We, the people, are the witnesses. We witness crimes carried out in plain sight by this government every day. We witness them on TV and we witness them in our daily lives, as ordinary citizens suffer from Mr. Trumpâs ceaseless corruption. We are so tired of being witnesses that we feel like a captive audience. But it is important to remain a witness in a time of autocratic consolidation.
The Trump administration does not like witnesses. That is why Mr. Trump spent his whole life intimidating them into silence, whether through NDAs or threats of violence carried out by lawyers such as Michael Cohen. That is why they attack journalists and civil servants and scientists and try to forbid them from sharing facts with the public. It doesnât feel empowering to be a witness under a regime determined to destroy the very concept of truth. But the truth always matters. If the truth didnât matter, they wouldnât work so hard to suppress it.
The Trump administration is set to continue its corporate friendly assault on U.S. environmental regulations Thursday by finalizing a rule that will allow companies, landowners, and property developersâincluding golf course owners like the presidentâto dump pesticides and other pollutants directly into many of the nation's streams and wetlands, potentially threatening the drinking water of millions of Americans.
"This will be the biggest loss of clean water protection the country has ever seen," Blan Holman, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said in a statement.
The new measure will roll back Obama-era "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) regulations aimed at ensuring wetlands and streams are protected under the 1972 Clean Water Act, which the Trump Environmental Protection Agency has repeatedly targeted despite the president's professed desire for the U.S. to have the "cleanest water" in the world.
"This puts drinking water for millions of Americans at risk of contamination from unregulated pollution," said Holman. "This is not just undoing the Obama rule. This is stripping away protections that were put in place in the '70s and '80s that Americans have relied on for their health."
did not list the statements you called lies. They were listed in a response to my comment.
That said ... Looking backwards in this thread there are so many people to respond to that it just ain't going to happen.
Other than this ... just because you all agree does not make you all right.
To say that there is only one side of a story, any story that matters or is the only correct one is wrong.
So Kurt...you are to be congratulated. You have merged the Trump Lies and Impeachment threads with the same response.
Of course, you're right that we could be wrong, and there are always multiple sides. In all honesty, I appreciate your willingness to take a position in a hostile environment. We can agree to disagree, but hopefully, we all want the same things for the country, our families, and to a lesser extent the planet and its populations. In theory, there is the possibility that everyone on the planet is happy, even if achieving it is likely impossible. Hopefully, you take the back and forth as spirited debate, not personal attacks. I don't know anyone here well enough to attack them on a personal level.
The subject is the lying idiot placed in the White House by Fred Flintstone Tea Partiers. Too much of the focus keeps being dragged down by some cry baby ego freaks thinking their choice of tRump is smart and best for the USA. Their swindler-in-Chief waves his priorities in their red-capped faces and they nod and shout. Pathetic.
Perhaps it's time to start a thread about lies and flip flops made by democratic candidates that you all simply dismiss as bluster or outright ignore.
Don't worry. I won't because I have not the time to keep up with all of it because there is just me who would be posting and there is just as much from your side of the street as there is mine. That and you all will just ignore that thread just as I ignore this thread.
Just sayin'
There's not really much of a comparison; would it add up to 16,000+ false or misleading claims? Even if that number is an exaggeration, there is no one who lies as regularly and easily as he does. The candidates have been "called" on their inaccuracies or falsehoods, by members of both parties and people here. Not only are Trump's lies often ignored by his own party but there are so many of them that they're often ignored by his opponents. Could you imagine if any of the last four Presidents made outright false claims such as these?
"We have the greatest economy we've ever had in the history of our country." "For the first time in decades, we're no longer concentrating wealth in the hands of a few..." "Just last week alone, the United States concluded two extraordinary trade deals — the agreement with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement — the two biggest trade deals ever made."
Those lies were just in the course of one short speech to an international audience.
And therein lies the beauty of his strategy and the genius of his delivery.
As President, he gets enough attention to have people do foolish things with their lives...like count the number of times that individual feels he has lied. What do you put on the resume....lie counter? It's amazing, but it takes unwavering focus to keep up.
Someone posts the number of lies, which has specific details for each and every item, and the response from the Republicans is "you guys do it all the time too". He (Trump) has deflected and projected and repeated things so many times, that the people who follow him accept the notion that he's only doing what everyone else is doing. To drain the swamp, first, you have to put on your boots and get dirty. It's brilliant actually. Project every single thing you do wrong as exactly what everyone else is doing. Impeachment...for what? Withholding funds and Quid-pro-quo's happen all the time. Get used to it...ask Mick. That statement is true....what's missing is that it's against the Constitution to do so for personal, political gain. Withholding money because US interests suggest it's prudent....Perfect. Do the exact same thing so the President can drag his most likely opponent in the 2020 Presidential election down into the swamp with him....that's a documented no-no. If you can make Biden look corrupt, why not vote for the corrupt guy leading the greatest economy in history?
Kurt...You listed specific lies that Trump said in front of the world, and his followers respond with generalizations. I know you're busy. List 3lies told by Dems in the past week. Jot down the name and what they said...explanations as to the truth would be appreciated, but aren't necessary if you're too tied up. Thanks!
I did not list the statements you called lies. They were listed in a response to my comment.
That said ... Looking backwards in this thread there are so many people to respond to that it just ain't going to happen.
Other than this ... just because you all agree does not make you all right.
To say that there is only one side of a story, any story that matters or is the only correct one is wrong.
Those who try to trivialise the issue and muddy the waters with their inane talk of color and free trade remind me of those cowboy and indian films many moons ago and the retort: "White man speak with forked tongue!"
Oh thank you Ohmsen for reminding all of us of just how important ethnic-cleansing terrorism was to the USA nation-building process!
While killing and taking from weaker, culturally-inferior was good business in the 18th and 19th century for the victor, it is not at all clear that cost-benefit analysis always favours the victor in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. From a zero-sum game, it sure looks like a negative-sum game these days.
Frankly I cannot imagine justifying killing and taking in the post-war period from economic and security perspectives. Nevertheless, there could be the intrinsic value to killing large numbers of innocent civilians.
The kill ratios in favour of the USA are quite impressive to say the least. They put the Israeli-Palestinian kill ratio of 5:1 to shame.
regarding , how do you reconcile that with the trade war? Is it just to feed his ego, in spite of the fact it could cost him the election?
Good question. I believe that Trump is simply reflecting his own (successful) experience in the hotel business. He was very successful breaking contracts, bullying others and going bankrupt as many times as required.
I suspect that Trump believes his muscular, elbows up approach to 'negotiations' will work in the international sphere just as it worked for him in the hotel business.
The problem is that the Trump speaks with forked tongue approach to building the hotel business might have worked well, but the same Americans speak with forked tongue approach is unlikely to work so well in the international sphere.
Well, one way to think about this is that Trump is being eclectic in his policy choices. Trump's choice of Marxist Keynesian fiscal policy, i.e., constant non-stop annual deficits, surely appeals to some on the extreme left. Think of it as Trump's way of 'reaching out'. Besides it fits with his paternalistic corporate fascism and aggressive mercantilist policy style. Americans can no longer compete and they require a firm, strong helping hand from the American state. Father Trump to the rescue.
The other way to think about this is that Trump does not care about the future but cares about his popularity here and now. In that respect, it is quite legitimate to ask future generations of Americans to pay for his popularity now.
Actually that has been my biggest complain of all of our Presidents. Trump has his own unique set of challenges to be sure, but he is par for the course in this regard.
Well, one way to think about this is that Trump is being eclectic in his policy choices. Trump's choice of Marxist Keynesian fiscal policy, i.e., constant non-stop annual deficits, surely appeals to some on the extreme left. Think of it as Trump's way of 'reaching out'. Besides it fits with his paternalistic corporate fascism and aggressive mercantilist policy style. Americans can no longer compete and they require a firm, strong helping hand from the American state. Father Trump to the rescue.
The other way to think about this is that Trump does not care about the future but cares about his popularity here and now. In that respect, it is quite legitimate to ask future generations of Americans to pay for his popularity now.
Perhaps it's time to start a thread about lies and flip flops made by democratic candidates that you all simply dismiss as bluster or outright ignore.
Don't worry. I won't because I have not the time to keep up with all of it because there is just me who would be posting and there is just as much from your side of the street as there is mine. That and you all will just ignore that thread just as I ignore this thread.
Just sayin'
There's not really much of a comparison; would it add up to 16,000+ false or misleading claims? Even if that number is an exaggeration, there is no one who lies as regularly and easily as he does. The candidates have been "called" on their inaccuracies or falsehoods, by members of both parties and people here. Not only are Trump's lies often ignored by his own party but there are so many of them that they're often ignored by his opponents. Could you imagine if any of the last four Presidents made outright false claims such as these?
"We have the greatest economy we've ever had in the history of our country." "For the first time in decades, we're no longer concentrating wealth in the hands of a few..." "Just last week alone, the United States concluded two extraordinary trade deals â the agreement with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement â the two biggest trade deals ever made."
Those lies were just in the course of one short speech to an international audience.
And therein lies the beauty of his strategy and the genius of his delivery.
As President, he gets enough attention to have people do foolish things with their lives...like count the number of times that individual feels he has lied. What do you put on the resume....lie counter? It's amazing, but it takes unwavering focus to keep up.
Someone posts the number of lies, which has specific details for each and every item, and the response from the Republicans is "you guys do it all the time too". He (Trump) has deflected and projected and repeated things so many times, that the people who follow him accept the notion that he's only doing what everyone else is doing. To drain the swamp, first, you have to put on your boots and get dirty. It's brilliant actually. Project every single thing you do wrong as exactly what everyone else is doing. Impeachment...for what? Withholding funds and Quid-pro-quo's happen all the time. Get used to it...ask Mick. That statement is true....what's missing is that it's against the Constitution to do so for personal, political gain. Withholding money because US interests suggest it's prudent....Perfect. Do the exact same thing so the President can drag his most likely opponent in the 2020 Presidential election down into the swamp with him....that's a documented no-no. If you can make Biden look corrupt, why not vote for the corrupt guy leading the greatest economy in history?
Kurt...You listed specific lies that Trump said in front of the world, and his followers respond with generalizations. I know you're busy. List 3lies told by Dems in the past week. Jot down the name and what they said...explanations as to the truth would be appreciated, but aren't necessary if you're too tied up. Thanks!
Perhaps it's time to start a thread about lies and flip flops made by democratic candidates that you all simply dismiss as bluster or outright ignore.
Don't worry. I won't because I have not the time to keep up with all of it because there is just me who would be posting and there is just as much from your side of the street as there is mine. That and you all will just ignore that thread just as I ignore this thread.
Just sayin'
There's not really much of a comparison; would it add up to 16,000+ false or misleading claims? Even if that number is an exaggeration, there is no one who lies as regularly and easily as he does. The candidates have been "called" on their inaccuracies or falsehoods, by members of both parties and people here. Not only are Trump's lies often ignored by his own party but there are so many of them that they're often ignored by his opponents. Could you imagine if any of the last four Presidents made outright false claims such as these?
"We have the greatest economy we've ever had in the history of our country." "For the first time in decades, we're no longer concentrating wealth in the hands of a few..." "Just last week alone, the United States concluded two extraordinary trade deals â the agreement with China and the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement â the two biggest trade deals ever made."
Those lies were just in the course of one short speech to an international audience.
