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Journal by fustakrakich
Prez greenlights Turkish invasion of Syria
Part of a real estate deal apparently
So... Who's gonna stop him?
Each day is more tragic than the previous
Your clown show kills...
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
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(1)
If all the world's economists were laid end to end, we wouldn't reach a
conclusion.
-- William Baumol
(Score: 2) by Arik on Monday October 07 2019, @05:50AM (2 children)
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by fustakrakich on Monday October 07 2019, @06:51AM (1 child)
It's still like telling Germany, "Poland? Take it!"
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday October 07 2019, @03:05PM
Pardon the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPXHRX8Q2hs [youtube.com] -- Hilarious, but oh so wrong. The Producers cracks your brain like an egg and mixes it up with a whole helping of comedy.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 4, Informative) by takyon on Monday October 07 2019, @07:28AM (5 children)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jaccuse-kurds-held-the-line-against-isisyet-the-us-abandoned-them [thedailybeast.com]
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/12/chaos-washington-kurds-stranded/578941/ [theatlantic.com]
https://www.courthousenews.com/turkey-snubs-us-offers-no-assurances-on-syrian-kurds/ [courthousenews.com]
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/01/09/if-us-troops-leave-syria-what-happens-to-americas-kurdish-partners-in-the-fight/ [militarytimes.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Monday October 07 2019, @07:37AM
Not a first, of course.
Remember the end of Gulf War 1? We abandoned our "partners" in Iraq then, exposing them to retribution from Hussein's government.
As usual, we only honor our commitments when we feel like it.
There's no telling where this might end. Faced with an existential threat, the various Kurdish groups may well come together, and carve out their nation of Kurdistan. They may even find that they can do the equivalent of Israel's Six Day War. OK, I'm not betting ona Six Day War, but I can hope. Erdogan needs a good ass whipping, IMHO. A good assassination would be even better.
Hail to the Nibbler in Chief.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Sulla on Monday October 07 2019, @08:21AM (2 children)
The Kurds and Syrians have been working things out for a while now preparing for the eventual American exodus. Assad indicated a year or so ago that he would be interested in a similar situation to what Iraq has, their own semi-autonamous region with representation in the Syrian parliament and the Kurds get to keep some percentage of the oil drilled there. The continued US presence just gets in the way because neither side had any real reason to make a deal yet. The Kurds and Syrians had already been working together on anti-ISIS efforts and Syria has control over a region inside of the Kurdish area (and has since the start of the chaos) without Syrian/Kurdish bloodshed.
The two groups also have a common foe, Turkey. In that region enemies of enemies end up as friends.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Monday October 07 2019, @05:03PM
The two groups also have a common foe, Turkey.
While the U.S. and Russia trip over themselves competing for their business. Nobody wants competitors investing in the region. "Salting the earth" with endless war brings more profit....
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday October 08 2019, @12:21AM
Yeah, such a relief for the Kurds [news.com.au]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Tuesday October 08 2019, @04:11PM
This is by design... gotta keep the MIC well-fed.
Answer now is don't give in; aim for a new tomorrow.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @02:53PM (27 children)
I don't know why you would believe this... Trump makes deals, but I doubt it would be anything for personal financial benefit. He is just beyond that.
This reminds me of the story that Judge Kavanaugh's guy friends "pushed his dick" into some girls hand. Only a gay/lesbian would make up something like that, just like only a poor person would make up something like this.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Monday October 07 2019, @04:33PM (26 children)
I don't know why you would believe this...
Because the prez is a criminal engaging in obstruction, at the very least. He's not making "deals". He's laundering money, just like your Joe Biden. Hopefully the family's mob ties will come out also. "They happen to be very nice people. You just don't want to owe them money." [youtube.com] Let's see those tax forms. Please, what's not to believe about this man? He's a punk! Kinda sad that all his accusers are in the same boat. It definitely complicates matters.
But, how do we stop this now? A lot of damage can be done in one short year. Are we just going reelect all these Keystone Cops again?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @04:53PM (25 children)
WTF are you talking about? Step away from the brainwashing.
(Score: 5, Informative) by fustakrakich on Monday October 07 2019, @05:06PM (24 children)
He should already be locked up for ignoring the subpoenas, like any normal person would be. Obstruction is a crime, no?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @05:45PM (9 children)
Obstruction of what? What subpoenas?
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @06:20PM (8 children)
Yeah, you can fuck off. You're just being an obtuse ass...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @10:01PM (7 children)
Fuck off? I want you to quote your fake news sources. Why not if you dont recognize it for what it is?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @10:17PM (6 children)
You've already determined they're fake. No point in quoting anything you can find your own damn self... So please, I shouldn't have to ask you twice...
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 08 2019, @11:32AM (5 children)
Funny how you have excuses not evidence.
Unless, of course, that "anything" doesn't actually exist.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2019, @11:54AM (4 children)
Pot meet kettle. Kettle, tell pot why it should look out for khallow.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 08 2019, @01:50PM (3 children)
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @04:45PM (2 children)
He is obstructing served subpoenas, right now. He should be held in contempt and under arrest. It is becoming more clear he's taking orders from his family's mob connections. Your favorite president is a gangster's patsy
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2019, @06:27PM (1 child)
What the hell are you talking about? None of that is happening.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2019, @06:43PM
You're a liar. Yes it is
(Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday October 08 2019, @05:17AM (13 children)
What's the procedure to do so? What statute(s) and case law govern?
If you can't answer those basic questions, I suppose that explains your post.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @07:54AM (12 children)
There's a first time for everything, but that's the problem. We appear to have no procedure. We're pretty much fucked, unless something "happens". So we need to think of something fast. This guy has committed obstruction of justice. We do have statutes against that, don't we? I wish somebody would take the first step.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 08 2019, @11:40AM (1 child)
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @04:48PM
Is obstruction illegal? Well, people have been put in jail for it, so, you tell me...
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday October 08 2019, @04:04PM (9 children)
But we're talking about something that's been happening nearly constantly for decades, so you still seem lost.
"We appear to have no procedure."
But actually we do. It's not hard to find.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/192
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/2/194
There's your statutes.
And
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilkinson_v._United_States
There's some relevant case law you should be aware of before you start contempt proceedings.
So, now that I did the work and gave you the links, can you spot any reasons why Nancy Pelosi might be reluctant to certify contempt of Congress here?
"We're pretty much fucked, unless something "happens"."
Who is this we, pale-skin?
"This guy has committed obstruction of justice. We do have statutes against that, don't we? I wish somebody would take the first step."
The first step would be to come up with sufficient and credible evidence to sustain the allegation.
Mueller spent a lot of money, I'm not sure on the final bill but it's somewhere north of $20million at least, investigated for years, and came up with nothing.
Why do you find that so hard to accept?
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @05:05PM (8 children)
But we're talking about something that's been happening nearly constantly for decades
So true! My modest proposal is that now would be a good time to stop, maybe, possibly?
Mueller is irrelevant. That was a thing for the media, already in the distant past. The prez is obstructing justice right now over the many subpoenas being issued. Congress has a right to investigate the president for the smallest suspicions of any wrongdoing. But until the voters elect a competent congress, with demands for real transparency, all this bullshit will keep happening for many more decades.
And I will tell you why they tread lightly, they are all in the same boat, goes with the territory, and discovery is a big iceberg also. It is a dance of the butterflies.
Any regular person doing what the president is doing this very moment, in broad daylight would positively, absolutely be in jail. We are under mob(ster) rule.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday October 08 2019, @05:39PM (7 children)
You'd need to be more specific? *How* would you propose to stop it? I can't see any reasonable way. Congress needs to be able to issue subpoenas, can't stop it there. People have legitimate (and lawful) reasons to dismiss those subpoenas at times, can't stop it there. Sure it's a crummy system but I don't see any straightforward and obvious way to improve it, and it's been working well enough all things considered. There have been AT LEAST 20 different cases like this since 1975 alone. Often there were legitimate objections to the subpoena, they're often overly broad and not lawful on their face, there will be negotiations, it gets narrowed to fit inside the scope of the law, and then complied with. In some cases people have been found in contempt, I think Backpage might have been the last case of this? But each case is different and has to be evaluated individually, and most of the time they're settled by negotiation without needing to cite anyone.
"Mueller is irrelevant."
You know, it's funny, it seemed he was REALLY relevant for about 2 years, he was the most relevant thing ever, He was the Savior of our nation, he was going to come in on a white horse and take Trump out, and then once his report comes out and it's clear he got nothing, suddenly he's not relevant anymore.
"The prez is obstructing justice right now over the many subpoenas being issued."
Ok, I think I see what's going on here. You're using the phrase in sort of a loose non-technical sense, I can see how in that sense you might think it applies to refusing a Congressional subpoena.
But it's actually a legal term with a specific legal meaning and it doesn't really apply here. Noncompliance with a Congressional subpoena falls under 2 USC 191-194. Obstruction is 18 USC 1501-1521.
"Congress has a right to investigate the president for the smallest suspicions of any wrongdoing."
Sure, well they have that power. They have the power to impeach him for anything or nothing as well. But that doesn't mean it would be wise to do so.
"And I will tell you why they tread lightly, they are all in the same boat, goes with the territory, and discovery is a big iceberg also. It is a dance of the butterflies."
Absolutely.
Trump should absolutely be impeached and removed. He's committed real, serious crimes, on the record so to speak, that in a perfect world would indeed result in his impeachment and conviction.
But he won't be impeached for any of that. It's simply not possible. The reason is because most members of Congress are complicit in all the same crimes.
So the opposition is flailing around in a panic trying to find *something* else to hang on him. Something that won't implicate them.
It's pure tribalism, it has nothing to do with rule of law.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @06:16PM (6 children)
*How* would you propose to stop it? I can't see any reasonable way.
Well, you're right there too. Depending on the voters to elect and really empower a competent congress to close loopholes and eliminate the plea bargaining is totally unreasonable on my part. But it still is the only way to correct the problem, unless we are ready to replace majority rule with drawing straws.
it seemed he was REALLY relevant for about 2 years
Not to me. It was a transparent bullshit distraction to fill the tabloid press since the beginning. It was too obvious. The faithful are just in denial.
So a congressional subpoena has less clout. It is still perfectly legitimate grounds to remove him from office, and we should do it quickly. He is "shooting up 5th Avenue" right now.
But, yeah, the dance...
In all this, the mob connections are becoming more clear. His entire demeanor and associations fits the profile. Congress, being entirely complicit, will never dig very deep into it.
As unlikely as it seems, the "sleeping giant" needs to wake up, we can still vote then out... if our mob friends don't create a false flag. After that, Joe Pesci will be a made man.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday October 08 2019, @06:27PM (5 children)
That's what should happen, yes. I share your frustration that it has not happened and does not appear likely to happen.
"But it still is the only way to correct the problem, unless we are ready to replace majority rule with drawing straws."
That might not be as crazy an idea as you think.
Instead of electing Representatives, maybe they should be chosen by lot. It would eliminate all the pre-election chicanery at least, no more campaign contributions to worry about.
"It is still perfectly legitimate grounds to remove him from office"
See, I disagree here. I mean, technically, yes, Congress can impeach for any reason they want. But this would be perceived (and not entirely wrongly) by a large part of the country as very unfair and very illegitimate. And what's it gain you? President Pence?!? Are you out of your mind?
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @06:57PM (4 children)
President Pence?!?
It's less than two years. Again, we'll have to depend on congress to keep him on a short leash until he is voted out. We painted ourselves into a real corner, didn't we?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Arik on Tuesday October 08 2019, @07:24PM (3 children)
The outrage among the voters after this would be incredibly unkind to the Democrats outside of a few safe districts.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2019, @07:44PM (2 children)
The trouble is he probably wouldn't be voted out.
Well, then it can't be helped.
So... how's the weather? Think the Cards can make it?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @07:46PM
Um, that was me. Don't know why it was logged out... Glitch in the matrix I guess
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1) by Arik on Wednesday October 09 2019, @06:08AM
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @03:31PM (7 children)
In this case I'd be happier to NOT rub it in the alt-right's face but it seems likely that Trump's "no new wars" ideal will collapse. Of course with these turds they'll just blow right past it with some mental gymnastics that would make drug addled Limbaugh proud.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @04:52PM (4 children)
Yeah typically my first thought when someone is pulling troops out of multiple regions overseas and telling Israel we have no interest in their new conflict my first thought it "Oh no who are we bombing now?!".
Seriously, get help. This has been the most peaceful three year period in two decades.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @05:52PM (3 children)
Right, because selling the Saudis massive amounts of weapons for their genocide is toootally different.
He withdrew 2k troops from Syria, but went back on his promise to get out of Afghanistan. You're basically trying to make a bugger win out of a nothing burger. My original point stands, and as usual you trolls ignore the part where I said I'd prefer if he actually is the least wsr mongering president. Ah well, can't help morons, can only wsrn other travelers to avoid you like the plague.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 08 2019, @11:42AM (2 children)
Even if it were a genocide, it certainly isn't new.
(Score: 2) by Arik on Wednesday October 09 2019, @05:02AM
It's still a bloody mess, so brutal and so destructive to the general population in Yemen that 'genocide' may not be too much of a stretch. This is from almost a year ago, it's only gotten more horrific since: https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/02/1032811
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 09 2019, @05:43AM
Continuing past wars or aiding ongoing genocides is still bad. If Trump were peaceful, he'd pull us out of the middle east 100%. Instead, he's just a typical establishment politician.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @04:56PM (1 child)
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1181227887543894016 [twitter.com]
Go beg your republicrat slave masters to tax you some more to "stop sea level rise" that has actually slowed recently vs the last 20k years...
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @05:54PM
You're quoting Trump? The ignorant lying narcissist?
Trumptards, being dumb since Nixon.
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Tuesday October 08 2019, @04:26PM (6 children)
I didn't vote for that jackass. I didn't care much for HRC either, but she had a far better chance to beat that blowhard than anyone else back in November 2016.
Some may disagree with me, but I knew who the greater evil was.
Answer now is don't give in; aim for a new tomorrow.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @05:12PM (5 children)
Yeah, the makeup looked good. Faith in the lesser evil is what brought us here. Time to stop voting for evil.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Tuesday October 08 2019, @09:28PM (4 children)
Yeah, I actually agree with you. Unfortunately the race is rigged to only give you two real choices, of which inevitably becomes determining which is the lesser evil. Also unfortunately not everyone agrees on what a lesser evil is.
The POTUS race is a lot less important than people think. Voting for local, state, and US reps are far more important.
Answer now is don't give in; aim for a new tomorrow.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 08 2019, @10:04PM (2 children)
Unfortunately the race is rigged to only give you two real choices
Yes, it is "rigged" by that 95% majority that makes those two choices. And nothing can or will be done about it until each individual takes their own initiative to vote for something else.
This isn't human politics, it's animal psychology. Everything is done by reaction and peer pressure, no thought required.
I'm investing all my emotional currency in the Cardinals this year...
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Arik on Saturday October 12 2019, @05:08AM (1 child)
Humans are animals.
Human politics is a subset of Ape politics. A subset of Primate politics; of Mammalian politics, etc.
"I'm investing all my emotional currency in the Cardinals this year... "
And you're losing it all to people that have no problem viewing you as subhuman.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday October 12 2019, @04:55PM
And you're losing it all to people that have no problem viewing you as subhuman.
As long as the check doesn't bounce, it's all good.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by Arik on Wednesday October 09 2019, @05:10AM
Which is why if you want to have any shot at effecting it, you have to be involved in the primaries.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by Arik on Wednesday October 09 2019, @05:57AM
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?