(03-02-2017, 12:44 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I find it fun to follow a wide spectrum of things. I actually follow more conservative publications than liberal on my Twitter account, though individuals and organizations I think liberal wins out. And I have a lot of more just information sources such as Governing, which I posted a link from in another thread, and think tanks on public policy. My Twitter feed is filled with policy and politics and it helps me stay out of the echo chamber and look for civility in it all. Sure, I follow some more extreme folks, mainly because it's fun to see their take on it, but I have found Twitter to be a great way to break out of the echo chamber if used correctly. You just have to be willing to read the information and click on links that may challenge your thinking.

I also like to follow local organizations to see what they are up to. And a few, but really just a handful, or pop culture type things.

(03-02-2017, 12:43 PM)GMDino Wrote: I only joined FB back in the day because I had old friends on there already.  Twitter I held off on until my kids were on there and I needed to check on them.

Now I use both more than they do.  But I do love the interaction with friends.

(03-02-2017, 12:43 PM)GMDino Wrote: I only joined FB back in the day because I had old friends on there already.  Twitter I held off on until my kids were on there and I needed to check on them.

Now I use both more than they do.  But I do love the interaction with friends.

(03-02-2017, 12:56 PM)michaelsean Wrote: "Like your dad keeps filling my twitter feed with boring stuff about old people.  I had to go back three pages to find out why Kim and Khloe are fighting.  Could you tell him to go back to Facebook.  They already ruined that."

(03-02-2017, 04:07 AM)Vas Deferens Wrote:  

I'm sure all the members here who call out others for a lack of military experience will acknowledge this hypocrisy.

(03-02-2017, 12:57 PM)GMDino Wrote: They never even did that much...just sharing photos and stuff.  Had to keep an eye on that!

(03-02-2017, 02:36 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I take it back I was on snapchat for a short while.  A few years ago when my daughter was leaving for Ohio State, she begged me to get on snapchat so we could keep up.  I said fine and she put it on my phone.  A couple days after she left I got on to look at here story, see what she'd been up to in her first days, and she had blocked me.  

(03-02-2017, 02:36 PM)michaelsean Wrote: I take it back I was on snapchat for a short while.  A few years ago when my daughter was leaving for Ohio State, she begged me to get on snapchat so we could keep up.  I said fine and she put it on my phone.  A couple days after she left I got on to look at here story, see what she'd been up to in her first days, and she had blocked me.  

(03-02-2017, 08:24 AM)hollodero Wrote: I won't :) sorry. (OK I did, one more in Congress that doesn't speak up. As long as he goes along with the herd, it doesn't really matter what he tries and says.)

(03-02-2017, 03:33 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: Doesn't speak up ?
He's becoming Trump's biggest critic, is the leader of The Liberty Caucus, and even sides with Democrats from time to time.
Oh...and he doesn't miss his obligations.
He is extremely vocal that others attend their Town Hall meetings (like chickenshit  Rubio).

But anyway..... debt is my biggest peeve.

Sessions is a pile of dogshit.

(03-03-2017, 02:28 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: So this is my issue with Trump, stop the blatant lying about trivial shit: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/322148-trump-dems-stalling-cabinet-pathetic

Every nominee that has had a hearing scheduled so far by GOP leadership has been confirmed. His cabinet is being confirmed at a normal pace. Shut the **** up.

Every politician lies, all of them. I just don't understand his, and everyone else's, focus on the trivial stuff. The worst part is that there isn't too much substance to actually dig into. How many days are we into his presidency? The first 100 are the most active for any presidency, pushing legislation that they promised. Has he even signed any legislation? Have there been any EOs beyond his immigration one that were meaningful?

(03-03-2017, 02:28 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: So this is my issue with Trump, stop the blatant lying about trivial shit: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/322148-trump-dems-stalling-cabinet-pathetic

Every nominee that has had a hearing scheduled so far by GOP leadership has been confirmed. His cabinet is being confirmed at a normal pace. Shut the **** up.

Every politician lies, all of them. I just don't understand his, and everyone else's, focus on the trivial stuff. The worst part is that there isn't too much substance to actually dig into. How many days are we into his presidency? The first 100 are the most active for any presidency, pushing legislation that they promised. Has he even signed any legislation? Have there been any EOs beyond his immigration one that were meaningful?

(03-03-2017, 02:28 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: So this is my issue with Trump, stop the blatant lying about trivial shit: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/322148-trump-dems-stalling-cabinet-pathetic

Every nominee that has had a hearing scheduled so far by GOP leadership has been confirmed. His cabinet is being confirmed at a normal pace. Shut the **** up.

Every politician lies, all of them. I just don't understand his, and everyone else's, focus on the trivial stuff. The worst part is that there isn't too much substance to actually dig into. How many days are we into his presidency? The first 100 are the most active for any presidency, pushing legislation that they promised. Has he even signed any legislation? Have there been any EOs beyond his immigration one that were meaningful?

(03-03-2017, 02:38 PM)hollodero Wrote: OK alright. Maybe I should be fair to that guy. Right now I just really have nothing too good to say about any republican that doesn't seem to oppose the takeover of his party by the alt-right movement. Honestly, I see them all as suckers right now, as long as they sit in Congress and in the end just play along. Stirrup holders, all of them. But I should differentiate a bit, probably. Just, I won't.
Then again, I do not get why conservatives in general are fine with that takeover, so there's that.

Quote:Amash has been noted for his attendance. From Jan 2011 to Feb 2017, Amash missed 0 of 4,243 roll call votes.[39

Quote:Economic issues[edit]

Amash supports free markets with limited government regulation. He advocates for economic freedom and believes that stimulus programs and government bailouts are ineffective ways to energize the economy. He also supports adopting a flat tax in lieu of targeted tax breaks and subsidies. Amash opposes central economic planning, which he believes contributes to unemployment, inflation, and unstable business cycles.[17] Amash was one of four Republicans who joined 161 Democrats to oppose a Constitutional amendment that would require a yearly balanced budget, due to serious concerns with that specific proposal.[41]
Earlier that year, Amash had introduced H.J.Res. 81, an alternative balanced budget amendment that addressed those concerns.[42] He believes that the federal government is improperly expanding its powers using the General Welfare, Commerce, and Necessary and Proper clauses.
Foreign affairs[edit]
Amash supports decreasing U.S. military spending, and believes there is significant waste in the military spending of the U.S. Department of Defense.[43] He believes that only Congress has the power to declare war, criticizing President Obama's military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and intervention in Syria, for proceeding without a Congressional declaration of war.[44][45]
In 2011, Amash was one of six members of Congress who voted "Nay" on House Resolution 268 reaffirming U.S. commitment to a negotiated settlement of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict through direct Israeli–Palestinian negotiation, which passed with 407 members in support.[14][46] In 2014, he was one of eight members of Congress who voted "Nay" on a $225 million package to restock Israel's Iron Dome missile defenses, which passed with 398 members in support.[47] He supports a two-state solution to the Palestinian–Israeli conflict.[14]
Amash joined 104 Democrats and 16 Republicans in voting against the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which specified the budget and expenditures of the Department of Defense,[48] calling it "one of the most anti-liberty pieces of legislation of our lifetime".[49] Amash co-sponsored an amendment to the NDAA that would ban indefinite military detention and military trials so that all terror suspects arrested in the United States would be tried in civilian courts. He expressed concern that individuals charged with terrorism could be jailed for prolonged periods of time without ever being formally charged or brought to trial.[50]
On March 14, 2016, Amash joined a unanimous majority in the House to approve a resolution declaring the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) to be committing genocide against religious minorities in the Middle East (passed 383-0), but joined Representatives Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) in voting "Nay" on a separate measure creating an international tribunal to try those accused of participating in the alleged atrocities (passed 392-3).[51]
Domestic policy[edit]
Amash was the only representative from Michigan to oppose federal aid in response to the Flint water crisis.[52]
Security and surveillance[edit]
Amash is a frequent critic of the National Security Agency’s anti-terrorism surveillance programs.[15][53][54] He voted against the 2011 reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act,[55] the 2012 reauthorization of the FISA Amendments Act,[56] and the USA Freedom Act.[57]
Amash opposed President Donald Trump's 2017 executive order to temporarily curtail Muslim immigration until better screening methods are devised. He stated that “Like Pres. Obama’s executive actions on immigration, Pres. Trump’s executive order overreaches and undermines our constitutional system.”[58]
Health care[edit]
Amash believes health insurance should not be mandatory, and he supports free market health care reforms that foster interstate competition among insurance companies and increase access to health savings accounts.[17] He considers the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be an overreach of the federal government's authority and supports efforts to repeal it.
Energy[edit]
Amash supports decreased federal intervention in energy-related issues. He wants to eliminate government-sponsored subsidies for energy production and decrease overall regulation. He believes that no form of energy production should be specially favored or restricted. In addition, Amash supports minimizing federal environmental regulations. He voted in favor of the Energy Tax Prevention Act of 2011, which would have amended the Clean Air Act of 1963 to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating specified greenhouse gasses as air pollutants.[59][60]
Social issues[edit]
Amash is considered pro-life, and generally opposes abortion and the use of federal funding for abortion.[61] He supported a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act as per his Twitter account, stating that the "real threat" to traditional marriage and religious liberty is government, and not gay couples.[61][62] While Amash opposes government funding for abortion, he voted "present", rather than "yes" or "no" on the 2011 Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act, which provided for the cessation of federal funding to Planned Parenthood. He explained, "Legislation that names a specific private organization to defund (rather than all organizations that engage in a particular activity) is improper and arguably unconstitutional".[63] When the New York Times asked him to explain his approach to voting on legislation, he replied, "I follow a set of principles, I follow the Constitution. And that's what I base my votes on. Limited government, economic freedom, and individual liberty."[63]
Endorsements[edit]
Amash endorsed Ron Paul for president in 2012. Paul's brother, David, was an assistant pastor in Amash's district and endorsed Amash, saying the Michigan congressman shares common ground with Paul. He has also endorsed Senator Rand Paul for president in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries.[40][64] After Paul dropped out of the Republican primary race, Amash endorsed Senator Ted Cruz in his bid for the presidency.[65]
Marijuana legalization and forfeiture[edit]
Amash and Ted W. Lieu (D) introduced a bill[66] to block the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from financing its Cannabis Eradication Program through civil asset forfeitures.[67] According to a DEA performance budget submitted to Congress for the fiscal year (FY) 2014, the DEA received $18 million in FY 2013 funding for cannabis eradication from the Department of Justice's Asset Forfeiture Fund.[68] Amash took aim at civil asset forfeiture in a statement, saying that the practice allows for "innocent people to have their property taken without sufficient due process."[69]

Quote:Trump accuses Obama of ‘wire tapping’ Trump Tower phones
Battling allegations of ties between his campaign and Russia officials, Trump tries to turn scrutiny to Obama without citing any evidence.
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President Donald Trump, under scrutiny for possible ties between his campaign and Russia and increasingly fixated with rooting out leaks, on Saturday morning sought to deflect attention by accusing former president Barack Obama of tapping his Trump Tower phones prior to the election.


He offered no evidence to support his claims, which appear to be based on commentary rising in conservative media circles—and, above all, the president’s own agitation over the metastasizing Russia controversy.

“Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!” Trump tweeted, as part of a six-tweet screed.


Trump went on to ask, “Is it legal for a sitting President to be ‘wire tapping’ a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!”


“I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!” Trump continued, also tweeting, “How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!”


Obama's team did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but former deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes tweeted back at Trump: “No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens like you.”

Trump’s top aides were caught off guard by the tweets Saturday morning, a senior administration official said. The president is scheduled to spend a quiet day golfing and relaxing at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. After several days without a controversial tweet and a relative message discipline following his speech to Congress Tuesday evening, Trump’s angry Twitter tirade marked a return to form—and a trusted tactic of turning around the exact words being used against him on his opponents.


Trump’s allegation that Obama carried out “Nixon/Watergate”-like wire-tapping comes at a time when his own administration’s constant leaks and controversies have drawn comparisons to Nixon’s White House. His complaints of McCarthyism come from a president who was mentored by McCarthy adviser Roy Cohn and whose focus on rooting out undocumented immigrants has troubled critics who fear allegiance tests.


It was not immediately clear what specifically prompted the outburst, but the accusations parrot those made by conservative radio host Mark Levin, who on Thursday evening asserted that Obama used “police state” tactics to undermine Trump in the last months of his presidential campaign.



Breitbart senior editor Joel Pollak then picked up Levin’s argument on Friday.



It appears that the crux of that argument comes from reporting that U.S. officials secretly monitored a computer server in Trump Tower to determine if there were links to Russian banks. A New York Times article published on Jan. 19 — just one day before Trump’s inauguration — reported that U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies had intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a probe of links between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.


There has been no definitive reporting, however, that any phone lines belonging to the Trump campaign were tapped. If a judge found probable cause to conduct such secret monitoring, it likely would have been after being presented with enough evidence to suspect illegal conduct or communication with a foreign leader.


Trump and his team have been dogged by allegations of contacts between his campaign and Russian intelligence officials that occurred as Russians were allegedly attempting to tilt the election in Trump’s favor by hacking Democratic targets.


The scandal flared up this week when it was revealed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with the Russian ambassador twice last year despite telling senators during his confirmation hearing that he had no communication with the Russians during the campaign.
Sessions was a key adviser to Trump’s campaign.


On Saturday morning, Trump attempted to turn the scrutiny to the Obama administration.


“The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education program for 100 Ambs......” Trump tweeted, adding, “Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone.”


Trump's aggressive accusations comes as his team has tried to battle numerous leaks regarding law enforcement and intelligence agency investigations into not only allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election but also potential ties between his campaign and the Kremlin.


Trump has raised eyebrows by repeatedly singling out Russian President Vladimir Putin for praise; and former national security adviser Michael Flynn had to resign last month for misleading Vice President Mike Pence and others about the nature of his post-election conversations with Russian officials. Trump himself has denied that his people were in regular contact with Russian officials, but the controversy has spawned multiple congressional investigations and has fueled calls for a special prosecutor.


House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Saturday morning said the current congressional probes are not enough. “The Deflector-in-Chief is at it again. An investigation by an independent commission is the only answer,” she tweeted.


Trump finished off his tweet storm on Saturday with an unrelated parting shot for a rival who has nothing to do with the Russia scandal. A day after Arnold Schwarzenegger blamed Trump for the dismal ratings of his version of Celebrity Apprentice, Trump tweeted: “Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show.”



It had been less than four full days since he said, in his address to Congress Tuesday night, that “the time for trivial fights is behind us.”

(03-04-2017, 01:16 PM)GMDino Wrote: Longest 100 days ever....

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-obama-wire-tapping-trump-tower-phones-235679



Also wouldn't "I've just been told" be one of those pesky leaks he bitches about so much?

(03-04-2017, 04:25 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I didn't read all of your post, but did it mention that the FISA warrants were revealed several weeks ago and it has taken Breitbart's conspiracy theory story about them for Trump to notice?

Quote:It appears that the crux of that argument comes from reporting that U.S. officials secretly monitored a computer server in Trump Tower to determine if there were links to Russian banks. A New York Times article published on Jan. 19 — just one day before Trump’s inauguration — reported that U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies had intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a probe of links between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.


There has been no definitive reporting, however, that any phone lines belonging to the Trump campaign were tapped. If a judge found probable cause to conduct such secret monitoring, it likely would have been after being presented with enough evidence to suspect illegal conduct or communication with a foreign leader.

Trump and his team have been dogged by allegations of contacts between his campaign and Russian intelligence officials that occurred as Russians were allegedly attempting to tilt the election in Trump’s favor by hacking Democratic targets.

Quote:Trump has a history of making claims without evidence

Follows Saturday's claim of Trump Tower wire tap



(Photo: Michael Reynolds, EPA)

 2CONNECTTWEETLINKEDIN 1COMMENTEMAILMORE
President Trump’s call Sunday for an investigation of alleged illegal wiretaps by President Barack Obama was just the latest case of Trump making claims without citing evidence. They include:

Birtherism
In March 2011, Trump began promoting the idea that Obama wasn’t born in the United States, a claim previously confined to fringe right-wing conspiracy theorists. It was a suspicion presented without evidence, and Obama ridiculed Trump for it during the 2011 White House Correspondents Association dinner. Last September, without explaining why, Trump abandoned the claim with a statement: “Mr. Trump believes President Obama was born in the United States.”

Voter fraud that made him lose the popular vote
On Nov. 27, Trump tweeted:  “In addition to winning the Electoral College, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” He cited no evidence. Voting officials across the country found little evidence of vote fraud and certainly nothing as massive as Trump claims. He also tweeted that voters from Massachusetts illegally voted in New Hampshire, which caused Trump to lose that state last November. No evidence was found to support that claim either. Trump said he could sign an executive order calling for an investigation into the alleged fraud. So far, no order has been signed and no investigation has started.

President Ronald Reagan (Photo: SCOTT STEWART, Associated Press)

His Electoral College win the biggest since 1984 
During his Feb. 16 news conference, Trump claimed that his Electoral College win was the biggest since President Ronald Reagan's in 1984, when he carried every state except Minnesota and the District of Columbia. However, election records showed that Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton (two times) and Obama (twice) won higher percentages of the electoral vote than Trump — in five of the seven elections since Reagan won his last.

Immigrant ban needed to stop dangerous people
Trump claimed he needed to sign his Jan. 27 ban on immigrants from seven mostly Muslim nations because the influx of dangerous people in the United States demanded it. The title of a newly leaked Department of Homeland Security report  tends to debunk the idea: “Most foreign-born U.S.-based violent extremists radicalized after entering Homeland.”

Wide-open borders require a travel ban
Trump has said the United States has left “our own borders wide open, for anyone to cross.”
The Border Patrol budget and number of agents have both doubled since 2001. In 2016, more than 416,000 in the country illegally were apprehended.

The media have a lower approval rating than Congress
Most polls show this is not true.
Read more:
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Trump, without evidence, accuses Obama of wiretapping him; 'Simply false,' Obama spokesman says

Majority of Americans trust the media more than Trump: poll

Trump: Approval rating polls are rigged, too

His proposed $54 billion boost to defense spending is a “historic increase”
The [url=http://www.realcleardefense.com/2017/03/05/trumprsquos_defense_budget_doesnrsquot_add_up_290930.html]Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington academic institution and think tank, put Trump’s proposed 9.4% increase in a historical context and found that 10 previous defense budgets since 1977 were larger year-over-year increases.

An F-35C Joint Strike Fighter (Photo: Andy Wolfe, AP)

There was major terrorist attack on Feb. 17 in Sweden
“Look at what happened last night in Sweden,” Trump told a crowd in Melbourne, Fla., on Feb. 18.
But no major incident had “happened” in Sweden. Trump had seen a Fox News show making claims about immigrants and crime in Sweden. In response, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt took to Twitter: “Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking?”