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Messages - Alternative Facts
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601
« on: December 30, 2016, 04:39:22 PM »
How on Earth did this thread go from Russian operatives to Ian's ability to live in the Alaskan wilderness?
602
« on: December 30, 2016, 01:53:30 PM »
For example I can't go out and cut down trees Why the fuck should people be allowed to cut down trees whenever they want?
I'll take Tragedy of the Commons for $1,000.
603
« on: December 30, 2016, 10:20:53 AM »
Putin invades Crimea, no problem.
I've yet to see Trump condemn this. Must be another thing to move on from and ignore.
604
« on: December 29, 2016, 07:07:50 PM »
Obama hasn't even announced there's evidence of hacking.
No, but both the FBI and CIA have briefed Obama, Trump and Congress on their findings - enough to at least cause Congressional investigations next year, and numerous reports in the NYTimes. It's not as if Obama woke up this morning and decided he'd sanction Russia for laughs.
605
« on: December 27, 2016, 12:44:22 PM »
I'd have to do a bit more research into a couple of his claims, but interesting read.
606
« on: December 27, 2016, 12:37:26 PM »
2016 is a year that will go down in infamy.
607
« on: December 24, 2016, 02:38:36 PM »
Happy Holidays
608
« on: December 22, 2016, 01:26:30 PM »
Sounds reasonable to me. Continue your dominance until countries come to their senses and disarm all their nukes.
Yet it's quite hypocritical to call for disarmament of other nations while you build up.
Too bad. Thats how you keep your country safe. And stay #1
#1 in...?
609
« on: December 22, 2016, 12:24:49 PM »
Sounds reasonable to me. Continue your dominance until countries come to their senses and disarm all their nukes.
Yet it's quite hypocritical to call for disarmament of other nations while you build up.
610
« on: December 22, 2016, 08:59:07 AM »
I don't know much about this, so you'll have to explain it to me.
But don't they have a plane for this already? Is Obama taking it with him when he leaves or something?
lmao
No they're building a new one for some reason. I guess trump can't stand that a black president used Air Force One.
It's for updated security reasons.
My best guess is that it would be cheaper to replace the existing Air Force One, than try and refigure the current ship.
Or is it because the current Air Force One has been blacked?
Shh. We'd have to rebuilt the White House in that case
611
« on: December 22, 2016, 08:53:32 AM »
I don't know much about this, so you'll have to explain it to me.
But don't they have a plane for this already? Is Obama taking it with him when he leaves or something?
lmao
No they're building a new one for some reason. I guess trump can't stand that a black president used Air Force One.
It's for updated security reasons. My best guess is that it would be cheaper to replace the existing Air Force One, than try and refigure the current ship.
612
« on: December 21, 2016, 01:07:05 PM »
I question the accuracy and the validity of this discussion for a couple reasons 1 - The number of millennial's questioned and the specific area in which they were chosen (10 people chosen from a small town in southern Ohio) 2 - The bias of the institute conducting the study (IMS) - can't say where they fall on the spectrum because there is nearly zero information out there besides their website. 3 - The way these individuals were chosen: Note: The 10 participants in the focus group represent seven couples in southern Ohio: six married and one cohabiting. They are all high-school-educated, white, Millennial parents who have working-class jobs. We knew most of the individuals already, whether through our research in southern Ohio or through our neighborhood, and have developed friendships with many of them. The fact that the group conducting the study knew the individuals chosen leads me to question whether or not they were chosen specifically to back up individual beliefs of the organization. Not to say they don't have valid points, but I wonder what the discussion would look like with wider inclusion.
613
« on: December 20, 2016, 11:37:38 AM »
>Hillary had the most faithless electors since James Madison 200 over years ago.
Every time I think she can't possibly get any more BTFO, she still keeps on getting more and more BTFO, and it's fucking amazing.
Still won the popular vote fair and square. If we weren't a shit country, that would've made her president.
Trump led everywhere but California. America is a federal nation, comprised of constitutionally sovereign states. Allowing California to strongarm the rest of the country would be ridiculous.
No it wouldn't. Why SHOULDN'T the most populous state strongarm the rest of the country?
I'll adjust this to be a bit more....realistic. Why shouldn't the states who contribute most to the national economy not have a much larger say over the states who require the most aid and government assistance?
614
« on: December 20, 2016, 08:52:26 AM »
>Hillary had the most faithless electors since James Madison 200 over years ago.
Every time I think she can't possibly get any more BTFO, she still keeps on getting more and more BTFO, and it's fucking amazing.
Still won the popular vote fair and square. If we weren't a shit country, that would've made her president.
Trump led everywhere but California.
What?
615
« on: December 19, 2016, 11:50:16 AM »
Saw this in WSJ today: The Associated Press interviewed over 330 electors, found little evidence to support a successful revolt.
I read one analysis (Was either the NYTimes or Politico) that the goal isn't just to prevent Trump from the Presidency - but to sow seeds of doubt into the reliability of the electoral college system, in the hopes that it's modified or removed. I can't speak for the electors on that though.
616
« on: December 19, 2016, 11:46:27 AM »
WaPORussia’s ambassador to Turkey was killed Monday after gunfire erupted at a photo exhibit in the Turkish capital where he was one of the speakers, Russian officials said. One gunman also was killed in the apparent targeted attack.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. But video posted on social media purported to show a Turkish-speaking decrying violence in Syria, where Russia is a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Ambassador Andrei Karlov died after being hit in the back by gunfire at the event in Ankara. Earlier, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Karlov has been hit by one gunshot, but efforts to treat him were delayed by further gunfire.
Several other people were wounded in the gallery attack, but their identities were not immediately made public. Officials in Moscow confirmed that one gunman was killed. It was not known if there were other attackers.
Russia and Turkey, a foe of Assad, recently joined to broker a deal to evacuate civilians and rebel fighters from the last opposition enclaves in Aleppo, a major Syrian city that has been under relentless attacks from Syrian forces and their allies.
“Allah Akbar! Do not forget Aleppo!” said the gunman, according to the widely circulated video. “Do not forget Syria! Do not forget Aleppo! Do not forget Syria! As long as our lands are not safe, you will not be safe!
The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed.
CNN Turk television reported that shooting continued after the attack targeting the ambassador.
The Associated Press published a photo showing a man lying on the ground with an armed assailant dressed in a suit standing nearby.
Karlov started his diplomatic career during the Soviet era in 1976 and had previously served at Russian embassies in Seoul and Pyongyang, North Korea. He took the post in Ankara in July 2013, according to the embassy’s website.
Turkey has been hit by a serious of attacks in recent years blamed on groups including the Islamic State and Kurdish separatists, who have battled the government for decades for greater autonomy in Turkey’s southeastern regions.
In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby condemned Monday’s attack.
617
« on: December 19, 2016, 11:41:47 AM »
I'm going to ejaculate all over my room if Kasich ends up as president.
Oh how I wish
For which?
Why you gotta make me choose?
618
« on: December 19, 2016, 10:40:53 AM »
I'm going to ejaculate all over my room if Kasich ends up as president.
Oh how I wish
619
« on: December 15, 2016, 09:13:24 PM »
I imagine all their efforts to limit his power would be met by the higher courts and struck down. At least I hope so. That's an incredibly slippery slope.
One would hope - though I doubt this'll be the case.
620
« on: December 15, 2016, 09:11:48 PM »
From ReutersThe U.S. agency charged with ensuring that voting machines meet security standards was itself penetrated by a hacker after the November elections, according to a security firm working with law enforcement on the matter.
The security firm, Recorded Future, was monitoring underground electronic markets where hackers buy and sell wares and discovered someone offering log-on credentials for access to computers at the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, company executives said.
Posing as a potential buyer, the researchers engaged in a conversation with the hacker, said Levi Gundert, vice president of intelligence at the company, and Andrei Barysevich, director of advanced collection.
Eventually they discovered that the Russian-speaking hacker had obtained the credentials of more than 100 people at the election commission after exploiting a common database vulnerability, the researchers said.
The hacker was trying to sell information about the vulnerability to a Middle Eastern government for several thousand dollars, but the researchers alerted law enforcement and said Thursday that the hole had been patched.
The Election Assistance Commission said in a statement late Thursday that it had become aware of a "potential intrusion" and was "working with federal law enforcement agencies to investigate the potential breach and its effects."
"The FBI is currently conducting an ongoing criminal investigation," the statement added.
The election commission certifies voting systems and develops standards for technical guidelines and best practices for election officials across the country.
The researchers said the hacker had an unusual business model, scanning for ways to break into all manner of businesses and other entities and then moving rapidly to sell that access, rather than stealing the data himself.
“We don’t think he actually works for any government or is super sophisticated,” Barysevich said.
In the case of the election commission, the hacker used methods including an SQL injection, a well known and preventable flaw, obtaining a list of user names and obfuscated passwords, which he was then able to crack.
Though much of the commission’s work is public, the hacker gained access to non-public reports on flaws in voting machines.
In theory, someone could have used knowledge of such flaws to attack specific machines, said Matt Blaze, an electronic voting expert and professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
The researchers were confident that the hacker moved to sell his access soon after getting it, meaning that he was not inside the system before election day.
The U.S. voting process is decentralized and there were no reports of widespread fraud in November.
The Election Assistance Commission was created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and is led by presidential appointees. After this whole shit storm of an election year, I really hope that we see cybersecurity innovations in the upcoming Presidency.
621
« on: December 15, 2016, 03:02:26 PM »
Threat Comes as Power Struggle ContinuesRALEIGH, N.C. — Gov.-elect Roy Cooper of North Carolina on Thursday angrily attacked the Republican-led state Legislature for what he called an unprecedented effort to strip his powers before he takes office, and to advance Republican policies that have led to fierce ideological battles in the state.
Mr. Cooper, a Democrat, defeated the incumbent Republican governor, Pat McCrory, and as the state attorney general, he said he was scrutinizing the legality of the Republican proposals. “They will see me in court,” he warned.
After Republicans, who have large majorities in the General Assembly, called a surprise special session Wednesday, they introduced measures that included ending the new governor’s control over election boards, requiring State Senate approval of his cabinet members and stripping his power to appoint University of North Carolina trustees.
If the measures pass and are signed into law by Mr. McCrory, they would drastically limit Mr. Cooper’s power when he takes office Jan. 1.
In a news conference, the governor-elect blasted lawmakers for plotting secretly for weeks to introduce the bills. He compared the move to the enactment this spring of North Carolina’s “bathroom bill,” known as House Bill 2, which nullified protections for gay and transgender residents. Some say the law, which brought boycotts by sports leagues and some businesses, contributed significantly to Mr. McCrory’s loss. His was the only governor’s seat in the country that Republicans failed to hold on Election Day, even as Donald J. Trump won here.
“We don’t want another disaster like House Bill 2,” Mr. Cooper said. “This is exactly why we had problems with House Bill 2, because they wanted to do it in secret,” he said.
Mr. McCrory conceded the race last week after a nearly monthlong challenge of the vote, a hard-fought race after four years in which unified Republican control of state government brought a wave of restrictions on voting access, abortion and gay rights.
Democratic leaders accused Republicans of trying to undo the election results. “This is an unprecedented, shameful and cowardly power grab from the Republicans,” said Jamal Little, a spokesman for the state’s Democratic Party. “After losing the governor’s office, the G.O.P.-controlled General Assembly is attempting to hold on to power that voters took away from them.”
A Republican leader in the House, David R. Lewis, defended the moves, telling reporters on Wednesday that Republicans would “work to establish that we are going to continue to be a relevant party in governing the state.”
Other Republicans said there was a precedent for the Legislature checking the power of a governor. Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the state Republican Party, asked in a Facebook post “how is this different” than what Democrats in the General Assembly did to a Republican governor, James G. Martin, in the 1980s.
Mr. Cooper rejected the comparison. “That is just not true,” he said when asked by reporters. “What is happening now is unprecedented.”
The most sweeping changes Republicans propose would limit Mr. Cooper’s ability to appoint top members of his administration, and in some cases would limit their powers.
The State Senate would have to approve cabinet secretaries, who are now the governor’s sole discretion. The Legislature seeks to reduce the governor’s influence over the state Board of Education and to enhance the power of the state education superintendent, who is a newly elected Republican.
Mr. Cooper said the changes would set the stage to channel taxpayer dollars into private-school vouchers. Similarly, he said that Republicans sought to take control over the appointments of the departments of commerce, revenue and environmental policy. Their goals, he said, were part of a conservative policy wish list: corporate tax loopholes and weakening clean air and water protections.
“Most people might think that this is a partisan power grab,” Mr. Cooper said. “But it is really more ominous.”
Under one Republican bill, which lawmakers will debate and vote on beginning Thursday, the state and county election boards would be revamped to remove them from the partisan control of the governor.
Under current state law, the governor names five members to the state Elections Board, which in turn appoints the 100 county boards. Now, Republicans seek to make the boards balanced equally between the two parties.
Mr. Cooper’s election, which was decided by only about 10,300 votes, or 0.2 percent, put a spotlight on North Carolina’s elections boards as they examined voting challenges in dozens of counties brought by McCrory supporters, who claimed that dead people and felons had voted.
The challenges stretched on for nearly a month, and it was not until last week that Mr. McCrory conceded.
Still, the state board rulings in the canvass procedure did not necessarily favor Mr. McCrory. Most of the votes his supporters challenged proved inconsequential.
Rumors bubbled up after Mr. Cooper’s election that Republicans in Raleigh would add seats to the State Supreme Court. The court gained a 4-to-3 Democratic majority after the election last month of Judge Mike Morgan. Republicans denied a “court-packing” plan, and no such bill was introduced. But a bill was filed to add party labels in State Supreme Court elections. It was seen as a response to the election of Mr. Morgan, who some observers thought won because voters mistakenly thought he was a Republican.
The special legislative session was announced only at midday on Wednesday, and it came as a surprise to Democrats. Lawmakers had just ended a two-day special session, the third of the year, called to enact relief for victims of natural disasters.
As the fourth extraordinary session was called to order, Democrats complained that they had been given no inkling of any bills Republicans planned to file. In the House, one Democratic representative after another rose to protest that the session was unconstitutional.
Tl;Dr - Republican controlled General Assembly has convened a special session to limit the powers of the incoming Democratic governor - including limiting the number of employees working for him, ending the new governor’s control over election boards, requiring State Senate approval of his cabinet members and stripping his power to appoint University of North Carolina trustees.
622
« on: December 12, 2016, 03:40:50 PM »
You think ISIS gives a fuck about journalists or doctors? There are no non combatants for these people. They execute women and children all the time.
It really isn't just about ISIS.
It is, though. Professional militaries aren't going to just now target non combatants because of one guy that shot at a terrorist group hated even by other terrorists.
Not professional militaries, but it can impact other militias and terrorist groups besides ISIS.
Journalists, medical personal, and global assistance organizations in war zones and regions of conflicts already face high risks. Having a dude from that group helping to fight does nothing to benefit the group - it arguably makes it worse.
Because terrorists didn't already kill and kidnap non combatants before, right?
What part of "arguably makes it worse" says "Oh, it never happened before but now it will?"
623
« on: December 12, 2016, 03:04:01 PM »
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't AQAP previously love hunting for American journalists to take hostage or kill for videos?
I don't recall hearing a case about AQAP specifically, but it wouldn't surprise me
624
« on: December 12, 2016, 02:58:01 PM »
You think ISIS gives a fuck about journalists or doctors? There are no non combatants for these people. They execute women and children all the time.
It really isn't just about ISIS.
It is, though. Professional militaries aren't going to just now target non combatants because of one guy that shot at a terrorist group hated even by other terrorists.
Not professional militaries, but it can impact other militias and terrorist groups besides ISIS. Journalists, medical personal, and global assistance organizations in war zones and regions of conflicts already face high risks. Having a dude from that group helping to fight does nothing to benefit the group - it arguably makes it worse.
625
« on: December 12, 2016, 01:55:34 PM »
I'm too lazy to do the template, so just have my end of 2016 face. 
626
« on: December 12, 2016, 01:51:52 PM »
You think ISIS gives a fuck about journalists or doctors? There are no non combatants for these people. They execute women and children all the time.
It really isn't just about ISIS.
627
« on: December 12, 2016, 01:47:16 PM »
I'll take "Dumbasses" for $1,000.
No, but seriously. This raises the risks for dozens, if not hundreds, of reporters out in the field across the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Asia. The man should be ashamed of himself.
628
« on: December 12, 2016, 01:41:14 PM »
What I find confusing is that people are OK with an adversarial foreign power meddling in our election just because their guy won.
It's not confusing at all.
Some people clearly place a higher value on having their chosen president than they do on having a 'clean' election. Like when the Bolsheviks dissolved the National Assembly in 1917 after losing.
Dodgy? Sure. Confusing? Not at all. People just value things differently. And it's pretty evident that a lot of Trump voters believe a Clinton presidency, rightly or wrongly, would be worse for America than Russia leaking some emails.
Pretty much hit the nail on the head. Though, it's actually pretty surprising that the Congressional Republicans are pushing for a formal investigation - they have no need to allow it, they control both chambers and could prevent it if they want.
They might want to get rid of Trump and make pence the president. The man is apparently receiving more briefings than trump anyway so I wouldn't be surprised if they're setting him up to take over.
They would need the support of Democrats to reach that point. And as much as the left doesn't like Trump, many of them are just as fearful of a Pence administration. So I still fail to see where McConnell and other Republican leaders are trying to go with these demands of an investigation. It pisses off their base, it pisses off their leader, and the likelihood of anything coming out of it is small. My best guess would be to feign bipartisanship ahead of 2020? This whole event is just becoming a mess. We have electors demanding an intelligent report ahead of their vote, Congress is splitting down party lines, and within parties themselves, on whether the FBI or CIA is correct, and the President-Elect continues to forge ahead with his administration building while continuing to denounce daily briefings as necessary. America, behold our government for the next four years.
629
« on: December 12, 2016, 01:26:37 PM »
I didn't say they were. I said if it goes that far. There are a lot of ifs right now.
And that route is not one of them. There is no feasible route from Russian involvement to "rigged and hacked election machines." If I see one more post on social media about that, I'm gonna go crazy.
630
« on: December 12, 2016, 01:13:10 PM »
What I find confusing is that people are OK with an adversarial foreign power meddling in our election just because their guy won.
It's not confusing at all.
Some people clearly place a higher value on having their chosen president than they do on having a 'clean' election. Like when the Bolsheviks dissolved the National Assembly in 1917 after losing.
Dodgy? Sure. Confusing? Not at all. People just value things differently. And it's pretty evident that a lot of Trump voters believe a Clinton presidency, rightly or wrongly, would be worse for America than Russia leaking some emails.
Pretty much hit the nail on the head. Though, it's actually pretty surprising that the Congressional Republicans are pushing for a formal investigation - they have no need to allow it, they control both chambers and could prevent it if they want.
It depends on how deep it goes. If it's limited to a propaganda campaign, then they may be doing it because they hate the idea of Trump or they're like me in thinking any foreign meddling is bad. If it's all the way up to hacking our voting machines? And they knowingly benefited from inaction? That's treason.
Let's get one thing out of the way - every report I have read makes no indication that the voting machines were hacked. Quit perpetuating that line of thinking, because all it does from distract from actual investigative inquiries and gives credibility to the Trump administration that this is a scam.
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