Trump's America

The place for measured discourse about politics and current events, including developments in science and medicine.
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Frelga
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Frelga »

Frelga wrote:Fox site headlines right now

1. Mueller gets his man

2. Far removed from campaign

3. We all knew (Kevin Spacey)
Breitbart, on the other hand...
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If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

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Frelga
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Re: Trump's America

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In the same vein, Fox News invited Scott Adams, of Dilbert comics, to talk about "real Russia scandal." This is not a joke.
The Dogbert method of eliminating guilt is quite simple. All of your problems are caused by invisible people named Juan and Cindy. All you have to do is find them and kill them.
Also, multiple sources are now saying that Papadopoulos was wearing a wire since the summer.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

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Voronwë the Faithful
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Tip. Iceberg.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
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Primula Baggins
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Primula Baggins »

Mueller knows his target. The calculated wait between announcement of the indictments and the real meat of the day, revealing Papadopoulos's arrest and cooperation. Hitting Trump from one side, letting him be talked down because the charges aren't as serious as they could have been—and then bam from the other side, and this time no one knows what Papadopoulos may have been telling Mueller. I imagine some people are struggling to determine exactly when and on what occasion they've been in a room with the guy.

I read that both Trump sons have gone to India to work on a Trump real estate transaction. So I guess they didn't really flee the country?
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Frelga
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Re: Trump's America

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A brief history of Manafort from ProPublica. Featuring, propping up corrupt autocrats, money laundering, and power peddling.

https://twitter.com/ProPublica/status/9 ... 3795244032

Ukraine is trying not to gloat too loudly for fear of upsetting the administration. Manafort is still a "witness" in a corruption case there.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

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Cenedril_Gildinaur
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Cenedril_Gildinaur »

Those who support the Democrats are noticing the Russia-Trump connection, those who support the Republicans are noticing the Russia-Hillary connection.

If both are found to have cheated, maybe the presidency should be given to the top vote-getter with no ties to Russia.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
-- Samuel Adams
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Frelga
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Re: Trump's America

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There's not enough Whisky for this Tango Foxtrot

I said it on b77, but that was about Rand Paul being tackled off a riding lawn mower by a disgruntled neighbor. This is a lot less light hearted

Via Yonatan Zunger, with a link to lawfare in the post. Warning for some language. https://plus.google.com/+YonatanZunger/ ... bocCdFgaaP
This puts all the previous discussion about the Flynns being witnesses which Mueller intends to flip in a very different light. If he were facing nothing more serious than a charge of failure to file paperwork as a foreign agent, he would have reason not to be too worried, and this is why people were wondering much more about the legal status of his son, who is apparently in a great deal of hot water. But if Flynn is looking at life without parole (the statutory max for conspiracy to kidnap under both 18 USC 1201 and 18 Pa Cons Stat 2901), he is having a very different set of conversations than the ones we expected.

So to sum up: The FBI is currently investigating whether the former National Security Advisor, immediately before and/or during his term of office, was acting as an agent of a foreign government and plotting to kidnap people on their behalf, and/or to accept a large bribe to cause that kidnapping to happen through slightly less illegal means.

And no, this is not the plot of a spy thriller. This is what real life looks like in 2017.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

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Cenedril_Gildinaur
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Cenedril_Gildinaur »

Trump declared a day of remembrance for the victims of communism on the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution. The media went bonkers because even though he didn't mention anyone else at all this was obviously an endorsement of fascism.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
-- Samuel Adams
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Griffon64
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Griffon64 »

Where did the media go bonkers? I didn't follow much news over the weekend so I missed it.
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Frelga
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Re: Trump's America

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Haven't seen any mention of it myself.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
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Nin
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Nin »

I read about his today in German left-wing media:

https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/u ... 1510588111

(I put an English version here. So, there are some rich people getting it.)
"nolite te bastardes carborundorum".
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Griffon64
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Re: Trump's America

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I agree with the general gist of the viewpoints mentioned in that document, Nin. Of course there are people who do not agree with that sort of world view, but I find that for what I want out of life that is the best sort of approach.
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Frelga
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Re: Trump's America

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So House passed the GOP tax bill. My initial sense of it was that it could be described as the F***K California Bill, but on further reading, it's more of a F***K Everyone Who Can't Afford a Private Plane Bill (But Especially California).
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/o ... s-gop.html
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

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Inanna
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Inanna »

It’s also a F**K grad students bill. This would finish off the PhD program in the US.


The House Just Voted to Bankrupt Graduate Students
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/opin ... dents.html
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Cerin
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Cerin »

I thought this was such an important article, I wanted to post a link. Matt Taibbi from Rolling Stone, on the death of an author whose book on the American media he says is even more relevant today than when it was written:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/fe ... an-w511766
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Frelga
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Re: Trump's America

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Oatmeal explains Net Neutrality and why FCC getting rid of it is a Bad Thing. Immature language warning.
http://theoatmeal.com/blog/net_neutrality

Call your Reps? And the FCC?
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.

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Primula Baggins
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Primula Baggins »

I wonder which tier HoF will be in?
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Cenedril_Gildinaur
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Cenedril_Gildinaur »

Sometimes, in some families, the children eventually come to an arrangement similar to that in "The Prisoner's Dilemma". Eventually they come to a point of "if you tell on me for A, I'll tell on you for B" and they agree to keep silent.

Not my family, of course. Getting the sibling into trouble was a form of entertainment for us, at any cost.

Well, a similar arrangement existed between the Democrats and the Republicans, especially after Bill Clinton was impeached as payback for the impeachment of Richard Nixon. Yes, that's why it happened. No, it definitely was why it happened. And after that they adopted a bit of a neutrality so that Nancy Pelosi refused to impeach Bush.

That armistice is breaking down. Republicans are gleefully trotting out every Democrat sex scandal, and Democrats are gleefully trotting out every Republican sex scandal. They're not even making the standard "you're worse" argument or "tu quoque" argument, they're merely saying "look at what they did this time."

Cynthia McKinney (and I can't believe I'm referencing her, she's crazy) said that if you actually got rid of all the sex offenders from Congress it would basically clear out the place. I think that since the prisoner's dilemma has been violated, that might happen at the rate things are going. That would be a good thing.
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."
-- Samuel Adams
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Voronwë the Faithful
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Re: Trump's America

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

This could have little significance. Or it could be a BFD.
Flynn's lawyers no longer sharing information with Trump's legal team
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River
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Re: Trump's America

Post by River »

I ran that one past my father. He's never been into criminal law but he has been involved in lawsuits with multiple defendants and been to joint counsel meetings. His feeling is they were borderline useless. However, defendants seeking to settle stop coming to those meetings. In a criminal case, I suppose the equivalent of a settlement would be a plea deal in exchange for turning over evidence and testifying.

Of course, we're reading tea leaves.
When you can do nothing what can you do?
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