Trump's America

[yovargas]

He's a classic troll - he probably doesn't believe all that stuff, but thrives on the outrage and negative attention.

One noteworthy difference between him and classic trolls (if he really is just trolling) is that he's getting plenty of positive attention to go with the negative. Classic trolls don't usually have devoted fans.

[Túrin Turambar]

As far as I can tell, this is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJhHwspZGcg

To be honest, I think it’s a stretch to say he’s condoning paedophilia. It strikes me as his usual boasting about his sexual exploits. Certainly he’s rejected any suggestion that he has, and as he usually owns his unpopular and objectionable opinions I’m inclined to take his word for it.

Milo is obviously trolling, in that he says outrageous things for a reaction. My view is that Milo would not be as famous as he has become without the safe-space trigger-warning constraints around our public discourse. When a whole swathe of viewpoints are condemned for being racist, sexist, or otherwise not just wrong but outright unacceptable, then someone who does say genuinely outrageous things becomes a bit of a thrill. And the numerous attempts to shut him down, silence him, or deny him a platform simply play into his hands. Someone should just publish his book before it gets some sort of Mein Kampf mystique around it.

ETA: Sam Harris in the first few minutes of this video expresses what's basically my view of Milo.

[Cerin]

I don't know anything about this person, but watching a short bit of that video, I certainly wouldn't have pegged him as someone welcomed as a speaker at 'conservative' gatherings.

[Frelga]

Classic trolls don't usually have devoted fans.

Or are being openly employed for the purpose of trolling.

We'll, until now. He "resigned" from Breitbart to avoid sullying their reputation. There are so many levels of irony here.

[River]

I don't know anything about this person, but watching a short bit of that video, I certainly wouldn't have pegged him as someone welcomed as a speaker at 'conservative' gatherings.

I came across an essay yesterday (can't remember where or I'd link it) by a conservative planning to attend CPAC expressing similar sentiments. It had a "Guys, what are we doing? What have we been doing? Maybe we should give the podium to thinkers instead of professional trolls," vibe to it.

Milo, like all fallen celebrities, will be gone for a while but he'll return.

[yovargas]

I don't know anything about this person, but watching a short bit of that video, I certainly wouldn't have pegged him as someone welcomed as a speaker at 'conservative' gatherings.

It's because he's explicitly and unrepentantly racist which has led to "liberal thugs" protesting and banning him from colleges, amongst other places. Which gets used by the right as a bullshit "See? Liberals aren't really tolerant and are attacking free speech!" talking point. But of course, if it was somebody from, say, the Black Lives Matter movement getting protests and bans, I doubt these people would be too terribly upset about the "attacks" on their "free speech".

[Primula Baggins]

I know that there are many conservatives who are just as repelled by him as any liberal, although they're not, unfortunately, in charge of the party at this point.

I honestly think the best hope for our country is not to let unprincipled loudmouths like MY succeed in driving a wedge between the decent people in this country, the people who value what binds us together over our differences. All of us are down and out at the moment, and the demagogues and embryo autocrats know that the surest way they can stay on top is to keep us yelling at each other, rather than trying to to do anything effective about the threat they pose.

Democrats and progressives right now are headed down the same road as the Tea Party in Obama's presidency, putting our energy into tarring everyone on the other side with the dirtiest possible brush, regardless of the facts—we're clutching at rumors that turn out not to be true just as they did (and do).

I do think the danger to our country and its values is real. But I think we ought to be focused on the men behind the curtain, who are profiting from Trump's circus—while we're expressing our outrage at the clown they've trotted out for us, they hope to quietly set us back decades socially and fiscally before we can find a foothold to oppose it. Before we even notice how smoothly it's happening. And polarizing the ordinary people so they can't even listen to each other, let alone join forces in any way at all, is part of the strategy.

[Frelga]

Kansas man accused of fatally shooting Indian engineer after shouting 'get out of my country'

A Kansas man is accused of shooting and killing an Indian immigrant engineer he thought was Middle Eastern and wounding two others after shouting "get out of my country" and opening fire.

Adam Purinton was arrested after fleeing Austin's Bar and Grill, a suburban Kansas City restaurant that was packed Wednesday night when he allegedly blasted off several rounds at 7:15 p.m.

[Impenitent]

I'm sorry. I realky don't know what to say. Such terrible things are happening.

Posting on phone via Tapatalk

[Inanna]

[Voronwë the Faithful]

An old friend on Trump and the media:

[Impenitent]

The only good outcome of Trump's election in that it's forced John Stewart out of retirement.

Posting on phone via Tapatalk

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I don't think an occasional appearance on his buddy Colbert's show counts as coming out of retirement. But I'll take what I can get.

[Impenitent]

He's appeared much more often than I could have hoped for.

Posting on phone via Tapatalk

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Trump's recent speech to Congress

[Primula Baggins]

Oh, I am so happy! Now Sauron can be our friend.

[yovargas]

I can't believe that Obama personally wiretapped Trump tower after he literally founded Isis!!!

[River]

I'm not sure what Trump thinks he's going to achieve. It's been out for months that there may have been FISA warrants directed against a server in Trump Tower and members of the campaign. Does he really want to see those rumors publically substantiated?

I'm also very distressed to learn that another Indian was shot for being Indian. In his own driveway in a suburb of Seattle no less. Welcome to Trump's America, peeps. The violent white terrorist types are feeling very emboldened now. If you wanna be safe, don't be brown.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I can't believe that Obama personally wiretapped Trump tower after he literally founded Isis!!!

Ah, but there is proof!

[Impenitent]

So, apparently while the great Obama Wire Tap distraction was going on, these Bills have been introduced:

1. HR 861 Terminate the Environmental Protection Agency
2. HR 610 Vouchers for Public Education
3. HR 899 Terminate the Department of Education
4. HJR 69 Repeal Rule Protecting Wildlife
5. HR 370 Repeal Affordable Care Act
6. HR 354 Defund Planned Parenthood
7. HR 785 National Right to Work (this one ends unions)
8. HR 83 Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Bill
9. HR 147 Criminalizing Abortion (“Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act”)
10. HR 808 Sanctions against Iran

How many will pass?