Welcome back Urbane Guerrilla.

This should be interesting.

Welcome Home Urbane Guerrilla.

wow ... Urbane Guerilla ... how ya been, man?

Ikr

FBI raids office of Trump's lawyer.

Shit just got real.

How ironic. Spend massively on GM's top luxury car. Only get performance that was routinely found in foreign cars after 1992. Cadillac performance is equivalent to that in a 2002 Toyota Prius. So what is the point? Intentionally ignoring glaring facts can justify a bogus conclusion and personal insults?

Apparently personal insults (and hate promoted by Nazis, White Supremacists, and the KKK) in the tradition of Donald Trump is now acceptable behavior. Why would anyone have so low self-esteem as to associate themselves with Trump?

That VW engine is simply what should now be standard in all cars. It also says why cars have long not required 6 or 8 cylinders. Today's 4 cylinders are doing that once required big block V-8s. And therefore last longer.

Hopefully the life expectancy of a Trump administration will be worse than the life expectancy of obsolete technology V-8s.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dipping into his criminal network here. Shit did just get real.

The war is in Syria? Which one? Turkey vs Kurds? Daesch vs everyone? Syrian government vs rebels (a civil war)? Iran verses who? Russians verses anyone who is against Assad and not allied with Turkey or an American/Saudi/Gulf State coalition?

Well, somebody used illegal chemical weapons. So the belligerent party is defined as Syria. So why is Trump warning Russians that "nice, new, and smart weapons" will attack in 24 or 48 hours?

Are Russians the enemy - or Assad?

How to put US servicemen at greatest risk? And compromise the effectiveness of 'new, nice, and smart' weapons? Destroy the element of surprise. How dumb is that?

Well he only tweeted what he was last told - by Fox News. Then later in the day, apparently, the Generals had a pissy fit about his stupidity. And rightly so. How much dumber could Trump be.

So the 48 hour attack is off. Last persons he talked to apparently were intelligent people (still in his administration). You can tell. His attitude is now completely different. Just wait until he is told what to think tomorrow morning by Fox News.

Meanwhile, intelligent administration officials are trying to find cover for The Donald's belligerent ideals. Looking for allies to join in an attack.

How dumb was his previous attack? Well over $60million of weapons were wasted attacking obsolete aircraft and putting a few holes in runways (that were fixed that day). Even shelters for those obsolete planes were not destroyed. Large (complicated) machinery and tanks necessary to mix binary ingredients for Sarin gas - untouched.

That attack was to placate extremists whose penis get big when weapons are launched. It punished almost no one. Well it did kill six people. That would be over $10 million per dead person. And the bio-chemical equipment remained intact - untouched. And obviously observed by Russians also clearly stationed at that base who certified that all bio-chemical weapons had been removed.

How will he top last year's 'big dic' action? Russians have implied they will attack American ships if that missile attack occurs again. Did an 'all talk and little action' Trump back down? Whether he did or did not - on the world stage, he clearly did back down to Russian threats.

Trump weighs rejoining Trans-Pacific Partnership amid trade dispute with China

WOW.

Now, I know we're in the time of Fake News, but this sounds ... well, this sounds fake too, but only because it's 180 degrees from Trump's own position a year ago. Trump saying all things on all sides of all issues at all times isn't fake news, not even news news. But still... wow.

:bonk:

As to the absurdity perspective, who the fuck would want to enter into a deal with him?!?! His only constant is change. How can you count on anything he says, what will he do? HA! What *won't* he do?

We're watching a narrow minded man, surrounded by yes men his whole life, suddenly being forced to take other perspectives. His brain must be a damn twitchy mess by now.

This is classic Trump. He thinks based upon his feelings in a past afternoon or hour. He clearly has no game plan or objectives - other than to promote himself. Which is why he even went before the Boy Scouts (as President) repeating his campaign speeches and promoting himself to Boy Scouts. (Tillerson was furious.)

More of this thought now come from Fox News. Especially from the morning TV show. You can all but guess what he is thinking by propaganda promoted on that morning TV show. Notice that is where he gets most of his replacements. Clearly not from doing any research.

Hell, he does not even read books. So where does he get intelligence (knowledge) from? From the part of the brain found in children - his emotions. Tillerson had it right. It was like babysitting a kid - who is also a bully.

What did Fox News tell him to believe today?

Trump pardons ex-Cheney aide Scooter Libby

:facepalm:

Opening act.

He's just warming up. "Obstruct justice for me, I make the penalty you suffer go away.". He didn't even know Scooter Libby, and he's willing to do this. It's pure messaging.

Heh, heh heh, enjoying your comedy here.

Howdy, everybody. [waves]

Trying to tell anybody Trump is not, er, cosmopolitan seems to me a mug's game -- pretty much like any other act of autohypnosis. Twitchy is the very thing I am not seeing. Sure, The Donald isn't the slickly articulate creature we might like to see and hear -- though tonight's speech was a good piece of warfighting rhetorical art, well executed -- but what of it? Does his machinery clatter? -- yes, it does, and a lot. The results, however -- ? Despite all the downtalking from the expected quarters (that these possibly otherwise intelligent people think The Unindicted Felon would have been a better choice is simply appalling; do these people have any idea how stupid they are or sound?), the results keep adding up to favorable. Favorable to the American republic, that is. That's a refreshing contrast with the previous guy, who was a socialist and an anti-American at heart -- with the unstinting support of one American major political party.

Hmm. The otherwise intelligent need to be fully intelligent, not just spottily so -- or too much of the national conversation is given over to idiot-savants.

Well, I stopped voting Democratic a while back. Anyway --

The guys you should be giving a listen to at least occasionally, so your thinking could never be mistaken for tw's unless tw astounds us by coming around, would be Sean Hannity, Mark Steyn, Larry Elder, Mark Levin, and some others. Particularly Levin -- formidable.

You accept that behavior; you indulge in it hourly, without pause for breath, let alone for meals. It is observable, after this gap of years, that you are beyond a little bitch. I dub you therefore Micro-Bitch, to more nearly describe your neurotic badness of temper -- and your lifelong substitution of intemperate verbiage for action, either heroic or despicable.

Remember from this hour forward: all insults are personal to you, for you suck them to you like a Shop-Vac, and like that vacuum, store them up in your cylindrical belly.

Inventiveness -- well, that's mine. What you merit through your words and actions, that you shall receive. Best not to continue your plaints. But you don't know that, and wouldn't care to.

Something else we should remember about auto technology: General Motors, or Big Auto:

It's been noted that GM was never hit with an antitrust suit -- but for decades on end, GM behaved as if it were in mortal fear of being so. A culture, rather than a smokefilled-room conspiracy, grew up of Chevy not outdoing Pontiac too hugely (in dollars, I think, not so much cars off the lots), and Pontiac not crushing Dodge, and so on round and round the GM ambit. That is, competition was not pushed à outrance; that spice was missing from the mix.

Innovation comes through competition, and is the more stimulated the more intense the competition is. GM thought it found reason to avoid that, when perhaps a more cutthroat approach might have been nearer the ideal for service to the end users, the customers.

But who needs any conspiracy when you have the subtler debilitations of a culture? It doesn't even have to be consciously recognized by anyone, insider or out.

I expected the above kind of fallback argument to appear, that tw might salve his ego; again, tw does not seem to sufficiently recognize a) this power density dates back fourteen years and there's nothing at all to say it doesn't date farther back yet, and b) we bought that VW for 14Kdollars if I remember. Not exactly big auto money; not an especially low price either. The vehicle, used, had very modest mileage on it. It now wants some work done on its valve cam timing -- we won't know if it's just the cam gear or if it's the timing chain (a quite critical component, and timing chains or belts are durable but they aren't immortal and the car now has 155 K miles on it) until our mechanic goes in there.

Thank you for the reminder. I just changed my registration to Democratic.

The good news is Chelsea loves you. The bad news is Ivanka hates you. If looks were everything, it'd be bad news all around.

At least now you'll have the opportunity to get someone in who might actually win (as opposed to Billary) by voting in the primaries.

But what happened to being Independent? You never know, another Lincoln may come along to unseat Trump.

Hi back! You've been missed. Let's get back on track.

I want to say at the outset that I have two posts. One is a response to your ad hominem attacks on dwellars. The other addresses your take on the political news, in this thread and in others.

They overlap considerably, and I find that unfortunate. Your attacks on the people here are really just a petty distraction, though at times they can be very petty and very distracting. I have little desire to engage you there. But you also use that tactic when discussing matters I find interesting and important. Still distracting, still petty.

They belie a weakness, an unsoundness to your arguments. Giving Hillary Clinton the label "The Unindicted Felon" is just cheap name calling. Obviously you could use her name, or her title "Secretary", those are descriptive and non pejorative. But you don't. Why don't you? I think it's because you dislike her and also because you have a mean bent. But that bend gets in the way of your arguments, reducing their persuasiveness to any not already swimming in your kool-aid. Of course I've seen this from you for years, and I try to edit it out so that I can more clearly see what you're trying to say. This is difficult for me and often I'm left with only a pile of insults among the scraps. The lacy remains of your argument can easily be seen through.

Y'know, maybe you could give us a TL;DR executive summary of your take at the beginning of these flames. I appreciate your writing, you're as mean and cutting as the best of them. But I'm also interested in hearing the ideas from someone who "stopped voting Democratic a while back". Not just the clickbait--I can get enough of that shit from Hannity et al. Show me your work. I struggle to know what's outside my bubble. You, you are outside my bubble. And I can hear you. I want to know what you have to say.

Yeah not a big fan of Chelsea or Ivanka,it's about the primaries.

So GM repeatedly ran to government to get protection - so that innovation could remain stifled. And then those innovations appeared in patriotic American vehicles from Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, Toyota, BMW, Honda, Nissan (once called Datsun), and others.

Once they stopped running to the government for protection, then Ford also began to innovate. But they have a long way to go to catch up.

The 70 Hp per liter engine was ready for production in GM in 1975. But stifled until patriotic companies were selling it starting about 1992. They innovate because they have competition. GM has a repeat history of running to government for protection AFTER innovation terminated sometime after 1970. Facts are indelible.

This time Trump (apparently) listened to his generals. It appears a pin prick finally attacked something significant - a research facility for bio-chemical weapons. And the command center that launched those weapons.

Also interesting are what Russians did. They were told what airspace would be used. Russian air defense systems apparently did nothing. Implying that Russia is also pissed at Assad for using bio-chemical weapons. And appreciates what the attackers did to protect Russians.

Not attacked were sites that store binary components. Binary because those components are not that dangerous until mixed with the other binary agent. If Russia, et al was really denying those weapons existed, then attacking them (and resulting deaths) would have to be explained. We can assume those storage and loading facilities were not attacked because Russia (or Iran) tacitly admitted (not openly admitted) those facilities exist. Therefore resulting deaths could not be justified. If denials fully existed, then those facilities (and resulting deaths) were fair game.

Sean fucking Hannity.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/b...en-client.html

Anti-absurdity.

It makes some of his other remarks previously absurd sounding, less absurd sounding by adding this context. OF COURSE, he wants to have it both ways--"you can't reveal my name, I decline to consent to be named since I have attorney-client privilege" AND SIMULTANEOUSLY "I never retained Michael Cohen in any traditional sense". Fucking typical. These rules don't apply to me.

That might be the end of Sean Hannity.

This is fucking surreal man.


Guys, c'mon now - you've had your fun. It's been a proper giggle, and no mistake. And, we were all having a lovely time watching the incredulous gaze of the world at large turn away from our Brexit and towards the White House (seriously, our politicians are strolling about the world engaged in serious diplomacy and hardly anybody is laughing at them) ... but come on now. This is serious - like, seriously serious.

Time to admit it was all a gigantic hoax.

Time for the President to stand on the White House lawn, unzip the latex suit and peel off the fake flesh to reveal Obama, big grin on his face yelling, 'Surprise, Motherfuckers!'

I wish it was. Some times I dream about what it would be like if Bernie had won,but he didn't stand a chance Hillery really is crooked. And Trump is a nut case.

I enjoyed this perspective from Charlemagne ("Tha God") from last night's Colbert (relevant portion starts about 2:20):

I doubt it; his audience won't care, and failing to disclose a conflict of interest isn't the type of scandal that typically would lose advertisers.

In the age of Trump, the "Freedom" caucus is writing up articles of impeachment against Rob Rosenstein?

Sure, look over here, look over here, never mind the fool behind the curtain. :rolleyes:

I think Bill Mahar is a pompous ass, but he nailed it on this one...

Probably MUCH MORE than that!

I agree on both counts.

Wow, he nailed it. No fan of BM either.

I had a moment yesterday when rational thought started to slip away, driving behind a Trump truck while the news from Gaza was on the radio. We really need to take away this guys toys.

Oh for Christ's sake... :facepalm:

Just keep throwing shit on a wall until something sticks.

Yeah. That sure looks like a broad spectrum of politicians to me. /s

Pruitt seems more absurd than Trump.


He apparently asked his aide to look into buying an old mattress from Trump's hotel.

Montafort is going to jail.

Keryx is beside her self with glee.

I'm just afraid these con-men are going to evade prison in the long run. We don't have a great history of prosecuting and imprisoning connected people.

The thieves of private property pass their life in jail and in chains, those of public property in riches and luxury. - Cato the Elder

I'm afraid you're right.

I think we should all light a candle for Mueller.

Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl champs) never took a knee during the National Anthem. And did not stay in the locker room. Does not matter. The Don is so full of hate as to disinvite them to the White House. He accuses them of disrespecting the flag and anthem.

We know what the patriots did during Nam. They disrespected the flag - burned it. We all know they were right. The Vietnam war and those promoting it were wrong. Correct were the many who burned the flag. Even the Supreme Court said they could do so.

But The Don is a tyrant. Tyrants cannot accept contrary facts.

How curious that so many close advisors are under invetigation for criminal activity. We must go back to Nixon to see so much corruption.

The Don is saying he can exonerate himself. Ironic. Nobody has accused him of a crime. How Freudian? Apparently he is so guilty as to post a criminal defense - long before accused of any crime.

Nixon was a crook. But so many refused to acknowledge what was so obvious. It took a Senate Committee - and no television for weeks - all TV stations only played the Watergate Investigation live for weeks. Eventually a majority conceded that Nixon was a crook.

A majority - and still so many refused to admit it. That defines a wacko extremist. One knows from their emotions without first learning facts. Then continue to deny even after facts expose that emotion as erroneous.

Same wackos still defended Nixon even as his adminstration feared he was mentally ill.

Anyone asking about mental fitness of The Don?

Fixed that for ya.

I was not going to go that far. Because sometimes both facts can be contradictory. A leader should know how to analyze both facts to find a common ground. Yes, The Don routinely cannot (does not) do that. In part, because every conclusion is always about him - not about facts or in the interest of the nation.

From the Economist of 19 May 2018: Well there are isolated places where some crimes have significantly increased. That means one must view all facts - not just the propaganda heaped out by Fox News and Morning Joe. Since they forget to mention that crime is down throughout the western world (not just America), then it must not be true? Yes, he cannot learn; intentionally ignores facts so as to always promote The Don.

So why would he lie? Fake news sources tell him only what he wants to hear. And then he will ignore facts that do not promote himself. It is better to bad mouth all previous Presidents. Since that gets wacko extremists to love him. And that (just like Milosevic and Hitler) is how one obtains support and power from the least educated. Preach to the Brown Shirts. Since they will automatically believe what they are first told.

Tyrants cannot accept contrary facts. In The Don's case, sometimes he will not accept any facts - especially when facts do not promote him and disparage someone else.

He says he can pardon himself - when nobody has said anything about prosecuting him. A contrary fact that exposes his Freudian guilt. Nixon was not even this naive, conniving, manipulative, and corrupt. So many supported Nixon even after Nixon was clearly proven to be a crook - and used the same reasoning to justify crimes. Same people also love The Don for similar reasons. Because he lies to only promote himself.

When will he trade in for a new wife? This model has problems; has been in the repair shop too long. Time for a new wife.

Today's Faux narrative involved the Eagles. My Ball and Baby Howie shut it down. If the news makes you mad at your fellow Americans check the facts.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/di...-kneel-anthem/

He will say anything to make a deal. Since he must be promoted - not us.

He did not even bother to consult the DoD, Japanese, or S Korean when he agreed to suspend necessary military training games. His contempt for military knowledge so miniscule as to say those were unnecessary. His contempt for allies and DoD made obvious by his concession that got nothing in return and only promoted himself (to his supporters who have no idea how much damage he did).

He also agreed to no American nuclear weapon deployments. That means US warships and attack aircraft could deploy to or even visit Korea. Since those can carry nuclear weapons. And we do not say what does for obvious security reasons.

What did he get in return? A promise that N Korea would discuss nuclear disarmament. Not commit - only discuss. Without even any commitment to confirmations.

No problem. He is the deal maker. His concessions will be ignored. His image is intact - to those who only know what they were told to believe.

Apparently Kim actually does have a gameplan. Step one. Get the Americans out of Korea. Then American influence (now diminishing in the South China Sea) will be replaced by China. Trump has made regional American allies to seriously worry. They are second guessing if Trump will sacrifice them as he already has all other America's best allies (ie G6).

Why does Trump have no friends? It should have been obvious when he was insulting every other Republican in debates for the Republican nomination.

Trump's agenda - promote himself first and his family second. This year, Ivanka and Kushner are now reaping massive profit increases - $87 million in this past year.

Some here will have so little grasp as to cheapshot this poster rather than admit these realities. Those are insatiable Trump supporters.

South Korea has been getting uppity. Time to cut the apron strings. Time for them to take care of themselves.

That Ivanka is still looking good, she deserves a pay raise.

Trump the deal maker. He managed to get the same vague promises that previous presidents have gotten from Kims, and all he had to do was whatever Kim asked for.


And then he announces Mission Accomplished.

You haven't figured it out yet?

He's going for a Nobel Peace Prize.

If Obama could get one for doing nothing more than raising hopes, Trump figures he can get one for that too.

The thing is, Obama raised hopes by "not being Bush". Trump is aiming for "worse than Bush", which might play well for his base, but not for the Nobel committee.

That's when he sends Ivanka over to sweet talk them.

Pimping out his daughter aside; they're already in Norway. Nordic beauty is named after them.

If that doesn't persuade them, there're always trade tariffs (as long as they don't mess with the canned sardines).