Trump..... (The Sophistry Thread)

Binaural

Eats Squid
Read a good article today on the proto-Trump, Newt Gingrich, that you might be interested in @B Rabbit. He was the first Republican who weaponized conspiracy theories as political tools. Not incidentally, it is abundantly clear that Gingrich is also a raging narcissist who prefers to create his own reality when confronted with uncomfortable facts. He's still a power in the GOP today, and was allegedly in contention for a VP spot until someone decided that the optics of "two candidates, six wives" might not be solid messaging for the religious crowd. He's a real peach.
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
How bizarre is it that we live in an age where people will do that to someone they don't really know as part of their everyday job.
 

moorey

call me Mia
Fuck, he’s delving new depths over this Elizabeth Warren/Pocahontas thing. He’s been peddling it for years, but has managed to look even more stupid, racist and dishonest.
And his base love it.
 

Binaural

Eats Squid
Not even the lowest moment of this morning. He also went after a porn star, the one he "boffed" while his third wife was at home with a newborn, as a "horse face". Mind you, getting nicknamed "tiny" and being asked if this meant he "was into beastiality" was probably not what he was expecting back across the net. I'd find this mildly amusing if it were reality TV, but the fact that Trump is at least nominally the leader of the US makes this ever more depressing.
 

hifiandmtb

Sphincter beanie
CSIRO's latest climate report:

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...re-heat-longer-fire-seasons-and-rising-oceans

The report’s key findings include:
  1. Australia’s fire seasons have lengthened and become more severe. In some parts of the country, the season has been extended by months.
  2. The number of extreme heat days continues to trend upward.
  3. There has been a shift to drier conditions in south-eastern and south-western Australia in the months from April to October.
  4. Rainfall across northern Australia has increased since the 1970s, particularly during the tropical wet season in north-western Australia.
  5. Oceans around Australia have warmed by about 1C since 1910, which is leading to longer and more frequent marine heatwaves that affect marine life such as corals.
  6. Sea levels around Australia have risen by more than 20cm since records began and the rate of sea level rise is accelerating.
  7. There has been a 30% increase in the acidity of Australian oceans since the 1800s and the current rate of change “is ten times faster than at any time in the past 300 million years”.
Gee, I wonder if there's something to this CC story?
 

Attachments

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
No Attorney General, no Chief of Staff and now no Secretary of Defence.

There are no adults left in the room...
 

moorey

call me Mia
There never really were. The prick is fucked. Resorting to snap decisions to withdraw from Syria over Twitter to divert attention from legal woes.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
From what it looks like, Mattis has resigned in protest of the Syria withdrawal and the Afghanistan draw down.

Have a look at the bolded sections below. It's a clear resignation because he feels he cannot work under Trump any longer. He also doesn't thank Trump or anything when he signs off and talks of serving the nation and the military, not serving the president. That's a clear rebuke.




Dear Mr President:

I have been privileged to serve as our country’s 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.

I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department’s business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong US global influence.

One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.

Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model gaining veto authority over other nations’ economic, diplomatic, and security decisions to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.

My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.


Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.
The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department’s interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability within the Department.

I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.

I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.

Jim N Mattis
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
From CNN:

Defense officials tell me Mattis went to the White House to discuss Syria & that he was livid after reading reports that Turkey's Defense Minister threatened to kill US-backed Kurds & put them in ditches once the US withdrew. He was incensed at this notion of betrayal of an ally
 

B Rabbit

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Well, this is going well.

And a quick question, if Mexico is paying for the wall why does congress need to pass a funding bill for it?
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
His excuse was that the new trade agreement with MExico and Canada puts the US in a better place than under NAFTA and that means that MExico is now paying for the wall as a result.

Yep, that's what he said.
 
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