International Politics

[1965]

"Another high profile military leader in the United States has come out against President Donald Trump over his handling of the protests against racial discrimination and police brutality across the country.

Retired four-star army general Colin Powell, a registered Republican, served as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, then as secretary of state under president George W. Bush.

Speaking to CNN today, Gen Powell added his voice to the growing chorus of criticism against Mr Trump from high profile generals and admirals.

That long list of military brass now includes Mr Trump’s former secretary of defence, General James Mattis; the President’s former White House chief of staff, General John Kelly; the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen; the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen; another former chairman, General Richard Myers; the former boss of US Special Operations Command, Admiral William McRaven; former CIA director General Mike Hayden; and the former supreme allied commander of NATO, Admiral James Stavridis."


https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/us-protests-colin-powell-other-military-leaders-speak-out-in-unprecedented-numbers-against-donald-trump/news-story/8425a6485619b9fc8749adff4f0af1f1

[Francois Jackson]

Who do reckon all the black business owners, black employees and blacks who rely on those businesses are going to hate more after this? Trump who tried to stop the looters or the Dems & leftists who allowed it, encouraged & cheered it on, even took part in it and undermined his efforts at every turn?

Did you hear his disgraceful comments today?

The "George Floyd would be looking down hopefully thinking this is a great thing?" comments?

He was talking about  employment numbers if you didn't know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WsNIJwJcj0&feature=youtu.be

i think my work is done here. Cheers

[WilliamPowell]

Very interesting opinion piece by former Defence Minister Christoper Pyne in yesterday's HUN (a former ScoMo minister)

Can't post a link because I read it in the hardcopy paper and I haven't got time to look for it

But it is balanced, reasoned, honest and sums up what the issues are with President Trump.

Then you have one of the most respected figures in the USA, a staunch republican, former Sec of State in Colin Powell also going whack.... They can't all be wrong and spreading fake news can they?

Unfortunately said article is behind a paywall

While Trump tweets, his country burns

Donald Trump is unfit to be the US President, writes Christopher Pyne.

Having spent four years creating division, he’s now simply making things worse.....

Paywall link: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=AAWEB_WRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adelaidenow.com.au%2Fnews%2Fopinion%2Fdonald-trump-is-unfit-to-be-us-president-writes-christopher-pyne%2Fnews-story%2Fc173c97b05bc1b582ef39a31bf92da6b&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium

And the comments from Powell (I've taken the Aust ABC article but you can find the same under CNN, New York Times, USA today, Reuters etc)

Leading Republican Colin Powell endorses Democrat Joe Biden over Donald Trump in US presidential election

Colin Powell said Mr Trump has lied and has "drifted away" from the US Constitution.

Former US secretary of state Colin Powell has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, joining a growing chorus of Republicans and military leaders criticising Republican President Donald Trump amid nationwide protests.

Key points:

Several groups of Republicans oppose Mr Trump's bid for a second term as president

More Republicans could come out against Mr Trump as momentum against his leadership picks up inside the party

Mr Powell's comments are seen as a rare move given his background in the Republican party and the military

Mr Powell — a Republican who led the US military during the 1991 Gulf War in Iraq and later headed the State Department — said Mr Trump "lies all the time", has "drifted away" from the US constitution and poses a danger to American democracy.

"I cannot in any way support President Trump this year," Mr Powell, who did not vote for the Republican president in 2016, told CNN.
Mr Trump responded by calling Mr Powell a "real stiff" on Twitter.

The criticism comes as the nation faces a trio of crises: widespread protests over police violence against African American men, the coronavirus pandemic and a sharp economic downturn.

It is rare for Republicans to criticise Mr Trump directly, and more so for members of the military establishment, who typically stay out of politics.

Mr Trump's former defence secretary, retired General James Mattis, last week denounced what he called Mr Trump's "deliberate" efforts to divide the country.

James Mattis recently criticised Mr Trump's response to nationwide demonstrations triggered by the killing of George Floyd.

Former joint chiefs of staff chairmen Michael Mullen and Martin Dempsey have also criticised Mr Trump's handling of the unrest.

Republican senator Lisa Murkowski said last week that she was "struggling" with whether to support Mr Trump's re-election, while Republican senator Mitt Romney praised Mr Mattis's words.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that George W Bush would not vote for Mr Trump, citing sources close to the only living Republican former president.

Many of the Republicans now criticising Mr Trump also did not vote for him in 2016.

Tim Murtaugh, a Trump campaign spokesman, said Mr Trump has record support within the Republican Party.

"However, the adoration of the liberal beltway media is alluring and powerfully attractive to some [Washington] DC insiders," he said.

Since winning the White House, Mr Trump has demanded fierce Republican loyalty.

Public denunciations from senior figures like Mr Powell could turn more people against Mr Trump.

"That doesn't do a whole lot for me. If you're not willing to say it, you may as well put on the red hat," Mr Miller said, referring to the Trump campaign's "Make America Great Again" caps.

Mr Powell said he would vote for Mr Biden, going a step further than some other Republicans who have said they do not support Mr Trump but have not backed his Democratic rival.

"I haven't voted for him, so I'm not going to start now, but that's a different question from actively supporting Biden," said Mark Sanford, the former Republican South Carolina governor who mounted a brief primary challenge to the president last year.

Full article:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-08/colin-powell-endorses-joe-biden-democrat-republican-donald-trump/12332746

[WilliamPowell]

Who do reckon all the black business owners, black employees and blacks who rely on those businesses are going to hate more after this? Trump who tried to stop the looters or the Dems & leftists who allowed it, encouraged & cheered it on, even took part in it and undermined his efforts at every turn?

Did you hear his disgraceful comments today?

The "George Floyd would be looking down hopefully thinking this is a great thing?" comments?

He was talking about  employment numbers if you didn't know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WsNIJwJcj0&feature=youtu.be

i think my work is done here. Cheers

And in case you missed it I admitted I got it wrong.... very wrong on the employment numbers, he wasn't talking about that

OK have I made it clear enough for you?

Want me to repeat again?

[Assange Tiger 😎]

 

[mightytiges]

Oh dear...comprehension not really your strong suit is it?   


..and yes what's a little lying about the context between comrades? Pravda would be proud...

Keep telling "it's a great thing" to the young girl now without a father  .

Thanks for proving my point btw .

But Trump fanbois can never say he is wrong about anything .

[Diocletian]

Oh dear...comprehension not really your strong suit is it?   

Thanks for proving my point btw .

 

[mightytiges]

Oh dear...comprehension not really your strong suit is it?   

Thanks for proving my point btw .

 

Always know you no longer have an argument when you go the man .

As I said go tell what Trump said to the young girl now left without a father.

[Diocletian]

 

[Francois Jackson]

MT give up. You are fighting with yourself now. 

Its extremely sad for the girl, but lets be clear he was a known criminal. The way some people carry on he was some sort of martyr or something. Like David Dunjay who sexually assaulted someone. Lets ask those girls how they are feeling just for consistency?

Not condoning the deaths, and the killers should spend years in jail, though they werent exactly good citizens were they. Wonder if the comments would be the same if it was say Georgey Pell who suffered the same fate  in custody. 

[Diocletian]

Bloke's been compared to J.esus and sent off with more pageantry than Tutankhamen... wonder what the pregnant woman whose stomach George Floyd once a held a gun to during a home invasion thinks of his canonisation? 

[Francois Jackson]

Who do reckon all the black business owners, black employees and blacks who rely on those businesses are going to hate more after this? Trump who tried to stop the looters or the Dems & leftists who allowed it, encouraged & cheered it on, even took part in it and undermined his efforts at every turn?

Did you hear his disgraceful comments today?

The "George Floyd would be looking down hopefully thinking this is a great thing?" comments?

He was talking about  employment numbers if you didn't know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WsNIJwJcj0&feature=youtu.be

i think my work is done here. Cheers

And in case you missed it I admitted I got it wrong.... very wrong on the employment numbers, he wasn't talking about that

OK have I made it clear enough for you?

Want me to repeat again?

thank you, good to hear.

[Francois Jackson]

Bloke's been compared to J.esus and sent off with more pageantry than Tutankhamen... wonder what the pregnant woman whose stomach George Floyd once a held a gun to during a home invasion thinks of his canonisation? 

George Floyd is a victim here and shouldnt have been killed, and he is also no more important than the the pregnant lady whose life may be ruined. A fact largely ignored in the middle of MT's commemtd where he only refers to the martyr himself, without mentioning any of his victims.

You dont get 5 years for being a good citizen.

[WilliamPowell]

  SNIP   

Absolute final warning

1/ enough with the insults and the pot shots from the cheap seats
2/ let the mods do the moderating. Which means...
3/ posters are not to use site rules to try and get other posters suspended (read the 3 strike policy if need be). This includes the ever popular "different rules" argument
4/ clear enough? If it isn't have a re-read of these

http://oneeyed-richmond.com/forum/index.php?topic=3581.0
And
http://oneeyed-richmond.com/forum/index.php?topic=17325.0

One final thing, politics is always emotive but if there is another need to edit this thread because people cannot respect opposing views and debate respectfully or without baiting and insults then the posters of the removed threads will receive a strike.


And NO I am not interested in who started what, who did what... debate the issues only

[mightytiges]

MT give up. You are fighting with yourself now. 

Its extremely sad for the girl, but lets be clear he was a known criminal. The way some people carry on he was some sort of martyr or something. Like David Dunjay who sexually assaulted someone. Lets ask those girls how they are feeling just for consistency?

Not condoning the deaths, and the killers should spend years in jail, though they werent exactly good citizens were they. Wonder if the comments would be the same if it was say Georgey Pell who suffered the same fate  in custody. 

Trump wasn't treating Floyd either as a known crim in his stupid comment about Floyd looking down and thinking it's all great. You would have to believe Floyd was a good guy to be up in heaven looking down  .

Two wrongs don't make a right. Yes there were victims of Floyd's criminality but Floyd's criminal history wasn't an excuse for law enforcement to choke him to death. As I said it's the court's role to determine guilt or innocence based on the evidence available and if the defendant is found guilty apply the punishment within the range related to the crime committed as specified by the law. That Victorian judge the other week that lambasted those to two jail inmates for laughing in court at their actions didn't hold back just because they stabbed an organised crime figure in Tony Mokbel that society has contempt for. Habaes corpus is a key pillar of a democratic Western society and exists for all of us. It prevents abuse of power and corruption from authority.

Pell's case was an example of habaes corpus at work. Just because many people blame and despise him for his failure as a senior member of the clergy to protect kids from sexual abuse by pedophile priests over decades, doesn't mean he should be killed on the spot let alone jailed for life without being allowed his legal right to obtain legal representation and go through the whole court and appeal system especially for the different charge of being accused of being a pedophile himself to which he was ultimately cleared by our court system.

The current debate isn't just about George Floyd either. His death was the final spark. It's about the systemic attitude and treament towards minorities especially in lower socio-economic areas from certain parts of society and especially authority. Everything from racial profiling when walking down the street or going into a shop, to arrests for minor offences such as being drunk when they are not applied to everyone, to the disproportinational deaths in custody, to street killings such as the shooting of jogger Ahmaud Arbery and dodgy local authorities in Georgia initially refusing to arrest the culprits. Those on the receiving end of this stick have had enough. We've also seen an elderly 'white' bloke get pushed backwards by US cops and left on the footpath with blood pouring out of his ear. None of us should accept this kind of behaviour from anyone let alone from the police and authorities which must set the highest of standards. We need those high standards to have trust and respect between the public and police/authority. When that trust and respect is lost society crumbles and decays. It's why those cops in the US who have taken a 'knee' in support have done a lot to restore that respect :clappin. It provides hope for institutional reform and a better future society for all.