Trump - Conning the media again.

Wow, that Syria distraction sure was effective.

Call Putin and warn him. Putin warns Assad. They clear the airfield, let the Tomahawks make some noise and move some dirt around, and get back to work on their still completely functional runway.

"Hey, Putie! We're going to bomb an airfield to distract people from my terrible presidency, Sad! Don't tell Bashar, ok?!" pic.twitter.com/uCkYhqPjR3

— Heysoos X Thompson (@GrafHeysoos) April 8, 2017

"Everything you tell Putie is strictly between us, Donny. You know that! I love you." pic.twitter.com/7aITvT2sng

— Heysoos X Thompson (@GrafHeysoos) April 8, 2017

The most obvious of political pantomimes.

Meanwhile...

Pay no attention to Trump's expensive desert distraction, North Korea is where it's going down.#ImpeachTrump https://t.co/gOXanZFg1R

— Heysoos X Thompson (@GrafHeysoos) April 9, 2017

And this is the real story. North Korea is looking like a likely target more and more. Trump wants to start a war to save his presidency. He's going to use it to consolidate his power. "We don't have time to investigate this Russia nonsense!" They'll say, "We're at war!".

And North Korea is playing right into it.

"North Korea says a US missile strike on Syria "proves a million times over" that it was right to strengthen its nuclear programme, state media report."


North Korea has WMDs and it's dictator is breaking our sanctions. We have to act, they say, before he starts randomly shooting off missiles at other sovereign nations. How do you do this the day after firing 59 missiles at another sovereign nation with a straight face? Missiles that he fired, by the way, while he was meeting with the Chinese President. He told him that shit at dinner. I'm sure that's just a coincidence, though.

So instead of sitting down at the table with North Korea, which is really all that lil' Kim wants from us, we are going to attack them. Trump has drawn the line for China, his aggression towards North Korea is evident, his forces are moving into place, and he is exactly the kind of nutcase that would start a war to save a presidency.

And the media will fall for it. Just as those "beautiful" missiles distracted idiot talking heads with bright lights and loud noises so too will this impending North Korean conflict. They'll forget all about Russia and go into 24 hour news war mode. We'll all be far too busy watching night vision videos of rockets bursting in air to worry about the Russians' compromising our entire government. We need to be keeping our eyes on the ball and they're going to be distracting us with shiny things. These are the times that CNN and their ilk are bad for America.

Time is of the essence.

Remember those people that said during the election “Trump can't do half of the crazy things he's saying he'll do”?

“Don't worry.” They'd coo. “He can't hurt things that much!”

But, oh dear, is he trying real hard right now.

I'm not being partisan when I say that he's destroying our nation's image among allies and foes alike. Republicans are feeling it, too. Trump isn't even a Republican to begin with. You've known this all along really, Republicans, but the win was important to you. Now you have to decide if it's more important than the country.

Nevertheless, those optimists from before the election were technically correct, which is the best kind, when they doubted his ability to destroy us all. It is not, however, from lack of effort, ability, or motive, but a lack of intelligence. He tried to pull off a great con, because DONALD TRUMP IS A CONMAN, and he isn't smart enough to pull it off. The marks are starting to get wise. The jig is up. The buzzards are circling the carcass.

His network of shady businessmen is already crumbling. Soon, it will be every man for himself in Trumpland. If you're paying attention you can actually see the wheels coming off. They'll tear each other apart trying to stay out of jail or, on the Russian side of things, not get straight up murdered. These men aren't built for prison, even a cushy federal one, and they know it. Maybe they'll surprise me and we'll watch Trump grow old gracefully on the lush links of Agola state penitentiary.

Even if Pence survives the impeachment things will be improved. Just think of everyone that goes away when Trump does. Bannon. Gone. Tillerson. Gone. Sessions. Conway. Kushner. Ivanka. Gone. Spicer gone, obviously. That little bottom feeder will be lucky to get the Easter bunny job back. I'm feeling increasingly secure in the knowledge that Mattis and McMaster are around. If there's anyone connected to Trump that I have any faith in, it's those two men. We're going to need guys like these in the coming days. This treason will tear our government apart but what rises from the ashes is up to us and we need to remember; Country over party.

Trumpkins are starting to get that now. They're seeing that they were lied to and they do not like it. They're not ready to admit defeat to liberals yet, so bitterly do they hate that word, but they're beginning to acknowledge that this Trump thing may have been a mistake. They're less vocal in their support and much less eager to defend him. I don't see a whole lot of MAGA hats around these days, do you? His slowly eroding base should give hope to all patriotic Americans. Hell, to people all over the world.

One thing still looms ominously on the horizon - North Korea. Trump is rattling sabers loudly and I think that it's because he believes a war will save his ailing presidency. I believe he's insane enough to try regardless. He's not going to go down easily. Oh no, not our Donald. Trump is going to go down kicking and screaming, taking everything and everyone along with him, fighting until the bitter end. Hopefully, we can stop him before he starts something that we can't fix.

A war is coming; and soon.

Even all the way down here in Texas I can hear Trump and his generals rattling their sabers. Their pockets are full of big shiny toys burning holes in their trousers. Abrams, Apaches, and Spectres. Oh my.

Iran will be the target. It's a country we've had our eyes on it for quite a while. Tensions have been rising in the Persian Gulf and particularly in and around the strait of Hormuz. Last year Iran even threatened it's closure. That's 20% of the world's oil. 85% of which goes to Asia. It'll give Trump control over a large amount of oil, among other seaborne commerce passing through the strait, and a way to hurt China. Sound like something The Orange might be interested in?

He's already surrounded himself with people that would be amenable to this course of action. Flynn has had a hard-on for Iran for a while and already believes that there is a war coming between them and Saudi Arabia. Mattis said two days ago, after Trump announced fresh sanctions against Iran, that they were the "single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.". Bannon has been propagandizing about Iran getting nukes via Breitbart for sometime now, too. Tillerson has his eyes on their oil. Priebus has been screaming bloody murder about the same nukes. The echo chamber is complete and it is calling for an invasion.

Boots on the ground in Iran will be a messy affair. It will be a bloodier occupation that Iraq or Afghanistan. Insurgents will pour in from all sides, seeing it as a last stand of sorts. It'll be a dirty war that will claim many an American life. I don't think it will require a draft... but what bitter irony it would be to have one instituted by a draft dodger.

The Muslim ban was deliberately designed to agitate and isolate Muslims. The Trump administration wants a terrorist attack right now. One is probably coming, real or manufactured, that will somehow lead straight back to Iran. This will be the justification for their war. Hell, even if it doesn't lead back to Iran that won't stop them. Remember Iraq's role in 9/11? There will be a bombing or a shooting. The bomber or shooter will be Iranian. Or know an Iranian. Or have been to Iran. Or seen Iran on TV. Or have an A Flock Of Seagulls CD in his apartment. Something. Anything. That'll be all they need to get the meat grinder going.

As much as I'd like to paint Trump as a deplorable devil of Nixonian proportions with a head full of evil plans I can't. He's a buffoon with a head full of air and hair growth chemicals. This was exposed as the truth when he unwittingly signed an order that placed Bannon on the NSC without even realizing it. He's their patsy. W II. Here to start WWIII. Personally, I think the man has Alzheimer's, as his father before him, and that everyone around him knows it. He's their useful idiot and with him they will rule the world. Or attempt to.

So we're going to war again, America. And, whether they succeed or they fail, we, the people, will suffer.

Donald Trump is a gift to ISIS.

Hearts and minds.

It's something I used to hear a lot while I was deployed to Iraq. Hearts and minds. We put a lot of effort into this concept. We spent American money at the markets and at falafel stands to keep the merchants friendly. We handed out soccer balls and candy to Iraqi children to combat the image of the evil American occupier. We set up points where Iraqis could come to receive medical treatment from our medics. We also helped repair schools and hospitals destroyed during the conflict; to give those children a place to congregate and learn; and to give people access to healthcare that was otherwise nonexistent. We provided security for people as they performed daily tasks; refilling benzene tanks, pumping sewage from the streets, or doing road work. We also paid the sewage truck operators and the road workers, using locals always to boost our status within the community. We spoke with local sheikhs and imams. We interacted with the people, learned their customs, and showed them the respect that they deserved. We drank tea with them. We broke bread with them.

The goal, always, was to make one thing very clear: We are not your enemy and you are not ours.

This approach had very positive effects in my area of operations. We, once the evil American occupiers, became the peace officers. People came to us with problems and, more importantly, with information. When we were attacked by terrorists the civilian populace became very annoyed with the agitators. And why not? We didn't even shoot our guns unless we were attacked. Sure, we shouldn't be there but they knew that we didn't want to be. We humanized ourselves. They saw us not as the faceless manifestation of American aggression but as guys from another country that were trying to do a job. That job? To help their community recover and grow after the horrible war that they had endured.

Before long, Iraqis began to take up arms against Al Qaeda in our area. When insurgents would show up in their town to plant improvised explosive devices on their newly repaired roads they would meet severe resistance. At a minimum, our neighborhood birdies would tell us who did what and where said what was. Occasionally, we would arrive to find that our new Iraqi friends had killed the potential terrorists and all we needed to do was clean up.

Hearts and minds.

These lessons have been learned by the American military over years and years of warfare. You fight an idea with an idea. Terrorists recruit by demonizing those that they fight. How do you convince a kid to blow himself up to kill a guy that gave him candy and soccer balls, that built his school, that rendered medical aid, or fed his family? How do you convince a man to blow up a guy's truck when the day before he was drinking tea with him and laughing? Sure, not everyone is changed by a simple gesture. There are true believers. These tactics aren't for them. We show Muslims that we are not the enemy by not being the enemy. By being the friend. By healing the wounds that we have inflicted. Muslims, like Christians, are a peaceful and forgiving people. They don't live for war or yearn for it. Jihad is the last resort of an oppressed and distraught person with no options left.

Donald Trump threatens our country with his anti-Muslim agenda. Banning Muslims from coming to the United States? This is a victory for ISIS. They just gained recruits all over the world.

I read a story today about a man who's mother, after living in this country since 1995, was denied re-entry to undergo medical care. She's dead now. How do you radicalize a moderate Muslim? Killing his mother is probably a good start.

- An edit. Apparently, the man that reported this is being accused of lying about it. Regardless of whether or not he did the anecdote has meaning. This disruption of travel, deliberately targeting Muslims, can and will cost people their lives. It's unfortunate that this man would lie as it hurts the cause but it doesn't change the fact that the Muslim ban serves more to radicalize and increase terrorism than to solve it.

A kid from Houston is currently being detained in Chicago because he went to Jordan to renew his visa. Jordan, a country that is not on the list of banned countries. They revoked his visa and locked him up. They took his phone. His brother says that the kid can only use the phone once a week for thirty minutes and that he is unable to see him. The official word is that he will be at a refugee center for up to two months. Sixteen years old. This is how you create a radical.

There are two possibilities in my mind.

1 - The Trump administration is clueless and incompetent. They have no idea what they're doing. They don't know how to fight terrorism. They're scared and they are lashing out.

I don't really believe this, though it sounds comforting when compared to the other possibility.

2 - The Trump administration knows exactly what it's doing. They know that this will create more radicals. They are deliberately antagonizing terrorists. They want terrorism to increase so that they can push for more control, more restrictions, and more terror. They want to use the hate and fear that they are creating to initiate mass deportations, mass incarcerations, and war. This was their plan. This is their agenda.

I don't want to believe this. I want America to be great, I want our country to prosper, but America doesn't prosper by victimizing the people that live here. When we attack our own people we all lose. We're supposed to be better. What happened to "One nation, indivisible"? That doesn't just mean the white Christians. That means all of us; immigrants and visitors included. We've gone from complaining about illegal immigration to attacking legal immigrants based solely on their religion.

Refugees and immigrants are not our enemies. A refugee could be the most patriotic American you've ever seen if you would just give them the chance to be. To be welcomed by us with open arms after fleeing war, chaos, and death? Is there a better way to win someone's heart and mind?

The protests are heartening. To see Americans come together as a unit to resist this obvious tyranny fills me with pride even as Trump's actions overwhelm me with shame. Huge, spontaneous protests to support people being unlawfully detained, unfairly treated, and un-Americanly singled out? This is the country that I love. Is it enough? I don't know. It's a start, though.

Let's keep the heat on, America.

Countering the anti-refugee hysteria

The refugee crisis is perhaps one of the most pressing issues that we are facing today. A situation caused by a lack of humanity that can only be solved by demonstrating the opposite. People feeling war should not be treated as though they are criminals. Indeed, even as we argue about "illegals" and The Great Orange teases mass deportations we, as humans, must acknowledge that undocumented immigrants are not criminals. Sure, they have criminals among their numbers. Some "bad hombres" to be sure. The majority, however, are just trying to not live in squalor. Is it criminal to want a better life for your children? 

But I digress. I want to talk about refugees. That tired, poor, huddled mass yearning to breathe free. These people are the weakest of us. The most vulnerable. Homes, families, and lives destroyed by war; They're searching for a place to live in peace. Any place. Anywhere but there. That's what they really are. They aren't roving bands of evil Muslims storming across Europe to genocide the white people. They aren't ISIS invaders attempting to blow up the Eiffel Tower or poison the Rhine. They don't want to climb the fences of Buckingham Palace and rape the queen. They just want to exist.

So, let's dispel some untruth about them, shall we? Let's destroy some lies. 

LIE.

"We have to be vigilant. We have to be strong. We have to see what's going on. There's a big problem in the world. You look what's happening with the migration in Europe. You look at Germany, it's crime-riddled right now."

- Donald J. Trump, President-Elect of the United States of America.


Between 2014 and 2015 the refugee population in Germany increased by 440% while the number of crimes committed by refugees increased by 79%. Germany's Federal Criminal Police Agency's (BKA) report on refugee related crime states that the "vast majority of asylum-seekers commit no offenses.".

"Over-represented [in committing crimes in refugee reception centres] are people with Kosovar, Serbian or Macedonian nationality. Under-represented are those with Syrian and Iraq nationality," the report notes.


"The current trend shows that refugees are just as unlikely to commit crimes as comparable groups among the current population. The majority of them don't commit crimes, they are seeking protection and peace in Germany." - Thomas de Maizière, Germany's Minister of the Interior.

LIE.

"The majority of them are young males. And they could easily be people who are being infiltrated by terrorists and recognize that once you bring them in, then you have got to bring other members of the family in." - Ben Carson.

This is absolute bullshit and can be disproved with basic google search skills. Unfortunately, it seems as though the people that listen to Ben Coonson don't know how to google. Not really much of a surprise.

Here's the actual data, though:

Of the 23,826 total applicants seeking to resettle in the U.S. — 15,937, or around 67 percent, are women (of all ages) and male children (age 0 to 11). Men (age 18 and older) accounted for 25.5 percent.

Maybe they're over represented in the total count of registered refugees?

NOPE.

As ALL DATA has frequently shown the majority of refugees are WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Even if you were to count all males 12 - 59 as young males they are still only 32.9% of the refugee population. So, this is an obvious and demonstrable LIE that is being repeated by Republican xenophobes to besmirch refugees and stoke fear. It's despicable that it's being done with such gusto.

LIE.

Again, the majority of asylum seekers are women and children. So that's a lie to start with. The Great Orange lies a great deal so no surprise there.

The vetting process is arduous. Refugees are vetted by gathering biographical information, interviewed, medically screened, checked by Homeland Security and the FBI, run through databases, and then approved. The approval rate is somewhere around 50%.

It kind of seems as though these are things the president should know. Alas, he in a buffoon.  

His buffoonery is on display in another tweet about refugees;

Another lie?! Surely not! Trump wouldn't know the truth of it hit him repeatedly about the head and shoulders with a Chilean Sea Bass while quoting facts about the things he loves. You know, money, Russia, teen pussy, hooker urine...

The fact is that this tweet is a knee jerk reaction to this story. 

"Members of two Syrian families had turned themselves in to U.S. authorities in Laredo, Texas, at the Mexican border, and were being processed by immigration officials, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Thursday.

Two men, two women and four children who "presented themselves" Tuesday at the port of entry were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents and then turned over for immigration processing, DHS said in a statement."

Not sneaking in. Not connected to ISIS. Not terrorists. They presented themselves in the correct way and were processed by immigration officials. 

Again, a fucking buffoon.

LIE.

In 2016 the US let in 12,486 Syrian refugees. Canada has accepted 32,400. Turkey is currently housing 2.7 million. Lebanon?  1.07 million. Jordan? 649,700.

Hardly "pouring into our great country.".

LIE.

"Muslim refugees are running around Europe raping all the white women." - Every xenophobic white supremacist moron on Twitter.

"According to the report, 32 percent of the 208,344 crimes linked to refugees involved asset or fraud offenses, while theft accounted for another 33 percent. The proportion of sexual offenses made up less than 1 percent of refugee-related crimes, with 1,688 cases of sexual assault, including 458 cases of rape or sexual coercion.

According to the latest available figures, there were nearly 47,000 sexual offenses in Germany in 2014."

The fear of brown people raping white women is nothing new in Europe. When French African soldiers occupied Germany after WWI there was the same baseless mass hysteria about rape. Racism doesn't change much.

A German woman has even tried to fight this hysteria by debunking false reports of refugee misconduct with a website called "Hoaxmap". The name is pretty self explanatory. It's a map that shows reports of crimes allegedly committed by refugees that have been refuted, complete with source. She does good work.

"So that extremists can't manipulate people with rumours and half-truths, we need to counter them with facts,“ - Thomas de Maizière, Germany's Minister of the Interior. 

Refugee is defined by Webster thusly:


one that flees; especially :  a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution

They're just people that had to leave their homes to stay alive. They have already risked everything to get to where they are. We owe it to them as fellow humans to help them. Because we can.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" 

- Emma Lazarus                                                      

Edit - Here is a NYT article that details the entire vetting process.