tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post1415244856019575457..comments2024-03-25T05:30:23.847+11:00Comments on HotWhopper: Authoritarian Trump followers at WUWT celebrate USA's secession from the world (and reality)Souhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08818999735123752034noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-92227466778629131892017-02-02T09:14:51.140+11:002017-02-02T09:14:51.140+11:00Turns out along with all his other liabilities, ou...Turns out along with all his other liabilities, our latest recruit to Trumpworld, Gorsuch (Supreme Court), is an opponent of voting rights. People not familiar with how big and regionalized our country is perhaps cannot conceive that the studied takeover of local authorities, well within the range of the Koch billionaire network and others, has made it impossible to prevent voter suppression (say 1-3 percent, maybe even more) and outright theft. The public scandal in 2000, when the Florida governor (GWBush brother Jeb) and secretary of state (deeply partisan) and others colluded to override the glaringly obvious theft of thousands of votes. That doesn't even include the millions of Black people who were not even allowed to make their case due to arcane rules of representation (Gore, one possibility, was obviously not able to speak for them in the Senate). Since just after the Civil War jail has also been used to prevent Black people from voting, hence excessive incarceration beginning in schools. It's systemic, broad-based, and growing. The "fraud" accusations are meant to bolster these efforts.<br /><br />This means that Republicans have a stranglehold on large parts of the US, and in those parts also Fox/Breitbart are sole source "news".Susan Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935228911713362040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-4618461125675886122017-02-01T13:11:59.908+11:002017-02-01T13:11:59.908+11:00Gish Gallop as policy. No-one can possibly keep up...Gish Gallop as policy. No-one can possibly keep up with every(bad)thing that's going on - even the vast MSM simply doesn't have the bandwidth.<br /><br />Also, a lot of Americans take the whole 'freedom of religion' thing very, very seriously, and good on them. The kids and vets in the airports are the only positive image of the US there is right now, and the only thing that keeps hope burning in the international community that, as far as the US is concerned, there even is an international community!billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-45516665780905331562017-02-01T13:03:41.653+11:002017-02-01T13:03:41.653+11:00Wikileaks cheerfully does their bidding, so it'...Wikileaks cheerfully does their bidding, so it's not like they'd have a problem distributing their kompromat. This is a very real issue: if they decide they've got all they can hope to gain from a Trump/Bannon regime, or the GOP security establishment decides, no, the're not going to play the cheer squad while NATO collapses and/or Putin runs riot in the Ukraine the US is one 'pee party' tape or 'Trump gives Putin a free hand in Eastern Europe' recorded phone call away from total chaos.billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-14378316003540368432017-01-31T22:14:47.873+11:002017-01-31T22:14:47.873+11:00The Republican Party has veered into a fantasy wor...The Republican Party has veered into a fantasy world constructed of "alternative facts". Having done that, it seems likely it will inflict even worse creatures on us all in the future.<br /><br />But look at how the "opposition" is handling this. We are, it seems, more appalled at the travel ban than we are on Trump's destroying the futures of billions of people.Millicentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-74277311143200454822017-01-31T19:22:14.392+11:002017-01-31T19:22:14.392+11:00Mighty and Bill.
I look at what is unfolding as yo...Mighty and Bill.<br />I look at what is unfolding as you do and it is not exactly good.<br />A person in power who has an attitude that He is the most important person in the room/world.<br />I am frankly not confident that this jump into electing a person of zero knowledge about the world is going to end well.<br />I just hope the said person does not do something that will cause the rest of the world harm before he is impeached because of his mental stability.<br />johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-18552207138440675842017-01-31T18:09:56.959+11:002017-01-31T18:09:56.959+11:00What is going on in the US at the moment is astoni...What is going on in the US at the moment is astonishing. All that student-of-authoritarianism <a href="https://twitter.com/sarahkendzior" rel="nofollow">Sarah Kendzior</a> had prophesied - to much ridicule at the time from the 'maybe take him seriously but not literally' brigade - is coming true. This is not normal, and, if we're not careful (and are not prepared to fight) may never be normal again...billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-2915047035068335612017-01-31T00:21:50.619+11:002017-01-31T00:21:50.619+11:00Trump is a narcissist and knows how to communicate...Trump is a narcissist and knows how to communicate to the public to make himself popular (until he can't deliver). A narcissist can become very dangerous if others harm their self-image, which is likely to happen repeatedly to the US president. The media are never going to be Trump's friend because of this.<br /><br />Lets hope no major countries piss Trump off. I think Russia is playing of Trump's narcissistic tendencies. If they decide to play nasty they will know exactly the right buttons to push and how to direct his anger. I can imagine Russia leaking information derogatory to Trump, but making it look like another country.MightyDrunkennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-11780708977206167602017-01-30T07:19:37.769+11:002017-01-30T07:19:37.769+11:00Charlie Sykes is another right wing talk show host...Charlie Sykes is another right wing talk show host who has come to the conclusion that his efforts to "provide a balance" to the MSM have created a situation where his listeners don't believe anyone is telling the truth. Except Trump, of course, but why they trust him is still inexplicable to me. <br />http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/conservative-radio-host-admits-right-wing-media-created-monster-doesnt-believe-facts<br />FLwolverinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15714397414422766313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-90159449786952236692017-01-30T00:21:48.209+11:002017-01-30T00:21:48.209+11:00I think it is probably a little more complicated
...I think it is probably a little more complicated <br /><br />I think they "play to the gallery" quite a lot <br /><br />a friend of mine is a sports journalist - and gets invited onto sport radio shows to discuss "sport", it is quite clear to him that the more "controversial" he is, the more calls he generates and the more likely he is to be invited back. <br /><br />I don't want to over defend them, but am always surprised when they are on MSM they seem less bat sh1t crazy<br /><br />Even Delingpole, when on another flagship BBC TV programme, was nowhere near his hysterical brietbart self<br /><br /><br />Tadaaahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07736188830660481871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-77811573616604118622017-01-29T08:14:27.012+11:002017-01-29T08:14:27.012+11:00I suspect he's just jealous. He used to be the...I suspect he's just jealous. He used to be the shoutiest, the craziest. Now trump took his market!numerobisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-13277698176983022432017-01-28T20:57:05.070+11:002017-01-28T20:57:05.070+11:00From: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/amer...From: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-pressured-national-park-service-inauguration-crowd-claims-a7548676.html<br /><br />"For Trump, who sees himself and his achievements in superlative terms, the inauguration’s crowd size has been a source of grievance that he appears unable to put behind him."<br /><br />Yep.<br />Still the same issue as with Selina Scott.<br />But these are just those we know of, and in the grand scheme of things unimportant, save for what I says of the Prez and what that character flaw may cause in the future.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17614652735774985250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-15150135292841041522017-01-28T18:08:59.040+11:002017-01-28T18:08:59.040+11:00Beck, oddly, has courted scorn by breaking with Tr...Beck, oddly, has courted scorn by breaking with Trump. He did that before the election.Susan Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935228911713362040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-21340606461029070672017-01-28T08:05:29.936+11:002017-01-28T08:05:29.936+11:00Some libertarians may actually believe their ideol...Some libertarians may actually believe their ideology will make a better world, but the direct effect of their policies would benefit those who are now in power and hurt minorities. Some will find that attractive. Ronnienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-41549799051056966842017-01-28T07:05:11.600+11:002017-01-28T07:05:11.600+11:00Interestingly BBC's flagship Today programme h...Interestingly BBC's flagship Today programme had an interview with Glenn Beck this morning, the thrust of the interview was Glenn Beck admitting that the discourse from the right has become too shouty and create an unhealthy atmosphere<br /><br />not total unequivocal contrition, but it made a change <br /> Tadaaahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07736188830660481871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-72934958563127684902017-01-28T06:30:09.582+11:002017-01-28T06:30:09.582+11:00"I wouldn't be surprised to see him parad..."I wouldn't be surprised to see him parading naked, claiming he's wearing the most beautiful suit ever."<br /><br />Yes indeed, the "Emperor's naked" tale.<br />Another test would be how many of his acolytes would be prepared to give that degree of "buying-in" to his world if they thought it required by him?<br />Would any actually shout out "The King is in the all together, he's all together as naked as the day that he was born"<br />Or in more common terms, extreme "brown-nosing".<br />Vis the spokesman guy and his "alternative facts" (in non-rabbit-hole terms - lies/delusions) .... which can only be important to the puffed up Prezzy.<br />As someone said - if alternative facts are required to big up the Prez for trivial reasons such as that then what "alternative facts" will be uttered when it actually matters? When reporting on conversations with Putin for example.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17614652735774985250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-42678130798397902662017-01-28T05:26:39.446+11:002017-01-28T05:26:39.446+11:00"What makes it dangerous in Trump's case ..."What makes it dangerous in Trump's case is his vindictiveness, the need to bolster his ego by means of putting other people down."<br /><br />His vindictiveness is definitely a danger, but I also think his vanity is very worrying - he seems willing to believe anything and anyone that makes him look good, and reject anything that disagrees with his greatness. <br /><br />For example, his claims about the size of the crowds at his inauguration and the size of his electoral victory.<br /><br />I wouldn't be surprised to see him parading naked, claiming he's wearing the most beautiful suit ever.Bellmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04872924578152375407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-68380674143812087302017-01-28T01:36:10.476+11:002017-01-28T01:36:10.476+11:00Seeds of civil war in the US. It could implode.Seeds of civil war in the US. It could implode.cRR Kampenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07571285063752477448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-30697610211197586242017-01-28T01:16:39.276+11:002017-01-28T01:16:39.276+11:00Pursuing the principle that if we don't laugh ...Pursuing the principle that if we don't laugh we'll cry:<br /><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/gneBUA39mnI" rel="nofollow">The inauguration, (not so) Bad Lip Reading style</a>...Bernard J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16299073166371273808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-73484555291429574112017-01-28T00:30:49.670+11:002017-01-28T00:30:49.670+11:00NOAA is part of the Department of Commerce, EPA is...NOAA is part of the Department of Commerce, EPA is independent. But both report to the President, as does NASA. Independent just means that they don't have a cabinet officer between them and the president.Robert Grumbinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10783453972811796911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-83323859211442439252017-01-28T00:04:53.455+11:002017-01-28T00:04:53.455+11:00I read Altemeyer's book when he first stuck it...I read Altemeyer's book when he first stuck it up there on the web. I've been a skeptic for a good while now, and it's an excellent resource. Only takes a day to read. Also, this article is pertinent to our current struggle:<br /><br />http://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism<br /><br />Authoritarianism is there to stay in the U.S. - for a good while at least. How will America deal with it going forward is the question.<br /><br />And... as Susan said, I can also recommend <i>Dark Money</i>. It's a very well researched account of not only the Koch Brothers, but of the rise of the many RW think tanks, Donor's Trust, et. al.metzomagichttp://metzomagic.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-72563021889737245212017-01-27T22:27:28.910+11:002017-01-27T22:27:28.910+11:00Trump is a psychopath in the sense of being unable...Trump is a psychopath in the sense of being unable to empathise. I think many "successful" people are. It's how they get on, riding rough-shod over people to get their own ends. No qualms entering. Me me me. What makes it dangerous in Trump's case is his vindictiveness, the need to bolster his ego by means of putting other people down.<br />Just as a FI: See Selina Scott's account of here dealings with him...<br /><br />https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JdCZEFueoy8<br /><br />Years later he still goes on about her to Ruby Wax ....<br />https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nsqEoKkTyc0<br />Tony Bantonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12255065592950357838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-88619166336272751232017-01-27T22:19:02.975+11:002017-01-27T22:19:02.975+11:00Torture works? It works against cowards: people w...Torture works? It works against cowards: people who will tell you everything they know if you just show them the instruments. That would be the minority of people, the people who would also find excuses not to serve their country if their turn came. That would be draft dodgers like Trump or Bush. So when Trump says torture works, he is admitting something about himself.<br /><br />But people smart enough to create international terror networks do not share important secrets with cowards like Trump. So you would not get important information from a Trump-like guy who was floating around somewhere on the fringes of a terrorist organisation.<br /><br />And, of course, what you will get is more people motivated to hate you and to fight you. More terrorists.Millicentnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-28619800749730932822017-01-27T19:32:06.896+11:002017-01-27T19:32:06.896+11:00Sou, it's an interesting distinction. If you t...Sou, it's an interesting distinction. If you think of history, some of the cruelest people were probably incapable of perceiving the effects of others' pain while magnifying their own (I'm thinking of some of the Roman emperors from I Claudius (the book).) Being careful about the truth is a kind of unilateral disarmament these days.<br /><br />I was thinking something similar about Trump's latest on reinstituting torture reporting with Trump's own words: "torture works" he says. Even though I knew he held that position it was shocking to hear it again. Many of his voters want people hurt. Surprisingly, there are many who don't, but are willing to tune out the awful. Susan Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935228911713362040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-14473818832375585772017-01-27T19:19:03.156+11:002017-01-27T19:19:03.156+11:00HT, thanks for letting me know, and sorry. I thoug...HT, thanks for letting me know, and sorry. I thought they were OK when I put them in. Here they are without the html:<br /><br />NYTimes on what Trump can do:<br />https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/21/us/politics/what-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100-days-and-how-difficult-each-will-be.html<br /><br />"Fine Art of Sniffing Out Bullshit"<br />http://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Fine-Art-of-Sniffing-Out/238907<br /><br />I'm not surprised Orwell is bestselling. Entirely appropriate. It's not just trump, but electing TV actors without vetting them for skill or morality.<br /><br />I do think he enjoys hurting people, though I agree he is unable to empathize. Bear in mind that we've had him daily for over a year, and knew about him for decades before that. But he is deliberately cruel, whatever his motivation.<br /><br />There was that story about Ivana, but you could be right that it was all about him and he didn't perceive her as a person at all except as an unsatisfactory servant.<br />http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/24/documenting-trumps-abuse-of-women<br />"Hurt obtained a copy of her sworn divorce deposition, from 1990, in which she stated that, the previous year, her husband had raped her in a fit of rage. In Hurt’s account, Trump was furious that a “scalp reduction” operation he’d undergone to eliminate a bald spot had been unexpectedly painful. Ivana had recommended the plastic surgeon. In retaliation, Hurt wrote, Trump yanked out a handful of his wife’s hair, and then forced himself on her sexually. Afterward, according to the book, she spent the night locked in a bedroom, crying; in the morning, Trump asked her, “with menacing casualness, ‘Does it hurt?’ ” Trump has denied both the rape allegation and the suggestion that he had a scalp-reduction procedure. Hurt said that the incident, which is detailed in Ivana’s deposition, was confirmed by two of her friends."<br /><br />He is reported to have bullied other students in school as well.Susan Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16935228911713362040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313427464944392482.post-60083133467142255982017-01-27T18:55:21.746+11:002017-01-27T18:55:21.746+11:00Trump has picked out minorities.
Go get the book 1...Trump has picked out minorities.<br />Go get the book 1984 written by George Orwell.<br />That is exactly as is pointed out in that old book.<br />In fact look at how we are in the age of big brother the dear leader.<br />Your every movement being looked at mate this is exactly what was said in the book now we are living in this land of newspeak fake news.<br />Just look at the first 3 days of the new administration.<br />Fake fake ....... Sorry My hands are up I do not accept a person telling me fake facts end of story.johnnoreply@blogger.com