US Politics Mega-thread - Page 8772

On September 19 2017 15:28 Sermokala wrote:

Does it really matter why though? If Obama knew that Trumps campaign was being wiretapped indirectly thats a huge conflict of interest. That people in the media refuted, or were told to the effect that they refuted the fact of, that anyone was wiretapped is bad That it was done because he was a political opponent is subjective and opinion based. Its not Watergate where nixon specifically wanted to spy on the dems bad but its still pretty bad and would taint Obama's "practically scandal free" legacy.

Donald Trump is considering staging a US military parade in Washington on the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday, inspired by the parade he saw on Bastille Day in Paris.

Meeting France’s President Emmanuel Macron on the fringes of the UN general assembly, Trump said he had asked his White House chief of staff, retired Marine Corps general John Kelly, to look into the possibility of holding such a display of US military might.

Trump said he marvelled at the French parade that he saw with Macron on France’s 14 July national holiday.

In typical Trump fashion, the president said he wants the parade to be bigger and better than the one he saw in France.

“It was one of the greatest parades I have ever seen,” Trump said. “It was two hours on the button, and was military might, and I think a tremendous thing for France and the spirit of France.”

“And to a large extent, because of what I witnessed, we may do something like that on July 4th in Washington, down Pennsylvania Avenue,” Trump said. “We’re going to have to try and top it.”

He noted that France’s parade featured representatives from different wars and armed forces wearing different uniforms. “It was really so well done,” he said.

“So we’re actually thinking about 4th of July, Pennsylvania Avenue, having a really great parade to show our military strength,” Trump added.

Trump has often displayed an enthusiasm for military pageantry and had reportedly hoped for some kind of parade at his own inauguration.

Trump watched enthusiastically from a reviewing stand on 14 July as the French military showcased its tanks and fighter jets, including many US-made planes, along the famed Champs-Élysées. The occasion also marked the 100th anniversary of the US entrance into world war one.

Trump said he has discussed the parade idea with his chief of staff, John Kelly, a retired marine general.

The president, who has recruited three current and retired generals for his senior leadership team, also noted that the US spends $700bn on the military.

Washington already holds quite a few parades, including some with military participation that are held on Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. But those patriotic processions typically involve marching bands and uniformed elements, not the grand display of military hardware that Trump envisions.

On September 19 2017 04:14 ZerOCoolSC2 wrote:

I got sniped. But oh well.

To answer his hang up, it's that you changed the definition so that the two are exclusive of each other. It fits the narrative being ponied about. When we were discussing race issues, we had very clear and cut lines in the sand. Then you started shifting the line and blurring it, so that the definition was changed and that it was removed entirely. Now, we're discussing two separate issues instead of one; the supposition that white supremacists are racists. You can be prejudice and not think your race is superior. But you cannot be racist and not a racial supremacist. It doesn't make sense.

On September 19 2017 15:28 Sermokala wrote:

Does it really matter why though? If Obama knew that Trumps campaign was being wiretapped indirectly thats a huge conflict of interest. That people in the media refuted, or were told to the effect that they refuted the fact of, that anyone was wiretapped is bad That it was done because he was a political opponent is subjective and opinion based. Its not Watergate where nixon specifically wanted to spy on the dems bad but its still pretty bad and would taint Obama's "practically scandal free" legacy.

On September 19 2017 18:05 FueledUpAndReadyToGo wrote:

I think it matters a lot if you tap someone clandistinely for being a political opponent or tap someone through official channels because a judge is convinced he is so damn shady that it is necessary, yes.

It's like a mafia sting and then Trump being outraged he was taped having a conversation with some mobsters. I'd say the bigger problem would be Trump talking to the mobsters in the first place.

On September 19 2017 18:05 FueledUpAndReadyToGo wrote:

I think it matters a lot if you tap someone clandistinely for being a political opponent or tap someone through official channels because a judge is convinced he is so damn shady that it is necessary, yes.

It's like a mafia sting and then Trump being outraged he was taped having a conversation with some mobsters. I'd say the bigger problem would be Trump talking to the mobsters in the first place.

On September 19 2017 13:13 Danglars wrote:
I was looking for this quote comparison since Nevuk linked her recent interview. It really is simply amazing what losing an election will do about your fears for Democracy.


In other news, the wiretapping charge by Trump that led to much guffawing was actually proved true recently.


CNN

Tweet in question:


Trump's campaign chairman was under wiretaps before and after the 2016 election.

The Caribbean island nation of Dominica sustained “mind boggling” damage from Hurricane Maria, its prime minister said on Tuesday, after the storm hit with maximum sustained winds of nearly 160 miles per hour that ripped roofs off buildings, including his own home.

There was no immediate word of deaths or injuries on the island from Maria, the third in a string of devastating hurricanes to sweep through the region in recent weeks.

The National Hurricane Center said Tuesday morning that Maria, now moving away from Dominica, had regained Category 5 strength, after briefly dropping to Category 4. The “potentially catastrophic” storm is expected to approach the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico on Tuesday night and Wednesday, the center said.

Roosevelt Skerrit, Dominica’s prime minister, wrote on Facebook earlier Tuesday that the island nation of 72,000 had experienced “widespread devastation,” based on initial reports.

“So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace,” he said. “My greatest fear for the morning is that we will wake to news of serious physical injury and possible deaths as a result of likely landslides triggered by persistent rains.”

Mr. Skerrit said that “the winds have swept away the roofs of almost every person I have spoken to or otherwise made contact with.” On Monday night, he had said on Facebook that he had to be rescued after the storm tore the roof off his own official residence.

He said the island’s immediate priority was to rescue people who were trapped and provide medical care to the injured. “I am honestly not preoccupied with physical damage at this time, because it is devastating … indeed, mind boggling,” Mr. Skerrit said.

The storm had strengthened to Category 5, with maximum sustained winds near 160 m.p.h., hours before the eye passed over Dominica. Just over a day earlier it had been a tropical storm, but wind speeds had increased by 90 m.p.h. within 27 hours, the National Weather Service said.

After hitting Dominica, Maria weakened to Category 4 and continued northwest, with the eye of the storm passing south of the French island of Guadeloupe, before regaining strength.

Guadeloupe, which avoided the worst of Hurricane Irma, has been a staging ground for the regional aid response to that storm. It has also been a refuge for people from St. Martin, an island that was hit hard by Irma two weeks ago. So the arrival of Maria could compound the difficulties involved in recovering from the disasters.

The storm appeared to have knocked out Dominica’s radio stations, and Mr. Skerrit’s Facebook feed became the most prominent source of news about the storm’s arrival.

“Rough! Rough! Rough!” he wrote as the storm hit.

“I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane,” he said before he announced he had been rescued. “House is flooding.”

He said Tuesday morning that it was too early to discuss the condition of the island’s airports and seaports, but he expected them to be inoperable for a few days. He asked “friendly nations and organizations” to provide a helicopter so that he could survey the damage.

“We will need help, my friend, we will need help of all kinds,” he said.

On September 19 2017 22:41 ticklishmusic wrote:
To me this boils down to, "See, I was right! I was under FBI investigation!"! Kind of an odd thing to be bragging about, all things considered. It's kind of like bragging that your test for gonorrhea came back positive.

On September 19 2017 22:41 ticklishmusic wrote:
To me this boils down to, "See, I was right! I was under FBI investigation!"! Kind of an odd thing to be bragging about, all things considered. It's kind of like bragging that your test for gonorrhea came back positive.