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@NTA said in US Politics:
I find it funnier that a network that was generally Anti-Hillary are now finding the alternative less than pleasing.
You think its funny because a network is being critical of the candidate they favoured rather than completely subservient? Ok Nick.
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@NTA said in US Politics:
This is an interesting thread on one aspect of national security - disaster management. How important it is to have a working government. I've linked the first tweet and copied in the content of subsequent tweets - kind of hard to read in that format, but saves a bunch of clicking:
I ran int'l disaster response under Obama, incl the Ebola reponse. Trump is undermining every crisis mgmt tool USG has in its arsenal. 2/
.@BillGates was on @NPR today talking #pandemic threat. Nerve-wracking to think how current White House would handle such a crisis. 3/
Not a theoretical threat. Each POTUS has faced outbreak crises: AIDS, SARS, Bird flu, swine flu, Ebola. Just a matter of time. 4/
#Ebola was complex & tough as hell, even tho not a very transmissible disease. A highly contagious, highly fatal flu would be 100x worse. 5/
Defeating Ebola req'd solid crisis mgmt: strong NSC process, reliable info flow to POTUS, credible public & global messaging... 6/
...scientific expertise, strong multilat partnerships, all feeding a coherent strategy. Trump weakening EVERY SINGLE ONE of these tools. 7/
NSC process is reputedly a wreck. Deputies' mtgs are the engine of major crisis mgmt - if they're not working, you'll fail, period. 8/
Why? B/c any major crisis is inherent whole-of-govt endeavor. On Ebola: USAID, CDC, DoD, State, USPHS, etc. Need strong NSC traffic cop. 9/
Need reliable info flow to POTUS. Obama's info reqs kept us focused, helped interagency alignment, enabled informed real-time decisions. 10/
In active crisis, accurate real-time info is paramount. Ignoring PDBs, not reading briefing papers - ensures poor decision making. 11/
Next: public credibility. If outbreak hits, White House uniquely positioned to message to US & world - but only if ppl trust them. 12/
On past outbreaks, POTUS' personal involvement could spur global action. US credibility was a given. But would the world believe Trump? 13/
Respect for science...oy. Need I even say it? Will Admin that flirts w/ anti-vaxxers & climate deniers listen to its own health experts? 14/
This matters ENORMOUSLY. Outbreak control rests on understanding the disease; misunderstand the science and you'll use the wrong tools. 15/
Another big lesson of Ebola - need strong multilat partnerships. US must lead but can't do everything. Need UN, allies to share burden. 16/
Partnerships even more crucial in a real global pandemic. But will world follow USG that alienates multilat institutions and allies? 17/
Finally: coherent strategy. On Ebola, NSC put AID & CDC in strat lead, POTUS outlined clear interagency plan so agencies could slot in. 18/
Hard to see current chaos on NSC, & b/w WH and agencies yielding any kind of strategic coherence. So, likely to work at cross purposes. 19/
THIS IS ALL FIXABLE. But wld take empowered NSC, engagement w/agency expertise, thoughtful strategy process. Not evident in past 4 wks. 20/
So as an emergency manager, welcome to my nightmare. Politics aside, I sincerely hope next Natl Security Advisor empowered to fix it. /end
Obama appointee thinks Trumps people won't do as good a job as him? Shocker.
Anyone would think the Obama administration was arrogant..... -
@Kirwan said in US Politics:
There is only one 100% Trump supporter here and that's Frank, and good on him, he's entitled to his opinions.
And I'm completely entitled to mine. I think it's funny. You and @Rancid-Schnitzel don't. It's subjective
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@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA people who write long passages via twitter are invariably fucking morons.
Generalisation. And subjective.
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@NTA Seriously. Can't he post it on a blog and link to it? There's a point to twitter - brevity. Make your statement within its parameters: 140 characters. A Director of US Foreign Disaster Assistance who can't even do that simple shit right, imagine what a festering fluffybunny he was to work with.
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@NTA said in US Politics:
@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA people who write long passages via twitter are invariably fucking morons.
Generalisation. And subjective.
Well played that man. Very well played.
Golf clap Golf clap
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@Kirwan said in US Politics:
"There is only one 100% Trump supporter here and that's Frank, and good on him, he's entitled to his opinions. "And Wairau. We're a small club at this stage.
Not to worry, I think within a year or two we'll have a few more on the Trump Train (so to speak). -
@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA Seriously. Can't he post it on a blog and link to it? There's a point to twitter - brevity. Make your statement within its parameters: 140 characters. A Director of US Foreign Disaster Assistance who can't even do that simple shit right, imagine what a festering fluffybunny he was to work with.
Maybe he couldn't be arsed setting up a blog, or having someone to put it up in his behalf.
That's beyond the fact it's a couple of hundred words in what basically amounts to bullet point. Faster to deliver by Twitter and more likely to spread.
Instead of this little distraction, why don't you criticise what he actually wrote?
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@NTA said in US Politics:
@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA Seriously. Can't he post it on a blog and link to it? There's a point to twitter - brevity. Make your statement within its parameters: 140 characters. A Director of US Foreign Disaster Assistance who can't even do that simple shit right, imagine what a festering fluffybunny he was to work with.
Maybe he couldn't be arsed setting up a blog, or having someone to put it up in his behalf.
That's beyond the fact it's a couple of hundred words in what basically amounts to bullet point. Faster to deliver by Twitter and more likely to spread.
It takes the same effort. The fact he can't select the appropriate medium speaks volumes for what sort of Director he would have been.
Instead of this little distraction, why don't you criticise what he actually wrote?
Dealing with bird flu, ebola, etc. is actually quite simple: Immigration controls.
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@Kirwan said in US Politics:
@NTA said in US Politics:
I find it funnier that a network that was generally Anti-Hillary are now finding the alternative less than pleasing.
Why? It's not like they got the alternative they wanted.
It's like Gollum labelling pro-Republican posters in this thread 100% Trump supporters. It's a dishonest position, or the trendy term an alternative fact.
There is only one 100% Trump supporter here and that's Frank, and good on him, he's entitled to his opinions.
I'm with Baron, I'm finding the glee about White House leaks and spooks getting involved in politics frightening. The left seem to thinks it's funny.
No president would have survived this concerted attack, let alone talk about the press circling the wagons as they have.
This is what really pisses me off, i.e. that this thread is some kind of winner takes all gang war between 2 equally fanatical sides who will defend their position no matter what. There might be one person who thinks that way, but the reality is that some here lean to one side, but are open to different views and arguments, and are willing to discuss these, while others are very much on the fence. This whole "I wonder how the pro-Trump people will spin that" or "its been mighty quiet in here for 5 minutes" is farking childish.
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@antipodean said in US Politics:
Dealing with bird flu, ebola, etc. is actually quite simple: Immigration controls.
If you're only thinking inside your borders, which is to basically sum up the guys other point about international cooperation quite nicely. Must be willing to take the risk that those measures will NEVER fail, too.
The preferred method for the international community is to actually intercept the problem as close to source as possible.
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@NTA said in US Politics:
Random New Zealander with no experience in international disaster management thinks critical analysis, by expert, can be dismissed based on his personal dislike and ongoing, often hilarious criticism, of a given administration.
Shocker.
critical analysis?.nah ...just the usual bitching over nothing
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@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA said in US Politics:
@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA Seriously. Can't he post it on a blog and link to it? There's a point to twitter - brevity. Make your statement within its parameters: 140 characters. A Director of US Foreign Disaster Assistance who can't even do that simple shit right, imagine what a festering fluffybunny he was to work with.
Maybe he couldn't be arsed setting up a blog, or having someone to put it up in his behalf.
That's beyond the fact it's a couple of hundred words in what basically amounts to bullet point. Faster to deliver by Twitter and more likely to spread.
It takes the same effort. The fact he can't select the appropriate medium speaks volumes for what sort of Director he would have been.
Instead of this little distraction, why don't you criticise what he actually wrote?
Dealing with bird flu, ebola, etc. is actually quite simple: Immigration controls.
Really? I assume you're trying humour?
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@NTA said in US Politics:
@antipodean said in US Politics:
Dealing with bird flu, ebola, etc. is actually quite simple: Immigration controls.
If you're only thinking inside your borders, which is to basically sum up the guys other point about international cooperation quite nicely. Must be willing to take the risk that those measures will NEVER fail, too.
The preferred method for the international community is to actually intercept the problem as close to source as possible.
You say that like it differs from my point.
@booboo said in US Politics:
@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA said in US Politics:
@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA Seriously. Can't he post it on a blog and link to it? There's a point to twitter - brevity. Make your statement within its parameters: 140 characters. A Director of US Foreign Disaster Assistance who can't even do that simple shit right, imagine what a festering fluffybunny he was to work with.
Maybe he couldn't be arsed setting up a blog, or having someone to put it up in his behalf.
That's beyond the fact it's a couple of hundred words in what basically amounts to bullet point. Faster to deliver by Twitter and more likely to spread.
It takes the same effort. The fact he can't select the appropriate medium speaks volumes for what sort of Director he would have been.
Instead of this little distraction, why don't you criticise what he actually wrote?
Dealing with bird flu, ebola, etc. is actually quite simple: Immigration controls.
Really? I assume you're trying humour?
Yes, really. If your focus is preventing a pandemic, you adopt stringent screening procedures based on patterns of migration. Determine source, isolate and treat.
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@antipodean said in US Politics:
You say that like it differs from my point.
My assumption was that you were talking about border controls for the USA. If you're taking border controls for other nations, then good.
The points about US leadership and coordination being required still stand, via unilateral relations. And, most importantly, scientific experts.
Trump's Administration isn't covering itself in glory so far, at least in terms of science
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@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA said in US Politics:
@antipodean said in US Politics:
@NTA Seriously. Can't he post it on a blog and link to it? There's a point to twitter - brevity. Make your statement within its parameters: 140 characters. A Director of US Foreign Disaster Assistance who can't even do that simple shit right, imagine what a festering fluffybunny he was to work with.
Maybe he couldn't be arsed setting up a blog, or having someone to put it up in his behalf.
That's beyond the fact it's a couple of hundred words in what basically amounts to bullet point. Faster to deliver by Twitter and more likely to spread.
It takes the same effort. The fact he can't select the appropriate medium speaks volumes for what sort of Director he would have been.
Instead of this little distraction, why don't you criticise what he actually wrote?
Dealing with bird flu, ebola, etc. is actually quite simple: Immigration controls.
So you are judging this guy's ability based on whether he can post a blog or use his twitter feed in an appropriate manner?
US Politics