# You thought Trump Twittering was bad: welcome FEMA Trump **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 15, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370 "2018-09-15T01:27:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/21 "2018-09-15T17:06:27Z")
If you let him know about it he will turn it into another Trump channel. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/22 "2018-09-15T17:23:40Z")
Y’all should be grateful. It could have been used for dick pics. It could _still_ be used for dick pics. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/23 "2018-09-15T18:22:36Z")
Anyone have an explanation about why people can’t block these calls? Ordinarily I’d think that conservatives would be up in arms about another intrusion by Big Government, but something tells me they’ll go along with this. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/24 "2018-09-15T19:08:43Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > Anyone have an explanation about why people can’t block these calls? Well, you know how you can’t block the Emergency Alert System from your TV? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/25 "2018-09-15T20:59:25Z")
> [@mistymage](#): > > Under the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act of 2006, cellphone users cannot opt out of the presidential alerts." > [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > Anyone have an explanation about why people can’t block these calls? Easy. Turn the phone off. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/26 "2018-09-15T21:22:54Z")
It appears that it will be a brief message saying that it is a test and there is no cause for alarm. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/27 "2018-09-15T21:35:03Z")
Trump’s voice? That’s the sticking point. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/28 "2018-09-15T21:55:07Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Trump’s voice? That’s the sticking point. It’s a text message like the Amber Alert system ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/29 "2018-09-15T21:55:59Z")
> [@mistymage](#): > > Under the Warning, Alert, and Response Network (WARN) Act of 2006, cellphone users cannot opt out of the presidential alerts." TBH, I’m okay with it as long as the President is saying evacuate the area of a hurricane or something like that. What I am wondering is how long before the phrase ‘fake news’ makes it into one of those warnings? And what happens if/ when it does occur? ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/30 "2018-09-15T23:19:41Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Well, you know how you can’t block the Emergency Alert System from your TV? I can’t block GEICO ads, or promos for some upcoming stupid show, or other shit extraneous to the show I’m watching. Maybe I’m wrong, but since I’ve never seen an Emergency Alert on Amazon Prime or Showtime, I suspect they aren’t shown there. I pay for Amazon Prime and Showtime. I don’t pay for NBC or MeTV (antenna). I understand that commercial and informational (not only Emergency Alerts, but “breaking news”) interruptions are intrinsic to the media I get for free. I pay for my cellphone. It seems to me that if I don’t want the government interrupting me, even for what some agency thinks is a good reason, I should be able to stop it on a medium for which I am paying. But this is a sidestep from my original question: Why shouldn’t people be able to block these messages if they choose? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/31 "2018-09-15T23:46:32Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > But this is a sidestep from my original question: Why shouldn’t people be able to block these messages if they choose? Because if nuclear missiles are incoming, you might want to stop binge-watching for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/32 "2018-09-15T23:49:48Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Well, the system has existed since before he was president and he hasn’t tried to use it. How many elections have occurred since Trump became President? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2018, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/33 "2018-09-15T23:56:57Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > How many elections have occurred since Trump became President? A few dozen. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/34 "2018-09-16T00:02:30Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > What ever the Hell was the need for that feature in the first place? I don’t need the POTUS telling ME about emergencies in real time, … > [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Like, he already has the ability to [take over every TV and radio station in the country](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_Action_Notification). But he hasn’t had the ability to shut down the Internet. He’d have to declare emergency powers to do that. And a cell-phone announcement would be the ideal way to let people know why there’s no more independent internet, radio, or television: “_ **Because we are under attack, I have shut down all other communications except for this texting function. I will be your source of information during the attack. Please obey all instructions given to you by the Trump Guard, or expect to be imprisoned or executed as an Enemy of the State. Sincerely, your president-for-life, Donald J. Trump. MAGA!** _” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/35 "2018-09-16T01:00:55Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Because if nuclear missiles are incoming, you might want to stop binge-watching for awhile. This. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/36 "2018-09-16T01:18:38Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Because if nuclear missiles are incoming, you might want to stop binge-watching for awhile. Eh, if I’m about to die, might as well finish Castle Rock. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/37 "2018-09-16T03:47:40Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > But he hasn’t had the ability to shut down the Internet. He’d have to declare emergency powers to do that. And a cell-phone announcement would be the ideal way to let people know why there’s no more independent internet, radio, or television: > > “_ **Because we are under attack, I have shut down all other communications except for this texting function. I will be your source of information during the attack. Please obey all instructions given to you by the Trump Guard, or expect to be imprisoned or executed as an Enemy of the State. Sincerely, your president-for-life, Donald J. Trump. MAGA!** _” No, let’s face the reality. This is what a Trump alert would look like: **“My fellow Americans. I, President of the United States Donald Trump, am addressing you at this time of national emergency. I can now tell you that the reports of an asteroid heading towards Earth, which I have been calling fake news for several weeks, are true. It will be striking Earth in about two hours so you should all get inside the deep underground shelters which you should have begun building several weeks ago. As the asteroid nears Earth, I want to reassure you of the three issues I am sure are upmost on your mind. First, I am safe. It turns out there’s a deep underground bunker under the Smithsonian set aside for our nation’s cultural treasures. I have signed an Executive Order reassigning it to the President’s use so I will survive the impact. Second, I will remain tremendously rich. I delayed announcing the news about the asteroid for a couple of months so I could sell off my properties along the coasts. You will be relieved to hear I sold off the last of them this morning at a huge profit. Third, this is all Obama’s fault.”** ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/38 "2018-09-16T03:54:05Z")
I am waiting for Mueller to use this to tell me the emergency is over. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/39 "2018-09-16T04:34:58Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, let’s face the reality. This is what a Trump alert would look like: > > **“My fellow Americans. I, President of the United States Donald Trump, am addressing you at this time of national emergency. I can now tell you that the reports of an asteroid heading towards Earth, which I have been calling fake news for several weeks, are true. It will be striking Earth in about two hours so you should all get inside the deep underground shelters which you should have begun building several weeks ago. As the asteroid nears Earth, I want to reassure you of the three issues I am sure are upmost on your mind. First, I am safe. It turns out there’s a deep underground bunker under the Smithsonian set aside for our nation’s cultural treasures. I have signed an Executive Order reassigning it to the President’s use so I will survive the impact. Second, I will remain tremendously rich. I delayed announcing the news about the asteroid for a couple of months so I could sell off my properties along the coasts. You will be relieved to hear I sold off the last of them this morning at a huge profit. Third, this is all Obama’s fault.”** The system has a 90-character limit. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2018, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370/40 "2018-09-16T05:33:27Z")
They’re doing their first test now. That suggests very heavily that this is not the old system that was already in place, as surely that would have been tested long ago. This sure sounds like something new–even if it uses the preexisting feature. I see the rationale of having an alert system. I do not, however, see any reason for the President to be involved with it. Sure, if the actual emergency is based on top secret info, then the president may be the one who tells FEMA (if they don’t already have top clearance). But, otherwise, FEMA is supposed to be the one assessing threats and deciding the appropriate action. The President is not supposed to be directly involved. I am fine with an early alert system. I am not fine with a presidential alert system. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-thought-trump-twittering-was-bad-welcome-fema-trump/821370.md?page=3)