The petition, that has now garnered over 1,600,000 signatures, at one point was being signed by more than a thousand people per minute.

Alternative Facts

President Donald Trump told a pool of reporters that he thought the execution on the ground, at the airports, “was working out very nicely.”

Facts

“Trump did accomplish something truly remarkable. He managed to spark another round of massive nationwide protest for the second time in just the first week of his presidency. And people are willing to go to [bleeped] places to protest. Last week, it was parks. This week, it was airports. Next week, people are going to march for gay rights at the DMV,” Meyers joked, although, the way this administration is going, he could be right about that prediction.

Meyers noted that federal judges have issued a stay on Trump’s executive order, proving the president might not have had a full chance to think about this.

“Trump should be the first president that legally has to count to 100 before taking action,” Meyers said. “Not because he will think better of it, but because he will forget what it is.”

The week in review

The new administration began with a poorly attended inauguration that led a wounded Trump to lash out at the media in a bizarre speech at the CIA’s headquarters.

Sean Spicer summoned reporters to the White House briefing room and, defying clear evidence to the contrary, brazenly and falsely claimed that Trump drew “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration — period.”

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway went on national television and rebranded Spicer’s bald-faced lies as “alternative facts.”

White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon launched a calculated strategy of open war on the press, saying the “elite media” should “keep its mouth shut.”

All of this established the tone for Trump’s full-blown, Orwellian assault on reality. After scrubbing mentions of global warming from the White House website, Trump imposed gag orders on the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies.

Trump doubled down on his widely debunked claim that he lost the popular vote only because of massive voter fraud and promised to launch a “major investigation”

Trump reiterated his belief, contradicted by intelligence experts, that torture “absolutely” works.

A string of controversial Cabinet confirmations and an ever-growing list of executive actions — on issues including the Affordable Care Act, the “global gag rule” on abortion, the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline projects, the Mexican border wall, and the grotesque Muslim ban.

Trump’s cascading attacks on the body politic, including instigating a potential constitutional crisis by firing the acting attorney general for ordering Justice Department lawyers not to defend his un-American travel ban, cannot erase the fundamental truth that he does not represent a majority of the American people.

The incredible turnout for the Women’s March, which turned out to be the largest single day of mass political action in U.S. history.


This, has been a hell of a week. Any thoughts on what this week will bring? Schwantz? Todd? Carl?

Demonstrations on Tax Day to protest Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns?

Scientists’ March on Washington?

Alternative Facts

“Only 109 people out of 325,000 were detained and held for questioning.”
— President Trump, tweet, Jan, 30, 2017

Facts
The Trump White House’s figures on the scope of the travel ban are ludicrously low. The universe of people likely affected by the travel suspension is around 90,000 — not 109. The White House should also not use the overall daily number of travelers as a comparison.

Alternative Facts

“But we cut approximately $600 million off the F-35 fighter, and that only amounts to 90 planes out of close to 3,000 planes. And when you think about $600 million, it was announced by Marillyn, who’s very talented, the head of Lockheed Martin. I got involved in that about a month ago. A lot was put out, and when they say a lot, a lot meant about 90 planes. They were having a lot of difficulty. There was no movement and I was able to get $600 million approximately off those planes.”
— President Trump, remarks to the press, Jan. 30, 2017

Facts

Trump, yet again, claims credit for decisions that were already made before he became president. Trump stated he “was able to get $600 million approximately off those planes,” thereby ending the “difficulty” and “no movement” in the program.

Yet the Pentagon had already announced cost reductions of roughly $600 million before Trump began meeting with Lockheed Martin’s chief executive. Once again, we award Trump Pinocchios for taking undue credit.

Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it.

"It’s so tough for congressional Republicans. They sold what little remained of their souls to get a Republican president, but it turns out Donald Trump doesn’t think he owes them anything:

Rather than the hoped-for collaborative new relationship between the White House and Congress, GOP officials complain that Trump is brushing aside their advice, failing to fully engage on drafting tough legislative packages like tax reform and Obamacare, and bypassing Congress by relying on executive actions, something they frequently complained about under President Obama.

At the same time, Trump’s unilateral moves continue to blindside Republicans and direct the national focus toward topics many in the party would rather avoid, whether that’s how to pay for building the border wall with Mexico, warming ties with Russia, investigating false claims about voter fraud or, most recently, implementing sweeping new policies on refugees and visas.
Go figure. During the campaign, Trump learned that he didn’t need the Republican establishment behind them and that, once he was nominee, they wouldn’t try to lay a finger on him no matter what he did. Now, he’s acting on the power they gave him, and while a handful of Republicans have started making uncomfortable noises about his Muslim ban, there’s no sign they’re going to start standing in his way on anything he really wants. Until they’re ready to do that—and they won’t be, as long as they think Trump is their ticket to kicking tens of millions of people off health insurance, gutting environmental and workplace protections, and taking control of women’s bodies—why would Trump give congressional Republicans a moment’s thought?"

It is disappointing that one person has made 142 post on this thread and there are only 23 total post about the passing of Rick White
Maybe it is time to end this thread

You're asking three questions.

Why is there only one person that's posted 142 times? With what's now turned into a real Constitutional crisis vs. Sparky's imagined Constitutional questions in the past, why hasn't everyone using this forum posted 142 times?

Why are there only 23 posts about the passing of Rick White? Anyone who was helped by or knew Rick should have posted something.

Maybe it's time to end this thread? Lack of interest will do that.

ah hell no..... its getting real now... We get to fight the aussies now...

much better to have a pissing contest in english...bashing the aussies.

No fight from us, we'll just sit it out, pretty surreal couple of months really now we're looking for new trade and military partners

Answer the phone, it's the Chinese. Another positive for you guys is you won't get pulled into pointless, bloody and expensive wars. You know president Bannon and his dumb dumb puppet are itching to get into shooting war with the Chinese and that is one you definitely want to sit out.

Lucky you.

Report: Trump lashes out at Australian PM on phone call

U.S.-Australia Rift Is Possible After Trump Ends Call With Prime Minister

Maybe the popular vote loser will swap with Arnold.

Arnold Schwarzenegger just fired back at Donald Trump, telling the president if he's so obsessed with ratings, why not just do a switcheroo and go back to what appears to be his true passion?

Arnold just blasted Trump for blasting him at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday. Trump asked everyone to take a moment and pray for the movie star because his ratings, according to Trump, are a "disaster."

Arnold's people just added, "Arnold is praying that President Trump can start improving his own approval ratings, which were the worst in history for an incoming President, by taking his job seriously and working inclusively."

“You have a bunch of bad hombres down there,” Trump told the Mexican prez. “You aren’t doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it.”

Capture Cabo and Cancun first. They'll both make great R&R centers for our troops.

This thread has gotten much too serious. How about some humor?

ND lawmakers defend Sunday 'Blue Law' so 'wives can make breakfast in bed,' not spend their money

Want to stop into Target to pick up household supplies on a Sunday afternoon? You can’t. Using what’s known as a Sunday “Blue Law,” it is illegal in North Dakota for businesses to operate on Sunday:

Except as otherwise provided in sections 12.1-30-02 and 12.1-30-03, it is a class B misdemeanor for any person between the hours of twelve midnight and twelve noon on Sunday to do any of the following activities:

a. Engage in or conduct business or labor for profit in the usual manner and location.

b. Operate a place of business open to the public.

There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, the entire state is shut down. Needless to say, a lot of residents would like to see this archaic law gone from the books and be free to operate their businesses and run their errands as they see fit. So, North Dakota lawmakers have been debating the repeal of their blue law and some of the defenses are nothing short of jaw-dropping. From another century, even another planet:

One lawmaker in favor of keeping the law in place feels Sunday mornings should be used for your wife to make you breakfast in bed.

"Spending time with your wife, your husband. Making him breakfast, bringing it to him in bed and then after that go take your kids for a walk,” says Representative Bernie Satrom.

Another feels his wife spends all his hard earned money the rest of the week and his wallet needs a day off. "I don't know about you but my wife has no problem spending everything I earn in 6 and a half days. And I don't think it hurts at all to have a half day off," says Representative Vernon Laning.

You see, his wife already has too much time to spend his money. His wallet needs a day off!

When the comments were made public, Rep. Laning basically told Valley News Live that all you little ladies need to get a sense of humor. Yuck, yuck. Thanks for mansplaining the hilarious joke to us, Rep. Laning!


His wallet needs a half day off. Nuck, nuck, nuck. Isn't that funny?

Some thoughts from Australia about the popular vote loser to PM phone call.

Turnbull changes Facebook relationship status, posts emo memes following Trump phonecall

Need more humor?

Popular Vote Loser's Longtime Doctor Says President Takes Hair-Growth Drug

Know the players

Your future, and the future of the world, now rests in the hands of a tiny team of zealots and opportunistic hacks in the White House who prefer to rule the country by edict and “alternative facts” while ignoring the courts, leaving Congress out of the loop, purging seasoned officials from the government and targeting the independent media.

It is worth noting that the coup is being managed by a collection of characters who seem unable to pull it off without raising deep opposition. Journalist Jonathan Alter called Trump and company “a breathtakingly incompetent administration.” And he is far from alone in that assessment, especially after the cruelly chaotic imposition of a temporary ban (yes, ban — that’s what the president called it) of refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Heading up the propaganda team is motor mouth Kellyanne Conway. Less than a year ago, she was on the Ted Cruz campaign team. Back then, she called Trump a whiner and attacked him for his Trump University scam. Now, having coined the euphemism “alternative facts,” she has given her soul to the con man and enthusiastically warps common rules of language to justify any untruth that comes out of her new leader’s lips.

The team’s mouthpiece is Sean Spicer, the communications director whose angry outbursts at the White House press corps look like the reaction of someone who knows he is being forced to defend preposterous fibs and hates being caught in the act. This is the knucklehead who said out loud in front of all the world that it would have been “misguided and wrong” if airport security officials had not handcuffed a 5-year-old boy who got caught up in the snare of the Muslim ban.

The chief of staff is Reince Priebus, a political apparatchik who, as chair of the Republican National Committee, was one of the few members of the GOP establishment to hitch his wagon to Trump’s rising star. His loyalty paid off “bigly,” as Trump would say.

Retired Gen. Michael Flynn, a big fan of conspiracy theories, is Trump’s national security advisor. Flynn is currently under investigation by U.S. counterintelligence agents for his communications with Russian officials during the presidential campaign. Congressional Democrats are asking if the fee Flynn received for a speech in Moscow in 2015 broke the law against receiving payments from foreign governments.

One of the architects of the Muslim ban that the administration now claims is not a Muslim ban is Stephen Miller. As a college student a decade ago, Miller organized events to raise awareness of the terrorist threat and “Islamo-fascism.” Before coming to the White House, he worked for Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, pushing a hard line on immigration and Muslims. For Miller, the current ban is just a tiny first step.

And then there is Stephen K. Bannon, a self-described “Leninist” and former boss at Breitbart News, where he provided a platform for an array of ideas from the so-called alt-right, including white nationalists and extreme anti-immigration activists. If the Trump administration continues to foment turmoil in government and economic and trade policy, it may actually be intentional. That is Bannon’s vision for America, and he has inserted it into the cavernous spaces inside Trump’s untutored mind.

"Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that's my goal too,” Bannon said in a much-quoted 2013 interview. “I want to bring everything crashing down and destroy all of today's establishment.”

Yes, this guy is the senior advisor to the president of the United States and has been given a seat on the National Security Council.


I'n sure Schwantz will offer a counter-point.

Need more humor?

Popular Vote Loser's Longtime Doctor Says President Takes Hair-Growth Drug

UPDATE:

This explains a lot.

Trump Takes Propecia, A Hair-Loss Drug Associated With Mental Confusion, Impotence

With the revelation that Trump is taking finasteride, many rushed to warn of possible side effects ― including mental confusion and permanent sexual dysfunction.

Punchlines aside, the safety of the drug has been challenged.

“The FDA-approved pill has been called into question, with emerging research and a slew of lawsuits suggesting that finasteride may be more dangerous than previously believed,” reported Men’s Journal. “Users report that its side effects — inability to orgasm, painful erections, chronic depression, insomnia, brain fog, and suicidal thoughts — can last long after patients stop taking the pill.”

Since 2011, at least 1,245 lawsuits have been filed against Propecia’s manufacturer, Merck, alleging that the company didn’t sufficiently warn users of sexual and cognitive side effects. Patients and physicians reportedly call the effects “Post-Finasteride Syndrome” because, they say, symptoms often persist after discontinuing the drug.


Is Propecia what caused Tom Hanks' brain cloud in Joe vs. The Volcano?

The queen of alternative facts is still at it.

Alternative Fact

During a Thursday interview with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, the counselor to the president defended President Trump’s travel ban related to seven majority-Muslim countries. At one point, Conway made a reference to two Iraqi refugees whom she described as the masterminds behind “the Bowling Green massacre.”

“Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered,” Conway said.

Fact

The Bowling Green massacre didn’t get covered because it didn’t happen. There has never been a terrorist attack in Bowling Green, Ky., carried out by Iraqi refugees or anyone else. It appeared initially that Conway was referring to two Iraqi citizens living in Bowling Green who were arrested in 2011 and eventually sentenced to federal prison for attempting to send weapons and money to al-Qaeda in Iraq for the purpose of killing U.S. soldiers, according to a statement from the Justice Department.

Popular vote losing Trump is a business guy so he'll be good for business.

Oops.

Stability Is Good for Business. Trump’s Whims Threaten It

One weekend came close to undoing the firm legal foundation on which U.S. business has thrived.

What’s happened so far? Immigration bans, border walls, abandoned trade agreements, an official reliance on “alternative facts,” unprompted promises to bring back torture. And what hasn’t happened so far? Tax policy is a complete mystery, with an unclear and walked-back proposal to impose a border tax. Health-care policy is even more mysterious. Trump has promised to do a “big number on Dodd-Frank” and has issued an executive order requiring agencies to retire two regulations for each new regulation they implement, but that order doesn’t seem to apply to Trump’s own remarkable flurry of rules that complicate the regulation of immigration and business relocation.