Comments by "" (@DavidJ222) on "The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder"
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Lauren, who ran on a "law-and-order" platform, has had several dust-ups with police. This jailbird has a rap sheet unusually long for a member of Congress.
And her track record of thumbing her nose at the law continued after she tussled with Capitol Police officers over her refusal to walk through newly installed House metal detectors.
Back in June 2015, Boebert was cuffed for disorderly conduct at a country music festival near Grand Junction, Colo., after police said she attempted to interfere in the arrest of minors busted for underage drinking and encouraged the accused to run off.
While she was being handcuffed for disorderly conduct, Boebert tried to twist away from police, according to deputies’ reports. She allegedly shouted that her arrest was unconstitutional, that “she had friends at Fox News and that the arrest would be national news.” It did not become national news.
“Lauren continued yelling and causing the underage drinkers to become unruly,” an arresting officer said in a statement at the time.
Boebert subsequently missed two court appearances and was arrested again in December 2015.
A year later, in September 2016, Boebert was charged with careless driving and operating an unsafe vehicle after rolling her truck into a ditch, police said. When she failed to show up for court a month later, a warrant was issued for her arrest. She was booked on Feb. 13, 2017. She ultimately pleaded guilty to the unsafe vehicle charge and paid $123.50 in fines and court costs.
In September 2010, Boebert was arrested after a neighbor accused Boebert’s two pit bulls of attackingHer dog. Boebert pleaded guilty to a single count of “dog at large."
Boebert’s future husband, Jayson, also had brushes with law enforcement. In January 2004, he was arrested after exposing his himself to two women at a bowling alley, according to an arrest affidavit. Lauren Boebert (then age 17 ) was also there. Jayson Boebert pleaded guilty to public indecency and lewd exposure, earning himself four days in jail and two years probation.
In February 2004, he was booked on a domestic violenceCharge, against Lauren. He “did unlawfully strike, shove or kick … and subjected her to physical contact,” a spokesman for the Garfield associate county court clerk stated.They had been dating at the time. Jayson Boebert ultimately served seven days in jail.
In May 2004. during an altercation with Jayson at his home, she scratched his face and chest and trashed his residence, according to a police report. She was slapped with third-degree assault, criminal mischief and underage drinking charges. A rep for the Garfield County Combined Court said they could not reveal any information about the case’s final disposition.
This is what "law & order" and conservative Christian values looks like. 🤣🤣
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"The buck stops with me."
-- President Biden, 08/20/2021
As president, Biden took responsibility for the chaos of the Afghan withdrawal.
'No, I don't take responsibility at all'."
--Trump 03/13/2020
Trump deflects blame for his coronavirus testing debacle, and the soaring number of infections.
Personally, I like presidents who don't dodge drafts or responsibility.
Imagine that you and a partner have been in a 20 year life or death struggle with a common enemy. A fight where you have both bled together. And then one day, your partner decides to enter into peace talks with your common enemy, but decides to exclude you from the negotiations. Your partner then signs a peace agreement with this terrorist organization, that doesn't include you at all. It doesn't even mention you. That's exactly what Trump did to the Afghan army, the Afghan government, and the Afghan people.
Why would anyone think that cleaning up a 20 year debacle would be easy or pretty? Especially in a country like Afghanistan, and especially after the deal that Trump made.
Name one thing about Afghanistan that has ever been easy, pretty, or smooth.
So far, the US and it's partners have evacuated about 105,000 people since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban entered Kabul. That's an outstanding number considering the chaotic situation on the ground there.
Keep it up President Biden.👍👍
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In 1984, with a briefcase in hand, Kerry Noble walked into a Kansas City, Mo church with intentions of blowing it up. He waited for his opportunity as he sat among a crowd of about 60 people.
"All I had to do was hit the timer and walk out," Noble said. "About 10 or 15 minutes later, there'd be an explosion, and everyone would dye."
Noble said he thought he was going to start a revolution. (Sound familiar?)
But as Noble sat among the crowd, he put a face to his "enemy." And his "enemy" appeared no different than anyone else. He thought of the consequences--of what would have amounted to the largest terrorist attack in America at the time. Then, he picked up the briefcase and left.
Noble joined other former cult members and experts back in 2002 at APA's Annual Convention in Chicago during the session "Cults of ha.tred" to speak out on the effects of mind control and destructive cults. To fully understand the psychological factors that lead to terrorism, the answers might lie in understanding cults.
Deborah Layton has encouraged more help for mind-control victims. "It can happen to the best of us," Layton said. At age 18, in the early 1970s, Layton's need for belonging attracted her to the Peoples Temple, a group that offered her a sense of comfort and answers to life. The leader, JimJones, made her feel like she was joining the Peace Corps. A few years later, Layton went to Jonestown.
"Everyone was forbidden from reading anything because Jones said they were liars," said Layton. "He called it FAKE NEWS…. Jones coined fake news. Anything that was written about him he said was fake. It was all to ruin his name and his cause, and what he stood for."
She escaped from Jonestown in 1978 and reported to police about activities there. She later said she felt ashamed at being warped into a cult. Steve Hassan, a former cult member and licensed mental health counselor who specializes in helping those in destructive cults, says recovery from a cult's mind control can be facilitated if victims attain the proper information, support and interventions from former cult members.
A destructive cult is an authoritarian regime that often uses behavior modification on followers, such as thought- stopping techniques and instilling an "us-versus-them" mindset, Hassan said. With thought-stopping techniques, members are taught to stop doubts from entering their consciousness about the cult, often with a key phrase they repeat. Phobia indoctrination is also used, where cults play on a person's irrational fears.
As we've all seen, when it comes to the warning signs and characteristics of a destructive cult, Trumpism"/Q" checks most of the boxes.
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"I pledge allegiance, to Lord King Donald Trump, of the Dystopian States of America, and to the monarchy for which he stands, one ruler, the chosen god, with oppression and subjugation for all."
---Trump supporters
Putin, Kim Jong Un, Saudi Royal MBS, and Xi Jinping all have one thing in common. They are all brutal strongmen and dictators who demand respect, obedience, loyalty, and want their followers to willingly believe and do anything they tell them. This is exactly why Trump has a sick and demented admiration for these tyrants. He sees himself as one of them.
Trump: “ Kim Jong Un speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.” Trump later said anyone who doesn’t cheer for anything he says is a traitor committing treason..
It doesn’t matter to Trump cultists that he chooses to side with Russia, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia over America, because all Trump has to do is hold a rally, hug the American flag, while telling the crowd to shout, “U-S-A!” And then all of a sudden, that warm and fuzzy feeling of counterfeit patriotism washes over them.
At a rally held by Steve Bannon this past March, an angry and hostile woman took the mic and said, “Never in my life did I think I would like to see a dictator, but if there’s gonna be one, I want it to be Trump!” which was met with loud cheers and applause from Bannon and the crowd of cultists. It goes without saying that any American who would cheer for that, doesn't believe in liberty, freedom, or the Constitution. Anyone American that cheers for that clearly supports fascism and dictatorships. Trump's cultists don't want an elected official to govern on behalf of the people, they want an authoritarian dictator who will force his will on the nation, and punish anyone who doesn't submit to dogmatic obedience.
Trump cultists like to talk about how much theylove and support our troops and veterans, then continue to worship a man who steps on the military every chance he gets. Trump promised he would donate to military charities, then didn’t, then lied about it. He attacked John McCain during the campaign for no reason, attacked him throughout his term, and continues to attack McCain after his passing. He even made the Navy cover-up the name of the USS John McCain during his trip to Pearl Harbor. That was pretty low even for Trump.
When Republican Congressman and war veteran Dan Crenshaw, who lost his eye in combat serving this country, tweeted to Trump, “Seriously stop talking about Senator John McCain,” Trump supporters turned on veteran Crenshaw and harassed, threatened and insulted him on twitter. They defended a known coward and draft dodger, and attacked Crenshaw, a wounded war veteran who served this country honorably. Let that sink in for a moment.
At a rally in August 2016, a war veteran presented his Purple Heart medal to Trump, and he took it and said, “I always wanted one of these, this way is much easier.” Utterly disgusting.
No other politician, Republican or Democrat, would have EVER accepted that from a veteran.
Semper Fi..
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The 14 characteristics of fascism:
• Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
• Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
• Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; socialists, terrorists, etc.
• Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
• Rampant 5exism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition ToAbortion is high, as isHomophobiaAnd antiGay legislation and national policy.
• Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
• Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
• Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
• Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
• Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
• Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
• Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
• Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
• Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
As you can see, when it comes to fascism, Trump and supporters check all the boxes.
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Everyone makes mistakes, but the wisest people know it, admit it, and accept it. The greatest failure is failing to recognize our proneness to mistakes.
"The buck stops with me."
-- President Biden, 08/20/2021
As president, Biden takes responsibility for the chaos of the Afghan withdrawal.
'No, I don't take responsibility at all'."
--Trump 03/13/2020
Trump deflects blame for his coronavirus testing debacle, and the soaring number of infections.
Personally, I like presidents who don't dodge drafts or responsibility.
History teaches that there has been a long-running battle with fear of the truth. People mistakenly fail to admit the truth, and in so doing, help to perpetuate recorded falsehoods. And if it’s not fear, then it’s distortion of the truth to promote a personal or political cause.
Loyalty to the truth should be the ultimate goal of the historian and the reader.
What can the individual learn from history — as a guide to living? Not what to do, but what to strive for. And what to avoid in striving. The importance and intrinsic value of behaving decently. The importance of seeing clearly—not least of, seeing yourself clearly.
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JimJones was the leader of the Peoples Temple, a ministry of his own devising that convinced hundreds of Americans to move to his compound, known as Jonestown, in Guyana.
"He was a master of manipulation, but you saw him with this dark hair, the sunglasses, and the way that he spoke -- he was a great orator -- and it moved you, it inspired you because he was so passionate. And so I was just enthralled," said former Peoples Temple member Leslie Wagner-Wilson.
As time went on, former members said Jones became more extreme.
In 1974, Jones leased more than 3,800 acres of isolated land in the jungle from the Guyanese government. By 1978, nearly 1,000 followers had moved to the Guyana compound. Having been forced to give up their passports and money upon arrival, some former members said they were cut off from the outside world.
"Everyone was forbidden from reading anything because Jones said they were liars," said former member Deborah Layton. "He called it FAKE NEWS…. Jones coined fake news. Anything that was written about him he said was fake. It was all to ruin his name and his cause, and what he stood for."
A cult environment like "Qanon" and Trumpism discourages critical thinking, making it hard to voice doubts, when everyone around you is displaying dogmatic faith and obedience to their leader. A process of indoctrination is in use that can be seen as coercive persuasion, or thought reform, commonly called "brainwashing." The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps them trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit that you've been deceived.
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On Aug. 7, 1974, Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., House Minority Leader John Rhodes, R-Ariz., and Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, R-Pa., made it clear to Nixon that he faced all-but-certain impeachment, conviction, and removal from office in connection with the Watergate scandal...
Nixon announced his resignation the next day, which would be effective at noon on Aug 9, 1974..
In his 2006 book "Conservatives Without Conscience," former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean wrote that the Capitol Hill trio "traveled to the White House to tell Nixon it was time to resign."
In his 1988 autobiography, Goldwater wrote that after hearing their grim assessment, Nixon "knew beyond any doubt that one way or another his presidency was finished."
This was back when the Republican party still had at least a modicum of dignity, decency, integrity, and a sense of right and wrong. Today, thanks to DT, McConnell, McCarthy, Cruz, Graham, Nunes, Jordan, Hawley, Meadows, and others, the wholesale corruption of the GOP is now complete.
The Republican Party is now led by a kleptocratic crime boss who ruled over the most scandal-ridden administration in history. Nixon’s administration may have been riddled with criminality—but in 1973, the Republican Party was still a somewhat normal party, that still played by the rules, so Nixon was forced to resign. But not anymore. Those days are long gone.
The corruption we see in the Republican party today can be defined as institutional depravity. It isn’t an occasional failure to uphold norms, but a consistent repudiation of them. It isn’t about dirty money so much as the pursuit and abuse of power—power as an end in itself, justifying almost any means.
DT is now the grotesque face of the rot within the party itself. And it reeks of corruption, paranoia, fasc.ism, wild conspiracy theories, rac.ism and other types of hostility toward entire groups. DT is no different than his authoritarian counterparts abroad: immoral, demagogic, hostile to institutional checks, demanding and receiving demagogic obedience and protection from the party, and knee-deep in the financial corruption that is integral to the political corruption of authoritarian regimes..
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On Aug. 7, 1974, Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., House Minority Leader John Rhodes, R-Ariz., and Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, R-Pa., made it clear to Nixon that he faced all-but-certain impeachment, conviction, and removal from office in connection with the Watergate scandal.
Nixon announced his resignation the next day, effective at noon on Aug 9, 1974.
In his 2006 book "Conservatives Without Conscience," former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean wrote that the Capitol Hill trio "traveled to the White House to tell Nixon it was time to resign."
In his 1988 autobiography, Goldwater wrote that after hearing their grim assessment, Nixon "knew beyond any doubt that one way or another his presidency was finished."
Nixon was all but certain to be removed from office for far less than what Trump has done. So was Nixon's impeachment a coup as well?
Earlier on Capitol Hill, McCarthy said that Trump's impeachment was the weakest and thinnest impeachment in the history of America. Well that is just patently absurd. The weakest and thinnest impeachment in the history of America was when republicans impeached a sitting President for lying about a bj. If lying about a bj was the worst thing a president ever did, America would have no problems at all.
John Dean served as White House counsel to Nixon from 1970 to 73, he was a key figure in the Watergate saga—participating in, and then helping to expose, the most iconic political scandal in modern U.S. history at the time. Today Dean believes Trump could be one of the most corrupt presidents ever—and get away with it...
“The American presidency has never been at the whims of an authoritarian personality like Donald Trump,” Dean stated. “He is going to test our democracy as it has never been tested."
Dean stated that he is not only convinced that Trump will be worse than Nixon in virtually every way—he thinks he’ll probably get away with it.
“I used to have one-on-one conversations with Nixon, where I’d see him checking his more authoritarian tendencies,” Dean recalled. “He’d say, ‘This is something I can’t say out loud...’ or, ‘That is something the president can’t do.’” To Dean, these moments suggested a functioning sense of shame in Nixon, something he was forced to wrestle with in his quest for power.. Trump, by contrast, appears to Dean unmolested by any such struggle." Dean went even further in his assessment, stating: “I don’t think Richard Nixon even comes close to the level of corruption we already know about Trump.”
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A cult leader is also a master of manipulating information, so that his followers will only trust details that come from him. This is what Trump accomplishes every time he cries "fake news" or discredits a reporter as "terrible" or "nasty." He knows that Americans have access to all sorts of information, so he has to make his followers distrust other sources.
A cult environment like "Q" and Trumpism discourages critical thinking, making it hard to voice doubts, when everyone around you is displaying dogmatic faith and obedience to their leader. A process of indoctrination is in use that can be seen as coercive persuasion, or thought reform, commonly called "brainwashing". The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps them trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit that you've been deceived..
Steven Hassan, is an expert in cults and an ex-Moonie cult member (as in the Unification Church, founded by a Korean businessman, Sun Myung Moon), published “The Cult of Trump” last spring. When polled, Trump cultists come across as having abandoned their commitment to libertarianism, family values or simple logic in favor of Trump worship. They’re lost to paranoia and farcical talking points, just the way Hassan was lost to Sun Myung Moon.
Hassan remembers, during his Moonie days, shouting, “I don’t care if Moon is like Adolf-H. I’ve chosen to follow him, and I’ll follow him to the end." Hassan finally broke free, and became an expert on cults and how to leave them. He has spent his career proving it’s possible.
When they are finally confronted with truth and reality, many cults and their leaders — as we remember from the likes of Jim Jones, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians — come to a catastrophic end.
Psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, who taught at Harvard Medical School, wrote a paper titled Cult Formation in the early 1980s. He delineated primary characteristics, which are the most common features shared by destructive cults, destructive cults like Trumpism..
1. A charismatic leader, who increasingly becomes an object of worship as the general principles that may have originally sustained the group lose power. That is a living leader, who has no meaningful accountability and becomes the single most defining element of the group and its source of power and authority.
2. A process of indoctrination or education is in use that can be seen as coercive persuasion or thought reform commonly called "brainwashing".
The culmination of this process can be seen by members of the group often doing things that are not in their own best interest, but consistently in the best interest of its leader.
3. The exploitation of group members by the leader and the ruling members.
Here are some warning signs of a potentially unsafe group or leader.
• Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
• No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
• No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget or expenses, such as an independently audited financial statement.
• Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
• Former followers are always wrong for leaving, negative or even evil.
• The group/leader is always right.
• The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is acceptable or credible.
"This man is a genius at every level! Why can't we all be like him? He must be something special, and we are clearly not. Ergo, let's listen to him since he knows best."
-- Trump supporters
As we've all seen, when it comes to the warning signs and characteristics of a cult, Trump and his followers check most of the boxes..
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Any "deal" that Trump makes is guaranteed to end badly.
The Trump White House agreed to a May 1 troop withdrawal. Biden had to decide whether to honor a deal that included the Taliban, but not the Afghan government.
The question everyone should be asking, is why did Trump make a deal with the Taliban, a designated terrorist organization, and why was the Afghan government left out of the negotiations?
It's almost as if Trump and the Taliban plotted against the Afghan government and the people.
Trump was negotiating with the Taliban about whether or not to remove our troops, and NOT with the Afghan government, which was hosting our troops.
The Republican National Committee has conveniently removed an inconvenient webpage from 2020 in which it praised Trump for signing a "historic peace agreement with the Taliban."
The page had been removed with the web address redirecting to a 404 error page featuring the quip: "It looks like you're as lost as Biden is."
Featured as part of a section titled "President Trump Is Bringing Peace In The Middle East," the page described how Trump had "continued to take the lead in peace talks."
In the now-deleted GOP webpage, it is stated that Trump negotiated a deal for the withdrawals by May 2021 "in exchange for a Taliban agreement to not allow Afghanistan to be used for transnational terrorism."
Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the organization's current political chief, was released from a Pakistani jail at Trump’s request.
Remember when Trump wanted to invite the Taliban to Camp David? I do
The UK's defense minister blamed the chaos in Afghanistan on Trump on Monday.
UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace has pointed the finger at Trump.
He told "BBC Breakfast" on Monday: "The die was cast when the deal was done by Donald Trump, if you want my observation."
"President Biden inherited a momentum, a momentum that had been given to the Taliban because they felt they had now won. He'd also inherited a momentum of troop withdrawal from the international community, the US."
"So I think in that sense, the seeds of what we're seeing today were before President Biden took office. The seeds were a peace deal that was effectively rushed, that wasn't done in collaboration properly with the international community and then a dividend taken out incredibly quickly."
He had previously called Trump's deal "rotten" and said the international community would likely "pay the consequences."
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History will mark Aug. 15, 2021, as the date that the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban retook control over this troubled and war-torn country. But the real date that the Taliban's victory was assured is Feb. 29, 2020, the day the Trump administration signed what it characterized as a "peace" deal with the Taliban. Once this agreement was signed - the tragic collapse we witnessed was inevitable.
The agreement was not, and could not possibly have been, a "peace" deal, since one of the parties currently at war - the Afghan government - was not a signatory.
What did the US gain in exchange for this withdrawal? Nothing but vague, unenforceable promises that the Taliban would not engage in hostilities against the departing U.S. troops and would "send a clear message" to al Qaeda that it "had no place" in Afghanistan. So eager was Trump to withdraw, we did not even hold out for a clear, firm commitment that the Taliban would not provide aid, safe harbor or weaponry to al Qaeda and like-minded groups. The agreement contained no enforcement mechanisms and included no penalties on the Taliban for failing to comply with its terms.
The fact that Trump entered into negotiations and then an agreement with the Taliban, without even inviting the Afghan government to the table, undercut the power and legitimacy of the government. The citizenry, including those in the national armed services and police, could plainly see that its own government was being ignored, a helpless bystander in critical discussions about the country's future. After we had cut the legs out from under this government and rendered it a paper tiger, it is no wonder that when those serving in the Afghan army and police were asked to fight, most said, "No, thanks."
Once the agreement was signed, the fate of the Afghan government was signed, sealed and delivered - the Taliban had practically won the war. There was no way that the government could possibly survive.
A genuine peace deal would have made our withdrawal contingent on the progress of peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban. But it did not. Trump agreed unconditionally to bring down U.S. troop levels to 8,600 by mid-July 2020 and totally withdraw by May 2021.
In August, Trump voluntarily cut troop levels down to 4,500, even more quickly than required by the agreement, even though negotiations had not even begun. This was a clear signal there would be no linkage between withdrawals and peace. Trump had already announced that there would be only 2,500 troops in Afghanistan by the time he left office.
This only emboldened the Taliban. They started taking even more territory, and more quickly than it had in years. As the Taliban's power increased, it had even less reason to engage in peace negotiations with the Afghan government.
To break the Taliban's momentum on the ground this spring, the Biden administration would have had to not only break the Trump withdrawal agreement, but also deploy more troops and get them more deeply involved in the fighting.
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History will record Aug. 15, 2021, as the date that the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban retook control over that troubled and war-torn country. But the real date that the Taliban's victory was assured is Feb. 29, 2020, the day the Trump administration signed what it characterized as a "peace" deal with the Taliban. Once this agreement was signed - the tragic collapse we witnessed was inevitable.
After Trump had cut the legs out from under the Afghan government and rendered it a paper tiger, it is no wonder that when those serving in the Afghan army and police were asked to fight, most said, "No, thanks."
Once the agreement was signed, the fate of the Afghan government was signed, sealed and delivered - the Taliban had practically won the war. There was no way that the government could possibly survive.
And why would anyone think that cleaning up a 20 year debacle would be easy or pretty? Especially in a country like Afghanistan, and especially after the deal that Trump made.
Name one thing about Afghanistan that has ever been easy, pretty, or smooth.
So far, the US and it's partners have evacuated about 105,000 people since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban entered Kabul. That's an outstanding number considering the chaotic situation on the ground there.
Keep it up President Biden.👍👍
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History will record Aug. 15, 2021, as the date that the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban retook control over that troubled and war-torn country. But the real date that the Taliban's victory was assured is Feb. 29, 2020, the day the Trump administration signed what it characterized as a "peace" deal with the Taliban. Once this agreement was signed - the tragic collapse we witnessed was inevitable.
Imagine that you and a partner have been in a 20 year life or death struggle with a common enemy. A fight where you have both bled together. And then one day, your partner decides to enter into peace talks with your common enemy, but decides to exclude you from the negotiations. Your partner then signs a peace agreement with this terrorist organization, that doesn't include you at all. It doesn't even mention you. That's exactly what Trump did to the Afghan army, the Afghan government, and the Afghan people.
After Trump had cut the legs out from under the Afghan government and rendered it a paper tiger, it is no wonder that when those serving in the Afghan army and police were asked to fight, most said, "No, thanks."
Once the agreement was signed, the fate of the Afghan government was signed, sealed and delivered - the Taliban had practically won the war. There was no way that the government could possibly survive.
And why would anyone think that cleaning up a 20 year debacle would be easy or pretty? Especially in a country like Afghanistan, and especially after the deal that Trump made.
Name one thing about Afghanistan that has ever been easy, pretty, or smooth.
So far, the US and it's partners have evacuated about 105,000 people since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban entered Kabul. That's an outstanding number considering the chaotic situation on the ground there.
Keep it up President Biden.👍👍
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"Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million,” Trump told a crowd at an Alabama rally on Aug. 21, 2015. “Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.”
Saudi Prince Mohammed bragged to confidants and to the Emirati Crown Prince, that he has Jared Kushner in his pocket.
Jared Kushner made an unannounced trip to Riyad in October of last year, catching some intelligence officials off guard. Kushner and Saudi Royal Prince Mohammed are said to have stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. several nights, swapping stories and planning strategy.
After the meeting, Crown Prince Mohammed told confidants that he has Kushner in jis pockets, and that Kushner had discussed the names of Saudis disloyal to the crown prince, according to three sources who have been in contact with members of the Saudi and Emirati royal families since crackdown ordered by the Prince Mohammed.
Kushner had access to Trump's daily security briefing, a highly sensitive intelligence update meant to be seen by only the president and his top advisers, before being stripped of his top-secret security clearance.
Before losing that access, Kushner was particularly interested in information about the Middle East, citing several former White House and US government officials.
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Remember when Trump wanted to invite the Taliban to Camp David? I do.
Ultimately the "deal" Trump made with the Taliban wasn't just a deal, it was also a double-cross. The double-cross was baked into the deal. Because he betrayed the Afghan government, the Afghan army, and the Afghan people with that deal.
History will record Aug. 15, 2021, as the date that the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban retook control over that troubled and war-torn country. But the real date that the Taliban's victory was assured is Feb. 29, 2020, the day the Trump administration signed what it characterized as a "peace" deal with the Taliban. Once this agreement was signed - the tragic collapse we witnessed was inevitable.
Imagine that you and a partner have been in a 20 year life or death struggle with a common enemy. A fight where you have both bled together. And then one day, your partner decides to enter into peace talks with your common enemy, but decides to exclude you from the negotiations. Your partner then signs a peace agreement with this terrorist organization, that doesn't include you at all. It doesn't even mention you. That's exactly what Trump did to the Afghan army, the Afghan government, and the Afghan people.
This only emboldened the Taliban. They started taking even more territory, and more quickly than it had in years. As the Taliban's power increased, it had even less reason to engage in peace negotiations with the Afghan government.
Once the agreement was signed, the fate of the Afghan government was signed, sealed and delivered. There was no way that the government could possibly survive.
And why would anyone think that cleaning up the 20 year debacle that is Afghanistan would be easy or pretty? Especially in a country like Afghanistan, and especially after the "deal" that Trump made.
Name one thing about Afghanistan that has ever been easy, pretty, or smooth.
So far, the US and it's partners have done something that's never been done before.
They've evacuated more than 109,000 people by airlift since Aug. 14, the day before the Taliban entered Kabul. That's an historic number, especially considering the chaotic situation on the ground there.
Keep it up President Biden.👍👍
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In their never ending quest to "own the libs"
It appears that MAGAs have resorted to ingesting a drug that's used for deworming horses and livestock. You can't make this stuff up folks.
Mississippi health officials are warning residents against using ivermectin, a horse dewormer medication, to treat COVID infections at home amid a spike in poisoningCalls to the MississippiPoison Control Center.
The Mississippi Department of Health sent a letter out to to the MS Health Alert Network on Friday warning health professionals of the spike inPoisonings from individuals digesting ivermectin.
Mississippi’s PoisonControl is reporting an alarming uptick in calls from people who took a drug bought at a feed store meant to deworm livestock.
Some believe it will help with COVID, but veterinary experts warn if you buy it at a feed store, it could possibly leave you paralyzed.
“Everyday, everyday, people, phone calls, phone calls, people coming in,” Raina Boudreaux at Double M Feed, Garden & Pet Supply describes.
Boudreaux says it started a month ago.
“It has been flying off the shelves and as of right now, it’s very hard for us to even get,” Boudreaux said.
Mississippi’s Health Department put out a warning because poison control reports said at least 70% of the recent calls have been related to ingestion of Ivermectin meant for livestock.
Ivermectin gained popularity over social media among anti-vaxxers/anti-maskers, via Fox News, as a COVID cure and preventative treatment, even though the FDA has not approved it for that purpose and explicitly tells people not to take it for COVID.
Louisiana’s PoisonControl says it’s received calls from 18 people who have taken the drug.
Some of the symptoms individuals can experience are rash, nauseaVomiting, abdominal pain, neurologic disorders, and sometimes severe hepatitis.
SWEET!!! That sounds delightful.🤣
Thanks for tuning into another episode of, Zero Libs Owned. 🤣
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Saudis definitely knew how to turn our own planes into bombs, and fly them into buildings Kamikaze style. Ignorance is strength, is the motto of Trumpism. Trump has been in office 2 years, and he has yet to visit our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, or anywhere for that matter. But he has visited Kim Jung Un in Singapore, where he saluted a NK general. He also visited his muse Putin, in Helsinki, and his 1st trip outside the US, was to Saudi Arabia, where he did the sword dance. Trump and his crime family's pockets are filled with Saudi money, and Russian money as well.
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Who does Laura think she's fooling?
In Trump's book, The Art of the Deal, he brags about being an out of comtrol violent kid.
"Even in elementary school, I was a very assertive, aggressive kid. In the second grade I actually gave a teacher a black eye — I punched my music teacher because I didn't think he knew anything about music and I almost got expelled. I'm not proud of that but it's clear evidence that even early on I had a tendency to stand up and make my opinions known in a very forceful way."
During his rally In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on the day of the Iowa caucuses, he told his crowd of cultists he would pay their legal fees if they engaged in violence against protesters.
"If you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously, OK? Just knock the hell ... I promise you I will pay for the legal fees. I promise, I promise," he said on Feb. 1, 2016.
At a Las Vegas rally later that month, he said security guards were too gentle with a protester. "He's walking out with big high-fives, smiling, laughing," Trump said. "I'd like to punch him in the face, I'll tell you."
A similar situation unfolded at a rally that month in Warren, Michigan.
"Get him out," he said of a protester. "Try not to hurt him. If you do, I'll defend you in court. Don't worry about it."
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Time and time again, republicans like CruzAbbottPerry continue to prove why they are incapable of leading or governing. It's a catastrophic combination of indifference, incompetence, indecency, insatiable greed, and lusts for power.
The mayor of Colorado City, TX has resigned amid a controversy over a FB post in which he said it is not the local government's responsibility to support residents in the wake of catastrophic weather and power outages this week.
TimBoyd, who was mayor of Colorado City, made his original, typo-ridden post Tuesday morning, writing that “no one owes you are your family anything; nor is it the local government’s responsibility to support you during trying times like this! … The City and County, along with power providers or any other service owes you NOTHING!” 😲😲
Boyd continued at length, saying that he was “sick&tired” of people looking for handouts and that the current situation is “sadly a product of a socialist government.” 😲
This ladies & gentlemen, is why you never vote republican. Any questions?
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Allowing Trump to run for election in 2024, would've been like allowing Nixon to run for election again in 1976.
On Aug. 7, 1974, Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz., House Minority Leader John Rhodes, R-Ariz., and Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott, R-Pa., made it clear to Nixon that he faced all-but-certain impeachment, conviction, and removal from office in connection with the Watergate scandal...
Nixon announced his resignation the next day, which would be effective at noon on Aug 9, 1974.
In his 2006 book "Conservatives Without Conscience," former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean wrote that the Capitol Hill trio "traveled to the White House to tell Nixon it was time to resign."
In his 1988 autobiography, Goldwater wrote that after hearing their grim assessment, Nixon "knew beyond any doubt, that one way or another, his presidency was finished."
This was back when the Republican party still had at least a modicum of dignity, decency, integrity, and a sense of right and wrong. Those days are long gone.
Allowing Trump to run for election in 2024, would've been like allowing Nixon to run for election again in 1976..
Today, thanks to Trump, McCarthy, and others, the wholesale corruption of the GOP is now complete.
The Republican Party is now led by a kleptocratic crimeBoss who ruled over the most scandal-ridden administration in history. Nixon’s administration may have been riddled with criminality—but in 1973, the Republican Party was still a somewhat normal party, that still played by the rules, so Nixon was forced to resign. But not anymore. Those days are long gone.
The corruption we see in the Republican party today can be defined as institutional depravity. It isn’t an occasional failure to uphold norms, but a consistent repudiation of them. It isn’t about dirty money so much as the pursuit and abuse of power—power as an end in itself, justifying almost any means.
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