All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Some Opinion Pieces from the London Guardian

Is Donald Trump running to be conspiracy-theorist-in-chief?



I agree, Trump needs to be under the care of a team of psychiatrists, not running for President.

Sadly, Trump is very sane and knows exactly what he's doing. This isn't a case of a lunatic who's frothing at the mouth and baying at the moon, all of his ranting and raving about Orlando is callously calculated and designed to appeal to his frightened and angry base of supporters who've fully bought into his neverending rhetoric that the monsters are banging down our door, and only Trump can save the country from Islamic Armageddon. In other words, it's con, one of many by Ol' Orange Ass, but clearly his most dangerous.

Deadliest U.S. mass shootings, 1984-2016



I worry that all talk on terrorism is going to detract from the real problem, unstable people getting their hands on weapons that can easily kill large numbers of people.

And that's just what the NRA and the gun industry wants, to keep the country's focus on those brown skinned, bloodthirsty madmen in the hope no one will pay attention to the fact that lax laws authored by the NRA's puppets in the Republican Party allowed psychopaths, HOMEGROWN, Caucasian psychopaths free and easy access to weapons like what Omar Mateen used so they can wantonly maim, cripple and kill by the boatload.

[Tami]

Sadly, Trump is very sane and knows exactly what he's doing. This isn't a case of a lunatic who's frothing at the mouth and baying at the moon, all of his ranting and raving about Orlando is callously calculated and designed to appeal to his frightened and angry base of supporters who've fully bought into his neverending rhetoric that the monsters are banging down our door, and only Trump can save the country from Islamic Armageddon. In other words, it's con, one of many by Ol' Orange Ass, but clearly his most dangerous.



And that's just what the NRA and the gun industry wants, to keep the country's focus on those brown skinned, bloodthirsty madmen in the hope no one will pay attention to the fact that lax laws authored by the NRA's puppets in the Republican Party allowed psychopaths, HOMEGROWN, Caucasian psychopaths free and easy access to weapons like what Omar Mateen used so they can wantonly maim, cripple and kill by the boatload.

I won't deny that while many, if not most of these mass shootings were done by Caucasians, even using that label is a distraction. The person can just as easily be Asian, African American, Hispanics, or whomever. As soon as we start thinking solely based on labels it detracts from the bigger issues. Issues like Gun Control and Mental Health Care.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I won't deny that while many, if not most of these mass shootings were done by Caucasians, even using that label is a distraction. The person can just as easily be Asian, African American, Hispanics, or whomever. As soon as we start thinking solely based on labels it detracts from the bigger issues. Issues like Gun Control and Mental Health Care.

Yes, you're right. By my own admission, I got caught up the label business as well, and I should know better.

[Tami]

Citing Nixon tapes, Bridgegate lawyers press demand for Christie's cell phone

In the brief, Michael Baldassarre, defense attorney for Bill Baroni, said lawyers representing Christie's office have been holding back on records, including cell phone messages, texts and emails, sought in a subpoena issued earlier this year. The tactics, he said, recall Nixon's ultimately failed strategy of keeping the tapes secret.

"President Nixon's tapes were not immune from a subpoena," it said. "Neither is Governor Christie's phone."

And of course....

Kelly's lawyer, Michael Critchley, illustrated the disagreements the defendants have with the governor's office's lawyers and federal prosecutors over the production of evidence they claim is being withheld. Christie, the filing says, recently said "the government" has his cell phone, while prosecutors have said they don't have it.

"It is unclear where Governor Christie's cell phone is, or if it still exists," the brief says.

Convenient, isn't it? Pretty much everyone in New Jersey knows that Christie was behind Bridgegate, the trick is proving it.

[SUPERECWFAN1]

Like clockwork or as usual whenever a gun tragedy happens , you get facebook memes and more of how Obama is trying to blame gun owners and more. Not realizing he's not. But this is how it usually goes.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Citing Nixon tapes, Bridgegate lawyers press demand for Christie's cell phone



And of course....



Convenient, isn't it? Pretty much everyone in New Jersey knows that Christie was behind Bridgegate, the trick is proving it.

Yes, most convenient indeed. Perhaps Donald Trump's favorite cabin boy and ass-kisser threw his phone into the same shredder Tom Brady used to destroy his phone after Deflategate blew up (pardon the pun).

[GreenLanternRanger]

Its ridiculous we dont have stricter gun laws by now. I mean look at Australia, they have stricter gun laws and they havent had a mass shooting in like 20 years!

[worstblogever]

Like clockwork or as usual whenever a gun tragedy happens , you get facebook memes and more of how Obama is trying to blame gun owners and more. Not realizing he's not. But this is how it usually goes.

I've seen shared memes that he's the only world leader who doesn't bomb ISIS in retaliation.

Really? REALLY? They just killed their #2 guy at the end of March. They blew up $10 million in their assets in January. In the past 48 hours, they might have killed ISIS' leader.

Just... detached from reality.

[worstblogever]

It was one year ago today we published our original "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profile of Senator John McCain of Arizona, who we ran an exhaustive timeline on, doing our best to give the man his due where he could, before we raked him over the coals, going all the way back to his earliest days serving in the House, when he found himself a member of the Keating Five. We covered his prolific flip-flopping on issues, whether changing his mind over the Confederate flag flying on state grounds within 72 hours, or reversing position on same sex marriage on Hardball with Chris Matthews within 11 MINUTES of coming out in favor of it. While those reversals were jaw-dropping in their suddenness, Sen. McCain’s reversal on immigration policy from a would-be reformer in 2006, to his “Fix the Danged Fence” ad in 2010 make more sense, when you consider he changes positions out of convenience depending on which party looks like they’ll do better in that election year. McCain was pilloried during the 2008 presidential campaign for voting for the Iraq War, which back in 2002, he described the upcoming conflict would be “easy” (so easy it went on for about a decade and we’re still fighting ISIS there). His hawkish nature knows no bounds, as he spoke in New Hampshire in 2008 about keeping our troops in Iraq for up to a “hundred” years, and it would be fine because there were “no casualties there” (when they were approaching four thousand) and he gleefully discussed conflict with Iran by way of singing a parody of the Beach Boys tune “Barbara Ann”. McCain immediately called for the United States to send our armed forces to both Syria, and then Ukraine at the first sign of diplomatic strife within a few months of each other in 2014. Shockingly, McCain voted against banning “enhanced interrogation” techniques in 2008, as well, in spite of having endured torture himself. He has proven clueless on any number of issues, being stumped by reporters when asked if condoms or other contraceptives could help prevent HIV, and declaring the “fundamentals of our economy are strong” in the midst of the 2008 Wall Street meltdown. In recent years, he has whined about the Obama administration “politicizing the death of Osama bin Laden” while, simultaneously claiming that the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya was “a worse scandal than Watergate”. He’s become so bitter that he even voted against the nomination of former Republican senator and fellow Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense, calling him an “unimpressive candidate”. Oh, yeah, he also picked Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008, foisting her upon the American consciousness. That’s something he’ll definitely never live down.

• September 22nd, 2015: McCain votes for HR 36, the Pain Capable Unborn Child Act, which would ban abortion at 20 weeks.
• September 24th, 2015: Sen. McCain votes to defund Planned Parenthood, based on highly edited “sting” videos submitted by a Pro-Life advocacy group that have been repeatedly debunked by investigators.
• December 3rd, 2015: Democrats produce some common sense gun legislation, that anyone who is found to be on a terror watch list during a background check should not be allowed to purchase a firearm or explosives (which they could use to carry out a terror attack). Well, John McCain loves the Second Amendment way more than he hates terrorism, as he voted against it.
• December 3rd, 2015: McCain votes for the GOP’s 62nd attempt at repealing the Affordable Care Act. This in spite of the fact that the law is not just working, but better than experts predicted it would.
• January 20th, 2016: Sen. McCain votes for the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, reacting to the terror attacks in Paris by jihadists from France and Belgium by trying to create greater restrictions to keep out Syrian refugees, of whom exactly zero were involved in those attacks. One terrorist had a fake passport of a member of Assad's army, apparently to create a false trail to help in their escape, or hoping that the attacks would be blamed on Syrian refugees, and the governments of nations like France and the United States would fall for it and not allow refugees to escape ISIS abroad. And... the Senator fell for it.
• February 17th, 2016: McCain reverses position on nominating Supreme Court Justices in the final year of a president’s term, calling Barack Obama a “lame duck” with almost a year left in his term, and insisting that he would fight against any potential nominee to replace the late Antonin Scalia.
• April 28th, 2016: News breaks that a long time John McCain fundraiser and aide is arrested in Phoenix for running a methamphetamine ring out of her home, where her two children also live. The suspects arrested were also found to be in possession of LSD, cocaine, and heroin. McCain’s spokesman is quick to respond, and report the termination of the fundraiser from his staff.

And here in 2016, predictably, McCain has started trying to stumble back to the center because his U.S. Senate seat is up for re-election during a presidential election, where Democratic turnout is higher. To his right, his biggest threat is Kelli Ward, a member of the Arizona state legislature who once hosted a town hall meeting about Chemtrails (mental note: put Kelli Ward in the CSGOPOTD queue). His Democratic challenger is no creampuff, though, in the form of cagey Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, of Arizona’s 1st Congressional District.

John McCain himself has acknowledged that Donald Trump inserting himself into the GOP Presidential Primary caused a huge uptick in Hispanic voter registration (particularly in California and Arizona), that Trump hurts his chances, and that he considers this battle to be “the race of his life”. Ann Kirkpatrick has noticed, apparently, running her own campaign ad that shows John McCain from six years ago, declaring we should “fix the danged fence” while talk of Donald Trump’s “border wall” are front and center in the minds of Hispanic voters. McCain himself is one of the Republicans twisting themselves in knots over The Donald, at one minute reversing his stance on torture (again) to explain why Drumpf’s suggestions on the subject are “disappointing”, but then turning around and telling folks that Trump could be a “capable leader” if elected president. Which is amazing, considering Trump attacked McCain’s reputation as a war hero because “he was captured”, but then again, perhaps McCain saying kind things about Trump isn’t the best endorsement anyway, considering again that we’re still talking about the guy who elevated Sarah Palin to be a VP candidate eight years ago.

Arizona’s been a red state for years, obviously, but McCain, seeking his sixth term in office, could be rode out of DC on a rail by voters in the Grand Canyon State this year. Watch the McCain vs. Kirkpatrick match-up, closely.

[worstblogever]

Its ridiculous we dont have stricter gun laws by now. I mean look at Australia, they have stricter gun laws and they havent had a mass shooting in like 20 years!

Comparing to another country... Canada has had 8 mass shootings in 20 years. The United States had 7 in the past week.

[Shawn Hopkins]

This is one reason why. How long does it take to obtain an AR-15? How about seven minutes?

http://www.philly.com/philly/columni...html?mobi=true

That's how long it took me to buy an AR-15, the semiautomatic rifle used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

Seven minutes. From the moment I handed the salesperson my driver's license to the moment I passed my background check.

It likely will take more time than that during the forthcoming round of vigils to respectfully read the names of the more than 100 people who were killed or injured.

It's obscene.

Horrifying.

[Tami]

Armed Subject Reported at Texas Walmart, Police Say

If they say he bought the weapons at that Walmart, I'm gonna scream.

Authorities in Amarillo, Texas, are investigating reports of an armed subject inside a Walmart along I-27.

The subject may have hostages, according to the Amarillo Police Department. Police are asking people to avoid the area so officers can focus on the scene. At least one gunshot was fired, according to an eyewitness.

There are no known injuries at this time, the APD told ABC affiliate KVII in Amarillo. SWAT teams are en route to the scene, KVII reported.

[GreenLanternRanger]

Comparing to another country... Canada has had 8 mass shootings in 20 years. The United States had 7 in the past week.

Now that's just depressing, the U.S. really needs to get its act together. if Australia and Canada can do a good job of minimizing/eliminating stuff like this, there is no reason we shouldn't be able to do so as well!

Armed Subject Reported at Texas Walmart, Police Say

If they say he bought the weapons at that Walmart, I'm gonna scream.

I was just about to post about this, got beat to the punch I guess.


But yea, this is ridiculous, we really need to make it harder for these lunatics to get firearms. stuff like this should NOT happen as often as it does!

[Tazirai]

In a Well Regulated Militia. it is your Right. Show me where the individual has the right to bear arms Constitutionally outside of a militia?

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution reads: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Again context on the 2nd amendment.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

This is one reason why. How long does it take to obtain an AR-15? How about seven minutes?

http://www.philly.com/philly/columni...html?mobi=true

I had been busy off and on this morning, otherwise, I would've posted that article. Yeah, it's both disgusting, and terrifying. It's an ammosexual's wet dream.