ChrisWeigant.com

Friday Talking Points [422] -- Tiny Hands, Tiny Crowds

[ Posted Friday, January 27th, 2017 – 17:59 UTC ]

We're going to start today with a story that sounds like an urban myth, but actually happened. The state government of Indiana, 120 years ago, was almost taken in by a crank mathematician. He got them to introduce a bill he had written that would have changed state law to state that the value of pi was what he said it was. The language of the bill is inexact at best -- it might better be described as "completely incoherent" -- and actually suggests multiple ways of calculating pi, none of which are correct. The easiest to understand was to calculate it as a ratio of 5/4 to 4, which would give 3.2. The other methods are pretty indecipherable, to be polite.

The measure passed the Indiana House, by a unanimous vote of 67 to nothing. It headed over to the state Senate, where (luckily) a sane professor of mathematics happened to be wandering by at the crucial moment and explained the idiocy of legislating a natural value. When one of the legislators offered to introduce him to the crank mathematician who had written the bill, Professor Waldo reportedly "declined the courtesy with thanks, remarking that he was acquainted with as many crazy people as he cared to know."

The moral of this rather amusing bit of American history is you can't legislate facts out of existence (pi would have remained 3.14159265... even if the bill had passed, in other words). Also, crazy people can't be stopped from trying to legislate their own reality, at times. This story isn't a direct parallel (yet), but we thought it would be as good a way as any to lead off the coverage of President Donald Trump's first week in office.

Donald Trump, in true Trumpian fashion, began his presidency in a snit. It seems that the fact of how small the crowds were at his Inauguration didn't exactly match with how Trump saw the world. Trump is proving (to anyone who still harbored the tiniest shred of doubt) what a megalomaniac he truly is, from Day One. It's not enough that he won, it's got to be the biggest landslide of all time (which it wasn't -- it wasn't a landslide and it wasn't even close to the margins previous recent presidents of both parties racked up). The crowd at his Inauguration had to be the biggest of all time, too, naturally (it wasn't -- the crowd at Barack Obama's first Inauguration was). Later in the week, he insisted that he had really won the popular vote as well, because his own brain told him that there were three to five million fraudulent votes (of which there is absolutely no proof whatsoever, outside of Trump's cranium).

Think "megalomaniac" is a strong word? The most telling quote from Trump this week had to do with a speech he gave at C.I.A. headquarters. He stood in front of their memorial wall, with stars marking over 100 agents who had given their lives in the course of duty, and essentially read a campaign speech about how awesome his victory was. He had packed the first few rows with fervent supporters, who cheered on cue for the fearless leader. Later, he expressed his dismay at how the speech was reported in the media, in a television interview with ABC:

That speech was a home run. See what Fox said. They said it was one of the great speeches. They showed the people applauding and screaming.... I got a standing ovation. In fact, they said it was the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl, and they said it was equal. I got a standing ovation. It lasted for a long period of time. You probably ran it live. I know when I do good speeches. I know when I do bad speeches. That speech was a total home run. They loved it.... People loved it. They loved it. They gave me a standing ovation for a long period of time. They never even sat down, most of them, during the speech. There was love in the room. You and other networks covered it very inaccurately.... That speech was a good speech. And you and a couple of other networks tried to downplay that speech. And it was very, very unfortunate that you did.

Still think megalomaniac is too strong a word? We don't. Seriously -- "the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl"? Wow. In front of a crowd of only 350 people, no less. This is a man who is very obviously deeply, deeply insecure, folks. Any suggestion that his presidency isn't the most stupendous of all time is simply not true, because how could it be?

CBS news reported how the C.I.A. actually felt about the speech:

An official said the visit "made relations with the intelligence community worse" and described the visit as "uncomfortable." Authorities are also pushing back against the perception that the C.I.A. workforce was cheering for the president. They say the first three rows in front of the president were largely made up of supporters of Mr. Trump's campaign.

Trump's presidency kicked off with Press Secretary Sean Spicer walking out in front of the press the day after Trump took office, to rant and blatantly lie about the size of Trump's inaugural crowd, taking no questions from the press afterwards. He got several easily-checkable facts wrong in this embarrassing display, including whether ground cover had ever been used before (it had, in 2013) on the Mall, and that Trump had gotten the "most Electoral College votes of any Republican president since Ronald Reagan" (wrong again, George H. W. Bush got a whopping 426, to Trump's 306). He also lied about Metro ridership -- the real numbers are: Obama (2009), 1.1 million Metro trips; Obama (2013), 783,000 trips, Trump (2017), 571,000 trips. Obama's first Inauguration was the highest ridership of all time on the Metro. You know what day came in second? Saturday's Women's March on Washington -- the post-Inauguration anti-Trump protest -- which had 1,001,613 Metro trips. Close to twice as many people took Metro downtown to protest Trump's Inauguration as did to attend it -- those are the real, non-alternative facts, Jack.

But Trump just can't let this go, even though it is undeniable that his crowd was smaller in size than Obama's, by pretty much any measurement you choose. This prompted the very-conservative Weekly Standard to admonish Trump:

If media reports about crowd size are so important to Trump that he'd push Spicer out there to lie for him, then it means that all the tinpot-dictator, authoritarian, characterological tics that people worried about during the campaign are still very much active. You know who obsessed about crowd size? Fidel Castro. You know who did not? George Washington, John Adams, Andrew Jackson, F.D.R., Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, and every other man to ever serve as president of these United States of America.

Kellyanne Conway helpfully explained in a television interview that Trump was offering up "alternative facts." So far, it doesn't seem like the public is buying them. One poll showed only 7 percent of Americans believe that Trump got a bigger crowd than Obama's first Inauguration. A full 56 percent think Obama's crowd was bigger. So it's tough to understand why Trump is spending so much time and energy on this, other than to feed his massively oversized ego, of course. Trump even personally called the acting head of the National Parks Service to find out if there were photographs which showed the million-plus crowd Trump saw in his head (there weren't any such photos, obviously -- if there were, Fox News would surely have dug them out by now).

We've got a lot more to get through, seeing how packed this week in politics was, so we're going to shift into a higher gear and resort to merely hitting the high (and low) points very briefly.

President Trump also is obsessed over all the "voter fraud" his brain is certain exists, and he spent the first 10 minutes of his first meeting with congressional leadership ranting about it. He is certain that all "3 to 5 million" of the fraudulent votes were for Hillary, as well. He knows this, apparently, because a guy -- who was not an American citizen and was trying to vote, incredibly -- got annoyed (after he was denied the chance to commit voter fraud) when: "voters who did not look as if they should be allowed to vote, Mr. Trump said, according to the staff members -- but they were nonetheless permitted to cast provisional ballots. The president threw out the names of Latin American countries that the voters might have come from." This was notably greeted with uncomfortable silence from the congressional leadership.

Later in the week, Trump put out a statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day that -- astonishingly -- didn't mention the words "Jew," "Jewish," or "anti-Semitism" once. Whoops!

It's only been a week, but already there are stories of infighting among the Trump administration, and struggles for power. They also seem to be leaking like a sieve, so we fully expect to hear more of these juicy stories in the near future.

President Trump issued a slew of executive orders in his first week in office, although many of them are merely lip service, because:

Many of the sweeping actions President Trump vowed this week through his executive orders and proclamations are unlikely to happen, either because they are impractical, opposed by Congress and members of his Cabinet, or full of legal holes.

Red meat for his fervent supporters, in other words, but (as Obama found out) executive orders only go so far. Amusingly, Republicans now seem to be big fans of executive orders after denouncing Obama as a tyrant for issuing them.

We've probably missed a few, but here's a quick list of Trump's executive orders so far:

Build those two pipelines that Obama halted -- with American steel, dammit! -- even though that would violate W.T.O. rules.

Withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Abortion gag rule once again instituted worldwide (this one goes back and forth, depending on which party is in the White House).

The E.P.A. has been instructed to freeze all grants and contracts until further notice.

The C.D.C. abruptly (and with no explanation) cancelled a conference on climate change.

Federal hiring freeze, except for national security jobs.

Sanctuary cities threatened with loss of federal funding.

And, of course, start building that wall (and we'll figure out how not to pay for it later).

These all happened. There were other ideas floated that haven't so far happened, including reinstituting torture as an American policy and reopening those C.I.A. "black site" prisons overseas. The Muslim ban (or "extreme vetting") was also discussed, but hasn't been instituted yet. [Correction: this was just signed by Trump, as this article was being written.] No action yet on whether Trump will overturn the DACA rules for undocumented immigrants who came here as children. Oh, and Trump is threatening to "send in the Feds" (whatever that means) to police the streets of Chicago.

The Trump administration is cracking down, all over the executive branch, on what federal employees can say to the public, from the E.P.A. to the N.I.H. to the National Parks. This sort of thing is probably going to become more widespread, as time goes on, one would assume. If Trump can't handle reality about the size of his Inaugural crowd, then why should he have to look at facts which otherwise contradict what his brain tells him?

There's been a clean sweep of high-ranking officials at the State Department, as the Trump team "accepted the resignations" of several key people who have served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Looks like Rex Tillerson's going to bring in his own team, in other words, to run the world.

The House of Representatives very quietly shredded an ethics rule, and now they solely own (as "personal property") all their office's official paperwork (meaning it can't be used against them in court, somehow). This may make it impossible to prove things like using campaign funds for your own purposes, in the future. Not sure how this qualifies as "draining the swamp," personally.

You'd think that'd be a big story, but so far it hasn't been. There are quite a number of stories that haven't gotten much media attention this week, in fact.

But let's end on a more amusing note or three (and one final goodbye). Kellyanne Conway is many things, but we never thought that "bouncer" would be one of them. But apparently Kellyanne broke up a fight at an Inaugural ball -- by punching a guy in the face three times! So she's not just a pretty face, guys -- watch out!

One Inaugural demonstration was wildly successful, as eight thousand free joints were handed out to the crowd by a pro-marijuana group. Get fired up for Trump! Or something....

And at the local level, Republican Lan Diep was sworn in to the San Jose city council this week. With his Captain America shield in hand, no less! We have to applaud Diep not only for his political theater, but also his honesty. After stating that the shield "represents America's ideals and I do hope to aspire to those ideals of fair play, equal justice, and democracy during my term," Diep truthfully admitted: "But really, I just had this awesome shield and I wanted a chance to show it off." Nice.

And finally, the best memorial to Mary Tyler Moore came from Senator Al Franken, who tweeted out a photo of her statue in Minneapolis (at the intersection where the famous hat-flinging video was shot). We've actually seen this statue (when Netroots Nation was held in the city), and it was the first thing we thought of upon hearing the news of her death. She will indeed be missed.

 

Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week

We've got three Honorable Mention awards this week, before we get to the main event.

California Governor Jerry Brown gave a rip-snortin' "State of the State" speech this week, in which he denounced "alternative facts" and Trumpism in general. Democrats everywhere should follow Brown's eloquent lead.

Cenk Uygur is attempting to form what might be called the "Tea Party of the Left," launching a new group calling itself Justice Democrats. The purpose of this group is to run primary candidates against "corporate Democrats" who put Big Business and Wall Street ahead of protecting the little guy. Uygur explains further: "The aim in 2018 is to put a significant number of Justice Democrats in the Congress. The aim for 2020 is to more significantly take over the Democratic Party. If they're going to continue to be corporate Democrats, that's doomed for failure for the rest of time." First in their sights are the 13 Senate Democrats (Cory Booker among them) who recently voted against allowing prescription drugs to be purchased in Canada by Americans. We hope this group grows in influence over time, because it is exactly what the Democratic Party needs right now, in our opinion.

And the organizers and attendees of the hundreds of anti-Trump rallies last Saturday certainly deserve some kind of award. Worldwide, millions of people protested America's new president, which has got to have set records both for absolute size of demonstrations as well as how quickly they happened (one day after Trump was sworn in!). So everyone involved should give themselves a pat on the back, and we're going to give everyone a virtual Honorable Mention as well.

But the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and everyone else who put together a Democratic infrastructure bill to the tune of a trillion dollars. Schumer put his plan out before Trump could, which is good news, because now Trump's plan will have something to be compared to. If Trump truly is going to govern as a dealmaker, then this is how the process should start: Democrats lay down their own marker as a bargaining position at the start of the process. They likely won't get all they're asking for, but they'll also likely get Trump on board with stuff he probably would have ignored, as well.

For being so pro-active, and for approaching the table with a solid plan already in hand, Chuck Schumer and the rest of the Senate Democrats deserve this week's Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week award. We have no idea what the deal will look like in the end, but for now Schumer is making the right moves at the right time.

[Congratulate Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on his Senate contact page, to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]

 

Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week

We've likewise got two (Dis-)Honorable Mention awards to give out, for the widespread disappointment that was caused by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Sherrod Brown when they announced they'd be voting to confirm Ben Carson as head of Housing and Urban Development. Warren and Brown are highly regarded by progressives, so this was seen as a big slap in the face.

But we've got another progressive in mind for the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award. Representative Tulsi Gabbard -- a strong supporter of Bernie Sanders herself -- traveled this week to Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad. While there, she seemingly was fed propaganda by the regime, as CNN reported:

Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii met with President Bashar al-Assad during her secret trip to Syria last week and, now that she's returned, is downplaying his responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. "Whatever you think about President Assad, the fact is that he is the president of Syria," she told CNN's Jake Tapper last night. "In order for any possibility of a viable peace agreement to occur, there has to be a conversation with him." She added that the Syrians she met with told her there are "no moderate rebels" in the country.

Her comments were roundly condemned by other Democrats as being incredibly naive (at best). We have to agree, which is why Tulsi Gabbard is our Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week.

[Contact Representative Tulsi Gabbard on her House contact page, to let her know what you think of her actions.]

 

Friday Talking Points

Volume 422 (1/27/17)

OK, we've got a mixed bag here this week. To tell you the truth, so much has been happening that it's hard to keep track of it all. This is somewhat normal for the beginning of a new president's term, so hopefully things will calm down a bit in the coming weeks. For now, here's what we've got. As the battles in Congress shape up, Democratic talking points will have to get a lot more focused, but for now we're kind of all over the map (as is Trump).

 

1
   Were they grabbed?

Kellyanne Conway certainly turned some heads on Inauguration Day.

"Did you see Kellyanne Conway's dress for the Inauguration? At first glance, it looked like she was trying on what could be called the 'Minuteman look,' but when you looked closer you could see that those shiny buttons were actually... um... 'kitties,' let's say. No word yet on whether any of them were grabbed by our new president."

 

2
   Tiny is as tiny does

This obviously bugs Trump, so Democrats should bring it up at every conceivable opportunity.

"Anyone with eyes to see can tell that Donald Trump had only a small fraction of the crowd that came to see Barack Obama get sworn in to office. I mean, just look at any of the photos of the crowd size -- it's obvious! Trump may be incapable of seeing past his 'alternative facts,' but the rest of us can view reality just fine, thank you. Trump's crowd was as tiny as his little hands, in fact."

 

3
   Voter fraud begins at home

This is just too, too funny.

"Donald Trump is also on a rampage against what he calls 'voter fraud,' although that was later dialed back to just being concerned about the accuracy of the voter registration rolls. He's up in arms over things like people being registered in two states at the same time. Well, he won't have to look very far to begin to fix this particular problem, because two of his top advisors -- Steve Bannon and Steven Mnuchin -- are currently registered in two states. Even worse, Trump's own daughter Tiffany is also registered in two states. So it looks like all that 'voter fraud' hits pretty close to home, eh?"

 

4
   44,000 per year

This could become a rallying cry, if Democrats start using it regularly.

"I see that reality seems to be sinking in to the Republican caucus, as they are reportedly very worried that their so-called 'replacement' for Obamacare doesn't actually exist or doesn't cover nearly as many people. They're beginning to realize the reality of the situation, and are starting to get very worried about it is going to play out politically. Of course, this isn't stopping them from going ahead with their repeal efforts, even though a recent study showed that repealing Obamacare with no replacement would lead to the deaths of almost 44,000 people each and every year. So that's the stark choice Republicans are facing: be complicit in 44,000 unnecessary deaths every year, or perhaps rethink their basic position."

 

5
   What could possibly go wrong?

This is another nugget that needs a lot more exposure.

"I guess email security is only an issue when it affects Democrats. When Republican administrations do it, congressional Republicans just yawn and turn away. When George W. Bush was in office, members of his administration had private email accounts on private R.N.C. servers. This led to a whopping 22 million of them being erased at the end of his term. Now news comes that at least four key Trump advisors -- Kellyanne Conway, Jared Kushner, Sean Spicer and Steve Bannon -- all still have private accounts on the R.N.C. servers. So I guess all that hyperventilating over private emails during the presidential campaign is over now, huh?"

 

6
   Wait, who will pay?!?

This one is ripe for ridicule.

"Donald Trump's press secretary told the press that Trump is going to pay for his wall by slapping a tax of 20 percent on all products imported from Mexico. Somehow, this money will pay for his wall. There's only one thing, though -- this tax would not actually be paid by Mexico. It won't even be paid by companies in Mexico. It will, in fact, be paid by American consumers who have to shell out more for these products. So the American taxpayers are going to wind up paying for this wall one way or another, no matter what Trump may tell you differently."

 

7
   The secret plan

This last one is from the Washington Post "Plum Line" blog. Call it an expansion of the "Underpants Gnome Theory of Government," if you will. Here is Donald Trump's secret plan to build a border wall and make Mexico pay for it, in all its glory:

  1. Build something that is kind of a wall, even though it's really a wall only in a few places, but mostly a fence in other places, and some electronic surveillance in other places, and nothing at all in yet other places.
  2. Claim you've built the wall.
  3. Even though Mexico refuses to pay for it, find some fee or tax you can impose that relates to Mexico in some way, even if it's a fraction of the cost of your sort-of-wall, and even if it's paid by American taxpayers.
  4. Claim that Mexico paid for the wall.
  5. Victory!

Okay, this isn't the actual secret Trump plan, because as has become more than clear, there is no Trump plan. They're flying by the seat of their pants. But it's what’s going to happen.

-- Chris Weigant

 

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Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Cross-posted at: The Huffington Post

 

353 Comments on “Friday Talking Points [422] -- Tiny Hands, Tiny Crowds”

  1. [1] 
    neilm wrote:

    Muslims from middle east countries where Trump doesn't have a property have been banned from entry to the U.S.

    Syrian rebels have just renamed a building "Trump Tower" and put a "We Hate Putin" banner on it to get Russian bombers to attack it and confuse Trump.

  2. [2] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I wonder if the promise of America is still an operative phrase.

    I have argued forcefully in the past that there is no country on this planet that has the capacity and resilience to overtake America as the world's only superpower, in every sense of that word. Because what makes America great is not the size of its economy or the superiority of its military but the unparalleled greatness of its democratic ideals.

    America is the leader of the free world not because of the example of its power but because of the power of its example.

    There was a time not long ago when I believed that the promise of America could withstand a Trump presidency as it has withstood other challenges that have tested its moral authority and global leadership role. I still hope that is the case but I fear it may not be.

  3. [3] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    WA States' Gov. Inslee said

    "if President Trump's border wall is anything like his inauguration crowd assessment... it'll be 8 inches high"

    I love our governor!

  4. [4] 
    Chris Weigant wrote:

    ListenWhenYouHear -

    OK, now THAT was funny!

    :-)

    -CW

  5. [5] 
    neilm wrote:

    I still hope that is the case but I fear it may not be.

    The delusional display on the ABC interview was utterly bizarre. His playback of the CIA speech was one of the oddest things I've ever seen anybody do, let alone a President.

  6. [6] 
    neilm wrote:

    This is one time when 45 might equal 44,000.

  7. [7] 
    neilm wrote:

    They also seem to be leaking like a sieve, so we fully expect to hear more of these juicy stories in the near future.

    Can you imagine the bitching that is going on about the "old man" behind his back. This is probably why he wants his family patrolling around the White House - to try to catch the gossipers. It will only make things worse. There will be the "Trumpistas" and the "Republican Resistance" gangs in the White House and every so often one of the Trumpistas is going to snitch on somebody, who will be told "you're fired".

    After the display on ABC nobody can take this clown seriously - his career staff need to make sure they aren't tainted for life by association.

    It will be like the snide little in joke that Tom Price told when asked about the Obamacare Repeal plan that Trump told everybody they were working on together and were going to reveal as soon as Price was approved: "It’s true that he said that," Price said to laughter. "I’ve had conversations with the president about health care."

    Price cracked the whole place up - I wonder if Trump has figured out he was the butt of the joke yet. If he has then either Trump needs Price a lot more than he is letting on, or Trump has that good natured ability to laugh at himself. I'll let you figure out which I think.

  8. [8] 
    michale wrote:

    For all ya'all's whining and nit picking, guess what??

    Trump is still your President... :D

  9. [9] 
    michale wrote:

    The Democrats Retreat From Reality
    Column: Liberals cash in while the left takes control

    “Retreat” is an appropriate description of what took place in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, this week. Senate Democrats took a break from not confirming President Trump’s cabinet to visit this historic city in a state the president won by 40 points. According to Politico the assembled were scheduled to hear from associates of the Clinton family and to “hold lessons on how to talk to real people.” Oh to be a fly on the wall.

    I like to imagine Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer nodding sagely as Joe Manchin, the only Democratic senator with a modicum of common sense, asks a group of Trump voters to explain why calling people drug-addled unemployable racist misogynistic fascists is not, in fact, the best way to earn their votes. It’s moments like these when Barbara Boxer’s absence from the Democratic caucus would be most felt, I think. Faced with Trump supporters, the former California senator likely would respond with a hysterical and barely coherent monologue involving climate change, immigration, abortion rights, and gun control, all the while oblivious to the fact that these were the very issues that brought Trump to office. At least Boxer has pizzazz. These days the role of the clueless liberal proclaiming her moral supremacy over the déclassé is left to the nondescript, soporific, Dolores Umbridge-like Patty Murray. Here is yet another example of national decline.
    http://freebeacon.com/columns/democrats-retreat-reality/

    And THAT's the reason why Trump is still ya'all's President...

    Democrats are simply divorced from ANY semblance of reality...

  10. [10] 
    michale wrote:

    What a special relationship! Trump gets touchy-feely with Theresa as he declares 'great days lie ahead' and reveals he's meeting the Queen (let's just hope he keeps his hands to himself that day)
    PM has sealed her fledgling alliance with Donald Trump with a warm handshake at White House
    Signed the visitors' book before viewing a bust of Churchill the president has moved into the Oval Office
    Held a joint press conference and went to working lunch
    Earlier May laid wreath at Arlington National Cemetery before heading for first talks with Trump
    Says she hopes to have a close relationship with the new President because 'sometimes opposites attract'
    Urged Trump to beware of Vladimir Putin and called NATO 'the cornerstone of the West's defense'

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4164952/Trump-welcomes-Oval-Office-foreign-leader-May.html

    So much for ya'all's claims that Trump can't be president and can't conduct foreign policy...

    Another TRUMP IS TOAST prediction that is totally and completely decimated by FACTS....

  11. [11] 
    michale wrote:

    I mean, seriously..

    All I ask is that ya'all forgo the ideological blinders and look at things with cold and logical objectivity...

    According to ya'all Trump never did ANYTHING right in his life...

    Yet, he is the head of a WORLD WIDE GLOBAL business empire and his success and wealth is indisputable..

    According to ya'all, Trump is an evil Hitler con-man...

    Yet, he was able to beat out 17 GOP candidates for the GOP nomination...

    According to ya'all, Trump is a complete and utter fuck-up...

    And yet, he was able to beat THE BIGGEST and THE MEANEST and THE MOST WELL-FUNDED political juggernaut in the history of the world...

    Given these FACTS (and they all are indisputable facts) how can ANYONE take ya'all seriously???

    I mean, we have ya'all's hysterical and unfounded predictions that have NEVER been right...

    And, on the other hand, we have the FACTS and the REALITY of Donald Trump's indisputable success...

    So, being that ya'all are (hopefully) still in OBJECTIVE MODE......

    What's the ONLY possible and logical conclusion??

    Ya'all are wrong and are suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome...

    If there is a fault in my logic, by all means, point it out...

  12. [12] 
    michale wrote:

    It’s a mistake for observers in Washington and New York to fixate on Mr. Trump’s daily faux pas at the expense of the political meaning of what he’s doing. He’s changing the face of the GOP. It is a mistake, too, to see Mr. Trump’s tweet on how Chicago had better solve its problem with violent crime or he’ll “send in the Feds,” as merely stupid—just a tweet that raises the question “What does ‘send in the Feds’ mean?” If you’re a parent in a tough Chicago neighborhood, you’d be heartened to think the feds might help. You’d be happy the president noticed. You’d say, “Go, Trump!”

    And here is the important political point: Democrats don’t have a playbook for this. They have a playbook to use against normal Republicans: You’re cold, greedy, racist, sexist elitists who hate the little guy.

    They don’t have a playbook to use against a political figure like Mr. Trump yet, because he jumbles all the categories. Democrats will wobble around, see what works. For now they’ll stick with saying he’s scary, unstable, right-wing.

    It’s going to take them a while to develop a playbook against an independent populist, some of whose advisers hate Republicans more than they do.
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-tries-to-build-a-different-party-1485478386

    As to the first part, that's the EXACT mistake ya'all are making.. President Trump ropes ya'all with grandiose claims about crowd-sizes and illegal voters and ya'all chase yer tails responding to such meaningless drivel and then President Trump dopes ya'all with some real meaningful shit that patriotic Americans love, but ya'all are STILL playing with the rope stuff...

    Classic Rope-A-Dope that ya'all and the Left Wingery and the LameStreamMedia fall for every time...

    Which leads us into the second part where the Left ( and ya'all incidentally) are totally bamboozled and left like Chris Tucker in RUSH HOUR...

    "OK... Which one of ya'all kicked me??"

    The Democrat Party's ineffectiveness is on display for all to see.. After talking a great game, how many of Trump's nominees have been shot down???

    NONE... ZERO... ZILCH... NADA....

    If the Left is going to provide meaningful opposition to President Trump, they (and ya'all incidentally) need to wake up and realize that President Trump is kicking ya'all's ass...

    Time is short and 2018 is right around the corner.. And the playing field is NOT very friendly to the Democrat Party to begin with... And it's going to be unforgivably brutal if the Democrats show up with nothing but their dicks in their hands...

    I'm just sayin'...

  13. [13] 
    michale wrote:

    And if anyone REALLY needs any more factual evidence to support how bad Trump is kicking ass??

    First week of his presidency, President Trump's approval went from 45% to 59%....

    If that doesn't wake ya'all up, NOTHING will...

  14. [14] 
    neilm wrote:

    Trump's approval rating now at 36%. As I said, if it wasn't for the Syrian kids he is endangering and the 44,000 people a year he is going to kill this would be hilarious.

  15. [15] 
    michale wrote:

    Trump's approval rating now at 36%.

    Must be one of your "alternative facts"..

    Me?? I check the poll ya'all used for Hillary...

    PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL 59%

    The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 59% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-one percent (41%) disapprove.
    http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_a

    :D

  16. [16] 
    michale wrote:

    Trump's approval rating now at 36%.

    Even the RCP Poll Of Polls has Trump's approval at 42%....

    So, no matter how you slice it, yer wrong..

    But you illustrate my point perfectly..

    TDS... Trump Derangement Syndrome...

  17. [17] 
    neilm wrote:

    The "More or Less" BBC World Service podcast covered some crowd analysis numbers conducted by some crowd scientists from Manchester U.

    They have Trump's crowd at 160,000. On third of the Women's March on Saturday.

    The NY Times also reported the analysis - I'll bet staffers are hiding this from Trump and Fox News are careful to keep it off when they think Trump is watching.

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/22/us/politics/womens-march-trump-crowd-estimates.html?_r=0

  18. [18] 
    neilm wrote:

    So, no matter how you slice it, yer wrong..

    https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2420

    Read it and weep. Worst. President. Ever. And a national embarrassment - tell me you didn't cringe when you watched 45 in the ABC interview.

    Plus he doesn't seem to care about killing 44,000 people a year, and you still haven't explained the terrorist threat a 2 year old orphan girl from Syria poses.

  19. [19] 
    michale wrote:

    They have Trump's crowd at 160,000. On third of the Women's March on Saturday.

    Again.....

    So?????

    Plus he doesn't seem to care about killing 44,000 people a year, and you still haven't explained the terrorist threat a 2 year old orphan girl from Syria poses.

    Yes, I did.. But, as usual, you don't like it and have no response, so you claim I didn't address it....

    TDS strikes again....

  20. [20] 
    michale wrote:

    The NY Times also reported the analysis - I'll bet staffers are hiding this from Trump and Fox News are careful to keep it off when they think Trump is watching.

    The NY Times is nothing more than the propaganda wing of the Democrat Party...

    Nothing but fake news....

  21. [21] 
    neilm wrote:

    In other news, 45's Medicare replacement plan ties vouchers to general inflation, not medical inflation. In 2016 medical care inflation was down to 4-5% vs. general inflation running at about 2%.

    Might not seem much, but over 10 years this means that the cost of medical coverage will increase 49% while Trumpcare's (death) vouchers will only go up 23%.

    More blood on his hands - and this is old people who currently support 45 in larger numbers than the more educated younger population.

  22. [22] 
    neilm wrote:

    "Tornado-ravaged Mississippi still waiting on disaster relief after Trump promises to ‘expedite the process’"

    Seems he got distracted over his crowd sizes and how much the CIA loved his speech.

    The man can't organize a raffle. Who voted for this clown?

  23. [23] 
    michale wrote:

    The man can't organize a raffle. Who voted for this clown?

    Tens of millions of Odumbo voters...

  24. [24] 
    michale wrote:

    Don,

    The Left still believes that, if they throw enough money at it, they can accomplish anything...

    One would have thought that the 2016 Elections would have shown them the error of their ways...

  25. [25] 
    michale wrote:

    Might not seem much, but over 10 years this means that the cost of medical coverage will increase 49% while Trumpcare's (death) vouchers will only go up 23%.

    Yea... And TrainWreckCare had "death panels"...

    I honestly cannot believe you don't see how utterly and completely ya'all sound EXACTLY like hysterical Republicans afflicted with Obama Derangement Syndrome...

  26. [26] 
    neilm wrote:

    Tens of millions of Odumbo voters...

    That means 10's of millions of Republican voters voted for Hillary. More in fact, because Hillary won the popular vote by millions.

  27. [27] 
    michale wrote:

    That means 10's of millions of Republican voters voted for Hillary

    Whatever you have to tell yerself to make it thru the day... :D

    More in fact, because Hillary won the popular vote by millions.

    And if the vanity vote had any relevance, you would have a great point..

    But it doesn't so you don't...

  28. [28] 
    neilm wrote:

    TrainWreckCare had "death panels"...

    I know. As I've said so many times, if this didn't mean endangering innocent Syrian kids, mothers and fathers, plus killing 44,000 people including a lot of old people, it would be hilarious.

    You think after 8 years of "death panels", "birther" delegitimization, etc. etc. the Right-wingery are going to get to gloat without any blow back you are delusional.

    We intend to point out every person 45 kills. Every time the jobless rate climbs. Every increase in the "misery index" and every time his crowds are small and the protests are massive.

    It is going to be great (apart from all the dead people, obviously).

  29. [29] 
    neilm wrote:

    (and all the unemployed American, the poorer Americans, the sick Americans without medical coverage).

  30. [30] 
    neilm wrote:

    (the American mothers watching their kids suffer because they can't get access to medicines they need)

  31. [31] 
    neilm wrote:

    (the American fathers who wonder why the employment rate is going up but their President doesn't believe it so does nothing)

  32. [32] 
    neilm wrote:

    (the American retirees who see their death vouchers not covering their 45-care insurance payments they now need to pay since Medicare was turned into an insurance program for the wealthy)

  33. [33] 
    neilm wrote:

    So it isn't really going to be great, but I'm sure all the 45-itas will be happy with their new President.

  34. [34] 
    neilm wrote:

    And of course the downtrodden wealthy will finally get the tax breaks they need for that vital second private jet.

    Warms the cockles of my heart to think about those poor billionaires who have been huddling round the second mansion's fireplace lamenting that, with only one private jet, they have to choose between a vacation in France or one in Bali. And they have to go together.

    Now, with their new 45 Tax Plan they can do either. Or both.

  35. [35] 
    michale wrote:

    You think after 8 years of "death panels", "birther" delegitimization, etc. etc. the Right-wingery are going to get to gloat without any blow back you are delusional.

    Blowback all you want..

    But it doesn't change the fact that you are placing yerselves squarely in hysterical partisan camp....

    We intend to point out every person 45 kills. Every time the jobless rate climbs. Every increase in the "misery index" and every time his crowds are small and the protests are massive.

    And the fact that you IGNORED these exact same things when Odumbo was POTUS proves you really don't care about ANY of those things..

    You just want to attack Trump...

    It is going to be great (apart from all the dead people, obviously).

    The fact that you think it's "great" shows how far gone you are with Trump Derangement Syndrome...

  36. [36] 
    neilm wrote:

    And if the vanity vote had any relevance, you would have a great point..

    But it doesn't so you don't...

    Tell that to 45. He can't stop talking about it. It is hilarious, and if you think we are going to stop reminding you of your hero's kryptonite you are sadly mistaken.

    Why does 45 want to kill 44,000 Americans every year anyway?

  37. [37] 
    michale wrote:

    So it isn't really going to be great, but I'm sure all the 45-itas will be happy with their new President.

    Yep, we're ecstatic...

    I for one, am THRILLED that all my claims of Left Wingery hypocrisy is being proven dead on ballz accurate on a daily basis... :D

    If you didn't complain about any of those things when Odumbo did them, you have no moral or ethical foundation to complain about them when Trump does them...

  38. [38] 
    neilm wrote:

    45 Derangement Syndrome... or as I like to call it, annoying the Right-wingery.

  39. [39] 
    michale wrote:

    As long as you concede (which you just did) that there is nothing factual in yer hysteria, that it's ALL just to annoy... :D

    That's kewl.. Everyone needs a hobby.... :D

  40. [40] 
    michale wrote:
  41. [41] 
    michale wrote:

    I mean... If "annoying" is the name of the game...

    I can be annoying too!!! :D

  42. [42] 
    neilm wrote:

    Mr. Darweesh worked as an interpreter for the Army’s 101st Airborne Division in Baghdad and Mosul starting shortly after the invasion of Iraq on April 1, 2003. The filing said he had been directly targeted twice for working with the United States military.

    45 is undermining our military already - who is going to help our soldiers now when they are in combat ones if this is how they are going to be treated. This is going to make Americans less safe, not more.

    What a clown show.

  43. [43] 
    michale wrote:

    45 is undermining our military already - who is going to help our soldiers now when they are in combat ones if this is how they are going to be treated. This is going to make Americans less safe, not more.

    Since Mr Darweesh works with the US military, he understands the concept of keeping Americans safe...

    I am also constrained to point out that working for the US military IN NO WAY confirms that the person is not a terrorist... Many MANY BLUE ON BLUE attacks in Afghanistan prove that beyond any doubt...

    Regardless, President Trump promised he would keep Americans safe and he is keeping his promise...

    What more could ANY patriotic American ask of their President???

  44. [44] 
    neilm wrote:

    Regardless, President Trump promised he would keep Americans safe and he is keeping his promise...

    Let's see. If he wanted to keep Americans safe, maybe he could take away all the guns they are using to kill themselves with. And each other.

    Not for effective means of safety though, the Right Wingery won't give up their fetish in order to save 10,000's American lives a year, but get on a grandstand to celebrate hurting people who have a far less chance of hurting us and have in fact have helped our military.

    And they want to kill 44,000 American men, women and children every year.

  45. [45] 
    neilm wrote:

    I don't follow the mad ramblings of the clown in chief - so let me ask an expert, Michale, you speak clown, does 45 want to replace Medicare with death vouchers?

  46. [46] 
    michale wrote:

    Let's see. If he wanted to keep Americans safe, maybe he could take away all the guns they are using to kill themselves with. And each other.

    Yea... Cuz that works SO WELL in Chicago... :^/

    Gun bans in America do not work.. Even if you can by pass Constitutional issues, gun bans in America have been PROVEN not to work...

    The SCOTUS will be firmly Pro-2nd for the rest of our lives...

    The Hysterical Left are NEVER going to get their gun ban.... Get over it...

  47. [47] 
    michale wrote:

    I don't follow the mad ramblings of the clown in chief - so let me ask an expert, Michale, you speak clown, does 45 want to replace Medicare with death vouchers?

    As much as Odumbo wanted his Death Panels... :D

    And who are you kidding, Neil.. You speak CLOWN just fine...

    It's the language of Odumbo and the Demcorat Party... :D

  48. [48] 
    michale wrote:

    http://www.sheswithhim.com/Helen

    Why Democrats lost....

    Why they will continue to lose...

  49. [49] 
    neilm wrote:

    Yea... Cuz that works SO WELL in Chicago... :^/

    Uh, no - because guns are being used to kill everybody. Don't you follow the news?

    A program like Australia's would save 10,000's of American lives every year. Why are you in favor of killing 10,000's of Americans every year (in addition to the 44,000 you want to kill by repealing Obamacare?).

    Man, you must really hate America ;)

  50. [50] 
    michale wrote:

    Uh, no - because guns are being used to kill everybody. Don't you follow the news?

    But how can that be!!??? There is a de-facto GUN BAN in Chicago..

    So, maybe, when you ban guns, ONLY criminals will have guns...

    A program like Australia's would save 10,000's of American lives every year.

    Even though it's PROVEN that it won't work in the US...

    But, by all means, have your gun ban...

    Just get rid of the 2nd Amendment and yer home free...

  51. [51] 
    michale wrote:

    But thank you for coming out of the closet...

    The Hysterical Left screams over and over, "We don't want a gun ban!!!" when in fact, that's the ONLY thing that will satisfy the hysterical Left....

    As such, there is no sense in giving in on ANY anti-gun initiative because it will never be enough...

    Let me be perfectly clear..

    There will NEVER be a gun ban in the United States Of America....

    NEVER......

  52. [52] 
    michale wrote:

    "Admiral, are you sure it's not time for a colorful metaphor?"
    -Spock, STAR TREK VI: The Voyage Home

    :D

  53. [53] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Regardless, President Trump promised he would keep Americans safe and he is keeping his promise...

    Yeah, because orphan children who were adopted by our citizens are a real threat!

    And those people who have gone through the entire vetting process (over 2 years worth) and were going to be reunited with their families in the US are such a threat!

    And those with green cards (legal residents) are threats now, it appears.

    Twitler claimed that he was keeping people like those who caused 9/11 from entering our country and doing harm. It does seem odd that none of the countries that the 9/11 terrorists came from are on the ban list?!?!

    How, EXACTLY, is this making ANY of us safer?

  54. [54] 
    neilm wrote:

    The Hysterical Left screams over and over, "We don't want a gun ban!!!" when in fact, that's the ONLY thing that will satisfy the hysterical Left....

    If you want to stop 30,000 deaths/year a gun ban is the only plan.

    Do you have a better plan that get's us down to the levels of other civilized countries?

    Anyway, I don't want a complete gun ban, I want personal responsibility and third party insurance - that is the feasible plan for America.

  55. [55] 
    neilm wrote:

    Yeah, because orphan children who were adopted by our citizens are a real threat!

    The right wing are like my dog - you can get her worked up by shouting "squirrel" - for the right wing it is "terrorist!".

  56. [56] 
    neilm wrote:

    I'm waiting 45 - when are you going to make America as great as it was when Obama was President?

  57. [57] 
    michale wrote:

    How, EXACTLY, is this making ANY of us safer?

    Simple... Terrorism is not bound by country borders..

    Something Odumbo never learned..

    If you want to stop 30,000 deaths/year a gun ban is the only plan.

    No, if you want to create 30,000 gun VICTIMS a year that are defenseless at the hands of criminals, a gun ban is the only plan...

    A gun ban will not work here in the US..

    Chicago proves that...

    Do you have a better plan that get's us down to the levels of other civilized countries?

    Yes.. Mandatory executions for for anyone who commits a crime with a gun...

    That way, it's the CRIMINALS who are punished, not law abiding Americans..

    Anyway, I don't want a complete gun ban, I want personal responsibility and third party insurance - that is the feasible plan for America.

    No, it's a feasible plan for a gun ban...

    But hay.. You push that for Voting and I'll push it for gun ownership..

  58. [58] 
    michale wrote:

    I'm waiting 45 - when are you going to make America as great as it was when Obama was President?

    It's already WAY past Odumbo's idea of "great"....

    Odumbo's idea of "great" was America in the gutter...

  59. [59] 
    michale wrote:

    Yeah, because orphan children who were adopted by our citizens are a real threat!

    If it were JUST children, you would have a point.. But it's not, so you don't....

  60. [60] 
    michale wrote:

    And those people who have gone through the entire vetting process (over 2 years worth) and were going to be reunited with their families in the US are such a threat!

    And those with green cards (legal residents) are threats now, it appears.

    Twitler claimed that he was keeping people like those who caused 9/11 from entering our country and doing harm. It does seem odd that none of the countries that the 9/11 terrorists came from are on the ban list?!?!

    There's a new Sheriff in town, Sunshine...

    There will be a period of adjustment while the LAWS are enforced as they should be...

    Suck it up and deal with it...

  61. [61] 
    michale wrote:

    Ya'all claimed that Trump would NEVER push thru is extreme vetting protocols...

    Looks like ya'all were wrong AGAIN.... :D

  62. [62] 
    michale wrote:

    Suck it up and deal with it...

    That was ya'all's attitude when Obama was pushing this country deeper and deeper into the gutter...

    It's not much fun to be on the receiving end of it, is it??

  63. [63] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    So what does blocking refugees that have been vetted and were cleared to enter the country accomplish?

    Refugees are vetted first by the United Nations. Those that pass then get vetted by the National Counterterrorism Center, The Terrorist Screening Center, the Dept. of Defense, the FBI, and lastly by Dept. of Homeland Security.

    I guess Trump thinks that these agencies do not know what they are doing, because I cannot think of any other reason for banning those that were already cleared to come here.

  64. [64] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    If it were JUST children, you would have a point.. But it's not, so you don't....

    THAT is your response??? SERIOUSLY???

    So Twitler isn't smart enough to include exceptions to his orders, is that it? Should we ask Putin to rewrite it for him?

    I did read that ISIS recruiters applauded Trump's actions, so at least you are in good company with your support of it!

  65. [65] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Ya'all claimed that Trump would NEVER push thru is extreme vetting protocols...

    Looks like ya'all were wrong AGAIN.... :D

    It wasn't that I questioned whether or not it was possible to do this, I just assumed Trump wasn't really as dumb as he sounded by making the claims!

    You are right, Michale! Trump proves he is far dumber than I gave him credit for!

  66. [66] 
    neilm wrote:
  67. [67] 
    michale wrote:

    So what does blocking refugees that have been vetted and were cleared to enter the country accomplish?

    In makes EVERY POSSIBLE EFFORT to insure terrorists don't make it into this country..

    Is it foolproof?? Of course not..

    But if just ONE SINGLE terrorist is stopped, it will make all the inconvenience worth it..

    Refugees are vetted first by the United Nations.

    HA!!!! Now THAT is funny.... :D Thanx for the laugh...

    I guess Trump thinks that these agencies do not know what they are doing, because I cannot think of any other reason for banning those that were already cleared to come here.

    And all those agencies are on record as saying they don't have enough time to properly vet the refugees..

    NOW they do... Thanx to President Trump...

  68. [68] 
    michale wrote:

    You are right, Michale! Trump proves he is far dumber than I gave him credit for!

    And yet, his approval jumped 14 points in HIS FIRST WEEK...

    Looks like yer in the minority..

    But we already KNEW that.. :D

  69. [69] 
    michale wrote:

    You are right, Michale! Trump proves he is far dumber than I gave him credit for!

    And, if Trump is "dumb" that makes Hillary a TOTAL FRAKIN' MORON....

    And what does that say about the people who SUPPORTED that TOTAL FRAKIN' MORON??

    Ya'all just CAN'T win... I have the facts and reality on my side..

    "YOU CAN'T WIN!! I have god on my side!!!"
    Leland Gant, NEEDFUL THINGS

    :D

  70. [70] 
    michale wrote:

    I mean, seriously...

    Yer candidate lost to DONALD TRUMP!!!

    The embarrassment and shame must be unbearable for ya'all.... :D

    Still going for "annoying"... How'mi doing?? :D

  71. [71] 
    michale wrote:

    OR....

    Maybe we all can agree that being obnoxiously annoying doesn't foster good debate or discussions and we can leave the biting quips to the Sunday talk shows....

    I'm just sayin'...

  72. [72] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Mercifully, the Canadian government plans to step up and broaden the welcome mat for all those fleeing persecution.

    Which means that Trump will have to build another wall.

    Proud to be Canadian.

  73. [73] 
    michale wrote:

    Mercifully, the Canadian government plans to step up and broaden the welcome mat for all those fleeing persecution.

    I am not the praying type, but I'll pray for the safety of Canadians that they don't suffer an Orlando or a San Bernardino....

  74. [74] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    I am not the praying type, but I'll pray for the safety of Canadians that they don't suffer an Orlando or a San Bernardino....

    Of course Twitler didn't think to block people from the countries that these shooters were from.

    You are right, Michale! Trump proves he is far dumber than I gave him credit for!

    And yet, his approval jumped 14 points in HIS FIRST WEEK...

    So intelligence is measured by popularity now? Wow, you just keep lowering the bar!

    But if just ONE SINGLE terrorist is stopped, it will make all the inconvenience worth it..

    By this logic, you would support a gun ban. Oh, lemme guess.... "That's different!"

  75. [75] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "The NY Times is nothing more than the propaganda wing of the Democrat Party...

    Nothing but fake news...."

    Calling as respected and professional institution like the New York Times or the Washington Post "fake news" is what dictators do when they print something they don't like. That is a dangerous and dark path to be on for freedom and democracy.

  76. [76] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Indeed.

  77. [77] 
    michale wrote:

    Of course Twitler didn't think to block people from the countries that these shooters were from.

    Uh yea, he did...

    And, let's not forget that those attacks happened on Odumbo's watch....

    So intelligence is measured by popularity now? Wow, you just keep lowering the bar!

    It did during Odumbo's term... Who would have ever thought that ya'all would change yer standards when the POTUS has a -R after his name..

    Oh... wait... :D

    By this logic, you would support a gun ban. Oh, lemme guess.... "That's different!"

    Yes it is.. There is no Constitutional Right for terrorists to come to the United States...

    As much as the Left Wingery wishes there was... :^/

  78. [78] 
    michale wrote:

    Calling as respected and professional institution like the New York Times or the Washington Post "fake news" is what dictators do when they print something they don't like. That is a dangerous and dark path to be on for freedom and democracy.

    I calls em as I sees em..

    How many hit pieces on President Trump did the NY TIMES and WaPoop have to retract because they turned out to be 1000% BS??

    Bunches...

    NY Grimes and WaPoop epitomizes what the Left calls Fake News...

  79. [79] 
    michale wrote:

    That is a dangerous and dark path to be on for freedom and democracy.

    Of course, the Left Wingery has NO PROBLEM with demonizing Fox News and other such outlets that don't toe the Left Wingery line..

    You honestly don't see the blatant hypocrisy of your position??

  80. [80] 
    michale wrote:

    And, let's face the facts and reality here, people..

    ONLY the Left Wingery thinks that WaPoop and NY Grimes are "trusted" and "respected"...

    Patriotic Americans know that WaPoop and NY Grimes are nothing but the propaganda mouth-piece of the Left Wingery and the Democrat Party....

    "These are the facts of the case. And they are undisputed."
    -Captain Smilin' Jack Ross, A FEW GOOD MEN

  81. [81] 
    michale wrote:

    I have to say that I AM surprised to hear ya'all defending NY Grimes..

    If it was for the Grimes, we would have President Hillary Clinton and ya'all would be on Cloud Nine... :D

    So, tell me again how the Grimes is "trusted" and "respected"?? :D

  82. [82] 
    michale wrote:

    Border, ICE agents cheer Trump actions
    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/border-ice-agents-cheer-trump-actions/article/2613278

    That's what it's all about, people..

    The Odumbo Administration had scrooed over LEOs and people who put their lives on the line every day because of the namby pamby Left Wingery who believes that criminals, terrorists, rapists and murderers should have a better life than our LEOs....

    It's about time that the US caters to the brave men and women who put these scumbags away rather than the scumbags themselves...

    The Left Wingery barely pays lip service to honor our cops.... The Left Wingery is more anti-cop now than it has been at any time in history...

    Now President Trump is going to show the Left Wingery how to REALLY honor police....

    This is EXACTLY why we have President Trump and not President Clinton...

    "Elections have consequences..."
    -FORMER President Odumbo

  83. [83] 
    michale wrote:

    And let the Left Wingery whine fest begin...

    Hollywood Slams Donald Trump’s #MuslimBan as ‘Disgusting,’ ‘Disturbing’
    thewrap.com/hollywood-slams-donald-trump-muslim-ban/

    Journalists Meltdown, Cry Over Trump Refugee Executive Order
    dailycaller.com/2017/01/28/journalists-melt-down-cry-over-trump-refugee-executive-order/#ixzz4X8goCT2u

    I know, I know... Many of you don't like to read links that don't toe yer ideological line...

    Allow me to summarize the articles:

    http://tinyurl.com/h3t343c
    "WWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WAAAAAAAAAAAAA WAAAAAAAAAAAAA WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

  84. [84] 
    michale wrote:

    I honestly don't see what ya'all's snit is about..

    Odumbo banned people from Iraq in his administration...

    Carter banned people from Iran in his administration...

    I guess banning country's citizens from entering the US is only permissible when the POTUS has a '-D' after their name... :^/

    Once again, the hypocrisy is glaring and obvious...

  85. [85] 
    neilm wrote:

    I think we have an easy way to spot when 45 has really screwed up. Michale gets very active, starts defending attacks that nobody on this thread has made, and goes into a frenzy of false equivalency. Also the 'Odumbo' tag becomes very prevelent and there is an increase in the boo-hoo quotient.

    After yesterday's fiasco and the horrific publicity I'm not surprised.

  86. [86] 
    neilm wrote:

    boo-hoo quotient

    e.g. when it isn't fair to pick on poor little baby 45 because big bad Obama and Carter did it and we didn't complain then.

  87. [87] 
    neilm wrote:

    I honestly don't see what ya'all's snit is about..

    Well first nobody here is throwing a snit. However, given that this latest demonstration of hatred from 45 was declared illegal and all the completely innocent people his pathetic announcement inconvenienced at our airports are now free to enter the country, I can see why the Fox News crowd are upset. One week in and they keep losing. Crowd size at the inauguration. 45's own nominees cracking jokes about him. Hilarious leaks from inside the White House.

    If he wasn't trying to kill 44,000 Americans every year it would be a lot funnier.

  88. [88] 
    michale wrote:

    I think we have an easy way to spot when 45 has really screwed up. Michale gets very active, starts defending attacks that nobody on this thread has made, and goes into a frenzy of false equivalency.

    For example......????? :D

    Also the 'Odumbo' tag becomes very prevelent and there is an increase in the boo-hoo quotient.

    No, the Odumbo tag becomes very prevalent when I see the "Twitler" tag or the "Orange Facist" tag or the "Orange One" tag.....

    Hay, these are YA'ALL'S rules... I am just playing by them...

    e.g. when it isn't fair to pick on poor little baby 45 because big bad Obama and Carter did it and we didn't complain then.

    Exactly. It's called HYPOCRISY

    Look it up...

    It's especially damning for ya'all because ya'all's hypocrisy is based SOLELY and COMPLETELY on Party slavery...

    Well first nobody here is throwing a snit.

    The entire Left Wingery, including ya'all, are throwing a snit...

    However, given that this latest demonstration of hatred from 45 was declared illegal and all the completely innocent people his pathetic announcement inconvenienced at our airports are now free to enter the country,

    Except it wasn't... But feel free to hang on to that delusion.. The ruling from the court was VERY directed and ONLY applied to a VERY small group of people...

    Personally, I don't have a problem with the court's ruling...

    Trump took a lesson from Bush's actions in the immediate aftermath of 9/11...

    It's what GOOD LEADERSHIP is, my friend..

    Of course, you can be forgiven for not knowing that, being the Odumbo sycophant ya'all are... :D

    I can see why the Fox News crowd are upset. One week in and they keep losing.

    Except President Trump's approval rating has climbed almost 20 points in his FIRST WEEK of office..

    OUCH!!! THAT'S GOTTA HURT!!!

    :D

  89. [89] 
    michale wrote:

    I guess we're NOT done with "annoying"... :D

  90. [90] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    I guess banning country's citizens from entering the US is only permissible when the POTUS has a '-D' after their name... :^/

    allow me to rephrase: widespread protests about our horrific treatment of refugees should have occurred much, much sooner.

    if that's what you mean, then i agree, it should not have taken president trump publicly and visibly upping the ante for us to become outraged at the way our government treats political refugees. but hey, better late than never.

    JL

  91. [91] 
    michale wrote:

    allow me to rephrase: widespread protests about our horrific treatment of refugees should have occurred much, much sooner.

    Don't be silly!! The Left Wingery COULDN'T protest any earlier.. That would have been under The Messiah Odumbo The First's reign...

    CAN'T have that!!! Duh!!! :)

    if that's what you mean, then i agree, it should not have taken president trump publicly and visibly upping the ante for us to become outraged at the way our government treats political refugees. but hey, better late than never.

    If THAT was the reason, then you would have a point...

    But it's not, so you don't... :D

  92. [92] 
    michale wrote:

    If THAT was the reason, then you would have a point...

    But it's not, so you don't... :D

    To clarify, you and I *BOTH* know that the ONLY reason there were not protests under Odumbo's treatment of refugee's (which you, apparently find objectionable) is because the Left Wingery had it's nose so far up Odumbo's ass it was impossible to tell where The Left ended and Odumbo began....

    That's why I am saying your point misses the mark...

    "Just the facts.."
    -Joe Friday

  93. [93] 
    michale wrote:

    No, the Odumbo tag becomes very prevalent when I see the "Twitler" tag or the "Orange Facist" tag or the "Orange One" tag.....

    You see, this is another area where the hypocrisy shines thru..

    Ya'all want the freedom to call your President cutesy derogatory names, but ya'all get yer panties in a wad when someone calls yer messiah cutesy derogatory names...

    If you want the cutesy derogatory names to stop, then STOP the cutesy derogatory name calling...

    That means you call people out on it, REGARDLESS of whether or not that person is a member of the DEMOCRAT PARTY UBER ALLES club...

    It's not rocket science...

  94. [94] 
    michale wrote:

    It's real simple people...

    You didn't complain about a country ban during the Odumbo years, you have NO MORAL AUTHORITY whatsoever to complain about a country ban during President Trump's administration...

    I warned ya'all this would happen... I said back then, "if ya'all don't take a stand now, you lose ANY RIGHT to make a stand when a GOP POTUS is in office"... But did ya'all listen?? Nooooooooooooo

    So, now ya'all reap what you sowed... er.. sowen... .. have sowden....

    Whatever... :D

    The cat's on the other foot now!! :D

  95. [95] 
    michale wrote:

    Shireen Qudosi: Why Muslims back Trump on radical Islam

    The big picture is that refugee plight is a vehicle for radical Islamic terrorists who easily infiltrate the stream of hard-to-vet victims of war.

    Immigration, until President Trump's executive order, was arguably the largest security blind spot for America to date.

    President Trump’s security-driven agenda in the first week is a move welcomed by Muslims both domestically and abroad, many of whom have the same security concerns against growing Islamic extremism as Americans.

    When I talked about this with Pakistani-American activist Ali Abbas Taj, he stressed the need for the administration to push further by focusing on the underlying extremist groups: Salafis from the Middle East and Deobandis from South Asia.

    The focus on these two groups will help the administration avoid over-simplification under the banner of radical Islam.
    http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/01/28/shireen-qudosi-why-muslims-back-trump-on-radical-islam.html

    Of course, ya'all will believe this because to NOT believe it would be... how was it put???..... "a dangerous and dark path to be on for freedom and democracy."

    Right???

  96. [96] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    You didn't complain about a country ban during the [Obama] years, you have NO MORAL AUTHORITY whatsoever to complain about a country ban during President Trump's administration...

    What country ban are you talking about, Michale?

  97. [97] 
    michale wrote:

    What country ban are you talking about, Michale?

    In 2011, Obama banned all refugees from Iraq for 6 months...

  98. [98] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    If THAT was the reason, then you would have a point...

    But it's not, so you don't...

    ergo, since it was MY reason, you agree that i absolutely have a point. perhaps it wasn't someone else's reason, but i'm not speaking for them, i'm speaking for me. have i given you reason to doubt my sincerity? otherwise, how could you possibly know what my reason was? did you plant a computer chip in my head again? i told you to quit doing that!

    ;)
    JL

  99. [99] 
    michale wrote:

    Fourth, the Secretary of Treasury [State] and the Attorney General will invalidate all visas issued to Iranian citizens for future entry into the United States, effective today. We will not reissue visas, nor will we issue new visas, except for compelling and proven humanitarian reasons or where the national interest of our own country requires. This directive will be interpreted very strictly.
    -President Jimmy Carter, 1989

  100. [100] 
    michale wrote:

    ergo, since it was MY reason, you agree that i absolutely have a point.

    I thought you were interpreting MY reason, ergo.....

    If I thought wrong, I apologize...

    have i given you reason to doubt my sincerity?

    Never.. Ever... Not one single time... :D

    did you plant a computer chip in my head again? i told you to quit doing that!

    Just lookin' out for ya.... :D

  101. [101] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm going to require a link for that assertion, Michale.

  102. [102] 
    michale wrote:

    Liz,

    Hokay... I forgo links cuz I know you don't like them.. :D

    President Obama
    MORE HYPOCRISY: Obama Banned all Iraqi Refugees for 6 Months in 2011 – Liberals SAID NOTHING!
    thegatewaypundit.com/2017/01/hypocrisy-obama-banned-iraqi-refugees-6-months-2011-liberals-said-nothing/

    President Carter
    Sanctions Against Iran Remarks Announcing U.S. Actions. April 7, 1980
    presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=33233

    Six other times the US has banned immigrants
    Donald Trump's 'Muslim ban' is not the first time specific groups or nationalities have been blocked from the US.

    aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/01/times-banned-immigrants-170128183528941.html

    Additional examples are available...

    What Trump has done is nothing new...

  103. [103] 
    michale wrote:

    The Chinese Exclusion Act
    Signed by President Chester A Arthur, Signed 6 May 1862

    Teddy Roosevelt banned Anarchists after President McKinley was assassinated...

    Jewish refugees were banned by President Franklin D Roosevelt in the onset of WWII...

    The Internal Security Act passed by Congress in 1950 banned and deported communists...

    In 1987, President Reagan banned HIV positive persons and persons from countries that had a high level of HIV positive citizens from entering the US...

    And so on and so on and so on....

  104. [104] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    What Trump did is not what Obama did, Michale.

    At the very least, Trump went about this all wrong, causing chaos at airports around the world.

    And, once again, you are ignoring the all important context of what Obama and Trump did.

    You expect me to read the reports you cite? I would have expected you to cite more objective reports that have no political bent. Can you find any of those because I would be happy to read them.

  105. [105] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    The gatewaypundit?

    Please ...

  106. [106] 
    michale wrote:

    What Trump did is not what Obama did, Michale.

    Obama did EXACTLY what President Trump is doing...

    At the very least, Trump went about this all wrong, causing chaos at airports around the world.

    That's a judgement call... You may be right. But he IS the President and has the authority to do it as he sees fit..

    And, once again, you are ignoring the all important context of what Obama and Trump did.

    The context is identical.. Securing the United States and her citizens..

    You expect me to read the reports you cite? I would have expected you to cite more objective reports that have no political bent. Can you find any of those because I would be happy to read them.

    Al-Jazzeera is not objective enough???

    No, I don't have any Left Wingery-approved cites that criticize Obama or Carter for their actions..

    That's kinda part and parcel to the over all problem..

    The gatewaypundit?

    Please ...

    I'll remind you of that the next time you quote a Left Wingery rag like NY Grime or WaPoop.... :D

  107. [107] 
    michale wrote:

    The point is there is ample US precedent for President Trump to do EXACTLY what he did...

    If Odumbo hadn't let things get so bad with so many potential terrorists running around free, President Trump wouldn't have had to take such drastic action...

    It all comes back to the boneheaded moronic actions of the previous administration...

  108. [108] 
    neilm wrote:

    The false equivalency count is skyrocketing. Michale must really be desperate. The dawning of Michale's day of reason is approaching. It didn't take as long as I thought. Who expected 45 to be such a disaster?

  109. [109] 
    michale wrote:

    However, given that this latest demonstration of hatred from 45 was declared illegal and all the completely innocent people his pathetic announcement inconvenienced at our airports are now free to enter the country,

    Yea???

    Customs agents ignore judge, enforce Trump’s travel ban: ACLU
    http://nypost.com/2017/01/29/customs-agents-ignore-judge-enforce-trumps-travel-ban-aclu/

    Grunts on the line are telling the courts to FO and D.... :D

    What are ya'all going to do??? Advocate throwing ALL the men and women who are tasked with keeping this country safe, into jail??

    Yea.. THAT will play well with patriotic Americans.... :D

  110. [110] 
    neilm wrote:

    It all comes back to the boneheaded moronic actions of the previous administration.

    I'm loving it. 45's disasterous first week is Obama's fault.

  111. [111] 
    michale wrote:

    The false equivalency count is skyrocketing.

    Yea... Ya'all keep saying that..

    As usual, ya'all don't offer a SHRED of evidence to support your claim.. :D

    Who expected 45 to be such a disaster?

    It's only a disaster for the Democrat Party who won't be able to field a decent challenge for at LEAST a decade... :D

    You reap what you sow.... :D

  112. [112] 
    michale wrote:

    I'm loving it. 45's disasterous first week is Obama's fault

    Only someone enslaved by Democrat Party dogma would think that a GOP POTUS that has an almost 20 point raise in popularity in ONE WEEK would be a "disaster"... :D

  113. [113] 
    michale wrote:
  114. [114] 
    neilm wrote:

    Priebus is already walking back the "total" ban pretending 45 meant heavy petting.

    The wheels are coming off the bus but the driver refuses to believe reality. The passengers near the front of the bus are pretending to make the driver feel good because he is mentally unstable but those at the back are already texting home and telling it like it is.

    Worst President ever and we are only 9 days in.

  115. [115] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    The cat's on the other foot now!! :D

    Now that's a good turn of phrase.

    You reap what you sow...

    Indeed. Republicans always make it harder for folks who have to travel overseas. Reagan, Nixon, Bush, all had policies that were anathema to the rest of the world, and our poor ex-pats get the brunt of it. I can just imagine trying to defend the policies of Trump in a British pub, a French brasserie, or German gasthaus. eek.

    I imagine that most Trump voters stay pretty close to home. That's gotta be the explanation.

    And still Trump managed to not to ban anyone from any of the Muslim countries from which actual attacks on the US originated. It's like he went to grab Islam's pussy, and ended up with a handful of ass instead. Amazing.

  116. [116] 
    michale wrote:

    Now that's a good turn of phrase.

    Courtesy of MST3K :D

    Indeed. Republicans always make it harder for folks who have to travel overseas.

    Freedom don't come free...

    I can just imagine trying to defend the policies of Trump in a British pub, a French brasserie, or German gasthaus. eek.

    The fact that you feel the need to defend US policies to foreigners epitomizes the disconnect here...

    The policies are EASY to defend..

    AMERICA FIRST, BABY

    See??? Easy peezy, lemon squeezy... :D

    I imagine that most Trump voters stay pretty close to home. That's gotta be the explanation.

    Tens of millions of Trump voters were Odumbo voters...

  117. [117] 
    michale wrote:

    Priebus is already walking back the "total" ban pretending 45 meant heavy petting.

    Of course he is.. Because "total ban" was the hysterical cry from the Left Wingery..

    It's a very surgical targeted ban...

    Worst President ever and we are only 9 days in

    WOW... I am REALLY shocked you would say that!!!???

    "No, not really.. I can't back that up..."
    -Dr Evil

    :D

    Let's face it. You won't accept ANYTHING Trump does..

    Because you are a slave to Democrat Party ideology...

  118. [118] 
    michale wrote:

    But here's the thing and there is NO getting around it..

    The American people who are patriots are 1000% behind President Trump...

    If President Trump is not your president, then America is not your country...

    Don't let the door hit ya on the nether regions on yer way out.... :D

  119. [119] 
    michale wrote:

    Are we done with "annoying" yet??? :D

  120. [120] 
    neilm wrote:

    Whoo hoo - Michale - did you actually read the text of the executive order. Here is a little excerpt:

    I hereby suspend entry into the United States, as immigrants and nonimmigrants, of such persons for 90 days from the date of this order (excluding those foreign nationals traveling on diplomatic visas, North Atlantic Treaty Organization visas, C-2 visas for travel to the United Nations, and G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-4 visas).

    The C-x and G-x visas are diplomatic visas which, if banned, would mean that every other country could throw out all American diplomats and stop government officials, including 45 himself, from traveling.

    http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/28/politics/text-of-trump-executive-order-nation-ban-refugees/

    You really need to read the source documents. It is like your misunderstanding of border adjustments - if you don't read the legal text, you are trusting somebody else's agenda, and News Alert!!! there are people out there lying to you - especially on the right wing.

  121. [121] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    Are we done with "annoying" yet?

    Apparently not.

  122. [122] 
    michale wrote:

    Whoo hoo - Michale - did you actually read the text of the executive order. Here is a little excerpt:

    Like I said... President Trump is merely following the stragety outlined in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks...

    It's called GOOD LEADERSHIP, but you can be excused for not recognizing, what with the fact we haven't seen it in the last 8 years...

    Balthy,

    Are we done with "annoying" yet?

    Apparently not.

    I am ever hopeful.... :^/

  123. [123] 
    neilm wrote:

    Like I said... President Trump is merely following the stragety outlined in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks...

    But he didn't ban citizens of any of he countries involved in 9/11 (which he mentioned in the text, btw, in case you still haven't read it.

    The countries he banned had two things in common:

    1. None of their nationals have committed a terrorist act on American soil since and including 9/11

    2. None of them have Trump properties

    You're being hoodwinked by a con man. It is getting clearer and clearer to everybody but the fan boys.

  124. [124] 
    michale wrote:

    The countries he banned had two things in common:

    1. None of their nationals have committed a terrorist act on American soil since and including 9/11

    2. None of them have Trump properties

    And they are all hotbeds of terrorism....

    That alone justifies Trump's actions...

    You're being hoodwinked by a con man. It is getting clearer and clearer to everybody but the fan boys.

    You have been saying that for over a year...

    Redundancy breeds contempt.... :D

    Your "con man" kicked Hillary's ass.... Doesn't say much for her or your support for her, now does it... :D

  125. [125] 
    michale wrote:

    if you don't read the legal text, you are trusting somebody else's agenda, and News Alert!!! there are people out there lying to you - especially on the right wing.

    Yea.. The Left Wingery would *NEVER* lie to anyone, right???

    Do you honestly smell the BS yer shoveling??? :D

  126. [126] 
    michale wrote:

    The real shocker: Trump is a politician who delivers on his promises

    Here we are, barely a week into the Trump administration, and half of the country that opposed him during the election is quivering with rage. He’s building the wall! He’s banning immigration from some Muslim countries! He’s wrecking ObamaCare! He’s sacking top officials at the State Department! He’s threatening sanctuary cities! What’s going on here?

    It’s called: keeping his campaign promises.

    The answer is simple: we’ve become so inured to politicians lying to us to get elected that we find it hard to believe that the new man in the White House actually meant what he said — and can’t wait to get on with it.
    http://nypost.com/2017/01/28/trump-is-a-politician-who-delivers-on-his-promises/

    The American people are 1000% behind President Trump...

  127. [127] 
    neilm wrote:

    Yea.. The Left Wingery would *NEVER* lie to anyone, right???

    I said "especially" - you can tell this is correct because you are being told by your leaders to ignore historically fact-oriented mediums such as the NY Times, etc. If the BBC or The Economist were popular over here, they would be on your the list of banned reading from your great leader as well.

    Of course the left wing lie, which is why you need to be skeptical and read source documents - the text of executive orders, the underlying policy documents for corporate tax reform, the scientific papers on climate, etc.

    You have to educate yourself - not trust the website that makes you feel good.

    Try it for a week - what do you have to lose. Every time there is a discussion about a subject, take one hour and find source documents that people are interpreting for you and read them. It can be quite enlightening.

    Or are you scared the raw, unprocessed data might tarnish your hero worship?

  128. [128] 
    neilm wrote:

    The American people are 1000% 36% behind President Trump...

  129. [129] 
    michale wrote:

    I said "especially"

    Funny how you never mention all the Left Wingery lies, nor do you even CONDEMN them...

    Why is that???

    The American people are 1000% 36% behind President Trump...

    You can PROVE that, right??

    Of course you can't....

    :D

  130. [130] 
    neilm wrote:

    My favorite 45 quote of the week:

    "I got a standing ovation. In fact, they said it was the biggest standing ovation since Peyton Manning had won the Super Bowl and they said it was equal. I got a standing ovation. It lasted for a long period of time."

    Saddest thing I've read for years - this poor idiot is so desperate. It reeks of Shakespearian-like tragedy.

  131. [131] 
    neilm wrote:
  132. [132] 
    michale wrote:

    President Donald Trump begins his term with a negative 36 - 44 percent job approval rating from American voters, including a negative 33 - 50 percent rating from women, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today. Another 19 percent are undecided

    Your poll is 9 days old..

    His current standing is at 59%... So that's a 24 point rise in popularity...

    Gods, President Trump is da bomb!!!!! :D

  133. [133] 
    michale wrote:

    Saddest thing I've read for years - this poor idiot is so desperate. It reeks of Shakespearian-like tragedy.

    No... The saddest thing is that the Left Wingery is harping over such irrelevant minutiae.... :^/

  134. [134] 
    neilm wrote:

    I got a standing ovation.

    He failed to admit, or simply didn't know, that non-CIA 45-supporters were given most of the first three rows of seats and jumped up every time the dear leader threw out any red meat. CIA leadership near the front were far less enthusiastic.

    Authorities are pushing back against the perception that the CIA workforce was cheering for the president. They say the first three rows in front of the president were largely made up of supporters of Mr. Trump’s campaign.

    An official with knowledge of the make-up of the crowd says that there were about 40 people who’d been invited by the Trump, Mike Pence and Rep. Mike Pompeo teams. The Trump team originally expected Rep. Pompeo, R-Kansas, to be sworn in during the event as the next CIA director, but the vote to confirm him was delayed by Senate Democrats. Also sitting in the first several rows in front of the president was the CIA’s senior leadership, which was not cheering the remarks.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sources-say-theres-a-sense-of-unease-in-intel-community-after-trump-cia-visit/

  135. [135] 
    michale wrote:

    CBS News... The Dan Rather "Truth" Network..

    'nuff said....

  136. [136] 
    neilm wrote:

    Uh, no - the latest poll has Trump at 42% approve, 50% disapprove - minus 8%.

    And this is after he has been throwing red meat to the right wing - wait until he runs out of red meat to throw and the right wing go hungry for a couple of weeks.

    http://www.gallup.com/poll/201617/gallup-daily-trump-job-approval.aspx

  137. [137] 
    michale wrote:

    The documents were true. They were just forged
    -CBS NEWS

    Yea... REAL credible source ya got there... :D

  138. [138] 
    neilm wrote:

    CBS News..

    Can you prove it isn't true? The White House aren't denying it, why are you?

    Spicer lawyered up when asked about it and fumbled around about the "first row" but ran out of the room with an "I'll get back to you" then didn't.

  139. [139] 
    michale wrote:

    Uh, no - the latest poll has Trump at 42% approve, 50% disapprove - minus 8%.

    OK, so your 36% claim is old news and not relevant..

    Glad we got that cleared up...

    My poll currently stands at 55%....

    So, yer still wrong.. It's those darn pesky alternative facts you claim so much.. :D

    And this is after he has been throwing red meat to the right wing - wait until he runs out of red meat to throw and the right wing go hungry for a couple of weeks.

    TRUMP IS TOAST prediction #799

  140. [140] 
    michale wrote:

    Can you prove it isn't true? The White House aren't denying it, why are you?

    Odumbo is a secret manchurian candidate Muslim who failed to turn the US to sharia..

    Can you prove it ISN'T true??? :D

  141. [141] 
    michale wrote:

    The mere fact that it's from CBS NEWS is sufficient evidence to show it isn't true...

  142. [142] 
    michale wrote:

    Change is coming to America people...

    Sit down, shut up and hold on!!! :D

  143. [143] 
    neilm wrote:

    The saddest thing about the CIA speech, of course, was the fact that he talked about himself the whole time.

    The transcript is really bizarre (the 29/28 correction is about the number of months Trump has been campaigning):

    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-cia-speech-transcript/

  144. [144] 
    neilm wrote:

    My poll currently stands at 55%....

    Fail. No source.

  145. [145] 
    michale wrote:

    The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Forty-five percent (45%) disapprove.
    http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/trump_administration/prez_track_jan27

    Already posted it twice...

    Hopefully third time's the charm... :D

    The saddest thing about the CIA speech, of course, was the fact that he talked about himself the whole time.

    Yer mistaking the TRUMP speech with the ODUMBO speech.... :D

  146. [146] 
    neilm wrote:

    Let this sink in......

    Steve Bannon, of the alt-right (read: white supremacist) Breitbart, was just put on the National Security Council, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Security Director have been removed. Trump just replaced two of the most experienced defense chiefs with an openly-racist, former fake news writer. Oh, and he put his son-in-law on the Council too.

  147. [147] 
    neilm wrote:

    His current standing is at 59%... So that's a 24 point rise in popularity...

    So the 59% was a lie then?

  148. [148] 
    michale wrote:

    Of course, I would prefer to stick to the RCP Poll of Polls, but asking ya'all to stick with a SINGLE poll is useless...

    ESPECIALLY when it says something ya'all don't like....

  149. [149] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    It reeks of Shakespearian-like tragedy.

    "It is the part of men to fear and tremble
    When the most mighty gods by tokens send
    Such dreadful heralds to astonish us."

    - Casca, Julius Caesar, act 1, scene 3

  150. [150] 
    michale wrote:

    So the 59% was a lie then?

    As much as your 36% was a lie.. :D

    The 59% was accurate at the original time I posted it..

    It stands now at 55%...

    Which is still almost 20 points above what YOU still claim....

  151. [151] 
    michale wrote:

    Let this sink in......

    Steve Bannon, of the alt-right (read: white supremacist) Breitbart, was just put on the National Security Council, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Security Director have been removed. Trump just replaced two of the most experienced defense chiefs with an openly-racist, former fake news writer. Oh, and he put his son-in-law on the Council too.

    It sunk in fine the first time this propaganda was spewed....

    Trump is the President. He gets to choose his own staff.. You didn't complain when Black Panther radical Valerie Jarrett was advising Odumbo...

    You don't get to complain about President Trump's staff..

    At least, not with any credibility..

    ALL of your attacks are STRICTLY ideologically based...

    There is no rational argument there...

  152. [152] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    "You gods, it doth amaze me
    A man of such a feeble temper should
    So get the start of the majestic world
    And bear the palm alone."

    - Cassius, Julius Caesar, act 1, scene 2

  153. [153] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    "Three or four
    wenches where I stood cried, 'Alas, good soul!' and
    forgave him with all their hearts. But there's no
    heed to be taken of them; if Caesar had stabbed
    their mothers, they would have done no less."

    - Casca, Julius Caesar, act 1, scene 2

  154. [154] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    You don't get to complain about President Trump's staff..

    And neither you nor Bannon get to make the rules about that, thank goodness. Silly.

  155. [155] 
    michale wrote:

    And neither you nor Bannon get to make the rules about that, thank goodness. Silly.

    Yer right.. Allow me to clarify..

    Given ya'all's past statements, ya'all don't get to complain CREDIBLY about practically ANYTHING President Trump does...

  156. [156] 
    michale wrote:

    - Cassius, Julius Caesar, act 1, scene 2

    "No doubt about your memory, Mr Spock."
    -Admiral James T Kirk, STAR TREK IV:The Voyage Home

    :D

  157. [157] 
    michale wrote:

    Schumer tears up as he calls Trump's immigration ban 'mean-spirited'
    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/schumer-tears-up-as-he-calls-trumps-immigration-ban-mean-spirited/article/2613299#.WI4qJFGaZck.twitter

    Like I said..

    Waaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

    This ignorant moron was COMPLETELY silent when Odumbo banned Iraqis for 6 months..

    Hypocrite... Pure, unadulterated hypocrite...

  158. [158] 
    michale wrote:

    America First, Baby......

  159. [159] 
    michale wrote:

    Lemme know when we're going to stop being annoying... It's hard work..... :D

  160. [160] 
    michale wrote:

    I know, I know... I make it look so easy.... :D

  161. [161] 
    michale wrote:

    Regarding Trump's latest executive orders....

    There is the hysteria from the Left Wingery...

    http://tinyurl.com/zcxcdq6

    And then there are the FACTS.....

  162. [162] 
    neilm wrote:

    So, I'm thinking more MacBeth than Julius Caesar?

    With Bannon as Lady MacBeth?

    Or maybe King Lear with Ivanka as Cordelia and Ryan and McConnel as Goneril and Regan?

  163. [163] 
    neilm wrote:

    A tragedy at any rate. But maybe the first act is "Comedy of Errors".

  164. [164] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    Regarding Trump's latest executive orders....

    There is the hysteria from the Left Wingery...

    And then there are the FACTS..

    And then there's the inconvenient reality that much of what Trump is doing, while unbelievably short-sighted and destructive in the short term, can be undone later, that Trump's whole presidency could be short-circuited by a pile-up of ethical and legal concerns ranging (so far) from his failure to divest to nepotism, to his dealings with Russia prior to the election, to the unconstitutionality of much of what he's "ordering". His fights with the courts have barely started.

  165. [165] 
    michale wrote:

    Yea, ya'all have been predicting that since Trump announced his candidacy..

    How many times do ya'all have to be wrong before ya look in a mirror and say, "Maybe it's me??"

  166. [166] 
    michale wrote:

    And then there's the inconvenient reality that much of what Trump is doing, while unbelievably short-sighted and destructive in the short term, can be undone later, that Trump's whole presidency could be short-circuited by a pile-up of ethical and legal concerns ranging (so far) from his failure to divest to nepotism, to his dealings with Russia prior to the election, to the unconstitutionality of much of what he's "ordering". His fights with the courts have barely started.

    TRUMP IS TOAST prediction #823...

    I'll ask you the same question I asked Neil..

    How many times do ya'all have to be wrong before ya look in a mirror and say, "Maybe it's me??"

  167. [167] 
    neilm wrote:

    Regarding Trump's latest executive orders....

    There is the hysteria from the Left Wingery...

    http://tinyurl.com/zcxcdq6

    And then there are the FACTS....

    Yes, but then you haven't read the executive order, have you, so you are relying on the National Review to tell you what to believe.

    Why wasn't a process for exceptions put in place and the border patrol trained on how to escalate - but in a frenzy to stupidity 45 just had to sign his name on something. The 90 day nonsense is just for show, but it impacts real people and there is no guarantee that there will be any new criteria after 90 days.

    Look at the Obamacare fiasco where Republican governors and Republican Senators and Representatives are begging 45 to release the details of his replacement plan that is going to come: “It will be various segments, you understand, but will most likely be on the same day or the same week, but probably, the same day, could be the same hour.”

    Through the Looking Glass. King Lear. Comedy of Errors. You pick your classical reference.

  168. [168] 
    neilm wrote:

    His fights with the courts have barely started.

    45 will inadvertently be quoting Henry VI (Part II, act IV, Scene II, Line 73).

    Try to guess the line first (it is very famous).

    If you can't guess the line, here is a link:

    http://www.bartleby.com/73/1017.html

  169. [169] 
    michale wrote:

    I mean, seriously..

    Ya'all have been wrong **EVERY** time ya'all predicted Trump's demise..

    Why should I believe ANY of ya'all's predictions???

  170. [170] 
    michale wrote:

    Why wasn't a process for exceptions put in place and the border patrol trained on how to escalate - but in a frenzy to stupidity 45 just had to sign his name on something. The 90 day nonsense is just for show, but it impacts real people and there is no guarantee that there will be any new criteria after 90 days.

    I have already explained why..

    But you refuse to listen because you are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome...

  171. [171] 
    neilm wrote:

    Why should I believe ANY of ya'all's predictions???

    Because we only have to be right once, you have to be right every single time.

    Which Shakespeare play do you think will best represent 45's catastrophe?

  172. [172] 
    michale wrote:

    Yes, but then you haven't read the executive order, have you, so you are relying on the National Review to tell you what to believe.

    Do you have anything to refute what NRO is saying??

    Beyond yer irrational and hysterical TDS, I mean??

    No, you do not...

  173. [173] 
    neilm wrote:

    I have already explained why..

    You explained why a half-thought out policy that relied on significant exception handling was introduced with no training for the front line people who had to enact it on a Friday, causing chaos and a successful lawsuit to overturn it on a Saturday.

    Please do repeat your wisdom.

  174. [174] 
    michale wrote:

    Because we only have to be right once, you have to be right every single time.

    And so far, I have been right EVERY SINGLE TIME....

    :D

    But, what you are saying is that you are just throwing everything up against the wall, not believing most of it, just hoping that EVENTUALLY, something will stick..

    Yea, that's kinda what I figured.... :D

    Which Shakespeare play do you think will best represent 45's catastrophe?

    Yea.. Like *I* know Shakespeare.... Have you met me!??? :D

  175. [175] 
    neilm wrote:

    But you refuse to listen because you are suffering from LMFAO at Trump Derangement Syndrome...

    There we go.

  176. [176] 
    michale wrote:

    You explained why a half-thought out policy that relied on significant exception handling was introduced with no training for the front line people who had to enact it on a Friday, causing chaos and a successful lawsuit to overturn it on a Saturday.

    No... I explained the logic beyond taking everything down at once and then worry about the exceptions later...

    I also explained that your "facts" are nothing but TDS induced hysteria and has nothing to do with the REAL facts or reality...

  177. [177] 
    neilm wrote:

    Yea.. Like *I* know Shakespeare.... Have you met me!??? :D

    Dude, I'd LOVE to take you to some Shakespeare plays - they are so much better seen on the live stage - the language, which seems so archaic on paper, comes to life with high quality actors who wrap you up and bring you along.

    There is a goos reason Shakespeare is revered - it isn't the beauty of the prose, although he is the master of that, it is the intense story telling - think George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott all rolled into one and you are half way there.

    :)

  178. [178] 
    michale wrote:

    But you refuse to listen because you are suffering from LMFAO at Trump Derangement Syndrome...

    I am always ready to listen...

    But, as you yourself pointed out, yer just pushing buttons to annoy the Right Wingery and just throwing every possible crap theory up against the wall in hopes that SOMETHING sticks, so I don't really know what you actually believe...

    Until such time as you are ready to come down to earth and be rational and logical, we'll just continue to push buttons and be annoying... :D

  179. [179] 
    michale wrote:

    There is a goos reason Shakespeare is revered

    Maybe in your circles..

    In my circles, Shakespeare is FAR from revered... :D

    Although I have been known to quote a bit of John Greenleaf Whittier...

    For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.

  180. [180] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Just re-watched Trump's CIA address and his comment about us getting another chance to steal their oil made me wonder:

    Who else here thinks that when we send troops into Syria to help Russia put down ISIS that we will somehow end up taking over Iraqi oil fields as a way to keep ISIS from using the oil to fund their activities???

  181. [181] 
    michale wrote:

    Until such time as you are ready to come down to earth and be rational and logical, we'll just continue to push buttons and be annoying... :D

    I find that fun too... :D

  182. [182] 
    michale wrote:

    Who else here thinks that when we send troops into Syria to help Russia put down ISIS that we will somehow end up taking over Iraqi oil fields as a way to keep ISIS from using the oil to fund their activities???

    Absolutely!!!!

    Damn great idea!!!!!

    And then President Trump will launch a bunch of nuclear missiles as fireworks.....

    Do you guys really hear yerselves????

  183. [183] 
    michale wrote:

    OH!!! Oh!!!! Here's an even BETTER idea!!!!

    President Trump could launch the nuclear missiles *AT THE OIL FIELDS*!!!!!! That will REALLY deny ISIS access to the oil fields forever!!!!

    Like I said... Ya'all really need to take a step back from yerselves and see how utterly whacked ya'all sound...

  184. [184] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    "Now President Trump is going to show the Left Wingery how to REALLY honor police...."

    By bashing Chicago PD for not stopping the murders in that city and threatening to "send in the Fed's" because Bill O'Reilly suggested that should be done?

    [104] The Chinese Exclusion Act
    Signed by President Chester A Arthur, Signed 6 May 1862

    Teddy Roosevelt banned Anarchists after President McKinley was assassinated...

    Jewish refugees were banned by President Franklin D Roosevelt in the onset of WWII...

    The Internal Security Act passed by Congress in 1950 banned and deported communists...

    In 1987, President Reagan banned HIV positive persons and persons from countries that had a high level of HIV positive citizens from entering the US...

    And so on and so on and so on....

    And Trump's order will be seen as being just as stupid of a move as all of the ones you listed are by historians! Thank you for proving our point for us!

  185. [185] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    I was thinking more 'Julius Caesar' than Lear, for sure. But I have to say, Lear is a thoughtful choice, particularly the choice of Ivanka as Cordelia.

    I'm on the fence about MacBeth.

    The parallels between Shakespeare's description of Caesar and Trump are uncanny. Act 1 of JC is a blow-by-blow description of the horror that Democrats feel after seeing a self-aggrandizing demagogue take office.

    The thing is, which ending is more tragic? Lear ends with sensible hands taking the reins of government; Julius Caesar, however, ends with the empire in the hands of Anthony (Bannon?) and Octavian (Pence)- each a would-be dictator himself.

  186. [186] 
    michale wrote:

    By bashing Chicago PD for not stopping the murders in that city and threatening to "send in the Fed's" because Bill O'Reilly suggested that should be done?

    No, by bashing Chicago Liberal so-called "leaders" for being absolute MORONS...

    And Trump's order will be seen as being just as stupid of a move as all of the ones you listed are by historians! Thank you for proving our point for us!

    "being stupid" is a political judgement that depends on ideology..

    The fact is, as you just confirmed, there is ample precedent for President Trump's actions...

    Just like there was ample precedent when President Carter did it and there was ample precedent when President Odumbo did it...

    That's my point, which you just confirmed...

    History will judge how "stupid" it was.... Not a bunch of crying whining hysterical Left Wingers....

  187. [187] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    The fact is, as you just confirmed, there is ample precedent for President Trump's actions.

    Oh, come on. You're saying that approving a break-in to the DNC for dirt to use in his campaign had 'precedent'?

    Oh, wait...

  188. [188] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Of course Twitler didn't think to block people from the countries that these shooters were from.

    Uh yea, he did...

    Uhhhh...no, no he didn't!

    Why aren't Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, or Pakistan on the list? Is it by chance that countries that Trump has business dealings with failed to make it on the ban list?

  189. [189] 
    michale wrote:

    Oh, come on. You're saying that approving a break-in to the DNC for dirt to use in his campaign had 'precedent'?

    Neil..??? You complained about non sequitors before...

    You wanna field this???

    Balthy,

    No.. I am saying that the hysterical whiney crying Left Wingers who are screaming hysterically that this has never been done in the history of the country are utterly and completely full of shit...

    Do you dispute THAT or not??

    If you do, please lose the hysteria and bring some FACTS to the discussion...

  190. [190] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    The fact is, as you just confirmed, there is ample precedent for President Trump's actions...

    No one claimed that there wasn't precedent of presidents making horrible decisions. You were the person who chose to compare Trump's EO with these acts, maybe you want to find some that aren't an embarrassment.

  191. [191] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    No.. I am saying that the hysterical whiney crying Left Wingers who are screaming hysterically that this has never been done in the history of the country are utterly and completely full of shit...

    Do you dispute THAT or not??

    If you do, please lose the hysteria and bring some FACTS to the discussion...

    Who here claimed that no President has ever barred a group of people from entering our country? Oh wait, no one did, but this is how you avoid having to actually address points that you cannot defend.

  192. [192] 
    michale wrote:

    No one claimed that there wasn't precedent of presidents making horrible decisions.

    Yes, people did...

    The fact is, this is nothing new... Presidents up to Obama has done the exact same thing...

    Who here claimed that no President has ever barred a group of people from entering our country?

    What Trump did is not what Obama did, Michale.

    Comment #105

  193. [193] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "The mere fact that it's from CBS NEWS is sufficient evidence to show it isn't true..."

    SO, by that line of reasoning, the mere FACT that you cite ANYTHING from FOX News is sufficient reason to prove that it isn't true, right????

  194. [194] 
    michale wrote:

    Who here claimed that no President has ever barred a group of people from entering our country? Oh wait, no one did, but this is how you avoid having to actually address points that you cannot defend.

    Says the guy who will ignore the above comment cuz it proves him wrong.. :D

  195. [195] 
    michale wrote:

    SO, by that line of reasoning, the mere FACT that you cite ANYTHING from FOX News is sufficient reason to prove that it isn't true, right????

    Yep, according to the Left Wingery..

    NOW yer getting it... :D

  196. [196] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "Yes it is.. There is no Constitutional Right for terrorists to come to the United States..."

    Except it did way more than that. It was overly broad. It also went against the advice of his own counsel. The White House didn’t consult with the Office of Legal Counsel, the Department of Justice component that advises the executive branch on policy, prior to Trump’s signing of the order on Friday. And two of Trump’s closest advisers, Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller, overruled Department of Homeland Security officials who had concluded that the executive order shouldn’t bar legal permanent residents from the affected countries from entering the U.S.

    For example: Fatima Ebrahimi, an Iranian citizen who has been living in the U.S. for six years, emerged from the CBP holding area with her two young children, one of whom was disabled, shortly before midnight. Although she is a legal permanent resident from Bethesda, Maryland, and her two children are U.S. citizens, they were detained for about five hours.

  197. [197] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    'How many hit pieces on President Trump did the NY TIMES and WaPoop have to retract because they turned out to be 1000% BS??"

    Cite?

  198. [198] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "You honestly don't see the blatant hypocrisy of your position??"

    Since I have never called Fox News, "fake news" no I don't.

  199. [199] 
    michale wrote:

    Except it did way more than that. It was overly broad.

    Just like the order to ground all planes, including medical transports, was overly broad...

    The idea is to shut it ALL down and then bring up the legitimate and urgent activities as is permitted..

    Classic lock down protocols.. For those who know and understand these procedures..

    Like I said... If Odumbo hadn't let things get so bad, such emergency lockdowns would not have been necessary...

    For example: Fatima Ebrahimi, an Iranian citizen who has been living in the U.S. for six years, emerged from the CBP holding area with her two young children, one of whom was disabled, shortly before midnight. Although she is a legal permanent resident from Bethesda, Maryland, and her two children are U.S. citizens, they were detained for about five hours.

    Big whoop... I am sure she will die because of that, right?? :^/

    Tell ya what.. Pretend she is a Trump supporter..

    NOW tell me how much the Left Wingery cares..

    Not a damn bit....

  200. [200] 
    michale wrote:

    Since I have never called Fox News, "fake news" no I don't.

    Have you ever disputed when anyone else called Fox News, "fake news"???

    No you haven't..

    Ergo... You do...

  201. [201] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "Except it wasn't... But feel free to hang on to that delusion.. The ruling from the court was VERY directed and ONLY applied to a VERY small group of people..."

    Except, you are WRONG. For one thing, there were MULTIPLE court rulings across several jurisdictions.

    A federal judge in Brooklyn temporarily halted parts of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order. The NATIONWIDE stay specifically forbids the federal government from deporting refugees who have been cleared by immigration authorities to enter the country. It also protects “holders of valid immigrant and non-immigrant visas, and other individuals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, [who are] legally authorized to enter the United States.”

    In Massachusetts in the hours after midnight Sunday, TWO federal judges there decreed that travelers who are legally authorized to be in the United States shouldn’t be detained at or deported from Logan International Airport for a period of seven days.

    In Virginia, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema allowed between 50 and 60 legal permanent residents detained at Washington Dulles International Airport to contact lawyers and family members, and halted their deportations for seven days.

    Finally, in Seattle, U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly halted the deportation of two travelers who had sought a declaration that their detentions were illegal. The judge set a hearing for next week to determine the next steps in the case.

  202. [202] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "Tens of millions of Trump voters were Odumbo voters..."

    And how many of them are already experiencing buyer's remorse???

  203. [203] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "The American people who are patriots are 1000% behind President Trump..."

    That sort of characterization is very dangerous. It implies that if you just politically disagree with someone, you are somehow akin to treasonous, i.e. not patriotic or a "real" American.

  204. [204] 
    John M wrote:

    The following quote is from Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, The Drumhead; It is cited by Picard and attributed to the fictional Judge Aaron Satie:

    "With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably."

    Picard, quoting Judge Aaron Satie

  205. [205] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    Just like the order to ground all planes, including medical transports, was overly broad...

    T"he idea is to shut it ALL down and then bring up the legitimate and urgent activities as is permitted..

    Classic lock down protocols.. For those who know and understand these procedures..

    Like I said... If Odumbo hadn't let things get so bad, such emergency lockdowns would not have been necessary..."

    EXCEPT, what you are talking about, took place under BUSH, NOT OBAMA, if you mean 9/11 and the order to ground all planes and close American airspace.

  206. [206] 
    neilm wrote:

    Schumer tears up as he calls Trump's immigration ban 'mean-spirited'

    I mean it isn't like a lot of Jewish people, including Anne Frank, were denied access to the US as refugees then murdered after all ... oh wait.

  207. [207] 
    neilm wrote:

    45 is the he most hated man on the planet at the moment (source: common sense, i.e. the same as he uses to spread hatred and division).

    What a loser. He is making America Last. Putting out troops and citizens in danger.

    Long live the Rebel Alliance. Emperor Palestine 45 is the dark side.

  208. [208] 
    neilm wrote:

    Palentine. Damn autocorrect.

  209. [209] 
    michale wrote:

    Palentine. Damn autocorrect.

    Palpatine...

    What kind of SciFi geek ARE you!?? :D

  210. [210] 
    michale wrote:

    EXCEPT, what you are talking about, took place under BUSH, NOT OBAMA, if you mean 9/11 and the order to ground all planes and close American airspace.

    Exactly.. Bush did it right..

    Odumbo frak'ed it all up...

    President Trump is simply following proper protocols and procedures..

    At least, for those who understand good leadership procedures..

    My guess is it's not President Trump who is directing this, but leadership in the Pentagon.. President Trump is not that well versed in procedure and leadership but he has proven he will defer to the experts when the rubber hits the road...

    We have a good President here... Definitely a Senator Amadala...

  211. [211] 
    michale wrote:

    A federal judge in Brooklyn temporarily halted parts of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order. The NATIONWIDE stay specifically forbids the federal government from deporting refugees who have been cleared by immigration authorities to enter the country. It also protects “holders of valid immigrant and non-immigrant visas, and other individuals from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, [who are] legally authorized to enter the United States.”

    In Massachusetts in the hours after midnight Sunday, TWO federal judges there decreed that travelers who are legally authorized to be in the United States shouldn’t be detained at or deported from Logan International Airport for a period of seven days.

    In Virginia, U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema allowed between 50 and 60 legal permanent residents detained at Washington Dulles International Airport to contact lawyers and family members, and halted their deportations for seven days.

    Finally, in Seattle, U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly halted the deportation of two travelers who had sought a declaration that their detentions were illegal. The judge set a hearing for next week to determine the next steps in the case.

    And DHS is ignoring ALL of them and obeying the orders of the Commander In Chief... :D

    CRY, DEMOCRATS, CRY!!! :D

  212. [212] 
    michale wrote:

    Neil,

    I mean it isn't like a lot of Jewish people, including Anne Frank, were denied access to the US as refugees then murdered after all ... oh wait.

    And it wasn't like it was a DEMOCRAT who denied them access so they could be murdered after all...

    oh wait... It WAS a Democrat....

  213. [213] 
    michale wrote:

    Palentine. Damn autocorrect.

    Palpatine...

    What kind of SciFi geek ARE you!?? :D

    Just kidding, Neil... I know you are the geekiest of the SciFi geeks... :D

  214. [214] 
    michale wrote:

    COPS CHEER... SCHUMER CRIES

    That says how awesome of a week it was!!! :D

  215. [215] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    Like I said... If Odumbo hadn't let things get so bad, such emergency lockdowns would not have been necessary..

    Please tell me how Obama "let things get so bad", and please use only examples of terrorists from countries on Trump's 'banned' list. Hyperbolic fiction postulated to justify the 'emergency lockdowns'. It's not like we never saw this play out before, Mike.

  216. [216] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "And DHS is ignoring ALL of them and obeying the orders of the Commander In Chief... :D

    CRY, DEMOCRATS, CRY!!! :D"

    WRONG AGAIN! In a statement released early Sunday morning, the Department of Homeland Security said that it would comply with the court orders,

  217. [217] 
    michale wrote:

    Besides, what's the worry???

    Canada says they are going to take all the refugees..

    So there is absolutely NO PROBLEM here....

  218. [218] 
    michale wrote:

    Please tell me how Obama "let things get so bad", and please use only examples of terrorists from countries on Trump's 'banned' list.

    Sorry, sunshine..

    It's ODUMBO's list that President Trump is working from...

    Hyperbolic fiction postulated to justify the 'emergency lockdowns'. It's not like we never saw this play out before, Mike.

    He's the President.. It's his call...

    If YOUR candidate had won, she could have done it differently..

    Suck it up...

  219. [219] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    I'm sure that making someone cry is an awesome week for a schoolyard bully. For a president, it's a childish and obnoxious sentiment, meaning that your ignorant and foolish actions remind folks of the time that many of their people died horribly as a result of similar foolish and obnoxious policies.

    How is this playing out in Israel? Is Netanyahu squirming politically yet?

  220. [220] 
    michale wrote:

    WRONG AGAIN! In a statement released early Sunday morning, the Department of Homeland Security said that it would comply with the court orders,

    ACLU is whining that DHS is not complying..

    Yer right though. That's probably just normal Left Wingery whining... :D

  221. [221] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    Suck it up...

    You should say that in the original German. Sounds better.

  222. [222] 
    michale wrote:

    I'm off now.. Lovely wife and I are going to watch PATRIOTS DAY... Looks to be a great movie..

    See ya'all in the AM :D

  223. [223] 
    Paula wrote:

    So hey y'all!

    Can't stay long. After the election I damned near had a nervous breakdown. I have never, ever felt that kind of despair. As a result I went offline to recover and recharge. I went to none of my normal online outlets and, since I don't do TV, didn't watch any news. I felt, having volunteered intensively for HRC I had earned a rest and that others, who appeared to be newly activated, could step in. (Summit County, OH, where I volunteered, DID go for HRC. Perhaps a molecule of comfort there.)

    My sister in D.C. got involved in the Women's March and wanted me and hubby to come down. I had no heart for it. She kept working on me. In the end I didn't go, but I knit my pink hat and walked around my neighborhood in it, and watched the coverage online -- C-Span, DailyKOS etc., and spoke at length to my sister that night.

    It was awesome and it helped tip me back into political activity. I am thrilled with the forms of resistance I'm seeing. I am relieved to know there are so many Americans who are not fucking fascist/idiots. I am by no means complacent but I am no longer hopeless about the ultimate outcome of this disaster.

    I have been saying for years now that too many people were refusing to take seriously the threat represented by the GOP Machine -- by the complete abandonment of honesty, with all that inevitably follows when people in places of power, with platforms, embrace dishonesty. When idiots like Michale begin to multiply.

    Too, too many Americans treated it all as a joke. As fringe. As "politics as usual". They retreated into "both sides do it". And blah, blah, blah. Well now we're here. Actually experiencing pretty much a coup in the United States of America. And we don't know how far it will go before it ends.

    BTW, Bernie-bros -- a giant "thanks for helping Trump win" while I'm here. You just wouldn't see that Hillary Clinton was the GOP's first long-term experiment in "how to destroy Democrat leaders with the help of other Democrats". All the shit they were doing to her you guys went along with and amplified. You were played just like the righties are continually played.

    But, water under the bridge now. Re-fighting the primaries is a waste of time, as is talking to meatheads like Michale. If he has the intelligence God gave amoebas, he will eventually notice real events taking place as opposed to the FOX versions of those events. Then he can apologize to us all, and atone. Otherwise he will be swept away when the real revolution comes, which ain't going to be a bunch of white-male-gun-nut-chumps who think Donald Trump is a savior, doing anything. It will come from the millions of Americans who have come to realize how much they have to lose and who the perps really are and who aren't going to stand for it.

    God Bless the idea of America and God Damn every traitor who helps the Trump/Pence/GOP Crime Syndicate destroy this republic.

    Later!

  224. [224] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "And DHS is ignoring ALL of them and obeying the orders of the Commander In Chief... :D

    CRY, DEMOCRATS, CRY!!! :D"

    Shame on you! That should be CRY AMERICANS CRY. If you are cheering on executive branch agencies defying court orders, then you are also cheering on their ignoring the rule of law, and cheering on their contempt for the U.S. constitution, and cheering on the death of freedom and democracy in America, if you support that Federal agencies can do whatever the hell they want with impunity and just make up stuff as they go along. REALLY Michale!!!

  225. [225] 
    John M wrote:

    Let me be the first to say, Welcome Back Paula!!! At least some of us missed you!

  226. [226] 
    Balthasar wrote:

    [224] Paula! Glad to see ya! Glad you have a hat! As usual, agree with everything.

  227. [227] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I hear ya, Paula ... :(

  228. [228] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    ... but, Paula, this is ALL her fault, you know ...

  229. [229] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    ... for being such an inordinately awful candidate who remains clueless about why she lost!

    UNBELIEVABLE!!!

  230. [230] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, that's the last thing I have to say about her and her campaign sabotaging husband.

    I'm trying hard to forget about the Clintons.

  231. [231] 
    altohone wrote:

    nypoet22

    I brought this forward for you.

    No, actually.

    The troll has memory problems, but in reality, he started it... originally, and in this round of lovely banter.
    I don't expect you to keep track though nypoet.

    The funny thing is, I called the troll out when he lied about me by lumping Don and I in with the Hillary Democrats here when he dang well knows he is wrong to do it.

    Apparently, he lost track of which lie I was seeking the apology for though.

    Not surprising.

    And, trolls denying they are trolls is just par for the course.
    A given.

    A

  232. [232] 
    neilm wrote:

    Hi Paula - good to see you back.

    We need to look on the positive - this is the wake up call progressives need. Two steps forward (two Obama terms), one step back (the current fiasco).

  233. [233] 
    altohone wrote:

    Hey CW

    Regarding your Gabbard bit-

    "While there, she seemingly was fed propaganda by the regime"

    Nice intro to an establishment outlet that has spewed anti-Syrian propaganda endlessly.
    The "seemingly" qualifier is noteworthy, because it both relies on the establishment spin in the quote that follows, and sets you apart from the parade of "journalists" who set aside the ethics of journalism when making such claims.

    But let me get this straight.
    Do you think a political solution to the conflict in Syria can be achieved without talking to Assad?

    "secret trip"
    Scary huh.
    Portraying her as a rebel with nefarious intentions is so subtle.
    The fact that she was given approval by the Obama administration before leaving sort of destroys the whole notion though.

    "downplaying his responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians"

    Um and er, the US, Saudi, Qatari and Turkish effort to fund, arm and infiltrate hundreds of thousands of militant Islamist foreign fighters into Syria to start and effect a regime change war by proxy being absolved of any responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of deaths... police, military and civilian... is some of the most offensive propaganda that American citizens have been subjected to.
    Those who are eager to wash their hands of the culpability of the consequences of their actions are shameful.
    Those repeating these lies aren't paying attention.

    "there are "no moderate rebels" in the country"

    ???
    Please do share your definition and evidence for "moderate rebels" in Syria.

    Are they the Syrians who welcomed al Qaida into Syria?
    Or are they the Syrians who chose to fight alongside them?

    Which ones qualify as "moderate" in your eyes?
    And, yes, you copied the quote into your column, so I am assuming you agree with it.

    A

  234. [234] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Paula!

    So good to hear from you again! Really missed having your input around here.

    Grab a bottle, buckle down, and pray for daylight!!!

    -- Karen Walker [Will & Grace]

  235. [235] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Here is a piece that is required reading for everyone who loves America and who still believe in its promise.

    We must all do what we can to mitigate if not prevent the destruction this president is hell bent on bringing to his country ...

    https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/a-clarifying-moment-in-american-history/514868/

  236. [236] 
    altohone wrote:

    Hey CW
    part two

    "There were other ideas floated that haven't so far happened, including reinstituting torture as an American policy and reopening those C.I.A. "black site" prisons overseas"

    Okay.
    So, you are condemning Trump for these proposals, while giving Chuck Schumer an award despite the fact that he was one of 13 Democrats who voted to confirm Trump's nominee for the CIA who REFUSED to rule out reinstituting torture and black sites?

    Kind of on both sides of the fence there, wouldn't you say?

    And, just as a friendly reminder, the Obama administration was obligated by law to prosecute the Bushies who implemented torture as US policy.
    Obama personally made the call not to prosecute and is thus culpable in those war crimes and crimes against humanity, AND in making it possible for Trump to even consider reinstituting these policies.

    Those 13 Democrats, including the award winning Schumer, deserved a dishonorable mention at the very least... or, considering my previous comment, the award for Most Disappointing instead of Gabbard.

    If torture is wrong, and it is, those 13 Democrats deserved condemnation.

    A

  237. [237] 
    altohone wrote:

    Paula
    224

    I will second what Liz said.

    I realize you missed the whole Hillary Inc. blaming everybody and everything but Hillary and her actions debate here, but it was Hillary and her decisions that caused her to lose to the worst candidate ever.

    Still glad you recovered and returned though.

    A

  238. [238] 
    altohone wrote:

    Don
    22

    You have a point about Cenk's choice of words.
    If he had added "effectively" to his claim, it would have helped... though perhaps pissing off the others working to achieve the same thing.

    I would note that MoveOn jumped on the Hillary bandwagon, so their credibility is shot.

    And I'd only heard of one of the other groups you mentioned... so adding Cenk's audience could be very positive.

    Anyway, finding and funding primary challengers for the right wing corporatist Democrats is a necessary task.
    I don't think there can be too many cooks for that soup... the more the merrier.
    Hopefully, these groups will be able to work together and actually accomplish the goal.

    Unfortunately, it's a huge task that includes more than half of Democrats in Congress.

    Pressure from the left may force some of them to shape up, but so far, the Democrats in Congress don't seem to have gotten the message.

    CW mentioned the vote for imported drugs and the Carson confirmation, I mentioned the vote for the CIA guy, but it should also be noted that the supposedly progressive senator Kamala Harris failed to prosecute Mnuchin's bank for disgusting foreclosure fraud when she was CA Attorney General.
    And she took campaign donations from these criminals.

    Lots to do.

    A

  239. [239] 
    michale wrote:

    Just watched PATRIOTS DAY..

    AWESOME movie...

    NO ONE can watch that movie and come away with the idea that importing refugees willy nilly with virtually NO VETTING is a good idea...

    NO ONE....

  240. [240] 
    michale wrote:

    JM,

    Shame on you! That should be CRY AMERICANS CRY. If you are cheering on executive branch agencies defying court orders, then you are also cheering on their ignoring the rule of law, and cheering on their contempt for the U.S. constitution, and cheering on the death of freedom and democracy in America, if you support that Federal agencies can do whatever the hell they want with impunity and just make up stuff as they go along. REALLY Michale!!!

    Once again, you have absolutely NO MORAL authority to say that..

    Ya'all cheered when Obama broke the law, pissed on the Constitution and defied the courts at EVERY turn..

    YOU HAVE NO MORAL AUTHORITY HERE WHATSOEVER..

    And yes, I cheer on Americans who are looking out for Americans..

    I cheer for the brave men and women who are on the front lines of keeping this country safe who are looking out for the safety of Americans and ignoring the namby pampy koombiya terrorist loving Democrat Party agenda...

    So, yea.. CRY DEMOCRATS CRY! Look at the actions that YOUR anti-America agenda has required..

    This is YA'ALL'S fault... The Democrats OWN every action that is required to bring this country back from the brink...

  241. [241] 
    michale wrote:

    Troll Formerly Known As Asshole,

    The troll has memory problems, but in reality, he started it... originally, and in this round of lovely banter.
    I don't expect you to keep track though nypoet.

    Jackass, Joshua has been here as long as I have and his memory is impeccable..

    It's you who has the memory problems. And the mental deficiencies and the civil deficiencies and all the other problems that you try to project onto others..

    And, trolls denying they are trolls is just par for the course.
    A given.

    Yes, you denying that you are the troll here is, indeed, par for the course.....

  242. [242] 
    michale wrote:

    6 dead, 2 arrested after shooting at Quebec City mosque
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard call shooting an act of terrorism

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-mosque-gun-shots-1.3957686

    I bet Prime Minister Trudeau is re-thinking his ALL REFUGEES ARE WELCOME idea.......

    This is what can happen when there is unfettered un-vetted refugees...

  243. [243] 
    michale wrote:

    We need to look on the positive - this is the wake up call progressives need. Two steps forward (two Obama terms), one step back (the current fiasco).

    Yea, so was 2010.... Democrats didn't wake up...

    2012 was an even BIGGER wake up call.... Democrats still snoozed...

    2014 was a SHELLACKING wake up call... Democrats blissfully slumbered...

    2016 was an APOCALYPTIC wake up call... And Democrats are STILL sawing ZZZZZs....

    Here's the thing... As long as Democrats continue to blame anyone and any thing and avoid looking in a mirror and say, "Maybe it's us.. Maybe there is something about US that the American people don't like..." then the Democrat Party will forever be in slumber...

    LOCK THOSE WHO SLEEP IN SLUMBER DEEP AND EVEN MORE DEEP OH WITHERED HAND

    As the facts clearly show, there are only 2 ways that Democrats will EVER regain majority status...

    1. They wake up and realize that their ideology is incompatible with America and Americans...

    or

    B. President Trump or the GOP does something really REALLY stoopid that turns the entirety of the American people against them...

    I know, I know.. Ya'all are saying, "Well B will DEFINITELY happen!!"

    But, with that, here is what is undeniable...

    Ya'all have been **WRONG** on that score ***AT EVERY TURN***!!!

    Ya'all are like the gambling addict who keeps saying, "This next lottery ticket is going to by MY ticket!!!! My winner!!! The ticket that will make all my dreams come true!!!"

    And you keep playing and playing for that ONE TICKET that will make it all better...

    But it won't never come... Because your ideology prevents you from seeing the reality that there IS no magic ticket...

    The American people have passed the Demcorat Party by... The American people have said to the Demcorat Party, "We gave you a chance. We gave you a full control of government. And look what you have wrought.. Look how you have frak'ed us over at EVERY turn..."

    The American people aren't going to trust the Democrat Party for a long... LONG.. time..

    The Democrats time has past.. It's Law and Order, America First time...

    Suck it up...

  244. [244] 
    michale wrote:

    [224] Paula! Glad to see ya! Glad you have a hat! As usual, agree with everything.

    The fact that wearing a vagina on one's head is a sign of something good indicates how far down into the depths of despair the Democrats have fallen...

    LOOK AT ME!!! I AM WEARING A VAGINA ON MY HEAD!!! HOW AWESOME AM I!!!!

    Yea... THAT will endear the Left Wingery to the American people.. :^/

    I wish ya'all could take a step outside yer Party slavery and see how utterly and completely ridiculous ya'all sound...

  245. [245] 
    chaszzzbrown wrote:

    [224] Paula

    Happy to hear your voice again, Paula.

  246. [246] 
    michale wrote:

    Neil,

    Whoo hoo - Michale - did you actually read the text of the executive order. Here is a little excerpt:

    I hereby suspend entry into the United States, as immigrants and nonimmigrants, of such persons for 90 days from the date of this order (excluding those foreign nationals traveling on diplomatic visas, North Atlantic Treaty Organization visas, C-2 visas for travel to the United Nations, and G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-4 visas).

    The C-x and G-x visas are diplomatic visas which, if banned, would mean that every other country could throw out all American diplomats and stop government officials, including 45 himself, from traveling.

    http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/28/politics/text-of-trump-executive-order-nation-ban-refugees/

    Woo Hoo... Neil... :D

    Did you actually READ the text of the order or did you just let Left Wingery Fake News mouthpiece CNN spoon feed it to you??

    You DO realize that even your own text says that the types of visas you are whining about are **EXCLUDED** from President Trump's order...

    You see my point??

    Ya'all are so blinded by hysteria that you can't even SEE straight...

    If ya'all could get past the hysteria, ya'all would realize that President Trump's order isn't any big deal..

    Dozens of Odumbo officials have stated categorically for the record that the vetting process is flawed and more time is needed to properly vet refugees...

    ALL President Trump's order does is GIVE officials exactly that which they have categorically stated they need.. THE TIME....

    The ONLY people who are against President Trump's order are those who are anti-American and WANT to see terrorists within our borders. Or the people who are so blinded by Party ideology that they don't CARE if terrorists are within our borders and kill Americans.. Or in the case of the latest attack, kill Canadians...

    Terrorism is a REAL threat, people... Denying this and pretending every refugee is a 2 yr old little child who cannot be a threat to anyone is a great way to get innocent people killed...

    Why *ANYONE* would want to make it EASIER for terrorists to kill innocent people is just beyond my understanding...

  247. [247] 
    michale wrote:

    http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/01/29/kaine_not_a_coincidence_trump_issued_holocaust_denial_statement_on_same_day_of_muslim_executive_order.html

    So, now President Trump is a holocaust denier???

    Like I said... I really REALLY wish ya'all could take a step out from yer self-imposed Party slavery and see how completely and utterly and unequivocally RIDICULOUS the Left Wingery is looking in the here and now...

    It's well and truly sad how far the Left Wingery has fallen.... This country actually NEEDS a viable and sane minority Party...

    Too bad that the Democrat Party is neither viable NOR sane....

  248. [248] 
    michale wrote:

    If ya'all could get past the hysteria, ya'all would realize that President Trump's order isn't any big deal..

    I am also constrained to point out that the list of countries ya'all are hysterically harping about is a list that came FROM THE ODUMBO ADMINISTRATION!!!

    So, if ya'all have an issue with the countries that were chosen... Take it up with your messiah, FORMER President Odumbo...

    I think you'll find him hiding in a hole in California somewhere...

  249. [249] 
    michale wrote:

    Here is a piece that is required reading for everyone who loves America and who still believe in its promise.

    We must all do what we can to mitigate if not prevent the destruction this president is hell bent on bringing to his country ...

    Here is a piece that is required reading for everyone who hates America and is a die hard Progressive and who still believe in slavery and fealty to the Democrat Party.

    We must all do what we can to mitigate if not prevent the fulfilling of promise of safety and security this president is hell bent on bringing to his country ...

    There... Fixed it for you, Liz :D

    Let's face reality.. That article is nothing but self-serving spewage of a progressive manifesto that the American people resoundingly and with finality, rejected...

    Tens of millions of Democrats voted for Donald Trump to be their President..

    This is the reality that no amount of Left Wingery propaganda will change...

    Patriotic Americans are behind President Trump 1000%..

    It's really THAT simple...

  250. [250] 
    michale wrote:

    How is this playing out in Israel? Is Netanyahu squirming politically yet?

    Actually, BiBi is gushing about President Trump.. :D

    Netanyahu is all for President Trump's plan to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.... :D

    So, once again, yer wrong... :D

  251. [251] 
    michale wrote:

    It's also not helping the Left Wingery cause vis a vis Israel when prominent Democrats are accusing President Trump of being a holocaust denier... :^/

    Can't ya'all reign in yer crazies??? Of course you can't.. Because it's the crazies that are your leaders!!!

    Like I said... The Democrat Party is neither viable NOR sane....

    The facts are clear...

  252. [252] 
    michale wrote:

    You should say that in the original German. Sounds better.

    What's wrong with German???

    Ahhh I see.. In your mind, German = NAZI..

    Showing a bit o bigotry there, Balthasar??? :D

    I wish I could say I was surprised... :^/

    But, I understand, Balthy.. It's not your fault.. It's simply a symptom of your raging Trump Derangement Syndrome...

    Seek help... Soon...

  253. [253] 
    michale wrote:

    Paula,

    I know you are hurting so I am going to overlook your unwarranted, hysterical, illogical and irrational personal attacks..

    I was going to post a long series of digs, but I felt that would be unworthy.. So just let me say that I hope you feel better soon....

  254. [254] 
    michale wrote:

    I was going to post a long series of digs, but I felt that would be unworthy..

    It's not COMPLETELY altruistic.. :D

    We have here what Viper pilots refer to as a "Target Rich Environment" so I can afford to be magnanimous and show you the mercy you will, no doubt, refuse to show me.. :D

    But, hay... That's OK... I am just glad yer back... :D

  255. [255] 
    michale wrote:

    Trump's heartland voters shrug off global uproar over immigration ban

    Many of President Donald Trump’s core political supporters had a simple message on Sunday for the fiercest opponents of his immigration ban: Calm down.

    The relaxed reaction among the kind of voters who drove Trump’s historic upset victory - working- and middle-class residents of Midwest and the South - provided a striking contrast to the uproar that has gripped major coastal cities, where thousands of protesters flocked to airports where immigrants had been detained.

    In the St. Louis suburb of Manchester, Missouri, 72-year-old Jo Ann Tieken characterized the president as bringing reason into an overheated debate.

    “Somebody has to stand up, be the grown up and see what we can do better to check on people coming in,” she said. “I’m all for everybody to stop and take a breath … Just give it a chance.”
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-supporters-idUSKBN15E0BH?il=0

    You see, this is what ya'all simply refuse to comprehend..

    This country is BEHIND President Trump 1000%...

    The cops are behind President Trump...

    The military are behind President Trump...

    Patriotic Americans are behind President Trump...

    The ONLY people who are attacking President Trump are people who put Party agenda first.. People who dream of open borders and America as just another cog in a globalist corporate hegemony on the same level as any banana republic lead by a tin-plated dictator with delusions of god-hood...

    And they are a very small minority... Vocal and violent small minority to be sure, but still a very small minority..

  256. [256] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale,

    I bet Prime Minister Trudeau is re-thinking his ALL REFUGEES ARE WELCOME idea.......This is what can happen when there is unfettered un-vetted refugees...

    I don't understand what would prompt you to write such a thing as that??

    As of the time stamp on this post, the identities of the gunmen and their motives are unknown ...

  257. [257] 
    michale wrote:

    I don't understand what would prompt you to write such a thing as that??

    As of the time stamp on this post, the identities of the gunmen and their motives are unknown ...

    The prime minister and the mayor have all identified the act as an act of terrorism...

    The perpetrators screamed ALLAH AHKBAR during the attack, so the motives are crystal clear...

    This is the EXACT kind of attack that the US could have expected if it continued to allow unfettered, un-vetted refugees into this country...

    It will be interesting to see if Prime Minister Trudeau walks back his YA'ALL COME to muslim 'refugees' for the safety of Canadians or if he throws Canadians under the bus in his quest to be Anti-President Trump...

  258. [258] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Clueless.

  259. [259] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Time is running out for clueless blog posts in the comments section.

  260. [260] 
    michale wrote:

    Clueless.

    I understand why you would want to say that..

    But the facts ARE the facts...

    Terrorism is real... It happens.. And the connection between terrorism and refugees is well documented..

    The only question is why would ANYONE want to deny these facts??

    Answer: Because Party ideological agenda is more important...

  261. [261] 
    michale wrote:

    Time is running out for clueless blog posts in the comments section.

    Don't worry..

    Time is NOT running out for making grandiose claims of "clueless" without ANY facts or reality to back it up..

    So, yer safe.... :D

  262. [262] 
    michale wrote:

    As of the time stamp on this post, the identities of the gunmen and their motives are unknown ...

    This is what I am talking about..

    Not only are the motives crystal clear, but the identities of the terrorists are well known, because they were captured!!

    Two men were arrested after six people were killed and eight were wounded in a shooting inside a mosque during evening prayers Sunday, in what Quebec's premier described as a "murderous act directed at a specific community."
    http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-city-mosque-gun-shots-1.3957686

    This is EXACTLY what I am talking about.. Neil, you... everyone is overlooking stone cold FACTS in yer zest and zeal to attack ANYTHING to do with President Trump...

    I mean this with the utmost affection and respect, but it's ya'all who are acting clueless, not me..

    I am the same chock full o' facts fun-loving person I have always been... :D

    It's ya'all that need a fact and reality check...

  263. [263] 
    TheStig wrote:

    Liz 260

    Optimism? - or do you know something the rest of us don't?

  264. [264] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Heh. No, just being my usual clear-as-mud self without an edit function. :)

    I meant to say that my time was running out for the nonsense in this blog and, therefore, will no longer be wasting much of my time responding to those types of comments ...

  265. [265] 
    neilm wrote:

    Did you actually READ the text of the order or did you just let Left Wingery Fake News mouthpiece CNN spoon feed it to you??

    You DO realize that even your own text says that the types of visas you are whining about are **EXCLUDED** from President Trump's order...

    What are you talking about. I was explaining why those visas were exempted.

  266. [266] 
    neilm wrote:

    The right wing is getting desperate. Graham and McCain are giving the more cowardly air cover and the power desperate are realizing their Faustian dilemma.

    The is a Joe McCarthy moment for Republicans in DC.

  267. [267] 
    michale wrote:

    TS!!!!????

    You ARE still alive!!!!

    First Paula, then TS...

    We're gettin' the BAND back together!!! :D

  268. [268] 
    michale wrote:

    What are you talking about. I was explaining why those visas were exempted.

    Yea... SURE ya were.. :D

    The right wing is getting desperate. Graham and McCain are giving the more cowardly air cover and the power desperate are realizing their Faustian dilemma.

    The is a Joe McCarthy moment for Republicans in DC.

    TRUMP IS TOAST prediction #886

    Bet ya hit #1000 TRUMP IS TOAST prediction today :D

  269. [269] 
    neilm wrote:

    Yea... SURE ya were.. :D

    Don't be dim Michale.

  270. [270] 
    John M wrote:

    Michale wrote:

    "Ya'all cheered when Obama broke the law, pissed on the Constitution and defied the courts at EVERY turn.."

    And EXACTLY when did Obama break the law, piss on the Constitution or defy the court??? Can you point out even ONE example??? I know of NO instance where Obama continued an action AFTER a court ruling telling him to stop. UNLIKE TRUMP.

    "Once again, you have absolutely NO MORAL authority to say that.."

    I have PLENTY moral authority as a law abiding American citizen, that IS ALL I NEED.

    Hypocrisy, your name is sounding more and more like "Michaale." Or should I say "desperation" since your laughable attempt at defending Trump is becoming more and more shrill as Trump lurches from one disaster to another. And yes, this is another TRUMP IS TOAST post. How much you want to bet that Trump is forced out out office either through impeachment or other means before his 4 year term is up??? And for the record, I would still like to see Trump be a success because he is President and that is what would be best for the nation as a whole. But that is not the path he has started down on so far at all.

  271. [271] 
    michale wrote:

    It's YOU who said

    "The C-x and G-x visas are diplomatic visas which, if banned, would mean that every other country could throw out all American diplomats and stop government officials, including 45 himself, from traveling."

    Thereby implying that President Trump's order encompasses those diplomatic VISAs when, in fact, it specifically EXCLUDED those types of VISAs for the EXACT reason you gave..

    So, either you made a mistake and misread President Trump's order

    OR...

    Or you were praising President Trump's order for it's wisdom of excluding the diplomatic visas..

    Which was it??

    Honest mistake or praising President Trump... :D

  272. [272] 
    TheStig wrote:

    Liz -265

    I came to the same conclusion in Nov. I still think this is a GREAT column, I read every installment, but reading or responding to the nonsense in the Comments is simply a waste of time. The remainder are rational and informative and basically require no comment.

    Large chunks of the Comments Section have come to resemble National Enquirer headlines.

    http://media.fyre.co/TXcHfunR9yD4zN3IxoWy_Bat_Boy_enquiere.jpg

    Fake news. Gas Lighting. Like anything else, when speech is too cheap to meter, it gets wasted and becomes ecosystem pollution.

  273. [273] 
    michale wrote:

    JM,

    nd EXACTLY when did Obama break the law, piss on the Constitution or defy the court??? Can you point out even ONE example???

    I can point to hundreds of examples, but it would do no good.. Like Liz, you would simply refuse to see the facts and merely hold onto yer delusions..

    I know of NO instance where Obama continued an action AFTER a court ruling telling him to stop. UNLIKE TRUMP.

    Of course..... But ONLY because you refuse to acknowledge the FACTS....

    Obama Administration Violates Federal Court Order, Approves 2,000 More Amnesty Applications Despite Injunction
    http://libertynews.com/2015/05/obama-administration-violates-federal-court-order-approves-2000-more-amnesty-applications-despite-injunction/

    You prove my point once again..

    Odumbo acted EXACTLY as you accuse President Trump of acting, but you fully support Odumbo because he has a '-D' after his name..

    The facts are irrefutable...

  274. [274] 
    michale wrote:

    I came to the same conclusion in Nov. I still think this is a GREAT column, I read every installment, but reading or responding to the nonsense in the Comments is simply a waste of time. The remainder are rational and informative and basically require no comment.

    Yea.. Comments that are full of FACTS that refute the delusions and fake news of the Left Wingery...

    I can see why someone who is enslaved by Party dogma would find those types of comments as nonsense..

    But what is REALLY nonsense is denying the reality of President Trump. And denying the reality that ya'all have been WRONG at each and every juncture..

    So, you tell me..

    Who is full of nonsense and who is full of facts??? :D

  275. [275] 
    TheStig wrote:

    Well,it sure didn't take long for the Trumpster to create a Constitutional Crisis...

    Please visit the We The People website and read my petition: Refurbish and Renew the Statue of Liberty to Celebrate Modern American Values

    https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/refurbish-and-renew-statue-liberty-celebrate-modern-american-values

    It is satire, but I believe satire can be effective politics....and it's not any crazier than some of the other petitions.

  276. [276] 
    michale wrote:

    Cue the cries of "Well, that's different!!"

    But hay.. This time you are actually right...

    It IS different..

    Odumbo violated the court's ruling to push an unpopular Party agenda that HURTS America and the American people..

    President Trump's people are violating the courts to PROTECT the American people and push a popular patriotic agenda...

    Odumbo's actions HURT America and Americans..

    President Trump's actions are HELPING Americans and keeping Americans safe...

    So, yer right..

    It *IS* different... :D

  277. [277] 
    TheStig wrote:
  278. [278] 
    michale wrote:

    Well,it sure didn't take long for the Trumpster to create a Constitutional Crisis...

    No one has created a constitutional crisis.

    It's just whiney crying Left Wingers who STILL can't handle the reality of President Trump...

    You LOST... You were WRONG... About EVERYTHING....

    Get over it....

  279. [279] 
    TheStig wrote:

    That should hold me for a couple of months, adieu all.

  280. [280] 
    michale wrote:

    Here is EXACTLY the problem...

    Ya'all have NOTHING but hysterical partisanship...

    NO FACTS WHATSOEVER....

    OH MY GODS!!! CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS!!!

    OH MY GODS!!!! NUCLEAR LAUNCHES!!!!

    OH MY GODS!!!! CREATING DEATH CAMPS!!!!

    waaa waaa waaa Cry Cry Cry Cry waaa waaa waaa

    Give me some FACTS to work with....

    But, to date, the ONLY "facts" you have is that President Trump's legal and constitutional order *INCLUDES* diplomatic VISAs, the terrorists that were CAUGHT after committing a terrorist attack in Canada re "unidentified" and that FORMER President (I love writing that) Odumbo *NEVER* violated any court orders or laws...

    So, I can understand why you would want to jet, considering the quality of so-called "arguments" that have been here to date....

    But hay.. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?? :D

    Have a nice siesta... :D

  281. [281] 
    michale wrote:

    Otherwise, you are just as much of a sucker as Michale.

    Awwwww, you say the nicest things!!! :D

  282. [282] 
    michale wrote:

    And President Trump is simply NOT SLOWING down!!!

    Trump signs executive order to slash regulations

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump signed an order on Monday that will seek to dramatically pare back federal regulations by requiring agencies to cut two existing regulations for every new rule introduced.

    "This will be the biggest such act that our country has ever seen. There will be regulation, there will be control, but it will be normalized control," Trump said as he signed the order in the Oval Office, surrounded by a group of small business owners.

    Trump's latest executive action will prepare a process for the White House to set an annual cap on the cost of new regulations, a senior official told reporters ahead of the signing.

    For the rest of fiscal 2017, that cap on new regulations would be $0, the official said on customary condition of anonymity.
    https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-executive-order-slash-regulations-151135855--business.html

    Love him or hate him...

    It's simply UNDENIABLE that President Trump is keeping his campaign promises....

  283. [283] 
    michale wrote:

    Since I felt compelled to explain to Paula that my comment wasn't an attack, it only seems fair that I clarify that my comment about you was an attack. :D

    Heh Oh yea, I know.. But the intent behind it is more important then anything else.. :D

    You attack Michale in one comment and then complain about a lack of civility in the next?
    HYPOCRITE!

    But I'll thank you not to do my job around here, eh?? :D

    "Look! I have one job on this lousy ship, it's *stupid*, but I'm gonna do it! Okay?!?!"
    -Gwen DeMarco, GALAXY QUEST

    :D

  284. [284] 
    michale wrote:

    Heh Oh yea, I know.. But the intent behind it is more important then anything else.. :D

    That's what's missing with my interactions with the Troll Formerly Known As Asshole...

    I know for a fact that he would love to see me dead and wasting away as worm-food....

    When Neil or Liz or Joshua or CW et al attack me, I know it's done with affection and respect... :D And they realize the same when I reciprocate and respond in kind......

    With TTFKAA, there is nothing but hysterical contempt that ooozes off of him..

    Watch.. He'll respond to this with something like "I don't wish you dead.. Yer not even worth THAT much thought or effort" or words to that effect... You watch.. :D I know my trolls... :D

    But, K Sara Sara... Life goes on.. The key is not to take shit like this too seriously....

  285. [285] 
    neilm wrote:

    "The C-x and G-x visas are diplomatic visas which, if banned, would mean that every other country could throw out all American diplomats and stop government officials, including 45 himself, from traveling."

    Thereby implying that President Trump's order encompasses those diplomatic VISAs when, in fact, it specifically EXCLUDED those types of VISAs for the EXACT reason you gave..

    I was explaining the type of visas that were exempted - I used to work closely with an immigration lawyer when I ran a services division and we had a lot of engineers coming in and out of the U.S. so I understood what these visas are, and was simply explaining.

    You are seeing demons where they don't exist.

  286. [286] 
    neilm wrote:

    Robert Richer, a 35-year CIA veteran and former chief of the agency’s Near East division, said the ban was a “strategic mistake” that could undermine future efforts to recruit spies and collect vital information about terrorists and their plans. How, he asked, can CIA officers persuade Iraqi and Syrian nationals to risk their lives to help the United States?

    “This was a win for jihadists and other anti-U.S. forces,” said Richer, the deputy chief of the agency’s Operations Directorate during the George W. Bush administration. “It fuels the belief out there that Americans are anti-Islam. Otherwise, it accomplishes nothing, because the ones we are most concerned about can still get to the United States.”

    Bloody idiot in the White House making things worse for our military and intelligence agencies. The Republicans need to clean up the mess they have made.

  287. [287] 
    neilm wrote:

    Also, 45's pathetic protestations that this isn't about targeting Muslims would be a bit more convincing if:

    1. He managed to shut Giuliani up
    2. He stopped telling Christian groups that Syrian Christians would be preferred

  288. [288] 
    altohone wrote:

    Troll
    242

    There was a time not too long ago... right after your hospitalization in fact... when I called you out for using you're hackneyed "ya'all" bit that resulted in you including Don and I in a false generalization about what "everybody" here was doing or saying or something.

    You weren't in such a tizzy at the time, and you managed to summon that tiny shred of integrity you can sometimes still find, and you admitted that you were wrong, and that you should have exempted us from the generalization.

    I don't know if you're too busy playing the victim/victor right now or what, but we are in the exact same situation once again (the comment record is available for you to follow backwards), and this time you just won't admit reality.

    Most everybody here is used to you lying TO us, but I know I'm not alone in still taking offense when you lie ABOUT us.

    If you lie ABOUT me, and I call you out for doing so, I'm not the one "starting it".

    Since you're probably too lazy to go back to find where you went astray, here's one of many comparable examples from this thread-

    from comment 241

    "Ya'all cheered when Obama broke the law, pissed on the Constitution and defied the courts at EVERY turn"

    No.
    "We all" didn't cheer.

    I didn't cheer when Obama broke the law by refusing to prosecute the Bushie torturers.
    I didn't cheer when Obama broke the law by refusing to prosecute his Wall Street banking buddies.
    I didn't cheer when Obama continued the mass surveillance that violates our Constitution.
    Etc.

    And, you know it.

    My offer from the other day is still on the table.
    But you need to own up to the fact that your generalization was a lie and apologize... and stop lying about me going forward.

    It's easy.

    Instead of saying something like "ya'all think Obama is great", say "ya'all except the troll formerly known as asshole and Don think Obama is great".

    Or, even easier, don't use "ya'all" and address people individually, because sometimes your generalizations aren't true about Liz, CW, JM, neil, nypoet, Listen, and everybody else.

    Dig deep.
    Find that bit of integrity you sometimes briefly exhibit.
    I'm not asking too much.

    A

  289. [289] 
    michale wrote:

    Neil,

    I was explaining the type of visas that were exempted - I used to work closely with an immigration lawyer when I ran a services division and we had a lot of engineers coming in and out of the U.S. so I understood what these visas are, and was simply explaining.

    So, you are saying that it's a GOOD thing that President Trump excluded those types of diplomatic visas...

    OK... Glad we can find some common ground.. :D

    Robert Richer, a 35-year CIA veteran and former chief of the agency’s Near East division, said the ban was a “strategic mistake” that could undermine future efforts to recruit spies and collect vital information about terrorists and their plans. How, he asked, can CIA officers persuade Iraqi and Syrian nationals to risk their lives to help the United States?

    If it was actually a ban, you would have a point... But it's not, so you don't... :D

    Richer is a hysterical Left Winger who's opinion is worse than useless, because he sold out country to push Party...

    Also, 45's pathetic protestations that this isn't about targeting Muslims would be a bit more convincing if:

    It ISN'T about targeting Muslims.. The list of countries was a list that ODUMBO compiled..

    So, if it's ANYONE who is targeting muslims, it's yer Messiah, Odumbo...

  290. [290] 
    michale wrote:

    A,

    But you need to own up to the fact that your generalization was a lie and apologize... and stop lying about me going forward.

    Shit, is THAT what you are harping about???

    Why didn't you SAY so!??

    I apologize that I generalized and said "ya'all" without exempting those who do not always state the things that other's state..

    For a while I tried to differentiate with my Notable Exceptions Noted (NEN) but, yer right, I have gotten away from that..

    So, I apologize for including you in my generalizations...

  291. [291] 
    neilm wrote:

    So, you are saying that it's a GOOD thing that President Trump excluded those types of diplomatic visas...

    OK... Glad we can find some common ground.. :D

    Yes - and explaining the implications of what would have happened if he included diplomats - i.e. that our diplomats' visas would have been invalidated.

  292. [292] 
    michale wrote:

    Yes - and explaining the implications of what would have happened if he included diplomats - i.e. that our diplomats' visas would have been invalidated.

    I concur...

  293. [293] 
    michale wrote:

    2. He stopped telling Christian groups that Syrian Christians would be preferred

    Christians have ALWAYS enjoyed preferential treatment in immigration..

    That's been codified in US law for MANY decades...

  294. [294] 
    michale wrote:

    Amend that to say "PERSECUTED Christians"....

  295. [295] 
    neilm wrote:

    Richer is a hysterical Left Winger who's opinion is worse than useless, because he sold out country to push Party...

    Evidence he is a left winger - and just being appalled by the current immigration ban stupidity isn't evidence.

  296. [296] 
    neilm wrote:

    If it was actually a ban, you would have a point... But it's not, so you don't... :D

    ---- TWEET ----

    Donald J. Trump ? @realDonaldTrump

    If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the "bad" would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad "dudes" out there!

    5:31 AM - 30 Jan 2017

    ---- END TWEET ----

    Your dear leader is the once calling it a ban, Michale.

  297. [297] 
    neilm wrote:

    Christians have ALWAYS enjoyed preferential treatment in immigration..

    That's been codified in US law for MANY decades...

    Really, evidence?

  298. [298] 
    neilm wrote:

    In fact, the government specifically doesn't track the religion of new immigrants:

    Over the past 20 years, the United States has granted permanent residency status to an average of about 1 million immigrants each year. These new “green card” recipients qualify for residency in a wide variety of ways – as family members of current U.S. residents, recipients of employment visas, refugees and asylum seekers, or winners of a visa lottery – and they include people from nearly every country in the world. But their geographic origins gradually have been shifting. U.S. government statistics show that a smaller percentage come from Europe and the Americas than did so 20 years ago, and a growing share now come from Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East-North Africa region.

    With this geographic shift, it is likely that the religious makeup of legal immigrants also has been changing. The U.S. government, however, does not keep track of the religion of new permanent residents. As a result, the figures on religious affiliation in this report are estimates produced by combining government statistics on the birthplaces of new green card recipients over the period between 1992 and 2012 with the best available U.S. survey data on the religious self-identification of new immigrants from each major country of origin.

    http://www.pewforum.org/2013/05/17/the-religious-affiliation-of-us-immigrants/

  299. [299] 
    michale wrote:

    Evidence he is a left winger - and just being appalled by the current immigration ban stupidity isn't evidence.

    The fact that he is pushing a Left Wingery anti-America agenda is sufficient evidence...

    The fact that he wants to make it easier for terrorists to infiltrate our country is sufficient evidence...

  300. [300] 
    neilm wrote:

    So Lindsay Graham and John McCain and now left wingers as well?

  301. [301] 
    neilm wrote:

    Wow - the 45-istas are getting really desperate - but you wouldn't know it from FoxNews - nothing above the fold on the whole fiasco - amazing how the bubble is being maintained - you must wonder what right wingers who get their news from Fox News online must think when they get to airports and see the protests - maybe they thing it is just crowds trying to get home from the "biggest inauguration ever" still ;)

  302. [302] 
    michale wrote:

    So Lindsay Graham and John McCain and now left wingers as well?

    No... But they are obviously putting Party before Country...

    Wow - the 45-istas are getting really desperate - but you wouldn't know it from FoxNews - nothing above the fold on the whole fiasco -

    That's because it's not really a fiasco..

    Has President Trump done anything illegal or unconstitutional??

    No, he has not..

    Has President Trump done anything that MANY Presidents didn't do, like Odumbo and Carter??

    No he has not...

    No fiasco whatsoever... :D

    maybe they thing it is just crowds trying to get home from the "biggest inauguration ever" still ;)

    Are you STILL harping on that??? :^/

    Still playing the "DOPE" to President Trump's ROPE, eh?? :D

  303. [303] 
    michale wrote:

    Are We Going To Freak Out Every Time Trump Does What He Promised?

    Three months ago, Candidate Trump promised that on Day One of his presidency he would, if elected, "suspend immigration from terror-prone regions where vetting cannot safely occur." President Trump didn't get around to that until Day Seven, which means he was a week late. Yet everyone is acting as if this all came out of the blue.

    The executive order Trump signed Friday afternoon instituted a 90-day suspension of immigrants from countries listed by the Obama administration as having a significant foreign terrorist organization presence. The reason is to give relevant agencies the breathing room to review their procedures and make sure that "adequate standards are established to prevent infiltration by foreign terrorists or criminals."

    The order also suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days, giving Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence time to "determine what additional procedures should be taken" to make sure that terrorists aren't slipping in under the guise of refugees — a legitimate concern. It also sets a slightly lower 50,000 cap on refugees for this year than has been in effect over the past decade.

    Trump's actions should not have come as a surprise to anyone who was paying even the slightest attention to the presidential campaign.
    http://www.investors.com/politics/editorials/are-we-going-to-freak-out-every-time-trump-does-what-he-promised/

    So, what gives???

    Were ya'all asleep during the campaign???

    IBD asks a VERY good, VERY legitimate question..

    Is the hysterical Left Wingery going to live up to it's name and hysterically freak out every time President Trump lives up to his promise???

    I saids it befores and and I'll says it agains...

    Ya'all really need to PACE yerselves... It's going to be a long 8 years for ya'all if ya don't....

  304. [304] 
    michale wrote:

    Hay Neil,

    Didn't you say at one time you would accept the analysis of IBD?????

    Well, there ya go... Start accepting. :D

  305. [305] 
    michale wrote:

    It is hard to see how Trumps' critics are helping their cause when they react to everything Trump does as if it were a world-ending catastrophe.

    DING, DING, DING!!! WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!

    You people are yer own worst enemies in this....

  306. [306] 
    michale wrote:

    Looking ahead to the SCOTUS battle...

    Anyone wanna lay any bets that the GOP can muster the Dem votes needed to overrule the filibuster??

    Or will McConnell finish what Reid started and nuke the filibuster???

    I am betting that the former will happen..

  307. [307] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @TS [276],

    do you mean something like this?

    https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XvuM3DjvYf0/hqdefault.jpg

  308. [308] 
    michale wrote:

    do you mean something like this?

    https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XvuM3DjvYf0/hqdefault.jpg

    Oh, don't tease me... :D

  309. [309] 
    michale wrote:

    Brookes: Pause in U.S. entry policies sensible
    Trump’s order targets countries with terror risks

    People will spin it anyway they like — and they will — but President Trump’s decision to take a pause and review travel to the United States from seven Middle Eastern and North African countries is sound national security policy.

    It’s also completely defensible in these troubled times.

    The presidential executive order will temporarily alter visa issuance, immigration and refugee flows to America from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen while U.S. entry programs are examined.

    All of these countries have one thing in common: terrorism.
    http://www.bostonherald.com/opinion/op_ed/2017/01/brookes_pause_in_us_entry_policies_sensible

    It's all nothing but hysterical spin coming from the Left Wingery.....

    That's all it is..

  310. [310] 
    neilm wrote:

    Hay Neil,

    Didn't you say at one time you would accept the analysis of IBD?????

    Well, there ya go... Start accepting. :D

    I'd take their market analysis seriously - they know as much about politics as the RNC knows about capital markets.

  311. [311] 
    neilm wrote:

    All of these countries have one thing in common: terrorism.

    What a crock. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt don't have terrorists? Have you even heard of 9/11? San Bernardino (Pakistan born, raised in Saudi Arabia)?

    All the rest of the deaths from terrorism in the U.S. have comes from U.S. citizens.

  312. [312] 
    michale wrote:

    What a crock. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt don't have terrorists? Have you even heard of 9/11? San Bernardino (Pakistan born, raised in Saudi Arabia)?

    If you have a problem with those on the list, take it up with Odumbo...

    It was his administration that created the list...

    All the rest of the deaths from terrorism in the U.S. have comes from U.S. citizens.

    That have sworn allegiance to ISIS....

  313. [313] 
    michale wrote:

    Having said that, I *AM* surprised that Pakistan and Saudi are not on the list..

    But, as the facts clearly show, it was Odumbo's list...

    So any problems you have with the list, take it up with him...

  314. [314] 
    neilm wrote:

    If the ban were announced with a one week notice, the "bad" would rush into our country during that week. A lot of bad "dudes" out there!

    This tweet from 45 is just a blatant lie. It takes weeks to get a visa - this could have been announced internally and people trained on the implications, etc.

    This is just another shoot from the hip with your eyes closed attempt to make everybody forget that Russia hacked the election. It is pointless, puts our IC and military in more danger pointlessly and is borne of fear to appeal to cowards.

  315. [315] 
    michale wrote:

    This tweet from 45 is just a blatant lie. It takes weeks to get a visa - this could have been announced internally and people trained on the implications, etc.

    Yea, and of course, the Odumbo sycophants that still permeate our civil service would NEVER leak it, right??

    Com'on Neil.. This is another case of throwing every thing on the wall and hope something sticks..

    This action was not illegal or unconstitutional..

    This action was not unprecedented..

    This action was based on lists from the previous administration...

    NOW your complaint is that there wasn't enough warning???

    Trump said over half a year ago that he was going to do this...

    From a security point of view, this action makes perfect sense all the way around...

  316. [316] 
    neilm wrote:

    Trump described how Pershing allegedly dipped 50 bullets in pig’s blog and then shot 49 of 50 Muslims he had lined up. The 50th person was spared, Trump said, but Pershing gave him the blood-soaked bullet and told him to go back to his people and tell them what happened.

    “He went back and said what just happened, and for 28 years there was no terrorism. So I’m not saying that’s a good thing, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing,” Trump said.

    Police in Quebec City have arrested a suspect following a shooting at a mosque there that left six people dead and wounded eight others ...

    Last June, during the holy month of Ramadan, as the CBC reported, someone also left a pig's head at Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre, where Sunday night's attack took place.

  317. [317] 
    neilm wrote:

    I’m not saying that’s a bad thing,” Trump said.

  318. [318] 
    neilm wrote:

    Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love...

    MLK, 1958

  319. [319] 
    michale wrote:

    I have to say that it looks like the Left Wingery and the Anti-Trumpers on the Right got really rolled by this... :D

    http://tinyurl.com/2fcpre6

    :D heh

  320. [320] 
    michale wrote:

    Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love...

    Yea, compare that to the actions of the Left Wingery in the aftermath of the Trump election..

    The Left as a whole lost all moral authority to talk about love....

  321. [321] 
    michale wrote:

    I’m not saying that’s a bad thing,” Trump said.

    I'm not saying what Pershing did is a bad thing either..

    Unlike President Trump, I WILL say it's a good thing...

  322. [322] 
    michale wrote:

    Trump described how Pershing allegedly dipped 50 bullets in pig’s blog and then shot 49 of 50 Muslims he had lined up. The 50th person was spared, Trump said, but Pershing gave him the blood-soaked bullet and told him to go back to his people and tell them what happened.

    “He went back and said what just happened, and for 28 years there was no terrorism. So I’m not saying that’s a good thing, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing,” Trump said.

    "afw'ein Mnhei'sahe"
    -Romulan Proverb, roughly translated to the latin term "sans humanite" which means,I will give you no pity, you deserve no mercy and it serves you right!

  323. [323] 
    neilm wrote:

    I'm not saying what Pershing did is a bad thing either..

    Unlike President Trump, I WILL say it's a good thing...

    It was a lie, as usual. Pershing never did any such thing. 45 doesn't care - he just makes up anything he wants, or gullibly repeats any story he's heard.

  324. [324] 
    michale wrote:

    While perusing for that Romulan quote, I came across this little gem...

    http://www.chrisweigant.com/2012/05/15/heres-an-idea-harry/

    Rather apropos considering the SCOTUS confirmation fight we're about to have... :D

  325. [325] 
    neilm wrote:

    Romulan Proverb

    We are humans. Progressive humans who have read history know that you need to be strong and then never use that strength. That is how you reduce suffering, not by lashing out at the weak.

    The terrorism that frightens you so much comes from the fear that for all your strength, somebody can catch you unaware when you are weak and hurt you.

    This is why the only purpose of strength is to suffer a little so everybody else suffers a lot less.

    That is the human lesson from history. It is a noble calling and America was moving towards being the brightest light in the history of humanity. Then 45 came along with all his little demons and fears and is unleashing the worst demons of our nature instead of the best angels.

  326. [326] 
    neilm wrote:

    He makes me vomit. He doesn't understand America. Neither does anybody who cheers his hate and fear driven agenda.

  327. [327] 
    michale wrote:

    It was a lie, as usual. Pershing never did any such thing. 45 doesn't care - he just makes up anything he wants,

    Yea, I thought it was MacArthur that did that..

    Regardless, the point was not whether Pershing or MacArthur or Patton or whoever actually did that..

    The point is that you can't fight savage terrorists with Marquis De Queensberry rules...

    You don't fight a junkyard dog with ASPCA rules. What you do is you take the leash off your bigger, meaner dog.
    -Senator, THE SIEGE

    When it comes to fighting terrorists, you meet brute force with brute force.. You meet savagery with savagery...

    That was President Trump's point, I believe...

    And it's a dead on ballz accurate point...

  328. [328] 
    neilm wrote:

    When it comes to fighting terrorists, you meet brute force with brute force.. You meet savagery with savagery...

    You can't. Who are you fighting? The point of terrorism is that it is an idea that breeds hatred and results in madness.

    You have to fight the idea - you fight bad ideas with good ideas, there is no one to use your power against unless you lash out at innocents - and that just acts to create more terrorists.

    Do we really have to learn this lesson again and again and again?

  329. [329] 
    michale wrote:

    The terrorism that frightens you so much comes from the fear that for all your strength, somebody can catch you unaware when you are weak and hurt you.

    Terrorism doesn't frighten me.. At least not in the sense that you mean..

    Progressive humans who have read history know that you need to be strong and then never use that strength. That is how you reduce suffering, not by lashing out at the weak.

    And when the weak lash out at you.. Do you still not use your strength?? What if they lash out at your family or at innocents...

    Still gonna keep that strength sheathed???

    If you won't show your strength in self-defense or in defense of others, then you really HAVE no strength...

  330. [330] 
    neilm wrote:

    Regardless, the point was not whether Pershing or MacArthur or Patton or whoever actually did that..

    Nobody did it. It is a stupid story that has been debunked time and time again.

  331. [331] 
    neilm wrote:

    And when the weak lash out at you.. Do you still not use your strength?? What if they lash out at your family or at innocents...

    That is why terrorists always win. They want a retaliation and they get it.

    The strong need to suffer a little so everybody suffers less. That is the only lesson of strength. If you can catch and punish the evil you do, using the power of civilized law if you can, or a bullet if you can't, but if you unleash an army to fight terrorism, you've lost before you started.

    Read every military history of occupation and they all end the same way.

  332. [332] 
    michale wrote:

    You have to fight the idea - you fight bad ideas with good ideas, there is no one to use your power against unless you lash out at innocents - and that just acts to create more terrorists.

    So, in YOUR world, you will never fight terrorism.. You will just let them brutally murder and kill innocents and you will NEVER respond because you are afraid of "lashing out" and hurting innocents..

    I have to say, I don't think I like your world..

    It would be a world ruled by NAZI Germany and Japan because Roosevelt, afraid of "lashing out" and hurting innocents, didn't enter WWII...

    Your world is a fantasy... A utopia that exists only in your mind...

  333. [333] 
    michale wrote:

    The strong need to suffer a little so everybody suffers less.

    And WHO gets to decide who suffers??

    You and your progressives???

    Your turn the other cheek and let terrorists kill with impunity is EXACTLY why Democrats have been totally and completely refuted by patriotic Americans...

  334. [334] 
    michale wrote:

    You remind me of General Ross in AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON.....

    Blaming the Avengers for what happened in New York and Washington DC and Sakovea and Wakanda....

    But what HE (and you) fail to realize is how much WORSE things would have been if the Avengers HADN'T acted...

    You want a world where the strong turn the other cheek, no matter the provocation...

    That's "peace" all right.. The peace of slavery.. The peace of the grave...

    No thanks.. THAT kind of "peace" is a non-starter from the word GO...

    "True peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the presence of JUSTICE"
    -President Marshall, AIR FORCE ONE

    You are not talking about justice. You are talking about capitulation.. Fear... Surrender...

    Not on my watch....

  335. [335] 
    michale wrote:

    You want a world where the strong turn the other cheek, no matter the provocation...

    Scratch that..

    You want a world where an arbitrary ad hoc progressive group with a corrupt liberal agenda says when and when not to use force...

    A group that would put a choker on the Avengers if Palestinian terrorists overrun Israeli borders, but then turned the Avengers loose against the Israelis when the Israelis defended themselves against Palestinian terrorism..

    Thanx but no thanx... That's not a world I would want to be a part of..

    Thanx to the election of President Trump, it's a world I won't have to WORRY about living in....

  336. [336] 
    michale wrote:

    Nobody did it. It is a stupid story that has been debunked time and time again.

    But the point it raises is valid..

    THAT is what you keep missing..

    "War is never imperative, Mr. Spock!"
    "It is for them, Doctor. Vulcan, like Earth, had its aggressive, colonizing period... Savage, even by Earth standards... And if the Romulans retain this martial philosophy, then weakness is something we dare not show."

    -STAR TREK TOS, Balance Of Terror

  337. [337] 
    neilm wrote:

    It would be a world ruled by NAZI Germany and Japan because Roosevelt, afraid of "lashing out" and hurting innocents, didn't enter WWII...

    Your world is a fantasy... A utopia that exists only in your mind...

    Nonsense - massed armies are easy to identify and attack. But the last time any army tried to match us in the field was in 2003 and it was one sided. Even then the army was trying to stop our invasion.

    We need to keep a strong conventional military but it is now like our nuclear deterrent. Mostly to remind Russia and China not to attack us our the countries we have treaties with.

    The conventional army is mostly useless against terrorism. Fighting terrorism is an intelligence and police action, which is and should be prosecuted intensely. Our last act of terrorism on U.S. soil was at Fort Lauderdale airport earlier this month. Who are you going to bomb? Who are you going to attack with artillery or missiles? Who do you tell the Marines to take out?

    Look at the list of terrorist attacks in the U.S. for the last few years and most have been home grown. People have been filled with hatred or are simply insane and have been allowed access to firearms. The Army can't help here. Tanks are useless.

    We need to identify the root causes and eliminate tem:

    1. Insane people should not be allowed access to firearms

    2. Us and Them arguments where people on one side decide who is a real American and who isn't (look in a mirror my friend, a lot of your posts have been promoting the view that only you are patriotic) create division that is the topsoil, and hateful rhetoric from extremists on the other side are the fertilizer in which radicalism grows.

    3. Bombing a family to kill one member who is a terrorist creates more new terrorists.

    4. Like it or not, we are the strongest nation on earth. Other nuclear powers need not fear us, but if we threaten everybody, we will create proliferation - look at North Korea and Iran - both were nervous but uncommitted until Bush 2 started his "Axis of Evil" talk, then they both ramped up nuclear programs. 45 needs to keep his stupid trap shut. We don't need to brag to be the strongest power on earth, we already are.

  338. [338] 
    neilm wrote:

    But the point it raises is valid..

    A pretend war crime raises a valid point? You're losing it.

    Remember all those macho congressmen who demanded "Jack Bauer" exemptions to torture laws and real counter terrorism experts laughed at them?

  339. [339] 
    michale wrote:

    We need to identify the root causes and eliminate tem:

    And if the "root cause" is that some people are just assholes and like to kill??

    What are you going to propose??

    That people just lie down and be killed to appease these assholes???

    APPEASEMENT does not work...

    It's been proven time and time again..

    And THAT is what you are talking about..

    Appeasement...

  340. [340] 
    michale wrote:

    As I said, your philosophy on self-defense is shared by the Democrat Party..

    And that's a VERY big part of why patriotic Americans gave the Democrat Party, the heave-ho....

  341. [341] 
    michale wrote:

    As I said, your philosophy on self-defense is shared by the Democrat Party..

    And that's a VERY big part of why patriotic Americans gave the Democrat Party, the heave-ho....

  342. [342] 
    neilm wrote:

    And if the "root cause" is that some people are just assholes and like to kill??

    You mean sociopaths? We have plenty of our own to worry about in this country.

    APPEASEMENT does not work...

    Nope. You can't understand because you don't want to. You want macho solutions that make you feel good so you won't learn the lesson that over aggressive solutions don't work with terrorism - there is no there there so you end up killing innocent men women and children and create the next generation of terrorists. Good intelligence and police work can treat the symptoms and intelligent politics can address the root causes. All aggression does is create martyrs and more terrorists. Look at Ireland - the rebellion there went on for centuries until a fair system of justice was developed.

    Not giving in to hatred isn't appeasement, it is strength and civilization. It is the better angels of our nature.

    Or there is genocide. Just kill every man, woman and children.

  343. [343] 
    michale wrote:

    Nope. You can't understand because you don't want to.

    Oh, I understand it perfectly..

    And I have seen first hand that appeasement doesn't work..

    It never has and it never will..

    Terrorists are fighting to right any wrongs. Terrorists don't fight for the people or for freedom..

    Look at Ireland - the rebellion there went on for centuries until a fair system of justice was developed.

    Again, you display your ignorance..

    The terrorism stopped because the Brits and the SAS made it perfectly clear that the IRA will be exterminated if they continued..

    Brutal, savage naked force is what ended The Troubles.. Not any form of altruistic meeting of the minds or fairness...

    The Brits said "You continue with the terrorism... You die"

    And THAT is exactly how you deal with terrorists..

  344. [344] 
    neilm wrote:

    And that's a VERY big part of why patriotic Americans gave the Democrat Party, the heave-ho....

    There you go again, creating terrorists. Stop trying to divide Americans. You can't defend the use of force against terrorism so you resort to blanket statements of division and hate.

    I don't expect you to learn, but you never know. Terrorism is very difficult to stop. Individuals can become radicalized and the damage they do is limited only by the weapons they have. Some are small groups, like the "Crusaders" in Kansas and their loose lips give them away. Some leverage weaknesses in our systems like the 9/11 terrorists with their box cutters. An effective anti-terrorism strategy will:

    1. Understand the steps to radicalization and monitors pathways such as viewing certain types of online content, etc.

    2. Close weaknesses in the system, such as unlocked cockpit doors in planes.

    3. Limit access to destructive weapons such as fertilizer or firearms

    4. Address genuine political injustice like the systematic suppression of Catholics in N. Ireland until recently, etc. to ensure that the host communities are on the side of law enforcement

    Now tell me where the Army fits in? What are they going to do?

  345. [345] 
    neilm wrote:

    The terrorism stopped because the Brits and the SAS made it perfectly clear that the IRA will be exterminated if they continued..

    You know nothing. My Dad's cousin was a Major in the UDR. I know from close sources that the end was brought about when the justice system was seen to be addressing the legitimate complaints of the Catholic community (the other half of my family are Catholic from just over the border). Once the IRA started to be vilified by their community and the UDF by theirs, the regular people wanted peace and the extremists were marginalized and the breeding grounds for the next generation of militants dried up.

  346. [346] 
    neilm wrote:

    The Brits said "You continue with the terrorism... You die"

    The Brits tried that for 250 years and it failed every single year. Then they tried something new - treating the Catholic community like real equals by enforcing justice. It wasn't perfect but 95% of the people just wanted peace and normality. When both sides saw the other side was trying to be part of the solution the hate mongers were marginalized.

    That is how you defeat terrorism. Guns and torture failed for generations on both sides - the Brits were too powerful, the Catholic community had genuine grievances.

    Unless you grew up in the Sectarian environment like N. Ireland or the West of Scotland you have no idea how it divides a community. I lived thru the simmering hatred of Glasgow for a decade and saw it in its full, but bullet and bomb free, glory.

    You have no idea what you are talking about.

  347. [347] 
    neilm wrote:

    BTW when I go back to Glasgow I'm still careful about wether I go to a Bluenose (Protestant) or Tim (Catholic) bar late on a Saturday night - I still have enough of my Glasgow accent to realize that if I answer the question "whose yer team?" wrong I could get a beer glass in my face.

    99% of the bars are completely neutral now and Americans are considered off limits, so unless you pick the wrong bar on a Celtic/Rangers game night you are pretty safe.

  348. [348] 
    michale wrote:

    You have no idea what you are talking about.

    Says the guy who thinks appeasement will solve the terrorism problem...

    :D

    But I know you speak from ignorance, so we'll just have to agree to disagree....

  349. [349] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale,

    How is what happened at a mosque in Quebec related to Trump's Muslim travel ban and why should PM Trudeau regret his stance on welcoming Syrian refugees and all those who flee persecution, conflict and war?

  350. [350] 
    altohone wrote:

    Troll
    295

    Are you really blaming me for you not reading my comments?

    Geez man.

    Whatever.

    I accept your squirrely apology.

    Do you think you can remember what happened so we can avoid it happening yet again?

    A

  351. [351] 
    michale wrote:

    Troll Formerly Known As Asshole...

    Troll
    295

    Are you really blaming me for you not reading my comments?

    Geez man.

    Whatever.

    I accept your squirrely apology.

    Do you think you can remember what happened so we can avoid it happening yet again?

    A

    Once you keep your end of the agreement, sure....

  352. [352] 
    altohone wrote:

    Troll

    I am keeping my end of the agreement.

    What are you whining about now?

    A

  353. [353] 
    michale wrote:

    Troll Formerly Known As Asshole

    Troll

    I am keeping my end of the agreement.

    What are you whining about now?

    A

    Not whining at all..

    Just pointing out that you are still going with the immature name-calling when you said you would stop if I apologized..

    I did and you didn't..

    Par for the course for children like you...

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