World is Falling Apart Thread (Locked forever)

[marurun]

That's not an answer, CRT. It's not an answer at all. Why are you unwilling to acknowledge when Trump or his agents blatantly lie? Is their lack of truthfulness unimportant to you? You keep dodging the question.

[dsheinem]

Just as in the Media, take in the information and judge.

Judge the veracity of the information on what basis, though? What tools are you using, when evaluating and judging information from multiple sources, to arrive at the answer of which information is GOOD information? THAT is the question I have for you.

Our dispute about the merit of the press conference is just a useful example to get to this underlying question.

(so if, for example, you believe Spicer's claims about what the inaugural attendance was...on what basis are you arriving at that belief?)

The question I have is: after evaluating competing sources of information, how do YOU decide which one is accurate?

[Ack]

Well, in the meantime...

India is deploying 460 T-90SM tanks to the border with Pakistan, which is in line with their current Cold Start military doctrine involving their rival nation.

The new president of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, has selected Fatoumatta Tambajang to be his new vice-president. Meanwhile, ECOWAS is keeping troops in The Gambia to search for weapons and mercenaries as well as maintain order and potentially prevent government security forces from declaring loyalty to outgoing president Yahya Jammeh, who has been exiled to Equatorial Guinea.

Also, reports that Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari had died in a hospital in Germany over the weekend have been proven false. Buhari is currently in London seeing doctors, though the 74-year-old president maintains that he is in good health, he's just getting a regular check up with doctors who have kept regular medical records on him.

[CRTGAMER]

India is deploying 460 T-90SM tanks to the border with Pakistan, which is in line with their current Cold Start military doctrine involving their rival nation.

The conflicts in the middle East have been going on forever. The crazy part is we send foreign aid and do not even know who is the enemy or in alliance the following weeks!

I still cannot figure out why as one of the few (only?) Democracies in the region, Isreal was shut down in the UN. All quiet from Prime Minister Netanyahu until now who has waited until President Trump took over. Will be interesting if Congress backing on the turn of events to support Isreal again. We should do the same with Tawain, any Democratic Country should have our backing.

The President has pulled us out of the Trans Pacific Partnership, yes!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-to-sign-executive-orders/

Donald Trump signs three executive memos
President Trump signed three executive memos on trade Monday morning -- one withdraws the U.S. from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), another reinstates the Mexico City Policy dealing with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and abortion access, and a third freezes federal workforce hiring.

TPP was an enormous trade deal that would have aligned the U.S. and 11 nations in the Asia-Pacific region including Japan, Australia, Vietnam, Canada and Mexico under an agreement that would have eliminated thousands of tariffs and streamlined regulations. The countries involved in the deal collectively conduct 40 percent of global trade.

“Everyone knows what that means, right? We’ve been talking about this for a long time,” Mr. Trump said as he signed the order withdrawing the U.S. from the TPP. “Great thing for the American worker, what we just did.” As he signed the federal workforce hiring freeze, Mr. Trump noted that the military was exempted from the hiring freeze. TPP also would have required ratification by Congress, and President Obama had hoped to see it ratified before he left office.

Good riddance to the TPP. EVERY country needs to be equal on Enviromental, OSHA and Pay Regulations before we even think about getting rid of Tariffs. NAFTA also being renegotiated right now, needs to be thrown in a dumpster

Tax Saving 1
The Tax Payer Funds for organizations to help other countries should be cut off as well and not just for the criteria of Abortion. Tax payer money to non profits slipping out of the country to who knows where?

Tax Saving 2
The Federal Hiring Freeze also a good move though the perception is killing Government jobs, a good tax cut option. Everyone knows if you want higher pay and pension over what is available in the private sector, get a Federal Job paid for by the Tax Payers.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/

Busy week planned with a heavy focus on jobs and national security. Top executives coming in at 9:00 A.M. to talk manufacturing in America.

[jp1]

Geeze so much hate. As mentioned earlier, I read all the posts and reply only if real discussion and not endless name calling. My form of reply many times are just more news that I feel strongly about, sometimes tied to the recent replies and sometimes new agenda.

"Hate" isn't the word. Honestly, it's simply frustration. There really isn't any way for me to explain that without sounding condescending to a further degree.

I lack the patience to adequately deal with your idiosyncrasies. However, no hate at all.

[CRTGAMER]

India is deploying 460 T-90SM tanks to the border with Pakistan, which is in line with their current Cold Start military doctrine involving their rival nation.

The conflicts in the middle East have been going on forever. The crazy part is we send foreign aid and do not even know who is the enemy or in alliance the following weeks!

I still cannot figure out why as one of the few (only?) Democracies in the region, Isreal was shut down in the UN. All quiet from Prime Minister Netanyahu until now who has waited until President Trump took over. Will be interesting if Congress backing on the turn of events to support Isreal again. We should do the same with Tawain, any Democratic Country should have our backing.

Okay I found it, the news story that made me write the statement above.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/315782-obama-administration-released-221-million-in-aid-money-to-palestinians

Obama released $221M to Palestinians in final hours
By Max Greenwood - 01/23/17 08:42 PM EST

The Obama administration sent $221 million to the Palestinian Authority on Friday, as President Obama prepared to leave the White House for the last time, The Associated Press reports. The outgoing administration formally notified Congress of the decision just hours before President Trump was inaugurated. Congress had initially approved the spending. But two House Republicans. Reps. Ed Royce (Calif.), who serves as the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Kay Granger (Texas), who is on the powerful Appropriations Committee, put holds on the aid money because the Palestinian Authority was seeking membership in international organizations.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry notified some lawmakers about the decision to release the money on Thursday, the AP reports. The $221 million sent to the Palestinian Authority is intended to provide humanitarian aid in ares such as Gaza and the West Bank, as well as to support political reforms there. The Obama administration also notified lawmakers on Friday that it would release $6 million in foreign spending, with $4 million of it going to programs to fight climate change and $1.25 million to United Nations organizations. Trump has voiced skepticism about climate change in the past, and has criticized the UN.

[dsheinem]

Just as in the Media, take in the information and judge.

Judge the veracity of the information on what basis, though? What tools are you using, when evaluating and judging information from multiple sources, to arrive at the answer of which information is GOOD information? THAT is the question I have for you.

Our dispute about the merit of the press conference is just a useful example to get to this underlying question.

(so if, for example, you believe Spicer's claims about what the inaugural attendance was...on what basis are you arriving at that belief?)

The question I have is: after evaluating competing sources of information, how do YOU decide which one is accurate?

CRT, still waiting on a response to this ^ before wanting to engage on anything else.

Please reply, thanks.

[Erik_Twice]

yjyj

[ZeroAX]

In other news, the supreme court of the UK said that parliament MUST vote on triggering brexit. Will be interesting to see how the discussion goes and if there will be any Tory and Labour splits (against and ....well against or in favor, labour is just too split in general) from official party lines.

[marurun]

Was unaware of the moves India was making, though they're not surprising. India and Pakistan have consistently failed the "best buds" test.

I've been following the situation in Gambia, but I hadn't read anything more recent than troops gathering to enforce the election results.

Glad that Britain's parliament will have to vote on the Brexit, though I cannot imagine a scenario where they contradict the previous Brexit vote barring some kind of massive up-swell in folks demanding their previous support be rescinded.

In domestic news, a non-partisan ethics non-profit in the US has decided to sue Trump for violating the Emolument Clause of the Constitution. I have heard a couple great radio interviews with those involved. They basically want Trump to separate himself more fully from his businesses or for Trump to go to Congress to request the necessary exemptions on individual transactions. Their suit is highly relevant and quite valid, though the question of standing still looms. There's good precedent to allow them standing, but it's not guaranteed.

I was also thrilled to note that NPR still has the balls to call it like it is. This morning I heard the NPR news host state that Trump repeated his false claims of millions of illegals voting. Every news outlet, including Fox, needs to be willing to call out our petty dictator in chief over his whining denials of reality. Fox is a particularly interesting case. Murdock's sons have for years now been arguing that Fox needs to go more mainstream and shed some of the alt-right content. They were nearly at war with Ailes at times. Now that Ailes is out, I'm surprised the channel is still aligning to closely with Trump. The entire Murdock family is reportedly not a fan. I guess old habits are hard to change, though.

Also disappointed to see the Mexico City Policy reinstated. Once again the US wrongly believes itself to be so righteous as to want to force a particular morality on others.

Oh, and the latest episode of Hidden Brain looks exciting.

In her new book, Strangers in Their Own Land, sociologist Arlie Hochschild tackles this paradox. She says that while people might vote against their economic needs, they're actually voting to serve their emotional needs.

Hochschild says that both conservative and liberals have "deep stories" — about who they are, and what their values are. Deep stories don't need to be completely accurate, but they have to feel true. They're the stories we tell ourselves to capture our hopes, pride, disappointments, fears, and anxieties.

Hochschild spent years in Louisiana trying to understand the deep stories of conservative, white, heterosexual, working-class Americans. Their deep story focused on the American Dream: the idea that, if you work hard and play by the rules, you can have a better life. But what happens when that dream doesn't come true? When people see "line cutters" getting ahead while their own lives don't seem to be going anywhere?

Apparently, when that happens, you vote for Trump, because he will at least let you tell your story.

http://www.npr.org/2017/01/24/510567860/strangers-in-their-own-land-the-deep-story-of-trump-supporters