11-8-19
ISIS names successor to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. NPR reports:
"The Islamic State Thursday confirmed the death of its founder and leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and announced a successor. The propaganda arm of ISIS also confirmed the death of another top ISIS official, its former spokesman. In an audio message released through its central media operation, the group's new spokesman announced that Baghdadi's successor is a man named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi. He is a figure largely unknown outside of ISIS circles and is hailed in the message as "Emir of the Believers" and "Caliph" of the group's alleged caliphate. In the announcement, both Baghdadi and former ISIS spokesman Abu al-Hassan al-Muhajir were praised as "martyrs."
Perverse, isn't it?
"The ISIS announcement came four days after President Trump told a nationally televised news conference that U.S. forces brought "the world's No. 1 terrorist leader to justice." It also came less than 24 hours after the head of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie Jr., released video from the raid in northwestern Syria that resulted in the death of Baghdadi and five other ISIS fighters. McKenzie offered fresh details on the operation against Baghdadi, and warned that U.S. officials are bracing for "some form of retribution attack." "We're under no illusions that [ISIS is] going to go away just because we killed Baghdadi," McKenzie told reporters at a Wednesday briefing."
Does Trump fully understand that, General? Or, is he still cluelessly entertaining delusions of grandeur? ... Moreover, anything to draw public attention from the impeachment inquiry. -- As the walls close in, posing an exigent threat to his presidency.
"The U.S.-only assault force was transported for about an hour by helicopter from a staging base in Syria to Idlib province, he said, roughly 4 miles from the border with Turkey. ISIS fighters, who McKenzie said "demonstrated hostile intent against U.S. forces," were eliminated by two airstrikes from supporting U.S. helicopters. From there, the U.S. forces surrounded Baghdadi's compound, urging those inside to exit. Those who did included 11 children, McKenzie said. Once the assault was completed, U.S. forces retrieved documents and electronics from the compound, which he described as "substantial." After departing, the military destroyed the compound in a precision strike to "ensure that it would not be a shrine or otherwise memorable in any way" McKenzie said, adding, "It looks pretty much like a parking lot with large potholes right now." In all, he said, six ISIS fighters died inside the compound, four women and two men, including Baghdadi."
Baghdadi's fight to the end didn't quite match Trump's rendition as will become abundantly clear:
"McKenzie reiterated Trump's recounting of the raid from Sunday, in which Baghdadi detonated a suicide vest, which collapsed the tunnel he retreated into. McKenzie said Baghdadi also killed two young children with him in the tunnel. Officials believe they were both "under 12." Originally, officials said three children had been killed with Baghdadi."
Here's where the details differ:
"McKenzie also said Baghdadi may have shot at oncoming U.S. forces before detonating his suicide vest. "We believe that Baghdadi may have actually fired from his hole in his last moments," McKenzie said. McKenzie said he could not corroborate President Trump's description of Baghdadi "whimpering and crying" as he fled in the tunnel. "I'm not able to confirm anything else about his last seconds," McKenzie said, adding, "I just can't confirm that one way or another."
Fascinating, isn't it? Did you bother to ask those who executed the raid, General?
"McKenzie said the Defense Intelligence Agency was able to confirm identification of Baghdadi "beyond a shadow of a doubt." Using DNA samples retrieved from the tunnel and comparing them with samples taken when the ISIS leader was detained at Iraq's Camp Bucca prison in 2004 "produced a level of certainty that the remains belong to Baghdadi 1 in 104 septillion," said McKenzie."
Good you got him, General. Still no more than a Band Aid on an arterial wound. What about the approximately 2,000 ISIS fighters the Kurds were guarding before our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, turned tail and abandoned our allies?
"More details also emerged about the Belgian Malinois dog injured in the raid. He is a four-year veteran of the Special Operations Command and has participated in nearly 50 combat missions. The dog was injured by live electrical cables inside the tunnel after Baghdadi blew himself up, Pentagon officials said. He's been returned to duty. According to a tweet from President Trump on Thursday, the dog, named Conan, "will be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week!"
"Thank
you Daily Wire. Very cute recreation, but the “live” version of Conan will
be leaving the Middle East for the White House sometime next week! https://t.co/Z1UfhxsSpT
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2019"
For a photo opportunity. Moreover, to distract attention from the impeachment inquiry. ... As the walls close 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.
11-8-19
An idiot and his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. NBC News reports:
"Less than a month after he was named President Donald Trump’s cybersecurity adviser in 2017, Rudy Giuliani walked into an Apple store in downtown San Francisco. He wasn’t looking for a new gadget. Giuliani was looking for help."
Jesus Christ. Isn't he supposed to be a 'cybersecurity adviser' to the Trump nazi? LOL.
"He was locked out of his iPhone because he had forgotten the passcode and entered the wrong one at least 10 times, according to two people familiar with the matter and a photo of an internal Apple store memo obtained by NBC News."
An idiot. Yet, a 'cybersecurity adviser to another idiot. Two peas in a pod.
“Very sloppy,” said one of the people, a former Apple store employee who was there on the day that Giuliani stopped by in February 2017. “Trump had just named him as an informal adviser on cybersecurity and here, he couldn’t even master the fundamentals of securing your own device.” A forgotten password is among the most common missteps in the digital age. But Giuliani’s handling of the situation calls into question his understanding of basic security measures and raises the prospect that, as someone in the president's inner circle, his electronic devices are especially vulnerable to hackers, two former FBI cyber experts told NBC News."
Couldn't be, could it? Clearly, an idiot. Clueless.
“There’s no way he should be going to a commercial location to ask for that assistance,” said E.J. Hilbert, a former FBI agent for cybercrime and terrorism. Michael Anaya, a former FBI supervisory special agent who led a cyber squad for four years, reacted with astonishment when told about Giuliani’s Apple store visit. “That’s crazy,” he said. Anaya said someone in Giuliani’s position should never allow a person he didn’t know to access his device."
Good advice. Across the board. Not just for clueless assholes like Rudy, however.
“You’re trusting that person in the store not to look at other information that is beyond what you’re there to get assistance for,” said Anaya, who now works as the head of global investigations for the DEVCON cybersecurity firm. "That’s a lot of trust you’re putting into an individual that you don’t know.” Anaya said protocols should be in place so White House staffers, not random Apple store employees, are the ones who help Giuliani deal with any technical issues related to his phone."
Why didn't the White House advise him of that? ... Or, had it already done so?
“It’s unnerving to think that this individual has access to the most powerful person in the world and that sensitive communications could be disclosed to people who should not have access to them,” Anaya said. The previously undisclosed episode adds a new chapter to the chronicles of Giuliani’s tech follies. NBC News reported last week that Giuliani twice butt-dialed one of its reporters, leaving long voicemail messages in which he is heard discussing the Bidens, business in Bahrain and his need for cash. Both of the accidental calls were made in the hours after Giuliani had spoken with the reporter."
Rudy? Need to wake up:
"In the first voicemail message left on Sept. 28, Giuliani can be heard bashing Joe Biden and his son Hunter, as well as recounting his effort to push Ukraine to launch an investigation into the Bidens. The second recording, left on Oct. 16, captured Giuliani talking to an unidentified man about Bahrain. “The problem is we need some money,” Giuliani says in the voicemail message. “We need a few hundred thousand.”
... Don't we all? LOL.
"Giuliani’s effort to push Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden has made him a key figure in the impeachment inquiry playing out in Washington. Despite being the president's personal lawyer, Giuliani is not a White House employee and has said he doesn't have security clearance. Spurred by the recordings, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., a presidential candidate, is planning to send a letter to the State Department inspector general Thursday demanding an expanded investigation into Giuliani’s overseas activities, Harris’s office told NBC News. Harris noted in a draft of the letter that Giuliani was “recently overheard discussing suspicious financial arrangements in Bahrain and Turkey.” “These reports raise a number of serious concerns, especially given allegations that Mr. Giuliani is running a ‘shadow foreign policy,’” Harris added in the draft letter, obtained by NBC News."
Walls certainly closing 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.
11-8-19
The walls are indeed closing in. The Washington Post reports:
"Tim Morrison, the top Russia and Europe adviser on President Trump’s National Security Council, on Thursday corroborated the testimony of a senior U.S. diplomat who last week offered House impeachment investigators the most detailed account to date for how Trump tried to use his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden, according to people familiar with his deposition. Morrison told impeachment investigators that the account offered by William B. Taylor Jr., the acting ambassador to Ukraine, is accurate. He said that he alerted Taylor to a push by Trump and his deputies to withhold both security aid and a White House visit for the Ukrainian president until Ukraine agreed to investigate the Bidens and interference in the 2016 presidential election, said one person, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions."
NPR reports:
"A federal judge on Thursday fired skeptical questions at lawyers for the Trump administration who argued that current and former senior White House aides have "absolute immunity" from being questioned by House impeachment investigators. The hearing, before U.S. District Judge Ketanji Jackson in Washington, was the first time Trump lawyers tested in open court their attempt to block White House aides from cooperating with the impeachment inquiry into the president."
The judge wasn't buying it:
"Jackson at times struggled with the Trump administration's argument that former White House counsel Don McGahn does not have to comply with a subpoena filed by House Democrats for him to sit for testimony related to conversations he was party to that could implicate Trump in possible articles of impeachment for obstruction of justice."
The Constitution is clear. Congress has the constitutional mandate to act as check and balance to the Executive.
"So what does the separation of powers mean to you then?" Jackson asked Trump administration lawyers. "How can the legislature actively exert its oversight power unless it has the ability to exercise its investigative powers?" James Burnham, a lawyer with the Justice Department, responded that applying "absolute immunity" to current and former aides close to the Oval Office is "not an exotic thing that we just cooked up." Burnham said it has been the legal position of the White House for decades so that information covered by executive privilege will not be exposed."
That's convenient self-serving horse shit. Outrageously f--ked up. Forget? Nearly fifty years ago Nixon was forced by the judiciary to release the Watergate tapes. Led to his resignation.
"Jackson sounded incredulous at this line of argument, noting the difficulty in enforcing it given the number of White House aides who have cycled through the Trump administration. The judge said Trump does not invoke that concern when former White House staff appear on cable news. "For some reason, the president doesn't own it when former officials appear on MSNBC," Jackson said."
No kidding. LOL.
"House attorney Doug Letter, who previously spent decades working in the Department of Justice, said the Trump administration "made up" the concept that all senior Trump aides have an absolute shield from any kind of testimony. "This is what they wish the law were. It is not what the law is," Letter said."
Certainly, not in the Constitution which rules as the supreme law of the land.
"He said it may be the current position of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, but those opinions change with administrations and sometimes conflicting opinions exist at once. More importantly, Letter said, a Justice Department legal opinion should not persuade a federal court. "It's interesting like a law review article is interesting, but it's not binding on you or Congress," Letter said to the judge."
That's right. No question.
"In August, months before the current impeachment inquiry was officially launched, McGahn was subpoenaed to sit for questions related to his role in the Mueller report on interference in the 2016 election. McGahn told Mueller investigators that Trump had pushed him to fire Mueller and then create a paper trail to cover it up. McGahn never acted on Trump's wishes, but the House saw the interactions as possible acts of obstruction of justice."
They are. By definition.
"Even now, though, with the impeachment inquiry focused on a July 25 call between Trump and the president of Ukraine, House leadership says findings in the Mueller report, including McGahn's possible testimony of Trump obstruction, could cause additional articles of impeachment."
There are ten examples of obstruction of justice in the Mueller Report. Mueller failed to prosecute because the DOJ ruled a sitting president can't be indicted. Forget? In a democratic republic no one is above the law. No one.
"Democrats filed a lawsuit to force McGahn to comply with the subpoena. Justice Department lawyers said the dispute does not belong in the courts at all. Burnham said that when the judiciary gets in the middle of a fight between two political branches of government, faith in the courts is undermined. Jackson balked. "How will they resolve it on their own then, sending the sergeant-at-arms to arrest Mr. McGahn?" she asked. "I thought that is what the court's role was," Jackson said. "To decide what the law is."
That's right. As intended by the Founders in the Constitution.
"The outcome of the McGahn lawsuit has implication for other potential witnesses in the impeachment inquiry, which is now probing whether Trump abused his office by making hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance contingent on Ukraine opening an investigation that would help Trump's 2020 reelection bid. On Thursday, the House formally passed a measure approving the inquiry. Jackson said she plans to rule in the coming weeks."
What are you waiting for? Why all the delay? Why all the foot-dragging within the Judiciary? Why the snail's pace?
Another former top White House aide, Charles Kupperman, had a hearing on Thursday centered on a nearly identical issue just down the hall from the courtroom drama in the McGahn case. Kupperman, once the deputy to former national security adviser John Bolton, is also being summoned by House impeachment investigators but has not appeared. Lawyers for Kupperman filed a lawsuit seeking to clarify whether he must show up for questioning. Charles Cooper, a Kupperman lawyer, said the House subpoena and order from the White House to ignore it places his client in a difficult position. "It's a classic Catch-22 here," Cooper said. "And my guy is caught in the middle of it." But Todd Tatelman, a lawyer for the House of Representatives, was not buying Kupperman's supposed plight, saying the suit "serves no other purpose than to attempt to delay the impeachment inquiry," adding that it is tantamount to "a miscarriage of justice."
Time to get a move on:
"U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon set Dec. 10 as the date for oral arguments in the Kupperman case. He rejected a request from the Justice Department to allow more time to prepare, mentioning that the issues involved are urgent and need to be resolved quickly. "Roll your sleeves up," Leon told the Justice Department lawyers. "And get the job done."
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.
11-8-19
Republicans beginning to wake up on Trump quid pro quo. The Washington Post reports:
"A growing number of Senate Republicans are ready to acknowledge that President Trump used U.S. military aid as leverage to force Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his family as the president repeatedly denies a quid pro quo."
Last few weeks have certainly been a reality check for the national socialist, fascist element in the Republican Party. Should they not rein in their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, Trump will drag the party down with him. Status quo, not sustainable.
While Democrats are not worth a crap for totally different reasons, at least they've finally found some modicum of courage. Are beginning to hold the fascist bastard's feet to the fire, -- so to speak. About time. Finally, placing principle ahead of partisan interests.
Time for wayward Republicans to finally do the same. Wake up and smell the coffee. Sadly, still haven't:
"In this shift in strategy to defend Trump, these Republicans are insisting that the president’s action was not illegal and does not rise to the level of an impeachable offense as the Democratic-led House moves forward with the open phase of its probe."
Rabid insanity. Law is clear. Trump sought foreign assistance from the Ukranians to interfere in a U.S. presidential election. That is, to dig up dirt on the Democratic front runner in return for $400 billion in military assistance and a meeting with Trump in the Oval Office.
A quid pro quo no matter how many times the bastard, his henchmen, and sick sycophants deny it. -- Despite the fact all allegations to date against Biden and his son have long since been debunked. Frightening, isn't it? Truth no longer matters to the nazi element.
"But the shift among Senate Republicans could complicate the message coming from Trump as he furiously fights the claim that he had withheld U.S. aid from Ukraine to pressure it to dig up dirt on a political rival, even as an increasing number of Republicans wonder how long they can continue to argue that no quid pro quo was at play in the matter."
Certainly, a growing problem for Republicans. Making them look like fools. The public is beginning to wake up. As the impeachment inquiry continues, Democrats will certainly lay out crime after crime after crime after crime for all to see.
Far more than just the Ukranian fiasco. Mueller, himself, in his Report laid out ten examples of obstruction. There are an increasing number of examples of corruption within his business empire, as well, beginning to see the light of day as the impeachment inquiry continues.
"The pivot was the main topic during a private Senate GOP lunch on Wednesday, according to multiple people familiar with the session who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the meeting. Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.) argued that there may have been a quid pro quo but said that the U.S. government often attaches conditions to foreign aid and that nothing was amiss in Trump’s doing so in the case of aid to Ukraine, these individuals said."
That's delusional. Time for Republicans to finally wake up: a big, big difference, an enormous difference between the U.S. government placing conditions on foreign aid in the best interests of the United States as indeed quite proper, -- and what the Trump nazi, in fact, did.
That is, the fascist bastard perniciously placed conditions on this aid for his own political best interests. To defeat the Democratic front runner in the next election. Clearly, against federal law. Don't have to be an attorney to understand that.
Republicans, sadly, remain blind to reality. Impervious to truth. Indifferent to principle. Continue to make excuses for the president's criminal activity, parse the truth, distort reality for narrow partisan interests:
"Inside the lunch, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), who ran against Trump in 2016, said a quid pro quo is not illegal unless there is “corrupt intent” and echoed Kennedy’s argument that such conditions are a tool of foreign policy."
Conveniently, ignores the fact the allegations against Biden and his son were debunked quite some time back. Moreover? Desperate Republican efforts to justify Trump's blatant criminal attempt to have Ukraine interfere in an American election ring hollow. For all to see. Certainly, make Republicans look like fools, dolts, led by their corrupt and abusive fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
“To me, this entire issue is gonna come down to, why did the president ask for an investigation,” Kennedy, who worked as a lawyer, said in an interview. “To me, it all turns on intent, motive. ... Did the president have a culpable state of mind? … Based on the evidence that I see, that I’ve been allowed to see, the president does not have a culpable state of mind.”
Disingenuous parsing of language is indeed the province of shyster lawyers and corrupt, abusive politicians. Remove your head from your ass, Senator. Aggressive stupidity is unbecoming. Highly indicative of the current Republican mindset. Republicans will pay dearly for this. ... Not that Democrats don't have equally formidable problems.
Here's the ongoing, seemingly interminable issue faced by increasingly clueless Republicans:
"The discussion underscores the dilemma for congressional Republicans as a cadre of current and former Trump administration officials paint a consistent picture of a president willing to use foreign policy to undercut a potential domestic political adversary. On Thursday, Trump appointee and longtime Republican aide-turned-National Security Council adviser Tim Morrison became the latest official to testify that nearly $400 million of congressionally appropriated military aid for Ukraine was frozen to increase pressure on President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Biden, a 2020 presidential contender."
The truth is increasingly undeniable as Democrats continue to present official after official after official willing to tell and confirm the truth during the impeachment inquiry.
"And with the House Democrats voting Thursday to open the closed-door impeachment investigation, undermining the GOP’s complaints about a secretive process, Republicans are frantically seeking a new strategy and talking points to defend the president."
The shit is indeed hitting the fan. Time for Republicans to cut their losses.
"Meanwhile, the president has frustrated Senate Republicans by seeming to change his messaging strategy every day rather than present a coherent defense of his actions, said multiple Senate GOP officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment frankly."
Highly indicative of Trump's egregious unfitness for office. He's tearing our formerly great country down. Been doing so since taking office. Yet, Republicans continue to defend the indefensible. ... As Democrats have finally found some modicum of courage to expose this abomination for whom and what he is.
"On Thursday, Trump told the Washington Examiner that he wanted to do a series of “fireside chats” — as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously did during the Great Depression and the early part of World War II — to defend himself. He said he perhaps would read aloud the transcript of the July 25 telephone call in which he asked Zelensky to do him a “favor.”
Trump is no Roosevelt. Not only that, it is clear through congressional testimony key words and phrases were eliminated from the telephone transcript. Moreover, extremely difficult to believe a verbatim recording of the call was not made.
"The willingness of some Senate Republicans to acknowledge a quid pro quo while dismissing the offense comes just two weeks after acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney had to walk back a similar assertion. Mulvaney argued in a long-winded news conference on Oct. 17 that quid pro quos are a common feature of foreign policy and that the media should “get over it.”
Republicans within this regime are achingly inept. It is stupid, to say nothing of criminal, for these gutless bastards to continue covering for and making excuses for Mr. Trump.
"Congressional Republicans balked, forcing Mulvaney to retreat."
Called aggressive stupidity, that is, the determination to be cluelessly stupid, not be confused by the truth no matter the cost.
"Indeed, a strategy that includes acknowledging a particular kind of reciprocity with a foreign government would almost certainly unnerve moderate Republicans such as Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), who faces reelection next year in a Democratic-leaning state and has said it was “completely inappropriate” for Trump to invite China to investigate Joe Biden, which the president did after the Ukraine controversy began. Collins has repeatedly declined to comment on Ukraine, arguing that she probably would be a juror in a Senate trial of the president."
Needs to stand tall. Do what she can to wake up her colleagues.
"One senior Republican aide cautioned that acknowledging a quid pro quo is unlikely as a strategy for the Senate GOP, even if some conservatives like the idea."
They'll certainly wind up paying at the polls as the public continues to wake up to the disaster currently occupying the Oval Office. -- The tremendous amount of damage done as Republicans continue to mindlessly defend the indefensible.
"Such a step would also undercut Trump’s central talking point on impeachment — and would clash with House Republicans’ strategy. Trump’s Capitol Hill allies and Republican leaders, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (La.), are sticking with Trump’s line that there was no proposed trade-off with Ukraine."
No end to the stupidity. No end to the cluelessness. Where did we lose ourselves? Both major political parties.
“You can’t have been in [the impeachment depositions] with 10 different witnesses and come out with any credible belief that there was a quid pro quo for aid. … It’s just not accurate,” said top Trump ally Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) “I’ve heard people say, ‘Well even if he did it, it’s fine.’ The problem with that is: I know that he didn’t do it.”
Sadly, you're an idiot, Congressman. Can't, won't be confused by the truth. As Trump, remains egregiously unfit for office. Think the public won't wake up? Hold you accountable?
"In the Senate, however, some Republicans aren’t as confident and have expressed concerns about the endless drip of embarrassing headlines from daily witness testimony that the U.S. aid and a White House visit for Zelensky hinged on the Biden probe."
Will certainly change exponentially as more and more is disclosed, sees the light of day. Losing proposition for Republicans.
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.
11-8-19
Fuel to the fire. The Washington Post reports:
"Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union, acknowledged telling one of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s advisers that resumption of U.S. aid was tied to an anti-corruption pledge sought by Trump. The acknowledgment in a deposition released Tuesday was a reversal from his earlier testimony. It puts Sondland in the middle of what national security officials saw as an attempt by the White House to leverage nearly $400 million in security assistance for investigations that could benefit President Trump politically."
NBC News reports:
"U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland told House impeachment investigators this week that he now remembers telling a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that Ukraine would not receive U.S. military assistance until it committed to investigating the 2016 election and former Vice President Joe Biden, according to a person with knowledge of Sondland's testimony."
How about that? Convenient, isn't it? Especially, since subsequent witnesses contradicted his earlier testimony.
"Sondland's latest testimony — stated in a three-page declaration to the House committees leading the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump — represents an update to the testimony he gave in October and contains significant new details. That includes a fuller accounting of the role he played in personally telling the Ukrainians they needed to cooperate with the demands of Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, if they wanted the aid money. According to the new sworn declaration, Sondland told Congress that his memory was refreshed after reviewing the opening statements given to Congress by Bill Taylor, the acting ambassador to Ukraine, and Tim Morrison, a former adviser to Trump on Russian and European affairs."
Who'd 'a 'thunk' it? LOL. Finally, seen the light:
"Sondland said that by the beginning of September, he “presumed that the aid suspension had become linked to the proposed anti-corruption statement.” Sondland said he also now remembered a Sept. 1 conversation with Andriy Yermak, a top Zelenskiy adviser, in Warsaw in which he told Yermak that “the resumption of U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks.” He also said that soon after that he “came to understand” the statement would have to come from Zelenskiy himself. He claims he doesn't remember how he learned that but it may have come from Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani or Kurt Volker, then-U.S. special envoy to Ukraine who resigned after his name appeared in a whistleblower complaint about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine."
NPR reports:
"Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, acknowledged telling an aide to Ukraine's president that U.S. military aid was tied to a public statement of "corruption" from Kiev, according to a supplemental statement from Sondland that was part of a transcript released Tuesday of the envoy's closed-door deposition Oct. 17 before congressional investigators. President Trump, through a pressure campaign led by his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, wanted Ukraine to investigate debunked conspiracy theories related to the 2016 election and the Bidens--which the president and his supporters say amount to corruption. "I said that resumption of U.S. aid would likely not occur until Ukraine provided the public anti-corruption statement that we had been discussing for many weeks," Sondland writes, noting that he now recalls a Sept. 1 meeting in which he told that to an aide to Zelensky. That conversation followed a meeting between Vice President Mike Pence and Zelensky, "in which President Zelensky had raised the issue of the suspension of U.S. aid to Ukraine directly with Vice President Pence," Sondland notes."
The walls are closing in on Trump and his henchmen.
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.
11-8-19
More fuel to the fire. The Washington Post reports:
"Several days after President Trump’s phone call with the leader of Ukraine, a top White House lawyer instructed a senior national security official not to discuss his grave concerns about the leaders’ conversation with anyone outside the White House, according to three people familiar with the aide’s testimony."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman testified that he received this instruction from John Eisenberg, the top legal adviser for the National Security Council, after White House lawyers learned July 29 that a CIA employee had anonymously raised concerns about the Trump phone call, the sources said. The directive from Eisenberg adds to an expanding list of moves by senior White House officials to contain, if not conceal, possible evidence of Trump’s attempt to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to provide information that could be damaging to former vice president Joe Biden."
Gets worse:
"The instruction to stay quiet came after White House officials had already discussed moving a rough transcript of the call into a highly classified computer server, and the instruction was delivered by Eisenberg, who would later be involved in the administration’s battle to keep an explosive whistleblower complaint about the call from being shared with Congress."
Called obstruction.
"The interaction between Eisenberg and Vindman suggests there was a sense among some in the White House that Trump’s call with Zelensky was not, as the president has repeatedly claimed, “perfect.” And it threatens to undercut Trump’s argument that the expanding impeachment inquiry is politically driven."
No question.
“If this is such a perfect call, why is everybody going to these extraordinary lengths?” said a U.S. official familiar with Vindman’s testimony this week. “Why are people running immediately to the White House counsel? Why is the White House counsel telling people not to talk about it?”
Need to stand tall. Expose the truth. No matter the personal or professional cost. Forget? Duty, honor, country. Certainly, not allegiance to a corrupt, abusive, narcissistic, fascist dictator. An out of control abomination in the Oval Office.
"The revelation, first reported Friday afternoon by Politico, comes as the impeachment inquiry is entering a new, public phase after the House voted along party lines this week to proceed with open hearings for the first time while investigating committees begin to map out articles expected to accuse Trump of abusing his power and potentially obstructing justice. Vindman’s testimony Tuesday pointed to several actions by White House officials that could be interpreted as attempts to cover up Trump’s conduct."
Obstruction.
"The top Ukraine expert at the White House, Vindman was one of several officials who listened to the Trump-Zelensky call from the White House situation room. He told lawmakers that he was deeply troubled by what he interpreted as an attempt by the president to subvert U.S. foreign policy and an improper attempt to coerce a foreign government into investigating a U.S. citizen. Vindman said he relayed these concerns to Eisenberg within hours of the phone call, according to the people familiar with Vindman’s testimony who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door testimony."
Should have been transparency from the very beginning of the impeachment inquiry. While the Democrats indeed had legitimate reasons for not doing so, such as not giving witnesses the chance to tailor testimony to match earlier testimony by previous witnesses, transparency was the only way the public, Republicans, and Trump's sick sycophants would have had any faith or trust in the process. ... If even then.
"While meeting with Eisenberg, Vindman said he heard the legal adviser turn to another attorney in the room and propose steps to restrict access to the rough transcript — a move described in the whistleblower report as an attempt to “lock down” what lawmakers now consider the most damaging piece of evidence about Trump’s intent and conduct."
Obstruction.
Worse? If true, blatant obstruction:
"Vindman also testified that the transcript failed to capture several potentially important words or phrases, including a reference by Zelensky to a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, that had employed Biden’s son and that Trump wanted investigated. Vindman said he sought to correct the transcript but that his suggestions were not incorporated."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"New details from Vindman’s testimony also shed light on other aspects of the tense aftermath of the call inside the White House. The NSC aide said that Eisenberg approached him several days after the call and said that a CIA employee had raised internal concerns about the call, and that the agency’s top lawyer had relayed those concerns to the White House, people familiar with the testimony said."
Damning, isn't it? Highly questionable at the very least.
Get this:
"Eisenberg asked Vindman whether Vindman had spoken to other officials about his concerns, and then instructed him not to have any further conversations about the matter, the people said. But by that point, Vindman had already done so, according to his testimony, in which he disclosed that he had spoken to at least two “interagency peers,” meaning officials in other positions beyond the White House who also closely followed Ukraine issues. Vindman did not reveal in his testimony who those other officials were."
Equally interesting?
"The CIA employee who went on to file a whistleblower complaint also supplied a memo he had made for his own records commemorating a July 26 conversation with a White House official about the Trump-Zelensky call. The White House official had “listened to the entirety of the phone call” and was “visibly shaken by what had transpired,” the CIA employee wrote. The official described the call as “crazy,” “frightening” and “completely lacking in substance related to national security.”
Equally chilling:
"Vindman also testified this week that the official record and rough transcript of the call included an inexplicable change. A vague eight-word phrase was added and attributed to Zelensky that the foreign leader never said. The specific word that Zelensky did say was omitted from the official record: “Burisma,” the Ukrainian company that employed Biden’s son Hunter. In its place, the official transcript used this instead: “the company that you mentioned in this issue.” The reason for the insertion of a potentially fabricated phrase, which has not been previously reported, is unknown. Some argue that the transcribers simply misunderstood or missed the word but used a generic description. But it could be helpful to the president’s claim that he did not engage in a quid pro quo."
Again, it's extremely difficult to believe a verbatim recording of the call was not made. If not, why not? Makes no sense.
"Zelensky mentioning Burisma by name holds significance, Vindman told lawmakers. It suggested the Ukrainian leader knew in advance of the call that the American president was seeking an investigation of his Democratic rival before Trump would agree to meet with Zelensky."
That testimony is certainly damaging to Trump and his henchmen.
"Vindman testified that he tried to get the rough transcript corrected to add the word “Burisma” and to match his notes of the call, but learned later that he was unsuccessful. He told lawmakers he doesn’t know the reason, nor does he assume there were nefarious motives. Moving the record of the call to a separate secure server interrupted the normal process for handling a review of the transcript for a president’s calls with a head of state."
Truth remains a moving target. No question.
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11-8-19
Coup de grace to the above? Get this. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump wanted Attorney General William P. Barr to hold a news conference declaring that the commander in chief had broken no laws during a phone call in which he pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate a political rival, though Barr ultimately declined to do so, people familiar with the matter said. The request from Trump traveled from the president to other White House officials and eventually to the Justice Department. The president has mentioned Barr’s demurral to associates in recent weeks, saying he wished Barr would have held the news conference, Trump advisers say. In recent weeks, the Justice Department has sought some distance from the White House, particularly on matters relating to the burgeoning controversy over Trump’s dealings on Ukraine and the impeachment inquiry they sparked."
Fascinating, isn't it?
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11-8-19
Trump is irrational. The Washington Post reports:
"Three of President Trump’s top advisers met with him in the Oval Office in May, determined to convince him that the new Ukrainian leader was an ally deserving of U.S. support. They had barely begun their pitch when Trump unloaded on them, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the meeting. In Trump’s mind, the officials said, Ukraine’s entire leadership had colluded with the Democrats to undermine his 2016 presidential campaign. “They tried to take me down,” Trump railed."
No truth to that. None. Debunked.
"Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the senior member of the group, assured Trump that the new Ukrainian president was different — a reformer in Trump’s mold who had even quoted President Ronald Reagan in his inaugural address, for which the three advisers had been present. But the harder they pushed in the Oval Office, the more Trump resisted. “They are horrible, corrupt people,” Trump told them. So far, a dozen witnesses have testified before House lawmakers since the closed-door impeachment inquiry began a month ago. One theme that runs through almost all of their accounts is Trump’s unyielding loathing of Ukraine, which dates to his earliest days in the White House. “We could never quite understand it,” a former senior White House official said of Trump’s view of the former Soviet republic, also saying that much of it stemmed from the president’s embrace of conspiracy theories. “There were accusations that they had somehow worked with the Clinton campaign. There were accusations they’d hurt him. He just hated Ukraine.”
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.
11-8-19
Trump is an idiot. Taxpayers are looted to pay for his stupidity. Get this. The Washington Post reports:
"Smuggling gangs in Mexico have repeatedly sawed through new sections of President Trump’s border wall in recent months by using commercially available power tools, opening gaps large enough for people and drug loads to pass through, according to U.S. agents and officials with knowledge of the damage. The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barrier’s steel-and-concrete bollards in a matter of minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques. After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, allowing an adult to fit through the gap. Because the bollards are so tall — and are attached only to a panel at the very top — their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post."
Think taxpayers aren't egregiously f--ked by this idiot?
"The taxpayer-funded barrier — so far coming with a $10 billion price tag — was a central theme of Trump’s 2016 campaign, and he has made the project a physical symbol of his presidency, touting its construction progress in speeches, ads and tweets. Trump has increasingly boasted to crowds in recent weeks about the superlative properties of the barrier, calling it “virtually impenetrable” and likening the structure to a “Rolls-Royce” that border-crossers cannot get over, under or through."
Trump is an idiot. Aggressively stupid.
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.
11-8-19
Trump loses another one in court. The Washington Post reports:
"A federal appeals court on Monday rejected President Trump’s effort to block New York prosecutors from accessing his tax records and Trump’s sweeping claims of presidential immunity. The decision is the second time in recent weeks that a federal appeals court has ruled against the president in his bid to stop investigators from scrutinizing his private financial records. The case is one of several legal clashes testing the limits of presidential power that is expected to reach the Supreme Court as soon as this term."
Our fascist fuhrer and his henchmen consider him above the law. In a democratic republic, no one is.
"The Manhattan District Attorney is investigating hush-money payments made in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. The ruling does not mean that Trump’s tax records will be turned over immediately. Local prosecutors agreed to delay enforcement of the subpoena to Trump’s longtime accounting firm if the president’s lawyers move quickly to ask the Supreme Court to intervene."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"At oral argument last month, Trump’s private attorney William S. Consovoy told the court that the subpoena is a politically-motivated “fishing expedition.” A sitting president, he said, cannot be investigated — or prosecuted — while in office, even for shooting someone on the streets of Manhattan. His assertion of “temporary presidential immunity” came in response to a question about Trump’s own hypothetical from 2016, when he said as a candidate his political support was so strong that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not “lose any voters.”
At least the lower and appeals courts are upholding the Constitution and rule of law. Be interesting to see whether the five Republican fascists on the U.S. Supreme Court will do the same.
"The appeals court upheld an October ruling from U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero, who dismissed Trump’s lawsuit. Marrero rejected Trump’s claim of immunity as “repugnant to the nation’s fundamental structure and constitutional values.”
It's Right Wing nazi. Throwback to Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini.
"The case began in August after the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. (D) subpoenaed Mazars for eight years of the president’s tax records and other financial documents. The office is examining whether any state laws were broken in connection with the 2016 payments to silence two women who said they had affairs with Trump."
Certainly, a legitimate function of a district attorney. If Trump had nothing to hide, why not have complied? Gone above and beyond to cooperate? Made fools out of his accusers if indeed innocent of any wrongdoing?
Moreover:
"Internal Justice Department legal opinions say sitting presidents cannot be charged by federal prosecutors. But those guidelines do not apply to Vance, an elected New York prosecutor who enforces state laws."
Interesting, isn't it?
"Vance’s investigation followed the conviction last year of Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance violations. Cohen said Trump directed — and reimbursed him — for payments he helped arrange to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to keep allegations of affairs with Trump secret before the election. Vance has said that, at this stage of the investigation, Trump “has not been identified as a defendant, nor is there an assumption he will be.” Trump has denied the relationships and any wrongdoing connected to the payments."
The jackass is also known to be a congenital liar.
"The president is fighting similar attempts by congressional Democrats to obtain his tax records. The federal appeals court in Washington in October upheld Congress’s broad investigative powers and rejected Trump’s request to block a House subpoena for his accounting firm records. A different panel of the 2nd Circuit is considering a separate lawsuit from the president aimed at stopping Deutsche Bank and Capital One from handing over his records to two other House committees."
If nothing to hide, why all the stonewalling?
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11-8-19
Trump's hypocrisy knows no bounds. In an editorial, The Washington Post opines:
“HE MUST be brought forward to testify,” President Trump fumed on Twitter on Monday, regarding the whistleblower who revealed the president’s corrupt attempts to extort political favors from Ukraine. “Written answers not acceptable!”
What's good for the goose is certainly not good for the gander:
"The president considered written answers more than adequate when special counsel Robert S. Mueller III sought information from Mr. Trump during the Justice Department’s Russia investigation. More to the point, if Mr. Trump were interested in fact-finding and truth-telling, rather than distracting from the substance of the charges against him, he would provide documents and encourage all relevant witnesses to testify. Instead, administration officials are refusing to testify before the House Intelligence Committee — officials who likely have firsthand knowledge crucial to the House’s impeachment inquiry."
'Don't do as I do, do as I say.' Had Trump nothing to hide, he and his henchmen wouldn't be stonewalling. No more complicated than that. Quickest way to discredit and silence critics is open up. Engage and embrace transparency. ... That is, if in fact you have nothing to hide, have committed no crimes, broken no laws.
"Robert Blair, an aide to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, was on the call during which Mr. Trump pressed Ukraine’s president to investigate former vice president Joe Biden. John Eisenberg, a National Security Council lawyer, reportedly suggested limiting access to the transcript of that call and told others not to discuss it. Russell Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, might shed light on Mr. Trump’s peremptory suspension of military aid to Ukraine, an act that appears to have been an element in the president’s corrupt pressure campaign."
Testimony of Trump Administration officials to date has been extremely damaging to the Oval Office incumbent. Clearly, he has no defense. Certainly, not presented one. Worse? Has stupidly admitted to these very same allegations, ludicrously claiming he did nothing wrong.
That's no defense. It's bullshit. Rings hollow. Does he Aryan arrogantly believe simply because he states his actions are legal they in fact are? Why? Because he's president? Forget? No one is above the law in a democratic republic. Not even the Trump nazi.
"These no-shows are just the latest examples of the contemptuous war Mr. Trump and his allies have waged on Congress and its legitimate, constitutional oversight role, starting well before the impeachment inquiry. Even when Republicans controlled both chambers, former White House adviser Stephen K. Bannon absurdly claimed executive privilege to refuse to answer congressional questions. A White House lawyer in June stopped former Trump aide Hope Hicks from answering even basic queries, on the lawless argument that the one-time presidential assistant had absolute immunity from testifying. That is the same basis on which government lawyers claim former White House counsel Donald McGahn and former deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman bear no duty to testify before Congress."
Eventually, this will find its way to the United States Supreme Court where five Republican national socialists, fascists rule the roost. Be interesting to see whether these achingly clueless nazi bastards uphold their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution.
Or, traitorously, treasonously abrogate them for narrow partisan interests. ... At a time our formerly great country is extremely divided. Like it never has been before. -- As self-serving politicians in both major political parties figuratively 'fiddle while Rome burns,' so to speak.
Founders? Spinning in their graves. Appalled at how both major political parties have so bastardized the Constitution and formerly great country they spawned. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Time to finally wake up. Before too late.
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.
11-8-19
The walls are certainly closing in on the Republicans. The Washington Post reports:
"Democrats’ claim of victory Tuesday in Kentucky’s gubernatorial race, as well as the Democratic takeover of the Virginia state legislature, left Republicans stumbling and increasingly uncertain about their own political fates next year tied to an embattled and unpopular president."
Always an excuse:
"Many allies of President Trump rushed to explain away the poor performance of incumbent Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) as an anomaly, while other GOP veterans expressed alarm about the party’s failure in a state where Trump won by nearly 30 percentage points in 2016 — and where he just campaigned this week. Although Bevin was controversial and widely disliked, he was also a devotee of the president, embracing Trump’s agenda and his anti-establishment persona. And in the contest’s final days, Bevin sought to cast his candidacy as a bulwark against House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry of Trump. But Bevin’s attempt to nationalize his cause by stoking conservative grievances about the impeachment process was not enough to overcome his problems nor was Trump’s raucous rally for the governor on Monday — raising questions about Trump’s political strength as he faces a barrage of challenges and a difficult path to reelection."
The handwriting is on the wall. -- Not that Democrats are any better.
"The outcome — with Democrat Andy Beshear claiming victory with a lead of several thousand votes and Bevin refusing to concede — underscored how Republicans are struggling to navigate choppy political waters as the 2020 campaign now begins in earnest. Trump continues to dominate the party, but many lawmakers are uneasy about their ability to defend his conduct and hold on to suburban support. Yet few Republicans are willing to even lightly criticize Trump because they widely believe they will need his voters’ backing and enthusiasm in order to survive next year."
Could turn out to be a colossal mistake. A miscalculation that could wind up costing the GOP dearly.
NPR reports:
"Tuesday's statewide elections in Kentucky and Virginia were a big night for Democrats. And they tell us a few things about national politics, consequential issues and President Trump.
"Here are seven lessons from Tuesday night's results:
"1. Impeachment did not help Republicans fire up conservatives in rural areas.
"2. Trump won't like this.
"3. The suburbs remain a warning sign for Republicans.
"4. Governing still matters.
"5. Kentucky likely does not mean much for Mitch McConnell's and Trump's chances in the state in 2020.
"6. Virginia is now officially a blue state.
"7. The politics of health care and guns may be moving left.
While the above may or may not be good for Democrats a year for now, it certainly is not good at the moment for Republicans and Independents. -- The latter opposing the ideology of both major political parties.
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.
11-8-19
Unbridled greed. NPR reports:
"Former McDonald's CEO Stephen Easterbrook is getting an exit package of almost $42 million after his relationship with an employee was found to violate company policy. The size of his compensation puts a new focus on the widening gap between the pay at the top and the bottom of the corporate ladder. According to an analysis by executive-compensation experts at Equilar, Easterbrook's exit package totals $41.8 million, which includes six months of severance pay, shares he can cash out in the future and other equity. And that amount is in addition to $23.8 million in stock options that Easterbrook can exercise now."
Forget? He was fired. LOL.
"Wow, he is walking away with a lot of money," says Cornell Law School professor Stewart Schwab, an expert on employment law. "And it comes out as part of the story of just, wow, [the] 1% gets a lot more money than the rest of the workers in this economy." It's relatively unusual for a CEO to receive a severance package after being fired. But the board of directors at McDonald's determined his firing to not be for cause — a threshold that varies by company. And litigation in a protracted dispute can be tricky and expensive."
How about that? Guess what happens to someone at the bottom rung who gets fired for whatever?
"Writing to employees this week, Easterbrook said: "I engaged in a recent consensual relationship with an employee, which violated McDonald's policy. This was a mistake." No further details were disclosed, but McDonald's current policy prohibits employees who "have a direct or indirect reporting relationship" with one another from dating or having a sexual relationship. McDonald's latest disclosures show that in 2018, Easterbrook made $15.9 million. That's 2,124 times more than the median income of a McDonald's employee — a part-time crew member working in Hungary. According to Glassdoor, a U.S. crew member at McDonald's makes an average of $9 an hour."
This is a clear example of laissez-faire capitalism, that is, unregulated, or as in our formerly great country, extremely poorly regulated capitalism.
"Easterbrook joined McDonald's in 2015, and his tenure was praised by company watchers. The fast-food chain's stock price hit historic highs under his efforts to revamp both the restaurants and the menu."
... While his employees took it hard in the ass. Without the Vaseline or K-Y.
"But Easterbrook also presided over the company as it faced allegations of rampant sexual harassment of female employees by male co-workers and managers. (To be clear, his departure does not involve harassment allegations.) In May, workers in 13 U.S. cities staged protests against low pay and the company's handling of alleged sexual harassment. In recent years, dozens of McDonald's workers have filed sexual harassment complaints, alleging everything from lewd comments and groping to retaliation."
Forget? The American Way. That is, egregiously f--k the peasants down on the bottom of the foodchain by paying a non-livable wage, greedily line your pockets with as much as you can get from consumers. Then stick it hard up the ass of your employees when they complain or file a complaint. ... How revolutions spawn.
"What we see all the time from minimum-wage workers is that once you complain, retaliation is common," says Sharyn Tejani, director of the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, which works with victims who allege sexual harassment. "That takes the form of losing shifts, losing your job, not being able to stay at your job, being disciplined. And ... they don't have any cushion," she says. "And when you compare that to what happens to somebody like the CEO, it's clear that there's a structural problem here."
Again, how revolutions spawn.
"Following worker complaints, McDonald's announced in August that it would introduce an anti-harassment training program for U.S. workers. The program, which began in October, trains restaurant supervisors and crew members on how to create a safe workplace and defuse difficult situations. Earlier in the year, McDonald's also made an unexpected commitment to no longer lobby against minimum-wage hikes at the federal, state and local levels. In mid-2015, McDonald's added at least $1 an hour more to the local minimum wage to employees of the restaurants owned by the corporation. The majority of McDonald's locations are owned by franchisees."
Magnanimous of the hopelessly greedy motherf--kers, isn't it?
Insult to injury? Taxpayers are forced to pay for public assistance programs for McDonald's employees and others who are not making a livable wage. -- While the fired CEO laughs his financially portly ass off all the way to the bank. Galling, isn't it? Called corporate welfare.
"In 2015, research by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education found that more than half of fast-food workers rely on public assistance programs like food stamps. The research did not specifically focus on McDonald's."
So what else is new? ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. Time to wake up. Before too late.
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.
11-1-19
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.
ICE can't get its act together. The Washington Post reports:
"Roxsana Hernandez’s family wants to know what happened in her final days in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, before she died in the hospital. But the surveillance footage that could help answer that question, captured by a privately run detention center, has been deleted, ICE officials indicated in emails released in response to a lawsuit. Lawyers say it‘s a disturbing development as they look for justice for Hernandez, a transgender asylum seeker from Honduras who died weeks after surrendering at a port of entry to the United States. The woman’s death in May 2018 has fueled scrutiny of ICE’s treatment of LGBTQ detainees as critics say the agency fails to provide adequate medical care for conditions such as HIV. A private autopsy also found evidence that Hernandez was physically abused, an allegation at odds with government findings."
Imagine 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.
11-1-19
Trump's got business problems. Tough, isn't it? The Washington Post reports:
"The state of New Jersey is seeking to revoke the liquor license for one of President Trump’s golf clubs — a rare and potentially damaging punishment, triggered by a 2015 case where the Trump club allegedly overserved alcohol to a man who then caused a fatal wreck. That proposed punishment was laid out in an Oct. 21 letter to the Trump golf course in Colts Neck, N.J. The Washington Post obtained the letter through a public records request.
"The letter gives few details about the alleged misconduct by Trump’s course. The man that the club is accused of over-serving — Andrew G. Halder — caused a wreck that killed his own father and last year pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide. Trump’s company was given 30 days to challenge the planned revocation. If the state’s Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control does decide to revoke the license, Trump can challenge that decision in court or try to get it reinstated in two years."
The problem is clearly greater than what appears at first glance:
"If the club’s liquor license is revoked, that would be a blow for the Colts Neck course, located near the Jersey Shore. The club could lose significant revenue from the two restaurants and a bar it operates for members, and find it hard to attract banquets or golf tournaments from outsiders. But for Trump, the potential damage is greater than that. Under New Jersey law, anyone who has one liquor license revoked must also give up all their other liquor licenses for two years. Trump has two other New Jersey golf clubs, including one in Bedminster that he uses as a summer White House. Now, he could be faced with losing a key source of revenue at those clubs, too."
Heartbreaking, isn't it? Bet he doesn't find a way to buy his way out of the jam?
"The letter sent to the Trump course says this punishment is related to the club’s actions on Aug. 30, 2015. On that day, the letter says, the Trump club violated the terms of its license by serving a man named Andrew Halder when Halder already appeared intoxicated. It also says the club violated its license by selling alcoholic drinks other than beer on carts roaming the golf course itself. The state’s letter does not give more details about that day. But it says that the Trump club’s actions included “aggravating circumstances” that justified more than the usual punishment."
Interesting, isn't it?
"For these violations , the state said, normal punishment would be a 25-day suspension of the liquor license. But “in this case, the [state] will seek revocation of the license based upon the total circumstances,” says the letter, which was signed by a deputy state attorney general, Andrew R. Sapolnick."
Here's the problem:
"The ability to sell alcohol is crucial for any golf course, because it allows owners to draw extra revenue from members and to book banquets for outside guests, said Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association. Karen said golf courses typically have low profit margins, and alcohol sales present a rare chance for high markups. Karen said it would be difficult for most courses to survive financially if they could not sell alcohol. “Could it be done? Sure. In theory, yes. But it would be really, really hard,” Karen said. If a license was revoked, he said, “I think the word would get out, and people would look elsewhere to play.”
Life's a bitch, 'ain't' it, Donny Boy?
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.
11-1-19
Trump's got insanity problems. Get this. NBC News reports:
"Stop spreading the news. President Donald Trump plans to direct federal agencies to cancel subscriptions to the New York Times and Washington Post, outlets he regularly derides as "fake news" for writing critical stories about him, the White House confirmed Thursday."
Both publications tell the truth. ... Truth, -- Trump can't bear to hear. Expect anything more of a narcissistic congenital liar?
"It's unclear how Trump's plan, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, would be carried out or enforced."
Not clear to the idiot in the Oval Office, either. LOL.
"Not renewing subscriptions across all federal agencies will be a significant cost saving for taxpayers - hundreds of thousands of dollars," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement."
That right? LOL.
"In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday, Trump said he didn't want either paper available on the White House grounds."
How about that? Trump wouldn't want any of his minions to be confused by the truth. Can't have that, can we? LOL.
"The New York Times is a fake newspaper. We don’t even want it in the White House anymore. We’re going to probably terminate that and the Washington Post. They’re fake," Trump said, adding that he'd heard he's gotten worse media coverage than any president besides Abraham Lincoln. "They say he got the worst press of anybody. I say I dispute it."
"President
Trump says the White House is going to cancel the New York Times and Washington
Post subscription, and then says he's gotten worse press than Abraham Lincoln
pic.twitter.com/w9bzQS2q2D
—
Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) October 22, 2019"
True fake is what resides in the Oval Office. Gotten bad press for one reason and one reason only. Earned it. Called the truth. Yet, he and his sick sycophants remain oblivious, hopelessly delusional.
Get this:
"Trump's campaign, meanwhile, has subscribed to The Times, Journal and Washington Post, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission through Sept. 30. The campaign had no immediate comment."
What could they say? Veracity issue aside and apparently at the very least, the campaign understands it has to remain informed of all viewpoints to win an election.
"Trump wasn't always so vitriolic about the Times. As president-elect in 2016, he offered warm words for his hometown newspaper, telling its editorial board he considered it "a great, great American jewel, world jewel."
Nothing quite like hypocrisy, no?
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.
11-1-19
Ineffective. Signature program. The Washington Post reports:
"One of President Trump’s signature initiatives to turn around a culture of retaliation against whistleblowers at the Department of Veterans Affairs is an office in disarray that instead has punished them — and held almost no wrongdoers accountable."
Nothing quite like follow-through, is there?
"Those are the conclusions of a scathing report released Thursday by the agency’s inspector general, which found that the Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection created early in Trump’s term in 2017 has failed in its core mission."
Couldn't be, could it? All talk. No action.
"The president heralded the office as a tool to clean up the troubled agency. More than two years later it resembles a kangaroo court, the inspector general found, running inferior investigations that VA attorneys cannot trust and “floundering” in its duty to protect employees who report wrongdoing."
Why would the kingpin in the Oval Office want it any other way? Needs to be true to form, doesn't he?
"Just one senior manager has been removed by an office created to discipline senior-level managers involved in misconduct, Inspector General Michael Missal found."
Amazing, isn't it?
"The office has shown “significant deficiencies,” including poor leadership, skimpy training of investigators, a misunderstanding of its mission and a failure to discipline senior leaders, according to the 100-page report."
Think Trump's anything more than a charlatan? A phony?
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.
11-1-19
Trump goon held in contempt. CBS News reports:
"A federal judge has ruled that Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and the Department of Education are in contempt of court for violating a federal judge's order on student loans. The judge had already ordered the Department of Education to stop collecting on loans taken out by student borrowers to attend a for-profit institution that is now defunct. But more than 16,000 borrowers were erroneously told they owed a payment after the court order, and many had those payments garnered from their wages, according to court documents."
Legalized theft. LOL.
"U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Kim ordered the Department of Education to pay $100,000 to a fund for the affected borrowers who attended Corinthian Colleges, Inc. "Here, there is no question that defendants violated the preliminary injunction," the judge wrote. "There is also no question that defendants' violations harmed individual borrowers who were forced to repay loans either through voluntary actions or involuntary methods (offset from tax refunds and wage garnishment) and who suffered from the adverse credit reporting. Defendants have not provided evidence that they were unable to comply with the preliminary injunction, and the evidence shows only minimal efforts to comply with the preliminary injunction. The court therefore finds defendants in civil contempt."
How about that? What took so long?
"Mark Brown, chief operating officer of student federal aid for the Department of Education, said in a video posted to Twitter that the Department of Education is doing everything it can to resolve the situation. "Unfortunately, loan servicers mistakenly billed approximately 16,000 students and parents," Brown said. "Although these actions were not done with ill intent, students and parents were affected, and we take full responsibility for that. We have taken swift action to correct the mistake."
'Mistake?' No 'ill intent?' Give me a break. Crock of shit.
Why aren't DeVos and her sorry gluteus maximi residing in jail? Why isn't this a criminal matter?
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.
11-1-19
Trump's Twitter deletions raise questions. NPR reports:
"President Trump made a high-profile, short-lived typo this past weekend when he referred to Defense Secretary Mark Esper as "Mark Esperanto" in a tweet that was deleted after an hour."
Such deletions are a problem:
"Trump has made unprecedented use of Twitter from the Oval Office and regularly uses it to share thoughts and announcements on politics and diplomacy. For many experts, his penchant for deletion is cause for concern: Under the 1978 Presidential Records Act, Trump's electronic communications are considered public property, and living history."
"Trump's tweets constitute an important part of the presidential record and should be preserved for the public as such, according to Sarah Quigley, the chairperson of the Society of American Archivists' Committee on Public Policy. Quigley believes this issue is as much about statutory compliance as it is about democratic health. "Records of the federal government and of the executive office are how we hold our elected officials accountable for their decisions and for the actions that they take on our behalf and the way that we know what they do ... and judge the decisions that they're making is through access to these records," Quigley said."
Here's the reason for the law:
"Congress passed the Presidential Records Act in 1978 out of concern that President Richard Nixon would destroy the tapes that ultimately led to his resignation. The law designated records of the president and executive office as public property and established guidelines for their preservation. The act defines presidential records as any materials created or received by the president "in the course of conducting activities which relate to or have an effect upon the carrying out of the constitutional, statutory, or other official or ceremonial duties of the President." It excludes personal records like diaries and allows presidents to dispose of certain public records "once the views of the Archivist of the United States on the proposed disposal have been obtained in writing."
"The Presidential and Federal Records Amendments of 2014 expanded the PRA's definition of records to include electronic content, which Johnson said has been interpreted as an umbrella term encompassing text messages, emails, social media and the like. "It's not the media that makes it a record, or the platform, it's the content," Quigley said. "A presidential record is anything — any record, on any platform or in any media — created by the president or his office in the conduct of his business as president. And all of those records are considered permanent by the National Archives and the Presidential Records Act."
"When asked about preserving the president's tweets, including deleted tweets, the White House told NPR in a statement, "The White House complies with the relevant records laws, including as they apply to social media platforms."
Does it?
"Official guidance on presidential records preservation says records are automatically transferred to the legal custody of NARA and the Archivist of the United States at the end of each administration. The Records Act permits public access to these records after five years, and they will ultimately be preserved and housed in a presidential library. This means the extent of the Trump administration's records preservation may not be apparent for some time. Once established, digital and physical archives are governed by the same rules and restrictions, Quigley said, even if digital records are easier to access. "Generally speaking, the access policies are the same with that one difference where digital records are already digital and don't require reformatting to make them available online," Quigley said."
Apparently, some personally wish to make sure Trump's tweets are indeed properly archived:
"In the meantime, several grassroots entities have taken it upon themselves to document Trump's tweets. Websites such as Trump Twitter Archive and Factba.se have archived the president's Twitter account in its entirety, and the Politwoops database, which is maintained by ProPublica and the Sunlight Foundation, preserves the deleted tweets of Trump and other politicians.
"Experts expressed mixed views on these grassroots efforts. Quigley, from the Society of American Archivists, said she understands why ordinary citizens may distrust the government and want to hold it accountable themselves, but believes they should not have to. "It's always heartening when citizens or activist organizations sort of get involved in these issues and take responsibility for the preservation and maintenance of these documents, and recognize their ongoing value," Quigley said. "But the fact remains that this is an obligation of the executive office and it is not the responsibility of the people to be doing this work."
Trump and his henchmen cannot be trusted. This is why the public is filling in the gap.
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.
11-1-19
Trump and the U.S. Attorney General are abusing power. NPR reports:
"The Justice Department's review of the origins of the Russia probe has become a criminal investigation, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NPR."
Why? In retaliation for the House Trump impeachment inquiry?
"It is unclear what prompted the shift from an administrative review to a formal criminal investigation, when the change took place or what potential crime is under investigation."
What apparently happened is Trump finally woke up to the fact the impeachment inquiry has substance, remains an exigent threat to his clearly failing regime.
"The change drew immediate criticism from Democrats, who have accused Attorney General William Barr of turning the Justice Department into a political weapon for President Trump."
Clearly happened well before review of the origins of the Russia probe became a criminal investigation. Called abuse of power by the supposedly independent 'Justice' Department to protect its fuhrer, the Trump nazi:
"These reports, if true, raise profound new concerns that the Department of Justice under Attorney General William Barr has lost its independence and become a vehicle for President Trump's political revenge," said the Democratic chairmen of the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, Reps. Jerry Nadler of New York and Adam Schiff of California. "If the Department of Justice may be used as a tool of political retribution or to help the president with a political narrative for the next election, the rule of law will suffer new and irreparable damage," they said."
Already happened. Been a problem since Trump took office.
"Barr tapped the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, John Durham, in May to lead the review. It wasn't immediately clear whether Durham has impaneled a grand jury or what crime may be suspected."
Fishing expedition. Anything to protect the corrupt, abusive dictator in the Oval Office.
"Barr told Congress earlier this year that he wants to understand how and why investigators made decisions they did in 2016 when the FBI began to investigate what it later verified was a broad campaign of "active measures" by Russia targeting the U.S. election. Former special counsel Robert Mueller later documented that interference in hundreds of pages of court documents and in his final report. Thirty-four individuals, including 25 Russian nationals, as well as three Russian entities, were indicted in the investigation. Mueller's report documented many connections between Trump's campaign in 2016 and the Russian interference, but did not establish a conspiracy to throw the election."
How can that be? Did Mueller wind up protecting a fellow Republican in the Oval Office through careful lawyerly parsing of language? Until and unless Mueller again talks openly, fully, publicly, either under oath in front of Congress or in front of the news media, we'll never know for sure.
"The investigation also documented a number of episodes following the inauguration that could have been considered obstruction of justice, but Mueller did not make a charging decision because of Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted."
Should have courageously resigned in protest.
"Barr, however, concluded that the evidence did not establish that the president obstructed justice."
Barr is clearly in the pocket of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Bought and paid for, -- so to speak.
"But the escalation of Durham's inquiry into a criminal case is politically important to Republicans, who call the Russia investigation the work of "biased" conspirators within a "deep state" who abused their powers out of political animus toward Trump and his campaign."
The Republicans are hopelessly delusional. Believe in bogus conspiracy theories long since debunked. Still continue to rally behind the occupant of the Oval Office no matter what he does. No matter how corrupt, how abusive.
"The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, Doug Collins of Georgia, welcomed the decision to upgrade the Durham probe to a criminal investigation."
Bet he did. No surprise there. Each day passes the walls close in on Trump and his regime. His egregious unfitness for office more glaring by the day.
"The special counsel's multi-million dollar investigation concluded that no Americans conspired with Russia in 2016," Collins said. "As a result of the empty accusations about this president and what the inspector general found to be political bias at the top tiers of the FBI, Americans have unanswered questions about how the Russia investigation began."
No. They don't. -- Unless they're one of Trump's sick sycophants or a Republican. Moreover, how it began is irrelevant. Beside the point. You clueless bastards continue to ignore the ten possible cases of obstruction cited by Mueller in his report. Why no concern about them? Partisanship now trumps principle, Congressman. Both major political parties have lost themselves. No longer serve the best interests of our formerly great 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.
11-1-19
More government malfeasance. CBS News reports:
"The community of inspectors general across the federal government's agencies and departments, through the Inspectors General Council, wrote a letter to the Justice Department Friday pushing back against the determination that the whistleblower complaint that launched the [impeachment inquiry] against President Trump was not an "urgent concern." The council is an independent entity within the executive branch. In August, the inspector general for the intelligence community determined that the whistleblower complaint about Mr. Trump's July 25 call with the Ukrainian president was credible and an "urgent concern" that should be shared with Congress."
Apparently, the DOJ stonewalled on behalf of its fuhrer, the Trump nazi:
"However, the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department decided that the complaint did not constitute an "urgent concern," arguing that the president is not a part of the national security community. The whistleblower's complaint was not disseminated to Congress until September, after the White House released a memo summarizing the call. The inspectors general expressed concern about what might be seen as second-guessing whistleblowers."
A problem for damned good reason:
"If intelligence community employees and contractors believe that independent IG determinations may be second guessed, effectively blocking the transmission of their concerns to Congress and raising questions about the protections afforded to them, they will lose confidence in this important reporting channel and their willingness to come forward with information will be chilled," the letter from the inspectors general said."
Here's the issue:
"And they feared what effect that could have on future whistleblowers. "This concern is not limited to the intelligence community but will have a chilling effect that extends to employees, contractors, and grantees in other parts of the government, who might not consider it worth the effort and potential impact on themselves to report suspected wrongdoing if they think that their efforts to disclose information will be for naught or, worse, that they risk adverse consequences for coming forward when they see something they think is wrong. That would be a grave loss for IG oversight and, as a result, for the American taxpayer," the letter continued."
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.
11-1-19
Trump loses another one in court. NPR reports:
"House Democrats won an important victory in federal court on Friday when a judge ordered the Justice Department to surrender now-secret material from the Russia investigation — and, more broadly, validated the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Chief Judge Beryl Howell signed an opinion that rejected the Justice Department's argument that it must preserve the secrecy of grand jury and other material, and denied Republicans' case that House Democrats' inquiry is invalid. "The need for continued secrecy is minimal and thus easily outweighed by [the House committee's] compelling need for the material," Howell wrote. She continued: "Tipping the scale even further toward disclosure is the public's interest in a diligent and thorough investigation into, and in a final determination about, potentially impeachable conduct by the president described in the Mueller report."
The House, indeed, has the constitutional mandate to oversee the Executive Branch, that is, the Trump regime.
"Former special counsel Robert Mueller worked with a grand jury, under Howell's supervision, for nearly two years hearing witness testimony, issuing subpoenas and filing criminal charges. The workings of such grand juries are largely secret, and the Justice Department had argued that it should not give House investigators anything beyond what Mueller had issued publicly already. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued that Congress was entitled to all the underlying material and the portions of the Mueller report that had been redacted to protect the grand jury process or for other reasons. Howell agreed and said the Justice Department must give Nadler's committee the grand jury materials by Oct. 30, although it wasn't clear whether Attorney General William Barr might ask for more time or appeal the ruling."
Likely, there will be an appeal. The stonewalling will not end any time soon. -- Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, right, Mr. 'President?'
CBS News reports:
"A district court judge on Friday granted the House Judiciary Committee's request to obtain secret grand jury materials from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Chief Judge Beryl Howell ruled the Department of Justice must turn over these materials by October 30. House Democrats have been petitioning the court to allow them to review the materials, which was the basis for Mueller's writing of his report. The Justice Department has strongly opposed this move and argued against it in court. The Justice Department is reviewing the decision."
Likely, they'll appeal. Anything to delay the process. Obfuscate. Stonewall. Whatever it takes.
"The judge ordered the Justice Department disclose to the House Judiciary Committee all redacted portions of the Mueller report, as well as "any underlying transcripts or exhibits referenced in the portions of the Mueller Report that were redacted." Howell also said the committee "may submit further requests articulating particularized need for disclosure of additional grand jury material."
How about that? Fascinating, isn't it?
"In her opinion, Howell said that because the House has announced "an official impeachment inquiry," the House Judiciary Committee is exercising its role in "reviewing the evidence set out in the Mueller report." As Howell considers the impeachment inquiry a judiciary proceeding, she ruled that the grand jury material should be turned over. "The need for continued secrecy is minimal and thus easily outweighed by [the House Judiciary Committee's] compelling need for the material," she added."
The judge was well aware:
"The House did not open an impeachment inquiry in response to the Mueller report, but instead due to concerns about a potential quid pro quo arrangement between President Trump and the Ukrainian president. Mueller testified before the House in July."
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.
11-1-19
Think Trump and his fellow Republicans are conservatives? Think again. Wake up. The Washington Post reports:
"The U.S. government’s budget deficit ballooned to nearly $1 trillion in 2019, the Treasury Department announced Friday, as the United States’ fiscal imbalance widened for a fourth consecutive year despite a sustained run of economic growth. The deficit grew $205 billion, or 26 percent, in the past year."
Couldn't be, could it? Don't Trump and his fellow Republicans claim to be conservatives?
"The country’s worsening fiscal picture runs in sharp contrast to President Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate the federal debt within eight years. The deficit is up nearly 50 percent in the Trump era. Since taking office, Trump has endorsed big spending increases and steered most Republicans to abandon the deficit obsession they held during the Obama administration."
Certainly, appears to be the case.
"In 2011, the GOP-controlled House of Representatives pushed to pass a constitutional amendment that would require balanced budgets. And the Obama administration created a deficit commission looking for ways to slow the growth of government debt. But those efforts have fallen away, and budget experts believe the country will see trillion-dollar annual deficits far into the future."
Not sustainable.
"The gap between spending and revenue, referred to as the deficit, grew to $984 billion in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, the highest dollar amount since 2012. The government spent $4.4 trillion on numerous programs and services and brought in $3.5 trillion through taxes and other revenue."
Trump's tax cut which benefited mainly the top of the food chain certainly contributed to the deficit. To say nothing of wasteful military spending and unbridled corporate welfare.
"Trump administration officials did not defend the marked deficit increase, but they cast blame on Congress for not doing more to reduce expenditures. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called on lawmakers “to cut wasteful and irresponsible spending.” But neither Trump nor Congress has done much to cut spending in recent years, with Trump repeatedly backing away from his own budget proposals. Trump has also demanded new spending on the military and for a border wall. He has recently told aides that he will focus on cutting spending if he is elected to a second term next year."
Trump remains a congenital liar. Changes his mind far more frequently than most change their underwear. Lack of stability presents an exigent threat to our formerly great country.
"It is unusual for the government to run such a large budget deficit during a period of economic growth, because spending on unemployment and other benefits tends to contract and tax revenue often grows. But the White House and Congress have contributed to the deficit’s surge by enacting large spending increases and passing the 2017 tax cut law. The budget deficit was $665 billion in 2017."
Instead, Trump sticks it to the bottom of the food chain and middle class. Again, not sustainable. Causes public unrest.
"Military spending has risen dramatically under Trump, from about $550 billion annually to more than $700 billion in 2019, and Democrats successfully pushed for increases to other parts of the budget in exchange for their support to boost money for defense."
A few years back the United States spent more on military spending then the next five nations combined. That's insanity. How much is enough? -- One of the reasons why we've nearly been constantly at war since 1950 in conflict after conflict. Certainly, lined the pockets of the corporate management suite and shareholders. At expense of taxpayers, loss of life, ruined lives, devastated families, etc.
Even the fiasco in Afghanistan could have been avoided had the State Department done full background checks on the 9/11 hijackers, heeded warnings from the flight schools the bastards wished only to learn how to fly straight and level, not take off and land. Instead, both political parties took a raucous hard dump on the Bill of Rights, imposing the USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc. Eviscerated all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. A de facto fascist police-state quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. ... Hear the rumble?
Here's the problem. Precisely, why the status quo is unsustainable:
"In 2013, when federal debt totaled $16.7 trillion, Trump tweeted: “Obama is the most profligate deficit & debt spender in our nation’s history.” The federal government is now more than $22 trillion in debt, according to the White House."
The hypocrisy? Stunning:
"Vice President Pence called the debt increases under the Obama administration “atrocious.” Mick Mulvaney, the president’s acting chief of staff, held “Spending, Debt and Deficit” town halls during the Obama administration and repeatedly criticized lawmakers of both parties for increasing the deficit, including through funding relief for Hurricane Sandy."
Amazing, isn't it? The top of the food chain is always willing to stick it to the bottom and middle class. Precisely, why military spending and corporate welfare are as delusionally high as they are. -- Why the bottom is indeed doing without and the middle class is endangered.
The minimum wage is not a livable wage. By design. Greed rules at the top of the food chain. Never enough. Zero-sum, winner-take-all. Yet, these very same bastards at the very top seem to be oblivious to the fact they've never seen a hitch on the back of a hearse. That is, they can't take it with them.
Moreover, the Nazi Right in our formerly great country remained gutlessly silent when Reagan tripled the national debt from $1 trillion to $3 trillion in eight years. Conservatives? Goddamned horse shit. Greedy liars. Bottomless greed. Class envy? Hell, no. Egregious class injustice based on unlimited greed.
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.
11-1-19
Pressure exponentially increasing, taking hold, having its effect. The Washington Post reports:
"After weeks of dismissing the impeachment inquiry as a hollow partisan attack, President Trump and his closest advisers now recognize that the snowballing probe poses a serious threat to the president — and that they have little power to block it, according to multiple aides and advisers."
Constitution clearly working. Congressional oversight affirmed. Obstruction by the 'president' miserably failing as the impeachment inquiry relentlessly continues.
"The dawning realization comes as Democrats rapidly gather evidence from witness after witness testifying about the pressure put on Ukraine to investigate Trump’s political rivals. The president is increasingly frustrated that his efforts to stop people from cooperating with the probe have so far collapsed under the weight of legally powerful congressional subpoenas, advisers said."
Credit the United States Constitution and the judiciary willing to affirm, -- then impose them.
"The Democratic strategy got a boost Friday from a federal judge, who ruled that the House impeachment inquiry is legal. In the coming week, House investigators are scheduled to hear testimony from five more witnesses, including on Saturday from an acting assistant secretary of state for Europe, who is expected to testify about the efforts to oust the previous U.S. ambassador."
Handwriting, --clearly on the wall:
"In a sign of the growing realization of his potential jeopardy, Trump has brought back Jane and Marty Raskin, criminal defense attorneys who were part of his legal team during the Mueller investigation, to help him navigate the impeachment inquiry, along with his attorney Jay Sekulow and White House lawyers. Their return is a late acknowledgment, some White House advisers say, that the facts coming out are bad for the president and that both his White House and personal attorneys need to try to get in front of what else may emerge."
Spin will become worse than ever as the walls close in.
"The belated scramble — a month after the House formally launched its impeachment inquiry — serves as a recognition that the White House’s strategy of refusing to cooperate with the probe has failed to stymie it, according to Trump advisers and people involved in responding to House requests."
Again, credit the U.S. Constitution. Obstruction by Trump and his henchmen will likely be added by the House to articles of impeachment.
"That posture was driven by Trump, who dictated much of a defiant letter sent by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone to House leaders earlier this month that claimed the inquiry was constitutionally invalid, according to people familiar with his role. They, like others in this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private White House conversations."
Stupid strategy doomed to failure. What could Cipollone and his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, been 'thinking?'
"That has put administration officials called to appear on the Hill in a box. Late Friday, Charles Kupperman, who served as a deputy to former national security adviser John Bolton, went to court to ask a federal judge how to resolve the conflicting orders he faces: one from Congress demanding his testimony, and the other from the White House claiming he has testimonial immunity and instructing him not to appear. Kupperman, who is seeking an expedited ruling, is represented by attorney Charles Cooper, who is also serving as a lawyer for Bolton."
Tough, isn't it?
"In the impeachment inquiry, the administration has sought to use that same playbook, warning witnesses that they should not participate, according to White House talking points and letters sent by top agency officials to their employees. Cipollone’s main argument: The House impeachment inquiry was not legally “authorized” by a House vote, and so the administration was not required to participate. “Your inquiry is constitutionally invalid and a violation of due process,” he wrote in his Oct. 8 letter to House leaders. “For the foregoing reasons, the President cannot allow your constitutionally illegitimate proceedings to distract him and those in the Executive Branch from their work on behalf of the American people.”
Pitiful. Stupidly ignored the following:
"However, the House can make its own rules and can conduct investigations under its own terms, legal experts said. On Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell of Washington dismissed arguments by Republicans that the House must first vote to authorize an impeachment inquiry, calling the notion politically “appealing” but legally “fatally flawed.” “No governing law requires this test — not the Constitution, not House Rules, and not [the grand jury secrecy rule], and so imposing this test would be an impermissible intrusion on the House’s constitutional authority,” Howell wrote."
Clearly, the stonewalling has been achingly ineffective as the walls continue to close in on Trump and his equally clueless henchmen.
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.
11-1-19
Walls continue to close in on Trump. The Washington Post reports:
"Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert assigned to the National Security Council, is testifying in the House impeachment inquiry Tuesday, offering new details on the push for investigations of President Trump’s political rivals and corroborating other witnesses with his firsthand account of the alleged attempt at a quid pro quo. Vindman is the first impeachment witness to have listened in on the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which Trump said he wanted a “favor” after Zelensky brought up the topic of nearly $400 million in promised American military aid. Vindman was listening from the Situation Room along with other NSC officials and members of Vice President Pence’s staff, he said in prepared remarks released late Monday, and was so “concerned by the call” — and that the president’s request could be seen as “a partisan play” that could “undermine U.S. national security” — that he reported it to the NSC’s lead counsel."
Trump is a liar:
"Vindman’s prepared testimony touched a nerve with Trump. The president took to Twitter early Tuesday to deride the Iraq War veteran, who appeared for his testimony in uniform, calling him a “Never Trumper” and questioning his recollection of events. “Supposedly, according to the Corrupt Media, the Ukraine call “concerned” today’s Never Trumper witness. Was he on the same call that I was? Can’t be possible!” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Please ask him to read the Transcript of the call. Witch Hunt!”
Absolute bullshit. Trump is clearly under enormous pressure, certainly feeling the heat.
"Vindman’s testimony directly challenged that of U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, a Trump appointee who met with impeachment investigators earlier this month. Sondland defended the president’s actions and told House investigators that no one had raised concerns about them. Sondland, in September text messages to the top American diplomat in Ukraine, Ambassador William B. Taylor Jr., said Trump had not engaged in a quid pro quo. Those text messages were provided to impeachment investigators by Kurt Volker, the Trump administration’s former special envoy to Ukraine."
Why lie under oath to protect a dictator who broke the law? Why stupidly place oneself in legal jeopardy to protect and defend a criminal dictator?
"In his meeting with lawmakers last week, Taylor laid out in meticulous detail how a shadow Ukraine policy involving Sondland and directed by Trump’s lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani prioritized investigating Trump’s political rivals over U.S. national security interests. Taylor’s testimony has been held up as the most incriminating to date. Vindman’s recollections, while narrower, illuminate key episodes in Taylor’s narrative with an even closer perspective: Vindman was either in the room or briefed personally after meetings by administration officials involved in the exchanges Democrats believe amounted to a quid pro quo."
Exactly right. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, guess what? It's a duck.
"Vindman also went to the NSC’s lead counsel with concerns about a July 10 meeting between Sondland, Volker, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, then-national security adviser John Bolton and senior Ukrainian officials. During the meeting, according to Vindman’s prepared statement, Sondland demanded that Ukrainian leaders deliver “specific investigations” to secure a meeting between Zelensky and Trump. Vindman said he was told about that meeting directly by Sondland in the immediate aftermath of the event, according to his prepared remarks. During the previously scheduled debrief, “Sondland emphasized the importance that Ukraine deliver the investigations into the 2016 election, the Bidens, and Burisma,” Vindman’s prepared testimony reads. “I stated to Amb. Sondland that his statements were inappropriate, that the request to investigate Biden and his son had nothing to do with national security, and that such investigations were not something the NSC was going to get involved in or push,” Vindman adds."
Walls are certainly closing in not only on Sondland, but his fuhrer as well, the Trump nazi.
"Sondland is already under pressure from some lawmakers to return to Capitol Hill due to discrepancies between his testimony and that of others like Taylor, who told investigators that Sondland was aware Trump was leveraging a meeting and, later, the military aid for Ukraine on promises to conduct investigations. Tim Morrison, the NSC official who told Taylor that Ukraine’s military aid was being held up to secure investigations into the role that former vice president Joe Biden’s son Hunter had on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, as well as a debunked conspiracy theory involving a Democratic National Committee that was hacked in 2016, is expected to testify in the impeachment inquiry on Thursday."
Fascinating, isn't it. Plot thickens:
"Sondland appeared to demur during his closed-door deposition earlier this month about whether [he] believed that almost $400 million in military aid for Ukraine was being withheld to secure the investigations. But in recent days, Sondland’s lawyer Robert Luskin has told the Wall Street Journal that his client believes — and told House investigators — that Trump’s refusal to meet with Zelensky until the Ukrainians promised to launch the investigations amounted to a quid pro quo."
Shit is certainly hitting the fan.
"Vindman’s testimony also raises new questions about the role that Bolton and his other senior deputies may play in the investigation as it proceeds. Bolton was furious by Sondland’s demands of the Ukrainians during the July 10 meeting, according to Vindman’s testimony and that of former NSC senior director for Russia and Europe Fiona Hill. Hill testified earlier this month that Bolton thought Giuliani was a “hand grenade” and wanted it known that he would not participate in a Ukraine policy that he likened to a “drug deal” between Sondland and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who had convened the meeting."
NBC News reports:
"Top Democrats at the deposition of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council, said his testimony Tuesday was “extremely disturbing” and praised him for appearing despite attacks from the White House. Acting House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y, told NBC News she found Vindman’s remarks “extremely, extremely, extremely disturbing” as she left the deposition. Maloney refused to answer any other questions about Vindman’s testimony. Vindman, appearing voluntarily under congressional subpoena, was set to tell members of Congress conducting an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump that he was on the phone call between Trump and Ukraine’s leader in which Trump asked for an investigation into the Bidens — and that he raised concerns about it."
Certainly, upheld his oath of office at great personal risk. Stood tall.
"Vindman considered Trump’s request that Ukraine investigate his political rivals so damaging to American national security that he reported it to a superior, according to his opening statement obtained by NBC News. According to his prepared remarks, Vindman, the National Security Council director for European affairs, will tell members of the committees investigating Trump that he was on the July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, making him the first witness to the call to appear before congressional investigators in the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"I was concerned by the call," Vindman's opening statement says. "I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine." "I realized that if Ukraine pursued an investigation into the Bidens and Burisma, it would likely be interpreted as a partisan play which would undoubtedly result in Ukraine losing the bipartisan support it has thus far maintained," his statement adds. "This would all undermine U.S. national security. Following the call, I again reported my concerns to NSC’s lead counsel."
"Vindman served multiple overseas tours as an infantry officer and received the Purple Heart after being wounded by an improvised explosive device while in Iraq. He joined the National Security Council in July of 2018. Vindman will also tell Congress that he is not the unnamed whistleblower whose complaint sparked what would become the impeachment inquiry now underway, according to the statement, and that he does not know who the whistleblower is. In addition, he will say that he twice reported his concerns to the National Security Council’s lead attorney, John Eisenberg, once after a July 10 meeting about comments made by U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, and also after Trump's phone call with Zelenskiy. His statement says he never had any direct communications with Trump."
This man certainly rattled the cage of the gutless Trump nazi:
"After details of Vindman’s opening statement emerged Monday night, Trump, as well as Republican allies of the president, attacked the former soldier.
“Supposedly, according to the Corrupt Media, the Ukraine call ‘concerned’ today’s Never Trumper witness," Trump tweeted. "Was he on the same call that I was? Can’t be possible! Please ask him to read the Transcript of the call. Witch Hunt!”
"Supposedly,
according to the Corrupt Media, the Ukraine call “concerned” today’s Never
Trumper witness. Was he on the same call that I was? Can’t be possible!
Please ask him to read the Transcript of the call. Witch Hunt!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2019"
You're a goddamned liar, Mr. 'President.' Walls are certainly closing in.
"On Monday night, Fox News host Laura Ingraham and John Yoo, a former official in the George W. Bush Justice Department, discussed on Ingraham’s show whether Vindman, who was born in the former Soviet Union and fled with his family to the U.S. as a child, could have effectively conducted espionage because, according to The New York Times, Ukraine officials sought his advice in dealing with Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani's efforts regarding Ukraine. Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., who as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee was present for Vindman’s deposition, defended Vindman in an interview on MSNBC Tuesday, saying he “is someone without impunity.” “For any of my colleagues to try to smear his reputation — that’s just not fair,” he said."
Certainly, highly indicative of their desperation as the walls close in on their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
To their credit:
"Some Republicans also defended Vindman. Rep. Liz. Cheney, R-Wyo., said at a press conference with GOP leadership Tuesday morning that the attacks on Vindman were “shameful.”
ABC News reports:
"Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the National Security Council's Director of European Affairs, arrived on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning ahead of a closed-door deposition as part of the House's impeachment inquiry. Vindman, who listened to the phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, became the first current White House official to testify in the probe despite a blanket White House directive against doing so.
"Vindman immigrated to the United States from Ukraine as a child, has served in the Army and was wounded in an IED attack in Iraq, and received a Purple Heart. Despite Vindman's career serving in the U.S. military and government, conservative defenders of the president attacked Vindman's loyalty by focusing on his heritage."
Certainly, indicative of the growing desperation of the achingly national socialist, fascist, nazi element in the Republican Party:
"We also know he was born in the Soviet Union, immigrated with his family, young," "Fox and Friends" host Brian Kilmeade said Tuesday morning. "He tends to feel simpatico with the Ukraine." "It seems very clear that he is incredibly concerned about Ukrainian defense,” former U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican from Wisconsin, said on CNN Tuesday morning. “I don't know that he's concerned about American policy, but his main mission was to make sure that the Ukraine got those weapons. I understand that. We all have an affinity to our homeland where we came from."
Pitiful. GOP nazis who delusionally, determinedly place partisan interests ahead of principle. Willing to deny, distort, bastardize reality for self-serving partisan best interests.
"Responding to a question from a Fox News host Monday night that broached Vindman's Ukrainian background, John Yoo, a former Justice Department official under President George W. Bush, said that "some people might call" Vindman's interactions with Ukrainian officials "espionage."
Resounding desperation as Democrats in the House finally stand tall, do all they can to expose the Trump nazi for precisely whom and what he is. At great personal political risk. About time. Duty, honor, country.
"Vindman was not the first official Trump has lambasted as a "Never Trumper" despite citing no evidence showing they harbor any political biases against the president. On Friday, Trump told reporters at the White House that Taylor was "a Never Trumper and his lawyer is a Never Trumper." He did not provide any evidence to support his claims."
Surprised? Why? Trump is, and has been, a congenital liar.
"Both Vindman and Taylor are current U.S. officials, the latter called to serve in Ukraine by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was nominated by Trump. Vindman is a current official on the Trump administration's National Security Council. They have both served under both Democratic and Republican administrations."
Fascinating, isn't it?
Further proof positive Trump is unfit for office, delusionally, increasingly desperate? Get this:
"Trump on Friday blamed Pompeo for hiring Taylor. "Hey, everybody makes mistakes," the president said. "Mike Pompeo. Everybody makes mistakes. He's a Never Trumper. His lawyer's the head of the Never Trumpers. They're a dying breed but they're still there." Trump has also invoked espionage to refer to those who have raised questions about his dealings with Ukraine. “I want to know who’s the person who gave the whistleblower the information because that’s close to a spy,” Trump said at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations last month. “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart with spies and treason, right? We used to handle it a little differently than we do now.”
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.
11-1-19
ISIS leader dead. CBS News reports:
"A Sunday raid by U.S. commandos in northwestern Syria ended a years long manhunt for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the most wanted terrorist in the world. President Trump said the longtime leader of ISIS killed himself during the attack on his location. U.S. Special Forces collected highly sensitive information at the scene, including future plans for ISIS, and took some of al-Baghdadi's associates prisoner."
While it's good he's gone, -- doesn't mean the end of ISIS.
"As CBS News correspondent Holly Williams reports, at the very least, this is a symbolic blow to ISIS because this is the man who stood up in a mosque five years ago in Iraq and declared himself the caliph, or leader, of his so-called Islamic state."
Even before the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State was a fraction of what it once was.
"After splitting from al Qaeda, he led ISIS to the peak of its violent rampage – ruling over an estimated 10 million people at one point, enslaving women, carrying out gruesome executions, and exporting its terror to Europe and the U.S. But ISIS was never about one man. It is an ideology, an extreme, and violent interpretation of Islam. Some say it is a perversion of Islam. That ideology doesn't end with al-Baghdadi or with ISIS. Other jihadist groups have replaced their leaders quickly when they've been killed – and ISIS will no doubt do the same."
No question. Sadly, it's nowhere near over.
"Mr. Trump said Sunday that al-Baghdadi's caliphate has been "obliterated." It's true ISIS lost its last remaining patch of territory back in March, but the Pentagon's watchdog says ISIS still has up to 18,000 members in Iraq and Syria. And in eastern Syria – that's the area from which the president ordered U.S. forces to withdraw this month – Kurdish forces say they're holding around 12,000 accused ISIS fighters. A U.S. general described those prisoners to CBS News last month as a contained fighting force. So al-Baghdadi is dead, but ISIS is still very much alive."
Law enforcement is on alert. ISIS fighters could strike outside the region in retaliation for the death of al-Baghdadi.
NBC News reports:
"Some details the president has revealed are inaccurate, others are classified. Officials say they worry what to put in briefings for a man with no filter."
Expect better of a narcissistic nazi dictator?
"President Donald Trump painted a vivid picture for the world of the deadly U.S. military raid on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a raid that only a small number of people witnessed in real time. A "beautiful" and "talented" dog got injured. A robot had been on standby to aid in the hunt for al-Baghdadi if needed. U.S. Special Operations Forces arrived in eight helicopters and were on the ground for about two hours. They entered al-Baghdadi's compound within seconds by blowing holes in the side of the wall. They chased al-Baghdadi into a web of underground tunnels — many of them dead ends — that they already knew existed. Before the U.S. forces left for the 70-minute, "very low and very, very fast" helicopter ride back along the same route from which they arrived, they captured some of al-Baghdadi's henchmen and seized "highly sensitive material and information" outlining the origin of ISIS and plans for future plots."
Here's the problem:
"A few of those colorful details were wrong. Many of the rest were either highly classified or tactically sensitive, and their disclosure by the president made intelligence and military officials cringe, according to current and former U.S. officials."
Proof positive Trump is an idiot.
"The al-Baghdadi raid is the most high-profile exhibit of a reality U.S. officials have had to contend with since Trump took office: a president with a background in show business who relishes delivering a compelling narrative and deals daily with the kind of covert, life-and-death sets of facts that inspire movie scripts. The president, as the ultimate authority on classification, can declassify any piece of government information simply by releasing it publicly."
In the case of Trump, that is certainly a problem. A big problem.
"And some top U.S. officials — including then-President Barack Obama, who signed a law to reduce the amount of classified material — have lamented the government's tendency to over-classify information."
That's also a problem. A continuing problem. Much of what is classified is done to protect the sorry asses of government officials. Clearly, that has not changed. What has changed is the fact the Trump nazi is disclosing details of military operations to glorify himself and distract attention from the impeachment inquiry. Doing so places military personnel conducting future missions in much greater danger than absolutely necessary, creates legal issues as well:
"But current and former senior U.S. officials said from the earliest days of his presidency that Trump consistently wants to make public more than his advisers think is legally sound or wise for U.S national security. "We agonized over what we would put in his briefings," one former senior White House official said, "because who knows if and when he's going to say something about it." "He has no filter," the official added. "But also if he knows something, and he thinks it's going to be good to say or make him appear smarter or stronger, he'll just blurt it out."
Egregiously unfit for office.
"On Monday, Trump declassified a photo of the dog, revealing its breed, which was classified. But the dog’s name remains top secret. Inquiries about the dog flooded in after Trump disclosed that "the K-9 was hurt, went into the tunnel." Trump also said Monday that he is considering releasing footage of the al-Baghdadi raid, and Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the military is working on declassifying some images. "We have video and photos," Milley said.
"We
have declassified a picture of the wonderful dog (name not declassified)
that did such a GREAT JOB in capturing and killing the Leader of ISIS,
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi! pic.twitter.com/PDMx9nZWvw
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 28, 2019"
Trump is an idiot:
"A couple of the president's statements on Sunday were inaccurate or left U.S. officials wondering where he got his information, officials said. The president said when U.S. officials notified Russia it would be entering airspace in western Syria, they told the Russians, "We think you're going to be very happy." But that phrase was not said on the call with the Russians, a U.S. official said. Trump also said al-Baghdadi was "crying and screaming" as U.S. forces chased him down, but U.S. officials said they didn't hear those sounds, and Milley told reporters he doesn't know the source of the president's information on that."
Forget? Trump is a congenital liar. Clearly, out of control:
"The overarching concern about Trump's disclosures on the al-Baghdadi raid, officials said, is that he gave America's enemies details that could make intelligence gathering and similar military operations more difficult and more dangerous to pull off. Revealing that the U.S. possesses documents about future ISIS plans hurts the military's ability to use that information for quick follow-on operations, officials said. The president's disclosure that the U.S. had taken ISIS fighters from the compound complicated efforts to try to keep ISIS from knowing who is alive or dead for as long as possible while they interrogate them, officials said."
Trump's head is figuratively, -- securely lodged where the sun seldom shines:
"Some of the president's comments could complicate the intelligence gathering that leads to such raids because they revealed sources and methods the U.S. uses, officials said. They pointed to his saying that the U.S. knew of al-Baghdadi's whereabouts via technology, and also knew of the underground tunnels at his compound, which suggests the U.S. has infrared abilities to locate caves and tunnels. "We knew it had tunnels. The tunnels were a dead end, for the most part. There was one, we think, that wasn't. But we had that covered, too, just in case," Trump said."
Pitiful, isn't it?
"Other information Trump discussed provided America's enemies with tactical details on how the military carries out a raid like the one on al-Baghdadi, officials said, including the robot, the helicopter flight patterns and how U.S. forces entered the compound."
Certainly, unnecessarily further endangers future missions.
"The arguments against disclosures are usually based on concerns about revealing sources and methods or the idea that the more the president releases publicly, the weaker his argument about exerting executive privilege becomes. Sometimes he overrules them, while other times he simply says things publicly that they weren't expecting him to disclose. Trump has since pushed the boundaries on a myriad of topics, officials said, and they don't expect that to be curtailed. He's talked publicly about deploying a nuclear submarine in Asia, and more recently about nuclear weapons the U.S. never acknowledges it keeps in Turkey. Early in his presidency, Trump's disclosure of specific intelligence to Russian officials raised alarms among administration officials. After Trump wrote on Twitter in August that the U.S. was learning a lot about a mysterious explosion in Russia, a senior administration official told NBC News an aide would have to inform him his disclosure risked revealing sources and methods."
Clearly, Trump is unfit for office. Worse, far worse? Trump presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
CBS News reports:
"President Donald Trump has revealed the name of the heroic U.S. military dog that chased ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before he killed himself in a tunnel during last weekend's raid. In a tweet early Thursday morning, the president said the dog's name name is Conan and that he will visit the White House next week. Mr. Trump previously tweeted a "declassified" photo of the dog and praised him as "beautiful" and "talented" during a speech Sunday announcing al-Baghdadi's demise. The latest update came as the president responded to an earlier tweet that included a photoshopped image of him draping a medal around the dog's neck."
Trump's lost his mind. Sadly, nobody home.
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.
11-1-19
Trump delusionally believes he owns Syrian oil. NPR reports:
"President Trump is renewing his push for U.S. control of Syrian oil. But experts say there's not much oil there, and what there is belongs to the Syrian government. Still, the idea of controlling the oil fields is one that has long appealed to Trump. And it may provide a rationale for maintaining a U.S. military presence in Syria, reversing the president's promise of a full withdrawal. "We are leaving soldiers to secure the oil," Trump told reporters on Sunday, while announcing the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. "And we may have to fight for the oil. It's OK. Maybe somebody else wants the oil, in which case they have a hell of a fight. But there's massive amounts of oil."
Simply, not true:
"In fact, in the best of times Syria produced only about 380,000 barrels of low-quality oil per day. And production has fallen more than 90% during the country's long civil war. Last year, Syria ranked 75th among countries in the world in oil production, with a daily output comparable to that of the state of Illinois. "Syrian oil was never important to the world market because production was so small," said energy expert Daniel Yergin of IHS Markit. "But it was very important to the Assad regime before the civil war because it produced 25% of the total government revenues."
The 'president' is insane. Get this:
"Trump on Sunday floated the idea of modernizing Syria's productive capacity with help from a major oil company. "What I intend to do, perhaps, is make a deal with an Exxon Mobil or one of our great companies to go in there and do it properly," he said. That would be a costly undertaking, according to Joshua Landis, who directs the Center of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. "This whole oil region needs to be rebuilt," Landis said. "So if America is going to get in the business of retaining these oil fields, it will have to invest hundreds of millions of dollars, in theory, to make them exploitable."
Worse? Get this:
"Trump has argued for years that the U.S. should seize Middle Eastern oil fields to recoup some of the cost of its military operations in the region — an idea that experts say violates international law and would only fuel criticism of American intentions. "In the old days, you when you had a war, to the victors belong the spoils," Trump told ABC news in 2011. Emory law professor Laurie Blank says that notion is outdated. "International law seeks to protect against exactly this sort of exploitation," Blank told Reuters."
Sen. Graham has lost his mind. Remains as delusional as his fuhrer, the Trump nazi:
"Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. — who bitterly criticized the president's abrupt decision earlier this month to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria — seized on the oil fields as an argument for a continued American presence in the region. "By continuing to maintain control of the oil fields in Syria, we will deny Assad and Iran a monetary windfall," Graham said in a statement last week that echoed Trump's own language. "We can also use some of the revenues from future oil sales to pay for our military commitment in Syria." That position appears to have struck a nerve with Trump. "I spoke with Lindsey Graham just a little while ago," Trump said Sunday. "Where Lindsey and I totally agree is the oil."
The oil belongs to Syria, not the United States. Both men have clearly, repeatedly, treasonously abrogated their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution and rule of law. That makes them traitors.
"For Graham and others, the oil fields may be a way to appeal to the president's transactional instincts and overcome Trump's aversion to an open-ended deployment in Syria. "There are many elements of our foreign policy establishment that want to roll back Iran and want to stay in Syria for the long haul," Landis said. "Throwing the oil wells in front of President Trump was a way I think they believed that they could reanimate his interest in staying in Syria."
Jesus Christ. Where did we lose ourselves?
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.
11-1-19
The House formalized the impeachment inquiry. NPR reports:
"The House of Representatives voted Thursday 232-196 to pass a resolution formalizing its impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Just two Democrats voted no — Reps. Collin Peterson of Minnesota and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey."
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.
11-1-19
Alabama abortion ban temporarily blocked. CBS News reports:
"Alabama's near-total ban on abortion has just been blocked from implementation. The ban, dubbed the "Human Life Protection Act," was set to take effect on November 15. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the ban on Tuesday morning, effectively halting the law from taking effect while the lawsuit challenging the ban continues. Steve Marshall, Alabama's attorney general, said the decision "was not unexpected," noting that the point of the law was to potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide."
Who the hell are these goddamned nazis to force their perverse religious views on all in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, 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.
10-25-19
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.
Gulags. ABC News reports:
"For asylum-seeker Miguel Angel Giron Martinez, getting to the U.S. border was the easy part. It was the eight months afterward that he says was a nightmare. In an interview with ABC News, Giron Martinez -- a 23-year-old student activist from Honduras who had his life threatened by the government -- claimed that he was kept in cramped conditions where men lined up for hours to use one of only three showers and was bounced around to different facilities in what he described as "endless detention."
Trump's Fourth Reich. Nazi America.
"At one point, he says he suffered a botched dental surgery in U.S. custody that was so painful he had no choice but to later extract part of the tooth himself, using only toilet paper to stop the bleeding. Giron Martinez is one of several named plaintiffs seeking injunctive relief and class certification in a lawsuit against Kevin McAleenan, the former acting director of the Department of Homeland Security who stepped down last week, the acting director of ICE, Matthew Albence, and two other ICE officials."
The bastards responsible need to be prosecuted.
"The plaintiffs claim in the suit, which is ongoing in Washington, D.C. federal court, that the New Orleans field office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has failed to follow agency directives for parole -- temporary release for those who have a "credible fear of persecution or torture" -- and instead have subjected them to indefinite detention "in remote immigration jails across the Deep South" despite satisfying the grounds for release, according to the complaint."
We've lost our country. We have ourselves to blame. We tolerate it. Remain gutlessly silent.
"Giron Martinez claimed he was repeatedly denied parole despite being an ideal candidate; he had no criminal history, had a U.S. citizen willing to sponsor him, and was not considered to be a flight risk, according to his lawyers. He has since been granted asylum in the United States."
What took so long? At what price?
"But some immigration lawyers say the harrowing details of Giron Martinez’s story raise serious questions about the U.S. treatment of asylum seekers. They say it highlights how unfair it is to deny parole to detainees who have no criminal history, who do not pose a flight risk, and should, under ICE's own parole directive, be granted parole."
Founders? Spinning in their graves. Wouldn't recognize the country they spawned. Readers are reminded our UNDOCUMENTED forbears arrived in this continent centuries ago, STOLE it from its native inhabitants, THEN broke every goddamned treaty signed.
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.
10-25-19
ACLU steps up. ABC News reports:
"A civil rights group is asking state motor vehicle agencies across the U.S. to reject a request from the U.S. Census Bureau for drivers' license records, saying it is part of a scheme to reduce the political power of minority groups."
Worse, than that? Will make it far easier for federal authorities to harass innocent civilians it doesn't like.
"The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday said in a statement that the Census Bureau should stop its efforts to gather state drivers' license information."
Not good enough. Sue the living shit out of the bastards.
"The ACLU was among several groups challenging the Trump administration's efforts to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. After the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the question from being added, President Donald Trump in July issued an executive order asking for citizenship data to be gathered through administrative records. The Census Bureau this week acknowledged their request was in response to the order."
No more than a pernicious end-run-around a Supreme Court ruling against the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
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.
10-25-19
A chink in the armor. CBS News reports:
"Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the leading critics of President Trump's drawdown of U.S. troops from Syria, has a message for Mr. Trump, which he delivered from the Senate Thursday. "If you continue on the course you're on, you will have brought a lot of damage to the nation, you'll abandon a valuable ally, set in motion the re-emergence of ISIS, and Mr. President, as much as I like you and want to work with you, I am going to be consistent," he said, quietly adding, "I will hold you accountable."
Some measure of sanity returns to the Senator. ... Who'd 'a 'thunk' it? LOL.
"The South Carolina senator stood alongside senators of both parties, including Chris Van Hollen, Marsha Blackburn and Jeanne Shaheen, and introduced legislation that would impose further sanctions on Turkey over its invasion into northern Syria. The sanctions would target top Turkish officials and take a "deep dive" into the Turkish president's own finances. Congress would also restrict visa access to Turkey.
"While Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are in Ankara trying to push for a ceasefire in northern Syria, there is active fighting on the battlefield, CBS News' Charlie D'Agata reported Thursday."
CBS News reports:
"The Trump administration is making its strongest push yet for a ceasefire in northern Syria. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sat down with Turkish President Erdogan Thursday morning in Turkey's capital, Ankara. They're trying to convince Turkey to halt its military operation against the Kurds. But Retired Admiral Sandy Winnefeld, a CBS News military and homeland security analyst and former vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said even if they manage to attain a ceasefire, which Turkey has so far refused, there are several other problems at the strategic level with the situation."
It'll never be the same. All the effort, all the treasure, all the loss of life. All for nothing.
"It's going to be difficult to fix this. It's essentially irreversible," Winnefeld told "CBS This Morning." "Because the territory that we're leaving is very rapidly going to be filled in by Syrian forces that are supported by Iranians and Russians. And the Kurds have switched their alliance over— over to that. So it's essentially irreversible."
Trump is an idiot. Unfit. Out to lunch.
"Winnefeld said even if the U.S. sent troops back to the region, the ground they had gained would be gone. "I don't think that we'll send troops back in unless perhaps there were a major terrorist attack against the United States or a close ally," Winnefeld said. "That ground is gone now. We handed it over for free."
That's right. At the whim of the idiot in the Oval Office.
"In the wake of his authorization to pull U.S. troops from Syria, President Trump has said Americans don't belong in the region's conflicts and that the Kurds are actually safer now. Winnefeld had other thoughts."
Trump has no grasp on reality:
"Several hundred Kurds, I think, have been killed in the last few days in the initial phases of this incursion. I don't believe that I can credibly say that the Kurds are safer now," Winnefeld said."
Trump's head remains figuratively, securely lodged up a bodily orifice:
"Mr. Trump also said repeatedly Wednesday the Kurds were "not angels." In response to that, Winnefeld cited the Kurds' history with the United States. "We began our closest relationship with them in 1991 when we sent them humanitarian aid after the first Gulf War, and they never forgot that," Winnefeld said. "They've been very loyal allies and friends since, have supported us in numerous operations in Iraq. And now they've been fighting and dying to the tune of 11,000 Kurds who have essentially been working on the ground against ISIS, who is a sworn enemy of the United States."
Trump betrayed an ally.
NPR reports:
"U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says he's reached a deal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to suspend the Turkish incursion into northern Syria, amid international outcry over the growing humanitarian and security crisis. Pence told reporters that Erdogan has agreed to a ceasefire of 120 hours to allow for the withdrawal of Kurdish YPG forces, which have been working with the U.S. in the fight against ISIS. The Kurdish forces will withdraw from a "safe zone" along the Turkish border with Syria that is about 20 miles wide, Pence said. The Turkish operation "will be halted entirely on completion of the withdrawal," Pence said."
Think so?
"The U.S. had imposed some limited sanctions on Turkish officials. Pence stated that with the implementation of the ceasefire, the U.S. would not impose any further sanctions on Turkey. And he added that "once a permanent ceasefire is in effect, the president has agreed to withdraw the economic sanctions that were imposed this last Monday."
Trump creates the crisis, then delusionally believes he's found a solution. Laughable. How many have already paid for this fiasco with their lives? How many more will be lost before this is resolved?
"The House passed a denunciation of the U.S. troop withdrawal in a resounding 354-60 vote on Wednesday. Likewise, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that "my preference would be for something even stronger than the resolution the House passed." McConnell had previously said that he is "gravely concerned by recent events in Syria and by our nation's apparent response thus far." Since U.S. troops withdrew from northern Syria, Kurdish forces seeking protection have formed an alliance with troops from the Syrian regime."
The worst is yet to come.
The Washington Post reports:
"Sporadic fighting continued Friday in a Syrian border town, less than 12 hours after Turkey agreed to halt its offensive against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria in a deal brokered by the United States. Smoke could be seen rising from the town, Ras al-Ayn, in footage broadcast by CNN early Friday. Journalists for the Associated Press reported shelling and the sound of gunfire. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces “is committed to the cease-fire, but the [Turkish-backed] factions and the Turkish army are targeting SDF positions, especially Ras al-Ayn hospital,” a spokesman for the SDF said."
The Turkish dictator remains a liar:
"Speaking to journalists outside a mosque where he performed Friday prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan said Turkish forces will not be leaving the agreed-upon safe zone, which he said is 32 kilometers deep and 444 kilometers long (20 miles by 276 miles). He said he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the fifth and last day of the cease-fire. Erdogan added that no clashes are occurring in the area anymore, despite witness accounts to the contrary. The National Army, a Turkish-backed umbrella group that united Syrian rebel factions ahead of the offensive, also denied that there was any fighting or shelling in Ras al-Ayn."
Expect them not to lie? LOL.
"A civilian near Ras al-Ayn said the bombardment continued through the night and into Friday morning. “There have been no airstrikes so far, but neither the bombardment nor the clashes have ceased,” he said in a telephone interview, declining to give his name for security reasons. “We are among the few dozens of families that have stayed in the area, but we have our car ready and we may still leave, despite the cease-fire.” He said most residents had already fled, adding, “I don’t think they are going to come back.” “Turkey’s goal is clear: to empty the area from its inhabitants and then replace them with refugees originally from other parts of Syria,” the civilian said. “We cannot trust any deal that doesn’t make the so-called National Army leave the area,” he said. “How are we supposed to live with those who conspired against us and stabbed us in the back?”
Trump's precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces triggered the latest crisis, loss of life, massive carnage. Certainly exacerbated problems there and in the region. Our fuhrer is a clueless fool. An idiot.
NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump presented Thursday’s U.S.-brokered deal with Turkey — which despite sporadic gunfire has paused fighting in northeast Syria — as “a great day for civilization." But in foreign policy circles it is being widely framed as a capitulation to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and a further gift to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Trump administration, after a whirlwind visit to Ankara by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, appeared to have handed Erdogan an emphatic victory by agreeing to his so-called safe-zone — a demilitarized area along Syria’s border where Turkey wants Kurdish refugees to live and which has been a longstanding Erdogan objective. The implications for America's standing on the world stage remain unclear but the blow to its reputation as a power that defends its allies is likely to be significant. “It is capitulation, it’s that simple,” said Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern politics at the London School of Economics. “Trump may celebrate this as the deal of the century, but it reaffirms the humiliation of the Trump administration and its betrayal of the Kurds, its loyal allies.” “He’s emasculated U.S. foreign policy,” he added."
Trump is unfit for office. When will Republicans wake up? He's doing irreparable damage to our formerly great country. To say nothing of the Republican Party.
"Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northeastern Syria and to move out of the way of a Turkish invasion on Oct. 9 has been met with sustained bipartisan criticism at home."
Rightfully, so.
"His uncertainty on the issue may have made things worse. On Wednesday, he claimed the conflict was over land that “has nothing to do with us,” distancing the U.S. from Middle East affairs. He was taking American soldiers out of a dangerous region, he said. But on Thursday, Trump was claiming credit for the agreement and recasting the U.S. as a major powerbroker in the region. “Everybody agreed to things that three days ago they would have never agreed to,” he told reporters. “That includes the Kurds. The Kurds are now much more inclined to do what has to be done. Turkey is much more inclined to do what has to be done.”
That's insanity. Simply, untrue. Not reality.
Gets worse. Get this:
"Then during a campaign rally in Texas on Thursday night, Trump said that “sometimes you have to let them fight, like two kids in a lot, you got to let them fight and then you pull them apart.”
Clearly, Trump has no clue. Massive failure in leadership.
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.
10-25-19
Aryan arrogance of a narcissistic, fascist dictator at its very worst. Trump is lining his pockets off the presidency. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump has awarded the 2020 Group of Seven summit of world leaders to his private company, scheduling the summit for June at his Trump Doral golf resort outside Miami, the White House announced Thursday."
Convenient, isn't it? Nothing quite like lining your pockets off the trappings of office.
"That decision is without precedent in modern American history: The president used his public office to direct a massive contract to himself. The G-7 summit draws hundreds of diplomats, journalists and security personnel and provides a worldwide spotlight."
Outright corruption.
"The announcement that the president’s club would host the international summit comes as Trump is in the midst of twin crises that are consuming his presidency — a hasty and confused American retreat in Syria and a growing impeachment inquiry in Congress."
Not only is Trump corrupt, he's unfit for office.
"Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who announced the decision, said the administration was not worried about the appearance of a conflict of interest, while he touted what the president’s resort has to offer."
Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the perverse universe of our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, and his henchmen.
"The choice of Doral was denounced by good-government groups on Thursday, including Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. That group filed suit against Trump for allegedly violating the Constitution’s “emoluments clause,” which prohibits presidents from taking payments from foreign governments."
The suits drag on in court. The Constitution is clear. Time for the judiciary to act.
“This is unbelievable. Given the potential consequences the president is facing for abusing the presidency for his own gain, we would have thought he would steer clear of blatant corruption at least temporarily; instead he has doubled down on it,” the group said in a statement. “The president is now officially using the power of his office to help prop up his struggling golf business.”
Expect any better of a narcissistic, national socialist, fascist dictator?
Subsequent to the above, Trump succumbed to enormous resistance from both major political parties, canceling plans to host the G-7 Summit at Doral:
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump was forced to abandon his decision to host next year’s Group of Seven summit at his private golf club after it became clear the move had alienated Republicans and swiftly become part of the impeachment inquiry that threatens his presidency. In a round of phone calls with conservative allies this weekend, Trump was told Republicans are struggling to defend him on so many fronts, according to an administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters."
Imagine having to repeatedly defend the indefensible.
"Democrats, meanwhile, continued to blast Trump for awarding the massive government contract to his own company and said they might add the alleged “emoluments” violation to the articles of impeachment they are preparing."
Here's the problem. Doesn't your heart bleed? LOL. Get this:
"Trump’s prized Doral resort is in steep decline, according to company documents, showing his business problems are mounting. The White House has been struggling to explain Trump’s G-7 decision since it was announced Thursday. The president’s opponents quickly seized on it as another example of Trump abusing his office for personal gain. Even many Republicans seemed reluctant to offer political cover."
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.
10-25-19
The Trump-Ukraine fiasco remains front and center. The Washington Post reports:
"Over two weeks of closed-door testimony, a clear portrait has emerged of a president personally orchestrating the effort to pressure a foreign government to dig up dirt on a potential 2020 political rival — and marshaling the full resources of the federal bureaucracy to help in that endeavor."
Certainly, true.
"On Thursday, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney waded further into the morass, saying during a rare news conference that he understood Trump to be asking for a quid pro quo with his Ukrainian counterpart — only to attempt to retract those comments in a bellicose statement six hours later. “We do — we do that all the time with foreign policy,” Mulvaney said when asked about a quid pro quo during the news conference, adding moments later: “And I have news for everybody: Get over it. There’s going to be political influence in foreign policy.”
Goes far deeper than that.
"Contrary to weeks of denials from the president and his defenders, a growing body of evidence makes clear it was Trump himself who repeatedly pushed his own government and a foreign power to intervene in domestic political concerns, enlisting and ensnaring a growing number of administration officials in a way that increasingly made even some members of his own team uncomfortable."
Certainly, appears to be a deliberate, concerted, carefully orchestrated, determined breaking of federal law.
"The wave of witnesses reflects the growing peril enveloping Trump amid the burgeoning inquiry, which he and some top aides have tried to block by refusing to abide by congressional subpoenas. Not only are a growing number of officials and longtime employees choosing to come forward with damaging evidence, the narrative they are laying out points to potential violations of law, including prohibitions on accepting campaign help from a foreign entity, that bolster the case for impeachment."
This is certainly a criminal matter. Yet, no criminal investigation by Trump's bought and paid for 'Justice' Department, -- and a U.S. Attorney General who has clearly abrogated his oath of office to uphold the Constitution and rule of law.
"The prepared testimony Thursday of Gordon Sondland, Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, showed how deeply the president involved himself in the Ukraine negotiations that are the focus of the inquiry, and the extent to which he outsourced Ukraine policy to his personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani. “I would not have recommended that Mr. Giuliani or any private citizen be involved in these foreign policy matters,” Sondland said, according to his prepared remarks."
Here's the problem:
"Yet despite his discomfort, Sondland said that because he and his team had been “given the president’s explicit direction,” the group “agreed to do as President Trump directed” and involved Giuliani in the ongoing Ukraine discussions."
Gutless. Should have courageously resigned in protest. Blew the whistle.
"At the core of the impeachment inquiry is Trump’s request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — while the United States was withholding nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine — for “a favor” in the form of investigating former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter, as detailed in a rough transcript of a July 25 call between the two leaders that was released by the White House under public pressure. Sondland’s prepared remarks depict an atmosphere where diplomats at times felt trapped, torn between what they believed was right and the directives the president was issuing."
All the more reason to have done the right thing. Resigned in protest. Exposed this criminal activity for precisely what it is. Where is your patriotism? Moral compass?
"In an interview with the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, Energy Secretary Rick Perry also clarified just how adamant Trump was in ensuring that Giuliani be included in Ukraine discussions. “Visit with Rudy,” Perry paraphrased the president as saying. Perry told the paper that after he contacted Trump’s personal attorney as part of an effort to facilitate a meeting between the president and Zelensky, Giuliani relayed to him unsubstantiated concerns that Ukraine — not Russia, as the U.S. intelligence community has concluded — had interfered in the 2016 presidential elections. On Thursday, Perry notified Trump in writing that he planned to resign soon."
... Can't imagine why. LOL.
"As early as May, Giuliani began publicly pushing theories involving Ukraine for which he had no reliable evidence. He urged, for instance, a corruption investigation into Hunter Biden, who sat on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, while his father was vice president. So far, there is no evidence of any wrongdoing by Biden or his son. At the time, many viewed Giuliani’s efforts in Ukraine as something of a personal passion project — the extracurricular schemes of an aging lawyer whose behavior even some in Trump’s own orbit considered erratic. Now, however, as Giuliani has said himself and as a number of other witnesses have made clear, Giuliani was working at the behest of his client, the president of the United States."
Gets worse. Get this:
"In rough notes released by the White House of Trump’s controversial call with Zelensky, the president seems to view Giuliani as almost interchangeable with Attorney General William P. Barr, telling Zelensky he hoped the Ukrainians could work with Giuliani and Barr to root out corruption there, including investigating the Bidens. Mulvaney, too, acted as an enabler, organizing a meeting in late May that stripped control of Ukraine policy from experts at the National Security Council and State Department. He reassigned control to Perry, Sondland and Kurt Volker, then the special U.S. envoy to Ukraine — a trio that called themselves “The Three Amigos.” Even those with fewer one-on-one interactions with Trump have offered testimony painting a picture of dysfunction at best — and malfeasance at worst — emanating from the president."
Walls certainly closing in. Sad.
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.
10-25-19
For the first time, Speaker Pelosi stood up to the Trump nazi. Stood tall. The Washington Post reports:
"The now-famous photo captured House Speaker Nancy Pelosi standing up in the Cabinet Room, pointing her finger at a visibly angry President Trump, and, in her telling, questioning his loyalty to the country he leads. Why, she asked, did he withdraw U.S. troops from Syria — a geopolitical calculation that allowed a toehold in northern Syria for Russian President Vladimir Putin? Why, she asked with lawmakers and aides watching and a White House photographer snapping away, do “all roads lead to Putin?" With that, Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters Thursday, she left the White House meeting Wednesday. It was a staggering accusation from one constitutional officer to another, and it marked the moment that a relationship once marked by elements of mutual esteem finally shattered, after multiple heated confrontations, into absolute mutual disdain."
Hat's off, Madam Speaker. About time.
"Trump called it an “unhinged meltdown.”
The hell it was. She told it like it is. Exposed you for precisely whom and what you are, Mr. 'President.' Finally, stood tall. Stood up to an idiot. A bully.
"For Pelosi, it was a grave but considered rebuke."
Called the truth.
"Coming amid the high drama of congressional impeachment proceedings, the clash left Capitol Hill agog — thanks in no small part to the photograph that Trump quickly tweeted as evidence of a House speaker run amok."
The photo showed a standing Nancy Pelosi pointing a finger at her seated nazi fuhrer, letting it rip. That is, telling it exactly as it was. Truth to power. Our gutless, clueless, hopelessly narcissistic fuhrer got his clock figuratively cleaned. About time.
“The Do Nothing Democrats, Pelosi and Schumer stormed out of the Cabinet Room!” Trump tweeted hours later, referring to Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), who followed Pelosi out of the room. Other Republicans joined in the opprobrium Thursday. “I would not stand up in the Cabinet Room, in front of the president of any party, and shake my finger at them,” said Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.). “I don’t care how important you think you are. Conduct yourself with some level of dignity.”
She did. You didn't. You and your fellow Republicans remain gutlessly, hopelessly silent despite the blatant abuse of power and criminal activity of your fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Other than complicit, what does that make you bastards? 'Patriots?'
"But Pelosi and her allies saw something very different: an unforgettable tableau of power being asserted, a lesson in checks and balances being taught in a royal blue pantsuit. Within hours, Pelosi had plastered the photo across her social media profiles."
Good for her. Finally, rose to the occasion.
“She’s a woman of dignity and grace. ... He’s an eighth-grade bully,” said Rep. John B. Larson (D-Conn.), assessing the meeting. “I think it was appropriate that they got up and walked out when they’re facing childish behavior.”
No kidding. -- Finally, something for wayward Democrats to be proud of.
"But unlike the past blowups, Wednesday’s meeting was set to be squarely focused on a matter of national, if not global security, with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff seated next to Trump and a pall of bipartisan concern hanging over the meeting. Barely an hour before it began, the House voted overwhelmingly to rebuke Trump’s decision to withdraw a small garrison of U.S. troops from northern Syria, paving the way for a Turkish campaign targeting the United States’ long-standing Kurdish allies. National security officials fear that the operation has led to the release of dozens of captives affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist group being held by the Kurds."
Imagine what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must have been thinking?
NBC News reports:
"Thanks to Donald Trump, American women have a fresh, iconic photo of Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the White House on Wednesday. There she is, the only woman at a table of two dozen men, standing up to object to what lawmakers confirm was Trump’s verbal abuse. Meanwhile, the white male power elite of the United States look down uneasily at their collective hands."
For damned good reason. They know full well Trump is a hopelessly clueless idiot. An embarrassment.
"In situations like this, as the only woman in a room full of men, Pelosi pushes all Trump’s buttons at once."
Certainly did. With great effect. Figuratively, kicked his sorry ass. 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.
10-25-19
Plot thickens. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, pressed the Trump administration to grant a visa to a former Ukrainian official who had been removed from his job because of concerns he was not aggressively pursuing corruption cases, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter."
What could Giuliani possibly been thinking? Where did he lose himself? Forget? He was a U.S. Attorney. A product of a Jesuit education. Apparently, lost his moral compass, ethical standards.
"But senior State Department officials denied the visa for Viktor Shokin, who had been booted as Ukraine’s top prosecutor in 2016 following pressure from the West, including from then-Vice President Joe Biden, the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, said the officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. His visa was denied on corruption grounds, officials said."
At least some in the State Department are willing to stand tall. Do the right thing. Not thoroughly corrupted by the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"Giuliani requested the visa around January this year, according to the testimony of George P. Kent, a career diplomat interviewed behind closed doors this week by three House committees conducting an impeachment inquiry into Trump over his dealings with Ukraine, said one of the officials. “One of the significant aspects of this was there was no debate about this anywhere in the Trump administration,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe a closed session. “Because it came from Giuliani, you can imagine it wasn’t just the desk officer making the decision.”
Fascinating, isn't it? Frightening, as well.
"Indeed, a second official said, the decision to reject the visa was made by “the political leadership” of the State Department. Giuliani appealed to the White House, but the denial was not reversed, Kent said, according to officials. An attorney for Kent declined to comment."
Extraordinarily interesting, isn't it? Begs the question what the hell is going on? Who is truly running government?
"Giuliani told The Washington Post in a recent interview he was upset that Shokin couldn’t get a visa but declined to say whether he had anything to do with the effort. “He had people helping him,” he said. “I’m not going to tell you more than that.”
Why not, Rudy? Whose ass are you covering, Counselor? Your own? The Trump nazi's?
"The revelation is the latest reflection of how Giuliani has sought to operate a shadow foreign policy from outside the government, attempting to sideline traditional policymakers — including political appointees — to achieve political goals favorable to the president."
That legal, Rudy? Where did you lose yourself, Counselor?
"Giuliani has figured prominently in a campaign to pressure Ukraine’s new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to take actions that would undermine Biden, a potential political rival of Trump in 2020. Those include Trump’s effort, revealed by a whistleblower in a complaint made public last month, in a July phone call to cajole Zelensky into reopening a dormant investigation into a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, that Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, once sat on the board of."
Certainly appears that's the way things went down. If so, these bastards broke federal law. Forget? It's illegal for a political incumbent to seek foreign interference in an American election.
"Shokin has aided Giuliani’s effort, alleging in an affidavit last month that the reason he was removed as prosecutor general — and the reason Biden wanted him gone — was that he was investigating Burisma for corruption."
Not true. Been long-since debunked.
"In fact, U.S. and European officials have said that the investigation into Burisma was dormant at the time of his firing and that Shokin was generally not pursuing corruption aggressively and needed to be removed. Giuliani had also sought the removal of U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who was recalled in May before her tour was over. Her ouster outraged many at the State Department, and Yovanovitch, who is on leave at Georgetown, testified last week that her departure came as a direct result of pressure Trump placed on the State Department."
Because she wouldn't play ball, refused to go along with the corruption.
"According to a rough transcript of Trump’s call with Zelensky, Trump also pressed the Ukrainian president to look into whether Ukraine had interfered in the 2016 election — apparently picking up on a widely discredited theory pushed by Giuliani that a computer server belonging to the Democratic Party was in Ukraine."
Congenital liar, just like his fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
"Trump dangled the prospect of hundreds of millions of dollars in military and foreign assistance and of a White House meeting as leverage in his conversation with Zelensky, according to the whistleblower and documents that have since corroborated the whistleblower’s account. On Thursday, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney acknowledged in a news conference that Trump had in fact withheld nearly $400 million in aid because he wanted Ukraine to investigate Democrats. “Did [Trump] also mention to me in the past the corruption related to the DNC server?” Mulvaney said. “Absolutely, no question about that. But that’s it, and that’s why we held up the money.” Mulvaney backtracked later that day, saying there was no “quid pro quo.”
Told the truth, then backtracked. LOL. Jesus Christ. Do these clueless bastards truly believe the public is that stupid?
"In an interview in late September, a Giuliani associate, Lev Parnas, said he had helped connect Giuliani to Shokin late last year, after learning that Giuliani was interested in Ukraine. Parnas was arrested last week along with a business partner, Igor Fruman, and charged with campaign finance violations. Parnas said in the interview with The Post, which took place prior to his arrest, that Giuliani had first invited Shokin to come to the United States for a meeting — a plan that was thwarted when Shokin learned the United States would not extend him a visa. Instead, Giuliani and Shokin spoke via Skype in January."
Where'd you lose yourself, Rudy?
"But Parnas said Giuliani had been upset when Shokin could not accept his invitation due to the visa issue. “He’s been here before. Never had a problem traveling. All of a sudden, he goes, buys a ticket, and our State Department denies the visa,” Parnas said. “That’s when the problems began. I’m not going to get into what transpired afterwards. But basically, it was looked into. State took a very serious approach, and until this day, his visa has not been approved.”
For damned good reason. Corruption. What does that make you, Rudy?
"Parnas went on to say that he believed then-ambassador Yovanovitch had played a role in denying Shokin his visa — and that distress over that decision may have contributed to Giuliani’s support for efforts to remove her from her post. In his indictment last week, prosecutors alleged that Parnas had advocated for her ouster at the request of one or more Ukrainian government officials. “I think very much so,” he said, when asked if the ambassador had played a role in the visa denial. “That’s why I think the ambassador’s not there.”
You got it ass backwards. Goes much further and deeper than that. She challenged the corruption. Wouldn't play ball with any of it. For that, the Trump nazi recalled her. Ferociously pointedly, what does that make our fuhrer, the Trump nazi?
Forget? Get this:
"Officials stressed that the denial was made on the merits by senior State Department officials. “It was particularly galling that this guy was trying to come here,” said one official. “The department said no.”
For damned good reason. ... At least some honor remains in the State Department. Founders? Spinning in their graves. Wouldn't recognize the country they spawned. So do many of us living through this nightmare.
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.
10-25-19
Recalcitrant Republicans are beginning to see the light. Have no choice. Gotten that bad. The Washington Post reports:
"A growing number of congressional Republicans expressed exasperation Friday over what they view as President Trump’s indefensible behavior, a sign that the president’s stranglehold on his party is starting to weaken as Congress hurtles toward a historic impeachment vote. In interviews with more than 20 GOP lawmakers and congressional aides in the past 48 hours, many said they were repulsed by Trump’s decision to host an international summit at his own resort and incensed by acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney’s admission — later withdrawn — that U.S. aid to Ukraine was withheld for political reasons. Others expressed anger over the president’s abandonment of Kurdish allies in Syria."
All, rightfully so. Not sustainable. Trump is driving our formerly great country into the ground. Doing irreparable damage to the Republican Party in the process.
"One Republican, Rep. Francis Rooney (Fla.) — whose district Trump carried by 22 percentage points — did not rule out voting to impeach the president and compared the situation to the Watergate scandal that ended Richard Nixon’s presidency."
This is far worse than the Nixon fiasco decades ago. Orders of magnitude. Off the chart. Trump makes ole 'Tricky Dick' look like a choir boy in comparison.
“I’m still thinking about it, you know?” Rooney said of backing impeachment. “I’ve been real mindful of the fact that during Watergate, all the people I knew said, ‘Oh, they’re just abusing Nixon, and it’s a witch hunt.’ Turns out it wasn’t a witch hunt. It was really bad.”
As bad as it was back then, nothing compared to what's going on currently. Nixon covered up criminal activity. Trump is engaging in it.
"The GOP’s rising frustration is a break from the past three years, when congressional Republicans almost uniformly defended Trump through a series of scandals that engulfed the White House. There’s now a growing sense among a quiet group of Republicans that the president is playing with fire, taking their loyalty for granted as they’re forced to “defend the indefensible,” as a senior House Republican said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly. A few Republicans are starting to say they flat-out won’t do it anymore — particularly the president’s choice of his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort for next year’s Group of Seven summit of world leaders, a selection that will benefit him financially."
Blatant corruption. In broad daylight. For all to see.
“You have to go out and try to defend him. Well, I don’t know if I can do that!” steamed a frustrated Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho). “I have no doubt that Doral is a really good place — I’ve been there, I know. But it is politically insensitive. They should have known what the kickback is going to be on this, that politically he’s doing it for his own benefit.”
Wake up, Congressman. How can you go along with any of this? It's blatant corruption. Outrageously, unconstitutional as well. Violation of the Emoluments Clause.
"To be sure, Republican leadership in the House and Senate — and many rank-and-file GOP lawmakers — are still firmly behind Trump, who remains immensely popular with the party base. While several have criticized the president over policy, such as the withdrawal of U.S. forces from northern Syria, they have argued against impeachment."
This continues? Will do irreparable damage to the Republican Party. Think Democrats won't wind up laying crime after crime after crime after crime before the public during the impeachment inquiry for all to see? Delusionally believe that won't do tremendous damage to the GOP?
"On Friday, Trump’s top allies continued to defend him, playing down the Doral announcement and doing damage control for Mulvaney’s blunder, in which their former House colleague contradicted Trump’s “no quid pro quo” talking point and admitted that the president had withheld nearly $400 million in military aid to force Ukraine to pursue an investigation that would benefit him politically. Hours after the comments, Mulvaney sought to walk back his remarks. After saying Trump held back aid to pressure Ukraine, Mulvaney tries to walk back comments."
Too late. The cat was already out of the bag, -- so to speak.
Yet, some delusional Republicans remain hopelessly clueless:
“I don’t see what the big deal is, frankly,” Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) said of Trump’s decision to host the G-7 at Doral. On Ukraine, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, “I think Mick was very clear in cleaning up the statement, that there was no quid pro quo.” Other Republicans shrugged off the latest controversies, including Trump’s choice of his Florida resort for the international meeting. “I think the optics aren’t good ... but we have a lot more problems to worry about,” said Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.). Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said the Doral announcement “doesn’t bother me a great deal” even as he admitted, “I think there is certainly an appearance of conflict of interest.”
Aggressive stupidity, that is, the determined, concerted, willful embrace of stupidity is always amply 'rewarded.' Always. Worse? Unlike Nixon, Trump is a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. An unabashed fascist. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
"Still, there was a notable shift in tone, even among some of Trump’s most adamant defenders. On Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) criticized Trump’s Syria decision in an op-ed in The Washington Post, just days after 129 House Republicans backed a resolution condemning the president’s move. “Withdrawing U.S. forces from Syria is a grave strategic mistake,” wrote McConnell, who rarely criticizes Trump and never mentioned the president’s name in the op-ed. “It will leave the American people and homeland less safe, embolden our enemies, and weaken important alliances.”
You think? LOL. -- Just beginning to see the light, Mitch? LOL.
"Meanwhile, several GOP lawmakers have reached out to White House officials to urge Trump to reconsider his Doral decision, which they worry smacks of corruption, according to GOP officials familiar with the conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly. At the very least, they’re pressing Trump to publicly commit to hosting the international leaders free, to avoid any appearance that he’s using his office to enrich himself."
Too late. Already been doing so since taking office. Forget? Foreigners have been lining his pockets at his resorts in an attempt to gain favor. Wake up.
None of this bodes well for Republicans:
"House Democratic leaders are moving rapidly in their impeachment probe and could hold a vote by the holiday season. They have been turning up an increasingly robust body of evidence showing that the president pressured Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, a 2020 presidential contender, and his son Hunter. Additionally, a majority of voters now back the idea of ousting Trump from office — even more Republicans are supporting impeachment. Yet Republicans believe that Trump has made it harder for them to help him politically survive impeachment and win reelection. For one, his Doral announcement undercuts his own argument that Biden did something wrong when he allowed his son to make a profit from a Ukraine company board. Trump is now boosting his own bottom line from the Oval Office, they noted."
Time to wake up. No good can come from any of this. Our country's far more polarized than it's ever been. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms. As the clueless bastards in both major political parties continue to 'fiddle while Rome burns,' -- so to speak. Unsustainable.
Republicans are shitting. The Washington Post reports:
"The planned impeachment testimony from a Pentagon official responsible for Ukraine policy resumed Wednesday afternoon after several of President Trump’s congressional allies staged a demonstration against the probe and barged into a secure facility on Capitol Hill, causing a more than five-hour delay."
Think you've heard it all? NBC News reports:
"A panel of three federal appeals court judges appeared to be unreceptive Wednesday to President Donald Trump's claim that local prosecutors cannot get his financial records as long as he's in office — and heard an extreme hypothetical example making that case. The long-standing view of the Justice Department is that a president cannot be indicted while in office. William Consovoy, Trump's lawyer, told the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals that the immunity extends to the entire criminal justice process, including grand jury subpoenas for documents.
"Carey Dunne, New York District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.'s general counsel, said the president's position is too absolute. There could be examples in which a state should be able to conduct a criminal investigation of a sitting president, "if, for example, he did pull out a handgun and shoot someone on Fifth Avenue." Asked about that, Consovoy said a president could be charged with such a crime once he was out of office or if he was impeached and removed from office. "This is not a permanent immunity," he said. "I'm talking about while in office. Nothing could be done? That's your position?" Judge Denny Chin asked. "That is correct," Consovoy said."
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.
10-25-19
The following matter is of great concern. Not only because it involves a neo-nazi group that presents an exigent threat, but can be wantonly abused by government to abrogate the Second Amendment rights of all. That is, the last best defense against outrageously corrupt and abusive government. NBC News reports:
"Firearms belonging to the suspected leader of a neo-Nazi group who was thought to be preparing for a "race war" have been seized under a "red flag" law in Washington state, according to court documents. Authorities removed five rifles, three pistols and other gun components from Kaleb James Cole, 24, under a state law that allows authorities to take guns from people deemed to be a risk to themselves or others for up to a year, authorities said. Cole has not been charged with any crime."
That's a problem. A big problem. No question, the Nazi Right presents an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. At the same time, 'red flag' laws are egregiously unconstitutional.
Can, have, and will be used by corrupt and abusive government to abrogate the last best defense against corrupt and abusive government: the Second Amendment.
-- I.e., one of the most important rights of law abiding citizens who are and remain the ultimate masters of government in a democratic republic as envisioned by the Founders.
Certainly, not the goddamned corporate management suite who currently runs and owns its bought and paid for shills at all levels of government.
"Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes believes the seizure, which court documents indicate happened Sept. 26, may have prevented a massacre."
No question, that may be true. There is, however, a far greater principle involved here. Far more at stake. If this outrageously unconstitutional law is abused by corrupt and abusive government, the entire nation is placed at risk. Could wind up under the boot of a dictator. With no effective way to resist. No way to fight back. Democrats seem to have forgotten freedom is not free.
Always a cost to be paid, sometimes incredibly steep. Some will wind up killed at the hands of criminals who use firearms to perpetrate their crimes. Some have already been murdered at the hands of the criminal jackbooted bastards in blue. Think that justifies summarily forfeiting our last best defense against out of control, corrupt and abusive government? Forget? Precisely, why the Founders included the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights.
"This is a hate-filled human being, but unfortunately one who possesses really alarming numbers of weapons," Holmes said."
Hate, certainly a factor in both the community and law enforcement. Moreover, who is to define how many weapons are too many? Who? Many law-abiding collectors own massive collections. Conveniently, forget? Law enforcement is exceptionally well-armed. Certainly has a recent history of murdering innocent, unarmed civilians with virtual impunity. No problem with that?
"Prosecutors filed a lawsuit against Cole invoking the state’s red flag law and seeking an "extreme risk protection order." Seventeen states and Washington, D.C. have laws allowing family members or police to remove weapons from people who may be dangerous, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts."
Sets a dangerous precedent that can wind up becoming an exigent threat to a democratic republic.
"The National Rifle Association has opposed some current protection order laws, arguing they deprive gun owners of due process."
Sadly, they all do. Worse? Provide a false sense of security.
"Cole is a self-admitted member of the "Atomwaffen Division" — which the Southern Poverty Law Center says is a terroristic national socialist organization that believes in using violence for “apocalyptic, racial cleansing” — and is thought to be the leader of the Washington state chapter, Seattle police said in its petition for the court order. Police believe Cole participated in recent firearm training and recruitment efforts at “hate camps,” which officials say he helped organize. "It appears that he has gone from espousing hate to now taking active steps or preparation for an impending 'race war,'" Seattle police said in the petition. Included with the police petition were a cellphone photo of Cole giving the Nazi salute, and another of him and another person standing in front of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland."
No question, this piece of shit is a despicable national socialist, fascist, a nazi. In our democratic republic, none of that is illegal. Precisely, why this piece of crap has not been prosecuted. Until he breaks the law, will not be prosecuted.
Readers are reminded the ACLU was strongly criticized back in the Sixties for legally defending the nazi element and its constitutional First Amendment right to hold rallies. The ACLU did it for one reason and one reason only. Today, the nazis. Tomorrow, who's next?
"Cole was stopped as he arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport in December 2018 after a 25-day trip to eastern Europe, and officials then noted that he had been identified in an article as being Atomwaffen’s Washington state chapter leader, Customs and Border Protection said in documents attached to the petition. Cole allegedly admitted his membership, and CBP wrote in its report that he "stated that he shares a fascist ideology, 'strong dominate the weak.'"
So does the Trump nazi. So do his henchmen. Although extremely, unconscionably despicable, it is not illegal to have such beliefs and to express them. First Amendment. It is also the First Amendment that permits ferocious non-violent criticism of these pieces of human excrement and their perverse ideology.
"But that report also said that Cole told officials he discourages members from doing anything illegal and that his group is not interested in the overthrow of the U.S. government. He said he owned an AK-47 and several handguns for protection. Cole was released after being questioned, the report says. Cole was deported from Canada earlier this year because officials there felt he was a member of an organization that may engage in terrorism, Seattle police said in its petition for the extreme risk protection order. Cole is said to have been barred from Canada for life. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg told NBC affiliate KING of Seattle that in addition to the weapons seized, which included what he characterized as military-style assault rifles, components and tools that could be used to make untraceable firearms were also found."
Had he broke the law, the nazi son of a bitch would have been quickly arrested and charged. Rightfully, so. He had not done so. Precisely, why unconstitutional 'red flag' laws were employed by the jackbooted bastards in blue and the judge. Question to be asked, who's next?
"Satterberg said that much of the material presented to the judge was information already on the Internet and involved statements by Cole. "It wasn’t anything super-secret that we had to tell the judge. It was just: 'here’s what this guy’s about, he’s leading other people in practicing and informing a potentially violent cell that would act on their white supremacist views,'" Satterberg told the station. "So, that was enough to convince this judge that at least temporarily — let’s take a time out. Let’s take these guns out and see what we’ve got here," he said. "It isn't a crime, he’s not being charged, he’s not in jail ... it is a way to slow things down."
That alone is extremely dangerous. Sets a dangerous precedent. Presents an exigent threat of loss of constitutional rights without due process, no trial by jury. On the whim of law enforcement, a judge, and/or family members who hold a grudge. 'Red flag' laws are ripe for abuse.
"The NRA's Institute for Legislative Action denied media reports that suggested the group supports red flag laws as they exist in some states, and it said it opposes such laws because they do not protect due process rights. "We will only support an ERPO process that strongly protects both Second Amendment rights and due process rights at the same time," the NRA said in January."
Again, freedom is not free. Some of us will get killed by the criminal element through the illegal use of firearms. -- The steep price sometimes paid for liberty.
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10-25-19
The generals are standing up, speaking out. Col. Jack Jacobs, Medal of Honor recipient and NBC/MSNBC military analyst reports:
"On Oct. 17, I attended the Al Smith Dinner, an annual charity gala in New York City. Political big-shots mingle with media celebrities and corporate executives. It is always an entertaining experience. This year’s keynote address was by retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, President Donald Trump’s erstwhile secretary of defense. Trump once praised Mattis profusely, but more recently has made him the object of his scorn, calling him “the world’s most overrated general.” (Full disclosure: I know Jim Mattis and can report that he is among the finest officers I have met since I first donned a uniform 53 years ago.) Although Mattis has a well-developed and wry sense of humor, he is judicious about using it. His public persona leaves one with the correct impression that he is the consummate professional warrior."
No question. A United States Marine.
"But at the Al Smith Dinner, he chose to deploy his weapons of erudition, surprising and amusing the hundreds of attendees with a rare counterattack. “I’m honored to be considered that by Donald Trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress,” Mattis said in his keynote speech. “So, I guess I’m the Meryl Streep of generals.” The barb was doubly surprising given Mattis’ previous reluctance to criticize his former commander in chief, a decision that has garnered its fair share of criticism. But there’s a reason for Mattis’ reluctance. Generals in Mattis’ position, even those who are retired, do not criticize the sitting president. Until this administration, Mattis’ joke would have been unthinkable. And yet, Mattis is merely the latest in a line of commanding officers who have recently rebuked the president’s decisions. This collective decision to go against such entrenched military traditions should give their warnings even more weight. When the generals are speaking out, something is really wrong."
No question.
"Earlier in October, retired Adm. William McRaven, also a very highly respected warrior, was even more direct in an opinion piece in The New York Times, in which he asserted that our nation is under attack from within. “Last week I attended two memorable events that reminded me why we care so very much about this nation and also why our future may be in peril,” McRaven, who oversaw the Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden, wrote. “But, beneath the outward sense of hope and duty that I witnessed at these two events, there was an underlying current of frustration, humiliation, anger and fear that echoed across the sidelines. The America that they believed in was under attack, not from without, but from within.”
It is.
"Very early on, service members are taught that the success of our national defense rests on the strength of the chain of command. Yes, one can argue and even disagree with the boss. Indeed, commanders routinely insist on critical input from their subordinates. But once the decision is made, unless the order is immoral or illegal, it must be obeyed. In America’s long history, we have made many strategic errors in the use of the military instrument of power. We strenuously avoided getting involved in World War II, and as a result, millions of people were slaughtered before we finally answered the call. Fighting in Vietnam, while supporting its corrupt and inept government, was a deadly folly. Invading Iraq was a huge mistake, and the error of doing so has not yet been fully realized."
Consider the following:
"But even in these cases, criticism of the national command authority by members of the military was, at most, muted. Four-star generals were certainly not directing criticism specifically at the commander in chief. Not so today. Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria seems to have been the final straw for several leaders. Also in October, retired Gen. John Allen, the former commander of American forces in Afghanistan, told CNN the events in Syria were "completely foreseeable" and that the U.S. had “greenlighted” the crisis. "This is what happens when Trump follows his instincts and because of his alignment with autocrats,” Allen noted."
He's right. Spot on.
"Last year, retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal went so far as to call Trump “immoral.” Over at the Atlantic, retired Gen. Joseph Votel, former commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) who helped lead the fight against the Islamic State militant group, wrote that Trump’s Syria “abandonment threatens to undo five years’ worth of fighting against ISIS and will severely damage American credibility and reliability in any future fights in which we need strong allies.” Even more three- and four-star generals voiced their frustration with Trump to Mark Bowden in a separate piece, some on the record and others off."
It is the duty of the chain of command to speak out when our country is placed at risk, or its best interests are not considered, looked out for.
"When warriors of the caliber of Mattis and McRaven or Votel and Allen publicly reprove the president, citizens may properly conclude that our national security decision-making is truly dysfunctional and that the nation is dangerously at risk."
No question.
"To be sure, from the very beginning of his tenure, the president has given critics plenty of reasons — both stylistic and substantive — to be excoriated. But, as in the past, we have not heard dissent from warriors. Until now. Perhaps the proximate impetus for the military’s disaffection was the president’s latest decision, to withdraw precipitously almost all American forces from Syria. For the United States, there has been nothing positive that has resulted from this misguided choice, and all the strategic gains have accrued to Turkey, Syria, Russia, Iran and ISIS. On the other hand, maybe this decision’s effect on these officers’ thinking is more wide-ranging. We are now in the unenviable and dangerous position of having convinced both friends and adversaries that we are withdrawing from the world stage. Mattis, for one, would gladly suffer a lifetime of adolescent, ad hominem criticism if the result were the safety, security and prosperity of his country."
Duty, Honor, Country.
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10-25-19
Walls continue to close in on Trump. The Washington Post reports:
"The senior U.S. diplomat in Ukraine told lawmakers Tuesday that President Trump made the release of military aid contingent on public declarations from Ukraine that it would investigate the Bidens and the 2016 election, contradicting Trump’s denial that he used the money as leverage for political gain. The explosive, closed-door testimony from acting ambassador William B. Taylor Jr. undermined the repeated statements of the president and the depositions of other administration officials, with the potential to reset the House impeachment probe of Trump. Taylor, a seasoned diplomat, Army veteran and meticulous note taker, provided an expansive description of a series of events at the heart of an investigation that poses the most serious threat to the Trump presidency. One Democrat described the testimony as “damning.” In a 15-page opening statement, obtained by The Washington Post, Taylor stood by his characterization that it was “crazy” to make the assistance contingent on investigations he found troubling."
Why was this hearing conducted closed door? What could Democrats possibly been thinking? The public is entitled to this information. To see for itself. In real time. Not second hand. Not filtered by anyone. Not in dribs and drabs.
"He described how officials from the Pentagon, State Department, CIA and former National Security Adviser John Bolton tried unsuccessfully to get a meeting with Trump to release the aid. He testified that Ukrainian officials were blindsided by the White House’s decision to release a rough transcript of Trump’s July 25 call with President Volodymyr Zelensky with “virtually no notice of the release and they were livid.” Upon arriving in Kyiv last spring Taylor became alarmed by secondary diplomatic channels involving U.S. officials that he called “weird,” he said. Taylor walked lawmakers through a series of conversations he had with other U.S. diplomats who were trying to obtain what one had called the “deliverable” of Ukrainian help investigating Trump’s political rivals. “In August and September of this year, I became increasingly concerned that our relationship with Ukraine was being fundamentally undermined by an irregular informal channel of U.S. policy-making and by the withholding of vital security assistance for domestic political reasons,” Taylor said."
Report goes on and on.
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10-25-19
Trump's war against women is doing damage. Having its intended effect. Evisceration of liberty. ... You don't own your uterus, ladies. -- Not according to the Nazi Right. They do. NBC News reports:
"Nearly 900 women's health clinics nationwide have lost federal funds after the Trump administration implemented a "domestic gag rule" to a federal family planning program known as Title X, according to an estimate by Power to Decide, an organization that works to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Women of color make up more than half, and Latinas over a third of all Title X patients. The lack of funding could affect access to reproductive health services, including breast cancer screenings, HIV tests and birth control for over 8.7 million women living in 390 counties in the U.S."
Trump's war against women.
"Paloma Zuleta, director of media relations at Power to Decide, told NBC that any changes in the way reproductive health clinics do business will mainly affect low-income women of color — defeating the purpose of the family planning program known as Title X, which was created to help low-income women. “If clinics can no longer open early anymore or they can no longer keep late hours because their funding is so different or if they have to lay people off,” Zuleta said, “it's a deterrent for women to be able to access the health care that they need."
Forget? Trump's intention.
"The Trump administration instituted the gag rule two months ago, stating that health clinics can’t receive funds under Title X if abortions are performed at the facility or if specialists refer patients to centers where they can get an abortion. The administration issued the ruling despite the fact that since 1976, federal funds cannot be used to directly pay for abortions under the Hyde Amendment, which excludes abortion from the health care services provided to low-income people by the federal government."
Direct violation of freedom of speech. First Amendment. Who the hell is this goddamned nazi to abrogate a constitutional right?
"Ginny Ehrlich, chief executive of Power to Decide, said the gag rule imposed an “ethical dilemma” on clinics providing quality care, leaving some counties "with no clinic that has Title X funds to support women's needs.”
All, courtesy of the Nazi Right which is determined to impose its outrageously perverse religious views on all.
"Clinics had to choose between halting family planning consultations or services that include abortion as a viable option and keep receiving Title X funds or, like Planned Parenthood, withdraw from the federal family planning program and continue to offer full services at their facilities while looking for alternate sources of funding such as donations or private grants."
Nazi America. Courtesy of those desperate to force their ersatz morality, perverse religious views on all.
"All clinics receiving Title X funding in Vermont, Maine, Utah, Oregon and Washington walked away from the federal program, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Power to Decide. The five states currently lack Title X clinics. Over 26 other states have seen drops in the number of clinics using Title X programs, including Florida, California and New York, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and Power to Decide. Reproductive justice advocate Estefany Londoño worries that cuts resulting in fewer preventive services such as cervical cancer screenings could be detrimental to Latinas, who have the highest rate of cervical cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another ripple effect Londoño anticipates is that costs for services may go up as health centers have to make up for the lost federal funds. “Clinics will become more expensive for low-income women," she said, and women may face longer waits for appointments if clinics contract services."
Aggressive stupidity at its very worst:
"While the administration seeks to reduce access to abortion, reproductive health experts have found that one of the main factors driving a steep decline in abortions from 2008 to 2011 was the expansion of women’s access to better birth control and contraceptive services under programs like Title X."
Nazi Right, in effect, stupidly, figuratively shot itself in the ass.
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.
10-25-19
Trump is growing increasingly desperate. NPR reports:
"President Trump lashed out about the House impeachment inquiry in a tweet Tuesday morning, calling it "a lynching."
"So
some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House,
even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process
or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they
are witnessing here - a lynching. But we will WIN!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019"
As expected, created a firestorm:
"Trump's harsh rhetoric drew an immediate response from Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., who tweeted: "You think this impeachment is a LYNCHING? What the hell is wrong with you? Do you know how many people who look like me have been lynched, since the inception of this country, by people who look like you. Delete this tweet."
"You think this impeachment is a LYNCHING? What the hell is wrong with you?
"Do
you know how many people who look like me have been lynched, since the
inception of this country, by people who look like you. Delete this tweet.
https://t.co/oTMhWo4awR
—
Bobby L. Rush (@RepBobbyRush) October 22, 2019"
What could Trump possibly been thinking? His head remains figuratively, securely lodged up a bodily orifice.
"Rush led the effort by members of the Congressional Black Caucus in introducing legislation classifying actual lynching as a federal crime last year. The chair of the black caucus, Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., tweeted in a similar vein: "You are comparing a constitutional process to the PREVALENT and SYSTEMATIC brutal torture of people in THIS COUNTRY that looked like me?"
"You
are comparing a constitutional process to the PREVALENT and SYSTEMATIC
brutal torture of people in THIS COUNTRY that looked like me? https://t.co/3v4oMuPC6C
—
Congressmember Bass (@RepKarenBass) October 22, 2019"
At least one Republican was certainly not happy:
"Trump also drew a rebuke from Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who called on Trump to "retract this immediately."
"We
can all disagree on the process, and argue merits. But never should we
use terms like “lynching” here. The painful scourge in our history has
no comparison to politics, and @realDonaldTrump should retract this immediately.
May God help us to return to a better way. https://t.co/URKNgxUfiv
—
Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) October 22, 2019"
Just when it appeared ole Lindsey was finally beginning to wake up, he had a brain fart:
"Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., vigorously backed up Trump. "This is a lynching in every sense," he told reporters."
Take your head out of your ass, Senator. It's unbecoming. Makes you look hopelessly stupid. An idiot.
Good to see Trump is growing increasingly desperate. Speaks volumes:
"Trump's rhetoric has grown more heated as the impeachment inquiry continues, but this is not the first time he has tweeted the word "lynching" to refer to the attacks on him.
"@ellenEspence:
@marklevinshow Thank you for maintaining your integrity during this disgusting
lynching of @realDonaldTrump" Thanks Mark!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2015"
Wake up, Mr. 'President.' You've consistently disgraced yourself and the presidency. Remain an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
Readers are reminded:
"Lynchings hold a dark place in American history. The NAACP notes that there were 4,743 people lynched in the United States from 1882 to 1968. And that is just the number of recorded lynchings. "Most of the lynchings that took place happened in the South," the civil rights organization writes. "A big reason for this was the end of the Civil War. Once black[s] were given their freedom, many people felt that the freed blacks were getting away with too much freedom and felt they needed to be controlled."
Trump is a jackass. Unfit for 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.
10-25-19
Facebook is out of control. Presents an exigent threat to privacy. The Washington Post reports:
"Forty-six attorneys general have joined a New York-led antitrust investigation into Facebook, officials announced Tuesday, raising the stakes in a sweeping bipartisan probe of the tech giant that could result in massive changes to its business practices. The expanded roster of states and territories taking part in the investigation reflects lingering, broad concerns among the country’s competition watchdogs that “Facebook may have put consumer data at risk, reduced the quality of consumers’ choices, and increased the price of advertising,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James in a statement."
Forget? Greed rules.
"The state inquiry into Facebook reflects growing national unease with the size and power of Silicon Valley, amid growing fears that the country’s largest tech companies act in ways that harm rivals or result in higher prices or worse services for consumers. Earlier this year, state attorneys general opened a similar bipartisan probe of Google, an investigation that centers on its advertising practices and could easily expand to cover other elements of the company’s business, officials have said. In Washington, meanwhile, federal antitrust authorities have divvied up Silicon Valley for further scrutiny. The Justice Department is probing Facebook and Google while the Federal Trade Commission has started investigating Facebook and Amazon, sources have said."
The problem is laissez-faire capitalism, that is, unregulated, or as in our formerly great country, extremely poorly regulated capitalism. Precisely, why the financial system is now zero-sum, winner-take-all. Middle class, endangered. Top and bottom. All or nothing. Not sustainable. ... Hear the rumble?
"With the state probe into Facebook, the concerns span the full gamut of its sprawling digital empire, including its past struggles to protect consumers’ data and its prior acquisition of two competitors, Instagram and WhatsApp. Initially, New York launched its probe with seven other states and D.C."
The corporate management suite and shareholders remain oblivious to the fact they've never seen a hitch on the back of a hearse. That is, you can't take it with you.
“Given Facebook’s nearly unprecedented influence in so many sectors of the economy and political process, this bipartisan coalition of attorneys general is committed to ensuring that Facebook is complying with the law and meeting its obligations,” said Mark Herring, the Democratic attorney general of Virginia, one of the 47 officials now participating in the probe."
What took so long?
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10-18-19
Trump and his henchmen present an exigent threat to life, liberty, privacy, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. NBC News reports:
"The U.S. Census Bureau is asking states for drivers' license records that typically include citizenship data and has made a new request for information on recipients of government assistance after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked plans to include a citizenship question in its 2020 population count. The two approaches, documented by The Associated Press, alarm civil rights activists. They caution that inaccuracies in state motor vehicle records make them a poor choice for tracking citizenship, if that is the bureau's goal, and they see the requests as an extension of earlier efforts that could chill Latino participation in the 2020 Census."
Trump clearly executed an end-run-around a Supreme Court decision:
"After the U.S. Supreme Court nixed the plan by President Donald Trump's administration to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, the president signed an executive order in July requiring the U.S. Commerce Department, which oversees the Census Bureau, to compile citizenship information through state and federal administrative records. Specifically, it ordered the department to increase efforts "to obtain State administrative records concerning citizenship."
To obviate a Supreme Court ruling.
"The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators told The AP that most, if not all, states recently received requests for information including citizenship status, race, birthdates and addresses. The association has advised members to consult their privacy officers when deciding how to respond. "Each state is making their own determination how to respond," association spokeswoman Claire Jeffrey said in an email."
At least one state stood tall:
"In Illinois, Secretary of State Jesse White denied the request. "We, as a general rule, are not comfortable with giving out our data, certainly not in such a huge amount. That was the overriding concern," said spokesman Dave Drucker. Other states are weighing what to do. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has received the request but hasn't responded, spokeswoman Beth Frady said."
What will nazi Texas do? Goose step in unison with our fuhrer, the Trump nazi?
"The request has alarmed Latino advocacy groups. Motor vehicle agency records are notoriously inaccurate and "bad at determining when someone is not a citizen," said Andrea Senteno, a lawyer for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which is challenging Trump's executive order."
Trump is a traitor. So are his henchmen. Have treasonously, repeatedly, betrayed their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution. Un-American. Jackbooted nazis. Adolf and Benito? 'High-fiving' on their fiery perches. Begs the question, -- who really won the Second World War European Theater?
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.
10-18-19
Trump lost an appeal. The Washington Post reports:
"Congress can seek eight years of President Trump’s business records from his accounting firm, a federal appeals court in Washington ruled Friday in one of several legal battles over access to the president’s financial data. In a 2-1 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld Congress’s broad investigative powers and rejected the president’s bid to block lawmakers from subpoenaing the documents. The case is one of several clashes between the Democrat-controlled House and the Republican president over Trump’s data that is expected to reach the Supreme Court."
Think the five Republican fascists on the Court will rule in favor of their fuhrer, the Trump nazi?
"In this case, the judges ruled that Trump’s arguments — that the subpoenas were invalid because Congress lacked a “legitimate legislative purpose” for its subpoenas — were incorrect. “Contrary to the President’s arguments, the Committee possesses authority under both the House Rules and the Constitution to issue the subpoena, and Mazars must comply,” Judges David S. Tatel and Patricia A. Millett wrote for the court. Both were appointed by Democratic presidents."
Why does it take so long for the wheels of justice to grind on, that is, to simply quickly rule and state the obvious?
"The president was appealing a lower court’s decision that allowed a House Oversight Committee to move forward with its request for financial statements and audits prepared for Trump and his companies by the accounting firm Mazars USA. The House sought these records months before the beginning of its recent impeachment inquiry, related to President Trump’s alleged efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden. This case, instead, was prompted by testimony from Trump’s former “fixer,” attorney Michael D. Cohen, that Trump had exaggerated his wealth to seek loans."
CBS News reports:
"In a blow to President Trump's efforts to shield his tax returns from public view, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling saying that the president's longtime accountant Mazars USA must turn over eight years of accounting records. Mr. Trump was fighting a subpoena by the House Oversight Committee demanding Mazars turn over the records. The decision by the appeals court was 2 to 1, with Trump-nominated Judge Neomi Rao dissenting. In May, U.S. District Court Judge Amid Mehta upheld the validity of the April 15, 2019 subpoena to obtain the president's records between 2011 and 2018 from Mazars, citing the "critical responsibility" afforded to Congress by the Constitution to inform the electorate and carry out investigations."
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.
10-18-19
Trump loses again in court. NBC News reports:
"A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump violated federal law when he used his declaration of a national emergency to get millions for building a wall on the southern border. The ruling is a victory for El Paso County, Texas, and the Border Network for Human Rights, which sued to stop border construction in their community. They argued that Trump had no legal authority to spend more than what Congress appropriated for the wall project. In January the president asked for $5.7 billion to build "a steel barrier for the Southwest border," but Congress approved only $1.375 billion."
As an end-run-around Congress which constitutionally controls the purse strings:
"In February, Trump declared a national emergency and ordered that money for Pentagon construction projects would be used instead for the wall. Federal District Court Judge David Briones said the president's order violated a provision of the budget law approved by Congress which said "none of the funds made available in this or any other appropriation may be used to increase" the funding for the wall project. "The president's proclamation is unlawful," Briones wrote. He gave El Paso County and the Border Network ten days to file a proposed injunction that would give legal effect to his ruling and block any further use of military construction money for building border wall.
"The Trump administration is sure to appeal Friday's ruling."
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.
10-18-19
Trump loses yet another in court. CBS News reports:
"A federal judge on Friday blocked a sweeping regulation that would've made it easier for the Trump administration to reject green card and visa applications filed by low-income immigrants whom the government determines are or might become a burden on U.S. taxpayers. Judge George Daniels of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan issued a preliminary nationwide injunction prohibiting the administration from enforcing the so-called "public charge" rule just days before it was slated to take effect on Tuesday. The judge's decision represents yet another defeat in court for the White House and its concerted campaign to dramatically overhaul the nation's legal immigration system."
It is the constitutional function of Congress to do so, not the president.
"It also signifies a major legal triumph for a coalition of advocacy groups and Democratic-led states, counties and cities that challenged the rule through nearly a dozen lawsuits in federal courts across the country. Daniels faulted the government for not adequately explaining why it was changing the definition of a "public charge" or why the change was needed. "The Rule is simply a new agency policy of exclusion in search of a justification," he wrote in his ruling. "It is repugnant to the American dream of the opportunity for prosperity and success through hard work and upwards mobility." In a separate, more limited ruling later on Friday, a district court judge in San Francisco said the administration could not enforce the rule within the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals."
About time the courts stood up against the outrageously unconstitutional usurpation of power by the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"Make the Road New York, a pro-immigrant group and one of the leading plaintiffs in the New York lawsuit, praised Daniels's decision. "Today's decision marks a major defeat for the Trump administration's unlawful tactic to impose a racist wealth test on our immigration system," the group's co-executive director Javier Valdés said in a statement. Meanwhile, Ken Cucinelli, Mr. Trump's top official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency which would've implemented the rule, defended the legality of the regulation. "An objective judiciary will see that this rule lies squarely within long-held existing law," Cucinelli said in a statement in response to the rulings on Friday."
Expect anything better of a national socialist marching in goose step with his fuhrer, the Trump nazi?
"The rule would not affect asylum seekers, refugees or holders of special visas for Iraqi and Afghan nationals who helped U.S. forces in those countries. Since a draft executive order leaked in 2017, the proposed changes to the nation's immigration system have elicited withering criticism from immigrant advocates across the country. When a draft of the rule was published late last year for a 60-day period of public review, it received more than 260,000 comments, most of them from individuals, organizations and jurisdictions opposed to the regulation. Critics have said the rule will disproportionately affect low-income immigrants of color and punish them for being poor.
Racism. Blatant. Courtesy of our fuhrer in the Oval Office, the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Gets worse. Get this:
"Administration officials and immigration hardliners have strongly defended the rule, arguing that it will foster "self-sufficiency" among immigrant communities. Cuccinelli, who unveiled the final rule in August, even offered an alternative line to "The New Colossus" poem inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty to advocate for the regulation. "Give me your tired your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge," he told NPR in August. The original sonnet reads, "Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
A goddamned f--king nazi. Adolf and Benito? 'High-fiving' on their fiery perches. Readers are reminded if the minimum wage were indeed a livable wage throughout our formerly great country, there would be little need for any government assistance. Forget? The financial system is by design zero-sum, winner-take-all. Precisely, why there are now two extremes. Top and bottom. Middle class? An endangered species.
While capitalism is indeed the best financial system to live under, it needs to be properly regulated, not laissez-faire. That is, unregulated, -- or extremely poorly regulated as it is here in our formerly great country. By design. Driven by endless greed. Top of the food chain seems to have conveniently forgotten it has never seen a hitch on the back of a hearse. That is, you can't take it with you.
NPR reports:
"Confusion around the new policy has spurred many immigrants to drop benefits unnecessarily, even before the rule was set to take effect. Opponents say the administration's proposed rule could have a devastating impact on public health and impose huge costs on local and state governments. A study by the Urban Institute found that one in seven adults in immigrant families avoided participating in a public benefit program in 2018 due to fear of risking future green card status. The rule is just one in a series of efforts by the White House to limit both legal and illegal immigration to the U.S."
Republicans can't, won't be confused by the truth. Clueless. Greedy. Hopelessly, so. Yet, so very many of them claim to be 'Christians.' 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.
10-18-19
Think it won't get nastier and nastier? NBC News reports:
"To circumvent White House efforts to impede the House impeachment inquiry, Democrats have launched a fresh offensive to bury the White House with numerous subpoenas and interview requests."
Have been nowhere near aggressive enough in their approach to date. Apparently, that's changing.
"Democrats plan, as a result of the White House’s stonewalling, to deploy a new strategy by requesting interviews with former administration officials whom they believe have pertinent information. Some of the requests will not be announced publicly, the sources said. Committee chairmen plan to target these former officials because the administration has already tried to silence people who still work under it. Sondland, for example, did not show up for the deposition that was scheduled Tuesday for him to deliver closed-door testimony after the State Department directed him not to speak to Congress."
Need to employ and enforce 'inherent contempt.' That is, have the House Sergeant-At-Arms arrest and jail those who refuse to testify or provide documents.
"Democrats believe that former administration officials, however, who are now private citizens, would not fall under the White House claims of executive privilege. Kurt Volker, who recently resigned as U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, testified before Congress last week, several days after he left the administration."
If Trump has nothing to hide, why stonewall? Makes him look guilty as hell.
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.
10-18-19
What webs we weave. Consider the following. ABC News reports:
"At least some of the still-unfounded claims referenced by President Donald Trump on his controversial call with Ukraine’s president in July echoed a year-old effort by a Ukrainian government official to oust the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, according to government documents reviewed by ABC News, public statements from the president’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, and others, as well as from newly unsealed court documents."
Amazing how complex, convoluted, and highly questionable this entire fiasco has become.
"Giuliani’s associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were indicted Thursday on campaign finance-related charges, and the charging documents filed against them describe the first known steps of a push to remove the career diplomat, Marie Yovanovitch."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"Trump removed Yovanovitch from her post in Ukraine in May, but he brought her up two months later on the July 25 call with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that is now the subject of a House impeachment inquiry. On that call, Trump asked Zelenskiy to help Giuliani and Attorney General Bill Barr investigate still-unfounded allegations that former Vice President Joe Biden forced Ukraine to fire its head prosecutor in 2016 to "shut down" an investigation targeting the major Ukrainian gas company Burisma, which employed Biden’s son."
Been debunked. Yet, Trump continues to falsely claim it's true.
"Immediately before mentioning Biden, though, Trump raised Yovanovitch, according to a rough transcript of the call released by the White House. "The former ambassador from the United States, the woman, was bad news and the people she was dealing with in the Ukraine were bad news so I just want to let you know that," Trump told Zelenskiy, saying the Justice Department would "get to the bottom of it."
The truth is far more convoluted, sinister, determinedly obstructionist:
"The story of how Yovanovitch ended up in the president's crosshairs, however, began in the spring of 2018, when an unidentified Ukrainian government official asked Parnas for "assistance in causing the U.S. government to remove or recall" Yovanovitch, according to the charging documents unsealed Thursday against Parnas and Fruman. By January, nearly seven months after the Ukrainian official sought help from Parnas, Yovanovitch had yet to be removed. Around the same time, Giuliani was drafted into the effort, believing it could help undercut special counsel Robert Mueller’s widening investigation into whether members of Trump’s presidential campaign were coopted by Russian intelligence services."
Called obstruction.
"I got information [at the time] that a lot of the explanations for how this whole phony investigation started will be in Ukraine," Giuliani later recalled to Fox News. "And it stems around the ambassador and the embassy being used for political purposes. So I began getting some people that were coming forward and telling me about that. And then all of a sudden, they revealed the story about Burisma and Biden’s son."
To date, debunked. Yet, Trump and his henchmen desperately hang on for dear life.
"One of the people Giuliani spoke with was Viktor Shokin, the former prosecutor fired in 2016 at the behest of Biden and other officials around the world who viewed Shokin as deeply corrupt and ineffective. At the time, Biden even threatened to withhold $1 billion in financial assistance to Ukraine if its government didn’t replace Shokin. The International Monetary Fund also threatened to withhold aid if reforms, such as Shokin's removal, weren't made. In late January, Giuliani, Parnas, Fruman and others gathered in Giuliani’s New York office to interview Shokin over the phone. Shokin suggested Biden may have wanted him fired to protect Biden’s son, and he told the group that Yovanovitch was "close to Biden," according to notes of the conversation reviewed by ABC News."
One group of liars here in the United States desperately trying to get into cahoots with another in Ukraine. LOL.
Not to be left out of the farce:
"Giuliani, Parnas and Fruman also spoke with Shokin’s successor, Yuriy Lutsenko, according to the documents reviewed by ABC News. He offered a similar assessment as Shokin, according to the documents. Yet two months later, Yovanovitch still remained as ambassador to Ukraine."
Could it be the Ambassador did absolutely nothing to deserve getting the boot?
"Then, in a March interview with a conservative columnist at The Hill newspaper, Lutsenko offered a new explosive allegation against Yovanovitch: In their first meeting, Lutsenko alleged, the ambassador gave him a "do-not-prosecute list" -- a list of Ukrainians that the Ukrainian government could not investigate."
... Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit? -- If that doesn't work, simply, lie like hell and hope for the best?
"Lutsenko also said he had opened an investigation into whether Ukrainian officials tried to help Hillary Clinton win the 2016 presidential election by leaking a series of financial documents linking Trump’s then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, to corrupt proceeds. Lutsenko has since retracted some of his previous statements, particularly his claims about Biden."
Why? Could it be he's a goddamned liar caught red-handed in his lies?
"Nevertheless, despite questions about Lutsenko's credibility, Trump posted the reporting to his Twitter account within hours of it being published."
Expect anything more of a congenital liar? Give me a break. This shit reeks.
"Victoria Toensing, an outspoken Trump ally who has worked with Giuliani and Parnas, also posted the reporting to her Twitter page, writing, "The real collusion began in Ukraine. U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch."
Lying like hell to protect her fuhrer, the Trump nazi?
A ruse:
"Five days later, the conservative columnist who published Lutsenko’s claims sent an email to Parnas and Toensing, forwarding them a preview of his upcoming report that would allege further political bias at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and offer new alleged details on the purported "do-not-prosecute list" that Lutsenko claimed Yovanovitch gave him. The next day, the website Medium published a story by an unknown author named "Tony Sealy," noting The Hill newspaper’s previous reporting and disclosing what it claimed was the purported "do-not-prosecute list."
Didn't fly:
"But, according to internal emails described to ABC News, officials inside the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine almost immediately recognized it as "a totally manufactured, fake list" and a "classic disinfo play," as one senior official wrote at the time. "One key sign of it being fake is that most of the names are misspelled in English -- we would never spell most that way," a top diplomat at the embassy, George Kent, wrote. And the embassy could find no evidence that "Tony Sealy" even existed."
How about that? Couldn't be, could it? Yet, Trump supporters believe it all. LOL.
"This list appears to be an effort by Lutsenko to inoculate himself for why he did not pursue corrupt [former] associates and political allies," Kent said, adding that Lutsenko wanted "to claim that the U.S. told him not to." "Complete poppycock," Kent added. Nevertheless, two weeks later, Giuliani went on Fox News to claim Mueller’s "phony investigation" stemmed from Yovanovitch. Then, in early May, The New York Times published a story with the headline: "Biden Faces Conflict of Interest Questions That Are Being Promoted by Trump and Allies." Trump retweeted it. And six days later, the Trump administration announced that Yovanovitch was being recalled as U.S. ambassador."
Convenient, no? All a ruse. Not so cleverly designed to protect our fuhrer's achingly sorry gluteus maximi.
"In announcing the charges against Parnas and Fruman on Thursday, the head of the FBI’s field office in New York, Bill Sweeney, said, "The American people expect and deserve an election process that has not been corrupted by the influence of foreign interests."
No kidding. Think it even possible in Trump's Fourth Reich?
NBC News reports:
"The unnamed Ukrainian official referenced in a federal indictment as directing a plot to oust the then-U.S. ambassador is Ukraine's former chief prosecutor Yuriy Lutsenko, according to a U.S. official familiar with the events. According to the source, Lutsenko is the Ukrainian official who prosecutors say urged two associates of Rudy Giuliani to push for the removal of Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was forced out in May."
-- A corrupt Ukrainian prosecutor doing all he could to remove a U.S. ambassador who stood tall against him and his corrupt cohorts. Can't have that, can we? Trump and his henchmen certainly couldn't.
"The associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were arrested Wednesday night as they prepared to board a one-way flight out of the country at Dulles Airport near Washington, D.C."
At least some in the 'Justice' Department are doing their jobs, seriously upholding their sworn oaths of office. Hat's off.
"They sought political influence not only to advance their own financial interests, but to advance the political interests of at least one foreign official — a Ukrainian government official who sought the dismissal of the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine," Geoffrey Berman, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a Thursday news conference. The indictment says the efforts by Parnas and Fruman to remove then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, a respected diplomat with deep knowledge of Ukraine, were "conducted, at least in part, at the request of one or more Ukrainian government officials."
How about that? Couldn't be, could it? If indeed straight shooters and above board, why would the Trump nazi and his shyster involve themselves in this? Why?
"Federal prosecutors didn't detail in the indictment or at a press conference why the unnamed Ukrainian official or officials allegedly urged Parnas and Fruman to scheme to push out Yovanovitch. But two former U.S. officials said Lutsenko had sharp disagreements with Yovanovitch over his handling of corruption cases, and was also seeking to curry favor with the Trump administration."
Couldn't be egregious corruption, abuse of power by all principals involved both here in the U.S. and the Ukraine as well, could it? Think the walls aren't closing in?
"Yovanovitch's ouster is now at the center of an impeachment inquiry by House Democrats, who accuse President Donald Trump of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to launch an investigation of Joe Biden, his political rival, and Biden's son."
If true, certainly, illegal. The law is clear. -- Imagine how good cops, good prosecutors must be reacting to this entire ongoing fiasco. Sadly, tarnishes the good as well as the bad. Forget? Civilization can't survive without great cops and prosecutors.
To say nothing of straight shooting judges who seriously take their oaths of office. Remain 'untouchable,' that is, honest. Incapable of being bought and paid for. When authorities in government can no longer be trusted to do the right thing, a democratic republic remains that in name only, not in reality. Time to wake up. Before too late.
"Yovanovitch told Congress on Friday that President Trump wanted her removed as ambassador because of "unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives."
Hat's off, Madam Ambassador. You did the right thing. Stood tall. Stood for principle. At great personal cost. Couldn't be bought and paid for.
"During the July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that is now at the center of the House impeachment inquiry, Trump referred to Yovanovitch as "bad news."
Because he's a corrupt son of a bitch, who gutlessly reacted negatively to a U.S. Ambassador who stood tall. Refused to play games. Refused to be part of the corruption. Cost her her ambassadorship.
"Lutsenko was the country's chief prosecutor under the previous Ukrainian government, serving from May 2016 to August 2019. When approached by Giuliani and his associates, Parnas and Fruman, Lutsenko was facing an uncertain political future. The Giuliani team saw U.S. Ambassador Yovanovitch as an obstacle to their objectives — digging up derogatory information on former vice president Biden and smoothing the way for a possible natural gas deal in Ukraine, former officials said."
Hard to believe the Rudy shyster was ever a U.S. Attorney. His former colleagues aren't happy with this outrageous turn of events. Hard to believe as well the former Mayor of New York City was ever a product of a Jesuit education. Simply, doesn't square.
"[Lutsenko's] incentive to help was to take out the ambassador," said a former senior diplomat with experience in the region. "He was angry at criticism from the U.S. embassy over the slow pace of reform in the justice sector." "There was this personal payback dimension."
Reeks.
"In the indictment unsealed Thursday, federal prosecutors accused Parnas and Fruman of funneling foreign money to U.S. politicians in violation of federal campaign finance laws. The indictment said Parnas and Fruman enlisted the help of a congressman in their effort to force out Yovanovitch. Multiple senior U.S. law enforcement officials told NBC News that the "Congressman-1" referenced in the indictment is former Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. The two men committed to raising $20,000 for the then-lawmaker, the indictment alleged. Sessions said Friday that he would return any campaign donations from Parnas and Fruman."
Big of him, isn't 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.
10-18-19
The Ambassador stood tall. NBC News reports:
"Marie Yovanovitch, the ousted U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told House impeachment investigators Friday that President Donald Trump had personally pressured the State Department to remove her, even though a top department official assured her that she had "done nothing wrong." Yovanovitch said that after she was abruptly recalled from her post in the spring, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan told her that the president had lost confidence in her, according to her prepared remarks."
For refusing to ignore the corruption. Sad, isn't it?
"He added that there had been a concerted campaign against me, and that the department had been under pressure from the president to remove me since the summer of 2018," Yovanovitch said. "He also said that I had done nothing wrong and that this was not like other situations where he had recalled ambassadors for cause," she added. Yovanovitch, a career diplomat who said she was informed of her ouster in April, said in her statement that she was "incredulous that the U.S. government chose to remove an ambassador based, as best as I can tell, on unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives."
Reeks.
"She warned that allowing misinformation to subvert U.S. diplomats like herself would "harm" the U.S. "The harm will come when private interests circumvent professional diplomats for their own gain, not the public good," she said. "The harm will come when bad actors in countries beyond Ukraine see how easy it is to use fiction and innuendo to manipulate our system."
We've lost ourselves.
"Yovanovitch appeared for her expected closed-door deposition before the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committees as part of their investigations into Trump’s efforts to persuade Ukraine's new government to commit publicly to investigate corruption and the president's political opponents. It had been unclear right up until Yovanovitch arrived whether she would appear because she still works for the State Department. The White House had vowed that administration officials would not cooperate with the impeachment probe. Hours into her testimony, the chairmen of the three committees released a statement saying that the State Department, at the behest of the White House, had directed her not to appear for her voluntary interview."
The Committees stood tall:
"In response, the House Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to compel her Thursday night. "This duly authorized subpoena is mandatory, and the illegitimate order from the Trump Administration not to cooperate has no force. As is required of her, the Ambassador is now complying with the subpoena and answering questions from both Democratic and Republican members and staff," Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Elijah Cummings, the chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform and Rep. Eliot Engel, the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, said."
No question. Uncommon Valor on the part of both the Ambassador and the Committees to uphold the United States Constitution, rule of law.
"Any efforts by Trump Administration officials to prevent witness cooperation with the Committees will be deemed obstruction of a co-equal branch of government and an adverse inference may be drawn against the President on the underlying allegations of corruption and coverup," the chairs added."
Indeed.
"Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D.C.'s nonvoting House delegate and a member of the Oversight Committee, said Yovanovitch was "acting like a true ambassador." "She herself has been deeply involved and has been the object of false statements, and she's clearing that up," Holmes Norton said. Holmes Norton added that "both sides are finding her very credible," and Yovanovitch had not indicted[indicated?] that anyone attempted to prevent her from answering questions from lawmakers as expected Friday."
Consider the following:
"According to the intelligence community whistleblower complaint at the heart of Democrats' impeachment inquiry, Yovanovitch's tenure was cut short because she had run afoul of the then-prosecutor general in Ukraine, Yuri Lutsenko, and Giuliani. Lutsenko at one point alleged she had given him a "do not prosecute" list. The State Department has said the assertion was an outright fabrication and Lutsenko himself later walked back his comments."
Stood tall:
"Yovanovitch, according to her prepared remarks, addressed Lutsenko's since-recanted allegation, telling lawmakers that she wanted to "categorically state that I have never myself or through others, directly or indirectly, ever directed, suggested, or in any other way asked for any government or government official in Ukraine (or elsewhere) to refrain from investigating or prosecuting actual corruption."
Amazing how deeply rooted the corruption is within this fiasco. Worse? That a U.S. president and his henchmen would become so deeply involved.
"She added, "As Mr. Lutsenko, the former Ukrainian Prosecutor General has recently acknowledged, the notion that I created or disseminated a 'do not prosecute' list is completely false — a story that Mr. Lutsenko, himself, has since retracted." She also called the notion that she was "disloyal" to Trump "fictitious," and said she did not know Giuliani's motives for attacking her. "But individuals who have been named in the press as contacts of Mr. Giuliani may well have believed that their personal financial ambitions were stymied by our anti-corruption policy in Ukraine," she told House investigators, according to her statement."
Stood tall:
"Yovanovitch's former colleagues have described her as one of the State Department's most talented and conscientious diplomats, and that it would be totally out of character for her to engage in partisan politics. During her tenure, Yovanovitch was outspoken in her calls for Ukraine to tackle corruption, a stance in keeping with U.S. policy over successive administrations. After Yovanovitch gave a tough speech in March urging the government to sack a senior anti-corruption official, she came under fire from Lutsenko, conservative voices in the U.S. and the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr."
As corrupt and abusive as the old man?
The Washington Post reports:
"The former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine whose abrupt ouster in May has become a focus of House impeachment investigators said Friday that her departure came as a direct result of pressure President Trump placed on the State Department to remove her, according to her prepared remarks before Congress. The account by Marie Yovanovitch depicts a career Foreign Service officer caught in a storm of unsubstantiated allegations pushed by the president’s personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani and a cast of former Ukrainian officials who viewed her as a threat to their financial and political interests."
Blatant corruption.
"She told lawmakers that she was forced to leave Kiev on “the next plane” this spring and subsequently removed from her post, with the State Department’s No. 2 official telling her that, although she had done nothing wrong, the president had lost confidence in her and the agency had been under significant pressure to remove her since the summer of 2018."
Get this:
"In explaining her departure, she acknowledged months of criticisms from Giuliani, who had accused her of privately badmouthing the president and seeking to protect the interests of former vice president Joe Biden and his son who served on the board of Ukrainian energy company. Yovanovitch denied those allegations and said she was “incredulous” that her superiors decided to remove her based on “unfounded and false claims by people with clearly questionable motives.” She also took direct aim at Giuliani’s associates whom she said could have been financially threatened by her anti-corruption efforts in Ukraine."
The bastard continued to stonewall:
"Giuliani stood by his allegations in a phone call with The Washington Post, saying Ukrainians told him that Yovanovitch was “running around the streets saying not to listen to Trump.” He declined to say precisely who told him that."
Why not? If true, disclose the identity of the source of your allegation. ... Or, are you lying out your sorry ass, Counselor?
"According to House Democratic leaders, the State Department attempted to block Yovanovitch’s testimony Thursday night, directing her not to attend the voluntary interview, in keeping with a White House letter this week stating that the administration would not cooperate with the impeachment inquiry. The House Intelligence Committee responded with a subpoena Friday morning, panel leaders said, noting that “the illegitimate order from the Trump Administration not to cooperate has no force.”
Certainly, doesn't. Remains no more than obstruction.
"The exchange — along with an announcement earlier Friday by the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, indicating he would appear for a deposition under subpoena next week — suggests that House Democrats may have to issue summonses to interview government officials, particularly if doing so could jeopardize witnesses’ employment. With a subpoena in hand, officials who are otherwise willing to testify can circumvent the White House’s stated prohibition on cooperation with the impeachment probe."
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.
10-18-19
As stated repeatedly in this publication, it is a mistake for the impeachment inquiry to be limited in scope. Apparently, Democrats are beginning to rethink their approach. The Washington Post reports:
"Recent revelations about President Trump’s conduct are testing the limits of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s narrow impeachment strategy, leading some Democrats to wonder whether the probe should be expanded beyond the Ukraine scandal.
"But a spate of allegations about other possible abuses have led some Democrats to rethink the strategy. “We have a duty to investigate whether the misuse of government resources for personal and political ends goes beyond Ukraine,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said in an interview Thursday. He later added: “We have an obligation to just see how deep this sewage flows.”
No question. Best chance of waking up recalcitrant Republicans in the Senate is to lay out crime after crime, abuse after abuse in glaring detail. When public pressure increases exponentially, think they won't feel the heat?
"In the past 24 hours alone, The Washington Post reported that Trump sought to enlist then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in the fall of 2017 to work with Rudolph W. Giuliani to help stop the prosecution of a Turkish Iranian gold trader represented by the former New York mayor and current Trump lawyer, according to people with knowledge of the request. The Financial Times reported that Michael Pillsbury, one of Trump’s China advisers, said he had received information on Hunter Biden during a visit to Beijing shortly after Trump called on China to investigate the former vice president’s son. Pillsbury later offered a conflicting account."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"At the White House on Thursday, Trump only reignited the China controversy he sparked last week when he publicly asked the Asian nation to investigate Biden. Asked whether he was joking about his request, the president didn’t answer directly — but his answer suggested that he did not make the comment in jest. “China has to do whatever they want. If they want to look into something, they can look into it. If they don’t ... they don’t have to,” Trump said, adding that it would be “great” either way."
Cagey, isn't he?
"In solely focusing on Ukraine, Democrats could miss the opportunity to build a stronger case against the president — one that has the potential to sway Senate Republicans who will decide whether to convict Trump if the House votes to impeach."
Precisely, what has been stated in this publication repeatedly. :)
“We’re basically getting like three new impeachable offenses a day, so it suggests that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg on what’s happening,” said Daniel Pfeiffer, a former Obama strategist who hosts “Pod Save America” and has been pushing Democrats to expand their probes."
Trump is certainly acting stupidly. Providing endless fodder for the Democrats.
"While Trump has blocked numerous administration officials from testifying, Tillerson, who was ousted by Trump, has been willing to participate in previous Democratic inquiries, even secretly answering questions for the House Foreign Affairs Committee last spring. Should Democrats call him to testify, he could be a fruitful witness."
Think there won't be others? Hard to believe there aren't a few of them with at least some semblance of honor left.
The following is encouraging:
"Rather, Democrats are doubling down on their Ukraine probe at lightening speed, scheduling additional closed-door depositions with Trump officials, including former National Security Council official Fiona Hill, and issuing new subpoenas to Trump associates for documents. On Thursday, they sent one compulsory measure to Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who Trump said encouraged him to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky."
Say it ain't so, Rick, say it ain't so. LOL.
"Recent reports, the Democrats investigators wrote, have “raised significant questions about your efforts to press Ukrainian officials to change the management structure at a Ukrainian state-owned energy company to benefit individuals involved with Rudy Giuliani’s push to get Ukrainian officials to interfere in our 2020 election.”
How about that? Couldn't be, could it? LOL.
"Democrats also subpoenaed two Giuliani associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, for documents pertaining to how they worked to connect Trump’s lawyer to Ukrainians claiming to have damaging information on the Bidens. Both men were arrested on campaign finance charges Wednesday night amid allegations that they schemed to funnel foreign money to U.S. politicians in a bid to affect U.S.-Ukraine relations."
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.
10-18-19
Trouble in paradise? NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure Thursday with a Fox News poll that found a majority of registered voters believe he should be impeached — a record high in the survey."
Tough, isn't it? What did he expect them to do? Not report the truth?
"From the day I announced I was running for President, I have NEVER had a good @FoxNews Poll," Trump tweeted. "Whoever their Pollster is, they suck. But @FoxNews is also much different than it used to be in the good old days. With people like Andrew Napolitano, who wanted to be a Supreme Court Justice & I turned him down (he’s been terrible ever since), Shep Smith, @donnabrazile (who gave Crooked Hillary the debate questions & got fired from @CNN), & others, @FoxNews doesn’t deliver for US anymore. It is so different than it used to be." "Oh well, I’m President!" he added."
Jesus Christ. LOL. What the hell are you bitching about, Mr. 'President?' Since the time you won the election, Fox News has forgotten it's supposed to be a news department, not an infomercial for you.
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.
10-18-19
Think there's never a steep price paid for aggressive stupidity? NPR reports:
"On Wednesday, Turkey launched airstrikes against allied Kurdish fighters in northern Syria just days after Trump said he would remove U.S. troops from the immediate area. Trump justified the decision by arguing it was time to end U.S. involvement in "endless wars." "The worst mistake that the United States has ever made in my opinion was going into the Middle East," Trump said."
Certainly, indeed, a colossal mistake. Not the way to get out, however. By betraying a long-term ally who fought and died beside U.S. forces.
"Loyal allies such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., blasted Trump's decision and said it "will be the biggest mistake of his presidency" if not reversed. At least one Republican went a step further with his criticism of Trump. Illinois Rep. John Shimkus, who is retiring from Congress, called the president's decision to leave Syrian Kurds to fend for themselves "terrible and despicable." "In fact, I called my chief of staff in D.C. I said pull my name off the 'I support Donald Trump list.' I mean, we have just stabbed our allies in the back," he told local radio station KMOX."
He's right. The Kurds have died in massive numbers fighting heroically alongside our troops.
"Trump's decision has also been criticized by many evangelical pastors, who are often among his strongest allies. Trump's differences with the GOP over foreign policy are not necessarily new, although this chasm comes at a time when he's seeking support from the public and congressional Republicans as the House impeachment inquiry gains steam."
Tough, isn't it? Doesn't your heart bleed? Trump has only himself to blame:
"That is now being exaggerated at the worst possible moment for him," said Alex Conant, former communications director for Sen. Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign. "He's now facing two battles: one with House Democrats on the impeachment issue and the other with Senate Republicans on the Syria issue. Both are full-time jobs. And neither leaves him much room to maneuver."
Clearly, out to lunch.
"Former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who chose not to seek reelection last year, said the Senate is unlikely to entirely turn on Trump but added that the divisions reflect the lack of respect between the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. "There's a lot of fear of the president and his control of the base. But there's not a lot of love lost," said Flake, who has been one of the few outspoken critics of Trump in the Republican Party. "This will be another reminder as to why it wouldn't be too bad if the president were to not be president."
Clearly, a growing number of Republicans are beginning to see the forest for the trees.
The following is highly indicative of the increasing stress experienced by members of the GOP as the Trump nazi continues to deteriorate:
"During a stop in his district on Wednesday, Idaho Sen. Jim Risch tried to avoid Trump's increasing controversies while participating in a forum organized by the National Women's Business Council. Risch, who is chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, abruptly ended an interview with Boise State Public Radio when asked about Syria and Ukraine. "I'm not going there. If you want to have an interview with me about the business center, please do so," Risch said, before walking away. "Don't do that again."
Jesus Christ. Wake up, Senator. These are vital ongoing matters the public is truly concerned about. Certainly, deserve an answer to questions raised by reporters. Delusionally believe, just like the Trump nazi, you're not beholden to the citizenry?
"Trump's decision on Syria should not be a complete shock. He called for a complete withdrawal from Syria in December before reversing himself amid a similar backlash from Congress and military leaders. Republicans are very aware of his campaign promise to withdraw troops from the Middle East. Nonetheless, he faced a barrage of criticism from once loyal defenders, including Graham and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who called the withdrawal "a catastrophic mistake."
It is precisely that. Who will trust us?
"On Thursday, Cheney and most of the House GOP leadership introduced a bill that would impose sanctions on Turkey for launching the offensive."
Be interesting to see if this bill goes anywhere. Will it secure enough votes to override a Trump veto?
"Republican strategist Ryan Williams warned that the divisions are not something Trump should take lightly. Some of his biggest supporters see the impeachment inquiry as a threat to his presidency."
Certainly, is. Increasingly so every day that passes, -- as more and more is disclosed.
"There should be a completely unified party trying to push back against the Democrats' attacks and the onslaught from the House," said Williams, who served as spokesman for now-Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, when he ran for president in 2012. "And this is a major distraction. They have to now focus on defending the president at the same time criticizing him on a rash foreign policy decision that was made really at just the drop of a hat."
Where are your principles, Mr. Williams? Where are the principles of the Republican Party? Why have both parties placed partisan interests ahead of principle? The corruption and abuse are out of hand. Present a dire, exigent threat to a democratic republic that remains so in name only. No longer in reality.
The Washington Post reports:
"The abrupt withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria has unleashed dramatic developments, with Syrian government forces retaking territory long held by U.S. allies and Turkish-led forces expanding their offensive. Here’s what we know so far. Syrian government troops have moved back into towns in northeastern Syria for the first time in years after U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters, in a stunning reversal, reached a deal with the government. Turkish-backed rebels have announced the start of a military operation to retake the northern city of Manbij, which has long been a flash point. Hundreds of Islamic State family members have escaped a detention camp in Ain Issa, which has been the administrative capital of the Kurdish-led government in northeastern Syria."
All due to Trump's gutlessness, aggressive stupidity, and unfitness for office.
"As the campaign escalated, aid agencies pulled out of the area, and President Trump ordered the final withdrawal of all U.S. troops in the coming weeks. On Monday, Trump suggested, without evidence, that Kurdish forces may have purposely released some Islamic State prisoners amid the fighting to prevent U.S. troops from withdrawing from the region. “Kurds may be releasing some to get us involved,” Trump said Monday on Twitter. “Do people really think we should go to war with NATO Member Turkey?”
Trump's head remains figuratively, securely lodged where the sun seldom shines. Turkey is not, and has not been for quite some time a loyal NATO member. Trump thinks myopically in the short-term, the here and now. Not long-term. Certainly, not strategically. Lacks vision, a most dangerous 'quality' in an American president.
"On Sunday, hundreds of family members of Islamic State fighters escaped a detention camp in Ain Issa after Turkish shell fire hit the area. Security has generally deteriorated around a constellation of camps housing families who fled battles against the Islamic State — among them the relatives of militants. Some 950 foreign women and children were among potentially thousands of escapees from the Ain Issa camp."
The above? All due to Trump's aggressive stupidity and direct betrayal of the Kurds, -- who fought and died fighting the Islamic State. Who will trust us in the future? Who?
"The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said late Sunday that it had “grave concerns” for the population of the camp, which hosts approximately 13,000 civilians. On the road to al-Hol, a sprawling camp holding 70,000 people disgorged from the Islamic State's final scrap of territory, SDF forces have also pulled back. “It’s quiet in the camp for now, but we’re all scared of the uncertainty,” said a medic, speaking on the condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the media."
Saddest of all? Most heartrending? Get this:
“We thought that America would protect us here. Why are they walking away?” The sudden return of Assad’s forces to areas of northeastern Syria promises to further roil security in that region, analysts said, and marks a stunning reversal for Syrian Kurdish authorities, whose fighters once controlled a wide swath of territory."
Trump is stupid. Has no clue the damage he's done. Not only to the region, but the prestige of our formerly great country. To say nothing of the credibility of the United States government.
In an editorial, The Washington Post opines:
"UNTIL NOW, it was possible to hope that the damage caused by President Trump’s terrible incompetence, ignorance and impulsivity in foreign policy was largely theoretical, and possibly reparable. That is no longer true. The cost of his latest Syria blunder is unfolding before our eyes: Innocent lives lost. U.S. servicemen and women betrayed. Butchering dictators emboldened. Dangerous terrorists set free. A ghastly scene is playing out, and it almost surely will get worse.
"Mr. Trump — with no consideration, no warning, no consultation with allies, no regard for the other nations that have fought alongside the United States and risked their men and women in the fight — has turned tail. In the past two years, courageous U.S. troops cooperated with our Kurdish allies to defeat the deadly Islamic State caliphate. These allies lost more than 11,000 men and women killed; the United States, a dozen."
Re-read the last sentence above. Wake up.
"It was a rare U.S. success in the Middle East. The president has thrown it all away. His surrender is so hasty that U.S. forces could not execute a long-standing plan to take dozens of high-profile Islamic State detainees with them; we can expect to hear from those terrorists before long, in the region, in Europe or in the United States. The Islamic State is likely to exert its malign force again. The allies who fought alongside of us are being slaughtered, and noncombatant women and children, too. Iran is strengthened, which threatens Israel. The murderous Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad is strengthened, too. Russia is taking charge. America’s adversaries could not have scripted a better outcome."
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.
10-18-19
Aryan arrogance. Think you've seen it all? The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump on Friday repeated his assertion of sweeping executive immunity — arguing in court that, because he is president, he cannot be investigated by any prosecutor, anywhere."
Jesus Christ. This fascist piece of human excrement delusionally believes himself above the law. In a democratic republic, no one is. The U.S. President is not a king, not a queen, not a fascist or communist dictator. Forget? His supporters have clearly forgotten.
"Trump’s personal attorneys made the argument in a filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York. They are seeking to overturn a lower court’s dismissal of a suit the president filed seeking to block Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. (D) from obtaining Trump’s tax returns."
The District Attorney is conducting a criminal investigation. No one is above the law. No one.
“The President is immune from criminal process while in office, and a grand-jury subpoena (a coercive order backed by the State’s threat of contempt) is certainly a form of ‘criminal process,’” wrote Trump’s private legal team, led by William Consovoy."
This shyster's head is figuratively, securely lodged up his clueless ass. Ought to be ashamed of himself.
"The subpoena in this case was not actually directed at Trump. Vance has subpoenaed the records from Trump’s longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, as part of an investigation that appears targeted at possible falsification of business records related to a scheme to silence two women who alleged that they had affairs with Trump."
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, guess what? It's a duck. Parsing of language reeks, especially when used to obfuscate, escape culpability, evade justice.
"In his filing Friday, Trump returned to an argument that a lower-court judge had already rejected earlier this week. He argued that, as president, he is too important to be prosecuted while in office."
Hopelessly narcissistic, egregiously self-serving, a fascist piece of human excrement. Unfit. A disgrace to himself and the office he holds.
Gets worse:
"And if presidents are too important to be prosecuted, Trump said, then it follows that they must also be too important to be burdened with an investigation by prosecutors. “If the Court holds that the President is not immune from state criminal process, then Presidents must contend not just with [Vance] but with every state and local prosecutor across the country” seeking to investigate them, Trump’s attorneys wrote."
End result? The bastard does as he pleases. Matters not if that activity is criminal. Matters not if his actions are traitorous.
"Only Congress can investigate the president through the impeachment process, Trump argued. He said the Constitution gives the federal government supremacy over the states and prohibits state-level investigations that would eat up the president’s time and sully his prestige."
Jesus Christ. Clear definition of a tyrant. Founders? Spinning in their graves. Wouldn't recognize the country they spawned.
“Investigating the President plainly violates the Supremacy Clause,” where the Constitution says that federal authority supersedes that of states, Trump’s attorneys argued. “That Clause mandates that States cannot ‘defeat the legitimate operations’ of the federal government.”
Outrageous bastardization of the Constitution to protect and coddle a tyrant lining their pockets. Raw nazism. In the mold of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. Not to neglect to mention Chairman Mao, Lenin, Stalin, Fidel Castro, etc.. List can go on and on. Forget? A dictator is a dictator whether on the Extreme Right or Left.
"The Justice Department also filed a brief in support of the president, though it stopped short of endorsing Trump’s precedent-breaking assertion that he has absolute immunity from investigation."
Matters not. These sons of bitches are traitors no matter their outrageously clever parsing of language or principle. -- Traitors because they've betrayed their oaths of office to uphold the United States Constitution.
Especially galling? Get this. They're shamelessly protecting and coddling their fuhrer, the Trump nazi:
"Instead, the Justice Department conceded that there were some instances when a local prosecutor might legally seek a president’s documents — but this was not one of them."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. These bastards are determinedly complicit:
“Presidential materials ‘should not be treated as just another source of Information,’” the Justice Department said, quoting a prior ruling to explain how presidential subpoenas might be permitted, but only in extraordinary circumstances. “A subpoena directed at a President’s records should be permitted only ‘as a last resort.’”
These bastards need to resign in disgrace. Shysters. Their actions are un-American. Right wing nazi. In the mold of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini.
"The department said Vance needed to show a “demonstrated, specific need” for the data in Trump’s tax returns, as well as to demonstrate that he had already tried to obtain the same facts through other means."
That's bullshit. Forget? A District Attorney is conducting a criminal investigation of the president. The shyster bastards defending him are asserting Trump is above the law. He's not. No one is in a democratic republic. No one. These shyster bastards are defending a dictator in the Oval Office who has repeatedly, egregiously abrogated his oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution and rule of law.
“The court should be ordered to stay enforcement of the subpoena as to the President’s personal records unless and until — at a minimum — the District Attorney is able to make the required showing of particularized need,” the Justice Department wrote."
That's nonsense. No one criminally investigated by a prosecutor enjoys that kind of treatment. No one. Certainly, not in a democratic republic.
"Trump’s arguments already have been rejected once in this case. Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero dismissed Trump’s lawsuit, saying that Trump’s assertion of sweeping immunity was “repugnant” to constitutional values."
Without question.
“The Court cannot square a vision of presidential immunity that would place the President above the law with the text of the Constitution,” or any precedent, Marrero said."
No kidding. Without question.
"A three-judge panel of the 2nd Circuit will hear the case on Oct. 23."
Be interesting to see whether or not these judges honor their oaths of office. ... Or, protect and coddle the Trump nazi.
"Vance has until Tuesday to file his response to the arguments from Trump and the Justice Department. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. In past filings, Vance’s office has rejected Trump’s claim of immunity from investigation, saying that “no such investigative immunity exists for the President or anyone else.”
He's right.
"This case is one of three instances in which Trump — facing investigations into his actions before he became president — has sued his investigators, seeking to block them from obtaining his financial documents."
The middle class and bottom of the food chain couldn't afford to do so. If Trump is indeed ultimately successful doing this, yet another clear example of no equal justice.
"Earlier Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled against Trump in another of those cases, finding that the House Oversight Committee should be able to obtain his tax returns from Mazars USA."
Forget? Congress is constitutionally mandated to provide oversight.
Blatant hypocrisy by the Trump nazi and his shysters:
"In that case, facing an inquiry from Congress rather than a prosecutor, Trump’s attorneys effectively reversed the argument they have made against Vance."
Convenient, isn't it?
Disingenuous, achingly phony parsing of language:
"By investigating him without a “legitimate legislative purpose,” Trump argued, Congress was giving up its proper role and usurping the job of prosecutors."
Jesus Christ. Incredible bullshit. LOL.
"The appeals court did not accept that argument."
Surprised?
“Contrary to the President’s arguments, the Committee possesses authority under both the House Rules and the Constitution to issue the subpoena, and Mazars must comply,” Judges David S. Tatel and Patricia A. Millett wrote for the court in that case. Despite Trump’s loss in that case, the House Oversight Committee is not likely to obtain his tax returns anytime soon: The subpoenas will remain on hold while Trump decides whether to appeal."
No justice. Hopelessly convoluted system designed to protect, defend, and coddle the top of the food chain. All others? F--ked over. As American as mom and apple pie. Forget?
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.
10-18-19
Nothing quite like scraping the bottom of the barrel. Get this. NPR reports:
"A disturbing video depicting President Trump shooting, stabbing and setting on fire critics and the media was played at a conference held by a pro-Trump group at his Miami resort."
How about that? Couldn't be, could it?
"The video rampage was shown during a three-day conference held by American Priority at Trump's National Doral Miami, according to the organizers. In the parody video, Trump's head is superimposed on the body of a man opening fire inside the "Church of Fake News," according to The New York Times, which first reported the playing of the video. The churchgoers' faces have been edited to include several political critics including the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Rep. Maxine Walters, D-Calif.; and Hillary Clinton as well as logos of various news organizations, including CNN, The Washington Post, Politico and NPR."
Stunning, isn't it? Believe the following?
"White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a tweet Monday morning that the president had yet to see the video but that he condemns the contents based on reports. She said he would see it shortly. Trump has yet to respond directly."
What could he say? LOL.
"According to the Times, the climactic ending of the bloody rampage involves the fake Trump driving a stake into the head of a person who has the CNN logo for a face. He then stands and smiles as he looks around."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break.
"The clip appears to be edited from a church massacre scene in the 2014 movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, the Times reported. The White House Correspondents' Association called on Trump to denounce the video. And CNN said anything less than a strong denouncement would equate "to a tacit endorsement of violence and should not be tolerated by anyone." "The WHCA is horrified by a video reportedly shown over the weekend at a political conference organized by the President's supporters at the Trump National Doral in Miami."
Par for the course now, isn't it? Forget? Trump's Fourth Reich.
"All Americans should condemn this depiction of violence directed toward journalists and the President's political opponents," Jonathan Karl, president of the association, said in a statement. "We have previously told the President his rhetoric could incite violence. Now we call on him and everybody associated with this conference to denounce this video and affirm that violence has no place in our society."
That's right. What webs we weave.
"Cindy McCain, John McCain's wife, tweeted her "outrage" and said the images violate "every norm our society expects from its leaders."
Your late husband had class, madam. Remained principled. Had honor. Stood tall. What happened to his fellow Republicans? Where did both parties lose themselves?
The video is similar to one that went viral in 2017 that depicted Trump body slamming CNN's logo during a wrestling match. That year, Trump also shared, then deleted, a Twitter post of a cartoon of a train running over a person with a CNN logo covering the person's head. Trump has repeatedly attacked reporters at his campaign rallies and referred to members of the media as the "enemy of the people."
Forget? Media is the watchdog of government. Unbeholden to government and government's masters in the corporate management suite. Remains protected by the First Amendment. Does the best it can to expose the hopelessly corrupt and abusive bastards in government for whom and what they are, -- bought and paid for shills of the corporate management suite.
Founders? Spinning in their graves. Wouldn't recognize the democratic republic they spawned. Trump and his henchmen present an exigent threat to life, liberty, privacy, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. No foreign power, no terrorist organization, not even the criminal element presents a greater threat to freedom than bought and paid for dictatorial government. Now, run and owned by the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"This month, Trump amped up his rhetoric against the media as coverage of the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry intensified. While Trump has long called the media "fake news," he has recently resurrected the phrase "the corrupt media." An NPR analysis finds Trump's use of heated phrases including "lamestream media," "bullshit," "coup," "treason," "enemy of the people" and "corrupt media" jumped considerably beginning in March of this year. October is on pace to set a record."
Not surprising, is it? The walls are closing in. Increasingly obvious he's not fit for 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.
10-18-19
A disgraced national socialist talking head gets his. Doesn't your heart break? NBC News reports:
"Bill O'Reilly's attack against former Rep. Beto O'Rourke is backfiring."
Is it ever. LOL.
"O’Reilly, the former Fox News host, tweeted on Tuesday night that O'Rourke was making up a story he told during the Democratic presidential debate about meeting a woman working four jobs and raising a child with disabilities.
"Beto
says he met a woman working FOUR jobs. And raising a special needs child.
I don’t believe him. Sorry.
—
Bill O'Reilly (@BillOReilly) October 16, 2019"
Once in awhile, a fascist blowhard does indeed get exposed for precisely whom and what he is:
"O’Rourke shot back, posting a picture on Twitter of himself with the woman and her daughter. His response went viral, receiving thousands of retweets and likes.
"This
is her. Her name is Gina. Her daughter's name is Summer. The problem with
our economy is she has to live in her car—while a disgraced TV host like
you makes millions. https://t.co/J1Scsu3GJ5 pic.twitter.com/W1shXxVyeg
—
Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) October 16, 2019
"Rob Flaherty, O’Rourke's digital director, also called out O'Reilly for falsely claiming the former Texas lawmaker was fabricating the story, writing on Twitter: "I was there. Her name was Gina. Her daughter is named Summer. Here's their picture." "Asshole," Flaherty added."
Don't you love it? What a piece of shit. Couldn't happen to a 'nicer' guy. LOL.
"O’Reilly, who let his followers know when he was pausing to take "Holly the Terror Dog for a walk," was eviscerated on Twitter. Many pounced on the opportunity to make fun of O'Reilly for his own employment status after he was forced to leave Fox News in 2017 amid a series of sexual assault allegations against him and reports of millions of dollars paid in settlements, including $32 million to a former network analyst.
"I’ll
bet you $32 million he did....
—
Lenny Jacobson (@Lennyjacobson) October 16, 2019
"Not
every woman has a huge sexual-harassment settlement in the bank.
—
Dave Hogg (@stareagle) October 16, 2019"
Here's the bottom line:
"O'Rourke shared the anecdote of meeting the woman and her daughter when he was asked a question about whether a wealth tax was the best way to address income inequality. "I think of a woman that I met in Las Vegas, Nevada. She's working four jobs, raising her child with disabilities, and any American with disabilities knows just how hard it is to make it and get by in this country already," O’Rourke said on the debate stage Tuesday night."
While Beto indeed leaves much to be desired as a presidential candidate, on this particular issue he's spot on.
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.
10-11-19
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.
Think the Border Patrol blameless? Upholds the U.S. Constitution? Wake up. The Washington Post reports:
"It took a moment for Ben Watson to realize the officer was not joking. Watson had just told the Customs and Border Protection staffer reviewing his passport that he works in journalism. Then the seemingly routine Thursday encounter at the Washington Dulles International Airport got tense. “So you write propaganda, right?” Watson, the news editor at the national security site Defense One, recalled the CBP officer asking. “No,” Watson says he replied. He affirmed again that he was a journalist. The officer repeated his propaganda question, said Watson, who was returning from a reporting trip in Denmark. “With his tone, and he’s looking me in the eye — I very much realized this is not a joke,” Watson told The Washington Post on Friday. Watson said he got his passport back only after agreeing with the “propaganda” charge."
Should have told the nazi bastard to go f--k himself.
"The incident comes amid rising hostility faced by journalists as the Trump administration continues to attack the media as “fake news.” Watson said he had heard a couple stories of similar encounters in the past, but said he did not realize until sharing his experience at the Dulles Airport on social media just how many people in his field were reporting the same brand of harassment. U.S. airport border agents were at the center of several incidents that have raised reporters’ concerns this year. “I’ve honestly never had a human attempt to provoke me like this before in my life,” Watson said he told his colleagues. “This behavior is totally normal now, I guess?”
Forget? We live in a de facto fascist police-state. Since 9/11. Forget? USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc.. -- Quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that it is investigating the “alleged inappropriate conduct.”
That right? LOL.
“We hold our employees accountable to our core values of vigilance, integrity and service to country, and do not tolerate inappropriate comments or behavior by our employees,” the agency said."
Think so? Not the first time.
"Standards of conduct for the Department of Homeland Security, CBP’s parent agency, direct staff to “act impartially.”
A joke.
Ferociously pointedly, why do these fascist bastards routinely search cellphones with no warrant? Abuse of power. Outrageously unconstitutional.
"An article from Defense One describes Watson’s full recollection of Thursday’s conversation. After the second alleged query by the CBP officer, Watson explained that he covers national security “with many of the same skills” he used as a public affairs officer in the Army — and added: “Some would argue that’s propaganda.” When the officer repeated his question a third time, Watson said, he paused. His wife had already circled the airport for 20 minutes. He figured he could get stuck for hours if he tried to call in the officer’s supervisor. So he gave in."
Gutless. Reinforces the jackbooted behavior of these goddamned stormtroopers. -- Nazi stormtroopers who gutlessly fail to uphold their falsely sworn oaths of office. To uphold the United States Constitution. Traitors. Cowardly failure to stand up to all abuse of power reinforces nazi government. Wake up.
“For the purposes of expediting this conversation, yes,” he recalled telling the CBP officer. The officer made Watson agree one more time before letting him through, Watson said."
Achingly, gutless. Stupidly reinforced the jackbooted, traitorous behavior of this outrageously nazi CBP officer. ... A goddamned piece of human excrement.
"He says he’s filed a civil rights complaint with DHS."
That'll do shit squat. Find an attorney. Sue the living shit out of the bastard, the Border Patrol, and DHS. Our outrageously traitorous nazi fuhrer, the Trump nazi, has certainly emboldened these traitorous out of control jackbooted bastards.
“We are disappointed and concerned that any U.S. official would question a journalist, or any citizen, in this way,” Kevin Baron, Defense One’s executive editor, wrote to The Post. Others in journalism circles and beyond were quick to point out chilling implications in the story. Walter Shaub, an attorney who served as director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics until 2017, tweeted that the incident should go to the DHS inspector general for review. “A customs agent withholding the passport of a journalist until he agrees to say he writes ‘propaganda’ is actionable misconduct, even in Trump’s America,” he said.
"This
is something the @DHSOIG should hear about. To file a complaint, @natsecwatson
can go here: https://t.co/WaIbRGmsPZ. A customs agent withholding the passport
of a journalist until he agrees to say he writes "propaganda" is actionable
misconduct, even in Trump's America. https://t.co/IQu29gkIl9
—
Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) October 4, 2019"
A growing problem:
"This has happened to me coming back into the country too, last year - a pretty aggressive questioning about who I worked for and “fake news.”
Also
when you’re not a US citizen (I’m a permanent resident) this takes on a
much more threatening tone if they could deny you entry. https://t.co/14C5XUwUht
—
Vera Bergengruen (@VeraMBergen) October 4, 2019"
This problem is indeed increasing across the board:
"A growing list of journalists say they have been startled by government officials’ harassment in a country that prizes freedom of the press. The encounters are raising fears that hostile rhetoric led by President Trump and his allies are damaging reporters’ ability to do their job unhindered. This spring, the World Press Freedom Index called journalists’ treatment in the United States “problematic” for the first time in its 17 years of assessments — and singled out “President Trump’s anti-press rhetoric and continuing threats to journalists” as driving the deteriorating conditions. The U.S. ranking on the index has fallen for the past three years.
"Several other journalists have described difficulties getting through airports in 2019. In February, CBP apologized to a BuzzFeed journalist questioned at a New York airport about his news organization’s coverage of Trump and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation. A few months later, a freelancer said he was detained by CBP officials for hours at an airport in Texas. Then, in August, British journalist James Dyer described an “unsettling experience” as he flew into California to cover a Disney event. The film and TV writer said a CBP officer at Los Angeles International Airport called him a member of the “fake news media” and asked if he had worked for CNN or MSNBC, two frequent targets of Trump’s criticism. “He aggressively told me that journalists are liars and are attacking their democracy,” Dyer wrote in a viral tweet thread. He said he was allowed to move on after explaining that he was just trying to write about Star Wars."
... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming.
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.
10-11-19
The drama continues. Unabated. NBC News reports:
"Text messages given to Congress show U.S. ambassadors working to persuade Ukraine to publicly commit to investigating President Donald Trump’s political opponents and explicitly linking the inquiry to whether Ukraine’s president would be granted an official White House visit. The two ambassadors, both Trump picks, went so far as to draft language for what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should say, the texts indicate. The messages, released Thursday by House Democrats conducting an impeachment inquiry, show the ambassadors coordinating with both Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and a top Zelenskiy aide. At one point, a diplomat quoted in the texts even expresses alarm that the Trump administration is conditioning the visit and military aid on an investigation of political opponents, saying the linkage is "crazy." The messages offer the fullest picture to date of how top diplomats and Giuliani sought to advance Trump’s goal of getting the Ukrainians to investigate both meddling in the 2016 election and Vice President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter."
The following is appalling:
“Heard from White House – assuming President Z convinces trump he will investigate / ‘get to the bottom of what happened’ in 2016, we will nail down date for a visit to Washington,” former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations Kurt Volker wrote to the top Zelenskiy aide July 25, just before Trump spoke by phone to Zelenskiy. That phone call led a U.S. intelligence official to file a whistleblower complaint that set off a cascade of fast-moving events, ultimately leading to an impeachment inquiry into the president."
No quid pro quo? Give me a break.
"Volker resigned amid the tumult. He provided a deposition Thursday at the Capitol, which included the text messages."
How about that?
"Volker and U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland — both political appointees — repeatedly stressed the need to get the Ukrainians to agree to the exact language that Zelenskiy would use in announcing an investigation, the texts indicate. In August, Volker proposed to Sondland that they give Zelenskiy a statement to utter at a news conference citing “alleged involvement of some Ukrainian politicians” in interference in U.S. elections."
No quid pro quo? Again, give me a break. -- If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, guess what? It's a duck.
“We intend to initiate and complete a transparent and unbiased investigation of all available facts and episodes, including those involving Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections,” Volker and Sondland agreed that the Ukrainian president should say. Zelenskiy never did make the statement."
How about that? Indeed surprising that Volker would cooperate with an impeachment investigation having been apparently a central figure in the current Trump debacle. Must not be forgotten it is illegal for a U.S. president and his henchmen to attempt to get a foreign country to interfere in a U.S. election.
"Burisma Holdings is a Ukrainian gas company. Hunter Biden joined its board in 2014, while his father was vice president and handling the Ukraine portfolio. Trump has made unsubstantiated allegations that the arrangement was corrupt. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by either Joe or Hunter Biden. The president has also long promoted the baseless theory that Ukraine — not Russia — was responsible for 2016 election meddling."
Trump is a liar. Figuratively, shitting in his pants as more and more of this is disclosed.
"The texts also show a panicky top aide to Zelenskiy reaching out to Volker after the president unexpectedly halted roughly $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine, as he increased pressure on Zelenskiy to investigate. On Aug. 29, Zelenskiy aide Andrey Yermak texted Volker: “Need to talk with you.”
Fascinating, isn't it? ... What webs we weave.
Equally interesting? Get this:
"The efforts by Volker and Sondland to facilitate Trump’s and Giuliani’s goal of getting the Ukrainians to probe the president’s political rivals are at odds with the account in the whistleblower complaint, which the Trump administration released to Congress under pressure last week. Although it was Volker who initially put Giuliani in touch with Yermak, the top Zelenskiy aide, the whistleblower complaint said multiple U.S. officials had been “deeply concerned” about Giuliani’s interference in U.S.-Ukraine relations. The whistleblower reported that the officials had said both Volker and Sondland “had spoken with Mr. Giuliani in an attempt to ‘contain the damage’ to U.S. national security.” But the text messages show Volker and Sondland playing an active role in advancing Trump’s goal of forcing a Ukrainian investigation, which Democrats argue was an abuse of power by the president to advance his political interests ahead of his re-election bid."
Even sadder?
"In fact, the only U.S. official included in the text messages who pushes back is a career diplomat, William Taylor, who became the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine after Trump pulled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch out of her post earlier this year. Yovanovitch’s ouster has become another topic of key interest to Democratic lawmakers in their impeachment inquiry. “Are we now saying that security assistance and WH meeting are conditioned on investigations?” Taylor wrote, using an acronym for the White House, after Trump canceled a planned meeting with Zelenskiy in Poland. A week later, he told Sondland: “As I said on the phone, I think it’s crazy to withhold security assistance for help with a political campaign.”
It's also illegal.
"Sondland, several hours later, pushed back, telling Taylor that Trump “has been crystal clear, no quid pro quos of any kind.” He suggests they stop discussing the matter via text message."
Above quote? Highly indicative of the malfeasance both knew was perpetrated.
"House Democrats released the texts after conducting the deposition of Volker for more than eight hours behind closed doors, in which Volker provided “further evidence that there was a shadow shakedown going on,” according to Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who attended the deposition. The House committees said the texts were just a subset of more materials they hope to make public. Sondland and Volker have not responded to requests for comment. The State Department did not comment on the text messages or Volker’s deposition."
What could they say?
Yet, Trump remains delusional:
“The whole investigation is crumbling,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Thursday for a trip to Florida. He said his phone call with Zelenskiy had been “absolutely perfect.”
Gets worse:
"The new details on how Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine unfolded came as the president called for another foreign country — China — to probe his top political opponent. This time, he did it in public. Trump’s statement that “China should start an investigation into the Bidens” came as the president is engaged in a high-stakes trade war with China and added further fuel to Democrats’ impeachment push. “This is not normal or acceptable. It is unethical, unpatriotic and wrong,” the Democratic chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees wrote in a letter accompanying the text messages. “Engaging in these stunning abuses in broad daylight does not absolve President Trump of his wrongdoings — or his grave offenses against the Constitution.”
Hard to believe Republicans continue to support, protect, and defend this criminal abomination in the Oval Office.
NPR reports:
"Senior U.S. diplomats debated the propriety of a White House strategy aimed at pressuring Ukraine for political investigations in exchange for assistance and engagement with President Trump, new documents show. The Democratic chairmen of three House committees investigating President Trump released dozens of text messages late Thursday from top State Department officials handling European and Ukrainian affairs. The messages depict a plan to tie aid to Ukraine and engagement with Trump to promises by Kyiv to launch investigations that might benefit Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. Reps. Adam Schiff, Elijah Cummings and Eliot Engel released text messages provided by Kurt Volker, the former U.S. special envoy to Ukraine who spent more than nine hours on Thursday testifying behind closed doors as the House impeachment inquiry's first official witness.
"Based on the first production of materials, it has become immediately apparent why Secretary [of State Mike] Pompeo tried to block these officials from providing information," the chairmen wrote Thursday in a letter to their colleagues on the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees. The letter did not indicate whether the partial release of text messages was representative of the complete texts in possession of the committees; a full accounting might still take place.
"The texts cover a period from July 19 to Sept. 9 and discuss dates and conditions for a White House visit by Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Officials taking part are Volker; William Taylor, who was interim chargé d'affaires in Kyiv is the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine; Gordon Sondland, U.S. ambassador to the European Union; and Andrey Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskiy. In some of the exchanges, Trump's personal attorney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, also participates.
"Two
more texts from the batch released by House Democrats would indicate that
there are things that weren't put in writing. And that career diplomat
Bill Taylor is uncomfortable with how the situation with a Trump meeting/Ukraine
funding has been unfolding. pic.twitter.com/9ynmHDidIL
—
Tamara Keith (@tamarakeithNPR) October 4, 2019"
The Washington Post reports:
"House investigators released numerous text messages late Thursday night illustrating how senior State Department officials coordinated with the Ukrainian president’s top aide and President Trump’s personal lawyer to leverage a potential summit between the heads of state on a promise from the Ukrainians to investigate the 2016 U.S. election and an energy company that employed the son of 2020 Democratic candidate Joe Biden. The texts, which former special U.S. envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker provided investigators during a nearly 10-hour deposition Thursday, reveal that officials felt Trump would not agree to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unless Zelensky promised to launch the investigations — and did so publicly. Although the texts do not mention Biden by name, congressional Democrats leading an impeachment inquiry are pointing to them as clear evidence that Trump conditioned normal bilateral relations with Ukraine on that country first agreeing “to launch politically motivated investigations,” top Democrats said in statement Thursday night."
NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump on Thursday urged another foreign government to probe former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, saying the Chinese government should look into Hunter Biden's involvement with an investment fund that raised money in the country. "China should start an investigation into the Bidens because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine," Trump told reporters outside the White House. While Trump said he hasn't asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to investigate the Bidens, the public call mirrors the private behavior on which Democrats are partially basing their impeachment inquiry — using the office of the presidency to press a foreign leader to investigate a political rival. It is "certainly something we can start thinking about, because I’m sure that President Xi does not like being on that kind of scrutiny, where billions of dollars is taken out of his country by a guy that just got kicked out of the Navy," Trump said Thursday of asking China to probe the Bidens. "He got kicked out of the Navy, all of the sudden he’s getting billions of dollars. You know what they call that? They call that a payoff." The U.S. in the midst of a tense trade war with China. The president, discussing progress on negotiations with Beijing on a possible trade agreement just moments before his remarks about the Bidens, told reporters that "if they don't do what we want, we have tremendous power.”
Amazing, isn't it? Trump is stupidly providing Democrats with further 'ammunition' for their impeachment inquiry. LOL.
"Trump, seeking to expand his corruption accusations against the Bidens beyond Ukraine, has in recent days repeatedly accused Hunter Biden of using a 2013 trip on Air Force Two with his father, then the vice president, to procure $1.5 billion from China for a private equity fund he had started. Prior to Thursday, Trump had not called for an investigation into the matter. The White House declined to comment on Trump's remarks."
What could they say? Trump is clearly panicking as the walls close in.
Trump continues to lie:
"Despite Trump's accusations, there has been no evidence of corruption on the part of the former vice president or his son. In a statement, Biden's deputy campaign manager and communications director, Kate Bedingfield, said the president "is flailing and melting down on national television, desperately clutching for conspiracy theories that have been debunked and dismissed by independent, credible news organizations."
To date, certainly, the case.
"As Joe Biden forcefully said last night, the defining characteristic of Donald Trump's presidency is the ongoing abuse of power," Bedingfield said. "What Donald Trump just said on the South Lawn of the White House was this election's equivalent of his infamous 'Russia, if you're listening' moment from 2016 — a grotesque choice of lies over truth and self over the country."
Certainly, has a point. History, indeed, repeating itself.
"Trump also said Thursday that he still wants Ukraine to conduct “a major investigation” into Joe and Hunter Biden. "I would think that if they were honest about it, they would start a major investigation into the Bidens," he said, adding, "They should investigate the Bidens."
"Democrats, meanwhile, immediately excoriated Trump's latest comments Thursday as "unacceptable" and "indefensible," suggesting that the president is only strengthening their case for impeachment. "The president cannot use the power of his office to pressure foreign leaders to investigate his political opponents. His rant this morning reinforces the urgency of our work. America is a Republic, if we can keep it." House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said in a tweet. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., tweeted: “This is absolutely unacceptable. It's clear the president understands he's been caught red-handed and has now moved to normalize this kind of corrupt behavior." "GOP must speak out," he added. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., also had a message for Republican lawmakers. “To my Republican colleagues, I implore you to listen to the words that came out of Trumps’ mouth this morning. From the SOUTH LAWN OF THE WHITE HOUSE," he said on Twitter. "Think about the detrimental impact these actions will have on our democracy and our national security. This is indefensible." The remarks also elicited the attention of the top elections official in the U.S., Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub, who re-shared a tweet she had posted in June explaining that “it is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election.” Weintraub had initially posted the tweet in June, after Trump said he'd consider taking information on opponents from other countries."
Time for Republicans to wake up. Their fuhrer, the Trump nazi, is tearing our formerly great country down. -- A de facto fascist police-state since the 9/11 attack, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich. ... A democratic republic in name only.
The Washington Post reports:
"In a morning tweet, Schiff responded to Trump’s late-night assertion that he has an “absolute right” to enlist foreign countries in corruption investigations. Trump’s contention, in a tweet, came at the end of a day in which he publicly urged both Ukraine and China to investigate the business dealings of Hunter Biden. “It comes down to this,” Schiff tweeted. “We’ve cut through the denials. The deflections. The nonsense. Donald Trump believes he can pressure a foreign nation to help him politically. It’s his ‘right.’ Every Republican in Congress has to decide: Is he right?” Minutes after Schiff’s tweet, Trump doubled down on his assertion. “As President I have an obligation to end CORRUPTION, even if that means requesting the help of a foreign country or countries,” he tweeted. “It is done all the time. This has NOTHING to do with politics or a political campaign against the Bidens. This does have to do with their corruption!”
You remain no more than a congenital liar, Mr. 'President.' Your false accusations have been debunked. It is you, sir, who is corrupt, breaking the law, stupidly giving the Democrats more 'ammunition' to impeach you. They are beginning to successfully expose you for precisely whom and what you are. You present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
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.
10-11-19
The following expands on the above. NBC News reports:
"Weeks before the whistleblower's complaint became public, the CIA's top lawyer made what she considered to be a criminal referral to the Justice Department about the whistleblower's allegations that President Donald Trump abused his office in pressuring the Ukrainian president, U.S. officials familiar with the matter tell NBC News."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"The move by the CIA's general counsel, Trump appointee Courtney Simmons Elwood, meant she and other senior officials had concluded a potential crime had been committed, raising more questions about why the Justice Department later declined to open an investigation."
Stunning, isn't it? If true, further proof positive the 'Justice' Department is run and owned by the Trump nazi and his appointed shill, U.S. Attorney General William Barr. No independence.
"The phone call that Elwood considered to be a criminal referral is in addition to the referral later received as a letter from the Inspector General for the Intelligence Community regarding the whistleblower complaint. Justice Department officials said they were unclear whether Elwood was making a criminal referral and followed up with her later to seek clarification but she remained vague."
What a crock of shit. The bastards are stonewalling.
"In the days since an anonymous whistleblower complaint was made public accusing him of wrongdoing, Trump has lashed out at his accuser and other insiders who provided the accuser with information, suggesting they were improperly spying on what was a "perfect" call between him and the Ukrainian president. But a timeline provided by U.S. officials familiar with the matter shows that multiple senior government officials appointed by Trump found the whistleblower's complaints credible, troubling, and worthy of further inquiry starting soon after the president's July phone call."
Should have immediately spoken up. Too goddamned gutless.
"While that timeline and the CIA general counsel's contact with the DOJ has been previously disclosed, it has not been reported that the CIA's top lawyer intended her call to be a criminal referral about the president's conduct, acting under rules set forth in a memo governing how intelligence agencies should report allegations of federal crimes."
Why not? It was their duty to do so.
"The fact that she and other top Trump administration political appointees saw potential misconduct in the whistleblower's early account of alleged presidential abuses puts a new spotlight on the Justice Department's later decision to decline to open a criminal investigation — a decision that the Justice Department said publicly was based purely on an analysis of whether the president committed a campaign finance law violation."
Lied like hell. Protected their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
Get this:
"They didn't do any of the sort of bread-and-butter type investigatory steps that would flush out what potential crimes may have been committed," said Berit Berger, a former federal prosecutor who heads the Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity at Columbia Law School. "I don't understand the rationale for that and it's just so contrary to how normal prosecutors work. We have started investigations on far less."
Engaged in obstruction.
"Elwood, the CIA's general counsel, first learned about the matter because the complainant, a CIA officer, passed his concerns about the president on to her through a colleague. On Aug. 14, she participated in a conference call with the top national security lawyer at the White House and the chief of the Justice Department's National Security Division. On that call, Elwood and John Eisenberg, the top legal adviser to the White House National Security Council, told the top Justice Department national security lawyer, John Demers, that the allegations merited examination by the DOJ, officials said."
Yet, no action taken.
"According to the officials, Elwood was acting under rules that a report must occur if there is a reasonable basis to the allegations, defined as "facts and circumstances…that would cause a person of reasonable caution to believe that a crime has been, is being, or will be committed." A DOJ official said Attorney General William Barr was made aware of the conversation with Elwood and Eisenberg, and their concerns about the president's behavior, in the days that followed. Justice Department officials now say they didn't consider the phone conversation a formal criminal referral because it was not in written form. A separate criminal referral came later from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was based solely on the whistleblower's official written complaint."
A bogus, bullshit excuse. Lacks credibility.
"It is illegal for Americans to solicit foreign contributions to political campaigns. Justice Department officials said they decided there was no criminal case after determining that Trump didn't violate campaign finance law by asking the Ukrainian president to investigate his political rival, because such a request did not meet the test for a "thing of value" under the law."
Jesus Christ. Unadulterated bullshit. Obstruction. Clearly, in a desperate effort to protect their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
"Justice Department officials have said they only investigated the president's Ukraine call for violations of campaign finance law because it was the only statute mentioned in the whistleblower's complaint. Former federal prosecutors contend that the conduct could have fit other criminal statutes, including those involving extortion, bribery, conflict of interest or fraud, that might apply to the president or those close to him. The decision not to open an investigation meant there was no FBI examination of documents or interviews of witnesses to the phone call, participants in the White House decision to withhold military funding from Ukraine, the president's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and Ukrainian officials who were the target of Trump and Giuliani's entreaties."
Obstruction. To protect Trump.
"Text messages turned over to Congress Thursday night, in which diplomats appear to suggest there was a linkage between aid and Ukraine's willingness to investigate a case involving Joe Biden, were not examined as part of the Justice Department's review, officials said, adding that they conducted purely a legal analysis."
Obstruction.
Get this:
"Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec told NBC News that the decision not to open an investigation was made by the head of the criminal division, Brian Benczkowski, in consultation with career lawyers at the public integrity section. She and other officials declined to say whether anyone dissented."
Why not? If all was on the up and up, why not?
"Some legal experts are puzzled by Justice Department's narrow approach. "They are not by any stretch of the imagination limited to the referral," said Chuck Rosenberg, an NBC News contributor and former U.S. Attorney. "They have the authority — in fact, they have the obligation — to look more deeply and more broadly and bring whatever charges are appropriate." Berger added, "When you get a criminal referral, you don't go into it saying, 'This is the criminal violation and now I'm going to see if the facts prove it.' You start with the facts and the evidence and then you see what potential crimes those facts support. It seems backwards to say, 'We are going to look at this just as a campaign finance violation and oops, we don't see it — case closed.'" In a case in which a government official is allegedly using his office for personal gain, and pressuring someone to extract a favor, the bribery and extortion statutes are usually considered, Berger said. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits bribery of foreign officials, may also have been implicated, she said."
Yet, the bastards failed to do their job. Protected and coddled their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
Clearly, this investigation is exceptionally complex, highly convoluted obstruction.
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.
10-11-19
Multiple whistleblowers. The Washington Post reports:
"An attorney for the whistleblower who raised the alarm about President Trump’s communications with Ukraine said Sunday that “multiple” whistleblowers have come forward. The news, which comes as House Democrats have launched an impeachment inquiry and are subpoenaing the White House for documents, adds to the deepening political crisis facing the president. “IC WHISTLEBLOWER UPDATE: I can confirm that my firm and my team represent multiple whistleblowers in connection to the underlying August 12, 2019, disclosure to the Intelligence Community Inspector General,” the attorney, Andrew Bakaj, said in a tweet. “No further comment at this time.”
Fascinating, isn't it? Walls appear to be closing in.
"Mark Zaid, who also is a member of the original whistleblower’s legal team, confirmed to The Washington Post that the team is now representing a second whistleblower, who works in the intelligence community. The second individual has spoken to the inspector general of the intelligence community and has not filed a complaint. “Doesn’t need to,” Zaid said in a text message to The Post. This person has “first hand knowledge that supported the first whistleblower,” Zaid said. He added that he does not know whether the individual is the same person who was mentioned in a New York Times report on Friday. News that the original whistleblower’s team is representing a second whistleblower was first reported Sunday by ABC News."
Trump remains out of control, highly combative as pressure increases:
"Trump on Sunday continue[s] to lash out at Democrats and some Republican detractors, including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), whose impeachment the president demanded Saturday after Romney criticized him. “The Democrats are lucky that they don’t have any Mitt Romney types,” Trump tweeted. “They may be lousy politicians, with really bad policies (Open Borders, Sanctuary Cities etc.), but they stick together!” Trump’s Republican primary challengers also sharply criticized the president’s actions on Sunday. Former congressman Joe Walsh (R.-Ill.) said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that he considers Trump “a traitor” who “is a threat to this country” and “deserves to be impeached.” “Nobody from the White House and no high-level Republicans are on the show today, because there’s nothing to defend,” Walsh said, referring to host Jake Tapper’s claim that while the show had contacted the White House and Republicans in both chambers of Congress, no one had agreed to come on to address the impeachment charges. “There’s enough we know now to impeach this president.” Former South Carolina governor and congressman Mark Sanford (R), who appeared on the show alongside Walsh, called the descriptions of Trump’s behavior “troubling” and “wrong” but stopped short of deeming it impeachable. Asked whether he’d vote for impeachment if he were in the House now, Sanford said, “I don’t know. I suspect so.”
ABC News reports:
" Mark Zaid, the attorney representing the whistleblower who sounded the alarm on President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine and triggered an impeachment inquiry, tells ABC News that he is now representing a second whistleblower who has spoken with the inspector general. Zaid tells ABC News' Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the second person -- also described as an intelligence official -- has first-hand knowledge of some of the allegations outlined in the original complaint and has been interviewed by the head of the intelligence community's internal watchdog office, Michael Atkinson. The existence of a second whistleblower -- particularly one who can speak directly about events involving the president related to conversations involving Ukraine -- could undercut Trump's repeated insistence that the original complaint, released on Sept. 26, was "totally inaccurate." Zaid says both officials have full protection of the law intended to protect whistleblowers from being fired in retaliation. While this second official has spoken with the IG -- the internal watchdog office created to handle complaints -- this person has not communicated yet with the congressional committees conducting the investigation. The New York Times on Friday cited anonymous sources in reporting that a second intelligence official was weighing whether to file his own formal complaint and testify to Congress. Zaid says he does not know if the second whistleblower he represents is the person identified in the Times report. Zaid’s co-counsel, Andrew Bakaj, confirmed in a tweet Sunday that the firm is representing "multiple whistleblowers." Zaid later confirmed in a tweet that two are being represented by their legal team."
Certainly, unwelcome news to the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
CBS News reports:
"The attorneys representing the whistleblower who filed a complaint about President Trump's dealings with Ukraine said they are representing "multiple whistleblowers" in connection to the case, including one with "first hand knowledge" of events. "I can confirm that my firm and my team represent multiple whistleblowers in connection to the underlying August 12, 2019, disclosure to the Intelligence Community Inspector General," attorney Andrew Bakaj tweeted Sunday. "No further comment at this time." Mark Zaid, another member of the first whistleblower's legal team, also said the team is representing a second official with first-hand knowledge of events, as first reported by ABC News. The original whistleblower had not heard or seen a transcript of the phone call between Mr. Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the center of the August 12 complaint. "I can confirm this report of a second #whistleblower being represented by our legal team," Zaid tweeted. "They also made a protected disclosure under the law and cannot be retaliated against. This WBer has first hand knowledge." On Friday, the New York Times reported a second official was considering coming forward. It's unclear whether that official is the same person Zaid was referencing, or how many others may have formally filed complaints."
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.
10-11-19
Stonewalling. Continues unabated. The Washington Post reports:
"The Trump administration on Tuesday blocked a planned deposition from Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union and a central figure in the Democrats’ impeachment inquiry. Democrats called the administration’s move an act of obstruction and said they would issue a subpoena for Sondland’s testimony, as well as emails and text messages that Sondland held on a personal device and that have been turned over to the State Department, which has yet to release them. In a trove of text messages that were turned over to the House by another former official, Sondland emerged as a central player in the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to launch investigations of the president’s political rivals. Democrats accused President Trump of hiding information about his efforts to make military aide and other U.S. support to Ukraine conditioned upon those investigations. Democrats had earlier said that any attempt to block statements from witnesses, including Sondland, could constitute an impeachable act."
If nothing to hide, why stonewall? The diplomat was more than willing to testify.
"Sondland was scheduled to be deposed Tuesday morning, his lawyer, Robert Luskin, said in a statement. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week rebuked efforts by the committees to interview Sondland and other officials, saying Democratic lawmakers had “harassed and abused State Department employees” by contacting them directly. But Sondland was willing to testify and didn’t appear on Tuesday at the direction of the State Department, Luskin said. “As the sitting U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. and employee of the State Department, Ambassador Sondland is required to follow the Department’s direction,” Luskin said. “Ambassador Sondland is profoundly disappointed that he will not be able to testify today. Ambassador Sondland traveled to Washington from Brussels in order to prepare for his testimony and to be available to answer the Committee’s questions.”
CBS News reports:
"U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, who was scheduled to be interviewed by House committees Tuesday as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry, was ordered not to appear for his deposition by the State Department, according to a statement issued by his attorney. Sondland was mentioned in the original whistleblower complaint and is a key witness to the Trump-Ukraine dealings. Sondland's lawyer Robert Luskin said in the statement that Sondland "is profoundly disappointed that he will not be able to testify today." Luskin said the ambassador had traveled from Brussels for the testimony and made arrangements with committee staff to appear. Sondland "believes strongly that he acted at all times in the best interests of the United States" and remains ready to testify "on short notice," Luskin said."
NPR reports:
"The Trump administration has blocked Gordon Sondland, President Trump's ambassador to the European Union, from testifying before Congress on Tuesday. Sondland has been a key figure in the widening Ukraine scandal involving the president, members of his Cabinet and high-ranking diplomats.
"Shortly after the announcement that Sondland would not testify, President Trump said that while he would "love" for Sondland to testify, it would be "before a totally compromised kangaroo court."
Trump is out of his mind. A congenital liar. No credibility. If innocent, what is he so afraid of? What?
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.
10-11-19
Trump temporarily protected by an appeals court. CBS News reports:
"A federal judge Monday emphatically rejected President Trump's challenge to the release of his tax returns to New York prosecutors, saying the president's broad claim of immunity from all criminal investigations is at odds with the Constitution. But an appeals court blocked any handover of the records for now."
Convenient, isn't it? Took good care if its fuhrer at least temporarily. LOL.
"At issue is a request from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. that Trump's accounting firm turn over eight years' worth of his business and personal tax returns for an investigation into the payment of hush money to two women who claimed to have had affairs with the president."
Re-read the above quote. An appeals court temporarily blocked a criminal investigation. What does Trump have to hide? Presidents have released their tax returns for decades.
"U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero turned down Mr. Trump's attempt to keep the tax returns under wraps, saying the president was making a "categorical and limitless assertion of presidential immunity."
Re-read the above quote. Trump claims to be above the law while president. Think anyone in a supposed democratic republic is indeed above the law? Anyone at all?
"The president's lawyers immediately appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and it granted a temporary stay of the judge's ruling "pending expedited review" by the court."
What was there to review? It is a criminal investigation against a high government official. Had it been anyone else, think he or she would have received the same treatment? Most people under criminal investigation don't even have the money to file such an appeal.
The following is insanity. Unbridled paranoia courtesy of an out of control, hopelessly narcissistic, congenital liar:
"The Radical Left Democrats have failed on all fronts," Trump fumed on Twitter, "so now they are pushing local New York City and State Democrat prosecutors to go get President Trump. A thing like this has never happened to any President before. Not even close!"
Here's the truth:
"The criminal investigation in New York is unfolding with Mr. Trump already under siege on Capitol Hill from a fast-moving impeachment drive set off by his attempts to get Ukraine's leader to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. The judge's ruling marked the latest in a string of setbacks for the president in the past couple of weeks. Mr. Trump's lawyers have said that the investigation led by Vance, a Democrat, is politically motivated and that the request for his tax records should be stopped because he is immune from any criminal probe as long as he is president."
No question, attorneys like these are precisely why the public does not trust the legal profession. They'll lie, cheat, steal, distort reality, whatever it takes.
"Marrero called Mr. Trump's claim of broad immunity "extraordinary" and "an overreach of executive power."
You think?
"As the court reads it, presidential immunity would stretch to cover every phase of criminal proceedings, including investigations, grand jury proceedings and subpoenas, indictment, prosecution, arrest, trial, conviction, and incarceration," the judge wrote. "That constitutional protection presumably would encompass any conduct, at any time, in any forum, whether federal or state, and whether the President acted alone or in concert with other individuals."
The judge certainly got it right. Founders? Spinning in their graves.
"The judge said couldn't accept that legal view, "especially in the light of the fundamental concerns over excessive arrogation of power" that led the founding fathers to create a balance of power among the three branches of government."
Exactly, right. Good to see there is at least one judge willing to enforce the Constitution and rule of law. LOL.
"Vance began his probe after federal prosecutors in New York completed their investigation into payments that Mr. Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, arranged to be paid to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep them silent during the presidential race. The Trump Organization later reimbursed Cohen. Cohen is serving a three-year prison sentence for crimes that included campaign finance violations in connection with the hush money. Mr. Trump was never charged, though prosecutors said publicly that he was aware of and directed the illegal payments. Justice Department policy has long been that sitting presidents cannot be charged criminally."
The president is a nazi dictator clearly above the law while in office. Sound American to you?
"The president has steadfastly refused to make his tax returns public, breaking from a tradition set by presidents and presidential candidates decades ago. Grand jury proceedings and records in New York are secret. If Vance gains access to Mr. Trump's returns through a grand jury investigation, that doesn't mean that their contents will be disclosed publicly. It is unclear what Mr. Trump's returns might have to do with the criminal investigation."
Apparently, the District Attorney believed the tax returns relevant to his criminal investigation. If there is indeed nothing incriminating in these returns and they cannot be released publicly, what is Trump so afraid of? The truth?
NPR reports:
"Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen — who is in prison for campaign finance violations — testified before Congress earlier this year that the Trump Organization paid him $350,000 as reimbursement for paying the women. Cohen brought receipts to Congress to back up his claims. "And these include a copy of a check Mr. Trump wrote from his personal bank account, after he became president, to reimburse me for the hush money payments I made to cover up his affair with an adult film star and to prevent damage to his campaign," Cohen testified. The Trump Organization said the money was a retainer."
Clearly, the Organization lied. Protected their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Had it been Cohen lying under oath, think there would have indeed been a plea bargain? That, he wouldn't have been further prosecuted? Instead, Trump was protected and coddled by the 'Justice' Department.
"The Manhattan DA is investigating whether this is a falsification of business records, which is a crime in New York. The president's lawyers have argued that the probe is politically motivated and that he is immune from any criminal prosecution as long as he's president."
Expect anything better of shysters? LOL. We've lost ourselves. Somewhere along the way.
"The Manhattan court battle is part of a multipronged effort to pry loose Trump's tax returns. Democrats in Congress are suing the Treasury Department for six years' worth of his tax returns under a provision that requires the IRS to hand over any taxpayer's filings to Congress."
No one is above the law in a democratic republic. No one.
Both major political parties are rarely right about anything. LOL. With rare exception. The following is one of those times for Democrats:
"Democrats have long claimed that Trump's tax returns could reveal whether Trump's business dealings as a candidate and president reveal conflicts of interest."
The public is entitled to this information. Precisely, why other presidents for decades have disclosed their returns. What is Trump so afraid of? That he's engaged in fraudulent activity that would be summarily exposed? That he's not as rich as he claims to be?
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10-11-19
The above is the least of it. It's what's coming long-term that is of far greater significance. The Washington Post reports:
"For the first time since Democrats took control of the House last year, President Trump’s effort to stonewall congressional efforts at oversight have begun to show some cracks."
The problem has been the fact the Democrats have consistently refused to impose 'inherent contempt.' Congress has the authority to have the House Sergeant-At-Arms arrest and jail those refusing to answer subpoenas or testify under oath. Gutless Democrats feared political consequences at the polls. Placed partisan interests ahead of principle. One of many reasons neither major political party is worth a shit.
"On Thursday, a former State Department official set off a firestorm when he defied the White House’s no-cooperation strategy and provided Congress with text messages detailing the administration’s effort to leverage a meeting with Trump to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to launch investigations into the U.S. president’s political rivals. And House Democrats are expected to interview other critical witnesses this week as they try to build a case for impeaching Trump over his alleged willingness to seek the help of a foreign leader for his own political gain."
Clearly, that's a crime if Trump indeed did what he is accused of. Precisely, why Democrats are conducting an impeachment inquiry.
Here's the long-term problem:
"But these rare triumphs are seen as fleeting even by Democrats and serve as a stark reminder of how much the administration has run roughshod over Congress, prompting concerns among constitutional experts and lawmakers that Trump’s hostile stance toward congressional oversight is undermining the separation of powers in a way that could have long-term implications for democracy."
If that's the end result, not only will Trump be at fault, so will Democrats. Forget? Democrats have refused to enforce subpoenas. Have allowed Trump and his henchmen to run roughshod over them. Again, gutlessly placed short-term partisan interests ahead of principle.
At least some Republicans are beginning to wake up to the danger:
“He is shaking the foundations of the republic,” said Kerry W. Kircher, who was House counsel for the Republican majority between 2011 and 2016. “He is poking his fingers into all of the places where we have norms and traditions and things that both parties have respected for years, and he has blown all of those out the window.”
Direct threat to an already severely-strained democratic republic. Worse, currently, in name only. Not in reality. Far from it.
"Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), who has overseen the recent flurry of oversight activity in the House, said the spike in witness cooperation and the willingness of whistleblowers to come forward has been a welcome change in an otherwise frustrating exercise. But Schiff doesn’t expect it to last long, predicting the White House will continue what he called its “siege” on documents and witnesses in the coming days. That’s one reason Democrats have decided they can no longer wait on the courts to come to their rescue. If Trump continues to stonewall their investigations — particularly on Ukraine — they will compile a list of his defiant actions and package it into an article of impeachment on obstructing Congress, according to senior Democrats familiar with their strategy."
Will likely go nowhere in the Senate. -- A Senate owned and run by national socialist, fascist, nazi Republicans, who just like Democrats, have placed partisan interests ahead of principle.
“The real risk of the Trump administration’s blanket stonewalling of Congress is that it’s fundamentally altered the balance of power that our framers intended,” Schiff said in an interview Saturday. “If a president can thwart congressional oversight that means any future president can be as corrupt as they choose and there’s no recourse.”
That's achingly hollow, empty talk, Mr. Schiff. You need to enforce those subpoenas. You've failed to do so. 'Inherent contempt.' Arrest and jailing by the House Sergeant-At-Arms.
Democrats have lost themselves. Just like Republicans, -- are not worth a shit. For totally different reasons:
"Some liberal Democrats want their party to do more to force compliance with oversight requests, concerned the response to the Trump administration’s truculence has been too timid. Lawmakers, including Schiff, have discussed the possibility of trying to fine, censure or withhold money from obstinate Trump officials — but even those possibilities, they warn, may do nothing. For the 277 days that Trump has faced an adversarial House Democratic majority, his administration has worked systematically to resist congressional investigations and further diminish Capitol Hill’s power to keep the executive branch in check."
Democrats have failed to uphold their oaths of office. Gutlessly, refused to enforce subpoenas, cowardly allowed the Trump nazi and his henchmen to defy constitutionally-mandated congressional oversight. Gutlessly, failed to use all tools at their disposal against this nazi bastard:
"Administration officials have ignored subpoenas, blocked witnesses from testifying and even defied the legislative power of the purse stipulated in the Constitution. This past week Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declined to comply with a deadline for handing over documents related to the impeachment inquiry over Ukraine, saying Saturday that while his department would “do all the things we’re required to do by law” he considered much of the Democrats’ efforts with regard to his department as “harassment.”
Clearly, Democrats are not worth a shit. To date, have miserably failed to do their sworn constitutionally-mandated duty to oversee the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"But experts say Trump’s defiance stands apart because of his unwillingness to engage in any oversight. Ever since he vowed last spring to ignore “all the subpoenas,” his subordinates have refused to allow even a single Trump official to cooperate, creating what some experts call a constitutional crisis that Democrats have struggled to respond to and counter."
The House Sergeant-At-Arms should have been instructed to arrest and jail these recalcitrant, treasonous, traitorous bastards. Instead, the Democrats have done nothing. Shit squat. -- Other than complain.
“It’s just gotten steadily worse with each president being more and more resistant to congressional oversight,” said former Republican congressman Tom Davis of Virginia, who chaired the House Oversight Committee from 2003 to 2007. “The tendency over the last 40 years has been, the president’s party tends to under-investigate and the opposition party tends to over-investigate.” Davis added: “It didn’t start with Trump; he’s certainly taken it to the next level.”
No kidding:
"This year alone, the Trump administration has worked to methodically delay and block about two dozen probes into his conduct as president, his personal finances and the policies of his administration. He has stonewalled on everything from security clearances given to his family to his tax returns. He has ignored compulsory measures on his controversial family separation policy at the border and refused to let his staff testify about what they told former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III as part of his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. While Democrats are looking at a possible quick impeachment of Trump this winter, many said they haven’t given up on long-term solutions to try to restore Congress’s authority. They plan to see half a dozen court cases trying to uphold their subpoenas through, hoping federal judges will at some point validate their oversight."
Precisely, why you should have instructed the House Sergeant-At-Arms to arrest and jail these goddamned miscreants under 'inherent contempt.'
"Schiff also said lawmakers are drafting their own set of “post-Watergate reforms” such as those Congress enacted after President Richard M. Nixon’s resignation. One of those will be a bill that would expedite court review of congressional process fights with the White House. “We are determined to validate and vindicate our oversight responsibilities,” he said."
Clearly, you're not. Certainly, could have quickly brought all House business to a grinding halt by not restricting the impeachment inquiry to simply the most current Trump Ukrainian telephone call fiasco. Should have investigated crime after crime after crime allegedly committed by the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Certainly, should have included the ten possible cases of obstruction brought up in the Mueller Report. Instead, you gutlessly chose to restrict the impeachment inquiry. Stupid mistake. Even recalcitrant Republicans in the Senate would have faced enormous pressure from constituents as crime after crime, abuse after abuse of power was methodically laid out in great detail for all to see.
NBC News reports:
"The White House refused Tuesday to turn over internal documents regarding Ukraine being sought by House Democrats as the Trump administration dug in against their impeachment inquiry. In a defiant letter that echoed the president's recent impeachment messaging — accusing Democrats of violating the Constitution and civil liberties and attempting to overturn the results of the 2016 election — the White House said it would not comply with the request from House Democrats because they were conducting an invalid investigation.
"The move was the latest demonstration of a White House strategy of almost-universal resistance taking shape in its efforts to stymie the Democratic investigation into whether President Donald Trump used the power of his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate 2020 rival Joe Biden. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who has been spearheading much of the inquiry, blasted the administration later Tuesday."
"The White House says there is nothing wrong with pressuring a foreign government to intervene in a US election," he wrote in a tweet. "They say: they will not cooperate with an impeachment inquiry unless it’s on their terms. They mean: the President is above the law. The Constitution says otherwise."
No kidding.
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to the letter Tuesday, accusing the president of "trying to make lawlessness a virtue." "This letter is manifestly wrong, and is simply another unlawful attempt to hide the facts of the Trump Administration’s brazen efforts to pressure foreign powers to intervene in the 2020 elections," Pelosi wrote. "Despite the White House’s stonewalling, we see a growing body of evidence that shows that President Trump abused his office and violated his oath to ‘protect, preserve and defend the Constitution.'" Pelosi warned that Trump was not above the law and that continued efforts to hide Trump's abuse of power would be "regarded as further evidence of obstruction."
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.
10-11-19
In an editorial, The Washington Post opines:
"PRESIDENT TRUMP is attempting to rewrite the norms of presidential behavior in two fundamental ways in the Ukraine affair. He is claiming the right to directly seek the assistance of foreign governments in pursuing compromising information about his political opponents, even in the absence of any legitimate U.S. investigation. He is also asserting the power to block congressional oversight by prohibiting administration officials from testifying about their official activities, even in private. These are gross abuses of Mr. Trump’s oath of office. If they are allowed to stand, they will open the way for more offenses in the coming year — including more appeals for foreign intervention in the 2020 election — and they will establish new baselines for future presidents. So congressional Republicans, as well as Democrats, have reason to act forcefully to check Mr. Trump."
Think they will?
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.
10-11-19
Think Trump is playing with a full deck? The Washington Post reports:
"Turkey’s vice president said Tuesday that his country would “not react to threats,” as it prepared to mount a military offensive against U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters in Syria, a day after President Trump warned that he would destroy Turkey’s economy if the offensive did not meet with his approval."
That sound presidential to you?
"But there was no sign yet that Turkish troops were moving forward, as the United Nations and aid agencies warned of potentially catastrophic humanitarian consequences, and as the Trump administration delivered confusing signals about how it views Turkey’s plans to attack a Syrian-Kurdish force that partnered with the U.S. military to fight the Islamic State militant group. In a White House statement on Sunday and tweets on Monday, Trump suggested that U.S. troops would step aside as Turkey conducted its military operation."
Outrageous. The Kurds fought side by side with American forces. One hell of a betrayal.
“It is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home,” Trump tweeted. Dozens of U.S. troops were withdrawn from the “safe zone” early Monday. But after facing harsh criticism from some of his own allies that he was abandoning the Syrian Kurds, Trump appeared to have a change of heart by Monday afternoon."
Trump's head is figuratively lodged up his sorry ass.
Gets worse. Get this:
“If Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey,” he wrote, without specifying what was off limits."
Sound presidential to you? ... Or, an out of control, hopelessly narcissistic, achingly erratic, nazi dictator?
The Kurds certainly didn't remain silent:
"Syrian Kurdish officials, frozen in Turkey’s crosshairs, tried to seize on Washington’s political divisions. “We are humbled by the enormous support by American people and politicians despite @potus decision to pave the way for Turkish invasion, which caused despair among people,” Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian-Kurdish force, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), wrote Tuesday on Twitter."
Trump remains egregiously unfit:
"As allies and regional actors tried to unscramble Trump’s conflicting statements, Erdogan’s government has remained on message, insisting that the invasion is a certainty and that its target, the SDF, is an imminent threat to national security because of its ties to Kurdish militants in Turkey.
"Eric Schwartz, president of Refugees International, said in a statement Monday that Turkey’s proposed resettlement in the “safe zone” was “shockingly irresponsible.” And Ankara’s proposed invasion would likely create new refugees, he added."
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.
10-11-19
More of the same. The Washington Post reports:
"The furor over the decision to pull U.S. troops out of northeastern Syria began late Sunday night with a poorly conceived White House statement about an ominous telephone conversation between President Trump and the Turkish president. The results have been rapid and remain unpredictable — and, in the view of critics, amount to the abandonment of America’s Syrian Kurdish allies to a massive Turkish military assault. As Turkish forces hovered on the Syrian border Tuesday, U.S. officials said the attack could come within hours. On Twitter, Trump wrote that the United States had provided arms for the Kurds and warned that any “unforced or unnecessary fighting by Turkey will be devastating to their economy and to their very fragile currency.” Turkey’s vice president responded that his country would “not react to threats.”
The fight is on. CBS News reports:
"Turkey launched a military operation Wednesday against Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria after U.S. forces withdrew from the area. Activists reported airstrikes on a town on Syria's northern border and a Kurdish official said warplanes targeted civilians, causing a "huge panic." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the campaign, which followed an announcement Sunday by U.S. President Donald Trump that American troops would step aside in a shift in U.S. policy that essentially abandoned the Syrian Kurds. They were longtime U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS."
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.
10-11-19
Walls closing in. The Washington Post reports:
"The debate over President Trump’s fitness for office amid the House-led impeachment inquiry has put renewed scrutiny on national security officials who served in his administration to speak out, even as the president ramps up efforts to discredit the investigation as a “deep state” plot to destroy him. Over the past week, several former officials have spoken critically of Trump’s conduct and his foreign policy, lending weight to the picture of a president motivated by political interests with little regard for policy expertise, legal boundaries or institutional restraints."
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.
10-11-19
The following is appalling. Right wing nazi. The surveillance state. ABC News reports:
"Attorney General Bill Barr and officials from the U.K. and Australia have penned a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg requesting the company not implement end-to-end encryption on its messaging services, citing concerns regarding threats of child exploitation and terrorism."
Law enforcement in the United States cannot be trusted with access to an encrypted system. Court order or no court order. The criminal jackbooted bastards do as they please. No effective oversight. None at all.
"Law abiding citizens have a legitimate expectation that their privacy be protected," the letter says, which is co-signed by acting Department of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan, as well as the U.K. and Australia's home secretaries. "However, as your March blog post recognized, we must ensure that technology companies protect their users and others affected by their users' online activities."
That's not the way to do it. Government, law enforcement, as well as the corporate management suite cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Consistently abuse authority.
"Barr and the other officials write that it's imperative before implementing such a system that Facebook include "a means for lawful access" to messages that law enforcement may request in investigations, typically described as a "back door."
No way in Hell. No way in Nazi America. This government, its shills, as well as its corporate masters cannot be trusted to do the right thing. Barr himself cannot be trusted. Has no independence from the Trump nazi and his henchmen. In fact, he's one of them.
"The letter is likely to draw criticism from civil libertarians and privacy advocates who argue that giving the government access to encrypted communications opens the door to abuse and intrusion of personal data and communications."
Absolutely true. No question. The fascist bastards will use such access to deliberately, massively invade privacy of law abiding citizens, maintain what's turned into a surveillance state. A de facto fascist police-state quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"But Barr and the others point out that if implemented, this system could take one of the biggest tools law enforcement has to crack down on child exploitation."
The Attorney General is a goddamned liar. Law enforcement has more than enough tools in its massive tool chest to investigate, arrest, and charge the criminal element in our formerly great country.
"In 2018, Facebook made 16.8 million reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children -- more than 90% of the 18.4 million total reports that year," the letter says. "Our understanding is that much of this activity, which is critical to protecting children ... will no longer be possible if Facebook implements its proposals as planned."
The question to be asked is how many countless millions of times each year does law enforcement access Facebook and others with no warrant at all? Wake up. There is no greater threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties than government itself including law enforcement. No foreign aggressor. No terrorist group. Not even the criminal element presents a greater threat, an exigent threat, to what is supposed to be a democratic republic.
"Facebook issued a lengthy statement indicating it has no plans to comply with Barr's request, but is consulting with law enforcement and safety experts. "We believe people have the right to have a private conversation online, wherever they are in the world," the company wrote. "As the US and UK governments acknowledge, the CLOUD Act allows for companies to provide available information when they receive valid legal requests and does not require companies to build back doors." "We respect and support the role law enforcement has in keeping people safe," it continued, in part. "Ahead of our plans to bring more security and privacy to our messaging apps, we are consulting closely with child safety experts, governments and technology companies and devoting new teams and sophisticated technology so we can use all the information available to us to help keep people safe."
The above quote provides no comfort. None at all. No assurance privacy will indeed be respected. Certainly, not by Facebook since Facebook makes its money off selling user data.
"On Friday, Barr, along with Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and FBI Director Christopher Wray, will deliver remarks at a full-day "lawful access" forum at Department of Justice to try and ramp up the public pressure on Facebook. According to a Justice Department official, a representative from Facebook will be in attendance."
The hypocrisy of Barr and the 'Justice' Department reeks. Knows no bounds. Forget? They continue to protect and coddle their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Yet, shamelessly impose and perfect a surveillance system with no warrant, no court oversight. Nazi America.
"We strongly oppose government attempts to build backdoors because they would undermine the privacy and security of people everywhere," Facebook said in its statement. The encryption versus privacy debate is hardly a new one for the Justice Department, with the most notable episode back in 2016, when the FBI obtained a court order to require Apple's assistance in cracking into one of the iPhones [of] the San Bernardino shooting suspects. Apple refused and the FBI eventually found a different way to unlock the phone."
Clearly, the security on these phones is nowhere near sufficient.
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.
10-4-19
The following is the Trump whistleblower complaint courtesy of NPR. Contains only the unclassified portion:
"UNCLASSIFIED
August 12, 2019
The Honorable Richard
Burr
Chairman
Select Committee on Intelligence
United States Senate
The Honorable Adam Schiff
Chairman
Permanent Select Committee
on Intelligence
United States House of
Representatives
Dear Chairman Burr and Chairman Schiff:
I am reporting an "urgent concern" in accordance with the procedures outlined in 50 U.S.C. §3033(k)(5)(A). This letter is UNCLASSIFIED when separated from the attachment.
In the course of my official duties, I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials that the President of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election. This interference includes, among other things, pressuring a foreign country to investigate one of the President's main domestic political rivals. The President's personal lawyer, Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, is a central figure in this effort. Attorney General Barr appears to be involved as well.
Over the past four months, more than half a dozen U.S. officials have informed me of various facts related to this effort. The information provided herein was relayed to me in the course of official interagency business. It is routine for U.S. officials with responsibility for a particular regional or functional portfolio to share such information with one another in order to inform policymaking and analysis.
I was not a direct witness to most of the events described. However, I found my colleagues' accounts of these events to be credible because, in almost all cases, multiple officials recounted fact patterns that were consistent with one another. In addition, a variety of information consistent with these private accounts has been reported publicly.
I am deeply concerned that the actions described below constitute "a serious or flagrant problem, abuse, or violation of law or Executive Order" that "does not include differences of opinions concerning public policy matters," consistent with the definition of an "urgent concern" in 50 U.S.C. §3033(k)(5)(A). I am therefore fulfilling my duty to report this information, through proper legal channels, to the relevant authorities.
I am also concerned that these actions pose risks to U.S. national security and undermine the U.S. Government's efforts to deter and counter foreign interference in U.S. elections.
To the best of my knowledge, the entirety of this statement is unclassified when separated from the classified enclosure. I have endeavored to apply the classification standards outlined in Executive Order (EO) 13526 and to separate out information that I know or have reason to believe is classified for national security purposes.
If a classification marking is applied retroactively, I believe it is incumbent upon the classifying authority to explain why such a marking was applied, and to which specific information it pertains.
I. The 25 July Presidential phone call
Early in the morning of 25 July, the President spoke by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. I do not know which side initiated the call. This was the first publicly acknowledged call between the two leaders since a brief congratulatory call after Mr. Zelenskyy won the presidency on 21 April.
Multiple White House officials with direct knowledge of the call informed me that, after an initial exchange of pleasantries, the President used the remainder of the call to advance his personal interests. Namely, he sought to pressure the Ukrainian leader to take actions to help the President's 2020 reelection bid. According to the White House officials who had direct knowledge of the call, the President pressured Mr. Zelenskyy to, inter alia:
initiate or continue an investigation into the activities of former Vice President Joseph Biden and his son, Hunter Biden;
assist in purportedly uncovering that allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election originated in Ukraine, with a specific request that the Ukrainian leader locate and turn over servers used by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and examined by the U.S. cyber security firm Crowdstrike, which initially reported that Russian hackers had penetrated the networks in 2016; and
meet or speak with two people the President named explicitly as his personal envoys on these matters, Mr. Giuliani and Attorney General Barr, to whom the President referred multiple times in tandem.
The President also praised Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Mr. Yuriy Lutsenko, and suggested that Mr. Zelenskyy might want to keep him in his position. (Note: Starting in March 2019, Mr. Lutsenko made a series of public allegations — many of which he later walked back — about the Biden family's activities in Ukraine, Ukrainian officials' purported involvement in the 2016 U.S. election, and the activities of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv. See Part IV for additional context.)
The White House officials who told me this information were deeply disturbed by what had transpired in the phone call. They told me that there was already a "discussion ongoing" with White House lawyers about how to treat the call because of the likelihood, in the officials' retelling, that they had witnessed the President abuse his office for personal gain.
The Ukrainian side was the first to publicly acknowledge the phone call. On the evening of 25 July, a readout was posted on the website of the Ukrainian President that contained the following line (translation from original Russian-language readout):
"Donald Trump expressed his conviction that the new Ukrainian government will be able to quickly improve Ukraine's image and complete the investigation of corruption cases that have held back cooperation between Ukraine and the United States."
Aside from the above-mentioned "cases" purportedly dealing with the Biden family and the 2016 U.S. election, I was told by White House officials that no other "cases" were discussed.
Based on my understanding, there were approximately a dozen White House officials who listened to the call — a mixture of policy officials and duty officers in the White House Situation Room, as is customary. The officials I spoke with told me that participation in the call had not been restricted in advance because everyone expected it would be a "routine" call with a foreign leader. I do not know whether anyone was physically present with the President during the call.
In addition to White House personnel, I was told that a State Department official, Mr. T. Ulrich Brechbuhl, also listened in on the call.
I was not the only non-White House official to receive a readout of the call. Based on my understanding, multiple State Department and Intelligence Community officials were also briefed on the contents of the call as outlined above.
II. Efforts to restrict access to records related to the call
In the days following the phone call, I learned from multiple U.S. officials that senior White House officials had intervened to "lock down" all records of the phone call, especially the official word-for-word transcript of the call that was produced — as is customary — by the White House Situation Room. This set of actions underscored to me that White House officials understood the gravity of what had transpired in the call.
White House officials told me that they were "directed" by White House lawyers to remove the electronic transcript from the computer system in which such transcripts are typically stored for coordination, finalization, and distribution to Cabinet-level officials.
Instead, the transcript was loaded into a separate electronic system that is otherwise used to store and handle classified information of an especially sensitive nature. One White House official described this act as an abuse of this electronic system because the call did not contain anything remotely sensitive from a national security perspective.
I do not know whether similar measures were taken to restrict access to other records of the call, such as contemporaneous handwritten notes taken by those who listened in.
III. Ongoing concerns
On 26 July, a day after the call, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker visited Kyiv and met with President Zelenskyy and a variety of Ukrainian political figures. Ambassador Volker was accompanied in his meetings by U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. Based on multiple readouts of these meetings recounted to me by various U.S. officials, Ambassadors Volker and Sondland reportedly provided advice to the Ukrainian leadership about how to "navigate" the demands that the President had made of Mr. Zelenskyy.
I also learned from multiple U.S. officials that, on or about 2 August, Mr. Giuliani reportedly traveled to Madrid to meet with one of President Zelenskyy's advisers, Andriy Yermak. The U.S. officials characterized this meeting, which was not reported publicly at the time, as a "direct follow-up" to the President's call with Mr. Zelenskyy about the "cases" they had discussed.
Separately, multiple U.S. officials told me that Mr. Giuliani had reportedly privately reached out to a variety of other Zelenskyy advisers, including Chief of Staff Andriy Bohdan and Acting Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov.
I do not know whether those officials met or spoke with Mr. Giuliani, but I was told separately by multiple U.S. officials that Mr. Yermak and Mr. Bakanov intended to travel to Washington in mid-August.
On 9 August, the President told reporters: "I think [President Zelenskyy] is going to make a deal with President Putin, and he will be invited to the White House. And we look forward to seeing him. He's already been invited to the White House, and he wants to come. And I think he will. He's a very reasonable guy. He wants to see peace in Ukraine, and I think he will be coming very soon, actually."
IV. Circumstances leading up to the 25 July Presidential phone call
Beginning in late March 2019, a series of articles appeared in an online publication called The Hill. In these articles, several Ukrainian officials — most notably, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko — made a series of allegations against other Ukrainian officials and current and former U.S. officials. Mr. Lutsenko and his colleagues alleged, inter alia:
that they possessed evidence that Ukrainian officials — namely, Head of the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine Artem Sytnyk and Member of Parliament Serhiy Leshchenko — had "interfered" in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, allegedly in collaboration with the DNC and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv;
that the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv — specifically, U.S. Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who had criticized Mr. Lutsenko's organization for its poor record on fighting corruption — had allegedly obstructed Ukrainian law enforcement agencies' pursuit of corruption cases, including by providing a "do not prosecute" list, and had blocked Ukrainian prosecutors from traveling to the United States expressly to prevent them from delivering their "evidence" about the 2016 U.S. election; and
that former Vice President Biden had pressured former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in 2016 to fire then Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin in order to quash a purported criminal probe into Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company on whose board the former Vice President's son, Hunter, sat.
In several public comments, Mr. Lutsenko also stated that he wished to communicate directly with Attorney General Barr on these matters.
The allegations by Mr. Lutsenko came on the eve of the first round of Ukraine's presidential election on 31 March. By that time, Mr. Lutsenko's political patron, President Poroshenko, was trailing Mr. Zelenskyy in the polls and appeared likely to be defeated. Mr. Zelenskyy had made known his desire to replace Mr. Lutsenko as Prosecutor General. On 21 April, Mr. Poroshenko lost the runoff to Mr. Zelenskyy by a landslide. See Enclosure for additional information.
It was also publicly reported that Mr. Giuliani had met on at least two occasions with Mr. Lutsenko: once in New York in late January and again in Warsaw in mid-February. In addition, it was publicly reported that Mr. Giuliani had spoken in late 2018 to former Prosecutor General Shokin, in a Skype call arranged by two associates of Mr. Giuliani.
On 25 April in an interview with Fox News, the President called Mr. Lutsenko's claims "big" and "incredible" and stated that the Attorney General "would want to see this."
On or about 29 April, I learned from U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the situation that Ambassador Yovanovitch had been suddenly recalled to Washington by senior State Department officials for "consultations" and would most likely be removed from her position.
Around the same time, I also learned from a U.S. official that "associates" of Mr. Giuliani were trying to make contact with the incoming Zelenskyy team.
On 6 May, the State Department announced that Ambassador Yovanovitch would be ending her assignment in Kyiv "as planned."
However, several U.S. officials told me that, in fact, her tour was curtailed because of pressure stemming from Mr. Lutsenko's allegations. Mr. Giuliani subsequently stated in an interview with a Ukrainian journalist published on 14 May that Ambassador Yovanovitch was "removed. . .because she was part of the efforts against the President."
On 9 May, The New York Times reported that Mr. Giuliani planned to travel to Ukraine to press the Ukrainian government to pursue investigations that would help the President in his 2020 reelection bid.
In his multitude of public statements leading up to and in the wake of the publication of this article, Mr. Giuliani confirmed that he was focused on encouraging Ukrainian authorities to pursue investigations into alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 US. election and alleged wrongdoing by the Biden family.
On the afternoon of 10 May, the President stated in an interview with Politico that he planned to speak with Mr. Giuliani about the trip.
A few hours later, Mr. Giuliani publicly canceled his trip, claiming that Mr. Zelenskyy was "surrounded by enemies of the [U.S.] President...and of the United States."
On 11 May, Mr. Lutsenko met for two hours with President-elect Zelenskyy according to a public account given several days later by Mr. Lutsenko. Mr. Lutsenko publicly stated that he had told Mr. Zelenskyy that he wished to remain as Prosecutor General.
Starting in mid-May, I heard from multiple U.S. officials that they were deeply concerned by what they viewed as Mr. Giuliani's circumvention of national security decisionmaking processes to engage with Ukrainian officials and relay messages back and forth between Kyiv and the President. These officials also told me:
that State Department officials, including Ambassadors Volker and Sondland, had spoken with Mr. Giuliani in an attempt to "contain the damage" to U.S. national security; and
that Ambassadors Volker and Sondland during this time period met with members of the new Ukrainian administration and, in addition to discussing policy matters, sought to help Ukrainian leaders understand and respond to the differing messages they were receiving from official U.S. channels on the one hand, and Mr. Giuliani on the other.
During this same timeframe, multiple U.S. officials told me that the Ukrainian leadership was led to believe that a meeting or phone call between the President and President Zelenskyy would depend on whether Zelenskyy showed willingness to "play ball" on the issues that had been publicly aired by Mr. Lutsenko and Mr. Giuliani. (Note: This was the general understanding of the state of affairs as conveyed to me by U.S. officials from late May into early July. I do not know who delivered this message to the Ukrainian leadership, or when.) See Enclosure for additional information.
Shortly after President Zelenskyy's inauguration, it was publicly reported that Mr. Giuliani met with two other Ukrainian officials: Ukraine's Special Anticorruption Prosecutor, Mr. Nazar Kholodnytskyy and a former Ukrainian diplomat named Andriy Telizhenko. Both Mr. Kholodnytskyy and Mr. Telizhenko are allies of Mr. Lutsenko and made similar allegations in the above-mentioned series of articles in The Hill.
On 13 June, the President told ABC's George Stephanopoulos that he would accept damaging information on his political rivals from a foreign government.
On 21 June, Mr. Giuliani tweeted: "New Pres of Ukraine still silent on investigation of Ukrainian interference in 2016 and alleged Biden bribery of Poroshenko. Time for leadership and investigate both if you want to purge how Ukraine was abused by Hillary and Clinton people."
In mid-July, I learned of a sudden change of policy with respect to U.S. assistance for Ukraine. See Enclosure for additional information."
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10-4-19
While this most recent Trump fiasco is extremely complicated and highly convoluted, NPR summed it up with eight simple takeaways:
"1. The president of the United States solicited help from a foreign country to investigate a potential 2020 political rival, while withholding military aid to that country.
"2. Trump and the White House are already trying to discredit the whistleblower. Expect more of that.
"3. The whistleblower complaint raises a lot more questions Democrats might dig into.
"4. Support for an impeachment inquiry has gone up.
"5. Democrats will have to work to win over independents.
"6. Still, the center appears to have moved.
"7. The messaging fight is on.
"8. We will likely know whether Trump will be impeached by the end of the year."
Will likely turn out to be a long, nasty, highly convoluted fiasco. Hard to believe Republicans will continue to support this unmitigated disaster in the Oval Office as more and more is disclosed, sees the light of day. The pressure will be relentless. Ferocious.
CBS News reports:
"GOP Congressman Mark Amodei on Friday became the first House Republican to support the inquiry into whether President Trump should be impeached based on the president's interactions with Ukraine. "Let's put it through the process and see what happens," Amodei said in a phone call with reporters, according to The Nevada Independent. "I'm a big fan of oversight, so let's let the committees get to work and see where it goes," Amodei continued. "Using government agencies to, if it's proven, to put your finger on the scale of an election, I don't think that's right, If it turns out that it's something along those lines, then there's a problem."
"Amodei, Nevada's sole Republican in Congress, later clarified that he was not calling on Mr. Trump to be impeached, but was just supporting the inquiry. "In no way, shape, or form, did I indicate support for impeachment," Amodei said in a statement, adding that he did not know if Mr. Trump's conversation with Zelensky was a "smoking gun." Over 90% of House Democrats now support an impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump. The 219 Democrats are also joined by independent Congressman Justin Amash."
Sad, it's come down to this.
NBC News reports:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that there “is no cause for any joy” in launching a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. “This is a very sad time for our country,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said in an exclusive interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We have to put country before party very clearly in the public view," she added in her first interview since the impeachment inquiry was announced. "The impeachment of a president is as serious as our congressional responsibilities can be."
What took so long? A mistake to have dragged your feet, Madam Speaker.
"Pelosi said the actions of the Trump administration were “jeopardizing national security” and “jeopardizing the integrity of our elections.” Speaking out about her decision to support a formal impeachment inquiry after months of resisting, Pelosi said, “He gave us no choice.” But she maintained that she would like to keep the inquiry narrowly aimed at the Ukraine scandal."
Big mistake. The Mueller Report listed ten possible examples of obstruction alone. There are many other crimes that sorely need to be investigated as part of this impeachment inquiry. Each needs to be laid out in great detail. Faced with example after example, pressure on Republicans and Independents would be enormous, increasing chances of conviction in a Republican-owned U.S. Senate. Limiting the inquiry to just the latest fiasco could turn out to be a colossal mistake.
“I think we have to stay focused as far as the public is concerned on the fact that the president of the United States used taxpayer dollars to shake down the leader of another country for his own political gain.”
Hope that's good enough. Doubt it.
"Pelosi, however, also suggested that Russia had a role in the ongoing scandal. "It is wrong for any foreign government to interfere in our elections and here you have the president of the United States asking for that," she said. “I think Russia has a hand in this, by the way,” Pelosi said. She did not elaborate. Asked if the impeachment process might conclude before the end of the year, Pelosi said only that her party would “move with purpose, and expeditiously, but not hastily.” “Looking at the ... material the administration is giving us, they are actually speeding up the process,” she added."
Trump has already most conveniently admitted it. Delusionally, sees nothing wrong with what transpired. This man is clueless. Sadly, par for the course for a fascist dictator.
"Her comments come amid a growing impeachment firestorm in the nation’s capital."
Even if it goes nowhere in the Senate, Trump will clearly be exposed for precisely whom and what he is.
"On Tuesday, Pelosi, who for months resisted efforts to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump, announced a formal inquiry, saying that the president’s growing Ukraine scandal marked a “breach of his Constitutional responsibilities." Her watershed announcement followed days of revelations surrounding Trump's apparent push to have the Ukrainian government investigate the former vice president's son Hunter Biden. Then, on Wednesday a description of a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was made public under pressure from Democrats. Notes of the call showed Trump asked Zelenskiy to look into why that country's top prosecutor apparently had ended an investigation of the business dealings of Joe Biden’s son, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. A day later, a whistleblower's complaint about Trump was made public. It said that White House officials were so concerned about what the president said in the July call that they intervened to "lock down" the transcript of the conversation. The whistleblower lodged the formal complaint out of a belief that Trump was "using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country" in the 2020 election."
Yet, Trump sees nothing wrong with all this. Continues to defend the indefensible.
"The whistleblower complaint also alleges that “the president's personal lawyer, Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, is a central figure” in the Ukraine pressure, and that “Attorney General (William) Barr appears to be involved as well.” Pelosi said Friday that Barr has “gone rogue.”
Certainly, appears to rubber stamp his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. No independence. Most uncharacteristic of a U.S. Attorney General.
“I think where they’re going is a cover-up of the cover-up,” she said. “To have a Justice Department go so rogue — well, they had been for a while, and now it just makes matters worse that the attorney general was mentioned, that the president was mentioned.” Amid the growing scandal, at least 222 House Democrats — almost the entire 235-member caucus — have now said they support some type of action on impeachment."
About time. Foot-dragging to date, appalling. Democrats, foolishly, placed partisan interests ahead of principle prior to this.
NBC News reports:
"On a Friday in late July, Rudy Giuliani boarded a plane to Spain to meet with an adviser to the Ukrainian president about a plan to investigate Joe Biden. The trip was described in a whistleblower’s complaint. Several former Giuliani colleagues said they believe it should appear in a future indictment. Giuliani’s role in the scandal that has triggered an impeachment inquiry is still coming into focus. But several legal experts who used to work with the former U.S. attorney-turned New York City mayor-turned chief President Donald Trump defender told NBC News they believe his conduct likely broke the law. "This is certainly not the Giuliani that I know," said Jeffrey Harris, who worked as Giuliani’s top assistant when he was at the Justice Department in the President Ronald Reagan administration. "I think the Giuliani that I know would prosecute the Giuliani of today." Harris and the other former Justice Department lawyers said they believe Giuliani has potentially exposed himself to a range of offenses — from breaking federal election laws to bribery to extortion — through his efforts to assist the Ukrainians in probing Biden, Trump’s top political opponent. NBC News reached out to seven former colleagues of Giuliani's. Of the six who offered comments on or off the record, none defended him. At the heart of the whistleblower's complaint is the allegation that Trump abused his power by soliciting "interference from a foreign country" in the 2020 elections — with Giuliani acting as the president’s point person in the effort. "There’s a whole apparatus of the United States government that’s set up to deal with foreign officials and Rudy Giuliani’s not one of them," said Harris, now a lawyer in private practice in Washington D.C. "To the extent that you could look at this as using government resources for your benefit, there are a number of crimes that this conduct would answer to."
None of this looks good. All of it, -- a direct, exigent threat to a democratic republic.
NBC News reports:
"The U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, resigned Friday amid a formal impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump and his dealings with the Ukraine government, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, said Thursday that Volker had encouraged him to speak to Ukrainian officials regarding former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. In the complaint that sparked the impeachment inquiry, a whistleblower said that the day after Trump's July call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Volker traveled to the Ukrainian capital to meet with the leader. The complaint centers on that phone call, in which Trump implores Zelenskiy to look into the Bidens and says the Trump White House sought to put a record of the call on "lock down." The complaint alleges that Volker went to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, to help guide Ukraine officials on how to handle Trump’s demands to look into Hunter Biden's nearly five years as a member of the board that manages Ukraine's Burisma, a natural gas producer. Volker has not responded to requests for comment from NBC News on Friday. The State Department is also not yet commenting."
Interesting development. Especially, in consideration of the following:
"One of the people with knowledge of the matter said that Volker stepping down from the position will enable him to be much freer in what he can say if he is called to testify before Congress. On Friday, three House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notifying him that multiple officials under his charge, including Volker, are subject to depositions before Congress. Volker's deposition was scheduled for Oct. 3, although it was not clear if he would participate. The letter, signed by U.S. Reps. Eliot L. Engel, D-New York, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-California, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Maryland, states that Volker "played a direct role in arranging meetings between Rudy Giuliani, who has no official role in the U.S. government, and representatives of President Zelenskiy." Volker had an unusual arrangement that placed him as a key Trump administration's representative in Ukraine, especially after Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch was reportedly recalled in May. Even as a top diplomatic official, Volker continued to work at a Washington lobbying firm that represented Ukraine for almost two years after he began his part-time duties as special envoy."
Glaring conflict of interest.
"The State Department defended the arrangement, saying previously that Volker "recused himself from all Ukraine-related matters in his other work."
So what? Remains a glaring conflict of interest.
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.
10-4-19
The following is an interesting turn of events. NPR reports:
"The nation's top spy told lawmakers on Thursday that he supports the whistleblower whose complaint sparked the Ukraine affair but said he struggled to deal with how to handle the case inside the Trump administration. Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire told the House intelligence committee in an open hearing that he believed the whistleblower and the spy world's inspector general had acted in good faith and that he has tried to handle a unique situation as best he could. "I believe that this matter is unprecedented," Maguire said. He stopped short of characterizing the conduct by President Trump described in the complaint and in a partial transcript released on Wednesday of a phone call between Trump and the president of Ukraine on July 25 — in which Trump asked his counterpart to investigate the family of former Vice President Joe Biden. Maguire said he did not want to get into the middle of the political battle: "I am not partisan and I am not political," he said. "I believe in a life of service and I am honored to be a public servant."
Then, you should have stood tall. Released the complaint. The law demanded it. So did your oath of office to uphold the Constitution. Principle trumps loyalty to the president or any other official. No matter the personal cost. Duty, honor, country.
"But once the complaint reached him, Maguire said the White House counsel's office said the documents appeared to involve executive privilege, which he said was beyond his power to resolve — and which might mean Maguire couldn't give the documents to Congress. Later, the Justice Department also opined that the documents didn't qualify under the law to be forwarded to Congress."
Obstruction.
"Even so, when Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson told Maguire that he felt compelled to tell Congress about the complaint, without revealing what it contained, Maguire said he agreed. "It is not, perhaps, on the timeline I would have desired, Mr. Chairman, or you," Maguire said to Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the intelligence committee. But ultimately, Maguire said he believed the process has been followed correctly. "I believe the whistleblower did the right thing," he said. Ultimately the complaint was revealed on Thursday via the House intelligence committee, following the release on Wednesday of the White House's account of President Trump's call with the president of Ukraine."
Here's the problem:
"Schiff pressed Maguire as to why he approached the White House about the complaint when it, and Trump, were the subjects of that very complaint. And Schiff also asked why Maguire asked the Justice Department for legal advice even though Trump's conversation also invoked Attorney General William Barr. "That this whistleblower was left twisting in the wind for weeks, and has been attacked by the president, should concern all of us," Schiff said. The chairman also stressed that he believes there's no ambiguity under the law and Maguire and his aides atop the intelligence community have no choice but to give Congress complaints like these. Maguire said the executive privilege aspects of the complaint meant he had no choice, and that as an executive branch official he also was bound by the opinions issued by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel."
Nonsense. His oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution trumps 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.
10-4-19
What do you think of the following? The Washington Post reports:
"The White House has taken extraordinary steps over the past two years to block details of President Trump’s phone calls with foreign leaders from becoming public, following embarrassing disclosures early in his administration that enraged the president and created a sense of paranoia among his top aides. The number of aides allowed to listen on secure “drop” lines was slashed. The list of government officials who could review a memo of the call’s contents was culled. Fewer copies of transcripts went to agencies, and they were stamped with “EYES ONLY DO NOT COPY.” And some officials who deliver call memos had to sign for the records to create a custody record if they were to leak, according to people familiar with the moves who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe them. At one point in 2018, Defense Department officials were asked to send back transcripts of calls to the White House after Trump aides grew worried they could be disclosed, according to former senior administration officials."
Think his aides weren't covering up for their fuhrer, the Trump nazi?
"But the issue has come roaring back to life this week after a whistleblower complaint led the White House to release a rough transcript of a July 25 call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that has drawn allegations that Trump abused his position by pressuring his counterpart to investigate his political rivals and kick-started an impeachment effort by House Democrats."
What took so long?
"While Trump approved the release of the rough transcript this week to combat the whistleblower’s allegations, he has once again charged that people with access to his calls are conspiring against him."
Paranoid, isn't he? Especially, when he's directly responsible for this entire fiasco. Behaving like a nazi dictator. Not the president of the United States.
“I want to know who’s the person, who’s the person who gave the whistleblower the information? Because that’s close to a spy,” Trump told attendees of a private event at the United Nations on Thursday, according to audio of his remarks posted by the Los Angeles Times and confirmed to The Washington Post by a person in attendance. “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now.”
Think he's playing with a full deck?
"The accusation of a coverup was another damning revelation in a tumultuous week for the White House. But the effort at secrecy surrounding the call was not surprising from the Trump White House, where the president often makes impolitic or inappropriate comments — and is also concerned with them becoming public and presses aides to ensure they do not, according to current and former administration officials."
Apparently, cannot control himself.
"Unlike some other calls with foreign leaders, the conversation with Zelensky was expected to be routine, the whistleblower said. Once the call concluded and copies were distributed to top officials in the White House, lawyers in the White House Counsel’s Office then directed that the document be moved to a code-word-protected secure computer network that is normally reserved for transcripts that contain national security secrets after officials raised concerns about Trump’s comments, according to the complaint. The system where the transcript was reportedly stored is for transcripts in which leaders discuss highly classified information, such as covert operations. They can be accessed only with a code word, and a senior White House official must request the transfer of the document to this system, according to current and former administration officials. To transfer a call from the normal storage system to the National Security Council’s code-word-protected network, a senior White House official — someone as high as the chief of staff or the national security adviser — must make a formal written request to do so, according to two people who worked with memos of calls with foreign leaders."
Clearly, Trump's henchmen are aiding and abetting.
"Four former U.S. officials — including aides in previous administrations and the Trump administration — said they were not aware of any calls that did not contain highly classified information being housed in this type of storage system. One former Trump administration official said such calls were sometimes kept on the “high side,” only available to aides with high clearances and separate computers, but not the secure system the whistleblower alleges was used. “Never heard of anything like that,” said this official, who was privy to some of Trump’s calls with foreign leaders. There is no evidence that Trump ordered the move. But he has repeatedly fixated on disclosures to the news media, and his aides have spent considerable time trying to limit who hears his interactions with not only foreign leaders, but also lawmakers, friends and anyone else Trump consults with."
Aiding and abetting.
Report goes on and on. At the very end:
"To deter leaking, Trump often attacks people who disclose information in harsh terms, as do his advisers. That dynamic was on display Thursday as Trump and his surrogates sought to disparage the whistleblower as a partisan and a liar. “The whistleblower is a son of a bitch who lied about me,” Giuliani said in an interview Thursday."
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.
10-4-19
Panic in the White House. NBC News reports:
"White House officials were scrambling Thursday to figure out how to counter the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, with one source familiar with the situation describing a sense of “total panic” over the past week at the lack of a plan to address the new reality."
How can that possibly be? How could they not have expected this?
"There appears to be rising “anxiety, unease, and concern” — as one person close to the White House described the mood in the West Wing — that the whistleblower’s allegations could seriously wound the president and some of those around him. “There’s not a lot of confidence that there’s no there there,” this person said."
Surprise, surprise. Couldn't be, could it? Where you been since your fuhrer, the Trump nazi, took office? Out to lunch?
"White House officials remained unsure of how to proceed, not only because there is no apparent plan to deal with the situation, but because the allegations are so serious that the usual methods the president has used to successfully escape past controversies may not apply: “This doesn’t look like something that’s going to be overtaken by the next news cycle,” the person said."
You think? Chickens finally coming home to roost, are they?
"Another person familiar with the discussions described the mood inside the White House as “shell-shocked,” with increasing wariness that, as this impeachment inquiry drags out, the likelihood increases that the president could respond erratically and become “unmanageable.”
Where you been since this insane bastard took office? Why continue to cover for him as long as you have? Makes you complicit, doesn't it?
"That concern was echoed by another source, who said that some around the president anticipate he will engage in more “impulsive” behavior, with pressure expected to build on him daily during the impeachment inquiry. That’s sparking worries that Trump could display increasingly unpredictable behavior and lash out in unexpected ways — both a presidential and a political concern in an election year."
Needs institutionalization, does he? LOL.
"With his presidency facing what may be its biggest threat yet, Trump has cycled from offense to defense, reviving a strategy that he viewed as effective during Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. He tried to downplay his request for the Ukrainian president to help investigate his political rivals, to divert attention to actions by Democrats and presidential contender Joe Biden, and to discredit the whistleblower as having partisan motives. But while many in the White House are battle-tested from the Mueller investigation, this time is starting to feel different, aides and advisers said. For a president whose brand is viewed as strength, Wednesday’s press conference made him look defeated, said one person familiar with the situation. While Trump relished questions on the Russia investigation, he seemed to be in no mood to answer questions about Ukraine."
What could he say? The rough transcript of the conversation with Zelenskiy did all his talking for him.
"Another of the sources said that those who were arguing that impeachment could help the president weren’t fully grasping how much of a wild card his response could be."
No kidding.
"Worried White House officials have been reaching out to advisers for help in assembling an impeachment response team. With the effort still in the early phases, it remained unclear whether any type of war room-style effort would come to fruition or what form it might take, according to a person briefed on the plans. But there was an acknowledgment that a coordinated legal and communications strategy was needed, with a clear leader able to marshal a public relations offensive to counter the release of the scathing whistleblower report and the momentum its release has given Democratic impeachment efforts, that person said."
Think Trump will 'wing it?'
"The lack of a long-term strategic vision has been starkly visible, as when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin indicated they were not going to release the memo describing Trump's call with the Ukrainian president — and then 48 hours later feeling that there was no choice but to release the document, according to a source familiar with the situation."
Walls certainly closing in.
"One source familiar with the White House strategy said that overall, officials were nowhere near the point of bringing people on board or setting up war rooms — but acknowledge they need a coordinated, all hands-on-deck response effort and someone who can lead a political fight, the person said."
They've had nearly three years to prepare for what they certainly knew was coming. Give me a break. Two possibilities. Aryan arrogance. Aggressive stupidity. Both? 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.
10-4-19
The following is beyond appalling. It's horrendous. NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump blasted six members of the House of Representatives as "savages" on Saturday morning."
Sound presidential to you? Or, a man figuratively shitting in his pants as the walls close in?
"Savages" began to trend on Twitter following the president's post, which comes amid an impeachment inquiry over his dealings with Ukraine. Some Twitter users pointed out that Trump's latest broadside against Democrats focused on four women of color as well as the two heads of committees helping to lead the impeachment inquiry — Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, who chairs the Judiciary Committee and Adam Schiff of California, who leads the Intelligence Committee."
Expect better of a racist fascist? Not possible.
"Can you imagine if these Do Nothing Democrat Savages, people like Nadler,
Schiff, AOC Plus 3, and many more, had a Republican Party who would have
done to Obama what the Do Nothings are doing to me. Oh well, maybe next
time!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 28, 2019"
Pitiful, isn't it? Highly indicative Trump is indeed feeling the pressure.
"AOC plus 3" apparently refers to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, and the three other members of the so-called "squad" of progressive congresswomen: Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, an immigrant from Somalia; Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, who is black; and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who is of Palestinian descent."
An out of control, racist white nationalist. A goddamned fascist.
"Trump has described the impeachment inquiry as "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT" and "A total Witch Hunt Scam by the Democrats!" on Twitter. His Saturday morning broadside came a day after Schiff — as well as Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the Oversight Committee — wrote a letter demanding that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo turn over documents related to Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy."
The walls are certainly closing in. Trump, clearly, increasingly uncomfortable.
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.
10-4-19
The following is incomprehensible. Treasonous. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump told two senior Russian officials in a 2017 Oval Office meeting that he was unconcerned about Moscow’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election because the United States did the same in other countries, an assertion that prompted alarmed White House officials to limit access to the remarks to an unusually small number of people, according to three former officials with knowledge of the matter. The comments, which have not been previously reported, were part of a now-infamous meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, in which Trump revealed highly classified information that exposed a source of intelligence on the Islamic State. He also said during the meeting that firing FBI Director James B. Comey the previous day had relieved “great pressure” on him."
Stunning. Traitorous.
"A memorandum summarizing the meeting was limited to a few officials with the highest security clearances in an attempt to keep the president’s comments from being disclosed publicly, according to the former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters."
Jesus Christ. Any officials involved in the cover up are equally culpable.
"The White House’s classification of records about Trump’s communications with foreign officials is now a central part of the impeachment inquiry launched this week by House Democrats. An intelligence community whistleblower has alleged that the White House placed a record of Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s president, in which he offered U.S. assistance investigating his political opponents, into a code-word classified system reserved for the most sensitive intelligence information."
Fascinating, isn't it? Frightening, as well. A government clearly out of control.
"The White House did not provide a comment Friday."
What could they say?
"It is not clear whether a memo documenting the May 10, 2017, meeting with Lavrov and Kislyak was placed into that system, but the three former officials said it was restricted to a very small number of people. The White House had recently begun limiting the records of Trump’s calls after remarks he made to the leaders of Mexico and Australia appeared in news reports. The Lavrov memo was restricted to an even smaller group, the former officials said. A fourth former official, who did not recall the president’s remarks to the Russian officials, said memos were restricted only to people who needed to know their contents. “It was more about learning how can we restrict this in a way that still informs the policy process and the principals who need to engage with these heads of state,” the fourth former official said. But the three former officials with knowledge of the remarks said some memos of the president’s communications were kept from people who might ordinarily have access to them. The Lavrov memo fit that description, they said."
Founders? Spinning in their graves. Wouldn't recognize the democratic republic they courageously, most carefully spawned. Neither do many of us currently, carefully, watching this ongoing fiasco.
"White House officials were particularly distressed by Trump’s election remarks because it appeared the president was forgiving Russia for an attack that had been designed to help elect him, the three former officials said. Trump also seemed to invite Russia to interfere in other countries’ elections, they said."
Called treason.
"The previous day, Trump had fired Comey amid the FBI’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign had coordinated with Russia. White House aides worried about the political ramifications if Trump’s comments to the Russian officials became public."
Instead of covering Trump's sorry ass, these aides should have stood tall. Exposed this piece of crap masquerading as president for whom and what he is. Instead, they covered his ass.
"Trump had publicly ridiculed the Russia investigation as politically motivated and said he doubted Moscow had intervened in the election. By the time he met with Lavrov and Kislyak, Trump had been briefed by the most senior U.S. intelligence officials about the Russian operation, which was directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and included the theft and publication of Democratic emails and the seeding of propaganda in social media, according to the findings of the U.S. intelligence community."
All this should certainly be part of the impeachment inquiry.
"Trump’s firing of Comey touched off an investigation into whether the president had tried to obstruct the FBI’s probe. His comments about Comey’s dismissal being a relief, which were first reported the same month by the New York Times, reinforced suspicions that Trump dismissed Comey because the FBI was investigating him."
Clear obstruction. Yet, the 'Justice' Department refused to stand tall. Protected and coddled their fuhrer.
"According to the fourth former official, Trump lamented to Lavrov that “all this Russia stuff” was detrimental to good relations. Trump also complained, “I could have a great relationship with you guys, but you know, our press,” this former official said, characterizing the president’s remarks. H.R. McMaster, the president’s then-national security adviser, repeatedly told Trump he could not trust the Russians, according to two former officials. On some areas, Trump conveyed U.S. policy in a constructive way, such as telling the Russians that their aggression in Ukraine was not good, one of those former officials said. “What was difficult to understand was how they got a free pass on a lot of things — election security and so forth,” this former official said. “He was just very accommodating to them.”
Treason. Unfit.
"The former official observed that Trump has “that streak of moral equivalency,” recalling how he once dismissed a question about the assassination of journalists and dissidents in Putin’s Russia by telling Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly: “There are a lot of killers. You think our country’s so innocent?”
Jesus Christ.
"Another former official said Trump wasn’t the only one to conflate Russia’s interference in the U.S. elections with U.S. efforts to promote democracy and good governance abroad. The president and his top aides seemed not to understand the difference between Voice of America, a U.S.-supported news organization that airs in foreign countries, with Russian efforts to persuade American voters by surreptitiously planting ads in social media, this person said. One former senior official said Trump regularly defended Russia’s actions, even in private, saying no country is pure. “He was always defensive of Russia,” this person said, adding the president had never made such a specific remark about interference in their presence. “He thought the whole interference thing was ridiculous. He never bought into it.”
Par for the course for the highest echelons of power in the corporate community. That is, egregious amoral behavior. Egregiously unacceptable for the highest echelons of power in government. Yet, here we are. First time, the outrageously corrupt corporate community has successfully managed to get one of their very worst seated in the Oval Office, president of the United States. God help us 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.
10-4-19
More of the same. Egregious distortion of reality. Day is night, night is day. CBS News reports:
"Tonight, "60 Minutes" has obtained a letter that indicates the government whistleblower who set off the impeachment inquiry of President Trump is under federal protection, because he or she fears for their safety. These rapidly developing events began Tuesday when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi ordered the investigation based on a phone call between Mr. Trump and the president of Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Mr. Trump for missiles, Mr. Trump asks Zelensky for "a favor" to investigate Mr. Trump's Democratic rivals. "
Yet, Trump sees nothing wrong with this.
"Democrats say this is the type of collusion that was the focus of the Mueller investigation. And it appears Washington will be immobilized by this, 13 months before election day. President Trump says he is the victim of a Democratic smear, crooked media and treasonous spies. Tonight we will hear from the man in charge of the investigation, the president's lead defender in Congress and Speaker Pelosi who, for months, resisted impeachment.
"Nancy Pelosi: We could not ignore what the president did. He gave us no choice. So it wasn't any change of mind. I always said we will follow the facts where they take us. And when we see them, we will be ready. And we are ready."
What took so long? Why all the foot-dragging?
"Early last week, details of the president's phone call filtered out in the press. As some at the Capitol called for impeachment, Mr. Trump phoned Speaker Pelosi to reassure her about the call with Zelensky.
"Scott Pelley: He told you about the phone call?
"Nancy Pelosi: He told me it was perfect. There was nothing in the call. But I know what was in the call. I mean, it was in the public domain. He didn't even know that it was wrong. You know, he was saying, "It was perfect. There was nothing wrong." Well, no, it is wrong. It is wrong for a president to say that he wants you-- another head of state-- to create something negative about his possible political opponent to his own advantage, at the expense of our national security, his oath of office to the Constitution and the integrity of our elections."
"The facts are these: on July 25, Mr. Trump was celebrating his new defense secretary in public, but two hours before, he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky was interested in Javelin anti-tank missiles to defend himself from Russian-backed rebels.
"This is the official White House record of the call. Zelensky: "We are almost ready to buy more Javelins from the United States for defense purposes." Mr. Trump replied, "I would like you to do us a favor though…" Mr. Trump then asked Zelensky to investigate a theory about a supposed Democratic National Committee computer server. "The server," Mr. Trump said, "they say Ukraine has it…" He offered the assistance of the U.S. government. "I would like to have the attorney general call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it."
"The call came to light after a U.S. intelligence official heard about it and filed an official government whistleblower complaint. The unnamed intelligence officer writes, "…I have received information from multiple U.S. government officials that the president of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election."
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.
10-4-19
Gets worse. Whistleblower under threat. The Washington Post reports:
"House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff said Sunday that his panel has reached an agreement to secure testimony from the anonymous whistleblower whose detailed complaint launched an impeachment investigation into President Trump. The announcement from Schiff came on the same day that Tom Bossert, a former Trump homeland security adviser, delivered a rebuke of the president, saying in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” that he was “deeply disturbed” by the implications of Trump’s recently reported actions."
Republicans will not be able to ignore this fiasco indefinitely.
"In appearances over the weekend, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered a preview of the Democratic message, casting the impeachment inquiry as a somber task that she chose to endorse only as a last resort. “I have handled this with great care, with great moderation, with great attention to what we knew was a fact or what was an allegation,” Pelosi said Saturday at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin. “This is very bad news for our country, because if it is as it seems to be, our president engaged in something that is so far beyond what our founders had in mind.” While privately favoring a rapid probe confined to the Ukraine allegations, Pelosi said Saturday that the investigation would last “as long as the Intelligence Committee follows the facts.” On a conference call with House Democrats on Sunday afternoon, Pelosi told her colleagues that public sentiment — something she had frequently cited as an obstacle to pursuing impeachment — had begun to swing around. “The polls have changed drastically about this,” she said, urging a careful approach, according to notes taken by a person on the call: “Our tone must be prayerful, respectful, solemn, worthy of the Constitution.”
Give me a break. Since when do partisan interests trump principle as they have for months until now? Where have you been all this time, Madam Speaker? Out to lunch?
"In an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Pelosi summarized her message to Trump and his aides: “Speak the truth, and let us work together to have this be a unifying experience, not a dividing one for our country. Don’t make this any worse than it already is.”
You've got to be kidding. Trump will fight until the bitter end. Precisely, what he's done since taking office.
"In an appearance on ABC News’s “This Week,” Schiff (D-Calif.) echoed Pelosi’s message. He also said he expected the Intelligence Committee to hear from the whistleblower “very soon” pending a security clearance from acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire. “We’ll get the unfiltered testimony of that whistleblower,” Schiff said, noting that Maguire said in a hearing Thursday that he would allow the whistleblower to testify privately without constraints. One of the whistleblower’s attorneys, Mark Zaid, said in a statement that bipartisan negotiations in both chambers are ongoing “and we understand and agree that protecting the whistleblower’s identity is paramount.” He added that no date or time for the testimony has been set. Andrew P. Bakaj, another lawyer representing the whistleblower, sent a letter Saturday to Maguire expressing fears for his client’s safety, citing remarks Trump made Wednesday calling the whistleblower “close to a spy” and alluding to the death penalty. “Unfortunately, we expect this situation to worsen, and to become even more dangerous for our client and any other whistleblowers, as Congress seeks to investigate this matter,” Bakaj wrote."
This will be an enormous problem. Veiled comments already made by Trump vis a vis treason regarding the whistleblower are, sadly, a portend of far worse to come.
"In a separate letter, Bakaj urged the leaders of the congressional intelligence committees to “speak out in favor of whistleblower protection and reiterate that this is a protected system where retaliation is not permitted, whether direct or implied.”
Good luck. The whistleblower, regardless, must stand tall. Duty, honor, country.
"Most Republican lawmakers and White House aides, meanwhile, continued to voice support for the president, even as they faced particularly tough grilling by hosts on the morning news shows over their efforts to discredit the unidentified whistleblower and keep the focus on former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden."
'Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit.' Just the beginning. Far worse to come.
"Later Sunday, Trump tweeted that he wants Schiff “questioned at the highest level for Fraud & Treason” for his remarks at last week’s hearing where Maguire testified. And Trump demanded to meet the whistleblower as well as the person’s sources. ,“In addition, I want to meet not only my accuser, who presented SECOND & THIRD HAND INFORMATION, but also the person who illegally gave this information, which was largely incorrect, to the ‘Whistleblower,’ ” Trump tweeted. “Was this person SPYING on the U.S. President? Big Consequences!”
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. Clearly, Trump is most uncomfortable. Appears to be growing increasingly unhinged.
ABC News reports:
"The Fake Whistleblower complaint is not holding up," Trump tweeted. "It is mostly about the call to the Ukrainian President which, in the name of transparency, I immediately released to Congress & the public. The Whistleblower knew almost nothing, its 2ND HAND description of the call is a fraud!"
Want to see fraud? Look in the mirror, Mr. 'President.'
"Trump's latest attack comes a day after he claimed on Twitter that in his or her complaint, the whistleblower had represented his conversation with the Ukranian president in “a totally inaccurate and fraudulent way.”
That's simply not true, Mr. 'President.' As repeatedly reported here in this publication and elsewhere. You're lying, sir.
"Like
every American, I deserve to meet my accuser, especially when this accuser,
the so-called “Whistleblower,” represented a perfect conversation with
a foreign leader in a totally inaccurate and fraudulent way. Then Schiff
made up what I actually said by lying to Congress......
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 29, 2019"
Simply, not true, Mr. 'President.' Sadly, it's you, sir, lying.
"I want to know who's the person that gave the whistleblower, who's the person that gave the whistleblower the information, because that's close to a spy," Trump said during a private event in New York. "You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? With spies and treason, right? We used to handle them a little differently than we do now."
Is the above quote a thinly-veiled threat against the whistleblower, Mr. 'President?'
"Trump also got backlash from GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger for tweeting out a paraphrase of Pastor Robert Jeffress on "Fox and Friends" Sunday he feared that if the president is successfully removed from office that it will result in a “Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal.”
“I have visited nations ravaged by civil war,” Kinzinger tweeted. “@realDonaldTrump I have never imagined such a quote to be repeated by a President. This is beyond repugnant.”
"I
have visited nations ravaged by civil war. @realDonaldTrump I have never
imagined such a quote to be repeated by a President. This is beyond repugnant.
https://t.co/a5Bae7bP7g
—
Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) September 30, 2019"
No question. Most certainly is. Further proof positive Trump is not fit for office.
Trump certainly appears to be growing increasingly unhinged:
“In addition, I want to meet not only my accuser, who presented SECOND & THIRD HAND INFORMATION, but also the person who illegally gave this information, which was largely incorrect, to the ‘Whistleblower,’ Trump tweeted. “Was this person SPYING on the U.S. President? Big Consequences!”
CBS New reports:
"A former member of the Ukrainian parliament and adviser to Ukraine's president told CBS News it was a "well-known fact" there that President Donald Trump wanted "compromising" information on former Vice President Joe Biden. Serhiy Leshchenko added that Ukraine's president knew that U.S. aid to his country was at stake. "I am sure that issue of Biden was forever on the table between Zelensky and Trump," said Leshchenko. As a former lawmaker and adviser to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Leschenko believes it was clear that President Trump wanted Ukraine to investigate his Democratic rivals. "Of course, he wanted political privileges, favors, for his re-election from Ukraine," he said. "In return for military aid?" asked correspondent Roxana Saberi. "I would say yes," Leshchenko replied. "Do you have any evidence of that?" asked Saberi. "It was, like, well-known fact in Ukraine," Leshchenko replied."
Interesting, isn't it? Sadder? Get this:
"In 2016, Leshchenko was at the center of exposing Paul Manafort's dealings in Ukraine. He said he recused himself from working with Zelensky in May this year, after it became clear that could threaten relations with President Trump's administration. Ukraine relies heavily on U.S. aid in its war against Russia. But in July, Mr. Trump ordered nearly $400 million of that support withheld. Days later, in a phone call, he asked Ukraine's president to investigate the Bidens."
An implied quid pro quo. Trump knew better than to come out and directly say so.
"According to the whistleblower's complaint, Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, made or attempted contact with at least seven Ukrainian officials, including then-prosecutor general Yuri Lutsenko. Lutsenko told the BBC that Giuliani asked him to investigate the Bidens. BBC correspondent Jonah Fisher asked Lutsenko, "Have you got any evidence that Joe Biden acted in any way which supported Hunter Biden's company, Burisma?" "It is not my jurisdiction," he replied. "Under Ukrainian law, you've got nothing?" "Nothing, certainly," Lutsenko said."
Get this:
"But Serhiy Leshchenko says the two men were circumventing official channels."
Can't imagine why. LOL.
"He also told Saberi that Giuliani wanted to meet President-elect Zelensky before his inauguration in April, but that Zelensky said no, because he realized that "everything behind the story is toxic." President Zelensky said Monday he would not release his transcript of his phone call with President Trump."
Can certainly understand why Zelensky would want to steer clear of this entire fiasco. His country has nothing to gain. Release of his transcript of the call, however, would be most useful. To see whether it agrees in principle with the one released by Trump. Forget? The one released by Trump was not verbatim. Could it be Zelensky's transcript happened to be an exact copy of the entire conversation?
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.
10-4-19
Another gutless confirmation by the United States Senate. The Washington Post reports:
"The Senate on Thursday confirmed Eugene Scalia to succeed Alex Acosta, the labor secretary who resigned in July amid an outcry over his role in a plea deal for the multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Scalia is a partner at the Washington law firm Gibson Dunn, where he has represented companies such as Walmart, Ford and UPS in workers rights claims. He is also the son of the late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia was confirmed Thursday on a 53-to-44 vote."
This national socialist, fascist was egregiously unqualified:
"Democrats have argued that Scalia’s record as a corporate lawyer has shown him to be “anti-worker.” In remarks on the Senate floor Thursday morning, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) contended that Scalia fought to protect the interests of chief executives and the wealthy elite and opposed worker protections throughout his career, describing his nomination by President Trump as a “disgrace.” “This guy shouldn’t even make it for secretary of commerce, let alone secretary of labor, which is supposed to protect and defend the working people of America,” Schumer said."
A right wing nazi, -- just like his late father, Supreme Court 'Justice' Antonin Scalia.
"Richard Trumka, the president of the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest federation of labor unions, called Scalia a “lifelong union-buster” and said his nomination goes against Trump’s campaign pledge to stand on the side of workers. “It’s insulting, it’s dangerous, and workers are not going to forget it,” Trumka said on a call with reporters Thursday morning."
Expect anything more of a fascist?
"The hearing also shone a spotlight on some of Scalia’s past writings, including op-eds he wrote as a student at the University of Virginia in the 1980s in which he said gay parents were “in conflict with the traditional organization of society” and should not be treated “as equally acceptable or desirable as the traditional family.”
Pathetic. Pitiful.
Unadulterated bullshit courtesy of a narcissistic nazi:
"Trump has hailed Scalia as “one of the finest minds and lawyers in Washington” and as having had “a fantastic career.” “His father, as you know, was the great, great, great Supreme Court justice,” the president told reporters last month. “Even the people with not his views would say he was a great gentleman, a great man.”
He was a national socialist fascist. Just like you, Mr. 'President.' A nazi. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
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.
10-4-19
Saddest of all? Scalia's appointment by the Trump nazi will ensure the income gap will grow. Worse than it already is. Zero-sum, winner-take-all. The nazi way. Forget? NPR reports:
"The gap between the richest and the poorest U.S. households is now the largest it's been in the past 50 years — despite the median U.S. income hitting a new record in 2018, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. income inequality was "significantly higher" in 2018 than in 2017, the federal agency says in its latest American Community Survey report. The last time a change in the metric was deemed statistically significant was when it grew from 2012-2013. While many states didn't see a change in income inequality last year, the income gap grew wider in nine states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Kansas, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Texas and Virginia. The disparity grew despite a surging national economy that has seen low unemployment and more than 10 years of consecutive GDP growth."
Unbridled capitalism. Laissez faire, that is, unregulated, -- or extremely poorly regulated as is the case in our formerly great country.
"The most troubling thing about the new report, says William M. Rodgers III, a professor of public policy and chief economist at the Heldrich Center at Rutgers University, is that it "clearly illustrates the inability of the current economic expansion, the longest on record, to lessen inequality."
Expect anything more of unbridled capitalism? No such thing as a 'free' market as claimed by the nazi element. The market is owned, operated, and manipulated by those with extreme wealth. Precisely, why nothing will improve short-term. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming. Wake up.
"When asked why the rising economic tide has raised some boats more than others, Rodgers lists several factors, including the decline of organized labor and competition for jobs from abroad. He also cites tax policies that favor businesses and higher-income families."
That's the least of it. True problem? Unbridled greed. -- Ever see a hitch on the back of a hearse?
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.
10-4-19
Trump again blocked by the judiciary. NBC News reports:
"A federal judge Friday blocked new regulations that would have let the Trump administration indefinitely detain migrant children and families through the length of their immigration proceedings. U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee of the Central District of California issued a permanent injunction against the Trump administration’s rule, which would have placed no limit on the detention of children and changed the licensing authority for facilities housing them. Gee found the regulations violated the terms of a 1997 settlement known as the Flores agreement that sets standards for the treatment of migrant children, including that they must be released from non-licensed facilities within 20 days."
Trump does as he pleases. ... Until reined in.
“The blessing or the curse — depending on one’s vantage point — of a binding contract is its certitude,” Gee wrote in her order. “The Flores Agreement is a binding contract and a consent decree.” “Defendants cannot simply ignore the dictates of the consent decree merely because they no longer agree with its approach as a matter of policy,” she wrote. The judge added that to seek relief from such a decree, the government would have to demonstrate that a change in law or facts rendered their compliance illegal or impossible, or through a change in law from Congress.
“Having failed to obtain such relief, Defendants cannot simply impose their will by promulgating regulations that abrogate the consent decree’s most basic tenets,” she wrote. “That violates the rule of law. And that this Court cannot permit.”
Trump and his henchmen seem to have conveniently forgotten, in a democratic republic, the president is not a fascist dictator.
"The government had argued the proposed rules were intended to supersede the Flores agreement and sought to terminate the agreement. “It’s an enormous victory for migrant children in this country,” said Holly Cooper, an attorney for the migrant children in the case. “The practical impact of her decision will be that children cannot be indefinitely detained by the federal government and states can continue to make sure the facilities in which children are detained meet basic child welfare standards.”
Properly, so. A win for the rule of law. Unmitigated loss for nazi government still most unwilling to be reined in:
"A Department of Justice spokesman said officials were disappointed with the ruling, calling the Flores agreement “outdated” and claiming the government had issued a rule that would protect vulnerable children and maintain family unity."
Crock of shit. Abject nonsense. Direct opposite the truth.
"The spokesman did not mention an appeal, but the government has the option with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. In a statement, the White House called the Flores agreement a “loophole” and decried “activist judges.” Gee called the Flores agreement a binding contract and consent decree. “For two and a half years, this Administration has worked to restore faithful enforcement of the laws enacted by Congress, while activist judges have imposed their own vision in the place of those duly enacted laws,” the statement by the White House press secretary said."
Not true. Blatant distortion of reality by an out of touch, out of control jackbooted regime.
"In August, the administration announced a rule with the intent of holding migrant families in detention for the duration of their immigration proceedings, with no limit on the time they can be detained."
Outrageously unconstitutional to hold someone indefinitely without charges.
"The rule also addressed the agreement's facility requirements. The Flores agreement said all facilities holding children for longer than 20 days must be licensed by states, but no state had licensed a family center for immigrant families. The workaround the administration was proposing was to declare that Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers for families are compliant with the agreement because they are licensed by ICE, not a state."
Trump and his henchmen have been holding migrants under squalid conditions. Apparently, to discourage others from seeking asylum in what has sadly become a de facto fascist police-state:
"Following the announcement of the rule, a series of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging the regulations. The Trump administration has sought to end the agreement in his attempt to deter migrant families at the southern border."
Sad, isn't it? Ironic, as well. Forget? The influx of migrants has been directly caused by policies of the United States government over the last four decades. Our support of Nazi Right regimes in Central and South 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.
10-4-19
Another frightening development. The U.S. Attorney General appears to be acting as Trump's personal attorney. No independence between the 'Justice' Department and the Oval Office. The Washington Post reports:
"Attorney General William P. Barr has held private meetings overseas with foreign intelligence officials seeking their help in a Justice Department inquiry that President Trump hopes will discredit U.S. intelligence agencies’ examination of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to people familiar with the matter."
This is a problem. A big problem. The AG is not the president's personal attorney. The AG works for the public, not the Oval Office.
"Barr’s personal involvement is likely to stoke further criticism from Democrats pursuing impeachment that he is helping the Trump administration use executive branch powers to augment investigations aimed primarily at the president’s adversaries."
Egregious abuse of power.
"But the high level Justice Department focus on intelligence operatives’ conduct will likely cheer Trump and other conservatives for whom “investigate the investigators” has become a rallying cry."
Those cheering this on are no more than nazis cheering on a fellow nazi at the expense of the U.S. Constitution and rule of law. These bastards would be the first to scream bloody murder had the shoe been on the other foot. Forget? The House impeached Clinton for lying about having had sex with a woman other than his wife. The Senate did not convict.
"The attorney general’s active role also underscores the degree to which a nearly three-year old election still consumes significant resources and attention inside the federal government. Current and former intelligence and law enforcement officials expressed frustration and alarm Monday that the head of the Justice Department was taking such a direct role in re-examining what they view as conspiracy theories and baseless allegations of misconduct."
Been going on for years. An egregious waste of taxpayer dollars. For crass, self-serving partisan advantage, not justice.
"Barr has already made overtures to British intelligence officials, and last week the attorney general traveled to Italy, where he and Durham met senior Italian government officials and Barr asked the Italians to assist Durham, according to one person familiar with the matter. It was not Barr’s first trip to Italy to meet intelligence officials, the person said. The Trump administration has made similar requests of Australia, these people said."
No more than abuse of power for self-serving partisan interests.
"In a recent phone call, Trump urged Australia’s prime minister to provide assistance to the ongoing Justice Department inquiry, according to a person familiar with the matter. Trump made the request at Barr’s urging, people familiar with the matter said. The Trump phone call was first reported by the New York Times."
Certainly, highly indicative of growing panic within the Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"David Laufman, a former Justice Department official who was involved in the early stages of the Russia probe, said it was “fairly unorthodox for the attorney general personally to be flying around the world as a point person to further evidence-gathering for a specific Justice Department investigation,” and especially so in Barr’s case. “Even if one questions, as a threshold matter, the propriety of conducting a re-investigation of the Justice Department’s own prior investigation of Russia’s interference, the appointment of John Durham — a seasoned, nonpartisan prosecutor — provided some reason to believe that it would be handled in a professional, nonpartisan manner,” Laufman said. “But if the attorney general is essentially running this investigation, that entire premise is out the window.”
Barr has clearly become his fuhrer's personal attorney.
"During the call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Trump suggested Barr and his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, could help Zelensky’s government investigate the matter. A spokeswoman for Barr has said the attorney general was unaware of any such effort, and had not spoken to the president about the issue, nor to Ukrainian authorities."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"Barr’s conversations with foreign counterparts have raised concerns among some intelligence officials that he may be seeking to substantiate conspiracy theories raised by some on the political right to defend Trump."
Reports goes on and on in great detail. Be interesting to see where this goes.
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.
10-4-19
Giuliani subpoenaed. NPR reports:
"Majority Democrats in the House subpoenaed President Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani on Monday for documents related to his communications with Ukraine. The House Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena for information about the role Giuliani played in Trump's request of Ukraine's president to investigate the family of former Vice President Joe Biden. In a letter unveiled on Monday, the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight Committees wrote that they had conferred together about the need to compel Giuliani and all three House leaders signed the document. The committees set an Oct. 15 deadline for Giuliani to produce documents and communications back to Jan. 20, 2017. Giuliani has acknowledged he has messages and other materials that Democrats argue are pertinent to what they call an inquiry that could lead to Trump's impeachment. "In addition to this stark admission, you stated more recently that you are in possession of evidence — in the form of text messages, phone records, and other communications — indicating that you were not acting alone and that other Trump administration officials may have been involved in this scheme," wrote the Democrats. The chairmen also sent separate letters seeking materials from three of Giuliani's business associates."
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.
10-4-19
Pompeo stonewalling. The Washington Post reports:
"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told House Democrats on Tuesday that State Department officials scheduled to appear this week before committees conducting the impeachment inquiry would not show up. The refusal, in a letter to a Democratic committee chairman, described the demand for depositions by five officials who played a role in U.S. relations with Ukraine as “an attempt to intimidate, bully, and treat improperly, the distinguished professionals of the Department of State.”
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL. No end to the bullshit. ... And stonewalling.
"Pompeo’s letter came as Trump, during a spate of morning tweets, questioned why he is not “entitled to interview & learn everything about” a whistleblower whose identity is protected by federal statute."
Ironic, isn't it? Trump has no respect for the law when it inconveniently applies to him.
"Trump also again insisted that his July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “PERFECT,” dismissing concerns at the core of the whistleblower’s complaint that Trump pressed for an investigation of former vice president Joe Biden and his son."
Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the ass backwards world of our fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Forget? Trump delusionally believes the law and Constitution do not apply to him. That he is, as nazi dictator, above and beyond both.
The Washington Post reports:
"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo fired a broadside at House Democrats on Tuesday, saying State Department officials scheduled to appear this week before committees conducting the impeachment inquiry would not be made available until “we obtain further clarity on these matters.” The refusal, in a letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.), described the demand for depositions by five officials who played a role in U.S. relations with Ukraine as “an attempt to intimidate, bully, and treat improperly, the distinguished professionals of the Department of State.” A spokesman for the committee had no immediate comment."
Plot thickens:
"The statements came as Pompeo’s role in the Ukraine investigation broadened with reports that he was a participant in the July 25 call by President Trump to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to the impeachment investigation. Before that report, first published by The Wall Street Journal, Pompeo had brushed off questions about the incident, saying last week that he had not yet read the transcript of the telephone call released by the White House, or the whistleblower complaint that it sparked. The committee, along with the House Intelligence and Oversight panels, had requested the five officials to appear for depositions this week and next, to begin Wednesday with Marie Yovanovitch, who was recalled by Pompeo as ambassador to Ukraine in May, prior to the end of her tour. Other State Department officials scheduled for depositions include Kurt Volker, the administration’s special envoy to Ukraine, who resigned last week; Deputy Assistant Secretary George Kent; U.S. ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland; and State Department Counselor T. Ulrich Brechbuhl. On Friday, the committees also subpoenaed Pompeo over what they said was his failure to respond to previous requests related to the inquiry. Pompeo left the country late Monday on a week-long trip to Europe."
Clearly, the bastard is stonewalling:
"His Tuesday letter chastising the committees said that he would “not tolerate such tactics, and I will use all means at my disposal to prevent and expose any attempts to intimidate the dedicated professionals whom I am proud to lead and serve alongside at the Department of State.” Saying that no subpoenas had been issued for the five depositions, he said “we are not aware of any other authority by which the committee could compel appearance at a deposition,” and that the scheduled depositions thus “could only be read as a request for a voluntary appearance of the five Department officials.” The committees, Pompeo said, had provided insufficient time for the officials to prepare and to consult both private and State Department lawyers, as well as consultations “regarding the Department’s legitimate interests in safeguarding potentially privileged and classified information.”
Wake up, Mr. Secretary. You knew this was coming since the beginning of January. LOL.
Democrats appear to be finally getting their act together. Republicans in response? Stonewalling. So what else is new? LOL. The bullshit never ends. Neither party worth a shit. For totally different reasons. Can we stand 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.
10-4-19
Once again, the Trump nazi and his henchmen take a hard dump on the Constitution and best interests of the public. Rubberstamped by our nazi judiciary. The Washington Post reports:
"A federal appeals court on Tuesday affirmed that the Federal Communications Commission acted lawfully when it scrapped the U.S. government’s net neutrality rules in 2017, dealing a blow to tech giants and consumer advocates who argued that the repeal would create a stratified Internet of fast and slow lanes. In a nearly 200-page opinion, judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals largely sided with the FCC and its Republican chairman, Ajit Pai. While the agency must return to the drawing board on some elements of its repeal, the court upheld the breadth of its work, finding that net neutrality supporters had made “unconvincing” arguments in their efforts to override the FCC’s deregulation of companies such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon. But the ruling still appeared to offer a lifeline to net neutrality supporters: It overruled an effort by the FCC to block states from adopting open-internet protections of their own, a move that could spur states such as California to act. The ruling marks the latest legal salvo in a decades-long battle between Internet giants and telecom providers over government’s authority to regulate the Internet. With the backing of the FCC’s two other Republicans, Pai secured a repeal of the government’s net neutrality rules in 2017. Until then, federal open Internet protections had prohibited providers including AT&T and Verizon from blocking or slowing down access to web content, or charging services such as Netflix and Hulu for faster delivery of their shows."
Forget? The Republican way. Anything to line the pockets of their corporate masters who in turn line theirs. No more complicated than that. Abject greed. Guess who pays? An egregiously ass f--ked public. Without benefit of Vaseline or the K-Y. Wake up. Too sound asleep to notice?
"Pai justified the repeal by arguing that the rules, adopted under former President Barack Obama, crimped telecom investment, stalling broadband build-out nationwide. In its place, the FCC only required broadband providers be transparent about their practices while shifting enforcement to the government’s competition watchdog, the Federal Trade Commission."
Convenient, isn't it? How much did they line your pockets, Mr. Pai? Jesus Christ. You're a piece of shit. You serve yourself. Clearly, not the long-suffering public you callously take a raucous, hard dump on. Unbridled Aryan arrogance. Rubberstamped by a nazi court. Sadly, we're moving backwards in our formerly great country. ... 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.
10-4-19
The fight continues. The Washington Post reports:
"House Democrats announced Wednesday that they would subpoena the White House for documents related to Trump’s July phone call with the leader of Ukraine — a call that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier acknowledged that he was on as well. Pompeo confirmed during a news conference in Rome that he listened to the call on which Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son.
NPR reports:
"Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has publicly acknowledged that he was listening to the July 25 phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that has sparked an impeachment inquiry."
How about that? A bit disingenuous of you, sir, not to have owned up to that fact prior to this:
"I was on the phone call," Pompeo said Wednesday in Rome."
Nothing quite like transparency, is there?
"During that call, Zelenskiy expressed appreciation for U.S. defense help and Trump responded by saying, "I would like you to do us a favor though" — and asked the Ukrainian leader to work with Attorney General Bill Barr and Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani on an investigation into the family of former Vice President Joe Biden, Trump's potential rival in the 2020 presidential election."
Implied quid pro quo. Crafty, isn't he?
"Later Wednesday, the State Department's inspector general is expected to meet with key congressional committees dealing with the Ukraine issue. The inspector general's office sent a request for an urgent meeting Tuesday, telling lawmakers that the meeting is to discuss documents obtained from the State Department's Office of the Legal Adviser. The bipartisan meeting, which is to be held at a secure facility, will include the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, along with panels on homeland security, oversight and intelligence. Pompeo's admission comes 10 days after he deflected questions about the Ukraine phone call when the topic came up during an interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz."
Called bullshit. Blatant deception:
"In that segment on ABC's This Week, Raddatz summarized news reports about the call and noted Trump's insistence that it was "a perfectly fine and respectful conversation." She then asked the secretary what he knew about Trump and Zelenskiy's conversation about Biden — and Pompeo replied, "So, you just gave me a report about a I.C. [intelligence community] whistle-blower complaint, none of which I've seen."
Jesus Christ. Unbelievable. Lack of transparency? Stunning. Founders? Spinning in their graves. Blatant deception. That, what they taught you at West Point, sir? No honor:
"Rather than disclose that he had been on the phone call, Pompeo went on to describe the Trump administration's policy toward Ukraine. When Raddatz followed up by asking about Trump's request for an investigation, Pompeo said, "I think I saw a statement from the Ukrainian foreign minister yesterday, said there was no pressure applied in the course of the conversation." At the time, Pompeo didn't seem to expect the White House to release a transcript of the phone call, a move he said was rare. "It wouldn't be appropriate to do so, except in — in the most extreme circumstances," Pompeo said. He added, "there's no evidence that that would be appropriate here at this point."
Apparently, the pressure must have been enormous:
"The secretary confirmed his participation in the call a day after reports first emerged that he took part. In response to those reports, key House Democrats issued a statement saying that Pompeo "is now a fact witness in the House impeachment inquiry."
How about that? Subpoena his sorry ass. Question him under oath.
"Congressional Democrats and Pompeo have been trading accusations that each side is attempting to intimidate or bully witnesses in the impeachment inquiry. On Tuesday, House Democrats postponed what had been expected to be the first in a series of depositions of current and former State Department staffers after Pompeo raised objections."
Pompeo is shamelessly stonewalling on behalf of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi:
"During his remarks in Rome, Pompeo reiterated his criticism of how the House impeachment inquiry is being handled — particularly Democrats' approach in seeking testimony from State Department personnel. Pompeo said potential witnesses were contacted directly by investigators and told they could not be accompanied by State Department attorneys during testimony — which he said raises separation of powers concerns for the Trump administration. "They contacted State Department employees directly — told them not to contact legal counsel at the State Department," Pompeo said."
Why not disclose proof of the above, Mr. Secretary?
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.
10-4-19
Another corrupt politician resigns in disgrace. NPR reports:
"New York Republican Rep. Chris Collins is resigning, according to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. Collins is expected to appear in court tomorrow and multiple news organizations have reported he is expected to plead guilty to charges involving insider trading. Collins was the first House Republican to endorse Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. His resignation will not take effect until the House meets in a pro forma session on Tuesday. The Western New York Republican was arrested in August 2018 after a federal grand jury accused him of sharing material, non public information about Innate, an Australian biotech company. Collins was on the company's board of directors and passed along information about the results of drug trials — that information allowed them to make timely stock trades and avoid over $768,000 in losses, according to court documents. He was charged with multiple counts, including securities fraud, wire fraud, and making false statements. Collins was indicted along with his son, Cameron, and Stephen Zarsky, the father of Cameron's fiancée."
Runs in the family, does it?
"The move to change his plea comes more than a year after the Buffalo News reported Collins turned down a plea deal. The newspaper also reported the Collins submitted his resignation effective immediately to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "We are in receipt of a letter of resignation," Drew Hammill, Pelosi's deputy chief of staff, told NPR. "It will be laid down on the House Floor tomorrow during pro forma. Resignation will be effective at that time." Collins' office declined to comment and referred questions to his attorney, who did not respond to NPR."
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.
9-27-19
Stonewalling. The Washington Post reports:
"The whistleblower complaint that has triggered a tense showdown between the U.S. intelligence community and Congress involves President Trump’s communications with a foreign leader, according to two former U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Trump’s interaction with the foreign leader included a “promise” that was regarded as so troubling that it prompted an official in the U.S. intelligence community to file a formal whistleblower complaint with the inspector general for the intelligence community, said the former officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. It was not immediately clear which foreign leader Trump was speaking with or what he pledged to deliver, but his direct involvement in the matter has not been previously disclosed. It raises new questions about the president’s handling of sensitive information and may further strain his relationship with U.S. spy agencies. One former official said the communication was a phone call. The White House declined to comment late Wednesday night. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and a lawyer representing the whistleblower declined to comment. Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson determined that the complaint was credible and troubling enough to be considered a matter of “urgent concern,” a legal threshold that requires notification of congressional oversight committees. But acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire has refused to share details about Trump’s alleged transgression with lawmakers, touching off a legal and political dispute that has spilled into public view and prompted speculation that the spy chief is improperly protecting the president.
"The complaint was filed with Atkinson’s office on Aug. 12, a date on which Trump was at his golf resort in New Jersey. White House records indicate that Trump had had conversations or interactions with at least five foreign leaders in the preceding five weeks."
NPR reports:
"House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff vowed Thursday he is willing to sue the Trump administration over a dispute about the content of an as-yet-unknown complaint to the intelligence community's official watchdog. Schiff told reporters after a closed-door meeting with the inspector general, Michael Atkinson, that the Justice Department has opined that the material is shielded by privilege and can be withheld from lawmakers. Not so, Schiff argued, and "if we have to go to court to get this, we will have a good case."
"President Trump denied on Thursday he said anything inappropriate to a foreign leader. The Washington Post reported that Trump, in a phone call with an unnamed foreign leader, made an unspecified promise that so alarmed one member of the intelligence community, it yielded the complaint. In a series of tweets, Trump called the report fake news.
"Schiff said in an earlier statement that the intelligence community's IG determined that this complaint is "both credible and urgent, and that it should be transmitted to Congress under the clear letter of the law. The committee places the highest importance on the protection of whistle-blowers and their complaints to Congress."
The Washington Post reports:
"A whistleblower complaint about President Trump made by an intelligence official centers on Ukraine, according to two people familiar with the matter, which has set off a struggle between Congress and the executive branch. The complaint involved communications with a foreign leader and a “promise” that Trump made, which was so alarming that a U.S. intelligence official who had worked at the White House went to the inspector general of the intelligence community, two former U.S. officials said."
Clearly, the above was just the latest:
"Two and a half weeks before the complaint was filed, Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian and political newcomer who was elected in a landslide in May. That call is already under investigation by House Democrats who are examining whether Trump and his attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani sought to manipulate the Ukrainian government into helping Trump’s reelection campaign. Lawmakers have demanded a full transcript and a list of participants on the call. A White House spokesperson declined to comment."
Why the lack of transparency? What is Trump so afraid of?
"The Democrats’ investigation was launched earlier this month, before revelations that an intelligence official had lodged a complaint with the inspector general. The Washington Post first reported on Wednesday that the complaint had to do with a “promise” that Trump made when communicating with a foreign leader. On Thursday, the inspector general testified behind closed doors to members of the House Intelligence Committee about the whistleblower’s complaint. Over the course of three hours, Michael Atkinson repeatedly declined to discuss with members the content of the complaint, saying he was not authorized to do so."
So what? He swore an oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution. His duty to country and the Constitution trump loyalty to any government official or officials.
"He and the members spent much of their time discussing the process Atkinson followed, the statute governing his investigation of the complaint and the nature of an “urgent concern” that he believed it represented, according to a person familiar with the briefing, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He was being excruciatingly careful about the language he used,” the person said."
When you swear an oath to uphold the United States Constitution, that's precisely what you do. No matter the personal cost. Duty, honor, country.
"Atkinson made clear that he disagreed with a lawyer for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, who had contradicted the inspector general and found that the whistleblower complaint did not meet the statutory definition of an urgent concern because it involved a matter not under the DNI’s jurisdiction. Atkinson told lawmakers that he disagreed with that analysis — meaning he felt the matter was under the DNI’s purview — and also that it was urgent “in the common understanding of the word,” the person said."
All the more reason Atkinson should have stood tall. No matter the consequences.
"Atkinson told the committee that the complaint did not stem from just one conversation, according to two people familiar with his testimony. Following the meeting, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), the chairman of the committee, warned of legal action if intelligence officials did not share the whistleblower complaint."
End the empty rhetoric. Get up off your cowardly ass, sir, -- and drag their sorry asses into court, Congressman.
"Schiff described acting director of national intelligence Joseph Maguire’s refusal to share the complaint with Congress as “unprecedented” and said he understood the Justice Department was involved in that decision."
All the more reason, to drag these officials into court. This egregious stonewalling has indeed been going on since the House changed hands in early January.
“We cannot get an answer to the question about whether the White House is also involved in preventing this information from coming to Congress,” Schiff said, adding: “We’re determined to do everything we can to determine what this urgent concern is to make sure that the national security is protected.”
You're all talk, Mr. Schiff.
"Someone, Schiff said, “is trying to manipulate the system to keep information about an urgent matter from the Congress … There certainly are a lot of indications that it was someone at a higher pay grade than the director of national intelligence.”
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL. Clearly, Trump fancies himself a goddamned dictator, not president of the United States.
"Trump has denied doing anything improper. In a tweet Thursday morning, the president wrote, “Virtually anytime I speak on the phone to a foreign leader, I understand that there may be many people listening from various U.S. agencies, not to mention those from the other country itself. “Knowing all of this, is anybody dumb enough to believe that I would say something inappropriate with a foreign leader while on such a potentially ‘heavily populated’ call,” Trump wrote."
Unbridled Aryan arrogance. If nothing improper occurred, then why the lack of transparency? Order the information released to Congress. If indeed no substance, what are you so afraid of, Mr. 'President?'
"In a Sept. 17 letter to intelligence committee leaders, Atkinson wrote that he and Maguire “are at an impasse” over how the whistleblower could contact the congressional committees. Ordinarily, a matter of urgent concern that the inspector general deems credible is supposed to be forwarded to the intelligence oversight panels in the House and Senate."
All the more reason for you to stand tall, release the information. No matter the personal cost.
"But Maguire prevented Atkinson from doing so, according to correspondence that has been made public. Atkinson wrote that he had requested permission from Maguire to inform the congressional intelligence committees about the general subject matter of the complaint, but was denied."
Obstruction.
"Maguire, Atkinson wrote, had consulted with the Justice Department, which determined that the law didn’t require disclosing the complaint to the committee because it didn’t involve a member of the intelligence community or “an intelligence activity under the DNI’s supervision.”
Obstruction.
"Atkinson faulted the Justice Department’s conclusion “particularly … and the Acting DNI’s apparent agreement with the conclusion, that the disclosure in this case does not concern an intelligence activity within the DNI’s authority.”
Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit. Sad, it's come down to this. Where did we lose ourselves?
"Maguire is scheduled to testify before the Intelligence Committee in a public session next Thursday."
If he stonewalls, time to hold his sorry ass in contempt.
"In letters to the White House and State Department, top Democrats earlier this month demanded records related to what they say are Trump and Giuliani’s efforts “to coerce the Ukrainian government into pursuing two politically-motivated investigations under the guise of anti-corruption activity” — one to help Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who is in prison for illegal lobbying and financial fraud, and a second to target the son of former vice president Joe Biden, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Trump."
It's amazing Democrats are so incredibly ineffective at getting to the bottom of all these issues. Have caved in to the stonewalling. Won't hold these bastards in contempt of Congress. Don't have the guts to schedule a formal vote to launch an impeachment inquiry. What the hell does it take?
“As the 2020 election draws closer, President Trump and his personal attorney appear to have increased pressure on the Ukrainian government and its justice system in service of President Trump’s reelection campaign, and the White House and the State Department may be abetting this scheme,” the chairmen of the House Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Oversight committees wrote, citing media reports that Trump had threatened to withhold $250 million in aid to help Ukraine in its ongoing struggle against Russian-backed separatists."
Jesus Christ. Holding the House means shit squat if not willing to exercise power entrusted them courtesy of the voters.
"Lawmakers also became aware in August that the Trump administration may be trying to stop the aid from reaching Ukraine, according to a congressional official."
If true, clear abuse of power for personal, self-serving, political reasons.
"Giuliani dismissed the reports of the whistle blower and Trump’s “promise” to a foreign leader. “I’m not even aware of the fact that he had such a phone call,” Giuliani said Thursday. “If I’m not worried about it, he’s not worried about it.”
Jesus Christ. Giuliani is talking out the ass. Has contradicted himself. Repeatedly. Truth, a moving target.
"House Democrats are looking into whether Giuliani traveled to Ukraine to pressure that government outside of formal diplomatic channels to effectively help the Trump reelection effort by investigating Hunter Biden about his time on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company. The filing of the whistleblower complaint has led to what veterans of U.S. spy agencies described as an unprecedented situation with potentially grave consequences for the already troubled relationship between the president and the nation’s powerful intelligence community."
That's a problem. A big problem. When was the last time this was so serious an issue in the last century or so?
"It remains unclear how the whistleblower gained access to details of the president’s calls — whether through “readouts” generated by White House aides or through other means. Memos that serve as transcripts of such calls are created routinely. But if that is the source in this instance, it would appear to mean that White House aides made a formal record of comments by the president later deemed deeply troubling by the intelligence community’s chief watchdog."
-- Speculation until Congress receives the substance of the whistleblower complaint.
NBC News reports:
"NBC News has not confirmed that Ukraine is at the center of the issue. A request for comment from the White House was not immediately returned. Taking questions from reporters alongside Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison Friday, Trump defended himself, calling the complaint a "political hack job." He contended that the whistleblower was a "partisan" before telling reporters he did not know the identity of the person. “It's ridiculous. It's a partisan whistleblower. They shouldn't even have information," Trump said in the Oval Office. "I've had conversations with many leaders that are always appropriate, I think Scott can tell you that, always appropriate at the highest level, always appropriate and anything I do, I fight for this country. I fight so strongly for this country. It's just another political hack job, that's all it is.” He also pushed back on a question about whether the complaint involved discussions about former vice president and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. “It doesn’t matter what I discussed."
Yes, it does. Wake up. Any time a whistleblower complaint is stonewalled it's a serious problem. Any other sitting president when confronted with such would have demanded it see the light of day. -- Unless there was substance to it.
Gets worse. Get this:
"But I will say this — somebody ought to look into Joe Biden's statement because it was disgraceful, where he talked about billions of dollars that he’s not giving to a certain country unless certain prosecutors are taken off the case," Trump said. The president was apparently referring to an erroneous internet meme, which claimed Biden threatened to cut off $1 billion in aid to Ukraine if the country did not fire a prosecutor allegedly looking into a gas company where his son was an executive. However, PolitiFact found no evidence that the former vice president threatened to cut off aid in his son's interest. Instead, the site said, Biden urged Ukraine to fire its prosecutor or risk losing aid because that was the wider U.S. government's position. The gas company was not under investigation."
Can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bullshit, Mr. 'President?'
Gets even worse. LOL. Clearly, ole Donny boy is off his rocker:
"Trump also ripped the report in a tweet Friday morning, tweeting that "The Radical Left Democrats and their Fake News Media partners, headed up again by Little Adam Schiff" were "at it again!"
"....statement.
Strange that with so many other people hearing or knowing of the perfectly
fine and respectful conversation, that they would not have also come forward.
Do you know the reason why they did not? Because there was nothing said
wrong, it was pitch perfect!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2019"
Jesus Christ. Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the ass backwards world of the Trump nazi.
"Two and a half weeks before the whistleblower complaint was filed, Trump spoke with Ukraine’s new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Post reported. House Democrats announced last week that they will investigate the role of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, in what they characterized as efforts to influence the government of Ukraine to help the Trump re-election campaign. The Post's editorial board on Sept. 5 had suggested that Trump was withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure it to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, who is on the board of a Ukrainian gas company."
If true, clear abuse of power.
Think Giuliani doesn't have a serious problem with credibility? Get this:
"In a combative interview with CNN on Thursday, Giuliani initially denied being in touch with Ukraine officials about the former vice president. But minutes later he appeared to contradict himself after anchor Chris Cuomo repeated the question, asking: “So you did ask Ukraine to look into Joe Biden?” “Of course I did,” Giuliani said.
A President
telling a Pres-elect of a well known corrupt country he better investigate
corruption that affects US is doing his job. Maybe if Obama did that the
Biden Family wouldn’t have bilked millions from Ukraine and billions from
China; being covered up by a Corrupt Media.
—
Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) September 20, 2019"
What ever happened to honor, Rudy? To say nothing of the truth, sir.
"The New York Times reported Thursday that the details of the allegation remain opaque but involve at least one instance of Trump making an unspecified commitment to a foreign leader and include other actions, and that at least part of the allegation deals with Ukraine. It cited interviews and two people familiar with the complaint. The acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, has been withholding the whistleblower complaint from House intelligence committees."
Obstruction.
The Washington Post reports:
"When President Trump spoke on the telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in late July, the Ukrainians had a lot at stake. They were waiting on millions in stalled military aid from the United States, and Zelensky was seeking a high-priority White House meeting with Trump. Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart that his country could improve its image if it completed corruption cases that have “inhibited the interaction between Ukraine and the USA,” according to a readout of the call released by Kiev. What neither government said publicly at the time was that Trump went even further — specifically pressing Ukraine’s president to reopen a corruption investigation involving former vice president Joe Biden’s son, according to two people familiar with the call, which is now the subject of an explosive whistleblower complaint."
If that's how it went down, Trump used trappings of office for political gain. Threw a fellow American under the wheels of a foreign power for personal gain, political advantage. Called treason.
"Days after the two presidents spoke, Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, met with an aide to the Ukrainian president in Madrid and spelled out two specific cases he believed Ukraine should pursue. One was a probe of a Ukrainian gas tycoon who had Biden’s son Hunter on his board. Another was an allegation that Democrats colluded with Ukraine to release information on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort during the 2016 election."
Gets worse:
“Your country owes it to us and to your country to find out what really happened,” Giuliani said he told the Ukrainian president’s aide, Andriy Yermak, during the Madrid meeting. Yermak, according to Giuliani, indicated that the Ukrainians were open to pursuing the investigations. The aide reiterated the Ukrainians’ plea for a meeting with Trump, a summit that would be an important signal to Russia of Washington’s support for Ukraine. “I talked to him about the whole package,” said Giuliani, who has been lobbying Ukrainian officials to take up the investigations since the spring. Yermak did not respond to a request for comment."
What could he say? No substance to any of this. All a ruse.
"New revelations about the dual channels of pressure on Ukraine — one from the president and one from his personal attorney — are fueling questions about whether Trump used his office to try to force a foreign country to take actions damaging to his political opponents."
Certainly, appears to be the case.
"National security experts said Trump’s pressure on Ukraine was highly inappropriate. “This is requesting assistance from a foreign government to tarnish your political rival and opening the door to outside interference in our politics and elections,” said David Kramer, a former State Department official responsible for Russia and Central Europe during the George W. Bush administration."
Called treason.
"Giuliani said Trump did not threaten to withhold U.S. funds from Ukraine if the country did not investigate Biden and Democrats. “He didn’t do that. President Trump didn’t do that,” Giuliani said this week. However, the Trump administration has held Zelensky at arm’s length since his election in April."
Apparently, Trump didn't get what he wanted, expected from the Ukrainian:
"Trump refused to set a firm date for an Oval Office meeting with the newly minted Ukrainian president at the White House — a sit-down that Ukraine has urgently sought to demonstrate Washington’s backing as it fights a long-simmering war with Russian-backed proxies in its east. U.S. officials and members of the Trump administration wanted the meeting to go ahead, but Trump personally rejected efforts to set it up, according to three people familiar with the discussions. By the time Trump and Zelensky spoke during the July 25 telephone call, the meeting at the White House still hadn’t been set. Soon after, it was disclosed that the White House had put a hold on $250 million in military aid for Ukraine after Trump ordered a review of the assistance package."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"U.S. Embassy officials in Kiev repeatedly expressed concerns about the contacts between Giuliani and Ukrainian officials. They have not been privy to most of the discussions, and at times, have only learned later from the Ukrainians, who said they were unsure if Giuliani was officially speaking for the U.S. government, according to two officials with knowledge of the matter. Giuliani has pushed Ukrainian officials to renew an investigation into the activities of Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas producer while his father handled U.S.-Ukraine policy. In particular, Giuliani has alleged Biden advocated for the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor who at one point had overseen an anti-corruption probe of the gas producer’s owner. However, the case had been dormant before the prosecutor’s firing, according to former Ukrainian and U.S. officials, and the U.S. ambassador at the time publicly called for the case against the gas tycoon to proceed. Yuri Lutsenko, the former Ukrainian prosecutor general who succeeded the fired prosecutor, told Bloomberg News in May that there was no evidence of wrongdoing by Joe or Hunter Biden."
Interesting, isn't it?
Trump's attack dog clearly won't give up:
"But Giuliani has said there is more to uncover, adding that his goal is to make sure Biden didn’t become president without having to answer for the issues in Ukraine. “What I’m saying to him: You’re not getting from here to the presidency without answering these questions,” Giuliani said in May of his efforts. “The president’s counsel is entitled to develop evidence.” Biden has denied any wrongdoing. “Not one single credible outlet has given any credibility to these assertions,” the former vice president said in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Friday. “Not one single one.”
To date, certainly appears to be the case.
"Giuliani has also urged Ukraine to investigate whether Democrats colluded with Ukrainian authorities during the 2016 election to put out information damaging to Manafort, who is now serving a 7½-year prison sentence for financial crimes related to lobbying he did for a Russia-aligned politician in Ukraine."
To date, no evidence of the above allegation. Giuliani is talking out his ass.
"People close to Zelensky have told American officials that if there is a case to pursue, they will follow it and the law — an attempt by Zelensky and his aides to avoid getting drawn into a partisan political fight in the United States. “For us, the important thing is to not get involved,” said one Ukrainian official earlier this summer, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. “There is nothing good that can come from this,” he added. “I don’t want us to be used.”
Clearly, that's what's happening. Courtesy of an increasingly desperate Trump nazi and his henchmen.
"During the Kiev meeting with Zelensky this month, Murphy said there was “a large level of discomfort from the outreach of the president’s political team. The embassy didn’t know what to do with it either.”
Expose it to the light of day. No better disinfectant.
“I heard they were confused and vexed about what they should do by these requests,” Murphy said Friday. “This is a brand-new president, and he starts getting requests from the president’s political team to do investigation. My concern was definitely validated by the conversations I had in Kiev.” When they spoke, Zelensky also stressed the importance of a meeting with Trump, adding that he did not want to be drawn into the 2020 presidential election, Murphy said. Zelensky did not respond to requests for comment Friday."
Trump and his henchmen are using him.
"Trump’s interactions with Zelensky are part of the whistleblower complaint by an intelligence official that is at the center of a showdown between the executive branch and Congress. Administration officials have refused to divulge any information about the substance of an Aug. 12 report to the inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community. Earlier this month, House Democrats launched an investigation into whether Trump sought to pressure Ukraine into investigating Biden in exchange for receiving U.S. foreign aid."
Appears to be the case. This fiasco is exceptionally convoluted. Be interesting to see if Democrats find some courage in the House and finally act instead of indulging in empty rhetoric for partisan reasons. -- Gutlessly afraid they'll lose their ass in the 2020 election.
ABC News reports:
"When Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, endeavored in early 2019 to have former Vice President Joe Biden investigated in Ukraine, one of his points of contact was the country's former prosecutor general, Viktor Shokin, whose ouster in March of 2016 -- and Biden's involvement in it -- has become the subject of controversy. During an appearance on CNN Thursday night, Giuliani said "of course" he asked the Ukrainians to investigate Biden, before backtracking. "I didn't ask them to look into Joe Biden," Giuliani said. "I asked them to look into the allegations that related to my client, which tangentially involved Joe Biden in a massive bribery scheme." The "bribery scheme" Giuliani has accused Biden of dates back to 2014, when the then-vice president led the Obama administration's efforts to root out corruption in Kiev in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution. As part of his efforts, Biden called for the dismissal of Shokin, who had ostensibly been leading a probe into Burisma, an oil company that had recently added the president's son, Hunter Biden, to its board of directors. On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, about eight times, to work with Giuliani to investigate Biden. In response, the Biden campaign called on the president to release a transcript of the call "so that the American people can judge for themselves." "If these reports are true," Biden said in that statement, "then there is truly no bottom to President Trump's willingness to abuse his power and abase our country. This behavior is particularly abhorrent because it exploits the foreign policy of our country and undermines our national security for political purposes."
Called treason.
"It means that he used the power and resources of the United States to pressure a sovereign nation -- a partner that is still under direct assault from Russia -- pushing Ukraine to subvert the rule of law in the express hope of extracting a political favor."
Certainly, appears to be the case.
Carefully, consider the following:
"In an interview with ABC News in May of 2019, Shokin, the former prosecutor, suggested that the then-vice president sought his dismissal as part of an effort to protect his son and the company for which he worked. "Biden was acting not like a U.S. vice president, but as an individual," Shokin told ABC News, "like the individual interested in having me removed -- having me gone so that I did not interfere in the Burisma investigation." The assertion that Biden acted to help his son has been undercut by widespread criticism of Shokin from several high-profile international leaders who said Biden's recommendation was well justified. A Biden campaign spokesman rejected the premise of Shokin's allegation, saying Biden had "acted at all times in a manner consistent with well-established executive branch ethics standards."
Consider the following:
" On Friday, Trump told reporters that "there was nothing said wrong" during a July of 2019 phone conversation with Zelensky and accused the whistleblower on Twitter of being "highly partisan." While details of the call remain unclear, a Ukrainian readout of the conversation cited a discussion about "investigations into corruption cases that have hampered interaction between Ukraine and the U.S.A." In the Oval Office on Friday, Trump declined to say whether he brought Biden up during his phone call with Zelensky."
If truly innocent, Mr. 'President,' why decline to confirm whether or not Biden was brought up during the call? Moreover, why not release a transcript of the conversation? If nothing to hide, why the lack of transparency? All the stonewalling?
NPR reports:
"Trump alleged that Biden "talked [about] billions of dollars that he's not giving to a certain country unless a certain prosecutor was taken off the case." Trump supporters have alleged that Biden, while in office, urged the firing of a Ukrainian prosecutor who was allegedly looking into son Hunter Biden's business dealings. The younger Biden joined the board of a Ukrainian gas company, Burisma, in 2014. The Wall Street Journal meanwhile, reported Friday that Trump, during a July phone call, urged Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky "about eight times" to work with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, on an investigation of Hunter Biden."
Stunning, isn't it?
"Trump addressed the story on Friday when he took questions from reporters in the Oval Office prior to a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Trump said of the whistleblower's report, which is not public or in the hands of Congress: "Everybody's read it; they laughed at it. It's another media disaster, and the media has lost so much credibility in this country."
The 'president' is delusional. Unfit for office. Increasingly, desperate. Statements contradictory and false.
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said on Friday that the reports of what she labeled "a reliable" whistleblower complaint "raise grave, urgent concerns for our national security. We must be sure that the President and his Administration are conducting our national security and foreign policy in the best interest of the American people, not the President's personal interest." Her statement added that the administration's blocking of Acting DNI Joseph Maguire from providing Congress with the complaint "violates the federal statute, which unequivocally states that the DNI 'shall' provide Congress this information. If the president has done what has been alleged, then he is stepping into a dangerous minefield with serious repercussions for his administration and our democracy."
Yet, Democrats in the House refuse to take any meaningful action, gutlessly fearful of consequences in the 2020 election. Consistently place partisan interests ahead of principle.
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump appeared to confirm Sunday that he mentioned former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter in a phone call with the leader of Ukraine, as some senior Democrats revived talk of impeachment hearings over revelations that Trump had asked a foreign government to investigate one of his potential 2020 opponents. The president and his close allies also escalated their attacks on Biden on Sunday, demanding probes into the former vice president and his son’s work in Ukraine, though no evidence has surfaced that Biden acted inappropriately and Trump’s allies did not provide any.
"The issue has surfaced because of an extraordinary whistleblower complaint, first reported by The Washington Post. According to people familiar with the matter, Trump pressed Zelensky to dig up potentially damaging information against Biden during a July 25 phone call. In an exchange with reporters outside the White House before departing for events in Texas and Ohio on Sunday, Trump appeared to suggest he did speak about Biden with Zelensky. “The conversation I had was largely congratulatory, was largely corruption, all of the corruption taking place, was largely the fact that we don’t want our people, like Vice President Biden and his son, creating to the corruption already in the Ukraine,” Trump told reporters Sunday morning. “And Ukraine, Ukraine’s got a lot of problems.”
So do you, Mr. 'President.' So do you.
"Later in Houston, Trump appeared to backtrack, saying, “I don’t even want to mention it, but certainly I’d have the right to” raise Biden’s name with Zelensky. He also said he would “love” to release a transcript, though he added he would have to make a determination about how to do so. In his comments, Trump also continued to suggest, with no evidence, that Biden had acted inappropriately. “I’m not looking to hurt him with respect to his son,” Trump said after landing in Houston on Sunday. But he continued, “Joe’s got a lot of problems. Joe’s got enough problems. But what he said was a terrible thing,” suggesting Biden had lied about communications with his son about Ukraine. The sentiment was echoed by his senior advisers, who repeatedly suggested, without evidence, wrongdoing on Biden’s part and pushed for the highest levels of the federal government to probe the connections between the former vice president and Ukraine.
"There is no evidence that Biden played any role in election interference efforts by foreign governments in 2016. Intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia did interfere on behalf of Trump, a fact the president continues to deny."
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump confirmed Tuesday that he withheld military aid from Ukraine, saying he did so over his concerns that the United States was contributing more to Ukraine than European countries were. “My complaint has always been, and I’d withhold again and I’ll continue to withhold until such time as Europe and other nations contribute to Ukraine because they’re not doing it,” Trump told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly. Trump was responding to reporting by The Washington Post that Trump told his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, to hold back almost $400 million in military aid for at least a week before Trump spoke to the Ukrainian president. On that call, Trump allegedly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Hunter Biden, the son of former vice president and possible 2020 opponent Joe Biden, according to an intelligence official turned whistleblower who reported the call to the intelligence community inspector general. The Trump administration has blocked Congress from seeing the complaint. Trump has suggested he did bring up Biden during the call, but he has dismissed allegations of anything untoward. He told reporters that a readout of the call would probably be released. “It’s nonsense,” Trump said. “When you see the call, when you see the readout of the call, which I assume you’ll see at some point, that call was perfect. It couldn’t have been nicer.”
Clearly, Trump is shitting. His lies are not protecting him from the growing storm engulfing him:
"Trump’s claim that he withheld the funds from Ukraine because Europe was not paying its fair share is “laughable,” said Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO under President Barack Obama. “The U.S. has provided military aid, but so have many of the Europeans,” Daalder said in an email. “And NATO has an extensive assistance program that was bolstered significantly after the Russian invasion.” Since Russia intervened in Ukraine and annexed its Crimean Peninsula in 2014, the European Union has provided more than 15 billion euros ($16.5 billion) in grants and loans to Ukraine, according to an E.U. fact sheet on relations with Ukraine.
"Trump’s discussing a political opponent with a foreign leader has renewed calls for his impeachment among House Democrats. Trump said Tuesday that the impeachment discussion is “ridiculous” and, as he did with the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, called it a “witch hunt.” “I’m leading in the polls."
No. He's not. The walls are closing in.
"They have no idea how they stop me,” Trump said. “The only way they can try is through impeachment.” Nearly every poll has Biden defeating Trump nationwide and in battleground states."
Trump can't, won't be confused by reality. To say nothing of the truth.
NPR reports:
"President Trump vowed on Tuesday that he would release a transcript of his phone call from earlier this year with Ukraine's president."
NPR reports:
"After months of expressing caution on a push for impeachment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump Tuesday. "The president must be held accountable," Pelosi said. "No one is above the law."
The Washington Post reports:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, a dramatic turnaround by the Democratic leader that sets up a constitutional and political clash pitting the Congress against the nation’s chief executive. “The actions of the Trump presidency have revealed the dishonorable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,” Pelosi said in brief remarks. “Therefore, today, I am announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry.”
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to work with the U.S. attorney general to investigate the conduct of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and offered to meet with the foreign leader at the White House after he promised to conduct such an inquiry, according to a newly-released transcript of the call. Those statements and others in a July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were so concerning that the intelligence community inspector general thought them a possible violation of campaign finance law. In late August, intelligence officials referred the matter to the Justice Department as a possible crime, but prosecutors concluded last week that the conduct was not criminal, according to senior Justice Department officials. The document released Wednesday, in keeping with White House practice, is a memorandum of a telephone conversation and is not a verbatim account. A cautionary note on the memo of the call warns that the text reflects the notes and memories of officials in the Situation Room and that a number of factors “can affect the accuracy of the record.”
No kidding. Worse? The 'Justice' Department is, and has been, in the pocket of the Trump nazi.
"The call begins with Trump congratulating Zelensky on his election victory, but quickly devolves into the president pressing for an investigation of his political rivals and endorsing an apparent conspiracy theory. He seems to suggest Hillary Clinton’s private email server is in Ukraine and asserts that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation started with that country. Speaking a day after Mueller had testified to Congress about his investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, Trump derides the special counsel for what he called “an incompetent performance,” and asks for Ukraine’s help investigating the DNC server issue. Trump repeatedly says Zelensky should work with Attorney General William P. Barr or his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani. Giuliani had separately pressed Ukrainian officials for a Biden inquiry. “I would like to have the Attorney General call you or your people and I would like you to get to the bottom of it,” Trump says, according to the transcript. He adds later: “There’s a lot of talk about Biden’s son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that so whatever you can do with the Attorney General would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it. … It sounds horrible to me.” Zelensky replied that “my candidate” for the prosecutor job “will look into the situation, specifically to the company that you mentioned in this issue.”
"Lawmakers have demanded to see not just the transcript of Trump’s call with Zelensky, but the whistleblower complaint as well. Administration officials are discussing the possibility of providing that document to Congress in the coming days."
NPR reports:
"Even so, the official account of the phone conversation confirms the kernel of the story that has brought Washington to a fever pitch over an impeachment inquiry into Trump: The American president asked the Ukrainian president for help with political ammunition against his potential 2020 election rival. "I would like you to do us a favor," Trump asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to the official account released on Wednesday. Continued Trump, according to the memo: "I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation in Ukraine ... There's a lot of talk about Biden's son, that Biden stopped the prosecution and a lot of people want to find out about that. So whatever you can do with the attorney general would be great. Biden went around bragging that he stopped the prosecution so if you can look into it ... it sounds horrible to me."
The Washington Post reports:
"While the Justice Department has concluded the call did not violate campaign finance law, Democrats say the president’s conduct — seeking a foreign country’s aid in discrediting a political rival — betrayed his oath of office and endangered national security. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.), who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, said the call “reads like a classic mob shakedown.”
The Washington Post reports:
"Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire, who until now had blocked Congress from seeing the whistleblower complaint that first brought the phone call between Trump and Zelensky to light, will provide that complaint to Congress today by 4 p.m., according to Rep. Devin Nunes (Calif.), the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. Lawmakers have demanded the whistleblower’s complaint be made available to them, both before and after seeing the White House’s readout of the call."
The Washington Post reports:
"The whistleblower complaint at the heart of the burgeoning controversy over President Trump’s call with the Ukrainian president claims not only that the president misused his office for personal gain and endangered national security but that unidentified White House officials tried to hide that conduct." “In the course of my official duties, I have received information from multiple U.S. government officials that the President of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election,” the whistleblower wrote in the complaint dated Aug. 12. The House Intelligence Committee released the seven-page document, which was directed to the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence committees, on Thursday morning. It also released a two-page appendix that was once classified and portions of which remain redacted. “This interference includes, among other things, pressuring a foreign country to investigate one of the President’s main domestic political rivals. The President’s personal lawyer, Mr. Rudolph W. Giuliani, is a central figure in this effort. Attorney General [William P.] Barr appears to be involved as well,” the whistleblower wrote."
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.
9-27-19
Best description of Trump strategy to date vis a vis the above fiasco and all the others? LOL. NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump is turning to what's become a tried-and-true pattern of defending himself against scandal in the latest controversy over a whistleblower's accusation that he made a disturbing promise to a foreign leader. It goes like this:
"Step one: Deny the reports while arguing that even if true, there is nothing wrong with what was done.
"Step two: Divert attention to a subplot that implicates political rivals.
"Step three: Discredit investigators by accusing those involved of a deep state or partisan witch hunt."
Masterful assessment. 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.
9-27-19
Not all Democrats are self-servingly indifferent to the ongoing Trump fiasco. Seven have remarkably stood tall. Seatbelts on. The Washington Post reports:
"Reps. Gil Cisneros of California, Jason Crow of Colorado, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Elaine Luria of Virginia, Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia are all freshman Democrats."
In an editorial, here is what they've written:
"Our lives have been defined by national service. We are not career politicians. We are veterans of the military and of the nation’s defense and intelligence agencies. Our service is rooted in the defense of our country on the front lines of national security."
Who better to know? Who better to understand the current threat our formerly great country is now under courtesy of the Trump nazi?
"We have devoted our lives to the service and security of our country, and throughout our careers, we have sworn oaths to defend the Constitution of the United States many times over. Now, we join as a unified group to uphold that oath as we enter uncharted waters and face unprecedented allegations against President Trump."
Anyone who swears to uphold the United States Constitution must do so regardless of the personal cost.
"The president of the United States may have used his position to pressure a foreign country into investigating a political opponent, and he sought to use U.S. taxpayer dollars as leverage to do it. He allegedly sought to use the very security assistance dollars appropriated by Congress to create stability in the world, to help root out corruption and to protect our national security interests, for his own personal gain. These allegations are stunning, both in the national security threat they pose and the potential corruption they represent. We also know that on Sept. 9, the inspector general for the intelligence community notified Congress of a “credible” and “urgent” whistleblower complaint related to national security and potentially involving these allegations. Despite federal law requiring the disclosure of this complaint to Congress, the administration has blocked its release to Congress."
Called treason.
"This flagrant disregard for the law cannot stand. To uphold and defend our Constitution, Congress must determine whether the president was indeed willing to use his power and withhold security assistance funds to persuade a foreign country to assist him in an upcoming election. If these allegations are true, we believe these actions represent an impeachable offense. We do not arrive at this conclusion lightly, and we call on our colleagues in Congress to consider the use of all congressional authorities available to us, including the power of “inherent contempt” and impeachment hearings, to address these new allegations, find the truth and protect our national security."
No matter the personal cost, your oath of office demands it:
"As members of Congress, we have prioritized delivering for our constituents — remaining steadfast in our focus on health care, infrastructure, economic policy and our communities’ priorities. Yet everything we do harks back to our oaths to defend the country. These new allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect. We must preserve the checks and balances envisioned by the Founders and restore the trust of the American people in our government. And that is what we intend to do."
Stand tall. Duty, honor, 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.
9-27-19
Not only is Trump a congenital liar, his statements are consistently contradictory. NPR reports:
"The U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is nearly empty these days, but President Trump is explicitly ruling out the possibility of sending thousands of captured Islamic State fighters there. "The United States is not going to have thousands and thousands of people that we've captured stationed at Guantánamo Bay, held captive at Guantánamo Bay for the next 50 years and us spending billions and billions of dollars," Trump told reporters Friday during an appearance at the White House with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "I want the countries to take back the captured ISIS fighters," Trump added, noting that many of these captives come from European nations, including Germany and France. "And if they don't take them back, we're going to probably put them at the border, and then they'll have to capture them again."
That's insane.
"Few of the foreign ISIS fighters captured on the battlefield in Syria and Iraq have been repatriated. Without embassies in those war-torn nations or extradition treaties, European allies of the U.S. have been reluctant to accept nationals being held as prisoners of war."
No quick and easy way to ascertain whether or not these prisoners are indeed citizens of these European countries:
"Approximately 2,000 fighters are being held by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Defense Forces in northeastern Syria with assistance from U.S. military forces. Trump demanded at a separate White House event Friday that their home countries "take those people back, put them on trial, and do what they have to do to them."
Not going to happen.
"There is growing concern among U.S. and SDF officials that the makeshift prisons where the fighters are being held are vulnerable to attacks by the captured insurgents' comrades-in-arms."
Why are we still there? It's not our problem. Never has been. Why did we make it our problem? To line the pockets of defense contractors? When will we finally wake up, wise up, smarten up?
Contradictory bullshit:
"While campaigning in 2016, Trump promised he would send more prisoners to Guantánamo Bay. "We're gonna load it up with some bad dudes, believe me," he told a rally in Sparks, Nev. "We're gonna load it up." But no new prisoners have been sent to the Guantánamo lockup since the final year of the George W. Bush administration. An inmate population there of nearly 700 at its peak dwindled to 41 by the time Trump took office. With the transfer last year of one of those captives, the number now stands at 40. Renovation and expansion of prison facilities in Guantánamo along with the construction of permanent housing for guards had fueled speculation that preparations were underway for an influx of ISIS fighters. Trump signed an executive order last year reaffirming the need to keep the Guantánamo stockade in operation."
Should have closed years ago. Total waste of money.
"Trump said last month that European leaders, who have long criticized the Guantánamo prison, had asked him to use that facility to house the ISIS fighters captured in Syria and Iraq. "They say to us, 'Why don't you hold them in Guantánamo Bay for 50 years and you just hold them and spend billions and billions of dollars holding them?' " Trump said at a Kentucky veterans convention. "And I'm saying, 'No, you got to take them.' "
Took you three years to come to that conclusion, Mr. Trump? Where the hell you been, Mr. 'President?' LOL.
"Trump's emphasis on the cost of holding inmates in Guantánamo coincides with recent reports detailing how $6 billion has been spent keeping terrorism suspects locked up and how the annual cost per prisoner has risen to $13 million."
Don't you Republican fascist bastards claim to be conservatives? LOL.
"Trump did not explain how the U.S. might go about carrying out his threat that unless European allies accept nationals who are Islamic State prisoners of war, "we're releasing them at the border."
That's not going to happen. Then again, Trump's insane. Anything is possible. Forget? LOL.
"He did make clear, though, that he is not contemplating Guantánamo as an alternative destination for those captives."
Not today but tomorrow, who knows? Trump remains unpredictable, constantly contradicts himself. Changes his mind more frequently than most people change their underwear. 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.
9-27-19
Trump is not above the law. No one is. NBC News reports:
"A New York judge on Friday ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath for a civil suit in the Bronx involving his security guards. State Supreme Court Justice Doris Gonzalez ordered Trump to "appear for a videotaped deposition prior to the trial." The trial, which involves a group of protesters who allege they were assaulted by Trump's security guards outside Trump Tower during a 2015 protest over the then-candidate's comments about Mexican immigrants — some of which was caught on video — is slated to begin on Thursday, Sept. 26. The judge rejected the argument of Trump’s attorneys that he should not have to testify because of his duties as president."
Goddamned right.
"Attorney Benjamin Dictor, who's representing the plaintiffs, said: "The decision is not surprising. It may be newsworthy, but it's not surprising. No one is above the law, including the president of the United States." The ruling says Trump's testimony is "indispensable" to the case, since the protesters charge that the bodyguards were working on Trump's behalf."
Why shouldn't Trump be held accountable? No kings or queens in what is supposed to be a democratic republic.
"The judge stopped short of ordering the president to take the witness stand in the Bronx, citing a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a civil case involving sexual harassment allegations against then-President Bill Clinton. That ruling said the testimony of president "may be taken at the White House at a time that will accommodate his busy schedule," and "there would be no necessity for the president to attend in person, though he could elect to do so." Gonzalez also cited a more recent ruling in a New York case, where Trump was ordered to sit for a deposition in a defamation case brought against him by a former "Apprentice" contestant, Summer Zervos."
No one is above the law in a democratic republic. Not even the Trump nazi.
"After the ruling was handed down, Dictor sent Trump attorney Lawrence Rosen a letter asking that he "advise what date, time and location will be made available to appear" to testify. He said he had yet to hear back."
... Couldn't be dragging his feet, could he? 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.
9-27-19
Refugees have the support of the United States military. Think not? Wake up. NBC News reports:
"The Pentagon is fighting against proposals by White House officials to drastically cut the number of refugees allowed into the U.S., and has called for reserving visas for Iraqis who risked their lives working for U.S. troops, according to five people familiar with the plan. In internal discussions, the Defense Department has expressed opposition to any further reductions to the current annual ceiling of 30,000 for refugee admissions, which already is at a historic low for the 40-year-old U.S. refugee program, the sources told NBC News. Defense officials also proposed setting aside about 6,000 slots specifically for Iraqi applicants who worked for U.S. troops as interpreters or in other jobs, according to one current U.S. official, one former U.S. official and three refugee advocates briefed on the deliberations."
If they remain in Iraq, they'll wind up killed.
"The Pentagon has emerged as the lone voice in internal debates defending the traditional role of a refugee program overseen by the State Department, an unusual twist that reflects the administration's aggressive stance on immigration and refugees. The Pentagon's stance is at odds with White House senior adviser Stephen Miller — the architect of the president's sweeping crackdown on immigration — and his allies at the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, who are all proposing deep cuts or even a halt to refugee admissions for the next fiscal year starting in October. The White House, however, is weighing one option that would reduce overall refugee admissions — possibly lowering the cap to 15,000 or lower — while setting aside a certain number of openings for Iraqi applicants, similar to what the Pentagon has proposed, the sources said. Defense officials are making the case that accepting refugees is in the country's national security interest, arguing that it provides a way to support allies who are inundated with refugees fleeing conflict and to promote stability in volatile areas."
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.
9-27-19
The insanity continues. Unabated. In follow up to a recent edition, The Washington Post reports:
"Senior Trump administration officials are considering a plan to again divert billions of dollars in military funding to pay for border barrier construction next year, a way to circumvent congressional opposition to putting more taxpayer money toward the president’s signature project, according to three administration officials."
Constitutionally, Congress controls the purse strings, not the president.
"The president has pledged to complete nearly 500 miles of new barrier by the 2020 election — stirring chants of “Build the Wall!” at his campaign rallies. But that construction goal will require a total of $18.4 billion in funding through 2020, far more than the administration has publicly disclosed, the administration’s latest internal projections show. Planning documents obtained by The Washington Post show the cost of building 509 miles of barriers averages out to more than $36 million per mile. The documents also show that the government would need to obtain — either by eminent-domain claims or purchases — land that lies under nearly 200 miles of proposed barrier.
"The White House also has requested $5 billion for barrier funding in 2020 through the Department of Homeland Security budget, but if that money is not approved, the administration plans to dip into the Pentagon’s construction budget for the second consecutive year to get another $3.6 billion, said the officials familiar with the plan. The Democratic majority in the House is adamantly opposed to providing additional funding for the project."
Total waste of taxpayer dollars. A wall can be gone over, under, or through. There are far better ways of controlling the border.
"If the administration carries out the plan, the White House will have defied Congress to divert a total of $7.2 billion of Defense Department funds over two years, money that would otherwise pay to repair or upgrade U.S. military installations."
That's a problem. A big problem.
"Trump’s urgency about barrier construction has unnerved top aides responsible for the project’s completion, and it also has raised new concerns about potential shortcuts in contracting and procurement procedures. Two days after the White House meeting, the head of the House Oversight and Reform Committee sent a letter to Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, the head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, asking for a briefing on border barrier procurement, saying the committee was investigating whether regular contracting processes were being bypassed to build the structure more quickly. Committee Chairman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) said lawmakers also were troubled by revelations in The Post that President Trump had urged the Corps of Engineers to steer contracts to North Dakota-based Fisher Industries, a company whose top executive is a GOP donor and frequent guest on Fox News."
If true, blatant corruption.
"Cummings’s letter cited concerns that the Corps of Engineers “is being pressured to bypass regular contracting processes in order to complete construction more quickly.” The committee gave a Friday deadline for Semonite to provide the briefing, according to the letter. The Corps of Engineers also has been directed to hand over information about border construction bids to Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who has promoted Fisher Industries to Trump. Cramer has said he has been “deputized” by the president to ensure that barrier construction remains on track.
"The administration’s financial maneuvers have drawn significant criticism from lawmakers who accuse the White House of undermining military readiness to fund a project closely tied to the president’s reelection campaign."
Shameless, blatant corruption.
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.
9-27-19
The following is achingly pitiful. Quite sad justice has come down to this. NPR reports:
"In an exclusive interview with NPR, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she has not changed her mind on pursuing impeachment but she is ready to change the law to restrain presidential power and to make it clear that a sitting president can, in fact, be indicted."
Jesus Christ. How did it ever come down to this? The Founders? Spinning in their graves. Ever think they thought the president above the law while in office?
"I do think that we will have to pass some laws that will have clarity for future presidents. [A] president should be indicted, if he's committed a wrongdoing — any president. There is nothing anyplace that says the president should not be indicted," Pelosi told All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro and NPR congressional correspondent Susan Davis on Friday. "That's something cooked up by the president's lawyers. That's what that is. But so that people will feel 'OK, well, if he — if he does something wrong, [he] should be able to be indicted.' "
Jesus Christ. You goddamned Democrats are so gutless you wouldn't even schedule a formal vote on an impeachment inquiry. Won't hold these stonewalling sons of bitches in contempt of Congress. You callously place partisan interests ahead of principle. You're no better than Republicans. Just different.
"The California Democrat said that while it is Justice Department protocol not to pursue any charges against an incumbent — the reason former special counsel Robert Mueller said he couldn't charge President Trump with a crime no matter the outcome of his report — that should be changed. "The Founders could never suspect that a president would be so abusive of the Constitution of the United States, that the separation of powers would be irrelevant to him and that he would continue, any president would continue, to withhold facts from the Congress, which part of the constitutional right of inquiry," Pelosi said."
This outrageously corrupt, abusive, fascist son of a bitch in the Oval Office, no more than a dictator, should have long since been impeached in the House, convicted in the Senate. Think the public and Republicans in the Senate wouldn't have been forced to go along if presented with a formal impeachment inquiry in the House where crime after crime was laid out in explicit detail?
"The constitutional recourse for a lawbreaking president per the Constitution is impeachment. Article II, Section 4 instructs that Congress "shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." But despite the growing chants among Democrats for an impeachment inquiry in the House, Pelosi has remained reluctant about the recourse. She fears it could alienate swing voters ahead of next year's elections and imperil moderate Democrats who were critical to her party taking back the House last November."
Goddamned gutless of the Speaker. Clearly, in her mind, partisan interests trump principle. She's not fit for office.
"Pelosi did not shift her position on impeachment and said Congress would continue to follow "the facts and the law."
Goddamned gutless bullshit. Hollow, blatant double talk.
"The speaker also said Congress should also clarify the limits of when a president can invoke a national emergency. "The president should not be able to interpret the National Security Act as something that gives him free rein to do anything he wants by his personal declaration that something is an emergency," she said."
So what else is new?
"Pressure could be ramped up on Pelosi and Democrats to act further amid reports that Trump had an improper conversation with a foreign leader, which a whistleblower within the intelligence community then reported. The conversation is reported to have been urging Ukraine to look into former Vice President Joe Biden — the current Democratic presidential front-runner who could be Trump's 2020 foe — and his son Hunter Biden. Trump has said the conversation was "totally appropriate." Pelosi called the whistleblower's complaint "very alarming" and said "this is in a different class in terms of [Trump's] behavior." "This case has a national security piece to it that is very alarming. It is very alarming because the inspector general is appointed by President Trump." She said the law is clear that the information must be submitted to the intelligence committees in Congress. "Right now they are breaking the law" by not providing that information, she said."
So what else is new?
"In a statement released after the NPR interview, Pelosi went even further, saying the reports raise "grave, urgent concerns for our national security" and that the president and his administration must conduct "our national security and foreign policy in the best interest of the American people, not the President's personal interest." "If the President has done what has been alleged," she said, "then he is stepping into a dangerous minefield with serious repercussions for his Administration and our democracy."
Where's the formal impeachment inquiry, Madam Speaker? You're all talk, no action.
NPR reports:
"President Trump vowed on Tuesday that he would release a transcript of his phone call from earlier this year with Ukraine's president."
NPR reports:
"After months of expressing caution on a push for impeachment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump Tuesday. "The president must be held accountable," Pelosi said. "No one is above the law."
The Washington Post reports:
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump, a dramatic turnaround by the Democratic leader that sets up a constitutional and political clash pitting the Congress against the nation’s chief executive. “The actions of the Trump presidency have revealed the dishonorable fact of the president’s betrayal of his oath of office, betrayal of our national security and betrayal of the integrity of our elections,” Pelosi said in brief remarks. “Therefore, today, I am announcing the House of Representatives is moving forward with an official impeachment inquiry.”
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9-27-19
The following is egregiously un-American. Right Wing Nazi. Befitting of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, not the president of the United States. The Washington Post reports:
"The Trump administration has reached an accord that could allow the United States to turn away asylum seekers at the U.S. border and send them to El Salvador to seek refuge, pushing migrants into one of the most dangerous countries in the world. The deal between the two governments is the latest in a series of policies aimed at creating new layers of deterrents to the influx of migrants applying for protection on U.S. soil."
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.
9-27-19
The states fight back. NPR reports:
"Just two days after the Trump administration revoked California's right to set its own emissions standards for automobiles, the state has fired back. California, 22 other states and several major cities filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is the division of the Department of Transportation that issued the rule revoking California's authority. The move "exceeds NHTSA's authority, contravenes Congressional intent, and is arbitrary and capricious, and because NHTSA has failed to conduct the analysis required under the National Environmental Policy Act," states the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The National Environmental Policy Act, signed into law in 1970, is considered a kind of "national charter" for regulating the protection of the environment. "Two courts have already upheld California's emissions standards, rejecting the argument the Trump Administration resurrects to justify its misguided Preemption Rule," California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement released Friday. "Yet, the Administration insists on attacking the authority of California and other states to tackle air pollution and protect public health." Becerra and his 23 co-plaintiffs — which comprise Democratic attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia, as well as the cities of Los Angeles and New York — are demanding that the Trump administration's move be declared unlawful and be repealed."
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.
9-27-19
Violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause is dearly costing the states. The Washington Post reports:
"In the past four years, taxpayers in states trying to restrict abortion access have paid almost $10 million in attorney fees for abortion providers. That price tag is likely to keep growing as more abortion restrictions are challenged, including three in federal courts today. In an effort to overturn Roe v. Wade, these states are passing laws that severely limit or prohibit abortion, hoping that the courts will uphold them. But when, instead, those new laws are thrown out, the state has to pay the legal expenses for the abortion advocates. That puts taxpayers in the position of having to pay for the attorneys on both sides of abortion battles that often last for years. This is the result of a special provision that allows the courts to order reimbursement to people who successfully challenge laws that violate civil rights. The most recent — and by far largest — recent reimbursement was ordered by a federal judge in Texas last month, awarding $2.3 million to the lawyers who successfully blocked a state law to limit abortions. When abortion limits are overturned, the courts can order states to pay the lawyers for the other side. The figures below don’t include fees for the state’s legal team.
"Although the Center for Reproductive Rights was part of the legal team that received the $2.3 million reimbursement award in Texas, senior staff attorney Jenny Ma said the money should be going elsewhere. “The saddest part is that these states are spending hard-earned taxpayer money defending lawsuits,” Ma said, “when they could be using those funds to support their citizens.”
Who the hell is the Nazi Right to force its outrageously perverse religious views on the rest of us in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion? 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.
9-27-19
The following is egregiously un-American. Right wing nazi. The Trump regime has once again disgraced itself and the United States. NPR reports:
"The Trump administration is calling on U.N. member nations to oppose efforts to promote access to abortion internationally, a move immediately criticized by reproductive rights groups seeking greater access to the services globally. At a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar spoke on behalf of the U.S. and more than a dozen other countries stating that abortion is not an international human right. "We do not support references to ambiguous terms and expressions such as 'sexual and reproductive health and rights' in U.N. documents, because they can undermine the critical role of the family and promote practices like abortion in circumstances that do not enjoy international consensus and which can be misinterpreted by U.N. agencies," Azar said. The remarks came at a U.N. summit focused largely on climate change and health care. Azar was joined by representatives from countries including Brazil, Poland and Iraq in making the statement, which was signed by a total of 19 countries including the United States. "There is no international right to an abortion, and these terms should not be used to promote pro-abortion policies and measures," Azar added. "Further, we only support sex education that appreciates the protective role of the family in this education."
This traitorous nazi does not speak for the majority of Americans who do believe in abortion rights. This fascist piece of human excrement has abrogated his oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution. Specifically, the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion.
"The United States is isolated. Their position is extreme," Kowalski, of IWHC, said in an interview with NPR. "They read their statement in conjunction with countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain — which are hardly champions of women's rights. And if they're the countries that the U.S. is aligning themselves with, then I think we're right to dismiss that they have any moral stake in this battle."
No kidding. Moreover:
"Caitlin Horrigan, director of advocacy at Planned Parenthood Global, released a statement saying, in part, "It should come as no surprise the Trump-Pence administration is lobbying other countries to join them in working to undermine sexual and reproductive rights on a global scale at the United Nations. From day one, the Trump-Pence administration has tried to take away access to birth control and safe, legal abortion."
Without question. Moreover:
"Horrigan noted that one of Trump's early acts after his inauguration in 2017 was to reinstate what's known as the "Mexico City" policy, which prohibits U.S. federal dollars from going to organizations that provide or "promote" abortions overseas. The administration has taken similar steps domestically, issuing new rules earlier this year barring federal family planning funds from being granted to organizations that provide or refer patients for abortion."
Who the hell are Republican nazis, including the Trump nazi and his henchmen, to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus? Aryan arrogance. Raw nazism. Adolf and Benito? Wildly cheering on their fiery perches.
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.
9-27-19
The following is the price paid for lack of regulation. CBS News reports:
"Frank Esposito says it started last March with unrelenting back pain. He could barely move, and an MRI soon showed a bulge in his spine. A specialist told him to go to the closest hospital — immediately. Doctors at the emergency room said he needed surgery. The herniation was so severe it could cut his nerve, Esposito said, and render him paralyzed. The surgery was a success, but then the bills started coming: over $650,000 in all. His insurance company said his back surgery didn't qualify as an emergency and wasn't medically necessary. "What was my choice? Just be paralyzed for the rest of my life?" asks Esposito, a tool and die maker from Long Island, New York. "Then to get these bills that were so overwhelming. You say, this can't be real, I mean, I really don't have to pay this. How am I gonna pay this? And you sit there. And you start cryin' 'cause you don't know what you're gonna do." Four in 10 consumers said they'd received a surprise medical bill in the previous year, according to a 2018 poll by Kaiser Health. Half of those bills were over $500."
No regulation. No transparency.
"Dr. Aaron Carroll is a pediatrician and health services researcher who says there is no transparency in health care. "This is somebody who's in pain, who is, you know, immobile. And now has been told, 'OK, you might be paralyzed unless you run to the hospital.' How are they supposed to become good shoppers, and make complex, rational decisions? They're going to say, 'Please tell me what to do, because that's your job,'" Carroll said. Even if it's not an emergency, CBS News and ClearHealthCosts found there can be surprising swings in what a procedure or test can cost. We surveyed cash prices in two major metro areas: Dallas-Fort Worth and San Francisco. A simple blood test in the Dallas-Fort Worth area ranged from $10 to $176, and from $15 to $126 around San Francisco."
Report goes on and on. These hopelessly greedy bastards charge what they want. No rhyme or reason. Unbridled greed. Laissez-faire capitalism, that is, either no regulation or extremely poor regulation.
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.
9-27-19
Germany has been remarkably adept at bringing Nazi war criminals to justice since the end of the Second World War. The following is one, who although convicted in France, escaped punishment. ABC News reports:
"Karl Muenter, a former SS soldier who was convicted in France of a wartime massacre but who never served any time for his crimes, has died in northwestern Germany. He was 96. Marcus Tischbier, a representative of the district mayor's office in Nordstemmen, the village where Muenter lived, confirmed Monday that he died on Friday. He had no further details. Muenter was a sergeant with the 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitler Youth," which was responsible for the massacre of 86 men in Ascq, France in April 1944, about two months before the Allied D-Day landings. After partisans blew up a railroad line being used to shuttle German troops to Normandy, Muenter and other members of the division were ordered to arrest all males in the town. The victims, ranging from teenagers to the elderly, were lined up and shot."
Sound familiar? Think the same couldn't happen here as our formerly great country continues to nazify?
"He was convicted in absentia of war crimes and sentenced to death by a French court after the war, along with other participants in the massacre. But by the time he was tracked down in 2013 in the Lower Saxony village where he lived by the great-grandson of one of the Ascq victims, the statute of limitations had passed. German prosecutors opened a new investigation of Muenter on suspicion of his being an accessory to murder, but had to shelve the case after determining they couldn't charge him again for the same crime. In a strange twist, prosecutors in Hildesheim charged Muenter earlier this year with incitement after he appeared on a television documentary in which he defended the shooting of the prisoners in Ascq and disputed the Nazi Holocaust."
... As did other Nazi war criminals.
"Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany and prosecutors opened their investigation after Muenter appeared on the ARD public television show in 2018. In the documentary, he said he had not shot anyone personally in Ascq, but maintained that the killings were justified because the prisoners had tried to escape. "If I arrest the men, then I have the responsibility for them and if they run away, I have a right to shoot them," he said. He also disputed the fact that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, saying "we didn't have that many Jews here at that time, that's already been disproved." ARD also reported that Muenter had close ties to neo-Nazi groups in recent years, talking to them about his experiences in the SS. His incitement case was still pending trial when he died."
Coup de grace? Get this:
"Upon learning of his death, today's mayor of Villeneuve-d'Ascq, Gerard Caudron, told the local La Voix Du Nord newspaper: "there's another reason for me not to end up in hell, so I don't meet him there."
Indeed. Truer words never spoken.
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.
9-20-19
Once again, the United States Supreme Court disgraced itself. Rubberstamped the Trump nazi. NPR reports:
"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration may curtail asylum applications at the southern border while a legal challenge to the new rule is litigated in court. By a vote of 7-2, the justices said the administration can enforce a rule announced in July requiring migrants to first seek asylum in the country through which they traveled to get to the United States, commonly referred by U.S. officials as "a third country."
Convoluted bullshit. Migrants are already enduring violence in Mexico while awaiting processing. This ruling, a massive failure of a clueless nazi high court.
"In its order, the court did not explain the reasoning for its decision. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented. "Once again the Executive Branch has issued a rule that seeks to upend longstanding practices regarding refugees who seek shelter from persecution," Sotomayor wrote. "Although this Nation has long kept its doors open to refugees — and although the stakes for asylum seekers could not be higher — the Government implemented its rule without first providing the public notice and inviting the public input generally required by law," she said. Migrant advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that the administration implemented the rule without abiding by administrative law requirements, such [as] public notice and comment."
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.
9-20-19
Symbolism over substance. CBS News reports:
"The House Judiciary Committee voted on Thursday in favor of a new resolution formalizing the impeachment inquiry and further intensifying its investigation into President Trump amid a growing chorus of Democrats to hold the president accountable for his actions. The vote fell along party lines 24-17. While mostly technical, the committee's vote also moves to install new procedures for its inquiry, allowing committee chairman Jerry Nadler to designate which committee and subcommittee hearings are related to the probe, give committee counsel extra time to question witnesses and receive evidence in closed executive session. Nadler, on Monday, referred to his committee's actions as an "impeachment inquiry," but he did not refer to the inquiry as "formal." "It has been an impeachment inquiry and it continues to be...We are examining the various malfeasances of the president with the view toward possibly, the possibility, of introducing, of recommending articles of impeachment to the House. That is what an impeachment inquiry is," Nadler told reporters in the Capitol Monday."
Crock of crap. Same old shit. Gutless Democrats continue to drag their feet. Place partisan interests ahead of principle.
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has continued to urge her colleagues to pursue other means to holding the president and administration accountable, rather than impeachment. Pelosi has been adamant in her talks with the Democratic caucus that the public still isn't supportive of taking such a serious step. Nadler argues that his committee is bound to continue its probe."
Pelosi is the problem. The public, when irrefutably confronted with Trump's ongoing criminal behavior, would ultimately get in line as the probe continues. If not, gets what it truly deserves. -- Stupidity is always ultimately rewarded. ... One way or the other. Forget? 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.
9-20-19
The Nazi Right is at it again. CBS News reports:
"It hasn't been a good year for anti-abortion activists in Illinois."
Tough shit. Who the hell are these narrow minded fascists to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus?
"While other states across the Midwest and South were busy passing abortion bans this spring, Illinois went the other direction. Over Memorial Day weekend, lawmakers in Springfield passed the "Reproductive Health Act," a more than 100-page piece of legislation that expands access to abortion and codifies the procedure into law as a "fundamental right." When Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the legislation on June 12, he said the abortion protections in the law made the state a "national leader in protecting reproductive rights."
About time legislators stood up for liberty. Instead of desperately trying to impose their outrageously perverse ideological and religious views on others by statute.
"Not everyone is happy about that."
Tough shit.
"Mary Kate Knorr, the executive director for Illinois Right to Life, told CBS News that she's "disgusted" by the new laws and that they've made Illinois the "abortion capital of the Midwest."
Horse shit. Unadulterated hyperbole. Don't want to abort? Don't. Don't, however, force your outrageously perverse religious views on others by statute. -- That's what's truly disgusting, Ms. Knorr.
"That's why she's embarking on an over 20-event tour of intimate, fireside chats around the state. She's hoping to unify and strengthen activists who oppose abortion in Illinois and ultimately repeal the law."
This outrageously clueless, achingly fascist element in our formerly great country, needs to be soundly defeated. Liberty demands 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.
9-20-19
More of the same. Only, worse. CBS News reports:
"Violence against abortion clinics hit a record high last year. Doctors say it's getting worse."
Comes as no surprise, does it? The Nazi Right in our formerly great country remains hell bent on forcing its perverse ideological and religious views on all. Raw nazism in a de facto fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"For one of the last abortion doctors in Missouri, harassment, stalking and death threats are a part of regular life. But this year, it's been worse than ever. Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri, is one of many providers who told CBS News they've seen an uptick in violence this year, both against themselves and their clinics. They say the increased harassment has coincided with newly enacted state laws restricting legal abortion and polarizing rhetoric surrounding the procedure."
These laws are outrageously unconstitutional. First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion. If these fascist bastards can't end abortion by statute, apparently, they're more than willing to do it through violence:
"The National Abortion Federation has been tracking violence against abortion providers and clinics since 1977. The Very Reverend Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, an Episcopal priest and interim president & chief executive officer of the organization, said the violence that providers face today is "beyond anything we've ever seen before." "We're seeing a dramatic increase in violence and disruption against clinics," she said in an exclusive interview with CBS News. In 2017, violent acts against abortion providers more than doubled from the year prior, according to data compiled by NAF. The group recorded 1,081 violent acts, the most since the group began tracking these incidents. Last year, the group recorded another new record high: 1,369 reported violent acts, including 15 instances of assault and battery, 13 burglaries, 14 counts of stalking and over a thousand episodes of illegal trespassing. In interviews with nearly one dozen clinics, including McNicholas's St. Louis Planned Parenthood, providers say the situation is getting worse. In August alone, three young men were arrested for threatening mass shootings against Planned Parenthood facilities. At the home of one of the suspects, authorities seized 15 rifles, 10 semi-automatic pistols, and 10,000 rounds of ammunition during a raid."
Government has created this problem by doing all it can to deny women their constitutional right to abortion as affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade in January, 1973. Consequently, law enforcement needs to protect these clinics, employees, and women who seek their services. Clearly, this is not happening.
"As Missouri has emerged on the front lines of the nation's debate over abortion access, McNicholas has become the face of that battle. She's been a staple at nearly every protest, courtroom hearing and press conference. But becoming a vocal defender of abortion access in Missouri has made her a target. Protesters have followed her coming to and from work. In the midst of fighting a very public battle to keep the clinic in operation, McNicholas told CBS News that she was advised to increase the security protocols at her home. She declined to give specifics for safety reasons. Security protocols at the clinic are constantly under review, said a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood."
Law enforcement needs to step up. Do its job.
"Ragsdale and the providers interviewed by CBS News said they've seen a direct correlation between the rise in violence and the wave of anti-abortion legislation passed this year. So far in 2019, lawmakers in the South and Midwest have passed 58 restrictions, nearly half of which would ban the vast majority of abortions in their respective states, according to data compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights and reproductive health research organization."
The nazi element in our formerly great country has no clue what liberty means. If a woman is not free to do with HER uterus as she damn well pleases, she is not free. Neither are any of the rest of us. What's next? Who's next? Wake up.
"Julie Burkhart, the founder and chief executive officer of Trust Women, a network of abortion clinics, knows firsthand the potential danger that abortion providers face. Ten years ago, her mentor, Dr. George Tiller, was assassinated at church by an anti-abortion extremist. At the time, Tiller was a high-profile abortion doctor, known nationally for providing the procedure later into women's pregnancies. In an interview with CBS News, Burkhart said today's anti-abortion environment feels similar to that of 2009. "I'm just so unsettled and fearful that we're going to see people hurt," she said. "My boss was murdered. I fear that we're going to have the same horrible outcome."
If law enforcement won't do its job, clinics will have to hire well-armed, highly-trained security personnel:
"Ragsdale said anti-abortion violence tends to go hand in hand with anti-abortion legislation, adding that "you can pretty much always draw a line from public rhetoric to violence." Inflammatory language — like referring to abortion as "infanticide" and doctors as "baby killers" — can be a "dog whistle" to anti-abortion extremists and can push them into action, Ragsdale said."
Apparently, that's precisely the intent of nazi Republican legislators.
"At Whole Women's Health, a network of seven abortion clinics across Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Texas and Virginia, anti-abortion protesters are a constant, said Amy Hagstrom Miller, the group's chief executive officer and president. But earlier this year, as states were passing abortion bans and federal lawmakers considered the "Born-Alive" bill, the situation worsened, Miller said in an interview with CBS News. "These aggressive bills that keep getting introduced have a tone to them that's incredibly fringe and introduces violent language," Miller said, noting that in Alabama's legislation for a near total ban on abortion, lawmakers compared the procedure to the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge "killing fields," and other modern genocides."
Nazis in the Republican Party seem to have conveniently ignored, and/or forgotten abortion was indeed illegal in Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy.
"This spring, protesters scaled her clinic's fences, blocked clients from entering the parking lots and even stopped patients from closing their cars' doors as they tried to leave, Miller said. In April, her clinic in McAllen, Texas, was the target of an arson attack, something Miller believed to be directly related to President Trump's comments on the Senate's failed "Born-Alive" bill, legislation that would require doctors to resuscitate infants born after a "botched abortion."
Where is law enforcement? Shirking its responsibilities? Too busy killing innocent, unarmed civilians?
"However, as many abortion rights advocates pointed out at the time, the instance described in the bill "virtually doesn't happen." Even if it did, it's already covered: a bill passed in 2002 already requires physicians to provide that care."
Matters not to the nazi element in the GOP. -- Anything to make it more difficult and/or impossible to exercise a constitutional right. Shameless, traitorous, treasonous nazis.
"At the time of the vote, in a pair of tweets, Mr. Trump said, "the Democrat position on abortion is now so extreme that they don't mind executing babies AFTER birth."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL. Trump is a congenital liar. Has no credibility. No principles. No morality. No honor. No more than a self-serving, narcissistic fascist. Wake up.
"When you put something like that out there, it can motivate anti-choice people to act," Senator Mazie Hirono, a Democrat from Hawaii, said in an interview with CBS News. "That's what happens when you call a whole bunch of people 'baby killers.' The rhetoric is very, very harmful." Hirono spoke out strongly against the legislation and her position — and subsequent vote against the bill — earned her "hundreds" of threatening voicemails and emails, some of which were death threats that required her to increase her office's security, Hirono told CBS News. "I'm really afraid that this kind of language will motivate people to do something harmful and violent," Hirono said."
This is precisely why the Second Amendment is so extremely precious. When government is out of control, hopelessly corrupt, abusive, murderous, it indeed remains the last best defense of liberty. As intended by the Founders.
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.
9-20-19
Austin continues to do what it can to peacefully resist nazis in the Republican Party vis a vis abortion restrictions. NPR reports:
"Austin is about to become the first city in the U.S. to fund groups that help women who seek abortions pay for related logistical costs, such as a babysitter, a hotel room or transportation. The move is an effort to push back against a new Texas law that went into effect Sept. 1. The state law bans local governments from giving money to groups that provide abortions — even if that money doesn't pay for the actual procedure."
Raw nazism. Courtesy of national socialists, fascists in the Republican Party who remain hell bent on dictating to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus.
"Last week, the Austin City Council approved a line item for the city's latest budget that, as of Oct. 1, sets aside $150,000 to pass along to nonprofits led by abortion rights activists that provide "logistical support services" for low-income women in the city. Supporters of the new city budget item describe it as a unique workaround to the state's law, because none of these groups actually provide abortions. "The city has to find creative ways to help vulnerable communities in our city, and I see this as just another way," says Councilwoman Delia Garza, Austin's mayor pro tem. John Seago, the legislative director for Texas Right to Life, says that though Austin is not violating the letter of the state law, its leaders are clearly violating "the principle" behind it."
Uncommon Valor. Exceptional courage to resist the nazi element in our formerly great country. To these traitorous delusional fascists, 'liberty' perversely remains the 'freedom' to do what you're told. ... What they tell you to do.
... What they determine to be moral, ethical. -- As dictated by outrageously unconstitutional statutes callously designed to abrogate the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is, freedom from religion. Welcome to Nazi America.
"The Legislature did not believe that it is ethical to use taxpayer dollars to benefit the abortion industry," Seago says."
Who the hell are goddamned 'legislators' to force their outrageously perverse religious views on the rest of us by statute in direct violation of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, that is freedom from religion?
"So whether it is the clinic itself, whether it is paying for the procedure itself, there is an industry built around that that we don't want to use taxpayer dollars to benefit."
Tough shit. You, and those who 'think' like you don't get to make that call. Outrageously, unconstitutional.
"Shortly after the city's budget was passed last week, former Austin Councilman Don Zimmerman sued the city in an effort to block the funding. In his lawsuit, filed in a Travis County district court, Zimmerman claimed "this expenditure of taxpayer money violates the state's abortion laws." Supporters of Austin's effort say the budget item is on solid legal ground. They also say it's an important step in ensuring that low-income women, at least locally, can obtain legal abortions in a state that has been steadily scaling back access to the procedure in the past decade."
Shamefully, so. Direct abrogation of their oaths of office these fascist bastards took as 'legislators.'
"Erika Galindo, an organizer with the Lilith Fund, told the Austin City Council during a meeting this summer that Austin should take a stand as some cities pass all-out bans on abortion. In fact, earlier in the summer, Waskom — a small city in East Texas — banned the procedure and declared itself the state's first "sanctuary city for the unborn." "The city of Austin has an opportunity to set a new standard for creative and equitable solutions for communities at a time when state lawmakers and local governments like Waskom's city council have turned their backs on low-wage workers and women of color," Galindo said."
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.
9-20-19
Trump continues to line his pockets off the presidency. The Washington Post reports:
"Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are scheduled to speak this week at President Trump’s hotel in Washington — lending their names to events put on by a paying customer of Trump’s private business."
That's a problem. A big problem.
"The planned speeches suggest that President Trump and his Cabinet are not shying away from events that drive revenue to Trump’s company, even after multiple stories have brought new scrutiny to the blurring of lines between Trump’s business and presidency."
The Founders? Spinning in their graves.
"Pence is scheduled to speak Thursday night at the hotel, during a gala put on by the Concerned Women for America, a 40-year-old conservative nonprofit that says it promotes “Biblical values and Constitutional principles.” Tickets to that event previously cost at least $99, but are no longer for sale, according to the nonprofit’s website. Pompeo will speak at a separate event at the Trump hotel on Friday, a “celebration luncheon” held by the same conservative group, his staff said. Neither the conservative group nor the Trump Organization answered questions about how much these events cost. But similar events in the hotel’s ballrooms have cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to hotel documents reviewed by The Washington Post."
The hypocrisy? Stunning. Forget?
"Pompeo and Pence visit the hotel at a time when Trump and his administration seem to be giving up on a bedrock promise of his presidency: that he would never use his public power to boost his private business. “I will be leaving my great business in total,” Trump said before he took office. He kept ownership of the business, but said he would follow self-imposed guidelines to avoid even the appearance that he was intermingling the presidency and his business."
Clearly, lied.
"But in the last few weeks, both Trump and top aides have made repeated moves that brought publicity, revenue, or both to Trump properties. In the last month alone, Trump proposed holding the massive Group of Seven summit of world leaders at his own struggling golf resort in Doral, Fla. In addition, The Post reported that Attorney General William P. Barr has booked a ballroom at Trump’s Washington hotel for a large holiday party, which will cost in excess of $30,000. And Pence built a major detour into an official, taxpayer-funded trip to Ireland that allowed him to stay at a Trump-owned golf resort, 140 miles away from his meetings. Pence’s staff said Trump had “suggested” Pence stay at the hotel, after learning that Pence wanted to visit a cousin in the same town, though Trump has disputed that. Afterward, the Democratic-led House Oversight Committee said it was launching an investigation into whether Pence had acted improperly to enrich the 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.
9-20-19
A portend of far worse to come. ABC News reports:
"A Republican lawmaker from Texas made what Beto O'Rourke called a "death threat" against the Democratic presidential candidate on Twitter, prompting a report to the FBI. It began on the stage of the third Democratic presidential candidate's debate Thursday night. In response to a question about his proposal that owners of assault weapons be forced to sell them to the government, O'Rourke said, "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47."
A mistake. A big mistake. Could trigger the unthinkable. ... An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution.
"The comment was met with sustained applause and the candidate's account later tweeted the line.
"Hell
yes, we're gonna take your AR-15.
—
Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 13, 2019"
Aggressive stupidity at its very worst. Coming from a Democratic candidate desperate to remain in the race.
Gets worse. Far worse:
"Texas state Rep. Brisco Cain, a pro-gun, Republican lawmaker, responded on Twitter, "My AR is ready for you Robert Francis."
Jesus Christ. Particularly
stunning coming from a sitting lawmaker.
.
"O'Rourke's birth name
is Robert Francis O'Rourke, and he has been mocked by Republican lawmakers
for using his nickname, Beto."
Fascinating, isn't it? All the above, highly indicative of how extremely divided we are as a nation.
"Within hours, Twitter removed the tweet for violating its terms of service, but not before O'Rourke took a screenshot. He responded with his own tweet, saying, "This is a death threat, Representative. Clearly, you shouldn't own an AR-15—and neither should anyone else." Cain replied, "You're a child Robert Francis."
Jesus Christ. ... Hear the rumble?
"The O'Rourke campaign is reporting the original tweet from Cain to the FBI, a campaign official told ABC News.
"You're
a child Robert Francis https://t.co/rU3WoYQFQV
—
(@BriscoeCain) September 13, 2019
"Twitter users responded with disbelief, and Cain called one commenter "an idiot."
"You're
an idiot.
—
(@BriscoeCain) September 13, 2019
"Cain is a member of the Texas House of Representatives for House District 128, which covers an area east of Houston, where the debate was held. He is a member of the newly formed Texas Freedom Caucus and has been outspoken against O'Rourke's proposed ban and mandatory buy-back. Earlier this month, he wrote on Twitter, addressing O'Rourke, "I'll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold dead hands."
The above is certainly indicative of precisely how dangerously divided our formerly great country remains.
NBC News reports:
"Cain's tweet was heavily ratioed on Twitter, meaning it received more outraged comments than likes or retweets. Within three hours, 3,400 people had commented on the post, and 89 people retweeted it."
Sadly, we're losing our 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.
9-20-19
The U.S. Air Force is reacting strongly to national security risks arising due to budget cuts imposed by Trump to finance his border wall. NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump's plan to pay for his proposed border wall by taking funds from more than four dozen Air Force military construction projects poses various national security risks for the U.S. armed forces, according to a report compiled by the U.S. Air Force. The report, obtained by NBC News, details the importance of each of the 51 military projects chosen by the Trump administration to lose their funding, including construction of a new gate to address a growing security concern at an overseas U.S. base, projects to build facilities to safely store more than $1 billion in munitions overseas, and even replacing a boiler whose failure is "imminent" and could cause the evacuation of an entire base in Alaska."
The above a true threat to national security ignorantly imposed by Trump and his henchmen for outrageously self-serving political reasons:
"President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in February in an effort to circumvent Congress and fund the wall he had promised to build along the U.S. border with Mexico, citing "an invasion of our country with drugs, with human traffickers, will[with] all types of criminals and gangs."
Constitutionally, Trump doesn't control the purse strings. Congress does. The wall is ineffective. Can be gone under, over, or through. There are better ways of controlling what goes on at the border.
"At Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, the entry-control point at the main gate is "degrading and not properly configured to provide proper protection for pedestrian and vehicle passage," the Air Force report says, adding there has been a "higher threat environment" there since the U.S. began operating in Syria. "Security breaches have increased since the base began Operation Inherent Resolve Support," the report says. "If not funded, the main gate remains vulnerable to hostile penetration in the midst of contingency operations and an increased terrorist threat."
"In the Pacific region, money for a project to build facilities to store more than $1 billion in munitions at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam was diverted to the wall, endangering the largest munitions stockpile in the region, according to the report. Pacific Air Forces rely on the munitions stored at Andersen Air Force Base for both exercises and during combat operations in wartime. If the munitions are not properly stored, they may not be functional, affecting operations of fighter aircraft and bombers, the report says.
"At Eielsen Air Force Base in Alaska, a boiler failure at a facility that provides all electrical power and steam heat for the base is "imminent," the report says. With temperatures as low as 65 degrees below zero, a failure would be devastating to facilities and the missions housed by them within hours." The base would be forced to evacuate within hours and once closed "would freeze and require millions of dollars of repair to return to usable conditions."
"The safety of one dozen F/A-22 aircraft and the supporting personnel at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, are at risk, because of aircraft firing engines inside shelters that are not adequately vented. The project would have upgraded hardened aircraft shelters for the attack aircraft, and without it they "will have no shelter facilities in case of enemy attack, making the assets vulnerable to destruction."
No problem with any of the above? No concern?
"Roughly $1.8 billion will be taken from projects in the continental United States and $1.8 billion from projects overseas. The $3.6 billion is expected to construct 175 miles of wall along the southern border."
For 175 miles of border. Anything wrong with this picture? Anything 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.
9-20-19
Most military veterans assure this publication they've received good care from the Veterans Administration. Hopefully, the following is a rare exception. CBS News reports:
"A Georgia woman says her father was bitten more than 100 times by ants at a government veterans' home where his room was full of insects. Laquna Ross found her father Joel Marrable with swollen, red bumps all over his body when she visited him at the nursing home near Atlanta last week before his death, she told WSB-TV. The Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam was dying of cancer, Ross said. "His room had ants, the ceiling, the walls, the beds," Ross said. "They were everywhere." "The staff member says to me, 'When we walked in here, we thought Mr. Marrable was dead. We thought he wasn't even alive, because the ants were all over him,'" she added."
Jesus Christ.
"Employees bathed her father and cleaned the room, but the ants were still around the next day, Ross said. Marrable was then moved to a new room, where he died, she said. In a statement, the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Health Care System said it was told the ants were affecting patients. All of the bedrooms at the Eagle's Nest Community Living Center have been cleaned, and a pest control company is monitoring conditions, the VA statement said."
How do conditions get to that point in the first place?
"We would like to express our heartfelt remorse and apology to the Veterans' families and have reached out to them to offer appropriate assistance," the statement said. Ross said that her father served his country, "and I think that he deserved better."
No question.
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.
9-20-19
Think there aren't two systems of justice? One for the top of the food chain, the other for the rest of us. NPR reports:
"Actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison on Friday for paying thousands of dollars to have one of her daughter's SAT scores inflated. She is the first parent to be sentenced in the massive college cheating scandal that has rocked the U.S. higher education system. In addition, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said Huffman must serve 12 months of supervised release, 250 hours of community service and pay a $30,000 fine. In a statement issued after the sentencing, Huffman said, "I accept the court's decision today without reservation. I have always been prepared to accept whatever punishment Judge Talwani imposed. I broke the law. ... There are no excuses or justifications for my actions. Period." She also apologized "to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children." "I can promise you that in the months and years to come that I will try and live a more honest life," Huffman added."
Here's the problem:
"Before the sentence was handed down, prosecutors dismissed Huffman's previous expressions of parental anxiety and concern, saying, "Welcome to parenthood." They pointed to other systematic education fraud cases in which defendants were sentenced to prison time.
"Prosecutors had asked that the film and TV star known for her role in Desperate Housewives be sentenced to a month in prison, saying she acted "out of a sense of entitlement, or at least moral cluelessness." "In the context of this case, neither probation nor home confinement (in a large home in the Hollywood Hills with an infinity pool) would constitute meaningful punishment or deter others from committing similar crimes," prosecutors wrote in Huffman's sentencing memo. "Even a fine at the high end of the applicable Guidelines range would amount to little more than a rounding error for a defendant with a net worth measured in the tens of millions of dollars."
Nazi America. -- Where the top of the food chain receives special treatment, not justice.
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.
9-20-19
Think Microsoft has seen the light? LOL. NPR reports:
"Regulate us. That's the unexpected message from one of the country's leading tech executives. Microsoft President Brad Smith argues that governments need to put some "guardrails" around engineers and the tech titans they serve. If public leaders don't, he says, the Internet giants will cannibalize the very fabric of this country. "We need to work together; we need to work with governments to protect, frankly, something that is far more important than technology: democracy. It was here before us. It needs to be here and healthy after us," Smith says."
Blatant hypocrisy? Or, finally, seeing the light? You decide.
"Microsoft is not in the crosshairs right now. But when it was, back in the 1990s, Smith was the man repeating that well-worn refrain about how regulation kills innovation. "I look at the things that we said; I look at the things I said 20 years ago," he says. "There were many things that we got wrong." According to Smith, the threat that Microsoft posed during its protracted antitrust case was economic. Today, the tech giants — whose tools have been used to interfere in fair and free elections — are posing a much bigger threat to the political stability of many countries, including the U.S. Smith has proposals that are not popular in Silicon Valley. For one, he argues, it's time to reform the U.S. law that says Internet platforms are not liable for just about any of the content running through their pipes — hate speech, death threats and ads for counterfeit goods or illegal guns. That law has enabled Microsoft's competitors — Amazon, Facebook and Google and its subsidiary YouTube — to grow at breakneck speed. "Almost no technology has gone so entirely unregulated, for so long, as digital technology," Smith says."
Here's the hypocrisy and not-so-enlightened self-interest:
"Skeptics say Smith's rhetoric masks an agenda to keep Microsoft on top. A tough law making Internet platforms accountable for content poses a greater threat to the competition than to Microsoft. And calling for regulation doesn't necessarily mean the strongest regulation. Earlier this year, in its home state of Washington, Microsoft pushed back on a facial recognition bill that protected civil rights in favor of a less restrictive bill. And other tech chiefs — including Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg — have said there's a need for some regulation. But Smith goes further and deeper than his peers, by arguing that governments need to probe the fundamentals of the data economy. He poses these questions: Where do our data go? Who gets to call the shots on how our data get used: the few companies — Microsoft included — that have collected the information? "I worry that if all of the data on which the world relies is in the hands of a small number of tech companies, you're going to see a massive transfer of economic wealth," he says."
Already happening. Been happening quite some time. Where've you been?
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.
9-20-19
In follow up to the last edition, The Washington Post reports:
"The New York attorney general’s office announced Friday that it uncovered about $1 billion in wire transfers between the Sackler family, which owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, and international financial institutions, suggesting the family sought to shield its wealth in overseas bank accounts."
How did it go on as long as it did? No oversight?
"On Wednesday, the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma reached a tentative settlement with 23 states and thousands of local governments that sued the company over its role in the opioid crisis. The negotiated terms required the Sacklers to relinquish control of Purdue Pharma but admit to no wrongdoing."
Special treatment. How are they any different than an illicit drug cartel? Why hasn't anyone been prosecuted?
"The wire transfers were released as part of a court filing by Attorney General Letitia James in an ongoing lawsuit in New York, according to the Associated Press. Last month, the New York attorney general’s office issued subpoenas to nearly three dozen banks and advisers of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma in an attempt to determine the full scope of their fortune."
Again, why no criminal prosecution?
Unbridled Aryan arrogance:
"Mortimer D.A. Sackler has defended the offshore transfer of millions of dollars from the company to his family, calling them “perfectly legal and appropriate in every respect,” the Associated Press reported. Instead, he said the attorney general was attempting to “torpedo a mutually beneficial settlement that is supported by so many other states and would result in billions of dollars going to communities and individuals across the country that need help.”
Jesus Christ. Piss hole in the snow. Pittance compared to the true cost of the damage done.
"The negotiated deal, if finalized, would be the first wide-ranging settlement to hold a drug company accountable for its role in the opioid epidemic, which has taken more than 200,000 lives through overdoses since 1999, according to federal statistics. The agreement drew criticism from several Democratic attorneys general — including those from California, Connecticut, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania — who argued the terms were not severe enough."
Nowhere near. Especially galling? No criminal prosecution of the family and the corporate management suite.
"Friday’s court filings suggest Sackler participated in 137 wire transfers, with some as recently as last year, placing millions of dollars in “New York real estate holdings in the name of shell companies.”
... And no criminal prosecution? Why the double standard? Why special treatment for the top of the food chain?
“Their ownership would have been impossible to detect from publicly available records and without access to financial records,” state prosecutors said in the filing, urging the judge to enforce the subpoenas with which the family has not yet complied. “These records have allowed the state to identify previously unknown shell companies that one of the Sackler defendants used to shift Purdue money through accounts around the world and then conceal it in at least two separate multimillion-dollar real estate investments back here in New York.”
... Hear the rumble?
NPR reports:
"New York state Attorney General Letitia James says the family that owns Purdue Pharma, maker of the opioid OxyContin, used Swiss bank accounts to transfer $1 billion from the company to itself. The allegation, which came in court documents filed late Friday, indicates that the Sackler family is trying to keep its wealth free from potential liability in other court cases involving Purdue Pharma's role in the opioid crisis. "While the Sacklers continue to lowball victims and skirt a responsible settlement, we refuse to allow the family to misuse the courts in an effort to shield their financial misconduct," James said in a statement."
Then, why no criminal prosecution of these drug pushing criminals? Why special treatment?
"Records from one financial institution alone have shown approximately $1 billion in wire transfers between the Sacklers, entities they control, and different financial institutions, including those that have funneled funds into Swiss bank accounts," she added. The filing comes after nearly two dozen states and 2,300 local governments reached a tentative settlement with Purdue Pharma to resolve thousands of lawsuits alleging that the company helped fuel the opioid crisis. New York and others states rejected the settlement. James has been critical of the settlement, calling the deal "an insult."
What's truly insulting is special treatment accorded the very top of the food chain.
"The court filing highlights the activities of Mortimer D.A. Sackler, a former Purdue board member. It alleges that Sackler transferred millions of dollars from trust companies, at least one of which was previously unknown, through Swiss bank accounts to himself as early as 2009. Some of the funds were directed to real estate companies that owned Sackler family homes in Manhattan and the Hamptons, the filings said."
Kicker? Get this:
"The New York attorney general's office believes there is much more to be learned about the family's holdings and that information is central to arriving at a just settlement."
Then, why even attempt negotiation of a 'settlement' before the investigation is indeed complete? Aggressive stupidity? Or, some level of duplicity involved? That is, are prosecutors desperately trying to line government coffers with as much ill-gotten Sackler loot as possible while protecting the son of a bitch, his family, and the corporate management suite from criminal prosecution and imprisonment?
"Prosecutors want the court to enforce subpoenas of companies, banks and advisers tied to Purdue and the Sacklers. Forbes estimates the Sackler family fortune at $13 billion, making the Sacklers the 19th wealthiest family in the nation."
Ferociously pointedly, then why so quick to attempt a settlement? Why no criminal prosecution?
NPR reports:
"Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sunday night, just days after striking a settlement with more than 2,000 local governments over its alleged role in creating and sustaining the deadly opioid crisis. The filing in New York follows the Sackler family agreeing to relinquish ownership of the lucrative company. The family also agreed to provide $3 billion in cash over several years and future revenue from the sale of OxyContin to assist communities hardest hit by the opioid epidemic."
Nowhere near enough. Piss hole in the snow. No justice.
"On Sunday, Purdue's board of directors approved the settlement, which includes 24 state attorneys general who sued the company, accusing it of fueling the nationwide addiction crisis by aggressively marketing OxyContin while downplaying its potential for addiction. Following Sunday's bankruptcy filing, the company's board members said the deal struck with the thousands of state and local governments will provide billions to combat the country's opioid crisis."
Egregiously inadequate. Nowhere near covers the cost of the damage done.
"This settlement framework avoids wasting hundreds of millions of dollars and years on protracted litigation, and instead will provide billions of dollars and critical resources to communities across the country trying to cope with the opioid crisis," said Steve Miller, chairman of Purdue's board of directors, in a statement to NPR."
Disingenuous bullshit since lawsuits will continue by those who did not agree to the 'settlement.'
"The drugmaker said the value of the settlement is about $10 billion, but 26 states opposed to the deal have contested that estimate, vowing to take the Sackler family to state courts in an attempt to tap into the family's fortune. The bankruptcy filing follows a statement by New York's state attorney general, Letitia James, alleging that investigators discovered nearly $1 billion in wire transfers made by Purdue to Swiss bank accounts — allegedly to shield the family's wealth from litigation. Purdue has pointed out that its products were approved by the Federal Drug Administration and that doctors were prescribing them to address patient pain. But the plaintiffs in the suits argue that company officials intensively marketed opioids and downplayed their addictive risks, laying the groundwork for the opioid crisis, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and is often described as a national emergency."
Here is the problem:
"Purdue Chairman Miller says the company has not admitted any wrongdoing as part of settlement negotiations."
No criminal accountability. Nazi justice.
Galling Aryan arrogance:
"The resumption of litigation would rapidly diminish all the resources of the company and would be lose-lose-lose all the way around," he said in the statement. "Whatever people might wish for is not on the table now."
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.
9-20-19
Courageously standing up to great evil. NPR reports:
"Latinx community groups based in Texas and Arizona are suing to block the Trump administration from collecting government records for the production of data concerning the U.S. citizenship status of every person living in the country. The lawsuit marks the first legal challenge in response to Trump's July executive order about citizenship data, extending a legal fight that began with the administration's push for the now-blocked citizenship question. A major GOP strategist had concluded that information — which the Census Bureau has been directed to produce by using citizenship records from other federal agencies and state governments — could be used by state redistricting officials after the 2020 census to redraw voting districts that are "advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites." In a court filing obtained Friday by NPR, attorneys with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC outline allegations that are similar to their earlier lawsuit against the addition of the citizenship question. They argue that the Trump administration's efforts are part of a conspiracy intended to prevent Latinx communities, noncitizens and other immigrants from receiving fair representation when state and local voting lines are redrawn after the 2020 census. The challengers also allege that the administration is violating the Administrative Procedure Act in trying to carry out Trump's executive order. Thomas Saenz, MALDEF's president and general counsel, describes the efforts as a way of saving face for the president after the Supreme Court ruled to keep the citizenship question off the 2020 census forms."
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.
9-20-19
Confirmation hearings, a sham. ABC News reports:
"It will be exactly a year on Monday since Christine Blasey Ford came forward with allegations of sexual assault against then-nominee to the Supreme Court Brett Kavanaugh, ultimately leading to an FBI investigation into allegation of sexual misconduct when Kavanaugh was a student. Now, in their new book, New York Times reporters Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, are sparking fresh controversy, alleging that investigators failed to interview over two dozen people "who may have had corroborating evidence" regarding Kavanaugh’s second accuser’s account and, potentially, overlooked another alleged victim entirely."
Convenient, wasn't it? The Trump nazi wanted this fascist bastard seated on the court no matter what.
"In a report, adapted from the soon-to-be-released book titled "The Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation," The New York Times focuses on Deborah Ramirez, a classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale University. Her allegations against him were first detailed in The New Yorker, less than a week after Blasey Ford’s account was made public. Ramirez told the New Yorker that during a dorm party sometime in the 1983-1984 academic year, Kavanaugh "thrust his penis in her face" causing her "to touch it without her consent." Kavanaugh flatly denied Ramirez’s accusations. "This alleged event from 35 years ago did not happen," he said in statement soon after the report was published. "The people who knew me then know that this did not happen, and have said so. This is a smear, plain and simple." Kavanaugh again denied the allegations, along with Blasey Ford’s and those of another accuser, Julie Swetnick, during his public testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Through a court spokeswoman, Kavanaugh declined comment to ABC News on the allegations made in the Times story published Sunday and the new book out this week."
What could he say?
"At the request of members of the committee, President Donald Trump eased limitation on an FBI background check into Kavanaugh, sources close to the process told ABC News last October. Trump had previously called for it to be "limited in scope," but sources told ABC News he later authorized the FBI to interview anyone it wanted, with a focus on accusations raised separately by Ford and Ramirez. In early October, the FBI delivered its report to the Senate Judiciary Committee. After reviewing the report, the committee’s chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley called the women’s accusations "uncorroborated" and said "neither the Judiciary Committee nor the FBI could locate any third parties who can attest to any of the allegations." Kavanaugh was ultimately confirmed to the Supreme Court by a vote of 50-48."
Here's the issue:
"The book authors now claim that FBI investigation wasn’t sufficiently thorough, saying that Ramirez’s legal team gave the FBI a list of at least 25 individuals who they said might have been able to confirm her allegations, but that none of them were interviewed as part of the bureau’s supplemental investigation, even after some of them tried to contract the FBI on their own accord. The Times also reports that two FBI agents interviewed Ramirez and said that they found her "credible," but that the Senate "had imposed strict limits on the investigation."
"The book also includes another Yale student’s account of a separate incident from Kavanaugh’s freshman year, where he said he saw Kavanagh "with his pants down at a different drunken dorm party, where friends pushed his penis into the hand of a female student." However, authors allege that even though that classmate notified senators and the FBI, the FBI did not investigate his claim. The book says that the alleged victim has refused to discuss the incident and several friends said she does not recall it, although the Times report does not include this detail. These newly revealed allegations against Kavanaugh are prompting both calls for Kavanaugh’s impeachment and renewed support from his allies. Trump, championed his nominee on Twitter, writing, "He is an innocent man who has been treated HORRIBLY. Such lies about him. They want to scare him into turning Liberal!"
Jesus Christ. Clearly, an insane statement made by someone intentionally, concertedly, determinedly, permanently divorced from reality. LOL.
"Many of the Democratic candidates for president were quick to call for Kavanaugh’s removal. Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro both called for Kavanaugh’s impeachment through tweets. Both former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders were critical of the new reports, but did not specifically call for impeachment."
What needs to happen is the FBI should conduct a comprehensive, in depth, bona fide investigation of all these claims. Transparently release the substance of the investigation, all supporting documentation immediately after the investigation is complete if they find no evidence he lied under oath. If not, criminally prosecute his sorry ass.
Let Congress worry about impeachment if and/or when that occurs. To do so now, would be a mistake. The Senate, currently controlled by GOP nazis, would never convict. Since Kavanaugh is seated for life and not running for re-election, there would be nothing to be gained from forcing him to defend himself against conviction of impeachment in the Senate, -- a Senate run and owned by GOP nazis.
The Washington Post reports:
"A Democratic senator told the FBI last fall of new information he said was relevant to allegations made against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh — a claim that was not investigated at the time but has since become public in an upcoming book chronicling the bitter confirmation fight. Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) wrote to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray on Oct. 2, 2018, requesting an “appropriate follow up” with one individual who had come to Coons with information about Kavanaugh. Although the person’s name was redacted in the one-page letter, a spokesman for Coons confirmed Monday that the individual was Max Stier, a classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale University who now leads a prominent nonpartisan group in Washington. In the letter obtained by The Washington Post, Coons said “several individuals” contacted his office who had wanted to share information with federal authorities but said they had “difficulty reaching anyone who will collect their information.” “I cannot speak to the relevance or veracity of the information that many of these individuals seek to provide, and I have encouraged them to use the FBI tip portal or contact a regional FBI field office,” Coons wrote to Wray. But Stier, Coons said, “was one individual whom I would like to specifically refer to you for appropriate follow 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.
9-20-19
Healthcare providers are extremely poorly regulated. Here are the consequences. CBS News reports:
"Back In 2017, Heather Waldron underwent emergency intestinal surgery at a University of Virginia Health System hospital, a procedure that kept her in the in Charlottesville facility for two months. Roughly two years later, she lost her home after the nonprofit hospital system sued her to collect on the $164,000 bill, and she says she is preparing to file for bankruptcy. "When something like that happens, it's almost like you want to give up, because you feel like, 'How am I ever going to pay off $164,000?'" said Waldron, who also happens to be a nurse. Her predicament isn't an anomaly. Over six years, UVA (as the Virginia health system is often called locally) filed roughly 36,000 lawsuits against patients seeking a total of more than $106 million, Kaiser Health News and the Washington Post first reported. Some suits were to recover as little [as] $13.90, according to the report."
Amazing, isn't it?
"UVA is hardly alone. Roughly a third of Virginia hospitals have adopted aggressive billing and collection strategies including suing patients, garnishing their wages and putting liens on their homes, according to Dr. Martin A. Makary, author of "The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care — and How to Fix it." "Taking care of a patient is taking care of an entire person, and they violated trust in the medical profession," Makary said. "We have failed to manage or control health care costs as an industry, and the ugly effects are now spilling over to the general public in the form of these predatory collections and billing practices, of which suing patients and garnishing their wages represents the worst of it."
Unbridled greed. Set astronomical prices anywhere they want, don't tell consumers exactly what they'll be charged before those services are provided, then sue the living shit out of people who clearly can't afford to pay. Legalized theft.
"Hospitals in other states have employed the same tough tactics. Some patients at the Carlsbad Medical Center in New Mexico say they fell into financial ruin after they were treated at, then sued by, the hospital. Indeed, Carlsbad has sued more than 3,000 patients over the past 10 years, CNN reported. Carlsbad is owned by Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, one of the nation's leading for-profit providers of hospital services."
Where's the regulation? Why are they allowed to do precisely as they please?
"Misti Price, also a nurse, said she faced five lawsuits by Carlsbad over bills stemming from her children's ailments including pneumonia, asthma attacks and broken bones. After the first suit in 2012, the hospital garnished her wages and repossessed her vehicle, she said. "I lost a vehicle, I almost lost my house and I was working three jobs just to put food on the table. It was tough," Price said, noting that she can't afford to repay the $17,000 in hospital bills."
Legalized theft. In Nazi America. ... Hear the rumble?
"Following public uproar, both hospitals say they've amended their billing practices. UVA last week suspended roughly a dozen patient lawsuits, KHN reported. On Friday, the hospital system said it is making changes to "reduce our reliance on the legal system for the collection of debts, enabling us to focus our efforts on workable repayment plans."
Jesus Christ. An orchestrated f--king. No regulation.
"Carlsbad said it would no longer bring collection suits against patients whose incomes are below 150% of the poverty line, regardless of whether they are insured. It will also drop current judgments against patients who can show their earnings don't exceed that amount."
Not good enough. Nowhere near. How much are they bribing 'legislators' to do shit squat?
"Price, who works for insurer United Healthcare, said she's worked out a payment plan with the hospital. But she remains shaken by the litigation and years of ensuing financial anxiety. "I shouldn't have to second guess whether I should take my family to the hospital to get medical care they need in fear of being sued, in fear of my wages being garnished," Price said. "It's very scary and frustrating."
What it is and remains is Nazi America. Where the corporate management suite is virtually free to do as it pleases with impunity. Courtesy of its bought and paid for shills in Congress.
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.
9-20-19
Nothing quite like judicial temperament, -- more accurately, lack thereof. Worse? Aggressive stupidity. That is, the rock solid determination to be stupid no matter what, no matter the cost personal or otherwise, no matter the circumstances, no matter the truth. LOL. NBC News reports:
"A New York municipal judge has resigned and been permanently barred from judicial office after posting an image to Facebook of a noose with a “Make America Great Again” caption. Kyle Canning, 29, a town court justice in Altona, New York, just south of the Canadian border, posted the image in February 2018 that read in all capital letters, “If we want to make America great again we will have to make evil people fear punishment again.”
"The post was public, according to New York state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct, which launched an investigation into Canning’s conduct. The commission served the justice with a formal written complaint in May, charging him with conveying racial and political bias. Canning resigned in June, and on Tuesday, the commission released the results of its investigation with a statement. “The noose is an incendiary image with repugnant racial connotations. It is the very antithesis of law and justice,” Commission Administrator Robert H. Tembeckjian said in the statement. “For a judge to use the image of the noose in making a political point undermines the integrity of the judiciary and public confidence in the courts.”
This guy is an idiot. Unfit to sit on the bench. Get this:
"Canning had been a town justice for only a month before he posted the image to Facebook, with his term set to expire in 2021. In addition to resigning, he agreed to never seek or accept judicial office in the future. In his resignation letter to the Altona town supervisor, Canning said he felt like he was “coerced into resigning.”
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. LOL.
”It has been a pleasure serving this town as one of its justices, and I will greatly miss my duties,” he wrote. “l do formally apologize for the inconvenience and hardship that I have imposed on my co-justice and the Town of Altona.“
Get this:
"Canning told The New York Times he is a registered Democrat and not a supporter of President Donald Trump who made "Make America Great Again" a campaign slogan. Canning said he thought his post was in support of the death penalty. “The post was not racist. I’m not a racist guy,” he said, adding that “there is not a man that I could despise more than Donald Trump.”
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.
9-13-19
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.
Never ends. The following is more of the same. ABC News reports:
"A Mexican man shot while fleeing from immigration agents in Tennessee was recovering Friday, an attorney for his family said. Andrew Free said in an interview the man was shot in the stomach and elbow Thursday morning by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. He did not immediately go to the hospital because he was frightened. Free and another attorney later negotiated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the man surrendered Thursday afternoon. The FBI was involved because the agency was asked to investigate whether the man assaulted a federal officer. ICE has said the immigration agent opened fire after the man drove at him while fleeing a traffic stop. Both agencies have declined to name the man and the officer."
Why? The public is entitled to this information. There is no legitimate reason to sit on this. None.
"As of Friday, the man had not been arrested or charged by the FBI. Free said he believes that is because the evidence does not support the ICE agent's version of events."
Surprise, surprise.
"Asked whether he had any concerns about the shooting, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said it was too early to comment, but he took time to criticize so-called sanctuary cities. "What I'm in favor of and what I am supportive of is adhering to and following the law," the Republican governor told reporters in Nashville on Friday. "And sanctuary cities, in fact, are by their very nature and definition lawless."
That's a crock of shit, Governor. Egregious distortion of reality by the nazi element in our formerly great country. There is no reason why cities, counties, and states are required to do or enable the work of the federal government:
"Sanctuary city is a term without legal definition that generally means a locality that limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement activities."
They have every constitutional right not to cooperate, not enable, not goose step in unison with out of control federal jackbooted thugs. Nazi thugs.
"Nashville Mayor David Briley, a Democrat, earlier this week signed an executive order discouraging local cooperation with immigration officials. Briley's order expresses concern that fear of deportation could keep residents from seeking health care for their children or reporting crimes to the police."
Already happened all across our formerly great country. Aggressive stupidity at its very worst, courtesy of our fuhrer, the Trump nazi, and his henchmen. ... A raucous, boot clicking, goose stepping, traitorous, treacherous, treasonous Seig Heil!, Mr. 'President?'
"The order also criticizes Tennessee's anti-sanctuary cities law that threatens to withhold some funding from local governments that don't cooperate with ICE. Briley's order calls the law "immoral" and "dangerous."
What it truly is remains Right Wing Nazi, un-American, outrageously unconstitutional. Then again, we've lived in a de facto fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
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.
9-13-19
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.
Nazi justice. In a system that remains hopelessly corrupt, abusive, dysfunctional. NPR reports:
"Federal agents were patrolling the Rio Grande in an airboat between Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in September 2012. They say a group of men in a park on the Mexican side of the river began throwing rocks at them. "I just remember the boat. They started to shoot and they hit him in the heart, and he fell to the ground," says Priscila Arévalo, the daughter of one of the Mexican men. "We ran away. When we came back, my papa he was already dead." Guillermo Arévalo lay on the gravel bank beside the sluggish river, bleeding profusely as the Border Patrol airboat roared away. The Arévalo family had been out for a picnic that day, and they insist no one was throwing rocks. The shooting death led to changes in the Border Patrol's use-of-force policy and to an investigation of the incident. But seven years later, that probe is still incomplete. And the delay is emblematic of a larger problem when the federal government investigates a death on the border. There have been 35 fatal shootings by on-duty CBP officers since 2010, according to the Southern Border Communities Coalition, an immigrant rights group. Most of them involve immigrants killed near the U.S.-Mexico border after they allegedly attacked or threatened agents. And yet CBP has announced the results of just eight internal investigations into these use-of-force incidents. The agency, which had pledged transparency and to publicly release the results of its investigations, found no agent misconduct in each case. The latest completed case is three and a half years old."
No justice. None. -- In a de facto fascist police-state, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
"The only thing we want is justice," says Priscila Arévalo, weeping. She's 16 now and only recently returned to the spot where her father died. "They killed him and we haven't gotten a call. We don't even know the face of the killer. They just fled and that was that."
Nazi justice.
"CBP's opaqueness in following up on agent-involved shootings is troubling, says Vicki Gaubeca, president of the Southern Border Communities Coalition, the group that tracks CBP shootings. Gaubeca believes the agency is dragging its feet. She says the urgency for reform under Obama has transitioned into the Trump era of cheerleading for border security. "And now that he's president of the United States," she says, "then they feel emboldened to basically just do whatever they want to do." There's a pattern to these highly controversial border shootings. First comes the CBP statement, often followed by community outrage. Then the investigation gets under way. And finally, a deafening silence, as the years roll by and people move on and forget."
... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looms as our formerly great country continues to nazify.
No justice. Precisely, why there is desperate need for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, and prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court that would adjudicate only these cases. Total independence. The only way to rein in these criminals, particularly the murderers in blue.
Sadly, the achingly clueless bastards in law enforcement don't need a legitimate reason to kill. Enjoy carte blanche to murder on the job. Nearly always, with impunity. ... Right, Sheriff? Sue the living shit out of the jackbooted motherf--kers, the department, and the city. Any officer engaged in, or threatening this kind of unnecessary violence needs to be criminally prosecuted. Not protected and coddled. Not put on paid leave, -- no more than a paid vacation. Not sent home without pay to catch up on his beauty sleep.
Firing is egregiously insufficient. How can the law enforcement community be trusted? 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 the criminal jackbooted bastards in law enforcement. ... Right, Sheriff? Madam County Attorney? "Sonny Boy?"
These are extremely dangerous times for our formerly great country. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted dreaded second American revolution catastrophically looming. -- As our legislators and other government officials figuratively 'fiddle while Rome burns.'
Not good enough. Nowhere near. Short of an unwanted dreaded second American revolution, only one way for these atrocities to end. Again, time for a new federal agency whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate such cases. Total independence.
Local and state authorities are egregiously incapable of handling these cases. Tend to protect their own. ... Right, Sheriff? Goes with the territory, doesn't it, Bill? Precisely, why there is no faith or trust in your criminal jackbooted bastards. Local authorities here in Nazi Llano County have their heads figuratively, securely lodged so far up their clueless ass their eyeballs are turning inside out. Protect and coddle your clueless, out of control officers. Imagine that.
Unadulterated, blatant ongoing horse shit. ... Right, Bill? F--k these jackbooted bastards. Aren't worth a crap. Continually abrogate their oaths of office to protect and defend the United States Constitution. ... Right, Sheriff? Includes not only deputies, but the brass as well. No principles. No honor. Lying, conniving, abusive, murderous jackbooted thieving thugs. The American Civil Liberties Union needs to step up and represent the victims of abusive law enforcement.
To say nothing of innocent civilians all across our formerly great country who are victimized by abusive police. Need far better representation than a public defender. Forget? It's how the bastards in government line government coffers. All too often, looting the innocent. Those on the bottom of the food chain. ... Right, Sheriff?
No justice. The American Way. Nazi America. When is this shit finally going to end? All of it. Wake up, Sheriff. Again, where is dashcam video of the killing of Jeffrey Gray Wise, 52, of Austin by DPS and the Llano County Sheriff's Office? One hundred seventy seven weeks, now. A goddamned disgrace.
Why are you still sitting on this information? What are you hiding, Sheriff? What is the identity of the officers who killed Wise? Too gutless to release this information to the public that pays your salary and that of your goons? Reportedly, there were three officers involved in the shooting. Who the hell are they?
When will the goddamned 'law' 'enforcement' community finally stop making excuses for engaging in outrageous criminal activity including blatant murder, violent assault, sexual assault, theft, drug trafficking, etc.? List can go on and on. Protecting its own no matter what it does or doesn't do? Convenient, isn't it, Sheriff? Again, 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 government, -- including law enforcement.
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. Why are you protecting this clueless son of a bitch, Sheriff?
Why hasn't he been prosecuted for official oppression? Where is financial compensation for the damage this jackbooted piece of human excrement is responsible for? Ferociously pointedly, why are the District Attorney and the County Attorney continuing to protect this jackbooted piece of shit? He and others like him present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties.
Equally to the point, why are your jackbooted pieces of human excrement refusing to enforce Berardi's property rights? Your goons have failed to take action against Theresa Ahrens when she tore down a no trespassing sign and barrier on Berardi's property. Have you, your goons, and/or Madam County Attorney been bribed by Johnny Greene?
Ahrens frequently drives all the way through Berardi's property. Coup de grace? When Berardi complained to Llano County Deputy Idle about the trespassing, the officer's response was insane. Said the Sheriff told him to tell Berardi since Ahrens believes she owns his property she can't be charged with trespassing. Perfect Catch-22, right, Sheriff? You're not fit for office, Bill. Bribed by Johnny Greene?
Why is Theresa Ahrens allowed by your goons to dictate what vehicles can and cannot be parked on Berardi's property? Ahrens claims she has proof the property belongs to her where the vehicle was parked. Has failed to produce it. Surveyors say otherwise. Back up Berardi. Yet, your jackbooted bastards refuse to enforce Berardi's property rights. Why? Somebody lining somebody's pockets, Sheriff?
Ms. Ahrens micro-mini portable 'house' is parked on an unused unmarked Llano County road. Imagine that. Madam County Attorney well-aware. Has done nothing. Shit squat. Egregiously ignored her oath of office. Someone bribing you, Becky? Lining your pockets, Counselor? Paying you not to sell the unused unmarked County road to Berardi? Doesn't the County want and need the sale money, to say nothing of the resultant tax income?
No question, County and State agencies remain determinedly, concertedly, achingly incapable of criminal investigation of their own. Precisely, why a new federal agency desperately needs to be created whose sole function would be to investigate, arrest, charge, prosecute corrupt, abusive, criminal officers, prosecutors, and judges in a special court whose sole function would be to adjudicate only such cases. Total independence. Certainly, go a long, long way to cleaning up this cess pool County. Rein in the outrageously corrupt, abusive, achingly inept, self-serving assholes who run and own this hell hole.
Sheriff, you falsely claim the Kingsland County Commissioner has the authority to resolve this ongoing property rights issue. Clearly, doesn't. You, Madam County Attorney, and "Sonny Boy" are certainly an egregious impediment, continue to determinedly stonewall. Someone's pockets are being lined. Again, where's financial compensation for the damage Llano County Deputy Leroy Rodriguez, Badge #764 is directly responsible for to the Pace Arrow? Why hasn't he been prosecuted for this damage, to say nothing of infringement of Berardi's property rights? -- Just getting started, Sheriff. Far more to come.
-- You're not doing your jobs, Sheriff. You've got a loose vicious dog problem in Kingsland, Bill. When will you and the troops finally do something about this ongoing issue? Certainly, a recurring problem on Skyline, particularly on occasion at the intersection of Odessa. Pedestrians, runners, and cyclists are at risk. Too busy lining County coffers with bogus tickets?
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.
9-13-19
Think Trump hasn't lost his mind? NBC News reports:
"Under fire from prominent meteorologists for giving out incorrect information on the path of Hurricane Dorian, President Donald Trump on Thursday doubled down on his assertion that the storm was at one point headed for Alabama. He said coverage of his claim — including the moment when he showed a week-old map that had been doctored with a Sharpie — was meant to "demean" him." "In the early days of the hurricane, when it was predicted that Dorian would go through Miami or West Palm Beach, even before it reached the Bahamas, certain models strongly suggested that Alabama & Georgia would be hit as it made its way through Florida & to the Gulf," Trump tweeted. "Instead it turned North and went up the coast, where it continues now." "In the one model through Florida, the Great State of Alabama would have been hit or grazed," he continued. "In the path it took, no. Read my FULL FEMA statement. What I said was accurate! All Fake News in order to demean!" Trump returned to the subject again about two hours later, tweeting: "Alabama was going to be hit or grazed, and then Hurricane Dorian took a different path (up along the East Coast). The Fake News knows this very well. That’s why they’re the Fake News!"
Pitiful, isn't it?
"The president has faced pushback from weather analysts over his fixation on the hurricane possibly hitting Alabama. Bill Karins, a meteorologist for NBC News, broke down the president’s inaccurate comments on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show" on Wednesday night. "At this point should we apologize to everyone the National Hurricane Center, all the emergency managers, and everyone that evacuated in South Carolina and North Carolina that may be watching right now trying to get some facts and information?" Karins asked. Ryan Maue, a meteorologist, told The Associated Press that Trump must strive for accuracy "if he wants to provide helpful information to the public facing a potential emergency." "If he’s going to be a provider of up-to-date information, he needs to be up to date," Maue said. Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, emailed the AP saying: "Trump should have just admitted he made a mistake and moved on!"
Not possible for an insane narcissist.
ABC News reports:
"During an Oval Office briefing on Dorian Wednesday, Trump clung to the idea by displaying a National Hurricane Center map that appeared to have a drawn-on semicircle appended to the "cone of uncertainty" showing the hurricane's potential projected impact -- extending the cone into Alabama. "This is the original path that we thought -- and everybody thought that this was about a 95% probability," he said. "And it turned out to be not that path. It turned out to be a path going up the coast," Trump said. Hours after the Wednesday Dorian briefing, at a different event in the afternoon, Trump later denied knowing how or why the map had been altered when asked if he could explain how the change was made. "No, I just know, yeah. I know that Alabama was in the original forecast," he said. "They thought it would get it, as a piece of it, it was supposed to go -- actually we have a better map of that which is going to be presented, where we had many lines going directly -- many models, each line being a model. And they were going directly through. And in all cases, Alabama was hit. If not likely, in some cases pretty hard. Georgia and Alabama, it was a different route. They actually gave that a 95% chance probability," he said. "That map that you showed us today, looked like it almost had, like, a Sharpie written on it," a reporter said during a second White House event on Wednesday. Trump cut off the reporter and said, "I don't know. I don't know. I don't know." He also said the map had been from three or four days before, when it had actually been issued six days earlier."
Secure and comfortable knowing Trump is in control of our nation's nuclear arsenal? Under any other circumstances, would be laughable.
NBC News reports:
"The precise path of Hurricane Dorian may have been uncertain for much of the week, but President Donald Trump's decision to highlight, rather than retreat from, his early forecast misstatement was entirely predictable."
No kidding. LOL. The president's a congenital liar. Forget?
"While Trump routinely makes false statements, sometimes dozens a week, his administration has repeatedly gone even further by creating evidence to support the president’s alternative reality — in some cases marshaling government resources in the task."
Quite true. Where's the outrage?
"It's been the pattern since the first day of his administration, when he sent out his press secretary to show edited photos inflating his inaugural crowd size. Or a few months later, when he created a commission to search for evidence of widespread voter fraud, after falsely claiming there were millions of illegal votes in 2016. (The commission was quickly dissolved.) Or in between, when he asked Congress to investigate a baseless allegation that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower. The president has repeatedly dug in, claiming the right to his own personal preference on otherwise uncooperative reality, on everything from wind direction to the progress of his top policy priority: After he was unable to get new wall funding from Congress, Trump tweeted out photos that he suggested depicted the debut of his border wall with Mexico — but actually showed the replacement of the existing 1990s-era barrier. Trump’s false statements on everything from the economy to windmills have been well-documented, but his team — sometimes caught off-guard initially — has generally scrambled to back him up, with White House counselor Kellyanne Conway famously describing the inauguration claims as “alternative facts.”
Been a problem since the day Trump took office. Where is the outrage of Republicans? Why won't gutless Democrats in the House formally vote for an impeachment investigation?
Think government hasn't lost itself? Think you've heard it all? You haven't. LOL. Get this. NPR reports:
"The parent agency of the National Weather Service said late Friday that President Trump was correct when he claimed earlier this week that Hurricane Dorian had threatened the state of Alabama."
Jesus Christ. Day is night, night is day, and shit smells perversely sweet in the ass backwards world of Trump's sick sycophants. LOL.
"The surprise announcement in an unsigned statement by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) essentially endorsed Trump's Sunday tweet saying that Alabama will "most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated."
Why wasn't the statement signed? We need to know the identity of the jackasses supporting an insane, deceptive, lying 'president.'
"After the president's tweet, the National Weather Service, in Birmingham, Ala., responded with its own tweet, saying "Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east." The NOAA statement takes the National Weather Service to task, declaring "The Birmingham National Weather Service's Sunday morning tweet spoke in absolute terms that were inconsistent with probabilities from the best forecast products available at the time."
That's simply unadulterated, deceptive, non-scientific bullshit coming from the parent agency of the National Weather Service.
"The surprise statement on Friday has left meteorologists around the country baffled and upset.
"Because the gaslighting is getting real strong now, and it's all too easy to start questioning reality, here is every forecast cone ever drawn by the NHC for #Hurricane #Dorian.
"Plus
an arbitrarily-chosen state labeled. pic.twitter.com/fDsCbKeyfu
—
Sam Lillo (@splillo) September 6, 2019
"Some administrator, or someone at the top of NOAA, threw the National Weather Service under the bus," Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, told NPR."
Goddamned right. To delusionally support the Trump nazi, rather than embrace reality:
"The part that really smells fishy is that this is five days after that tweet by Trump," he added. "If the National Weather Service did issue a misleading or incorrect tweet, that would need to be amended or fixed in an hour or two." "I am very disappointed to see this statement come out from NOAA," Oklahoma University meteorology professor Jason Furtado told The Associated Press. He said the controversy over the president's tweets and the NOAA statement undermines public confidence in meteorologists. Since his original tweet, Trump has re-visited the controversy almost every day this week, including displaying a doctored version of a map showing Hurricane Dorian's projected path to include Alabama."
Blatant deception courtesy of our achingly delusional fuhrer, the narcissist Trump nazi.
"Underlining the reaction by meteorologists to the escalating debate over the president's claims is the fear that weather forecasting itself is becoming politicized. "Hurricanes have never been a left or a right object," said McNoldy. "And I hope they don't become one."
Too late. Already happened, courtesy of the Trump nazi. Politics now insanely trumps science. How is that possible? When did we lose ourselves?
The Washington Post reports:
"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s acting chief scientist said in an email to colleagues Sunday that he is investigating whether the agency’s response to President Trump’s Hurricane Dorian tweets constituted a violation of NOAA policies and ethics. In an email to NOAA staff that was obtained by The Washington Post, the official, Craig McLean, called the agency’s response “political” and a “danger to public health and safety.” President Trump’s incorrect assertion on Sept. 1 that Alabama “would most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated" set off a chain of confusion and outrage among the public, and within NOAA. At the time, the National Weather Service’s forecast guidance showed only a very small risk (about 5 percent) of tropical storm-force winds for a small portion of Alabama. However, Alabama was not in the storm forecast track from the National Hurricane Center, which showed Hurricane Dorian skirting the East Coast. While the NWS’s Birmingham office set the record straight, stating Alabama “would not see impacts” from the storm, NOAA officials caused an internal uproar on Sept. 6 when the agency issued an unsigned statement that defended Trump’s false claim about Alabama and admonished the Weather Service’s Birmingham division for speaking “in absolute terms.” Scientists attacked NOAA officials for conceding to Trump during a weather emergency, when accuracy and messaging are vital to keep the public safe. The American Meteorological Society issued a statement of support for the NWS, writing: “AMS believes the criticism of the Birmingham forecast office is unwarranted; rather they should have been commended for their quick action based on science in clearly communicating the lack of threat to the citizens of Alabama." In his email to employees Sunday, McLean criticized his agency’s public statement, saying it prioritized politics over NOAA’s mission. “The NWS Forecaster(s) corrected any public misunderstanding in an expert and timely way, as they should,” McLean wrote. “There followed, last Friday, an unsigned press release from 'NOAA’ that inappropriately and incorrectly contradicted the NWS forecaster. My understanding is that this intervention to contradict the forecaster was not based on science but on external factors including reputation and appearance, or simply put, political.”
ABC News reports:
"The head of the National Weather Service issued a strong public defense Monday of forecasters who contradicted President Donald Trump's claim that Hurricane Dorian posed a threat to Alabama as it approached the United States. Director Louis Uccellini said forecasters in Birmingham did the right thing Sept. 1 when they tried to combat public panic and rumors that Dorian posed a threat to Alabama. It was only later that they found out the source of the mistaken information, he said. Speaking at a meeting of the National Weather Association, Uccellini said Birmingham forecasters "did what any office would do to protect the public." "They did that with one thing in mind: public safety," said Uccellini, who prompted a standing ovation from hundreds of forecasters by asking members of the Birmingham weather staff to stand. Earlier, the president of the 2,100-member association, Paul Schlatter, said any forecast office "would have done the exact same thing" as the Birmingham forecast office."
NPR reports:
"Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is under the microscope again, amid fresh allegations of meddling with a government scientific agency. The latest storm to engulf the secretary began Sept. 1, when weather forecasters in Birmingham, Ala., issued a tweet saying Hurricane Dorian posed no threat to their state.
"For days, Trump stubbornly insisted he was right about the hurricane's path, giving fodder to late-night comics when he showed off a map that had been clumsily doctored with a Sharpie. But the story took a more serious turn last Friday when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — the federal agency that includes the National Weather Service — issued an unsigned statement defending the president's tweet and chastising the Birmingham forecasters who contradicted it. According to The New York Times, NOAA's statement followed political pressure from the commerce secretary, who oversees the weather agency and threatened to fire NOAA officials if they failed to back up the president. "This is the straw that broke the camel's back," said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who called for Ross to resign. "Threatening to fire senior NOAA appointees if they didn't prop up Trump's false weather claims? It's just one bridge too far." A Commerce Department spokesman denied the Times report, saying Ross didn't threaten to fire anyone over the dueling hurricane statements. "Secretary Ross has never stopped advocating for the American people," the spokesman said in a statement. But the episode has brought renewed attention to Ross' history of interfering with government scientists. "It's part of a pattern of deemphasizing science and facts and the truth in order to play some often naive or silly political agenda," said Beyer, who serves on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. The committee's chairwoman, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, endorsed an investigation of the NOAA statement by the Commerce Department's inspector general."
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.
9-13-19
Day is night, night is day, and manure smells perversely sweet in the Trump regime. NPR reports:
"A new report from a government watchdog, first obtained by NPR, says an expanded effort by Congress to forgive the student loans of public servants is remarkably unforgiving."
Gross understatement.
"Congress created the expansion program last year in response to a growing outcry. Thousands of borrowers — nurses, teachers and other public servants — complained that the requirements for the original program were so rigid and poorly communicated that lawmakers needed to step in. But, documents show, even this expansion of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program isn't working. Ninety-nine percent of loan-forgiveness requests under that new Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF) were rejected during the program's first year, from May 2018 to May 2019. According to the review out Thursday, conducted by the Government Accountability Office, the U.S. Department of Education processed roughly 54,000 requests and approved just 661. It spent only $27 million of the $700 million Congress set aside for the expansion. "We were disheartened," says Melissa Emrey-Arras, who led the GAO's review. "I think we were discouraged. I mean, the hope is that you have this temporary expanded process, and you want it to help a lot of people. And you don't want borrowers to be confused about the eligibility criteria and to face a high denial rate. And yet, that's what we found."
Gross incompetence. Malfeasance, as well. Apparently, Trump and his henchmen wished to stick it to participants.
"[The Education Department has] not competently administered this program," says U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and chairman of the House education committee. He vows to hold public hearings about the department's handling of PSLF and now TEPSLF. "The students are entitled to it," Scott adds. "They have fulfilled their responsibility over a decade of public service, and they're entitled by law to have those loans discharged. ... It is the constitutional responsibility of the executive branch to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, and we will focus public attention on the fact that they are not doing it."
When will gutless Democrats force Speaker Pelosi to hold a formal vote on an impeachment investigation?
"Congress created Public Service Loan Forgiveness in 2007, hoping to encourage promising college graduates into public service careers. In return for 10 years of government or not-for-profit work and 120 qualified student loan payments, borrowers were told the U.S. Department of Education would forgive whatever remained of their federal student loans. But the program's requirements are so rigid, and were so poorly communicated in those early days, that the overwhelming majority of borrowers have, so far, been rejected.
"As of March 2019, 99% of Public Service Loan Forgiveness requests have been rejected, and applicants remain deeply confused about the program's rules. "This wasn't a puzzle or a lottery," says Rep. Scott. "This is a program where, if you fulfill your responsibilities ... then your student loan would be forgiven. It's just incredible that we had to, last year, pass legislation ... to create an emergency program." Now, Scott says, it is inexcusable that this emergency program is rejecting borrowers' requests for loan forgiveness at the same rate — 99% — as the troubled program it was meant to alleviate. In its new review, GAO investigators also criticize the Education Department for not clearly explaining to borrowers how the program works or how they can contest a denial."
Why aren't Trump and his henchmen enforcing the law? Why isn't Congress forcing the issue?
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.
9-13-19
The clueless insanity continues. In update to the last edition here and elsewhere, NBC News reports:
"President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday that he had "no involvement" with Vice President Mike Pence's decision to stay at his golf resort near Doonbeg, Ireland, adding "people like my product, what can I tell you." "Well I had no involvement, other than it’s a great place," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office before explaining that Pence's family hails from that area, "which is really amazing." "But from what I understood, he was going there," Trump said. "Then I heard he was going there, but I didn’t — it wasn’t my idea for Mike to go there. Mike went there because his family’s there. That’s my understanding of it." Pressed on whether he suggested Pence stay at the hotel, as the vice president's chief of staff told reporters Tuesday, Trump said he did not. "No, I didn’t," the president said. "I don’t suggest anything. I don’t suggest it, nor did I with the attorney general, I never spoke to the attorney general about using my hotel," referring to reports that Attorney General William Barr has booked a $30,000 holiday party at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., in December. "I have a lot of hotels all over the place, and people use them because they’re the best ... " Trump said. "And I know the attorney general is using it, as I read in the paper. To this day I haven’t spoken to him about it, but he’s using the hotel. And people like my product, what can I tell you, can’t help it."
Pence and his henchmen are desperately trying to retrench to accommodate their fuhrer, the Trump nazi:
"Trump's comments followed efforts by Pence's office earlier in the day to distance the president from the vice president's stay at Trump Doonbeg during his visit to Ireland. In a statement, the vice president's office said Trump did not "direct" the vice president to stay at the golf club and the decision was "solely" made by Pence's office. The statement was the third time within the past day that Pence or his team sought to clarify why he stayed at the president's Irish golf club on the opposite side of the country as its capital city Dublin, where Pence's meetings were set to take place with Irish officials. Rather than stay in Dublin, Pence opted to make the back-and-forth trip from Doonbeg, more than an hour flight each way."
Pence is certainly doing the 'old soft shoe' to please his fuhrer. LOL.
"Pence's stay has revived accusations that Trump is personally profiting from being president through use of his hotel in Washington, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and other properties."
Clearly, he is.
"Because of some misreporting, we want to clarify that the decision to stay at Trump National in Doonbeg, Ireland was solely a decision by the Office of the Vice President and was based on the requirement to find accommodations near the Vice President’s ancestral hometown that could satisfy official meetings on both coasts of the Emerald Isle," the statement said. "The Vice President's family previously stayed at the same resort in 2013 prior to the Trump Organization's acquisition of the property and the office was aware of its proximity to the ancestral home where his great grandmother lived before migrating to the United States," it continued. "Our original schedule contemplated one night in Doonbeg after official meetings in Dublin. When Hurricane Dorian required our office to change the schedule on short notice, the decision was made to overnight in Doonbeg for two nights to accommodate official business and public events on both coasts. At no time did the President direct our office to stay at his Doonbeg resort and any reporting to the contrary is false."
That updated statement does not jive with the earlier one:
"On Tuesday, Pence's chief of staff Marc Short said Trump had suggested Pence stay at his Irish golf club on the official trip, "I don't think it was a request, like a command ... I think that it was a suggestion." "It's like when we went through the trip, it's like, well, he's going to Doonbeg because that's where the Pence family is from," Short said before describing the president's suggestion. "It's like, 'Well, you should stay at my place.'" "It wasn't like a 'you must,'" Short added. "It wasn't like 'you have to.' It's a facility that could accommodate the team. Keep in mind, the Secret Service has protected that facility for him, too, so they sort of know the realities, they know the logistics around that facility."
Trump lining his pockets off the taxpayers? The Washington Post reports:
"The House Oversight Committee is investigating why a financially struggling airport near a Trump-owned golf course in Scotland has seen an uptick in expenditures by the U.S. military since President Trump took office. Chairman Elijah E. Cummings and Rep. Jamie Raskin, both Maryland Democrats, sent a letter to the Defense Department’s acting secretary, Patrick M. Shanahan, in June asking for all travel information pertaining to Pentagon personnel through the Glasgow Prestwick Airport, as well as visits to the Trump Turnberry golf resort. In the letter, Cummings and Raskin say that the airport “reportedly has provided ‘cut-price rooms for select passengers and crew’ and ‘offered free rounds at Turnberry to visiting U.S. military and civilian air crews.’” Trump purchased the cash-strapped golf course on the west coast of Scotland in 2014 and has never turned a profit on his investment. In the years after his purchase, Trump advocated bringing more flights through Prestwick Airport, which would benefit his property just 30 miles away. The Oversight Committee members cite a February 2018 story in the Guardian stating that the Defense Logistics Agency has helped shore up the airport’s income by stopping there for refueling during missions. Since October 2017, the Pentagon has spent $11 million on fuel at Prestwick.
"This investigation dovetails with the committee’s larger review of potential conflicts of interest between Trump’s role as president and his businesses, particularly when it relates to foreign governments and possible violations of the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says a U.S. president cannot take money or gifts from a foreign leader or government. News of the letter comes after Vice President Pence’s recent stay at a Trump property in Ireland, far from his meetings in Dublin, raised eyebrows. The Oversight panel is also investigating whether Trump benefited financially from Pence’s choice of lodging on the taxpayer’s dime."
The Washington Post reports:
"The House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into whether President Trump improperly benefited financially from Vice President Pence’s stay this week at a Trump golf resort while on a taxpayer-funded, official trip to Ireland. Pence and his entourage spent two nights at the Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, a small town on Ireland’s southwest coast, and traveled in between to meetings with Irish leaders in Dublin, on the opposite side of the country. Pence defended that decision — which required him to fly to Dublin and back on Air Force Two — by saying that he wanted to visit Doonbeg so that he could have dinner with his family at a pub there owned by a distant cousin. “The Committee does not believe that U.S. taxpayer funds should be used to personally enrich President Trump, his family, and his companies,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) wrote in a letter Thursday to Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, seeking documents with itemized costs of the trip and communications about its planning. Similar letters were sent to acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney; Secret Service Director James M. Murray; and chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg. The letter to Weisselberg sought information on revenue generated for Trump’s company from Pence’s trip, including room rates charged to Pence and his staff. In his letters, Cummings said the committee is investigating “possible conflicts of interest and waste of taxpayer funds,” as well as “whether these expenses may have violated the Domestic Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which provides that the President may receive a salary during his tenure in office, but that ‘he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.’ ”
"On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee also sent letters to the White House and the Secret Service seeking information related to Trump’s promotion of the Trump National Doral Miami as a possible venue to host the next gathering of world leaders known as the Group of Seven summit — an investigation previously announced by the panel. “Potential violations of the Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution are of grave concern to the Committee as it considers whether to recommend articles of impeachment,” wrote Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the committee’s chairman, and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), a subcommittee chairman."
NBC News reports:
"The House Committee on Oversight and Reform is not getting cooperation from the Pentagon in its probe of military sleepovers at President Trump's golf resort in Scotland, a senior Democratic aide told NBC News."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"The conflict-of-interest probe, first reported Friday by Politico, seeks Department of Defense documents and other information related to post-election military stops in Prestwick, Scotland, not far from Trump Turnberry, according to a letter co-signed by oversight Chairman and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. "The Defense Department has not produced a single document in this investigation," the aide said. "The committee will be forced to consider alternative steps if the Pentagon does not begin complying voluntarily in the coming days." The letter, dated June 21 but unknown to the public until this week, states that a look at Defense Logistics Agency data shows that, since October 2017, taxpayers have spent $11 million on 629 fuel purchase orders at Glasgow Prestwick Airport in Scotland. "The jet fuel purchases appear to have supported various Defense Department missions," the letter, also signed by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., states. The ailing airport has lost millions of dollars in revenue in recent years, according to the letter, and its existence is crucial to the golf resort's survival. The airport has offered discounts and free rounds of golf to members of the U.S. military, the letter states, citing the Guardian."
Interesting, isn't it? Think Trump has the right to line his pockets off the taxpayers?
"A person familiar with at least one of the flights, an Air National Guard supply delivery to Kuwait, told Politico the Trump Turnberry sleepovers to and from the Middle East were unusual because the C-17 cargo plane usually stopped at U.S. or allied military bases, Ramstein Air Base in Germany or Naval Station Rota in Spain. The Politico report also says jet fuel is usually less expensive at bases. An Air Force official told the publication that staying at a luxury resort was not normal for on-duty service members traveling at taxpayers' expense."
You think? LOL.
"The House Oversight letter, citing the Washington Post, states losses at Trump's Scottish resort amounted to $4.5 million in 2017. Politico reported in June that revenue increased by $3.1 million the next year."
You Trump sycophants believe he has the right to line his pockets off the taxpayer dime?
"The probe of government spending at the president's Scottish resort was revealed on the same day Cummings announced the Oversight Committee is seeking more information about Vice President Mike Pence's stay earlier in the week at Trump's Irish golf resort. Pence was with his family during the stay at Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg, Ireland. The resort is about 180 miles away from Dublin, where the vice president met with Irish officials. Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, said the detour to Doonbeg was suggested by the president. But the vice president's office subsequently issued a statement saying the trip to Doonbeg, where Pence has familial ties, was "solely" the idea of the vice president and his staff. Short told a New York Times reporter the vice president would cover the costs for his family's stay."
Big of him, no? LOL.
The Washington Post reports:
"The Air Force has launched a review of its selection of lodging accommodations amid heightened scrutiny of a decision to place a crew at the Trump Turnberry resort in Scotland, which it acknowledged Sunday “might be allowable but not advisable.” In a statement, Brig. Gen. Edward Thomas Jr., an Air Force spokesman, said the service’s leadership had asked the service’s Air Mobility Command to examine rules regarding how Air Force personnel select destinations for overseas stopovers. He said there was no initial indication of wrongdoing during stopovers in Scotland. “Even when [Air Force] aircrews follow all directives and guidance, we must still be considerate of perceptions of not being good stewards of taxpayer funds that might be created through the appearance of aircrew staying at such locations,” he said."
You think?
"In a tweet Monday morning, Trump said he was unfamiliar with the Air Force lodging at his family’s property. “I know nothing about an Air Force plane landing at an airport (which I do not own and have nothing to do with) near Turnberry Resort (which I do own) in Scotland, and filling up with fuel, with the crew staying overnight at Turnberry (they have good taste!),” he wrote, adding: “NOTHING TO DO WITH ME.”
"I
know nothing about an Air Force plane landing at an airport (which I do
not own and have nothing to do with) near Turnberry Resort (which I do
own) in Scotland, and filling up with fuel, with the crew staying overnight
at Turnberry (they have good taste!). NOTHING TO DO WITH ME
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2019"
Stunning, isn't it? LOL. Who are you desperately trying to convince, Mr. Trump? Yourself, or the public you clearly don't serve? LOL.
"The statement from Thomas referred to the episode in March in which seven crew members flying on a transport plan from Kuwait to Alaska stayed at the Trump family-owned resort during a layover at the Glasgow Prestwick Airport, which is about 30 miles from Trump’s resort and has been used with greater frequency during Trump’s presidency. “While initial reviews indicate that aircrew transiting through Scotland adhered to all guidance and procedures, we understand that U.S. Service members lodging at higher-end accommodations, even if within government rates, might be allowable but not advisable,” Thomas said."
Be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of all 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.
9-13-19
Where is Trump's judgment? NPR reports:
"The first thing Melissa Hanham did when she saw President Trump's tweet last week was take a screen grab. "My reaction was to immediately save the image to my phone just in case it got taken down," she says. The wording on the tweet was cryptic: "The United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir [space launch vehicle] Launch at Semnan Launch Site One in Iran," the president said. "I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining what happened at Site One." But it was the photo that left Hanham, a satellite imagery expert, gobsmacked. The day before, on Aug. 29, a rocket had exploded at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in northern Iran. Trump's tweet contained an incredibly sharp image of the aftermath. Visible were burned-out vehicles and lettering around the edge of the pad that couldn't be seen clearly in commercial satellite photos. Hanham, deputy director of the Open Nuclear Network in Vienna, says she has seen lots of images over the years but never anything like this. "It was so crystal clear and high-resolution that I did not believe it could have come from a satellite," she says."
It certainly did.
"The
United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident
during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV Launch at Semnan Launch
Site One in Iran. I wish Iran best wishes and good luck in determining
what happened at Site One. pic.twitter.com/z0iDj2L0Y3
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2019
"We had a photo and I released it, which I have the absolute right to do," Trump told reporters late Friday. Such a disclosure of classified information by anyone but the president would end in jail time, says Bruce Klingner, a former CIA officer now at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "Anyone else who revealed it would be sitting in Leavenworth prison, serving out a prison term," Klingner says. But in the world of classified secrets, the president of the United States has absolute power. "The classification system for national security information is not based in a law, it derives from the president's own status as commander in chief of the armed forces," says Steven Aftergood, who studies government secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists. The rules about classification are laid out in very detailed presidential orders as part of a system run by the executive branch, and Trump is the boss. "He therefore has the authority to decide unilaterally what will be disclosed, what will be declassified and what will not," Aftergood says."
Certainly has the authority. Question to be asked is does he have the judgment?
Here's the issue:
"Past presidents have used this power sparingly. President Bill Clinton authorized the release of some satellite images during the Balkans conflict in the 1990s. In 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell used satellite photos in his speech at the U.N. to build a case for war with Iraq. But Aftergood thinks the images in those instances were deliberately blurred to hide what U.S. satellites could really do. There's a good reason for that: "These satellites are in the billion-to-multibillion-dollar range; they are worth more than their weight in gold," he says. The photos they produce are so good, they're at the limits of the laws of physics — it's the best picture you can possibly take from space. Aftergood thinks the president's decision to tweet what looks like an unblurred photo of the Iranian accident was a bad idea."
Was it?
"In chess terms, he has sacrificed a bishop for a pawn or less," he says."
Think so?
"What the president did is pretty sporty," says Rebeccah Heinrichs with the conservative Hudson Institute. But she also thinks it was done deliberately. The text of the tweet was clearly written by or vetted by someone with an intelligence background, Heinrichs says, noting the use of abbreviations such as SLV for "space launch vehicle." And she thinks the tweet sends a powerful message to Iran. "He is communicating that we are carefully watching and that we are using restraint, and that if we wanted to do more, we could," she says. At least some experts agree. "Nations are not suddenly going to say, 'Oh no, we had no idea they could watch us this closely!' " says one senior satellite imaging expert who asked to remain anonymous because of the furor around Trump's tweet. "Yes, there is clearly more detail, but not a whole lot of useful information beyond what the best commercial imagery provides." But Aftergood thinks Iran will be able to learn from the image. A group of independent satellite spotters says it has already determined which U.S. satellite took the picture. USA 224, one of America's most advanced spy satellites, passed over the launch site shortly after the accident."
What webs we weave:
"Now that the satellite has been pinpointed, Aftergood worries that Iran can evade it. For example, he says, in the runup to an Indian nuclear weapons test in 1998, India tracked U.S. satellites and made sure not to move any major equipment while they were overhead. The U.S. intelligence community was caught off guard by the test when it happened. And Klingner, the former CIA officer, notes that Iran wasn't the only one that saw the tweet. "Our adversaries — Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, Syria and others — will be looking at this, trying to figure out how good our capabilities are," Klingner says. He worries they just might learn something."
Think any of this truly matters? That is, whether or not North Korea, Iran, or any other 'rogue' nation has nuclear weapons? Think they haven't already been warned should they use such weapons their countries would be incinerated? Turned to glass? There is no way, short of going to war, that the United States can prevent another nation from acquiring/developing nuclear weapons. What will we do? Launch a 'preventative' nuclear strike against Iran, North Korea, etc.? Invade?
Forget? The cat has effectively been out of the bag, so to speak, since two U.S. atomic bombs ended the war against Japan.
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.
9-13-19
The following is in update to an article covered in the last edition of this publication. The Washington Post reports:
"Update: On Friday, the White House communications team published an essay claiming that The Post had not covered several news stories this summer which, in fact, we had. In fact, we not only had reported on the subjects they target, but we had already pointed out that we’d done so in the below article from Wednesday. In the interest of highlighting the White House’s incorrect claims, we’re republishing it today. On Sunday, The Washington Post’s Philip Rucker and Ashley Parker assessed President Trump’s summer. It wasn’t a particularly flattering review, noting several toxic political fights Trump launched out of the blue, a mass shooting tied to the president’s rhetoric and a stumbling economy. “White House officials promote the summer of 2019 as one of historic achievement for Trump, offering up a list of more than two dozen accomplishments,” Rucker and Parker wrote. “But privately, many of the president’s advisers and outside allies bemoan what they consider to be a period of missed opportunity and self-sabotage.”
"The White House communications team did not like this characterization. On Tuesday, it published a video purporting to show The Post what we “missed” over the course of Trump’s “summer of winning.”
".@washingtonpost,
is this what you call a "lost summer?" pic.twitter.com/M1XwUUSgYv
—
The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 3, 2019
"(Note that the video echoes Trump’s characterization of this newspaper as the “Amazon Washington Post,” a reference to owner Jeff Bezos, who is also the founder and CEO of the tech company.) As subscribers are probably aware, The Post did not take the summer off. In fact, we covered each of the major stories included in the video package. It’s just that, outside the White House, those individual accomplishments aren’t really a powerful counterweight to the self-inflicted wounds Trump’s presidency has suffered since the beginning of July. Most of those “wins,” in fact, are either executive orders making incremental changes, achievements that happened before the summer or announced changes that exist in limbo."
The article goes on to rebut point by point distortion of reality by the White House video.
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.
9-13-19
What do you think of the following? ABC News reports:
"At least three states - Arizona, Kansas, and South Carolina - are considering plans to cancel their 2020 GOP presidential primaries and caucuses, prompting both of President Donald Trump's long-shot primary opponents to rail against the stunning, but not unprecedented move that would virtually cripple their chances. "It’s utter bulls---," former Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., who launched a primary challenge during an exclusive interview on "This Week," told ABC News in an interview done Friday. "It’s undemocratic. It’s what a mob boss would do and that’s how Trump’s behaving right now."
No question. Time for Republicans to wake up. Smell the coffee. Trump is doing long-term damage not only to the country, but the Republican Party as well.
"Politico first reported the move and also included a fourth state, Nevada. Officials with the Nevada Republican Party did not immediately respond [to] ABC News' request for comment."
Fascinating, isn't it?
"Walsh blamed the president - even likening Trump to a king - and signaled his openness to legal action to fight back against the four states that are opting to forgo the primary process."
Good to see Trump is finally receiving at least some exceptionally limited opposition from the GOP.
"This can’t—This can’t happen in America," he said. "Donald Trump is not a king. You cannot just eliminate elections. We are going to fight it in these four states. If they proceed and do this we are going to fight them with everything we've got legally." "We're pursuing legal avenues to fight this," he added."
Trump is not a king. In reality? -- An out of control fascist dictator. Fascism, nazism, national socialism defined as the pernicious blend of government, business, and religion. 'Justified' by perversion and bastardization of the latter.
"Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who's declared he's running against Trump, struck a similar tone, saying the president "wishes to be crowned" instead of being "elected." "Donald Trump, by turns arrogant and paranoid, has made no secret of the fact that he wishes to be crowned as President rather than elected," he told ABC News. "That might be fine in a monarchy, but we overthrew ours two centuries ago. The fact is that Mr. Trump and his handlers are keen to bypass the basic procedures of democracy as far as they can, because they know how awful he will look alongside candidates who are intelligent, experienced, and decent."
Yet, the insanity continues nearly unabated in the Republican Party:
"The move follows a broad effort by the Republican National Committee to give "undivided support" to the president - even passing an unprecedented loyalty pledge earlier this year before he's the party's official nominee. But an RNC official argued that shutting down primaries and caucuses is not new during an incumbent's re-election campaign. The official pointed to Republicans canceling eight primary contests in 1992 and 10 in 2004, and Democrats scrapping eight primaries and caucuses in 1996 and 10 in 2012, during former President Obama's re-election campaign. GOP Officials in Arizona, Kansas and South Carolina are touting similar refrains, asserting that their states historically withdraw from the nominating process during presidential re-election years."
Big mistake. Will ultimately backfire. Do great damage to the Republican Party.
With the country as divided as it is, more so now than at any time in the last eight decades or so, it is a mistake for either party to refuse to participate in the primary process:
"Republicans and Democrats alike have opted out ... in previous election cycles: Democrats did so in 1996 with then-incumbent President Bill Clinton, and again in 2012 when President Obama was in office; Republicans opted out in 2004 when President Bush was up for re-election," said Republican Party of Arizona Chairman Kelli Ward. "This is nothing new, despite the media's inauthentic attempt to portray it as such. Arizona Republicans are fired up to re-elect President Trump to a second term and will continue to work together to keep America—and Arizona—great."
That's insanity. -- Not that Democrats have anything better to offer.
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.
9-13-19
With the number of Republicans retiring from Congress, will make it much harder for the GOP to retake the House in the 2020 Election. Apparently, these politicians are retiring due to dissatisfaction with the direction the country is heading under the Trump nazi. Rep. Mike Conaway of Texas opines in his most recent newsletter:
"At the beginning of August, I announced that I will not be running for re-election in the 2020 election. Representing the people of the 11th District of Texas has been an honor and privilege that I cannot adequately describe. Over the years, Suzanne and I have been blessed to work with the finest group of public servants. They have served unselfishly in an exemplary manner."
They've lined the pockets of their corporate masters. Have taken a raucous hard dump on the U.S. Constitution, that is, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties with the exception of the Second Amendment, the last best defense against outrageously corrupt and abusive government.
"While serving in Congress, I have asked Suzanne and our family to make innumerable sacrifices. She and they have willingly made those necessary sacrifices, but they were still sacrifices. The time has come for me to put Suzanne, my children, and my grandchildren first."
Hasn't not-so-enlightened self-interest always been the prime mover, Mike? Certainly, why you and your fellow Republicans continue to line the pockets of your corporate masters, isn't it? Not that Democrats are any better. At least, Republicans have defended the Second Amendment. ... Democrats, the right of a woman to abort her fetus, that is, church-state separation, freedom from religion.
Other than the above, both parties leave much to be desired. Serve themselves and their corporate masters. Certainly, not the long-suffering public they falsely claim to serve.
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.
9-13-19
Nazism thrives on the United States Supreme Court. Courtesy of the Trump nazi and his fellow national socialists, fascists on the highest court of the land. The Washington Post reports:
"Some justices ascend to the Supreme Court quietly, deferring to their elders and biding time before venturing out too far to offer their own views of the law. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, on the other hand, appears to have been shot from a cannon."
Expect anything less of an unabashed, rabid, Aryan arrogant national socialist, fascist, nazi? LOL. Give me a break. Hitler and Mussolini must be proud of their protégé. Grinning ear-to-ear on their fiery perches.
"At his inaugural oral argument in April 2017, President Trump’s first choice for the Supreme Court asked 22 questions. In the term just completed, Gorsuch wrote more dissents than any other justice and typed out a whopping 337 pages of opinions. Again, more than anyone else."
Certainly, 'productive,' isn't he? Too bad most if it isn't based on reinforcement of all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Then again, this 'jurist' shamelessly, unapologetically embraces national socialism. Forget? Wake up.
"Along the way, he has established himself as one of the court’s most conservative justices and a reliable vote for Trump initiatives that have reached the Supreme Court — the travel ban on those from mostly-Muslim countries, adding a citizenship question to the census form and allowing a ban on transgender service in the military to go into effect. He has shown a willingness to overturn precedent and an impatience with more reticent colleagues."
To be expected, -- of a nazi 'jurist.'
"More than anything, he has displayed a supreme confidence that his originalist approach to the law is the most disciplined and principled way to go about his job as a justice."
Blatant insanity. Founders? Spinning in their graves. Appalled at the narrow mindedness of this shameless nazi and others who 'think' like him. The nazi element seems to have conveniently forgotten the Founders wrote the Constitution in a manner that was clearly, cleverly designed to allow for interpretation and change as the country developed. Not the current narrow minded interpretation, courtesy of the delusionally rigid nazi element in our formerly great country.
“I’m all in, and I wanted to explain that,” Gorsuch said in a recent interview in his chambers. He was referring to “A Republic, If You Can Keep It,” a book he has written that goes on sale Tuesday. The title is from Benjamin Franklin’s reported comment when asked what kind of government the Founding Fathers would propose. It is a collection of essays, speeches, past opinions and ruminations on civics, civility and the art of judging. “I decided I wanted to say something about the Constitution, the separation of powers and the judge’s role in it,” Gorsuch said in the interview. At his confirmation in 2017, he said, “I was surprised by just some basic misunderstandings about the separation of powers.”
Your national socialist, fascist views, Mr. Gorsuch, perversely warp your interpretation of the Constitution and the Founders who wrote it. Your views, and those who 'think' like you, treasonously, treacherously, traitorously present an exigent threat to life, liberty, all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. Reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. Hundreds of thousands of our best and brightest fought and died in the Second World War fighting this outrageously perverse ideology.
"(In the interview, which happened to fall on his 52nd birthday, Gorsuch was unwilling to discuss the way the Senate goes about evaluating Supreme Court nominees. “You’re not going to make me relive the confirmation process are you?” he said in response to a question. “On my birthday?”)"
Goddamned disingenuous bullshit. You knew exactly what the interviewer was getting at, Mr. Gorsuch. Too gutless to answer? Clearly, a trait of the hopelessly gutless nazi element in our formerly great country.
"Those who follow the court, on the left and the right, do not need a book to evaluate how Gorsuch has filled his role as the replacement for Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016. “He’s everything conservatives hoped for and liberals feared,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, the liberal dean of the law school at the University of California at Berkeley. He recently wrote a detailed evaluation of Gorsuch’s jurisprudence for ABA Journal. Gregory Garre, who was solicitor general under President George W. Bush, said that Gorsuch is much like a concentrated version of Scalia, right down to his “maverick” tendencies to join the court’s liberals on some criminal justice issues."
Clever of the nazi, isn't it? Certainly, delusionally hopes it makes him appear less fascist than he truly is. Disingenuous at best. At worst, egregiously deceptive. -- Like World War II German General Erwin Rommel, Hitler's Desert Fox.
“In a 2016 tribute to Justice Scalia, then-Judge Gorsuch described Justice Scalia as ‘docile in private life but a ferocious fighter when at work,’” Garre said. “Much the same could be said about Justice Gorsuch.”
To be expected of the nazi element. Precisely, why Hitler's Third Reich was the most efficient in history, to say nothing of the most evil. Yet, got its ass kicked by the Allies. At tremendous cost in blood. Only to have it resurrect, now, in our formerly great country. From the dead. In the persona of the Trump nazi and the Republican Party.
"Respecting the court’s precedents — “stare decisis,” it is called — is a pledge that senators of both parties try to extract from Supreme Court nominees. Republicans want to preserve rulings respecting the Second Amendment; Democrats worry about eroding the right to abortion or the protection of same-sex marriage."
-- About the only issues both parties have gotten right. LOL. Sad, isn't it?
"...[I]n the book and in the interview, Gorsuch lavishly praised federal judges who “believe the Constitution is the greatest charter of human liberty that history’s ever known. And they believe in this country, they believe it’s more important than their own financial feathering of their nests.”
Crock of shit. Distortion of reality. These 'judges' line the pockets of their corporate masters who in turn line theirs. -- One way or the other. One hand always washes the other. Simply because the financial system remains laissez-faire, that is, unregulated, or as in the case here in the United States, extremely poorly regulated. Precisely, why corporate management nearly never is criminally prosecuted for its crimes. ... To say nothing of being imprisoned for those crimes. Convenient, isn't it?
"But asked about Trump’s frequent charge of bias against judges who have ruled against him or his policies, Gorsuch balked. “They can do their thing in the political arena. I’m a judge. And I’m going to stick to my lane,” the justice said. “You asked about what I think of judges in this country. I already talked about that, all right? Insert that answer here.”
Jesus Christ. Disingenuous, phony bullshit from a nazi 'jurist' gutlessly unwilling to proverbially bite the hand that feeds him. A crock.
"Far from the candid coming-of-age memoirs of Thomas and Justice Sonny Sotomayor, Gorsuch’s book has chapters such as “Our Constitution and Its Separated Powers” and “The Judge’s Tools.” It is in the latter that he defends his view of originalism — “the Constitution should be read in our time the same way it was read when adopted” — and the textualist view of statutory interpretation."
Goddamned bullshit. Simply, not true. Phony interpretation of the intention of the Founders. Precisely, why the Constitution was written as 'loosely' as it was. To wisely allow for interpretation as the country grew, developed. The nazi element remains too narrow minded to understand this. Doesn't fit in with their rigid ideology, iron-fisted view of 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.
9-13-19
In follow up to an earlier edition here and elsewhere, ABC News reports:
"In a rare move, the three senior leaders of the U.S. Navy's elite SEAL Team 7 have been removed from their positions due to a "loss of confidence" after allegations of misconduct among one of the platoons under their command that was sent home from Iraq. The misconduct includes allegations that a member of the platoon committed a sexual assault and that platoon members drank alcohol during the deployment. "Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command Rear Adm. Collin Green relieved the three senior leaders of SEAL Team Seven from their positions Sept. 6," said a statement released by NSW Command. "Green relieved the unit's commanding officer, Cdr. Edward Mason; executive officer, Lt. Cdr. Luke Im; and the team's top enlisted leader, Command Master Chief Hugh Spangler due to a loss of confidence that resulted from leadership failures that caused a breakdown of good order and discipline within two subordinate units while deployed to combat zones." In late July, a platoon of about 20 sailors belonging to SEAL Team 7 was ordered back to the United States after an ongoing investigation found some of them had been drinking alcohol while deployed and that others who knew about it didn't report it. Defense officials later confirmed that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service also was investigating an allegation one platoon member had committed a sexual assault against a female service member. That allegation remains under investigation. The three SEAL Team 7 leaders removed from duty are not accused of engaging in the alleged misconduct, but the Navy said they bear responsibility for those under their command."
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.
9-13-19
Racism remains alive and well in Virginia. NBC News reports:
"Three couples have filed a lawsuit challenging a Virginia requirement that people seeking a marriage license identify their race. The suit was filed Thursday in the Eastern District of Virginia and slams the state statute as "offensive," "unconstitutional" and "reflective of a racist past." One of the couples, Sophie Rogers and her fiancé, Brandyn Churchill, went to the Rockbridge Circuit Court clerk's office to obtain a marriage license ahead of their Oct. 19 wedding and was informed that if they do not tell their race, they will not receive their license. Ashley Ramkishun and her fiancé, Samuel Sarfo, also want to wed in Virginia, where the couple met and where Sarfo has relatives. But they don't want to be forced to identify their race to get a marriage license, the suit states. Amelia Spencer and her boyfriend, Kendall Poole, are moving to New York City but hope to return to Virginia to get married "but not if [they] must label [themselves] with a race." All three couples have been denied a marriage license after declining to divulge their race, the suit says. "Plaintiffs deem the requirement of racial labeling to be scientifically baseless, misleading, highly controversial, a matter of opinion, practically useless, offensive to human dignity, an invasion of personal privacy compelling an unwanted public categorization of oneself, and reflective of a racist past," the lawsuit states. Virginia is one of eight states that ask couples to identify their race before they can marry, according to the lawsuit. The others include Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana and Minnesota. In New Hampshire a court clerk fills out the information about a couple's race. Alabama has couples fill out a certificate "that requires a statement of their race," the lawsuit says."
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.
9-13-19
Trump and his henchmen continue to wage a ferocious attack on the First Amendment. Freedom of Speech. Freedom From Religion. NPR reports:
"Clinics that take federal Title X family planning funding are adjusting to a new set of rules that limit what health care providers can say to their patients about abortion. Though Planned Parenthood pulled out of the program in August rather than comply with the rules, thousands of other clinics continue to use grants from the federal program for family planning and sexual health services. These clinics are now under pressure to make sure their staff comply. The new regulations prohibit doctors in Title X-funded primary care clinics from referring pregnant patients for abortions, and also state that health care providers cannot "perform, promote, or support abortion as a method of family planning." Though the Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance that the regulations are not a "gag rule" and that doctors are still allowed to provide information about abortion, organizations that represent physicians are concerned that the ambiguity of the language in the rules will leave some doctors forgoing conversations about abortion entirely. And some physicians worry the rules set a precedent that the federal government can regulate doctors' speech in the exam room — a precedent that may erode the doctor-patient relationship. "By restricting providers from delivering accurate information to their patients, including abortion referrals, the new Title X rule represents an inappropriate intrusion in the patient-physician relationship," American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists president Ted Anderson said in a statement. Family physician Elliot Goodenough works at a community health center in Philadelphia that doesn't provide abortions but uses funding from Title X to help pay for family planning services like birth control and HIV testing. He sees almost entirely low-income children and adults. His job, he says, is to help them sort through their care choices and provide them with accurate medical information. Now Goodenough worries that he won't be able to speak as freely. "The role of the doctor is under question here," Goodenough says. "Medical professionals are generally esteemed providers of information. That's our main job."
Who the hell are national socialist, fascist, nazi Republicans to force their outrageously perverse religious and ideological views on anyone? Why are gutless Democrats refusing to stand up to these fascist bastards? Won't even hold a formal vote in the House to conduct an impeachment investigation?
NPR reports:
"A European doctor who prescribes abortion pills to American women over the Internet is suing the Food and Drug Administration in an effort to continue providing the medications to patients in the United States. The lawsuit being filed Monday in federal court in Idaho names several federal officials, including U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. In the lawsuit, Rebecca Gomperts says she believes federal officials have seized between three and 10 doses of abortion drugs she has prescribed through her organization, Aid Access, since March. It also says Gomperts believes the government has blocked Aid Access from receiving payments from some patients. Gomperts' attorney, Richard Hearn, said the goal of the lawsuit is to force the FDA to stop those actions, and to prevent Gomperts or her patients from being prosecuted under federal law. Hearn argues that for many women who live long distances from the nearest clinic, abortion pills ordered online are the only practical way to exercise their legal right to an abortion. "Some women in the United States can exercise that right just by going down the street if those women happen to live in New York or San Francisco or other major metropolitan areas on either one of the coasts," Hearn said in an interview with NPR. "But women in Idaho and other rural states, especially conservative states ... cannot exercise that right."
Who the hell is nazi government to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus?
"Since March of 2018, the lawsuit says, 37,000 women from all 50 states in the U.S. have contacted Aid Access. Gomperts, who divides her time between Austria and the Netherlands, prescribed the medication to more than 7,000 U.S. patients seeking to end first-trimester pregnancies during that time, according to the lawsuit. The drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, are both approved by the FDA to induce abortion under a doctor's direction. The World Health Organization recommends a protocol that involves taking the two drugs in tandem. Mifepristone is especially heavily regulated in the U.S. and cannot be obtained at a commercial pharmacy, making it difficult for many women to obtain the drug."
Outrageous bullshit courtesy of nazi government.
"Gomperts uses telemedicine to consult with patients online, writes a prescription and provides instructions on how to request the medication from an exporter in India, Hearn said. The pills are then shipped to patients' homes. In March, the FDA issued a warning letter accusing Aid Access of violating federal law by misbranding and facilitating the improper distribution of the drugs. The letter said that "the sale of misbranded and unapproved new drugs poses an inherent risk to consumers who purchase those products." The agency ordered Aid Access to stop distributing the medications in the United States or face repercussions, including the seizure of the drugs, without notice."
Legalized theft by nazi government determined to impose its perverse ideological and religious views on women in direct violation of the First Amendment.
"Gomperts stopped prescribing the medications to U.S. patients for about two months, from roughly mid-March to mid-May, before resuming, according to her attorney. "The FDA is a huge institution. It's very powerful, and it's a form of intimidation that is quite severe," Gomperts said in an interview with NPR. "I would say a form of bullying. And so I think it's very important to stand up against it."
Without question.
Get this:
"Gomperts said she charges the equivalent of about $90 for patients in the United States, which covers the consultation, prescription and medication. She said patients who cannot afford that amount are asked to pay what they can.
"FDA officials declined to comment on any potential or pending regulatory actions against Gomperts and Aid Access. Asked if patients who purchase abortion pills could be prosecuted, officials said in a statement emailed to NPR that it is usually illegal to import drugs for personal use but that the FDA "generally does not take enforcement action against individuals" who do so. The statement added, "FDA remains very concerned about the sale of unapproved mifepristone for medical termination of early pregnancy on the Internet or via other channels for illegal importation, because this bypasses important safeguards designed to protect women's health." Gomperts said she believes patients can safely self-induce what is essentially an early miscarriage, provided they have proper information and support. "What I think is very important is to really understand that women have been dealing with miscarriages forever," Gomperts said. "And a medical abortion, abortion with pills, is very similar."
So what's the problem? ... Other than nazi government determined to dictate what a woman can and cannot do with HER uterus?
"Abigail Aiken, a public affairs professor at the University of Texas at Austin, has been studying Aid Access and its patients. In a recent study published in the journal BMJ, Aiken examines some of the reasons women seek abortion drugs online, including increased restrictions on the procedure in many states. "There is certainly interest, and it appears to be becoming more intense," Aiken said in an interview with NPR. Aiken said some patients also prefer to take pills privately, at home, rather than going to a clinic. Others face obstacles such as ultrasound requirements, long waiting periods and cost, she said. "There are some folks who would like to get to an abortion clinic, but they're not able to," Aiken said. "And this is especially pronounced in states that have restrictive abortion policies."
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.
9-13-19
The following is inexplicable. What could the Trump nazi and his henchmen possibly been thinking? NPR reports:
"Mike Pompeo, the nation's top diplomat, took to the Sunday news talk shows to defend the administration's cancelling of a secret summit between the leadership of the Taliban and the president of Afghanistan. The meetings had been set to take place at Camp David days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks."
Abject insanity. How can Pompeo continue to defend the indefensible? Get this:
"In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, said it was the president's idea to hold the talks at the presidential retreat in Maryland, adding it was a "perfectly appropriate place" to do so."
Think so?
"President Trump ultimately made the decision," Pompeo said, adding that Trump wanted to look both the president of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani and Taliban leaders "in the eye" to determine if a final agreement could be signed off on."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. Clearly, insanity rules the Oval Office. -- Not only Trump, but his equally delusional henchmen as well.
"So we found that arrangement acceptable, that the verification was adequate and we concluded it was a perfectly appropriate place," Pompeo said. "It's almost always the case. ... that you don't get to negotiate with good guys." Pompeo also confirmed that not only was the meeting scrubbed, but that months-long peace negotiations with Taliban leadership are dead, for now. And the lead U.S. negotiator is being called back home. "For the time being that is absolutely the case," Pompeo said on NBC's Meet the Press. "We've recalled Ambassador [Zalmay] Khalilzad back to Washington." The now-canceled secret meetings at Camp David were first made public in a series of tweets by Trump Saturday evening. He cited the recent Taliban attack where a dozen people were killed, including an American soldier, as justification for scuttling the talks. "Unbeknownst to almost everyone, the major Taliban leaders and, separately, the President of Afghanistan were going to secretly meet with me at Camp David on Sunday," Trump tweeted. He added, "Unfortunately, in order to build false leverage, they admitted to... an attack in Kabul that killed one of our great great soldiers, and 11 other people. I immediately cancelled the meeting and called off peace negotiations."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. The killing by all sides had been ongoing the entire time negotiations of the deal were in progress.
"Following Trump's statements on Twitter, a series of Taliban statements suggested how close the two sides had come to announcing an agreement – and the way it would have played out. Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban negotiations spokesman, said on Twitter the group already finalized an agreement with the Americans "a few days ago." Shaheen says the Gulf state of Qatar, which has been hosting the talks, would announce the agreement. Trump's cancellation, he says, was baffling. "President Trump's surprising tweets surprised everybody," he writes "Certainly, he has harmed his credibility."
The following makes no sense:
"In an interview Sunday on CNN's State Of The Union, Pompeo said Trump made the "right decision" to walk away from the meetings. "When the Taliban tried to gain negotiating advantage by conducting terror attacks inside of the country, President Trump made the right decision to say that's not going to work," Pompeo said. "It's not appropriate [the Taliban] killed an American. And it made no sense for the Taliban to be rewarded for that kind of bad behavior." Pompeo also reiterated that even though the U.S. was engaged in talks with the Taliban, the fight on the battlefield never quit."
Clearly, the fight on the battlefield was not suspended during negotiations. What did you expect? The killing to stop? What was there to negotiate anyway? The Taliban could not be trusted. Nearly two decades of our involvement there is proof positive.
"We have, in just the last 10 days alone, killed over a 1,000 Taliban," Pompeo says on ABC's This Week. "We have been fighting and talking in a way that America often doesn't do."
Did you expect the enemy not to reciprocate, Mr. Pompeo? Are you as delusional as the Trump nazi, sir?
"Pompeo stresses he hopes negotiations will resume at some point, but says actions by the Taliban did not match "commitments" the sides were working toward in the talks. "But we finally reached a point where we were close. We had made real progress, and then the Taliban failed to live up to a series of commitments that they had made," Pompeo said."
What commitments, sir? Why not disclose them?
Here's the problem:
"The announcement of such high profile talks were planned between a sitting president and leaders of an insurgent organization – on U.S. soil — is astonishing. The meeting was set to take place just days before the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The attacks were carried out by the Al-Qaida, which took up refuge inside Afghanistan and was provided a safe haven by ruling Taliban government. Reporting from Islamabad, NPR Pentagon Correspondent Tom Bowman said on NPR's Weekend Edition that the planned meeting was "highly unusual." "We had been hearing that if there were to be a peace deal, it would be signed likely in Kabul with Zalmay Khalilzad being there, possibly President Ashraf Ghani and a member of the Taliban," Bowman said. "The fact that they planned to bring it to U.S. soil is highly unusual."
"Never
should leaders of a terrorist organization that hasn’t renounced 9/11 and
continues in evil be allowed in our great country. NEVER. Full stop. https://t.co/pagnRFuFtc
—
Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) September 8, 2019
"News of the Taliban's planned visit to the U.S. drew criticism from Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., who is a Lt. Col. in the Air National Guard and served in the Air Force in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. "Never should leaders of a terrorist organization that hasn't renounced 9/11 and continues in evil be allowed in our great country," Kinzinger tweeted Saturday. He ended his tweet: "NEVER. Full Stop."
Fascinating, isn't it? What could Trump and his henchmen possibly been thinking?
Compounding all this is the fact 9/11 could have been prevented. The State Department failed to do full background checks on the 9/11 hijackers. Worse? Failed to heed warnings from the flight schools these bastards wished to learn only how to fly straight and level, not take off and land. Instead, both major political parties created a de facto fascist police-state in response to the attack vis a vis The USA 'Patriot' Act, 'Real' ID Act, Homeland 'Security' Act, etc.. Now transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
CBS News reports:
"America's chief diplomat strongly defended President Trump's decision to cancel a secret meeting with envoys of the Taliban at Camp David that had been scheduled for this weekend, saying the administration is seeking a lasting agreement that ends the 18-year war against the militants in Afghanistan and ensures the country does not become a staging ground for terrorist attacks against the U.S. "If the Taliban can't live up to their commitments, if they're going to continue to do the things that they've been doing — and as we approached this decision point in the discussions with the Afghans, they blow up Kabul and kill an American — President Trump will never do that," Pompeo said on "Face the Nation" Sunday."
What did you expect, Mr. Pompeo? Ferociously pointedly, what did your fuhrer, the Trump nazi expect, sir? Expect any different after the last 18 years of this fiasco?
"The president on Saturday revealed he had scrapped the previously undisclosed meeting with the Afghan government and high-ranking representatives of the Taliban that was set to take place on Sunday at his Camp David retreat in Maryland. Mr. Trump accused Taliban insurgents of attempting to create "false leverage" ahead of the secret meeting by admitting to carrying out a suicide attack in Kabul on Thursday that killed a dozen people, including one American soldier. "If they cannot agree to a ceasefire during these very important peace talks, and would even kill 12 innocent people, then they probably don't have the power to negotiate a meaningful agreement anyway," the president wrote in a series of tweets on Saturday night. "How many more decades are they willing to fight?"
How hopelessly stupid could you possibly be, Mr. 'President?' What did you expect the enemy to do? Not fight to the bitter end? Aren't you aware of the history of Afghanistan? The fact the Afghans have not lost a fight against invaders for centuries? Right or wrong, they never give up. They'll continue to kill invaders indefinitely. You don't know that, sir?
"Asked about criticism the administration has faced after Mr. Trump revealed the U.S. would be meeting with members of the Taliban — a group Pompeo himself has referred to as terrorists — three days before the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the secretary of state said the administration had been very "thoughtful" when arranging the negotiations. "We thought about this a long time and ultimately the president made the decision that this was the right place. We know the history of Camp David. That's where peace has been negotiated many, many times," Pompeo said, referring to the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt that the U.S. helped broker. "And sadly you often have to deal with some pretty bad characters to get peace."
You're dealing with a totally different set of circumstances. The Afghans have a history of relentless ruthlessness. Never give up. No matter the conditions, carnage, cost, etc..
"I'd say to anybody who says you shouldn't negotiate with the Taliban, tell me how else they'd like us to talk to, try to get reconciliation," he added."
You do it in Afghanistan, not the United States. Certainly, not with a narcissistic buffoon ringleading the negotiations.
"Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had been informed in advance that the Taliban had been invited to Camp David, a senior Afghan government official confirmed to CBS News. The official said the U.S. called off Ghani's visit and denied that the cancellation was a protest move by the Afghan government."
The last sentence above makes no sense.
"Mr. Trump cited the killing of a U.S. soldier on Thursday during the bombing in Kabul that killed 11 others as the chief reason for cancelling Sunday's meeting, but the chain of events leading up to it suggest other factors came into play. The U.S. envoy in Afghanistan, Zal Khalilzad, an Afghan-born American diplomat involved in the early stages of overthrowing the Taliban back in 2001, had continued to meet and talk to the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, after the Thursday suicide attack. About 16 Americans have been killed since the start of 2019 and the deaths have not disrupted the diplomacy to date. Just five days ago, Khalilzad had announced on Afghan television that he had come to an agreement "in principle" with the Taliban to withdraw around 5,000 U.S. troops within 135 days of a deal being struck."
Trump and his henchmen are not telling the American public the truth. So what else is new?
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.
9-13-19
No end to the waste. NPR reports:
"The U.S. military court and prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, have cost more than $6 billion to operate since opening nearly 18 years ago and still churn through more than $380 million a year despite housing only 40 prisoners today. Included in that amount are taxpayer-funded charter planes often flying just a few passengers to and from the island; hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of government electronic devices intentionally destroyed each year due to spills of classified information; some Pentagon-funded defense attorneys billing about half-a-million dollars a year; and total legal costs of nearly $60 million annually even though Guantánamo has had only one finalized conviction. Criticism of that spending comes even from inside Guantánamo. A former top attorney there has filed a federal whistleblower complaint alleging "gross financial waste" and "gross mismanagement," NPR has learned. Retired Air Force Col. Gary Brown also claims that he and the former head of the military court were fired because they were negotiating a controversial cost-saving proposal with defense lawyers: allow Guantánamo prisoners — including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his four co-defendants in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks — to plead guilty in exchange for life in prison rather than face the death penalty. Such plea deals, Brown says, "would stop wasting resources."
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.
9-13-19
Further proof the business community is extremely poorly regulated in our formerly great country. NPR reports:
"The family that owns Purdue Pharma, maker of Oxycontin, has rejected a demand that they give up $4.5 billion of their personal wealth to settle opioid claims against the company, according to state attorneys general negotiating with the company. As a consequence, talks toward a national settlement with members of the Sackler family reached an impasse over the weekend, according to an email obtained by NPR. Two attorneys general directly involved in the talks predicted in the email that the company will now file for bankruptcy "imminently." "States have already begun preparations for handling the bankruptcy proceedings," wrote Josh Stein, North Carolina's state attorney general, and Herbert Slatery, attorney general for Tennessee. "The Sacklers refused to budge," the email concluded, "and have declined to offer any counterproposal." The email, first reported by The Associated Press, was sent Saturday to other state attorneys general. It details an offer made to the Sacklers that would have forced them to pay billions of dollars to compensate states for their role helping to fuel the prescription opioid epidemic. The deal would also have forced Purdue Pharma into bankruptcy proceedings while dissolving the Sacklers' overseas opioid business. But in a statement emailed to NPR Sunday night, the drug company suggested a deal might still be possible. "Purdue Pharma believes a settlement that benefits the American public now is a far better path than years of wasteful litigation and appeals," the statement said. "Those negotiations continue and we remain dedicated to a resolution that genuinely advances the public interest."
Think so?
"Overdose deaths linked to prescription opioids have killed more than 218,000 Americans since the addiction crisis began in the late 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State and local governments have filed more than 2,000 lawsuits claiming Purdue Pharma played a central role marketing opioid medications, while downplaying the risks. Over two decades, opioid sales generated billions of dollars in profits for the company, making the Sacklers one of the richest families in the U.S."
Extremely poor regulation has allowed this to happen at the expense of the public. Financially, medically, to say nothing of the ensuing consequent loss of life.
"While that legal process moves forward, state attorneys general have promised to continue pursuing the Sacklers personally to recoup profits the family received from opioid sales, even if Purdue Pharma seeks Chapter 11 protection. "I won't let them get away with their crimes," Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro wrote Saturday on Twitter. "I will sue them personally, so that we can dig into their personal pocketbooks." The Wall Street Journal also reported Friday that the U.S. Justice Department is involved in separate talks with Purdue Pharma. According to the newspaper, those negotiations involve possible civil penalties tied to federal probes of Oxycontin sales, but could also include criminal charges using statutes normally used to prosecute drug dealers."
Corporate officials need to be criminally prosecuted. Imprisoned if found guilty.
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.
9-13-19
Bolton gets the boot. NPR reports:
"President Trump has fired national security adviser John Bolton, the lifelong proponent of American hard power, after months of division between the men over the direction of foreign and national security policy. Trump announced the news Tuesday on Twitter.
"....I
asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank
John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security
Advisor next week.
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019
"Bolton responded with his own post on Twitter asserting that he had initiated the idea that he would step down, but that Trump decided to wait until the following day.
"I
offered to resign last night and President Trump said, "Let's talk about
it tomorrow."
—
John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) September 10, 2019"
Comes as no surprise, does it? Trump wants to hear only what he wants to hear. Certainly, not all viewpoints. Including that of a rabid militarist.
"The president appeared to have taken on the Afghanistan portfolio himself and cut many of his advisers — including Bolton — out of the matter. Tensions reached a point at which Bolton reportedly was excluded from meetings about the war in Afghanistan, an issue that might otherwise have obviously fallen into the purview of the national security adviser. But Trump had become a dove and wanted to reach a peace agreement that would permit the withdrawal of most or all American forces from Afghanistan. The president's allies felt they couldn't trust Bolton not to blow up the process."
Give Bolton far more credit than he deserves. LOL. A competent executive wants to hear all viewpoints. Not just what he wants to hear. Could have simply rejected Bolton's advice and let it go at that.
"Bolton's aggressive positions on Venezuela, North Korea and Afghanistan clashed with the comparative reluctance of his boss to entertain new confrontations and his enthusiasm about winding down some old ones."
So what? Any competent, emotionally secure executive needs and wants to hear all viewpoints. Then, makes the decision and lets it go at that. Not, however, the narcissist Trump nazi. Insufferable ego simply won't allow it. LOL.
The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump announced Tuesday that John Bolton was no longer his national security adviser, saying in tweets that he “disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions” and that Bolton was no longer needed. The two men offered differing accounts about whether Trump had forced Bolton out of the position or whether Bolton left voluntarily after repeated clashes with Trump. “I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” Trump said on Twitter. “I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service.”
"Trump’s harshly worded tweet made clear that long-simmering frustration with Bolton had boiled over. Bolton immediately took issue with Trump’s assertion that he was fired, saying that he had offered his resignation. “Let’s be clear, I resigned, having offered to do so last night,” Bolton said in a text to The Washington Post. “I will have my say in due course. But I have given you the facts on the resignation. My sole concern is US national security.” Bolton also responded to Trump on Twitter. “I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow,’ ” he wrote.
"Bolton was scheduled to appear alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a White House briefing later Tuesday. Trump’s announcement came less than two hours before that event. “The president’s entitled to the staff that he wants at any moment,” Pompeo said at the event. “He should have people that he trusts and values.” Asked whether he was blindsided by Trump’s announcement, Pompeo said, “I’m never surprised, and I don’t mean that on just this issue.”
Fascinating response, isn't it? LOL. Most telling, as well.
Get this:
“Our mission set is not to talk about these inner workings and the palace intrigue that I know you are so curious about, but rather to talk about the things that matter to American foreign policy,” he said, after acknowledging that he and Bolton disagreed on many issues. Bolton’s relationship with Pompeo had become increasingly tense in recent months, with Bolton privately accusing Pompeo of spending too much time furthering his own political ambitions and Pompeo arguing that Bolton’s inflexibility and hard line views were corrosive."
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.
9-13-19
Fear, not reason, rules in a fascist police-state. NPR reports:
"There is widespread support among Americans — Democrats, Republicans and gun owners alike — for a number of initiatives to curb gun violence they would like to see Congress pass, according to a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll."
So what? The public is not thinking straight. Has succumbed to fear whipped up by Democrats.
"Laws that would screen for the types of people who could use a gun are broadly popular, but when it comes to bans on certain types of weapons and ammunition, a divide emerges."
The Second Amendment is abundantly clear. The public has the right to bear arms. Don't like the Amendment? Tough shit. You need to amend the Constitution in order to constitutionally remove this exceptionally precious right. Not do so by fiat, statute, Executive Order, etc. Would be outrageously unconstitutional to do so.
"Increasing funding for mental health screenings and treatment, universal background checks, red flag laws and requiring gun licenses all get broad bipartisan support as well as the support of a majority of gun owners. (Red flag laws, also known as extreme-risk protection orders, allow police or family members to request that a judge temporarily remove guns from people who may be a danger to themselves or others.)"
What do Democrats want? A mental health screening before purchase of a firearm? Think that will prevent a mass shooting? How about red flag laws? Think that wouldn't be abused to remove firearms from those not politically correct?
Or extremely critical of government? Think a background check will prevent a massacre when firearms are ubiquitous, can easily be bought on the street? Despite the best effort of the law enforcement community. Wake up. Before too late.
New restrictions on firearms are no more than 'symbolism over substance.' Will enable a delusional, frightened citizenry to falsely believe something has been done about the root cause of all this violence when in fact nothing has been done.
Instead, law-abiding citizens will wind up having their Second Amendment rights abrogated. All in an effort to ensure a gutless public delusionally believes the violence will summarily end. The problem is not gun control. It is a country coming apart at the seams.
Hopelessly, divided. A financial system, --zero-sum, winner-take-all. Middle class, -- vanishing. Recent massacres? Low-grade insurrection. All, a portend of far worse to come. ... Hear the rumble? An unwanted, dreaded second American revolution.
"You'd be hard-pressed to find something where the gap between public sentiment and legislative action or inaction is wider because you've got a clear consensus across party lines," said Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, which conducted the poll. "The gap is huge, and the congressional crowd is very much out of step with where public opinion is on this. And therein lies the frustration [of many Americans], as the frequency of these shootings increases."
Tough shit. About the only thing Republicans have done right recently is defend the Second Amendment. -- Democrats, abortion rights. Sad, isn't it? The bottom line here is remarkably simple. Hopelessly delusional Democrats remain hell-bent on doing something, anything to reduce the carnage of mass murders.
Matters not that what is proposed will do nothing to end the violence. Only abrogate the rights of law-abiding citizens who wish to exercise their Second Amendment rights. No more than feel-good legislation that will do nothing to resolve the issue or lessen the violence.
Matters not to rabid Democrats that doing so is nothing more than taking a raucous hard dump on the Second Amendment, and/or other precious rights guarantied by the Bill of Rights. Indeed, a most slippery slope begging the question what's the next right to be eviscerated?
Seem to have forgotten liberty is not free. Always a price to be paid. Often a steep one. The Founders clearly understood this. Both parties seem to have conveniently forgotten. -- Whether it's Republicans dictating to a woman what she can and cannot do with HER uterus, or Democrats eviscerating the Second Amendment.
Moreover, no way will Democrats ever disarm the American public. Won't happen. Expansion of background checks to private sales won't fly, won't work. They'll continue no matter the law. Regardless, it's none of this government's business who owns what and where it's located. Believe government isn't retaining this data?
Liberty is indeed dangerous. Some of us will die as a result of criminal activity perpetrated by use of firearms. That certainly doesn't negate the true purpose of the Second Amendment, -- the last best defense against corrupt, abusive, murderous government.
With a well-armed public as intended by the Founders, the citizenry would have the ability to resist long-term against outrageously out of control, corrupt, abusive government. Without it, defeat would be quick and permanent. Liberty forever eviscerated.
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.
9-6-19
There is at least one U.S. Attorney courageously standing up to white nationalists. ABC News reports:
"The U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio on Thursday announced new federal charges against a self-avowed white nationalist accused of threatening to commit an attack on a local Jewish community center. James Reardon, who attended the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, was arrested last week after authorities said he posted the threat on Instagram. U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman said Reardon has now been charged with one count of making threats as authorities continue their investigation into Reardon and whether he may have any accomplices. But as the Trump administration continues to face criticism over its response to the rising threat of violent white nationalism, Herdman used the occasion to turn his attention to address white supremacists directly."
Did he ever. Courageously, let it rip:
"I am talking directly to you," Herdman said at a news conference announcing the charges. "The Constitution protects your right to speak, your right to think, and your right to believe. If you want to waste the blessings of liberty by going down a path of hatred and failed ideologies, that is your choice." Herdman continued, evoking the sacrifices made by U.S. service members in World War II against Nazism, as well as those who marched for civil rights throughout U.S. history. "Thousands and thousands of young Americans already voted with their lives to ensure that this same message of intolerance, death, and destruction would not prevail - you can count their ballots by visiting any American cemetery in North Africa, Italy, France, or Belgium and tallying the white headstones," Herdman said. "You can also recite the many names of civil rights advocates who bled and died in opposing supporters of those same ideologies of hatred. Their voices may be distant, but they can still be heard."
Unquestionably. Never to be silenced.
"The Constitution may give you a voice, but it doesn’t guarantee you a receptive audience," Herdman added.
"In powerful remarks, U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman calls out white supremacists while announcing charges against a man accused of threatening an attack on Jewish community center.
"Those
actions don't make you soldiers, they make you cowards." https://t.co/cGHs9h4cjX
pic.twitter.com/lKlQGtu9AD
—
ABC News (@ABC) August 29, 2019"
No heart. No soul. No principles. No substance. No humanity. Profound evil. A black hole that draws in the very worst of society.
"Herdman also made reference to other threats made against the Jewish community as well as the mass shooting in El Paso earlier this month, where 21 people were killed by an alleged shooter who had expressed his hope to target Mexicans. "Threatening to kill Jewish people, gunning down innocent Latinos on a weekend shopping trip, planning and plotting to perpetrate murders in the name of a nonsense racial theory, sitting to pray with God-fearing people who you execute moments later - those actions don’t make you soldiers, they make you criminals," Herdman said. " Law enforcement doesn’t go to war with cowards who break the law, we arrest them and send them to prison."
Trump is their mentor, inspiration, ringleader. Given voice to these vicious, fascist bastards who are an evil reincarnation of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and their henchmen. History repeating itself.
"After highlighting what he said are the strengths of diverse communities, Herdman again turned his attention back to addressing white supremacists directly with a stark warning for those who may turn to violence. "When you wake up tomorrow morning, no matter what time, I want you to remember something," Herdman said. "You can’t set your alarm clock early enough to beat us out of bed. The men and women of law enforcement don’t wake up. We never went to sleep." "We are always awake," he added. "And arm in arm with the public, when your hatred leads you to break the law, we will do everything we can to be there to stop you."
To date, not all law enforcement is onboard. Sadly, many in the law enforcement community have embraced this national socialist, fascist, nazi scourge. To say nothing of our hopelessly insane, narcissistic fuhrer currently occupying 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.
9-6-19
The following is yet another example of the above. NPR reports:
"Google and its YouTube subsidiary will pay $170 million to settle allegations that YouTube collected personal information from children without their parents' consent, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday."
Why is no one going to prison?
"The companies allegedly collected information of children viewing videos on YouTube by tracking users of channels that are directed at kids. YouTube allegedly failed to notify parents or get their consent, violating laws that protect children's privacy, according to a complaint filed against the companies by the FTC and the New York attorney general. "YouTube touted its popularity with children to prospective corporate clients," FTC Chairman Joe Simons said in a statement. "Yet when it came to complying with (the children privacy law), the company refused to acknowledge that portions of its platform were clearly directed to kids. There's no excuse for YouTube's violations of the law." According to the complaint, YouTube marketed itself as a top destination for kids in presentations to the makers of popular children's products and brands. For example, Google and YouTube told Mattel, maker of Barbie and Monster High toys, that "YouTube is today's leader in reaching children age 6-11 against top TV channels" and told Hasbro, which makes My Little Pony and Play-Doh, that YouTube is the "#1 website regularly visited by kids." The FTC voted 3-2 to authorize the complaint and the final order in the case. In his dissent, FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra said Google "baited children using nursery rhymes, cartoons, and other kid-directed content on curated YouTube channels to feed its massively profitable behavioral advertising business." He noted that the "terms of the settlement were not even significant enough to make Google issue a warning to its investors." Chopra said he fears "the Commission brings down the hammer on small firms, while allowing large firms to get off easier." The complaint said the companies' practices violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule, known as COPPA, under a 1998 law. Under the settlement, Google and YouTube will pay $136 million to the FTC and $34 million to the state of New York."
Why was no one criminally prosecuted and imprisoned? Why no equal justice?
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.
9-6-19
'Biting the hand that feeds you.' CBS News reports:
"President Trump was not happy with Fox News on Wednesday, tweeting "Fox isn't working for us anymore" while "America's Newsroom" aired on the network. In the tweets, Mr. Trump did not hide his displeasure with some of Fox's 2020 election coverage — and he suggested the whole network should just "go left," saying he'd win without their help. Mr. Trump's rage was at first directed at host Sandra Smith, who was interviewing DNC communications director Xochitl Hinojosa.
"Just watched @FoxNews heavily promoting the Democrats through their DNC Communications Director, spewing out whatever she wanted with zero pushback by anchor, @SandraSmithFox," the president wrote. "Terrible considering that Fox couldn't even land a debate, the Dems give them NOTHING! @CNN & @MSNBC are all in for the Open Border Socialists (or beyond). Fox hires 'give Hillary the questions' @donnabrazile, Juan Williams and low ratings Shep Smith. HOPELESS & CLUELESS! They should go all the way LEFT and I will still find a way to Win - That's what I do, Win. Too Bad!...."
Does Trump truly delusionally believe media is at his beck and call? Even Fox, which to this point, seems to have been in bed with him?
"But Mr. Trump wasn't done. "I don't want to Win for myself, I only want to Win for the people. The New @FoxNews is letting millions of GREAT people down! We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn't working for us anymore!" he wrote in a third tweet.
....I
don’t want to Win for myself, I only want to Win for the people. The New
@FoxNews is letting millions of GREAT people down! We have to start looking
for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!
—
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2019"
Trump remains a congenital liar. Couldn't care less for his constituents. Only himself.
"@DonnaBrazile refers to former DNC chairperson and current Fox contributor, Donna Brazile, who came under fire in 2016 when WikiLeaks revealed emails indicating she gave Hillary Clinton's team a heads-up about presidential debate questions. Mr. Trump also called out Juan Williams, a Fox News political analyst, who recently wrote an op-ed for The Hill titled "The real reason for Trump's attack on me." "When Trump tweeted out last week that my political analysis of him was 'nasty,' 'pathetic' and 'wrong,' it led to an instant stream of vile comments via email and on my social media feeds," Williams wrote in the op-ed. Williams says Trump "is engaged in a coordinated attack on every journalist's ability to hold him accountable, call out his lies and critique his failed policies."
Greg Sargent of The Washington Post reports:
"The impunity is the point. For days now, President Trump has been embroiled in a public feud of sorts with Fox News, because he’s angry that the network isn’t functioning dutifully enough as his 24/7 propaganda channel. This is mostly being discussed as another turn in Trump’s ongoing war on the media, one in which his ire has boomeranged on his media supporters. But the story here is bigger than this: Trump’s battle with Fox illuminates the multi-tentacled manner in which Trump is corrupting our democracy and political system, in a new and interesting way. On Thursday night, Fox’s Neil Cavuto unleashed a lengthy rebuke to Trump. In it, Cavuto pointedly noted: “Mr. President, we don’t work for you.” This was a response to Trump’s rage-tweet excoriating the network: “We have to start looking for a new News Outlet. Fox isn’t working for us anymore!” Trump is angry, Cavuto argued, because on occasion Fox doesn’t sufficiently whitewash his failures and lies. Cavuto noted that Trump chafes because Fox covers bad economic numbers, market drops and Trump’s ongoing trade disasters, and because Fox has pointed out that Trump lied when he claimed Mexico would pay for his wall, that Russia didn’t interfere in 2016, and that he inherited a recession from Barack Obama."
Here is where it gets particularly interesting:
“To fact check him is to be all but dead to him,” Cavuto said, adding that many Trump supporters had contacted him to tell him that “I am either with him totally, or I am a Never Trumper fully.” My purpose here is not to defend Fox. Yes, its news anchors sometimes do cover the administration aggressively, but the news coverage also has a heavy pro-Trump tilt, and its opinion hosts regularly traffic in outright pro-Trump agitprop and white nationalist conspiracy theories. As Margaret Sullivan puts it, Fox writ large and Trump are the “conjoined twins of misinformation.” If anything, Trump’s attacks have given the network a way to hype its largely nonexistent independence from him. Rather, what’s interesting here is Cavuto’s declaration that many Trump supporters have come to expect and demand from Fox absolute fealty to their leader."
That's a problem. A big problem. A news organization that engages in such is no longer a news organization.
"Cavuto deserves some credit. In his rebuke, he exposed many of the false storylines that intertwine in Trump’s preferred narrative of the last few years: Russia never tried to sabotage our political system on his behalf. Trump deserves total credit for what has been good about the economy, having inherited nothing but wreckage from the Obama years. All the recent bad economic news is fake news, as are claims that Trump’s unhinged handling of trade is helping cause it. Trump’s buffoonish vow to subjugate Mexico and force it to pay for his wall has proved to be a mirage. Trump expects and demands that Fox News hew to this propagandistic narrative entirely. But, even more to the point, he publicly and unabashedly tells his supporters that he expects and demands it."
Aryan arrogance befitting Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini. Not the president of the United States.
"The whole point here is the open declaration that something meant to be a news network should function as his personal 24/7 propaganda and disinformation outlet. It’s a double-fisted declaration of impunity: Trump must be immune from journalistic scrutiny and be permitted to operate and lie with absolute impunity, and he will publicly assert that an ostensibly journalistic institution should be entirely subservient to him with absolute, shameless impunity as well."
Was always a problem before on the opinion side of the Fox organization. Certainly, to be expected there. Where it's not acceptable is on the news side. -- An issue since Trump took office. Certainly, damaged the credibility of Fox News.
"This is a form of insidious corruption — corruption of our discourse. All politicians shade the truth; politics inescapably involves artifice of one kind or another. But most hew to some kind of underlying belief that gaslighting voters too shamelessly treats them with a form of deep contempt; that at some point, factual reality has to matter; that journalism plays a legitimate institutional role in restraining political dishonesty; and that all this is a necessary foundation for deliberative democracy to function."
Certainly, true. Precisely, why Fox News has little to no credibility. ... Unlike before Trump took office.
"But Trump has crossed over into a form of autocratic disinformation that is designed to render fact-based deliberation and argument impossible. And Trump is openly declaring not just that his supporters have a stake in this; but also that they are entitled to their very own network devoted to it as well. If it doesn’t play this role, it has somehow betrayed them."
While Trump and his sycophants are indeed entitled to their views, beliefs, distortion of reality, etc., they are not entitled to their own facts. In journalism, the facts are the facts. They're not beliefs, not hopes, not wishful thinking, not distortion of reality. They're supposed to be the truth. The sad fact, however, is that truth today remains a moving target. Unsustainable. As our formerly great country continues to deteriorate.
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.
9-6-19
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, --another narcissistic Trump nazi. Can Britain survive? LOL. The Washington Post reports:
"British Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced defections from senior allies Thursday as a backlash built and opponents planned legal challenges to his decision to suspend Parliament to push his Brexit plans. The resignation of Ruth Davidson, who had been touted as a future prime minister, along with another senior Conservative in the House of Lords, was a sign of rising worry within Johnson’s ranks that the move to suspend Parliament was sidelining Britain’s elected representatives during one of the biggest political crises in generations."
Akin to Trump sending Congress home for five weeks so he could rule by fiat.
"Elsewhere in Europe, policymakers were jolted by the move to suspend Parliament for five weeks, which some of them said brought Britain closer to a sudden, cliff-edge Brexit that analysts say could spark food and medicine shortages. Some diplomats said they were increasingly convinced Johnson is a brutally ruthless tactician who would stop at little in a risky gambit to force both Europe and his own rebellious lawmakers into a compromise."
Sounds like Trump, doesn't it?
"The resignations came after protesters jammed streets in cities around the country, including in London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Outside of Parliament, demonstrators chanted “stop the coup!” A petition calling for the government to stop the suspension quickly surged past 1 million signatures. Johnson’s adversaries promised to appeal his move in the courts. Brexit opponents were strategizing about how to use their dwindling time in Parliament to halt the relentless move toward an uncontrolled break from Europe. Johnson sparked a torrent of criticism with his decision to ask Queen Elizabeth II to suspend Parliament for five weeks, dramatically shortening the time lawmakers have to try to block a no-deal Brexit. Johnson has said Britain will leave the European Union by Oct. 31 with or without a deal. The majority of lawmakers in the House of Commons are opposed to leaving the bloc without a transition deal to smooth the way. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said that when Parliament reconvenes after summer break Tuesday, he would move immediately to pass legislation to keep the chamber open and to prevent a no-deal Brexit. “We will be back in Parliament on Tuesday to challenge Boris Johnson on what I think is a smash-and-grab raid against our democracy,” he told Sky News. “What we’re going to do is try to politically stop him on Tuesday with a parliamentary process in order to legislate to prevent a no-deal Brexit and also to try and prevent him shutting down parliament during this utterly crucial period.” Opposition lawmakers will have to move fast if they are to have a chance at success. Once Parliament is suspended, no later than Sept. 12, any legislation in the pipeline is typically killed off, and lawmakers would have to start again from scratch when Parliament resumes Oct. 14."
The Washington Post reports:
"Britain’s Parliament returns from its summer recess and is facing a titanic showdown over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to leave the European Union. Here’s what we know: Johnson has lost his majority in Parliament, with the defection of Conservative Phillip Lee to the Liberal Democrats. The opposition, including members of Johnson’s party, is seeking to pass legislation to delay Brexit. Johnson has said that if his foes succeed he will call early elections."
The Washington Post reports:
"Parliament is debating and voting on a bill to avoid a “no-deal Brexit” and delay Britain’s departure three more months. The bill is widely expected to pass. Johnson faced the first “Prime Minister Questions” of his career and called for an election on Oct. 15. He is not expected to get sufficient parliamentary support for that on Wednesday. He has purged his party of rebels, including grandson of his idol, Winston Churchill."
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.
9-6-19
Trump has again treasonously abrogated his oath of office to uphold the United States Constitution. The Washington Post reports:
"Children born overseas to some American parents serving in the military or working for the federal government may no longer automatically claim U.S. citizenship if their parents had lived in the United States for less than five years, according to a new federal policy issued Wednesday. Instead, officials said, those parents must apply for citizenship on behalf of their children before they turn 18 years old. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which processes citizenship applications, said it rescinded a policy that had allowed some members of the military and government employees to easily transmit citizenship to children born overseas, because it conflicted with other policies and federal law."
NPR reports:
"The children of some U.S. military members and government workers overseas will have a harder time getting citizenship under a Trump administration policy announced Wednesday. The changes will affect a relatively small number of people. But the announcement touched off widespread confusion and outrage — with immigrant and veterans' advocates questioning why the administration would change the rules for people who are serving their country. The administration scrambled to clarify that the vast majority of children born to U.S. citizens while they are are serving or working abroad will still get citizenship automatically. For certain other groups, under the new policy, there will be a more complicated application process. In some cases, parents will have to apply for a visa to legally bring their child to the U.S. and establish residency before applying for citizenship. Those groups include:
"parents
who adopted children while serving abroad
"parents
who became U.S. citizens after their children were born
"parents
who are U.S. citizens but have never lived here
"recently
naturalized citizens who have not met the U.S. residency requirements to
transmit citizenship to their children automatically"
Outrageous bullshit. More hoops to jump through for parents who are U.S. citizens.
"That is an abominable and anti-patriotic position for the Trump Administration to take," said Will Goodwin, a U.S. Army veteran and director of government relations for VoteVets, a liberal advocacy group for veterans. "Tonight, there's someone likely on patrol in a war zone, or at an embassy, who is scared to death that their child is no longer a citizen, just because they were born overseas," Godwin said in a statement. "The stress and strain that this is causing military families is a cruelty that one would never expect from a Commander in Chief."
Adolf Hitler. Reincarnated.
A traitor. To his oath of office, our formerly great country, and the public this narcissistic nazi clearly does not serve. Only himself.
"Why are we doing this? What problem are we trying to solve, except create concern and fear in this population of people?" asked Ur Jaddou, who served as chief counsel at USCIS during the Obama administration and now heads DHS Watch, an immigrant advocacy organization. USCIS says it issued the new guidance because its previous policy conflicted with guidance issued by the State Department. But Jaddou is not convinced. "If you go back in the last 2 1/2 years there is a systemic attempt to narrow the circumstances ... to limit the number of people who can enter the country. And now achieve citizenship through their parents," she said."
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.
9-6-19
Trump claims to be a Christian. Think so? NBC News reports:
"Each year, the U.S. gets about 1,000 applications from immigrant families in the U.S. seeking permission to stay in the country and not face deportation so family members can continue lifesaving medical care that is not available in their home countries. But the Trump administration recently told families who were granted permission to stay for medical care that their permission to stay has been rescinded and they have 33 days to leave the country. The policy, which was not publicly announced, is being applied retroactively to any requests filed on or before Aug. 7. In a conference call Thursday with reporters, advocates and Democrats expressed outrage over the rule. “This is a new low even for Donald Trump,” Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said in a conference call with reporters Thursday. Among those facing deportation is Jonathan Sanchez, 16, who has cystic fibrosis. His mother, Mariela Sanchez, told NBC 10 in Boston that her family arrived in the United States in 2016 and she had recently applied for the medical exemption. After losing a daughter to the hereditary and incurable disease because doctors in Honduras did not diagnose it, she knows what would have happened to her son if he was not getting the care in the U.S. “He would be dead,” she told the station. “This administration is now deporting kids with cancer. Perhaps that is why it was too ashamed to announce this policy change publicly," said Markey, who has been trying to draw national attention to the issue since it was first reported in Boston by WBUR-FM, a public radio station."
Why haven't Democrats voted to hold an impeachment investigation in the House? What are they waiting for? Hell to freeze over?
"The Trump administration is no longer considering medical deferred action
requests for immigrants. This could be a de facto death sentence for patients.
We all need to stand together against the deportation of sick, vulnerable
children.https://t.co/aWBnZk4v7U
—
Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) August 27, 2019"
The following is the height of gutlessness on the part of the Trump nazi and his henchmen:
"The change was not made public and members of the public were not given a chance to provide comment before it went into effect. Families simply received letters telling them they had 33 days to leave. “They are telling these people they need to leave on their own,” Anthony Marino, director of immigration legal services, said on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show” about the families with seriously ill relatives now facing deportation. “I don’t know how they expect parents to pull their children from hospital beds, disconnect them from lifesaving treatments and go some place where they know they are going to die," said Marino. "But that is what they are telling them to do.”
Think Trump's a Christian?
"In Miami, attorney Milena Portillo told The Miami Herald that families who have applied for the medical deferments include a girl with an eye malignancy, a girl with cerebral palsy and the father of three children — who are American citizens — who has a terminal liver illness. “We as a country, we are losing our humanitarian side,” Portillo told the Herald. “We’re not reviewing case by case, but we’re just giving a blanket ‘no’ to everyone.” Rep. Ayana Pressley, D-Mass., cited in the Thursday call the case of Samuel, a five-year-old boy from Brazil. She said he is unable to eat solid food and without care at Boston Children’s Hospital will not be able to receive the nutrients he needs to live. "With this decision, again this administration has hit a new low," Pressley said. "To be fighting for your life, imagine on top of that facing deportation."
Raw nazism. Courtesy of the traitor in the Oval Office and his henchmen. A raucous, boot clicking, goose stepping, treasonous, treacherous, traitorous Seig Heil!, Mr. 'President?'
CBS News reports:
"The Trump administration on Monday announced it would reopen and process some applications from seriously ill immigrants who asked for a temporary reprieve from deportation while they undergo life-saving medical care in the U.S., reversing course in part on a decision that has drawn withering criticism from immigrant advocates and Democrats."
For damned good reason.
"Without notifying the public, the administration had stopped allowing certain immigrants to stay in the country to receive life-saving treatment, a policy shift that quietly went into effect on August 7. Now, caseworkers will reconsider some applications that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently denied, as long as they were pending on August 7. The unexpected move by the administration on Labor Day could be a stopgap reprieve to some immigrants and their families who recently applied for the relief, known as deferred action, which is designed to shield immigrants with serious medical conditions and other extraordinary circumstances from deportation. Hundreds of sick immigrants have benefited from the program, including children with life-threatening health conditions. But the program will still be closed to future applicants and to those who did not have a renewal petition pending on August 7. USCIS said Monday that its controversial decision to make the relief available only to U.S. service members and their families was "appropriate."
"Along with their arguments that the decision to scrap the program will jeopardize the lives of vulnerable immigrants and children, Democrats and immigrant advocates have lambasted the administration for not notifying the public or Congress about the shift in policy. In a letter to top officials at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS, more than 100 congressional Democrats said they were concerned about what amounts to USCIS outsourcing deferred action requests to ICE, an agency most undocumented immigrants fear because it carries out deportations. "Requiring that prospective applicants request this humanitarian relief by applying to an immigration enforcement agency that detains and deports hundreds of thousands of immigrants annually, will deter many vulnerable children and families from coming forward and seeking life-saving protection," the lawmakers wrote."
Precisely, the intention of Trump and his henchmen.
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.
9-6-19
Time for medical personnel to stand up to the Trump nazi and his henchmen. NBC News reports:
"As the administration of President Donald Trump gears up to hold more migrants in detention facilities for longer periods of times, health care and medical professionals are raising concerns and proposing changes to the way federal agencies provide medical treatment to immigrant detainees, Dr. Paul Spiegel, director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at Johns Hopkins, argued in a commentary piece published Friday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that the way in which the government provides health care services to migrants who have been detained goes against the oath physicians take to make patients’ well-being their top priority. “The mission of DHS is security, but oftentimes health decisions are not made by physicians,” Spiegel told NBC News. "What can be done when the standards of health care are not being met?”
The answer to that question is strikingly simple. Refuse to abrogate the oath you took. No matter the personal consequences.
"Spiegel’s concerns started brewing after seeing job postings from the Department of Homeland Security, and the immigration agencies it oversees, seeking physicians who were willing to provide care at their detention centers. He recalled that the job descriptions required physicians to “follow the spirit of the organization,” making him wonder why "doctors were not being asked to put patients first."
The answer to that question is also remarkably simple. The Oval Office is now occupied by a narcissistic national socialist, fascist, nazi dictator. The oath you took as medical personnel means nothing to the nazi element in our formerly great country.
"In his research, Spiegel found that all DHS employees, consultants and subcontractors are required to sign nondisclosure agreements that are quite strict and clearly state that if violated, the person could be subject to "administrative, disciplinary, civil or criminal action."
The answer to that is also incredibly simple. Don't sign. Don't participate. Don't be part of what is now effectively a criminal enterprise. Disclose to media precisely what is being demanded of you by these out of control fascist bastards.
"In his article, Spiegel proposed three changes:
"Hire independent health care providers who do not report to the U.S. government or to companies that report to the government.
"Form an independent oversight commission to serve as an external monitor and that has unrestricted access to detention centers in order to monitor all aspects of health services provided in facilities run by DHS as well as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement and ensure that appropriate standards are being met.
"Require immigration agencies to regularly report how they are living up to the agencies' own standard of care as well as international standards. Such reports should be provided to the independent oversight commission and made public."
The above presupposes the rule of law, adherence to the United States Constitution. Both, now, in serious jeopardy, having been abrogated by out of control nazi government. All you can do as medical personnel is refuse to participate no matter the personal cost.
"We’re proposing to not put health care providers in a position where they won’t be able to speak out," Spiegel said. “This is a difficult ethics dilemma. That’s why we ask agencies to not put physicians in these situations.”
Too late. Wake up. Already happened. Certainly, an issue throughout all ICE and Border Patrol facilities. All you can do is refuse to participate, refuse to cooperate, courageously refuse to abrogate the oaths you swore. Otherwise, you're no better than the bastards running these out of control facilities. It is indeed in the best interests of those incarcerated in these hell holes for medical personnel to stand up to these bastards. Not cooperate. Not become part of the problem. Should you do so, at the very best, the inmates will receive grossly inadequate care. This will allow their keepers to falsely claim they're receiving proper care. You will become part of the problem rather than the solution.
"Nearly 700,000 migrants have been apprehended at the southwest border and placed in detention centers by Customs and Border Protection, also known as CBP, since January, when a growing number of migrant families started to present themselves at the border seeking asylum. Attorneys, human rights groups and health care professionals have called conditions in detention camps "appalling," saying they are overcrowded and unsanitary and have insufficient medical care. Concerns have grown after the deaths of least seven children while in immigration custody under the Trump administration. At least three of the children died of infectious diseases, such as the flu, over the last year."
Precisely, why it is time for Democrats in the House to vote for an impeachment investigation.
"CBP told NBC News in a statement that it doesn't routinely administer vaccines against infectious diseases such as the flu, chickenpox and measles, "due to the short-term nature of CBP holding and the complexities of operating vaccination programs" — even though the agency "counts approximately 200 medical personnel engaged along the southwest border." Spiegel said that "what they’re saying doesn’t make sense from a public health point of view because even if a child is there for 72 hours, it's better to vaccinate them sooner rather than later. And with 200 health care providers, they should be able to do so with no problem."
That's not the point. 'Providers' are clearly, gutlessly, goose stepping to their government masters. Abrogating their falsely sworn oaths as medical personnel. Time to wake up. Smell the coffee. Expose the Trump nazi and his henchmen for precisely whom and what they are.
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.
9-6-19
Beyond the pale. Would be laughable under less dire circumstances. The Washington Post reports:
"President Trump suggested Friday that he and his supporters should be “given our stolen time back” in light of a Justice Department report that found former FBI director James B. Comey violated FBI policies regarding memos that helped spark the special counsel investigation."
First, if there was any substance to the 'Justice' Department report, Comey would have been prosecuted. Not given a free pass. For that alone, the report has no credibility.
"It was not immediately clear what Trump meant, but in May he shared a tweet by a supporter that said he should have two years added to his term as compensation for having endured the investigation of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into possible coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia."
Jesus Christ. If true, Trump is delusional.
Second, readers are reminded the report listed ten examples of obstruction of justice. Trump was not prosecuted because of a 'Justice' Department ruling a sitting president cannot be indicted, that is, not held criminally accountable for his crimes. No more complicated than that.
“The disastrous IG Report on James B. Comey shows, in the strongest of terms, how unfairly I, and tens of millions of great people who support me, were treated,” Trump said in a tweet, referring to the Justice Department’s inspector general. “Our rights and liberties were illegally stripped away by this dishonest fool. We should be given our stolen time back?”
Trump is psychotic. His above tweet does not reflect reality.
"The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what the president meant."
What could they say? How do you plausibly, rationally explain insanity?
"The report released Thursday by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog said Comey violated FBI policies in how he handled memos that detailed his early interactions with Trump. The report said Comey kept the government documents at his home, engineered the release of some of their contents to the news media and did not tell the bureau which person or people he had given them to."
The 'Justice' Department offered no proof of the above. None. Also, conveniently announced it would not be prosecuting Comey. Sounds like Barr and his henchmen may be desperately attempting to ingratiate themselves with their fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Had they truly anything of substance criminally, think they wouldn't have desperately tried to hold him criminally accountable? None of this makes any sense. No credibility. The mark of a dictator desperately trying to reverse precipitously dropping poll numbers.
"Comey’s orchestration of the release of the memo’s contents was a factor in Mueller’s appointment as special counsel. Mueller would go on to focus intently on the episodes Comey described in his memos as possible obstruction of justice by the president. The memos asserted, among other things, that Trump had pressed Comey for loyalty and had asked him about letting go of an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn."
That alone is obstruction.
"Comey, whom Trump fired in May 2017, told investigators that he felt the memos were personal and that he was acting in the best interests of the country."
He was. Desperately tried to inform the public of Trump's criminal behavior. Yet, nothing was done. Trump has not been held accountable. Due to a phony edict by the 'Justice' Department stating a sitting president cannot be indicted.
"The inspector general wrote that his office gave its findings to the Justice Department to determine whether Comey had committed a crime and that officials declined to prosecute the case."
They had no case.
"In a separate tweet Friday, Trump wrote that the decision not to prosecute showed “how fair and reasonable” Attorney General William P. Barr is. “So many people and experts that I have watched and read would have taken an entirely different course,” Trump wrote. “Comey got Lucky!"
Trump's phony assessment is laughable. A congenital liar. What 'people and experts' in the Department of 'Justice,' Mr. 'President?' Who?
"In May, conservative religious leader Jerry Falwell Jr. wrote on Twitter that Trump should have two years added to his first term “as pay back for time stolen by this corrupt failed coup,” a reference to the Mueller investigation."
The above? Further evidence the Nazi Right is hopelessly psychotic. ... Just like their fuhrer, the Trump nazi.
"Trump retweeted Falwell and in subsequent tweets of his own wrote that “they have stolen two years of my (our) Presidency.” Trump has also publicly mused — seemingly in a joking fashion — about extending his four-year term. Earlier this year, he brought up the idea after receiving an award at an event for the Wounded Warrior project. “Well, this is really beautiful,” Trump said. “This will find a permanent place, at least for six years, in the Oval Office. Is that okay?” “I was going to joke, general, and say at least for 10 or 14 years, but we would cause bedlam if I said that, so we’ll say six,” he added."
Traitorously, treasonously, national socialist, fascist, nazi. Unfit. A psychotic narcissist. What does that make his supporters?
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.
9-6-19
Meaningless double talk. NPR reports:
"The Trump administration's decision to shift more than $100 million of federal disaster aid to help pay for more detention beds for migrants has set off an outcry just as Florida is bracing for Hurricane Dorian. But the move, which also includes transferring money away from other department priorities, is also raising uncomfortable questions about whether the Department of Homeland Security is overly focused on border and immigration enforcement at the expense of other parts of its mission, potentially leaving the United States vulnerable to other threats."
Trump's apparently too stupid, and/or shortsighted, to understand this.
"David Lapan, a former Trump official and press secretary at the Department Homeland Security, said prioritizing border security above other important aspects of the department sends a clear message to the country and the DHS workforce about what's really important and what's not. "This is where you get to the point that the Department of Homeland Security, which has all of these various missions to secure the homeland, has turned into under President Trump the Department of Border Enforcement, or the Department of Immigration Enforcement, if you will," Lapan said."
Clearly, so. A problem. A big problem.
"In total, DHS told Congress that it plans to re-allocate $271 million to to fund more detention beds for migrants who were caught after crossing the border illegally. In addition to shifting money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief fund, the Trump administration is transferring another $24 million away from the U.S. Coast Guard, $24 million from the Transportation Security Administration and more than $4 million from the newly-established Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. In the run-up to the 2020, DHS is working hand-in-hand with state election officials to prevent cyber-attacks like those that plagued the 2016 elections. Lapan says the redirected funds may not directly affect federal election security efforts, but given the nature of the threat to the U.S. from Russia and other actors, Lapan said he'd expect the administration would want to strengthen its capabilities in this area rather than take away from them."
Expect logic from a narcissistic nazi?
NPR reports:
"The Trump administration has started the arduous process of canceling $3.6 billion in military construction projects to fund its plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Defense Secretary Mark Esper began notifying lawmakers Tuesday which projects will be canceled in their districts. Top Democrats immediately blasted the plan. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was among the first lawmakers to say his district will be impacted by the funding cuts, for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. It is a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces who serve our country."
It's also unconstitutional. Congress controls the purse strings. Not the president.
"This decision will harm already planned, important projects intended to support our service members at military installations in New York, across the United States, and around the world," Schumer said. "It is a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces who serve our country that President Trump is willing to cannibalize already allocated military funding to boost his own ego and for a wall he promised Mexico would pay to build."
"It
is a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces who serve our
country that @realDonaldTrump is willing to cannibalize already allocated
military funding to boost his own ego, and for a wall he promised Mexico
would pay to build. https://t.co/sv2ys87bw1
—
Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 3, 2019
"Schumer went on to say that Trump is trying to "usurp Congress's exclusive power of the purse and loot vital funds from our military." He also signaled Congress will strongly oppose any funds for new wall construction."
Stop pissing and moaning, Senator. Get up off your ass and pressure Pelosi to place principle ahead of partisan interests. That is, schedule a formal vote on an impeachment investigation.
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.
9-6-19
Trump continues to line his pockets off the presidency. The Washington Post reports:
"When President Trump decided to keep ownership of his company and continue to do business with foreign governments, he said nobody could stop him. But voters could trust him to police himself, he said."
Boldface lied.
“I will be leaving my great business in total,” Trump said, pledging to do more to keep his roles separate than was required of him in the Constitution."
Boldface lied.
“There are lines that we would never cross, and that’s mixing business with anything government,” said Eric Trump, one of two Trump sons who would be taking over day-to-day control of the Trump Organization."
Boldface lied.
"Over time, Trump has repeatedly crossed that line, routinely visiting his properties and talking them up on television and Twitter. The most overt example came last week, when Trump said he was likely to award next year’s Group of Seven summit to his company’s Doral golf resort in Florida — a plan that would direct millions of dollars to benefit his own business."
Direct violation of the U.S. Constitution Emoluments Clause.
"When Trump visits his clubs, government agencies and Republicans pay to be where he is."
To curry favor. Line their fuhrer's pockets. Blatant corruption. Courtesy of looted taxpayers.
"It was the latest sign that Trump has abandoned some of his pledges about self-restraint, as efforts to hold him to those promises have faltered. Lawsuits alleging he is violating the Constitution by taking money from foreign and U.S. governments have stalled in the courts. Congressional Democrats have been stymied in their role overseeing the executive branch. And Republicans have expressed little interest in reining him in."
We've lost ourselves. Our formerly great country is a small fraction of what it once was. Corruption, abuse reign supreme. -- A de facto fascist police-state since 9/11, quickly transitioning to the Trump nazi's Fourth Reich.
“Once upon a time we would have thought of this as something so outlandish it looks more like a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit. But here we are,” Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) said of Trump’s proposal to award the G-7 summit to himself. He is one of several House Democrats calling for more aggressive action on this issue."
Democrats have the power to rein in our fuhrer, the outrageously narcissistic Trump nazi. Yet, place partisan interests ahead of what's in the best interests of our formerly great country. Gutlessly, refuse to formally vote for an impeachment investigation.
"The Trump Organization did not respond to questions about Trump’s business dealings with foreign governments, or his proposal to hold the G-7 summit at Doral."
Surprised? Why? What could they say? -- The malfeasance so obvious there's no way to rationally excuse it.
Laughably, ludicrously, White House staff remain in direct contradiction to their fuhrer:
"The White House has said that questions about the choice of Doral are premature, as it is one of several sites under consideration for the annual gathering of world leaders, set to take place next year in the United States. Trump, however, has continued to promote it publicly as a prime location."
Shamelessly, so. Yet, Democrats in the House remain too gutless to formally vote for an impeachment investigation. Their silence, -- gutless, treasonous.
"The event could bring a surge of foreign cash that eclipses what the company collected previously from overseas sources."
... While the middle class becomes an endangered species. -- The economy becomes increasingly zero-sum, winner-take-all. Laissez faire capitalism. That is, a financial system that is either unregulated, or as in the case of our formerly great country, extremely poorly regulated.
"Last year, foreign governments paid more than $1 million to Trump’s company, said George Sorial, who until June served as the Trump Organization’s top compliance official. Of that revenue, Sorial estimated that about 90 percent of that money was spent at a single Trump property: the president’s luxury hotel in downtown Washington. The Trump Organization declined to comment on Sorial’s figures. It has donated about $340,000 to the U.S. Treasury since 2017 — the company’s calculation of profits from those who identified themselves as foreign government customers, Sorial said."
Delusionally believe that's anywhere near sufficient to have negated the pernicious effects of blatant bribery?
“What we did was pretty remarkable and represented an honest attempt to navigate a very tricky area of the law,” Sorial said of his company’s system for identifying foreign government spenders."
Think so?
"Because a single embassy gala can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, Sorial said revenue short of $1 million is a negligible amount for a downtown D.C. hotel. “I don’t understand what all the fuss is about,” Sorial said."
LOL.
Here's the problem that's been conveniently ignored:
"But the company has not given its own figure of how much total revenue it has taken from foreign governments, or revealed its customers. Trump has refused to say as well. He told a crowd in Pennsylvania that lawsuits seeking details about foreign-government customers were “presidential harassment.” He also dismissed the idea that he would profit from holding the summit at Doral. “In my opinion, I’m not going to make any money,” he said, without explaining why."
Expect anything more from a congenital liar?
Clearly, haughtily, the rules don't apply to the Trump nazi:
"Before he took office, Trump announced at a news conference that he would not sell his financial assets or wall them off in a blind trust, as his predecessors for four decades had done. He noted that, as president, he is exempt from conflict-of-interest rules that apply to most other federal employees. “I could actually run my business and run government at the same time,” Trump said. But, he said, he wouldn’t: “I don’t like the way that looks.”
Jesus Christ. The bullshit? Hypocrisy? Off the charts.
Certainly, has his enablers:
"A Trump attorney, Sheri Dillon, joined him in front of a stack of folders, which she said contained documents where Trump gave up day-to-day control of his business. Trump, she said, would avoid “even the appearance of a conflict” to assure the American people “that the decisions he makes and the actions he takes as president are for their benefit and not to support his financial interests.” But since then, Trump’s own actions have undermined those promises. Trump, for instance, promised he would distance himself from his real estate business. But he has spent all or part of more than 250 days at his hotels and golf courses since he took office, according to a Washington Post analysis."
In addition:
"He promised he would separate the government from his business. But federal taxpayers have already spent tens of thousands of dollars at his properties, often to pay for staff accompanying Trump on his visits, according to government documents released after public-records requests."
Blatant corruption.
Report goes on and on. In great detail. Yet, nothing changes. As our formerly great country continues to deteriorate. We've lost ourselves.
Above quotes courtesy of 3 most gifted, insightful writers, Jonathan O'Connell, Joshua Partlow, and David A. Fahrenthold.
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.
9-6-19
Took almost two hundred years. Better late than never. NPR reports:
"The Cherokee Nation has named its first ever delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. Former Obama appointee Kimberley Teehee's nomination was approved by the tribe's council on Thursday. Although the treaty that created this non-voting position is almost 200 years old, it's never been filled."
Ferociously pointedly, why wasn't it?
Here's the issue:
"The article outlining the right to a delegate is in the Treaty of New Echota. The 1835 treaty is also the document that led to the Trail of Tears, something that has been top of mind for Teehee. She points out the treaty gave up the Cherokee's homelands and cost the tribe thousands of lives. "Literally blood sweat and tears," Teehee said. "We can't ignore that history and what it meant for us to have a provision like that put in place given the devastation that occurred and the deaths that occurred."
Without question.
"Teehee grew up in Oklahoma and cut her teeth in politics in the 1980's interning for Wilma Mankiller, the first woman to become chief of the Cherokee Nation. Mankiller led the tribe at a time when it was reasserting its sovereignty on both a state and national level. Teehee says watching Mankiller become one of the most effective Cherokee chiefs in modern history was inspiring. "She let me go to meetings with her, I got to travel with her, got to research for her," she said. "She was so hands on with me, I loved it." Mankiller advised Teehee that when she returned to college from her internship, the young woman should consider getting a law degree. "Because there's a lot of Indian issues being litigated in the federal courts, and those decisions are having an impact on tribes, and it's going to become more complicated to lead," Teehee said. Teehee would go on to get that law degree, and later she worked for the Democratic National Committee, as a Hill staffer and then an Obama appointee. Teehee has been an outsized figure on Capitol Hill for decades when it comes to Indian Country policy. Her fingerprints are on a wide variety of policy and laws affecting Indigenous people, from the Violence against women act to the creation of Congress's first Native American caucus."
Stood Tall. Uncommon Valor. Hat's Off.
"As a delegate in Congress who can attend committee meetings, Teehee would have the opportunity to not just advocate for the Cherokee Nation, but for all tribes, said Lindsay Robertson, who teaches federal Indian law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. "You'd have somebody in the halls of Congress, all the time, with access and rights of participation and debate who is raising Native American issues constantly," he said. The appointment still needs congressional approval, and Robertson says it will likely take time for Congress to figure out exactly how to seat Teehee. But the treaty language is very clear: the Cherokee Nation is entitled to a delegate."
Goddamned right. Outrageous injustice it took nearly two hundred years for this provision in the treaty to be honored. ... If, in fact, it winds up being honored.
"One thing that could help Teehee's chances of being seated is her reputation on the Hill for bipartisan work. She has close relationships with Oklahoma Republicans Markwayne Mullin, also a member of the Cherokee Nation, and Tom Cole, a member of the Chickasaw Nation. Newly-elected Chief of the Cherokee Nation Chuck Hoskin Jr. made Teehee's appointment one of his administration's first priorities. He said her ability to reach across the aisle on a number of important areas for Indian Country is what led him to choose Teehee for the position. "One thing that I have learned is that you never know what the next issue will be, and so we need somebody that is nimble, has studied up on the issues and is a quick study when those things come up," Hoskin said. For her part, Teehee says she understands her appointment will help bring visibility to a nearly invisible part of American society. And that could have a lasting impact on areas like Indian Health Services funding, education expansion on tribal lands and treaty rights, like the one that led to her appointment. "The education piece of it also means, 'What do treaty rights actually mean?' Why do these old documents still live today?'" In this case, the Treaty of New Echota, a document that led to the horrors of genocide nearly 200 years ago, could today lead to a new chapter in relations between the U.S. and the Cherokee Nation."
Readers are reminded our UNDOCUMENTED forebears arrived in this continent centuries ago, STOLE it from its native inhabitants, then BROKE every goddamned treaty signed.
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.
9-6-19
Pence lines the pockets of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi, with taxpayer money. How sweet it is, no? CBS News reports:
"Vice President Mike Pence and his staff are defending his decision to stay at one of President Donald Trump's properties while in Ireland amid criticism by Democrats that he's enriching Trump at taxpayers' expense. Outside the U.S. ambassador's residence in Dublin, Pence responded to a question about his stay. "I understand political attacks by Democrats. But if you have a chance to get to Doonbeg you'll find it's a fairly small place, and the opportunity to stay at Trump National in Doonbeg to accommodate the unique footprint that comes with our security detail and other personnel made it logical," he said. "We checked it with the State Department, they approved us staying there."
Why wouldn't they? The State Department is run and owned by the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Convenient, isn't it?
Kicker? Get this:
"Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, said Tuesday that the decision to stay at Trump International Golf Links in Doonbeg was made at the president's "suggestion" and that Pence and his entourage are not staying free of charge."
That's right. Taxpayers are footing the bill. Lining the pockets of the Trump nazi.
"Pence told reporters about the personal appeal Doonbeg holds for him."
Bet it does. Especially, when taxpayers are footing the bill, lining the pockets of his fuhrer, the Trump nazi. Can't beat that, no? LOL.
"To be able to be here, to reaffirm our commitment to the Republic of Ireland but at the same time to have an opportunity to connect to the roots of my family...I think supports the relationship between the U.S. and Ireland," said Pence. He added, "I was pleased to have the opportunity to return to that family hometown and stay here and not just on a personal level but to do it in a way that helps me celebrate with the people of Ireland."
Jesus Christ. Give me a break. What a clueless, haughty son of a bitch. LOL.
"Mr. Trump's property Doonbeg is on the opposite side of Ireland from Dublin — about 180 miles away. The Trump organization is presumably benefiting from the vice president's stay, which includes his staff and Secret Service. Staying in Doonbeg is also incurring taxpayer costs for the flight back and forth between Doonbeg and Dublin."
... Hear the rumble?
The Washington Post reports:
"Asked if Trump had asked Pence to stay at his property in Doonbeg, Short characterized it as “a suggestion.”
LOL.
“It’s like when we went through the trip, it’s like, ‘Well, he’s going to Doonbeg because that’s where the Pence family is from,’” Short said. “It’s like, ‘Well, you should stay at my place.’” “It wasn’t like a, ‘You must.’ It wasn’t like, ‘You have to,’” Short said."
LOL.
"Democrats have seized on Pence’s stay to suggest that Trump is seeking to enrich himself from government business. A tweet from the Democratic National Committee on Monday noted that Trump was playing golf at one of his properties in Virginia at the same time Pence was staying at a Trump property in Ireland. “Your tax dollars: making the Trump family richer,” the tweet said. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) also weighed in with a tweet directed at Pence. “You took an oath to the Constitution, not to @realDonaldTrump,” Lieu wrote. “Funneling taxpayer money to @POTUS by staying at this Trump resort is sooooooo corrupt.”
Unbridled Aryan arrogance of the nazi element in our formerly great country:
"Short dismissed Lieu’s criticism, saying that he is “often looking to try to get into you all’s news stories. So I’m not too worried about Ted Lieu’s comments.”
Take your head out of your ass, sir. Aggressive stupidity is unbecoming even a goddamned fool such as yourself.
"Conservative commentator Bill Kristol, a frequent Trump critic, also criticized the arrangement, suggesting Pence was trying to curry favor with Trump so he would remain on the Republican ticket next year. “How worried must Pence be about being dumped from the ticket to go these lengths to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars at a Trump resort?” Kristol wrote."
No kidding. LOL.
'Can't fix stupid.' To say nothing of desperation. Get this:
"Short also told reporters that an advantage to Pence staying at Trump’s golf resort was that Trump had stayed there during his presidency and that the White House is familiar with the property. “Keep in mind, the Secret Service has protected that facility for him, too, so they sort of know the realities, they know the logistics around that facility,” Short said."
LOL.
No problem with the following?
"Pence’s political action committee, the Great America Committee, spent about $87,000 putting on an event at the Trump International Hotel in Washington in January. Pence has visited Doonbeg before. In 2013, he and his family traveled to the small town, where Hugh McNally, a distant cousin of the vice president, runs Morrissey’s pub. Pence is scheduled to return to Morrissey’s, also known as Morrissey’s Bar & Restaurant, on Tuesday evening after returning from Dublin. Trump’s sons, Don Jr. and Eric, visited the pub in early June. It is a short drive from the Trump property."
How about that? Most convenient, isn't it? At a time when the economy in our formerly great country is now zero-sum, winner-take-all. Two extremes. Top and bottom. Middle class, -- endangered.
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.
9-6-19
Trump delusionally claims to be a 'winner.' Think so? The Washington Post reports:
"When President Trump presided over the battle tanks and fighter jets, the fireworks and adoring fans on July 4, he couldn’t have known that the militaristic “Salute to America” — as well as to himself — would end up as the apparent pinnacle of the season. What followed was what some Trump advisers and allies characterize as a lost summer defined by self-inflicted controversies and squandered opportunities. Trump leveled racist attacks against four congresswomen of color dubbed “the Squad.” He derided the majority-black city of Baltimore as “rat and rodent infested.” His anti-immigrant rhetoric was echoed in a missive that authorities believe a mass shooting suspect posted. His visits to Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso after the gun massacres in those cities served to divide rather than heal. Trump’s economy also began to falter, with the markets ping-ponging based on the president’s erratic behavior. His trade war with China grew more acrimonious. His whipsaw diplomacy at the Group of Seven summit left allies uncertain about American leadership. The president returned from his visit to France in a sour mood, frustrated by what he felt was unfairly negative news coverage of his trip. The two months between Independence Day and Labor Day offered a fresh and vivid portrait of the president as seen by Trump’s critics — incompetent, indecisive, intolerant and ineffective. White House officials promote the summer of 2019 as one of historic achievement for Trump, offering up a list of more than two dozen accomplishments. But privately, many of the president’s advisers and outside allies bemoan what they consider to be a period of missed opportunity and self-sabotage. In the final lull before the 2020 campaign starts to intensify this fall, Trump could have worked strategically to solidify his position and broaden his appeal. Instead, his words and actions this summer served to further divide the country and to harden public opinion about the ever-polarizing president."
Nothing quite like the truth, is there?
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.
9-6-19
War crimes. Five years in the making. The Washington Post reports:
"By arming and backing a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, the United States, Britain and France may be helping to commit potential war crimes, the United Nations said in a scathing report Tuesday that called for more accountability by all sides in Yemen’s five-year-old war. The wide-ranging report from a U.N. team of investigators created by the U.N. Human Rights Council found that all parties to the conflict had perpetrated possible war crimes through airstrikes, shelling, snipers and land mines, as well as arbitrary killings, torture and other abuses. The Saudi-led coalition is accused of intentionally starving Yemenis as a tactic of war in the region’s poorest country, which is on the brink of famine, while killing thousands of civilians in airstrikes. The coalition’s foes, northern rebels known as Houthis, are accused of planting land mines, shelling cities and deploying child soldiers."
So what else is new? Been going on for years. Continues with impunity under the Trump nazi. At the same time, the American public is looted by the Saudis at the gas pump. Since January 1973.
"Representatives from the coalition, the Houthis, the United States, France and Britain were not immediately available for comment."
What could they say?
"While most of the abuses have been previously reported by journalists and human rights groups, the report is striking for its broad demand for accountability. The investigators highlighted what many of the war’s critics describe as the destructive role played by the United States, Britain and France — all permanent U.N. Security Council members. The United States, in particular, provides logistical support and intelligence to the coalition, in addition to selling billions of dollars in weaponry to the group, which is also led by the United Arab Emirates."
So what else is new? Forget? Money rules. The long-suffering public foots the bill, gets royally f--ked. In the ass. Without the Vaseline, K-Y.
"The report also cited Shiite-led Iran as playing a role in helping to perpetrate war crimes through its support for the Shiite Houthis. Such “third states” that “directly or indirectly” have influence on Yemen’s warring parties “may be held responsible for providing aid or assistance for the commission of international law violations,” the report said. “The legality of arms transfers by France, the United Kingdom, the United States and other States remains questionable, and is the subject of various domestic court proceedings,” it said."
Yet, nothing changes. Pockets continue to be lined. The innocent continue to die.
"The report comes two days after a Saudi-led coalition launched an airstrike against a rebel prison, killing more than 100 people. On Monday, a group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers launched a fresh push to stop U.S. logistical support for the coalition’s air campaign and certain forms of intelligence sharing. The U.N. investigators have sent a list of individuals “who may be responsible for international crimes” to the U.N. human rights commissioner, Michelle Bachelet. But it remained unclear whether the list included any Westerners. In the report’s appendix, investigators listed the names of more than 160 key actors in Yemen’s war — all Yemeni, Saudi or Emirati nationals — but did not state whether any of them have committed potential war crimes."
Yet, nothing changes. Same old shit.
"The coalition has been battling the Houthis since March 2015 in an effort to restore Yemen’s internationally recognized government and prevent Tehran from gaining regional influence. The conflict has worsened a humanitarian crisis that has left more than 24 million people — roughly 80 percent of the population — in need of assistance. By some estimates, the conflict has killed as many as 95,000 people, including tens of thousands of civilians. “Five years into the conflict, violations against Yemeni civilians continue unabated, with total disregard for the plight of the people and a lack of international action to hold parties to the conflict accountable,” Kamel Jendoubi, the Tunisian head of the investigations team, said in a statement. “The international community must multiply its efforts to free the Yemeni people from the persistent injustice they have been enduring.”
Not likely to happen any time soon. Certainly, not under the Trump nazi and his henchmen. Forget? Trump supports the Saudis no matter what they do.
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.
9-6-19
Exigent threat to all civil and constitutional rights and liberties. CBS News reports:
"The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday urged ranking members of the House Judiciary Committee to oppose a bill that targets white supremacist groups by criminalizing domestic terrorism. The ACLU said the bill would unnecessarily expand authorities used by the Trump administration to target and discriminate against the very communities Congress hopes to protect. "People of color and other marginalized communities have long been targeted under domestic terrorism authorities for unfair and discriminatory surveillance, investigations, and prosecutions," the civil rights group said in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, and Rep. Doug Collins, the ranking Republican member. Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, introduced the bill on Aug. 16 amid a growing number of mass shootings in America. Patrick Boland, Schiff's spokesman, said late Tuesday there are reasonable and valid concerns about such statutes potentially being abused, but that the responsible solution is not to refuse to take vital legislative action. "In the wake of El Paso and other horrific attacks, it is imperative that prosecutors and investigators be given the tools necessary to combat violent domestic terrorism — particularly white nationalist terrorism — vigorously, and on equal terms with its international counterpart," Boland said. In coming days, Schiff's staff will meet with stakeholders to discuss the bill and find ways to strengthen protections against abuse, Boland said in an email."
That's delusional. Trump has already demonstrated a remarkable ability to raucously shit on the United States Constitution with impunity. Both Democrats and Republicans have refused to do what's necessary to rein him in. Forget? Partisan interests trump principle.
"Recent mass shootings have added momentum to a debate about whether such attacks should be classified and tried in the same way as crimes against America by foreign extremist groups and their supporters. U.S. Sen. Martha McSally, an Arizona Republican, intends to introduce legislation this month that would allow federal law enforcement to charge suspects with acts of domestic terror and add punishments for those crimes. Schiff's bill would allow for federal authorities to charge someone with providing criminal support for a domestic terrorist. Jeanne Theoharis, a political science professor at Brooklyn College who has written extensively on civil rights, says such a provision provides a way for the federal government to go after people whose politics they don't like. But Schiff says the fact that prosecutors would have to prove the crime beyond a reasonable doubt sets a high bar."
Unadulterated bullshit. 'Judges' remain far from impartial. Juries do as they please. Forget? 'Jury nullification.' Wake up.
"Mary McCord, who used to lead the Justice Department's National Security Division, says providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization is the most frequently used international terrorism charge, accounting for nearly half of federal terrorism-related prosecutions since Sept. 11, 2001. Only foreign groups can be labeled terrorist organizations. McCord and Schiff both oppose designating domestic groups as terrorist organizations because that could threaten First Amendment rights such as freedom of expression. The ACLU said law enforcement agencies already have all the authorities they need to address white supremacist violence. The letter was signed by Ronald Newman, the group's national political director, and Manar Waheed, senior legislative and advocacy counsel."
Democrats remain hell-bent on doing something, anything to reduce the carnage of mass murders. Whether that's taking a raucous hard dump on the Second Amendment, and/or other precious rights guarantied by the Bill of Rights. No way will Democrats ever successfully disarm the American public. Won't happen. Expansion of background checks to private sales won't fly. It's none of this government's business who owns what and where it's located. Liberty is indeed dangerous. Some of us will die as a result of criminal activity perpetrated by use of firearms. That certainly doesn't negate the true purpose of the Second Amendment, -- the last best defense against corrupt, abusive, murderous 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.
Tim Chorney, Publisher
Liberty In Peril