Octopus Overlords

Rip wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:53 pm That is only because they aren't in the White House. The moment they were they would become Hitler incarnate to a shocking number of people. The only thing necessary in the case of Pence is for Trump to keel over.

Last week the Trump administration announced a deal to lift a ban on US companies exporting technology to Chinese smartphone maker ZTE. ZTE has been largely shut down since the ban was announced last month, because the company depends heavily on Qualcomm chips, Google's software, and other US-made components.

But now a bipartisan group of US senators is seeking to reverse Trump's decision and re-impose the export ban. The Wall Street Journal reports that the legislators have reached a deal to attach a ZTE export ban to the National Defense Authorization Act, a "must-pass" bill that authorizes funding for the military.

Supporters of the amendment include Democratic minority leader Chuck Schumer and at least two Republican Senators—Sen Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). In the closely divided Senate, just a handful of Republican defections can be enough to give critics of President Trump a majority.

ZTE is facing the crippling US export ban after the company was caught selling telecommunications equipment to North Korea and Iran in violation of US sanctions laws. ZTE reached a settlement with the US government over the issue in 2017, but the Trump administration says that ZTE didn't keep the promises it made under that deal.

The deal required ZTE to pay an $890 million fine. It also required the company to discipline dozens of executives who were involved in the scheme, including withholding bonuses. But the US government says ZTE paid those bonuses out anyway and then lied about it to US officials.

In May, the Trump administration imposed a seven-year ban on US companies selling technology to ZTE. ZTE depends heavily on Qualcomm chips and Google's Android operating system, so losing access to US technology was a serious blow for the Chinese firm.

But Trump soon raised concerns about the deal, tweeting that it would lead to "too many jobs in China lost." So last week the US government announced a new deal that involved ZTE paying an additional $1 billion in fines, putting $400 million in escrow as a deterrent for future misdeeds and replacing its leadership.

IceBear wrote: ↑Tue Jun 12, 2018 6:35 am https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/201 ... he-g7.html

Escalating his attack on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Donald Trump is now pledging to punish “the people of Canada” economically because of the post-G7 news conference in which Trudeau criticized Trump’s tariffs.

“That’s going to cost a lot of money for the people of Canada. He learned. You can’t do that. You can’t do that,” Trump said Tuesday in Singapore after meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Trump repeated the vague threat in an interview with ABC.

“I actually like Justin, you know, I think he’s good, I like him, but he shouldn’t have done that. That was a mistake. That’s going to cost him a lot of money,” Trump said.

With tensions between the U.S. and Canada on the rise, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a "strengthened" Northern Border Strategy that it claims will help "combat terrorism" and "help facilitate travel and trade" at its border with Canada.

In a press release published on Tuesday, the DHS said its new strategy "establishes a clear vision and concrete actions that will improve DHS's efforts to safeguard our northern border against terrorist and criminal threats, facilitate the safe and efficient flow of lawful cross-border trade and travel and strengthen cross-border critical infrastructure protection and community resilience."

Remus West wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:56 am At least we are beginning to awaken to the horror that they may press their idea of bacon on us in replacement of true bacon. We must be prepared.

Rip wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 8:12 am We must rise and resist the infiltration and stop the apologist culture from infecting our great nation.

Vorret wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:32 am Yeah Trump can go die in a fire for all I care, if it wouldn't create a war I'd stop all oil export to the USA just as a big fuck you to Trump and see what happens then.

Vorret wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:32 am Yeah Trump can go die in a fire for all I care, if it wouldn't create a war I'd stop all oil export to the USA just as a big fuck you to Trump and see what happens then.

IceBear wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:16 am

Remus West wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 7:56 am At least we are beginning to awaken to the horror that they may press their idea of bacon on us in replacement of true bacon. We must be prepared.

Fyi...we don't call that bacon up here...it's ham or Peameal bacon (yes that has the word bacon in it but it's not the one true bacon bacon).

Rip wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:37 am

Vorret wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:32 am Yeah Trump can go die in a fire for all I care, if it wouldn't create a war I'd stop all oil export to the USA just as a big fuck you to Trump and see what happens then.

Like we wouldn't just take it.....

Notice Crimea and Canada both start with the same letter.....

IceBear wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:48 am

Rip wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:37 am

Vorret wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:32 am Yeah Trump can go die in a fire for all I care, if it wouldn't create a war I'd stop all oil export to the USA just as a big fuck you to Trump and see what happens then.

Like we wouldn't just take it.....

Notice Crimea and Canada both start with the same letter.....

It's comments like this that backs my feelings that you're turning into 1930s Germany and we're just going to be the first to go like Poland. I honestly feel that we'll be conquered before Trump is out of office...with Russia backing him, who's going to stop him from taking over any country he wants...the rest of the world can't stand before the might of the two superpowers working together.

Remus West wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:56 am

IceBear wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:48 am

Rip wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:37 am

Vorret wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:32 am Yeah Trump can go die in a fire for all I care, if it wouldn't create a war I'd stop all oil export to the USA just as a big fuck you to Trump and see what happens then.

Like we wouldn't just take it.....

Notice Crimea and Canada both start with the same letter.....

It's comments like this that backs my feelings that you're turning into 1930s Germany and we're just going to be the first to go like Poland. I honestly feel that we'll be conquered before Trump is out of office...with Russia backing him, who's going to stop him from taking over any country he wants...the rest of the world can't stand before the might of the two superpowers working together.

If we actually invaded Canada it would ignite the next American Civil War. There would be multiple States that refused to send troops (Good Lord, I hope Michigan would be one of those).

I will say though that I felt that last comment by Rip was him simply openly trolling rather than his usual attempts to be subtle about it.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:39 am

IceBear wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:58 am Oh, I suspect so too...but I honestly can't tell anymore.

Holman wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:41 am
Seriously, though. I wish I could somehow apologize to my Canadian friends for Trump.

Vorret wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 10:00 am

Remus West wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:56 am

IceBear wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:48 am

Rip wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:37 am

Vorret wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:32 am Yeah Trump can go die in a fire for all I care, if it wouldn't create a war I'd stop all oil export to the USA just as a big fuck you to Trump and see what happens then.

Like we wouldn't just take it.....

Notice Crimea and Canada both start with the same letter.....

It's comments like this that backs my feelings that you're turning into 1930s Germany and we're just going to be the first to go like Poland. I honestly feel that we'll be conquered before Trump is out of office...with Russia backing him, who's going to stop him from taking over any country he wants...the rest of the world can't stand before the might of the two superpowers working together.

If we actually invaded Canada it would ignite the next American Civil War. There would be multiple States that refused to send troops (Good Lord, I hope Michigan would be one of those).

I will say though that I felt that last comment by Rip was him simply openly trolling rather than his usual attempts to be subtle about it.

Oh and so was I, I know that cutting off oil is out of the question it would only affect the wrong people anyway so that's not a good way to go about things. It's simply frustrating to see how we're being treated after being friends for so long.

Holman wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:41 am
If it's any consolation, your anger isn't 1% of mine. I go to bed with it and wake up with it every day. No joke: disgust is my dominant feeling most days.

gbasden wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:22 am

Holman wrote: ↑Wed Jun 13, 2018 9:41 am
If it's any consolation, your anger isn't 1% of mine. I go to bed with it and wake up with it every day. No joke: disgust is my dominant feeling most days.

Word. You and me both, sir.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:43 am So the turd in chief hit China with $50 billion in tariffs. I expect this will not end well for us.

President Trump followed through Friday on his threat to crack down on China for its “very unfair” trade practices, imposing a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion in Chinese imports and drawing an immediate threat of retaliation from Beijing.

In a late-night statement, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it would impose trade barriers of the “same scale and the same strength,” and that Trump’s tariffs were “damaging” relations and “undermining the world trade order.”

U.S. and Chinese officials in recent weeks had made progress on a deal that involved up to $70 billion in additional purchases of American products. But the Chinese offer was now “invalid,” the statement said.

Chinese officials, who had signaled their intention to retaliate if Trump went through with his tariff threats, are targeting the president’s supporters in farm states and the industrial Midwest.

Anticipating the Chinese response, the president said the United States would “pursue additional tariffs,” raising the specter of the tit-for-tat trade war that business leaders and many congressional Republicans fear.

In a short White House statement, the president said the import tax would apply to “goods from China that contain industrially significant technologies.”
...
On April 6, the administration published a proposed list of 1,333 products targeted for tariffs. After hearing objections from business groups, U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer dropped 515 items and added 284 new ones.

As a result, the tariffs will be imposed in two steps. On July 6, customs officers will begin collecting the tax on an initial basket of goods valued at $34 billion, which were on the initial list.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), meanwhile, will field comments on the new items on the list, valued at $16 billion.

wonderpug wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:40 pm Well at least there's not a lot of stuff we use in America that's made in China.

Jeff V wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 3:01 pm

wonderpug wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:40 pm Well at least there's not a lot of stuff we use in America that's made in China.

Meanwhile, Walmart announces a new round of Price Roll-ups! Signage will resemble their "Price Roll-backs" campaign except the prices will go higher.

Anticipating the Chinese response, the president said the United States would “pursue additional tariffs,” raising the specter of the tit-for-tat trade war that business leaders and many congressional Republicans fear.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 3:31 pm Instead of the smiley face it uses trump's.

Drazzil wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 3:59 pm Step 1: Slash corporate taxes to historic lows.

Step 2:Roll back EPA regulations.

Step 3: Announce trade war with China.

One might surmise Trump may be trying to bring back American manufacturing?

I am NOT for an open trade war and the short term disruption of the economy that that may entail, however the American worker has gotten screwed since the 70's so this may serve to correct that.... I hope.