Trump: Why can't we use nukes, again?

wrath
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As my friend put it to me earlier today: Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if the reason the human race went extinct was Donald Trump? Aliens would look down on us so hard.

Donald Trump wants to use nuclear weapons in small-scale conflicts. Quoting General Hayden from the same broadcast on how quick the process of using nukes is,

“It’s scenario-dependent, but I can say that it’s designed for speed and decisiveness. It’s not designed to debate the decision.”

This is how I put it to my friends who may have voted for him:

I don’t care if you voted for him before. You’re under no obligation to vote for him again. I don’t care if you told all your friends you’re voting for him. When you walk into that voting booth, you walk in alone, and you can lie your ass off about who you voted for when you walk out. The only person you have to answer to is yourself. Ask yourself these questions:

Do you honestly believe he is temperamentally suited to run a bake sale?

If the answer is no, don’t vote for him.

Do you honestly believe he is temperamentally suited to take care of your children if you had to pop out for six hours in an emergency?

If the answer is no, don’t vote for him.

Do you honestly believe he is temperamentally suited to hold down a minimum wage job for six hours without throwing a hissy fit, or to pick up the tab when he breaks something you own, or not bother you when you’re busy with something?

These are just basic skills that come with being an adult. I’m not talking about anything really crucial like split-second judgment, experience, or political acumen. I’m not even talking about whether he might be fun to have a beer with. I’m talking about basic life skills that anyone over the age of twenty-five should have. If he does not have these skills, then:

He is not temperamentally suited to have nuclear launch codes.

He is not temperamentally suited to command and control the single most powerful military that the world has ever seen.

He is not temperamentally suited to have handle delicate and volatile situations that could end in the deaths of literally millions of people.

He is fundamentally unfit to be President of the United States.

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But, but, but… Clinton!

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At this point I’m content to make sure we have an adult in the White House. It’s a low bar, I know, but that’s the situation we’re in right now.

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…as we go hurtling towards oblivion…

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You know, as a utilitarian, I’m torn between a quick death for civilisation and a slow, lingering one via climate change.

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Hillary is the reason that we won’t see something like this in November

I don’t want a President Trump, yet every time I ask myself would I vote Hillary I can’t come up with an answer. I know that eventually I would think yes, but I really shouldn’t be taking as long to decide as I am.

Maybe the answer is “we will vote Hillary then make her time as president hell”. She can’t be left alone to do what she wants, even if Trump is worse. We will drag her to the left not just for the next few months but for all of the next 4-8 years.

And even If I were to do that I still feel like I am saying I would vote for Norman Tebbit.

Everything is just fucked up.

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Yes. That is my answer.

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This series of tweets (from a Nat Security advisor for Jeb Bush & Mitt Romey, apparently) is worth reading.

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the republican majority in congress will be delighted to do that for you, maybe with even more gusto than they did to obama. they won’t, however, be trying to drag anything to the left. i have no qualms about voting for hilary even though i voted for sanders in the primary. even if you don’t vote for hilary, go vote for every democrat you have a chance to vote for.

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This has me genuinely questioning if the POTUS should be the one to make the decision to launch nukes. Not because I think it’s the worst option or even a bad option. It’s purely just because Trump might get his disgusting basketball colored tiny fingers anywhere near the proverbial button.

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I can’t vote for Hillary, I’m in the UK.

I’m just scared that, even though I don’t want Donald anywhere near the White House, I still have an aversion to the idea of Hillary being there again. I’m not doing a “Bernie or Bust” thing here or recommending that anyone else does.

Maybe it’s because I was already compromising when supporting Bernie?

If Hilary were to say she would pardon/commute Chelsea Manning I would probably be able to ignore my objections, but I expect that is not a vote winning move :cry:

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Wired’s take on this:

Don’t read the comments section if you value your sanity.

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the republican majority in congress will be delighted to do that for you, maybe with even more gusto than they did to obama

No.

Why does the Libertarian death cult represent us? Because you let them. Get off your ass and stop watching Duck Dynasty. You don’t watch Duck Dynasty? Maybe you might as well watch that garbage?

(I don’t mean you, exactly. Much.)

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And here’s a fresh and eye-opening interview with that same John Noonan about this very topic.

Here’s a desert-dry quote:

This guy is, by all accounts, a lunatic. What impact does that have on strategic command? What impact does it have on deterrence? What impact does it have on national security? I don’t know the answer to any of those questions, and I’d be lying if I said I did, but I can tell you that the sum of those answers is probably bad.

“Probably bad”?!

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i don’t watch “duck dynasty” as a matter of fact.

more seriously, i participate in my local county democratic party organization, mostly by participating in voter registration drives and get out the vote efforts. i’ve also participated twice as a delegate to the state convention. the first time as a jackson delegate in 84 and the second time as an obama delegate in 08. my home state is texas and its a red state despite my best efforts.

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##Trump: Why can’t we use nukes, again?

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Anyone else here a Babylon 5 fan?

I’m wondering if I’m alone in having flashbacks to President Clark, especially his “Scorched Earth” petulance…

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Cf. General Buck Turgidson.

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So all good progressives should elect Trump (either directly by voting for him or indirectly by voting for Stein or writing in their dog)! After civilization rebuilds - evolution might have to happen again - Bernie will have a better chance!

Given that neither Bush nor Romney have held an office requiring national security advice, I think it is more correct to describe Noonan as a conservative blogger on military issues.

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I just went by what he said in his Twitter bio. Never having heard of the guy before today, I didn’t think it was impossible that he’d at least done some briefing for them (as part of their presidential runs?)

Speaking of national security…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-iran-intelligence-briefing_us_57a26249e4b04414d1f370b9

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