DJL

I do see why Trump thought he had a packed house and he's at an even lower angle than the CNN photograph. Here's the high res from Reuters. You can't make out Trump in it but you can see that everyone is there on the steps and the soldiers in the middle are at about the same location (not that they couldn't move over a 6 hour period), other things like locations where there is only one row of people in the sections is about the same. They appear to have been taken at the same time. https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/photo/2017/01/all-of-this-space-was-full-a-photog/f03_RTSWIEY/original.jpg "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

He never expected to become President and spent the last month and a half ignoring briefings, going on self congratulatory tours and getting in pissing matches with actors. What makes you think he cares about learning WTF is wrong? "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

The one that seems to have more only has 3/5 as many. Is that a slavery joke? "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

As an aside, i don't think the Supreme Court will be any more conservatively politicized than it was considering the new appointment will be a replacement to Scalia. The issue Trump will have is trying to appoint someone who will somehow be under his thumb. That can be a bit more tricky with a SC nominee since the moment the act is done that nominee is out from under his thumb. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

"Factcists" "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

No. That was one of the excuses that either Spicer or Conway gave (you know, those 'alternative facts'), but the pics were both taken at the same time of day. I didn't say anything about time because that's not what the question is. Just simply, "Which picture shows more people?" "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

He's said he wants to eliminate the EPA's Clean Power Plan. Do you know what that is and does concern about eliminating it equate to a "special kind of stupid"? "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

This is a dead horse but I thought it would be fun anyway. BOOBIES "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

Looks like O'Keeffe actually scored some arrests: "A D.C. police spokesman has confirmed that a secret video recording made Dec. 18 by one of O’Keefe’s operatives led to the arrest of one man and foiled an alleged plot to spread acid at the DeploraBall for Trump supporters at the National Press Club. It was not clear whether the alleged plotters ever obtained the acid." https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/meetings-of-activists-planning-to-disrupt-inauguration-were-infiltrated-by-conservative-media-group/2017/01/24/b22128fe-e19a-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html?utm_term=.872e231fe5c9 The people arrested had already said that they said those things knowing that the video operator was a mole. I'll be interesting to see how it holds up. If they did know they should know that it was a pretty risky proposition. I would've contacted the police and told them what they were doing rather than have video of me plotting something very illegal. They'll have to somehow prove or show evidence that they never intended to purchase the stink bombs, maybe show internal dated emails detailing their plans to foil the infiltrators. Sucks to be them. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

I'm sorry, the first quote you posted was from the article I posted, the second was from a different interiew. There's some correlation because he asks why it's "game over" but he seems to answer that it shows that Obama has no intention of stopping oil dependence and the result will be to the detriment of future generations. I don't have a dog in this race, just not sure what you're trying so hard to prove about with this guy. Maybe we're splitting hairs but I don't think he means that the increase in fuel used that's routed through the pipeline will literally cause that world devastation but that if we continue on the trend he described in the first article then we will. Anyway, I think he has his point but this is also someone who thinks that money made by the oil industry from American oil should be given directly to Americans and that it will bolster the economy and somehow that will cause them to need less oil and the pipelines will be superfluous. It doesn't sound like someone who has really sat down to the math. Edit: I think we all understand that further oil usage obviously leads to the effect on our environment caused by oil usage and that's just another component of this pipeline issue. As oil vs the environment relates to an American First Energy Policy we need to understand that the only reason many countries around the world are willing to take steps to clean up is that they see everyone else doing it and not taking an unfair advantage. India, China and developing nations will just say "fuck it" to international environment pacts and we'll be back to pollution on par with the Industrial Revolution. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/opinion/game-over-for-the-climate.html He said it in reference to the Canadian Tar Sands and if Canada were to fully exploit the new tar sands while we "continue to burn our conventional oil, gas, and coal supplies..." The only statement in the article about the pipeline is that instituting a carbon fee gets paid to America and somehow correlates to the pipeline becoming superfluous. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

This is getting dirty. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

It's interesting that as we're talking about what could potentially be our Utopia we're also raising the point that it might be accompanied by the biggest risks to society we could imagine. Furthermore, that people who typically are leftist or right have some of the exact same conclusions. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

The biggest issue I see the a UBI is the phrase "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop." There will likely be very serious health issues with people not having to do anything in their typical day. There will also be a secondary or black market (just borrowing the phrase, not meaning that it is inherently illegal) because people will be able to capitalize on the security of the UBI and make parallel gains outside of the system. This could be anything from making drugs to making genuine handmade wooden figurines. Hopefully, there will be parachute packing robot and I'll never have to pack again. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

The other alternative is removing those jobs from being automated for the pure purpose of providing jobs. The only other outcome would result in such a disparity in wealth that the basic structures of socio-econic mobility are gone. I personally don't think that anything short of a population collapse is in store without really planning for the long-term future of humanity.. It's been theorized that the world's population will balance out somewhere in the 9 to 10 billion range. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

Definitely. At the risk of insulting those who served in the Vietnam War, it's more and more difficult to look down upon those who did not for any reason. Only those who were alive at the time have a memory rather than a historical knowledge of the turmoil surrounding that war and society. Those who were not alive should still understand why we were involved in that war, what happened with the Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin, the reasons we stayed so long, the reasons we were allowed to target one area vs. another, and why we eliminated the Draft. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

That's accurate, most of them were life sentences for crimes committed when life was the mandatory sentencing for those crimes. Won't matter to the anti-Obama people. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

He should have the "Freedom Kids" perform so that at least he can have taxpayers foot the bill and they'll finally get paid. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/07/26/the-creator-of-the-viral-pro-trump-act-usa-freedom-kids-now-plans-to-sue-the-campaign/?utm_term=.3eb28809dfb4 "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

This will definitely be a case study. I'm sure if even one of those commit a crime it'll be a GOP banner in 2020, 2024, etc. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

Apparently it came out of Wolf Blitzer's mouth. I had more respect for him than that. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

Source and more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/17/politics/chelsea-manning-sentence-commuted/index.html I'm not 100% certain this was the right move. I get it though. I wish Obama would pardon Snowden too in order to remove him as a bargaining chip to be played by Trump against Putin. I'm 100% certain it was the wrong move. Manning had other paths to take to achieve her end which was supposedly motivated by her view that civilians were being unjustly targeted. The famous video shows an egregious error on the part of pilots and spotters in the middle of a combat scenario, not a premeditated attempt to kill civilians. Morality comes at a cost and even if she had gone to a civilian human rights group with the information she would be court marshaled but she could have kept it private and still pursued the result she intended. This was nothing more that Manning lashing out and in her own words she took the wrong path much because of the emotional state she was in. She needs to take her medicine and stay in jail. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

It's good to see that. I think they're sick of being cast in the same light at Breitbart, etc. they know that eventually there will be a President up there pointing at them and saying "Fake News" if they stay on the track they were on. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

I agree with the point of it because we do have account for everyone's interest. Using NAFTA as an example, the votes of those farmers in the sparse areas of Mexico didn't stand up to the population of Mexico city who stood to profit by increased manufacturing and the result was that Mexican agriculture was decimated by cheap US corn. Also, just because more people agree on something that doesn't make it good for the country but that can go any direction if you're talking about weighting. The only reason I mention that is because we're not a pure democracy and elected officials need to do better at prioritizing the interests of the country instead of pandering to the mob. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

Nobody is paying anyone to do anything, "inherently illegal." It is not "inherently illegal" to be in a protest nor be the first people between a crowd and police. I'll admit the last time I personally witnessed this in DC was decades ago (just a geography situation, I don't live in DC but was covering a few things going on back then). My understanding is it predated that time and continues to this day though. I've witnessed it more recently at other demonstrations in other cities with people being designated arrestees (usually trained for that specific task). I'll add that I've never gone to a protest as a participant. My observations are that unless the clan is there or people chain themselves to something you won't see any arrests. Even the arrests with people chaining themselves to the whitehouse gate seem mostly ceremonial. The cops stand there and let the person do it, the press takes pictures and then the cops step in and arrest the people, pretty mundane affairs. I guess the good old days when people threw paint and caused a ruckus went out when that age group traded the busted down VW for Volvo station wagons. It might also just be a DC thing because I see much more turbulent protesting in other parts of the country. DC leans to the left more than any city outside of Vermont so you won't see groups clashing. Edit: As far as the fake crowds go...Oh God yes, and it's so fake to see from the inside. Over the summer growing up I worked for a rental company setting up for events at the Capitol Building, among venues. The place would be entirely dead and then a bus pulls up, unloads a crowd, the event starts, everyone cheers on demand and then everyone gets back on the bus and the place goes quiet again. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

I'll be honest, I've never heard of this as a common thing and I grew up in and around Washington D.C. Plenty of politicians will dump a bus full of Young Republicans or Democrats in front of something but for protests I've never heard of people being paid to form some sort of front line. For anything serious there are never a shortage of people willing to get in someone's face. To me it seems that paying people to do something inherently illegal at an otherwise sanctioned protest would quickly come unraveled the moment these paid protesters were told that no charges would get pressed if they would provide information on someone paying them to commit this act. Protests in DC usually come with a police escort and the assistance of the city. I've rarely seen anything turn sour, with the exception of racial issues. "I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher