10-12-18
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
Raw nazism. A goddamned fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. CBS News reports:
"President Trump touted the "stop and frisk" policy in a speech Monday to the International Association of Chief of Police Annual Convention in Orlando, saying it's a policy that works and was meant for places like Chicago."
Precisely, what was done in Nazi Germany. -- Trump no more than a chip off ole Adolf's nazi block. ... Right, Mr. 'President?'
"The president, who regularly brings up Chicago when talking about crime, said that city should strongly consider the controversial "stop and frisk" policy used when his lawyer Rudy Giuliani was mayor of New York city."
What nazi wouldn't, right, Mr. 'President?'
"I have directed the attorney general's office to immediately go to the great city of Chicago to help straighten out the terrible shooting wave. I'm going to straighten it out and straighten it out fast," Mr. Trump said."
... As your not-so-great Nazi forebear Adolf Hitler did, Mr. 'President?'
"There's no reason for what's going on there. I've told them to work with local authorities to try to change the terrible deal the city of Chicago entered into with ACLU, which ties law enforcement's hands and to strongly consider stop and frisk. It works and it was meant for problems like Chicago. It was meant for it. Stop and frisk."
What's next, you achingly clueless, fascist son of a bitch? Lining all offenders up against the wall and shooting them, Mr. 'President?' Have that in mind, sir?
"And Rudy Giuliani, when he was mayor of New York City, had a very strong program of stop and frisk, and it went from an unacceptably dangerous city to one of the safest city in the country and I think the safest big city in the country, so it works. Got to be properly applied, but stop and frisk works. The crime spree is a terrible blight on that city and we'll do everything possible to get it done."
Spoken precisely like your Nazi forebear Adolf Hitler, Mr. 'President.' A raucous, boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Sieg Heil!, Mr. Trump?
Wake up, readers. No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all levels and branches of government, -- including law enforcement. Our sick, nazi president is truly evil. Presents an exigent threat to life, liberty and what our formerly great country used to stand for.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-12-18
Republicans have again disgraced themselves vis a vis the Kavanaugh nomination. CBS News reports:
"The general consensus so far from Republicans who have viewed the FBI report about Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's background is that is yields no new information or additional corroborating information. Democrats, however, are blasting the report as severely incomplete. Senators on Thursday are taking turns reviewing the report following demands for a more thorough investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against President Trump's nominee. The White House received the report overnight, and transmitted it to the Senate Judiciary Committee, before each member of the Senate has a chance to review a single copy in person on Capitol Hill. Republicans still plan to begin voting on Kavanaugh on the Senate floor Friday, with final votes on Saturday. Senate Judiciary Committee Chuck Grassley claimed the report reveals nothing the committee did not already know, and reveals no "contemporaneous evidence" to support the allegations. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said "the most notable part of this report is what's not in it."
Why isn't the public entitled to this information? Why aren't Democrats allowed to disclose the details of this sham conducted by the FBI?
NBC News reports:
"Democrats on Thursday blasted the FBI investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, calling it a "sham" and "a horrific cover-up." The lawmakers spoke after having access to the report in a secure facility, arguing that the investigation was limited in scope and incomplete, and claiming that the White House directed the FBI's probe, leaving key witnesses off the interview list. "The whole thing is sham. Five days to do the investigation," said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va."
Nazi justice. Nazi America. Egregiously un-American.
"Kaine noted that many witnesses who may have relevant information about the allegations were not interviewed. He cited Deborah Ramirez, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct while they were students at Yale; possible corroborating witnesses were not interviewed. "And so, here is what they do. There is now a report. One copy. Only one copy that's available in the Senate SCIF,” he said, referring to a secure location where lawmakers can read the report for a limited amount of time. "So they don't want 100 senators to read it. I'm not allowed to discuss it. The public can't see it. It's a complete sham."
No question. Nazi justice. Nazi America. Egregiously un-American.
"Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., called it a "cover-up," ripping the White House coordination with Senate Republicans to limit the scope of the investigation. "It's obviously a cover-up," Markey told CNN. "The Trump White House, working with the Republican leadership in the Senate, have deliberately circumscribed this investigation." Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., questioned the legitimacy of the probe in a tweet after being briefed on Thursday. “I read the FBI report. This whole thing is a sham. This stunted, strangled investigation was designed to provide cover, not to provide the truth,” he said. He later told CNN after reading the report: "This is an example of what a horrific cover-up this investigation is."
No question.
"Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led one of the protests in front of the D.C Circuit Court. Earlier, the Massachusetts lawmaker said in a tweet that the report is evidence the GOP is trying to force Kavanaugh's confirmation process through "no matter the cost." "Not even a full week for an FBI investigation. ... This is a complete sham,” Warren said in a tweet. "@SenateMajLdr McConnell said he’d plow Brett Kavanaugh through, and that’s exactly what the GOP is doing — no matter the cost." Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., tweeted on Thursday that President Donald Trump "said he wanted a full background check. What he delivered was a whitewash. An investigation isn't legitimate if dozens of key witnesses are never interviewed. The Senate will be committing gross negligence if it confirms this nominee."
Exactly, what nazis in the Republican Party intend. When are you clueless bastards in the Democratic Party finally going to stand up and walk out of the Senate in protest? When? Too goddamned gutless?
"Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” that the FBI report is “woefully incomplete” and suggested that “it smacks of a whitewash, even a cover-up.” “There are certainly indications of misconduct that should have been pursued,” Blumenthal said. “It really is the story of unfollowed leads, unanswered questions and un-interviewed witnesses. And, It raises more questions than it answers.” He also said the FBI neglected its duty to fully follow up on claims, but he does not believe that the FBI is wholly responsible. “I think that the blame lies with White House that straitjacketed this investigation,” he said."
No question. Agents could have stood tall in protest and resigned. Did not. Gutless bastards. Cowardly rubber stamped the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, said after being briefed on the report that there were "hints of misconduct." "It’s very frustrating that they didn't do a thorough investigation, that they didn't interview all the relevant witnesses, that they didn't interview all the potential eyewitnesses, they didn't interview the corroborating witnesses," Booker said. "I’m actually shocked. I’m actually shocked."
Then why the hell haven't you walked out the Senate in protest? All talk. No action. Empty, hollow rhetoric.
"Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., also on the committee, said, "The White House obviously limited what they could look at and the White House obviously controlled the process and that raises questions of credibility in my mind."
That's all you can say, Senator? Time for you to retire. Give someone else a chance to do the job you and your fellow Democrats are clearly not doing.
"Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., another Senate Judiciary Committee member, said, "This so-called investigation leaves a lot more questions than answers." When asked if the report had any new information, she answered, "Nope."
Clearly, the FBI supplemental 'investigation' of the Kavanaugh nazi was nothing more than a sham. CBS news reports:
"The FBI inquiry into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has resulted in the questioning of his friends, as well as a friend of his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. The bureau, however, did not interview Kavanaugh or Ford. That has raised questions from lawmakers and prosecutors like Fran Townsend, who was homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush and served on his administration with Kavanaugh. "I personally don't believe as a prosecutor that you could have a credible and complete investigation without an interview of Dr. Ford," Townsend said Thursday on "CBS This Morning." Townsend, a CBS News senior national security analyst, was one of 84 women who signed a letter supporting Kavanaugh's nomination before the allegations surfaced publicly."
Fascinating, isn't it? Especially, coming from a woman who had supported the nomination.
"She said the limited scope of the FBI inquiry hurts the agency's credibility."
Worse, destroyed whatever credibility remained. While the Trump nazi ordered them to limit the scope of the 'investigation,' these gutless bastards could have resigned in protest. Did not. Gutlessly went along to get along, -- with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Who'd 'a 'thunk' it, no?
"Everybody called for this because they were an independent third party. They were the gold standard in terms of an investigation, non-partisan. And to have them now say we found no support for Dr. Ford's allegations, but we didn't speak to her, I think does undermine their credibility," she said."
Destroys all semblance of credibility. Clearly, they're bought and paid for.
"While both Ford and Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday, Townsend said there was information the FBI would not get without questioning Ford. You don't get out of that the therapist notes, which you could have asked her for permission to get. You don't get the polygraph or the polygraph report, which you could have asked her for. And so there are a lot of good reasons in a thorough investigation, as a prosecutor, I think I would have sent the agents back out to do that," Townsend said."
This was nothing more than a sham, charade, ruse. Anything to ramrod through the Kavanaugh nazi to the highest court of the land.
NPR reports:
"Key Republican senators who have been withholding judgment on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court amid allegations of sexual assault said the supplemental inquiry by the FBI into those allegations was "thorough." While not announcing how they would vote, they did not signal further reservations about Kavanaugh."
Nazi justice. Nazi America.
"Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters after reviewing the report, "It appears to be a very thorough investigation, but I am going back later today to personally read the interviews." Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who insisted on the further investigation before allowing Kavanaugh's nomination to advance out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also said the report was thorough and indicated that no new evidence had emerged to corroborate the claims against Kavanaugh."
The Trump nazi had determinedly limited the scope of the 'investigation' in terms of both duration and substance. To ensure the Kavanaugh nazi could be ramrodded through to the highest court of the land. Kangaroo justice. Nazi America.
"NPR has confirmed six people whom the FBI interviewed as part of its investigation: Kavanaugh's high school friends P.J. Smyth, Mark Judge, Tim Gaudette and Chris Garrett; Ford's friend Leland Keyser; and a second Kavanaugh accuser, Deborah Ramirez. Ford, who is a professor in California, was not interviewed by the FBI, her lawyers say. Kavanaugh had not been questioned either, Feinstein said. Ramirez provided a list of around 20 names to the FBI of people who she says either witnessed Kavanaugh's alleged sexual misconduct or heard about it contemporaneously. Her legal team says the FBI did not contact those individuals."
Whitewash. Courtesy of the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"It remains unclear what specific parameters the White House put on the investigation — whether, for example, it may have established any restrictions of its own or whether it simply applied those from Senate Republicans in making the assignment to the FBI. In other words, the question is whether the White House went along with establishing guardrails for the FBI that were set by McConnell even if no White House official set them."
'Plausible deniability' courtesy of the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Gutless pieces of crap.
In another article, NPR reports:
"FBI special agents spoke with nine people as they investigated allegations of sexual misconduct against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the White House said on Thursday. Administration officials declined to detail who had spoken with investigators, but some of the people involved, or their lawyers, have talked on their own about whether or not they have given interviews to the FBI."
No transparency. Imagine that. The nazi way.
"NPR has confirmed the identities of six people whom the FBI interviewed as part of its investigation: Kavanaugh's high school friends P.J. Smyth, Mark Judge, Tim Gaudette, Chris Garrett, Ford's friend Leland Keyser, A second Kavanaugh accuser, Deborah Ramirez."
Think that a meaningful 'investigation' designed to get at the truth? ... Or, no more than a worthless sham, charade, ruse?
"A third woman who has leveled allegations against Kavanaugh and Judge, Julie Swetnick, evidently was never contacted by the FBI, according to her attorney. Ramirez's attorney also said on Thursday that she had given investigators the names of a number of people from her college days who she said could corroborate allegations she has made against Kavanaugh. The FBI apparently did not talk speak with any of them."
No more than a meaningless sham designed to ramrod through the Kavanaugh nazi to the highest court of the land.
"The White House had said it wasn't imposing any restrictions on the FBI. That may have been the case, but it also may have imposed restrictions requested by Senate Republicans. "The Senate set the scope of the investigation," as White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters on Thursday. Democrats argued that the findings of the FBI are therefore invalid, because investigators weren't permitted the time or authority to pursue the case fully."
Perfect Catch-22 imposed by nazis in the Republican Party.
"The most notable part of this report is what's not in it," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee."
That's so because nazis in the Republican Party made sure the hands of the FBI were tied. To ramrod through the Kavanaugh nazi to the highest court of the land.
"Republicans say that Kavanaugh has been vetted more than enough — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said on Thursday morning that it's time to move on."
No sir, it's not. Your nazi nominee has not been properly vetted. The FBI has not properly and thoroughly investigated credible sexual assault allegations against Mr. Kavanaugh. No more than a whitewash.
"I've now received a committee staff briefing on the FBI's supplement to Judge Kavanaugh's background investigation file," he said. "There's nothing in it that we didn't already know. These uncorroborated accusations have been unequivocally and repeatedly rejected by Judge Kavanaugh, and neither the Judiciary Committee nor the FBI could locate any third parties who can attest to any of the allegations."
Horse shit. A proper investigation was not conducted. By design. Intentionally, so. Credible witnesses were deliberately not interviewed by the jackbooted bastards in the FBI. This law enforcement agency has no credibility. Neither do nazis in the Republican Party. To say nothing of clueless Democrats. This entire process? No more than a sham. You gutless bastards had no intention of contacting these third parties.
NPR reports:
"Boy, you all want power," said Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, his voice rising to a shout at the Democrats across from him in a public hearing. "God, I hope you never get it!"
Senator, you're a goddamned hopelessly partisan hypocrite. You nazis in the Republican Party are not doing the very same?
Sen. Lindsey Graham has, indeed, clearly lost his mind. Made a total jackass of himself. CBS New reports:
"Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called for Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, his colleague on the Senate Judiciary Committee, to apologize to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh for over the "smear campaign" against him. Graham has been a vocal supporter of Kavanaugh as he faces allegations of sexual misconduct by multiple women, and has unloaded on Democrats multiple times recently, most notably during a hearing last week where Kavanaugh and accuser Christine Blasey Ford testified. Graham accused Democrats of spurring an "unethical sham."
Called the truth, Senator. Not like the partisan scam you and your fellow nazis in the Republican Party are desperately promulgating.
"In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, Graham referred to an incident during Kavanaugh's testimony when Klobuchar asked the judge about his drinking habits. "This is the one that bothers me the most: he apologized to Amy Klobuchar for snapping at her. What would you do if you were accused of all these things and had your life ruined?"
Called the truth, Senator. Remove your head from your ass. Aggressive stupidity remains unbecoming a United States Senator.
"Graham said about Kavanaugh's testimony. "Here's what I think: Amy Klobuchar should apologize to Judge Kavanaugh and his family for being part of a smear campaign I haven't seen in over 20 years in politics."
An apology for what? Exposing the truth? Your head remains securely lodged up your ass, Senator.
"When Klobuchar questioned Kavanaugh, she prefaced her question on his alcohol use by discussing her own father's struggle with alcoholism. She then stated that many of his college associates had said in news reports that Kavanaugh was a heavy drinker in his youth. "Was there ever a time when you drank so much you couldn't remember what happened, or part of what happened, the night before?" Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh. "You're asking about a blackout. I don't know, have you?" Kavanaugh responded, turning the question on Klobuchar."
Impertinent, unresponsive jackass. Think this piece of shit has the temperament to sit in judgment of anyone?
"Could you answer the question, Judge? So, that's not happened. Is that your answer?" Klobuchar asked.
"Yeah, and I'm curious if you have," Kavanaugh said.
"I have no drinking problem, Judge," Klobuchar responded.
"Nor do I," Kavanaugh said at the end of Klobuchar's questioning."
Think he didn't have a drinking problem at the time of the alleged assault? Think his current testimony doesn't sound like that of a 'dry drunk?'
"After the hearing reconvened after a recess, Kavanaugh apologized for his glib response to Klobuchar's question."
The bastard realized his true self had come out in all its splendor. Gross unfitness for office. Lack of judicial temperament.
"Sorry I did that," he said. "This is a tough process. I'm sorry about that."
"I appreciate that," Klobuchar said. "I'd like to add when you have a parent that is an alcoholic, you are pretty careful about drinking."
Consider the following:
"Klobuchar told "CBS This Morning" the following day that she was unsatisfied with Kavanaugh's answer. "I was thinking that if I was in his courtroom and acted like that, he would have thrown me out," Klobuchar said. "And I appreciated that he apologized, but at the same time, he didn't really answer the question. And what I was trying to get at was that you have this incredibly convincing testimony in the morning from Dr. Ford."
... And the achingly clueless Graham nazi expects Klobuchar to apologize to Kavanaugh? Take your head out of your ass, Senator. You've again disgraced yourself. No more than rabid, insane partisanship.
The Washington Post reports:
"Judge Brett Kavanaugh has admitted to saying some things he should not have during a Senate hearing last week, a tacit acknowledgement of the questions being raised about his conduct and emotions as he seeks confirmation to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh made the remarks in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, arguing that he would be an independent and nonpartisan judge. But he did not apologize for his behavior at the hearing, in which he interrupted senators, turned questions about drinking back on them and seeded his opening remarks with comments about “revenge on behalf of the Clintons” and left-wing groups. His performance has come under increased scrutiny as his potential appointment to the Supreme Court hangs in a delicate balance. More than 2,400 law professors from across the political spectrum signed a letter this week arguing that the lack of “judicial temperament” that Kavanaugh displayed would be disqualifying for any court, let alone the highest in the land. A former Supreme Court justice, John Paul Stevens, has also weighed in, calling Kavanaugh’s hearing performance disqualifying during an event Thursday, according to the Palm Beach Post."
Does not have the temperament necessary to sit on the bench.
NPR reports:
"Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Friday, 51-49. A final vote on his confirmation is expected as soon as Saturday. President Trump tweeted that he was "very proud" of the Senate for taking the critical step."
Raw nazism. Kangaroo justice. Nazi America.
Vis a vis Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), The Washington Post reports:
"Senators have been muzzled. So I will now say three things that committee staff has explained are permissible to say without violating committee rules. … One: This was not a full and fair investigation. It was sharply limited in scope and did not explore the relevant confirming facts. Two: The available documents do not exonerate Mr. Kavanaugh. And three: the available documents contradict statements Mr. Kavanaugh made under oath. I would like to back up these points with explicit statements from the FBI documents — explicit statements that should be available for the American people to see. But the Republicans have locked the documents behind closed doors.”
Kangaroo justice. Nazi America.
The Washington Post reports:
"The Senate advanced Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination in a key procedural vote Friday morning, putting him one step closer to confirmation and ending a deeply partisan and rancorous fight that has resonated well beyond Washington. The chamber voted 51 to 49 to advance the nomination after Republican leaders secured the votes of two GOP senators and one Democrat who had not publicly announced their intentions before arriving to vote. A final confirmation vote could come Saturday.
"Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Susan Collins (Maine), two of the Republican holdouts, voted to advance President Trump’s nominee, while Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) was the only GOP senator to break with her party. Sen. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.), a red-state Democrat up for reelection next month, was the only Democrat to support Kavanaugh. Flake also indicated that he plans to vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation on Saturday “unless something big changes,” which he said he doesn’t expect — a move that further bolsters the judge’s prospects."
Raw nazism. Kangaroo justice. Nazi America.
NBC News reports:
"Sen. Susan Collins closed hard. In a dramatic Senate floor endorsement that essentially sealed Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation Friday, the Maine Republican said she ultimately didn't believe Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Kavanaugh tried to rape her when they were in high school. Ford's claims, she said, "fail to meet the more-likely-than-not standard." Though Trump ridiculed Ford from the stump in Mississippi Tuesday and has long bemoaned the treatment of Kavanaugh by Democrats and the national news media, he never delivered the killer sound bite that he simply didn't believe Ford. Collins went further than Trump — and, because she was more measured, her words were more cutting."
Collins disgraced herself. Proof positive rabid partisanship has clearly overtaken national socialists, fascists who have commandeered the Republican Party. No bona fide, in depth investigation, criminal or otherwise, was performed by the FBI. Despite credible allegations from multiple, well-educated, professional women.
The Trump nazi and his henchmen dictated to FBI agents parameters of the sham 'investigation' ordered. To ensure Republican idiots, including Sen. Susan Collins, would ignore credible allegations of sexual assault against the Kavanaugh nazi. Most convenient. Adolf and Benito? Smiling ear-to-ear. 'High-fiving-on their fiery perches.
Sen. Collins displayed her true colors, remains no more than an ignorant Republican national socialist, fascist. Gutlessly placed partisanship ahead of principle, country. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
"They also seem destined to bring her a challenge from Democrats. Already, donors have collected roughly $2 million to support a future Collins opponent."
Matters not. Democrats are not worth a shit. Have not been since November 22, 1963, the Kennedy assassination. Failed to do all they could to oppose this rising fascism within the Republican Party, including walking out the Senate in protest. They're gutless. Worthless. Achingly, ineffective.
"For now, though, Collins is an unlikely heroine for the right — a senator who opposed Trump on immigration, Obamacare and abortion restrictions and then saved his Supreme Court nominee. Not only did she provide the key vote, but she locked in the attention of the nation and made the case for him."
The Senator is as much a traitor as all who voted for the Kavanaugh nazi. Both parties.
"Collins sought to systematically dissect a series of arguments against Kavanaugh, most notably the sexual assault allegations that delayed his final confirmation vote and placed the battle smack in the middle of a cultural war over misconduct by powerful men. Her words were made even more forceful by the fact that they were coming from a moderate Republican woman from New England who has long been a strong voice against sexual harassment and assault."
That's crap. This woman perniciously placed rabid partisanship ahead of principle, no more than that. Don't give this Senator more credit than she deserves.
"Every person — man or woman — who makes a charge of sexual assault deserves to be heard and treated with respect," she said."
That didn't happen, Senator. Wake up, madam. You, fellow Republicans, the Trump nazi, and his henchmen wanted no part of that. Made sure it didn't happen. Kangaroo justice. Raw nazism. Democrats failed to follow through. Could have done their homework. Been far better prepared for whomever Trump nominated to make absolutely sure Republican fascists on the Supreme Court did not have a 5-4 nazi majority.
Coup de grace? Proof positive the fix was in courtesy of the Collins nazi? Get this:
"But, she said, that doesn't require the Senate to presume Kavanaugh was guilty just because he was accused."
Jesus Christ. This Senator is disingenuously clueless. Worse? Lying. There was no bona fide investigation criminal or otherwise conducted by the FBI or anyone else. No more complicated than that. Senator? You're no more than a disingenuous, hopelessly partisan liar. Have disgraced yourself. Betrayed every woman in this country who has been sexually assaulted. Not to neglect to mention men who have suffered the same.
"In evaluating any given claim of misconduct, we will be ill served in the long run if we abandon the presumption of innocence and fairness, tempting though it may be," she said. "We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy."
Do you truly believe that Senator? If so, you've clearly lost your mind. Remain unfit for office. Without question, you and your fellow nazis in the Republican Party refused Democratic demands for a full, comprehensive FBI investigation of these allegations. Forget? That clueless? You intentionally ramrodded through an unfit national socialist, fascist, nazi to the highest court of the land. Did so shamelessly.
The Kavanaugh nazi was not the one denied fairness, Senator. It was Dr. Ford. To say nothing of all those in our formerly great country who have been sexually assaulted. What is surprising, astounding, stunning is the fact that it is a female Senator who has done this. Perpetrated this incredible injustice.
"As if to answer Kavanaugh critics who have noted that the Republican roster on the Judiciary Committee — as well as the GOP contingent at Kavanaugh press conferences — are all-male, Republican Sens. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi sat directly behind Collins as she spoke, ensuring they were captured in the frame of the chamber's video camera."
Two additional idiots joining Sen. Collins. ... Think aggressive stupidity contagious? Not a raging problem across both genders?
Equally telling? Get this:
"As much as Kavanaugh's nomination has been divisive for the nation, Collins' speech was unifying for the GOP."
Pitiful. Pathetic. Appalling. Clueless. True testament to precisely how far the GOP has deteriorated since the days of McCarthy during the early 50s.
"At Trump's White House, aides cheered when she concluded by saying she would vote to confirm Kavanaugh. President George H.W. Bush, as different from Trump as any Republican in substance, style and temperament, praised Collins for her "political courage" and "principled leadership."
Jesus Christ. This, coming from a former president who as CIA Director reportedly directed a narcotics operation? Have to wonder whether the former president is suffering from the dementia of old age.
"She framed her case for Kavanaugh by trying to knock down the reasons to vote against him — infusing it with a call for the Senate to return to a more civil era of judicial confirmations — and delivered rebukes to Democrats who had vowed to defeat any Trump nominee even before Justice Anthony Kennedy announced that he would resign from the high court."
Didn't Republican nazis do precisely the same to Obama? How soon they conveniently forget. What Republican nazis clearly want is return to the days of yesteryear when nobody challenged extremist Supreme Court nominees. -- As happened from the time Nixon took office in 1969 up until the present.
"Senator Collins did not take her position lightly, presented a well thought-out and reasoned argument with a foundation based on her vast knowledge of the law and judicial process," said Ron Bonjean, who helped shepherd Justice Neil Gorsuch's nomination through the Senate."
Horse shit. Re-write of history. This Senator and those who support her bullshit ignore the fact there was no bona fide investigation conducted by the FBI, or anyone else for that matter, of these allegations. Allegations that were credible. Presented by women who were well-educated, professional, successful women.
"At the same time, she did an effective job addressing the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. No one can say she didn’t take her job seriously at this pivotal moment in American history.”
Partisan insanity. Clear distortion of reality, what went down and why.
"Following her speech, Collins told reporters she'd made up her mind the night before, after reviewing an FBI report on interviews conducted in connection with Ford's allegations and those made by a Yale classmate, Deborah Ramirez. Implicit in her remarks Friday was the sense — seemingly at odds with others in her party — that she would have found a credible allegation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh to be disqualifying. "Believe me, I struggled with it for a long time because I was — did not want — I was very disturbed by the allegations that were put forth, and I found Christine Ford's testimony to be very heart-wrenching, painful and compelling," she said after leaving the floor. "But there was a lack of corroborating evidence no matter where you looked among all three people she names as present at the party."
Jesus Christ. Wake up, Senator. If what you're saying is true, why the f--k didn't you and your fellow nazis in the Republican Party DEMAND a full, no holds barred criminal investigation? Gutlessly afraid of what the results would be? Even after all these years? Your 'reasoning?' Hopelessly, flawed. At best, disingenuous. At worst, deceptive, self-delusional lie.
"If Collins wrestled with her verdict, she was anything but ambiguous in rendering it. She went through many of the criticisms of Kavanaugh’s record and philosophy, noting why she thought each was off base. But ironically, as she lamented the partisan division in the country, she did not mention Kavanaugh’s admittedly intemperate testimony before the Judiciary Committee last week, which included his allegation that he was the victim of a conspiracy by Senate Democrats, the Clintons and those upset by the 2016 election."
Last sentence of above quote, proof positive this Senator's rant was not based on fact, personal belief, doubt, nothing other than raw partisanship. She failed herself, her country, and all who have been sexually assaulted.
“It is particularly worrisome that the Supreme Court, the institution that most Americans see as the principal guardian of our shared constitutional heritage, is viewed as part of the problem through a political lens,” Collins said."
Just as you, yourself, have done, Senator. Too clueless to realize your aching hypocrisy, Ms. Collins?
"But she didn’t point her finger at Kavanaugh."
No, she didn't. Further proof positive of rabid partisanship. Placement of party ahead of principle, country.
"The fierce battle over Kavanaugh, which played out in the halls of the Senate and in kitchen-table debates across the country, will leave many searing memories: Ford testifying about the "indelible" laughter of Kavanaugh as he pinned her to a bed, covered her mouth and tried to undress her; Kavanaugh's indignant denial, distressed recounting of the impact of the allegations on his family and partisan lashing of Democrats; and Trump's ridicule of Ford. Most important will be the moment Collins ended it all by saying she believed Kavanaugh more than Ford."
Indeed. Raw nazism. This woman, a United States Senator, egregiously disgraced herself.
Above quotes courtesy of a most-gifted, insightful writer, Jonathan Allen.
The Washington Post reports:
"Kavanaugh, though, has a distinct honor: He will be the first justice nominated by someone who lost the popular vote to earn his seat on the bench with support from senators representing less than half of the country while having his nomination opposed by a majority of the country."
That's right. No mandate. None. Nazi justice. In a fascist police-state. Nazi America.
Nazism now reins supreme in the United States Supreme Court. NBC News reports:
"Brett Kavanaugh was sworn in Saturday evening as an associate justice to the U.S. Supreme Court."
Epitome of obscenity. The fifth bona fide Republican nazi confirmed to this worthless Court of ill-repute. All civil and constitutional rights and liberties remain in severe jeopardy. Raw nazism, national socialism, fascism reign supreme.
"The swearing-in came hours after the Senate on Saturday afternoon narrowly confirmed Kavanaugh to the high court, 50-48. As the roll call began on his confirmation vote, protesters in the Senate gallery began yelling "I do not consent!" and "shame on you" as Vice President Mike Pence — who was presiding over the session — called for order. Several women could be heard quietly sobbing and sniffling; some dabbed tears. Before the swearing-in ceremony, protesters pushed past the police line to the front steps of the Supreme Court and chanted, "Hey hey, ho ho, Kavanaugh has got to go," "We believe survivors" and "shut it down." The interruptions capped off two weeks of protest against President Donald Trump's nominee that swept Capitol Hill ahead of the final vote."
... Hear the rumble? An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Revolution Doomsday Clock strikes ever closer to midnight in a formerly great country that has now perniciously embraced national socialism. We're precisely where Nazi Germany was in 1933 when Hitler became Chancellor. Far worse was yet to come then, -- and now.
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took a victory lap during a news conference shortly after the vote, predicting that the Senate will move beyond the Kavanaugh controversy."
Jesus Christ. Unabashed fool. This nazi jackass remains hopelessly delusional. What we're seeing now is the end of our formerly great country as we once knew it. Far worse to come.
"We'll get past this. We always do," he said, adding that the Senate has had "plenty of low points" in U.S. history and that the much-criticized Kavanaugh confirmation process is "nowhere near" one of them. "We always get past them."
Ole Mitch "The Bitch" McConnell has clearly lost his mind. Hopelessly, delusional.
"Before the vote, McConnell said it was time for the chamber to put the rancor behind it. "A vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh today is a vote to end this brief, dark chapter in the Senate’s history and turn the page toward a brighter tomorrow," he said in remarks on the Senate floor."
This fascist son of a bitch has clearly lost his mind. Going senile, Mitch? This is merely the beginning of far more rancor to come. Just the beginning.
"Democrats were furious with the outcome."
Democrats are worthless. Have been so since the Kennedy assassination in 1963. These gutless pieces of shit didn't even have the courage to walk out the Senate.
"This was a sit down and shut up moment for American women, sit down and shut up for survivors of sexual assault, sit down and shut up for everyone who doesn’t agree with the power structure in Washington," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., told NBC News."
You're all talk, Liz. No action. Empty, hollow, meaningless rhetoric. ... As our formerly great country continues to nazify under Trump and his fellow nazis in the Republican Party.
"Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said after the vote that Kavanaugh's confirmation signaled to women who've been assaulted that men who commit such acts won't be punished."
True for decades. Just becoming aware, Senator? You're all talk, 'Lady Di.' No action. Empty, hollow rhetoric. Unadulterated ineffective horse shit.
"Women and sexual assault survivors have been sent a clear message that there are no consequences for men who abuse women. They can still achieve one of the most powerful positions in the country," she said in a statement."
Just finding that out, Senator? Where have you been? Where were you and fellow Democrats when Anita Hill got f--ked over by Democratic Sen. Joe Biden back in the Clarence Thomas days?
“Progressive groups will also never believe they are getting a fair shake in front of Justice Kavanaugh. How could they when he yelled about Dr. Ford’s allegation being part of a conspiracy on the ‘left’ and to ‘seek revenge on behalf of the Clintons?”
Why didn't you walk your sorry ass out of the Senate in protest, Senator. You're all talk, Di. No action. All bullshit. Facade. Been in office far too long. Time to retire. Give someone else a chance to do what you've clearly failed to do.
"Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who strongly backed Kavanaugh, expressed frustration with the process after the vote and suggested that Kavanaugh was a victim and not his accusers."
Lindsey? You're insane. Where did you lose yourself, sir? Worse? Any semblance of honor?
"I think the roles were reversed. The slut/whore/drunk was Kavanaugh," he told reporters."
You're head remains figuratively, securely lodged up your sorry hopelessly clueless ass, Senator. Goddamned disgrace.
"I’ve done this for a long time. I’ve prosecuted a lot of rape cases where it takes an enormous amount of courage to get up and go through it. I’ve defended some people who’ve been accused of sexual violence. I’ve been a judge," he said. "And I’ve tried to look at this thing through a process that stood the test of time. Some standards. Some presumptions. She [Some?] evidentiary requirements. "All I can say is that seldom do you advance justice by creating an injustice, and I think it would have been unjust for Judge Kavanaugh to have his life ruined based on the allegations."
Jesus Christ. You're insane, Senator. Clearly, lost yourself. Pity your rape clients, both as prosecutor and judge. Hopefully, you were not as hopelessly delusional back in the day as you clearly are now.
"By Friday afternoon, it had become clear that Kavanaugh had secured the necessary votes for a successful confirmation. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who had been one of a handful of officially undecided senators, revealed in a lengthy floor speech that she planned to vote in favor of his nomination. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., also previously undecided, quickly issued a statement afterward saying that he plans to vote to confirm the nominee. Collins praised Kavanaugh’s judicial record and approach and said, while discussing the sexual misconduct allegations facing him, that the "presumption of innocence and fairness do bear on my thinking and I cannot abandon them."
You're not fit for office, Ms. Collins. Time for you to retire. ... Or, for someone fit for office to run against you, madam. You're not worth a shit, ma'am. Have repeatedly disgraced yourself. Deliberately placed Party ahead of principle. Cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Failed to honor your oath of office.
"Kavanaugh, who has served on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals for 12 years, essentially delivered his closing argument in an op-ed article published Thursday night, saying that he might have been "too emotional" in his congressional testimony last week."
On the contrary. This nazi son of a bitch revealed his true colors. What you see is what you get. All bloom off the rose.
"I was very emotional last Thursday, more so than I have ever been. I might have been too emotional at times," he wrote in an article headlined, "I am an Independent, Impartial Judge," published by The Wall Street Journal."
The hell you are, you lying son of a bitch.
"The article was published the same day the FBI made available to senators a report on its speedy investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh. Republicans said Thursday the report had vindicated him, while Democrats blasted it as incomplete."
Whitewash. Rubber stamp. Charade. Ruse.
"The investigation looked into the allegation by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her at a gathering of teenagers when they were in high school in the early 1980s."
Ladies? Wake up. You're being egregiously f--ked over by the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and the Republican Party. No better served by the Democrats. Time for the far better half of the species to launch a third major political party.
"Democrats and liberal activists have expressed concern that Kavanaugh would vote to overturn Roe v. Wade on the Supreme Court, and raised questions about his views on the limits of a president’s power to influence investigations of his own conduct. In his testimony, Kavanaugh said he could not answer questions about whether a president could pardon himself or whether a sitting president can be required to respond to a subpoena."
Raw nazism. Worst, yet to come. Wake up. ... Hear the rumble?
CBS News reports:
"Sen. Susan Collins said her vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court "ranks right up there" with the hardest votes she has ever cast in the Senate. John Dickerson spoke to Collins in an interview airing on "Face the Nation" on Sunday, just one day after the vote. "There have been out there very difficult decisions but this was a tough one," Collins said."
Gutless coward. Intentionally, deliberately, concertedly f--ked over victims of sexual abuse to tow the Republican line, fascist agenda. ... Right, Senator. Goddamned cowardly disgrace.
"Collins gave an impassioned 45-minute speech on Senate floor Friday as she announced she would be voting to confirm Kavanaugh. She said the reaction has been "overwhelming on both sides." "I heard from a lot of protesters, as well as people who support my decision," Collins said. Kavanaugh's nomination had been vehemently opposed by sexual assault survivors, but Collins said it causes her "huge pain" that some believe she is denying their voice."
That's exactly what the Senator did. Intentionally, deliberately f--ked over assault survivors. To further the Republican agenda of raw national socialism, fascism, nazism. Where did you lose yourself, Senator?
"The one silver lining that I hope will come from this is that more women will press charges now when they are assaulted," Collins said."
Jesus Christ. Delusional jackass. Disingenuous, goddamned horse shit coming from a shameless, clueless hypocrite. Deliberately betrayed best interests of her gender as well as that of all those who have suffered sexual assault. To say nothing of those of us who treasure all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. The Senator and her ilk present a concerted threat to all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Raw nazism.
"Dickerson pressed Collins on this point, especially since many sexual assault survivors don't come forward because they don't think they will be believed. Dickerson said that many survivors could get the message from Christine Blasey Ford's testimony that "well, nobody's going to believe me the way they didn't believe her."
That's right. ... But the achingly clueless Senator could not, would not be confused with the truth. Partisanship took precedence.
"Well, I certainly don't believe that's the case because I think that this has been an awakening for this country," Collins said. "I don't think most of us had any idea how pervasive the problem of sexual assault is. Sexual harassment, yes, we knew that. But sexual assault. And that's why the Me Too movement has been important. That's why it's been important that so many of these women for the first time ever have come forward. And it is important that we treat people fairly. And that's what we need to do."
You and your nazi Republican colleagues did not treat Dr. Ford fairly. Partisanship took precedence, ruled the day. This Senator remains no more than a clueless, achingly partisan liar. A disgrace.
"Collins called the FBI inquiry into the allegations against Kavanaugh "thorough."
She's nuts. Clearly either delusional or a congenital liar. Both? A five-day 'investigation' by the FBI under rigid conditions set by the Trump nazi is 'thorough?' Wake up. Your head remains figuratively lodged where the sun seldom shines, Senator. You remain unfit for office. An anachronism in the pocket of your party.
The Washington Post reports:
"Liberal justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan joined conservatives Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. at Kavanaugh’s hastily called private swearing-in ceremony Saturday night to witness Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. administer the oath."
The new 'justice' falsely swore his oath of office. Forget? No national socialist, fascist can legitimately swear an oath to uphold the United States Constitution. The fascist bastard lied.
"That some colleagues were missing was a matter of scheduling, not protest."
Imagine that. One big, happy family. Can we stand it? More importantly, can our formerly great country?
"The justices can resemble a family in that way: They can harshly criticize each other — at least in the confined spaces of legal opinions — but form a solid perimeter when the attacks come from outside the Marble Palace."
Jesus Christ. Symbolism over substance. Unadulterated horse shit. Precisely, why all civil and constitutional rights and liberties remain in dire jeopardy. By design.
“There is a very strong norm of congeniality on the Supreme Court, which I think has only gotten stronger,” said Kermit Roosevelt, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. who clerked for Justice David Souter, now retired. “I expect that whatever goes on behind the scenes, we’ll never know.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor reflected that even before Kavanaugh was confirmed. “We have to rise above partisanship in our personal relationships,” Sotomayor said Friday in a joint appearance with Kagan at their alma mater, Princeton University. “We have to treat each other with respect and dignity and with a sense of amicability that the rest of the world doesn’t often share.”
Precisely, why life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties remain in dire jeopardy as you clueless bastards on the Court continue to f--k over the citizenry. Concertedly, determinedly, intentionally fail to maintain these rights and liberties. Total disgrace. Time for a constitutional amendment to elect Supreme Court justices. One term limit. Move the shit in and out in a timely fashion. Constant change instead of the national socialism, fascism, nazism we now have on this highest court the last fifty years.
The Washington Post reports:
"Justice Elena Kagan, appearing with her colleague Justice Sonia Sotomayor, at Princeton University last week had timely observations as the Supreme Court added a self-revealed Republican partisan to its ranks. “All of us need to be aware of that — every single one of us — and to realize how precious the court’s legitimacy is,” she added."
Wake up, Madam Justice. The Supreme Court has no legitimacy. Certainly, not since President Nixon started deliberately loading the Court with nazis fifty years ago. Been all downhill since. By design. Our formerly great country has continued to nazify unrelentingly.
“It’s an incredibly important thing for the court to guard is this reputation of being impartial, being neutral and not being simply an extension of a terribly polarizing process.”
Too late for that. Again, for at least the last half-century, -- despite your clueless claims to the contrary:
"She explained that without centrist justices such as Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony M. Kennedy, the court and the country are now starkly divided into two camps."
Worse than that? You achingly clueless bastards on both the Left and Center have failed to rein in the nazis on the Court. Even when you had the chance.
The following is precisely how clueless and egregiously out of touch Sen. Cruz determinedly, concertedly remains. Quote comes from the fascist bastard's latest newsletter, Cruz News: October 7, 2018:
"Greetings,
"On Saturday, I proudly voted with a bipartisan majority of my Senate colleagues to confirm Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. He has proven to be a qualified nominee throughout his time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and has a strong record of defending the Second Amendment, safeguarding the separation of powers, reining in the unchecked power of federal agencies, and preserving our precious religious liberties."
Think so? Quite the opposite vis a vis federal power. This son of a bitch and all who think like him remain and present a direct, exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Cruz is determinedly out to lunch. There is no threat to religious liberties. Quite the opposite remains the case.
Conveniently, forget? Nazis in the Republican Party remain intent on dictating what a woman can and cannot do with HER uterus. It's none of their goddamned f--king business. Not THEIR uterus. Republican nazis cannot seem to understand this. Haven't a clue. If there is no reproductive freedom, there is no freedom at all.
The nazi element perversely seems to delusionally believe reproductive freedom is no more than a man keeping it in his pants, ladies keeping their panties up, legs crossed. One reason why an unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. ... Hear the rumble? Too deaf to hear?
The Washington Post reports:
"FBI Director Christopher A. Wray defended his agents’ handling of a background investigation into Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, saying that it was “limited in scope” and followed standard procedures."
The bastards disgraced themselves. Became part of the ruse, charade. Had they honor, any at all, would have promptly, courageously resigned in protest. Gutless pieces of shit did not.
"Wray was pressed at a Senate hearing by Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) about how much direction FBI agents received from the White House when they conducted a supplemental background investigation into claims by a California professor that Kavanaugh attempted to sexually assault her when the two were teenagers. Harris pressed the director to explain why FBI agents never interviewed the woman, Christine Blasey Ford, or Kavanaugh, about her accusations. Wray replied: “As is standard, the investigation was very specific in scope, limited in scope, and that is the usual process and that my folks have assured me that the usual process was followed,” Wray said."
Called bullshit. Classical definition. No more than a charade. Ruse. No effort was made by these pieces of human excrement to determine the truth. No more than a goddamned subservient rubber stamp for their fuhrer, the Trump nazi and Kavanaugh. This agency has no credibility. No honor. No principles.
"Harris then asked if the FBI examined whether Kavanaugh may have misled Congress in his public testimony. “That’s not something I could discuss here,” Wray said."
Jesus Christ. Why not? What better place and time? Had you and your goons any honor, any at all, you would have immediately risen to the occasion.
"He could not answer whether White House counsel Donald McGahn played a role in discussions between the White House and the FBI about the investigation, saying only that he was told the FBI’s Security Division coordinated the effort with the White House Office of Security."
Clearly, the fix was in. This government cannot be trusted.
"The Kavanaugh probe, Wray insisted, was “consistent with the standard process for such investigations going back quite a long ways.”
Obviously, no question. Been a problem quite some time. No more than a ruse. Charade. Rubber stamp for nazi government.
Want proof? LOL. Get this:
"The FBI questioned nine people as part of that follow-up inquiry."
Jesus Christ. Certainly, wished to ensure the rubber stamp would work for their fuhrer and his Supreme Court nominee. At the expense of the bastard's purported victim. Nazi justice. Blatantly, intentionally kangaroo.
"Democrats have accused White House officials of preventing the FBI from conducting a thorough investigation. Harris said in a Senate floor speech last week that the probe was “not a search for the truth, this was not an investigation, this was an abdication of responsibility and duty.”
See, readers, Democrats can get something right once in awhile. Not often, but occasionally. LOL.
"Background check investigations are not like criminal probes, which are conducted independent from administration oversight to decide whether someone should be charged with a crime. Rather, they are an investigation conducted at the direction and specifications of the White House to answer particular questions about a nominee or job candidate."
They did not. Intentionally, so. Precisely, why a criminal investigation should have occurred, -- despite the fact the alleged offense occurred decades ago. Forget? The accused is a national socialist, fascist, nazi nominated to the highest court in the land. Precisely, why the Trump nazi nominated this piece of human excrement. To ensure there would be a solid 5-4 Republican nazi majority on the Supreme Court.
"Kavanaugh was confirmed by a mostly partisan vote Saturday. At a swearing-in ceremony at the White House Monday, President Trump said that “what happened to the Kavanaugh family violates every notion of fairness, decency and due process.”
Our nazi 'president' got it achingly ass backwards. It's Dr. Ford that endured the attempted rape, fool. Then again, what better can be expected from a clueless national socialist, fascist dictator of a U.S. president?
Gets worse. Get this:
"He told Kavanaugh: “You, sir, under historic scrutiny, were proven innocent.”
Galling, hellacious, horrendous lie by the Trump nazi. No truth to his false claim. None. A goddamned galling lie.
"Lawyers for Ford, the first of three women to accuse Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, wrote to Wray directly with their concerns, calling it “inconceivable” that the FBI could conclude its investigation without interviewing either her or Kavanaugh."
No more than a determined charade to enforce the will of their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. This agency has no credibility. None. Latest fiasco certainly underscores this.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-12-18
Judiciary again stands up to the Trump nazi and his henchmen. NPR reports:
"A federal court in California has blocked the Trump administration from terminating the Temporary Protected Status program that allows immigrants from four countries to live and work in the United States. The ruling issued late Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen Wednesday affects more than 300,000 immigrants enrolled in TPS from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan. TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to allow people from countries suffering civil conflict or natural disasters to remain in the U.S. temporarily. Wednesday's ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alleging the Trump administration violated constitutional protections of due process and equal protection when it announced it would terminate the program, beginning with immigrants from Sudan next month."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-12-18
Legal pressure grows on the Trump nazi. NPR reports:
"The New York Attorney General's Office is urging a state court not to dismiss its lawsuit against President Trump's charitable foundation, saying the foundation has repeatedly violated state and federal laws. Attorney General Barbara Underwood said the Donald J. Trump Foundation "was a shell corporation that functioned as a checkbook from which the business entity known as the Trump Organization made payments." Underwood sued the foundation in June, saying it repeatedly solicited money from donors and then used it for campaign-related purposes, violating federal election law. The money was also used to benefit Trump' business interests, by settling legal claims against it, for example, Underwood said. Underwood also said that Trump's three oldest children — Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Eric Trump — had exercised no real control over the foundation's activities, despite being nominal board members. In August, the foundation asked the New York State Supreme Court to dismiss the suit, denying that it had violated any laws."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-12-18
Think nazism isn't a growing problem in Texas? The Statesman reports:
"The morning after the unexpected victory of Donald Trump, a series of flyers appeared on the Texas State University campus featuring a photo of armed men set against the backdrop of an American flag. “Now that our man Trump is elected,” the flyers read, “(it’s) time to organize tar and feather vigilante squads and go arrest and torture those deviant university leaders spouting off all this Diversity Garbage.”
Delusionally believe so?
"Students and faculty immediately began imploring university administrators to move quickly to quash what they considered dangerous hate speech spreading across campus. “We are not dealing with ‘different opinions’ here,” wrote assistant religious studies and philosophy professor Rebecca Raphael in an email to university Provost Eugene Bourgeois. “These are threats of physical assault. University leadership needs to call it what it is, and not treat this as if it’s part of academic discourse.”
You think?
"Yet internal communications obtained by the American-Statesman show that administrators struggled to formulate a response not just to that first propaganda attack, but to waves of similar incidents that repeated over the next 13 months. At one point, Texas State administrators floated the idea of an auto-bot response to the increasingly frequent attacks, but ultimately concluded they might be seen as insincere."
Jesus Christ. Delusionally believe this shit does not present an exigent threat? Consider the following:
"Between the November 2016 election and December 2017, neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups targeted Texas State at least 10 times, more than any other school in the United States over that time period, according to the Anti-Defamation League."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-12-18
Delusionally believe the corporate management suite is not taking a deliberate, intentional, raucous, concerted, hard dump on privacy? Wake up. NPR reports:
"New laws in Europe and California are forcing tech companies to protect users' privacy or risk big fines."
About time. Past due. Time to rein in these clueless, hopelessly greedy bastards who care absolutely nothing for privacy. Other than lining their pockets off the misery of those they fleece.
"Now, the industry is fearing that more states will enact tough restrictions."
Positive move in the right direction, -- but not to the hopelessly greedy in the corporate management suite:
"So it's moving to craft federal legislation that would pre-empt state laws and might put the Federal Trade Commission in charge of enforcement."
Fox managing the goddamned chicken coop. Imagine that. Convenient, isn't it?
"Europe enacted a tough law in May which requires, among other things, that companies make data breaches public within 72 hours of discovering them."
Can't have that, can we? Did the right thing. Time for the same thing to happen here in the United States. Rein the bastards in. Do it now.
"That's why Facebook had to promptly announce last month that its systems had been hacked and at least 50 million user accounts were compromised."
Tough shit. When will they finally spend the money necessary to reduce the incidence of such bullshit? When?
"In June, California passed legislation that — if it is enacted as written — would go even farther, allowing users to sue for damages for exactly the kind of data breach Facebook suffered."
About time. Stick it to the bastards until they finally smarten up.
"They don't want to entertain the possibility that they would [be] liable to individuals for doing some sort of harm from all the data that they collect," says Ernesto Falcon, legislative counsel at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital advocacy group. Companies are weighing in now because regulation is coming from all fronts and they're trying to control it, he says."
Time to finally effectively stick it to the bastards.
"Early this summer, a who's who in tech attended a high-level, private meeting in San Francisco organized by the Information Technology Industry Council, a trade association for Silicon Valley companies. According to two people with knowledge of the meeting, it was there that Facebook's top lobbyist, Joel Kaplan, warned that an impending California privacy law posed a threat to everyone in the room. If the California law spread to other states, Kaplan said, it would present an even bigger problem than privacy provisions in Europe's new General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR."
Doesn't your heart bleed?
"Just this year, [you have] a data broker law from Vermont, in addition to Europe and California," said the EFF's Falcon. "And then dating back even further, the state of Illinois has a biometric law that Facebook has opposed and has been trying to amend. So they are seeing a trend."
This remains so because the bastards on the federal level couldn't care less. They're bought and paid for, forget? Precisely, what the corporate management suite desperately wants and needs:
"That may explain why, soon after that San Francisco meeting, an industrywide effort emerged to not just get behind federal privacy legislation, but to actually write it."
Most convenient, isn't it?
"While there's no formal legislative language yet, the working drafts so far include two must-have provisions for tech companies, according to two people familiar with the process. The companies want a pre-emption clause to ensure federal law trumps any state privacy laws. And they want to put the Federal Trade Commission in charge of enforcing digital privacy laws."
So absolutely nothing is done to rein in these corporate misfits.
"Pre-empting state laws would allow the industry to avoid a patchwork of rules in different states. And tech companies would also get to work with a watchdog they know. Critics add that the FTC isn't particularly aggressive."
Added bonus, no? LOL.
"The FTC doesn't have authority to make [new] privacy rules right now," says Ariel Fox Johnson, policy counsel for Common Sense Media, an advocacy group. "I don't know what the FTC can do besides put out guides or try to go after people for violating statements that they've made in their privacy policies."
Most convenient, isn't it? You're being royally f--ked. Time to finally wake up.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-12-18
Another achingly clueless Trump turkey about to go out the door. Doesn't your heart bleed? NPR reports:
"Nikki Haley is resigning as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and will leave the Trump administration at the end of the year, she said Tuesday."
Finally, did the right thing, Madam Ambassador. Congratulations. About time.
"Haley appeared with President Trump on Tuesday morning at the Oval Office, where he called her a "fantastic person" and said Haley had told him six months ago that she might take time off at the end of the year."
Finally, some good news. Can we stand it? LOL.
"Trump praised Haley, saying she has done an "incredible job" and is "somebody who gets it." He said he hoped she would come back to the administration in another capacity, adding, "You can have your pick."
Jesus Christ. Two peas in a pod. Two certifiable dolts. LOL.
Gets worse. Get this:
"It has been the honor of a lifetime," Haley said. "It has really been a blessing." She thanked the president, as well as first lady Melania Trump and the president's daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, whom she singled out as a "hidden genius" who had done significant behind-the-scenes work."
Wake up. Haley has done great damage as UN Ambassador:
"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Haley in a statement for her support of Israel, saying she "led an uncompromising fight against the United Nations' hypocrisy and for truth and justice in our country."
Wake up, Mr. Prime Minister. History is indeed repeating itself. You and your stooges are emulating the German Nazi oppressors of Holocaust victims during the Second World prior to the death camps. Doing so to the Palestinians, whose land you've stolen and whose lives you've taken as they've valiantly fought for what's theirs. Conveniently, forget? Land you lost generations ago due to your excesses.
Delusionally believe Haley is without controversy?
"On Monday, the federal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called for the State Department's inspector general to launch an ethics investigation into Haley regarding seven free flights on private planes that Haley and her husband accepted from three South Carolina businessmen in 2017. "Ambassador Haley should have been conscious of the appearance concerns surrounding her acceptance of gifts of private luxury air travel at a time when her colleagues in the administration were making news with their own lavish air travel," CREW wrote."
Can't confuse a clueless nazi with the truth, can we?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-12-18
In follow up to the above, here is the tyranny UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is at least partially responsible for. NPR reports:
"Lara Alqasem, a 22-year-old Florida native, landed at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport last Tuesday, expecting to start her studies in human rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Instead, she has spent the past week detained."
Courtesy of Israeli storm troopers.
"Alqasem, whose father is of Palestinian heritage, was barred from entering the country and accused of supporting a boycott of Israel that was started by Palestinian leaders."
Even if true, tough shit. Called freedom, liberty. A concept no longer understood in Israel or the United States.
"Her mother, Karen Alqasem, told WMNF that "when she went through the gate to try to enter the country they asked where her father — you know she has the Alqasem name — so they asked where does that name come from, where was her father born?"
Who the f--k cares? She's an American citizen, a Florida native, there to study and on a visa.
"She showed the security agents her student visa, her mother said, but they made a call and detained her."
Israeli nazi storm troopers reminiscent of their German Nazi oppressors during the Second World War.
"Alqasem was denied entry to Israel because of a 2017 law barring visitors who support or call for a boycott against the country or its settlements in the West Bank. The measure passed after the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a Palestinian-led campaign to exert pressure on Israel, gained traction internationally."
As well, it should have. Called justice. An exceptionally precious principle no longer understood in Israel or the United States.
"Israel, like every democracy, has the right to prevent the entry of foreign nationals, especially those working to harm the country," Israeli Minister of Public Security and Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan said on Monday. "Therefore we work to prevent the entry of those who promote the anti-Semitic BDS campaign, which calls for Israel's destruction."
Horse shit.
"Erdan said the student was "president of a chapter of one of the most extreme and hate-filled BDS groups" in the U.S., which has chapters that "repeatedly engaged in anti-Semitic and violent activity with the goal of bullying and silencing students simply for their support of Israel."
More horse shit.
"He also questioned why she "changed her story several times" since arriving in Israel and erased her social media accounts prior to traveling."
Vis a vis 'her story,' did she? Or, are you no more than a congenital liar like the Trump nazi? Regarding social media accounts, why wouldn't she erase them? To protect herself against idiots like you, sir. Then again, have to question the judgment of this young woman to have any social media accounts at all.
Here's the crux of the matter, true intention of the Israeli aggressor vis a vis this particular young woman:
"He also said she is free to return to the United States."
How about that? Persona non-grata. ... Just like the Trump nazi to so very many here in the United States. LOL.
"According to a profile page about Alqasem on a website that claims to document people and organizations "that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses," she was the president of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida."
Even if true, so what? Called liberty. Had she been violent or embracing violence, however, would have been a far different story. She would not have even gotten out of this country. Would have been prosecuted.
"Alqasem appealed the order, reportedly telling the Tel Aviv Court of Appeals that she no longer identified with the boycott movement. The court recommended that she remain in custody until a decision was reached. "The weeklong detention is the longest anyone has been held in a boycott-related case," The Associated Press reported."
Who the hell cares whether or not she supports the boycott movement? Proof positive, the Israeli aggressor is growing increasingly paranoid and isolated.
"As she awaits the court's decision, she told her mother that there was a bedbug infestation in her cell, according to the AP. Her cellphone was confiscated and she felt "completely cut off from the world."
Intentionally so, by the Israeli aggressor. Proof positive the nazis running Israel are growing increasingly desperate.
"On Tuesday, Erdan said that the government would reconsider her entry if she denounced the boycott movement."
F--k 'em. True desperation. Proof positive they're losing the fight.
"Her attorney, Yotam Ben-Hillel, did not immediately respond to NPR's request for comment. "We're talking about someone who simply wants to study in Israel, who is not boycotting anything," Ben-Hillel told the AP. "She's not even part of the student organization anymore."
Other than the nazis in power in Israel, who is concerned? Get this:
"Erdan said the leader of the boycott movement, Omar Barghouti, has an Israeli residency permit and studied at Tel Aviv University. Erdan argued that studying in Israel did not mean Alqasem could not be part of the boycott movement. Dror Abend-David, a Jewish language and culture professor who taught Alqasem Hebrew at the University of Florida, offered support for her in an opinion letter to Haaretz: "It was impossible not to notice that she was an exceptional student — hard-working, curious and ambitious. ... She was curious about Israel and never expressed any negative sentiment or anger about Israel." A spokesperson at Hebrew University of Jerusalem told NPR that it would join Alqasem's appeal. Some 400 academics from the university and other Israeli schools have called for her to be allowed into the country, The Jerusalem Post reported."
How about that? Some sanity left.
Insult to injury, get this:
"Hebrew University Rector Barak Medina told The Washington Post that authorities prevented university representatives from visiting her at the airport on Sunday. "This kind of legislation might actually enhance the tendency to boycott Israel, instead of mitigating it," Medina was reported to have said. "These are a collection of policies that are not only aimed at narrowing freedom of speech but also show the extent to which Israel is not acting like a liberal democracy should."
Exactly, right. Clearly, only the nazi element in Israeli government has its shorts in a wad. LOL.
"In recent months, a number of vocal critics of the Israeli government, including U.S. journalist Peter Beinart, have been interrogated about their political views by border agents. As NPR's Daniel Estrin reported, the practice has revived a debate about whether Israel is suppressing dissent."
It is. Clearly, so.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
'Stupid is as stupid does.' CBS News reports:
"A Border Patrol agent will have to serve probation for starting a wildfire in southern Arizona while he was off duty. The fire was sparked accidentally during a gender-reveal party stunt gone awry last year, his lawyer tells the Arizona Daily Star. Federal prosecutors announced Friday that 37-year-old Dennis Dickey, of Tucson, has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor violation of U.S. Forest Service regulations. He will face five years' probation and make a public service announcement about the fire."
Jesus Christ. Get this:
"The fast-moving "Sawmill Fire" was ignited near Green Valley in April 2017 when Dickey shot a rifle at explosive powder inside a target. Dickey's lawyer, Shawn Chapman, told the Daily Star that the incident happened during a party celebrating his wife's pregnancy, and the target contained blue or pink powder to announce the unborn child's sex. It also contained Tannerite, an explosive substance designed to detonate when shot at, according to a Department of Justice statement."
Think this f--ker's fit to be an officer? Would be laughable had it not done such horrendous damage, placed firefighters lives in danger:
"Authorities say the blaze spread to the Coronado National Forest and burned more than 45,000 acres of federal, state and private land. The damage was estimated to be more than $8 million. Dickey reported the fire immediately and admitted to starting it."
'Thoughtful' of him, wasn't it?
"He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 9. He will be ordered to pay $220,000 in restitution under his plea agreement, Chapman told the paper. "It was a complete accident," Dickey, 37, told U.S. Magistrate Judge Leslie A. Bowman Friday in court, the paper reports. "I feel absolutely horrible about it. It was probably one of the worst days of my life."
An accident? How? What the f--k did you think would happen triggering an explosion in an exceptionally dry forest?
The following? Inexplicable. Get this:
"Chapman told the paper Dickey wasn't charged with arson because he didn't intentionally start the blaze. He said the charge is a petty offense and that he expects Dickey will likely keep his job as a Border Patrol agent. The Border Patrol didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from CBS News."
NPR reports:
"Dickey had placed Tannerite, a highly explosive substance, inside the target, intending for it to detonate when shot by a high-velocity firearm bullet," the U.S. attorney's office for Arizona explained in a statement. Tannerite is a name-brand explosive powder. "When shot with a high-power rifle," the company says on its website, "it produces water vapor and a thunderous boom." And the company even sells an $85 package that offers "everything you need for a gender reveal" — including pink or blue powder. The colors that actually ended up dominating the day were orange and red.
Achingly stupid bastard. -- 'Can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.'
"Dickey fired shots at the Tannerite target," federal authorities continued, "ultimately causing an explosion that started a fire that spread and resulted in damage to more than 45,000 acres of land managed by the State of Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and various private landholders."
"Before some 800 firefighters managed to get it contained about two weeks later, the blaze racked up a price tag of more than $8 million — costs that Dickey has now agreed to pay in restitution, according to the U.S. attorney. It remains unclear if he is on the hook for the full amount, though. Local media, citing Dickey's attorney, report that with the plea, he agreed to pay $100,000 up front and another $120,000 in monthly installments of $500 each over the next two decades, presuming his income does not increase significantly in that span. Also, Dickey would be on five years' probation and appear in a public service announcement for the Forest Service, if the judge agrees to the terms of the deal."
... At least, this dopey bastard was held criminally accountable for his aggressive stupidity, right, Sheriff? Corruption within law enforcement remains an existential threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. So what else is new? ... Right, Bill? Same old duplicitous, aggressively stupid shit occurs right here in Nazi Llano County. ... Doesn't it, Sheriff?
Think it'll change any time soon? Don't hold your breath, readers. Not how things work in Nazi America, right, Sheriff? Highly reminiscent of how your goons operate though, isn't it, Bill? Forget? 'Stupid is as stupid does.' F--ked up is f--ked up no matter where, no matter how. Problem throughout all law enforcement.
Including right here in Nazi Llano County, right, Sheriff? Too many officers clearly have their heads securely lodged where the sun seldom shines. Egregious insanity continues to be perpetrated by the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Ongoing issue. All over our formerly great country.
Not just in Dallas as in the Guyger case, but all over the nation. No end to it. Surprised? Why? In today's increasingly national socialist climate anything goes, right, Bill? Live in a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. Certainly, a problem here in Nazi Llano County, isn't it, Sheriff? Your goons, however, aren't held accountable when they egregiously f--k up. Ever.
Precisely why you refuse to release information on your deputies to the long-suffering public? That is, employment history, criminal background, results of drug testing, etc.. ... Got to protect your criminal jackbooted thugs preying on the citizenry with virtual impunity, right, sir?
Equally pointedly, why hasn't Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 been held criminally accountable for egregious abuse of power involving denial of property rights to a Kingsland property owner? To say nothing of consequent resultant physical damage done to a motor home on that property.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
Kavanaugh Saga. The Washington Post reports:
"Christine Blasey Ford emotionally recounted for a rapt Senate committee Thursday her memory of Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her at a summer gathering of teenagers in 1982. The details of Ford’s account are by now familiar, but her nationally televised testimony — four hours that included a vehement denial that she could be confused about Kavanaugh’s identity — rocked a hearing that will determine Kavanaugh’s fate. “I am here today not because I want to be,” Ford, a California psychology professor, said at the beginning of her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.”
Exceptionally powerful, riveting testimony that certainly rattled Kavanaugh's cage.
"Later in the day, Kavanaugh responded with a tearful and angry denial, saying he had never sexually assaulted her or anyone else. He blamed a “calculated and coordinated political hit” to deny him a seat on the high court. “This is a circus. The consequences will be with us for decades,” Kavanaugh said, adding defiantly to the committee’s Democrats: “You may defeat me in the final vote, but you’ll never get me to quit — never.”
Fascist ideology aside, this man does not have the temperament to sit on any court.
"He broke down several times, including when he described a moment when his wife Ashley and their 10-year-old daughter were recently praying. His daughter, he said in a choked voice, said they should pray for the woman who had accused him of wrongdoing."
Pitiful. Pathetic. If truly innocent, 'Judge,' why the hell didn't you demand the FBI investigate Dr. Ford's allegations? You have no credibility, Mr. Kavanaugh. None at all.
"Ford’s voice shook at times as she spoke, and her face was drawn. Occasionally, she took deep breaths, swallowed and blinked back tears, but she remained composed throughout the morning."
Devastating testimony:
"She described a drunken Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge pushing her into a bedroom and locking the door. She said Judge watched while Kavanaugh got on top of her and tried to remove her clothes. “I believed he was going to rape me,” she said. “I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling. This is what terrified me the most.” Ford said she eventually escaped the bedroom and left the house. Pressed on whether she was certain her attacker was Kavanaugh, Ford replied: “One hundred percent.”
Interestingly:
"Republican senators on the committee, who have not wavered in their support of Kavanaugh, were cautious after Ford ended her testimony."
Precisely, why Republicans should have demanded an FBI investigation prior to the hearing.
"During the hearing, the 21 members of the Judiciary Committee appeared riveted as she testified in vivid detail.
"Numerous senators leaned forward in their seats, elbows on the table, intently focused. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a key swing vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination, looked especially gripped by her testimony, his hands folded in front of his face. Asked for his thoughts on the hearing when the committee broke for lunch, Flake said, “Still listening.”
"But Ford’s testimony — which captivated Americans across the country — involved details of an alleged physical attack on a teenage girl. She was calm and at times clinical in describing about how memory works, drawing on her training as a psychologist. But her recollections were raw. When asked what she remembered the most about her encounter with Kavanaugh, Ford replied: “Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter, the uproarious laughter between the two. And they’re having fun at my expense.”
Chilling, devastating testimony.
"Democrats have called on Judge to be forced to appear before the committee. On Thursday afternoon, his attorney, Barbara Van Gelder, declined to answer questions about her client until Ford and Kavanaugh had testified. Van Gelder told The Washington Post earlier this week that her client had nothing to provide the committee, because he does not recall being present for the sexual assault that Ford described."
Let him deny any memory of the encounter under oath. The son of a bitch would be in legal jeopardy had he discussed the encounter with others recently or in the past.
Think Republicans aren't rattled? Get this. It's appalling. CBS News reports:
"Christine Blasey Ford told the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday she is "100 percent" certain that Brett Kavanaugh is the one who assaulted her, during a discussion about two men who have come forward to suggest she may have been mistaken, and they might have been the perpetrators."
Jesus Christ. Pathetic. Desperation. Anything to protect, defend the Kavanaugh nazi.
"Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, raised the issue directly with Ford during questioning. "Last night the Republican staff of this committee released to the media timeline that shows that they've interviewed two people who claim they were the ones who actually assaulted you. I'm asking you to address this new defense of mistaken identity directly. Dr. Ford, with what degree of certainty do you believe Brett Kavanaugh assaulted you?" She replied, "100 percent."
Two idiots apparently more than willing to proverbially fall on the sword for the Kavanaugh nazi:
"Senate Judiciary Committee staff interviewed a man Monday who believed he, and not Kavanaugh, had the encounter with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in the summer of 1982 that is the basis of her allegation of sexual assault against Kavanaugh, according to a new calendar of events sent by committee staff. He was interviewed as well on Tuesday. On Wednesday, committee investigative staff interviewed another man who believed that he had assaulted Ford, not Kavanaugh."
Not to be outdone by still another idiot:
"Last week, a conservative activist tweeted the name of a person Ford may have confused with Kavanaugh. Asked about this individual during the hearing, Ford said she knew him, that he was also a member of the same country club, and asserted that he was not the person who assaulted her. However, he was, Ford said, the person who had introduced her to Kavanaugh."
Jesus Christ. -- Would be laughable had it not been an allegation of sexual assault.
"CBS This Morning" host Norah O'Donnell reported that the first man was deemed not credible, according to a source close to Kavanaugh. The second man was deemed more credible. He said that he did not want to come forward with his allegations, after being warned that he could face criminal penalties if lying. On "CBS This Morning" Thursday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said that one of the men was "crazy as a loon," and that he was not putting stock in either of their stories. However, Fox News has reported that both of these men are credible according to "a source familiar."
Republicans have clearly lost themselves.
NBC News reports:
"Julie Swetnick — the third woman to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Kavanaugh — said that all of the accusations against President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee must be investigated and that he doesn’t belong on the nation’s high court."
An FBI investigation is warranted.
“Brett Kavanaugh is going for a seat, where he is going to have that seat on the Supreme Court for the rest of his life. And if he is going to have that seat legitimately, all of these things should be investigated,” Swetnick said in an interview with John Heilemann on Showtime’s “The Circus.” A brief clip of the interview aired on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday. “From what I experienced firsthand, I don’t think he belongs on the Supreme Court,” Swetnick said. “I just want the facts to come out and I want it to be just and I want the American people to have those facts and judge for themselves.”
The following is precisely why an FBI investigation is clearly, desperately needed:
"Swetnick, in a sworn state declaration released by her attorney Michael Avenatti, alleged that Kavanaugh engaged in repeated lewd behavior with women at parties in the early 1980s, saying he put drugs or alcohol in punch to cause women to become inebriated so they could be "gang raped" by a group of male partygoers. Swetnick said that she was the victim of one of these gang rapes in approximately 1982. She did not allege that Kavanaugh participated in the rape, but said he and his friend Mark Judge were present when it occurred, adding that she was incapacitated by a drug placed in her drink without her consent and was unable to fight off her attackers. She also said she saw Kavanaugh and Judge lined up at other parties "waiting for their 'turn' with a girl inside the room."
Figuratively, Kavanaugh came out swinging at the hearing. The Washington Post reports:
"Kavanaugh immediately launched into an angry and emotional defense after being sworn in. In a departure from his prepared remarks, he lashed out at his political foes and called his confirmation process a “national disgrace.”
What's a national disgrace is your fuhrer, the Trump nazi. To say nothing of your embrace of national socialism, fascism, nazism, 'Judge.'
“You have replaced advise and consent with search and destroy,” he said, accusing Democrats of seeking to “blow me up and take me down” after he sailed through his earlier hearings."
Poor baby. Doesn't your heart bleed? This man is credibly accused of sexual assault and this the best defense he has to offer? Equally to the point, think he has the temperament for the job?
"At several points, Kavanaugh became emotional. His wife, Ashley Estes Kavanaugh, sat behind him in the camera frame, appearing to hold back tears. “The other night, Ashley and my daughter Liza said their prayers, and little Liza, all of 10 years old, said to Ashley, ‘We should pray for the woman,’ ” he said. “That’s a lot of wisdom from a 10-year-old.”
Indeed. Why not emulate your daughter, 'Judge?' Certainly, runs circles around you, sir. Where'd you lose yourself, Brett? In all the alcohol? Certainly, has a most convenient way of insulating oneself from the truth, doesn't it, sir? The truth, however, always has an incredibly nasty way of revealing itself at a most inopportune time, wouldn't you agree, 'Judge?'
Think the following isn't blatant Republican partisanship displayed in all its glory by this nominee who falsely claims to be impartial? Get this:
"Kavanaugh suggested that the timing of the accusations had been meticulously planned by Senate Democrats after the confirmation hearings earlier this month. “Some of you were lying in wait,” Kavanaugh said, making what appeared to be a reference to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). “This allegation was held in secret for weeks” and used “only when you couldn’t take me out on the merits.”
Delusioally believe this achingly partisan, disgracefully disingenuous, fascist son of a bitch is impartial? Has the temperament required for the job? Truly believe it?
NPR reports:
"Judge Brett Kavanaugh was defiant and visibly angry as he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday afternoon, rebutting earlier emotional testimony from the woman who has accused him of sexual assault, Christine Blasey Ford. Deviating from his prepared statement he had submitted to the committee the night before, Kavanaugh cast himself as the victim of a political smear campaign driven by partisan divides in the country. "This whole two-week effort has been a calculated and orchestrated political hit," Kavanaugh said, "fueled with apparent pent-up anger about President Trump and the 2016 election, fear that has been unfairly stoked about my judicial record and revenge on behalf of the Clintons."
Temperament of the 'Judge' certainly rears its ugly head. Think he's impartial? Anything more than a rabid partisan?
"Vigorously denying the charges, he acknowledged that his nomination could be in jeopardy. But said he was determined to press forward anyway. "You may defeat me in the final vote, but you'll never get me to quit. Never," he emphasized."
If innocent, why haven't you DEMANDED an FBI investigation, sir?
"Two other women have also come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, and Kavanaugh said this has "destroyed my family and my good name." He also pushed back against Democrats on the committee, arguing they have made a mockery of their responsibility in confirming Supreme Court justices."
They're trying to get at the truth, Mr. Kavanaugh. ... Truth that you, the Trump nazi, and your fellow nazis in the GOP are desperately trying to avoid. The question is why?
"This confirmation process has become a national disgrace. ... You have replaced 'advice and consent' with 'search and destroy,' " Kavanaugh said."
Your glaring lack of temperament clearly shows, 'Judge.' You're unfit.
"Kavanaugh's initial approach stood in stark contrast to Ford's testimony just before him. In emotional testimony with a quieter tone, she described how Kavanaugh had allegedly sexually assaulted her at a house party when they were both in high school in the 1980s."
All the more reason Kavanaugh should have DEMANDED an FBI investigation. He did not. Certainly, an innocent man would have done otherwise. With all the abuse of alcohol at the time, the 'Judge' may not even remember the alleged attack.
NPR reports:
"The American Bar Association says the Senate should not hold a confirmation vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court until the FBI has investigated sexual assault allegations against him that were made by Christine Blasey Ford and other women. Citing the ABA's "respect for the rule of law and due process," ABA President Robert Carlson wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, "The basic principles that underscore the Senate's constitutional duty of advice and consent on federal judicial nominees require nothing less than a careful examination of the accusations and facts by the FBI." Carlson sent the letter after the committee heard testimony from both Kavanaugh and Ford — a hearing that gripped the nation on Thursday. The ABA had previously given a rating of "well qualified" to Kavanaugh when he was nominated in July."
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has clearly been in the Senate too long. Disgraced himself yet again. CBS News reports:
"Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told reporters during a recess in a committee hearing that Democrats "better watch out" for their nominees if Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed."
Say what? Have you lost your mind, Lindsey?
"He railed against Democrats, suggesting that they were drawing out the vote on Kavanaugh in hopes of stalling beyond Election Day, in the hope that they could recapture the Senate and deny Kavanaugh the Supreme Court seat."
How soon they forget. What did you bastards do to Obama's nominee for a year, Senator. Your hypocrisy? Stunning.
"Let me put it this way to my Republican colleagues. If this becomes the new standard, where you have an accusation for weeks, drop it right before the hearing, withhold from the committee a chance to do this in a professional timely fashion -- when they publicly say that their goal is to delay the vote get the Senate back in 2018 so that he can't get the seat -- I don't want to reward that kind of behavior," Graham said. He told reporters, in a message to his Democratic colleagues, "If this is the new norm, you better watch out for your nominees."
Kettle calling the pot black, Senator. Turn around, fair play, isn't it, jackass? ... Or, is it? LOL. Take a deep breath, Senator.
"Graham told reporters that he had not been convinced by Ford's testimony, because she was vague on details such as where and when the party took place."
Par for the course for a sexual assault survivor. -- Too ignorant, ill-informed, Aryan arrogant to understand this, Senator?
"He also said that he didn't believe an FBI investigation into the allegations would serve any purpose."
Would certainly ascertain who is and isn't lying, Senator. ... Afraid the Kavanaugh nazi could be exposed for whom and what the son of a bitch truly is?
"An FBI investigation's not going to tell you who to believe, where did they go, what house did they go to, what date did they look at, how in the world do you investigate something this uncertain," Graham said."
Wake up, Senator. Agents would go back and talk to everyone involved and present at the party. Construct a timeline. Determine whether those they interview corroborate one another and what Dr. Ford alleges, etc.. ... You don't know that, Senator? Carefully, examine what Ford told her therapist and when. What she told friends and family members, -- and when.
Did her story stay the same, or change over time, etc.? With careful investigation, agents would be able to determine whether or not her story is credible. All that's necessary for Senators to make an informed, reasonable decision. Forget? This is not a criminal trial. No more than a job interview. For a lifetime position. What the hell is your rush and that of your fellow nazis in the GOP, Senator?
"Everybody who actually knows [Kavanaugh] in a real way says 'this is not the guy I know.' I got Dr. Ford who can't tell me the time and place and we'll see what happens."
Your ignorance is appalling, self-serving, Senator. There are people who have stepped forward who knew both Ford and Kavanaugh, state the direct opposite. Three well-educated, professional women have courageously stepped up and made credible allegations. Precisely, why there is great need for an FBI investigation to get at the truth.
Again, it is well-known that victims of sexual assault cannot remember all details due to the trauma suffered. You're making excuses for the nazi bastard, Lindsey. Unbecoming a United States Senator. Have you no honor, no principles, strikingly amoral as the Trump nazi, Senator? Wake up, Lindsey. Your true colors are in full display.
"Graham also met with reporters after Ford concluded her testimony. He suggested that the hearing was politically motivated, especially since it is so close to the midterm elections."
Your rabid partisanship displays itself in all its splendor, Senator. The woman is credible. Your flustered, intemperate, clearly rattled nominee is not.
"I feel ambushed as the majority," he said."
How so, Senator? All you, your fellow nazis in the Republican Party, the Trump nazi, and Kavanaugh had to do was demand an FBI investigation of these allegations the moment they surfaced. No Republican would, including Kavanaugh himself. Why not? An innocent man would have DEMANDED it. In fact, Kavanaugh when asked why six or seven times under oath by the same Senator did NOT answer the question. Fascinating, isn't it?
CBS News reports:
"Mere hours after Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, offered their emotional, riveting testimony on Capitol Hill Thursday, Senate Republicans are looking to push Kavanaugh through to confirmation. Following Ford's insistence that she is "100 percent" sure Kavanaugh assaulted her, and Kavanaugh's insistence that he is "innocent," many on the Senate Judiciary Committee seemed to come away with the opinions they espoused before."
Rabid partisanship. Partisanship before country.
"Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, appeared to make that more certain when he announced Friday morning he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh. But Flake threw a wrench in the process Friday afternoon when he called for a delay on a floor vote on Kavanaugh up to one week to allow the FBI to investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. Flake still helped Republicans vote Kavanaugh out of committee — but suggested he might not vote for him on the floor."
A vote for a national socialist, fascist, nazi is un-American. A traitorous act. Slap in the face to the countless thousands of American military personnel who fought and died fighting this scourge. Second World War European Theater.
The following is truly rough stuff. Seatbelts on. The Washington Post reports:
"After Sen. Jeff Flake’s announcement that he would, in fact, vote to confirm Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, the emotional debate over the confirmation spilled into the halls of Congress — on live television — as two women tearfully and loudly confronted the Arizona Republican in an elevator Friday, telling him that he was dismissing the pain of sexual assault survivors."
A brutal wake up call for a United States Senator who heretofore had been quite unlike his national socialist, fascist, nazi compadres in the Republican Party.
“What you are doing is allowing someone who actually violated a woman to sit in the Supreme Court,” one woman, who said she was once sexually assaulted, shouted during a live CNN broadcast as Flake was making his way to a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. The woman was later identified by the Center for Popular Democracy, a left-leaning advocacy group, as Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the organization. “This is horrible,” she added. “You have children in your family. Think about them.”
Indeed. Time to wake up and smell the coffee, Senator.
"Another woman then chimed in, telling Flake that she was also sexually assaulted and that no one believed her story. “You’re telling all women that they don’t matter — that they should just stay quiet because if they tell you what happened to them, you’re going to ignore them,” she said as the TV cameras rolled. “You’re just going to help that man to power anyway,” the woman added, weeping. “That’s what you’re telling all of these women. That’s what you’re telling me right now."
Exactly, right. Couldn't have been better said. Uncommon valor. She wasn't done, however. Get this:
“Look at me when I’m talking to you! You’re telling me that my assault doesn’t matter, that what happened to me doesn’t matter and that you’re going to let people who do these things into power! That’s what you’re telling me when you vote for him! Don’t look away from me! Look at me and tell me that it doesn’t matter what happened to me — that you’ll let people like that go into the highest court in the land!”
Let it rip, madam. Republicans have deliberately, concertedly put party ahead of country. Democrats do the very same. Neither party is worth a shit. Certainly, one reason why our formerly great country is falling apart at the seams.
"In his statement, issued at 9:25 a.m. Washington time, roughly six minutes before the confrontation, Flake said that Thursday’s emotional Senate Judiciary hearing had not persuaded him that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in the 1980s."
Jesus Christ. What the f--k does it take, Senator? Party before country. Pathetic. Pitiful. You and your colleagues have gotten it ass backwards. Embarrassed, disgraced yourself and the country you have certainly not put first. Gets worse. Get this:
“I wish that I could express the confidence that some of my colleagues have conveyed about what either did or did not happen in the early 1980s, but I left the hearing yesterday with as much doubt as certainty,” he said in the statement. “What I do know is that our system of justice affords a presumption of innocence to the accused, absent corroborating evidence. That is what binds us to the rule of law. While some may argue that a different standard should apply regarding the Senate’s advice and consent responsibilities, I believe that the constitution’s previsions of fairness and due process apply here as well.”
Jesus Christ. If that's the case, then why the hell didn't you and your goddamned Republican colleagues not immediately DEMAND an FBI investigation of these new allegations as soon as they were publicly disclosed? Why the f--k not? What were you and the boys so afraid of, Senator? The truth?
"He concluded: “I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.”
Inexplicable, gutless, partisan cowardice. Unbecoming. Disgraced yourself, Senator. Good you're leaving office, sir. You're not fit.
"Following the confrontation, Archila said in a statement that earlier in the week, she had shared the story of her sexual assault in front of Flake’s office. “Survivors from Arizona and across the country have been flooding his office with their stories,” she said. “By announcing he will vote ‘yes’ on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, Flake showed us that he does not care about our truths and does not care about women. He claims to support civility, but has proven today that he would rather ignore women’s stories and support a disrespectful sexual abuser than stick to his values.”
This is precisely what it takes, ladies. Rhetorical confrontation of the determined, concerted effort by the achingly clueless to maintain and sustain the unsustainable. Anyone who courageously stands up to this bullshit is an example of uncommon valor. These men are assholes, ladies. Stand up to them. These bastards have no ability to effectively defend the indefensible. None. You do.
"The night before — following the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford, the woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were both teenagers — Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) was similarly confronted by protesters in front of the cameras after excoriating Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, saying, “Boy, you all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham . . . You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford; none."
Irrational bullshit coming from the Graham nazi. Best he could do, come up with, when confronted with a most inconvenient truth.
"As Graham was walking and talking to Fox News about hearing — calling the way Kavanaugh was treated “despicable” and saying that he also felt bad for Ford, the woman who testified — protesters followed him and heckled him. Graham ignored them, pausing only briefly to tell a reporter, “These people can yell all they want to. Doesn’t matter.” Then he resumed the interview, attempting to speak over the shouts."
Aryan arrogance displayed by this determinedly clueless nazi. ... Right, Senator?
“It’s all about power,” he said. “It’s all about delaying the hearing to keep the seat open. It’s not about the truth.”
Truth, Senator? A fascist like you wouldn't know truth if it figuratively bit him hard on the ass. Unbecoming a United States Senator. You've disgraced yourself, Lindsey. An embarrassment who has no business being a United States Senator.
"As The Washington Post’s Reis Thebault reported, Graham and Republican senators Mike Lee and Orrin G. Hatch were also “doxxed” Thursday when their personal information — including their phone numbers and home addresses, were leaked to the public. Graham said Friday on “Fox & Friends” that people were banging on his front door Thursday night and that he had to get a new phone number."
Doesn't your heart bleed? LOL.
NPR reports:
"Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a party-line vote — after Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake asked for Kavanaugh's nomination to be delayed on the Senate floor by one week in order to ask for an FBI investigation "limited in time and scope" to further look into allegations against Kavanaugh of sexual assault and sexual misconduct."
Not good enough. Nowhere near. Better than nothing, however. Think Republican nazis won't pay dearly at the polls?
CBS News reports:
"Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake surprised his colleagues on both sides of the aisle when he called for a delay in the Senate floor vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, after releasing a statement earlier that morning saying that he would vote to confirm Kavanaugh."
Apparently, his conscience finally got to him.
"Flake, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, voted to advance Kavanaugh's nomination for consideration by the full Senate on Friday, but said that he would not approve a motion to bring the nomination forward without an FBI investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Kavanaugh."
What took so long, Senator? Why not at the time the allegations were first made public? Where have you been?
"Flake was joined by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, both moderates, in calling for a week-long investigation. President Trump instructed the FBI to open an investigation into allegations against Kavanaugh on Friday."
Nowhere near good enough, but better than nothing. Clearly, Republican national socialists don't have the votes to confirm the Kavanaugh nazi in a floor vote. Otherwise, the Trump nazi would never have caved in.
"Flake's decision came after he spoke to senators of both parties and withstood pressure from some Republicans not to take such a step. As he considered his course of action, Flake also had a conversation with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is in charge of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. And, at the top of his mind was the previous day's testimony from Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were both teenagers. Flake told reporters later in the day that while he had arrived at a decision about whether to support Kavanaugh, he was concerned about the process."
Clearly, not concerned enough to immediately call for a full, comprehensive FBI investigation of the allegations when they first surfaced.
"Let me just say from the outset — Judge Kavanaugh, I agreed to support him before all of this came out. I wanted to support him — I'm a conservative. He's a conservative judge."
No, Senator. He's not 'conservative.' Barry Goldwater was a conservative. So was Bill Buckley. Kavanaugh is a national socialist, fascist, nazi. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
"But I want a process we can be proud of," Flake said, "I think the county needs to be behind it. And we need a more bipartisan process that's why this is important."
Step in the right direction, Senator, but nowhere near good enough.
"In addition to his Senate friends, Flake told reporters a few of his personal friends also recently admitted to him that they too were victims of sexual assault. Later in the day, Flake admitted to reporters the culmination of all of these events ultimately convinced him. "I knew...that people needed to be more comfortable moving ahead...and most of all that the country needs to feel better about this. This is ripping us apart," he told reporters. With his mind made up and the assurances from the Democrats and the undecided senators to politically back this deal, Sen. Flake walked into the hearing room, whispered in Chairman Grassley's ear as he passed, and sat down in his chair where he announced the nomination shakeup."
Again, nowhere near good enough, but better than nothing.
"Flake said the investigation period also soothed worries from both Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins, two Republicans who have not announced if they will vote to confirm Kavanaugh. Flake said that he had not discussed his decision with the president. He also assured reporters that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was not angry with his decision."
Who gives a flying f--k what ole Mitch "The Bitch" thinks and/or 'feels' about this? LOL. The son of a bitch clearly doesn't have the votes in the full Senate. Otherwise, the fascist bastard would not have agreed.
"Everyone agreed this is how to move forward," Flake said, adding that McConnell has agreed not to bring forward a motion to vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation until after an FBI report had been filed. Flake, who has often been a vocal opponent of Mr. Trump, is set to retire at the end of this year."
Clearly, time for him to go. Disingenuously talks out both sides his ass.
CBS News reports:
"Brett Kavanaugh's angry denunciation of Senate Democrats at his confirmation hearing could reinforce views of the Supreme Court as a political institution at a time of stark partisan division and when the court already is sharply split between liberals and conservatives."
Kavanaugh clearly let the cat out of the bag, -- so to speak. Proof positive this fascist bastard is not impartial. Remains a partisan hack. Further indication supposed impartiality is no more than a ruse. Charade.
"During his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, the Supreme Court nominee called the sexual misconduct allegations against him a "calculated and orchestrated political hit" by Democrats angry that Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election. Kavanaugh went further than Clarence Thomas, who in 1991 attacked the confirmation process but didn't single out a person or political party, when he confronted allegations that he sexually harassed Anita Hill."
Certainly, showed his true colors, however. Precisely, why he and other extremists at both ends of the political spectrum are unfit to sit on the bench.
"What comes around comes around. I am an optimistic guy. I always try to be on the sunrise side of the mountain, to be optimistic about the day that is coming," Kavanaugh said during his opening statement. "But today I have to say that I fear for the future."
A national socialist, fascist, nazi such as yourself, 'Judge,' is unfit to sit on the bench. So is a Marxist socialist on the Left.
"Singling out Democrats, he also called the allegations against him a "grotesque and coordinated character assassination" that will "dissuade competent and good people from all persuasions" from serving the country."
Horse shit. Unadulterated. Called the truth, 'Judge.' Truth extremists at both ends of the political spectrum cannot seem to understand. You're pathetically full of yourself, sir. Unfit to sit on the bench.
"The comments injected a new level of bitter partisanship in an already pitched battle over the future of the Supreme Court and replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy, frequently the decisive and swing vote on the most important issues of the day. Kavanaugh is more conservative than Kennedy and his ascendance to the high court would entrench conservative control of the bench for years."
No question, Kavanaugh is not a conservative. He's a fascist. Big difference.
"No matter what happens ... I think the court is the ultimate loser here. I think Judge Kavanaugh could have made the exact same points without making reference to the Clintons or Democrats, without going down that road," said Josh Blackman, a law professor at the South Texas College of Law in Houston. "It's an optics thing. I don't think he'll vote any differently because of what happened in the past 10 days, but what will change is how people perceive it."
Delusional horse shit. Precisely, the problem. Disingenuous bullshit. Symbolism over substance. A facade. No such thing as impartiality. Precisely, why those sitting in judgment of others need to be in the center politically. To ensure some semblance of justice. -- Not perfect, but some semblance of justice.
NPR reports:
"Judge Brett Kavanaugh may take a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court as early as next week, but only after shattering a rule about the confirmation process that had been set in stone for decades. It was the rule that said you stood by your judicial record but held on tight to your judicial temperament. It was understood you had a party affiliation, but it shouldn't be worn on your sleeve. And above all, you were not to antagonize anyone."
Disingenuous bullshit. To deliberately cover up the true lack of impartiality on the bench.
"You could call this the latest in a list of Capitol Hill norms to be lost in the era of President Trump."
Raw unbridled nazism. Bloom, certainly, off the rose. Sham exposed for what it truly is.
The Washington Post reports:
"The FBI was again thrust to the center of the day’s biggest political controversy Friday when Republican Senate leaders agreed to allow the bureau to conduct a limited, additional background check of Brett M. Kavanaugh, whose nomination to the Supreme Court hangs in the balance over allegations of sexual misconduct. President Trump said in a statement that he had ordered the bureau to “conduct a supplemental investigation to update Judge Kavanaugh’s file” and added that the update “must be limited in scope and completed in less than one week.”
Anything to protect the Kavanaugh nazi. Better than nothing, however.
"The probe is considered a part of Kavanaugh’s background check because the allegations are from Kavanaugh’s teenage years and the activity does not involve any federal crimes, officials said. That is important because, unlike in a criminal investigation, additional work had to be requested by the White House, which is allowed to impose parameters on the scope, officials said."
Fox guarding the chicken coop. Again, better than nothing.
"The FBI will ultimately report its findings — which, in Kavanaugh’s case, will probably be mostly reports of interviews — to the White House. The bureau will not conclude whether the accusers are believable or not, or tell the White House whether it should withdraw Kavanaugh’s nomination. “They’re not going to crack the case,” said Ron Hosko, a former assistant FBI director. “The best they can hope to do is find the facts, relay the statements of the witnesses that presumably would be later tested if Congress chose to do so and the president greenlighted it.”
Trump will stonewall in such a case. Will only do what is politically expedient.
"That is not to say an FBI investigation will not yield new information. Witnesses who have provided only brief statements to Congress might be more willing to cooperate with law enforcement. Mark Judge, for example, who is accused of having been in the room when Kavanaugh is alleged to have assaulted Christine Blasey Ford when both were in high school, is willing to answer the bureau’s questions, his attorney said Friday."
Not only that, it is a federal crime to lie, mislead, deceive federal agents:
"Judge and others will have a strong incentive to tell the truth. Lying to the FBI is a federal crime. FBI agents are also trained specifically to investigate such matters. Their detailed inquiries will probably reveal answers to questions in a way that partisan congressional hearings cannot."
Hopefully, that will be the case. Hopefully, agents as well will remain as impartial as possible. We'll see.
The Washington Post reports:
"History repeated itself. At least it had a spell of deja vu when the American Bar Association released an extraordinary statement at a crucial moment that raised concerns about Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s nomination to a powerful judicial position — just as it had done 12 years earlier. Late Thursday evening, the ABA called for an FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on his Supreme Court nomination. The warning was all the more remarkable, because just hours earlier, Kavanaugh and his Republican defenders had cited the ABA’s previously glowing endorsement of the nominee — “the gold standard,” as one leading Republican put it."
My, oh, my. LOL.
"But in May 2006, as Republicans hoped to finally push Kavanaugh’s nomination across the finish line, the ABA downgraded its endorsement. The group’s judicial investigator had recently interviewed dozens of lawyers, judges and others who had worked with Kavanaugh, the ABA announced at the time, and some of them raised red flags about “his professional experience and the question of his freedom from bias and open-mindedness.”
Couldn't be, could it? LOL.
“One interviewee remained concerned about the nominee’s ability to be balanced and fair should he assume a federal judgeship,” the ABA committee chairman wrote to senators in 2006. “Another interviewee echoed essentially the same thoughts: ‘(He is) immovable and very stubborn and frustrating to deal with on some issues.’”
What national socialist, fascist, nazi isn't? LOL.
"A particular judge had told the ABA that Kavanaugh had been “sanctimonious” during an oral argument in court. Several lawyers considered him inexperienced, and one said he “dissembled” in the courtroom."
Surprised? Why? How? Forget? The bastard had a meltdown responding to Dr. Ford's testimony.
Question raised, why did Democrats fail to pointedly question the Kavanaugh nazi about this when they had the chance during the most recent achingly contentious hearing? Clearly, didn't do their homework.
The Washington Post reports:
"Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) asked the federal judge and Supreme Court nominee whether he had ever been blackout drunk. Kavanaugh, still worked up from an angry 45-minute opening statement accusing Democrats of seeking to derail his nomination, threw the question back at Klobuchar. “I don’t know,” he said. “Have you?”
Jesus Christ. Think this man has the temperament required of a judge?
"Then he did so again. He did so despite the fact that, just moments before, Klobuchar had recalled her own father’s struggles with alcoholism. Any other senator — and especially one such as Klobuchar with potential presidential ambitions — might have sought to grandstand, even if just to make doubly certain the moment went viral. And Klobuchar could perhaps have been forgiven for a more emotional response, given her story about her father. Instead, she allowed the moment to pass. After a break, Kavanaugh came back and apologized to her. For a moment at least, the defiant one had been disarmed by his error."
Not good enough. Nowhere near. This man is not fit to sit in judgment of anyone. Think his views, ideology, and bias won't affect his judgment, rulings?
“While she’s a down-the-line Democratic vote, she doesn’t have an image here as the partisan bomb-thrower,” said Minnesota Republican consultant Mark Drake. “I think Democrats are looking for someone who is the partisan bomb-thrower. “She’s the senator next door, not the bomb-thrower next door.” But others see in Klobuchar a probing prosecutor who could be as beguiling for Trump as she was for Kavanaugh, however briefly. MJ Hegar, a Democrat running in Texas’s Republican-leaning 31st Congressional District, said that Klobuchar’s exchange had revealed something dark about Kavanaugh’s character."
No question. Devastating exposure of the nazi for truly whom and what he is. No better disinfectant than sunlight.
“You saw a disdain from him in the way he treated the female senators, compared to how he treated the male senators,” Hegar said. “That was distressing to me. This is someone who wants to be on the Supreme Court and deciding issues that relate to women and our freedom.”
Aryan arrogantly, if confirmed, he and the four other Republican nazis on the Court will likely reverse Roe, dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus. Impose their achingly perverse religious and ideological views on all. Determined exigent threat to all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Raw nazism.
"Emily’s List President Stephanie Schriock took a similar view. “It was bro-y [?] and elitist, and privilege was oozing out of him, talking to a woman who has been elected by the people of her state,” she said. “To have him treat her like that? That’s not somebody who should be on the court. And Amy did her job.”
Indeed. Kavanaugh displayed the Aryan arrogance of an Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini.
"Meg Walsh, 57 and a candidate for the Texas Senate, agreed that Klobuchar laid bare who Kavanaugh was. "He did not answer the question. He asked her a question,” Walsh said. “He was extremely inappropriate, and she handled it very well, staying on the facts.”
She did. Laid bare the innate, systemic national socialism, fascism, nazism of this abominable nominee to the highest court of the land.
CBS News reports:
"Sen. Amy Klobuchar says Judge Brett Kavanaugh's alleged "excessive drinking" in high school and college is relevant to the FBI's investigation into Kavanaugh's background and allegations of sexual assault against him."
No question. Goes to the root cause.
"I think that is relevant, because when I was asking him about whether or not he had blacked out, or maybe partially blacked out in the past because of excessive drinking, he just turned it back on me instead of really answering that question," Klobuchar said on "Face the Nation" Sunday. "And the reason it's relevant is perhaps he doesn't remember what happened because there were repeated incidences of this excessive drinking."
Again, no question.
"During Thursday's dramatic hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, one of the most contentious moments came when Klobuchar asked Kavanaugh whether he had ever drank to the point that he "couldn't remember what happened or part of what happened the night before." Kavanaugh flipped the question back on Klobucher, replying: "You're talking about blackout. I don't know. Have you?" Later in the hearing, Kavanaugh apologized for his remarks. Kavanaugh testified that he sometimes drank more beers than he should in his high school days, but never drank to the point of blacking out or sexually assaulting anyone."
Think this guy has any credibility?
"Klobuchar said no one should be "micromanaging" the FBI as it conducts an investigation into Kavanaugh."
No question. Direct opposite appears to be happening, however. ... Despite Trump's claims to the contrary.
"I think it's really important that the FBI get to the bottom of the evidence here, because what happened in that hearing was that a number of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle said that they respected Dr. Ford, that they thought she had dignity, that they found her testimony compelling," Klobuchar said. "Well, you don't respect her if you don't try to figure out what actually happened."
How is one week sufficient time?
"She added, "As long as it is conducted in a professional manner and we give the FBI the ability to do their jobs instead of having it be micromanaged by the White House, we can at least get to the bottom of the evidence." President Trump denied placing restrictions on the FBI probe in a tweet Saturday night. Klobuchar also acknowledged that there "may have been better ways to handle" Christine Blasey Ford's allegations against Kavanaugh, which Ford shared with her congresswoman and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein in July. Republicans have accused Democrats of waiting until the last minute in the confirmation process to act on the allegations."
Any excuse at all to ramrod through this outrageous nomination to the Court.
"The justice system is messy, John. Things come in at the last minute all the time, before trial at the last minute. The question is not what happened in the past. We can examine that later. There may have been better ways to handle this," Klobuchar said. "The question is, when you have power, what do you do with that information? Do you just sweep it under the rug and say, 'Well, what happened in a house doesn't belong in the courthouse'? No. You look at it. You don't sweep it under the rug."
Precisely what Republicans are desperately trying to do.
The Washington Post reports:
"The American Civil Liberties Union announced that it is against Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, a rarity in the organization’s century-long practice of not endorsing or opposing judicial candidates. The ACLU said in a statement Saturday that Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual misconduct accusations against Kavanaugh, the subsequent allegations from other women, the “inadequate investigation” into these claims and the judge’s own testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday are all reasons to doubt his fitness to serve on the Supreme Court. “This is not a decision taken lightly,” according to a resolution the organization’s national board of directors passed. “We cannot remain silent under these extraordinary circumstances about a lifetime appointment to the highest court of the land. The standard for such an appointment should be high, and the burden is on the nominee.”
Kavanaugh as a member of the judiciary presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
NPR reports:
"The FBI on Saturday began its first full day of work on an additional background investigation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, and has reached out to the woman who alleges that the Supreme Court nominee exposed himself to her while the two were students at Yale University. The woman, Deborah Ramirez, has agreed to cooperate with the FBI investigation, according to a statement issued by her attorney, John Clune. "Out of respect for the integrity of the process, we will have no further comment at this time," the statement said."
Think the Trump nazi has indeed not attempted to limit the scope of the FBI investigation?
"Ramirez's allegations, outlined in a report by The New Yorker last Sunday, come on top of the allegations brought against Kavanaugh by Christine Blasey Ford, who in dramatic testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday testified that the judge sexually assaulted her at a high school party more than 30 years ago. As part of a deal negotiated yesterday by Senate Republicans, the FBI will have one week to look into the allegations, which Kavanaugh has strenuously denied."
Think a week is sufficient time to conduct a meaningful investigation? ... Or, simply rubber stamp the will of the Trump nazi and his henchmen?
"President Trump formally ordered the FBI to conduct the probe on Friday, but according to a report by NBC News, the White House is limiting the scope of the bureau's investigation. The agency is examining the claims brought against Kavanaugh by Ford and Ramirez, but according to NBC, agents have not been permitted to investigate allegations made by a third woman, Julie Swetnick."
Convenient, isn't it? Especially, since her allegations are the most explosive, potentially damaging to the Kavanaugh nazi:
"In a sworn declaration released Wednesday by her attorney, Michael Avenatti, Swetnick alleges that from 1981 to 1983, she went to several parties that Kavanaugh also attended and observed him drunkenly pressing himself against girls without their consent. The judge has denied those allegations as well."
Imagine that. Couldn't be, could it?
"Rather than investigating Swetnick's allegations, NBC reported, the White House counsel's office has given the FBI a list of witnesses it is permitted to interview. According to the report, officials who spoke to NBC on the condition of anonymity "characterized the White House instructions as a significant constraint on the FBI investigation and caution that such a limited scope, while not unusual in normal circumstances, may make it difficult to pursue additional leads in a case in which a Supreme Court nominee has been accused of sexual assault."
If true, Trump is protecting his fellow nazi. Surprised? Kangaroo justice.
"The FBI declined to comment to NBC about its report. White House spokesman Raj Shah said "the White House is letting the FBI agents do what they are trained to do."
Apparently, not. So what else is new?
"Late on Saturday, Trump called the NBC report incorrect on Twitter, saying, "Actually, I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion. Please correct your reporting!"
"NBC
News incorrectly reported (as usual) that I was limiting the FBI investigation
of Judge Kavanaugh, and witnesses, only to certain people. Actually, I
want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.
Please correct your reporting!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2018"
Think the congenital liar is finally telling the truth?
NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that the White House had placed no limitation on the FBI's ability to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. "I want them to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion," Trump tweeted in response to an NBC News report citing multiple people familiar with the process who said the White House was limiting the scope of the reopened background investigation of Kavanaugh. While the FBI will examine the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, the bureau had not been permitted to investigate the claims of Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh of engaging in sexual misconduct at parties while he was a student at Georgetown Preparatory School in the 1980s, those people familiar with the investigation told NBC News. A White House official had confirmed earlier Saturday that Swetnick's claims would not be pursued as part of the reopened background investigation into Kavanaugh. Trump described that as incorrect in a tweet late Saturday. The Wall Street Journal had also reported that Swetnick's allegations would not be investigated. Trump said the FBI had "free rein" in the investigation."
Someone's lying. Guess who?
"Instead of investigating Swetnick's claims, the White House counsel’s office has given the FBI a list of witnesses they are permitted to interview, according to several people who discussed the parameters on the condition of anonymity. They characterized the White House instructions as a significant constraint on the FBI investigation and caution that such a limited scope, while not unusual in normal circumstances, may make it difficult to pursue additional leads in a case in which a Supreme Court nominee has been accused of sexual assault."
Forget? Truth remains a moving target in Nazi America.
Get this:
"The limited scope seems to be at odds with what some members of the Senate judiciary seemed to expect when they agreed to give the FBI as much as a week to investigate allegations against Kavanaugh, a federal judge who grew up in the Washington DC area and attended an elite all-boys high school before going on to Yale. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the FBI has "free rein" in the investigation. "They’re going to do whatever they have to do," he said. "Whatever it is they do, they’ll be doing — things that we never even thought of. And hopefully at the conclusion everything will be fine."
Jesus Christ. Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the f--ked up universe of the Trump nazi. All ass backwards.
"Two sources familiar with the investigation said the FBI will also not be able to examine why Kavanaugh’s account of his drinking at Yale University differs from those of some former classmates, who have said he was known as a heavy drinker. Those details may be pertinent to investigating claims from Ramirez who described an alleged incident of sexual misconduct she said occurred while Kavanaugh was inebriated. Ramirez's lawyer said Saturday that she had been contacted by the FBI and would cooperate."
Think this 'investigation' will be anything more than a whitewash?
"The conditions under which the FBI's reopened background check are occurring appears to differ from the one envisioned by Flake, who used his leverage as a swing vote to pressure the Trump administration to order the FBI investigation. Flake said Friday he thought the FBI should decide the scope of the investigation. “They’ll have to decide — the FBI you know, how far that goes,” he told reporters. “This is limited in time and scope and I think that it's appropriate when it's a lifetime appointment and allegations this serious and we ought to let people know that we're serious about it.”
Not good enough. Nowhere near. Then again, what else is to be expected in a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich?
Ole Sen. Lindsey has clearly lost his mind. LOL. Rabid partisanship trumps country. ABC News reports:
"Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham suggested that there is no need for the FBI's supplemental investigation of Brett Kavanaugh to include talking to his former classmates about his drinking habits in college."
That right? Why not? What about high school? Particularly, since that's when Dr. Ford's allegations allegedly occurred.
"Stephanopoulos said, "It appears that the FBI will not be questioning those college witnesses who contradict Brett Kavanaugh's testimony about his drinking ... Isn't that relevant?" Graham said, "No, I think you're trying to portray him as a stumbling, bumbling drunk, gang rapist, who during high school and college was Bill Cosby."
Jesus Christ. The Senator is not fit for office. His head securely, figuratively lodged up his sorry ass. An embarrassment to himself and the United States. ... Hey, Lindsey? Since when did anyone accuse this son of a bitch nazi of being "a stumbling, bumbling drunk" today?
ABC News reports:
"Brett Kavanaugh "lied on that Fox News interview" about who he was, a former Yale classmate said, adding that the person he professed to be wasn't the one she knew. Hours after the Senate Judiciary hearing ended on Thursday, Lynne Brookes told ABC News' Cameron Harrison that she frequently "drank to excess" with Kavanaugh. "We were in the same social circles," Brookes said. "When he would drink, he would get obnoxious." Brookes told Harrison that Kavanaugh "mischaracterized himself" during the hearing on Thursday at which Christine Blasey Ford, who's accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, also spoke. Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied Ford's accusations and defended his drinking habits in Capitol Hill testimony Thursday, telling senators repeatedly that he does not drink to excess."
Maybe not today, but certainly back in the day. LOL.
“I like beer,” Kavanaugh testified. “I still like beer. But I did not drink beer to the point of blacking out, and I never sexually assaulted anyone."
Believe it?
"But Brookes pointed to a broader issue. "This is about the integrity of the Supreme Court," she said. "I know that Brett mischaracterized himself, and it's incredibly disappointing that despite that this man could be elevated to the Supreme Court."
Think not?
"Brookes said she was frustrated listening to Kavanaugh's comments on Thursday and that he dodged too many questions, emphasizing that hard partying and succeeding in the classroom or athletically were mutually exclusive."
No question. Equally to the point and ferociously, however, hard partying the night before leads to nothing accomplished the next day. Too damned hungover.
"He was trying to portray that it's one or the other, and at Yale there are many people for which it was both," she said. "I played two sports. I got good grades. I went to Wharton. And I drank in excess many nights with Brett Kavanaugh."
You're the exception, madam. ... Unless of course you're a 'professional' drunk. LOL. Always finally catches up, however.
"Brookes later described a time when she saw Kavanaugh on the library green as a fraternity pledge. "From something I witnessed personally," she added, "I find it very hard to imagine that he never blacked out or had memory problems."
Indeed. No question. Always catches up. Always.
"When Brookes was asked if she ever felt unsafe around him, she clarified that she wasn't speaking to the sexual-assault allegations discussed Thursday on Capitol Hill. She said she never witnessed his making untoward sexual advances. Brookes said during her junior year she was roommates with Deborah Ramirez, another woman who's accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, which he has also denied. Brookes told ABC News that she didn't attend the party in question, pertaining to Ramirez's allegation, but that she doesn't know why her former roommate would fabricate such a story. "I don't know why Debbie would make that up," Brookes said."
Why would anyone under oath?
"A registered Republican, Brookes said she isn't part of any left-wing conspiracy, rather that she's concerned for the integrity of America's highest court. "Our judicial system is based on the foundation of truth," she added. "And if you have a judge that lies to you, how can you trust the judicial system?"
Imagine that. Couldn't be, could it? ... A Republican or Democrat who doesn't believe in lying. LOL. Can we stand it? LOL.
The Washington Post reports:
"The FBI investigation meant to defuse the explosive conflict over Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sparked a new round of partisan combat Sunday, as the White House appeared to retain sharp limits on the probe even as President Trump and Republican officials publicly suggested otherwise."
Congenital liars. Anything to get the fifth Republican national socialist on the Supreme Court to ensure a 5-4 nazi majority.
"Two Trump administration officials said Sunday that the White House had not placed any limits on the FBI investigation into claims of sexual assault leveled against Kavanaugh but was also opposed to a “fishing expedition” that could take a broader look at Kavanaugh’s credibility and behavior."
Called talking out both sides the ass.
"The statements, made by press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway in television interviews, followed reports that federal investigators are pursuing allegations made by two women but not a third, Julie Swetnick, who signed a sworn affidavit accusing Kavanaugh of sexually aggressive behavior and being present at parties where gang rapes occurred."
Can't have that, can we?
"Trump himself tweeted late Saturday that he wanted FBI agents “to interview whoever they deem appropriate, at their discretion.”
Trump's a congenital liar. Has no credibility.
"But a senior U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations, confirmed Sunday that Swetnick is not expected to be interviewed and said interviews pertaining to the other allegations will be limited to Kavanaugh, the first two accusers and people who have been identified as present for the incidents."
A ruse. Charade.
"Amid the confusion, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the top Democrat on the committee, wrote to McGahn and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray on Sunday asking for a copy of any “written directive” sent to investigators."
Transparency? What's that?
"Other Democrats warned over the weekend against too many limits on the purview of the investigation."
Symbolism over substance. Anything to ramrod through the fifth Republican national socialist to the Supreme Court to ensure a 5-4 nazi Republican majority.
“They ought to be doing multiple investigations at the same time,” Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.), a Judiciary Committee member, said in an MSNBC interview Saturday. “There are multiple allegations currently in front of the committee, and I think it is not hard to figure out the universe of witnesses. It is not 500. It may not be 50. But it has to be more than five.”
Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, right, Mr. 'President?'
CNN reports:
"The White House is fighting to regain control of the confirmation of Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh, but a controversy is widening over its role in an FBI investigation into allegations against the nominee of sexual assault and misconduct. New signs emerged Sunday that the administration is taking steps to make sure the probe is narrow and focused -- as Republicans seek to forestall further delays to the confirmation process or another erosion of the judge's position.
"A source briefed on the matter said the White House sent the limited parameters of the investigation to the FBI based on a Senate request. Two sources with knowledge of the situation told CNN, however, that Senate Republicans were working with White House counsel Don McGahn, who was "trying to make it as narrow as possible."
"Indications that the White House was intimately involved in the process could risk tainting its eventual conclusions or leave the impression that the probe is using the prestige of the FBI but is only a cursory effort designed to restore Kavanaugh's momentum as quickly as possible."
Charade. Ruse.
"Based on some of the reports we've seen this weekend, I'm very concerned about this because the White House should not be allowed to micromanage an FBI investigation," Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on CNN's "State of the Union." "While the White House decides who to nominate, and then that person is submitted to a background check, I have never heard that the White House, either under this president or other presidents, is saying, 'well, you can't interview this person, you can't look at this time period, you can only look at these people from one side of the street from when they were growing up,'" Klobuchar said. Asked on ABC's "This Week" whether she thought the FBI investigation would be credible, Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono said, "That's going to be the big outstanding question."
Trump, his henchmen, and Republican national socialists, fascists have no credibility.
While the performance at the hearing by the Republican's hired gun 'questioner' was achingly lackluster, she sure did rubber stamp the GOP nazis who lined her pockets. Get this:
"Rachel MItchell, the sex crimes prosecutor who was tasked with questioning Ford on her allegation of sexual assault, said a "reasonable prosecutor" would not bring a case against Kavanaugh based on Ford's allegation given the evidence presented to the committee. Mitchell cited inconsistencies in Ford's statements to the committee, as well as to The Washington Post and her therapist, and noted the lack of corroboration of her account, including recalling details that could back her story. "In the legal context, here is my bottom line: A 'he said, she said' case is incredibly difficult to prove," Mitchell wrote. "But this case is even weaker than that. Dr. Ford identified other witnesses to the event, and those witnesses either refuted her allegations or failed to corroborate them. For the reasons discussed below, I do not think that a reasonable prosecutor would bring this case based on the evidence before the Committee. Nor do I believe that this evidence is sufficient to satisfy the preponderance-of-the-evidence standard."
Wake up, Counselor. This hearing was not a criminal prosecution. Was supposedly intended to get at the truth. You did not. Designedly, concertedly so. Were no more than a hired gun to ramrod through this abominable nomination. Enjoy the blood money, Counselor? Proud of yourself? The GOP nazis on the Committee, all men, who hired you didn't even have the guts to question Dr. Ford themselves.
Not only that, Counselor, aren't you a registered Republican yourself, madam? How could you have been impartial? The hearing was a charade. Ruse. Designed to railroad through this nomination of an achingly unfit, national socialist, fascist to the highest court of the land. To ensure a 5-4 Republican nazi majority. Again, proud of yourself, madam?
Deanna Paul of The Washington Post reports:
"A reasonable prosecutor — and a fair one — knows she must pursue every lead before deciding whether to bring a criminal case. Yet Rachel Mitchell, the Arizona sex crimes prosecutor hired by majority members as “staff counsel for the [Senate Judiciary Committee],” concluded that Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh were not prosecutable. Mitchell issued a report to “All Republican Senators” on Sunday, labeling the accusations “even weaker” than a " 'he said, she said’ case" of sexual assault. It is undoubtedly true that these type of cases are among the most challenging to prove, but sex crimes prosecutors do it every day, often successfully. I handled dozens of these cases while working as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn’s Special Victims Bureau, which leaves me respectfully disagreeing with Mitchell."
Consider the following:
"Mitchell laments that the case is weak because “witnesses either refuted her allegations or failed to corroborate them.” Nothing is corroborated, because there’s been no investigation yet. A prosecutor would never rely on an affidavit to “refute” criminal accusations. A piece of paper — submitted for a hearing, when the individual believes he need not appear in person — cannot be cross-examined. It’s different from interviewing a person face to face, which is what any reasonable prosecutor would want to do. She would examine the dates, places and people that the committee did not permit before Thursday’s hearing. Law enforcement would work with the accuser to track down every possible witness and piece of evidence to either underscore Ford’s narrative or give weight to Kavanaugh’s."
Careful investigation. Careful prosecution.
"Mitchell was not brought in to do that. Although this was not a criminal case, Mitchell’s role was more akin to a defense attorney than a prosecutor, and defenders are in no position to issue prosecution reports."
Fascinating, isn't it? More so? Get this:
"She never spoke to Ford, as any lawyer or prosecutor would, basing her examination on available information, in part articles published by The Washington Post. “No sex crimes prosecutor could stand behind that if Ford was their witness and not the subject of their defense. How she goes back to her victim population in Arizona is beyond imagination to me,” Linda Fairstein, former chief of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s Sex Crimes Bureau and career sex crimes prosecutor, told The Post. “It’s outrageous.”
No question. Mitchell was a bought and paid for shill. Did the bidding of Republican nazis on the Committee.
"Criminal procedure permits drawn-out and detailed direct and cross-examinations in a court of law controlled by a judge and in front of an impartial jury. Mitchell had no independent opportunity to do either. She acknowledged this during the hearing, asking Ford whether she knew that the process — five-minute intervals of questioning — was not the ideal environment to determine a sexual assault survivor’s credibility. Thus, it’s also not how any reasonable prosecutor would determine whether to move forward."
Would certainly hope not. Otherwise, the victim's screwed.
"By issuing Sunday’s report, Mitchell all but asserted that she was an “expert.” If this were a trial, she would take the stand to explain her position. Her “expert opinion,” created at the request of and paid for by the opposing side, would be subject to cross-examination for its basis and validity. Ford would also be allowed to hire an expert to testify on her behalf, too. Instead, Mitchell has written an unchallenged document that the Republicans can rely on in the upcoming vote to confirm Kavanaugh."
Precisely, why this hearing was nothing more than a charade. A ruse.
"As a criminal defendant, Kavanaugh would be shielded with the presumption of innocence. The prosecutor would need to prove her case beyond a reasonable doubt; Kavanaugh need not testify. But he did, and his testimony is noticeably omitted from Mitchell’s memo."
Again, proof positive Mitchell had an agenda.
"Before deliberating, a judge would instruct his jurors that the defendant is an interested party as a matter of law. In fact, there is no one more interested in the outcome of the case, no one who has more to gain or to lose, than the defendant. Kavanaugh’s demeanor during questioning is relevant — was he hesitant or hostile? Evasive or not responsive? What he said should also be evaluated: Was his version of events logical or inconsistent? If Kavanaugh’s account was contrary to common sense, I would argue, it should not be the basis for reasonable doubt. The stakes in a criminal case are extraordinarily high. The last thing any prosecutor aims to do is file charges on unsubstantiated allegations or when they cannot meet the burden. Kavanaugh might not be guilty of the assault alleged by Ford, but several integral steps must be taken before any reasonable prosecutor would reach a conclusion. As a seasoned sex crimes prosecutor, Mitchell knows that."
The above is a bit of sanity, reason in a most unreasonable setting, ongoing fiasco.
Greg Sargent of The Washington Post reports:
"Former FBI agents I spoke with questioned the apparent limits on the renewed background check. “It’s not an investigation if the FBI is going to accept the dictates of the White House in terms of who you can interview and who you can’t,” John Mindermann, a former FBI special agent who investigated the Watergate break-in, told me. Mindermann added that the idea of such a limited investigation is “ridiculous” and that if this holds, “it would be unprofessional, it would be grossly incomplete, and it would be unfair to the American public.”
NBC News reports:
"Charles Ludington, a classmate of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh at Yale University, will provide information to the FBI Monday, he confirmed to NBC News. News of Ludington's involvement was first reported by The Washington Post, which said he planned to give a statement to the FBI at its field office in Raleigh, N.C., "detailing violent drunken behavior by Kavanaugh in college." In a copy of his statement given to The Post, Ludington, a professor at North Carolina State University, described Kavanaugh as a "belligerent and aggressive" drunk. "On one of the last occasions I purposely socialized with Brett, I witnessed him respond to a semi-hostile remark, not by defusing the situation, but by throwing his beer in the man's face and starting a fight that ended with one of our mutual friends in jail," the statement said. During his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week, Kavanaugh was repeatedly asked about his drinking habits in high school and college and denied having a problem. In his statement, however, Ludington wrote that "if he lied about his past actions on national television, and more especially while speaking under oath in front of the United States Senate, I believe those lies should have consequences."
In follow up to the above, The Washington Post reports:
"A former Yale University basketball player said he is scheduled to meet with the FBI on Tuesday to discuss Brett M. Kavanaugh’s alleged role in instigating a bar fight more than three decades ago, an incident that according to a police report made public late Monday led police in New Haven, Conn., to interview the future Supreme Court nominee. Charles Ludington told The Washington Post that the brawl occurred in September 1985, after a UB40 concert. At a bar called Demery’s, a small group of students thought they spotted the band’s lead singer. Ludington said he approached the man to ask. “Turns out it wasn’t him,” he said. “He was New Haven tough. He said something aggressive, like ‘Screw off.’” Kavanaugh escalated the situation, Ludington said, replying with an expletive or something similar “and then threw his drink in the guy’s face.”
"In the report, a New Haven police officer wrote that after 1 a.m. on Sept. 26, 1985, a man found bleeding from the ear told officers that another man — identified in the report as Kavanaugh — “threw ice at him for some unknown reason.” Ludington said the aggressive act by Kavanaugh touched off a brief melee. Soon the man and Kavanaugh “were connected in some headlock or wrestling form,” Ludington said.
Think this isn't something the FBI should be looking into?
"On Sunday, Ludington said publicly that he intended to discuss the incident with FBI agents in Raleigh, N.C., where he is an associate professor at North Carolina State University. Agents soon contacted him, he said Monday night. They instructed him to file a request to provide testimony, then emailed him a questionnaire and told him to come in Tuesday. The FBI reopened Kavanaugh’s background check last week after Christine Blasey Ford, a research psychologist and professor in California, accused him of sexually assaulting her while he was, in her words, “stumbling drunk,” when both were in high school in the early 1980s. He has strongly denied the accusation."
In follow up to the above, CBS News reports:
"Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was accused of throwing ice at a man during an altercation at a bar while in college. A report released Tuesday by police in New Haven, Connecticut, says Kavanaugh was questioned after the 1985 incident, but wasn't arrested. The report says 21-year-old Dom Cozzolino told police that Kavanaugh threw ice at him for "some unknown reason." Cozzolino said he then got hit on the ear with a glass. A witness told police the man who threw the glass was Chris Dudley, Kavanaugh's close friend. Chad Ludington, another Yale classmate, told The New York Times the altercation happened while they were drinking at a bar after a concert. Dudley and Cozzolino didn't immediately return messages from the Associated Press on Tuesday. The White House noted that Kavanaugh wasn't arrested or charged and questioned the incident's relevance."
NBC News reports:
"The White House on Monday eased some of the limits it had placed on the FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, authorizing the FBI to interview whoever agents thought was necessary, a senior U.S. official and another well-placed source told NBC News. The move came after two key Republican senators, Jeff Flake and Susan Collins, consulted with the White House counsel's office to insure that the FBI investigation would be thorough, both senators said. "It does no good to have an investigation that just gives us more cover," Flake said at an event in Boston, moments before the New York Times first reported the White House decision. FBI officials said they could not comment. The White House action came after President Donald Trump made a series of misleading statements in which he suggested that the FBI was free to talk to any witness deemed relevant, when in fact, as NBC News first reported Saturday, there were significant restrictions placed on the FBI."
CBS News reports:
"The FBI has the authority to expand its once-abbreviated inquiry into sexual misconduct allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. The president ordered the expanded inquiry over the weekend but told reporters at the White House Monday that he's already made his judgment, adding, he's guided by the Senate in this process. The FBI intends to meet its one-week deadline, even with the expanded scope of the inquiry, but it's working under a lot of pressure. There's dread at the FBI that this will be a political storm once again, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues. The agency is not commenting publicly, perhaps because it is a political minefield for them just as the Russia investigation has been. A former top FBI official, who has been in contact with those involved in the inquiry at the bureau, described a "war room" atmosphere around the case. Agents are talking to the people at the core of the allegations and then working their way out to try to corroborate the information.
"At its conclusion, the FBI will present interview summaries and corroborating materials to the White House, but no conclusions. Chris Swecker, a former assistant director of the FBI, told Pegues that the agency has its best agents on the case, and just because this involves a Supreme Court nominee, it doesn't change how the FBI does its work."
NBC News reports:
"Two reports last night — from NBC News and the New York Times — appear to contradict some of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee from last week:
On when Kavanaugh first
learned about Deborah Ramirez’s allegations against him
On whether Kavanaugh
interacted with Ramirez at a 1997 wedding
On Kavanaugh’s drinking
alcohol during his days at Yale"
Report goes on and on in great detail. Kavanaugh appears to have lied under oath.
NBC News reports:
"In the days leading up to a public allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh exposed himself to a college classmate, the judge and his team were communicating behind the scenes with friends to refute the claim, according to text messages obtained by NBC News. Kerry Berchem, who was at Yale with both Kavanaugh and his accuser, Deborah Ramirez, has tried to get those messages to the FBI for its newly reopened investigation into the matter but says she has yet to be contacted by the bureau. The texts between Berchem and Karen Yarasavage, both friends of Kavanaugh, suggest that the nominee was personally talking with former classmates about Ramirez’s story in advance of the New Yorker article that made her allegation public. In one message, Yarasavage said Kavanaugh asked her to go on the record in his defense. Two other messages show communication between Kavanaugh's team and former classmates in advance of the story."
Hard to believe the FBI can do a truly meaningful investigation in a week of a case that grows exponentially more complicated, increasingly convoluted by the day.
The Washington Post reports:
"Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh’s temperament and credibility emerged as flashpoints Tuesday in the battle over his Supreme Court nomination, with Democrats increasingly pointing to his at times testy and emotional performance at last week’s Senate hearing. The strategy came as the FBI conducts a limited investigation into allegations of sexual assault by Kavanaugh but with great uncertainty about whether the probe will unearth anything conclusive by the end of the week, when Republicans are pressing for a vote. During remarks on the Senate floor, Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said last week’s hearing, at which Christine Blasey Ford alleged a drunken sexual assault in the early 1980s, left him and others with great concerns about Kavanaugh’s truthfulness. “He has grossly mischaracterized his relationship with alcohol,” Schumer said, characterizing Kavanaugh as someone who “tiptoes around the truth.” During the hearing, Kavanaugh acknowledged sometimes drinking too many beers in high school but said he did not have a problem with alcohol and never forgot his behavior — characterizations that have been questioned in news reports by some former classmates. Regardless of what he did as a teenager, senators need to look at what Kavanaugh is saying now, Schumer argued.
"Other Democrats — and one key Republican, Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona — also raised questions Tuesday about whether Kavanaugh has the right temperament to be on the high court. Appearing at a forum sponsored by the Atlantic, Flake said he was concerned about some of Kavanaugh’s sharp interactions with Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee last week. While Flake said Kavanaugh deserves some leeway given what he and his family been through, he said, “We can’t have this on the court.” Flake, who pushed for a delay for the FBI to investigate the assault allegations, said he was keeping an open mind on the nomination."
The Trump nazi has again disgraced himself. The Washington Post reports:
"Two senators considered crucial to the confirmation prospects of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh criticized President Trump on Wednesday for mocking the account of a woman who has accused his Supreme Court nominee of sexual assault decades ago. “There’s no time and no place for remarks like that,” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said on NBC’s “Today” show. “To discuss something this sensitive at a political rally is just not right. It’s just not right. I wish he hadn’t done it. It’s kind of appalling.” About two hours later, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) also took exception to Trump’s remarks, telling reporters, “The president’s comments were just plain wrong.” The assessments of Collins and Flake, the Judiciary Committee member who pushed to delay the vote on Kavanaugh so the FBI could investigate, came the morning after Trump drew laughs for his remarks at a political rally in Mississippi."
Not good enough, Senators. Nowhere near. You need to vote against the nomination of the Kavanaugh nazi to the United States Supreme Court. He's egregiously unfit, more apparent by the day.
NBC News reports:
"More than 40 people with potential information into the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh have not been contacted by the FBI, according to multiple sources that include friends of both the nominee and his accusers. The bureau is expected to wrap up its expanded background investigation as early as Wednesday into two allegations against Kavanaugh — one from Christine Blasey Ford and the other from Deborah Ramirez. But sources close to the investigation, as well as a number of people who know those involved, say the FBI has not contacted dozens of potential corroborators or character witnesses."
Meaningful investigation? Or, whitewash?
"The White House has said this week that it has authorized the FBI to expand its initially limited investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh by interviewing anyone it deems necessary as long as the review is finished by the end of the week, NBC News has reported. Meanwhile, nearly 20 people with potential information about Dr. Ford’s allegation that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while the two were in high school, including Ford herself, have not been interviewed by federal investigators. Attorneys for Ford said Tuesday that she had not been interviewed by the FBI. She received "no response" after reaching out again to the bureau, according to a letter from her attorneys."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"Her team also submitted to the FBI a list of nearly 20 people to turn to, including the polygraph examiner who interviewed Ford, her therapist and friends she confided in about the allegation. According to people familiar with the names on the list, none of them have yet been interviewed by the FBI. Julie Swetnick, who has accused Kavanaugh of being at parties where boys took turns having sex with inebriated girls in high school, has not been interviewed by the FBI, according to her attorney, Michael Avenatti."
Amazing, isn't it?
NBC News reports:
"Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, in a 1983 letter to his friends ahead of a group beach vacation in Maryland, urged them to warn neighbors of their rented condo that they would be "loud, obnoxious drunks with prolific pukers among us," The New York Times reported. The letter is the latest information to surface that differs from Kavanaugh's sworn testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, during which he conceded that he liked to drink alcohol when he was younger but had never drank "to the point of blacking out." In a statement to the Times, Kavanagh confirmed he wrote the letter. In it, Kavanaugh wrote that the person in the group to arrive to the Ocean City, Md., rental first should "warn the neighbors that we're loud, obnoxious drunks with prolific pukers among us. Advise them to go about 30 miles."
The New York Times reports:
"The beachfront property was rented, the guests were invited and an ever-organized Brett M. Kavanaugh had some advice for the seven Georgetown Preparatory School classmates who would be joining him for the weeklong escapade. In a 1983 letter, a copy of which was reviewed by The New York Times, the young Judge Kavanaugh warned his friends of the danger of eviction from an Ocean City, Md., condo. In a neatly written postscript, he added: Whoever arrived first at the condo should “warn the neighbors that we’re loud, obnoxious drunks with prolific pukers among us. Advise them to go about 30 miles...”
"The judge has said that he attended high school parties. “Sometimes I had too many beers,” he testified, adding that he has “cringed” at some of his behavior back then. But his public statements don’t fully capture the binge-drinking culture in which classmates say he was a core participant. Parties, in the backyards of classmates’ suburban homes when their parents were away, would often attract hundreds of students from nearby private schools, his classmates recall. Five or 10 kegs would be procured and, if all went as planned, drained by the end of the night."
That right? Forget? High school kids.
"One night during his senior year, according to classmates who witnessed it, Judge Kavanaugh triumphantly hoisted an empty beer keg above his head, in recognition that he and his friends were well on their way to reaching their goal of polishing off 100 kegs during the academic year — an achievement they later boasted about in their yearbook. Four Georgetown Prep classmates said they saw Judge Kavanaugh and his friends partake in binge-drinking rituals many weekends in which other partygoers saw them inebriated, even having difficulty standing. Three of those classmates signed a July letter, along with more than 150 other alumni, that endorsed him for the Supreme Court."
Imagine that. Night is day, day is night, shit smells perversely sweet. All ass backwards.
"Through his lawyers, Judge Kavanaugh declined to comment for this article, other than to say of his letter: “This is a note I wrote to organize ‘Beach Week’ in the summer of 1983.” Kerri Kupec, a White House spokeswoman, said: “It seems The New York Times is committed to embarrassing Judge Kavanaugh with three-decade-old stories of adolescent drinking.”
Called the truth.
The FBI supplemental 'investigation' turned out to be no more than a blatant sham. Sadly, speaks volumes vis a vis this formerly great agency. Clearly, no longer. Worse? No honor. No principles, zero credibility. Not one agent resigned in protest. Imagine that.
Traitorous Republican national socialists, shameless fascists now intend to ramrod through the Kavanaugh vote to the full Senate. Kangaroo justice in a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
Coup de grace? The FBI report will not be made public. Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini would have been proud of these goddamned nazis. Far more to come in the next edition as this sad, sick story continues. Nazi America.
... A raucous, boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Sieg Heil!, Mr. 'President?'
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
More of the same. Continued attack on abortion rights. CBS News reports:
"In a victory for abortion-rights supporters, a federal judge struck down a Kentucky law that had put the state's last abortion clinic at risk of closing when Gov. Matt Bevin's administration cited it in a licensing fight with the facility. U.S. District Judge Greg Stivers, in a long-awaited ruling, said Friday that the two-decade-old law violates constitutionally protected due process rights. The law required Kentucky's abortion clinics to have written agreements with a hospital and an ambulance service in case of medical emergencies. Stivers said the so-called transfer agreements "do not advance a legitimate interest" in promoting the health of women seeking abortions."
Not so cleverly designed by Republican national socialists to impose their outrageously perverse ideological and religious views on women.
"The court has carefully reviewed the evidence presented in this case and concludes that the record is devoid of any credible proof that the challenged regulations have any tangible benefit to women's health," Stivers wrote in his 60-page ruling. "On the other hand, the regulations effectively eliminate women's rights to abortions in the state. Therefore, the challenged regulations are unconstitutional."
They are. Republican nazis will likely appeal. Aryan arrogance. Unbridled ignorance.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
Delusionally believe the war profiteering corporate management suite is not lining its pockets off the taxpayers and military personnel? ABC News reports:
"A Marine F-35B joint strike fighter has crashed close to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Beaufort, South Carolina -- marking the first-ever crash of the costly stealth aircraft, which will become the main fighter aircraft for the Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy, a military official confirms. Officials say the pilot safely ejected. He's being evaluated for injuries, the local sheriff's office said. Capt. Bob Bromidge, with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, also confirmed to ABC News that a Marine Corps aircraft had crashed in a rural part of Beaufort County. "The Marine Corps confirmed that it was one of theirs,” Bromidge told ABC News. The Marine Corps version of the F-35 is able to take off and land vertically."
Fortunately, the pilot was not killed.
Kicker? Get this:
"On Friday, the Pentagon announced that the latest contract with the aircraft's maker Lockheed Martin had resulted in the lowest prices yet for the aircraft. The price for the Air Force version of the F-35 will go down to $89.2 million from $94.3 million. Marine F35-B will cost $115.5 million and the Navy F-35C will cost $107.7 million."
That all? LOL.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
California stands up to the Trump nazi. Gets sued by the 'Justice' Department. CBS News reports:
"California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the nation's toughest net neutrality measure Sunday, requiring internet providers to maintain a level playing field online, and on the same day, the Justice Department responded by filing a lawsuit against California. Advocates of net neutrality hope that Brown's move in the home of the global technology industry will have national implications, prompting Congress to enact national net neutrality rules or encouraging other states to follow suit. It's the latest example of the nation's most populous state seeking to drive public policy outside its borders and rebuff President Trump's agenda. As far as the Justice Department is concerned, California's new law is an attempt to subvert the federal government's deregulatory approach. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in a statement Sunday, said, "Under the Constitution, states do not regulate interstate commerce—the federal government does. Once again the California legislature has enacted an extreme and illegal state law attempting to frustrate federal policy."
The Trump nazi, his henchmen in the FCC, and the racist Sessions nazi are determined to enrich the corporate management suite and shareholders by looting the bottom of the food chain and middle class.
"Net neutrality advocates worry that without rules, internet providers could create fast lanes and slow lanes that favor their own sites and apps or make it harder for consumers to see content from competitors. That could limit consumer choice or shut out upstart companies that can't afford to buy access to the fast lane, critics say."
From the moment nazis in the FCC proposed this change, consumers have seen Internet service deteriorate.
"The measure, written by Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, prohibits internet providers from blocking or slowing data based on content or from favoring websites or video streams from companies that pay extra."
Forget? The Republican Way. That is, loot the middle class and bottom of the food chain to line the pockets at the top. Zero-sum, winner-take-all ruse.
"It also bans "zero rating," in which internet providers don't count certain content against a monthly data cap — generally video streams produced by the company's own subsidiaries and partners. Oregon, Washington and Vermont have approved legislation related to net neutrality, but California's measure is seen as the most comprehensive attempt to codify the principle in a way that might survive a likely court challenge. An identical bill was introduced in New York."
As we witnessed the failure of Marxist socialism some 25 years ago, we're now seeing the failure of its extreme opposite, laissez-faire capitalism. That is, unregulated and/or poorly regulated capitalism. No more than a legalized Ponzi scheme that is egregiously failing. The greedy bastards are doing all they can to strangle the Golden Goose.
There's no more to take. The bottom is tapped out. The middle class is going extinct. Two extremes. Haves. Have-nots. Not sustainable. Precisely, why an unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Too deaf to hear the rumble? Wake up. Our formerly great country is tearing apart at the seams. Yet, Republicans remain oblivious. Democrats, clueless.
NPR reports:
"An equal playing field that prevents Internet companies from slowing down or blocking some content was signed into law by California Gov. Jerry Brown, but the Justice Department quickly filed a lawsuit to block its implementation. The state law would guarantee what is known as net neutrality — rules that were established during the Obama administration, but that the Federal Communications Commission under President Trump rescinded last year.
"Last year, the FCC rolled back rules that went into effect in 2015 banning cable and telecom companies from blocking or slowing down websites and applications. The rollback dramatically favored Internet companies. Broadband companies and then-FCC board member Ajit Pai — who was appointed as chairman of the commission in 2017 — opposed net neutrality in 2015 arguing that it prevented the opportunity for investment in broadband companies and stifled innovation."
What net neutrality did was prevent corporations from greedily lining their bottomless pockets. Precisely, why Republican nazis fought to end it.
"When the FCC chose to ignore the millions of consumers who urged them not to repeal net neutrality protections last year, it left a void that state lawmakers are now rightfully filling," Jonathan Schwantes, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union tells the Times."
Indeed. Time to stand up to the hopelessly greedy bastards.
The Washington Post reports:
"The move by Attorney General Jeff Sessions opens another legal battlefield between the federal government and California, which the DOJ has taken to court already for trying to bypass the Trump administration’s policies around immigration and climate change. “The Justice Department should not have to spend valuable time and resources to file this suit today, but we have a duty to defend the prerogatives of the federal government and protect our Constitutional order,” Sessions said in a statement."
As a racist nazi determined to impose national socialism, fascism, nazism on our formerly great country, Mr. Attorney General, you have disgraced yourself, your country. Have abrogated your falsely sworn oath to uphold the United States Constitution.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
Once again, the Israeli aggressor has shown its true colors. NPR reports:
"President Trump's administration has begun pressing Israel to embrace the idea of a Palestinian state. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is insisting on something less."
Egregious understatement.
"Netanyahu spoke with NPR after Trump spoke in favor of a two-state solution while visiting the United Nations last week. (To be precise, Trump welcomed a two-state solution, or a one-state solution in which Palestinians are absorbed into Israel: "If they do a single, if they do a double, I'm OK with it if they're both happy.") In the NPR interview, Israel's leader pushed for neither."
Spoke out both sides his fascist ass:
"Netanyahu said Israel must remain in complete control of security, whether Palestinians claim a state or not."
Translation? No freedom. Must remain under the boot heel of the Israeli aggressor. No true sovereignty. None. None at all. Continued oppression.
"My view of a potential agreement is that the Palestinians have all the powers to govern themselves, but none of the powers to threaten us," Netanyahu tells NPR's Steve Inskeep in an exclusive interview for Morning Edition. "The key power that must, must not be in their hands is the question of security. ... I don't want them either as citizens of Israel or subjects of Israel."
Survivors of the Holocaust stole their land in 1948, you lying, deceptive, disingenuous son of a bitch. Did so with the blessing of the United States, Europe, and the United Nations. -- Land your forebears lost generations ago due to their excesses. In 1948, Palestinians were not consulted by anyone before their land was stolen. Have been fighting you and your murderous bastards ever since.
"The Israeli leader says he would prefer Palestinians receive "basically all the powers of sovereignty, or nearly all the powers, but not the ones of security." This option, he says, would give Israel overriding power of security, but let the Palestinians "govern their lives in a more complete way," with their own parliament, government and tax system."
That's not freedom, Mr. Prime Minister. It's subjugation under the Israeli aggressor boot heel.
"He believes this potential solution is the most realistic approach and "the best arrangement" for both parties."
Horse shit. Unadulterated. Sadly, ensures the killing will continue unabated. Sadder still? All this could have been avoided had Palestinians been consulted in 1948. An arrangement could have been made. Instead, their land was stolen. Were told they had to live under the Israeli boot heel.
Sadder than that? The Israeli aggressor has become remarkably reminiscent of its Nazi oppressors, circa 1933, when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor. Unfortunately and clearly, the worst was yet to come then, -- and now. Status quo is unsustainable, Mr. Prime Minister. There are those of us in the United States beginning to wake up to this horrendous injustice.
Will come a time American aid and support to the Israeli aggressor will end. Outnumbered and surrounded by your enemies in the region, the very existence of the State of Israel will be sadly, tragically threatened. Use of your nuclear weapons stockpile will accomplish nothing other than obliterate the region.
"Last week, President Trump said he supports a two-state solution, making it the first time he has publicly voiced his stance on a Palestinian state. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded in agreement with Trump, saying the path to peace requires a two-state solution. Netanyahu, however, tells NPR he has made it clear for several years that any Palestinian government could not have full control of security."
Translation? Will continue to live under the Israeli boot heel.
"Despite Trump's comments, Netanyahu says the relationship between the U.S. and Israel continues to be "a very powerful bond." He doesn't view his close friendship with Trump as a risk to the historic bipartisan support for Israel in the United States."
Enjoy it while you can, Mr. Prime Minister. Forget? Nothing is forever.
"He gives Trump credit for his "tremendous service to our common security," specifically when it comes to the Iran nuclear deal."
Delusional horse shit. Unbridled paranoia.
"We can have disagreements and yet have a basic agreement about the importance of our alliance," he said. "I don't have a disagreement with President Trump on Iran."
Wake up. You're losing support from Jewish Americans. To say nothing of those of us who heretofore supported Israel, but have finally woken up to your horrendous treatment of the Palestinians.
"In May, Netanyahu praised Trump for his "courageous leadership" in pulling out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, something Israel had been fighting against since its formation. Netanyahu again commended Trump for standing up for Israel during the U.N. General Assembly meeting last week, when the Trump administration announced it would cut all funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency in Palestine. The agency helps fund schools and clinics in the West Bank and Gaza — as well as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon — for more than 5 million Palestinian refugees."
You remain a fool, Mr. Prime Minister. This ensures there will be no peace in the region for the foreseeable future. Sadly, only violence.
"As for bipartisan support in the U.S., Netanyahu believes that both Republican and Democratic leaders understand Israel's dedication to "a robust, open, free democracy."
But not for the Palestinians, right, Mr. Netanyahu? Your Aryan arrogance, stunning. Reminiscent, Adolf Hitler, circa 1933, beginning of the Third Reich.
"We value America's support from all sides," Netanyahu said."
Delusional. You're not getting it from all of us. Not at all. Wake up.
NPR reports:
"Israeli authorities are defending a recent series of interrogations of left-wing activists at Israel's airport and borders, saying the practice is necessary to prevent violence and terrorism."
Defense of the indefensible. As Israel and the United States continue to sadly, tragically nazify.
"But a prominent civil rights advocate in the country called the government's justification "shameful and dangerous." In recent months, several critics of the Israeli government — most prominently U.S. journalist Peter Beinart — complained that Israeli border agents questioned them about their pro-Palestinian activism and political beliefs. The testimonies made headlines and rekindled a debate about whether Israel is stifling dissent and liberal views."
Called nazification. Fascist police-state.
"In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Beinart's interrogation was a mistake. Israel's domestic security service, Shin Bet, which conducts interrogations, opened an investigation into the case. Israeli justice officials also looked into the recent incidents. In a letter Thursday to Israeli groups protesting the practice, Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber said the interrogations were not intended to block demonstrations but rather "to thwart and prevent illegal activity, whether on a nationalist basis or with a connection to terror."
Horse shit. These jackbooted bastards are emulating their Nazi SS oppressors during the Second World War. At the beginning of the Third Reich and before the death camps went into full operation. Far worse was about to come, both then and now. Wake up.
"The Shin Bet issued a seven-page document defending its interrogations, saying it seeks to prevent domestic and international left-wing activists from encouraging Israelis and Palestinians to gather in West Bank areas "and use violence against Jewish residents and security forces." Dan Yakir, chief counsel for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, who petitioned justice officials to investigate the interrogation practice, protested the government's explanations. "This is one of the most shameful and dangerous documents ever issued from one of the state authorities," Yakir said. "Apparently, the Shin Bet believes that participation in a demonstration or a tour in the West Bank constitutes an existential threat to the State of Israel." Pro-Palestinian activists from around the world frequently participate in demonstrations with Israeli and Palestinian activists against Israel's military occupation of the West Bank and policies toward Palestinians living there. Most countries reject Israel's presence in the territory and support Palestinians' quest for independence."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
New NAFTA trade deal. The Washington Post reports:
"Canada agreed late Sunday to join the trade deal that the United States and Mexico reached last month, meeting negotiators’ self-imposed midnight deadline designed to allow the current Mexican president to sign the accord on his final day in office and giving President Trump a big win on trade. The new treaty, preserving the three-country format of the original North American Free Trade Agreement favored by business groups and congressional Republicans, is expected to be signed by Trump and his Canadian and Mexican counterparts in 60 days, with Congress likely to act on it next year."
Think Congress will ratify it?
"Administration officials anticipate a fierce political battle to win congressional approval, especially if Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives in November. “We will enter October with a trilateral North American trade deal,” said Dan Ujczo, a trade lawyer with Dickinson Wright. “This was the least difficult part. The heavy lift is going to be getting a trade deal through the next Congress in 2019 as well as ratification by Mexico’s new Congress and in Canada during a federal election year.”
More on this as the story develops. Does nothing to resolve the ongoing tariff issue, however.
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump casts his new North American trade agreement as “the biggest trade deal in the United States’ history” — one that would return lost manufacturing jobs to American shores, discourage future outsourcing of factory work, and “send cash and jobs pouring into the United States.” But many economists and trade experts say the president’s forecast may prove overly optimistic, given the limited changes that are envisioned and the powerful economic forces that already have reshaped regional commerce. While some industries and regions would fare better than others, the sheer size of the $20 trillion U.S. economy will probably swamp those specific effects. The accord, which the president has christened the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, would require automobiles to include more North American parts to qualify for duty-free treatment, pry open a sliver of Canada’s dairy market and update trading rules for the Internet economy. All that earned the administration wary praise Monday from business groups, farmers, investors and even some Democratic lawmakers. But the president’s ebullience about “high-quality American jobs” ushering in “a new dawn for the American auto industry” stood in contrast to the relatively muted assessments of professional economists."
Did it ever. Get this:
“This isn’t a revolutionary deal. It’s a modification of a deal already in place,” said Eric Winograd, senior U.S. economist at AllianceBernstein, an investment and research firm. “The total economic impact will be very small. I do not expect it to boost the U.S. economy.” To the degree that it could drive growth, the deal would do so by removing the cloud of uncertainty that Trump has created by unsettling global trade, some economists said. That climate of doubt may have held back investments — so the new deal could perhaps add a tenth of a percentage point to the economy’s growth rate next year, said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank. “We see this rebranded NAFTA agreement as a marketing exercise,” Rupkey said. “The harsh war of words from Trump’s economics team terrified markets, consumers and businesses for a time, but what the U.S. actually got was much more modest than what the angry war of words seemingly demanded.”
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
Government study does not back, support Trump's change in rules. NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump’s weakening of pollution and fuel-efficiency standards for new cars will lead to as many as 299 premature deaths annually by midcentury, while also doing nothing to rein in potentially catastrophic global warming, according to the government’s official environmental analysis of the policy. The proposed change in standards, rolled out in August, would also cost Americans nearly 17,000 days of work a year because of increased illnesses, the analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says. Though the proposed standards and the environmental impact statement came out in August, scrutiny of the document has increased in recent days, with the opening of public hearings around the country. Critics say the administration’s own environmental analysis proves why the mileage standards for new cars, and the amount of pollution they are allowed to emit into the air, should not be weakened, as the new proposal recommends."
More on this as the story develops.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
10-5-18
Truth's indeed a moving target in Nazi America. CBS News reports:
"New York's Department of Taxation and Finance is looking into a report published in The New York Times alleging President Donald Trump "participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents." The Times' detailed report claims that the current president received far more wealth from his father than he has let on — $413 million in today's dollars, by the Times' accounting. And the report says much of that wealth was possible because Mr. Trump and his siblings allegedly set up a sham corporation to disguise gifts from their father."
Couldn't be, could it? LOL. Trump wouldn't lie, cheat, would he?
"According to the Times, Mr. Trump allegedly helped his father, Fred Trump, take improper tax deductions, and helped create a plan to undervalue his parents' real estate properties on tax returns. Fred Trump, also a real estate developer, died in 1999. "The Tax Department is reviewing the allegations in the NYT article and is vigorously pursuing all appropriate avenues of investigation," a spokesman for New York's tax department confirmed to CBS News."
Trump nazi would have none of it:
"Mr. Trump tweeted about the story Wednesday morning, calling it "boring" and a "hit piece." "The Failing New York Times did something I have never seen done before," he tweeted. "They used the concept of "time value of money" in doing a very old, boring and often told hit piece on me. Added up, this means that 97% of their stories on me are bad. Never recovered from bad election call!"
... Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, Mr. 'President?'
"White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to the report Tuesday, calling it a "misleading attack against the Trump family by the failing New York Times." Sanders claimed that "many decades ago the IRS reviewed and signed off on these transactions."
Think so?
"Charles Harder, a lawyer representing Mr. Trump, said the report's claims are "100 percent false." "The New York Times' allegations of fraud and tax evasion are 100 percent false, and highly defamatory," Harder said in a statement. "There was no fraud or tax evasion by anyone. The facts upon which the Times bases its false allegations are extremely inaccurate. All estate matters were handled by licensed attorneys, licensed CPAs and licensed real estate appraisers who followed all laws and rules strictly. All matters were filed with the IRS and New York taxing authorities. The returns and tax positions that the Times now attacks were examined in real time by the relevant taxing authorities. The taxing authorities requested a few minor adjustments, which were made, and then fully approved all of the tax filings. These matters have now been closed for more than a decade." Harder added that the president "had virtually no involvement whatsoever with these matters," which were "handled by other Trump family members" who relied on professionals."
'Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.'
Apparently, The Times did an extensive investigation into this issue:
"The Times says its report is based on interviews with Fred Trump's former employees and advisers, and on more than 100,000 pages of documents. The Times' documentation and reporting has not been corroborated by CBS News. Mr. Trump has often portrayed himself as a self-made man, noting during his presidential campaign that he received a "small" loan of $1 million from his father when he started out his career in real estate. "My whole life, really, has been a no. It has not been easy for me. I started off in Brooklyn," Mr. Trump said during a town hall in New Hampshire in October 2015. "My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars. I came into Manhattan, and I had to pay him back, and I had to pay him back with interest. But I came into Manhattan and I started buying properties, and I did great." But the Times claims Fred Trump actually loaned his son at least $60.7 million, or $140 million in today's dollars."
Here's the crux of the problem:
"The president has refused to release his own tax returns, breaking with a practice of recent presidents."
Had he done so, could have avoided all ongoing speculation in the media. ... Unless of course, he did precisely what he's been accused of.
The New York Times reports:
"President Trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents, an investigation by The New York Times has found. Mr. Trump won the presidency proclaiming himself a self-made billionaire, and he has long insisted that his father, the legendary New York City builder Fred C. Trump, provided almost no financial help. But The Times’s investigation, based on a vast trove of confidential tax returns and financial records, reveals that Mr. Trump received the equivalent today of at least $413 million from his father’s real estate empire, starting when he was a toddler and continuing to this day."
Here's the issue:
"Much of this money came to Mr. Trump because he helped his parents dodge taxes. He and his siblings set up a sham corporation to disguise millions of dollars in gifts from their parents, records and interviews show. Records indicate that Mr. Trump helped his father take improper tax deductions worth millions more. He also helped formulate a strategy to undervalue his parents’ real estate holdings by hundreds of millions of dollars on tax returns, sharply reducing the tax bill when those properties were transferred to him and his siblings. These maneuvers met with little resistance from the Internal Revenue Service, The Times found. The president’s parents, Fred and Mary Trump, transferred well over $1 billion in wealth to their children, which could have produced a tax bill of at least $550 million under the 55 percent tax rate then imposed on gifts and inheritances. The Trumps paid a total of $52.2 million, or about 5 percent, tax records show."
Article went on and on and on. Seems to be well-researched, credible. ... We'll see.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
Jackbooted Border Patrol bastards continue to harass innocent citizens. NPR reports:
"U.S. Border Patrol agents are boarding buses from private lines like Greyhound and Concord Coach within 100 miles of a U.S. border, asking passengers if they're American citizens. It turns out agents are empowered to do this through a little-known law called the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. There are more and more reports of officers stopping cars and buses."
No probable cause. Unconstitutional harassment of innocent American citizens.
"Here's what happens, according to Dennis Harmon, division chief for the Border Patrol Houlton sector in Maine. Border Patrol agents set up immigration checkpoints on highways within 100 miles of a U.S. border. They stop every vehicle traveling on the road, and ask each person if they are a U.S. citizen. If the person replies, 'Yes,' they are a citizen, in most cases, they are free to go."
Nazi SS jackbooted bastards in Nazi America. Fascist police-state.
"If they are a citizen of the United States, there is no law or regulation that requires them to carry identification saying they're a citizen," Harmon tells Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd. "That simple verbal declaration of 'I was born in Lewiston, Maine, or Sioux Falls,' and that proves they're a United States citizen."
None of the goddamned government's business. No probable cause a crime has been committed. No reason to believe their intended target is not an American citizen during a roadblock of all traffic. The jackbooted bastards are on a fishing expedition.
"But it's up to the discretion of the officer to believe that the person is really a citizen. While U.S. citizens do not have to show officers documentation to prove they are a citizen, Harmon says non-U.S. citizens who have legal status are required by law to carry their papers."
Fascist police-state quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"This discretion is raising questions among civil rights advocates about whether racial profiling is at play."
What else could it be?
"Border Patrol says these checkpoints are nothing new. While the actual number is unknown, the American Civil Liberties Union says, according to news reports, that the federal government operates almost 170 checkpoints within the border zone."
Nazi SS jackbooted tactics in a democratic republic that remains so in name only.
"But Border Patrol sometimes gets it wrong. In 2012, the New York legal aid group Families for Freedom successfully sued for records that showed at a bus station in Rochester, Border Patrol agents mistakenly arrested 300 people with legal status over the course of four years. The ACLU has filed Freedom of Information Act lawsuits in Michigan, Southern California and Arizona hoping to force Border Patrol to turn over records of how often people are wrongfully detained at immigration checkpoints, says Thomas Dresslar, an ACLU spokesperson. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees U.S. Border Patrol, declined to comment on the pending lawsuits."
No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all levels and branches of government, -- including law enforcement.
"Not only is racial profiling at play, but the ACLU contends that Border Patrol agents are violating the Fourth Amendment, which protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures. In May, the ACLU won a lawsuit against Border Patrol earlier this year after it used an immigration checkpoint in New Hampshire to search cars for illegal drugs."
Jackbooted nazi motherf--kers. The Fourth Amendment has clearly been bastardized by the courts:
"The Fourth Amendment does apply in the so-called 100-mile zone," says Emma Bond, a staff attorney with the ACLU in Maine. "[Customs and Border Protection] does claim that within this 100-miles that they can stop anyone without a warrant, without probable cause, without reasonable suspicion. And yet, all of those things are the hallmark of Fourth Amendment protections."
Direct violation and abrogation of the Fourth Amendment by the nazis in government.
"Civil rights and immigration advocates also say that the 100-mile zone is too large. According to the ACLU, nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population live within the 100-mile zone, due to the location of many major cities along the coasts."
... Hear the rumble?
"This means that if you live in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island or Vermont, you are completely or almost entirely within the zone and can be subject to Border Patrol immigration checkpoints."
Raw nazism.
"If you do come face-to-face with an officer, Bond says you can invoke your right to remain silent and say you do not consent to a search. You can also use your smartphone or other device to record the interaction as long as you don't interfere with the officer, she says."
Resist lawfully. Do so peacefully. Make it as difficult as you can for these goddamned nazi storm troopers.
"It really is a question of what kind of society we want to live in," she says. "Well, I don't want to live in a society where I could be stopped by an armed law enforcement officer when I'm boarding a bus, when I'm going to the grocery store, when I'm going to work. And yet that's what [Customs and Border Protection] claims that they can do."
Only because we, The People, gutlessly allow this. Cowardly, look the other way when nazis in our legislative bodies erode all civil and constitutional rights and liberties with outrageously unconstitutional legislation. Cowardly, do the same when the judiciary bastardizes the Constitution and Bill of Rights to unconstitutionally expand Executive power.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Ongoing Kavanaugh saga. NPR reports:
"A former classmate of Christine Blasey Ford tells NPR that she does not know if an alleged sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh took place as she first suggested on social media. "That it happened or not, I have no idea," Cristina King Miranda told NPR's Nina Totenberg. "I can't say that it did or didn't." That's different from what Miranda wrote Wednesday in a now-deleted Facebook post that stated definitively, "The incident DID happen, many of us heard about it in school."
Which is it?
"Miranda said staff from the Senate Judiciary Committee had reached out to her, something she was not expecting. She said she will not go through with a committee interview if asked."
Why not? ... No guts?
CBS News reports:
"CBS News has obtained the email sent by Ford's attorneys Thursday night to the Judiciary Committee after their call. The note, signed by attorney Debra Katz, reiterated that it would be a "deal breaker" to demand Ford testify Monday, and further, submitting written testimony by Friday at 10 a.m. would be "a non-starter" because "[i]t is simply not possible for her to prepare such testimony while at the same time trying to take appropriate security precautions in the face of the avalanche of threats she has been receiving."
"Katz said Ford needs time to "settle things with her family," travel and prepare to testify. Katz also asked the committee for information about how the hearing would unfold -- how many rounds of questions will be permitted by each member; whether Mark Judge, whom Ford named as an eyewitness and participant in the incident, would be subpoenaed; whether the committee would agree not to have Kavanaugh present during her testimony; and what would be done to ensure Ford's safety during the testimony."
Anything unreasonable about the above? Think anything unreasonable about the following?
"Katz also said that Senators should be the questioners, not outside counsel. During their call with the committee Ford's lawyers outlined these demands, according to a source close to the process:
"Ford
will not appear any sooner than next Thursday;
No
questions to be asked at hearing by any outside counsel -- only by Senators;
Mark
Judge must be subpoenaed;
Kavanaugh
would testify first, then Ford would testify, and Kavanaugh would have
no opportunity to respond or rebut;
The
Friday deadline for her to provide written statement before the hearing
would be waived;
Provide
adequate security;
Only
one pool camera in hearing room;
Ford
and Kavanaugh allotted the same amount of time to talk."
The Committee continues to stonewall:
"Grassley declined an earlier request by Ford to have the FBI investigate her allegation against Kavanaugh. The FBI has included the allegation in Kavanaugh's background file, and is not opening any additional probe at this time, although the president could theoretically direct the FBI to undertake a further review. The president said he trusts the Senate to do its job."
What's that, Donny boy? Rubber stamp your nazi nominee to the United States Supreme Court? Despite credible allegations by Dr. Ford?
"The Senate Judiciary chairman said in a tweet Thursday that committee investigators have been following up on the leads from Ford's allegations and from news stories. "No other OUTSIDE investigation is necessary for the Cmte to do its investigation," Grassley's tweet read."
Horse shit. Stonewalling by Republican national socialists is no more than kangaroo justice. Anything to ramrod through the nomination of the Kavanaugh nazi.
The Washington Post reports:
"An attorney for Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers, said Thursday that her appearing at a hearing on Monday to detail her claims is “not possible” but that she could testify later in the week. Debra Katz, Ford’s lawyer, relayed the response to top staffers on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, requesting to set up a call with them to “discuss the conditions under which [Ford] would be prepared to testify next week.” “As you are aware, she’s been receiving death threats which have been reported to the FBI and she and her family have been forced out of their home,” Katz wrote to the committee. “She wishes to testify, provided that we can agree on terms that are fair and which ensure her safety. A hearing on Monday is not possible and the committee’s insistence that it occur then is arbitrary in any event.”
Can't have that, can we? Fairness? What's that? Not possible in the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
Republican bullshit continues unabated. Get this:
"Amid the maneuvering, the nomination was roiled further late Thursday by incendiary tweets from a prominent Kavanaugh friend and supporter who publicly identified another high school classmate of Kavanaugh’s as Ford’s possible attacker."
Pathetic.
"Ed Whelan, a former clerk to the late justice Antonin Scalia and president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, pointed to floor plans, online photographs and other information to suggest a location for the house party in suburban Maryland that Ford described. He also named and posted photographs of the classmate he suggested could be responsible. Ford dismissed Whelan’s theory in a statement late Thursday: “I knew them both, and socialized with” the other classmate, Ford said, adding that she had once visited him in the hospital. “There is zero chance that I would confuse them.”
Incredible. Appalling. Republicans apparently are growing increasingly desperate:
"Republicans on Capitol Hill and White House officials immediately sought to distance themselves from Whelan’s claims and said they were not aware of his plans to identify the former classmate, now a middle school teacher, who could not be reached for comment and did not answer the door at his house Thursday night."
These outrageously fascist pieces of human excrement remain achingly clueless vis a vis the damage victims of sexual assault endure. Worse, couldn't care less. Appalling.
"Whelan did not respond to requests for comment. He had told people around him that he had spent several days putting together the theory and thought it was more convincing than her story, according to two friends who had talked to him."
Jesus Christ. Was he on an extended drunk?
"On Friday morning, Whelan said he had made an “inexcusable mistake” by identifying Kavanaugh’s classmate. “I made an appalling and inexcusable mistake of judgment in posting the tweet thread in a way that identified Kavanaugh’s Georgetown Prep classmate,” he said on Twitter. “I take full responsibility for that mistake, and I deeply apologize for it. I realize that does not undo the mistake.”
This piece of of shit has no credibility. None at all. Anything to get the Kavanaugh nazi confirmed as quickly as possible to the U.S. Supreme Court. No matter the damage done to sexual assault survivors. Nazi America.
"Whelan has been involved in helping to advise Kavanaugh’s confirmation effort and is close friends with both Kavanaugh and Leonard Leo, the head of the Federalist Society who has been helping to spearhead the nomination. Kavanaugh and Whelan also worked together in the Bush administration. Kavanaugh and his allies have been privately discussing a defense that would not question whether an incident involving Ford happened, but instead would raise doubts that the attacker was Kavanaugh, according to a person familiar with the discussions."
How about the goddamned f--king truth, 'Judge?' ... Or, is that achingly impossible for a national socialist, fascist, nazi nominee for the highest court in the land, Mr. Kavanaugh?
“Someone who is lying does not ask the FBI to investigate their claims,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Thursday at an event on Capitol Hill. “Who is not asking the FBI to investigate these claims? The White House. Judge Kavanaugh has not asked to have the FBI investigate these claims. Is that the reaction of an innocent person? It is not.” Gillibrand said Senate Republicans’ ultimatum of a Monday hearing was “bullying.”
GOP fascists have no interest in the truth. Only in confirming their nazi compadre as quickly as possible to the United States Supreme Court.
CBS News reports:
"Republicans felt they were starting to gain momentum in the public relations battle over the handling a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Cognizant of the politics of the moment and the perils of further alienating women voters weeks before the midterm election, various members of the party lauded Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley's for what they believed to be a compassionate yet firm approach in offering an array of options for Christine Blasey Ford to share her story."
Delusional. Clear to the public they were stonewalling the alleged victim, making it as difficult as possible for her. To protect their nazi nominee to the highest court of the land. Yet, all for naught:
"Then came the tweets from President Trump. "I have no doubt that, if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents. I ask that she bring those filings forward so that we can learn date, time, and place!" wrote Mr. Trump, who had been uncharacteristically restrained in prior days."
Trump nazi remains a hopelessly ignorant jackass. Has no clue victims of sexual assault are quite reluctant to step forward because of the stigma involved. To say nothing of clueless assholes just like him.
"The radical left lawyers want the FBI to get involved NOW," he continued. "Why didn't someone call the FBI 36 years ago?"
Hopelessly ignorant asshole. Clueless piece of human excrement.
"The president's comments came as the Judiciary Committee continued negotiations with Ford's attorneys over her potential testimony. Earlier this week, Ford and Democrats called for a FBI investigation into her allegations against Kavanaugh before moving ahead. But on Thursday, Ford appeared open to testifying if certain parameters were put in place."
Should never have compromised. If Republican nazis refused such an investigation, should have immediately scheduled herself on as many news programs and talk shows as possible. Told her story. Done so repeatedly in as many media venues as possible.
Apparently, not even the closest Trump associates are aware of his lunatic moves before they occur:
"Shortly before Mr. Trump sent his tweets Friday morning, senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway was telling reporters that Republicans had no reason to attack Ford. "There's no reason," Conway said. "Let her tell her story, under oath, here in Washington. The Senate Judiciary committee has offered for her to do it privately, for her to do it publicly, for her to do it in Washington, for her to do it somewhere else, I guess it could be in her home state of California. So they have been quite accommodating to her. There's no reason to attack her, the president is defending his nominee to the United States Supreme Court, as a man of character, integrity, impeccable academic and judicial qualifications and judicial temperament."
No extremist, whether national socialist on the Right or Marxist socialist on the Left, is qualified to sit on any court.
"Republicans "felt extremely comfortable with the level of compassion extended to Dr. Ford. Clearly, the Trump tweets contradict that," said one Republican strategist."
Delusional horse shit. Wishful thinking. Republicans will pay a price for their intransigence at the polls.
The Washington Post reports:
"A 2015 Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation Survey of current and recent college students found that 88 percent of women who experienced unwanted sexual contact did not tell police or university authorities about the incidents. This result was the same among both women who reported sexual assault by force or threat, as well as those who were incapacitated and unable to give consent."
Wouldn't want to confuse the Trump nazi with the truth, would we?
Here's precisely why GOP nazis don't want additional witnesses at the yet to be scheduled Kavanaugh-Ford hearing. The Washington Post reports:
"As Christine Blasey Ford tells it, only one person can offer eyewitness confirmation of her account of a sexual assault by Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh: Mark Judge, Kavanaugh’s friend and classmate at Georgetown Prep."
Quite a guy as will soon become more than evident.
"Ford says Judge watched Kavanaugh attack her at a high school party in the early 1980s and then literally piled on, leaping on top of her and Kavanaugh. Judge says he does not remember the party and never saw his buddy behave like that. Ford’s legal team has asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to compel Judge to testify."
Republican nazis can't have that. Here's why:
"A review of books, articles and blog posts by Judge — a freelance writer who has shifted among jobs at a record store, substitute teaching, housesitting and most recently at a liquor store — describes an ’80s private-school party scene in which heavy drinking and sexual encounters were standard fare. Judge wrote about the pledge he and his friends at the all-male school on Rockville Pike in North Bethesda, Md., made to drink 100 kegs of beer before graduation. On their way to that goal, there was a “disastrous” party “at my house where the place was trashed,” Judge wrote in his book “God and Man at Georgetown Prep.” Kavanaugh listed himself in the class yearbook as treasurer of the “100 Kegs or Bust” club."
More enlightening? Get this:
“I’ll be the first one to defend guys being guys,” Judge wrote in a 2015 article on the website Acculturated. He described a party culture of “drinking and smoking and hooking up.” During senior year, Judge said he and his pals hired a stripper and bought a keg for a bachelor party they threw to honor their school’s music teacher. “I drank too much and did stupid things,” he said in his memoir."
... No, couldn't be, could it? LOL.
“Most of the time everyone, including the girls, was drunk,” Judge wrote in “Wasted: Tales of a Gen X Drunk,” a memoir of his alcoholism and recovery. “If you could breathe and walk at the same time, you could hook up with someone. This did not mean going all the way ... but after a year spent in school without girls, heavy petting was basically an orgy.”
'Boys will be boys,' right, Mr. Judge?
"While many of his classmates moved on to careers in law, politics, business and education, Judge seemed to some friends to stay fixed in the experiences of his adolescence. Over time, his politics shifted from left to right, and his writing often focused on his view of masculinity (“the wonderful beauty of uncontrollable male passion”) and his concern that gay culture was corroding traditional values. In one column for Acculturated, Judge wrote that it is “important that for some brief moments in his life — preferably when he is young — a man should be, at times, arrogant, a little reckless, and looking for kicks.”
Like you and Kavanaugh?
"Three days after President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court, Judge posted on Twitter a beat-up old snapshot of eight shirtless teen boys posing on a beach: “Members of the mighty GP [Georgetown Prep] class of 1983,” the tweet said. In the center of the photo: Judge and Kavanaugh."
How about that? Couldn't be, could it?
"Judge has written about his Prep years as a time of drunken debauchery. Beach Week, a summertime excursion with classmates, was a nonstop roller coaster of drinking, sexual encounters with girls from other prep schools, blackouts and more drinking. “It was impossible to stop until I was completely annihilated,” he wrote."
Amazing, isn't it?
"Such experiences filled weekends during the school year as well, and on Monday mornings during senior year, the boys would tell their Marriage and Sex teacher, Bernie Ward, about their excesses. “The drinking was unbelievable,” said Ward, who later spent two decades as a radio talk-show host in San Francisco and served six years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. “It was part of the culture. A parent even bought the keg and threw one of the parties for the kids.”
'Thoughtful' of the bastard, wasn't it?
"Ward, who taught Judge, Kavanaugh and future Supreme Court justice Neil M. Gorsuch in his religion and sexuality courses, said his students “talked plenty about men and women and taking advantage and respect for each other. They took umbrage when I compared their rooting around with girls to dogs in heat. They’d say they were in love, and I’d say, ‘Wait a minute — then how come you have another girlfriend in two weeks?’ We’d have heated arguments.”
In light of the above which only scratches the surface, think Dr. Ford's allegations not credible? Unworthy of further investigation?
More bullshit and stonewalling from the nazi element within the Republican Party. NPR reports:
"Shortly before midnight, Grassley tweeted that he had granted an extension, telling Ford he wants to hear her testimony. He directly addressed Kavanaugh in a tweet, too, saying, "I hope u understand. It's not my normal approach to b indecisive."
"With
all the extensions we give Dr Ford to decide if she still wants to testify
to the Senate I feel like I’m playing 2nd trombone in the judiciary orchestra
and Schumer is the conductor
—
ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 22, 2018
"Five
times now we hv granted extension for Dr Ford to decide if she wants to
proceed w her desire stated one wk ago that she wants to tell senate her
story Dr Ford if u changed ur mind say so so we can move on I want to hear
ur testimony. Come to us or we to u
—
ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 22, 2018
"Judge
Kavanaugh I just granted another extension to Dr Ford to decide if she
wants to proceed w the statement she made last week to testify to the senate
She shld decide so we can move on I want to hear her. I hope u understand.
It’s not my normal approach to b indecisive
—
ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 22, 2018"
You got it cluelessly ass backwards, Senator. Not up to you to dictate circumstances of her testimony to ensure quick confirmation of your nazi compadre to the highest court of the land, you goddamned pompous jackass. Up to you to ensure the truth, all of it, comes out before a confirmation vote. You're not doing your sworn duty, Senator. Just advancing your nazi agenda and that of your henchmen in the GOP.
Committee continues to stonewall. CBS News reports:
"The committee is also proposing that Ford testify before Kavanaugh, as opposed to after, as requested by Katz. Katz wrote that she had advised the committee that Ford had traveled to meet with the FBI "for several hours" about the death threats she has been receiving. Because of that, Katz said they would need until Saturday to "confer" before she can provide the committee with a "well-considered response." "Rather than allowing her the time she needs to respond to the take-it-or-leave-it demand you conveyed, you sent us an email at 5:47 p.m. - which you again gave to the media first - insisting that we accept your 'invitation' for a Wednesday hearing by 10:00 p.m. tonight," Katz wrote."
Goddamned pompous patrician assholes. F--k these nazis.
Think Trump hasn't lost his mind? CBS News reports:
"President Trump called his embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh a "fantastic man" from "central casting," and exhorted supporters at a Springfield, Missouri, rally "to fight for him, not worry about the other side." He added, "Women are for him more than anyone would understand."
Jesus Christ.
"The president also took the opportunity during the rally to bash the Justice Department and FBI, saying most people there are good, but there are some "real bad ones." Although many of the "bad ones" are gone, he continued, there is a "lingering stench, and we are going to get rid of that too."
True 'stench' is in the Oval Office. -- That of a lunatic national socialist, fascist, nazi. ... Right, Mr. 'President?'
NBC News reports:
"A press adviser helping lead the Senate Judiciary Committee’s response to a sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has stepped down amid evidence he was fired from a previous political job in part because of a sexual harassment allegation against him."
How about that? Blind leading the blind. Dumb leading the dumb. Stupid leading the stupid.
"Garrett Ventry, 29, who served as a communications aide to the committee chaired by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, had been helping coordinate the majority party's messaging in the wake of Christine Blasey Ford’s claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her 36 years ago at a high school party. In a response to NBC News, Ventry denied any past "allegations of misconduct."
Imagine that. Believe it?
"After NBC News raised questions about Ventry's employment history and the sexual harassment allegation against him, Judiciary Committee Spokesman Taylor Foy replied in a statement: "While (Ventry) strongly denies allegations of wrongdoing, he decided to resign to avoid causing any distraction from the work of the committee."
'Thoughtful' of him, isn't it?
"Republicans familiar with the situation had been concerned that Ventry, because of his history, could not lead an effective communications response."
You think? LOL. 'Stupid is as stupid does.'
CBS News reports:
"Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell drew a standing ovation when he assured a gathering of evangelical activists that the conservative Kavanaugh would soon be a justice. "Keep the faith, don't get rattled by it," McConnell said at the Values Voter Summit. "We're going to plow right through and do our jobs."
That is, ramrod through the nomination of the Kavanaugh nazi to the United States Supreme Court to ensure Republican national socialists, fascists on the Court enjoy a 5-4 majority to obliterate whatever is left of all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Particularly, the right to abortion.
Forget? Ladies? Nazis in the Republican Party believe they own YOUR uterus. Reserve the right to dictate to you what you can and cannot do with YOUR uterus. Concertedly, determinedly abrogate their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution, First Amendment Establishment Clause, to impose their outrageously perverse religious and ideological views on all.
NBC News reports:
"The dean of Yale Law School on Thursday responded to reports that a prominent professor at the school had advised students seeking judicial clerkships with Brett Kavanaugh on their physical looks, saying the reported allegations of faculty misconduct are "of enormous concern" and calling on anyone affected to come forward."
That right? Couldn't be, could it?
"According to reports in The Guardian, the Huffington Post and Above the Law, Amy Chua, a professor at the law school, would advise students on their physical appearance if they wanted to seek a clerkship for Kavanaugh. Specifically, Chua would help potential applicants to have a "model-like" appearance."
Imagine that.
"In a letter Thursday to the law school community, Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken wrote that she wanted to "address the press reports today regarding allegations of faculty misconduct" and that "the allegations being reported are of enormous concern to me and to the School."
There's more:
"I strongly encourage any members of our community who have been affected by misconduct to take advantage of Yale University's resources for reporting incidents and receiving support," the letter continued. "The Law School has a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which all of our students can live and learn in a community of mutual respect, free of harassment of any kind." Yale has not specified what the misconduct might be.
"According to reports, Jed Rubenfeld, who is also a professor at Law School and Chua's husband, also once told a student seeking a clerkship that Kavanaugh "hires women with a certain look." "He did not say what the look was and I did not ask," the student said, according to The Guardian. In a statement to NBC News, the Yale Law School spokeswoman acknowledged that the statement from Gerken was a result of the reports about "faculty conduct by two members of our faculty."
In regard to the above, NBC News reports:
"The prominent Yale professor reported to have advised prospective female clerks of Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh to dress a certain way issued a statement on Saturday calling the allegations, "outrageous" and "100% false."
That right? Think she's telling the truth? Someone's lying. Guess who? LOL. Here's why. First, (italics mine):
"Amy Chua, a vocal supporter of Kavanaugh, denied allegations that she advised women on their physical appearance to help them land the prestigious clerkship. "I always tell students to prep insanely hard — that substance is the most important thing," Chua defended in an email to the school's law community. "I advise them to read every opinion, including dissents, the judge has ever written as well as important recent cases from the circuit and Supreme Court." The law school professor, who is also known for her best-selling book on parenting titled "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother," was alleged to have told students that it was "not an accident" that all female clerks on Kavanaugh's staff "looked like models," according to The Guardian on Thursday. In her email on Saturday, she said that she advises "students, male and female, to dress professionally — not too casually — and to avoid inappropriate clothing. I remind them that they are interviewing with a member of the judiciary."
Think so? Forget? We have no kings or queens in this country. ... Supposedly.
Second, consider the following:
"Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken responded shortly after the initial reports came out about Chua's controversial remarks on Thursday. "While we cannot comment on individual complaints or investigations, the Law School and the University thoroughly investigate all complaints regarding violations of University rules and take no options off the table," Gerken wrote. According to reports, Jed Rubenfeld, who is also a professor at Yale Law School and Chua's husband, also once told a student seeking a clerkship that Kavanaugh "hires women with a certain look." "He did not say what the look was and I did not ask," the student said, according to The Guardian."
... Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil? LOL.
Third, here's the kicker. Get this:
"In July, three days after President Trump nominated Kavanaugh, Chua wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal titled "Kavanaugh Is a Mentor To Women."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break.
Fresh allegations against Kavanaugh from a second accuser. Figuratively speaking, noose tightens. NPR reports:
"In a story published Sunday evening by The New Yorker, Deborah Ramirez says Kavanaugh exposed himself to her during a drunken party while both were first year students at Yale University. "It was kind of a joke," Ramirez told the magazine. "And now it's clear to me it wasn't a joke." Kavanaugh denied the allegation in a statement released by the White House. "This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen," Kavanaugh said. "The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so. This is a smear, plain and simple."
Think so? Then why won't the Trump nazi authorize an investigation by the FBI to debunk both the Ford and Ramirez allegations? What are you so afraid of, Donny boy? The truth?
"California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the committee, sent a letter to committee chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Sunday evening asking that all proceedings related to Kavanaugh's nomination be suspended. "I am writing to request an immediate postponement of any further proceedings related to the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh," Feinstein wrote. "I also ask that the newest allegations of sexual misconduct be referred to the FBI for investigation, and that you join our request for the White House to direct the FBI to investigate the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford as well as these new claims."
Can't have that, can we? Clearly, Republican fascists remain unsure of the truth. Otherwise, would be more than willing to have the FBI debunk bogus allegations. Consider the political advantage GOP nazis would enjoy should these allegations turn out to be false. Would certainly make Democrats look like clueless jackasses. ... Not that they need any additional help. LOL.
NBC News reports:
"Deborah Ramirez, who attended Yale University with Kavanaugh, told The New Yorker that Kavanaugh pulled down his pants and exposed himself to her while they were classmates there. “I remember a penis being in front of my face,” said Ramirez, who says she had been drinking. “I knew that's not what I wanted, even in that state of mind.” She told the magazine that she pushed the person away. “I was embarrassed and ashamed and humiliated,” she said. She added that she recalled Kavanaugh next to her, pulling up his pants. “Brett was laughing,” she said. “I can still see his face, and his hips coming forward, like when you pull up your pants.... Somebody yelled down the hall, ‘Brett Kavanaugh just put his penis in Debbie’s face,’” she said. “It was his full name. I don’t think it was just ‘Brett.’ And I remember hearing and being mortified that this was out there.”
Think she's lying? Has no credibility?
"Ramirez, who is now married and lives in Boulder, Colorado, is a volunteer and board member at a nonprofit group that helps victims of domestic violence, Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence. Ramirez referred NBC on Saturday to her lawyer, Stanley Garnett, who did not respond to requests for comment through the weekend."
Both Ford and Ramirez are well-educated, upstanding, respected professionals with one hell of a lot to lose should they be lying. Think there won't be others who will also step forward? Democrats are reportedly in the process of vetting others who have reportedly had the courage to finally stand up. We'll see.
“This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen," said Kavanaugh. "The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so. This is a smear, plain and simple. I look forward to testifying on Thursday about the truth, and defending my good name — and the reputation for character and integrity I have spent a lifetime building — against these last-minute allegations.”
A national socialist, fascist, nazi has no integrity, 'Judge.' Your goddamned fellow Republican national socialists on the Committee would have already figuratively shot down this abominable nomination had they not shared your achingly pernicious extremist ideology and perverse religious views.
"The news comes at a critical moment for Kavanaugh's already-troubled nomination. Most Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have stood by Kavanaugh, but a handful of GOP senators — including several who have not yet pledged public support for his nomination — have expressed concern over Ford's allegations, and said her allegations could affect their support."
As well they should. A vote for this abomination is no more than a treasonous act, a figurative slap to the face of all who fought and died fighting Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini decades ago. Second World War European Theater. The satanic snake is clearly being resurrected in our formerly great country. Time for those who support the United States Constitution and a democratic republic to courageously stand up.
Think Trump has any honor? Any at all? Wake up:
"Trump, who has also faced accusations of sexual assault, stepped up his defense of Kavanaugh on Friday, questioning the legitimacy of Ford’s account in a series of tweets. The president's comments have complicated Republican messaging as lawmakers look to avoid attacking Ford, an attempt to avoid a repeat of the Anita Hill hearings — the image of a panel of men aggressively questioning a woman's allegations against a high court nominee. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a potential swing vote on Kavanaugh, said Friday she was “appalled” by Trump’s tweets. Sens. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., are also critical votes. For Kavanaugh to be confirmed, Republicans can only afford to lose the support of two GOP members, if all Democrats oppose the nomination. Flake tweeted on Saturday that it was “good” that Ford had agreed to testify next week."
Republicans need to wake up. Won't be returned to office. Will certainly pay a price at the polls should this egregious stonewalling continue.
CBS News reports:
"CBS News' Nancy Cordes reports that attorney Michael Avenatti says the reason his client has not gone public yet with her own allegations against Kavanaugh is because "we have to make sure security precautions are taken before we publicly release her identity…we have to make sure she's in a safe place." Avenatti's client is at least the third person to accuse the judge of sexual misconduct. Avenatti says his client is "contemporary in age with Brett Kavanaugh" and graduated from a public school in the area around the same time as Kavanaugh."
Couldn't be, could it? LOL.
"She "was in attendance with Kavanaugh and Judge at multiple parties" according to Avenatti. Cordes adds that according to tweets from Avenatti, in an email sent to Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee, his client is going to speak to incidents that happened in high school that have to do with a number of boys, including Kavanaugh, who would get young women drunk intentionally at parties on weekends and then attempt to sexually assault them."
Can't be, can it? A judge even as a high school kid wouldn't do anything like that, would he? LOL.
CBS News reports:
"Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was forced to leave a Washington, D.C. restaurant after being met by protesters chanting "we believe survivors." Cruz and his wife Heidi were seen being questioned by protesters in videos posted on Twitter by the account Smash Racism DC."
Tough, isn't it? Doesn't your heart bleed for the Cruz nazi?
"I know you're very close friends with Brett Kavanaugh, do you believe survivors sir?" an unidentified woman in the video asks of Cruz as he sits down in a booth at the restaurant."
Got his attention, didn't it? Precisely, what these national socialist, fascist jackasses desperately need. A wake up call.
"Cruz serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee which is set to hear directly from Judge Kavanaugh and one of his accusers, Christine Blasey Ford, on allegations of sexual assault stemming from over 30 years ago. Kavanaugh has categorically denied the allegations against him."
No FBI investigation of these claims, no additional witnesses allowed at the hearing, no assurances from the Committee the treatment of Ford will indeed be fair. Kangaroo justice inflicted by the nazi element in the Republican Party.
"She continued to press. "Senator, I have a right to know what your position is on Brett Kavanaugh" to which Sen. Cruz replied: "God bless you, ma'am."
Aryan arrogant, national socialist, fascist, nazi United States Senator. Carefully re-read the last sentence. Perfect oxymoron, right, Senator? Classical example.
"There are now three people who have come forward and said Brett Kavanaugh has attacked them...I know that you're close friends, can you talk to him about that?" the woman went on."
Can't, won't confuse a national socialist United States Senator with the truth, can we?
"As chanters grew louder, Cruz and his wife were seen leaving the restaurant out of frustration. "Let's go ahead and go," the senator said as he put his coat on to exit."
Gutless nazi bastard. Had he a set of cajones, would have boldly invited the woman to sit at his table. Engage her. Discuss his views with her. This patrician piece of shit has no class, no courage. Extremely good at sophistry, however. ... Right, Senator? What highly-gifted debater isn't? ... Right, Teddy boy?
Insanity exponentially grows. LOL. Get this:
"Cruz's opponent in the upcoming midterm elections, Democrat Beto O'Rourke, condemned the protesters in a tweet on Tuesday, saying that it was "not right" the Cruz's were forced to leave the restaurant. "The Cruz family should be treated with respect," he added."
Respect is earned, Congressman. You don't know that? Conveniently forget? Politicians are exceptionally difficult to rhetorically confront. Usually these hopelessly gutless bastards avoid such confrontations at all costs. Just like Cruz did when confronted by the protester as detailed above. Called cowardice. What better place to confront a recalcitrant sleaze ball politician than in a public setting with plenty of witnesses present?
... Ferociously pointedly, why did you lie at the first debate with Cruz vis a vis not fleeing the scene of a collision while driving drunk twenty years ago? -- More on this, readers, later in this edition.
NBC News reports:
"The videos show a group of protesters heckling Cruz and his wife, Heidi, over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee as the pair attempt to work their way through the crowd toward the exit.
"Sexual
assault survivor questioned Cruz during disruption at fancy Washington
DC restaurant. Cruz ignores her. #CancelKavanaugh pic.twitter.com/bbtQ8TqE4H
—
Smash Racism DC (@SmashRacismDC) September 25, 2018
"One protester yells, "Are you going to confirm your best friend Brett Kavanaugh?" Another demonstrator shouts, "Vote no on Kavanaugh." A third protester raises her middle finger at Cruz."
Think this achingly clueless fascist bastard got the message? LOL.
"An employee of the restaurant is seen helping the Cruzes leave, and after they do, the protesters are asked to leave, too."
Heartbreaking, isn't it? LOL.
"The Daily Beast identified the restaurant as Fiola, an upscale Italian eatery near the Smithsonian Institution."
What better place to rhetorically confront the national socialist Cruz nazi? LOL.
"Cruz's office did not respond to questions from NBC News about the incident."
Imagine that. What could he say?
"Other politicians and Trump administration officials have been confronted in public in recent months, including former Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, who was urged by a woman holding her young son to resign amid a slew of scandals, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, who was heckled at a Mexican restaurant by a group protesting the Trump's policy of separating families at the southern border."
Patrician nazis, national socialists, fascists don't appreciate being treated like local riffraff, common peasants. ... Right, Teddy boy?
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump on Tuesday attacked the second woman who has accused Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, dismissing her account because she was “totally inebriated and all messed up,” and accused Democrats of playing a “con game” in an attempt to derail his Supreme Court nominee.
"The president dismissed the notion that the allegation could be disqualifying, saying sarcastically: “Oh, gee, let’s not make him a Supreme Court judge because of that.”
Delusionally believe Republicans won't pay the price at the polls?
Yet, the Trump nazi remains hopelessly delusional:
"In a Tuesday afternoon tweet, Trump sought to underscore the high stakes for the GOP in getting Kavanaugh confirmed before the November elections. Republicans are eager to tout a successful second appointment to the Supreme Court. In his tweet, Trump quoted conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, writing: “You can kiss the MIDTERMS goodbye if you don’t get highly qualified Kavanaugh approved.”
... Hear the rumble?
The Washington Post reports:
"On Monday night, Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh said in a nationally televised interview that in his younger years, he was focused on sports, academics and “service projects.” But it was his comments about drinking that rankled some Yale University classmates, prompting them to speak out for the first time."
Can't hide the truth forever, 'Judge.' Always has a most irritating way of coming out, doesn't it, sir?
"Liz Swisher, who described herself as a friend of Kavanaugh in college, said she was shocked that — in an interview focused largely on his high school years and allegations of sexual misconduct — he strongly denied drinking to the point of blacking out. “Brett was a sloppy drunk, and I know because I drank with him. I watched him drink more than a lot of people. He’d end up slurring his words, stumbling,” said Swisher, a Democrat and chief of the gynecologic oncology division at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “There’s no medical way I can say that he was blacked out. ... But it’s not credible for him to say that he has had no memory lapses in the nights that he drank to excess.”
If true, devastating, isn't it? Needs to swear it under oath in front of the Committee.
"Lynne Brookes, who like Swisher was a college roommate of one of the two women now accusing Kavanaugh of misconduct, said the nominee’s comments on Fox did not match the classmate she remembered. “He’s trying to paint himself as some kind of choir boy,” said Brookes, a Republican and former pharmaceutical executive who recalled an encounter with a drunken Kavanaugh at a fraternity event. “You can’t lie your way onto the Supreme Court, and with that statement out, he’s gone too far. It’s about the integrity of that institution.”
If true, devastating. Again, needs to swear it under oath in front of the Committee.
The Washington Post reports:
"A third woman came forward Wednesday to accuse Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, saying he was physically abusive toward girls in high school and present at a house party in 1982 where she says she was the victim of a “gang” rape. The woman, Julie Swetnick, a Washington resident, is represented by lawyer Michael Avenatti, who revealed her identity on Twitter and posted her photograph. The Post has not independently verified her allegations regarding President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. In a declaration, Julie Swetnick, who attended Gaithersburg High School, said she observed Kavanaugh drinking excessively at house parties and engaging “in abusive and physically aggressive behavior toward girls.” Swetnick said she witnessed efforts by Kavanaugh and others to get girls inebriated so they could be “gang raped” in side rooms at house parties by a “train” of numerous boys. “I have a firm recollection of seeing boys lined up outside rooms at many of these parties waiting for their ‘turn’ with a girl inside the room. These boys included Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh.”
Needs to swear to all the above under oath in front of the Committee if indeed true.
"Judge is a friend of Kavanaugh whom an earlier accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, said was present when she alleges Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her about 36 years ago. In her declaration, Swetnick recounts an alleged incident in approximately 1982 in which she says she was the victim of a “gang rape” at which Kavanaugh was present. She does not say Kavanaugh participated in the alleged rape or what, if any, role he played, nor does she say where the alleged episode took place. “During the incident, I was incapacitated without my consent and unable to fight off the boys raping me,” Swetnick says. “I believe I was drugged using Quaaludes or something similar placed in what I was drinking.”
Think there won't be others who will step forward? Precisely, why Republican national socialists, fascists are so anxious to confirm the Kavanaugh nazi to the United States Supreme Court as quickly as possible.
"Avenatti, the lawyer who represents adult film actress Stormy Daniels, is exploring a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and spoken out against Trump and his policies, making frequent appearances on cable television."
If Avenatti is indeed backing, that is, representing a lying client, delusionally believe his presidential ambitions are not over? Think this country would support yet another congenital liar in the Oval Office?
"In his tweet, Avenatti said he is demanding an immediate FBI investigation into his client’s allegations. To this point, Republicans have resisted the idea of an FBI investigation into Kavanaugh’s accusers. “Under no circumstances should Brett Kavanaugh be confirmed absent a full and complete investigation,” Avenatti said."
He's right. This is a life-time appointment. If Kavanaugh does not withdraw and Republicans do not demand an FBI investigation of these allegations, they will severely suffer at the polls.
"A Judiciary Committee spokesman acknowledged having received the declaration from Swetnick. “This morning Michael Avenatti provided a declaration to the Judiciary Committee,” spokesman Taylor Foy said. “Committee lawyers are in the process of reviewing it now.”
NBC News reports:
"Attorneys for Christine Blasey Ford have given the Senate Judiciary Committee sworn declarations from four individuals, including her husband, who say she told them in recent years that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh attacked her when they were in high school. The signed documents — from Ford's husband, Russell, and three friends — were sent to the committee on Tuesday night and obtained by NBC News Wednesday morning, the day before Ford and Kavanaugh are scheduled to testify before the committee about the allegations. The story was first reported by USA Today."
The Washington Post reports:
"The controversial nominee is faced with two unattractive options: withdraw or testify at a second hearing Thursday. He has pledged to do the latter, though either leaves his name tarnished."
No question. No-win situation for the national socialist, fascist. Heartbreaking, isn't it?
“It’s difficult to imagine an exit strategy that’s not personally and professionally devastating for Kavanaugh,” Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University Law School professor, told The Washington Post on Tuesday. Those encouraging the federal judge to withdraw are telling him to cut his losses, Turley said. But the losses are quite considerable. “He’s been accused of being an attempted rapist. There’s not a viable option for Kavanaugh beyond appearing at this hearing and defending his actions and reputation,” he said. At this stage, many lawyers think a withdrawal would cement the allegations into his record. Entertaining a hearing presents a more appealing end: If he falls short on confirmation votes, Kavanaugh returns to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as others have before him; after a failed nomination related to marijuana use, Douglas H. Ginsburg went on to serve with distinction. A hearing also preserves the possibility of a lifetime appointment to the high court."
Above quotes courtesy of a most gifted, insightful writer, Deanna Paul.
CBS News reports:
"Here is his [Kavanaugh's] written testimony, as prepared and submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee:
"Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Members of the Committee: Eleven days ago, Dr. Ford publicly accused me of committing a serious wrong more than 36 years ago when we were both in high school. I denied the allegation immediately, unequivocally, and categorically. The next day, I told this Committee that I wanted to testify as soon as possible, under oath, to clear my name.
Over the past few days, other false and uncorroborated accusations have been aired. There has been a frenzy to come up with something—anything, no matter how far-fetched or odious—that will block a vote on my nomination. These are last-minute smears, pure and simple. They debase our public discourse. And the consequences extend beyond any one nomination. Such grotesque and obvious character assassination—if allowed to succeed—will dissuade competent and good people of all political persuasions from serving our country.
As I told this Committee the last time I appeared before you, a federal judge must be independent, not swayed by public or political pressure. That is the kind of judge I am and will always be. I will not be intimidated into withdrawing from this process. This effort to destroy my good name will not drive me out. The vile threats of violence against my family will not drive me out. I am here this morning to answer these allegations and to tell the truth. And the truth is that I have never sexually assaulted anyone—not in high school, not in college, not ever.
Sexual assault is horrific. It is morally wrong. It is illegal. It is contrary to my religious faith. And it contradicts the core promise of this Nation that all people are created equal and entitled to be treated with dignity and respect. Allegations of sexual assault must be taken seriously. Those who make allegations deserve to be heard. The subject of allegations also deserves to be heard. Due process is a foundation of the American rule of law.
Dr. Ford's allegation dates back more than 36 years, to a party that she says occurred during our time in high school. I spent most of my time in high school focused on academics, sports, church, and service. But I was not perfect in those days, just as I am not perfect today. I drank beer with my friends, usually on weekends. Sometimes I had too many. In retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now. But that's not why we are here today. What I've been accused of is far more serious than juvenile misbehavior. I never did anything remotely resembling what Dr. Ford describes.
The allegation of misconduct is completely inconsistent with the rest of my life. The record of my life, from my days in grade school through the present day, shows that I have always promoted the equality and dignity of women.
I categorically and unequivocally deny the allegation against me by Dr. Ford. I never had any sexual or physical encounter of any kind with Dr. Ford. I am not questioning that Dr. Ford may have been sexually assaulted by some person in some place at some time. But I have never done that to her or to anyone. I am innocent of this charge."
The following is Dr. Ford's written testimony courtesy of CBS News:
"Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Feinstein, Members of the Committee. My name is Christine Blasey Ford. I am a Professor of Psychology at Palo Alto University and a Research Psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. I was an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina and earned my degree in Experimental Psychology in 1988. I received a Master's degree in 1991 in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University. In 1996, I received a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California. I earned a Master's degree in Epidemiology from the Stanford University School of Medicine in 2009.
I have been married to Russell Ford since 2002 and we have two children. I am here today not because I want to be.
I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school. I have described the events publicly before. I summarized them in my letter to Ranking Member Feinstein, and again in my letter to Chairman Grassley. I understand and appreciate the importance of your hearing from me directly about what happened to me and the impact it has had on my life and on my family.
I grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. I attended the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland, from 1980 to 1984. Holton-Arms is an all-girls school that opened in 1901. During my time at the school, girls at Holton-Arms frequently met and became friendly with boys from all-boys schools in the area, including Landon School, Georgetown Prep, Gonzaga High 2 School, country clubs, and other places where kids and their families socialized. This is how I met Brett Kavanaugh, the boy who sexually assaulted me.
In my freshman and sophomore school years, when I was 14 and 15 years old, my group of friends intersected with Brett and his friends for a short period of time. I had been friendly with a classmate of Brett's for a short time during my freshman year, and it was through that connection that I attended a number of parties that Brett also attended. We did not know each other well, but I knew him and he knew me. In the summer of 1982, like most summers, I spent almost every day at the Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland swimming and practicing diving.
One evening that summer, after a day of swimming at the club, I attended a small gathering at a house in the Chevy Chase/Bethesda area. There were four boys I remember being there: Brett Kavanaugh, Mark Judge, P.J. Smyth, and one other boy whose name I cannot recall. I remember my friend Leland Ingham attending. I do not remember all of the details of how that gathering came together, but like many that summer, it was almost surely a spur of the moment gathering. I truly wish I could provide detailed answers to all of the questions that have been and will be asked about how I got to the party, where it took place, and so forth.
I don't have all the answers, and I don't remember as much as I would like to. But the details about that night that bring me here today are ones I will never forget. They have been seared into my memory and have haunted me episodically as an adult.
When I got to the small gathering, people were drinking beer in a small living room on the first floor of the house. I drank one beer that evening. Brett and Mark were visibly drunk. Early in the evening, I went up a narrow set of stairs leading from the living room to a second floor to use the bathroom. When I got to the top of the stairs, I was pushed from behind into a bedroom. I couldn't see who pushed me. Brett and Mark came into the bedroom and locked the door behind 3 them. There was music already playing in the bedroom. It was turned up louder by either Brett or Mark once we were in the room. I was pushed onto the bed and Brett got on top of me. He began running his hands over my body and grinding his hips into me. I yelled, hoping someone downstairs might hear me, and tried to get away from him, but his weight was heavy. Brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. He had a hard time because he was so drunk, and because I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit under my clothes. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming. This was what terrified me the most, and has had the most lasting impact on my life. It was hard for me to breathe, and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me. Both Brett and Mark were drunkenly laughing during the attack. They both seemed to be having a good time. Mark was urging Brett on, although at times he told Brett to stop. A couple of times I made eye contact with Mark and thought he might try to help me, but he did not.
During this assault, Mark came over and jumped on the bed twice while Brett was on top of me. The last time he did this, we toppled over and Brett was no longer on top of me. I was able to get up and run out of the room. Directly across from the bedroom was a small bathroom. I ran inside the bathroom and locked the door. I heard Brett and Mark leave the bedroom laughing and loudly walk down the narrow stairs, pin-balling off the walls on the way down. I waited and when I did not hear them come back up the stairs, I left the bathroom, ran down the stairs, through the living room, and left the house. I remember being on the street and feeling an enormous sense of relief that I had escaped from the house and that Brett and Mark were not coming after me.
Brett's assault on me drastically altered my life. For a very long time, I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone the details. I did not want to tell my parents that I, at age 15, was in a house without any parents present, drinking beer with boys. I tried to convince myself that because Brett 4 did not rape me, I should be able to move on and just pretend that it had never happened. Over the years, I told very few friends that I had this traumatic experience. I told my husband before we were married that I had experienced a sexual assault. I had never told the details to anyone until May 2012, during a couples counseling session. The reason this came up in counseling is that my husband and I had completed an extensive remodel of our home, and I insisted on a second front door, an idea that he and others disagreed with and could not understand. In explaining why I wanted to have a second front door, I described the assault in detail. I recall saying that the boy who assaulted me could someday be on the U.S. Supreme Court and spoke a bit about his background. My husband recalls that I named my attacker as Brett Kavanaugh.
After that May 2012 therapy session, I did my best to suppress memories of the assault because recounting the details caused me to relive the experience, and caused panic attacks and anxiety. Occasionally I would discuss the assault in individual therapy, but talking about it caused me to relive the trauma, so I tried not to think about it or discuss it. But over the years, I went through periods where I thought about Brett's attack. I confided in some close friends that I had an experience with sexual assault. Occasionally I stated that my assailant was a prominent lawyer or judge but I did not use his name. I do not recall each person I spoke to about Brett's assault, and some friends have reminded me of these conversations since the publication of The Washington Post story on September 16, 2018. But until July 2018, I had never named Mr. Kavanaugh as my attacker outside of therapy.
This all changed in early July 2018. I saw press reports stating that Brett Kavanaugh was on the "short list" of potential Supreme Court nominees. I thought it was my civic duty to relay the information I had about Mr. Kavanaugh's conduct so that those considering his potential nomination would know about the assault.
On July 6, 2018, I had a sense of urgency to relay the information to the Senate and the President as soon as possible before a nominee was selected. I called my congressional representative and let her receptionist know that someone on the President's shortlist had attacked me. I also sent a message to The Washington Post's confidential tip line. I did not use my name, but I provided the names of Brett Kavanaugh and Mark Judge. I stated that Mr. Kavanaugh had assaulted me in the 1980s in Maryland. This was an extremely hard thing for me to do, but I felt I couldn't NOT do it. Over the next two days, I told a couple of close friends on the beach in California that Mr. Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted me. I was conflicted about whether to speak out.
On July 9, 2018, I received a call from the office of Congresswoman Anna Eshoo after Mr. Kavanaugh had become the nominee. I met with her staff on July 11 and with her on July 13, describing the assault and discussing my fear about coming forward. Later, we discussed the possibility of sending a letter to Ranking Member Feinstein, who is one of my state's Senators, describing what occurred. My understanding is that Representative Eshoo's office delivered a copy of my letter to Senator Feinstein's office on July 30, 2018. The letter included my name, but requested that the letter be kept confidential.
My hope was that providing the information confidentially would be sufficient to allow the Senate to consider Mr. Kavanaugh's serious misconduct without having to make myself, my family, or anyone's family vulnerable to the personal attacks and invasions of privacy we have faced since my name became public. In a letter on August 31, 2018, Senator Feinstein wrote that she would not share the letter without my consent. I greatly appreciated this commitment. All sexual assault victims should be able to decide for themselves whether their private experience is made public.
As the hearing date got closer, I struggled with a terrible choice: Do I share the facts with the Senate and put myself and my family in the public spotlight? Or do I preserve our privacy and allow the Senate to make its decision on Mr. Kavanaugh's nomination without knowing the full truth about his past behavior?
I agonized daily with this decision throughout August and early September 2018. The sense of duty that motivated me to reach out confidentially to The Washington Post, Representative Eshoo's office, and Senator Feinstein's office was always there, but my fears of the consequences of speaking out started to increase.
During August 2018, the press reported that Mr. Kavanaugh's confirmation was virtually certain. His allies painted him as a champion of women's rights and empowerment. I believed that if I came forward, my voice would be drowned out by a chorus of powerful supporters. By the time of the confirmation hearings, I had resigned myself to remaining quiet and letting the Committee and the Senate make their decision without knowing what Mr. Kavanaugh had done to me.
Once the press started reporting on the existence of the letter I had sent to Senator Feinstein, I faced mounting pressure. Reporters appeared at my home and at my job demanding information about this letter, including in the presence of my graduate students. They called my boss and coworkers and left me many messages, making it clear that my name would inevitably be released to the media. I decided to speak out publicly to a journalist who had responded to the tip I had sent to The Washington Post and who had gained my trust. It was important to me to describe the details of the assault in my own words.
Since September 16, the date of The Washington Post story, I have experienced an outpouring of support from people in every state of this country. Thousands of people who have had their lives dramatically altered by sexual violence have reached out to share their own experiences with me and have thanked me for coming forward. We have received tremendous support from friends and our community.
At the same time, my greatest fears have been realized – and the reality has been far worse than what I expected. My family and I have been the target of constant harassment and death threats. I have been called the most vile and hateful names imaginable. These messages, while far fewer than the expressions of support, have been terrifying to receive and have rocked me to my core. People have posted my personal information on the internet. This has resulted in additional emails, calls, and threats. My family and I were forced to move out of our home. Since September 16, my family and I have been living in various secure locales, with guards. This past Tuesday evening, my work email account was hacked and messages were sent out supposedly recanting my description of the sexual assault.
Apart from the assault itself, these last couple of weeks have been the hardest of my life. I have had to relive my trauma in front of the entire world, and have seen my life picked apart by people on television, in the media, and in this body who have never met me or spoken with me. I have been accused of acting out of partisan political motives. Those who say that do not know me. I am a fiercely independent person and I am no one's pawn. My motivation in coming forward was to provide the facts about how Mr. Kavanaugh's actions have damaged my life, so that you can take that into serious consideration as you make your decision about how to proceed. It is not my responsibility to determine whether Mr. Kavanaugh deserves to sit on the Supreme Court. My responsibility is to tell the truth.
I understand that the Majority has hired a professional prosecutor to ask me some questions, and I am committed to doing my very best to answer them. At the same time, because the Committee Members will be judging my credibility, I hope to be able to engage directly with each of you. At this point, I will do my best to answer your questions."
Much more to come in the next edition as this story develops.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Trump makes fool of himself at UN. Gets laughed at. NPR reports:
"President Trump defended his "America First" agenda in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, in effect spiking the football at what his secretary of state described as the "Super Bowl of diplomacy." The president boasted that he's accomplished more during his time in office than almost any previous administration — a claim that drew immediate laughter from the assembled diplomats and other world leaders. Trump pressed ahead, undaunted. "I didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK," he said."
... Didn't expect it, Mr. 'President?' That clueless? LOL. Wake up. You're laughed at right here, at home, in the United States. You don't know that? Achingly, heartrending.
CBS News reports:
"Without naming President Trump, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blasted the United States during his U.N. General Assembly address on Tuesday, suggesting Mr. Trump had "xenophobic tendencies resembling a Nazi disposition," among other criticisms. In response, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Rouhani's comments "outrageous" and said Mr. Trump will not be meeting with Iran."
While Rouhani indeed leaves much to be desired on a whole variety of issues, he is quite correct about Trump being highly reminiscent of a Nazi. -- Early Nazi Germany, circa 1933, when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor. Rouhani's insane denial of the Holocaust, however, is abject lunacy. Pernicious re-write of history.
"There's not going to be a meeting. President Trump has said when the Iranians are prepared to talk about fundamentally changing their behavior, then he is of course prepared to talk to them," Pompeo told "CBS This Morning" co-host Norah O'Donnell during a live interview on Wednesday. "Those statements yesterday indicate that they're not in that place and it is outrageous for him to say such a thing. For a Holocaust-denying country that is threatening Israel to compare the United States or its leader to Nazis is among the most outrageous things I have heard. And I will tell you, in diplomacy you hear a lot of them. The most outrageous things I have ever heard."
Wake up, Mikey. Your fuhrer, the Trump nazi, remains a congenital liar. How can you in good conscience defend this outrageously fascist abomination? ... As amoral as ole Donny boy, Mr. Secretary of State?
Our allies and others are not goose stepping in tandem with the Trump nazi on Iran, Mikey. Chagrined?
"On Monday, foreign ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran agreed to a "Special Purpose Vehicle" to establish a financial facility in the European Union to facilitate payments for Iranian imports and exports. They said it will "assist and reassure economic operators pursuing legitimate business with Iran," after Mr. Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed sanctions. Asked about those nations' back channel to continue economic relationships with Iran, Pompeo said: "To continue to create mechanisms to fund the world's largest state sponsor of terror is disastrous policy and I hope they will reconsider it."
What's truly disastrous, Mikey, is what's going on in the Oval Office. Your fuhrer is out of control. A lunatic. You don't know that?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Think another shoe may be about to drop in the Trump Regime? NBC News reports:
"Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was on his way to the White House Monday to learn his fate, with conflicting reports emerging about whether he would resign or insist that President Donald Trump fire him to remove him from office. Rosenstein's hold on his job was imperiled after reports surfaced last week that he had discussed wearing a wire to record President Donald Trump and the possibility of organizing a push to remove the president through a process outlined in the 25th Amendment to the Constitution."
While Rosenstein denied doing so, would have been one of the most courageous, patriotic actions he could have taken. ... Then again, Pence would certainly be far worse. Forget? Unlike the Trump nazi, Pence is no lunatic.
"Rosenstein said Friday that there is "no basis" for finding the president unfit to serve and that he never pursued any effort to record Trump. Two administration officials told NBC News Friday that Rosenstein had talked about a wire sarcastically, but people who have discussed the matter with then-Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who was in the meeting in question with Rosenstein, say he recalls the deputy attorney general being serious about surreptitiously taping conversations with Trump."
How about that? Someone's lying. Either he did or he didn't. LOL.
"In an interview with Geraldo Rivera taped over the weekend, Trump said he was considering removing Rosenstein."
Should that happen, likely spawn a constitutional crisis. Here's why:
"Rosenstein's departure would throw into doubt the future of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe — including whether Mueller's eventual report is ultimately delivered to Congress and made public. Trump has long been frustrated with Rosenstein over that investigation and the Justice Department's lack of action in investigating agency officials whom the president believes conspired against him. But it was the discussion of a wire and the 25th Amendment, first reported by the New York Times, that formed the proximate cause for Trump to force Rosenstein out."
Convenient pretext for the Trump nazi. No more than a ruse in reality. Charade. Obstruction of justice.
"Democrats were quick to argue that Congress should intervene to shield Mueller from interference by the president. "Congress must take immediate steps to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law—which protects all of us—by shielding the Mueller investigation against President Trump’s obstruction," Rep. Val Demmings, D-Fla., said in a statement released while Rosenstein's job status was still up in the air."
NBC News reports:
"Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whose job hangs in the balance, will meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday. "We'll be determining what's going on," Trump said Monday afternoon, referencing his meeting later this week with the deputy attorney general. "We want to have transparency, we want to have openness." The president also said he had talked with Rosenstein earlier Monday."
Bet he did. ... 'Transparency, openness?' What's that?
"Rosenstein had been expected to learn his fate during a visit to the White House on Monday, but, with Trump in New York for a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, any decision on his future was postponed. Rosenstein attended a regularly scheduled meeting at the White House and was still deputy attorney general when he left at midday. The deputy attorney general spoke on Saturday with White House Counsel Don McGahn and the subject of Rosenstein's departure came up, NBC News' Pete Williams reported, though it was unclear who raised it first. Rosenstein made clear he would not accept being terminated by John Kelly, the chief of staff, according to one personal familiar with the conversation, and said it needed to come from the president himself."
Again, truth's a moving target, forget? LOL.
"However, multiple sources told NBC News that over the weekend, Trump made the decision, in conversations with staff and outside allies, not to fire Rosenstein. Among those advising Trump on this matter were the Fox News host Sean Hannity and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. Meadows wants Rosenstein to testify under oath about whether he ever contemplated wearing a wire in the presence of Trump or discussed a plan to win support from other cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president."
Cagey little nazi motherf--kers, aren't they? LOL.
"A person familiar close the White House described the current situation among the president's allies as “chaos.”
So what else is new? LOL. Think the gutless fascist bastards will jump ship when the shit finally hits the fan?
"A second person close to the president said that if Rosenstein leaves, under any circumstances, “then the burden’s on President Trump to make sure that Mueller is allowed to finish his job without interference.”
You think? If not, Trump spawns a constitutional crisis.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Cohen flips. CBS News reports:
"CBS News has confirmed that former Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal attorney, has been collaborating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller over the past few weeks. News of Cohen's recent cooperation with the special counsel's investigation was first reported by ABC News. Investigators have asked Cohen about any interactions between Mr. Trump and Russia, in his business dealings or during his presidential campaign. They have also asked about whether Mr. Trump has ever offered to pardon Cohen, which could be possible evidence of obstruction of justice. Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts, including campaign finance violations, in August. Mueller's team had referred the investigation to federal prosecutors in New York earlier this year. Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, tweeted support for Cohen, saying that his cooperation with Mueller's team showed that he was loyal to his country."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
In follow up to a matter covered here in an earlier edition and elsewhere, NBC News reports:
"President Trump has backed down from his demand that his intelligence agencies immediately release sensitive documents related to the Russia investigation, bowing to protests from inside his Justice Department and to concerns raised by foreign partners. In a pair of tweets Friday, Trump explained his decision this way: "I met with the DOJ concerning the declassification of various UNREDACTED documents. They agreed to release them but stated that so doing may have a perceived negative impact on the Russia probe. Also, key Allies' called to ask not to release. Therefore, the Inspector General has been asked to review these documents on an expedited basis. I believe he will move quickly on this (and hopefully other things which he is looking at). In the end I can always declassify if it proves necessary. Speed is very important to me — and everyone!"
Goddamned lunatic. LOL.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
More of the same. NPR reports:
"A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to make its main official behind the 2020 census citizenship question — Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross — available to testify out of court for the lawsuits over the hotly contested question. "Secretary Ross must sit for a deposition because, among other things, his intent and credibility are directly at issue in these cases," U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman wrote in an opinion filed Friday with Manhattan federal court."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Trump and his henchmen continue to inflict great damage. CBS News reports:
"Karen Yadira Rodriguez Gutierrez broke down in tears on Saturday when she was reunited with her 11-year-old son at Washington Dulles International Airport. They were seeing each other for the first time in several months. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained the boy for more than six months, after claiming asylum at the border. His mother was already living in Virginia as a legal asylum seeker from Honduras."
Nazis. Jackbooted motherf--kers.
"The boy had crossed California border with his undocumented grandmother, seeking asylum. "They were seized after presenting at a border entry point," said a press release from Nexus Services, which provided legal aid to the mother. The two were together for a few days while detained. Detention center officials later separated them. The reunion took place after Gutierrez filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Highly skilled immigrants expose Trump's hypocrisy. Deception. Duplicity. NPR reports:
"The Trump administration says it wants to move to a "merit-based" immigration system — one that gives priority to immigrants who speak English, and are highly educated."
Unadulterated horse shit coming out both sides our nazi fuhrer's sorry ass:
"But critics say that rhetoric is at odds with the administration's actions. "Show me any policy that's come out so far that has actually made it easier for highly skilled immigrants," says Doug Rand, who worked in the White House Office of Science and Technology under President Obama. "I haven't seen any," Rand said."
Trump nazi 'speaketh with forked tongue.' LOL.
"In practice, critics say the administration is making high-skilled immigrants' lives harder, in all sorts of ways. It's gotten tougher to get or renew or an H1B visa, a program that brings in tech workers, doctors and other professionals. And the administration is getting rid of other visa programs altogether. That includes a special program for the spouses of H1B guest workers that's been widely embraced by immigrants like Neha Mahajan. She hosts and produces a TV talk show in Edison, New Jersey that's targeted mainly at Indian expats like her. "This is the kind of work I always wanted to do," said Mahajan. "I am picking up topics that typically don't get talked about in the South Asian community. So I'm trying to be a change-maker in my community."
What the hell is the problem, Mr. 'President?' She's a highly-trained, well-educated professional that contributes to this country:
"Mahajan has a master's degree in English literature, and worked as a journalist in India. It never occurred to her that she would have trouble finding opportunities in the U.S. But Mahajan was not allowed to work when she first got here. "So here I am in the U.S., the most advanced nation on this earth," Mahajan said. "But I'm in a cage. A metaphoric golden cage." Mahajan moved here with her husband and daughter in 2008 when he secured an H1B visa to work as a software developer. But she wasn't able to work legally until 2015, when the Obama administration launched the H4-EAD program. It allows the spouses of H1B guest workers to get work permits once they've been approved for a green card. About 100,000 people have signed up — mostly women, and mostly from India, which has a years-long waiting list for green cards. Now the Trump administration is poised to end the program, which it considers an overreach."
Jesus Christ. Highly reminiscent of early Nazi Germany circa 1933 at the time Adolf Hitler became Chancellor. Parallels? Striking. Chilling. Portend of far worse to come. ... Hear the rumble?
"All of this has infuriated corporate America. The CEOs of Apple, Pepsi and other U.S. companies say the administration is scaring away high-skilled workers, which could hurt the economy. "What the administration is saying is, we want to make it difficult for companies to employ anyone who is not an American citizen," said Dean Garfield, the president of the Information Technology Industry Council."
To date, the corporate management suite owns its lackeys in both the Republican and Democratic Parties. Clearly, not the Trump nazi and his henchmen, however. LOL. No matter what, status quo remains unsustainable. Future more uncertain than ever. ... As an unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Hear the rumble?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Another total waste of time. NPR reports:
"It was more duel than debate Friday night in Dallas as Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke went after each other from the start. Snappy and heavy on snark, Cruz and O'Rourke held nothing back in the first of three debates. Friday's focus was domestic policy, and the candidates sparred on immigration, health care, gun control and even their opinions on professional football players taking a knee during the national anthem. Cruz painted O'Rourke as part of a revolutionary fringe — placing him to the left of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Bernie Sanders. He characterized O'Rourke as a politician "out of step with the people of Texas" who wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, take away Texans' guns, and impeach President Trump."
Both candidates are not worth a shit for totally different reasons. Extremists. Cruz a national socialist, fascist, nazi on the Right. O'Rourke a Marxist socialist on the Left. Both men are achingly truth-challenged. The Washington Post, however, caught Beto in a lie during the debate. -- A lie Cruz failed to follow up on, take advantage of. Consider the following. Glenn Kessler reports:
“I did not try to leave the scene of the accident, though driving drunk, which I did, is a terrible mistake for which there is no excuse or justification or defense, and I will not try to provide one.”
— Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Tex.), Senate candidate, during a debate on Friday
"During a debate with his rival, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Tex.) was asked point-blank about a drunken-driving incident when he was 26: Did he try to leave the scene of the crash? The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News had recently obtained police reports of the collision and reported that O’Rourke had done so."
Wouldn't you think Cruz and his handlers would have been better prepared for the debate? Able to quickly take advantage of this?
"O’Rourke responded with what appeared to be a well-practiced answer. He flatly denied trying to leave the scene of the crash but added that driving drunk was a “terrible mistake” and that he would not provide an excuse. He then segued into a riff about the importance of second chances."
Jesus Christ. Crock of shit. Blatant bullshit.
"Cruz, for his part, said he would not discuss the issue but diverted to a discussion of O’Rourke’s sponsorship of a resolution in 2009 to debate legalizing narcotics when he was on the El Paso City Council. Interestingly, Cruz appeared to try to make his point fact-check proof; he had earlier earned a “false” from PolitiFact Texas saying that the resolution was to legalize all narcotics, rather than just debate the issue."
Great reporting, isn't it? Nailed both assholes for whom and what they are. LOL. The above illustrates precisely what's wrong with both major political parties and politicians in general. Sleazy, self-serving bullshit.
"At The Fact Checker, we place a high value on contemporaneous records. The police reports show not only that O’Rourke was highly intoxicated but that a witness to the crash said he tried to leave the scene. O’Rourke was so drunk that he could barely get out of the car without falling, so perhaps he would not have gotten far — or he was simply confused. Perhaps in his memory, O’Rourke believes he did not try to leave. But, given his blood alcohol content at the time of the crash, O’Rourke’s memory 20 years after the fact is not nearly as credible as the police reports written just hours after the crash. O’Rourke could have dodged the question during the debate or he could have said his memory of the night is not clear. Instead, he chose to dispute the factual record. We also believe in second chances, and O’Rourke should revise his answer if given another opportunity. In the meantime, he earns Four Pinocchios.
"The incident was observed by a witness. He told Carrera [arresting officer] that O’Rourke, driving a Volvo, passed him at high speed through a 75 mph zone and then lost control and “struck a truck traveling the same direction.” O’Rourke’s car then crossed the large grassy center median and came to a stop. (This video depicts Interstate 10 near the location of the crash.) “The defendant/driver then attempted to leave the scene,” Carrera reported. “The reporter then turned on his overhead lights to warn oncoming traffic and try to get the defendant to stop. Similar information appears in another document, the incident and crime report: “The driver attempted to leave the accident but was stopped by the reporter.”
Above quotes are courtesy of a most gifted, insightful, careful writer, Glenn Kessler.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-28-18
Finally, some semblance of justice. Nowhere near enough, however. CBS News reports:
"Bill Cosby was sentenced Tuesday to three to 10 years in state prison for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman over a decade ago, becoming the first celebrity of the #MeToo era to be sent to prison. Montgomery County Judge Steven O'Neill handed down the sentence after he ruled Cosby to be a "sexually violent predator" for the assault on Temple University women's basketball administrator Andrea Constand at the comedian's estate near Philadelphia in 2004. "It is time for justice. Mr. Cosby, this has all circled back to you. The time has come," O'Neill said. He quoted from Constand's own statement to the court, in which she said Cosby took her "beautiful, young spirit and crushed it." Cosby's lawyers asked that he be allowed to remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction, but the judge appeared incredulous over the request and turned it down, saying that even considering Cosby's age and blindness, "he could quite possibly be a danger to the community."
No equal justice. Yet, better than nothing. Had it been ole Joe Blow up the block, however, think his sorry ass wouldn't have spent the rest of his life in prison? We're supposed to feel sorry for a rich celebrity habitual rapist because he's 81, sickly and going blind? Give me a break. He'll likely wind up doing his time in a long-term medical care unit. Protected, coddled. While his victims, reportedly dozens of them, live with the damage he's done the rest of their lives.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
Delusionally believe the criminal jackbooted bastards in the Border Patrol are not out of control? CBS News reports:
"A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor was jailed Sunday on $2.5 million bond in Texas, accused in the killing of at least four women and of injuring a fifth who managed to escape. Juan David Ortiz, 35, was being held in Laredo on four counts of murder along with charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint, Webb County jail records showed."
Insanely think vetting isn't a problem?
"Ortiz was arrested a day earlier, after being found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, at about 2 a.m. Saturday, capping what investigators portrayed as a 10-day string of violence. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said Saturday that investigators "consider this to be a serial killer" whose victims were believed to be prostitutes."
Psychotically believe this son of a bitch a 'manly man?'
"Alaniz described how the Customs and Border Patrol intel supervisor continued going to work as usual throughout that time. "As law enforcement was looking for the killer ... he would be reporting to work every day like normal," he said."
Another Ted Bundy?
"Jail records don't list an attorney to speak for Ortiz, who had worked for Border Patrol for 10 years."
Imagine that. How many others may have been murdered?
"Alaniz said the dead are believed to have been prostitutes and that one of them was a transgender woman. At least two were U.S. citizens; the nationalities of the others were not known, he said. He said investigators are still working to determine a motive. Ortiz was believed to have acted alone."
Following remains empty rhetoric, achingly hollow:
"The federal agency issued a statement offering its "sincerest condolences" to the victims' families and saying criminal activity by its employees is not tolerated."
Jesus Christ. Nowhere near enough. Hopelessly, insufficient. Best this corrupt, abusive agency has to offer?
NPR reports:
"A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor is being held in Texas on a $2.5 million bond following his arrest over the weekend on charges of killing four women, after a fifth would-be victim escaped and alerted authorities. The Associated Press was the first to report the arrest of Juan David Ortiz, 35, who is detained in Laredo, Texas, after he was found hiding in his truck in a hotel parking lot early Saturday morning.
"On Friday, Ortiz told police he picked up a fifth woman, Erika Pena. "... she went willingly with him and then while she was with him things started to get dangerous for her and when she tried to escape from him at a gas station that's when she ran into a trooper," Alaniz told The Texas Tribune. "In our opinion he is the sole person responsible for this horrific serial killing spree."
Imagine the terror. The Washington Post reports:
"The woman in the white pickup was feeling increasingly uneasy about the driver, whom she knew only as “David.” Two fellow sex workers in Laredo, Tex., had been recently killed, and one of them was her friend Melissa. The man and the woman had already been at his house, where she had discussed Melissa. He had reacted strangely, she later told authorities, and the situation had grown so tense that she vomited in the front yard before they left for a gas station. The woman’s mind lingered on Melissa. She wanted to keep talking about her. He produced a gun in response, and grabbed hold of her shirt. She managed to jump out of the truck and into the night, her shirt torn from her body. He fled, and she found a state trooper fueling up nearby. She told the trooper where the man lived. That information led officers to Juan David Ortiz, a supervisory Border Patrol agent. He had been hiding in a hotel parking lot after fleeing from officers and was arrested at 2:30 a.m., according to an affidavit provided to The Washington Post by county prosecutors.
"The victims in the Ortiz case were killed or left for dead in rural parts of Webb County, which borders the Rio Grande. Laredo is about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio. The first two were U.S. citizens, but Alaniz said authorities have not released details on the last two. The Post is withholding the name of the woman who escaped.
These were execution style murders.
CBS News reports:
"A U.S. Border Patrol supervisor who confessed to killing four women, and assaulting a fifth who managed to escape, remained in jail Monday, police said in court records. Juan David Ortiz is being held in Laredo on $2.5 million bond on four counts of murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint. According to affidavits, the 35-year-old Ortiz "provided a voluntary verbal confession" early Saturday in the deaths of the women. Ortiz was arrested a day after being found hiding in a truck in a hotel parking lot in Laredo, at about 2 a.m. Saturday, capping what investigators portrayed as a 10-day string of violence. Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said Saturday that investigators "consider this to be a serial killer" whose victims were believed to be prostitutes.
"Ortiz is the second Border Patrol agent in Laredo to be arrested on a murder charge this year after Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles was accused of killing a woman with whom he was romantically involved and her 1-year-old child. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in that case."
ABC News reports:
"A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent in Texas suspected of being a serial killer had prepared numerous weapons to confront law enforcement officers as they closed in to arrest him and had hoped to die by "suicide by cop," officials said Monday. "He said Ortiz fled the gas station and drove to his home in Laredo as an all points bulletin was issued for his pickup truck. "He had numerous weapons. He was loading up all his weapons, thinking that [Department of Public Safety officers] were going to confront him and he was looking at a confrontation," Garza said. "Thank God that didn't happen." He said that when officers went to Ortiz's house he was no longer there. But about 1 a.m. on Saturday, police spotted his truck at a gas station. Garza said Ortiz had left his weapons inside his truck while he went inside the gas station to use the restroom. When he came out, two troopers were waiting for him, and one attempted to use a stun gun on him. Ortiz ran to a nearby hotel parking lot. "He was going to do was try to commit suicide by cop," Garza said. "He was going to try to use his phone to make it look like it was a weapon. It didn't happen. He was apprehended without incident."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
More of the same. Delusionally believe there is no systemic cancer within law enforcement? ABC News reports:
"The Oregon State Police says that a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent has been arrested on multiple counts of sodomy, the Oregonian/oregonlive.com reported."
Couldn't be, could it?
"Officials said a statement that Blake V. Northway, a 55-year-old who lives in Medford, was taken into custody Thursday after a joint investigation between the immigration agency and state police, the newspaper reported. The state police says Northway has been "relieved of all authority" and will be on leave until the investigation is complete. The Oregonian reports that court documents say Northway is accused of sexually abusing an underage female relative between 2009 and 2013."
Imagine that. Think vetting doesn't leave much to be desired?
"The newspaper reports that officials said the charges were not related to Northway's work with ICE. He is in custody at the Jackson County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Think Trump's shorts aren't in a wad? The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is pleading guilty Friday to two criminal charges under terms of a plea deal that includes his cooperation as a potential witness for special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. The decision by Manafort to provide evidence in exchange for leniency on sentencing is a stunning development in the long-running probe into whether any Trump associates may have conspired with Russia to influence the 2016 election."
Think Trump isn't shitting?
"Manafort’s defenders have long insisted that he would not cooperate with Mueller, and didn’t know any incriminating information against the president."
My, oh, my. Have times changed:
"Prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said at the beginning of Friday’s plea hearing that Manafort has agreed to cooperate with investigators. The plea hearing before U.S. District Court judge Amy Berman Jackson short-circuits his second trial, which was scheduled to begin this month in the District on charges of money laundering and lobbying violations."
Couldn't be, could it? LOL. -- Think the shit's not about to hit the fan?
"The document indicates he will admit to funneling millions of dollars in payments into offshore accounts to conceal his income from the Internal Revenue Service. “Manafort cheated the United States out of over $15 million in taxes,” the document states."
Couldn't be, could it? LOL. A Republican national socialist wouldn't do anything like that, would he?
"As part of his deal, the government plans to seize four properties, including a nearly $2 million house in Arlington, Virginia, owned by one of Manafort’s daughters. The deal also calls for forfeiture of four financial accounts and a life insurance policy. The move toward a guilty plea is another reversal for Manafort, who has fought vociferously — but unsuccessfully — against Mueller’s probe. The 69-year-old political consultant was convicted last month in Alexandria federal court on charges of bank and tax fraud."
Now, apparently, plans to flip on the Trump nazi.
NBC reports:
"Paul Manafort, formerly President Donald Trump's campaign chairman, pleaded guilty on Friday to two counts and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, a senior deputy to special counsel Robert Mueller, called Manafort's plea deal a cooperation agreement during an 11 a.m. hearing at the federal courthouse in Washington.
"A charging document filed Friday in the District of Columbia accuses Manafort, 69, of participating in a conspiracy against the United States — involving money laundering, tax fraud, failing to file Foreign Bank Account Reports, violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and lying and misrepresenting to the Department of Justice. The second charge, conspiracy to obstruct justice, is tied to his efforts to guide witness testimony after he was indicted last year. Manafort was returned to jail in Alexandria, Virginia after the hearing. He has been jailed since June, when his bail was revoked after he was indicted for witness tampering."
Couldn't happen to a nicer guy, could it? LOL.
"As part of the plea, Manafort will be required to admit to the conduct outlined in the charging document, which describes a criminal scheme to launder money, defraud banks, evade taxes and violate lobbying laws. The document describes the conduct Manafort was charged with in both Virginia and Washington and additional criminal conduct."
My, oh, my, -- how the high and mighty have fallen.
"With his guilty plea, Manafort will forfeit three properties in New York — his home in the Hamptons, a property in Manhattan on Howard Street, and a property in Brooklyn — as well as a property on Edgewood Street in Arlington, Virginia, according to the filing. In addition, Manafort forfeits all funds contained in four bank accounts, as well as a life insurance policy."
Doesn't your heart bleed?
The following is truly fascinating:
"In one remarkable section of the charging document, prosecutors detailed the nature of Manafort's work for Viktor Yanukovych, who was elected president of Ukraine in 2010 with Russia's backing until he was removed from power as part of the country's political revolution four years later. In 2010, he was running against Yulia Tymoshenko, and prosecutors said Manafort worked to undermine Tymoshenko in the U.S. by spreading stories that a senior U.S. Cabinet official was supporting anti-Semitism because the official supported Tymoshenko, who in turn had formed a political alliance with a Ukraine party that espoused anti-Semitic views."
Amazing example of 'fake news,' isn't it? Where's the Trump nazi's outrage? LOL. No tweets, Mr. 'President?' LOL.
"Manafort privately coordinated with an unnamed senior Israeli official to spread this story as part of what he called an effort to have "Obama Jews" pressure the Obama administration to disavow Tymoshenko. Manafort wrote to one associate: "I have someone pushing it on the NY Post. Bada bing bada boom." At least one outlet — Breitbart News — took Manafort's bait, publishing a story with the headline, "Jewish Leaders Blame Hillary Clinton For 'Legitimizing' Ukraine's Neo-Nazi Party." "Manafort sought to have the Administration understand that 'the Jewish community will take this out on Obama on election day if he does nothing,'" the charging document said."
What webs we weave. Shameless fascist bastard. No clue. No principles. Aryan arrogant. Achingly, amoral.
CBS News reports:
"Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will be cooperating with the special counsel in its Russia investigation, prosecutor Andrew Weissman told the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Friday. Weissman referred to Manafort's plea deal as a cooperation agreement in court Friday, which could jeopardize his chances of a presidential pardon. Manafort is pleading guilty to charges the special counsel filed Friday on conspiracy against the U.S. and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The former includes money laundering, tax fraud, failing to file Foreign Bank Accounts, and the latter includes the charge of witness tampering. In the courtroom, Manafort stared straight ahead, while Weissman read the litany of illegal acts to which Manafort is pleading guilty."
... What? No pardon? LOL.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Could it be pressure is finally getting to the Trump nazi? NPR reports:
"The American Civil Liberties Union says it reached an agreement overnight with the Trump administration regarding the future of families separated at the Southwest border."
Think so?
"If approved by the court, the agreement would allow many of the parents to apply for asylum, according to the ACLU, even if they had already been issued deportation orders. The agreement would also open the door for parents who have already been deported without their children to return to the U.S. to pursue asylum claims, but only in "rare and unusual" cases."
Hard to believe, isn't it? LOL.
"The agreement lays out in detail how asylum claims can proceed, both for hundreds of families that have been reunified in the U.S., and for children whose parents were deported. In some situations, parents whose asylum claims were rejected at the earliest stage — known as the credible fear interview — will get a chance to present new information."
Sounds like capitulation, doesn't it? LOL. Don't hold your breath, however. :)
"For about a thousand families, "it will get them another shot at seeking asylum," said Lee Gelernt, the deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, in an interview. "That's critical, because we don't feel like these families have, these separated families have had proper asylum proceedings up until this point," Gelernt said."
They haven't. In direct violation of federal statutes.
"The Trump administration separated more than 2500 children from their parents before abandoning the policy in June. The administration has since reunited nearly 2000 migrant children with their parents after being ordered to do so by a federal judge in California. As of last week, more than 400 children remained in government custody, in most cases because their parents have already been deported to Central America."
Highly reminiscent of early Nazi Germany before Hitler's extermination camps went into full operation.
"In some cases, the ACLU says, parents who were deported without their children can ask the court to allow them return to the U.S. to pursue asylum claims. Cases where a parent was "misled or coerced into giving up their right to apply for asylum" might qualify, said Lee Gelernt, if the parent wishes to return to the U.S. and can make a viable asylum claim."
Amazing how a nazi fuhrer and his henchmen can engage in such outrageously unconstitutional, unlawful behavior, yet suffer no criminal consequences. ... At least, not yet.
"The agreement would resolve claims brought under three different lawsuits sparked by the Trump administration's abandoned family separation policy. It still requires approval from Federal District Judge Dana Sabraw, who is overseeing the ACLU's family reunification lawsuit. Details of the agreement are likely to be discussed at a status hearing on Friday."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
'Can fix ignorant, can't fix stupid.' NPR reports:
"President Trump denied the death toll of nearly 3,000 from hurricanes Maria and Irma, which swept across Puerto Rico a year ago, in a series of tweets Thursday morning.
"3000
people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left
the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths.
As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they
started to report really large numbers, like 3000...
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2018"
Gets worse. Get this:
"Trump then blamed Democrats for the figures, "to make me look as bad as possible."
".....This
was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when
I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico.
If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list.
Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 13, 2018"
This man has lost his mind. His tweets don't jive with reality:
"A study conducted by The Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University determined the death toll to be 2,975, a figure accepted by Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, and far beyond the previous official count of 64. FEMA Administrator Brock Long wrote in a letter to Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts that there were 2,431 applications for funeral assistance from Puerto Rico as of July 30. Just 75 have been approved by the Trump administration so far because of eligibility questions."
The Washington Post reports:
"During a news conference on Capitol Hill later Thursday morning, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) avoided directly criticizing Trump but said he had no reason to dispute the study’s findings. “This was a function of a devastating storm hitting an isolated island, and that is really no one’s fault,” Ryan said. “The casualties mounted for a long time, and I have no reason to dispute those numbers.”
"Carlos Santos-Burgoa, the principal investigator of the GWU study and a professor in the School of Global Health, said Friday afternoon that he and his colleagues were unbiased in their work and received no political pressure from Democrats or anyone else to come up with a high estimate of storm-related deaths. “We stand by the science underlying our study. It is rigorous. It’s state-of-the-art. We collected the data from the official sources. Everything can be validated,” Santos-Burgoa told The Washington Post. “We didn’t receive any pressure from anybody to go this way or that way. We wouldn’t do it. We are professionals of public health.”
NBC reports:
"In quick succession, members of Congress, governors, and even candidates for election in November ripped Trump for tweeting, without any evidence, that "3,000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico” and that “this was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible.”
Democrats ferociously fired back:
"Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., tweeted that Trump's claim was "a flat-out lie," while Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., tweeted, "You're right, Mr. President. The Hurricane didn't kill 3,000 people. Your botched response did." Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., responded on Twitter by saying, "This is what your math looks like when you count black or brown lives less than white lives." Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said that Trump's comments “display an ignorance as large as the storm itself.”
Republicans also had their say:
"In Florida, where there is a large Puerto Rican population, Republican lawmakers split with the president to affirm the official death toll. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted that "these days even tragedy becomes political." “3k more Americans died in #PuertoRico after Hurricane than during comparable periods before. Both Fed & local gov made mistakes,” he wrote. “We all need to stop the blame game & focus on recovery, helping those still hurting & fixing the mistakes.” Outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who is running against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in a U.S. Senate race, tweeted, "I disagree with @POTUS — an independent study said thousands were lost." "I've been to Puerto Rico 7 times & saw devastation firsthand. The loss of any life is tragic; the extent of lives lost as a result of Maria is heart wrenching. I'll continue to help PR," Scott added.
"A spokesman for Ron DeSantis, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida, said DeSantis "doesn’t believe any loss of life has been inflated."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Think Trump and his henchmen truly care about disaster victims? Bottom and middle class? Anyone other than the top of the food chain? Wake up. NBC reports:
"The Department of Homeland Security transferred $169 million from other agencies to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the detention and removal of migrants this year, according to a document sent to Congress by DHS."
Highly reminiscent of early Nazi Germany, prior to Hitler's extermination camps.
"Many of the transfers came from key national security programs, including $1.8 million from the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, $9.8 million from FEMA, $29 million from the U.S. Coast Guard and more than $34 million from several TSA programs. DHS also transferred $33 million from other ICE programs to pay for detention and removal, making the total amount of money transferred $202 million."
No problem with the above? The lunatic in the Oval Office deliberately placed national security, best interests of the American public at risk in an outrageously perverse attempt to emulate two of his national socialist, fascist mentors. Adolf Hitler. Benito Mussolini.
"The FEMA and Coast Guard transfers were first reported by "The Rachel Maddow Show." On Tuesday night, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., announced on the show that nearly $10 million was moved from FEMA's budget to ICE. The budget document Merkley cited, which was later released and publicized by the DHS Watch program at America's Voice, an advocacy group based in Washington, showed a breakdown of how DHS moved money between different programs and agencies. The department has the authority to move funds around internally with the approval of Congress and transfers are not unusual. The total DHS budget for fiscal 2018 was $65 billion; FEMA's total budget was $15.5 billion."
Not surprisingly, Trump's henchmen played down significance of these transfers:
"DHS spokesperson Tyler Houlton tweeted Tuesday night that, "Under no circumstances was any disaster relief funding transferred from @fema to immigration enforcement efforts. This is a sorry attempt to push a false agenda." He also said that the transferred money came from routine operating expenses and "could not have been used for hurricane response due to appropriation limitations." On Wednesday, FEMA director Brock Long told Andrea Mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News, that none of the $10 million transferred from FEMA to ICE came from the Disaster Relief Fund, saying that Merkley was "playing politics" ahead of Hurricane Florence. "Right now, that money has nothing to do with what you see behind us," he said in an interview from the FEMA response center in Washington."
Think so? Think again:
"However, money was taken from the response and recovery, preparedness and protection and mission support operations budgets, which are used to prepare for emergencies like Florence. Those FEMA budgets are for "training for all hazards, preparing our warehouses, making sure we have things ready to go so that we can pre-deploy like you see FEMA doing now," Moira Whelan, FEMA's former chief of staff for the office of Gulf Coast rebuilding, told Maddow on Wednesday. "Taking money away from that operation doesn't just harm [FEMA's hurricane response], it harms us with any disaster we face."
Bottom line? The son of a bitch in the Oval Office is spending taxpayer money on his self-proclaimed agenda of deporting migrants seeking asylum. No due process. In direct violation of federal statutes.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Closely related to the above, consider the following. NPR reports:
"The Trump administration is expanding its shelter capacity to handle a record number of immigrant teenagers who crossed the border seeking work and asylum. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is now overseeing the care of 12,800 immigrant children under the age of 18."
Stunning, isn't it?
"Just this week, a federally contracted tent camp on the U.S.-Mexico border in the barren desert near Tornillo, Texas, announced it is expanding from 1,200 to 3,800 beds. This is one in a network of 100 youth shelters across the country. Shelters for minors are, by far, the most expensive type of immigration custody provided by the U.S. government. Detaining a mother and child runs in the range of $320 a day in what Homeland Security calls a "family residential center"; beds for unaccompanied children exceed $600 a day, when security, education, counseling, medical care and recreation are factored in."
No question. Kicker? Get this:
"The great majority of the 12,800 children crossed into the United States alone, without an adult. Some 560 kids in the shelters were separated from their parents under the president's "Zero Tolerance" policy and have not yet reunited with their families."
Why not? Regarding "Zero Tolerance," Trump and his henchmen are directly responsible for this fiasco. Why isn't the government paying to rectify a crisis of its own making?
"HHS is overwhelmed with immigrant teens for two reasons. First, new figures released Monday by Customs and Border Protection show the flow of unaccompanied minors crossing the border continues unabated."
Fascinating, isn't it? This, despite best efforts of the Border Patrol.
"In August, immigration agents apprehended 4,396 kids traveling alone, or about 140 a day. That's 12 percent higher than July, and nearly 50 percent higher than the same period in 2017."
Imagine the desperation driving this.
"Second, there is a bottleneck in releasing the children from the shelter system to go live with sponsors. Unaccompanied immigrant children are allowed to go live with family members already in the U.S. But HHS has tightened vetting processes for relatives who want to act as sponsors. Now, everyone in the household, not just the potential sponsor, has to be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal background check."
Why? Outrageous invasion of privacy. Not done for the sake of the children, but to make it as difficult as possible to seek asylum. Intentional gumming up the works by the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"HHS released a statement: "Because children who enter the country illegally are at high risk for exploitation by traffickers and smugglers ... HHS maintains high standards for vetting childrens' sponsors for the safety and well-being of the child."
Horse shit. Phony excuse. Here's why:
"The statement adds, the numbers of unaccompanied children and families unlawfully crossing the border constitute a "symptom of... a broken immigration system."
The hell it is. On the contrary, clearly demonstrates the nazi in the Oval Office is unwilling to follow federal statutes requiring government to review asylum requests in good faith.
"Megan McKenna, spokesperson for Kids In Need of Defense, (KIND), an immigrant advocacy group, points out that HHS has begun sharing sponsor information with immigration enforcement agents. "That's having a chilling effect on people willing to come forward to claim their child because the sponsor and others in the household may be undocumented," says McKenna."
What webs we weave. The Trump nazi and his henchmen are deliberately damaging these kids indefinitely incarcerating them for seeking asylum.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Consider the following. Think it any more than a last ditch attempt to derail the nomination of the Kavanaugh nazi to the Supreme Court? CBS News reports:
"The top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, has referred a matter regarding Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh to federal authorities, she said in a statement Thursday. "I have received information from an individual concerning the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court," Feinstein wrote. "That individual strongly requested confidentiality, declined to come forward or press the matter further, and I have honored that decision. I have, however, referred the matter to federal investigative authorities."
Here's the immediate credibility issue this creates:
"Feinstein did not elaborate further on what the individual alleged. The Intercept first reported that a California constituent had written a letter describing "an incident that was relayed to someone affiliated with Stanford University." A source with knowledge of the situation confirms the Intercept's reporting that this material initially came to Feinstein's attention through California Democrat, Rep. Anna Eshoo's office, which had received the information from someone at Stanford University."
If any of the above is indeed true, has any substance, why wasn't it long since vetted by Democrats?
"Kavanaugh's nomination was to receive a vote by the Judiciary Committee Thursday, but under committee rules, any member may ask for a one-week delay on the vote on a nominee. Democrats pushed for a delay, citing a lack of access to documents. Feinstein motioned to subpoena additional records from his tenure as staff secretary for President George W. Bush. Kavanaugh's committee confirmation vote has now been postponed until Sept. 20."
Certainly, gives Democrats an additional week before the Committee vote to finally get their act together. Chances? Slim to none.
ABC News reports:
"The online news outlet The Intercept first reported the existence of a letter said to have been written by someone affiliated with Stanford University. It was originally sent to Rep. Anna Eshoo, who represents California's 14th district, according to several media reports. Eshoo then referred the letter to Feinstein. Eshoo's office declined to comment on the letter, saying they do not discuss constituent casework. Feinstein has not shared details about the letter beyond her statement Thursday, and no other senators on the Judiciary Committee have been permitted to see it, according to reports. ABC News has not independently confirmed the Intercept's reporting and has not been given any details about the content of the letter."
The following is absolutely fascinating. Get this:
"The person who reportedly is the subject of the letter is said to be represented by Debra Katz, according to The Intercept. Katz is a Washington attorney whose firm’s website says she specializes in employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and whistleblower-related cases. Katz has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment. "There's nothing to say," Katz told BuzzFeed News Wednesday."
There isn't? LOL.
"The FBI has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment."
Surprised?
NPR reports:
"The Feinstein kerfuffle capped off a day of bitter partisan exchanges at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting, with Democrats repeatedly seeking access to further documents from Kavanaugh's six years in the Bush White House, only to be shot down on repeated party-line votes. "I don't understand the rush to judgment," said Feinstein, observing that when President Obama nominated Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, "99 percent" of the documents "from her White House years" were turned over to the Judiciary Committee, compared with 7 percent of the Kavanaugh documents."
Could it be GOP fascists are afraid something of substance might indeed surface torpedoing the nomination? LOL.
"Feinstein charged that Republicans who head up the committee had repeatedly refused her offer to work on a bipartisan basis to help the National Archives so that more documents could be made available."
What are they hiding and why?
"After a Feinstein motion to subpoena more documents failed on a party-line vote, there were five more party-line votes on various document questions. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, for instance, noted that the White House has invoked an unspecified constitutional privilege on 100,000 documents from Kavanaugh's two-plus years as associate White House counsel. Klobuchar proposed that at the very least the White House should supply the traditional "privilege log," listing what privilege is being invoked for each document, and why."
Why would Republican national socialists cooperate when they can so easily ramrod through their nazi nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court? Give the fascists on the Court a 5-4 solid majority. To obliterate whatever is left of all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
The Washington Post reports:
"Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh on Friday “categorically” denied an allegation of potential sexual misconduct when he was in high school that has roiled the final days of an already contentious confirmation fight in the Senate. The statement from Kavanaugh was his first response to news reports about a potential episode of sexual misconduct when he was in high school. “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation,” Kavanaugh, now 53, said Friday in a statement distributed through the White House. “I did not do this back in high school or at any time.”
Think the following isn't most convenient and extraordinarily timely? LOL. Get this:
"A spokesman for Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said the senator had no comment for now. Late Friday morning, his office released a letter from 65 women who say they knew Kavanaugh when he attended high school from 1979 to 1983 at Georgetown Prep, an all-boys high school in Rockville. “Through the more than 35 years we have known him, Brett has stood out for his friendship, character, and integrity,” the women wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “In particular, he has always treated women with decency and respect. That was true when he was in high school, and it has remained true to this day.”
Think so? Will you ladies continue to believe so when he and the four other nazis already on the Court repeal Roe v. Wade? Dictate what you can and cannot do with YOUR uterus?
NBC reports:
"Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Friday denied allegations made by a woman who reportedly said that he had held her down at a party when they were in high school in the 1980s and tried to force himself on her. According to a report Friday in The New Yorker by Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer, the woman, who has asked not to be identified, described the incident in a letter that was sent to the offices of two California Democrats, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Anna Eshoo. A spokesman for Feinstein released a statement on Friday afternoon offering an explanation for the timing of the information's release, which had drawn sharp criticism from the White House following initial reports on the story. "Senator Feinstein was given information about Judge Kavanaugh through a third party," the spokesman said in a statement. "The Senator took these allegations seriously and believed they should be public. However, the woman in question made it clear she did not want this information to be public. It is critical in matters of sexual misconduct to protect the identity of the victim when they wish to remain anonymous, and the senator did so in this case.” The woman claimed, according to The New Yorker, that Kavanaugh and one of his classmates had been drinking and turned up the music in the room they were in to drown out the sound of the woman’s protests and that Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand."
There's more:
"The woman was able to free herself, according to the report, and later sought psychological treatment as a result of the experience, which occurred when Kavanaugh attended high school at Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, in the early 1980s. Kavanaugh responded in a statement Friday: “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time.” The woman first approached the Democratic lawmakers when President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in July, the report said.
Gets more convoluted:
"NBC News reported Thursday that Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats met Wednesday night to discuss a vague sexual misconduct allegation against Kavanaugh that dated back to his high school days, two sources familiar with the matter said. Feinstein had been in possession of the letter for some period of time, two sources said, but the matter was not referred to the FBI until after the Democrats met on Wednesday evening. The meeting was called because members of the committee had heard rumors of the letter's existence from reporters, one source told NBC News. The FBI has said it is not opening a criminal investigation into the matter."
CBS News reports:
"Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh flatly denied a misconduct allegation in a letter from a female accuser as described by Ronan Farrow and Jane Mayer in the New Yorker Friday. The New Yorker report claims the letter from an unnamed woman — received by her congresswoman, Rep. Anna Eshoo, and by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein — describes an alleged incident when Kavanaugh and the woman were both minors at different high schools in the D.C. area in the 1980s. The letter, according to the New Yorker, claims that Kavanaugh unsuccessfully attempted to force himself on her at a high school party. The New Yorker goes into more details from the letter, but the story never says how the authors came to know the contents of the letter. Kavanaugh issued a flat denial of the anonymous claims as reported by the New Yorker. "I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time," Kavanaugh said in a statement provided to CBS News.
"The FBI told CBS News it received the information in the alleged accuser's letter Wednesday evening, and included the material as a part of Kavanaugh's file, according to the standard process.
"Democratic Senate aides tell CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes that Feinstein had few appealing options once this letter landed in her lap. They say she was reluctant to bury or ignore a credible sexual assault allegation, but was also wary of appearing to smear Kavanaugh by publicizing a single, vague, decades-old accusation by someone who wished to remain anonymous. That's why she initially tried to avoid sharing the letter with anyone, including other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee."
NPR reports:
"A report published Friday in the New Yorker revealed that the woman, who did not want to be named, said in a letter that Kavanaugh "attempted to force himself on her" at a party when they were teenagers. She described that Kavanaugh and another classmate, who were drinking, turned up music to cover up her protests and she freed herself and left the scene. All three were minors at the time. The woman declined to be interviewed by the New Yorker."
Why not? If what you claim is true, madam, why not stand up, stand tall? Identify yourself. Courageously, tell your story. Answer all questions.
"NPR has not independently confirmed the contents of the letter, which the woman sent to her representative, Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., after Kavanaugh was nominated to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. The letter was also shared with Feinstein in July."
This letter should not have been sat on by Democrats until shortly before the Committee vote. Makes them look like desperate, grandstanding idiots.
"A separate report in the New York Times said people who described the letter told the publication that the woman "considered the incident an assault."
Then, why not courageously rise to the occasion? If this alleged incident actually occurred, madam, you have nothing to be ashamed of. The 'judge' does. Conversely, if you're indeed lying like hell, you need to be exposed for whom and what you are.
"The New Yorker story quotes a classmate of Kavanaugh's saying about the incident in the letter: "I have no recollection of that."
At this point and as always lately, truth remains a moving target in our formerly great country.
The Washington Post reports:
"The FBI does not plan to launch a criminal investigation into the matter and instead sent the material to the White House to be added to Kavanaugh’s background check file. Within an hour of receiving it, the White House sent that updated material back to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the information is limited to senators and a tight circle of senior aides."
What are they hiding? Why not release this material? The public has a right to know.
Finally, a break in the case. The writer of the letter has courageously stepped forward. The Washington Post reports:
"Earlier this summer, Christine Blasey Ford wrote a confidential letter to a senior Democratic lawmaker alleging that Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her more than three decades ago, when they were high school students in suburban Maryland.
"Speaking publicly for the first time, Ford said that one summer in the early 1980s, Kavanaugh and a friend — both “stumbling drunk,” Ford alleges — corralled her into a bedroom during a gathering of teenagers at a house in Montgomery County. While his friend watched, she said, Kavanaugh pinned her to a bed on her back and groped her over her clothes, grinding his body against hers and clumsily attempting to pull off her one-piece bathing suit and the clothing she wore over it. When she tried to scream, she said, he put his hand over her mouth. “I thought he might inadvertently kill me,” said Ford, now a 51-year-old research psychologist in northern California. “He was trying to attack me and remove my clothing.” Ford said she was able to escape when Kavanaugh’s friend and classmate at Georgetown Preparatory School, Mark Judge, jumped on top of them, sending all three tumbling. She said she ran from the room, briefly locked herself in a bathroom and then fled the house.
"Ford said she told no one of the incident in any detail until 2012, when she was in couples therapy with her husband. The therapist’s notes, portions of which were provided by Ford and reviewed by The Washington Post, do not mention Kavanaugh’s name but say she reported that she was attacked by students “from an elitist boys’ school” who went on to become “highly respected and high-ranking members of society in Washington.” The notes say four boys were involved, a discrepancy Ford says was an error on the therapist’s part. Ford said there were four boys at the party but only two in the room. Notes from an individual therapy session the following year, when she was being treated for what she says have been long-term effects of the incident, show Ford described a “rape attempt” in her late teens. In an interview, her husband, Russell Ford, said that in the 2012 sessions, she recounted being trapped in a room with two drunken boys, one of whom pinned her to a bed, molested her and prevented her from screaming. He said he recalled that his wife used Kavanaugh’s last name and voiced concern that Kavanaugh — then a federal judge — might one day be nominated to the Supreme Court."
Carefully consider the following:
"On Sunday, the White House sent The Post a statement Kavanaugh issued last week, when the outlines of Ford’s account became public: “I categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. I did not do this back in high school or at any time.” Through a White House spokesman, Kavanaugh declined to comment further on Ford’s allegation and did not respond to questions about whether he knew her during high school. The White House had no additional comment. Reached by email Sunday, [Mark] Judge declined to comment. In an interview Friday with The Weekly Standard, before Ford’s name was known, he denied that any such incident occurred. “It’s just absolutely nuts. I never saw Brett act that way,” Judge said. He told the New York Times that Kavanaugh was a “brilliant student” who loved sports and was not “into anything crazy or illegal.”
Think so? Someone's lying. Guess who?
"Christine Ford is a professor at Palo Alto University who teaches in a consortium with Stanford University, training graduate students in clinical psychology. Her work has been widely published in academic journals."
Think she has no credibility? Or, is it Kavanaugh and Mark Judge lacking the same?
Above quotes courtesy of a most gifted, exceptionally careful, insightful writer and investigative reporter, Emma Brown.
NPR reports:
"A vote on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court was at risk of delay on Sunday as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee from both parties said allegations of sexual assault from 35 years ago may require additional review."
You think?
"Democrats were joined by Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who said the committee needed to examine the claims before moving forward. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), while expressing concern about the motives of committee Democrats, said he too was open to hearing more.
"I support Mrs. Ford's decision to share her story, and now that she has, it is in the hands of the FBI to conduct an investigation," the committee's top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a statement. "This should happen before the Senate moves forward on this nominee."
That's right.
"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to postpone the vote "until, at a very minimum, these serious and credible allegations are thoroughly investigated." He added, "To railroad a vote now would be an insult to the women of America and the integrity of the Supreme Court." A spokesman for Grassley said the allegations should have been brought up earlier. Their timing and nature "raises a lot of questions about Democrats' tactics and motives to bring this to the rest of the committee's attention only now rather than during these many steps along the way."
Careful, Senator. Ramrodding through this nomination would certainly backfire, do the GOP great harm should Ford's allegations turn out to be true. What's your rush?
"One of Grassley's Republican colleagues on the Judiciary Committee left the door open to further hearings about Ford's allegations. "If Ms. Ford wishes to provide information to the committee, I would gladly listen to what she has to say and compare that against all other information we have received about Judge Kavanaugh," said Sen. Graham in a statement. "If the committee is to hear from Ms. Ford it should be done immediately so the process can continue as scheduled." Sen. Flake, who also serves on the committee, told the Post that a vote on Kavanaugh needed to wait until senators had the opportunity to hear from Ford. "For me, we can't vote until we hear more," Flake said."
Think Trump, Jr. isn't as clueless as dear old dad? CBS News reports:
"President Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. appeared to make light of new details of allegations of sexual assault against his father's pick to be the next Supreme Court Justice. The social media post comes as Christine Blasey Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University in California, detailed the alleged encounter in the 1980's with Judge Brett Kavanaugh in an interview with the Washington Post. Ford said in her account that Kavanaugh "was trying to attack me and remove my clothing." Trump Jr. posted a meme on Instagram Monday with the caption "Judge Kavanaugh sexual assault letter found by Dems..." The photo attached shows a crumpled-up piece of notebook paper with a scribbled message: "Hi Cindy will you be my girlfriend, Love Bret." The note, which has boxes to check for "yes" or "no," seemingly compares Kavanaugh's accuser to a school yard crush."
'Stupid is as stupid does.'
NPR reports:
"A Senate committee may be forced to postpone its vote this week on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh while members explore fresh allegations of a decades-old sexual assault. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the committee's chairman, was scrambling Sunday to arrange staff telephone calls with Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who says Kavanaugh assaulted her at a party in the early 1980s when they were both students in high school. "Her recollection of these events is crystal clear," Ford's attorney Lisa Banks told Morning Edition. "She will agree to participate in any proceedings that she's asked to participate in."
The Washington Post reports:
"An attorney for Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who said Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh assaulted her when the two were in high school, said Monday that Ford is willing to testify about the allegations before the Senate Judiciary Committee. “She is. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her story forth,” lawyer Debra Katz said on NBC’s “Today” show when asked whether her client would speak publicly about President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. Kavanaugh later issued a fresh denial of the allegations, which have roiled his confirmation process, saying he is willing to talk to the committee in any way it “deems appropriate.” “I have never done anything like what the accuser describes — to her or to anyone,” he said in a statement. “Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday.”
NBC reports:
"A lawyer for the woman who is accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s said Monday that her client believes his actions were "attempted rape" and she's willing to testify publicly about it. "She believes that if it were not for the severe intoxication of Brett Kavanaugh, she would have been raped," attorney Debra Katz said on "Today." Katz added that her client, Christine Blasey Ford, is "willing to do whatever it takes," including testifying before members of Congress about her allegations and that her coming forward is "not a politically motivated action."
CBS News reports:
"Debra Katz, the attorney for the woman who has stepped forward as writing a letter alleging sexual misconduct by Judge Brett Kavanaugh when they were both high school students, says that Senate Republicans intend to "play hard ball" with her client as they prepare to move ahead with Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court. Katz, speaking to "CBS This Morning" on Monday, said that members of the majority intend on "grilling" her client about her allegations.
"Asked if Ford was willing to testify before the committee on the allegations, Katz said she was was "willing to do whatever is necessary" to make sure the committee has the "full story." "She's willing to do what she needs to do, she's willing to hopefully tell her story in a manner that is a fair proceeding," Katz said. "Unfortunately what we're already hearing this morning is that the Republicans intend to play hard ball, they intend to grill her." She added: "This is not an exercise that is designed to get at the truth, this is an exercise that's designed to terrify somebody that's already been traumatized and it's an effort to try and intimidate and it's of real concern to me."
Nothing you can do about that, Counselor. If Ford cannot withstand ferociously pointed questioning by Republican nazis on the Committee, she should not have come forward, not identified herself. Can't have it both ways. If what she claims is true, it is her duty as an American citizen to stand tall, expose this national socialist 'judge' for precisely whom and what he is. No matter the personal cost. No matter the threats she has reportedly received.
"Asked if her client felt Kavanaugh shouldn't be confirmed, Katz said Ford "hasn't taken that position." "She came forward to tell her representatives about a traumatic event that occurred to her that the nominee committed, she believes it bears on his character but she has not taken a position that he should not be confirmed. She's taken a position that this set of behavior is egregious and it certainly should bear on his fitness and his character," said Katz. Katz added, "Intention matters, if we're trying to really engage in an inquiry to get at the truth, a highly politicized environment such as the one were in is not designed to do that. Partisans are already lining up, taking a position they will grill her that they will show her story is inconsistent." Katz commended Ford's use of a polygraph test to ensure that her allegations were verified before facing criticism of her story."
NPR reports:
"The woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault more than three decades ago may soon have the chance to tell her story before the Senate. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who chairs the judiciary committee, said in a statement Monday that he's looking for a way that lawmakers can hear from Kavanaugh's accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, "in an appropriate, precedented, and respectful manner."
The Committee has no choice. This woman must be heard. So should Kavanaugh.
CBS News reports:
"President Trump commented on the sexual misconduct allegation against his Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh for the first time on Monday, calling Kavanaugh one of the "finest" people he's ever met but expressing openness to delaying the vote on him."
There is no choice. The accuser is credible. Must be heard. So should Kavanaugh.
"Mr. Trump called Kavanaugh "one of the finest people" anyone has ever known in response to reporters' question about him. The president said Kavanaugh had "never had even a little blemish."
Think so? Then why were you, your henchmen, and your GOP colleagues desperately trying to ramrod through this national socialist to the Supreme Court, denying Democrats thousands of documents germane to this outrageously ill-advised nomination?
"Mr. Trump said the FBI has vetted Kavanaugh multiple times, calling the judge "very special."
Clearly, the FBI vetting of this nazi nominee left much to be desired since agents apparently failed to follow up on this allegation known for some time to at least several Democrats.
"He's an outstanding intellect. An outstanding judge. Respected by everybody," the president told reporters."
That's nuts, Donny boy. Simply, untrue. The only people embracing this bullshit are you, your henchmen, and fellow Republicans who seem to have forfeited all semblance of honor in their rabid partisanship.
"Never even had a little blemish on his record. The FBI has I think gone through a process six times with him over the years where he went to higher and higher positions. He is somebody very special. At the same time, we want to go through a process. We want to make sure everything is perfect, everything is just right."
If that's true, why did you, your henchmen, and fellow Republicans do all you could to stonewall all Democratic attempts to attain access to, and sufficient time to vet all documents germane to this nomination?
"Asked if he'd be willing for a delay in the vote — the Senate Judiciary Committee is supposed to take up a vote on Thursday — Mr. Trump said that depends on the process, saying "if it takes a little delay, it'll take a little delay" "It depends on the process," the president said. "I'd like to see a complete process. I'd like everybody to be very happy. Most importantly I want the American people to be happy because they're getting somebody that is great. I want him to go in at the absolute highest level. And I think to do that you have to go through this. If it takes a little delay it'll take a little delay."
What a crock of shit. The hearing was a charade. A ruse. The nazi you nominated has not been properly vetted. All documentation has not been provided. All you, your henchmen, and fellow GOP colleagues have done is stonewall proper vetting. You want this nazi on the Court for one reason and one reason only, you believe he will do your will. Advance your nazi, national socialist, fascist agenda. The Fourth Reich. With a 5-4 Republican nazi majority on the court, all remaining civil and constitutional rights and liberties will be in dire jeopardy. Precisely, what a lunatic nazi despot desperately wants. Perversely, craves.
"This is a completely false allegation," Kavanaugh said in a statement Monday morning. "I have never done anything like what the accuser describes—to her or to anyone. Because this never happened, I had no idea who was making this accusation until she identified herself yesterday. I am willing to talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee in any way the committee deems appropriate to refute this false allegation, from 36 years ago, and defend my integrity."
A national socialist has no integrity, 'Judge.' None at all.
The Washington Post reports:
"An attorney for Ford said Monday that Ford is willing to testify about the allegations before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The offer prompted a growing number of calls from senators — including moderates in both parties whose votes are key to Kavanaugh’s fate — to hold another hearing at which both Ford and Kavanaugh could testify publicly. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a statement early Monday afternoon that Ford “deserves to be heard” but stopped short of committing to a public airing that would likely force a delay of a planned committee vote on Thursday."
Precisely, what needs to be done. Why are Republicans in such a rush?
"In his statement, Grassley said he was working on “a way to hear [Ford] out in an appropriate, precedented and respectful manner.” He said “standard procedure” calls for starting with follow-up calls with Kavanaugh and Ford but that the office of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the top Democrat on the committee, is not cooperating."
Why should she? How can she? Here's why:
"Democrats are insisting that the FBI handle the matter by reopening Kavanaugh’s background investigation rather [than] having committee staff make calls."
Grassley is, and has been, determinedly, concertedly denying Democrats all sought Kavanaugh documentation during this entire nomination process. So has Trump. Desperate to seat Kavanaugh before the midterm election.
"Underscoring the uncertainty Kavanaugh faces, four senators considered swing votes on the nomination issued statements Monday calling for a thorough review of the allegations by Ford, a professor in California. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) tweeted that “Professor Ford and Judge Kavanaugh should both testify under oath before the Judiciary Committee.” Three red-state Democrats, Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) and Joe Manchin III (W.Va.), also called for hearings. “Given the nature of these allegations, and the number of outstanding questions, I believe the Judiciary Committee should hold off on Thursday’s scheduled vote,” Donnelly said. Heitkamp said it “takes courage for any woman to speak up about sexual assault, and we need to respect Prof. Ford by listening to her and hearing her story.”
That's right. Especially, at a time of profound political polarization. A country coming apart at the seams. When truth is now considered 'fake news' by the nazi element in our formerly great country.
"Manchin, meanwhile, said Ford “deserves to be heard,” and Kavanaugh “deserves a chance to clear his name” during a hearing. “I hope they will be given the opportunity to do that as quickly as possible,” Manchin said."
Needs to happen before the Committee vote to rubber stamp the Kavanaugh nomination.
“This woman should not be insulted, and she should not be ignored,” White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”
... Imagine that. Some belated semblance of sanity from Ms. Conway? LOL. Give me a break.
"Kavanaugh was at the White House on Monday morning, but according to a senior official, he did not meet with Trump. The official said Kavanaugh has been coming to the White House “often” for meetings during the confirmation process."
Why? Get marching orders from Trump's henchmen? ... 'President' too busy watching Fox, tweeting to take care of it himself? LOL.
Not that Democrats are worth a shit, not severely challenged themselves. Consider the following:
"During an appearance on ABC’s “The View,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he finds Ford “extremely credible” and believes other senators will, too, if she testifies. He said that should happen after a thorough FBI investigation. “Trying to rush this through on Thursday is an insult to the women of America and an insult to the majesty of the Supreme Court of the United States,” Schumer said."
Other than endlessly talk since November 22, 1963, what have Democrats done to effectively combat the exponentially growing cancer within the Republican Party? That is, the rise of fascism, national socialism, nazism embraced by Republicans since the McCarthy era back in the early 50s.
Some background on Kavanaugh's accuser. NPR reports:
"Christine Blasey Ford, a 51-year-old California professor, accused Kavanaugh of groping her and trying to take her clothes off when they were both attending suburban Maryland high schools in the early 1980s."
Career and education:
"Ford is a professor and research psychologist in Northern California at Palo Alto University and the Stanford University PsyD Consortium, a clinical psychology program where she teaches statistics, research methods and psychometrics. She has been widely published in her field and, according to a 2016 book she co-authored, her consultation area of expertise is the interaction between pharmaceutical companies and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Ford received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California, master's degrees from Stanford University and Pepperdine University, and her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill."
Family:
"In 2002, she married Russell Ford, in Half Moon Bay, Calif., according to a marriage announcement from the time. Russell Ford is a mechanical engineer and has worked for pharmaceutical and medical research companies. The Fords live in Palo Alto with their two sons, according to the San Jose Mercury News."
Reportedly, there will be a Committee hearing scheduled for 9-24-18. NPR reports:
"When Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, announced a hearing for next Monday to air a decades-old sexual-assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, it didn't end the debate over how the Senate should handle the charges. It intensified it."
Republicans appear to be dragging their feet. Stonewalling.
"Democrats are calling for a full FBI investigation of the allegation before a hearing, saying Monday is too soon. "I'd have the professionals go in there, seek corroborating evidence, talk to the people involved, certainly talk to the third person who they claimed was there and that hasn't been done," Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, a long-time member of the Judiciary Committee and a former chairman told NPR's Morning Edition. "This might take a week or two to get all of this together, but what difference does one or two weeks make when you're talking about a lifetime appointment?"
Not to be. Republicans seem intent on ramrodding this nomination through.
"Republicans and the Trump White House argue that isn't the FBI's role. The Justice Department seems to agree. In a statement, a Justice Department spokeswoman said the FBI — which has added a letter from Christine Blasey Ford to Kavanaugh's already completed background report file — had already done all it was going to do, because "the allegation does not involve any potential federal crime."
Doesn't? Perjury committed during sworn testimony in front of a congressional committee isn't a federal crime? What if the allegation against Kavanaugh is indeed true and he's lied under oath? No federal crime committed? Very same not being the case if his accuser does the very same under oath vis a vis the allegation?
"The FBI does not make any judgment about the credibility or significance of any allegation," the statement reads. "The purpose of a background investigation is to determine whether the nominee could pose a risk to the national security of the United States. The allegation does not involve any potential federal crime. The FBI's role in such matters is to provide information for the use of the decision makers."
Above quote seems to ignore the fact circumstances have indeed changed. A criminal allegation has surfaced against the Supreme Court nominee from a well-regarded professional in both the psychological and university communities. An allegation that warrants investigation.
"Grassley was more definitive in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Tuesday morning. "The FBI investigation of Judge Kavanaugh is closed," he said. "The FBI is not doing any further investigation."
Why not? New information surfaced. Deserves investigation. Has undue pressure been placed on the Bureau to walk away from this issue? If so, by whom?
The fix appears to be in. Get this:
"Grassley told Hewitt Tuesday that, "Yes," there will only be two witnesses Monday. "We've got two people involved," Grassley said, "and two people ought to be able to present their stories and then we'll have to be the jury."
Jesus Christ. Goddamned kangaroo justice. Forget? There was another individual allegedly present at the time of the incident. He won't be heard from? Why not?
"Grassley added, "Accusers deserve to be heard and, after they're heard and we also have a responsibility to hear judge Kavanaugh, and I want to hear from Dr. Ford, and she deserved to be heard, because these are serious accusations."
If so, why isn't the other alleged witness to the allegation not called to testify?
Equally pointedly, procedural details have yet to be decided:
"Grassley said it isn't even 100 percent certain at this point whether Ford or Kavanaugh will testify first, though he is inclined to have Ford go first."
No re-direct, follow up?
"On Morning Edition Tuesday, Leahy, D-Vt., suggested that another man who was allegedly in the room at the time of the encounter be called before the committee."
Why won't this occur? What are Republican national socialists afraid of? The truth?
The Washington Post reports:
"Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) said Tuesday that next week’s hearing regarding accusations of sexual assault by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh will be limited to two witnesses: the Supreme Court nominee and his accuser. During a radio interview, Grassley said that Kavanaugh has agreed to participate in Monday’s hearing but that his staff has not heard from Christine Blasey Ford."
That right, Senator? ... Or, is it simply more goddamned disingenuous bullshit, GOP stonewalling?
“It kind of raises the question: Do they want to come to the public hearing or not?” Grassley told syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt. “We still haven’t heard from Dr. Ford, so do they want to have the hearing or not?” During a television appearance on Monday, Debra Katz, an attorney for Ford, said her client is “willing to do whatever it takes to get her story forth,” including testifying publicly before the Senate."
Are you and your henchmen lying, Senator? Disingenuously bullshitting the public, sir?
"Grassley suggested that the hearing could be called off if Ford declines to appear. “What would be the purpose of the hearing if Dr. Ford doesn’t respond?” he told Hewitt."
What the hell is your rush, Senator? You haven't even settled on procedural details. Won't include a third-party witness to testify. Sounds like goddamned kangaroo justice, doesn't it, you fascist son of a bitch?
"In Ford’s account to The Post, she said there was a third person in the room, Mark Judge, a Kavanaugh friend and classmate at Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington. Grassley said Judge has not been asked to testify."
Why not? Don't want to get to the bottom of this allegation? What are you afraid of, Senator? The truth?
“At this point we have two people testifying. That’s all I can tell you,” Grassley told Hewitt."
Goddamned disingenuous horse shit by a clueless Republican national socialist.
"Reached by email Sunday, Judge declined to comment. In an interview Friday with the Weekly Standard, before Ford’s name became public, he denied that any such incident occurred, calling the accusation “just absolutely nuts.”
Then why not bring him in to testify, Senator? Wouldn't he be useful to you and your fellow GOP nazis to discredit an otherwise credible witness against the Kavanaugh nazi and his nomination to the United States Supreme Court?
"Grassley said he has not decided who would testify first but assumes Ford would. He said he does not know how many rounds of questions senators on the panel would get to ask. In response to a question from Hewitt, Grassley did not rule out the possibility that a female lawyer could be tapped to ask questions of Ford from the Republican side."
What's the matter, Senator? Think Ford couldn't hold her own against male chauvinists such as yourself and your fellow Republican fascists?
Think Republicans aren't shitting? The Washington Post reports:
"Republicans are bracing for political aftershocks from the sexual assault accusation against Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh, with some expressing fear that the coming investigation will refocus the nation’s attention on an issue that could drive up the Democratic vote in the midterm elections. The initial hope that the conservative Kavanaugh’s appointment would encourage turnout by grateful GOP voters this fall has been tempered by new fears that more voters, especially independent women, might head to the polls with fresh anger about Republican handling of sexual impropriety after a new round of public hearings."
Not to worry. Democrats have not been worth a shit since November 22, 1963. Should they take the House, less likely the Senate, think both houses won't quickly change hands yet again? Neither party is worth a crap, forget? LOL.
Not surprisingly, our regal, patrician, senior Senator in Nazi Texas again displayed profound ignorance, achingly mindless partisanship. To say nothing of clueless Aryan arrogance. The Washington Post reports:
"The No. 2 Republican in the Senate on Tuesday sharply questioned the credibility of the woman who has accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, as GOP leaders indicated they will limit witnesses at next week’s hearing to just the Supreme Court nominee and his accuser."
Apparently, Republican fascists fear the truth.
"Speaking to reporters, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) said he was concerned by “gaps” in the account of Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor in California, who told The Washington Post in an interview published Sunday that Kavanaugh drunkenly pinned her to a bed on her back, groped her and put his hand over her mouth at a house party in the early 1980s when the two were in high school. “The problem is, Dr. Ford can’t remember when it was, where it was, or how it came to be,” Cornyn told reporters at the Capitol late Tuesday morning. When asked whether he was questioning the accuser’s account — which Kavanaugh has repeatedly denied — Cornyn said, “There are some gaps there that need to be filled.”
Then, Senator, why aren't you demanding the alleged witness to the alleged assault, Mark Judge, testify at the hearing?
"His comments came shortly after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) outlined a plan to limit testimony at Monday’s planned hearing to that provided by Kavanaugh and Ford — which brought cries of protest from Democrats. They insisted that other witnesses also be called, including Mark Judge, a Kavanaugh friend who Ford said witnessed the assault."
What are Republican national socialists, fascists so afraid of? The truth?
"Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the top Democrat on the committee, said it was “impossible to take this process seriously,” noting that 22 witnesses appeared at the hearing in 1991, when law professor Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. “What about other witnesses like Kavanaugh’s friend Mark Judge?” Feinstein said in a statement. “What about individuals who were previously told about this incident? What about experts who can speak to the effects of this kind of trauma on a victim? This is another attempt by Republicans to rush this nomination and not fully vet Judge Kavanaugh.”
Republican national socialists couldn't care less whether or not Kavanaugh is fully vetted or not. All they care about is quickly seating this Republican fascist on the Supreme Court to secure a 5-4 Republican nazi majority. Desperate to do so before the midterm election, fearing Democrats will retake at least the House.
CBS News reports:
"The status of a public hearing set for Monday into the allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh remained in doubt after lawyers for the woman accusing the judge of sexual misconduct say they want a thorough FBI investigation into the matter before testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. In a letter sent to Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, Christine Blasey Ford's lawyers say the FBI investigation would serve as a first step in the process to their client testifying in public.
"While Kavanaugh intends to return back before the Senate on Monday with or without Ford present, a GOP aide tells CBS News' Nancy Cordes that the committee intends to "leave the opportunity open" for Ford to testify "for as long as possible." It's unclear how the latest developments will impact an eventual vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation out of committee, originally set for this Thursday."
Magnanimous of the nazi element in the Republican Party, isn't it?
"In response to Ford's letter late Tuesday evening, the GOP chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, issued a statement attempting to put the ball back in Ford's court on whether or not to appear before the Senate.
"Dr. Ford's testimony would reflect her personal knowledge and memory of events. Nothing the FBI or any other investigator does would have any bearing on what Dr. Ford tells the committee, so there is no reason for any further delay."
Kangaroo justice by the nazi element in the GOP. Remarkable, isn't it? Anything to seat the Kavanaugh nazi as quickly as possible so Republican national socialists have a solid 5-4 majority on the Court. Doing so ensures whatever remaining civil and constitutional rights and liberties left could be easily eviscerated by these achingly gutless, clueless fascists.
Delusionally believe the fix isn't in? That Republicans aren't marching in goose step? Wake up:
"Sen. Bob Corker, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says if lawmakers don't hear from both sides during Monday's hearing, the committee should move to a vote.
After
learning of the allegation, Chairman @ChuckGrassley took immediate action
to ensure both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh have the opportunity to be
heard, in public or private. Republicans extended a hand in good faith.
If we don’t hear from both sides on Monday, let’s vote.
—
Senator Bob Corker (@SenBobCorker) September 19, 2018
"Republicans extended a hand in good faith," Corker tweeted Tuesday night, commending Chairman Grassley for taking "immediate action to ensure both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh have the opportunity to be heard, in public or private."
Charade. Ruse. Fix is in. Republicans have no interest in the truth. Only seating an additional fascist on the Court as quickly as possible. Certainly, before the midterm election.
NBC News reports:
"Republican lawmakers on Wednesday appear poised to move ahead with a confirmation vote on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who is accused of sexually assaulting a woman while they were in high school, if his accuser does not participate in an upcoming Senate hearing to air the allegation. Lawyers for Christine Blasey Ford indicated Tuesday night that she would not agree to attend the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled for next Monday under the current circumstances.
"In a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Ford's attorneys called for an FBI investigation into the allegations, saying that "a full investigation by law enforcement officials will ensure that the crucial facts and witnesses in this matter are assessed in a nonpartisan manner, and that the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decision."
Republicans are not interested in facts, just ramrodding through this nomination:
"Grassley, however, said that no law enforcement investigation was warranted and that the invitation for her to testify Monday "still stands."
'Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.' ... Right, Senator?
"Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Judiciary Committee, said in a tweet that requiring an FBI investigation "is more about stalling the process until after November's elections than getting to the truth."
You and your fellow fascists in the Republican Party wouldn't know truth if it bit you hard on the gluteus maximi, Senator. Wake up. Your Aryan arrogance, pathetic ignorance remain unbecoming a United States Senator.
"It is imperative the Judiciary committee move forward on the Kavanaugh nomination and a committee vote be taken ASAP," Graham said Wednesday.
"Requiring
an FBI investigation of a 36 year old allegation (without specific references
to time or location) before Professor Ford will appear before the Judiciary
Committee is not about finding the truth, but delaying the process till
after the midterm elections.
—
Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 19, 2018"
What's the rush, Senator? Midterms? Possible GOP loss of the House? Think the Senate couldn't be up for grabs should enough women be pissed off at Republican treatment of Dr. Ford and her allegations against one of your national socialist henchmen?
Having herself been a victim of remarkably similar posturing during the Clarence Thomas fiasco, Anita Hill put it quite succinctly:
"Anita Hill, whose 1991 testimony that now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her created a political maelstrom, urged the committee on Wednesday to halt the confirmation vote until the allegations against Kavanaugh were fully investigated.
"My advice right now in my experience really is more directed to the senators and to the Senate Judiciary Committee in particular, and my advice is to push the pause button on this hearing, get the information together, bring in the experts and put together a hearing that is fair, that is impartial, that is not biased by politics or by bet, and bring this information to the American public," she told ABC's "Good Morning America."
NPR reports:
"The Senate Judiciary Committee will move forward with a hearing scheduled for Monday on sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, despite a request for further investigation from his accuser. The decision follows the release of a letter sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley from attorneys representing Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assaulting her more than three decades ago when they were teenagers. In the letter, Ford's attorneys said an FBI investigation should be "the first step in addressing her allegations."
Republicans have no interest in the truth. Intend to ramrod through this nomination.
"Ford's attorneys argue that an investigation is necessary so that "the Committee is fully informed before conducting any hearing or making any decisions." Ford's attorneys also say that since she went public with her allegations "she has been the target of vicious harassment and even death threats." They also complained that the committee scheduled Ford to "testify at the same table as Judge Kavanaugh in front of two dozen U.S. Senators on national television to relive this traumatic and harrowing incident." Grassley declined Tuesday night to delay the hearing."
Think the GOP won't pay the price during midterms for this egregious intransigence? ... Not that gutless Democrats are worth a crap.
The Washington Post reports:
"Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a pivotal swing vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, both urged Ford to speak to senators on Monday. And Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), who like Flake also pushed the Senate to hit pause on Kavanaugh’s nomination until lawmakers heard from the professor, said: “If we don’t hear from both sides on Monday, let’s vote.”
Kangaroo justice, Senators. Egregiously, unbecoming. New unvetted allegations require a new investigation by the FBI. What is your rush? Why are Republican nazis refusing to call other witnesses to testify? Particularly, Mark Judge, -- who Ford has claimed to be a witness to the alleged assault.
"Collins said Wednesday that Ford has a few ways she can detail her story to the committee by Monday, including in a public or private session that would be videotaped; or an interview conducted by congressional investigators."
Proper groundwork has not been laid. No investigation of these new allegations by the FBI. No call to testify of still other witnesses with germane knowledge such as her therapist, family members, friends, etc., she earlier informed of this alleged assault.
“I don’t think she can reject, having made all of these serious allegations, I don’t think that she can reject all those options,” Collins said in an interview with WVOM radio in Maine. “Otherwise, there are these very serious allegations hanging over the head of a nominee who has emphatically denied them. And that’s just not a good way for us to end.”
Don't lay the blame on the alleged victim, Senator. Your Republican colleagues, desperate to confirm this abomination before midterm elections, refuse to release all documentation, refuse her request for renewed investigation by the FBI. Do so to determinedly, concertedly ensure a hearing limited to Kavanaugh and Ford results in a 'he said, she said' fiasco.
An appalling, disingenuous ruse, that Republican nazis hope leads to quick confirmation of this nazi abomination to the Court. Unbecoming of the Senate. An example of kangaroo justice. Delusionally believe the GOP won't pay the price at the polls? Think this won't energize women to get out and vote?
Delusionally believe the FBI hasn't conducted this kind of investigation before? Aaron Blake of The Washington Post reports:
"Is it because the FBI can’t investigate this? That’s what Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) claims and Trump suggests. But it’s not really true, either, as Philip Bump writes:
"In 1991, when Hill’s allegations were made public, the FBI got involved at the direction of the White House.
“On Sept. 23, the allegation was brought to the attention of the Judiciary Committee,” a White House statement at the time read. “The Judiciary Committee immediately informed the White House. In consultation with the committee, the White House promptly directed the FBI to conduct a full, thorough and expeditious investigation. Upon completion of the FBI investigation on Sept. 26, the report was submitted to the White House and the committee.”
Took three days. Republicans are stonewalling. Don't want the truth.
NBC News reports:
"A former schoolmate of Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser wrote a Facebook post saying she recalls hearing about the alleged assault involving Kavanaugh, though she says she has no first-hand information to corroborate the accuser’s claims. "Christine Blasey Ford was a year or so behind me," wrote the woman, Cristina Miranda King, who now works as a performing arts curator in Mexico City. "I did not know her personally but I remember her. This incident did happen." She added, "Many of us heard a buzz about it indirectly with few specific details. However Christine's vivid recollection should be more than enough for us to truly, deeply know that the accusation is true."
... Then, walked it back some, stating again she has no direct knowledge. More on this as the story develops.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
The following is encouraging. NPR reports:
"A federal judge has ruled that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' delay of a key student borrower protection rule was improper and unlawful. "This is such an important win for student borrowers and anyone who cares about a government that operates under the rule of law," says Toby Merrill, of Harvard Law School's Project On Predatory Student Lending. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss sided with consumer advocates, two former students seeking relief from their loans and Democratic attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia, who challenged the Trump administration's postponement of Obama-era regulations governing "borrower defense to repayment."
Here's the issue:
"If you attend a school that misled you or engaged in other misconduct, "borrower defense" is the process of seeking relief from your outstanding student loans. The rule was created in the mid-1990s but remained obscure, producing very few claims, until the collapse of the for-profit Corinthian Colleges and ITT Tech. That's when the Obama administration updated and clarified how students were supposed to seek loan forgiveness. Since then, a reported 165,000 claims have been brought, and almost all of them pertain to for-profit colleges."
Here's the problem:
"Since June 2017, DeVos has taken several actions to delay the Obama-era rule. The department has used that time to restart the rule-making clock and rewrite borrower defense to make it tougher for students to seek and receive debt relief. In particular, they introduced the idea that some students should only get some of their loans forgiven, depending on their current income. In the meantime, claims are being reviewed under the old, mid-1990s rule."
Still delusionally believe Trump and his henchmen, henchwomen give a crap about the bottom and middle class?
"The judge ruled that DeVos' delay was "unlawful" and "arbitrary and capricious." With respect to the student plaintiffs, the judge found that the department's actions: "have deprived" them "of several concrete benefits that they would have otherwise accrued under the Borrower Defense Regulations."
Intentionally, so. Raw nazism. Unbridled greed. Zero-sum, winner-take-all.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Closely related to the above, consider the following. NPR reports:
"Seeking to "evaluate the independence and effectiveness" of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's student loan office, 15 Senate Democrats sent a terse letter Thursday evening to Mick Mulvaney, the CFPB's acting director. The letter was first obtained by NPR. The letter arrived on Mulvaney's desk less than three weeks after the CFPB's student loan watchdog, Seth Frotman, stepped down, writing in a fiery resignation letter to Mulvaney that under the acting director's leadership, "the Bureau has abandoned the very consumers it is tasked by Congress with protecting. Instead, you have used the Bureau to serve the wishes of the most powerful financial companies in America."
Why did it take three weeks? Forget? This shit has been going on at least a year.
"The Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to protect loan servicers from tough oversight. One year ago, the Education Department ended agreements to share information with the CFPB and collaborate with the bureau on enforcement. In March, the department released guidance arguing that loan servicers, as federal contractors, should be exempt from state efforts to more closely regulate them. And in May, Mulvaney called for a major shake-up in Frotman's division. The Office for Students and Young Consumers was folded into the bureau's Office of Financial Education, signaling a symbolic shift in mission from investigation to basic information-sharing. "Taken together," the Senate Democrats wrote in their new letter to Mulvaney, these changes leave "millions of families with more than $1.5 trillion in student loan debt forced to fend for themselves against an industry with an abundance of well-documented predatory practices and abusive behaviors."
Precisely, the intention of the Trump nazi and his henchmen. The American Way. Deliberate attempt to f--k the bottom and middle class. Line the pockets at the top of the food chain. More on this as the story develops.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
In follow up to an earlier edition, and certainly an example of uncommon valor, ABC News reports:
"Retired Adm. William "Bill" McRaven, who led the mission to kill Osama bin Laden, resigned from his post on the Pentagon's Defense Innovation Board last month, just days after he publicly criticized President Donald Trump, the Pentagon confirmed Thursday. "I can confirm that Admiral (ret) William H. McRaven resigned from the Defense Innovation Board, effective August 20, 2018,” Heather Babb, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, told ABC News on Thursday. "The Department appreciates his service and contribution on the board."
Think so?
"The resignation came four days after he criticized the president for revoking the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, who McRaven called "one of the finest public servants" he’d "ever known.
"His resignation was first reported by Defense News on Thursday."
Why wasn't his resignation publicly reported at the time?
"Few Americans have done more to protect this country than John [Brennan]. He is a man of unparalleled integrity, whose honesty and character have never been in question, except by those who don’t know him," McRaven, the former head of Special Operations Command, wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post last month. "Therefore, I would consider it an honor if you would revoke my security clearance as well, so I can add my name to the list of men and women who have spoken up against your presidency.
"Through your actions, you have embarrassed us in the eyes of our children, humiliated us on the world stage and, worst of all, divided us as a nation," McRaven added in the op-ed."
Uncommon Valor. His resignation was apparently forced. Willingly paid the price. Hat's off, Admiral. Did the right thing, sir, standing up to the nazi in the Oval Office.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
The following is appalling. Disgraceful. Egregious insult to the United States Military. Betrayal of our best and brightest. NBC News reports:
"A member of a U.S. Coast Guard team responding to Tropical Storm Florence in South Carolina appeared to flash a white power hand gesture in the background as a captain was being interviewed Friday by MSNBC."
The United States Military defeated this systemic cancer at great personal sacrifice. Second World War European Theater.
"The man has since been removed from the Florence response operations and the incident is under investigation, said Coast Guard Lt. J.B. Zorn. "Whatever that symbol means, it doesn't reflect the Coast Guard and our core values," Zorn said. "It won't be tolerated."
Should not, will not.
"Coast Guard officials wouldn't identify the man and declined to discuss possible disciplinary action. He flashed the signal as Capt. John Reed, commander of Florence response efforts in Charleston, South Carolina, was explaining a new tact as the storm changed direction. A man in a red shirt was seen casually displaying the 'OK' hand signal against the right side of his face as he sat at a table in the background. While the gesture appears innocuous and may have started as an online troll campaign, it has seemingly become a symbol used by alt-right supporters to "trigger" liberals with the implicit suggestion that white nationalist views have become more prominent."
F--k the nazi element in our formerly great country. Thousands of U.S. military personnel died fighting these bastards decades ago. Now, the satanic snake rises from the dead?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Could Congress finally be waking up? ABC News reports:
"After allegedly refusing to cooperate with investigators, Congressional leaders are ordering a senior Department of Homeland Security official to answer questions regarding reported retaliation against whistleblowers within the department, according to documents obtained by ABC News."
About time.
"The subpoena, issued Friday by the House Oversight Committee, directs DHS's Principal Deputy General Counsel Joseph Maher to appear for an interview after allegedly denying their request to comply with the committee's orders to turn over documents and answer questions for nearly two years."
Legitimate, constitutional function of Congress.
"With most government officials, subpoenas do not even have to be threatened, much less executed," Trey Gowdy (R-South Carolina) wrote in a letter to Maher, which was obtained by ABC News. "Therefore, your uncooperative posture is a telling and unacceptable outlier."
Remarkable coming from a Republican, isn't it?
"The committee accuses the Transportation Security Administration, an agency under the DHS umbrella, of withholding and redacting documents in an effort to hide senior-level misconduct from investigators. Investigators believe the agency did so at the direction of Maher's office, according to the subpoena."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
The insanity grows, ever more expansive. Prima facie evidence of Trump's expanding, dire unfitness for office. NPR reports:
"The Trump administration has confirmed it will no longer fund peace-building programs for Palestinians and Israelis — including an interfaith youth program and a project for children with disabilities."
Aggressive stupidity the Trump nazi can't seem to shake.
"It's the latest in a series of announcements of the U.S. cutting hundreds of millions of dollars for Palestinians, with the aim of pressuring Palestinian leaders to cooperate with U.S. efforts to broker a peace deal with Israel."
Only expands resolve of the Palestinians to stand up to the Israeli aggressor and the United States.
"The decision, first reported Friday by the New York Times, is expected to affect a host of projects supporting Israeli and Palestinian almond farmers, young entrepreneurs, environmental activists and others."
'Stupid is as stupid does,' right, Mr. 'President?'
"I continue to believe in the importance of building relationships between Israelis and Palestinians, particularly kids, but. ..." senior U.S. peace negotiator Jason Greenblatt tweeted, "Palestinian and Israeli kids will lose, and these programs will be meaningless, if the (Palestinian Authority) continues to condemn a (peace) plan they haven't seen & refuses to engage on it."
Wake up, Mr. Greenblatt. You and your nazi fuhrer have no credibility. The United States is not, has not, been an honest broker of peace in the region since 1948. You and the national socialist, fascist bastard in the Oval Office seek to force your peace plan and that of the Israeli aggressor you sponsor on the Palestinians. Not acceptable. Never has been. Precisely, why there is no peace, will be no peace in the region. ... Too stupid, too clueless to understand this, sir?
"Palestinian leaders cut ties with the Trump administration after it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a city where Palestinians also have claims."
Certainly, did the right thing. Only thing they could do. Resist. Not capitulate.
"In response to the latest funding cut announcement, senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said Saturday the U.S. was using "sanctions and blackmail to make our people surrender" and that "clearly this administration has nothing to do with peace and making peace."
That's right. No question Sadly, quite the contrary. Trump nazi and his henchmen remain determined to force the Palestinians to surrender to the Israeli aggressor. Not going to happen. Will not happen. Will only lead to more terror, death, and destruction in the region. Aggressive stupidity at its very worst.
"There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials."
What could they say? Why say anything? Forget? Trump nazi and his henchmen are doing their will. Remain beholden to the Israeli aggressor.
"Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, said cutting the money was "reprehensible."
Worse? Stupid. Achingly, shortsighted.
"Congress wrote this program in a bi-partisan manner to bring together Israelis and Palestinians," Leahy told NPR. "What possible good can come from a policy that drives these people further apart? This is no way to build the trust and confidence needed for real peace in the Middle East."
Trump nazi and his henchmen, cannot, will not be confused with the truth. Ludicrously create their own reality.
Exceptionally telling? Carefully, consider the following:
"Tim Rieser, an aide to Sen. Leahy, said Friday that officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, notified Congress last week that the money cannot be spent on peace and reconciliation programs bringing Israelis together with Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza — only on programs inside Israel for Jews and Palestinian Arab citizens."
Clearly, "The King has no clothes!" Trump and his henchmen remain in the pocket of the Israeli aggressor. That money will be used by the aggressor to further subjugate all Palestinians. Raw nazism. Precisely, where Nazi Germany stood politically when Adolf Hitler became Chancellor in 1933. Portend of far, far worse to come.
"Dave Harden, who oversaw U.S. aid to Palestinians under the Obama administration and now directs the Georgetown Strategy Group, said this funding cut "puts Israelis and Palestinians on a collision course for further conflict."
Precisely, what the Trump nazi, his henchmen, and the Israeli aggressor insanely want.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Delusionally, believe Trump's not lining his pockets unconstitutionally off trappings of office? Wake up. NPR reports:
"The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia want the legal authority to get any communications between President Trump and officials of foreign or U.S. state governments pertaining to his Trump International Hotel near the White House. The proposal is one of several for "document discovery" in the historic civil suit against the president. As plaintiffs, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine and Maryland Attorney General Peter Frosh can seek documents to bolster their complaints. They made their proposals Friday in a filing in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md."
About time. What took so long? Been going on since Trump took office.
"The suit alleges that Trump has violated two anti-corruption provisions of the Constitution: the Foreign Emoluments Clause, which bars federal officials from accepting gifts or rewards from foreign government officials, and the Domestic Emoluments Clause, which prohibits the president from accepting benefits from state governments."
Trump is shamelessly lining his pockets. Seems to have forgotten he is president, not nazi fuhrer. Runs the country like he runs his business empire, -- like a Mafia don.
"U.S. District Court Judge Peter Messitte ruled in July that the attorneys general had legal standing to sue. This is the first emoluments case in American history to go to trial."
Fascinating, isn't it? Trump has had well over a year and a half to reconsider, yet determinedly, concertedly failed to smarten up. Rampant, unbridled Aryan arrogance.
The investigation seems to be quite exhaustive:
"The attorneys general also want to obtain:
*records
covering the hotel's business with foreign government officials;
*records
of cash going from the hotel to the Trump revokable trust that holds the
hotel, and then to Trump;
*documents
from the federal General Services Administration, which leases the hotel
building to the Trump hotel corporation, and from the U.S. Treasury, which
handles the lease payments."
Question remains what took so long?
The following is inexplicable, seems to be nothing more than determined stonewalling:
"The attorneys general are suing Trump as president and as an individual. The trial is framed, so far, as involving Trump in his official role. Messitte hasn't yet decided whether the case will include Trump as an individual. The Justice Department, defending Trump, contends discovery should wait until that question is settled."
Why? The 'Justice' Department, although indeed part of the Executive Branch, historically is supposed to be independent of the president. That being the case, why hasn't the Attorney General done his duty, that is, held the president accountable? Figuratively held the feet of the Trump nazi to the fire, that is, the Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Former Secretary of State strikes back. ABC News reports:
"Former Secretary of State John Kerry fired back against attacks by President Donald Trump and current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, saying the president "should be more worried about Paul Manafort meeting with Robert Mueller than me meeting with Iran's PM."
Indeed, most wise counsel. LOL.
"Trump originally attacked Kerry on Thursday evening, saying on Twitter that Kerry had "illegal meetings with the very hostile Iranian Regime." The tweet was an apparent reference to Kerry admitting on Hugh Hewitt's radio show on Wednesday to meeting with Iranian officials, specifically Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, "three or four times" at gatherings of world leaders, such as the World Economic Forum."
Contrary to the Trump nazi, Kerry did nothing illegal. Trump remains a congenital liar.
"Kerry said he did not try to "coach" Iran through the Trump administration's rejection of the JCPOA, a nuclear deal with Iran implemented under Kerry's watch. The meetings came while Rex Tillerson was secretary of state and before Trump's withdrawal from the JCPOA in May."
At the very least, Kerry usefully demonstrated to the Iranians not all Americans are hopelessly delusional. LOL.
"No, that’s not my job, and my coaching him would not, you know, that’s not how it works," Kerry told Hewitt. "What I have done is tried to elicit from him what Iran might be willing to do in order to change the dynamic in the Middle East for the better."
Can't have that, can we? LOL.
"Kerry took delight in ripping the president on Friday afternoon. He chided him over former campaign chairman Paul Manafort's guilty plea and even former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman's leaked recordings. "Mr. President, you should be more worried about Paul Manafort meeting with Robert Mueller than me meeting with Iran's FM," he tweeted. "But if you want to learn something about the nuclear agreement that made the world safer, buy my new book, Every Day Is Extra. "He followed that tweet with the line, "PS - I recorded the audio version, not Omarosa."
Let it rip, Mr. Kerry, let it rip. LOL.
"Pompeo, the current secretary of state, followed up on Trump's criticism at a briefing, calling the meetings "unseemly," "unprecedented" and "beyond inappropriate."
Think so?
"What Secretary Kerry has done is unseemly, and unprecedented," Pompeo said passionately at the top of a press briefing Friday afternoon. "You can't find precedent for this in U.S. history. And secretary ought not to, Secretary Kerry ought not to engage in that kind of behavior. It's inconsistent with what the foreign policy of the United States is as directed by this president. And it is beyond inappropriate for him to be engaged."
Really? 'Methinks the idiot doth protest too much.' LOL. Get this:
"A spokesperson for Kerry responded Friday evening, "Let's cut through the distractions and talk about real facts, not alternative facts. Secretary Kerry stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world just like every previous Secretary of State, and in a long phone conversation with Secretary Pompeo earlier this year he went into great detail about what he had learned about the Iranian’s view. No secrets were kept from this administration."
Trump and his henchmen can't, won't be confused with the truth:
"The spokesperson cited Henry Kissinger, who served as secretary of state under Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, as having met "for decades with Russia and China." "There’s nothing unusual, let alone unseemly or inappropriate, about former diplomats meeting with foreign counterparts," Kerry's spokesperson said."
No question.
"Former Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman, who was also singled out by Pompeo, tweeted the current secretary of state "tried to distract from Manafort and gain points with president by attacking me today." Ned Price, former CIA analyst and adviser to Barack Obama on his National Security Council, was even more direct. "Pompeo was speaking to an audience of one," Price said in a statement, referring to the president. "This was nothing more than an attempt to parrot and please his boss. We know that because Pompeo’s State Department was briefed on these discussions, which are commonplace among former diplomats, both before and after the fact."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Think Trump and his henchmen are not filling the swamp? The Washington Post reports:
"Republicans, including President Donald Trump, campaigned on balancing the budget, yet they have added more than $1.5 trillion to the debt in the past year. The result is that by the end of 2018, the nation will hit milestone: The federal government’s total debt owed to outsiders (known as “debt held by the public”) will exceed all debt that U.S. households have for mortgages, credit cards, cars, student loans and other personal loans for the first time in modern history, according to JPMorgan."
Here's a most interesting kicker. Get this:
"Seymour’s normally private son, Douglas Durst, manages the National Debt Clock and the family’s real estate empire now. He felt compelled to speak out after what he calls the “worst months” he’s ever seen for fiscal policy. Douglas has a message for Congress: Tax the rich more. “I support higher taxes on people like me,” said Douglas in an interview from his office in midtown Manhattan with sweeping views of the city. “I think America has more of a revenue problem than a spending problem.”
No. Has an egregious problem with both.
"When his father put up the National Debt Clock, total gross U.S. debt was just shy of $3 trillion — or about $12,000 a person. Today it is over $21 trillion, or about $65,000 a person."
Must not be forgotten the Reagan nazi tripled the national debt by the end of his regime. From $1 trillion to $3 trillion. Most of it went to lining the pockets of the war profiteering corporate management suite.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Trump is increasingly desperate. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump on Tuesday repeated a specious claim that the FBI spied on his campaign and suggested that his decision to declassify documents from the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election would reveal misconduct by federal law enforcement.
"Democrats and former national security officials have said Trump’s directive is a dangerous one — threatening to undermine an investigation of his own campaign and potentially revealing confidential law enforcement sources. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Monday that the order was a “clear abuse of power” and that based on his conversations with federal law enforcement officials, the FBI and Justice Department would consider the release of these materials “a red line that must not be crossed as they may compromise sources and methods.”
Think so? The FBI and DOJ may have already been compromised by the Trump nazi:
"The Justice Department, though, offered a somewhat muted initial reaction, saying in a statement that such a command from the president “triggers a declassification review process that is conducted by various agencies within the intelligence community,” and officials were “already working with the Director of National Intelligence to comply with the President’s order.”
Sadly, the point has been reached that government at all levels and branches can no longer be trusted, word taken at face value.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-21-18
Trump again expresses extreme displeasure with Sessions. NPR reports:
"Attorney General Jeff Sessions' future was cast further into doubt on Wednesday after President Trump made clear how broad his displeasure is with the man he tapped to lead the Department of Justice. "I don't have an attorney general," Trump told Hill.TV in an interview on Tuesday.
"The president has long asserted that Sessions should have told him before being nominated that he would recuse himself from the Russia probe, which is consequently overseen by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, a Republican whom Trump also nominated to his post."
Non-sequitur. Achingly, insane.
"Rosenstein, in turn, appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to lead the investigation shortly after Trump fired FBI director James Comey. That appointment and the larger investigation continue to anger Trump, which he called a "hoax" in the interview with Hill.TV. In the president's view, the story is about the need to root out "bias" and corruption within federal law enforcement. "I hope to be able put this up as one of my crowning achievements that I was able to ... expose something that is truly a cancer in our country," Trump said."
Called obstruction of justice. By our nazi fuhrer. -- Who runs this country as he did his business empire. A Mafia don. The true cancer, Donny boy, is you and your equally clueless henchmen.
"Just last week, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort became the latest associate of the president to plead guilty, though on charges unrelated to the campaign. A number of the president's other associates also have pleaded guilty to federal charges, including his longtime attorney Michael Cohen, deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates and former national security adviser Mike Flynn."
Trump can't, won't be confused with the truth.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
The following is achingly indicative of a virulent, systemic cancer within law enforcement. The Washington Post reports:
"It was supposed to be a quick photo op with President Trump. But the 44 sheriffs at the White House got a lot more than that when Trump conscripted them as unwitting bystanders in a withering assault Wednesday on a critical, anonymous essay about him in the New York Times."
Jesus Christ. The nazi in the Oval Office rallies the troops. SS stormtroopers. Who'd 'a 'thunk' it? LOL.
"In a surreal setting, the president turned to the uniformed law enforcement officers, assembled on a small riser in the stately East Room, for explicit support as he attacked the “dishonest media” as a “disgrace.”
True disgrace is a nazi fuhrer who has repeatedly violated his oath of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution, rule of law. Instead, the fascist bastard continues to do quite the opposite. Has haughtily become a law unto himself.
“Hey, I’ll ask the sheriffs: Can you imagine?” Trump said, responding to a reporter’s shouted question about the opinion piece. It was purportedly written by a senior official in the Trump administration who suggested a “quiet resistance” of fretful aides who were conspiring to protect the nation from an unstable president."
Imagine that. This piece of human excrement makes Nixon look like a choir boy. Gets worse:
"For the sheriffs, wearing gold badges and embroidered stars, it was a moment of truth: How would these elected officials — frozen in place in the background of a live television shot — react as Trump went on for another 840 words, slamming the anonymous author as “gutless,” predicting that the “phony media outlets” will go out of business and boasting of his accomplishments as if delivering a campaign speech?"
Think the jackbooted nazis in uniform didn't provide their nazi commander-in-chief precisely what he was looking for, desperately wanted? LOL.
"To them, it was a no-brainer: They gave Trump several rounds of hearty applause."
... A raucous, boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Sieg Heil!, 'gentlemen?'
Conveniently forget your falsely sworn oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution, rule of law? Delusionally, believe your fuhrer is doing precisely that?
Clearly, these achingly fascist bastards do:
“My president is a very strong-willed person. He speaks from the heart, and he put the gentleman in his place,” Sheriff Sam Page of Rockingham County, N.C., said in an interview Thursday. “You poke the bear, the bear pokes back. And if you’re in the media, you should understand.”
Jesus Christ. Your "president?" Don't you mean your fuhrer, Sheriff? Trump is no "bear," Sheriff. He's an out of control lunatic. A national socialist, fascist, nazi. Just like you jackbooted bastards in law enforcement. Your condescending, patronizing view of the media displays your ignorance, failure to appreciate the fact the media is constitutionally protected to expose pieces of human excrement like you to the light of day. Egregious abuse of authority. Lawlessness.
“He made me very proud how he handled himself,” said Sheriff Mike Lewis of Wicomico County, Md. “I thought he was in control. As you could see, he turned and directed his comments many times to the sheriffs. We reassured him, ‘We’ve got your back, Mr. President, because you always have ours.’ ”
Jesus Christ. Wake up, Sheriff. You're out to lunch. No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than all branches and levels of nazi government. Out of control, corrupt, abusive, murderous government. With law enforcement traitorously leading the charge.
"Sheriff Thomas Hodgson of Bristol County, Mass., who had organized their visit, presented the president with a plaque bearing Trump’s name on a sheriff’s badge and the inscription, “There’s a new sheriff in town.”
A nazi. A shameless fascist who deliberately, concertedly, traitorously ignores his falsely sworn oath of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution, rule of law. You jackbooted bastards in law enforcement are traitorously doing the same. Have perversely become a law unto yourselves. Raw nazism.
"Trump stood at a lectern and praised them for doing an “amazing job” despite being “scorned” by the “very, very dishonest” media. As the president wrapped up his remarks — lasting 360 words — reporters yelled out to him about the Times essay. “Sheriffs are about fairness,” Hodgson said. “We work with the press all the time, but when we see something like that, which is wholly unfair, sheriffs bridle at that. We had just honored this man for what he’s done.”
What's that, Sheriff? Usefully, transitioning the goddamned de facto fascist police-state we've lived in since 9/11 to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich?
"When Trump responded forcefully, Hodgson added, “nobody looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s clap.’ But we all felt something at that moment.”
What's that, Sheriff? Nazi pride?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
More of the same, -- empty, hollow rhetoric. Little of substance. Desperate grandstanding by clueless Democrats who fully understand the exigent threat to all civil and constitutional rights and liberties posed by the Kavanaugh nomination to the Supreme Court yet remain as ineffective as ever. NPR reports:
"Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh is back at the witness table Thursday for a third day of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He was pressed once again for his views on presidential power."
Jesus Christ. Democrats have had more than enough time since the Trump nazi nominated this national socialist to the nation's highest court to have properly and independently investigated the background of this outrageously fascist nominee. The following is the best they have to offer?
"Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., sought a promise from Kavanaugh that he would be willing to serve as a check on the president who nominated him. "Give us some reassurance about your commitment to the democratic institutions in this country, in the face of a president who seems prepared to cast them aside," Durbin said. "Whether it's voter suppression, the role of the media — case after case, we hear this president willing to walk away from the rule of law in this country."
Pathetic. Pitiful. Worse? Durbin failed to press the son of a bitch on his bullshit response:
"No one is above the law," Kavanaugh replied. "I've made clear in my writings that a court order that requires a president to do something or prohibits a president from doing something under the Constitution or laws of the United States is the final word in our system."
Pathetically lame. Hopelessly, pitiful. Why wasn't this son of a bitch grilled in prosecutorial fashion, that is, ferociously pointed questions requiring a yes or no answer?
"Thursday's session began with Democrats on the committee in open revolt over the handling of documents from Kavanaugh's tenure in the George W. Bush White House."
Had more than enough time to force the issue last few weeks. Yet, did shit squat. Why wasn't all Senate business brought to a grinding halt after it became clear Republican national socialists were not going to provide all documentary evidence in a timely fashion? Why the hell didn't they walk out of the Senate?
Refuse to return until all requested documentation was provided? Taken off to parts unknown to make it extremely difficult for the Sergeant-At-Arms to find them. Think the public isn't tired of all the bullshit going on in the Oval Office as well as Congress?
"Some documents have been withheld altogether. Others have been provided to the committee on "confidential" terms, meaning senators can see them but they can't be made public."
Why did these Senators put up with this goddamned bullshit? Why did Democrats remain stonily silent when the Trump nazi refused to release 100,000 documents three days before the start of this hearing that has been no more than a charade? A ruse.
"Democrats object that the confidential label has been applied to a wide swath of records, many of which contain no personal or sensitive information. They also complain that classification decisions were made by former President Bush's attorney, William Burck, a former deputy of Kavanaugh's. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., released some of the confidential documents Thursday morning."
Too little. Much too late.
"Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., also released "confidential" documents, drawing a stern rebuke from Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who called them "irresponsible and outrageous." "This is no different from the senator deciding to release classified information," Cornyn said Thursday morning. "No senator deserves to sit on this committee, or serve in the Senate, in my view, if they decide to be a law unto themselves and willingly flout the rules of the Senate and the determination of confidentiality and classification."
Jesus Christ. This piece of shit and those who think like him are the problem. This achingly patrician Senator is far too impressed with himself, haughty lofty status of his office, and his fellow national socialists in the Republican Party. All disingenuous and for naught, however. Why? Simple. LOL. Get this:
"For all the theatrics on both sides, the debate over documents fizzled by Thursday afternoon, once it became clear their release had been authorized by Bush's attorney overnight."
How about that? Disingenuous bullshit, posturing. Both sides.
"We cleared the documents last night shortly after Senator Booker's staff asked us to," Burck said in a statement. "In fact, we have said yes to every request made by the Senate Democrats to make documents public." And an aide to Grassley told NPR that "counsels for the senators who requested waivers last night/this morning for particular documents were notified that their requests had been honored beginning at around 3:50 this morning."
Think so? Somebody's lying. Get this:
"But a spokesperson for Hirono said the senator was not informed that the documents released by her office Thursday morning had been approved to be made public. It is not clear whether Booker knew the documents he released had already been approved before his statements Thursday morning at the beginning of the hearing — when he said that his decision to release the documents was a form of civil disobedience and that he was aware he was risking expulsion from the Senate for making the documents public."
Sadly, grandstanding is a bi-partisan problem. All bullshit. This hearing was no more than a dog and pony show orchestrated by Republican national socialists. Democrats did not do their homework. Were ill-prepared. Had conducted no investigations of their own vis a vis this outrageously partisan Republican nazi nominated to the Supreme Court by Trump. A lifetime appointment of a fascist who will legislate his outrageously perverse ideological and religious views from the bench.
ABC News reports:
"Speaking to supporters at a campaign rally in Montana on Thursday, President Trump went on the offensive against Democrats over what he described as "sick" attacks against his nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh."
What's sick, Donny boy, is the fact you nominated a national socialist to the highest court of the land. A nazi like yourself who will impose his outrageously perverse ideological and religious views on the rest of us. Raw nazism. Worse? Your henchmen in the Republican Party denied Democrats sufficient time to review thousands of pages of documents they cagily released 15 hours before start of their dog and pony show 'hearing.' -- To say nothing of the 100,000 documents you refused to disclose. What are you hiding, Mr. 'President?'
"He’s doing really well," Trump said, acknowledging Kavanaugh's tense three days of confirmation hearings in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "But do you believe the anger and the meanness on the other side? Sick, it’s sick!"
You're detached from reality, Mr. 'President.' Achingly, so. Repeatedly, your fascist nominee couldn't or wouldn't answer exceptionally pointed questions posed. Stumbled. Then again, can't expect an out of touch lunatic such as yourself to embrace the truth, can we?
The Washington Post reports:
"Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said Friday that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was “not truthful” when he denied knowing that he had received documents that Leahy said had been “stolen” from him and other Democrats. Leahy said that emails disclosed during Kavanaugh’s nomination hearing this week buttress his case that Kavanaugh knew, or should have known, that he had received documents that Republican staffers took from a computer jointly shared with Democrats. “There were numerous emails sent to him that made it very clear this was stolen information, including a draft letter from me,” Leahy said in an interview. Kavanaugh, asked during this week’s hearing whether he ever suspected the material was taken from Democrats, responded, “No.” White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement that Leahy’s assertion shows “just how desperate he is to smear Judge Kavanaugh’s stellar reputation.”
"Stellar reputation?" Think so? A national socialist remains just that, a nazi, a clueless fascist. -- That, what you fascist bastards consider 'stellar?'
"The allegation is one of several from Democrats who say Kavanaugh has not been completely forthcoming during his confirmation hearings, both for the federal bench years ago and during this week’s Supreme Court hearings."
The son of a bitch stonewalled. Stammered when hit with pointed questions he couldn't answer. Democrats, however, failed to take advantage. Were not well-prepared. Had not done their homework. Taken the time and spent the money necessary to have full background information on this nazi nominee. Independent full background search and investigation should have commenced the day Trump nominated him. Instead, sat on their hands.
"Though Kavanaugh this week referred to the decision legalizing abortion nationally as established precedent, recently released emails show that as a White House lawyer in 2003 he advised against referring to the ruling as “settled law.” Earlier this week, he clarified testimony from his 2004 confirmation hearing involving a controversial judge he helped shepherd through the nomination process. Leahy’s charge stems from an infamous episode between 2001 and 2003 when a Republican counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Manuel Miranda, learned that Democrats on the panel had put documents on a computer server shared with Republicans. Miranda said in an interview that he read them to learn about the party’s strategy on judicial nominations coming before the committee."
Extremely stupid of Democrats to do so.
"At the time, Kavanaugh was associate counsel in the White House and was responsible for helping to vet judicial nominees who would appear before the Judiciary Committee. Miranda, now a private attorney in Maryland, said he worked “closely” with Kavanaugh on the nominations and may have shared information that he learned from the Democratic files. But he said that he never let Kavanaugh know he had seen documents taken from Democrats. “I never told him that I got this from the Democrats. There was never anything like that,” Miranda said. “I can tell you for a fact that Brett didn’t know, because no one knew” aside from some other staffers. A congressional report blamed Miranda and another staffer for viewing the documents. Miranda said he was never charged in the matter and that he never considered his action to be “hacking,” as Leahy has described it."
Somebody's lying.
"In a July 28, 2002, email, Miranda wrote Kavanaugh that Leahy’s staff has distributed a confidential letter to Democratic staffers, and then described the contents of the letter. An email written by Miranda on March 18, 2003, and copied to Kavanaugh, had the subject line was “for use and not distribution.” Miranda wrote that “Dem staffers say that they have confidential information,” and he then listed “points they make.” Leahy said the points came from a draft of a letter written by his office. “We have every reason to believe that was taken,” Leahy said."
There's more:
"Separately, an email written to Kavanaugh by a then-staffer to the Republican leadership, Barbara Ledeen, had the subject line “spying.” Ledeen wrote that “I have a friend who is a mole for us on the left,” and described information she had learned about spending plans by liberal groups on judicial nominations. “It is important to note that IF we have a nominee, we need to ZIP THAT PERSON RIGHT THROUGH THE PROCESS....WE CANNOT BEAT 20 MILLION DOLLARS,” Ledeen wrote on June 5, 2003. Kavanaugh forwarded the message to his boss, Counsel Alberto Gonzales, and others, writing, “interesting Ledeen email …” Ledeen, who now serves as a Republican staffer on the committee, did not respond to a request for comment."
What could he say?
"Leahy cited the “spying” email during the hearing, asking Kavanaugh, “None of this raised a red flag with you?” “It did not, Senator,” Kavanaugh said. “People have friends across the aisle who they talk to — at least this was my experience back then; maybe it’s changed.”
Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit. ... Right, 'Judge?'
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
The hypocrisy of the following would indeed be laughable if the system of justice in our formerly great country was not in fact itself in shambles. NPR reports:
"The United States will retaliate against the International Criminal Court if it attempts to prosecute any Americans over actions taken in Afghanistan, White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said Monday."
Why hasn't the Department of 'Justice' prosecuted American personnel right up to and including George "The Tush" Bush, "Slick Dick" Cheney who participated in and/or sanctioned torture?
"The prosecutor for the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, called for an investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, where U.S. troops have been engaged in conflict for nearly 17 years. "The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by the illegitimate court," Bolton said during a speech to the Federalist Society in Washington D.C."
As well it should, Mr. Bolton. Question remains, however, when is the United States government itself going to prosecute American war criminals? Never?
"Bolton's speech outlined the Trump administration's opposition to the court. He said the court is a threat to American sovereignty and national security, arguing that that the court has very little accountability and that it's definitions of crimes are "vague and subject to wide-ranging interpretation."
While the latter portion of the above quote appears to be self-serving bullshit, it is true "the court is a threat to American sovereignty and national security." Particularly, a threat since our own judiciary remains in a shambles. Cannot be trusted. Biased. Far from impartial. In the pocket of law enforcement and the Executive Branch.
"Calling the proposed investigation of war crimes in Afghanistan "utterly unfounded," Bolton said the Trump administration will ban the court's judges and prosecutors from entering the United States if they move ahead with any prosecutions of Americans."
No torture in Afghanistan, Mr. Bolton? Not credible, sir. Certainly, however, our country should not cede sovereignty to the ICC. U.S. prosecutors should prosecute American war criminals. They won't. Why not?
"Bolton also warned that the administration would work to sanction the funds of ICC officials and that officials would be prosecuted in U.S. criminal courts."
Can certainly sanction funds. Prosecute ICC officials for what? Entering the country illegally? Delusionally believe they'd try to enter this country without passports and a visa?
"He said the U.S. would take action against any countries or companies that cooperated with the ICC during the Afghanistan investigation."
What actions might that be, Mr. Bolton?
"The court was founded in 2002. At that time, at the direction of then President George W. Bush, the U.S. unsigned the statute that created the court. Bolton, who worked in the Bush administration, helped to lead the U.S. diplomatic opposition to the court. A U.S. law passed that same year authorizes the president to use whatever authority necessary to protect U.S. service members from prosecution by the ICC."
As well the president should. Any president. Problem remains, however, this government will not hold Americans perpetrating, and/or sanctioning torture overseas criminally accountable. ... Right up to and including the president.
Delusionally believe the judiciary isn't hopelessly corrupt, an abysmal failure? Radley Balko of The Washington Post reports:
"The National Registry of Exonerations (NRE) will soon publish the second part of a study it commissioned of its database of all known false convictions in the United States since 1989. The NRE was kind enough to send me an advance copy. Among the highlights:
"The 2,265 exonerees in the NRE database served a combined 20,080 years behind bars. That’s an enormous amount of wasted human potential.
"In an accompanying and forthcoming law review article, George Washington University law professor Jeffrey Gutman looked at compensation for the wrongly convicted. Between lawsuits and state statutes that award fixed compensation for wrongful convictions, state and municipal governments have paid out $2.2 billion to exonerees. That’s about what Americans spend every year to fight indigestion. Of course, this is nowhere near the total cost of wrongful convictions. To calculate that, you’d need to look at how much it costs to investigate, convict and imprison the wrong person; the effects the wrongful conviction had on that person, his or her family, and his or her community; and any crimes the real culprit committed after authorities apprehended the wrong suspect.
"More than half the exonerees in the database have never been compensated.
"In states that have statutes that dictate the sum to be paid to the wrongly convicted, exonerees on average receive $69,000 per year in prison. Those who sue do better: They average more than $300,000 per year. But lawsuits are also much less predictable.
"Among the states that do have compensation statutes, Gutman ranks Mississippi as the most generous, though in order to receive payment, exonerees there must also forgo their right to sue the state for civil damages. But blue states on average pay out about 50 percent more to exonerees than red states.
"As is often the case with the criminal-justice system, race is a factor. Black people are more likely to be wrongly convicted — they make up 12 percent of the population but 46 percent of exonerees, and collectively represent 56 percent of the life years lost to prison. Black exonerees also spend more time in prison before they’re cleared and released (10.7 years vs. 7.4 years for white people) and receive less compensation when they get out (on average, $42,000 less per year of incarceration)."
Sadly, tip of the iceberg. We've lost ourselves. Republican nazis deny the above. Democrats do nothing but engage in empty rhetoric. Neither party is worth a shit.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Pathetic. Trump again has his shorts in a wad. NPR reports:
"The White House slammed a newspaper essay on Wednesday attributed to an anonymous administration official that criticized President Trump and suggested that aides have discussed ways to try to remove him from office. Trump and others blasted The New York Times after the newspaper ran what it said was a column written by someone within the president's administration who called into question his judgment and vowed to block some of his wishes. In a highly unusual situation, the author was identified only as "a senior official in the Trump administration." The Times said revealing the author's identity would put his or her job in jeopardy. The Times declined NPR's request for an interview with an editor about its decision."
Apparently, The Times is desperately trying to do what Congress has egregiously ignored, failed to do. That is, hold Trump's unfitness for office up to the light of day. More importantly, hold him accountable.
"In the column, the author presents a damning assessment of the Trump presidency and suggests there is a network of officials working behind the scenes to protect the nation from Trump. "We believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic," the author wrote. The op-ed described Trump's leadership style as "impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective."
So what else is new? LOL.
"Trump responded to the op-ed in a previously scheduled White House meeting with sheriffs from across the country. He said the author is "failing" and "probably here for all the wrong reasons." Trump responded to the op-ed in the same way the White House has been responding to the damning new book by Bob Woodward: by outlining his administration's accomplishments and touting the strength of the economy. Trump is doing so well, in fact, that he is already confident that he'll be re-elected. "Nobody's going to come even close to beating me in 2020, because of what we've done," Trump said. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, in a separate statement, called the anonymous author a "coward" who should resign."
So should Trump. LOL. In disgrace. ... Then, Congress should follow up, do the right thing, impeach and convict Pence. LOL.
The Washington Post reports:
"A parade of senior administration tripped over one another Thursday to stay in President Trump’s good graces, offering one statement after another asserting that they were not the anonymous author of an explosive op-ed criticizing him as impetuous and impulsive. Amid frenzied speculation about who was hiding behind a cloak of anonymity, Vice President Pence was the first to assert that he had not penned the New York Times piece claiming to be part of a “resistance” within the Trump administration. More than a dozen Cabinet officials followed suit, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Intelligence Director Daniel Coats and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis — as well as many others whom no one would have expected. While some officials offered taut one-word denials through a spokesperson, others used the occasion to stroke the president, voicing objections to his characterization in the Times piece as morally unmoored and often out of sync with his staff. Several of the statements echoed one another, using the words “gutless” and “coward” to describe the anonymous author."
The Washington Postreports:
"This week’s revelations of a purported “resistance” force of senior government officials acting as guardrails against President Trump — manipulating him, infantilizing him and ignoring his directives — raised the specter of a shadow administration. “Who’s in charge at the White House?” a reporter shouted at Trump on Thursday as he departed for a rally in Montana. The president did not answer."
What the hell could he say? LOL.
"An anonymous op-ed in the New York Times, from someone identified only as a senior official, and a new Bob Woodward book, “Fear,” detail efforts at the highest levels of the government to contain Trump’s impulses and, in the most extreme cases, defy and even undermine his orders. The successive disclosures crystallized what has long been evident throughout the Trump presidency — a cadre of administration officials alarmed by the whims and wishes of a chief executive they view as mercurial and impetuous working to curb his instincts on a range of issues, including national security, trade and immigration."
Sad, isn't it?
CBS News reports:
"While President Trump campaigns for Republicans in the Midwest, he continues to refute two accounts that similarly portray a White House in chaos, with aides steadily working against his desires. The question of whether he'll talk with the special counsel has been the subject of conflicting reporting, but asked directly about whether he'll answer any of Robert Mueller's questions, the president demurred. During an interview with Fox News' Pete Hegseth, Mr. Trump again referred to the anonymous New York Times op-ed that detailed a silent resistance in his White House as "treason," and he speculated about the identity of the person who wrote it. "It's treason, you could call it a lot of things," he said, in the interview that aired on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning."
Your deliberate, concerted abrogation of your oath of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution is treason, Mr. 'President.'
"The president is frustrated by the anonymity of the author, who wrote that there is a "quiet resistance" to the president within his own administration "working diligently" to block his "worst inclinations." "What's unfair, I don't mind when they write a book and they make lies because it gets discredited," Mr. Trump said, but it's more difficult "when somebody writes and you can't discredit because you have no idea who they are."
Non-sequitur. Nothing stopping you from refuting the editorial, Mr. 'President.' Nothing at all. ... Other than the truth.
CBS News reports:
"President Trump wants his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to figure out who is behind a scathing anonymous New York Times op-ed, which described a "resistance" operating within the Trump administration, defying his worst impulses and desires."
What criminal probable cause is there for such an investigation?
"It's national security," the president said on Air Force One, on the way to a rally in North Dakota Friday. "I would say that Jeff should be investigating who the author of that piece was, because I really believe it's national security."
The hell it is. How so? While the writer of the editorial should have had the guts to resign at the time of publication, how is national security threatened by someone exposing what is going on in the White House?
"The Justice Department issued a response to the president's Air Force One remark, saying in a statement, "The department does not confirm, deny or otherwise acknowledge the existence or non-existence of investigations."
That so?
"The New York Times issued a statement saying, "We're confident that the Department of Justice understands that the First Amendment protects all American citizens and that it would not participate in such a blatant abuse of government power. The president's threats both underscore why we must safeguard the identity of the writer of this op-ed and serve as a reminder of the importance of a free and independent press to American democracy."
No question. Sunlight remains the very best disinfectant. ... Right, Mr. 'President?'
"The president also said of the op-ed writer, "We're going to take a look at what he had, what he gave, what he's talking about, also where he is right now."
Chilling, isn't it? Not surprising coming from a nazi fuhrer, however.
"He offered another reason he wanted to know the identity of the author. "Supposing I have a high level national security, and he has got a clearance, we talked about clearances a lot recently, and he goes into a high-level meeting concerning China or Russia or North Korea or something," he said. "I don't want him in those meetings."
Non-sequitur. The anonymous writer has not disclosed state secrets. Not compromised national security.
"Asked whether any action should be taken against the Times, Mr. Trump responded, "I'm looking at that right now. It only happened yesterday."
The First Amendment Freedom of the Press guaranties otherwise.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
The fuhrer has again disgraced himself. NPR reports:
"The Trump administration is proposing to lift court-imposed limits on how long it can hold children in immigration detention. Under proposed regulations set to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, the administration seeks to replace the Flores settlement, a decades-old agreement that dictates how long the government can hold migrant children, and under what conditions. The administration wants to detain migrant families together for as long as their immigration cases are pending. The proposed regulations will satisfy the "basic purpose" of Flores, the administration argues, by making sure that children are treated with "dignity, respect, and special concern for their particular vulnerability as minors." "Today, legal loopholes significantly hinder the Department's ability to appropriately detain and promptly remove family units that have no legal basis to remain in the country," said Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen in a statement. The proposed changes are expected to face legal challenges. Federal Judge Dolly Gee, who oversees the Flores settlement, recently rejected a separate attempt by the administration to detain children in jail-like settings for more than 20 days."
Will certainly be vigorously challenged in court:
"Immigration advocates also condemned the administration's plan. "Even under the Flores Agreement, there are a multitude of cases where children are harmed in detention. The last thing we need to do is to expose children to even longer detention under weaker conditions as the Trump administration is proposing," said the director of DHS Watch, Ur Jaddou, in a statement. The move comes just months after the Trump administration attempted to discourage illegal immigration by separating migrant families at the border, but then backed down because of the resulting uproar. As of last week, nearly 500 children were still in government-run shelters without their parents."
Raw nazism.
The Washington Post reports:
"The Trump administration took the first official step Thursday toward withdrawing from a court agreement that limits the government’s ability to hold minors in immigration jails, a move advocates say could lead to a rapid expansion of detention facilities and more time in custody for children. The changes proposed by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services would terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, the federal consent decree that has shaped detention standards for underage migrants since 1997. The maneuver is almost certain to land the administration back in court, where U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee, who oversees the agreement, has rejected attempts to extend the amount of time migrant children can be held in immigration jails beyond the limit of 20 days. The new rules would lift those restrictions and allow the government to detain migrant children until their cases have been fully adjudicated.
"The proposal sets up a new immigration battle in court, and comes less than three months after the Trump administration’s short-lived attempt to halt a surge of Central American asylum seekers by separating children from parents who entered unlawfully. The practice was widely condemned and forced the administration to reverse course and regroup."
NPR reports:
"The ACLU and Guatemalan immigrant advocates are fanning out across the country to find dozens of parents who were deported from the U.S. without their children. The challenge is huge. The searchers face long distances, tortuous geography, and often no cellphone signals. Meanwhile, many of the children remain thousands of miles away in U.S. custody. In June, Gelernt and his colleagues convinced Federal Judge Dana Sabraw to order the government to reunite all 2,654 kids who were separated from adults who crossed the southwest border illegally. This week, U.S. Health and Human Services said it has discharged 2,181 of the children to parents or family members. But 304 parents have already been deported and remain outside of the U.S., their children left behind. The majority — three-fourths --- are in Guatemala."
Our nazi fuhrer and his henchmen are directly responsible for this atrocity, ongoing fiasco. Why aren't they held accountable, resolving it?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Amazing how Trump's henchmen have convenient memory lapses, isn't it? LOL. NPR reports:
"In the lawsuits over the hotly contested 2020 census citizenship question, attorneys for the plaintiffs are facing a memory problem."
Couldn't be, could it? LOL.
"In recent weeks, Trump administration officials who worked with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to add the question, based on internal emails and memos released as part of the legal battle, have been facing hours of inquiry from the plaintiffs' attorneys. During these depositions, two key Commerce officials testified they could not recall organizing meetings about or discussing the citizenship question — even after attorneys presented them with internal emails that appear to document their participation. "I don't recall a conversation about it," said Karen Dunn Kelley, who started as undersecretary for economic affairs at the department on Aug. 21, 2017, according to a partial transcript of her deposition filed Tuesday."
... Couldn't be lying, could she? LOL.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Think the Trump nazi capable of ever smartening up? NPR reports:
"The Trump administration has announced further cuts in aid to the Palestinians — this time, cutting money to cover cancer treatments and other critical care for Palestinians at Jerusalem hospitals. A State Department official told NPR the administration is pulling $25 million it had planned to give to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, a group of six hospitals, some church-run, providing care primarily to Palestinians. In past years, U.S. funding covered medical costs for Palestinians to go to these hospitals for treatment unavailable in the West Bank and Gaza — from cardiac and eye surgeries to neonatal intensive care and children's dialysis, according to the World Health Organization."
Here's the egregious aggressive stupidity:
"President Trump said he's cut aid for the Palestinians to pressure them on a peace deal with Israel."
Jesus Christ. This lunatic hasn't a clue. Will strengthen Palestinian resolve:
"This is not surprising at all. Let America know that all these acts will not change our position toward our cause one bit. On the contrary, it consolidates our positions toward every issue, including Jerusalem," said Adnan Husseini, Palestinian Authority minister for Jerusalem affairs."
Worse, incites terrorism. More killing. Additional violence. Feeds the cycle of vicious hostility in the region.
"Dave Harden, a former senior U.S. official overseeing aid to the Palestinians under the Obama administration, called the funding cut "particularly vindictive." He warned it could "cause the collapse" of hospitals including Augusta Victoria Hospital, run by the Lutheran World Federation, and St. John Eye Hospital."
Clearly, Trump is too stupid, too mentally challenged to understand the obvious.
"In a phone call with U.S. Jewish community leaders and rabbis Thursday ahead of the Jewish new year, Trump said he's "stopped massive amounts of money" to the Palestinians, whom he has accused of showing disrespect to the U.S."
The 'president' is too clueless to understand the United States has NEVER been an honest broker of peace in the region. It is insane to believe the Palestinians would have any respect for the United States when it remains solidly in the pocket of the Israeli aggressor. Been so since 1948.
"Trump is seeking to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. But the Palestinian Authority cut ties with the administration after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinians also have claims in the city."
Legitimate claims our formerly great country remains hopelessly indifferent to.
"The Palestinian Authority cut ties with the administration after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinians also have claims in the city."
That's right. A terrible ongoing injustice since 1948.
"The United States was paying them tremendous amounts of money," Trump said, according to a White House transcript of the call. "And I'd say, you'll get money, but we're not paying you until we make a deal. If we don't make a deal, we're not paying. And that's going to have a little impact."
Do you truly think everyone can be bought and paid for, Donny boy? Not everyone is an unprincipled, amoral, nazi piece of crap like you, sir.
"I said, "By the way, did you ever do that before?" I said to some of the past negotiators. "Did you ever do that before? Did you ever use the money angle?" They said, "No, sir. We thought it would be disrespectful." I said, "I don't think it's disrespectful at all. I think it's disrespectful when people don't come to the table," Trump said."
Expect any better of a simple-minded, achingly clueless, hopelessly narcissistic, nazi fuhrer? This piece of human excrement is an embarrassment not only to himself, but our formerly great country.
No end to Trump's aggressive stupidity, shortsightedness. CBS News reports:
"The Trump administration has informed the Palestinian government that its primary office in Washington D.C. will be closed, deepening a rift with the Palestinians and drawing cries of a "dangerous escalation" from their leadership. The move, which U.S. officials were yet to confirm on Monday morning, comes after the White House said over the weekend that it was cutting $25 million in funding for health services in heavily-Palestinian East Jerusalem. Senior Palestinian diplomat Dr. Saeb Erekat confirmed in a statement released Monday that the U.S. government had informed the Palestinian Authority that the office of the Palestine Liberation Organization, effectively the Palestinian parliament, would be shuttered. "We have been notified by a US official of their decision to close the Palestinian Mission to the US. This is yet another affirmation of the Trump Administration's policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education," Erekat said in the statement."
Trump and his henchmen apparently, ludicrously believe this will lead to capitulation of the Palestinians to the Israeli aggressor, not more terror in the region.
"Closing the PLO office in D.C. will leave the Palestinians without a formal presence in the U.S. capital. Erekat said the "dangerous escalation shows that the US is willing to disband the international system in order to protect Israeli crimes and attacks against the land and people of Palestine as well as against peace and security in the rest of our region."
What webs we weave. One definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again, -- expecting a different result. Yet, the United States has been doing precisely that since 1948.
"The move follows the State Department's late August announcement that the administration is slashing more than $200 million in bilateral aid to the Palestinians following a review that President Donald Trump ordered to ensure the spending was aligned with U.S. national interests."
What U.S. 'national interests,' Donny boy? Securing the vote of your achingly sick sycophant base, Mr. 'President?'
"The Palestinians had held out hope that the hospital money would be spared because it was not included in the previously announced cut. On Saturday, the Palestinian Authority denounced the administration's move as "an act of political blackmail."
Proof positive the United States remains, and has been, in the pocket of the Israeli aggressor since 1948. Has not, and cannot be, an honest, trusted broker of peace in the Middle East.
The State Department said the review was intended to make sure the American aid was "being spent in accordance with U.S. national interests and were providing value to the U.S. taxpayer."
Another shameless lie. Unadulterated horse shit. Was done to secure the vote of Trump's sick sycophant base.
"The administration "will be redirecting approximately $25 million originally planned for the East Jerusalem Hospital Network. Those funds will go to high-priority projects elsewhere," the department added. It did not identify the projects."
Why not inform the public as to where you're going to squander this money, Donny boy?
"In response, Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi accused the administration of threatening to cause "serious instability and grave harm" to thousands of patients and their families across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and jeopardize the livelihood of thousands of workers in the Palestinian health care sector."
Our nazi fuhrer couldn't care less.
"Such an act of political blackmail goes against the norms of human decency and morality," Ashrawi said in a statement. "Politics should not trump humanity or harm a vulnerable people in need of support and protection."
Not how things work any longer in our formerly great country. Quite some time.
"The administration announced the original cut in U.S. aid to Palestinians as Mr. Trump and his Middle East advisers prepared to release the U.S. peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians."
Non-sequitur. What does the latter have to do with the former? LOL. Not only that, sheer stupidity for two reasons. First, delusionally believe the Palestinians are going to accept peace on U.S. terms when our fuhrer has cut aid? Second, who the hell is the United States to dictate peace terms to the Palestinians on behalf of the Israeli aggressor?
Ferociously pointedly, why stupidly ensure more unrest, lest stability, and worst of all, more terror in the region, Donny boy? Further proof positive you remain unfit for office, Mr. 'President.'
ABC News reports:
"The Trump administration is closing the Palestinian mission in the U.S. capital because the PLO has attempted to get an international court to prosecute Israel for alleged war crimes, according to multiple administration officials. A provision in a U.S. law says the PLO mission must close if the Palestinians try to get the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israelis for crimes against Palestinians."
Convenient, isn't it? Again, proof positive the United States is not, has not been, and cannot be an honest broker of peace in the Middle East. Zero credibility.
"This is yet another affirmation of the Trump administration's policy to collectively punish the Palestinian people, including by cutting financial support for humanitarian services including health and education," Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said."
Think Russia won't be more than willing to fill the void at some point? Especially, since the brutal Assad dictator seems to have won the war in Syria with Russian help. What webs we weave.
"Closing the PLO mission in Washington almost certainly will stiffen the Palestinians' opposition to any Trump peace plan now being worked on by President Donald Trump's Middle East point men, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt. The Palestinian leadership has been openly hostile to any proposal from the administration, citing what it says is a pro-Israel bias."
Ongoing problem since 1948. Trump's exacerbating the crisis. Certainly, not resolving it.
"One issue the U.S. has had with support for the Palestinian Authority had been its stipends paid to the families of Palestinians killed, injured or jailed for attacks on Israel. Israel and the Trump administration, have repeatedly demanded that those payments from a so-called "martyrs' fund" be halted because they encourage terrorism. PLO President Mahmoud Abbas has refused to do so."
If the United States had not blindly supported the Israeli aggressor no matter what it did and/or didn't do since 1948, this would not have been an issue. Blind support of the Israeli aggressor by the United States all these decades is directly responsible for terror in the region. Root cause. An inconvenient truth our government has been most gutlessly unwilling to admit since 1948.
"Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign promised to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to contested Jerusalem. The consulate opened in May with a star-studded reception that included the president's daughter, Ivanka and Kushner, as well as Israel's top leaders."
Haughty, Aryan arrogant nazism displayed by Trump, his family, and Israeli war criminals. Highly reminiscent of Nazi Germany, circa 1933, when Hitler took office as Chancellor, the Nazi Fuhrer.
"Israel killed more than 60 Palestinians, including a 14-year-old girl, during protests that followed. It was the bloodiest day since a war between Hamas and Israel ended in 2014. Israel said it is defending its border and accuses Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, of trying to carry out attacks under the cover of the protests."
More unadulterated horse shit, re-write of history. Had the Israeli aggressor not stolen Palestine from the Palestinians in 1948 with the aid and blessing of the United States, Europe, and the United Nations, not done so without prior consultation of the Palestinians, all of this could have been avoided.
"PLO Executive Committee Member Dr. Hanan Ashrawi called the U.S. policy "blackmail" that "once again seeks to punish the Palestinian people as a whole who are already victims of the ruthless Israeli military occupation."
Consider the following. Most remarkable. A change in thinking by young Jews in the United States vis a vis Israeli treatment of the Palestinians. Indeed, a welcome breath of fresh air. Ray of hope. NBC News reports:
"For nearly 20 years, the Birthright program has been a rite of passage for hundreds of thousands of young American Jews, who get a free trip to Israel along with a tour that shows the country in a very positive light."
Remarkable change:
"But in recent weeks, the same discomfort that many Americans Jews feel about the current Israeli government, and in particular its continued occupation of the West Bank, has been reflected in some of the tours. An American anti-occupation group, called IfNotNow, has organized walkouts by a few Birthright participants, hoping the resultant publicity will inspire other young tourists to make the same gesture, and pressure American Jews to reassess their support for Israeli policies."
Uncommon valor, especially considering extreme volatility raging across the U.S., currently.
"In June, that led to a chaotic scene on one of the tour buses. Bethany Zaiman of Washington stood up and announced that she and four others would leave the bus to “learn about the occupation from the perspective of Palestinians,” and would visit the West Bank."
Stunning, isn't it? Certainly, rattled the cage of her guide:
"The Israeli tour guide interrupted her several times, and — as seen on a video that was shown on Facebook on June 28 — erupted as the group was leaving. “No Palestinian is going to send me away from here!” the guide said."
If it does not make peace with the Palestinians, Israel will sadly, ultimately wind up in the sea. The American public at some point will finally wake up. When that happens, financial support from the United States will end. Israel on its own, without American support, will likely succumb to its enemies in the region. Massively, outnumbered. Use of its nuclear arsenal would only decimate the entire region.
"Moments later, a male Birthright participant wearing a white T-shirt and holding what appears to be an American flag, pointed at Zaiman and said: “Guess what’s going to happen. You’re going to get killed, you’re going to get raped.” IfNotNow helped stage another walk-off on video a few weeks later. The second group left a Birthright tour and visited a Palestinian family in danger of being evicted from their home in eastern Jerusalem, which was occupied along with the rest of the West Bank in 1967 after the Six-Day War with Israel’s Arab neighbors. Though only a few participants have engaged in walk-offs, the protests have been widely shared on social media and have helped shine a light on the growing disillusionment with Israel that many young American Jews feel."
No question, a hopeful sign. Usually, only the young affect desperately needed change.
"Dubbed radical, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic by some critics, members of IfNotNow say they are tapping into anger at established U.S. Jewish institutions such as Birthright, which they say have hidden the reality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, and acted as apologists for a government that has increasingly moved to the hard right. (The group takes its name from a well-known saying of the ancient Rabbi Hillel: “If not now, when?”)
Badly needed breath of fresh air.
"Birthright is “so afraid of the occupation that they’re trying to hide it” from young American Jews, said IfNotNow member Clare Jordan, who was one of a group of activists who came up with the #NotJustAFreeTrip campaign. Meanwhile, Zaiman, who had started getting involved with IfNotNow just before taking the trip to Israel, told NBC News that all her “requests to meet Palestinians were ignored” by Birthright. A spokesman for Birthright Israel denied the organization had a political agenda."
Like the Trump nazi, lies like hell.
"Jordan said it was her Jewish identity and values she was raised with that led her to IfNotNow. She and her sister Leah Jordan — a rabbi who is also active in progressive circles — were raised to love Israel, she said. The family attended synagogue regularly and the sisters went to Jewish summer camp. “I grew up feeling deeply Jewish,” said Jordan, 29-year-old Kansas City native who recently moved to Jerusalem to study Arabic. But in her teens, Jordan realized that not all was how it had been explained to her at camp and in the synagogue, she said."
Has also become quite obvious to those of us not Jewish, but who supported Israel for decades before finally waking up to the truth.
"For her, a change of perspective came during a trip to Hebron, a Palestinian city with a population of over 150,000 in the West Bank. Hundreds of Jewish settlers, who trace the Jewish presence in the city back to the Old Testament, are guarded by Israeli soldiers who, according to rights activists, regularly and unnecessarily raid Palestinian homes. Over the decades, Palestinian streets have been cleared, shops shuttered and homes emptied, with some areas cleared of any Arab presence. “All it took was a split second and I realized this was not a conflict — it was a brutal occupation,” Jordan said of her visit to the city."
Exactly, right. Time for change. Before too late.
"According to Rabbi Sharon Brous of Los Angeles, who leads a progressive non-denominational congregation in Los Angeles, IfNotNow is part of a generational shift among Jewish Americans who are alienated by signs of growing illiberalism in Israel.
“How could it be that my sweet Jewish democratic Israel is now detaining journalists at the border and not letting people into the country and interrogating people based on their political views?” she asked, referring to the recent detention and questioning of Jewish journalists and activists as they arrived or left the country."
Sadly, tragically, Israel, like the United States, is nazifying.
"Among these was Peter Beinart, a prominent liberal American journalist who says he was held and interrogated about his contacts and activities at Ben Gurion Airport in early August. Netanyahu later said the detention was a mistake. The change in attitudes among American Jews has traditionally not burst into the open because criticizing the state of Israel has long been anathema to community leaders, said Brous. “There is a tremendous fear about speaking honestly and openly about these Israeli, about Palestinians struggles, about these complexities, because you could lose your job,” she said. “In the name of loving Israel, we have created a firewall to protect Israeli politicians and Israeli policies that I believe are ultimately undermining Israel’s Jewish and democratic nature.”
Exactly, right. Terrifying. Both the United States and Israel appear to be exactly where Nazi Germany was politically when Hitler became Chancellor in 1933.
"Another example of what many on the left consider to be an illiberal trend is the list of 20 organizations Israel has banned from entering the country because, the government says, they back the BDS movement, which supports boycotts, divestment, and sanctions on Israel. While it has been fiercely resisted by Israeli officials, it continues to make headway. Last week the pop singer Lana Del Rey became one of many performers to cancel appearances in the country, in her case at a major music festival."
Will certainly increase pressure on the Israeli aggressor.
"Even prominent mainstream Jewish leaders in the U.S. are starting to publicly criticize Israel’s government. On Aug. 13, Ronald Lauder — president of the World Jewish Congress — wrote an op-ed article in The New York Times listing a litany of complaints and government U-turns, including the controversial nation-state law which many believe demotes non-Jewish minorities to second-class citizens. “These events are creating the impression that the democratic and egalitarian dimensions of the Jewish democratic state are being tested,” he wrote."
Indeed.
"Another Jewish figure who was recently detained and questioned was Simone Zimmerman, a co-founder of IfNotNow who was stopped on the Egypt-Israel border in early August. “They asked me if I knew Palestinians repeatedly,” she said. “In their eyes, knowing Palestinians, caring about Palestinians, having anything to do with Palestinians is a threat.” The incident, which lasted several hours and was a “warning,” should be put into context, she said because non-Jewish travelers regularly endure far worse treatment."
Highly reminiscent of Hitler's Nazis in 1933. Portend of far worse to come.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Think the following isn't jury nullification? Figurative slap in the face to the nazi residing in the White House? LOL. NPR reports:
"For the crime of striking "Unite the Right" organizer Jason Kessler, a Charlottesville, Va., jury says Jeffrey Winder must pay a fine of $1 — far short of the maximum possible penalty. Winder had appealed his original guilty finding, which included a 30-day jail sentence."
Imagine that. While he had no business assaulting the nazi, the jury certainly expressed its sympathy.
"A judge had found Winder guilty of misdemeanor assault in February. After Winder appealed, a jury affirmed the guilty verdict this week but decided he should serve no jail time — and pay only a minimal fine. "They clearly thought about it very sincerely," Winder's attorney, James Abrenio, said of the jury. He also praised the judge and prosecutor in the case, saying, "They were all kind." Winder had faced a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. The assault took place on Aug. 13, 2017, one day after Heather Heyer, 32, was killed by an alleged white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd of people who had taken to the streets in Charlottesville to oppose the white nationalist rally."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Jackass in the Oval Office again makes a fool of himself. CBS News reports:
"Ford won't be moving production of a hatchback wagon to the United States from China — despite President Donald Trump's claim Sunday that his taxes on Chinese imports mean the Focus Active can be built in America. Citing Trump's new tariffs, Ford on Aug. 31 said it was dropping plans to ship the Focus Active from China to America. Trump took to Twitter Sunday to declare victory and write: "This is just the beginning. This car can now be BUILT IN THE U.S.A. and Ford will pay no tariffs!" But in a statement Sunday, Ford said "it would not be profitable to build the Focus Active in the U.S." given forecast yearly sales below 50,000."
... Despite best-laid plans of a dysfunctional idiot. LOL.
"For now, that means Ford simply won't sell the vehicle in the United States. Kristin Dziczek of the Center for Automotive Research said that Ford can make Focuses "in many other plants around the world, so if they decided to continue to sell a Focus variant in the U.S. market, there are several options other than building it in the United States."
... Couldn't be, could it? LOL. -- More on this as the story develops.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
In follow up to an earlier edition, CBS News reports:
"The cyclist who was fired from her job last fall after flipping off President Trump's motorcade is running for local office in Virginia. Juli Briskman announced Wednesday she will seek a seat on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in 2019."
You go girl! LOL.
"Briskman, who went viral after a photographer caught her flashing her middle finger at Mr. Trump's black SUVs, filed paperwork to challenge Republican incumbent Suzanne M. Volpe in the Algonkian District."
Uncommon Valor. LOL.
"You might know me as the woman who was fired for flipping off the Presidential motorcade," Briskman wrote in her campaign announcement. "And while it may be the most public display of my political opinion and activism, I have been deeply involved in the Loudoun County community for nearly 20 years."
"I
am running to serve as Supervisor for the Algonkian District where I have
worked, volunteered, organized and raised my kids in public schools. I
have launched my campaign on @Crowdpac because... if not now, when? Let's
Do this! https://t.co/zeYn4QR1pR
—
juli_briskman (@julibriskman) September 12, 2018"
Think the country doesn't need more standup women like Ms. Briskman? This woman had the guts to stand up to the abomination in the Oval Office. Hat's off, madam.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Delusionally believe the following is not the mark of a nazi despot? The Washington Post reports:
"For the first time, the U.S. government wants demonstrators to pay to use our parks, sidewalks and streets to engage in free speech in the nation’s capital. This should be called for what it is: a protest tax. This is a bold effort by the Trump administration to burden and restrict access to public spaces for First Amendment activities in Washington. If enacted, it would fundamentally alter participatory democracy in America."
Outrageously unconstitutional to charge protesters to exercise their right to petition government for redress of grievances. First Amendment. If enacted, would be quickly challenged in court.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Another example of Trump's duplicity, egregious lack of judgment. NPR reports:
"This summer, the Trump administration transferred nearly $10 million away from the agency that responds to disasters and emergencies, redirecting it toward one of President Trump's top priorities — the deportation of undocumented residents of the U.S. The funds transfer is prompting the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cut back on training, IT security and infrastructure investments, according to a document sent to Congress and released by Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. Merkley calls the transfer "reprehensible," and immigration advocates say it highlights an alarming shift in priorities, but the White House is adamant that the redistribution of funds will have no harmful effect on the response to Hurricane Florence."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
More duplicity. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump issued a new order Wednesday authorizing additional sanctions against countries or individuals for interfering in upcoming U.S. elections, but lawmakers of both parties immediately said the effort does not go far enough. The order would allow Trump to sanction foreigners who interfere in the midterm elections to be held in less than two months. It covers overt efforts to meddle in election infrastructure, such as vote counts, as well as “propaganda” and other attempts to influence voting from abroad, Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats told reporters. The harshest sanctions outlined in the order would be up to the president’s discretion."
That right? LOL.
“This is intended to be a very broad effort to prevent foreign manipulation of the political process,” national security adviser John Bolton said during a briefing Wednesday."
Think so? LOL.
"As The Washington Post first reported in August, the order appears to be an effort to stave off bipartisan legislation that would mandate tough federal action."
No question.
"Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sen Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) immediately issued a joint statement calling the White House effort insufficient and calling on Congress to pass tougher legislation now. “Today’s announcement by the Administration recognizes the threat, but does not go far enough to address it,” they wrote. “The United States can and must do more,” such as the mandatory sanctions attached to legislation they proposed, the senators wrote. “We must make sure Vladimir Putin’s Russia, or any other foreign actor, understands that we will respond decisively and impose punishing consequences against those who interfere in our democracy.”
Sadly, we're a democratic republic in name only. Founders? Spinning in their graves. As our formerly great country continues to nazify.
"Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), the vice-chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, also criticized the executive order, which he said puts too much power in the hands of a president who has previously failed to demand accountability from Russia on the issue. “Unfortunately, President Trump demonstrated in Helsinki and elsewhere that he simply cannot be counted upon to stand up to Putin when it matters,” Warner said. He added that “an executive order that inevitably leaves the President broad discretion to decide whether to impose tough sanctions against those who attack our democracy is insufficient.”
Unfortunately, the above is no more than empty, hollow, meaningless rhetoric. Sadly, indicative of the fact Democrats have been out to lunch since November 22, 1963.
"The executive order was also panned by some lawmakers at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Russian interference Tuesday afternoon. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said the move “won’t substitute for mandatory sanctions required by law” and shouldn’t be used to blunt congressional momentum on the issue."
Again, all talk. No action.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Greed grows. So does hunger at the bottom. CBS News reports:
"President Donald Trump is praising the "Trump Economy," touting how its "booming" numbers are a reason to add work requirements for food stamps. But new government research shows that hunger remains higher than it was before the Great Recession."
The nazi in the Oval Office can't, won't be confused with the truth. That is, decimation of the middle class. Haves. Have-not. Zero-sum, winner-take-all reality unbridled, poorly-controlled laissez-faire capitalism has spawned.
"Food insecurity, defined as failing to have enough food because of a lack of money or other resources, is a closely watched measure of hardship. The problem, say poverty experts, has never truly been solved since President Lyndon Johnson launched his "war on poverty" in the 1960s, which included food stamps. Hunger still touches every state in the country, the USDA said in its latest report."
Surprised? Why? How can this problem be solved with unbridled greed running rampant?
"The
Trump Economy is booming with help of House and Senate GOP. #FarmBill with
SNAP work requirements will bolster farmers and get America back to work.
Pass the Farm Bill with SNAP work requirements!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2018"
Full of himself, -- and full of shit. Here's why:
"Even though the economy is improving, the benefits aren't necessarily reaching the poorest Americans. And adding work requirements could lead to higher hunger and food insecurity rates, poverty advocates say. To be sure, most people who receive food stamps who can work are already working. But many of them are locked in unstable, low-paying jobs that don't guarantee steady hours each week or month, Waxman noted. "If you don't work those hours every month, then your benefits will be jeopardized," she noted. "We know that the kinds of jobs that are often available for people with less education come with unstable schedules. You might work 40-plus hours in landscaping in the summer, but the winter hours are much lower." About two-thirds of food-stamp recipients are elderly, disabled or children."
Our nazi fuhrer couldn't care less. Why should he? He got his, now, you go get yours. Problem is he got his by ripping off contractors, students at his defunct 'university,' looting the Trump Foundation which is currently under criminal investigation, to say nothing of taxpayers who took it hard up the ass when his gambling operations failed in Atlantic City. Then again, wouldn't want to be confused by the truth, would you?
"Anti-hunger activists warn that adding work requirements could worsen food insecurity because of the hurdles the program would present to low-income Americans. Consider Maine, which imposed work requirements for its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2014 under Governor Paul LePage's push to reform its welfare programs. Food insecurity in the state has increased by 1 percentage point from the two years prior to the recession through 2015-2017, the USDA report found. The federal Farm Bill, like Maine's requirements, would cut off able-bodied adults without children from food stamps if they can't prove they're working at least 20 hours a week. But some advocates point out that low-income workers often have jobs where employers don't guarantee hours, such as retailers that rely on just-in-time work scheduling. A worker might get 25 hours one week, but find their hours cut to 10 hours the following week."
Sadly, here's the bottom line:
"The Americans who are most likely to experience food insecurity include households with children, unmarried men and women and black and Hispanic households."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Trump support of war criminals. NPR reports:
"Human rights groups have repeatedly accused a Saudi-led coalition of causing disproportionate civilian deaths in the Yemen conflict because of airstrikes that have hit markets, weddings and even a bus carrying children from summer camp. On Tuesday, the Trump administration signaled that it remains firmly behind the coalition: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certified to Congress that "the governments of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates are undertaking demonstrable actions to reduce the risk of harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure resulting from military operations of these governments. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he endorsed and fully supports that position. Pompeo's certification allows the U.S. to continue fueling coalition jets."
No honor. No principles. Amoral. American nazis.
"Pompeo's move drew swift criticism from rights groups and charities such as Oxfam. "Today, the Trump administration once put its Gulf allies ahead of Yemeni families who are struggling to survive," Oxfam America's Humanitarian Policy Lead Scott Paul said in a statement. "With Secretary Pompeo's certification, the State Department demonstrated that it is blindly supporting military operations in Yemen without any allegiance to facts, moral code or humanitarian law," Paul said. He accused the U.S. of "literally fueling the world's largest humanitarian crisis."
Get this:
"At least 6,660 civilians have been killed since the bombing campaign started in March 2015, according to the United Nations human rights office. The Houthis have also been criticized for hitting civilians, though the U.N. says "coalition air strikes have caused most of the documented casualties."
"Last month, an airstrike from the coalition in the Houthi stronghold of Sa'ada hit a bus carrying children. A statement from the U.N. Secretary-General's office condemned the strike where "scores of people were killed and injured, the majority of them children between 10 and 13 years old." According to CNN, the bomb that hit the bus was U.S.-made."
Nazi America.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Think healthcare costs aren't egregiously out of control? To say nothing of the cost of pharmaceuticals. NPR reports:
"Shortages of commonplace generic drugs have plagued hospitals in recent years. And with short supplies and fewer suppliers for key drugs, there have been price increases."
Unbridled greed.
"Hospital purchasing agents keep searching for new sources for the medications that patients need, while clinicians scramble to find alternatives. "Every day at Intermountain we manage more than 100 drug shortages, and most of them are generics," said Dr. Marc Harrison, president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, a system of 22 hospitals based in Salt Lake City. "The impact on patient care, in terms of trying to find alternatives and scurrying around and trying to find necessary drugs, is incredibly time-consuming and disconcerting." Now Intermountain, along with several other major hospital systems and philanthropies, is taking the problem in hand. They are launching a nonprofit, generic drug company to help fight rising costs and chronic shortages."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Racism remains alive and well in Alabama. CBS News reports:
"The senior pastor in a Mobile, Alabama, church cut up articles of Nike clothing during a sermon in an apparent protest of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick's controversial ad campaign for the brand. He was greeted by cheers, laughs and eventually, what appeared to be, a standing ovation from his congregation. Pastor Dr. Mack Morris is seen presenting a sermon titled "The Storms of Life," in a video posted by a Vimeo account claiming to be the Woodridge Baptist Church Sunday. The video's graphics indicate that Morris is the pastor speaking."
If true, pathetic.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-14-18
Small victory. Texas Standard reports:
"U.S. District Court Judge David A. Ezra issued a permanent injunction on Texas’ law that requires the burial of fetal remains after abortions, but Texas has a chance to appeal and it’s doing so on the grounds that it’s protecting the dignity of human life."
Delusionally believe the State protects the 'dignity of human life' when it executes the innocent? When a jackbooted bastard in blue murders an innocent unarmed civilian? Does so with impunity?
True agenda of the nazis running Texas government? Anything at all to make it more difficult and expensive to get an abortion. In a determined, concerted effort to impose their outrageously perverse religious and ideological views on all. In direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, church-state separation, that is, freedom from religion.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Sen. McCain's daughter, in the very best tradition of the Senator, courageously lets loose during tribute to her late father. The Washington Post reports:
"Meghan McCain, in an emotional and deeply personal eulogy of her father, took a tacit swipe at President Trump several times during her remarks. But the most pointed was when she said, “The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again, because America was always great” — a reference to Trump’s campaign slogan. Rare for such a solemn gathering, applause rippled through the cathedral for several long seconds, passing over an audience which included Trump’s daughter Ivanka and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who sat stone-faced."
Here, here, Ms. McCain. Uncommon Valor. In the very best tradition of your father, a national treasure and hero.
"Trump, a frequent antagonist of McCain, was not invited to the memorial service."
For damned good reason.
"Earlier in her speech, she also referenced her father’s “greatness,” saying his was the “real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly.”
No question. Heroic of you, madam, to let it rip. Truer words never spoken, certainly not from the Trump nazi.
"She listed all of her father’s many titles: “He was a sailor. He was an aviator. He was a husband. He was a warrior. He was a prisoner. He was a hero. He was a congressman. He was a senator. He was a nominee for president of the United States.” “The best of John McCain, the greatest of his titles and the most important of his roles, was as a father,” she said. She recalled the softer side of her father, known in politics for his temper and quick wit, telling stories of them singing, “Singing in the Rain” together and his encouraging her when she fell off a horse and was scared to get back on. “Nothing is going to break you,” he told her."
Indeed. Hat's off, Ms. McCain. Uncommon Valor. Your father will be sorely missed. Bet he's looking down, extremely proud of his courageous, loving daughter.
9-7-18
Nero fiddles, -- while Rome burns. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump’s advisers and allies are increasingly worried that he has neither the staff nor the strategy to protect himself from a possible Democratic takeover of the House, which would empower the opposition party to shower the administration with subpoenas or even pursue impeachment charges."
With White House staff in disarray, come as a surprise? Yet, with all the lawyers on board, staffers apparently believe Trump is in for a rude awakening:
"Within Trump’s orbit, there is consensus that his current legal team is not equipped to effectively navigate an onslaught of congressional demands, and there has been broad discussion about bringing on new lawyers experienced in white-collar defense and political scandals."
Apparently, the fuhrer apparently assumes he enjoys unlimited powers of a dictator. Can do as he pleases.
"Trump recently has consulted his personal attorneys about the likelihood of impeachment proceedings. And McGahn and other aides have invoked the prospect of impeachment to persuade the president not to take actions or behave in ways that they believe would hurt him, officials said."
Too late. Been going on since he took office.
"Still, Trump has not directed his lawyers or his political aides to prepare an action plan, leaving allies to fret that the president does not appreciate the magnitude of what could be in store next year."
Above certainly demonstrative of profound unfitness for office.
"This account of the president and his team grappling with a potential crisis is based on interviews this week with 26 White House officials, presidential advisers, and lawyers and strategists close to the administration, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to be candid."
Fascinating, isn't it? Amazing, how those closest to him, particularly family, seem incapable of reining the nazi in.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Think Trump isn't using the Evangelical Nazi Right to his advantage? Think these hypocritical national socialist, fascist bastards aren't returning the favor? NBC reports:
"A White House that has faced sharp criticism for allegedly illegal campaign contributions and other ethical lapses knows that its legitimacy rests largely on white evangelical support. This strategy was highlighted by Monday’s dinner, which was all about leveraging an imagined past to shore up the president’s public image."
Precisely. Hypocrisy? Off the chart.
"Trump’s use of nostalgia has helped maintain connections between the Trump administration and a conservative faith community shaped by decades of culture wars. The religious right, which traditionally emphasized “family values,” has nonetheless lined up to support a thrice-married, Casino-owning playboy who flaunts morality and marital fidelity. When asked, Trump’s religious backers consistently point to his support for their issues. But the issues that the religious right taught white evangelicals to focus do not spring from a Biblical concern for widows, orphans, immigrants and the poor. They are instead the white cultural values of order, respect for authority and traditional gender roles."
Translation? Raw nazism.
"President Richard Nixon’s Southern strategy legitimized this direct appeal to white cultural values during his 1968 presidential campaign. But it was the strident political operatives of the so-called New Right like Phyllis Schafley who truly pushed conservative Christians to remember America before the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act as a more Christian America where people knew their place and respected authority."
Marched in goose step. Concertedly maintained an unsustainable status quo.
"This longing for the imagined values of a less diverse past was also institutionalized in church-based schools, often referred to as “segregation academies,” that resisted desegregation by pulling white kids out of public schools. In 1973, the same year Lynchburg, Virginia integrated its public schools, the Rev. Jerry Falwell started Lynchburg Christian Academy, which pledged to teach students to “love this great nation and to respect her.” By 1979, Falwell was leading the Moral Majority in support of President Ronald Reagan’s campaign to “Make America Great Again.”
Delusional distortion of reality, determined re-write of history by the 'Moron' Majority.
"The culture wars that the religious right promoted for 40 years pit nostalgia for the past against an imagined future where equal protection under the law for women, immigrants and the LGBTQ community send the nation spiraling into sacrilegious chaos. In an audio recording of Monday night’s dinner that was leaked to NBC, Trump warned that if Democrats take the House in the midterms, “they will overturn everything we’ve done and they’ll do it quickly and violently.” The preachers listening knew what he meant; they have been warning their congregations of much the same thing for decades."
Great evil perpetrated by Trump and these equally fascist, national socialist preachers.
"Today’s Trumpvangelicals are pushing back against an increasingly multiethnic democracy that twice elected a black man with the middle name "Hussein.” Trump hammered President Barack Obama for years using the racist "birther" dogwhistle. And when he assures conservative evangelicals that we can all say, “Merry Christmas” now, he again equates the Christian faith with nostalgia for a white American past."
Raw nazism.
Above quotes courtesy of a most gifted, insightful writer and preacher, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Paranoia, distortion of reality, congenital lying rising to fever pitch. The Washington Post reports:
"Over roughly the past day, President Trump has decried the “totally dishonest” media, with its “fake news” and “fake books.” He has argued that Google is biased against conservatives. And he has accused NBC News of “fudging” the tape of an interview with him that has been available online for more than a year."
No truth to any of this. Delusional bullshit. This is a guy who is becoming progressively unfit for office.
"The president has even declared there is no chaos in his White House, which he claimed is a “‘smooth running machine’ with changing parts,” despite the tumult that emanates almost daily from within its walls."
Spot-on analysis. Sad, but true. Frighteningly, so. As his instability grows, so does the damage done to our formerly great country. -- A democratic republic in name only.
"Trump’s assertions — all on Twitter, some false, some without clear evidence — come just over nine weeks before the midterm elections that could help determine his fate, and they are bound by one unifying theme: All of his perceived opponents are peddling false facts and only Trump can be trusted. The president and his supporters are under siege, the tweets imply, from pernicious forces conspiring against them."
That's insanity. Nowhere have we seen this before in the history of our country. Certainly, not quite like this. -- Nixon looks like a choir boy in comparison.
NBC reports:
"President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to "get involved" if his administration's Justice Department and FBI don't start "doing their job and doing it right."
What's that, Donny boy? Aiding and abetting concerted, determined obstruction of justice?
"His remarks, delivered at a campaign rally, came just hours after he told Bloomberg News that Attorney General Jeff Sessions would remain in his job at least until the midterm elections but declined to say whether that would be true after voters go to the polls."
If the House goes to the Democrats, think they won't do all they can to obstruct the remaining two years of his presidency?
"All I can say is our Justice Department and our FBI, at the top of each because inside they have incredible people, our Justice Department and our FBI have to start doing their job and doing it right," the president said here before thousands of fired-up supporters. "What's happening is a disgrace and at some point — I wanted to stay out — but at some point if it doesn’t straighten out properly ... I will get involved."
Jesus Christ. ... Feel comfortable with this guy's finger figuratively on the nuclear button?
"At one point, Trump had to pause his remarks for several minutes because of a protester, whom the crowd jeered; she responded with her middle finger. "Where the hell did she come from?" Trump asked. It was one of the president's most enthusiastic crowds, drawing people who had, in some cases, driven several hours and across state lines to see him. Chants of "U-S-A!" and "Lock Her Up!" and the like boomed through the downtown Ford Center."
She came to protest. Got a problem with dissent, Mr. 'President?'
"Trump has long been angry about Sessions' decision to recuse himself from special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice, and he has become increasingly vocal in articulating what he says was a "deep state" plot to undermine his campaign and presidency."
Called paranoia. An unstable president losing his grip on reality.
In another article, The Washington Post reports:
"A volunteer working for President Trump’s reelection campaign obstructed the shot of a photojournalist as he tried to capture the image of a protester being led out of a rally Thursday night in Evansville, Ind. A photo of the incident, which went viral on social media after the rally, shows the unidentified volunteer stretching the back of his hand over the lens of the photographer’s camera as he attempts to capture the moment. Trump paused his remarks as the protester was escorted out of the at-capacity arena. The photo of the volunteer’s action was taken by Associated Press photographer Evan Vucci, who in an Instagram post identified the man as working for the advance team of Trump’s campaign."
Fascinating, isn't it?
In still yet another article, The Washington Post reports:
"At his rally on Thursday night in Indiana, President Trump unleashed his usual attacks on the news media, but he also added a refrain that should set off loud, clanging alarm bells. Trump didn’t simply castigate “fake news”; he also suggested the media is allied with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe — an alliance, he claimed, that is conspiring not just against Trump but also against his supporters. “Today’s Democrat Party is held hostage by left-wing haters, angry mobs, deep-state radicals, establishment cronies and their fake-news allies,” Trump railed. “Our biggest obstacle and their greatest ally actually is the media.”
Spoken by a nazi fuhrer in the mold of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. To say nothing of Stalin and Mao on the Left.
"In case there is any doubt about what Trump meant by the “deep state” that is supposedly allied with the news media, Trump also lashed out at the FBI and the Justice Department, claiming that “people are angry” and threatening to personally “get involved.”
Who's angry, Donny boy? You and your sick sycophants?
The public is finally beginning to wake up. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump’s disapproval rating has hit a high point of 60 percent, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll that also finds that clear majorities of Americans support the special counsel’s Russia investigation and say the president should not fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions."
Surprised?
"At the dawn of the fall campaign sprint to the midterm elections, which will determine whether Democrats retake control of Congress, the poll finds a majority of the public has turned against Trump and is on guard against his efforts to influence the Justice Department and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s wide-ranging probe."
About time. The public's been snookered by this charlatan. Without question, his sick sycophants.
"Nearly half of Americans, 49 percent, say Congress should begin impeachment proceedings that could lead to Trump being removed from office, while 46 percent say Congress should not."
Be careful what you wish for. Trump's a lunatic. Pence is not. Far more dangerous to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than the Trump nazi.
"And a narrow majority — 53 percent — say they think Trump has tried to interfere with Mueller’s investigation in a way that amounts to obstruction of justice; 35 percent say they do not think the president has tried to interfere. Overall, 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance, with 36 percent approving, according to the poll. Because of random sampling variation, this represents only a marginal shift from the last Post-ABC survey, in April, which measured Trump’s rating at 56 percent disapproval and 40 percent approval."
Can only bullshit the American public so long before they finally wake up, smell the coffee. ... Stinks, doesn't it? LOL.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Freedom of religion is not the problem. Freedom from it is. Think not? Wake up. NPR reports:
"A man in Oregon says he was fired from a construction job because he did not want to attend weekly Bible study meetings. Ryan Coleman, 34, filed an $800,000 lawsuit last week against Dahled Up Construction, a company based in Albany, an hour south of Portland. According to the complaint, he was hired as a painter in October 2017 and discovered on the job that he was required to attend Christian Bible study as part of his employment. Coleman, who is half-Native American (Cherokee and Blackfoot), wasn't comfortable with those terms, his attorney, Corinne Schram, told NPR. "He says his church is a sweat lodge, his bible is a drum, and that's his form of worship to the creator," Schram said."
Here's where it gets interesting:
"According to the document, Coleman expressed his discomfort with attending the Bible study meetings and said the requirement was illegal, but business owner Joel Dahl insisted that he go anyway."
Can't do that. Not even in Nazi America.
"And Coleman, who has a felony conviction in his past, attended the sessions for a few months, "believing he had no other choice," the lawsuit states. Schram said her client asked himself, "Do I do something that I really am uncomfortable with and goes against my own beliefs and keep my job, or do I refuse to go and risk losing my job?"
False choice.
"After several months, Coleman finally refused to go to the religious sessions and was fired from the job, according to the filing. He is suing for $50,000 of alleged loss of income and $750,000 from "mental stress, humiliation, inconvenience and loss of enjoyment of life." His lawyer said this case is clear-cut. Referring to the construction company, she said, "A nonreligious employer cannot obligate employees to attend Bible study whether they are paid for their time or not. They can make it voluntary but they can't make it a condition of employment."
Called Aryan arrogance. Sick religion.
Gets worse. Get this:
"Kent Hickam, the attorney representing Dahl, told NPR that the suit was without merit. "We believe that this requirement was not illegal," Hickam said. "These are at-will employees and they were paid to go. It was part of their job, so they were expected to attend."
How is it part of a painter's job? How?
Bullshit rationalization of the achingly irrational:
"Hickam said Coleman was not fired — that he was an on-call employee and that he found other work while he was still on call for Dahled Up. The Bible study took place once a week for about an hour in the afternoon. The meetings were meant to help employees, many of whom were felons and people recovering from addiction, Hickam said."
How is it 'help' when they have no interest and are illegally forced to go to keep a job?
"It was arranged through a pastor to provide some appropriate motivation for them to stay the course. To maintain their recovery," Hickam said."
Presumptive, Aryan arrogant of the pastor, isn't it?
"Coleman served a prison sentence for child neglect and for selling methamphetamine, Schram said. But she told NPR her client had turned his life around and was recently granted full custody of his two sons, ages 10 and 14. Dahl, the construction company's owner, told The Oregonian that because of his own history with drugs and alcohol, he is a second-chance employer who hires felons and recovering addicts."
Forces religion on them as a condition of continued employment? Think the Head Honcho would approve?
"Hickam said about Dahl that the lawsuit "has not shaken his belief in God."
Non-sequitur. What the hell does the former have to do with the latter? The goddamned attorney remains as clueless as the client.
Above quotes courtesy of a most gifted, insightful writer, Sasha Ingber.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Think medical billing isn't legalized theft? NPR reports:
"A Texas hospital that charged a teacher $108,951 for care after a 2017 heart attack told the patient Thursday it would slash the bill to $332.29 — but not before a story about the huge charge sparked a national conversation over what should be done to combat surprise medical bills that afflict a growing number of Americans. The story of Drew Calver was first reported by NPR and Kaiser Health News on Monday as part of the "Bill of the Month" series, which examines U.S. health care prices and the troubles patients run up against in the $3.5 trillion industry. In Calver's case, the 44-year-old father of two had suffered a serious heart attack in April 2017. A neighbor rushed Calver to the nearest emergency room, which happened to be an out-of-network hospital under his school district health plan. His insurance paid the hospital nearly $56,000 for his four-day hospitalization and the procedures to clear his blocked artery. But the hospital, St. David's Medical Center in Austin, wasn't satisfied with that amount and went after the high school history teacher and swim coach for an additional $109,000. It's a practice known as "balance billing." Within hours of the story's airing on the radio and publishing online, the hospital offered to waive nearly the entire bill and charge Calver $782.29 instead. By Thursday, St. David's lowered the amount it said Calver still owed even further. Calver says he paid the final $332.29 bill over the phone, eager to put this stressful saga behind him."
Think it's time for a single-payer system? Works well in Canada and Europe. -- Only way this concerted, determined looting will end.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Trump and his henchmen are taking a raucous hard dump on Vietnamese refugees. Any excuse at all to deport immigrants. The Washington Post reports:
"Robert Huynh is the son of an American serviceman, although he never knew his father. His mother is Vietnamese, and he was conceived during the Vietnam War. In 1984, nine years after the last American troops left the country, 14-year-old Huynh moved to Louisville with his mother, half brother and half sisters under a U.S. government program to bring Amerasians and others to the United States. Today, at 48, with a son and two young grandsons in Kentucky, he faces the prospect of being sent back to Vietnam, a country he has not visited since he left and where he has no relatives or friends. Huynh is one of about 8,000 Vietnamese potentially caught up in a tough new immigration policy adopted by the Trump administration, significantly escalating deportation proceedings against immigrants who have green cards but never became U.S. citizens, and who have violated U.S. law."
Not talking about murder, rape, horrendous violent crimes, however.
"Huynh, who helps out these days in his family’s nail salons, has had some run-ins with the law. In his 20s, he served nearly three years behind bars for dealing in the recreational drug ecstasy; more recently, he served a year’s probation for driving under the influence and was given another period of probation for running illegal slot-machine “game rooms” with his girlfriend in Texas, where he now lives. He acknowledges that he made mistakes but says he accepted his punishments and tried to build a life here. Now he risks losing it all. “My mother is 83 years old right now, and I want to be here when she passes away,” he said by telephone from Houston. “I don’t have anybody in Vietnam. My life is here in the United States.”
Done the time. Taken responsibility. Paid his debt to society What the f--k is the problem? When does it ever end?
Here's the issue:
"The Trump administration, in a policy shaped by senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, has reinterpreted a 2008 agreement reached with Vietnam by the George W. Bush administration — that Vietnamese citizens who arrived before the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1995 would not be “subject to return.” Now, the White House says, there is no such immunity to deportation for any noncitizen found guilty of a crime."
Any excuse at all.
"Critics of the shift accuse the administration of reneging on the 2008 agreement. The State Department disputes that, citing a line in the agreement noting that both sides “maintain their respective legal positions” regarding the pre-1995 arrivals."
A deal is a deal no matter what. They're here. They're part of this country. For better or worse. To renege long after the fact is simply not right. Un-American. Right Wing Nazi.
“For years America was a country that used to help people escape communist repression in Vietnam,” said Tom Malinowski, who served as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor in the Obama administration. “Now here we are forcing people to go back to it, and asking the government of Vietnam to be complicit in that.”
So the Trump nazi and his henchmen can get their cookies off emulating Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Palestinians continue to stand tall. Against the Israeli aggressor as well as the Trump nazi. The Washington Post reports:
"A decision to end all U.S. funding for the United Nations program aiding millions of Palestinian refugees will not bring an end to their belief in the “right to return” to land that is now part of Israel, Palestinians said Friday. The Trump administration is expected to announce in the coming weeks that it is stopping its contributions to the more than $1 billion annual cost of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, or UNRWA, a U.S. official told The Washington Post this week. The administration will also call for a reduction in the number of Palestinians officially recognized as refugees, from the more than 5 million who are counted today to the few hundred thousand alive when the agency was created seven decades ago, the official said."
Readers are reminded this land was stolen from the Palestinians in 1948 by the United States, Europe, and the United Nations, summarily bequeathed to survivors of the Holocaust without consultation, negotiation, and agreement of those from whom the land was taken. Blatant, shameless, unabashed theft.
"The pullback is part of the administration’s efforts to recalculate U.S. foreign aid spending. It is also a response, in the words of Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to continued Palestinian hostility toward America, which has intensified following U.S. policy changes that Palestinians deem pro-Israeli."
Haley, the Trump nazi, and the rest of his henchmen can't, won't be confused by the truth.
"Palestinians, who remain angry over a decision by Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and transfer the U.S. Embassy there, said the administration’s moves would have little impact on their right to return to the land they lost when Israel was created in 1948. Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said the Trump administration had disqualified itself from having a role in any future peace process."
The United States has never ever never been an honest broker of peace in the region. As always, been in the pocket of the Israeli aggressor.
“By cutting aid, the U.S. is violating international law,” Erekat said. He argued that “UNRWA is not a Palestinian agency” but was established by the United Nations, “and there is an international obligation to assist and support it until all the problems of the Palestinian refugees are solved.”
The United States does as it pleases. Usually, with impunity. Often becomes a law unto itself. Particularly, under the Trump nazi.
"Erekat added: “Some may argue that it is U.S. taxpayers’ money and that it is up to them how it is spent. But by the same token, who gave Trump the damn right to steal my land and my capital and my future and my aspirations and my freedom by deciding to blindly support the occupying power called Israel?”
Exactly right. Might makes right. Forget?
"On a practical level, Erekat also predicted that the end of UNRWA would spell disaster for all the places where large numbers of Palestinians refugees reside, leaving them at risk for recruitment by extremist groups such as the Islamic State."
What webs we weave. We consistently put our noses where they don't belong. Then, bemoan the terror this generates. Think we'll ever learn?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
End of Net Neutrality is certainly a problem throughout the country. California is attempting to do something about it. NPR reports:
"Lawmakers in California are sending legislation to Gov. Jerry Brown that would put net neutrality regulations into state law."
About time. Needs to happen across the country. Especially, since the Trump nazi and his henchmen refuse to protect us against this outrageous abuse by the corporate management suite.
"California's Senate approved the measure, called SB 822, by 27-12 Friday, a day after colleagues in the Assembly approved it 61-18. The Democratic governor, Jerry Brown, hasn't said if he will sign it. He has until the end of September. "We passed the strongest net neutrality standards in the nation," San Francisco Democrat Scott Wiener, who co-wrote the bill, said in a statement. "This is about a level playing field and an Internet where we as individuals get to decide where we go on the Internet instead of being told by Internet service providers, or manipulated by Internet service providers, into going where they want us to go," Wiener told reporters."
Texas desperately needs to do precisely the same. End the bullshit, egregious f--king perpetrated by these hopelessly greedy bastards.
"The bill stops Internet service providers from blocking or slowing down certain websites or "classes of applications," like video. It bans "paid prioritization," also called fast lanes, where some websites would pay more for faster access. It also stops Internet providers from using some types of "zero-rating," when companies exempt certain traffic from counting against a customer's data usage."
Trump and his henchmen believe in lining the pockets of his corporate cronies. At expense of the rest of us. Needs to end. ... Hear the rumble?
"Today was a landmark in the fight to preserve a free and open internet," supporter Barbara van Schewick, the director of Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society, said in a statement. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an advocacy group that supports online privacy, called it "a victory that can be replicated." Wiener said he hopes California's potential new rules could be emulated on a national level."
While it desperately needs to do the same, highly unlikely to happen here in Nazi Texas since our state is currently run and owned by Republican national socialists. -- Nazi bastards who couldn't care less about the bottom and quickly vanishing middle class. ... Right, Governor?
"California's legislation restores net neutrality regulations first imposed by the Federal Communications Commission in 2015, during the Obama administration. But the current FCC, led by Republican Chairman Ajit Pai, repealed those regulations in June, with Pai calling them "heavy-handed." He said "light-touch" regulation would lead to more innovation, competition and cheaper prices for consumers. Pai's rules shift enforcement for violations to the Federal Trade Commission instead."
Think this bastard's pockets aren't being lined?
"Internet service providers echoed Pai's language about regulatory measures, calling California's bill "heavy-handed."
Don't you hopelessly greedy fascist bastards ever get enough?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Serena Williams stands tall. NBC Sports reports:
"Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid were cheered by the crowd at the U.S. Open on Friday night, and afterwards they were applauded by the winner of the night’s match, Serena Williams. Williams, who defeated her older sister Venus Williams, said after the match that she admires the stance Kaepernick and Reid have taken on racial justice."
Uncommon Valor:
“I think every athlete, every human, and definitely every African American should be completely grateful and honored how Colin and Eric are doing so much more for the greater good, so to say,” Williams said. “They really use their platform in ways that is really unfathomable. I feel like they obviously have great respect from a lot of their peers, especially other athletes, people that really are looking for social change.”
"Kaepernick was the first NFL player to kneel during the national anthem, and Reid was the first teammate to join him. Neither player has been able to find another NFL team since leaving the 49ers, and both are bringing a collusion case against the NFL."
The following is quite remarkable. Get this:
"Williams has faced her own criticism over the national anthem, from a different direction: She does stand for the anthem despite her Jehovah’s Witness faith. She’s been criticized by other Jehovah’s Witnesses, who say she is violating their religion’s teachings by standing for the anthem. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that standing for patriotic rituals is a form of idolatry, and they have sued for the right not to stand for the anthem.
Above quotes courtesy of a most gifted, insightful writer, Michael David Smith.
Publisher's Note: The First Amendment guaranties the right to peaceful protest. Athletes indeed have the constitutional right to do precisely what they're doing, that is, courageously kneeling on principle in protest. Needs to remain an individual choice, however. While agreeing with the athletes and their protest in principle, this writer, moreover, always chooses to stand upon Presentation of the Colors and National Anthem. In deference to all who fought and died defending this country. TC.
NPR reports:
"With his decision two summers ago to not stand for the national anthem, Colin Kaepernick became the face of a protest movement in the NFL against racial injustice and police brutality. Now, the former quarterback has become a face of one of the most iconic advertising campaigns in the history of sports: Nike's "Just Do It" campaign. An early image from the campaign made its debut on Monday with a tweet from Kaepernick. The advertisement shows a black-and-white image of the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback. The text on top of the image reads: "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."
"Believe
in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt pic.twitter.com/SRWkMIDdaO
—
Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 3, 2018"
Indeed, he did. On principle. Kneeling in protest of police brutality and racial inequality during Presentation of the Colors and National Anthem does not dishonor the Flag and all those who fought and died for it. In fact, quite the opposite. Truly honors what The Star Spangled Banner stands for.
"News of Kaepernick's role in the campaign comes at a delicate moment for the NFL. With the 2018 regular season set to begin on Thursday, the league and its players union remain locked in a stalemate over a controversial national anthem policy ratified by team owners in May. The policy gave players the option to stay in the locker room during the anthem, but required them to stand if on the field or face possible discipline by their teams. The policy was put on hold in July, leaving the NFL without a resolution to what's become one of the most polarizing issues in sports. The player protests have drawn frequent criticism from President Trump, who in a speech last September said, "Wouldn't you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a bitch off the field right now?' "
The dishonor truly belongs to the nazi fuhrer currently occupying the Oval Office, the lunatic despot who has disgraced himself, the Flag, and our formerly great country which remains a democratic republic in name only. The greatest threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties is no foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element. Remains all branches and levels of out of control national socialist, nazi government.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
DACA remains in jeopardy. NPR reports:
"A federal judge in Texas declined to issue a preliminary injunction in a case over the future of DACA — but he says the six-year-old program is likely unlawful. The decision is a setback for Texas and nine other states that are suing to terminate DACA. The Obama-era program protects approximately 600,000 immigrants from deportation and allows them to work legally, even though they were brought to the country illegally as children. But the order from Federal District Judge Andrew Hanen, issued Friday afternoon, may be only a temporary reprieve for DACA recipients: Hanen held that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their argument that the program is unlawful because it oversteps the authority of the executive branch. "If the nation truly wants a DACA program," Hanen wrote, "it is up to Congress to say so." Still, Hanen declined to put even a temporary halt to DACA because he found that Texas and the other states waited too long to bring their case."
Likely nothing will be resolved until both the House and Senate change majority status. Would also need to be in sufficient majority to be veto proof. While the House may indeed change hands after midterms, highly unlikely the Senate will. We'll see.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Trump remains achingly naive. ABC News reports:
"As efforts stalled Friday to persuade Canada to sign onto a rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement, President Donald Trump blasted “dishonest reporting” for complicating a potential deal after off-the-record comments he made during an interview with Bloomberg leaked into the Canadian press."
Aggressive stupidity:
"According to a published account of the president’s leaked remarks, Trump told Bloomberg News Thursday that he is not entertaining any compromises at all in discussions with Canada — but he cannot admit his posture publicly because “it’s going to be so insulting they’re not going to be able to make a deal.”
What the hell did he expect? Aryan arrogance, off the charts. Pathetic. Pitiful.
"At an event on retirement security in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday, the president confirmed the off-record remarks that leaked out of the Oval Office. "I gave an interview yesterday to Bloomberg Business, and I said 'off the record,' and I made a statement about Canada, which is fine because I love Canada but they have taken advantage of our country for many years," Trump explained. "I said off the record, off the record, I said something strong, that is my belief. They violated it and they said they were violating it," Trump continued. "When you say, ‘off the record’ -- that is a very -- it is not a legal term but it is a term of honor."
You have no honor, Mr. 'President.' Constantly lie, deceive. Disgrace yourself, our formerly great country as well.
"A Bloomberg spokesperson denied that the news organization was responsible for the leak. "When we agree that something is off the record, we respect that," a Bloomberg spokesman stated."
Well, somebody's lying. Guess who? LOL.
"According to the Toronto Star: “In a remark he did not want published, U.S. President Donald Trump said that a possible NAFTA deal with Canada would be ‘totally on our terms,’ according to a source.”
Blatant Aryan arrogance by our nazi fuhrer.
"Off the record, Canada’s working their ass off, and every time we have a problem with a point, I just put up a picture of a Chevrolet Impala,” Trump reportedly told Bloomberg, according to the Star."
Unbridled, off the chart arrogance if indeed true.
"The administration had tried to make Friday an informal deadline to pressure Canada to agree to the deal in order to then send an agreement to Peña Nieto before he leaves office on December 1. Changes to NAFTA would require congressional approval before taking effect."
Canadians should have wisely, immediately told the nazi to go to hell. LOL.
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump on Saturday threatened to withdraw the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement, asserting his right to broker a new trade pact that does not include Canada despite opposition from lawmakers and questions over his legal authority to do so."
Doesn't have the constitutional authority. Congress ceded it to the Executive Branch. Can certainly take it back.
"Trump on Friday formally informed Congress of his intent to enter into a trade deal with Mexico, with the notice adding the administration hopes Canada would be added to the new pact later. U.S. and Canadian negotiators worked throughout the week on adding Canada to Friday's notice, but the negotiations failed to produce an agreement ahead of Trump's own Friday deadline."
Tough shit. More to come as the story develops.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Republican national socialists are desperately trying to ramrod through the Kavanaugh nomination without proper vetting. NBC reports:
"With the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh scheduled to begin Tuesday, Democrats say they remain concerned over the lack of information about his past record that they, and the public at large, will be able to see. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who sits on the Judiciary Committee that will question Kavanaugh, said Sunday that the process of the nomination has not been “normal.” “It’s not normal because we are not able to see 100,000 documents because the administration has said we can’t see them, exerting their executive power; 148,000 documents that I’ve seen that you cannot see because they will not allow us to make them public so I can’t even tell you about them right now on this show,” Klobuchar said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Why not? Still have a First Amendment Freedom of Speech, don't we? How are these documents in any way a national security issue? How? What's the Trump nazi and his henchmen afraid of? The truth?
"Klobuchar said the documents that she’s seen raise “some very interesting questions” about the nominee's views, but added that she remains unable to discuss the documents. "I think that you could ask some very interesting questions about these documents that I'm unable to even say," she said. Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley's office pushed back on the notion that the documents are hidden from the public. Grassley offered senators the chance to put in a request on which documents they'd like released."
Why not release all of them, Senator? Why not? What are you fascist bastards hiding? Proof this nazi national socialist is not what you falsely claim him to be? That is, like the Trump nazi, an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties?
"Klobcuhar said that Kavanaugh’s position on executive power was concerning, especially when it comes to the question of how a president can be investigated. Kavanaugh, who worked for independent counsel Ken Starr during the Bill Clinton investigation, has since questioned the extent to which a sitting president should be exposed to investigations. “You have a nominee who has one of the most expansive views of presidential power that we’ve seen in history,” Klobuchar said."
The president is no better or worse than the rest of us. Subject to the very same Constitution and laws. To prevent prosecutorial abuse of authority on a sitting president, however, why not indict a president who has allegedly committed a crime, but not prosecute until he or she is out of office? Let Congress decide on its own whether or not to impeach, convict, and remove a criminal president from office before that happens.
"Democrats have little ability under current Senate rules to block a nominee, but Klobuchar said she would prefer to bring back the 60-vote threshold for Supreme Court nominees to pass the Senate. “I would prefer to bring it back,” Klobuchar said of the filibuster. But she added that she doubts it would happen because no party in power is going to want to “hamstring themselves.”
What webs we weave. Congress, the Judiciary, and Executive have determinedly bastardized the Constitution since the Founders implemented it and the Bill of Rights. Precisely, the problem. Exactly, why the Founders are likely spinning in their graves. Wouldn't recognize the country they founded at such tremendous personal expense and risk.
In another article, NBC reports:
"The Trump administration is withholding more than 100,000 pages of Brett Kavanaugh's records from the Bush White House on the basis of presidential privilege ahead of the Supreme Court nominee's confirmation hearing. The Senate Judiciary Committee was notified of the action Friday. George W. Bush's attorney Bill Burck told the panel it had essentially completed its work compiling documents, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Bush directed them to err "on the side of transparency and disclosure, and we believe we have done so." But the current administration is also able to review the records, and the Trump White House "has directed that we not provide these documents," the letter says."
Why is our nazi fuhrer obstructing the truth?
"Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called it "a Friday night document massacre." Schumer said the decision to withhold the documents "has all the makings of a cover-up. ... What are they trying so desperately to hide?"
Good question, Senator. Better question, what the hell are you clueless Democrats willing to do about it? Other than engage in meaningless rhetoric? Ferociously pointedly, when the nazi bastard refuses to respond to pointed questioning during confirmation hearings, will you and your fellow Democrats walk out in protest?
Boycott both the committee and full-Senate confirmation votes in protest? Walk out of the Senate in protest? Do anything other than engage in meaningless rhetoric as our formerly great country continues to nazify under Trump and his henchmen? You bastards are all talk, Senator. Have been out to lunch since November 22, 1963. Achingly, determinedly, concertedly irrelevant. Time to wake up. Before too late.
The Washington Post reports:
"The confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh quickly devolved into a political brawl on Tuesday, as Democrats loudly objected to the proceedings as rushed, one prominent Republican railed about “mob rule” and dozens of protesters interrupted senators."
Tough shit. No other way to get the attention of national socialists, fascists desperately trying to ramrod through the nomination of an unabashed nazi to the nation's highest court.
"Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley’s opening remarks were delayed for nearly an hour and a half as Democratic senators sought to cut off the confirmation hearings for Kavanaugh, raising an uproar over a last-minute document dump sent to the Judiciary Committee late Monday encompassing more than 42,000 pages from the nominee’s tenure in the George W. Bush White House."
GOP fascists clearly believe such jackbooted nazi tactics are not only appropriate but necessary to seat one of their fellow nazis on the highest court of the land. To, in effect, ensure insufficient time is allotted to carefully study 42,000 pages relevant to the nazi nominee's background.
"And the protesters, who were predominantly women, repeatedly heckled the senators and Kavanaugh as they argued that installing President Trump’s second pick to the Supreme Court would irreparably end access to abortion and dismantle the Affordable Care Act."
Time, however, to take much bolder action, ladies. Cut off all sex to your men until Republican nazis restore all restrictions placed on abortion since Roe v. Wade. These restrictions are no more than an egregious violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion.
“What are we trying to hide? Why are we rushing?” Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) asked. Democrats have charged that documents on Kavanaugh’s career have been withheld without justification, particularly those from his tenure as a Bush staffer. Senators have reviewed nearly 200,000 pages that cannot be disclosed to the public, and the Trump administration is withholding another 100,000 pages from Congress altogether, claiming those documents would be covered by presidential privilege."
Horse shit. Trump is a congenital liar. Egregiously disgraced himself and our formerly great country. Presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
"Leahy said there are gaping holes in the record, spanning several years of Kavanaugh’s career in the Bush White House, and that the Senate was abandoning its obligation by not first reviewing those documents before beginning confirmation hearings this week. “It’s not only shameful, it’s a sham,” Leahy said. “This is the most incomplete, most partisan, least transparent vetting for any Supreme Court nominee I have ever seen.”
Republicans are desperate to seat this candidate. Would certainly enable the Republican-controlled Supreme Court to have a solid 5-4 national socialist, nazi majority. Should that happen, only alternative would be to have a Democratic super majority in both the House and Senate. Then, impeach and convict the bastards. Constitutionally, remove them from office. Extremely difficult, if not impossible. Impeachment, conviction, and constitutional removal of Trump from office would be a mistake, however. While Trump is a lunatic, Pence is not.
"As tempers got heated Tuesday, Grassley (R-Iowa) denied the moves from Democrats to adjourn the proceedings, saying he would press on with the hearing and that he expects Kavanaugh to be confirmed. Democrats continued to insist on a vote on their motions as the hearing veered seriously off track for more than an hour, at which point Grassley resumed reading his opening statement."
Ferociously, but peacefully, resist. Yield nothing. Make it as difficult as possible for these fascist bastards.
"Tuesday’s proceedings brought to the surface years of anger over judicial nominees. Democrats invoked the name of Merrick Garland, who was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2016 to fill the Supreme Court seat formerly held by the late justice Antonin Scalia, and denied a hearing by Senate Republicans. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Tex.) said the Democrats’ behavior would lead them to be “held in contempt of court,” prompting a chorus of quiet boos and “oh come on” echoed throughout the hearing room. He later said the hearing had turned into “mob rule.”
Cornyn remains no more than what he's always been, a hypocritical jackass. Where was his opposition to what was done to Garland? Readers are reminded Garland was little better than the Scalia nazi. Republicans were stupid not to have jumped on the opportunity. Instead, they've created a far more torn-apart country. A nation where there is serious possibility of the utterly unthinkable. An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming.
"Several senators, including Grassley and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), said they felt personally attacked. Kavanaugh’s family sat stone-faced as a prolonged debate ensued about the standards of releasing records on earlier Supreme Court nominees. Later on Tuesday, Kavanaugh plans to tell senators he will be “a neutral and impartial arbiter” if confirmed, according to excerpts of his opening statement. “I don’t decide cases based on personal or policy preferences,” Kavanaugh says in the excerpts, released by the White House on Tuesday. “I am not a pro-plaintiff or pro-defendant judge,” Kavanaugh says. “I am not a pro-prosecution or pro-defense judge. I am a pro-law judge.”
Kavanaugh is a liar. There isn't a judge who is impartial. All of them have an agenda. Whether on the Left, Right, or Center. Impartiality is no more than a disingenuous ruse. Charade.
"As the first day got underway, Grassley lavishly praised the qualifications of Trump’s nominee. “Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most qualified nominees — if not the most qualified nominee — that I’ve seen,” Grassley said, adding that his “extensive record demonstrates a deep commitment to the rule of law.”
A national socialist, fascist, nazi is not qualified to sit on the bench. Grassley has his head, figuratively, securely lodged up his ass.
"In her opening statement, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) addressed Kavanaugh about abortion. The question, she said, is not whether Kavanaugh believes that the landmark Roe v. Wade decision is “settled law,” as he has told other senators, but “whether you believe it is the correct law.” Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said she is concerned about Kavanaugh’s dissent in a recent case involving a pregnant immigrant teen in federal custody. Kavanaugh disagreed with his colleagues on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit who ordered the Trump administration to allow access to abortion services."
The problem with Democrats dating back to the Kennedy assassination November 22, 1963 remains the same. They're all talk. Engage in empty rhetoric.
"Kavanaugh wrote that the court was creating “a new right for unlawful immigrant minors in U.S. government detention to obtain immediate abortion on demand.”
Certainly, what Roe v. Wade ensured until Republican nazis imposed as many restrictions as they possibly could to impose their fascist ideological and religious views on all in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion. Equally important, ferociously pointedly, above quote also clearly demonstrates Kavanaugh's egregious hostility to abortion rights.
"Feinstein also described Kavanaugh as “outside the mainstream on guns” and expressed concern about the loosening of gun control laws. In 2011, Kavanaugh dissented when his colleagues upheld Washington’s ban on semiautomatic rifles. Kavanaugh pointed to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision declaring an individual right to gun ownership apart from military service. “Gun bans and gun regulations that are not long-standing or sufficiently rooted in text, history, and tradition are not consistent with the Second Amendment individual right,” Kavanaugh wrote."
The Senator is way out of line. Hopelessly delusional. The vast majority of the public does not support gun control. For damned good reason. Feinstein's anti-gun stance ignores the fact the Second Amendment is the last best defense to outrageously corrupt, abusive, murderous government. Precisely, why the Founders included this Amendment in the Bill of Rights.
Democrats remain hopelessly out to lunch on this issue. Determinedly out of touch with reality. One of the reasons they're no longer in power. Should there be a blue wave in November courtesy of the ongoing fiasco in the Oval Office as seems likely at the moment, their return to majority status will be short-lived should they stupidly continue to push gun control.
"Even before protests began inside the hearing room, groups of demonstrators were walking the hallways of the Senate Hart building. With the future of abortion rights at stake, dozens of women dressed in crimson robes and white bonnets as characters from the television series, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” stood silently outside the hearing room. Once the hearing began, one by one, the mostly female protesters in the audience stood to loudly object to Kavanaugh’s nomination and urge the senators to “vote no.”
Who the hell is a nazi Senator, nazi government, a nazi pastor to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus?
“This lifetime appointment will be devastating to women’s rights, voting rights, gay rights,” one woman shouted."
Indeed. No more than raw nazism. A country that is nearly precisely where Hitler's Third Reich was in 1933 when the Nazi bastard became Chancellor.
“An illegitimate president cannot make a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court,” another said."
Here, here. Truer words seldom spoken. Hat's off, madam.
"The protesters were quickly and quietly pulled out by Capitol Police officers who flanked the back wall of the hearing room. As of 10:19 a.m., 22 individuals had been arrested on charges of disorderly conduct, according to Capitol Police."
No dissent allowed. Wouldn't want anything to inhibit ramrodding through this nazi nomination, would we?
"About an hour into the hearing, the White House issued a tally of how many times Democratic senators on the committee had interrupted others on the panel. The total was 44 by its count, with Blumenthal topping the list with 13 interruptions."
No disorderly conduct arrests of the Senators engaging in these interruptions? LOL. Hat's off, Senators. Could it be gutless Democrats are beginning to find their cowardly voices? Yet, it's still empty, hollow rhetoric.
"Democrats began crying foul over the confirmation process before the hearing began. “We go to these hearings under protest,” Feinstein said during a news conference on the steps of the Supreme Court. “I’ve never had a hearing like this, where documents are so difficult to get,” said Feinstein, who was flanked by fellow Democrats on the committee."
Sounds good, doesn't it? No more than meaningless, hollow, empty rhetoric, however:
"Yet Democrats have been resistant to break with Senate norms and release the documents classified as committee confidential, which total nearly 200,000 pages that senators have been able to review but has been concealed from the public. “I’ve been chairman of Intelligence for six years … committee confidential has always been respected,” Feinstein said Tuesday morning. “We want to know more about the law with respect to committee confidential.”
Mealy-mouthed, gutless bullshit, Senator. Seemingly insurmountable problem for gutless Democrats. Precisely, why you remain out of power.
ABC News reports:
"After protesters in the audience were removed and the room quieted down, Kavanaugh said, "I am honored to be here today" and introduced his family."
You've disgraced yourself, your country, and the Flag, Mr. Kavanaugh. A national socialist, fascist, nazi is not qualified to sit on the bench. You will shamelessly impose your perverse ideological and religious views on the country you clearly do not serve.
"Protesters continued to interrupt as committee members delivered their opening statements. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, asked for a "loudmouth" protester to be removed while he spoke and said the committee shouldn't have to "put up with this kind of nonsense."
Neither should the citizens of our formerly great country have to put up with loud mouth nazis such as yourself in the Republican Party, Senator. -- National socialists, shameless fascists such as yourself, sir, who remain determined to impose your outrageously perverse ideological and religious views on the rest of us.
"Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said the Senate is not being the "conscience of the nation" and is not living up to the responsibility to vet Supreme Court nominees by holding a hearing before senators have seen 100 percent of documents related to Kavanaugh's past work. He called the hearing "a sham."
That's all it is. A GOP dog and pony show.
"Judge Kavanaugh there are so many things wrong with this committee's vetting of your record, it's hard to know where to begin. I've been on this committee on both Republican and Democratic leadership. I never thought the committee would sink to this. In fact, you shouldn't be sitting in front of us today. You should be sitting in front of us only after we've completed a review of your record, your vetting is less than 10 percent complete. In critical ways our committee is abandoning its tradition of exhaustively vetting supreme court nominees," Leahy said."
Raw nazism. An exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties by the nazi element in our formerly great country.
NPR reports:
"Perhaps the day's most viral moment came when the father of a teenage girl who was killed during the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., approached Kavanaugh during a break in the hearing and offered to shake the judge's hand. "I invited Fred Guttenberg to sit in the audience at today's hearing because the Supreme Court affects the lives of real people," Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the committee's top Democrat, tweeted after the hearing. "He knows firsthand how Brett Kavanaugh's extreme views on guns could lead to more massacres. Thank you Fred, for honoring your daughter." A photo of the moment taken by an Associated Press photographer that quickly made the rounds online appeared to show Kavanaugh refusing Guttenberg's handshake. "He pulled his hand back, turned his back to me and walked away," Guttenberg tweeted about the moment. "I guess he did not want to deal with the reality of gun violence." But a video posted on Twitter by NBC News from a different perspective shows someone who appears to be a Hill staffer seemingly interceding in the interaction.
"Fred Guttenberg, father of Parkland victim, Jaime, tries to shakes hands with Brett Kavanaugh: "My daughter was murdered at Parkland."
"White
House says an "unidentified individual approached" Kavanaugh, but "before
the judge was able to shake his hand, security had intervened." pic.twitter.com/IerpDMOW0h
—
NBC News (@NBCNews) September 4, 2018"
No matter what, it was a mistake for Kavanaugh not to have shaken the guy's hand, taken the time to hear what he had to say.
"As Judge Kavanaugh left for his lunch break, an unidentified individual approached him," White House spokesman Raj Shah tweeted Tuesday afternoon. "Before the Judge was able to shake his hand, security had intervened." In a second tweet, Shah included a video clip of the moment. By Tuesday afternoon, a link to online coverage of the attempted handshake had been posted on the Twitter account of Demand Justice, a Democratic activist group fighting Kavanaugh's nomination to the court, and to the group's other social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. "You need to see this," the Demand Justice tweet said."
Despite the highly-charged atmosphere at the hearing, Kavanaugh should have had the courtesy to shake the man's hand, listened to what he had to say. Human decency. Put aside for the moment the politics involved, all partisan issues, and simply told the father he was sorry for his loss. Would have cost Kavanaugh nothing to have done so.
As expected, Kavanaugh is stonewalling Senators' questions. The Washington Post reports:
"Highlights from the hearing:
• Kavanaugh will not say whether Trump is correct in claiming ‘absolute right’ to self-pardon
• Kavanaugh won’t say whether presidents have to respond to subpoenas, calling it a ‘hypothetical’ question
• Kavanaugh declines to say if Roe v. Wade was correctly decided, says he does not ‘live in a bubble’ on the issue
• Feinstein, Kavanaugh spar on right to high-powered firearms
• Kavanaugh says ‘no one is above the law’ in response to question about executive power"
Surprised? Why? If the fascist bastard answered truthfully, wouldn't be confirmed. LOL.
NPR reports:
"After a long day of speeches and vocal protests from the audience Tuesday, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are getting down to business Wednesday, with a marathon round of questions for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Protesters once again interrupted Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the committee's chairman, as the session began, before they were quickly hustled from the hearing room by U.S. Capitol Police."
Remarkably, sadly, protesters are doing a better job of challenging this nomination than Democrats. LOL.
"Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., grilled Kavanaugh on the hot-button issues of abortion and gun control. Kavanaugh said he understands the importance that people attach to the Supreme Court's 1973 abortion decision, Roe v. Wade, which was reaffirmed two decades later in Planned Parenthood v. Casey."
He doesn't. Despite phony claims to the contrary:
"I don't live in a bubble. I live in the real world," Kavanaugh said. "As a judge, it's an important precedent of the Supreme Court."
Empty, hollow rhetoric. Abject bullshit. Why? Simple:
"But he stopped short of saying whether he thinks Roe or Casey was correctly decided."
Sadly, Democrats have yet to smarten up on gun rights. Fail to understand the Second Amendment is the last best defense against corrupt, abusive, murderous government.
"Kavanaugh defended his dissenting opinion in a case involving a ban on semi-automatic rifles. He argued the ban is unconstitutional, citing a decision by the late Justice Antonin Scalia that only "unusual" weapons can be outlawed. "Semi-automatic rifles are widely possessed in the United States. There are millions and millions and millions," Kavanaugh said. "As a judge, my job was to follow the Second Amendment decision of the Supreme Court, whether I agreed with it or disagreed with it."
The Second Amendment is abundantly clear. The government has no business banning semi-automatic assault-style weapons. Kavanaugh's claim to be impartial, however, is horse shit. He has an agenda. His assertions to the contrary have no credibility. He would certainly reverse Roe if given the opportunity. For religious reasons. Personal reasons he has no business imposing on the rest of us.
On the other hand and conversely, if the GOP reversed its rightful stand on the Second Amendment, delusionally believe Kavanaugh wouldn't go along to get along? Precisely, why these rights must be vigorously protected no matter the cost political or otherwise. Exactly, why the Founders enshrined these rights in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
"Kavanaugh stressed that as a native of the Washington, D.C., area, he is well-aware of the danger posed by gun violence. "Of course, the violence in schools is something that we all detest and want to do something about," Kavanaugh said."
But not at the expense of the Second Amendment, right to bear arms. Last best defense to corrupt, abusive, murderous government.
"Grassley highlighted Kavanaugh's experience as an appeals court judge, then asked whether he would have any trouble ruling against the president who appointed him. "No one is above the law in our constitutional system," Kavanaugh replied. "Under our system of government, the executive branch is subject to the law."
Disingenuous bullshit coming from this double-talking national socialist. Readers are reminded Kavanaugh has repeatedly claimed a sitting president is immune to criminal prosecution. Talking out both sides his lying ass.
"Kavanaugh is also facing questions about his thoughts on presidential power and immunity. Although he worked on the Starr report, he later wrote that a sitting president should not have to face the distraction of civil or criminal investigations."
Here's his lame excuse for this egregious faux pas:
"What changed was Sept. 11," Kavanaugh said Wednesday. He stressed that his essay was meant as a recommendation for lawmakers to grant presidential immunity and not a preview of how he might rule as a judge."
Unadulterated horse shit. True insight as to how he might rule on the bench, -- despite his disingenuous claims to the contrary.
"They were ideas for Congress to consider," Kavanaugh said. "They were not my constitutional views."
More disingenuous horse shit. Why would this lying piece of crap suggest something to Congress he knows would be unconstitutional?
Here's the bottom line vis a vis appointment of this fascist to the highest court of the land:
"Both supporters and opponents believe that, if confirmed, Kavanaugh will tilt the high court far to the right, cementing a 5-4 conservative majority for years to come."
National socialist, fascist, nazi majority. These fascist bastards are not 'conservatives.' They're nazis.
"This nominee has devoted his entire career to a conservative Republican agenda," said Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., during Tuesday's session. She pointed to Kavanaugh's work investigating then-President Bill Clinton in the 1990s with independent counsel Kenneth Starr, litigating the contested presidential election of 2000 and work in the Bush White House. "In all of these efforts, he has shown that he seeks to win at all costs, even if that means pushing the envelope," Harris said."
That's true. Raw nazism.
NPR reports:
"Kavanaugh was later asked about his dissenting opinion last year in a case involving a teenage immigrant who sought an abortion while in federal custody for crossing the border illegally. Kavanaugh said he would have allowed the Trump administration to require the young woman be placed with an "immigration sponsor," though he added the administration could not use that as a ruse to block the abortion. "Consider the circumstances," he said. "She's a 17-year-old, by herself in a foreign country in a facility where she's detained and she has no one to talk to and she's pregnant. Now that is a difficult situation."
Condescending, patronizing bullshit. None of your goddamned business, Mr. Kavanaugh, -- or that of your court. Her body, HER uterus. Not yours, you fascist son of a bitch.
"Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., challenged Kavanaugh over a dissenting opinion in which he argued slaughterhouse workers living in the country illegally were not entitled to form a union, despite the express language of the National Labor Relations Act. "You claim over and over again to be a textualist — to be carefully weighing every word of a statute," Durbin said. "So why did you go out of your way to interpret the word 'employee' in a way that benefited this horrible business and disadvantaged these exploited workers?" Kavanaugh insisted he was simply following Supreme Court precedent."
Just following orders, so to speak, 'Judge?' Didn't Hitler's henchmen claim the same? Make the same goddamned excuse? The parallel? Chillingly, striking.
"I have no agenda in any direction," he said. "I'm a judge."
No sir, you're not. In name only. No question, you have a national socialist agenda. Not impartial. Will impose your outrageously perverse ideological and religious views on all in direct violation of your falsely sworn oath of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution, rule of law. A charlatan.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Continued, determined distortion of reality by the Trump nazi. NPR reports:
"President Trump was bombarded with negative news cycles last month, so he turned to Twitter, venting frustrations and dismissing an increasingly wide variety of things he doesn't like as "fake" or "phony." Presidential tweets about "fake news" aren't new, but August was unique in the sheer frequency of such presidential declarations on Twitter. There were more tweets in August about things Trump labels fake and phony than in any other month of his presidency. This is part of a trend: as Trump's presidency has gone on, these kinds of tweets have increased over time, with peaks coming in months with particularly bad headlines for the president."
Clearly, Trump is growing increasingly erratic as his unfitness for office becomes more and more apparent. Strikingly clear:
"I
just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media
is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda.
This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always
anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2018"
Called the truth, Donny boy. Something you clearly have no appreciation or regard for. True enemy of a democratic republic and the people? An out of control nazi fuhrer, who runs this country as he's run his business, that is, as a Mafia don.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
More insanity from the Trump nazi. CBS News reports:
"President Trump started his Labor Day with an attack on a top union leader, lashing out after criticism from AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. Mr. Trump tweeted Monday morning that Trumka "represented his union poorly on television this weekend." He added: "it is easy to see why unions are doing so poorly. A Dem!"
What's your excuse, Donny boy? Repeatedly disgrace yourself, lie like hell, continue to lose your grasp on reality, then criticize a union leader who desperately tries to return you to planet Earth? LOL.
"The president's attack came after Trumka appeared on "Fox News Sunday" over the weekend where he said efforts to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement should include Canada. Trumka, whose organization is an umbrella group for most unions, said the economies of the United States, Canada and Mexico are "integrated" and "it's pretty hard to see how that would work without having Canada in the deal."
He's right. Trump remains a clueless idiot. LOL.
Lunacy:
"The president said Saturday on Twitter that there was "no political necessity" to keep Canada in NAFTA. But it's questionable whether Mr. Trump can unilaterally exclude Canada from a deal to replace the three-nation NAFTA agreement, without the approval of Congress. Any such move would likely face lengthy legal and congressional challenges. Mr. Trump fumed after the Toronto Star published sentiments he had expressed over the trade talks with Canada, accusing another publication of leaking the remarks."
Whoever leaked the story performed an heroic public service. LOL. Exposed the idiot for precisely whom and what he is. LOL.
"Trumka also said of Mr. Trump: "the things that he's done to hurt workers outpace what he's done to help workers," arguing that Trump has not come through with an infrastructure program and has overturned regulations that "will hurt us on the job." Asked about the low unemployment rate and economic growth, Trumka said "those are good, but wages have been down since the first of the year. Gas prices have been up since the first of the year. So, overall, workers aren't doing as well." The national average for gas as of Monday is $2.84 a gallon, according to AAA. Gas prices were closer to $2.50 at the start of the year, according to AAA."
Wouldn't want to confuse the Trump nazi with the truth, would we?
"On Monday, the president also touted the economy, saying "Our country is doing better than ever before with unemployment setting record lows." He added, "The Worker in America is doing better than ever before. Celebrate Labor Day!"
Our nazi fuhrer remains disingenuously clueless. Laissez-faire capitalism, that is, unregulated and/or extremely poorly regulated capitalism has become a zero-sum, winner-take-all ruse. Designed to line the pockets at the top of the food chain. Precisely, why the middle class remains endangered, quickly going extinct. Haves, and have-nots.
"The unemployment rate of 3.9 percent is not at the best point ever — it is near the lowest in 18 years. Mr. Trump has made redoing trade deals and touting the economy key pillars of his presidency, even as other controversies — like a lawsuit against his charitable foundation and convictions of former associates — swirl around him in Washington."
Running the government as he's run his business empire, -- like a Mafia don.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
9-7-18
Nazi justice. NPR reports:
"A court in Myanmar sentenced two journalists to seven years in prison Monday for illegal possession of official documents. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, both Myanmar nationals and journalists for the Reuters news service, were arrested for violation of the country's Official Secrets Act, which dates back more than 90 years to its time as a British colony known as Burma.
"The journalists were investigating violence against the country's Rohingya Muslim minority; a military crackdown last year sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing Myanmar for refugee camps in Bangladesh, where many still remain. The journalists were arrested in December after meeting with police in a restaurant. They said police gave them documents, but then police immediately arrested them for possessing those documents. One police witness reportedly told the court the journalists were set up. The documents were ones they "didn't solicit and never had time to read," Krolicki told NPR. Condemnation of the verdict was swift and sweeping from human rights groups, press freedom organizations and Western governments."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
In tribute to Arizona Sen. John McCain: The United States has lost a true statesman, patriot, and maverick who always put duty, honor, country ahead of rabid partisanship. NPR reports:
"Memorial and remembrance plans are taking shape for Arizona Sen. John McCain, a day after he died following a battle with brain cancer. He will lie in state at both the U.S and Arizona Capitols. McCain will then be buried at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Md., according to his office. The senator graduated from the Naval Academy and has said multiple times that he wanted to be laid to rest there. "I want, when I leave, that the ceremony is at the Naval Academy, and we just have a couple of people and stand up and say 'This guy, he served his country,' " McCain said in an interview with 60 Minutes last year.
"The
Naval Academy is mourning the loss of one of our most distinguished graduates,
Sen. John McCain (USNA ‘58). His life of service to our country is a legacy
that will continue to be revered. #USNavy #usna #Military #midshipmen
—
U.S. Naval Academy (@NavalAcademy) August 26, 2018"
NPR reports:
"John McCain, a titan in the U.S. Senate, was a consistent conservative, though unafraid to buck Republican Party leadership on issues ranging from campaign finance reform to the GOP-led effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He died Saturday at age 81. While the Arizona senator and two-time presidential candidate will be remembered for his self-proclaimed "maverick" persona, it was his military bloodlines and 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam that shaped much of McCain's legacy. McCain was the son of an admiral and grew up on naval bases both in the United States and around the world. McCain's grandfather was also an admiral, making them the first father and son four-star admirals in history of the U.S. Navy. McCain followed his father and grandfather into the family business. He was a member of the U.S. Naval Academy's Class of 1958. While at the academy, he developed a reputation as a rambunctious and insubordinate student who received more than his share of reprimands. He also maintained another family tradition while there, earning mediocre grades in the classroom."
None of the above surprising, is it? Especially, since he subsequently, incessantly went his own way as United States Senator. Always did what he thought was right. Determinedly marched to the beat of his own drum.
"My father was here and his father before him. Like me, their standing was closer to the bottom than the top of their class," McCain told a 2017 class of Naval Academy graduates. McCain finished fifth from the bottom of his class."
... At least, he wasn't the 'goat.' -- Cadet who finished last. LOL.
"Despite his poor classroom performance, he was able to become a naval aviator. By the mid-1960s, the Vietnam War was raging and McCain's squadron was drawn into battle. At one point in 1967, McCain was almost killed after a wayward rocket from a nearby bomber hit his aircraft's fuel tank just before he was to take off from the USS Forrestal."
Nothing quite so dangerous as catapulting off an aircraft carrier, fully loaded with fuel, weaponry, at full afterburner, -- even if nothing goes terribly wrong.
"Explosions and fires from that incident killed more than 130 people aboard, but McCain managed to escape unscathed."
His luck was to run out:
"On Oct. 26, 1967, while on a bombing run over the North Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, his aircraft was struck by a Vietnamese ground based anti-aircraft missile. "Just as I released the bombs and started to pull back on the stick, a surface-to-air missile took the right wing off my airplane. My airplane violently gyrated. I ejected," McCain recounted to C-SPAN in 2003. The impact from the ejection knocked Lt. Cmdr. McCain unconscious, and he landed in the lake below."
Things were to get far worse:
"Both McCain's arms were broken, so was his shoulder, and his knee was shattered. He was pulled out of the water by a Vietnamese mob and was stabbed, beaten and taken to a prison commonly referred to as the "Hanoi Hilton." Years later, as McCain reflected on this period, he said he held no ill will toward his captors. "I don't blame them. We're in a war," McCain said in a separate interview with C-SPAN in 2017. "I didn't like it, but at the same time when you are in a war and you are captured by the enemy, you can't expect to have tea," McCain said."
Younger readers are reminded the North was heavily bombed for years, many, many killed on the ground during these attacks. When our pilots were shot down, they were tortured and severely abused by the enemy.
Uncommon Valor:
"Because of the prominence of McCain's family, his captors saw in him potential for propaganda and offered him early release. But McCain repeatedly refused the offer because his fellow POWs would not be released as well."
Paid quite a price for standing tall:
"He spoke about that shortly after his release in 1973. "A number of times they were strong in their tactics trying to get me to possibly embarrass my father and our country," McCain said. He spent most of his time in solitary confinement and endured incessant torture."
Remarkably, turned it to his advantage:
"His ordeal as a POW, however, helped fuel his political career. As a senator, he could speak with authority on military matters. Perhaps the most striking example was when he challenged the George W. Bush administration and its "enhanced interrogation" of terrorism suspects. McCain decried the practice as torture."
It was. No question. McCain did the right thing. Held George "The Tush" Bush's feet figuratively to the fire.
Consider the remarkable resilience of the Senator:
"McCain has visited the prison where he had been a POW. "I still despise those who inflicted pain unnecessarily on me and my fellow prisoners, but I hold no ill will toward the Vietnamese people, either North or South," he said. The former prisoner then talked about his many friendships with many Vietnamese in the years since, adding that he always admired and respected the Vietnamese people."
Above quotes courtesy of two most gifted, insightful writers, Don Gonyea and Brakkton Booker.
The following is supremely indicative of the Senator's character. One of his finest moments. NPR reports:
"Just under a month before Election Day 2008, a woman stood up at a rally and told Republican nominee John McCain a major concern she had about his White House opponent. "I can't trust [Barack] Obama. I have read about him and he's not, he's ... he's an Arab," the woman said of the Democratic presidential nominee. McCain started shaking his head before she even finished her question, taking the microphone and pushing back emphatically on her incorrect statement. "No ma'am," McCain said. "He's a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that's what this campaign is all about. He's not."
Jesus Christ. Where have we lost ourselves? When was the last time you saw a politician rise to the occasion as did McCain at this town hall?
"The response was classic McCain — his trademark "straight talk" he honed on the campaign trail for nearly four decades, along with his willingness to often take the high road, even if it wasn't politically popular. His positive comments about his opponent were met with boos by some in the audience, and perhaps signaled a shift within the GOP that McCain would criticize for the remainder of his life. The Arizona senator died Saturday at 81 from brain cancer. Contrast McCain's approach with Donald Trump's fast rise in politics, which was driven, in part, by pushing the false narrative that Obama wasn't an American citizen and had forged his birth certificate. That narrative established Trump as one of the leading voices in the "birther" movement. Trump would go on to become president by embracing that type of much more combative, confrontational tone that hinged on conspiracy theories and divisive rhetoric. McCain would never make it to the Oval Office, but in the final years of his life, he fully personified his "maverick" nickname by becoming one of the leading GOP voices against Trump as the two repeatedly clashed."
McCain stood tall, told the truth, admitted mistakes, took the high ground, remained rooted in reality. Trump did not. Contrast between both men could not have been more striking.
"The divergent personalities of McCain and Trump were on a collision course from the beginning. McCain represented the old guard of Washington, a lion of the Senate who evoked respect from both sides of the aisle and believed honor was everything. Trump ushered in a new — many would say corrosive — era of American politics, in which insults are hurled at the ready, tribalism is paramount and apologies should never be doled out."
While it will take historians decades to determine precisely what went wrong and why, strongly suspect growing staleness and consequent irrelevance of the two major parties lies at the root.
"John, again, was motivated by doing the right thing. And there were times where he said, 'This is going to cause me huge grief politically, but it's the right thing to do. I'll go for it.' I saw it over and over again," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer recalled to NPR's Michel Martin on Weekend All Things Considered."
Great truth to that. Schumer and Pelosi would be well advised to do the same. So would those at the helm of the GOP. Sadly, partisans in both parties just don't think like that any longer. No honor. Rabid partisanship. Principle? What's that? Return to office, -- prime directive.
"McCain's clash with Trump was boiling from the very beginning of the now-president's unlikely rise. After Trump kicked off his campaign in June 2015, McCain made it known he took issue with the reality TV star's characterization of Mexican immigrants as "rapists" who were bringing crime into the country."
Rightfully, so. Other Republicans were too gutless to rise to the occasion. Doing the right thing cost McCain dearly. Was determined to put honor first, before and above all, -- especially after the Keating 5 debacle years earlier had left his reputation sullied, in shambles, despite the fact no criminal wrongdoing had been attributed to him.
"The biggest flashpoint in their feud happened the next month, at an event in Iowa. With tensions already simmering, Trump disparaged McCain's military service, saying that he was wasn't a war hero and that he preferred "people who weren't captured." Trump received multiple education deferments for Vietnam, and then a final one for bone spurs."
Above quote says it all, doesn't it? Yet, Republicans backed our nazi fuhrer who behaves more like a Mafia don than president of the United States. The feud between McCain and Trump went on and on as reported here and elsewhere until the Senator's death.
Above quotes are courtesy of a most gifted, insightful writer, Jessica Taylor.
Believe Trump has character? Class? Wake up. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump nixed issuing a statement that praised the heroism and life of Sen. John McCain, telling senior aides he preferred to issue a tweet before posting one Saturday night that did not include any kind words for the late Arizona Republican. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Chief of Staff John F. Kelly and other White House aides advocated for an official statement that gave the decorated Vietnam War POW plaudits for his military and Senate service and called him a “hero,” according to current and former White House aides, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations. The original statement was drafted before McCain died Saturday, and Sanders and others edited a final version this weekend that was ready for the president, the aides said."
Despite all ferocious criticism vis a vis Kelly and Sanders pointedly addressed here and elsewhere en masse, ad nauseum, have to give both officials great credit for doing the right thing regarding the McCain statement they courageously, rightfully stood behind. Too bad Trump was too stupid, too ignorant to appreciate its forthrightness. Abject necessity. Too shortsighted to see and understand it was in his best long-term interests to embrace:
"But Trump told aides he wanted to post a brief tweet instead, and the statement praising McCain’s life was not released. “My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!” Trump posted Saturday evening shortly after McCain’s death was announced."
Pitiful, isn't it?
"Sanders declined to comment Sunday afternoon."
Should have followed up and did the right thing, -- resigned in protest. Not to be, however.
“It’s atrocious,” Mark Corallo, a former spokesman for Trump’s legal team and a longtime Republican strategist, said of Trump’s reaction to McCain’s death. “At a time like this, you would expect more of an American president when you’re talking about the passing of a true American hero.”
Not from a narcissistic, lunatic, nazi fuhrer.
Get worse. Get this. NBC reports:
"As the nation continued to mourn the death of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the White House returned its flag to full-staff on Monday, although past presidents have kept the flag lowered for longer after the deaths of other sitting senators. The Capitol flag remained at half staff."
Readers are reminded that the funeral had not not yet occurred at the time Trump ordered the Flag raised to full staff not even 48 hours after the Senator died.
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump will not be attending the funeral or memorial services in Washington for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a McCain family spokesman said Monday. Rick Davis, who was also McCain’s campaign manager and longtime adviser, said at a news conference in Phoenix that Vice President Pence will serve as the Trump administration designee at a ceremony honoring McCain on Friday at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. “The president will not be, as far as we know, attending the funeral. That’s just a fact.” Davis said, declining to reiterate what has already been reported about the McCain family’s wishes."
Had the 'president' any honor, would have apologized to the McCain family, sought their forgiveness, humbly asked to attend services.
"Davis also read from a letter that contained McCain’s final words for the country. “We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe,” McCain wrote in the letter. “We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.” He added: “If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country, we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do.”
The resolute toughness of the Senator was remarkable. Had a 'take no prisoners' approach.
"Such questions and comments were typical of the Arizona Republican’s approach in the Senate, where he served as a member of the Armed Services Committee for more than three decades and since 2015 as chairman of the powerful committee overseeing the military. The top military brass and civilian leaders at the Pentagon knew that McCain, who died Saturday at the age of 81, would be tough when they came to the chamber to testify. He often narrowed his eyes as they dissembled under his questioning. McCain’s political career earned him a reputation as a hawkish advocate of military intervention and an impassioned supporter of the American armed services. Even so, the retired Navy captain and pilot hardly ever gave the Pentagon leadership a pass."
No one's perfect. :) The Senator certainly wasn't. :) Certainly, didn't believe a woman should have the right to do with HER uterus as she damn well pleased. :) His hawkishness certainly left a lot to be desired as well, -- especially after the debacles in Korea, Vietnam, and elsewhere. Yet, his undying support of the military is second to none, admired, and absolutely necessary. At some point, must not be forgotten, this country will again be faced with a threat as great as that of the Second World War. The military must be ready. Supported.
"Retired Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recalled McCain in a statement as “resolute in his beliefs, even pugnacious,” and praised him as a lion who was never too busy to consider the views of others and who “in the heat of fierce political debate never lost sight of what was the most important: our American experiment.”
Amazing, how easily that's been forgotten throughout both major political parties.
"The son and grandson of Navy admirals, and a prisoner of war for 5½ years in Vietnam, McCain earned the credibility to force even the most decorated American officials to explain themselves and their decisions to the public in front of the Senate. McCain took his oversight duties seriously and regularly tested his die-hard views against theirs in public exchanges, often prying loose uncomfortable truths the military would rather have kept under wraps."
Certainly, doesn't come as a surprise, does it? :) Forget? The Senator's experience as a naval cadet. :) Most useful prelude to his oversight role as U.S. Senator.
"While some of his fellow lawmakers could be deferential to the Pentagon brass, McCain believed that military leaders had an even greater responsibility to explain themselves, because they were putting American lives at risk and representing the nation’s values overseas. While serving in Vietnam, McCain had become acutely aware of the military’s tendency to put a positive spin on uncomfortable truths when watching the press briefings that became known as the “Five O’Clock Follies.”
Can certainly remember utter lack of credibility during the Johnson and Nixon regimes.
“McCain just thought the stakes are so big,” said his former foreign policy adviser, Richard Fontaine. “Too much deference is not a good practice.”
That's right. Authority must be questioned. If not, human nature with all its failings presides.
"The senator had no problem crusading against military leaders for one reason or another, and even those he clashed with most sharply expressed respect for his intentions. Retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff whom McCain once derided as the “most disappointing chairman he had ever seen,” praised McCain as a leader. “Senator McCain was particularly passionate about America’s roles and responsibilities in the world,” he wrote. “An astute student of history, he knew that ‘domestic policy can only defeat us; foreign policy can kill us’ (JFK). American foreign policy has lost its greatest champion.”
No narcissism in the General, is there? :) Like the Senator, the General prizes truth. Makes no excuses. Unlike the Trump nazi.
"Retired Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of the CIA whom McCain accused in his recent book of misleading the White House and Congress about the effectiveness of the agency’s “enhanced interrogation techniques,” called the senator a hero. “While I was at CIA, Senator JOHN McCain ripped me a new one on several occasions,” Hayden said in a tweet Sunday. “But not once did he think I shouldn’t have a security clearance. Go figure. RIP, American hero.”
Unlike the Trump nazi, these two Generals certainly knew a hero when they saw one.
"McCain’s combative approach was infectious for some. Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), his chief acolyte, in recent years has become known on the Armed Services Committee for his unforgiving interrogations of Pentagon leaders, often with yes-or-no questions."
Should be the approach in ALL Senate and House hearings. Standard operating procedure. Prosecutorial interrogation. Get to the truth. Don't give a damn whose feathers get ruffled.
"McCain could be brutal and crushing when top officers made mistakes but also stood by those he respected despite personal and sometimes high-profile public failings. He was effusive in his praise for the generals he liked, those who shared his view of American power and how it should be wielded. He called Gen. David Petraeus “one of the great military leaders in American history,” and continued to praise him even after the retired Army general resigned from the CIA directorship over the improper handling of classified information during an extramarital affair. “I think people make mistakes in life and you move on,” McCain said as he advocated for President Trump to choose Petraeus as secretary of state. In an interview with ABC News this weekend, Petraeus said that “no one had the backs” of American service members more than McCain and that “no one did more to assure that they had what was needed to prevail on the battlefield.”
Above quotes courtesy of a most gifted, insightful writer, Paul Sonne.
NPR reports:
"The beginning of the national memorial for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has been marred by a fight over a sign of public respect, as President Trump initially avoided issuing a proclamation to lower flags to half-staff at all federal properties in McCain's honor. Flags were lowered at government buildings across Washington and across the country Saturday evening after McCain died, as is standard practice for a sitting member of Congress. But on Monday morning the flag atop the White House was back at full-staff, causing some to ask whether Trump's strained relationship with McCain had played into the decision to not keep it lowered. The lack of a proclamation was viewed by some as a disrespectful act reflecting the president's dislike for McCain, which Trump continued to express publicly, even as recently as last week."
Couldn't have been anything less than rampant boorishness on the part of the Trump nazi.
"Hours after reporters questioned the White House about the move and the president ignored multiple press attempts to ask his reaction to McCain's death, the White House flag was eventually lowered to half-staff Monday afternoon. Trump said in a statement released shortly afterward: "Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain's service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff until the day of his interment."
Too little. Much too late.
"Later Monday evening at a dinner with evangelical leaders, Trump made his first public comments since the senator's death Saturday. "We very much appreciate everything that Senator McCain has done for our country," the president said."
Clearly, you don't, Mr. 'President.'
"Our hearts and prayers are going to the family," Trump also said, echoing his tweet. "There's going to be a lot of activity over the next number of days."
The following is precisely why all this has become an issue:
"The dust-up over the flag was viewed as particularly insulting by veterans. McCain was a retired captain in the Navy and the son and grandson of two four-star Navy admirals. He was held for 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam after the attack aircraft he was piloting was shot down during a bombing raid over Hanoi. He was tortured but refused early release because it would have meant leaving ahead of other soldiers who had been captured before him."
Speaks volumes about the character of this man. Service to this country.
"American Legion National Commander Denise Rohan issued a letter before Trump's late afternoon written statement, appealing to the president to follow the custom he had used in recent deaths of national figures.
"Nat’l
Cmdr Rohan letter to President Trump: “I strongly urge you to make an appropriate
presidential proclamation noting Senator McCain’s death & legacy of
service to our nation, & that our nation’s flag be half-staffed through
his interment.” Statement: https://t.co/05zG2H0hqc
—
The American Legion (@AmericanLegion) August 27, 2018
"The American Legion urges the White House to follow long-established protocol following the death of prominent government officials," she wrote. "Mr. President, just this year, you released presidential proclamations noting the deaths of Barbara Bush and Billy Graham. Senator John McCain was an American hero and cherished member of The American Legion."
The American Legion National Commander is right on target. No one could have put it better. Trump has again disgraced himself, his office, and the country he clearly does not serve.
"The veterans group AMVETS also issued a statement calling the president's actions since McCain's death deeply disappointing. "It's outrageous that the White House would mark American hero John McCain's death with a two-sentence tweet, making no mention of his heroic and inspiring life," said AMVETS National Executive Director Joe Chenelly. "And by lowering flags for not one second more than the bare minimum required by law, despite a long-standing tradition of lowering flags until the funeral, the White House is openly showcasing its blatant disrespect for Senator McCain's many decades of service and sacrifice to our country as well as the service of all his fellow veterans."
Exactly right. The Senator's politics are not the issue. His selfless, life-long service to the country he loved is.
"And in what could be viewed as a subtle slap at Trump, the Canadian Embassy in Washington also posted a picture showing that it had lowered its flag to honor McCain.
"Senator
John McCain was a long-serving U.S. Senator, naval officer, strong advocate
for NATO, and a good friend to Canada. The flag at the Embassy has been
lowered to half-mast in his honour. pic.twitter.com/D1iTNM9w90
—
Embassy of Canada US (@CanEmbUSA) August 27, 2018
" Senator John McCain was a long-serving U.S. Senator, naval officer, strong advocate for NATO, and a good friend to Canada. The flag at the Embassy has been lowered to half-mast in his honour," the embassy tweeted."
Trump is a fool. Has repeatedly taken a royal dump on one of our best long-term allies, -- the Canadians. Canadians have stood by us. Their soldiers have died alongside ours.
Above quotes are courtesy of two most gifted, insightful writers, Kelsey Snell, Deirdre Walsh.
NPR reports:
"Former McCain campaign chairman Rick Davis outlined plans for five days of memorials to McCain, who died Saturday at age 81.
"Davis said McCain will lie in state at the Arizona State Capitol on Wednesday and be attended by some of his Republican colleagues from the Arizona congressional delegation, including former Sen. Jon Kyl, who will make remarks; former Rep. Jim Kolbe, who will lay a wreath; and current Sen. Jeff Flake, who will give a benediction. The following day there will be a service at the North Phoenix Baptist Church, where former Vice President Joe Biden will give a tribute. Biden is "basically being treated as a member of the family, which of course the family believe he is," Davis said, adding, "for better or worse for his political career in the future." McCain's body will then be flown to Maryland for "three days of celebration in Washington," Davis said. McCain's body will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday. There, Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will all lay wreaths and, Davis said, members of the public "will be encouraged to view John. On Saturday, McCain's body will be taken to the National Cathedral, after a stop at the Vietnam War Memorial, where his widow, Cindy, will place a wreath. At the cathedral service, which Davis said will focus on McCain's "national and global leadership," former Presidents (and political opponents) George W. Bush and Barack Obama will speak, along with Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Sens. Joe Lieberman and Kelly Ayotte. Renee Fleming will sing "Danny Boy" at McCain's request. On Sunday, McCain will be laid to rest after a private funeral at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. He will be buried next to his "close, good friend," Davis said, Adm. Chuck Larson."
The following is the Senator's farewell statement to the country:
"My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully served for sixty years, and especially my fellow Arizonans,
"Thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the rewarding life that service in uniform and in public office has allowed me to lead. I have tried to serve our country honorably. I have made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them.
"I have often observed that I am the luckiest person on earth. I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life. I have loved my life, all of it. I have had experiences, adventures and friendships enough for ten satisfying lives, and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the best day of anyone else's.
"I owe that satisfaction to the love of my family. No man ever had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine. And I owe it to America. To be connected to America's causes – liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people – brings happiness more sublime than life's fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense of worth are not circumscribed but enlarged by serving good causes bigger than ourselves.
" 'Fellow Americans' – that association has meant more to me than any other. I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world's greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the process.
"We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.
"We are three-hundred-and-twenty-five million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do.
"Ten years ago, I had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. I want to end my farewell to you with the heartfelt faith in Americans that I felt so powerfully that evening.
"I feel it powerfully still.
"Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.
"Farewell, fellow Americans. God bless you, and God bless America."
8-31-18
Highly reminiscent of our outrageously bought and paid for judiciary, Llano County prosecutors, Sheriff Bill Blackburn and his criminal SS jackbooted bastards in black who continue to egregiously disgrace themselves and the badge, do as they please regardless of the law and Constitution, carefully consider the following. It's appalling. Runs against the grain of everything our formerly great country once stood for. No longer.
More of the same. Sue the living shit out of the jackbooted bastards. CBS News reports:
"A Guatemalan mother who says her baby died after falling ill in a Texas immigration facility is planning to sue the U.S. government. Border agents apprehended Yazmin Juarez, 20, and 19-month-old Mariee in March after they entered the U.S. seeking asylum. Juarez blames inadequate medical care for her baby's death six and half weeks later. Juarez fled Guatemala with her daughter because she feared for their safety, but she never imagined her dream of coming to the U.S. would end like this. Now she's seeking not only millions of dollars in a series of lawsuits, but justice for her only child, reports CBS News correspondent Mireya Villarreal."
Needless to say, this case will be closely followed.
"Lawyers said Mariee suffered irreversible brain and organ damage. ICE declined to comment on Mariee's case due to the pending litigation. But in a statement the agency said it "takes very seriously the health, safety and welfare of those in our care…including providing access to necessary and appropriate medical care." "To Yazmin justice means more than just money," Jones said, adding, "Nothing can ever bring her daughter back… but she wants to make sure that this never happens again." Lawyers for Juarez are preparing multiple lawsuits. The first seeks $40 million in damages from an Arizona city, which serves as the government's prime contractor for the Dilley, Texas center. Lawyers for the city did not respond to our request for comment."
Do the right thing. Sue the living shit out of the bastards. Only way this shit will end. ... Right, Sheriff?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
The 'President' is growing increasingly isolated, cornered, lashing out against others he delusionally believes responsible for his problems. -- Anyone and everyone but himself. The Washington Post reports:
"Attorney General Jeff Sessions pushed back forcefully Thursday against fresh criticism from President Trump, saying the Justice Department would not be “improperly influenced by political considerations.” The extraordinary statement came hours after Trump lashed out anew at Sessions, saying he had failed to take control of the Justice Department and was given his job only because of his loyalty during the 2016 campaign."
Good to see two fellow racist nazis rhetorically fighting it out, taking each other on. Figuratively speaking, knock yourselves out, boys.
"Following Trump’s comments in a morning television interview, two leading Republican senators suggested he could be replaced later this fall — though other senior Republicans strongly cautioned that Trump would have a hard time winning Senate confirmation for another nominee."
Republicans are behaving stupidly. Not considering GOP long-term best interests. If they continue to fail to do something about this ongoing, worsening fiasco in the Oval Office, won't be returned to office themselves.
"Sessions said in his statement: “I took control of the Department of Justice the day I was sworn in, which is why we have had unprecedented success at effectuating the President’s agenda—one that protects the safety and security and rights of the American people, reduces violent crime, enforces our immigration laws, promotes economic growth, and advances religious liberty.”
Is he kidding? Jesus Christ. What appalling, lunatic, highly irrational, achingly convoluted horse shit. Trump's agenda is national socialism. Precisely, what the racist Sessions nazi has been so proficient at imposing. Trump and Sessions, through their national socialist agenda, remain an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. For the Sessions nazi to claim otherwise is psychotic denial of reality.
We are less safe under this regime. Less secure. Rights infringed. More violent crime courtesy of the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue who psychotically apparently believe Trump and Sessions have granted them carte blanche to do as they please. Moreover, economic growth is indeed reserved for the top of the food chain at expense of the quickly vanishing middle class.
Zero-sum, winner-take-all, laissez faire capitalism that remains either unregulated, and/or extremely poorly regulated. Result? Two extremes. Haves. Have-nots. American dream, all but dead. Democratic republic in name only. Reality? De facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
Religious liberty? No infringement on the rights of these goddamned hypocritical nazis who falsely profess to be Christians. Worship as they please. No infringement at all. Instead, conversely, impose their outrageously perverse ideological and religious views on all by doing all they can to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus. Reserve the right to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. List can go on and on. Racist Sessions nazi has it ass backwards. Achingly, so.
The issue is not freedom of religion, but freedom from it. Hypocrisy, stunning. Determined, concerted attack on liberty, -- un-American, Right Wing nazi. Hear the rumble? An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming. As the status quo grows exponentially more intolerable by the day. Nazi America. Trump's Fourth Reich.
"In an interview on “Fox & Friends” on Fox News broadcast Thursday, Trump lambasted Sessions for failing to take the reins in a department that the president characterized as dominated by Democrats and unwilling to prosecute Democratic corruption. “I put in an attorney general that never took control of the Justice Department,” Trump said during the interview, which was taped Wednesday at the White House. “It’s sort of an incredible thing.”
Trump is delusional. Demonstrably unfit for office.
"Trump also renewed his criticism of Sessions for recusing himself from the department’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election that is now being led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III."
Had no choice. Had to recuse since he was involved in the 2016 campaign. Conflict of interest. -- About the only thing the racist Sessions nazi has done right during his tenure as Attorney General. LOL.
“Jeff Sessions recused himself, which he shouldn’t have done, or he should have told me,” Trump said. “He took the job, and then he said, ‘I’m going to recuse myself.’ I said, ‘What kind of man is this?’ ”
What are you complaining about, sir? He's an irrational racist nazi just like you, Mr. Trump.
Trump escalates his public feud with Sessions. NBC reports:
"President Donald Trump slapped back at Jeff Sessions early Friday — the latest attack in an ongoing exchange of barbs between the two men — daring his attorney general to investigate Democrats and intelligence officials. In a pair of tweets, Trump quoted a line Sessions himself used a day earlier in responding to an earlier criticism from his boss, before demanding the nation's top law enforcement official “look into all of the corruption on the ‘other side.'”
What do you think they did for years, Donny boy? Found nothing. Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, Mr. 'President?'
The nazi in the Oval Office is growing increasingly desperate:
“Department
of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.”
Jeff, this is GREAT, what everyone wants, so look into all of the corruption
on the “other side” including deleted Emails, Comey lies & leaks, Mueller
conflicts, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr......
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018
....FISA
abuse, Christopher Steele & his phony and corrupt Dossier, the Clinton
Foundation, illegal surveillance of Trump Campaign, Russian collusion by
Dems - and so much more. Open up the papers & documents without redaction?
Come on Jeff, you can do it, the country is waiting!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018
"Trump also tweeted about Reality Winner, the former government contractor who was sentenced to more than five years in prison on Thursday for leaking U.S. secrets about Russia's attempts to hack the 2016 presidential election, writing that it was "so unfair, Jeff" because it was "'small potatoes' compared to what Hillary Clinton did!"
Ex-NSA
contractor to spend 63 months in jail over “classified” information. Gee,
this is “small potatoes” compared to what Hillary Clinton did! So unfair
Jeff, Double Standard.
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2018"
What's unfair, unjustified, outrageously inequitable is the fact your sorry ass, Mr. 'President,' wasn't prosecuted years ago for your looting of contractors who were never paid, looting of taxpayers who took it hard in the ass when your Atlantic City gambling empire crashed. To say nothing of the Trump 'University' and Trump Foundation fiascoes.
Trump renews attack on Sessions. ABC News reports:
"President Trump lashed out again at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, saying he lets "real corruption" go untouched while special counsel Robert Mueller's team is "having a field day."
Spoken like a Mafia don.
"Trump appeared to be responding to an unusual statement by the attorney generals this week defending himself against the president’s attacks, with Sessions saying: "While I am Attorney General, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations." The president shot back in a tweet Saturday morning that Sessions "doesn't understand what is happening" beneath him. The tweet reiterated the president's attack on the special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election as politically motivated and a distraction from "real corruption."
... Sound like a president? -- Or, a Mafia don.
"Jeff Sessions said he wouldn’t allow politics to influence him only because
he doesn’t understand what is happening underneath his command position.
Highly conflicted Bob Mueller and his gang of 17 Angry Dems are having
a field day as real corruption goes untouched. No Collusion!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2018
".@LindseyGrahamSC
“Every President deserves an Attorney General they have confidence in.
I believe every President has a right to their Cabinet, these are not lifetime
appointments. You serve at the pleasure of the President.”
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2018"
Called obstruction of justice.
"Michaels
Cohen’s attorney clarified the record, saying his client does not know
if President Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting (out of which came
nothing!). The answer is that I did NOT know about the meeting. Just another
phony story by the Fake News Media!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2018"
More abject bullshit, distortion of reality, phony excuse making by our nazi fuhrer.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Democrats have contingency plans should Mueller be fired. NBC reports:
"It would start within minutes of special counsel Robert Mueller being fired — a torrent of activity ricocheting through the halls of Congress and over television airwaves, including nearly a thousand protests being prepped from the Virgin Islands to Alaska. Democrats have drafted a wide-ranging contingency plan should Mueller be fired or President Donald Trump take other steps to quash the Russia investigation, like firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein or pardoning key witnesses. Of top concern in the first 24 hours of such a move would be preventing Mueller’s documents from being destroyed and his team disbanded, according to interviews with nearly a dozen lawmakers, congressional aides, Democratic operatives and attorneys involved in the planning."
Wishful thinking?
"Almost immediately, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would consult with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, while Democrats would demand a floor vote on a bill retroactively protecting Mueller and protecting his materials. In both the Senate and House, rank-and-file Democrats would contact a list of sympathetic Republicans who have signaled privately that they’d be willing to act should Trump pull the trigger. "We’ve had a lot of conversations about how exactly and who and when and where," Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee, told NBC News. "There have been several moments when it seemed imminent." And in cities across the country, rallies would be hastily scheduled for 5 p.m., if Mueller is fired before 2 p.m. on any given day. If he’s fired in the late afternoon or evening, the protests would be set for noon the following day."
... Goes on and on, but you get the point, don't you? You don't?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Further fallout. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump’s real estate company authorized paying $420,000 to lawyer Michael Cohen in his effort to silence women during the presidential campaign and then relied on “sham” invoices from Cohen that concealed the nature of the payments, according to legal filings released Tuesday. The payments began flowing in February 2017, soon after Trump took office, when Cohen approached Trump Organization executives seeking to be reimbursed for “election-related” expenses, prosecutors said. That included a $130,000 payment Cohen had made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels so she would remain silent about an alleged affair with Trump, according to the court documents. Trump executives decided Cohen should be paid more than he sought — an additional $360,000 for expenses and other fees and taxes, plus a $60,000 bonus, prosecutors said. The involvement of Trump’s company in the hush-money payments has been previously reported, but Tuesday’s documents, released as part of Cohen’s plea deal with federal prosecutors, offered the most detailed accounting yet of the full scope of the payments and the machinations inside the president’s company over how they were made."
Think the noose isn't figuratively tightening?
Certainly, growing more convoluted. NBC reports:
"David Pecker, the publisher of the National Enquirer and longtime friend of President Donald Trump, has been granted immunity by federal prosecutors in their investigation into Michael Cohen, a person with knowledge of the matter told NBC News on Thursday. Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight counts of tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations, including two counts related to hush-money payments made to women that he said he made at the direction of Trump. American Media, which publishes the National Enquirer, was referenced in court papers, along with a $150,000 payment made to ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal, who alleges she had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago."
... What webs we weave. -- Think how much easier life would have been had you just kept it in your pants, Mr. 'President?' LOL.
"Court documents say that American Media paid McDougal for the rights to her story in an attempt to keep her alleged relationship with Trump secret ahead of the presidential election. The arrangement is known as "catch and kill" — American Media acquires the exclusive rights to the story but never publishes it. McDougal said she entered into the agreement with American Media shortly before the 2016 election that barred her from discussing the alleged affair; she has since sued American Media to void the agreement. The Wall Street Journal first reported the granting of immunity to Pecker. The paper also said Pecker met with prosecutors to discuss the involvement of Cohen and Trump in making the payment. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York declined to comment."
Think Trump isn't shitting?
"Pecker has a relationship with Trump dating back to the 1990s, according to The New Yorker. During the campaign, in March 2016, the Enquirer backed Trump for president — its first endorsement in its 90-year history. In June, The Washington Post reported that the Enquirer regularly sent stories to Trump for review prior to publication, which the supermarket tabloid has denied. Pecker also visited the White House last year and had a private dinner with the president, according to The New York Times."
Amazing how convoluted and incredibly intertwined this fiasco is becoming, isn't it?
NBC reports:
"In an interview with Fox News Thursday morning, President Donald Trump said the payments that his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted making to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal were not illegal. "They weren't campaign finance," he said. "They came from me," adding, "They didn't come out of the campaign." Does it matter that Trump paid the two women out of his own pocket, rather than using campaign funds? Yes, but it raises the possibility that he committed a campaign finance law violation — failure to report a campaign expense — that's different than the one to which Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court on Tuesday."
Riveting, isn't it?
"Both women have said they had sexual affairs with Trump, and both were paid while Trump was running for president. Prosecutors said the hush-money payments were essentially campaign contributions, because they were intended to suppress information that might have affected the outcome of the 2016 election. In the case of McDougal, Cohen pleaded guilty to encouraging American Media, publisher of the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer, to pay McDougal $150,000 to keep quiet. That violated two campaign-finance laws: one that makes it illegal for a corporation to give money directly to a campaign, and another that limits how much any individual can contribute. The Daniels case is different. If Trump had paid the money to her directly, that would not necessarily be illegal, if it had been accounted for correctly. A candidate can contribute any amount of money to his own campaign. But all such contributions have to be publicly reported as campaign expenditures, and the Daniels payment, which Trump clearly did not want disclosed, was not reported. Cohen made the payment, and when he sought reimbursement from Trump, he described it as payment for "legal fees." That would suggest that it was an attempt to disguise what the payment was for, which could be a further campaign violation. There are legal defenses available to both Trump and American Media. Trump could say the payment to Daniels was not to influence the campaign but was to save his marriage. American Media could say that as a news organization, it can make any arrangements it wants to publish or kill a story."
Think lawyers aren't going to have a field day?
Quotes above are courtesy of two most gifted, insightful writers, Pete Williams and Tom Winter.
CBS News reports:
"The first juror in Paul Manafort's trial to speak out says prosecutors almost got the 18 guilty verdicts they wanted. Paula Duncan told Fox News that one juror caused a mistrial on 10 of the charges against the president's former campaign chairman. In her interview, Duncan said she voted to convict him because the evidence was "overwhelming." She described a taxing and emotional deliberation process and said the discussions brought some jurors to tears. According to Duncan, she and her peers worked to convince the lone dissenting juror, but ultimately failed to prevent a split verdict Tuesday. "There was one holdout," Duncan said. "We laid it out in front of her again and again and she still said that she had a reasonable doubt." Manafort was found guilty on eight counts of committing various financial crimes not related to the campaign. The judge declared a mistrial on the ten other counts."
Here's where it gets most interesting:
"On Twitter, the president called the case a "witch hunt." For Duncan, the facts were clear. "The evidence was overwhelming. I did not want Paul Manafort to be guilty but he was and no one is above the law," Duncan said. Duncan, a self-described Trump supporter, says she does believe the trial was an attempt to flip Manafort against the president in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. She also claims at times the prosecution seemed uninterested in the proceedings. "I saw them napping during the trial….So it kind of sent a message of we're bored with this and I'm thinking, 'well if you're bored then why are we here?'" Duncan said. Still, she says the process was fair. "Did you feel like there were jurors who were either like yourself pro-President Trump or anti and that influenced their reasoning in any way?" Fox News' Shannon Bream asked Duncan who replied, "No, I don't."
NBC reports:
"Aboard Air Force One on Tuesday night, on his way to West Virginia for a political rally, President Donald Trump remained "calm" as Fox News reported on the felony convictions of his former campaign manager Paul Manafort and the guilty pleas of his former fixer Michael Cohen, according to one of multiple sources who discussed the president's state of mind with NBC News. A second source says the president joked with aides about how the media would erroneously report his anger about the convictions, and added that — while Trump is frustrated by special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe — he’s “resolved” and convinced the convictions won't change a media narrative that he believes is already against him."
Called the truth.
More of the same. Get this. NBC reports:
"President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted a "disproven racial myth" about the killing of white farmers in South Africa to distract from his own problems at home, the former U.S. ambassador to the country charged. Trump — making the claims after a segment on the issue on Fox News — said he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to study "land and farm seizures" and the "large scale killing of farmers" in South Africa — prompting an angry response from Pretoria accusing the president of stoking racial divisions.
"I
have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa
land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of
farmers. “South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.”
@TuckerCarlson @FoxNews
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2018"
Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, Mr. 'President?'
"The South African government said Trump's tweet was based on "false information" and reflected a "narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past." The government said it would seek clarification of Trump's remarks from the U.S. Embassy."
So what else is new?
NPR reports:
"President Trump said Wednesday that he only found out "later on" about payments his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen arranged before the 2016 election to try to silence two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump. However, Trump has been heard on a tape with Cohen discussing arranging payment to one of the women."
Surprised? How can you trust anything the liar claims?
NBC reports:
"When it comes to Michael Cohen’s claim that he was directed by an unnamed candidate in 2016 — Donald Trump — to make payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to influence the 2016 election, there’s something important to remember. Prosecutors say they have audio recordings, text messages and phone records about Cohen’s payments — and the intent behind them."
Think Trump and his henchmen aren't shitting?
NBC reports:
"The longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, was given immunity by federal prosecutors in New York during the course of the Michael Cohen investigation, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The news was first reported Friday by The Wall Street Journal. Weisselberg is "Executive 1" on page 17 of the criminal information filed by prosecutors in the Michael Cohen case, a person with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. According to prosecutors, Cohen, then Trump's attorney, sent an invoice to Executive 1, meaning Weisselberg, for "Payment for services rendered for the month of January and February, 2017," a payment that was really meant to reimburse Cohen for a payment to Stormy Daniels. Weisselberg then sent the invoice to another Trump Organization executive via e-mail directing him to "Please pay from the Trust. Post to legal expenses. Put 'retainer for the months of January and February 2017' in the description." A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York declined comment."
Imagine that. Story grows more convoluted:
"Weisselberg, 70, began working for the Trump Organization as an accountant in the 1970s, when President Donald Trump's father Fred ran the company. Weisselberg was also treasurer of The Donald J. Trump Foundation, the president's charitable organization, which has been sued by the New York attorney general for alleged violations of state law. Michael Cohen mentioned Weisselberg's name several times on a recorded phone conversation between Trump and Cohen about a payment to kill a story about Trump's alleged relationship with Playboy model Karen McDougal. The tape was seized during the FBI's April raid on Cohen's residence and office, and was released to the media by Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis."
The Washington Post reports:
"Allen Weisselberg, the chief financial officer for the Trump Organization, was one of the executives who helped arrange $420,000 in payments to longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen to help reimburse him for hush money he paid an adult-film star. Weisslberg was granted immunity by federal investigators in New York in exchange for his truthful testimony about his role in the payments, according to people familiar with the discussions. Weisselberg is the person identified in court filings as “Executive-1,” who prosecutors said helped authorize $420,000 in payments to Cohen, one person said. He testified before a grand jury investigating Cohen last month. In addition to being the longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Weisselberg is also one of two trustees of the trust that controls the president’s assets."
The following says it all. Courtesy of the Editorial Board of The Washington Post:
"Here is how a presidential president might have reacted:
“I was saddened by Mr. Cohen and Mr. Manafort’s wrongdoing. They are guilty of serious felonies. Their frauds reflect neither smarts nor savvy, but misshapen and dishonest characters. Ordinary Americans pay their taxes, tell the truth to their lenders and contribute to political campaigns within the boundaries of the law. There are no special exceptions for the rich and connected.
“These were men who occupied powerful posts in my campaign and my business. It is not an honor to me or a good day for the country when men of such position are confirmed to be criminals. But at least I and other Americans can take comfort in the fact that the justice system once again proved that no one is above the law.
“That includes your president. I am confident that I did nothing wrong, and Americans should have confidence that I have nothing to hide. That is why I look forward to telling special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and any other federal prosecutor involved in these cases everything I know. I will also release my tax returns and other information regarding my business activities before and during my presidency to show that I held myself to higher standards than Mr. Cohen and Mr. Manafort.
“I will not pretend this has been an easy time for me or my family, and I will defend myself against any allegation of wrongdoing, stemming from either the Cohen matter or the Russia probe. But the only way this ends well is through a full and fair airing of the facts. Large portions of the country would question the legitimacy of my presidency if it were not for the independence that the Justice Department’s leaders, whom I am proud to have nominated, have shown. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was right to recuse himself from matters involving the Russia investigation and anything relating to my 2016 campaign. He was too involved in that campaign to credibly oversee investigations touching it. Luckily, Mr. Sessions chose a solid second-in-command in Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, a fine career Justice Department lawyer. And Mr. Rosenstein could not have picked a more reputable special counsel to investigate Russia’s clear attack on our democracy in 2016 — and anyone who helped the Kremlin.
“I look forward to seeing Mr. Mueller’s conclusions and working with Congress to enact strong election security measures that respond to the Kremlin’s continuing assaults. The Senate has a good bill that would help coordinate federal and state security efforts, encourage voting machines with paper trails and press for solid post-election audits. The bill would be a good first step, and I want to sign it.
“Meantime, Americans should have patience as the Justice Department’s professionals complete their work. I have every confidence in our criminal-justice system, which has so long preserved the nation’s most important asset: the rule of law.”
Any other president, Democratic or Republican, would have responded as such.
Think Trump isn't suffering stress? NBC reports:
"Trump is showing signs of strain, but little evidence that he's developed a more sophisticated political strategy for dealing with his legal troubles. His commentary on Twitter and in a Fox News interview this week betrayed newfound levels of nervousness that match the profound nature of his predicament: The allegations against him, and evidence supporting them, are mounting rather than fading."
Doesn't your heart bleed?
"And he is behaving like a kingpin watching his lieutenants turn on him to save their own skins. Instead of praising the Justice Department for helping him drain the swamp of the likes of Cohen and Manafort, Trump has praised Manafort for having "refused to break"; he blamed Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not "taking control" of the agency; and his spokesman on legal matters, former federal prosecutor and mayor Rudy Giuliani, said it "almost ought to be illegal" for "flippers" like Cohen to get plea deals."
A Mafia don.
"Trump has remained calm behind the scenes, multiple sources told NBC News this week, but his hair-trigger Twitter attacks on people who appear to have put loyalty to the law or to themselves above loyalty to him — including Cohen, McGahn and Sessions — hardly suggest stoicism."
Think the fascist bastard isn't shitting?
"That has a tendency to keep the public focused on his fight with the nation's law enforcement apparatus, which may be an effective tactic for stirring up his base, but one that offers little hope of helping him claim new swing voters. His approval numbers with independents have been below 40 percent for all but one week this year, according to Gallup."
His situation is far more dire than that. The Mueller investigation is far from over. At some point, Republicans will finally understand they need to do something about the ongoing fiasco and abomination in the Oval Office. ... Or, Republicans will not be returned to office.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Sadly, not only rampant corruption, but cowardice runs deep in the Republican Party. The Washington Post reports:
"Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.) appeared to shift blame to his wife for charges that they used more than $250,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses, explaining in a television interview on Thursday night that she handled the family finances. Hunter, a former Marine, said that when he went to Iraq in 2003 he gave his wife, Margaret, power of attorney and that she continued to manage his money during his congressional career. “She was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did, that’ll be looked at too, I’m sure,” Hunter said during an appearance on Fox News. “But I didn’t do it,” Hunter told host Martha MacCallum. “I didn’t spend any money illegally.” Hunter and his wife were charged Tuesday in a 47-page indictment that details how they allegedly used campaign money to live beyond their means, funding trips to Italy, Hawaii and other places, as well as school tuition, dental work and theater tickets."
CBS News reports:
"Indicted Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter pointed to his also-indicted wife during an interview on Fox News Thursday, claiming "whatever she did, that'll be looked at, too." Hunter and his wife, Margaret, are accused of illegally using $250,000 in campaign funds for personal use. They pleaded not guilty in federal court in San Diego Thursday afternoon. Hunter blames "pure politics" and the "Democrats' arm of law enforcement" of the Justice Department for the charges against him. In the Fox interview, Hunter said his wife has long handled the finances, and worked as his campaign manager. "When I went away to Iraq in 2003, the first time, I gave her power of attorney," Hunter told Fox News. "She handled my finances throughout my entire military career and that continued on when I got into Congress. ... She was also the campaign manager so whatever she did, that'll be looked at too, I'm sure, but I didn't do it." California's Hunter is accused of improperly using campaign money between 2009 and 2016, on things like family vacations in Hawaii and Italy, school tuition and dental work. The DOJ also claims the Hunters used tens of thousands of campaign dollars on smaller items, such as video games and fast food runs."
No matter his guilt or innocence, think this guy isn't a gutless piece of crap?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Think intense pressure wasn't brought to bear? NPR reports:
"The U.S. Army has reinstated more than 30 recruits it had forcibly discharged from a program created to fill high-demand positions throughout the military in exchange for a fast track to citizenship, according to documents filed in federal court on Monday. Linden H. St. Clair, who serves as an adviser on matters relating to military accessions and retention to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, said in the documents that as of Aug. 17, 32 reservists had been brought back into active duty and another six, who had yet to enter training, have had their discharges revoked. The army is reviewing the cases of more than a hundred other immigrant enlistees who were abruptly rejected from the program earlier this summer — some after years of waiting in legal limbo to begin training."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
The injustice continues. Unabated. NPR reports:
"This summer, at the height of the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it needed more detention space. So the agency turned to federal prisons for help. In early June, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced it would send up to 1,600 immigrant detainees to five federal prisons in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Texas. Attorneys say such a large-scale use of federal prisons to house ICE detainees was unprecedented. Many of these detainees are seeking asylum. But the administration is now detaining many asylum seekers, rather than releasing them as they have in the past to await immigration court hearings. "These individuals ... haven't been charged with any crimes, but they are being incarcerated in a federal prison and treated as such," says Corene Kendrick, a staff attorney at the nonprofit Prison Law Office in Berkeley, Calif."
Raw nazism. In a country that's lost itself.
"Kendrick is working with the ACLU and represents immigrant detainees held at a prison in Victorville, Calif.. "There are different legal standards for people who are sent to prison as punishment versus individuals who are being detained civilly," she says. Many immigrants are also held in ICE detention centers around the country, but attorneys say that is not the same as prison. For one thing, immigration detention centers are typically less restrictive. In addition, there are usually immigration attorneys and judges on site in detention centers, so immigrants can get through the process faster. Some immigrants housed in prison were held three to a cell for up to 23 hours a day, according to court filings. Immigrant detainees also complain in lawsuits about the conditions in prison. Some say they were denied medical care. One immigrant attempted suicide."
Ongoing human rights violations in Nazi America.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Tariff fiasco intensifies. NPR reports:
"Last month, after the U.S. leveled tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese imports and after China retaliated in kind, Beijing described the escalating trans-Pacific antagonism as "the largest trade war in economic history." Now, both nations have upped the ante once again. In the early morning hours Thursday, the U.S. slapped long-promised tariffs of 25 percent on an additional 279 Chinese products, amounting to $16 billion. The levies were imposed over what the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative calls "China's unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of American technology and intellectual property." The tariffs target Chinese chemicals, semiconductors, plastics, motorcycles and railway cars. Beijing wasted no time responding — literally. At precisely 12:01 a.m. ET, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce released a statement vowing to "make the necessary counterattacks." And then it matched the Trump administration's move with tariffs on $16 billion worth of U.S. imports, ranging from diesel fuel and coal to medical instruments and cars."
Clearly, insanity rules the day.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
CEOs are not happy campers. CBS News reports:
"CEOs of some of the country's biggest companies are warning that President Donald Trump's immigration policies pose a threat to the economy and hurt American competitiveness. The executives are part of the Business Roundtable, a pro-business organization, and include some of the best-known corporate leaders in the U.S., such as Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Tim Cook of Apple and Ginni Rometty of IBM. In their letter to Kirstjen Nielsen, the secretary of Homeland Security, the executives outlined their concerns with what they decry as "arbitrary and inconsistent" immigration policies. "Inconsistent government action and uncertainty undermines economic growth and American competitiveness and creates anxiety for employees who follow the law," the executives wrote in the letter, which was delivered on Wednesday. "In many cases, these employees studied here and received degrees from U.S. universities, often in critical STEM fields."
Trump and his henchmen won't be confused with the truth.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Reality check. -- Where the rubber meets the road. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump on Friday called off a planned trip to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just days before the top diplomat was scheduled to arrive in the country for the next round of high-stakes nuclear talks, the first public sign of the president’s festering frustration over the stalled negotiations."
Hadn't the nazi assured the public the issue had indeed been resolved upon return from his summit with the North Korean dictator? LOL.
"In a surprise announcement on Twitter, Trump declared that he had instructed Pompeo, who was planning his fourth visit to Pyongyang, “not to go to North Korea, at this time” because there had not been “sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” The president left the door open for future talks, but he raised the stakes by blaming China for its lack of cooperation on the issue and appearing to tie the matter to the escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Government keeps lying. NPR reports:
"In court documents released this week, internal emails from the Department of Homeland Security show that federal officials tried to prove countries were becoming safer, even when that was not the case, in order to justify ending Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war or natural disasters."
Jackbooted liars. Trump's Fourth Reich.
"The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Trump administration in an attempt to restore protected status to immigrants from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador. Thousands from those four countries were given safe haven in the U.S. following crippling natural disasters and civil conflict, but earlier this year the Trump administration officially ended their protected status. As part of the case, which has a key hearing in front of a judge in San Francisco next month, lawyers for the ACLU and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network convinced the court to order the federal government to disclose communication between DHS officials and other federal agencies, including with officials at the Pentagon and the State Department. The messages reveal that DHS asked staffers to find "positive gems" about war-torn countries to justify sending more than 300,000 people back to their homelands. The internal back-and-forths also demonstrate more subtle ways DHS sought to downplay the severity of conditions in volatile countries, like using the word "challenges," instead of "disasters" in talking points to the public."
Jackbooted nazis. Traitors.
"That guidance raised alarms with seasoned State Department officials. For instance, DHS officials wrote that their review of the conflict in Sudan demonstrated that conditions have "sufficiently improved," and that the country, "no longer meets the statutory conditions for designation," since the armed conflict had dissipated. The problem with that conclusion? It is not accurate, according to an email career foreign service officer for Sudan Paul Sutphin wrote to DHS. He additionally worried that such a soft assessment of dire conditions could imperil Sudanese who have fled violence."
Raw nazism. By a 'president' who seems to be running a criminal operation, -- no more than an extension of Trump Inc..
"To ACLU lawyer Ahilan Arulanantham, who is representing five TPS recipients in the suit against the Trump administration, the emails show that DHS is more concerned with carrying out Trump's hardline stance on immigration than they with following the law."
Raw nazism. By a nazi fuhrer.
"They cut diplomats out of the decision-making process. They rewrote their reports, downplayed sometimes really horrific problems in countries and basically did everything they could to justify the result that the Trump administration wanted."
Traitors. Knowingly, willingly, determinedly, treasonously abrogated their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution and rule of law. Have traitorously become a law unto themselves.
"Those policy goals, in Arulanantham's view, are not just unconstitutional, which is what his suit claims, but also "motivated by racist, white supremacist agenda," since, Trump's goal is to "expel as many immigrants as possible" at any cost, he said. Despite the concerns raised by diplomats and other State Department officials about the justifications DHS was laying out, the Trump administration moved forward with ending the humanitarian program for countries federal officials said no longer deserve the protection."
Proud to be an American? Under a national socialist, nazi fuhrer.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Think Trump and his henchmen are not hopelessly delusional? Get this. CBS News reports:
"The Trump administration says their year-long effort to bring peace to Afghanistan by mobilizing regional support is working as planned even as civilian deaths skyrocket. "We have an unprecedented opportunity for peace now," said Army Gen. John Nicholson, the outgoing commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. Yet from January to July of this year there were 1,692 civilian deaths, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan. This is a record-high casualty rate for the Afghan civilian population, with a greater number of deaths than at any comparable period of time since record keeping began 10 years ago. The bloodshed did not end in July. Over the last month, the Afghan people have continued to be assaulted by terrorists: a Kabul school attack killed 40 students, the Taliban sought to take over the Afghan town of Ghazni leading to the death of more than 200 civilians, and at least 23 were killed in separate attacks on a mosque, government center and a center for midwives."
Where have we heard this before? -- Almost, forgot. Nine years of the Vietnam debacle. ... Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in Trump's universe. All ass backwards.
"The Trump administration has not announced an exit timeline for the 15,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Instead, they are following a "conditions-based strategy," which means they will not be leaving until they are sure that the Afghan government, and military, is able to stand by itself."
... Jog any memories of fifty years ago?
Think the Trump nazi isn't insane? Wake up. Get this:
"I'll do whatever I have to do. But I never respond to questions like that. Because, unlike previous administrations, I don't wanna talk about it. I want to win. I want to win at everything," Trump said when asked if he wanted to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan during an interview with CBS News Evening News Anchor Jeff Glor last month. "And that's what we're doing. And those are the things I'd like to talk about. We're winning at every front."
Hopelessly insane, delusional, narcissistic, out of control nazi fuhrer.
Consider the following:
"Yet the Taliban, which has never publicly voiced any support for the Afghan constitution, continues to seize territory and carry out violent attacks. It now controls more land than at any point since the 2002, when it was ousted from power. As a result, the U.S. and the Afghan government see drawing the Taliban to the table as a necessity in establishing a peaceful way forward for the war-ravaged country. To that end, the State Department has built up its team to work on reconciliation with the Taliban. Their ultimate goal is to get them to the table with the Afghan government. U.S. officials have been working to get Taliban members to that table, according to US government officials."
Sound familiar? Repeat of history. Forget? The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong did the same. Won the Vietnam War.
Most chillingly reminiscent of the Vietnam debacle? Get this:
"The U.S. strategy hinges on demonstrating a long term commitment to Afghanistan, defeating the Taliban militarily, and forcing it to the negotiating table. Yet the Taliban has been anything but defeated militarily," writes Bill Roggio in Long War Journal, a project of hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "Failing to defeat the Taliban, the U.S. government has signaled to the Taliban that it is desperate for a negotiated settlement and wants to end the Afghan war."
Trump and his henchmen are not doing the fighting and dying. Our military is. Any problem with any of this? None at all?
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
The judiciary is stepping up. CBS News reports:
"A federal judge has dealt a blow to President Donald Trump's effort to overhaul the U.S. bureaucracy. U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said in a ruling issued Saturday that key provisions of three executive orders that Mr. Trump signed in May that would have made it easier to fire government workers "undermine federal employees' right to bargain collectively" as protected by federal law. The judge said in her decision that "the President must be deemed to have exceeded his authority in issuing them." Organizations representing federal workers had sued over the executive orders and applauded the judge's ruling. Mr. Trump's executive orders covered federal employee collective bargaining rights, grievance procedures and official time use."
Good day for labor and unions. About time. Far more, however, needs to be done to rein in the Trump nazi and the corporate management suite.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Defection in protest. NPR reports:
"The federal official in charge of protecting student borrowers from predatory lending practices has stepped down. In a scathing resignation letter, Seth Frotman, who until now was the Student Loan Ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, says current leadership "has turned its back on young people and their financial futures." The letter was addressed to Mick Mulvaney, the bureau's acting director. In the letter, obtained by NPR, Frotman accuses Mulvaney and the Trump administration of undermining the CFPB and its ability to protect student borrowers. "Unfortunately, under your leadership, the Bureau has abandoned the very consumers it is tasked by Congress with protecting," it read. "Instead, you have used the Bureau to serve the wishes of the most powerful financial companies in America." The letter raises serious questions about the federal government's willingness to oversee the $1.5 trillion student loan industry and to protect student borrowers."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Think corruption doesn't run in the family? LOL. NPR reports:
"Kushner Cos. has been hit with $210,000 in fines by New York City regulators for filing false real estate paperwork over several years. President Trump's son-in-law — and current adviser — Jared Kushner was still at the helm of the real estate company as CEO when, the New York City Department of Buildings says, the company routinely falsified construction applications at 17 sites. The city's Building Department found the company frequently under-reported — and in some cases didn't report any — rent-regulated tenants living in its buildings, despite renting to hundreds of them. Developers are required to report the number of rent-controlled tenants they inherit when they buy properties and renovate them. The requirement is a safeguard to protect tenants from steep rental increases or from being driven out to make way for higher-paying tenants. On Monday, the city fined the Kushner family business for 42 violations at 12 addresses between January 2013 and September 2016."
Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit? Get this:
"But Christine Taylor, a spokeswoman for Kushner Cos., contradicted what the city's Building Department told NPR. "No fines were assessed against the company today," Taylor said in an email to NPR. She acknowledged that "there were some violations issued for paperwork errors" but said "the company relied on third party consultants for the preparation of these forms and if in error they have been corrected or will be." Despite denying the fines, she says that Kushner Cos. plans to present "the facts before an administrative law judge and until then no amount is due, if any."
Aryan arrogance. Rampant. -- Somebody's lying. Guess who?
"Also under scrutiny is an investment group led by Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen. The New York Times reported that Cohen's business allegedly submitted false construction permits for three Manhattan properties. In each instance, according to a report by the Housing Rights Initiative, the Cohen group reported buildings "were vacant or without rent-regulated tenants, when they were occupied and many of the tenants had rental protections."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Blatant deception. Can anyone in government tell the truth? NPR reports:
"This spring the U.S. Education Department reported that in the 2015-2016 school year, "nearly 240 schools ... reported at least 1 incident involving a school-related shooting." The number is far higher than most other estimates. But NPR reached out to every one of those schools repeatedly over the course of three months and found that more than two-thirds of these reported incidents never happened. Child Trends, a nonpartisan nonprofit research organization, assisted NPR in analyzing data from the government's Civil Rights Data Collection. We were able to confirm just 11 reported incidents, either directly with schools or through media reports. In 161 cases, schools or districts attested that no incident took place or couldn't confirm one. In at least four cases, we found, something did happen, but it didn't meet the government's parameters for a shooting. About a quarter of schools didn't respond to our inquiries."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Think the lunatic in the Oval Office isn't paranoid? The Washington Post reports:
"The Trump administration is “taking a look” at whether Google and its search engine should be regulated by the government, Larry Kudlow, President Trump’s economic adviser, said Tuesday outside the White House. “We’ll let you know,” Kudlow said. “We’re taking a look at it.” The announcement puts the search giant squarely in the White House’s crosshairs amid wider allegations against the tech industry that it systematically discriminates against conservatives on social media and other platforms. Kudlow’s remark to reporters came hours after Trump fired off a series of predawn tweets complaining about Google search results for “Trump News.”
"Google search results for “Trump News” shows only the viewing/reporting
of Fake New Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others,
so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative
& Fair Media is shut out. Illegal? 96% of...
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2018
....results
on “Trump News” are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous. Google
& others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information
and news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see.
This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2018"
The search engine quickly responded:
"Google, in a statement, said its searches aren’t politically biased: “When users type queries into the Google Search bar, our goal is to make sure they receive the most relevant answers in a matter of seconds. Search is not used to set a political agenda and we don’t bias our results toward any political ideology. “Every year, we issue hundreds of improvements to our algorithms to ensure they surface high-quality content in response to users’ queries,” Google said. “We continually work to improve Google Search and we never rank search results to manipulate political sentiment.”
Google tracks. Collects personal data. Start Page and Duck Duck Go don't.
What is Trump complaining about? Does he delusionally believe a lunatic, narcissistic, national socialist, fascist, nazi fuhrer is going to generate positive search results other than at Fox? LOL. Ferociously pointedly, who the hell is running the country when he's so busy tweeting and watching Fox? LOL.
"On Tuesday afternoon, Trump escalated his attacks on the tech industry in response to questions from reporters in the Oval Office, where the president was meeting with Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, soccer’s international governing body. “I think Google is really taking advantage of a lot of people,” Trump said. “And I think that’s a very serious thing, and it’s a very serious charge. … We have literally thousands and thousands of complaints coming in. And you just can’t do that. So I think that Google and Twitter and Facebook, they’re really treading on very, very troubled territory. And they have to be careful. It’s not fair to large portions of the population.”
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Bullying needs to end. So does bigotry against the LGBTQ community. If not, who's next? NBC reports:
"The mother of a 9-year-old boy said bullying he endured after coming out as gay led him to kill himself last week. Jamel Myles was a fourth-grade student at the Joe Shoemaker Elementary School in Denver. His mother, Leia Pierce, told The Denver Post that he came out as gay this summer and began wearing fake fingernails on Aug. 20, the first day of school. Pierce found her son’s body on Thursday, just three days after school had started, and tried to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the Swedish Medical Center, according to a report from the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner. The manner of death, according to the report, was suicide and did not involve a firearm."
None of this happens in a vacuum. None of it. Someone had to have known the bullying was going on.
"Pierce, who told both the Denver Post and NBC's local Denver affiliate that her son was bullied for being gay, took to Facebook to express her pain and plead for an end to bullying. “I lost a reason to breathe ... my heart, my sunshine, my son... he was being bullied and i didnt know. Not till it was to late.. i wish i knew everything so i could've stopped this... i shouldn't be having to bury my son he is only 9,” Pierce wrote in a public Facebook post on Aug. 24, a day after her son’s death. “I want justice for my son and the only way to get that is to touch people’s hearts and tell them if we love more it will be harder to hate,” Pierce wrote in another Facebook post. “I taught all my kids we are all the same and he treated people as equals because he was taught love.. so teach your kids love please.. stop bullying.”
School's response? Hollow, empty, meaningless rhetoric:
"A day after Jamel’s death, Christine Fleming, the school principal, sent a letter to parents expressing "extreme sadness" over this "unexpected loss for our school community." "Our thoughts are with the student’s family at this time," Fleming said. "We will continue to process this sad news as a school community.” Then on Monday, the district sent out a statement saying it is "deeply committed to ensuring that all members of the school community are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or transgender status." "It is critical that our students receive all the supports they need to learn and thrive in a safe and welcoming environment. Our formal policies and practices reflect this commitment to ensuring that our LGBTQ+ students can pursue their education with dignity — from policies and training to prevent and stop bullying to formal policies and guidance materials that fully respect gender identity (including use of preferred pronouns and restrooms)," the statement continued."
Jesus Christ. Empty, clueless rhetoric. Where's adult supervision, monitoring? On the playground, in the halls, in the classroom, in the restroom, lunchroom, library, throughout the campus, etc.?
"Jane Clementi, co-founder of the Tyler Clement Foundation, which works to end bullying in schools, workplaces and faith communities, spoke out against the pervasiveness and dangers of bullying and harassment. It is named after her son, Tyler, who was gay and killed himself in 2010 after enduring online bullying. “Over and over again we see that vicious harassment can and does result in death,” Clementi told NBC News. “It should not take the death of a child for us to do the right thing and treat every human being with respect, kindness and the dignity they deserve.”
Nowhere near good enough. The following is absolutely essential:
“All adults, but especially, teachers, coaches and school administrators, must take action to protect the safety of its students,” Clementi said. “The Tyler Clementi Foundation encourages all school districts to develop a plan to prevent bullying and stop this cruelty before it starts.”
Equally important? When discovered, offenders must be immediately removed from campus. Such offenses need to become a police matter.
"Clementi also said it is important for parents to “create a safe, encouraging and loving home environment for their children,” a space where they know they have “their parents' support to be who they were born to be, able to love who they were created to love.”
Should be able to go without saying, but clearly doesn't. Time to wake up. End the bigotry created by sick religion.
"Kristina Furia, the founder and executive director of both Emerge Wellness and Philadelphia LGBTQ Counseling, echoed Clementi’s advice to parents. “Children are most likely to thrive when they have the physical and emotional space to learn about who they are and when they are empowered by supportive adults to embrace their various, unique attributes and identities,” Furia said."
Sick, judgmental, fundamentalist religion stands in the way.
“It’s very difficult to say that parents or teachers should do X to ensure that more tragedies like this one don’t keep happening, because it isn’t about one thing that can be done or said when a child comes out to an adult,” Furia added. “Instead, it is about an ongoing environment of support and acceptance for the identity of every individual by both peers and adults.”
Last quote is empty rhetoric. Takes and requires the entire community to put an end to bullying and bigotry whenever and wherever it's found.
“I would also encourage faith communities to stop perpetuating the misguided teachings and traditions of basis, dogma and discrimination that devalues the human spirit and causes so much pain and despair,” Clementi said. “I believe that love does not harm, and it should not be used to make someone feel broken, less than or separated from God because of who God created them to love. This would have a huge impact on our LGBTQ+ youth.”
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8-31-18
Think things going swimmingly for the middle class? Wake up. CBS News reports:
"Four in 10 Americans are struggling to pay for their basic needs such as groceries or housing, a problem even middle-class households confront, according to a new study from the Urban Institute."
Couldn't be, could it? Doesn't the Trump nazi claim otherwise?
"Despite the U.S. economy being near full employment, 39.4 percent of adults between 18 and 64 years old said they experienced at least one type of material hardship in 2017, according to the study, which surveyed more than 7,500 adults about whether they had trouble paying for housing, utilities, food or health care. The findings surprised researchers at the Urban Institute, who had expected to find high levels of hardship among poor Americans but hadn't predicted so many middle-class families would also struggle to meet their basic needs. That may illustrate that a middle-class income "is no guarantee" of protection from hardship, said Michael Karpman, research associate at the Urban Institute's health Policy Center and a co-author of the report."
In fact, quite the opposite. Precisely, why the middle class has become an endangered species. Laissez-faire capitalism, winner-take-all, zero-sum.
"Against the backdrop of President Donald Trump's boasting about low unemployment and strong economic growth, the research adds nuance to the problems facing American families. Middle-class households tend to struggle with paying their health care bills rather than utilities, for instance. Health care costs have outpaced wages and inflation, pushing more Americans into high-deductible plans, which can backfire when serious health problems arise. "A lot of people are looking at the fact that wages aren't keeping up with household costs as one reason families are having difficulty making ends meet," Karpman said. "Even for families with health insurance, they may be facing high deductibles that leave them facing high costs."
... Hear the rumble?
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8-31-18
Truth? What's that? NBC reports:
"In a closed-door meeting with evangelical leaders Monday night, President Donald Trump repeated his debunked claim that he had gotten "rid of" a law forbidding churches and charitable organizations from endorsing political candidates, according to recorded excerpts reviewed by NBC News. In fact, the law remains on the books, after efforts to kill it in Congress last year failed. But Trump cited this alleged accomplishment as one in a series of gains he has made for his conservative Christian supporters, as he warned, "You're one election away from losing everything that you've got," and said their opponents were "violent people" who would overturn these gains "violently."
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8-31-18
A ruse. ABC News reports:
"A new study commissioned by Puerto Rico's government estimates that 2,975 people died in the months following Hurricane Maria's landfall in September of 2017. The findings call attention again to past comments made by President Trump, who commended his administration's response to Maria. According to the study from George Washington University's Milken School of Public Health, the island saw a significant increase in deaths compared to mortality patterns from 2010-2017. The official government death toll attributed to Hurricane Maria currently stands at 64, according to the Puerto Rico Department of Public Safety. Trump visited the island weeks after the hurricane hit and praised officials who said at the time that only 16 people had died from the storm."
The fuhrer didn't know what he was talking about:
"If you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here with, really, a storm that was just totally overpowering -- nobody has ever seen anything like this," Trump said. "Sixteen versus literally thousands of people. You can be very proud. Everybody around this table and everybody watching can really be very proud of what's taken place in Puerto Rico."
Uninformed idiot:
"Two weeks later, Trump was asked in the Oval Office how he would rate the administration's response to the storm on a scale of 1 to 10. "I’d say it was a 10," Trump said. "I’d say it was probably the most difficult when you talk about relief, when you talk about search, when you talk about all of the different levels, and even when you talk about lives saved."
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8-31-18
With no proof, no evidence, nothing at all, the Trump nazi is again talking out his ass. NPR reports:
"President Trump tweeted early Wednesday that China was behind a hack of Hillary Clinton's emails, in an apparent reference to an article published by the conservative Daily Caller website."
Jesus Christ. Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, Mr. 'President?' Got anything other than the word of a website? Anything of substance to prove your intelligence agencies wrong? Other than bullshit?
"China denied the allegation."
Where's the proof, Donny boy? Where?
"Hillary
Clinton’s Emails, many of which are Classified Information, got hacked
by China. Next move better be by the FBI & DOJ or, after all of their
other missteps (Comey, McCabe, Strzok, Page, Ohr, FISA, Dirty Dossier etc.),
their credibility will be forever gone!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2018"
Where's your evidence? Allegations are now fact in your achingly perverse, f--ked up universe?
"The article, by reporter Richard Pollack, cites two anonymous sources and says a Chinese-owned company based outside of Washington, D.C. "hacked Hillary Clinton's private server throughout her term as secretary of state and obtained nearly all her emails."
"Trump tweeted a few hours earlier in another apparent reference to the story.
"Report
just out: “China hacked Hillary Clinton’s private Email Server.” Are they
sure it wasn’t Russia (just kidding!)? What are the odds that the FBI and
DOJ are right on top of this? Actually, a very big story. Much classified
information!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2018"
Where's the proof? Where? Where's the substantiated evidence, Mr. 'President?' You're talking out your ass, sir. Allegations are not fact. Just unsubstantiated allegations. That desperate, sir?
"According to the report, the company served as a front group for the Chinese government. Computer code embedded in Clinton's email server, which was located at her house in upstate New York, copied "nearly all of her emails and forwarded them to the Chinese company," the website says."
Unsubstantiated allegations the increasingly desperate nazi in the Oval Office is embracing as truth.
"U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia was behind a campaign to influence the 2016 election and was responsible for the hacking of emails of the Democratic National Committee as well as Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta. The subject of the Daily Caller's article is separate from that hack."
So what? An unsubstantiated allegation is no more than that. An unproven allegation. Trump is treating it as fact. No problem with that? Did you approach our intelligence agencies, ask their response?
The Washington Post reports:
"In a July 2016 statement, Comey said the FBI “did not find direct evidence that Secretary Clinton’s personal e-mail domain, in its various configurations since 2009, was successfully hacked.” But, he added: “Given the nature of the system and of the actors potentially involved, we assess that we would be unlikely to see such direct evidence.” A 500-page Justice Department inspector general report on its investigation of Clinton’s email situation released in June made no mention of hacking of Clinton’s email by Chinese actors. Trump’s calls to investigate Clinton and others on “the other side,” as he put it in a recent tweet, have grown louder as the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election continues."
Concerted, intentional distraction to draw attention away from the Mueller investigation.
"Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is probing whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether Trump has sought to obstruct the investigation. Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said accusations about Chinese hacking were nothing new. “This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard this kind of accusation,” Hua told a daily news briefing. “China is a staunch defender of cybersecurity,” she added, without specifically mentioning Trump or Clinton. “We firmly oppose and crack down on any form of Internet attacks and the stealing of secrets. China advocates that the international community jointly respond to cybersecurity threats through dialogue and cooperation, on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit.”
Rings hollow, doesn't it?
The Washington Post reports:
"The FBI on Wednesday pushed back on an unfounded claim by President Trump that Hillary Clinton’s emails were hacked by China, saying it had found no evidence that the private servers she used while secretary of state had been compromised.
"Asked about the president’s assertions, the FBI provided a statement Wednesday afternoon that simply said: “The FBI has not found any evidence the servers were compromised.” An FBI spokesman declined to comment on Trump’s call for the bureau to make a “next move.” A spokesman for the Justice Department also declined to comment."
NBC reports:
"Sixteen hours after President Trump tweeted about a right-wing media story alleging that China hacked Hillary Clinton’s private email server, an FBI official is refuting the report in a comment to NBC News. "The FBI has not found any evidence the (Clinton) servers were compromised," the official said. It’s the latest example of the widening breach between a president who traffics in unverified news accounts and the law enforcement agencies he frequently maligns. The FBI official, speaking for the bureau, also pointed to a report issued in June by the Justice Department inspector general that examined the FBI’s investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server. In the report, the IG noted that while the FBI assessed that it was "possible" that hostile actors gained access to Clinton’s private email server, the bureau "acknowledged that the FBI investigation and its forensic analysis did not find evidence that Clinton’s email server systems were compromised." According to the IG report, an FBI forensics agent assigned to the case told investigators that, although he did not believe there was "any way of determining...100%" whether Clinton’s servers had been compromised, he felt "fairly confident that there wasn’t an intrusion." When asked whether a sophisticated foreign adversary was likely to be able to cover its tracks, he stated, "They could. Yeah. But I, I felt as if we coordinated with the right units at headquarters...for those specific adversaries.... And the information that was returned back to me was that there was no indication of a compromise."
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8-31-18
Trouble in paradise? CBS News reports:
"White House Counsel Don McGahn will be leaving his position in the fall, shortly after the confirmation (hopefully) of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. I have worked with Don for a long time and truly appreciate his service!" he tweeted. A source close to McGahn tells CBS News "he was surprised" by Mr. Trump's Twitter announcement and was not aware that the president had planned to send the tweet before it posted. While it was widely known within the White House that McGahn planned to leave after Kavanaugh's confirmation process concluded, McGahn had not discussed his plans directly with Mr. Trump, according to the source."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, seemed dismayed by the announcement. He tweeted to @realDonaldTrump, "I hope it's not true McGahn is leaving WhiteHouse Counsel. U can't let that happen." Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell said in a statement, "If the reporting is true about Don McGahn's time at the White House coming to an end later this year, it will be sad news for our country. "Don is the most impressive White House Counsel during my time in Washington, and I've known them all. His departure from the White House, whenever that may be, would be a big loss for the Trump Administration and the country."
Forget?
"McGahn most recently made headlines after a New York Times report revealed that the lawyer has been cooperating extensively with special counsel Robert Mueller's probe in the 2016 presidential election, namely if Mr. Trump had obstructed justice during the campaign."
What webs we weave.
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8-31-18
Continued deception. Continued delusion. CBS News reports:
"President Donald Trump is exaggerating the numbers when citing his overall job approval ratings. In a tweet Sunday, Trump boasted of poll numbers that showed 52 percent of all Americans approved of his performance in office, in spite of the "fake news media." No known poll exists showing such high ratings."
Surprised?
"TRUMP CLAIM: "Over 90% approval rating for your all time favorite (I hope) President within the Republican Party and 52% overall. This despite all of the made up stories by the Fake News Media trying endlessly to make me look as bad and evil as possible. Look at the real villains please!" — tweet Sunday.
"THE FACTS: He's wrong in regard to polls citing his overall job ratings. The Associated Press couldn't find any evidence of a recent poll that put Trump's approval at 52 percent, and the White House and his re-election campaign didn't immediately respond to requests for specifics."
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
8-31-18
Think the GOP hasn't gone nazi? The following? Appalling. NBC reports:
"Republican officials from 16 states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that a transgender woman who was fired after coming out to her boss was unlawfully discriminated against, and rule that federal civil rights law does not provide protections on the basis of gender identity."
In the tradition of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini.
"In March, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 in favor of Aimee Stephens, who was fired from a Detroit funeral home in 2013 after informing her employer that she was transgender and beginning her transition. The court ruled that Title VII protects transgender workers and that an employer’s religious beliefs cannot be used to justify discrimination. “The unrefuted facts show that the Funeral Home fired Stephens because she refused to abide by her employer’s stereotypical conception of her sex," Judge Karen Nelson Moore wrote for the court. Moore added that requiring the business owner, Thomas Rost, "to comply with Title VII's proscriptions on discrimination does not substantially burden his religious practice."
Republican nazis won't be confused with the facts:
"The 13 attorneys general and three governors, led by Nebraska Attorney General Douglas Peterson, said in an amicus brief filed late last week that Congress did not intend for workplace sex discrimination protections to extend to gender identity when it passed Title VII of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. “‘Sex’ under the plain terms of Title VII does not mean anything other than biological status,” the brief states, adding that unless Congress acts, the Constitution leaves it to the states "to determine which protections, or not, should flow to individuals based on gender identity.” “In rewriting Title VII to its own liking, rather than interpreting the statute based on its text, history, and purpose, the Sixth Circuit not only ignored the will of Congress, but bestowed upon itself (an unelected legislature of three) the power to rewrite congressional enactments in violation of the separation of powers,” the brief continues. “The role of the courts is to interpret the law, not to rewrite the law by adding a new, unintended meaning.”
Nazis in the Republican Party cannot seem to understand the United States Constitution was deliberately written by the Founders in a most ambiguous, inexplicit way to allow for future interpretation as time passes and circumstances change. A living, breathing document. Not so for national socialist Republicans who perceive reality in terms of black or white, no shades of gray, no brilliant hues of color.
"Harper Jean Tobin, director of policy for the National Center for Transgender Equality, called the states' brief "a political attack on the humanity of transgender people."
No question. The brief is written and backed by religious nazis who remain unsure of their own gender identity, and/or sexual preference.
"It ignores decades of law and the realities faced by transgender workers across this country,” Tobin said in a statement. “Ms. Stephens’ case is the textbook definition of sex discrimination, and court after court has already shown this to be true. All Americans deserve a fair shot at their jobs, and the desperation of officials from these 16 states to legalize discrimination is despicable.”
It's called nazism. Readers are reminded Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini falsely claimed to be Christians. They weren't. Neither are the Republican nazis, national socialists, fascists backing the above brief. The Head Honcho of their religion, had he walked the earth today, would have condemned the self-righteous hypocrisy of these nazi bastards. Today, the LGBTQ community. Tomorrow, who's next? Wake up. No more than raw nazism.
"A recent report from the Williams Institute, a think tank at UCLA School of Law, estimates the 16 states represented in the brief have a combined population of more than 331,000 transgender adults — a quarter of the estimated 1.4 million transgender adults across the U.S. Twenty states and the District of Columbia currently have laws explicitly prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ think tank. These states include Maine and Utah, which are represented in last week’s brief. The Supreme Court is expected to decide in the coming months whether to take on a case involving whether Title VII’s sex discrimination protections extend to LGBTQ employees. The issue has already come before several federal appeals courts in the past two years, with most ruling in favor of LGBTQ employees, and has divided government agencies — notably the Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission."
With a Republican nazi U.S. Supreme Court, the future is not bright. Life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties remain in jeopardy. Dire jeopardy. The worst is yet to come. Wake up.
"In addition to Nebraska, the brief was signed by Republican officials from Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming."
Texas has again disgraced itself. Nazism rules.
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8-31-18
Racism remains alive and well in the Republican Party. Don't think so? Wake up. NBC reports:
"Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor in Florida, faced a backlash on Wednesday for saying in a television interview that his state should not "monkey this up" by electing his Democratic rival Andrew Gillum, who is African-American. DeSantis made the comment in an interview on Fox News when speaking about Gillum, a progressive who won his party's nomination in an upset on Tuesday night. "You know, he is an articulate spokesman for those far-left views and he's a charismatic candidate," DeSantis said. "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state. That is not going to work. That's not going to be good for Florida."
Racism and nazism are not good for any state. Not sustainable. Hear the rumble? An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming.
"Terrie Rizzo, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, said, "It's disgusting that Ron DeSantis is launching his general election campaign with racist dog whistles."
Par for the course. What do Democrats have to offer other than empty rhetoric in response?
"Gillum, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and George Soros, is vying to become the state's first black governor. DeSantis, who represents the state's 7th Congressional District, was endorsed by President Donald Trump. Historians have noted that using "monkey" and "ape" when referring to African-Americans has racist origins, but a spokesperson for DeSantis told NBC News that his remarks had nothing to do with race."
Horse shit.
"DeSantis communications director said: "Ron DeSantis was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace the socialist policies that Andrew Gillum espouses. To characterize it as anything else is absurd. Florida's economy has been on the move for the last eight years, and the last thing we need is a far-left democrat trying to stop our success."
What success? Imposition of national socialism?
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8-31-18
Trump increasingly out of control. The Washington Post reports:
"On paper, he’s a devoted U.S. citizen. His official American birth certificate shows he was delivered by a midwife in Brownsville, at the southern tip of Texas. He spent his life wearing American uniforms: three years as a private in the Army, then as a cadet in the Border Patrol and now as a state prison guard. But when Juan, 40, applied to renew his U.S. passport this year, the government’s response floored him. In a letter, the State Department said it didn’t believe he was an American citizen. As he would later learn, Juan is one of a growing number of people whose official birth records show they were born in the United States but who are now being denied passports — their citizenship suddenly thrown into question. The Trump administration is accusing hundreds, and possibly thousands, of Hispanics along the border of using fraudulent birth certificates since they were babies, and it is undertaking a widespread crackdown."
Get this:
"In some cases, passport applicants with official U.S. birth certificates are being jailed in immigration detention centers and entered into deportation proceedings. In others, they are stuck in Mexico, their passports suddenly revoked when they tried to reenter the United States. As the Trump administration attempts to reduce both legal and illegal immigration, the government’s treatment of passport applicants in South Texas shows how U.S. citizens are increasingly being swept up by immigration enforcement agencies."
More on this as the story develops.
Cowardly fail to financially and/or materially support those fighting for all civil and constitutional rights and liberties at great personal cost and risk? Get what you truly deserve.
Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril