Sound The TRUMPets! A Thread for Presidential Pondering 2016-2020(?)

[SimonNZ]

Trump Appoints Illuminati Mind Power Warrior Magic Expert To Education Board

"We can no longer say that Donald Trump has never done anything for us. Why? Because he has given us the gift of appointing one George Mentz to the Commission on Presidential Scholars, a board that selects and honors 161 Presidential Scholars from across the country.

Why is this such a beautiful gift, you ask? Well, I think we all know that anyone Trump appoints is going to be terrible. He does not pick the best people, for anything. He picks the worst people, for everything. And you can be assured that George Mentz is, indeed, also the worst. But he is also a purveyor of some of the most hilarious batshittery I have ever seen in my life — and heck, if everyone Trump is going to appoint to everything is terrible, the least we can ask for is some quality entertainment.

Let's start with his books. Mentz writes Illuminati self-help books. Now, traditionally, we think of Trumpists and right-wingers as people who freak out about the Illuminati, but not Mentz. No! He writes books about harnessing the magical thought powers of the Illuminati, or something to that effect, in order to become super rich. The titles of these books are, predictably, absolutely goddamned incredible: The Illuminati Secret Laws of Money — The Wealth Mindset Manifesto, It Works: The Greatest Success Book to Think and Grow Rich with the Power of Your Subconscious Mind.

Mentz, a Trump donor, also wrote such classics as "100 Secrets & Habits of the Illuminati for Life Success: The Art of the Highly Effective Badass The Path to Extreme Illumination and the Secret Rules of Crushing It," "Banned Success Secrets of Human Potential: Manifesting Abundance for Mindful Warriors," and "The Illuminati Secret Laws of Money - The Wealth Mindset Manifesto: The Life Changing Magic and Habits of Spiritual Mastery."


Former Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich says he's now for impeaching Trump

"Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich said President Donald Trump should be impeached, a major switch for a former Republican presidential candidate who had previously said there was not enough evidence to impeach the President.

Kasich, who's a CNN senior political commentator, told CNN's Ana Cabrera Friday the "final straw" for him was White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney's Thursday admission that military aid was withheld from Ukraine in order to pressure that country for investigations into Democrats.

"But if you are asking me if I was sitting in the House of Representatives today and you were to ask me how do I feel, do I think impeachment should move forward and should go for a full examination and a trial in the United States Senate, my vote would be yes." Kasich said on CNN's "Newsroom."

[drogulus]

To protect the Kurds from the Turks you don't need air supremacy. You need (1) troops to act as a buffer between Turkey and the Kurds and (2) a clear statement that the Kurds are your allies. As long as the US ensured these conditions, Erdogan did nothing because he could do nothing.


I'm not American. This is not a question of gratitude or ingratitude, it's a question of verifiable facts: as long as the US is willing to do the dirty job, all is all right (and even so there is widespread outrage about "American imperialism"); the moment US stop doing the dirty job, there is outrage about US not willing to take their responsibilities which they created themselves by their imperialism. What is indeed morally ourageous for me is exactly this double standard.

     The alliance was against ISIS, not Turkey. Air power was critical. As far as Turkey is concerned, the U.S. managed to keep the Turks at bay on its own.

     I don't know what you find deficient about what BasilValentine said. Is this about a document that exists, or has gone missing?

     OK, be outraged by double standards. I won't be, it's how things work. Small countries do tend to be touchy about how not very important they are and how everything in the world super violates their sovereignty and special way of life. Speaking in my semi-official capacity as an average American all I can say is.....Let's Be Friends!!!

[SimonNZ]

Trump On Turkey And Kurds: 'You Have To Let Them Fight Like 2 Kids'

"President Donald Trump said Thursday that he had to let Kurdish allies and Turkey "fight a little while" before the U.S. would be able to stop the Turkish attack on northern Syria that the president himself had enabled.

"Sometimes you have to let them fight a little while, then people find out how tough the fighting is," he told supporters at his campaign rally in Dallas. "Sometimes you have to let them fight like two kids in a lot, you gotta let them fight, and then you pull them apart."

[JBS]

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-op-com-padgett-trump-honduras-latin-america-policy-20191017-f7xlppfpw5h7pop4ukjxykytqy-story.html

[BasilValentine]

Nice try.

Okay, you're lazy.  Look into the handover of border outposts in the late summer of 2018. Us: "Your manning those posts is antagonizing the Turks while we're trying to resolve the safe-zone issue." Kurds: "If we wilthdraw, you have our backs, right?" They did. We didn't.
 

[Florestan]

Okay, you're lazy.  Look into the handover of border outposts in the late summer of 2018. Us: "Your manning those posts is antagonizing the Turks while we're trying to resolve the safe-zone issue." Kurds: "If we wilthdraw, you have our backs, right?" They did. We didn't.

What's missing in the above is <Us: "Right!">.  Either you forgot to insert it, or it was never uttered. In any case, by 2018 the Kurds should have already learned two things: (1) that they should trust nobody, especially not a great power --- that's a lesson they actually should have learned time and again in their fateful history; and (2) that Trump is particularly untrustworthy and a liar --- that's a lesson they would have certainly learned had they read GMG or Washington Post.

To sum it up: Trump shouldn't have precipitously withdrawn the US troops from Syria, that's for sure. But none of the countries who are outraged about the Kurds being betrayed are blameless in this respect, because they never did anything for the Kurds. It's a case of pot calling the kettle black.

[71 dB]

The current discussion --- and the hypocritical moral outrage --- is about Syria, not Saudi Arabia. More specifically, about the fate of the Syrian Kurds. Not a single one of those countries who condemn US for abandoning them (the Kurds, that is) has done anything to alleviate their plight in all these years. Anything at all. Finland is no exception. Now they are all hand-wringing about it. Sheer, utter hypocrisy.

Yeah all of this is Finland's fault

[Todd]

Oh Mick, you scamp!

[Florestan]

Yeah all of this is Finland's fault

If this is what you really inferred from my posts then your reading comprehension skills are at the level of a newborn.

[Todd]

As the critical members of the GMG Big Brain Brigade are no doubt well aware, the House this week passed an irrelevant resolution condemning Trump's Syria policy.  We now have entered a state where Congress is denouncing the president for taking actions that will more fully comply with existing law.

There are no strategic or moral arguments of merit for the US maintaining a presence in Syria.  Russia! is not enough.  Nor Iran.  Nor ISIS.  Nor defending the Kurds.

I knew it would be fun to watch the US imperium unravel, but it's more fun than anticipated.

[drogulus]

In any case, by 2018 the Kurds should have already learned two things: (1) that they should trust nobody, especially not a great power --- that's a lesson they actually should have learned time and again in their fateful history; and (2) that Trump is particularly untrustworthy and a liar --- that's a lesson they would have certainly learned had they read GMG or Washington Post.

     It was not necessary to teach the Kurds lessons about how past betrayals inevitably lead to present ones. Trump is not the personification of inevitability.

Yeah all of this is Finland's fault

     That's inevitably true. Finland, just to take a random example, is scared of what Putin might do, in a small country way. It's also scared that a big friendly power might add to the danger, that it could be caught in a crossfire.

     Then there is the question of promises and betrayal, inevitable or otherwise. How Kurdish will Finland be?

There are no strategic or moral arguments of merit

     Merit signalling amuses me.

[71 dB]

As the critical members of the GMG Big Brain Brigade are no doubt well aware, the House this week passed an irrelevant resolution condemning Trump's Syria policy.  We now have entered a state where Congress is denouncing the president for taking actions that will more fully comply with existing law.

There are no strategic or moral arguments of merit for the US maintaining a presence in Syria.  Russia! is not enough.  Nor Iran.  Nor ISIS.  Nor defending the Kurds.

The moral arguments are fabricated to justify wasting trillions on these wars.

I knew it would be fun to watch the US imperium unravel, but it's more fun than anticipated.

Trump just sent a lot of troops to Saudi-Arabia. The US imperium isn't unraveling just yet the way you think.

[Todd]

Trump just sent a lot of troops to Saudi-Arabia. The US imperium isn't unraveling just yet the way you think.

Derp.

[Florestan]

     Finland, just to take a random example, is scared of what Putin might do, in a small country way.

Please let us know what could Putin do to Finland, today, tomorrow or in any foreseeable future.

[Todd]

Please let us know what could Putin do to Finland, today, tomorrow or in any foreseeable future.

He could say mean things.

[BasilValentine]

As the critical members of the GMG Big Brain Brigade are no doubt well aware, the House this week passed an irrelevant resolution condemning Trump's Syria policy.  We now have entered a state where Congress is denouncing the president for taking actions that will more fully comply with existing law.

There are no strategic or moral arguments of merit for the US maintaining a presence in Syria.  Russia! is not enough.  Nor Iran.  Nor ISIS.  Nor defending the Kurds.

I knew it would be fun to watch the US imperium unravel, but it's more fun than anticipated.

... said the uninformed child as he mounted his favorite hobbyhorse.

[Florestan]

The moral arguments are fabricated to justify wasting trillions on these wars.

This cuts both ways --- apparently you want the US troops to remain forever in Syria in order to protect the Kurds from the Turks, based exactly on a moral argument.

International  politics and moral are mutually exclusive, UN-style, or bleeding heart, claptrap notwithstanding.

[Todd]

... said the uninformed child as he mounted his favorite hobbyhorse.

Since it's you, I'll give this a B+.

[Florestan]

He could say mean things.

Alternatively, he could get any number of dishonest Finnish politicians on his payroll and set up a pro-Russian, anti-EU party. I have very limited knowledge on Finland's politics but I am not aware of any siuch party. Maybe 71dB can shed some light on the issue.

[Todd]

...dishonest Finnish politicians...

There is no such thing.

Maybe 71dB can shed some light on the issue.

I sure hope so.