Ed Is Humayun Khan Trump's Turning Point?

[phiwum]

I suspect that one reason is that bone spurs usually develop later in life and require frequent/prolonged stress to develop even then. A 22-year-old with symptomatic heel spurs would probably be a pretty rare case.

Okay, this is news to me, though of course it doesn't quite explain SG's certainty. After all, health care professionals must occasionally see unusual cases.

 

[Babbylonian]

Okay, this is news to me, though of course it doesn't quite explain SG's certainty. After all, health care professionals must occasionally see unusual cases.

I can't speak to someone else's certainty but a rich, active 22-year-old suddenly being discovered to have heel spurs which disqualify him from compulsory military service isn't at all believable in the absence of independent verification.

 

[PhreePhly]

I absolutely believe it. The parrallels are unmistakable. McCarthy had risen fast in popularity with his take no prisoners witchunt. Time and again McCarthy made unsupported accusations and only rose in popularity. But eventually he placed one too many straws on rhetoric back ofb this horse. There he was on National TV which was huge in the 1950s when there was only a few channels. McCarthy recklessly attacked a young lawyer of a GOP law firm looking into Communist infiltration into the military which they found no evidence.
Instead of accepting the findings McCarthy pivoted attacking the investigators singling out this one young lawyer. And Joe Welch stood up for the lawyer and with those words "have you no decency sir" basically turned the tide.

Trump blew it big time. All he needed to say was "I honor the Khan's sacrifice and feel for their loss, (And look like he meant it) but the world is facing a great threat to its stability under the guise of this religion". But Trump showed no empathy at all or expressed any respect for the Khans and their sacrifice. He just attacked and felt surprise that he couldn't attack the Khans. He never understood their sacrifice meant that they were untouchable. Trump could have pivoted to his message. I don't know if it was the biggest blunder by a major party nominee but I can't think of anything that comes close.

I think your right in terms of the Khan episode being the "have you no decency" moment, especially when describing his "sacrifice" as being forced to be successful??? But then he doubles down, especially with predominately Republican veterans groups, with the fake purple heart episode.

My dad is a 25+ year USAF vet, which he followed up with a 25+ year civil service career with the Navy. Now, the Khan episode angered my dad. He thought that Trumps response was totally over the top insensitive, however he recognized the whole thing as a DNC hit job. My dad really hates when either the RNC or the DNC make such blatant use of fallen service members in pushing their political rhetoric. Honestly, I think that tapered his anger just a bit.

But yesterday's purple heart episode was it. My dad went off. My dad was in both Korea and Vietnam, and while he never received the purple heart (thankfully, as said by him) he had plenty of friends and acquaintances who did. And for someone seeking the position of Commander-in-Chief to be so utterly tone-deaf regarding the symbolism of that particular medal was too much. He has completely lost respect for the GOP and prominent members that still support Donald.

 

[phiwum]

I can't speak to someone else's certainty but a rich, active 22-year-old suddenly being discovered to have heel spurs which disqualify him from compulsory military service isn't at all believable in the absence of independent verification.

We surely cannot say that the diagnosis is false without clear evidence (aside from your probabilistic reasoning). Surely, we can say it is implausible, but not that it is plainly false.

Improbable things happen. Do I think Trump had bone spurs? No, I think it unlikely. Will I claim that it is false? No, because it is a serious allegation and I haven't sufficient evidence that it is false.

 

[TragicMonkey]

We surely cannot say that the diagnosis is false without clear evidence (aside from your probabilistic reasoning). Surely, we can say it is implausible, but not that it is plainly false.

Improbable things happen. Do I think Trump had bone spurs? No, I think it unlikely. Will I claim that it is false? No, because it is a serious allegation and I haven't sufficient evidence that it is false.

And after all, it's not like Trump has a history of being untruthful.

 

[Tony Stark]

Fox News Poll: Clinton leads Trump by 10 points, both seen as flawed

From the poll:

Finally, 77 percent of voters are familiar with the exchange between Trump and the parents of a Muslim-American soldier who died while serving in Iraq. Some 69 percent of them describe Trump’s criticism of the Khan family as “out of bounds.” Among Republicans, 40 percent think his response was “in bounds,” while 41 percent say “out of bounds,” and 19 percent are unsure

 

[phiwum]

And after all, it's not like Trump has a history of being untruthful.

For goodness' sake, I'm not claiming to believe that Trump had bone spurs.

I'm merely saying that anyone who claims that the diagnosis was unequivocally false ought to have quite good evidence regarding this fact.

Look, Trump is an *******, a liar, a despicable, worthless example of the lowest forms of humanity. Let's take all that as given. It's still conceivable that this horrible approximation of a person actually had bone spurs at an opportune time. Insofar as you and I desire to be accurate in our accusations regarding this person, we should not declare that he lied about this fact unless we're absolutely certain.

There really is an awful lot that he's lied about. Let's talk about those lies as lies, and let's point out that this claim is dubious, without committing to its falsehood -- since you and I really don't know that it is false.

How is this controversial in a skeptic's forum?

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Kahn deleted his whole website. I wonder why? I suspect he is hiding something. Here is a peek at it from the archives:

https://web.archive.org/web/20160802121411/http://www.kmkhanlaw.com/

eta: The Gateway Pundit suggests it could be he doesn't want anyone to know his position on Sharia Law.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/201...hizr-khan-deletes-law-firms-pay-play-website/

You don't suppose it was because bigots attacked his FB Page with vicious comments?

 

[Cl1mh4224rd]

If she won the nomination. Which she didn't. Why do you continue to misrepresent what I said? It is extremely dishonest.

But... That statement is utterly ridiculous in hindsight. She wasn't even close.

It's like saying "A lump of clay would be unbeatable if it got the nomination," then trying to deflect criticism by emphasizing the conditional. It's just a transparent attempt to save face.

 

[Upchurch]

Fox News Poll: Clinton leads Trump by 10 points, both seen as flawed

From the poll:

I don't know if Khan was the actual turning point or if it was the VFW denouncing Trump, but I suppose one led to the other. Even on Facebook, I'm having a hard time finding people who want to start bad-mouthing the VFW.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

All of these comments make it quite plausible that the diagnosis was fake, though I would have preferred something a little more decisive before I said the diagnosis was fake.

As a nurse practitioner, I didn't need some website to demonstrate you correct a bone spur with a simple surgical procedure. In addition his active sports life in college was well known.

Rich boys don't fight wars.

 

[TragicMonkey]

For goodness' sake, I'm not claiming to believe that Trump had bone spurs.

I'm merely saying that anyone who claims that the diagnosis was unequivocally false ought to have quite good evidence regarding this fact.

Look, Trump is an *******, a liar, a despicable, worthless example of the lowest forms of humanity. Let's take all that as given. It's still conceivable that this horrible approximation of a person actually had bone spurs at an opportune time. Insofar as you and I desire to be accurate in our accusations regarding this person, we should not declare that he lied about this fact unless we're absolutely certain.

There really is an awful lot that he's lied about. Let's talk about those lies as lies, and let's point out that this claim is dubious, without committing to its falsehood -- since you and I really don't know that it is false.

How is this controversial in a skeptic's forum?

Settle down, Beavis.

Personally, I judge people by a certain threshold of pants-on-fieriness. Trump has crossed that threshold and now everything he states I assume to be a lie (or delusion, or a bloodclot in the brain) until conclusively proven otherwise. He has lost the benefit of the doubt. I feel his past history has tipped the scales of skepticism so the burden of proof is upon the side trying to prove he isn't lying his orange fungus butt off.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Bone spurs are supposed to be temporary, aren't they?

Look, Trump is a jerk and he probably lied about bone spurs, but the fact is that, no, you have no evidence that he lied. You have some arguments that it's pretty damned plausible he lied, but no evidence that the bone spurs were "fake".

Goodness, Ginger. He's a pathetic enough person that we might as well accuse him of what he obviously did, and not make up claims about what he probably did.

It's not so much they are temporary as they don't all require surgical intervention.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Deleted. I'm going with the 'Nobody Cares' post I saw upstream.

 

[Jrrarglblarg]

As a nurse practitioner, I didn't need some website to demonstrate you correct a bone spur with a simple surgical procedure. In addition his active sports life in college was well known.

Rich boys don't fight wars.

And bone spurs are vague. "Does it hurt when I do this?" "Uh, no, I mean yes, it does."

Billionaire babies don't go to MEPS.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

How did you conclude that the number of loons in the US is too small to elect a president?

Trump didn't even get 50% of the base in the primary.The polls show him in the toilet. Republicans are jumping ship in droves, something they never do.

Is that not enough evidence for you?

 

[Mycroft]

Trump doesn't need politics. If he loses, he can continue making money however he used to make it.. .

Maybe he's not making enough money. Could that be why he won't release his tax returns, because they would show he's not doing very well?



Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

 

[Ladewig]

You might want to set him straight about the consequences of betting on "sure" things.

Indeed.

I posted that avatar because Doghouse Reilly has not yet provided one for me.

I'm a professional gambler who has worked as a bookmaker.

I understand how odds work as well as anyone on the planet, which is why I'd happily lay my life on this one.

Are you at all concerned that a organized terrorist attack by Muslim extremists might occur in a swing state a week before the election? Or do you think Trump will be down too many points to ride that incident into victory?

 

[Ladewig]

Trump didn't even get 50% of the base in the primary.The polls show him in the toilet. Republicans are jumping ship in droves, something they never do.

Is that not enough evidence for you?

Oh, I am going to bet money on Trump losing the election.
I was just trying to engage in some friendly banter with one of our antipodal posters who likes to point out America's foibles and occasional insanity.

[i apologize if I worded that summation incorrectly]

 

[Stacko]

Holy crosstab!

[IMGw=840]http://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u492/rfstack/Co9_XqkWAAAk4tx.jpg[/IMGw]