Author Topic: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:  (Read 395327 times)

rightleft22

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #300 on: January 06, 2020, 03:04:25 PM »
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What I fear is that we may have lost credibility.

From what I’ve read around the globe USA credibly is at a all time low.

If the administration Iran strategy fails, the task of creating a coalition of the willing this time around won’t be easy.   The problem with having a leader that talks/tweets the way Trump does is that the country pretty much loses any moral authority.  Illusionary as that has always been or not, the illusion seems to matter. 

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #301 on: January 06, 2020, 03:37:18 PM »
It’s beyond deplorable for wayward to continue referring to Iran’s master of assassins and torturers as if he was a lead figure of “government”. He was equivalent of the USSR’s chief of SMERSH.

He was a government official. Just because you think he was guilty of heinous acts doesn't delegitimize his standing.

TheDeamon

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #302 on: January 06, 2020, 04:21:05 PM »
So are you saying, Seriati, that after assassinating Iran's #2 leader (or at least someone in the top 10), which brought out tens of thousands of mourners into the streets, and causing the Iranian government to vow revenge, that maybe Trump is simply threatening to take out a road-side marker to keep them from retaliating? :)

If by "mourner" you mean, "I'm here because I've been threatened by the Revolutionary Guard should I not 'pay due respect' to the fallen leader" then sure.

Many protests, going in either direction, in that part of the world need to be taken with very large grains of salt. There is a real chance most of the people present would rather be someplace else, but when you're essentially under threat of life and limb, helping create a photo-op sounds like a far more appealing option.
« Last Edit: January 06, 2020, 04:27:54 PM by TheDeamon »

TheDeamon

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #303 on: January 06, 2020, 04:27:37 PM »
Quote
What I fear is that we may have lost credibility.

From what I’ve read around the globe USA credibly is at a all time low.

If the administration Iran strategy fails, the task of creating a coalition of the willing this time around won’t be easy.   The problem with having a leader that talks/tweets the way Trump does is that the country pretty much loses any moral authority.  Illusionary as that has always been or not, the illusion seems to matter.

I doubt Trump will go with a land war option with Iran, we've already "been there, done that" with Iraq. We're not likely to be going down that road again anytime soon.

It'll be a bombing campaign, we'd knock out any military assets of note. Possibly do a solid number on command and control as well as basic infrastructure in order to prevent a rapid recovery,  then declare an end to active operations on our part. When they can't shoot back, the "formal" part of the war is concluded. Then Iran can stir up all the terrorists they want, and can deal with the international repercussions from doing that.

rightleft22

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #304 on: January 06, 2020, 04:39:35 PM »
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Many protests, going in either direction, in that part of the world need to be taken with very large grains of salt

True but discounting the possibility that many are authentically mourning and upset and not taking that into account is also a mistake.

Seriati

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #305 on: January 06, 2020, 04:41:33 PM »
It’s beyond deplorable for wayward to continue referring to Iran’s master of assassins and torturers as if he was a lead figure of “government”. He was equivalent of the USSR’s chief of SMERSH.

He was a government official. Just because you think he was guilty of heinous acts doesn't delegitimize his standing.

Did you really just say "just because you think he was guilty"?

There's no question he was guilty.  There's no question his actions have killed Americans last year and would have continued to kill Americans  in the years to come.  His "standing" is delegitimized by operating for a country that refuses to hold it's officers and government officials for terrorism and war crimes.  For literally targeting civilians and engaging in attacks to maximize collateral damage.

Wayward Son

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #306 on: January 06, 2020, 04:45:25 PM »
Quote
What I fear is that we may have lost credibility.

From what I’ve read around the globe USA credibly is at a all time low.

If the administration Iran strategy fails, the task of creating a coalition of the willing this time around won’t be easy.   The problem with having a leader that talks/tweets the way Trump does is that the country pretty much loses any moral authority.  Illusionary as that has always been or not, the illusion seems to matter.

I doubt Trump will go with a land war option with Iran, we've already "been there, done that" with Iraq. We're not likely to be going down that road again anytime soon.

It'll be a bombing campaign, we'd knock out any military assets of note. Possibly do a solid number on command and control as well as basic infrastructure in order to prevent a rapid recovery,  then declare an end to active operations on our part. When they can't shoot back, the "formal" part of the war is concluded. Then Iran can stir up all the terrorists they want, and can deal with the international repercussions from doing that.

You're forgetting one last step that Iran will take: allying more closely with Russia for their "mutual protection."

We'll probably see Russian troops and Russian ships in the area from here on, "to protect Iran from American aggression," adding to Russian influence in the Middle East.

A solid win for Putin, care of Donald Trump.  :(

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #307 on: January 06, 2020, 04:48:20 PM »
It’s beyond deplorable for wayward to continue referring to Iran’s master of assassins and torturers as if he was a lead figure of “government”. He was equivalent of the USSR’s chief of SMERSH.

He was a government official. Just because you think he was guilty of heinous acts doesn't delegitimize his standing.

Did you really just say "just because you think he was guilty"?

There's no question he was guilty.  There's no question his actions have killed Americans last year and would have continued to kill Americans  in the years to come.  His "standing" is delegitimized by operating for a country that refuses to hold it's officers and government officials for terrorism and war crimes.  For literally targeting civilians and engaging in attacks to maximize collateral damage.

I'm sure he was behind many plots that caused deaths and destruction across the region. Satisfied?  My point was that we can feel that way about anyone and use that feeling to justify any act we take against them.  You seem incapable of grasping that we aren't the beacon of freedom that lights the world to many nations who have suffered from our international military actions.  The heads of our own military and Intelligence agencies might be equally guilty of heinous war crimes in other eyes.  We don't need to revisit our many military failures across the Mideast to remind ourselves, do we?  If you disagree, well then, you're more a nationalist than a patriot and Trump is your man.

When you respond, remember that you are a thinker of great nuanced thoughts, and I can only handle black and white.

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #308 on: January 06, 2020, 04:59:26 PM »
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You're forgetting one last step that Iran will take: allying more closely with Russia for their "mutual protection."

We'll probably see Russian troops and Russian ships in the area from here on, "to protect Iran from American aggression," adding to Russian influence in the Middle East.

A solid win for Putin, care of Donald Trump.

I think this is right.  Putin has already spoken out that the assassination potentially destabilizes the entire region, so it makes sense for him to try to "help keep things stable".  Reminds one of Syria, I suppose.

Wayward Son

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #309 on: January 06, 2020, 05:00:34 PM »
It’s beyond deplorable for wayward to continue referring to Iran’s master of assassins and torturers as if he was a lead figure of “government”. He was equivalent of the USSR’s chief of SMERSH.

He was a government official. Just because you think he was guilty of heinous acts doesn't delegitimize his standing.

Did you really just say "just because you think he was guilty"?

There's no question he was guilty.  There's no question his actions have killed Americans last year and would have continued to kill Americans  in the years to come.  His "standing" is delegitimized by operating for a country that refuses to hold it's officers and government officials for terrorism and war crimes.  For literally targeting civilians and engaging in attacks to maximize collateral damage.

Doesn't matter what we think or know.  Only thing that matters is if the Iranian government and/or people consider him a lead figure in their government, and whether he is worth fighting to revenge his death.

I mean, Russia would have considered it an act of war if we had assassinated Stalin.  They wouldn't have ignored it just because he tortured and murdered millions of people and might not have been that popular.  Killing a leader like that is akin to attacking the entire government.  So the Iranian government sees this assassination. 

You might consider him "delegitimized."  You might consider the whole Iranian government delegitimate.  But that won't stop them shooting missiles or coordinating the defense of their nation.  To them, he was legitimate.  And that is the only things that counts when we consider their reaction to it.

TheDeamon

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #310 on: January 06, 2020, 05:05:44 PM »
You're forgetting one last step that Iran will take: allying more closely with Russia for their "mutual protection."

We'll probably see Russian troops and Russian ships in the area from here on, "to protect Iran from American aggression," adding to Russian influence in the Middle East.

A solid win for Putin, care of Donald Trump.  :(

Putin's gain is only Putin's gain. Russia as entity unto itself isn't going to last on the Global stage, they're more of a paper tiger than anything else as it is anyway. Yes they have some impressive weapons systems, but they cannot afford to operate them at any kind of significant scale. Russia still remains in a state of overall decline. China is far more of a proverbial bogeyman than Russia is, although China would just as soon we keep our focus fixed on Putin.

Wayward Son

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #311 on: January 06, 2020, 05:37:53 PM »
Sure, in the long run Russia will fade from the world stage.

But, to quote Keynes, in the long run we are all dead. :)

Pete at Home

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #312 on: January 06, 2020, 06:44:50 PM »
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You're forgetting one last step that Iran will take: allying more closely with Russia for their "mutual protection."

We'll probably see Russian troops and Russian ships in the area from here on, "to protect Iran from American aggression," adding to Russian influence in the Middle East.

A solid win for Putin, care of Donald Trump.

I think this is right.  Putin has already spoken out that the assassination potentially destabilizes the entire region, so it makes sense for him to try to "help keep things stable".  Reminds one of Syria, I suppose.

That’s funny. Mr. polonium tea thinks air strikes are assassination.

Pete at Home

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #313 on: January 06, 2020, 06:50:29 PM »
It’s beyond deplorable for wayward to continue referring to Iran’s master of assassins and torturers as if he was a lead figure of “government”. He was equivalent of the USSR’s chief of SMERSH.

He was a government official. Just because you think he was guilty of heinous acts doesn't delegitimize his standing.

Heinous isn’t my point.  It’s that his position was that of master of terrorists and assassins.  There are good righteous terrorists (John brown and his kids) and good righteous assassins (the dudes that tried to kill Hitler). But it’s an act of deplorable sophistry to pretend that they are off limits non-combatants.

Dave’s fragging Crocket was a government official and a hero to us, but at the Alamo, he was a combatant. 

Mr S himself knew that he was fair game and said so himself, but told everyone that the USA was too afraid to take him out.
« Last Edit: January 06, 2020, 06:54:01 PM by Pete at Home »

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #314 on: January 06, 2020, 07:16:44 PM »
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That’s funny. Mr. polonium tea thinks air strikes are assassination.

Polonium tea is one way.  Of course airstrikes and planted bombs are legitimate means of carrying out an assassination.  Claus von Stauffenberg almost got Hitler with a car bomb, Orlando Letelier was killed by a roadside bomb, a bomb attack on Alexander II's carriage got him, a car bombing took out Alfred Herrhausen.  Aerial attacks were tried against Gaddafi in 1986, Milosevic in 1999 and Saddam Hussein in 2003.  Why do you think those leaders kept moving around?

Pete at Home

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #315 on: January 06, 2020, 07:31:40 PM »
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That’s funny. Mr. polonium tea thinks air strikes are assassination.

Polonium tea is one way.  Of course airstrikes and planted bombs are legitimate means of carrying out an assassination.  Claus von Stauffenberg almost got Hitler with a car bomb, Orlando Letelier was killed by a roadside bomb, a bomb attack on Alexander II's carriage got him, a car bombing took out Alfred Herrhausen. 

Planting a bomb involves an assassin (killer out of uniform or infiltrating).  I've mentioned the 2 attacks on Hitler as "good guy" assassins to demonstrate that it's not an issue of morality but of specifics.  The two assassination attempts on Saladin that I linked to above were aimed at preventing a siege. Clearly self-defense, but assassination nonetheless.

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Aerial attacks were tried against Gaddafi in 1986, Milosevic in 1999 and Saddam Hussein in 2003.  Why do you think those leaders kept moving around?

We had bombing campaigns going already with Milosevic and Saddam Hussein, so those are fair analogies.  Did the Democrats claim then that Clinton's attempt to bump off Milosevic was an assassination?  I certainly agree it was morally problematic, but not assassination.

TheDeamon

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #316 on: January 06, 2020, 07:32:14 PM »
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That’s funny. Mr. polonium tea thinks air strikes are assassination.

Polonium tea is one way.  Of course airstrikes and planted bombs are legitimate means of carrying out an assassination.  Claus von Stauffenberg almost got Hitler with a car bomb, Orlando Letelier was killed by a roadside bomb, a bomb attack on Alexander II's carriage got him, a car bombing took out Alfred Herrhausen.  Aerial attacks were tried against Gaddafi in 1986, Milosevic in 1999 and Saddam Hussein in 2003.  Why do you think those leaders kept moving around?

Ostensibly we were adhering to "the gentleman's rules" on those strike attempts. We waited until we expected them to be at a location of military value, and then bombed that location with the hope he would still be there. That way if we did kill them, we could claim it was "a happy accident" and not an attack outright targeting them. I'm not aware of any such "decapitation" type attacks which didn't pursue a military target. Quite possibly a few of those sites had been left off the bombing list expressly in the hopes their dear leader would show his head in there.

Pete at Home

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Putin
« Reply #317 on: January 06, 2020, 09:07:35 PM »
Speaking of Mr. Polonium, check out this bit of revisionismPutin blames Poland for WW2.    Among his other achievements, Putin appears now to be a full scale Nazi collaborator like Molotov

TheDeamon

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #318 on: January 06, 2020, 10:13:07 PM »
Well, if those darn Poles hadn't fallen to the German Blitzkreig, Russia might have been able to stay out of the war. :)

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #319 on: January 07, 2020, 08:12:32 AM »
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Ostensibly we were adhering to "the gentleman's rules" on those strike attempts. We waited until we expected them to be at a location of military value, and then bombed that location with the hope he would still be there. That way if we did kill them, we could claim it was "a happy accident" and not an attack outright targeting them.

Another yeoman effort to recast events to your liking.  You've redefined "cultural sites" to include civil infrastructure, so wouldn't you agree that anywhere those dictators happened to be were "military sites"?  And the "happy accident" would have (or did) killed many civilians, too. 

TheDeamon

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #320 on: January 09, 2020, 08:31:42 PM »
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Ostensibly we were adhering to "the gentleman's rules" on those strike attempts. We waited until we expected them to be at a location of military value, and then bombed that location with the hope he would still be there. That way if we did kill them, we could claim it was "a happy accident" and not an attack outright targeting them.

Another yeoman effort to recast events to your liking.  You've redefined "cultural sites" to include civil infrastructure, so wouldn't you agree that anywhere those dictators happened to be were "military sites"?  And the "happy accident" would have (or did) killed many civilians, too.

As I return to this thread to clear the new tags. Trump later walked his comment back, so he evidently wasn't going for the more sarcastic interpretation we were running with. But to continue on this train of thought for a bit:

Civil Infrastructure in a lot of cases is military infrastructure. They need electricity to power their RADARs, many weapon systems, and their communications. They need transportation infrastructure to move men and material to where it is needed, when it is needed. (Or to keep the civilians out of their way in the case of some transit systems--which could be used to move infantry, if nothing else)

 A drydock used for servicing fishing boats can "easily enough" be re-purposed to service coastal defense craft, if not larger vessels depending on the size of the "fishing boat" in question. (Some can be quite large)

Yes, the military would presumably be able to operate their stuff even if you knock out the civil power grid, but that then means they need material to keep their backup generators running, which means they're then relying on local transportation infrastructure.. Which is why the military would then start determining on if they want to blow up a particular bridge or not.

As to:
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wouldn't you agree that anywhere those dictators happened to be were "military sites"?

Not exactly. Anywhere an enemy leader is located is a site of military interest, and can justify military actions taken at that location. However, that's a sliding scale that is very slippery, which will depend heavily on what the leader is doing while at that site, duration of their stay, and a number of other variables.

Blowing up Westminster Abbey because the Prime Minister and Queen happen to be in attendance for a wedding ceremony for example would be extremely "bad form" and worthy of universal condemnation, even with "a military justification" in the from of taking out the heads of state. Sending a company+ of infantry to assault and capture the Abbey during the Wedding would be another matter.

Now if it turned out the Queen and Prime Minister were holed up in Westminster Abbey because they'd set up command and control facilities in the Chapel and they were conducting a military campaign from within its halls? Flattening the building is on the proverbial table, and the ones needing condemnation would be the Queen and Prime Minister for having setup their operations at that location.

Needless to say as an aside, in the above scenario, if the Abbey was being used for command and control, and boasted other defensive emplacements even absent the Prime Minister and Queen, it becomes a valid target because it is being used for military purposes, which makes it a military target in its own right.

Another way to frame it, the USS Lincoln is a valid military target without respect to who is, or is not embarked upon it. Attacking the USS Lincoln while Donald Trump is walking its decks is "acceptable" so far as the rules of war are concerned. As ostensibly the claim can be made that the Lincoln was the target, not Trump. If Trump happened to be killed during the attack, well, that's a "happy accident" for the opposing force as per "the gentleman's rules"--even if they knew full well he was there before launching the attack, and may have been holding off on attacking the Lincoln expressly for the purpose of waiting for Trump to arrive.

TheDrake

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #321 on: January 10, 2020, 03:47:58 PM »
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"I'm going to tell you about the Nobel Peace Prize, I'll tell you about that. I made a deal, I saved a country, and I just heard that the head of that country is now getting the Nobel Peace Prize for saving the country. I said: 'What, did I have something do with it?' Yeah, but you know, that's the way it is. As long as we know, that's all that matters... I saved a big war, I've saved a couple of them."

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #322 on: January 10, 2020, 04:06:29 PM »
As Lindsay Graham once said about Trump (before his conversion was completed), "If he didn't say it about himself, no one else would."

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #323 on: January 11, 2020, 06:33:49 PM »
1/11/20

A STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

به مردم شجاع و رنج کشیده ایران: من از ابتدای دوره ریاست جمهوریم با شما ایستاده‌ام و دولت من همچنان با شما خواهد ایستاد. ما اعتراضات شما را از نزدیک دنبال می کنیم. شجاعت شما الهام بخش است.

دولت ایران باید به گروه‌های حقوق بشر اجازه بدهد حقیقت کنونی اعتراضات در جریان مردم ایران را نظارت کرده و گزارش بدهند. نباید شاهد کشتار دوباره ی معترضان مسالمت آمیز و یا قطع اینترنت باشیم. جهان نظاره گر این اتفاقات است.

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #324 on: January 11, 2020, 07:00:47 PM »
I hear you, man.

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #325 on: January 12, 2020, 09:41:40 AM »
1/11/20

A STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

You know, we're doing something that nobody has ever done.  I said to Saudi Arabia... we have a very good relationship with Saudi Arabia—I said, listen, you’re a very rich country. You want more troops? I’m going to send them to you, but you’ve got to pay us. They’re paying us. They’ve already deposited $1B in the bank.  We are going to help them, but these rich countries have to pay for it.  South Korea gave us $500 million.  They gave us $500 MILLION.  I said, "you gotta help us along. We have thirty-two thousand soldiers in South Korea, protecting you from North Korea.  You've gotta pay", and they gave us $500 million. 

I moved our troops out of Syria, out of the border between Turkey and Syria.  That turned out to be such a successful move.  Look what happened.  They've been fighting over that border for a thousand years, why should we do it?  And then they say "he left troops in Syria".  You know what I did?  I left troops to take the oil.  I took the oil.  The only troops I have are taking the oil.  They're protecting the oil. Maybe we should take it.  We have the oil.  The United States has the oil.

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #326 on: January 12, 2020, 11:38:55 AM »
Send the check to Rudy.

Wayward Son

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #327 on: January 13, 2020, 10:23:42 AM »
Quote
به مردم شجاع و رنج کشیده ایران: من از ابتدای دوره ریاست جمهوریم با شما ایستاده‌ام و دولت من همچنان با شما خواهد ایستاد. ما اعتراضات شما را از نزدیک دنبال می کنیم. شجاعت شما الهام بخش است.

Wasn't that what he said to the Kurds? ;)

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #328 on: January 13, 2020, 10:30:26 AM »
13 JAN 2019

A STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT

Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions. Will attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms. Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20 mile safe zone...Likewise, do not want the Kurds to provoke Turkey. Russia, Iran and Syria have been the biggest beneficiaries of the long term U.S. policy of destroying ISIS in Syria - natural enemies. We also benefit but it is now time to bring our troops back home. Stop the ENDLESS WARS!

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #329 on: January 13, 2020, 10:32:48 AM »
7 OCT 2019

A STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT

The United States was supposed to be in Syria for 30 days, that was many years ago. We stayed and got deeper and deeper into battle with no aim in sight. When I arrived in Washington, ISIS was running rampant in the area. We quickly defeated 100% of the ISIS Caliphate, including capturing thousands of ISIS fighters, mostly from Europe. But Europe did not want them back, they said you keep them USA! I said “NO, we did you a great favor and now you want us to hold them in U.S. prisons at tremendous cost. They are yours for trials.” They again said “NO,” thinking, as usual, that the U.S. is always the “sucker,” on NATO, on Trade, on everything. The Kurds fought with us, but were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so. They have been fighting Turkey for decades. I held off this fight for almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN. Turkey, Europe, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Russia and the Kurds will now have to. figure the situation out, and what they want to do with the captured ISIS fighters in their “neighborhood.” They all hate ISIS, have been enemies for years. We are 7000 miles away and will crush ISIS again if they come anywhere near us!

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #330 on: January 13, 2020, 10:34:13 AM »
8 OCT 2019

A STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT

We may be in the process of leaving Syria, but in no way have we Abandoned the Kurds, who are special people and wonderful fighters. Likewise our relationship with Turkey, a NATO and Trading partner, has been very good. Turkey already has a large Kurdish population and fully understands that while we only had 50 soldiers remaining in that section of Syria, and they have been removed, any unforced or unnecessary fighting by Turkey will be devastating to their economy and to their very fragile currency. We are helping the Kurds financially/weapons!

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #331 on: January 13, 2020, 10:35:35 AM »
10 OCT 2019

A STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Turkey has been planning to attack the Kurds for a long time. They have been fighting forever. We have no soldiers or Military anywhere near the attack area. I am trying to end the ENDLESS WARS. Talking to both sides. Some want us to send tens of thousands of soldiers to the area and start a new war all over again. Turkey is a member of NATO. Others say STAY OUT, let the Kurds fight their own battles (even with our financial help). I say hit Turkey very hard financially & with sanctions if they don’t play by the rules! I am watching closely.

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #332 on: January 13, 2020, 10:36:56 AM »
10 OCT 2019

A STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

We defeated 100% of the ISIS Caliphate and no longer have any troops in the area under attack by Turkey, in Syria. We did our job perfectly! Now Turkey is attacking the Kurds, who have been fighting each other for 200 years. We have one of three choices: Send in thousands of troops and win Militarily, hit Turkey very hard Financially and with Sanctions, or mediate a deal between Turkey and the Kurds!

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #333 on: January 13, 2020, 10:38:44 AM »
13 OCT 2019

A STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Do you remember two years ago when Iraq was going to fight the Kurds in a different part of Syria. Many people wanted us to fight with the Kurds against Iraq, who we just fought for. I said no, and the Kurds left the fight, twice. Now the same thing is happening with Turkey. The Kurds and Turkey have been fighting for many years. Turkey considers the PKK the worst terrorists of all. Others may want to come in and fight for one side or the other. Let them! We are monitoring the situation closely. Endless Wars!

Grant

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #334 on: January 13, 2020, 10:41:13 AM »
14 OCT 2019

A STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

Some people want the United States to protect the 7,000 mile away Border of Syria, presided over by Bashar al-Assad, our enemy. At the same time, Syria and whoever they chose to help, wants naturally to protect the Kurds.  I would much rather focus on our Southern Border which abuts and is part of the United States of America. And by the way, numbers are way down and the WALL is being built!

After defeating 100% of the ISIS Caliphate, I largely moved our troops out of Syria. Let Syria and Assad protect the Kurds and fight Turkey for their own land. I said to my Generals, why should we be fighting for Syria and Assad to protect the land of our enemy? Anyone who wants to assist Syria in protecting the Kurds is good with me, whether it is Russia, China, or Napoleon Bonaparte. I hope they all do great, we are 7,000 miles away!

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #335 on: January 13, 2020, 11:52:50 AM »
He's pretty much focused on protecting the country from its natural enemies, Mexicans, Democrats and Congress.  That can take a lot of focus.  That Walmart in Texas might yet come in handy.

rightleft22

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #336 on: January 13, 2020, 12:14:28 PM »
Quote
After defeating 100% of the ISIS Caliphate... I hope they all do great, we are 7,000 miles away

I understand the sentiment however doesn't this undermined the reasons for taking out of Suleimani
Iran is very much involved in Iraq and Syria, making Israel understandably nervous and where Suleimani was operating.
What is American Mideast policy / plan?
Is 143 characters enough to clarify it.


Wayward Son

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #337 on: January 13, 2020, 06:35:28 PM »
Then there's this.

Not really a quote, but a campaign ad by a fourth-grader for fourth-graders.

That's what the Republican Party has become.  ::)

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #338 on: January 13, 2020, 06:37:07 PM »
Do you ever wonder if he plays role-playing games in the East Wing when he's having "Executive Time"?  I wonder what Melania's character is.


Wayward Son

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #340 on: January 14, 2020, 03:38:31 PM »
Trump's favorite executive time toy

I bet he loves playing with it with his associates John Barron, John Miller and David Dennison. :)

Wayward Son

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #341 on: January 27, 2020, 10:26:46 AM »
Regarding Lev Parnas:

"I don’t know him, other than he’s sort of like a groupie...He shows up at fundraisers. I don’t know anything about him...Parnas, I don’t know, other than he probably contributed to the campaign along with tens of thousands of other people...This weekend I was taking pictures with hundreds of people. Every once in a while I'll look at somebody and I'll say, ‘Gee, I wonder when that picture is going to be in The New York Times, or The Washington Post or on Fox'...I don't know him at all...Don't know what he's about. Don't know where he comes from. Know nothing about him. I can only tell you this thing is a big hoax...I don’t believe I’ve ever spoken to him"

You gotta wonder how stupid he thinks his supporters are.  ;D

yossarian22c

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #342 on: January 27, 2020, 11:18:44 AM »
Regarding Lev Parnas:

"I don’t know him, other than he’s sort of like a groupie...He shows up at fundraisers. I don’t know anything about him...Parnas, I don’t know, other than he probably contributed to the campaign along with tens of thousands of other people...This weekend I was taking pictures with hundreds of people. Every once in a while I'll look at somebody and I'll say, ‘Gee, I wonder when that picture is going to be in The New York Times, or The Washington Post or on Fox'...I don't know him at all...Don't know what he's about. Don't know where he comes from. Know nothing about him. I can only tell you this thing is a big hoax...I don’t believe I’ve ever spoken to him"

You gotta wonder how stupid he thinks his supporters are.  ;D

Smart enough to rationalize it all away or ignorant enough to ignore all the evidence.

Its going to be followed up with, "I didn't know that was Lev Parnas I was talking to, it was just some guy Rudy introduced me to, I didn't even know who he was. I talk to people all the time, how can someone with the greatest memory in the history of man be expected to remember all the little people."

Kasandra

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #343 on: January 27, 2020, 11:55:38 AM »
Well, there is no way to get your mind around how Republicans will defend the indefensible when it comes out of Donald Trump's mouth.  Here's Tom Cotton backing up Trump's comments that the soldiers who suffered concussions in the Iranian attack on our bases in Iraq were just having headaches, nothing too serious.  For context, Cotton enlisted in the infantry and served as an officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, so he should know better.

Quote
Mr. Cotton rejected the idea that the president should apologize for his comments and said “if they are in fact, all these injuries are not serious, if they’re on the less serious side of the scale than the severe traumatic side of the scale, the president is just describing what happened. And I’m not dismissing them.”

Uh, you're what?

TheDeamon

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #344 on: January 27, 2020, 08:40:48 PM »
Well, there is no way to get your mind around how Republicans will defend the indefensible when it comes out of Donald Trump's mouth.  Here's Tom Cotton backing up Trump's comments that the soldiers who suffered concussions in the Iranian attack on our bases in Iraq were just having headaches, nothing too serious.  For context, Cotton enlisted in the infantry and served as an officer in Iraq and Afghanistan, so he should know better.

Quote
Mr. Cotton rejected the idea that the president should apologize for his comments and said “if they are in fact, all these injuries are not serious, if they’re on the less serious side of the scale than the severe traumatic side of the scale, the president is just describing what happened. And I’m not dismissing them.”

Uh, you're what?

Their obfuscating doesn't help them.

I could believe that reports on the night of the attack were "superficial injuries, reports of (minor) headaches" which later escalated into TBI claims as the headache persisted/became worse.

oldbrian

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #345 on: January 28, 2020, 07:05:44 AM »
But also in context: we are talking about an army base that came under rocket attack.  I know concussions are much worse than most people think/admit, but a wound which can be worked around within a week and fully healed in 6 months probably IS light compared to what could have happened.

yossarian22c

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #346 on: January 28, 2020, 07:41:32 AM »
But also in context: we are talking about an army base that came under rocket attack.  I know concussions are much worse than most people think/admit, but a wound which can be worked around within a week and fully healed in 6 months probably IS light compared to what could have happened.

It really depends on the severity of the concussion or TBI in question. The stats on retired players in the NFL show that even minor concussions cause significant damage over time and have can have long term consequences.

Either way its not appropriate for the President to lead a political rally talking about how no one was hurt while troops are being flown to Germany for treatment.

wmLambert

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #347 on: January 28, 2020, 06:26:32 PM »
This thread has denigrated to a "gotcha" one. Too many post selected memes from Leftist hit sites, not looking to inform, but to defame the President. At the same time, too many middle-of-the-road folks have been contaminated by the constant attacks and say things like, "I may not like his manner, but appreciate all the good he's brought." The fact is, the media and Leftwing hit media portray him and his entire life as negatively as they can. The people who know him and have worked with him are mostly all admirers.

I like to mention that Trump was given the same Civil Rights award as the one given to Rosa Parks, on the same stage, yet the Democrats seem to have selective memories. Face it. If Trump had run as a Democrat rather than GOP, they would praise him. The accusations and insults are non-stop and usually pure disinformation.

Wayward Son

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #348 on: January 28, 2020, 06:39:04 PM »
I'll admit it.  You're full of it. :)

Quoting Trump verbatim is now defaming him, eh?  Well, I guess we know the source of all these negative memes that make the President look bad:

The White House.  ;D

When you finally wake up and notice it, you'll be a lot better off.

TheDrake

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Re: A Message from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump:
« Reply #349 on: January 29, 2020, 09:44:42 AM »
Quote from: wmLambert  The people who know him and have worked with him are mostly all admirers.

[/quote

Incorrect. The vast majority of people who have worked with trump say he is unethical and a real pain. Many have had to sue him to get paid, communities that have one of his golf courses are in constant litigation to stop him from breaking ordinances, and we're not even talking yet about the trump u scam.

The people who are still cashing his checks are the only ones that admire him, or at least that's what they say now.