What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[merithyn]

Gen. Milley apologized for his part in the church step photo op. That's not going to go over well....

https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEEGSyN3poiIAWGPLjjHCYGcqFwgEKg8IACoHCAowjuuKAzCWrzwwloEY?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

The country's top military official apologized on Thursday for taking part in President Trump's walk across Lafayette Square for a photo op after authorities used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear the area of peaceful protesters.

"I should not have been there," Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a prerecorded video commencement address to National Defense University. "My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics."

His first public remarks since Mr. Trump's photo op, in which federal authorities attacked peaceful protesters so that the president could hold up a Bible in front of St. John's Church, are certain to anger the White House, where Mr. Trump has spent the days since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis taking increasingly tougher stances against the growing movement for change across the country.

[The Brain]

So he's retiring? Or is he just sorry he got caught?

[merithyn]

Trump is starting his rallies again. On Juneteenth in Tulsa, OK.

It can't be tone deafness at this point. This is planned.

[Habbaku]

Word has it that his race relations speech is being written by Stephen Miller, so...yes. It's planned.

[Sheilbh]

Plus the "the looting starts, the shooting starts". Someone is really pulling out some deep cuts from America's race relations history.

[merithyn]

Word has it that his race relations speech is being written by Stephen Miller, so...yes. It's planned.

That's where this is being given?

*sighs*

[Syt]

They're just completely ignoring Donald 

(CNN)The Republican-led Senate Armed Services Committee adopted an amendment behind closed doors for the Pentagon to remove the names of Confederate generals from military assets within three years, according to a source familiar with the proceedings, just as President Donald Trump vowed to fight any such effort.

The amendment was offered by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, defining assets as property owned or controlled by the Pentagon, whether it's a base, installation, facility, aircraft, ship, plane or type of equipment. The amendment would create an independent commission to review and develop a detailed plan for removing the names.

The move came as Trump rejected calls to remove the name of Confederate generals from military bases, citing American heritage, and the White House threatened to veto any bill that did such that.

The amendment was added to the annual defense authorization bill, and it could still be stripped out as it makes its way through the legislative process. If Trump were to veto such a bill, it would be a big risk given the popular defense measure sets policy for the Pentagon.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/politics/senate-confederate-leaders-names-from-military-assets/

But the hallowed ground!

[The Larch]

Trump targets ICC with sanctions after court opens war crimes investigation
Administration officials to sanction court investigators
Barr attacks 'long history of corruption and malfeasance'

The Trump administration is launching an economic and legal offensive on the international criminal court in response to the court's decision to open an investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan carried out by all sides, including the US.

The US will not just sanction ICC officials involved in the investigation of alleged war crimes by the US and its allies, it will also impose visa restrictions on the families of those officials. Additionally, the administration declared on Thursday that it was launching a counter-investigation into the ICC, for alleged corruption.

The secretary of state Mike Pompeo, national security adviser Robert O'Brien, defence secretary Mark Esper and attorney general William Barr gave a presentation on the decision at the state department, but then left without taking any questions.

Barr made clear that this was the beginning of a sustained campaign against the ICC, and that Thursday's measures were just an "important first step in holding the ICC accountable for exceeding its mandate and violating the sovereignty of the United States".

"The US government has reason to doubt the honesty of the ICC. The department of justice has received substantial credible information that raises serious concerns about a long history of financial corruption and malfeasance at the highest levels of the office of the prosecutor," Barr said.

He referred to the ICC as "little more than a political tool employed by unaccountable international elites".


Judges at the ICC gave the green light in March to an investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan, and began an investigation into crimes by Israeli and Palestinian forces in December. In his remarks, Pompeo made clear the US sanctions were also aimed at defending Israel.

"Given Israel's robust civilian and military legal system and strong track record of investigating prosecuting wrongdoing by military personnel, it's clear the ICC is only putting Israel in his crosshairs for nakedly political purposes," Pompeo said.

Human rights activists say that the Israel Defence Forces has operated with virtual impunity in the West Bank and Gaza.

The secretary of state urged other ICC members to join its campaign against the court

"We cannot, we will not, stand by as our people are threatened by a kangaroo court," Pompeo said, warning US allies: "Your people could be next, especially those from Nato countries who fought terrorism Afghanistan right alongside of us."

David Bosco, who wrote a book on the ICC, Rough Justice: The International Criminal Court in a World of Power Politics, said: "I think this is as much directed at the looming Palestine situation as it is at the Afghanistan investigation. The executive order clearly allows for sanctions against ICC personnel who investigate US allies who have not consented to the court's jurisdiction."

Bosco, an associate professor at Indiana University, added: "The actual effect on the court's Afghanistan investigation will probably not be significant. That investigation faces many logistical and evidentiary obstacles already and will take years to complete."

The American Civil Liberties Union condemned the decision, arguing that Trump was "playing directly into the hands of authoritarian regimes by intimidating judges and prosecutors committed to holding countries accountable for war crimes.

"Trump's sanctions order against ICC personnel and their families — some of whom could be American citizens — is a dangerous display of his contempt for human rights and those working to uphold them. We are exploring all options in response," the ACLU said.

The ICC was set up in 2002, as an attempt to extend the effort to impose international humanitarian law for war crimes and crimes against humanity begun by the tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

Over 120 countries, including Washington's closest allies in Europe, are party to the Rome statute, the founding document of the ICC. Bill Clinton signed for the US in 2000, but said the statute would not be sent to the Senate for ratification until the US had assessed the court's operations.

George W Bush informed the UN in 2002 that the US would not join the court.

[Valmy]

Clinton signed the ICC? Huh. I had no idea.

[chipwich]

Isn't NASCAR like in crisis or something? Losing spectators, trying weird stuff racewise to keep attention etc?

Yes, more or less.  The sport has been crippled by a series of bad decisions, which can happen when you have a North Korean leadership structure with North Korean third-generation leadership.  I've haven't been following it for five years now, it's just completely devoid of anything interesting to follow.

Tell me details please.

[Barrister]

Isn't NASCAR like in crisis or something? Losing spectators, trying weird stuff racewise to keep attention etc?

Yes, more or less.  The sport has been crippled by a series of bad decisions, which can happen when you have a North Korean leadership structure with North Korean third-generation leadership.  I've haven't been following it for five years now, it's just completely devoid of anything interesting to follow.

Tell me details please.

Since it's founding in the 40s, NASCAR has been run by the France family.  First Bill France Sr, then son Bill France Jr, then his son Brian France, and now recently Jim France (another son of Bill Sr).

I generally knew the story, but had to google the exact names.

[Caliga]

The President, demonstrating why the Secret Service typically refer to themselves as the "United States Secret Service":

Our great National Guard Troops who took care of the area around the White House could hardly believe how easy it was. "A walk in the park", one said. The protesters, agitators, anarchists (ANTIFA), and others, were handled VERY easily by the Guard, D.C. Police, & S.S. GREAT JOB!

I'm sure he's never heard of the Waffen-SS, but then again, I doubt most of his supporters have either, and the ones that have will probably like the (unintentional) reference.

[The Brain]

The President, demonstrating why the Secret Service typically refer to themselves as the "United States Secret Service":

Our great National Guard Troops who took care of the area around the White House could hardly believe how easy it was. "A walk in the park", one said. The protesters, agitators, anarchists (ANTIFA), and others, were handled VERY easily by the Guard, D.C. Police, & S.S. GREAT JOB!

I'm sure he's never heard of the Waffen-SS, but then again, I doubt most of his supporters have either, and the ones that have will probably like the (unintentional) reference.

Trump is so much more of a regular SS guy than a Waffen-SS guy IMHO.

[The Minsky Moment]

Most of this went on with the impotent rage of the Union veterans in the background. There is quite a colorful collection of letters to the editor of northern newspapers of angry vets denouncing what was going on.

Not just the Union vets.  The colorful John Mosby had this to say in 1907:

I wrote you about my disgust at reading the Reunion speeches: It has since been increased by reading Christians report. I am certainly glad I wasn't there. According to Christian the Virginia people were the abolitionists & the Northern people were pro-slavery. He says slavery was "a patriarchal" institution – So were polygamy & circumcision. Ask Hugh if he has been circumcised. Christian quotes what the Old Virginians – said against slavery. True; but why didn't he quote what the modern Virginians said in favor of it – Mason, Hunter, Wise &c. Why didn't he state that a Virginia Senator (Mason) was the author of the Fugitive Slave law – & why didn't he quote The Virginia Code (1860) that made it a crime to speak against slavery, or to teach a negro to read the Lord's prayer. Now while I think as badly of slavery as Horace Greeley did I am not ashamed that my family were slaveholders. It was our inheritance – Neither am I ashamed that my ancestors were pirates & cattle thieves. People must be judged by the standard of their own age. If it was right to own slaves as property it was right to fight for it. The South went to war on account of Slavery. South Carolina went to war – as she said in her Secession proclamation – because slavery wd. not be secure under Lincoln. South Carolina ought to know what was the cause for her seceding. . . . I am not ashamed of having fought on the side of slavery – a soldier fights for his country – right or wrong – he is not responsible for the political merits of the cause he fights in. The South was my country.

[Habbaku]

Trump is 1939 SS.