What would it take for Trump to win?

[Justinr]

Bernard,
I hugely respect your photographic skills and knowledge and ability to communicate your thoughts very clearly.  I look forward to reading your posts when I see them and they, in fact, are about photography.  Your one sentence long question ("What would it take for Trump to win?") that started this thread in the Coffee Corner would have led to "interesting" Coffee Corner bantering. 

But my heart sank when you espoused the 9/11 conspiracy insanity.  On one hand, your photographic skill is spectacular and photographic knowledge seems to demonstrate real intelligence and sound judgement.  Yet on the other hand, as you've demonstrated here in this case and in some past non photographic threads, your opinion on world events demonstrates just the opposite. 

Also, I must admit that I'm really disappointed in the LR audience because with 56 replies at this point, only Alan Weiss and Dave Sutton have challenged you on your 9/11 nonsense.
Brad Smith     

There might be a reason for that.

[James Clark]

Also, I must admit that I'm really disappointed in the LR audience because with 56 replies at this point, only Alan Weiss and Dave Sutton have challenged you on your 9/11 nonsense. 
Brad Smith     

There are people in this thread that have personal connections that made the point quite well. No need to pile on IMHO.

[BernardLanguillier]

Bernard,
I hugely respect your photographic skills and knowledge and ability to communicate your thoughts very clearly.  I look forward to reading your posts when I see them and they, in fact, are about photography.  Your one sentence long question ("What would it take for Trump to win?") that started this thread in the Coffee Corner would have led to "interesting" Coffee Corner bantering. 

But my heart sank when you espoused the 9/11 conspiracy insanity.  On one hand, your photographic skill is spectacular and photographic knowledge seems to demonstrate real intelligence and sound judgement.  Yet on the other hand, as you've demonstrated here in this case and in some past non photographic threads, your opinion on world events demonstrates just the opposite. 

Also, I must admit that I'm really disappointed in the LR audience because with 56 replies at this point, only Alan Weiss and Dave Sutton have challenged you on your 9/11 nonsense. 

Hi Brad,

Thanks for the kind words.

The very same intelligence you saw elsewhere can only lead to questioning the official 9/11 story.

I am myself endlessly surprised to see many bright individuals refuse to look at facts in an objective fashion in this case. I don't know what happened on 9/11, but there are just too many incoherent elements to the official story for it to be fully accurate. Frankly, the only elements backing up the official story is that it's the official story.

Since when is thinking based on facts not a basic behavior of educated people?

Note that I didn't propose any conclusion, I just stated that an independant investigation would help clarify what truely happened. And I believe that there are millions of people in the US and elsewhere who share this hope. And I believe that Trump may use this in a few months.

And I am as surprised as you are that so few people even dare to discuss this here and elsewhere. It seems that in the dilemma between patriotism and free thinking, well free thinking went down the drain.

As far as the official stories being always true, aren't there compelling evidences that this isn't always the case? Did Snowden do what he did for nothing?

Cheers,
Bernard

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Do you actually believe these childish excuses are vaild?

Now, who is "attacking the person instead of an issue"?

...And there is some great irony here, many trump supporters do not look at you as an american who belongs here

I spoke to some of them and read from a lot of them, none has anything against legal immigration or me being a citizen. This is the standard trick of the left, constantly deliberately confusing  illegal immigration with immigration when bashing Trump. America is a country of immigrants, and as someone who lived, worked, or visited 30+ countries, I can assure you that Americans are the most accepting of immigrants. Legal ones, that is.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Well I think it's BS but I've learned that calling people out on this particular brand is an exercise in futility.
In fact this whole discussion probably is unless anyone involved has changed their mind about any of this.

Hi Matt,

Hope springs eternal ..., but I won't hold my breath either.

Cheers,
Bart

[Alan Klein]

So now the people of Nice, France will have to determine if their current terror was a conspiracy and never really happened.    911 is coming home all over. Time to wake up folks.   

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... As far as the official stories being always true, aren't there compelling evidences that this isn't always the case...

Operation Northwoods

In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba.

Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban émigrés, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities.

[BernardLanguillier]

So now the people of Nice, France will have to determine if their current terror was a conspiracy and never really happened.    911 is coming home all over. Time to wake up folks.

Nice, if proven to be a terrorist attack, would, just like the other recent terrorist attacks, be an indirect, and of course un-intended, consequence of the war in Irak.

Now proven with ample evidence, see the recent discussion in the UK house of representatives, to have been a terrible mistake, resulting from a political usage of 9/11.

So if there is anything to wake up from it is to blindly follow the war crusades proposed by some western leaders.

Cheers,
Bernard

[James Clark]

Time to wake up folks.

I've always found that phrase horribly condescending.  Disagreement does not equal ignorance or stupidity.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I've always found that phrase horribly condescending.  Disagreement does not equal ignorance or stupidity.

Amen, brother!

[Rajan Parrikar]

Another attack tonight in Nice most likely by Buddhist monks. We will never know their motives.

[Justinr]

Hi Brad,

Thanks for the kind words.

The very same intelligence you saw elsewhere can only lead to questioning the official 9/11 story.

I am myself endlessly surprised to see many bright individuals refuse to look at facts in an objective fashion in this case. I don't know what happened on 9/11, but there are just too many incoherent elements to the official story for it to be fully accurate. Frankly, the only elements backing up the official story is that it's the official story.

Since when is thinking based on facts not a basic behavior of educated people?

Note that I didn't propose any conclusion, I just stated that an independant investigation would help clarify what truely happened. And I believe that there are millions of people in the US and elsewhere who share this hope. And I believe that Trump may use this in a few months.

And I am as surprised as you are that so few people even dare to discuss this here and elsewhere.

As far as the official stories being always true, aren't there compelling evidences that this isn't always the case? Did Snowden do what he did for nothing?

Cheers,
Bernard

Pretty much my thoughts. I've no idea what the truth is, only that it isn't what we are told.

[RSL]

Another attack tonight in Nice most likely by Buddhist monks. We will never know their motives.

Were the monks yelling "Allahu Akbar?" If so we'll probably never know their motive (according to the current US government).

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

For my overseas friends, who think we are going nuts 

[shotupdave]

Now, who is "attacking the person instead of an issue"?

I spoke to some of them and read from a lot of them, none has anything against legal immigration or me being a citizen. This is the standard trick of the left, constantly deliberately confusing  illegal immigration with immigration when bashing Trump. America is a country of immigrants, and as someone who lived, worked, or visited 30+ countries, I can assure you that Americans are the most accepting of immigrants. Legal ones, that is.

i did address the issue. And the very same people that you spoke to, would want the people that follow the faith of islam to go to another country. And the amount of countries that you have visited makes you an authprity. And I did not address immagration at all, i was bring up the point that trump followers are not fans of people who dress differently, people with forign accents, r follow a different faith.

But i did notice you have a history working in and supporting governments that have strong man leaders.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

America is a country of immigrants, and as someone who lived, worked, or visited 30+ countries, I can assure you that Americans are the most accepting of immigrants. Legal ones, that is.

I tend to agree, although I'm not an American myself (my country did 'sell' New York to the Americans of yonder years), that immigration is one of the determining (success) factors of the USA as we know it today. However, I also do not underestimate the issues with the original Native Indian inhabitants, as I also do no deny the issues (obviously by today's standards, in hindsight, but nonetheless) of my home country's colonial history!

However, because of that, I am a bit (just a bit) surprised by the level of bigotry that still exists today (even after a relatively short period, on a cultural scale), although I do understand that populism feeds  (and preys) on primitive sentiments (bringing out the worse / most primitive of 'underbelly' feelings). So Trump is very effective in mobilizing that, his tactics are effective.

Again however, what does it tell us. that a candidate for (no less) the office of President of the USA, needs to resort to such tactics. So far, he has not shown great insights or a clear analysis (which is bound to have some nuances in it somewhere, if he's honest) of the issues that face the USA, or the world for that matter (in its role as a world power, if at least for the benefit of the home nation).

From what I've seen and heard of him, he's not very strong in demonstrating that he even can understand or actually maneuver a path through the international minefield of diplomacy and consensus, getting fundamental support for his ideas (for the benefit of the nation's needs, not his own). It obviously also depends on the choice of members of cabinet, and the wiggle room they are given. So if solecism, or at best unilateralism (if he knows the difference), is his simplistic solution, he's a bad choice (no matter the support he can buy).

Whether Hillary Clinton is a better choice, and hence off-topic, is a completely different question. I tend to think she's more experienced though (less damage is also a benefit), if I were given the choice (which is not given to me, but to the American People). They'll get the president they deserve ...

Cheers,
Bart

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... And the very same people that you spoke to, would want the people that follow the faith of islam to go to another country. And the amount of countries that you have visited makes you an authprity. ... i was bring up the point that trump followers are not fans of people who dress differently, people with forign accents, r follow a different faith.

But i did notice you have a history working in and supporting governments that have strong man leaders.

Once again, a bunch of straw-man arguments, imputed to Trump voters.

And the amount of countries I lived, worked, and visited makes me a bit better authority on the world events and its people than someone who never ventured outside of his county, let alone country.

My experience with socialism/communism is precisely the reason to not want to see it here, as it inevitably ends up in totalitarianism. And the last eight years was nothing but slow slide toward it. After all, the only brown shirts in action and organized violence were Bernie Jugend, now joined by BLM, not Trump supporters.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... he's not very strong in demonstrating that he even can understand or actually maneuver a path through the international minefield of diplomacy and consensus...

That might (or not) be true. However, it implies that the previous administrations were oh, so skilled in diplomacy and consensus... just look where the world is now, after all those glorious skills were so efficiently used. The last eight years of the "skilled" administration left the world in a terrible shape.

[Peter McLennan]

A country of 311 million people and this is the best we get for presidential candidates?ded that's never going to happen.

NFKidding

[Peter McLennan]

challenged you on your 9/11 nonsense. 
Brad Smith     

What "nonsense" precisely did he inject?