The Many Faces of US Politics...

[Gabriel_Hurl]

and my monitor when I read your posts

[sid waddell]

Michael Calderone
‏@mlcalderone
In Dec, Spicer said Trump White House would "absolutely not" kick out news orgs in response to critical coverage

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sean-spicer-kick-press-white-house_us_58540252e4b0b3ddfd8c29d0


And now :
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/02/24/cnn-nyt-others-blocked-from-wh-briefing.html

Anyone between Foxy, Stew , whitey etc willing to spin this ?

And Trump said this last April (one of the most sensible things he's ever said):

https://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/04/21/donald-trump-says-transgender-people-should-use-the-bathroom-they-want/?_r=0

"North Carolina did something — it was very strong — and they're paying a big price. And there's a lot of problems. And I heard — one of the best answers I heard was from a commentator yesterday saying, leave it the way it is, right now."

He added that before the law passed, there had been "very few problems" but now North Carolina is experiencing an exodus of businesses and "strife" from people on both sides of the issue.

"You leave it the way it is," he said. "There have been very few complaints the way it is."

But that's not what he's doing now.

What happened to this notion that "he's keeping his word"?

[Eamonnca1]

Speaking of fake news...

So Fox News had ""Swedish Defense and National Security Advisor" Nils Bildt on The O'Reilly Factor to talk about how trump is right and immigrants are ruining Sweden, and people are not allowed to talk about.
A few minor issues - no-one in Sweden has heard of him (especially the Foreign Office or anyone involved in national security. He apparently left Sweden in 1994.
Oh - and he was convicted of assaulting a police officer and public drunkenness in Virginia in 2014 and sentenced to a year in prison.
He is, in other words, a criminal immigrant in a foreign country.
Have a lovely evening.

[Eamonnca1]

Hey - Settled Science is all democrat. A top DNC official no less.

You can smell the shit coming out of the telly when CNN/Democrats are on.

Lovely little side-step and shimmy there. Ever play Rugby?

[J70]

This is how batshit crazy the democrats are. "settled science" indeed.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/5335054653001/?playlist_id=5198073478001#sp=show-clips

Jaw dropping stuff from the looney left, lack of accountability, inability to answer many questions without deflecting, making shit up, like 'settled science' That was a bad a beating as I have ever seen on a news show like that, it was incredible, I even felt bad for the stupid b**tard!

I am a father of two girls and would not want males walking into the bathrooms of my daughters claiming they were female.

As for real transgender kids, there should be federal funding to supply a bathroom at every school to make sure they are taken care of.

Foxcommander thanks for putting that up, it illustrates perfectly how fucked up the left is, damn I despise the far left with all my heart, and f**k the far right too for that matter.

Lets meet in the middle people.

So on the one hand, you want federal funding to take care of the bathroom needs of transgender kids, and on the other, the left is fucked up, looney and dishonest for advocating for them. And you want to "meet in the middle".

All right then!

Eh everybody deserves to be taken care of, transgender kids deserve to be treated as human beings ffs, they should not be going to bathrooms with a gender they do not identify with.

Again I dont want boys in the same bathroom as my girls and I dont want transgender kids in there either!

Why would I want these kids not to have their own facilities that boys and girls do?

If you believe in this so called science and think that tube and his stance has merit you need help!

When I mentioned meeting in the middle I meant the political parties, this division at the minute is a disaster and getting worse, what is wrong with wanted both left and right to bend enough to work together?

Liberals have no interest in working together. The last few months have proved it. They scream like spoiled little kids when they don't get their way. Shame really. Too many issues going neglected because a common consensus can't be found. Then again you could say the same about Fine Gael and Fianna fail for decades.

This is the type of statement that proves you're either clueless or dishonest (a bit of both in my opinion).

Where was the consensus-seeking among the Republicans, the party of "Hell no" scorched-earth tactics, for the past eight years? How did the stolen Supreme Court seat come about? Which party, to its highest levels, including and especially the current president, pushed the "Kenyan-born muslim" bollocks? Which party pontificated about deficits and national debt for years, but the second their own man gets in the office, they drop it altogether to pursue military build-up, a ludicrous wall and the probable pending tax cuts for the rich? Which party voted more than FIFTY times to repeal Obamacare, but now that there is something real at stake, still can't come to an agreement about, if anything, can be done to replace it? Which party has been the leading cheerleader for free trade for decades, but sold their soul on one of their central principles in pursuit of power? I could go on...

[seafoid]

Transgender stuff is fluff. How many people even know a trans person? Imagine Fox running story after story about Carlow hurlers. The focus on trans is a deflection from the real issues such as

1 Politicising intelligence
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-sought-to-enlist-intelligence-officials-key-lawmakers-to-counter-russia-stories/2017/02/24/c8487552-fa99-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html

2. Banning media from press briefings
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/us/politics/white-house-sean-spicer-briefing.html

[Eamonnca1]

The conservative dedication to free speech in action:

Republican lawmakers introduce bills to curb protesting in at least 18 states


Since the election of President Trump, Republican lawmakers in at least 18 states have introduced or voted on legislation to curb mass protests in what civil liberties experts are calling "an attack on protest rights throughout the states."

From Virginia to Washington state, legislators have introduced bills that would increase punishments for blocking highways, ban the use of masks during protests, indemnify drivers who strike protesters with their cars and, in at least once case, seize the assets of people involved in protests that later turn violent. The proposals come after a string of mass protest movements in the past few years, covering everything from police shootings of unarmed black men to the Dakota Access Pipeline to the inauguration of Trump.

Some are introducing bills because they say they're necessary to counter the actions of "paid" or "professional" protesters who set out to intimidate or disrupt, a common accusation that experts agree is largely overstated. "You now have a situation where you have full-time, quasi-professional agent-provocateurs that attempt to create public disorder," said Republican state senator John Kavanagh of Arizona in support of a measure there that would bring racketeering charges against some protesters.

Protests erupt across the U.S. after Trump signs travel ban Embed  Share Play Video1:31
Protesters in cities across the nation rallied against President Trump's executive order banning U.S. entry for refugees, migrants and foreign nationals for 120 days. Here's a look at some of the protests that took place in airports and city squares across the U.S. after the order was signed. (Dalton Bennett, Erin Patrick O'Connor, Elyse Samuels, Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)
Others, like the sponsors of a bill in Minnesota, say the measures are necessary to protect public safety on highways. Still other bills, in states like Oklahoma and South Dakota, are intended to discourage protesting related to oil pipelines.

Democrats in many of these states are fighting the legislation. They cite existing laws that already make it a crime to block traffic, the possibility of a chilling effect on protests across the political spectrum, and concerns for protesters' safety in the face of aggressive motorists.

None of the proposed legislation has yet been passed into law, and several bills have already been shelved in committee.

Critics doubt whether many of the laws would pass Constitutional muster. "The Supreme Court has gone out of its way on multiple occasions to point out that streets, sidewalks and public parks are places where [First Amendment] protections are at their most robust," said Lee Rowland, a senior attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.


This is by no means the first time in American history that widespread protests have inspired a legislative backlash, says Douglas McAdam, a Stanford sociology professor who studies protest movements. "For instance, southern legislatures — especially in the Deep South — responded to the Montgomery Bus Boycott (and the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education) with dozens and dozens of new bills outlawing civil rights groups, limiting the rights of assembly, etc. all in an effort to make civil rights organizing more difficult," he said via email.

"Similarly," he added, "laws designed to limit or outlaw labor organizing or limit labor rights were common in the late 19th/early 20th century."

The ACLU's Rowland says the new bills are not about "creating new rules that are necessary because of some gap in the law." She points out, for instance, that "every single city and county in the United States" already has laws on the books against obstructing traffic on busy roads.

Rather, Rowland says the laws' intent is "increasing the penalties for protest-related activity to the point that it results in self-censorship among protesters who have every intention to obey the law."

Even the accusations of "paid" or "professional" agitators, which Trump has promoted, have been leveled at protesters before.

"This is standard operating procedure for movement opponents," Stanford's McAdam said. "Civil rights workers were said to be 'outside agitators, and the tea party was dismissed as an 'AstroTurf' phenomenon — funded from on high by the Koch brothers and others — rather than a legitimate 'grass roots' movement. In all these cases, including the present, the charges are generally bogus, with the vast majority of protesters principled individuals motivated by the force of deeply held values and strong emotion."

But now, social media has made it possible to organize larger protests more rapidly than ever before. "The older laws are becoming less effectual in dealing with these kind of groups," said Michael Heaney of the University of Michigan, a political sociologist who studies protest movements. On top of that, "the courts have said, 'Look, the people have a right to protest in this way.' " So on some level the new legislation represents an attempt by lawmakers to catch up with new realities of 21st-century protesting.


Here's a list of laws that have been introduced or voted on since the election.

Arizona

Arizona's bill, introduced this week, would open up protests to anti-racketeering legislation, targeting protesters with the same laws used to combat organized crime syndicates. It would also allow police to seize the assets of anyone involved in a protest that at some point becomes violent. It recently passed the state Senate on a party-line vote and is now before the House.

Colorado

A bill under consideration in Colorado would strengthen penalties for "tampering" with oil and gas equipment. It's intended to prevent activists from shutting off pipelines, a tactic that's been used in other states.

Florida

A bill introduced by Republican George Gainer in the Florida Senate this month would provide criminal penalties for protesters obstructing traffic and exempt drivers from liability if they struck a protester under certain conditions. It was filed this week, and if enacted would take force on July 1.

Georgia

A "Back the Badge" bill recently passed by the Georgia Senate increases penalties for blocking "any highway, street, sidewalk or other public passage." The bill is sponsored by six Republican senators.

Iowa

A bill supported by nine Republican sponsors would make protesters who intentionally block highways subject to felony charges and up to five years in prison. The bill's lead sponsor told the Des Moines Register it was introduced in response to a November incident in which a protest Trump shut down part of Interstate 80 in Iowa.

Indiana

An Indiana Senate committee recently toned down a bill that would have allowed police to shut down highway protests using "any means necessary." The current version allows police to issue fines for such behavior.

Michigan

A Michigan bill voted on late last year would have increased fines for certain "mass picketing" behavior, and made it easier for courts to shut down such demonstrations.

Minnesota

Bills under consideration in Minnesota would increase fines for protesters blocking highways and airports. A separate measure before the legislature would make it possible for jurisdictions to charge protesters for the costs of policing the protests.


Missouri

A Republican lawmaker has introduced legislation that would make it illegal for protesters to wear masks, robes or other disguises during protests deemed to be illegal.

Mississippi

A bill before the Mississippi legislature would make obstruction of traffic a felony punishable by a $10,000 fine and a five-year prison sentence.

North Carolina

A North Carolina Republican has pledged to introduce legislation making it a crime to "threaten, intimidate or retaliate against" current or former state officials, in response to an incident involving the heckling of Gov. Pat McCrory. The Senator proposing the legislation, Dan Bishop, confirmed via email that he still intends to introduce the legislation, perhaps as early as next week, after consulting with potential co-sponsors.

North Dakota

A number of North Dakota bills have been introduced in response to the long-standing protests there against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The measure that drew the most attention was a bill that would have removed penalties for motorists who strike protesters with their car in some circumstances. That bill failed to make it out of the House, but a number of other measures increasing penalties for certain types of protest action are advancing through the legislature.

Oklahoma

Inspired by pipeline protests in North Dakota, the Oklahoma legislature is considering a bill that would increase penalties for trespassing on certain pieces of "critical infrastructure" like pipelines and railways.

Oregon

A novel piece of legislation in Oregon would require public community colleges and universities to expel any student convicted of participating in a violent riot.

South Dakota

A Senate panel in South Dakota recently approved a bill that would increase penalties for certain acts of trespassing and blocking highways. It's a response to pipeline protests in North Dakota, and to the potential for similar protests in South Dakota if the Keystone XL pipeline gets built.

Tennessee

A Tennessee Republican wants drivers to be protected from liability if they inadvertently strike a protester who is blocking a roadway.

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Virginia

A Virginia bill that would have increased penalties for people who refused to leave the scene of a riot or unlawful protest died in the state Senate last month. The bill had been requested by law enforcement.

Washington state


Washington lawmakers are considering a bill to increase penalties for people blocking highways and railways, acts that the bill's sponsor has characterized as "economic terrorism."

This story has been updated to include information on legislation pending in Georgia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/24/republican-lawmakers-introduce-bills-to-curb-protesting-in-at-least-17-states/?utm_campaign=969d326a6c-Day_35_Rejected_copy_01_2_23_2017&utm_medium=email&utm_source=WTF%20Just%20Happened%20Today%3F&utm_term=.ab5775c32767

[seafoid]

Eamonn, I don't think the GOP is conservative at the moment. It's run by fruitcakes who don't care about conservative concerns. The Tory party is the same. We are in a really weird political moment. I wouldn't vote conservative but I would respect conservatives. And the people running the US gov are contemptible.

[Hardy]

Trump has banned some major news organisations from a briefing. Smells like facisim to me.

Your sense of smell is very reliable.

In 1933, in Germany, "the Propaganda Ministry aimed further to control the content of news and editorial pages through directives distributed in daily conferences in Berlin ...
... Detailed guidelines stated what stories could or could not be reported and how to report the news. Journalists or editors who failed to follow these instructions could be fired or, if believed to be acting with intent to harm Germany, sent to a concentration camp. Rather than suppressing news, the Nazi propaganda apparatus instead sought to tightly control its flow and interpretation and to deny access to alternative sources of news."

- from https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007655 (the website of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum)

[seafoid]

Trump has banned some major news organisations from a briefing. Smells like facisim to me.

Your sense of smell is very reliable.

In 1933, in Germany, "the Propaganda Ministry aimed further to control the content of news and editorial pages through directives distributed in daily conferences in Berlin ...
... Detailed guidelines stated what stories could or could not be reported and how to report the news. Journalists or editors who failed to follow these instructions could be fired or, if believed to be acting with intent to harm Germany, sent to a concentration camp. Rather than suppressing news, the Nazi propaganda apparatus instead sought to tightly control its flow and interpretation and to deny access to alternative sources of news."

- from https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007655 (the website of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum)

"Enemy of the people" has a very distinguished pedigree, having been used by Hitler, Stalin and Mao. Goebbels wrote that "every Jew is a sworn enemy of the German people".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F_aXd5cwCw

[seafoid]

via the New York Times

"In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, President Trump escalated his attacks on journalists and said that the F.B.I. was putting the United States at risk. "

Bannon is a wild and very dangerous motherfucker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOb8_Aau9g0

[seafoid]

http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/americans-politics-source-stress/2017/02/15/id/773844/

Seventy-six percent of Democrats are stressed about the future of the country.
Fifty-nine percent of Republicans say the same.

[seafoid]

Zack Whittaker‏@zackwhittaker 25 feb.

Places where BBC reporters are banned: •  Rwanda •  North Korea •  The White House •  Iran •  Zimbabwe

[stew]

Eamonn, I don't think the GOP is conservative at the moment. It's run by fruitcakes who don't care about conservative concerns. The Tory party is the same. We are in a really weird political moment. I wouldn't vote conservative but I would respect conservatives. And the people running the US gov are contemptible.

How long have they been contemptible?

[seafoid]

Eamonn, I don't think the GOP is conservative at the moment. It's run by fruitcakes who don't care about conservative concerns. The Tory party is the same. We are in a really weird political moment. I wouldn't vote conservative but I would respect conservatives. And the people running the US gov are contemptible.

How long have they been contemptible?

I didn't think much of Obama either, Stew, but people like Miller and Bannon are on a different level and dangerous