Trump An Abject Failure Part II

57Brave

Well-known member
Today administration officials began to walk back Trump’s boast. The Wall Street Journal reported that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said it was “way too early” to assess the amount of damage. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi said that “no one, no one, neither us, nobody else, could be able to tell you how much it has been damaged.”

Tonight David E. Sanger of the New York Times reported that there is evidence to suggest that Iran had moved both uranium and equipment from the Fordo site before the strikes.



Draw a picture in your mind of 1941 Hirohito announcing to the world Japan would bomb Pearl Harbor within 2 weeks.
Going so far as to pin pointing the bombing site !
Wondering what this latest bucket list affair cost. Speaking of deficit hawk nonsense.
Please spare us all the empty Susan Collins - ish " well I didn't vote for either "
Both sides isms

Ukraine peace - Where we at there ?
////

Still not sure what Iran did to us that say, Saudi didn't or how Iran knew to move their stockpile weeks in advance of the latest geopolitical blunder perpetrated by (R).
Yes your whole stinking party is to be held to account should there be any, any, form of retaliation.
Rest assured, there will be repurcussions
 
Science will continue to get done. There will be some geographic changes. Quite a few countries are stepping in to recruit researchers from American institutions. The effect of something like this is very long-term in nature. The lab my daughter works at in London sees this as a great opportunity.

I also think we'll see American institutions set up more foreign locations to do research and to provide educational services. NYU for example has extensive campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. I think that kind of model will become more common.
 
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Iran has begun retaliation
.how long before Trump is expected to greet body bags at Dover ?
Watch him sprint away to is the only sprinting he will do
 
Science will continue to get done. There will be some geographic changes. Quite a few countries are stepping in to recruit researchers from American institutions. The effect of something like this is very long-term in nature. The lab my daughter works at in London sees this as a great opportunity.

I also think we'll see American institutions set up more foreign locations to do research and to provide educational services. NYU for example has extensive campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. I think that kind of model will become more common.
how long do you think that will take ?
Research as you know doesn't care about politics.
My experience in science has been any disruption of even a few hours can be catastrophic
 
how long do you think that will take ?
Research as you know doesn't care about politics.
My experience in science has been any disruption of even a few hours can be catastrophic
It takes a decade or two. The refugees from Europe had a massive effect on the quality of science in the 1940s and 1950s and within a generation it was their students who were the best in their fields.
 
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Max Stier
Jun 24, 2025





President Trump’s recent unilateral decision to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency that provides coordinated disaster relief to the states and to declare that any future emergency funding will have to come directly from his office is a shocking destruction of a core public capability and an unwarranted power grab that would impose a partisan test on life and death assistance for American communities.

No individual state alone can handle the enormity of the destruction or afford the cost of rebuilding following many of the hurricanes, floods, and wildfires now occurring with increased frequency and severity throughout the country. We are the United States of America for a reason, and the need for a collective, coordinated response along with critical federal expertise and resources to help Americans survive and recover is growing, not diminishing.

Trump’s misguided move to decimate FEMA is part of a wide-ranging usurpation of our democratic system that is being wielded at a nonstop pace both inside and outside of our nation’s most important public institution.

Trump began this quest for unrestrained power by choosing political appointees based on loyalty, not experience, competence or character—individuals willing to follow his dictates rather than their oath of office to uphold the rule of law and the Constitution.

A prime example is Attorney General Pam Bondi, who fired Justice Department immigration lawyer Erez Reuveni in April for fulfilling his legal duty by admitting government errors in deporting immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador. In his first term, Trump appointed a number of individuals who respected their oath of office over loyalty to him. This time around, he has made sure this will not happen again.

The president also has seized the power of the purse from Congress, refusing to spend appropriated money and now, in a belated and unacknowledged concession, has asked the House and Senate to rescind some of those appropriations. In addition, his acolytes have arbitrarily fired thousands of federal employees and sought to shut down most of the work of agencies created by Congress, including the Department of Education, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Outside of government, the president has waged an unprecedented assault against American higher education, with the administration threatening academic freedom and American scientific preeminence by launching investigations into universities and withdrawing millions of dollars in assistance. Several universities have capitulated, only to find the aggression has continued unabated. Trump, like Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors, only wants more when appeasement is attempted.

Trump’s outside war has extended to the legal community, with the issuance of executive orders designed to intimidate and punish major law firms that have represented or employed those he considers his enemies by stripping them of security clearances, government contracts and access to federal buildings. Some law firms have taken the administration to court and won, but a number have caved in to Trump’s demands by agreeing to provide pro bono legal services to causes that the president supports.

Lawyers might not draw public sympathy, but they play a critical role defending the rule of law in our society.

The president also has sought to punish news organizations he considers unfriendly and to impose economic penalties against their corporate owners. His administration has blocked reporters from covering news events in the Oval Office, ousted journalists from their Pentagon work spaces, is seeking to cut federal funding from National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service and launched Federal Communications Commission investigations into media companies.

Trump also sued CBS in his personal capacity, claiming an interview of former Vice President Kamala Harris during the presidential campaign was deceptively edited, and he obtained a $15 million legal settlement from ABC that involved reporting he claimed had defamed him.

Taken together, Trump’s unprecedented blitzkrieg inside and outside of government has threatened the foundation of our democracy and the fundamental notion that presidential authority should only be wielded with restraint and for the public good, not for personal power or retribution against perceived opponents.

After the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, Benjamin Franklin reportedly told his compatriots, “We must, indeed, hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

Franklin was referring to the threat our fledgling democracy faced from King George III. Now 249 years later, the United States is at another dangerous turning point, a time when the president is systematically wreaking havoc inside and outside the government while undermining the core principles on which our country was founded. This is occurring as many of those with influence in our society have remained silent or capitulated, fearing retribution or perhaps oblivious to the seriousness of the threat.

Trump’s move to dismantle FEMA and place life-saving decisions stemming from natural disasters in his hands is a man-made disaster and will likely have deadly consequences for many.

Elected leaders from both political parties, those heading major institutions and the public must raise their collective voices against Trump’s blatant attack on our democratic values and the disassembling of the government. We are at a perilous moment, one in which silence, indifference, and inaction will be a recipe for tragedy.

Max Stier is the president and CEO of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, an organization dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy.
 
Trump on Pete Hegseth: "Secretary of War. It used to be called secretary of war. Maybe for a couple weeks we'll call it that, because we feel like warriors. It used to be called secretary of war ... then we became politically correct ... maybe we'll have to start thinking about changing it."
 
"Folks, we just lived through what media are calling “The 12-Day War,” and what more rational people are calling The Dick-Measuring Contest That Lit Itself on Fire.”

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The economy's rattled. Troops are on alert. Even Republicans are calling it illegal. And oil prices are twitchier than Don Jr. after a mid-dinner trip to the men’s room.

The same guys who sold you the Iraq War are back in the studio—rebranding war as patriotism. And they even brought new merch.

And like every Trump story, this one begins and ends the same way:
Trump lied.
He lied to the public.
He lied to Congress.
He even lied to Fox News, where truth goes to get waterboarded.

At this point, the only question any journalist should be asking Republicans is:
Why should anyone—foreign or domestic—believe a word America’s President says?


LIE #1:​

Trump declared a ceasefire between two countries that kept bombing each other right through the so-called ceasefire.

Not because it was real, or strategic.
Not because anyone intended to obey him.
But because he wants a Nobel Peace Prize.

He tried to take credit for a fire drill after the building had already burned down.

It’s like he directed “Ceasefire: The Musical,” and the opening night finale was all the actors punching each other backstage.

This wasn’t brokered through diplomacy. No UN. No State Department. No allies.
It was announced unilaterally on Trump's social media, without verification or details:


“ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME. NOW!”


Because commanding foreign militaries through CAPS LOCK is the definition of statecraft.

Alas, a ceasefire where both sides keep bombing is not a ceasefire.


LIE #2:​

Trump bombed three nuclear sites: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.

He & Secretary of Jaegermeister Pete Hegseth both told America that Iran’s uranium stockpile was “completely destroyed.”
Except—said stockpile wasn’t actually there.

Satellite imagery suggests Iran moved the material beforehand. Trucks were seen leaving days before. Those bunkers weren’t busted—they were cleaned-out, vacuumed and Febreezed.

We may have just spent half a billion dollars to blow up some empty basements & vending machines. Basically a military version of Trump University.

Even the UN checked radiation levels. You know what they found?
“No abnormal readings.”

I’m no physicist, but “obliterated uranium” should probably leave some kind of glow?

And not for nothing, but the fact that Israel kept bombing after Trump & his cabinet declared there were no more nukes seems to indicate - this wasn’t really about nukes.


LIE #3:​

Marco Rubio, whose spine is currently in the Smithsonian under “Extinct Vertebrates” declared This wasn’t a regime-change move"

Amoral eyeliner model JD Vance proclaimed "Our view has been very clear that we don't want a regime change."

Pete Hegseth, who prepared for the bombing by playing Call of Duty and reading the back of a Slim Jim, confirmed "This mission was not and has not been about regime change."

And yet, within hours, Combover Caligula announced on Truth Social:
“MIGA! MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN! Why not regime change?!”

So we’re not just in a war.
We’re in a war with no plot and no adult supervision.

We didn’t destroy the nuclear program.
We didn’t topple the regime.
We dropped half a billion in munitions to bomb... a hallway.

It’s “Mission Accomplished” with worse grammar and a pair of Depends instead of a flight suit.


LIE #4: They Have Intelligence.​

Every U.S. intelligence official—even Trump’s own—said Iran was not building a bomb. Not enriching weapons-grade uranium. Not violating the deal.

Even Tulsi Gabbard, his Director of National Intelligence, a woman who somehow got tricked into cosplaying Condoleezza Rice — had publicly testified that Iran is not building a bomb.

But Trump listened instead to… his feelings.

So what did Trump do? He told the American people not to believe his Director of National Intelligence.

Which was fine, bc i don’t believe Tulsi Gabbard on her best day.

But let’s be real: Trump launched a preemptive military strike on a sovereign nation because his gut told him they were about to get nukes.

This is the same gut that told him COVID would disappear by Easter.

The same gut that told him disinfectant might be medicinal if you inject it.

The same gut that told him he won the 2020 election & tariffs are awesome for consumers.

At this point, we should just assume Trump’s “gut” is actually a second, dumber brain that lives in his colon.


THE BIGGEST LIE:​

Let’s not forget:
President Obama had a verifiable nuclear deal with Iran.
It worked.
The Pentagon said it worked.

We knew where the uranium was. We had inspectors on the ground. Diplomacy was actually working.

Until Trump ripped it up like a cat on meth, just because Obama had signed it.

Under Obama, Iran enriched uranium at 3.67%.
Under Trump, it’s 60%.

So now we’re bombing the same sites that were under control 8 years ago—and pretending it’s progress.

If the deal were still in place, we’d have:
✅ Inspections
✅ Monitoring
✅ Verification
✅ Uranium under lock and key

We’re less safe than we were 8 years ago, and are now bombing the same facilities Obama once defunded & regulated.

Because Trump saw Obama’s signature on the deal, and treated it like a bathroom sign that said, “Mexicans welcome.”




BONUS LIE:​

Trump promised energy independence—then started a war in the Strait of Hormuz, the single most important oil artery in the world.

If Iran blocks it, Global oil markets go from “mildly rattled” to “apocalyptic Jenga collapse.”

And should oil prices rise, Trump will attempt to calm the masses by promising to But drill in the Everglades, or something. Because consequences are for the nextpresident.


Here’s What We’ve Got:​

❌ No clear objective
❌ No congressional approval
❌ No international backing
❌ No proof of success
❌ No truth

And Trump declared victory before we had intelligence, verification, or results.

Iran still has its nuclear program.
The region’s more volatile, and our allies don’t trust us.

Trump has declared a ceasefire, pulled the bombers back, claimed peace, and told MAGA it’s over.

Which means Iran can now race to build a bomb faster than Trump can tweet childish homophobic shit about Anderson Cooper.



If Iran still has nukes—they win.
They’ve got more time, more leverage, more motivation, and fewer inspectors.
Because Trump quit early & gave himself an “A;” before checking his own homework.



Trump didn’t keep us out of war.
He just kept us out of the truth.

And since bombing Iran didn’t distract us from...

-tariffs

-low polls

-sad parades

-No Kings Protests

-59% oppose his budget bill

-Nat’l Guard deployed to 4 blocks in LA

-richest man on Earth calling him a pedo

...I can’t WAIT to see how he tries to distract us from bombing Iran."


- J. Fugelsang
 
what is it like
let me turn that back on you, how does it feel ?

In a life that was so long ago
i used to sing that song with a hundred people singing along
oh seems like yesterday
"
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging
Your next meal "
 
let me turn that back on you, how does it feel ?

In a life that was so long ago
i used to sing that song with a hundred people singing along
oh seems like yesterday
"
You used to laugh about
Everybody that was hangin' out
Now you don't talk so loud
Now you don't seem so proud
About having to be scrounging
Your next meal "
It feels great other than my back being bruised pretty good. Fell on the slippery rocks fishing with my kids a week or two ago. Should be fine though

Other than that, fantastic. Hope you are the same. Ready for baseball season to wind up for a month or two for a breather. It’s been consuming!
 
ok ok, by popular request, here another female for the bored boys to denigrate, call names
and, dismiss because they don't approve of ... I dont know what speaking truth ?
Or, could it be something else , could it


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ok ok, by popular request, here another female for the bored boys to denigrate, call names
and, dismiss because they don't approve of ... I dont know what speaking truth ?
Or, could it be something else , could it


https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F30cd232e-d47d-4d24-b8d6-e013797b18e9_1170x1080.jpeg
Do you think she is speaking truth ?
 
ok ok, by popular request, here another female for the bored boys to denigrate, call names
and, dismiss because they don't approve of ... I dont know what speaking truth ?
Or, could it be something else , could it


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Textbook example of a false choice fallacy. I’d like to think someone with an English degree and 16 years experience teaching literature would realize that before hitting send. Ideally the parents of students in her district will have access to school choice.
 
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