Mueller indicts 13 Russians for election meddling.

[Digressions]

That's the unclassified version for public consumption. I'll leave it at that.

I care about what our policy is and we've not changed our policy toward Russia. If anything, it's gotten stricter against them. Step back from the politics and look at what is really going on in this country. We have outstanding Republican appointed people that are doing an excellent job with our foreign policy, starting with Mattis, McMasters and Haley.

I think those individuals and others are doing a good job overall. I also think they're unnecessarily forced into walking a tight rope when discussing these matters. You can see and feel the consternation between trying to say what most Americans know to be true and not contradicting the president's spin/tweeted position.

My point goes to the rest of the elected Republicans. As att points out, the Russians are attacking our elections and sowing seeds of divisiveness, in an already extremely polarized electorate. We know they hacked into several states and obtained access to voter rolls. What's going to happen if the '18 or '20 elections are extremely close?

We had months of hearings and millions of dollars spent on Benghazi, only to have it quietly go away after Hilary was defeated. Yet, no hearings on Russia hacking our elections? I'm not asking for Trump/Russia collusion hearings. I'm asking for hearings that will give both parties faith that are elections are free and fair. By not doing this, the Republican congress is helping further Putin's agenda. For that, they should be ashamed.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

I think those individuals and others are doing a good job overall. I also think they're unnecessarily forced into walking a tight rope when discussing these matters. You can see and feel the consternation between trying to say what most Americans know to be true and not contradicting the president's spin/tweeted position.

My point goes to the rest of the elected Republicans. As att points out, the Russians are attacking our elections and sowing seeds of divisiveness, in an already extremely polarized electorate. We know they hacked into several states and obtained access to voter rolls. What's going to happen if the '18 or '20 elections are extremely close?

We had months of hearings and millions of dollars spent on Benghazi, only to have it quietly go away after Hilary was defeated. Yet, no hearings on Russia hacking our elections? I'm not asking for Trump/Russia collusion hearings. I'm asking for hearings that will give both parties faith that are elections are free and fair. By not doing this, the Republican congress is helping further Putin's agenda. For that, they should be ashamed.

The Congressional hearings in Congress are for investigating Russian influence in the 2016 election.

 

[Digressions]

The Congressional hearings in Congress are for investigating Russian influence in the 2016 election.

Generally speaking...maybe. How did the Nunes memo help further our preparedness?

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Generally speaking...maybe. How did the Nunes memo help further our preparedness?

Didn’t.

 

[iu_a_att]

America is Under Attack and Trump Doesn't Care
by David Frum

Trump continues to insist that he and his campaign team did not collude with Russia in the 2016 election. We know that they were ready and eager to collude—that’s on the public record. (“If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.”) The public does not yet know whether the collision actually occurred, and if so, in what form and to what extent. But in front of our very eyes we can observe that they are leaving the door open to Russian intervention on their behalf in the next election. You might call it collusion in advance—a dereliction of duty as grave as any since President Buchanan looked the other way as Southern state governments pillaged federal arsenals on the eve of the Civil War.​

 

[CO. Hoosier]

I think those individuals and others are doing a good job overall. I also think they're unnecessarily forced into walking a tight rope when discussing these matters. You can see and feel the consternation between trying to say what most Americans know to be true and not contradicting the president's spin/tweeted position.

My point goes to the rest of the elected Republicans. As att points out, the Russians are attacking our elections and sowing seeds of divisiveness, in an already extremely polarized electorate. We know they hacked into several states and obtained access to voter rolls. What's going to happen if the '18 or '20 elections are extremely close?

We had months of hearings and millions of dollars spent on Benghazi, only to have it quietly go away after Hilary was defeated. Yet, no hearings on Russia hacking our elections? I'm not asking for Trump/Russia collusion hearings. I'm asking for hearings that will give both parties faith that are elections are free and fair. By not doing this, the Republican congress is helping further Putin's agenda. For that, they should be ashamed.

Some perspective is in order here.

As a country, we love our discord. It’s ubiquitous. It's everywhere. It's in everything. We eat it up. I don't believe for one second that people hate it. If there is one aspect of society where it hasn't reached, we will make the correction and create it.

The Russians have been known to sow discord in the US for 60 years or so, starting with the civil rights movement. In the USA, the flag, the national anthem, and holidays have recently become catalysts for demonstrations and discord. Can the Russians do worse? We see discord every time a politician speaks in the well of house or senate chambers. Hell, we can't even watch and enjoy the Olympic opening ceremony without some dipshit athlete sowing discord. In the discord continuum, the Russians are pikers.

Russians are not attacking or hacking elections. They have scanned registration roles, but ya know what? Registration roles are public information. You can access them for any jurisdiction in the country. Moreover, public computer system are under constant attack. To say the Russians are scanning is meaningless. The Russians scan Walmart too. Our tabulating machines are off-line. The only way they can be attacked is by somebody on the inside. It's the GOP who wants to tighten the voting process. Right now it is so open that we have voter registrations at the door of movie theaters which are showing the Black Panther. Do ya think those registrants are checked for legitimacy at that point? We have deliberately made our voting process easily corrupted. I'm not convinced the Russians have any effect.


The list of influences and influencers in elections will number in the thousands. I wouldn't put the Russians in the top 50%. The NYT in and of itself exerts more influence. The Russians are alleged to have spent 3+ million in its influence effort. The Clinton campaign spent somewhere north of 1.2 billion with an equal amount spent on her behalf by special interest groups. I don't deny the Russians did something. But their influence was nil as compared to the all the other forces influencing elections.

 

[Rockfish1]

Some perspective is in order here.

As a country, we love our discord. It’s ubiquitous. It's everywhere. It's in everything. We eat it up. I don't believe for one second that people hate it. If there is one aspect of society where it hasn't reached, we will make the correction and create it.

The Russians have been known to sow discord in the US for 60 years or so, starting with the civil rights movement. In the USA, the flag, the national anthem, and holidays have recently become catalysts for demonstrations and discord. Can the Russians do worse? We see discord every time a politician speaks in the well of house or senate chambers. Hell, we can't even watch and enjoy the Olympic opening ceremony without some dipshit athlete sowing discord. In the discord continuum, the Russians are pikers.

Russians are not attacking or hacking elections. They have scanned registration roles, but ya know what? Registration roles are public information. You can access them for any jurisdiction in the country. Moreover, public computer system are under constant attack. To say the Russians are scanning is meaningless. The Russians scan Walmart too. Our tabulating machines are off-line. The only way they can be attacked is by somebody on the inside. It's the GOP who wants to tighten the voting process. Right now it is so open that we have voter registrations at the door of movie theaters which are showing the Black Panther. Do ya think those registrants are checked for legitimacy at that point? We have deliberately made our voting process easily corrupted. I'm not convinced the Russians have any effect.


The list of influences and influencers in elections will number in the thousands. I wouldn't put the Russians in the top 50%. The NYT in and of itself exerts more influence. The Russians are alleged to have spent 3+ million in its influence effort. The Clinton campaign spent somewhere north of 1.2 billion with an equal amount spent on her behalf by special interest groups. I don't deny the Russians did something. But their influence was nil as compared to the all the other forces influencing elections.

Predictably, the dishonest partisan hack says it's a nothingburger that Russian operatives illegally helped Trump get elected. A bigger problem, he says, is that people who see "The Black Panther" are being registered to vote. (Ahem.) It's entirely possible that "CO. Hoosier" is a Russian bot, happily sowing the discord he claims we love.

Remember that CO. Hoosier spent the entire eight years of the George W. Bush administration insisting that presidents don't matter. On January 20, 2009, however, he suddenly became convinced that nothing mattered more than the president. Now presidents don't matter any more -- just like Russia illegally interfering in our elections doesn't matter. Does anyone here take this guy seriously?

 

[CO. Hoosier]

Predictably, the dishonest partisan hack says it's a nothingburger that Russian operatives illegally helped Trump get elected. A bigger problem, he says, is that people who see "The Black Panther" are being registered to vote. (Ahem.) It's entirely possible that "CO. Hoosier" is a Russian bot, happily sowing the discord he claims we love.

Remember that CO. Hoosier spent the entire eight years of the George W. Bush administration insisting that presidents don't matter. On January 20, 2009, however, he suddenly became convinced that nothing mattered more than the president. Now presidents don't matter any more -- just like Russia illegally interfering in our elections doesn't matter. Does anyone here take this guy seriously?

Good lord! You make me feel more important than my own family does.

Of course Russian law breaking is important. And we should prosecute crimes. But given the political landscape we have created for ourselves I don’t see the Russian activities as the crisis you see. They are just part of the noise you keep writing about.

 

[Rockfish1]

Good lord! You make me feel more important than my own family does.

Of course Russian law breaking is important. And we should prosecute crimes. But given the political landscape we have created for ourselves I don’t see the Russian activities as the crisis you see. They are just part of the noise you keep writing about.

I don't understand how my contempt makes you feel more important, but then again I don't understand why you make a fool of yourself here, so obviously there is much I don't know.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

I don't understand how my contempt makes you feel more important, but then again I don't understand why you make a fool of yourself here, so obviously there is much I don't know.

You really aren’t very good at that contempt thing. You are just a noisemaker. I’ve been in serious debates with a lot of smart people who can show contempt without noise. Your constant ad hominems are pretty low quality.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Right now it is so open that we have voter registrations at the door of movie theaters which are showing the Black Panther. Do ya think those registrants are checked for legitimacy at that point?

What. In. The. Flying. F*ck.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Does anyone here take this guy seriously?

He's a troll who is targeting his nonsense (and he knows damn well it's nonsense) at idiots. Either he simply enjoys being a troll, or he's honestly hopeful that some of the idiots will be dumb enough to listen to him.

Every single poster on this forum should simply put him on ignore. They would be better off for it.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

He's a troll who is targeting his nonsense (and he knows damn well it's nonsense) at idiots. E

LOL. And look at who butts in and responds.

 

[Ladoga]

You really aren’t very good at that contempt thing. You are just a noisemaker. I’ve been in serious debates with a lot of smart people who can show contempt without noise. Your constant ad hominems are pretty low quality.

Without really nasty personal attacks from that really nasty Rockfish, he is empty and without any value. Been that way for years. No help for that one.

 

[Ladoga]

He's a troll who is targeting his nonsense (and he knows damn well it's nonsense) at idiots. Either he simply enjoys being a troll, or he's honestly hopeful that some of the idiots will be dumb enough to listen to him.

Every single poster on this forum should simply put him on ignore. They would be better off for it.

Do you have to rush in and support your fish every time he gets off the reservation?

You're his little buddy I guess with mod credentials. He's nothing without you, is he? Are you twins?

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

What. In. The. Flying. F*ck.

Maybe he went to see the movie and noticed people there registering voters. I don’t know, and neither do you. I do know that I’m really looking forward to seeing that movie. I’m a fan of the Marvel comic movies, and this one looks very good. Reviews are outstanding.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Maybe he went to see the movie and noticed people there registering voters. I don’t know, and neither do you. I do know that I’m really looking forward to seeing that movie. I’m a fan of the Marvel comic movies, and this one looks very good. Reviews are outstanding.

Oh please. You have a bad habit of sometimes making excuses for posters you want to believe in. I don't care if he saw the movie or starred in it. That comment is a giant WITFF and you know it.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Do you have to rush in and support your fish every time he gets off the reservation?

You're his little buddy I guess with mod credentials. He's nothing without you, is he? Are you twins?

There are a number of outstanding threads where I asked you for a response to a serious question, and you disappeared rather than answer. Please go back and find them and actually respond before you infect more threads. Thanks.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Maybe he went to see the movie and noticed people there registering voters. I don’t know, and neither do you. I do know that I’m really looking forward to seeing that movie. I’m a fan of the Marvel comic movies, and this one looks very good. Reviews are outstanding.

Also, I've actually seen some more mediocre reviews. A few people suggesting fans just want it to be excellent so badly they are fooling themselves into thinking it is.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Oh please. You have a bad habit of sometimes making excuses for posters you want to believe in. I don't care if he saw the movie or starred in it. That comment is a giant WITFF and you know it.

You have a bad habit of assuming the worst about those you disagree with. I disagree with you. Tell me what I really think now. I’d like to know . . .

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Also, I've actually seen some more mediocre reviews. A few people suggesting fans just want it to be excellent so badly they are fooling themselves into thinking it is.

I haven’t read anything but good reviews so far and I’m looking forward to it. Why do people want it to be excellent so badly?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Also, I've actually seen some more mediocre reviews. A few people suggesting fans just want it to be excellent so badly they are fooling themselves into thinking it is.

Are you reading alt-right reviews?

 

[37Hoosier]

You really aren’t very good at that contempt thing. You are just a noisemaker. I’ve been in serious debates with a lot of smart people who can show contempt without noise. Your constant ad hominems are pretty low quality.

How come you went slinking away the other day on the Jesus / Fox thread? All you did say was that I must be lead an unhappy life with a personal attack....I responded and crickets. You truly are a troll who makes more “noise” than any five posters and continually rationalizes your non-support support of the imbecile in charge. I know I know...nuance isn’t my strong suit...lol..

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

You have a bad habit of assuming the worst about those you disagree with. I disagree with you. Tell me what I really think now. I’d like to know . . .

Forgive me, I shouldn't have said "and you know it." I should have said "and you should know it."

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Forgive me, I shouldn't have said "and you know it." I should have said "and you should know it."

That’s better, but it’s entirely possible he just went to see the most popular movie in America. It would be weird to use that description rather than the name of the movie. Again, I’m just guessing because I don’t know.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Are you reading alt-right reviews?

No. I think one of them was The Root. Or something similar. But I could be confused.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

That’s better, but it’s entirely possible he just went to see the most popular movie in America. It would be weird to use that description rather than the name of the movie.

It's weird to being it up in the context he did no matter why the movie is on his mind.

 

[Rockfish1]

It's weird to being it up in the context he did no matter why the movie is on his mind.

CO. Hoosier claims it's a nothingburger that Russian operatives helped Trump get elected, but it's a serious problem that people who see "The Black Panther" are being registered to vote. Aloha baselessly claims there must be some perfectly innocent explanation for this obvious dumbshit partisan hackery -- and surely CO. Hoosier couldn't possibly be assumed to have meant anything by singling out a famously iconic new movie about a black superhero.

"Suspension of disbelief" is something we do when we wish to enter a pretend world. Apparently it's also a prerequisite for engaging civilly with some of the board's conservatives.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

CO. Hoosier claims it's a nothingburger that Russian operatives helped Trump get elected, but it's a serious problem that people who see "The Black Panther" are being registered to vote. Aloha baselessly claims there must be some perfectly innocent explanation for this obvious dumbshit partisan hackery -- and surely CO. Hoosier couldn't possibly be assumed to have meant anything by singling out a famously iconic new movie about a black superhero.

"Suspension of disbelief" is something we do when we wish to enter a pretend world. Apparently it's also a prerequisite for engaging civilly with some of the board's conservatives.

A key rule for civility is not to assume the worst of others. Believe me, I know how hard that is here.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Are you reading alt-right reviews?

Apparently I was just reading multiple people summarize this same Guardian essay. So, the viewpoint I was describing probably isn't as widespread as I first imagined.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...as-burden-no-superhero-strong-enough-to-carry

 

[Rockfish1]

A key rule for civility is not to assume the worst of others. Believe me, I know how hard that is here.

I didn't assume anything. I just read what you wrote.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

I didn't assume anything. I just read what you wrote.

Wasn’t taking about me.

 

[Rockfish1]

Wasn’t taking about me.

At the risk of defaming you, I don't regard you as anything like a partisan hack. You believe what you believe, and while I almost always disagree, I credit the integrity of your posts. If you ascribe integrity to CO. Hoosier's posts, however, you're a rube.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Apparently I was just reading multiple people summarize this same Guardian essay. So, the viewpoint I was describing probably isn't as widespread as I first imagined.

https://www.theguardian.com/comment...as-burden-no-superhero-strong-enough-to-carry

The alt right had started a campaign to get people to give the movie bad reviews. They tried to hide their involvement as being a Marvel vs DC thing.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

The alt right had started a campaign to get people to give the movie bad reviews. They tried to hide their involvement as being a Marvel vs DC thing.

Yeah, I'd heard about that, too. Really sad life, these people must lead.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

At the risk of defaming you, I don't regard you as anything like a partisan hack. You believe what you believe, and while I almost always disagree, I credit the integrity of your posts. If you ascribe integrity to CO. Hoosier's posts, however, you're a rube.

It's not a matter of whether I think his posts have integrity, are correct, incorrect, or the greatest thing since sliced bread. He at least posts without insulting anyone here explicitly. People can respond to him about the lack of integrity, correctness, incorrectness, or greatness of his posts without insulting him explicitly. That's all I'm saying.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

The alt right had started a campaign to get people to give the movie bad reviews. They tried to hide their involvement as being a Marvel vs DC thing.

I only hear about these alt-right efforts here.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

I only hear about these alt-right efforts here.

This stuff does make mainstream media.

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

This stuff does make mainstream media.

First I've seen it, but I guess it's a sign of the times that a failed threat to talk bad about a movie warrants an article.

 

[Circlejoe]

What. In. The. Flying. F*ck.

CoH may be right. I understand there is a rerelease of Gone With The Wind in many cities and there’s an effort to provide voter registration next to the concession stands. Seriously!