But the energy, the consistency! An acquaintance once told me he had admired a pretty girl, only to have his older, wiser brother pat him on the shoulder and point out that someone was tired of f***ing her. Which makes sense to me. But Trump seemingly never tires of fucking whomever, whatever, whenever he can. Such a man arguably is driven by someone, something, that he is afraid of; and the end, the purpose, is the fucking. And that is very odd indeed, until and unless an agent with just that interest is identified. Hmm. I think I see a V. and a P....

My conspiracy theory is that it's all part of Steve Bannon's plan to destroy the institutions of the American political system in order to replace it with a right-wing populist regime. — Echarmion

I infer the presence of corporate strength and pressure that I doubt Bannon can muster. The Chinese have that strength, but working with Trump as a tool doesn't seem their style. But it fits with Russian ideas of long-term subversion.

Headline 15july20: Coronavirus hospital data will now be sent to Trump administration instead of CDC.... noting also that the "database that will receive new information is not open to the public, which could affect the work of scores of researchers, modelers and health officials who rely on C.D.C. data to make projections and crucial decisions."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/14/politics/trump-administration-coronavirus-hospital-data-cdc/index.html

And we're not under attack? Whose idea was this? It cannot have been Trump's - does anyone think it was?

Supposedly HHS, which CDC is under, has better computers.

I infer the presence of corporate strength and pressure that I doubt Bannon can muster. The Chinese have that strength, but working with Trump as a tool doesn't seem their style. But it fits with Russian ideas of long-term subversion. — tim wood

Russia is certainly in favour of whatever damage and discord can be caused, but too many of the powers that be in the US would have to be enlisted by Russia to support such a move. I therefore accord that low probability. What I find more likely is that you can find plenty of American capitalists who couldn't care less about whether the 99% have a say in government, and are at least complacent to, if not actively engaged in, winding down America's liberal democracy in favor of something more akin to a corporate oligarchy.

Donald Trump Poses With Goya Products One Day After Ivanka Tweets Support

Always be grifting.

Anyone else got any explanation that makes sense given the facts? — tim wood

Hanlon's Razor applies here.

they do not know WTF they're doing — tim wood

That is most likely the correct explanation

This from Abraham Lincoln's House Divided speech:

".... We can not absolutely know that all these exact adaptations are the result of preconcert. But when we see a lot of framed timbers, different portions of which we know have been gotten out at different times and places and by different workmen -- Stephen, Franklin, Roger, and James, for instance -- and when we see these timbers joined together, and see they exactly make the frame of a house or a mill, all the tenons and mortices exactly fitting, and all the lengths and proportions of the different pieces exactly adapted to their respective places, and not a piece too many or too few -- not omitting even scaffolding -- or, if a single piece be lacking, we can see the place in the frame exactly fitted and prepared to yet bring such piece in -- in such a case, we find it impossible not to believe that Stephen and Franklin and Roger and James all understood one another from the beginning, and all worked upon a common plan or draft drawn up before the first lick was struck."

Too much consistency in Trump's "incompetence" for it to be merely stupidity or "not knowing WTF they're doing." Hanlon's a good razor no doubt, but it's about probability, and I find the probability that inability can achieve Trump's level of consistency to be in this case improbable.

I think, that is, that the Russian's have got him and are playing him for maximum long-term return. And it doesn't have to be much; even a little is - can be - a lot. But it makes Trump's and his fates perfect gallows.

Likely in the end Americans just want to forget Trump. Because this era will simply be so humiliating. Likely at the time when Ivanka publishes her tell all book about the incest she had to suffer.

Unidentified Federal Agents Are Detaining Protesters in Portland

Trump says he wishes accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell well and has 'met her numerous times'

He accuses whistleblowers who report on inappropriate behaviour "spies" and suggests that they committed treason and threatens a journalist who took a photo with jail, but when asked about someone accused of rape and sex trafficking, he "wishes her well"?

Trump hopes desperately that he can incite more riots!

And also it's great training for how to handle the situation when Trump declares that the elections were rigged and he will not leave office. That will be so much fun.

It's going to be a wonderful fall in the US after the summer.

Besides, if you break things like the Constitution and deploy "federal troops" against the will of the local authorities, then do that with private contractors!

What has not been reported widely in the media, however, is the fact that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unit that is coordinating the “crowd control” effort — an agency called the Federal Protective Service (FPS) — is composed largely of contract security personnel. Those contractors are being furnished to FPS by major private-sector security companies like Blackwater corporate descendant Triple Canopy as well as dozens of other private security firms.

In fact, FPS spends more than $1 billion a year on these contract security guards who are authorized to conduct crowd control at federal properties, such as those in Portland. And, based on available photographic and document evidence, it appears those private contractors are now part of the federal force arrayed in Portland and are likely to be part of the federal response President Trump has promised to stand up in multiple other cities, including Chicago, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and other urban centers led by Democratic mayors across the country.

See article The Lead Federal Agency Responding to Protesters in Portland Employs Thousands of Private Contractors

"Greatest democracy in the world!"

I genuinely fear how much ill this Trump fiasco will do to the US, because this train wreck will get only worse until it ends. In the end a lot of Americans will be really disappointed in their country and will have little belief in their country, which is sad.

Btw, do note that the picture above is from a game Arma III, which actually goes well with the Trump fakeness, but Triple Canopy is indeed now looking for people to work as "Top Secret Protective Security Officers" among other positions. For example in California.

Triple Canopy and Constellis' Top Secret Protective Security Officers provide general armed security for building patrons and the general public at federal buildings requiring a Top Secret Clearance throughout California.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Provide security for various federal buildings within the contract limits by conducting perimeter security, internal security, monitoring screens, etc.
Protect personnel and property in a professional manner
Meet and deal tactfully and politely with general public and visitors
Effectively and efficiently screen and process visitors
Identify, report, delay or detain persons who violate rules and regulations
Conduct internal and external roving foot patrols

And the list goes on...

Just look at careers at https://constellis.com/careers .

...interesting...

Meet and deal tactfully and politely with general public and visitors

:chin:

Deploying federal agents and detaining rioters, looters and terrorists in Portland is perfectly legal.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/40/1315

And I have to say it’s satisfying watching the feds kick around these privileged twerps.

And I have to say it’s satisfying watching the feds kick around these privileged twerps. — NOS4A2

That's the image the election campaign of Trump wants to show for his devoted followers like you, NOS. Of course those that are actually US Citizens, it should be added. And who cares if the "feds" are just private contractors, right?

Trump desperately wants the riots to continue, because he hasn't anything else going on than the "Law & Order" thing. Basically he's totally clueless about anything else and the campaign team likely has understood that there's no need to take up policy issues as Donald doesn't care a shit about policies, he get's tired of anything that isn't personally about himself. Heck, Trump campaign team should hire people as "antifa/blm-people" to topple monuments of George Washington, there's many statues of him in every state! Of course, knowing what a inept leader he is this kind of cunning plot would be immediately be leaked out to the media probably by Trump bragging himself about it.

And who cares if the "feds" are just private contractors, right? — ssu

The law refers to "employees" of the Department of Homeland Security or transferred from other departments. That excludes contractors doing this.

It also states:

may designate employees... fficers and agents for duty in connection with the protection of property owned or occupied by the Federal Government and persons on the property, including duty in areas outside the property to the extent necessary to protect the property and persons on the property

So, their duty is limited to the protection of federal owned or occupied property or persons on such property and that duty only extends outside such property "to the extent necessary" to protect such property or persons. That's a rather limited scope.

Even so, while an arrest without warrant is allowed, this is only possible on specific grounds. Those grounds are:

1. see you committing a crime
2. think it is in the public interest to arrest you in order to find out your identity, preserve evidence, or prevent the continuation of a crime
3. have reasonable grounds to believe that you have committed or are about to commit an indictable offence
4. have reasonable grounds to believe there is an outstanding warrant against you

Finally, only "brief and cursory" holding of a person would be detainment. This does not include moving someone into a vehicle and driving around.

By not arresting the protesters and not limiting themselves to brief and cursory holding of protesters (detention), it's easy to conclude they are engaged in illegal activity.

Deploying federal agents and detaining rioters, looters and terrorists in Portland is perfectly legal.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/40/1315 — NOS4A2

https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/133.245

ORS 133.245
Arrest by federal officer

(2) The federal officer shall inform the person to be arrested of the federal officer’s authority and reason for the arrest.

The alleged manner in which they are arresting protestors is illegal under Oregon law. They're not identifying themselves and not explaining the reason for the arrest.

Here's some citations.

https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/133.005

“Arrest” means to place a person under actual or constructive restraint or to take a person into custody for the purpose of charging that person with an offense. A “stop” as authorized under ORS 131.605 (Definitions for ORS 131.605 to 131.625) to 131.625 (Frisk of stopped persons) is not an arrest.

https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/131.605

A “stop” is a temporary restraint of a person’s liberty by a peace officer lawfully present in any place. [1973 c.836 §30; 1997 c.866 §2; 2011 c.506 §6; 2011 c.644 §12

https://www.oregonlaws.org/ors/131.615

The detention and inquiry shall be conducted in the vicinity of the stop and for no longer than a reasonable time.

Reading minds again, right ssu? You know what Trump desperately wants, even if he has exclaimed the exact opposite. It’s a shame that such loose prognostications aren’t thrown into the conspiracy theory bin, but it’s probably because so many believe the same and diet on the same media. Meanwhile violent mobs move throughout the streets, trying to light fire to a federal courthouse, looting and assaulting others along the way.

Trump is a simple mind to understand. And responds to events like the George Floyd killing in a predictable way.

You know what Trump desperately wants — NOS4A2

Yes, just look at Donalds own approved adds now.

Trump is a simple mind to understand. — ssu

He's actually very hard to understand. He says he opposes mail-in ballots but uses them himself, and has his campaign promote them to his supporters.

So is he for or against them?

It can't be that he's being deceitful and is just concerned that he'll lose the election if every voter uses them but wants his supporters to use them because some of them might not be able to or want to vote in person, right? That would be very dishonest, and we all know the President wouldn't lie about something as important as the foundation of democracy?

I'm not sure what the national law is, if there is one. But here in Arizona @Michael law enforcement has 20 minutes in detaining you before they have to charge you with a crime or they have to let you go.
I'm not sure what the harm is in detaining a person of interest for the legal amount of time.

He's actually very hard to understand. — Michael

I really disagree.

He gives the preferable answer at the moment when he is asked something and if this isn't in line what he has said earlier, doesn't really matter. If someone tries to pin him on this, he or she is just a Trump-hater. Besides, opposing mail-in ballots and yet having his campaign promote it is exactly the type of answer that Donald Trump gives. Elections are rigged if he loses and honest if he wins. He has improved ties with Russia, but on the other hand according to Trump nobody has taken such a hard line against them. This is classic Trump.

It can't be that he's being deceitful and is just concerned that he'll lose the election if every voter uses them but wants his supporters to use them because some of them might not be able to or want to vote in person, right? That would be very dishonest, and we all know the President wouldn't lie about something as important as the foundation of democracy? — Michael

:grin:

Has Trump ever lied? :halo:

I'm not sure what the national law is, if there is one. But here in Arizona Michael law enforcement has 20 minutes in detaining you before they have to charge you with a crime or they have to let you go.
I'm not sure what the harm is in detaining a person of interest for the legal amount of time. — ArguingWAristotleTiff

The problem is that they're arresting people without identifying themselves or explaining the reason for the arrest. By Oregon law they need to do that, even if they don't then charge you with anything.

, are you working from a basement in Moscow?

It would explain so much...

Trump's getting desperate. Pretty interesting to watch this tinpot dictator try to turn our country into a police state just so he doesn't lose an election.