Old Man Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 I've long felt that energy independence should be one of our highest national priorities. Our biggest weakness right now, aside from our current leadership issues, is our ridiculous dependence on hostile foreign governments.* How much money do we send each year to countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Venezuela for energy? Screw that. US Energy Independence achievable by 2022 * Our unpayable debt to China is, of course, an even bigger problem, but that's a discussion for another day. I find that our debt to China is not a problem whatsoever, aside from being difficult to understand. As long as we're prioritizing, my personal priority is carbon dumping and the resulting climate change. Humans are so far behind in reducing carbon emissions that I believe CO2 will have to be actively removed from the air at considerable expense. The alternative is flooded cities, extreme weather, extinct fisheries and reefs, and forced global migration and starvation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 That's no way to treat the guy who gave you an election, dude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShomshak Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 Just heard on the radio: Donald Trump has fired FBI director James Comey. Ostensible reason given is his mishandling of the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails. Uh huh. Dean Shomshak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hopcroft Posted May 9, 2017 Report Share Posted May 9, 2017 "Where did that bus come from -- AAACK!" The message here is simple: If you help Donald Trump but in a way that might embarrass him in the future, Trump will NOT be grateful. He may not have a convenient Gulag to send you to, but if you become an inconvenience he will abandon you to your fate. Vladimir Putin seems to be learning the same lesson, which puts him (and us) in a very awkward position. Not necessarily nukes-at-twenty-paces awkward, but awkward enough for the Russian dictator to seriously wonder about the return on his investment. Especially after Le Pen's failure in France. France has no Electoral College. So rural, conservative areas of the country do not have the disproportionate influence they enjoy in the US. In the French system, the US election last year would have been interesting in different ways. Trump would probably have made the runoff, but he might have faced Sanders instead of Clinton in it. (Of course, he might have found his cart tied to a right-wing party that was pure ideologically but had little appeal to the broader electorate.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Comey is getting whacked because his agency is running the Russia investigation. Behold the opening line of the termination letter: "While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau." Note that "the judgment of the DOJ" is none other than Jeff Sessions, who we already know perjured himself on his Russia meetings on at least one occasion. Meanwhile, Reddit is blowing up. Selected comments from there: "House of Cards meets Veep, and not in a good way" "So wait Jeff Sessions pledged to recuse himself from the investigation, but he directly advises the president to fire the director of the FBI investigating him?" "dam i cant wait for nothing to come of this" "This whole thing reads like Tom Clancy with a head injury." "Lying under oath about meeting with enemy nations is fine. Lying about blowjobs, however, is super serious business." "Fire the person in charge of investigating you. Certainly the actions of an innocent man." "This season of "The Apprentice" is AMAZING...lol" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 I've long felt that energy independence should be one of our highest national priorities. Our biggest weakness right now, aside from our current leadership issues, is our ridiculous dependence on hostile foreign governments.* How much money do we send each year to countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Venezuela for energy? Screw that. Well, the country the United States imports at least a third of its foreign oil from, more than any other country and all of OPEC -- Canada -- didn't used to be hostile. Donald Trump seems to be working to change that, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 That March for Truth on June 3rd just got an order of magnitude larger, I'd reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher R Taylor Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 This is the point at which all the people who said Comey should be fired scream in horror because he was fired. FrankL and Sociotard 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 This is the point at which all the people who said Comey should be fired scream in horror because he was fired. Well, turns out context does matter, after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Well, the country the United States imports at least a third of its foreign oil from, more than any other country and all of OPEC -- Canada -- didn't used to be hostile. Donald Trump seems to be working to change that, though That figure is up to 43% as of 2015. Here's the thing, though--while the U.S. still imports foreign oil, it does export enough fossil fuel to make it impossible for Russia and the Saudis to drive up prices. Because those countries are petrostates, restricting their own exports merely cedes the market to the U.S. while crashing their own economies. In fact the Saudis have to drive prices downward in order to compete with American natural gas and try and drive shale oil out of business. And they are acutely aware that the explosive growth of renewable energy has put an expiration date on all their oil. Joe Walsh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iuz the Evil Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 I'm going to laugh my ass off when the next Administration fires the incoming FBI director and opens their investigation into the Trump Administration. There's a reason you don't open this can of worms when you are next on deck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Just heard on the radio: Donald Trump has fired FBI director James Comey. Ostensible reason given is his mishandling of the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails. Uh huh. Dean Shomshak He was the one guy, both sides could agree to hate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 But the timing of his firing raises all kinds of suspicion. I figured if there was any part of politics Trump understands, it's that appearance is more important than truth. Still, to be fair, this may have been a situation where his administration was screwed whatever Comey's disposition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 In a strange coincidence, shortly before Comey's firing, CNN learned that grand jury subpoenas had been issued to associates of Michael Flynn as part of the probe into Russian election interference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Meanwhile, in the mirror universe... Joe Walsh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 But the timing of his firing raises all kinds of suspicion. I figured if there was any part of politics Trump understands, it's that appearance is more important than truth. Still, to be fair, this may have been a situation where his administration was screwed whatever Comey's disposition. Yeah, I was expecting the boom to be laid down by February. No matter which side you're on, the Hillary stuff proved he wasn't up for the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DasBroot Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 It wouldn't surprise me if the reason he didn't let him go in February was because he was seeing how the investigation was shaping up. Looking good? He's 'learned his lesson' and 'deserves a second chance' and can be praised for 'exposing corruption'. Looking bad? He's 'prone to making the same mistakes', has 'used up his second chance', and can be condemned for having to reopen the investigation instead of 'getting it right the first time'. That's politics for you and hardly unique to Trump: Nobody gets fired until it's beneficial to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 I do hope that the Eastern District Court of Virginia issues a few indictments before any new director has an opportunity to shut down the investigation prematurely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 White House officials are already denying that there was ever a Russia investigation, so good luck. McConnell is already refusing to appoint a special prosecutor. It's over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Walsh Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 As usual, we had a surplus in April. But it was bigger than expected this time! Trump's saving you so much money you're going to get sick of counting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 White House officials are already denying that there was ever a Russia investigation, so good luck. McConnell is already refusing to appoint a special prosecutor. It's over. I'm not a defeatist, and I'm not giving up my country that easy. This thing is far from over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 White House officials are already denying that there was ever a Russia investigation, so good luck. McConnell is already refusing to appoint a special prosecutor. It's over. McConnell can't appoint a special prosecutor. Only the Attorney General can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Yeah, I was expecting the boom to be laid down by February. No matter which side you're on, the Hillary stuff proved he wasn't up for the job. They didn't confirm the Deputy Attorney General until two weeks ago, and he was the one who looked into the Comey matter. It does seem that the FBI Director did exceed his authority with the decision not to prosecute. That is the Attorney General's job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 McConnell can't appoint a special prosecutor. Only the Attorney General can. Congress can formally request the appointment of a special counsel, and/or pressure the administration into making it happen. But you are correct, the only person who can appoint a special prosecutor to investigate improper relations with Russia is the AG, who would be one of the prime suspects in that investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted May 10, 2017 Report Share Posted May 10, 2017 Congress can formally request the appointment of a special counsel, and/or pressure the administration into making it happen. But you are correct, the only person who can appoint a special prosecutor to investigate improper relations with Russia is the AG, who would be one of the prime suspects in that investigation. Of course the NSA Director testified that there is no collusion, and he would know because he monitors Russian communications. The Press reports lack credibility at this point. First they say there was a VISA court ruling, and then they deny it. The Democrats have to face the reality they lost because Hillary was a bad candidate. To blame Russia is just a crutch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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