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Can’t Judge Fake News in the Dark
This isn’t about Trump. It’s about judging the media, whoever and whatever they report on. It is about reading critically when so much out there is just simply inaccurate. Not maybe inaccurate, pure dead solid perfect stupid. So don’t call me a nazi.
Step One is to note if the story you’re reading/seeing is all or mostly unsourced, or anonymously sourced. Red flag.
Step Two is to see if the story is bombastic, dramatic, something that really makes you angry. Something that adds to or dovetails with something you already believe is true. If it sounds like gossip, that’s probably all it is. Red flag.
Step Three is to check if the story is a negative one about a person or subject from a media outlet that celebrates its partisan position. Red flag.
Congratulations! You’ve got a sample target, and are ready to apply a basic test.
Ask who would know the information, why would they tell anyone, and apply a light sniff test: does it make any sense at all?
Here’s one to practice on, courtesy of the New York Times. There are no sources at all for the most part, and the story is bombastic, suggesting the people in the White House are dumber than third graders. The Times has had trouble with objectivity concerning the administration. Much of the story sounds like mean gossip.We’ll zoom in on a couple of opening lines, keeping in mind this was presented on the front page as news:
President Trump loves to set the day’s narrative at dawn, but the deeper story of his White House is best told at night.
Aides confer in the dark because they cannot figure out how to operate the light switches in the cabinet room. Visitors conclude their meetings and then wander around, testing doorknobs until finding one that leads to an exit.
So the venerable New York Times reports Trump’s aides sit in the dark because they do not know how to operate light switches.
Seriously? Light switches are rarely complex. Those aides have been on the job for about two weeks and have not figured out how to turn on the lights? And by the way, the White House is full of non-political, permanent staff, including servants, janitors, the Secret Service, secretaries. Hell, you can dial zero on the house phone and ask for maintenance. It is simply impossible for the Times’ statement to be true, and it would have had to have been reported by one of the aides themselves, because no one else was there, or could see what was happening in the dark.
Next up: the line about visitors wandering the halls looking for an exit.
Access to the White House is as controlled as anywhere in the United States. One does not simply walk around trying doors. Visitors are escorted, the Secret Service is stationed everywhere, and there are cameras and motion detectors. Being alone inside the White House is a privilege allotted to very, very, very few people ever. Visitors are badged and checked in and out. The building itself is not a suburban movie theatre, with lots of doors opening out into the parking lot. Visitors go in and out via a limited number of portals. It is simply impossible for the Times’ statement to be true.
Later in the same story the Times reports:
When Mr. Trump is not watching television in his bathrobe or on his phone reaching out to old campaign hands and advisers, he will sometimes set off to explore the unfamiliar surroundings of his new home.
While the image of old man Trump wandering around the place in his robe and slippers, perhaps hair amuss, is amusing, the statement is ridiculous as news.
If the White House is hyper-controlled space, the Residence, the second floor where the president actually lives, is doubly so. Access is strictly limited to those personally invited by the president, staff who have worked there decades, and a handful of Secret Service stationed outside key doors. The idea is to offer a respite, a personal space for the family.
The White House staff and Secret Service have a long tradition of not leaking intimate details of the First Family. They would throw away a decades-long career if they did. Neither group has leaked salacious gossip over the years about presidential affairs, husband and wife fights, drunkenness and the like in real time. It is incredulous that the Times would have any idea what Trump does inside his own living room.
Another caution would be reports that purport to know what a senior policy maker is “thinking,” the very ideas and feelings in his head. While anything is of course possible, how likely is it that someone in public life would voice those things to people junior enough to leak them (oh but you want to believe it, don’t you?) Here’s the Times again:
Cloistered in the White House, he now has little access to his fans and supporters — an important source of feedback and validation — and feels increasingly pinched by the pressures of the job and the constant presence of protests.
The first line is of course easily destroyable, as the president can invite anyone into the White House, and most anyone would be happy to rush in. And don’t his son-in-law and daughter Ivanka live just down the street in DC? In addition, should Trump want to talk with “fans and supporters,” there is that telephone thingie. Obama famously had a guarded private number for a handful of friends, and Bill Clinton, keeping with his times, used a personal FAX machine whose number was changed regularly and distributed to very few long-time associates.
And by the way, how could the Times, or anyone really, know Trump is “increasingly pinched by the pressures of the job”? What does pinched even mean? Did someone deep inside Trump’s inner circle overhear him say “Dammit, I am feeling pinched as hell” and rush to whisper that in a reporter’s ear? Can someone be “increasingly” pinched after only some two weeks on the job?
The piece goes on and on, claiming Trump obsessed over the drapes in the Oval Office, watches TV during lunch (!), somehow indicated to somebody that the Oval Office “is a totem of a victory that validates him as a serious person,” and startlingly, “ordered that four hardback chairs be placed in a semicircle around his desk” which seems to be important for some reason never really explained.
Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved. The views expressed here are solely those of the author(s) in their private capacity.
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RICH BAUER said...
1And you are still reading the NYT because….
02/10/17 8:04 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
2We pretty much established the Times they have not been changing since Judy Miller whored it out.
02/10/17 8:06 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
3Re: the four chairs. Supposedly Trump meant the chairs will still be there long after the people who sat in them. You know, Spicer, Conway, Flynn and Miller.
02/10/17 8:11 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
4Not that Miller.
02/10/17 8:11 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
5Peter,
You missed one of the “red flags ”
But….. You touched on it with this statement…
” The piece goes on and on, ”
The 10,000 word things … That drone you into a trance are a pretty good indicator, as well.
M
02/10/17 8:49 AM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
6“The 10,000 word things … That drone you into a trance are a pretty good indicator, as well.”
Says the one who drones on and on and says nothing.
MitchLiesalot, Peter wants you to cut your comments down to five thousand words or less. Most of us have day jobs.
02/10/17 9:32 AM | Comment Link
rich bauer said...
7An example for the class:
Mitch said…
Bauer…
Next time I travel…. I will be sure to post my schedule….NOT !!!!
Good to see your still trying to burn the world to the ground..
John Poole…. Peter has my permission to release my email adress to you… And you alone…..
Btw… Lunar new year was awesome….. Over seas….. Sorry for not being around to back you up….. And… Thank you…. For the support…
Also…. RESPECT!!!… Go out with a ‘BANG’……I get it.
Lisa…. I have zero idea who you are…. But… Your my kind of people…. Fyi… I have pirated your line about. “take your meds and go to be like your supposed to ” line…… I’ve been sticking to “look at the pretty flowers “…
Lisa…. Fyi….. bloodthirsty and Bauer…. Yep…. Racists….(Bauer will hide behind the ‘fact”… He’s black…so he can’t be ‘racist’)… ( yes… Bullshit )
And…..if…… Your wondering….. I’m the infamous ‘ Mitch’……
For and indepth intro….. First comment….behind this link….
https://wemeantwell.com/blog/2017/01/26/i-dont-think-everything-is-different/
And fyi…. Lisa…. Your right on the money about Bauer and bloodthirstypitchfork. ..
And…. Fyi….. Teri…..she also says this about the US military…..( what’s the saying about forewarned???)
“teri said….
“. So they will be “at risk” for a couple of weeks while their weapons and attack ships are re-tooled. So the fuck what? Considering that our troops are mainly attacking extremely poor and defenseless countries and deliberately turning them into cesspools and ruined desolate ghettos that can no longer support modern human life, I wonder why, exactly, you spend one minute giving a flying fuck if “our troops” face a minuscule “risk” for a week or two. ” “””
M
Further….. Peter said….
Trump is doing nothing different than the previous two president’s….. He’s just being open and direct about it…
Just a ton of manipulated hate…. Being generated by people that failed to realize….the bank of special interests …. Has a bankrupt point.
M
Bonus …. I do find it quite interesting that those that have said it most horrid things……come out of hiding….right after they think the one that confronted them…..is gone….
Rather than just traveling….
Pretty chicken shit….. And….yes….bloodthirsty….. That’s all YOU….
Now…. Take your meds…. And go to bed…like your supposed to…
02/10/17 9:34 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
8Bauer…
Too funny….. BUT !!!!!
I did say something…..
And…. THANK YOU for republishing that….
Too awesome!!!!!!!! Just BADASS , Dude !!!!!!!!!!
Proves my points so clearly about bullies and…
self appointed ….blog cops….. Janitors….. who go running to ‘teacher ‘ or ‘daddy ‘
When they get confronted with their BS, bully behaviors… Etc….
Just FUCKING AWESOME !!!!!!!
Owe you for that…. THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!
M
PS….
However….. It is concerning that you are now speaking on Peter’s behalf….
After all….. He said….’in 5 years… No one has ever been banned ‘.
Does this mean your the new ‘self appointed ‘ blog master ?????
M
02/10/17 10:04 AM | Comment Link
chuck said...
9“Sniff” Red Flag. What ever happened to the Terror Color coded thingy?!
02/10/17 10:34 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
10MItchLiesalot,
when Peter passes the blog to me the first thing I will do is rename it “WE MEANT WELL and the rest who don’t can go to hell.”
And commenters will be required to donate to the DNC. We will be firing the drones, so the DNC will need the money for new nameplates on the doors.
02/10/17 10:37 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
11Comrad Flynn on the hot seat
The New York Times’ Matthew Rosenberg and Matt Apuzzo additionally report that Flynn and the Russian ambassador discussed not only sanctions, but also the possibility of military cooperation against ISIS. Notably, the Times say there are transcripts of the call. “Federal officials who have read the transcript of the call were surprised by Mr. Flynn’s comments,” they write, ”since he would have known that American eavesdroppers closely monitor such calls. They were even more surprised that Mr. Trump’s team publicly denied that the topics of conversation included sanctions.”
Per the Logan Act, private citizens are prohibited from negotiating with foreign governments in disputes with the United States. When the call was first reported, Slate’s Joshua Keating wrote that, despite the Logan Act, “Meetings between the president-elect’s team and foreign officials are Normal. Negotiations that undermine a sitting president’s foreign policy are not unprecedented, but remain highly controversial and Not Normal.”
Flynn, not normal. And water is wet.
02/10/17 10:51 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
12Bauer…
Thanks for clarification….. That your the new “first Amendment “. Monitor.
Good luck with that.
Can of worms that will be.
After all…. The behaviors your attempting to defend….
Losing battle that is.
M
02/10/17 10:52 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
13Bauer…
The Flynn mess….
That is the issue you want to attract attention to.
Not the “ban “….. The ban is political suicide.
That flynn mess…. That is an impeachment offense.
M
02/10/17 10:55 AM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
14A fantasy: Millions of Americans in response to the latest Iranian Death to America chanting episode gather in DC shouting…………. “Long life and prosperity to the peaceful Iranian people!” Imagine the fallout from that.
02/10/17 10:58 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
15Crazy Bauer…
THIS is why going after the ‘ban ‘ is a bad move.
……….
‘BIG OMISSION’? Court skips over key statute in travel ban ruling, Trump plots next move
Feb 10, 2017 11:45 AM EST
(page 1 of 5) View Entire Story
President Trump got to work early Friday picking apart a federal courts decision not to reinstate his controversial travel ban, noting that the detailed 29-page order did not include one mention of the statute he claims gives him broad authority on immigration.
A disgraceful decision! Trump tweeted, while quoting an analyst who flagged the omission in a Lawfare blog post.
The writer, Brookings fellow and Lawfare editor-in-chief Benjamin Wittes, had noted the order skipped over a key part of the U.S. code on inadmissible aliens which Trump had publicly recited on Wednesday in defense of his immigration restrictions.
The statute reads in part: Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.
M
02/10/17 12:23 PM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
16Great. Go for it mr President, if you got the balls, small ones count too
Ban the entry of any Saudi national and any alien who gives support to the extremists who ARE detrimental to the interests of the United States, Somewhat paradoxically, however, members of the Saudi ruling class have applauded Wahhabism it for its Salafi piety – i.e. its adherence to the original practices of Islam – and the movement’s vehement opposition to the Shia branch of Islam.
In the 1970s, with the help of funding from petroleum exports and other factors, Saudi charities started funding Wahhabi schools (madrassas) and mosques across the globe and the movement underwent “explosive growth”.
The US State Department has estimated that over the past four decades Riyadh has invested more than $10bn (£6bn) into charitable foundations in an attempt to replace mainstream Sunni Islam with the harsh intolerance of its Wahhabism. EU intelligence experts estimate that 15 to 20 per cent of this has been diverted to al-Qaida and other violent jihadists.
So there you go, low hanging fruit. Trumpet the loud proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be …oh right. Stop dreaming.
02/10/17 12:42 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
17Crazy Bauer.
Pretty weak…..
Go for the Flynn angle….. Supreme court is about to make a lot of people look really Stupid.
What?????
You think Trump did not have Lawyers draft the executive order???
Question for you….. You don’t work for State anymore??… Correct?????
Next question…… Have you Ever read the Constitution of the United States ?
02/10/17 1:04 PM | Comment Link
Jack said...
18“This isn’t about Trump but I’m going to single out one article he didn’t like as my only example”. No I don’t think you’re a nazi. But I do think this is dangerously shallow analysis and an unwittingly partisan contribution, which is a shame. The NYT article was rubbish but on the whole their reporting has been solid, certainly more so than Fox, Breitbart, or any other fringe news the President likes to trumpet. Trump’s “fake news” vendetta is largely a political smokescreen. Yes call out places like NYT when they screw up but let’s not lose sight of the larger game, lest we be played for fools.
02/10/17 2:37 PM | Comment Link
wemeantwell said...
19I’ll suggest if we just allow any media to spoon feed us leaks and anonymous sources that magically say or support what we already believe, we are being played for fools. And don’t mistake calling out the NYT in any way as support for anyone else (Fox, et al.) I generally hate them all.
02/10/17 8:45 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
20Bauer…
This pretty much ends the … Discussion…. On the travel ban.
http://yournewswire.com/assad-trump-terrorists-refugees/
M
02/10/17 3:15 PM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
21The discussion is the same one this country should have every day.- we have idiots making dumbass decisions that don’t solve the problem, but create more problems. The kiss-ass Bush visa express policy towards the Saudi camel fuckers – cause they all got money so they’re all good- made it easy for a bunch of halfass terrorists to kill 3000 Americans. Now we got the blanket Muslim ban that won’t prevent another Orlando-Boston-fili in the blank city. These deciders are morons. If they didn’t have a federal job their kids would starve.
02/10/17 4:54 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
22Bauer,….. You said….
RICH BAUER on February 10, 2017 at 16:54 said:
The discussion is the same one this country should have every day.- we have idiots making dumbass decisions that don’t solve the problem, but create more problems. ”
That….. Rich….. Is one of the wiser things you have EVER said.
M
02/10/17 4:59 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
23This is another conversation to have…. Soon….
Do some looking into how the US is involved in this nightmare.
http://foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=22995&external=3878038.proteus.fma
M
02/10/17 5:04 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
24This would be another conversation to have….
And…. YES…. I know it can happen here…. And almost has / did.
And…. Still just might.
http://topstories.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=17224&external=3878075.proteus.fma
M
02/10/17 5:16 PM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
25Ok, I’ll be the flower boy for Mitch and Bauer’s wedding. You must have taken Saint Rodney King’s message to heart.
Joking but we need some joking on this site. Man, we’re all so morbidly serious.
02/10/17 5:42 PM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
26Trump forgot his business model: hire smart people and let them do their job. Instead we got idiots hiring idiots.
02/10/17 5:51 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
27John.
Bauer’s brides list is at Nordstrom….
He looks so cute in the Trump line.
M
02/10/17 6:48 PM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
28With Trump in charge, we all are fucked.
02/10/17 8:02 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
29Its becoming a buyers market.
……
U.S. News in partnership with BAV and Wharton
Record Number Renounce U.S. Citizenship in 2016
More than 5,000 individuals expatriated last year, according to U.S. Internal Revenue Service data.
By Deidre McPhillips | Data Reporter
Feb. 9, 2017, at 9:13 am
The number of individuals renouncing U.S. citizenship has been increasing annually since 2012. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Barcroft/Getty Images)
A record number of individuals renounced their U.S. citizenship or chose to expatriate in 2016, according to data published by the Internal Revenue Service today.
The government agency, a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department, publishes the names of those individuals in a list each quarter, in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. Before 2011, less than 1,000 individuals chose to expatriate each year, according to the lists published on the Federal Register. More than 2,300 expatriated in the last quarter of 2016 alone, and this year’s total of 5,411 individuals is 26 percent more than last year’s 4,279.
The connection between the list of expatriates and the IRS implies a link to tax policy. The U.S. is one of a very small number of countries that tax based on nationality, not residency, leaving Americans living abroad to face double taxation. “The escalation of offshore penalties over the last 20 years is likely contributing to the increased incidence of expatriation,” according to the tax attorneys at Andrew Mitchel LLC who track the expatriate data on their International Tax Blog.
02/11/17 8:18 AM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
30Instead of stress tests for the banking industry to ensure it has enough liquid assets on hand to deal with another financial markets hiccup, the Trump team should configure a stress test for the pharmaceutical industry to make sure they have enough opioids and anti depression meds in the pipeline to cover any physician dispensing demand should another financial hiccup occur.
02/11/17 12:18 PM | Comment Link
Chuck said...
31“Listen to Jimi”.
02/11/17 2:27 PM | Comment Link
Chuck said...
32Obomber droned. Trump drones. Whats wrong, Vote D or R !
02/11/17 3:04 PM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
33This isn’t about Trump, but it is about the idiots he surrounds himself. FYI- SNL has enough material, Spice Boy:
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday that Nordstrom’s decision to stop carrying Ivanka Trump’s clothing and accessories line is an attack on the president’s policies and his daughter.
Spicer told reporters during his daily press briefing that the decision — which Nordstrom said was a result of poor sales, not politics — was because of the clothing company’s displeasure with President Donald Trump’s executive orders and his policies.
“I think this is less about his family’s business and an attack on his daughter,” Spicer said. “He ran for president. He won. He’s leading this country. I think for people to take out their concern about his actions or his executive orders on members of his family, he has every right to stand up for his family and applaud their business activities, their success.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump attacked Nordstrom on Twitter, saying that the brand treated his daughter “so unfairly.”
When asked why Nordstrom’s decision would be an attack on the President’s daughter after she supposedly removed herself from her company, Spicer said that the attack affects Ivanka Trump because the brand still bears her name.
“There’s a targeting of her brand and it’s her name,” Spicer said. “She’s not directly running the company. It’s still her name on it. There are clearly efforts to undermine that name based on her father’s positions on particular policies that he’s taken. This is a direct attack on his policies and her name. Her because she is being maligned because they have a problem with his policies.”
First the terrorists, then Nordstrom, Spice Boy.
02/11/17 3:11 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
34John…
I …Wish…. I had the …skill…to be as subtle as you can be…..
“hiccup “…..
I have a VERY different phrase/word for that mess….
M
PS…… Might want to start “stress ” testing elected officials…..
Figure they are running out of Valium.
M
02/11/17 3:15 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
35Bauer.
Its called. “micro- aggressions “….. And ” changing the narrative ”
Here’s a lesson learned over the years…
The most important question … Is not the the question answered….
Its the one that was Not answered.
M
02/11/17 3:19 PM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
36Mitch, it was a slight hiccup for the plutocrats. For others it was a convulsive bowel rupturing event. But what do we matter? We are sadly expendable except for some of us who are needed to fight overseas to make sure the plutocracy is OK.
02/11/17 3:24 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
37John..
Absolutely agreed.
Some how… Reality..its gone astride..
Here’s a … Bizzare… ‘ Statement ‘ for you.
Ever see the Russell Crowe Version of “Robin Hood ” ?
My wife and I were watching it last night.
If you have…. The scene where Crowe gets the Ram and Blanchet out of the mud…
Awesome scene…. Showed the back and forth “positioning ” between the two characters… One of the better scenes in the whole movie….
The one liner smart ass ….awesome…
Blanchet… ” oh???… Its my turn ???? “….. Snotty look and all….
The poweful woman… Very powerful…. Up against the strong willed man…
Awesome….. My wife Loves it….
New release version….
That scene has been deleted…..
Too ” demeaning ” to women.
I would hope…. Hope…. The world could have a.happy ending like that movie….
To all powerful personalities…. Able to find common ground.
Yep….. That’s an analogy.
Hell…. If I can have respect for Bauer… ( not just because of how he looks in Invanka Trump underwear line )….
Anything is possible.
M
02/11/17 3:39 PM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
38Mitch- I got my hearty laugh for the week.
02/11/17 4:07 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
39John…
That was my intent.
(although…. I do respect Bauer… A little bit ).
M
02/11/17 4:34 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
40PS…
Respect…. Yes…
Agree…. Not a chance.
M
02/11/17 4:35 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
41Well…
Back on Topic…
This does explain a great desl of the media hate toward Trump….
Simple solution would be for the ‘media ‘…… To stop taking sides…. And payroll….
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TOsPOpqNOOQ#
M
02/11/17 4:56 PM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
42Mitch- it may be that the losers in the last POTUS campaign are determined to redeem their humiliation at any cost. Obama’s campaign manager recently said that Trump winning was totally unexpected. So if he was so clueless as to what was brewing in the electorate by 2016 how does he explain his enthusiasm for Obama in 2008 and also in 2012 when Obama had shown himself to be just anotherloyal servant to the ruling plutocracy?
02/11/17 5:30 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
43John.
You answered your own question when you said ,
” was totally unexpected. So if he was so clueless …”
What I personally think is/ was summed up pretty clearly with Pelosi’s statement last week…
” I see no common ground with President Bush ”
Last week !
What I think is… BOTH sides of the battlefield… Opps… Sorry… Aisle……see nothing but their SiDE.
We the people … Were just pawns to milk for tax money… And to send to die.
That’s why I support ( NOT LIKE ) Trump.
Figure… For the first time in a hundred… Hell… Couple hundred years….
The system of ( as Chuck would say )… D’s and R’s has been broken…
Further…. If the D’s and R’s don’t wake up….. They are going to find out they are Obsolete in their thinking.
Somewhere along the line… ( maybe when Adam’s say ” the republic and liberty are only safe until the elected officials discover they can gain vast power and wealth, simply by casting their vote ) …. They forgot who they work for.
Trump….. He may be the wake up call.
Like him…… Shit no…..if it wasn’t illegal…. I would probably slap the shit out of him.
But…. He may say a nation… This nation…. For disappearing.
When I was traveling…. I saw a post/ comment you did…
Paraphrase…. It was about how total imperfection can be what is needed for self correction…
You Nailed it… Bigtime.
4 years….. To correct what started before either of us were born.
Small price to pay….
IF….. He does not start a nuclear war.
M
02/11/17 7:52 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
44Well,
Here would be an example of…. STUPID people….
Tea party tactics…. Magically transformed into tea party protests…
And…. Never look at who the funding or leadership is.
Nice spin in it though….
The “protests…..”……..
Don’t think I will ever forget seeing 750 year old stained glass on the ground when I was in eastern Europe…..
Sickening.
http://foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=22995&external=3878473.proteus.fma#quickPage_html_page_22995_content_118648878_pageNum_1
M
02/11/17 8:22 PM | Comment Link
J brant said...
45Peter Van Buren:
I enjoyed “We Meant Well” and this article, seen on AntiWar.com.
The naive trust the NYT without cause, usually trusting friends who know no better, or its traditional format. It deserves severe criticism.
The commenters here should eliminate the ad hominem attacks on each other: the first to cast stones should be removed.
02/12/17 7:21 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
46Interesting to see the “us ” and “them ” mentality….
” “If you think people were mad,” Streep said, “when they thought the government was coming after their guns, wait until you see when they try to take away our happiness.” ”
http://foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=22995&external=3878711.proteus.fma
02/12/17 7:44 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
47Who the fuck invited j brant?
02/12/17 9:06 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
48Bauer.
Who knows…..
You ok?……. Your off your game.
Jetlag?
M
02/12/17 9:21 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
49Your or You’re. You don’t spell so good.
02/12/17 9:37 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
50I is typin from my’s phone.
Text insertion and auto spell check is a real bitch at times.
Question for you????…. Just my own curiosity….
Why did you want me to come back?
I said my goodbye…had enough…
Got back in country…. Got emails and phone calls…. Saying “why ?”… And “come back “…
Check and see…. There you are…. And… Three people attacking “Lisa “.
I would never have commented… If it was not for seeing that attack.
So… Bauer…. Why?
M
02/12/17 9:50 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
51Mitch, WTF.
This is a place to voice any opinion. No one should tell anyone what the fuck they can say here, You are intelligent enough to spot the bullshit that comes from either party. The voices of discontent want us to focus our attacks on the idiots who can do real damage to US. That’s fine. As long as you make more sense than Conway, Spicer et al you are free to vent.
02/12/17 11:18 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
52Damn, I would have bet anything Spicer would be the first casualty of the WH musical chairs:
Trump said he plans to “look into” reports that his national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, discussed sanctions in his pre-inauguration conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the United States and possibly misled administration officials about it.
“I don’t know about that. I haven’t seen it,” said Mr. Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One late Friday, during a flight to Florida from Washington. Several news outlets reported on Thursday that Mr. Flynn and Ambassador Sergei I. Kislyak had discussed sanctions that the Obama administration had imposed on Russia.
The White House has denied publicly that the two men discussed sanctions.
Even as Mr. Trump professed his lack of knowledge of the episode, administration officials were scrambling to contain the fallout of the latest revelations about the embattled former three-star general, who has been criticized internally for his judgment and for staffing the National Security Council with military officers instead of trained civilian personnel.
Flynn should cancel all his appointments for next Friday.
02/12/17 11:35 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
53Damn, I would have bet anything Spicer would be the first casualty in the WH musical chairs:
Trump adviser Stephen Miller asserted on Sunday that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer is always “100 percent correct.”
During an interview on ABC’s This Week, host George Stephanopoulos noted that Spicer had recently accused Nordstrom of a “direct attack” on Trump policies after the department store chain discontinued Ivanka Trump’s line of products.
“I’m not going to make a comment on that,” Miller replied. “I do want to say, Sean Spicer, as always, is 100 percent correct. What he said is true and important. And I agree with it.”
True and important. BUT I am not going to comment on that.
02/12/17 11:47 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
54Bauer.
Cool…. And…. Exactly…..
PS..
I’m thinking Flynn might want to cancel his appts for the next….
25 to life.
M
02/12/17 11:48 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
55This is really good material for a news AMC series, White House Walking Dead.
02/12/17 11:49 AM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
56Bauer…
Only if that new series includes the last 200 years.
PS…
You should consider coming back to the USA.
Gun prices have dropped 40%… And considering the “left ” is the largest group of buyers now….
M
02/12/17 11:56 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
57Mitch, you haven’t been paying attention. I AM coming back. I have some Hollyweird irons in the fire. I don’t own a gun and abhor violence. As bad as things can get in the good ol US, try living like the poor people in most of the real world for a day. My real contempt is for the rich fuckers who say I got mine and too bad for the rest. There is a special place in hell for them. Trump is just a symptom of the sickness.
02/12/17 12:06 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
58Rich,
I was traveling for a week and a half… So I missed it..
Welcome home.
And yes…. Trump is a symptom….. So is Hillary…. So is Obama….
So is it all.
Good luck with Hollyweird…..those people have lost their flipping minds.
M
02/12/17 12:10 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
59PS. ,
Rich….
I don’t have to imagine what it is like ” try living like the poor people of the world “…
Been there….. Done that…. And it was in the USA….
Which is why I do what I can to try and help.
M
02/12/17 12:19 PM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
60Trump talks a good tax reform game but somehow I think the rich are going to come out ahead.
The first thing I would do is allow 100 percent tax unlimited deduction for charity contributions. If everyone would that, we could starve the beast and get money to those who need it.
02/12/17 12:24 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
61Rich…
NO….
Not that…
I would implement a 11% flat sales tax instead.
Let the cities keep their … Whatever sales tax… And take 8 % for the fed… Spread the rest out to the states…
Makes an “even ” taxation…. The cities … Etc… Learn pretty quick to drop their taxes….
Fed gets all the money they will EVER need.
Tax law gets real simple…
And….. The IRS gets neutered.
M
02/12/17 12:31 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
62Well……. Son of a bitch…… You can get people to yank their heads of of their asses….
” “But we have not looked at those who were badly, negatively impacted.”. “……
If the IMF can learn….. Anyone can….
Especially the nut that’s in charge of it….
Also…. Find it very interesting….. They were Counting on US money for the “world ” governments…..
Hmmmm…… What’s that conspiracy thing about one world order???..
Or…. Did I ‘mis -read ‘…. Between the lines ?????
PS….. Read the Last paragraph……. Says everything needed to be said….
And…. Those are quotes.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/12/imf-head-trump-good-for-us-economy-for-now-as-trouble-looms.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29
M
02/12/17 12:41 PM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
63Mitch- any world order was certainly not going to be founded on Gadhafi’s push for gold backed dinars for oil transactions in his PanAfrican plan. I still have my green book from when I was in Libya. NATO was called in to flatten Gadhafi for that idea alone not the Power R2P Benghazi ruse.
02/12/17 2:12 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
64John.
Agreed.
But…. A question……. I’m not old enough…..
What’s a ‘green book ‘ ?
I’m still absolutely amazed that the IMF head can actually start seeing reality.
M
02/12/17 2:47 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
65Hey John….
Thought for you…..
If we can get Bauer to go center a bit…
We might be able to get this to a center position….
Rather than extreme left.
M
02/12/17 3:03 PM | Comment Link
John Poole said...
66Mitch: Gadhafi’s published a book on political philosophy called the Green Book. I picked it up while a guest of my son who was the ARSO in Tripoli just before Gadhafi was toppled. It is interesting and sadly optimistic like all utopian tomes. All the stores that sold it are of course a pile of rubble now.
02/12/17 3:22 PM | Comment Link
Mitch said...
67John..
My wife thinks she has already found it in a used book store in Berlin.
Let you know what I think of it.
Thank you.
M
02/12/17 3:52 PM | Comment Link
Chuck said...
68In the race for DNC Leader, who are Debbie Wasserman /Aipac and Donna Brazile for?
02/12/17 5:52 PM | Comment Link
Chuck said...
69BB here soon!
02/12/17 5:53 PM | Comment Link
Chuck said...
70BDS, Free Palestine. Close Gitmo. Free Snowden, etc.. How any days for Chelsea ? Who put him/her in jail?! Jail Clapper!
02/12/17 6:54 PM | Comment Link
Jack said...
71But there is a difference between NYT using unnamed sources to suggest Trump had a chaotic few weeks and Infowars saying Sandy Hook was a government conspiracy played by actors to take your guns away – or Breitbart claiming the election was undermined by 5 million illegal votes with zero evidence. You have a point but singling out a minor infraction by the NYT then saying you ‘hate them all’ just undermines your argument and makes this look like another GOP hatchet job, which is what I believe you were trying to avoid. There are degrees of deception here that have to be called out. And unfortunately there is a growing audience of consumers for dangerously unhinged and consistencly false conspiracy media – their media illiteracy is of far greater consequence and concern as it now has a megaphone in the White House. That was your missed opportunity here.
02/13/17 1:44 PM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
72Breitbart lies haven’t killed anyone…yet. And Infowars….really.
02/13/17 6:45 PM | Comment Link
Jack said...
73You think Infowars and Breitbart are not a concern? Look at the audience growth and consider the influence of both on Trump. You guys can keep buying into this “fake news” smoke screen coming from the White House. Meanwhile, large chunks of the US are buying up in crazy town.
02/13/17 8:34 PM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
74Speaking of fake news, what will poor FOX News make of this:
Russian lawmakers on Tuesday mounted a fierce defense of U.S. President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, who resigned following reports that he misled White House officials about his contacts with Russia.
02/14/17 7:03 AM | Comment Link
RICH BAUER said...
75Now that Flynn is unemployed by US, he can work fulltime for Putin.
02/14/17 7:12 AM | Comment Link
Jack said...
76Fox leading story right now is a piece about how the border wall construction will deal with bedrock and soil issues. So I guess they’ve decided to dangle a shiny toy, cross their fingers and hope no one notices Flynn is gone.
02/14/17 10:39 AM | Comment Link