This stuff is beyond ridiculous at this point.  Remember, there are trillions of dollars at stake and all of the vested financial interests, writ large, have positioned themselves to do anything possible to draw down the support for President Trump’s ‘America-First’ agenda.
Don’t kid yourselves or sell your intelligence short; it ain’t about Donald Trump per se’, the opposition is against the policies of President Donald Trump.  Trump’s ‘America-First’ policies are adverse to the interests of multinational corporations and the multinational financial institutions who underwrite those corporations. Yes, this includes Rupert Murdoch, aka “Mr. Wall Street”, the proprietor of the Wall Street Journal and all around self-indulgent billionaire.
The latest approach is for the Wall Street Journal to write an article about Trump reconsidering pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement based on, wait for it…. the conversations with an “EU official”. Un huh.   “International Climate Officials” they say. Ohhh… Journalistic standards now dispatched and not even an inquiry to the White House prior to publication.  Go figure. {{{eyeroll}}}

Seriously folks, if we want to help President Trump and the agenda we voted for, then inoculate yourself -and your family- from this ridiculous corporate media ‘gaslighting’.
It’s lower than fake news, it’s horse-pucky news.
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It’s really challenging to get solid information into the hands of the people who need it most.  Several, heck a lot, of people we’ve met are ‘renters’, have absentee landlords and don’t have any insurance coverage themselves.
There are door-to-door FEMA response crews out in the various neighborhoods in Florida (Irma), and Texas (Harvey). Here’s a decent article with phone numbers (how to) and explanations of what to expect:

FLORIDA –  If you live in one of the disaster-designated Florida counties and experienced property damage or loss directly caused by Hurricane Irma, register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster assistance – even if you have insurance.

You may register for assistance the following ways:

Online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov

If you don’t have Internet access, you can call 800-621-3362.

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Many Treepers have been providing support to Samaritans Purse; and we can confirm the faith-based recovery workers are all over southwest Florida. We’ve shook hands with many of the Baptist Men from all over the Southern U.S. that have traveled into the state to assist in the region.  They are great people who are especially important as they go into some of the areas often forgotten as the media focus is on the immediate coast.

♦ A Poke in The Ribs – yesterday, as we were exiting a convenience store, AJ poked me in the ribs and nodded toward a guy at the gas pump leaning on the edge of his truck bed in a praying position.  The truck was towing a trailer with the traditional gear of a pool service, yellow chlorine containers, skimmer poles and vacuum hoses etc.
No words needed between us, we’ve seen that stance a hundred times. “Hey, brother, you ok?”  “How ya making out?”  In the seconds between the next word, you know… you just know… it’s something about the eyes.
Pool-man Mike lives in an inland area, south Lehigh Acres, and services customers in Bonita Springs.  We never thought about pool-man stress til that moment. Family ok, but house is wrecked, no power, and can’t quit working because he can’t lose his accounts.  Many of his customers are without power, and he’s trying to keep their pools from turning into fancy concrete ponds.  Many are a mess with debris.  Strong work ethic.
“No power?” … “You got a generator?”… “etc.”?
Nope, and pool-man Mike has no time to focus on his own needs because he’s got to keep the business afloat.  Kids at home, school is cancelled next week too; momma stressed and also working.  They need to work, everyone does.
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Video of President Trump and First-Lady Melania Trump visiting people recovering from Hurricane Irma in Florida.

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Do you know why President Trump wears that black windbreaker? Because it helps disguise the blocks of the Kevlar bullet-proof vest he’s forced to wear under it. Think about it for a minute.
President Donald Trump was in Florida, in 95+ degree heat, wearing a Kevlar vest. That’s “showing up”, and believe me, it matters. Meanwhile, there’s a great deal of back-bench barking about various issues important to many people.
I’m not going to dismiss those concerns because they are valid; they are also the result of decades of lies and deceit from the professional GOPe wing of the UniParty in DC. However, I am going to point out that this president, our president, has yet to fail on the key and critical issues which ONLY HE was willing to stand up and call out.
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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Everything is about the economics.  DACA, NAFTA, N-Korea, UniParty, all of it.  It’s the underlying financial and multinational economic constructs, being deconstructed by a U.S. ‘America-First’ President, that are driving the anti-Trump policy narrative.

When reading this article from Reuters interviewing Mexico’s Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray, remember to review through the prism of prior known activity.  On the NAFTA front, a continual 5 year review is against Mexico’s interests because it has the potential to address back-doors and work-arounds that multinationals will find in concert with a willingness on Mexico to exploit.  Wilburine ain’t no dummy.
Secondly, on the John Kelly comments, remember General Kelly participated in South American and U.S. Mexico summits as head of DHS.  Kelly knows the tenuous nature of Mexico’s economy; while it’s doubtful that Kelly used the exact terminology used by the New York Times to create an anti-administration narrative, there’s no doubt of the reality that Mexico’s economy is tenuous at best.

The head of Mexico’s central banking system, Agustin Carstens resigned last December, and continues his role within the World Bank.  President Trump’s policies are against the financial interests of Mexico.  The outflow of U.S. dollars by Mexican nationals props up the Mexican economy.  Clamp down on illegal immigration, and, well, you can see the possibility.  Remember, there are trillions of dollars at stake – and those interests extend well beyond the U.S. borders.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s foreign minister on Friday said a U.S. plan to add a five-year sunset provision to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was redundant, since the pact’s members can already trigger a renegotiation or leave it at any time.

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White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, National Security Advisor HR McMaster and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley provide an extensive press briefing on a variety of domestic and international (N-Korea, U.K) issues.

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When dealing with crisis there’s a delicate space between between joy (celebration) and guilt perhaps never more understandable than the moment when power is restored to your home, yet you are thinking of those still waiting; those still suffering.
Power returned today to casa del Sundance thanks to assistance from three Michiganders, two West Virginians, one Pennsylvanian, and a salty fellow from Gainesville Florida -super smart starfish thrower- with a seriously well designed, and custom engineered, narrow profile track and bucket lift.
Darn I wish I had taken a picture of that gear (phone was dead). It looks a little like this, but is smaller (about size of mini-bobcat); compact and seriously purposeful.  Incredible build and functionality with terrain tracks, generator and a narrow profile; super maneuverable.
With this gear we’re able to squeeze down the easement space between rows of powerless houses, and put the bucket operator into tight spaces clearing fallen trees from under, around, and over the space were power line crews need to travel.  Effectiveness is quadrupled.
♦More fuel is now available.  This is a major improvement. Approximately 50 to 75% of gas stations now seem generally well supplied and it doesn’t take more than a few drive-bys to find fuel.  Stores beginning to resupply, and more people returning to SWFL.
I’m actually amazed at how many residents evacuated, then stayed away for so long.  The neighbor to neighbor communication seems to be the contact to bring them back; with many choosing to stay out until power is restored.  This is significantly different from prior Hurricane impact events.  Usually people return quickly (48-72 hrs); this time a much larger percentage of the population choose to remain in a holding pattern (wherever they evacuated to) awaiting information.
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President Donald Trump provides the weekly address for W/E September 15th, 2017:

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