Featured Editorials

How Crazy Is Donald Trump, Really?

How crazy is Donald Trump, or more appropriately, how far outside of the mainstream of US politics is he?

This week over at The Intercept, Robert Mackey posted a piece about Trump's policy proposal to use the US military as the muscle to seize the oil resources of Middle Eastern countries.

His article recounts the many occasions that Trump has touted this policy in interviews and suggests that we can "better understand what Trump really is," by viewing him through this lens.

To give you a flavor of the commentary that Mackey is referring to, here is a condensed version of some of Trump's word salad that Mackey quotes from an appearance on the Bill O'Reilly show (emphasis mine):

"In the old days, when you had wars, you win, right? You win. To the victor belong the spoils. So when we go to Iraq, we spend $1.4 trillion so far and thousands of lives are lost, right? And not to mention all the poor guys and gals with one arm and no arm and all the problems, right? ... I like the old system better: You won a war, you stay there, and you keep the oil. And you know, then those people will not have died in vain. Forget the money we spent, they will not have died in vain. ... You stay and protect the oil, and you take the oil and you take whatever is necessary for them and you take what’s necessary for us and we pay our self back $1.5 trillion or more. We take care of Britain, we take care of other countries that helped us, and we don’t be so stupid."

Mackey goes to some effort to demonstrate that Trump is a lunatic version of Smedley Butler's nightmare.

"Spoiler" candidates and "protest" votes: Sanders' evolution

This blog entry is partly to demonstrate that Sander's evolution as to for newer party candidates happened long before this primary and partly to amplify and correct some of my own prior posts (replies) on this subject. (And, yes, I do know that, for many, this entry is TLTR, but the subject still seems to be so controversial on this board, more than two months after Bernie endorsed Hillary.)

Obama: Would be 'personal insult' to legacy if black voters don't back Clinton

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/17/politics/obama-black-congressional-caucus/

I wonder if there's a floor for how low this guy will go. The Clintons must really have something good on him; he's looking a tad desperate. I don't know what else to say. You guys have a go at it.

What will likely happen

I try not to get involved in the business of prediction. It's a quick way to look like an idiot.
- Warren Ellis

Obviously no one knows what the future holds.
However, there are some things that we can predict with certainty anyway.
For instance, the sun will rise in the east tomorrow, people will continue to have to pay taxes, and we are about to elect someone president that a majority of the public absolutely loathes.

Openly transgender navy officer promoted

Last week Navy Lt. Blake Dremann became the first openly transgender service member promoted since the ban on transgender service was lifted.

Dremann gathered, along with his parents, friends, some admirals and other officers and representatives of some advocacy groups in the President's Room at the Navy Memorial.

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