Trump II

[Robert Roaldi]

Once again freedom of speech and academic freedom on campuses are conflated because no one wants to read enough about the topic to understand the differences. And once again we hear complaints about "political correctness", as if it's an important and pressing issue and not some fringe discussion topic that a few academic engage in and that will run its course and that, really, no one really cares about. Mountains out of molehills. As if marches by white supremacists and the clan have anything to do with free speech. As if carrying a gun has something to do with freedom.

There are libraries and web pages full of erudite discussions of these issues.

As for Gone with the Wind, the sooner people stop watching lame old-timee Hollywood claptrap movies, the better. The only performance worth watching in that movie was that of the poor horse walking through the battlefield. They should have given that horse an Oscar. The tag line from that film, "Frankly, I don't give a damn", sums things up very well.

[Peter McLennan]

And you are suggesting that Transgenders are not?
It is not a psychological disease, and apparently many have already served and are serving in combat situations and in other branches/activities.
Cheers,
Bart

There are those (and count me among them) who would rate transgenders as especially brave individuals.
To refute one's apparent biological gender in favour of another?  That, friends, takes guts.

[jeremyrh]

And you are suggesting that Transgenders are not?

It is not a psychological disease, and apparently many have already served and are serving in combat situations and in other branches/activities.

Cheers,
Bart

Like Kristin Beck, I suppose.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristin_Beck

[LesPalenik]

Finnish pension funds dumping US stocks

“It seems as if there is no president in the U.S.,” Risto Murto, chief executive officer of Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Co., said in an interview in Helsinki on Wednesday. “If I look at what is the moral and practical power, there is no longer a traditional president.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-27/-no-president-in-the-u-s-leads-53-billion-fund-to-sell-stocks

[James Clark]

Finnish pension funds dumping US stocks

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-27/-no-president-in-the-u-s-leads-53-billion-fund-to-sell-stocks

Insanity.  I've been assured that the world has newfound respect and admiration for us, and that any claims to the contrary are simply fake news pushed by leftist media that hates Donald Trump for some unknown nebulous reason!

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Or maybe because the stocks have reached all-time highs under the same president, and it's time to cash out?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

..: That, friends, takes guts.

Literally

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Robert, you got me confused... was there supposed to be a "satire alert" at the end of your post #5801?

[James Clark]

Or maybe because the stocks have reached all-time highs under the same president, and it's time to cash out?

A good point.  The market's been coasting on the Obama recovery for awhile now, so it's about time for the typical Republican crash to set in.  We should be reaching the nadir just about in time for our next Dem president to fix things.  Again.  (Or - crazy thought - we could just take one of the guys dumping the stocks at his word. He's not Donald Trump, after all, so maybe he's telling the truth.)

[JoeKitchen]

As for Gone with the Wind, the sooner people stop watching lame old-timee Hollywood claptrap movies, the better. The only performance worth watching in that movie was that of the poor horse walking through the battlefield. They should have given that horse an Oscar. The tag line from that film, "Frankly, I don't give a damn", sums things up very well.

Wow, you sound like my wife, who insists that any movies that are black and white are not worth watching because they are black and white. 

I had to really push to get her to watch Schindler's List. 

[Farmer]

Care to demonstrate?

Sure!

You say, basically, that there's no racial problem because there are no laws (apparently) that cause racial issues.

Now go through the media for the last week and pick out all the instances of race related conflict (not necessarily physical).  The existence of a constant stream of such instances demonstrably indicates that there are racial problems, contrary to your assertion.  Since you must know that these instances exist, it is absurd to suggest as you do.  That is, your premise is unreasonable and illogical.

[Farmer]

You don't see the inherent contradiction in the above?

No, if you understand the meaning of the word unique.

[Robert Roaldi]

Wow, you sound like my wife, who insists that any movies that are black and white are not worth watching because they are black and white. 

I had to really push to get her to watch Schindler's List.

I thought Schindler's List was a very good movie and I enjoyed The Last Picture Show too, so it's not the B&W.

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Congress awaits Trump estimate on storm costs from Harvey


QUOTE   August 28, 2017 / 11:47 PM   "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers are expected to pass a large aid package for victims of Hurricane Harvey, but specifics of the plan and its price tag are unclear as Congress awaits a funding request from the Trump administration.

Rain continued to pound Houston and the Gulf Coast on Monday as President Donald Trump said he expected rapid funding from Congress for a costly recovery. He plans to visit Texas on Tuesday to see storm-hit areas.

“We’re dealing with Congress. As you know it’s going to be a very expensive situation,” he told reporters in the White House.

Historic flooding from Harvey, which came ashore in Texas last week as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, has killed at least seven people in Texas and was expected to drive 30,000 from their homes.

Wall Street analysts estimated insured losses of up to $20 billion, making Harvey one of the costliest storms in history for U.S. insurers."


It will be interesting to see if Trump rolls back the Flood Insurance Program as rapidly as he pulls out of funding the EPA and from the Paris Agreement on Climate.

Cheers,
Bart

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Trump slams Obama and Clinton for their clemency decisions, stands by Arpaio pardon
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/28/trump-slams-obama-and-clinton-for-their-clemency-decisions-stands-by-arpaio-pardon.html

QUOTE  "President Trump fired back Monday at critics of his decision to pardon former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, claiming the clemency decisions made by his two most recent Democratic predecessors were far more problematic.

“I stand by my pardon of Sheriff Joe,” Trump said at a White House press conference.

Clearly anticipating a question about the pardon, Trump read from prepared notes as he countered the bipartisan criticism by rattling off the controversial commutations and pardons issued by former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama."

and

QUOTE  "He sought to draw a distinction between their histories and Arpaio’s.

“Sheriff Joe is a patriot. Sheriff Joe loves our country. Sheriff Joe protected our borders,” Trump said, alleging the Obama administration treated him “unbelievably unfairly” and the case cost him an election in Maricopa County, Ariz.

Arpaio had been found guilty of criminal contempt for defying a judge’s order to stop his controversial immigration patrols. Arpaio has long been accused of profiling and using inhumane tactics, and the decision to pardon him drew bipartisan criticism, including from Arizona’s two Republican senators.

“Mr. Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt for continuing to illegally profile Latinos living in Arizona based on their perceived immigration status in violation of a judge’s orders,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement. “The President has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr. Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions.” "


Because his predecessors made questionable pardon choices, he blames his decision on them? I don't get it why he needs to involve other presidents to justify(?) his obstruction of justice ...  I guess as a populist he needs to blame an outside 'enemy' to get support from his minions.

Cheers,
Bart

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

It's his standard justification for everything bad he does: "Obama made me do it!"

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Charlottesville comments put Tillerson-Trump further at odds
https://www.reuters.com/video/2017/08/28/charlottesville-comments-put-tillerson-t?videoId=372414351&videoChannel=1003


Tillerson has already told friends he'll be lucky to last a year in his job ...

Cheers,
Bart

[Alan Klein]

I don't know if you've heard this Alan - you probably haven't because the right wing media won't report it, but a lot of people are saying that these "antifa" losers are being paid by the Koch brothers and the ghost of Andrew Breitbart to show up and cause violence.  Believe me.

(Satire aside, I am 100% opposed to political violence and don't agree with these tactics )

Well, we agree on this.  Violence has no place in political debate but it's nothing new.  The 1960's and 1970's were a lot worse and we made it to the other side.  We'll get through this one too.  So far it's pretty minor despite the headlines. 

[Alan Klein]

And you are suggesting that Transgenders are not?

It is not a psychological disease, and apparently many have already served and are serving in combat situations and in other branches/activities.

Cheers,
Bart

I thought there were both psychological and physiological components.  So I looked "transgender" up in Wikipedia because I wasn't quite sure what it meant.  It seems to have a lot of different meanings.  Frankly, if I was still in the military, I don't know if I want to share my foxhole with someone who's: "... genderqueer, bigender, pangender, or genderfluid..."  Genderfluid?  What the heck is that?  Do they issue us towels and rain coats, or what?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgender

[James Clark]

Well, we agree on this.  Violence has no place in political debate but it's nothing new.  The 1960's and 1970's were a lot worse and we made it to the other side.  We'll get through this one too.  So far it's pretty minor despite the headlines.

I wasn't alive for the riots in the 60 or 70s, but from what I've seen on film and read about, I believe you.  Maybe it's because of the trauma of those years that older folks like you (no offense intended - I mean this sincerely) see the issues of minorities today as (relatively) unimportant.  I suppose if I'd lived through the changes and upheaval that you did I might see today's racial problems as minor in comparison.