Trump 7 - Cheeto in Charge

[GreyhoundFan]

18 hours ago, Howl said:

@GreyhoundFan, is it possible to die from irony overload?  I feel I might! 

Donald Trump's personal lick spittle (when he's not busy being a boot licker), Newt Gingrich, has said the the Trump spawn should just be pardoned for ethics violations, cause things gotta be different for the filthy rich.

Then Newt said that Draining the Swamp wasn't really a thing anymore, and then had to suck that back up, because apparently, even though they are stocking the swamp with alligators, you must continue to say that Draining the Swamp is still a thing because Donald says so, even though Donald thought he might stop saying it.  [face palm]

@Howl, yes, I think it is possible. I'll request a spot in the cemetery next to you...

As much as I despise Agent Orange, I did have a huge laugh that about 10 seconds after Newt the Asshole went on CNN to say that "drain the swamp" was just a slogan and it really wasn't a thing, Cheeto went behind him and contradicted him. I love seeing Newt with egg on his fugly face, because I believe he is one of the architects of the current Republican Party and he is to blame for Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell's rise to power. Also, he's a self-righteous smug lying hypocrite. All his slamming on Bill Clinton for doing Monica, and Newt was doing the exact same thing.

[GreyhoundFan]

To quote the "Church Lady" from SNL: "Well, isn't that special?"

Quote

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday shared a letter he received from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who urged the next president "to take real steps to restore the framework of bilateral cooperation" while offering Trump his "warmest Christmas and New Year greetings."

"A very nice letter from Vladimir Putin; his thoughts are so correct," Trump said in a statement. "I hope both sides are able to live up to these thoughts, and we do not have to travel an alternate path."

In the translation of the December 15th letter provided by the Trump team, Putin wrote that "serious global and regional challenges, which our countries have had to face in recent years, show that relations between Russia and the US remain an important factor in ensuring stability and security of the modern world."

Putin continued, "I hope that after you assume the position of the President of the United States of America, we will be able -- by acting in a constructive and pragmatic manner -- to take real steps to restore the framework of bilateral cooperation in different areas as well as bring our level of collaboration on the international scene to a qualitatively new level."

The release of the letter -- which was confirmed as authentic by Moscow -- comes days after Russia loudly voiced complaints about its relationship with the US under the Obama administration, and after ambiguous remarks from Trump about the need to "strengthen and expand" US nuclear capability to counter nuclear adversaries.

At his annual year-end news conference on Thursday, Putin said that the US and Russia "need to discuss ways to normalize our relations. During his election campaign, Trump said it would be proper to normalize and it can't be worse, and I agree with him."

A Kremlin spokesperson criticized the poor relationship with the Obama administration in an interview Wednesday.

"Nearly all levels of our dialogue (with the US) has been frozen," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti. US State Department spokesperson John Kirby pushed back on Peskov's assessment, saying Thursday that "diplomatic engagement with Russia continues across a wide range of issues."

Still, the sharp rhetoric from each side stems from serious disagreements over crises in Syria and Ukraine, and allegations by the US against Russia of covertly interfering in the 2016 election by hacking -- to the advantage of Trump, according to the intelligence community.

Adding to the tension is Trump's cavalier dismissal of nuclear proliferation concerns -- he reportedly told MSNBC on Friday, "let it be an arms race." And incoming new White House press secretary Sean Spicer added to Trump's comments by saying on CNN, "If another country or countries want to threaten our safety, our sovereignty, [Trump's] going to do what it takes."

Sigh, now Agent Orange and Putin are going to be pen pals. Agent Orange doesn't understand that Putin is playing him for a fool.

[Cartmann99]

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

To quote the "Church Lady" from SNL: "Well, isn't that special?"

Sigh, now Agent Orange and Putin are going to be pen pals. Agent Orange doesn't understand that Putin is playing him for a fool.

Trump is such an easy mark in this regard. If you can keep a straight face while you flatter him, the odds are quite high that you can get him to go along with whatever you want. 

6 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

@Howl, yes, I think it is possible. I'll request a spot in the cemetery next to you...

If we all go in together, we can ask for a group discount on adjoining plots. 

[GreyhoundFan]

I love it, Trumplethinskin is now trying to say he doesn't want A-list celebrities at his coronation inauguration. He wants "the PEOPLE". Oh please. I like Chrissy Teigen's Tweet to Drumpf. It's pretty sad that Radio City Music Hall had to clarify that the Rockettes are not being forced to perform.

 

On another note, I think I've found someone more offensive than Bannon AND Drumpf.

A couple of excerpts:

Quote

Carl Paladino, a former Republican nominee for governor of New York and an adviser to president-elect Trump, included the death of President Obama and “return” of first lady Michelle Obama to Africa on his list of things he wanted for 2017.

Paladino was responding to a survey by an alternative weekly magazine, Artvoice.

Quote

Artvoice: What would you most like to happen in 2017?

Carl Paladino: Obama catches mad cow disease after being caught having relations with a Herford. He dies before his trial and is buried in a cow pasture next to Valerie Jarret, who died weeks prior, after being convicted of sedition and treason, when a Jihady cell mate mistook her for being a nice person and decapitated her.

Artvoice: What would you most like to see go in 2017?

Carl Paladino: Michelle Obama. I’d like her to return to being a male and let loose in the outback of Zimbabwe where she lives comfortably in a cave with Maxie, the gorilla.

In a statement to The Post, Paladino denied that the comments were racist.

“It has nothing to do with race,” Paladino said. “That’s the typical stance of the press when they can’t otherwise defend the acts of the person being attacked.”

“It’s about 2 progressive elitist ingrates who have hated their country so badly and destroyed its fabric in so many respects in 8 years,” he added.

What a nasty, racist pig. He identifies himself as a "friend" of Cheeto. With friends like that...

Even though I despise Drumpf and all those in his orbit, I would never wish a horrible disease or death on them. I do, however, wish they would be exiled to a distant island sans communication devices or a way off said island.

[47of74]

And since the Orange Toxic Megacolon stole the election there's been renewed interest in guns.  But not by the people you would expect.  But by liberals instead.

mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article122697849.html

Quote

But since Republican Donald Trump, who was endorsed by the National Rifle Association and supports gun rights, won the White House in November, gun shops anticipated sales would taper off. Shares in major gun companies fell, anticipating a slowdown.

Yet that doesn’t seem to be the case: On Black Friday this year, NICB processed a record 185,713 background checks — the most ever on a single day in the 20 years the system has existed.

And some of those gun buyers are what the industry calls “non-traditional.” Namely, minorities, gay people and self-described liberals.

“In the more conservative gun world, there is definitely a feeling that liberals hate guns,” Liberal Gun Club spokesperson Lara Smith told the BBC. She said there as been a spike in inquiries to her organization after Trump’s election and that paid membership has increased 10 percent. People have expressed concern that an increase in hate crimes since Trump’s election could escalate into something more violent, Smith said, and they want to be prepared.

Yeah I cannot and will not fault anyone who feels so threatened by Agent Orange and the Branch Trumpvidians that they decide they have to be armed.   Hell even I've looked into getting a CCW over the past couple months.

[GreyhoundFan]

I really never want to meet Agent Orange. However, if I did, I know what I'd want to say to him: Fuck Off.

Quote

President-elect Donald Trump late Friday publicly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin for attacking Trump’s former Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

In a striking statement that seems to further align Trump with Putin, the incoming U.S. president tweeted that he agreed with the Russian leader’s assessment that Clinton and the Democratic Party generally have not shown “dignity” following widespread losses in the November election.

“So true!” Trump tweeted of Putin’s comments, apparently referencing statements the Russian made at his year-end news conference.

Trump’s expressed admiration of Putin came only hours after he released to the media a warm letter the Russian sent him. The Friday night tweet sparked cries of alarm from former U.S. officials and other Trump critics on social media.

Evan McMullin and Michael McFaul have good responses in the article.

[47of74]

I really never want to meet Agent Orange. However, if I did, I know what I'd want to say to him: Fuck Off

Yeah. Get in line. And also fuck that Russian POS Putin who has Agent Excrement Cranium working as his own personal fluffer.

[Howl]

30 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

Yeah. Get in line. And also fuck that Russian POS Putin who has Agent Excrement Cranium working as his own personal fluffer.

I knew a guy whose nickname was Fluffer.   For those who don't know, here's the definition of fluffer, which, as shown above, is useful in SO MANY CONTEXTS: A fluffer is a person employed to keep a male adult film star ready for action on the set.  

My favorite: "The term fluffer has also been adopted by the real estate industry to refer to a person that stages homes, and as a term for a maid who fluffs pillows, or in general cleans and prepares work equipment.  These two usages of the term predate the pornographic usage, which came into use in the 1970s."  Thanks, Wiki! 

 

 

[SilverBeach]

http://news.stanford.edu/2016/04/08/electoral-college-bad-040816/

I knew it. Time to end this shit. 

https://www.google.com/amp/www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/updates/electoral-college-slavery-constitution?client=ms-android-verizon

Why am I not surprised? America needs to wake up and eliminate the EC. 

 

[47of74]

I just saw this article where the founder of The Daily Banter, Ben Cohen, had this to say about the fundies voting for Putin's Personal Fluffer...

thedailybanter.com/2016/12/evangelical-support-for-trump-rotting/

Quote

I could not for the life of me understand how these good people could vote for someone like George Bush and Dick Cheney -- oil funded war hawks who spent their political careers wrecking social programs for the poor and doing everything in their power to trash the environment. The contradiction between their personal humility and willingness to vocally support and vote for greedy millionaires with a penchant for violence in the Middle East was completely alien to me. Having grown up in the UK, my experience of Christianity was almost the exact opposite. The religious people I knew were more concerned with protecting the most vulnerable people in society, and tended to vote for political parties committed to doing the same. In fact, many of the Christians I knew in England were green party supporters and wouldn't have ever dreamed of voting for a conservative. 

That was 13 years ago, and while I thought American evangelical Christianity was a confused and contradictory movement then, its current incarnation is even more twisted and it is so far removed from anything 'Christ' like that I now believe it does not deserve the moniker. 

White evangelical Christians came out in droves to support Donald Trump -- a man who exemplifies literally everything Jesus Christ stood against. Trump is a rich braggart who has made a name for himself flaunting his wealth. He openly denigrates women, has a lurid history of sexual assault, insults minorities and holds petty grudges against anyone who speaks out against him. In no rational universe can these two completely contradictory beliefs be reconciled. If you believe that the gospels accurately depict the life of Christ, then supporting a man who calls women "pigs" and "dogs" and has spoken about grabbing them "by the pussy", you cannot be called a Christian in any meaningful sense of the word. 

In truth, American evangelical Christianity can no longer be considered a branch of Christianity. While there are no doubt honest and well meaning people within the movement, their overwhelming allegiance to a truly monstrous politician makes a mockery of their spiritual practice. Christians who genuinely follow the teachings of Christ are horrified by Trump and his bigoted political philosophy and want nothing to do with him. Those who support Trump cannot take the teachings of Christ seriously, and therefore cannot be considered Christian. They have put their faith in money, power and fear, and as a result revealed their spiritual movement to be nothing more than a rotting, commercial enterprise that would have Jesus Christ turning in his grave. 

 

Oh, by the way, I checked and it appears that Putin's Personal Fluffer dot com is available.

[Howl]

That's a powerful and compelling indictment of American fudamentalist Christianity. 

[GreyhoundFan]

WOW: Donald Trump plans to shut down his charitable foundation, which has been under scrutiny for months

Quote

President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to shut down his charitable foundation, a decision that comes after repeated controversies over how it collected and disbursed funds.

In a statement Saturday, Trump offered no timeline for when his foundation would close down, but said he had directed his attorney to take the steps needed to close the charity. It was also not immediately clear when the foundation would be able to dissolve, given an ongoing investigation in New York.

"The Foundation has done enormous good works over the years in contributing millions of dollars to countless worthy groups, including supporting veterans, law enforcement officers and children," Trump said in the statement. "However, to avoid even the appearance of any conflict with my role as President I have decided to continue to pursue my strong interest in philanthropy in other ways."

The Donald J. Trump Foundation has come under intense scrutiny this year after a series of reports in The Washington Post detailing its practices, including cases in which Trump apparently used the charity's money to settle lawsuits involving his for-profit businesses.

New York's attorney general has been investigating the charity after some of these reports, and a spokeswoman for that office said the foundation could not officially shut down until that probe is over.

“The Trump Foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete,” Amy Spitalnick, the spokeswoman, said in an email Saturday.

The foundation is unusual in that it largely collects and donates money from other people. In fact, from 2009 to 2014, Trump told the Internal Revenue Service that he'd given his namesake foundation no money at all. The biggest donors in recent years were Vince and Linda McMahon, the pro-wrestling moguls, who gave the Trump Foundation $5 million between 2007 and 2009. Trump recently nominated Linda McMahon to head the Small Business Administration.

Trump said Saturday that he was "very proud of the fact that the Foundation has operated at essentially no cost for decades, with 100% of the money going to charity." The Trump Foundation has no paid employees and a board of five, consisting of Trump, three of his children and a longtime Trump Organization employee. They all work a half-hour per week, according to an IRS filing.

The president-elect added that "because I will be devoting so much time and energy to the Presidency and solving the many problems facing our country and the world, I don’t want to allow good work to be associated with a possible conflict of interest."

The foundation told the IRS it had $1.16 million in total assets by the end of 2015, the most recent tax filing available. A spokeswoman for Trump said she had no additional information Saturday regarding where any remaining money might be sent.

Trump's foundation has admitted in IRS tax filings for 2015 that it violated a prohibition against “self-dealing” that says nonprofit leaders cannot use their charity's funds to help themselves, their relatives or their businesses.

In these tax filings, the charity checked “yes” in response to a question asking whether it had transferred any income or assets to “a disqualified person” — a description that could have meant Trump, a relative or a Trump-owned business.

Trump has not said what exactly he did to violate the rule, or what he has paid the IRS in penalty taxes as a result. The IRS has not commented when asked whether it was investigating the Trump Foundation.

Trump's charity has been prohibited from fundraising by the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D), an action that came after The Post reported that the foundation had failed to register with the state. This meant the foundation had dodged annual audits required in the state of New York.

Schneiderman's office is also investigating the Trump Foundation after reports in The Post describing apparent cases of self-dealing that date back to 2007. The Trump Foundation spent $30,000 to buy two large portraits of Trump himself, including one that was hung up in the sports bar at a Trump-owned resort. Trump also appears to use $258,000 of his foundation's money — legally earmarked for charitable purposes — to settle lawsuits involving two of his for-profit clubs.

In addition, the Trump foundation gave a $25,000 gift to a campaign committee backing Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi (R) even though nonprofits like the charity are not allowed to give political gifts. That gift was made as Bondi's office was considering whether to investigate fraud allegations against Trump University. A consultant who worked on Bondi's reelection effort has said that Bondi was not aware of the complaints when she solicited the donation from Trump. Ultimately, Bondi's office did not pursue those allegations.

The move to shut down Trump's foundation, first reported Saturday by the New York Times, comes as the president-elect and his family are facing intense questions regarding how they will avoid conflicts of interest while he is in the White House.

"The announcement that the Foundation will be shut down is a necessary first step for the incoming administration to avoid massive ethics problems, but it does not come close to ending the story," said Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group aligned with allies of Hillary Clinton. The group's tips and research helped reveal some of the Trump foundation's apparent violations of the law.

In a statement, Bookbinder said that the Trump charity's "past instances of wrongdoing must be fully investigated" and called on the president-elect to "sell his businesses and take comprehensive steps to prevent conflicts of interest for him and his administration.

Trump has said his two adult sons will run his company, but he has not provided details yet regarding how he will extricate himself from his complex network of businesses. He postponed a news conference this month meant to address the issue and has not rescheduled it.

In another case of Trump apparently trying to wrap up lingering questions and legal issues before he takes office, he agreed to settle fraud claims against his defunct Trump University real estate seminars. A federal judge this week gave preliminary approval to a deal in which Trump would pay $25 million as part of the settlement.

Earlier this week, Trump's eldest son, Eric, said he was suspending his charitable foundation after facing questions about whether donors could receive special access.

The Eric Trump Foundation, founded in 2007, raises more than $1.5 million a year through a golf tournament and other events, and it passes on the bulk of its money to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a pediatric-cancer center in Memphis.

The president-elect was critical of the decision regarding his son's foundation, describing it as unfair in a pair of messages this week on Twitter.

"Isn't this a ridiculous shame?” the elder Trump wrote. “He loves these kids, has raised millions of dollars for them, and now must stop. Wrong answer!”

I really thought he would dig in his heels on his stupid corrupt foundation. Of course, since there's no timeline, it will probably not dissolve until 2089...

[GreyhoundFan]

The Washington Post is keeping an online database tracking Agent Orange nominations that require Senate confirmation. I think it's amusing that, at this time, there are 666 positions awaiting announcement.

 

[47of74]

Putin's Personal Fluffer was being a back end of a horse today;

rawstory.com/2016/12/internet-ridicules-trumps-narcissistic-christmas-tweet-no-family-no-warmth-just-a-tiny-fist-and-a-tree/

Quote

President-elect Donald Trump extended Merry Christmas wishes to his Twitter followers on Sunday morning — with a proper Christmas tree emoji — only to have detractors notice it wasn’t the warmest of greetings.

Just Trump with a raised fist standing in front of a Christmas tree. No Trump kids, not a Trump grandkid to be seen, no Melania, not even Ivanka — just The Donald.

Needless to say, he received a whole lot of non-holiday wishes in return from Twitter users who were less than thrilled to still find the lump of coal that is Trump in their stocking on Christmas morning.

Yeah, here's the Tweet in question.

Meanwhile, Agent Orange's personal fluffer Rancid Penis compared Agent Orange to Jesus...

rawstory.com/2016/12/twitter-makes-merry-over-rncs-bonkers-christmas-greeting-welcoming-their-new-king/

Quote

“Merry Christmas to all!” wrote RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and co-chair Sharon Day, according to TheHill.com. “Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind. Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King. We hope Americans celebrating Christmas today will enjoy a day of festivities and a renewed closeness with family and friends.”

Twitter users were baffled and a little horrified to see a major political party calling its Republican-elect a “king” before he’s even sworn into office.

The party frantically tried to correct the spin through spokesperson — and newly nominated White House press secretary — Sean Spicer, who said the tweet had nothing to do with Trump.

However, as CNN Politics pointed out, “Last year’s Christmas message from Priebus made no reference to a ‘King.'”

Yeah, Agent Orange and Rancid Penis, lemme 'xplain something to you.  I have no king but the one who is in heaven whose name is not Putin, Trump, et al.

[AmazonGrace]

The new, improved, pussy-grabbing Jesus.

The comparison sounds offensive to me and i'm not even religious.

But I guess King is marginally better than "Führer"

[Lizzybet]

On 12/11/2016 at 5:47 PM, Tree Hugger 2 said:

"Cheeto", "Agent Orange", and (my fav) "Orange Fuckface"  are accurate.  What I don't understand is why his wife, who obviously cares a great deal about how she looks, did not clean up her man.  How could she NOT notice overly processed hair and self-tanning gone wrong?  I don't get it.  

I don't believe anyone has influence over/can direct him....... his wee-hour-of-the-morning Tweets seem to be evidence of that. I'm pretty sure, and I could be wrong, that he's been 'advised' NOT to do that.

I agree, too, Melania was biding time, and as blindsided as most of us that he prevailed through the primaries, and actually became PEOTUS.

I still keep coming back to that dawning realization.

It's so strange.

 

[GreyhoundFan]

1 minute ago, Lizzybet said:

I don't believe anyone has influence over/can direct him....... his wee-hour-of-the-morning Tweets seem to be evidence of that. I'm pretty sure, and I could be wrong, that he's been 'advised' NOT to do that.

I agree, too, Melania was biding time, and as blindsided as most of us that he prevailed through the primaries, and actually became PEOTUS.

I still keep coming back to that dawning realization.

It's so strange.

 

I think that Ivanka has more influence over Agent Orange than anyone else. I read (sorry, I can't remember which article) where he kind of listens to junior and Eric, but that when Ivanka speaks, he actually pays attention. I guess we should ask her to hide his phone to stop the stupid Twitter crap.

 

As for that Christmas Tweet and crap from Rancid Penis, I just can't...

 

Not directly about Drumpf, but his buddy/surrogate Newtface Gingivitis was slamming on Obama today. I guess he's bitter because Obama actually got things done.  A disgusting excerpt:

Quote

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in an interview that aired Sunday compared President Barack Obama's legacy to a deflating doll and argued Obama is in a "desperate frenzy" to save it.

"His legacy is like one of those dolls that, as the air comes out of it, shrinks and shrinks and shrinks," Gingrich told Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday." "He's in this desperate frenzy."

Gingrich, a vice chairman of President-elect Donald Trump's transition team, made the comments as he pointed to executive actions Obama has taken just weeks before he surrenders the presidency to Trump.

He is such an ass.

[Howl]

10 hours ago, 47of74 said:

Twitter users were baffled and a little horrified to see a major political party calling its Republican-elect a “king” before he’s even sworn into office.

The party frantically tried to correct the spin through spokesperson — and newly nominated White House press secretary — Sean Spicer, who said the tweet had nothing to do with Trump.

This is the best Christmas present ever.  We now need not one but TWO (count 'em) court jesters:  Trumpsplainer-in-chief Kellyanne, and a newly minted Reincesplainer.  By the way, "Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King" defines Trump as the new Messiah.  Reince just gave himself away.

I'd like to take this time to remind us to PACE OURSELVES.  The crazy will go on for years.  We need discipline, to put our irony overload cloak of protection in place, to gradually strengthen the musculature that moves the eye before going into full blown eye rolls,  to place appropriate levels of padding to prevent concussion while banging the head against the wall, to limit ourselves to one, maybe two full blown face palms a day.  Trips into the Pit of Despair are strictly limited to one a month or less and may NOT be undertaken alone.  Anyone who has fallen into the Abyss will be retrieved by Special Forces rescue ferrets, who receive intensive training on reviving hope.   Warm blankets, fuzzy slippers, puppy/kitten cuddles and hot cocoa will be administered as needed.  Please consider contributing to the Reservoir of Sanity that anyone may dip into as needed as we enter a protracted episode of The Twilight Zone. 

[Howl]

OK, I'm a gonna do something a little weird here, which is to respond to a quote from another thread (ObamaCare questions), 'cause it's related to the Wall.  

Quote

@JMarie said:  I predict he'll be even more cranky once he realizes he can't build that wall (where will the initial funding come from?  where will the construction crew(s) come from?  what's the timeline), he can't deport all the illegal immigrants (who will do the arresting?  how will they get back to their native countries?  what's the timeline)

Today (12-26) my newspaper (Austin American Statesman,  Texas) addressed some of these issues.  Many on the US-Mexico border are NOT supportive of a wall.  For example, Laredo, TX is the busiest US inland port on the US-Mexico border.  Laredo and Nuevo Laredo  on the Mexican side are completely intertwined socially and economically.  The mayor of Laredo, Pete Saenz, is not excited about any wall in Laredo.  "But the nature of a huge wall, concrete and that sort of thing, is upsetting.  We have a very close relationship with Mexico, especially the commerce that comes to our city, and a huge wall would obviously be offensive to Mexico and to the people that do business with Mexico here."  Same with El Paso/Juarez, Eagle Pass/Piedras Negras,  Del Rio/Ciudad Acuña, McAllen/Reynosa. The Trump transition team is demanding recommendations on where to put fences and walls and not taking "no" for an answer.  Then there are the two massive reservoirs on the Texas/Mexico border: Lake Amistad and Falcon Reservoir.  A wall or fence along the shore  of either?  I don't think so. 

So, get this.  The tide of migration is turning.  More Mexicans are returning home than coming into the US.  The majority of illegal crossers are now desperate Central American asylum seekers fleeing violence in their home countries who want to be apprehended by Border Patrol, to start the asylum process.  

But even with  the last two years of unaccompanied minors flooding the border into Texas, "We have the lowest north-bound apprehensions in modern history" despite spending 19.5 billion on border enforcement. (Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D) El Paso). "Additional walls or fences, physical or virtual, are not a good use of taxpayer resources, and they pose a risk of taking our eyes off threats where they are known to exist or likely to be, and that happens not to be at the border with Mexico."  

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D), gave the best explanation ever of Trump's Build-a-Wall mania:  "It's a 14th-century solution to a 21st century problem." 

This wall/fence crap is being foisted off on people that don't want it, who know there are better ways to go about addressing the issue -- all to appease Trump's base.  Portent of things to come, I fear. 

[Audrey2]

16 minutes ago, Howl said:

<snip>

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D), gave the best explanation ever of Trump's Build-a-Wall mania:  "It's a 14th-century solution to a 21st century problem." 

This wall/fence crap is being foisted off on people that don't want it, who know there are better ways to go about addressing the issue -- all to appease Trump's base.  Portent of things to come, I fear. 

This seems to be Trump's MO. With his slogan, "Make America Great Again", he seems to think that we can return America to the time of Mayberry (the Andy Griffith Show, an idyllic show that aired from 1960-1968 for those who aren't familiar with it.) It seems like he prefers 14th century solutions.

 

Some of the border cities have a lot of exchange and commerce with their city on the other side of the boarder- build a wall.

 

We and Russia have backed away a bit from being able to blow up the world with our nuclear weapons- build more weapons.

 

We've made it possible for many who haven't had any healthcare to now have healthcare, at least basic healthcare, especially for those in jobs that didn't provide it before- repeal Obamacare.

[47of74]

4 minutes ago, Audrey2 said:

This seems to be Trump's MO. With his slogan, "Make America Great Again", he seems to think that we can return America to the time of Mayberry (the Andy Griffith Show, an idyllic show that aired from 1960-1968 for those who aren't familiar with it.) It seems like he prefers 14th century solutions.

Thing is that Sheriff Taylor would've seen right through the horseshit being put out by Putin's Personal Fluffer.  Taylor seemed to have a level of decency and compassion that a lot of his fellow southern lawmen did not have.  Hell that even northern lawmen of the time did not have.  Taylor would not have been celebrating said fluffer taking over on the 20th of next month, and sure as hell wouldn't be making plans to reenact Kristilnacht as some Branch Trumpvidians are.

[47of74]

In addition to arming up liberals are also taking self defense courses before Putin's Personal Fluffer takes over;

thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/11/18/krav-maga-vs-maga.html

Quote

If the election of Donald Trump has inspired you to take a self-defense class, you’re far from alone. In fact people who are thinking exactly like you are already stretching the limits of New York City’s self-defense instruction facilities. In America’s cultural capital, fighting is the new crying.

Gabrielle Rubin has been practicing martial arts for 29 years. For the last nine, she’s run a women’s self-defense school in Manhattan called Female Awareness Self Defense. “My class for this Monday was packed,” she says. “I usually have packed classes, but between Wednesday and Sunday is the most packed I’ve seen in nine years.”

In New York and beyond, people concerned that in Donald Trump’s America the government and law enforcement won’t stand with marginalized groups are flocking to facilities that teach self-defense and fighting techniques. In many cases, demand for training for hand-to-hand combat vastly outpaces facilities’ ability to provide it.  

New Yorker Lena Afridi, moved by Election Night, attempted to put together a self-defense workshop for people who thought learning self-defense might be a good idea, in light of recent events. The workshop she organized was met with so much demand, she says, that they had to change the workshop into a series. More than a thousand people RSVP’d.

This is something I might do myself, more than arming myself.  I would never start anything, but to be able to defend myself if some Branch Trumpvidian got stupid after getting drunk, high, etc has an appeal.

[Howl]

6 minutes ago, 47of74 said:

I would never start anything, but to be able to defend myself if some Branch Trumpvidian got stupid after getting drunk, high, 

or truly believes that a random pizza place near you is an underage sex trafficking operation and decides to shoot up the place....

[GreyhoundFan]

Sigh:  Trump says UN just a club for people to ‘have a good time’

Quote

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Days after the United Nations voted to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, Donald Trump questioned its effectiveness Monday, saying it’s just a club for people to “have a good time.”

The president-elect wrote on Twitter that the U.N. has “such great potential,” but it has become “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!”

On Friday, Trump warned, “As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th,” referring to the day he takes office.

The decision by the Obama administration to abstain from Friday’s U.N. vote brushed aside Trump’s demands that the U.S. exercise its veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel’s leadership.

Trump told The Associated Press last December that he wanted to be “very neutral” on Israel-Palestinian issues. But his tone became decidedly more pro-Israel as the presidential campaign progressed. He has spoken disparagingly of Palestinians, saying they have been “taken over” by or are condoning militant groups.

Trump’s criticism of the U.N. is by no means unique. While the organization does engage in large-scale humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts around the world, its massive bureaucracy has long been a source of controversy. The organization has been accused by some Western governments of being inefficient and frivolous, while developing nations have said it is overly influenced by wealthier nations.

The president-elect is spending the holidays at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. He had no public schedule Monday.

Good grief. Yes, the U.N. has issues, but it's not a frat party.

[GreyhoundFan]

Here's a good article: Trump repeating some behaviors he criticized in Clinton No surprise that he is of the "do as I say, not as I do" camp, but this article calls him out on his crap. Just a sample:

Quote

BIG DONORS

Then: “Crooked Hillary. Look, can you imagine another four years of the Clintons? Seriously. It’s time to move on. And she’s totally controlled by Wall Street and all these people that gave her millions,” Trump said at a May rally in Lynden, Washington.

Now: Trump has stocked his Cabinet with six top donors — far more than any recent White House. “I want people that made a fortune. Because now they’re negotiating with you, OK?” Trump said, in a December 9 speech in Des Moines.

The biggest giver? Linda McMahon, incoming small business administrator, gave $7.5 million to a super PAC backing Trump, more than a third of the money collected by the political action committee.