Chilloutman Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Hey Ben, what do you think about that Tafel debacle? what’s there to say? Racists will be racists. I found it more worrying that parts of the CDU are putting their weight behind it. I’m seeing that AfD/CDU coalition definitely coming soon. Damn racists everywhere I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think, I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech, and freedom of choice. I'm the kinda guy that likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecue ribs with the side-order of gravy fries?" I want high cholesterol! I wanna eat bacon, and butter, and buckets of cheese, okay?! I wanna smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section! I wanna run naked through the street, with green Jell-O all over my body, reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly may feel the need to, okay, pal? I've SEEN the future. Do you know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing "I'm an Oscar Meyer Wiene" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjjames Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) The House Intel Commitee Republicans are ending the Russia probe they are doing, say they found no collusion and nb evidence Russia meddled specifically to help Trump. It'd be for the best anyway since it became a major farce what with the partianship. The Senate investigation and Muellers probe are still ongoing. http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/378017-house-gop-ending-russia-probe-says-no-collusion-found https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/12/politics/house-republicans-russia-conclusions/index.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/us/politics/house-intelligence-trump-russia.html Edited March 12, 2018 by smjjames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hurlshort Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 The House Intel Commitee Republicans are ending the Russia probe they are doing, say they found no collusion and nb evidence Russia meddled specifically to help Trump. It'd be for the best anyway since it became a major farce what with the partianship. The Senate investigation and Muellers probe are still ongoing. http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/378017-house-gop-ending-russia-probe-says-no-collusion-found https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/12/politics/house-republicans-russia-conclusions/index.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/us/politics/house-intelligence-trump-russia.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjjames Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Heh hurlshot. Personally, it looks a heck of a lot like actions by shady characters and just overall incompetence and bad decisions, but there are just too many unanswered questions to completely rule out intentional collusion vs being naive and playing straight into the hands of the Russians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneckdevil Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) Next time, they should hack BOTH parties and let us see both sides as scumbags instead of just one if they do. Edited March 12, 2018 by redneckdevil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volourn Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 "We even suck at Rugby" Do you suck? Or do you even care? I'm guessing most Amerikan athlets - espicially the best ones - aren't trying their hand at Rugby. 1 DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadySands Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I'm guessing most Amerikan athlets - espicially the best ones - aren't trying their hand at Rugby. I'm sure this is the main reason. Soccer is a very popular youth sport here and has been for a long while but soccer isn't nearly as well paying or "glamorous" as football, basketball, baseball, or hockey. Free games updated 3/4/21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/13/trump-says-tillerson-out-as-secretary-of-state-458353 Tillerson seemed ok, I remember him being one of the least ****-riding cabinet members during that praise session last year Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartimaeus Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) I thought maybe it was because he publicly said Russia was responsible for the UK assassination attempt, but apparently he was asked to leave last Friday. Isn't he also the guy that repeatedly said Trump was a "****ing moron" while on the job? Not that he was wrong or anything - easy way to smooth over meetings with representatives from other countries, I'm sure! - but I'm surprised he lasted this long. Now we'll have Pompeo as SoS, who, if I recall correctly, has ties to Russia himself... (e): And to replace Pompeo at the CIA, we have our first woman director, Gina Haspel, who was previously deputy director (promoted to there at the start of Trump's reign). The only thing I know about her is that she "oversaw the torture of two terrorism suspects and later took part in an order to destroy videotapes documenting their brutal interrogations at a secret prison in Thailand". Although I'm not really a fan of torture, we currently have bigger things on our plate that'll determine if she's just another hack. At the very least, she's apparently been there for a long time - not just some random political appointee...which can be a good or bad thing, coming from the CIA. We'll see, I guess. Edited March 13, 2018 by Bartimaeus Quote How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart. In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Pretty sure anyone in the CIA eligible to be promoted to the top job is going to have dirty hands, sadly Jack Ryan is a myth. Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjjames Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) Whatever your opinions are on Edward Snowden, he does make an extremely good point on Gina Haspel if she could face arrest when travelling to Europe, that and the values implied. Also makes a nice burn at the CIA. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/378112-snowden-on-haspel-cia-uniforms-should-be-decorated-with-skulls Edited March 13, 2018 by smjjames Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartimaeus Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) Tillerson claims that only discovered he was fired today, by Trump's tweet. So either an anonymous White House official is a hack fraud, or Tillerson is a hack fraud. Actually, there's a third option: they both are! If Tillerson was telling the truth, though, that would be very suspicious timing with his Russia announcement. (edit): Trump has also fired Steve Goldstein, the Under Secretary of State, immediately after Goldstein publicly confirmed Tillerson's account. That probably answers that...and look, there's another attempted coverup! Over something really dumb, too. Edited March 13, 2018 by Bartimaeus Quote How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart. In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben No.3 Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 The new guy is an ex CIA. Does Trump want someone with a background like Putin? Everybody knows the deal is rotten Old Black Joe's still pickin' cotton For your ribbons and bows And everybody knows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjjames Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 The new guy is an ex CIA. Does Trump want someone with a background like Putin? Mike Pompeo? The only CIA or intel experience is that he was on the intel committee while serving as US Representative and being CIA director for a bit over a year. That doesn't make him someone with a background like Putin. If you mean Gina Haspel, the CIA director having experience in intel or a part of the intel community is normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoraptor Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 I thought maybe it was because he publicly said Russia was responsible for the UK assassination attempt The White House has said that Russia was likely responsible, albeit after the State Dept did. Trump has clearly wanted to get rid of Tillerson for months but Tillerson was very popular with just about everyone overseas from allies to, oddly enough, the Russians. I'd bet that this has far more to do with Iran and Trump wanting someone who will back him reneging on the nuclear deal since that abrogation is going to be extraordinarily unpopular with everyone* except Israel and Saudi and he wants someone who will back him wholeheartedly. For Tillerson that decision might even have been a resignation level issue, if so firing him preemptively simply had to be done and the latest it could realistically be done is around now which allows a month+ for Pompeo to get settled before the excreta hits the air circulation device. *and has parallels with GWB reneging on the North Korea nuclear deal which has lead to where we are now. DPRK actually honoured the Clinton deal until GWB decided to pull a Darth Vader and alter the terms arbitrarily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoonDing Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Till was a globalist shill. Good on Trump for drainin the swamp. The ending of the words is ALMSIVI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartimaeus Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 He was a terrible secretary of state - the State Department is an absolute shambles right now, with something like 8 of the top 10 positions having gone unfilled under him, and a massive amount of careers resigning under him (though obviously not entirely due to him). However, Trump has that wonderful ability to constantly make the wrong choice at every possible turn, so I'm sure Pompeo will make the situation even worse. Quote How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart. In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjjames Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 He was a terrible secretary of state - the State Department is an absolute shambles right now, with something like 8 of the top 10 positions having gone unfilled under him, and a massive amount of careers resigning under him (though obviously not entirely due to him). However, Trump has that wonderful ability to constantly make the wrong choice at every possible turn, so I'm sure Pompeo will make the situation even worse. In terms of adminstratively wise? yeah, Pompeo will certainly be better at it for sure. In terms of being a check on Trumps impulses? He'll likely make it even worse since theres no sign that he won't be a yes-man to Trump. He'll probably stop some of the most obviously disastrous stuff, yes, but he's right in line with Trump and is willing to be a sycophant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoraptor Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 He was a terrible secretary of state - the State Department is an absolute shambles right now, with something like 8 of the top 10 positions having gone unfilled under him, and a massive amount of careers resigning under him (though obviously not entirely due to him). However, Trump has that wonderful ability to constantly make the wrong choice at every possible turn, so I'm sure Pompeo will make the situation even worse. The State Department being a shambles is 100% Trump's fault, not Tillerson's. Trump is meant to appoint ambassadors, and (largely) hasn't and the hiring freeze is from Trump as well. Trump's general policies and attitude is also detrimental to staff retention, and if they aren't being replaced it will only up the pressure on those staying and make it even more disfunctional. You can't do your job well if you aren't allocated the appropriate resources. Tillerson has done a good job mending fences- in some cases stopping fences from being demolished- and had the one thing that is absolutely critical in a top diplomat: the respect of those he dealt with. Pompeo's reputation as a yes man to Trump and that he is replacing a popular guy and will have to try and get people on board with hugely unpopular decisions will make his job extremely difficult and respect very hard to earn. If the State Dept is still under resourced he will have the exact same problems as Tillerson, probably up to and including Trump wanting to get rid of him for not making people understand his great vision and for being responsible for the continuing degradation of US standing and soft power. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartimaeus Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 we still have soft power? Quote How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart. In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjjames Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Trump prefers hard power over soft power. Soft power isn't dead though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadySands Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 (edited) Bleh, I don't know what happened to the first part of my post but it was in response to this If the State Dept is still under resourced he will have the exact same problems as Tillerson, probably up to and including Trump wanting to get rid of him for not making people understand his great vision and for being responsible for the continuing degradation of US standing and soft power. I have many Trump supporting friends who used to get mad because they felt Obama was diminishing the US in the eyes of the international community. It's like they'd never heard of Donald Trump before his campaign. The sad part is that they buy into his bravado and bluster. Trump is strong World Opinion of Trump and U.S. At a campaign rally in Alabama, President Donald Trump said “the world is starting to respect the United States of America again.” Surveys suggest otherwise. The Pew Global Attitudes Project found that citizens in 35 out of 37 countries have less confidence in Trump than they did in former President Obama. In some cases, far less confidence. For example, 86 percent of Germans said they had “a lot of confidence” or “some confidence” in Obama, but only 11 percent said the same of Trump. Separately, the Pew Global Attitudes Project measures foreign opinion of the United States. That survey found that only two of the 37 countries have a more favorable opinion of the United States since Trump took office. The president made his remarks about world respect at a campaign rally, which got far more media attention for his criticism of professional football players who kneel during the pregame national anthem. Trump, Sept. 22: It’s one of the greatest honors of my life to represent the American people on that world stage. And I will tell you, the world is starting to respect the United States of America again. Edited March 13, 2018 by ShadySands 1 Free games updated 3/4/21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PK htiw klaw eriF Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 Trump prefers hard power over soft power. Soft power isn't dead though. But he doesn't need a pill for soft power. 1 "Akiva Goldsman and Alex Kurtzman run the 21st century version of MK ULTRA." - majestic "you're a damned filthy lying robot and you deserve to die and burn in hell." - Bartimaeus "Without individual thinking you can't notice the plot holes." - InsaneCommander "Just feed off the suffering of gamers." - Malcador "You are calling my taste crap." -Hurlshort "thankfully it seems like the creators like Hungary less this time around." - Sarex "Don't forget the wakame, dumbass" -Keyrock "Are you trolling or just being inadvertently nonsensical?' -Pidesco "we have already been forced to admit you are at least human" - uuuhhii "I refuse to buy from non-woke businesses" - HoonDing "feral camels are now considered a pest" - Gorth "Melkathi is known to be an overly critical grumpy person" - Melkathi "Oddly enough Sanderson was a lot more direct despite being a Mormon" - Zoraptor "I found it greatly disturbing to scroll through my cartoon's halfing selection of genitalias." - Wormerine "I love cheese despite the pain and carnage." - ShadySands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcador Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 we still have soft power? Soft power includes economic influence, no? US has that, along with influence from aid and so on. Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjjames Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 *sees no new Ageil's military thread* *posts in here instead* You guys are going to love this one, Trump told some Marines in a speech that they wouldn't go to Mars if Clinton was elected. http://cnn.it/2DpgE3G I know he was trying to make a joke and get some laughs or applause, but seriously, does he think we'll have to fight LGMs or whatever random horrors or beast from 60's sci fi show/movie? Guns are the absolute last thing we'd need on a trip to Mars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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