Pototan
Pototan's JournalWho else is rooting for an unmanned Space X rocket failure?
Now, please don't get me wrong. I don't want any manned flight to fail. I certainly wouldn't want any human causalities.
But an unmanned Space X launch or two ending up in flames on the launching pad wouldn't make me sad at all. Not one little bit.
President Musk and Assistant President Trump
That's the ticket. That's how to refer to these two men. It fits the narrative and pisses off the Trumpers and the Republicans in Congress.
A proposal for the Democrats from me
The CR, which was torpedoed by Elon Musk and Donald Trump, is no longer viable. I know the Democrats wanted to get some of their priorities into the CR but that no longer seems feasible.
Trump is looking down the road to avoid a debt ceiling increase 7 or 8 months from now with the Republicans holding the Seante, the House and the Presidency. So, the Republican proposal is a clean CR with a preemptive increase of the Debt ceiling, well ahead of its deadline.
Nothing can be done without Democratic votes in both the House and the Senate (filibuster).
Here's my suggestion, which is mostly political messaging. The Democrat's should support a clean CR (which the Republicans suggest) without raising the Debt ceiling now, since it is not necessary.
This puts the whole responsibility on Trump and the Republicans. Can you imagine not funding the government because you are holding out for increasing the debt ceiling 8 months ahead of time. No way.
Put the ball back in their court.
It is just getting so disheartening
This Trump 2.0 is getting sickening. Many of the most well-known multi-billionaires are falling over themselves to kiss Trump's ass (I don't use the cleaned-up word, "ring". Mica and Joe, the LA Times, the Washington Post (Bezos) and now ABC,
What the fuck. George Stephanopoulos used the word "rape" to describe the finding in the civil case involving Trump and E. Jean Carrol. They had very little chance of losing that case. A sitting judge described Trump's actions as being considered rape in the true sense of the word. Trump digitally violated Carrol. By any measure, that is considered rape. Trump was found responsible. He is a highly. visible public figure. Arguably the most visible. The only reason to settle was because of fear. The admission gives the other side another talking point.
It just makes it hard for people like us, with marginable wealth at best, with limited platforms, to compete with those who control so much. I'm not saying anyone should just give up. What I am saying is that it is disheartening, and we are swimming against the current. It does seem that courage is lacking in any of these powerful places.
I really can't get my head around it
For those who don't know, I retired 3 and a half years ago to the Central Philippines with my Filipina wife. I'm 72, she's 69 and we've been married for 22 years and have no children. We had good jobs in America and live on our Pensions and Social Security. I spend 50 weeks a year at my home here in the Central Philippines and 2 weeks a year in Boston.
That being said, I was extremely involved in politics back in Massachusetts as a union officer and personally. I've done my share in the 55 active political years of my life. Now, my politics consists of donating a few hundred dollars to Democratic causes, casting an overseas ballot and posting here on DU.
That's my quick background info. Here's my problem. I can't understand where the America I once knew went. When did we discard and denigrate science? As part of the Polio Vaccine generation, WTF is happening to our commitment to medicine. Listen, I worked hard in all kinds of campaigns. The Republican candidates were our opponents. Looking back at those years, the other side may have been our adversaries, but they weren't crazy. I can now say that Bush, McCain and Romney were normal people with different opinions. Bush II lied to get us into a war, and I opposed him, but he fell into the Historical norm of LBJ and Nixon. And as much as I criticized them, they never abandoned science, common sense or our country.
Trump, on the other hand, is other wordily. The John Birch Society, George Wallace and the original "America First" committee that were Hitler apologists in the 1930's were an aberration in US history. I never thought I'd lived to see the day when people like that controlled the country.
I never thought I'd live to see that day, and I almost made it.
I have a contrarian view
As most here at DU decry the obvious biased, flawed and dangerous picks by Trump to key positions in his cabinet, I have a different take. I'm hoping these unqualified people are confirmed. I'm afraid that America needs to learn the hard way.
I firmly believe that there may be consequential outbreaks of preventable diseases as a result of vaccine skepticism. I believe that there will be inhumane roundups of undocumented and legal immigrants in this country, including citizens. Detention centers that look like 1930's and 40's Europe will be seen by the public.
Pulling the plug on cable, TV, radio and newspapers and the jailing of journalists will confirm Trump's disdain for the Constitution. Foreign countries refusing to share intelligence with America. The devastation and genocide (real this time) in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East The surrender in Ukraine and the weakening of NATO will move our allies away from us.
Tariffs bringing on trade wars and run-away inflation, resulting in a recession and inflation. The draconian reduction in government employees will result in a huge increase in unemployment and public services.
I think America will not be able to learn through nuance. I think we have to learn the hard way. The very hard way.
These will be the results of Trump's policies and personnel choices.
South Korea President Yoon Declares Martial Law
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law,” Tuesday accusing the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities.
Yoon — whose approval rating has dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.
Yoon’s conservative People Power Party had been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic Party over next year’s budget bill. He has also been dismissing calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals.
https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-yoon-martial-law-997c22ac93f6a9bece68454597e577c1
I sometimes think that Trump...
...should be able to have his cabinet of clowns. I think that Americans won't wake up to the disaster until they see it happen in real time and firsthand.
Maybe some of the first-generation immigrants who voted for Trump need to see their cousin or niece, who was brought to America at a young age, pulled from their school or home, placed in a detention camp and deported. Maybe the Arabs and Muslims who couldn't bring themselves to vote for Harris need to see the utter devastation in Gaza, supported by Trump, and the executive orders depriving them of their rights. Maybe the 25% of women who voted for Trump but support reproductive rights need to see national abortion bans. Maybe the union workers who voted for Trump to keep "wokeism" out of the American workplace need to see their unions decimated by national right to work laws, putting their jobs and pensions at risk. Maybe Americans need to see a runaway pandemic because more than 25% of American believe the bullshit from RFK Jr. and fail to get themselves and their families vaccinated. Maybe the 22% of young black men who thought that it was "cool" to vote for Trump need to see the Department of Justice not enforce the civil rights laws and grant immunity to police. Maybe those of us who believe in the Constitution need to see members of the press arrested for what they say and wright.
Just maybe.
Biden convictions were not the fault of the Justice Dept.
Let me see if I can remember this correctly. The Justice Department had entered into an agreement with Hunter and his defense attorneys to plead guilty to some of the crimes alleged and Hunter would receive no jail time and the plea deal ended any other investigations against him.
The plea deal was within the boundaries of any other defendant in a similar situation. The crimes were non-violent, and Hunter paid restitution in full to the US Treasury for back taxes, including fines and penalties. He also took responsibility for the gun application mistake, but no jail time. The Republicans freaked out. They used this plea deal to claim the "fix" was in and the intimidation seemed to have forced the judge to reject the plea bargain.
That's not the justice Department's fault and here is where President Biden is correct. Had Hunter Biden been Hunter Smith the plea bargain, which was well within normal guidelines for the DOJ (IMO), would have stood and Hunter's case would have been just another day at the office.
That's where politics played a role, much like the Comey letter against Hillary in October 2016. Too many otherwise good men and women second guess themselves when their first instincts are correct. Our side suffers from this, their side doesn't. Buckle up, it's about to get much worse.
Joe, you did the right thing
President Biden pardoned his son. I'm with him 100%. The gun charges against Hunter were bogus. No one would have been charged under the circumstances, No one ever has.
As for the tax charges, in every instance I know about, including not paying the federal government for up to a million dollars the accused pays restitution, fines and pleading to a misdemeanor with no jail time. That is the usual result.
That's what the deal was a year or so ago. That's how anybody would have been treated.
I would have thought poorly of President Biden if he didn't pardon his son or at least commute his sentence.
This was a normal action taken by a man for his son who committed what anyone would consider a "victimless crime".
After all, it's not like President Biden pardoned Hunter and then appointed him to be Ambassador to France.
Profile Information
Name: LouisGender: Male
Hometown: Boston USA and Pototan Philippines
Home country: United States
Current location: Philippines
Member since: Tue Dec 20, 2022, 10:03 AM
Number of posts: 2,668