Conservative Republican President Donald Trump embarrassed us at the NATO conference. Shoving aside a leader. Lecturing partners on defense spending. Not fully embracing Article V. We need a laugh. Thank goodness for Stephen Colbert. Here's his funny take on the Lying Donald at NATO.
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
Trump embarrasses us at the NATO conference
I watched Sean "Spicey" Spicer's White House news briefing yesterday. And it started out with ten minutes about how wonderful President Trump's foreign trip was. The Daily Kos made fun of his summary as being something that would come from a North Korean dictator.
But I agree with The Morning Joe on MSNBC. Conservative Republican President Donald Trump embarrassed us at NATO. He did what Russia wanted. Trump drove a wedge between America and our NATO partners. Trump didn't expressly support Article V which guarantees mutual defense among NATO members. He lectured our partners that they didn't do enough. I mean if Poland doesn't raise their defense budget, is Trump saying we would not aid them if Poland is attacked by Russia? See MSNBC video below.
But I agree with The Morning Joe on MSNBC. Conservative Republican President Donald Trump embarrassed us at NATO. He did what Russia wanted. Trump drove a wedge between America and our NATO partners. Trump didn't expressly support Article V which guarantees mutual defense among NATO members. He lectured our partners that they didn't do enough. I mean if Poland doesn't raise their defense budget, is Trump saying we would not aid them if Poland is attacked by Russia? See MSNBC video below.
Monday, May 29, 2017
The Russian Spy in the White House? Part Two
Intelligence expert Malcolm Nance is sounding the alarm about White House adviser and son-in-law to President Trump Jared Kushner's desire to set up a covert communication with the Kremlin. In appearances with MSNBC's Joy Reid, he points out that this was no mere back channel notes to a foreign government. It was an attempt to set up a covert communication with an adversary that would use Russian cryptographic measures to defeat American intelligence. In the two videos below, starting both at the three minute mark, Nance questions what information is Kusner trying to relay to the Russians and why must it be kept secret. "The Daily Presidential Briefing? The Nuclear Codes?" Yikes. In the second video, Reid muses the theory about Kushner obtaining financing from the Russians. And what do you think the Russians might get? Perhaps the termination of sanctions for Ukraine and hacking the Democrats.
Folks, America is in trouble. It requires Republicans to think America before Trump. How many lives will be lost with Trump in office? Trump has already leaked intelligence to the Russians in the Oval Office! Leaked the location of American submarines to the Philippine president. Impeach him before it's too late. Get this Manchurian Candidate and his son-in-law spy out of the White House.
MAY 27, 2017. A.M. Joy with Joy Reid.
Folks, America is in trouble. It requires Republicans to think America before Trump. How many lives will be lost with Trump in office? Trump has already leaked intelligence to the Russians in the Oval Office! Leaked the location of American submarines to the Philippine president. Impeach him before it's too late. Get this Manchurian Candidate and his son-in-law spy out of the White House.
MAY 27, 2017. A.M. Joy with Joy Reid.
New Idiots: John Kelly and H.R. McMaster
Loyalty to conservative Republican President Donald Trump has made two new idiots out of honorable men. Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster defended White House adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner for attempting to set up a covert communication line to the Kremlin. Here's what the two gentlemen said via Politico:
“I don’t see a big deal. I think any channel of communication, back or otherwise, with a country like Russia is a good thing.” DHS Secretary John Kelly From Fox News Sunday
"We have back-channel communications with any number of individual” countries, So generally speaking, about back-channel communications, what that allows you to do is communicate in a discreet manner." National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. From Reuters.
WTF? I say again, WTF?!
First, let me remind these security officials and military men. Russia is not our friend. They are often our adversary. See Cold War. Yeah, the Cold War is over but Russia is not a real democracy. The Communists were replaced by oligarchs with Vladimir Putin as the authoritarian leader. Two, the Russians hacked the Democratic National Committee with the intent to get Trump elected. Every American intelligence agency agrees with this. Three, Kushner did not just want a "back channel" with the Russians. He wanted a secure channel with the Kremlin that would keep out American intelligence and law enforcement. That's not innocent.
So sorry, Mr. Kelly. This covert channel is not a good thing. Kushner was not just picking up the phone and talking to the Russians. He wanted a channel using Russian decryption to keep out the United States. Can't think of any innocent reason for this. Just listen to intelligence expert Malcolm Nance in the MSNBC video below at the three minute mark. The things that Kushner could communicate to the Russians: American secrets, perhaps negotiate a deal with the Russian bank he had contact with. Maybe exchange the end of sanctions for loans. It boggles the imagination.
And with all due respect, General McMaster, your defense is just brainless. This was not just any country that Kushner wanted covert communications with. It was freaking Russia! Remember, our adversary. And again, it was to be done so American law enforcement and intelligence could not hear. the logical conclusion is that Kushner was afraid whatever was said had legal implications.
Gentlemen, you are idiots.
“I don’t see a big deal. I think any channel of communication, back or otherwise, with a country like Russia is a good thing.” DHS Secretary John Kelly From Fox News Sunday
"We have back-channel communications with any number of individual” countries, So generally speaking, about back-channel communications, what that allows you to do is communicate in a discreet manner." National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. From Reuters.
WTF? I say again, WTF?!
First, let me remind these security officials and military men. Russia is not our friend. They are often our adversary. See Cold War. Yeah, the Cold War is over but Russia is not a real democracy. The Communists were replaced by oligarchs with Vladimir Putin as the authoritarian leader. Two, the Russians hacked the Democratic National Committee with the intent to get Trump elected. Every American intelligence agency agrees with this. Three, Kushner did not just want a "back channel" with the Russians. He wanted a secure channel with the Kremlin that would keep out American intelligence and law enforcement. That's not innocent.
So sorry, Mr. Kelly. This covert channel is not a good thing. Kushner was not just picking up the phone and talking to the Russians. He wanted a channel using Russian decryption to keep out the United States. Can't think of any innocent reason for this. Just listen to intelligence expert Malcolm Nance in the MSNBC video below at the three minute mark. The things that Kushner could communicate to the Russians: American secrets, perhaps negotiate a deal with the Russian bank he had contact with. Maybe exchange the end of sanctions for loans. It boggles the imagination.
And with all due respect, General McMaster, your defense is just brainless. This was not just any country that Kushner wanted covert communications with. It was freaking Russia! Remember, our adversary. And again, it was to be done so American law enforcement and intelligence could not hear. the logical conclusion is that Kushner was afraid whatever was said had legal implications.
Gentlemen, you are idiots.
Saturday, May 27, 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales review
After watching the bloated third Pirates of the Caribbean film , I thought I would not have the stomach for more. But hey, I'm like a lot of moviegoers. Okay, let's see the next Jack Sparrow adventure. And Disney knows this. That's why they keep pumping these movies out. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (Pirates) is the fifth of the Pirates series. The movie is like a whale. It starts out in life as a baby full of promise, growing into a majestic beast but then dies and is washed ashore as a bloated, decaying mess.
There are times when you write a screenplay, you may be asked to sum up the plot in one sentence. Let's see if I can do it for Pirates. Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), the son of Will Turner, is searching for the Trident of Poseidon which will break the curse that has imprisoned his father as the Captain of the Flying Dutchman. There, I did it. If only things were so simple.
Of course, there's more to this movie than a one sentence plot summary. Henry must seek the help of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) Why? Well, he's the star of the series. Savvy? The two run into a proto-feminist Carina Smythe (Kaya Scodelario) who's charged with being a witch when she's really an astronomer. Why don't we throw in Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) because he was so much fun in the first three movies. Of course, this being a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, there's got to be some kind of fantasy thing happening. That comes with Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) who is after Sparrow for his eternal curse as a ghost pirate. You see Salazar runs around the American southwest with his pageboy haircut, killing people with a silenced shotgun. Um... sorry that's the plot to No Country for Old Men He does represent death in both. I'll bet that Bardem would like to stop being typecast as a villain.
With all those plot threads, there's some basic problems. First, I appreciate strong female characters and also some liberal metaphor. Carina is a scientist in an unscientific age. The men are dumb. Okay, so far so good. But where this metaphor goes awry is that she's seeking something that is out of fantasy and will deal with things that are not scientific. Hard to say science trumps that. Now Kaya Scodelario's performance as the heroine is smart, charming and she lights up the screen with her natural beauty. However, she can't carry this movie with all the crazy stuff happening around her. That brings us to Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. I get it that Sparrow likes to drink. But he's pretty much drunk during the entire movie. It made it hard to understand what Sparrow was saying because Depp was slurring his lines. Savvy? No.
I don't know if directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) story boarded this movie. Because it doesn't show up during action set pieces. Outside of the early bank robbery piece, all of the action is a jumbled mess of fast cuts. It's hard to figure what is happening. Add to hat is that this movie is badly lit. Yeah, I get it. There are night scenes and underwater scenes. Guys, this is a movie not a documentary. Those dark scenes make the action hard to see. There are a few redeeming factors. Some of the jokes work with their sexual innuendo. And okay, it's good to see Captain Jack. He's like your loopy, drunk uncle.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is one bloated mess of a movie. It needs to be shorter as the movie just keeps going on and on. There must also more swashbuckling and that means physical sword fights. There was way too much CGI. I recommend that you don't run out and spend a lot of money to see this time waster. I would wait to rent it. Finally, there is an end credit scene hinting at a sixth movie. Yep, I've got a pirate curse. I'll probably see that one too. They'll probably call it Pirates of the Caribbean: The Search for Box Office Gold. The grade is B Minus.
There are times when you write a screenplay, you may be asked to sum up the plot in one sentence. Let's see if I can do it for Pirates. Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), the son of Will Turner, is searching for the Trident of Poseidon which will break the curse that has imprisoned his father as the Captain of the Flying Dutchman. There, I did it. If only things were so simple.
Of course, there's more to this movie than a one sentence plot summary. Henry must seek the help of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) Why? Well, he's the star of the series. Savvy? The two run into a proto-feminist Carina Smythe (Kaya Scodelario) who's charged with being a witch when she's really an astronomer. Why don't we throw in Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) because he was so much fun in the first three movies. Of course, this being a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, there's got to be some kind of fantasy thing happening. That comes with Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) who is after Sparrow for his eternal curse as a ghost pirate. You see Salazar runs around the American southwest with his pageboy haircut, killing people with a silenced shotgun. Um... sorry that's the plot to No Country for Old Men He does represent death in both. I'll bet that Bardem would like to stop being typecast as a villain.
With all those plot threads, there's some basic problems. First, I appreciate strong female characters and also some liberal metaphor. Carina is a scientist in an unscientific age. The men are dumb. Okay, so far so good. But where this metaphor goes awry is that she's seeking something that is out of fantasy and will deal with things that are not scientific. Hard to say science trumps that. Now Kaya Scodelario's performance as the heroine is smart, charming and she lights up the screen with her natural beauty. However, she can't carry this movie with all the crazy stuff happening around her. That brings us to Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. I get it that Sparrow likes to drink. But he's pretty much drunk during the entire movie. It made it hard to understand what Sparrow was saying because Depp was slurring his lines. Savvy? No.
I don't know if directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) story boarded this movie. Because it doesn't show up during action set pieces. Outside of the early bank robbery piece, all of the action is a jumbled mess of fast cuts. It's hard to figure what is happening. Add to hat is that this movie is badly lit. Yeah, I get it. There are night scenes and underwater scenes. Guys, this is a movie not a documentary. Those dark scenes make the action hard to see. There are a few redeeming factors. Some of the jokes work with their sexual innuendo. And okay, it's good to see Captain Jack. He's like your loopy, drunk uncle.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is one bloated mess of a movie. It needs to be shorter as the movie just keeps going on and on. There must also more swashbuckling and that means physical sword fights. There was way too much CGI. I recommend that you don't run out and spend a lot of money to see this time waster. I would wait to rent it. Finally, there is an end credit scene hinting at a sixth movie. Yep, I've got a pirate curse. I'll probably see that one too. They'll probably call it Pirates of the Caribbean: The Search for Box Office Gold. The grade is B Minus.
The Russian Spy in the White House?
The Washington Post is reporting that Jared Kushner, White House adviser and son-in-law, to President Trump wanted to set up a secure and secret communications channel between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. This occurred in December of 2016 after Trump won the election. Washington Post.
What does it mean? Without knowing the reasons why Kushner would want a secret way to talk to the Russians, we can only surmise. You can bet it's not about exchanging a top secret borscht recipe. What we can deduct is that the Trump Campaign and the Russians wanted to avoid surveillance by the United States government.
REASONS WHY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND THE RUSSIANS MIGHT NEED A SECRET COMMUNICATIONS CHANNEL
1. Maybe Trump is so paranoid of the Obama administration that he thinks that he is spying on him. Okay, but why the secret channel with just Russia?
2. Reset the relation with Russia. But why the secrecy from America? I mean you don't want to negotiate in public. Still, there's no reason to avoid American intelligence unless you plan on doing something illegal. That leads us to the darker reasons.
3. The Russians are blackmailing Trump. Look, we know for a fact that Trump really likes Putin. Why? Does Trump owe money to Russian oligarchs who are in turn loyal to Putin? Is there really a "pee" tape? The Kremlin using such a channel could then direct its desires on Trump. Ukraine sanctions? Gone.
4. Collusion between the Russians and the Trump Administration. Maybe the Russians and the Trump campaign colluded to defeat Hillary Clinton. So now, maybe the Trump administration and the Russians can work together. Quid pro quo. Ukraine sanctions? Done for hacking of future political enemies.
The more logical and unfortunately darker reasons were underscored last night on MSNBC's program All In with Chris Hayes. Intelligence expert Malcolm Nance highlighted the espionage angle.
What does it mean? Without knowing the reasons why Kushner would want a secret way to talk to the Russians, we can only surmise. You can bet it's not about exchanging a top secret borscht recipe. What we can deduct is that the Trump Campaign and the Russians wanted to avoid surveillance by the United States government.
REASONS WHY THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND THE RUSSIANS MIGHT NEED A SECRET COMMUNICATIONS CHANNEL
1. Maybe Trump is so paranoid of the Obama administration that he thinks that he is spying on him. Okay, but why the secret channel with just Russia?
2. Reset the relation with Russia. But why the secrecy from America? I mean you don't want to negotiate in public. Still, there's no reason to avoid American intelligence unless you plan on doing something illegal. That leads us to the darker reasons.
3. The Russians are blackmailing Trump. Look, we know for a fact that Trump really likes Putin. Why? Does Trump owe money to Russian oligarchs who are in turn loyal to Putin? Is there really a "pee" tape? The Kremlin using such a channel could then direct its desires on Trump. Ukraine sanctions? Gone.
4. Collusion between the Russians and the Trump Administration. Maybe the Russians and the Trump campaign colluded to defeat Hillary Clinton. So now, maybe the Trump administration and the Russians can work together. Quid pro quo. Ukraine sanctions? Done for hacking of future political enemies.
The more logical and unfortunately darker reasons were underscored last night on MSNBC's program All In with Chris Hayes. Intelligence expert Malcolm Nance highlighted the espionage angle.
Friday, May 26, 2017
Hilarious. Trump's NATO push as a nature documentary
Funny or Die hits a home run on this nature parody using the video of President Trump shoving another NATO leader aside so he can get his picture taken. Check it out. Riotous.
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