The Trump Presidency

Discussion in 'Politics' started by joepistole, Jan 17, 2017.

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  1. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    It seems most likely that Pakistan got nuclear weapons(or at least the blueprints and materials) from China who, at the time, considered India a threat.
    Pakistan then, most likely, supported Islamic terrorism as a reserve force should they need to fight India.

    The political situation there seems to be rather machiavellian on a clear day, mostly, however it seems cloudy to foggy.

    A few years ago, a friend pointed out that we had a military presence in Iraq and in Afghanistan which, most likely not coincidentally, bracketed Iran. Also machiavellian.

    It seems that the globalist elites have been playing a covert game which may or may not serve the best interests of the people and electorate in/of this country.

    Do they take their orders from Israel or Saudi Arabia?
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2018
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  3. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    I have no problem with any thing you have written...
    except,
    The question being addressed was about Middle Eastern stability and how that would deteriorate if Iran restarted it's nuke development program.
    It's a no brainer... obvious etc.

    Also I wish to amend and correct a position I had published taken in post
    I asked a Sunni Muslim friend who works in law enforcement here to clarify this potential in Saudi Arabia regarding the holy sites. Mecca - Medina.

    He stated that extreme vetting of Shia Muslim is already in place, and that essentially blocking pilgrim access by closing of borders would not necessarily lead to catastrophic outcomes, as heavy restrictions have been in place for a long time. In the event of a Saudi/Iranian conflict the closing of borders would be a minor change to the current status quo. My friends comments have a certain credibility but need further verification.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2018
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  5. Bells Staff Member

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    And you missed the obvious answer.

    Middle Eastern stability has already deteriorated to the point where countries like Iran would seek nuclear weapons, because Israel has nuclear weapons and because the US now has every appearance of opening the pathway to allow Saudi Arabia to developing or acquiring them.

    Understand now?

    Israel having a nuclear stockpile already destabilised the region immensely. Iran's desire for nuclear weapons to act as a deterrent towards a nuclear armed Israel is Iran's natural reaction against a hostile ME and Israel.

    If Trump fails to ensure safeguards and commitments from the Saudi's in regards to their nuclear program, then Iran's position and desire to acquire or develop nuclear weapons will become even greater.

    It's not Iran developing or acquiring nuclear arms that will destabilise the ME. It is their not acquiring them as others do, that will cause further destabilisation.

    The answer is to disarm Israel of its nuclear stockpile and limit the development of nuclear weapons in the region for all countries. But that won't happen.

    You're joking, right?

    Did you ask him this before or after 1987?
     
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  7. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    If you thought things are unstable now, all I can say is that IMO, because of Trumps confrontational style, " You ain't seen nothin' yet!"
     
  8. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    As regards the OP:

    In the media a bunch of people appear to have suddenly noticed - as if it were new - that Trump may simply withhold funds from the initiatives in the budget he doesn't like. Nixon did that. It's sort of quasi legal, but since Nixon it's been very rare - until Trump. Trump has made such unilateral refusal to execute Congressional mandates and laws almost routine - he delayed imposing Congressionally mandated sanctions against Russia for a year (allowing his Russian backers time to reallocate their money), he refused to spend the money Congress appropriated for handling Russian cyber attacks on US elections (120 million, it's still waiting on the books afaik), and so forth.

    So it's possible the Dems simply got taken, again - a budget "compromise" in which they get none of what was promised and agreed.
     
  9. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    http://lancemannion.typepad.com/lan...t-and-the-nattering-nabobs-of-negativism.html
    Guy makes the comparison between Trump and not Nixon but Agnew. His impetus was the latest perfidy of Scott Pruitt, whose comparative competence at getting done what he wants done in his job makes him the most damaging of Trump's appointees to date.

    And since what Pruitt wants done is enabling rich Republican bastards to make lots more money without interference from government agencies or oversight, and since while he's doing that he enjoys taking advantage of opportunities to provide himself with luxuries and fun stuff on the embezzled taxpayer's dime as well as the influence buyer's expense account, the comparison with Agnew is appropriate;

    and since the governor of Kentucky recently cribbed from a speech by Agnew to praise Pruitt, it's timely. https://twitter.com/GovMattBevin/status/981497188042895360
     
  10. Tiassa Let us not launch the boat ... Valued Senior Member

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    Between the Southern District of New York issuing warrants for the FBI to raid Michael Cohen's offices or President Trump's response from the Cabinet Room, well, today is today.
     
  11. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    not to mention the "coincidental" fire in Trump towers recently.
     
  12. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    There are no sprinkler systems on the residential floors.
    This isn't the first fire in that tower.
    It could well be chance.
     
  13. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    true!
    We shall see what the Fire department, police have to say once they have carried out their investigation, I guess...
    one dead, entire apartment ablaze, highly suggestive of an accelerant being used.
    even if so, there is nothing other than circumstantial timing to suggest a relationship to Trump and pure chance is surely the case. Or is it?
     
  14. Tiassa Let us not launch the boat ... Valued Senior Member

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    #swampstank | #WhatTheyVotedFor

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!


    And then there's also the bit with the Ukranian steel magnate; apparently that was last month's subpoenas, but the news about Victor Pinchuk might have gotten lost in the noise:

    Investigators subpoenaed the Trump Organization this year for an array of records about business with foreign nationals. In response, the company handed over documents about a $150,000 donation that the Ukrainian billionaire, Victor Pinchuk, made in September 2015 to the Donald J. Trump Foundation in exchange for a 20-minute appearance by Mr. Trump that month through a video link to a conference in Kiev.

    Michael D. Cohen, the president's personal lawyer whose office and hotel room were raided on Monday in an apparently unrelated case, solicited the donation. The contribution from Mr. Pinchuk, who has sought closer ties for Ukraine to the West, was the largest the foundation received in 2015 from anyone besides Mr. Trump himself.


    (Schmidt and Haberman↱)

    The fact that Donald Trump was elected says any number of things about our society. The fact that he remains president only underscores the point.

    Perhaps the most striking thing about it all is how bad they are at it. Consider the easy recitation↑ from Emma Goldman↑ about patriotism and the wealthy; the one part I can believe is that they really don't recognize what they are doing wrong because, being rich and expecting to be able to settle in and do what they do wherever they land, Trump and other such businessmen never really thought about what would happen if it all caught up with them because, really, it seems rather quite hard to conceive of why they would expect the culture to rally up and try to take a bunch of it back. Being rich enough to not care about consequences would have an appearance of allowing or encouraging one to slip out of the habit of considering consequences.
    ____________________

    Notes:

    Schmidt, Michael S., and Maggie Haberman. "Mueller Investigating Ukrainian's $150,000 Payment for a Trump Appearance". The New York Times. 9 April 2018. NYTimes.com. 10 April 2018. https://nyti.ms/2GQwnLF
     
  15. Capracus Valued Senior Member

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  16. Schmelzer Valued Senior Member

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  17. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    Should know with in 24 hours I think...
    For some reason yet to be fully disclosed, there has been a huge campaign to discredit any remaining semblance of honesty, truth, good faith, between Russia and the rest of the world.
    I guess the cost for a litany of historical lying and deceptions is about to be revealed.
    Evidence based reasoning is only available and valid if the evidence is believed and trusted.
     
  18. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    You may have probably noticed recently a significant shift in Trumps attitude toward Putin.

    Perhaps the Mueller investigation has revealed more than any one could have expected?
    Beyond it's original brief and beyond just Trump/Putin campaign collusion implications.
     
  19. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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  20. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    Oh man.
    How in hell does that guy hide in plain sight?
    Look: it doesn't make any difference whether Trump can "see through" anything. He has no interest in it. He doesn't care one way or the other about gas attacks or who is behind them. Whether or not he expands the US wars in the Middle East - which he has already bumped up, with drones and the like - to include some kind of confrontation in Syria, will depend on factors personal to him, not matters of US foreign policy or governance.
     
  21. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    Trump is probably looking for war, but that may not be his best opportunity. The Republican Party is of course eager for any war, but their Commander In Chief has his own agenda and his own vulnerabilities.

    My first guess is that somebody took Trump seriously when he said he wanted to pull out of Syria altogether, and is acting to make that more difficult.
     
  22. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    just have a look at the list of recent extraordinary events:
    1. Nerve agent attack in UK - Russia blamed no one killed
      1. Why is the death toll so low?
        According to reports the nerve agent was well spread and extremely toxic yet not one single fatality when there should have been 1000's.
    1. 100's Russian diplomatic staff expelled with international collusion in a coordinated fashion.
    2. Chemical weapons attack in Syria - Syria/Russia blamed - video footage is inconclusive IMO est. only 40 deaths.
        1. Given the amount of bombing and destruction involved in Syria why only 40 dead when one would intuitively anticipate much more significant numbers. Perhaps to scare the rebels into surrendering. A token gesture maybe. A very dangerous token gesture yes?
        2. Why would Assad risk American wrath when he doesn't need to?
    3. Missile strike on Syrian/Russian air base only 14 killed (11 Iranians 3 Syrians) - Israel blamed by Russia, Iran and Syria.
        1. If Israel was the source of the missiles, it appears that they were primarily targeting Iranian nationals in specific buildings and not military assets like planes and hangers etc. A typical preemptive Israel action based on intell we are not privy to.
    4. Daughter and father recovered in hospital after UK nerve agent attack.
        1. No doubt they have much to say...or do they?
    5. Trump gives 48 hour deadline for a decision.
    6. Trump abandons planned trip to meet Americans in Peru
    What stands out for me the most though is the fact that overall the death toll has been so low.

    In among all the above, Trump ill-advisedly announces a possible withdrawal of USA boots from the Middles East

    You will also notice that the attention of the world has shifted rapidly to the alleged chemical attack and away from the missile attack on the Syrian air base.


    Opinion:
    I believe the world is being baited into war and while it would be easy to point the finger at Israel, at this point, it has to be mentioned that Israel would be one of the greatest losers if major war was to take place.

    The world is being played (including the remaining rebels in Syria). Just don't yet know by who. It stinks of corporate amateurism.
    Keeping in mind that the associated death toll is so low.
     
    Last edited: Apr 11, 2018
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  23. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    note: Both USA and Russian military industrial giants benefit enormously from global conflict as long as it doesn't go nuclear.
     
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