Trump 24: Fiddling, er, Tweeting While Rome Burns

[47of74]

I sent a letter to the editor in today in which I called fornicate face a pendejo in chief.  I imagine there's a fair amount of pearl clutching going on right now at the local paper over how I called their hero that.  I imagine they'll want me to change that to satisfy the pearl clutches. 

Yeah a FB friend was talking about all the pearl clutching going on about the NFL.  Then comes her son along asking how she would feel if he or her son in law got killed in Afghanistan.  She typed a long ass response to him saying that she disagreed with him.  I stayed out of that one, though my first instinct was to say way to gaslight your mother, prick. 

[Destiny]

Someone must have sat the Orange Menace down and told him to pretend like he gives a fuck. He's tweeting about the terrorist attacks in Spain last month, and pretending to give a fuck about Puerto Rico. 

Unrelated: did it bug the shit out of anyone else when he kept referring to the president of Spain today? They don't have a president, asshole, they have a prime minister. I know practically zero things about Spain but I know enough to know that!

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, Destiny said:

Unrelated: did it bug the shit out of anyone else when he kept referring to the president of Spain today? They don't have a president, asshole, they have a prime minister. I know practically zero things about Spain but I know enough to know that!

I didn't get to see it, but it ticks me off. He couldn't give a shit about anything that isn't about him. I started thinking about the scene in the HBO movie "Game Change" where Sarah Palin doesn't know that Queen Elizabeth II is not the head of government in the U.K.

[JMarie]

He's now saying he'll visit Puerto Rico next Tuesday.  An entire week from now.  If I were him, I'd thank my lucky stars I'm not up for re-election this November, because PR votes in presidential elections (whether Trump chooses to acknowledge this is another story).  I'd be borrowing several cruise ships, load them up with water, food, basic medicines (insulin, asthma inhalers, etc), and able-bodied but unemployed people willing to help with cleanup and rebuilding (see, he can actually create jobs, even temporary ones!), and cruise on over to PR.  Do it tomorrow!  Don't make them wait another week.  They have no water, are probably running out of food, they can't contact loved ones, and the weather is darn hot.  DO NOT GOLF THIS WEEKEND!  DO NOT EVEN STEP FOOT ON ONE OF YOUR RESORTS AND CLAIM TO BE "WORKING"!

[Destiny]

21 minutes ago, JMarie said:

If I were him, I'd thank my lucky stars I'm not up for re-election this November, because PR votes in presidential elections (whether Trump chooses to acknowledge this is another story).  

Just FYI, actually, they don't. They get a vote in primaries and a couple of delegates to the convention, but they have no voting representation in congress, nor do they get to vote for president. 

Edit: I agree that he needs to show some leadership already dammit. Stop picking fights with the fucking NFL and DO YOUR FUCKING JOB.

[JMarie]

9 minutes ago, Destiny said:

Just FYI, actually, they don't. They get a vote in primaries and a couple of delegates to the convention, but they have no voting representation in congress, nor do they get to vote for president. 

 

I remember Marco Rubio winning the primary in PR.  So Puerto Ricans vote in the primary, they send their delegates to the national conventions, the delegates say "we cast all our votes for Blandie McBland" and everyone cheers, and that's it?  No voting in the general election, and no representation in the Electoral College?  That really stinks!  It's like having a brownie and telling someone they can see your brownie, they can smell your brownie, but no, they can't eat your brownie.

[Destiny]

1 minute ago, JMarie said:

I remember Marco Rubio winning the primary in PR.  So Puerto Ricans vote in the primary, they send their delegates to the national conventions, the delegates say "we cast all our votes for Blandie McBland" and everyone cheers, and that's it?  No voting in the general election, and no representation in the Electoral College?  That really stinks!  It's like having a brownie and telling someone they can see your brownie, they can smell your brownie, but no, they can't eat your brownie.

It's utter bullshit. See more:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_voting_rights_in_Puerto_Rico

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/us/puerto-rico-hurricane-american.html?mcubz=1&_r=0

[GreyhoundFan]

He's finally sending the USNS Comfort.  Of course, it should have been on the way or there already.

Spoiler

As the devastation from Hurricane Maria became more apparent Sunday, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton implored President Trump and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to help the people of Puerto Rico. Send the Navy, she tweeted, especially the hospital ship USNS Comfort.

... < tweet from HRC >

Two days later, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long announced that the Navy will soon do exactly that. The decision, disclosed in front of the White House on Tuesday afternoon, was later confirmed by the Navy. It comes after days of critics saying that the U.S. government isn’t doing enough to support hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory of nearly 3.5 million people that faces months without electricity and a long rebuilding process.

Navy Cmdr. Mike Kafka, a service spokesman, said that the ship will leave within the next four days, and it will take up to five additional days to reach Puerto Rico. He called the move a “prudent decision in light of current conditions on ground.”

Clinton’s tweet lacked important context: The Navy already had two amphibious ships off the coast, the USS Kearsarge and the USS Oak Hill, so the few thousand Marines and sailors aboard could launch relief operations. But her call to action took off, with a petition on the website Change.org garnering more than 100,000 signatures in three days and critics expressing frustration with the hashtag #SendtheComfort.

Since then, the call for the Comfort has come to symbolize something larger: A call for the Pentagon to send more.

More food. More water. More generators. More aircraft.

More everything.

... <, sobering tweet about rainfall in Puerto Rico >

Trump described the U.S. government response to the devastation in glowing terms Tuesday morning, saying officials were “doing a really good job.” He plans to visit next week, once it is no longer a disruption to first responders, he said.

“It’s very tough because it’s an island,” Trump said. “In Texas, we can ship the trucks right out there. And you know, we’ve gotten A-pluses on Texas and on Florida, and we will also on Puerto Rico. But the difference is, this is an island sitting in the middle of an ocean. And it’s a big ocean; it’s a very big ocean.”

Facing growing criticism about its response, the Pentagon on Monday argued that its efforts over the weekend marked only the beginning. Army Col. Rob Manning, a spokesman, told reporters the U.S. military was focused near-term on search-and-rescue operations and delivering generators to hospitals. Other plans called for the arrival of eight Army Black Hawk helicopters from Fort Campbell, Ky., a fleet of Air Force jets arriving with supplies, and disaster-assessment teams determining what else is needed.

“This is a long-term effort,” Manning said. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so [the Department of Defense] will continue to support them as long as support is needed.”

The Pentagon’s effort is complemented by the U.S. Coast Guard, a part of the military overseen by the Department of Homeland Security. The sea service had 13 ships off Puerto Rico by Monday, and was working long shifts to fix ports and and launch search-and-rescue missions.

The U.S. military provided a new list of other efforts related to Puerto Rico on Tuesday, noting that it had set up a staging base to deliver supplies at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Georgia and delivered small numbers of troops from bases ranging from Fort Bragg, N.C., to Fort Stewart, Ga.

But the Navy’s presence was scrutinized. Thomas LaCrosse, the Pentagon’s director of defense support to civil authorities, said Monday that U.S. officials discussed sending the Comfort to Puerto Rico last weekend, but ultimately decided not to because ports were not ready to handle a ship that large after the storm.

The Comfort, homeported in Norfolk, Va., is one of two hospital ships in the U.S. military, and the only one kept on the East Coast. The 894-foot vessel has about 1,000 beds for patients, 12 operating rooms and a flight deck for heavy-lift helicopters. It has been used following numerous natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010.

But LaCrosse and other defense officials argued that the situation this time was different. The Puerto Rican government did not ask for more Navy ships, but logistical support that includes getting its 60-plus hospitals up and running, LaCrosse said. In light of that, the Pentagon made the judgment call to send in a fleet of Air Force jets loaded with supplies and medical personnel beginning Friday, after the Army Corps of Engineers re-opened Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, he said.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Senate lawmakers Tuesday that the military continues to respond to the crisis, with FEMA in charge. Air Force Gen. Lori J. Robinson, the chief of U.S. Northern Command, is making suggestions and recommendations along the way, he said.

“There’s literally hourly meetings between FEMA and the government officials in Puerto Rico, to make sure that we are doing all we can,” Dunford said. “The guidance from Secretary Mattis has been clear. What they need, they get. Just make it happen.”

Kafka, the Navy spokesman, said that the military actually was better positioned to respond to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico than it was previous storms in the Caribbean islands. The Navy and Marine Corps already were working off the Kearsarge, Oak Hill and a third ship, the USS Wasp, to help following Hurricane Irma’s devastation there earlier in the month, and moved south out of Maria’s path before quickly returning, he said.

The size of Maria and it’s unpredictable course also may have played a role in how the U.S. military responded. The Navy had several ships,  including the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, providing hurricane relief off the Florida Keys. But commanders sent them back to port in Norfolk, Va., and Mayport, Fla., rather than leaving them off the east coast of Florida or in the Caribbean.

Still, the response and the characterization of it is in contrast with how the  military responded to Irma in Florida and the Caribbean islands. In that case, the U.S. government deployed at least eight ships, and Tom Bossert, President Trump’s homeland security adviser, described the effort as both “unprecedented” and “the largest flotilla operation in our nation’s history,” though more ships had been used in other similar operations in the past.

Rep. Adam Smith (D.-Wash.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said Monday night that at minimum, Trump should establish a “coordinated military effort” overseen by a three-star general, a move that occurred after Hurricane Katrina and other disasters, such as a typhoon that hit the Philippines in 2013.

“The Trump administration’s response to the destruction in Puerto Rico has been wholly inadequate,” Smith said. “A territory of 3.5 million American citizens is almost completely without power, water, food, and telephone service, and we have a handful of helicopters involved in DOD’s response. It’s a disgrace.”

 

[47of74]

Great, more characters for fuck face to get stupid with...

Quote

Twitter is experimenting with doubling the length of a tweet from 140 characters to 280 characters. 

The company wrote in a blog post on Tuesday it was rolling out 280-character limit tweets to "a small group" of users who tweet in languages that may have had issues with trying to fit everything they want to say. 

"We understand since many of you have been Tweeting for years, there may be an emotional attachment to 140 characters – we felt it, too," Twitter product manager Aliza Rosen wrote. "But we tried this, saw the power of what it will do, and fell in love with this new, still brief, constraint." 

Shares of Twitter rose more than 1 percent in extended trading following the news, after declining more than 2 percent during the regular session.

 

[onekidanddone]

The people of Puerto Rico might not have a vote, but what about people who now live in states?  I'm sure they have very long memories which will last well into 2018.  A Trump lover I used to know is from Puerto Rico and so very proud of her vote for Trump. Wonder what she is thinking now.

[Destiny]

1 hour ago, onekidanddone said:

The people of Puerto Rico might not have a vote, but what about people who now live in states?  I'm sure they have very long memories which will last well into 2018.  A Trump lover I used to know is from Puerto Rico and so very proud of her vote for Trump. Wonder what she is thinking now.

Yes. Once they move to the mainland they are allowed to vote in federal elections. It's super shitty IMHO.

If memory serves, they vote overwhelmingly democrat, so tbh, it's in the Republican Party's best interest to get this shit fixed, because otherwise, they are going to leave the island in droves and move to Florida. That's not good news for republicans. At all.

 

[onekidanddone]

7 hours ago, Destiny said:

If memory serves, they vote overwhelmingly democrat, so tbh, it's in the Republican Party's best interest to get this shit fixed, because otherwise, they are going to leave the island in droves and move to Florida. That's not good news for republicans. At all

That is what I thought.  It knocked me for a loop last year when she started on her rant against Obama (arrogant Muslim) and Hillary (killary) Clinton Bill (rapist) Clinton. Shit, she and her husband even moved to Idaho from Florida because FLA was full of too many democrats. 

We met at a support group because she has the same progressive medical issues I do.  I know I shouldn't assume things about people, but she is Jewish, Puerto Rican, and a librarian.  I thought the librarian part meant she valued education and thirst for knowledge . Seems I was very wrong. 

I should have known something wasn't right when she belonged post leg humper pro Duggar crap.

[Howl]

28 minutes ago, onekidanddone said:

Shit, she and her husband even moved to Idaho from Florida because FLA was full of too many democrats. 

This might mean she skewing so far to the right there's no hope. But she may get a rude surprise in Idaho, which is chock full (in some areas) of white supremacist enclaves.  Those folks don't cotton to Jews OR Puerto Ricans.  Other areas are certainly more progressive. 

Did they move to Moscow, ID to get closer to Doug Wilson's group?

[onekidanddone]

2 minutes ago, Howl said:

This means she skewing so far to the right there's no hope. But she may get a rude surprise in Idaho, which is chock full (in some areas) of white supremacist enclaves.  

Did they move to Moscow, ID to get closer to Doug Wilson's group?

Boise. I'm not on  FB a anymore, and I couldn't ask if I was since I removed her from my friends list. But If I was, I'd her if she was going to drive up to Sandpoint or Whitefish MT for her twin's Bar/Bat Mitzvot in a park or something.   Yes, there are racist every place, but Idaho, I've heard has more per capita then may other regions in the US.  Shame because I'd love to live out west in the mountains.  

[nvmbr02]

John Oliver gives a pretty good rundown of voting rights for the Territories. Here on Guam, they do a primary vote and they "vote" in the Presidential election with a straw poll, which doesn't actually count for anything. It is sad and completely unfair. 

 

[Childless]

On 9/24/2017 at 9:10 PM, onekidanddone said:

Kind of like going for 'Mexico will pay for the wall' to 'Mexico will pay us back for the wall' to 'Mexico will eventually pay for the wall'. Now it is going to be a see through wall. Errr that is either a fence or maybe hell it is going to be made of plexiglass.  Sigh.

 

Well, it won't be made of plexiglass.  As someone in an industry that uses a lot of it, I can tell you there's a shortage right now.  Guess it will be a fence after all.  A fence that can easily be cut, climbed over, or dug under.  So what's the point of wasting money we don't have to build an ineffective barrier?  Trump and his supporters are idiots.

[nvmbr02]

15 minutes ago, Childless said:

Well, it won't be made of plexiglass.  As someone in an industry that uses a lot of it, I can tell you there's a shortage right now.  Guess it will be a fence after all.  A fence that can easily be cut, climbed over, or dug under.  So what's the point of wasting money we don't have to build an ineffective barrier?  Trump and his supporters are idiots.

And isn't there already a fence on about a third of the border anyway? 

[VelociRapture]

Donald Trump tweets and gives speech about those NFL "son of bitches" peacefully protesting the national anthem, which somehow disrespects the military.

Donald Trump then turns around and gleefully anticipates the death of an actual 81 year-old War Hero... because he opposed the last two replace and repeal ACA efforts.

http://people.com/politics/trump-revels-in-john-mccains-dire-cancer-battle-as-promises-obamacare-repeal-one-yes-vote-in-hospital/

So, conservative America, tell me again - who is actually being disrespectful to the military and Veterans?

[Howl]

Anyone tracking the loss of Trump's pet politician, Luther Strange, to hard-core religious fanatic Roy Moore in the Alabama Republican primary for Jeff Sessions' seat?  Tweets supporting Strange have been deleted from Trump's twitter account;  Roy and Trump quickly started making happy noises about each other and are pledging mutual leg humping!  Sort of like, "I never ever doubted you, not for ONE SECOND!" 

Don't cry for me, Alabama! 

 

[GrumpyGran]

OMG, this thread is moving fast. I had to take a couple of days off, or try to and go to my happy place to reset. It turns out that it is very difficult to get away from this monster. Unless you don't turn on the TV he just sucks up the air. Of course he went on a rampage, tweeting about something idiotic as if we were being attacked by aliens, all the while ignoring Americans in crisis. It was impossible to ignore, but I did turn on the TV, should have known better. Trump ruined my vacation.

Actually I ruined it but I'm going to blame him, pretty much for everything from now on. Going to spend my afternoon doing something very difficult and then come back and catch up.

[Howl]

@GrumpyGran, just make it into a drinking game.  Warning: Not an ACTUAL drinking game, of course; we'd all be raging alcoholics in a week.*   Every time TT does something awful (which is multiple times a day every. damn. day) reward yourself with something fun and hopefully low calorie.  Headed off to Trader Joe's to get the cashew carrot dip, some gluten-free bread and root vegetables.  Cheers! 

*This guideline could change if Russia indictments start raining down.  Heh! 

[JMarie]

So Trump's rambling on TV again.  I tend not to pay attention whenever he's on, but i heard him talking about elderly care tax credit.  I thought he said $500/year, and the audience clapped enthusiastically.  $500 for the entire year?  In my area, a home health aide is $23/hour.  Five days of four-hour shifts is $500.  Five days is one week.  What about the other fifty-one weeks?

I have a feeling Trump's never even been around an older person, let alone one who needs help.

 

 

[Destiny]

I'm trying to watch, but his inability to form a coherent sentence makes it so hard to keep paying attention. 

[apple1]

2 minutes ago, Destiny said:

I'm trying to watch, but his inability to form a coherent sentence makes it so hard to keep paying attention. 

I just cannot force myself to listen to him, or to watch him. I read later (enough to know the significant pieces).

I. JUST. CAN'T.

[47of74]

I just cannot force myself to listen to him, or to watch him. I read later (enough to know the significant pieces).
I. JUST. CAN'T.

I can’t either. He’s such a fucking idiot and his voice is so goddamn grating.