal treatment. These are questions of civil rights.”

She also said that she would vote to impeach Trump “no question,” but acknowledged that some lawmakers “come from very tough districts where their constituents are torn” on their support for the president, making it difficult to easily commit to voting for impeachment.

She rejected the argument that some lawmakers have different intentions “behind closed doors” despite voting with Trump.

“If they vote the same way, what does it matter?” she said. “I don’t care what’s in your heart if how you are voting is the same as someone who is actually racist.

“I am tired of people saying, 'I’m gonna vote the same way as bigots, but I don’t share the ideology of bigots.' Well, you share the action and the agenda of bigots. We need to hold that accountable.”

In a bit of amusing irony, given today's events, the ad I'm seeing on the Hill reads "You deserve a lawyer you can trust".

NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#273006: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:11:20 AM

It's not a hostage situation when you willingly support the gunman on your own free will.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#273007: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:11:50 AM

AOC speaks truth. If you vote with bigots, if you silently ignore bigots, if you refuse to confront or challenge bigots, you might as well be one.

Edit: [up] The hypothesis is that many GOP members do think that what Trump and his cronies are doing is bad, but remain silently complicit for fear of losing their seats in primary elections.

Edited by Fighteer on Feb 27th 2019 at 11:12:34 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#273008: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:13:12 AM

If my understanding is correct such a situation does exist with e.g climate change.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#273009: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:14:11 AM

I'm kinda in awe of AOC, mostly because she would have been in the same school year as me, and she's so on point when it comes to what she does.

Edit: Mark Green is up, again relying on character assassination and chafing against restrictions designed to stop the Republicans from character assassination, by the looks of it.

Edited by GoldenKaos on Feb 27th 2019 at 4:18:24 PM

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
Soban Since: Aug, 2009 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
#273010: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:17:12 AM

Cohen: I'm not a bad man. I just worked for a complete racist, liar, and overall scumbag and lied for him for years, and also I committed perjury. But I'm here because I love the country and my father was a Holocaust survivor.

There are no good guys here.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#273011: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:19:25 AM

Cohen is scum, but sometimes in the criminal justice world you set scum against scum.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#273012: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:19:44 AM

Yeah, I'm convinced Cohen is coming clean because it's in his self-interest to do so. I do think it is coming clean though.

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#273013: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:20:41 AM

It's hilarious that the GOP members are bitching about Cohen being a liar.

Like, really? lol

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#273014: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:20:48 AM

Cohen lives in a world where the person he idolized and willingly committed crimes for turned on him and said he was a scumbag and liar. He's doing this for revenge every bit as much as for a reduced sentence. It's mob rules in Trump world.

Edited by Fighteer on Feb 27th 2019 at 11:23:15 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#273015: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:23:31 AM

Definitely. I don't think he'd lie to do that though. Especially when those lies could be easily disproved.

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#273016: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:25:04 AM

That's the big question, really. How much of Cohen's testimony can be backed up be other sources?

DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#273017: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:25:46 AM

[up][up] He might also be aware that lying at this point would just screw him even more than he already is.

Edited by DrunkenNordmann on Feb 27th 2019 at 5:25:54 PM

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#273018: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:28:35 AM

Cohen: I'm not a bad man. I just worked for a complete racist, liar, and overall scumbag and lied for him for years, and also I committed perjury. But I'm here because I love the country and my father was a Holocaust survivor.

There are no good guys here.

It's entirely possible he's sincere, it's one thing to be the personal lawyer of a shady businessman who you have personal loyalty for. Being the lawyer of a President complicates things significantly in that it brings up patriotism and the effect on one's nation.

Like, I'm not saying he's a good person but this myth that bad people can't have principles isn't actually true or particularly mature. I'd find it perfectly plausible that he was fine being fixer on irrelevant crimes but got uncomfortable once we started talking about colluding with hostile powers.

It doesn't mean he's worthy of respect or is any less contemptible, just that ignoring the possibility of sincerity you're pointlessly doing him a disservice. A corrupt person having standards is neither redeeming nor especially crazy.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Feb 27th 2019 at 11:29:22 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#273019: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:29:22 AM

James Comer coming along with 'did Trump make you fiddle your numbers?' - same character assassination tactic. The Minority Members certainly have their playbook sorted out.

[up][up]That too, lying might just not be advantageous any more.

The GOP are also letting Jordan do a lot of the work.

Edited by GoldenKaos on Feb 27th 2019 at 4:31:39 PM

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#273020: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:36:21 AM

[up][up] Cohen did illegal work for his boss for decades. I don't find anything redemptive in coming clean only once you've been caught (and hung out to dry). He can earn a reduced sentence for ratting out his boss, and he can "serve his time" according to the justice system, but none of that changes that he did everything with eyes wide open.

There are no good guys here.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#273021: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:39:26 AM

"I have a genuine black person here who doesn't think Trump is a racist, what have you got to say about that?" - Mark Meadows

Edited by GoldenKaos on Feb 27th 2019 at 4:40:19 PM

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#273022: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:40:49 AM

Cohen's a sack of shit. He's been a sack of shit for decades. This doesn't change that, regardless of how entertaining it is to hear him talk shit about Trump.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#273023: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:41:53 AM

Cohen did illegal work for his boss for decades. I don't find anything redemptive in coming clean only once you've been caught (and hung out to dry). He can earn a reduced sentence for ratting out his boss, and he can "serve his time" according to the justice system, but none of that changes that he did everything with eyes wide open.

There are no good guys here.

Did you... read my post?

I mean I literally argued against all of this.

I said it wasn't redemptive and that he wasn't a good guy, just that this view that he can't honestly mean it because he engaged in very different kind of corruption is simplistic and unnuanced. Corrupt people can have standards and bridges too far.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Feb 27th 2019 at 11:42:43 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
GoldenKaos Captain of the Dead City from Cirith Ungol Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
Captain of the Dead City
#273024: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:41:54 AM

I am rolling my eyes every time someone mentions redemption.

"...in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach."
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#273025: Feb 27th 2019 at 8:42:57 AM

[up][up] I guess we are in agreement. I just find the idea that Cohen is coming clean out of some sort of newly discovered ethical and moral standards to be risible.

Edited by Fighteer on Feb 27th 2019 at 11:43:38 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"

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