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

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#281276: May 21st 2019 at 9:50:13 PM

"For our declaration of independence, we should have the skin of a white man for parchment, his skull for an inkwell, his blood for ink, and a bayonet for a pen!"

Yeesh.

[up]They specifically forced mixed-race people to participate just so that black people wouldn't be the only ones to be responsible for the massacre.

Edited by M84 on May 22nd 2019 at 12:52:52 AM

Disgusted, but not surprised
CookingCat Since: Jul, 2018
#281277: May 21st 2019 at 9:56:12 PM

[up]x7 If you read the article, that stuff actually started under Obama, and a large portion of it happened before Trump even got into office.

Edited by CookingCat on May 21st 2019 at 9:57:08 AM

wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#281278: May 21st 2019 at 9:57:15 PM

I’d be interested to see detailed historiography of what happened, if only because, uh.... the odds of non-Haitians distorting what happened is 99.9%.

For God’s sake, France forced the Haitians to essentially buy themselves by paying the French government for OVER 100 YEARS.

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#281279: May 21st 2019 at 10:09:47 PM

I’d be interested to see detailed historiography of what happened, if only because, uh.... the odds of non-Haitians distorting what happened is 99.9%.

For God’s sake, France forced the Haitians to essentially buy themselves by paying the French government for OVER 100 YEARS.

Why do you assume the Haitians themselves are automatically behind the actions? The history is well documented on it by Haitian historians as well as the people who have been very clear they objected and were horrified by it. Its one of the most studied events by Caribbean peoples in the world.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on May 21st 2019 at 10:11:29 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#281280: May 21st 2019 at 10:30:21 PM

My first thought is that Written by the Winners is probably a factor in that assumption.

[down] Whoops, you're right, I missed the "non" part of non-Haitans there.

Edited by sgamer82 on May 21st 2019 at 11:53:49 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#281281: May 21st 2019 at 10:36:50 PM

But the Haitians were the winners in that conflict.

Disgusted, but not surprised
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#281282: May 21st 2019 at 11:18:01 PM

Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson secretly met with the House Foreign Affairs Committee today.

They literally snuck him in before anybody even knew he was in the capital. Tillerson explained that the White House actively avoided confronting Russia about its election interference in order to curry favor with Putin. And that Kushner constantly meddled with attempts to brief Trump on foreign affairs.

AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#281283: May 22nd 2019 at 12:25:42 AM

Well, I can't see the article without turning off my adblocker. But wow, just, sneaking the guy in there. Well, if that's what they have to do to get testimony that isn't interfered with, more power to them.

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#281284: May 22nd 2019 at 6:15:14 AM

So apparently the House is now trying to subpoena Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson (former McGahn aide). Have they just given up on getting Barr and McGahn? That's sure what it seems like.

Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#281285: May 22nd 2019 at 6:28:51 AM

That, or they are indeed, trying to batch up the contempt charges before igniting them.

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
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.
#281286: May 22nd 2019 at 6:38:04 AM

Or they are building a list of people to hold to hold in contempt.

I get being annoyed at no action RIGHT NOW, but the insinuation of cowardice talk is starting to get annoying too.

Edited by 3of4 on May 22nd 2019 at 3:38:41 PM

"You can reply to this Message!"
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#281287: May 22nd 2019 at 6:44:22 AM

Confidential draft IRS memo says tax returns must be given to Congress unless president invokes executive privilege

The memo, written last fall by an Internal Revenue Service attorney, contradicts the Trump administration’s justification for denying the president’s tax returns to lawmakers.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/confidential-draft-irs-memo-says-tax-returns-must-be-given-to-congress-unless-president-invokes-executive-privilege/2019/05/21/8ed41834-7b1c-11e9-8bb7-0fc796cf2ec0_story.html

singularityshot Since: Dec, 2012
#281288: May 22nd 2019 at 7:01:42 AM

Does it contradict? I thought the message from the White House was "No Legitimate Legislative Purpose". Saying that the only way to prevent release of tax returns is to claim executive privilege doesn't contradict that statement, in fact provides a fallback. Courts say "Only Congress can assert what is and is not a legislative purpose so you don't get to decide what Congress gets or does not get," and then Trump follows up with "OK, Executive Privilege then" and we then have to go to the courts again for round 2.

But then I suppose the question becomes the following: my understanding is that executive privilege is supposed to protect sensitive information and discussions that inform executive decision making. This in theory allows people to speak candidly without fear of things becoming public, thus enabling truth to speak to power in some instances.

So, if your Tax Returns are now considered as "information that informs executive decision making" and thus subject to executive privilege, you are pretty openly saying that "I make decisions based on what is in my tax returns (i.e. my sources of income)."

I mean, we've known it all along but pretty ballsy to base your legal defense on that statement.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#281289: May 22nd 2019 at 7:10:44 AM

To my knowledge, Executive Privilege does not extend to tax returns or anything that took place prior to the President taking office.

Not that it matters. Executive Privilege is pretty much Trump's fallback defense in general. He invokes it for everything, regardless of whether or not it applies. Usually gets away with doing it, too.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
NativeJovian Jupiterian Local from Orlando, FL Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: Maxing my social links
Jupiterian Local
#281290: May 22nd 2019 at 7:20:07 AM

Yeah, executive privilege is basically "you can't force the President to disclose private conversations they had with their advisors on matters of policy". The idea is that the President needs to be able to have frank discussions with their staff without worrying about how the public or other politicians will think of those discussions.

But it can't be used to hide illegal activities, and it doesn't in any possible way apply to anything that happened before the President took office. Trump hasn't even tried to claim executive privilege over his tax returns (though if he gets the idea that that's the only way to keep them out of Congress's hands, he may try).

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#281291: May 22nd 2019 at 7:29:10 AM

Basically, the Trump admin is flagrantly breaking the law.

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#281292: May 22nd 2019 at 7:55:53 AM

I'm seeing reports that Barr is giving up the redacted parts of the Mueller report and other related documents.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#281293: May 22nd 2019 at 7:59:25 AM

The House wants the unredacted version, right?

CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#281294: May 22nd 2019 at 8:00:17 AM

Yes.

Edit:

Barr promised some cooperation if they stopped the threat to enforce the law on him.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/444833-doj-offers-house-intel-some-mueller-materials-if-schiff-drops-barr

The Justice Department on Tuesday said it would provide the House Intelligence Committee with some materials related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as long as the panel dropped its threat to pursue an “enforcement action” against Attorney General William Barr.

The department made the offer in a three-page letter to Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) one day before the committee is slated to vote on what he has described as an “enforcement action” against Barr. Schiff has not said what shape the action would take.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on May 22nd 2019 at 8:02:00 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
wisewillow She/her Since: May, 2011
She/her
#281295: May 22nd 2019 at 8:06:23 AM

This is not a negotiation Jesus Christ. They are breaking the damn law.

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.
#281296: May 22nd 2019 at 8:13:28 AM

Didn't Schiff tell him to piss up a rope on that?

"You can reply to this Message!"
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#281297: May 22nd 2019 at 8:13:57 AM

There's some news that's related to the previously posted article on detention, Gillibrand on immigration: ‘I wouldn’t use the detention system at all’

The title says it all, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has said that if she's elected as President she wouldn't make use of the detention system.

Considering that she was the first Senator to support abolishing ICE I have to say her immigration policy is shaping up nicely.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#281298: May 22nd 2019 at 8:14:15 AM

Barr is getting desperate; he's clearly afraid of the Democrats doing anything against him, but at the same time he wants to stay in Trump's good graces so he's trying to come up with these 'compromises' that won't satisfy anyone but he hopes won't piss off anyone either.

As long as Democrats keep pressure on Barr, he'll eventually cave and give the Democrats what they want. They don't even have to do anything, the mere threat of doing anything is enough to start scaring Barr.

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#281299: May 22nd 2019 at 8:17:36 AM

I can’t get behind the whole “abolish ICE” thing but there’s really no reason to have such an expansive immigration detention system. On top of the moral reasons, there’s no practical reason either.

They should have sent a poet.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#281300: May 22nd 2019 at 8:19:02 AM

I feel like ICE should be abolished, many of its members arrested, and then a new agency created in its place with very few of the original people involved in this shitshow.

Then again, I'm not a huge fan of the DOHS to begin with.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on May 22nd 2019 at 8:19:28 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.

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