Cont: The Trump Presidency: Part 19

[SezMe]

My main criticism of the deal was that it should have been broader and also dealt with Iran's generally being a bad actor in the Mideast..their support of terrorist groups in particular....but half a loaf is better then none, and now we have none.

I suspect that broadening the scope of the Iran deal would have lost the support of some of the other parties which would have scuppered the whole deal. So, as you say, it was half a loaf or nothing and wiser and cooler heads prevailed. Politics is the art of compromise, which is why Trump is such a ****y politician.

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

It's absurd, like he imagined what Greta looks like, imagined she is fat when she isn't. The comment makes no sense.

HufPo: ‘Pervert’ Gorka Ripped For ‘Gross’ Joke About Greta Thunberg’s Body - The former Trump aide made a bizarre “joke” about the teen’s name and body.

International Business Times: Twitter Bashes Former Trump Aide Over 'Pervy' Greta Thunberg Remark

While the consensus, socially, is that it's never okay to comment on someone's appearance, the fact that Thunberg is only 17-years-old made the comment that much worse.

"Super-mentally-healthy dude, that Gorka," one Twitter user wrote. "Hey ⁦@SebGorka⁩, stop sexualizing children, you pervy fascist."

That guy always has given me the creeps. It doesn't make sense even if it mattered what Gorka thinks.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Why do you think that?

It really is hard to say Brooklyn. But I have to wonder how well you understand the American rebellion. The vast majority of the colonists in 1776 were loyalists

I always heard it more about one third each loyalist, rebel and just wanting to stay out of it.

 

[Darat]

Anyone else think his speech yesterday sounded slurred? I was listening to a news report on the radio when they played a clip and he sounded like he was slurring his words.

 

[ponderingturtle]

As already noted by acbytesla, it was the French who were influenced by the American Revolution, although, as also already noted, the American revolutionaries were influenced by the Enlightenment, especially Rousseau and Voltaire.

And of course french supplies, support and training were vital to Revolutionaries as without all three it would have been a short revolution.

 

[Planigale]

Sorry it was the other way around. The French Revolution happened in 1789. Thirteen years after the American Revolution. The US Constitution was written in1789. Now if you mean to say that people like Voltaire and Rousseau influenced America you would be right.
I would argue the person's ideas which are most influential to both the US and France was a Brit by birth and that person is Thomas Paine.

Yes, thank you that is what I meant. Often a quick post results in poorly expressed ideas.

 

[Planigale]

Then he should have kept in the Iranian deal, which, whatever it's faults..and it had many..was making it hard for Iran to get a Nuclear Weapon.
My main criticism of the deal was that it should have been broader and also dealt with Iran's generally being a bad actor in the Mideast..their support of terrorist groups in particular....but half a loaf is better then none, and now we have none.

Yes.

Maybe no single arms control treaty between the US and USSR was ideal, but they moved on to the next deal. The treaty with Iran was viewed as a failure because it did not cover ballistic missiles. But better than dropping the current treaty would have been to enter in to further negotiations with Iran over missiles.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Anyone else think his speech yesterday sounded slurred? I was listening to a news report on the radio when they played a clip and he sounded like he was slurring his words.

typical when Trump has to read from a promter. He obviously guessed a couple of words.

 

[Planigale]

1983 Beirut Marine Barracks Attack

No evidence that this had anything to do with Iran, Hezbollah did not exist, and given the timing that Christian terrrorists had massacred hundreds of Palestinian Muslims under the supervision of the IDF it is most likely this was a Palestinian action.

USS Cole Attack

This was an Al Quaeda (Saudi inspired Sunni organisation with a track record of attacking Shia muslims) attack, possibly with the co-operation of persons in Yemen, and it is alleged masterminded by a Saudi citizen.

9/11 Attack

This was an Al Quaeda (Saudi inspired Sunni organisation with a track record of attacking Shia muslims) attack, and it is alleged masterminded by a Saudi citizen.

President Trump: “By removing Soleimani, we have sent a powerful message to terrorists: If you value your own life, you will not threaten the lives of our people.”

The message that seems to be sent out is that Trump has no concept that there is any difference between Muslim organisations and seems to be slipping into blaming Iran for 9/11. It really is not going to be any concern to Saudi inspired Sunni terrorists if they feel that any acts by them will be blamed on Iran / Shia groups that they are fundamentally opposed to and attack anyway. What sort of message is it giving to Iran. We don't care if you are actually responsible for any particular act of terrorism, if it is done by muslims we'll blame you but absolutely not that great guy MBS.

Is it really that hard for President Trump to comprehend that many terrorists are very willing to give their own lives to create an act of terrorism?

.....
I’m running out of insults for the president.
Maybe dunderhead. I don’t think I’ve used dunderhead.

Yes, dunderhead seems appropriate. My worry is that many in the US will believe that Iran must have been involved because POTUS says so.

 

[Planigale]

If government-approved clandestine ops (recall that a lot of our supra-national assumption battlefield declaration is based on the whole stateless terrorist idea) are now capable of being called terrorism, well, just watch Scahill's Dirty Wars.

If we're setting the tone that this is a valid rationalization for state-to-state hostility (just for us, though, right?), we're going to pay the piper on this one some day.

ETA: It also occurs to me that we get to declare where is a battlefield at any moment, all of the people there are "combatants" unless proven otherwise unless we take someone away from that battlefield and then, well oh actually they aren't a combatant, nooo siree. Nice gig if you can get it.

Actually that is official US policy. (To be strict adult males.)

In the case of drone attacks all adult males are assumed to be (illegal) combatants unless it can be proved otherwise. A few Europeans particularly journalists have had families / employers with sufficient resources to pursue this and have had compensation payments. It certainly makes it easier to bolster the combatant to non combatant kill ratio.

 

[TofuFighter]

It's absurd, like he imagined what Greta looks like, imagined she is fat when she isn't. The comment makes no sense.

HufPo: ‘Pervert’ Gorka Ripped For ‘Gross’ Joke About Greta Thunberg’s Body - The former Trump aide made a bizarre “joke” about the teen’s name and body.

International Business Times: Twitter Bashes Former Trump Aide Over 'Pervy' Greta Thunberg Remark


That guy always has given me the creeps. It doesn't make sense even if it mattered what Gorka thinks.

The only sense i could make of it is the amateurish wordplay on "thun"

 

[TofuFighter]

Anyone else think his speech yesterday sounded slurred? I was listening to a news report on the radio when they played a clip and he sounded like he was slurring his words.

I watched it, and had to wash my earballs afterwards, but yes, he did sniff a lot, and stumbled/slurred markedly twice. It seemed to me that he was just using his important 'presidential' tempo. Most of the time it was quite clear. As always, i was irritated by his lies and half truths and incessant bragging, but as trump speeches go, this was one of his better ones.

Amanpour included a clip that included one of the slurring instances in one of her interviews, and that occurred to me as being deliberate, because they're aware that it will be embarrassing to him being replayed on tv. While i have no problem with late night shows making fun of him, I hope they don't latch onto his stumbles from this speech too tightly. It's easy enough to make an speech error occasionally under the circumstances. It's quite possible he wasn't at his alert 'best', for whatever reason.

 

[Norman Alexander]

The message that seems to be sent out is that Trump has no concept that there is any difference between Muslim organisations and seems to be slipping into blaming Iran for 9/11. It really is not going to be any concern to Saudi inspired Sunni terrorists if they feel that any acts by them will be blamed on Iran / Shia groups that they are fundamentally opposed to and attack anyway. What sort of message is it giving to Iran. We don't care if you are actually responsible for any particular act of terrorism, if it is done by muslims we'll blame you but absolutely not that great guy MBS.

That spin is too complicated for the likes of Trump to work towards. The message we are receiving from Trump and co. is "BROWN MUSLIM BAD KILL!" He doesn't know or care which "side" or "faction" or "allies" are involved, or the expected results of his actions. It's just BROWN MUSLIM BAD KILL! And his followers echo it back.

 

[Tero]

I think Trump is merely talking to his base. The wall failed, but a lot of muslims were blocked from entry. Now this is a feeble attempt to do something. In the minds of Trumpists, you don't negotiate, you just tell the world you are doing this and that. But merely pulling out of the Iran deal was not enough.

Since we still have embassies in the countries of that area, there will always be a bait. Several TV show dramas use these embassies in plot lines.

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

Hope that all House Republicans will vote against Crazy Nancy Pelosi’s War Powers Resolution. Also, remember her “speed & rush” in getting the Impeachment Hoax voted on & done. Well, she never sent the Articles to the Senate. Just another Democrat fraud. Presidential Harassment!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

 

[a_unique_person]

Presidential Harassment!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

 

[TragicMonkey]

Presidential Harassment!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

Statistics show that in the continental United States on average every sixteen seconds a president is harassed. In grocery stores, in offices, on city streets. Help stop the scourge of presidential harassment by donating to your local presidents shelter.

 

[jrhowell]

Trump Tweets
...
PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!

I think of this as having the same sort of meaning as "police harassment".

 

[JoeMorgue]

Somebody please deepfake Trump's face into that old "This is sexual harassment... and I DON'T have to take it" PSA and redub it to say "presidential harassment."

 

[Andy_Ross]

Trump Tweets

Breaking News: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals just reversed a lower court decision & gave us the go ahead to build one of the largest sections of the desperately needed Southern Border Wall, Four Billion Dollars. Entire Wall is under construction or getting ready to start!