MajarTheLion

15 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

 

largely agree with what you say except for the last bit,

in my view nothing with a US hand on/in it will ever sell in the middle east, regardless of its quality

 

the US has since quite long used/spent all her chips in the middle east, (so has UK),

and they (the chips) will never come back

 

I agree. The US should <deleted> out of it. I'd start with getting out of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan and go from there.

15 hours ago, polpott said:

Kushner and Trump are hailing the deal with the Emirates as "The greatest peace deal ever". Actually its a deal between Israel and a tiny gulf state who are insignificant in the Arab world. The biggest non deal ever. Come back when one of the big hitters such as Iran, Syria or Saudi have signed on to it.

The United Arab Emirates is the number two exporter of oil in the Middle East. That alone makes them not "insignificant".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_exports

On 9/4/2020 at 1:51 PM, heybruce said:

"If you show up at the poll to vote and the scan shows you have voted, then your ballot is marked 'provisional' and will not be counted until all absentee, mail-in and regular votes are tallied."

 

Of course if Trump can get enough of his supporters to illegally vote twice and flood the system in swing states with provisional ballots that delay the final count, it gives him more time to claim fraud and challenge election results.  Another Trump trick to make this election the most corrupt in history.

Here is what Snopes has to say about the matter. I would argue it is more in line with what I have stated than the snippet you provided.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-vote-twice-north-carolina/

On 9/4/2020 at 1:52 PM, heybruce said:

If you were to read legitimate news sources you'd know about these things:

 

"After being appointed in May, Mr DeJoy (a Trump appointee and major Republican donor) set about implementing various operational changes at the United States Postal Service (USPS), an institution where he had never previously worked. These included restrictions on overtime and limits on the number of trips mail carriers can make back to the post office to pick up more mail."

"The USPS has also removed hundreds of mail-sorting machines from processing facilities, which makes delivery slower."  https://www.economist.com/briefing/2020/09/03/donald-trump-is-very-likely-to-challenge-the-results-of-the-us-election

 

The above has been widely reported from other major news sources.

I did not see this reply. Thanks for posting a link to it.  I firmly reject your personal attack of "trolling" and am happy to debate any issue that arises. Also, I'm not sure what your comment about "legitimate news sources" is supposed to mean. I read anything from CNN to Politico to The Hill to Fox News to whatever else comes my way. I believe the best way to stay informed is to read a variety of news sources and apply some logic and common sense. Thus, I contend your snipe about "legitimate news sources" is wholly without any merit whatsoever.

The Postal Service is looking for yet another bailout in the amount of billions of dollars. Obviously, any organization that is in such financial dire straights should engage in measures to cut costs. That is what any rational person leading an organization will do. I see no reason why US taxpayers should simply keep throwing money at the Postal Service and the Postal Service be immune from the same cost-cutting measures than virtually all large organizations have to go through from time to time.

Now, specifically to the line about removing sorting machines, there is information missing. Were these machines efficient? Were they old, slow and not economical to run? Without having the answers to these and other questions, it is at best a vague accusation.

Now let's address the comment about DeJoy having never worked at the Postal Service. So what? Senior executives are often brought to corporations they have never worked at before. So what?

3 minutes ago, shdmn said:

You mean besides white cops killing unarmed black people?

Yes, because cops kill more white people, both armed and unarmed, than they do black people. Showing "systematic racism" would mean showing that blacks are being unjustly targeted. I'm sorry, but your example falls well short of showing "systematic racism".

On 8/31/2020 at 11:43 PM, Jingthing said:

The accused murderer is a white nationalist vigilante and an American president defends him. How low can he go? Always lower.

Why would a white nationalist shoot three white people? Please help me make sense of this. And please provide the basis for your claim.

14 minutes ago, Credo said:

Systemic racism is the systems and structures that have procedures that disadvantages people of color.    Racist policies are endemic in many areas including the judicial system, health system, housing and other areas.  Much of what we are currently seeing is racism in the judicial system.   

For Blacks and people of color, from the time they encounter a police officer, they are more likely to face some form of abuse.   Whether they are shot, killed, or illegally detained, there is a difference in their treatment from whites.  In the court system, Blacks are more likely to be charged with the most serious charge, so they are more likely to get a 1st or 2nd degree murder charge rather than manslaughter or a lesser charge.   The same goes with lesser crimes.   They are also much more likely to have a public defender rather than a private attorney.   They are less likely to have the charges plead down to a lesser charge.   Sentencing for Blacks shows they spend more time in prison for the same crime.   

 

In housing, there was the policy of redlining, which denied blacks the ability to buy a home in many of the 'better' neighborhoods.   People of color were either outright denied loans for houses, or were charged a higher interest rate to buy a home, which effectively meant they could not.   Redlining was used by both Federal state and local government as well as private banks.   It is technically illegal, but still exists.   There is a subtle form of racism as well, whereby realtors 'steer' people of color toward their own neighborhoods.   

 

Keep in mind, that redlining also means the children of blacks are relegated to lesser schools.   

 

So systemic racism is practices that permeate numerous levels of the system and provides a different treatment than for the majority. 

Blacks commit more crime per capita than whites. So it makes sense that they are going to have more negative interactions with police. I will post data on this below. But first, let's make a more extreme example of how different groups can have different kinds of interactions with police. Nuns and teenage boys. Which group is going to have more negative interactions with police? The answer is obvious, correct? Now let's take a look at murder statistics in the US. I am specifically choosing murder because it's a crime that either occurs or does not. It generally requires a body, so murder cases are basically impossible to create out of thin air.

2018 total murders: 6,570

murders committed by whites: 3,011

murders committed by blacks: 3,177

https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018/crime-in-the-u.s.-2018/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-6.xls

Total murders by blacks and whites is 6,188. Despite being only 13% of the population, blacks commit 48.6% of the murders committed by both blacks and whites. This means blacks are 3.7 times more likely to commit murder than whites. So yes, any group that commits 3.7 times more murders than another group can expect to have more negative interactions with police.

I welcome your thoughts on the logic presented. And feel free to look at other crime statistics if you think that will add value to the discussion.

So.... "systematic racism"? No. Some groups just commit more crime than others.

 

9 hours ago, Sujo said:

Could you explain what trump has done to help quash the riots?

Sent federal agents to Portland to arrest and charge rioters.

16 hours ago, Tug said:

This needs to stop #1 it’s wrong #2 it plays directly into trumps hands let’s change out administrations then we can address the underlying issues creating the unrest obviously it won’t get addressed under trump 

You're right. This plays into Trump's hand. Now... what underlying issues do you think need to be addressed? From where I am standing, I see the United States of America as one of the best countries in the world to live in as far as equal rights, opportunities to prosper and overall freedom. Seeing people riot, loot and destroy in such an awesome country doesn't bode well for their cause.

16 hours ago, Credo said:

Start by assuring there will action on systemic racism.   Then start meeting with the leaders on all sides to see how best to solve it.   The ones who have the greatest influence on protesters is who they need to start meeting with.   I mean, if you could waste his time on Kim Jong Un, maybe he could take a little time for US citizens.

 

I keep hearing this term "systematic racism". Specifically, what are you talking about? Do you have examples of laws or trends that indicate "systematic racism"?

30 minutes ago, Tug said:

Ahhhh that pesky track record trump has lol trump is the master of slander and innuendo it’s been his whole strategy all along now he’s kicking and whining lol it’s on record remarks about McCain duckworth and other gold star family’s I think old president scofflaw is reaping what he has sown I’m sure the dems have lots more to be released when needed

Neither John McCain, Tammy Duckworth, nor any other veteran or "Gold Star Families" are exempt from criticism. It that were the case, my veteran status would come in quite handy here.

33 minutes ago, Credo said:

Trump's words ring hollow.  He does nothing to address the actual problems and he DID send FEDERAL TROOPS TO PORTLAND.   Remember?  How did that work out? 

 

All he did was escalate an already tense situation.   So his heavy handed approach did nothing to end the protests, riots or violence.   Another example of his ineptitude.   

 

Trump cannot solve everything when the local government has no desire to end the riots. Heavy handed? Obviously not. But to address the topic directly, what is Trump doing to encourage violence? And since the approach was heavy-handed, how do you propose stopping these riots with a less heavy-handed approach?

20 hours ago, stevenl said:

As your factcheck concludes 'mostly false'. So you're wrong on both counts.

Biden said what I said he said when I said he said it. I used the fact check to support my claim, as it confirmed what Biden said and when he said it. Please tell me specifically what I posted that was proven "mostly false" by the fact check I cited. Also, I'm not sure what to make of "you're wrong on both counts". Here is what I said about Nancy Pelosi (emphasis added):

"yes, my original claim on Joe Biden is true. However, I have looked at Pelosi's statement in Chinatown after Trump implemented restrictions on travel from China. She did not mention racism or xenophobia. So you got one right. Kudos."

Maybe I missed something. Perhaps you are speaking of something else I posted? Please help me understand "wrong on both counts" with specifics.

17 hours ago, Morch said:

 

What are "peaceful riots"? That you do your best to lump together protesters, rioters, ANTIFA and BLM is obvious. That it means anything outside your narrative, not so much.

I used the term because the media has continued to say that what are obviously riots are actually "mostly peaceful protests". As for your comment "lump together protesters, rioters, Antifa and BLM", the last three are essentially synonymous. With this damage we continue to see, real, actual protesters are obviously not an issue. They can keep protesting. No one cares about them. It's violence, rioting, arson and other crimes that are at issue.

At any rate, here is an example of how the media distorts what is happening. I would ask you that if these riots are characterized as "mostly peaceful", has there EVER been a mostly violent riot or protest?

I believe it is ludicrous to characterize a riot where cars and property are being burned as "mostly peaceful". Of course, the above screen shot from CNN doesn't even show most of the damage. Here is a Google image search I did for damage from riots in Kenosha.

Given the damage caused, I believe it's intellectually dishonest to characterize what happened in Kenosha as "mostly peaceful".

17 minutes ago, candide said:

The way Trump described it, they were openly carrying gear, to the point that some passengers got afraid/ disturbed about it. He did not make any claim about thugs succeeding in secretely sneaking arms in despite controls.

I'm very interested in your reply. I saw no mention of other passengers by Trump. I think we should dig more into some facts and possibilities. Was this a commercial, charter or private flight he was talking about?

For example, transporting guns on charter flights is very easy:

"The primary benefits of private jet and helicopter charter to shooting and fishing destinations is the ability to get closer to your final destination faster; and you can carry weapons, fishing rods and even gundogs on board with minimal fuss."

https://www.privatefly.com/inspirational-jet-flights/flying-with-guns-and-gundogs.html

On 9/1/2020 at 7:33 PM, Chomper Higgot said:

I saw the interview, it was as clear an indication as I’ve seen that his head isn’t on this planet.

 

Armed thugs boarding flights - utter nonsense.

 

He’s away with the fairies.

 

 

TSA fails security checks by DHS 95% of the time.

In a series of trials, the Department of Homeland Security was able to smuggle fake explosives, weapons and other contraband past airport screeners in major cities across the country, according to ABC News. Officials briefed on the Homeland Security Inspector General’s investigation told the station that the TSA failed 67 out of 70 tests conducted by the department’s Red Teams — undercover passengers tasked with identifying weaknesses in the screening process, NJ.com reports.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tsa-fails-95-percent-tests-homeland-security_n_7485558

On 9/1/2020 at 7:01 PM, Tug said:

Hummm.......how did thease thugs get past security at the airport lol just trump gas lighting more bs

What measures are in place that would prevent thugs from getting past airport security?

6 hours ago, wwest5829 said:

Agreed but the U.S. military will not obey. That is why he used Border Patrol, other federal agencies for law enforcement to be sent in. He does still present a clear and present danger. What is even scarier for me is U.S. citizens voluntarily supporting him. I have already said, if he is re-elected, I will have lost my country and will no longer be able to support. Oh, the fascists can do without me, I know my insignificance, but the history will show nonetheless, that this citizen, having DNA from before the founding ... is lost.

What is your source of information that the US military will not obey Trump?