Carrello

How is it, Synopsis, that you know more than generals that commanded our military in the Middle East for years? Men that have commanded thousands of men and women? Are you a general too or a military person at all? Or are you just another "stable genius?" Have you seen to photos today of the Kurdish children burned, their skin peeling off the bodies, crying in pain? The Turks are using illegal napalm reportedly. Gee this is fun. BTW don't you tell me, Rhona, or anyone else for that matter, that we don't think for ourselves. EVER.

Opinion Our Republic Is Under Attack From the President If President Trump doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office. By William H. McRaven Admiral McRaven is a former commander of the United States Special Operations Command. Oct. 17, 2019 CreditCreditDamon Winter/The New York Times Last week I attended two memorable events that reminded me why we care so very much about this nation and also why our future may be in peril. The first was a change of command ceremony for a storied Army unit in which one general officer passed authority to another. The second event was an annual gala for the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) Society that recognizes past and present members of the intelligence and Special Operations community for their heroism and sacrifice to the nation. What struck me was the stark contrast between the words and deeds heralded at those events — and the words and deeds emanating from the White House. On the parade field at Fort Bragg, N.C., where tens of thousands of soldiers have marched either preparing to go to war or returning from it, the two generals, highly decorated, impeccably dressed, cleareyed and strong of character, were humbled by the moment. They understood the awesome responsibility that the nation had placed on their shoulders. They understood that they had an obligation to serve their soldiers and their soldiers’ families. They believed in the American values for which they had been fighting for the past three decades. They had faith that these values were worth sacrificing everything for — including, if necessary, their lives. Having served with both officers for the past 20 years, I know that they personified all that is good and decent and honorable about the American military with genuineness of their humility, their uncompromising integrity, their willingness to sacrifice all for a worthy cause, and the pride they had in their soldiers. Later that week, at the O.S.S. Society dinner, there were films and testimonials to the valor of the men and women who had fought in Europe and the Pacific during World War II. We also celebrated the 75th anniversary of D-Day, recognizing those brave Americans and allies who sacrificed so much to fight Nazism and fascism. We were reminded that the Greatest Generation went to war because it believed that we were the good guys — that wherever there was oppression, tyranny or despotism, America would be there. We would be there because freedom mattered. We would be there because the world needed us and if not us, then who? Also that evening we recognized the incredible sacrifice of a new generation of Americans: an Army Special Forces warrant officer who had been wounded three times, the most recent injury costing him his left leg above the knee. He was still in uniform and still serving. There was an intelligence officer, who embodied the remarkable traits of those men and women who had served in the O.S.S. And a retired Marine general, whose 40 years of service demonstrated all that was honorable about the Corps and public service. But the most poignant recognition that evening was for a young female sailor who had been killed in Syria serving alongside our allies in the fight against ISIS. Her husband, a former Army Green Beret, accepted the award on her behalf. Like so many that came before her, she had answered the nation’s call and willingly put her life in harm’s way. For everyone who ever served in uniform, or in the intelligence community, for those diplomats who voice the nation’s principles, for the first responders, for the tellers of truth and the millions of American citizens who were raised believing in American values — you would have seen your reflection in the faces of those we honored last week. But, beneath the outward sense of hope and duty that I witnessed at these two events, there was an underlying current of frustration, humiliation, anger and fear that echoed across the sidelines. The America that they believed in was under attack, not from without, but from within. These men and women, of all political persuasions, have seen the assaults on our institutions: on the intelligence and law enforcement community, the State Department and the press. They have seen our leaders stand beside despots and strongmen, preferring their government narrative to our own. They have seen us abandon our allies and have heard the shouts of betrayal from the battlefield. As I stood on the parade field at Fort Bragg, one retired four-star general, grabbed my arm, shook me and shouted, “I don’t like the Democrats, but Trump is destroying the Republic!” Those words echoed with me throughout the week. It is easy to destroy an organization if you have no appreciation for what makes that organization great. We are not the most powerful nation in the world because of our aircraft carriers, our economy, or our seat at the United Nations Security Council. We are the most powerful nation in the world because we try to be the good guys. We are the most powerful nation in the world because our ideals of universal freedom and equality have been backed up by our belief that we were champions of justice, the protectors of the less fortunate. But, if we don’t care about our values, if we don’t care about duty and honor, if we don’t help the weak and stand up against oppression and injustice — what will happen to the Kurds, the Iraqis, the Afghans, the Syrians, the Rohingyas, the South Sudanese and the millions of people under the boot of tyranny or left abandoned by their failing states? If our promises are meaningless, how will our allies ever trust us? If we can’t have faith in our nation’s principles, why would the men and women of this nation join the military? And if they don’t join, who will protect us? If we are not the champions of the good and the right, then who will follow us? And if no one follows us — where will the world end up? President Trump seems to believe that these qualities are unimportant or show weakness. He is wrong. These are the virtues that have sustained this nation for the past 243 years. If we hope to continue to lead the world and inspire a new generation of young men and women to our cause, then we must embrace these values now more than ever. And if this president doesn’t understand their importance, if this president doesn’t demonstrate the leadership that America needs, both domestically and abroad, then it is time for a new person in the Oval Office — Republican, Democrat or independent — the sooner, the better. The fate of our Republic depends upon it. www.nytimes.com

General JOSEPH VOTEL served as commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from March 2016 to March 2019. As commander of CENTCOM, Votel oversaw military operations across the region, including the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Before CENTCOM, he was the commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). General Votel is a non-resident Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security at the Middle East Institute (MEI). The Danger of Abandoning Our Partners The Syria policy reversal threatens to undo five years’ worth of fighting against ISIS and will severely damage American credibility and reliability. JOSEPH VOTELELIZABETH DENt www.theatlantic.com OCT 8, 2019 A U.S. soldier oversees members of the Syrian Democratic Forces as they raise a Tal Abyad Military Council flag.HANDOUT VIA REUTERS The abrupt policy decision to seemingly abandon our Kurdish partners could not come at a worse time. The decision was made without consulting U.S. allies or senior U.S. military leadership and threatens to affect future partnerships at precisely the time we need them most, given the war-weariness of the American public coupled with ever more sophisticated enemies determined to come after us. In northeastern Syria, we had one of the most successful partnerships. The Islamic State was using Syria as a sanctuary to support its operations in Iraq and globally, including by hosting and training foreign fighters. We had to go after ISIS quickly and effectively. The answer came in the form of a small band of Kurdish forces pinned up against the Turkish border and fighting for their lives against ISIS militants in the Syrian town of Kobane in 2014. We had tried many other options first. The U.S. initially worked to partner with moderate Syrian rebel groups, investing $500 million in a train-and-equip program to build their capabilities to fight against ISIS in Syria. That endeavor failed, save for a small force in southeastern Syria near the American al-Tanf base, which began as a U.S. outpost to fight ISIS and remains today as a deterrent against Iran. So we turned to Turkey to identify alternative groups, but the Pentagon found that the force Turkey had trained was simply inadequate and would require tens of thousands of U.S. troops to bolster it in battle. With no public appetite for a full-scale U.S. ground invasion, we were forced to look el I (Joseph Votel) first met General Mazloum Abdi at a base in northern Syria in May 2016. From the start, it was obvious he was not only an impressive and thoughtful man, but a fighter who was clearly thinking about the strategic aspects of the campaign against ISIS and aware of the challenges of fighting a formidable enemy. He could see the long-term perils from the civil war, but recognized that the most immediate threat to his people was ISIS. After a fitful start in Syria, I concluded that we had finally found the right partner who could help us defeat ISIS without getting drawn into the murkier conflict against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), initially composed of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), was then conceived: a fighting force that eventually grew to 60,000 battle-hardened and determined soldiers. The decision to partner with the YPG, beginning with the fight in Kobane, was made across two administrations and had required years of deliberation and planning, especially given the concerns of our NATO ally Turkey, who regards the SDF as an offshoot of the designated terrorist group the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Eventually, the YPG became the backbone of the fighting force against ISIS in Syria. Without it, President Donald Trump could not have declared the complete defeat of ISIS. With support from what grew to be the 80-member Coalition to Defeat ISIS, which included air power, advisers on the ground, and equipment, the SDF became a force to be reckoned with and led a string of victories. In August 2016, it liberated the Syrian town of Manbij, which once functioned as a hub for ISIS fighters to cross into Turkey and is believed to be where the attackers who carried out the November 2015 Paris attacks transited. Mindful of the need for credibility as it pushed to liberate Arab-dominated areas, the YPG had succeeded in incorporating Arab units into its structure as a united Arab-Kurd fighting force. That force, the SDF, went on to liberate the so-called capital of the caliphate, Raqqa, and towns in the Middle Euphrates River Valley, culminating in the territorial defeat of ISIS in Baghouz this past March. Over four years, the SDF freed tens of thousands of square miles and millions of people from the grip of ISIS. Throughout the fight, it sustained nearly 11,000 casualties. By comparison, six U.S. service members, as well as two civilians, have been killed in the anti-ISIS campaign. Key to this effective relationship was mutual trust, constant communication, and clear expectations. The partnership was not without its difficulties. That included working through the December 2018 announcement of our sudden departure and our subsequent agreement with Turkey to pursue a security mechanism for the border areas. But each time, the strong mutual trust built on the ground between our military members and the SDF preserved our momentum. The sudden policy change this week breaks that trust at the most important juncture. It didn’t have to be this way. The U.S. worked endlessly to placate our Turkish allies. We engaged in countless rounds of negotiations, committing to establishing a security mechanism that included joint patrols in areas of concern to the Turks, and deploying 150 additional U.S. troops to help monitor and enforce the “safe zone.” Yet Ankara repeatedly reneged on its agreements with the U.S., deeming thNearly 2,000 foreign fighters, about 9,000 Iraqi and Syrian fighters, andem inadequate and threatening to invade SDF-held areas, despite the presence of U.S. soldier A possible invasion from Turkey against the Kurdish elements of the SDF, coupled with a hasty U.S. departure, now threaten to rapidly destabilize an already fragile security situation in Syria’s northeast, where ISIS’s physical caliphate was only recently defeated. tens of thousands of ISIS family members are being held in detention facilities and displaced-persons camps in areas under SDF control. What happens if we leave? The SDF has already stated that it will have to fortify defense mechanisms along the Syrian-Turkish border, leaving ISIS detention facilities and encampments with little to no security. This is particularly troubling, given that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of ISIS, recently called on supporters to break fighters out of these facilities. There have also been violent attacks in the al-Hol refugee camp, where tens of thousands of women and children are housed and where ISIS sympathy runs rampant. The Pentagon and White House later clarified that the U.S. was not abandoning the Kurds and did not support a Turkish incursion into Syria. But the damage may already be done, because it appears the Turks have taken the shift to signal a green light for an attack in the northeast. This policy abandonment threatens to undo five years’ worth of fighting against ISIS and will severely damage American credibility and reliability in any future fights where we need strong allies. General JOSEPH VOTEL served as commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from March 2016 to March 2019. As commander of CENTCOM, Votel oversaw military operations across the region, including the campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Before CENTCOM, he was the commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). General Votel is a non-resident Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security at the Middle East Institute (MEI). ELIZABETH DENT is a non-resident fellow at MEI on counterterrorism and worked in various capacities at the State Department for the U.S. Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS from 2014 to 2019.

House Republicans joined Democrats in condemning Trump’s actions in Syria Congress is pushing back on Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. By Ella Nilsen and Li Zhou Oct 16, 2019, 4:35pm EDT US President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference with President Sergio Mattarella of Italy in the East Room at the White House on October 16, 2019, in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images In a bipartisan rebuke to President Donald Trump, the US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning his decision to pull United States troops out of Syria, abandoning US allies in the region as Turkish troops have moved in. The 354-60 vote on the resolution Wednesday was largely symbolic, but it signaled the widespread disapproval among lawmakers for Trump’s latest controversial foreign policy move. It came as fighting continued in northeastern Syria between Turkey and Kurdish fighters, who have been a key US ally in fighting the terror group ISIS. “At President Trump’s hands, American leadership has been laid low, and American foreign policy has become nothing more than a tool to advance his own interests,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel (D-NY), who introduced the resolution. “Today we make clear that the Congress is a coequal branch of government and we want nothing to do with this disastrous policy.” Trump’s decision to pull out American troops pleased Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who promptly moved his troops in to fight Kurdish militias he views as a threat. But it inflamed both congressional Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill. This follows a pattern; Republicans have been most willing to rebuke Trump on his foreign policy choices, including a vote to end the Saudi war in Yemen. Some who have otherwise defended Trump throughout his impeachment inquiry in the House have been quick to criticize him on the chaos he’s causing in the region — fearing it will spur a reemergence of ISIS. “The entire region will suffer the consequences of some very bad actors getting back on the battlefield again because of that,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) on the Senate floor Wednesday. “The administration clearly did not coordinate with the State Department, with the Department of Defense, with what was happening in the region, to make sure we were securing those fighters and preparing for that moment.”...continued The non-binding resolution reiterates the House’s opposition to the pullout of Syria troops and calls on Turkey to stop its military action in the country. It also asks Trump to present a plan to combat and defeat ISIS in the region. Both the House and Senate are considering sanctions packages in the coming days that go beyond the White House’s proposed punitive measures against Turkey. Trump’s actions on Syria have prompted a rare breaking point with Senate Republicans Senate Republicans don’t break with Trump on much, but the president’s decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria has prompted significant pushback from several of his allies in the upper chamber. Although Republicans appeared to reconcile some concerns earlier this week, statements that Trump made during a press appearance on Wednesday have seemingly caused the conflict to flare up once more. During an event with the Italian president, Trump sought to defend his decision to remove troops from the region, noting that the United States’ Kurdish allies are “not angels” and that the ongoing clashes between Turkey and Syria were “not between Turkey and the United States.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of Trump’s stalwart supporters in the Senate, shot back quickly regarding the president’s comments. “If the president did say that Turkey’s invasion is no concern to us, I find that to be an outstanding — an astonishing statement which I completely and totally reject,” he told NBC News. Graham elaborated on his criticism in a Twitter thread, emphasizing that Trump’s statements could lead to a “disaster worse than President Obama’s decision to leave Iraq.” 2,018 people are talking about this Trump’s decision to remove troops from Syria has previously prompted questions from many Republicans who have favored American intervention in the region and voted to preserve it. Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) were among those who argued that Trump’s actions were a “betrayal” of the United States’ Kurdish allies, when he made the announcement last week. On Monday, Trump said he would impose sanctions on Turkey in an effort to curb the country’s military onslaught in northern Syria, a move that has not appeared to deter Turkish forces. Trump’s decision appeased some Republicans including Graham, however, prompting them to applaud the president’s attempts to target Turkey. “Given the events that have happened at this point, it’s probably the most you can do in the short term,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) told Politico. Trump’s comments on Wednesday and the ongoing military offensive from Turkey have sustained renewed pushback in the Senate, though. In addition to the Republican uproar, Senate Democratic leaders are calling for lawmakers to back the House’s bipartisan resolution condemning the President’s decision to remove troops in the region. “Sanctions against Erdoğan are fine and good. President Erdoğan should be punished for his military adventurism and his aggression. But sanctions alone are insufficient,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech Wednesday.

Thanks, Keylime. I will check them out.

Synopsis, Synopsis, Synopsis. Sweetheart, you didn't read the article. The lawsuits, liens, judgments are talked about in the article. Here you go. And once again, the three gentlemen I mentioned research and wrote about trump's terrible employee record. You should look into these guys. They have interesting research (30 years worth) and it covers trump's cheating on his wives, abortions, cheating people, cheating the City of New York, lying to people, and just kinda of a bad guy. The sex with a porn star while Melania was recovering from giving birth to Barron came later. If you have a library card you could probably get their book there. But you might not like the library system though because actually, and don't tell anybody, but it is a rather socialist program. If you don't have a card, you still pay for it through taxes. Kind of like social security, police dept, fire, you get the idea. BTW, my preference for news is not the Washington Times as you implied, because it is a right leaning paper. I do read the Washington Post, which I might add is doing some bang up reporting on trump and the Ukraine story that is unfolding. Can barely keep up with it. Every hour it seems there is breaking news focused on Trump in one way or the other: Ukraine, Giuliani, Syria, pictures of trump at dinner in the White House with the Russian guys that were arrested today with one-way tickets to Europe . I feel a Pulitzer coming on for WaPo! Anyway, here are the details of the article I posted and you questioned: At least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings reviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK, document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work. Among them: a dishwasher in Florida. A glass company in New Jersey. A carpet company. A plumber. Painters. Forty-eight waiters. Dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs, coast to coast. Real estate brokers who sold his properties. And, ironically, several law firms that once represented him in these suits and others. Trump’s companies have also been cited for 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act since 2005 for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage, according to U.S. Department of Labor data. That includes 21 citations against the defunct Trump Plaza in Atlantic City and three against the also out-of-business Trump Mortgage LLC in New York. Both cases were resolved by the companies agreeing to pay back wages.

Keylime, out of curiosity, would you share with me the news organizations you feel are valid, real, authentic? Where do you get your news? If you don't mind. Thanks.

Keylime, you may read books. If you enjoy them you may want to read David Cay Johnson, Craig Unger and D Barrett who all investigated trump for decades prior to 2016. All of trump's corruption was documented long before this period of the latest. Senior Michael McKinley, Sr. Advisor to Pompeo at the State Department, just resigned for Pompeo not supporting diplomats at State, especially on the Ukraine issue and the removal of a career diplomat. You may want to look into that one. Lots of Ukraine news out there

Keylime: I was wondering who is paying Rudy. Kinda important. Yes, i get paid and everyone should. This article may have interest for you since your brought up paying for a job done. I won't post all of it because it is very long and you will get the point right away. USA TODAY exclusive: Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn’t pay his bills AMONG THOSE WHO SAY BILLIONAIRE DIDN'T PAY: DISHWASHERS, PAINTERS, WAITERS Steve Reilly, USA TODAY Published 2:46 p.m. ET June 9, 2016 | Updated 1:42 p.m. ET April 25, 2018 During the Atlantic City casino boom in the 1980s, Philadelphia cabinet-builder Edward Friel Jr. landed a $400,000 contract to build the bases for slot machines, registration desks, bars and other cabinets at Harrah's at Trump Plaza. The family cabinetry business, founded in the 1940s by Edward’s father, finished its work in 1984 and submitted its final bill to the general contractor for the Trump Organization, the resort’s builder. Edward’s son, Paul, who was the firm’s accountant, still remembers the amount of that bill more than 30 years later: $83,600. The reason: the money never came. “That began the demise of the Edward J. Friel Company… which has been around since my grandfather,” he said. Donald Trump often portrays himself as a savior of the working class who will "protect your job." But a USA TODAY NETWORK analysis found he has been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits over the past three decades — and a large number of those involve ordinary Americans, like the Friels, who say Trump or his companies have refused to pay them. At least 60 lawsuits, along with hundreds of liens, judgments, and other government filings reviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK, document people who have accused Trump and his businesses of failing to pay them for their work. Among them: a dishwasher in Florida. A glass company in New Jersey. A carpet company. A plumber. Painters. Forty-eight waiters. Dozens of bartenders and other hourly workers at his resorts and clubs, coast to coast. Real estate brokers who sold his properties. And, ironically, several law firms that once represented him in these suits and others. Trump’s companies have also been cited for 24 violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act since 2005 for failing to pay overtime or minimum wage, according to U.S. Department of Labor data. That includes 21 citations against the defunct Trump Plaza in Atlantic City and three against the also out-of-business Trump Mortgage LLC in New York. Both cases were resolved by the companies agreeing to pay back wages. Litigator in chief In addition to the lawsuits, the review found more than 200 mechanic’s liens — filed by contractors and employees against Trump, his companies or his properties claiming they were owed money for their work — since the 1980s. The liens range from a $75,000 claim by a Plainview, N.Y., air conditioning and heating company to a $1 million claim from the president of a New York City real estate banking firm. On just one project, Trump’s Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, records released by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission in 1990 show that at least 253 subcontractors weren’t paid in full or on time, including workers who installed walls, chandeliers and plumbing....

The investigation is "ongoing." Give it a day or two. Any idea if Rudy does all this work for free? Pro bono?

Utah, don't buy that.

Really. John Dowd may have an argument for that. Please see article below. John Dowd's newest clients helped Rudy Giuliani probe Joe Biden, Ukraine STORY TOPICS POLITICS UKRAINE LEV PARNAS JOHN DOWD IGOR FRUMAN John Dowd on Thursday sent a letter to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence declaring he is counsel for Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. (Associated Press file photo) more > Print By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times - Thursday, October 3, 2019 John Dowd's newest clients helped Rudy Giuliani probe Joe Biden, Ukraine By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times - Thursday, October 3, 2019 John Dowd, President Trump’s attorney during the Robert Mueller Russia investigation, has reentered the legal fray, this time representing two South Florida businessmen who have helped Rudy Giuliani investigate Ukraine and Joe Biden. Mr. Dowd on Thursday sent a letter to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence declaring he is counsel for Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman. Mr. Dowd accused the committee, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, California Democrat, of harassing his clients. Mr. Parnas and Fruman are Russian-born Republican Party donors who helped Mr. Giuliani make contacts with a number of Ukraine officials. House Democrats are investigating Mr. Giuliani’s moves as part of their impeachment inquiry. As Mr. Trump’s attorney during the Mueller probe, Mr. Giuliani began investigating a counter-narrative — that the government in Kyiv colluded with Democrats and the Hillarious Clinton campaign to provide dirt on candidate Trump. That probe led Mr. Giuliani to begin leveling charges against former vice president Joe Biden, a possible Trump opponent. Mr. Giuliani accused Mr. Biden of corruption in his son, Hunter, landing of a lucrative board seat on a Ukraine national gas firm owned by a corrupt oligarch.

I thought we Liberal Democrats were the "educated" ones. Yes, we are educated and eat arugula and drink Chardonnay. Life is good.

I hope you guys are right and I am wrong about the RV. I pray that I am. I will eat crow, I will eat humble pie if I am wrong.

Yes. I just got stupid.