Join the Schiffettes for covfefe in the SCIF as they await Comeys return from behind the curtains...Trump cont.

[MicrowaveSpy]

Will get link to previous thread

Thank you, Pain and Mort. (We have been breathing sighs of relief that our daughter didn't manage to get into Brown University, as was her dream three years ago, and have no intention of visiting the US as tourists until this nightmare is over, though my husband might be obliged to go there on business.)

I'm at the stage where I'd feel uncomfortable travelling to the US for work even - the fact that they now vet your social media and phone on entry is a level of intrusiveness I would be uncomfortable with. (This may be hypocritical of me seeing as I've worked in China - but at least China is in-your-face authoritarian so you go knowing there are boundaries you don't cross and whole topics of discussion you don't mention. The shock for me is having to mentally shift the US, which I've travelled in widely and am very fond of, into the same category).

I have to admit that the intrusiveness of the border controls are a factor. Even traveling 10 years ago as a family for a holiday, it felt intrusive (finger printing a toddler FFS!) and the staff overbearing. From all I've read, it is getting worse.

Good point about the mental shift, Bowling. That's it in a nut shell.

Recent news but not sure of its significance.
Five countries (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen) cut links with Qatar accusing them of links with terrorism.

www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40155829

It tells you that we are approaching the End Times that this is not the terrifying prospect it once was.

Be careful what you wish for. This time last year, Britain thought Theresa May was the best of the Tory candidates. She was the best of a very bad bunch, but she was also even worse than her predecessor.

Pence would only put a respectable cloak on what Trump is doing. And he wouldn't be so transparent. He might not be enriching his family but he'd be playing to the Koch brothers agenda.

I don't see how Palin would be much better than Trump tbh.

I don't have an answer.

İyad el-Baghdadi @iyad_elbaghdadi
UAE severs ties with Qatar, bars citizens from traveling to Qatar or passing through Qatar or staying in Qatar

Inter-Arab relations at their worst point in decades.

There are no adults among Arab leaders.

The GCC is dead.

I think this is an important moment that will leave a mark in future Arab history.

And speaking as an Arab citizen, the more they fight among each other, the more they expose each other.

They're also shutting down all crossings to/from Qatar, be it by land, sea, or airspace. That's even more severe than vs Iran.

This is what Arab leaders do when there's no adult in the room.

If there's a coup in Qatar in the coming days, nobody will be surprised.

Clash of the oil princes

You give a bunch of children a bunch of oil and no adult supervision and they start to fight among themselves

Saudi Arabia and the UAE feel like they have Trump in their pocket, so feel like they can do whatever they want

The Arab ancien regime is collapsing. It's been collapsing since 2011. It will continue collapsing.

The world is moving towards more integration and coalition building. The Arab world moving boldly in the opposite direction.

All you need to know: Dictators fight among each other. Democracies pursue peace and integration and collective security.

www.wsj.com/amp/articles/global-oil-prices-rise-sharply-on-rift-over-qatar-1496640271

Global Oil Prices Rise Sharply on Rift Over Qatar

There is one positive about Trump coming to the UK - just imagine the sheer creativity of the protest signs. And the look on the orange ones face as he's booed and jeered everywhere he goes. happy sigh

He has just tweeted this:

People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!

He has really lost the plot now and not even trying to fudge it. I think he is slowly unravelling.

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump 3m3 minutes ago
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The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.

Yes - it's a travel ban. Even though Sean Spicer denied it was a travel ban.

He is on a roll now:

'The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.'

It's not a ban.

edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/01/31/trump-travel-ban-spicer-not-a-ban-tapper-lead-sot.cnn

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump 11m11 minutes ago
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People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump 9s9 seconds ago
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The Justice Dept. should ask for an expedited hearing of the watered down Travel Ban before the Supreme Court - & seek much tougher version!

I thought the key argument in the courts was that it's not a ban.

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump 19s19 seconds ago
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In any event we are EXTREME VETTING people coming into the U.S. in order to help keep our country safe. The courts are slow and political!

Gosh. He has a bee up his bottom.

This doesn't make sense (which is not surprising, I know).

He wanted a 90 day travel ban so they could devise and enforce extreme vetting practices and be ready to roll them out after the 90 days, whereby the need for the ban would cease.

It's now been longer than 90 days: where are the extreme vetting measures?

I am guessing he is scared about other stuff (Russia) and is using this a smokescreen to cover up his anxiety and to lash out in frustration. Honestly he becomes more like a 2 year old every day.

'The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.'

This statement right here has just doomed him in court. He's made it very clear that this IS a Muslim ban by saying this. And the ACLU will likely have this tweet printed off and framed, as he's just made their case for him.

POLITICO‏Verified account @politico 1m1 minute ago
Trump slams Justice Department for 'watered down' travel ban politi.co/2rCvWho pic.twitter.com/NxJ8CdjI2J

Next he will be tweeting - of course I am a Russian stooge- the BEST.

Mehdi Hasan‏Verified account @mehdirhasan 8h8 hours ago
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Saudi Arabia is accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism and sectarianism.

In other news, the pot has called the kettle black.

Amr Khalifa‏ @Cairo67Unedited 7h7 hours ago
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Make no mistake, this coordinated diplomatic strike by Saudi Arabia and Egypt against #Qatar is a seismic shift in the Middle East

Nicholas Burns‏ @RNicholasBurns 54m54 minutes ago
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Nicholas Burns Retweeted Donald J. Trump
Pres. Trump once again belittles the Judiciary, one of the cornerstones of our constitutional system and our democracy.