sunnykerr

California fires: Deadly wildfires sweep through wine country

This is a terrible, terrible thing. And yet, here I am, wondering how the administratin will react. Think they'll scold the wineries about "busting" their budget?

There You'll Be

I am so sad, and even more fearful of fire now, watching what is going on in CA. Over 100 calls came in reporting missing people, so far, as of 7am. Not sure how many are dead now. I've seen before and after pictures of whole neighborhoods gone.

Well, so far this morning he's tweeted about the failing NY Times and ESPN failing and the reasons why. Bob Corker making a food of himself....oh, and that he's going to pen a law to bring healthcare to many more people, on his own, since he couldn't get Trumpcare passed. And praising Jerry Jones' threatening to not play any player who kneels on the Dallas Cowboys.

Not one word about letting the Jones Act waiver end last night at midnight, which they have decided they "see no reason to extend the waiver".

Not one word about the raging fires in California. Well, you do know they went against him, making CA a sanctuary state, so they probably deserve to burn.

I don't think this Administration speaks unless they're ordered to, or are on the way out.


ETA- Black man beaten at white supremacist rally in Charlottesville faces felony charge | TheHill

WTH is going on here?! Insanity has taken over. Or, having just gotten back into the news, over the last couple of months, I just didn't know it was all insanity all along.

sunnykerr

The Jones Act is insane. Basically, Puerto Rico was screwed from the get-go because of it, whether or not a hurricane had devastated it. I don't understand how such an unfair bit of law is allowed to stand in this day and age. Like, it was put in place to protect the United States during World War II. It's time that it went the way of the dodo.

As for the racial inequalities before the law... there is a theory that says it's been so all along, but social media has made the rest of us more aware of it. The same theory says that a lot of what we're seeing right now (from the Black Lives Matter through the first Charlottesville protests) is the cumulation of so little change having happened and people at large being made aware of it.

So, in a way, it's good news. Because it means people do care and they won't stand for injustice.

There You'll Be

Wow--I didn't realize the impact it had on PR all along. It is a law that should already be gone.

Thank you. It makes sense-I really only became aware of so much from news links on Twitter and Facebook, and people's tweets on the subject that made me look further into it.

That's a good point too, and I'm glad you said that, because I was starting to feel like it is just going to get worse. Not that it won't, but that people will continue to speak out and stand up against it.

Trump, of course, insisted the American nuclear arsenal be increased from 4000, to about 62,000. He's always wanted to be the biggest most powerful person in the world, but he's just heading in the other direction. Though I do believe he's actively trying to alienate the US from the rest of the world, and start wars. Or, the war.

Trump wanted a massive expansion of US nuclear arsenal: report | TheHill

And flying more planes over NK today...

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-n...-idUSKBN1CF368

At least he wasn't sending US bombers in alone-but With SK and Japan. Still. It doesn't make me sleep any easier.

Sorry, I still don't know how to change links into article titles.

sunnykerr

If you want to post the title of an article, what you need to do is this: Title of the article. For instance, on the BBC website, there's an article on Trump's response to the reports that he wants to augment the nuclear capabilities of the United States tenfold. Its url is Trump threatens broadcaster NBC after nuclear report - BBC News, and the title is Trump threatens broadcaster NBC after nuclear report. When I combine the two, you get: Trump threatens broadcaster NBC after nuclear report.

But you don't have to post the title of an article. Personally, anyway, I'd rather discuss the subject, you know? I just got in the habit of posting article titles back when I was modding the N&P board.

Anyway, he is of course denying wanting to do that. Because it would be ludicrous when the United States already has ten times the amount of nuclear weapons of all the other countries who have nuclear weapons combined. But he wants the U.S. arsenal maintained and modernized, which is just as stupid. And that's if we believe what he says... which I find no reason to do.

There You'll Be

Thanks. I've never been able to make that work right. Yeah, I'd rather talk about the content, too.

That does seem incredibly stupid, if we already have more than everyone else. Personally, I don't think he knows what he's saying, even once it's out of his mouth, so I'm with you, I don't see a reason to believe what he says about it.

He wants NBC's licensing revoked, because "it's not fair!" to the people of the US to be exposed to lies and fake news. Isn't that how dictatorships start?

Also, so far anyway, he doesn't have the power to do that. He does have the power to bully them into it, much like he's bullying the NFL team owners-by threatening to pull money.

I keep thinking about North Korea, and then back to Trump's comments during the election "What's the point of having nuclear weapons if you're not going to use them?"

Sunrise at Midnight

Um.. I seem to remember Obama and Fox News having a similar drama , don't recall it being as heavily reported though.

I'm convinced now, more than ever a lot of what trump says is just to troll everyone and people keep feeding him, so he keeps at it. He lives for the reactions

There You'll Be

Kali. I bet that's exactly what he wants-reactions.

I also think he's trying to keep his supporters supporting him, and get the 2 sides into fighting with each other.

I wasn't watching any news during that time, but I'm not surprised that there would be trouble with Obama and Fox.

Edited cause I haven't been checking my spelling.

Edited again-just posted in the News Lite thread, I'll let y'all post links, and I'll comment on them. Right now the news/articles are coming out so fast, I can't tell what's what.

I am, however, wondering where the tweets about California wildfires are, and why the only tweets about PR are threats.

sunnykerr

Obama's a great example of someone who didn't engage all the people who were constantly criticizing him on social media (including Trump) or on TV (see FOX News reporting over the lat 10-12 years). How long did it take for Obama to address the rampant birther nonsense? What, six years? And he did it with humour. Did he ever respond to Hannity's 2013 rants over his daughters going to the Carribbean for Spring Break? Meanwhile, Trump's children are visting his businesses all over the world, with a full Secret Service detail and the kind of accomodation that come with, all on the taxpayers' dime, and I don't see the U.S. media reporting on that.

Nah, the way I see it, we're so used to Trump being able to say completely revolting things that we're still treating the things he says as entertainment, rather than a the actions of the most powerful man in the world. We're so used to seeing him make everything about him and ripping everyone off to his own advantage that we think it's normal when he continues to do it from the Oval Office.

I don't think people having an opinion about the President is a problem, especially not in a democracy. I think your country had a whole impeachment trial because Bill Clinton got a few BJs in the Oval Office when he was "supposed to be working on the nation's behalf" and no one bats an eye when the current president spends more time on Twitter than all of my teenage relatives combined.

There You'll Be

That is very true. It was a time when being a President meant being a good example, and an actual leader. I really miss Obama's humor, especially right now.

It has become the norm, hasn't it. Most of the people I come across are so angry right now, like me, and I feel like insanity has taken over here. I've yet to see one tweet showing genuine concern, or heartache over any of these disasters that are happening right now. Only hateful, or self-congratulatory utter BS. Oh, and hypocrisy.

Yeah, there were certainly huge outcries for the impeachment of Bill, I can't understand if this president is insane, or just evil at this point. Maybe a combination.

People now are mostly saying that the 25th ammendment (can't get that word spelled right) needs to be enacted. I didn't know what it was, until this all started coming to light. The "president" had to ask what the 25th was. He's just utterly clueless. And running the US like his businesses, completely into the ground.


Here are Joe Biden's thoughts on the President's not certifying the Iran deal, and leaving it up to Congress...yes, I know it's the Democratic view...

https://www.facebook.com/search/str/...A1N2VlNDY3NiJ9

sunnykerr

It is the Democratic view on the Iran deal, but there was a time that was a bipartisan effort. Then Bill Clinton was elected and bipartisanship went out the window. At least, that's as far as my memory goes.

It's so preposterous that the President of the United States making no sense whatsoever has become normal. Trump says Iran is violating the nuclear agreement, but he won't pull out just yet. Well, they're either in violation of the agreement, in which case you pull out right the freaking now; or they're not and you're just playing schoolyard bully.

You can't just say "This dangerous country with which we made a deal isn't respecting their end of the bargan, but we're letting it go for now." That doesn't make sense.

There You'll Be

Does that mean they stopped voting bipartisan based on being stubborn and not letting the "other side win", or because of something Bill Clinton did?

Everything I've read, from other countries to Trump's own advisors have made very clear to him that Iran is following the agreement. Also, if as you said, they weren't you simply leave the agreement.

Well, he's let the sanctions on Russia not be enacted, despite the fact that the sanctions were supposed to start Oct. 1. So, apparently it's up to his discretion what is being met and what isn't, and he can simply say "i'm taking my toys and going home" when it suits him.

Somehow it makes sense in Trump's mind.

The newest to come out is that he actually believes that we can completely and accurately blow any and ALL incoming missels coming towards us out of the sky. And because he "says so" people should feel safe. What scares me is that there are people who believe him.

sunnykerr

It means I don't really remember much about the time before Bill Clinton and that, during his eight years as President, the GOP was always trying to get him out of office, one way or another, and to prevent any legislation from being passed. Of course, Barry Goldwater died in 1998, so his anti-bipartisanship efforts would have happened before I was even born. Which means it's not really a new thing at all.

And, in case the name Barry Goldwater doesn't mean anything to you, he was in Nixon's circle and government. He was against desegregation of any kind. Thought it was an overreach of the federal government to defend Civil Rights. He didn't disavow the KKK when they endorsed him when he ran for President... You get the idea.

The thing about Iran... It's not a Western democracy. It will likely never be a Western democracy because, in light of its own bad history with the UK and the United States, any push to be a Western democracy will be rejected as more or less "caving" to the "enemy." And it's got the Muslim equivalent of the kind of conservative social movement you see all over the United States, only instead of saying "abortion is for bad girls,'" they have "only 'bad girls' show their ankles," or whatever. And, just like in the United States, that's not at all how everyone thinks.

It's not a perfect country, but then no country is a perfect country. It has secret prisons, the United States has Guantanamo Bay. So, I don't know, it just doesn't feel right that the United States gets to dictate terms to Iran, I guess.

There You'll Be

Thanks. I'm learning a lot about politics, and I appreciate the help. I remember hearing about how bad the GOP was with Obama, but, I'm not that familiar with the Clinton presidency.

Goldwater sounds like a real charmer. That is terrible to read, and to know, that people like that are/were around. To be filled with so much hate, and such a feeling of superiority-I just don't understand that.

That makes sense to me now, about Iran seeing it as giving in to the enemy. It's a shame governments aren't viewed as the enemy, rather than all the citizens.

It seems really hypocritical that the US would get to dictate anything to anyone, at all. I get that there are "superpowers" who have a certain amount of leverage, but, I don't get where the authoritarian on everything beliefs.

Of course, I could be wrong. Am I missing an important piece to the political puzzle?

Always & Forever

The fire situation is so sad.

I wasn’t sure which “political” thread to post this in, so I’ll just do it in both.

Jimmy Fallon Says Making Fun Of Trump Is 'Just Not What I Do'