All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[babyblob]

I mean, we can assume what it’s all about… but we don’t know for sure yet. I hope it doesn’t take months to understand what it was.

With the guy in the Ohio FBI office we do know for sure.

He posted about it while he was doing it. And Truth Social did not remove the posts for over 7 hours. Fox News is still saying there is no proof on what it is about.

Yes the guy this morning we dont know. We can guess but we dont know. I mean we do. But we dont.

[Mister Mets]

Mets, I think you missed my reply to your question.

That was on a separate question, though there is more ambiguity. Cohen says that Trump knew about the crimes, but the major evidence is his own word. There are some checks, but Vox had a piece on this a few years ago.

https://www.vox.com/2019/3/6/1825346...stormy-daniels

Cohen has implicated Trump in his campaign finance crimes by saying that Trump told him to orchestrate the hush payments. But prosecutors are going to have to prove more than that to make a criminal case against Trump, according to Ryan.

One, they have to establish that the purpose of the payments was political and not personal (in other words, that they were made to help Trump in the election, not, for example, to keep his wife from finding out about his alleged affairs). And two, they have to prove that Trump directed the payments and was personally liable.

The checks, which Trump signed while he was president, prove that Trump at some point figured out about Cohen’s hush payments and agreed to pay him back. (There’s an alternative some Trump defenders use, saying he just thought he was making retainer payments, but as mentioned, federal prosecutors don’t believe that.) But they’re not proof Trump knew about the original campaign finance violation.

Furthermore, Trump trying to keep the payments under wraps might not matter in a courtroom, at least as part of a campaign finance violation.

“You have a scheme that is essentially to disguise and hide payments that Cohen made during the campaign, and Trump and the Trump trust were involved in that scheme,” former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti said. “In and of itself, is that a crime? I wouldn’t say necessarily.”

[Tami]

Cubans in Florida have "escaped socialism". Ditto for Venezuelans in Spain and others.

My question is, if they are against Democracy then what type of government are they in favor of?

Of course, the common answer is that they aren't against Democracy as per se, but just against Democrats. But realistically, in this day and age, voting for republicans often means voting against democracy.

So, did they escape Socialism or did they escape autocracies/Dictatorships? Dictatorship Countries 2022

If they were escaping dictatorships, then maybe they might be surprised to learn that there are many different types of dictatorships, even some that pretend to be democracies (but aren't).

If it isn't dictatorships that they are escaping from, there are very few Socialist/Communist countries left in the world, Socialist Countries 2022, and the US is not one of them.

There are many times more dictatorships in the world than there are Communist countries.

If it isn't either of those, and they just want to be 'Left alone' as in not having to pay taxes and, then there are other countries they can go to (in theory): List of Countries Without Income Taxes

[Mister Mets]

Hi, Mets. Someone just did an enormous profile of all the things Donald Trump did, things that got him impeached not once, but twice, and all you can do is engage in whatboutism and trying to pretend it's abvout what the Democrats did, instead of what your partry embraced, voted for, and continues to do on a day when another right-wing domestic terrorist attacked the capitol police, a week after a right-wing domestic terorrist got in a gunfight with the FBI.

But, yeah. Sure. Try to pretend that your party's embrace of Trump is something that goes back to 'the democrats'. For a party of personal responsibility, you sure like to be responsible for nothing. As Ethan Gray said, that's the entire point, isn't it?

Trump did a lot of bad stuff, and there is much speculation about other bad stuff. But I'm looking for things that fit very specific categories to match the situation where Bill Clinton lied under oath. I don't want to waste my time on the things that you guys would believe to be the weakest arguments against Trump.

While it might be seem obvious, shouldn't we wait and see who the guy was and what were his motivations before jumping to conclusions? Or do you have privileged info that the media doesn't yet? (and yes, I do note that it is PROBABLY a Trump nutcase)

It's possible, but why would it be probable?

There are occasional mental health episodes that lead to people killing themselves by the capitol/ White House, and these all over the political map.

Guys Mets is right. Trump never got caught lying in a Deposition. He took the 5th 400 times.

I'm guessing there's other bad stuff he did before that.

A fair point I think someone here made a few days ago is that Trump broke laws that no one else was in a position to break, so a lot of the crimes he did are unprecedented, and that makes prosecution more complicated. So there are plenty of potential crimes that are harder to explain quickly, which helps Trump supporters rationalize their love of the guy.

[babyblob]

It's possible, but why would it be probable?

There are occasional mental health episodes that lead to people killing themselves by the capitol/ White House, and these all over the political map.

.

A random mental health guy just happens to ram the Capital Barricades after a week of evil government and they are coming for you talk. Arm up. What are you going to do about this! Blah blah Blah.

Pretty sure all of that had nothing to do with today Fox news is still trying to paint that the FBI Ohio guy had nothing to do with it.

I would bet even money this guy is not just some random nut.

But we will see.

[Tami]

This is not from the Onion

ALERT: Police say a man drove his car into a barrier on Capitol Hill at approx 4am this morning, then began firing gun

Car caught fire and man shot himself as officers approached, per police

Twitter Link

Police: “At this time, it does not appear the man was targeting any Members of Congress, who are on recess, and it does not appear officers fired their weapons.”

[Vakanai]

I live in South FL in Miami where its more liberals but Republicans still outnumber us especially the Cubans, I know only 2 Cuban friends who are against Trump and didn't fall for him.

I don't know if it's better or worse that my local flavor of redneck isn't the only group under the sway of the orange miasma.

Cubans in Florida have "escaped socialism". Ditto for Venezuelans in Spain and others.

They do know that "some mild socialist programs in a democratic-ish republic" is not the same as "authoritarian cummunist dictatorship" right?

I thought Matt Gaetz was retiring to Fox news or OAN?

I haven't heard about that, but I know Gaetz is currently running because I see his campaign ads plenty.
Also Desantis, who is also morally gross imo but slightly less in your face about it.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

A random mental health guy just happens to ram the Capital Barricades after a week of evil government and they are coming for you talk. Arm up. What are you going to do about this! Blah blah Blah.

Pretty sure all of that had nothing to do with today Fox news is still trying to paint that the FBI Ohio guy had nothing to do with it.

I would bet even money this guy is not just some random nut.

But we will see.

The coincidences are absolutely staggering!

[Jack Dracula]

I live right at the state border of Florida and Alabama, so sadly have to witness the ads for two states' worth or awful conservatives. But Gaetz especially offends me everytime his commercials pop up.

I live on the borders of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. I feel your pain.

[hyped78]

It's the same as the guy who attacked Rushdie. A lot of people are quick to jump to the conclusion that he has ties to Hezbollah... but actually we don't know that. Let's wait and see if that is the case or if he is "just" a lone wolf

[babyblob]

I live on the borders of Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. I feel your pain.

The Tristate area of Kentucky Ohio and Indiana says hello.

[babyblob]

It's the same as the guy who attacked Rushdie. A lot of people are quick to jump to the conclusion that he has ties to Hezbollah... but actually we don't know that. Let's wait and see if that is the case or if he is "just" a lone wolf

If this is just a random crazy I will eat 20 MAGA hats.

Meanwhile Fox News is talking about how the Job of the FBI has always been dangerous and even the rank and file in the FBI are not happy about what is going on. And at some point the Whistle Blows are going to come out. because at some point you have to point out when they are doing something illegal immoral or wrong. And people are so mad at the AG for making provenly false statements because they never went after Clinton and Biden.

And of course the guy in Cincinnati it is not 100 percent his fault because he made it clear what he was going to do.

But they made it okay because the guest said violence is not the answer.

So more riling people up then the two second. But hey no violence.

[babyblob]

thought the Self own by those on the right is funny.

HE was on social media talking about this. Why wasnt he reported?

Oh you mean Truth Social where he talked about this. And live posted as he was doing it and the posts were left up for 7 hours? Why didnt anyone on there report it? Why didnt any admin on there call law enforcement?

And had he been arrested or even talked to about what he said on there then Fox News could go on with the

"They are watching us and the thought police just arrested this guy for words!"


Meanwhile Trump is demanding the FBI return what they took.


https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-b2144865.html

[hyped78]

My question is, if they are against Democracy then what type of government are they in favor of?

Of course, the common answer is that they aren't against Democracy as per se, but just against Democrats. But realistically, in this day and age, voting for republicans often means voting against democracy.

So, did they escape Socialism or did they escape autocracies/Dictatorships? Dictatorship Countries 2022

If they were escaping dictatorships, then maybe they might be surprised to learn that there are many different types of dictatorships, even some that pretend to be democracies (but aren't).

If it isn't dictatorships that they are escaping from, there are very few Socialist/Communist countries left in the world, Socialist Countries 2022, and the US is not one of them.

There are many times more dictatorships in the world than there are Communist countries.

If it isn't either of those, and they just want to be 'Left alone' as in not having to pay taxes and, then there are other countries they can go to (in theory): List of Countries Without Income Taxes

They do know that "some mild socialist programs in a democratic-ish republic" is not the same as "authoritarian cummunist dictatorship" right?

We would need to ask the Cubans in Florida about it. Regarding Venezuelans in Spain, they fled misery inflicted by years and years of incompetent and autocratic socialist economic policies in Venezuela, a socialist dictatorship. When they get to Spain, they hear one of the major parties - the junior coalition member of the current Spanish government - praising Venezuela as if it’s paradise; on top of that, that economic party Podemos has economic links to the Venezuelan regime. So yeah, they become skeptical of all things left, without distinguishing that there’s radical left and there’s moderate and modern left.

I mean, you can see it here, when someone says something like “billionaires are parasites”, that’s basically what Cubans and Venezuelans hear in their home countries.

Tami, I think you posted the same link twice - interested in taking a look at the correct “Socialist Countries 2022” link.

[Jack Dracula]

Cubans in Florida have "escaped socialism". Ditto for Venezuelans in Spain and others.

Having done so, they should be better able to know the difference between actual socialism and democratic socialism.