President-Elect Donald Trump: The Thread

[StrangeSox]

Tillerson would have made more sense for energy, too, but these positions are being intentionally filled by people who will destroy the departments from within.

[Quin]

A secret U.S. military investigation in 2010 determined that Michael T. Flynn, the retired Army general tapped to serve as national security adviser in the Trump White House, “inappropriately shared” classified information with foreign military officers in Afghanistan, newly released documents show.

 

Although Flynn lacked authorization to share the classified material, he was not disciplined or reprimanded after the investigation concluded that he did not act “knowingly” and that “there was no actual or potential damage to national security as a result,” according to Army records obtained by The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act.

 

...

 

At the Republican National Convention in July, Flynn called on Clinton to drop out of the race for putting “our nation’s security at extremely high risk with her careless use of a private email server.” He egged on the partisan crowd in chants of “lock her up,” adding: “If I, a guy who knows this business, if I did a tenth, a tenth of what she did, I would be in jail today.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nation...m=.a10a7e97d228

 

So, I guess LOCK HIM UP? Right?

[StrangeSox]

Every single thing that came from Trump's campaign was just projection.

[StrangeSox]

Betsy DeVos and God’s Plan for Schools

 

BOSTON — At the rightmost edge of the Christian conservative movement, there are those who dream of turning the United States into a Christian republic subject to “biblical laws.” In the unlikely figure of Donald J. Trump, they hope to have found their greatest champion yet. He wasn’t “our preferred candidate,” the Christian nationalist David Barton said in June, but he could be “God’s candidate.”

 

Consider the president-elect’s first move on public education. Jerry Falwell Jr., the president of Liberty University, the largest Christian university in the nation, says that he was Mr. Trump’s first pick for secretary of education. Liberty University teaches creationism alongside evolution.

 

When Mr. Falwell declined, President-elect Trump offered the cabinet position to Betsy DeVos. In most news coverage, Ms. DeVos is depicted as a member of the Republican donor class and a leading advocate of school vouchers programs.

 

That is true enough, but it doesn’t begin to describe the broader conservative agenda she’s been associated with.

 

Betsy DeVos stands at the intersection of two family fortunes that helped to build the Christian right. In 1983, her father, Edgar Prince, who made his money in the auto parts business, contributed to the creation of the Family Research Council, which the Southern Poverty Law Center identifies as extremist because of its anti-L.G.B.T. language.

 

Like other advocates of school voucher programs, Ms. DeVos presents her plans as a way to improve public education and give families more choice. But the family foundations’ money supports a far more expansive effort.

 

The DeVoses well understand that, stripped of specious language about reform and choice, such a plan for public education would be deeply unpopular. In 2002, Mr. DeVos Jr. advised a Heritage Foundation audience (YT: Heritage Foundation, Dec. 3, 2002: DeVos outlines strategy in war on public education)Click to play video inline. that “we need to be cautious about talking too much about these activities.”

 

The public school system faces the most immediate threat, but it is not the only institution at risk. The Christian right has already won a number of key roles in the Trump administration.

 

The head of the presidential transition, Vice President-elect Mike Pence, is an avid voucher proponent. As governor of Indiana, he expanded a voucher program that now funnels $135 million a year to private schools, almost all of them religious. Mr. Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, favors religious tests for new immigrants and objects to chief justices with “secular mind-sets.” (YT: RWW News: Jeff Sessions: Keep ‘Secular Mindset’ Off The Supreme Court)Click to play video inline. The nominee for secretary of health and human services, Tom Price, is a member of a physicians’ organization aligned with conservative Christian positions on abortion and other issues.

[Balta1701]

This is perhaps more disconcerting than Rick Perry's nomination.

Trump transition team asked DOE officials 74 questions. Number concerning DOE's core mission, nuclear weapons? Zero. https://t.co/GwctTrVOBm

 

— Stephen Schwartz (@AtomicAnalyst) December 13, 2016

This s*** can end the world.

[StrangeSox]

Montana congressman nominated to lead Department of the Interior

 

Somewhat of a mixed bag, which, for this cabinet, means he's an amazingly competent selection who probably won't be actively sabotaging his own department. edit: he did call Clinton the antichrist while campaigning, though, so the insane demagoguery is still there in force. Don't really see anything in his background that makes him an obvious candidate for Interior, either.

 

President-elect Donald Trump selected his secretary for the Department of the Interior today, according to several reports. While Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers had been a rumored front-runner, it’s Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke who will be getting the nod.

 

Zinke majored in geology while playing football at the University of Oregon and later earned an MBA and a Masters in Global Leadership at the University of San Diego’s business school. He served 23 years as a Navy SEAL before entering politics in 2008.

 

Zinke, a Republican, has split with his party on several occasions over the status of public lands. He was involved in writing the GOP platform earlier this year, but he left when he couldn’t agree to language demanding that some portion of federal land be handed over to states.

 

As far as what is done with those public lands, Zinke has repeatedly targeted decisions by the Obama administration to regulate or limit fossil fuel production. He opposed the temporary moratorium on new coal leases, as well as regulations meant to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas wells.

 

“This rule is a stark reminder that we need to invest in infrastructure projects like the Keystone pipeline, so we don’t need to flare excess gas,” he wrote at the time. While it’s true that some shale-oil-producing areas lacking pipelines have vented and burned off large amounts of methane—notably North Dakota’s Bakken Formation—the Keystone pipeline would have conveyed diluted bitumen and crude oil, not gas.

 

Given Montana’s extensive coal mining, Zinke has been a staunch supporter of the coal industry, emphasizing that Montana’s coal burns cleaner than some other coal deposits that contain more sulfur. He has also pushed back against the stoppage of several logging projects in Montana because of the endangered Canadian lynx.

 

Zinke’s opinion on climate change is difficult to pin down. In an interview with the Bozeman Daily Chronicle last year, he acknowledged that the climate is changing, with some contribution from human activities, citing the undeniable retreat of glaciers in Montana’s Glacier National Park. But he also falsely claimed that global temperatures in recent years contradicted climate model projections of continued warming.

 

“If we’re playing Russian Roulette [..] even if there’s a one-in-six chance on global warming [that] it’s a catastrophe, then I think you need to be prudent,” Zinke said, before continuing, “I think the prudency, though, given energy independence for North America [or] not—I think you go for energy independence for North America.”

 

As Interior Secretary, Zinke would oversee 75 percent of America’s public lands as well as a host of agencies including the National Park Service, United States Geological Survey, Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He’d be in position to help roll back Obama administration rules regarding oil, gas, and coal production on those federal lands—including offshore oil leases. Zinke's nomination is subject to Senate approval.

Edited December 14, 2016 by StrangeSox

[StrangeSox]

This is perhaps more disconcerting than Rick Perry's nomination.

 

This s*** can end the world.

 

I know DoE does nuclear weapons research, testing, development, and production, but actual warheads are under the control of the DoD, right?

 

Honestly given what we've seen so far, them ignoring that aspect of the DoE and letting it chug along at its own pace under competent civil servants is probably the best we can hope for.

Edited December 14, 2016 by StrangeSox

[GoSox05]

Betsy DeVos and God’s Plan for Schools

 

She is terrifying. Public schools have been under attack for awhile and are vulnerable right now. It's scary to think what she can do to them.

 

 

 

 

[StrangeSox]

What I want to see some additional reporting on is how all of these truly awful people can cause damage. What sorts of policies and rules can a fundamentalist Christian anti-public secular education Sec. Ed really put in place? How much damage can they do, and what can possibly be done to counteract it?

[caulfield12]

http://www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a...istrative-role/

 

Having too much faith in Ivanka and Jared Kushner being able to solve the Middle East peace problem....surely, nothing will go wrong with those concepts.

[pettie4sox]

What the f*** does Trump think he's doing?

[StrangeSox]

What the f*** does Trump think he's doing?

 

exactly what his white populist base (along with standard Republicans) elected him to do: dismantle the federal government those "elites" put together.

 

[caulfield12]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-himself-in...-022916287.html

 

Putin was directly involved in the Russian hacks...had vendetta against Hilary Clinton.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/14/politics/iva...mily/index.html

Ivanka to get her own East Wing office, will assume some of the duties of First Lady/"social hostess," essentially

Edited December 15, 2016 by caulfield12

[greg775]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-himself-in...-022916287.html

 

Putin was directly involved in the Russian hacks...had vendetta against Hilary Clinton.

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/14/politics/iva...mily/index.html

Ivanka to get her own East Wing office, will assume some of the duties of First Lady/"social hostess," essentially

If Russia can hack our elections, it's all over. You think the great minds in China aren't conniving ways to pollute our water system, ruin our environment? If Russia can dictate our elections through hacking, it's over. The end is coming. Cmon. It's too easy to infiltrate the inner workings of the USA because everything is run by computer and computer can and will be hacked.

[caulfield12]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/the-moment-that-...-100008601.html

 

The moment that made Trump possible...Matt Bai

[Balta1701]

If Russia can hack our elections, it's all over. You think the great minds in China aren't conniving ways to pollute our water system, ruin our environment? If Russia can dictate our elections through hacking, it's over. The end is coming. Cmon. It's too easy to infiltrate the inner workings of the USA because everything is run by computer and computer can and will be hacked.

But the Russians were heroic, they protected you from the horrors of Hillary Clinton. After all, they hacked emails. EMAILS AND HILLARY. HILLARMAILS. How dare you say this. If you have problems with the Russians committing crimes to support candidates running our elections then maybe you should move to Canada.

[caulfield12]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverythi...m=.9b876a65f420

 

25/30 states that voted for Trump won't see much in the way of job growth, tax cut benefits (average is around $900 vs. $300,000 for Top 1%) and will likely lose medical coverage with ObamaCare repeal. Talk about not voting for yor economic interests.

[RockRaines]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverythi...m=.9b876a65f420

 

25/30 states that voted for Trump won't see much in the way of job growth, tax cut benefits (average is around $900 vs. $300,000 for Top 1%) and will likely lose medical coverage with ObamaCare repeal. Talk about not voting for yor economic interests.

But America will be GREAT (White)

[Soxbadger]

If Russia can hack our elections, it's all over. You think the great minds in China aren't conniving ways to pollute our water system, ruin our environment? If Russia can dictate our elections through hacking, it's over. The end is coming. Cmon. It's too easy to infiltrate the inner workings of the USA because everything is run by computer and computer can and will be hacked.

 

Greg,

 

They didnt "hack our election". What they did was hack personal email accounts and then released certain emails to the public. So the real blame is on every American who didnt listen, who chose to care more about "lock her up" than the future of our country. The Russian's did what they had to do to try and beat the US. It was our job as American's to make sure that they didnt succeed.

 

Its quite possible that the Russian's hacked Republican's, maybe even Trump. My guess is that if they have this information, they are going to use it for blackmail purposes. Perhaps as a way to get the US to agree to allow Russia to keep Crimea. Who knows, but you should be concerned.

 

You opened the gates so that the barbarians could get in the castle, but its still not to late. All you have to do is make sure that congress investigates this with the same vigor as things like "Monica Lewinsky" and "deleted emails." You have to hope that there will be some Republican's who actually care about the people who served this country and died in service of the United States. Because anything less is a disgrace to them. They may as well have just sat home if you were going to let a foreign entity run this country.

 

I made a plea months ago not to let this happen, I specifically addressed you. But in the end, you made a personal choice. So it wasnt China, it wasnt Russia, it was people like you.

 

Sorry to be harsh, but sometimes people need a wake up call.

[chw42]

Greg,

 

They didnt "hack our election". What they did was hack personal email accounts and then released certain emails to the public. So the real blame is on every American who didnt listen, who chose to care more about "lock her up" than the future of our country. The Russian's did what they had to do to try and beat the US. It was our job as American's to make sure that they didnt succeed.

 

Its quite possible that the Russian's hacked Republican's, maybe even Trump. My guess is that if they have this information, they are going to use it for blackmail purposes. Perhaps as a way to get the US to agree to allow Russia to keep Crimea. Who knows, but you should be concerned.

 

You opened the gates so that the barbarians could get in the castle, but its still not to late. All you have to do is make sure that congress investigates this with the same vigor as things like "Monica Lewinsky" and "deleted emails." You have to hope that there will be some Republican's who actually care about the people who served this country and died in service of the United States. Because anything less is a disgrace to them. They may as well have just sat home if you were going to let a foreign entity run this country.

 

I made a plea months ago not to let this happen, I specifically addressed you. But in the end, you made a personal choice. So it wasnt China, it wasnt Russia, it was people like you.

 

Sorry to be harsh, but sometimes people need a wake up call.

 

The effects of Russian propaganda on Republicans

Edited December 15, 2016 by chw42

[illinilaw08]

All you have to do is make sure that congress investigates this with the same vigor as things like "Monica Lewinsky" and "deleted emails." You have to hope that there will be some Republican's who actually care about the people who served this country and died in service of the United States. Because anything less is a disgrace to them. They may as well have just sat home if you were going to let a foreign entity run this country.

 

Or BENGHAZI!!!!!

 

Seriously though, there's enough evidence that Russia did attempt to influence the election, so you have to hope that there are enough Republicans in Congress with the integrity to make sure that this is actually investigated. The Democrats don't have enough seats/votes to do it by themselves. This is an issue that should transcend party...

[Soxbadger]

Or BENGHAZI!!!!!

 

Seriously though, there's enough evidence that Russia did attempt to influence the election, so you have to hope that there are enough Republicans in Congress with the integrity to make sure that this is actually investigated. The Democrats don't have enough seats/votes to do it by themselves. This is an issue that should transcend party...

 

I didnt feel like looking up how to spell Benghazi right, the others were easier.

 

But finally we have a true test for all of those people who have so righteously said that they are all about "America." I wish I had more confidence that people would do the right thing here.

[BigSqwert]

Astounding how lacking in higher education this upcoming administration is. Being wealthy is more important than educated.

[Balta1701]

Or BENGHAZI!!!!!

 

Seriously though, there's enough evidence that Russia did attempt to influence the election, so you have to hope that there are enough Republicans in Congress with the integrity to make sure that this is actually investigated. The Democrats don't have enough seats/votes to do it by themselves. This is an issue that should transcend party...

There aren't.

[StrangeSox]

Trump’s 17 cabinet-level picks have more money than a third of American households combined