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yallerdawg
yallerdawg's Journal
yallerdawg's Journal
March 3, 2017
TRUMP: "We are going to have very soon the finest equipment in the world."
THE FACTS: Pentagon leaders have said for years that the U.S. already has the world's best weaponry and military equipment...
TRUMP: "This great aircraft carrier provides essential capabilities to keep us safe from terrorism and take the fight to the enemy for many years in the future."
THE FACTS: Aircraft carriers are not the crucial element in the defense against terrorism...The Pentagon's counterterrorism campaigns rely more on special operations forces, Air Force fighters and surveillance drones, military trainers and advisers and the intelligence agencies.
TRUMP: "I am calling for one of the largest defense spending increases in history."
THE FACTS: Three times in recent years, Congress raised military spending by larger amounts, in percentage terms, than the $54 billion, or 10 percent, increase that Trump proposes.The base defense budget grew by $41 billion, or 14.3 percent, in 2002; by $37 billion, or 11.3 percent, in 2003, and by $47 billion, or 10.9 percent, in 2008, according to Defense Department figures...
TRUMP: "Our Navy is now the smallest it's been since, believe or not, World War I. Don't worry. It's going to soon be the largest it's been."
THE FACTS: No, the fleet is not growing to the largest it's been, or anything close.The fleet indeed shrank to its smallest size since the decade after World War I - bottoming out at 271 in 2015 before rising to 274 this year, compared with 139 in 1930...The fleet stood at a record high of 6,768 fighting ships during World War II, declined gradually in the 1950s and '60s and shrank significantly after the Vietnam War...
Some of the Liar-in-Chief's victims this time:
He'll lie anywhere, anytime, in front of anyone!
AP FACT CHECK: Trump's facts on Navy's size don't float by Robert Burns and Lolita C. BaldorTRUMP: "We are going to have very soon the finest equipment in the world."
THE FACTS: Pentagon leaders have said for years that the U.S. already has the world's best weaponry and military equipment...
TRUMP: "This great aircraft carrier provides essential capabilities to keep us safe from terrorism and take the fight to the enemy for many years in the future."
THE FACTS: Aircraft carriers are not the crucial element in the defense against terrorism...The Pentagon's counterterrorism campaigns rely more on special operations forces, Air Force fighters and surveillance drones, military trainers and advisers and the intelligence agencies.
TRUMP: "I am calling for one of the largest defense spending increases in history."
THE FACTS: Three times in recent years, Congress raised military spending by larger amounts, in percentage terms, than the $54 billion, or 10 percent, increase that Trump proposes.The base defense budget grew by $41 billion, or 14.3 percent, in 2002; by $37 billion, or 11.3 percent, in 2003, and by $47 billion, or 10.9 percent, in 2008, according to Defense Department figures...
TRUMP: "Our Navy is now the smallest it's been since, believe or not, World War I. Don't worry. It's going to soon be the largest it's been."
THE FACTS: No, the fleet is not growing to the largest it's been, or anything close.The fleet indeed shrank to its smallest size since the decade after World War I - bottoming out at 271 in 2015 before rising to 274 this year, compared with 139 in 1930...The fleet stood at a record high of 6,768 fighting ships during World War II, declined gradually in the 1950s and '60s and shrank significantly after the Vietnam War...
Some of the Liar-in-Chief's victims this time:
March 2, 2017
Read the sordid tale at: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/03/the_alabamafication_of_america.html#incart_river_home_pop
With Sessions scandal, the Alabamafication of America is complete
Source: al.com, by Kyle Whitmore
Ball caps included! However - remember! - before it's too late! - "the grass don't grow where the sun don't shine!" (see Luv Guv's gleaming pate) 
Last summer, when Alabama completed its Unholy Trinity of political scandals, I wrote a warning to our fellow countrymen: Don't let this happen to you. I meant to sound an alarm against the Alabamification of America (a phrase which Drew Pendergrast at the Harvard Political Review last week took a lot further than I had).
At the time, our governor was under investigation (he still is) for abusing his office while pursuing a love affair. Were he to be impeached, that state House proceeding would have been led by a speaker then under indictment (now convicted and gone) and the trial in the Senate that followed would be led by a Alabama Supreme Court chief justice who was likely to be removed from office, again, by the Court of the Judiciary (he was and is now gone, at least until he runs for Senate).
At the heart of it, the Alabama Problem is a simple one to explain: When the majority party fails to hold its own to the same -- or preferably, higher -- standards it holds the opposite party, corruption and incompetence are inevitable. And when citizens treat their respective parties with the same reverence as college football teams and they excuse away the sins of their politicians like recruiting violations or so many $100 handshakes, they give those officials license to lie, cheat and steal.
For such a long time, the corruption of Alabama politics was something we thought we had under control, or at least, contained. Our graft, buffoonery and ineptitude had become a Dixie Ouroboros, too busy eating itself to hurt anyone else. Or so it seemed. But then the slimy serpent of Alabama corruption unclenched its fangs from its own backside and slithered to more hearty climates in the Washington swamp it now calls home.
At the time, our governor was under investigation (he still is) for abusing his office while pursuing a love affair. Were he to be impeached, that state House proceeding would have been led by a speaker then under indictment (now convicted and gone) and the trial in the Senate that followed would be led by a Alabama Supreme Court chief justice who was likely to be removed from office, again, by the Court of the Judiciary (he was and is now gone, at least until he runs for Senate).
At the heart of it, the Alabama Problem is a simple one to explain: When the majority party fails to hold its own to the same -- or preferably, higher -- standards it holds the opposite party, corruption and incompetence are inevitable. And when citizens treat their respective parties with the same reverence as college football teams and they excuse away the sins of their politicians like recruiting violations or so many $100 handshakes, they give those officials license to lie, cheat and steal.
For such a long time, the corruption of Alabama politics was something we thought we had under control, or at least, contained. Our graft, buffoonery and ineptitude had become a Dixie Ouroboros, too busy eating itself to hurt anyone else. Or so it seemed. But then the slimy serpent of Alabama corruption unclenched its fangs from its own backside and slithered to more hearty climates in the Washington swamp it now calls home.
Read the sordid tale at: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/03/the_alabamafication_of_america.html#incart_river_home_pop
March 2, 2017
Much more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/03/01/trump-may-ignore-wto-in-major-shift-of-u-s-trade-policy/?utm_term=.bc5f3830133f
Trump suggests ignoring World Trade Organization in major policy shift
Source: WaPO, By Damian Paletta and Ana Swanson
The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a sharp break from U.S. trade policy, vowing it may ignore certain rulings by the World Trade Organization if those decisions infringe on U.S. sovereignty.
*****
Trump's threatened tariffs and other trade barriers could violate WTO rules and bring blowback from other countries in the trade organization. But the agenda signals the Trump administration could simply ignore those complaints.
Several trade experts said Trump's decision to work outside of the WTO in some cases could create a chain reaction, with countries deciding to impose sanctions and tariffs to help their own businesses and penalize U.S. manufacturers.
If the United States signals it will not comply with WTO decisions, and other countries impose retaliatory penalties against U.S. imports, it could usher in an era of economic protectionism worldwide. Economists and industry groups fear that could trigger a global trade war that could disrupt international business and growth.
*****
*****
Trump's threatened tariffs and other trade barriers could violate WTO rules and bring blowback from other countries in the trade organization. But the agenda signals the Trump administration could simply ignore those complaints.
Several trade experts said Trump's decision to work outside of the WTO in some cases could create a chain reaction, with countries deciding to impose sanctions and tariffs to help their own businesses and penalize U.S. manufacturers.
If the United States signals it will not comply with WTO decisions, and other countries impose retaliatory penalties against U.S. imports, it could usher in an era of economic protectionism worldwide. Economists and industry groups fear that could trigger a global trade war that could disrupt international business and growth.
*****
Much more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/03/01/trump-may-ignore-wto-in-major-shift-of-u-s-trade-policy/?utm_term=.bc5f3830133f
March 1, 2017
White House eyes plan to cut EPA staff by one-fifth, eliminating key programs
WaPo, by Juliet Eilperin and Brady DennisThe Office of Management and Budget has suggested deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget that would reduce its staff by one-fifth in the first year and eliminate dozens of programs, according to details of a document reviewed by The Washington Post.
While White House officials have already indicated that they plan to increase defense spending at the expense of other discretionary funding, the new document spells out exactly how this new approach will affect long-standing federal programs that have a direct impact on Americans’ everyday lives.
“The administration’s 2018 budget blueprint will prioritize rebuilding the military and making critical investments in the nation’s security. It will also identify the savings and efficiencies needed to keep the nation on a responsible fiscal path,” it reads. “Your [funding] level highlights the trade-offs and choices inherent in pursuing these goals.”
Acknowledging that the steep cuts “will create many challenges,” the document adds, “it also can serve as catalyst for how the agency functions in the next 10 or 20 years or beyond. By looking ahead and focusing on clean water, clean air and other core responsibilities, rather than activities that are not required by law, EPA will be able to effectively achieve its mission.”
While White House officials have already indicated that they plan to increase defense spending at the expense of other discretionary funding, the new document spells out exactly how this new approach will affect long-standing federal programs that have a direct impact on Americans’ everyday lives.
“The administration’s 2018 budget blueprint will prioritize rebuilding the military and making critical investments in the nation’s security. It will also identify the savings and efficiencies needed to keep the nation on a responsible fiscal path,” it reads. “Your [funding] level highlights the trade-offs and choices inherent in pursuing these goals.”
Acknowledging that the steep cuts “will create many challenges,” the document adds, “it also can serve as catalyst for how the agency functions in the next 10 or 20 years or beyond. By looking ahead and focusing on clean water, clean air and other core responsibilities, rather than activities that are not required by law, EPA will be able to effectively achieve its mission.”
March 1, 2017
Source: al.com, by Connor Sheets
*****
ICE agents are detaining undocumented immigrants without criminal records across Alabama in a break with agency practice under President Barack Obama.
ICE is also making so-called "collateral arrests," in which they check the papers of people they encounter during raids targeting other individuals and detain any who are undocumented. And they are arresting people at their homes and workplaces, according to Alabama immigration advocates and Baton Rouge, La., defense attorney Paul "Woody" Scott.
*****
Many of the immigrants detained in Alabama recently were picked up by ICE at their workplaces and homes, according to Scott and advocates across the state including Judith Zambrano, a member of Somos Tuskaloosa (the group deliberately uses the Native spelling of the word Tuscaloosa), a Tuscaloosa-area immigrant advocacy organization.
*****
Zambrano said that the question of whether to go to work or send their children to school in the days following ICE actions has become "a major problem" for parents in the Tuscaloosa area. It's a question that immigrant communities are facing in other parts of the state as well.
*****
Read it all at: http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/ice_raids_have_blown_up_in_ala.html#incart_river_home_pop
ICE raids have 'blown up' in Alabama since Trump immigration orders went into effect
Blade Runner: "Quite an experience to live in fear, isn't it? That's what it is to be a slave."Source: al.com, by Connor Sheets
*****
ICE agents are detaining undocumented immigrants without criminal records across Alabama in a break with agency practice under President Barack Obama.
ICE is also making so-called "collateral arrests," in which they check the papers of people they encounter during raids targeting other individuals and detain any who are undocumented. And they are arresting people at their homes and workplaces, according to Alabama immigration advocates and Baton Rouge, La., defense attorney Paul "Woody" Scott.
*****
Many of the immigrants detained in Alabama recently were picked up by ICE at their workplaces and homes, according to Scott and advocates across the state including Judith Zambrano, a member of Somos Tuskaloosa (the group deliberately uses the Native spelling of the word Tuscaloosa), a Tuscaloosa-area immigrant advocacy organization.
*****
Zambrano said that the question of whether to go to work or send their children to school in the days following ICE actions has become "a major problem" for parents in the Tuscaloosa area. It's a question that immigrant communities are facing in other parts of the state as well.
*****
Read it all at: http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/ice_raids_have_blown_up_in_ala.html#incart_river_home_pop
March 1, 2017
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/836933725602656256
But it becomes clear at his "official" POTUS twitter account. He's thanking his own employee - Dan Scavino, Jr. - who manages social media for him! The White House bubble remains intact!
https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/836965783775367172
A clarification on twump's "THANK YOU" tweet.
We don't really know what he is thinking, so some speculation and conjecture?https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/836933725602656256
But it becomes clear at his "official" POTUS twitter account. He's thanking his own employee - Dan Scavino, Jr. - who manages social media for him! The White House bubble remains intact!
https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/836965783775367172
February 25, 2017
CSPAN coverage of DNC leadership vote today has started!
https://www.c-span.org/video/?424411-1/dnc-meets-elect-new-party-chair&live
February 25, 2017
Source: The Hill, by Elliot Smilowitz
The tweet:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/835479283699224576
*****
Trump's numbers appear to be from a Treasury Department website that lists total outstanding public debt on a day-by-day basis. Pro-Trump conservative blog Gateway Pundit cited the website's numbers in a post Thursday touting Trump and blasting Obama.
Less than a month after his inauguration in 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, an economic stimulus package costing $831 billion. The law, a response to the economic recession a year before, was primarily focused on saving jobs and creating new jobs.
The New York Times wrote in February 2009 that Obama banned four accounting gimmicks that President George W. Bush had been using to make deficit projections look smaller, in an effort at transparency. The move had the effect of making spending appear to balloon to a larger degree than was true.
*****
Trump’s tweet came less than an hour after former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, appearing on Fox News, said the national debt fell $12 billion. Reporters have noted that Trump often seems to tweet about a new topic shortly after a cable news segment features it.
Read it all at: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/321150-trump-tweets-media-not-reporting-national-debt-decrease
Trump tweets: Media not reporting national debt decrease
Take a "fact" and twist it like a pretzel.Source: The Hill, by Elliot Smilowitz
The tweet:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/835479283699224576
*****
Trump's numbers appear to be from a Treasury Department website that lists total outstanding public debt on a day-by-day basis. Pro-Trump conservative blog Gateway Pundit cited the website's numbers in a post Thursday touting Trump and blasting Obama.
Less than a month after his inauguration in 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, an economic stimulus package costing $831 billion. The law, a response to the economic recession a year before, was primarily focused on saving jobs and creating new jobs.
The New York Times wrote in February 2009 that Obama banned four accounting gimmicks that President George W. Bush had been using to make deficit projections look smaller, in an effort at transparency. The move had the effect of making spending appear to balloon to a larger degree than was true.
*****
Trump’s tweet came less than an hour after former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, appearing on Fox News, said the national debt fell $12 billion. Reporters have noted that Trump often seems to tweet about a new topic shortly after a cable news segment features it.
Read it all at: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/321150-trump-tweets-media-not-reporting-national-debt-decrease
February 23, 2017
Lots of 'plausible deniability' around "Who posted that?"
Now, this feels like a twump tweet on rational edit, with Bannon/Priebus clip attached!
How long will it last?
https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/834855800560611334
"Mr. Precedent" finally leashed?
No new tweets "at real dt"?
Meet Dan Scavino, Jr., lurking Assistant to the President and Social Media Director.
[img]
[/img]
https://twitter.com/Scavino45
@POTUS just went hot today (multiple tweets!), with a disclaimer!
Working on behalf of the American people to make our country great again. Tweets by @Scavino45. Tweets by #POTUS signed -DJT.
Lots of 'plausible deniability' around "Who posted that?"
Now, this feels like a twump tweet on rational edit, with Bannon/Priebus clip attached!
How long will it last?
https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/834855800560611334
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Gender: Do not displayMember since: Fri Apr 4, 2014, 04:21 PM
Number of posts: 16,104
