kimmy

Your "deep information" actually appears to be gleaned from Facebook posts and conspiratard fake news blogs. -k

But we also know that two Trump-loving Patriots were caught voting twice. So the anecdotal evidence indicates that voter fraud by American citizens supporting Trump outweighs illegals voting for Clinton by a factor of 2 to 1! BOOOOYASHAKA!! -k

Funny, but no. The fact that Trump is not yet sworn in does not dilute the fact that his new status has provided Trump Organization with access to world leaders that other businesses simply do not have. Before you object, ask yourself whether world leaders like the Prime Minister of Japan or the President of Argentina would be lining up to meet with Trump if he were not the President-Elect. And ask yourself whether a CEO would get to sit in on a meeting with the President of Argentina or the Prime Minister of Japan if her dad wasn't the president-elect. The answer is obviously no, and the excuse you're trying to make smacks of "defend my guy at any cost" partisanship. -k

As Tonto once said to the Lone Ranger... "What do you mean 'we'?" Trump might have power, but "the deplorables" don't (unless Pence and Bannon count.) -k

Trump famously said that it's impossible to tell where the State Department ends and the Clinton Foundation begins. We've seen the photo of Ivanka sitting in on Trump's meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister. We've heard that Ivanka sat in on the teleconference between Trump and the Argentinian President. Ivanka isn't in the Trump administration, she's acting CEO of the Trump Organization. Why does the CEO of the Trump Organization get to sit in on meetings with world leaders? We've heard from Nigel Farage, Trump's biggest supporter in Europe, that Trump used their conference call to urge the UKIP to fight to get rid of those wind farms near Trump's Scottish golf course. When a world leader gets on the phone with Trump, are they on a diplomatic call with President-Elect Trump, or are they on a business call with the Trump Organization? It sounds like it's both. It sounds like, to paraphrase Trump, it's impossible to tell where the Trump Administration ends and the Trump Organization begins. -k

One of my complaints about the whole concept is that slapping the label "religion" on it is supposed to elevate some beliefs above others. During conscription if guy A told the recruiter "my conscience forbids me from killing" and guy B told the recruiter "my religion forbids me from killing", guy A got a rifle and a ticket to Europe, and guy B got a ticket to the Alternate Service program. I think that current Canadian law now puts deeply held personal conviction on even footing with religious belief in regard to mandatory military service, but that wasn't always the case. We see the same kind of thing in other areas. Airplane flights being delayed until the seating preferences of Hasidic Jews are satisfied. Exclusive bathing times at public pools. The right to wear masks during identification photos or while testifying. Requests that would be unreasonable in other circumstances apparently become reasonable when they are justified by religion. -k

People said the same of Harper with regard to Obama. "Not on the same page!" "The whole country will pay because of Harper!" "Harper better learn to kiss Obama's ass pronto!" Canadian lefties were rubbing their hands at glee at the thought that their American hero would teach the mean Canadian PM a lesson or make him change. Didn't happen. Now Canadian righties are rubbing their hands with glee at the thought that their American hero will teach the sunny-ways Canadian PM a lesson or make him change. Won't happen either. -k

Trump is cause for worry for the Canadian economy, but that has nothing to do with Justin's comments about Castro. Trump's only interest in Cuba is as a source of tremendous cigars, the best cigars. I hope Trump sent Ted Cruz a sympathy card on the occasion of his dad's war-buddy passing. The extent to which Cubans have been "served" by the revolution is certainly debatable, but let's not pretend like the US's hard feelings over it has anything to do with human rights in Cuba. The revolution swapped out a tyrant the US liked and supported for a tyrant they didn't like or support. The revolution cost US carpet-bagger corporations their assets in Cuba. That's the real story. The US (and other governments including our own) are just fine doing business with horrible regimes, as long as those regimes serve our interests. Castro's crime wasn't being horrible to his people, it was harming US business interests and deposing a US-friendly dictator. Apparently pre-revolution Cuba has become romanticized in the imagination of some, but the revolution didn't happen for no reason, and for most Cubans the country was a dump before Castro took over. Those who fled Cuba after the revolution were Cuba's version of the 1%... the wealthy and the friends of the deposed political regime. They no doubt painted a pretty rosy picture about how awesome Cuba was before Castro came along, giving future generations of Cuban Americans a fantasy idea of their nation that never actually existed. -k

Who cares what Cruz and Rubio think? They should spend less time worrying about Justin Trudeau's twitter and more time worrying about whether they're on El Trumpo's "enemies list." -k

Interesting rumor that El Trumpo is considering Hawaiian congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for Secretary of State. Gabbard is young, a military veteran-- she served in Iraq with a medical unit-- and she is considered a "rising star". What would make her a very unusual pick is that she's a Democrat. During the Democratic primaries, she was one of the fiercest Bernie Sanders supporters. But what she and Trump have in common is that they oppose interventionist global policy. It's the reason she refused to endorse Hillary, and it's the message she delivered to Trump during their meeting. This seems like a long-shot and pretty "out of left field", and given that she's only 35 and has only served at the state and congress level so far, experience would obviously be a huge question mark. None the less it's interesting that Trump met with her at all. -k

Hey, who cares? It seems like a lot of the names being thrown around are just there because they're popular conservatives who liberals hate. Laura Ingraham? Joe Arpaio? David Clarke? Sarah Palin? Why not get Ann Coulter? Rush Limbaugh? Hey, maybe they could make Ted Nugent the Secretary of Partying Too Hard! Maybe they could make the guy from Duck Dynasty the Secretary of the Interior. -k

Betsy deVos is a long-time advocate of charter schools and "voucher programs" which has been a Republican wet dream for a long time and is the main Trump campaign promise regarding education, so deVos fits in perfectly. If people are worried about what deVos will do as Secretary of Education, they should have worked harder to avoid Trump winning in the first place, because deVos just represents policies that Republicans have wanted for a long time. -k

Ultimately I doubt anything of any significance will be discovered. I certainly don't see any harm in checking the results, though. I gather that many of these machines are computer-only and have no paper record, so how could they even do a recount? -k

Yes, I certainly don't see any point in treating ISIS agents, whether they be military or propagandists or financiers, by the same standards we'd treat diplomats of a nation we were at war with. I have also had the thought that it might be good if people who made substantial cash contributions to ISIS also started turning up dead, as a message to other would-be donors. -k

"Lack of knowledge of Islam" is something I have often read in regard to these converts who want to join the jihad. I read an interview with a Toronto imam who expressed his concern. He talked about how he becomes suspicious when somebody shows up at the mosque all excited and wanting to convert right away. On the one hand he obviously can't just turn people away, but on the other hand he wonders what their motivation is. I believe that some mentally unstable individuals, like John Nuttall and Amanda Korody, are drawn to the idea of "jihad" rather than anything in particular about Islam. Rebels in search of a cause, perhaps. -k

Mike Pence's response: "It’s just an incredible production and incredibly talented people. It was a real joy to be there. When we arrived, we heard a few boos, and we heard some cheers, and I nudged my kids and reminded them: That’s what freedom sounds like. But at the end, I did hear what was said from the stage, and I can tell you, I wasn’t offended by what was said. I’ll leave to others whether that was the appropriate venue to say it. But, I do want to say that the basic element is the center of that message is one that I want to address, and that is I know this is a very disappointing time for people that did not see their candidate win in this national election… And, I just want to reassure people that what President-Elect Donald Trump said on election night, he absolutely meant from the bottom of his heart. He is preparing to be the President of all of the people of the United States of America, and to watch him bringing together people of diverse views, bringing together people that differed with him strongly, seeing him talk to leaders around the world, I just want to reassure every American that in the days ahead, I am very confident that they are going to see President-Elect Donald Trump be a President for all of the people, and we embrace that principle, and we are going to work hard to make that principle every day that we serve." Donald Trump's response: "Trump ANGRY! Trump SMASH! APOLOGIZE!!!" -k

Well, Hillary's gone. I'm sure that we'll hear a lot of "b-b-but Hillary..." over the next four years from Trump supporters, but she's gone and Trump is the one under the spotlight. -k

I'm just surprised that Mitt has any wish to "stay in the game". It would be a lot easier for him to stay home, enjoy the good life with Ann, enjoy the fruits of a very successful life. He could say "I gave everything I had in the 2012 presidential campaign, and I'm done now." So to find that at this point in his life he wants to get back "in the game" seems to show a sense of civic duty that I think is pretty admirable. I was certainly among those who bashed Mitt in 2012. I strongly disagreed with his ideas like tax cuts for the wealthy and financial deregulation. Trump brings all that and worse... plus he's a creep. Remember the billboards that had a picture of George W Bush waving, that said "Miss me yet?" ... the answer is now "yes." -k

To hear Trump tell it, the element of surprise is apparently the only strategy that matters. So, first off, ISIS aren't incompetent. They already knew Mosul was going to be under attack, and were already preparing. They weren't going to be "surprised". They've been preparing defenses since they took the city 2 years ago. As well, an operation of this size can't simply appear out of nowhere. They're trying to move tens of thousands of soldiers around in the desert. The idea that they could just sneak into Mosul and catch the ISIS fighters sitting around watching Seinfeld reruns is just patently stupid. The key leaders that Trump figured would just be standing around town waiting to be captured haven't even been in Mosul for months or years. As well, none of the information they've actually given is of any strategic use. It's like a football coach saying "we're going to use our running attack to wear out their defense, and try to prevent them from making big plays." If the coach was telling the opponent what play they're going to run on the next down, that would be a disaster, obviously, but none of the information anyone has released is specific enough to help ISIS prepare a defense. As well, making it known that Mosul was going to be retaken served other purposes. Give citizens warning to prepare. Give citizens a chance to form resistance movements. Counteract ISIS propaganda. Demoralize ISIS fighters, possibly scare some into leaving. News cycle: "Trump ANGRY after Mike Pence heckled at Broadway show!" Real news: Trump settles fraud law-suit for his fake university. Guy once considered too racist to be a federal court judge will now be Attorney General. Close ties between Trump and Trump Organization create unprecedented opportunities for conflict of interest. -k

Well, if Mitt doesn't feel like being "kept in line", he could simply decline the appointment. I'm a little surprised at the idea that Mitt would need to be "kept in line" anyway. Like, what's he going to do, mount a coup or something? With Hillary, I think Obama appointed her to a key role as a means of unifying the party after a bitterly fought primary and giving her a bridge to continue her political career if she wished. With Mitt, I'm not sure either of those are considerations. And just last week, Trump's "African American Outreach" ambassador, TV Show Amarosa, was telling everybody that Trump's enemies were "gonna get it", and named Mitt among them. Apparently when she said he was "gonna get it", "it" was one of the most important roles in the administration. I can only imagine what Lindsay Graham and Megyn Kelly are "gonna get". Ambassador positions maybe? However, I have to say, good for Mitt. I hadn't expected that he'd want to continue his public service after losing in 2012. George W. Bush immersed himself in humanitarian work after his presidency, but I figured we probably wouldn't see Mitt in Africa hugging sick children. Mitt seemed like the kind of guy who'd go back to making loads of cash with Bain Capital or something. So, if Mitt is willing to take what I imagine must be a massive pay-cut to work for his country instead of himself, I have to admit I was wrong. And I am happy to know that there will be at least one sane person in the Trump administration. Good for Mitt for continuing his public service... his country needs him now more than ever. -k

So... Trump is considering avowed globalist and harsh Trump critic Mitt Romney for Secretary of State? This makes perfect sense?! -k

Thanks, August, that was an interesting read, and I think Adams makes several excellent points. I doubt your prediction of naming Obama to the Supreme Court will come to pass. It would certainly break the narrative of Trump's critics... and it would do so BIGLY. However, it would be a move that Trump's supporters would view as the ultimate betrayal, and winning over his critics does him little good if it turns the people who elected him into enemies. However, it is true that there are lots of things Trump could do to change the minds of people who are critical or skeptical. Adams didn't mention the idea of forgiving the student debt of black Americans. He did speak of Trump's "New Deal" plan for African Americans: 1. Great Education Through School Choice. 2. Safe Communities 3. Equal Justice Under the Law 4. Tax Reforms to Create Jobs and Lift up People and Communities 5. Financial Reforms to Expand Credit to Support New Job Creation 6. Trade That Works for American Workers 7. Protection from Illegal Immigration 8. New Infrastructure Investment 9. Protect the African-American Church 10. America First Foreign Policy So first off, one notices that forgiving student debt isn't on the list. Secondly one notices that his New Deal plan for African Americans is the same as his New Deal plan for everybody else (except that elsewhere #9 is "Protect the church.") So there is nothing in here to support the notion that he has a plan to give some massive gift that is just for black people. This isn't a promise of special treatment for black people, they are simply trying to make the point that Trump's campaign promise will be good for black people. -k

Infowars! This explains so much. Have you purchased your Mega-Mind Mind-enhancing tablets? Super-Male Manliness-enhancing herb-extract? Chemtrail-resistant InfoWarrior Alex Jones Autographed hat? -k

And yet the right-wing media have been treating the protests like they were a national crisis, howling for Obama or Hillary to "do something!" just in case another garbage-can gets set on fire or window gets smashed in Portland. DEAR GOD won't somebody think of the garbage cans?! Meanwhile those same media outlets have completely ignored the wave of hate-graffiti and pro-Trump vandalism that has swept the US since the election. Those who get their news from BreitPravda would be completely unaware that it's going on. -k

Great, wear your MAGA hat and your "I LOVE PENCE!" t-shirt next time you visit. You'll get extra prompt service wherever you go! -k