Political Roundtable Part XIII

[nate33]

This is the continuation of the Wizards Board Political Forum.

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[nate33]

FYI, I just learned that China is phasing out steel and coal plants and they have agreed to a carbon tax (only a few states in the US). So they are doing more in terms of policy than the US.

Sent from my LG-D851 using RealGM mobile app

I'll believe it when I see it.

[Induveca]

FYI, I just learned that China is phasing out steel and coal plants and they have agreed to a carbon tax (only a few states in the US). So they are doing more in terms of policy than the US.

Sent from my LG-D851 using RealGM mobile app

They're trying to stop using steel made from recycled scrap metal. Ironically a ton of that scrap metal is bought from US scrapyards.

Fascinating article on how Chinese businesses turn 1 pound of US scrap metals valued at 1 dollar into as much as 10 dollars per pound.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2013-08-29/to-a-chinese-scrap-metal-hunter-americas-trash-is-treasure

For instance hdmi cables have copper, but getting that copper means melting off the rubber (which they also recycle). But the ramifications of the chemicals used to separate all of the component materials weakens the quality, and the process itself causes pollution.

Note, they aren't ending scrap to steel due to pollution, but the questionable quality of recycled steel from scrap. The hundreds of other recyclables other than steel are still going strong.

Coal is a larger issue, the tens of thousands of factories using coal and ancient filtration systems is causing the vast majority of the pollution issues in China. The US had the same issues in the 40s and 50s when they were a manufacturing powerhouse. The pictures of Pittsburgh, Trenton and NYC in the 40s are similar to bad days in Beijing or Shenzhen today. And just like the US, they're now realizing the pollution makes them weak as a society, and in various marketplaces.

People tend to forget China is still very much a work in progress. And the agreement to pay a carbon tax? Carbon tax schemes are a whole other issue.....mostly used for blackmail and profit in governmental circles.

Just saying none of the things they announced are noble or evil, but required in their current environment of extreme pollution, and the eventual impact on their citizenry and competitive openings for opposition by foreign government and corporations.

Also, Kanye read about Pittsburgh and other US industrial cities choked by pollution in the 40s/50s. They announced much of the same, less coal more natural gas etc.....China is hardly trailblazing a path here.

[nate33]

They're trying to stop using steel made from recycled scrap metal. Ironically a ton of that scrap metal is bought from US scrapyards.

Fascinating article on how Chinese businesses turn 1 pound of US scrap metals valued at 1 dollar into as much as 10 dollars per pound.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2013-08-29/to-a-chinese-scrap-metal-hunter-americas-trash-is-treasure

For instance hdmi cables have copper, but getting that copper means melting off the rubber (which they also recycle). But the ramifications of the chemicals used to separate all of the component materials weakens the quality, and the process itself causes pollution.

Note, they aren't ending scrap to steel due to pollution, but the questionable quality of recycled steel from scrap. The hundreds of other recyclables other than steel are still going strong.

In the fire protection industry, Chinese manufactured pipe is notorious for corroding quickly.

[DCZards]

[Induveca]

This feels like a iOS vs Android Fanboy argument at times.

[sfam]

Sorry sfam, you're the one that sounds a little unhinged here. The notion that Trump has a 40 year history of "assaulting women" is just outright slander. There is no question that Trump is a cad and has surely bedded a lot of women, perhaps when married, but that's a heck of a lot different than assault.

To say Trump HAS NOT sexually assaulted women, which prompted my response - in addition to dismissing Trump's own words where he says he does this without permission, where he says he walks in on women changing because he owns the pageant and all the rest, you have to dismiss all of these women who came forward. This list missed those that came after the middle of October, but I think you get the point. These are not new stories, never have been.

Spoiler:

Kissing a Former Miss USA Contestant Twice Without Consent

Former Miss USA contestant Temple Taggart McDowell claims Trump kissed her on the lips on at least two occasions without consent when she was just 21 years old. In 1997, McDowell was representing Utah in the beauty pageant, and was “shocked” that he thought he had the right to kiss her on the lips, according to the Daily Beast. After one of the kisses, a woman who accompanied her to Trump Tower allegedly warned her not to go into a room alone with Trump. McDowell told NBC News, “I would never approach or greet somebody like that unless it was somebody that I had been dating.” Trump has called the accusation “ridiculous.”

Groping a Woman Sitting Next to Him on a Plane

In a New York Times report published October 12, Trump was accused of fondling the breasts of Jessica Leeds when she was 38 years old. Leeds, now 74, reportedly met Trump in the first-class cabin of a flight to New York more than 30 years ago, and claims he also attempted to reach under her skirt during the flight. She called the incident “an assault.” Trump has vehemently refuted the allegation.

Kissing a Receptionist at Trump Tower Against Her Will

Another revelation from the incendiary New York Times report: In 2005, receptionist Rachel Crooks was allegedly assaulted by Trump in the elevator at Trump Tower. She was working as a receptionist for a real-estate firm in the building when she ran into Trump in the elevator. After they shook hands, he allegedly refused to let go, kissed her on the cheeks, and also on the mouth. “It was so inappropriate,” Crooks told the Times. “I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.” Trump has also denied this allegation.

Saying He’d Date a 10-Year-Old Girl in Ten Years

Newly emerged footage from CBS shows Trump talking about a 10-year-old girl’s physical appearance. In the tape, Trump joked: “I’ll be dating her in ten years. Can you believe it?”

This isn’t the first time Trump has been accused of making inappropriate remarks about young women. He famously commented in 2006 that if Ivanka weren’t his daughter, he’d “perhaps” be dating her, and also gave Howard Stern the okay to refer to Ivanka as a “piece of ass.” He commented that then-12-year-old Paris Hilton caught his eye, telling Stern, “I’ve known Paris Hilton from the time she’s 12, her parents are friends of mine, and the first time I saw her she walked into the room and I said, ‘Who the hell is that?’”

Telling Another Group of 14-Year-Olds He’d Date Them in a ‘Couple of Years’

The Los Angeles Times reports that a wire brief from the Chicago Tribune in 1992 also references an instance when Trump made a joke about dating a young girl years in the future. The wire brief describes Trump outside the Plaza Hotel interacting with a youth choir group. After finding out that the girls were 14 years old, he said, “Wow! Just think — in a couple of years, I’ll be dating you.” Trump was 46 at the time.

Sexually Assaulting a People Magazine Writer

Natasha Stoynoff, a staff writer at People, came forward as an alleged victim of Trump on October 12. In an essay, Stoynoff wrote that Trump assaulted her and forcibly kissed her in 2005 while she was on assignment for the magazine. At the time, Stoynoff was asked to interview Trump and wife Melania on their one-year anniversary at Mar-a-Lago. While there, Trump allegedly insisted upon giving her a tour. Stoynoff wrote:

“We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat. Now, I’m a tall, strapping girl who grew up wrestling two giant brothers. I even once sparred with Mike Tyson. It takes a lot to push me. But Trump is much bigger — a looming figure — and he was fast, taking me by surprise, and throwing me off balance. I was stunned. And I was grateful when Trump’s longtime butler burst into the room a minute later, as I tried to unpin myself.”
Afterward, Trump reportedly told Stoynoff that the two were going to have an affair. The writer says she didn’t report the assault at the time, as she both blamed herself and wrote it off as one of the risks associated with her job.

Groping a Woman at Mar-a-Lago

Mindy McGillivray claims Donald Trump groped her 13 years ago while she was visiting Mar-a-Lago with her companion, photographer Ken Davidoff. According to the Palm Beach Post, Davidoff brought his friend McGillivray with him to the estate while he covered a concert by Ray Charles. Only 23 at the time, McGillivray allegedly had her ass grabbed by Trump while he stood next to his then-fiancée, Melania.

She said, “All of a sudden I felt a grab, a little nudge. I think it’s Ken’s camera bag, that was my first instinct. I turn around and there’s Donald. He sort of looked away quickly. I quickly turned back, facing Ray Charles, and I’m stunned.’’ McGillivray claims Trump also flirted with her a year earlier when she attended a different event with Davidoff.

Groping Miss Washington USA 2013

In a Facebook post earlier this year, former Miss Washington USA Cassandra Searles claimed Trump grabbed her ass and invited her back to his hotel room, according to Rolling Stone. She called Trump a “misogynist” and accused him of treating women like cattle. Searles wrote that he “lined up [contestants] so he could get a closer look at his property,” a claim that has been corroborated by Paromita Mitra of Mississippi.

Walking in on Teen Pageant Contestants While They Were Changing

Four women who competed in the 1997 Miss Teen USA beauty pageant have accused Trump of walking into their dressing room while the contestants were changing, BuzzFeed News reported. Mariah Billado, a former Miss Vermont Teen USA, told BuzzFeed News that the contestants (who ranged in age from 14 to 19) were “just scrambling” to grab whatever garments they had when he walked in. She said, “I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a man in here.’” Trump reportedly said something along the lines of, “Don’t worry, I’ve seen it all before.”

Groping Makeup Artist Jill Harth in 1997

Makeup artist Jill Harth filed a lawsuit against Trump in 1997, accusing him of cornering her and groping her in his daughter’s bedroom. Harth and Trump allegedly first met in December 1992 during a business presentation — she and her former romantic partner George Houraney wanted him to back their American Dream festival — and Trump is accused of “subjecting her to a steady string of sexual advances,” The Guardian reports. The night after the initial business meeting, Trump and Harth had dinner at the Plaza Hotel’s Oak Room, where he allegedly groped her under the table.

In January 1993, when Harth and Houraney visited Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate, he allegedly pulled her into one of his children’s bedrooms, pushed her up against the wall, groped her, and tried to get under her dress again. Harth has accused him of “attempted rape,” while Trump has called the allegations “meritless.”

Raping Ex-Wife Ivana, But Not in the “Criminal Sense”

The 1993 book Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump revealed that, in depositions for their contentious divorce case, Ivana Trump accused her then-husband of rape. The Daily Beast reported that, in the book, Harry Hurt III wrote that Trump confronted Ivana after a painful scalp reduction surgery to reduce his bald spot. He allegedly yelled that her “**** doctor” ruined him, and then held back her arms and pulled out fistfuls of hair from Ivana’s scalp, before ripping off her clothes and forcing his penis inside her.

Trump previously denied the allegation, including the scalp surgery. “It’s obviously false,” Donald Trump reportedly said in 1993. “It’s incorrect and done by a guy without much talent … He is a guy that is an unattractive guy who is a vindictive and jealous person.” Trump’s legal counsel told the Daily Beast that Ivana was talking about how “she felt raped emotionally … She was not referring to it [as] a criminal matter, and not in its literal sense, though there’s many literal senses to the word.”

Slut-Shaming Former Miss Universe Alicia Machado

Alicia Machado won Trump’s Miss Universe pageant in 1996, and he has since called her “Miss Housekeeping” (because she is Venezuelan) and “Miss Piggy” (because she gained too much weight, in his opinion). After Machado became a talking point in his election for president, Trump took the extra step of publicly slut-shaming her. In a series of 5 a.m. tweets, Trump accused Machado of having a sex tape — which he urged voters to “check out.”

Sexually Harassing a Woman During the 1993 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

When Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter invited Trump to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 1993 as a “novelty guest,” he allegedly got more than he bargained for. Forty-five minutes after Trump sat down next to Swedish model Vendela Kirsebom, Carter claims she came over to his table, almost in tears, begging him to move her. “It seems that Trump had spent his entire time with her assaying the ‘tits’ and legs of the other female guests and asking how they measured up to those of other women, including his wife,” Carter wrote. ‘“He is,’ she told me, in words that seemed familiar, ‘the most vulgar man I have ever met.’”

Mistreating His Female Employees

An ongoing investigation by USA Today into the 4,000-plus lawsuits against Trump found that at least 20 separate lawsuits accuse the presidential candidate and managers of his companies “of discriminating against women, ignoring sexual harassment complaints and even participating in the harassment themselves.”

Trump was not directly involved in all of the lawsuits, which ranged in severity, but in one, he was accused of directing a female supervisor at a golf club to hire more attractive women. “I want you to get some good-looking hostesses here,” Trump told Sue Kwiatkowski, a supervisor at the club, according to USA Today. Kwiatkowski also alleged that he said, “People like to see good-looking people when they come in.”

In another lawsuit, a waitress alleged that Trump repeatedly flirted with her. USA Today also discovered at least three lawsuits in which women claimed they lost their jobs at a Trump company for complaining about sexual discrimination or harassment at work.

Bragging About Grabbing Women by Their Pussies

Trump was caught on tape bragging to former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women. The lewd conversation took place while the men were visiting the set of Days of Our Lives in 2005. Trump was caught talking about a failed attempt to seduce a married woman (later revealed to be former Access host Nancy O’Dell), saying, “I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married.”

The men were then distracted by actress Arianne Zucker, prompting Trump to declare that he was going to use some Tic Tacs in case he started kissing her. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it,” Trump says. “You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

Trying to Get Nancy O’Dell Fired for Being Pregnant

Trump has been accused of trying to get Nancy O’Dell fired from her job as a host for the Miss USA pageant after she rejected his advances (as detailed in the Access Hollywood tape), according to the Daily Beast. Trump allegedly did not like the way she looked in 2007, since O’Dell was several months pregnant and thereby not living up to Trump’s standards of appearance. However, O’Dell was under contract with NBC, and the network opted to keep her in place as a host, much to Trump’s chagrin.

Raping a 13-Year-Old at Jeffrey Epstein’s Apartment

A woman has accused Trump of raping her in 1994 when she was just 13 years old, according to BuzzFeed News. Trump has “vehemently denied the rape claims, which are being filed in a New York civil court for the third time,” BuzzFeed News reported. According to the suit, Trump allegedly had forcible sex with the plaintiff during a party at the New York City apartment of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted pedophile who is a billionaire. In June 2016, Jezebel reported that the coverage of the lawsuit was “the culmination of an almost year-long campaign to quietly push these allegations into the public discussion, and maybe make some money in the process.”

Hiring Women Based on Appearances

Trump gave writer Mark Singer a tour of Mar-a-Lago for an article in The New Yorker in 1997. Singer wrote that Trump introduced him to the property’s resident physician, Dr. Ginger Lea Southall. When she was out of earshot, Singer asked Trump where Southall had been trained.

Trump replied, “I’m not sure. Baywatch Medical School? Does that sound right? I’ll tell you the truth. Once I saw Dr. Ginger’s photograph, I didn’t really need to look at her résumé or anyone else’s. Are you asking, ‘Did we hire her because she’d trained at Mount Sinai for fifteen years?’ The answer is no. And I’ll tell you why: because by the time she’s spent fifteen years at Mount Sinai, we don’t want to look at her.”

Groping a Woman at a Manhattan Nightclub

Kristin Anderson, who worked as a model and makeup artist in New York in the early 1990s, told the Washington Post that Donald Trump groped her when she found herself sitting next to him on a couch at a Manhattan nightclub. “It wasn’t a sexual come-on. I don’t know why he did it. It was like just to prove that he could do it, and nothing would happen,” she told the Post. “There was zero conversation. We didn’t even really look at each other. It was very random, very nonchalant on his part.”

Anderson said she was motivated to come forward with her story after seeing the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump bragged about sexual assaulting women. “I watched this woman — who could have been me; it could have been anyone — walk in and shake his hand,” she said. “That was just nauseating, because she has no idea what she was walking into, and what could possibly happen to her. And that’s just wrong.”

Groping and Kissing a Former Apprentice Contestant

Summer Zervos, a contestant on the fifth season of The Apprentice, says she was both kissed and groped by Trump after her run on the show was over and she was discussing possible employment opportunities with him. She alleges that he had her meet him at his bungalow in the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he kissed her, groped her, and thrust his genitals at her. Because she was up for employment within his organization, Zervos says “I wondered if the sexual behavior was some kind of test, or whether or not I had passed.”

She came forward after seeing the other allegations against Trump in a press conference with famed attorney Gloria Allred. When a reporter asked what she hoped would come from the allegations, Zervos responded, “I want to be able to sleep when I’m 70 at night.”

Kissing a Mar-a-Lago Guest at a Mother’s Day Brunch

Cathy Heller and her family were enjoying a Mother’s Day brunch at the Mar-a-Lago Club when Trump came by to introduce himself. According to Heller, Trump aggressively kissed her in front of her family — including three children and various in-laws — and other members of the club after a brief introduction.

Trump didn’t stop at shaking Heller’s hand. “He took my hand, and grabbed me, and went for the lips,” she told The Guardian.

Alarmed, she said she leaned backwards to avoid him and almost lost her balance. “And he said, ‘Oh, come on.’ He was strong. And he grabbed me and went for my mouth and went for my lips.” She turned her head, she claims, and Trump planted a kiss on the side of her mouth. “He kept me there for a little too long,” Heller said. “And then he just walked away.”
“I was angry and shaken,” she continued. “He was pissed. He couldn’t believe a woman would pass up the opportunity.” She added that he seemed to feel “entitled” to kiss her.
The Guardian interviewed a relative who was present at the brunch, as well as a friend whom Keller had told about the incident well before the 2005 tape was released.

Groping a Woman Outside the 1998 U.S. Open Tennis Championship

During a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred, Karena Virginia told reporters she was standing outside the 1998 U.S. Open Tennis Championship in Flushing, Queens, waiting for a car to take her home when Donald Trump approached her. She said she knew who he was, but she’d never met him.

“I was quite surprised when I overheard him talking to the other men about me,” Virginia said. “He said, ‘Hey, look at this one; we haven’t seen her before. Look at those legs,’ as though I was an object rather than a person. He then walked up to me and reached his right arm and grabbed my right arm. Then his hand touched the right inside of my breast. I was in shock. I flinched. ‘Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know who I am?’ That’s what he said to me. I felt intimidated, and I felt powerless. Then my car pulled up and I got in.” She was 27 at the time.

According to Allred, Virginia is not considering a lawsuit against Trump at this time. She said she hesitated to speak up for fear Trump would call her a liar or “just another ‘nasty woman,’” but in the end the Access Hollywood tape and Trump’s own denial of his history of sexual assault prompted her to speak up.

Groping Miss Finland in 2006 Before Appearing With Her on the Late Show With David Letterman

Ninni Laaksonen claimed on October 27 that Donald Trump grabbed her bottom in New York in 2006, shortly after she was crowned Miss Finland, the Telegraph reports. After being contacted by local paper Ilta-Sanomat, Laaksonen said Trump groped her moments before she was set to appear on the Late Show With David Letterman, alongside Trump himself and three other contestants.

“Before the show we were photographed outside the building,” Laaksonen said. “Trump stood right next to me and suddenly he squeezed by butt. He really grabbed by butt. I don’t think anybody saw it but I flinched and thought: ‘What is happening?’”

Laaksonen also revealed that she attended parties with the other contestants as well as Trump’s wife, Melania. She said someone told her that Trump liked her because she “looked like Melania when she was younger.”

Again, some people still believe Bill Cosby is without fault, so I don't doubt the power to suspend disbelief. But none of these people benefited from coming forward. Quite the opposite in fact- they were hounded by Trumps Trolls.

[FAH1223]

FYI, I just learned that China is phasing out steel and coal plants and they have agreed to a carbon tax (only a few states in the US). So they are doing more in terms of policy than the US.

Sent from my LG-D851 using RealGM mobile app

They're trying to stop using steel made from recycled scrap metal. Ironically a ton of that scrap metal is bought from US scrapyards.

Fascinating article on how Chinese businesses turn 1 pound of US scrap metals valued at 1 dollar into as much as 10 dollars per pound.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2013-08-29/to-a-chinese-scrap-metal-hunter-americas-trash-is-treasure

For instance hdmi cables have copper, but getting that copper means melting off the rubber (which they also recycle). But the ramifications of the chemicals used to separate all of the component materials weakens the quality, and the process itself causes pollution.

Note, they aren't ending scrap to steel due to pollution, but the questionable quality of recycled steel from scrap. The hundreds of other recyclables other than steel are still going strong.

Coal is a larger issue, the tens of thousands of factories using coal and ancient filtration systems is causing the vast majority of the pollution issues in China. The US had the same issues in the 40s and 50s when they were a manufacturing powerhouse. The pictures of Pittsburgh, Trenton and NYC in the 40s are similar to bad days in Beijing or Shenzhen today. And just like the US, they're now realizing the pollution makes them weak as a society, and in various marketplaces.

People tend to forget China is still very much a work in progress. And the agreement to pay a carbon tax? Carbon tax schemes are a whole other issue.....mostly used for blackmail and profit in governmental circles.

Just saying none of the things they announced are noble or evil, but required in their current environment of extreme pollution, and the eventual impact on their citizenry and competitive openings for opposition by foreign government and corporations.

Also, Kanye read about Pittsburgh and other US industrial cities choked by pollution in the 40s/50s. They announced much of the same, less coal more natural gas etc.....China is hardly trailblazing a path here.

With their hundreds of billions in renewable energy investments

Plus building 3rd and 4th generation nuclear power plants

And policies aimed at reducing coal burning...

I think in 15 years you'll see China's smog cities dramatically cleaner

[Induveca]

Agreed, 15-20 years. That's about how long it took Pittsburgh to get things under control.

My point was that them announcing they desired to clean up their horrible smog wasn't a noble cause, nor a novel idea as implied. All current and former Western European, US and Japanese manufacturing cities have been down the same path.

[mhd]

Question about infrastructure spending (a priority for the administration during the campaign).

The gas tax is supposed to be the source for construction and upkeep of roads, bridges, etc. However, it hasn't risen in roughly 25+ years (I think around 1990). With vastly improved fuel efficiency standards, all cars are getting the proverbial bang for the buck, and paying less for upkeep. As a result, the funding gap has been covered increasingly from the general tax revenue (i.e the income tax). What do you do? More and more people are not buying cars (the # of people applying for licenses has dramatically decreased in recent years), cars themselves are becoming vastly more fuel efficient, and some cars do not pay anything (pure electric cars).

Ideally, we'd switch over to a mileage-based system where the # of miles you drive equates to the tax owed. Its far fairer all around. The issue is privacy and how you handle it. Today's cars already have onboard computers to store odometer information. I know Oregon & California have piloted voluntary VMT options.

Raising the gas tax is political suicide it seems (aside from Senator Corker, don't think the GOP is too keen on it) but I think it needs to be done. The gas tax is the most equatable tax as it (in theory) is a user-fee such that only drivers pay for the construction and upkeep of roads. But, all taxpayers are forced to pay for it with the increasing gap.

Thoughts?

[pineappleheadindc]

Question about infrastructure spending (a priority for the administration during the campaign).

The gas tax is supposed to be the source for construction and upkeep of roads, bridges, etc. However, it hasn't risen in roughly 25+ years (I think around 1990). With vastly improved fuel efficiency standards, all cars are getting the proverbial bang for the buck, and paying less for upkeep. As a result, the funding gap has been covered increasingly from the general tax revenue (i.e the income tax). What do you do? More and more people are not buying cars (the # of people applying for licenses has dramatically decreased in recent years), cars themselves are becoming vastly more fuel efficient, and some cars do not pay anything (pure electric cars).

Ideally, we'd switch over to a mileage-based system where the # of miles you drive equates to the tax owed. Its far fairer all around. The issue is privacy and how you handle it. Today's cars already have onboard computers to store odometer information. I know Oregon & California have piloted voluntary VMT options.

Raising the gas tax is political suicide it seems (aside from Senator Corker, don't think the GOP is too keen on it) but I think it needs to be done. The gas tax is the most equatable tax as it (in theory) is a user-fee such that only drivers pay for the construction and upkeep of roads. But, all taxpayers are forced to pay for it with the increasing gap.

Thoughts?

Yup, I find the gas tax to be the most fair tax around. IMO, if we need to raise it because of an infrastructure gap, so be it. It may also increase bus/train use, ride sharing, and reduce driving (pollution). These are okay outcomes IMO.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/13/AR2009031303486.html

http://fortune.com/2017/01/20/barack-obama-donald-trump-country-moodys/

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Watch on YouTube

[SUPERBALLMAN]

My personal experience is after putting a Make America Great Again sign in front of my home I had the sign and my mailbox smashed. I also received an anonymous letter delivered by mail which was filled with profanities calling me an A$$ Hole and rambled on about how Trump was as evil as satan.

[dckingsfan]

My personal experience is after putting a Make America Great Again sign in front of my home I had the sign and my mailbox smashed. I also received an anonymous letter delivered by mail which was filled with profanities calling me an A$$ Hole and rambled on about how Trump was as evil as satan.

Well, they do seem to have the moral high ground right now (Trump seeming to be the moral low ground). And they do seem to feel that the ends justifies the means.

And I think they are hurt and puzzled by the election - a rejections of sorts if you will. And rejection often causes surges of anger and aggression that we take out on those around us - you happen to be close by - I would just ignore it and become less of a target.

Guess you will have to become one of the silent majority.

[DCZards]

Well, they do seem to have the moral high ground right now (Trump seeming to be the moral low ground). And they do seem to feel that the ends justifies the means.

And I think they are hurt and puzzled by the election - a rejections of sorts if you will. And rejection often causes surges of anger and aggression that we take out on those around us - you happen to be close by - I would just ignore it and become less of a target.

Guess you will have to become one of the silent majority.

I'm curious. Who are referring to as the "silent majority"?

[nate33]

Sorry sfam, you're the one that sounds a little unhinged here. The notion that Trump has a 40 year history of "assaulting women" is just outright slander. There is no question that Trump is a cad and has surely bedded a lot of women, perhaps when married, but that's a heck of a lot different than assault.

To say Trump HAS NOT sexually assaulted women, which prompted my response - in addition to dismissing Trump's own words where he says he does this without permission, where he says he walks in on women changing because he owns the pageant and all the rest, you have to dismiss all of these women who came forward. This list missed those that came after the middle of October, but I think you get the point. These are not new stories, never have been.

Spoiler:

Kissing a Former Miss USA Contestant Twice Without Consent

Former Miss USA contestant Temple Taggart McDowell claims Trump kissed her on the lips on at least two occasions without consent when she was just 21 years old. In 1997, McDowell was representing Utah in the beauty pageant, and was “shocked” that he thought he had the right to kiss her on the lips, according to the Daily Beast. After one of the kisses, a woman who accompanied her to Trump Tower allegedly warned her not to go into a room alone with Trump. McDowell told NBC News, “I would never approach or greet somebody like that unless it was somebody that I had been dating.” Trump has called the accusation “ridiculous.”

Groping a Woman Sitting Next to Him on a Plane

In a New York Times report published October 12, Trump was accused of fondling the breasts of Jessica Leeds when she was 38 years old. Leeds, now 74, reportedly met Trump in the first-class cabin of a flight to New York more than 30 years ago, and claims he also attempted to reach under her skirt during the flight. She called the incident “an assault.” Trump has vehemently refuted the allegation.

Kissing a Receptionist at Trump Tower Against Her Will

Another revelation from the incendiary New York Times report: In 2005, receptionist Rachel Crooks was allegedly assaulted by Trump in the elevator at Trump Tower. She was working as a receptionist for a real-estate firm in the building when she ran into Trump in the elevator. After they shook hands, he allegedly refused to let go, kissed her on the cheeks, and also on the mouth. “It was so inappropriate,” Crooks told the Times. “I was so upset that he thought I was so insignificant that he could do that.” Trump has also denied this allegation.

Saying He’d Date a 10-Year-Old Girl in Ten Years

Newly emerged footage from CBS shows Trump talking about a 10-year-old girl’s physical appearance. In the tape, Trump joked: “I’ll be dating her in ten years. Can you believe it?”

This isn’t the first time Trump has been accused of making inappropriate remarks about young women. He famously commented in 2006 that if Ivanka weren’t his daughter, he’d “perhaps” be dating her, and also gave Howard Stern the okay to refer to Ivanka as a “piece of ass.” He commented that then-12-year-old Paris Hilton caught his eye, telling Stern, “I’ve known Paris Hilton from the time she’s 12, her parents are friends of mine, and the first time I saw her she walked into the room and I said, ‘Who the hell is that?’”

Telling Another Group of 14-Year-Olds He’d Date Them in a ‘Couple of Years’

The Los Angeles Times reports that a wire brief from the Chicago Tribune in 1992 also references an instance when Trump made a joke about dating a young girl years in the future. The wire brief describes Trump outside the Plaza Hotel interacting with a youth choir group. After finding out that the girls were 14 years old, he said, “Wow! Just think — in a couple of years, I’ll be dating you.” Trump was 46 at the time.

Sexually Assaulting a People Magazine Writer

Natasha Stoynoff, a staff writer at People, came forward as an alleged victim of Trump on October 12. In an essay, Stoynoff wrote that Trump assaulted her and forcibly kissed her in 2005 while she was on assignment for the magazine. At the time, Stoynoff was asked to interview Trump and wife Melania on their one-year anniversary at Mar-a-Lago. While there, Trump allegedly insisted upon giving her a tour. Stoynoff wrote:

“We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds, he was pushing me against the wall, and forcing his tongue down my throat. Now, I’m a tall, strapping girl who grew up wrestling two giant brothers. I even once sparred with Mike Tyson. It takes a lot to push me. But Trump is much bigger — a looming figure — and he was fast, taking me by surprise, and throwing me off balance. I was stunned. And I was grateful when Trump’s longtime butler burst into the room a minute later, as I tried to unpin myself.”
Afterward, Trump reportedly told Stoynoff that the two were going to have an affair. The writer says she didn’t report the assault at the time, as she both blamed herself and wrote it off as one of the risks associated with her job.

Groping a Woman at Mar-a-Lago

Mindy McGillivray claims Donald Trump groped her 13 years ago while she was visiting Mar-a-Lago with her companion, photographer Ken Davidoff. According to the Palm Beach Post, Davidoff brought his friend McGillivray with him to the estate while he covered a concert by Ray Charles. Only 23 at the time, McGillivray allegedly had her ass grabbed by Trump while he stood next to his then-fiancée, Melania.

She said, “All of a sudden I felt a grab, a little nudge. I think it’s Ken’s camera bag, that was my first instinct. I turn around and there’s Donald. He sort of looked away quickly. I quickly turned back, facing Ray Charles, and I’m stunned.’’ McGillivray claims Trump also flirted with her a year earlier when she attended a different event with Davidoff.

Groping Miss Washington USA 2013

In a Facebook post earlier this year, former Miss Washington USA Cassandra Searles claimed Trump grabbed her ass and invited her back to his hotel room, according to Rolling Stone. She called Trump a “misogynist” and accused him of treating women like cattle. Searles wrote that he “lined up [contestants] so he could get a closer look at his property,” a claim that has been corroborated by Paromita Mitra of Mississippi.

Walking in on Teen Pageant Contestants While They Were Changing

Four women who competed in the 1997 Miss Teen USA beauty pageant have accused Trump of walking into their dressing room while the contestants were changing, BuzzFeed News reported. Mariah Billado, a former Miss Vermont Teen USA, told BuzzFeed News that the contestants (who ranged in age from 14 to 19) were “just scrambling” to grab whatever garments they had when he walked in. She said, “I remember putting on my dress really quick because I was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s a man in here.’” Trump reportedly said something along the lines of, “Don’t worry, I’ve seen it all before.”

Groping Makeup Artist Jill Harth in 1997

Makeup artist Jill Harth filed a lawsuit against Trump in 1997, accusing him of cornering her and groping her in his daughter’s bedroom. Harth and Trump allegedly first met in December 1992 during a business presentation — she and her former romantic partner George Houraney wanted him to back their American Dream festival — and Trump is accused of “subjecting her to a steady string of sexual advances,” The Guardian reports. The night after the initial business meeting, Trump and Harth had dinner at the Plaza Hotel’s Oak Room, where he allegedly groped her under the table.

In January 1993, when Harth and Houraney visited Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate, he allegedly pulled her into one of his children’s bedrooms, pushed her up against the wall, groped her, and tried to get under her dress again. Harth has accused him of “attempted rape,” while Trump has called the allegations “meritless.”

Raping Ex-Wife Ivana, But Not in the “Criminal Sense”

The 1993 book Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump revealed that, in depositions for their contentious divorce case, Ivana Trump accused her then-husband of rape. The Daily Beast reported that, in the book, Harry Hurt III wrote that Trump confronted Ivana after a painful scalp reduction surgery to reduce his bald spot. He allegedly yelled that her “**** doctor” ruined him, and then held back her arms and pulled out fistfuls of hair from Ivana’s scalp, before ripping off her clothes and forcing his penis inside her.

Trump previously denied the allegation, including the scalp surgery. “It’s obviously false,” Donald Trump reportedly said in 1993. “It’s incorrect and done by a guy without much talent … He is a guy that is an unattractive guy who is a vindictive and jealous person.” Trump’s legal counsel told the Daily Beast that Ivana was talking about how “she felt raped emotionally … She was not referring to it [as] a criminal matter, and not in its literal sense, though there’s many literal senses to the word.”

Slut-Shaming Former Miss Universe Alicia Machado

Alicia Machado won Trump’s Miss Universe pageant in 1996, and he has since called her “Miss Housekeeping” (because she is Venezuelan) and “Miss Piggy” (because she gained too much weight, in his opinion). After Machado became a talking point in his election for president, Trump took the extra step of publicly slut-shaming her. In a series of 5 a.m. tweets, Trump accused Machado of having a sex tape — which he urged voters to “check out.”

Sexually Harassing a Woman During the 1993 White House Correspondents’ Dinner

When Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter invited Trump to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 1993 as a “novelty guest,” he allegedly got more than he bargained for. Forty-five minutes after Trump sat down next to Swedish model Vendela Kirsebom, Carter claims she came over to his table, almost in tears, begging him to move her. “It seems that Trump had spent his entire time with her assaying the ‘tits’ and legs of the other female guests and asking how they measured up to those of other women, including his wife,” Carter wrote. ‘“He is,’ she told me, in words that seemed familiar, ‘the most vulgar man I have ever met.’”

Mistreating His Female Employees

An ongoing investigation by USA Today into the 4,000-plus lawsuits against Trump found that at least 20 separate lawsuits accuse the presidential candidate and managers of his companies “of discriminating against women, ignoring sexual harassment complaints and even participating in the harassment themselves.”

Trump was not directly involved in all of the lawsuits, which ranged in severity, but in one, he was accused of directing a female supervisor at a golf club to hire more attractive women. “I want you to get some good-looking hostesses here,” Trump told Sue Kwiatkowski, a supervisor at the club, according to USA Today. Kwiatkowski also alleged that he said, “People like to see good-looking people when they come in.”

In another lawsuit, a waitress alleged that Trump repeatedly flirted with her. USA Today also discovered at least three lawsuits in which women claimed they lost their jobs at a Trump company for complaining about sexual discrimination or harassment at work.

Bragging About Grabbing Women by Their Pussies

Trump was caught on tape bragging to former Access Hollywood host Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women. The lewd conversation took place while the men were visiting the set of Days of Our Lives in 2005. Trump was caught talking about a failed attempt to seduce a married woman (later revealed to be former Access host Nancy O’Dell), saying, “I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married.”

The men were then distracted by actress Arianne Zucker, prompting Trump to declare that he was going to use some Tic Tacs in case he started kissing her. “You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it,” Trump says. “You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

Trying to Get Nancy O’Dell Fired for Being Pregnant

Trump has been accused of trying to get Nancy O’Dell fired from her job as a host for the Miss USA pageant after she rejected his advances (as detailed in the Access Hollywood tape), according to the Daily Beast. Trump allegedly did not like the way she looked in 2007, since O’Dell was several months pregnant and thereby not living up to Trump’s standards of appearance. However, O’Dell was under contract with NBC, and the network opted to keep her in place as a host, much to Trump’s chagrin.

Raping a 13-Year-Old at Jeffrey Epstein’s Apartment

A woman has accused Trump of raping her in 1994 when she was just 13 years old, according to BuzzFeed News. Trump has “vehemently denied the rape claims, which are being filed in a New York civil court for the third time,” BuzzFeed News reported. According to the suit, Trump allegedly had forcible sex with the plaintiff during a party at the New York City apartment of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted pedophile who is a billionaire. In June 2016, Jezebel reported that the coverage of the lawsuit was “the culmination of an almost year-long campaign to quietly push these allegations into the public discussion, and maybe make some money in the process.”

Hiring Women Based on Appearances

Trump gave writer Mark Singer a tour of Mar-a-Lago for an article in The New Yorker in 1997. Singer wrote that Trump introduced him to the property’s resident physician, Dr. Ginger Lea Southall. When she was out of earshot, Singer asked Trump where Southall had been trained.

Trump replied, “I’m not sure. Baywatch Medical School? Does that sound right? I’ll tell you the truth. Once I saw Dr. Ginger’s photograph, I didn’t really need to look at her résumé or anyone else’s. Are you asking, ‘Did we hire her because she’d trained at Mount Sinai for fifteen years?’ The answer is no. And I’ll tell you why: because by the time she’s spent fifteen years at Mount Sinai, we don’t want to look at her.”

Groping a Woman at a Manhattan Nightclub

Kristin Anderson, who worked as a model and makeup artist in New York in the early 1990s, told the Washington Post that Donald Trump groped her when she found herself sitting next to him on a couch at a Manhattan nightclub. “It wasn’t a sexual come-on. I don’t know why he did it. It was like just to prove that he could do it, and nothing would happen,” she told the Post. “There was zero conversation. We didn’t even really look at each other. It was very random, very nonchalant on his part.”

Anderson said she was motivated to come forward with her story after seeing the Access Hollywood tape in which Trump bragged about sexual assaulting women. “I watched this woman — who could have been me; it could have been anyone — walk in and shake his hand,” she said. “That was just nauseating, because she has no idea what she was walking into, and what could possibly happen to her. And that’s just wrong.”

Groping and Kissing a Former Apprentice Contestant

Summer Zervos, a contestant on the fifth season of The Apprentice, says she was both kissed and groped by Trump after her run on the show was over and she was discussing possible employment opportunities with him. She alleges that he had her meet him at his bungalow in the Beverly Hills Hotel, where he kissed her, groped her, and thrust his genitals at her. Because she was up for employment within his organization, Zervos says “I wondered if the sexual behavior was some kind of test, or whether or not I had passed.”

She came forward after seeing the other allegations against Trump in a press conference with famed attorney Gloria Allred. When a reporter asked what she hoped would come from the allegations, Zervos responded, “I want to be able to sleep when I’m 70 at night.”

Kissing a Mar-a-Lago Guest at a Mother’s Day Brunch

Cathy Heller and her family were enjoying a Mother’s Day brunch at the Mar-a-Lago Club when Trump came by to introduce himself. According to Heller, Trump aggressively kissed her in front of her family — including three children and various in-laws — and other members of the club after a brief introduction.

Trump didn’t stop at shaking Heller’s hand. “He took my hand, and grabbed me, and went for the lips,” she told The Guardian.

Alarmed, she said she leaned backwards to avoid him and almost lost her balance. “And he said, ‘Oh, come on.’ He was strong. And he grabbed me and went for my mouth and went for my lips.” She turned her head, she claims, and Trump planted a kiss on the side of her mouth. “He kept me there for a little too long,” Heller said. “And then he just walked away.”
“I was angry and shaken,” she continued. “He was pissed. He couldn’t believe a woman would pass up the opportunity.” She added that he seemed to feel “entitled” to kiss her.
The Guardian interviewed a relative who was present at the brunch, as well as a friend whom Keller had told about the incident well before the 2005 tape was released.

Groping a Woman Outside the 1998 U.S. Open Tennis Championship

During a press conference with attorney Gloria Allred, Karena Virginia told reporters she was standing outside the 1998 U.S. Open Tennis Championship in Flushing, Queens, waiting for a car to take her home when Donald Trump approached her. She said she knew who he was, but she’d never met him.

“I was quite surprised when I overheard him talking to the other men about me,” Virginia said. “He said, ‘Hey, look at this one; we haven’t seen her before. Look at those legs,’ as though I was an object rather than a person. He then walked up to me and reached his right arm and grabbed my right arm. Then his hand touched the right inside of my breast. I was in shock. I flinched. ‘Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you know who I am?’ That’s what he said to me. I felt intimidated, and I felt powerless. Then my car pulled up and I got in.” She was 27 at the time.

According to Allred, Virginia is not considering a lawsuit against Trump at this time. She said she hesitated to speak up for fear Trump would call her a liar or “just another ‘nasty woman,’” but in the end the Access Hollywood tape and Trump’s own denial of his history of sexual assault prompted her to speak up.

Groping Miss Finland in 2006 Before Appearing With Her on the Late Show With David Letterman

Ninni Laaksonen claimed on October 27 that Donald Trump grabbed her bottom in New York in 2006, shortly after she was crowned Miss Finland, the Telegraph reports. After being contacted by local paper Ilta-Sanomat, Laaksonen said Trump groped her moments before she was set to appear on the Late Show With David Letterman, alongside Trump himself and three other contestants.

“Before the show we were photographed outside the building,” Laaksonen said. “Trump stood right next to me and suddenly he squeezed by butt. He really grabbed by butt. I don’t think anybody saw it but I flinched and thought: ‘What is happening?’”

Laaksonen also revealed that she attended parties with the other contestants as well as Trump’s wife, Melania. She said someone told her that Trump liked her because she “looked like Melania when she was younger.”

Again, some people still believe Bill Cosby is without fault, so I don't doubt the power to suspend disbelief. But none of these people benefited from coming forward. Quite the opposite in fact- they were hounded by Trumps Trolls.

Trump has been a target for 40 years because he's rich and a known womanizer. The fact that some unsubstantiated allegations exist means nothing. And any 10-year-old allegation that came forward in the past year involving known Democrat operative attorneys like Gloria Allred are HIGHLY suspect.

Every one of those instances that could conceivably be characterized as "assault" have been vehemently denied by Trump and there is no proof of any of them whatsoever. Most are highly suspect because they occurred in public places but have no witnesses, or the allegations came forth many years later after Trump was on the verge of winning the presidency.

I'm not saying Trump is a saint. There is no doubt in my mind that he has spent much of his life objectifying women. I just don't think it's uniquely awful or even all that surprising. I'd say his behavior is roughly in line with about half of the rich and famous people in Hollywood and politics. When you are rich, powerful and reasonably good looking, you get used to many women throwing themselves at you and you eventually learn to treat all of them with much less respect. It's certainly not a good character trait, but it's not the same thing as assault.

[nate33]

My personal experience is after putting a Make America Great Again sign in front of my home I had the sign and my mailbox smashed. I also received an anonymous letter delivered by mail which was filled with profanities calling me an A$$ Hole and rambled on about how Trump was as evil as satan.

You got off easy. Since you had a Trump sign, you are basically a neo-Nazi; and as I understand it, it is now okay to assault a Nazi.

Indeed, we won't hear any stories about violent attacks and vandalism against Trump supporters in the news, even when the events are caught on video. But if a Muslim woman alleges that some guy told her to go back home, it'll make all the major newspapers.

[dckingsfan]

Well, they do seem to have the moral high ground right now (Trump seeming to be the moral low ground). And they do seem to feel that the ends justifies the means.

And I think they are hurt and puzzled by the election - a rejections of sorts if you will. And rejection often causes surges of anger and aggression that we take out on those around us - you happen to be close by - I would just ignore it and become less of a target.

Guess you will have to become one of the silent majority.

I'm curious. Who are referring to as the "silent majority"?

Zards - it is what Trump supporters think of themselves. I don't think they are a majority (which is what I think you are getting at) in any sense but they were undetected in the pools (well under represented). Super brings up an issue - they get told that they were evil for voting for Trump - so (often) they learn to be quiet.

[Kanyewest]

FYI, I just learned that China is phasing out steel and coal plants and they have agreed to a carbon tax (only a few states in the US). So they are doing more in terms of policy than the US.

Sent from my LG-D851 using RealGM mobile app

They're trying to stop using steel made from recycled scrap metal. Ironically a ton of that scrap metal is bought from US scrapyards.

Fascinating article on how Chinese businesses turn 1 pound of US scrap metals valued at 1 dollar into as much as 10 dollars per pound.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2013-08-29/to-a-chinese-scrap-metal-hunter-americas-trash-is-treasure

For instance hdmi cables have copper, but getting that copper means melting off the rubber (which they also recycle). But the ramifications of the chemicals used to separate all of the component materials weakens the quality, and the process itself causes pollution.

Note, they aren't ending scrap to steel due to pollution, but the questionable quality of recycled steel from scrap. The hundreds of other recyclables other than steel are still going strong.

Coal is a larger issue, the tens of thousands of factories using coal and ancient filtration systems is causing the vast majority of the pollution issues in China. The US had the same issues in the 40s and 50s when they were a manufacturing powerhouse. The pictures of Pittsburgh, Trenton and NYC in the 40s are similar to bad days in Beijing or Shenzhen today. And just like the US, they're now realizing the pollution makes them weak as a society, and in various marketplaces.

People tend to forget China is still very much a work in progress. And the agreement to pay a carbon tax? Carbon tax schemes are a whole other issue.....mostly used for blackmail and profit in governmental circles.

Just saying none of the things they announced are noble or evil, but required in their current environment of extreme pollution, and the eventual impact on their citizenry and competitive openings for opposition by foreign government and corporations.

Also, Kanye read about Pittsburgh and other US industrial cities choked by pollution in the 40s/50s. They announced much of the same, less coal more natural gas etc.....China is hardly trailblazing a path here.

Interesting points. BTW, why do you conclude that a carbon tax is being used for blackmail by the government? How would you encourage businesses from lowering carbon emissions?