Trump

[Harlequin]

I am still not convinced that the entire Russian angle is not itself a deliberate red herring.

[Little stoned kiwi]

It seems legit, you think Russia's involvement is much deeper, and this is a sacrifice to distract from that?
It shows that someone was talking to Russians, others knew and authorised it, and all are denying it.

As for Trump himself? He's just a puppet. He is responsible and accountable for nothing, any indiscretions fall on a scapegoat. They just wind him up, prop him in front of a podium, and let him spin to keep the public preoccupied.
He's so much like a bible bashing evangelist in style that I wonder if that's where his initial popularity came from. He preaches the word of Trump.

[Bog]

"I am still not convinced that the entire Russian angle is not itself a deliberate red herring."

How do you mean? It's pretty flagrant that Donnie and his little pals got lots of help from Russia. There are laws against that exact thing, so this entire administration is literally illegal if we go by the rule of law (stop laughing!).

[tufty]

But … Hilary's < emails | uranium | foundation | husband | seizures | campaign | illegal voters >*, amirite?

* delete or add others as necessary.

[RiK]

But her emails!

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/201 ... l-account/

[merman]

Trumps in Japan next month. Thats going to be... interesting.

He went to Pearl Harbour first, where he was met by people holding "Welcome to Kenya" - a reminder of Trump's involvement in the whole Obama birth certificate debacle.

And apparently Trump was confused that a "nation of Samurai warriors" did not shoot down North Korea's missiles. Seriously.

[Little stoned kiwi]

Imagine the confusion in Trump's face if someone tries to brief him about Japan's military restrictions and the public support to keep them.
Expect a speech where he loudly and slowly explains how mighty America will protect Japan.

[F-ZeroOne]

For a little bit of background context, Japans current PM wants Japan to be more involved in a military sense internationally - the issue is effectively Japans Brexit, and the dividing lines are drawn roughly the same.

There is also the fact that intercepting ballistic missiles is one of the harder make-something-go-bang problems to solve, and as far as I'm aware, all of Japans current weapons systems for doing so are in the "Well, its possible but... " category. Interesting to consider Trumps grasp of this subject given who he is spoiling for a fight with, isn't it?

Trump on the recent tragic events in Sutherland Springs:

"Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, on a tour of Asia, said guns were not to blame for the shooting.

'We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, but this isn't a guns situation,' he said.".

Definitely not terrorism then.

[zip accident]

Trump on the recent tragic events in Sutherland Springs:

"Meanwhile, President Donald Trump, on a tour of Asia, said guns were not to blame for the shooting.

'We have a lot of mental health problems in our country, but this isn't a guns situation,' he said.".

Between terrorism and idiots, bet idiots every time, not least because most terrorists are also idiots.

Also, from what I've heard so far, this guy doesn't sound like an islamist.

I disapprove of the Vegas shooting, don't understand it at all, don't understand what the guy was for or against. This Texas thing, if the guy was an atheist he was also nuts, I don't approve, if he was christian what was it about?

Guns for citizens I'm more or less against, but that depends on the army being accountable to the civil authority and not vice versa, if the army is out of control it's probably a bit late to let civilians take them on with guns, but guns are better than pitchforks.

[F-ZeroOne]

I think I was more getting at the old "White people are mentally ill, non-whites are terrorists" thing - compare Trumps reaction to this to the one in New York recently.

[zip accident]

I think I was more getting at the old "White people are mentally ill, non-whites are terrorists" thing - compare Trumps reaction to this to the one in New York recently.

Well, maybe (New York?)

I just plain don't get the white terrorist thing, from Columbine on it seems totally irrational, no motive that I understand. If that's not mentally ill, I don't understand the difference.

Islamists have a backing who cheer when they hurt Israel or her allies, which the USA is one of.

I'm not saying Trump isn't a twit.

[Dio]

Guns for citizens I'm more or less against, but that depends on the army being accountable to the civil authority and not vice versa, if the army is out of control it's probably a bit late to let civilians take them on with guns, but guns are better than pitchforks.

"probably"? That argument's obviously a bunch of cobblers. It may give a few Americans a slightly warmer feeling inside to feel that possession of one lump of metal that shoots small lumps of metal very fast gives them marginally more independence from the very concept of society but it's bollocks. Their lives continue to exist at the behest of the state. There is no quantity or type of weaponry that makes you able to fight society off if it labels you the problem.

The key defence against a rogue army is the army itself being as close to the people as it is to its leadership. That is why leaders who want to use the army to control the population separate the army from the people and indeed encourage active hostility towards them as much as possible.

[F-ZeroOne]

I think I was more getting at the old "White people are mentally ill, non-whites are terrorists" thing - compare Trumps reaction to this to the one in New York recently.

Well, maybe (New York?)

I just plain don't get the white terrorist thing, from Columbine on it seems totally irrational, no motive that I understand. If that's not mentally ill, I don't understand the difference.

Islamists have a backing who cheer when they hurt Israel or her allies, which the USA is one of.

I'm not saying Trump isn't a twit.

"New York" - this incident:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41825577

I guess you could say theres a difference between "irrational" - we probably all do things that don't make sense occasionally - and "mentally ill", as in being diagnosed with a mental health condition. Its not so much what constitutes a terrorist I'm getting at, but how the "mentally ill" label only seems to be applied to Caucasian perpetrators by Trump (and others). I grew up during the time of "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland; I heard the various groups that carried out attacks labelled many things during that time, such as "evil", but I can't recall ever hearing them being described as mentally ill. I suppose I'm saying that term is being used as an excuse rather than tackling the underlying issues.

[VNVObit]

The "mentally ill" label is a useful distraction emp[lyed by NRA (and the politicians they support) so as to avoid anything that might require gun control consequently when many more people are killed by "mentally ill" white men with guns it's not something anyone has to deal with (how long ago was Las Vegas and no action on gun control was considered as a result in the US)

whereas a relatively smaller number of people have been killed terrorist attacks but that supports disproportionate response wanted by Trump and/or his allies.
I remember the Parson Green attack (botched thankfully) and the upshot was a small disruption here (I had to collect my son who goes to a school on that stretch of the district line), trains were back operationally the following day but Trump sees it as evidence to support immigration bans.

Trump and others do not let facts, logic or considered thought stand in the way of their agenda and hoping some of the Republicans would grow a backbone on the issue is wishful thinking as they are heavily indebted to the NRA (as are a number of Democrats)

[F-ZeroOne]

Yes, after I made my last post I remembered that after the New York made statements that he wanted to "keep America safe" by increasing vetting on immigrants. Yet his equivalent statement about these attacks is saying hes not going to do anything to "keep America safe".