What's in the news?

[Lustful Bride]

Convoy in Aleppo evacuating civilians and rebel fighters was attacked. But cease fire otherwise holds and evacuations of civilians and wounded continue.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/aleppo-evacuation-mission-under-way-after-convoy-attacked/ar-AAlzk5R?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Edit: I really could have sworn it said a red cross convoy was attacked. But it was just A Convoy in general. So I removed that part.

[Lustful Bride]

Remember Bath Salts?  And how they could drive a person absolutely insane and hyper violent?

Well apparently now there is a new Diet version which can still mess you up and make you like a zombie

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/drug-85-times-as-potent-as-marijuana-caused-a-%e2%80%98zombielike%e2%80%99-state-in-brooklyn/ar-AAlzKjD?li=BBnb4R7&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

Honestly at this point I think Zombie outbreak might do the world some good. Not like it can make it any worse

[Blythe]

Trump supporter & protester he punched hug it out in court

I think this was incredibly big-hearted of Jones. I don't know if I would have been able to hug McGraw. But...this was certainly not what I expected to pop up in my newsfeed.

[Lustful Bride]

Trump supporter & protester he punched hug it out in court

I think this was incredibly big-hearted of Jones. I don't know if I would have been able to hug McGraw. But...this was certainly not what I expected to pop up in my newsfeed.

We need more of this. More showings of love and caring between both sides, only then can we really start to work it out and build a better future. Instead of all the demonizing both sides are doing to eachother, this is the proper step in the right direction.

[Mithlomwen]

A Virginia congressmen calls for a delay in the electoral vote.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is calling on fellow members of Congress to delay a Dec. 19 electoral college vote because of reports about foreign interference in the presidential election aimed at helping elect Republican Donald Trump.

What I wonder, is if concrete evidence is found that Russia did interfere, what can be done?  Can they call it a disqualification?  Since Hillary won the popular vote by more than two million, could they disqualify Trump and give it to Hillary? 

[TheGlyphstone]

That would depend on the interference, presumably. If (and only if) there is conclusive proof that Russia tampered with the actual process of casting votes, by hacking electronic voting machines or something similar, do I think there would be grounds to declare election results invalid. I'm not sure what happens if that occurs, but I really doubt Russia interfering by, say, hacking Clinton's private emails and releasing them to WikiLeaks would be grounds for invalidation.

[Lustful Bride]

Jury finds Mass Shooter Dylan Roof guilty on 9 counts of Murder for his attack on a church

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jurors-convict-dylann-roof-on-all-counts-in-church-slayings/ar-AAlBGcw?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Beguile's Mistress]

That would depend on the interference, presumably. If (and only if) there is conclusive proof that Russia tampered with the actual process of casting votes, by hacking electronic voting machines or something similar, do I think there would be grounds to declare election results invalid. I'm not sure what happens if that occurs, but I really doubt Russia interfering by, say, hacking Clinton's private emails and releasing them to WikiLeaks would be grounds for invalidation.

True.  Dirty tricks don't count as voting fraud and irregularities.

Jury finds Mass Shooter Dylan Roof guilty on 9 counts of Murder for his attack on a church

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jurors-convict-dylann-roof-on-all-counts-in-church-slayings/ar-AAlBGcw?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

That was a foregone conclusion considering his confession and everything else he has stated.  The important thing to be decided is his sentence.

[Beorning]

Serious shit happening in the Polish parliament!

Today, some of our media announced a protest against the changes PiS proposed for the media presence in the Parliament building. These changes, many people say, would hurt the citizens' right to information regarding Parliament's proceedings. In reaction to that, one opposition MP during the proceedings presented a placard saying "Free Media".

The MP was promptly kicked out of the proceedings by the Speaker (who is from PiS)!

In response, other opposition members started blocking the proceedings:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38347674
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-poland-media-idUSKBN1451OJ

Aaaaand... after a few hours of wait, PiS reacted. By declaring that the proceedings would continue in another location.

The opposition didn't agree to that. So, right now, PiS is conducting votes on various important matters (like, say, the 2017 state budget), while the opposition is not in attendance and says that these votes might actually be illegal...

This really looks like the end of true democracy..!     

[Missy]

Seems like everything everywhere is bad these days

[Beorning]

Nightly happenings in and around Sejm:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38347674

Around midnight, the protesters blocked a column of cars with PiS MPs from leaving the parliament. Eventually, the police removed the protesters. There was no tear gas, though, in spite of what BBC reported.

Meanwhile, the opposition MPs continue to protest inside the building. They demand that yesterday's votes should be repeated.

There are reports (who knows, if true) that during the proceedings in the temporary voting location organized last evening, the opposition MPs present were being stopped by PiS members from taking part in the proceedings. If true, then - well, we have officially slipped into authoritarianism now...

[Missy]

Trump calls a war over Christmas
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-rallies-the-faithful-in-the-war-on-christmas-100006224.html

Obama says media coverage of Clinton on election unfair
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-obama-hillary-clinton-treated-fairly-presidential-election/story?id=44245456

Obama Promises retaliation against Russia for Hacking
http://abcnews.go.com/International/obama-vows-retaliation-russians-demand-election-hacking-evidence/story?id=44235593

Trump isolates himself further on issues of Russian Hacking as consensus of retaliation against Russian Hacking goes bipartisan
http://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-denial-evidence-grows-spymaster-putin-election-hacks/story?id=44225512

NC GOP swiftly enacts last minute laws restricting and redefining the powers of governor before recently elected Democratic Governor takes office
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/north-carolina-gop-seeks-reduce-governors-powers-44232197

China steals civilian operated U.S. Navy Drone is International Waters while performing activities regarded legal by international law.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/us-underwater-drone-seized-chinese-navy-south-china/story?id=44239993

Obama states Syrians can't slaughter their way to victory
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/syrians-slaughter-legitimacy-obama-slamming-iran-russia/story?id=44244746

[Missy]

FBI Concurs with CIA on Russian Hacking
https://www.yahoo.com/news/official-fbi-backs-cia-conclusion-194526659.html

I'll bet Putin sure is glad for Trump, otherwise things would be shaping up pretty badly for Russian right about now :/

[Beguile's Mistress]

Getting Trump into office is why Putin did what he did.  Trump can be manipulated and having all the powers in the administration and Congress distracted fighting each and not making decisions about how to deal with Russia.  Putin is using Trump and he's too out of it to notice or care.

[Cassandra LeMay]

While I am ready to paint Putin as the Antichrist, lets not forget that Americans elected the next American president. "Putin did it" strikes me as a bit of a cop out. Blaming the Russians may account for some of what happened, but lets perhaps not blame them for all. Each and every voter made up their own mind, and if the bought fake news, placed too much stock in dubious stories, or whatever, it was still their choice at the ballot box.

[Oniya]

While I am ready to paint Putin as the Antichrist, lets not forget that Americans elected the next American president. "Putin did it" strikes me as a bit of a cop out. Blaming the Russians may account for some of what happened, but lets perhaps not blame them for all. Each and every voter made up their own mind, and if the bought fake news, placed too much stock in dubious stories, or whatever, it was still their choice at the ballot box.

Assuming that it was only fake news - but didn't Nixon have an issue with people doing illegal things to get him back into office?  Turned out really well for him,  as I recall.

[Missy]

Trump encouraged Russian hacking on his way into office and it's really not fair to say "Putin Did It" is wrong when less than a quarter of all Americans voted for Trump. Doubtless Putin had a major role and we'll pay the price, it seems Taiwan will also, not to mention China is America's ninth biggest trading partner, I would agree we need to trade with them less, but Trumps angle with China is more likely to cause more harm than anything.

To be quite honest I do not feel the least bit out of line referring to Trump as an imbecile. And normally I wouldn't, the simple truth is Trump is dangerous to America and not because he's a Republican, nor because Hillary would've been better. This has got to have been the shittiest election in American History.

[Cassandra LeMay]

Assuming that it was only fake news - but didn't Nixon have an issue with people doing illegal things to get him back into office?  Turned out really well for him,  as I recall.

Asking if it was only fake news seems to imply that there was perhaps a more direct influence, like actually manipulating the vote count - for which I have yet to see any credible evidence. I have no doubt that the actual voting process was as fair and square as it can get, leaving aside gerrymandering, ID laws, and all that shhh....tuff. 

As for Nixon, I must admit that my knowledge of that era is somwhat limited.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Maureen Dowd is a columnist for the New York Times and has recently released a book titled:  The Year of Voting Dangerously.  I haven't had a chance to read it yet but I did catch an interview with her in which she discussed Trump and what he is like, how his staff has to 'handle' him and how his level of engagement is so low that he only retains the last thing that is said to him.  She said that his staffers vie for the position of being the last person to talk to him each day in order to be sure he is thinking about what they tell him.  That is either immature (childlike) or mentally damaged.

[Beguile's Mistress]

Asking if it was only fake news seems to imply that there was perhaps a more direct influence, like actually manipulating the vote count - for which I have yet to see any credible evidence. I have no doubt that the actual voting process was as fair and square as it can get, leaving aside gerrymandering, ID laws, and all that shhh....tuff. 

As for Nixon, I must admit that my knowledge of that era is somwhat limited.

There is very little evidence of voter fraud in spite of Trump's assertion that millions of people voted illegally.  However, analysts have commented that the fake new articles were deliberately propagated and did influence peoples' choices.  It was a distraction that kept people from doing their own fact checking and research because, really, most people will believe what they want to believe rather than be skeptical and go looking for even basic truth.

[Missy]

The only thing about it for me I guess is that the more I learn about it all the worse it seems to get.

It just feels like a bad situation and it's only getting worse.

[Missy]

China will return drone
https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-smooth-resolution-expected-us-navy-drone-issue-085342299.html

[Cassandra LeMay]

There is very little evidence of voter fraud in spite of Trump's assertion that millions of people voted illegally.  However, analysts have commented that the fake new articles were deliberately propagated and did influence peoples' choices.

As tempting as it it may be to ascribe the result of the election to a single factor, the plain truth of the matter is that we will never know for certain. Did Comey cost Clinton the election? Possible? Did Trump just staying mostly silent in the two weeks leading up to the election win him the election? Could be. Campaigning here, but not there? Might have made a difference. And so on, and so forth.

At the end of the day the world is a mighty complicated mess. Always was, always will be. Any attempt to explain the election results that neglects that simple fact and, instead, tries to pin it all on one single cause is bound to overlook something.

Sometimes there are no easy answers, and sometimes the best we can do is scratch the surface of the complicated, multifaceted truth. That shouldn't stop us from trying to understand the truth, but the moment easy answers present themselves we should probably reach for the salt.

[Missy]

Growing sentiment among Conservatives: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend"
https://www.yahoo.com/news/why-putin-suddenly-gaining-popularity-among-conservatives-154000012.html?ref=gs

Trump creates entertaining irony: Folks who hates and who criticize him gain popularity among the masses
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-anger-smashes-magazine-subscription-record-223419136.html?ref=gs

[Beorning]

Here in Poland: The opposition keeps occupying the voting chamber in the Parliament. The street protests continue in at least a few cities. People really seem to be angry...

http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/285045,Protest-in-Warsaw-amid-political-crisis