Phil1111

Bias in judging figure skating: https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/winter-olympics-2018/think-olympic-figure-skating-judges-are-biased-data-says-they-n844886 And what happens when it is the judges who break the rules? Not much: https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/winter-olympics-2018/figure-skating-lets-judges-who-break-rules-return-judge-another-n845441 Rhythmic Gymnastics, luge, similar sports, state sponsored cheating-AKA Russia, "In reality, the IOC is driven solely by a lust for money, and have repeatedly exhibited a total lack of compassion for the athletes and ruined cities they often leave in their wake. To support a country's bid, individual IOC members have requested everything from cash to paying for plastic surgery for their spouses. While considering Norway's bid for the 2018 Olympic Games, the IOC asked for 24-hour butler service and separate entrances at the Oslo Airport. Additionally, the IOC made the absurd request that the King of Norway host a cocktail party--at his expense--for members. The IOC sells countries on the idea of hosting the Games with promises of social and financial benefits. But a country's financial cut is solely determined by the IOC. There is no guaranteed return, and the IOC uses the revenue on itself. They are currently building a state-of-the-art facility in Switzerland, where they are exempt from paying taxes due to the non-profit status they have somehow been granted. That's right: an organization that will earn an estimated $4 billion revenue this summer has non-profit status. " https://www.flotrack.org/articles/5053760-the-iocs-true-ideals-corruption-and-greed

Lying works for trump, works in the courtroom, lawyers even have a name for it, "privilege".

While Russia is handing the USA its lunch politically and in savvy political meddling. The US military is delivering some blows of its own: UPDATED: More than 200 Russians may have been killed in Coalition strikes against ‘pro-regime’ forces in Syria As many as 215 Russian citizens may have been killed earlier this week by the Coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces in Deir Ezzor, according to information shared on Russian social media.... The U.S.-led Coalition against Islamic State said on Thursday that it responded to an “unprovoked attack” on a well-established SDF headquarters by forces aligned with the Syrian regime. Military officials said Coalition aircraft including F-22A Raptors, MQ-9B Reapers, F-15E Strike Eagles, AC-130 gunships, U.S. Army Apache helicopters and U.S. Marine artillery ground forces engaged the pro-regime fighters. https://thedefensepost.com/2018/02/10/russians-killed-coalition-strikes-deir-ezzor-syria/ Meanwhile the American women are dining on poor Russian defensive play. As the US women lead 4-0 at the end of the first period in Olympic hockey.

Yes. Without calling anyone; stupid, liar, or attacking their belief system, or even their ideology. We used to do it. That was before the internet made it downright easy to never read an article or opinion piece that didn't perfectly match your world view. At least when watching Network News or reading a newspaper there was the chance that you'd hear about something you hadn't thought about and it might make you think "you know, maybe there is a little more to this that I thought." But we've now pretty much eliminated that threat for many many people. That said, for me it wouldn't seem like a real military parade if it isn't in black and white with Krushchev waving from Lenin's Tomb. Do you mean Khrushchev, Lennin, et al , cheering on Mr. Putin. Putin achieving everything that the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics couldn't do from 1922 to 1991. Despite the millions of sacrifices. So much for so little. A couple hookers in a gilded Moscow hotel room. Sacrificing their bodies for Mother Russia.

Probably ignored as much as having classified documents on a private email server. So how many congressional hearings have been held about Trump minions and their behavior with classified information? None yet...but it's still early. Early? There have been credible reports of Trump's kids using private servers for government business for over a year. How many investigations? How could six senior presidential aides mimic the strategy for which Trump lacerated Hillary Clinton? Only if they believe they are as immune to the usual rules as he is. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/the-brazenness-of-jared-and-ivankas-personal-email-server/541017/ Ivanka Trump Used a Personal Email Account for Government Work: Exclusive [/url]http://www.newsweek.com/ivanka-trump-personal-email-account-white-house-670700 Hundreds of White House emails sent to third Kushner family account White House officials are reviewing a third email account associated with Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s private email domain. [url]https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/02/jared-kushner-email-account-white-house-243389 At Least 6 White House Advisers Used Private Email Accounts https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/25/us/politics/private-email-trump-kushner-bannon.html Ivanka Trump Used a Personal Email Account for Government Work: Exclusive http://www.newsweek.com/ivanka-trump-personal-email-account-white-house-670700[url]

For the author of your "truth" Hannity learned his talking points from Goodwin. "For the Fox Nationalists, obscenity is no barrier to another opportunity to smear the President. Anyone who doesn’t believe that Fox deliberately chose to use profane language that is a pejorative allusion to vaginas in order to emasculate their targets doesn’t know Fox very well. The story linked to an article on Fox’s sister newspaper the New York Post by right-wing hack Michael Goodwin. The underlying article was a lame effort to disparage Obama’s press conference yesterday. Goodwin filled the column with nonsense attacks and ad hominem insults. He began by comparing Obama’s presidency with the scandal-plagued administrations of Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. Of course, Obama has not had any scandals attributed to him, much less those with serious consequences like criminal break-ins and sexual misconduct. What Goodwin thinks are equivalent controversies consist of the President having held fundraisers. Saints preserve us – a politician has engaged in soliciting donations! Then Goodwin is shocked – SHOCKED – that the President made a few references to his political opponents. That must be a first. Then, just before accusing Obama of lying “virtually every time he appears in public,” Goodwin outright lies by asserting that Obama leaked classified information for political gain. He made no effort to document that falsehood." https://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?tag=michael-goodwin

They are not that advanced. And there is a portion of them merely trolling, but its hard to keep up that farce. My guess is 75% of people joining the 'flat earth' groups only do so for the LULz and to laugh at idiocracy(I did), and that 95-99.9% of the media-creating promoters of it believe they are preaching scripture. It's a thrill in 'debate', an illusion of 'knowing' something others don't, fabricating their victimization and projecting it on others while feeling vengeful toward a fabricated boogieman is what gets these people high. They are truly fascinating and an excellent case study in crowd psychology. This is true for everything from the vaxxers, hoaxers, truthers to flat earthers and any conspiracy theory touting idiot privileged enough to have one. It's REALLY easy to win a debate with idiots. Walk away. mmmmmmmMMMMMM thats quite compelling. After all to believe in a flat earth would be to ignore everything about how gravity works, how a molten earth core allows earthquakes to occur, etc. etc.

This entire thread is confusing. If vitriol, or cruel and nasty criticism is to be defined. The questions don't target the origins of that. Politics in the US, in today's America is vitriolic, but so what? Criticism is either warranted or its not. If it is and no quarter in the debate is given, nor asked. You go for the jugular. Biggun defines possible reasons for vitriol. But IMO the absolute reason why he drives divide. Drives a passionate hatred. Is that he doesn't have a national interest, a conservative interest, a interest in equality for all, a interest in protecting the weak, etc. Regan ran huge deficits but he painted a conservative agenda. As one for everyone. Bush senior was a fiscal conservative with a national moral center. Conservative politics is not a zero sum game. trump sees it as such. He therefore deserves a vitriolic response equal to the weapons HE wants to bring to the fight.

I don't disagree that Marc and Ron are certainly set in their ways. Given that most of the politically savvy on DZ.com don't seem to want to offer opinions here. Its difficult to debate and make pointed argument with everyone of the same opinion. Marc, unfortunately, is not blessed with age such that the mistakes of previous administrations, policy, absence of integrity, etc. Of elected officials and parties. Could be put into perspective to guide this thought and political ideology. Such that he could make directed argument of fact. Without regurgitating Hannity's drivel from his Fox stint. Ron is blessed with experience. Unfortunately, religion and the perceptions that government direction of the economy, is "communist". Clouds and colors his perceptions of how to make America stronger and more supportive of all its citizens. For Ron the idea that everyone educated, equal, strong and pulling in the same direction. Be it corporate identities, individuals, or industries. Could make America a world leader again. Rather than one in decline and in growing debt and despair. That divisive political direction will benefit the state. That its the answer and necessary. To hold socialists and the masses of people that only want to use the state to be lazy, a source of welfare. At bay.

Story sounds fishy: https://www.snopes.com/spirit-airlines-hamster/ I doubt anyone would flush a live pet down a toilet.

That fad may be passing now: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/01/30/harley-davidson-kansas-city-plant-motorcycle-sales-fall/1078008001/

Yes, its the moderates that are motivated to vote. To change party affiliation. To donate, to volunteer for parties in elections. The combined effect to win an election. Hard core from either party may go their entire lives voting the same way.

Exactly. Don't people get it? It's a game. If you argue with them you may as well try cow tipping or hunting snipe. You are being played like a fool. ^^^^^^^ They all communicate via encrypted e-mail to exchange argument to support their positions. Otherwise they may get trapped into an admission. They all know its a joke on the rest of us.

Mattis, Mattis, Mattis, the only real man of PRINCIPAL, left. He sort of reminds me of McCain.

Trump admin weighing aid for some coal plants: report 02/09/18 Bloomberg reported that officials at the Department of Energy are weighing whether Energy Secretary Rick Perry should invoke emergency authority to stop FirstEnergy Solutions power plants from closing. The authority, which is meant for major emergencies, war and similar situations, would let the company charge high enough rates for its coal plants to stay open and not close due to competition from cheaper sources. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/373151-trump-admin-weighing-aid-for-some-coal-plants-report I guess clean energy solar panels are not the same thing as subsidies for coal so it can compete.

I thought of that already and tried to find video's of US forces goose stepping. No such luck. I did find video of them parading with Russian forces in Red square.

"Senators of both parties outdid even their House counterparts, and even the president, in their zeal to add money to the Pentagon budget. And they’ve won. This year their budget deal will break the existing caps on military spending imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act by a whopping $80 billion. Next year it will be $88 billion.... And the Pentagon increases don’t even count the uncapped Overseas Contingency Operations fund, which will add another $66 billion in extra military spending this year and $69 billion next year. The grand total? $700 billion. Close to the post-World War II record.... The $125 billion in administrative waste that the Pentagon's own investigators identified and then buried... While hiding behind expressions of devotion to “the troops,” they can now contemplate the enormous profits to be had by building, for example, yet another aircraft carrier battle group. This would be added to the 10 the U.S. already has. No other country has more than two. China has one, a secondhand one bought from Russia, with a Chinese-made model on the way. Overall the U.S. spends four times what China is spending on its military, nine times more than Russia, and more than the next eight countries — including China and Russia — put together. http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/373136-congress-just-agreed-to-completely-out-of-control-pentagon-spending Pentagon buried study that found $125 billion in wasteful spending: Washington Post "Using personnel and cost data, the report disclosed that the Pentagon was spending a quarter of its $580 billion budget on overhead and operations such as accounting, human resources, logistics and property management, the Post said. The study found that the Pentagon had more than a million people working desk jobs in its business operations, compared with 1.3 million troops on active duty. People working the desk jobs included 298,000 uniformed personnel, 448,000 civilian defense workers and 268,000 contractors, it said. " https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-waste/pentagon-buried-study-that-found-125-billion-in-wasteful-spending-washington-post-idUSKBN13V08B Does the USA have these many enemies? Or does the subcommittee on defense appropriations need to take names and kick ass?

Therefore, the entire military is a promotional organization for their respective President or for the country? I don't believe its the latter; otherwise, it would have been held on and for July 4th, September 11th, Veterans Day, etc. But, I think we're both right. It's a dog and pony show. Promotional for enrollment. Lets face if people see the Blue Angels and want to join the AF. But they are not likely to ever pilot a jet. Recruiters are having a tough time now. Full employment makes it tough to recruit. A long time ago a local police force had a recruitment day. Free ammo, beer and burgers. Well sign me up! Of course I never signed up but certainly went and 300 rounds later was happy to sip a cold beer.

Nobody knows the health and profitability of a business than their executives. With that in mind over the last 12 years US companies have increasingly used free cash to buy back stock. If business fundamentals within the corporation would have been stronger they could have used that cash to reinvest in plants and machinery. Could have used the money to expand by aquisition. So: The Ugly Truth Behind Stock Buybacks American companies have been spending wildly lately, but that cash isn’t being used for R&D or innovation. Rather, it’s being spent to buy up gobs of company stock. https://www.forbes.com/sites/aalsin/2017/02/28/shareholders-should-be-required-to-vote-on-stock-buybacks/#77f0d4176b1e While: Corporate debt is at new highs https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/11/corporate-debt-is-at-new-highs-and-these-companies-owe-the-most.html and the smart: Buffett Nears a Milestone He Doesn't Want: $100 Billion in Cash "Berkshire doesn’t pay a dividend and rarely buys back its own stock, Buffett is on the hook to find ways to invest those funds. “To put that money to work would be great,” said David Rolfe, chief investment officer at Wedgewood Partners, a money manager overseeing about $6 billion including Berkshire stock. But the “list of companies that he would like to own is very, very small.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-07/buffett-nears-a-milestone-he-doesn-t-want-100-billion-in-cash Bulls, Bears Make Money, Pigs Get Slaughtered "So often, when I bring this adage up, people ask me "How do you know when you are being a pig?" I know there's not supposed to be any stupid questions out there, but the answer is, frankly, you don't need me to tell you. If you weren't feeling piggish after we hit an all-time high on the Nasdaq in 2000, you needed a shrink, pronto. Remember, my goal is to stay in the game. The people who got wiped out by the Nasdaq crash tended to be people who never took anything off the table, who never felt greedy, who got slaughtered by their own piggishness. Unlike so many others I see and hear on television or read in articles, I have no regrets about liking the market during that period. To have avoided those 3,000 points would have been sinful. It would have been suicidal for a professional manager" https://www.thestreet.com/story/10292084/1/bulls-bears-make-money-pigs-get-slaughtered.html

The AF has the Thunderbirds, Navy- Blue Angels, SEALS- Leapfrogs, etc. All of which are enrollment and promotional organizations for their respective branches. If a parade could be justified as a recruitment tool for the army, marines, etc. There might be a notional concept for enlistment. ...Nah its just a dog and pony show for trump.

The 2018 Congressional Retirement Tracker They’re often a leading indicator for which direction a party is headed, and so far, 2018 is shaping up ominously for Republicans... " just eight House Democrats are retiring outright or have already resigned, compared with 24 Republicans"... for those getting out in 2018, President Trump’s low approval rating and Congress’s meager legislative output may be contributing to the decisions of some Republicans to retire https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/the-2018-congressional-retirement-tracker/545723/

Mostly agree, about once a year for each, McD, Burger King, KFC, Denny's and each of the other chains. Its not like I choose them as a destination meal. Its always on the road, need to eat, something to eat while driving. Or use washroom and eat. It is what it is.

Interview today. Arthur Jones, the former leader of the American Nazi Party and the only candidate in the Republican primary for Illinois' third Congressional district, speaks to CNN's Alisyn Camerota. https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/02/08/arthur-jones-newday-full-intv.cnn Snopes story on him: https://www.snopes.com/2018/02/06/former-nazi-party-leader-gop-nominee/ It gets better and you can't make this stuff up: A Short History of 'America First' https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/01/trump-america-first/514037/

Okay, Okay I have to confess. I like Mcdonalds. I like the cheaper scotch whiskeys as well. Furthermore when people poke fun of me: Some of the richest billionaires in the world still eat at McDonald’s https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/26/billionaires-who-eat-at-mcdonalds.html and the story dosn't even mention "_______".

Canada is so boring that it can drive you to tears. It needs state paid medical marijuana and recreational marijuana. There is a current controversy about "peoplekind". The National Post is Canada's equivalent to the WP in the US. You have to watch the whole video and read the whole story to understand the entire issue. http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/whats-behind-the-justin-trudeau-peoplekind-controversy-a-national-post-investigation I personally don't comprehend his patience in listening to that woman's "question". But applaud him for putting himself out into public forums in a cross Canada tour.