Mega-Thread: Trump Focused Discussion

[Rasulis]

The Trump administration auctioned off oil and gas rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for the first time ever Wednesday, selling off 1.6 million acres along the coast to primarily one major buyer: the state of Alaska.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) won nearly every bid, a sign that oil companies were largely uninterested in developing the pristine wildlife refuge as many major banks have refused to provide financial backing and public support for the projects has diminished.

The sale raised just $14.4 million dollars, roughly $27 per acre. That figure is far below the billion dollars the 2017 bill projected the government would earn alongside a second sale. Only half the acres up for sale received bids, which were submitted by only three companies.

The sale, just two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in, shows the Trump administration's determination to kickoff oil drilling in the Arctic before leaving office. Passed as part of the 2017 tax bill, the law requires the sale by the end of 2021.

"Trump is giving away treasured land in the Arctic Refuge at rock bottom prices in today's oil/gas lease sale," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said on Twitter, calling the sale a human right violation for the Gwich'in tribe that considers the area sacred.

Huffman's bill to block drilling in ANWR passed the House but was never taken up in the GOP-led Senate.

The AIDEA largely serves as Alaska's economic development wing and is not itself an oil company. It will need to resell the leases to those that can drill - a move that raises a number of legal questions.

"To my knowledge this has never happened before, that a state bids on federal leases within their own state," Jenny Rowland-Shea, a senior public lands policy analyst at the Center for American Progress told The Hill.

"It's very odd because the state of Alaska will get 50 percent of the revenue from lease sales. Basically they will be paying to not make any money on those lease sales."

Biden has said he will "permanently protect" ANWR, and the late-stage nature of the sale along with numerous lawsuits could slow the process, giving the incoming administration further avenues to block drilling.

"The writing is on the wall for any of the bidders. It will be tough to get financing and the incoming Biden administration and opposition in the Senate and even new leadership in the Senate and lots of litigation ongoing over the rushed Trump environmental reviews for these projects - all that will make it difficult for companies to drill," Rowland-Shea said.

"The Trump administration railroaded this lease sale through amid a global pandemic and economic recession, and absent any real evidence that pursuing Arctic Refuge oil would provide any significant federal returns. Not surprisingly, today's sale generated significantly less federal revenue than the $1 billion promised by drilling proponents, resulting in a fire sale of some of the most valuable and ecologically significant wilderness remaining in North America," a coalition of major environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Earthjustice said in a release.

Trump's administration is full of idiots.

[s_bushido]

Trump asks everyone to be peaceful and return home:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...28882595885058

Twitter claims this tweet may incite violence, and restricts interaction.

Fuck off with that shit.

"I know your pain. I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us."

Literally the first words he said in that video. That is the reason these people are doing this.

[Zeth Hawkins]

Because he gave a speech telling them to storm the capital, he literally on tape incited violence.

Have a link?

[Machismo]

Have a link?

Do the last 4 years count?

Trump is a fucking Nazi.

[Magicalcrab]

Have a link?

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...17496924086278

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...00434540240897

https://www.latimes.com/politics/sto...ify-his-defeat

His speech was so peaceful and not antagonistic at all. Clearly.
Nothing to see here, folks. Totes.

[Draco-Onis]

Have a link?

full speech

[Zeth Hawkins]

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...17496924086278

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...00434540240897

https://www.latimes.com/politics/sto...ify-his-defeat

His speech was so peaceful and not antagonistic at all. Clearly.
Nothing to see here, folks. Totes.

None of these are "a speech telling them to storm the capital". None of these are even general calls to violence.

[Gorsameth]

Congratulations to the Republican party who stood behind Trump for the last 4 years.
You have done what Al'Qaeda and ISIS could not, drive a heart into American Freedom and Democracy.

[Machismo]

None of these are "a speech telling them to storm the capital". None of these are even general calls to violence.

Trump's calls to violence were provided earlier in the threads. Enjoy!!!

Trump is a fucking Nazi.

[Zeth Hawkins]

full speech

Listening to it, and reading some transcripts in news reports, not seeing calls to storm the Capitol.

[Draco-Onis]

None of these are "a speech telling them to storm the capital". None of these are even general calls to violence.

"We are going to walk down to the capital, we are going to cheer our brave congressmen and women we're probably not going to be cheering because you will never take back our country with weakness you have to show strength and you have to be strong so we will walk down PA avenue"

Mind you there was more shit in that 4 hour rambling.

- - - Updated - - -

Listening to it, and reading some transcripts in news reports, not seeing calls to storm the Capitol.

You don't see anything is the motto of Trump supporters when it comes to the dear leader why did I even bother.

[Magicalcrab]

None of these are "a speech telling them to storm the capital". None of these are even general calls to violence.

Oh, goodness, you're right!
He didn't personally walk down from the podium and hand each and every attendant a gun and a packet of ammunition with congressmembers' names etched into them.

I suppose he's not a fascist.
Thank you for opening my eyes.

[Dhrizzle]

Trump asks everyone to be peaceful and return home:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/...28882595885058

Twitter claims this tweet may incite violence, and restricts interaction.

Literally the first thing he says is he knows their pain and hurt because they had an election stolen.

[Zeth Hawkins]

"We are going to walk down to the capital, we are going to cheer our brave congressmen and women we're probably not going to be cheering because you will never take back our country with weakness you have to show strength and you have to be strong so we will walk down PA avenue"

If that is as close as it gets, then there is nothing here. Walking down to the Capitol and showing strength have nothing to do with storming the building. If you believe that was a call to riot and occupy the building, then you are mentally equal to those participating in those actions.

[Draco-Onis]

If that is as close as it gets, then there is nothing here.

You can't make a blind man see you couldn't see anything when he committed treason either.

[Antiganon]

If that is as close as it gets, then there is nothing here. Walking down to the Capitol and showing strength have nothing to do with storming the building. If you believe that was a call to riot and occupy the building, then you are mentally equal to those participating in those actions.

Take it in the context of his other statements regarding "second amendment people", "stand back and stand by", "very fine people on both sides", etc.

[Zeth Hawkins]

Oh, goodness, you're right!
He didn't personally walk down from the podium and hand each and every attendant a gun and a packet of ammunition with congressmembers' names etched into them.

I suppose he's not a fascist.
Thank you for opening my eyes.

I recognize the sarcasm in your obtuse statement, but you're welcome anyway.

[Magicalcrab]

If that is as close as it gets, then there is nothing here. Walking down to the Capitol and showing strength have nothing to do with storming the building. If you believe that was a call to riot and occupy the building, then you are mentally equal to those participating in those actions.

I wonder how much money went into these videos of Trump speeches, because wow, they really made it seem as though the words that come out of his mouth don't exist in a vacuum.

[Zeth Hawkins]

Take it in the context of his other statements regarding "second amendment people", "stand back and stand by", "very fine people on both sides", etc.

Even taking those quotes at their worst, this is still a reach. To agree with this, I would first need to believe Trump is a mastermind and has been planning this day for months/years.

[Timester]

Gulianni literally called for a trial by combat on the Trump stage a few hours before.

Doesnt matter if Trump told or not to storm the Capitol, it was fucking implicity during the rally.