- Discendo Vox
- Mar 21, 2013
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We don't need to have that dialogue because it's obvious, trivial, and has already been had a thousand times.
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Because when a sane president is elected, that money can be turned into actual technological improvements, consistent with what Democrats have been advocating for a while now.
That would be in a separate budget. This is budgetary language that (reportedly) applies specifically to border barriers, and worse, one of the forms of border barrier that Trump has been hedging as "the wall" for some time.
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Feb 12, 2019 04:12
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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May 26, 2024 11:55
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- Acebuckeye13
- Nov 2, 2010
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Ultra Carp
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As someone who's trying to get rehired into their federal job I personally would really prefer the government not shut down right now
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Feb 12, 2019 05:55
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- Mulva
- Sep 13, 2011
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It's about time for my once per decade ban for being a consistently terrible poster.
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It's 55 miles out in the middle of nowhere that will take many many years to actually build (if at all), and it keeps Orange Julius Caesar from keeping the government closed for a month again out of spite. I get the hate boner toward the toddler throwing a tantrum, but as an agreement it's reasonable.
Nothing is reasonable to sacrifice in the face of people that get off on torturing children to death as an act of deterrence to their families. It might be the best of terrible options, possibly, but giving him an inch will be spun as a victory and the impetus to do more violent and racist poo poo to folks.
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Feb 12, 2019 06:36
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- Charlz Guybon
- Nov 16, 2010
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Doubt anything will come of this
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/11/gop-trump-ignored-khashoggi-report-1164487
quote:Senate Republicans are fuming at President Donald Trump for telling lawmakers he would disregard a law requiring a report to Congress determining who is responsible for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The uproar among Republicans is just the latest example of their deep discontent with the president’s foreign policy. It could prompt even more defections in favor of a Democrat-led resolution coming before the House and Senate this month to cut off U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen’s civil war.
“It’s not a good way to start the new Congress in its relationship with the Foreign Relations Committee,” said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Republican on that panel, in an interview. “It violates the law. And the law is clear about those timelines. I’m urging them and I expect them to comply with the law.”
Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, a vulnerable Republican who faces re-election in 2020, said “the administration needs to submit the report,” adding: “There’s no excuse. They must submit it.”
On Friday, the Trump administration said it reserved the right to decline lawmakers’ demand under the Magnitsky Act that the president report to Congress with a determination of who is responsible for Khashoggi’s October slaying inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
“They were supposed to make a report on Friday and they didn’t do it,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said. “And the only thing I can say now is they better have a good excuse for not issuing it.”
“They owe us a report,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said. “We can make a fuss about it.”
Last year, then-Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and his Democratic counterpart, Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, used the Magnitsky Act to trigger a 120-day investigation, aiming to force the administration to determine who is responsible for Khashoggi’s murder and possibly impose sanctions. Friday’s deadline came and went, with a senior administration official saying Trump “maintains his discretion to decline to act on congressional committee requests when appropriate.”
Now retired, Corker declined to comment on the administration ignoring the law, as did several other Republicans who had supported efforts to compel a determination from the administration.
Gardner said the Foreign Relations Committee “should take action” to force the administration to comply with the law. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), another member of the panel, said lawmakers “want to get more information from the administration than we’ve received so far. The president has to comply with the Magnitsky Act. He has not done so in a timely manner yet.”
Despite those calls from the rank and file, the committee’s chairman, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), hasn’t shown discomfort with the administration’s Friday letter. He wouldn’t commit to further action to compel compliance with the Magnitsky Act, a marked contrast to Corker’s time as chairman.
“We asked for the information. They sent it. And I put out a press release,” Risch told reporters.
Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was among the first Republicans to criticize the Trump administration for its response. He said he was “deeply troubled” by the administration’s decision not to comply with Congress’ request.
Democrats said the administration’s response amounted to a cover-up and a willing violation of the law. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the administration on Monday, telling reporters during a stop in Hungary, “America is not covering up for a murder.”
Yet Pompeo’s comments did little to satisfy Democrats.
“They are not following the law. … It’s just wrong,” said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), a senior member of the committee. “We’re going to get back to the kingdom. There’s going to be legislation dealing with the kingdom. The fact that they didn’t respond to Magnitsky is not going to put the administration in a strong position for defending their policies.”
The Saudi government has said Khashoggi’s murder was the result of a rogue operation that was executed without the knowledge of the kingdom’s higher-ups. But U.S. intelligence officials have reportedly concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — the kingdom’s de facto ruler — ordered the killing, and lawmakers who received classified briefings on the matter said there was no doubt that the crown prince was behind the grisly murder. Moreover, The New York Times reported last week that U.S. intelligence reports showed the crown prince vowed to use a “bullet” on Khashoggi.
Trump has maintained his posture toward Saudi Arabia — even backing the kingdom’s denials — and argued that the arms sales are good for the U.S. economy.
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on 17 Saudis believed to be involved in the killing, but some lawmakers have pushed Trump to impose human rights sanctions on Riyadh’s leaders and cut off U.S. weapons sales to the country.
Menendez and a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation last week to require sanctions, ban U.S. refueling of Saudi aircraft fighting in Yemen’s civil war and cut off some weapons sales. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is working on a companion bill, an aide said.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the chief GOP sponsor of the Menendez bill, appeared resigned to the administration’s inaction, saying: “That’s up to them. I’m going to move [on the legislation].”
On Friday — the day of the Magnitsky deadline — the Saudi Foreign Ministry tweeted what many saw as a threat to the U.S. government over its pending response to the Khashoggi killing. “Our leadership is a red line,” the tweet read, adding: “We warn against any attempt to link Khashoggi’s crime to our leadership.”
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Feb 12, 2019 08:28
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- Squalid
- Nov 4, 2008
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The quiet coup that could devastate human rights in Guatemala
quote:
a slow-motion coup is unfolding largely unnoticed in Guatemala. President Jimmy Morales, members of Congress, certain business people and powerful military officers are taking swift, dramatic steps to consolidate power before the presidential elections in June. Morales is not eligible for re-election and so once his successor takes power he will lose his immunity from possible prosecution for corruption.
. . .
These moves have paved the way for Congress to push for reforms to the 1996 National Reconciliation Law, developed as part of UN-brokered peace accords following Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. The law currently provides amnesty for political crimes committed during the war, but explicitly denies it for grave internationally recognised crimes including genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity. If Morales and certain members of Congress, widely known as the Pact of the Corrupt, succeed in reforming the National Reconciliation Law, it will provide blanket amnesty for serious human rights crimes.
The proposed changes would also annul the convictions of former soldiers and paramilitaries for crimes including torture, ‘disappearance’, execution and aggravated sexual violence. It would release anyone convicted in this way since 1996 – within 24 hours of the law’s promulgation. Those in jail awaiting trial would be released.
Human rights activists in Guatemala are profoundly concerned. The law could be amended within days or weeks, and perpetrators could be back on the streets shortly thereafter, free to retaliate against the activists, judges and prosecutors who worked so hard to secure justice for victims of the civil war, as well as target survivors and witnesses who bravely testified against them.
Bad things are happening in Guatemala
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Feb 12, 2019 17:57
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- Charlz Guybon
- Nov 16, 2010
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This sounds good.
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/nasa-says-earth-is-greener-than-ever-thanks-to-china-and-india/
quote:
NASA Happily Reports the Earth is Greener, With More Trees Than 20 Years Ago¨Cand It¡¯s Thanks to China, India
By Good News Network -
Feb 12, 2019
þx
The world is literally a greener place than it was 20 years ago, and the data from NASA satellites has revealed a counterintuitive source for much of this new foliage: China and India.
This surprising new study shows that the two emerging countries with the world¡¯s biggest populations are leading the improvement in greening on land. The effect stems mainly from ambitious tree planting programs in China and intensive agriculture in both countries. In 2017 alone, India broke its own world record for the most trees planted after volunteers gathered to plant 66 million saplings in just 12 hours.
The greening phenomenon was first detected by researchers using satellite data in the mid-1990s, but they did not know whether human activity was one of its chief, direct causes.
This new insight was made possible by a nearly 20-year-long data record from a NASA instrument orbiting the Earth on two satellites. It¡¯s called the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS, and its high-resolution data provides very accurate information, helping researchers work out details of what¡¯s happening with Earth¡¯s vegetation, down to the level of 500 meters, or about 1,600 feet, on the ground.
Taken all together, the greening of the planet over the last two decades represents an increase in leaf area on plants and trees equivalent to the area covered by all the Amazon rainforests. There are now more than two million square miles of extra green leaf area per year, compared to the early 2000s ¨C which amounts to a 5% increase.
The researchers point out that the gain in greenness seen around the world, which is dominated by India and China, does not offset the damage from loss of natural vegetation in tropical regions, such as Brazil and Indonesia. The consequences for sustainability and biodiversity in those ecosystems remain, but overall, Nemani sees a positive message in the new findings.
“Once people realize there’s a problem, they tend to fix it,” he said. “In the 70s and 80s in India and China, the situation around vegetation loss wasn’t good; in the 90s, people realized it; and today things have improved. Humans are incredibly resilient. That’s what we see in the satellite data.”
This research was published online this week in the journal Nature Sustainability.
¡°China and India account for one-third of the greening, but contain only 9% of the planet¡¯s land area covered in vegetation ¨C a surprising finding, considering the general notion of land degradation in populous countries from overexploitation,¡± said Chi Chen of the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University and lead author of the study.
An advantage of the MODIS satellite sensor is the intensive coverage it provides, both in space and time: MODIS has captured as many as four shots of every place on Earth, every day for the last 20 years.
¡°This long-term data lets us dig deeper,¡± said Rama Nemani, a research scientist at NASA¡¯s Ames Research Center and a co-author of the new work. ¡°When the greening of the Earth was first observed, we thought it was due to a warmer, wetter climate and fertilization from the added carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, leading to more leaf growth in northern forests, for instance. Now, with the MODIS data that lets us understand the phenomenon at really small scales, we see that humans are also contributing.¡±
China¡¯s outsized contribution to the global greening trend comes in large part (42%) from programs to conserve and expand forests. These were developed in an effort to reduce the effects of soil erosion, air pollution and climate change. Another 32% there ¨C and 82% of the greening seen in India ¨C comes from intensive cultivation of food crops.
The land area used to grow crops ¨C more than 770,000 square miles ¨C is comparable in China and India and it has not changed much since the early 2000s; yet these regions have greatly increased both their annual total green leaf area and their food production. This was achieved through multiple cropping practices, where a field is replanted to produce another harvest several times a year. Production of grains, vegetables, fruits and more have increased by about 35-40% since 2000 to feed their large populations.
How the greening trend may change in the future depends on numerous factors, both on a global scale and the local human level. For example, increased food production in India is facilitated by groundwater irrigation. If the groundwater is depleted, this trend may change.
¡°But, now that we know direct human influence is a key driver of the greening Earth, we need to factor this into our climate models,¡± Nemani said. ¡°This will help scientists make better predictions about the behavior of different Earth systems, which will help countries make better decisions about how and when to take action.¡±
The researchers point out that the gain in greenness seen around the world, which is dominated by India and China, does not offset the damage from loss of natural vegetation in tropical regions, such as Brazil and Indonesia. The consequences for sustainability and biodiversity in those ecosystems remain, but overall, Nemani sees a positive message in the new findings.
¡°Once people realize there¡¯s a problem, they tend to fix it,¡± he said. ¡°In the 70s and 80s in India and China, the situation around vegetation loss wasn¡¯t good; in the 90s, people realized it; and today things have improved. Humans are incredibly resilient. That¡¯s what we see in the satellite data.¡±
This research was published online this week in the journal Nature Sustainability.
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Feb 13, 2019 04:27
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- Insanite
- Aug 30, 2005
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Please step into the climate change thread to be disabused of that notion.
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Feb 13, 2019 14:14
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- OAquinas
- Jan 27, 2008
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Biden has sat immobile on the Iron Throne of America. He is the Master of Malarkey by the will of the gods, and master of a million votes by the might of his inexhaustible calamari.
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Yeah, it's more akin to telling someone "you've got a great rosy complexion!" as their capillaries rupture from hemorrhagic fever.
It's not a great indicator, is the takeaway there.
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Feb 13, 2019 17:21
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- LazyArtistry
- Oct 11, 2002
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Creating disasters and running away from them since 1981.
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Yeah, it's more akin to telling someone "you've got a great rosy complexion!" as their capillaries rupture from hemorrhagic fever.
It's not a great indicator, is the takeaway there.
That, and I think I remember reading that a lot of the plantings in China are mono-culture trees /shrubs that are water gulpers, exacerbating the desertification of western part of the country.
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Feb 13, 2019 19:00
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- Kobayashi
- Aug 13, 2004
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by Nyc_Tattoo
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It's 55 miles out in the middle of nowhere that will take many many years to actually build (if at all), and it keeps Orange Julius Caesar from keeping the government closed for a month again out of spite. I get the hate boner toward the toddler throwing a tantrum, but as an agreement it's reasonable.
The problem isn't "orange Julius Caesar," the problem is the bipartisan consensus that the border needs to be "defended" at all.
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Feb 13, 2019 20:00
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- Relentless
- Sep 22, 2007
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It's a perfect day for some mayhem!
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Well, it does but we already have enough infrastructure in place to do so. Our border is secure.
Also, from the party of "fiscal responsibility", that 1.7 billion would alternatively provide 25k in screening, assistance, rehoming, education, job training, etc, for 70k migrants a year.
The super scary migrant caravan was between 5 and 7k people.
There would be a huge economic boost from that, but it wouldn't be going to their buddies in the prison industrial complex, so we're not going to do it.
(Yes, I know it's not that simple, but 55 miles of wall isn't going to stop anywhere near 70k immigrants.)
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Feb 13, 2019 22:38
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- HootTheOwl
- May 13, 2012
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Hootin and shootin
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Also, from the party of "fiscal responsibility", that 1.7 billion would alternatively provide 25k in screening, assistance, rehoming, education, job training, etc, for 70k migrants a year.
The super scary migrant caravan was between 5 and 7k people.
There would be a huge economic boost from that, but it wouldn't be going to their buddies in the prison industrial complex, so we're not going to do it.
(Yes, I know it's not that simple, but 55 miles of wall isn't going to stop anywhere near 70k immigrants.)
No you see, fter walking thousands of miles an extra 56 is just too much for them! You should SEE the pile up at Fence mile 55.
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Feb 13, 2019 23:06
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- Stickman
- Feb 1, 2004
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Also, from the party of "fiscal responsibility", that 1.7 billion would alternatively provide 25k in screening, assistance, rehoming, education, job training, etc, for 70k migrants a year.
The super scary migrant caravan was between 5 and 7k people.
There would be a huge economic boost from that, but it wouldn't be going to their buddies in the prison industrial complex, so we're not going to do it.
(Yes, I know it's not that simple, but 55 miles of wall isn't going to stop anywhere near 70k immigrants.)
But it might help kill more of them 
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Feb 13, 2019 23:18
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- Hastings
- Dec 30, 2008
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When did Gavin McWhatever turn into an elderly hobo?
Please, there is no need to insult elderly hobos like this.
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Feb 14, 2019 00:38
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- awesmoe
- Nov 30, 2005
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Pillbug
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paul manafort has balls of solid rock and unfortunately a brain of solid rock as well
https://twitter.com/kenvogel/status/1095829540138553351
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Feb 14, 2019 00:45
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- awesmoe
- Nov 30, 2005
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Pillbug
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Mr. Manafort is constitutionally incapable of not committing crimes.
he's like the terminator, but instead of murder he does crimes
wait
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Feb 14, 2019 00:57
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- Star Man
- Jun 1, 2008
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There's a star maaaaaan
Over the rainbow
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What does this even mean?
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Feb 14, 2019 01:05
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- Star Man
- Jun 1, 2008
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There's a star maaaaaan
Over the rainbow
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The president is not a smart fellow.
I know. I just can't figure out what he's even talking about.
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Feb 14, 2019 02:38
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- osker
- Dec 18, 2002
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Wedge Regret
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What does this even mean?
He is commenting on the (brown) oxide layer the existing border fences have developed vs the red oxide paint layer you have the option of getting when you purchase the poo poo.
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Feb 14, 2019 02:43
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- FoolyCharged
- Oct 11, 2012
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Cheating at a raffle? I sentence you to 1 year in jail! No! Two years! Three! Four! Five years! Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!
Somebody call for an ant?
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Also, from the party of "fiscal responsibility", that 1.7 billion would alternatively provide 25k in screening, assistance, rehoming, education, job training, etc, for 70k migrants a year.
The super scary migrant caravan was between 5 and 7k people.
There would be a huge economic boost from that, but it wouldn't be going to their buddies in the prison industrial complex, so we're not going to do it.
(Yes, I know it's not that simple, but 55 miles of wall isn't going to stop anywhere near 70k immigrants.)
Do yourself a favor and dont run those numbers with the f-35
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Feb 14, 2019 04:50
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- tetrapyloctomy
- Feb 18, 2003
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Okay -- you talk WAY too fast.
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Nap Ghost
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Mr. Manafort is constitutionally incapable of not committing crimes.
Maybe sometimes. I submit the thread be renamed in honor of these episodes. "Mr. Manafort: A Momentary Lapse of Treason."
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Feb 14, 2019 13:28
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- BristolSOF
- Jan 19, 2003
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The US National debt surpassed 22 trillion for the first time.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/13/tha...national%20debt
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Feb 14, 2019 17:36
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- Thaddius the Large
- Jul 5, 2006
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It's in the five-hole!
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Don’t know if this was official yet, but Amazon is definitely out of NYC
https://twitter.com/jdavidgoodman/status/1096087641953632258?s=21
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Feb 14, 2019 18:01
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- Gyges
- Aug 4, 2004
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NOW NO ONE
RECOGNIZE HULK
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They should have just given him what he wanted and run this as their front page story.
Certainly would have helped with that day's financial challenges in the newspaper industry.
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Feb 14, 2019 18:31
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- Dead Reckoning
- Sep 13, 2011
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This should be interesting:
https://mobile.twitter.com/cspan/status/1095401767683194882
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Feb 15, 2019 00:53
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- Adbot
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ADBOT LOVES YOU
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May 26, 2024 11:55
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- awesmoe
- Nov 30, 2005
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Pillbug
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I hate to be that guy but I can't help it
My first thought is that this feels like that McCain campaign worker who pretended to be assaulted by a black Obama supporter, but the "B" on her face was backwards and she made it all up. Or when Morton Downey Jr. claimed that he was attacked in a bathroom at an airport by nazis but the swastika on his face was backwards. Or when Ryan Lochte claimed he was robbed at the Rio Olympics.
So it's 2 am, its well below freezing in Chicago, and two bad guys who just happen to be out wandering around wearing ski masks looking for a black or gay man to harass while carrying... bleach? Of course, it is possible, but I've become completely cynical about these things.
(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
https://twitter.com/RobElgasABC7/status/1096197727782924288
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Feb 15, 2019 01:30
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Feb 12, 2019 04:12
