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The Official Paracast Political Thread! — Part Four
- Thread starter Gene Steinberg
- Start date
- Status
Han
piscator ψ
Maybe that is Trumps problem, he is not a very convincing liar.
Call me jaded but I expect politicians to lie, pretty much constantly. But at least they make an attempt to pretend that they are telling the truth.
His whole thing was that he wasn't a 'politician'. which seems as crazy to me now as it did then.
who knows what would have happened if H Clinton won, it could have been even worse?
Call me jaded but I expect politicians to lie, pretty much constantly. But at least they make an attempt to pretend that they are telling the truth.
His whole thing was that he wasn't a 'politician'. which seems as crazy to me now as it did then.
who knows what would have happened if H Clinton won, it could have been even worse?
Bob Watson
Paranormal Adept
The email exchange Trump Jr. released, in chronological order
col·lu·sion
[kəˈlo͞oZHən]
NOUN
col·lu·sion
[kəˈlo͞oZHən]
NOUN
- secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others:
"the armed forces were working in collusion with drug traffickers" ·
[more]
"collusion between media owners and political leaders"
synonyms: conspiracy · connivance · complicity · intrigue · plotting · secret understanding · collaboration · scheming
So trump said we'd win so much we'd get tired of winning.
I guess the auto industry has already gotten tired:
Auto sales slide again in July
I guess the auto industry has already gotten tired:
Auto sales slide again in July
Tyger
Paranormal Adept
The first approx 9 minutes is a short film. Interesting. And disturbing.
Naomi Klein: The Worst Is Yet to Come with Trump, So We Must Be Ready for Shock Politics
Posted on June 30, 2017
TEXT: Part 2 of [Democracy Now's] conversation with best-selling author and Intercept senior correspondent Naomi Klein about her book, "No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need."
Naomi Klein: The Worst Is Yet to Come with Trump, So We Must Be Ready for Shock Politics
Posted on June 30, 2017
Tyger
Paranormal Adept
For those who have the time, and the stamina, here is the full documentary.
The Shock Doctrine [2009] Documentary by Naomi Klein
Posted on January 24, 2017
TEXT: "The Shock Doctrine is Canadian author and social activist Naomi Klein's companion piece to her popular 2007 book of the same name. In short, the shock doctrine is a theory for explaining the way that force, stealth and crisis are used in implementing neoliberal economic policies such as privatization, deregulation and cuts to social services.
"The shock doctrine suggests that in periods of chaos often following wars, coups, natural disasters and economic panics, pro-corporate reformers aggressively push through unpopular 'free market' measures. Klein posits that followers of Milton Friedman and other market fundamentalists have been perfecting this very strategy: waiting for a major crisis, then selling off pieces of the state to private players while citizens were still reeling from the shock, then quickly making the 'reforms' permanent."
The Shock Doctrine [2009] Documentary by Naomi Klein
Posted on January 24, 2017
"The shock doctrine suggests that in periods of chaos often following wars, coups, natural disasters and economic panics, pro-corporate reformers aggressively push through unpopular 'free market' measures. Klein posits that followers of Milton Friedman and other market fundamentalists have been perfecting this very strategy: waiting for a major crisis, then selling off pieces of the state to private players while citizens were still reeling from the shock, then quickly making the 'reforms' permanent."
While i agree NK is distracting, I doubt we can say that's its been orchestrated by the White house.
Australia will come to America's aid if North Korea launches an attack against the US, Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed.
Mr Turnbull said the stability of the world was being put at risk by North Korea, and he was committed to working with the US to resolve the situation through diplomatic and economics means.
"But we stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States," Mr Turnbull said outside the briefing with Air Chief Marshal Binskin.
"The ANZUS treaty means that if America is attacked, we will come to their aid.
Australia, US 'joined at hip': Turnbull
How will this end ?
The only peaceful way is for Kim to blink and back down.
The US cant, If they get chased off by this little piss-ant, China and Russia will smell the blood in the water and go for the kill.
But there could be some twists.
China is positioning itself as a return to world power status, it doesn't want a radioactive crater on its border or what that crater would represent. US might and power.
China may decide the better option is to send its troops into NK and take over themselves, steal the US's thunder and show the world they are back. It also preserves the financial prosperity that would be all but lost if the US and NK go to war.
Australia will come to America's aid if North Korea launches an attack against the US, Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed.
Mr Turnbull said the stability of the world was being put at risk by North Korea, and he was committed to working with the US to resolve the situation through diplomatic and economics means.
"But we stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States," Mr Turnbull said outside the briefing with Air Chief Marshal Binskin.
"The ANZUS treaty means that if America is attacked, we will come to their aid.
Australia, US 'joined at hip': Turnbull
How will this end ?
The only peaceful way is for Kim to blink and back down.
The US cant, If they get chased off by this little piss-ant, China and Russia will smell the blood in the water and go for the kill.
But there could be some twists.
China is positioning itself as a return to world power status, it doesn't want a radioactive crater on its border or what that crater would represent. US might and power.
China may decide the better option is to send its troops into NK and take over themselves, steal the US's thunder and show the world they are back. It also preserves the financial prosperity that would be all but lost if the US and NK go to war.
Tyger
Paranormal Adept
I agree about China. China is the behemoth of the future - of the now, in fact. I would be inclined to agree that China needs to take the situation in hand, and take over North Korea. (Can't imagine how they would 'safely' do it, though). Except for having a lot of powerful toys, the U.S. is not really all that capable of 'policing the world' - that's a delusion of hubris. Interesting moment.
It's over if there is a nuclear launch. Forget alliances. What Trump is doing is unconscionable. It is very unlikely it will be allowed (from the U.S. end). There are retired Republicans being called upon to give interviews - and they are floating that behind-the-scenes it is agreed that Trump is unbalanced and needs to be 'removed' (in some way). Be that impeachment is irrelevant - there is a clear message that it is understood that Trump needs to be rendered ineffective in his role as president. How they will accomplish that, we will see.
As wild as Trump is behaving, watch carefully - Mike Pence is at his side like glue. Pence is handling it all behind the scenes (Pence has been visiting allies - likely to assure them that sanity is present in the situation). Trump said Pence would be handling the 'details' of the presidency when he announced Pence as his VP choice. The reality is, that is in fact taking place.
It's over if there is a nuclear launch. Forget alliances. What Trump is doing is unconscionable. It is very unlikely it will be allowed (from the U.S. end). There are retired Republicans being called upon to give interviews - and they are floating that behind-the-scenes it is agreed that Trump is unbalanced and needs to be 'removed' (in some way). Be that impeachment is irrelevant - there is a clear message that it is understood that Trump needs to be rendered ineffective in his role as president. How they will accomplish that, we will see.
As wild as Trump is behaving, watch carefully - Mike Pence is at his side like glue. Pence is handling it all behind the scenes (Pence has been visiting allies - likely to assure them that sanity is present in the situation). Trump said Pence would be handling the 'details' of the presidency when he announced Pence as his VP choice. The reality is, that is in fact taking place.
And even the individual the Robert E. Lee statue was erected to honor would have objected. It's amazing how ignorant the haters are about our own history:
Actually, Robert E. Lee was against erecting Confederate memorials - CNN
Actually, Robert E. Lee was against erecting Confederate memorials - CNN
Tyger
Paranormal Adept
Jewish Trump Staff Silent on His Defense of Rally With Anti-Semitic Marchers
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR AUG. 16, 2017
LINK: Jewish Trump Staff Silent on His Defense of Rally With Anti-Semitic Marchers
TEXT: WASHINGTON — Jewish members of President Trump’s administration remained largely silent Wednesday after Mr. Trump came to the defense of nationalist and right-wing protesters in Charlottesville, Va., who had chanted anti-Semitic slogans and demeaned the president’s Jewish son-in-law.
Gary D. Cohn, the director of the president’s National Economic Council, who is Jewish, was described by several people close to him as “disgusted” and “deeply upset” by the president’s remarks. But Mr. Cohn has not publicly expressed those views.
Steven Mnuchin, the secretary of the Treasury and also Jewish, stood silently behind Mr. Trump on Tuesday as the president said there were “very fine people on both sides” at the Virginia incident. Mr. Mnuchin has not said anything since about the president’s remarks.
And Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, who is also Jewish, has been silent about Mr. Trump’s comments. Ivanka Trump, Mr. Kushner’s wife, who converted to Judaism, said in a tweet on Sunday, “There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis.”
Requests for comment on Wednesday from Mr. Kushner, Mr. Cohn and Mr. Mnuchin were not answered.
The violent racist protests in Charlottesville began as white supremacists and others rallied against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from a park in the city. Their words were aimed at Jews as well as blacks.
Neo-Nazis carried torches and chanted “Jews will not replace us” as they marched through the University of Virginia campus on Friday. And on Tuesday, Chris Cantwell, a white supremacist leader, told Vice News that he wanted a president who “does not give his daughter to a Jew.” [see video below that is linked within article]
Be warned - this video is uncensored. If anyone doubts what was going on this video is witness.
Charlottesville: Race and Terror – VICE News Tonight on HBO
LINK to Video: Charlottesville: Race and Terror – VICE News Tonight on HBO
TEXT: On Saturday hundreds of white nationalists, alt-righters, and neo-Nazis traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia to participate in the “Unite the Right” rally. By Saturday evening three people were dead – one protester, and two police officers – and many more injured. “VICE News Tonight” correspondent Elle Reeve went behind the scenes with white nationalist leaders, including Christopher Cantwell, Robert Ray, David Duke, and Matthew Heimbach — as well as counter-protesters. VICE News Tonight also spoke with residents of Charlottesville, members of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Charlottesville Police. From the neo-Nazi protests at Emancipation Park to Cantwell’s hideaway outside of Virginia, “VICE News Tonight” provides viewers with exclusive, up close and personal access inside the unrest. This episode of VICE News Tonight aired August 14, 2017 on HBO. WATCH: We followed Roger Stone to the Deploraball - Roger Stone and the Deploraball - VICE News Tonight on HBO (Full Segment) WATCH: Richard Spencer "we memed alt-right into existence" - “We memed alt-right into existence”: Richard Spencer extended interview Subscribe to VICE News here: VICE News Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com Follow VICE News here: Facebook: VICE News Twitter: VICE News (@vicenews) | Twitter Tumblr: VICE News Instagram: Vice News (@vicenews) • Instagram photos and videos More videos from the VICE network: VICE Video
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR AUG. 16, 2017
LINK: Jewish Trump Staff Silent on His Defense of Rally With Anti-Semitic Marchers
TEXT: WASHINGTON — Jewish members of President Trump’s administration remained largely silent Wednesday after Mr. Trump came to the defense of nationalist and right-wing protesters in Charlottesville, Va., who had chanted anti-Semitic slogans and demeaned the president’s Jewish son-in-law.
Gary D. Cohn, the director of the president’s National Economic Council, who is Jewish, was described by several people close to him as “disgusted” and “deeply upset” by the president’s remarks. But Mr. Cohn has not publicly expressed those views.
Steven Mnuchin, the secretary of the Treasury and also Jewish, stood silently behind Mr. Trump on Tuesday as the president said there were “very fine people on both sides” at the Virginia incident. Mr. Mnuchin has not said anything since about the president’s remarks.
And Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, who is also Jewish, has been silent about Mr. Trump’s comments. Ivanka Trump, Mr. Kushner’s wife, who converted to Judaism, said in a tweet on Sunday, “There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis.”
Requests for comment on Wednesday from Mr. Kushner, Mr. Cohn and Mr. Mnuchin were not answered.
The violent racist protests in Charlottesville began as white supremacists and others rallied against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee from a park in the city. Their words were aimed at Jews as well as blacks.
Neo-Nazis carried torches and chanted “Jews will not replace us” as they marched through the University of Virginia campus on Friday. And on Tuesday, Chris Cantwell, a white supremacist leader, told Vice News that he wanted a president who “does not give his daughter to a Jew.” [see video below that is linked within article]
Be warned - this video is uncensored. If anyone doubts what was going on this video is witness.
Charlottesville: Race and Terror – VICE News Tonight on HBO
LINK to Video: Charlottesville: Race and Terror – VICE News Tonight on HBO
TEXT: On Saturday hundreds of white nationalists, alt-righters, and neo-Nazis traveled to Charlottesville, Virginia to participate in the “Unite the Right” rally. By Saturday evening three people were dead – one protester, and two police officers – and many more injured. “VICE News Tonight” correspondent Elle Reeve went behind the scenes with white nationalist leaders, including Christopher Cantwell, Robert Ray, David Duke, and Matthew Heimbach — as well as counter-protesters. VICE News Tonight also spoke with residents of Charlottesville, members of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Charlottesville Police. From the neo-Nazi protests at Emancipation Park to Cantwell’s hideaway outside of Virginia, “VICE News Tonight” provides viewers with exclusive, up close and personal access inside the unrest. This episode of VICE News Tonight aired August 14, 2017 on HBO. WATCH: We followed Roger Stone to the Deploraball - Roger Stone and the Deploraball - VICE News Tonight on HBO (Full Segment) WATCH: Richard Spencer "we memed alt-right into existence" - “We memed alt-right into existence”: Richard Spencer extended interview Subscribe to VICE News here: VICE News Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com Follow VICE News here: Facebook: VICE News Twitter: VICE News (@vicenews) | Twitter Tumblr: VICE News Instagram: Vice News (@vicenews) • Instagram photos and videos More videos from the VICE network: VICE Video
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Tyger
Paranormal Adept
Joint Chiefs denounce racism in stark terms as Trump's isolation grows
LINK: Joint Chiefs denounce racism in stark terms as Trump's isolation grows
LINK: Joint Chiefs denounce racism in stark terms as Trump's isolation grows
TEXT: "The nation’s top military officers issued public statements condemning racial bigotry and extremism, a rare foray into domestic politics that indicated deep unease Wednesday in the Pentagon with President Trump's views on race and underscored his growing isolation.
"The social media posts from the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff — the commanders of the Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force — came amid a torrent of criticism of Trump as business executives abandoned his advisory councils, Republican elected officials distanced themselves from him and previously friendly foreign leaders criticized his comments suggesting an equivalence between neo-Nazi groups and their opponents.
"In a further sign of an administration in crisis, Vice President Mike Pence announced he was cutting short a visit to South America to return to Washington a day early for meetings with Trump.
"But it was the statements from the country’s top uniformed military leaders that broke most dramatically with precedent. Each used his official Twitter account to denounce the far-right protesters behind Saturday's deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va. — and not those who had confronted them.
"They did not mention their commander in chief by name. But three of the four posts appeared after Trump sparked a bipartisan furor Tuesday by repeatedly blaming "both sides" for the clashes that followed a march by neo-Nazis, white supremacists and their allies, ending with the death of a counter-protester. 'The Army doesn't tolerate racism, extremism, or hatred in our ranks,' Gen. Mark Milley, chief of staff of the Army, tweeted Wednesday. 'It's against our Values and everything we've stood for since 1775.'
"Similar implied denunciations of Trump’s stand poured in from former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Republican leaders in Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), as well as several major allies in Europe.
"British Prime Minister Theresa May, one of the few European leaders who has been openly friendly with Trump, condemned the president’s comments. 'I see no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who oppose them, and I think it is important for all those in positions of responsibility to condemn far-right views whenever we hear them,' May said in Portsmouth, England.
"The last two Republican presidents signed a joint statement Wednesday declaring that 'America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism and hatred in all forms.' Like the military chiefs, the Bushes didn’t name Trump, but their statement broke with the usual practice of former presidents refraining from even indirect criticism of the sitting chief executive.
"The rebukes underscored how Trump’s response has isolated him more than perhaps any incident since the 'Access Hollywood' tape was leaked a month before the 2016 election. On it, Trump was heard crudely boasting a decade ago of his ability to get away with groping women. 'There’s a truism in ... politics: Just stay away from anything remotely involving Nazis,' commented Michael Steele, who headed the Republican National Committee from 2009 to 2011, the first African American to hold the post.
"Trump strained that tradition during last year’s campaign, appearing to embrace far-right groups who backed him. But as he seeks support in his latest self-created crisis, he is finding fewer safe harbors.
"Business and labor leaders, whose support Trump craves most, have quit his side to protest his equating neo-Nazis to leftist activist groups, and his claim that 'some very fine people' took part in the white supremacy rally. After the chief executives of 3M and Campbell Soup bailed Wednesday from a White House advisory council on manufacturing — the seventh and eighth members to quit — Trump disbanded the group, along with a second panel devoted to general economic policy advice.
"At a news conference in Chile, Pence conspicuously declined to say whether he agreed with Trump that there were good people among the white supremacists who marched. 'What happened in Charlottesville was a tragedy, and the president has been clear on this tragedy, and so have I,' Pence said.
"Even before the Charlottesville violence, Trump’s support had slid in public opinion polls, and he has increased his appeals to his core supporters, holding reelection rallies far earlier in his term than his predecessors. His 2020 campaign announced Wednesday that he will address a rally in Phoenix next week, his first visit to the West since the election.
"To help him weather the latest crisis, he will rely on a 28-year-old aide, Hope Hicks, whom he appointed as interim communications director on Wednesday. Depending on how one counts, Hicks, who was one of Trump’s first hires in his presidential campaign, is the fourth or fifth communications director in the Trump White House. Hicks will replace Anthony Scaramucci, who was ousted so quickly — after 10 tumultuous days — that he was never formally sworn in.
"Trump tends to ignore communications advice and Tuesday’s impromptu news conference in New York was a prime example. His comments reportedly stunned his senior staff, who only expected him to deliver a statement on infrastructure, not take questions on Charlottesville.
"The Twitter posts from the military chiefs that followed suggest mounting discomfort at the Pentagon. The service chiefs support Trump's proposals for a military build-up but have yet to implement his unexpected call on Twitter last month to block transgender troops from serving in the armed forces. Since then, the Pentagon has stated that transgender people can serve openly until the White House issues new guidance through proper channels on how to carry out a ban, including whether to discharge transgender troops already in uniform.
"Pentagon leaders were blindsided by Trump’s tweet that the military would 'not allow or accept' transgender troops to serve. They also were caught off guard by his warning that he would unleash 'fire and fury' if North Korea continued to threaten the United States, as well as his startling claims of a 'possible military option' for the political turmoil in Venezuela.
"The Twitter messages from the Pentagon chiefs had a special resonance because several of the individuals who played prominent roles in the far-right rally Saturday, or the deadly violence that followed, had served in uniform. James Alex Fields, the alleged Nazi sympathizer accused of killing a woman and wounding more than a dozen others by ramming his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, spent four months in the Army in 2015 but failed out of basic training.
"In addition, a former Marine staff sergeant who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dillon Ulysses Hopper, was identified as the leader of Vanguard America, a group that helped organize the 'Unite the Right' rally. According to Hopper's service records, he was in the Marine Corps from July 2006 until January this year, serving as a recruiter for part of that time. Participation in supremacist or extremist organizations is a violation of Defense Department orders and leads to mandatory dismissal. Marine Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller tweeted Tuesday that there is 'no place for racial hatred or extremism in the Marine Corps.'
"Adm. John Richardson, the Chief of Naval Operations, started the trend on Saturday when he posted a statement on Twitter and Facebook that called the events in Charlottesville 'shameful' and 'unacceptable. The Navy will forever stand against intolerance and hatred' he said. 'We want our Navy to be the safest possible place — a team as strong and tough as we can be, saving violence only for our enemies.'
"Gen. David L. Goldfein, chief of staff of the Air Force, tweeted Wednesday that he stood 'together with my fellow service chiefs in saying that we’re always stronger together.'
"Separately, the military moved to disavow some of the white nationalists who were photographed wearing military-affiliated clothing during the clashes.
"The 82nd Airborne Division, whose paratroopers jumped into Europe to defeat the Nazis in World War II, took to Twitter on Monday to disavow a man photographed giving a Ku Klux Klan salute while wearing a hat with the division's insignia. 'Respectfully, anyone who thinks this man represents our culture and values has never worn the maroon beret... and never will,' the 82nd Airborne tweeted.
"The social media posts from the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff — the commanders of the Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force — came amid a torrent of criticism of Trump as business executives abandoned his advisory councils, Republican elected officials distanced themselves from him and previously friendly foreign leaders criticized his comments suggesting an equivalence between neo-Nazi groups and their opponents.
"In a further sign of an administration in crisis, Vice President Mike Pence announced he was cutting short a visit to South America to return to Washington a day early for meetings with Trump.
"But it was the statements from the country’s top uniformed military leaders that broke most dramatically with precedent. Each used his official Twitter account to denounce the far-right protesters behind Saturday's deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va. — and not those who had confronted them.
"They did not mention their commander in chief by name. But three of the four posts appeared after Trump sparked a bipartisan furor Tuesday by repeatedly blaming "both sides" for the clashes that followed a march by neo-Nazis, white supremacists and their allies, ending with the death of a counter-protester. 'The Army doesn't tolerate racism, extremism, or hatred in our ranks,' Gen. Mark Milley, chief of staff of the Army, tweeted Wednesday. 'It's against our Values and everything we've stood for since 1775.'
"Similar implied denunciations of Trump’s stand poured in from former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Republican leaders in Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), as well as several major allies in Europe.
"British Prime Minister Theresa May, one of the few European leaders who has been openly friendly with Trump, condemned the president’s comments. 'I see no equivalence between those who propound fascist views and those who oppose them, and I think it is important for all those in positions of responsibility to condemn far-right views whenever we hear them,' May said in Portsmouth, England.
"The last two Republican presidents signed a joint statement Wednesday declaring that 'America must always reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism and hatred in all forms.' Like the military chiefs, the Bushes didn’t name Trump, but their statement broke with the usual practice of former presidents refraining from even indirect criticism of the sitting chief executive.
"The rebukes underscored how Trump’s response has isolated him more than perhaps any incident since the 'Access Hollywood' tape was leaked a month before the 2016 election. On it, Trump was heard crudely boasting a decade ago of his ability to get away with groping women. 'There’s a truism in ... politics: Just stay away from anything remotely involving Nazis,' commented Michael Steele, who headed the Republican National Committee from 2009 to 2011, the first African American to hold the post.
"Trump strained that tradition during last year’s campaign, appearing to embrace far-right groups who backed him. But as he seeks support in his latest self-created crisis, he is finding fewer safe harbors.
"Business and labor leaders, whose support Trump craves most, have quit his side to protest his equating neo-Nazis to leftist activist groups, and his claim that 'some very fine people' took part in the white supremacy rally. After the chief executives of 3M and Campbell Soup bailed Wednesday from a White House advisory council on manufacturing — the seventh and eighth members to quit — Trump disbanded the group, along with a second panel devoted to general economic policy advice.
"At a news conference in Chile, Pence conspicuously declined to say whether he agreed with Trump that there were good people among the white supremacists who marched. 'What happened in Charlottesville was a tragedy, and the president has been clear on this tragedy, and so have I,' Pence said.
"Even before the Charlottesville violence, Trump’s support had slid in public opinion polls, and he has increased his appeals to his core supporters, holding reelection rallies far earlier in his term than his predecessors. His 2020 campaign announced Wednesday that he will address a rally in Phoenix next week, his first visit to the West since the election.
"To help him weather the latest crisis, he will rely on a 28-year-old aide, Hope Hicks, whom he appointed as interim communications director on Wednesday. Depending on how one counts, Hicks, who was one of Trump’s first hires in his presidential campaign, is the fourth or fifth communications director in the Trump White House. Hicks will replace Anthony Scaramucci, who was ousted so quickly — after 10 tumultuous days — that he was never formally sworn in.
"Trump tends to ignore communications advice and Tuesday’s impromptu news conference in New York was a prime example. His comments reportedly stunned his senior staff, who only expected him to deliver a statement on infrastructure, not take questions on Charlottesville.
"The Twitter posts from the military chiefs that followed suggest mounting discomfort at the Pentagon. The service chiefs support Trump's proposals for a military build-up but have yet to implement his unexpected call on Twitter last month to block transgender troops from serving in the armed forces. Since then, the Pentagon has stated that transgender people can serve openly until the White House issues new guidance through proper channels on how to carry out a ban, including whether to discharge transgender troops already in uniform.
"Pentagon leaders were blindsided by Trump’s tweet that the military would 'not allow or accept' transgender troops to serve. They also were caught off guard by his warning that he would unleash 'fire and fury' if North Korea continued to threaten the United States, as well as his startling claims of a 'possible military option' for the political turmoil in Venezuela.
"The Twitter messages from the Pentagon chiefs had a special resonance because several of the individuals who played prominent roles in the far-right rally Saturday, or the deadly violence that followed, had served in uniform. James Alex Fields, the alleged Nazi sympathizer accused of killing a woman and wounding more than a dozen others by ramming his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, spent four months in the Army in 2015 but failed out of basic training.
"In addition, a former Marine staff sergeant who served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Dillon Ulysses Hopper, was identified as the leader of Vanguard America, a group that helped organize the 'Unite the Right' rally. According to Hopper's service records, he was in the Marine Corps from July 2006 until January this year, serving as a recruiter for part of that time. Participation in supremacist or extremist organizations is a violation of Defense Department orders and leads to mandatory dismissal. Marine Commandant Gen. Robert B. Neller tweeted Tuesday that there is 'no place for racial hatred or extremism in the Marine Corps.'
"Adm. John Richardson, the Chief of Naval Operations, started the trend on Saturday when he posted a statement on Twitter and Facebook that called the events in Charlottesville 'shameful' and 'unacceptable. The Navy will forever stand against intolerance and hatred' he said. 'We want our Navy to be the safest possible place — a team as strong and tough as we can be, saving violence only for our enemies.'
"Gen. David L. Goldfein, chief of staff of the Air Force, tweeted Wednesday that he stood 'together with my fellow service chiefs in saying that we’re always stronger together.'
"Separately, the military moved to disavow some of the white nationalists who were photographed wearing military-affiliated clothing during the clashes.
"The 82nd Airborne Division, whose paratroopers jumped into Europe to defeat the Nazis in World War II, took to Twitter on Monday to disavow a man photographed giving a Ku Klux Klan salute while wearing a hat with the division's insignia. 'Respectfully, anyone who thinks this man represents our culture and values has never worn the maroon beret... and never will,' the 82nd Airborne tweeted.
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Tyger
Paranormal Adept
A professor of German history explains the true horror of Trump’s response to Charlottesville
LINK: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/08/a-p...horror-of-trumps-response-to-charlottesville/
LINK: http://www.rawstory.com/2017/08/a-p...horror-of-trumps-response-to-charlottesville/
TEXT: "As a scholar of modern German history, I’ve been working on a study of antisemitism in Germany and the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. What I saw unfold over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia and then at Bedminster, New Jersey gave me the horrible, sinking feeling that my book is going to need a new chapter.
"On Saturday, August 12, 2017, thousands of young Americans marched through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia chanting hate-filled slogans like, 'Blood and soil,' and 'Jews will not replace us,' and carrying the swastika flag. They clashed with protesters and caused dozens of injuries. A car plowed into a crowd of people protesting the white supremacist demonstration, killing one person and injuring many more.
"Later that day, President Donald Trump issued a statement: 'We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides. It has been going on for a long time in our country — not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. It has been going on for a long, long time. It has no place in America.'
"The 'hatred, bigotry and violence' he said, came from 'many sides' (a point he apparently felt he needed to stress). He did not mention the fact that one side was carrying swastika flags, the flag of Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist Party, the flag of Nazi Germany. He did not specifically condemn those who carried that flag. They were, according to the president, all equally responsible: those who marched under the Nazi banner, and those who opposed them. All equal. Nazis and anti-Nazis. But how is that possible? How can it be that in 2017, the President of the United States, a country that fought Hitler’s Germany and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of its young men in order to ensure its ultimate defeat, could not or would not bring himself to condemn Americans who marched under the flag of the Third Reich?
"What does it mean to march under the swastika flag? What does the swastika flag symbolize? What did it mean to the people who hoisted it in Germany—the people who inspired the Americans who marched this weekend in Charlottesville? Those who inspired the marchers in Charlottesville marched through the streets of Germany, provoking violence, and singing 'when Jewish blood spurts from the knife.'
"Those who inspired the marchers destroyed democracy and eliminated all civil liberties in Germany. Those who inspired the marchers demonized Jewish citizens, physically assaulted them, removed them from all aspects of public life, stripped them of their rights, their property, their very ability to survive in the only country they had ever called home.
"Those who inspired the marchers carried out the biggest pogrom in modern German history, destroying 267 synagogues, vandalizing Jewish businesses, attacking Jews in their homes, and killing hundreds, all in a single night in November 1938.
"They demonized and physically attacked political opponents, homosexuals, Roma and Sinti, the handicapped, and any others they considered outside the boundaries of the German racial community. They murdered more than 70,000 men, women, and children—German citizens!—who had been diagnosed with mental and physical disabilities in just two years between 1939 and 1941. They started the most destructive war in the history of the world, causing the deaths of tens of millions of people, mostly innocent civilians. They murdered more than 33,000 Jews in just two days at Babi Yar, outside Kiev, Ukraine in 1941. They shot one million unarmed Jewish civilians—men, women, and children—across Eastern Europe in just the last six months of 1941. They murdered close to three million Jews in the gas chambers of Chelmno, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzec, Majdanek, and Auschwitz.
"They enslaved millions of people—Jews and non-Jews—from across Europe to work for their war of conquest. They fought to destroy the most basic values that America has claimed to stand for over more than two centuries: the fundamental dignity and equality of all people.
"The world is a complicated place. There are rarely simple, black and white answers to the problems that confront us. But sometimes, every once in a while, there are. And this is one such moment. If the President of the United States cannot condemn individuals who march under the flag of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, how can he possibly claim to represent America, its values, and all of its citizens? In perhaps the easiest test of his young presidency, Donald Trump has failed, and failed miserably.
"It isn’t often that historians get to see their work gain such relevance in the present. And for those of us who study the history of hatred, bigotry, and the evils of Nazi Germany, the prospect of such relevance is most uncomfortable. If my work has taught me anything, it’s the importance of keeping the boundaries of one’s moral universe as wide as possible. In the early twentieth century, too many Germans pushed too many others beyond the boundaries of their moral universe—beyond the borders of the German racial community—where their fate was at best no longer of any concern to them, at worst, they represented an existential threat.
"When that happens, the horrors committed under the swastika flag become possible. How safe are we today? How extensive are the boundaries of our own moral universe—each and every one of us? Those who marched in Charlottesville under Hitler’s flag and the President who chose not to condemn them revealed the boundaries of their moral universe to be sadly and frighteningly small. The flag that flew on that horrible day—with that symbol of ultimate evil at its heart—should remind us all just where such a limited sense of fellow feeling can lead."
"On Saturday, August 12, 2017, thousands of young Americans marched through the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia chanting hate-filled slogans like, 'Blood and soil,' and 'Jews will not replace us,' and carrying the swastika flag. They clashed with protesters and caused dozens of injuries. A car plowed into a crowd of people protesting the white supremacist demonstration, killing one person and injuring many more.
"Later that day, President Donald Trump issued a statement: 'We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides. It has been going on for a long time in our country — not Donald Trump, not Barack Obama. It has been going on for a long, long time. It has no place in America.'
"The 'hatred, bigotry and violence' he said, came from 'many sides' (a point he apparently felt he needed to stress). He did not mention the fact that one side was carrying swastika flags, the flag of Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist Party, the flag of Nazi Germany. He did not specifically condemn those who carried that flag. They were, according to the president, all equally responsible: those who marched under the Nazi banner, and those who opposed them. All equal. Nazis and anti-Nazis. But how is that possible? How can it be that in 2017, the President of the United States, a country that fought Hitler’s Germany and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of its young men in order to ensure its ultimate defeat, could not or would not bring himself to condemn Americans who marched under the flag of the Third Reich?
"What does it mean to march under the swastika flag? What does the swastika flag symbolize? What did it mean to the people who hoisted it in Germany—the people who inspired the Americans who marched this weekend in Charlottesville? Those who inspired the marchers in Charlottesville marched through the streets of Germany, provoking violence, and singing 'when Jewish blood spurts from the knife.'
"Those who inspired the marchers destroyed democracy and eliminated all civil liberties in Germany. Those who inspired the marchers demonized Jewish citizens, physically assaulted them, removed them from all aspects of public life, stripped them of their rights, their property, their very ability to survive in the only country they had ever called home.
"Those who inspired the marchers carried out the biggest pogrom in modern German history, destroying 267 synagogues, vandalizing Jewish businesses, attacking Jews in their homes, and killing hundreds, all in a single night in November 1938.
"They demonized and physically attacked political opponents, homosexuals, Roma and Sinti, the handicapped, and any others they considered outside the boundaries of the German racial community. They murdered more than 70,000 men, women, and children—German citizens!—who had been diagnosed with mental and physical disabilities in just two years between 1939 and 1941. They started the most destructive war in the history of the world, causing the deaths of tens of millions of people, mostly innocent civilians. They murdered more than 33,000 Jews in just two days at Babi Yar, outside Kiev, Ukraine in 1941. They shot one million unarmed Jewish civilians—men, women, and children—across Eastern Europe in just the last six months of 1941. They murdered close to three million Jews in the gas chambers of Chelmno, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzec, Majdanek, and Auschwitz.
"They enslaved millions of people—Jews and non-Jews—from across Europe to work for their war of conquest. They fought to destroy the most basic values that America has claimed to stand for over more than two centuries: the fundamental dignity and equality of all people.
"The world is a complicated place. There are rarely simple, black and white answers to the problems that confront us. But sometimes, every once in a while, there are. And this is one such moment. If the President of the United States cannot condemn individuals who march under the flag of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, how can he possibly claim to represent America, its values, and all of its citizens? In perhaps the easiest test of his young presidency, Donald Trump has failed, and failed miserably.
"It isn’t often that historians get to see their work gain such relevance in the present. And for those of us who study the history of hatred, bigotry, and the evils of Nazi Germany, the prospect of such relevance is most uncomfortable. If my work has taught me anything, it’s the importance of keeping the boundaries of one’s moral universe as wide as possible. In the early twentieth century, too many Germans pushed too many others beyond the boundaries of their moral universe—beyond the borders of the German racial community—where their fate was at best no longer of any concern to them, at worst, they represented an existential threat.
"When that happens, the horrors committed under the swastika flag become possible. How safe are we today? How extensive are the boundaries of our own moral universe—each and every one of us? Those who marched in Charlottesville under Hitler’s flag and the President who chose not to condemn them revealed the boundaries of their moral universe to be sadly and frighteningly small. The flag that flew on that horrible day—with that symbol of ultimate evil at its heart—should remind us all just where such a limited sense of fellow feeling can lead."
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Bob Watson
Paranormal Adept
this is why neo Nazis can openly operate!
Tyger
Paranormal Adept
Trump has crossed a line. Thing is, the die-hards will say it is the Jews who are ganging up on him - but we'll see if this prediction holds. I think his point about the Russia stuff is a good one - Trump is guilty and does not want to go to jail. He'll make a deal (after all, that's what he was elected to do). 
‘Art Of The Deal’ Co-Author Tony Schwartz Predicts Trump’s About To Resign
“Trump’s presidency is effectively over.”
LINK: 'Art Of The Deal' Co-Author Tony Schwartz Predicts Trump's About To Resign | HuffPost
‘Art Of The Deal’ Co-Author Tony Schwartz Predicts Trump’s About To Resign
“Trump’s presidency is effectively over.”
LINK: 'Art Of The Deal' Co-Author Tony Schwartz Predicts Trump's About To Resign | HuffPost
TEXT: Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal co-author Tony Schwartz is predicting that the president is getting ready to call it quits ― and that the resignation will happen soon.
He wrote on Twitter Wednesday: "The circle is closing at blinding speed. Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and congress leave him no choice." and "Trump's presidency is effectively over. Would be amazed if he survives till end of the year. More likely resigns by fall, if not sooner."
In followup tweets in response to questions, Schwartz predicted Trump would make a deal for immunity in the Russia investigation in exchange for his resignation.
“The Russia stuff will be huge,” he wrote. “He doesn’t want to go to jail.” He also urged Trump’s opponents to keep up the pressure, and he slammed the president’s elder children. "Eric & Donald Trump Jr., dumber versions of their father. Ivanka Trump fake human and enabler. They all suffer from Stockholm Syndrome."
Schwartz has been predicting resignation as Trump’s endgame, making similar comments in May. “I surely believe that at some point over the next period of time he’s going to have to figure out a way to resign,” Schwartz told CNN at the time.
Despite authoring a book with Trump, Schwartz advised the campaign of 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for free. “This is my penance for having created a man who has become a monster,” he said in September. “I’ve spent 30 years feeling bad about it.” Schwartz also said he would donate his share of the profits from Art Of The Deal to the National Immigration Law Center, an organization that helps low-income immigrants.
He wrote on Twitter Wednesday: "The circle is closing at blinding speed. Trump is going to resign and declare victory before Mueller and congress leave him no choice." and "Trump's presidency is effectively over. Would be amazed if he survives till end of the year. More likely resigns by fall, if not sooner."
In followup tweets in response to questions, Schwartz predicted Trump would make a deal for immunity in the Russia investigation in exchange for his resignation.
“The Russia stuff will be huge,” he wrote. “He doesn’t want to go to jail.” He also urged Trump’s opponents to keep up the pressure, and he slammed the president’s elder children. "Eric & Donald Trump Jr., dumber versions of their father. Ivanka Trump fake human and enabler. They all suffer from Stockholm Syndrome."
Schwartz has been predicting resignation as Trump’s endgame, making similar comments in May. “I surely believe that at some point over the next period of time he’s going to have to figure out a way to resign,” Schwartz told CNN at the time.
Despite authoring a book with Trump, Schwartz advised the campaign of 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for free. “This is my penance for having created a man who has become a monster,” he said in September. “I’ve spent 30 years feeling bad about it.” Schwartz also said he would donate his share of the profits from Art Of The Deal to the National Immigration Law Center, an organization that helps low-income immigrants.
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Tyger
Paranormal Adept
In case anyone is unclear about what took place, we have plenty of eyewitness reports.
Donald Trump Is Lying About Charlottesville, Says Witness | All In | MSNBC
TEXT: "According to Rev. Traci Blackmon, who protested the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, the president was lying when he defended the behavior of the alt right marchers and blamed 'both sides' for the violence."
Donald Trump Is Lying About Charlottesville, Says Witness | All In | MSNBC
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