Trump puts kids in cages because he wants his wall. How low can he go? The authoritarian shitshow continues ...

[Gumpendorf]

previous thread

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/amiibeingunreasonable/3269815-The-slog-of-this-authoritarian-shitshow-is-grinding-us-all-down-My-inspiration-has-gone-into-hiding-with-Melania-Knock-yourselves-out-Trump-cont

edition.cnn.com/2018/06/29/politics/veprek-state-dept-un-racism/index.html

splinternews.com/575-people-including-congresswoman-arrested-in-capito-1827223091

www.axios.com/trump-says-supreme-court-pick-july-9-589619e1-7752-4ade-ba9e-b51c17ece427.html

Not sure if this has been posted. We need Jon Stewart back.

m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=PYCPZrOkZx0#fauxfullscreen

Sorry I know this isn’t a thread meant for this but I emailed my MP in disgust about the child torturer Donald Trump being invited to (or even being allowed to enter) the UK.

I said eg:

After seeing and hearing the unspeakable torture of children from migrant families seeking to enter into the US, inflicted by President Trump’s policy of family separation, (which the United Nations has condemned as torture,*) I feel compelled to write to you.

• ^www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2018/jun/22/trump-family-separation-crisis-immigration-border^

^please see also: www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23245&LangID=E^

This is an appalling abuse of power which breaks international law.

In the light of this, as your constituent, I ask that you please act to condemn and oppose as strongly as possible, any plans to give Trump the honour of an invitation from the UK government to visit here.

Trump must also come up with a clear, expedited plan for how to reunite and compensate these families.

Please keep the pressure on for our government to condemn Trump’s policies at every level and in all the forums open to them, until all of these migrant families have been reunited and decently treated by the US- not caged together.

thank you very much etc (+ home address and postcode so it’s clear I am a constituent).

I was a bit cheered up by my MP’s response: eg noting that they have had a substantial postbag of constituents’ concerns about Trump over time. GOOD.

Also that (paraphrasing) the Government's ‘strategy’ of offering Trump a UK state visit in order to wield influence and shape his policies has essentially been a failure.

(the MP noted as an example that Theresa May invited Trump just one week after he took office in January 2017. That same day, President Trump signed an executive order on immigration and refugees which was divisive and in breach of international agreements.)

MP noted also that in Nov 2017, Trump retweeted anti-Muslim videos posted by Britain First. MP uses the words offensive and an attack on the values of our country at that point.

The MP also said that they want the invitation of a state visit to be withdrawn. If it does go ahead, they will oppose Trump addressing Parliament in Westminster Hall.
(This echoes the Speaker’s view, which various Lib Dem and Lab MPs suppprted though it has been subsequently been pointed out that there are potentially other rooms/venues other than Westminster Hall which Trump could speak in, within the Palace of Westminster, which the Speaker wouldn’t get a say on..)
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38884604 ).

I was heartened by the MP’s sum up:
Our close relationship with the United States has always been important, and that will continue to be true regardless of any differences we may have with individual presidents, including President Trump.
But it is also true that the transatlantic relationship has been built on shared values such as freedom, tolerance, and respect for human rights.
That means it is absolutely right to oppose any policies which run counter to those values, and I can assure you that this is something I will continue to do.

Problem shared, problem halved:
mobile.twitter.com/NewYorker/status/1012752967093637121

Ooh, interesting response from your MP! Thank you for posting that, NetofLemons.

And yes, it's a thread for all things pertaining to Trump and (just as importantly) the people/organisations behind Trump, so very relevant indeed

the Government's ‘strategy’ of offering Trump a UK state visit in order to wield influence and shape his policies has essentially been a failure.

It's heartening to see an MP actually say this officially.

Do you feel OK to tell us which party the MP is? (Don't if you feel it's too much personal info about where you live.)

'Falsely claims' , Kudlow's a paid up member of the Liars' Club:

Jim Roberts
@nycjim
President’s Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow Falsely Claims Deficit Is ‘Coming Down Rapidly’

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/us/politics/fact-check-kudlow-deficit-.html#click=t.co/PPmG1jcAGm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.nytimes.com/2018/06/29/us/politics/fact-check-kudlow-deficit-.html#click=t.co/PPmG1jcAGm
mobile.twitter.com/nycjim/status/1012887833659543553

Shoe fits:
@mateagold
'Top Supreme Court prospect has argued presidents should not be distracted by investigations and lawsuits via @PostKranish @amarimow'
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/top-supreme-court-prospect-has-argued-presidents-should-not-be-distracted-by-investigations-and-lawsuits/2018/06/29/2dd9c1cc-7baa-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.5c091452dcbd
mobile.twitter.com/mateagold/status/1012873366972387328

'Summer of Rage - White men are the minority in the United States — no wonder they get uncomfortable when their power is challenged.'

www.thecut.com/amp/2018/06/summer-of-rage.html?utm_campaign=thecut&utm_medium=s1&utm_source=tw&__twitter_impression=true

Perking my city has a Labour MP so I guess they may feel freer to be a bit more critical of government handling on Trump.

But I can’t believe that Tories and all other MPs aren’t also appalled by this government level child abuse. Just hope they will put country before party on this issue.

Maddow, on the importance of this Supreme Court pick in the light of so many unresolved issues re POTUS (and family) outcomes of Mueller which court may have to decide + Corey Booker on same:

Fabulous security procedures:

Donald Trump gets prank call on Air Force One
Donald Trump was fooled by a comedian into taking a prank call while on board Air Force One.
Comedian John Melendez posed as Senator Bob Menendez. He says he spoke to the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and received a call back from Mr Trump.
www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-us-canada-44666242?__twitter_impression=true

And Kushner had a motive for smoothing the path for this call to T., Sleip :

www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2018/05/here_is_the_tax_break_package_kushner_firm_wants_f.html
www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/07/menendezs_lawyer_now_representing_jared_kushner_th.html

From what I've read/heard, Brett Kavenaugh may be the front runner for SCOTUS to replace Kennedy. He was Kennedy's law clerk.

qz.com/1316846/donald-trumps-supreme-court-pick-brett-kavanaugh-was-downgraded-by-his-legal-peers-at-the-aba/
www.newsmax.com/headline/scotus-candidate-kavanaugh/2018/06/28/id/868921/

Some think it might be Bill Pryor, although he would be more divisive:

www.newsmax.com/headline/scotus-candidate-kavanaugh/2018/06/28/id/868921/

www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/deputy-attorney-general-rosenstein-fbi-director-wray-face-angry-house-n887336

www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/30/north-korea-still-secretly-enriching-uranium-say-us-officials

'Are we the baddies?' - not a question anyone in the Trumpiverse would think to ask, that degree of introspection is foreign to them:

'What clip best sums up the Trump era? An old Mitchell and Webb sketch about WW2'
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/30/trump-era-mitchell-webb-are-we-the-baddies

www.cnbc.com/video/2018/06/29/trumps-white-house-has-been-a-money-making-machine.html

That's interesting netoflemons, I guessed it would be a labour MP.

I wrote to my MP when TMay invited Trump over originally. His reply made my blood boil and is such a contrast to yours but you can guess which party. He's always been a twat and has such a safe seat it's unbelievable, hence this reply

^Thank you for contacting me regarding President Trump.

It was great that our Prime Minister, Theresa May, was the first foreign head of government to meet the new President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, in Washington DC. By all accounts they formed a good relationship with constructive engagement on security, defence, intelligence, Brexit and trade.

Following the Prime Minister’s visit, President Trump signed the executive order banning citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the USA for a period of 90 days. Whilst we in the UK might disagree with that action, the US has always taken their national security incredibly seriously.

I believe that those who are calling for President Trump’s state visit to the UK to be cancelled are wrong. The mark of a candid friend is to be able to speak frankly to them when they are wrong but where you agree with them you must cooperate closely for the mutual advantage of both countries^

Thinking of everyone marching today.

So what I was going to say...bottom line... there is no point at all in writing to him