General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums"Donald Trump Is Gonna Get Us Killed" -Michael Moore
Facebook rant...
by Michael Moore
A week has gone by since Donald Trump admitted he's only been to "two or three" of his daily presidential national security briefings. There have been 36 of them since the day he secured enough electoral college votes to be appointed president next Monday when the Electoral College meets.
Most would agree the #1 job of the leader of any country is to keep its people safe. There is no more important meeting every day for the President than the one where he learns what the day's potential threats are to the country. That Trump would find it too cumbersome or too annoying to have to sit through 20 minutes of listening to his top intelligence people tell him who's trying to kill us today, simply boggles the mind.
Of course, our minds have been so boggled so many times in the past year by this foolish man no one seems that surprised or concerned. He can get up at 5 in the morning and send angry, childish tweets about how he's being portrayed on SNL ("Not funny! Unwatchable!" , or belittling the local elected union leader in Indiana, but he doesn't have time to hear about the threats to our national security.
So, my fellow Americans, when the next terrorist attack happens -- and it will happen, we all know that -- and after the tragedy is over, amidst the death and destruction that might have been prevented, you will see Donald Trump acting quickly to blame everyone but himself. He will suspend constitutional rights. He will round up anyone he deems a threat. He will declare war, and his Republican Congress will back him.
And no one will remember that he wasn't paying attention to the growing threat. Wasn't attending the daily national security briefings. Was playing golf instead or meeting with celebrities or staying up til 3am tweeting about how unfair CNN is. He said he didn't need to be briefed. "You know, I think I'm smart. I don't need to hear the same thing over and over each day for eight years." That's what he told Fox News on December 11th when asked why he wasn't attending the security briefings. Don't forget that date and his hubris as we bury the dead next year.
We had a president like him before. He, too, lost the popular vote, a majority of Americans saying they didn't want him in the Oval Office. But his governor/brother and his ex-CIA chief/dad's appointees to the Supreme Court put an end to that, and he was installed as Commander-in-Chief. On August 6, 2001, he was on a month-long vacation at his ranch in Texas. That morning, the White House Counsel handed him his daily national security briefing. He glanced at it, set it aside and then went fishing for the rest of the day. Below is the photo of that moment which I showed the world in "Fahrenheit 9/11". The headline on the security briefing reads: BIN LADEN DETERMINED TO STRIKE INSIDE U.S. On the top page it tells how bin Laden will do this: with planes. George W. Bush didn't leave the ranch to go back to work for the next four weeks. In the fifth week, bin Laden attacked the US with planes on September 11th.
It's one thing to have a president who was asleep at the wheel. But, my friends, it's a whole other thing to now have a president-elect who REFUSES TO EVEN GET BEHIND THE WHEEL! This utter neglect of duty, a daily snub at the people who work to protect us, the first Commander-in-Chief to literally be AWOL and announcing proudly he isn't going to change -- this, I assure you, is going to get a lot of innocent people killed.
To you, Mr. Trump, I say this: When this next terrorist attack takes place, it is YOU who will be charged by the American people with a gross dereliction of duty. It was YOUR job to pay attention, to protect the country. But you were too busy tweeting and defending Putin and appointing cabinet members to dismantle the government. You didn't have time for the daily national security briefing. Don't think we're going to let you use a modern-day burning of the Reichstag as your excuse to eliminate our civil liberties and our democracy.
We will remember that while the plot to kill Americans was being hatched, your time was consumed by whom you saw as the real threat to America: Alec Baldwin in a wig.
Image- Bush, shrugging off the "Bin Laden determined to strike..." PDB.
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)This is more of a prophecy than an opinion
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Of course the Reich Wing has haaaaaaated him forever.
malaise
(269,157 posts)Yes
Jean-Jacques Roussea
(475 posts)kentuck
(111,110 posts)Made a direct appeal to Donald Trump to do his job and to show up for the briefings.
GP6971
(31,205 posts)he'll ignore the advice.
yeoman6987
(14,449 posts)Now we act like he's definitely going to get enough electorals. Which is it? Can't be both.
Kingofalldems
(38,475 posts)Here's Trump.
Girard442
(6,084 posts)niyad
(113,552 posts)Kablooie
(18,641 posts)He may WANT a terrorist attack because it will give him an opportunity to grab unconstrained power.
That's how Hitler did it and Trump has studied Hitler and is an admirer.
The Nazis burned down the Reichstag and blamed the Communists. It scared the country so Hitler demanded Constitutional law be suspended temporarily in order to protect the country. The government agreed, gave him legal power to override the Constitution and that was that. Germany was a one man total dictatorship until Hitler committed suicide 12 years later.
Trump may see a terrorist attack as his ticket to a permanent dictatorship over America.
You know that's what he wants. This is how he may get it.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)....and gain access to its vast coal reserves.
treestar
(82,383 posts)There was a Patriot Act II, which I think was stopped.
I wondered if we have learned anything? And it won't be lack of trying to prevent a terrorist attack by use of such things that the Patriot Act allowed for. It will just be Dump's incompetence.
If only the media would question a Repuke President the way they do a Democrat.
mac56
(17,574 posts)is that would give him cover, "plausible deniability," when the shit hits the fan.
SidDithers
(44,228 posts)dumbass
Sid
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Upthevibe
(8,071 posts)it'll be interesting to see how they try to blame a Democrat while we aren't in the Majority anywhere (except us peons who gave Hillary the popular vote). This whole thing truly is mind boggling. I just don't know what to say.....
C Moon
(12,221 posts)He wants to be king, and is looking for something that will make him such.
Snarkoleptic
(6,001 posts)#ReichstagFire
bdamomma
(63,922 posts)I am still waiting for EC decision.
AlexSFCA
(6,139 posts)It's weird but somehow I don't want him to get briefings as he is not capable of keeping secrets or making sound decisions - too impulsive and unstable. I'd rather have Pence attending and inform trump when needed. It's so bad that I'd trust Ivanka first. I think trump knows his weakness and is outsourcing this part of the job intentionally for now.
He's got that direct line to Moscow at Trump (Sauron's) Tower.
I read somewhere that the CIA doesn't want to give him any legitimate information for fear that it will go directly to Putin.
zentrum
(9,865 posts)....Trump pays attention to national security briefings. He will always respond in a mad, unpredictable way no matter what. It's not as if having intel will make him think more clearly or become a better President---he'll remain just as dangerous whether he's informed or not.
It would almost be worse if he paid attention----he would respond in a stupid knee-jerk, personal way to any info and set off a national and/or international firestorm. It would be GW's so-called "red alerts" times ten. Besides he'd just use the Intel to inform his business decisions or pass on insider tips.
The WH is now so absurd and Kafka-esque that I almost feel safer with Trump not being told anything.
Mr.Bill
(24,319 posts)I don't know who is, possibly people we don't even know about. Many of his cabinet positions are people he didn't even know weeks or months ago. His job is to attract the attention of idiot journalists and just be a distraction.
Just my opinion, of course.
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)are involved for sure
ooglymoogly
(9,502 posts)world wide wally
(21,754 posts)Some foreign name
lillypaddle
(9,581 posts)moondust
(20,006 posts)The briefings all sound the same to him because the language of national security and diplomacy are all new to him. He and some of his appointments could just as well be on Ted Mack's Amateur Hour. He probably didn't listen or learn anything at the ones he did attend.
NBachers
(17,136 posts)FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,281 posts)should not waste his time listening to something he doesn't understand
He will just push the button
Hope you are all digging your holes and storing food
BSdetect
(8,999 posts)There will be absolutely no coverage of drumph's abysmal failure to attend security briefings or else he will deny that negligence.
There will be a barrage of fake news covering his ass re any failures. Cloaked in appeals to national unity under the patriot flags. Who can challenge that appeal?
He is simply an ignorant monster who has no real interest in anything outside his own empire.
A crass clown who will start trouble and blame others for his fuck ups.
Jacob Boehme
(789 posts)At this rate, Trump will be the first person in US history to start a war while still being a private citizen!
(A/P Wire) China warns Trump ignoring one-China policy could hurt peace
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/china-warns-trump-ignoring-one-china-policy-could-hurt-peace/ar-AAlxBAy?li=BBnbfcL
Generator
(7,770 posts)made some great buildings so that's okay. (actual reasoning on DU) Elon Musk and Bill Gates are going to do amazing things! So don't worry. The fact that everyone that has a brain isn't opposing this conman now is proof we are going down.
Betty
(1,352 posts)because it will allow them to tighten their grip on power and to more easily take away personal freedoms under the guise of national security. And the stupid mouth breathers who voted for him will gladly allow it.
TNNurse
(6,929 posts)we will die from foul air and water, poor or unavailable health care, untested medications, unavailable medications, some will starve, some will be gunned down and I could go on.
I never thought this would happen to this country...that it would be destroyed from within.
world wide wally
(21,754 posts)Mother Russia will protect us