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CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#131301: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:18:40 AM

@Silasw: I'm not so sure that a realignment of that nature wouldn't be a long term arrangement; Russia's capacity to stand on its own is questionable at best, and Russia stands to benefit a great deal from such an arrangement, if the US has parted ways with Europe. Not that it would be a remotely intelligent decision; the US would be throwing away a bunch of relatively reliable allies in exchange for one major but comparatively dubious ally. Which is why the military and intelligence agencies of the US would vehemently oppose such a move, but if they could somehow be brought on board (or if they were replaced with people like Flynn), I could see it happening.

Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#131302: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:20:57 AM

[up] How does Russian benefit a great deal from such an arrangement? I can get how a solo US might want such an alliance but I can't see Russia ever agreeing to such a thing.

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran
carbon-mantis Collector Of Fine Oddities from Trumpland Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to my murderer
Collector Of Fine Oddities
#131303: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:23:33 AM

On another note, I found it interesting that a poll of military personnel showed a majority preferred Gary Johnson even after his proposed gutting of it.

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#131304: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:32:16 AM

Analysis of Ted Cruz's refusal to endorse Trump. Never thought I'd say this, but good for Cruz. At least one person won't be intimidated into falling in line.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#131305: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:37:10 AM

[up][up]Not surprising. The mitary is usually pretty conservative. Hillary is probably viewed as a devil so Johnson is the best choice.

DrDougsh Since: Jan, 2001
#131306: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:40:20 AM

Really, it'd take either enormous willpower or no self-respect for Cruz to endorse Trump. Trump spent the last month of the primaries attacking Cruz, doubting his citizenship credidentials, insulting his wife's looks and insinuating that Cruz's father conspired to murder JFK. I'm surprised Cruz wasn't a no-show like Romney, McCain, Kasich and the Bushes, but then, he is probably banking on Trump losing and leaving the door open to run again in 2020.

TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#131307: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:42:15 AM

[up] Agreed. Cruz hopes to become the early favorite for 2020 if Trump fails disastrously.

In a round up of some news items of note:

The 5th District Appeals Court, (an unusually conservative Appeals Court) strikes down Texas voter ID law

A U.S. federal appeals court struck down Texas’s voter-ID law on racial-discrimination grounds Wednesday, handing a major victory to voting-rights activists ahead of the 2016 election.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Senate Bill 14 disproportionately burdened black and Hispanic voters, thereby violating the federal Voting Rights Act’s ban on racial discrimination in American elections.

“The record shows that drafters and proponents of SB 14 were aware of the likely disproportionate effect of the law on minorities, and that they nonetheless passed the bill without adopting a number of proposed ameliorative measures that might have lessened this impact,” Judge Catharina Haynes wrote for the majority.

Most cases in the federal appeals courts are heard by three-judge panels. One such panel previously sided with the plaintiffs last August. But the Fifth Circuit agreed to rehear the case, Veasey v. Abbott, in a rare en banc hearing with its entire complement of 15 judges in March.

Nine of those judges sided with lower courts on its findings of that the law had a discriminatory effect. The Fifth Circuit also sent back the plaintiffs’ claims legislators had a racially discriminatory purpose to the lower courts for further consideration and rejected claims the law imposed an unconstitutional poll tax.

North Miami Police shoot unarmed black therapist as he lies on the ground with his hands up while he attempts to help autistic patient

North Miami, Florida, police officers shot an unarmed black man as he reportedly held his hands up in the air while lying on the ground.

The victim, therapist Charles Kinsey, was apparently helping an autistic patient on whom someone called 911 prior to the shooting. Local station WSVN released a cellphone recording of the moments before the shooting on Wednesday evening.

“I’m like this right here,” Kinsey recounted to WSVN, with his arms in the air. “And when he shot me, it was so surprising. I thought it was a mosquito bite. And when it hit me, I had my hands in the air. And I’m thinking, ‘I just got shot!’ And I’m saying, ‘Sir, why did you shoot me?’ And his words to me were, ‘I don’t know.’”

The shooting is already drawing widespread attention, with WSVN’s tweet receiving thousands of retweets just hours after it went up on Wednesday night. For the Black Lives Matter movement, the shooting is just another example of the kind of racial disparities in police use of force that have gained a national spotlight in the aftermath of the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014.

Before the shooting, North Miami police said they received a 911 call about a man walking around with a gun threatening to kill himself. The man turned out to be an autistic 23-year-old man who was holding a toy truck after leaving his group home.

Kinsey tried to help the patient and retrieve him back to the group home. But then cops arrived, aiming rifles at both Kinsey and the patient, telling them to get on the ground. “When I went to the ground, I went to the ground with my hands up,” Kinsey told WSVN, holding his arms up. “And I am laying there just like this, telling them again there is no need for firearms. He is autistic. He has a toy truck in his hand.”

The cellphone video shows Kinsey lying on the ground, with his arms up, shouting to police, “All he has is a toy truck in his hand. A toy truck. I am a behavior therapist at a group home.”

“I was really more worried about him than myself,” he told WSVN. “I was thinking as long as I have my hands up … they’re not going to shoot me. This is what I’m thinking — they’re not going to shoot me. Wow, was I wrong.”

(Video inside link, this one will be cross posted to Race thread and possibly Law Enforcement thread as well)

Republican senator Jeff Flake calls on GOP to stop saying Clinton should be locked up

By far the most popular chant at the Republican convention this week has been "lock her up" — with "her" referring to Hillary Clinton.

Delegates have had a blast calling for the imprisonment of the presumptive Democratic nominee, and the idea has been endorsed from the podium at least four times so far — including by Pam Bondi, the top law enforcement officer in the state of Florida. (Bondi responded to the chant Wednesday night by saying, "Lock her up, I love that!")

So far, most GOP elites have responded either with silence, or by deliberately encouraging the sentiment. The major exception, though, is Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who in a tweet Tuesday night mocked idea that Clinton "belongs in prison" and called it "jumping the shark."

.@Hillary Clinton now belongs in prison? C'mon. We can make the case that she shouldn't be elected without jumping the shark.

— Jeff Flake (@Jeff Flake) July 20, 2016

And on Wednesday night, Flake — who is not attending the Republican convention and has not yet endorsed Trump — reiterated this criticism in a brief post on Medium.

"Republicans are not going to defeat Hillary Clinton in November by insisting that she belongs in prison any more than we defeated Barack Obama by pretending that he was born in Kenya," Flake wrote. "So let’s drop the references to orange pant suits and chants of ‘lock her up.’"

Roger Ailes, head of Fox News who built it from the ground up, has until August 1 to resign, otherwise he will be forced out

Parent company 21st Century Fox has given Fox News CEO Roger Ailes a deadline of August 1 to resign or be fired in light of its investigation into his alleged sexual harassment, New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman reports.

Ailes, who has led the conservative network since its inception, has been under fire since July 6, when former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson filed a lawsuit against him alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. As other women have come forward to levy similar accusations against Ailes, the network’s hosts and anchors — along with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — have rallied around him.

21st Century Fox has hired the law firm Paul, Weiss to investigate the allegations. Yesterday, Sherman reported that his sources say Rupert Murdoch and his sons Lachlan and James, the company’s leaders, had decided to give him the choice to resign or be fired. Today, Sherman reports that the deadline for that offer is August 1, and that it is in part triggered by allegations from Fox anchor Megyn Kelly that Ailes had sexually harassed her as well.

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
carbon-mantis Collector Of Fine Oddities from Trumpland Since: Mar, 2010 Relationship Status: Married to my murderer
Collector Of Fine Oddities
#131308: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:42:41 AM

From my own biased observations most of the Trump support seems to come from either very new or very old military folks. Most of my military-bound friends and classmates joined and expected to be fighting terrorists overseas or something of the sort and instead got desks or "menial" duties stateside and were bummed out that it wasn't what they were expecting. The older Desert Storm-Afghanistan era vets are usually silent on the matter or vehemently "none of the above."

Hillary's connection to Bill's military cuts and the handling of the Benghazi incident seem to the the top objections from the latter group.

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#131309: Jul 21st 2016 at 7:49:21 AM

@Silas: Its geographic position naturally puts it in conflict with China and Western Europe due to conflicting interests and the large shared land borders. In its current position as a global hegemon, the interests of the US are also in conflict with those of Russia. In a multipolar world however, where the US needs to pick and choose its battles more carefully than it currently does, and especially in a situation where relations have broken down with Western Europe, those interests need not be in conflict.

NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#131310: Jul 21st 2016 at 8:06:18 AM

As far as Cruz not endorsing Trump, it's a lose lose situation.

If Trump wins, what does it matter? Cruz won't be able to run again until 2024. And even then, that would mean the country doesn't favor Cruz's view of America anymore.

If Trump loses, expect the GOP to throw him under the bus because he didn't fall in line.

And in either situation, remember, he's unbearable as a person and difficult to work worth. And the GOP usually back candidates that fall in line.

CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#131311: Jul 21st 2016 at 8:09:44 AM

[up] If Trump loses in a landslide, Cruz is vindicated, and in a good position for 2020. If Trump wins or loses by a close margin, he's finished.

DrDougsh Since: Jan, 2001
#131312: Jul 21st 2016 at 8:16:15 AM

Cruz is setting himself up as the guy who can say "I told you so!"

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#131313: Jul 21st 2016 at 8:16:21 AM

Cruz is on a Mission From God. Trump is antithetical to his Destiny.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#131314: Jul 21st 2016 at 8:50:54 AM

[up] The creepy thing is that Cruz appears to genuinely believe that.

smokeycut Since: Mar, 2013
#131315: Jul 21st 2016 at 8:52:28 AM

Sapphire Williams, who was being interviewed by a local news channel, was swarmed and arrested by riot gear clad police in Rochester, NY last night. She was released this morning, but is still being charged with disorderly conduct.

The footage taken and aired by the news station that interviewed her.

I feel sick. This is my city, where apparently being black and talking to the news is a crime.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#131316: Jul 21st 2016 at 8:55:30 AM

Apropos of nothing, came across this video by the Mother Jones You Tube channel. I've never heard of it before now, so don't know where they skew, but it advertised itself as asking Trump supporters at the RNC when America stopped being great and i was curious about others'opinions. Particularly in the case of the last woman who speaks.

https://youtu.be/AtgEKe1r008

TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#131317: Jul 21st 2016 at 8:55:55 AM

[up][up][up]Cruz was raised by his father to think that he literally has a divine destiny to save the country. If Cruz experiences success, it proves everything he was taught right. If Cruz experiences failures, then it just shows that he's being tried and tested, and must therefore redouble his efforts until it is proven right.

edited 21st Jul '16 8:56:29 AM by TheWanderer

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
Cid El Cid Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: Hiding
El Cid
#131318: Jul 21st 2016 at 9:19:27 AM

I too believe Cruz is playing the long game. It's possible he thinks Trump will not only lose the election but he will lose by a landslide.

If that happens, Cruz will be able to tell the rest of the GOP that Trump's brand of politics were worse for the party than anything they'd done or faced before. Then the GOP will throw everyone close to Trump under the bus and stay with the ones who didn't support him and his brand of crazy (Bush, Romney, Cruz). In other words, he's trying to remain on the good side of the sane, moderate republicans so he has a chance to "rescue" the party should Trump fail spectacularly.

Do note that there are republicans who will not vote for anyone or vote for Hillary just because Trump is the nominee. He's appealing to them.

MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#131319: Jul 21st 2016 at 9:19:35 AM

@131291 & 131292: OK, what about in the aforementioned hypothetical scenario, where the USA (and the world in general) is still reeling from global catastrophe that sees half the world population being killed by natural disasters, famine, and/or armed conflicts?

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#131320: Jul 21st 2016 at 9:56:06 AM

@sgamer - Mother Jones is pretty liberal. But the question has merit.

TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#131321: Jul 21st 2016 at 9:56:53 AM

Regarding Cruz's speech, I can't say I'm surprised. Ted Cruz is a man of principles.

Mainly ugly, horrible principles, mind you. But principles nonetheless. That's always been what we feared between him and Trump: that Trump was a businessman but Cruz was a True Believer, driven by conviction and the devout belief that the awful things he intended to do as President were God's righteous mission for him.

That he chose to use his RNC speech as one final f*ck you to Donald Trump rather than "doing the correct politician thing" and endorsing his party's candidate comes as no surprise to me. Ted Cruz may be Lucifer in the flesh, but I'm kinda proud of him for sticking to his guns at a time when so many in his party are being forced to recognize which way the wind is blowing.

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
AmbarSonofDeshar Since: Jan, 2010
#131322: Jul 21st 2016 at 10:11:47 AM

My dad has predicted from the start that, in his words, Cruz would use the RNC to "plant a shank between Trump's shoulder blades." Nice to see he was right.

Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#131323: Jul 21st 2016 at 10:23:38 AM

Pam Bondi's one to talk, since she ran a quid pro quo in shutting down a Florida investigation of Trump University in exchange for a $25,000 campaign contribution from Trump. I don't know what's more disgusting there, that she was able to be bought off, or that her price was so low.

In a world where the FEC had teeth she'd be the one facing jail time right now.

FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#131324: Jul 21st 2016 at 10:43:04 AM

In a world where the FEC had teeth, we wouldn't have elections lasting two years.

Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#131325: Jul 21st 2016 at 11:07:16 AM

Despite the GOP's anti-porn platform, xHamster traffic from Cleveland shot up over 184 percent over other times.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot

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