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Thread: Political/Cultural Chit-Chat

  1. #91
    Just when you think things can't get any weirder... the National Enquirer makes a deal to tell all regarding payments and other activities related to Individual-1.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifes...=.d34cbd67904b

    I can't take anything the National Enquirer says seriously. But somebody has to be reading it, they're still in business... and apparently not on the President's side.

    Given their constituency - and that group's likely political orientation - this just might be the beginning of the end of the Enquirer. (I was always fonder of the "Weekly World News" - example headline: "Dinosaurs Still Roam the Earth!")
    Last edited by Ma'ake; 12-12-2018 at 09:12 PM.

  2. #92
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    The Best Shot for Democrats Is Biden/Beto

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/ar...to_138929.html

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  3. #93
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    The Best Shot for Democrats Is Biden/Beto

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/ar...to_138929.html
    I dunno. Given the metoo movement and the surge of dem women in congress, there may have to be a woman on the ticket. I think there are a lot of voters who want to vote for a woman but could not vote for hillary. Time is getting riper. Could be a dem; could be nikki haley. I wonder would accept vp if trump replaces pence on the ticket.
    Last edited by concerned; 12-15-2018 at 08:07 AM.

  4. #94
    It will be fascinating to see the impact (if any) of Maria Butina's admission she & Russian Central Bank president Alexander Torshin sought to cultivate grass roots support in America for Russia through the NRA.

    Most of the NRA folks I know would recoil at this hypothetic scenario, previously.

    Will they now rationalize it, or will there be pressure on Wayne La Pierre?

  5. #95
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    The Best Shot for Democrats Is Biden/Beto

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/ar...to_138929.html

    Please no Joe Biden. Is this really the best that America can do?

  6. #96
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Wow. I’m surprised — and glad —- that his guy had been dumb enough to be open about what he does.

    The godfather
    of fake news

    Meet one of the world’s most
    prolific writers of disinformation


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources...tnjAenrN9iO4Rg

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  7. #97
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Wow. I’m surprised — and glad —- that his guy had been dumb enough to be open about what he does.

    The godfather
    of fake news

    Meet one of the world’s most
    prolific writers of disinformation


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources...tnjAenrN9iO4Rg
    I think my dad reposted every one of his articles on FB.

  8. #98
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    I think my dad reposted every one of his articles on FB.
    Our political culture is really sick right now.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  9. #99
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Interesting.

    Iraq makes Christmas Day an official nationwide holiday to mark 'the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ'

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...us-Christ.html

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  10. #100
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    The 20 Worst Quotes of 2018

    20. "We’re not going to make America great again. It was never that great. We have not reached greatness." — CNN host Andrew Cuomo

    19. “And it would be a short war [between the government and gun owners who refused to give up their weapons], my friend. The government has nukes. Too many of them. But they’re legit. I’m sure if we talked we could find common ground to protect our families and communities.” – Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)

    18. "'Don't vote for the ching-chong!" — Detroit Rep. Bettie Cook Scott on Asian opponent

    17. "'But I can't afford to pay my employees $15 an hour! I'd go out of business!' Then go out of business. If you can't afford to pay a #livingwage & make payroll, you shouldn't be in business. It's not your workers' responsibility to subsidize your sh*tty business #FightFor15" — Civil rights activist Danielle Muscato

    16. “I’m sorry, I know he lost his eye in war, or whatever.”— Pete Davidson on SNL mocks ex-SEAL Dan Crenshaw who lost his eye to an IED

    15. "You're a slave to free thinking." — Blogger Perez Hilton

    14. "Time for us white male Christians to take a step back and give power to others, and make ourselves dispensable." — Political consultant Matthew Dowd

    13. "They'll say, 'Well, I'm not racist. I just voted for him because I didn't like Hillary Clinton.' And I just want to say that's not — that doesn't make you not racist. It actually makes you racist." -- CNN analyst Kirsten Powers

    12. "Never trust anyone who doesn’t regularly french kiss animals." -- Actor Lena Dunham

    11. "Guess who's perpetuating all of these kinds of actions? It's the men in this country. I just want to say to the men in this country, just shut up! And step up. Do the right thing for a change." — Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii)

    10. “Divorce your Republican husbands.” – Attorney Jill Filipovic

    9. "Almost every single person I’ve ever heard of with an AR-15 has been a mass murderer." — Author Nina Burleigh

    8. “There's a new axis of evil: Russia, Saudi Arabia -- and the United States.” – New York Times columnist Paul Krugman

    7. “To all Noble Undocumented ‘immigrants:’ We apologize for our bigotry and racism. It is Nazism to not allow you to vote in our elections. After all, national borders is Nazism. Nationhood is Nazism. In a just world, everyone should get to vote in any district. #WeApologize” – Canadian scientist Gad Saad

    6. "White folks are going down. And Satan is going down. And Farrakhan, by God’s grace, has pulled a cover off of that Satanic Jew, and I’m here to say your time is up, your world is through." — Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan

    5. "We have to stop demonizing people and realize the biggest terror threat in this country is white men, most of them radicalized to the right, and we have to start doing something about them." — CNN host Don Lemon

    4. " We should rip Barron Trump from his mother's arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles and see if mother will stand up against the giant @sshole she is married to.” — Actor Peter Fonda

    3) "The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario." — Minnesota State University associate professor Eric Sprankle

    2. "I have noticed that [Trump] Junior here has a habit of posting nonsense about me whenever the Mueller investigation heats up. Please, keep it coming Jr - it’s definitely a ‘very, very large brain’ idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month. " — Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)

    1. "If you see anybody from that [Trump] Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them, and you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere." -- Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.)

    https://pjmedia.com/trending/the-20-...uotes-of-2018/

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  11. #101
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post

    None of Trumps 7500 lies made the list?

  12. #102
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by concerned View Post
    None of Trumps 7500 lies made the list?
    I didn’t have enough memory left on my
    phone.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  13. #103
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    The 20 Worst Quotes of 2018

    4. " We should rip Barron Trump from his mother's arms and put him in a cage with pedophiles and see if mother will stand up against the giant @sshole she is married to.” — Actor Peter Fonda

    3) "The virgin birth story is about an all-knowing, all-powerful deity impregnating a human teen. There is no definition of consent that would include that scenario." — Minnesota State University associate professor Eric Sprankle

    2. "I have noticed that [Trump] Junior here has a habit of posting nonsense about me whenever the Mueller investigation heats up. Please, keep it coming Jr - it’s definitely a ‘very, very large brain’ idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month. " — Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)

    https://pjmedia.com/trending/the-20-...uotes-of-2018/
    2, 3 & 4 are all notable and/or funny. First of all, I'm surprised Peter Fonda is still alive. It's a pretty funny quip, though. I'll bet Barron's autobiography in about 20 years will be interesting.

    The virgin birth line is funny, too, just for the absurdity. AOC's line is good, too, because even though she's a 28 year old idealist who has some growing up to do, having her lined up against Jr. is a mismatch, every time.

  14. #104
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ma'ake View Post
    2, 3 & 4 are all notable and/or funny. First of all, I'm surprised Peter Fonda is still alive. It's a pretty funny quip, though. I'll bet Barron's autobiography in about 20 years will be interesting.

    The virgin birth line is funny, too, just for the absurdity. AOC's line is good, too, because even though she's a 28 year old idealist who has some growing up to do, having her lined up against Jr. is a mismatch, every time.
    My wife had a discussion with one of our neighbors about #3.

    She pointed out that Gideon told Mary that she would be visited by God and impregnated by him without ever seeing him.

    She's convinced Gideon is a normal serial rapist.

  15. #105
    Quote Originally Posted by Ma'ake View Post
    2, 3 & 4 are all notable and/or funny. First of all, I'm surprised Peter Fonda is still alive. It's a pretty funny quip, though. I'll bet Barron's autobiography in about 20 years will be interesting.

    The virgin birth line is funny, too, just for the absurdity. AOC's line is good, too, because even though she's a 28 year old idealist who has some growing up to do, having her lined up against Jr. is a mismatch, every time.
    Wow.

    Peter Fonda's quote, if I remember at the time, was not meant as a joke. And, even if so, joking (or not) about a child being raped by pedophiles crosses the line by any reasonable standard, I don't care how much a public figure that child is, nor how repugnant his father is. I despise Trump but can't find the ability to dismiss or find humor in that one.

    If someone made a comment like that about one of my children they'd be breathing through a straw.

    This is a stark example of how bad tribalism really is in the US today.

  16. #106
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    There must be a similar list of stupid right-wing statements. Anybody know? I believe in equal ridicule of political silliness.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  17. #107
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    There must be a similar list of stupid right-wing statements. Anybody know? I believe in equal ridicule of political silliness.
    I don’t think Trump’s twitter history can fit in this thread


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  18. #108
    If you eliminated Trump from the conservative list you would need to add somewhere Orin Hatch saying Trump may be the best president ever.


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  19. #109
    Quote Originally Posted by Rocker Ute View Post
    Wow.

    Peter Fonda's quote, if I remember at the time, was not meant as a joke. And, even if so, joking (or not) about a child being raped by pedophiles crosses the line by any reasonable standard, I don't care how much a public figure that child is, nor how repugnant his father is. I despise Trump but can't find the ability to dismiss or find humor in that one.

    If someone made a comment like that about one of my children they'd be breathing through a straw.

    This is a stark example of how bad tribalism really is in the US today.
    I would hope you wouldn't waste any energy, let alone a serious punch, on Peter Fonda. He makes sister Jane look bright and insightful. We lost Dennis Hopper, but still have Peter Fonda? We just lost Super Dave Osborne, too, who wasn't *that* funny, but still far better than Fonda.

    I thought the quote was ridiculously absurd, and coming from him, completely worthless.

    Now, if Peter Fonda developed a movement, and more than a tiny fringe of people started to take him seriously, said outrageous things which caused even good religious people to bend their morality into pretzels, demanded complete loyalty, lied 15 times a day about everything and anything, then became president and declared that he knows more about technology than anyone else... then I might help you make him rely on a straw.

  20. #110
    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    There must be a similar list of stupid right-wing statements. Anybody know? I believe in equal ridicule of political silliness.
    3 from yesterday:

    - Obama fired Mattis, and essentially, so did I

    - I know more about drones and technology than anybody

    - Syria is basically sand and death. No serious wealth opportunities there.

  21. #111
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ma'ake View Post
    3 from yesterday:

    - Obama fired Mattis, and essentially, so did I

    - I know more about drones and technology than anybody

    - Syria is basically sand and death. No serious wealth opportunities there.
    Don't forget this gem:

    Russia used to be the Soviet Union. Afghanistan made it Russia because they went bankrupt fighting in Afghanistan. Russia.

  22. #112
    Quote Originally Posted by Ma'ake View Post
    I would hope you wouldn't waste any energy, let alone a serious punch, on Peter Fonda. He makes sister Jane look bright and insightful. We lost Dennis Hopper, but still have Peter Fonda? We just lost Super Dave Osborne, too, who wasn't *that* funny, but still far better than Fonda.

    I thought the quote was ridiculously absurd, and coming from him, completely worthless.

    Now, if Peter Fonda developed a movement, and more than a tiny fringe of people started to take him seriously, said outrageous things which caused even good religious people to bend their morality into pretzels, demanded complete loyalty, lied 15 times a day about everything and anything, then became president and declared that he knows more about technology than anyone else... then I might help you make him rely on a straw.
    I'm not saying he isn't a fool, I just must of misunderstood you because I thought you were saying what he said was funny.

    There isn't a person in Hollywood whose opinion I care about in the remotest sense, but I also believe there are lines drawn that shouldn't be crossed (even when the commander-in-chief tramples on them repeatedly).




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  23. #113
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    Don't forget this gem:
    Stupid trump quotes are easy. I’m looking for stupid quotes from right wing pundits and celebrities. There must be a collection of them somewhere.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  24. #114

    Political/Cultural Chit-Chat

    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Stupid trump quotes are easy. I’m looking for stupid quotes from right wing pundits and celebrities. There must be a collection of them somewhere.
    www.Foxnews.com




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  25. #115
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dwight Schr-Ute View Post
    Ha-ha! On reflection, I doubt there are many because on the left there is no Trump equivalent who can provoke conservatives into making over-the-top statements. Now, when Obama was POTUS, things were different. But Obama is no Trump when it comes to rudeness, bullying, gratuitous insults, crude pugnacity, lack of polish, and everything else. No one in political life is, thank heavens.
    Last edited by LA Ute; 01-03-2019 at 02:45 PM.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  26. #116
    Administrator U-Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    Stupid trump quotes are easy. I’m looking for stupid quotes from right wing pundits and celebrities. There must be a collection of them somewhere.
    Tucker Carlson has been a quote machine lately.

    It’s indefensible, so nobody even tries to defend it. Instead, our leaders demand that you shut up and accept this. We have a moral obligation to admit the world’s poor, they tell us, even if it makes our own country poor and dirtier and more divided.

  27. #117
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    Tucker Carlson has been a quote machine lately.
    That’s a good one, but I am looking for something Peter Fonda level.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  28. #118
    Quote Originally Posted by U-Ute View Post
    Tucker Carlson has been a quote machine lately.
    He's one of the first that came to mind. His latest is blaming inequality to destabilizing the family unit and increasing incarceration rates. What inequality was he claiming? When women earn more than men.

    But the quote that really stands out to me is Laura Ingraham comparing the detained child separation kids along the border to "camp."

  29. #119
    Besides all the accurate adjectives LA Ute used, there are some real curiosities in some of the stuff that comes out of Trump's mouth.

    Part of his commentary on the Soviets and Afghanistan included the claim that the 1979 invasion was justified to fight terrorists. Except that wasn't the case, and nobody in the obscure corners of Central and South Asian academics thinks this was a valid perspective of what happened almost 40 years ago.

    It just so happens the only place where this is being discussed is by Putin's political party in Russia, who are seeking to re-write the history on why the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.

    This followed a couple of odd points of emphasis from Trump or his staff in the last couple of years:

    - Trump claiming Montenegro is full of very aggressive people who are trying to start WW III. (This was around the same time when a Russian backed coup plan was derailed by one of the insiders, who decided knocking off their Prime Minister wasn't a good idea. That plan was to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO, which they did, anyway.)

    - In the first two weeks of the Trump presidency, the US National Security team announced they were following up on reports of Poland seeking to destabilize Belarus... which was reported nowhere else and didn't cause any other nation to take note... because it was a dis-information campaign by Russia to dissuade Belarus from joining NATO.

    Trump says a lot of bizarre, offensive and patently untrue things, but where did he get the specific points on the Soviet Afghanistan invasion of 1979, and that Montenegro is a small nation of highly aggressive warmongers trying to usher in the Apocaplyse?

    (Rachel Maddow may be an unabashed partisan liberal, but she's pretty smart and her staff digs out some stuff otherwise missed.)


  30. #120
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ma'ake View Post
    Besides all the accurate adjectives LA Ute used, there are some real curiosities in some of the stuff that comes out of Trump's mouth.

    Part of his commentary on the Soviets and Afghanistan included the claim that the 1979 invasion was justified to fight terrorists. Except that wasn't the case, and nobody in the obscure corners of Central and South Asian academics thinks this was a valid perspective of what happened almost 40 years ago.

    It just so happens the only place where this is being discussed is by Putin's political party in Russia, who are seeking to re-write the history on why the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.

    This followed a couple of odd points of emphasis from Trump or his staff in the last couple of years:

    - Trump claiming Montenegro is full of very aggressive people who are trying to start WW III. (This was around the same time when a Russian backed coup plan was derailed by one of the insiders, who decided knocking off their Prime Minister wasn't a good idea. That plan was to prevent Montenegro from joining NATO, which they did, anyway.)

    - In the first two weeks of the Trump presidency, the US National Security team announced they were following up on reports of Poland seeking to destabilize Belarus... which was reported nowhere else and didn't cause any other nation to take note... because it was a dis-information campaign by Russia to dissuade Belarus from joining NATO.

    Trump says a lot of bizarre, offensive and patently untrue things, but where did he get the specific points on the Soviet Afghanistan invasion of 1979, and that Montenegro is a small nation of highly aggressive warmongers trying to usher in the Apocaplyse?

    (Rachel Maddow may be an unabashed partisan liberal, but she's pretty smart and her staff digs out some stuff otherwise missed.)

    He is such an easy target. Even the Wall Street Journal editorial board bashed him this morning.

    Trump’s Cracked Afghan History
    His falsehoods about allies and the Soviets reach a new low.

    President Trump’s remarks on Afghanistan at his Cabinet meeting Wednesday were a notable event. They will be criticized heavily, and deservedly so. The full text is available on the White House website.

    Mr. Trump ridiculed other nations’ commitment of troops to fight alongside America’s in Afghanistan. He said, “They tell me a hundred times, ‘Oh, we sent you soldiers. We sent you soldiers.’”

    This mockery is a slander against every ally that has supported the U.S. effort in Afghanistan with troops who fought and often died. The United Kingdom has had more than 450 killed fighting in Afghanistan.

    As reprehensible was Mr. Trump’s utterly false narrative of the Soviet Union’s involvement there in the 1980s. He said: “The reason Russia was in Afghanistan was because terrorists were going into Russia. They were right to be there.”

    Right to be there? We cannot recall a more absurd misstatement of history by an American President. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan with three divisions in December 1979 to prop up a fellow communist government.

    The invasion was condemned throughout the non-communist world. The Soviets justified the invasion as an extension of the Brezhnev Doctrine, asserting their right to prevent countries from leaving the communist sphere. They stayed until 1989.

    The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a defining event in the Cold War, making clear to all serious people the reality of the communist Kremlin’s threat. Mr. Trump’s cracked history can’t alter that reality.

    Appeared in the January 4, 2019, print edition.
    https://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-...ry-11546560234

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

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