pastajoe

Interesting that it was Russia that provided the hacked wikileaks DNC info. Putin putting his thumb on the scales for Trump given his recent NATO statements?

I heard that the 1770's were some rough times. And the 1860's, and the 1930's into the 40's. And there was that Cuban missile crisis in the 60's when we came close to nuclear war. I was taught that hiding under my wood desk would make me safe. So I guess "safe" is relative.

We should force these NATO countries to pay for security at McDonalds, and if they don't we bring our franchises back to the US. For other countries to enjoy our delicious fast food is a privilege not a right. Donald J Trump will be the Line Up and Order president.

MUNICH — Munich authorities said Saturday that the gunman who went on a rampage at a shopping center Friday, leaving nine people dead, had no ties to the Islamic State or other extremist groups. Instead, police believe he was obsessed with mass killings and may have been mentally ill. The southern German city’s police chief said investigators had found a trove of electronic data and written materials at the suspect’s home suggesting that he had extensively researched shooting sprees before he went on one of his own Friday afternoon. The items recovered included a book by a U.S. academic on school shootings titled “Rampage in the Head: Why Students Kill.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/munich-police-hunt-for-a-motive-after-iranian-german-gunman-kills-nine-in-rampage/2016/07/23/5e3058d6-5055-11e6-bf27-405106836f96_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_munich-430am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

I like the Kaine pick. Hillary could have gone with the easy political choice of a more liberal, but she went with the serious pick of someone qualified to step in as president.

I know, right? Before Obama and Hillary, the Sunnis and Shia were getting along, bin Laden was minding his own business, Assad and Gaddafi weren't killing their own citizens, Putin and Kim Jung Un were humble leaders, Iran wasn't working towards nuclear weapons, and assault weapons weren't so easy to obtain. Oh wait, you said no one should pretend. Nevermind.

I answer your clarion call to observe and report on the DNC, and you slap away my hand of friendship. That's very hurtful. If you continue with your thin-skinned ways I'll have to start calling you Trump. I hope you don't take this attitude with you, it will give the Irish or Aussies a bad impression of former Americans. Now back to the news. I read tonight's Trump's speech which is posted online. Nothing new or inspirational, just the usual mix of making America great without any specifics, and the innuendo not based on facts attacks on Hillary. I am troubled by his call to allow religious groups to get involved in politics without losing their tax exempt status. If they want to get political, then say what they want, but pay taxes like the rest of us. I don't think Trump or Republicans understand that LBJ pushed for the law because some southern religious groups were helping finance the cause to continue segregation. But when there's only 18 black Republican delegates out of 2740, those details tend to be overlooked. He's threatening to not support NATO allies if they haven't paid their "fair share" of the cost of operations. So basically he'd act like a mafia protection racket. I'm sure Putin loves this rhetoric.

And I'll help by reporting if Hillary supporters boo Bernie and attack his wife when he speaks, or if any elected Democrats say Trump should stand before a firing squad and be shot. Don't worry, we've got you covered BuffaninATL/AUS/IRL/orNZ.

Trump thinks that NATO should be run like a mafia protection racket. If you'se guys don't pay us what we want, bad things might happen. You'se got some pretty daughters, it'd be a shame if Putin's boys got their hands on them. I'm just sayin'.

I really wish SNL was live this week. They wouldn't even have to write any sketches.

@chucktodd Another blockbuster development tonight:Trump wouldn't necessarily honor NATO treaty if Russia invades a NATO member

It was probably available since Clint Eastwood wasn't there to talk to it.

Another crazy night at the RNC. Cruz doesn't endorse Trump in speech, says to vote your conscience. People booing and shouting as he's speaking. Trump walks into arena as Cruz is still speaking to steal his thunder. Heidi Cruz had to be escorted out by security as people heckled her.

So it looks like they had to find someone to take the bullet for Melaina once the hired speechwriters showed the press the original draft they gave to the Trump campaign without the plagiarized portions. Find someone to take the blame and offer to resign. We won't accept it, and we'll set you up with a nice trip to a Trump golf course for your troubles.

My support for Hillary has been shaken by the revelation by Dr. Ben Carson last night that linked her to Lucifer. I'll have to reevaluate my support. Now if he had linked her to Sauron or the Sith Lords, that would have been a deal breaker.

Being a successful businessman and being a political leader are very different. You can't let the country go bankrupt and then come out OK afterwards. You can't default on payments as a country like Trump did to many subcontractors without having the country's credit rating threatened. You can't run a country like it's a for-profit company. There are many programs that have to be paid for that will not result in a pure monetary profit. Trump's form of leadership is to surround himself with yes-men who won't question his decisions. With a lack of knowledge on the details of world affairs and the military, that's a very dangerous person to trust to know best, especially given his thin skin and penchant to react based on emotion. He has his history correct? His support of the Birther movement, that Obama's mother faked his citizenship? The thousands of Muslims in New Jersey he saw cheer 9/11? His claims that he was against the Iraq War, when he's on tape saying he was OK with it? His claims that Clinton told the military to stand down for Benghazi when 9 investigations proved there was no such order given? McCain was not an out of touch moron. I disagreed with his Republican views on issues, but knew he would not endanger the country when it counted. His VP pick was an out of touch moron. Romney was out of touch but not a moron, his economic supply-side philosophy would serve him and the rich well but not the middle class. Again I didn't fear he would make stupid foreign policy decisions. With Trump you have someone who is not out of touch, for he knows what buttons to push to excite people who want easy answers to complex problems. And I wouldn't call him a moron, but more like a narcissist who thinks he knows more than he does, and won't listen to those that do. That's very dangerous. You have to stop taking everything you read so literally. When I said 'footnote your sources', that's a euphemism for do your homework. I agree the episode seems petty, and it would have been treated as such if the campaign just came out and said, "Sorry, we made a mistake. The speechwriter has been fired". Then that's the end of it. But Trump's ego won't let him admit a mistake, and so they make it worse by lying. So now we're left with Melaniagate.

So you think it's overlap and not plagiarism? Students get failed or kicked out of college for doing that. Christie said 93% was original, so it's not plagiarism. Next time you speed in New Jersey try saying, "Officer, I don't speed 93% of the time". Again, not Melania's fault if she didn't do it, but an insight into how a Trump presidency would operate. This will linger on Melania going forward like Quayle and potato, and it's Trump's campaign's fault.

That would just help Trump because he'd have to fill less time because of what he doesn't know.

Reince Priebus and Corey Lewandowski both think the plagiarizing person should be fired. Maybe Trump fired the wrong campaign manager.

That was Republicans, not the general election. And Trump never got a majority of Republican primary voters (45%). So a smaller field may have had more success. Since Trump is now saying no one is going to be fired for plagiarizing the speech, perhaps it was done by someone who can't be fired.

The focus isn't on her (unless she takes responsibility), it's on the campaign that is so undisciplined that they would make such an obvious blunder. And to then deny it's plagiarized, when it's almost word-for-word the same. How would they handle important issues? "President Trump, why did you order a nuclear strike? I didn't order a strike. But there was a nuclear strike. Yeah, so? Are you saying you didn't order it? Maybe it was Canada, I'm just sayin', there's something going on with them. But Canada doesn't have nuclear weapons. Yeah, so?"

One of the complaints from Republicans about Trump is that he hasn't hired the number of staff normally needed for a campaign, so there might not be enough people around to act as editors. I changed more words in college when working on a pre-Internet term paper due in 30 minutes than were changed in that speech. If they had just inserted the line, "As Michelle Obama said..." It would be a non-issue. Footnote the sources.