US Politics, April 2018: Getting more dangerous (looks like moo vaughn's dreams are coming true)

I read some heavily 'liked' claptrap from a redhatter on FB last week about how [I paraphrase] the military should be moved from (west) coastal Blue sates to enforce the border while the wall is built, and if we get invaded and/or attacked on that coast, well, shame on them for voting for that woman. Now, how California--both a coastal and border state--fares in this, I don't know. Red Hat Logic I suppose.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posse_Comitatus_Act

Forget North Korea, Iran etc, Trump's going to declare war on Mexico.

Trump tweeted "caravan" like 3 times today, did he learn a new word or something

― frogbs, Monday, April 2, 2018 11:43 PM (yesterday)

Should I even bother to look for whatever ridiculous story the caravan thing came from?

it rhymes with 'phlox snooze'

wants to use military to secure US-Mexico border

I'm sure this will go over big among the military.

― A is for (Aimless), Tuesday, April 3, 2018 6:00 PM (eighteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is just an excuse for trying to divert money earmarked for DoD to built his stupid fucking wall.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/the-caravan-of-migrants-thats-alarmed-president-trump-has-now-stalled/2018/04/03/534b01c2-36aa-11e8-af3c-2123715f78df_story.html?pwa=true&sw_bypass=true&utm_term=.1690fc8996eb

Some said they heard about this caravan through friends and relatives; others said they have made the trip in the past but weren’t allowed into the United States. The migrants said they had convened from several countries in Tapachula, a city along Mexico’s southern border, and begun their march north. A number of them said they were fleeing gang violence and extortion threats in their violence-plagued countries, while others said they were looking for better paying jobs.

Screw Mexico lets fight the canadans!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Bacon

the bourne conspiracy...

@realDonaldTrump
5h5 hours ago
More
I am right about Amazon costing the United States Post Office massive amounts of money for being their Delivery Boy. Amazon should pay these costs (plus) and not have them bourne by the American Taxpayer. Many billions of dollars. P.O. leaders don’t have a clue (or do they?)!

can't believe Sears Roebuck got away with using the USPS as their delivery boy for so long.

please tell me he's talking about something other than a hilarious misunderstanding of what the "free shipping" button is

but i though bilking the government meant you were smart and should be commended.

I have no clue what these amazon USPS tweets mean. Does amazon have some sort of deal with the usps?

Nevermind, I see that this is just the daily insanity,

he is so fucking stupid

The Postal Service recorded a net loss of $5.6 billion in 2016, which it blamed on employee health-care costs.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/12/29/trump-calls-for-u-s-postal-service-to-raise-amazons-shipping-rates/

he’s mad because he’s mad about the washington post reporting honestly on him. little dictator wannabe.

He is really the laziest troll in the world.

also from that piece

One of the Postal Service's biggest immediate obstacles to raising prices might be Trump. That's because the body that sets postal rates, the nine-member Postal Service Board of Governors, has only two serving members and lacks a quorum to make decisions. The board cannot raise rates without Trump nominating political appointees to fill the remaining slots, O'Rourke said.

“There is a level at which government operates that elected officials sometimes don't fully grasp,” O'Rourke said. “And this is true whether you're talking about USPS, the State Department or Interior. There are people four and five levels down who make the government of the United States work every day.”

I have no clue what these amazon USPS tweets mean. Does amazon have some sort of deal with the usps?

― Yerac, Tuesday, April 3, 2018 7:13 PM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The notion is that the USPS - a long-time anti-government right-wing bugbear championed in part by long-term GOP bigwig Fred Smith of FedEx - relies upon Amazon's business for its continued relative solvency.

xp also this from last week

https://www.axios.com/trump-regulation-amazon-facebook-646c642c-a2d7-454b-a9a9-cdc6e4eaef2c.html

Behind the president's thinking: Trump's wealthy friends tell him Amazon is destroying their businesses. His real estate buddies tell him — and he agrees — that Amazon is killing shopping malls and brick-and-mortar retailers.

Trump tells people Amazon has gotten a free ride from taxpayers and cushy treatment from the U.S. Postal Service.
“The whole post office thing, that's very much a perception he has,” another source said. “It's been explained to him in multiple meetings that his perception is inaccurate and that the post office actually makes a ton of money from Amazon."
Axios' Ina Fried notes: The Postal Service actually added delivery on Sunday in some cities because Amazon made it worthwhile.
Trump also pays close attention to the Amazon founder's ownership of The Washington Post, which the president views as Bezos’ political weapon.

the idea that the post office should be a money making business and not infrastructure is so noxious

I think its also unfortunately prevalent which is why it's in danger elsewhere around the globe.
Would be great if it was universally recognised to be infrastructure i.e. a necessity.

the idea that *everything* should be a money making business is just the republican mindset, unfortunately

USPS is an A+ w33d and w33d product delivery system

at least for us out here in NJ

Everything could be a money making business once you remove any sort of benefit for the people who work there.

Xpost, ah this explains why I was getting packages on Sundays.

Money is the currency of American activity

My understanding is that the post office would probably be profitable had the GOP not passed some vindictive law several years back requiring them to pay down pensions before banking anything, which makes it impossible for the post office to make any money.

USPS is an A+ w33d and w33d product delivery system

― (•̪●) (carne asada), Tuesday, April 3, 2018 3:37 PM (thirty-six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

at least for us out here in NJ

― (•̪●) (carne asada), Tuesday, April 3, 2018 3:37 PM (thirty-five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

really? everything i read freaks me out too much to try it

i know a lot of ppl who mail weedstuff successfully here in denver and don't even know if there's a way to get 'caught' but i wouldn't do it myself either, i dunno

Some people call me Maurice because I speak of the posse comitatus of love

My understanding is that the post office would probably be profitable had the GOP not passed some vindictive law several years back requiring them to pay down pensions before banking anything, which makes it impossible for the post office to make any money.

Yup. This was a W crime that frequently gets lost in the shuffle with all the other W crimes.

xposts but: my understanding is that the mail inspectors need a warrant to open priority or first class mail; media mail can be inspected at any time.
if the usps thought you were mailing fentanyl and kilos of coke, i think they'd probably involve themselves, but for an oz of weeb or whatever, i doubt it.

Yeah I just have my buddy in California send me stuff but it's all for personal use not weight.

he is so fucking stupid

― maura, Tuesday, April 3, 2018 2:17 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the military should be moved from (west) coastal Blue sates to enforce the border while the wall is built

The military is already based primarily in Red states, and this represents a big part of the Federal subsidy to red state economies. Of roughly 34 domestic based Army BCTs, only 2 at Ft Drum, NY and 2 at Schofield Barracks, HI are in blue states. Of the Marines, similar numbers (~4 brigades) are stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA. I wouldn't be surprised if only 200k of the 1300k Armed forces are stationed in blue states.

^ also 2 Army BCTs at Fort Lewis, WA.

Trump is a total butthole if u ask me

it looks that way now but give him another 6.5 years

Yeah sorry I flew off the handle there

personally I like his style

my (possibly) endangered congressman, one of the few in a Clinton-won district, wants Pruitt out:

Major policy differences aside, @EPAScottPruitt‘s corruption scandals are an embarrassment to the Administration, and his conduct is grossly disrespectful to American taxpayers. It's time for him to resign or for @POTUS to dismiss him. https://t.co/gXWLDffqam

— Rep. Carlos Curbelo (@RepCurbelo) April 3, 2018

I wouldn't be surprised if only 200k of the 1300k Armed forces are stationed in blue states.

well then you'd be fucking surprised

https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/dwp/rest/download?fileName=DMDC_Website_Location_Report_1709.xlsx&groupName=milRegionCountry

Hawaii = 36,620
California = 128,373
Illinois = 20,567
Maryland = 28,888
New York = 20,588
Virginia = 89,303
Washington = 45,343

and that's barely even trying, a quick wikipedia search and some cherry picking off the public spreadsheet used as a citation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth-to-tail_ratio is a good short read on why using combat brigades as a metric doesn't tell the story very accurately

If there's one thing the military and Congress agree on, it's spreading those sweet defense dollars into as many districts as possible. It's a marriage made in heaven.

NASA and DOE run the same game

I mean -- I lived in upstate NY from '82 to '85 because my dad was stationed as the commanding officer at a Navy base. Some couple of hundred miles from the ocean. A sub training base. I did have to wonder who finessed that.

what a lousy #NeverTrumpist he turned out to be!

Here's the story. HE'S NOT A TARGET. That's the story. Period. Yes, he could theoretically become a target. But he's been at it seven months and Trump. Isn't. A. Target.

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) April 4, 2018

Interesting thread to chew over

LINT (short thread). The most interesting part of this piece is the revelation that Mueller wants to write a report on this, "to answer the public's questions." Remember that under the Special Counsel regulations, Mueller doesn't have the authority to produce a public report.

— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) April 4, 2018