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On March 21 2018 06:08 ticklishmusic wrote:
The crux of the matter seems to be if it's reasonable to require non-medical facilities to state that they are non-medical facilities. I certainly think it is.
that does seem reasonable. Much like a terrible front office should just say "hey, it's better than sleeping on a street corner" on the plaque on the door
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Like a bad penny, Blackwater returns to work with Republicans and have weird meetings with Russian banks. I'm going to say it again, we need a Metal Gear to make this non-sense complete.
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On March 21 2018 08:10 Plansix wrote:Show nested quote +On March 21 2018 07:17 Sermokala wrote:On March 21 2018 06:12 Plansix wrote:On March 21 2018 06:08 ticklishmusic wrote:
The crux of the matter seems to be if it's reasonable to require non-medical facilities to state that they are non-medical facilities. I certainly think it is. But like most California laws, they shoot the moon and get challenged because of it. If they had limited it to “Yo, we are not a medical facility, we cannot provide medical advice,” I doubt this case would have had legs. And yet like Planned parenthood having a super PAC I think thats the point of why they made it go over the line. Forceing the issue to go to court removes the leeway that other states would have on making likewise laws and would force the courts to make a federal law level decision on the issue. Like I think we can agree that its a little crazy but they intended it to be crazy beacuse of the crazy system means that the issue isn't crazy at the end. Crazy means to ensure a non crazy ends. California trying to get federal laws passed through the court system. Trying to intact nation wide change through court rulings is a bipartisan practice. Half of the energy around conservatism seems to be about stacking the federal courts with hyper conservative judges, rather than legislating. The CA law is at least upfront about its intent and what it is trying to do.
I agree with the first sentence but not the rest.
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Lol. Imagine if other countries had XYZ Acts for all the people who die in police custody / in prisons here in the US. To say you're against a non-sense act like the Magnitsky Act means you're pro-Russia is dumb. Hell Chicago basically runs black sites (or did).
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On March 21 2018 10:07 Wegandi wrote:
Lol. Imagine if other countries had XYZ Acts for all the people who die in police custody / in prisons here in the US. To say you're against a non-sense act like the Magnitsky Act means you're pro-Russia is dumb. Hell Chicago basically runs black sites (or did).
Who are you talking to?
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On March 21 2018 10:07 Wegandi wrote:
Lol. Imagine if other countries had XYZ Acts for all the people who die in police custody / in prisons here in the US. To say you're against a non-sense act like the Magnitsky Act means you're pro-Russia is dumb. Hell Chicago basically runs black sites (or did).
What the Magnitsky Act actually does is target a very small group of powerful Russian oligarchs and mob kingpins surrounding Putin with economic sanctions. About a hundred or so people are on the list. The point is to punish the truly evil people who are running Russia while minimizing harm to regular Russians. That is all it does.
The act is named after a Russian lawyer who was tortured and murdered by Putin's thugs for symbolic reasons, to represent the very precise targeting of the bad guys running the show while sparing the average joe. It could be called the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Act or the FlaSh sucks at Starcraft act for all I care.
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Turns out it was a "incindeary device" and not a bomb. And that it isn't connected to the bomber. At least that is their current determination. Feels premature since this device was also in a package.
Still, another deadly weapon injuring Austin residents. Not exactly helping people sleep.
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A Fox News analyst quit the network, with a very interesting parting email lol source
On March 1st, I informed Fox that I would not renew my contract. The purpose of this message to all of you is twofold:
First, I must thank each of you for the cooperation and support you've shown me over the years. Those working off-camera, the bookers and producers, don't often get the recognition you deserve, but I want you to know that I have always appreciated the challenges you face and the skill with which you master them.
Second, I feel compelled to explain why I have to leave. Four decades ago, I took an oath as a newly commissioned officer. I swore to "support and defend the Constitution," and that oath did not expire when I took off my uniform. Today, I feel that Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law, while fostering corrosive and unjustified paranoia among viewers. Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association. Now I am ashamed.
In my view, Fox has degenerated from providing a legitimate and much-needed outlet for conservative voices to a mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration. When prime-time hosts--who have never served our country in any capacity--dismiss facts and empirical reality to launch profoundly dishonest assaults on the FBI, the Justice Department, the courts, the intelligence community (in which I served) and, not least, a model public servant and genuine war hero such as Robert Mueller--all the while scaremongering with lurid warnings of "deep-state" machinations-- I cannot be part of the same organization, even at a remove. To me, Fox News is now wittingly harming our system of government for profit.
As a Russia analyst for many years, it also has appalled me that hosts who made their reputations as super-patriots and who, justifiably, savaged President Obama for his duplicitous folly with Putin, now advance Putin's agenda by making light of Russian penetration of our elections and the Trump campaign. Despite increasingly pathetic denials, it turns out that the "nothing-burger" has been covered with Russian dressing all along. And by the way: As an intelligence professional, I can tell you that the Steele dossier rings true--that's how the Russians do things.. The result is that we have an American president who is terrified of his counterpart in Moscow.
I do not apply the above criticisms in full to Fox Business, where numerous hosts retain a respect for facts and maintain a measure of integrity (nor is every host at Fox News a propaganda mouthpiece--some have shown courage). I have enjoyed and valued my relationship with Fox Business, and I will miss a number of hosts and staff members. You're the grown-ups.
Also, I deeply respect the hard-news reporters at Fox, who continue to do their best as talented professionals in a poisoned environment. These are some of the best men and women in the business..
So, to all of you: Thanks, and, as our president's favorite world leader would say, "Das vidanya."
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"Over my decade with Fox, I long was proud of the association. Now I am ashamed."
Yeah no.
Please don't let this man succeed in painting the picture that Fox News was completely respectable until Trump came along and messed it all up.
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That guy was a reliable Republican mouthpiece, too. I guess he couldn't put up with the deep state/Andrew McCabe/Nunes dossier stupidity.
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United States44439 Posts
On March 21 2018 05:35 crms wrote:Show nested quote +On March 21 2018 05:21 Logo wrote:
It kinda makes you wonder if CA just hired a bunch of Russian farms to boost messaging which seems a lot more straightforward than some Russian government plot and probably pretty cost effective compared to getting Americans to do it.
That's been theory for some time if I recall. CA, Mercer, Russian Oligarchs etc., just being general greedy assholes. I'm sure Putin knew what was going down but likely wasn't any sort of state sanctioned effort.
Except, as we have already established, Russian representatives met with Trump Jr. as "part of the Russian government's support of Trump" in a meeting where the hacked emails were discussed, with Trump Sr. starting his Hillary email tweets less than an hour after the meeting.
There isn't a question of whether the Russian government offered aid, and whether the Trump campaign received it. The question is whether the Trump campaign offered anything in return.
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On March 21 2018 11:59 KwarK wrote:Show nested quote +On March 21 2018 05:35 crms wrote:On March 21 2018 05:21 Logo wrote:
It kinda makes you wonder if CA just hired a bunch of Russian farms to boost messaging which seems a lot more straightforward than some Russian government plot and probably pretty cost effective compared to getting Americans to do it.
That's been theory for some time if I recall. CA, Mercer, Russian Oligarchs etc., just being general greedy assholes. I'm sure Putin knew what was going down but likely wasn't any sort of state sanctioned effort. Except, as we have already established, Russian representatives met with Trump Jr. as "part of the Russian government's support of Trump" in a meeting where the hacked emails were discussed, with Trump Sr. starting his Hillary email tweets less than an hour after the meeting. There isn't a question of whether the Russian government offered aid, and whether the Trump campaign received it. The question is whether the Trump campaign offered anything in return.
The meeting KwarK references was held on June 9, 2016. To use the words of the Kremlin's intermediary who arranged the meeting, it was "obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." Don Jr. famously "love[d] it." The attendees that we know of include:
Trump camp: Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort
Russians: Natalia Veselnitskaya, a lawyer for the Russian government, and Rinat Ahkmetshin, "former" Soviet spy
I think it's worth noting that Trump Jr. claimed that the Russians at that meeting never provided any of the Hillary dirt that they claimed to have. Instead, according to Trump Jr., they discussed adoptions. Adoptions are directly relevant to the issue of sanctions because:
1. In 2012, the US Congress passes the sanctions of the Magnitsky Act, which precisely targeted the finances of Putin's inner circle and were deliberately written to have no impact on anyone else.
2. Vladimir Putin banned all adoption of Russian children by Americans in response to the sanctions.
So discussion of adoptions, which Don Jr. openly admits was a topic at the meeting, is directly related to sanctions negotiations.
Furthermore, Don Jr. then claimed that he, Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner all decided not to ever inform Donald Trump of anything about this supposedly fruitless meeting, even though he was literally only several floors upstairs in Trump Tower at the time. These 3 individuals engaged in a conspiracy to keep Trump in the dark about the Russians who claimed they had dirt on Hillary and wanted to talk about matters directly related to American sanctions on the Russian government. The fact that Trump sent his first tweets ever about Hillary's emails less than an hour after that meeting was a complete and utter coincidence.
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He can't control himself
President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE,” according to officials familiar with the call.
Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow.
The president’s conversation with Putin, which Trump described as a “very good call,” prompted fresh criticism of his muted tone toward one of the United States’ biggest geopolitical rivals amid the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials.
Although the Trump administration has taken a tougher stance toward Russia recently — including new sanctions last week on some entities for election meddling and cyberattacks — the president has declined to forcefully join London in denouncing Moscow for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, this month. They remain critically ill.
Trump told reporters that he had offered his well wishes on Putin’s new six-year term during a conversation that covered a range of topics, including arms control and the security situations in Syria and North Korea. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Skripal’s case was not discussed. Information on Syria and North Korea was also provided to the president in writing before the call, officials said.
Source
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On March 21 2018 13:02 CorsairHero wrote:He can't control himself Show nested quote +President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE,” according to officials familiar with the call.
Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow.
The president’s conversation with Putin, which Trump described as a “very good call,” prompted fresh criticism of his muted tone toward one of the United States’ biggest geopolitical rivals amid the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials.
Although the Trump administration has taken a tougher stance toward Russia recently — including new sanctions last week on some entities for election meddling and cyberattacks — the president has declined to forcefully join London in denouncing Moscow for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, this month. They remain critically ill.
Trump told reporters that he had offered his well wishes on Putin’s new six-year term during a conversation that covered a range of topics, including arms control and the security situations in Syria and North Korea. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Skripal’s case was not discussed. Information on Syria and North Korea was also provided to the president in writing before the call, officials said. Source
By now they should know telling Trump to not do anything is like daring him to do it.
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On March 21 2018 13:11 Gahlo wrote:Show nested quote +On March 21 2018 13:02 CorsairHero wrote:He can't control himself President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE,” according to officials familiar with the call.
Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow.
The president’s conversation with Putin, which Trump described as a “very good call,” prompted fresh criticism of his muted tone toward one of the United States’ biggest geopolitical rivals amid the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials.
Although the Trump administration has taken a tougher stance toward Russia recently — including new sanctions last week on some entities for election meddling and cyberattacks — the president has declined to forcefully join London in denouncing Moscow for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, this month. They remain critically ill.
Trump told reporters that he had offered his well wishes on Putin’s new six-year term during a conversation that covered a range of topics, including arms control and the security situations in Syria and North Korea. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Skripal’s case was not discussed. Information on Syria and North Korea was also provided to the president in writing before the call, officials said. Source By now they should know telling Trump to not do anything is like daring him to do it.
"Trump, don't win the election you won't be able to handle it"
"Watch me"
On a more serious note, does that mean that the U.S. joining Britain and the others on agreeing that Russia did it is different from being angry about it? Why would you do that when your country already said they believe Russia did it and when half of the populace think you're Putin's puppet?
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On March 21 2018 13:02 CorsairHero wrote:He can't control himself Show nested quote +President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE,” according to officials familiar with the call.
Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow.
The president’s conversation with Putin, which Trump described as a “very good call,” prompted fresh criticism of his muted tone toward one of the United States’ biggest geopolitical rivals amid the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials.
Although the Trump administration has taken a tougher stance toward Russia recently — including new sanctions last week on some entities for election meddling and cyberattacks — the president has declined to forcefully join London in denouncing Moscow for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, this month. They remain critically ill.
Trump told reporters that he had offered his well wishes on Putin’s new six-year term during a conversation that covered a range of topics, including arms control and the security situations in Syria and North Korea. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Skripal’s case was not discussed. Information on Syria and North Korea was also provided to the president in writing before the call, officials said. Source
Alt take: Trump has 1 consistent issue that he never backs down on ... sucking up to Putin/Russia. He double talks and walks back and intentionally forgets every other position he has taken as it suits him. But Russia? He always has a nice thing to say about Putin.
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On March 21 2018 13:45 Wulfey_LA wrote:Show nested quote +On March 21 2018 13:02 CorsairHero wrote:He can't control himself President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE,” according to officials familiar with the call.
Trump also chose not to heed talking points from aides instructing him to condemn the recent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain with a powerful nerve agent, a case that both the British and U.S. governments have blamed on Moscow.
The president’s conversation with Putin, which Trump described as a “very good call,” prompted fresh criticism of his muted tone toward one of the United States’ biggest geopolitical rivals amid the special counsel investigation into Russia’s election interference and the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russian officials.
Although the Trump administration has taken a tougher stance toward Russia recently — including new sanctions last week on some entities for election meddling and cyberattacks — the president has declined to forcefully join London in denouncing Moscow for the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, England, this month. They remain critically ill.
Trump told reporters that he had offered his well wishes on Putin’s new six-year term during a conversation that covered a range of topics, including arms control and the security situations in Syria and North Korea. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Skripal’s case was not discussed. Information on Syria and North Korea was also provided to the president in writing before the call, officials said. Source Alt take: Trump has 1 consistent issue that he never backs down on ... sucking up to Putin/Russia. He double talks and walks back and intentionally forgets every other position he has taken as it suits him. But Russia? He always has a nice thing to say about Putin.
His capitulating to Putin outweighs even his own self-interest at this point. Whatever the "thing" is, be it financial debt or blackmail, it is devastating and his whole family is implicated.
I'm not sure why we've had to wait 10-20 months for some of these folks to wake up. What Trump said in this recent phone call is, after all, simply congruent to his campaign-rhetoric nearly two years ago in regards to praising Putin's "democratic successes" and denying all allegations made against him. The extent to which we took things for granted cannot be overstated. We've had to listen and watch this for two years for people to finally realize that this man's conflict-of-interest is real and has real consequences.
For all the Deep State talk, I get the feeling Republicans really do believe and rely on it. They take it for granted that the Deep State will keep Trump totally in check, and therefore nothing this one man does really matters (likewise, nothing they do or say matters, so lie your ass off). But in a way, this is giving Republicans benefit of the doubt. Because the alternatives are worse, which is that they either don't care about the history and struggle for democracy (of which Putin has long been enemy #1), or they're just completely incapable of judging people at even the shallowest, easiest of levels.
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As a string of bombings continued Tuesday near the Texas capital, authorities recovered what could be the first crucial break in the case — an intact package containing an explosive device that may have been sent out for delivery by a suspected serial bomber.
The package was found at a FedEx facility near the Austin airport. The discovery came hours after an early-morning explosion at another FedEx facility, 60 miles south of Austin in the town of Schertz.
It was the fifth in a series of bombings this month that have left two people dead, four others injured and rattled a city known for its urban cool.
Federal investigators said on Twitter that both packages Tuesday were connected to the previous four devices, whose components were similar.
The package that exploded was apparently bound for an address in Austin. It detonated shortly after midnight. A FedEx employee was treated and released after complaining of ringing in her ears.
"We're confident that neither this facility nor any in the Schertz area was a target," said Schertz Police Chief Michael Hansen.
The intact package was found after police responded to a 6:19 a.m. call from the FedEx facility reporting it was suspicious. It contained an explosive device.
He said the package as well as the bomb that exploded in Schertz had both been sent from the same FedEx store in the city of Sunset Valley, southwest of Austin.
In another enticing lead, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told the Associated Press that federal authorities informed him that they had surveillance videos that "could possibly" show a suspect in the bombing at the Schertz facility.
Source
Appears we may have that grainy security footage I was asking about whether it should be released or not if they had it. If it's true, should it be released?
either don't care about the history and struggle for democracy
You sincerely think the US would have a problem with Putin's 'democracy' if he was using it to advance US interests?
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While some posters here argued that the Cambridge analytica scandal was easily foreseen and thus they don't understand the outrage.
It now is rather apparent that CA did use illegal means to appropriate data and also that it was being used to swing the election as well as do so illegally without disclosing being ad rather than fact.
For cautious people that want to see proof, this is the time to be outraged and push for regulation of the social media, big data, silicon valley, whatever sector.
When if not now? Complacency now, that things finally are übertaktet l undeniably clear and a real chance for legislation that makes everyone's life better appears people are like: no big news, I knew it all along. Better would've been to say it was suspected. But now there's some kind of proof.
The difference is staggering. And what do some do? Say I told you so. Get on with it and draw the conclusions instead of riding the wave of your "successfull" prediction
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EPT
