More Republican madness: Today's news for March 16th (part 2)

CNN:

Federal judge blocks new travel ban; Trump calls it 'judicial overreach'

A federal judge in Hawaii blocked President Donald Trump's new travel ban on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the ban was set to go into effect.

In a 43-page ruling, US District Court Judge Derrick Watson concluded in no uncertain terms that the new executive order failed to pass legal muster at this stage and the state had established "a strong likelihood of success" on their claims of religious discrimination.

Trump decried the ruling during a rally Wednesday night in Nashville, introducing his statement as "the bad, the sad news."

"The order he blocked was a watered-down version of the first one," Trump said, as the crowd booed the news.

"This is, in the opinion of many, an unprecedented judicial overreach," he added, before pledging to take the issue to the Supreme Court if necessary.

The practical effect of the ruling -- which applies nationwide -- is that travelers from six Muslim-majority countries and refugees will be able to travel to the US.

Unlike the previous executive order, the new one removed Iraq from the list of banned countries, exempted those with green cards and visas and removed a provision that arguably prioritizes certain religious minorities.

But here is the interesting part of this story:

In the ruling, Watson brought up specific statements made by the President...in cable news interviews.

Trump made plain his opposition to Islam in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper last year, asserting: "I think Islam hates us."

Cooper asked then-candidate Trump in the interview to clarify if he meant Islam as a whole or just "radical Islam," to which Trump replied, "It's very hard to separate. Because you don't know who's who."

The judge cited this interview as an example of the "religious animus" behind the executive order and quoted Trump telling Cooper: "We can't allow people coming into this country who have this hatred of the United States."

There are several ways to view this.

First, there is the "blinders on" version which Judge Watson has, which says this is nothing more than religious persecution. While this is accurate, it ignores the fact that Islam is also a political philosophy (otherwise, why would Islam have Sharia Law?). If Trump were targeting communists, it is doubtful Watson would apply the same standard.

Second, there is the "war on terror" version, which says we are trying to eliminate radical Islamic terrorists, which can come from anywhere, but mostly from Islamic countries. In this version, the logic is undeniable.

Unfortunately, the second view doesn't go far enough. If you just ask one question, you will arrive at a third view. The question is: Where do radical Islamic terrorists come from? 16 years ago on 9/11, there was only Al-Qaeda. ISIL or ISIS did not exist as they are today (they were a minor group of militant terrorists known as Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad). Thanks to America's post-9/11 war on Islam (in both Afghanistan and Iraq), ISIL picked up more recruits, becoming the international army they are today. America's ruthless murdering of innocent Muslim civilians makes for a great recruiting poster.

In other news of Republican derangement:

The Daily Beast:

John McCain: Rand Paul ‘Is Now Working for Vladimir Putin’

The long-simmering war between Sens. John McCain and Rand Paul boiled over on Wednesday when the Arizona lawmaker directly accused his colleague of working for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While speaking from the Senate floor in support of a bill advancing Montenegro’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), McCain noted objection from his Kentucky colleague, saying that if you oppose the measure, “You are achieving the objectives of Vladimir Putin... trying to dismember this small country which has already been the subject an attempted coup.”

McCain continued: “If they object, they are now carrying out the desires and ambitions of Vladimir Putin and I do not say that lightly.”

Several moments later, after the 80-year-old senator asked for unanimous consent to move the bill forward, Paul took the mic to raise his objection before dramatically exiting the room.

In response, McCain began railing against Paul, his voice trembling with anger: “I note the senator from Kentucky leaving the floor without justification or any rationale for the action he has just taken. That is really remarkable, that a senator blocking a treaty that is supported by the overwhelming number—perhaps 98, at least, of his colleagues—would come to the floor and object and walk away.” 

He then directly connected Paul to the Russian government: “The only conclusion you can draw when he walks away is he has no justification for his objection to having a small nation be part of NATO that is under assault from the Russians.

“So I repeat again, the senator from Kentucky is now working for Vladimir Putin.”

...In response, Paul avoided the over-the-top nature of McCain’s initial attack, instead commenting on the policy issue at hand. “Currently, the United States has troops in dozens of countries and is actively fighting in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Yemen (with the occasional drone strike in Pakistan),” he told The Daily Beast.

“In addition, the United States is pledged to defend 28 countries in NATO. It is unwise to expand the monetary and military obligations of the United States given the burden of our $20 trillion debt.”

There was a time in the 90's when John McCain was concerned about the national debt. Back then, the mainstream media was also concerned about the debt. But being the media whore he is, McCain has clearly signed onto the mainstream media's current McCarthy-like obsession with Russia. It has to be more important to kill commies than to be fiscally responsible, right?

Congratulations Rand Paul! You get to be the first on McCain's blacklist. Just wait until he hauls you before the new Senate Un-American Activities Committee. Get your popcorn ready...

 (hat tip to Imgur for the GIF)