Geoff > Status Update

The article about the "tapes" quote makes the mistake of interpretting the quotation marks for us. Trump uses quotation marks for emphasis, or randomly. He doesn't know how to write and he doesn't know what his marks "mean."

Zadignose wrote: "The article about the "tapes" quote makes the mistake of interpretting the quotation marks for us. Trump uses quotation marks for emphasis, or randomly. He doesn't know how to write and he doesn't know what his marks "mean"

We are indeed fortunate to have the great writers on this thread to splain such things to us.

message 3537: by [deleted user] .... 8 minutes ago"

Dude needs to talk to Ice=T ::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sokdL...

Nathan "N.R." wrote: " message 3537: by [deleted user] .... 8 minutes ago"

Dude needs to talk to Ice=T ::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sokdL..."

Does this mean that it is officially 'Metal Time' again?

Cody wrote: "Does this mean that it is officially 'Metal Time' again? "

Hell yeah!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDC2e...

(Canada brings it!)

Aw, shit, I love me some Anvil!

Tom Araya: "Those guys were really f#cking heavy, man"

So I hear that Our Most Pagan POTUS has delivered a commencement speech at Our Most Pagan University.


[Liberty is no more Christian than al-Qaeda is Muslim ; don't believe for a minute they're christian]

Sorry to be a gloomy Gus, but this is really fucked up. More arms to Saudi Arabia. https://www.theguardian.com/world/201...

So as a little aside, I sometimes freelance for next to nothing writing EFL textbook chapters, etc. I am sometimes asked to find stock photo imagery to accompany lessons, though I don't know why since the designers always change everything. Anyway, in one lesson I did, I found out that the picture I chose to illustrate African-American history, a picture of Frederick Douglass, was swapped out for a picture of Barack Obama in front of an American flag.

No disrespect to Obama, but please. I understand the designers were probably thinking, no one's going to recognize Douglass, but I figured a 19th-C sepia-toned image of Douglass is pretty obviously both African-American and historic (hell, that beard itself is historic.) So, yeah, I guess this means I have to accept that Obama is the most recognizable African-American worldwide today, probably far more even than Martin Luther King. Jr.

Hmmm... Or should I have just put a picture of Michael Jackson?

People who haven't already seen the relevant episode of The Young Turks might want to check out Eric Trump is staggeringly stupid. As the guy says, there's just no way this is fake. Too many pieces of information, and they all line up... Trump has been in bed with the Russians for a long time.

I wonder how long it'll take the GOP leadership to acknowledge that they are de facto allies of Vladimir Putin? Looks like most of them are still in denial...

Manny wrote: "People who haven't already seen the relevant episode of The Young Turks might want to check out Eric Trump is staggeringly stupid. As the guy says, there's just no way this is fake. Too many pieces..."

Oh. My. God!!!!! How indescribably idiotic!!!!!

It all goes to show that intelligence is determined by environment as well as heridity, doesn't it? Or perhaps he only got half of his father's 157 IQ.

Manny wrote: "It all goes to show that intelligence is determined by environment as well as heridity, doesn't it? Or perhaps he only got half of his father's 157 IQ."

There are no words, Manny...lol.


His father had a 157IQ? How is that possible

Damn. On checking it out, Snopes says it's 156 rather than 157, and even that there might be some doubt about it.

I'm shocked. You can't trust anything you read on the internet these days.

Manny wrote: "Damn. On checking it out, Snopes says it's 156 rather than 157, and even that there might be some doubt about it.

I'm shocked. You can't trust anything you read on the internet these days."


I find it hard to believe it is even that good!! That is too much to take!! I think he is just being led about by his nose!! Just smiling and nodding!!

Manny wrote: "Damn. On checking it out, Snopes says it's 156 rather than 157, and even that there might be some doubt about it.

I'm shocked. You can't trust anything you read on the internet these days."

The forgot to mention you have to read the 156 in base 7.

What's base seven, I hear you cry?

Well, base seven is just like base ten - when you're missing three fingers.

Ah, you ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer...

Manny wrote: "What's base seven, I hear you cry?

Tom Lehrer :) Now that's a man with a rather high IQ. God bless him.

Manny wrote: "What's base seven, I hear you cry?

Well, base seven is just like base ten - when you're missing three fingers.

Ah, you ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer..."

Or...it is like base 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6..lol

But her emails!

Absolutely, Ian! We really dodged a bullet there!

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us...

Obstruction of justice.

“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey, according to the memo. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

god, i hope there really is a tape.

Alone in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump began the discussion by condemning leaks to the news media, saying that Mr. Comey should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information, according to one of Mr. Comey’s associates.

Yikes.

And in other news, the information that Donald leaked to the Russians yesterday came from Israeli sources. They're understandably pissed. It's on the top of haaretz.com right now.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/wo...

Comey's gonna save us all - he took detailed memos of all his interactions with Trump and shared them with other higher ups at the FBI. G'bye, Trump.

Playing devil's advocate here - Unless there are witnesses to corroborate... memo or not, it's just Comey's word against the President's.

Alfred wrote: "Playing devil's advocate here - Unless there are witnesses to corroborate... memo or not, it's just Comey's word against the President's."

Particularly if he continues to decline to actually say these things publically, let alone under oath.

Regarding putting journalists in prison for publishing classified information: well, that's what the UK government is enacting at the moment. 10 year jail sentence - for possession, even without publication. And information will be considered 'classified' if it could potentially damage the 'financial or economic interests' of the country.
In other new, we're also looking to introduce real-time internet surveillance of up to 10,000 people at a time, and criminalise data encryption.

But back to Ivanka...

The momentum is just incredible on it. The Washington Post story about the leaks to Russia, I read, was the most viewed thing they'd done in months. Before that was the Access Hollywood Tape.

The other day when I was in the coffee shop, almost every screen - laptop, tablet, phone - had somebody either watching Yates' live testimony or reading an article about it.

Folks are always fascinated by a big train wreck, which seems to be what we've got going on here. Sigh.

And, Alfred, your internet activity is being monitored by somebody; at least Amazon on this site. I discovered yesterday I had highlighted a passage in a book in the Amazon app on my tablet and it showed up here on Goodreads. Lately I've not been reading using the Amazon app, so I guess that won't happen again.

I've been going undercover for several months by subscribing to all the begging emails issued from the Donald J. Trump fundraising site. Their spin is interesting (or his spin... emails are often signed in Trump's name, but I doubt he writes them all... maybe?) Since the Comey firing, they've gone into overdrive to convince me (in my "Peter Abrahams" persona) that this is an anti-corruption move. You see, he's just "Draining the Swamp!"

AP Analysis: Defiant Trump again bucks Washington norms

GOOD!

The norms and rules of Washington are BROKEN. They only help the incompetent, self-serving special interests who could not care less about you or the millions of hardworking Americans who truly power our country.

[... something about jobs and stuff...]

The swamp is worse than you could ever imagine. And now the media is shocked that I'm actually following through on my promise to drain it.

Peter, let's show the hypocrites, liars, and "elites" of Washington that the American people are dead serious about our mission to DRAIN THE SWAMP.

That one was signed by Trump himself.

And then today, this one signed by Team Trump...

SABOTAGE

Peter,

You already knew the media was out to get us.

But sadly it's not just the fake news... There are people within our own unelected bureaucracy that want to sabotage President Trump and our entire America First movement.

[...followed by a Steve Bannon quote about how every day will be a fight to win our country back... more stuff about those evil special interests who enrich themselves while citizens remain an afterthought... no choice but to completely DRAIN THE SWAMP...]

So, yeah, apparently Comey is the swamp.

But really, we know there's no room for an incompetent, self-serving, uncaring, hypocritical liar out to enrich himself in Washington.

Zadignose wrote: " The norms and rules of Washington are BROKEN. They only help the incompetent, self-serving special interests who could not care less about you or the millions of hardworking Americans who truly power our country.

[... something about jobs and stuff...]

The swamp is worse than you could ever imagine. And now the media is shocked that I'm actually following through on my promise to drain it.

Peter, let's show the hypocrites, liars, and "elites" of Washington that the American people are dead serious about our mission to DRAIN THE SWAMP.."


Can't. Even.
Was it Brave New World that had this kind of doublethink?

Jessaka wrote: "Watch Trump fire Mueller, just because he can and doesn't care abut the fallout."

Trump doesn't have the authority to fire Mueller. But Sessions does. And that little shriveled shit has zero morals.

Geoff wrote: "Jessaka wrote: "Watch Trump fire Mueller, just because he can and doesn't care abut the fallout."

Trump doesn't have the authority to fire Mueller. But Sessions does. And that little shriveled shi..."

But Sessions does have brains and a survival instinct. I doubt he's directly involved with Russia in any criminal way, so the worst that can happen to him if he doesn't fire Mueller is that he gets fired himself (which will boost his reputation). Whereas if he does fire Mueller, he's setting himself up for impeachment himself and possibly a jail sentence. After all, even if Trump survives his term, there will eventually be a Democratic President - and while Presidents can get pardoned for the sake of national unity, underlings who commit crimes don't fare so well. Nixon's Attorney General went to prison, and was disbarred. I don't think Sessions wants that, and so far he's worked hard to keep himself out of the firing line.

"Tapes." I want to hear the "tapes."

Meanwhile, wasn't it rather audacious of the Russians to offer a transcript of the recent Lavrov and Kislyak conversation in the oval office? They're just taunting Trump, I think.

Jessaka wrote: "...I have YET TO HEAR his comments on this."

90% they're restraining him to keep him from outright tweeting "I'll kill anyone who rats and his mother too!" 10% no one knows where he is but they suspect he's escaped through a secret tunnel to Moscow.

Remember all the talk about Hillary's "stamina"? My lord

https://apnews.com/5e7e20245bc744fc8a...

Also, steak with ketchup? Totally makes sense.

Geoff wrote: "Remember all the talk about Hillary's "stamina"? My lord

https://apnews.com/5e7e20245bc744fc8a...

Also, steak with ketchup? Totally makes sense."

I've read he eats it super well done, too.

Ian wrote: "Geoff wrote: "Remember all the talk about Hillary's "stamina"? My lord

https://apnews.com/5e7e20245bc744fc8a...

Also, steak with ketchup? Totally makes sense."

I've read he eats it su..."

Of course

First nation-wide strike of the Trump presidency likely to commence today. Consider joining a picket near you

http://socialistworker.org/2017/05/19...

For the union makes us strong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCnEA...

Cool, Prez just signed new big $$$ arms deal with Saudia Arabia - cuz you know weapons are pretty much the only thing the US makes these days and heavily arming the Middle East historically never backfires. Thumbs up!

I wonder how much the thermonuclear devices cost? Word on the street is that the Saudis are often willing to offer pretty good, uh, commissions on arms deals. And why make nukes if you're not prepared to sell them?

Oh, well; if it's about jobs it's all fine and dandy. That is, as long as they aren't those tree-hugger hippie type jobs in solar and wind energy.

I'm sitting here wondering why I ever thought Trump and the Saudi royal family might not get along. They have so much in common!

Damn but if it didn't take him that long (hours!) to delete yet another account. He seems like a gr version of that POTUS thing. Keeps deleting, keeps not going away.

Kotsko ::

Russia and Rot
https://itself.blog/2017/05/24/russia...

It's true that the Democrats blundered and their party leaders haven't learned, and also that the major failing in the past election was a nation of willing dupes. It's not true, though, that too much is being made of the whole Russia thing, and the seriousness of what is being investigated shouldn't be dismissed or downplayed. It's not a question of whether Russia helped Trump "steal" the election, and it's not an excuse for the Democrats' loss. If we start from the basic assumption that Trump was legitimately elected, we still have the grooming of a relationship and the consummation of that relationship for the purpose of compromising the president and his staff, we've got obstruction of justice and corruption galore, we've got White-House staff serving secretly as agents of foreign powers (most notably Flynn of course), and it's highly likely that illegal financial deals were struck in advance to ensure a Trump white house would compromise or serve Russian interests. We've got felony crimes to investigate, and the blundering fool who is our president is melting down and revealing more and more evidence of both corruption and incompetence. It would be unjust not to pursue the Russia investigation all the way to impeachment and felony charges, unless of course a fair investigation somehow actually manages to exonerate the accused. (That seems... doubtful.)

But yeah, America also needs to clean up its rot.

Zadignose wrote: "But yeah, America also needs to clean up its rot. "

It's rot all the way down. I mean, I think Kotsko said, "If said collusion provides a path to remove him from office, then that would be a good thing." I'd add, of course, it won't even get at scratching at the rot.

The excuse for the Dem's losing remains squarely on the Dems. Like when they lost (twice!) to W.

Again Kotsko is right on - thanks for that linkage NR - I didn't get the impression he was saying the Russia investigation wasn't important, more that the fact of the conditions of the possibility of the election of Trump, even with the aid of foreign meddling, signifies something terribly wrong in our country. He's right - this shouldn't have been possible in any scenario, despite any contingencies.