President Cheeto 8: Our Long National Nightmare Begins

[JMarie]

21 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

Yea she is kinda old, at least for him.  But she does have that "look" he requires for his women.  She is also a lap dog sycophant. Just say'n

She's definitely too old.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/donald-trump-howard-stern-tapes-women-35_uk_57fa46e1e4b01fa2b904368b

Quote

Trump says in one 2002 recording, when he was around 56, that he had dated women aged around 21 but it was “embarrassing” because they would be “studying algebra”.

He says 30 was the “perfect age” for a woman, and Stern jokes that by the time women reach 35 women they have had “too much life experience”.

To which Trump responds: “What is it at 35 Howard? It’s called check-out time.”

 

[VelociRapture]

Found this article on Facebook and I was curious what people's thoughts are:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_588651a8e4b070d8cad4656e?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

[GreyhoundFan]

An interesting op-ed: "Why Trump’s con can’t last forever"

Spoiler

From the start of his short, truculent and unabashedly populist inaugural address, President Trump called out the Washington establishment: “For too long, a small group in our nation’s capital has reaped the rewards of government while the people have borne the cost. Washington flourished, but the people did not share in its wealth. Politicians prospered, but the jobs left, and the factories closed. The establishment protected itself, but not the citizens of our country.”

He painted a dystopian picture of the United States and promised: “This American carnage stops right here and stops right now.”

Trump is about to discover that he can’t simply order up the change he wants. In his first two days in office, Trump has appalled the CIA’s professionals and declared open war on the media. His inauguration sparked some of the largest women’s demonstrations ever in the nation’s capital and across the world. Only two of his Cabinet appointees joined him in office, the rest struggling to overcome questions about financial conflicts of interest, ideological extremism and simple competence.

Trump’s populist promises to what he calls his “movement” are likely to face fierce opposition not only from Democrats and citizen movements but also from within his own Cabinet and from congressional Republicans in control of Congress. Looking over his shoulder as he delivered his inaugural address were House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the embodiment of what Trump scorned as “politicians who are all talk and no action, constantly complaining but never doing anything about it.”

Trump’s Cabinet is composed of various establishments. A large portion is drawn from the Davos class, the international bankers and chief executives who gather each year in Switzerland to celebrate the global system that has been rigged so effectively to their benefit. Six of Trump’s leading economic aides come from Goldman Sachs, the investment bank that previously supplied the treasury secretaries under Presidents Clinton (Robert Rubin) and George W. Bush (Henry Paulson), architects of the corporate trade system that Trump promises to upend.

Members of the Davos class gathered in Switzerland on the eve of Trump’s inauguration. They focused on the threat posed by populism, fretting about what needed to be done to preserve the system that so rewards them. There were calls to “man up,” to do a bit “more redistribution,” but no one was ready to change the stacked deck.

They applaud Trump’s call for lowering taxes on the rich and corporations and for more deregulation and privatization. Most will put up with his efforts to distract by casting blame on immigrants or on a government that serves “those people.” But they oppose Trump’s core populist economic pledges: to take on China, tear up the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, “buy America and hire America,” and impose penalties on companies that ship jobs abroad. The one Trump adviser to attend Davos, Anthony Scaramucci, a former hedge-fund manager and Davos regular who is joining the White House as an assistant to Trump and liaison to the business community, reassured the gathered elites that Trump was, in fact, a champion of free trade and that he wanted to have a “phenomenal relationship with the Chinese.” Former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, praised the TPP in 2013 and during his confirmation hearings said he does not oppose it.

Similarly, Republicans in Congress support those parts of the Trump agenda that fit conservative orthodoxy: repealing and replacing Obamacare, dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, deregulating the banks, lowering taxes, increasing the military budget. Even here, internal disagreements and Democratic opposition may get in the way.

But congressional Republicans will choke on Trump’s populist promises: on trade and tariffs, on protecting Medicare and Social Security, on “buy America,” on putting money into a major infrastructure program. McConnell has already deep-sixed consideration of term limits for Congress. McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, Trump’s nominee for transportation secretary, declared that “the government does not have the resources to address all the infrastructure needs within our country.” Trump himself has already contradicted his rhetoric about draining the swamp in Washington.

Trump has shown himself a master at populist stunts — such as cowing Carrier to save 700 or so jobs — and at populist rhetoric. Nationalist posturing and racial signaling — on immigrants, on African Americans, on Muslims — can provide red meat to his movement. But the jobs aren’t coming back. Coal won’t revive without massive subsidy. His Republican Congress and Davos Cabinet aren’t going to embrace a robust industrial policy or a plan to rebuild America. Tax cuts and deregulation will shaft the very people Trump promises to help. Real billionaires in both parties — George Soros and Michael Bloomberg — have called Trump a con man. But even a good con can’t last forever. It won’t be long before working people catch on to Trump’s game and we start seeing lawn signs saying “Dishonest Donald.”

 

I guess there were no nice boots anywhere in the U.S.?: "Designer flew $800 boots from London for Tiffany Trump’s inauguration wear"

Quote

A last-minute request from a soon-to-be first daughter set off an international mission just before the presidential inauguration on Friday.

When word came on Thursday that Tiffany Trump needed footwear for her father’s swearing-in ceremony, British designer Aruna Seth dispatched her head of marketing to hop on a flight from London to Washington to hand-deliver the goods: an $800 pair of forest-green suede boots.

“Tiffany has always been a fan of the brand since it became familiar to her,” Ella Weinberg, who acted as courier, said in an email. The 23-year-old “had specific requirements from us for the Inauguration considering the weather.”

In addition to the high-heeled boots, Tiffany Trump also wore a pair of Seth’s nude pumps to the prayer service Saturday at Washington National Cathedral. Weinberg did not answer our repeated questions about whether the younger Trump daughter paid for the shoes or for the expense of delivering them (though Weinberg did note that she flew commercial).

But the publicity has already been good for Seth. Weinberg said the company has seen an uptick in sales (particularly from the United States) of the boots Tiffany Trump wore, which feature a leather lace-up detail in the back and a crystal butterfly embellishment

Hey, I have a request. I need nice boots. I wonder if someone would fly over from London with some for me? The boots in question, pictured in the article, are not even that nice.

[GreyhoundFan]

I guess the next step in Fascism taking over America has just been taken. "Federal agencies ordered to restrict their communications."

Spoiler

Trump administration officials instructed employees at multiple agencies in recent days to cease communicating with the public through news releases, official social media accounts and correspondence, raising concerns that federal employees will be able to convey only information that supports the new president’s agenda.

The new limits on public communications appear to be targeting agencies that are charged with overseeing environmental and scientific policy, prompting criticism from officials within the agencies and from outside groups focused on climate change.

The Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Agriculture and Interior departments now have formal policies restricting what they should convey to the public about their work.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said he and his colleague were “looking into” whether the administration had changed the way many agencies share information publicly.

“I don’t think it’s any surprise that when there’s an administration turnover that we’re going to review the policies,” Spicer said, “but with respect to the question you’re asking, I don’t have information at this time.”

Many new administrations — including former president Barack Obama’s — have moved quickly to take control of the U.S. government’s public relations machinery and centralize decision-making upon taking office. But the sweeping nature of some of the new controls is unusual, and the fact that they come as departments have been communicating through an array of digital platforms has made the changes particularly visible.

The moves also underscore the kind of skirmishing that could continue to take place between incoming political appointees and civil service employees.

At the EPA, for example, communications staff received a memo instructing them that “no social media will be going out” and “a digital strategist will be coming on board” to oversee it. It added, “Incoming media requests will carefully screened.”

According to a former agency official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, members of Trump’s EPA landing team spent significant time asking about who controlled the department’s communications levers, especially regarding social media.

EPA’s numerous social media accounts appear to have fallen silent since Trump’s inauguration, with the lone exception of the agency’s Office of Water, which sent out a handful of tweets over the weekend, including a link to what local communities are doing to protect their waterways and advice on using an app to help people figure out whether their local waterway is polluted.

“The EPA fully intends to continue to provide information to the public,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday, in response to questions about the media blackout. “A fresh look at public affairs and communications processes is common practice for any new Administration, and a short pause in activities allows for this assessment.”

Environmental Working Group President Ken Cook said in a statement that the new restrictions were significant cause for concern.

“Vladimir Putin must be proud,” Cook said. “The EPA, like all federal agencies, is funded by taxpayer dollars, and Americans have the right to know what’s being done to protect or harm public health and the environment. Americans of all political stripes should be furious.”

Separately, the Interior Department reactivated its official Twitter accounts early Saturday after an abrupt shutdown after the National Park Service account retweeted two items viewed as unsympathetic to the new president. One referred to the size of the inauguration crowd on the Mall, while another addressed policies that were excised from the White House website after Trump’s swearing in.

Speaking to reporters about the Park Service incident, Spicer said, “My understanding is that because they inappropriately violated their own social-media policies there was guidance that was put out to the department to act in compliance with the rules that were set forth.”

One Park Service account, from Badlands National Park, stirred controversy Tuesday when it tweeted several times about the rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the implications of climate change, noting at one point, “Burning one gallon of gasoline puts 20lbs of carbon into our atmosphere #climate.”

Those tweets “were posted by a former employee who was not currently authorized to use the park’s account,” said a Park Service official, who was not authorized to talk on the record and so spoke on the condition of anonymity. While the posts were not ordered taken down, Badlands officials “chose to do so when they realized that their account had been compromised.”

The EPA appears to be the focus of concerted attention from the new administration: Officials there have also halted the granting of any new contracts or awards by the department. But the agency is not alone.

At the Agriculture Department, a slew of officials — including deputy under- and assistant secretaries, agency heads, and individuals serving in acting capacities in those posts — received a memo Monday instructing them to clear any media communications with the secretary’s office.

“In order for the Department to deliver unified, consistent messages, it’s important for the Office of the Secretary to be consulted on media inquiries and proposed responses to questions related to legislation, budgets, policy issues, and regulations,” the memo reads. “Policy-related statements should not be made to the press without notifying and consulting the Office of the Secretary. This includes press releases and on and off the record conversations.”

Employees of the agency’s scientific arm, the Agriculture Research Service, were ordered in a separate memo to cease publication of “outward facing” documents and news releases. The ARS guidance was not issued in coordination with other offices at the USDA, department officials said, and partially contradicted the department-wide memo that went out on the same day.

“Starting immediately and until further notice, [the Agricultural Research Service] will not release any public-facing documents. This includes, but is not limited to, news releases, photos, fact sheets, news feeds, and social media content,” wrote ARS chief Sharon Drumm in an email to employees.

USDA Acting Deputy Administrator Michael Young, in a phone call with reporters Tuesday evening, said he had discussed the issue with ARS and indicated he would be open to clarifying or rescinding the research agency’s confusing guidance.

“The ARS guidance was not reviewed by me. I would not have put that kind of guidance out. My guidance has to do with policy-related announcement and that sort of thing,” Young said. “I had my memo drafted before the ARS memo, I was not a part of it.”

Department officials scrambled to clarify the memo Tuesday afternoon, after intense public scrutiny and media requests, stating that ARS had not “blacked out public information” and adding that scientific articles published through professional peer-reviewed journals have not been banned. Such a decree would have conflicted with established scientific integrity standards and previous media guidance “encouraging, but not requiring, USDA scientists to communicate with the media about their scientific findings.”

“As the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency, ARS values and is committed to maintaining the free flow of information between our scientists and the American public as we strive to find solutions to agricultural problems affecting America,” ARS said in a statement to The Washington Post Tuesday afternoon, seeking to clarify the scope of the memo.

Under President George W. Bush, several agencies restricted journalists’ access to researchers working on climate change and other issues. President Obama instructed agencies to develop a “scientific integrity” policy aimed at clarifying how federal employees could disseminate such information without fear of retribution.

Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, noted that both EPA and USDA have scientific integrity policies that “among other things, protect scientists’ right to speak out about their work. The American people deserve to know the results of taxpayer-funded research.”

Separately, Interior chiefs of staff, bureaus and offices received a memo from Julie Little, director of the Office of Executive Secretariat and Regulatory Affairs, instructing them to clear all correspondence to or from the Secretary with her office at least five days “prior to any deadline for Departmental clearance.”

The memo also instructed officials to forward any correspondence from lawmakers, state and tribal officials and “national level environmental/recreational and industry officials” with Little’s office “prior to responding, regarding of addressee or signature level.”

Officials at several agencies — including the Justice and Labor departments, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey — said they were continuing to communicate as they had before Trump occupied the Oval Office.

In some cases, reporters described media blackouts at agencies that had not transpired. The National Institutes of Health issued an email to its Institute and Center directors informing them they should not communicate on public forums and with public officials on new or pending regulation, policy or guidance that is under review. The guidance referred to the rules that are now in limbo, given the fact that White House chief of staff Reince Priebus issued a regulatory freeze Friday on any regulations that had not yet been published in the Federal Register.

“Contrary to erroneous media reports, HHS and its agencies continue to communicate fully about its work through all of its regular communication channels with the public, the media and other relevant audiences,” said a Health and Human Services official in an email. “There is no directive to do otherwise.”

"carefully considered" hmmm, that sounds suspiciously like "totally ignored"

[HarryPotterFan]

Fuck, with the EPA crap (cutting of funding and a cease and desist on all grants) PhD students are also screwed. Can you imagine working toward your PhD in sustainable engineering, and suddenly it's gone. Your lab has to stop. You can't graduate. This causes so many job losses and people had their career plans disappear. We can't move forward as a country without environmental/renewable energy research. This would also have global consequences. Just fuck. And all the efforts trying to help Flint? Trying to make sure that never happens again? Gone.

On January 23, 2017 at 7:01 PM, Jingeyk said:

@nvmbr02& @47of74, so true. I am a fed civilian and due to the nature of my position will likely be losing my job at the end of this term because of this. I am terrified. Hubs and I were house shopping and planning on trying for a kid this fall... guess it's good it happened before we got a mortgage?

How does all this crap affect current or new fed civilian employees?

On January 23, 2017 at 10:15 PM, Ali said:

I don't think so. Perhaps one should be created for us to keep up legislation?

This website will help you count down the days until 2021 “National Day of Patriotic Devotion.”

https://www.tickcounter.com/countdown/1611151200000/america-new_york/yodhms/FFFFFF3B5998000000FF0000/Time_Until_Trump_Leaves_Office

The real question is will this be a federal holiday where I get off work?

also can you imagine if Obama or any other president were as thin skinned as Trumplethinskin?

And how is this gag order not a complete violation of the first amendment?

[GreyhoundFan]

1 minute ago, HarryPotterFan said:

Fuck, with the EPA crap (cutting of funding and a cease and desist on all grants) PhD students are also screwed. Can you imagine working toward your PhD in sustainable engineering, and suddenly it's gone. Your lab has to stop. You can't graduate. This causes so many job losses and people had their career plans disappear. We can't move forward as a country without environmental/renewable energy research. This would also have global consequences. Just fuck. And all the efforts trying to help Flint? Trying to make sure that never happens again? Gone.

How does all this crap affect current or new fed civilian employees?

The real question is will this be a federal holiday where I get off work?

also can you imagine if Obama or any other president were as thin skinned as Trumplethinskin?

Well, the hiring freeze technically won't cause any civilian employees who were already working as of 1/20/2017. However, Agent Orange and Jason Chaffetz (the nasty SOB) are pushing to change federal civil service laws to make civilian employees "at will", meaning they would have no civil service protection. I don't think that will happen, but the fact that they are trying is scary. The freeze will make it harder to get things done in agencies that are already short-handed. Also, when someone retires or resigns, he or she won't be replaced, ensuring other employees have to take on that work, or it won't get done.

The only one who will be off work on his new holiday is Agent Orange.

No, I can't imagine any other president being remotely like Trumplethinskin. Even the ones I didn't respect (dubya), weren't this bad.

 

GQ published several good articles. I'm linking them here. The titles tell the stories.

• Donald Trump’s Profound Laziness Is Already on Full Display

• Here’s an Idea: Stop Putting Kellyanne Conway on TV

• White House Insiders Say Donald Trump Is “Demoralized” That No One Thinks He’s a Real President

I especially love the end of the last article:

Quote

Speaking of ridiculous, the best part of the piece, from a purely comedic standpoint, is this nugget of gold about the location of Kellyanne Conway's office:

One suggested that Conway’s office on the second floor of the West Wing, as opposed to one closer to the Oval Office, was a sign of her diminished standing. Though Conway took over the workspace previously occupied by Valerie Jarrett, who had been Obama’s closest adviser, the confidant dismissively predicted that Trump would rarely climb a flight of stairs.

Our nation's future is currently in the hands of a man whose confidant is pretty confident he's too lazy to climb a single flight of stairs to go see one of his top advisers. Luckily for us, we all know that it's not like the problems of the government are as grueling as walking up stairs.

Okay, I'm a bit lazy and out of shape, but that is just pitiful.

[JMarie]

I kind of feel bad for those who really stepped up to the plate during the primaries, only to be shut out by Trump after the election.  Sarah Palin, Chris Christie, and especially Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani.  All those appearances they made on TV and at rallies.  They all hoped to get some kind of appointment, and it's like Trump forgot about them.

[47of74]

I see a few Democrats have decided to introduce legislation to keep Cheeto from launching nuclear weapons at a whim;

palmerreport.com/news/ted-lieu-nuclear-donald-trump/1153/

Quote

Donald Trump’s erratic behavior in general, and his unnerving tweets about nuclear weapons in particular, have led many Americans to wonder if they should be preparing themselves for thermonuclear war. And they’re not alone in sharing their concern about the unstable Trump having access to the nuclear launch codes. In fact, House Democrats are now moving to revoke Trump’s control over nuclear weapons.

Congressman Ted Lieu of California and Congressman Ed Markey of Massachusetts introduced legislation into the United States House of Representatives today to basically take Trump’s nukes away. Lieu explained on his official website that “This legislation would prohibit the President from launching a nuclear first strike without a declaration of war by Congress. The crucial issue of nuclear ‘first use’ is more urgent than ever now that President Donald Trump has the power to launch a nuclear war at a moment’s notice.”

For this legislation to pass the House or the Senate, it would require at least some Republicans in each chamber to vote in favor of it, which could prove to be a challenge. And even then, Donald Trump could veto it. But the mere introduction of this bill brings attention to Trump’s instability and helps force a national discussion about it.

Here's the official release from Rep. Lieu: https://lieu.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-lieu-senator-markey-introduce-restricting-first-use-0

Yeah that thin skinned fuck being near the nuclear codes keeps me up at night.  And yeah, I know it's not very likely it would even get through Congress or that they could override Cheeto's veto. 

And now I see Cheeto also is itching to send Federal troops into Chicago;

abcnews.go.com/US/trump-threatens-send-feds-chicago-carnage/story?id=45025761

Quote

President Donald Trump threatened to "send in the Feds" to deal with the "carnage" in Chicago if the city doesn't fix the problem, he tweeted.

It was not immediately clear exactly what Trump meant by "send in the Feds."

It was not immediately clear what prompted Trump's Tuesday night tweet, but Emanuel criticized the president and his continued focus on the size of his inaugural crowd.

"This is unsolicited advice: You didn't get elected to debate the crowd size at your inaugural," Emanuel said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Uh, hello.  Posse Comitatus?  I thought Republicans loved the policy of not being able to send in the military to enforce laws.  Sigh.

[unholypoledancer]

I am not sure how to feel about this article that popped up on my Pinterest feed: What to do When you feel like a Schlump compared to Mrs. Trump!

Quote

So, here’s the truth. Melania Trump is not an object. She is a woman, just like you. Just like me. (If you are a man reading this, I’m sorry, please skip this sentence.)

She has feelings, emotions, thoughts, dreams, mothering responsibilities, and, oh yeah, a husband to worry about. (And, let’s just be real–we all know she has her hands full with that last one.)

She’s physically gorgeous. Yes. But, to see her only as a hot body degrades her value. It makes her an object.

Full article here: http://comparedtowho.me/2017/01/21/when-you-feel-like-a-schlump-compared-to-mrs-trump/

I feel for Mel. I'll take my days where I feel imperfect over the false smile and living a nightmare marriage. I did that in my 20s, thanks. I know Donnie doesn't view her the same way as the author of that article.

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, HarryPotterFan said:

Fuck, with the EPA crap (cutting of funding and a cease and desist on all grants) PhD students are also screwed. Can you imagine working toward your PhD in sustainable engineering, and suddenly it's gone. Your lab has to stop. You can't graduate. This causes so many job losses and people had their career plans disappear. We can't move forward as a country without environmental/renewable energy research. This would also have global consequences. Just fuck. And all the efforts trying to help Flint? Trying to make sure that never happens again? Gone.

How does all this crap affect current or new fed civilian employees?

The real question is will this be a federal holiday where I get off work?

also can you imagine if Obama or any other president were as thin skinned as Trumplethinskin?

And how is this gag order not a complete violation of the first amendment?

I saw a post today from a scientist who had just gotten hired at a new job, but her salary was going to be paid through an EPA grant, so now she's SOL. 

America's scientists are organizing their own march on Washington:

https://mobile.twitter.com/ScienceMarchDC

http://www.scientistsmarchonwashington.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1862739727343189/

As some of you may know, my husband is one of those evil scientists that conservatives love to hate on, so this crap is personal to me. I'm sick and tired of these slackjawed morons wanting the STEM folks to solve the world's problems, while bitching morning, noon, and night about how they don't want to pay for basic research. YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY ON BASIC RESEARCH, IF YOU WANT SOLUTIONS AND SHINY NEW TOYS! YOU CAN'T JUST WAVE A BIBLE AROUND AND FIX EVERYTHING! 

 

 

[Toothfairy]

Ok FJ. I don't even know the facts but how many wives/ baby mamas does Trump have? I heard he payed for a woman to abort. And I'm sorry Donald Jr is ugly. 

[47of74]

1 hour ago, Cartmann99 said:

I saw a post today from a scientist who had just gotten hired at a new job, but her salary was going to be paid through an EPA grant, so now she's SOL. 

America's scientists are organizing their own march on Washington:

https://mobile.twitter.com/ScienceMarchDC

http://www.scientistsmarchonwashington.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1862739727343189/

As some of you may know, my husband is one of those evil scientists that conservatives love to hate on, so this crap is personal to me. I'm sick and tired of these slackjawed morons wanting the STEM folks to solve the world's problems, while bitching morning, noon, and night about how they don't want to pay for basic research. YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY ON BASIC RESEARCH, IF YOU WANT SOLUTIONS AND SHINY NEW TOYS! YOU CAN'T JUST WAVE A BIBLE AROUND AND FIX EVERYTHING!

I saw some of the NPS employees are also standing up to der Trumpenführer by starting an unofficial Twitter account...

palmerreport.com/opinion/national-park-service-creates-unofficial-twitter-account-that-donald-trump-cant-touch/1159/

Quote

Trump doesn’t have the ability to shut down a Twitter account, or to suspend it from being usable; only Twitter the company would be able to do that. Instead he’s been sabotaging the National Park Service Twitter accounts by presumably threatening to fire people if they dare to tweet things he doesn’t like, or if they tweet during times when he’s put them in the penalty box. But he can only do that if he knows who’s tweeting.

When it comes to official Park Service accounts like @NatlParkService or @BadlandsNPS, specific employees have access to those accounts, so it’s easy for Trump to know who’s posting any tweets he doesn’t like — and whom to punish. So instead, Park Service employees whose identities are unknown have created an unofficial Twitter account at @AltNatParkSer.

The unofficial National Park Service account started six hours ago by reposting the Badlands tweets that had been deleted. It’s since continued posting all the climate change data it can find, and it’s been documenting Trump’s strange attempts at cracking down on the official accounts. This unofficial Twitter account has quickly gained ninety thousand followers (likely a lot more by the time you’re reading this), as Americans are flocking to the account to keep up with the real National Park Service news.

Best of all, as long as Donald Trump can’t figure out who at the Park Service is doing the unofficial tweeting, he can’t punish the employees behind it. And Twitter the company has shown a history of not sharing this kind of information. So there’s probably nothing Trump can do.

Here's the twitter account in case anyone is curious

https://twitter.com/altnatparkser

And fornicate you, Donald J. Putinfluffer.

[Cartmann99]

1 hour ago, Toothfairy said:

Ok FJ. I don't even know the facts but how many wives/ baby mamas does Trump have? I heard he payed for a woman to abort. And I'm sorry Donald Jr is ugly. 

Snowflake Orange has been married three times. Ivana was his first wife and the mother of his three oldest children, Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka. His second wife Marla, was his mistress while he was married to Ivana. Sometime after Trump and Ivana divorced, Marla became pregnant. She and Trump married when their daughter Tiffany was two months old. Before he and Marla were divorced, he started seeing Melania. After his second divorce from Marla, he and Melania married and eventually had Barron.

When Trump found out that Marla was pregnant, he was not happy.

Some of the opposition researchers from the last presidental campaign have claimed that Trump pressured multiple women to have abortions, and then paid them to keep quiet. To my knowledge, none of the researchers have provided evidence that backs up their claims, other than the above video about Marla Maples.

How sad is it,that I know all this crap about Trump?!? 

[VelociRapture]

2 hours ago, JMarie said:

I kind of feel bad for those who really stepped up to the plate during the primaries, only to be shut out by Trump after the election.  Sarah Palin, Chris Christie, and especially Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani.  All those appearances they made on TV and at rallies.  They all hoped to get some kind of appointment, and it's like Trump forgot about them.

Nope. Don't feel bad for them at all. They helped get us to where we are today - they can all rot forever in the naughty corner of national politics for all I care.

1 hour ago, unholypoledancer said:

I am not sure how to feel about this article that popped up on my Pinterest feed: What to do When you feel like a Schlump compared to Mrs. Trump!

Full article here: http://comparedtowho.me/2017/01/21/when-you-feel-like-a-schlump-compared-to-mrs-trump/

I feel for Mel. I'll take my days where I feel imperfect over the false smile and living a nightmare marriage. I did that in my 20s, thanks. I know Donnie doesn't view her the same way as the author of that article.

I saw another article that made me pause and consider how much sympathy we should actually feel for her. And, if I'm honest, I'm feeling exactly none:

 http://theslot.jezebel.com/melania-trump-doesnt-deserve-your-sympathy-1791525306?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=The_Slot_facebook

The way I see it, we have no proof Donnie is abusive towards her. Neglectful and disrespectful? Yeah. But we haven't see anything that looks like abuse at this point. All we can go on are their public appearances and interviews - and nothing I've seen thus far has given me reason to think she actually disagrees with what he's saying or doing.

If people hold Ivanka accountable for not speaking out against her father's hatred, then we need to hold Melanie accountable as well and not just give her a pass based off what we assume is happening in their marriage. 

[PraiseDog]

Here's an alternative fact:

Kellyanne is a true feminist! Here she is wearing her pink pussyhat, supporting rights for all women, as well as human righs for everybody!  She is truly talented at public relations - and guess what, guys ! Recently she had a life-changing epiphany about human rights and equality, in which she realized that her public relations talents would make more of a difference, as well as being much better-paid in terms of her paychecks not bouncing, if she chose to use her talents for good instead of evil!
Yay Kellyanne - LUV U!    

[PraiseDog]

On 1/23/2017 at 11:16 AM, Terrie said:

Come north! I'm proud to be represented by Keith Ellison. 
______________________________________________
And lots of other similar examples, encouraging thinking people from unthinking places, into more welcoming districts. Not faulting anybody at all, of course we would all like to live where we feel at home. But...

I've considered the opposite - what if many of us who currently live in progressive urban areas, could relocate to red districts?  Those of us who work for companies that allow "distance management" or even a few days per week of "work from home" could do a lot for our country by making their living in "alternate" (red) counties or districts.   Let's spread ourselves out, folks! And vote accordingly.
This last "election" - more like the electoral college exactly -  made our urban and coastal votes less valuable than the middle states.  So, those of us whose work can be done at a distance, online, etc. - as well as those of us who can afford to move or are retired, let's move to the middle states or to rural districts in our own states. Tons of beautiful properties there are for sale to the highest bidder, for cheap-ass prices.  Beautiful historic homes, farms with really unique histories and heritage 1000-y-old trees, orchards, the best soil that hasn't been concreted over or poisoned by big-ag. let's take advantage! 
Let's not allow our wonderful homes and land continue to be bought up by the same banks who foreclosed on us and our aging parents, and who then rented it back to families for insane prices.   
example: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/business/investors-are-looking-to-buy-homes-by-the-thousands.html
as well as:https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/06/27/investors-who-bought-foreclosed-homes-in-bulk-look-to-cash-in/?_r=0
It sickens me that the same banks and investment companies who caused the 2008 recession - not only were they never punished - and not only did their victims never get refinancing - but these same asshole bankers got to buy up the same homes they foreclosed on, for way less than their original market price (after making tons of money on the hedge-fund market)  and rent them out for way more than what a mortgage should have cost -  in many cases to the same people who tried to buy them originally.  
And I bet each of us (I know I do) has an abandoned house or two on our block, which looks like shit with boarded-up windows and weeds growing everywhere, bringing down the value of all of our homes so that selling and moving somewhere else is out of the question.

[NCLunaLovegoodFan]

May the cosmic force help us all. The Tweeter-In-Chief tweeted that he would be making his pick for the SCOTUS a week from tomorrow. 

[Childless]

8 hours ago, 47of74 said:

I see a few Democrats have decided to introduce legislation to keep Cheeto from launching nuclear weapons at a whim;

palmerreport.com/news/ted-lieu-nuclear-donald-trump/1153/

Here's the official release from Rep. Lieu: https://lieu.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-lieu-senator-markey-introduce-restricting-first-use-0

Yeah that thin skinned fuck being near the nuclear codes keeps me up at night.  And yeah, I know it's not very likely it would even get through Congress or that they could override Cheeto's veto. 

And now I see Cheeto also is itching to send Federal troops into Chicago;

abcnews.go.com/US/trump-threatens-send-feds-chicago-carnage/story?id=45025761

Uh, hello.  Posse Comitatus?  I thought Republicans loved the policy of not being able to send in the military to enforce laws.  Sigh.

When it comes to violence as a percentage of population, Chicago doesn't even crack the top ten.  You know which cities do?  St. Louis (#1), Birmingham (#3), Memphis (#4), Milwaukee (#5), Little Rock (#8), and Kansas City (#10).  A majority of the most violent cities are in Republican states.  How come the Putinfluffer isn't threatening to raid them?  Oh, yeah.  Because this isn't about stopping violence.  Donnie Dumbfuck doesn't give two shits about that.  It's about partisan politics in general and Obama in particular (he seems to have an unhealthy obsession with the Obamas).

Wow, Chicago doesn't even crack the top 25.  Sit down Donnie.  You're an idiot.

[Terrie]

Let's make it clear. Trumperdink is threatening Chicago with martial law. 

[AuntK]

9 hours ago, JMarie said:

I kind of feel bad for those who really stepped up to the plate during the primaries, only to be shut out by Trump after the election.  Sarah Palin, Chris Christie, and especially Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani.  All those appearances they made on TV and at rallies.  They all hoped to get some kind of appointment, and it's like Trump forgot about them.

You feel bad for that list of deplorables? I certainly DO NOT and NEVER will.  Those bottom-feeding, butt-kissing, self-centered, troglodytes don't deserve sympathy from anyone! Yes, they were all jockeying for positions in Herr Trumpelthinskin's regime so that they could join him in depriving people of health care benefits, equal rights, and anything else that benefits them, all the while lining their own pockets like their leader. They knew full well what he was so I doubt any of them were surprised that they were not selected for a position within the administration.  He USES people until they are no longer useful to him. 

But "kinda sorry for them?"  HELL NO!!!!

[GreyhoundFan]

10 hours ago, JMarie said:

I kind of feel bad for those who really stepped up to the plate during the primaries, only to be shut out by Trump after the election.  Sarah Palin, Chris Christie, and especially Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani.  All those appearances they made on TV and at rallies.  They all hoped to get some kind of appointment, and it's like Trump forgot about them.

I feel less than no sympathy for that band of idiots. In my eyes, Newt is a huge part of the reason the Republican party has been the obstructionist party for the last 25 years. And, as a bonus, he's a hypocrite, publicly slamming Bill Clinton for having an affair with an intern while he was doing the exact same thing. Rudy is a crazy blowhard. Christie is an opportunistic fool. And, Sarah Palin, hmm, well, she's just a piece of work. They have all said and done obnoxious stuff to push Agent Orange on us. I don't care that he threw them over.

 

9 hours ago, 47of74 said:

I see a few Democrats have decided to introduce legislation to keep Cheeto from launching nuclear weapons at a whim;

palmerreport.com/news/ted-lieu-nuclear-donald-trump/1153/

Here's the official release from Rep. Lieu: https://lieu.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-lieu-senator-markey-introduce-restricting-first-use-0

Yeah that thin skinned fuck being near the nuclear codes keeps me up at night.  And yeah, I know it's not very likely it would even get through Congress or that they could override Cheeto's veto. 

And now I see Cheeto also is itching to send Federal troops into Chicago;

abcnews.go.com/US/trump-threatens-send-feds-chicago-carnage/story?id=45025761

Uh, hello.  Posse Comitatus?  I thought Republicans loved the policy of not being able to send in the military to enforce laws.  Sigh.

Geez, Cheeto, "The Fed" is the Federal Reserve. So, you're going to send a group of monetary policy makers into Chicago to deal with the ebil people causing problems? Sure, that'll work. What a dumbass.

[iweartanktops]

I'm freaking out. It hasn't been a week. We've got:

EPA

Abortion 

The fucking wall that WE will be paying for 

Federal jobs

The pipeline

Refugees and Muslims 

Healthcare 

I'm sure I'm forgetting things. He's destroyed our country, and people on Twitter were saying he's annointed by Jesus last night. I'm scared. 

[Terrie]

I feel sorry for those like John McCain, who are standing by their principles and being spit on by their party for it. those who are willing to toady up to Trump in hopes of a payoff can choke on a biscuit for all I care.

[iweartanktops]

Can't forget threatening to send the feds into Chicago. WHAT the fuck? 

[unholypoledancer]

I am...weirded out? I guess? To see he is still using his personal twitter. I mean, he should be using the POTUS account, right?

Re. what has been said about Mel, I suppose so, about not feeling sorry for her. I'm sure she's not going to speak up against him ever. I think it sucks he views her as a means to an end, but then again he does that with everyone.

On the plus side, I'm excited to get in touch with people who can correct this mess and get our country back on track. As long as Herr Pence isn't the next commander in chief...