Donald John Trump: 2016 President-Elect

[millennium]

2 hours ago, random chance said:

"I think we ought to get on with our lives. I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what's going on.  We have speed. We have a lot of other things but I'm not sure you have the kind of security that you need. But I have not spoken with the senators and I certainly will be over a period of time."

He's not eloquent, but c'mon, did anyone really not understand the gist of this statement?  He was prevaricating, but in a nutshell:

He wants to put the Russian hacking scandal behind him.   He's saying computers can do some really nifty things in the blink of an eye but the average person -- and even some, like, smart persons -- doesn't understand exactly how they work.   Computers can perform all these little electronic miracles, but maybe our systems aren't as secure as they should be.  This has added an element of risk and made modern life more complicated.   He hasn't spoken to any of the senators about cyber security yet but he plans to in the future. 

If we tear him apart over every little thing every day -- like poor sentence structure -- we risk the world tuning out and not hearing us anymore when it comes time to speak out against truly serious matters. 

What should be of greatest concern here is the ongoing attempt to brush aside the Russian hacking scandal.

[backformore]

Well, one guy does NOT want to brush aside the Russian hacking scandal  - thank god he's still president:

Obama Administration Will Announce Response to Russian Election Hack

Obama preparing to penalize Russia for hacking

Quote

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is preparing to penalize Russia over the hacking of Democratic officials during this year's presidential election and could take action very soon, officials said Wednesday.

Anticipating an imminent announcement, Russia continued to deny the hacking allegations and condemned reports of new sanctions as "provocation directed by the White House.”

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters: "To be honest, we are tired of lie about the 'Russian hackers,' which is being poured down in the United States from the very top."

President Obama told reporters earlier this month he would retaliate against the Russians but noted that his actions may or may not be made public.

"Our goal continues to be to send a clear message to Russia or others not to do this to us, because we can do stuff to you," the president said.

[shok]

[Guest]

7 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

 I think I'm going to organize a group to go out for lunch on inauguration day so no one feels compelled to watch this idiot's delight sworn in.

I hope Inauguration Day is -20 degrees and windy as shit and that fucker gets frostbite and his combover flaps behind his back. 

[PatsyandEddie]

Someone with Twitter should send that photo shok provided to as many of those jackasses as possible, starting with the orange one. 

[Lana X]

I dont think anyone cares. sigh

[NinjaPenguins]

Quote

Someone with Twitter should send that photo shok provided to as many of those jackasses as possible, starting with the orange one. 

And the Orange will reply, "I like soldiers who didn't lose limbs," and the Jingo Janes and Johnnys with the Freedom Ain't Free and These Colors Don't Run bumperstickers will hoot and holler and applaud. 

Edited December 29, 2016 by NinjaPenguins
$?)$?$)? Quote box

[Lunata]

6 hours ago, millennium said:

He's not eloquent, but c'mon, did anyone really not understand the gist of this statement?  He was prevaricating, but in a nutshell:

He wants to put the Russian hacking scandal behind him.   He's saying computers can do some really nifty things in the blink of an eye but the average person -- and even some, like, smart persons -- doesn't understand exactly how they work.   Computers can perform all these little electronic miracles, but maybe our systems aren't as secure as they should be.  This has added an element of risk and made modern life more complicated.   He hasn't spoken to any of the senators about cyber security yet but he plans to in the future. 

If we tear him apart over every little thing every day -- like poor sentence structure -- we risk the world tuning out and not hearing us anymore when it comes time to speak out against truly serious matters. 

What should be of greatest concern here is the ongoing attempt to brush aside the Russian hacking scandal.

Any seated U.S. President needs to govern with a position of strength. It's important to have a relationship with Russia of course but the relationship has to be one undertaken with fortitude and backbone. By Donald Trump dismissing Russian interference in our election and telling everyone to 'move on', he's walking a very dangerous line. This is sending a clear signal to Russia, China and any other country that seeks to interfere with our democracy that they have a green light to do so. I'm getting the sense that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing between the U.S. Intelligence Community and Congress. The U.S. Intelligence Community refused to brief the House Intelligence Community regarding the specifics of the Russian hacking.

Lindsay Graham and John McCain are determined to get what they want, which is deeper sanctions against Russia. If Donald Trump tries to remove the current sanctions on Russia then he's going to have a major fight on his hands between his White House and his Congress. Putin is counting on Trump to remove those sanctions and Trump's Congress are determined to add even more sanctions. See where this is going? Donald Trump is not walking into the White House with the three branches of government securely in his pocket. There may be party politics played when it comes to domestic matters between the Republicans and Democrats but when it comes to International affairs I think he'll find out that he's going to have to do battle with his own Republican Congress. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs has come out with a statement essentially warning the US that if we dare to put more sanctions on Russia for the 'accusations' of their interference with our election then there will be consequences.

I think that Donald Trump really believed that he could run this country like a business and in some respects he's right. He can dissolve protective agencies or weaken them significantly enough to grow businesses, create jobs and on the surface appear to be doing something great for the country. That's what people demanded, jobs. As an added bonus, the Wall Street wheeler-dealers will get even richer, gain more control over government and essentially control our economy with Donald Trump's help. If he sits back and 'plays nice-nice' with Putin or Netanyahu it's simply because he just doesn't understand what being a weak President will do to our country. He needs to be solidly resolute about something and so far he's shown to be ill-informed and weak on most issues. The reason he hasn't really had a legitimate press conference since July is because he has been reading script for months, the words written out for him to read. In a press conference he'll have to think on his feet and answer questions spontaneously. He's not capable of it and he knows that. He just doesn't want to fall on his face and embarrass himself before he's actually sworn in as President. After that, he could give a shit if everyone knows without any doubt that he's an bumbling, unintelligent, uniformed and downright ignorant bag of bloated hot air.

[kassa]

14 hours ago, Rapunzel said:

 I wonder if the manufacturer or some other company will even make a version of it that is one of those stress squeeze type toys - especially the kind where you squeeze it and it makes its eyes bug out.  

Instead of the eyes bugging out, the lips should pucker!

[millennium]

11 minutes ago, Lunata said:

Any seated U.S. President needs to govern with a position of strength. It's important to have a relationship with Russia of course but the relationship has to be one undertaken with fortitude and backbone. By Donald Trump dismissing Russian interference in our election and telling everyone to 'move on', he's walking a very dangerous line. This is sending a clear signal to Russia, China and any other country that seeks to interfere with our democracy that they have a green light to do so.

Only if the interference pays a dividend.  

[Bookish Jen]

14 hours ago, NinjaPenguins said:

Win.

Orange as a chicken is far more appealing than Orange as a human. "I lay the best eggs. Everyone says so. Tremendous eggs. Golden eggs. Believe me. Obama can't lay eggs - SAD! Hold on. Ivanka says those aren't eggs. I forgot to flush the toilet. Output still tremendous. Stock in Febreze going through roof! 

I think we should be careful to not insult high school cheerleaders. My eight year old nephew has a richer vocabulary and more coherent worldview than Orange. A high school cheerleader could easily defeat the incoming President in games of Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, and checkers. 

And do it while back flipping off a pyramid

[Pixel]

All I got out of that was Orange Chicken. And now I want to go to Panda Express.

[random chance]

8 hours ago, millennium said:

If we tear him apart over every little thing every day -- like poor sentence structure -- we risk the world tuning out and not hearing us anymore when it comes time to speak out against truly serious matters.

It wasn't merely poor sentence structure, but let's say it is - I don't think the world will be tuning us out because we criticized his word salad. I think he'll actually responsible for any tuning-out, along with the sneering, laughing, bombing, overthrowing, and so on. That's on his head, not ours.

[Lunata]

Robert Reich; 'Hands Off Our Medicare!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1421917311154194

Edited December 29, 2016 by Lunata

[parisprincess]

Quote

If we tear him apart over every little thing every day -- like poor sentence structure -- we risk the world tuning out and not hearing us anymore when it comes time to speak out against truly serious matters.

But the word salad statement he made was in answer to a question about a " truly serious matter' - the Russian hacking. You're right, the world is going to tune out and not hear us anymore, but it will be because our leader can't put together a sentence that makes sense, not because we criticize his inability to do so. It wasn't "poor sentence structure", it was babbling on and on off topic and still not making any sense. He's an embarrassment to educated, knowledgeable people everywhere.

[proserpina65]

13 hours ago, AntiBeeSpray said:

I think these answers say it best:

Michael Santoroski ‏@santoroski

@ericgeller @realDonaldDrumpf @LindseyGrahamSC This guy. Can we impeach him yet?

52m52 minutes ago

Greg Scott ‏@Gscott1847

@ericgeller @realDonaldDrumpf @LindseyGrahamSC WTH is he saying?!

50m50 minutes ago

Josh Callahan ‏@Jschmuck2

@ericgeller @realDonaldDrumpf @LindseyGrahamSC I'll have the word salad, please

 

And Josh Callhan's made me laugh out loud.

I love that one of them quoted Kang (or was it Kodos?).

Edited December 29, 2016 by proserpina65

[galaxygirl76]

1 hour ago, Pixel said:

All I got out of that was Orange Chicken. And now I want to go to Panda Express.

Mmmm Panda.....

 

He's going to be the Inspector Clouseau of international politics. Except that Clouseau accidentally solved cases and he's going to get us into a few wars.

[Pixel]

Every day he says or does something that makes me think, when the hell is someone going to stop this? And then I realize nobody's going to stop this, and it's just humiliating. I'm planning on wearing a maple leaf pin on my clothes if I do any international travel in the next few years.

[Lana X]

15 minutes ago, Pixel said:

Every day he says or does something that makes me think, when the hell is someone going to stop this? And then I realize nobody's going to stop this, and it's just humiliating. I'm planning on wearing a maple leaf pin on my clothes if I do any international travel in the next few years.

I've thought about wearing a shirt that says "hey, I didnt vote for him...I wanted the other one" :-P

[onthebrink03]

11 minutes ago, Pixel said:

Every day he says or does something that makes me think, when the hell is someone going to stop this? And then I realize nobody's going to stop this, and it's just humiliating. I'm planning on wearing a maple leaf pin on my clothes if I do any international travel in the next few years.

This made me laugh.  BUT, I can say from personal experience that it does make a difference.  My Mum and I, a few times forgot to put on our maple leaf pin when in Europe and we were treated with a marked difference.  Then my brother who had been who knows where showed up and things flipped immediately from rude and standoffish to friendly and welcoming.  Sad but true.

[sistermagpie]

10 hours ago, millennium said:

If we tear him apart over every little thing every day -- like poor sentence structure -- we risk the world tuning out and not hearing us anymore when it comes time to speak out against truly serious matters. 

Oh, I totally got what he was trying to say--but I don't think whether or not we criticize the sentence structure matters one way or the other. Because I'm sure the rest of the world reacts the same way to what he says. That is, that he clearly can't speak on the issue (a serious one) with any actual knowledge. They probably don't care what individuals on the internet are saying about it. They can hear both that he's not savvy about computers and that he's trying to brush off hacking as inevitable--iow, that he's totally weak and vulnerable.

What most strikes me about it is that he's doing the things he knows how to do is what he's been successful at, and one of those things is being able to say nothing to a certain group of people and have it sound like something. This is not the answer of someone who's taken on the responsibilities and problems of being president. It's the answer of that guy on the podium speaking to his screaming crowd. To many of his followers, this answer is probably a comfortable validations of how they see the world: computers do stuff but nobody really knows how they work and naturally there's going to be security problems with that. It's the perfect answer for someone who's uncomfortable with a lot of the 21st century and would prefer to just focus on the things they still understand.

But obviously to people who *are* engaged in the real present what Trump is saying makes him sound like some out of touch old guy who's the perfect mark for the simplest computer scams. You can't talk to him about cybersecurity ("the cyber") because his idea of a computer genius is his average 10-year-old. This is a guy who'll say if something's on the internet it's true. And here he's saying he's not interested enough to learn about it--certainly not in this case where all he really knows is that looking into it might take away from his "win."

Edited December 29, 2016 by sistermagpie

[Pixel]

Dan Rather just shared this. It's fascinating.  It's news most of us have heard, but told by the guy who uncovered it.

The story of a year of trying to find Trump's charitable contributions

[KerleyQ]

12 hours ago, Broderbits said:

Just seeing the cover of Harper's magazine's January issue puts a smile on my face:

I hope it's out when I go to the grocery store today, because I will absolutely buy that.  Maybe I'll frame the cover. 

12 hours ago, Pixel said:

I've noticed that lately he's been responding to questions asking where he stands on any given issue with, "You know where I stand".  I've realized that this is probably what his handlers have told him to say because he can't remember what his stance is supposed to be and they can't manage the contradictions any more. 

The media needs to hold his feet to the fire and follow up with "some citizens in this country don't know where you stand here, and they would like to know.  So, please, explain it to them."  Make him either try to explain his stance or do so much tap dancing that it's clear to anyone that he doesn't have a stance or ever know enough about the issue to begin to form a stance.  

3 hours ago, NinjaPenguins said:

And the Orange will reply, "I like soldiers who didn't lose limbs," and the Jingo Janes and Johnnys with the Freedom Ain't Free and These Colors Don't Run bumperstickers will hoot and holler and applaud. 

His supporters pretend to be all about the military, but when he says stuff like this, they just decide that whoever he's aiming it at is a "cuck" who deserved it for wimping out instead of supporting our country's true messiah.  If he says this, they'll tell themselves he doesn't mean all of the soldiers without limbs, he's just not being PC.  So it's perfectly fine for him to use the soldier's disability, one he suffered in service for our country, as a means of slamming him.  Something, something participation trophies.  

2 hours ago, kassa said:

Instead of the eyes bugging out, the lips should pucker!

Oh, God, not that anus pucker.  I don't know how his wives have done it.  There's not enough cash in the world to make me OK with that anus pucker coming at me.  

2 hours ago, parisprincess said:

But the word salad statement he made was in answer to a question about a " truly serious matter' - the Russian hacking. You're right, the world is going to tune out and not hear us anymore, but it will be because our leader can't put together a sentence that makes sense, not because we criticize his inability to do so. It wasn't "poor sentence structure", it was babbling on and on off topic and still not making any sense. He's an embarrassment to educated, knowledgeable people everywhere.

And the word salad serves as evidence that he's not equipped to talk about serious matters.  When he gets a question he either can't or doesn't want to answer, the blusters off in the word salad, and he expects everyone to treat it like a serious, intelligent answer.  I know I'm not pointing out the word salads to point and laugh at the buffoon (he gives us plenty of other reasons to do that).  I'm pointing it out because it puts a fine point on the fact that he's not up to the job, and that his ineptness can be dangerous.  Like the current word salad - he is saying, in lieu of an intelligent, reasoned response to the idea of a hostile nation interfering in our system, that we should all just get over it.  And he's putting it in word salad form because he can't just come right out and say "hey, fuck it, it helped me win.  Why would I want to punish someone who helped me win?  Besides, I owe a shit ton of money to his associates, so, he's got me by the short hairs, here."  

[Padma]

2 hours ago, parisprincess said:

.... It wasn't "poor sentence structure", it was babbling on and on off topic and still not making any sense. He's an embarrassment to educated, knowledgeable people everywhere.

Exactly. If that had been Hillary or someone else babbling out nonsense in a non-response to a question, the media would have been all over it. (GOP would have been asking, " What's wrong with her brain? Is she having a seizure?")  But it's Trump, so we all fill in the blanks and move on.

That tweet from LunaX is exactly right.  The press had a chance to ask him tough questions about the emoluments clause, his financial conflicts, his charity under investigation. But he knew that, instead, they would ask him about the news of the day (Kerry) and give him a chance to take credit for something he had nothing to do with but would get positive headlines (the Sprint jobs, old news).  All Americans should KNOW that he will be breaking the law on Day One.  But, again, the media is failing because they don't.

I -did- get a laugh when Trump said he's going to write his own inaugural address, taking inspiration from Reagan and JFK.  Oh, yes, please.

[sistermagpie]

5 minutes ago, KerleyQ said:

The media needs to hold his feet to the fire and follow up with "some citizens in this country don't know where you stand here, and they would like to know.  So, please, explain it to them."  Make him either try to explain his stance or do so much tap dancing that it's clear to anyone that he doesn't have a stance or ever know enough about the issue to begin to form a stance.  

Especially since whenever he does speak clearly we get Kellyanne coming on TV to explain that he really meant word salad. I remember when she was on Rachel Maddow and she was asked about the nuclear escalation Tweet and she kept saying stuff like "Well, what he's clearly saying is that we live in a dangerous world, blah blah blah." And It's like no, what he clearly said was that he wanted to build up our nuclear arsenal--and then later he said let's all build up our nuclear arsenals and see if people can keep up with all the building up we're going to do. You're the one trying to make it less clear as if it's our job to take whatever he says and translate it into whatever we find most intelligent.

[galaxygirl76]

26 minutes ago, Lana X said:

I've thought about wearing a shirt that says "hey, I didnt vote for him...I wanted the other one" :-P

This is going to be me every time one of the Trump voters I work with complains about shit he does/says

[KerleyQ]

Watching my local news a few minutes ago, and I wanted to throw things.  There were two instances, in one little blurb on him, where they let him get away with complete bullshit.  First, the clip they played happened to have him bragging about the "5,000 Sprint jobs that are coming just because of me."  No comment from the news desk that the Sprint jobs were actually announced prior to his election.  Then, they finished up with some bullshit about how Trump says he doesn't want his supporters sitting out in the cold for his inauguration.  Oh, bullshit.  He's pre-excusing the potentially historically tiny (like his hands) inauguration day crowd with that "I'm concerned for my supporters, please don't come out if it's too cold for you" bullshit.  If the media is just going to roll over and let him lie every time he opens his mouth, what is their purpose?  His cult members can breathlessly report his every word on Twitter for him.  Why do we need a media if they're just going to function as his PR army?  

[callmebetty]

22 minutes ago, Padma said:

 

I -did- get a laugh when Trump said he's going to write his own inaugural address, taking inspiration from Reagan and JFK.  Oh, yes, please.

"Ask not why I can do for the country, but what the country can do for me! Bigly."

[galaxygirl76]

3 minutes ago, callmebetty said:

"Ask not why I can do for the country, but what the country can do for me! Bigly."

"Mr Nieto, put up that wall!"

[MulletorHater]

22 hours ago, Lana X said:

I feel bad for the media who reads Donald's twitter. i dont have a twitter, but since that is the only platform he uses, I view his tweets through the news. 

'Doing my best to disregard the many inflammatory President O statements and roadblocks.Thought it was going to be a smooth transition - NOT!'

I just don't freaking get him. such a child.

Okay.  I'll start by saying two words to the future fuhrer:  Fuck you.

Now, having dispensed with that, I'll have to say that even a stopped clock is right twice a day.  As usual, when the Puerile Pervert thinks he is insulting or calling someone out, he only manages project his own inflammatory behavior and statements.

Yes, he is right.  It has NOT been a smooth transition!  But, not for the reasons he stated.  Can you imagine that you're President Obama and a constitutional scholar and because you are concerned enough about the orderly transition of power, you do everything you can to ensure that the incoming president is brought up to speed only to discover that this person has the attention span of a gnat and the intellect of a pet rock?  Because you care enough about this country and the citizens in your charge, you want to ensure that your successor understands the gravity of the task he is about to undertake.  Only to get...nothing.  Can you imagine offering to tutor someone overtime to compensate for his known deficiencies only to find your efforts trivialized on social media and undermined by assholes from foreign countries?  Can you imagine how exasperating it must be to know that your successor doesn't have any more sense than a duck on a June bug and willfully chooses to allow foreign rulers to make a chump out of him to serve their own agendas?  In fact, your successor is such a chump for Putin, Netanyahu and others that it is expected that your Secretary of State should have to apologetically explain why your administration stood by what it believes is right.  Especially to the shrieking of war-mongering fools who will ensure that their own children are NEVER the first to sign up to fight in those wars on Middle Eastern sands--for people who don't want us there in the first place.  Never mind that as president, you just secured another $38 billion in American tax dollars to assist Israel only to have folks claim you are anti-Semitic and an enemy of Israel just because you refused to allow your successor's latest puppet master to disrespect you--just as he did back in 2012 when he tried to insert himself into our election process.  

Can you imagine being President Obama and knowing that with anyone else, this transition should have been as smooth as silk.  But, you know full well that you're dealing with a petulant child who lacks the self-reflection, maturity, or intelligence to wipe his orange rump after using the bathroom.  On top of being hopelessly stupid, your successor also has advisers who are ideologically driven and all you can do is despair.

As for the people who put that fool in this position:  Congratulations!  A special congratulations to the Black guy whose "poignant" plea is now documented on Trumpgrets.  He is actually begging Drumpf to denounce Richard Spencer and his neo-Nazi cohorts because "they're not the only ones who voted for you, I voted for you as well."  Words simply fail me...

 

Edited December 29, 2016 by MulletorHater

[Ocean Chick]

4 minutes ago, MulletorHater said:

Okay.  I'll start by saying two words to the future fuhrer:  Fuck you.

Now, having dispensed with that, I'll have to say that even a stopped clock is right twice a day.  As usual, when the Puerile Pervert thinks he is insulting or calling someone out, he only manages project his own inflammatory behavior and statements.

Yes, he is right.  It has NOT been a smooth transition!  But, not for the reasons he stated.  Can you imagine that you're President Obama and a constitutional scholar and because you are concerned enough about the orderly transition of power, you do everything you can to ensure that the incoming president is brought up to speed only to discover that this person has the attention span of a gnat and the intellect of a pet rock?  Because you care enough about this country and the citizens in your charge, you want to ensure that your successor understands the gravity of the task he is about to undertake.  Only to get...nothing.  Can you imagine offering to tutor someone overtime to compensate for his known deficiencies only to find your efforts trivialized on social media and undermined by assholes from foreign countries?  Can you imagine how exasperating it must be to know that your successor doesn't have any more sense than a duck on a June bug and willfully chooses to allow foreign rulers to make a chump out of him to serve their own agendas?  In fact, your successor is such a chump for Putin, Netanyahu and others that it is expected that your Secretary of State should have to apologetically explain why your administration stood by what it believes is right.  Especially to the shrieking of war-mongering fools who will ensure that their own children are NEVER the first to sign up to fight in those wars on Middle Eastern sands--for people who don't want us there in the first place.  Never mind that as president, you just secured another $38 billion in American tax dollars to assist Israel only to have folks claim you are anti-Semitic and an enemy of Israel just because you refused to allow your successor's latest puppet master to disrespect you--just as he did back in 2012 when he tried to insert himself into our election process.  

Can you imagine being President Obama and knowing that with anyone else, this transition should have been as smooth as silk.  But, you know full well that you're dealing with a petulant child who lacks the self-reflection, maturity, or intelligence to wipe his orange rump after using the bathroom.  On top of being hopelessly stupid, your successor also has advisers who are ideologically driven and all you can do is despair.

As for the people who put that fool in this position:  Congratulations!  A special congratulations to the Black guy who is now begging Drumpf to denounce Richard Spencer and his neo-Nazi cohorts because "they're not the only ones who voted for you, I voted for you as well."  

 

 

Can I marry this post?

[random chance]

53 minutes ago, KerleyQ said:

Then, they finished up with some bullshit about how Trump says he doesn't want his supporters sitting out in the cold for his inauguration.  Oh, bullshit.  He's pre-excusing the potentially historically tiny (like his hands) inauguration day crowd with that "I'm concerned for my supporters, please don't come out if it's too cold for you" bullshit. 

God I hope it's a freak 70 degree day.

[stormy]

Mr. Exclamation Point! Is back today with "January 20th is coming fast!" Hate UN! Bibi I will suck your balls or visa versa!  Sprint! Thanks DONALD! (that was actually from one of tweets this week).

[film noire]

1 hour ago, callmebetty said:

"Ask not why I can do for the country, but what the country can do for me! Bigly."

"We have nothing to fear but me itself!"

[Lunata]

                                                                             *Breaking News*

Executive Order

It was just announced that 35 Russian diplomats have been expelled from Washington, D.C. in retaliation for the hacking of the DNC.

More to follow.

Just released;

E.O. 13694 authorized the imposition of sanctions on individuals and entities determined to be responsible for or complicit in malicious cyber-enabled activities that result in enumerated harms that are reasonably likely to result in, or have materially contributed to, a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States.  The authority has been amended to also allow for the imposition of sanctions on individuals and entities determined to be responsible for tampering, altering, or causing the misappropriation of information with the purpose or effect of interfering with or undermining election processes or institutions.  Five entities and four individuals are identified in the Annex of the amended Executive Order and will be added to OFAC’s list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List).  OFAC today is designating an additional two individuals who also will be added to the *SDN List.  Two Russian compounds, one in Maryland and one in New York are being shut down because they were used by Russian personnel for intelligence related purposes.

*Specially Designated Nationals List (SDN)

Collectively, such individuals and companies are called "Specially Designated Nationals" or "SDNs." Their assets are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.

This is big and President Obama is not fooling around here. It will be interesting to see what Donald Trump has to say about this. I'm sure that he will overturn this Executive Order the minute he's inaugurated. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharovasaid Wednesday that retaliatory measures would be taken against the United States if new economic sanctions are imposed on them over accusations of election tampering.

Keep your eyes out for some impulsive tweets coming from Donald Trump.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Lunata

[ruby24]

I expect Trump to lift those sanctions when he gets in office as a direct show of his allegiance to Putin. Seriously, I do. Because I think the Russians have a LOT on him, and it includes business ties we're unaware of.

[MulletorHater]

3 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

I expect Trump to lift those sanctions when he gets in office as a direct show of his allegiance to Putin. Seriously, I do. Because I think the Russians have a LOT on him, and it includes business ties we're unaware of.

That's exactly what Putin is counting on.  All he has to do is whisper a couple of misinterpreted compliments in Coral Caligula's ear and those sanctions will disappear.

That's why Manifort was in place and it explains Drumpf's SOS pick.  Now, I want to see all of those so-called patriots who proudly wear those flag pins actually show their love for this country.  Especially the ones who have been riding Putin's jock ever since President Obama was elected.

[KerleyQ]

11 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

I expect Trump to lift those sanctions when he gets in office as a direct show of his allegiance to Putin. Seriously, I do. Because I think the Russians have a LOT on him, and it includes business ties we're unaware of.

I've seen it speculated that Putin has some dirt on him outside of just business.  Now, I'm not saying that he is on tape with, say, an underage Russian prostitute, but, well, some people are saying it.  (That is how we do it these days, right?) 

[ruby24]

Yep. Our next president is not loyal to the United States.

I wish I was kidding, but it's TRUE. And it's absolutely insane. This whole thing is a grotesque joke. We are about to make one of the worst mistakes in U.S. history (maybe world history, given how powerful this country is) and I really can't believe I'm just sitting here, watching it happen.

Nothing is safe. We're all just willingly diving off a cliff. I still can't believe it.

Edited December 29, 2016 by ruby24

[BBDi]

2 hours ago, KerleyQ said:

I hope it's out when I go to the grocery store today, because I will absolutely buy that.  Maybe I'll frame the cover. 

The media needs to hold his feet to the fire and follow up with "some citizens in this country don't know where you stand here, and they would like to know.  So, please, explain it to them."  Make him either try to explain his stance or do so much tap dancing that it's clear to anyone that he doesn't have a stance or ever know enough about the issue to begin to form a stance.  

His supporters pretend to be all about the military, but when he says stuff like this, they just decide that whoever he's aiming it at is a "cuck" who deserved it for wimping out instead of supporting our country's true messiah.  If he says this, they'll tell themselves he doesn't mean all of the soldiers without limbs, he's just not being PC.  So it's perfectly fine for him to use the soldier's disability, one he suffered in service for our country, as a means of slamming him.  Something, something participation trophies.  

Oh, God, not that anus pucker.  I don't know how his wives have done it.  There's not enough cash in the world to make me OK with that anus pucker coming at me.  

And the word salad serves as evidence that he's not equipped to talk about serious matters.  When he gets a question he either can't or doesn't want to answer, the blusters off in the word salad, and he expects everyone to treat it like a serious, intelligent answer.  I know I'm not pointing out the word salads to point and laugh at the buffoon (he gives us plenty of other reasons to do that).  I'm pointing it out because it puts a fine point on the fact that he's not up to the job, and that his ineptness can be dangerous.  Like the current word salad - he is saying, in lieu of an intelligent, reasoned response to the idea of a hostile nation interfering in our system, that we should all just get over it.  And he's putting it in word salad form because he can't just come right out and say "hey, fuck it, it helped me win.  Why would I want to punish someone who helped me win?  Besides, I owe a shit ton of money to his associates, so, he's got me by the short hairs, here."  

I think it's just his usual default babbling when he doesn't want to answer. It reminds me of his "no one really knows" BS, which he uses to respond to uncomfortable truths that, in fact, are well known and documented (like climate change). 

[candall]

On ‎12‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 2:24 PM, rallymantis said:

I'm not very religious but there is almost nothing funnier than secular leftists attempting to interpret Christian text.

He wasn't talking about Trump.

Seriously, guys.  Give it a rest.  It's Christmas.

Okay then, let's be serious.  Here's the sentence in question from RNC Chair Priebus and Co-chair Day:

Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King.

I believe two professional wordsmiths painstakingly crafted this sentiment with exactly the right amount of innuendo and plausible deniability and that's it's actually rather genius.

I'm cynical, but rarely ever obtuse or naïve.

 

 

 

On ‎12‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 2:08 PM, rallymantis said:

Hey, if you guys keep this hysterical up, you better believe = 8 years.  I've been joking around, but WOW.  Even when I write, "It's no different!" your response is the same: Yes it's totally different because, uh, Reasons! you rascistsexisthomophobicIslamophobicpiece of human garbage Cuckservative!!!

Look at the echo chamber that exists in these threads.  No room for understanding that others are entitled to opinions you do not share.  It would never cross my mind to toss away a friendship or family member for the simple fact of their political leanings.  But I was horrified to read here that some do it with pride.  Families you have no choice in, but suddenly, Trump wins, and you discover old friends are terrible people?  

P. S.: Be careful with the anti-Semite darts. It was the current president, just threw Israel under the bus.

 

This entire post is full of insults and mistakes (if unintentional) or lies (if intentional.)  It doesn't take much "fact-checking" to find that people on this board have been very open to people with the minority viewpoint, very respectful, and have even encouraged discourse for the purpose of trying to understand.  No one has responded to another poster with invective or name calling and no one has evinced pride at the fraying of relationships due to "the simple fact of [...] political leanings."  Anti-Semites?  Where?  (I have no empirical data about what crosses your mind and/or horrifies you.)

And in spite of the fact you denounce the entire forum as an "echo chamber" with "[n]o room for understanding that others are entitled to opinions [we] do not share," everyone who responds to your post does so with careful deliberation and reason--not "uh, Reasons!"

******************

In reviewing your posts, rallymantis, I thought you made a good point comparing The Reluctant Rockettes to the bakers who don't want to bake cakes for same-sex weddings.  Either you offer a service that is available for hire by the public and you don't have the right to discriminate, or you have the right to pick and choose who agrees with your belief system before you perform.  You're correct--the shoe being on the other foot does cause me to consider both sides with fresh eyes.

[Lunata]

8 minutes ago, candall said:

Okay then, let's be serious.  Here's the sentence in question from RNC Chair Priebus and Co-chair Day:

Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King.

I believe two professional wordsmiths painstakingly crafted this sentiment with exactly the right amount of innuendo and plausible deniability and that's it's actually rather genius.

I'm cynical, but rarely ever obtuse or naïve.

 

 

 

 

This entire post is full of insults and mistakes (if unintentional) or lies (if intentional.)  It doesn't take much "fact-checking" to find that people on this board have been very open to people with the minority viewpoint, very respectful, and have even encouraged discourse for the purpose of trying to understand.  No one has responded to another poster with invective or name calling and no one has evinced pride at the fraying of relationships due to "the simple fact of [...] political leanings."  Anti-Semites?  Where?  (I have no empirical data about what crosses your mind and/or horrifies you.)

And in spite of the fact you denounce the entire forum as an "echo chamber" with "[n]o room for understanding that others are entitled to opinions [we] do not share," everyone who responds to your post does so with careful deliberation and reason--not "uh, Reasons!"

******************

In reviewing your posts, rallymantis, I thought you made a good point comparing The Reluctant Rockettes to the bakers who don't want to bake cakes for same-sex weddings.  Either you offer a service that is available for hire by the public and you don't have the right to discriminate, or you have the right to pick and choose who agrees with your belief system before you perform.  You're correct--the shoe being on the other foot does cause me to consider both sides with fresh eyes.

Thank you for this comment. I was tempted to respond to the insults made to the people who comment on this forum but I wouldn't have been quite as diplomatic as you have been.

[Chicken Wing]

31 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

I expect Trump to lift those sanctions when he gets in office as a direct show of his allegiance to Putin. Seriously, I do. Because I think the Russians have a LOT on him, and it includes business ties we're unaware of.

Part of me thinks that Obama's order here was actually partly influenced by this -- basically laying a trap for Trump, daring him to overturn it on January 20. Then we'll see who's "not" a friend of Russia. Ooh, how I can't wait to hear what nonsense he tweets about this tonight.

[Ocean Chick]

I'm sure Putin has some really good stuff on Trump, which is part of the reason that Trump is willing to dance for him.  The other part of the reason is that Putin is willing to whisper honeyed words into Trump's ear, telling him he's the most bigly president to ever president and that they're BBFs forever.  And we all know how desperate Trump is for validation and respect.  It's pathetic really.

I'm on the edge of my seat to see what nonsense the Tangerine Turd tweets out in regards to this latest news.  I know it will leave my head and heart hurting though.  Especially as I know a good portion of his voters will think it's a good thing that this Tangerine Travesty is standing up FOR Putrid Putin.

[Padma]

21 minutes ago, KerleyQ said:

I've seen it speculated that Putin has some dirt on him outside of just business.  Now, I'm not saying that he is on tape with, say, an underage Russian prostitute, but, well, some people are saying it.  (That is how we do it these days, right?) 

I read it on FB or in a tweet, I think. Makes it true these days, doesn't it?

I believe the Manafort-Stone-Trump-Putin connection should not be ignored.  Imagine if the next president actually DID collaborate with a foreign government to have them throw the election to him?  It is not at all implausible, given his ambition, greed and complete amorality--and the way he acts about this (i.e. like someone with something to hide).  Also Priebus lying that the Russians didn't hack the RNC.   Did they find something so damaging that they can black mail them?  This is crazy--yet very plausible given the events we DO know really happened.

How much corruption of the president would Republicans in Congress be willing to go along with in exchange for power and the ability to pretty much get whatever they want now?  In the Watergate days, there were some very principled members of the GOP who were ready to impeach Nixon over breaking the law. 

How many like that are there in Congress today? 

Good for Obama for turning on a few screws on Putin and Netanyahu in his final days. Also on Trump because "undoing things" forces him to create a record of what he represents--for example, undoing the action to preserve 1 million acres of natural wilderness, or undoing the action to hold Russian hackers into private Americans' email accountable for that--and for attempting to change the results of our democratic election (and, apparently, succeeding).

[callmebetty]

5 minutes ago, Ocean Chick said:

I'm sure Putin has some really good stuff on Trump, which is part of the reason that Trump is willing to dance for him.  The other part of the reason is that Putin is willing to whisper honeyed words into Trump's ear, telling him he's the most bigly president to ever president and that they're BBFs forever.  And we all know how desperate Trump is for validation and respect.  It's pathetic really.

I'm on the edge of my seat to see what nonsense the Tangerine Turd tweets out in regards to this latest news.  I know it will leave my head and heart hurting though.  Especially as I know a good portion of his voters will think it's a good thing that this Tangerine Travesty is standing up FOR Putrid Putin.

Dance Puppet Dance.

[Lunata]

21 minutes ago, Padma said:

I read it on FB or in a tweet, I think. Makes it true these days, doesn't it?

I believe the Manafort-Stone-Trump-Putin connection should not be ignored.  Imagine if the next president actually DID collaborate with a foreign government to have them throw the election to him?  It is not at all implausible, given his ambition, greed and complete amorality--and the way he acts about this (i.e. like someone with something to hide).  Also Priebus lying that the Russians didn't hack the RNC.   Did they find something so damaging that they can black mail them?  This is crazy--yet very plausible given the events we DO know really happened.

How much corruption of the president would Republicans in Congress be willing to go along with in exchange for power and the ability to pretty much get whatever they want now?  In the Watergate days, there were some very principled members of the GOP who were ready to impeach Nixon over breaking the law. 

How many like that are there in Congress today? 

Good for Obama for turning on a few screws on Putin and Netanyahu in his final days. Also on Trump because "undoing things" forces him to create a record of what he represents--for example, undoing the action to preserve 1 million acres of natural wilderness, or undoing the action to hold Russian hackers into private Americans' email accountable for that--and for attempting to change the results of our democratic election (and, apparently, succeeding).

It wouldn't surprise me if Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel was also doing some hacking of their own. Netanyahu despises Barack Obama and understands that Donald Trump is certainly in favor of allowing the expansion of settlements on the West Bank and move forward with making the State of Israel a Zionist State. Palestine officially recognized the State of Israel in 1993 but they have not recognized it as a Zionist State.

When Israel destroyed the peace the Palestinians were asked to recognize another condition that they all have to become Zionists and accept the idea of a Jewish State when they are struggling to accept an inclusive, democratic state. Palestinians cannot accept one religion for any State. Jerusalem can't be claimed as a Jewish State, an Islamic State or a Christian State, otherwise you'll end up having to deal with the Islamic States. There is no license that the Jews hold to discriminate against any religion, any group or any ethnicity or to give them any additional value because of their religion or ethnicity.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Lunata

[rcc]

3 hours ago, onthebrink03 said:

This made me laugh.  BUT, I can say from personal experience that it does make a difference.  My Mum and I, a few times forgot to put on our maple leaf pin when in Europe and we were treated with a marked difference.  Then my brother who had been who knows where showed up and things flipped immediately from rude and standoffish to friendly and welcoming.  Sad but true.

That happened to a co-worker of mine. She and her husband went to France and since she is part Canadian she could speak French. They told everyone they were Canadian. She didn't want any problems if they admitted to being American. Sad but true.

[backformore]

1 hour ago, ruby24 said:

Yep. Our next president is not loyal to the United States.

Our next president is loyal to United States CURRENCY.   his decisions are based on what will increase his wealth and his power.  And that will ultimately be his downfall. 

[HunterHunted]

3 hours ago, KerleyQ said:

I've seen it speculated that Putin has some dirt on him outside of just business.  Now, I'm not saying that he is on tape with, say, an underage Russian prostitute, but, well, some people are saying it.  (That is how we do it these days, right?) 

America has some dirt on him, but he's still our president elect and acting like a fool. We have a ton of evidence of him being the worst and we can't get him to do things in America's best interest. I honestly think he just likes Putin and thinks that a ruthless dictatorial style is an admirable style of leadership.

Edited December 29, 2016 by HunterHunted